Introduction of Support Group & Online Support Group

Support groups bring together people facing similar issues, whether that's illness, relationship problems or major life changes. Members of support groups often share experiences and advice. It can be helpful just getting to talk with other people who are in the same boat. While not everyone wants or needs support beyond that offered by family and friends, you may find it helpful to turn to others outside your immediate circle. A support group can help you cope better and feel less isolated as you make connections with others facing similar challenges.A support group shouldn't replace your standard medical care, but it can be a valuable resource to help you cope (Staff, 2013). Examples of support groups include those who have similar illnesses, diseases, or chronic conditions, such as cancers and addiction. Also support groups help people with relationship problems, such as divorce and adoption, as well as those with major life changes, such as the death of a partner or child, caring for an elderly parent, divorce, or job loss (Corey, 1997).Members of support groups typically share their own personal experiences and provide each other with helpful advice. It can be extremely therapeutic to actively communicate with others who face the same types of life challenges. Generally, support group members are not judgmental. Being negatively judged sometimes happens when an individual discusses their problems with close family members and friends. Additionally, a support group can help people feel much less isolated or alone as they make valuable â€Å"connections† with other â€Å"like-minded† people (Yalom, I.  1995).While a support group should never replace professional medical or psychiatric care, it can be a valuable resource to assist individuals in effectively coping with their problems. Support groups occur in a variety of different formats or settings, including in-person group discussions, telephone conversations, and online groups. Groups ar e often formed by non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, mental health clinics, hospitals, medical websites, and by a â€Å"lay† sufferer.Online support groups can help someone gain a sense of control or empowerment and reduce their levels of stress, depression, or anxiety by promoting open, honest sharing of personal feelings, mutual emotional support, comfort, â€Å"virtual† hugging, sharing of practical treatment information, coping strategies, personal experiences, and â€Å"success stories† by way of e-mails and Internet group discussion boards (Wessel, K, 1996). Since at least 1982, the internet has provided a new venue for support group (John Schappi, 2012).Discussing online self-help support groups as the precursor to e-therapy, Martha Ainsworth notes that â€Å"the enduring success of these groups has firmly established the potential of computer-mediated communication to enable discussion of sensitive personal issues. For example Email, Usenet and internet bulletin boards have become popular methods of communication for peer-to-peer self-help groups and facilitated support groups.Support groups have long offered companionship and information for people coping with diseases or disabilities, and online situational oriented groups have expanded to offer support for people facing various life circumstances, especially those involving personal and cultural relationships (Van Brunt, 2008). A convenient aspect of online support groups is the around the clock availability to its members. People can go online to blog or chat with others anytime of the day or night. There are no time constraints like there potentially would be with an in-person support group with scheduled meetings.Access to help is always available with online support groups. We've seen the development of both synchronous groups (where individuals exchange messages in real time) and asynchronous groups, where members not simultaneously online can read and exchange mes sages. In a study conducted by Gunther Eysenbach, John Powell, Marina Englesakis, Carlos Rizo, and Anita Stern (2004), the researchers found it difficult to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of online peer-to-peer support groups.In online support groups, people must have the desire to support and help each other, and many times participants go on the sites in order to get help themselves or are limited to a certain subgroup. An additional benefit to online support groups is that participation is asynchronous. This means that it is not necessary for all participants to be logged into the forum simultaneously in order to communicate.An experience or question can be posted and others can answer questions or comment on posts whenever they are logged in and have an appropriate response. This characteristic allows for participation and mass communication without having to worry about time constraints. Additionally, there are 24 hour chat rooms and spaces for focused conversation at al l times of the day or night (Uken, J, 1996). This allows users to get the support they need whenever they need it, while remaining anonymous and comfortable.

“Allegory of the Cave” Analysis Essay

The Allegory of the cave is an allegory written by Plato with the purpose to represent the way a philosopher gains knowledge. This allegory is a fictional dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, where Socrates compares the issues appearance vs. reality, education vs. ignorance. There are two types of knowledge represented in this allegory, the one that is told and expected to be believed and accepted; and the one that is learned by a person’s own experiences through life. The writing is organized in a way in which the author tells a story in a sequence of logical events that makes the reader understand better. It wasn’t really clear for me the way he described the scene metaphorically and it was difficult to visualize the scenario to realize the purpose behind it because of the rarity of it. That’s why I went through it so many times, but once I was able to understand what was going on and where the point was, I could see that the way he explained and the fanciful evidence he used was very strong. Plato writes about Socrates describing a scene where there are chained people in a dark cave. They have been there since their childhood and they can barely move their heads. Behind them, at the distance, there is a blazing fire, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a wall meant for objects to pass. Because of their limited vision (lack of movement), those men can only see their own shadow and the shadow of different sculptures that pass over the wall, which are carried by other men they can’t see. One of those prisoners is released and starts walking around the cave. He is very confused by what he sees but finally he realizes that the shadows are just a representation of what is really there. The prisoner is forced to go out of the cave, his eyes begin to adjust to the sun light, and he can’t look at anything more than shadows. Accustomed to the light, he begins to see other objects like trees, flowers and houses; and he realizes that the perspective he had about the world was completely different from what it really is. Finally the prisoner comes back to the cave to convince the others about the existence of the things he saw. Accustomed to sunlight, he sees blurry shadows, making others laugh, and they would remark that it would have been better, if he had stayed in the cave, and if someone tries to release another prisoner, that person should be caught and put to death. Plato’s main idea is to reflect the different stages and the process  of education, how a philosopher can reach the top and become enlightened. In this allegory the chained men symbolize the most erroneous and ignorant people. The released prisoner who confuses fake objects and the fire with reality, and has not even left the cave, symbolizes those people who feel awkward about the process of knowledge and who are not ready to confront it. The released prisoner that comes out of the cave and tends to return, represents the man accustomed to the error, who doesn’t recognize the truth even when it is in front of him, and is afraid to leave their past views. When he comes out, and he only sees the shadows and the reflections of natural things, those actions symbolize the process of adaptation and preparation. The final process, where he becomes enlightened, is represented when the now ex-prisoner is able to reason the Sun as the cause of all things. Returning to the subject of the types of knowledge, these two ways of thinking referred to by Plato represent two completely different aspects of us. That kind of knowledge where the person’s belief is based on what he/she can see or hear due to his/her lack of education is evident when the people in the cave see the images on the cave wall created by the puppets and figures with the fire and hear the echoes. These people would label things as reality solely because they believe what they are being told. This type of knowledge is based on â€Å"truths† without any type of personal connection. The second type of knowledge, which is based more on learned life experiences, is evident in the released prisoner who discovers the real world through his own experience. Another important point about the allegory is the uses of certain wor ds which have a particular meaning in the story, making the reader push themselves to understand the greater meaning behind his words. Some of those words are shadow, cave, fire, prisoners, voices and light. The word prisoner refers to ourselves, arguing that we are prisoners of our own beliefs. The cave is the virtual prison made by ourselves because of the ignorance behind our minds. The word shadow, represents an illusion of reality, a false vision of the truth, are those false ideas created by the lack of knowledge that people live by in this world. The fire, in my opinion, is what produces the false reality or world of appearances. The voices represent the authority; those things we believe are true just because someone told us, like a teacher in a classroom, the government in a country, your parents at home, etc. Finally  the word light or the Sun, used to represent the ultimate truth, the answers found to those erroneous beliefs that you thought were true. I completely agree with Plato and I think we can apply this logic to many equations we face in life as intelligent, moral and empathetic people. I learned that people see reality as the visible world when reality really is more than the visible world. This text helped to push me along the way because it is directly related with college life, where a successful student is the one who considers that his/her mission is questioning and challenging the authenticity of those things that we believe are true.

IB HL Economics (Macroeconomic Policies) Essay

Deflationary fiscal policies and tight monetary policies will often be used in conjucture during times in which inflation is on the rise (perhaps a little too much), and when which the government aims to apply deflationary pressure to ensure that inflation does not rise too much. Deflationary fiscal policy is when government expenditure decreases and taxation increases. tight monetary policy is when the suppy of money is decreased and the interest rates are increased. Decreasing government expenditure will have the effect of limiting the amount of facilitation the government provides to society to consume/invest, pressuring society to decrease society’s consumption/investment/expenditure. likewise, low supply of money as well as high interest rates will apply a brake on firms and consumers expenditure as they now incur a higher opportunity cost in consuming/supplying/investing due to increased interest rates. Inflationary fiscal policy and loose monetary policy however, have the opposite effect on the economy, and this is because they are implemented at times when there is deflationary pressure on the price level (deflation). inflationary fiscal policy will increase government expenditure as well as decrease taxation, and loose monetary policy will increase the supply ofmoney as well as decrease interest rates. By increasing government expenditure you can now subsidise goods, lowering costs which will have the effect of increasing consumption, as well as provide training schemes to help those who are unemployed find a job. increasing the supply of money increase the amount of flow of money in the economy as there has been an increase in the liquidity in cash. low interest rates attract firms as well as consumers as the opportunity costs to invest/consume have been decreased. for instance, if car loans were previously at 7% during times of inflation (and the government implemented a tight monetary policy), but via deflationary pressure and central banks implementing a decrease in interest rates the car loan interest rate goes down to 5%, it would be much more economical for you to buy a car when it was at 5% than 7% (increase consumption, which would lead to an increase in the price level as overall demand increases)

SELF-ASSESSMENT MEMO REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SELF-ASSESSMENT MEMO REPORT - Essay Example One of the house rule that I stated heavily influenced me : that my career begins in this course, not when I graduate. Having actively participated in all the activities given I expect a grade of A since . Perhaps, the professor has given me this grade, or at the least, an A-. My learning style is auditory, which means that I readily transmit and process information through listening. By communication with others through verbal discussions, I found it easy to grasp concepts, meaning, as well as underlying messages. Certain realizations occurred to me such as the importance of listening in becoming an effective student; more so, listening is active and not passive. My personality type (ENFJ)has helped me get along well with other students . Also, being an ENFJ type, the interaction with people were confident, positive, and even helpful. When people recognize that you are sociable and helpful as well as a good listener, they are drawn to you. Having this personality type is an asset in my future endeavor on the field of human resource management. Among the learning activities used along the course, the lectures, video clips, and discussions since were well suited to my auditory learning style. Because of this, lectures and concepts were easily synthesized. The video clips also were stimulating since they appealed to my visual and auditory senses. As for the group assignments and presentations, these activities enhanced my communications skills with other students which emphasized the importance of teamwork in delivering a successful output. The skills acquired during the semester were the ability to write good business reports, make persuasive presentations, conduct research effectively, process information critically, and monitor my progress as a student. Valuable insights such as understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses is a fundamental step in choosing the right job have been gained during the semester, leading to the resolution of

( HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT) ;Managing people and organizations in Essay

( HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT) ;Managing people and organizations in changing contexts; - Essay Example According to Sparrow (2009) employees in a company are the most valuable assets and their interests should therefore be in the forefront while devising policies and in their implementation. This paper will at discussing human resource management and management of organisations in changing contexts. The paper will elaborate this by discussing issues related to HR management and in Tata Consultancy Services. This discussion will aim at uncovering specific challenges in HRM faced by the company as it spreads its operations globally and the underlying issues of compensation policies. Tata CS is one of the leading companies offering consulting services and a wide range of software related services in the world. The company boasts of being the market leader in these services and more so in IT and outsourcing services in Asia. The company opened its doors in 1968 as a consultancy firm from the outset (TCS 2010). It actually started as a computer centre for the Tata Group. As time went by the management saw it to be prudent to extend the portfolio in offering solutions as well. The company expanded operations quickly and by 1970 it was the first one of its kind and in the area of operation to expand to the American market. This was after conquering the Indian market that had various challenges like the one of License Raj being an unfavourable government regulation. The 1990s saw the company grow tremendously with the rise in the spread of IT, the time of Y2K bug and the emergence of the Euro currency (TCS 2010). The same decade saw the company expand to outsourcing by developing an E-business section which within half a decade later was already giving more than five hundred million dollars to TSC. The company has many subsidiaries it owns the world over some partly while others fully. Its operations span over 40 countries with recorded revenue of about 6 billion US dollars (TCS 2010). The

Cars body parts Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cars body parts - Research Proposal Example Diesel or gasoline†¦ all are questions which deserve answers if you are looking for your best and most cost-efficient solution (Brain). The biggest questions to answer are the choice of gasoline or diesel engines. The former can be less expensive to buy, but poorer fuel economy can result in higher costs and even a lower resale value. Diesel engines once had a reputation as being smelly, noisy and having poor performance. Recent improvements in diesel engine technology, including high-pressure ‘common rail’ techniques, have improved all of these former drawbacks, and made diesels both more efficient and more powerful than similar-sized gasoline engines. The issue with diesel engines is that they can be more expensive than gasoline engines. A car buyer must therefore ask himself â€Å"am I going to drive a lot or a little with this car?† Drive a lot, and a diesel’s extra expense could be offset by lower fuel costs. You probably know that the power train is everything that transmits power to the driving wheels. The engine is part of the power train—that’s where the power originates. But before the power gets to the wheels, it must be geared down to apply that power: that’s where the gearbox, or transmission, come into play. The transmission takes the spinning mass powered by the engine and converts it to useful energy at a useful speed (PowerTrains). If you are stopped at an intersection, for example, the power train allows the engine to continue running despite the fact that your car is not moving. As soon as the light turns green and you step off the brake, the automatic transmission chooses first gear and allows you to move smoothly away from the intersection. As you increase your speed, the automatic transmission selects a higher gear—both to improve fuel economy and to keep the engine from over revving. When you finally reach highway speeds, the

Management Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management Decision Making - Essay Example An example of a strategy that will be undertaken is the assessment of students. Since students are the most important group in a university, the knowledge management efforts will definitely include them. An assessment of the students who graduate from the university will be done to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The results of the assessment of the students will be disseminated to the academe through the Knowledge Management Department. The results of the study is a reflection of the quality of education offered by the school; therefore, it is important that the information derived from the assessment be given to the faculty in order that said information can be used to improve the teaching programs of the university. Another quality improvement task that the Knowledge Management Department can initiate is to remain competitive is to develop online courses which other schools offer already (Garcia, 2009). If the news about new online courses are properly disseminated to the students by the Knowledge Management Department, the number of enrollees will increase; thus, improving the financial performance of the school

ECONOMICS 3400 QUIZ 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECONOMICS 3400 QUIZ 1 - Essay Example Bhagwati also says that the fair trade that Obama agitates for affect free trade agreements. If Obama needs to clinch multilateralism and free trade in a forceful manner, he needs competent advisors that will see and criticize the demands associated with free trade and which amounts to protectionism (Bhagwati). Moreover, his advisors should also dismiss union fears that trading with poor countries harms the workers wages. Therefore, Bhagwati affirms that free trade is not a country’s interest. His arguments depicts that trade liberalization tends to expose secluded industries and capitalism associated with them and finally making them vanish. However, this approach does not result to growth. Moreover, it will result to emergence of new sectors that create modern exports. This will in turn propel a country towards comparative advantage. Bhagwati furthers presents his argument that free trade should not be reciprocal for it to be advantageous. He argues that the country tends to destruct its trade barriers after being offered mutual reductions. Moreover, he argues that trade liberalization has a capacity of weakening what a country is capable of offering in swapping to attain adequate access to foreign

Alignment of Academic standards with ELL Proficiency standards Essay

Alignment of Academic standards with ELL Proficiency standards - Essay Example The state and federal government have provided money to aid in the education of students with disabilities (Arizona Department of Education, 2008). President Bush in 2000 proposed what is famously known as â€Å"No Child is Left Behind,† which needed all students to meet or attain set strict standards. The federal policy stated in the no child is left behind that ELL students be included in State assessments and measure or assess the language proficiency of students with reliable, valid assessments in areas reading and writings skills and oral language. In addition, the educators were to consider comprehension, reading, writing, listening and speaking skills of students. These assessments were to help students gain academic achievements as required by States. The main objectives of these assessments were to be designed to assess academic English. Under the no child is left behind act, it was stated that all students had the ability to reach their minimum competency level as long as the teachers were committed to their work. According to Arizona Department of Education (2008), in most cases standards are defined they are applied as a sieve and expectations are lined on the individual. In public education sector there is the notion that intelligence can be taught in that if the student fails to meet the requirements, the teacher or school is blamed for dismal performance of the student. The state and federal government want to attain standards at all cost but in real sense do not. Arizona department of education states that the main objective is to ensure that high school graduates in the country have rough knowledge and skills they require for a career or college. The converse of this objective should be that those students who do not have skills and knowledge for a career or college would not graduate high school. For instance, if there two tests for certain things and the two tests

Resistance to Change Essay Example for Free

Resistance to Change Essay The formula states that, to overcome the resistance to change, these three components must all be present (dissatisfaction, vision, and first steps). An organization must have dissatisfaction with the current situation, a vision of the possibilities the future can bring, and attainable first steps to reach the vision. â€Å"If any of the three is zero or near zero, the product will also be zero or near zero and the resistance to change will dominate† (Rouda Kusy, 1995). One of the models of OD interventions is Action Research. It follows three major procedures. First, data would be collected regarding the current system in relation to the objective, goal, or need of that system. Then, selected variables within the system would be altered based on the research. Finally, the results would be evaluated (French Bell, 1990 cited in Rouda Kusy, 1995). On the other hand, training and development (TD) is a learning process that involves a systematic development of individuals’ expertise to improve the performance of the individual and the organization (Swanson, 2003; Rouda Kusy, 1996). The desired results of TD can be classified into four categories: reaction, learning, behavior or performance, and outcome or results. Reaction involves the evaluation of the training program (e. g. , trainee satisfaction). Learning focuses on the change in the participants after the training (e. g. , change in skills, knowledge, or attitudes). Behavior or performance is the application of learning gained from the training to the job or organization. Finally, outcomes or results relate the impact of training on the productivity and profitability of the organization. TD is usually evaluated using the last two categories, i. e. , the transfer of learning to the success of the organization and its overall impact on the organization (Kirkpatrick, 1983 cited in Rouda Kusy, 1996). For effective and efficient training, a planned instructional systems design (ISD) process is implemented for the assessment, design, development, implementation and evaluation of training. ISD begins with organizational needs assessment, which involves â€Å"surveying, identifying and prioritizing training needs, analyzing the causes of performance problems and opportunities, and identifying possible solutions. † Needs assessment is necessary to determine if the training will be cost-effective and if it is the appropriate solution (Rouda Kusy, 1996). The training design should include an analysis of the learners’ characteristics, the place where work will be performed, and the expected tasks and duties to be performed by the trainees. A complete review of the subject matter should also be conducted and the goals and performance objectives of the training must be established. A plan to evaluate the training should be devised and the instructional materials and strategies must be obtained, prepared, and pre-tested. Factors Affecting the Future Trends of HRD Practices A study was conducted by Ruona and her colleagues (2002) to identify the factors affecting the practice of HRD and its role in the future. Results showed that globalization, technology, changing organization and workforce demographics, and the ability of HRD to keep up with the changes in the environment are the forces that influence HRD. The prevalence of globalization requires HRD practitioners to understand and integrate further intercultural practices in the organization, as opposed to imposing a western view on individuals in other countries. The rapid technological development, on the other hand, would have a significant impact on learning practices, such as e-learning and virtual offices. Hopkins and her associates (2006) added that the scarcity of computer literate employees poses an overwhelming challenge in creating HRD programs, as it hampers instruction and learning process. Meanwhile, as globalization and technology prompt changes in the organization, the workforce demographics have become increasingly diversified, driving the force that would revolutionize HRD practices. Thus, there is a need to examine whether current HRD practices of an organization have the ability to adapt to the changing conditions in the organization (Ruona, et al. , 2002). Changes in the role of HRD in future were also identified. The findings of the study revealed that learning, change and organization system, and knowledge management and creation are the key roles of HRD in an organization. HRD practitioners identified learning and human development as the highest competitive advantage of the field. They emphasized the importance of the effective use and systematic integration of learning methodologies in the organization. They urge HRD to focus on creating cultures that would foster an environment that is truly conducive to learning, such as assigning challenging tasks and implementing reward systems that encourage learning. The rapid changes taking place in the organization also require HRD practitioners to assist people to overcome their resistance to the changes. These people also need to be assisted in coping up with the changes. Future trends also dictate that HRD must fulfill its role in creating and managing knowledge to prevent information overload (Ruona, et al. , 2002). Conclusion Akdere, M. Conceicao, S. (2006). Integration of human resource development and adult education theories and practices: Implications for organizational learning. Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference Proceedings, 295-301. Columbus, Ohio De Silva, S. Human resource development for competitiveness: a priority for employers. Geneva: ILO, 1998

Theoretical Perspective Of Principal Agent Theory

Theoretical Perspective Of Principal Agent Theory According to Random House Dictionary, theory is a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena. In the formal meanings of the term, theory has the following three meanings (Frederickson and Smith, 2003): Theory in the natural sciences is the rigorous testing of predictive theorems or assumptions using observable and comparable data. The tested and verified hypotheses constitute the foundation of theories. And theories derived from this process usually serve as a highly reliable direction for behavior. Theories in the social sciences, including public administration, implies the sequence of factual material (history, events, cases, stories, measures of opinion, observations) presented in definitions, concepts, and metaphors to promote understanding. The rigorous and the intuitive observation of social behavior, patterns of communication, and culture is the basis to this theory. The last meaning of theory in public administration is the theories of what should to be. These theories compose the bridge between public administration, political science, and philosophy. The theorists aim at discovering theories that account for, explain, or describe observable trends in behavior and to evaluate the normative cues of such behavior. It is often true that public administration theorists use a mix of the second and third definition of theory. And there is no doubt that theory is the bedrock of understanding of public administration (Frederickson and Smith, 2003). If manuscripts contain no theory, their value is suspect (Whetten, 2000). Hence, an important mission of scholars and educators in the areas of management, health, education, and social work is, on the one hand to conduct researches that contribute knowledge to a scientific discipline, and to apply that knowledge to the practice of management as a profession, on the other (Simon, 1967). To do this well, we need to design our research so that it provides an intimate understanding of the practical problems facing the profession. Equally important, we need to appreciate and strengthen our skills in developing good theory so that research conducted about these problems will advance the knowledge that is relevant to both the discipline and the profession (Van DE Ven, 1989). Therefore, this paper aims at discussing what is theoretical from the perspective of principal-agent theory. It is consisted of four sections: 1) What is Principal-Agent Theory; 2) Whats the theoretical contribution of Principal-Agent Theory; 3) Limitations of Principal-Agent Theory; 4) Conclusion. Principal-Agent Theory One day Deng Xiaoping decided to take his grandson to visit Mao. Call me granduncle, Mao offered warmly. Oh, I certainly couldnt do that, Chairman Mao, the awe-struck child replied. Why dont you give him an apple? suggested Deng. No sooner had Mao done so than the boy happily chirped, Oh thank you, Granduncle. You see, said Deng, what incentives can achieve. (Capitalism, 1984) According to Arrow (1971) and Wilson (1968), during the 1960s and early 1970s, economists investigated risk sharing among individuals or groups. The risk-sharing problem, described in this literature, arises when collaborating parties have different standpoints toward risk. Principal-Agent theory expanded the risk-sharing literature to include what is called agency problem. And agency problem occurs when cooperating parties have different goals, information, and division of labor (Jensen Meckling, 1976). Specifically, principal-agent theory concentrates on the ubiquitous agency-relationship, in which one party (the principal) delegates work to another (the agent), who performs that work in behalf of the principal (Eisenhardt, 1989). And principal-agent theory seeks to portray this relationship using the metaphor of a contract (Jensen Meckling, 1976). As a consequence, the central dilemma explored by principal agent theorists is how to stimulate the employee or contractor (agent) to behave in the best interests of the principal (the employer) when the employee or contractor has an informational advantage over the principal and has different interests from the principal. From the agency perspective, most organizations are simply legal fictions which serve as a nexus for a set of contracting relationships among individuals (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). The basic premise of the theory is that if both parties to the relationship are utility maximisers, there is good reason to believe that the agent will not always act in the best interests of the principal (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). In determining the most efficient contract, principal-agent theory brings up certain hypotheses about people, organizations and information. It assumes that agents and principals will act in their self-interest to maximize their own welfare. Agents possess more information than their principals possess. As a result, it identifies two impediments to effective contractual performance: moral hazard and adverse selection. Moral hazard refers to that the agent doesnt put agreed-upon efforts to the tasks. That is, the agent is shirking. Adverse selection refers to the misrepresentation of ability by the agent (Eisenhardt, 1989). The agent may claim to have certain skills, experiences, or capabilities when he or she is hired. Adverse selection arises because the principal cannot completely verify these skills, experiences, or capabilities either at the time of recruitment or while the agent is working (Eisenhardt, 1989). Two types of problems are especially relevant. One is the agency problem which arises from the conflicting goals of the principal and the agent and from the difficulty/expense involved in verifying the agents behavior (Eisenhardt, 1989). The second is the problem of risk-sharing which arises from the different attitudes toward risk on the part of the principal and the agent. The different risk preferences between the principals and agents are likely to lead to different actions. Therefore, the theory concentrates on the contract between the principal and the agent and the ways in which the contract can be made most efficient from the point of view of the principal (V. Nilakant, 1994). Besides, the theory makes two assumptions: that goal conflict exists between principals and agents and that agents have more information than their principals, which results in an information asymmetry between them (Waterman and Meier, 1998). Goal Conflict. In the marketplace, principals and agents clearly have different goals and/or preferences (Waterman and Meier, 1998). Commonly, agents want to make as much money as possible, however principals want to pay as little as possible for services. The same as in the public sector. The government wants to produce as more public goods as possible, while the contractor agents expect to decrease the cost as much as possible. Therefore, in a contract relationship, maximum principals interest couldnt inevitably contribute to the maximum of agents interests. It could even reversely worsen agents advantages, such as less compensation or profit. As a consequence, how to encourage agents to accomplish principals goals at a minimum cost has become a great challenge. Information Asymmetry. As we already have noted, the information asymmetry is a critical assumption of the principal-agent model. The information asymmetry is simply the claim that agents possess more information than their principals possess. (Waterman and Meier, 1998) When the distribution of information between principal and agent is asymmetric, the classic principal-agent problem arises. The problem brought up here is how to avoid information asymmetry so that principals know to what extent the agents have achieved the principals goals, what agents are doing, and what are not done. With these information, principals could better monitor the contract relation and working process to improve organizational performance. In addition to the assumption that partial goal conflict is inherent in any principal-agent relationship, principal-agent theory also presumes that information about the agent is a commodity that can be purchased. (V. Nilakant, 1994) Table 1 presents an overview of principal-agent theory, including key idea, unit of analysis, human assumptions, organizational assumptions, information assumptions, and contracting problems. Table 1 Principal-Agent Theory Overview Key Idea Principal-agent relationships should reflect efficient organization of information and risk-bearing costs Unit of Analysis Contract between principal and agent Human Assumptions Self-interest Bounded rationality Risk aversion Organizational Assumptions Partial goal conflict among participants Efficiency as the effectiveness criterion Information asymmetry between principal and agent Information Assumptions Information as a purchasable commodity Contracting Problems Agency (moral hazard and adverse selection) Risk sharing Problem Domain Relationships in which the principal and agent have partly differing goals and risk preferences (e.g., compensation, regulation, leadership, impression management, whistle-blowing, vertical integration, transfer pricing) Source: Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. (1989). Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14, No. 1, p.59 Theoretical Contribution of Principal-Agent Theory Principal-Agent theory has been contributing a lot to organization theory and incentive theory. Principal-Agent theory has been the basis for an extensive set of studies relating bureaucracy to elected officials. It also has been extended to presidents decisions to use force and to the Supreme Court and its relationship to lower courts. (Waterman and Meier, 1998) Before discussing the theoretical contribution of principal-agent theory, Id like to talk about what is a good theory. Above all, a good theory is the theory appropriately used. All theories are false. They are, after all, just words and symbols on pieces of paper, about the reality they purport to describe; they are not that reality. So they simplify it. This means we must choose our theories according to how useful they are, not how true they are. (Mintzberg, 2005) Obviously, principal-agent theory is not omnipotent to explain or solve all problems in an organization. It is true only when it is appropriately used. Furthermore, a good theory is practical precisely. A theory to be useful, should accurately describe or depict a real world event or phenomenon. (Frederickson and Smith, 2003) The first section has demonstrated that principal-agent theory fits this requirement. Scholars devoted to this theory have explicitly described what principal-agent is and what it could explain in the real world. Finally, a good theory is insightful and predictive. Theory is insightful when it surprises, when it allows us to see profoundly, imaginatively, unconventionally into phenomena we thought we understoodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦theory is of no use unless it initially surprises-that is, changes perceptions. (Mintzberg, 2005) From this perspective, principal-Agent theory may not dramatically change perceptions, but it really brings in some new thinking about organizations and incentives. Firstly, Principal-Agent theory reestablishes the importance of incentives and self-interest in organizational thinking. It reminds us that much of organizational life, whether we like it or not, is based on self-interest. (Eisenhardt, 1989) Both principal and agent are usually assumed to be attempting to maximize their own utilities. Agents would not voluntarily produce desires of principal and it is difficult or expensive for the principal to investigate what the agent is actually doing. Hence, it is significant for principals to provide incentives to agents which lead to an alignment of goals between principal and agent, in order to assure that the agents act for principals aims. That is to maximize principals interests rather than impair principals efficiency through agents over possession of information. Secondly, Principal-Agent theory also makes important contributions to organizational thinking, the most important of which is the treatment of information. (Eisenhardt, 1989). In principal-agent theory, information is considered as merchandise: it has a cost, and it can be exchanged and purchased. The implication is that organizations can invest in information systems in order to control agent opportunism, an illustration of which is the executive compensation. And one of the important factors such compensation requires is information systems. It is assumed that richer information systems control managerial opportunism and, therefore, lead to less performance-contingent pay. Board of directors is considered as one particular relevant information system to monitor executive behaviors. When boards provide richer information, compensation is less likely to be based on firm performance. Also, when boards provide richer information, top executives are more likely to engage in behaviors t hat are consistent with stockholders interest. (Eisenhardt, 1989) Besides, to break agents superiority status on information is of great significance to keep balance between principals and agents and to improve agents performance. Moreover, profit sharing has been widely used as an attempt to give employees more opportunities to involve into and to get pleasurable emotion from the organization and to make employees feel they are part of the organization; to increase employees sense of commitment to organization; to increase sense of co-operation between management and subordinates; and to ensure employees benefit from organization profitability. In the public sector, administrators should frequently involve into policy-making process. Participatory management could be an efficient approach to get an alignment of goals of the management and subordinates and to motive employees performance consciousness. In addition, Principal-Agent theory could be used to elucidate hierarchical control of organizations as well (Moe, 1984). Difficulty in monitoring the actions of subordinates/agents, asymmetric information superior status of subordinates/agents, or transactions costs in supervising and verifying the actions of subordinates/agents all can give agents opportunities to escape from principals goals by maximizing agents interests. Typically, principals find means to ameliorate these problems, for example, by relying on signals that warn them when agents step outside certain bounds. (Song, Segal, and Cameron, 1976) Limitations of Principal-Agent Theory Principal-Agent theory, which characterizes relationships that develop and evolve, is supposed to be a dynamic, rather than a static theory (Waterman and Meier, 1998). It provides insightful and predictive theoretical contribution to organization and incentive theory development. Principal-agent theory provides a unique, realistic, and empirically testable perspective on problems of cooperative effort (Eisenhardt, 1989). Besides its theoretical contribution, however, principal-agent theory needs further improvement as the following: Principal-Agent Theory merely displays a partial aspect of the real world, although it is valid, and it also ignores a great amount of organizational complexity. Additional perspectives could contribute to attain the more important complexity (Eisenhardt, 1989). According to Ogden (1993), the highly simplified model of organizational conflict and the contrasting complexity of the mathematics required to provide solutions to the agency problem have been frequently cited as limitations to principal-agent theory. In addition, principal-agent theory could be developed to a richer and more complicated range of contexts. Principal-agent theory studies the relationship between the principal and the agent defined by contract, resting on a basis in economics. Under this theory, relationship problems are explained from a contractual perspective; and solutions derives from the change of contract. However, noneconomic considerations should be emphasized as well, such as cultural, social, psychological, and political. And some scholars have already argued to look at important non-contractual aspects of principal-agent relationship. So, to study principal-agent relationship from non-contractual perspectives is demanded and valuable. Conclusion Starting from an introduction to what is the principal-agent theory and the importance of the theory in public administration, we conclude that the principal-agent theory has contributed a lot to the development of organization theory and incentive theory. Although theoretical significant, principal-agent theory still has its limitations, such as simplified model and ignorance of non-economic factors, which leaves a long way for future development. Nevertheless, this term paper merely provides a short review and summary of principal-agent theory and its theoretical contributions. It is far from a comprehensive and deep study on principal-agent problems and solutions. Much more works are needed to elaborately review this theory.

Social Interaction In Acquisition Of Second Languages English Language Essay

Social Interaction In Acquisition Of Second Languages English Language Essay Ever since the basic assumption endorsed in the seminal work of Hatch in the late 1970s that learners learn the structure of a language through interaction rather than learning grammar in order to interact (Gass, 2003: 224-255). The relationship between interaction and acquisition has been one of the core issues in second language acquisition (SLA) research. The reviewed done by Young (1999) has shown that interactional competence is clearly most applicable to explaining cross-cultural communication. It also provides a convenient framework for integrating studies of conversational phenomena within a broader context of interaction. As language usually related two four main domains: reading, writing, oral and listening. In order to practice the oral and listening, interaction is important. At the same time interaction can also assist the development of the second language acquisition. Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language(s). Linguists have many different approaches towards the acquisition of the second language. In the past few decades, linguists were more focus on the cognitive aspects also known as the psycholinguistic which studies the internal factors of second language acquisition. However, more recent studies have redirected their attention to the external factors which refers to the sociolinguistic. Social interaction is one of the main focuses in the study of the sociolinguistic. Unlike second language acquisition, there are specific brain parts located in the left hemisphere take care of the first language acquisition. If we consider first language acquisition as a natural cognitive development, then second language acquisition will be more like a process of nurture. Since it is more a process of nurture than a natural cognitive development, the social factors will be the vital attribution in the acquisition. Importance of social interaction On the basis of extensive research, there was considerable agreement that the learning environment must include opportunities for learners to engage in meaningful social interaction with users of the second language if they are to discover the linguistic and sociolinguistic rules necessary for second-language comprehension and production (Pica, 1987). And this agreement is still applicable for todays second language learning. A very good example is that students who study abroad are usually more fluent and accurate in the second language they are using, as compare to their classmates in their own country. In fact, there are many examples of the learners who are able to communicate and use the language efficiently without any formal instructions. For example the Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia do not have formal instruction in Bahasa Malaysia but are able to function well in their workplace and the community. Their second language is acquired through the unsystematic social interaction with the broader society. The learner has access to the target language in the course of everyday communication or interaction with the environment. The sounds of the language are embedded in a relevant situational context and the learners job is to extract from this material the rules for the use of the language. This interaction allows him to start learning and learning in turn allows him to make progress in communication (Albakri, 2006). The question might be asked, why interaction is important to the second language acquisition. In order to answer that question we need to look at what is required to second language learning. First of all, we need to have input, with the input we will able to produce a response which also known as the output, feedback will be given according to the output. These three major components made up an interaction. The interaction approach attempts to account for learning through the learners exposure to language, production of language, and feedback on that production. A central claim resulting from a past research is that, though interaction may not be strictly necessary, it nevertheless constitutes the primary means by which language learners obtain data for language learning, not only because interaction is how most learners receive input, but also because the input obtained through interaction is more pragmatic and conducive to acquisition than input received in other ways (Gass Macke y 2007: 175-199). Interlanguage An important term used in the interaction approach of second language acquisition is interlanguage. Interlanguage is a emerging linguistic system that has been developed by a learner of a second language who has not become fully proficient yet but is approximating the target language. It often preserving some features of their first language, or over-generalizing target language rules in speaking or writing the target language and creating innovations. An interlanguage is basically a set of language created by the learner to engage the first language and the second language and it is usually based on the learners experiences with the second language. At a more theoretical level, there are also well-argued claims that the social interaction most relevant to interlanguage development is that in which learners and their correspondents share a need and desire to understand each other (Pica, 1987). There is also recent empirical evidence that such mutual understanding can be reached when the learner and interlocutor modify and restructure their interaction as a result of their requests for clarification or confirmation of each others input and checks on the comprehensibility of their own productions, this will be discussed more in the feedback section. When learners need to understand unfamiliar linguistic input or when required to produce a comprehensible message are opportunities to modify and restructure their interaction with their respondents until mutual comprehension is reached. That process enables learners to move beyond their current interlanguage receptive and expressive capacities and yet improve their second language. Another research investigates the type of interaction and the effects on the development of the interlanguage. It shows that certain kinds of interaction that the child engages in encourage faster and more complete development of features of his interlanguage than other kinds of interaction. A similar finding is reported by Shea (2003), who compares interactions between Japanese students studying at an American university and four different teachers. Shea reports that the Japanese students appear more proficient in English in conversations where they have equal access to the floor and take perspectives that are congruent with those taken by their teachers (Watanabe 2008). Input Input refers to the language that a learner is exposed to. In all approaches to second language acquisition, input is a vital component for learning in that it provides the evidence from which learners can form linguistic hypotheses. On the other hand, the information provided by the input illustrates what is possible within a language. Interaction makes learner see the differences between them and native speakers. Interaction itself also directs learners attention to something new, such as a new lexical item or grammatical construction, thus promoting the development of the L2. Input obtained via interaction has been conceptualized and researched in terms of comprehensible input, negotiation of meaning and comprehensible output by Krashen, Long and Swain (Gass, 2003: 224-255, Krashen, 1981). The interrelatedness of these three notions is concisely articulated in Longs revised version of the Interaction Hypothesis: the negotiation for meaning, and especially negotiation work that tri ggers interactional adjustments by the NS or more competent interlocutor, facilitates acquisition because it connects input, internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention, and output in productive ways (Tarone, 2009: 41-57). The process of turning input into intake has been described by Krashen as follows: First, learners understand a message using the not yet acquired L2 structure and somehow connect the form with its meaning. Second, learners must notice a difference between their current interlanguage competence and the second language form (Xu, 2010). As input of an interaction is just like the listening, it is important for learners to familiar with the phonetic of the second language. Language like French, which does not pronounce the why it looks like. Native speakers usually speak much faster than a learner can understand. It means that it is understandable if the sentence was written or spoken word by word. As many French learners have experienced, it is important for the learner to have more social interactions with the native speakers to get their ears used to the speed and dialect (for some language) of the second language. Output Swain observed the children in Canada which showed less native-like language. Swain hypothesized that what was lacking was sufficient opportunities for language use. She claimed that language production forces learners to move form comprehension to syntactic use of language. As many learners maybe experienced, there is a stage where the learner is too shy to produce an output. It may due to the afraid of making a wrong statement or convey a wrong message. The less the learner talk in the target language, the more shyness the will feel. That is why many Chinese students who take English as second language is excellent in the grammar and lexicon but can hardly talk to a native speaker fluently. Feedback There are two types of feedbacks: implicit and explicit. Explicit refers to correction and metalinguisitic explanations. Implicit feedback refers to confirmation checks (i.e. the sentence or specific word has been correctly heard), clarification requests (i.e. a request for clarify or repeat), and comprehension checks (i.e. an expression used to check the listener is understand or not). Explicit feedback often occurs during negotiation for meaning. Pica (1989) describes how negotiation contributes to the language learning process, suggesting that negotiation facilitates comprehension of L2 input and servers to draw learners attention to form-meaning relationships through processes of repetition, segmentation, and rewording. The research also claims that negotiation can draw learners attention to linguistic problems and proposes that initial steps in interlanguage development occur when learners notice mismatches between the input and their own organization of the target language (Gas s Mackey, 2007: 175-199). With feedbacks, both the native speakers and non-native speakers can adjust their language to a level where they can communicate efficiently. Other research have found that native speaker modifications are more frequent in two-way communication because conversation provides the native speaker with feedback from the learner and thus enables him to estimate the amount of adjustment required (Albakri, 2006). Social context and culture Learning a second language can be said of learning about another society and their culture. Language has been proven that has a great relationship with the society, culture and even history. In order to improve the second language proficiency, social context and culture have to be taken into the consideration. The best way of doing this is to interact with the native speakers. It was shown that speakers of any target language use different varieties of that language in the different social contexts in which it is spoken; a formal variety is appropriate in business meetings, while a vernacular variety is used with friends in a bar. So social context affects the social variety of the second language learners are exposed to. If learners are restricted to only one social context and need to learn varieties of second language that are spoken in other social context and need to learn varieties of second language that are spoken in other social contexts, their overall SLA can be affected. (Tarone, 2007). Culture is difficult to define, but it does not mean that the issue is not important in relation to the acquisition of a second language. Through interaction, learners are able to understand certain usage of the language. For example, in Japanese, you need to use a respectful way or tone and choice of words to talk to a senior or anyone who is socially above your status. It is different in some western countries and the language they used. We may not be sure what culture the learner acquires, but it is certainly different from the learners own culture and this difference is an important part of the learning experience (Regan 1998). Conclusion Social interaction, without any doubt, is important in second language acquisition. The learner receives input from his/her respondent and that input becomes intake when the learner processes the information internally. The learner than produces the output which in turn becomes the input for the respondent and he/she provides feedback to that input. And this process continues as conversation or communication and therefore enhances second language learning (Albakri, 2006). It is also important that, the interaction provide the chance of knowing the culture of the target language and raise the awareness of the social context of the target language, which will indeed promotes the development of the second language. On the other hand, social interaction encourages learners to use the language in a more pragmatic way, which is one of the main reason we learn a second language at first place. Word Count: 2188

Andrew Johnson Resignation :: essays research papers fc

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson With the assassination of Lincoln, the presidency fell upon an old-fashioned southerner named Andrew Johnson. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one of the most unfortunate Presidents. Over time there has been a controversial debate as to whether Johnson deserved to be impeached, or if it was an unconstitutional attempt by Congress to infringe upon the presidents authority. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was politically motivated. The spirit of the Jacksonian democracy inspired Andrew Johnson. From this influence he helped found the Democratic Party in his region and became elected to the town council in 1829. After serving in his town council for two years he was elected mayor in 1831. Johnson was a strict constructionist and an advocate of states' rights who distrusted the power of government at all levels. Following his term as Mayor Johnson won elections to the Tennessee State legislature in 1835, 1839, and 1841. After serving these terms he was elected to Congress in 1843. As a member of the US House, Johnson opposed government involvement in the nations economy through tariffs and internal improvements. In 1852 Johnson lost his seat in the US House because of gerrymandering by the Whig- dominated state legislature. (Jackson) Following his loss he came back in 1853 to win a narrow victory for governor and served two terms. In 1857, Johnson was then elected to represent Tennessee in the US Senate. While se rving in the Senate Johnson became an advocate of the Homestead Bill, which was opposed by most Southern Democrats and their slave owning, plantation constituents. (Kennedy) This issue strained the already tense relations between Johnson and the wealthy planters in western Tennessee. Eventually the party split into regional factions. Johnson made the decision to back the Southern Democratic nominee, John Breckinridge. By this time the rupture between Johnson and most Southern Democrats was too deep to heal. The break became final when Johnson allied himself with pro-union Whigs to fight the Secessionist Democrats in his state for several months. When the Civil War began, Johnson was the only Senator from a Confederate state that did not leave Congress to return to the South. During the war, Johnson made the decision to join the Republicans in the National Union Party. In 1864, Johnson's big break came. Lincoln selected him as vice presidential running mate on the National running mate. When it came time for Johnson to deliver his inaugural address he delivered it while inebriated, lending credence to the rumors that he was an alcoholic.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE WAY WORDSWORTH AND HUGHES WRITE ABOUT NATURE E

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE WAY WORDSWORTH AND HUGHES WRITE ABOUT NATURE IN THEIR POEMS DAFFODILS AND THISTLES Hughes wrote the poem â€Å"Thistles† which is about how these plants are. He speaks about them as if they were a sign of violence, and violent creatures. He views them as a symbol of vengeance, pain and threat. The thistles are spiky and can hurt anyone. They are dull, immortal, green, rough, and produce a big amount of chaos, written in Wordsworth on the other hand, wrote about â€Å"Daffodils† which are small golden flowers. They look vivid, colourful and peaceful. These flowers produce a state of calm, sweet and memorable moments. Written in romantic era of literature, in 1804 Each poet creates a different mood in their poems. Hughes’ use of imagery creates a bad and nasty mood. It even creates horrible and mean moods, and sometimes a scary mood. The use of imagery has a reason to it as well; the purpose of it is to make people get a vision, a small scene, and a picture in their minds of what thistles look like, and what they do to be so painful. Hughes’ way of using imagery is good as it explains whatever he sees; it shows that he can use other things or words to explain his views. An example of this imagery is the line that says â€Å"everyone manages a plume of blood† this makes people think that everyone has a river of blood on them, so it brings a horrible scene into people’s minds. Wordsworth doesn’t use much imagery but whenever he does, he uses it in such a way that people want to continue to read the poem a few more times. His was of using imagery makes people get a nice and pleasant view of the daffodils, like for example in the line â€Å"tossing their heads in sprightly dance† this shows t... ...w, which makes you want to keep the scene in mind all the time and makes you think about the daffodils. But, when you think about the scene of the thistles poem, it isn’t as nice and pleasant. This is because the thistles represent a battle, a fight, in which death is involved, when you read it, it reminds you of wars, of fires and all unpleasant memories. The daffodils basically show happiness and joy to everyone, that is why I prefer it. The words that the poet uses in order to describe the poem are exceedingly special as they describe the location in which the daffodils can be found and admired. In the poem he doesn’t talk about the daffodils beside the lake, it also talks about how it affected his life and how he kept on thinking in the daffodils after being in the lake. This poem is more memorable than the thistles one, which is why I prefer it more.

A Study On Colleges Online Education Essay

The instruction system in India today has evolved significantly in the last 20 old ages. In the 1990s, most pupils went to a college in their metropolis and studied whatever class was offered at that place. If they lived in a smaller town without a good college, so they were forced to go to their nearest metropolis and live a fighting pupil life, far off from their household. At the terminal of the first decennary in the twenty-first century, nevertheless, the options that pupils have for college have exploded massively. Today, pupils have their pick of college, grade and topics, sitting in the comfort of their place, no affair how little their town is. All they need is a computing machine & A ; the Internet. There are several colleges online that a pupil can take from. From the oldest and most reputed IGNOU ( Indira Gandhi National Open University ) to the vicinity metropolis college, a pupil has their choice of colleges online where they can obtain grades, sheepskin and certifications in any topic they choose. Colleges online typically find B.A. , B.Com. & A ; B.Sc. courses more popular among pupils and IGNOU offers grades in rarer topics like Medical Imaging & A ; Radiology, Fashion Merchandising, Textile Design and even Architecture online. There are a few colleges online that offer complete sheepskin classs online with no text edition or notes in paper at all. These ‘virtual ‘ classs are typically non complete grades but station alumnus sheepskin classs in some specialisations like Cyber Law, Food Safety, Business Process Outsourcing, etc. Most colleges online will follow a method of direction as follows:Printed educational material/textbooks/guides are giving to the pupils at the start of the classRegular assignments, trials are given online which the pupil has to finish in a timely modeFace-to-face contact Sessionss, on-line confabs by which the pupil can clear up uncertainties with the moduleSome colleges online like IGNOU besides offer video cyclosis of lessons which the pupil can see at his or her ain leisureThere are several advantages to analyzing from colleges online. Some of them are given below:The pupil has the pick of colleges to analyze from instead being restricted to the college in their townThe pupil has a wider pick of capable & A ; specialisation to analyze from when taking colleges onlineThe pupil has the flexibleness of agenda with colleges online go forthing clip free for prosecuting another grade, working or even looking after their householdHowever, there are besides many safeguards that a pupil must take before taking from the several colleges online. Some of the safeguards are:Choose a echt college: First, a simple cheque on the University Grants Commission ( UGC ) web site ( www.ugc.ac.in ) will state the pupil whether their college has been reported as sham or has been given accreditation by UGC.Talk to Alumni: All good colleges online will give the pupils some manner to reach alumnas who have completed their class and who prospective pupils can acquire admittance from.Physical Contact: If possible, see the college ‘s office in individual or speak to them through the telephone and justice whether they are an existent college offering existent instruction.Online MBA gradesSeveral Online MBA grades are available on the Internet presents and the pupil is spoilt for pick. How does a pupil travel about measuring which Online MBA grade is the best option for them? There are many standards which are of import when taking an On-line MBA plan and we shall discourse some of them below:The repute of the institute:It is really of import non to acquire an online MBA grade from any unheard of on-line university. If possible, look at on-line MBA grade ‘s merely from colleges that offer full-time MBA grades. Then it will be easier to measure the college utilizing published rankings which appear in magazines. If the college offers merely on-line MBA grades and non full-time grades, so you must look into whether the college is affiliated to a university and authorized to run this plan.The course of study:Merely because it is an on-line MBA grade does n't intend that you should non acquire a good instruction. You are paying the fees for an MBA and you should have an MBA instruction every bit good as a grade. Compare the course of study of the online MBA grade with that of the university ‘s full-time plan.The faculty-student interaction:Some on- line MBA grades merely direct you the class stuff and trials whereas others offer a confab installation with module and the best 1s offer video streaming talks, confabs, webinars and other manners of on-line interaction. Look for the maximal points of interaction between module & A ; pupil ; it will maintain the class interesting for you. Besides make certain that if you need assist or guidance, a module member will be available for you to reach.Contact Sessionss:Though the grade may be an on-line MBA grade, you should hold the option of go toing unrecorded talks and meetings with the module one time in 3-6 months. This is besides an chance to run into other pupils and acquire to cognize them.Alumnuss:Contact old pupils of the online MBA grade plan at the college you plan to go to and see what they have to state about the college. You are finally taking an MBA to foster your calling chances and if your online MBA grade is seen as non utile or worse, harmful, so it could be a waste o f your clip or money. Check the mentions carefully before you pay any fees or sedimentations.Finally some general advice:An online MBA grade can be a rewarding and enriching measure on the corporate ladder.Making the right pick of college and plan for your online MBA grade can do all the difference between it being a great measure or a little measure on your manner to success.Evaluate all your options sagely, talk to as many people as you can.Do n't listen merely to the college ‘s selling talk, what is the best option for the college may non be the best option for your online MBA grade.Online MBA grades can assist you acquire a making while you have a full-time occupation or place duties during the twenty-four hours. But they still require survey and difficult work if you want to derive an instruction from it.While taking an online MBA grade, besides take a expression at the specialisation that is right for your calling way and where you want to travel in the hereafter. The ri ght pick of specialisation can besides assist you alter your calling way.

Nursing Information Expert Essay

Nursing is a profession within the health care sector that focuses on protecting and promoting health care. It involves prevention of illness, injury and treatment of human diseases. The nursing profession requires that information of patients should be kept and recorded in a manner that can allow for proper review of patients. Some of the tasks that a nursing information expert is charged with include communicating and coordinating care with all other clinical disciplines, coordinating discharge planning, education and teaching transitions of care. They are also tasked with managing all information related to the nursing process and patient care delivery. According to (Gassert’s, 1996), some of the roles of a nursing information expert include administration, leadership and management, analysis, consultation and research evaluation. These roles require that the nursing information expert should be very good in information keeping and analysis. Professional nurses use information and data in everyday practice not only to add value to various health organizations but also to improve them. Some of the ways in which professional nurses use information and data to improve outcome include analyzing clinical and financial data, promoting and facilitating access to resources and references, providing content to standardized languages and improving relationships between providers and recipients of health care (Clifford, 2001). Technology is the collection of tools such as machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures used by humans to foster their daily activities in various fields. There has been a tremendous growth in technology in the healthcare sector. (Henneman, 2010) states that technology in the acute and critical care setting is typically equated with devices such as bedside monitors, computerized provider order entry (CPOE), bar-coding devices, mechanical ventilators, dialysis machines, point-of-care testing, ventricular assist devices, and computerized information systems. The type of technology therefore required for the care of each individual patient is very crucial to the recovery and the health of a patient. The analysis of information and data has been made very easy for the nurses through the technology that has impacted very positively in the health sector. It is the combination of technology and handling of information that has brought about the reduction in mortality rates in various health organizations. References Clifford, C. &. (2001). Pre- and post-test evaluation of a project to facilitate research. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Gassert’s, P. a. (1996). Information Management in Nursing and Health Care. Standards of practice and preparation for certification., 280-287. Henneman, E. A. (2010). Patient Safety and Technology. Patient Safety and Technology.

A Literary Analysis of the Sweet Hereafter Essay

In the final section of the novel, The Sweet Hereafter, Banks seems to be using the demolition derby setting as a place for everyone to meet and see just exactly how things have changed in the town of Sam Dent since the tragic bus accident that happened the previous winter. It serves as a place that can be compared and contrasted with how the townspeople act this year versus the previous years. It is also a place where most everyone in the town comes annually. It may be told through Dolores’ perspective but she gives the reader an idea of exactly how different of an experience it is for her this year from last year. She also eludes through her narration how specific people are different this year. The most significant change in a person that I was able to notice was the change in Billy Ansel. Dolores commented on how he was drunk when she saw him at the demolition derby. He was carrying a flask with him and had a woman with him that was, as Dolores commented, â€Å"Not the sort of woman you’d expect to see in Billy Ansel’s company† (233). Dolores described the way Billy used to be by saying that he â€Å"had been a noble man; and now he was ruined† (235). I could tell differences in Billy as well. The first thing that tipped me off about how he was acting was that he was cursing profusely. Before all of this happened he would curse, but at the demolition derby it was like he couldn’t go for an entire sentence without cursing. Russell Banks did a very good job of changing the dialogue that came about in a conversation with Billy Ansel. It really gave me a sense of giving up. It seems to me that Billy has given up. He no longer is trying to be the pillar of strength that he used to be. He doesn’t hide the fact that he is a drunk and he doesn’t seem to care very much about the woman he is with. These are some very big changes in Billy. He is clearly a wounded and beaten man. I think that Dolores summed it up perfectly when she said, â€Å"I looked across to Billy Ansel and realized that what frightened and saddened me most about him was that he no longer loved anybody. All the man had was himself. And you can’t love only yourself†(237). Another reason why I think that Banks put Dolores at the Demolition Derby was to give her a chance to reflect upon all the other lives that were affected by the tragic accident. She goes on for two pages about all the people who  were different now. The Walkers were getting a divorce, the Lamstons were on welfare, the Bilodeaus and Atwaters were in jail for dealing drugs, and the Ottos were isolating themselves from the world. Because Dolores was in this situation with all the townspeople shunning her, it served as the perfect time and place to wrap up exactly what has become of the survivors and the families of the victims. Overall, the county fair and demolition derby was the perfect place to end the novel. It brought everyone together again because it was an annual event that the whole town attended. It served as a comparison to the past years when it would be in town. When you go to an event every year such as this you tend to know what to expect. This year Dolores had no idea and that scared her. The whole time she was there she was making then and now comparisons of the people who she saw. The reflections and comparisons are a perfect way to show exactly how affected by the accident the people of Sam Dent were. It seems to me that this town has given up just as Billy Ansel did. Dolores says, â€Å"All over town there were empty houses and trailers for sale that last winter had been homes with families in them. A town needs its children, just as much and in the same ways as a family does. It comes undone without them, turns a community into a windblown scattering of isolated individuals† (236). This is the way that I see this town as well. It definitely resembles what I would think that a windblown scattering of isolated individuals would look like. Clearly this accident has affected the whole town in a way that might never be repaired. And the last section that takes place at the demolition derby was a place for them all to come together and show each other exactly how different it all was.

Effective communication Essay

Demonstrating and modelling effective communication skills, whilst dealing with others, contributes to positive relationships. You should take into account the way in which you approach others and in turn how to respond to them. Positive relationships make it much easier to communicate information and are therefore very important. Parents, as well as other adults who come into school, are more likely to be engaged and likely to offer beneficial support if communication is strong, clear and effective; this in turn has a positive effect on pupils. You should always model effective communication skills as it is important for pupils. This means that you should monitor everything you say especially at times of stress or excitement in order to demonstrate to pupils the expectations of the school. It is important to personally maintain the standards of which you expect from students so that they understand boundaries of what is, and isn’t, acceptable. Effective communication is somet hing you have to work at as it does not happen by chance. It is important to think about the way you relate to others and the messages that this sends out. When communication breaks down misunderstandings can occur, this can lead to poor relationships and bad feelings. Read more: Identify the different reasons people communicate  essay TDA 3.1 L O 1.2 Explain the principles of relationship building with children, young people and adults The principles of relationship building with children and adults in any context are that if that if others are comfortable around us, they are much more likely to communicate effectively. People are more likely to avoid communicating with one another if they are suspicious or do not get along with one another. It is important therefore to work on and maintain positive relationships. Relationships are built upon every day in schools. This  happens in many ways, some of which we do without even realising it. Good relationships are formed when the following are taken into consideration: Effective communication – This is the main area in which relationships are developed through the use of different forms of communicating such as: Showing respect It is important to be courteous and respectful, and to listen to others points of view when developing positive relationships. In schools many people have different beliefs and come from different cultures and it is important to respect and acknowledge the views of others and you should learn people’s names and ask them how they would like to be addressed. Being Considerate In schools any child or adult may be under particular pressure and may act or behave out of character. It is important to take the time to think about positions of others and give them the consideration they deserve. Remembering Issues which are personal to them It always helps, when building relationships to inquire about and remember aspects about other people’s lives for example talking to children about their hobbies Taking time to listen to others You should always listen to others, especially if they are asking for help, advice or they need to confide in you. You should always show your interest in what others have to say and use appropriate responses. Being clear on key points Whilst conversing with others and giving them information, you should always make sure that they have understood what you have said. This is because children can easily be distracted away from the main point of the conversation; therefore you should ask them to repeat back to you what it is the child should do. Maintaining a sense of humour Although work in schools is important, you should always try to see the funny side of situations. Laughing is a great way of relieving stress as well as being a great ice breaker. TDA 3.1 L O 1.3 Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate Depending on the situation and who with, communication will be adapted to fit the setting. This will most likely be done without thinking, for example in a more formal setting, such as a meeting, you would tend to use a more formal level of language than you would whilst on playground duty with pupils. Schools timetable regular meetings to allow for open communication between colleagues. Schools also have planned communication with other adults and professionals, consisting of meetings and discussions as well as more informal forms of communication. Speech however is not the only form of communication, it is conveyed in the way we respond to others, such as how quick we reply to digital communication (email, text), how attentive we are when talking to someone as well as things like body language and the way we dress. Nov-verbal communication can cause issues however as it can easily be misread. Different cultures have their own ways of speech free communication which include eye cont act and gestures for example in some cultures it is impolite to look someone in the eye when talking to them. TDA 3.1 LO 2.1 Explain the skills needed to communicate with children and young people TDA 3.1 LO 2.3 Explain the main differences between communicating with adults and communicating with children and young people There are lots of similarities, in terms of communication, when dealing with  children, adults and young people such as maintaining eye contact and interest, responding to what they are saying and treating them with respect and courtesy. However, when communicating with children, you need to maintain the relationship, and where relevant their carer. It is also important to be very clear and unambiguous when communicating with children to ensure that they understand exactly what you are saying. It may be a good idea to question children about what you have just said in order to check their comprehension. It is important to communicate what you expect from them as this helps children learn to increase their own communicative skills. Therefore you should pitch your level of vocabulary and verbal expressions to the right level so that all can understand you. It is also detrimental to children’s progression to offer physical contact, such as hugs and holding hands, however if it is not initiated by you personally then it would be wrong to decline. TDA 3.1 LO 2.4 Explain how to adapt communication to meet different communication needs of adults It is important that you are attentive with adults and approach them with sensitivity, particularly if they have difficulties communicating. You will most likey adapt the way in which you communicate accordingly to the situation, without even realising it, Whilst communicating with someone who has a hearing impairment for example, you would ensure that you face them and speak slowly and clearly, whilst keeping eye contact, in order for them to lip-read. Schools often need to communicate with parents/carers/guardians and do this via text, email or letter. This format is effective as it is instant and is easily accessible fpr most people. In my practical setting they do offer their newsletters and such in other languages so parents and such may still get relevant information in a format that they can then read and understand. They would also bring in a translator for one to one meetings with parents when required so face to face interaction can still take place and both  parties can communicate effectively. TDA 3.2 L O 2.5 Explain how to manage disagreements with children, young people and adults Disagreements in work are commonplace, and most of the time they are due to miscommunication or lack there of. These can cause bad feelings on both sides if not dealt with appropriately. Adults can misread or perceive information in a way which was not meant. Disagreements can occur when we blame others for saying things that may be ambiguous or for having varying opinions on matters. Where conflict takes place, it is important to show sensitivity and must try to resolve the problem with haste. This is because the longer a problem persists, the more difficult it is to resolve. It is important not to be drawn into conflict with a child or young person, and situations such as this need to be dealt with carefully, it may be good practice to alert another member of staff in order to seek advice to remedy the problem. Poor communication Conflict can often occur in line with miscommunication, This may be because: ââ€"  letters have not been passed on by parents or children ââ€"  there is a lack of time ââ€"  there has been a misunderstanding. In order to resolve issues of poor communication, you should discuss the problem in order to find the cause and then find a resolution together. Never just ignore the problem or talk about the problem to everyone but who the problem concerns. Opposing expectations Adults may often not have the same ideas about the purpose of an activity or meeting, or have a diï ¬â‚¬erent idea in mind. Aims should always be made clear about what you are there to do and why. Different values and ideas Parents and schools often have different attitudes and expectations. Conflict can often occur when a child is told to do two contrasting things. This can be resolved by working alongside parents. External factors Whilst working in a school it is important to keep in mind that people may have issues at home or other such pressures, which may affect the way they communicate. Once you have made a good personal relationship with someone, it is likely you will notice changes in their behaviour and you are able to ask if there is a problem and if you can assist them with anything. Lack of confidence Adults often act with aggression when they are unsure in what they are doing or lacking in confidence. This may come across as a personal attack however it is due to their perception of themselves and their own abilities. It would be wise to be sensitive and offer encouragement and support. Research 3.1 Adults who work with children in any setting need to have some idea about current legislation, as this will aï ¬â‚¬ect their practice. There is an increased awareness of how important it is to recognise the uniqueness of each child and have respect for their human rights. Legislation is an area which is constantly under review and you will need to keep up to date through reading relevant publications. Every Child Matters (England 2005) based on the Children Act 2004 This Green Paper stresses the importance of more integrated services and sharing of information between professionals. It came into being aer the tragic case of Victoria Climbià ©, when there was no communication between health and social workers. Data Protection Act 1998 In schools we ask parents and carers for a variety of information so that we are able to care for children as eï ¬â‚¬ectively as we can while they are with us. However, we can only ask for information which is directly relevant – for example: ââ€"  health or medical information ââ€"  records from previous schools ââ€"  records for children who have special educational needs. This is conï ¬ dential information and must be used only for the purpose for which it  was gathered. If the information needs to be passed on to others for any reason, parental consent will need to be given. This usually involves parents signing a consent form. Key term Conï ¬ dential information – information that should only be shared with people with a right to have it, for example, your teacher, your line manager or an external agency Under the Data Protection Act 1998, any organisation which holds information on individuals needs to be registered with the Data Protection Commission. This is designed to ensure that conï ¬ dential information cannot be passed on to others without the individual’s consent. There are eight principles of practice which govern the use of personal information. Information must be: ââ€"  processed fairly and lawfully ââ€"  used only for the purpose for which it was gathered research 3.2 When you are party to gathering information, whatever this is, you may sometimes be in a position where you need to reassure others about the fact that it is conï ¬ dential. If you attend meetings or need to be told about conï ¬ dential items, you should make sure that you let others know your obligations. In most cases, parental consent would need to be given before any information about children can be shared with other professionals. However, if there are any issues to indicate that the child is at risk from harm or abuse, or if there is a legal obligation placed on the school to disclose information, this can be done (see the following case study). There may also be cases where information on pupils needs to be accessible to all staï ¬â‚¬, for example, where pupils have speciï ¬ c medial conditions such as asthma or epilepsy. In this case there should be an agreed system within the school for making sure that all staï ¬â‚¬ are aware of these pupils. There may also be case s where information on pupils needs to be accessible to staï ¬â‚¬ who need to know – for example, where pupils have speciï ¬ c medial conditions such as asthma or epilepsy. In this case there should be an agreed system within the school for making sure that staï ¬â‚¬ who are in contact with the pupils are aware of their condition.

Climate Change and Tax Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Climate Change and Tax Policy - Essay Example Carbon Tax is a kind of Pollution Tax purported to be applied on the energy sources which emit carbon dioxide. (Wikipedia)1 The Carbon Emission Trading on the other hand as provided by Kyoto Protocol involves the global trading of permits to emit green house gases converted in terms of Carbon dioxide. (Wikipedia) 2 Obviously there is a need to put a price on carbon to force companies to abandon older, dirtier technologies for newer, cleaner ones. Today the atmosphere is being used as municipal dump where carbon dioxide is deposited free. The New York Times (2007) 3 Once the governments start putting a monetary value on this privilege, business and industrial houses will be forced to evolve smarter ways to run their business. A carbon tax is one approach. Another is to impose a steadily decreasing cap on emissions and Several arguments are being advocated for and against each of these two forms of measures that can be undertaken by the different countries of the world. This case study ______________________________________________________________________ Carbon tax is based on the carbon content of the fuel being consumed by each entity individually. Under economic theory carbon tax represents an indirect tax on the negative externality as such tax would add up to the actual cost of production by internalizing the social cost of polluting the environment by emitting carbon dioxide and other gases. Charles Komanoff (2007)5 opines that to attack global warming, every energy-critical decision needs to be predicated on a trajectory of rising energy prices. A phased-in carbon tax allows this, whereas cap-and-trade will do little to mitigate the price roller-coaster that discourages emissions-minimizing investment. 2.1Cases for Carbon Tax: Levying a tax on the emissions will: Reduce the fossil fuel usage and substitute them by clean fuels and technology Provide a revenue steam to enable a progressive tax shifting - Carbon Tax Centre6 Carbon tax could be extended to all carbon based consumptions while trading systems may not be able to reach parts of the transportation and service sectors Transaction costs are lower in the case of carbon tax as compared to emissions trading Carbon taxes pose an effective system for the reduction of emissions as it is a permanent incentive to reduce the emissions Kevin Baumert

Japanese colonialism was fundamentally different from western Essay

Japanese colonialism was fundamentally different from western colonialism. Do you agree Discuss - Essay Example Such, it cannot be generalized that all colonial nations follow the same form of colonialism that bears the same geopolitical meaning and practice across regions and continents. This fundamental difference in colonialism can be best illustrated in the case of Japan when contrasted with its colonialist counterpart in the western part of the world where its colonialist differences were identified in this paper. The most plausible cause that can be identified for this difference was that Japan jumped in the colonialist foray later than its western counterpart that it had an implication why colonialism in the East, particularly Japan, fundamentally differed from its counterpart in the West. It can be surmised that while the west has already a deep experience of colonizing, the idea of colonialism was only impinged into the consciousness of Japan in the 1870’s with the Meiji Restoration (Myers and Peattie, 1984) which has an implication on how it exercised its power and prerogative over its colonized countries. Japan’s exposure in colonialist effort was short while its western counterparts had already a long history of colonizing exploits that stretched as far back as 900 A.D. with the crusades. This wide gap in terms of colonizing experience has an implication on Japan’s motivation, purpose and method of colonizing that fundamentally differed from the West which will be elaborated in this paper. ... II. The Fundamental Difference of Japanese Colonialism from Western Colonialism A. Timeline and motivation for being a colonial power The western colonizers have a very long and deep experience in colonizing. While Japan as a country was still struggling among itself in 900 A.D., Europe has already embarked on a crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Turks and Saracens in the Middle East. Needless to say, the West already has already a deep experience with colonizing while Japan only learned the idea of colonialism in the 1870’s. It is also important to note that before the Meiji Restoration in the 1870’s, it came from a 200 year isolationist policy of the Tokugawa Shogunate and as such, was economically and military inferior compared to the west. In addition, Japan began with the same disadvantages just like its neighboring Asian countries. Also, just like any other non-European states, it was forced to sign unequal treaties that chafed the ire of its nationalists a s an infringement of its national sovereignty. Moreso, when Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States came to Japan in 1853 with its fleet that forced Japan to open itself to trade and end its self-imposed isolation (Myers and Peattie, 1984:78). This made Japan realize how backward they were and prompted them to embark on a nationalist endeavor to strengthen itself and become a respected country. This sentiment was recorded by a memorandum of saga samurai, Eto Shimpei in 1856 that â€Å"what was required . . ., was a long-range plan to utilize the talents, not merely of all Japanese, but of talent wherever it might be found in tools, in arms, in medicine, in land development, in astronomy, and so on, should be utilized

Managerial economics individual work week 12 Essay

Managerial economics individual work week 12 - Essay Example However, saying that you will open a given type of business because you are good in one thing would be a myth. That is because they do not always lead to successful ventures as other factors such as demand, opportunities and resources also affect performance of the venture. It is a myth to say that the customer is always right. In as much as the customer may be right in how he or she feels, they are usually wrong on many occasions. Businesses just use the statement to bend to the customer’s demands. However, the best approach would be to win the customer over and try to convince them to make a purchase. Thinking that you can open a store, and people will walk, is a thought founded on a myth. For customers to visit a shop, they must first be aware of its existence. Therefore, one needs to create this awareness through marketing or advertising. Also, customers do not just walk in unless you have what they need. Coming up with an idea and concluding that everyone will love it forms a myth. An idea may be great, but not everyone will love it. An idea will succeed if it meets the needs of people and also if the timing is good. Everyone loves quality. However, it would be a myth to say that quality guarantees success. That is because apart from quality, success also requires other factors such as a good marketing strategy, pricing strategy and even good customer relations. It is a myth to say that more people increase the speed of a project. On the contrary, more people may slow down the project. A large number slows down decision making as there is need to consult every time. Also, there may be conflicts during execution as the people may have different ideas of how to carry out the execution. To say failure is bad would propagate a myth. Failure is not the opposite of success. In fact, it is one step towards success. Failure helps us learn our weaknesses and mistakes. It makes us reflect on our decisions that led to the failure. One can,