Monday, September 30, 2019

Incentive Plans

Companies’ presidents, CEOs, and managers for decades have used incentives to attract, reward, and retain employees. Dessler (2011) recognizes that most employees receive salary or hourly wage as well as other incentives (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) reports a variety of incentive plans ranging from piecework plans to the earning at risk pay plans (Dessler, 2011). While there are many incentive plans that can be discussed, this paper will only highlight the advantages and disadvantages of merit pay as an incentive and profit sharing plans.Merit Pay  Dessler (2011) defines merit pay as a salary increase awarded based on performance and becomes part of the employees’ base pay salary (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) asserts that merit pay has advocates who argues that rewards tied to performance can motivate performance and detractors claim that merit pay undermine teamwork and misconception of pay as a whole (Dessler, 2011). As Dessler (2011) defines merit pay with adv ocates and detractors other authors such as Longenecker and Goff (1992) uses the term performance appraisal instead of merit pay.Longenecker and Goff (1992) states that merit pay or performance appraisal is believed to be effective by managers and subordinates because it help clarify employee input about his or her job (Longenecker and Goff, 1992). At the same time, both managers and subordinates viewed merit plans as ineffective for linking pay to performance, ineffective for improving motivation and performance as well as ineffective for managers and subordinates working relationship (Longenecker and Goff, 1992).While Longenecker and Goff (1992) referred to merit pay more as performance appraisal others such as Hayes (1999) questions incentive programs altogether. In the article ‘Pros & Cons of Pay for Performance’ the author claims that no one really knows if incentive programs truly work (Hays, 1999). This article further asserts that incentive programs such as this plan create competitiveness that is not necessarily best for a company (Hays, 1999). This article proposes that rewards control behavior through seduction, that it ruins relationships, create competitiveness, that it reduces risk taking, creativity, and  innovation (Hays, 1999).Profit Sharing Plans Profit sharing plans are incentive plans where employees receive a share of a company’s annual profits (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) asserts that there is ample evidence that profit sharing plans boost productivity, but the effects on profits is insignificant once one factor in costs (Dessler, 2011). In fact, the article ‘Profit-Sharing Plans Work’ the author proposes that cash profits are the best way to let employees know that they are important to the company and profit sharing is a tool that could turn the country around (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988).Further, the article emphasizes how workers worry less about management receiving massive profits at the ex pense of the employees’ earnings and for management it provides a financial cushion that limits losses in economic downturns (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988). All the while, this article argues that profit sharing plans where proceeds go into retirement funds instead of employees’ pockets fail to motivate and improve performance (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988).In any case, this article suggests that company morale can be damaged when upper management or salaried employees are the only participants in the profit sharing plans of the company (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988). Yet, Flesher (1993) article describes the profit sharing plans as the type of contribution plans that enables employees to share in accumulated profits of the company, and it is divided among the participants on a pro rata basis based on the participants and the total income of all participants in the plans (Flesher, 1993).Such plans offer the advantages of immediate tax deductions for corporatio n and no immediate tax payable by the employee (Flesher, 1993). Nevertheless, Hays (1999) questions the use of incentive programs for improving performance and asks the question: why do so many companies claim that incentive programs administered effectively or improve company performance? Hays (1999) reports in his article that personal recognition can be more motivational than money, clearly the times have changed because it is this author’s opinion that people are first motivated by monetary reward, then material reward, and then personal recognition.Conclusion Dessler (2011) describes individual incentive programs as performance based pay and team based incentives as performance pay for the team, as variable pay pays a group for its productivity (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) continued by describing the various types of incentive pay plans ranging from the piecework plan to the earning at risk pay plans (Dessler, 2011). After analyzing some of the authors’ article and this author concluded that incentives are not just for the employees but for the employers as well.Pay incentives such as the merit pay plans and the profit sharing plans can be used as tools in an effective manner to increase productivity for a company, but as for motivational purposed for the employees, this could be in some ways for some employees a positive thing and for other employees a negative thing.Also, when asked the question 🙠 do profit sharing plans improve performance?), people like Hays (1999) seem to think that personal recognition can be more motivational than money. While people like Flesher (1993) seem to think that merit pay and profit sharing offers advantages of immediate tax deductions for corporation and no immediate tax payable by the employee (Flesher, 1993). Last, incentive pay has been and will always continue to be used in corporate America as a tool to attract, reward, and retain employees.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Film Adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude Essay

We have reached an age, where most things are done through TV and cinema. It is unfortunate many people do not read many books anymore. People would rather sit for a few hours in a dark room eating popcorn and watching a screen. In my opinion it is necessary for more books to be adapted in films. Some people might argue whether a great book such as Madame Bovary and The Great Gatsby can shine in the same light with a film adaptation. With the film techniques available and the great talent this is very possible. I am a strong believer that watching an excellent movie on Pride and Prejudice or any other literary masterpiece is equal to reading the book. For this reason I have taken on the responsibility of adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a novel about a family, the Buendias living in a town called Macondo. The novel is postmodern. There are many instances where time jumps around. Along with the postmodernism feel there is also an element of magical realism. The magical realism is where characters can do things that are not possible in real life. In example of this is Remedios’s ability to fly in the air and go away. The elements of postmodern and magical realism make One Hundred Years of Solitude a difficult novel to adapt. For this particular paper I have chosen to adapt chapter 1. Chapter 1 includes flashbacks, magical realism, and the encounters with the gypsies. I have chosen chapter 1 because it includes the elements the novel is based on. The title of my film on One Hundred Years of Solitude is Opportunity. The main reason I have chosen this title because it is rooted in the last sentence of the novel, â€Å"†¦Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred year of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth (Gabriel Garcia Marquez 448). In this quote, Marquez discusses how civilization with cease to be if there continues to be the solitude that is outlined in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Because the Buendia was the first attempt at a ‘perfect’ world, I have called it Opportunity, since this family was the first opportunity at the ‘utopia’. By adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude I hope to show that a film can be just as or better than the novel it is based on. One Hundred Years of Solitude is an excellent choice for a film because more and more, films are becoming postmodern and One Hundred Years of Solitude is a prime example of postmodernism. Also, this film would serve as a great tool to show the history of Latin America, as it is a microcosm of it..

Friday, September 27, 2019

How Personality, Intelligence, Attitudes and Emotions Affect The Research Paper

How Personality, Intelligence, Attitudes and Emotions Affect The Success of a Company - Research Paper Example According to research, many organizations are interested in emotions at work. This is because many of them are dealing with service provision, emotional intelligence is thus popular. In addressing a hypothetical model of individuals, it is argued that employees who pose emotional intelligence are likely to adapt emotional responses in case of disagreements. This is because these people can easily adapt and respond to their emotions and moods with a healthier understanding of their emotional experience. Emotions, therefore, have adverse effects on an organization if not properly expressed.Attitude is an individual’s sensation, judgment, and inclination to respond to some issues within the environment. Attitudes of employees and managers pose an effect on the success of a company.Attitudes are always an indicator of the personal inclination to feel sense or act in a positive or a negative way towards a particular issue. Attitudes usually entail individual cognitions, effective r esponse, and behavioral tendency towards the company. Research has shown that if the majority of employees in an organization have a positive attitude then the success of the organization is granted. On the other hand, if the majority of the employees have a negative attitude towards the company then it is bound to fail. Managers should also have a positive attitude towards employees in order for the company to succeed. Positive attitudes in an organization are vital in enabling the company to realize its goals and in achieving change.

How do the views of Machiavelli, Hobbes and Grotius differ and what Essay

How do the views of Machiavelli, Hobbes and Grotius differ and what aspect of society influenced these theories - Essay Example To his mind the law was a necessary and rational perversion of nature, part of the civil contract that governed all societies - a compromise in order for men to live peacefully. Grotius, on the other hand, would not accept the separation of nature and the law - the true law arose out of human nature and, more pertinently to him, the nature of God. As such, the law is not merely a series of arbitrary rules with which those in a social group (say, the state) are forced to comply. It is a base for all interaction, including interaction between states. As such Grotius points to a law than can be transnational, one that binds all cultures and societies. Machiavelli portrayed a system of government that, unlike the systems of government that had been propounded before, was based entirely on pragmatic concerns. In his writings there is a large gap between the concept of things that are morally correct, and those things which are politic and advisable. As he says when regarding the way a leader chooses to rule his people, "it is a sound maxim that reprehensible actions may be justified by their effects" (Brown et al. 266). This, then, completely changes the landscape of how one is to understand the law, which before Machiavelli had been considered the inscription of rules barring those practices which are immoral or against the common good. In other words, people had seen the law as something which was used to protect society from those members of it who wished to harm the rest. The only way the law is a consideration in Machiavelli's philosophy is if the prince needs to pacify the populace and, by doing so, retain control of a kingdo m. The rule of law, then, is merely used by the leader as an appeasement to the collective might of the masses. However - Machiavelli is quite clear - the law can be suspended at any time the prince sees fit, and it should offer no protection from the violence he might wish to inflict - "It should be observed here that men should either be caressed or crushed" (Brown et al. 260). An example that Machiavelli uses is the annexation of Milan by Louis XII and its subsequent loss to Ludovico. When Louis had taken the principality, the people expected certain favours from him but, in actuality, he ruled as a tyrant. This made it nearly impossible for him to hold the Milan when a new attack came from without. "For when the people who had opened the gate to Louis found that they did not receive the benefits they expected, they could not endure the oppressive rule of the new master" (Brown et al. 258). Notice that Machiavelli does not treat the law (and other benefits, such as governmental structures, a wealthy privileged class, etc.) as a result of the organic growth of society. Rather, it is a tactical means of a prince retaining power. Machiavelli does not identify the rule of just law as a prerequisite of the state, quite the opposite, it is one weapon in the arsenal that a ruler might use in order to perpetuate his rule. As we will soon find, Hobbes sees the law as a treaty between a group of people - a little like a social contract - which grows of necessity when enough people congregate. For Machiavelli, however, the rule of law is applied from above, by the prince or emperor. The rule of law is intrinsic to the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Cornairs Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Cornairs Strategies - Assignment Example As the case study states, â€Å"Comair has been an award-winning leader in the regional carrier industry. The FAA and various trade magazines have recognised Comair many times for its profitability, management, time-keeping, cancellation and lost luggage statistics.† Cornair unfortunately has several weaknesses to consider. These include the strikes present and unhappy workers, repercussions of 9/11 for flight companies, and their own inability to create an effective information system. This study declares that Economic Factors: Due to the strike, 9/11, and its own failings in its information systems, Cornair is currently experiencing an overall loss of money and production. This can be reversed by focusing on new information systems strategies, as well as making sure employees are happy. Currently, there are differing views of smart technology that needs to be considered by Cornair. As a starting point, it should be noted that smart technology is also known as data or information fusion, which is fanning out to applications as diverse as systems that predict earthquakes or traffic jams and robots that display hand–eye coordination. Some researchers see information fusion one day surpassing artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic in the breadth of real-world problems it can address. But others caution that the technology, which had its origins in military targeting systems, is still new and evolving over time. Essentially, in the military, the focus is on the monitoring of environmental parameters and making decisions based on predetermined scenarios that support an optimum solution. Just as the human brain assimilates input from all five senses, say a tangy strawberry, information fusion unifies multiple data streams in computers. For example, automatic targe t recognition—the seminal application—melds input from several sources into perceptions of â€Å"friend† or â€Å"foe.†

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The General Images and Perceptions of Liverpool from an outsider Essay

The General Images and Perceptions of Liverpool from an outsider (tourist or international student) - Essay Example This paper discusses the many areas of development which Liverpool undertook to grow its economy. The various features of its development have also been elucidated. These, plus those made within her tourism industry has greatly contributed to Liverpools economy and what we see as modern Liverpool of today. As shown in the UK map above, Liverpool, a coastal city lying alongside the north shore of river Mersey, is an important city and seaport of England. The centre of the city forms the nucleus of Merseyside County, and constitutes a part only of the greater Lancashire. The proper city of Liverpool, therefore, makes up for a borough of the metropolitan county of Merseyside forming an irregular crescent along the estuary of river Mersey, only a few miles away from the Irish Sea. The population of Liverpool is 439,476 and its met. area population is 1,362,034. Liverpool city is a large manufacturing and commercial place in England and is the major city of the metropolitan area of Merseyside. Liverpools City Centre district is one the biggest shopping centres in the United Kingdom. Since it lies on the banks of river Mersey it has many buildings that form UKs important landmarks. These conspicuous buildings include the Royal twin-tower Liver Building with each of the tower crested by the "liver bird" sculpture. It was after this mythical bird that the city is known to have been named. The other notable buildings within the premises of commercial area include: Liverpools inner city area is located at the outskirts of commercial center. The centre of inner city, which in the past was considered a suburban area, abounds with many old buildings and houses. Nevertheless, one part of the inner city area also has the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral; the Liverpool University, and the Anglican Church, while the suburban area now lies outside the inner city. There is a Walker Art Gallery within the Liverpool city, which has one of UKs remarkable collections of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Audience profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Audience profile - Assignment Example The potential customer for the company has been divided into two groups, one group is males and females aged between 19 to 35 years who are single or live together with a partner (no children); the other group is young families with children, where the parents are aged between 25 to 40 years. On the basis of the findings, the following table has been created to illustrate the products and its market more clearly. Product Product Depth SKU Target Market Organic Smoothies Blackberry and Blueberry Cranberry and Red Currant Wild Strawberry and Red Cherries 750 ml cartons 200 ml plastic bottles Males and females aged 19-35, who are single or live together with a partner (no children). Young families with children, where the parents are aged 25-40 Brief Analysis The age group (19-35 years) have always been the potential target customers for fast food products. Similarly, marketers of ice-cream products such as Smoothies, target this age group. Reports also reveal that ice-cream and its rel ated products are witnessing high sales figures (Mintel, 2012). This category of product is mostly consumed by the age group 19-35 years. Those who are single or live together with their partners are likely to spend more time with their friends. They also visit restaurants or fast food outlets more than any other age group. In addition, the survey revealed that most of the respondents of this age group have a positive attitude towards the product. One of the major reasons of a positive attitude of this group towards the product is the absence of health concerns. Smoothies are products which have high calorie count and hence there are health concerns associated with this product. A large number of people belonging to this age group hardly have any concerns about health. On the other hand, a substantial number of people from the age group 25-40 years are health conscious and try to consume only those fast foods which have lesser number of calories. Apart from that people of the age gr oup 25-40 years are mostly married and thus their lifestyle is different and remains busy with their work. Hence, from the analysis it is absolutely clear that the age group of 19-35 years is more prospective than the age group 25-40 years. Therefore, it is recommended to the company that they should target people who are of the age group 19-35 years, single or live together with partners and do not have any children. Now, in this context, The Berry Powerful Smoothie Company is advised to use Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) to reach out to the customers. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is an approach which aims at achieving the marketing campaign objectives, by the use of well-coordinated promotional methods, which are intended to emphasize the brand’s core message. IMC approach also helps companies to reduce the overall promotional cost. The chosen target group of the company is males and females aged 19-35 (between 19 to 35 years), who are single or live t ogether with a partner (no children). Now, in-depth analysis of the chosen customer group will be carried out in the next section. On the basis of the findings from the detailed customer analysis, the IMC strategy will be recommended to the company. Audience Analysis Performa for the Audience Profile Your name: Name of the Student Registration no: - Registration Number of the Student Your chosen audience: - Males and females aged 19-35 who are single or live together with a partner and have no children. Circle one: - Individuals / Couples

Monday, September 23, 2019

French Revolution (1789) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

French Revolution (1789) - Essay Example lic and in 1793 executed the king. The formation of the National assembly, a body of people who were picked out of the middle classes, was an important development during the year of 1792. This led to an understanding on part of both the king and the bourgeoisie of the power of a collective, which strengthened the foundations of the goal to come out of political and social upheaval. According to a scholar, David Sibalis, the formation of the National Assembly represented an attempt on the part of the Parisian middle classes to â€Å"provide themselves with some minimal economic security through their own efforts.†3 Many of these efforts were frustrated by later events of the Revolution but the events of 1789 displayed a passion and fervor on the part of the Parisian middle classes to rise above their petty divisions and fight for the causes of equality that the French Revolution stands for, even today. The fight was also against what Barry M. Shapiro, a researcher, refers to a s an â€Å"irrational and inhumane judicial system†4 that refused to fix every subject of the state equally. According to a historian Eric Hobsbawn, the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 reflected the third estate’s passion and enthusiasm.5 Disgruntled soldiers joined the movement rioters who sought to storm the Bastille. Although the Bastille was a prison, it was also an armory, which the revolutionaries needed to continue their movement. It was also intended as a warning to the higher powers of Paris. The demand of the public for a constitutional monarchy that would lead to the formation of a republic had gained momentum in Paris and the middle classes saw in this idea the promise of a better future. The storming of the Bastille assumes greater implications once one takes these factors of the storming into regard. The storming of the battle, the, becomes a symbolic attack on the tyranny that the nobles and the king practiced upon the citizens of France. Accor ding to a historian, Richard Burton, the Bastille formed a â€Å"nexus of fears and phobias whose hold over the eighteenth century Parisian mind is not to be doubted.†6 It is this tenacious hold that the act of the storming of the Bastille sought to loosen, consciously or unconsciously. Paris being the capital of the country, not only was aware of the nature of the exploitation that was happening, but Parisians were also the first to be affected by the mismanagement of the economy. They possessed the ability, due to their proximity to the centers of power, to analyses and understand the causes of the miserable conditions of their existence, as they existed in 1789. These conditions reached a peak when the Bastille was stormed. This action in itself, shorn of it symbolic significance, appears a trivial one since there weren’t any important people in the Bastille who could have been harmed. As a prison of the French government, however, the Bastille had turned into a sym bol of the tyranny that caused great misery to the lives of the French people. The

Sunday, September 22, 2019

On Time Importance Essay Example for Free

On Time Importance Essay We are successful in life only when we make the best use of time. Time cannot be stopped, paused, or regained. Some point in life whether it be business related, or for leisure, someone or something will require you to be at a certain place at a given time. Punctuality could be the key to winning a contest, finalizing a business deal, or even keeping your job. We all as human beings have been late before, things happen, but constant lateness affects your dependability. If you are not dependable your opportunities for progression will start to decrease. The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality. When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five, but had now moved on to other business, and that he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week. When he told Congress that he’d meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found striding into the chamber just as the clock was striking twelve. Washington’s promptness extended to his mealtimes as well. He ate dinner each day at exactly 4 o’clock, and when he invited members of Congress to dine with him, and they arrived late, they were often surprised to find the president halfway done with his meal or even pushing back from the table. To his startled, tardy guest he would say, â€Å"We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the company has arrived, but whether the hour has come. †( www. artofmanliness. com) George Washington was a perfect example on how important punctuality is, and what opportunities can be missed. For our first president, being on time was a way of showing respect to others, and he expected to be treated with the same level of respect in return. Although no longer live in an age of knickers and powdered wigs, but being punctual is just as important as it ever was. â€Å"Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the most valuable habits a soldier can possess. † Christopher Andrews said it the best, when it comes to punctuality in the army is your bread and butter. You could be the best soldier, but if you’re late all the time you can quickly be potrayed as something way less. Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, and that he can put aside this to do that ; he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business. The non punctual man shows he needs to be supervised, seems unprepared, and unprofessional. These things are all the things that could stop a soldier from progressing. It is like a domino effect, one consequence leads to another, and leads you down a trail of detriment. Something so simple as being on time can be the key to being allowed to go to a promotion board, or even staying in the military. If the conduct was constant, action may be intiated to separate you from the service. If you are involuntarily separted, you could receive an Honorable discharge, a general discharge, or under other than honorable conditions discharge. An honorable discharge is a separation with honor based on the quality of service, which meets the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty. A general discharge is a separation under honorable conditions , based on a military record being satisfactory but not sufficiently meritorious to warrant an honorable discharge. A discharge under other than honorable conditions is based upon a pattern of behavior of one or more acts or omissions that constitutes a significant departure from the conduct expected of a soldier. An honorable discharge may be awarded under any provisions. A general discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 5, Chapter 9, Chapter 13, or Chapter 14. An under othe than honorable conditions discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 14 for misconduct. If you receive an honorable discharge, you will be qualififed for most benefits resulting from military service. An involuntary honorable discharge, however will disqualify you from reenlistment for some period of time and may disqualify you from receiving transitional benefits. Also the Montgomery GI Bill you have not met other program requirements. If you receive a General discharge, you will be disqualified from reenlisting in the service for some period of time and you will be ineligible for some military and VA administered benefits, including the Montgomery GI bill. You may also face difficulty in obtaining civilian employment, as employers have a low regard for the General and Under Other Than Honorable conditions discharges. Although there are agencies to which you may apply to have the character of your discharge changed, it is unlikely that any such applications will be successful. Time is the most influential factor in this world. It is abstract. Everything in this world is commanded and decided by time. Nobody can escape the hold of time. It is the time which gives us the opportunity to make use of it. Those who make best use of time and avail those opportunities grow and rise in life. Those who waste their time lag behind. They fail to make any mark in life. He is the wisest who makes the best use of time. He rises to the great heights who keep pace with the time. Time is very important, it should be managed as if each second , minute hour, day is money. After all time is money. If time isn’t important to you, remember its important to someone else. If you are late to something chances are you are wasting someone else’s time. Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource. Even when you are not dealing with work related things being on time is still important to many people, family, and friends. Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school. This is not the first time you’ve heard that punctuality is important. It’s easy to understand how keeping our appointments and reporting on time is a sign of respect. This is especially the case for improving employee productivity. If your leader keeps their word about meetings, deadlines and other time-sensitive promises, it’s easy to feel motivated to get things done. Failure to be prompt has consequences. When you are late or blow someone off entirely, you are telling them that your time is more important than theirs. Of course we should all be on time. And naturally, when circumstances pop up we should call ahead to say we are running late. Let’s put aside human psychology and Army mumbo jumbo for a moment, however, and talk about machinery. Time is an essential element in any working system. The spark plugs in an engine have to fire at exactly the right speed. A bridge can hold the weight of a million cars, as long as are spaced far enough apart. A clock quickly becomes useless if every second is not precisely one second long. All of these parameters are designed for increasing employee productivity. Time is important! Being late is like taking the oil out of a well run machine. It gums up the works, cranks up the heat, and causes things to break. When you are late to a doctor’s appointment, you may cause a domino effect that disrupts other patients. And when the doctor is running behind, you may end up waiting for ages thanks to overlapping ripples in the schedule. This problem applies to any business. Improvement is only possible if we recognize that failure to manage time affects everything.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Eco Tour In Kerala Tourism Essay

Eco Tour In Kerala Tourism Essay Ecotourism can be summed up as a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. More and more people have become conscious about the fact that environment needs to be protected. That’s why the concept of ecotourism has been received well by many. Ecotourism basically focuses on environmental conservation and sustainable development. Through eco tours one tries to save forests and bring a win-win development strategy for undeveloped rural areas† to life. The basics of eco tourism are same everywhere. The foremost of the rules are that the tourism advises to minimize impact, spread awareness about the environment and the harm caused to the it due to lack of cultural. The eco tourism spreads a sense of respect amongst all the people who undertake tours for environment. The basic idea behind conducting and promoting such tours is that it empowers each individual to take steps towards conserving the Mother Nature. For locals too, such steps are important to provide them with financial stability and provide them with livelihood. In terms of eco tourism destinations in India, Kerala has gained a lot of momentum. It happens to be the greenest part of India, which until the recent times was unexplored by people and has now suddenly gained a lot of fame and popularity amongst travellers from all across the globe. Geographical topography of this place is so varied that the people all around the world come here just to be close to the nature. Kerala boasts of beautiful beaches, backwaters, beaches and the life giving sunshine. The best thing is that the tourism department of Kerala is aware of Kerala’s potential as a tourist destination and its natural wealth as well. It has taken important steps towards maintaining ecological balance amongst people. The coconuts trees growing here and the paddy fields spread in acres and acres of land and the banana plantations fill up the mountain ranges with their green blanket. To promote more eco tourism Kerala tourism has taken steps to organise tours and travels which broaden the horizons of people. There are several attractive packages designed to lure the visitors. Kerala’s western zone is being projected as the eco tourism zone. It specially caters to the foreing tourist who are looking for an experience where they can enjoy wildlife, some nature, have the thrills of adventures like trekking all combined into one. WIlflide sanctuaries like Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary, Chimmini, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Silent Valley National Park and Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary are some well known Eco-Tourism destinations in Kerala. There are other places like Bhoothathankettu, Komarakom, Nelliampathy, Munnar and Kuruva islands which are can be preferred for eco tours. The flora and fauna of Kerala is abundant and diverse. The landscapes are equipped with backwaters, paddy fields, hills and hamlets. Kerala has a forest area of approximately 11,125 sq km, which makes up 28.90 % of the total land area. The western ghats is where all the forest area is located. Western Ghat is also one of the world’s 18 hotspots of bio diversity. Besides luxuriant and flimsy bionetwork of sultry rainforests, Kerala as well has some extraordinary eco-tourism destinations in the form of its thriving emerald backwaters, palm-fringed sea-shores, rambling tea and spice plantations on mount gradients and many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries heaving with remarkable assortment of wildlife. While on an eco tour here, one can prefer a homestay which includes staying with local people. One can stay near the paddy fields or tea plantations and take regular hikes in these places. One also gets a chance to indulge in eating organically grown fruits and vegetables. The typical way of eating which on a banana leaf can be experienced if one decided to try out the home stays. For eco tourists, Kerala has no dearth of activities. One should visit the place once and experience the beauty and tranquillity.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Work Based Learning as an Assessment Tool

Work Based Learning as an Assessment Tool Flanagan (2000) defines work-based learning as a collection of acquired knowledge, work experience and basic knowledge. It uses formal structure and the learner management to increase learning and professional development opportunities in the workplace. This definition also includes learning at work and educational activities which enables reflection, values the learners experience and learning opportunities in practice and which enhance the development of professional knowledge. Barr (2002) suggests that learning can occur at the work place or outside of work with the plan of improving work performance. In the context of health care, work-based learning has the potential to meet the needs of nurses by promoting learning that is practice driven (Walker and Dewar 2000). It allow students to find the learning abilities of their experiences, link learning to practice and interpret learning for the purpose of assessment (Swallow et al 2001). It is in view of these operational definitions that I delivered a training during one of my teams practice development sessions on Using KGV as an Assessment Tool. KGV was first published by three Psychiatrists in 1977 by; Krawiecka M, Goldberg D, and Vaughn M. as a standardised psychiatric assessment scale for rating chronic psychotic patient (Gamble, C. Brennan, G. 2000). It was later revised by Stuart Lancashier in 1996 called Manchester Symptom Severity Scale. This is to enables the user to express and measure the severity of those psychotic symptoms that are most commonly experienced by people who have psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. Corrigan et al (2001) argues that there is evidence that work-based training which is interactive with staff and practice development approaches can bring improved outcomes (McCormack et al 2006). These focus on the team in the practice setting, enabling staff to learn new practices together. In this case the training delivered adopts a bottom-up approach tailored more to team needs and, as a result, stronger ownership of the practices being developed at the end. Participants Profile Nine band 5 staff nurses and Six healthcare assistant, from two adjacent single-sex acute admission inpatient wards, took part in the session. This was a relatively mature group: six were over 40 years old and nine under 30 years of age. Some staff has never been formally trained and some need to be refreshed on the use of the tool to make them more versatile. Most had been qualified for many years and they had been working on the wards for over six years. Given the differing range of skills among participants, an important feature was flexibility of approach to meet each learners needs. The main components of the approach adopted included the following: Therapeutic skills teaching because of the topic. A key aspect was the development of a strategic approach to encounters with service users in preference to random dialogue in using this assessment tool. The overall approach aimed to enable participants to change by becoming more self-determined in their team and being more facilitat ive, rather than custodial, in their role with service users when using the assessment tool. The session started by introducing myself and the rest of the team followed. The aim of the session was explained which is to further develop staff knowledge of the use of KGV as an assessment tool within the acute inpatient admission wards. The objective was also elicited; at the end of the session staff are expected to be able to use KGV as an assessment tool to enhance patient care. The team were asked open question to begin with to encourage participant to talk, and to ascertain their needs and expectation of the session. This is also to determine how much they know about the subject. This approach was achieved based on the psychological learning theory described by Kolb (1984), which relates to experiential learning. This involve asking questions which encourage reflection, conceptualisation, and ways of testing the ideas. Learning Theories Psychologists have attempted to explain how the process of learning occurs. The main theories are explored in the context of the clinical environment, and lifelong learning. Behaviourism Psychologists from the behavioural school believe that the environment is crucial to learning: if the environment is right, learning occurs as links are made between what is offered and how people respond to it. (Quinn 2001). In this instance the room used for the session was spacious and well ventilated. The sitting arrangement was oval shape that enabled interactions between everybody in the room. It is secluded and away from the noisy environment on the ward that prevents interruptions. Although often criticised for emphasising performance at the expense of the individuals thoughts and feelings (Quinn 2001), behaviourism has some areas that are beneficial, particularly in the area of skills building and this is particular relevant to the session. Skinner (1990) concluded that hard processes need t o be learned in stages, each stage being organised and built on previous ones. Cognitive theories consider learning as an unconscious process that involves higher order mental activities such as memory, perception, thinking, problem-solving, reasoning and concept formation. Cognitive theories were built in response to behaviourist theories and include meaningful learning and discovery learning (Atkinson et al 1990). Learning occurs according to the relations between new information that the individual accumulates, and the specifically relevant structures that the learner already has (Ausubel 1968). The session was delivered to ensure the interaction results in the assimilation or incorporation of both new and existing information to form a more detailed cognitive structure (Quinn 2001). This implies that information is not just added to the old in a cumulative way; rather it acts on the current knowledge and both are changed into a more recent and detailed cognitive structure. The students starting point is an important principle of Ausubels (1968) theory. With this in mind one of the first thing I did was to ask all the participants to explain their current understanding and/or previous experience of using the KGV. This enabled me as a facilitator to relate learning more closely to individual needs thereby achieving greater effectiveness and saving valuable time. Humanistic psychology and learning is a general term for a group of theories that emerged in response to scientific explanations of the person. It is concerned with the self distinctly human qualities such as personal freedom and choice, and places value on individual experiences (Tennant 1986). Among the humanistic psychologists Rogers (1983) and Maslow (1968) developed theories based on their experience in clinical psychology. They indicated that humans beings have two main needs a need for growth and development and a need for positive regard by others. The above thoeorists focus on how individuals perceive and interpret events rather than on objective scientific interpretation. Rogers (1983) applied to education his extensive experience of observing clients learning through client-centred therapy, concluding that learning is essentially a helping process. This is reflected in the key features that form the basis of his humanistic approach to learning that education should be student-centred and that the teacher becomes a facilitator of learning. The features of the humanistic approach are summarised by Joyce and Weil (1986): individuals have a natural drive to learn, learning can be enhanced by using experience and self-evaluation which promotes independence and creativity. The whole session was interactive and participants were encouraged to be expressive on the topic since some has been using it before. Hinchliff (2004) suggests that social learning theory can be seen as part of the behavioural approach, although it relates with the cognitive areas. It is defined by Atkinson et al (1990) as: learning by watching the behaviour of others and observing what consequences it produces for them. It is often described as learning by sitting next to Nellie, and is probably one of the most common ways that learning takes place in clinical areas. Quinn (2001) believes that people learn by the type behaviour they observe and how they express difficult feelings , although ultimately the quality of the learning depends on the quality expressed by the role model. The scoring system when using KGV is a bit complex, I went through this process with the team and actually completed one to make it practical. Reece Walker (2002) suggests adult learners are able to learn more using humanist approach rather than behaviouristic principle. A humanistic approach was used in facilitating this session because it emphasises the effective aspects of man as being of equal importance to the cognitive and psychomotor elements however a bit of each theory was used (eclectic approach). During the session I was able to encourage participants participation, a relationship of mutual trust can promote the natural potential for growth and development. It was also remembered that for some of us, the deepest learning and the best performances have occurred in the most anxiety-provoking situations. Adopting a humanistic approach does not mean that students were protected from such situations. Rather, they were all supported and guided through them. Skinner (1990) argues that praises and rewards can be used as a positive reinforcement and should be given immediately and regularly to have an impact on the individual. When there is a delay in giving praise and reward, this would no longer have effective because it would not be linked to the behaviour. Hinchliff ( 2004) stated that reward can take form of smiles, nods and verbal encouragement, all these were put into use during the session with the learners. Teaching Methods: Knowles (1984) explains the theory of andragogy as a process through which adult learners takes in knowledge differently to children. He uses the term andragogy to describe the way in which adults learn, and pedagogy to describe how children learn. The andragogical approach to teaching includes of seven elements which a facilitator should take into consideration (Knowles 1984): Setting the climate for learning This involves both the physical and psychological environment and takes account of mutual respect, seating arrangements, working together, supportiveness, openness and being real and a climate of humaneness. In this instance the room used for the session was spacious and well ventilated. The sitting arrangement was oval shape that enabled interactions between everybody in the room. It is secluded and away from the noisy environment on the ward that prevented service users from knocking at the door. Power point was used to present the teaching material that was projected to the wall, this made it visible and distance between the participants and the wall was appropriate. Involving learners in mutual planning The two teams were involved jointly organising and arranging learning opportunities in line with the participants identified learning needs. This was led by two team leaders. Involving learners in identifying their learning needs This is was achieved through discussion with the participants in the light of the focus on the topic. Decision was too focused on the application of KGV and to make it relevant to our client group. Involving learners in the formulation of objectives Prior arrangement had taken place between the two leader of the two acute ward on re enforcement of using KGV on the two units. This was discussed in staff meetings. Involving learners in the design of lesson plans all the participant were aware of the rudiments of practice development forum and the learning contract was tailored to ensure that teaching is centred on the needs of participants and was delivered at their level. Helping learners to carry out their learning plans This is made possible by the facilitator. There was prior arrangement between the facilitator and the participants to read around the subject. Involving learners in evaluating their learning This should include qualitative as well as quantitative evaluation. This was done at the end of the session and all participants filled in a form that has ten questions regarding the session. There was also discussions on how we can improve our forum to make it more relevant to our need. A follow up session was arranged to support staff progress. Reece and Walker (2002) believe that adult learning theory is highly relevant to professions such as nursing, suggesting that facilitators need to provide an appropriate and individualised patient-centred learning that meet patients needs. Andragogy is similar to the humanistic psychology approach to learning as both support shared responsibility for learning and a learner centred approach. Staff Nurses are adults and, as such, are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Knowles (1984) seven elements above provide a useful framework for encouraging learning, based on the identified needs of students. Knowles (1990) believed that andragogy would give the field of adult education a balanced theory and a sense of unity. While pedagogy is defined as the art and science of educating young children, and viewed andragogy as any intentionally and professionally guided activity that aims to bring about a change in adults. Andragogy therefore supports a proactive approach to learning in which enquiry and freedom feature predominantly. It has much in common with the student-centred approach. To achieve the goal of this session, andragogical process was used. By adopting the above learning strategies, participants felt effectively supported as adult learner and became relaxed. Two main principles that apply are; student-teacher relationship and learning environment. Learning Styles: Sutcliffe (1993) investigated whether nurses preferred learning styles varied according to subject area studied. The results suggested that there was a change in learning style as different subjects were studied. Other factors emerging were the importance of prior learning experience, they wish to share, acknowledge and the need for close relation between theory and practice. Thus, learning style preferences influence the way in which students respond to an educational programme in relation to mastering its goals and objectives. The topic of the session is familiar but we were trying to re validate it and see how we can better enhance patient care. At the start of the session when the an open question was asked not many responded considering the fact that it a familiar topic to some. Kolb (1985) asserts that it is important for individuals to understand their learning styles so that they can increase their effectiveness as learners. Divergers excel in concrete experience and reflective observation. As with any behavioural model, these styles of learning are dynamic. Nonetheless, most individuals exhibit strong preferences for a given learning style. However, Kolb et al (1995) maintain that each individuals learning style is not necessarily static and that in using them there is a need to prevent the danger of being stereotyped. Honey and Mumford (2001) developed their learning styles questionnaire as a variation on Kolbs model. The four learning styles are: Activists who are dominated by immediate experiences and mainly interested in the here and now. They like to initiate new challenges and to be the centre of attention. I realised most are not forthcoming in responding to some of questions asked and at times lots of prompts before any response. Reflectors are observers of experiences and prefer to analyse them thoroughly before taking action. They are good listeners, cautious and tend to adopt a low profile. As the session progresses participants became more open and interactive possibly after they have ascertain and able to analysis the theory behind the subject in question. Theorists like to adopt a logical and reasonable approach to problem-solving but need structure with a clear purpose or goal. Theorists learn least well when asked to do something without apparent purpose, when activities are unstructured and ambiguous and when emotion is emphasised. There was a great deal of participation when we work through a scenario. Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas and techniques to see if they work in practice. They are essentially practical, down-to-earth people, who like making decisions and solving problems. The four learning styles: activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist overlap and are a product of combinations of the learning from stages of experience. On a whole it will be fair to say that the class is mixed with all the learning styles. Evaluation: The session was evaluated by the way of interaction between myself and the participants. One of the highlights was the pace of the delivery, it was too fast but this was due to the time constrain. However the participants did commend the quality of handouts which can serve as reference point for individual and the knowledge of the facilitator of the subject matter. The participant did agreed that a follow up session will be useful to evaluate how much impact the session has on care delivery on the two wards and this will be in relation to multi disciplinary working. Conclusion: With the complexity and degree of change in practice, nurses are being encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Work-based learning aims to encourage the student to be an autonomous learner. The delivery of work-based learning moves away from the concept of the teacher imparting knowledge towards the model of the teacher being a facilitator of learning (Chapman and Howkins 2003). This method of learning is consistent with the underlying philosophy of adult-centred learning (Knowles et al 2005). This is where adult learners are responsible for their learning which is self-directed and have a readiness to learn. However, even when adults are willing to assume responsibility for their own learning, they will have different aptitudes for certain kinds of learning (Russell 1990). McCormack et al (2006) reckons that work-based learning is not a panacea to providing effective learning that leads to effective practice, the consensus however is that it offers many benefits. Delivering the session on KGV has enhanced my port folio as individual and gives our practice development forum more recognition. It has also contributed to learning environment and training of staff within the clinical environment which will enhance patient care.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Marc Reisners Coming Undammed :: Environmental Ecology Essays

Marc Reisner's Coming Undammed A dam is a barrier constructed across a waterway to control the flow or raise the level of water. (Dictionary 1) They are put in place with much care and patience. A dam is very carefully planned out. Where they are going to be placed? What type of soil it is going to be constructed in? When the plans are drawn out, every detail is gone over with a fine tooth comb. Marc Reisner has written an essay titled Coming Undammed, is an essay about him talking how he supports dam removals across the country. He has made some ideas about why he sustains his opinion, some of which I agree with, but mainly I oppose. He starts off by talking about a dam that he had visited on the Elwha River, which has two dams within it. In the upper part of the river, the Glines Canyon dam, and in the lower dam just called the Elwha. His first point against the building of dams is how the silt in the ground surrounding this dam has begun to leak into the dam. Which he says will lead to big slurrying of the water and will eventually â€Å"add millions of dollars to the cost of decommissioning.† (Reisner 382) This may be the case, but is only the case in this instance that he has come across. The ground of all other dams is not made up of the same material as every other dam in the nation. The dirt in New York doesn’t have the same makeup as the dirt of the Hoover dam in Nevada. The next idea that he had for opposing dams are the expunging of fisheries where the dams are. He gave the example of how â€Å"before the dams went in, the Elwha River churned out salmon as the Chesapeake Bay did crabs.† (Reisner 382) He also goes on to say that the fish were large and there were several types of fish with in the river. He concludes this point by saying that when the dams were built up, it shut off the fish habitation within the river and reducing the fish numbers. I agree that with him that the number of fish would be decreased with a dam being built. I think that the amount wouldn’t be that high to cause a major problem.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Meaning in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay -- Road Not Taken,

â€Å"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler† (Page 756 Stanza 1). This is the beginning of an iambic tetrameter by Robert Frost in which he expresses the thoughts of the speaker as they come to a fork in the road. The speaker faces a dilemma of deciding which path to take. Frost uses a closed form with a rhyme scheme of â€Å"ABAAB.† The speaker reaching the fork in the road is symbolism for a particular decision that he must make in life. The first stanza is setting up the situation in which the speaker must observe both choices and make a decision and stick with it. This poem allows the reader to use their imagination and is also relatable in everyone’s everyday lives. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† Robert Frost uses a good rhyme scheme, description, and symbolism to describe an important life decision as well as show the thoughts of the speaker as he makes this decision. The fork in the road is symbolic to a time in someone’s life when they are faced with making a decision that is life changing and one must stop and think about each one. The...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology

Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology By: September 24th, 2012 Psy. 410 Times have changed from what our grandparents knew and evolution is part of it. However, when looking at all the changes that we have seen in this world, how many of them were normal and how many were abnormal? Were they abnormal to some and normal to others? Or is there a particular age group that its normal or abnormal to? We are going to take a look and see if we can dig deeper in understanding normalcy and abnormalities. Abnormal Psychology To understand the origins of abnormal psychology you must first understand what it is.There are six main core concepts to understanding abnormal psychology. Abnormal psychology is so complex in that we wonder what causes a mental illness or abnormal psychology while we wonder about feelings of being down and where they come from as well. Because there is so many questions in this particular field it is what makes it fascinating. With abnormal psychology there are six major concepts in classifying and defining it as abnormal. ( Hansell & Demour, 2008) Concepts The first concept in defining abnormal psychology is to define and understand abnormality.You must first understand circumstances that cause or surround any behavior to allow you to understand whether the behavior is normal or abnormal. The next concept examines the continuum between normal and abnormal behavior. ( Hansell & Demour, 2008) This means understanding the context that the actual abnormal behavior occurs to allow us to understand it as well as explain it. Cultural and historical relativism is the third concept in defining and classify abnormality. Demographic context influence abnormal behavior and include things such as class, age, culture and gender. Hansell & Demour, 2008) Advantages and limitations of diagnosis is the fourth concept is the limitations and advantage of diagnosis. The fifth examines the principle of multiple causality. ( Hansell & Demour, 2008) and finally the connection between the body and the mind is the sixth concept of abnormal psychology. Lets take a step back now and examine some of these a little farther. Lets begin with examining the continuum between abnormal and normal psychology. Continuum Without looking at the continuum we can not define whether or not the behavior is known as normal or abnormal. Read also Memory – ForgettingThe continuum examines the highlights of attitude of empathy toward those struggling with abnormal behavior. The continuum shows humanity among people. It also shows that people show and display concern with unfairness against them. ( Hansell & Demour, 2008) This makes it difficult for clinicians to find the fine line that exists between normal and abnormal behavior. The allows the scientific research to be more challenging as well as the treatment as well. Cultural and Relativism Things change through out time that can affect what is seen as abnormal.For example, seeing someone naked on public television 50 years ago was not normal but abnormal. Today, in 2012, seeing someone naked on public television is thought to be relatively normal. Along with social changes there is also cultural change. This is just one of the many changes that has happened even in the last 30 years. The changes are very apparent to older generations making this abnormal fo r them while the younger generation that is experiencing these changes but its all they know, this is considered normal to them. Yet its definition is all in interpretation.Biological Perspectives Toward abnormal psychology biological perspectives plays a huge role in mental disorders. Many illnesses, injuries, as well as defects may cause emotional symptoms. (Hansell & Demour, 2008) Physical structures and biochemical functions in the body are a huge contributor to abnormal psychology. Functions and structure of the brain is looked at by researchers in abnormal psychology. Some of the many things that have been shown to be a factor in mental disorders include the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the peripheral nervous system, as well as genetics. Hansell & Demour, 2008) Sociocultural Perspectives The Cultural and historical relativism is part of the sociocultural prespective. Because every society has different ideas of normalcy and abnormalities it is hard to define o r begin to define abnormality. Learning is what sociocultural theorists believed to be part of the contributor to mental disorders. ( Hansell & Demour, 2008) the stresses in social and cultural roles include things such as culture, gender, social class, and ethnicity.Socioeconomic status (SES), gender and ethnicity is what many theorists focus mainly on. Many times in life we evaluate what is normal and what is abnormal. Something in my life that may be normal to me might be completely abnormal to someone else. Interpretation plays a huge role and while definitions behind normal and abnormal are not clear or found interpretation is always part of understanding. References: Hansell, J. & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal psychology (2nd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Examine and comment on Islamic and Hindu beliefs about life after death Essay

Life after death is often a highly charged, debateable topic. Through this essay I will examine the argument that there must be an afterlife to explain morality in this world and refer to The Qur’an for Islam and Bhagavad Gita for Hinduism. This will allow me to conclude that an afterlife can justify morality, as human beings our life’s conduct is dependant on the belief of a good hereafter. Both religions very foundation rely on the fact that there is an after life, as deeds in this life will be accountable within the next. Although Islam and Hinduism both believe in an after life they teach radically different things about what it is. The Islamic belief is based on a linear time line, meaning that each person will live on this earth once and after that be judged by God. â€Å"The good and the bad deeds of every person will be weighed.† (Qur’an 7:8). This view differs with the Hindu belief as their belief is that to attain Mokhsa (release from the cycle of life) â€Å"everyone has to be reborn somewhere or the other to undergo some experience, until the Absolute Being is realised as identical with oneself.† by Swami Krishnananda. The individual must continue to transmigrate between souls to diminish all bad karma in the various lives they had been in to attain complete salvation. Belief in â€Å"al- akhirah† (life after death) is so crucial to the Islamic faith that any doubts about it amounts to the denial of Allah (God). This view is shared by the Muslim minority. According to Islamic belief, we have no means of knowing death as a revisiting experience, but Allah (God) has given humanity answers to every question regarding death. The first rhetorical question the Muslim is faced with in the Qur’an is â€Å"who will give life to the dead bones?† Islam declares that the Lord will. In the Qur’an, Allah deepens man’s way of thinking by asking them to reflect on how the rain revives dead earth. â€Å"It is Allah Who sends fourth the winds, so that they rise up the clouds, and drive to a land that is dead, and revive the earth therewith after its death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Qur’an 35:9) According to Islam life on this earth is temporary; it is a preparatory stage for the akhirah (life after death) which will be infinite. Life on this earth is meaningless if good actions are not rewarded and bad conduct not punished. In order for an afterlife to exist, there must be some omnipotent being driving this idea forward. I will now be referring to Kant’s idea of the universe being satisfied, wrong has to be punished and good rewarded even if this takes place after death .The moral philosopher, Immanuel Kant argued that morality was the â€Å"categorical imperative†. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ if there is moral law, there must therefore be a law giver.† Modern society in alliance with Islamic and Kantian Views state that â€Å"justice must be served†. An example of this would be if a person commits an offence against humanity he/she has to be imprisoned. We’re then faced with situations where our justice system has failed to act with fairness and impartiality in accordance with what is morally right, this is when the idea of â€Å"justice in the afterlife† in religion comes into place. The current Laws are passed by parliament. The followers of Islam believe the One who determines the rules in this life and delivers the verdict in the after life is the almighty Lord. If we refer back to Kant, that once we die there is an afterlife for the universe to be morally satisfied that good is rewarded and evil is punished, there must be a God who can bring about some sort of Justice. â€Å"He is who controls the heavens and the earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Holy Qur’an 27:60.) To deny God as the moral law Giver is to deny the only reasonable foundation for the law of morality in both the religions, as in Islam the fundamental belief that the almighty God is the basis of all foundation of all belief within that faith, similarly in the contrasting religion the soul of the individual wishes to have some sort of conclusion in Islam the hereafter and in Hinduism salvation to become one with the creator Brahma. However the factor that differs the two religions is that the concept of the soul, within the religions. In Islam the soul has its own identity of the individual it was given to at the moment of conception it has no relation to its creator other then the fact that the lord was the one who blessed life into it and the soul will be obedient to its creator to the day of judgement. The concept in Hinduism contradicts this idea as it feels the soul is God in itself as it has to go through a process which will enable the spiritual self to become God himself over the process of time. If justice is not done on earth therefore there must be an after life. The concept of free will argues that humanity has been given guidelines by God. It is up to individuals whether they follow them or not. Some may then argue that God does not care about people as He allows suffering to take place. This is where justice in the hereafter is satisfied, and so that is why there is morality in this world. â€Å"For Muslims not to care about life after death is a serious failing†. Muslims are certain that people die. Doubts have been expressed by non Muslims regarding life after death. They question how Allah (God) can raise men and women after death, but Islam teaches that God can make human beings out of nothing so it is not difficult for Him to raise them again. â€Å"O mankind! If you are in any doubt about the resurrection, then verily, we have created you (i.e. Adam).† (Qur’an 22:5) The Qur’an goes on further to say that: â€Å"Does man think that we shall not assemble his bones? Yes, surely we are able to restore the very shape of his fingertips.† (Qur’an 75: 3-4). The Hindu Holy Scriptures such as the Upanishads and the Vedas clearly speak of a God that is associated with classical theism. Although over centuries we have come to know Hinduism as a faith with many gods it primarily has one God. â€Å"By one supreme Ruler is the universe pervaded. Even every world in the whole circle of nature, He is the True God†¦ (- Yajurveda XLI) .Similar ideas are expressed in the Upanishads â€Å"Know Me alone as the creator of all – I am the cause; I am the support of all that exists in the universe. May ye never turn away from me May ye never accept any other God in my place, nor worship Him. â€Å" What we can analyse from these quotes that for God to bring man to his former self is not an impossible task as he has created us he can kill us and restore our very lives. According to Islam when a person dies on earth he/she will not be restored to life until the day of resurrection. From the time a person dies until resurrection, they remain in a suspended state in Arabic known as â€Å"Barzakh†. The dead could be in this state of waiting for thousands of years before being brought back to life. The prophet Mohammed has said â€Å"that death is only the beginning of the resurrection.† 1 Islam states that time only exists for those living on earth. Once a man dies he leaves the time zone and a thousand years becomes the blinking of an eye. Although Islam rejects the notion of the transmigration of souls through various lives like Hinduism, it does state that the soul of each child came into existence ,before the physical birth from the mother’s womb. An example of this is were God made a covenant with Adam and extracted all his descendants from him and God foretold the religion of Islam so that the disbelievers of the faith were left in no doubt that God would resurrect humankind once more on the day of Judgement. 2 Although Muslims are given the day and month of this fateful day they are not however given the year as all the signs leading up to this day must be fulfilled. 3 â€Å"The sun will only be a mile away from the earth therefore mankind will be standing in its own perspiration† according to a companion of the Prophet. This has been taken from the Sahih Bukhari (collections of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Then the individual will be punished according to how bad the sin was that they committed. The worse the sin, the more severe the punishment will be. 4 On this day accounting of deeds will begin and each and every person will be given a book that will detail all the good and bad they have done in life. Although certain deeds in life will act as a â€Å"backup† to save you from punishment Muslims over the world go to the pilgrimage of Hajj so that their sins can be purged. Hajj is a purification of the soul from sins and a means to gain the Mercy of Allah. â€Å"Keep on doing Hajj and ‘Umrah, for they eliminate poverty and sin just as the bellows eliminate impurities from iron and gold and silver.† (Sahih Bukhari). In Islam, the foundation for a good afterlife is to have faith in the almighty lord and to try to lead a sin free life. Such is the driving force behind the concept in Hinduism be lovingly devoted to whichever Hindu god you are devoted to and similarly be dedicated to various religious ceremonies and rites. There are different aspects of Hinduism that determine how they lead their lives and what actions they do in order to affect their afterlife. There is also the factor of the burial procedure that could affect your outcome in the afterlife. The reasoning behind Hindu cremation is that they believe that the human personality is made up of five elements; four of which belong to the body which comes from this world, fire, earth, air, water. By cremating the body, the elements are returned to their respective area, while the soul continues in the afterlife. After death Muslims are buried, because even after death the soul can still feel pain so disposing of the body in any other means is a sin. When a Hindu devotee dies their soul leaves the body and goes to another world and returns again after spending some time there. Where a person is reborn is determined by their â€Å"karma†, the effects of a person’s actions that determine their destiny in the next incarnation. Hindus try to do virtuous acts of conduct so that they will increase their good karma and be reborn higher up in the caste system. This is done in numerous ways. Their initial aim is to worship Brahman (supreme Lord) by thinking about him and reading his Holy books. The Vedas, Smritis, Ramayan and Bhagavad Gita; Their life should involve praying and making offerings to the various Gods that take form from Brahman originally. There is no specific God that you can worship, whichever you choose is acceptable as it leads to essentially to Brahman. Hinduism believes in the existence of not one hell and heaven but in the existence of many sun filled heavens and many demonic worlds. 5 In the ultimate sense the purpose of these worlds is to neither punish nor reward the souls, but to remind them of the true purpose of their existence to lead an adequate life according to the Hindu Holy scripture The Vedas. The process of being born, to grow, die and be reborn again is known as samsara. It is the aim of every Hindu to be freed from this cycle in order to be in the presence of God, or become one with God. Karma is in itself a system of reward and punishment. The idea of reincarnation is not strictly limited to Hinduism. The idea of reincarnation is also becoming more popular in the West. This concept of reincarnation is summarily described in following verse of the Bhagavad-Gita. â€Å"Just as a man discards worn out clothes and puts on new clothes, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new ones.† (2:22) The Hindu concept of reincarnation directly challenges the Islamic and western notion of one life, one heaven, one hell and the final day of judgement. According to the following quote Islam contradicts the belief of transmigration there is the belief that once our hearts stop beating this is the end of our worldly life but the argument of the non-believers is that bring back our forefathers. â€Å"There is not but our worldly life; we die and live (i.e. some people die and others live, replacing them) and nothing destroys us except time.† (Quran, 45:24-26) Although Islam does primarily reject the notion of reincarnation in the form of another being, there is an exception to this. Islam is split in to 72 various sets and there is one set that does believe in reincarnation, the Druze. The Druze belong to an eleventh century offshoot of Shia Islam, which originated in Egypt. The similarity with this sect and Hinduism is that it also believes in the transmigration of souls, although this sect calls itself Muslims it denies the Day of Resurrection and the idea of heaven and Hell. Similarly they believe the body is to return to the elements and the universe is eternal and always will be. The physical body of the ones departed and the burial procedure for Muslims is just the earth accepting what was already its own â€Å"To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.† (Chapter 2, verses 153-156.) This then leads to the point that they do not belief in the message of the prophets of Islam. The Druze sect is not accepted by other major sects of Islam, they suffer from isolation of followers of the same religion. Although there are exceptions, Islam predominately feels a strong and solid approach to the one Supreme Lord and the Day of Judgement. After examining both religions and their beliefs it seems that both religions have the belief in life after death but a very different approach. There are several cases where Muslims have turned to other religions for the answer to the afterlife.6 Having examined and commented on beliefs on life after death in Islam and Hinduism, thus relating back to the first point of morality, that must exist and be justified in the first place for us human beings to first rationalise that there must be an afterlife. When this is understood then the ideas of different religious views on the afterlife can be understood. Islam’s belief ties in with the western notion of the standard hell and heaven and you are judged according to your deeds in your life that you have committed. You are resurrected but in the form you died in. Muslims are then weighed for deeds, dependant on that you either go to hell or heaven. You are faced with many obstacles on the way and even though you have primarily been good all your life you still will be punished for the sin. There are also many large signs before the fateful day. For majority of Muslims the belief in the afterlife determines the way they lead their lives whilst alive. For Hindus however the belief is that you are reincarnated as something else, either in higher caste or lower depending on the good/bad karma. You go through various lives and cycles to balance this karma until you become god (moksha). â€Å"I am the Self, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.† (10.20 Gita) The Hindu’s teachings also lay on the principle of morality as they are to be reunited with Mother Nature. In the Hindu religion, righteousness and to be without sin is of more importance, these are the factors whether one goes to Heaven or Hell. The Hindu’s teach, â€Å"As it does and as it acts, so it becomes: The doer of good becomes good, and the doer of evil becomes evil.† (Upanishad (4,4,5)) This quote explains that Hinduism has a concept of morality. Previously I have touched on the lifestyles of both religions Hinduism and Islam. Although they both believe in different outcomes, already while alive they develop a moral attitude in the back of their minds. This life will determine heaven/hell or higher /lower caste depending on what your religious belief is. What we can examine from this is that reward is something we all strive for, so the idea of a better life in the hereafter encourages good conduct in both faiths. Ultimately no matter what religion you have faith in it seems we rely in a better life in the hereafter. Hindu and Islamic beliefs about life after death seek to explain morality on this Earth. Our actions in this life will determine our post life existence, whether we go to heaven, hell, or are reincarnated. Both religions agree with Kant’s theory that the Universe needs to be satisfied. Worshippers are thus encouraged to strive to maintain their good conduct in this life. Without such explanations Kant explains, morality would be irrelevant. 2932 Notes 1) A story is told in the Qur’an, about a man who doubted Allah’s ability to resurrect a village. Allah caused him to die for a hundred years and when he was resurrected, questioned him as to how long he had â€Å"slept†. He replied â€Å"A day or part of a day†. Then God said â€Å"Look your food has rotted, look at your crops and the dead bones of your animals look how we adjust them and cover them with flesh!† (Qur’an 2:259) 2) â€Å"When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the children of Adam, their descendants and made them testify concerning them. (Saying): ‘Am I not your Lord’ they said, ‘Yes, we testify to it.’ (This) in case you say on the Day of Judgement, ‘We were unaware of this’. Or in case you say, ‘It was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?†[8] 3) The length of the day of judgement will be equivalent to fifty thousand years of this world and this quote can be found in verses (70: 4) Holy Quran. The Sunni Islamic belief is that: â€Å"On Friday the tenth of Muharram Angel Israfeel will blow a trumpet the sound will be so fearful that the entire universe will self-destruct†. (The day of judgement by the Sunni foundation) 3) â€Å"And verily, Hell is the promised abode for them all. It has seven gates: to each of those gates is a specific class of sinners assigned.† [al Hijr, 15: 43-44] Murderers: â€Å"And whoever kills a believer intentionally – his recompense is Hell to abide therein forever, and the wrath and the curse of Allah is upon him, and He has prepared for him a great punishment.† [an-Nisa, 4: 93] â€Å"Verily, of the inmates of the Fire, the one with the easiest punishment will be one who will have a pair of sandals and straps of fire. His brain will boil from them as a kettle boils. He does not see that anyone is suffering a punishment more severe than him, while he is the one with the easiest punishment.† [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim] http://www.shariahprogram.ca/articles/hell-devil-description.shtml 4) Then believers and disbelievers will go to the bridge lying over the fire from hell â€Å"the bridge will be of one single hair and be sharp as a sword.† The journey will be of no difficulty to those who lived their life according to Islam. 5) Indralok is the standard heaven to which those who please the Gods through their activities go. The standard hell is Yamalok. 6One example is the 11-month-old Muslim boy from India. He has now been named Balaji, another name for monkey-faced Lord Hanuman. â€Å"He is reported to have a 4in ‘tail’ caused by genetic mutations during the development of the foetus. Iqbal Qureshi, the child’s maternal grandfather, is taking Balaji from temple to temple where people offer money to see the boy. Mr Qureshi says the baby has nine spots on his body like Lord Hanuman and showed them to journalists, reports Indian newspaper The Tribune.† What this quote shows is that there are differences of opinion within a religion as even genetic mutations such as this one have altered the decision in believing in the Day of Judgement for a Muslim man. (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/607381/posts)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Erikson’s Timeline Essay

According to Erikson, there are eight stages of life. They are infancy, early childhood, childhood (play age), childhood (school age), adolescents and young adulthood. I just turned 34 this month and I know psychologically that I am in the adulthood portion of my life. Over the years I have caught myself asking questions like; who am I? And how do I fit myself into society? I would say over 10 years ago I began the sixth stage of my life, intimacy versus isolation. When I finished high school I thought I found that special person until I noticed that we became different people. I wanted more out of someone to be able to date and be able to fall in love with the right person. The relationship between the two stages is complex and many people define themselves through intimate relationships with others; and other proper sequence of the stages can be reversed in many people. Woman in the society traditionally exemplified a merging of intimacy and identify issues such as woman identify b eing defined by her intimate relationships. Sometimes it can be hard to separate the differences between the development of intimate relationships and adult itself. Erikson believes that a person is unable to be truly intimate with others until he or she has made progress with addressing their own identity. Marcia’s, the researcher for identity status, developed a similar idea with addressing their own identity. Macias also developed an idea designed to determine the quality of intimacy in a person’s life. A person answered several questions about dating, friendship, and interpersonal he or she commitments may be classified into four categories; Intimate-works at developing mutual personal relationships, has several close friends, involved in a committed love relationship, and is able to express both affectionate and angry feelings in the relationship. Pre-intimate- is a person who has dated but is involved in a committed love relationship, is aware of the possibilities of relating intimately with others, and feels conflicted about commitment and love relationships. Stereotyped- constricted and immature person who has not gone beyond superficial dating relationships, has several friends but they lack significant depth, and he/she dates regularly but does not get involved. Isolated- lacks endurance personal relationships, rarely dates and the person tend to be anxious and immature lacking assertiveness and social skills. If I were to do a test on myself I would say that I am a very mature person who knows what she wants in life because when I am with a person I am very committed and try my hardest to make things work. I would never cheat or do anything to hurt the person that I am with. I don’t have any problems expressing my feelings to my partner. I have a friend who refuses to be in a relationship. I feel that she still has a lot of growing up to do and she enjoys playing with other people’s feelings. These people don’t know what love is yet and might not ever open that page for someone else. As for me I know what love is and what it takes to have a good solid relationship. References: McAdams, (2006) The person: A new introduction to personality psychology (4th ed.) Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

An Event That Changed My Attitude Towards Life Essay

An accident last year changed my attitude towards life . That accident had a great impact on me , it taught me to treasure what i have and to treasure those people around me more . Although the accident was not life threatening , it was still the scariest thing i had ever been through in life . It was an accident that no one would have expected and wanted it to happen . The accident happened sometime last year during the june holidays , while i was having my council annual camp . It was the second day of the camp and we were all playing the four corners captains ball . I love ball games , as long as it is a sport but who knew such an accident would happen on me . When the game started , students were banging and pushing everyone they see as long as they are not from the same team . As the game goes into the second half , competitiveness began to rise , actions of defending and attacking was beginning to seem more obvious . It was finally my turn to play, i was so excited that i ran around attacking and defending , supporting my teammates as an when they needed me . After a while , there was a free throw ball , therefore i decided to slow walk backwards. Before slow walking backwards , i checked that there wasn’t anyone behind me just to prevent any accident to occur . After making sure that it was safe to walk backwards , i then proceeded walking backwards , but who knew a girl that was thrice my size ran pass me and i tripped over her leg and instantly fell backwards . The only thing that in my mind was not to let my head hit against the concrete ground hence i used my right hand to break my fall . I fell against the ground and my right hand lost its strength immediately. I thought that it was just a small injury therefore i just stood up , bear with the pain and walked back to my team’s home ground . While i was walking back , i felt that something was wrong as i could not move my wrist area at all . Due to my CCA we are all required to learn first aid , therefore i could sense something was terribly wrong . I then went to my friend who was also in my CCA and asked her if there was something wrong with my wrist area . When i showed her my wrist , she gasp in utter shock like she did not know what to do and had never seen any injuries like this before. I was curious why she gasped in that way and took a look at my own wrist , i then got as shocked as her as my wrist bone was jutting our and it was swollen . She touched the swollen part lightly without any force and it was so painful that i cried . The pain was excruciating , it was a type of feeling that i would never want to feel it again . Many of my teammates started crowding around me , getting more worried and concern about my hand , the president of student council was then notified about someone was injured. She then walked over to my team home ground and saw a girl on the floor crying . She got shock knowing that the person was me as i was a strong girl , no matter how pain it was i would try my best to bear with it and not drop a single tear . She was then aware of how much the pain was and knew it was unbearable . The teacher-in-charge was then notified while i was walking to his office with people supporting my wrist and my upper part of my body as did not had the strength. The teacher saw me and the state of my wrist and then told the president and my best friend to be beside me while asking the rest of the students to continue with the game before going back into his staff room to get some materials to make a temporary cast just to protect my wrist from getting hurt further . My best friend was then assigned to be by my side while my teacher drove me to the nearest hospital which was the Changi General Hospital . Honestly , it was my first time going to the Accident and Emergency department i was scared and worried about what will happen to my wrist and how will my parents react. While my teacher was doing all the registration i sat there in state of shock . It was really a blessing having my best friend by my side comforting me and constantly telling me everything will be alright . I was then called to do some X-RAYS before consulting the doctor . My parents finally came and just right it was my turn to consult the doctor , my mother then went in together with me . The doctor was then examining my X-RAYS that i took before consulting him . My heart was beating very very fast as I am a right hander and i need my right hand to do many things. Finally the doctor spoke , he said that there was no obvious or major fractures shown in my X-RAYS but i have to put an temporary cast on my hand. He then referred me to a specialist at KK Children Bone Specialist to ensure there was no hairline fracture or any small minor fractures . I was on cast for one month . My appointment with the specialist then arrived , it was a few days after my holiday trip . I then went to KK Hospital and got my cast removed as the specialist confirmed that there was no hairline fractures or what not it was only an inflamed tendon and the impact of the fall that cause it to swell. I felt so happy after my cast was being removed , but at the same time i was also upset as the physiotherapist said that i have to wear the plastic cast for at least a month and i will not be able to do anything that require strength on my wrist . To me , i was basically handicapped . I thought the that my life could not get any worser but it did . Due to the extreme pain my wrist facing , i was then prescribed with a particular painkiller called ‘Bufen’ . My family then went to my Aunt’s house for a family dinner , once i reached my Aunt’s place , i took my painkiller as i had consume food before the visit to the doctor. The painkiller itself causes drowsiness therefore i needed to take a nap after taking the painkiller . I took a nap for 1 hour and wanted to wake up for dinner but to my horror i was unable to open my eyes , i was then scared out of my wits , jumped off the bed and screamed very loudly . My Aunt , Uncle , Cousins and my parents then came into the room and on the light getting a shock after seeing my eyes . I was then crying and trying to open my eyes at the same time but all i could see was total darkness . I was only able to differentiate who was who when i listen to their voices clearly. I sat on the bed feeling panic and scared , all that was on my mind was ‘ would i go blind and never see this world again? there are still so many things i want to see and admire . i cannot afford to go blind ‘ . My dad then called up the KK Hospital and told them what happened to me , i was then asked to make a trip down to the A&E as soon as possible . My parents then immediately brought me to the A&E at KK Hospital . I was then examined and asked to stay there for a day to make sure my condition is stabilized and that there was no more allergy reaction. The doctor then came to my ward and asked me if i had any drug allergy , i said no. This was an unknown allergy that had only been discovered then . While i was lying down on my ward bed , the nurse gave me a pink liquid medication to help my allergic reaction to subside . The next morning when i woke up , i was finally able to open my eyes and the first thing i saw was my parents siting beside my bed asleep . I then realized how much i did not treasured them and how great they were . The nurse came to check on me , my parents woke up and i was able to be discharged. I was so happy that i finally could open my eyes and see the world and the bright sun . After this accident , i do still play ball games but i never walked backwards again . This accident made me realized how much i was taking my parents for granted and how much i was not contended with my life . I decided to change my point of view of my life and to change my attitude towards my life , making sure that i would not wait till something bad like that happen again to realize how much i have not been treasuring the people around me and the things i have.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Clinical reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical reflection - Essay Example From the experience with the Chinese patient, I learnt how to communicate with a non-English speaker patient by use of sign language. I also learnt how to keenly monitor how he swallowed the fluid foods and put great care to turn the patient after every two hours. I also learnt more in listening to the lungs sounds very keenly. My friendliness to the patients never failed me. It made the patient feel at home and feel comfortable on my arms. I think I did great job by ensuring that the patient was comfortable all the times. I also did much by ensuring that the patient never dirtied himself with his excretes since he was unable to handle himself. Throughout the nursing period I ensured close contact with the patient. Today as I attended to the Chinese patient I felt I was very effective and caring to my patient. I went extra mile since the patient was dependent. I felt the pain as the patient swallowed the meals in great trouble. It was sad to see the patient being turned on bed every time. I felt the pain though proved much confident and never indicated any sign of

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Seattle public library Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seattle public library - Essay Example In addition to the cafe, the building has a floor of information desks where mixing takes place commonly referred to as the mixing chamber. The plan of the floor is simple. When a visitor is outside the building, he or she can see the bevelled metal-and-glass concealment of the library. It gives a better view of the building as it spirals up. A laminated sheet available at the information desk guides a visitor without the use of a tour-guide. Innovation in technology Rem Koolhas, the designer and architecture behind the Magnificent Seattle Library. Koolhas has adequate experience besides being a former resident of Seattle. He was at the core of policy debate in designing the budiling. Such issues affect major parts of the world experiencing fiscal, globalization, and demographic challenges. Koolhas identified imitation and innovation as well as other strategies in pursuing the development of the library. Innovation is one of the primary objectives of architects and in most cases, it guarantees development in design. In doing this, the architect differentiates technology innovation that entails influences in the entire industry from process or design innovation, which covers modification of the process of construction. Koolhas classifies innovations into two differentiating them based on those from the laboratory and those on the market that enhance innovation. The management of the company also comprehends the other aspe ct of innovation that differentiates incremental innovation from path-breaking innovative mechanisms guided by the magnitude of originality besides the capacity to attain innovation standards. Simply, the architect refers to this as the distinction between discontinuous and continuous innovation processes. The Library has several service priorities guiding delivery of services. Youth and early learning tops the list of service priorities.The staffs and management at The Seattle Public Library offer support to early learning in addition to