Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Social Organization Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Organization Analysis - Essay Example Another fallacy presented is fallacy of appeal to pity. The video tries to encourage people to donate by making them feel sorry for the victims of animal cruelty. The viewers are led to believe that giving financial support to the organization will help promote the plight of the poor animals. The organization may be guilty of using content fallacies. Although it gave information on the number of animals being abused every single hour and the number of animals which were rescued last year, one does not have any way of confirming the said data because the source of the figures were not given. The arguments presented may make us suspicious because the figures could very well be invented just to get a lot of contributions. The fallacies have a strong impact on the aim of the organization to encourage people to make a donation. I think that the fallacies used are very effective into moving the viewers to action by calling right after watching the video. There was even a statement which wa s shown, â€Å"For hundreds of others, help came too late.† The statement used would make viewers react at once; else it would be too late for the â€Å"hundreds† of animals. The impact of this is that there seems to be a sense of urgency in the issue being presented.

Monday, October 28, 2019

William Todhunter- Wartime letters Essay Example for Free

William Todhunter- Wartime letters Essay The whimpers of horses continued long after the firing had stopped. Those poor creatures- sent by fat old men to do their bidding. This great war. This perfect waste. Wipers November 8th Dearest Mamma, Your letter arrived on Thursday, but already that seems an age ago. Day and night seem to fall into one and at the moment we are under almost constant bombardment. The shells tend to fall behind us but you are never sure whether one might not have your number on it. It is difficult to get used to, but we are so tired that we fall into our dugouts as soon as we come off duty, snatch a mug of tea, and sleep in our damp clothes. I have been over the top several times now, but every time we have only got so far as the wire, and had to fall back under heavy German fire. It is simply ghastly out there in no-mans land, and the gung-ho patriotism we once felt has dissipated among the smoke and the stench of corpses. I feel particularly sorry for the poor horses, it is not their war. Still keeping hopeful for Tommys return. I am sure he will be back with us soon, as they have only been missing for a few days now, and scouting parties often go missing for several days. Still raining, and dark, heavy clouds are rolling in from the west. However we are bearing up and at least the falling rain and the heavy grey mud seems to constrain enemy activity, although we still have to watch out for sniper fire. It is terribly cold at the moment, in spite of our best efforts at putting small fires, even candles, in every nook and cranny to keep warm. And we have a hard time sleeping between the look out duties witch are two hours in every six. I am sorry this letter is a bit depressing, my mood matches the weather. Your Loving Son, William November 25th Gas. Cruel green hands of twisted nature. Grasping at the lives of innocent men. What can I do though? All I am able to do is stand. Wiped of emotion. Watching contorted faces of those whose masks had failed, I cannot even breathe on these occasions. Not out of being scared, but from utter helplessness. All is numb. How can I tell mother about this? How can I even write to her? Our letters are being censored anyway, so even if my hand could write, it would be snatched up, and I would be on duties. During the battle at Wipers we suffered many losses- far greater than those of the Germans. But more men are sent. Why do they come? Do they truly believe in the old lies? They remind me of how I was once- nai ve, patriotic and simply, blissfully ignorant. The mud is always up to our knees. Corpses often find their way into the dugout entrances. Supplies are shortening, and home is far away. Oh mamma, what if I am to die here? I cannot, could not, tell you of the possibility. God has left this place. Left it to rot in Hell on Earth. December 26th Dearest Mamma The strangest things have been happening over the past few days. I do not think there had been a single shot fired since the early hours of the morning of Christmas Eve, when the first carols were heard. After a while, the sound of German singing floated back over no-mans land and met our ears. In the afternoon, after we had had Holy Communion, a few foolhardy Germans appeared and exchanged some of their songs with us. It was the strangest thing. We had been blowing each other up for weeks, and then I suddenly found myself shaking hands with a sniper, who spoke a bit of English, and seemed nice enough. He must have been the same age as me, if not younger, but they may have different regulations for signing up there, and I forgot to ask him his real age. A few fellows followed them back, but returned safe and sound, missing only buttons and cigarettes, which they had traded for similar souvenirs. On Christmas Day, I had just finished morning service, and was heading down to our dugout, when I realised that a game of football was being played out in no-mans land against the Germans! I couldnt believe it, but climbed out and joined in. We lost, but it was good fun, and well played by the Huns! It was the queerest thing! Our dinner party was well enjoyed. It started with fried bacon and dip-bread; followed by Christmas pudding. But you can guess that we all were thinking of home. I think that it has been the most memorable Christmas I have ever spent, or likely to spend. I never expected to be shaking hands with Germans in enemy trenches on Christmas day, and I do not suppose you thought of us doing so either. So after a fashion I have enjoyed my Christmas. But who knows what the New Year will bring. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards to all. Your loving son, William P. S. Dont forget to feed the rabbits! December 29th Dear Mrs. Todhunter, I regret to inform you of the death in action of your son, William. He was killed yesterday by sniper fire. The mood in the camp last night was solemn. I cannot stress how well the men regarded William. Always cheerful, always ready to lend a hand, always ready to share his rations. He will be much missed. His personal effects will be returned through the usual channels. Yours sincerely, Hugh Lonsdale (Lieut. ) Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

To Kill a Mockinbird Report Essay -- essays research papers

To Kill a Mockingbird Book Report   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird are Jem, Scout, and Atticus Finch. Jem and Scout are brother and sister, Atticus is their father and Maycomb’s best lawyer . Jem and Scout spend their summers playing with their summer time friend Dill. Jem, Scout, and Dill spend most of their summer trying to get Boo Radley who is suspected to be a crazy man to come out of his home. As their summers pass their hopes of Boo Radley coming out of his home slowly fade away. One summer Atticus is defending a black man who is accused of raping a white teenager. The small town that they live in Maycomb is buzzing and giving the whole Finch family a hard time about the trial. Atticus believes the black man is innocent, and that the girls father was the one to actually beat her up. The black man is convicted guilty. The girls father tells Atticus that he will get him back for making a mockery of him in court. While the black man is in prison he tries to escape and he gets shot to death. A while past and Scout is in a play where she has to be a ham. On the way home from the play Jem and Scout are attacked by a man. Jem is knocked unconscious and Scout cant see a thing because she is trapped in the ham costume. Someone picks up Jem and takes him back home , and Scout gets up and follows. When she gets there her aunt calls the police and they come and start asking her questions about what happened and she doesn’t qu...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Selfish Linda Loman in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essay

The Selfish Linda Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   Linda, a character from Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" is a selfish housewife. She pretends to care about her husband, but in reality, prefers that he kill himself so that she can live an easier life. Linda is given nothing but motive for wanting her husband, Willy, to die because of the ways he mistreats her. For example, during a family conversation in Act I, Linda, trying to put in a few words, says, "Maybe things are beginning to change-," with Willy coming in right after her, "(wildly enthused, to Linda)Stop interrupting!..."(1187) Linda, trying desperately to be a part of the conversation, is constantly denied her voice. Always under Willy's control, Linda is treated as if she is allowed to speak when he gives her permission. In another conversation in Act I between Biff, Happy, and Linda, more evidence of Willy mistreating Linda is provided: "Linda: It seems there's a woman...(She takes a breath as-) Biff: (sharply but contained) What woman? Linda: (simultaneously) ...and this woman... Linda: What? Biff: Nothing. I just said what woman."(1184) During this conversation, Linda is introducing the idea to Biff and Happy that Willy's car accidents might not have been accidents. She is telling of a woman that was a witness to the wreck, but a twist comes into the conversation. It seems that Biff is quick on making an assumption about who the woman is, and Linda shows a suspicious tone to Biff's reply. This time implies that Linda is aware that Willy is unfaithful to her, providing another way he mistreats her. In Guerin Bliquez's essay over "Death of a Salesman", she states, "But betrayal exposes the basic dishonesty of th... ...was helpful. She had a job of destruction and definitely helped Willy with his troubles. Helped him so much that eventually he committed suicide. Now she has the ability to say she married a successful man, maybe dead, but successful. Works Cited: Bliquez, Guerin. "Linda's Role in 'Death of a Salesman'," in Modern Drama, Vol. 10, No. 4, February, 1968, pp. 383-86. RPTD in Drama Criticism, Vol. 1. Gale Research Inc.. 1991. 322. Dillingham, Wiliam B.. "Arthur Miller and the Loss of Conscience" in Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman. Penguin Group. 1967. 344. Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman" in Literature, Reading, Reacting, Writing, Compact Fourth Edition. Harcourt, Inc.. 2000. 1187, 1184, 1221, 1229, & 1230. Schlueter, June. Essay over "Death of a Salesman" in Arthur Miller-Criticism and Interpretation. The Ungar Publishing Company. 1987. 65.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ratio Analysis Essay

The aims and objectives of this report are to compare the two companies, Kingfisher Plc. and Home Retail Group Plc., using their annual report published for the year 2011. With the help of the financial statements, it will be possible to calculate different ratios that are relevant to the comparison between the two businesses. Through this comments can then be made on the performance of both companies for the year, stating some of the possible factors that could have made affected this. Comparison will be on a year-to-year basis and then between the two companies as a whole. When comparing two companies like Kingfisher and the Home Retail Group, there are a few limitations needed to be considered before this is possible. The first would be the different accounting policies that each corporation have chosen to adapt to their financial statements; this could be in regards of the depreciation or inventory valuation method used for the preparation of relevant statements. Another important point to note is that financial statements are based on historical information and therefore this would not be as objective to when we come to use them for the comparison. Expanding on this, the closing balances on the statement may make the ratios appear misleading when comparing the two companies for the period, i.e. seasonal sale boost; Christmas and New Year promotion. The main issue that should be considered is the date that they have published their account Kingfisher being 31st January 2011 and Home Retail Group at 28th February 2011. So it would not be possible to make a more accurate comparison, as the economic conditions may have changed for that one month Kingfisher did not trade. Although it would suggest comparing the two businesses is not ideal, the two companies are somewhat similar. Therefore this should make the approximation more accurate and thus the comparison more meaningful. Kingfisher PLC Kingfisher is a company that focuses on mainly offering its customers home improvements products for DIY and such likes. Its main retail brand in the UK is B&Q with a market share of 14% and they are currently top of the market. They are also making a respectable breakthrough in France with their brands, Castorama and Brico Depot taking 21% of the market share with the top place. Moreover they have expanded to Germany, Turkey, Spain, China, Poland and Russia

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Strategic Warehouse Management

Strategic Warehouse Management Introduction The Southern Boston Massachusetts area proposed for the construction of the warehouse is suitable because of the small number of warehouses that are available in comparison to the available demand. The proposed area holds a lot of potential because the supply chain management and warehouse business has not been well exploited.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Warehouse Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research studies indicate that the existing supply chain management systems and available warehouses are not very efficient in their work which has led to the loss of clients for some of the businesses that do business with these supply chain businesses (Stuart, 2011). The area holds a lot of potential for being a source of high income. Research materials on studies that had been conducted in the area showed that some of the existing warehouses had poor delivery times for their clients which made them gain a bad reputation with the consumers. The disadvantage for the consumers is that some of these warehouses are the only sources of the bulk commodities that their customers need to run their businesses therefore. Another potential weakness of existing warehouses that the company can take advantage of is that some of the warehouses in the identified region sometimes run out of the stock that consumers need. If the deliveries to clients could also be made on time, the clients would gain the necessary confidence in the Strategic warehouse management Inc. Company. Before delivery, the staff at the Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. Company that would be set up could first determine the most efficient routes to use to deliver goods to clients. Consideration of minor aspects such as traffic, would result in the saving of time and satisfaction of the customers’ needs. The Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. Company would also form the necessary relationships with the lowest priced producers to ensure that clients get the products they need at lower or similar prices in relation to other Warehousing and supply chain management system businesses in the area (Stuart, 2011). The inefficiency of competitors would result in an economic advantage for the company in terms of high number of clients due to the efficient and convenient services provided by the company especially in comparison to other similar businesses (Mentzer, 2011).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Strategic Warehouse Management Inc Company would strive towards the proficient delivery of the services that clients are in need of. The efficient delivery of services would result in the building of a good name and reputation for the company which would spread to other consumers resulting in growth and development of business. The company could ensure that every c onsumer in the market is aware of the services handled in an efficient manner leading to saving of time and more convenience as needed Tompkins Smith, 1998). The Southern Boston area has good facilities in terms of banks and higher institutions of learning. The close proximity to banks would ensure that transactions could be processed fast to avoid any incidences of delay which might lead to loss of business and impact negatively on the profit margin. The internationally ranked higher institutions of learning would contribute to the highly trained staff that would be needed in the running of the company. Southern Boston also has a wide variety of businesses which would serve as a base for the potential clientele needed by Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. Company (Stuart, 2011). A supply chain Assessment Supply chain is a very important and fast developing field. The field encompasses the activities involved in manufacturing, purchasing of needed products, transportation and dist ribution of this products to where they are needed, at the right condition and at the right time. Supply chain management is integrated with warehousing because the handling of material often includes the storage of these materials before proper logistics can be planned and finalized on (Gattorna, 1998). Supply chain management is a very essential part in the delivery of products to the final consumer since it forms an important link between the manufacturer and the end consumer and all the individuals and processes that are in between such as; transfer and management of necessary data needed in the exchange process, transportation of raw products and processed goods out of factories, storage of the products before they can distributed, controlling of the inventory in the warehouse systems, procuring and managing of the whole supply process (Alexander, 2002). The supply chain management process has also expanded to include demand and supply forecasting and planning, scheduling of op erations, processing of orders and ensuring that customers are served cost efficiently at effective processes for involved firms in the supply chain (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi, Levi, 2004). Another importance of Supply chain management systems is that, it results in cost efficiency for firms and ensures that firms remain competitive especially when they are benchmarked with competing organizations. Proper supply chain management allows an organization to be competitive and ensure that goods are supplied to customers at or before the specified time by customers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Warehouse Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effective supply management systems ensure that proper planning of the routes to be taken have been designed, modal analysis performed, preparation of the loading systems completed and the necessary distribution plans designed and the best ones chosen to ensur e fast delivery of goods to consumers(Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi, Levi, 2004). For most businesses, the key to ensuring that they attract and retain their customers is the fast delivery of ordered goods to consumers. If the goods are not available when needed by clients, the business risks losing existing and potential clients. Therefore all businesses should ensure effective supply management so as to remain competitive in comparison to other businesses and in order to maintain or even exceed set profit margins. Supply chain management has the intent of increasing incomes, reducing incurred costs, ensuring that the assets in an organization are effectively made us of and customers’ needs are met (Stuart, 2011). A warehouse operations plan on how to build and manage the warehousing operations Running of a ware house is not an easy and it requires a lot of planning and dedication to execute the necessary operations to the warehouse in order to serve clients cost effectively while increasing revenue and ensuring that customers’ needs are met. A warehouse operations plan should include the human resource planning for the warehouse, layout plan for the space of storage for materials to handled, proper installation and availability of handling equipment and up to date warehouse management systems (Alexander Communications, 2002). The proper documentation needed in order to be legally permitted to build up a warehouse should be sourced from the necessary authorities so that the work to put up a warehouse can begin. It would be highly preferred to work with individuals that have already worked in the construction of a warehouse because they would be at a better position to understand the concepts used in the construction of a warehouse. The services of an efficient project manager should be acquired to ensure that construction of the warehouse takes place within a given time line that the plan of having the warehouse running is not stalled (Mentzer, 2001).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Depending on the funds that are available, the building would be expected to take a period of about six months to one year. After the warehouse building has been completed, the warehouse management should start sourcing for the right human resources for the warehouse. One of the most important resources in a warehouse is the human resource which the organization should ensure are highly skilled in their areas of expertise. The right number of employees should be sourced. Too many employees would be an unnecessary expense to the company while a low number of employees would result in poor outcomes such as poor customer service because they would be overworked and not perform their duties effectively. The different expected duties of employees should be divided into different categories to enable proper recruiting of needed personnel (Tompkins Smith, 1998). Receiving of orders, storage and picking of orders are different function as that should be allocated to different people especi ally because of the different documentation processes that are required for effective and smooth running of the warehouse. Within the major roles of receiving, storage and dispatch of commodities in the warehouse, are the smaller roles such as inspection of the commodities to ensure that they are in good shape when received and before delivery to clients, controlling of the available stock and ordering of more when the available stock is about to get finished, packing and loading of the commodities stored in the warehouse (Lambert, 2008). The layout section of the warehouse should also be planned for. Warehouse activities such as receiving and loading of the stored commodities, development of actual spaces needed for the warehouse activities and the estimation of the necessary space for receiving and loading should be accounted for. Depending on the type of commodities to be stored, shelves should be installed to ensure efficient and maximum utilization of available space. After mak ing a layout plan, it should be reconciled with available space and revisions of available space made where necessary. For example storage space could be reduced if it is found that the available loading space is insufficient (Tompkins Smith, 1998). Concluding recommendation using supporting rationale derived from the above mentioned items I would recommend that Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. Company begins its sets up of â€Å"super warehouses† in Southern Boston stemming from the results of the research that had been carried out on the area that indicated that there is a gap in efficient warehouse and supply chain management which would result in raking in of high profit margins for the company. The establishment of warehouses in Southern Boston would also serve as a marketing tool for the Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. Company due to the efficient services that the company would offer thus earn a good name for itself. Proper supply management is important for mo st companies to ensure that they remain competitive when they are benchmarked with other organizations in the same industry. That is why efficient supply chain management is a very important toll in ensuring that an organization gets to, and stays at the top. Nowadays, supply chain management includes; procurement, purchasing, information management systems, storage, storage management, logistics and distribution. Organizations are able to take advantage and maximize on proper supply chain management, can be able to maximize on profits since clients would be aware of the reliability and speed that such a company delivers commodities to clients. Establishment of warehouses would include building of warehouses by the company. The building of the warehouses should be allocated to a construction company with a proven track record of delivery of services to clients. The warehouses that would be constructed would be staffed with highly trained personnel to ensure customer satisfaction and efficient record keeping and management of the warehouses. The lay out plans for the warehouses would be made very efficiently to ensure that all the available space would be utilized to the maximum. Proper arrangement of the warehouse can increase space for storage and convenience for loading and offloading of the goods to and from the warehouse respectively. Any necessary installation of equipment would be made to ensure that the storage is increased and convenient for the types of goods to be stored in the different warehouses. Strategic Warehouse Management Inc. would maximize on the expertise that it holds in warehouse management and strategically place itself as a market leader that offers delivery of commodities in a convenient, cost effective and timely manner in comparison to other companies offering similar services (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi- Levi, 2004). References Alexander, C. (2002). Warehouse Management Control New York, NY: Alexander Communications Inc. Gattor na, J. (1998). Strategic Supply Chain Alignment. England: Gower Publishing Ltd. Lambert, D.L. (2008). Supply Chain Management. Florida: Hartley Press. Mentzer, T.J. (2001). Supply Chain Management. California, CA: Sage Publications. Simchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. Simchi, Levi, E. (2004). Managing the Supply Chain: The Definitive Guide for the Business. Ohio: Cengage. Stuart, E. (2011). Excellence in Warehouse Management. Massachusetts: Wiley. Tompkins, J.A. Smith, D.J. (1998). Warehouse Management Handbook. New York, NY: Rosen.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Benedict Arnold essays

Benedict Arnold essays No other American is remembered quite the same as Benedict Arnold. He was a brave soldier, a patriot- and a traitor. Benedict was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. When he was 14 years old, Benedict ran away from home to fight in the French and Indian War, but he was brought back by his mother, who apparently was driven insane later in her life. If I had a son like Benedict, I might have gone insane too! After his mother insisted that he return home, he ran away for a second time. After he was finished playing boy hero for awhile, he learned the apothecary (pharmacy) trade and then in 1762, he opened a book and drug store in New Haven. Benedict was also involved with trade in the West Indies. By 1774, he was one of the wealthiest citizens in New Haven. It's a good thing that he had money, because he was one of those people who like to ride around in their Mercedes and wear expensive clothes, even if he couldn't afford them. Benedict then got hooked up with the sheriff's daughter Margaret Mansfield, and they hit it off. They decided to get married in 1774. But this marriage was short lived because the next year Margaret caught a disease and died. When the Revolutionary War began that year Arnold was already an experienced soldier. He had helped Ethan Allen capture Fort Ticonderoga. Then Benedict came up with a great idea to capture Quebec. This idea failed, but Benedict had already proven his bravery. He was then commissioned as a colonel in the patriot forces. He was one of General George Washington's most trusted officers. Benedict led his troops to the siege of Boston and Valcour Island and proved once again to be a bold and skilled officer. At the battle of Valcour Island he was wounded severely in his leg. His bravery won him the respect of many people. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Arnold felt that his services were...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example It is very difficult to surprise a person in the modern world. Technological and scientific progress reached a huge success, and its pace is constantly increasing. If someone told a person from the early XX century something about the mobile phones or computers, he or she would be taken for a full. The main reason for the development and progress is a desire of a human being to live comfortably. That is why today we can talk about such technology as smart home. Many people know about the existence of smart homes already. In brief, they are fully monitored by machinery, or the CPU. They can regulate microclimate, open and close the curtains, turn off the flow of the water or gas or vice versa and much more. As a result, we face a living space fully adjusted to our needs. Naturally, it is not a cheap pleasure. According to Sripan, Lin, Petchlorlean, and Ketcham (2012), â€Å"Although smart homes have many properties that make human’s lives convenient, these smart properties are in a higher price tag. The cost of an intelligent home is high because some of the technology is relatively new.† (International Conference on Systems and Electronic Engineering) However, as practice shows, automation always has a positive effect on savings. According to Harper (2003), â€Å"The word smart house was first used in an official way as long ago as 1984 by the American Association of House Builders, though the first wired homes were actually built by hobbyists in the early 1960s.† The first smart houses appeared naturally in the USA, back in the 50s of the last century. At that time, smart houses were really unique apartments equipped with special electronics that controlled many things in the house, for example, washing machines, TV sets, microwaves, etc. All these appliances have been combined into one, and managed from a single console, which gave a person a possibility to control them by â€Å"Disable† and â€Å"Enable† buttons. Over time, intelligent buildings began to appear; they have already been fully equipped with various automatics combined into a single network. At this time, development has been rapid; researchers and developers have been paying particular attention not only to comfort but al so safety, economy and resources. Modern Technologies of Smart Homes Funds, invested in the development of new technologies for intelligent buildings were huge, and people believed that it will bring substantial benefits in the future. Since 1978, the developers were able to achieve control of electrical appliances through conventional wires with the electricity voltage of 110V. It was a real breakthrough that enabled further development and implementation of this scheme. Special development began in the 90s, when there was a considerable amount of various detectors and sensors, without which it was impossible to even process automation. Modern smart home contains many innovations that have ensured total safety and comfort. Having all of these developments makes dreams come true: now people are not supposed to worry about their houses, because they are always controlled by the equipment that does not fail working for years without any problems, even when no one is in the house. Some decades ago, by saying smart house, people often meant a complex and expensive system of remote control of lights, heating and other systems, but now it has become much wider. There are smart building materials and applications for the iPhone, which allow a person to turn off electrical appliances at a distance (in case a person forgets to turn off the iron from the socket), and robots that can do the cleaning instead of a person. Here are the most famous technologies and materials that have changed our home and the way we live. Lighting Control The issue of a large number of light switches in smart houses is solved due to their high flexibility. Any switch can be reprogrammed, so that it may be used for turning on or off any light device or devices in the house depending on one’s choice. In addition, there are registers for individual light scenarios for each group of light devices. There may be light scenarios for reading, cleaning, working on a computer, etc. Sometimes people need to simultaneously turn on or off multiple light sources, for example, to create a comfortable atmosphere for watching television. In this case, the smart house turns off all lights in the room except for emergency lighting and simultaneously closes the curtains. If one wants to turn on or off the light in the room, then â€Å"use an iPad ® to simply touch an image of the actual light in the room you desire to control, and not only will the light in the room turn on/off or dim when pressed, but it will also illuminate on the iPad to confirm the command† (Savant Systems, n.d.). To implement lighting scenarios, the light control in a smart house is automated. For this purpose, there several types of sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, sensor indicating door position, etc. For example, when a man enters the room light illuminates. On the contrary, when the room is empty, the light is turned off. It does not require additional efforts in order to switch on the lights; therefore, it is a very convenient tool, especially if someone is busy with both hands. In response to movement in the room, smart house simultaneously estimates the amount of natural light. As soon as the brightness of daylight decreases, smart house will increase the intensity of light in proportion to the daylight. If the room has enough sunlight, lights will be automatically turned off. The same principle is working in response to the day of the week, time of the day or a specific event, such as opening/closing blinds, doors, etc. If one gets up at night to check how the baby sleeps, a smart home lamp will automatically regulate the required intensity of light, which will be enough to see the objects in the room, and the light will not cause a nuisance to the eyes. In todays smart home, all light sources, including street lights and RGB background light can be controlled remotely using the remote or a single control panel. Smart house is able to protect itself during the absence of the owner. It can simulate the presence of a person in the house, periodically turning lights on and off in different rooms, creating noise and other effects of the presence of people. To my mind, this technology is very comfortable. Sitting in a chair and watching TV, one may easily turn the lights on or off in the garage, hallway or in any other part of the house by pressing some buttons on the control panel. What is more, one can control the light in the smart home from anywhere in the globe. Control of Appliances Household appliances are designed to provide people with comfortable existence. However, over the last decade, almost every house has accumulated so many appliances that today, there is a new problem: how to control their work. Smart house itself manages the operation of all appliances. To make sure that such electrical appliances in the house as TV, iron, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, electric heater, etc. are subordinate to one or two push buttons on the control panel, all sockets are tied together into a single network and are controlled by a smart house. This will save an owner from the familiar concern: â€Å"Did I turn off an iron leaving the house?†, â€Å"Did I leave the oven turned on?† or â€Å"Does the washing machine work fine during my absence?† Now with the help of one touch of a button on the control panel, one can enable or disable the device he or she wants. It is important that it can be done even if a person is away from home by using a mobile phone. If he/she is in doubt whether you turned off an iron today before leaving, just disconnect the outlet into which the iron was included using a mobile phone. If necessary, smart home can stop energy supply to all devices, except for those groups of consumers of electricity, which are critical to the operation of the system. Remote control allows people to program work appliances so that they turn on or off in accordance with a particular scenario or predetermined schedule. So, if the house has exterior lamp that is plugged in, one can program its work depending on the time of the day. I am pretty sure that remote control is extremely useful. If parents, for example, do not want their child to watch TV after 21:00, they may configure the system in order to turn off the power of television in 21:00. While at work, one can check whether all the appliances are turned off after the child goes to school. As a result, people not only feel safe, but save energy as well. Climate Control Creating the desired indoor climate is achieved by coordinated operation of a range of appliances. It can be electric and gas boilers, radiators, warm floor, air conditioners, humidifiers, or ventilation system. In smart house, climate control is carried out by using a mobile phone, personal computer or single control panel. A few clicks are needed to create personal microclimate for each room. Automatic climate control and management. The micro climate in the room is fully dependent on the heat source. This can be radiators, fan coils, converters, warm floors, or air conditioners. Smart home can choose the most cost-effective heat source for any time of the day. Smart home is called smart because it, for example, will not allow the inclusion of radiators when the air conditioner is working. Availability of special temperature sensors allows it to respond to changing weather conditions outside. In warm weather, smart home disables the extra heating, thus saving electricity consumption. When it is raining or snowing outside, smart house will inform the owner about the open balcony door or window and, if necessary, independently include the snow melting system. Scenarios of climate control One can easily use the control panel or mobile phone to set a particular scenario of heating a house. The house temperature may be controlled depending on the day of the week or time of the day. â€Å"From your Apple iPad, Savant’s HVAC Scheduler allows users to quickly create their own climate schedules based on time of the day, month of the year and annual including season change, temperature and humidity† (Savant Systems, n.d.). For example, Monday through Friday, during the daytime, when the house is unoccupied, the rooms will be supplied with economical heating. And in those days when one is at home during the day, the temperature will correspond to the desired rate. Conditioning Smart house can achieve more efficient use of such common devices in the home such as air conditioner. Thus, if the room temperature is low, the air conditioners can be used as heaters. On the other hand, thanks to special sensors, smart house is itself smart enough to turn off the air conditioner when the windows are open. Using a mobile phone, one can control the air conditioning at home, while being in the office or in the car. For example, in the hot afternoon, one can turn on the conditioner, and it will cool the apartment before the person’s arrival. Ventilation Smart house has a special ventilation system that not only brings the fresh air, but also makes sure that it is clean. Ventilation is controlled either according to a schedule or on a specific event. In the first case, the ventilation is switched on / off at the required time of the day. For example, before going to sleep air is automatically ventilated in the bedroom. In the second case, the ventilation can work on a specific event: special sensors will monitor the quality of the air and the amount of CO2 in it. I think this is very helpful, especially if there are many people in the house, because the sensor responds to the increase in carbon dioxide concentration and the ventilation system will start working more actively. And vice versa if the house is not crowded, the system will operate in a power saving mode. Multiroom Multiroom is a system that takes video and audio from any source in the home TV, stereo, DVD, TV-tuner, Blu-ray or computer and distributes them around the house. From any room, one can watch videos, listen to favorite songs, no matter where the source is. And all this can be controlled with a convenient touch panel. There is no need to clutter up the house with all sorts of wires or speakers as all equipment is compactly collected in a single place. It may be, for example, home theater or other room convenient for a person. Here is how this is implemented in Savant multiroom system: â€Å"Any iPhone or iPod touch becomes an active media player within your smart home’s whole house audio system. Simply connect your iPhone or a guests iPod touch to a Savant Media Dock, and the media content loaded on each device can be distributed to any room† (Savant Systems, n.d.). Smart house is a real music box. People can create unique musical arrangement in each room, filling their home with originality and peaceful atmosphere. And it is all thanks to the multiroom. In the morning, people will wake up to their favorite tune that will accompany them to the bathroom and wardrobe, and the kitchen will become a place where they will watch news on TV. It is up to people to decide what to play, control the volume and at what time. Home theater can be found almost in all modern houses. And in the smart house theater system turns into a professional cinema. All a person needs is to comfortably settle in the favorite chair. A multiroom will make sure that the home cinema show is truly memorable. Multiroom outputs video to any screen in the house. For instance, a person decides to watch a movie in the sitting room, but eventually he/she got tired and decided to go to the bedroom. This person can send the video to the screen which is in the bedroom and lying in a comfortable bed can continue watching the film. Thanks to multi-room, smart home lets one easily establishes an intercom system between rooms so that one can call wherever he/she wants only by pressing one panel button. Besides, one can establish a special baby monitor regime that gives an opportunity to hear everything that happens in the house. Smart Controller Smart house constantly monitors the consumption of gas, electricity, water, heat etc. All these data is captured by special sensors and sent to the management system, where the entire picture of consumption of resources for the chosen period is created. Result can be seen on any screen existing in the house. It is also possible to see energy consumption by individual devices or a group of appliances individually. The system displays not just dry figures; it shows consumption statistics in graphs, tables, charts, etc. Thus, it is possible to use all the resources of smart home effectively and save money of its inhabitants. If an owner wants to know which of the subsystems of the house have been used and how many resources have been consumed on Friday or what the temperature in the house or the humidity level was, etc., then a person should select the date on the panel, choose the desired device or subsystem and see the statistics. A person can analyze the operation of any equipment at home and, if necessary, adjust the settings and the amount of resources consumed. The database stores information about the work of all, without exception, members of the smart house. Everything is very simple and convenient! Where does the money go? This question does not disturb the owners of smart houses, because thanks to such scrupulous monitoring consumption of all resources (water, gas, and electricity), they know the exact answer. They can easily give an assignment to the system to adjust consumption by various devices, if they eat too much energy. Pay the bills without leaving home Smart homes can generate bills for gas, electricity or water on their own, without any help of their owners, and promptly pay for services such as gas, electricity, water or Internet. As for me, this technology is like a third hand, because it can fully control the house bills and pay them. What is more it tries to do that with the lowest cost. However, it is important to periodically look over the consumption statistics on the control panel in order to ensure that everything works smoothly, without spending unnecessary resources. Safety Safety takes a special place in the structure of intelligent home security system. Its work is carried out in two main directions. The first ensures safe operation of all systems at home, while the second performs security functions. As a result, the security system will protect the house from the penetration of undesirable persons, supervise the correct operation of gas and water supply systems, and keep the doors and windows under control. In case of emergency, smart house informs the owner wherever he or she is. According to Robles and Kim (2010), â€Å"If an individual has difficulty moving around effectively, they are often forced to depend on others for care. A smart home security system allows the homeowner to remotely view visitors on a camera, and speak to them via microphone and speakers.† Protection against water leaks and domestic gas. Failure of the elements of water supply system is not as destructive as, for example, fire, but it can lead to a household disaster. To prevent the unfortunate consequences of water leakage, the smart house uses special sensors. Water sensors are installed in the areas where the probability of occurrence of leakage is the highest, most often under the bath or washing machine. If the floor is wet, the sensors will give the signal to the valves that would prevent water supply to the system, thereby preventing flooding in the room. At the same moment, smart house will send a message to the owner, warning about the accident. According to El-Basioni, El-Kader, and Fakhreldin (2013), â€Å"Smoke detectors and gas detectors will be used to measure the required type of gas concentration, and warn about that following the same behavior of the windows motion sensors, in addition they will aid to home ventilation as a quick countermeasure through running the electric air hood.† Thus, the intelligent home security system not only controls the operation of all systems, but also responds to emergencies, notifying the owners at the same time. House Security System It often happens that a person needs to leave the house unattended for a long time. For example, if he or she left for a business trip or on vacation, the smart house would be useful. Presence simulation. Smart house allows people to simulate their presence at home. There are many ways of imitation; they differ in intensity and frequency. According to the scenarios developed by the owner, the light may be switched off or on periodically, and smart house may turn on soft music or some voice. In some scenarios, even the sounds of running water, whistling kettle and other evidence of human presence in the house can be provided. Security features The house is equipped with a group of sensors. According to Laberg, Aspelund, and Thygesen (2005), â€Å"Sensors monitor and measure activities in the surroundings. Examples are movement and heat sensors, humidity sensors, bed mats, thermometers and smoke detectors.† Signal of penetration of unknown person into the building will allow the protected object to be instantly transferred to the security service and the owner of the house. Such devices are good, if the house is empty for a long time. Control over windows and doors One important element of intelligent home security systems are magnetic contact sensors closing / opening windows and doors. If a person is away from home or goes to bed, the system will inform him or her about an open door or windows being closed not tightly. If a habitant decides not to close the window, then the window sensor shuts down, and motion sensors installed in the room will be upgraded to a reduced sensitivity mode to avoid false alarms due to the fluctuation of curtains. Each sensor can be set on the required level of sensitivity so that it would not react, for example, on the slightest hesitation or pets. Well-organized system of intelligent home security is not a luxury. It is a way to prevent extremely unpleasant situations in life. This is the opportunity to live in peace, without flinching from a suspicious noise and not being afraid to leave the home, going on vacation or on long trip. live CHAT Smart Home Control Thanks to modern touchpad control, smart home is interesting and fascinating process that delivers a lot of fun. It is so convenient and comfortable when the house is full of systems and functions that can satisfy all wishes and requirements of the habitant. And a person can control this entire kingdom with easy-to-use touch panels. This is a sophisticated development with modern design and virtually limitless possibilities. Panel contains literally all the technical structure of the house, and only one touch is needed to make any system or equipment work. With the help of the panel, one can easily control the lighting in any room of the house and on the local area, as well as all appliances, ventilation, climate, in general, all home engineering systems. The panel has a nice, simple, and intuitive interface with a schematic picture of the home, which marks all devices and available features as well as their scenarios. All this makes managing the smart house simple and convenient. The touch panel is a reliable assistant in the management of smart house as well as a collection of entertainment. It replaces a music player, computer and video game console. To my mind, smart house would not be that â€Å"smart if it did not have a possibility to be controlled at the distance. Even if people are not at home, they may still see what is happening in his or her home. How? Very simple: via mobile phone (smartphone). It is important to install an application with exactly the same interface as the touch panel. This allows having an access to all control functions of smart house. Besides, one can manage his/her smart house through a conventional mobile phone via SMS as well. I am sure that there is no any other technology that is easier in control. Smart home is more than just another gadget of today’s progress. This is the first necessity for modern people. People spend a lot of time in apartments that is why they need to be as comfortable as possible. Besides, they should also include the preservation of mental health as in the current digital age everyone is feeling the pressure of the flow of information, which can lead to discomfort, stress and even illness. Processing this flow and selecting only the most necessary and fun information is the task of information systems of the smart home. Today, smart houses cannot do that, but I truly believe that scientists have a great potential to solve this weakness. On the other hand, smart home preserves physical health. This is facilitated by a variety of climate-control systems that seamlessly, but unconditionally create optimal indoor habitat. Those moments of human life, which are saved day after day, turn to the additional years of one’s life.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Literature review

Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development in Contemporary Psychology - Literature review Example Piaget’s development of a framework for a constructivist epistemology as well as the need for the expression of this in a theory of social psychology can be seen as a fundamental influence on the development of Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’.1 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 I. Introduction 3 II. Constructivist Epistemology 5 III. Cognitive Synthesis & Knowledge Processing 7 IV. The Social Construction of Knowledge 8 V. The Role of Education in Knowledge Construction & Personal Development 10 VI. Ecology, Psychology, and Systems Theory 12 VII. Conclusion 14 15 VIII. References 15 â€Å"Ecological systems theory is an approach to study of human development that consists of the 'scientific study of the progressive, mutual accommodation, throughout the life course, between an active, growing human being, and the changing properties of the immediate settings in which the developing person lives, as this process is affected by the relations between these settings, and by the larger contexts in which the settings are embedded.† â€Å"Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development† + Urie Bronfenbrenner (2005, p.107) I. ... In the â€Å"Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development† (2006), William Damon and Richard M. Lerner make the statement that "the self is a personal epistemology," which in its simplicity has profound implications for the approach to psychological methodology, a theory of knowledge, and also personal identity. (Damon & Lerner, 2006) Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ of human development is based in a constructivist epistemology that explains personal development through interweaving environments that relate to knowledge systems in the family, school, workplace, culture, and history. Learning, memory, thinking, and behavior all include aspects of the way the mind apprehends, processes, and applies knowledge systems to the environment. In basing psychological methodology on a constructivist epistemology, a phenomenological approach to understanding human development through language, knowledge, and behavioral patte rn conditioning related to systems theory is proposed by Bronfenbrenner. Damon & Lerner (2006) cite the following studies as psychological references for the understanding of the self as a â€Å"personal epistemology†, the diversity accentuating the range of ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ in practical application: The â€Å"McMaster Model of Family Functioning† (NB Epstein, DS Bishop - Family Studies Review, 1984 – also: 1973, 1981, 1991) â€Å"Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes, Self-esteem, and Stereotypes† (AG Greenwald, Psychological Review, 1995) â€Å"The Psychology of Personal Constructs - Vols. 1 & 2† (GA Kelly, New York: Norton: 1955) â€Å"The Self in Thought and Memory† (H Markus – ‘The Self in

Friday, October 18, 2019

Speech papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speech papers - Essay Example The portrayals were characterized by repetitive and indiscriminate depiction of the Muslim community that reinforce stereotyping and misunderstanding among the wider public. Central to the negativity of the media's Arab and Islamic portrayals are the reporters themselves. The idea is that claims to objectivity in news reporting is a myth and that, in their reports, they have the power to shape and change meanings that influence public opinion just with use, misuse or non-use of certain words. An excellent example of this is the way Palestinians are labeled terrorists in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the ANC that uses the same methods that got the former labeled as such were called as freedom fighters. (Manning, p. 52) Dr. Ibrahim Hilal added another example when he pointed out in an ABC interview how Western networks never say occupied territories in Palestine and instead mention â€Å"territories† or the just the â€Å"Palestinian people† in their reports about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in addition to the usual failure in mentioning the reason of resistance and violence on the part of the Arabs. (p52) There is also a tendency to opinionate and cast blame on Muslims as a whole by using specific incidents and personalities in order to represent their community and what they stand for. For instance, during the peak of the media coverage of the Lebanese rape gangs, the Islamic religion was repeatedly dragged into the fray, with reporters going as far as pontificating how Islamic culture and values breed the kind of violence that Arabs are capable of. Manning identified the general media slant that declares rape is typical of men of Middle Eastern extraction and that â€Å"white† women are threatened by the communities that harbor them. (Manning, p63) What is happening is actually a sanctioned prejudice towards a race on the guise of public indignation on specific criminal acts. The apt description, according to Michael Humphrey, is to â€Å"exoticize the Other† perhaps in an effort to demonize, curtail and control an ethnic minority. (p63) This comes in handy, for instance, when advancing certain policies that concern minority groups such as on the issue of what to do with refugees and asylum seekers. The section of the public who does not have any idea what the Muslims are or their faith and beliefs, their culture and their community have to depend heavily on the media and the printed material for their opinions and judgments. It is, hence, unfortunate that they get to read about Muslim depictions that are negative one-dimensional and often misleading and malicious. What is more unfortunate is the fact – as has been previously explained – that this phenomenon is a deliberate and systematic campaign on the part of the media. The media is guilty with the typical Western prejudice on Muslims and Islam and also, the â€Å"otherness† that comes with having a different culture and wa y of life. This is unfair to the Muslim community and unjust in its most extreme manifestations. It also harms societies that are multicultural and diverse. It breeds segregation and alienation among groups that should have been coming together and learning from each other, enriching the

The federal budget deficit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The federal budget deficit - Research Paper Example The US budget picture has evolved through leaps and bounds. The current federal deficit for the government went down by 37% from the previous years pictures. The decline in the fiscal deficit shows improvement in the economy. But is the decline in the deficit figure enough for the economic longevity and prosperity? What factors can help in improving the deficit picture of the country? We will conduct an analysis to comprehend the federal budget deficit situation and find answers to the above questions. The US deficit has not always been in a bad shape with the 19th century showing surplus figures and holding deficits only during wartime. Initially the deficit was very small with numbers peaking in the World War 1 and 2. During the 1960s till the 1990s there can be seen a steady increase in the deficit. The deficit crossed the ten percent GDP barrier owing to the crises that hit the economy in the year 2008. The movement of the federal deficit can be seen from the graph below: (Usgove rnmentspending.com, 2013) Now looking at the deficit scenario one needs to understand the current market implications and the forecasted figures of the federal budget deficit. ‘The federal government took in $680 billion less revenue than it spent, or about 4.1 percent of gross domestic product. In 2012, those numbers were $1.087 trillion and 6.8 percent of GDP. That means the deficit fell a whopping 37 percent in one year.’ (Irwin, 2013) The reason behind the figures for the year 2013 is the increase in the government receipts due to the high payroll taxes that are a result of the increased income. The effect of this is the decrease in expenses is terms of unemployment insurance benefits that decreased with the improving economy. The US economy has cut its fiscal tail in order to achieve the results. But one can argue that the decline in the federal deficit is very rapid. The austerity measures taken by the government has taken a deficit that was 4.5% in the first quar ter of the this fiscal year to a 3% when the figures were published at the year-end. According to many economists the drastic measures by the government cannot improve the economy in the long run. The economy needs to grow at a steady pace keeping all its factors of production in line, leading to a better and positive growth of the country. ‘Goldman's projections indicate that simply allowing the economy to grow will result in significant deficit reduction without painful spending cuts.’ (Carter, 2013) Comparing the US economy with Greece and the like shows that the position of the economy is not alarming but a fixture is required in the near future. The President has laid a budget that does not tackle the federal budget deficit in its entirety; he has set a commission in order to obtain ideas as to bridging the gap between the public revenue and expenditure in a more meaningful manner. The effects of these changes have to be long term. The economy needs more than just an yearly decrease in the federal budget deficits. The decrease in the figure is good but not enough for long-term survival of the economy. The recent shutdown of the government offices show that deep down the picture is not that simple and although the economy has recovered from the downfall and crunch much needs to be done before it is stable in terms of growth and activity. The changes in the US economy are evident with improved standard of living and better job opportunities in the country. But along with the positives

Thursday, October 17, 2019

SAM 451 UNIT 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SAM 451 UNIT 2 - Assignment Example Pernetti who had earlier defended the coach, rooting for the coach’ rehabilitation accepted the dismissal and vowed to regain the trust of Rutgers community (The New York Times). There are several types of feature stories. These are; profile, explanatory piece, color story, human interest, news feature, backgrounder, lifestyle feature, travel story, general feature, interview piece, investigative feature, column and review (Helitzer 162). The type of feature focused in the article is Human interest story. The article focuses on interactions between a professional, a coach, basketball team and the Rutgers community. Emotion created in the story is of remorse, derived from the way the coach relates with his team. The use of slur and humiliating approaches to team members who possess talent and vigor in the game is demoralizing. Information about the character of the coach, attitude developed by the team is revealed. An anonymous person takes the initiative of recording a video during the training sessions to reveal the vice. The whistle-blower creates a dramatic event that reveals Rice’s character without dispute that leads to his

Ethics in sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in sport - Essay Example The political tensions amongst different nations and the problems that arise from the money making exercise in the wake of the advertising rights and so on have only brought unethical attention towards the sporting arenas. The players barring their respective performances have gone behind whereas their off-field activities have come to the fore. Now a player is judged with regards to his/her marketing value rather than the antics that he/she displays on the field. A few glaring examples of such players include Harbhajan Singh, Andrew Symonds, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif in Cricket; Zinedine Zidane and Christiano Ronaldo in Soccer, Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 Racing, Sania Mirza and Anna Kournikova in Tennis and so on. Apart from these issues, one subject that has raised a lot of media flak in recent years has been the racist angle that has made its way in the sporting arena and for all the wrong reasons. Racial discrimination has been happening in the stadia and fields by the fans, the players and just about everyone which has made the whole sporting agenda seem like a bizarre activity. Ethical considerations have gone beyond what sport teaches to one and all and unethical and immoral means have been taught to one and all, though in an indirect capacity. It looks like as if people have forgot what ethical considerations meant and stood for in the olden times when it was considered more appropriate to associate one’s own self with sport to mend ways. Now it is the exact opposite.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

SAM 451 UNIT 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SAM 451 UNIT 2 - Assignment Example Pernetti who had earlier defended the coach, rooting for the coach’ rehabilitation accepted the dismissal and vowed to regain the trust of Rutgers community (The New York Times). There are several types of feature stories. These are; profile, explanatory piece, color story, human interest, news feature, backgrounder, lifestyle feature, travel story, general feature, interview piece, investigative feature, column and review (Helitzer 162). The type of feature focused in the article is Human interest story. The article focuses on interactions between a professional, a coach, basketball team and the Rutgers community. Emotion created in the story is of remorse, derived from the way the coach relates with his team. The use of slur and humiliating approaches to team members who possess talent and vigor in the game is demoralizing. Information about the character of the coach, attitude developed by the team is revealed. An anonymous person takes the initiative of recording a video during the training sessions to reveal the vice. The whistle-blower creates a dramatic event that reveals Rice’s character without dispute that leads to his

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Goodness of the Service Level and Current Structure Assignment - 22

Goodness of the Service Level and Current Structure - Assignment Example However, equation 2 and 4 only hold if y= 0, for non-negative values of x andy. Consequently, x= 4300 is the optimal number of vaccine doses that the facility can purchase for optimality. From the confidence interval formula for normal distribution, Z=(mean-Â µ)/(standard error) And mean-Â µ = zero and this means that Z is not defined. As Z approaches infinity, however, the probability of failure approaches zero. Therefore, at 4300 doses, the facility has a zero percent probability of failure. The optimal number of vaccines and chance of running out of vaccines Optimal profitability occurs when total cost equals total expenditure for generating the cost. Assuming that an organization purchases z doses of the vaccine and sells x doses and returns y doses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are computations for the optimal number of vaccine doses and the chance of scarcity. Cost of vaccine= 4z= 4(x+y) Revenue= 15x+ y, based on $ 15 sales price and $ 1 buy back price. Reduction to lower levels such as $ 7 per dose would motivate people into and increase a total number of used vaccines. A reasonable profit level would, therefore, be possible, and even higher levels attained due to a higher number of unit sales. Such a reduction in price would also promote quality of health by preventing flue (Thompson 1). A hold on the buy-back policy is likely to reduce facilities’ stock level and therefore limit the availability of vaccines. In addition, unused vaccines would lead to greater losses and prompt facilities to charge higher prices on sales. Consequently, holding the buy-back is likely to reduce demand for vaccines and increase the burden of the flue.

Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Social Responsibility Essay Economy is a main component is of having a healthy society not suffering from unemployment and inflation. How is it possible to have social responsible executives acting as agents and not as political officials? (Freidman, 1970). †¢The role of the government is to set a balance between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Thus, there must be a set of regulations on corporate executives in order not play the role of an elected political official and by not having the complete control in navigating the economy through inflation or deflation. †¢Thus, as indicated by Freidman (1970), this is the basic reason why the doctrine of social responsibility involves the acceptance of the socialist view that political mechanisms, not market mechanisms, are the appropriate way to determine the allocation of scarce resources to alternative uses.(p.3) †¢Therefore, Friedman shares this concept with Cohen in relation to managers and critical leadership of executives. †¢In relation to which aligns best with green environment? Friedman, Cohen and Drucker concepts align with the current business climate promoting a safe environment. What differs is in relation to how far the balance is applied between the social responsibility of a corporate executive and by taking the role of government officials in controlling the economy. †¢Drucker explained the role which must be played by the businessmen in relation to public good, knowing the fact that governments are incapable of completing all obligations. Thus, the question arises: how far is the limit set on corporate executives? The question is crucial in order to avoid the consequences of what Freidman (1975) indicates: †He becomes in effect a public employee, a civil servant, even though he remains in name an employee of a private enterprise.†(p.3) †¢The problem arises when benefits and profits conflicts with the environmental protection. †¢The negligence towards the environment is justified by the reliance on the technological advancement of the future which will heal any damage committed nowadays by companies. Thus, is it justifiable to increase the benefits of a company even though its profits are aimed at supporting ecofriendly technological advancements? †¢Furthermore, statements such as indicated by (Freeman, York and St ewart, 2008), â€Å"Maybe global warming is a simple weather pattern that will reverse in five years.† (p.5) could be justified through scientific evidence conducted by companies having interest in neglecting the environment and increasing its profits. Thus, the critical leadership as indicated above by Drucker in relation to corporate executives is being fulfilled towards the companies interests as well the environment. †¢In addition, lobbying plays a huge role in political campaigns and elections which can surpass the socialist view of freidman by having leaders of private enterprise supporting candidates solely for their economic advantages and neglecting environmental protective policies whether through the national or international level. Cohen, W. A. (2009). What Drucker taught us about social responsibility. Leader To Leader 51, 29-34 http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=35755461site=ehost-live Beebe, G. (2012). Character formation. Leadership Excellence, 29, (6), 20 http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=76463146site=ehost-live Drucker, P.(1981). What is business ethics? Public Interest, 63, 18-36 http://www.nationalaffairs.com/doclib/20080708_1981632whatisbusinessethicspeterfdrucker.pdf Friedman, M. (1970). The social responsibility of business to increase its profits. New York Times 32-33, 122-124, 126 http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html

Monday, October 14, 2019

Experienced Stigma in Severe Mental Illness

Experienced Stigma in Severe Mental Illness Exploring experienced stigma in severe mental illness – contributing to validation of a psychometric instrument Luà ­s Pedro Santos de Mendonà §a Table of contents (Jump to) Acknowledgements   Acronyms 1 Introduction 1.1 About stigma 1.1.1 Why to focus on stigma? 1.1.2 Evolution of the concept 1.1.3 Development of stigma 1.1.4 Different concepts of stigma 1.1.5 Correlates and consequences of stigma 1.2 Stigma research 1.2.1 Instruments to measure stigma categories and criteria for psychometric properties 1.2.2 Perceived stigma 1.2.3 Self-Stigma 1.2.4 Experienced stigma 1.2.5 Stigma studies in Portugal 1.3 Consumer experiences of stigma questionnaire (CESQ) 1.3.1 Main research with psychometric data involving CESQ. Acronyms CASS Clinician Assessment of Schizophrenic Syndromes CAT Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment CESQ – Consumer Experiences of Stigma Questionnaire CFA – Confirmatory Factor Analysis CI – Confidence interval CRPD Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities DISC – Discrimination and Stigma Scale DSSS – Depression Self-stigma Scale EDS – Experiences of Discrimination Scale EFA – Exploratory Factor Analysis FBS Frankfurter Befindlichkeits-Skala GAF Global Assessment of Functioning GAS Global Assessment Scale HIV/AIDS – Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HSRS Health Sickness Rating Scale HSS – Stigmatisation Scale ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICD – International Classification of Diseases ISE – The Inventory of Stigmatising Experiences ISMI – Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness KMO – Kaiser-Meyer Olkin statistic M – Mean MIDUS – MacArthur Foundation Midlife Development in the United States MSA – Measures of sampling adequacy MSS – Maristan Stigma Scale NAMI National Aliiance for Mentally Ill PA – Parallel Analysis PAF – Principal Axis Factoring PANSS – Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale PCM – Polychoric correlation matrix PDD – Perceived devaluation and discrimination scale PD-S Paranoid-Depresività ¤ts-Skala QOLI – Quality of Life Interview RES – Rejection Experiences Scale RMSEA Root mean square error of approximation SD – Standard deviation SESQ – Self-esteem and Stigma Questionnaire SFS – Social Functioning Scale SLDS – Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale SRER – Self Reported Experiences of Rejection SS – Stigma Scale SSMIS – Self-stigma of Mental Illness Scale UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights WHO – World Health Organization WLSMV Means and Variance adjusted weighted least square 1 Introduction 1.1 About stigma 1.1.1 Why to focus on stigma? Stigma is defined as a sign of disgrace or discredit. Authors agree it is a powerful negative attribute, having its impact on all social relations. Stigma is present everywhere in our society. It affects different characteristics in people, ranging from sexual orientation to HIV/AIDS, several medical disorders, gender, race, unemployment or obesity. However, it is in mental health disorders that stigma has its most devastating impact, although not always obvious. Discrimination, the enactment of stigma, appears closely associated to it. While stigma lies at the base of discrimination, discriminatory practices also promote and reinforce stigma. Discrimination is also about the conditions in which patients live, mental health budgets and the priority which we allow these services to achieve.1 In other words, stigma and discrimination lead to social exclusion – a triad that is a key determinant of mental health. Stigma and discrimination are violations of human rights. Intention and commitment to fight stigma are present in the spirit of legally binding treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)2 , International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)3, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)4 and Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)5, and are explicitly mentioned on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD)6. CRPD actually demands that signatories ‘take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability by any person, organisation or private enterprise’, and to ‘adopt immediate, effective and appropriate measures †¦ to combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices relating to persons with disabilities †¦ in all areas of life’.6 From the part of the World Health Organization, tackling stigma, discrimination and social exclusion is a major concern of the General Assembly, with of the General Assembly, with reflection in the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-20207. At regional level, in European Union, commitment to fighting stigma and discrimination is a consequence of signing treaties like European Convention on Human Rights, European Social Charter, European Convention on the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and, specifically, Recommendation Rec(2004)10, of the Committee of Ministers to member states, concerning the protection of the human rights and dignity of persons with mental disorder. Still at regional level, and in line with WHO Mental Health Action Plan, stigma and discrimination is one of the main action areas of European Mental Health Action Plan.8 At national level, fighting stigma, discrimination and social exclusion is a component of policies, plans and programs worldwide. In a time when quality mechanisms tend to be implemented into healthcare systems, there is also a trend to develop parts of quality standards that have statements on fighting stigma at a local level. NICE quality standards are a good example9. To implement stigma into quality standards is, by itself, a strategy to fight it, by turning each service user in a potential advocate, as Byrne noted1. Therefore, there is the need to foster development of indicators that can be used regarding mental illness stigma. 1.1.2 Evolution of the concept Stigma is a word that has its reminiscences in the Greek civilization. Stigma were body marks that were intentionally applied to individuals- the stigmatized that carried unacceptable moral or individual traits, as compared to standards in that society. Christians absorbed the concept, adding two other meanings to those body marks – to indicate a holy grace or to indicate a sign of deformity/physical disease. Anyway, even in early days of Christianity, stigma implied, from the social point of view, firstly, â€Å"imputing a meaning into something† even if it did not have that meaning, and, secondly, dealing with deviations to a social norm. Goffmann10 was the first author to theorize stigma. To Goffmann, stigma is the result of a gap between perceived attributes and stereotypes. It is a matter of perspective, not reality. it is â€Å"in the eye of the beholder†. Stereotypes are selective perceptions that categorize people, and that exaggerate differences between groups (‘them and us’) in order to obscure differences within groups.11 He defines three types of attributes: Body(physical) – e.g. visible deformities in the body, deformity caused by physical disease Character (personal) – e.g. mental illness, criminal conviction Tribal (Social) – e.g. stigma of one group against another. Goffmann also distinguishes between â€Å"discredited† and discreditable†. Those concepts were further developed by Jones et al.12 , who proposed six dimensions of stigma: Concealability indicates how obvious or detectable the characteristic is to others. Course indicates whether the stigmatizing condition is reversible over time. Irreversible conditions provoke more negative attitudes than others. Disruptiveness indicates the extent to which a mark blocks or diminishes interpersonal interactions. Aesthetics reflects what is attractive or pleasing to ones perceptions. When applied to stigma, it means whether a mark provokes a reaction of disgust. Origin refers to how the condition came into being. Perceived responsibility on the conditions will carry more negative attitude. Peril, refers to feelings of danger or threat induced in others. This can mean physical threat (as in â€Å"contamination†) or simply uneaseness. According to Byrne, stigma is connoted with a few negative attributes. Shame is its first expression, resulting from perception as indulgence or as a weakness, despite centuries of knowledge, media campaigns and â€Å"the decade of the brain†. Blame is also an attitude that appears associated to shame.1 Maintaining secrecy is the maladaptive way some people find to cope with shame, but it can lead to deleterious consequences. 1.1.3 Development of stigma Negative attitudes towards people with mental illness, according to Byrne 1, exist since playschool and extend into early adulthood. This is suggested by several studies: Weiss13 examined a cohort of children of elementary school age and confirmed the prejudices eight years after; Green14 compared attitudes between several studies using the same measures, that ranged over 22 years, and found consistent results indicating community had the same negative attitudes. This objects the common belief that with increased scientific knowledge about mental illness, stigma would tend to disappear. 1.1.4 Different concepts of stigma Stigma concept has evolved in the last fifteen years. Link and Phelan have added discrimination to Jones’ original dimensions.15 Still, in 2001 the same authors present two major challenges for the concept of stigma. The first challenge is that researchers who research stigma do so from their own vantage point, giving priority to their scientific theories and research techniques rather than words and perceptions about people they study, which lead to misunderstanding of the experience of people being stigmatized and to perpetuation of assumptions that are unsubstantiated. The second challenge is about individualization of stigma and the fact that in research it tends to be considered as an attribute or a mark of the individual rather than a designation or tag that others affix to a person. Thus, Link and Phelan propose a definition of stigma based on a convergence a few components: Distinguishing and labelling human differences – oversimplification of salient differences between human beings occurs, with further labelling of individuals. Associating human differences to negative attributes – Labels previously mentioned are associated to negative sterotypes, as previously described by Goffmann. Categories and stereotypes are often â€Å"automatic† and facilitate â€Å"cognitive efficiency†. Separating â€Å"us from them† – Social labels connote a separation between the group that stigmatizes (â€Å"us†) and the group that is being stigmatized (â€Å"them†). For example, some people talk about people who have schizophrenia as being â€Å"schizophrenics†. Status loss and discrimination – stigma leads to loss of status in social hierarchy, and to discrimination, both at individual and at structural levels. Link and Phelan also emphasize that stigma is a matter of power – certain groups in the society have the power to stigmatize. Stigma is also a matter of degree – there is a continuum between its existence and its absence. Corrigan16, has an opposing view, focused on cognitive and behaviour features of mental illness. He proposed a model in which stigma was categorized either as public or self stigma. Public stigma is defined as the reaction that the general population has to people with mental illness. Self stigma is the prejudice which people with mental illness turn against themselves. In each of the categories, stigma is broken down into three elements: stereotypes (cognitive knowledge structures) prejudice (cognitive and emotional consequence of stereotypes) and discrimination (behavioural consequence of prejudice)17 . Thornicroft et al.18, elaborate on this framework, stating that stigma is composed of problems at three levels: Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour. Mental health knowledge is also known in the literature as mental health literacy. A study by Jorm et al. in Australia has shown better knowledge was correlated with better recognition of the features of depression, and better compliance with help seeking or medication and/or psychotherapy compliance.19 Nevertheless, by citing contradicting evidence, Thornicroft18 states that â€Å"an increase in knowledge about mental illness does not necessarily improve either attitudes or behaviour towards people with mental illness.† Negative attitudes, also known as prejudice, is the most studied component. According to Thornicroft, it can predict more strongly actual discrimination than do stereotypes. Attitudes have been widely researched. There are studies regarding both public, healthcare practitioners (and medical students) and caregivers. Thornicroft emphasizes the importance of studying actual behaviour, stressing that most of the studies have focused on attitudes towards hypothetical situations, rather than actual stigmatizing and discriminative behaviour. Thornicroft proposes a shift from research focused on stigma to research focused on discrimination.18 1.1.5 Correlates and consequences of stigma Stigma can have profound impact both at individuals with mental illness and their relatives. Rà ¼sch et al.17 list four negative consequences of public stigma: Everyday life discriminations encountered in interpersonal relations and depictions in media Structural discrimination – inequity in the access to opportunities in private and public institutions. Self-stigma (versus empowerment) Fear of stigma as a barrier to use health services. About self-stigma and empowerment, Rà ¼sch et al. comment, firstly, that self-stigma and empowerment are on the same continuum of self-esteem. They also remark that people may have different reactions to public stigma – while some people react with low self-esteem (self-stigmatized), some people might react with anger or indifference. They point out a possible explanation for this resides both within group identification with public stigma and perceived legitimacy of it. They also point the issue of self-disclosure – a person who considers mental illness is a part of his/her identity will more likely reveal his/her condition to others. Secondly, Rà ¼sch et al. comment on the relationship between stigma and service use. People decrease usage of psychiatric services in order to overcome public stigma. This is supported by evidence showing associations of this lack of usage with negative reactions from family members and poorer social status. Lack of usage of psychiatric services is intrinsically linked to decreased treatment compliance and, therefore, poorer prognosis.20,21 Personal stigma has shown to be associated with variables at different domains, in a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Livingston and Boyd. In the psychosocial domain, stigma has been negatively associated with hope, self-esteem, empowerment/mastery, self-efficacy, quality of life and social support/integration, both at group and individual levels.22–24 In the psychiatric domain, stigma has been positively associated with symptom severity and negatively with treatment adherence22. There are mixed results regarding association of stigma to diagnosis, illness duration, hospitalizations, insight, treatment setting, functioning and medication side effects, with most of the studies failing to show any statistically significant association. Regarding socio-demographic variables, both gender, age, education, employment, marital status, income and ethnicity have failed to show any consistent results.22 We should note, however, that some studies have shown significant associations, both positive and negative, regarding each of the variables, with stigma. 1.2 Stigma research Wahl et al., in 1999, mention four types of stigma research: Research that involves self-reports from general public. Research using vignettes or profiles of individuals and study participants’ ratings of people described. Analogue behaviour studies,(â€Å"experimental studies†) in which people are led to believe they are dealing with a person with mental illness. They note, however, there was, at the time, few research focused on mental health consumer, and his personal experiences of mental stigma.25 The paradigm changed and nowadays there is a relatively large number of instruments to measure personal experiences of mental stigma. 1.2.1 Instruments to measure stigma categories and criteria for psychometric properties In 2010, Brohan et al. 26, reviewed systematically 75 studies with instruments to measure personal experiences of mental stigma. Quality criteria for health status questionnaires have been thoroughly reviewed by Terwee et al,27 and are briefly described in Table 1. Table 1 Criteria for quality of psychometric instruments26,27 Brohan et al.26 considered instruments to measure personal experiences of stigma in three categories: Perceived stigma Self-Stigma Experienced stigma The found fourteen measures, used in the studies, which are listed in Table 2, and that were, thus, grouped in each of those categories. Instruments used were also assessed as to their psychometric properties, according to criteria by Terwee et al.27 Table 2 Scales assessing stigma experienced by people with experience of mental illness (Adapted from Brohan et al.26) 1.2.2 Perceived stigma Perceived or felt stigma, according to Scambler et al46 original definition, refers principally to the fear of enacted stigma, but also encompasses a feeling of shame associated with the illness. Van Brakel et al47, however, remove the feeling of shame from that definition, considering research about perceived stigma as research in which â€Å"people with a (potentially) stigmatized health condition are interviewed about stigma and discrimination they fear or perceive to be present in the community or society†. Perceived stigma can refer both to what an individual thinks most people would believe towards a certain group of the society or what that individual thinks about him personally as a member of a stigmatized group.48 Components of perceived stigma reported in the literature as measurable variables include stereotype awareness (perception by the individual of how individuals with mental illness are viewed by â€Å"most other people† in the society)16 and personal expectations or fears of encountering stigma. Perceived stigma is addressed in the vast majority (79%) of the studies reported by Brohan et al. Seven measures were used in the literature to measure it: PDD, SSMIS, ISE, HSS, SESQ, DSSS and DISC. PDD26,28 is the most commonly used scale. It totals 12 items its two subscales measure perceived discrimination and perceived devaluation – a way of measuring stereotype awareness. Perceived stigma is also measured in 10 item stereotype awareness subscale in SSMIS30. HSS investigates perceptions of how the person feels they have been personally viewed or treated by the society. In 2 of its items, DISC addresses the expectation of being stigmatized in various aspects of life – a concept called anticipated discrimination. Although in a specific setting and about a specific group, MSS44,45 â€Å"health professionals† subscale measures in our opinion perceived stigma regarding healthcare professionals, so it would fit in perceived stigma category. Regarding psychometric properties, all of the measures above mentioned reported on content validity. PDD, SESQ and DSS did not report whether target population was involved in selecting items in the scale. DSSS and SESQ reported results on internal consistency. However, PDD; SSMIS, ISE and HSS, although have calculations for Cronbach’s alpha, do not have factor analysis. SSMIS and SESQ have measured test retest reliability. MSS has been multiculturally tested, and its content validity was assessed. Cronbach alpha, internal consistency and test-retest reliability have been reported and meet criterion level. 1.2.3 Self-Stigma Self-stigma is considered, by Corrigan, the internalization of the public stigma. For Corrigan et al, there are three components in self stigma: negative belief about the self (e.g., character weakness, incompetence) – cognitive response, agreement with beliefs expressed by the public or the society and negative emotional reaction (e.g., low self-esteem, low self-efficacy) – affective response and behaviour response to prejudice (e.g., failing to pursue work and housing opportunities)16,49 Self-stigma is assessed by ISMI, SSMIS, DSSS, SS and ISE. Alienation, stereotype endorsement and social withdrawal subscales in ISMI, measure self-stigma, which correspond to its affective, cognitive and behavioural dimensions50. SSMIS measures self-stigma through three sub-scales: stereotype agreement; stereotype self-concurrence and self-esteem decrement26,30. SS has a â€Å"disclosure† subscale, which focus on the three dimensions already mentioned26,35. ISE contains one item on social withdrwal36. DSSS addresses self-stigma through two subscales – general self-stigma and secrecy: general self-stigma measures personal stereotype awareness. Secrecy subscale can be comparable to social withdrawal subscale in ISMI and disclosure scale in SS33. MSS44,45 has a 4 item subscale on self-stigma. According to Brohan, all the measures reported on content validity. DSSS did not report on target population involvement in item selection. SSMIS and ISE reported on partial criteria for internal consistency, reporting Cronbach’s alpha calculation but not factor analysis. ISMI; DSSS and SS have full internal consistency analysis. ISMI, SSMIS and SS have been reported to have measured test-retest reliability. 1.2.4 Experienced stigma According to Brohan and van Brakel, experienced stigma is the â€Å"experience of actual discrimination and/or participation restrictions on the part of the person affected†26,47. For the purpose of this definition, measuring experienced stigma can refer to measuring experiencing stigma in general or a report of experiences of stigma in specific situations or areas of life.26 By measuring experienced stigma, one can, thus, assess direct effects of public stigma on the stigmatized individual. Measures of experienced stigma include ISMI, CESQ, SRES, DSSS, SRE, SS, ISE, MIDUS, DISC and EDS. CESQ will b

Sunday, October 13, 2019

evilmac Free Macbeth Essay - From Good to Evil in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

From Good to Evil in Macbeth A person could make a dramatic change of character when they go from a heart of good to a heart of evil. Macbeth is motivated to kill Duncan by Lady Macbeth, but Macbeth is then motivated by fate, and finally motivated by impulse to carry out his next succession of crimes. Macbeth had a hand, or was involved in 3 murders in the story. The first murder was of King Duncan at the beginning of the story with the aid and instructions of Lady Macbeth. The second murder was of Macbeth’s best friend Banquo, which Macbeth used the service of three murders to accomplish. It was fate for Macbeth to eliminate Banquo because Banquo was to be the father of kings while Macbeth would not. Finally, the third murder was of Macduff’s wife and children. One murderer does the job this time and Macbeth decides from this murder on to act on impulse and not think or feel remorse for any action he does from there on. All these murders indicate that Macbeth doesn’t know how to make things right after he has done something wrong, so he does the only thing he thinks is right, and that is to be more violent with each act he commits. When Macbeth is first introduced, the first impression that we have of him is that he was an incredible and worthy fighter and the King speaks very highly of him. An example of this is "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!" The phrase shows that Duncan is very proud of Macbeth, his soldier, and his cousin. In the witches prophecies, Macbeth was told he would be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and then eventually become King. He was already Thane of Glamis and he becomes Thane of Cawdor shortly after the execution of the previous Thane, but one prophecy sticks in his mind. He is to become King. Macbeth had the thoughts of becoming King but there was no way he would ever think of murdering his King. He had neither the heart nor determination to do such a violent act. He expresses his discomfort with this in a soliloquy. "That tears shall down the wind. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself, and falls on the other." Mac beth mentions he has no motive to do the deed.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Workplace Spirituality :: Religion, Work

Workplace spirituality is a sophisticated concept (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Generally speaking, it involves the sense of well-being, the feeling of the whole self involved in the work, the feeling of connection to others and something larger than oneself, and a sense of transcendence (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Ingersoll, 2010; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004; Kinjerski, V. M., & Skrypnek, 2008; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008; Sheep, 2004). Individuals view their work as sacred (Ingersoll, 2010), while workplace spirituality is not necessary related to religion (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Krishnakumar & Neck, 2002; Milliman et al., 2003; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008). It can be regard to personal value or philosophy. This concept can be referred to self-actualization proposed by Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy of needs. Besides pursuing satisfaction of the basic levels in the hierarchy, individuals have desire to satisfy the higher level of need. Although earning money is the basic goal, individuals eager to find out the meaning in work, to make contribution to the society, to reach their full potential, to become connecting with colleagues, to work in an organization which they identify its goal and value (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Although a consistent definition in workplace spirituality has not been reached, mutuality in its definition delineated in literatures can be easily found. Sheep (2004) has been summed up into four themes. The first theme is self-workplace integration, that is the immersion of whole self into work. The second theme is meaning of work. People tend to find out meaning in their work. The meaning may be related to personal value, such as contributing to society and others, and go beyond monetary benefits. The third one is transcendence of self, connecting to something larger than self. This theme includes the connectedness to others, community, and the organization. The final theme is â€Å"personal growth and development of one’s inner life at work†. Organization can provide conditions for the growth and development of employees. Despite various perspectives about workplace spirituality, three dimensions were focused in the present study. The model proposed by Milliman et al. (2003) was adopted. In this model, workplace spirituality includes three levels, namely individual, community and organization. This model embraces two above mentioned theme such as meaning of work and transcendence of self. In the individual level of workplace spirituality, meaningfulness in work is involved in this level. People are motivated to actively search for and give meaning to their lives (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Frankl, 1992; Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2009).