Benefits and cost

Costs would be Just the opposite of several of these, but would also include lack of a good warranty, or not being able to find a place that can service the time-piece. Top Reasons You Want A Nice Watch†, A. Adams, 2011 . ) A weight loss diet can boost self- esteem, energy levels, desirability to those you wish to attract. Good health, though. Is the greatest benefit of a weight loss diet. Costs could be the difficulty level of being able to stick with the diet. Losing weight improperly can cause health issues; if the weight loss diet you have to offer is unhealthy this can be a cost. High prices of weight loss can be prohibitive. (â€Å"Lose Weight, Gain Tons of Benefits†, K. Zealand, n. D. ) Things that could be beneficial to a cruise would be location.Everyone likes to go to beautiful places. Nice accommodation and service areas on board the ship are a must. Other important things can be safety, atmosphere, variety of activities, and areas to relax. Costs could be the expensiveness of the cruise, sea sickness, and boredom. (â€Å"The Pros and Cons of Cruise Travel†, A. Powers, 2012) For a new checking account at a bank, the benefits could be ease of deposits, such as online deposits by way of device APS. Being able to cancel checks easily Is Important. The availability of accessing your cash easily Is very Important.Free ATM and debit cards, and the availability of paperless electronic statements can also be beneficial. Costs would include high bounced check fees, annual account fees, and the fact that many businesses are moving away from even accepting checks. (â€Å"Seven Questions to Ask Before Opening a Bank Account†, G. Dwellers, 2013) Ariel Adams, (2011). Top Reasons You Want A Nice Watch. A Blob to Watch. Retrieved July 14, 2014, blowtorch. Com: http://www. blowtorch. Com/top-reasons-you- want-a-nice-expensive-watch/ Kathleen M. Zealand, (n. D. ). Lose Weight, Gain Tons of Benefits.Web MD. Retrieved July 14, 2014, WebMD. Com : http://www. WebMD. Com/delete/features/lose-wealth-gal.- tons-of-benefits India Powers, (2012). The Pros and Cons of Cruise Travel. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved July 14, 2014, parenthetically. Com: http://www. parenthetically. Com/ the-pros-and-cons-of-cruise-travel-192288 Gerri Dwellers, (2013). Seven Questions to Ask Before Opening a Bank Account. Credit. Retrieved July 14, 2014, credit. Com: http://www. credit. Com/personal-Flanagan- questions-to-ask-before-opening-bank-account/ Benefits and cost By wheelhouses ay of device APS.Being able to cancel checks easily is important. The availability of accessing your cash easily is very important. Free ATM and debit cards, and the Before Opening a Bank Account†, G. Detailer, 2013) July 14, 2014, WebMD. Com: http://www. WebMD. Com/diet/features/lose-weight-gain- the-pros-and-cons-of-cruise-travel-192288 Gerri Detailer, (2013). Seven Questions to Ask Before Opening a Bank Account. Credit. Retrieved July 14, 2014, credit. Com: http ://www. Credit. Com/personal-Flanagan- questions-to-ask-before-opening-bank-account/

Differences Between University And School

In recent years, although tertiary education is certainly popular among Hong Kong students. It is unlikely that all students can easily catch the ways of studying at starting university. Therefore, we need to know actually what great differences between studying at university and school in order to adjust our ways of studying more effective to achieve the tertiary education. In this essay, I will try to examine their differences in terms of the characteristic of teachers and students, students time management and motivation as well as the modes of assessment Firstly, the characteristic of teachers and students in school and at university has great differences. The school teachers dismantle to translate the textbooks word-by-word from limited information-based, and whether the students understand the lessons or not, they can passively copy down the information and refers to their notes later at home and memorizes them. However, the university students are no longer allowed to sit quietly and negatively throughout the class. They are being demanded to discuss academic matters or cooperate with other classmate to perform projects. They are require to find sources, gathering information and put them into order. As Marshall and Rowland (1993, 34) pointed out, the ability to think critically is a generic skill that are expected to acquire in the undergraduate education and transfer to daily life, future or current work. Therefore, the tutors at university who offer not only textbook instructions but also helps students to think critically and independently by encouragement. Besides, students can choose and adjust their own learning style independently from freely choices of materials provided at university. Another important difference in students time management that is mainly affected by the learners motivation in school and at university. The motivation of school students is comes from parents and teachers, who reward or punish students for keeping up their studies. Students are unexpected to plan or do anything besides follow the timetable and study schedule from teachers. When a student moves on to undertake university study at undergraduate level, there is demanded to be more self-motivated and independent learning. Such as plan a learning programme that takes into consideration time available for study. As Marshall and Rowland (1993, 41) shown that, if students are studying at a distance in tertiary education are needed to be particularly careful in setting priorities and balance a certain time between work and study, family and social life. It is important to manage time efficiently to achieve satisfactory results. The final difference point in assessment procedures. In school, students are judged largely on the grades they achieve in examinations for gaining admission to higher education. On the other hand, university students are judged mainly on their continuously assessed course work, not only by their performances in examinations. In this essay, I have attempted to identify and explain how great differences between studying in school and at university in terms of teaching and learning style, students motivation and time management, and the modes of assessment. I found that when students moves on to undertake the tertiary education. This means, they has reached adulthood and becomes an independent and self-motivated learners. They should accommodate the suitable learning style and good time management for themselves to achieve the satisfactory results. Marshall and Rowland (1993, 41) described that, each discipline or body of knowledge is a culture in its own right with its own discourse V its own language and vocabulary and its own methodologies for choosing, analysing, critiquing, interpreting, presenting and using this knowledge. Thus, when start tertiary study enter not only the overall culture of the institution but the culture of the discipline in which are intend to study. Independence and the exercise of initiative are both essential qualities in a good university student.

Critically discuss the relationship between fast subject and the Essay

Critically discuss the relationship between fast subject and the principle of potentialily in the graduate labour market - Essay Example The labour market management has responded by defining the type of life that graduates should aspire to, dream of, be ready for and expect (Taylor 2012). By defining what job applicants should possess, management has embraced the subject of fast that mirrors the aspirations, inner promises and desires present in every unemployed graduate (Costea 2012). Human resource management have therefore developed ethos which outline expected potential and values that should be possessed by a graduate, in order to feel the advertised job opportunity (Szcześniak 2013). The ability to tailor an individual into the desired person has had far reaching consequences among job applicants. After critically reading job adverts, graduates tend to be displeased by the approach taken to describe the ideal candidate for a given job (Nura 2014). With terms such as intelligent, dynamic and creative being used in most of the job advertisements, readers of the adverts are mostly develop an inner feeling of permanent unhappiness. To university graduates, the reality of labour market turns out to be worse as compared to their expectations (Sciarra 2012). The optimism of being a special character waited by the graduate labour market turns out to be the opposite. The main reason leading to the fast subject being the need among human resource managers to recon cile conflicting demands in graduate labour market. Managers have been forced to learn appropriate ways of managing the uncertain world, as it is changing very fast. The ethos set by managers has been considered to comprise aspiration benchmarks that students need to weigh their potential and future character (Lakshmi 2013). For instance, ethos has been used by HRM to define the ideal customs, values and of a future employee (Costea 2012). The desired ethos has been incorporated in job advertisements. Thus, students and graduates have to

Stem Cell Rubric Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem Cell Rubric - Research Paper Example However, there are certain advantages in using embryonic stem cells (ESC) that the others still cannot provide. Unlike ESC that are known to come from pre-implanted embryos, the source of ASC is still to be discovered. By some reason still unknown to researchers, ESC proliferate and remain undifferentiated for a year longer than ASC do. In addition, ESC have the potential to differentiate into all cell types of the body, while ASC can only differentiate into the cell types of its tissue of origin. Also, it is much easier to increase the number of ESC than that of ASC (National Institutes of Health, 2009). For example, if it is hematopoietic ASC, then it can only be induced to form blood cells. However, despite the seemingly more advantageous ESC, ASC are believed to induce less graft transplantation reaction, as it can be derived from the patients themselves (National Institutes of Health, 2009). Benefits of Stem Cell Research Arguably, the most important benefit of stem cell researc h is the use of these cells in stem cell transplantation therapy. In fact, for 40 years already, hematopoietic or blood-forming ASC from bone marrow have been used in transplants to cure health conditions such as leukemia (National Institutes of Health, 2009). ... It is important to develop therapies for these illnesses, especially cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as these occupy the top of the list of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Aside from that, further stem cell research (SCR) paves the way for more discoveries, such as the regulating factors behind stem cell proliferation and self-renewal. These factors, in the future, may be used in the regeneration of destroyed tissues, such as that in myocardial infarction, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In addition, these pluripotent cells can provide a better observation of human development from embryo to infancy. This then may lead to researches on the abnormal cellular development, as seen in physical birth defects, genetic abnormalities and cancer. Large amount of cells grown in vivo from stem cells may also be used in easier and safer testing of drug safety and effectiveness (Johnson and Williams, 2006). Disadvantages of Stem Cell Research Whic h Lives to Save Despite the many scientific advancements contributed by stem cell research, many still argue against it. One argument reasons that the fertilized eggs used in SCR are already alive, and thus it is not right to take someone else’s life, no matter for what purpose. Partly causing such conflict stems from the fact that until now, there is no specific age of gestation at which life has been pinpointed to start at. The Health Risk of Stem Cell Therapy Another argument against SCR claims that the chemical and biological factors used to manipulate the cells in vivo can cause adverse effects once the resulting specialized cells from them are transplanted to humans for therapy. For example, viruses from the

Fundamentals of Decision Support Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fundamentals of Decision Support - Essay Example Some more problems arise which may be linked with increasing the size of the facility. Consequently the cost of operation of the facility will shoot creating another problem. Industry siting may be regulated the existing state regulations’ and local laws. ‘This imposes another problem due the technique of increasing the size of the facility in each region in order curb diseconomies of scale. (Watzlawik) Completion for raw materials by other companies which are related to plastic manufacturing company may also impose another threat. In this case growth of different facilities in different regions may be returded. (Michael, 2009) Technological change can also affect manufacturing and also the utilization of the plastic product hence affecting the growth of plastic manufacturing companies in different regions The increase in the size of the company or organisation leads to the overload of management team due to large scale operations which draw the attention of the managers all through. (Guttmann, Michael, & John). A larger number of employees are employed which requires maximum supervision to ensure smooth operation of the company. Managers should ensure that company resources and materials are not wasted. As a result of overworked management, minimal supervision and control of staff operation emerges leading to laxity of cost of production control. Scale enlargement of the facility in an region of the world could lead to decreased attention on customers individual taste .goods of the same quality are produced consequently as a result of large economies of scale. Fall in demand of the plastic product follows. Hired employees controls the operation of the large sized business in absenter of the owners There usually be loss of personal interaction between the employer and employees which can later lead to staffs strikes and lack outs .This

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition Assignment

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition - Assignment Example The food vending business in Amsterdam is on the rise and is an example of a perfect competitive industry. Several food vendors are under the same roof selling a variety of products ranging from Mumbai street food to hot dogs that are sold in pretzel buns. The idea of the owner of the food vending stalls was to involve original ideas of Amsterdam locals without including common franchisers such as KFC and McDonalds in the industry. It is reported that the food vending hall had only been open for two weeks and buyers had been flocking into it without restriction. The food vending industry in Amsterdam is an almost perfect competition industry. In the article, food vending industry is vast and has diverse products that are supplied every morning to be produced under cheap and affordable circumstances. One of the factors that make street food vending industry a perfect competitive market is the ease in entry into the field. As explained by Draper (1996), most street food vending businesses require small scale operations, use of traditional food processing methods and low capital costs to start. Secondly, there are no set restrictions in order to start selling in the market. As explained by the owner of the food mall, the only restrain was set for food chains such as MacDonald’s but local food vendors were accepted. This restriction denotes that the food vending industry in the food hall was not purely a perfect competitive market. Thirdly, products sold by food vendors are standardised and homogeneous. The sandwiches, soups, hams, burgers, vegetables and other street foods that are sold in the food hall are foods that are known and standard. Therefore, the food products sold from the fresh produce received every morning are standardized and this makes the food vending industry in Amsterdam perfect competition market. The price of the goods cannot be changed by the seller but depend on the availability of

An online based photo gallery called ePhotoshop.com Essay

An online based photo gallery called ePhotoshop.com - Essay Example The purpose of this report is to build a proposed website project that focuses on creating an online based business. The website will be solely responsible for individuals who are fanatics of taking pictures and sharing them with the world. The concept of it is on a photo gallery but one that is online and easy to share with people who share similar interests. The aim will be to build a unique platform which would attract photographers from around the world to participate. A proposed name for the website is â€Å"ePhotoshop.com†. The aim of â€Å"ePhotoshop.com† is to give these individuals a chance to show their photographs and get recognized among others for their brilliance. The target audience varies from upcoming young artists to other keen amateur photographers who just have the desire to show their talent to the world. In short, people around the world will be able to use this platform with registered usernames. The site will offer three different types of regist rations, amateur accounts, basic professional accounts and elite professional accounts. There will be very strong online competition from websites that have already been present in the market for similar purposes such as â€Å"deviantart.com†. â€Å"deviantart.com† already focuses on providing its art products to the public by purchasing them online.

Assignment Two Option 3 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment Two Option 3 - Case Study Example This provides a set of issues and matters that must be examined and critiqued on the basis of Australian law and other Common Law provisions. The issues involve: In order to provide answers to the various issues raised above, there is the need to draw into important statues and Common Law provisions that regulate actions related to the persons involved in the case. This will involve the identification of important elements and features that form the fundamental obligations and requirements of directors in the position of persons involved in the case illustrated above. Companies are formed by various shareholders who come together to pool their resources to raise capital. There is a complete separation of ownership and control in corporate law. Hence, companies are run by people who are nominated and by the shareholders, which is the board of directors. The board of directors are given power by the owners of the business (shareholders) to run a company and they do this by taking decisions and supervising activities in the organisation. The right to use the firms resources gives rise to the agency problem which involves the directors seeking to satisfy their own personal interest ahead of the interest of the company1. This is an issue that can be traced back to the early propositions of Adam Smith that sought to provide major regulatory systems for the control of affairs in corporate entities. This has reflected in the national legal systems which have evolved over the years to include various corporate laws and principles. Conflict of interest has been an issue that was prohibited and restricted by Common Law. In Cook V Deeks3 it was held that directors of a company will have to act in the best interest of the company. And where they subjugated the companys interest in favour of a personal interest of some of the directors, a fraud is committed on the shareholders who stand to

Atticus Finch - To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

Atticus Finch To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Throughout chapters 1-17 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is shown as a very courageous and non-judgemental person. At times in the book he is also a very caring father but he can be strict at times. His name, Atticus is also a very polite man and always shows courtesy to the people he meets. Many people that live in Maycomb know Atticus is a gentleman and is very polite. He also has a conscience when he says that if he didn’t defend a Negro then he would be ashamed and wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in town. Harper Lee portrayed Atticus as a very courageous man. Atticus is courageous because he takes up a case no one else dares to take, the Tom Robinson case. He was willing to risk his honour and dignity to help the poorly accused black man. Although he gets a lot of abuse from various people, for example Mrs Dubose when she says, â€Å"Atticus is a nigger-lover†, he still doesn’t step down from the case and ignores people. He even put his Children in the way when Scout nearly gets in to a fight against Cecil Jacobs when Cecil Jacobs says that â€Å"Scout Finch’s daddy defends niggers†. Scout even takes abuse from her own family when her cousin, Francis, says that Atticus is a â€Å"nigger-lover† which really puts Scout on edge and she starts a fight with Francis. Atticus is also a very non-judgemental person and will always look at things from both sides of the story. In chapter 3 Atticus says, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it†. Here, Atticus is saying that you can’t judge something until you see things from their point of view, until you see what they’re experiencing. Atticus is a very caring father but a strict one too. He is very caring when Scout comes home from her first day in school and complains that Miss Caroline (the teacher) doesn’t want Atticus and Scout reading together any more. Atticus decides to make a deal with Scout, â€Å"If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have†. This shows that he cares about Scout concerns and decides to make a deal to make her happy. Although caring he is also a strict father and when Jem loses her cool and destroys Mrs Dubose’s flowers he makes Jem go back and apologies. To do something like this to a sick lady is inexcusable. I strongly advise you to go down and have a talk with Mrs Dubose†. As well as a good father he is also a very polite and well-mannered man. For example, in the court trial with Mayella, Atticus wouldn’t call her Mayella but Miss Mayella but Mayella took it like Atticus was mocking her. Judge Taylor had to calm her down by saying, â€Å"Mr Finch is always courteous to everybody†. This is saying that Atticus is always polite and courteous to everyone he meets. He is also very polite to Mrs Dubose even though Mrs Dubose shout insults to him every time he walks by. Atticus would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, ‘Good evening, Mrs Dubose! You look like a picture this evening. ’† This shows that even though Mrs Dubose is horrid to him, he still says hello and is polite to her. Atticus is also very aware of his own reputation and tries to be morally good as much as he can be. He does this by helping Tom Robinson in a case they would probably lose. Scout asks him why he is defending Tom Robinson and Atticus replies, â€Å"The main one is that if I didnt, I couldnt hold my head up in town†. This shows he has morals that he follows so that he can have respect not for others but himself as well. Throughout chapters 1-17 Atticus is shown as a courageous person. As well as being courageous he is non-judgemental especially when he says, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it†. Atticus is also portrayed as a caring father when Scout is having trouble at school; Atticus is there to support her. Harper Lee has overall made Atticus a very polite, wise and respected man in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Reflective Essay on Mentorship in Student Nursing

Reflective Essay on Mentorship in Student Nursing This piece of work will examine the process of assessment within my role as a mentor for a student nurse. The assignment will follow the sequence of events from initial contact of the student to the final interview and completion of documentation. It will also analyse the action plans that were written at the initial and interim interviews. To protect the identity of the student, I have used the name Jane in keeping with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008a) guidance on confidentiality. Jane is a second year student and this placement will be her first community placement of the year. For the purpose of this assignment, I will use a reflective approach. The literature shows that authors such as Schon (1995) and Benner (1984) concentrated on the role of reflection in the work of health care professionals however, Brookfield (1995) explored different sources of information and feedback that are available to teachers. Brookfield uses the term â€Å"critically reflective lenses† through which professionals can view their teaching. Reflection can improve the way we teach and the way we learn from experiences. Kolb (1984) suggests that reflection is the way in which we examine our experiences and draw lessons from them which is supported by Cornforth (2009) who describes the purpose of reflection to be to scr utinise an incident to see what, if anything, could be done differently after looking back and analysing what happened. I work within a small GP surgery in Lincolnshire. Jane and I had not had contact prior to her arrival at the placement but this had been arranged via the practice learning facilitator. I greeted Jane warmly and introduced myself. I gave Jane an induction pack to provide her with information regarding the surgery including expected fire alarm testing, emergency equipment and where she could eat. The use of induction and learning packs have been found to be an invaluable resource when used effectively for both learner and mentor (Moore, 2013). Using Egan’s (2002) SOLER model of communication skills, Jane and I had a discussion around ground rules, expectations of each other and the learning environment. SOLER is a model of non-verbal communication techniques that aids demonstration of active listening which is why I chose this model. It involves positioning and body language and advises you to learn forwards towards the other person, however I did not learn towards Jane as I fel t she may find this threatening. We continued by discussing Jane’s learning needs including meeting her learning outcomes and her previous life and work experience. Maslow’s (1987) theory of a hierarchy of human needs suggests that our physiological needs take highest priority followed by safety and the need for belongingness. I wanted to make Jane feel welcome and to encourage her to develop her skills, knowledge and attitude. The NMC (2008) standards for mentors involve eight domains and declare that for learning to be effective, students should spend at least forty percent of their placement time with their mentor. Furthermore, the NMC (2008b) identified the need for protected time for mentoring. Jane and I briefly discussed how we would allocate our time together before I introduced her to other members of the surgery team. A study by Newton, Billett and Ockerby (2009) identified that a supportive social and cultural arena that enables the student to become part of the clinical team is very important. I therefore felt that for Jane to feel welcome, she needed to know who everyone was and their role within the team. I understood that it was important to create a positive learning environment for Jane. In an early, landmark study, Fretwell (1980) identified that key components of the â€Å"ideal learning environment† as anti-hierarchy, teamwork, negotiation, communication and availability of traine d nurses for responding to students’ questions. Peer support is essential to this to allow Jane to spend time with other members of the health care team. Jane and I agreed a time to conduct the initial interview at this point. There are various definitions of what learning means, written throughout the ages by philosophers and educational psychologists. Gopee (2011) writes that learning is a process that leads to modification in behaviour or the acquisition of new abilities or responses, and which is additional to natural development, growth or maturation. A literature search revealed different learning styles and I recognised that it is important to be flexible in the different learning approaches I provide. As a teacher, I must understand that learning styles change depending on the task being taught and how the student responds to the learning experience. Most students have elements of more than one learning style present. It may be useful for students to think about their strongest and weakest style to enable the teacher to develop strategies to capitalise on strengths. Bloom (1956) talks about three domains of learning. Cognitive is about mental skills and knowledge and affective is about growth in feelings or emotional areas and attitudes. Psychomotor is about manual or physical skills. Honey and Mumford (1982) developed learning styles and they identified four different styles, or preferences. Activist, Theorist; Pragmatist and Reflector. These are the learning approaches that individuals naturally prefer and they developed a learning style questionnaire to enable people to analyze and evaluate their own particular learning styles. Prior to the initial interview, I had asked Jane’s to complete the Honey and Mumford learning style questionnaire. The initial interview took place early in the first week of placement in a private room with Jane, myself and my mentor. I closed the door and put my telephone over to â€Å"do not disturb† so that there would be no interruptions. The learning style questionnaire was reviewed and this had identified Jane as being an activist with reflective tendencies. Jane also agreed that she preferred to be â€Å"hands on† as identified by the psychomotor element of Bloom. For this reason, we agreed that Jane may learn more by practical sessions reinforced by using question and answer sessions. Jane was encouraged to approach clinical staff for advice in any areas that she felt she did not fully understand. It was identified following discussion that Jane did not have any specific learning difficulties or needs. We spent time looking through the continuous assessment of practice (CAP) document and the competency framework to identify the learning outcomes that Jane needed to meet and at what academic level she should be working towards. As Jane was a second year student, the learning outcomes related more to applying theory to practice and therefore I needed to devise teaching sessions towards that level. We focused on the action plan from her previous placement in order to develop an action plan for this placement taking into account her learning outcomes. Referring back to the NMC (2008b) guidelines on standards to support learning and assessment in practice, Jane and I agreed the time she would spend with me and with other health care professionals to broaden the learning opportunities of her placement. I devised a SMART action plan for Jane creating some learning objectives for her to meet by the interim interview (see appendix 1). This means that objectives should be Specific, Measureab le, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. A date was arranged for the interim interview mid placement. In order to fulfil my role as mentor to Jane, I understood that I would be acting as a role model as identified in the NMC (2008b) guidelines to support learning in practice. The mentor should not only be a role model for clinical skills but also as an organiser of care, a researcher and a teacher within their post (Gopee, 2011). The mentor must act professionally at all times. Donaldson and Carter’s (2005) report on an evaluation of the perceptions of undergraduate students on role modelling within the clinical settings, identified that students ranked highly the importance of good role models whose competence they could observe and practice. I was aware that I would need to demonstrate leadership skills throughout my journey as a mentor. Sullivan and Decker (2009) state that a leader is anyone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a goal. Mullins (2007) reaches a similar conclusion by referring to leadership as a relationship through which on person influences the behaviour or actions of others. Under the leadership domain of the NMC (2008b) guidance, it is indicated that mentors should demonstrate leadership skills for education within practice and academic settings. In order to do this, I understood that I would need to plan a structured teaching session but allow some flexibility in case of unpredicted events such as emergencies leading to deterioration of a patient’s condition. On reflection of Jane’s preferred learning style, she had indicated that she preferred a â€Å"hands on† approach however, I appreciated that this was not always possible particularly if it was a new experience. I contemplated that Jane may need to observe practical procedures initially before attempting the procedure herself and that different teaching methods may need to be used to support the theoretical component. I planned a series of learning experiences in order to meet the defined learning outcomes as planned during the initial interview and my intention was to prioritise my work in order to meet Jane’s learning requirements. My role as a mentor was to act as an advocate for Jane in order for her to access learning opportunities involving others, a role model, a teacher/facilitator, and a manager of change. Price and Price (2009) support the argument that mentors act as role models for enabling students to learn safe and effective practice. As a healthcare professional, I am accountable for delivering care competently (NMC, 2008a) but also for enabling learners to develop their clinical skills (NMC, 2008b). As a mentor, my accountability relates to the rules, policies, regulations and scope of practice that govern assessments (NMC, 2010). It also relates to the assessment of professional competence, to personal and professional responsibilities and to legislation. This may mean failing a student against some competencies within the CAP document, this could be because of various reasons leading to the student not progressing to the required standard. Work by Duffy (2003) identified that some mentors fail to fail a student despite being accountable. This is supported in a paper by Gainsbury (2010). There may be various reasons for this including pressure from the student, lateness or sickness and failure to make up missed hours. I understood that if I felt Jane was failing to meet the standard required, I would work withi n the guidelines of my professional body as I would remain accountable for passing a failing student and would therefore not be pressured into doing this. During my teaching sessions I remained aware of facilitating the use of evidence based practice (EBP), this is practice based on underpinning research and evidence, clinical knowledge and cost. Using EBP is a component in the NMC (2008b) competencies for mentors and its use supports effective care, clinical effectiveness and practice development and aims to improve the standards and quality of healthcare delivery. Example of EBP are clinical guidelines such as those produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), National Service Frameworks (NSF) and strategies such as the cancer strategy (National Health Service (NHS), 2014), and both local and national policies and pathways. The assessment process compromises of measuring the student’s progress and encompasses knowledge, skills and attitude. Assessment is performed to protect patient safety, competence and fitness to practice. During the assessment process it was important to consider the competency framework (Steinaker and Bell, 1979) which is commonly used in nurse education curricula and at what level I should expect Jane to be performing towards in her second year of training. The learning competencies are clearly identified in the CAP document and I would be assessing Jane against these competencies. Continuous assessment can be used to measure consistency, it allows for progression, improvement and development and permits assessment in different areas or scenarios. The criteria for assessment proclaimed by Quinn and Hughes (2007) is that assessment is valid, reliable, not discriminatory, practical and transparent. This process should allow for fairness of assessment of the individual on particular competencies. Factors that could affect assessment in the clinical environment making them unfair include interruptions, lack of resources such as equipment and suitability of placement (Gopee, 2011). The assessment process took place at agreed times and I attempted to create a climate that allowed Jane to perform to the best of her ability nevertheless considering the safety of the patient and I was prepared to intervene or provide prompts if necessary. Gopee (2011) believes that assessment of a student involves gathering information of the students ability to perform particular skills or competencies. Performance is measured against standards set by governing bodies. Following assessment, I provided Jane with feedback on her performance. I was mindful of remaining constructive rather than destructive, objective, clear, concise and specific about elements of the assessment. I remained aware that feedback needed to be a two way process to enable Jane to learn and improve and allow for time to discuss concerns and ask for clarification where needed. Wilkes, Joyce and Edmond (2011) believe that constructive feedback can inspire and encourage students and therefore enhance their understanding. Feedback helps learners to recognise weaknesses and identify areas for improvement and for the mentor to recognise learning, consolidation and linking theory to practice (British Journal of Hospital Medicine (BJHM) 2009). Hill (2007) supports the idea that feedback plays an important role in the learning cycle in the link between the theoretical and practical elements of competencies. During the interim interview, which took place midway through placement, Jane and I had a discussion around her development, achievement of learning outcomes, strengths and weaknesses. We revisited the action plan from the initial interview to establish whether these had been appropriate and achievable. Gopee (2011) states that mid-placement interview is an important component in the assessment of the students’ progress. Jane self-assessed and reflected on her progress. I undertook a formative assessment of Jane’s competence and skills and we discussed and agreed a further SMART action plan (see appendix 2) incorporating any further learning opportunities required. We completed the documentation required in Jane’s CAP document, supporting the NMC (2009) guidance on record keeping. Before ending the interview, we agreed a time and date for her final interview towards the end of her placement. I continued to provide learning opportunities either with myself or with other professionals in order to meet the competencies identified in Jane’s CAP document and in her SMART action plan. Relating back to Bloom’s (1956) domains of learning, this allowed for further development of skills (psychomotor), knowledge and understanding (cognitive) and attitude (affective) and attributed to an increase of confidence in skills that were performed frequently. Student number 478825Module number 92938

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp They are two giants of films of our times or the Modern Cinema. Together, the magic they have created for big screen is certainly worthy of discussion as it is the longest lasting partnership between an actor and a director till date and that too only to produce unique cinematic masterpieces of their own kind. Indeed the legendary Director Tim Burton and the pliable acting machine Jonny Depp are under discussion here. How and why have they managed to play together the most successful innings of all times? Who are they? What are the films they have collaborated in? How do they think about each others art? But the most important of all the thoughts would be that Why Tim Burton almost always depends on Johnny Depp and how predictably Mr Depp proves to be a Burton-magnet equally? Why are they inseparable? My essay is going to explore and throw a light on this unique partnership that is continuing to entertain us for the years to come, how it is affecting the viewers and critics alike and if it is worth practicing this bond almost every time? Tim Burton has used his vision to embark on Hollywood genre filmmaking, gathering an international audience and fans. His work also influences a young generation of artists working in film, video and graphic industries. Tim Burton: the name alone enlivens up the images of Gothic landscapes, demonic clowns, and the sombre pleasantness of a loner struggling to find his way into un-accepting world. Like Alfred Hitchcock before him, Tim Burton has become mythical persona, known as much for his physical appearances, alternately described as endearingly passà ©, dork chic, or dishevelled for its highly stylized films. His films have been able to rise above both genre and explanation. The ideas and the material that appear in his work are both universal and timeless. His films, in first place, affect people emotionally rather than being intellectual. This resulted in Tim Burton becoming one of the filmmakers who based their films on their personal visions, the other being Woody Allen, Mart in Scorsese, Stanley Kubirck, David Lynch and Spike Lee. Timothy Walter â€Å"Tim† Burton was born (1958) and grew up in suburban California. He was into drawing and painting since early childhood together with a thing for movies and that too, monster movies. Trying his weird ideas of â€Å"home-made† animation through stop motion in his back yard resulted in his first proper short came into being which was produced by Burtons friend, Rick Heinrichs. Tim Burton managed to get screened and noticed at Chicago Film Festival. Following this, his first live action film Hansel and Gratelfor Disney Channel was released. It kind of went nearly un-noticed and only recently has been un-earthed. Next was the live-action short Frankenweenie which got the attention of the American actor Paul Ruebens who provided Burton the opportunity to materialise his first feature based on Ruebens popular character ‘Pee-Wee Herman into the Pee-Wees BigAdventure (1985)which proved a box office success. When the time came to make Edward Scissorhands, there were many considerations for main role of the film. One prominent of all was to cast Tom Cruise, who was the top shining star of the period who was nearly finalised for the film, due to his star power, the film studios needed. But Tim Burton and the producer Denise di Novi fell for the auditioned, the bored television star, Johnny Depp, who had never done a feature before. John Christopher â€Å"Johnny† Depp was born (1963) in Kentucky, USA. He was mostly known for strange and unusual characters, playing as a garage band musician in his early teens. He covered many a mile stones while staying within the music circles. His make-up artist wife introduced him to Nicolas Cage, and it was him who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. According to Squidoo (2010), Depps talent was first recognised in television series 21 Jump Streetby audience and he was regarded as a teen idol. Depp diverted his focus to suitable film roles because of uncomfortable characterization in television roles. It was then, when ‘Edward Scissorhands stepped into his life to change his fate forever. Depp recalls the memorable encounter with Burton in his exclusive present of forewords for a book, â€Å"Burton on Burton† based on interviews of the director, when he wasnt doing much, rather stuck up with a television series and after even finishing it, its post traumas. He received a script which referred to a story of boy with scissors for hands. It was certainly a change, a breath of fresh air that he got quite excited and obsessed with the script and read a couple times. Under-estimating his selection as a possible candidate for the ‘Edward, he went on to meet Burton and the producer in LA. Post three hour long meeting, Depp remembers the thought of certainty of him not being the Edward of Burtons film. Weeks later he couldnt believe his fate when he got a call saying â€Å"you are Edward Scissorhands†. There was a path that seemed to be appearing in front of Depp. Salisbury (2008) stated that after their first work together, i.e. Burtons Edward Scissorhands (1990), both of them have taken their relation to produce some of the best work of their respective careers. Johnny Depp is not only lead by Burton but by his own interpretation of a character, whether it is razor-fingered Edward Scissorhands, cross-dressing film director Ed Wood or creepy confectionery king Willy Wonka. Theyve since made five films together including Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; the animated Corpse Bride, Depp doing the voice over for lead character) and, most recently, Sweeney Todd. According to Cortez (2004), Depp again worked with Tim Burton in Ed Wood (1994) proving his flair and winning a. This movie is one of the Burtons highly praised films. In the movie, other than Johnny Depp, there were some vibrant performers including Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Both of them, Depp and Burton, once again collaborated in 1999 in Sleepy Hollow. The film was a hit at box office; it was recognised as Burtons extra-ordinary work rather than being seen as Depps star power, as stated by Cortez (2004). For the movie, Depp incorporated some of his own attributes into the character of an officer, named Ichabod Crane having a prudish nature, who is on to solve some mysterious murders taken place recently in and around the town. Depp was able to gain reputation with other directors and the critics also showed some confidence in his abilities. Depps career was at peak with an Oscar to his name for the film Finding Neverland, a Pirates sequel was on line and Tim Burtons eagerly awaited Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was about to be released. As stated by Terry Gilliam after completing Fear and Loathing, â€Å"As far as Im concerned, Johnny Depp is the best actor of his generation. I think hes capable of anything theres no limit to his abilities He doesnt cheat by giving you all these cheap emotions. He wont make you comfortable for him that would be a foot in the grave. â€Å"In reply to this Depp said that he decided to have patience in selecting the roles. He also said that he preferred roles of his interest and not the roles with chance of his career advancement. He also added that he never wanted to be remembered because he was a star. Depp turned down every offer, with full confidence, which did not attract him or was not interesting. Mostly, he rejected the offers because they were in his way of acting in Burtons film. He rejected the offer of acting in Speed and Interview with the Vampire and instead he acted in Tim Burtons best film Ed Wood (1994). Since their first movie together Edward Scissorhands, Burton and Depp shared a strong bond between each other and both individuals are so perfectly similar that Depp became Burtons first and convenient choice for his every movie. According to Winter (2005), Burton once stated, â€Å"Johnny is like a character actor in a leading mans body. He could do it all.† No one had any idea of the consequences of their imaginative collaboration. They both had already made seven blockbusters and their partnership has not ended yet. The classy understanding they both have developed with each other at work, over the years, is one of the important trait of their teamwork at work. They do not face difficulties in explaining anything to each other. They would be speaking normal language, though shorter sentences, on the sets with everyone present but no one would be able to understand it but the person who it is intended for. A Little saying, a gesture and certain look of the director will get look out of the actor that will be termed as â€Å"just what the doctor ordered†. In order to make a grasp of Burtons and Depps style of collaborating, we need to have an insight of their methodology or simply their way of working while developing â€Å"things†. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp worked together in Sweeney Todd (2007) paying a respect, both visually and verbally, to the horror movies they watched in their childhood. Salisbury (2008) stated that both of them have a common favourite movie named Mad Love (1935), with actor Peter Lorre and sharing an expensive acting style like Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney. Depp said, â€Å"Its almost a lost art! [John] Barrymore was a master, but the king for me was Lon Chaney. You go back and watch films like The Penalty and see this rage and sadness, this huge range of emotions, without the luxury of dialogue.† According to Salisbury (2008), Sweeneys lines were cut down every day on set to bare minimum. Burton told, â€Å"Johnny can, just by looking and not saying anything, project pain and sadness and anger and longing. Thats what all those actors could do without a word and that was the exciting thing about this. The storys told through the eyes and the singing. â€Å"As in Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, Depp played a similar role in Sweeney Todd helping Burton to connect emotionally and psychologically. Depp recalled, â€Å"There were moments when Burton used to say that this is his favourite character.† Johnny also expresses about their bond and the expectations, â€Å"By now people know that when Tim and I get together, they should expect the unexpected. Audiences are again getting to set for yet another beautiful artistic version of Burtons Alice in the wonderland,(rel,Mar,2010) in which by the look of it, we get to see his stars, including Depp again, dazzle in a startlin g look. Film journalist, Geoff Boucher, mentions in Los Angeles Times about his recent telephonic-conversation with Tim Burton on the sets of Alice in Wonderland, â€Å"I told Burton that it seems as if Depp (who has other upcoming roles as an Old West hero, a pirate and a vampire) approaches his acting choices the same way a gleeful kid rummages through a trunk of dress-up clothes; the filmmaker let out a loud laugh†. According to Boucher (2008), Burton replied, â€Å"Its true. Yeah we have a big dress-up clothes trunk here. We take it with us wherever we go.† After all these years and a good load of successful experiences, it is no surprise that Johnny has become a ‘yes man to his Burton. He is never short of words each time when he has to talk about his mentor and which he has memorably expresses on several occasions. As stated by Salisbury (1995, xii) that in Johnny Depps own words, â€Å"You cant label what he does. It is not magic, because that would imply some sort of trickery. It is not just skill, because that seems like it is learned. What he has is very special gift that we dont see every day. It is not enough to call him film-maker. The rare title of ‘genius is better fit, in not just films, but drawings, photographs, thought, insight and ideas.† At another place, stated by Salisbury (1995), the most humble and defining remark comes from the actor himself, â€Å"My life is my life because of Tim,† he once declared. Same is the case in their private lives. In order to analyse the inseparable nature of both the individual professionally, we cannot ignore the importance of their bonding on personal fronts. The once an essential relationship of an actor and director turned-friendship has now turned to something that is much more than mere friendship that holds a unique bond of trust and has personal life touch to it. Depp is now the Godfather to Burtons four year old child. Flipping through the pages of memories, he remembers that â€Å"who would have ever thought it possible that their progeny would be swinging on swing-sets together, or sharing toy cars, toy monsters, and even potentially exchanging chicken pox? This is the ride he never imagined.† Salisbury (1995) stated that Depp showed his emotional side for the director, â€Å"seeing Tim as proud papa is enough to send me into an irrepressible weeping jag, because, as with almost everything, it is in the eyes. Tims eyes have always shone: no question about it, there was always something luminous in those troubled/sad/weary peepers. But today, the eyes of old pal Tim are laser beam! Piercing, smiling contented eyes, with all of the gravity of yester years, but bright with the hope of spectacular future. This was not the case before. There was a man with presumably everything- or so it seemed from the outside. But there was also something incomplete!† There have been numerous arguments on both Burtons and Depps creative partnership on many levels; from newspapers to interviews or from books to online blogs. Some of the members of the public, especially the younger generation consider the â€Å"magical† film relation of both the artists a bit overrated or in some cases, annoying. But this opinion obviously takes its birth from freedom of expression of modern day and need not to be taken very seriously as there is a substantial amount of followers who can never have enough of the results both Burton and Depp churn out. In this context, obviously the critics and the writers have more weighting and almost all of them are the applauding lot of their work. There are some exceptions as well like, although he is all praise for the talented duo, but in one article for Radio Times the known film writer Andrew Collins expresses that he was relieved when Alice inWonderland (to be released, march 2010) was announced that he realised tha t Depp couldnt take the title role. â€Å"But guess what? Hes playing the Mad Hatter. And after that, Burton plans to make Dark Shadows, a vampire story†¦starring Johnny Depp.† Commenting on his article were many, but one particular member of the public responded to it like this: â€Å"This article is like saying that people should stop putting maple syrup on pancakes because people do it too often. Just because they work together often does not mean the work that they accomplish together gets any worse. The pancakes still taste good. The movies are still entertaining. They make amazing movies together so why should they stop?† By exploring the â€Å"strategic† partnership of both the talented ones on most of the projects I would frankly say Why Not? I do not feel hesitant to express that it is no doubt a God-send bonding which has never failed to amuse and amaze us and I am of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with it if they carry on to make more cinematic pieces together in future. While doing that the least they can do, like they always do, is to strive for their repute and continue to bemuse the audiences by weaving more dreams. But still, being somewhat well researched in my own manner and by equally respecting the different argument I cannot turn my back to an interesting and important comment at a film blog by an unknown blogger and I will sum up my essay with that, â€Å"Just the fact that he used Ewan McGregor instead of Depp for Big Fish was refreshing and a big plus for the movie to me. Its like a painter deciding hes only going to use red and yellow for the rest of his career, whe n Id really like to see what he can do with some other colours.† Bibliography  · Answers (2010). â€Å"Tim Burton.† Available at http://www.answers.com/topic/tim-burton [Accessed: 2nd April 2010];  · Boucher, G. (2008). ‘Hero Complex; Tim Burton on Johnny Depp. Los Angeles Times;  · Collins, Andrew. â€Å"Tim Burton Johnny Depp: Joined at the hip?†Radio Times, 30th January 2009. http://www.radiotimes.com/blogs/558-andrew-collins-on-tim-burton-johnny-depp/ [Accessed: 2nd April 2010];  · Los Angeles Times (2010). â€Å"Hero Complex.† Available at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/10/tim-burton-talk.html [Accessed: 2nd April 2010];  · Fraga, Kristian. â€Å"Tim Burton Interview. Mississippi, USA: University Press. 2005;  · Salisbury, Mark. â€Å"Burton Depp: Partners in crime.† The Envelope (Los Angeles Times), January 2nd 2008. http://www.deppimpact.com/mags/transcripts/envelope_02jan08.html [Accessed: 1st April 2010];  · Salisbury, Mark. â€Å"Burton on Burton†. United Kingdom: Mackays of Charham. 1995;  · SquiWho (2010). â€Å"Who is Johnny Depp?† Available at http://www.squidoo.com/Johnny_Depp13 [Accessed: 2nd April 2010];  · Tim Burton Collective News (2010). â€Å"Alice #1 at Box Office: $116 Mil. Opening Weekend.† Available at http://www.timburtoncollective.com/labels/charlie%20and%20the%20chocolate%20factory.html [Accessed: 3rd April 2010];  · Winter, Jessica. â€Å"Depp and Meaningful.† Time Out (UK), April 6-13 2005. http://www.deppimpact.com/mags/transcripts/timeout_06apr05.html [Accessed: 1st April 2010]; http://www.timburtoncollective.com/labels/charlie%20and%20the%20chocolate%20factory.html

The Midlife Crises in Death of a Salesman, Alfred J. Prufrock, and Amer

The Midlife Crises in Death of a Salesman, Alfred J. Prufrock, and American Beauty      Ã‚  Ã‚   Disillusioned and disenchanted, both Arthur Miller's Willy Loman and American Beauty's Lester Burnham share sexual frustrations and a dissatisfied longing for their respective pasts, but Willy, like T.S. Eliot's equivocating Prufrock, is unable to move beyond the failures inherent in his mediocrity and instead retreats into his delusions.    On the surface, Willy and Lester have all the elements of settled, prosaic lives shaped from the pattern of the "American Dream": large homes in middle- or upper-class neighborhoods, successful children, loving wives. But under this facade, both share a need that has devastated men and engendered distrust in their families for generations: the extra-marital affair.    Willy's affair with The Woman is a crucial turning point in his relationship with Biff, his oldest son. When Biff catches Willy and his mistress, Willy first attempts to distract his son and then be rid of him. However, his attempted cover-up fails and forever shatters the idolatrous relationship between father and son. Willy: She's nothing to me Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely. Biff: You... you gave her Mama's stockings! Willy: I gave you an order!... Biff: You fake! You phony little fake! You fake! (Miller 1850)    Biff's discovery of his father's indiscretions shatter the Loman family's fragile facade of middle-class happiness. Although Willy is genuinely remorseful for his conduct, neither his repeated refrains of "stop crying, I gave you an order!" (1850) nor his apologies can mend the rift between him and Biff. Yet even as Biff loses his football scholarship and wanders, not unlike hi... ...the passive salesman and the aggressive quitter. Where Willy Loman quickly makes society's ideals his own and then falls victim to his own dissatisfaction, Lester achieves happiness because he rejects the standards that society sets for a middle-aged man.    Works Cited American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Writ. Alan Ball. With Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. Dreamworks SKG, 1999. Eliot, T.S.. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1996. 2459-2463. Miller, Arthur.   Death of a Salesman.   New York: Viking, 1965. Millar, Jeff. "The Rise and Fall of Everyman: `American Beauty' Proves Potent Family Portrayal." Houston Chronicle 24 Sept. 1999, Star ed.: 1. Academic Universe. LEXISNEXIS. Madden Lib., Fresno, CA. 13 Apr. 2000   <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/>.   

Plain English Communication :: Free Essay Writer

Plain English Communication INTRODUCTION After researching Communication, I have developed the following conclusions, which I will explain in this memo. I will attempt to answer several questions that pertain to communication and the importance. I developed my conclusions from researching provided handouts and the Internet. HOW IMPORTANT IS COMMUNICATION? In every society, humans have developed spoken and written language as a means of sharing messages and meanings. Readers need to know what is being said not how it is being said (1). Plain English is defined as something that the intended audience can read, understand and act upon the first time they read it (4). Plain English is needed in all kinds of public information, such as forms, leaflets, agreements, and contracts. The golden rule is that plain English should be used in any information that ordinary people rely on when they make decisions (4). People have the right and the need to make informed decisions about money and the law. If the way a document is written affects that decision then that creates moral issues. WHAT ROLE DOES WRITTEN COMMUNICATION PLAY IN BUSINESS? Businesses are successful when they communicate well with their customers. There are several benefits to businesses who practice Plain English. The benefits to businesses are saving time and money with: Less paper Reduces error Less ink Increases cash flow Less printing costs Decreases storage cost Less postage Environmentally friendly Increase Sales Fewer customers complaints WHAT ISSUES OF WRITTEN COMMUNCATION MUST THE MANAGEMENT OF A BUSINESS BE AWARE? WHY? The legal, medical, pharmaceutical, and finance industries cause the most concern. Management in these industries need to remove the jargon, legal language, and technical terms from documents written for people who are not familiar with these terms. Management should use Plain English because it saves the writer and the reader time and it saves money. Also, Plain English creates a good image for an organization Plain English Communication :: Free Essay Writer Plain English Communication INTRODUCTION After researching Communication, I have developed the following conclusions, which I will explain in this memo. I will attempt to answer several questions that pertain to communication and the importance. I developed my conclusions from researching provided handouts and the Internet. HOW IMPORTANT IS COMMUNICATION? In every society, humans have developed spoken and written language as a means of sharing messages and meanings. Readers need to know what is being said not how it is being said (1). Plain English is defined as something that the intended audience can read, understand and act upon the first time they read it (4). Plain English is needed in all kinds of public information, such as forms, leaflets, agreements, and contracts. The golden rule is that plain English should be used in any information that ordinary people rely on when they make decisions (4). People have the right and the need to make informed decisions about money and the law. If the way a document is written affects that decision then that creates moral issues. WHAT ROLE DOES WRITTEN COMMUNICATION PLAY IN BUSINESS? Businesses are successful when they communicate well with their customers. There are several benefits to businesses who practice Plain English. The benefits to businesses are saving time and money with: Less paper Reduces error Less ink Increases cash flow Less printing costs Decreases storage cost Less postage Environmentally friendly Increase Sales Fewer customers complaints WHAT ISSUES OF WRITTEN COMMUNCATION MUST THE MANAGEMENT OF A BUSINESS BE AWARE? WHY? The legal, medical, pharmaceutical, and finance industries cause the most concern. Management in these industries need to remove the jargon, legal language, and technical terms from documents written for people who are not familiar with these terms. Management should use Plain English because it saves the writer and the reader time and it saves money. Also, Plain English creates a good image for an organization

Modern Business Environment Essay

To what extent is the ‘soft’ HRM model achievable and desirable for organisations in the modern business environment? The modern business environment For the past few hundred years the business environment has been mostly based upon turning man hours and materials into hard products (produce). What we are seeing now is a shift away from this production by mass labour, to a system whereby goods are produced by machine and the services needed to facilitate this are produced by man. Taking the UK economy as an example, the latest economic forecast by the TUC (Fig 2) shows a steady decline of manufacturing in favour of service sector jobs. This reinforces the view that the emphasis is shifting from producing goods to providing services. â€Å"The only advantage many companies have are the competencies and abilities of their people† (Dewe 2002). With firms using the same machines competitive advantage (or disadvantage) is created by the knowledge and skills of the employees. Tom Watson Jr, former President of IBM recognised the shift: â€Å"all the value of this company is in its people. If you burnt down all of our plants & we just kept our people & information files, we would soon be as strong as ever. Take away our people & we might never recover† (People Management 1998:34). Knowledge therefore is power, we are moving from a physical economy to one A UK government report (Competitiveness White Paper 1999) sees this new environment as requiring â€Å"†¦greater receptiveness to know-how and the ability to see its commercial potential; eagerness to keep on learning at all levels in a business; and a flair in spotting new customer needs and fresh business opportunities.† This suggests that the modern business environment is a place where knowledge is key. In his speech to the Business Link annual conference, Peter Mandelson MP Secretary of State for Trade & Industry saw the knowledge economy as â€Å"transforming old jobs as much as creating new, with implications for manufacturing and service industries alike.† This leads us to the idea that the modern business environment is a place where investment is required in human capital to produce this knowledge economy. In the modern business environment, with the emphasis on value of human capital, security can no longer depend on a job or organisation but upon the employees own skill and competences (Van Ruysseveldt 1995:3-4). Organisations may not be able to guarantee long term employment, but to entice workers of quality they must look to other means. Hard & Soft HRM HRM can be divided into two approaches: ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ (Fig.3). As we see from the diagram ‘hard’ HRM is primarily financially driven, with a fairly hard view of controlling the wages bill, workers are seen as a cost rather than as an asset to the organisation, the emphasis is on getting the best return on their money, creating efficiencies. The company position will take precedent over the collective views and concerns of employees. Such a way of managing human resources was demonstrated by ‘Fordism’ where the workers on the assembly line were under tight controls and even had to divulge personal information to be able to work for Ford (White Heat 1994). The work of Taylor (Taylorism) and the principles of scientific management were used in the late 19th century to allow factories to be managed through scientific methods rather than by â€Å"rule of thumb.† This idea also treated the workers as just another cog in the wheel of production and worked out the best way that the worker could operate. The modern business environment has changed greatly since the days where all workers were seen as tools to be maintained, much like machines, with regulations and tight controls. This was the hard school of HRM where peripheral workers are disposable and labour is directly productive (Beardwell & Holden 2001:98). This model can also be viewed as ‘managing headcount in a rational a way as for any other economic factor’ (Storey 1987:6). The workforce was merely a factor of production or cogs in the wheel. This ‘hard’ HRM policy suits a workforce that is involved in a repetitive job; each process is standardised to allow tighter controls. The theory is that the firm should maximise human efficiency in the same way as any other resource. This was made a success by businessmen like Henry Ford in the days of mass industrialisation. However, with the advent of high technology machinery much of the repetitive work is now done by robot leaving only jobs for skilled maintainers and operatives, not leaving much scope for hard HRM practices to survive. McDonaldisation has built upon the ideas of scientific management and the successes of men like Ford. Each part of the process of bringing the food to the customer has been scientifically scrutinised and adjusted to make it more efficient. As a result of this approach, they have a controlled workforce and a set of strict rules and procedures that ensure the workforce is working exactly as the employers wish them to. McDonalds have recognised that there is still a place for the unskilled worker, as machines cannot be relied upon to do all the jobs. In this instance there is still a place for the hard school of HRM. ‘Soft’HRM (fig 3) revolves around the development of employees. Employees are viewed as assets to the company, rather than as purely another cost of production. This requires the management to regard the workforce as partners in the work process and nurture them to maximise their output. Heery and Noon (2001) suggests soft HRM is an approach recognising the need to treat employees as assets that must be looked after. A soft HRM policy would therefore place the emphasis on training and development in order to get the best out of the workforce as opposed to tight controls (Beardwell & Holden 2001:98). Therefore, a policy of ‘soft’ HRM seeks to increase production by ‘communication, motivation and leadership’ (Storey 1987:6). Becker (1992 Nobel prize winner for economics) suggests that expenditures on education, training and medical care could all be considered as investments in human capital. â€Å"They are called human capital, because people cannot be separated from their knowledge, skills, health or values in the way they can be separated from their financial and physical assets† (Donkin 2002) If employees have an inherent capital value for their knowledge and skills, it would be reasonable to assume that an organisation can improve its competitive-edge through the excellence of its people (SHL group 2002). The work of Maslows goes some way to explaining the reasons why humans need this development and training. Maslow suggests that individuals have a hierarchy of needs (fig 1). Fig 1 outlines Maslows theory that human nature drives individuals to satisfy ‘instinctual’ needs. The theory suggests that once an individual has achieved one set of needs they are no longer motivated to seek this (as they already have it) and will continue to want more thus rising up the hierarchy. Maslow’s theory would seem to suggest that a firm must ensure that employee’s needs are continually met not only the safety and physiological aspects (the legal requirements of an employee’s contract) to increasing employee productivity. If a firm has to continue to meet ever increasing needs to motivate staff then this theory would be a good explanation of why firms use ‘soft’ HRM. Types of ‘soft’ initiatives * Flexible working, working from home or allowing workers the choice of hours outside a core time of 10:00-15:00 for example. * Job Sharing, by allowing employees to become multi skilled (training) they can operate in a variety of roles thus making their job appear more interesting but also allowing a backup if an employee were to be off work at any time. * Parental leave, with the increased pressures on family life many firms now offer special breaks for staff with children, from allowing days off for hospital appointments to paid paternity leave. * Performance related pay; this could be seen as a hard or soft perspective dependant upon viewpoint. If a system of bonuses exists for good work this would be a soft measure. If (‘tele’ sales) you only get paid if you hit certain targets, this would be a hard measure. The primary argument in favour of PRP is that it acts as a motivator, through both providing incentives in the form of monetary rewards and by recognising achievements. Further benefits cited include the fact that individuals can identify closely with their employers’ goals and that this can increase productivity and encourage quality, flexibility and teamwork (Armstrong and Murlis, 1991). As we can see from the above examples ‘soft’ HRM is much more difficult to quantify than hard HRM. It is more an overall approach to staff welfare and development than a clear set of rules and procedures. What makes it so difficult to quantify is that two firms may claim to be operating the above ‘soft’ HRM policies but in practise they maybe very different systems. For example, the concept of flexible working can be interpreted as allowing employees freedom to choose to work from home or the office, or the firm may use the system of core hours (as above). These are two very different systems but both however come under the heading of flexible working. To decide which method a particular firm is using will require a broad look at the pay and conditions and the freedom employees enjoy. It is also useful to note that it is seldom a case of an employer operating one form of HRM, it is necessary for firms to allow their workers some freedom but at the same time retain control. A good example of this is Microsoft; they operate a seemingly soft policy on HRM with a whole range of employee benefits and training programmes (24hr nurse line, free entry to local events and professional development programmes). However, to retain the knowledge and skills that they develop the firm insists that if an employee is to leave the company they must not work in the computer industry for a period of 6 months. This shows that the organisation is willing to invest time and money to maintain a highly trained workforce but at the same time keeps a tight control on them. Why is ‘Soft’ HRM Desirable? To examine the reasons why a firm should adopt policies of soft HRM we must look at the dangers of not doing this. A recent CIPD survey (CIPD 10/2001) has outlined the costs of organisations for not retaining and motivating staff. The survey has shown that one in four employees left their organisation in 1999 (the highest figure since the survey was created in 1995). What was even more alarming was the cost of replacing these lost staff. The average price for replacing a management level employee was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6086 which was an increase of 28 percent on 1999 the highest cost was to replace a professional services employee which was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8316. The danger for organisations is how this turnover effects company performance, two thirds of organisations believe this to have a negative effect with 13 percent claiming that it has a serious negative effect. The CIPDs findings suggest that staff feel freer to leave an organisation when they know they can acquire employment elsewhere. In a labour market of low unemployment it seems that firms must make themselves more attractive to their employees. RebusHR, a firm that deals with outsourced HR issues for a range of companies sees soft HRM as â€Å"a good way of retaining and attracting the best staff†¦giving people choice and a feel-good factor†¦it shows that you’re interested in them and listen to what they say†(Shepherd K 2002). In the article entitled â€Å"Profitable personnel† (People management 1998:28-31) West and Patterson suggest that good employee relations are directly inked to increased performance. In their survey the ‘Sheffield effectiveness programme’ they found that people management ‘†¦is not only critical to business performance: it also far outstrips emphasis on quality, technology, competitive strategy or research and development in its influence on the bottom line.’ The survey looked at a firm called Zotefoams, which operated an ‘enlightened’ HRM policy. Workers on the shop floor operated in teams and were multi-skilled; they also had a certain level of responsibility for dealing with work priorities and quality problems. The aim was to create a multi-skilled and motivated workforce with more responsibility at the lower levels freeing up management for other tasks. With the management freed up for other duties this allowed the firm to be that much more flexible. Out of the 100 firms surveyed, Zotefoams enjoyed the highest profits and productivity over the seven-year period of the survey. In the final paragraph of the article, West and Patterson sum up their conclusions ‘†¦ those in which the managers have eagerly addressed these challenges [developing skills and ownership] that have experienced rapid improvements in financial performance.’ The findings in the ‘Sheffield effectiveness programme’ are backed up by a study by the Sunday Times (100 Best Companies to Work for 2002) in which 21,000 people were studied over a period of months from the bottom end of the corporate ladder. In an article within this publication, Milton Moskowitz and Robert Levering suggest that ‘Being a generous employer is not just good public relations – it’s also good for business, especially when times are hard.’ This viewpoint makes sense if we take into consideration the negative effect of labour turnover on a company’s performance and the high cost of recruitment. Entering into ‘soft’ practices in human resource management should save the organisation in the long term. The Human Capital Index, developed by the consultancy Watson Wyatt (Overell 2002) is based upon data of HR policies and practices gathered from 600 companies. This data is correlated against financial information. The firm believes it has identified how HR policies are effective predictors of value – and which policies bring most value to the organisation. Organisations with â€Å"the best† HR practices deliver twice as much value to shareholders as their average competitors (Overell 2002). Is soft HRM achievable? According to RebusHR (a large human resources organisation which handles HRM issues for clients such as DaimlerChryslerUK) the biggest barrier to the concept of soft HRM practices is the administrative burden of co-ordinating the information (Shepherd K 2002). This stems from the problem that ‘soft’ HRM is intangible, whilst it is possible to relate high staff turnover to lack of ‘enlightened’ HRM policies, it is not possible to directly quantify the benefits derived from the existence of ‘soft’ policies. This leads organisations to see the cost and extra burden placed upon the HR department with an introduction of a soft HR policy, but it is difficult for this to be weighed up against the benefits on paper. In the IPD survey â€Å"Benefiting from a balanced life† (July/Aug 1999) of the firms questioned many were operating soft policies with 75% offering paternity leave and 57% offering parents special dispensation for time off to look after their children. Popular also were job sharing schemes (57%) and flexi-time systems (47%). From this survey we can see evidence that firms are operating soft HRM policies, what is unclear from the research is to what extent these policies affect the bottom line. The impact of soft HRM is intangible which means it leads us to the problem of quantifying any real benefits. The whole concept of soft HRM appears to be to retain and motivate staff, in the TUC economic forecast we see a high level of employee turnover in the services sector (hotels, restaurants) show the highest levels of employee turnover, but is this as a result of hard HRM practises? true turnover costs are more complex than simply figuring out the average cost of replacement. The costs of losing a good performer are greater than the costs of losing an average performer. The true cost of losing a key seasoned player is hard to estimate. There is the investment in development of the employee, the value of the knowledge and experience gained, and the lost productivity that also have to be considered to arrive at a true cost figure. In the case of McDonalds we see a split between management staff and shop floor workers. Whilst the management have many flexible benefits (PRP, bonus, life/health insurance etc) the workers on the shop floor do not (McDonalds 2002). They are regarded as cogs in the wheel and are treated fairly but firmly as in the hard school of HRM. As a consequence of this, shop floor turnover is higher than that of the management. However, is this higher turnover a result of the HRM policy? Or is it a nature of the type of work? What I would suggest is that the sort of work involved with working on the shop floor of McDonalds is not conducive to a long career in that position. The result of this would be the high staff turnover for low skilled repetitive jobs. The dilemma facing HRM managers is that they need low skilled workers to provide the services such as discussed and to operate soft HRM policies such as training would move these workers away from where they were needed. We therefore cannot have it both ways there must be a balance between employee development and retaining quality people for their positions. If soft HRM seeks to address the retention and motivation of staff we must not lose sight of the fact that we do still need low skilled workers. Soft HRM assumes the existence of a knowledge society (Livingston 2001), the emphasis is on the human resources manager the harness the knowledge. Knowledge work is typically considered to be about variety and exception rather than routine. It is generally considered to be performed by professional workers with high levels of skill and expertise. Livingstone makes the point that the potential for waste of this knowledge through bad management is ‘immense and gut wrenching.’ This claim is given substance by Thompson. In his research only 14 percent of employees received any training at all and that almost half of that lasted for less than a week (figures referring to the UK 2001). For HRM to work effectively we must reorganize work to firstly make the most of existing knowledge and human capital but also to develop this human capital to maximise future performance. In this modern business environment knowledge takes the leading place from other drivers of economic change such as labour, technology and markets. The dilemma we face with soft HRM is that (as explained above in the McDonalds example) a lot of routine work is done by workers with minimal training and knowledge and only small numbers of highly skilled employees are required. Thompson pointed out that if employment growth is not dominated by knowledge work it’s going to be dominated by something else. There are strong and clear indications that it is dominated by low skill, routine work largely in the service sector. We can’t make every job high skill, high wage, and high learning because there are jobs that neither the employee nor employer can grow. One of the reasons they can’t be grown is because, in our other guise as consumers, a lot of us want the cheapest possible flights, goods, services and so on. We can’t have it both ways. If we want cheap, controllable, efficient service, we’re not going to create a lot of high wage, high skill, high learning jobs. There are many dilemmas associated with the ideas of hard and soft HRM. We must realise that we cannot expand the knowledge and skills of all members of society infinitely. There will always be a place for the unskilled worker and as such there must be a place for hard HRM. However, in todays changing environment soft measures must come to the fore. The notion of ‘the velvet glove concealing the iron fist of hard HRM’ (Beardwell & Holden 2001:93) shows that even soft measures are still measures of control. No matter how soft a companies HRM policies appear to be, they will still be designed for the benefit of the organisation rather than of the individual. The bottom line must always come first. Figures and tables Fig 1 Fig 2 : TUC (2002) Fig 3: Cornelius et al 2002    Bibliography ACAS, found at http://www.acas.org.uk/ [accessed 10/11/02] Armstrong, M and H Murlis, 1991 & 1994. Reward Management – A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice Second & Third edition. London: Kogan Page ltd. Beardwell & Holden, Human Resource Management, A contemporary Perspective, 2nd Edition, 1997 Beardwell & Holden, Human Resource Management, A contemporary Perspective, 3rd Edition, 2001 Becker, G, cited in Donkin R, 30/10/2002 – Employees as investors – FT 30/10/02 Bexhill College, http://intranet.bexhillcolledge.ac.uk [Accessed 18/10/02] CIPD, Labour turnover survey, October 2001 found at: http://www.cipd.co.uk [accessed 30/10/02] Cornelius N, Gagnon S, Found at: http://www.thomsonlearning.co.uk/businessandmanagement/ cornelius2/intro.pdf [Accessed 13/11/02] Derek Duffy, TMS Institute, http://www.tms.com.au/forum/dcforumid5/59.html#1 [Accessed 18/10/02] Dewe, P, cited in Overell, S, 30/10/2002 – The metric system for performance – FT 30/10/02 Heery, E. and Noon, M. (2001) A Dictionary of Human Resource Management, Oxford University Press IPD, Benefiting from a balanced life, July/Aug 1999http://www.cipd.co.uk [accessed 30/10/02] Livingston, D. (1999). The Education-jobs gap: Underemployment and economic democracy. Toronto, ON: Garamond Press. Livingston, D. (2001). Worker control as the missing link: Relations between paid/unpaid work and work-related learning. In Second International Conference on Researching Work and Learning Conference Proceedings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Faculty of Continuing Education. Mandelson P, Business Link annual conference – 7 October 1999. Microsoft Website, http://www.microsoft.com [Accessed 19/10/02] Overell, S, 30/10/2002 – The metric system for performance – FT 30/10/02 People Management, 8 January 1998 Peoplesoft, Available from Financial Times 31/10/02 Sennett, R. (1998). The corrosion of character: The personal consequences of work in the new capitalism. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Shepherd, K, cited in Murray S, 30/10/2002 – Marrying Performance with Reward – FT 30/10/02 SHL group, Available from: http://www.shlgroup.com/cases/philips.htm [Accessed 31/10/02] Storey J, 1987, Developments in the mangenment of human resources: an interim report, Warwick papers in industrial relations, Vol 17 Storey J, 1989, New perspectives on Human Resource Management Sunday Times, 100 Best Companies to Work for 2002, 24th March 2002. Thompson, 2002, Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/cted/confer2001/pres_summary.html [Accessed 31/10/02] TUC Economic Forecast, 2002, http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-4028-f0.cfm UK Government White Paper , Competitiveness White Paper, Our Competitive Future; building the knowledge driven economy 1999 Van Ruysseveldt et al, 1995, Comparative Industrial and Employment Relations Watson T, cited in Mayo A, 1998 – Memory Bankers – People Management 22(1) 34-38 Welton MR, 2002, Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/cted/confer2001/pres_summary.html [Accessed 31/10/02] White Heat 5, Video recording, Beat of the System, London BBC, 1994

Religious Education S.B.A. Essay

What is Diwali? The name Diwali is a contraction of â€Å"Deepavali†; this is also means The Festival of Lights or Row of Lamps. This is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism and marks the attainment of moksha .Diwali falls on one new moon right between Mid-October and Mid-November, it is celebrated for five (5) days according to the Hindu calendar. This is believed that the time of transition from darkness to light-the light that empowers them to commit themselves to good deeds which brings them closer to divinity. Why is the festival celebrated? This festival is to show how good a triumph over evil and it marks the end of harvest season in most of India. This is also a time for new endeavors, and many people clean their homes and open their windows and doors cause it gives them luck and good fortune during Diwali. This is also has legend within its origin, Prince Rama wife was kidnapped by a ten-headed demon and with the help of Hanuman (Monkey god), Prince Rama rescues his wife and on their way home the people of the village light rows of lamps which guided Rama and Sita back from the forest of Ayodhya. Diwali Celebrates the return of Rama and Sita, Rama was Crowned King. Describe the rituals that take place in Diwali? It is traditional to do a spring house cleaning to welcome the Goddesses Lakshmi into their home. In the evenings many Hindus hold prayer in their homes (puja), people decorate their homes with diyas surrounding the house, and the lights are left burning all night so that when Lakshmi may feel welcomed when entered. Firecrackers are burst in order to drive away the evil spirits, during Diwali the occupants wear new clothes and share sweets and other snacks among family, friends and the adoring public. They also draw patterns on the floor with a mixture of rice, flour and water and this is called Rangoli. Also whosoever gambled on this day would prosper throughout the ensuring year. They also exchange a certain greeting to each other â€Å"Shubh Deepavali† which is a traditional greeting which means â€Å"have an auspicious Diwali†. Identify the God or Goddesses associated in Diwali? Diwali is held in honor of the goddesses Lakshmi, she is the goddesses of wealth and prosperity. They pray to her to give them luck in the following year and they honor lord Ganesh the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom that brings them good fortune throughout the year.

Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus Essay

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Modern Prometheus (1831) is considered as one of the oldest yet significantly popularized literature that symbolizes the tandem of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. The horrendous creation, Frankenstein –the Modern Prometheus, is used to symbolize Mary Shelley’s time period wherein men are continuously advancing the level of possible knowledge present in their society. From the scientist Victor Frankenstein to the monster named as the Creature, Shelley creates an innovative argument that illustrates the trends of the progressive industrialization in European countries. Shelley’s Frankenstein involves with the societal dilemma of men’s overreaching efforts against the limitations of science and Mother Nature by initiating actions to dehumanize the conception of life. II. Brief Summary Shelley’s Frankenstein had give birth to physically deformed being with the sensations and needs similar to a human being. After abandoning his creation due to its horrendous look, Victor, the creature’s creator, heard the occurrence of death of his brother William. Frankenstein blamed the monster for his brother’s death, which further advanced to the death of his fiance – Elizabeth Lavenza. Victor tried to avenge the deaths of his beloved; however, he was not able succeed. By the end of the story, Victor felt very ill and eventually died. Walton found the monster after the death of Victor mourning the death of his creator. III. Judgment and Evaluation In Shelly’s version of Frankenstein, there were two essential literary implications that illustrate the purpose of the story: (1) the symbolism of men’s progressive scientific revolution and (1) concluding the outcomes of industrial revolution. IV. Support In the first argument, Shelley illustrates Vincent Frankenstein as the portrayal of men’s over-exceeding desire of power. Shelley utilized the role of Victor to illustrate the capacity of knowledge to violate the concept of life. Furthermore, Shelly even illustrated the possibilities of breaking the limitations of men over the godly and mortal realms. One of Shelley’s influential inspirations in the novel of Frankenstein was John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667) wherein the character of god was referred to role of â€Å"the victor†, which defined as â€Å"the triumphant one, the winner, the ruler. † Meanwhile, Frankenstein was patterned from Milton’s lonesome illustration of Victor; hence, he became subdued by the hopes of creating a companion through science. â€Å"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow (Shelley, 53). † In the second argument, Frankenstein also symbolized the social trends and the prevailing concepts of the European society during its scientific revolutionary age. Frankenstein illustrated the modern anxieties and fears about the possible outcomes of industrialization and science, and their impacts on ethics and morals of human. In the 18th century, readers considered Shelly’s Frankenstein as an allegorical illustration of ethical nature versus industrialization and scientific revolution.

Management Role in Ensuring Editorial Freedom

Responsibility, credibility and quality are key words for a large, serious media group. This applies in relation to the users of our media, customers, employees, shareholders and the societies in which we work. At the forefront, however, is the publishing responsibility: to safeguard editorial independence and freedom of speech in the media which we own. Free media are among the main contributors to strong, live democracies. A credible, strong media should defend important values such as religious freedom, tolerance, human rights and democratic principles. They must reflect a diversity of opinion. For this reason, they should also provide different ways of looking at issues and views on important questions in public debates. The management must facilitate editors in complying with the legislation and ethical regulations of the country where the operations take place. Editorial quality and credibility are the cornerstone of publishing activities and these, together with the individual medium’s articles of association, form the basis for the editors’ work. The editor-in-chief has full freedom and is personally and fully responsible for the content of the medium of which he or she is in charge. However, there are only few publications that allow their editors with total freedom. In reality, an independent press is a myth. Or at best, a glorified term. Most editors dare not write their honest comment/opinion. In other words, they are sometimes paid to keep their honest opinions out of the paper. And if they do defy the management, they would soon be out on the streets hunting for a new job. Most managements have vested interests – political, social and cultural in running the paper, which may not gel with the opinions held by the editors they employ. It is here that the editors have to either compromise with their editorial values or pay a price for standing up to them. In private, corporate media environments, editorial hiring and firing are the preserve of the owners. Media houses (read owners) have become highly profit-oriented organizations. So editorial values are always at stake Distortion of news and comment in such a scenario becomes the order of the day. Most owners hand-pick their editors so that the policy of the owner becomes the policy of the editor. Dissent is seldom allowed It is media owners who possess the greater weapon today – i. e. , one useful against incumbent politicians fearful of bad press, lack of access, and endorsement of opponents. This sorry, quid-pro-quo, relationship leads to media corruption, benefitting only the ruling, corporate, class. Managements giving complete editorial freedom is therefore rare. But any newspaper which enjoys more flexibility and freedom from their management, has the potential to make greater impact and live up to the reputation of a frank, fair and fearless media. Today's concentration of media ownership and editorial power brings into sharp focus not only the immense responsibility, but also the freedom and estate of editors – in particular those with huge audiences. Yet it is major-media owners, and their hand-picked editors, who decide what the vast majority see, hear, and read. Media owners and their editors have become the unelected, and unregulated, keepers of the public trust and molders of the public mind.

Civil Engineering- Retaining walls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Civil Engineering- Retaining walls - Essay Example This force translates into moment by multiplying it by the moment distance, M of each section (Craig 166). M is the distance from the ‘toe’ of the wall to the centre of gravity of each section. Centre of mass acts at â…” of distance from the apex to base or â…“ of distance from the base to apex, for triangular sections. Centre of mass acts at the centre of section, for rectangular sections. Summation of the individual sections’ resisting moments gives the overall resisting moment. The force, Pa, acts at a distance â…“ H since the effective pressure region is triangular. The resulting moment is Pa multiplied by â…“ H. the factor of safety Fsot is the ratio of moment due to resistance to the moment due to net active thrust. The sliding resistance is the ratio of (the reaction force of the wall multiplied by the coefficient of sliding, 0.44) to the driving force offered by the soil to the wall (Craig 189). The reaction of the wall is the summation of the wall’s section forces, in his case 23.3 k. In question 2, the angle Ï• is 26o, and c is still zero; therefore, the wall exerts a triangular pressure distribution region. Given both the active and passive pressure co-efficient, Ka and Kp respectively, calculate Pa and Pp. The passive pressure is due to the resistance of soil to lateral forces. Ka and consequently, Pa are calculated as in problem 1 while Kp = [(1+ sin Ï•)/ (1 - sin Ï•)]. Pp = Â ½KpÃŽ ³ H2– 2c (√Ka) (H) but this reduces to Pp = Â ½KaÃŽ ³ H2 since c is zero (Craig 166). The factor of safety, Fsot, as in problem one is the ratio of the summation of resistance moment by the wall to moments due to active thrust of the soil. The factor of safety due to sliding limit is the summation of wall section’s reaction force multiplied by sliding coefficient, 0.45 divided by the thrust force of the soil to the