Saturday, August 31, 2019

Dying of Breast Cancer in the 1800s

Breast cancer is a disease that devastates so many women in our society each year. The catastrophic toll that it had on women in the 1800’s was much more traumatizing than it is today. Robert Shadle and James S. Olson give us a vivid picture of what breast cancer in the 1800’s was like in their essay entitled, â€Å"Dying of Breast Cancer in the 1800s. † The authors of this incredible essay describe the life of â€Å"Nabby† Adams, the daughter of John and Abigail Adams. The essay gives us a detailed account from the beginning to the end of Nabby’s fight with cancer. Nabby and Colonel William Smith were married in June of 1786 and they would go on to later have three children. Colonel Smith was not one to settle down, moving from America to London, from London back to America, spending entirely too much money that he did not have. In the year of 1808 Nabby found a small dimple on her breast that she thought was probably just the sign of old age. It turns out that that dimple was actually a malignant tumor rapidly spreading throughout her body. In the year of 1809 Nabby noticed that the â€Å"old age† dimple had turned into a solid lump hidden in her breast and as time went on the lump slowly grew in size. Nabby went from physician to physician consulting them on what to do, and none of the remedies seemed to work. So in 1811 Nabby returned to Quincy, Massachusetts where her parents resided and contacted Dr. Benjamin Rush, a family friend and a famous skilled physician. Dr. Rush advised Nabby to have surgery immediately. Nabby consented to the idea although she was rather timid. Surgery in these days was not the same as it is today. Today there is a vast amount of research that goes into each particular surgery; in those days it was the complete opposite. Today we have sanitation procedures, while back then they did not know anything about sanitation! And the biggest difference in surgeries between the two time periods is the use of anesthesia. In the 1800’s the use of anesthesia was not present, this meant that patients were wide-awake during the procedure. The graphic depiction of Nabby Adams strapped to the chair with the doctor on top slashing at the breast and pulling out the cancerous cells was an account that made my stomach turn upside down. The grueling pain that she must have felt and then to later find out that it was all for nothing. In the 1800’s, most cases after a patient goes under the knife within the next couple of days they are susceptible to devastating infections. Although this did not occur for Nabby, I can not say the same for a large portion of the women during this time. Nabby’s life was severely altered after the procedure though, she was unable to perform her normal day-to-day life and the use of her left arm was completely gone. The surgery completely changed her life for the worse and on August 9th of 1813 at the age of forty-six Nabby Adams passed away. This article completely changed my view on breast cancer. Before reading the article I was under the impression that breast cancer today was not a very dangerous cancer and was easily curable as long as you caught it early. I would see the pink cleats, gloves, and mouthpieces in the NFL games and just think that it was mainly for show. But after seeing that 50,000 women die from breast cancer each year in our day and age made me realize that that is not the case and that number was even more devastating during the 1800’s. Cancer is a disease that is affecting our community daily. This article shows that it doesn’t matter who are, if your parents are the founders of our country or not, anyone can get cancer. I would say that the article was definitely worth reading, it gave me significant insight on how breast cancer affected women in the 1800’s.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Global Warming Introduction Essay Essay

Many researchers, scientists, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the earth. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as â€Å"global warming.† This paper will attempt to explore this very issue. Climate is defined as the analysis of accumulated weather data for long term patterns and trends. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines change as, â€Å"To make or become different.† Climate change is therefore defined as â€Å"long-term weather patterns and trends becoming different over an extended period of time.† For example, if the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 20th century is significantly higher or lower than the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 19th century, this would be an example of climate change. Changes in climate can result from both natural events and human activities. Examples of natural causes of climate change are volcanic eruptions, variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun, and variations in solar output (Ahrens, 485-491). Examples of human-induced causes of climate change include industrial pollutants and fossil fuels (Rhodes, 116), warming of average annual temperatures due to urbanization (Eichenlaub, 163), and changes in the earth’s albedo due to deforestation of tropical rainforests (Geiger, 320). Climate change in the context of this paper refers to changes that result from human activities, especially as these changes relate to the issue of global warming. Of special importance is the â€Å"greenhouse gas† effect which is defined as, â€Å"The trapping of thermal emissions from the earth’s surface by human-induced greenhouse gases† (He). If global warming is indeed happening, it is the greenhouse gas effect that is believ ed to be the most responsible. There are some scientists who do not believe that there is enough evidence to support the idea of global warming. They assert that concerns about global warming have been blown well out of proportion by the media. At the same time, other scientists assert that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that industrial activities, automobile emissions, and technological pollutants may eventually result in dangerous (and even deadly) trends in the overall global climate. This paper will attempt to address this concern by analyzing some of the scientific studies that have been published in major meteorology journals. Our atmosphere consists of many gases. Some of these gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, naturally absorb long-wave radiation that is emitted from the earth’s surface. Short-wave solar radiation enters the earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth’s surface. This radiation is then recycled and emitted as long wave terrestrial radiation. Gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb this radiation, hold it in the atmosphere, and keep the temperature of the earth warmer than it would otherwise be if there wasn’t an atmosphere. This is what meteorologists refer to as the â€Å"natural greenhouse effect† (Mower). Problems could potentially arise, however, when human activities add additional trace gases into the atmosphere that also absorb out-going long-wave radiation. These additional trace gases include methane, chlorofloro carbons, nitrous oxide, aerosols, ozone, and carbon dioxide. The result is an increase in the amount of long-wave radiation that is being trapped by the atmosphere. It is believed that this could eventually increase the average overall global temperature. Carbon dioxide â€Å"†¦is considered the trace gas of greatest importance because of the substantial increase in its atmospheric concentration as well as its probable continued rise due to global consumption of fossil fuels† (Rhodes, 116). It is clear from looking at the evidence that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere. Observations of carbon dioxide concentrations are available for several locations. Over the period of 1973 to 1982, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in Barrow, Alaska rose steadily from 332.6 parts per million (ppm) to 342.8 parts per million (Geiger, 110-111). This is not isolated to Barrow, Alaska. Records from other locations, such as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, are confirming that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing in the atmosphere at a dramatic rate. Continuous instrument records for atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations date back to the 1950’s at the Mauna Loa observatory (Michaels, 1564). In 1958, the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was only 316 parts per million (ppm). Preindustrial carbon dioxide concentrations are believed to be 279 parts per million (Michaels, 1564), and the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1990 was 353 parts per million (Rhodes, 116). However, as one author points out, the fact that we are dealing with significant changes in carbon dioxide does not automatically mean that we are looking at a serious problem (Lindzen, 288). This author points out that carbon dioxide is a † †¦minor atmospheric constituent and as such, its variations might not be notably impo rtant.† He goes on to say that there are a number of things that increasing levels of carbon dioxide could effect and influence, including in ways that are beneficial. For example, † †¦at altitudes of 25 km to 90 km, the atmosphere is cooled primarily by thermal radiation emitted to space by carbon dioxide. Increasing carbon dioxide should cool these regions, and this, in turn, should lead to increasing concentrations of ozone at these levels. Increasing carbon dioxide might also stimulate the growth of vegetation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lindzen, 288-289). While there are indeed some possible benefits to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, â€Å"†¦the main concerns have focused on the possibility that increasing carbon dioxide might significantly warm our climate† (Lindzen, 289). One author wrote that there is â€Å"†¦general agreement that increasing carbon dioxide will produce warming due to its ability to absorb in the infrared radiation† (Lindzen, 289). There are studies that have indicated that no significant change in the overall global climate has yet taken place. For example, a study that was done by P. W. Spencer and J. R. Christy, using temperature records from the period of 1979 through 1990, showed a global trend of only +0.04 degrees Celsius per decade (Michaels, 1566). Other studies showed that the Northern Hemisphere has had no significant warming, while the Southern Hemisphere has had a slight temperature increase in the order of 0.2 degrees Celsius since the 1950’s (Michaels, 1566). Patrick J. Michaels speculates that the reason that we have not seen a significant increase in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere is because of the balancing effect of anthropogenerated sulfates going into the atmosphere as a result of industrial pollution. Anthropogenerated sulfates have a cooling effect on the atmosphere because of their ability to reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. Michaels explains this in more d etail when he writes, â€Å"Because anthropogenerated sulfates are primarily produced and reside in the Northern Hemisphere, we may therefore be equaling the current enhanced greenhouse forcing †¦ with actual negative forcing in the hemisphere that contains most of the world’s population† (Michaels, 1573). This lead to the obvious question of whether or not the lack of a significant increase in global temperature should be taken as evidence that we should not be concerned about the issue. William W. Kellog of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado has written an article called â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming† in which he responds to many of the objections that have been raised against global warming. Kellog points out that â€Å"†¦five or so of the most advanced climate models, developed over a period of many years by top notch teams, have all come to essentially the same conclusion: The global average surface temperature would probably rise by about 2 to 5 K if the greenhouse gas concentration were maintained at double the pre-industrial revolution level† (Kellog, 500). Kellog suggests that the reason that we have not seen a change as of yet in the overall warming is because of a temperature lag of several decades â€Å"†¦due in large part to the large heat capacity of the oceans of the world† (Kellog, 500). He asserts that the evidence is still in favor of the fact that, sooner or later, a serious warming of the climate will occur. References Ahrens, C. Donald. Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 5th Edition. New York: West Publishing Company, 1995. Eichenlaub, Val L., Jay R. Haman, Fred V. Nurnberger, and Hans J. Stolle. The Climatic Atlas of Michigan. University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1990. Geiger, Rudolf, Robert H. Aron, Paul Todhunter. The Climate Near the Ground, 5th Edition. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedr, Veiweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft, 1995. He, Chansheng. Classroom notes presented verbally in Natural Resource Management, GEOG 555. Western Michigan University, winter 1999. Kellog, William W. â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 74, Number 4 (April 1991), pp. 499-511. Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press: New York, 1980. Lindzen, Richard S. â€Å"Some Coolness Concerning Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 71, Number 3 (March 1990), pp. 288-299. Michaels, Patrick J. â€Å"Global Warming: A Reduced Threat?† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 73, Number 10 (October 1992), pp. 1563-1577. Mower, R. Neil. Classroom notes presented verbally in Physical Meteorology, ESC 530. Central Michigan University, autumn 1996. Rhodes, Steven L. â€Å"Climate and Environmental Degradation of the Great Lakes.† Journal of Environmental Systems. Volume 22, Number 2, pp. 105-122.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Foreign Investment and Joint Ventures in China Essay

Foreign Investment and Joint Ventures in China - Essay Example oming in of foreign investment can only be remarked as being positive, in the right direction and one that is aimed at the betterment of the common Chinese populace. The environment of foreign investment is such that even the US investors have started putting their money in the reserves of the Chinese threshold. [Robinson, 1987] They have understood that the future is with China and hence it gives all the more reason for them to put their money where the coming times are favored more. Being an Asian giant, it draws a lot of foreign investment from its Asian neighbors as well as that from Japan, which similarly has rose a lot in the economic sectors since it was bombarded in the Second World War in 1945. Apart from that, joint ventures are the name of the game with Chinese neighbors like India, Pakistan and Russian States investing heavily in fields like ammunition, artillery, roads, heavy transport bridges and so on and so forth. [Li, 2003] Add to that, technology remains one of the main factors for which the foreign investors turn towards the Chinese markets and as is expected and predicted, in the years to come, more and more people would turn towards them as the future looks bright. There are as such very little or negligible restrictions or clauses in the wake of investing in the Chinese markets and thus it gives all the more reason for the foreign players to call China their second home, especially when investments are concerned. China has attracted foreign investment of late by sending its troupes of investors and high profile businessmen who give presentations and tell the people of the country they are visiting about the benefits that they could draw from investing within China. [Beltz, 1995] More than that, it is a plus point that the people from different countries visit China themselves to give in their money. This could only be termed a positive sign and one on which Chinese government is proud of. [Kapuria-Foreman, 2003] With regards to the WTO pact

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

History of Policing in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History of Policing in America - Essay Example However, as colonies shifted into towns, as well as towns into big cities, the Justice of the Peace organization was not sufficient. It was time for a well structured and salaried police service unit. Nevertheless, during that time, there were no policewomen. Boston initiated Night Watch in the early 1600s, which worked logically well in areas where the settlers embraced a rural culture, as well as an agrarian lifestyle (London, 2006). New York City, on the other hand, in 1651, set up the Shout and Rattle Watch, but, in 1705, Philadelphia thought that it was necessary to split the city into ten patrol regions. This was, in reality, the first stab in the United States at "controlled law enforcement" as it was worth the effort (London, 2006). Sometime between the Civil Wars and Revolutionary, the over-rapid increase of industrialization and population in the United States mandated the development of metropolitan police departments. Philadelphia, in 1833, prepared an independent, 24/7 watch squad (London, 2006). In 1844, New York, in 1844, maintained two police units, one unit worked during the day and the other one took their shift at night. During this time, police departments were run by police chiefs, chosen and answerable to political bosses inharmoniously comparable to what was observed in the black and white police films of the 1950s. Corruption ran out of control. Another law enforcement technique that American inherited from Britain was The Sheriff System. As America migrated west, in a majority frontier townships, the sheriff was the main law enforcement officer (London, 2006). He could be hired from the local community, or more regularly a Sheriff was elected by his repute and the gloomier the representative, th e more likely he was to be selected.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Corporate Compliance Plan Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Compliance Plan Paper - Essay Example These risks include financial malpractice, product liability amongst others. This is the reason why this company needs a control plan to ensure that it has sound business objectives and can manage its risks effectively and in accordance with the laws. This document is going to describe the control plan of Riordan Manufacturing Company. The control plan is in line with the principles that were identified by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The control components that Riordan will use are also included in this control plan and are in accordance with the ones identified by the above commission. A company of Riordan’s status is bound to experience enterprise risks of varying magnitude, and that is the reason that the enterprise risk management plan of this company will be provided. It is important to identify the roles that will be played by various personnel in the company as far as the implementation of this control plan is concerned. These responsibilities will be identified. The limitations and weaknesses of enterprise risk management will also be included in the paper. A control plan has to take into consideration the enterprise risk management that is particular to that company. These are the methods and processes that are employed by any organization in order to deal with risks that are detrimental to the achievement of the company’s objectives and goals (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission [COSO], 2004). Not only does the company use these methods to manage the risks particular to it, but it also uses it to take advantage of opportunities that avail themselves to it. This is because every risk has the potential of hindering the achievement of a particular goal or presenting an opportunity to the company. The process of risk management is adopted by the directors of the company. It is used by

Monday, August 26, 2019

Principles of Dental Hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Dental Hygiene - Essay Example Critics of fluoridation say that past research is biased and outdated. Proponents of fluoridation cite their own research and insist that fluoridation has proven itself useful and safe in preventing dental decay. Both sides have creditable supporters and the conflict has no straightforward solution. With the question of whether fluoridation has a proven health benefit to people, comes the issue of individual rights. There exists argument that the rights of individuals are violated when they are forced to consume fluoridated water. Some have gone so far in protest as to acquire their own sources for unfluoridated water. As a result of the debate over the effectiveness and health risks of fluoridation, there is a belief that the By 1992, nearly 60% of the American public consumed water from fluoridated sources. Fluoridation began in the US in 1945 and has since been implemented in almost every major city. The Center for Disease Control (CDC, 1999) lists the fluoridation of drinking water as one of the top ten advancements made in American public health since 1900. Evidence suggests that ingested fluoride systemically prevents tooth decay while teeth develop. Topical application to mature teeth has also shown to reduce tooth loss in adults. . Fluoride strengthens teeth and makes them more decay-resistant. Fluoride acts on the enamel of teeth. The enamel is made less soluble and plaque-forming organisms have a reduced ability to produce acid. Remineralization also occurs in areas where acids have caused demineralization. The ADA fully endorses fluoridation of community water sources and recommends dietary fluoride supplements for children aging from six months to sixteen years old living in non-fluoridated areas. Tooth decay, also known as dental caries, is a health problem that has plagued human kind for centuries. Up until 60 years ago, the damage caused by Fluoridation 4 caries was an inevitable fact of life for most people. The disease often meant many visits to the dentist where damaged and painful teeth were repaired or removed. Today, primarily as a result of fluoride, damage caused by decay can be reduced and, in many instances, prevented. Fluorides' benefits for teeth were discovered in the 1930's. Dental scientists observed remarkably low decay rates among people whose water supplies contained significant amounts of natural fluoride. Several studies conducted during the 1940s and 1950s confirmed that when a small amount of fluoride is added to the community water supply, decay rates among residents of that community decrease. Although these studies focused primarily on the benefits of water fluoridation for children, more recent studies demonstrate that decay rates in adults are also reduced as a result of fluoride in the drinking water. Water fluoridation prevents tooth decay in two ways. The first is through direct contact with teeth and the second is by systemic absorption in the body. The most inexpensive way to deliver the benefits of fluoride to all residents of a community is through water fluoridation. All water naturally contains some fluoride. When a

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Answer to legal problem questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Answer to legal problem questions - Essay Example While in the case of Daniels V. Anderson6 involving similar facts, Daniels counter-sued by alleging that the Board failed to discharge their duty of care and diligence. The Court held that auditors and executive directors are liable in negligence since they had no mechanism in place allowing the directors to monitor the audit which contributed to failure to report the irregularities. Further, it ruled that the test for the breach of duty of care was objective. The court laid down mandatory duties for directors: to acquire basic standard of understanding of the company’s business; under a continuing obligation to keep informed of the company’s activities; undertake a â€Å"general monitoring† of the company’s affairs; and understand the financial status of the company. The case of ASIC V Rich7 affirmed the decision in Daniels8 line of cases regarding the required duty of care and skill among directors. While the case of Clark9 held that there is a â€Å"co re, irreducible requirement† of involvement among directors in the management of the corporation which prohibits â€Å"sleeping or passive directors†. Applying these cases, the suit filed by the auditor against DD, WW and SS shall prosper for failure to exercise the standard of care and diligence required under S180. Their negligence caused damage to NatureWorld for failure to monitor the financial condition of the company and to conduct a â€Å"general monitoring† of the company’s affairs. The Corporation should file a case against the auditor, DD, WW and SS, as executive directors for breaching the standard of care and diligence required under S180, which provides a civil liability provision, for the damage incurred by the corporation brought about by such breach. Facts/Issues: One of the employees of the company, Noi Dea was negligent while conducting a tour,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Historical Points of Organizational Change Coursework

Historical Points of Organizational Change - Coursework Example Organizational change has its biggest paradox in the fact that its peak production period is probably time to start implementing significant change. Finally, there is limited knowledge on how to implement organization change. However, organization change is inevitable and must be managed in order to attain the best out of it. While planned organizational change occurs according to steps, the real change does not. One historical perspective of organizational change is industrial and organizational psychology (Burke, 2009). In the time before and just after WWII, industrial psychology only dealt with military, industrial, and business organizations. Its major thrust dealt with testing and studies focused on efficiency and morale. Industrial psychology in the late 1940s to the early 1950s dealt with psychological test development and supervisory training. In 1953, Fleishman carried out studies to determine whether the behaviors and attitudes of the supervisors would change after a two week program. Two leadership actions were reflected by tests; initiation of structure and consideration of a leader’s subordinates. However, training can only be effective if the organization has the climate to support the training goals. Industrial psychologists have increased comprehension of organizational change during WWII and beyond. Another perspective into organizational change comes from the systems theory, introduced in 1950 by Van Bertalanffy (Langer et al, 2009). The theory approaches the organizations as interdependent parts with specific functions, as well as interrelated responsibilities. The emphasis with the perspective in organizational change is that real systems interact with, and are open to, acquisition of new properties via emergence, leading to continual evolution. Instead of bringing down an organization to its

Channel Strategies and the Value Chain Assignment

Channel Strategies and the Value Chain - Assignment Example he different channel strategies and value chain within an organization is essential in improvising the advantages of the process units with a functional or operational unit. An example is that is single input is required by different organizational units, the benefits which can be obtained here will involve creating one function to purchase, store and distribute that single unit to other business units within the organization. Further, this will aid towards cost reduction processes within the organization making the role of the channel strategies indisputable within the value chain (Osterwalder, Pigneur & Tucci, 2005). Automotive industry is affected by the effects of growth going global and supply chains. An analysis into the effects of growth going global reveals that unlike before where automotive industries would assemble their products in one place, the change towards growth going global has led to shift within the automotive industry as they now diffuse their products, services, technology and employees across national borders therefore decreasing their supply chain. When there is a reduction in the supply chain, it means a considerable reduction in the distribution strategy is realized therefore automotive industries benefits from this as their revenue is increased because of the affordability of their products to consumers. Most automotive industries therefore obtains leverage within the channel and the value chain by opening up their sub branches in different areas to help in cutting down the costs associated with such things like transport and distribution of products therefore making th eir product effective in the market as prices charged on these products are always proportional to the cost incurred in the production process (McClendon & Robinson, 2013). A good example is that increased consumption of automotive products, leads to an increase in demand to order variability in the supply chain which is being amplified as it moves up the supply chain

Friday, August 23, 2019

Indian Culture and American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Indian Culture and American Culture - Essay Example It is only when we understand the differences and similarities between the cultures of the two nations; we can better understand why people behave as they normally do. In the below paragraphs, the essay tries to examine the contrasts and similarities People respond to colors in different ways and this greatly has to do with the cultural backgrounds they are from. In the American culture, black signifies death and mourning. Worn mainly due to the weather conditions, it also refers to formality and sophistication that reflects in dressing. However in the Indian culture, black signifies mourning, evil influences and penance. In certain cultures, completely black attires are worn by men for a chosen number of days in form of penance. White in the US signifies purity and life. However in India, the meanings are contradictory and white suggests peace, marriage and mourning all at once. In Southern part of India, women wear traditional white saris on the day of the wedding. In times of someone's death, white is also seen to be worn by widows. Blue color refers to trust and stability in American culture while in India it refers to calmness. Besides individual colors, combinations also have diverse meanings in the two religions. Red, white and blue remind Americans of the native flag and convey patriotism while in India the same patriotism comes through saffron, white and green (colors of the Indian national flag). The colors red and green represent prosperity and marriage in India and refer to Christmas in America. Red and yellow are considered auspicious in India as they represent kumkum2 and turmeric, two ingredients imperative for every Indian wedding. However in America, colors of red, orange and yellow signify warmth and thanksgiving. Religions The freedom of religion is seen to be prevalent and a common point between the diverse cultures of India and America. In India, the major religious communities include Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. Among all religions, Hinduism is most prevalent as the 'religion of India' (Ellwood, 1992) with its origin dating to over 4000 years ago. Over 672.6 million people in India are Hindus and they believe in 330 million different Gods, Goddesses and incarnations. Thousands of beautiful temples have been constructed for these Gods and each day of the week is dedicated to a special God. Mosques, churches and gurudwaras (holy places for Sikhs) coexist in all cities and people from different religions go to their respective places of worship. In India religion plays an important role for many people in taking decisions about their personal lives, professional lives, and even food habits. For example, in many parts of South India, families do not eat onion and gar lic, as their religion dominates so. While in certain fasts certain food items and vegetables are avoided, there are various seasons where certain food items are considered to be good for consumption. Yagnas3 are a popular means to appease the Gods and are conducted for varied purposes like for getting rain during drought, attaining prosperity or for winning a cricket match. While no specific religion is imposed on people, many follow the religion of their forefathers. In many cases people are seen to convert to another religion (usually from Hinduism to

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Consider Laertess contribution to the theme of revenge Essay Example for Free

Consider Laertess contribution to the theme of revenge Essay Of the various parallels between Hamlet and Laertes is one of the most telling. From the beginning of the play we see the two in comparable situations, each young men of the court, each seeking university, each spied on by Polonius, each (it would appear) loving Ophelia, in different ways. Therefore, when Laertes finds himself in Hamlets position of having a father murdered, the audience watches with interest to see how he will react, and how this will compare with Hamlets behaviour in the same situation. In fact, although Hamlet points out that: by the image of my cause I can see The portraiture of his Laertes reaction to murder of his father is very different from hamlets, and indeed he is everything which Hamlet rebukes himself for failing to b. He forms the very epitome of a traditional avenger, and almost everything he does forms a contrast with what Hamlet does not do. Immediately as he returns to the court in a riotous head, having recruited a rabble, to aid him in his revenge. Thus we see that he finds both opportunity and means to destroy his fathers supposed murderer as soon as he possibly can. It is sometimes argued that Hamlet has little opportunity, doing the first two acts of the play, at least, to confront Claudius and exact his revenge. However, it is clear that particularly since he is loved by the distracted multitude Hamlet might have actively created such an opportunity for himself, just as Laertes does. Furthermore Laertes is determined that he will dare damnation in order to revenge his father. This is very important when soliloquy beginning, To be or not to be, in which he confesses that the dread of something after death is, in part, what makes him lose the name of action, for again we see hamlets attitude to his task differs radically from that of a traditional avenger. This is also apparent when Laertes says that he would cut (Hamlets) throat I th church ! , since we are immediately reminded that Hamlet refused to kill Claudius, when given the perfect opportunity, because he was in prayer. Hamlets refusal to kill Claudius at this time (because his prayers make him fit and seasoned to go to heaven which is hardly a fitting revenge for a man who has sent his brother to be judged with his crimes broad blown) may if we decide that they are more than just another rationalization (an entirely debatable point in itself) prove that Hamlet reflects more carefully than Laertes on the business of revenge and that he is more caught up in the need for a perfect and fitting revenge. Nevertheless Laertes clear opinion that Revenge should have no bounds, and his immediate and unhesitating action, in comparison with Hamlets continual prevarication, persuade us that he is the more effective avenger. Laertes falls into the same category as Fortinbras, who with his unimproved mettle hot and full seeks revenge on Denmark for winning and taking control of what had been his fathers lands, and Pyrrhus, who brutally kills an old and defenceless man in the name of revenge. All these characters unhesitating and decisive action, and what seems to be their lack of fear at the consequences, throw Hamlets indecisiveness very much into relief, for whilst he can only unpack (his) heart with words, they can sweep to revenge as he longs to. However, it is \Claudius, not Laertes, who actually states that Revenge should have no bounds, which is not only ironic, since it is Hamlets hesitation alone which has saved him so far, but I feel also has sinister undertones, since one would hardly have put such words into the mouth of the clearest villain of the play without implying that this sentiment is also, somehow, villainous. Of course, as Claudius is here manipulating Laertes strong desire for revenge, it would be unwise to attach too much importance to this point, but it is nevertheless interesting to examine our attitude to Laertes attitude towards revenge as opposed to Hamlets. After all, the impetuous approach of the former allows him to believe: ; The people muddied, Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers. Thus he promptly accuses the wrong man (Claudius, rather than Hamlet) of killing his father. Compare this with Hamlet well aware that all is not necessarily what it seems in Denmark who creates an elaborate plan to catch the conscience of the king before he proceeds. It might also appear to the audience that Laertes defiance of damnation is more to do with a lack of reflection on the undiscovered country than courage in facing it. After all, as hamlet points out: the native hue of resolution Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought Laertes is all resolution, untroubled by the words and thoughts, which impede hamlets action. (We never see Laertes in soliloquy, of course, because he is morally certain of what he must do, and does not explore the subject further. ) However, we possibly feel some sympathy with the view that: blest are those Whose blood and judgement are so well co meddled That they are not a pipe for Fortunes finger. Ironically, these words, spoken by Hamlet in praise of Horatio, actually describe the former in some respects, and particularly when we see him in comparison with Laertes. After all, whilst his endless reflection might appear to serve, at times, only to exacerbate and rationalize his delay, at least he can only rarely be accused of being rash. Laertes believes that, That drop of blood thats calm proclaims me bastard. However, this rage, this refusal to reason calmly and to reflect on what has happened, allows the slippery Claudius to manipulate Laertes for his own ends, leading to the treachery which destroys Claudius and Laertes themselves, and Gertrude, as well Hamlet. Ultimately, there is a certain nobility t be found in the exchange of forgiveness between hamlet and Laertes (the final link the latters assurance that: Mine and my fathers death come not upon thee, Nor thine on me! Which is greater than Laertes revengeful triumph over Hamlet. This is not to say that Shakespeares presentation of Laertes serves entirely as an indictment of the process of revenge. Both hamlet and Laertes speak of the honour of revenge, and finally does kill Claudius, that he is justly served. However, I can feel that considering Laertes contribution to the theme of revenge is only useful when seen alongside hamlets reaction to the same theme, and perhaps this portrayal of a traditional avenger who is only useful when seen alongside hamlets reaction to the same theme, and perhaps this portrayal of a traditional avenger who is rash, manipulative and finally self-destructive, allows us to see hamlet in a more favourable light when he is unable to assume the same role as traditional avenger.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Reflective Essay on Personal Performance

Reflective Essay on Personal Performance OLORUNKEMI ONIKOYIÂ   PORTFOLIO SUMMARY (REFLECTIVE ESSAY) This essay is a reflective account on the progress I have made during the on-going nursing training programme I have embarked upon. The areas I intend to cover include the usefulness of assessment feedback for facilitating growth and for understanding the areas that need to be improved in my learning, the extent of the development of key transferable skills, an overview of meetings with my personal development tutor and issues related to my personal learning. Finally, areas for future development will be identified with a view on how to address them, all of which will go towards improving my personal and indeed professional development. Individuals may spend a lot of time thinking over experiences they have had and things they have to do. However, within nursing it is believed that in order to progress, these thoughts should be turned into guided reflection enabling one to improve them in the future. The essential purpose of reflective practice is to enable the practitioner to access, understand and learn through, his or her lived experiences and, as a consequence, to take ‘congruent action towards developing increasing effectiveness within the context of what is understood as desirable practice’ (Johns 2000, p3). As a mature student with experience of an access course I felt I had developed self-discipline, which is important for effective learning. Throughout this course I have gradually developed strength and confidence in all the transferable skills, such as communication, effective learning, and teamwork and information technology. These skills have been developed through both the coursework and the placement.. I felt confident about my verbal communication whereas I was concerned about my literacy skills which are impeded by my dyslexia. In my case dyslexia results in poor spelling, grammatical errors and difficulties with organising work. It should not affect my understanding of my subject, although it can take me time to absorb what I read. The course has helped me to recognize the importance of all aspects of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, such as body language, touch, facial expression and eye contact. It has shown me how crucial non-verbal communication can be in expressing meaning. During my placement visit at the hospital I put into practice my communication skills which enabled me to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. For example, while I was working in the ward with a staff nurse, I observed through facial expression that a patient was in pain. I went over to ask her what the problem was. She told me she was in pain. I immediately reported it to the nurse in charge. After this, I made her comfortable and continued to communicate with the patients. From this scenario I have learnt that good communication skills are important in delivering health care services. Good therapeutic communication can help to relieve patient pain and anxiety. I believe the best way of learning is to become an autonomous learner which in itself requires good communication skills and discipline. During this course, I have developed good time management skills, especially for meeting deadlines in submission of assignments and for combining studying with domestic demands. Initially, accessing the internet and using the electronic searching method was a bit difficult but it became clearer with the help of the IT workshop. It also helped greatly when finding articles needed for annotated bibliography assignment. Having to do presentations is another effective way of learning because it provides an opportunity to research the topic and then teach others. I prepared a research presentation and I knew little about the components that would make the type of presentation successful. I experienced some nervousness because I find it difficult to face an audience and deliver a speech but with the help of the tutor’s feedback I am beginning to wo rk on my fears and confidence by becoming involved in group discussion. My IT skills have improved quite considerably since the beginning of this module. I knew how to use e-mail, Microsoft word and various ways to search for information. The IT sessions have contributed greatly, so much, now have the confidence to use the internet regularly. I have also learnt how to use database and PowerPoint I will continue to build on what I have learnt and improve on it because the technology is updating frequently and it is necessary to keep up with this trend. (See appendix). Carrying out a literature search during an assignment, taught me how to use the search engines using keywords in order to find relevant articles. Carrying out a literature review has given me an insight into what research involves the ways in which research can be carried out and the different methodology that is used. I now understand that academic articles are peer reviewed before being published in reputable journals. Assessment feedback is an important part of learning. It gives the student an awareness of what they can do and what needs to be improved, in both written and practical work Whilst evaluating my feedback sheet on the role and function of health related organization, Module IPH1625, I felt that the mark received was above my expectations which left me feeling positive and motivated to continue the good steady progress. I found the research section of the essay quite challenging and spent many hours preparing my essay. Fortunately the organization that I had picked was of great interest to me as British heart foundation was an organization that dealt and helped people from all walks of life. The fact that this topic was of interest to me made it much easier for me to discuss and write about it with passion, and I could really express how I felt about the issues involved. Through the feedback received, I realized that I had addressed all areas of the marking criteria to an effective lev el. Having not previously shown my work to my module leader, to my surprise the contents of my work was above standard and very well done. My dyslexia is a worry regarding typographical errors which I may not notice. To combat this I used the computers grammatical and spelling checkers as well as showing my essays to my dyslexia tutor who helped me to proof reading. I was thrilled to see that in the feedback given, my grammar, spelling and punctuation was not seen as a problem. It is very motivating to receive this kind of feedback and the self satisfaction left me with a positive feeling which I hoped to maintain. (See appendix) My first learning stage was the novice level which Benner (2001, p20) described as ‘beginners who had no experience or skills to practice in the situation in which they are expected to perform’. At this stage of my learning I had limited knowledge and understanding of patient condition as well as the environment in which care is delivered. This made me anxious and nervous. My culture (which forbids me from addressing an elderly person by name) inhibited my ability to communicate effectively with patients and various members of staff. This problem was due to lack of previous experience in caring for patient and lack of understanding of the situation in which am expected to perform. My knowledge regarding patient’s illness or disease process was lacking. Hence I did not know how to assess or carry out patient admissions or pain assessments. For example, when patients complained of pain I always informed my mentor instead of carrying out a pain assessment to identify factors which may be contributing to the pain. However, I constantly relied on my mentor for guidance. Through advice, feedback on my performances and by observing my mentors and other members of staff, I was able to develop strategies on how to overcome communication problems on my next placement. During this placement I was able to reassure patients, carry out pain assessment, monitor and record vital signs (under clinical supervision) as well as understand their implications for patients’ care. Although I had developed confidence in clinical skills in my first placement, there was an increase in my confidence during my second. There was an increase in learning, however, my skills and knowledge within this domain were still limited. I still relied on general guidelines or instructions given to me by my mentor on how to execute some of the duties delegated to me. As a result I could not use my initiatives to prioritize or plan care appropriately or make sound judgment regarding the care which I was giving to patients. My communication skills also improved as I was able to listen and reassure patients, carry out pain assessments. In the future I hope to ensure effective communication in my daily activities, building on my strengths until I become competent in my communication skills, and able to identify potential problems and difficulties and ways to find solutions to the problem. (See appendix) The advanced beginners’ level was the second level of my learning. As explained by Benner (2001, p22) ‘the advance beginner is one who can demonstrate marginally accepted performance; one who has coped with enough real situations to note the reoccurring meaningful situational components’. In relation to performing at this level, the status quo is that the theory sessions are in the final stages, after which we would move into placement, where yet again I would have the opportunity to relate acquired theoretical knowledge to practice. Personally, I have found that the various placements were the biggest learning curve for me and influenced my learning immensely. I feel that I have performed well, as I have done things that I had never done before such as taking measurements of blood pressure, giving injections, and administrating the correct medication. The biggest impact on me was the learning disability placement. I felt that this is where I really put my communication skills into practice. I found learning disability extremely interesting and at the same time challenging. One of the major challenges I encountered was the aggressive behavior of the patient. I learnt the importance of being patient and to try to understand what is making them angry in order to calm them down. Sometimes medication is needed for this. (See appendix) Meeting with my Personal development tutor (PDT) has been extremely useful; at the first meeting we met as a group which we had an open discussion on learning, teaching approaches and available learning support. My second meeting was one to one and I was able to express the problems I faced with modules in terms of understanding prospective assignments and in selecting textbooks which are user friendly to facilitate introduction to new areas of knowledge. It was also a good opportunity for me to discuss issues encountered during placement, in relation to my experiences, which included difficulties as well. I generally found these meeting to be useful because it was and still is an avenue for me to discuss and analyse both personal and professional development. (See appendix) On reflection I can see that I was able to achieve the above nursing needs of patient due to 12 months of acquired knowledge and experiences. In progressing through the stages of skill acquisition, reflecting enabled me to gain new ideas, insights, understanding of clinical practice and I was able to change and improve my practice as I progressed. This ability is vital for personal and professional development. By reflecting I developed reflective skills such as self-awareness, ability to describe, critically analyze, synthesize and evaluate (Bulman and Schutz 2004, p10). ‘Self improvement builds on awareness’ (Moon 1999, p14). Learning is a lifelong process of discovering what is not known and recognition of learning needs is the basis for further development. NMC code of conduct and the life long learning document requires one to be able to recognize when further learning and development may be required. The NMC’s PREP (2001, p7) requires registered nurses to keep up to date with new development and to go for courses that are relevant to the practice area so as to ‘deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and, where applicable, validate research when it is available (NMC 2002, p5). I would like to continue building on my nursing competency so as to increase my knowledge and skills. Achieving this will be through practice and self-directed learning, as well as through clinical supervision which provides support for the student; this will help me in further development of skills, knowledge and enable me to enhance my understanding in practice area. I will also further my education to degree level. In conclusion, I have critically demonstrated how my learning has evolved from novice to advanced beginner of nursing. I have also planned to continue to maintain my personal and professional development by engaging in regular learning activities and also updating my professional portfolio. Furthermore, I will continue to acquire more knowledge to prepare me to face professional challenges, especially in the area of decision making, and the ability to spot opportunities and utilise them. I have an understanding of and confidence in my chosen profession as adult nurse. I want to see learning as part of me; learning new skills everyday is a lifelong experience. Reflective practice will not only improve the quality of care I give but also enhance my personal and professional development thus helping me to close the gap between theory and practice. REFERENCES Benner, P. (2001). From Novice to Expert. Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. (commemorative edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Bulman, C. Schutz, S. (2004). Reflective Practice in Nursing. (3rd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Johns, P. (2004). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner. (2nd ed.). India: Blackwell Publishing. Moon, J.A. (1999). Reflection in Learning and Professional Development. London: Kogan Page. NMC. (2001). The PREP handbook. London: NMC. NMC. (2002). Code of Professional Conduct. London: NMC. Appendix 1: Use of key transferable skills. Appendix 2: Feedback sheet. Appendix 3: Evidence of learning from practice assessment / skill development in practice. Appendix 4: Copy of meeting with Professional Development Tutor. 1 WORD COUNT =2200

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Impact of Vibration on Curing and Strength of Concrete

Impact of Vibration on Curing and Strength of Concrete Scope Research Need: During its setting process, fresh concrete transforms from a flowable state, via a plastic state, to a final solid state that includes a large number of crystalline domains formed by ionically and covalently bonded atoms. Early-age concrete thus is vulnerable to vibration damages if the formations of the chemical bonds and crystalline domains are negatively affected, leading to reduced early and ultimate strength. Vibrations could come from a variety of sources, such as passing-by trucks, nearby vibratory soil compactors, and blasting or seismic impulses. As demanded by the fast construction paces today, such vibrations often occur adjacent to newly placed concrete, such as when a soil compactor is used during the placement of concrete for bridge foundations or roadway slabs. Being a pervasive issue that is related to construction speed and structural integrity, weakening of concrete by adjacent vibrations cost stakeholders millions of dollars annually. This issue is b ecoming more imperative recently, owing to factors such as new design concepts and changes in equipment and construction methods. In the current state of knowledge, however, there has been a surprising scarcity of assembled information on the subject of vibration impact on concrete curing and strength. There exists a large number of different stipulations regarding the nearest allowable locations for vibratory construction and earliest allowable time for vibratory construction that are currently practiced by the different transportation agencies across the country, mainly the State Departments of Transportation. For example, the earliest allowable time for vibratory construction ranges from a few hours to a week or so. The existing stipulations appear to build on different principles, including laboratory experiments, field observations, numerical simulation, and most commonly the borrowing from peer practitioners or close engineering and science fields, which are far from systemati c. Work of synthesis on the subject thus is needed to identify, describe, and evaluate the current state of knowledge and practices to benefit the construction of bridge decks, pavement slabs, and overlays. State of Knowledge: It is generally believed that concrete is most vulnerable to vibrations between the initial and final setting times due to the negative effects of vibration on the bond formations in this critical hydration phase. The setting time of concrete refers to the time required for cement paste to stiffen to a defined consistency, which is closely related to the initial chemical reaction of calcium aluminates of the cement with sulfates within the first few hours after cement-water contact. The initial setting time of concrete measures the time as cement paste starts to lose plasticity, and a minimum value is required to ensure the completion of transportation, placement and compaction of concrete. The final setting time of concrete records the time at which cement paste loses its entire plasticity, hardens sufficiently, and attain the cast shape at mold removal. At normal construction temperature, the initial setting time of concrete could come as early as 60 90 minutes and the final setting time could be as late as eight to ten hours. Current practices use two empirical methods, i.e., the Vicat Needle (AASHTO T 131 or ASTM C 191) and the Gillmore Needles (AASHTO T 154 or ASTM C 266) for determining the initial and final setting time. The strength of concrete can be reduced by vibration beyond its final setting time. It was reported that two-day concrete could lose as much as 9.1% of its 28-day compressive strength under continuous vibration from heavy highway traffic, while the loss of the 28-day compressive strength for 14-day concrete was within 3%. Realizing this post-setting phenomenon, stakeholders have specified conservative time limits before vibrational constructions near freshly cast concrete. As an example, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is considering to reduce such required curing time from seven days to five days, to enable more rapid construction while still giving sufficient time for concrete to obtain the design strength. If adopted, this modification undoubtedly will mean huge cost savings and convenience to the public. In addition, vibration seems to have different impacts on different properties of concrete. The same level of vibration can change the compressive strength of concrete by up to 13%, while reduces the tensile strength of concrete by 7%. Based on a study of vibration from highway traffic, the amplitude of vibration seems to be a more important factor than the frequency in causing damage. While a vibration of two Hz and three mm amplitude and a vibration of four Hz and three mm amplitude cause significant reduction in ultimate strength of concrete, the vibration had a negligible strength reduction at a one mm amplitude. To conclude, a synthesis work is needed to collect and evaluate the current state of knowledge and practices regarding the complex dependence of concrete quality and strength on the nearby vibrations. This work will be useful in the designing of both new and repairing projects, for more accurately determining the time needed before the start of nearby constructions and the allowable intensity and nearness of the vibratory sources. Information Sources ACI Manual of Concrete Practice (2015). American Concrete Institute. 2015. Research Results Digest 392. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). Jan. 2015. Taylor, P. C., Kosmatka, S. H., Voigt, G. F. (2006). Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement: A State-of-the-Practice Manual (No. FHWA HIF-07-004). Federal Highway Administration. 2006. NCHRP Report 253. Dynamic Effects of Pile Installations on Adjacent Structures (1997). National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). 1997.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Futility of War Essay -- Literary Analysis

Stories of wars and the resulting victories are usually told in highly elaborated narratives that seek to cover the grim realities of war as much as they aim to arouse emotion in order to ensure support for any future wars among the masses. However, war, by its very nature, is neither desirable nor its outcome praiseworthy. Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front lays bare the gritty, gruesome and ultimately self-defeating nature of wars. As Paul Baumer and his soldier comrades enlist and join the German Army in order to defeat the enemy, they themselves are slowly vanquished, first psychologically and finally physically through death. As the soldier members of Paul Baumer’s company are slowly killed in battle, he becomes more and more disillusioned with the war, especially since he and his friends had enlisted with idealistic aims fed to them by their teacher Kantorek. Instead of patriotic glory and poetic war victories, Paul and his friends found defeat and ephemeral triumphs; instead of honor, they encountered dishonor; instead of personal growth and advancement, they found stagnation and watched their youthful dreams die. Through the war experiences of Paul Baumer as depicted in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the ultimate tragedy of war is revealed; it destroys the lives of its very agents – the soldiers – by crashing their dreams and claiming their lives for little discernible overall gain. Going To War Ultimately, Paul Baumer and his high school mates enthusiastically enlisted and went to war first out of a sense of youthful adventure. Barely out of their teens, Paul and his high school mates are not old enough to understand the socio-economic and political factors that characterized the outbr... ... war as captured by the leaders of the war hardly depicts the futility of war, and only the through the accounts of soldiers on the front does the truth emerge, as it does in the novel – that war is counter-productive. Works Cited Hunt, Nigel. "The contribution of All Quiet on the Western Front to our understanding of psychological trauma." European Psychiatry 19, no. 8 (2004): 489-493. Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A. W. Wheen. New York: Fawcett Books, 1982. Robinett, Jane. "The Narrative Shape of Traumatic Experience." Literature & Medicine 26, no. 2 (Fall2007 2007): 290-311. Tighe, Joseph A. 2004. "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Phenomenological Investigation of War." Critical Survey 16, no. 3(Fall 2004): 48-61. Ware, Thomas C. "Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT." Explicator 63, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 99-100.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Use of Theme, Setting, and Time in Ibsens Hedda Gabler Essay -- Hedda

Use of Theme, Setting, and Time in Hedda Gabler    Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen, is a work about a woman who manipulates the fates of others in order to fulfill her own desires. The title character is a woman who has recently returned from a six month "honeymoon" with her groom, Tesman, a man whom she does not love. She yearns for freedom, but she feels as if she cannot leave her marriage. To occupy her time, she manipulates the lives of everyone around her. Hedda kills herself after becoming engorged in her own manipulations. Through the use of theme, setting, and time period, Ibsen produces a work that uniquely portrays the sources of the motivations of this manipulative woman. Whether it be the burning of her former love’s manuscript or supplying him with the pistol to shoot himself, Hedda’s malevolence shows the ability of man to have total disregard for the life of another. Hedda coldly manipulates the lives of everyone around her. Through these manipulative actions, she ruins the lives of all of her acquaintances. Because she is not happy in her marriage, she attempts to forbid anyone else to live a content life. For example, after she persuades Eljert Là ¶vborg to consume alcohol, he ruins his reputation and loses something that is most precious to him: the manuscript of a book that he had been writing with Mrs. Elvsted. Although Hedda realizes the importance of this manuscript to both Là ¶vborg and Mrs. Elvsted, she chars it. Because Là ¶vborg and Mrs. Elvsted have put their souls into this manuscript, Hedda metaphorically relates her action to burning their child. This cold thoughtlessness demonstrates Hedda’s disregard for th e life of a fellow human being. Hedda’s actions ultimately lead to her demise. After giving ... ...nnot manipulate her own life. She does not want to remain in her marriage, but she lacks the courage to get out of it. Because of the times and her situation, she feels that she cannot leave her husband. It seems as if these manipulations are a sick form of entertainment for Hedda. One could regard this play as a purely feminist work or as the story of a woman who has no regard for human life. In either way in which it is regarded, Ibsen realistically portrays the motivations of Hedda Gabler through his use of theme, setting, and current events. Works Cited Hemmer, Bjorn. "The dramatist Henrik Ibsen." http://odin.dep.no/ud/nornytt/ibsen.html Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays: A Doll’s House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Mazer, Cary M. "Hedda Gabler." http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/hedda.html.

Fantasy Story Essay -- essays papers

Fantasy Story Deep in the City of Chic, on the plant of Decorous, there was a school named Ennui High School. At this school there was a very interesting girl named Bliss. Bliss had long wavy golden brown hair. She had big blue eyes that were on flawless snowy skin. Her lips were full, and they were always the perfect shade of soft crimson even without lipstick. Bliss just turned 17. She was doing well at school, but she really felt she was ready to get out of her old routine and see what else was out there. One spring Friday morning, Bliss was sitting on the stoop of the apartment building were she lived with her parents. She was looking up at the pink and purple towering buildings around her. They are wonderful, but I’ve been gazing at these buildings for 17 years now, she thought. Just then a big silver cat walked by her. It stopped, turned around, and came up to her. It looked at her intensely for a moment then said, "You will do just fine." After Bliss nearly choked on her tongue, she said, "Do just fine for what?" She had never seen a talking cat before, and she was lost in astonishment. The cat said, "I need some help finding an illusive treasure." Bliss replied, "Oh, and where is this illusive treasure?" The cat answered, "I’m not sure but I know where something is that will tell us where the treasure is. And this thing is about 3 blocks away." Bliss thought about this, and decided three blocks isn’t far. Besides she didn’t really want this talking cat walking out of her life. She said, "OK, lets go. What’s your name?" The silver cat said, "Jest. Follow me." They walked and turned corners for about 15 minutes. Bliss had always thought she knew the part of Chic that she lived in really well. They were only walking for a little bit. How did we get to a place I don’t recognize at all, she thought. She was following Jest into a light pink building. They went up two flights of red stairs, and down a hall. The floors, walls, and ceiling of the hall were royal blue. They came to an emerald door. Jest told Bliss to open it. As Bliss opened it, she was shocked at how white the room was. There was nothing in the room except a magenta wand with a light pink glittery top in the middle of the floor. Jest said, "Pick the wand up and ask it where the treasure is." Bliss did so to humor th... ... was made up of shiny platinum just like the outside. The walls, floors, and high ceilings were made of the enchanting platinum. The furnishings and the decorations were made up of glistering platinum and gold. It was breath takenly beautiful. Bliss and Jest followed the wand up three flights of platinum stairs. They went into a hallway that was entirely gold. Bliss, Jest and the wand went to the end of it. The were in front of a plain, solid, gold wall. The wand told Bliss where to knock on it. When Bliss knocked on it, a flight of platinum stairs that were going down appeared in the wall. They went down the stairs and came to a solid pink ruby door with a platinum doorknob. Bliss opened it. Inside was a room completely filled with diamonds. Each diamond was the size of a fist. They were so shiny and sparklingly. After Bliss got over her astonishment, she got the wand to transfer the diamonds, Jest, and herself to her bedroom in Chic. One year later. Bliss has one of the most successful boutiques in Chic. She travels all over Decorous. She lives in an awesome penthouse with Jest. She is thinking of opening a Club. She is never bored anymore. Fantasy Story Essay -- essays papers Fantasy Story Deep in the City of Chic, on the plant of Decorous, there was a school named Ennui High School. At this school there was a very interesting girl named Bliss. Bliss had long wavy golden brown hair. She had big blue eyes that were on flawless snowy skin. Her lips were full, and they were always the perfect shade of soft crimson even without lipstick. Bliss just turned 17. She was doing well at school, but she really felt she was ready to get out of her old routine and see what else was out there. One spring Friday morning, Bliss was sitting on the stoop of the apartment building were she lived with her parents. She was looking up at the pink and purple towering buildings around her. They are wonderful, but I’ve been gazing at these buildings for 17 years now, she thought. Just then a big silver cat walked by her. It stopped, turned around, and came up to her. It looked at her intensely for a moment then said, "You will do just fine." After Bliss nearly choked on her tongue, she said, "Do just fine for what?" She had never seen a talking cat before, and she was lost in astonishment. The cat said, "I need some help finding an illusive treasure." Bliss replied, "Oh, and where is this illusive treasure?" The cat answered, "I’m not sure but I know where something is that will tell us where the treasure is. And this thing is about 3 blocks away." Bliss thought about this, and decided three blocks isn’t far. Besides she didn’t really want this talking cat walking out of her life. She said, "OK, lets go. What’s your name?" The silver cat said, "Jest. Follow me." They walked and turned corners for about 15 minutes. Bliss had always thought she knew the part of Chic that she lived in really well. They were only walking for a little bit. How did we get to a place I don’t recognize at all, she thought. She was following Jest into a light pink building. They went up two flights of red stairs, and down a hall. The floors, walls, and ceiling of the hall were royal blue. They came to an emerald door. Jest told Bliss to open it. As Bliss opened it, she was shocked at how white the room was. There was nothing in the room except a magenta wand with a light pink glittery top in the middle of the floor. Jest said, "Pick the wand up and ask it where the treasure is." Bliss did so to humor th... ... was made up of shiny platinum just like the outside. The walls, floors, and high ceilings were made of the enchanting platinum. The furnishings and the decorations were made up of glistering platinum and gold. It was breath takenly beautiful. Bliss and Jest followed the wand up three flights of platinum stairs. They went into a hallway that was entirely gold. Bliss, Jest and the wand went to the end of it. The were in front of a plain, solid, gold wall. The wand told Bliss where to knock on it. When Bliss knocked on it, a flight of platinum stairs that were going down appeared in the wall. They went down the stairs and came to a solid pink ruby door with a platinum doorknob. Bliss opened it. Inside was a room completely filled with diamonds. Each diamond was the size of a fist. They were so shiny and sparklingly. After Bliss got over her astonishment, she got the wand to transfer the diamonds, Jest, and herself to her bedroom in Chic. One year later. Bliss has one of the most successful boutiques in Chic. She travels all over Decorous. She lives in an awesome penthouse with Jest. She is thinking of opening a Club. She is never bored anymore.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Bluffing

HUMN 330 Values and Ethics Online Course Syllabus Credit Hours: 3 Delivery Method: Online (Internet / Blackboard) Required Textbook Rosenstand, N. (2013). The moral of the story: An introduction to ethics (7th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978-0078038426 Course Description This course focuses on the process of practical ethics as a way of resolving moral conflict and of understanding professional responsibility in a multi-culturally diverse society without devaluating specific viewpoints of ethical or metaphysical theory, ideology, or religion.Students will use proposals, value judgments, observation statements, assumptions, and alternate-world assumptions in arguing contemporary issues of moral importance. With this basic moral logic, students will resolve issues in terms of rights, responsibilities, and the community of rational beings; in terms of consequences and contingencies; and in terms of habituated virtues and character. Free and unrestricted discourse will be enc ouraged so as to let students find common ground in diversity. Course Goals This course is designed to help students: 1. Understand the basic vocabulary and fundamental theories of ethics. . Discover life's values and determine which values are the most worthwhile. 3. Relate the textbook theories to actual life situations. 4. Find greater personal peace by choosing more constructive values. 5. Apply understanding of ethics to personal lives. 6. Understand the relationship between attitudes, values and moral conduct. Learning Outcomes This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 Upon course completion, students will be able to: 1. Judge the role and importance of ethics and evaluate moral behavior based on the criteria of value and self autonomy. . Assess the psychological, sociological, historical, and philosophical background of ethics. 3. Relate the nature and role of reason in understanding values. 4. Relate the nature and characteri stics of freedom when responding to values. 5. Distinguish and apply ethical principles in ethical situations. 6. Explain the various arguments for and against the major contemporary ethical issues. 7. Discuss one’s options for identifying and replacing inferior values. 8. Explain the role, nature, and characteristics of responsibility. 9.Defend the value of and the process of foreseeing the consequences of an individual’s conduct. 10. Defend the choice of a viable ethical theory in solving an ethical problem. 11. Utilize the principles of critical thinking to enhance learning skills and to increase intellectual and moral growth. 12. Evaluate their conduct in the light of constructive ethical expectations. Grading Your final grade will be based on the following evaluation items: Grade Scale 90 – 100% 80 – 89% 70 – 79% 60 – 69% 0 – 59% A B C D F Evaluation Items and Weights Weekly Assignments Discussions Midterm Exam Group Project Fina l Exam Total 5% 30% 15% 15% 15% 100% Activities and Assignments Activities Each module, excluding Module 9, contains various assignments related to the respective module, such as: ? Chapter and Lecture Notes. This activity consists of reading the text and the lecture notes that are posted in each module. ? Reading and Reflection. This activity contains a reading activity that is assigned to stimulate additional thinking and some discussions within the topic area. This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 ? ? Research and Critical Thinking.This activity varies with each module; however, they are typical outside readings with associated discussion questions of short essay-type answers to the topic area. Application. This activity varies with each module and is integrated into the learning modules to help you apply and reinforce the concepts that each module introduces. Weekly Assignments The assignments vary from module to module and a re based on the activities that were contained within the module. Each includes a combination of threaded discussions, short essays, or study questions based on text or outside readings.The weekly assignments comprise 25% of your grade. Discussions The Discussion Board is an integral part of your learning in this course. You are encouraged and expected to participate in online discussions. Regular and meaningful discussion postings are part of your final grade. Each module, excluding Module 9, contain Discussion Board topics or questions that will help sharpen your critical thinking and written communication skills as you study the theories and concepts related to values and ethics.Thirty percent of your course grade will come from your original responses to module discussion prompts and responses to classmates submitted to the appropriate Discussion Board forum in response to these module discussion activities. Please refer to the Checklist for Meaningful Discussions and Discussion Rubric in Module 1. Discussions account for 30% of your grade. Exams Both the Midterm and Final Exams are time-limited online tests. The Midterm will cover Modules 1 through 4 (Chapters 1-6) and is to be taken in Week 4. The Final is comprehensive (Modules 1-4 and 5-9, Chapters 1-13) and is to be taken during Week 9.The Midterm and Final are each worth 15% of your grade. Group Project Module 8 is devoted to the group project. The Instructor will divide the class into four virtual groups to discuss a case involving an ethical issue. ? ? ? ? Group 1: Media Ethics Group 2: Theory of Just War Group 3: Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Group 4: Death Penalty Each group will have its own private group discussion forum. Accessing this private forum is a little different from reaching the public discussion forums. You will need to click the Groups menu item, not the Discussion Board.After clicking Groups, you will see the four groups listed but you will only have access to the group you hav e been assigned to. Click your group link to see a list of the other members of your group and then the Group Discussion Board link to access the discussion forum. This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 Work with your assigned group members on the ethics case for your group in your private discussion forum. Identify ethical or moral justifications to support your arguments from the text or additional sources as necessary.Use the Internet to research any additional information you would like to use in your group's discussion. After groups have had time to review and discuss their cases and reach a consensus on the topic, one member of each of group will post its findings to the appropriate thread in the public Module 8 – Group Presentations forum. As individuals, each student will then comment on at least two other group presentations. The group project makes up 15% of your grade. Additional Information Library Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has one of the most complete library collections of aviation-related resources in the world. ? ERAU Libraries: http://library. erau. edu/ Hunt Library Worldwide: Information, Services, Help o Worldwide Library: Basic Training o Worldwide Library: Ask-a-Librarian o Reference: Research Request Contact Information ? Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a. m. – 5:00 p. m. Eastern Time ? Telephone: 1-800-678-9428 or 386-226-6947 ? Email: [email  protected] edu RefWorks RefWorks is an online database tool that can manage references and citations from almost any source. It provides specific guidance in how to collect and use references, create bibliographies, and write research papers.You may access it through this ERAU organizational login link when signed in to ERNIE or directly from the RefWorks website (http://www. refworks. com). A different link must be used for off-campus access (see these instructions). RefWorks requires users to create a RefWorks-spe cific username and password. Please contact the Hunt Library if you have any questions. Online Sources There are many websites that offer current information on values and ethics and any search engine (Google, etc. ,) will get you to both historic and current information that is relevant to the content of this course.In addition, many links are provided within the online learning modules. APA Format ERAU students should master the American Psychological Association (APA) editorial style format for research papers and other written assignments. Two good websites to bookmark for help citing references used in your assignments and discussion posts are listed below. (See the Academic Resources folder in the Resources area of the course for additional sites on APA style. ) This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 The OWL at Purdue, APA Formatting and Style Guide APA Style. rg Course Policies Academic Integrity Embry-Riddle is committed t o maintaining and upholding intellectual integrity. All students, faculty, and staff have obligations to prevent violations of academic integrity and take corrective action when they occur. The adjudication process will involve imposing sanctions which may include, but are not limited to, a failing grade on the assignment, a failing grade in a course, suspension or dismissal from the University, upon students who commit the following academic violations: 1. Plagiarism: Presenting the ideas, words, or products of another as one’s own.Plagiarism includes use of any source to complete academic assignments without proper acknowledgement of the source. Reuse or resubmission of a student’s own coursework if previously used or submitted in another course, is considered self-plagiarism, and is also not allowed under University policy. 2. Cheating: A broad term that includes, but is not limited to, the following: a. Giving or receiving help from unauthorized persons or material s during examinations. b. The unauthorized communication of examination questions prior to, during, or following administration of the examination. . Collaboration on examinations or assignments expected to be, or presented as, individual work. d. Fraud and deceit, that include knowingly furnishing false or misleading information or failing to furnish appropriate information when requested, such as when applying for admission to the University. Online Learning This course is offered through ERAU Worldwide Online (Blackboard) and runs nine (9) weeks. The first week begins the first day of the term and ends at midnight EDT/EST (as applicable) seven days later.Success in this course requires in-depth study of each module as assigned, timely completion of assignments, and regular participation in forum discussions. Late work should be the exception and not the rule and may be downgraded at the discretion of the Instructor, if accepted at all. Unless all work is submitted, the student co uld receive a failing grade for the course. Extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances at the discretion of the Instructor and only for the length of time the Instructor deems appropriate. The most important element of success in an online course is to communicate with your Instructor throughout the term.Conventions of â€Å"online etiquette,† which include courtesy to all users, will be observed. Students should use the Send Email function in Blackboard for private messages to the Instructor and other students. The class Discussion Board forums are for public messages. It is highly recommended that students keep electronic copies of all materials submitted as assignments, discussion board posts and emails, until after the end of the term and a final This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 grade is received.When posting responses in a discussion forum, please confirm that the responses have actually been posted after you submit them. Course Schedule Module Title Understanding Values, Morals, and Ethics Activities / Assignments 1. 1 – Introductions 1. 2 – Read Chapter 1; View Morality Video 1. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Morality and Ethics 1. 4 – Application: Current News Search 1. 5 – Discussion 1: Ethical Behavior 1. 6 – Discussion 2: Moral Issues 2. 1 – Read Chapter 2 and 3 2. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking: Haroun and the Sea of Stories Study Questions 2. – Discussion: Understanding the Past 2. 4 – Application: Moral Dilemma 2. 5 – Discussion: Ethnicity vs National Identity 3. 1 – Read Chapter 4; 3. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking â€Å"The Ethics of Emergencies Study Questions† 3. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Altruistic Behaviors 3. 4 – Application: Essay on Rand’s Ideas 3. 5 – Discussion: Understanding Altruism 4. 1 – Read Chapters 5 and 6 4. 2 â €“ Reading and Reflection: Utilitarianism and Deontology 4. 3 – Research and Critical Thinking: Flight 93 and Utilitarianism in Times of Crisis 4. – Discussion: Ends and Means 5. 1 – Review Modules 1 through 4 Learning Objectives 5. 2 – Discussion: Midterm Q & A 5. 3 – Midterm Exam 6. 1 – Read Chapters 7 and 8; Listen to â€Å"I Have a Dream Speech† 6. 2 – Reading and Reflection: Walmart Employment Practices 6. 3 – Application: Education Equity and Social Justice Awareness 6. 4 – Discussion 1: Person vs. Human Being 6. 5 – Discussion 2: Rights and Responsibilities 6. 6 – Research & Critical Thinking: The Trial of Socrates 6. 7 – Application: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas 6. 8 – Discussion 3: Socrates’ Trial 7. – Read Chapters 10 and 11 7. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking: â€Å"Either/Or† Study Questions 7. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Philosophers 7 . 4 – Application: â€Å"Why Courage Matters: The Way to Braver Life† Study Questions 7. 5 – Discussion: Politics 7. 6 – Group Project Preview 8. 1 – Read Chapters 12 and 13; View Gender and Ethics Video 8. 2 – Reading and Reflection: Group Case 8. 3 – Research and Critical Thinking: Group Case 8. 4 – Application: Group Findings 9. 1 – Review Modules 1 through 8 Learning Objectives 9. 2 – Discussion: Final Q and A 9. – Final Exam 1 2 Moral Lessons Through Time and Ethical Relativism 3 Exploring Psychological and Ethical Egoism 4 Utilitarian Reasoning and Universal Law 5 Midterm Exam Week 6 Human Rights, Justice and the Concept of Virtues 7 The Contemporary Perspectives and Case Studies in Virtue 8 Feminism, Virtue, and the Exploration of Ethics in a Global Context 9 Final Exam Week This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 This syllabus was developed for onl ine learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712

Friday, August 16, 2019

Principle Agent Moral Hazard

The major issue was that the commercial banks overstressed in such mortgage backed securities. Another part of the story Is that Basel I accords are credited with giving seeds to the idea of all things that could lead to recession and Basel II Is credited with magnifying Its Impact. Formed In 1988 and adopted by 1992, Basel I accords were a set of rules and regulations, to be adopted by GIG countries, that allotted different risk ratings to various types of assets held by banks. Assets, here, referred to bonds, mortgages undo etc.It took a long time for the economies to realist the problems associated with such types of system. For example, in such a framework a commercial bank was permitted to keep aside no liquid capital if it had all government bonds or gold as assets. This was so because such assets were considered safe. Further, it was required of them to keep aside small percentages of capital for every mortgage, commercial loan or bonds they Issued. With the introduction of Ba sel 2, the list was expanded to bonds backed by debts like ar or property loans and yet had to keep only a 2 percent of spare capital.Flip side to this was that the bonds ought to have AAA or AAA credit ratings from the government. Statistics tell that Just prior to the recession, 81 percent of all Mortgage backed securities held by the commercial banks had AAA credit rating. Further, 93 percent of all mortgage-backed securities held by these banks had AAA credit rating or held bonds Issued by a government-sponsored enterprise. Now this Is where the role of moral hazard comes Into play.When Basel I and abstinently Basel II accords were Introduced, the primary aim of the developed economies was to encourage consumer spending and Investments by the banks. It was not completely unforeseeable for everyone to realize that backing debt or junk manipulating credit ratings, economies tried to create a self-fulfilling system that provided for feed as well as fed upon its own. The bankers wer e in turn incentives to take risks of high magnitude, with all the depositors' money in hand, believing that there is a government always backing them.Soon the entire system gave away. This created a bigger moral hazard. How to minimize such problems? TO reduce such a problem of Principal Agent problem leading to recession, it is imperative that the regulators are on their toes. In USA, SEC did not take proper steps to ensure that the Rating agencies don't rate securities high without any strong backing to do so. Also the FIDE, the Fed, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Office of Thrift Supervision relied blindly on the ratings given by the Credit rating agencies.Therefore, all rules and regulations given under law should be implemented properly and Justly by the regulators. The government should also ensure the timely passage of relevant legal provision and bills. Also, although Basel Ill accords have been adopted and implemented by most of the countries and the deadline is 2019 for it, the present market conditions show that the Minimum Capital requirements need an overhaul as well. Hence, Basel 4 could be started to be worked upon with refined changes and the governments should follow the rules under such requirements.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Management Theories

ABSTRACT Management is the most important part of any organization. No organization can achieve its objectives without proper management. So management is considered the hub of any organization. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. To meet the challenges like competition, efficient and economical uses of sources and maximum output, knowledge of management and theories of management is basic requirement.Henceforth, managerial theory has become crucial in the way managers manage complex organizations. This article will provide the basic information of main management theories and how they have developed. It also addresses the management objectives, functions, goals, and essentiality as well as the requirement skills of a Manger. Relating to my current company – AON Vietnam, member of AON Corporation, the article point out which theory of management fi t best with the style of management in AON Corporation, one of biggest insurance brokers worldwide and what a Manager at AON should do. Topic 1 & 2) CONTENTS I. MAIN MANAGEMENT THEORIES 1. Definition of Management According to Drucker (1974) Management is â€Å"the activity of getting things done with the help of others peoples and resources†. It means that management is a process of accomplishing work with the help of other people. According to Weijrich and Koontz (1993) â€Å"Management is process of planning, leading, organizing and controlling people within a group in order to achieve goals. It is also the guidance and control of action required to execute a program.It indicates that there should be definite plan/program for affective management (Shied, 2010). On the basis of these definitions it can be concluded that management is a process that includes strategic planning, setting objectives, managing resources, developing the human and financial assets needed to achie ve objectives and measuring results. It also includes recording facts and information for later use upon requirement. 2. Management Theories Contemporary theories of management tend to account for and help interpret the rapidly changing nature of today’s organizational environments.Several important management theories which are broadly classified as follows: 1. The Scientific Management School. 2. The Classical Organizational Theory School. 3. The Behavioural School. 4. The Management Science School. 5. Recent developments in Management Theory comprising works such as Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building approach. This discussion will provide a general description of these management theories, how they have developed and the successes that they achieved. A Timeline Overview of Key Management theories pic] a. The Scientific Management School The first management theory is what is popularly referred to as Frederick Taylor’ s Scientific Management. Frederick Taylor (1856 – 1915) started the era of modern management. Taylor consistently sought to overthrow management â€Å"by rule of thumb† and replace it with actual timed observations leading to â€Å"the one best† practice. â€Å"Taylorism† involved breaking down the components of manual tasks in manufacturing environments, timing each movement (‘time and motion' studies) so that there could be a proven best way to perform each task.Thus employees could be trained to be ‘first class' within their job. This type of management was particularly relevant to performance drives e. g ‘Action On' projects. It has to be acknowledged that from an economic standpoint, Taylorism was an extreme success. Application of his methods yielded significant improvements in productivity. For example, improvements such as his shovel work at Bethlehem Works, which reduced the workers needed to shovel from 500 to 140. Henceforth, Taylor proposed four underlying principles of management: First, there is need to develop a ‘science of work’ to replace old rule-of-thumb methods: pay and other rewards linked to achievement of ‘optimum goals’ – measures of work performance and output; failure to achieve these would in contrast result in loss of earnings. – Second, workers to be ‘scientifically’ selected and developed: training each to be ‘first-class’ at some specific task. – Third the ‘science of work’ to be brought together with scientifically selected and trained people to achieve the best results. Finally, work and responsibility to be divided equally between workers and management cooperating together in close interdependence. This was a rigid system where every task became discrete and specialized. However, many critics, both historical and contemporary, have pointed out that Taylor’s theories tend to â€Å"dehumani ze† the workers. Therefore, in summary, while the scientific management technique has been employed to increase productivity and efficiency both in private and public services, it has also had the disadvantages of ignoring many of the human aspects of employment.This led to the creation of boring repetitive jobs with the introduction of systems for tight control and the alienation of shop floor employees from their managers. b. Classical Organizational Theory School In this category of management theory are the works of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory and Max Weber’s bureaucratic theory. Administrative Theory Henri Fayol’s administrative theory mainly focuses on the personal duties of management at a much more granular level. Fayol believed that management had five principle roles: †¢ Forecasting and planning. †¢ Organizing. †¢ Commanding Co-ordinating †¢ Controlling. Forecasting and planning was the act of anticipating the future a nd acting accordingly. Organization was the development of the institution’s resources, both material and human. Commanding was keeping the institution’s actions and processes running. Co-ordination was the alignment and harmonization of the group’s efforts. Finally, control meant that the above activities were performed in accordance with appropriate rules and procedures. Fayol also developed fourteen principles of administration to go along with management’s five primary roles.These principles are: specialization/division of labor, authority with responsibility, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to the general interest, remuneration of staff, centralization, scalar chain/line of authority, order, equity, stability of tenure, initiative, and esprit de corps. Fayol clearly believed personal effort and team dynamics were part of an â€Å"ideal† organization. Fayol’s five principle roles of management are still actively practiced today. The concept of giving appropriate authority with responsibility is also widely commented on and is well practiced.Unfortunately, his principles of â€Å"unity of command† and â€Å"unity of direction† are consistently violated in â€Å"matrix management†, the structure of choice for many of today’s companies. Bureaucratic Theory Max Weber (1864 – 1924) postulated that western civilization was shifting from â€Å"wertrational† (or value oriented) thinking, affective action (action derived from emotions), and traditional action (action derived from past precedent) to â€Å"zweckational† (or technocratic) thinking. He believed that civilization was changing to seek technically optimal results at the expense of emotional or humanistic content.Through analyses of organizations, Weber identified three basic types of legitimate authority: – Traditional authority: where acceptance of those in authority arose from tradition and custom. – Charismatic authority: where acceptance arises from loyalty to, and confidence in, the personal qualities of the ruler. – Rational-legal authority: where acceptance arises out of the office, or position, of the person in authority as bounded by the rules and procedures of the organization. It is the rational-legal authority form that exists in most organizations today and this is the form to which Weber ascribed the term ‘bureaucracy'.The main features of bureaucracy according to Weber were: †¢ A continuous organization or functions bounded by rules. †¢ That individual functioned within the limits of the specialization of the work, the degree of authority allocated and the rules governing the exercise of authority. †¢ A  hierarchical  structure of offices. †¢ Appointment to offices made on the grounds of technical competence only. †¢ The separation of officials from the ownership of the organization. †¢ The authority was vested in the official positions and not in the personalities that held these posts.Rules, decisions and actions were formulated and recorded in writing. It is not coincidence that Weber's writings were at a time of the major industrial revolutions and the growth of large complex organizations out of the cottage industries and/or entrepreneurial businesses. c. Behavioural School The key scholar under this category is Elton Mayo. The origin of behavioralism is the human relations movement that was a result of the Hawthorne Works Experiment that started in the early 1920s. Elton Mayo and his associates’ experiments disproved Taylor’s beliefs that science dictated hat the highest productivity was found in ‘the one best way’ and that way could be obtained by controlled experiment. The Hawthorne studies attempted to determine the effects of lighting on worker productivity. When these experiments showed no clear correlati on between light level and productivity the experiments then started looking at other factors. These factors that were considered when Mayo was working with a group of women included no rest breaks, no free more hours in the work-day/work-week or fewer hours in the workday/work-week.With each of these changes, productivity went up. When the women were put back to their original hours and conditions, they set a productivity record. These results showed that the group dynamics and social makeup of an organization were an important force either for or against higher productivity. This outcome caused the call for greater participation for the workers, greater trust and openness in the working environment, and a greater attention to teams and groups in the work place.Finally, while Taylor’s impacts were the establishment of the industrial engineering, quality control and personnel departments, the human relations movement’s greatest impact came in what the organization†™s leadership and personnel department were doing. The seemingly new concepts of â€Å"group dynamics†, â€Å"teamwork†, and organizational â€Å"social systems†, all stem from Mayo’s work in the mid-1920s. d. Management Science Theories Douglas McGregor (1906-1964) postulated management ideas as contained in â€Å"Theory X† and â€Å"Theory Y†.Using human behaviour research, he noted that the way an organization runs depends on the beliefs of its managers. â€Å"Theory X† gives a negative view of human behaviour and management that he considered to have dominated management theory from Fayol onwards – especially Taylorism. It also assumes that most people are basically immature, need direction and control, and are incapable of taking responsibility. They are viewed as lazy, dislike work and need a mixture of financial inducements and threat of loss of their job to make them work (‘carrot and stick’ mentality). T heory Y†, the opposite of â€Å"Theory X†, argues that people want to fulfil themselves by seeking self-respect, self-development, and self-fulfilment at work as in life in general. The six basic assumptions for ‘Theory Y’ are: work is as natural as play or rest – the average human being does not inherently dislike work, whether work is a source of pleasure or a punishment (to be avoided) depends on nature of the work and its management. Second, effort at work need not depend on threat of punishment – if committed to objectives then self-direction and self-control rather than external controls.Third, commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. Satisfaction of ego and self-actualization needs can be directed towards the objectives of the organization. Fourth, the average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility. Fifth, high degrees of imagination, ing enuity and creativity are not restricted to a narrow group but are widely distributed in the population. Lastly, under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentials of the average human being are being only partly utilized. . Recent Developments in Management Theory Under this category of theory are the Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building theory. The systems theory has had a significant effect on management science and understanding organizations. A system is a collection of part unified to accomplish an overall goal. If one part of the system is removed, the nature of the system is changed as well. A system can be looked at as having inputs (e. g. , resources such as raw materials, money, technologies, and people), processes (e. g. planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling), outputs (products or services) and outcomes (e. g. , enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity ). Systems share feedback among each of these four aspects of the system. The Chaos theory is advocated by Tom Peters (1942). Chaos theorists suggest that systems naturally go to more complexity, and as they do so, they become more volatile and must, therefore, expend more energy to maintain that complexity. As they expend more energy, they seek more structure to maintain stability.This trend continues until the system splits, combines with another complex system or falls apart entirely. It will need an effective manager for the latter worst scenario not to happen. Team Building approach or theory emphasizes quality circles, best practices, and continuous improvement. It is a theory that mainly hinges on reliance on teamwork. It also emphasizes flattening of management pyramid, and reducing the levels of hierarchy. Finally, it is all about consensus management – i. e. , involving more people at all levels in decision-making. 3. Management theory applied to AON II. WHAT A MANA GER DOESManaging, like all other practices – whether medicine, music composition, engineering, accountancy, or even baseball – is an art; it is know-how. It is doing things in the light of the realities of a situation. Managers just don't go out and perform their responsibilities. A good manager should discover how to master 05 basic functions: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. †¢ Planning:  This step involves mapping out exactly how to achieve a particular goal. For example, that the organization's goal is to improve company sales. The manager first needs to decide which steps are necessary to accomplish that goal.These steps may include increasing advertising, inventory, and sales staff. These necessary steps are developed into a plan. When the plan is in place, the manager can follow it to accomplish the goal of improving company sales. †¢ Organizing:  After a plan is in place, a manager needs to organize his team and materials a ccording to his plan. Assigning work and granting authority are two important elements of organizing. †¢ Staffing:  After a manager discerns his area's needs, he may decide to beef up his staffing by recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees.A manager in a large organization often works with the company's human resources department to accomplish this goal. †¢ Leading:  A manager needs to do more than just plan, organize, and staff her team to achieve a goal. She must also lead. Leading involves motivating, communicating, guiding, and encouraging. It requires the manager to coach, assist, and problem solve with employees. †¢ Controlling:  After the other elements are in place, a manager's job is not finished. He needs to continuously check results against goals and take any corrective actions necessary to make sure that his area's plans remain on track.All managers at all levels of every organization perform these functions, but the amount of time a manager spends on each one depends on both the level of management and the specific organization. Roles performed by managers In his classic book,  The Nature of Managerial Work,  Henry Mintzberg describes a set of ten roles that a manager fills. These roles fall into three categories: †¢ Interpersonal:  This role involves human interaction. †¢ Informational:  This role involves the sharing and analyzing of information. †¢ Decisional:  This role involves decision making.The below table  contains a more in-depth look at each category of roles that help managers carry out all five functions described in the preceding â€Å"Functions of Managers† section. Mintzberg's Set of Ten Roles | | |Category | |Role | |Activity | | |Informational | |Monitor | |Seek and receive information; scan periodicals and reports; maintain personal contact with stakeholders. | | | | | |Disseminator | |Forward information to organization members via memos, reports, an d phone calls. | | | | |Spokesperson | |Transmit information to outsiders via reports, memos, and speeches. | | | |Interpersonal | |Figurehead | |Perform ceremonial and symbolic duties, such as greeting visitors and signing legal documents. | | | | |Leader | |Direct and motivate subordinates; counsel and communicate with subordinates. | | | | |Liaison | |Maintain information links both inside and outside organization via mail, phone calls, and meetings. | | |Decisional | |Entrepreneur | |Initiate improvement projects; identify new ideas and delegate idea responsibility to thers. | | | | | |Disturbance handler | |Take corrective action during disputes or crises; resolve conflicts among subordinates; adapt to environments. | | | | |Resource allocator | |Decide who gets resources; prepare budgets; set schedules and determine priorities. | | | | |Negotiator | |Represent department during negotiations of union contracts, sales, purchases, and budgets. | | | Skills needed by managers Not everyone can be a manager. Certain  skills,  or abilities to translate knowledge into action that results in desired performance, are required to help other employees become more productive. These skills fall under the following categories: Technical:  This skill requires the ability to use a special proficiency or expertise to perform particular tasks. Accountants, engineers, market researchers, and computer scientists, as examples, possess technical skills. Managers acquire these skills initially through formal education and then further develop them through training and job experience. Technical skills are most important at lower levels of management. †¢ Human:  This skill demonstrates the ability to work well in cooperation with others. Human skills emerge in the workplace as a spirit of trust, enthusiasm, and genuine involvement in interpersonal relationships. A anager with good human skills has a high degree of self-awareness and a capacity to understand or empathize with the feelings of others. Some managers are naturally born with great human skills, while others improve their skills through classes or experience. No matter how human skills are acquired, they're critical for all managers because of the highly interpersonal nature of managerial work. †¢ Conceptual:  This skill calls for the ability to think analytically. Analytical skills enable managers to break down problems into smaller parts, to see the relations among the parts, and to recognize the implications of any one problem for others.As managers assume ever-higher responsibilities in organizations, they must deal with more ambiguous problems that have long-term consequences. Again, managers may acquire these skills initially through formal education and then further develop them by training and job experience. The higher the management level, the more important conceptual skills become. †¢ Designing skill is the ability to solve problems in wa ys that will benefit the enterprise. To be effective, particularly at upper organizational levels, managers must be able to do more than see a problem.In addition, they must have the skill of a good design engineer in working out a practical solution to a problem. Managers must also have that valuable skill of being able to design a workable solution to the problem in the light of the realities they face. It has, however, got to be mentioned that the relative importance of these skills may differ at various levels in the organization hierarchy. Although all four categories contain skills essential for managers, their relative importance tends to vary by level of managerial responsibility. Management Theories ABSTRACT Management is the most important part of any organization. No organization can achieve its objectives without proper management. So management is considered the hub of any organization. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. To meet the challenges like competition, efficient and economical uses of sources and maximum output, knowledge of management and theories of management is basic requirement.Henceforth, managerial theory has become crucial in the way managers manage complex organizations. This article will provide the basic information of main management theories and how they have developed. It also addresses the management objectives, functions, goals, and essentiality as well as the requirement skills of a Manger. Relating to my current company – AON Vietnam, member of AON Corporation, the article point out which theory of management fi t best with the style of management in AON Corporation, one of biggest insurance brokers worldwide and what a Manager at AON should do. Topic 1 & 2) CONTENTS I. MAIN MANAGEMENT THEORIES 1. Definition of Management According to Drucker (1974) Management is â€Å"the activity of getting things done with the help of others peoples and resources†. It means that management is a process of accomplishing work with the help of other people. According to Weijrich and Koontz (1993) â€Å"Management is process of planning, leading, organizing and controlling people within a group in order to achieve goals. It is also the guidance and control of action required to execute a program.It indicates that there should be definite plan/program for affective management (Shied, 2010). On the basis of these definitions it can be concluded that management is a process that includes strategic planning, setting objectives, managing resources, developing the human and financial assets needed to achie ve objectives and measuring results. It also includes recording facts and information for later use upon requirement. 2. Management Theories Contemporary theories of management tend to account for and help interpret the rapidly changing nature of today’s organizational environments.Several important management theories which are broadly classified as follows: 1. The Scientific Management School. 2. The Classical Organizational Theory School. 3. The Behavioural School. 4. The Management Science School. 5. Recent developments in Management Theory comprising works such as Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building approach. This discussion will provide a general description of these management theories, how they have developed and the successes that they achieved. A Timeline Overview of Key Management theories pic] a. The Scientific Management School The first management theory is what is popularly referred to as Frederick Taylor’ s Scientific Management. Frederick Taylor (1856 – 1915) started the era of modern management. Taylor consistently sought to overthrow management â€Å"by rule of thumb† and replace it with actual timed observations leading to â€Å"the one best† practice. â€Å"Taylorism† involved breaking down the components of manual tasks in manufacturing environments, timing each movement (‘time and motion' studies) so that there could be a proven best way to perform each task.Thus employees could be trained to be ‘first class' within their job. This type of management was particularly relevant to performance drives e. g ‘Action On' projects. It has to be acknowledged that from an economic standpoint, Taylorism was an extreme success. Application of his methods yielded significant improvements in productivity. For example, improvements such as his shovel work at Bethlehem Works, which reduced the workers needed to shovel from 500 to 140. Henceforth, Taylor proposed four underlying principles of management: First, there is need to develop a ‘science of work’ to replace old rule-of-thumb methods: pay and other rewards linked to achievement of ‘optimum goals’ – measures of work performance and output; failure to achieve these would in contrast result in loss of earnings. – Second, workers to be ‘scientifically’ selected and developed: training each to be ‘first-class’ at some specific task. – Third the ‘science of work’ to be brought together with scientifically selected and trained people to achieve the best results. Finally, work and responsibility to be divided equally between workers and management cooperating together in close interdependence. This was a rigid system where every task became discrete and specialized. However, many critics, both historical and contemporary, have pointed out that Taylor’s theories tend to â€Å"dehumani ze† the workers. Therefore, in summary, while the scientific management technique has been employed to increase productivity and efficiency both in private and public services, it has also had the disadvantages of ignoring many of the human aspects of employment.This led to the creation of boring repetitive jobs with the introduction of systems for tight control and the alienation of shop floor employees from their managers. b. Classical Organizational Theory School In this category of management theory are the works of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory and Max Weber’s bureaucratic theory. Administrative Theory Henri Fayol’s administrative theory mainly focuses on the personal duties of management at a much more granular level. Fayol believed that management had five principle roles: †¢ Forecasting and planning. †¢ Organizing. †¢ Commanding Co-ordinating †¢ Controlling. Forecasting and planning was the act of anticipating the future a nd acting accordingly. Organization was the development of the institution’s resources, both material and human. Commanding was keeping the institution’s actions and processes running. Co-ordination was the alignment and harmonization of the group’s efforts. Finally, control meant that the above activities were performed in accordance with appropriate rules and procedures. Fayol also developed fourteen principles of administration to go along with management’s five primary roles.These principles are: specialization/division of labor, authority with responsibility, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to the general interest, remuneration of staff, centralization, scalar chain/line of authority, order, equity, stability of tenure, initiative, and esprit de corps. Fayol clearly believed personal effort and team dynamics were part of an â€Å"ideal† organization. Fayol’s five principle roles of management are still actively practiced today. The concept of giving appropriate authority with responsibility is also widely commented on and is well practiced.Unfortunately, his principles of â€Å"unity of command† and â€Å"unity of direction† are consistently violated in â€Å"matrix management†, the structure of choice for many of today’s companies. Bureaucratic Theory Max Weber (1864 – 1924) postulated that western civilization was shifting from â€Å"wertrational† (or value oriented) thinking, affective action (action derived from emotions), and traditional action (action derived from past precedent) to â€Å"zweckational† (or technocratic) thinking. He believed that civilization was changing to seek technically optimal results at the expense of emotional or humanistic content.Through analyses of organizations, Weber identified three basic types of legitimate authority: – Traditional authority: where acceptance of those in authority arose from tradition and custom. – Charismatic authority: where acceptance arises from loyalty to, and confidence in, the personal qualities of the ruler. – Rational-legal authority: where acceptance arises out of the office, or position, of the person in authority as bounded by the rules and procedures of the organization. It is the rational-legal authority form that exists in most organizations today and this is the form to which Weber ascribed the term ‘bureaucracy'.The main features of bureaucracy according to Weber were: †¢ A continuous organization or functions bounded by rules. †¢ That individual functioned within the limits of the specialization of the work, the degree of authority allocated and the rules governing the exercise of authority. †¢ A  hierarchical  structure of offices. †¢ Appointment to offices made on the grounds of technical competence only. †¢ The separation of officials from the ownership of the organization. †¢ The authority was vested in the official positions and not in the personalities that held these posts.Rules, decisions and actions were formulated and recorded in writing. It is not coincidence that Weber's writings were at a time of the major industrial revolutions and the growth of large complex organizations out of the cottage industries and/or entrepreneurial businesses. c. Behavioural School The key scholar under this category is Elton Mayo. The origin of behavioralism is the human relations movement that was a result of the Hawthorne Works Experiment that started in the early 1920s. Elton Mayo and his associates’ experiments disproved Taylor’s beliefs that science dictated hat the highest productivity was found in ‘the one best way’ and that way could be obtained by controlled experiment. The Hawthorne studies attempted to determine the effects of lighting on worker productivity. When these experiments showed no clear correlati on between light level and productivity the experiments then started looking at other factors. These factors that were considered when Mayo was working with a group of women included no rest breaks, no free more hours in the work-day/work-week or fewer hours in the workday/work-week.With each of these changes, productivity went up. When the women were put back to their original hours and conditions, they set a productivity record. These results showed that the group dynamics and social makeup of an organization were an important force either for or against higher productivity. This outcome caused the call for greater participation for the workers, greater trust and openness in the working environment, and a greater attention to teams and groups in the work place.Finally, while Taylor’s impacts were the establishment of the industrial engineering, quality control and personnel departments, the human relations movement’s greatest impact came in what the organization†™s leadership and personnel department were doing. The seemingly new concepts of â€Å"group dynamics†, â€Å"teamwork†, and organizational â€Å"social systems†, all stem from Mayo’s work in the mid-1920s. d. Management Science Theories Douglas McGregor (1906-1964) postulated management ideas as contained in â€Å"Theory X† and â€Å"Theory Y†.Using human behaviour research, he noted that the way an organization runs depends on the beliefs of its managers. â€Å"Theory X† gives a negative view of human behaviour and management that he considered to have dominated management theory from Fayol onwards – especially Taylorism. It also assumes that most people are basically immature, need direction and control, and are incapable of taking responsibility. They are viewed as lazy, dislike work and need a mixture of financial inducements and threat of loss of their job to make them work (‘carrot and stick’ mentality). T heory Y†, the opposite of â€Å"Theory X†, argues that people want to fulfil themselves by seeking self-respect, self-development, and self-fulfilment at work as in life in general. The six basic assumptions for ‘Theory Y’ are: work is as natural as play or rest – the average human being does not inherently dislike work, whether work is a source of pleasure or a punishment (to be avoided) depends on nature of the work and its management. Second, effort at work need not depend on threat of punishment – if committed to objectives then self-direction and self-control rather than external controls.Third, commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. Satisfaction of ego and self-actualization needs can be directed towards the objectives of the organization. Fourth, the average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility. Fifth, high degrees of imagination, ing enuity and creativity are not restricted to a narrow group but are widely distributed in the population. Lastly, under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentials of the average human being are being only partly utilized. . Recent Developments in Management Theory Under this category of theory are the Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building theory. The systems theory has had a significant effect on management science and understanding organizations. A system is a collection of part unified to accomplish an overall goal. If one part of the system is removed, the nature of the system is changed as well. A system can be looked at as having inputs (e. g. , resources such as raw materials, money, technologies, and people), processes (e. g. planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling), outputs (products or services) and outcomes (e. g. , enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity ). Systems share feedback among each of these four aspects of the system. The Chaos theory is advocated by Tom Peters (1942). Chaos theorists suggest that systems naturally go to more complexity, and as they do so, they become more volatile and must, therefore, expend more energy to maintain that complexity. As they expend more energy, they seek more structure to maintain stability.This trend continues until the system splits, combines with another complex system or falls apart entirely. It will need an effective manager for the latter worst scenario not to happen. Team Building approach or theory emphasizes quality circles, best practices, and continuous improvement. It is a theory that mainly hinges on reliance on teamwork. It also emphasizes flattening of management pyramid, and reducing the levels of hierarchy. Finally, it is all about consensus management – i. e. , involving more people at all levels in decision-making. 3. Management theory applied to AON II. WHAT A MANA GER DOESManaging, like all other practices – whether medicine, music composition, engineering, accountancy, or even baseball – is an art; it is know-how. It is doing things in the light of the realities of a situation. Managers just don't go out and perform their responsibilities. A good manager should discover how to master 05 basic functions: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. †¢ Planning:  This step involves mapping out exactly how to achieve a particular goal. For example, that the organization's goal is to improve company sales. The manager first needs to decide which steps are necessary to accomplish that goal.These steps may include increasing advertising, inventory, and sales staff. These necessary steps are developed into a plan. When the plan is in place, the manager can follow it to accomplish the goal of improving company sales. †¢ Organizing:  After a plan is in place, a manager needs to organize his team and materials a ccording to his plan. Assigning work and granting authority are two important elements of organizing. †¢ Staffing:  After a manager discerns his area's needs, he may decide to beef up his staffing by recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees.A manager in a large organization often works with the company's human resources department to accomplish this goal. †¢ Leading:  A manager needs to do more than just plan, organize, and staff her team to achieve a goal. She must also lead. Leading involves motivating, communicating, guiding, and encouraging. It requires the manager to coach, assist, and problem solve with employees. †¢ Controlling:  After the other elements are in place, a manager's job is not finished. He needs to continuously check results against goals and take any corrective actions necessary to make sure that his area's plans remain on track.All managers at all levels of every organization perform these functions, but the amount of time a manager spends on each one depends on both the level of management and the specific organization. Roles performed by managers In his classic book,  The Nature of Managerial Work,  Henry Mintzberg describes a set of ten roles that a manager fills. These roles fall into three categories: †¢ Interpersonal:  This role involves human interaction. †¢ Informational:  This role involves the sharing and analyzing of information. †¢ Decisional:  This role involves decision making.The below table  contains a more in-depth look at each category of roles that help managers carry out all five functions described in the preceding â€Å"Functions of Managers† section. Mintzberg's Set of Ten Roles | | |Category | |Role | |Activity | | |Informational | |Monitor | |Seek and receive information; scan periodicals and reports; maintain personal contact with stakeholders. | | | | | |Disseminator | |Forward information to organization members via memos, reports, an d phone calls. | | | | |Spokesperson | |Transmit information to outsiders via reports, memos, and speeches. | | | |Interpersonal | |Figurehead | |Perform ceremonial and symbolic duties, such as greeting visitors and signing legal documents. | | | | |Leader | |Direct and motivate subordinates; counsel and communicate with subordinates. | | | | |Liaison | |Maintain information links both inside and outside organization via mail, phone calls, and meetings. | | |Decisional | |Entrepreneur | |Initiate improvement projects; identify new ideas and delegate idea responsibility to thers. | | | | | |Disturbance handler | |Take corrective action during disputes or crises; resolve conflicts among subordinates; adapt to environments. | | | | |Resource allocator | |Decide who gets resources; prepare budgets; set schedules and determine priorities. | | | | |Negotiator | |Represent department during negotiations of union contracts, sales, purchases, and budgets. | | | Skills needed by managers Not everyone can be a manager. Certain  skills,  or abilities to translate knowledge into action that results in desired performance, are required to help other employees become more productive. These skills fall under the following categories: Technical:  This skill requires the ability to use a special proficiency or expertise to perform particular tasks. Accountants, engineers, market researchers, and computer scientists, as examples, possess technical skills. Managers acquire these skills initially through formal education and then further develop them through training and job experience. Technical skills are most important at lower levels of management. †¢ Human:  This skill demonstrates the ability to work well in cooperation with others. Human skills emerge in the workplace as a spirit of trust, enthusiasm, and genuine involvement in interpersonal relationships. A anager with good human skills has a high degree of self-awareness and a capacity to understand or empathize with the feelings of others. Some managers are naturally born with great human skills, while others improve their skills through classes or experience. No matter how human skills are acquired, they're critical for all managers because of the highly interpersonal nature of managerial work. †¢ Conceptual:  This skill calls for the ability to think analytically. Analytical skills enable managers to break down problems into smaller parts, to see the relations among the parts, and to recognize the implications of any one problem for others.As managers assume ever-higher responsibilities in organizations, they must deal with more ambiguous problems that have long-term consequences. Again, managers may acquire these skills initially through formal education and then further develop them by training and job experience. The higher the management level, the more important conceptual skills become. †¢ Designing skill is the ability to solve problems in wa ys that will benefit the enterprise. To be effective, particularly at upper organizational levels, managers must be able to do more than see a problem.In addition, they must have the skill of a good design engineer in working out a practical solution to a problem. Managers must also have that valuable skill of being able to design a workable solution to the problem in the light of the realities they face. It has, however, got to be mentioned that the relative importance of these skills may differ at various levels in the organization hierarchy. Although all four categories contain skills essential for managers, their relative importance tends to vary by level of managerial responsibility.