Thursday, December 26, 2019

Common Dorm Costs for College Students

Living in the residence halls during your time in college often means you can avoid the hassle of having to pay rent every month, deal with a landlord, and budget for utilities. There are still, however, lots of costs that come with living in the dorms. Keep in mind that, as a student living in on-campus housing, there are actually a lot of expenses you have control over. Sure, you may be required to purchase a meal plan, but you can purchase the smallest one possible and keep some snacks in your room for when youre hungry. Additionally, if you take care of your room during the year, you wont face unexpected charges for cleaning or damage repairs when you check out. Lastly, taking good care of yourself — e.g., finding time to exercise, getting enough sleep, and eating well — can help eliminate unexpected costs on things like doctors appointments or medications. Below is a sample budget for a student living on-campus during their time in school. Your costs may be higher or lower depending on where you live, your personal choices, and your lifestyle. Consider the budget below a sample that you can revise as needed for your own individual situation. Additionally, some line items in this sample budget can be added or subtracted as needed. (Your cell phone bill, for example, may be much larger — or smaller — than listed here, depending on your needs as well as your budget.) And some items, like transportation, may be vastly different depending on how you get to campus as well as how far away from home your school is. The nice thing about budgets, even if youre living in a residence hall, is that they can be reworked until they fit your own unique needs. So if something isnt quite working out, try moving things around until the numbers add up in your favor. Common Dorm Costs for College Students Food (snacks in room, pizza delivery) $40/month Clothes $20/month Personal items (soap, razors, deodorant, make-up, laundry soap) $15/month Cell phone $80/month Entertainment (going to clubs, seeing movies) $20/month Books $800-$1000/semester School supplies (paper for printer, jump drive, pens, printer cartridges) $65/semester Transportation (bike lock, bus pass, gas if you have a car) $250/semester Travel (trips home during breaks and holidays) $400/semester Prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, first-aid kit $125/semester Miscellaneous (computer repair, new bike tires) $150/semester

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Effects Of Trauma On Children And Adolescents

Introduction Trauma has caused hospitalized pediatric patients to become uneasy and anxious with no additional support. Thus, Child Life Services (CLS) is being proposed to Highland Hospital, as it does not currently offer any therapeutic consultations to pediatric patients and families to help ease traumatic feelings. CLS essentially provide a variety of different therapeutic programs to distract hospitalized children from pain, stress and being traumatized after medical procedures. Problem Statement In the United States, more than 3 million children and adolescents experience some type of traumatic events (Schwarz E.D., Perry B.D., 1994). Such events may involve violence in home, school or street, death or hospital stays and medical†¦show more content†¦The implementation of CLS in Highland hospital will solely base on a philosophy to ensure that all pediatric patients and their families receive the best care and support, regardless of how long the duration of stay is. Some of the programs provided would include pre- and post-procedure preparation consultations with the usages of developmentally appropriate medical play and activities to display a better understanding of and how to cope with medical procedures, and to overall reduce traumatic feelings. CLS currently provides certain hours of age appropriate playroom for all hospitalized children and siblings with no requirement of adult family members. The playroom allows supportive play and social interaction with diff erent activities and entertainments to ease stress. However, this proposed CLS would instead include a 24-hour playroom/daycare for siblings of the patient. With this, siblings will be taken care of during the duration the family is in the hospital and when parents are with the patient in medical procedures or clinical visits. In addition, a big brother/big sister program would be implemented as part of CLS at Highland Hospital. 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Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pagesdisasters, serious accidents or even physical or sexual assault in adults and children or adolescents (Dodson, 2010). Psychological causes of PTSD are widely identified by medical professions to be the number one cause of mental disturbance among children, adolescents and veterans. There have been horrific impacts of traumatic childhood experience or cognitive development abilities that have impacted among children and adolescents. The traumatic affects to those veterans who attempt to fight through demonsRead MoreDomestic Violence and Social Problems1268 Words   |  6 Pagessexual orientation, socioeconomic backgrounds, or education levels. While the systems primary focus targets adult victims of abuse the new attention is being focused on children who witness domestic violence. Witnessing a violent crime is commonly defined as being within visual range of the scene as the crime occurs. Children are expected to unfold in a secure and nurturing environment. When the environment is injected by fear and violence all of the normal task of growing up are unfavorablyRead MoreTrauma- Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: an Effective Treatment Modality for Children and Adolescents Who Have Experienced Traumatic Incidents1687 Words   |  7 PagesTrauma- Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: An Effective treatment modality for children and Adolescents who have experienced traumatic incidents * What is TF-CBT and What is it Best Suited for: Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) was developed by psychologists J.A. Cohen and, Mannarino, Knudset and Sharon. TF-CBT has been developed for those who have experienced psychological trauma, often on a great scale of magnitude. It is important to define trauma; â€Å"There areRead MoreTrauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1299 Words   |  6 PagesKatchen, 2004). (Faust et al., 2004)Very young children struggle with cognitive components of cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies because it exceeds their developmental capabilities (Faust Katchen, 2004). (Faust et al., 2004)As previously noted, a child is at a greater risk for the effects of severe sexual abuse in the first years of life (Faust Katchen, 2004). (Faust et al., 2004) One theory that alleviates symptoms of PTSD is Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).Read MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1602 Words   |  7 Pagesdeath, serious injury or sexual violence â€Å"(American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pg. 271). Only recently have children and youth been deemed to have experienced PTSD and usually undergo therapy, medication and various treatment options to minimize the impact PTSD has on one’s life. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing the development of the disorder, how PTSD symptoms differ in children, treatment options, and a clinical case example. According to the American Psychiatric Association, exhibitingRead MorePsychology : A Human s Mind1399 Words   |  6 Pagesprincipals both taught into and gathered from experiences as a child. As children grow older, they soon start deciphering this information to decide for themselves which of their actions are right and wrong. What draws me to study psychology is this mental processing, and how it affects a person s current and future character; particularly children. Childhood is a stage when a person s individual identity begins to form; Children, more so than any other age group, are easily influenced by their surroundingRead MoreChild Abuse : Developmental Effects For Adolescents1653 Words   |  7 PagesChild Abuse: Developmental Effects for Adolescents Taylor Gowen Psych 210 Human Growth and Development Professor Lou Bacon Great Bay Community College Introduction - Adolescence is defined as the bridge between childhood and adulthood, which begins at the age of 12 and ends around the age of 18 (Scannapieco Connell-Carrick, 2005). Adolescence is a time where a lot of changing and transformation occurs throughout the body. At this time, adolescence experience physical, emotionalRead MoreThe Effects Of Extreme Abuse And Neglect Is The Development Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1518 Words   |  7 PagesScope of Problem According to Hussey et al (2006), it is estimated that one million children are victims of abuse and neglect on a yearly basis. Of those one million children, 1500 will die due to abuse or neglect. It is also estimated that 50% of adolescents have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event (De Arellano and Danielson 2008). One particular consequence of extreme abuse and neglect is the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD include persistent and recurrentRead MoreThe Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pages(Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders o rgans; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent

Monday, December 9, 2019

Lucky free essay sample

The most fundamental place in my world is the passenger seat of a 15 year old Honda Odyssey with my father driving and the radio blasting. My beautiful city passes by as I dream of a future I do not know will ever transpire. Here I simply am. I do not stress, I do not cry, I exist and hold on to the idea that the present is the most important time of my life. Ever since the age of 4, I have used the moment described to log all my feelings. This may sound silly and romantic, but the ten minute drive to wherever my family’s busy life takes me, is where my world shapes who I am. So many people tell us busy teenagers to relax, get off our phones, and actually see the world. For however long the car ride is, that is exactly what I am doing. I realize how grateful I am to have grown up in an amazing city with a loving family and good education. We will write a custom essay sample on Lucky or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I realize life is not about fanciful dreams but about the stock goodness of warm food and solid safety. My world has taught me to appreciate the simple things, yet my world is unique in that it has given these simple things unconditionally. The best memories I will carry from childhood are the conversations with my brother over late-night ramen and singing Taylor Swift while doing math homework. There is no shame in the life I live, in my upbringing. I know I have not faced nearly as many obstacles as those who will apply to this college, but that does not mean I do not understand what they are. I have heard it through my grandmothers stories of World War II, I have seen it through my parents struggles in a new country, and I have sat by it when my 5 year old autistic brother could not tell me what he wanted to eat. Most importantly I am grateful for it. I have been given the privilege of living a life that is surrounded by struggles, not permeated by them. I have learned something that can never be preached, coached, or lectured into me. That I am simply lucky. I have the responsibility to take this luck and make my life into something worthwhile. Whether â€Å"worthwhile† means helping the earth or helping the people, is not yet clear to me, but I hope pursuing higher education will clarify this mission. I listen to my parents speak about the good old days, how they wish they had realized the good times while they were in them. My number one goal is to never feel this way. I want to jump into every opportunity with an open heart and open mind, regardless of the damage I may encounter. I’d much rather fail at something than say I never tried because I know I have the obligation to take the opportunities I’ve been given and create something great. I understand that my community, school, and home have given me a life millions of children dream of. I live to make those dreams worthwhile.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Last Shot Essay Example

The Last Shot Essay Dan McCarthy Fall Semester 2010 Dr. Rich Miller Essay #2: The Last Shot The dream of creating a greater life for oneself and family through the game of basketball is not restricted to any time or place in American history. As long as there is a court, there lies the opportunity to experience the hoop dream. For the likes of Tchaka, Russell, Corey, and Bill Russell, their paths may have been different, but their struggle for greatness in the ever-shrinking window of the hoop dream is all too familiar. The Last Shot by Darcy Frey chronicles the lives of three basketball players and their struggle on the streets of Coney Island, New York in the early 1990’s. The book covers eight months of the journey of Tchaka Shipp, Russell Thomas, and Corey Johnson as they ward off the temptations of agents, college coaches, and drug lords in the ruthless city of Coney Island. Frey follows these athletes from the conclusion of their junior year at Abraham Lincoln High School through their senior year, allowing the reader to watch their growth as athletes, as well as their trials in attempting to realize the hoop dream. We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Shot specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Shot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Shot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For both the Coney Island classmates and Bill Russell, there was a limiting factor that in their time and place prevented them from reaching their full potential of success in the game of basketball. In the case of Corey, Russell, and in a lesser sense Tchaka, it was their intelligence in the classroom. Being raised in an inner-city educational environment such as the one provided by Coney Island is an entirely detrimental experience for those who are looking to experience a higher education at some point in their lives. There were multiple occasions in the story that alluded to the players’ inability to score high enough on their SAT’s as the reason for being unable to play for a Division I team in the NCAA. However, their failure to score a 700, the required threshold to stay eligible for a Division 1 scholarship, was no fault of their own. â€Å"But the requirement has proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to thousands of black players like Russell, Corey, and Stephon with poor educations and no experience in taking standardized tests,† (Frey, 187). Their school system had always put basketball before education, and for most of their lives the Coney Island crew did the same. They are merely a byproduct of a broken system that prevents thousands of talented basketball players in inner cities and beyond from realizing their full potential on the basketball court. Although intelligence was never a limiting factor for the likes of Bill Garrett, he dealt with a crueler discriminating factor that prevented him realizing the hoop dream in his upbringing- the color of his skin. Despite excelling on and off the basketball court, Bill was plagued with the backdrop of 1950’s rural Indiana, where it took a lot more than a double-double for an African-American to be accepted in society. Before Bill suited up for Indiana University, there was a â€Å"gentleman’s agreement not to recruit or play blacks,† (Graham, 92). This prevented many star players before Garrett, including Johnny Wilson, who was named Indiana’s â€Å"Mr. Basketball† in 1946, from experiencing the hoop dream for themselves simply because of their skin color. Whether these athletes were limited by their education, or limited by the color of their skin, their journeys in attempting to realize the hoop dream each had their share of road blocks in a system seemingly built for them to fail. Another harsh reality of the hoop dream is that it is painfully selective of who is fortunate enough to experience it for themselves. Although Tchaka’s, Russell’s, Corey’s, and Bill Garrett’s stories each unfolded differently, they were all dealt with the same harsh realization- that the hoop dream was not theirs to experience. It was how each of these players handled their failure that defined them as basketball players, as well as human beings. In Coney Island, New York, the expectation of basketball players is to reach for the stars, and if they don’t make it then they spiral back down the Earth until they’ve hit rock bottom, just like all of those who came before. â€Å"All of the great Coney Island players, a few surviving all right, but most of them waiting vainly for a second chance, hanging out in the neighborhood, or dead,† (Frey, 227). Precisely was the fate of Tchaka and Russell, who despite having years of playing in â€Å"the Garden† and blossoming as pure talents at Abraham Lincoln High School, they simply did not have what it took to make it in the NBA. Their stories after basketball was put in the rear-view mirror are nothing short of tragic, and leave the reader wondering what if certain events transpired differently for the stars of Coney Island. Although Bill Garrett was also unable to experience the hoop dream as a member of the Boston Celtics, he was able to make the best of his situation as he had done many times before by remaining involved in the game he held so dear. This is where his story veers off from the likes of Tchaka and Russell. His life did not end with his basketball dreams; he instead used the education he earned at IU to make a name for himself off of the basketball court, and led his life in the same manner as he led himself as a forerunner for Indiana basketball. Although there are so many similarities between these players in how they succeeded in their realms, but failed to reach to supreme goal of playing in the NBA, their vast differences in life after the hoop dream is a somber reminder of the much fewer opportunities for success there are for those who were raised in Coney Island, New York as compared to Shelbyville, Indiana. Following in the footsteps of those in The Last Shot, Sebastian Telfair emerged as a phenomenon in Coney Island during the early 2000’s. The story of his transition from high school court menace to NBA lottery-pick superstar is chronicled in the ESPN documentary Through the Fire. And it’s easy to see that the piece was filmed right in the heart of the Coney Island projects, bringing Darcy Frey’s classic to life. There are many scenes from the book that almost come to life before the viewer’s very eyes as we watch Sebastian Telfair’s journey through the fire. The Last Shot focuses heavily on those who failed to realize the hoop dream, and who were left to live in Coney Island. Darcy Frey often referred to the Marbury brothers, who all failed to reach the pinnacle of success that the youngest Stephon achieved in the NBA. However, the pain endured by those who failed before him is not truly investigated like Jamal Thomas’ struggle in Through the Fire. As Sebastian Telfair’s half-brother, he watched his younger brother realize the dream he had for himself, all while continuing to live in the dreaded Coney Island projects. When asked what it was like o return to Coney Island after getting so close to the hoop dream himself, he provided a chilling response that encapsulates the agony of reaching for the stars, and grabbing at nothing. â€Å"As long as I’m here, it’s pain. As long as I’m here, it’s pain,† said Thomas. (Through the Fire) One of the most interesting parts of The Last Shot to read through was Tchaka’s experience at the ABCD camp and his first blatant encounter with college coaches and the â₠¬Å"sneaker pimps. † It was the first time the pressure was heavily on him to succeed and make a name for himself in front of some of the top coaches in the nation. While it was fantastic to read how Tchaka rose from essentially a no-name to a highly sought-after big man by the end of the camp, one could really get a feel for the intensity through Sebastian Telfair’s eyes in Through the Fire. Already headlined as one of the top prospects heading into the Nike camp, Telfair had a lot to prove in front of the big name coaches and agents who would help dictate where he would start his career. Like Tchaka nearly a decade before, Telfair stole the show at the camp, and even gained the attention of Sports Marketing legend Sonny Vaccarro (Through the Fire). Being able to compare and contrast how each player handled being under the spotlight was a real treat, and wouldn’t have been possible without getting a second-hand look of Coney Island by watching Through the Fire. Works Cited Frey, Darcy. The Last Shot. New York: Mariner Books, 2004. Print. Graham, Tom, and Rachel Graham Cody. Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2006. Print. Through the Fire. Dir. Jonathan Hock. ESPN Original Entertainment, 2006. DVD.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Aboriginal Literature essays

Aboriginal Literature essays Native traditions and history were passed down through the generations using the art of storytelling. Storytelling was not only useful for Natives in this way but became a part of the tradition and history they passed down to their children. Unlike Euro-Canadian people, Aboriginal people did not put their oral traditions into writing but have increasingly begun to do so in the present day. This may keep these traditions from dying out as many already have, but this may also destroy the showmanship and meaning of Aboriginal storytelling. This is one of the most important critical debates pertaining to Native literature; is the written word destroying the effect of Native oral tradition or is it saving it? This essay will show that translating and converting Native oral stories to text may keep them alive longer than those who tell them, but the written word will never capture the full effect of Native oral storytelling. In the past, Native people did not document their history or traditions on paper. When the Europeans came, their traditions were disregarded because of this fact. This, and the fact that oral traditions were easily lost with the death of a particular culture or language, is the reason why Natives have lost so much of their history. As the ethnographer A.F Chamberlain wrote of the Indians of Scugog Island: These stories are only known to the older generation...and will soon be lost to oblivion if not taken down at once (Clark xii). Since the younger generations of Natives had less interest in their oral traditions the only way to save the traditions was to write them down; and this began the trend of Native written literature. In this way the Native traditions would live on even if they were not passed on orally. Unfortunately, the text versions of the stories do not convey everything that the oral stories themselves were intended to. When Native oral traditions are collected and transcribed,...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Definitions and Examples of English Usage

Definitions and Examples of English Usage Usage refers to the conventional ways in which words or phrases are used, spoken, or written in a speech community. There is no official institution (akin to the 500-year-old Acadà ©mie franà §aise, for example) that functions as an authority on how the English language should be used. There are, however, numerous publications, groups, and individuals (style guides, language mavens, and the like) that have attempted to codify (and sometimes dictate) rules of usage. EtymologyFrom Latin,  usus  Ã‚  to use Observations This usage stuff is not straightforward and easy. If ever someone tells you that the rules of English grammar are simple and logical and you should just learn them and obey them, walk away, because youre getting advice from a fool.  (Geoffrey K. Pullum, Does It Really Matter If It Dangles? Language Log, Nov. 20, 2010)The thoughtful, nondichotomous position on language depends on a simple insight: Rules of proper usage are tacit conventions. Conventions are unstated agreements within a community to abide by a single way of doing thingsnot because there is any inherent advantage to the choice, but because there is an advantage to everyone making the same choice. Standardized weights and measures, electrical voltages and cables, computer file formats, the Gregorian calendar, and paper currency are familiar examples.  (Steven Pinker, False Fronts in the Language Wars. Slate, May 31, 2012) The Difference Between Grammar and Usage In this book, grammar refers to the manner in which the language functions, the ways that the blocks of speech and writing are put together. Usage refers to using specific words in a manner that will be thought of as either acceptable or unacceptable. The question of whether or not to split an infinitive is a consideration of grammar; the question of whether one should use literally in a nonliteral sense is one of usage.  (Ammon Shea, Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation. Perigee, 2014) Arbiters of Usage The present-day scholarly concept of usage as a social consensus based on the practices of the educated middle class has emerged only within the last century. For many people, however, the views and aims of the 17th-18c fixers of the language continue to hold true: they consider that there ought to be a single authority capable of providing authoritative guidance about good and bad usage. For them, the model remains that of the Greek and Latin, and they have welcomed arbiters of usage such as Henry Fowler who have based their prescriptions on this model. In spite of this  ... no nation in which English is the main language has yet set up an official institution to monitor and make rules about usage. New words, and new senses and uses of words, are not sanctioned or rejected by the authority of any single body: they arise through regular use and, once established, are recorded in dictionaries and grammars. This means that, with the classical model of grammar in rapid decline, the us ers of English collectively set the standards and priorities that underlie all usage.  (Robert Allen, Usage. The Oxford Companion to the English Language, ed. T. McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1992) Most of the little manuals which pretend to regulate our use of our own language and to declare what is and what is not good English are grotesque in their ignorance; and the best of them are of small value, because they are prepared on the assumption that the English language is dead, like the Latin, and that, like Latin again, its usage is fixed finally. Of course, this assumption is as far as possible from the fact. The English language is alive now- very much alive. And because it is alive it is in a constant state of growth. It is developing daily according to its needs. It is casting aside words and usages that are no longer satisfactory; it is adding new terms as new things are brought forward; and it is making new usages, as convenience suggests, short-cuts across lots, and to the neglect of the five-barred gates rigidly set up by our ancestors.  (Brander Matthews, Parts of Speech: Essays on English, 1901) Usage and Corpus Linguistics English is more diverse than ever in all hemispheres. Research into new Englishes has flourished, supported by journals such as English World-Wide, World Englishes and English Today. At the same time, the quest for a single, international form for written communication becomes more pressing, among those aiming at a global readership...Many kinds of resource have been brought to bear on the style and usage questions raised. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage is the first of its kind to make regular use of large databases (corpora) of computerized texts as primary sources of current English. . . . The corpora embody various kinds of written discourse as well as transcriptions of spoken discourseenough to show patterns of divergence between the two. Negative attitudes to particular idioms or usage often turn on the fact that they are more familiar to the ear than the eye, and the constructions of formal writing are privileged thereby. Corpus data allow us to look more neutrally at the distributions of words and constructions, to view the range of styles across which they operate. On this basis, we can see what is really standard, i.e. usable in many kinds of discourse, as opposed to the formal or informal.  (Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge University Press, 2004) Linguists and Usage As a field of study, usage doesnt hold much interest for modern linguists, who are drifting more and more toward qualitative psychology and theory. Their leading theorist, Noam Chomsky of MIT, has acknowledged, with no apparent regret, the pedagogical irrelevance of modern linguistics: I am, frankly, rather skeptical about the significance, for the teaching of languages, of such insights and understanding as have been attained in linguistics and psychology ... If you want to learn how to use the English language skillfully and gracefully, books on linguistics wont help you at all.  (Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern American Usage, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2009) Correctness In the past, unproven ideas about the Standard have often been used to forward certain social interests at the expense of others. Knowing this, we do not describe the misuse of the conventions of punctuation in some students writing as a crime against civilization, although we do point out the mistakes. What interests us far more is that these apprentice writers have interesting ideas to convey, and manage to support their arguments well. They should be encouraged to turn to the task of writing seriously and enthusiastically rather than be discouraged because they cannot punctuate a restrictive clause correctly. But when they ask, Does spelling count? we tell them that in writing, as in life, everything counts. For academic writers, as for writers in a wide variety of fields (business, journalism, education, etc.), correctness in both content and expression is vital. . . . Language standardization may have been used as a tool of social oppression, but it has also been the vehicle of broad collaboration and communication. We are right to treat usage both warily and seriously.  (Margery Fee and Janice McAlpine, Guide to Canadian English Usage, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2007)   Usage is trendy, arbitrary, and above all, constantly changing, like all other fashionsin clothing, music, or automobiles. Grammar is the rationale of a language; usage is the etiquette.​  (I. S. Fraser and L. M. Hodson, Twenty-One Kicks at the Grammar Horse. The English Journal, Dec. 1978)   E.B. White on Usage as a Matter of Ear We were interested in what Dr. Henry Seidel Canby had to say about English usage, in the Saturday Review. Usage seems to us peculiarly a matter of ear. Everyone has his own set of rules, his own list of horribles. Dr. Canby speaks of contact used as a verb, and points out that careful writers and speakers, persons of taste, studiously avoid it. They dosome of them, because the word so used, makes their gorge rise, others because they have heard that we sensitive litry folk consider it displeasing. The odd thing is that what is true of one noun-verb is not necessarily true of another. To contact a man makes us wince; but to ground a plane because of bad weather sounds all right. Further, although we are satisfied to ground a plane, we object to garaging an automobile. An automobile should not be garaged; it should either be put in a garage or left out all night.The contraction aint, as Dr. Canby points out, is a great loss to the language. Nice Nellies, schoolteachers, and underdone g rammarians have made it the symbol of ignorance and ill-breeding, when in fact it is a handy word, often serving where nothing else will. Say it aint so is a phrase that is right the way it stands, and couldnt be any different. People are afraid of words, afraid of mistakes. One time a newspaper sent us to a morgue to get a story on a woman whose body was being held for identification. A man believed to be her husband was brought in. Somebody pulled the sheet back; the man took one agonizing look, and cried, My God, its her! When we reported this grim incident, the editor diligently changed it to My God, its she!The English language is always sticking a foot out to trip a man. Every week we get thrown, writing merrily along. Even Dr. Canby, a careful and experienced craftsman, got thrown in his own editorial. He spoke of the makers of textbooks who are nearly always reactionary, and often unscholarly in denying the right to change to a language that has always been changing ... In this case, the word change, quietly sandwiched in between a couple of tos, unexpectedly exploded the whole sentence. Even inverting the phr ases wouldnt have helped. If he had started out, In denying to a language ... the right to change, it would have come out this way: In denying to a language that has always been changing the right to change ... English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and educationsometimes its sheer luck, like getting across a street.  (E.B. White, English Usage. The Second Tree From the Corner. Harper Row, 1954) Pronunciation: YOO-sij

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Physical Challenge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physical Challenge - Essay Example The purpose of the empirical study is to analyze the data and to know and explore more. It also helps to get to know how the movement of data is from one dimension to another either when answering or when asking questions (Leslie 56) Lonergan is the founder of the cognition theory which helps us to understand three things. What am I doing when I am knowing, which is the cognitional and psychological question. The other one is why is doing that knowing, which is an epistemological question. And the last one which is what I know when I am knowing, which is a metaphysical question. Those are the three that make the cognitional theory. They are all dependent and none is independent on itself. Epistemology depends on cognitional theory and metaphysics depends on epistemology. Lonergan comes up with the procedure that deals with the empirical variation and names it generalized empirical method. The generalized empirical method deals with the human awareness. It deals with the formation of the mind and how it is able to think based on understanding, questioning and formulating and the making of judgment. The general empirical deals with the consciousness of the data and the empirical method goes for the data that is th e data of the sense. The data that we are toking about in the human sense is different from the data that is found in the natural sciences. Epistemology asks for the answer to the question. The generalized empirical method helps to come up with the lonergan’s philosophy of knowing (Leslie 164). Francis Beacon from England tried to review how the human mind at its normal state is overcome by ignorance and self-deception. He discovers that the mind should not be left to be at its natural mode. He tries to reason empirically. When it comes to science most of the people are advised to always ask questions on what they think. The scientists are advised to think and take the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Global operation and risk management of Qinetiq Group plc 01303 Essay

Global operation and risk management of Qinetiq Group plc 01303 - Essay Example The company holds a business portfolio of military weapons and systems within mode of travelling including land, air and sea (QinetiQ, 2015b). In 2003, LTPA was made with the agreement of providing all means weapons and system to MOD for next five years. In 2006 company repurchased its stakes from the Carlyle group and get IPO status. Value development flow for the business till becoming an IPO entity is depicted below. Currently company is dealing globally for its business and mainly generates revenue from UK and US via generating a strong existence in US market as well. QinetiQ is considered for the assessment of performance and risk management due to its declining performance over last three years and a highly exposed to risk business model in the underlying document. After developing basic grounds of study via reviewing the business and market trends as well as financial performance indicators, an assessment of risk and performance management skills of the company will be presented with proposed recommendations. Understanding the sensitivity-level of the business category, the company operates with the strategy namely â€Å"Organic-plus† strategy with considering customers, people, innovation and productivity as core drivers (QinetiQ, 2014). Reported financial trends of key indicators in the annual report for the year 2014 (QinetiQ , 2014) depict a continuous decline in revenue generation for the company with fluctuations in other drivers as well. However, company claims to be strongly operating and increasing dividends continuously as depicted above. Dealing with two main divisions, company categorizes its revenue generation in three categories namely EMEA, US and global product. EMEA is the leading business and revenue generation unit with UK as the largest geographical and customer country of the business as depicted below. According to the Aerospace and defense industries

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Medea Greek Mythology Essay Example for Free

Medea Greek Mythology Essay When Medea decides to take matters in to her own hands, about punishing the people who have done wrong to her, she is accused of wanting not justice—vengeance. Because I am not a native of neither Corinth nor Colchis, I have my own view about her motives. However, I would agree with the Corinthian Women, Medea is seeking vengeance; not justice. Some people might argue that Medea is seeking justice. When in actuality, Medea wants vengeance. The opposition would say justice took place because the Gods allowed Medea the time to perform her various acts. Although these things happened Medea turned to vengeance when she took it upon herself to kill Creon and his daughter Creusa. Even the chorus, the â€Å"ideal spectators†, implies that Creon is a poor king when, after he banishes Medea, the First Corinthian Woman sympathizes, â€Å"I am of Corinth and I say that Corinth is not well ruled. †(1. 214-216). This quote gives us proof that Medea has some sort of reason to seek revenge on Creon. However she lets her hatred exceed its boundaries and allows herself to take the lives of the King of Corinth and its Princess all because they chose Jason over her. In addition, her actions all prove that she wants Jason to do more than pay for hurting her. She wants him to suffer at the fate of her own children. Her revenge was selfish. Medea involved the two things she knew would hurt Jason the most—her own children. According to the First Corinthian Woman, â€Å"It would be better for you, Medea if the earth opened her jaws and took you down into darkness. But one thing you will not do, for you cannot, you will not hurt your own children, though wrath like plague-boils aches, your mind in a fire-haze bites the purple apples of pain. No blood-lapping beast of the field, she-bear nor lioness, nor the lean wolf-bitch, hurts her own tender whelps; nor the yellow-eyed, seythe-beaked, and storm shouldered eagle that tears the lambs has ever made prey of the fruit of her own tree. †(2. 115-126). Keep in mind that the Corinthian Women are the conscious of Corinth. Through this quote the First Corinthian Women has stated that Medea could not harm her own children. She even gives examples of the most dangerous predators that don’t even harm their own young. This is evidence that Medea went beyond the state of justice; but she went well into the state of vengeance. Medea knew what she was doing and quite frankly she could care less about anything other than what she thought of what was seeking revenge on Jason. In conclusion, vengeance was sought by Medea. She went above the fact of teaching Jason a lesson; she even stated she hated Jason more than she loved her children. Answer this question is what Medea has done entertaining or morally instructive?

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Lord Of The Flies Essay -- essays research papers

Essay on Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel, Lord of the Flies, was written by William Golding. William Golding was born on September 19, 1911. His literary ambitions began at the young age of seven. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University in 1935. His novels explore characters and situations. In Lord of the Flies, it is a time of war. A group of English schoolboys are on a plane, when they are attacked and they have to evacuate their aircraft. They find themselves on a remote island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, without any adult supervision. A boy named Ralph takes charge and forms a crude society, with a democratic type of government. Then, a boy named Jack decides to break off and form his own society, with him being the leader, governing with a dictatorship type of government, causing Ralph’s society to crumble and fall apart. William Golding believed that the defects of a society could be traced back to the flaws of the human nature. These societies were very differ ent from each other because the individuals were very different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ralph’s society was based on everyone having a say in the government. Ralph was kind and good to the people of his society. He let them have freedom and liberties which was not go for his society because they abused their freedom and became lazy and irresponsible. His society did not have their priorities in order because Ralph did not stress that the rescue fire and the ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Review of “Methods of Resolving Interpersonal Conflict”

Review of â€Å"Methods of Resolving Interpersonal Conflict† Mark R. Long Morris Graduate School of Management Review of â€Å"Methods of Resolving Interpersonal Conflict† The article (Burke 1969) describes a number of methods for negotiating and handling conflicts. In this article the author describes both effective and ineffective methods ranging from force to withdrawal. Each method is defined by a number of examples. The most effective technique, Confrontation Problem Solving, is identified and described in terms of its characteristics. The second best resolution technique defined in Table 1 is Forcing while the worst technique was also Forcing. Forcing was the second best resolution technique under the Effective Resolution column at 24. 5%, following the best technique at 58. 5% Confrontation Problem Solving. Forcing also was the worst resolution technique at 79. 2% under the Ineffective Resolution column. Forcing was seen to be effective by the â€Å"winners† of a win-lose conflict. It was seen by â€Å"losers† of a win-lose conflict to be ineffective. Forcing is perceived as an effective method of resolving conflict by the victor, but not by the vanquished. From the first four examples in the text (Burke 1969) the best example is number 4. This example highlighted the fact that through problem solving both parties can benefit. Working through their differences they reached a solution that was optimal to both of them. This created a win-win scenario. With neither side feeling the â€Å"victim†, a better resolution was discovered. They can now build on this success to resolve the next problem without any carryover of negative history between the parties. From the remaining examples in the text (Burke 1969) the worst examples are numbers 5, 6, 7. All three illustrated Forcing as a method of conflict resolution. A win-lose situation is created. In each of the cases the superior prevails over the subordinate. This creates a win-lose situation where only one side perceives the outcome as positive. Win-lose outcomes are less likely to be accepted voluntarily. One person gets what they want and feels vindicated, while the other person loses out and feels cheated or a failure. The outcome is that future conflict resolution will be prejudiced and may not lead to an optimal resolution. To summarize the thirteen characteristics of Confrontation as a conflict-resolving you first need to recognize that Confrontation is a conscious and systematic attempt to maximize the goals of both parties through collaborative problem solving. The conflict is seen as a problem to be solved rather than a war to be won. The important distinction is to view this as both parties versus the problem, rather than one party versus the other party. This method focuses on the needs and constraints of both parties rather than emphasizing strategies designed to conquer. Full problem definition, analysis and development of alternatives precede consensus decisions on mutually agreeable solutions. The parties work toward common and super-ordinate goals. These goals can only be attained by both parties pulling together. There is an emphasis on the quality of the long term relationships between the parties, rather than short term accommodations. Communication is open and direct rather than secretive and calculating. Threat and coercion are proscribed. The assumption is made that integrative agreements are possible given the full range of resources existing in the relationship. Attitudes and behaviors are directed toward an increase of trust and acceptance rather than an escalation of suspicion and hostility. The Confrontational approach requires a very high degree of patience and skill in human relations and problem solving. The article concludes that conflict is not a bad thing in contrast to the text (Meredith and Mantel 2009) concerning the win-win approach to negotiation. The article suggests that a more realistic approach to conflict views conflict as necessary. That conflict can be used to define a problem more accurately and used to seek the best alternative for resolution of the problem. Without conflict there is no change. Change implies conflict because vested interests are challenged. Win-win outcomes occur when each side of a problem feels they have won. Since both sides benefit from such a scenario, any resolutions to the conflict are likely to be accepted voluntarily. The process of integrative bargaining aims to achieve, through cooperation, win-win outcomes. Conflict is an inevitable fact of human existence. If we work to understand and manage it effectively, we can improve both the satisfaction and productivity of our social relationships. Effective conflict management is indispensable if coordinated efforts and productive results are to be achieved. Since conflict may have functional as well as dysfunctional consequences, it is essential that individuals explore various methods and techniques of conflict management. Individuals that can increase their use of problem-solving in interpersonal conflict can create a better working experience and achieve more constructive consequences. References Burke, R. J. 1969, Methods of Resolving Interpersonal Conflict, PM Network, Personal Administration, July-August 1969, International Personnel Management Association. Meredith, J. and Mantel, S. 2009, Project Management: A Managerial Approach, (7th Edition), John Wiley and Sons

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Lack of Flexibility with Employees Essay

One of the main reasons that the company William Beckett & Co needs to have a flexible work force is a factor that we have already spoken about which is the increase of work for the company that has happened in the last few years, which has created a few problems for them in most parts of the business. The other major factor that requires the company to have a flexible works force is the job rotation strategy that I have also mentioned earlier. This can only work if the employees themselves have the skills and abilities to actually perform this different jobs otherwise the whole thing will break down. If the employees don’t have the right skills and abilities then the process is pointless and costly to the company as the workers would be very ineffective to produce the same standard of work that the other employees produce as they have been trained to do this. â€Å"Although many view employee training as a necessary evil and expense that must be tolerated, a well designed training program pays for itself and increases the bottom line. Such a program teaches new employees to â€Å"do it right the first time,† thus minimizing down time, equipment damage, and personal injury while maximizing productivity and profits† http://pages.prodigy. net/pblair/ttthome. htm (technical training tips) To help control the increasing level of work that the company has, they would need a flexible workforce who could move around to different areas in the company to help out with the work in order to create some stability of the work that is coming in and the work that is being completed. This would allow the company to deal with the influx of work, help the productivity of the company and even help with the motivation of the employees, whilst maintaining the impressive level of sales. As the company is over run with business, they are in need of more staff to handle the amount of work which they are generating. So the director employees a new sales administrator to help with the situation. The problem is that the person he has employed is a friend of his so he has had no formal interview or application. After a while the man redefines his own job to sales representative as he is more experienced at doing this job as he knows more about this side of the company than the administration side. The director had employed his friend to do a job he is not really qualified or able to do. I believe that the company needs to set up a human resource department which would be able to deal with the recruitment of new employees for the company. The problems with recruiting employees who are not able to do the job are that the will not be able to complete jobs on time or to a high standard of quality, which also means that productivity will be affect and the employee himself will be unhappy as he isn’t able to perform the duties in his job specification. Once the HR department is setup the managers will be able to move some of their tasks over to them like recruitment, appraisals, motivational and training. As the directors are struggling to do this now the only solution would be to set up the Hr department as soon as possible. The training needs are needed throughout the company, this is due to the fact that the company has grown rapidly and the fact that the company has invested in a new range of technologies to keep them up to date with their competitors and the changes in the market. I have identified certain areas that need improving with the management which are leadership training, interpersonal relationships need to be worked on and they also need to be able to delegate tasks and responsibility. â€Å"The interpersonal skills when the one to one trainer has to exercise are described by Megginson and Boydell (1979) as being similar to those required by the skilful counsellor† page 229 of the theory and practice of training, 4th edition by Roger Buckley and Jim Caple. The results of this should be an increase in productivity and an improvement in sales. They could also develop their own internal learning programme as they don’t have a lot of time to send them away from the company for a long time as they are so busy. The lower level staff need new training as they will not be able to work effectively enough with the new technologies as they will not be familiar with it compared to the old equipment they were familiar with. The areas that they will need to be trained on are their team working abilities, stress and pressure courses, good communication and motivation skills and theories. This should help the employees to work together as a team which will help morale and productivity as a team that are working together and are happy will be a great asset to the company.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Stress at the Workplace essays

Stress at the Workplace essays Stress is the state of tension experienced by individuals facing too many demands, constraints or opportunities. Work is sometime stressful and can easily disrupt a persons work-life balance. Work related stress comes from numerous factors such as too many task demands, role conflicts, job boredom, ethical dilemmas, or interpersonal problems. Poor career development and physical environment are also cause of workplace stress. But technology is now one of the biggest factors of stress. The information technology growth and globalization may enhance workplace productivity, but it also increases stress on workers. Technology is supposed to make employees feel more productive at work, less burdened. But technology is moving too fast for some people contributing to more stress. Technology increases stress because of the demand of learning new skills, possibility of lost information due to computer crashes or demands of email and voicemail. Adjusting to new technologies like the web, netwo rks, and personal communications have saturated todays workplace and placed more burdens and demands on workers- this definitely causes increased stress. There are now too many expectations, too many changes in work practice. Because of all the opportunity and technology available, instead of assigning a project over a few days, a manager will want a task completed by lunchtime. Stress and overload will emerge from these types of task demands. Too many expectations and demands cause burnout. With technology innovation comes fear of being next on the list to be laid off. Inadequate training and career development in technology is the cause job insecurity. With the pressures of mastering the IT revolution, there are increased productivity demands. Employees will need extra training to enhance employability and this causes stress also. Struggling to understand technologies is yet another cause of tension. More technology means employees and employ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Top Soft Skills Employers Seek

Top Soft Skills Employers Seek The experts at The Savvy Intern polled members of an organization called  the Young Entrepreneur Council to see what specific soft skills they look for in their team members and which traits  every aspiring new hire should work to develop. Here are the top results of their survey:Curiosity, Teachability, and DriveDavid Ciccarelli of Voices.com wants someone who’s curious and has  a passion for learning.Motivation, Attention to Detail, and a Positive OutlookOrange Mud’s Josh Sprague says these qualities represent such potential for excellence, they can even vault a worthy candidate past the entry level gig they originally applied for.Communication, Adaptability, and a Proactive MentalityThe ability to express yourself, the flexibility to embrace new challenges, and a willingness to go above and beyond are what count at Recruiter.com, according to Miles Jennings.Energy, Positivity, and HeartObinna Ekenzie, formerly of the NBA and currently with Wakanow.com, looks fo r the same attributes in his employees as he used to see on the court. You’ve got to want it and have the vitality to go after it.Empathy, Curiosity, and AttitudeFor Perks Consulting’s Lauren Perkins, it’s all about the willingness to understand other people, bring in your own perspective, and see opportunities where others see only obstacles.Comb through your job and life experiences to find anecdotes that illustrate your abilities in each of these soft-skill areas, and you’ll be an unbeatable asset to any company lucky enough to have you.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Why Were Gangster Films So Popular in the 1930s Essay

Why Were Gangster Films So Popular in the 1930s - Essay Example In this regard, people look for ways to spend their time productively and at times, spend time in a leisurely fashion. This latter proclivity is to have some form of entertainment to while away the hours and pass the time so as not to get bored. There are a myriad ways to get entertained such as the travelling shows, circuses and clowns of olden times to the modern video films. A good part of modern entertainment was the rise of Hollywood which cranked out a fair good number of films each year and distributed worldwide for a global audience. There are quite a number of regional film centres as well, such as the copycats of Bollywood, Arabic films of the Middle East, Asian films (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, etc.) and European films too. These films tackle a wide variety of subjects and topics, almost anything under the sun, only subject to some restraints concerning what is decent and of good morals. Pornography was in the early years of the film industry not that prevalent yet, due to the social mores back then. It is quite different today, where various media are freely accessible, such as Internet and DVD. What is decent and acceptable in films can vary within societies over time as values changed. This is why the popularity of certain film genres wax and wane over time, too. Some of the more popular film genres are action, drama, comedy, horror, adventure, epic and others like musicals, science fiction, war, Westerns, and crime and gangster. This last genre is sometimes of particular interest to movie goers and censors alike because they can portray the real-life stories of criminals and gangsters. This particular genre can be realistic enough when trying to show how criminals lived, do their trade and what they do with their loot. Portrayals can be too realistic for comfort when violence is shown on screen. Gangster films enjoyed its own period of popularity like other film trends in which audiences express their preferences. This paper examines why ga ngster films became so popular and the backlash that resulted in which the film industry adopted guidelines for film makers to abide by, its own code. Discussion The film industry was born when photography was invented and the film makers were able to project their pictures on the wide screen. The earlier films were silent films as it did not have any sound in them. The sound came later on when the phonograph was invented; prior to that, the dialogue was shown on the bottom portion of the film clips as text in which the film goers read what was written in order to make sense of the film's story. The film industry provided a welcome respite from the drabness of ordinary lives of ordinary people. It provided a cheap form of entertainment by which the audience can re-live their fantasies. The early films that were made were not overly realistic in their portrayals of life. Rather, the new film industry enticed audiences by glorying certain aspects and magnifying their expectations. Fil ms were the new forms of escapism and quite cheap to view them, often with proven story lines that were hackneyed and repeated several times over but people welcomed this new medium. But later on, major studios had to contend with the rise of independents (Nowell, 2011:30). Film genres can evolve into several sub-genres as the film industry developed in response to audience preferences. Horror films, for example, have the sub-genres of serial killers, slasher films, teen terror, satanic, science-related like Frankenstein or Dracula, torture and sadism. Its main appeal was to frighten an audience by preying on a person's worst hidden fears. It is the same with crime and gangster films in which the storyline revolves

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case Study 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

3 - Case Study Example Many of these airfreight firms are turning to specialization, i.e. transporting heavy and oversize cargo. The pioneer and leader of specialized air freight operations are Volga-Dnepr, a Russian airfreight company (Europeanbusinessreview.com, 2012). One of the strategies that the company has employed to lead in this field is a thorough marketing campaign on the international market. They have also come up with a system of transporting different goods, and this has given the market a unique market product. Some of the unique products include; eighty-one ton coca-cola bottling equipment, heavy chemical reactors, oil and gas equipment and concert equipment for music artists. The unique opportunity enabled the company to obtain many international clients who provide Volga-Dnepr with ninety percent of its income (Europeanbusinessreview.com, 2012). The specialization strategy is the primary factor that has led the company to grow. Volga-Dnepr saw a problem and they came up with strategies to solve it. They have also embraced technology with the acquisition of new aircrafts and adding more to their freight. These are commendable policies and it is clear that Volga-Dnepr will continue to grow. Europeanbusinessreview.com,. (2012).  Innovative Technologies in Aviation Logistics | the European Business Review | Empowering communications globally. Retrieved 20 April 2015, from

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Rise of Industrial America 1877-1900 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Rise of Industrial America 1877-1900 - Essay Example This was aimed at include the ex-slaves into the nation with all rights and civil liberties of citizens. Precisely, the Republican aim was to end slavery in America and assimilate the blacks into the government, the main issue of contention between the North who pushed for anti slavery and South pushing for its expansion. Southerners believed that restrictions on slavery would infringe the doctrines of states’ privileges, while the North and leaders of the Republican Party treated slavery as a formidable state iniquity. The Southern defenders argued that blacks benefited from slavery leading to further disagreements with the North .2 Consequently, through the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860 and assurance by South Carolina of â€Å"Declaration of the causes of Secession† advanced the tension as the Southern thought he would be anti-slavery and would support Northern welfare. The West Louisiana Purchase expanded the size of United States and opened the We st to America settlement. The United States obtained the Arkansas River valley by expanding east from the Rocky Mountains to Mississippi River according to Louisiana Purchase signed between American and Indian representatives. Immigration Additionally, during these years, about 7, 348, 000 people migrated into the United States. This raised the number of citizens from 49 million in 1800 to 76 million in 1900. The refugees settled all over the country in big numbers except in the South. The migrant fake networks that created how and where they traveled and the type of communities they formed. The reason for the massive migration to the United States was for economic advancement. Land was cheap and wages were equally high as compared to their homelands. Agricultural, Commercial, and Industrial Development The increase of agricultural lands led to what apparently seems an irony. This is because despite the more farmers in the U.S and the more dynamic they became the smaller was agricul ture’s share of the economy.3 On the other hand, the increase of industrial America, the ascendancy of wage labor, and the growth of cities represented the greatest changes of the period. Of civil war, few Americans had expected fast growth of American industry. Over the past, wage earners in American history had come to be more than the self-employed, and by the 1880s these wage recipients started working in bigger corporations in America. On the other hand, trained workers proved extremely flourishing at maintaining their position through the 1880s, but they had to struggle to do so. The comparatively high wages for trained workers made the proprietors to look for ways to substitute trained with untrained or semi-skilled workers, but mechanization offered the most effective approach for deskilling work and reducing wages.4 Railroads Moreover, the strikes in America were because of railroads. This is because the whole nation appeared to concentrate on the railroads. Furtherm ore, towards the end of 1870 the railroads restored their expansion. Though there was a break in

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Public Sector Productivity

Public Sector Productivity CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Public sector productivity is important to the performance of a country. Thornhill (2006) identifies three main reasons why public sector productivity is crucial. First, the public sector is a major employer of labour. Second, the public sector is a major provider of services particularly business and social services. Third, the public sector is a consumer of tax resources. To him, changes in the public sector productivity may have significant implications on the economy. Public sector productivity involves efficiency and outputs as well as effectiveness and outcome (Pritchard 2003, Tolentino 2004). In Kalliola’s formulation (2003), at least two points illustrate the issues that make the whole question of public sector productivity a highly contentious one in many countries. One is whether or not citizens are being provided with what they need. The other question is on how the services concerned (public servants) make better use of the resources at their disposal. While factors such as aging population and increasing healthcare and pension costs add to budgeting pressure, citizens are demanding that governments should be made accountable for what they achieve with the taxpayers’ money (Curristine et.al: 2007). The issue of productivity and performance enhancement in the public sector is nothing new, scholars and practitioners have worked for decades to identify what makes governance productive and effective. Over the years while there have been a variety of studies concerning government worker motivation and productivity, few, if any, studies have focused specifically on state workers’ perceptions about what factors affects their productivity . With more than five (5) million workers employed by state governments, any improvement in state workplace productivity could have significant financial and service impact for society. Workforce productivity remains a primary element for success in most organizations, including those in government. Knowing what factors influence productivity is a prerequisite to improving performance and at the same time contain expenditure growth (Haenisch 2012). In fact, the use of the concept of productivity has been intermingled with the concept of performance (Jackson, 1999; Stainer and Stainer, 2000). Researchers have identified each concept in different ways. Productivity of the workers’ in the public sector is a function of many factors ranging from top management support, committed personnel at all levels, performance measurement system, employee training, reward structures, community involvement and feedback to correction of budget-management decisions. It is thus important to build up capacities for productivity improvement (Holzer and Seok-Hwan, 2004) Public sector workers have been viewed to be less productive because about 39% of them are not fully engaged in their jobs, about 54% of them are not satisfied with their jobs, while about 39% of them are somewhat or very likely to make a concerted effort to find a new job with another employer in the coming year. (Bond and Galinsky 2006). While some scholars have argued that the solutions to the challenges faced in the Nigerian public service is by decentralization of political power and the responsibilities of sub-national government, others argue that appropriate human resource management practices and increasing the scale of operations will improve efficiency among government workers. On the basis of this therefore, this study aims at investigating issues pertaining to maximum productivity in the public sector will be achieved. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There is significant evidence that productivity advancement in government organizations has not kept pace with the increase found in the private sector (Haenisch: 2012), Nigeria today is regarded as one of the most corrupt nations in the world and to this effect, there have been several civil service reforms which each reform has adjusted or changed several things in the previous reform. The last civil service reform was the Obasanjo Civil Service Renewal Program, 1999-2001. One of the crucial challenges faced by the Obasanjo administration on assuming office on 29th May, 1999 was the issue of how to address the crisis in the public sector (Olaopa, 2008). Aspects of the crisis identified were inefficiency in the delivery of social services (Olaopa, 2008). Years after these reforms, there seem to be no improvement in the productiveness in the Nigerian public service. It is however crucial to note that these negative characteristics are still very much rampant in the present Nigerian public sector. These lapses have led to weakening of public institutions, distrust of government by citizens, collapse of infrastructures and a development of a sense of despair amongst the Nigerian peoples Moreover, there is significant evidence that productivity advancement in government organizations has not kept pace with the increase found in the private sector and a number of factors still limit the success of most attempts to measure or improve productivity (Killefer and Mendonca, 2006). It is imperative to find out those factors that still limit productivity of Nigeria’s public sector. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness? How effective are the facilities put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector? How effective are the policies put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector? What are the factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public service? How can productivity be enhanced in the Nigerian public service? 1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY At the end of this research, the following will be achieved; To examine the relationship between productivity and public service effectiveness To examine the effectiveness of the facilities put in place to enhance workers’ productivity in the public sector. To examine the effectiveness of the policies put in place to enhance workers’ productivity in the public sector. To examine the factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public sector To know how productivity can be enhanced in the Nigerian public service. 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS H1: There is no relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness H2: The facilities put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector are not effective. H3: The policies put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector are not effective. H4: There are no factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public service. H5: Productivity cannot be enhanced in the Nigerian public service. 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research work is significant in that the reason why the Nigerian public service was established will be examined, if the public sector is achieving reasons why it was established, how effective has it been, to what extent it had achieved its purpose and to what extent it is relevant. Also, there have been relatively few researches effectiveness and productivity in the Nigerian Civil Service. What this research attempts to do is to focus on how productive the public sector is and bring it to the enlightenment of the general public The significance of this study is to add to general knowledge on the relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness in Nigeria. This research is also significant in that it can serve as a source of secondary research for other scholars who will be researching on aspects relating to public service effectiveness and workers’ productivity. 1.7 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY The scope of this study is to examine the level of productivity of workers in the public sector. This helps to identify the extent to which workers in the public sector carry out their duties and how well they value their positions. The research is limited to the Oyo State Ministry of Information in the fourth republic specifically between 1999 and 2013. And the limitation of this study is seen in that Public sector productivity cannot be quantified. 1.8 OUTLINE OF THE STUDY Chapter One: This chapter is the introduction to the Study of Worker’s Productivity and Public Service Effectiveness. It highlights the research questions and objectives. Chapter Two: This chapter is the Literature Review and Theoretical Framework. It carries the definition of terms; the meaning and definition of Productivity, the meaning and definition of Public Service and also the meaning and definition of effectiveness. It also includes reviewing works done by other scholars and theoretical framework. Chapter Three: This chapter emphasizes on the historical development of the Nigerian public sector and its various reforms. Chapter Four: This chapter is the Presentation and Analysis of data. It also tests the various hypothesis of the research and discusses the research findings. Chapter Five: This chapter is the summary, recommendations and conclusion of the work. It summarizes the entire findings of this research. 1.9 REFERENCES Curristine, Lonti, Joumard, (2007), Improving Public Sector Efficiency: Challenges and Opportunities: OECD Journal on Budgeting Volume 7, No. 1 (OECD 2007) Gberevbie, D. et.al (2009), â€Å"Staff Indiscipline and Productivity in the Public Sector in Nigeria†, An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia Vol. 3 (4), Haenisch, J.P. (2012), Factors Affecting Productivity of Government Workers: Kaplan University Wyoming, USA Holzer, M. and Seok-Hwan, L. (2004), â€Å"Mastering Public Productivity and Performance Improvement from a Productive Management Perspective† in Holzer, M. and Seok-Hwan, L. (Eds.) Public Productivity Handbook, 2nd ed,. New York NY: Marcel Dekker, Jackson, P.M (1999), â€Å"Productivity and performance of Public Sector Organizations†, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 19, No. 7/8 pp. 754-56 Mantu, S.N. (1998), Evolution of Nigerian Civil Service; The 1988 Reforms, Zaria; Gaskiya Corporation Ltd. Ogunrotifa, A.B. (2012), ‘Federal Civil Service Reforms in Nigeria: A Case of Democratic Centralism†, Radix International Journal of Research in Social Science Vol. 1, Issue 10 (October 2012) Okunade, A. (1987), Public Administration in Nigeria, Ibadan: Center for External Studies, University of Ibadan. Olaopa, T. (2008), Theory and Practice of Public Administration and Civil Service Reforms in Nigeria, Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited Olusanya, G.O. (1975), â€Å"The Evolution of the Nigerian Civil Service- 1861-1960: The Problems of Nigerianisation†, University of Lagos Humanities Monograph Series, No.2. Stainer, A and Stainer, L (2000), â€Å"Performance in Public Sector a Total Productivity Approach†, International Journal of Business Performance Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp: 263-75 Thornhill, D. (2006), â€Å"Productivity Attainment in a Diverse Public Sector† paper presented at the Public Seminar on Promoting Productivity in a Diverse Public Sector, Dublin, 21st April Wey, S.O. (1971), â€Å"The Structure and Organization of the Public Service†, Lagos: Cabinet Office February.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Long Distance Relationships Essay example -- essays research papers

Long Distance Relationships Relationships have been around since the beginning of mankind. There are many goals in life that people pursue and having a soul mate is one of them. One type of relationship that is practiced most among teenagers is long distance relationships. Due to the fact that so many teenagers fall in love so quickly and are immature, they will not let go of partners even though they may have to separate. Many people find it difficult to stay in one relationship for a very long time yet alone a long distance relationship. Long distance relationships in my view are the hardest to keep intact than any other types of relationships. Whether its interracial or interfaith relationships, it is a proven fact that the most difficult relationship to keep from falling apart are the...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

12 Step

12-Step/Mutual Support Group Meeting Directions and Requirements Read Chapter 10 in advance of attending the meeting. 1. Students should choose the type of meeting they wish to attend: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Reformers Unanimous etc. Look in Chapter 10 for a list of others. Often these meetings are held at churches, shelters, and helping agencies. They are offered at various times of the day and multiple times each week. Rocky Mount has some really great AA and NA groups but you may attend anywhere you choose. 2. Go online for a meeting schedule for your area.Google the meeting type and then your county/town for a full listing. 3. Choose an OPEN (O) or Open Speaker (OS or Sp) meeting to attend. Do NOT attend a CLOSED meeting as they are for members only. 4. Do NOT take notes or attempt in any way to record the meeting; you are there to observe. Taking notes has the potential to violate the anonymous nature of these group fellowships. Recording the meeting is a violation of privacy and law! 5. Be respectful by identifying yourself by first name only and as a visitor or by saying you are there to learn about the program if asked. . You are there to OBSERVE, so do not attempt to interview members of the fellowship. Attend the meeting and experience what the members offer through sharing. Stay for the entire meeting. 7. ————————————————- After the meeting, privately jot down some immediate thoughts and reactions to what you observed and learned. Use first names ONLY if you recount a members story. ————————————————- ————————————————- These meetings usually have light refreshments (coffee, cookies , etc. . Also, many of the fellowships are self-supporting, so a basket may be passed around at the end of the meeting to collect $1 from members. You may contribute $1 if you choose to, but you are not expected to do so since you are not a member. Simply pass the basket to the next person. Out of respect for the meeting process, please avoid getting up or moving around during the meeting (as in going to the bathroom, etc). Although I think the experience is more meaningful when students attend alone, you may elect to go with one nother person. Please do not attend in small groups which will only draw attention to yourselves and create a spectacle. At all times be mindful that you are entering a safe and sacred space for those who suffer from addiction. Meetings often begin and end with a prayer. If you are not comfortable joining in the group prayer, feel free to simply remain silent. In preparing the paper for submission you will need to address the following: 1. What were your th oughts, feelings, preconceived notions prior to attending the meeting. 2.Describe the demographics of the fellowship: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), gender, age, etc. 3. Describe the atmosphere of the fellowship, the meeting dynamics, and the group norms. How did the meeting progress? 4. Detail what you learned about those with chemical dependency, addiction, yourself, and your community through this event. What surprised you or impressed you? 5. How will your work as a social work practitioner or human service worker be impacted by what you have learned about 12-Step / Mutual Support Groups?Required: TNR 12 font, in-text references from the textbook with a reference page, and 4-6 pages of reflection and analysis tying back the experience of the meeting with the learning from the textbook and course. Upload the file in the DF in Moodle or email the Word document as an attachment through the student email account before the deadline. Late Policy applies to this assignme nt, so please submit it before the due date and time to insure the most points possible! Consult Moodle and the Course Outline for the deadline.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Best Buy Analysis Essay

Although Best Buy is an electronic consumer’s dream, they are facing two major threats: 1) The increasing number of competitors and, 2) The strong emergence of online retailing. I recommend that to address these issues Best Buy should close several â€Å"Brick and Mortar† stores and move to more of an online based strategy. Due to the low cost of online retailing, discount retailers such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target have been able to gain significant market share. Unlike Best Buy, Amazon does not have the overhead associated with â€Å"brick and mortar† stores, allowing them to significantly cut prices to challenge Best Buy in the consumer-electronics market. Best Buy has been called â€Å"Amazon’s showroom†, as consumers would often use Best Buy to sample products while ultimately buying them online. Closing â€Å"brick and mortar† stores and using the resources to push a broad cost leadership strategy would make Best Buy competitive against online retailers once again. Best Buy is the leader in customer satisfaction and the retail leader of its class. Since Circuit City went under, there is not a large, solely electronic retailer with showrooms creating more visibility. Increasing its brand value over 18% in 2009 alone, the prices must become more competitive so consumers will not take advantage of this and still buy elsewhere. Pushing an online based strategy to combat Amazon and Wal-Mart would lead to growth in the one facet of consumer electronics retailing in which Best Buy is lagging. Although human capital is a major asset for Best Buy, I recommend that expertise be moved to other areas of the company, such as Geek Squad, which has shown growth and profitability due to the increasing number of consumers who buy online and need assistance installing their electronics. In order for Best Buy to remain competitive in the future, allocating current resources effectively will be essential in cutting costs and developing a cost leadership strategy.