Sunday, November 3, 2019

How did British settlers, officials and experts understand the Mau Mau Essay

How did British settlers, officials and experts understand the Mau Mau - Essay Example The movement also managed to unite the rest of the country under the objective of liberating the country from colonial rule. British experts viewed the movement as a collection of people who wanted justice for the atrocities committed by British settlers. It suited British settlers and administrators to brand Mau Mau as a primitive and cruel organization (Barnett 1972, p. 5). They also hid the real objectives of the movement in order to deny the local population justice and equality. This was important for the settlers because it gave them a platform for justifying their brutal repression and approaches towards the Mau Mau. British experts who viewed the Mau Mau as a freedom movement willingly offered legal and political assistance to the leaders of the movement (Durrani 2006, p. 17). They even provided platforms for the education of the leaders of the movement. British settlers strategically condemned the movement and freedom fighters in order deny them justice. Mau Mau was isolated from its historical context by British experts and elitists. These individuals did not consider the freedom movement as an organization that stood up against the atrocities of the settlers. Mau Mau was historically placed as a group of people who took arms to protect their native land against British settlers (Elkins 2006, p. 28). From the moment, settlers began to enter the country, natives organized themselves to counter the invasion. Many studies by British scholars and administrators during the period of the Mau Mau described the freedom movement as a modern nationalist response to the oppression and unfairness of the settler’s domination (Bennett 2013, p. 22). Colonial administrators and settlers considered the movement as an uprising that needed to be stopped vigorously. In response to the Mau Mau insurgency, British settlers and administrators created policies that confined natives to reserves and camps. Natives who lived in

Friday, November 1, 2019

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Education - Essay Example In contrast to such medicinal procedures Eastern medicine in some cases support the use of acupuncture and may even reduce stress. Effects of acupuncture would not be explained through traditional medical models and patients have experienced stress reduction by using acupuncture. The physiological effects of acupuncture can also be theoretically supported with evidence and in this essay I would argue which model of philosophy best fits in with our own belief systems and how this claim could be justified or established. The focus here is thus on differentiating and yet finding common grounds between constructivist and positivist philosophies. The similarities and differences of these two systems of thought could be highlighted not only with regard to stress but several other examples could be used to show exactly where these two systems vary and how they would differ. Positivism relies on strict scientific method and empirical understanding of events. Advocated by Comte, Popper and by scientists, positivism was considered as the most important approach to philosophy of science that could bring about scientific progress with natural or material approaches defined or understood empirically (Mill, 1993). Positivism is generally considered as the scientific method as science is based on certain statements which are empirically testable and verifiable (Morris, 2006). The logical structure and coherence of these statements would make a phenomenon scientifically explicable and only then this would be accepted as explaining the events of the world. Positivism being the best scientific explanation is also closely related to reductionism which shows how one type of entity would be reducible to another. The basis of positivism would relate to quantitative and objective measurement of the events or phenomena studied. Scientific information is thus informatio n that can be quantified and objectively studied. Apart from

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Is there such a thing as a normal sexual orientation Essay

Is there such a thing as a normal sexual orientation - Essay Example Persons attracted toward those of the opposite sex are termed as heterosexuals. Persons attracted toward both genders at the same time are called bisexuals. Person not attracted to any kind of sexual activity with neither gender is going through abstinence or asexuality. This homosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and abstinence, is what we call sexual orientation of a person. It involves both the feelings plus the identity of the person. An individual may recognize his identity as being a homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual, at any point of his life and this identity would be different from the gender identity or gender roles that the society assigns to an individual. This paper intends to discuss if there is such a thing in the world as normal sexual orientation. Normal Sexual Orientations Researchers suggest that being a heterosexual is normal as is being a non-heterosexual. Gays and lesbians have been identified in all ages and they live just the normal way as others. They belong to all cultures, all socio-economic statuses, and all religions. A homosexual can also feel erotically aroused by a member of the opposite sex at some times in life although he may identify himself as a gay. A heterosexual, likewise, can feel attracted toward a person of the same sex although not too often and although he claims himself to be a heterosexual. Thus, a variation in normality is seen in the behavior of individuals, and this variation cannot make the behavior abnormal. Huegel states that â€Å"Being gay is normal. Being lesbian is normal. Being bisexual is normal. Being transgender is normal. Being heterosexual is normal.† Homosexuality is a Normal Sexual Orientation Gay marriages and gay rights are issues that have been an effort toward making people consider non-heterosexual orientations as normal. The earliest known gay rights organization is the Society for Human Rights in Chicago that was established in 1924 and launched first gay rights movement. Afte r that, the Mattachine Society was established in 1951 and there have been a number of other organizations and movements till then which support gay rights. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed by Congress in 1996 protects the marriage rights of gays since there were many states which had banned gay marriages before 1996. Congress approved the law in 2010 and legalized gay marriages. When talking about gay rights, we must discuss what actually the rights that have been legalized for gays are. These include ceremonial marriages, child adoption, domestic partnership registration on public record, domestic partnership affidavit given by employers to gay employees that defines the couple’s economic relationship, health care, insurance, lawsuits, property, and the like. Hence, we see that courts and laws have been trying to make people believe that heterosexuality is normal. Abnormal Sexual Orientations However, there are some bizarre sexual orientations that are regarded as abnormal. Paraphilia Paraphilia is a sexual orientation in which a person is sexually attracted toward a non-human object, animal, or a person with whom sexual activity is not socially acceptable. The paraphilic sexual orientation is considered abnormal by all mental health organization like the American Psychiatric Association. According to the Traditional Values Coalition: The paraphilias listed in the DSM are abnormal sexual orientations toward non-human objects or individuals and include the

Monday, October 28, 2019

HP Pendrive Creative Brief Essay Example for Free

HP Pendrive Creative Brief Essay The HP Brand is a â€Å"lifestyle† brand that provides electronic gadgets. PROJECT BACKGROUND Wheather you are very much active in computer and need to transfer lots of office presentations,works,songs,movies HP provides pendrives to fit your kind of lifestyle.It had developed itself to cater to those who are active and value transfering files,music,movies etc.HP provides a varity of pendrives for the purpose of being used from being extremely active to just relaxing.Where their pendrives fit a whole spectrum of daily activities,the problem still exists of getting computer users to choose the HP Pendrives over its competition. Hp Pendrive needs to prove that it is a brnd of EVERY lifestyle.Therefore,the purpose of this campaign is to show HP Pendrives being used and abused in all kinds of everyday lifestyles. TARGET AUDIENCE 15-70 years old males,females who involve with computer to whatever lifestyle they live.The audience will cover the entire spectrum of â€Å"computer users† from hard-core corporate person to those who study in school.Whatever the activity, the key is that they involve to share files,movies,musics etc. Advertising Objective Create consumer demand and awareness for HP Pendrive. CONSUMER MESSAGE Pendrive made specifically for your lifestyle. KEY CONSUMER BENEFIT HP provides durable and quality pendrive,no matter what you are doing. BENEFIT SUPPORT Durability allowing you to continue with your active daily lifestyle without worrying abou ruining your pendrive. HP provides upto 64 GB pendrive. Small in size.So, it is easy to carry anywhere. COMPETITION Transcend,Sony,Kingstone.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The One and Future King :: Once and Future King Essays

The One and Future King In The One and Future King by T.H. White the main character, Arthur, learns many important lessons. He is taught many of these lessons by animals. For instance, he learns that "might is right" (White 47) from a fish (which turns out to be false), that ants live dictated lives devoted to war (121), that owls only kill another animal if they are starving (69), and a badger teaches him the story of man's creation (168). One of the most important lessons Arthur learns is from a goose, who tells him of a perfect society. When Merlyn turns Wart (Arthur's nickname) into a goose, another goose named Lyok Lyok teaches him about the lives of geese. Wart migrates with the geese and talks to them. He finds out that geese are very peaceful animals; they do not fight with each other, they share any food that they acquire, and each bird only has one nest (172). This greatly affects Wart because it is so different from humans. He still thinks that he likes war, but then begins to notice how many bad effects war has. Wart starts to question his initial gut-feeling that war is right and necessary. This also allows Arthur to have a more open mind towards other animals' lifestyles. This lesson is also important to me, the reader, because it makes me feel that war is not necessary. If other animals have the ability to live peacefully, so should humans. It enforces the idea that people should be kind to one another. It also opens the eyes of readers by letting them get to know the lifestyle habits of other animals and causing them to be accepting.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Aib Problem Solution

Aib Homework Wk3 Problem 1 The following data were obtained from a project to create a new portable electronic. Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 6 Days — C 8 Days — D 4 Days A, B E 3 Days C F 5 Days D G 5 Days E, F H 9 Days D I 12 Days G Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) a) What is the Scheduled Completion of the Project? (2 points) 32 -> CORRECT b) What is the Critical Path of the Project? (3 points) B,D,F,G,I -> CORRECT 2,4,6,7,9 c) What is the ES for Activity D? (2 points) 6 -> Correct ) What is the LS for Activity G? (2 points) 15 e) What is the EF for Activity B? (2 points) 6 -> Correct f) What is the LF for Activity H? (2 points) 32 -> Correct g) What is the float for Activity I? (2 points) 0 Problem 2 The following data were obtained from a project to build a pressure vessel: Activity Duration Predecessors A 6 weeks — B 6 weeks — C 5 weeks B D 4 weeks A, C E 5 weeks B F 7 weeks D, E, G G 4 weeks B H 8 weeks F I 5 weeks G J 3 week I Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) ) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 30 b) Identify the critical path (4 points) B,C,D,F,H c) What is the slack time (float) for activity A? (2 points) 5 d) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points)4 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity G? (2 points) 5 Problem 3 The following data were obtained from a project to design a new software package: Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 8 Days — C 6 Days A D 4 Days C, B E 5 Days A F 4 Days D, E, G G 4 Days B, C H 3 Day G Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) e) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 19 f) Identify the critical path(s) (4 points) A,C,D,G,F g) What is the slack time (float) for activity B? (2 points) 3 h) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points) 5 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity G? (2 points) 0 Problem 4 The following data were obtained from an in-house MIS project: Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 8 Days — C 5 Days A D 4 Days B E 5 Days B F 3 Day C, D G 7 Days C, D H 6 Days E, F, G I 9 Days E, F Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) a) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 25 b) Identify the critical path (4 points) B,D,G,H c) What is the slack time (float) for activity A? (2 points) 2 d) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points) 3 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity F? (2 points) 1

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Coffee consumption Essay

Faculty of Farm Management, Banat`s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului, Timisoara; Romania; petz_elena@yahoo. com 2 ) Faculty Economics Science, University Tibiscus Timisoara, 1/A Daliei St. , Timisoara, Romania Abstract. The coffee market is a dynamic market due to the numerous mades, to the wide range of assortments and to the high number of people that are more and more sophisticated. There has been lately a trend toward pre-packaged coffee, i. e. towards high quality produce and to larger weight coffee packages. Despite the high price of the coffee, Romanians drink more and more coffee. The leading assortment is ground coffee followed by soluble coffee. Keywords: needs, aspirations, demand, offer, consumption, behaviour, market INTRODUCTION Marketing research is not an exact science, and it is not an exact science either. It is about working with people, with their ever-changing needs and desires under the impact of hundreds of factors that are more or less known. Market analysis shows what people wish to purchase, to consume, or to use. As a rule, this means something different from what companies want us to believe, to produce and to sell. It is not enough to must study people’s needs; we should also know people’s desires and aspirations. The main component of marketing research is the study of consumer behaviour. The research of consumer behaviour concerns different attitudes in the process of buying decision (e. g. people’s attitude towards information, the choice of the purchase place, fidelity towards the made, getting aware of the price, knowing consumer’s difficult nature, etc. ). Consumer behaviour is a complex phenomenon and, at the same time, an interdisciplinary field. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study aims at presenting the coffee consumer profile, the way the choosing and purchasing of the different types of coffee on the market is done, and the way coffee made notoriety is determined. The target population consisted of all the people aged over 18 and living in Timisoara. The sampling method we used was the quotas method. In applying this method, we started from the characteristics of the target population (e. g. age, sex, occupation, etc. ). Sample size varies depending on the thrust threshold and on the accepted error. The way the questionnaire was applied consisted in a field survey, i. e. questioning people outside the shops. 362 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION At present, consumers are masters of their incomes. Social stratification differentiates incomes and determines significant variations of the consumption structure. Knowing the structure of the consumer’s attitude is a good opportunity to investigate the causes determining the acceptance or rejection of a produce. The most important means is researching consumer’s desires. Question no. 1 in our questionnaire, â€Å"Do you drink coffee? † is a filter question. As a result of the answers we got to this question, we could see that 56% of the people we questioned drink coffee; 17% answered hey do not drink coffee at all; and 27% answered they only drink coffee sometimes. Thus, the 17 people answering they never drink coffee were removed from the study. The answer to question, â€Å"How often do you drink coffee? † resulted in the following answers: 92% of the respondents answered they drink coffee daily; while 8% answered they drink coffee occasionally. The answer to the question, â€Å"Who purchases the coffee in your family? † showed that it is the housewife who does it (76% of the cases). As for the question, â€Å"How often do you purchase coffee? † 40% of the respondents answered they purchase it once a month, 28% answered they purchase it twice a month, and 20% answered they purchase it rather seldom. As for the amount of coffee people purchase, the figure below shows that 40% of the coffee purchasers prefer packages of 500 g, while 36% prefer packages of 250 g (Fig. 1). 40% 40% 36% 35% 30% 25% 20% 16% 15% 8% 10% 5% 0% 250 g 500 g 1000 g More Fig. 1. Amount of coffee purchased The answers to question, â€Å"On what occasion do you purchase coffee?†, 72% of the respondents said they purchase coffee for the daily consumption, while 8% said they purchase coffee for other goals. The questionnaire showed that 64% of the respondents purchase their coffee at the hyeprmarket and supermarket, 24% of the respondents purchase coffee from the corner shops, and 12% purchase coffee from the market. As for the coffee made, we could see that 48% of the respondents prefer the Jakobs made, 24% purchase the Elita made, 16% purchase the Amigo made, 8% purchase the Tchibo made, and 4% purchase the Amaroy and Lavazza mades (Fig.2). The answers to question, â€Å"What do you appreciate most in the coffee you purchase? †, 50% of the respondents answered it is flavour, 40% answered it is the taste, and 10% 363 answered it is strength. Asfor the factors influencing purchase decision, we could see from the respondents answers that 44% of them are influenced by the price, 28% answered they are influenced by the made, and 20% of the respondents admitted it is the advertising (Fig. 3). 48% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 24% 16% 8% 4% Elita Jacobs Amigo Tchibo Other specifications. Fig. 2. Coffee mades 44% 45% 40% 35% 28% 30% 25% 20% 20% 15% 8% 10% 5% 0% Advertising Price Packaging Trade Fig. 3. Factors influencing purchase decision 40% 40% 32% 35% 28% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Home, in family At the cafe/ At w ork (school), terrace, w ith the automatic friends coffee Fig. 4. Favourite place for coffee consumption 364 The answers to question, â€Å"Where do you usually have your coffee? †, showed that 40% of the respondents answered it is at home, 32% answered they have their coffee with their friends, at coffee shops, on terraces, etc. , and 28% of the respondents said they have their coffee at their work place, from the coffee machine (Fig. 4). As for the age of the respondents, we could see that 36% of them are aged 26-40, 28% are aged 18-25, 20% are aged 41-65, and 16% are aged above 65. From the point of view of their income, 56% of the respondents earn less than 1,000 LEI /month, 20% earn between 1,000 and 1,500 LEI /month, 16% of the respondents earn between 1,501 LEI /month and 2,000 LEI /month, and only 8% of the respondents earn more than 2,000 LEI /month. CONCLUSIONS. In order to get higher performances, any company needs a strong consumer-oriented marketing strategy. Therefore, it is very important to monitor and study the consumer behaviour from all points of view: type of consumer, age, sex, occupation, group of appurtenance, personality, culture, etc. the questions marketing operators should use in their studies and shaping of purchase behaviour and consumption behaviour in their attempt to better decide how to react are such questions as Who? , When? , How? , How much? , From where? , How many times? , etc. To have a closer look at the factors influencing the behaviour of the coffee consumer we have carried out the present study by applying a questionnaire to a number of 60 people whose main common feature is that they all live in the city of Timisoara. On the ground of this study, we can draw the following conclusions: 56% of the respondents drink coffee, 27% drink it sometimes, and 17% never; 92% of the respondents drink coffee daily, while 8% drink it occasionally; 76% of the coffee purchasers are women; 40% of the respondents purchase coffee once a month, 28% twice a month, and 20% rather seldom; 40% of the respondents prefer packages of 500 g, while 36% prefer 250 g packages; 72% of the respondents purchase coffee for their daily consumption, while 8% purchase it for other reasons; 64% of the respondents purchase their coffee at the hyeprmarket and supermarket, 24% from the corner shops, and 12% from the market, 48% of the respondents prefer the Jakobs made, 24% Elita, 16% Amigo, 8% Tchibo, and 4% Amaroy and Lavazza; 50% of the respondents purchase coffee for its flavour, 40% for its taste, and 10% for its strength; 44% of the respondents are influenced by the coffee price in their purchase, 28% by the made, and 10% by the adds; 40% of the respondents prefer have their coffee at home, 32% in town, and 28% at the work place; 36% of the respondents were aged 26-40, 28% were aged 18-25, 20% were aged 41-65, and 16% were aged above 65. 56% of the respondents earn less than 1,0 00 LEI /month , 20% earn between 1,000 and 1, 500 LEI/month, 16% of the respondents earn between 1,501 LEI /month and 2 ,000 LEI /mon th, and on ly 8% of the respondents earn more than 2,000 LEI /month. REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Baker J. M. (1997). Marketing – Societatea Stiintifica si Tehnica S. A. ,Bucuresti Balaure V. (2000) Marketing – Ed. Uranus, Bucuresti Demetrescu M. C. (2000) Metode de analiza in marketing – Ed. Teora, Bucuresti Foltean Florin (2000) Cercetari de marketing editi a II-a – Ed. Mirton, Timisoara Kotler Ph. (1997) Managementul marketingului – Ed. Teora, Bucuresti Niculescu Elena (2000) Marketing modern – Ed. Polirom, Iasi Pet Elena (2004) Marketing agrar, Ed. Marineasa Pruteanu Stefan, Corneliu Munteanu, Cezar Caluschi – Inteligenta. Marketing plus – Ed. Polirom 365.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Hercules essays

Hercules essays Some time after he completing the 12 labors, Hercules married the princess deianira. The centaur nessus tried to rape deinarina, and Hercules shot him with a poisoned arrow. The dying centaur told deinarina to smear some of his blood on Hercules robe if she ever needed to win back his blood. After Hercules fell in love with another princess, Iole, Deianira follow Nessus advice. But the centaurs blood had been poisoned by Hercules arrow. When Hercules put on the robe, it burned him so terrible he pleaded to be placed on a funeral pyre. Flames consumed his body, and he was taken to mount Olympus, home of the gods. There, he became a god. The most popular of all Greeks heroes, famous for extra ordinary strength and courage. Alcmene, wife of amphitrion, made love to bouth Zeus and her husband on the same night and born two sons, Hercules son of Zeus and Iphicles son of amphitrion. Hercules incurred the everlasting wrath of Hera because he was the child of her unfaithful husband. A few months after his birth Hera set two serpents in his cradle, but the podrigious infant promptly strangled them. Wen he was a young man, Hercules defended thebes from the armies of a neighboring city, Orchomenus, and was rewarded with Megara, daughter of King Creon. But Hera drove Hercules insane, and his madness he killed his wife and children after he had recovered his sanity, he sought purification at the court of the king Eurystheus of tiryns for 12 years. During those years Hercules performed 12 arduous labors. He killed the demean lion and the Hydra caught the Erymanthian boar and the Cerynean hind drove off the stymphalian birds c lean the stables of augeas captured the cretan bull and the horses of diomed made off with the girdle of the amazon queen hippolyte killed geryon captured cerberus and finally took the golden apples of Hesperides. After his labors were completed, Hercules was involved in many other adventures and combats, to perform...

Monday, October 21, 2019

A Quick Guide to Balanced Scorecards

A Quick Guide to Balanced Scorecards Here is an overview of a BSC (balanced scorecards) management tool, its advantages and disadvantages. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a popular strategic management tool developed in 1992 by Robert Kaplan and David Norton to answer what the two researchers saw as a shortcoming in existing strategic planning methods: A way to connect the long-term objectives of a business to short-term performance measures, particularly financial indicators. The problem is easy enough to understand; a company’s overall goals, usually expressed in its Mission Vision Statement, are often somewhat abstract and difficult to express in terms of the day-to-day (or month-to-month, or year-to-year) activities and processes of the organization – it may not be clear to the people in the organization exactly how their work tasks at this moment are steps towards the company’s greater objectives, a bit of confusion that can create problems for maintaining productivity and motivation. The BSC is a way to â€Å"provide a roadmap† showing how to present activities lead to future objectives, and if used correctly, the tool can be very effective. If you have any questions our writers will gladly help you! STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS PART 1 Background of the BSC The Fundamental Ideas Behind It Kaplan and Norton first introduced the Balanced Scorecard in an article in the Harvard Business Review in 1992 (â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard – Measures That Drive Performance†, HBR January-February 1992), in which they explained that any firm has four key perspectives from which it should consider its strategy: Financial, Customers, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth. The firm needs to make money, and for that it needs customers; customers’ needs are served by the output of the firm’s internal processes, and in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage, the firm must learn and improve over time. Consequently, the BSC begins with a firm asking itself four important questions: What is our value to our shareholders? (the financial perspective) What is our value to our customers? (the customer perspective) In order to provide the value to our shareholders and customers, in what must we excel? (the internal processes perspective) How do we sustain our advantages and continue to improve? (the learning and growth perspective) The answer to each of these four questions has four parts: A relevant objective or objectives; the measures of performance that appropriately assess progress towards those objectives; the specific target value of the performance measures that would signify the objectives’ having been successfully achieved; and the specific processes or activities that must be done in order to achieve them. In form, the Balanced Scorecard is a four-sided matrix, with the firm’s vision and competitive strategy at its center: The Balanced Scorecard (Source: Kaplan Norton, â€Å"Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System†, HBR, January-February 1996) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Advantages of the BSC The first advantage of the BSC is that it forces firms to quantify their goals. Aspirations expressed in a Mission Vision Statement such as â€Å"being an empowered organization† is a platitude without some explanation of what â€Å"an empowered organization† is, and how, exactly, the organization can become â€Å"empowered†. Or for that matter, whether or not being â€Å"empowered† actually has anything to do with effectively meeting stakeholders’ and customers’ needs, maintaining sound internal processes to achieve those, and improving the organization to maintain a competitive edge. The second advantage of the BSC is that its format makes it easy to see how all of the strategic management perspectives relate to one another. Conflicts between objectives in different areas are immediately apparent and can be corrected. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the BSC is its versatility. Although it was designed for application in business management settings, the basic template can be applied to almost any initiative or organization. By slightly modifying the four key perspectives, the BSC can even be applied to specific areas of the organization and even to individuals. In fact, there is some research that suggests that the BSC is gaining, even more, use as a performance management and assessment tool in HRM applications than as a firm-level strategic planning tool. Disadvantages of the BSC Like many other strategic management tools, the BSC has one unavoidable potential handicap in that it is only as good as the quality of the information put into it. The tool suffers from the same risk as the SWOT analysis called SWAG (Scientific Wild-Ass Guess) by Oxford’s Professor Malcolm McDonald; the importance of objectives and other factors may be over- or underestimated or overlooked entirely, which leads to the BSC returning poor results because the right information is not actually included. Another problem that can make the BSC less effective than expected is that by design, it gives equal weight to all four of the key perspectives, while in actual practice, many organizations might need to give greater weight to one or another. For example, a non-profit organization would likely have very strong customer perspectives and a lesser focus on financial outcomes; without adjusting the BSC to reflect its priorities, the organization might end up actually hindering its efforts towards achieving its goals. And finally, the results of some empirical research on the effectiveness of the BSC suggests that just as with most strategic management tools, its performance in real-world applications falls a little short of the academic hype. A fairly recent broad study of strategic management tool use and effectiveness found that the BSC tends to work better for larger and more complex firms than for smaller ones, and that the alignment of strategy and performance is perceived to be better among firms that use the BSC in combination with other strategic planning and assessment tools than among firms using the BSC by itself (E.Tapinos, R.G. Dyson M. Meadows, â€Å"Does the Balanced Scorecard make a difference to the strategy development process?† Journal of the Operational Research Society, vol. 62, no. 5, 2011). One reason for this may be that, contrary to the assertions of Kaplan and Norton, the BSC is not actually designed to develop organizational strategy; the firm’s vision an d strategy must necessarily exist beforehand in order for the BSC to work as designed, meaning that the BSC is the best thought of as a performance management and operational planning tool (hence its popularity in HRM practice), rather than a strategic development tool. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS PART 2 Whatever project you are working on, be assured you have a  reliable team  of writers  to work with. You can place your order here!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Students plagued by poor grammar - Emphasis

Students plagued by poor grammar Students plagued by poor grammar University students writing is plagued by poor grammar and punctuation and a lack of consensus on what constitutes a clear writing style, new Emphasis research has found. This inaugural research project, which marks the launch of the Emphasis Research Centre, suggests that todays graduates the business writers of tomorrow arent being encouraged to write in a clear, straightfoward manner that will serve them (and their future colleagues and clients) best in the world of work. The results, compiled from an online survey of academics and lecturers from 37 UK universities, reveal a range of problems from poor grammar and punctuation to an inappropriate style. But the real problem may well be the inconsistent advice handed down from lecturers. The survey reveals a lack of agreement on what constitutes a good writing style: there is a real gulf between the plainer language tutors claim to prefer, and the typically opaque and multi-syllabic language of academia. So it isnt the case that the problem is going unrecognised or being ignored. Rather there is just a need for a unified and uniform support system. University lecturers are keen to help students overcome worrying deficiencies in their writing, says Emphasis CEO, Rob Ashton. But a lack of familiarity with the building blocks of a clear, plain style makes that goal hard to achieve. To read the full report on this research, click here. Other research has recently highlighted the link between low levels of literacy and a lack of success in the workplace. The report, published by the National Literacy Trust, found that one in six adults has levels of literacy lower than that expected of an 11-year-old. Two-thirds of men and three-quarters of women with poor reading and writing skills had never received a promotion.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Equal opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equal opportunity - Essay Example Parents who adopt such professions that allow them to spend more time with their children are better able to take care of their children’s education as compared to the parents that leave it up to the tutors to guide the children through everything. Parental involvement in school enhances a child’s self esteem and he/she is able to achieve more (Klepfer, n.d.). Not just that, educated parents can also improve the mannerism of their children because â€Å"the children will mimic the parents’ attitude and behavior despite whatever they learn in school† (DHRRA, 2009). Likewise, people who earn more are able to educate their children in better schools. Good education is often quite expensive. Schools that charge the parents lesser for the child’s education compromise upon the quality of education. Hence, highly earning parents can provide their children with education in better schools. Owing to the difference of socioeconomic status of parents, all chil dren do not have equal opportunities of achievement in the school. References: DHRRA. (2009). Parents’ Role in Children’s Education. Retrieved from http://www.dhrramalaysia.org.my/dhrramalaysia/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:parents-role-in-childrens-education&catid=36:child-programmes&Itemid=64. Klepfer, J. (n.d.).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Intellectual Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intellectual Heritage - Essay Example The three major religions of the World, Bible, Quran, and the Baghavat Gita, have a similar notion about the relationship between God and Man. They observe Human Beings in terms of men and women created by God with an intentional duty on earth. Bible says God created human beings form his breath and the dust form earth. The trees in the garden called paradise reveal the relationship between God and man. The command given by God to the first man shows the relationship between God and human, that human is God’s attendant given to the earth to fulfil the purpose of God. In the sense, God is the dictator and man need to obey in order to keep the earth always a paradise. This sounds almost similar with that of Bhagavat Gita, in which Lord Krishna exemplifies the supreme Goal of God in terms of Yogas such as Raja Yoga , Bhakthi Yoga, Karma Yoga and Janana Yoga representing the meditation, devotion, selfless action and accumulation of knowledge respectively. Brahma is considered as the foremost God of creations. The supreme soul or paramatma is said to be found in the hearts of all human beings. If Brahma is the impersonal energy ruling the Universe, The paramatma form of God living in every body’s heart takes the transcendental form of God. As far as Good living is concerned man should follow Dharma or honesty, this is what Quran and Bible also insist. It man’s individuality ad true self could be realised by understanding the purpose governed by God to man [in Bible and Quran],then according to Bhagavat Gita the same is achieved in terms of self realisation which in turn reached by understanding the supreme existence of paramatma in every body. Freedom is looked upon in different aspect. Bible talks of freedom given to man with a certain restriction imposed by God. When God allows human beings to look after the Garden, He also makes a restriction that they should not touch the fruit of Knowledge. Quran, emphasises on man’s duty to

Judicial Resolutions to State School Financing Case Study

Judicial Resolutions to State School Financing - Case Study Example In its ruling, the Court found that poor communities had to have a high tax rates to generate relatively low per-pupil revenue whereas wealthy communities could have low tax rates and yet still generate relatively high per-pupil revenue (Merrow, 2004). The Court opined that "affluent districts can have their cake and eat it too; they can provide a high quality education for their children while paying lower taxes. Poor districts, by contrast, have no cake at all" (Coon, 1999, citing Serrano). In an attempt to address such a complex social issue, the Court applied the equal-protection analysis of wealth as a suspect classification by extending it for the first time to school districts and ultimately ordered the state legislature to change school financing laws (Coon, 1999). Subsequent legislation was passed that was designed to equalize school funding by increasing state funds for poor communities while putting a cap on per-pupil revenues in wealthy districts and redistributing some of their local property taxes to poor districts (Merrow, 2004). However, the Court had failed to consider that 75% of poor children lived in high spending districts, and it effectively led to low school spending for most poor children (Merrow, 2004). In addition, the public was disconcerted in paying property taxes and in supporting any increase in property taxes that were not helping their local schools (Merrow, 2004). Judicial Resolutions 4 Because of the existing and continuing disparities in school funding and educational disparities, it is doubtful that the Serrano decision can be credited with defining and bringing about the educational equality that its original supporters were hoping for in their praise following the Court's ruling. However, the case can concretely be credited with bringing about massive revision in school financing in California and it spurred an immediate wave of similar rulings and legislative action in other states (Brimley, 2003). The effects of those revisions, even in light of subsequent cases that seemed to rule to the contrary, have lasted through the last several decades and continue to impact education today. San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973) In San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 1 (1973), issues very similar to those in Serrano were before the Supreme Court of the United States. The San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), acting on behalf of students whose families resided in poor districts, challenged the Texas state funding scheme by arguing that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause by underprivileging such students because their schools lacked the vast property

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Human Resource Development studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Development studies - Essay Example This essay will discuss how boundaries between organisations are increasingly becoming fluid across a diverse range of networks and the implications that these network forms have on the maintenance and development of skills for individuals and organisations. Reasons for diversification of networks The thinning of the boundaries between organisations has to a large extent been caused by the diversification of organisations, this has seen most of the organisations increase their product diversity to minimise risks and increase their capability to take advantage of opportunities in the market (Johnson, 2010, p65). In addition, organisations have also diversified their markets in several regions in order to reach a larger client base. These processes of diversification have caused major shifts in the way the companies conduct their operations (Hill & Jones, 2007, p85). In the case of concentric diversification where organisations are concerned with increasing the scope of their products through the adding related goods and services, integration of different skills has been a necessity; this is to increase the strategic fit in the running of the organisations (Gu?Nther, 2007, p152). The related products that an organisation includes in its operation depends on the field that it operates in, for instance, organisations that offer services in the service industries are likely to add to their products other services that compliment their operations or those that add value to the initially existing services. For instance, a company that has a conservancy for wild animals or that is manages a game reserve is more likely to diversify its operation to include offering travelling packages for tourists who visit their facility. In addition, it may wish to own a hotel within the conservancy where the tourists can stay when they are visiting the region, this would encourage more tourists to visit the conservancy or the game reserve. Still to increase the visibility of the orga nisation to possible tourists, the organisation is likely to acquire an advertising firm. This diversification in operations of a service company would require that the workers especially in the management levels to acquire new skills to enable them run the organisation efficiently and effectively. Diversification in organisations that deal in goods is more likely to be extensive and complex than for the organisations that are in the service industry, this makes the workers in the goods producing organisations more affected by the organisation’s operations in different networks (Toxvaerd, 2010, p72). Most of the organisations that have their final products in form of goods require a lot of technological and management expertise, this is because in the production of goods, there are a lot of stages that are involved before the goods are ready to be taken to the market (Gregory & Cooper, 2009, p111). These stages include; procurement and transportation of raw materials, the pro cessing of raw materials that may involve several stages, quality assurance checks, packaging and branding of the product, warehousing search and transportation

Jerusalem Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Jerusalem - Movie Review Example Understanding the significance of the history of Jerusalem also creates a deeper understanding of the rooted conflicts and beliefs in religion that are a part of Israel today. The main concept which Jennings approaches when looking at Jerusalem is to identify the 4000 years of history that have been identified through the area. The approach which is taken comes in three segments, each which have an exclusive interview with a Christian, Jewish and Muslim family living in Jerusalem. As Jennings’ traces their history, there is a deeper sense of what has occurred during this time frame through the interviews. More important, there is the ability to create a deeper sense of how religion has affected the region, families and those that hold to specific beliefs in Jerusalem. The facts that Jennings’ provides are brief because of the context and main concept of the news story. The division of stories into 15 minute segments as well as the brief ideologies that are stated before these show a different understanding of the history. However, this is limited to the interviews as well as the main ideologies linked to one aspect of the religion. While the viewer is able to have a brief overview, the inability to tap into 4000 years of history with all the factual information leaves several gaps for those that are interested in the portrayal of Jerusalem. This also limits the historical components that are a part of the series, specifically by identifying one part of Jerusalem through exclusive interviews and brief concepts associated with the building of different religions in the holy land. While there is only a brief overview of what has occurred, there is a balance with the different religions. The report includes different backgrounds and practices that are within Jerusalem. For instance, when speaking with the Muslim family, there is history that is traced back for eight centuries. The generations which are traced back link

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Human Resource Development studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Development studies - Essay Example This essay will discuss how boundaries between organisations are increasingly becoming fluid across a diverse range of networks and the implications that these network forms have on the maintenance and development of skills for individuals and organisations. Reasons for diversification of networks The thinning of the boundaries between organisations has to a large extent been caused by the diversification of organisations, this has seen most of the organisations increase their product diversity to minimise risks and increase their capability to take advantage of opportunities in the market (Johnson, 2010, p65). In addition, organisations have also diversified their markets in several regions in order to reach a larger client base. These processes of diversification have caused major shifts in the way the companies conduct their operations (Hill & Jones, 2007, p85). In the case of concentric diversification where organisations are concerned with increasing the scope of their products through the adding related goods and services, integration of different skills has been a necessity; this is to increase the strategic fit in the running of the organisations (Gu?Nther, 2007, p152). The related products that an organisation includes in its operation depends on the field that it operates in, for instance, organisations that offer services in the service industries are likely to add to their products other services that compliment their operations or those that add value to the initially existing services. For instance, a company that has a conservancy for wild animals or that is manages a game reserve is more likely to diversify its operation to include offering travelling packages for tourists who visit their facility. In addition, it may wish to own a hotel within the conservancy where the tourists can stay when they are visiting the region, this would encourage more tourists to visit the conservancy or the game reserve. Still to increase the visibility of the orga nisation to possible tourists, the organisation is likely to acquire an advertising firm. This diversification in operations of a service company would require that the workers especially in the management levels to acquire new skills to enable them run the organisation efficiently and effectively. Diversification in organisations that deal in goods is more likely to be extensive and complex than for the organisations that are in the service industry, this makes the workers in the goods producing organisations more affected by the organisation’s operations in different networks (Toxvaerd, 2010, p72). Most of the organisations that have their final products in form of goods require a lot of technological and management expertise, this is because in the production of goods, there are a lot of stages that are involved before the goods are ready to be taken to the market (Gregory & Cooper, 2009, p111). These stages include; procurement and transportation of raw materials, the pro cessing of raw materials that may involve several stages, quality assurance checks, packaging and branding of the product, warehousing search and transportation

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Social Issues and Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Issues and Friendship - Essay Example We promised each other we would talk every day keep up on each other’s lives and try as much to convince our parents to allow us to visit each other over the holidays. It all seemed easy enough and our friendship was going to last forever. Little did we know fate had completely different paths for us. Ideally, Melanie and her family were supposed to come back after two years once her mother’s work contract was over. But once those two years were over, they did not return and by then I was headed to college. We tried to keep in touch but it proved challenging as I was overwhelmed with studies and extra-curricular activities. We had not managed to visit each other during the two years and she seemed to also be busy with college. Then one day she called me out of the blue insisting that she wanted us to meet and she would be in town over the weekend. I was too excited to hear from her that I did not ask any questions, I simply asked for a place and time and looked forward to our reconnecting. Two days before our meeting, I sat in a Statistics class too distracted to pay attention. All I could do was imagine how our meeting would go, how she would make fun of my short hair. I wondered what she had done with hers, we always wanted to color our hairs something crazy while in coll ege but I had stopped wanting that. The lecturer disrupted my thoughts as he called out my name. I raised my head up from the scribbling I was doing on my notebook to respond. Next to the lecturer were these two men who wanted to talk me outside the classroom. I walked out grateful for a chance to walk out as I felt I was not being productive in the class. Once outside, I got the most shocking news of my life and up to this day, I still have trouble coming to terms with what the two men told me.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Crossing Ethical Boundaries Between Counselor and Client Essay Example for Free

Crossing Ethical Boundaries Between Counselor and Client Essay Eli Coleman and Susan Schaeffer, authors of the article _Boundaries of Sex and Intimacy Between Client and Counselor_, write, _Dilemma_. A woman comes to see a male counselor and complains of anxiety and depression associated with her recent divorce. She is also deeply concerned about her attractiveness and ability to attract another partner. The thought of single life frightens her. After five sessions, she confesses to the counselor that she is deeply attracted to him. Although she finds him sexually attractive, she is equally or more attracted to his sensitivity, care, and support of her. Emotional intimacy is something her previous relationships have lacked. And, at times, those relationships have been abusive. The Counselor does not know how to respond. He too is attracted and has already fantasized about a relationship with her. But because she is a client, he does not dare reveal his feelings. He knows that allowing a relationship to develop would be wrong. That, however, does not solve the problem. (Coleman Schaeffer 341). For almost every individual, having to go to counseling can be one of the most nerve wracking things a they may have to go through during his or her life for whatever reason. Becoming attracted to your counselor, or learning they are attracted to you, may just as equally give the same nerve wracking feeling. How can things like this be prevented from happening right from the beginning? Is there not a code of ethics a counselor must follow to ensure that there is only ever professionalism during all sessions, and that clients are only seen during counseling sessions and not pursued at any time outside of sessions? Believe it or not, when it comes to the code of ethics that a counselor must follow with his or her patients during sessions, it is very vague and easy to see where violations can be made,  often times without even being fully aware of the violation. Samuel T. Gladding, author of _Counseling A Comprehensive Profession_, states, Some forms of unethical behavior are obvious and willful, whereas other are more subtle and unintentional. Regardless, the harmful outcome is the same. (Gladding 59), in addition to that, What types of intimacy are appropriate? What types are not? These dilemmas are faced by counselors at one time or another. (Coleman and Schaeffer 341). Most programs spend little to no time addressing the prohibition against sexual contact with clients, yet it is the most commonly violated of the ethical principles. Melba J.T. Vasquez writes in her article, _Counselor-Client Sexual Contact: Implications for Ethics Training_. Kathy Hotelling, author of _Ethical, Legal, and Administrative Options to Address Sexual Relationships Between Counselor and Client_, sheds light on the fact that, Many clients do not know that sexual relationships between counselor and client are unethical and, in some states, illegal. They also do not know that they can file a complaint nor do they know the avenues available for doing so. Unfortunately, many counselors also may not be aware of these facts. (Hotelling 233). The article Hotelling writes is all about educating victims of ethical abuse during counseling, because counselors can not only be an abuser, but a victim as well. After a few counseling sessions, Dave asked his counselor to go have a cup of coffee, and he agreed. Initially, Dave was flattered that his counselor liked him enough to spend time with  him outside of counseling. He enjoyed the counselors company and thought it would be nice to have him as a friend. Meeting in this setting, Daves counselor told him much more about himself and that he was having marital problems. Again, Dave was flattered by this display of trust. It made him feel  important. As time went on, Dave and his counselor began to see more of each other socially (e.g., having dinner together, playing racquetball, inviting each other to parties). At one point Daves counselor call him, looking for support. The counselor had just learned that his wife had asked him for a divorce. At this point, Dave began to question the value of his counseling sessions. (Coleman Schaeffer 343). This is a perfect example of roles being reversed, and the counselor becomes the victim in this situation. Counselors, like many of all of their clients, can have their own problems going on outside of the office. However, even if the counselor sees one of their clients in an outside setting, the roles should never become reversed. This becomes an ethical breach in the sense that vulnerability, and weakness come into play for the counselor and the client can take advantage of this, and begin their own form of manipulation on how the sessions may play out. According to Theodoros Giovazolias Paul Davis, authors of the article _How common is sexual attraction towards clients? The experiences of sexual attraction of counselling psychologists toward their clients and its impact on the therapeutic process_, state in the introduction of their article that, Although there is considerable information about the incidence and consequences of sexually intimate relationships between therapists and clients, there is very little documentation of the extent to which sexual attraction occurs in therapy, especially from the part of the therapist, how such feelings are handled, and what the effects on the therapeutic relationship are. (Giovazolias Davis 281-282). Giovazolias and Davis also uncover that, In a survey by Pope _et al._ (1986), it was found that 87% of 575 psychotherapists revealed that they had been attracted to their clients,  at least on occasion. In a more recent study, Rodolfa _et al._ (1994) found similarly that 88% of psychologists had been sexually attracted to at least one  client. (Giovazolias Davis 282). If this is the case, there is clearly a need for a much stronger ethical training program for up and coming counselors who wish to make a profession out of this career. However, this should not just be limited to new counselors, there should also be a retraining program in place for current counselors so that all ethical boundaries can be refreshed in their mind, and violations can be cut down. The training will not only help cut down the violations, but if made mandatory for a pre-determined number of times per year, this issue could be eliminated altogether. Wood, Klein, Cross, Lammers, and Elliot (1985) found that those psychologists who had had an ethics course were more aware of impaired or burned-out colleagues, more likely to seek help themselves, to help and impaired colleague, and to report an impaired colleague to a regulatory agency. (Vasquez 238), This article proposes that not only should ethical training be a required component of every program in the mental health profession but also that emphasis should be given to the problem of therapists sexual contact with clients. (Vasquez 238). So what would be some of the items stressed to future counselors? 1. dressing in a professional manner, 2. conducting counseling sessions only in the traditional professional setting where others are present, 3. furnishing the office in a businesslike manner, avoiding the too crazy ambience. (Vasquez 240). All of these qualities listed are to help not only the counselor keep a sense of their control and integrity, but also the integrity of the clients they service within the counseling sessions. These professional qualities are provided in order to make a safe and comfortable environment for all parties, and to make sure the sessions stay on track. In the article, _Ethics and the Sexual Countertransference,_ Hugh Gee states, Confidentiality is not there to protect the unethical acting out of the patient as in the case where the patient is a danger to themselves or  others. (Gee 74). Many clients who first start out seeing  a counselor will at one time or another think that the counselor is going to tell everyone about their session once it is over. The client, however, does not have to worry about fears such as these. The ethical code that is in place only allows the counselor to disclose information if it is under court order, or the client has threatened to put someones life is at risk. However, what is the policy for a minor? According to authors Madelyn Isaacs and Carolyn Stone, who wrote _Confidentiality with Minor: metal health counselors attitudes towards breaching or preserving confidentiality,_ say, Confidentiality is further complicated when the client is a minor. Societal stressors such as juvenile crime and subs tance abuse, which threaten the well being of children, have created the need for information sharing among agencies, families, and law enforcement units when the information is necessary to protect children (Taylor Adelman, 1998). Prom, DeMartino, and Prout (1999) explained that professionals working with the same child routinely share information with each other, which is quite different from the way adult confidentiality rights are handled. (Isaacs Stone, 2001). This, however, can feel like an ethical boundary breach to the client in question that the counselor would have to report on. The only thing a counselor can do in this position is speak to the client, and let them know that due to their age, they will not have the same confidentiality as an adult would, however, they should still have complete trust in you as a counselor so that you can find some way to help them. Also let them know that it is not just your policy, but the overall code of ethics that every counselor adheres to, so they will receive the same treatment at any other practice they choose to move to. There are many different ways that a counselor can cross ethical lines, either by a complete accident, or in some cases, intentionally. However, what do you do as a counselor when you see one of your colleagues first pushing, and then completely crossing said  boundaries? The ethical principles that guide professionals and the ethical dilemmas that they face have received much attention in recent years. When a professional becomes aware of unethical conduct practiced by a colleague, however, there is little literature to consult on how to respond and intervene. (Levenson, 1986). This article goes on to list the various ways of bringing to your colleagues attention without it escalading to a hostile altercation, and how you can help them deal with it. The steps are as follows: Learning of Misconduct, this involves gathering solid evidence in order to substantiate your claims. If it is just hearsay, it is likely that it will just be overlooked and no investigation will go into it. You can gather evidence from fellow colleagues to see how they see the counselor you are looking into. Evidence can also be gathered straight from the source. You can talk to them, and see how they respond, and in some rare cases they might confess right away. Next comes the intervention for your colleague. Let them know what is happening, if they have not already confessed to it, and how things will be handled in a professional manner from that moment forward. The intervention process can vary from professional to professional. In some cases, they may just be terminated without question, or they can be treated, and they can go from there. In any case, it is a long process, but one that should be started as quickly as possible while all of the evidence is still fresh, and can be presented right away. The longer you try to compile evidence, the more people will want to know why you let the unethical behavior continue for as long as you did before speaking up. The best policy is to just ask as many people as you know about your colleague before you bring light to their behavior. A series of legal cases have sparked considerable discussion around the question of whether counselors can use their religious beliefs as the basis for refusing to counsel lesbian,  gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) clients. This discussion has  illuminated tension between counseling professionals and counselor educators who view LGBT relationships as normal and healthy expressions of love and intimacy (see Whitman Bidell, this issue) and some religiously conservative counselors and counselors-in-training who consider same-sex relationships to be immoral. (Herlihy, Hermann Greden, 2014). The act of a counselor using his or her own religious belief so they do not have to work with certain ethnicities, genders, or people who choose a certain sexual orientation that is different from what they consider normal should be basis enough for an ethical violation. Counselors are people who go into this profession with the intention to try and help people make sense of their lives. By denying them this goes against why they chose to be a counselor in the first place. Regardless of how different someone may be from you, by using your religious belief that you cannot counsel someone shows that you are not able to remain objective in the session. This would have many questioning what other issues you were not able to remain objective about, and it could lead to you being investigated as a counselor. A counselor is supposed to remain neutral in all sessions. They are not there to talk about them, but instead the client, whoever he or she may be, and whatever it is they may do. They decided to come to your place of business, and choose you as a counselor, you should be welcoming new clients, not turning them away due to their background. Men and women who choose to go into therapy are seeking answers and guidance, not judgment. The most important thing a counselor can do before he or she begins a session with a new client is to try and find out who they are. It is always best to know what kind of person you are  dealing with before hand, rather than find out half way down the road they have been manipulating you the whole time, because that is what they are there for. It is also best to know the code if ethics inside and out. Ethics and boundaries crossings can be hard to distinguish and often are understood through opinions. There is a difference between crossing the boundaries and violating the boundaries. Crossing a boundary is a gray area where are violating is black and white. Sometimes crossing boundaries can be defensible however; the counselor must take into consideration all possible outcomes. For example, a chemical dependency counselor may have helped a pregnant addict come clean and get her life back on track so that she was able to deliver and keep a healthy baby. Once the babys born the client may ask the counselor to come visit her at the hospital to meet the new bundle of joy. At this time it would up to the counselor to decide whether or not crossing this boundary is justified. The counselor must look at all angles including the legal ramifications that could possibly take place. Either way, deep thought and consideration from the counselors end is necessary. (Live Rehab). This website goes on to list several other examples of what a counselor should be careful of doing in their profession, such as bartering. Bartering is an exchange of goods or services in place of payment. Bartering is not prohibited or unethical in the counseling relationship however there could be situations when it may not run as smoothly as anticipated. If a counselor decides to barter for services oftentimes the proportion of services to counseling can be extremely off. For example, if a counselor is providing services to a mechanic and the mechanic is having troubles paying for services, he or she may offer to provide car maintenance to the counselor. At first this may seem like a decent deal, especially if the counselors car is due for more than the regular maintenance. Lets take for example, the car needs about $1500 worth of work and the counselor charges $250.00 per  session. If the mechanic is attending sessions once per week this would get him about 6 weeks worth of sessions. What about when the 6 weeks are up? An oil change is about $40.00 and thats only needed every few months. At that point the counselor and client could be progressing in their sessions and since their therapeutic relationship is established it would be a shame for the client to be forced to quit counseling for lack of payment. On the other hand however, since it does not go against the ethical standards of the  counseling profession, the counselor and client could look at the situation as a gained benefit and that is that the mechanic received 6 weeks of service that he may not ever had the chance to get. (Live Rehab). While bartering may not be covered as unethical, it still raises a lot of red flags as to why a counselor would be giving the sessions away for free. It is best to just stay ethical, and out of all trouble things like this may lead to. If you would like people to take you seriously, then you have to act like a professional who takes pride in their presence and shows nothing but integrity. RESOURCES Coleman, E., Schaefer, S. (1986). Boundaries of Sex Intimacy Between Client and Counselor. _Journal Of Counseling Development_, _64_(5), 341. Ethics and Boundaries Ethics and Boundaries What is at stake?. (n.d.). _Live Rehab_. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.liverehab.com/ethics-and-boundaries/ Gee, H. (2007). Ethics and the Sexual Countertransference. _Journal of Analytical Psychology, 52,71-88._ Giovazolias, T., Davis, P. (2001). How common is sexual attraction towards clients? The experiences of sexual attraction of counselling psychologists toward their clients and its impact on the therapeutic process. _Counselling Psychology Quarterly_, _14_(4), 281-286. Gladding, S. T. (2009). _Counseling, a comprehensive profession_. (Sixth ed., p. 59). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson College Div. Herlihy, B. J., Hermann, M.A. Greden, L.R. (2014). Legal and Ethical Implications of Using Religious Beliefs as the Basis for Refusing to Counsel Certain Clients. _Journal of Counseling Development_. 92. 148-153. Hotelling, K. (1988). Ethical, Legal, and Administrative Options to Address Sexual Relationships Between Counselor and Client. _Journal Of Counseling Development_, _67_(4), 233. Isaacs, M.L. Stone, C. (2001). Confidentiality with minors: mental health counselors attitudes toward breaching or preserving confidentiality. _American Mental Health Counselors Association_. 23(4). Levenson, J.L. (1986). When a Colleague Practices Unethically: Guidelines for Intervention. _Journal of Counseling and Development._ 64. 316-317. Vasquez, M. T. (1988). Counselor-Client Sexual Contact: Implications for Ethics Training. _Journal Of Counseling Development_, _67_(4), 238.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Compare and Contrast Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper

Compare and Contrast Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper Positivists regarded empirical observation freed of preconceptions as the means by which facts were obtained and explained. This view, however, has been greatly contested since the Vienna Circles avid pursuance of it. The main problems include its inability to be checked and criticised by the scientific community members. In other words, they are subjective, fallible and thus unreliable.  [1]  It is this initial discontent with positivism, especially with logical positivism which prompted Karl Popper to develop his Theory of Falsifiability, a theory which no longer relies on induction but on deduction, which accepts that truth is not attainable and which casts theories aside which have been refuted by only a single piece of empirical evidence. Falsification is also a demarcation between science and non-science, something which has proved to be very controversial. Thomas Kuhn, perhaps the most well known critic of Poppers work, does not believe in induction or deduction as methods through which science progresses. Instead, he introduces the concept of normal science, revolutionary science and paradigms. The differences between these two mens work will be analysed, the implications of each for the conduct of social sciences commented upon and the work of Imre Lakatos, a twentieth century philosopher of mathematics and science, highlighted in order to illustrate just how much both philosophers resonate in the social sciences as a whole. Karl Popper, Positivism and his Theory of Falsifiability Karl Popper was first and foremost a philosopher of the natural sciences,  [2]  his knowledge of the social sciences being limited basically to economics.  [3]  With that in mind, one understands why he agreed with Rudolph Carnap in advocating that philosophy should learn from how the natural sciences operate. He believed scientists should adopt a critical attitude, willing to incessantly test their views with empirical evidence and rational discussion which the Vienna Circle had so avidly promoted. However, Popper was soon to highlight flaws with positivism, especially with logical positivism. These were, in particular, its dedication to the principles of inductivism and verificationism. Inductivists claim that via induction, one is able to obtain secure scientific knowledge and that the inference is legitimate if a significant number of singular or observational statements are gathered under a wide variety of circumstances.  [4]  In order to maintain the empirical certainty of inferences obtained through the deductive method, the universal law premise must be empirically certain.  [5]  However, as Popper pointed out, one has no assurance that any universal empirical proposition is certain. For Popper, the problem of induction was insurmountable, contesting that if science is empirical its [] laws must be treated as tentative hypotheses.  [6]   Popper accepted the Humean critique of induction, claiming not only that it is never used by scientists but that observation, believed to be an initial step in the formulation of theories, is misguided  [7]  . Hume also pointed out that observation is selective and theory-laden and thus one can never make pure or free observations.  [8]  Popper, however, disagreed with Hume over whether knowledge could be rationally justified. Hume saw inductively inferred laws as merely an account of habit or custom, (suggesting that) even scientific knowledge is irrational.  [9]  Popper, on the other hand, in order to avoid statements allowing empirical evidence to confirm false theories, believed that induction could be replaced by deduction. Deduction draws inferences about the premises from the observed falsity of the conclusion.  [10]  To justify this, he argued that though even with a body of empirical evidence, one can never be absolutely certain about the validity of a theory , it takes only one empirical rebuttal to determine the falsity of a theory. Popper denominated this the asymmetry between verifiability and falsifiability  [11]  , a difference which became the centrepiece of his philosophy of science. Scientists begin with universal statements and initial conditions from which they deduce hypotheses which will then be subsequently tested. If they withstand the test, the theory will survive; if falsified, the theory is abandoned. Falsifiability, according to Popper, is the criterion of demarcation between science, or the empirical sciences and the non-science. There are, however, degrees of falsifiability. The more information a statement contains, the larger its body of observational statements and therefore, the higher its degree of falsification. According to Popper, scientists should aim at highly refutable theories instead of modestly falsifiable ones. It is preferable for the theory to be bold, precise and simple  [12]  as their empirical content will be greater and therefore there will be a larger body of potential falsifiers. Poppers definite break with logical positivism appears in their search of certainty: the positivists aimed to specify methods that would generate certain knowledge  [13]  whilst in Poppers view, one can only hope to improve what must always remain imperfect  [14]  as future tests could cast doubt over what was previously thought of as true. If we take Poppers approach to the search for truth, it would initially appear that there are an endless number of possible true theories.  [15]  However, Popper addresses that by explaining his notion of verisimilitude. The scientific process of trial and error which Popper advocates creates a greater approximation of the truth, or increases the verisimilitude of the theory. Popper, Marxism and Pseudo-Science The young Popper had been attracted to the apparent strength of theories such as Freuds psychoanalysis and Adlers individual psychology. These theories were regarded as capable of explaining virtually everything related to human behaviour as verifications were found to justify every advancement. Popper, however, was soon to discover a major flaw in them: they could not be refuted. Freud was therefore severely criticised by Popper for producing immunised theories against falsification. A theory unable to be falsified belongs, in Poppers view, to a non-science. His drastic approach towards pseudo-science was also extended to Marxism, especially the Marxism that Neurath had brought to the Vienna Circle. Neurath interpreted Marxian materialism as epsitemically equivalent to his own physicalism  [16]  and hailed Engels and Marx as having produced the foundations of a truly scientific study of society. In Poppers opinion, this could not have been further from the truth. The problem with Marx was not only that he was considered a historicist, but that he was a utopian too. Marxism, initially considered as a science because of its predictive nature, was soon re-classified as fundamentally non-scientific. The predictions Marx had made had not been borne out and in order to save it from falsification and refutation, ad hoc hypotheses were added, making the theory compatible with facts. These factors prompted Popper to adopt falsifiability as his criterion for demarcation between science and non-science. If a theory, according to Popper, is capable of being falsified or, in other words, is incompatible with empirical evidence, it is considered as scientific. If, on the other hand, a theory is compatible with all observations and is capable of explaining virtually everything be it because, as with the case of Marxism, it has been modified to accommodate newly made observations or, because, as in the case of psychoanalysis, it is indeed consistent with all observations made and to be made in the future, it is categorised as unscientific.  [17]  It is thi s criterion which characterises Poppers theory of falsifiability and which was soon criticised. Implications for the Social Sciences Popper helps demolish one of the notions positivism embraces, namely that science progresses from the observation of data by means of experiments. These experiments are verified when repeated allowing general laws about the nature of reality to be inferred. Popper, therefore, shows that progress is made not by verifying facts, but by attempts of falsifying the results of other theories.  [18]  The theories of science, he argues, are conjectures to solve problems and cannot be verified by empirical evidence.  [19]  The switch from induction to deduction also means that rather than proceeding from the particular to the universal, science originates from the universal (i.e. scientific hypotheses) to the particular.  [20]   Sander Thomas Kuhns Theory of Paradigms Thomas Kuhn began his career as a physicist and then turned his attention towards the history of science where his preconceptions about natural history were shattered  [21]  . His Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) was developed as an attempt to give a theory more in keeping with the historical situation as (Kuhn) saw it  [22]  . Unlike Popper, his main aim was not to provide guidelines to scientists about how to proceed or to develop a normative philosophy of science. The central concern of his thesis was to characterise the way in which science historically develops and to explain why scientists have operated in such a way. Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions has been one of the most provocative (pieces of work) to appear in the last fifteen years  [23]  , offering the most sophisticated alternative to Popper.  [24]  Science, in his opinion, does not progress inductively as positivists would maintain nor by falsification as Popper would argue. Alternatively, Kuhn places focus on the revolutionary character of scientific process, where a revolution involves the abandonment of one theoretical structure and its replacement by another, incompatible one. Kuhns approach to the way science progresses can be summarised by the following open-ended scheme: pre-science normal science crisis revolution new normal science new crisis  [25]   According to Kuhn, the pre-science stage is a disorganised and diverse activity preceding the formation of science. It eventually becomes structured, directed and channelled when a single paradigm emerges and is adhered to by the scientific community. As will be discussed below, the concept of paradigms itself has been subjected to heavy criticism, not least because of its ambiguous nature. However, vaguely, one can postulate that paradigms contain some very general methodological prescriptions  [26]  to guide scientific work. Paradigms also serve a regulative function in directing future research.  [27]  Workers within a specific paradigm whether it be Newtonian mechanics or wave optics practise what Kuhn denominates normal science. As professed in Structure of Scientific Revolutions, normal science is: research firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievements that some particular scientific community acknowledges for a time as supplying the foundation for its further practice.  [28]   Normal science is inextricably characterised by a dominant paradigm, something that Popper quickly picked up upon as irrational and superficial.  [29]  In normal science the scientists work is devoted to the articulation and wider application of the accepted paradigm.  [30]  In other words, their main aim is to fill out what is suggested by the accepted paradigm.  [31]  It is therefore clear that little emphasis is placed upon normal science and research to produce major novelties as a primary aim. Kuhn, in effect, reduces Poppers falsification theory to problem solving within the confines of normal science. According to Kuhn, science is merely a set of puzzles whose solutions are to be found within the operating paradigm  [32]  . Normal scientists do not actively look for anomalies which the content of their paradigm will be hard-pressed to solve. However, when a recurrent anomaly does arise which the paradigm is unable to resolve, crisis will break out. During such a crisis, extraordinary science occurs characterised by a plurality of views and a challenge to the fundamentals of the paradigm. The crisis will then be resolved when a completely new paradigm emerges which has the capacity to resolve the previous, problematic anomalies and, in doing so, attract the allegiance of a growing scientific community until eventually the paradigm posing the problem is abandoned. Therefore, the new paradigm not only has to be able to resolve the anomaly, it also has to be subsequently accepted as normal science, thus establishing a new consensus. A scientific revolution according to Kuhn is constituted by discontinuous change  [33]  as the newly adopted paradigm will be confronted with problems it is unable to resolve and thus the never-ending cycle continues. Kuhn and Popper The Structure of Scientific Revolutions soon became problematic to reconcile with Poppers theory of falsification as Kuhns historical account about how scientists operate came into conflict with Poppers work. The emphasis Kuhn placed on scientific communities, their rules and expectations, was used to explain why scientists were not always willing to refute and actively search for falsifications of their theories. Unlike what Popper claimed, the scientific communities would not question the paradigm they work within until a particular anomaly was repeated. Instead, they might question their own calculations or instruments implemented, but never the broader framework they operate within.  [34]   Poppers reaction to Kuhns severe criticism was veritably weak. He simple asserted that Kuhns accurate historical account of science clashes with the facts as I see them.  [35]  According to Kuhn, falsification has not been in use in the past for the reasons highlighted above. Poppers rebuttal to this was that he, unlike Kuhn, had not focused on providing a historical account but on providing guidelines for future scientists. He also criticises Kuhn for producing a highly selected theory, one which disregarded large chunks of normal science.   [36]   Popper also criticised Kuhn for paving the way for irrationalism and relativism,  [37]  the reason for this lying in two of Kuhns statements. Firstly, the fact that Kuhn equated the switch in paradigms to a gestalt switch or a religious conversion because he believed in a holistic theory of meaning  [38]  means that it is very difficult to compare scientific theories. Secondly, because of Kuhns cynical approach to verisimilitude and his belief that we never get closer to the truth, his explanation on how science progresses seems ill-founded. In these contexts, Popper criticises Kuhn of adhering to the myth of framework which presupposes that rational and critical discussions can only take place if fundamentals are agreed upon. Popper strongly disagrees with this concept, as with the belief that science will not progress across paradigms and argues that different frameworks always have enough in common to allow the scientific community to compare and judge them, triggering pro gress. Other Criticisms of Kuhns Work Popper has not been alone in criticising aspects of Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Bernstein succinctly puts the majority of the criticisms in his The Restructuring of Social and Political Theories  [39]  . The ambiguous nature of paradigms and the irrationality of the paradigm shift have been discussed above. Critics have also pinpointed Kuhns misrepresentation of the history of science  [40]  , the inaccurate description of normal science  [41]  and the exaggerated distinction between normal and revolutionary science  [42]  . In order to further show the relevance of Kuhns work to the social sciences, the vagueness of paradigms will be discussed, as the irrationality of paradigms has been explained above. When first introduced, Kuhn claimed paradigms were universally recognised scientific achievements that for a time provide model problems and solutions to a community of practitioners.  [43]  However, the elusive and slippery concept  [44]  of paradigm was shown when Kuhn acknowledges that he had been using the term paradigm in many ways  [45]  , citing Masterman who listed at least twenty two senses in which the term was used in the book.  [46]  To tackle the confusion created by his multiple use of paradigms, Kuhn proposes to replace it with a disciplinary matrix.  [47]  A disciplinary matrix includes the shared commitments of the community of scholars, the shared symbolic generalizations and [] the shared problems and solutions in the discipline.  [48]   Mark? Other Implications for Social Scientists. Even though Thomas Kuhn has been almost exclusively concerned with the natural sciences, social scientists have repeatedly claimed his work offers fresh illumination for understanding social sciences and theory.  [49]  Part of the reason for this is, as Kuhn himself pointed out, the fact that his work is regretfully [] too nearly all things to all people.  [50]   The revolutionary transformation in the use of observation as a means leading to theory has also had an impact on social scientists. Kuhns starting point for the formulation of theories is not reality but construction.  [51]  Kuhn contributed to demolishing [] positivism  [52]  not only by admitting revolutions in science involve the intrusion of non-scientific elements such as habits, customs or cultural values, but also in casting doubt over the possibility of attaining perfect knowledge and over the established idea that progress in science is cumulative. One of the most important consequences Kuhns work had for the social sciences was the significance he attributed to the role played by the sociological characteristics of scientific communities. Kuhn turned away from the search for an ideal methodology to the study of science by scientific means and, in doing so, invigorated the empirical study of science.  [53]  Finally, Kuhn may have hastened the demise of positivism by prompting and then influencing the naturalisation of epistemology, a movement which has become prominent through, for example, a conventionalistic and naturalistic study of science. Imre Lakatos: A Middle Man? By the late 1960s a great deal of the debate on the philosophy of science had come to focus on the difference between Kuhns paradigms and Poppers revision of positivism. Numerous epistemic doctrines entered this debate and different interpretations of Popper and Kuhns works emerged, reflecting the impact they had on their contemporary critics and their effect on the conduct of social science as a whole. Lakatos is one of the most prominent critics of their works, his critique generally considered as the most important attempt to place the post-empiricist theory of science somewhere between Popper and Kuhn.  [54]   Imre Lakatos at the outset appears to be a supporter of Poppers falsification theory. He strongly criticised Kuhn for his irrationalist and too general  [55]  concept of a revolution and his notion of a single, dominating paradigm. Lakatos defends Popper against the charge of naive falsificationism, the immediate discarding of a theory as soon as contradictory evidence is exposed. However, he goes beyond Popper in claiming that science progresses by sophisticated falsification which focuses on the comparative evaluation of whole research programs.  [56]   Sophisticated falsificationists realise that the conditions that a hypothesis should satisfy in order to be worthy of a scientists consideration [] alone are insufficient  [57]  and that the need for a hypothesis to be more falsifiable than the other it will replace is necessary for scientific progress. Thus, it is not single theories which are falsified but entire programs, embodying the notion of refutation [] not automatically lead(ing) to rejection.  [58]  Such an epistemic theory strikingly resembles Kuhns theory of paradigms. The difference between them only appears when closely examining Lakatos notion of research programs. According to Lakatos, every scientific research program has a hard core, a set of propositions that are immune from empirical tests  [59]  because they are surrounded by a protective belt of assumptions or conditions.  [60]  Though research programs and paradigms have been equated, Lakatos proposes that normal science be considered more as a research program for reasons of its general acceptability  [61]  and does not attribute the general status to it that Kuhnian paradigms have. Furthermore, the transition from one research program to another is the product of rational exploration of rival methodologies  [62]  and not, as Kuhn implied, a mystical conversion  [63]  to a new ontology. Cultural values, historical events and other external factors are far less important in Lakatos eyes and play little part in particular scientific theories or the choice of general research programs, levelling Kuhns theory down to critical rationalism.  [64]   Lakatos MSRP has not emerged without enticing criticisms. Firstly, he seems to have physics exclusively in mind when he developed his theory and when referring to science. Other natural sciences cannot as easily be accommodated to the Procrustean bed of the MSRP  [65]  and it is only economics which seems to offer the possibility of an easy fit.  [66]  As a model for the history of science, MSRP fails to meet the empirical test of general acceptability  [67]  . It is also limited in explaining how science works, failing to formulate the criteria needed to be employed for it to work. However, as Gordon highlights, the fact that Lakatos was flexible in not regarding former scientists as misguided in adopting theories that now would be considered irrational is a significant point of merit in Lakatos epistemic stance.  [68]  The MSRP model allows the possibility of gaining knowledge by using theories that are subsequently regarded as, in the absolute sense, false.  [69]    Conclusion As Lakatos claimed, The clash between Popper and Kuhn is not about a mere technical point in epistemology. It concerns our central intellectual values, and has implications not only for theoretical physics but also for the underdeveloped social sciences and even moral and political philosophy.  [70]   As seen with Sanders account, Popper has greatly influenced the political sciences, contributing to xxxx. Kuhns work, on the other hand, as Mark Smith rightly points out, has had a deep impact on the conduct of social sciences because of the vagueness and therefore adaptability of the term paradigms.  [71]  Despite their distinct approaches, however, both men have met with severe criticism, not only from each other, but from scientific colleagues and both have apparently failed to address these adequately.  [72]  It is therefore not surprising that xxxxxx

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Fire and Heat Imagery in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay -- Jane Ey

Fire and Heat Imagery in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre The essence of any true magnificent piece of literature is not what one can see in words. It is what one can see behind the words. It is through the symbolism and imagery found in works of literature that a reader can truly connect with the writer. Charlotte Bronte epitomizes the spirit of the "unread but understood" in her Victorian work Jane Eyre. There have been numerous essays and theories presented examining the complex symbolism and imagery used by Bronte in Jane Eyre. Much of the imagery she uses concentrates on passion, fantasy, and the supernatural. In this essay I will examine Bronte’s use of fire and heat imagery pertaining to Mr. Rochester and Jane’s love relationship. To begin, fire imagery permeates Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre’s relationship from beginning to end. Since the passionate love that Rochester and Jane first held was sinful, it was accompanied by images of fire and burning. This can possibly be an image of hell. For example, when Rochester was trying to convince Jane to stay with him despite the fact that he was married, he described what he expected her reaction to be, "I was prepared for the hot rain of tears†¦but I err†¦your heart has been weeping blood." This image of hot rain and weeping blood lends itself to an image of punishment. Similarly, when Jane showed signs of fatigue, he carried her in his arms up to her room, holding her tightly. As a result of his "sinful" touching, Jane’s senses were dulled, "all was cloudy to my glazed sight." Yet when he placed her in front of the fireplace to warm up, she felt revived, "I felt the reviving warmth of a fire" Here the fire cleansed Jane of her stupor. It awoke her conscience to what Rochester ... ...ns, "it was a just judgment on him for keeping his first marriage secret, and wanting to take another wife while he had one living." Thus, Jane and Rochester reunited and each proved to be reborn, Jane after undergoing her own final period of personal and spiritual growth, and Rochester after facing his vices and rescinding his sinful nature. In conclusion, the concept of fire used by Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre cleanses, foreshadows, strengthens, and reawakens both Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Bronte tempered the passionate nature of her novel by continuously revealing that heated sinful emotions only lead to ruin. Both Jane and Rochester were subjected to emotional and spiritual purgatory for their immorality. They were allowed solace only after achieving spiritual rebirth. Work Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1991

Friday, October 11, 2019

Advanced Project Procurement

With the increased globalization, competition and complexity in global supply chains, more companies have realized that supply chain management is critical to the optimal organizations overall operation. It is not longer just the responsibility of the warehouse manager and logistics director. In the past, many organizations didn’t manage their supply chains they left that up to the suppliers. Usually the supply chain planning, marketing, production and inventory management in most organizations operated as separate departments (Stevenson, 2009). Businesses have recognized the strategic importance and the need for effect and efficient supply chains in operations management (Stevenson, 2009). Assessment As Vice President of Operation my assessment of the battery shortage problem is that SDX are not fulfilling their obligation under the contract. The contract states â€Å"the supplier is expected to achieve a 100 percent service rate† (Benton, p. 456). The current supply of batteries is a 20-day supply this is 70 days short the supply when normal should be a 90 day supply. There has not been a shipment in two months this lead me to believe that SDX are not making Butler a priority shipment. The action taken is to request a meeting with the attorneys to review the contract, because at this point it is a breach in contract. The contract also states that the product prices are fixed for the term of the agreement and a sixty day notice must be given before a price change can occur. SDX did not notify the Butler Operations to alert us of this change. Therefore, this is another breach in contract the SDX company has determine on its own that the contract is null and void. This is not good business practice and creates a problem with Butler’s ability to supply the customer base effectively. Buyer Selection Purchasing involves buying the raw materials, supplies, and components for the organization. The activities associated with it include selecting and qualifying suppliers, rating supplier performance, negotiating contracts, comparing price, quality and service, sourcing. A key and perhaps the most important process of the purchasing function is the efficient selection of suppliers, because it brings significant savings for the organization. The objective of the supplier selection process is to reduce risk and maximize the total value for the buyer, and it involves considering a series of strategic variables. Conclusion In conclusion, focusing on selecting only the best suppliers possible will make a major contribution to the competitiveness of the entire organization. This main task requires careful evaluation, selection, and continuous measurement of the suppliers that provide the goods and services that help satisfy the needs of an organization’s final customers. In other words, once a supplier is selected, the focus must shift from supplier evaluation to the continuous measurement of supplier performance. An organization must have the tools to measure, manage, and develop the performance of its supply base.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Julius Caesar – Conflicting Perspectives

Every text is constructed for a purpose; the composer is trying to convey and embed their agenda into the reader by persuading them to accept their perspective on key events, personalities and/or situations. Through the manipulation of various textual forms, structures and language composers persuade their audience to adopt their perspective. Composers often decide to present conflicting perspectives to truly engage their audience.By demonstrating the concept of conflicting perspectives the composer is able to glorify their perspective in contrast to another to enforce their agenda, they position the audience through language to side with them. The tight narrative â€Å"Julius Caesar† by William Shakespeare’s utilises the final days of Caesar’s rule and assassination as the catalyst for exploring the nature of political power, conveying conflicting perspectives on imperial and republican rule.Shakespeare’s context shaped the meaning of this play as he expl oits people’s fears at the time to connect with the audience. In contrast, Miranda Devine’s political article â€Å"Felled by an Invidious Green Plot† 19/8/10 (SMH) tells the â€Å"chilling story† about how â€Å"green activists† used political maneuvers to build the support of the public to tear down the timber company ‘Gunns’ and devastate the life of Chief Executive John Gay and the Tasmanian economy.She uses various textual techniques and includes a provocative cartoon at the top, as well as quotes from those supporting her views to convince the reader of her perspective. Devine, known for her conservative view on political and social issues, is deliberately bias against the Greens as she has gained vas wealth through exploiting the countries natural resources such as deforestation. By demonstrating the concept of conflicting perspectives both composers are able to shape meaning to convey their purpose through the choice of textual forms, structures and language.The concept of conflicting perspectives presents the audience choice and involves them in the depiction of the message of the text and the composer’s agenda. In Shakespeare’s renowned play Julius Caesar the concept of political power in ancient Rome, and how political tactics are often used to manipulate the public is explored. The concept of conflicting perspectives is created in the play by the characterisation of Brutus and Marc Antony. Their perspective of Caesar and whether he should rule directly clash, one rguing the side of imperial rule and the other republican rule and hence provide the central conflict throughout the play. At the time the play was composed, this concept was a real threat as the Roman Empire sought new rule following the recent death of the Queen, allowing Shakespeare to toy with the emotions of his audience. With an engaged audience and the manipulation of structures, language and textual forms Shakespeare is able to shape the meaning of the play.The construction of their speeches after Caesar’s death, arguing both personal and public reasons for their views, demonstrates their individual perspective and their attempts to convince their audience of their view. Brutus, â€Å"having to show the reason of our Caesar's death†, argues from a political perspective, believing imperial rule is the best model. His opening lines â€Å"Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers, hear me for my cause† uses inclusive language to immediately build rapport.He agrees that Caesar was an honourable man â€Å"Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his†, yet his perspective and justification for assassinating him, is ultimately determined by his love for Rome, demonstrated through use of syntactical balance â€Å"Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more†, and is demonstrated through use of rhetorical questions â€Å"Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slave s, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? † which invites the audience to side with his opinion.Through Shakespeare’s use of patriotism in Brutus’ political speech, he is able to persuade not only the Plebeians but also the audience, demonstrating how language techniques are able to reinforce a particular perspective to shape meaning in a text. Putting Brutus’s speech first is a structural technique by Shakespeare to allow for rebuttal. Conflicting perspectives through the manipulation of language, textual forms and structure allows the composer to present two perspectives and give the audience choice in their depiction of the message of the play.The choice is ultimately determined by the context of the reader, which largely affects their interpretation of the text as they may have diverse experiences causing their depiction of the text to be altered. Marc Antony provides the conflict to Brutus’ speech, demonstrated through his passionate and melodramatic funeral oration, which provides a conflicting perspective on Caesar and the nature of his assassination. Antony walks on stage holdingCaesars dead body, a dramatic device used by Shakespeare to heighten the effect of the speech. He scolds Brutus and the other senators, mocking, through use of sarcasm and repetition of their â€Å"honour† â€Å"For Brutus is an honourable man†. Antony's key tools at the beginning of his speech are his conspicuous ambiguity regarding Caesar and Brutus â€Å"Yet Brutus says he was ambitious†, and use of rhetorical questions â€Å"Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? He challenges Brutus’ perspective that Caesar was too ambitious â€Å"I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse†, expressing his perspective that Caesar was unjustly assassinated, and through his emotive language â€Å"it was a grievous fault†, is able to convince the plebeians that Caesar was an honourable l eader â€Å"Methinks there is much reason in his sayings†. The deliberate structure of the play with, with Brutus’ speech being first, slightly glorifies imperial rule and gives the audience the impression that Shakespeare believes that imperialism is the best political model.The reaction of the crowd to both speeches indicates how political power can shift opinions of people through the power of language. Firstly Brutus has full support of the crowd â€Å"let him be Caesar†, but Antony’s speech convinces them of a different perspective â€Å"We’ll burn the house of Brutus†. Hence, through the use of juxtaposed dramatic speeches and language techniques, Shakespeare shapes the meaning of the play, engaging the audience, involving them in the process of deciding whether republicanism or imperialism is the ultimate model for the Roman Empire.The concept of conflicting perspectives can be a great tool to give the reader choice in the depiction o f the text, however, this concept can also be utilised as a way to glorify one perspective in contrast to another. In the news article â€Å"Felled by an Invidious Green Plot† , Devine is similarly making a statement about the nature of political power, however, through use of an emotive tone, she presents a far more confronting and persuasive argument.Devine effectively manipulates the medium of the article, enabling her to provide a conflicting perspective to the Greens principles as portrayed in the media, while simultaneously not allowing a conflicting perspective to oppose her view. Devine’s argument is very political and one sided, and this is demonstrated very clearly through emotive language â€Å"fought a relentless campaign to†¦ destroy Gay† and rhetorical questions â€Å"Who is actually going to believe that environmental management is going to be better in Indonesia or Malaysia? †.This, through the concept of conflicting perspectives, for ces the reader to undertake her opinion, making the purpose of the article to accept a perspective rather than giving the reader choice. She selects information and statistics to support her view, â€Å"He†¦transformed Gunns into a top 50 company with a market capitalisation of $900 million by 2003† and, similarly to Antony and Brutus speeches, uses emotive language to manipulate the readers to agree with her perspective â€Å"(John Gay) became a hero of the working class people of Tasmania†.As she is writing a newspaper article, it could be argued that she should provide a balanced perspective, however through portraying a positive image of John Gay, she offers the perspective that the Greens victimized him for their political gain, and Devine is able to shape her agenda in the text and through conflicting perspectives, purposely glorifying her perspective to embed her message of the article in the reader.Similar to Antony and Brutus, Miranda Devine has a clear p olitical perspective, which is made clear to the reader through her closing paragraph â€Å"those†¦people planning to vote for the Greens on Saturday had better understand exactly what they are voting for†¦moving backwards into the dark ages†.The use of hyperbole to finish an obvious political statement reflects how the article only portrays her perspective, rather than balancing conflicting perspectives, in to convince her readers to undertake her perspective, shaping meaning through deliberate glorification. Through the exploration of textual forms, structures and language both composers, using the concept of conflicting perspectives, shape the meaning of their text.