Adult Learning Theory Essay

Holt (2011), it is stated that it is necessary to bring both concepts of the Bible teaching and contemporary adult learning theories together for the most effectiveness. In the Holt article; it is shown that Biblical explanation and interpretation assist the adult learner in gaining knowledge. The choices one makes gives real world perspective and power can only be obtained by the Holy Spirit. The article discusses the styles in which adult learning makes a difference, whether androgogy, transformative learning or self-directed learning (Holt). Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century† discusses the goals of educators to better prepare themselves to better deal with adult learners. Over the last 15 years, learning theories have changed very aggressively (Merriam, 2008). As adults continue to develop human physiology changes, thus learning teaching styles have to change to keep up. It has been recognized that with time everything that adults experience is part of the l earning process. It has been further recognized that educators have to increase their tool set to involve creative and artistic modes of teaching to reach a wider audience. Both articles cover the ever-changing dynamics of the human psyche and educational styles and requirements in dealing with adult learning. Educators have to continue to increase knowledge both for themselves as well as those whom they are educating. Where the styles of the teaching process in the Holt (2011) article differ from the Merriam (2008) article, they both recognize the changes in adult learners. It has been recognized over years and will continue for years to come that educators of adults will have to continue honing their skill sets to accommodate the learning styles of adults. Since adults learn differently from children it is important to include the learning styles necessary to maximize the efforts of educators. As adults learning styles change it will be necessary for those educating adults to change also. Reflection After reading both articles and realizing the application in my own life and learning style, I conclude that adults learn differently. There were moments of complete frustration as I was putting my thoughts together as I can tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. I had the realization that time management and organizational skills are imperative when completing an assignment of any type. The Holt (2011) article caught my attention initially because of how I tend to study and read the Bible in particular. I am coming to understand more and more how I learn and further realize that the concepts of knowledge, choice and power are applicable in my own life. I am intrigued by the concept mentioned in the Holt article and will consider its application to my current Bible study methods. The Merriam (2008) article is interesting in the fact that I had no idea how challenging it is for educators to keep up with the learning curve that is necessary to continue teaching the increasing number of adult learners. Being out of the college environment for so long, I realize it is not as easy to just get things done with all of the demands of life as I know it. I can see how both articles and their teaching styles have a positive impact on dealing with adult learning. With all of the influences of culture, music, art, etc, it is imperative that educators find a way to keep up with the demands of educating the population of adults returning to increase their knowledge to keep up with fast paced American culture. I now have a new respect for teachers on all levels. It is interesting that adult educator’s find is so necessary to effectively reach adults. It is increasingly more common for adults to return to school for a number of reasons, and are driven to succeed for just as many reasons. Thankfully educators realize the change necessary to comprehend the goals of those adults striving for successes related to educating themselves. References Holt, R. A. (2011). Teaching that transforms: Facilitating life change through adult Bible teaching. Christian Education Journal,  8(2), 450+ Merriam, S. B. (2008). Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions For Adult And Continuing Education, Volume 2008, Issue 119, 93-98. DOI: 10. 1002/ace. 309

Reactions to Imprisonment Essay

When an individual is subjected to being incarcerated for a significant amount of their life, that person once released has had a life experience, which impacts them greatly. Whether that impact is prosperous or not depends on the individual. While imprisoned some allow themselves to take advantage of their time by learning form their mistakes, while others utilize their time by becoming more mischievous. A prime example of someone who received a positive impact form being imprisoned is Socrates Fortlow of Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, this specific individual learned to be zealous, compassionate and resourceful throughout his twenty-seven year sentence in jail. From Socrates release from jail he has displayed an extremely zealous outlook on life. As a man seeking employment, Socrates zealous personality is the key factor in him receiving a job at Bounty Supermarket for boxing and delivering groceries. â€Å"I been down there ev’ry day for five days, an ev’ry day I go in there I ask ’em if they got my okay from the head office yet†, is how Socrates explained his persistent attempt to his friend Stony Wile. As a lower class, African American, ex-convict, Socrates is not the ideal candidate for employment. One would believe that without his zealous attitude he would not have been able to obtain the job he took such pride in executing. Socrates also made a zealous attempt to modify his violent behavior. â€Å"For years he gave himself a grade everyday. Anytime he wrote down failure somebody had been hurt by those big rock-breaking hands.† Socrates found himself in physical confrontations only when he felt it was necessary. He even attempted to apply physical intimidation to beneficial use. Socrates â€Å"†¦swore to himself that he’d never hurt another person – except if he had to for self-preservation.† Therefore Socrates’ zealous attitude served as an aid for him throughout numerous aspects of his life. Compassionate is the descriptive word that comes to mind when contemplating the acts of this â€Å"†¦convicted murderer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Socrates compassion is especially demonstrated when he saves a stray dog and nursed him back to health after an uncaring driver hit the dog. In contrast of what many may think about ex-convicts, this one in particular has a caring heart and reached is out not only to Bruno, the stray canine but also his friend Right Burke. Right Burke was suffering from cancer and his days were limited. Mr. Fortlow did his best to make this suffering mans last days as comfortable and enjoyable as he could. Although not a wealthy man, Socrates used his heart and his mind to initiate his goals. He not only reached his heart out to Right but also to a troubled adolescent named Darryl. â€Å"He wanted to reach out to the blubbering child and tell him that it was okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Socrates was the only father Darryl had in his life, so Socrates did his best to show Darryl how to be a man. He looked out for Darryl’s interest the best way he knew how. Although it’s been said in order for a person to be able to murder they have to have a lack of compassion, Socrates incarceration rehabilitated him into a man full of compassion. Being resourceful is a personality attribute that at person with limited finances and an incarcerated individual will quickly obtain. Socrates showed his resourceful nature by actions such as cooking a whole meal on only a hot plate and restoring â€Å"†¦ round dinette table, with three broken legs, lying in the street† into new condition. Mr. Fortlow also tended to himself when he was cut with a broken bottle by cleansing out the wound and sewing up his ripped up coat. Socrates resourcefulness has been a prosperous effect of his imprisonment. This effect enabled Socrates to conserve his funds on things that were not necessities. â€Å"He took a bag of leftovers home at the end of every week from the store.† These were items that a financially stable person would turn their nose up at, but for someone less fortunate such as Socrates they were gourmet foods. One would tend to believe without Socrates resourceful nature, survival would’ve been made much more of a nuisance. A man attempting to survive in a lower class neighborhood needs certain characteristics in order to survive. One would infer that Socrates was able to obtain these attributes through his twenty-seven year imprisonment. Socrates Fortlow was zealous, compassionate and resourceful and without these characteristics he would not have been able to survive.

Operational Budgeting and Profit Planning Essay

Introduction: Why Budget? While a budget planning is a laborious process it is crucial for the success of any company. The budgeting process forces managers to be proactive in planning for the future while fostering communication and coordination within a company. Different departments must work together in order to develop a proper budget. A properly formulated budget will aid to define a company’s objectives and provides guidelines to avoid wasted actions. Also, risk can be mitigated when objectives and action plans are clarified through the budgeting process. This article will identify the key components of a budget as well as the methodologies involved in the budgeting process. The influences of management behavior will be discussed followed by a brief example of bad budgeting practices and its consequences. Master Budget The master budget is a summary of a company’s plans that sets concrete targets for sales, production, distribution and financing activities. Companies prepare cash budget not only for operating activities but also for investing and financial activities. This is because management should be aware in advance of any borrowing needs and when loans can be repaid. Budgets are interdependent because the figures of one budget are conventionally utilized in the preparation of another. Budget estimates are dependent on the nature of the business, its products and services, processes, organization, and management needs. It is a detailed model of the firm’s operating cycle that includes all internal processes which is developed into a cash budget, a budgeted income statement, and a budgeted balance sheet. Advantages The Master Budget defines the organizations objectives and strategies. As well as allowing the company to realistically project future cash flows, it also smoothens the functioning of organizations operating cycle. Disadvantages Disadvantages of developing a master budget is that it is both time consuming and highly complex. However, it should be noted that the advantages of a proper Master Budget far outweighs the disadvantages. Components of the Master Budget The Sales Budget includes the forecast of sales revenue, sale units and sales collection in the future market conditions. The Purchase budget would include purchase of merchandise for sale and raw material for manufacturing. It is expressed in terms of sales dollars. The Selling Expense Budget presents expenses the organization plans to incur in connection with sales and distribution. The General and Administrative Expense Budget presents the expenses the organization plans to incur in connection with general administration such as the accounts department, the IT department, law etc. The Cash Budget summarizes all cash receipts and disbursements expected to occur during the budgeting period. After a company makes sales predictions, an organization uses information regarding credit terms, collection policy, and prior collection experience to develop a cash collection budget. Other items included are an allowance for bad debt, cash sales, sales discount, allowance for volume discounts, and seasonal changes of sales prices and collections. The cash budget shows cash operations deficiencies and surplus expected to occur at the end of each month, which is used to plan for borrowing and loan payments. Budgeted Financial Statements are pro forma statements that reflect the â€Å"as  if† effects of the budgeted activities on the actual financial position of the organization. It reflects the results of operations assuming the budget predictions. Budget Development in a Manufacturing Organization Manufacturing organization converts the raw materials into finished goods and sells it to the customer for consumption. It prepares the master budget before production to make the organization successful and survive in a competitive environment. For example, a Bicycle manufacturer will plan a Master Budget in the following fashion: A Sales Budget will be based on the anticipation of sales of the Bicycle and pricing policy, expected number of units to be sold and the revenue generated. Once the sales budget is completed the Production Budget will derive the total volume of Bicycle units to be manufactured based on the targeted sales and inventory required to maintain sales. For example, if the expected number of sales of Bicylces for the month of January is 500 units, the production budget will plan for 650 units (Sales projected (500) + inventory as per company s strategy (30%)). The Purchase budget will be obtained based on volume of Bi Cycles to be manufactured, material required to manufacture a single unit and the cost of materials. As per the above example, the material required for 650 units will be budgeted for the month of January. The Manufacturing Cost Budget will be derived from the cost of making 650 units of bicycles using the design of product and process used to manufacture while considering the raw material cost, direct labor cost and manufacturing over headed cost. Finalizing the Budget For efficient and effective budgeting two questions must be addressed: Is the proposed budget feasible? Is the proposed budget acceptable? To be feasible the organization must be able to implement the proposed budget. Possible actions include obtaining equity financing, issue long-term debt, reducing the amount of inventory on hand, or obtaining a line of credit. Constraints for infeasibility are availability of merchandise and production capacity for a manufacturer. When evaluating the budget, management must consider various financial ratios such as return on assets, profit margins, etc. The company must compare the return provided by the proposed budget, the past budget and industry average as well as the organization’s goals. Budgeting Methodologies Input/Output Approach Companies using the Input/Output approach calculate the required input or resources through estimating the potential output or performance. For example, if a microchip manufacturing plant requires 5 grams of metal to create one microchip and each gram costs $2, then each microchip costs $10 of material. Thus, a projected output of 1000 microchips would cost $10,000 and 5 kilograms of material. This approach is mainly used for industries with a measurable relationship between effort and return, such as manufacturing, service, and merchandising but is not compatible with industries that are inelastic to unit level changes. Activity-based Approach The Activity-based Approach is subset of the Input/Output which reduces the potential for error by determining cost through evaluating the cost of each activity in the manufacturing process rather than focusing on inputs such as machine or labor hours. Thus, the approach provides a more accurate picture of costs involved by providing costs at each level of production. It results in a more efficient budget by allowing the identification of the optimal set of activities. However, it is far more time consuming to produce. Incremental Approach A budget prepared using the previous year budget as a base with some percentage increase or decrease is called incremental budget. Budget  justification is to be given only for the percentage change not for the base amount (previous year’s budget). This type of budget is best suited for non-profit organizations, government organizations or in organizations in which the amount of output is weakly correlated to the money spent. For example, the Boston Public School budget for FY12 increased by 1.2% from the FY 11 and for FY11 it increased by 0.4% of the FY 10 budgets (OBM 2011, 2012). The increase in both budgets was justified as improving opportunities for English Language learners, arts and physical education, but not for their existing programs. The advantages of this budget are that it is easy to practice, quick preparation, stability and conflict avoidance between departments due to different budget approval. Some of the main disadvantages are there is no incentive to red uce expense as peopmsle are tempted to spend the allotted expense so that their future budget is not affected. Also, no room for innovative changes to the budget is given. Minimum Level Approach In this type of approach a minimum budget level is fixed for carrying out ongoing projects and activities and anything above the budget should be justified. For example, the R&D budget in a pharmaceutical company is fixed for ongoing projects and new projects must be approved by the management. Main advantages are ongoing projects will not be disturbed due to budget changes and last year budget will not be approved without revision as in the case of Incremental approach. The Minimum level approach is considered as Zero Level Budgeting in some organizations in which for every amount spent, justification must be (TWF n.d.). For example if an R&D department of an Electronics manufacturer puts forth many project proposals to the management , based on the market trend and project feasibility, the management will approve the most profitable project. Advantages of this method are that allocation of resources is very efficient and detects inflated budgets. However, this method consumes a significant amount of time and resources. Manager Behavior Top-down vs. Bottom-up In addition to macro methods of budgeting (Input/output, activity based, incremental, and minimum level) there is also a distinction between top-down/imposed and bottom-up/participative budgets. These two methods represent opposite extremes of a spectrum of which a company’s budgeting procedure may fall on any point. As the name suggests, a Top-down Budget is formulated by a small number of high ranking managers who make all decisions regarding a company’s objectives which are then received by the lower managers who implement the plan. Because only a few people are involved in the decision making, it is quick and saves time. It also avoids the cushion that is lower management tend to build into their budgets. However, because only a few people are involved in the decision-making process, those not involved may lack the motivation and commitment to properly implement the plan. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Bottom-up process of budgeting. It begins at the lowest possible management level, whose budget plan is then integrated with the proposals at the next level. The process is continued until a comprehensive holistic budget is developed for the company. The Bottom-up process ensures that managers at each level clearly understand their roles in meeting company objectives. Therefore, budgets are usually far more accurate and employees are more committed to their self-made budget. However, inefficiencies tend to occur with a bottom-up process. Managers tend to provide a budgetary slack (understating revenues or overstating expenses) in order to provide a cushion against underperformance or unfavorable reviews. While this may cause inefficient spending, it can provide funds to reduce risky activities of which there is insufficient information. Budgeting Periods There are three types of budgeting periods used by companies: Fixed-length, Life Cycle and Continuous/Rolling Budgets. The type of period used is determined by the context of the budget. Most companies use fixed-length budgets determined at the beginning of a specified period. However, for single projects, a Life Cycle budget is more attractive, where a company  determines the budget for the entire project; especially if the project occurs within a period or over multiple periods. A continuous budget may be more useful than a fixed-budget as it forces managers to be continually updating their budget. Where a one-year budget plan is only available at the beginning of the year, a 4 quarter rolling budget requires managers to continually have a budget plan for a whole year at the beginning of each quarter, thus, sustaining the budgets relevancy. Forecasts, Ethics, and Open Book Management In addition to deciding methodologies of budgeting, a manager must also consider company forecasts, ethics and employee support. A manager must allow for the development of various forecasts and consider them during the budgeting process. Industry forecasts, such as economic conditions, as well as internal forecasts, such as collection periods, should be factored into the budget. Because ethical issues regarding budgeting are rarely illegal, there is a strong incentive to either pad the budgetary slack or overstate performance. Organizations should be firm in their rules against unethical behavior as it is easy to fall into a moral gray area. Finally, in order to properly motivate employees by gaining support for the budget, many companies have adopted an Open Book Management approach. The approach involves interacting with employees by sharing information and teaching employees to understand the relevant financial information. Sample Analysis A well formulated budget is crucial in order to facilitate a company’s operations. However, when a company’s budget is poorly formulated, it can have disastrous consequences. An example is OGX Petrà ³leo e Gà ¡s Participaà §Ãƒ µes S.A. owned by Eike Batista. At the company’s peak in 2009, it achieved an IPO of $3 billion (Spinetto et al. 2013). However, the company filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 30, 2013 with debts of $5.11 billion with Batista being sued for violations of disclosure ruels (Fontevecchia 2013). While its failure was due to a variety of factors, we will argue that poor budgeting  is a crucial factor. Within the petroleum industry, the exploration and production process is both a high risk and high expense venture where predicted outputs require complex calculations (Suslick et al. 2009). Even after production has begun, the projected output may change depending on a variety of variables (Katusa 2012). OGX had calculated potential output at 4.8 billion barrels and therefore invested heavily into the required infrastructure based on this estimate (Spinetto 2013). However, these decisions were made before the wells were operational which resulted in final outputs at roughly 50% of the initial amount (Katusa 2012). Management decisions at OGX were made by Bastista and a small group of managers and its inputs were based on an estimation of outputs (Katusa 2012, Spinetto 2013). In addition, performance was highly overstated due to â€Å"[Batista’s] tendency to shoot the messenger† (Spinetto 2013). Therefore, OGX should have adopted a bottom-up minimum level approach of budgeting as well as adopting a policy of reporting performance after confirmation. A bottom-up approach would have generated a much more precise picture of performance and costs while a minimum-level approach would have required confirmation of projected outputs before beginning operations at the cost of time. In addition, reporting performance after confirmation would have avoided any overstatements of performance. Conclusion To be successful in a competitive environment a company must develop proper Master Budget in order to promote proactive thought, communication and coordination within a company. It is also an important aide to planning and risk management. In order for a company to run smoothly, the Master Budget must balance all the variable constituents of a company’s operational activities. In addition, methodologies used, while utilized at the management’s discretion, should reflect the context of the company’s operations. As illustrated in the OGX example, failure to properly develop a budget can have catastrophic consequences to a company. References City of Boston: Office of Budget Management (OBM). 2011. Summary Budget. Retrieved Oct. 2013 from http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/02%20Summary%20Budget_tcm3-16341.pdf City of Boston: Office of Budget Management (OBM). 2012. Summary of Budget. Retrieved Oct. 2013 from http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/02%20Summary%20Budget%20A_tcm3-24767.pdf Easton, P.D., Halsey, R.F., McAnally, M.L., Hartgraves, A., & Morse, W.J. 2013. Financial & Managerial Accounting for MBAs 3rd Ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Business Publishers. Fontevecchia, A. 2013. Death of the Brazilian Dream: Ex-billionaire Eike Batista’s OGX Files for Bankruptcy. Forbes, Oct. 30. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2013/10/30/death-of-the-brazilian-dream-ex-billionaire-eike-batistas-ogx-files-for-bankruptcy/ Katusa, M. 2012. Brazilian Oil Dreams Get a Sobering Reality Check. Casey Research, July 2012. Available at: http://www.caseyresearch.com/cdd/brazilian-oil-dreams-get-sobering-reality-check Spinetto, J.P., Millard, P., & Wells, K. 2013. How Brazil’s Richest Man Lost $34.5 Billion in a Year. Bloomberg Businessweek. (October): 60-65. Suslick, S.B., Schlozer, D., & Rodriguez, M.R. 2009. Uncertainty and Risk Analysis in Petroleum Exploration and Production. Terrae 6 (1): 30-41.

ABC Case Study

Inc. Has made some crucial errors within their company. Failed organization, teamwork, lack of proper training and time management seem to play the largest role in the problems that BBC is currently facing. These problems can all be worked on and inevitably corrected with the usage of the correct solution. Background Carl Robins has been appointed the new recruiter for BBC, Inc. Upon entry of his new position, he has been assigned the task of recruiting and hiring new employees for the Operations Supervisor, Monica Carroll.This Job would leave him with many there responsibilities, which Include, but are not limited to: scheduling the training, hosting orientation, preparing manuals and policy booklets, conducting physicals, and sending recruits in to be drug tested. Confident in his abilities to accomplish this, Carl Robins assures Robin that he could handle this, no problem. Even though Carl had roughly 2 months to prepare for the orientation and hiring of his new recruits, he faile d to look over his materials in a timely manner.Just a couple weeks before the orientation, he noticed that none of the trainees had been sent to drug jesting and a number of them had incomplete applications and transcripts. On top of that, he had no complete orientation manuals prepared for the 15 recruits. While running out of time and already frustrated with the current situation, he goes to the training room and realizes that it has been double booked during the time when he was to be giving the orientations. Carl has become overwhelmed and does not know what to do next. Key Problems The problems within BBC, Inc. As well as with Carl Robins, are obvious. There is a serious lack of team effort In a place and Job that requires such. Being able to work within a team Improves productivity and success, as well as enriches employee relationships (Mukluk, 2013). It would be in BBC, Inc. ‘s best interest to improve upon this. Proper teamwork would also improve Abs's organizational skills which seem to be lacking. Incomplete manuals and double booking of a training room would likely not occur with proper organization and team ability. On the Job training is also lacking within this company.Carl Robins was clearly unprepared for his Job of recruiting and training his prospective employees. He had no real understanding of hat all went into this before taking on such a big project. It's clear that he assumed things would be more organized and prepared for him to where he could wait until the last minute and be K. This was not the case and brings us into another key problem for Carl Robins, which is time management. Carl had ample time in the beginning to prepare for this Job, yet he waited over a month to start reviewing all his paperwork and scheduling affairs for his recruitment.He would not have felt near the overwhelming sense of pressure had he used his time wisely. Alternatives There are many different ways that BBC, Inc. Could've made this process go smoo ther and with more efficiency. Carl Robins, first, could have shadowed the former recruiter prior to taking on this Job. This way he would have known exactly what to expect when doing it on his own. He would know: where everything is, what is normal procedure, what typical problems arise and how long it takes to accomplish each increase his time management, Carl could have created a checklist and a deadline for each item on the checklist.This way he would not be pressed for time and would not verse any important factors within his efforts. This would increase his organization, as well as allow him to focus on one thing at a time. Another thing he could do to make this process go better, and within a timely manner, is to create a team within the workplace in which he could delegate different Jobs to. With the checklist and deadlines, he would know exactly what needs to get done and when, of which he could relay to his teammates.In response to the double booked room, Carl could try to work something out with his co-worker where he would give him the space for the ay of orientation, or he could find a different room to use. If he uses a different room, there's a chance it will not be able to accommodate all 15 trainees and he may have to split their orientations into two separate days. Proposed Solutions My proposed solution is to increase on the Job training. BBC had given a Job to an employee who was ill prepared. There is no reason that he should have expected manuals to be completed for future recruits when there wasn't even one available.This shows the lack of organization within the company prior to the entrance of Mr.. Robins. If this was a known fact, it should've been relayed to him with proper communication from his supervisor or any other co-workers who work alongside him. Carl should not have been thrown into a situation, first thing, where he had many hoops to Jump through. I also encourage creating checklists with deadlines. Focusing on one thing at a time decreases the chances of getting overwhelmed. For example, he should make sure all applications were completed, one recruit at a time, and then moved them straight into the drug testing.Drug testing should be done quickly as a arm of pre-qualification for the Job. Since drug testing costs money, it should go along with a complete application, in which also pre-qualifies the recruit for the Job. This would go more smoothly if not only he had a checklist for each task, but for each recruit. This way he could see his progress and overall completion for each trainee. He would not be surprised with every incomplete document and the fact that no one has been drug tested. He should be working with his co-workers with effective communication skills in order to ensure these things get completed.Team building exercises should be implemented within the whole company. Many problems factor back to a lack of teamwork and communication between employees. Some possible demodulating exercise s for BBC could be, Job shadowing (Hatfield, 2014), lunch room discussions, and back-to-back drawings (Middleton, 2014). Job shadowing is to be done within different departments (Hatfield, 2014). Allow employees the chance to shadow someone outside of their own department so they are familiarized with what other employees are doing. This would eliminate confusion on who is accessibility for what Job at BBC, Inc.This could also spark ideas of how employees could work together more effectively to accomplish tasks. Lunch room discussions would involve employees splitting off into discussion groups during a scheduled lunch time (Middleton, 2014). Employees would be split up at random with the intermingling of each department. In these groups, they will discuss problems within the workplace, as well as, examples of problems that could arise and what solutions they come up with for each issue. This would be very beneficial in creating a team deter communication.Two employees sit back-to-b ack and try to work together to complete a goal, solely with communication. One person has a shape in mind and the other person has a pencil and paper. The employee with the shape has to explain what to do with the pencil in order to complete the proper drawing without using any examples of the shapes itself. When finished, the two employees compare the shapes and encourage questions on communication and interpretations of employees. Recommendations I highly encourage team building exercises throughout the entire company.This will allow employees to understand what is happening with all their co-workers and gives them a better understanding of where they fit in. This will also allow them to work together in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. I also recommend better on-the-Job training. Carl should have been left in a much better position than what he was, despite some failures on his part. I also encourage organizational skills to be added into the workplace. Focusing on organizat ion is important to complete each Job in an effective and timely manner.

The National Coalition Against the Death Penalty

The death penalty has been a fairly contentious issue in the United States since 1930 when statistics first began to be regularly collected. By the late 1960s, an unofficial moratorium took place due to mounting opposition to the law that was authorized in all but 10 states. In 1972, the Supreme Court struck down the ‘arbitrary and capricious' state and federal death penalty laws (History of the Death Penalty, â€Å"Death Penalty† & â€Å"Moratorium†). However, the 1976 rulings re-imposing the capital punishment brought to the fore the gravity of the issue for the American public. The Supreme Court decision bringing back the controversial law was met with concerted efforts by those who vigorously oppose death penalty. One entity that perhaps best symbolizes opposition to its reinstatement is the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), a coalition organization formed shortly after the Supreme Court ruling. The NCADP has, since its formation in 1976, been the only national organization with a full staff that is devoted exclusively to the abolishment of the capital punishment. Its work includes the providing of information and public policy advocates and the mobilization of, and support for, individuals and institutions sharing the unconditional rejection of the death penalty (National Coalition  ¶ 1). NCADP Mission and Goals The main argument of the NDADP in its stand against the death penalty is the belief that the ultimate punishment equates to the devaluation of all human life. With the execution of the capital offender, the organization believes that the spiritual transformation intrinsic to every human being is denied. The organization also argues three other critical concerns, namely: the irrevocability of the capital punishment within a dishearteningly fallible judicial system; the law's race and class bias against the poor and racial minorities, and the death penalty's intrinsic violation of our most basic human rights. The National Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, based in Washington D.C., boasts of a 30-year history of organizing opposition to the U.S. death penalty (Hogan & Hartson Announcements). One of the more prominent heads of NCADP has been Sister Helen Prejean CSJ, a Roman Catholic nun of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. Serving the organization from 1993 to 1995, Prejean became a crusader against the death penalty following her ministering and witnessing many executions beginning with that of Louisiana convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier. Her autobiographical account of the relationship she made with Sonnier became the basis for the film and opera Dead Man Walking. (Helen Prejean  ¶ 1-4). The mission of the National Coalition Against the Death Penalty is organized around the four central mission areas of legislative advocacy, grassroots advocacy, media advocacy and human rights advocacy. Believing that the abolition of the capital punishment in the United States can be achieved using a multi-faceted approach, the NCADP spells out its four-core mission as follows: Legislative Advocacy – cooperating with policy-makers and their constituents to adopt legislation that opposes the death penalty at the local, state, as well as national level. Media Advocacy – using mainly local and state media to broaden the public criticism of the capital punishment. Grassroots Advocacy – providing assistance to NCADP affiliates in organizing activities that oppose the death penalty and in reaching out to American communities to take a stand against the death penalty. Human Rights Advocacy – highlighting the capital punishment as a violation of human rights and   Ã‚  Ã‚   working to gain the support of the world in abolishing the death penalty in the United States. (National Coalition â€Å"Our Focus†). NCADP Strategy and Tactics The organization conducts its campaign against capital punishment using its four non-violent advocacy methods at the local, state and national levels. (National Coalition, Wikipedia  ¶ 2). The use of information dissemination is an important tool of the NCADP towards the goal of abolishing death penalty in the United States. Primarily using the local media, which it believes to be the greater news source of the American public, NCADP works to inform about facts and figures that strengthen the call against capital punishment. Through other media outlets including its website www.ncadp.org and the national media, it presents many eye-opening if not disturbing data on the modern implementation of death penalty in the country. The death penalty related information the NCADP provides is essentially statistics-based, perhaps in the effort to be scientific and less incontrovertible. It extensively collects and presents telling information such as: – 95 percent of the nearly 4,000 death convicts are so poor that they were unable to hire a private attorney. – African Americans comprise 42% of those currently on death row despite the fact that they make up a mere 12% of the total population. – More than 60% of those convicted to die for childhood offenses since the 1976 re-imposition have either been African Americans or Latinos (National Coalition, Fact Sheet).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being a coalition organization, the NCADP strategy in seeking the legal abolition of death penalty includes forging linkages with state and local, national and international affiliates.   It has local affiliates in Alabama, Arizona and California and its national affiliates include Amnesty International, USA Program   to Abolish the Death Penalty. The NCADP also counts international affiliates from the United Kingdom (Death Penalty UK Death Row: Reprieve UK), Germany (German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (GCADP), France (Coalition for Truth and Justice; Ensemble contre la peine de mort) and Botswana (The Botswana Centre for Human Rights). The NCADP also list as an ally the Missourians Against State Killing organization (National Coalition â€Å"Affiliates†). Successes and Failures In evaluating its success or failure, many factors can be used to gauge the NCADP. Organization- and support-wise, America's leading financial evaluator of independent charities, Charity Navigator, shows a successful picture of the NCADP. The National Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty is considered a charity organization and its continued existence as the largest in its advocacy reflects the considerable support the American public has given it. No less than Charity Navigator gives it a thumbs up for financial health. Moreover, Charity Navigator has for the last three years given NCADP a consistent four-star overall rating (60++ percent from 2003-2005). Rating the coalition three stars for efficiency and four stars for capacity, Charity Navigator gives NCADP the highest overall peer rating along with the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute. (Charity Navigator â€Å"Rating,† â€Å"Peer Analysis†). In terms of the success of its mission of abolishing the capital punishment, the milestones in the collective efforts of all anti-death penalty advocates can be considered as success for the coalition organization itself. The NCADP recognizes the 2003 commutation for over 150 death convicts—the largest in modern American history—by Illinois Gov. George Ryan as   ‘a turning point in the debate over capital punishment' in the country (NCADP Welcomes  ¶ 1 & 3). A most recent development is the 2005 Supreme Court in Roper V. Simmons ruling against the imposition of the death penalty for those under 18 years of age at the time of the crime. Another good news came in 2004 when the high court of New York declared death penalty unconstitutional. In terms of failures, the most obvious proof that NCADP has not met its goal is the fact that the capital punishment still exists as legal over more of the United States. Specific legislations have also strengthened death penalty as when President Bill Clinton signed two anti-terrorism laws in 1994 and 1996 that expanded federal death penalty and restricted federal court reviews, respectively (Information Center â€Å"Timeline†). However, judging by public support for and against the death penalty based on protracted Gallup Poll surveys, it would seem that the efforts of the anti-death penalty advocates—including the NCADP's media advocacy—appear to be finally paying off. From the 1970s when the organization was formed until 1994, a great majority of Americans favored the death penalty over life imprisonment as penalty for murder. From 1994 to 1997, however, the number of Americans favoring life imprisonment instead has grown steadily. As of May 2004, even after the September 11 attacks, the number of those who favor death penalty was only marginally higher than those who go for life imprisonment (Information Center â€Å"Public Support†). NCADP has a charity privacy policy that requires the donor to inform the charity to remove his or her name and other contact information from the mailing lists sold, traded or shared. Current leadership of the NCADP has Diann Rust-Tierney as Executive Director and Jason Zanon as the Interim Executive Director (Charity Navigator â€Å"Donor Privacy Policy† ; â€Å"Leadership†). Works Cited Charity Navigator. Charity Rating: National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Charity Navigator website.;http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/7734.htm;. Death Penalty Information Center. Part II: History of the Death Penalty. DPIC website. 19 Dec. 2006;http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=15;did=411;. â€Å"Helen Prejean.† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Dec 2006, 21:42 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 19 Dec 2006 ;http://en.wikipedia.org /w/index.php?title=Helen_Prejean;oldid=93663475;. History of the Death Penalty ; Recent Developments. University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center. Updated 2 May 2005. ;http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/ death/history.html#unitedstates;. Hogan ; Hartson. Announcements. Hogan ; Hartson website. 19 Dec. 20016 ;http://www.hhlaw.com/newsstand/detail.aspx?news=686;. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. About the NCADP. NCADP website. 19 Dec. 2006 ;http://www.ncadp.org/about_us.html;. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Affiliate Links. NCADP website. 19 Dec. 2006 ;http://ncadp.org/affiliate_links.html;. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Fact Sheet: The Death Penalty and Racial Bias. NCADP website. 19 Dec. 2006. ;http://www.ncadp.org/fact_sheet2.html;. â€Å"National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 16 Oct 2006, 22:32 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 19 Dec 2006 ;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/ index.php?title=National_Coalition_to_Abolish_the_Death_Penalty;oldid=81876029;. NCADP Welcomes Largest Commutation Of Death Sentences In Modern U.S. History. 11 Jan. 2003. Initiative gegen die Todesstrafe website.19 Dec. 2006 ;http://www.initiative- gegen-die-todesstrafe.de/ncadp.htm;. ; ; ; ; ;

How does Shakespeare present love and hate Essay

Shakespeare wrote the play of two lovers’, Romeo and Juliet. Thought to be, one of the greatest, tragic love stories of all time, however, throughout the play, Shakespeare contrasts love with hate at every possible moment. The two themes, love and hate, are like twins separated at birth, brought up in different backgrounds, a totally different society. Combining these two themes, creates curiosity into how ‘a pair of star crossed lovers’ and an ancient feud of two rivalry family’s, can come to together to present, a great and unforgettable love, with fate bringing them to their death. At the beginning of each act, there is a chorus. This device, is used to inform the audience of the events to follow in the next act, it is written in the sonnet form, which was popular at the time the play was written. Writing in this form, creates suspense and leaves the audience anxious to see the next act. At the beginning of act 1 the prologue reads, â€Å"from forth the fatal loins of these 2 foes. A pair of star crossed lovers take their life† here we have love and hate side by side from the beginning. It tells the audience that, regardless of the hate of the two families, a pair of young lovers will do whatever it takes to be together. The prologue is very formal and solemn, it is written like this to create tension. So when the play begins, two servants, from the house of Capulet enter, they talk about fighting and raping the Montague’s, â€Å"I will push Montague’s heads from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall†. So straight away the audience immediately sees hatred being portrayed. Then they see some Montague servants, and decide to start a fight, â€Å"I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list†. A fight then begins. However when Benvolio enters the mood drastically changes, as we begin to see the first signs of love and peace, as he tries to break up the fight. â€Å"Part fools! Put up your swords you no not what you do.† No sooner have  these words of peace been spoken, hate is brought straight back into play, with the entrance of Tybalt! Who forces Benvolio to fight. Then enters Capulet and Lady Capulet, and Montague and Lady Montague. Here we see the love and hate intertwining with the men wanting to fight, but their wives are holding them back, during which the prince enters. Immediately the fighting stops. Here you see the superiority of the prince as he threatens everyone, â€Å"if you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace†. All this of course happening in the street, creating chaos amongst the town. This presents the feud being not just between the two families, but the whole town, as we are shown, during the fight, with citizens of the town willing to join in fighting both Montague’s and Capulet’s, â€Å"Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down! Down with the capulets! Down with the Montague’s!† Which portrays more hatred! During the play we see a lot of respect being portrayed, a lot of it within the two families, for instance in act 1 scene 1 when Benvolio is talking to his uncle (Montague)†My noble uncle† although this is perceived as respect, it could also be perceived as love. Whereas in act 1 scene 5 when Tybalt is arguing with his uncle (Capulet) although he shows him respect by listening to his wishes, he has hate burning inside of him, this both for his uncle and Romeo, â€Å"Patience performance with wilful choler meeting Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting†. There is also respect shown for the Prince, â€Å"the prince came, who parted either†. At the time the play was written, arranged marriage was very common. People did not marry for love, but for wealth. Juliet’s parents arranged for Juliet to marry. They shouldn’t have, as Juliet was only young and was very vulnerable. Juliet was also still a child and still growing up, she wasn’t ready to marry, but her mother and father thought at Juliet’s age ‘happy mothers are made’. The play is set in Verona, Shakespeare set it there, because he was trying to describe an exotic place, were the audience could believe a tragic love story might happen. During the play we come across many types of love, The Montague’s love for their son is one of them. We are shown of their concern  for Romeo, very early on in the play, â€Å"Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, we would as willingly give cure as know.† Another type of love is Benvolio’s love for his cousin, â€Å"so please you, step aside; I’ll no his grievance, or be much denied.† All these types of love were within the family. One, which was not, was Romeo’s ‘supposed’ love for Rosaline, â€Å"I do love a women†. At the end of act 1 scene 1, Romeo enters and explains of his undying love for Rosaline, the only problem is, she does not like Romeo and rejects his love, â€Å"she’ll not be hit with cupids arrow†. In act 1 scene 2, Benvolio suggests that Romeo should go to the Montague’s masked ball to take his mind off Rosaline, so he can compare other beautiful girls with Rosaline, and realise that she’s not that nice after all, â€Å"At this same ancient feast of Capulet’s†¦and I will make thee think thy swan a crow.† Romeo agrees to go but only so he can admire Rosaline, â€Å"I’ll go along, no such sight to be shown, But to rejoice in splendour of mine own.† When at the masked ball, Romeo catches his first glance of Juliet, he immediately falls in love with her, without a second thought for Rosaline, â€Å"did my heart love till now?† Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.† Romeo speaks in sonnet form, which is typical for lovers, and uses rhyming couplets, â€Å"so shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.† Straight after this, Shakespeare brings hate back into the play with Tybalt. Tybalt despises the Montague’s, so when Tybalt hears Romeo’s voice at ‘his’ party, â€Å"This by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy.† The mood changes rapidly back to hate. Tybalt informs Capulet, who tells him to ignore him. Tybalt is furious by his uncle’s wishes, and swears revenge on Romeo, â€Å"I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall.† In the flash of an eye lid, the hate is turned back into love when Romeo approaches Juliet. Romeo uses parts of the petrachan tradition. He uses lots of imagery related to religion. â€Å"This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this† The love that is being portrayed towards Juliet is true love, unlike his ‘supposed ‘ love for Rosaline. We believe Rosaline was a ‘crush’ as he had never actually spoken to Rosaline, only gazed at her from afar. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony, when presenting Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, in that the audience no what is happening but the  characters don’t i.e. the audience no that they are from rivalry families but Romeo and Juliet do not, as it is a masked ball. The nurse, who brought Juliet up, was more like a mother than her real one. When she calls for Juliet, Romeo asks her who this beautiful girl is that he has fallen madly in love with, when he realise he is in love with his only enemy, â€Å"My life is my foe’s debt† he feels like he has no power, and Juliet’s response is much the same, â€Å"my only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown, and known too late.† The only people she hates brought the only person she loves, into the world, and now that she knows who he is, it’s too late to change anything, because it was love at first sight. In conclusion, Shakespeare contrasted both love and hate during act 1 scene 1 and act 1 scene 5, to create a strong beginning to the play. He presented love and hate in many different ways, but always alongside each other, intertwining throughout. He keeps these two themes combined together, through the rest of the play.

Heat stress procedure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Heat stress procedure - Essay Example The program’s main objective is to reduce work related illnesses as a result of heat stress for it reduces work rate in all the above mentioned areas. Besides, it serves to control heat related risks, outline causes, symptoms and treatment of heat stress. In the construction industry the procedure applies to contractors, subcontractors, employees and any other person who might have an access to the site. All the temporary facilities, like the store, early works to construction, commissioning and decommission practices, should conform to this procedure. Hot environments may lead workers to risks of heat stress. A lot of heat can result in work related sickness, poor health and injuries (Reese 35). Heat stress can also cause heat stroke, pain and heat rashes. These always make a construction site unbearable and reduce the efficiency of work, thus, increasing total cost of construction due to delays. A lot of other issues may lead to heat stress in construction sites. In the tropical regions, for example, the main source of heat in a construction site is the sun and due to this fact workers are not always motivated to work, for it wears them out and the time taken for a day’s work is increased. Heat in construction site is also caused by heavy machines used. The purpose of this procedure is to develop strategies for working in hot environments, reduce the possible heat-related illnesses and to ensure work-related health and safety conditions for employers, contractors, subcontractors and workers. In order to realize the exact purpose of this procedure, the stake holders should play their part as required and supervisors should be responsible for instructing all the workers on this procedure, scheduling strenuous work during cooler time of the day and provide cool drinking water to all workers (Kanholm 26). On the other hand, the workers should be cautious to shun heat related illnesses and take part in training as required. On his part, the

Privatized Prisons in the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Privatized Prisons in the US - Research Paper Example This discussion will look into the advantages and disadvantages regarding both systems. The private prison experiment has lasted nearly three decades in the U.S., long enough to make conclusions about the effectiveness and overall impact on state and local governments. Privatized prisons have experienced dynamic growth in recent years but the concept, at least in part, has been around for a long time. During the 1800’s, some states entered into contracts with private groups to lease inmate labor. Leasing prisoners occurred on a fairly routine basis but the system and the inmates, as might be expected, were subject to widespread abuses. Because of this, the prisoner lease system came to an end in 1920’s during the Progressive Era. Until recently the fast growth in the prison and jail populations generated extraordinary opportunities for entrepreneurs to own and operate prisons beginning in the 1980s. The concept of privatization became a topic of public discussion in the mid-1980s, when the newly formed Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) proposed to the State of Tennessee’s to operate its entire prison system. The State paid CCA $250 million dollars on a 99-year deal. In return, CCA would lodge the state’s prisoners for an annually negotiated per-inmate payment. In addition, CCA would insure that the prisons it operated would meet the criterion establish by the same federal judge who had earlier determined that the state’s prison system violated of the U.S. Constitution due to the sub-standard conditions of confinement. (McDonald, et al. 1998) CCA’s relationship with Tennessee started the privatization boom that spread across the nation. Other states were experiencing similar issues with overcrowding and the problems associated with it therefore happy to hand the operation of prisons over to an outside entity. Many have questioned the legality of privatization, arguing the practice does not square with e Constituti on. While the legality of governments assigning correctional authority to private corporations was broadly argued in the 1980s, it now seems that opposition to prison privatization, at least on a constitutional basis, has no merit. Unless a government has positively no convincing statutory authority for entering into contracts with private prison companies, courts will be hesitant to nullify those contacts on grounds of delegation. â€Å"Only delegated rulemaking and adjudication functions that directly purport to exercise a government power are deemed to require special constitutional due process safeguards and to be subject to heightened judicial scrutiny.† (McDonald, et al. 1998) No clear case law has been developed to define with precision how general due process standards will be applied to private prisons. The U.S. has the higher incarceration rate than any other in the world and is paying more than $3 billion a year to the private prison industry. These two facts are i nterrelated in an intentional and disturbing way. According to a study recently completed by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI), America’s two largest private prison corporations, GEO Group and CCA collectively pocketed annual incomes of $2.9 billion in 2010. The JPI issued a report based on the study called â€Å"Gaming the System.† It reveals that during the past decade, the number of prisoners housed in private

Assignment ec 410 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ec 410 - Assignment Example At 50% no activities that are cheaper to produce in the U.S as compared to Mexico. 1).The main difference between outsourcing in manufacturing versus business service is that in manufacturing the company may be given the mandate to manufacture goods locally using the patent of the parent company. On the other hand, the parent company may enter into a contract with another firm whereby, that firm is given mandate to offer services either locally or in the foreign market (Avadhanam, para.4) 2). Skill premium is where the wages earned by both skilled and skilled labors who works in the same field increase relatively to each other. The skilled premium in the U.S has widened wage gap between skilled and unskilled labor for the past 30years (Kannan, p.115). 3).The effects of outsourcing on workers’ wages include; it reduces the wages earned by workers, skilled workers may obtain more wage benefits as compared to the unskilled. Finally, it causes suffering to workers who worked at outsourcing firms. 5).It is true that U.S skilled workers fear the security of their jobs due to possibility of outsourcing. This because a firm may find cheaper to outsource labor rather than utilize local labor (Kannan, p.136) 1). The three factors that make Kenya an attractive site for Business Process Outsourcing include: availability of the 3 fiber optic cables, emergence of 4 undersea cables and availably of highly skilled labor force (The Economist,

The Case of IBM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Case of IBM - Assignment Example Description of Louis Gerstner’s implementation style of IBM’s competitive strategy in the early 1990s. The implementation strategy was something of a giant gamble. What Gerstner ultimately attempted to do was to take a failing and unprofitable firm and completely redefine the way in which it marketed itself and integrated with the needs of the consumer/market. As a function of this, he not only drastically reduced the workforce of the multi-national firm, he also resisted the urge to break IBM into smaller companies that would focus on individual market needs; rather, he decided that the strength within the IBM brand name and recognition could help the sum of the components to achieve a higher level of net worth and growth as a single entity. In this way, the business concept of synergy is aptly portrayed. With regards to the competitive strategy, Gerstner reviewed the market and saw that IBM was already far behind the curve with relation to the development and invention of new business products, PCs, printers, memory devices etc. Rather than attempting to expend huge amounts of capit al, much of which had already been lost as a result of several years of severe losses, Gerstner saw the better approach would be to focus upon an area of the market whose potential had yet to be fully tapped; i.e. business and consumer services. What are the implications of the globally integrated enterprise model for marketing managers in Australia and New Zealand subsidiary of IBM? This approach helped to decentralize the decision making process that was engaged in the nations and markets of New Zealand and Australia. Ultimately, although a somewhat dangerous maneuver, this helped to allow a degree of self-determination with respect the best way to integrate with consumer demands and needs within these markets. By allowing such a process to move forward, IBM made a risky gamble that ultimately paid off many times over. By relying on subject matter expects and oversight within these given markets rather than a centralized command and control within IBM headquarters profits from such markets soon rose precipitously and allowed the firm the wherewithal to continue with the bold changes that defined the decade of the 1990’s and the subsequent rebirth and renewed profitability of the firm (Stover, 2005). Discuss the ele ments of the marketing strategy that makes IBM successful in today’s global marketplace These strategies have been briefly touched upon within the preceding 3 answers that this study has touched upon. However, the most important strategy which was mentioned, in the mind of this analyst, is the level to which Gerstner chose to remove all other consideratinos from the table and focus soley upon integrating directly with consumer needs and market demands; rather than focusing upon the old tried and true products that had built IBM into such a formidable

Qualitative Research Processes Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Qualitative Processes - Research Paper Example This, being an easier method, has been opted for by me, a nurse who is still a novice. The phenomenological design has been selected as I would be studying the lived experiences of the post-operative patients. Data collection would be a continuous process till saturation is reached. Transcripts and audio-tapes would accompany the written data or oral data. Researcher bias will not be allowed to distort the picture of the lived experiences. The credibility of the study will not be interfered with. Readers will be able to follow the research all through in a systematic manner. The reality experienced by the participants would be related wherever possible in their words more like a narrative or story. The richness and meaning of the findings would be complete as no editing would be done by the researcher. The possibility of interactions deviating away from the focus would be prevented. The information may be collected at more sittings. The participant would be given all liberty to speak and convey his experiences. The researcher would be faithful to the research and focus on the reality of the experiences. Data analysis would consist of looking through every line of the data and selecting prominent phrases or thoughts of experiences. Constant comparative analysis would elicit lesser and lesser categories which could be selected for themes. The significance of the study is that reliable information would be obtained about the changes the surgery has made in the lives of the patients. The quality of care accorded in the hospital could be inferred and the results of the surgery would be available. Whether the surgery has eased the strain of knee problems would be an essential component. Information may be studied for loopholes in the surgery or hospital stay and efforts made to plug these loopholes. The final aim is to raise the quality of patient care. Quantitative study. Evaluation of patient satisfaction following cataract surgery in co-relationship to the informa tion about the surgery provided prior to surgery. It would be appropriate to use the quantitative method for a descriptive study for evaluating the relationship or association between two things or variables. Here the possible variables would be the prior information concerning cataract surgery provided to the patients before the actual surgery and the other would be the patient satisfaction after the surgery. The study would evaluate whether patients undergoing cataract surgery were informed earlier, whether the level of information was sufficient and if they were satisfied with it. Lack of provision of information could lead to patient dissatisfaction. The purpose is to co-relate the information provided before cataract surgery (independent variable) to the patient satisfaction (dependent variable) after it. This would be a descriptive audit study which provides the association between patient satisfaction and information provided and patients would be measured only once. The effe ctiveness of the information prior to surgery will be evaluated against the level of patient satisfaction. The hypothesis that would be proposed is: â€Å"Information provided prior to cataract surgery will improve the level of satisfaction after it†. The sample would be the 40 patients in the post-operative ward in the eye department where I work. Bias would not be a problem as all the patients would be selected. A questionnaire with appropriate questions would be used for interviews. Threats

The Man In The Iron Mask Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Man In The Iron Mask - Essay Example The one constant in the history of the myth seems to be the fact that he was indeed a prisoner in the Bastille and that his name was never revealed. Even upon his death the true name of the prisoner was left in question. The only reality of this particular prisoner's situation, is that he became the most famous and mysterious historical prisoner of his era thanks to the literary works of both Voltaire and Alexander Dumas who both christened him the â€Å"Man in the Iron Mask†. The historical records of the era within which the masked man was supposed to have been imprisoned in the Bastille seem to indicate that the man in question was of a noble status in life. Reports indicate that he arrived at the Bastille on a Thursday, September 18, 1698 under the protection of the newly assigned governor of the Bastille, Benigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars who described the prisoner as a long time prisoner who went with him to his various assignments. The man was to remain masked and his na me was never to be recorded in the official records. i According to Saint Mars' official records the man without a name or face was imprisoned in Pignerol at the start. He had been a prisoner for 18 years by the time he arrived at the Bastille, having been earlier 2 imprisoned from 1665 to 1681. There is a supposition that he had already been a prisoner for about 33 years at this point. It was during this time of his arrival at the Bastille that the first mention of a velvet, not iron mask was made in reference to the prisoner's face being covered. One of the wilder theories regarding the Man in the Iron mask is that he was the descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte. This was a claim that was made by Napoleon himself during his many military quests. Claiming that his father was the elder half brother of the king and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. Thus his imprisonment behind the mask. He propagated the theory that the man behind the mask was allowed to marry while in prison an d the union begot a son who was sent off to be raised in Corsica, that child was to become Napoleon Bonaparte. This however, is a theory that does not have any evidence to back it up as anything more than the claim of a mad man to a throne he wished to call his own. ii In order to understand the propagation of the myth, one has to first understand the kind of sociopolitical situation that was existing in France in the 1660's. The so-called â€Å"Sun King† Louis XIV had an absolute hold on political power and government at a time when his people were being ravaged by high taxes, food shortage, and a lack of guidance from their king. The war and religious unrest was also taking its toll on the economic situation of the country. The people were starved for hope of a better life in the hands of a king who once stated "L'etat, c'est moi!" ("I am the state!"). With such control over state affairs in the hands of one man, it is believed that anybody who fell out of favor with the ki ng ended up imprisoned for the rest of his life. Could the man in the mask be one of those people? What error could he have committed to have earned him such damnation in the eyes of the king? One of the 3 many theories about the masked stranger is that he was most likely one of the many nobles who had fallen out of favor with

Logistic Challenges When Bussineses Expand into the BRICS Market Research Paper

Logistic Challenges When Bussineses Expand into the BRICS Market - Research Paper Example This objective should be accomplished when the policies are associated to multicultural knowledge. This research paper further aims to emphasize the significance of the logistics transport system and the infrastructure to achieve economic development. Additionally, it signifies other challenges including the political instability, fewer mediums of transportation, in-advancement of IT and much more. Possible solutions to these problems are also recommended. Background BRIC is generally portrayed as Big Four, BRICs or BRIC markets. A grouping acronym, BRIC is a group of four countries namely, Brazil, Russia, India and China which are believed to be at a similar stage of economic development. BRIC markets are one of the most emerging markets and are of great interest to the companies around the world (Dash, 2007). According to A. G. Canen & I. Tammela, logistics portrays the administration of the movement of services and goods from point of production to the point of consumption to meet customer requirements. It is a medium of supply chain which helps to put in the worth of place utility and time. Logistics involves the amalgamation of transportation, packaging, inventory, information, material handling, security and warehousing. 1.1 Significance of the Study Through this research I attempt to find out numerous logistics challenges faced by the businesses while their expansion into the BRIC markets. 1.2 Research Questions and Objectives Research Questions Research Objectives 1. What are the logistics challenges faced by the businesses while expanding into BRICs markets? 2. Why are these challenges said to be relevant? 3. What are the types of solutions to these challenges? 1. To identify the logistics challenges faced by the businesses while expanding into BRICs markets. 2. To work out the relevance of these challenges. 3. To recognize the types of solutions to these challenges. 1.3 Scope of the Study The data was mainly collected from secondary sources including books, articles, internet and journals. 1.4 Critical Review of Literature I am succeeded in illustrating the literature consisting of articles and journals on the research subject matter. The reviewed literature refined my knowledge concerning the m atter of the study and provided me with a number of study materials published prior related to the research matter, thus supported the significance of this study. 1.5 Hypothesis The research objective is to test the following hypothesis: H1: IT for logistics management is the most important challenge faced by the businesses. H2: The economic growth of BRIC markets relative to G7 countries is inferior. 1.6 Research Method Only qualitative approach was employed to investigate the matter. 1.7 Data Collection Methods For qualitative research, secondary data has been used including articles, internet and journals. 1.8 Ethical Considerations Efforts were made to minimize errors. Complete responsibility was taken to produce work without any bias. Confidentiality, integrity of data, errors and negligence, social responsibility, non-discrimination legal were given prior consideration during execution of this study. 1.9 Limitations The major limitation of this research is that it is relying o n secondary data only. Moreover, the data collected might be biased and provide restricted information due to distinctive perceptions of the authors included in the literature of the research. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 BRIC Markets BRIC is generally portrayed as Big Four, BRICs or BRIC markets. A grouping acronym, BRIC is a group of four countries namely, Brazil, Russia, India and China which are believed to be at a similar stage of economic development. BRIC markets are one of the most emerging markets and are of great interest to the companies around the world (Dash, 2007).

Marketing Concentration within Extended Academic Programs (EAP) PowerPoint Presentation

Marketing Concentration within Extended Academic Programs (EAP) - PowerPoint Presentation Example This university offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program through its EAP program. This BSBA has seven courses: accounting, banking and finance, General Business, marketing, information systems, international business, and management. The major marketing concentration this institution offers is the ‘General’ specialization. The other four concentrations are; Data mining and social marketing, healthcare marketing, call center/CRM and tourism/Sport. Due to the dynamic nature of today’s marketing environment, most universities and students are searching for courses and specializations that will assure them of immediate placements in the job market. Most of the concentrations in the Marketing specializations were designed to meet the dynamic and ever changing needs of the economy. Specializations like healthcare marketing; a rare and unique combination, was seen necessary to meet the needs of the dynamic healthcare environment due to the n umerous reforms that have been seen. Due to these facts, this paper provides a feasibility study that assesses UIW EAP’s ability and viability to offer healthcare marketing specialization within its BSBA Program. ... This paper provides a feasibility study assessing UIW EAP’s ability and viability to offer healthcare marketing specialization within its BSBA Program. Healthcare Marketing Healthcare marketing has provided an avenue through which advancements in health-protecting services like insurance and medicine can be widely known (Fortenberry, 2010). The current shift of provision of healthcare information from provider-dominated to patient-directed makes healthcare marketing a necessity in today’s world. According to Fortenberry (2011), success strategies in healthcare have their roots in result-based healthcare marketing (p. 87). Healthcare marketing provides an effective avenue through which healthcare entities can promote themselves through utilizing a variety of methods to entice their customers to purchase and consume their health products. In this information frenzy age, majority of people can self-diagnose themselves, a strategy which helps to reduce the strain on healthc are institutions (Vitberg, 2006). In this respect healthcare marketing is a necessity in this present age. Concerning UIW EAP’s ability and viability of offering healthcare marketing on top of its current general marketing concentration, the following aspects were realized. These facts were obtained from; interviews conducted where the students and lectures were involved, job searches, empirical research and through analysis of data within the city of San Antonio. Realization of Market Issues a. Likelihood of Finding a Job Of the specializations in marketing that is; data mining and social marketing, healthcare marketing, call center/CRM, general and tourism/Sport; healthcare marketing and tourism/sport marketing majors, offers high chances for undergraduates to find jobs in

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Employment Law - Essay Example In this case, Bruce takes emergency time off, but his employer thinks that the time offs are not genuine. Owing to the characteristics of the provision and the fact that the categorization of the leave as unpaid, there is no limit as to the occasions when the employee can exercise the right (Gennard & Judge 2005, p.296). Besides, Bruce has taken a â€Å"reasonable† time off as the circumstances demonstrate. Bruce was responding to an immediate crisis and had fully informed the line manager of the emergency at hand. Royal Mail did not have a right to subject Bruce to disciplinary procedures or the written warning as Bruce did not abuse the statutory provision. The line manager had ascertained the precise reasons for Bruce taking the emergency leave and was aware of the length of the leave. There was no uncertainty on either party regarding the emergency time off; hence the disciplinary procedures taken against Bruce are unwarranted. In cases of subjection to a detriment owing t o a request for emergency time off, the employee has a right to complain to an employment tribunal (Booty 2009, p.123). The refusal for Emergency leave or unreasonable victimization for taking the leave goes against the spirit of the Employment Rights Act. To remedy the situation, Bruce should discuss the issue with his line manager (as appropriate), and explore as to whether the matter can be resolved, probably through the grievance procedure. In the event that the employee fails to resolve the matter, Bruce should present a complaint to the employment tribunal as his employer has refused to comply fully with section 57A. By subjecting Bruce to disciplinary procedures, Royal Mail demonstrates unreasonable refusal to allow Bruce to take time... In this case, Bruce takes emergency time off, but his employer thinks that the time offs are not genuine. Owing to the characteristics of the provision and the fact that the categorization of the leave as unpaid, there is no limit as to the occasions when the employee can exercise the right (Gennard & Judge 2005, p.296). Besides, Bruce has taken a â€Å"reasonable† time off as the circumstances demonstrate. Bruce was responding to an immediate crisis and had fully informed the line manager of the emergency at hand. Royal Mail did not have a right to subject Bruce to disciplinary procedures or the written warning as Bruce did not abuse the statutory provision. The line manager had ascertained the precise reasons for Bruce taking the emergency leave and was aware of the length of the leave. There was no uncertainty on either party regarding the emergency time off; hence the disciplinary procedures taken against Bruce are unwarranted. In cases of subjection to a detriment owing to a request for emergency time off, the employee has a right to complain to an employment tribunal (Booty 2009, p.123). The refusal for Emergency leave or unreasonable victimization for taking the leave goes against the spirit of the Employment Rights Act. To remedy the situation, Bruce should discuss the issue with his line manager (as appropriate), and explore as to whether the matter can be resolved, probably through the grievance procedure. In the event that the employee fails to resolve the matter, Bruce should present a complaint to the employment tribunal as his employer has refused to comply fully with section 57A. By subjecting Bruce to disciplinary procedures, Royal Mail demonstrates unreasonable refusal to allow Bruce to take time off as stipulated by section 57A. Bruce should present a complaint to the tribunal in the period before the end of three months beginning with the date when the subjection to disciplinary procedures started. To this effect, the tribunal may rule the matter to be well founded or not, and subsequently make redress. If the tribunal rules in employees favour, Bruce may be compensated for the illegitimate disciplinary action.

Three Summries of three Articles about Husky Energy Inc Essay

Three Summries of three Articles about Husky Energy Inc - Essay Example Despite unpredictable interruptions in Ohio refinery reducing the production rates, Husky net income rose at an average of $50 million from previous year. Exploration of new oil fields has enabled Husky Inc Company to invest in the transportation sector in order to boost efficiency to the market. For instance, the company has deployed Canadian knowledge to maximize shipping of oil and gases from the Southern China to the potential markets. These measures are intended to upstage the market operations of the competitors. Due to intensive production and accessibility to world leading energy markets, Husky is worth $6.5 billion. Partnership with CNOOC Ltd in China has enabled the company operate both swallow water transportation and gas terminal facilities thus making its production techniques competitive. CNOOC is also the primary customers of Husky. Husky energy plans to lower the 2015 budget by one third of the 2014 budget. These changes are entitled to compensate weak prices as well as the spending spree on the ongoing projects in Liwan and Southern China. The financial capacity of Husky’s Oil Company will enable it weatherproof any market conditions in order to withstand competitions from Calgary as the primary competitor. The production operations in Western Canada is streamed by 42% while the oil fields in Atlantic regions by

Christology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Christology - Essay Example Parables can also easily be transformed to different situations, cultures and modern societies. They offer a real-life experience version and a psychological and spiritual accuracy. Jesus never just handed out the truth on a silver platter. He wanted the people to really think about their meaning and the impacts. Jesus’ parables, on the one hand, referred to everyday life situations, such as the ‘Parable of the Sower’ (Mark 4:1-20), the ‘Parable of the Good Samaritan’ (Luke 10:30-37) or the ‘Parable of the Pearl’ (Matthew 13:44-46). These parables deal, on the other hand, with much heavier messages about religious themes such as the Kingdom of God and the importance of praying (John). According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a Gospel is a â€Å"message concerning Christ† or â€Å"one of the first four New Testament books†. According to history, the Gospels were written at least 30 years after Jesus’ death. Can these Gospels be accurate accounts? Many believers agree on this and blindly follow the words of the writers, but since scholars started to research the Gospels, they discovered that Jesus in the Gospels is quite different than Jesus in the historic accounts (Albl 276). Five of the main points of dispute are these mentioned in Albl (281-282). The first point is that the Gospel of John differs from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The second is that the first Gospel was written approximately 30 years after Jesus’ death, which means that it is not an eye-witness account. The third is that Jesus spoke Aramaic and the Gospels are written in Greek. The high ‘supernatural’ incidents that raise questions of reliability is number four and number five is that the Gospels were written to encourage faith. Supporting the last point given by Albl (282), that the Gospels were written with the explicit purpose to encourage faith, is the rumor that the Christian church burned

Analysis of internal and external efficiencies of the education system Research Paper

Analysis of internal and external efficiencies of the education system in DRC - Research Paper Example Research problem Being an African, born and schooled there in most of my elementary level, I therefore have an adequate understanding of the educational model used in the region and can therefore explain the discord between the increasing literacy level and the rising rates of unemployment. The African model of education is more theoretical and historical. This enlightens the students on previous facts most of which are of no relevance to the life in the modern day society. Anyone trying to make sense of policy research in education is likely to be struck by the numerous contractions and paradoxes that perplex the field. Even a brief consideration of these problems raises a number of important questions: What contributes to the frequency of contradictions and paradoxes in educational policy? To what extent researches might resolve these matters? Where research cannot provide clear answers, what should be our response to these problems? With ten years teaching experience, I have the audacity to criticize the educational model in Congo, a low income country in Africa. A lot of theories make students fantasize and do not therefore relate the information they obtain in school to solving the daily life challenges. The theoretical aspect of the African model of education begins in the types of examples that teachers give their students during lessons most of which are not drawn from the society. When teachers are not certain of the knowledge they pass to their students, the students handle the knowledge as a school affair which is completely irrelevant once out of school. Literature review Africa is a highly ethicized continent, through historical studies, schools become the first institutions to enlighten the population on the historical injustices thereby breeding or perpetuating the possible ethical tensions in the countries (McCloskey 12). Besides the historical aspect of the education system in the low income countr ies of Africa, the theoretical model of education results in fantasies. Furthermore, Congo is an unstable country with constant civil wars. Coupled with the weak economy, the education sector receives insufficient funds to sustain a constant curriculum upgrade and improvement of the educational model. The Japanese model of education fits the country. In addition, it will help the country produce relevant human resource to fast track the development process of the country. However, the lack of infrastructure and funds and the different level of development compel the implementation of the model to be in bits in the order of relevance (McCloskey 44). Methodology The research will be a qualitative comparison of the education system in the two countries; Japan is a developed country and it is not surprising to note the different educational model between the two countries. The country has an effective government, which invests heavily in the education sector. This implies that the Japan ese academic curriculum is reviewed constantly to keep it abreast with the changing technologies of the time. Constant curriculum review ensures that the knowledge is of relevance to the changes in the society. This is important feature lacks in the Congolese model of

History of East Saint Louis Essay Example for Free

History of East Saint Louis Essay East Saint Louis, Illinois is a very small city it has a total of 89 streets as of today. Around in the 1860’s the city used to be called Illinois town. It was the fourth largest city in the state of Illinois. People knew one place they could get a job was in this city. The name East Saint Louis came about because of the terrible reputation it had when it was known as Illinois town so they decided to rename it hoping to overcome all the challenges they were facing. Jobs started to vanish, riots broke out and blacks moving there was the cause of all this. Most of the blacks that lived there came from down South where living conditions couldn’t be much worst. If they had a chance to move their children they did. They didn’t want their children to experience the life of picking cotton as they had. The whites there were upset and weren’t going to let the blacks take their jobs. As time grew and more blacks start to come, the more jobs started to leave so as the jobs started to leave the Population started to decline meaning taxes were higher and cuts had to be made. One investor had in mind if he bought some vacant lots that he could make a little money on the side, because the federal government was going to provide funds for â€Å"turnkey housing† to be scattered throughout the city, so the empty property will be his quick get rich scheme. When the housing Authority began building Low-income housing, real-estates agents and developers made a lot of money building and selling houses in West Belleville. The whites started to flee once they started to build in their neighborhoods. As time as started to pass things started to get worst, Violence were people were hurt, Homes being broken into, people being robbed, and killed. The population in the 1960 was around 81,728, as of 2011 the population is 27,000, with an estimated 14,000 resident living in public housing that leaves the tax burden on the 13,000. Forty percent of the residents draw public aid. The blacks who are able are fleeing away from the city as well. This makes the population continue to drop. In 1972, James Williams was the town black first Mayor he defeated Charles Merritts even though Merritts had the support of the white Democrats. Thereafter Merritts was sentence to federal prison for taking kickbacks as president of School District 189 Board of Education and also for putting a contract out to kill Clyde C. Jordan, a great leader for the town who was a fellow school board member and publisher of the Crusader black weekly newspaper. In the present year we can see that nothing has changed. All the corruption of this town has been going on since the beginning of time. Nothing really has change, we might see a new promising building here and now but the wrong people still holds the key to the scene of this all. We as citizens of East St. Louis, IL hopefully one day get the courage to stand up for what’s right and not worry about the consequence we might endure. Change is good and the city of East Saint Louis needs a tremendous change and we as the people can and shall make that happen.

Background information Essay Example for Free

Background information Essay Technology is known to be the best tool for efficiency and reliability. A professional having adequate information on information management is responsible for technology implementation in organizations. They are responsible for facilitation of computer related activities in a firm. They plan the communication network in an organization. Before any decision making in a company or organization, there is need to communicate to the top management. These professionals aid during this communication pattern by establishing both technical goals and business goals. They have the responsibilities of directing other computer related workers like the programmers. They are assigned to plan and perform such duties as upgrading and installing hardware and software, Implementing the internet and intranet in an organization etc. They also ensure the upkeep and maintenance of information systems and internal networks of an organization. They should view the information needs of the organizations they work with from an operational and strategic point of view. They are to keep a close watch to the organization to ensure that it does not pull behind its competitors. It is necessary for a company to employ an information systems manager. He is a person with good leadership qualities since he extensively works in constant interaction with the staff. He has a wide range of duties to perform in an organization among them; installation of computer systems, purchasing hardware and software, ensuring that there is backup systems incase of power crises. He is supposed to ensure a good strategic plan for a company and a policy that is of high quality standards. He has a staff of several workers among them; technicians, database administrators etc who are eligible to reporting to him. Advantages of an information system Information systems facilitate planning by providing the relevant information for effective decision making. It is sometimes difficult for managers to get into contact with operation scenes because of the complexities of organizations. Sometimes managers receive a lot of detailed facts. Information system minimizes the information overload. This is achieved through summarization of the large amount of data to avoid confusion. It is possible to decentralize authority. Information systems are able to monitor operations at lower levels and measure respective performance of these operations. This is effective for managers to make the necessary plans, procedures and implement change in an organization. It will facilitate coordination by making departments aware of requirements and problems of other departments. It functions in coordinating all the decision centers within an organization. Since it acts as a link between control and managerial planning, it makes control easier. Computers have reduced costs, increased data processing and the increased storage capabilities. Information needs. An organization has different departments in which there are different users. Each user has a different information need. The needs depend on where the user works, why he is trying to access the information and when he is accessing information. For a professional to come up with a good system design, he should have a careful study of and identify information needs within an organization. And also for effective providence of information services. Information needs have to be identified and this calls for careful study on the factors that affect information needs and therefore determining an effective method for collecting the information needs. There is need to follow a procedure when collecting information needs of users. There may exist different types of needs, but the information system requires only actual needs. And so there should be careful analysis on the gathered data to distinguish the actual needs. This will be able to discover ideas, tools, techniques and methods that will satisfy the users so as they can be able to meet their needs. Information needs present vacuums in the current knowledge of the end-user. Some needs are unexpressed by the users of which they are aware but do not wish to express. Another set of information needs includes those that the service provider shades light on but are null to users. A need is usually time bound and specific. Some areas that information needs depend on include: †¢ Position of individuals within an organization. †¢ The various areas of interest and departments where they work †¢ Activities engaged in at work. †¢ Factors that are motivating †¢ Consequences of information †¢ Recovering priorities. †¢ Availability of future ideas. Sometimes the process of identifying information needs becomes technical in the sense that. Researchers may find it necessary to go through original information which maybe unavailable. Same information is perceived differently by users hence interpretation becomes difficult. Some of the processes that aid in identifying information needs include: †¢ A careful study of the various disciplines that are of interest to the users. †¢ A study of an organization together with the surrounding environment. †¢ A special study to the environment of users. †¢ Keen study on the user. †¢ Conducting an interview that is formal to the users. †¢ Keep a record of the gathered information, analyzing and refining them.

Causes of the Development of Thatcherism

Causes of the Development of Thatcherism Introduction Britain has for a very long time been regarded as a model stable democracy.[1] There was great economic and social progress and a remarkable increase in the living standard and a rate of near full employment in the post war years in Britain.[2] However, in the mid 1970’s a lot of factors including high inflation, low economic growth, trade union power and weak government all led to a down turn in the economy and this greatly affected the standard of living in Britain.[3] This was referred to as a crisis of social democracy by the Conservative party. The right wing called for a simultaneous restoration of government authority and reduction in the size of the public sector.[4] The economic recession and slow economic growth greatly undermined popular support for the welfare state; this in no small measure helped the Conservative party to win the general elections in 1979 and Margaret Thatcher became the British prime minister. According to Hugo Young, the election of Margaret Th atcher as the prime minister earmarked ‘the beginning of a period which could later be defined as an era, in which an ordinary politician labouring under many disadvantages, grew in to an international figure who did extra ordinary things to her country’.[5] This essay will look at Thatcherism and if it embodies a consistent body of political principles or if it was essentially an opportunistic response to events. What is Thatcherism? The term Thatcherism is very difficult to analyse. Some commentators have described it as, ‘a reasonable coherent and comprehensive concept of control for the restoration of bourgeois rule and bourgeois hegemony in the circumstances of the 1980’s†¦the restoration of the rule of the state in the economy and finally a re-ordering of the balance of power between different factions of capital in Britain’.[6] Some commentators have also described Thatcherism as an experiment by Margaret Thatcher which was naà ¯ve in social engineering, through which it hoped that the behaviour and attitudes of the unions would change and that life would then be easier for entrepreneurs in Britain.[7] Thatcherism is essentially an instinct, a sense of moral values and an approach to leadership rather than an ideology.[8] Thatcherism is the body of rules and values that are ascribed to British first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. She was born to be a politician.[9] Her lineage and formation gave her few possibilities.[10] Margaret Thatcher came from a political family that handed down the tradition of political commitment from one generation to the next.[11] She went to Oxford University in 1943 to study chemistry. In the year she went to Oxford, she immediately joined the Conservative Association, OUCA.[12] She enrolled as a part-time student at the Council for Legal Education and passed her Bar exams in December 1953. Margaret Thatcher became the leader of the Conservative party in February 1975. She was a formidable leader. She was said to always set out to guide a discussion from the front leaving the others to challenge her.[13] She made it clear from the moment she became the leader of the Conservative party, her determination to create conditions for the revival of Britain.[14] She became the prime minister in May 1979. The 1979 election produced a historic victory for the Conservative party. It was the beginning of an era in which an ordinary politician (Margaret Thatcher) labouring under many disadvantages grew in to an international figure and carried out some extra ordinary reforms in Britain.[15] Margaret Thatcher described her self as a conviction politician. She produces stronger reaction than any other British political leader in modern times. People either love her or they loath her.[16] Thatcher sought to transform Britain’s way of life. She tried to create a new spirit of self reliance and enterprise in the British people.[17] She saw her self as a strong determined leader whose aim was to allow market forces to shape the development of British industry to the widest possible extent through policies such as privatization.[18] The term neo-liberal has frequently been used to define Thatcherite politics.[19] Thatcher’s conservative policies were different to the neo-Keynesianism of the Macmillan Conservatives.[20] Theorists sometimes refer Thatcherism to the style of Mrs Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, which is a no nonsense style of leadership and hostility to premium placed on gaining agreement by consensus.[21] Thatcherism is also referred to a strong state and a government strong enough to resist the selfish claims of pressure groups, traditional moral values and a government that believes in reducing state intervention and privatization.[22] Thatcherism is also referred to the clamp down on trade union militancy and high inflation that characterised Britain in the mid 1970’s.[23] Thatcherism is not only a set of policies but also involves a set of politically effective discursive strategies.[24] It is obvious that many ideologies of Thatcherism already existed in various forms of popular common sense, however they were inchoate and it was through Thatcher’s own self –image and pronouncements that these loose set of ideologies were formed in to ‘a popular, chauvinistic and morally righteous discourse with a definite set of referents and clear political implications’.[25] Thatcherism was achieved through a subtle combination of two forms of populism.[26] The first being an antagonistic discourse calling upon the British people to mobilise against the social democratic state and the second being, a more neutral concept of a consensual and, non –antagonistic people which buries their identity and antagonisms.[27] This is coupled with the highly condensed and complex national popular identity which Thatcherism invoked and the way the ideology looked at complex economic considerations and subsumed them under simple moral ideas.[28] One of the most common interpretations, especially during the first Thatcher spell in government, is the treatment of Thatcherism as a monetarist economic experiment.[29] Many commentators have tried to find the significance of Thatcherism in its economic policies and the economic interest it serves.[30] Theorists have sought to explain Thatcherism in one of three ways. Thatcherism have been explained in relatively instrumentalist terms, through its insistence on economic interests being the corner stone of its ideology; in terms of the functional relationship between these economic policies and the ideology and interests of specific economic interests; or in terms of the autonomous propagation by the Thatcher regime of policies which happen to favour the needs of these economic interests.[31] Thatcherism in today’s political rhetoric does not refer to an approach to economic goals but rather to a right wing Conservative who questions Keynesian policies and is a supporter of the free market on other policies.[32] Thatcherism in my view does not embody a consistent political principle. It basically embodies the beliefs and policies of Margaret Thatcher on how to jump start the British economy, re-establish the power and authority of the state, dislodge the increasing influence and powers of the trade unions, cut down inflation and get people back to work. The concept Thatcherism appears to have been used loosely and applied too widely. Thatcherism appears to have no consistent set of policies and which can be used to define its nature. Thatcherism is a broad complex of ideologies whose genealogy, unity and development are far from easy to analyse.[33] Conclusion Love her or hate her, Margaret Thatcher left an indelible mark in the annuals of British politics. Many years since she left office, debate still rages on whether Thatcherism is a consistent body of political principles or was it essentially an opportunistic response to events. A lot of commentators do not believe that Thatcherism really exit but if it does, then perhaps only as a misleading term of political discourse.[34] Paul Hirst wrote, ‘Thatcherism is a myth that tries to justify Conservative victory by ascribing it to fundamental social and attitudinal changes, rather than to the default of any credible alternative political force. It is a myth propagated by the left †¦enthusiastically taken up sections of the mainstream quality media and given wide coverage in the mid-1980s.[35] Thatcher no doubt, made most of the advantages the 1980s had given to her.[36] Circumstances helped some of the ideas of Mrs Thatcher to gain prominence and acceptance. The economy was in recession when she took over power. There was rampant inflation by the mid -1970s, industrial disruption was the order of the day, and trade unions were getting more militant and their influence was growing rapidly. Strikes were rampant, cumulating in the 1979 Winter of Discontent strikes. Keynesian techniques of economic management did not appear to have any answer to the super inflation.[37] The economy slowed down and economic growth became stagnated. This greatly affected the purchasing power of the sterling. Coupled with that, many people lost their jobs as a lot of companies closed down; particularly manufacturing companies. The morale and mood of the nation was low. The government were unable to finance a lot of state projects, particularly social welfare. Also in other western countries, governments became more prudent and were spending less. Public expenditure was curtailed, money supply was being controlled and free market forces and expanding the role of the market was gaining greater acceptance.[38] Further more, partly in response to pressure from the IMF, the labour government made huge cuts in public spending, introduced monetary targets and continued with incomes policy.[39] Economic regeneration was Mrs Thatcher’s major electoral commitment and she pledged to cut the dole queues.[40] The defeat of the labour government in the 1979 general election was due mainly to its own failures in government and had little to do with the opposition.[41] Thatcher then came along and challenged many established beliefs and interests. She brought about a new way of doing things. She hardly compromised on many of her deeply held political beliefs and principles. She was determined to reduce the increase in money supply so that inflation would be squeezed out of the system. She had to abandon formal income policies and ‘deals’ between government, employees and trade unions as one way of fighting inflation.[42] She also sought to reduce public sector spending and encourage a free market orientated economy. This meant selling state- owned industries and services to private individuals, removing stifling regulations on business and encouraging the sale of council houses.[43] This policies were effectively made to jump start the economy and reduce inflation. Lower public spending will lead to tax cuts and this will encourage economic growth that will in turn lead to creation of more jobs.[44] Thatcher also sought to encourage responsible trade union practices. She did not ascribe to the militancy and growing influence of trade unions. She wanted to introduce reforms that will free the labour market and remove some of the immunities that trade unions have long enjoyed under common law.[45] Thatcher wanted to restore the authority of government once again. This she intended to achieve by resisting the damaging claims of interest groups as well providing significant increases in resources for the armed forces and the police.[46] Margaret Thatcher, no doubt left an indelible mark on the annuals of British history. She was a very determined lady who believed in her own convictions and vividly pursued them. Finally, I feel that Thatcherism is too wide and does not embody a consistent body of principles. I also feel that circumstances prevailing at the time Thatcher came in to power helped some of her polices and ideas to gain prominence and acceptance. However, I do not subscribe to the notion that Thatcherism is an opportunistic response to events. Mrs Thatcher from the day she was made the leader of the Conservative party made clear her determination to create conditions for the revival of Britain. Thatcherism as a whole embodies values and principles that Mrs Thatcher felt would cure Britain of all the ills that afflicted her at that time, although the concept was very complex and had no consistent principles. Bibliography Cole, J (1987) The Thatcher Years: A Decade of Revolution in British Politics, BBC Books, London Metropolitan University Cooke, A.B (1985) Margaret Thatcher: The Revival of Britain, Aurum Press, London Hirst, P (1989) After Thatcher, Williams Collins and Sons, London Ingle, S ( 1987) The British Party System, Blackwell, Oxford Jenkins, S (2006) Thatcher Years: A revolution in three Acts, Penguin, London Jessop, B Bonnett, K, Bromley, S and Ling, T (1988) Thatcherism, Polity Press, Cambridge Kavanagh, D (1990) Thatcherism and British Politics, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford Norton, P (19967) The Conservative party, Prentice Hall, London Thatcher, M (1995) The path to power, Harper Collins, London Webb, P.D (2000) The Modern British party System, Sage, London Young, H (1989) Thatcherism and British Politics, Second Edition, Oxford University press, Oxford Footnotes [1] Kavanagh (1990) p.1 [2] Kavanagh (ibid) p.1 [3] Kavanagh (ibid) p.1 [4] Kavanagh (ibid) p.1 [5] Young, H (1989) p.135 [6] Overbeck (1989) citied in Jessop, Bonnett, Bromley, Ling (1988) p.1 [7] Keegan (1984) Jessop, Bonnett, Bromley, Ling (1988) p.1 [8] Jessop, Bonnett, Bromley, Ling (1988) p.1 [9] Young, H (ibid) p.2-3 [10] Young, H (ibid) p.2-3 [11] Young, H (ibid) p.3 -4 [12] Young, H (ibid) p.17 [13] Cole, J. 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