Find this article and answer this questions Schwarz, K., Mion, P., &

Find this and answer this questions Schwarz, K., Mion, P., & Litman, G. ( 2007). Telemonitoring of heart failure patients and their caregivers - Article Example The depth of the study profoundly affects the researcher’s preference of research design. The Logical similarity has influenced the researchers’ choice of a research design by ensuring the contents of the research model make sense. The sensibility of the research content is analyzed through grave thinking in the study. The researchers consider the logical similarity of his work before selecting a study design. Theoretical clarity has influenced the researchers’ choice of a research design by describing the concepts applied in the study and relating the study’s statement to find out the connection amongst the concepts. The researcher uses theoretical clarity to determine the nature of his study. Level of idea has influenced the researchers’ choice of a research design by ensuring that the ideas are represented in a theoretical model. They have not restricted intensity of idea by time or space, and are not directly measurable. The researcher has considered the level of the idea to be used in electing the research design. Clinical utility has influenced the researchers’ choice of a research design by the relevancy of the research findings to the real world. The research considers the benefits of his study to the real world prior to selecting the research design. View point on cultural competence has influenced the researchers’ choice of a research design by knowing the field they are dealing in more than their customers. The researchers have considered cultural competence before choosing the research design to use in his study. The study can be classified under qualitative study, since it compares the telemonitoring structure to the quality of health measures it has on a patient with constant heart failure. Qualitative study focuses on superiority rather than the magnitude (McDonagh, 2011). The evidence proving that the journal is peer-reviewed is

Commercial Property Development in the Central Manhattan Area Essay

Commercial Property Development in the Central Manhattan Area - Essay Example This paper addresses the main drivers for commercial property development in central Manhattan area over the last 6 years. This adopts special reference to the fundamental economy of the USA, as well as the Times Square in Manhattan, which reflects the role of IBIDS in commercial property development. Commercial property in the USA suffered adverse effects from the global economic challenges. Indeed, the stalled economic recovery from the global recession destabilized the USA’s commercial real estate (CRE) recovery (O’Brien, B., Sheth, S., & Mahajan, S 2013, p.1). This has been because of economic stagnation in Europe, huge foreign debts, problems in the world labor force, global economic recession that started in 2012, correlation between USA and Eurozone economic growth, globalization, demeaning liquidity trap, lack of business innovation, and slow growth in emerging economies like China and India. Nevertheless, there are probable measures that reinforced the commerci al properties industry in the US especially in Manhattan. Question 1: Main drivers for commercial property development demand Demand and supply are important factors in all markets. In Manhattan, the demand for commercial property has steadily increased over the past few years. Therefore, new commercial property development in Manhattan has aimed to meet the demand in the market. According to O’Brien, Sheth, & Mahajan (2013), the use of social media, enhancing innovation, cloud computing, and adopting enterprise mobility in the commercial proper

Team Performance And Strategic Objectives

Team Performance And Strategic Objectives Team performance working involves the development of a number of interrelated processes that together make an impact on the performance of the firm through its people in such areas as productivity, quality, and levels of customer service, growth, profits, and ultimately the delivery of increased shareholder value. This is achieved by enhancing the skills and engaging the enthusiasm of employees. The starting point is leadership, vision and benchmarking to create a sense of momentum and direction. Team Performance Management is focused directly on the achievement of the teams key business objectives. It bridges the gap between the team building enablers and business performance results. It removes the reliance on faith the need to believe that team building works before investing in it and establishes a direct connection between collective behaviors and team performance. Team Performance Management is predicated on the following three principles: Team Behaviors are different to Individual Behaviors. Most competency frameworks include teamwork, but these usually refer to what an individual does within a team, not what a team does collectively together. E.g. whilst all the individuals in a team can behave in trustworthy ways, this does not guarantee that the team will build trust together this is also dependent on other factors such as the environment they work in, or the team processes they use for communicating, deciding, rewarding, etc.. The behaviors that make a team successful vary from team to team and from time to time. E.g. the profile of behaviors that makes a design team successful is different from the profile that makes a financial audit team successful. And if the design team is using a top-down approach, for optimal performance, it needs to change its behaviors once it gets beyond the outline design and starts work on the detailed implementation of the ideas. Team behaviors can be changed using a team performance management process. In essence, performance management involves establishing behavioral goals, measuring current behaviors to identify the gap between the current and desired behavior profile, and then planning, implementing and monitoring changes in order to close that gap. There are both similarities and significant differences between performance management processes for individuals and teams. The key difference between traditional team building and team performance management is that the former engages in activities in the belief that they will indirectly lead to improvements in team performance (sometimes they do, sometimes they dont). Team Performance Management, however, identifies the team behaviors that will lead directly to business success, and then uses a process to change the behaviors accordingly. Evaluate tools and techniques available to set team performance targets Most performance measures can be grouped into one of the following six general categories. However, certain organizations may develop their own categories as appropriate depending on the organizations mission: Effectiveness: A process characteristic indicating the degree to which the process output (work product) conforms to requirements.(Are we doing the right things?) Efficiency: A process characteristic indicating the degree to which the process produces the required output at minimum resource cost. (Are we doing things right?) Quality: The degree to which a product or service meets customer requirements and expectations. Timeliness: Measures whether a unit of work was done correctly and on time. Criteria must be established to define what constitutes timeliness for a given unit of work. The criterion is usually based on customer requirements. Productivity: The value added by the process divided by the value of the labor and capital consumed. Safety: Measures the overall health of the organization and the working environment of its employees. The following reflect the attributes of an ideal unit of measure:  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Reflects the customers needs as well as our own  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Provides an agreed upon basis for decision making  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is understandable  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Applies broadly  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  May be interpreted uniformly  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is compatible with existing sensors (a way to measure it exists)  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is precise in interpreting the results  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is economical to apply Performance data must support the mission assignment(s) from the highest organizational level downward to the performance level. Therefore, the measurements that are used must reflect the assigned work at that level. Within a system, units of measure should interconnect to form a pyramid. Technological units start at the base. These are measures of individual units of products and of individual elements of service. 1.2.1. Performance Evaluations: Performance evaluation is a very important activity which will be initiated to evaluate and appraise the performance of every employee in the organization. This process can be done twice a year and few companies do the same process for every quarter. Majorly, employee performance can be evaluated based on 5 categories; those are Productivity, quality, communication skills, interpersonal skills, professional behavior initiative. Promotions and performance rewards for an employee is decided based on this criteria only. Productivity is nothing but the quantity of work items or assigned work performed by an employee. On a daily base employee should be given a target or set of work and that should be completed by the end of the day. If employee couldnt achieve the target in a particular day, can compensate the balance work in subsequent working days. Quality means the accuracy levels of work which an employee has performed. This processed data will be randomly reviewed or audited by senior associates in the company. If all the work items which were reviewed are perfect and accurate then, the employee quality of work is 100 %, in case any error found, quality decreases. Hence need to maintain consistency in quality. Communication skills also play an important role in performance appraisals. It includes written and oral communication skills. If employee cannot communicate in a proper way, he or she cannot elevate themselves in work and share their views, suggestions in terms of development and growth of the process. Hence always concentrate on improving communication skills. Interpersonal skills professional behavior are nothing but your way of approach and behavior with fellow team members and superiors. Always need to maintain a cool environment within the team, should not be any ego feelings in learning and always solve any personal issues in a professional way in the presence of supervisor. Growth of project or process, always try to share the ideas with supervisor to implement and if employee has any thought due to which manual working hours may reduce and helpful for the process then such things must share with the supervisor so that in performance evaluation employee can gain a very good rating. 1.2.2 . Feedback: Feedback is such an important communication skill. Openness, honesty, candor, trust all of these are hallmarks of high performance teams and organizations. Good feedback skills are essential to any team relationship. Feedback is important because: It prevents small issues from festering into unmanageable problems. It builds trust in relationships. It promotes personal and professional growth. It acknowledges individual and team accomplishments. It clears up misunderstandings. It is a way to acknowledge and recognize team members skills and contributions. As a result, effective team feedback makes life at work a great deal easier and more rewarding. There are two types of feedback Positive feedback and feedback for improvement (sometimes called negative feedback). Positive Feedback Positive feedback is information about what someone did well. Theres a very simple approach you can use when giving positive feedback. Describe what the team member actually did or said, and Why this statement or action was effective. Feedback for Improvement Feedback for improvement is given about situations which did not go well, or which could have been better. In this case, its important to tell the team member specifically what could have been said or done differently, and why that would have been more effective. 1.2.3. Development Planning: Development Planning is broadly defined as the planning of any organized endeavor that aims at promoting development. It encompasses a wide range of thrusts in economic, social and institutional fields at various societal levels, from the local to the international and usually emphasis the relation between societal spheres and units. It addresses the values, objectives, resources, organizational ability and a range of variables of environment of the development organizational its pursuit. The main concerns of development planning may be expressed by the concept of strategy and derivatives of that concept. The term strategy has wide application and is used with numerous shades of meaning. Assess the value of team performance tools to measure future team performance A team needs to know how its results will help the organization. Individuals on the team need to know what the team requires of them to reach the teams goal. The seven-step processes for measuring team performance are Terminology Seven-Step Process Measurement Points Terminology the terms performance standards, goals, and objectives interchangeably and sees them as descriptions of some future, desirable state that the team is trying to achieve. As depicted below, performance below the standard is considered unacceptable, and performance exceeding the standard is considered exceptional. Seven-Step Process. Review existing organizational measures. Ensure that the measures above and around the team are known and linked to the teams measures. Define whats going to be measured. Selecting the best alternatives and using them to identify the teams key accomplishments provide the basis for all further measurement. Identify individual team member accomplishments that support the team. Identify the results each team member must produce to support the teams results or work processes. Weight the accomplishments. Discuss and agree upon the relative importance of each accomplishment. Develop team and individual performance measures. Identify the measurement (either numeric or descriptive) that will be used to gauge how well the results have been achieved. Develop team and individual performance standards. Define how well the team and individuals have to perform to meet expectations. Decide how to track performance. Identify how the data for each performance standard will be collected and fed back to team members Measurement Points. Elaborating on step two of his seven-step process, Zigong describes four ways to identify what should be measured. These methods can be used singly or in combination: If the team exists to satisfy the requirements of its customers, the measurement point(s) should be the product or service the team provides to the customer. If the team exists to help the organization make an improvement in a specific measurable goal, the measurement points should be determined by asking, What value-added results does the team produce that can help the organization achieve its goal? If the team exists to support the organizations function, the measurement point(s) are determined by identifying the hierarchy of results that the organization must produce and selecting those that link the team to the organizations results. If the team is used to support a work process, the measurement points are found by mapping the process and using the map to identify whats worth measuring. 2.1 Analyse how to determine required performance targets within teams against current performance Performance measurement is primarily managing outcome, and one of its main purposes is to reduce or eliminate overall variation in the work product or process. The goal is to arrive at sound decisions about actions affecting the product or process and its output. Performance measures quantitatively tell us something important about our products, services, and the processes that produce them. They are a tool to help us understand, manage, and improve what our organizations do. Performance measures let us know: how well we are doing â‚ ¬Ã‚  if we are meeting our goals â‚ ¬Ã‚  if our customers are satisfied â‚ ¬Ã‚  if our processes are in statistical control â‚ ¬Ã‚  if and where improvements are necessary. They provide us with the information necessary to make intelligent decisions about what we do. A performance measure is composed of a number and a unit of measure. The number gives us a magnitude (how much) and the unit gives the number a meaning (what). Performance measures are always tied to a goal or an objective (the target). Performance measures can be represented by single dimensional units like hours, meters, nanoseconds, dollars, number of reports, number of errors, number of CPR-certified employees, length of time to design hardware, etc. They can show the variation in a process or deviation from design specifications. Single-dimensional units of measure usually represent very basic and fundamental measures of some process or product. 2.1.1 Know what it looks like It will be impossible to know when youre achieving high performance if you dont know what it looks like. From an organisational perspective, high performance means not only running a financially sound business, adhering to essential policies and ensuring regulatory demands are observed, but also understanding the capability of your workforce to deliver high performance. All too often, concerns about what they might find and the time it may take prompt organisations to adopt the three wise monkeys strategy dont see, dont hear, dont speak with the result that low performance goes unchecked for years until it is too late and competitors have overtaken you. Too often, individual high performance is defined as simply getting the job done in the short term rather than looking to the long term and focusing on behaviors. 2.1.2 Make a commitment Strong and active commitment from leaders and managers, and the pursuit of continuous learning throughout the organisation, are crucial to building a well-defined high-performance culture. Commitment means not leaving it to fate, but truly understanding what high performance looks like, trusting different approaches and working with all stakeholders, including the human resource 2.1.3 Define your starting point Knowing where your organisation currently stands will make it much easier to create a vision for the future and to secure buy-in. One of the most effective strategies is to define explicitly what creates high performance in your organisation. Ensure that these behaviors are distinct, while being comprehensive enough to cover different levels of the organisation. Include areas such as how people collect and make sense of information and how they influence and build confidence in stakeholders. 2.1.4 Put a stake in the ground Once you have agreed what the behavioral high performance indicators look like, it is essential to observe and measure them. The best way to capture current performance is through objective observation, such as work shadowing, behavioural event interviews and subjective feedback via online and facilitated 360-degree analysis. This should clearly distinguish between behavior that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ impedes performance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ helps to do the task in hand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ makes a sustainable and long-term positive contribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ promotes beneficial and long-term behavioral change in teams and divisions. 2.2 Discuss the need to encourage individual commitment to team performance in achievement of organisational goals The definition of the group dynamics is the social process by which people interact face-to-face in small groups. The group controlled through leadership rather than force, ensured discipline through internal pressure, pooled thinking, respected the individual, and allowed all its members to participate in deciding on things that directly affected them in their work. Teamwork is much more important than the sum of the individual part since a nominal engineering team can succeed under a well-managed project. The success of a software project relies very much on a good management and control system which allows the development to satisfy the project objectives Team process skills are- (a) communication, (b) leadership, (c) goal setting, (d) cross training, (e) problem solving/decision making, (f) conflict resolution are the essential elements for successful teamwork. Team members and leaders must play their roles if they are to be high-performing. The roles of a team leader as follows: Coordinate the activities of the team (tracking progress, scheduling work). Motivate the team. Ensure the team communicates effectively. Interface with supervisor; arrange meetings with client when necessary. Set agendas for meetings Help to set the team goals (project goals, task allocations). Help the team move towards these goals. Accomplish tasks given to them. Meet deadlines. Attend team meetings. Contribute to developing a productive atmosphere within the team 2.3 Relate the application of delegation, mentoring and coaching to the achievement of the organisational objectives A mentoring relationship is usually where one wiser and more experienced person assists another person to grow and learn. It is not a new management technique. Since humans have lived in social groups we have learnt our norms, values and behaviours by the example and coaching of others. The business world has adopted the tradition of an older and wiser person fostering the growth and development of the younger generation. This has sometimes resulted in perpetuation of old ways at the expense of diversity and development. However, new adaptations of mentoring allowing individuals to interact as colleagues in a helping relationship, on a more equal basis, can cultivate growth and learning to mutual benefit. Experience, skills and a genuine desire to help are more valuable assets in a mentoring relationship than age or position. Open and assertive communication and the trust of both parties are essential. Both partners in the mentoring relationship benefit. Learning must be a lifelong process and one of the most effective ways to learn is to assist in the development of others. The best teachers learn much from their students, counselors constantly learn from clients and partners in any successful relationship grow and develop along the way. Coaching is suitable for the successful achievement of many different objectives in working life. What is essential is the importance of the objectives for both the person being coached and the organisation. Motivation from the person to be coached is required for the coaching process to be successful, and without organisational objectives coaching will not result in real success at work. The main focus of coaching is on the development of managerial work and leadership competence, and on the coaching of key persons. Persons on different organisational levels have different objectives, but some challenges are shared by all. 2.4 Evaluate a team performance plan to meet organisational objectives Although there is no guaranteed how-to recipe for building team performance, we observed a number of approaches shared by many successful teams. Establish urgency, demanding performance standards, and direction. All team members need to believe the team has urgent and worthwhile purposes, and they want to know what the expectations are. Indeed, the more urgent and meaningful the rationale, the more likely it is that the team will live up to its performance potential, as was the case for a customer-service team that was told that further growth for the entire company would be impossible without major improvements in that area. Teams work best in a compelling context. That is why companies with strong performance ethics usually form teams readily. Select members for skill and skill potential, not personality. No team succeeds without all the skills needed to meet its purpose and performance goals. Yet most teams figure out the skills they will need after they are formed. The wise manager will choose people for their existing skills and their potential to improve existing skills and learn new ones. Pay particular attention to first meetings and actions. Initial impressions always mean a great deal. When potential teams first gather, everyone monitors the signals given by others to confirm, suspend, or dispel assumptions and concerns. They pay particular attention to those in authority: the team leader and any executives who set up, oversee, or otherwise influence the team. And, as always, what such leaders do is more Important than what they say. If a senior executive leaves the team kickoff to take a phone call ten minutes after the Session has begun and he never returns, people get the message. Set some clear rules of behavior. All effective teams develop rules of conduct at the outset to help them achieve their purpose and performance goals. The most critical initial rules pertain to attendance (for example, no interruptions to take phone calls), discussion (no sacred cows), confidentiality (the only things to leave this room are what we agree on), analytic approach (facts are friendly), end-product orientation (everyone gets assignments and does them), constructive confrontation (no finger pointing), and, often the most important, contributions (everyone does real work). Set and seize upon a few immediate performance oriented tasks and goals. Most effective teams trace their advancement to key performance-oriented events. Such events can be set in motion by immediately establishing a few challenging goals that can be reached early on. There is no such thing as a real team without performance results, so the sooner such results occur, the sooner the team congeals. Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information. New information causes a team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the performance challenge, thereby helping the team shape a common purpose, set clearer goals, and improve its common approach. A plant quality improvement team knew the cost of poor quality was high, but it wasnt until they researched the different types of defects and put a price tag on each one that they knew where to go next. Conversely, teams err when they assume that all the information needed exists in the collective experience and knowledge of their members. Spend lots of time together. Common sense tells us that team members must spend a lot of time together, scheduled and unscheduled, especially in the beginning. Indeed, creative insights as well as personal bonding require impromptu and casual interactions just as much as analyzing spreadsheets and interviewing customers. Busy executives and managers too often intentionally minimize the time they spend together. The successful teams weve observed all gave themselves the time to learn to be a team. This time need not always be spent together physically; electronic, fax, and phone time can also count as time spent together. Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward. Positive reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. Citing outgo!d stars helps shape new behaviors critical to team performance. If people in the group, for example, are alert to a shy persons initial efforts to speak up and contribute, they can give the honest positive reinforcement that encourages continued contributions. There are many ways to recognize and reward team performance beyond direct compensation, from having a senior executive speak directly to the team about the urgency of its mission to using awards to recognize contributions. Ultimately, however, the satisfaction shared by a team in its own performance becomes the most cherished reward. Initial performance plan Understanding and subsequently discussing a teams performance is central to managing team performance. To work effectively, teams must regularly and objectively review their teamwork. In addition to concentrating on their short-term outputs, team members must examine work processes to ensure that the team is working creatively, that the team is effectively promoting itself to others, and so on. Too often in managing team performance the team review focuses on subjective individual evaluation, as opposed to an objective team assessment. Performance improvement plan A Team Performance Plan is a detailed plan used to: Identify the desired performance levels of the team Identify how these performance levels will be achieved Provide guidance and direction to the team Measure progress towards the desired performance levels Although there are no strict rules as to the format of a Team Performance Plan they normally contain the following information: Specific goals for team development Performance measures Actions required to achieve goals An indication of how long goals will take to achieve The Team Performance Plan should align with the organisations overall objectives. This can be achieved by: 1. Aligning the Team Performance Plan with the Team Purpose 2. Aligning the Team Purpose with the organisations objectives Team Performance Plans might include the following types of goals: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Goals to improve team competency Team building goals Collate the information regarding poor performance Performance = Ability x Motivation Where: Ability is the persons aptitude, as well as the training and resources supplied by the organization Motivation is the product of desire and commitment Someone with 100% motivation and 75% ability can often achieve above-average performance. But a worker with only 25% ability wont be able to achieve the type of performance you expect, regardless of his or her level of motivation. Incorrect diagnoses can lead to lots of problems later on. If you believe an employee is not making enough of an effort, youll likely put increased pressure on him or her to perform. But if the real issue is ability, then increased pressure may only make the problem worse. Low ability may be associated with the following: Over-difficult tasks. Low individual aptitude, skill, and knowledge. Evidence of strong effort, despite poor performance. Lack of improvement over time. People with low ability may have been poorly matched with jobs in the first place. They may have been promoted to a position thats too demanding for them. Or maybe they no longer have the support that previously helped them to perform well. Meet with the relevant team member(s) and discuss the issues Creating a Performance Improvement Plan So how do you do this in practice? This is where you need to develop a Performance Improvement Plan. Armed with the strategies weve looked at, you first need to evaluate the performance issue that youre facing: Have you discussed with the person what he or she feels the problem is? Have you evaluated your organizations motivation system? Are you doing everything you can to recognize and reward peoples contributions? Are you rewarding the things that you actually want done? Do you have regular goal setting and development meetings with members of your team? Do you help your people keep their skills current? From there, its important that you and the employee discuss and agree upon a plan for improving performance. Write down what youve agreed, along with dates by which goals should be achieved. Then monitor progress with the team member, and use the techniques weve discussed above for increasing motivation and dealing with ability-related issues. Recognize that the actions needed to close ability gaps need high motivation on the employees part to be successful. The two causes of poor performance lack of ability and low motivation are inextricably intertwined, and goal setting, feedback, and a supportive work environment are necessary conditions for improving both. Develop a Performance Improvement Plan Successfully managing team performance starts by identifying where the team is performing well and where it needs further development. The Team Performance Profile Questionnaire and associated analysis gives team members an objective assessment of how the team is doing. It provides opportunities to compare the various viewpoints of team members and outsiders and relate them to the team vision and purpose. The common language ensures that everyone is focusing on the critical team performance factors and the measured gaps can then be translated into action plans for improved performance. It is the diagnosis of the problems that is essential. Once we know what is wrong, it is usually easy to fix it! Tuckman (1965) presented the four stages of teamwork which are now widely used by work teams throughout the world to assess their progress. The model describes the stages as follows: Tuckmans Stages of Teamwork Model Once teams are formed, they go through an unpleasant storming stage before ground rules and norms are established. Eventually the performing stage is reached. In the 1980s it was acceptable to take maybe six months or so to reach the performing stage. However, in the 90s, such is the speed of change and the intensity of competition that some teams have to get to good performance levels in six weeks or even six days! Follow up Ensure that you monitor, follow up and evaluate the performance improvement as set out in the plan. A Performance Improvement Plan should clearly convey: The area of performance that requires improvement or development The action(s) to be taken Any parties required to assist in the achievement of the set actions The timeframe for achieving each action 3.1 Assess the process for monitoring team performance and initiate changes where necessary Sometimes poor performance has its roots in low motivation. When this is the case, you need to work closely with the employee to create a motivating environment in which to work. There are thre

Miss Fozzard in Alan Bennetts Talking Heads Essay -- Papers

Miss Fozzard in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads The video, â€Å"Talking Heads Two† was made in 1998. It is a collection of six dramatic monologues by various different actors, each one telling their own story. Bennett wrote a series of monologues in 1988 for BBC 2 at a time when they were having financial difficulties. Monologues were chosen as they only required a few actors and cameramen. They were successful and Bennett decided to write a second series of monologues, the one which I am going to study is called â€Å"Miss Fozzard finds her feet† and I will be discussing how Alan Bennett creates her character and how her story is told. The monologues were written for, and shown on television. The use of the â€Å"talking head† as a dramatic device is effective as the audience sees the expression on the actors face and then feels the emotion the actor is portraying in their role. The effect of using the monologue form is effective as there is only one character so the audience can connect and understand the character better. In the collection of monologues there are no special effects used i.e. flashbacks, distractions also helps the audience understand the character. The audience also has to use their imagination as other characters are only spoken about and not seen so the audience has to imagine what they look like. Also, as the monologues are only set in one scene, for example Miss Fozzard’s lounge, the different locations described by the characters also have to be imagined. The purpose of the monologue is to entertain, however there is a limit to which effects the producers can afford to use however, many wouldn’t be used in a monol... ... tone of voices of the unseen characters used by Patricia Routledge (the actress) creates a successful character. I think her characters exterior seems boring to someone who takes a first glance, but as you get to know her throughout the monologue her character evolves into someone interesting and funny. If I was a member of the audience I think I would find Miss Fozzard inoffensive and quite eccentric. However, I think these qualities in a person are often amusing, as we frequently find in the monologue, and her prejudice views may be at times questionable, but are mostly harmless and funny. The audience would feel that this is only due to Miss Fozzard’s old fashioned manner and this is what she has been brought up to think. Overall, her character is excellently created and brought to life and I enjoyed the monologue.

Baroque Assignment

The period of art known as Baroque began in the late 16th century. The period introduced art that was complex, rich, and extravagant. This was a time when optimism was the law of the land and a more confident and self-assured attitude made itself known. This is reflected in most of the artwork in this period.Paintings in the Baroque period were more complex than sculpture, and it showed in almost every painting. (Gardner, 397, 402) The painting, â€Å"The Geographer† by Jan Vermeer, is an example of Baroque art in the 17th century.Encompassing the theme of cartography, the sea chart, globe, and the like, (Harden) the painting shows a man, interrupted from his work, looked out the window. It is interesting to note that the man in the painting might be Anthony van Leeuwenhoek. It has been said that the man in this painting fits the mold of an intelligent man, knowledgeable from literature and observation. (Gowing) This would certainly fit van Leeuwenhoek. In regards the the rest of the painting, there is an abundance of objects on the left, leading the viewer's eye to that area.It seems that the few objects on the right of the painting are unimportant. This painting embodies the four main characteristics of Baroque paintings: the use of diagonals, suspense, tenebrism, and snapshot quality. Diagonals play a major role in â€Å"The Geographer†. In fact, almost every line is at an angle to imply perspective. This gives the painting depth. Everything is on a diagonal, to the point where it almost looks as if the picture is slanted to one side.Other details to note are the compass in his hand moving at the same angle as his arm, creating movement in the direction of his other hand, creating a circle. Most of the movement of the piece leans to the left. Even the shadows seem to be at a diagonal. It seems as if the man in the painting is looking out the window at something. It looks as if he is disturbed, or shocked, with what he sees. Perhaps he was inter rupted from his work to witness something awful. This is the most exciting moment. The viewer can imagine what he is looking at, none of the possibilities pleasant.This is how the painting is suspenseful. One can only imagine what happened before, or what will happen after, this picture was painted, but one can be sure that this moment is the beginning of something exciting. Tenebrism is defined as a style of painting that uses violent contrasts of light and dark. In â€Å"The Geographer†, this is apparent. The strongest light source in the picture is on the left, adding even more emphasis to this side of the painting. The man's face is lit quite well, the viewer must be able to see his face for the viewer to understand his anguish.What he is working on is also well-lit. The wall, where nothing seems to be happening, also where there are no diagonals, is cast in shadow, making this wall unimportant. There seems to be stark lines of shadow, and then of light. (Harden) This con trast adds to the painting's shocked and disturbed feel. Looking at the painting reminds the viewer of looking at a photograph. The colors are rich, the strokes barely noticeable. However, more importantly, the painting resembles a photograph because of the emotion that is caught by the artist.It seems as though the artist painted this at top speed, just to catch the shocked look on the subject's face. Of course, it is impossible to paint that fast, and this is why it resembles a photograph. The characteristics of Baroque art in the 17th century show themselves in â€Å"The Geographer†. In an age of complexity, Vermeer took a subject and animated him with the use of shadow and light. The subject was captured in a state of shock, which leaves the viewer curious as to what he was looking at. Also, one cannot help but to notice the quality of the painting.In an age when optimism was the rule, this painting lends itself to a darker corner of the world, and Vermeer makes it work b eautifully. ? Gardner, Helen. Art Through the Ages. Chicago: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 1959. ? Gowing, Lawrence. â€Å"Vermeer†. Essential Vermeer. 1950. 2001. 28 Jan 2009. http://www. essentialvermeer. com/cat_about/geographer. html ? Harden, Mark. â€Å"Jan Vermeer: The Geographer†. WebMuseum, Paris. 14 Oct 2002. 29 Jan 2009. http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/vermeer/geographer. html

Accountant Necessities

Running Head: Accountants Accountants Stacy Frank CGD 218 Mike Miers September 24, 2012 Accountants In my opinion Accountants are inspiring for people. They help can help you with financing and anything else such as tax etc. Accountants make sure that they give you the help you need before they let you get out of their eyesight. I myself also wanted to work at a bank. I always had plans on going to college and get my degree to become the Accountant I wanted to become. There are many different people in life who do things that can benefit others by helping them in so many ways.Your enjoyment is your fun and pride. Everyone have their own way of doing what is right and there are so who don’t care what they do. You have to strive for the best in order to be the best and you have to do perfect in whatever you do. Accountants do a great job when it comes to financing, tax reparations, records, and investors. They are on point when it comes to their work. They have a lot of paperwor k to do but as long as you do what is asked of you to do then you are going to get your job done.It is amazing when you can find a bank that will allow you to get loans for important things that you need to get for yourself and help you out with things such as your utility bills and other things that need to be gotten. Everyone needs a little help in life. There are times when people struggle and they wonder how they are going to make it. There is something in me that make me feel so sorry for people like that. My thing about that is I try to help them in every which way. I plan to become an accountant in the future. There are many aspects of being an accountant.Accountants become the measurement, disclosure, and also the provision when benefiting with business. I will be able to precede financial information, investors, and tax authorities in life. You have to give life your all even though there are things that may follow. Accountants have to be very skilled workers for the job. Y ou have to know what you are doing and you have to have experience. No matter what you do you have to have the ability Accountants to show what you can do on that job. Accountancies are people who are in charge of a lot of things in life.Your dreams are all that matter and you have to do your best to reach them. Sometimes people love to see others down, but you don’t get nowhere being that way. Accountants are required to follow a set of rules and regulations at the workplace. Those rules and regulations are Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. A company is allowed analyze financial performance of the business. There are many words that follow accountancy and they are listed as a combination of skills and pride. A business should be recognized as a symbol for help and need.Accountancies have good salaries each year. Salary| $32,259 – $60,787| | | Bonus| $0. 00 – $5,088| Â   | | Profit Sharing| $485. 53 – $5,891| | | Total PayXTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e. g. healthcare). | $30,070 – $61,937| | | This is good for the market and the people who have job as an accountant.You have to be able to benefit yourself in so many ways and you have to do what is best for you in the future. You have to strive for the best in order to be the best and you have to do perfect in whatever you do. Accountants There are a lot of things and pictures that support accountancies. This is known as visual communication and the purpose is to get a message sent out to the audience showing their work and skills. REFERENCE Accountants Ryan, W. (2012). Visual literacy: learning to see. Bridgepoint Education.

The Experts Scientific Definition of Dinosaurs

The Experts' Scientific Definition of Dinosaurs One of the problems with explaining the scientific definition of the word dinosaur is that biologists and paleontologists tend to use much drier, more precise language than your average dinosaur enthusiast on the street (or in an elementary school). So while most people intuitively describe dinosaurs as big, scaly, dangerous lizards that went extinct millions of years ago, experts take a much narrower view. In evolutionary terms, dinosaurs were the land-dwelling descendants of the archosaurs, egg-laying reptiles that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event 250 million years ago. Technically, dinosaurs can be distinguished from the other animals descended from archosaurs (pterosaurs and crocodiles) by a handful of anatomical quirks. Chief among these is posture: Dinosaurs had either an upright, bipedal gait (like that of modern birds), or if they were quadrupeds, they had a stiff, straight-legged style of walking on all fours  (unlike modern lizards, turtles, and crocodiles, whose limbs splay beneath them when they walk). Beyond that, the anatomical features that distinguish dinosaurs from other vertebrate animals become rather arcane; try on  an elongate deltopectoral crest on the humerus for size (i.e., a spot where muscles connect into the upper arm bone). In 2011, Sterling Nesbitt of the American Museum of Natural History attempted to tie together all of the subtle anatomical quirks that make dinosaurs dinosaurs. Among these are a radius (lower arm bone) at least 80% smaller than the humerus (upper arm bone); an asymmetrical fourth trochanter on the femur (leg bone); and a large, concave surface separating the proximal articular surfaces of the ischium, aka the pelvis. With terms like these, you can see why the big, scary, and extinct is more appealing to the general public. The First True Dinosaurs Nowhere was the line dividing dinosaurs and non-dinosaurs more tenuous than during the middle to late Triassic period, when various populations of archosaurs had just started to branch off into dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and crocodiles. Imagine an ecosystem filled with slender, two-legged dinosaurs, equally slender, two-legged crocodiles (yes, the first ancestral crocs were bipedal, and often vegetarian), and plain-vanilla archosaurs that looked for all the world like their more-evolved cousins. For this reason, even paleontologists have a hard time definitively classifying Triassic reptiles like Marasuchus and Procompsognathus; at this fine level of evolutionary detail, its virtually impossible to pick out the first true dinosaur (though a good case can be made for the South American Eoraptor). Saurischian and Ornithischian Dinosaurs For the sake of convenience, the dinosaur family is divided into two main groups. To vastly simplify the story, starting about 230 million years ago a subgroup of archosaurs split off into two types of dinosaurs, distinguished by the structure of their hip bones. Saurischian (lizard-hipped) dinosaurs went on to include predators like Tyrannosaurus rex and huge sauropods like Apatosaurus, while ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs consisted of a diverse assortment of other plant-eaters,  including  hadrosaurs, ornithopods, and stegosaurs. (Confusingly, we now know that birds descended from lizard-hipped, rather than bird-hipped, dinosaurs.) Learn more about  how dinosaurs are classified. You may have noticed that the definition of dinosaurs provided at the start of  this article  refers only to land-dwelling reptiles, which technically excludes marine reptiles like Kronosaurus and flying reptiles like Pterodactylus from the dinosaur umbrella (the first is  technically  a pliosaur, the second a pterosaur). Also occasionally mistaken for true dinosaurs are the large therapsids and pelycosaurs of the Permian period, such as Dimetrodon and Moschops. While some of these ancient reptiles would have given  your average Deinonychus a run for its money, rest assured they werent allowed to wear dinosaur name tags during the school dances of the Jurassic period.

How to Answer Situational Interview Questions

How to Answer Situational Interview Questions In a job interview, you’re thoroughly prepared for the standard questions about your skills and your work history. You’ve got anecdotes that show off your leadership skills or your communication skills. Smooth sailing, right? Sure, until you get a question that’s a little off the map: â€Å"Here’s the situation. You have an angry client on the phone, an urgent email demanding your attention, and the fire alarm is going off. How do you handle this?† The answer to that question isn’t in your resume (at least not obviously so). It’s not one of the stories you rehearsed in your bathroom mirror this morning. So what does this kind of question achieve, and how do you tackle it?Situational interview questions are popular with interviewers because they unearth two immediate things about the interviewee:How quickly he or she thinks on their feet.How he or she approaches problem solving.These are interview skills that you can’t necessaril y drill ahead of time, without knowing the specifics of what the interviewer is going to ask. But we will walk through ways to recognize situational questions right away, and how to approach these questions on the spot.Situational vs. BehavioralSituational interview questions are slightly different from that other popular interview question type, the behavioral interview question. Both question types lure you away from the resume review template. Behavioral questions call for you to tell a story about something you’ve done, or a time you’ve faced a particular challenge. Telltale signs of a behavioral question:â€Å"Tell me about a time you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Describe a situation where you did†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Give me an example of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ These all boil down to a very simple ask: â€Å"Tell me a story.† The Interview Guys recommend breaking each one down using the STAR method:What is the (brief) context for the story you’re about to tell? (the s ituation)What task did you need to complete, and what were the challenges/constraints?What did you do? (What action did you take?)What were the results? Be as specific as possible, and pull out any quantifiable results (sales, statistics, etc.) if available.Behavioral questions are ones that you can kind of anticipate ahead of time. If you come up with a few ready anecdotes for each of the skills you want to emphasize/the skills on your resume, you can shine those up ahead of time and get ready to pull them out at the right time.Situational questions are a little different. Instead of a story about how you did something, these questions want you to talk about how you would do something. Hallmarks of a situational interview question:â€Å"How would you handle†¦?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What would you do if†¦?â€Å"What would happen if†¦?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Here’s a hypothetical situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Hypothetical is the key word here, whether it’s explicitly mentioned o r not. Situational interview questions are almost always structured as scenario + â€Å"what would you do?† The interviewer isn’t necessarily interested in how you’ve handled things in the past, although your experience can certainly be used to inform your answer to this hypothetical question. Really, it’s a test of your critical thinking skills, and showing the interviewer that you can hear a situation that you may or may not have ever faced before, think fast, and come up with a satisfying solution. It also gives insight into your thought processes.How to Answer Situational Interview QuestionsThe first strategy for answering questions like these is to remember that it’s not a trick question. It’s not a gotcha. The interviewer didn’t wake up this morning and think, â€Å"I’m gonna mess with that dude’s interview just to throw him off his game.† It’s not a personal question, it’s a professional one- so before you answer, it’s important to take a deep breath and think logically.More often than not, the answer is going to be the one that lines up most with common sense. Think of it as a kind of role playing, except the role is your best professional self, not someone else.Your plan of attack for situational interview questions should be to follow these guidelines:Be a good listener. Make sure you understand what you’re being asked. If you want to clarify any points, ask a question or two. (This has an added bonus of giving you more time to chew over the question.)Be honest. Interviewers know when you’re only saying something because you know they want to hear it. None of us is as subtle or slick as we think we are.Be brief. This story doesn’t need additional characters, or big embellishments. Make sure you get right to the point.Be clear about actions you would take, and why.Be specific. Always tailor your answer to the job description and the skills t hat would be required.What NOT to Do and SayDon’t wing it. You may decide that since you can’t anticipate the specific question, you should go into it cold and let your instincts be your guide. Unless you have a small cricket friend accompanying you to the interview and whispering guidance, this is not a great plan. You can still practice common situational questions, and work on connecting your own experiences to them.Don’t ramble. â€Å"†¦So anyway, what was I saying before I went off on that tangent? Oh, right, how I’d organize a project. Organization is so important†¦umm†¦sorry, lost my train of thought.† Staying focused is key. You want to get in, answer the question, and get out. There are no bonus points for a novella-length answer.Don’t give a generic answer. You want to give specifics whenever possible. Maybe that’s saying, â€Å"I actually faced something similar, and I did X. Given the chance again, this is what I’d do differently.† Maybe it’s saying, â€Å"I know Job Corp values efficiency, so here’s how I’d improve that process.† Either way, you want the interviewer to know that you’re not answering questions in the void, you’re being thoughtful and describing how you would react in this particular job.Common Situational QuestionsNow that we’ve gone through some of the theory behind situational interview questions, let’s look at some common ones that you can use to frame your interview prep.Q: Say you’re leading a team on a project that has a very strict deadline. It’s looking like you may miss that deadline. How do you handle that?A: In a case like this, where the deadline might not be negotiable, I’d make sure there was a Plan B option in place, and make sure that communication is strong throughout the group to make sure everyone knows what that Plan B is if things don’t go according to plan. This is similar to a situation I faced in my current job, where a server failure meant that we wouldn’t be able to finalize a process on time. We ended up having to use a manual workaround to get the data in, and it took some epic overtime, but in the end we just made it. When a deadline is in jeopardy, you do what you need to do. Q: You and your boss don’t get along, and you find that your everyday tasks are not getting done because of this ongoing conflict. How would you handle that?A: In my experience, resolving conflicts before they blow up is one of the most important professional skills to have. I know how important it is to work with people of all different kinds of perspectives, so I’d try talking to my boss about our priorities, and about the best way to achieve them. I’d make sure to stay very neutral and professional, and try to open up a dialogue.Q: You get an email from an angry client complaining about service. What would you do to de fuse the situation?A: First, I’d make sure I understand why the client is upset, and what the root cause of the problem is. If I need to do more digging, I’d be very apologetic and let him or her know that I am looking into the issue, and will keep him or her posted. I’d be very careful to keep that line of communication open, so that even if I can’t fix the problem right away, the client knows that I’m working on it and that this is a priority for me and the company.See? There’s no magic to answering these. You just want to make sure that you have a clear answer that makes sense, and aligns with the brand you’re trying to convey in the interview. And although you can never tell exactly which (if any) situational questions you’ll get, you can start thinking ahead of time about what skills and priorities you want to emphasize in the interview.You got this- happy hypothetical-ing!

Why Animal Rights Activists Oppose Aquariums

Why Animal Rights Activists Oppose Aquariums Animal rights activists oppose aquariums for the same reason they oppose zoos. Fish and other sea creatures, like their land-dwelling relatives, are sentient and have a right to live free from human exploitation. In addition, there are concerns about the treatment of the animals in captivity, especially marine mammals. Aquariums and Animal Rights From an animal rights perspective, keeping animals in captivity for our own use is an infringement on that animals right to be free of human exploitation, regardless of how well the animals are treated. There are some people who doubt the sentience of fish and other sea creatures. This is an important issue because the rights of animals are based on sentience - the ability to suffer. But studies have shown that fish, crabs, and shrimp do feel pain. What about anemones, jellyfish and other animals with simpler nervous systems? While its debatable whether a jellyfish or anemone can suffer, it is clear that crabs, fish, penguins and marine mammals do feel pain, are sentient and are therefore deserving of rights. Some might argue that we should give jellyfish and anemones the benefit of the doubt because there is no compelling reason to keep them in captivity, but in a world where clearly intelligent, sentient beings such as dolphins, elephants and chimpanzees are kept in captivity for our amusement/education, the main challenge is convincing the public that sentience is the determining factor for whether a being has rights, and sentient beings should not be kept in zoos and aquariums. Aquariums and Animal Welfare The animal welfare position holds that humans have a right to use animals as long as the animals are treated well. However, even from an animal welfare viewpoint, aquariums are problematic. Animals in an aquarium are confined in relatively small tanks and can get bored and frustrated. In an effort to provide more natural environments for the animals, different species are often kept together, which lead to predatory animals attacking or eating their tank mates. Furthermore, the tanks are stocked either with captured animals or animals bred in captivity. Capturing animals in the wild is stressful, injurious and sometimes fatal; breeding in captivity is also a problem because those animals will live their entire lives in a tiny tank instead of a vast ocean. Special Concerns About Marine Mammals There are special concerns regarding marine mammals because they are so large and they so obviously suffer in captivity, regardless of any educational or entertainment value they may have for their captors. This is not to say that marine mammals suffer more in captivity than small fish, although that is possible, the suffering of marine mammals is more obvious to us. For example, according to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, a dolphin in the wild swims 40 miles per day, but US regulations require dolphin pens to be only 30 feet in length. A dolphin would have to circle his tank more than 3,500 times every day to simulate his natural range. Regarding killer whales in captivity, the Humane Society of the US explains: This unnatural situation can cause skin problems. In addition, in captive killer whales (orcas), it is the probable cause of dorsal fin collapse, as without the support of water, gravity pulls these tall appendages over as the whale matures. Collapsed fins are experienced by all captive male orcas and many captive female orcas, who were either captured as juveniles or who were born in captivity. However, they are observed in only about 1% of orcas in the wild. And in rare tragedies, captive marine mammals attack people, possibly as a result of post-traumatic stress syndrome after being captured from the wild. What About Rehabbing or Public Education? Some might point out the good work that aquariums do: rehabbing wildlife and educating the public about zoology and ocean ecology. While these programs are laudable and certainly not trivial, they cannot justify the suffering of the individuals in aquariums. If they operated as true sanctuaries for individual animals who cannot return to the wild, such as Winter, the dolphin with a prosthetic tail, there would be no ethical objections. What Laws Protect Animals in Aquariums? On the federal level, the federal Animal Welfare Act covers the warm-blooded animals in aquariums, such as marine mammals and penguins, but does not apply to fish and invertebrates - the vast majority of animals in an aquarium. The Marine Mammal Protection Act offers some protection for whales, dolphins, seals, walruses, sea lions, sea otters, polar bears, dugongs, and manatees, but does not prohibit keeping them in captivity. The Endangered Species Act covers endangered species that might be in an aquarium and applies to all types of animals, including marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates. Animal cruelty statutes vary by state, and some states may offer some protection to the marine mammals, penguins, fish and other animals in aquariums. The information on this website is not legal advice and is not a substitute for legal advice. For legal advice, please consult an attorney.

Globalization and Ethnicity in the United Kingdom Essay

Globalization and Ethnicity in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The effect of globalization-led migration is the growing diversity of any given state and the heightened pressure of supporting and fairly representing the interest of a state’s citizen living abroad. On the other side, globalization has resulted in some of the societies that exist as enclaves within the boundaries of a given state to champion for their independence, secession, and right to govern themselves. Prior to the World Wars, the United Kingdom was the most dominant nation on earth and the superpower of the nineteenth century. The UK had engaged in colonial conquest in various parts of the globe. Having been the major power in the nineteenth century, Britain had occupied many parts of the world spreading their language and culture. In contemporary world setting, immigration to the United Kingdom has been tremendous with many people especially from third world countries and former colonies making the highest numbers of immigrants. Many third world countries have been af fected by political turmoil at one time in their history, resulting in political asylum and influx of refugees into the UK (Beck 2000). Â  Former British colonies like India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and South Africa among many others form the largest numbers of refugees and political asylum individuals living in the UK. Between 1991 and 2001, about half of the population increase in the UK was a result of the presence of immigrants born outside the UK. The UK thus has a very high number of immigrants who constitute the general population (Delanty 2008). Most of these people are not the UK born and some have spent the most part of their childhood in other countries and some even adulthood. Culture is dynamic, and culture in most cases dictates individuals’ behavior and ways of life.

Research paper on animal cruelty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research paper on animal cruelty - Essay Example Gianotto is revealing how widespread animal cruelty is, costing the lives of hundreds of animals a day, and thousands a year. Unfortunately, there are many people that attempt to condone their actions when they abuse animals, but when it comes to animals, they should be treated no different than human beings. Though there are many causes to animal cruelty, the greatest reason that abuse occurs is because there are many people that regard animals as being less than worthy of proper care and support. It is believed that animals cannot think, feel, or respond as humans are able to, and should therefore not be treated with respect. There are other people that think that animals exist solely to help humans obtain certain needs, such as food or clothing. They are materials and resources, but nothing more than that. Though they may not be able to speak and tell us how they feel or what they are experiencing, if an animal is wrongfully treated, it is still affected by it. It hurts and it suf fers from our negligent actions. Animals are living, breathing creatures, just like human beings, and they are capable of responding in similar ways to pain and neglect. They also have their own needs that need to be met to ensure their survival. To say that they are unlike human beings and are below us is completely inaccurate. As aforementioned, there are a variety of ways in which an animal can experience animal cruelty, which can be divided up into two categories: neglect and abuse. One of the most common forms of animal cruelty, especially in residential situations, is neglect. When an animal, usually a pet, is neglected, the owners are not doing their part in making sure that their pet is getting the necessities, such as food, water, and a proper environment to protect them from the various weather elements. If it is over one hundred degrees outside, the owner should accommodate so that their pet does not die from the heat. If a pet does die from conditions such as these, the owner has committed animal cruelty. Keeping a pet becomes a chore to these people, and many even regard pets as just that. However, it should be the other way around. If a family brings in a pet, they are bringing it in as a new family member, and that pet should be treated as such. Animal abuse consists of many things, ranging from physically abusing an animal, much as a person would physically abuse a child, to housing dogs in puppy mills. Physically abusing an animal involves beating them, kicking or hitting them, with such unnecessary force that the animal becomes injured. Puppy mills are â€Å"commercial dog breeding facilities that are [...] often in substandard conditions regarding the wellbeing of dogs in their care (Swartz).† In a puppy mill, dogs are kept in close quarters, which are often tiny cages with hardly space to move. They are not let out, but are left to live in their own filth and without the proper food, water, and attention that they need. To these peop le, animals are simply objects or else nuisances, even though the person has the choice of whether or not they keep that animal. Instead, when they bring home an animal that they no longer love, they stop caring for it and making sure that its needs are met. The fault is that of the owner, but it is the animal that gets the consequences. Other forms of animal cruelty under the category of abuse includes, though is by no means

Evolution Versus Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evolution Versus Religion - Essay Example The most famous case that dealt with this issue set the scene for the debate that would follow. The Scopes Trial held in Tennessee in 1925 challenged the Butler Act which made it illegal "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." A schoolteacher was charged and put on trial for the crime of teaching Darwin. Although the teacher, Scopes, was eventually found guilty—and made to pay a fine—the Supreme Court of the United States eventually overturned the ban on teaching evolution in 1968, saying that such a ban would violate the constitution since it would be to the benefit of religion. Nevertheless, this trial turned into a circus and was a huge spectacle as it pitted passionate believers of religion and evolution against one another. Amazingly, the debate continues to this day, most recently in the last ten years with the rise of what is called Intelligent Design.The debate between evolution and creationism came back into the public sphere with a vengeance following a big fight on a school board in rural Pennsylvania. Here a number of advocacy groups had gone out of their way to repackage creationism which was seen to be explicitly religious in a format which they claimed was more secular: Intelligent Design, a theory which held that the world is simply too complicated to have occurred randomly without a directing hand. Often proponents of ID would quote scientists to this effect. They were in a manner trying to use science to prove the existence of God. On various school boards across the United States proponents of ID would not ask to ban teaching evolution; instead, they would argue that there was more than one viewpoint on the matter and that schools should also teach ID or â€Å"teach the controversy.†

Alternatives to Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alternatives to Globalization - Research Paper Example The phenomenon of Globalization is not new and has been around even before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, however it has been deeply controversial as there have been two schools of thoughts i.e. the advocates of globalization and the opponents; debating over the concept of globalization ever since it has been coined. The advocates of globalization argue that globalization has harnessed various positive initiatives as it allows the developing countries and its citizen to better develop economically and increase their standards of living, as free market allows efficient allocation of resources with which all the countries involved are benefitted. It also perpetuates economic freedom in terms of democracy and capitalism. The integration and interaction that is achieved through globalization, it allows international cooperation in solving major global issues concerning the human rights issues or the environmental issues such as global warming. Globalization also helps in pr omotion of a unified culture and frame of reference thus mitigating the misconceptions harbored and enforcing more understanding of each other.

Both Tocqueville And Weber Believe That You Cannot Understand Modern Essay

Both Tocqueville And Weber Believe That You Cannot Understand Modern Society Without Understanding Religion - Essay Example On the other hand Tocqueville is also revered for his theories and ideas about present norms of civil society and culture. As compared to other thinkers and philosophers they have been able to retain the acceptance of their ideas among various sects of society. Max Weber wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in 1905. It was one of the important sociological works of the last century. He tried to explain the history of past 500 years of Europe. The so-called era Enlightenment that revolutionized almost every aspect of the life of Europeans first and then whole world. He was surprised to note that initially this revolution affected Europe only and then spread everywhere with the spread of colonization. This revolution actually gave a rational interpretation the life. Weber considered American society most ideal society to be studied for understanding the great sociological evolution. Fortunately American society was combination all those necessary factors required for such type of evolution. These factors are vast land with enormous resources, diverse population coming from almost all parts of world, secular practices in pragmatic matters. All these and some other factors worked as catalyst for grand revolution in short span of time. Thus a unique culture and civilization evolved. No nation in the world became such a great-civilized power like Americans. All other civilizations that evolved in the past were influence by some sort of religious or racial movements. Weber did not stop here but he went one step forward and declared that there is no possibility in foreseeable future that any other nation may evolve so rapidly and may get so much favorable factors. Weber seems a little pessimist when he says that capitalism has reached it extreme height in America and perhaps it is its last stage. It can not go beyond this. He was very impressed by the extreme capitalist nature of American economy and society and appreciated it. He thought that Americans have used the theories of capitalism in the best way. After all the praise for the rapid development of American society and economy, Weber seems little concerned about the religious influence on American life. He liked the positive role played by religion in enhancing the ethical values. He found the secret of success of those religious groups after extensive travelling. He observed that majority of religious reformists did their work voluntarily. They were successful and active members of society with strong moral character. Weber was a keen observer; he saw great contrast between the socially isolated Church of Europe and socially integrated church of America. He was very impressed by the influence of American religious groups on the social life of common Americans. These religious groups were less interested in religious rituals but they were keen to reform the society morally and ethically. They were very selective in recruiting the volunteers for their lines. They only took those people whom morally strong and believed the well-established ethical values. These religious groups had a great impact on the American society. They never separated religion from practical social life. They actually taught the society to be morally ethical, religiously strong and professionally useful and adept in the field of their particular expertise. He thought those traditional

MICROFINANCE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES Dissertation

MICROFINANCE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES - Dissertation Example However, microfinance units cannot be equally successful in all economies, became they all have different demographics and social structures. Despite the fact that many nations have seen success following the inclusion of microfinance units, it cannot be established that all emerging nations would experience a similar degree of success. This present paper will examine the scope of success of microfinance units in Saudi Arabia through an examination of the profitability and efficiency of operations of these financial units in the economy. In most of cases it is an inefficient financial system which is found to be the prime reason behind the failure of microfinance units, which is why it is necessary to examine the extent to which the financial system of a nation is capable of bearing such a responsibility, before arriving at any conclusion. This paper will conclude that Saudi Arabian banks are currently in a poor state to make the microfinance movement a success. However, if necessary measures are undertaken, the trend could be reversed. Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1 Definition and Brief History Microfinance institutions are responsible for boosting the social status of a poorer section of a nation’s population by providing financial assistance. Their prime function, however, is that of microcredit, which involves forwarding loans on a cooperative basis to groups of people so that no single individual is liable. This helps to reduce their burden substantially (Feigenberg, Field & Pande, 2010). Their popularity among the poorer sections of society, which comprise a major part of developing economies, has even spurred normal commercial banks to adopt some of their strategies. Microfinance institutions might be owned by government bodies or non-governmental ones, and they might also be involved in tasks other than forwarding credit to poorer sections of society (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, 2011). The concept of microfinance has spread across the globe from a small region in Bangladesh where Muhammad Yunus, an economics professor at the University of Chittagong, advanced nearly $30 to a group of poor villagers. An important term of this loan was that the entire group as a whole stood liable for the debt, so that the burden was divided equally among the individuals in the group. The initial loan helped the villagers to generate a continual flow of future income and, eventually, sustain their respective households. When Yunus noted the importance of such loans advanced on cooperative terms, he decided to popularise the concept across Bangladesh. Such a measure was understood as an important stepping stone towards poverty eradication. Yunus initiated the construction of Grameen Bank in 1983,

Both Tocqueville And Weber Believe That You Cannot Understand Modern Essay

Both Tocqueville And Weber Believe That You Cannot Understand Modern Society Without Understanding Religion - Essay Example On the other hand Tocqueville is also revered for his theories and ideas about present norms of civil society and culture. As compared to other thinkers and philosophers they have been able to retain the acceptance of their ideas among various sects of society. Max Weber wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in 1905. It was one of the important sociological works of the last century. He tried to explain the history of past 500 years of Europe. The so-called era Enlightenment that revolutionized almost every aspect of the life of Europeans first and then whole world. He was surprised to note that initially this revolution affected Europe only and then spread everywhere with the spread of colonization. This revolution actually gave a rational interpretation the life. Weber considered American society most ideal society to be studied for understanding the great sociological evolution. Fortunately American society was combination all those necessary factors required for such type of evolution. These factors are vast land with enormous resources, diverse population coming from almost all parts of world, secular practices in pragmatic matters. All these and some other factors worked as catalyst for grand revolution in short span of time. Thus a unique culture and civilization evolved. No nation in the world became such a great-civilized power like Americans. All other civilizations that evolved in the past were influence by some sort of religious or racial movements. Weber did not stop here but he went one step forward and declared that there is no possibility in foreseeable future that any other nation may evolve so rapidly and may get so much favorable factors. Weber seems a little pessimist when he says that capitalism has reached it extreme height in America and perhaps it is its last stage. It can not go beyond this. He was very impressed by the extreme capitalist nature of American economy and society and appreciated it. He thought that Americans have used the theories of capitalism in the best way. After all the praise for the rapid development of American society and economy, Weber seems little concerned about the religious influence on American life. He liked the positive role played by religion in enhancing the ethical values. He found the secret of success of those religious groups after extensive travelling. He observed that majority of religious reformists did their work voluntarily. They were successful and active members of society with strong moral character. Weber was a keen observer; he saw great contrast between the socially isolated Church of Europe and socially integrated church of America. He was very impressed by the influence of American religious groups on the social life of common Americans. These religious groups were less interested in religious rituals but they were keen to reform the society morally and ethically. They were very selective in recruiting the volunteers for their lines. They only took those people whom morally strong and believed the well-established ethical values. These religious groups had a great impact on the American society. They never separated religion from practical social life. They actually taught the society to be morally ethical, religiously strong and professionally useful and adept in the field of their particular expertise. He thought those traditional

Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today Essay Example for Free

Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today Essay India is known for their traditions and hospitality. Indian culture is very traditional and is still surviving in the modern era. They greet outsiders and elders buy placing both palms together raised below the face. This is how they show their respect. According to Maps of India, a day in India starts with Surya Namaskar. People offer water to the sun and chant prayers. Trees and animals are worshipped. The morning’s first meal is to the cow and the last meal is to the dog. During prayers they offer flower garlands to gods and goddesses. This ritual is embedded at an early age and is an important part of the education system in India. Three of the world’s major faith, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism originated from India. India is a secular state and the citizens have the right to choose their own religion. (India. 2009) (Cultural India. net)The culture in India is very old and unique with diverse cultures and ancient civilization. The oldest pilgrimage tradition and practice is found in India. Pilgrimage is deeply embedded in their cultural psyche and some of the pilgrimage sites are so large that the entire subcontinent may be regarded as a sacred place. The majority of Indian people do not believe in killing animals to eat so many of them are vegetarians. Cows are considered to be scared and are not to be eaten. A typical meal is flavored with many spices such as turmeric, coriander, chili, cumin and cardamom. (India. 2009)India is the world’s seventh largest country. It is also the second most populated country in the world. In India, more than 200 languages are spoken and forty percent speak Hindi. The official language is Hindi and English. Over the past 20 years, agriculture and industry have largely expanded. India is one of the world’s top industrialized nations and world’s largest democracy. In India, 600 million people are eligible to vote. The adult literacy rate is 61 percent. Even though it is a fast growing electronics and telecommunications industry, India is still very underdeveloped and many live under the poverty line. According to the Indian Mirror, there is almost an equal number about of men and women. Half of these women are not educated. Because of westernization and approval of education women are now able to start getting their education. Despite its high illiteracy rate, their educational system is one of the best in the world. Physical education is also of high importance in India. They are noted for their skills in science and math. (India. 2009)In India, most marriages are arranged by the parents. Marriage is placed among members of the same social group. The bride’s family has to pay a dowry to the groom and his family. The Hindu weddings are very elaborate and the ceremonies and feastings can last for several days. According to Cultural India. net, The wedding is strictly observed according to ancient culture. A wedding in India is the coming together of two souls and bringing two families together. One of the most sacred customs is the tying of mangalsutra. It is a black and gold beaded necklace with a gold or diamond pendant. It carries great importance in Hindu weddings and in the lives of the married women. There are seven vows known as Saptadi which is performed along Mangalpheras. Magalpheras is the walking around the sacred fire. The vows and Manglapheras must be done in order for a wedding to be complete. According to Indian Mirror, in arranged marriages, the couple will acquaint themselves physically and then discover each other’s personality. They will develop strong bonds of companionship that will last until death. The bride will live with her husband’s family. Rarely do they get a room all for themselves. The bride will sleep with the women, and the groom will sleep with the men of the house. Several generations may share the same house. According to Indian mirror, their social system is based on the Joint Family System. â€Å"The families are closely knit with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons sharing the same spirit, tradition and property. † Because of this, India has the lowest rate of divorces in the world. India. 2009)An Indian woman wears a sari. It is a bright colored silk or cotton that is very long and it is wrapped around the body and draped over the shoulder. The end of the sari is used to cover the head. The man wears a dhoti which is a cotton cloth that is wrapped around the waist and between the legs. (Azadindia. 2010) According to the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI), there are eight Indian states that have poorer people than the 26 poorest African nations combined. The MPI is an assessment that is based upon critical factors such as education, health, ad deprivations. An alarming statistic and contemporary issue is that 1/3rd of the world’s poorest is in India. Over 75 percent of the population is living on less than $2 a day. (Azadindia. 2010) Men are the bread winners and women are to take care of the house hold and bear children. In India, a woman who works has to take care of the family and household duties as well. She will have to hand over her salary to her father, husband or her in-laws. Because of limited education and with technological advancements, this has resulted in retrenchment of women employees. Most women cannot or don’t even consider upgrading their skills. It is easier to terminate a woman’s employment and rehire, so maternity leave is out of the question. The working women are subjected to sexual harassment especially in the public transport system. Men will take advantage of these circumstances to physically harass the women. It is especially difficult for the women if their boss made sexual advances towards them. If the woman refuses these advances, life can be made very difficult for her. If the woman is promoted, others will attribute it to her giving sexual favors. These psychological pressures can lead to the woman quitting her job. (Azadindia. 2010) Women do not get equal treatment from infant stage to their old age when it comes to health. Since their health is of low priority, many women do not seek for help. The women in India are discriminated when it comes to treatment. For example, a man with the same condition would get first attention and treated first. It doesn’t matter if the woman came from a rich family or not. Whether the family is poor or rich, parents are more concerned about the health of the boys than the girls. Because of this attitude, the woman of India’s health is ignored and in turn caused the women to ignore their health. (Azadindia. 2010) A very disturbing issue is the female feticide in India. According to the 2001 census of India, there has been a decline in the child sex ratio for the age group from 0-6 years from 1991 to 2001. Reasons have varied from higher female mortality at a younger age due to neglect. The dismal numbers are a telling comment on the educated society that refuses to rid itself of its regressive male bias. † Many families, rich or poor do not want a girl. They do not want to be burdened with having to pay a dowry to the groom. Although the government has stepped in to advocate a girl’s right to live, many families are still aborting if sex is found out to be a girl. This is an ongoing social and contemporary issue that exists in India. Because many Indian women have been unfairly treated, they can be categorized as a subordinate group. In the past they have belonged to a lower class and subjected to the authority of another. Today even with democracy, many Indian women are still treated this way. Even though they themselves were treated unequally, most still favor the boys over the girls. Gender inequality can be attributed to its socio-economic and religious practices that have resulted in a wide gap between the men and women in society. According to azadinida. org, the idea of how an Indian woman should behave can be traced back to rules laid down by Manu in 200 B. C. : â€Å"by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent. Even though India is known for their hospitality, there is a silent social issue that has been brought to the rest of the world. India is a very traditional country, but India has displayed gender inequality in education, employment, health and life itself. This blessing, â€Å"May you be the mother of a hundred sons. † during Hindu weddings speaks volumes. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.

Democratic Unionist Party: History and Ideology

Democratic Unionist Party: History and Ideology James Montgomery Part A Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. As well as being the largest party in Northern Ireland, they are also currently holding eight seats at Westminster and 38 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. It also has one seat in the European Parliament, where its MEP, Diane Dodds, sits as a Non-Inscrit. History of the Democratic Unionist Party The party was established in 1971 by Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal and other members of the Protestant Unionist Party. Since its foundation it has won seats at local council, province, national and European level. It won eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly of 1973-1974, where it opposed the formation of a power-sharing executive made up of unionists and nationalists following the Sunningdale Agreement. The establishment of this political party arguably stemmed from insecurities of the Protestant working class. The Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP took increasingly divergent stances in multiparty talks in the mid-1990s, and the DUP boycotted the talks when Sinn Fà ©in was admitted in 1997. The product of the talks, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (Belfast Agreement) on steps leading to a new power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, was rejected by the DUP, which denounced the new Northern Ireland Assembly as a dilution of British sovereignty and objected to the inclusion of Sinn Fà ©in in the assembly and the new executive body (the Northern Ireland Executive Committee) and to the release of paramilitary prisoners. Paisley was then elected as one of Northern Irelands three European Parliament members at the first elections in 1979 and retained that seat in every European election until 2004. In 2004 Paisley was replaced as the DUP MEP by Jim Allister, who resigned from the party in 2007 while retaining his seat. It has long been the principal rival to the other major unionist party, the Ulster Unionist Party (known for a time in the 1970s and 1980s as the Official Unionist Party (OUP) to distinguish it from the then multitude of other unionist parties, some set up by deposed former leaders). However, the DUPs main rivals are currently Sinn Fà ©in. Ideology The DUP describes itself as â€Å"right wing in the sense of being strong on the constitution,† but â€Å"to the left on social policies,† though it has regularly adopted conservative positions on most social issues. Its constituency spans rural communities in Northern Ireland and inner-city working-class areas and includes some deeply religious groups, a fact that reflects the fundamentalism and anti-Catholicism of the party’s leader. The DUP staunchly supports union with Britain. Citing the territorial claims in the Irish constitution, which the party viewed as illegal and a threat to the security and religious freedom of Protestants in Northern Ireland, the DUP traditionally avoided all contact with the Irish government. In the early 21st century, however, the party moderated its stance on a number of issues, most notably its long-time opposition to Sinn Fà ©in’s participation in any power-sharing institution. Democratic Unionist Party Policies Housing The case for investment in housing is a compelling one. House building has a hugely positive impact upon the local economy, creating and sustaining jobs not just in the construction sector, but also in professional services and retail. A safe, secure and warm home also produces health and educational benefits. The DUP say they would seek to: â€Å"Examine how a single regulator for the whole housing sector could be created† I actually disagree with this policy as I believe multiple regulators would be rather more successful and fortuitous in the long term. I don’t see any benefits from having just a single regulating group for this sector. Wouldn’t the roles and responsibilities be better carried out and completed if they were given to individual specialists? â€Å"Seek to extend the programme of installing carbon monoxide monitors in social homes† As recent building regulations in Northern Ireland dictate, all new homes must be built with carbon monoxide alarms, due to the large number of fatalities that the poisonous gas is causing, especially in Northern Ireland. The DUP have made this a policy of theirs which will either stricken the regulations or expand them, ensuring every household with in â€Å"x† number of years has at least one. This policy could only be seen as a positive and really a necessity. â€Å"Engage with telecommunications companies with a view to developing a roll out programme to provide affordable broadband access in social housing† â€Å"Assist first time buyers including through a graduate home loan scheme for those with degrees in subjects crucial to improving our economy such as STEM, finance and business† Environment The DUP’s environmental policy places emphasis on promoting renewable energy, reducing pollution and preserving the Province’s countryside and wildlife. As well as the DUP saying they plan for Northern Ireland to reach a carbon neutral state they also mention that that their ministers would seek to: Aim to secure 40% of our energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, assisting small scale renewable energy generation, ensuring simplified processes to secure approval for renewable projects, publishing a Northern Ireland Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy and seeking to establish the Province as a renewable manufacturing hub â€Å"Support Research and Development in renewable and low carbon technologies† â€Å"Increase the number of schools involved in the Eco-Schools programme† â€Å"Promote low energy lighting and fittings in public buildings† Planning The DUP aims to improve quality of life across the Province through measures that will empower communities to help themselves, assist the most disadvantaged people whilst also in the process of regenerating urban areas. They also point out that just one poorly maintained property can drag an entire estate or area down so they claim that they will explore means for agencies to carry out any necessary work and be compensated retrospectively when individuals persistently fail to maintain acceptable standards. They also plan on: Working with housing associations to scope out the potential to enhance their role in developing affordable housing and regenerating communities, whilst seeking to achieve optimum efficiency through consolidation and procurement Economic The last Programme for Government prioritised the economy. The DUP say that they will pursue the same approach over the current Assembly term, as they seek to assist the Province to emerge strongly from the recession. The DUP also say that they will have the economy and employment as two of their key priorities for the incoming four years, as they claim they will focus on: â€Å"Seek to increase exports by 50% over the next decade by supporting first-time exporters and assisting companies to diversify into new markets† â€Å"Seek to increase exports by 50% over the next decade by supporting first-time exporters and assisting companies to diversify into new markets† â€Å"Encourage firms from the Far East and elsewhere to locate European bases in Northern Ireland† â€Å"Offer student loan relief for individuals who commit to working in the Province for ten years† â€Å"Maximise benefits from the significant capital investment in tourism, particularly in 2012 with the Titanic and Ulster Covenant anniversaries and the opening of a new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre, and Londonderry’s Year as the UK’s City of Culture in 2013†

Batik Essay -- essays research papers

Batik   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elaborately decorated fabrics and patterns can be seen almost everywhere in the world today. Batiking is a type of decorated fabric, which usually depicts motifs of flowers, birds, butterflies and other natural objects, or simple geometric forms. These designs are rich in symbolic heritage and variety; to date there are over three thousand recorded batik patterns. To perform the art of batiking, one must know a little about its origin, the necessary materials, and the method of creating a batik.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The technique of â€Å"batik† itself is Indonesian in origin; the word â€Å"batik† is an Indonesian-Malay word that means â€Å"to dot.† The art of batiking is more than a millennium old. There are evidences that cloth decorated through a form of resistant technique was used early AD in West African, Middle-Eastern, and Asian communities. Over the past two or three centuries, batik has become one of the best means of expression, spiritually and culturally, in the values of Southeast Asia. This means of coloring and decorating textiles has even reached a higher degree of excellence in the island of Java. From Java, batik cloth has been exported to many other islands, spreading the batiking art around, which is how it is so well known, as are most of the items used to create it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A number of different materials are used when creating a batik. The primary requirements are cloth, wax, various colored dyes a...