Central Nervous system &Metaphors

This essay explores the concept of an organization style metaphorically as professed by Gareth Morgan in his book Images of Organizations (1989). This essay provides examples of how the responsibilities and functionality of upper management within a corporation serve similar functions as to how the brain functions within the Central Nervous system. First, one must understand exactly what a metaphor is in order to understand how Morgan (1989) comes to his conclusion.A metaphor is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (2009). Morgan (1989) discusses how the brain is a metaphor for a company’s organization structure and behavior. He considers the organization as the brain and draws attention to the importance of information, learning, and intelligence, and provides a framework for understanding modern organizations . This style of organization has the capacity to be flexible and inventive with a continuous improvement mindset.The brain stores and processes enormous amounts of information in its parts simultaneously thus the end result being able to speak and walk. To understand the brain like metaphor we have to understand that the brain is made of two hemispheres. It is understood that the left side of the brain is the more logical, analytical and rational side, much like the strategy and finance side of an organization whereas the right side is more creative and emotional much like the marketing and human resources departments of an organization.Like the brain, an organization has areas that concentrate on particular parts of the business; however, the organization as a whole must work together. Each department can work on its own as can be seen in artificial intelligence such as Rodney Brooks' mobot (Morgan, 1989). The functions of an organization such as Marketing, Human Resources, Finance , Operations, and Information Technology have a series of processes which results in the function of whole organization. Each of these departments in an organization can be likened to a sensory input element to the executive â€Å"brain†.Marketing, for example, can serve as the â€Å"eyes† of the organization by providing input to the brain related to the business environment, supply and demand and other market elements important to the navigation capabilities of the organization. The Finance department acts as the â€Å"skin† by providing information about the financial atmosphere and environment of the corporate body. The Finance department â€Å"skin† can tell the corporate brain whether conditions are financially cool, or hot. Also, the †skin† can indicate whether the organization is acting in a manner that produces â€Å"pain† in terms of financial difficulties.Operations acts as the ears of an organization, providing information a bout the â€Å"balance† of the entire organization and allowing the brain of the leadership to issue the appropriate instructions to the organization to keep it moving without collapse. Human Resources acts as a taste mechanism for the organizational body, giving the brain an idea of the building blocks (personnel) that are being introduced to the organizational body. The IT department can be likened to the central nervous system. It is this department that maintains the flow of information to and from the â€Å"brain† of the organization.The metaphor of the organization as a body with the corporate officers as the brain can be further understood with respect to what happens when there are breakdowns in any one of the parts composing the organizational body. Failure of the Human Resource department, for example, can lead to the ingestion of organizational poison: workers who are not qualified for the jobs they are assigned. If the â€Å"skin† of finance fails, t he infection of debt may set in, causing necrosis to various parts of the organizational body.It is possible that such a result could result in a systemic infection that could kill the entire organization. The Operations department should malfunction; the entire organization could lose its balance and fall, destroying the organizational â€Å"brain†. Perhaps most significantly, the failure of IT to properly move information between the â€Å"brain† and the other appendages of the organization, the result is paralysis, as the messages the executive send get lost or misinterpreted. The organization-as-brain-and-body metaphor goes a long way toward explaining the interconnectivity of various aspects of organizations.All the component parts contribute information to the executive â€Å"brain† which can react quickly and guide the organization toward action that will make the most effective use of the information. The failure of any one of the component parts of the organizational body represents a hazard that threatens the organization as a whole, and the brain in particular. â€Å"Metaphor. † Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 17 April 2009

American Fast Food

The most popular American fast food products are hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and French fries. Fast food has become an important part of the American Food Culture for a long time. In fact, America is called a fast food country due to its strong fast food habits. According to some surveys, Americans spend more money on fast food than on education, new cars and computer software buying; 200 millions of Americans visit fast food restaurants weekly; nearly 90 percents of American children visit McDonald's every month. There are several reasons why this is happening. Firstly, as the industrialization and technology keep developing, Americans seem to be much busier with their life. As a result, they pay much less attention and less time for their meals. People need foods which require short time to get but still taste good. And those are exactly the characteristics that fast food has. Secondly, American culture is very individualistic. This individualism results in many people living alone at a very young age. And those who are single or living alone are more likely to rely on fast food, because they think it is simply a waste of time to spend 45 minutes cooking and cleaning for one or at most two meals for one person. Many in the average households of two, three, or four feel the same way about cooking. Thirdly, fast food is very convenient. They can be packaged and carried everywhere. In addition, you can easily find fast food chains even at mid-night. Moreover, fast food companies have even simplified the buying process by creating the drive-through restaurants, which allow customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. Next, fast food is usually cheap. It’s affordable for the consumers, especially when the economy is having a difficult time like these days. However, fast food is not good for our health. Fast food nutritional information shows that most meals contain high numbers of calories, saturated and trans-fats. In fact, you can eat all the calories your body needs for the day in one meal. Furthermore, you will actually receive very little nutrients from all of these calories. The white breads, sugars and animal fats that are packed into most fast foods contain very few vitamins and minerals. Eating these foods with tons of calories and fat on a regular basis leads to obesity. Obesity has become a big problem in America. Americans are heavier and unhealthier than ever before. This has led to millions of people suffering from threatening conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, reduced bone strength and many other health elated problems. For someone who consumes these too much, it may lead to liver failure due to the high amount of fat, salts and oil in it. Too much of fast food on a regular basis can make a person overweight due to the extra calories given in those foods. It affects the concentration levels in studies and other activities too. Although fast food has a lot of bad sides, Americans can not eliminate them due to its conveniences. In short, fast food is an important part of the Food Culture; it has become a way of life for many Americans.

Influence of Management Style on Creative Firms

Contents Contents2 Introduction3 Section One4 Management styles in creative firms4 Section Two6 Benefits and reasons of having a suitable management style6 Section Three8 Alternatives and comparisons8 Conclusion10 Reference Page11 Introduction By the definition from the book written by Howkins (2001), creative economy includes advertising, architecture, art, crafts, design, fashion, film, music, performing art, publishing, research and development, software, toys and games, television and radio, and video games.Nowadays, creative industries have become an important economic role in many developed countries, for example, America, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong. Take United Kingdom as an example, department for culture, media and sport (DCMS, 2010, p. 6-8) states that the creative industries contributed 5. 6% to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2008, excluding Crafts. In addition, DCMS also lists that creative industries provided 2. million jobs in the summer quarter of 2010 in Great Britain. Last but not least, creative industries exported 17. 3 billion services in 2008. Based on the statistics above, it shows that creative industries have a great contribution in British economy. Since creative industries are becoming more and more critical in a mature economy, it is fascinating to figure out what essential factors can lead creative firms to be successful.As a result, I decided to evaluate the factors that influence the management style for a creative firm since I am interested in business management and it would benefit my future studies in university This essay is mainly concentrated on the management style using in creative industries, the benefits of the management styles, and evaluating the connection between the successes and particular management style. This essay is divided into three sections. Firstly, the management tyles using in creative industries will be stated and discussed, the aim of this section is to find out the management styles in mo dern economy and hence, can be studied deeply in the section two. In section two, the benefits and the reasons of using a particular management style in the creative industries will be evaluated. The idea of this section is to work out the influence of management style on creative firms. Finally, in section three, alternatives of management styles and comparisons will be commented. In this section, different management styles can be compared; therefore the pros and cons can be accounted.Section One Management styles in creative firms In order to analyze the role of management in a creative firm, I am going to provide several management styles in some famous creative firms. By understanding the intermediates of the management styles, the importance of management for a creative firm can be figured out. In addition, we are going to go through some successful creative firms in the world for evaluating the elements of their successes, and try to make a connection between the achievements and the critical management styles.Media is the first example I am going to discuss. Howkins (2001) mentions that, media belong to the sort of creative economy. So the management style using in a media company does reflect the function of management style in creative firms. Bilton (2007, pp. 67-69) states that in 2000, there was a huge change of management style at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Before the succession attempted by Greg Dyke, there was a straight management style in the BBC by the pervious director general, John Birt.Bilton (2007) claims the management of Birt as old fashion since the structure in the BBC was a tall organization structure before 2000, which means that the management structure within the BBC was a tall hierarchy. Decision-making was from the top of the board of directors down to the employees. In addition, Bilton states that there was a â€Å"strategic centralization† inside the BBC. It means the board of directors had the absolute power in the BBC. Based on the example provided by Bilton, it is not difficult to see that the management style in the BBC was autocratic management.After the succession, Greg became the director general and there was a huge change in management style at the BBC. Bilton claims that as a new management style for the BBC. Describing by Bilton, Greg was a program-maker and the first thing he did after his arrival was making the BBC a more inspired and interesting place to work. All the employees were encouraged to give new ideas for perfecting the BBC. Under the entirely new management style, the employees were more willing to contribute their ideas to the senior managers.Bilton comments the Greg’s management style brought the BBC a new working culture and made the BBC â€Å"the most creative origination† in the world. Another example I am going to give is a software firm, Google. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Company in 1998. It has become one of the most su ccessful software companies in the world by having more than 25,000 employees and valued at more than 150 billion US dollars (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009, p. 3). Jackson, Schuler and Werner mention in their book that the management style, especially human resource management, appears as a critical factor in the success of Google.They show that the managers in Google highly respect the employees and provide as much as they could to the employees in order to stimulate their creativities. One of the evidence is that there is only five percent voluntary turnover rate of Google employees per year (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009); also, Google was the top five in the ranking of â€Å"the top 100 best companies to work for† in 2011 (CNN, 2011). Last but not least, Jackson, Schuler and Werner state that there are more than 1 million people apply to work at Google every year.All of the above show that the employees in Google have a great satisfaction. Jackson, Schuler and Wer ner show the importance of human resource management in Google. For example, they suggest that treating the employees as same as the company wants the employees to treat their customers is the philosophy of Google. They also claim that there is a strong connection between the business strategy and managing human resource in Google. By the examples provided above, it is not difficult to find that the management styles applied in creative industries have a direct impact on the performances of the companies.As a result, having an appropriate management style in a creative firm is a critical factor for leading the company to be successful. Section Two Benefits and reasons of having a suitable management style It is obvious that a suitable management style is a critical factor for leading a creative firm to be successful. In this section, the benefits of having an appropriate management style and the reasons of applying a particular management style will be discussed. Based on the exampl es given in the last section, the management styles applying in creative firms can be concluded as democratic and even Laissez-faire.Since the employees in the BBC and Google are both highly respected; in addition, the senior managers currently accept their opinions and ideas (Bilton, 2001; Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009). Therefore, the management styles in creative firms should be based on the satisfaction of employees because the creativities and ideas are the most valuable resource in creative economy; Florida (2002, p. xiii) has a similar idea that the creativity from human is the critical supply to the creative economy. Bamfield (2006, pp. 52-154) suggests that the function of management in creative firms is to stimulate the creativities and encourage employees to generate new ideas. Since creativity is a force for making a creative firm to be successful, therefore Bamfield also claims that the managers should provide a full support to employees in order to fulfill their sa tisfactions. Jackson, Schuler and Werner (2009) also support the similar idea, which the founders of Google concentrated on giving the employees everything they needed to create and innovate.Foote (2001) emphasize in his book that it is important to keep employees in an informal, open and friendly working environment. This can stimulate their creativity and ideas development. And he states that the manager cannot be too emotional with the employees, otherwise, it might affect the decision-making. Therefore, we can conclude that employees-based management style can have a positive impact on stimulating creativities, encouraging contributions, and generating new ideas and innovations. At the same time, the manager cannot be too emotional, which might lead to wrong decision-making.Comparing with the old-fashion management style, tall hierarchy, power centralization, and limits of decision making from subordinates, the new-management style (freedom, good communication between workers an d managers) is more suitable in a creative industry. Davila, Epstein and Shelton (2007) show that the successful development of younger electrical firms after World War 2 in Britain was benefited by used a more open mind management style and stimulated the innovations. On the other hand, older firms could not be successful because the old fashion of management style.This is because the old-fashion management style inhibits the innovative development. To conclude, an old-fashion management style (autocratic) is not suitable for creative economy because not only it contributes nothing to creations and innovations, but also worse it restrains the expansions of new ideas. Thus, a creative industry is hardly successful with an old-fashion management style. Last but not least, the satisfaction of labor is also a consideration of whether it is a suitable management style for a creative firm or not.Since Singh (2001) claims that a controlling style of management will lead the employees bein g passive. In order to control those passive employees, a more constricted control is needed. In this negative circle, a high labor turnover, low-morale, arguments or disagreements, low efficiency and poor sense of belonging to the company will be occurred. Singh gives an example that the managers from Mainland China applied an authoritarian management style and lead to the negative impacts mentioned above.In a conclusion, an unsuitable management style in a creative firm will conduct a huge negative impact to the industries. Section Three Alternatives and comparisons Management style plays such an important role in creative firms, how to pick a suitable management style should be the most difficult question to the senior managers in those creative industries. The information given above is a simple guideline to pick a appropriate management style since it mentions the management styles using in different kind of creative industries, some of them are famous all over the world.In add ition, it provides a wide range of benefits of different management styles and the conditions of using them. Actually, the management style that is suitable for a creative firm can be mainly divided into two big groups, one of them is democratic, and another one is Laissez-faire. These two management styles are quite similar to each other by the information provided in section one and two. The huge difference between these two is that democratic is described as more tructural and formal; on the other hand, Laissez-faire contains more freedom for workers and the structure of the company is more like an individual work force. Bilton (2007, p. 67) states that the management style in creative industries is similar to a ‘non-management’ management style, which means the managers are almost invisible in the management; however, the employees can still contribute a lot to the creative firm. The managers would not set the deadline of the products and the employees can finish th eir works a relaxing and creative way.Therefore, the products can be created in a high quality. Take Google as an example, the employees in Google are encouraged to do their creative pursuits and Google will even provide 20 percent of the workweek to them (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009). Compared with Laissez-faire, the management style inside Google is more like a democratic management. It seems that the founders of Google treat the employees as a kind of resources more than contributors to the company. The reason of claiming that is due to the strategic approach to managing the employees.It might seem like Google already has had a plan to deal with the employees. On the other hand, the real example of Laissez-faire is hardly found. It might be because the over freedom of management style cannot give the board of directors confidence of making profits; since the manufacturing of innovation and new creation is not secured under Laissez-faire. In addition, it is tough to get the investments from the investment banks or investors because the managers are not able to give a warranty of making a brisk sale product. As a result, Laissez-faire is hardly appearing in the modern creative economy.Stewart (2011) also suggests this idea and she gives a significant example of the failure of Laissez-faire in her journal. Conclusion To conclude, the management style does play an important role in creative economy and it is also a critical factor that can lead the industries to be successful or failing. By the examples given in section one, two management styles are mainly applied in creative economy, which is democratic and Laissez-faire. The reasons can be found in section two, one significant reason is that these two management styles can provide employees a better orking place that can stimulate their creativities and generating new ideas. In addition, a new and suitable management style can prevent the labor turnover since employees’ satifactions are fulfille d; also it can avoid the restriction of creating new ideas. Finally, in the modern creative economy, democratic management is mainly used. It is because the creation of products or services is more secured when comparing with Laissez-faire. Also, democratic management can give the board of directors more confidence and the investment banks as well.Therefore the creative industries can more easily apply the investment from the investors. Management style is an essential part on developing creative economy and has a significant impact on it. Reference Page Bilton, C. (2007) Management And Creativity: From Creative Industries to Creative Management, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd Bamfield, P. (2006) Research And Development in the Chemical And Pharmaceutical Industry, Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. Davila T. , Epstein M. J. , Shelton R. (2007), The Creative Enterprise: Execution, Westport: Praeger Publisher Foote C.S. (2001), The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic De sign Business, New York: Creative Business newsletter. Jackson, S. E. , Schuler, R. S. , Werner, S. (2009), Managing Human Resources, Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning Singh, A. (2001), Creative Systems in Structural and Construction Engineering, Rotterdam: A. A. Balkema Howkins, J. (2001), The Creative Economy: How People Make Money From Ideas, Penguin CNN Money (2011), 100 Best Companies to work for, [online] Available at: < http://money. nn. com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/full_list/> [Accessed 13 May 2012] DCMS (2010), Creative Industries Economic Estimates, London, UK: Department of Culture, Media and Sport, retrieved 9 December 2010 Stewart, H. (2011), Laissez-faire has failed us. Now we're getting panicky intervention. Guardian Observer, [online] 27 November 2011. Available at: ; http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2011/nov/27/laissez-faire-failed-panicky-intervention; [Accessed 14 May 2012]

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - Essay Example However, the disease epidemiology is incompletely understood (Rahman & Isenberg, 2008). The disease involves the production of IgG autoantibodies that are specific for self-antigens including DNA, nuclear proteins as well as cytoplasmic components. The disease, therefore, is characterized by inflammation, vasculitis, vasculopathy. Further, a deposition of the immune complex especially in the renal glomeruli leads to a systemic inflammatory response through activation of complement (C5), or of Fc{gamma}R-mediated neutrophil and macrophages. While the activation of former leads to the formation of membrane attack complexes (C5b-9) or anaphylatoxin and cell activator C5a; that of latter causes release of oxidants and proteases; both leading to injury (KEGG, 2009). The mechanism of the disease development has been proposed to involve an abnormal apoptosis followed by elevated levels of cell death and immune intolerance. Cellular antigen redistribution to the cell surface coupled with lym phocytes targeting them leads to injury and inflammation (Andrade et al., 2000). Treatment Diagnosis of SLE is based on the detection of high levels of antinuclear and other antibodies in the blood along with symptoms of SLE. The techniques used for the detection include urinalysis, CBC, ESR, complement levels, ANA (antinuclear antibody test) and other antibody tests, skin and kidney biopsy along with quarterly follow-ups. The treatment involves control of disease symptoms and is determined by the severity of the symptoms. Acute SLE involving CNS, cardiovascular and renal diseases are treated with high doses of intravenous steroids and cytotoxic therapy involving corticosteroids, immunosuppressives, antimalarials, and antipsychotic medication (D’Cruz, 2006). Prognosis Early detection is the key factor in the improved prognosis of SLE. Prognosis in severe cases to has shown marked improvement during the recent years as a consequence of aggressive treatments available. Common c omplications associated with SLE include deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, hemolytic anemia, pericarditis, endocarditis, myocarditis etc (Makover, 2011). Health Disparity SLE exhibits high correlation with women of childbearing age and therefore has been associated with exogenous hormone intake (Costenbader et al., 2007). Lower socioeconomic status further has been linked to higher disease prevalence as well as resultant mortality. Prevalence and Epidemiology The National Arthritis Data Working Group reports that approximately 250,000 Americans have SLE, the worldwide prevalence rates vary with race, being higher in people with African and Asian origins. The disease is more common in the female sex and in individuals within the age group of 20-40yrs. (D’Cruz, 2006).

English as an Academic Language in the UAE Research Paper

English as an Academic Language in the UAE - Research Paper Example Language education in such states is largely governed by Anglo-American undergraduate academic structures and language books. The general term employed to refer to the teaching of English language as a foreign language is ELT or English Language Teaching. Since the 1950s, ELT has expanded exponentially in order to provide quality English language education not only in Europe but in Asian countries as well. Today, English is a ‘world language’ and therefore the primary concern of ELT professionalism is to not only concentrate on the provision of world class linguistic skills but also to promote other pedagogical aspects of English language. Unfortunately, ELT has a number of political, cultural and social ramifications, some of which pose serious obstacles in the continuation of English language education in some of the prominent Asian countries such as the United Arab Emirates. (Wodak, R., & Corson, D.1997). The research paper concentrates on some of the major political, social and cultural issues surrounding the teaching of English at undergraduate level. Development of ELT: ELT professionalism evolved on the basis of diverse sources. One such source was the development of educational programs focusing on adult foreign language learning throughout the European countries and UAE. Another valuable source in the development of ELT was the exponential growth of anthropological and structural linguistics in the United States of America. Moreover, the influence of anthropological and structural linguistics development has not only been limited to the territorial boundaries of the United States but has also permeated and influenced the educational system of United Arab Emirates. The third most important source in the development of ELT professionalism was the education in British colonial states. An important aspect of ELT development in colonial states was: first, the development was a perfect reflection of the events that happened in the metropolis, an d second, it simply failed to address the cultural, political and social educational needs of the inhabitants of the vast British Empire. Thus, the colonized people were more or less treated as puppets loyal to the British officials. However, certain factors posed obstacles in the development of ELT professionalism. One such factor was the development of other European languages such as French. (Wodak, R., & Corson, D.1997). During the time the cold war broke out, Americans used English as an efficient and non-armed way to spread their influence. The federal government allocated a substantial amount of funds to be utilized in the development of English education around the world. The extent of American involvement in the development of English education can be analyzed by the fact that by 1949, more than 40 American agencies were dedicated to spread English education worldwide. Furthermore, US Information Agency together with many foundations such as Ford and Rockefeller played a de cisive role in the establishment of TESOL worldwide and also to include diverse resources in the profession of ELT. By the mid 1960’s, Ford and Rockefeller were involved in more than 38 countries to incorporate TESOL as an academic discipline. ELT professionalism basically involves traditional classroom activities including curriculum development, testing methods and teacher training programs.(Wodak, R., & Cors

Impact on second language learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact on second language learning - Essay Example rs: an innate capacity for acquiring language or Language Acquisition Device, containing the "universal" features found in all languages and the â€Å"critical or optimal age hypothesis.† Non- linguistic factors which are considered when talking about language acquisition are motivation, opportunity; and language learning ability. (Fantini & Reagan, 1992) According to recent studies (Dornyei, 2005) L2 motivational self system is the equation of the motivational dimension of "integrativeness/integrative motivation" with the "ideal L2 self which is person’s hopes, aspirations, desires or other desired attributes. If ideal self is interested in the mastery of an L2, then one has "integrative" disposition (according to Gardners (1985) terminology). (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005a) "Integrative" disposition supposes sincere interest in the L2-speaking community and its life, culture and routines. Integrativeness reflects a positive outlook on the L2 and its culture which makes learners desire to integrate themselves into the L2 culture and L2 speakers’ community. (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005) If the L2 community has no respect among learners – it is associated with negative characteristics such as poverty or crime - it provides less motivation for students to learn the language of this community. The researcher of attitudinal basis of language attainment Spolsky (1969) arrived at the conclusion: â€Å"One of the most important attitudinal factors is the attitude of the learner to the language and to its speakers" (p. 274 in Csizer & Dornyei, 2005) The attitude to community contains some constituents: attitudes toward having direct contact with L2 speaker or opportunity to travel to the country of origin and on the other hand cultural interest or appreciation of cultural products related to particular L2 and spread by the media - movies, music, magazines and books which provide indirect contact with L2 community. L2 cultural products play an important role in acquiring

Major Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Major Project - Coursework Example In addition, it affects businesses and government ministries across all countries in the world. Increased competition, which has been on the rise thanks to globalization and technological advancements, has led to increased employee turnover (Ucho, Mkavga & Onyishi, 2012). Globalization has increased demands on companies and for an organization to survive these pressures; it has to follow the best practices that ensure that its human resource is nurtured well. When the human resource is satisfied, chances are high that employee turnover would be reduced. It is worth noting that organizations must aim to trim down costs at all times and these include work force training as well as technological costs. Following increased employee turnover, it is impossible to cut the labor training costs because the organization would be on the lookout for new employees at all times. To replace an employee, an organization has to spend more than a third of the new employee’s salary according to United States Department of Labor. This leads to increased costs, which could be eliminated by reducing employee turnover (Chawla & Sondhi, 2011). According to Coomber & Barriball (2007), employee turnover is not an issue that affects the private sector alone; it also affects government ministries across the world. In Britain, National Health Service reports that the number of nurses who voluntarily leave their jobs per year is worrying. In 2003, nursing staff turnover was 9.4% in the country. Nurses play a critical role in the health of the public in any given country. Following the increasing number of people with chronic diseases, long life expectancy and advance in medical technology, the number of needed nurses is increasing every day. When the turnover is high, the remaining staff members are pressurized to cover the posts left vacant by the departed colleagues and this increases stress on the remaining staff. This in the end,

Canadas Social Welfare History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Canadas Social Welfare History - Term Paper Example The industries were witnessing lack of significant demand for their goods, resulting in providing layoff to their workers. With few primary products in hand and failure of high tariffs, the stock market crashed and riots initiated. The social services that were influenced by a political shift in Ottawa and in several provinces witnessed a fiscal crisis of unprecedented dimensions and deep cuts in social service funding. This in turn escorted to predictable crises in administration and service delivery with a national health care system in jeopardy, putting the unemployment level higher than ever, diminished career prospects for the young, lack of national identity and a steep decline in public confidence in the ability of government to cope effectively even with its basic tasks (Crane, 1994, p. 4). People lost confidence in government which was further accompanied by declining faith in the efficacy and trustworthiness of professionals of various kinds. The economic crises during late 1930s lead reform debates to criticize the department of public health, which acquired a budget of more than eight million dollars and responsibility for the survival of population of approximately 750,000 people. As a result reform advocates began to raise fundamental questions about the role of the state in health care and social welfare, as well as the balance of federal and provincial responsibilities. Such criticism and growing concern on the part of privately-owned health programs and public health services became a topic of debate during the 1935 provincial election, which was subsequently won by the Social Credit party (Ismael & Vaillancourt, 1988, p. 45). Government while recognizing that more intensive programs were required took steps to develop a plan for financing the increasing demand for a wide range of social services. Among significant steps to cope up with the economic crises, one step taken by the new government was to make local authorities responsible for both the hospitalization of their impoverished sick residents and for developing specialized health programs and services. There was a slow but steady development in the public health services sector and by 1951 it was increasingly evident that public health programs were needed throughout the province. The Health Unit Act of 1951 while realizing how badly social reforms were needed in the health care, divided provinces into geographic areas to be served by local health units. The Government was contented to allow each unit having its own board and administrative system and received up to 60% of its budget from the province (Ismael & Vaillancourt, 1988, p. 45). In 1935, when the Social Credit government established the Bureau of Relief and Public Welfare under the direction of the minister of Public Health, it successfully reorganized relief and welfare programs within the Department of Public Health. However the new Social Credit party made a substantial social, educational, and cultural progress from 1940s through 1960s with prosperity in welfare programs that the Department of

A critical review of the potential of certification to assist in the Essay

A critical review of the potential of certification to assist in the development of more sustainable tourism - Essay Example This is in respect to the varying types of tourism found in different destinations, including the unique presence of niche tourism segments, as well as mass tourism in general. Essentially, it regards the portrayal and upholding of specific values, which make a great global difference, not only in reference to the millions of global travelers, by also those directly impacted by existing tourism. Above all, it entails the observance of responsible tourism, which is aimed at making positive differences to tourist destinations, the local populations present, and fundamentally so, the environment. Sustainable tourism is essentially, the attempt of making the lowest possible impacts on not only a given region’s environmental ecosystems, but also the local cultures present. The culture aspect regards the traditions, way of life, folklore and heritage present, which uniquely identify such regions as distinct tourism destinations. In addition, as Mowforth and Munt (1998) portray, is the requisite aspect of job opportunity creation for the local populations, thereby enabling greater wholesome sustainability of such regions and destinations. The ultimate aim of this type of tourism is ensuring the development achieved, provides a foundation of positive experience, for not only the tourists and tourism companies at large, but also the local residents (Mowforth & Munt, 1998:44). Thus, sustainable tourism pertains to the adopted practices implemented in successful eco-tourism. As a term, sustainable tourism is often interpreted in oxymoron terms. This is informed by the fact that tourism as an activity, majorly depends upon, and continuously increasing air transportation (Mowforth & Munt, 1998:490). Unfortunately, this mode of transportation is linked to the contribution of significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. These are emitted from combustion, rising high into the stratosphere and hence contribute to the

Running Business in Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Running Business in Brazil - Essay Example Brazil is expected to invest US $18.4bn for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in 12 Brazilian host cities funding 50 projects (Portal Brasil, 2010). By the end of the 1990s Brazil was ranked tenth in global automotive producers as the nation was willing to experiment with a wide range of supply and production arrangements (Strategic Direction, 2005). Brazil is undoubtedly poised for growth ever since its foreign exchange policy is liberalized. It is moving towards becoming the fifth largest economy (Williams, 2011). However, all these pose a very glamorous image of the nation but businesses desirous of investing in Brazil need to get a complete picture of the benefits and pitfalls. Any disappointments could damage the credibility of the country that it is trying to build up. Economic situation There were more than 10 significant oil discoveries last year which has pushed the nation up in oil producer rankings (The Telegraph, 2011). Brazil is expecting a Tsunami of riches as Petrobras gets full production from the oilfields deep under the Brazilian Seas (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). This would help the nation overcome the repression and torture which impacted the living conditions. Flushed with excessive cash has its pitfalls. Its currency is the most overvalued and real-estate bubble is expected in Brazil as banks have extended risky loans (Lyons, 2011). Cost of doing business in Brazil has risen very fast. Brazil has abundance of natural resources and could be the world power but poor management and leadership have led to large debts (Balsom, n.d.). Economic growth in Brazil has been built on a very fragile structure as 10% of its population is completely illiterate and 68% functionally illiterate (The Brazil Business, 2011). Millions of students emerge from secondary schools without being able to write in English. What is astonishing is that it is socially accepted and expected that they would not learn anything in school. Unemployment in Brazil was 9.9% as of 2009 (McGladrey , 2010). However, through targeted social programs, through subsidizing house loans and raising the minimum wage the government has been able to pull more than 20 million people out of poverty (The New York Times, 2011). President Lula paved the growth that solidified the country and made it a significant player in the world. However, the next President again has not been able to win the confidence of the people. Thus, on the one hand while it has abundance of natural resources, a large industrial base, a huge population base, making the market attractive to investors, economic uncertainties make it difficult to improve its competitiveness or build a modern infrastructure (Austrade, 2001). Labor The nation has a large labor force but the workers are either unskilled or semi-skilled. There is a shortage of technical personnel. Labor unions can be militant especially in the metallurgical, automobile, banking and transport sectors (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2005). They make a significant force in the country. Fringe benefits and social security for the laborers is not very strong. However, foreign investors do not experience problems with labor because they follow local standards and practices. and the country has been the top producer/exporter of soybeans, cattle and beef products, and poultry. Major issues in doing business in

How Small Coffee Shops Can Succeed Using Social Media Essay Example for Free

How Small Coffee Shops Can Succeed Using Social Media Essay Everyone has a local coffee shop that they consider to be their favourite. That one place where they know they’ll be welcomed with open arms and the people behind the counter know their name (or at least their face). The place that even if their coffee costs almost double as much as Tim Hortons (Starbucks); that this is the place they’ll always recommend to their friends. A few years ago, it was nearly impossible for a local coffee shop to compete with the deep pocket coffee shops. Today, even the smallest cafe with the a very little marketing budget can compete. All they need – is a story worth telling and of course, a coffee worth brewing. If they have those, the clients will keep coming back – the main concern is usually getting them there in the first place. Here are some ways that social media can be used to help local coffee shops compete with the big players. Two Tweets and One Sugar As I write this post, twitter has become one of the biggest buzzwords of the year. However, the buzz isn’t unwarranted. Twitter is one of the largest social networking channels in North American consisting more than 15Million accounts. And while its still in its infancy; it provides businesses an unparalleled opportunity to communicate with consumers and current customers in real-time. So what does this mean for coffee shops? It means that they can communicate more effectively than ever with consumers. If that means setting up a search that tracks their brand and sending a simple thank you or going as far as taking a pre-order, so be it. Twitter gives these brands a chance to create a personal connection with their consumers and make their brand worth talking about. By being active in the twitter community an opportunity exists for coffee shops to offer their space for events such as tweet ups. Hosting these live events at your venue not only gaurantee that you’ll be selling your products, but also guarantees some buzz (tweets) about your brand. On top of that, some of these new customers were probably never in your shop in their life; however, because you got involved in twitter and hosted this event you were able to attract new customers to experience your shop. What more can you ask for? I’m glad you asked. How about 1 Blog Latte While blogging can be an important part of a social media strategy, its not worth having if you don’t have a strategy behind it. If your main goal is to develop an online community; it might be in your best interest to blog about different beans or maybe do a Wine Library TV segment – Coffee Style. However, if your strategy is focused around getting more butts in your cafes seats, it might be in your best interest to discuss offers on the blog. As great as a blog can be for an organization it can also be their downfall. A company that views their blog as being a great way to only talk about their brand and how great they are will never find readers. Well maybe they’ll have their spouse and employees; but customers won’t be interested. If you can provide your readers with something of value they will return. I often tell people looking to start a blog to try and offer the three E’s of Social Media. Entertainment, Education or Engagement An Extra Large Facebook Facebook has become the grand-daddy of them all when it comes to social networks. It has recently gone from being a questionable place to have your brand, to a necessity for many companies in the food industry. With its most recent changes to the facebook pages; it has become obvious that brand experience on facebook is back. Brands are now able to create facebook pages with more customization than ever and truly deepen their relationship with their customers. The frazzle-dazzle applications aren’t the only way for a local coffee shop to set itself a part from other stores. It can also use Facebook to promote other content that they have created. This means they can post links to their blog, videos, pictures and even coupons; reaching an audience that may not be present on the other social networking channels. With that said, we can’t forget the meat and potatoes that Facebook was built upon. The ability to get your message out to a number of people is one of the key reasons why businesses have found such success on facebook. Those tweetups we discussed earlier can easily be cross-promoted using a Facebook event. The opportunities available on facebook are great – its up to you, to turn them into something remarkable. Whose your Manager Mayor?! Foursquare is the new kid on the block in the social media world. It will be the most talked about social networking platform for the rest of this year and will definitely be playing a big part in several social media plans. James Hoffman explains on his blog why, You have people competitively visiting you, talking about you. More than that there is a pretty sensible business model in there too, meaning that foursquare could well be around in a few years. Coffee shops seemed pretty quick to embrace twitter, and it will be interesting to see if that experience has soured social media for them, or if they’ll embrace foursquare too. Something tells me that they’ll embrace foursquare like a seat-belt embraces impact. Mayorship TechCrunch One of my favourite tactics that coffee shops can use in Foursquare is promoting the idea of becoming mayor. The basics behind this tactic is that you tell the consumers that if they become the mayor of your shop they get their beverages for free. Seeing that there is an incentive now for going to the shop more and more – You’ve ultimately created a competition that will keep the people swarming your shop. The whole idea of providing customers with rewards for loyalty has been going on for years. This race to be the mayor however, takes customer loyalty, flips it upside down and turns it into a competition. Lets not get our Mochas in a Bunch With all that said, you must always remember your companies core strategy and goals. These channels discussed above may take a similar route as hi5 or geocities in a few years time. For that reason, it is important to not put all your eggs into one basket. Facebook is already talking about their new function that will be the â€Å"Foursquare Killer.† (Keep your eyes open) Finally, remember that the value you provide your customer in the store will always out weight the value you can provide them with a social networking tool. While its important to do things to get your customers in the door – its just as important to make sure they’ll want to come back.

North America Essay Example for Free

North America Essay Canada is located in the northern side of North America and it borders Arctic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Canada had an estimated population growth of approximately 33,212,696 as at July 2008. The highest population in terms of age structure was between 16-64 years with males recording a higher margin by 246,716. The population growth rate was estimated to be 0. 83% while the birth rate and death rates were 10. 29/1000 population and 7. 61/1000 population respectively. The ethnic groups living in Canada include those from the British Isles who form about 28% of the total population. Those with a French origin constitute a tune of 23% of the total population, 15% is made of American Indians, 6% are Arabs while approximately 26% are from a mixture of races or ethnic backgrounds. (CIA, 2008). Canada’s capital city is Ottawa and the government is a constitutional monarchy. One of the most distinguishing features in Canada is its multicultural diversity as well as an immigration policy that is very friendly to immigrants especially those with skills that can allow them fit well in labor market. This paper will focus on Canada’s multicultural diversity, immigration policy and her economy. In analyzing an economy, one addresses issues or features like the level of consumer spending, the exchange rate, the GDP, the GDP per capita, the GNP, the national debt, interest rates, level of inflation as well as the balance of payment. Sectors of an economy for instance primary like in agriculture, secondary like the manufacturing industries or even tertiary or the service sectors are also assessed. Canada’s economy according to the CIA is a market economy whose industrial development has overtime replaced the rural agrarian economy. Trade plays a very significant role in as far as Canada’s economy is concerned. CIA estimates that it contributes 1/3 of the total GDP. Canada is endowed with natural resources especially oil and gas as well as electrical power which places it at a better edge in terms of potential economic advancement. 2007 estimates have it that the GDP in terms of the purchasing power parity was $1. 271 trillion but on using the official exchange rates the figure rose to $1. 432 trillion. The real GDP growth rate was estimated to be 2. 7% while the per capita income was at $38000 in the same year. The service industry was the sector that contributed the highest in as far as GDP was concerned. (CIA, 2008). Agriculture contributed the least at 2. 1%. Other important economic indicators like unemployment rate stood at 6% as at 2007. The US was the greatest export partner as at 2007 and it stood at 79. 3%. Canada’s exchange rate was at 1. 0724 in 2007 in terms of Canadian dollars per the US dollar. 2007 statistics also had it that Canada’s external debt was $758. 6 billion; the public debt was 64. 2% of the country’s GDP while the current account balance stood at $12. 67 billion. (CIA, 2008). Factors that trigger immigration include globalization of markets, technological advancement especially in the communication sectors, affordable transport, safer and stable environments in terms of political, social as well as economic conditions. Canada embraces the talents and expertise that the immigrants bring to her which stirs her economic growth and advancement. The improved standards of living can be attributed to immigration. (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2008). Immigrants also place Canada at a better edge socially as her intervention is sought when addressing issues related to the protection of the disadvantaged for instance the refugees. (Dolin B and Young M, 2004) History has it that the immigrant friendly policies were encouraged by the government officials with the aim of increasing the countries population and consequently standing a better position economic wise. (Westhues A, 2006). The reduced population growth could be blamed on the decline in women’s fertility rates as they joined the labor force. Another reason behind the immigration policies was that with the increased standards of living, the life expectancy rates had risen sharply and the aged, a dependent population was increasing. The aged increases or rather raise a country’s dependency ratio and they are not economically productive. Immigrants are encouraged to provide a skilled work force to boost the economic growth. Others were encouraged and allowed to live in Canada due to family reunions. Unlike the US which applies harsh policies on immigrants within its jurisdiction Canada embraces or rather welcomes immigrants and statistics have it that to a tune of 13. 4 immigrants have been welcomed in a span of a decade. In 2001, it was estimated that approximately 18. 4% of the total population were not born in Canada. (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2008). The immigrants only work to enrich culture in Canada. It is estimated that Canada attracts a tune of 200 000 immigrants annually from across the globe. All institutions in Canada for instance the legal institutions are expected to treat all the citizens equally. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Government services, Canada treats all her citizens equally. It embraces multiculturalism. This way her citizens are proud of their origin without fear or shame as no race or ethnic group is considered as being superior to the other. Canadians are encouraged to live in harmony with each other regardless their racial background or origin. This arrangement allows all Canadians to have an equal stand in as far as the running of social, political as well as economic issues is concerned. The Canadian multiculturalism history dates back to the year 1971 when the multiculturalism act was officiated. (Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2007). Since then, Canada has witnessed the positive effects like reduced conflicts or violence, reduced discrimination while encouraging harmony and unity among her citizens. Since assimilation is not a problem for most immigrants, it enables them to easily fit in Canada while retaining or rather maintaining their identities. An all inclusive and accommodative approach would boost a country’s democracy and consequently pave way for development in all aspects. Diversity is embraced with the mentality that it will boost a better Canada both socially as well as economically. It is argued that diversity precipitates innovation, teamwork and creativity which are important factors to consider for growth to be realized. However Canada is still faced by some challenges that affect its economic growth and development. The issue of inequality is too significant to be ignored. The Aboriginal people continue to lag behind in as far as health, poverty, education, unemployment as well as suicide rates are concerned. (Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2007). The immigration policy in Canada faces much criticism from those who argue that it leads to the increased taxes on the incumbent citizen’s side. Statistics have it that recent immigrants will generally register lower wages as opposed to other citizens. This precipitates the need to put them on welfare schemes. The impact of immigrants on the local citizen’s wages is significant and cannot be ignored. Critics propose a reform in the selection of immigrants who are to live in Canada so that the burden in form of taxes is done away with. In his article ‘Immigration and the Welfare State in Canada: Growing Conflicts, Constructive Solutions’ Herbert Grubel pointed out that in 2000 the government spent a tune of $1. 4 billion while the figure rose to approximately $18. 3 billion in 2003 in form of immigrants welfare. A reform can ensure that immigrants are given temporary visas until they access the jobs they are skilled in instead of first gaining citizenship before they can secure jobs. Impose high taxes on incumbent citizens would reduce their disposable incomes and consequently reducing their purchasing power. Most refuges who make Canada their home or shelter are without the skills to make them competent in the job market and thus the need for government intervention in form of welfare. (Grubel H, 2005). In her article’ The potential impacts of immigration on productivity in Canada’ Alice Nakamura noted that the new immigrants are a potential threat to the country’s productivity levels. These fears arose due to the fact that newer immigrants registered reduced wages probably as an indication that they were less attractive to their employees. This could be blamed on the quality of their work. (Nakamura A, 2003). Concerns raised here were that by lowering the productivity levels the standards of living were also likely to dwindle. This paper has by and large explained the economic characteristics of Canada and it suffices to say that she has been doing well like other developed countries. The high standards of living are a clear indication of a successful economy. However the issues of inequalities need to be addressed such that no race lags behind in terms of economic welfare as well as the accessibility of social amenities. It is clear that the multiculturalism in Canada ensures freedom in participation of various sectors like in politics. The immigration policy is also to the country’s advantage but it is vital that effective measures are carried out such that the incumbent citizens are not taxed heavily to finance immigrant’s welfare. References: Alice Nakamura. 2003. The potential impacts of immigration on productivity in Canada. Anne Westhues. 2006. Canadian Social Policy: Issues and Perspectives. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Benjamin Dolin and Margaret Young. 2004. Canada’s immigration program. Retrieved on 23rd October 2008 from http://www. parl. gc. ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp190-e. htm CIA. 2008. The world Fact Book. Canada. Retrieved on 23rd October 2008 from https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca. html Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 2008. Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2005. Canadian Immigration: Building Canada’s Future. A Vision for Building Canada’s Future. Retrieved on 23rd October 2008 from http://www. cic. gc. ca/English/resources/publications/annual-report2005/section1. asp

Self-Assessment on Group Work

Self-Assessment on Group Work The End or The Beginning? Donald J. Peters Doug Flemming Introduction This module has served as a reminder that I should not give up on group interaction. I need to embrace the dynamics so I can be a better manager, leader and group member. We have learned about the significance of groups and that a large part of our professional life fundamentally relies on our group interaction skills. Improving group interaction skills can be very satisfying to all group members and advance the business organizational model as well. There are also some significant difficulties and hurdles intertwined with small group interaction. This makes groups a crucial focus for study, examination and action. The goal of this summary paper is to identify key concepts or topics that we have discussed, examine why we study group interaction, a self-analysis of our ability, and a discussion on how group OL313 is functioning. Topic 1 Discussion Background factors The first subject I want to discuss is background factors. By definition, background factors are attributes that existed prior to the groups formation and will probably endure after the group no longer exists. Some relevant background factors include personalities, age, health and values. Personality is one of the most important background factors in small group interaction (Tubbs, 2009). I am a member of a modification proposal working group and attend monthly meetings for my organization. In this working group, we discuss issues and the perceived failures of the modification proposal process. The normal attendees from the Tinker AFB location include both government and civilian employees who were purposely selected by the working groups senior member and government manager. There are various subject matter experts who also attend based on leaderships selected topics and questions. I was directed to attend and support this working group as I have been anointed the subject matter expert for these issues. My office has the responsibility to receive the modification proposals from the initiator and insure approval in a timely manner. Often this is not as easy as it appears. The working group chairperson is one of the high-ranking government employees in our building. Questions are asked at the meetings and the answers are not listened to. These processes are documented by the Air Force and there is very specific guidance detailed in the instructions. It is my observation that the chairperson has a need to control or influence the process to the point that it is interfering with the outcomes of the group. Due to my perceptions of the chairperson and the group in general, this meeting is basically a time killer for me. I continue to provide information as requested but I no longer have the patience to deal with the point counter point discussions which keep the process moving in a circle. There have been interactions with other group members who have noticed that there is a difference in my attitude when I attend this meeting. I would say I need to do a better job of camouflaging my attitude while attending this meeting. I dont believe I can bypass my attitude without engaging the source. Personality appears to be the most relevant background factor in this situation. It appears that the chairperson has trained themselves to look for opportunities for improvement without regard for the documented process. I was trained to follow the documented process for repeatable, sustained results. I have conceded that the documented processes may be too restrictive for our purpose, but there is also a process to seek relief from said restriction. Situationally, I have determined that this could be a personality issue, at least on my part. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular method of measuring personality, revealed that I demonstrated a high tendency towards introversion. Some of the ways introverts are described include, more reserved, like to be alone and more focused. I have learned, that although I dont see this as my fault, I have been a contributing factor to the problem or issue at hand. I have been a hindrance to the working groups goal of resolving the modification proposal issues. I have set a personal goal to try and resolve this conflict. I may not be able to fix a problem within a working group but I should be able to control my actions and set an example to follow. Topic 2 Discussion Circumstance and Structure I work in a windowless building but the technology used in some of our conference rooms is our window to the world of the B-2 bomber. Normally the atmosphere of the building I work in feels restricting. A dreary place where the atmosphere never changes. The conference rooms however, are very well maintained and tastefully decorated. It gives off a good vibe when you attend meetings in these conference rooms and I believe it effects the way people act and react to the information discussed in these venues. The meetings that I normally participate in take place in three large, well maintained conference rooms located throughout the building. There are normally several large rectangular tables set up in a horseshoe design and the chairs are very comfortable. The horseshoe layout allows dignitaries or the head of the meeting to sit at the head of the table. This position allows all participants to view the leader of the meeting. Due to the number of personnel, there is an overflow area established on both sides of the tables. One large advantage we utilize in our conference rooms is the ability to video teleconference (VTC) between geographically separated units. The attendees can view each locations speaker if they share the same equipment architecture. The conference rooms also have the capability to push briefing slides, normally power point, across multiple locations and that ability allows all participants to share data. I enjoy the capability to observe the VTC briefers as they provide their information to the group. It helps me remember that they are people like me, and not just another voice with a tasker or an assignment. The VTC capabilities also help to reduce travel expenses that would otherwise be accepted as the normal cost of doing business. During the last five years, I have noticed that people tend to sit in the same locations when attending meetings in these conference rooms. I also sit in the same locations depending on the meeting content and my role during the meeting. There are meetings when I am required to brief information to the group and its during those meetings when I sit at the table. That seat is as close to the VTC camera as possible so I am off camera to the group, but located near a microphone so I can be heard. Another meeting I attend puts me more in a support role and I try to sit away from the table, but close enough to the briefer to assist with questions or clarifications. These perceived seating assignments appear to be accepted as the norm by all attendees. I have needed to sit in other locations than my normal place and there have been times when the meeting chair did not think I was in attendance. The size of the group does have an impact on discussion. Smaller groups, less than ten, appear to be more relaxed and willing to facilitate the exchange of ideas or speak up when required. The larger groups, to include the offsite attendees, lose focus on the discussion topic and start sidebar conversations. Theses sidebar conversations can be very distracting and limit the exchange of ideas and reasoned answers to topics at hand. I personally think I perform better in the smaller groups and need their feedback to help my performance. The larger groups are a challenge for me as I dont always know who the players are and how they normally function. It appears or feels as if there is no cohesion or unity. The communication network that I see demonstrated during these meetings, using our wonderful VTC system, is the wheel. In this case the leader is viewed as the central person, or hub of the wheel and all communication and comments must pass through the hub or leader (Tubbs, 2009). The leader of the meeting is in control of the technology and responses are restricted to the leader of the meeting. The other offsite users appear to manage their meeting in the same fashion. I think it works very well in preventing people talking over one another while using the technology. The ability to have productive meetings is related to many different factors. From the setup of the conference room tables to your territorial seat at the meeting, these influences can contribute or impede the groups ability to operate. Some organizations have grown very adept at the use of this technology and I feel that its use provides everyone with more feedback on the items discussed. Although it appears our leade rship is using a restrictive communication network described as the wheel, it seems to work well for the groups using this technology. Why Study Group Interaction At the basic level interaction is simply communication. Small group interaction is the process by which three or more members of a group communicate, verbally and non-verbally, to influence one another (Tubbs, 2009). Why does an organization or individual need to educate themselves about interaction? The answer appears to be straight forward in that almost every business requires some form of interaction or communication. For that communication to be successful, it requires certain skills and capabilities. The continued study of communication will refine your skills and competencies which, in turn, will allow you the opportunity to become a more effective manager, leader and team member. This knowledge can save the organization time and limit expenditures. Self-Analysis The first thing that comes to mind is how much time has passed since I have been in a classroom. The experience has initiated a reassessment of my abilities as a student, learner and team member. As a student, I realize I need to improve my study skills and practice interaction daily. After retiring from the military, I intentionally sought out employment that would limit interaction. I did not want to be in leadership or management as I did not want to have that responsibility again. As I have progressed through the current company, I require those skills once more if I hope to be promoted. My ability to learn has not changed and for that I am thankful. But knowledge application has suffered. This course has shed light on some communication issues I am experiencing at work and that identification has led me to a new goal. That goal is to participate in the process through interaction and communication. Im not sure if I can reverse any of the negative interaction trends I have noticed, but I am sure I want to be a person that contributes, not a person that detracts from the group goals. Once I wrapped my head around what the professor expected and the teaching style, I enjoyed the class. I am a slow starter with new information but my interest in the subject matter increased with each week of instruction. Group OL313 Another module down and the group is that much closer to completing the objective of a college degree. I dont presume to know what the rest of the class thinks but I for one am very comfortable being part of this group. The fact the most of us have either had military experience or have worked close to the military complex seems to be the one thing we all share; other than being human I mean. I do not recall one instance where we had an issue within the group. As the oldest member of the group, I have faced technology challenges during instruction. Everyone in OL313 has helped or offered to help me sort out those issues. There have been several in our group who appear to have shown a marked improvement in communicating and interacting. It has been a pleasure to witness those changes for the better. I appreciate working with a group of this caliber and look forward to the few months we have remaining in this program. Conclusion To conclude, I have briefly discussed the background factor of personality and that it is the one of most important factors to small group interaction. Personalities exist prior to group formation and will likely remain the same after dissolution. The topic of structure was addressed with discussion centered on seating arrangements and technology. A brief self-analysis of my skills and where I think I need to go from here; as well as some thoughts on why we need to study small group interaction. And finally, I closed with analysis if how I think the OL313 group is performing. References Tubbs, S. L. (2009). A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Most Despicable Character in Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet :: Glengarry Glen Ross

The definition of a despicable character is someone who is so worthless or obnoxious as to rouse moral indignation. This definitely fits the description of some of the characters in the play Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Glengarry Glen Ross is a play about real estate salesmen who are basically conmen that always just work toward getting the deal closed, whether or not the customer is happy with the deal. They fit the stereotype of car salesmen, always trying to get the deal closed with the customer walking away feeling that they paid way too much. Dave Moss is one such salesman, except that he is the most despicable among the entire group. In a scene of the play this guy actually has the guts to try to blackmail one of his fellow salesmen; a fellow friend. The conversation starts out as would any among friends, bsing about work or not getting paid enough. Then Dave slowly introduces the topic that their bosses are greedy and selfish, to plant the seed of distrust. They talk about this for a bit but then get around to what â€Å"somebody should do.† Dave says that â€Å"someone† should pay them back, and this leads into robbing the office. He talks about the logistic s of this, that they would get a dollar fifty for each lead and such, but disarms the tense situation, saying that we were just â€Å"talking† about it. But he slowly leads into that he is actually planning on it, and wants Aaronow in on it. He then says that if he does it and Aaronow isn’t in then he would call him as an accomplice, trying to manipulate him into helping; a fellow friend. The best part of this blackmail is that not only is he going to rob his workplace, he’s going to sell out to another team of salesmen.

Essay --

Ethics can be defined as moral principles for living and making decisions. Ethics means doing the right thing but that can be difficult for so many people. A part of any god ethical system is the pursuit of the truth. Postmodernists have no belief that there is no absolute truth that exists in the world today, and if it is possible they feel like its not going to be attainable or easily grasped. Mail delivery is an example of how we take for granted the daily service we expect to our homes whether it be of a pony express or more of today how it’s distributed. Culturally speaking times have certainly changed; we have made significant progress in almost everything we do. (Larry Z. Leslie pg. 31) Respect in research means showing concern and appreciation for the worth of someone or something. The researcher should follow a set of guidelines that are suitable for use. Although there are those who resist rules there are some that are used to make sure your acting in an ethical mann er, they are as follow: ==> Select a design appropriate. ==> Carry out the design. ==> Record data or other i...

Ghost Story of the Jamesport Manor Inn, Long Island, New York :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

Jamesport Manor Inn, Long Island, New York The storyteller is a 65 year old Hispanic woman from Riverhead, New York. I collected the story over the phone on April 2, 2006. She started off by telling me that the story took place in 1988 on Long Island. Her landlord had told her about a wonderful restaurant that she just had to go to, so on a Friday night the storyteller and her husband decided to try it out. When stepping up to the Jamesport Manor Inn she had a creepy feeling just from looking at the old mansion. She claimed that it had an eerie sort of feel to it and obviously did not look like a typical restaurant. Although she had just recently moved to Jamesport, she lived most of her life on Long Island and was surprised she had never heard of the restaurant. She began asking her waiter some questions about how new the restaurant was and about the owner and such. She was told that the mansion was built in the 1800s and was obviously somewhat restored. It was recently purchased by a local townsperson and had somewhat recently opened up. The waiter began teasing that the mansion was supposedly haunted because it was so old and there were generations of families who lived and died in the house. He was new to the restaurant but the chefs and other staff at the restaurant claimed they could hear people walking around and opening and closing doors. He told her that the staff generally liked to leave at the same time of night to avoid being alone in the mansion, being that it was haunted. The waiter made a point of claiming that everyone else says it’s true as well. He had never hear d the ghosts, but he was sure they existed in the mansion. My first attempt at finding information was by typing in â€Å"Jamesport Manor Inn + ghosts† at the search engine Google. I found an article from The Suffolk Times, a local newspaper about the rebirth of the Jamesport Manor. It included a picture of the mansion with its owners, and there was a brief paragraph on the suspicion of ghosts roaming the area. â€Å"As for tales about ghosts and later use as a house of ill repute, Mr. Whines laughed and said, ‘I’m a trained historian, so I can’t tell you about that.

Juvenile Crime and Parenting Education

â€Å"Will Teaching Parents how to Parent decrease Juvenile Crime† What Is the Best Evidence Based Program that can be Implemented and Successful In Reducing Juvenile Crime By Vanessa Figures Capable University Dry. Linda Samuels Table of Contents I. Abstract II. Problem Statement Ill. Introduction ‘V. Conclusion V. Annotated Bibliography A. Juvenile Crimes and statistics B. Support for parental education & Importance of parents In reducing Juvenile crime. C. Opposition to parental importance in reducing juvenile crime D. Theories VI. References Abstract There are 70. Lion juveniles in the united States, of those 1. 7 million juveniles committed crimes in 2010, Many theories and evidence based research exist that support and oppose the importance parents play in a juvenile's life. There are many factors in determining behavior and its causation and no â€Å"one† solution will stop juvenile crime. One common theme is found in research studies on Juvenile crime, and Its prevention, and that Is educating parents on parenting can reduce Juvenile crime. What theories work and Is their concrete evidence wealth research to support the parental interventions?Problem Statement: Juvenile Crime and parenting education: Will teaching parents how to parent decrease Juvenile crime? What parenting method works best In nurturing and providing the needs of the Juvenile, and what evidence based theoretical program exists that can intervene? Introduction In the United States there are 70. 5 million Juveniles under the age of 18, of those in the past year 1. 7 million have been involved with the â€Å"Juvenile Justice System†. In the last one hundred years the Juvenile system has used an offender based approach to along Walt Juvenile crime. Away as our closely NAS change Ana ten clientele understanding of behavior has improved there is a great need to find evidence based answers (Hinting, Sims, Adam & West, 2007). The Justice system has changed over to a n offense based approach that seeks to find solutions, but the offense is the end result of choice and behavior. The Juvenile offender needs to be the focus, many research studies site that lack of parental education is part of the problem, so it goes without saying that part of the solution should be parental education (Hinting, Sims, Adam & West, 2007).There are psychological, physical and biological factors in determining the best prevention method in Juvenile crime. The younger the offender the more likely they will continue in a life of crime. Palermo, (2006), sites parental monitoring, consistency, and ability as factors in determining the risk of Juvenile delinquency. Criminal behavior does not Just start one day, anti-social behavior is nurtured by environmental, biological, sociological, and parenthetical factors.The Juvenile Justice system uses many evidence based methods, one such method is the use of â€Å"Risk Assessment†. Is their validity in the use of risk ass essments in determining the carcinogenic factor and the propensity to re-offend? Does parenting lay a factor in Juvenile offenders and their likelihood of re-offending? Many factors are studied and supported, however there are unreliable statistics within the research field. However; one common theme appears to play a formative foundational role in Juvenile carcinogenic behavior.That is the role of the parent and the lack of consistent, nurturing, structure, and monitoring parenting abilities (Webster, MacDonald, & Simpson, 2006). In a study completed by Monsoon, (2004), findings showed that the need for parental education in character building is not only necessary, but imperative. The study does not stop with the parents, but also shows that Juveniles also need strength based character training. The objective of this training is to strengthen the characters of the parent and Juvenile by teaching hope, kindness, social intelligence, self-control, and perspective.The study purports that strengthening these positive character traits in Juveniles and their parents will not only provide a strong foundation, but also buffer the negative effects of tension, and trauma, thus preventing extenuating disorders that can introduce itself due to the negative actions of others in the Juvenile's life. Character strengths are here defined as a family of positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors† (Monsoon, 2004). When parents are not educated they are left with parents whose parenting skills are skewed, inconsistent, and/or non-existent.The importance of communication and education between the Juveniles and parents cannot be stressed enough. Further when a Juvenile's behavior causes stress in parents then the outcome is a behavioral circle where the Juvenile acts out, causing the parents behavior toward the Juvenile to become negative and this continues over and over again. These factors all play a role in the carcinogenic factor of Juvenile delinqu ency (Stewart, Simons, Conger, & Carmella, 2004). There are many research studies that put the inability of a parent to parent as a major role in the determination of Juvenile delinquency. Never, Culled, & Agene, (2006) article contends that â€Å"bad parenting† is a carcinogenic factor in causes for delinquent juveniles. Many who have researched this topic have agreed on this fact, but what constitutes a â€Å"Dad parent' Research snows Tanat many Doctors go Into ten explanation; two main theories are focused on in this study; low self-control and preferential association and social learning and their competing accounts of why bad parenting matters. Juveniles will follow the social norms they are around; there is a kind of conforming even when their life at home may be far different from that of their social crowd.Juveniles that have low self-control will ultimately seek out anti- social structures and will either lead or follow those structures. Unfortunately most of the t ime Juveniles are followers that are looking for acceptance and support. When those needs are not received at home Juveniles will look for it elsewhere, The robber with this is many social settings that offer this support are gangs, adult criminals and anti-social peers (Never, Culled, & Agene, 2006). There is empirical evidence to show that there is a strong link between parental mismanagement and Juvenile delinquency.This study believes that parental education is a necessary support system that will reap great rewards not only to families but their communities as well. The Justice system believes that using court sanctions will deter Juveniles from crime and recidivism. However this has an affect not only on the Juvenile, but the parent as well. This study suggests that the Justice yester look to build the Juveniles strengths and their families and this will eventually reduce Juvenile crime in our nation (Never, Culled, & Agene, 2006).Not all research agrees that parents are the f oundational source necessary to decrease juvenile crime. In a study completed by Barry, Brick, & Grandma, (2008) does not support, that parenting is the cause of delinquent behavior. There has been much research into parenting skills, ability, positive, negative etc. , but there have been few research studies completed on understanding the internal and external emotional behavioral functioning of Juveniles extensively enough. In this study, they attempt to show that even if a child grows up under inadequate parents this does not preclude that they will become delinquent.The study sites the need for multiple research studies on psychological and behavioral factors, not Just outside factors (Barry, Brick, & Grandma, 2008). Theory should be testable, coherent, economical, generalized, and be able to explain findings. These characteristics serve as a primary function of theory and that is to generate new ideas and new discoveries. There are a few evidence based theories being implemente d within the Juvenile justice system (Higgins, 2005). Two theories that are being successfully implemented are Dry.William Classer's â€Å"Choice Theory' and Dry. James Alexander â€Å"Functionalist Theory'. These theories have been use for the last 6 years successfully in motivating behavioral changes in parenting and Juvenile behaviors (Adler, 2008). This theory believes that all behavior comes from within, that the choices we make start with our needs at that time. â€Å"Choice Theory' has five needs that are intrinsic and the root cause of the observed behavior. These are to survive, belong and be loved by others, have power and importance, freedom and independence, and to eave fun.These desires within generate behavior and desires. Juveniles that are socially broken and have not been taught self control, limits and social norms are more inclined towards crime. The theory works on the social structure of the Juvenile and their families and facilitates their own ability to see where the problems are and work towards strengthening the weak areas (Burdens, 2010). Brand, Lane, I runner, I-Alan, & Sense , (u/) completed a pilot program to research Intervention Tanat sought to improve parental communication and social peer choice.The study was lull in the end, but there were positive changes within the control group in better communication and spending time with their parents. The Juveniles also felt closer to their parents and had more trust in them overall. The researchers sited that level of program intensity, implementation issues, and other problems inherent in doing this type of research are provided as possible explanations for the lack of differences. In another similar study completed by Prone, Sullivan, Pratt, & Maryanne, (2004) observed more positive outcomes from their study.The site that many studies have en completed, but they fall short in their ability to truly represent a national sample of youth and levels of delinquency. â€Å"The Self Con trol Theory' has been widely accepted, this study sought to show that â€Å"Self Control Theory' in and of itself is not a predictor of Juvenile delinquency. Rather many factors such as parenting ability are just as predictive and supported. Conclusion In order to find and implement strong evidence based program in educating parents on parenting, much research and interviewing has been completed.There are hundreds of articles that substantiate that parenting ability is one of the nutritional factors in predicting Juvenile crime in the United States. There are few articles that challenge the findings of these research studies. One such study stated that there have been few research studies completed on understanding the internal and external emotional behavioral functioning of Juveniles extensively enough. That without such studies it would be wrong to strongly state that parenting is a major factor in Juvenile crime (Barry, Brick, & Grandma, 2008).Dry. James Alexander founded †Å"Functionality Therapy' this therapy works on the premise that when a Juvenile is put into a program for an extended time and take from their implies that change occurs. The problem is that when the Juvenile comes home he/ she comes back into the same environment they left. This causes chaos and confusion within the Juvenile, â€Å"Functionality Therapy' seeks to help the family see their strengths and work on those strengths together with the Juvenile (.This program was started in 1972 and is now used nationwide in the United States and abroad. â€Å"Functional Family Therapy' (FT), has provided significant and long-term reductions in youth re-offending and violent behavior, effectiveness in reducing sibling entry into high-risk behaviors, Low drop-out and high completion rates, and Positive impacts on family conflict, family communication, parenting, and youth problem behavior. â€Å"One of Fat's hallmarks is its ability to fit an array of service delivery settings where at-ri sk adolescents are served.The robustness of the model has resulted in numerous adaptations of the traditional FT model; as a case management practice for Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers (OFF), as a comprehensive Child Welfare intervention (FT OCW), and as part of a continuum of evidence-based programs within Juvenile Justice† (Brand, Turner, Fain, & Shall, 2007). The continuing research into this program and its ability to fit into the immunity will be implemented in the coming weeks in order to ensure that the program will indeed help to reduce Juvenile crime and recidivism in the â€Å"Juvenile Justice system†. O Tar ten research does support TN e Y I Model an successfully within the system. Annotated Bibliography l. Juvenile Crimes and statistics TTY to work Hinting, J. , Sims, P. , Adams, M. , & West, C. (2007). Juvenile Justice a system divided. Retrieved from Capable University library on 1/23/11 from. Http:// www. Supplications. Com A. The â€Å"Juvenile Justice System† is divided in deciding which type philosophy to follow. The offense-based approach compared to the offender-based approach on which the Juvenile Justice system was founded.Where do the family and community fit into this philosophy? Palermo, G. (2006). Editorial: Juvenile crime: A renewed suggestion for prevention. Retrieved from Capable University library on 1/25/11 from. Http://I]o. Seepage. Com/content/ 46/6/627 B. There are psychological, physical and biological factors in determining the best prevention method in Juvenile crime. Atone time the ages between 18-35 were well known as the ages that most crimes are committed. Today the offenders are such younger, the younger the offender the more likely they will continue in a life of crime.Parental monitoring, consistency, and ability are also a factor in determining the risk of Juvenile delinquency. Webster, C. , MacDonald, R. , & Simpson, M. (2006). Predicting criminality? Risk factors, neighborhood influence and distance. Retrieved from Capable University on 01122/11 from. Http://www. Supplications. Com C. What is the validity of risk assessments in determining the carcinogenic factor and re-offending? Does parenting play a factor in Juvenile offenders and their likelihood of re-offending?Many factors are studied and supported, however there are unreliable statistics within the research field and this article shows how this affects the role of parent and Juvenile delinquency. II. Support for parental education & importance of parents in reducing Juvenile crime. Monsoon, P. (2004). Character strengths and positive youth development. Retrieved from Capable University library on 01/21/11 from. Http://www. Supplications. Com A. This article supports both parental and Juvenile education; the goal is to strengthen the characters of both by teaching hope, kindness, social intelligence, self-control, and perspective.The objective purports that strengthening these positive character traits in J uveniles and their parents will not only provide a strong foundation, but also buffer the negative effects of tension, and trauma, thus preventing extenuating Lassoers Tanat can Introduce Itself Owe to ten negative actions of others in the Juvenile's life. â€Å"Character strengths are here defined as a family of positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors†. Stewart, E. , Simons, R. , Conger, R. , & Carmella, L. (2004). Legal sanctions beyond the international relationship between delinquency and parenting practices.Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Retrieved from Capable University Library on 01/21/11 from. Http://www. Supplications. Com B. The article shows parents whose parenting skills are skewed, inconsistent, and/ or non-existent produce delinquent Juveniles. The article goes on to state the importance of communication between the Juveniles and parents. When a Juvenile's behavior causes stress in parents then the outcome is a behavioral ci rcle where the juvenile acts out, causing the parents behavior toward the Juvenile to become negative and this continues over and over again. Maneuver. , Culled, F. Agene, R. (2006).Why is â€Å"bad† parenting carcinogenic? Implications from rival theories. Retrieved from Capable University library on 01/20/11 from. Http://yam. Seepage. Com/content/4/113 C. The research for this article contends that â€Å"bad parenting† is a carcinogenic factor in causes for delinquent Juveniles. Many who have researched this topic have agreed on this fact, but what constitutes a â€Å"bad parent†? This research shows that many factors go into the explanation, two main theories are focused on in this article; low self-control and differential association and social learning and their competing accounts of why bad parenting matters.

Themes in “Night” by Elie Wiesel

THemes 1. ) Man’s inhumanity to man Removal of human looks that defined who they are * Same uniform * Cut hair to remove individuality. * â€Å"In a few seconds we had ceased to be men† 37 * â€Å"I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name†42 The harshness of the camp quickly transformed them into selfish indifferent people * â€Å"I had not even blinked, only yesterday I would have dug my nails into the criminals flesh† 39 * â€Å"you’re killing your father†101 * â€Å"The old man mumbled something, groaned and died. Nobody cared† 101 * â€Å"I shall never forgive myself.Nor shall I forgive the world for having pushed me against the wall, for having turned me into a stranger, for having awakened in me the basest, most primitive instincts. † Xii * â€Å"In this place, it is every man for himself, and you can not think of others. Not even your father. In this place there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend. Eac h of us lives and dies alone. † * â€Å"All of a sudden, this pleasant and intelligent young man had changed. His eyes were shining with greed† The inhumane treatment of Jews â€Å"He looked at us like a pack of leprous dogs clinging to life† 38 * â€Å"If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog† 85 * â€Å"Two cauldrons of hot, steaming soup had been left untended†¦ supreme temptation â€Å"59 * â€Å"Hunger was tormenting us; we had not eaten for nearly six days† 114 * â€Å"We had been 100 or so in this wagon. Twelve of us left it† 103 * The removal of the Jew’s rights were the first sign of discrimination 2. ) Faith and Loss Loss of human life and integrity * â€Å"Those whose numbers had been noted were standing apart, abandoned by the whole world. 72 Faith in God and themselves made them stronger * â€Å"if only he could of kept his faith in God and considered this suffering as a divine tes t, he would not have been swept away by selection† * Have faith in life†¦ by driving out despair you will move away from death† 41 * â€Å"a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed. Oh God master of the universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu’s son has done. † * â€Å"we mustn’t give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads. † Loss of faith in God made them weak â€Å"Where is God†¦ hanging here from the gallows† 65 * â€Å"My eyes had opened and I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God, without man. Without love or mercy. I was nothing but ashes now† 68 * â€Å"But as soon as he felt the first chinks in his faith, he lost all incentive to fight and opened the door to death† 77 * â€Å"I have more faith in Hitler than anybody else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises to the Jewish people. † 81 * â€Å" I suffer hell in my soul and in my fleshà ¢â‚¬ ¦ how can anybody believe in this God of mercy† 3. ) Kindness in adversity Helping each other out in times of need Elie’s father made sure Elie didn’t â€Å"fall asleep forever† in the snow despite his exhaustion. Pg 88 * The French girl risked her life by saying to Elie in almost perfect German, â€Å"don’t cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come but not now†¦ wait. Clench your teeth and wait† * â€Å"Elie even gave his dying father extra rations, despite being told to â€Å"stop giving your ration of bread and soup too your old father†¦ in fact you should be getting his rations. † * Working through the struggles together see father son relationships Elie and father * â€Å"No.You’re eighteen†¦ Not fifty. You’re forty. Dou you hear? Eighteen and forty. † 30 4. ) Father/son relationship * Elie and his father * Elie’s father made sure Elie didnâ€⠄¢t â€Å"fall asleep forever† in the snow despite his exhaustion. Pg 88 * â€Å"my father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me† 87 * â€Å"I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support. † * â€Å"Elie even gave his dying father extra rations, despite being told to â€Å"stop giving your ration of bread and soup too your old father†¦ in fact you should be getting his rations. † * Rabbi Eliahu and his son â€Å"side by side they had endured the suffering , the blows; they had waited for their ration of bread and they had prayed† pg 91 * â€Å"he had felt his father growing weaker and, believing the end was near, had thought by this separation to free himself of a burden that could diminish his own chance for survival. †91 * The man on the train and his son * â€Å"You’re killing your father†¦ I have bread for you too†¦ for you to† 101 5. ) Conscience/remorse /indifference Indifference * â€Å"Since my father’s death, nothing mattered to me anymore† 113 * â€Å"The old man mumbled something, groaned and died.Nobody cared† 101 * â€Å"we no longer feared death† 60 * â€Å"I was no longer arguing with him but death itself, with death that he had already chosen† 105 Manipulated conscience/Remorse * â€Å"deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last! * â€Å"I shall never forgive myself. Nor shall I forgive the world for having pushed me against the wall, for having turned me into a stranger, for having awakened in me the basest, most primitive instincts. † Xii * â€Å"I gave him what was left of my soup.But my heart was heavy, I was aware I was doing it grudgingly† 107 6. ) Survival and death Surviving by escaping reality * â€Å"All I had to do was close my eyes to see a whole world pass before me, to dream o f another life† 87 * â€Å"He was forever praying or meditating to some Talmudic question. For him it was an escape from reality, from feeling the blows† 86 Stars = Jews Conflagration = the war, destruction The idea of death * A place to rest without suffering Surviving to rebel against God/Germans * â€Å"Something inside me rebelled against that death† 88 * â€Å"We had transcended everything – death, fatigue, our natural needs.We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootles, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth† 87 * †there was no longer any reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted god’s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against him. † Just going through the motions and not losing hope * â€Å"There were two of us: my body and I† 85 * â€Å"Don’t think, don’t stop, runà ¢â‚¬  86 * â€Å"No one was praying for the night to pass quickly. Night was an escape from reality, a time of rest. The stars were but sparks of the immense conflagration that was consuming us. â€Å" The night was not nearly as bad as the day, only sparks of the war The Jews were just a part of the war * â€Å"Were this conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing would be left in the sky but extinct stars and unseeing eyes. † What would happen if the war is finished?. Unseeing eyes =The holocaust may be forgotten, people choose to not see the light of God (loss of faith) Gods light (stars) will be destroyed God has turned his back on the people Extinct stars = people losing faith in the light of God