Monday, September 30, 2019

Quebect Court – Employee VS Employer

The appellant city hired a temporary employee through a personnel agency to work for 6 weeks as a receptionist and then for 18 weeks as a clerk. During the two work assignments, the employee's wages were determined and paid by the agency, which submitted an Invoice to the city. The employee performed her work under the direction and supervision of a manager working for the city, The general working conditions, such as hours of work, breaks and statutory holidays, were dictated by the city.If the employee had not been qualified or had experienced problems in adapting, the city would have informed the agency, which would have taken the appropriate action. The respondent union, which holds the certification certificate for most of the city employees, submitted a request to the office of the labor commissioner general under s. 39 of the Labor Code seeking, inter alai, to have the temporary employee included in the union's bargaining unit.The labor commissioner found that the city was the employee's real employer during the two assignments and granted the union's request. On appeal, the Labor Court affirmed the decision. It acknowledged that the agency recruited, assigned positions to, evaluated, disciplined and paid the temporary employees, but concluded that the city as the real employer by focusing on the question of which party had control over the temporary employee's working conditions and the performance of her work.The Labor Court also noted that there was a relationship of legal subordination between the city and the employee because the city managers directed and supervised how she did her day-to-day work. The Superior Court dismissed the motion in evocation brought by the city, finding that the Labor Court's decision was not patently unreasonable. The Court of Appeal affirmed that Judgment in a majority decision. Held (Lurker's-Dub © J. Assenting): The appeal should be dismissed. Per Lamer C. J. And La Forest, Ignition and Core J. To determine whether t he Labor Court's decision is patently unreasonable, it must be asked whether the decision was based on the evidence adduced and whether the Labor Court's interpretation of the legislative provisions was patently unreasonable. The Labor Code provides few indications of how to determine the real employer in a tripartite relationship, and the definitions of the terms â€Å"employer† and â€Å"employee† found in the Code have had to be interpreted by specialized administrative tribunals.To identify the real employer in a tripartite relationship, a comprehensive approach must be taken. The criterion of legal subordination, which basically encompasses the notion of actual control by a party over the employees day-to-day work, and the criterion of Integration Into the a context of collective relations governed by the Labor Code, it is essential that temporary employees be able to bargain with the party that exercises the greatest control over all aspects of their work?and not only over the supervision of their day-to-day work.Moreover, when there is a certain splitting of the employer's identity n the context of a tripartite relationship, a comprehensive approach has the advantage of allowing for a consideration of which party has the most control over all aspects of the work on the specific facts of each case. This approach requires a consideration of the factors relevant to the employer-employee relationship, including: the selection process, hiring, training, discipline, evaluation, supervision, assignment of duties, remuneration and integration into the business.Here, the Labor Court used a comprehensive approach by not basing its decision solely on the criterion of legal subordination. It certainly gave greater probative value to working conditions and the criterion of legal subordination, but it also considered other factors that define the employer-employee relationship, such as the role of the agency and the city with respect to remuneration and discipline, and the specific facts of the employee's case. Nor did the Labor Court ignore the agency's role in recruiting, training and evaluating the employee.However, it Justified giving predominant weight to working conditions and the legal subordination test by relying on the ultimate objective of the Labor Code. The purpose of certification is to promote bargaining between the employer and the union in order to determine the employees' working conditions. According to the Labor Court, those conditions are â€Å"essential aspects of an employee's experience†. The reasoning of the Labor Court, a highly specialized agency that has expertise in labor law and is protected by a privative clause, was not patently unreasonable.The Labor Court's conclusion that the city was the employee's employer for the purposes of the Labor Code does not lead too patently unreasonable result. The applicability of the city collective agreement to the employee during her assignments does not ra ise any major difficulties. Moreover, although the agency was the employee's employer for the purposes of the Act respecting labor standards, no inconsistency can be found in the application of the Code and that Act.Each of the labor statutes has a distinct object and its provisions must be interpreted on the basis of their specific purpose. Moreover, this case relates to provisions of the Labor Code, specifically whether the Labor Court's decision was patently unreasonable, and not to the Act respecting labor standards. The arrangement is not perfect. However, the relationship in question here is not a traditional bipartite relationship, but a tripartite one in which one party is the employee and the other two share the usual attributes of an employer.In such a situation, it is thus natural that labor legislation designed to govern bipartite After an analysis of the facts, the legislation and the cases, there is a basis for the Labor Court's decision in the Labor Code and the evide nce, and it is therefore not patently unreasonable. Per Lurker's-Dub © J. (dissenting): Given the Labor Court's exclusive and peccadillo Jurisdiction to determine whether an employee should be included in a bargaining unit, as well as the privative clause in the Labor Code, a reviewing court may only intervene if the Labor Court's decision is patently unreasonable.While a high degree of deference is warranted in reviewing the Labor Court's decision, if such a decision fundamentally contradicts the underlying principles and intended outcomes of the enabling legislation and interferes with the effective implementation of other statutes which support and protect employees, intervention by the reviewing court is in order. Here, the Labor Court was asked to interpret the â€Å"employer-employee relationship† within the scope of the Code's regime governing certification and the collective bargaining process in the context of a tripartite arrangement.The modern rule of statutory i nterpretation holds, inter alai, that a court must adopt an interpretation that is appropriate in terms of its acceptability ? namely, the reasonableness of its outcome. Where an administrative tribunal contrives an absurd interpretation, it commits an error of law that warrants Judicial intervention pursuant to any standard of review.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

GATTACA: ‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Essay

‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Discuss. The film text ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol can be seen as a piece that draws many parallels to the world that we live in today. One such parallel is the fact that often in society, the ones who are at a disadvantage are the ones who display the greatest strength of character. Niccol uses Vincent as the vehicle through which he demonstrates how strength of character can neutralise and overcome disadvantages faced. Gattaca portrays a society that no longer takes into consideration a person’s character. Vincent’s refusal to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ is his key to success. The text makes a clear distinction between ‘human’ and genetic traits. So clear is the distinction that Niccol uses separate vehicles to display each set of traits. As the traits and the vehicles clash, Niccol creates a sense of sympathy for Vincent as he is portrayed as the disadvantaged and weak in society in the sense that he does not possess the physical and mental assets that make him a valued member of society. A key example of this is the recurring games of ‘chicken’ between Vincent and his genetically superior brother Anton. Anton beats Vincent time and time again as is expected of Anton by society. However, when Vincent bests his brother one day an emphasis is placed on the manner in which he beat his brother. â€Å"You wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back!† This creates the impression to the viewer that Vincent did not win with superior stamina, skill or physical strength, rather he won as he possessed traits lik e courage, determination and grit, traits that are lost in the geno-centric society in which he loves but traits that are valued and admired in todays society. The text can be seen as parallel to today’s society as often it is those who are faced with the greatest disadvantage who succeed. Vincent’s journey is a classic tale of 1 against the world or in this case 2 against the world. At every bend society is there to stop Vincent from achieving his lifelong dream of going to space. Even his parents try to prevent him from attaining  his goal, â€Å"Vincent, the only way you’ll see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it.† This coming from his father can be seen as the ultimate discouragement but instead Vincent uses it to spur himself onwards and upwards both literally and figuratively. In relation to the real world, notable figures like Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorious overcame what is seen as a severe athletic disability in today’s society to compete at the 2012 London Olympics. While it is not uncommon to hear of ‘rags to riches’ tales in todays society, the one notable difference between today’s society and Vincent’s society, is that disadvantaged people are given every chance to make the most of their life (in 1st world countries), yet in Vincent’s society the disadvantaged are shunned and are viewed as a blight on society. Gattaca is a reminder that you cannot judge one on their outwardly appearance or in Gattaca’s case, a persons genetic composition. As the saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Vincent is once again used as the vehicle through which Niccol conveys this message. To the eyes of society, Vincent is an ‘invalid’ with inferior physical capabilities, high risk of heart failure and other deficiencies and with a â€Å"life expectancy of 30.2 years.† However, because of the ‘faceless’ society that Vincent lives in (which refers to personality as much as it does to physical appearance) he lacks the opportunity to progress with his life as his strengths of character are not held in anywhere near the same esteem as desirable genetics are. Vincent claims, â€Å"There is no gene for fate.† This is in reference to the fact that he is of the belief that genes aren’t everything, even if society has such beliefs. Rather there is an element in every human being that makes him or her truly unique and this is what Vincent prides himself on, the fact that his assets which are undeterminable by genetics are what makes him the person that he his. While the society in which Vincent lives in regards Vincent as weak and inferior, his character is both key to his success and the story as without his steely resolve and fierce determination there would be no story as society would continue to function as it was designed. Parallels can be drawn with Vincent’s plight and the journey’s of figures in our society like Oscar Pistorious. Gattaca serves to compound the message that has been  passed down through generations by reasserting that you shouldn’t judge a person before you know them personally. Vincent refuses to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ and this is the focal point around which Gattaca was told.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Final Reflection Paper - Reflecting on Contemporary Social Issues Term

Final Reflection - Reflecting on Contemporary Social Issues - Term Paper Example Even during the 19th century blacks were treated as slaves in spite of several racist movements. This situation can be improved if the government adopts new strategies to improve the strata of the people. The political process has gone through a period of change and blacks are given equal opportunities when compared to the past. Though this seems to be a wise decision, this cannot resolve the other issues that prevail in the country. Regular people can certainly work towards ending the social injustice and they must work towards having a voice in the country’s political process. (Lassiter, 2007). To achieve this, people must involve themselves in the racist movements and organizations that fight against these social issues. Every citizen must become a member of a voluntary organization that deals with social problems. This in turn they will create an opportunity for them to participate in movements that emphasize the need of a government which eradicates these issues. They will also have an opportunity to voice out their opinions on the current political strategies and t his will certainly create a second thought in the government to include their ideas. This will even deal with intricate issues that lead to social problems. The biggest obstacles people face in order to achieve the equal society is the difference that prevails among the several strata of the people in the society. The Native Americans and blacks who migrate from other parts of the world are treated in a different manner. They are not given equal employment opportunities which create problems in their employment. Another problem is the incorporation of regulations that have been used for many decades. Since the social issues and racial problems are getting worse day by day, the government must include certain unique strategies that will deal with these prevailing

Friday, September 27, 2019

Monetary Policy Framework in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Monetary Policy Framework in the UK - Essay Example This essay stresses that there are a number of guiding principles like price stability, exchange stability, full employment and maximum output and a high growth rate etc, in framing the Monetary Policy for an economy. This paper declares that the monetary policy of any country refers to the regulatory policy, whereby the monetary authority maintains its control over the supply of money for the realization of general economic objectives. This involves manipulating the supply of money, the level and structure of interest rates and other conditions affecting the availability of credit. However, in the context of developing economies monetary policy acquires a wider role and it has to be designed to meet the particular requirements of the economy. This involves not merely the restriction of credit expansion to curb inflation, but also the provision of adequate funds to meet the legitimate requirements of industry and trade and curbing the use of credit for unproductive and speculative purposes. The monetary policy of an economy operates through three important instruments, viz. the regulation of money supply, control over aggregate credit and the interest rate policy. Economic growth is dependent on m obilizing savings and directing them into productive channels. In this process, money supply can only play a limited role. However, the role establishes an important connection between money supply, output and price level (ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR)). These relationships cannot be ignored even if the primary concern of the government is mobilization of real factors that ultimately lead to economic growth. UK Monetary Policy regime A principal objective of any central bank is to safeguard the value of the currency in terms of what it will purchase. Rising prices - inflation - reduces the value of money. Monetary policy is directed to achieving this objective and providing a framework for non-inflationary economic growth. As in most other developed countries, monetary policy operates in the UK mainly through influencing the price of money - the interest rate. In May 1997 the Government gave the Bank independence to set monetary policy by deciding the level of interest rates to meet the Government's inflation target - currently 2% (Bank of England). The 1998 Bank of England Act made the Bank independent to set interest rates. The Bank is accountable to parliament and the wider public. The legislation provides that if, in extreme circumstances, the national interest demands it, and the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a limited period (Bank of England). In the period from the floating of the exchange rate in June 1972 to the granting of operational independence to the Bank of England in May 1997, UK monetary policy went through several regimes. These included the period in the 1970s when monetary policy was considered subordinate to incomes policy as the government's primary weapon against inflation; an emphasis on monetary targeting in the late 1970s and early 1980s; moves from 1987 toward greater management of the exchange rate, culminating in the UK's membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) from

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Salsa dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Salsa dance - Essay Example The Latin Americans are known for their love of spices in their meals. Therefore, salsa just like food is different styles of music and dance patterns put together to produce the beautiful salsa dance. Salsa music is a compendium of different types including guanguancà ³, son, rumba, mambo, cha-cha-cha- conga, Danzà ³n, the rhythms of Carnival, and plena. Salsa was identified as the great chill pepper sauce that makes up the Caribbean music and it designates a movement which is an undeniable music phenomenon (Boggs 190). Over the recent past, various dancing styles have been incorporated into salsa dancing for both men and women including spins, shoulder shimmies, acrobatics, body isolations, leg work, rolls, arm work, body movement, lifts and even hand styling. The process of synthesis and creativity is traced to Cuba where mixing of successive Cuban themes was practiced. Bernada (98) points out that the fact that some of the common music styles such as conga, bolero, guaguanco and even guaracha were all categorized under rumba. Rumba at that time was rhythm and fiesta where various styles of dance including both Columbia and yambu were enjoyed. The similar case is identified with bachata, cumbanchata, and cumbancha which literally mean a fiesta (Leonardo 123). Salsa music main ingredient is Cuban son. The musical structure is made up of piano, trumpets, percussion, counterbass, and backing vocals which are adjusted well with each other to produce salsa music. The salsa fusion and the son transformation into salsa could have been done in the Caribbean quarter of New York City. Several factors played part in emergence of salsa such as the existence of a community with a large population where the Latin and Caribbean cultures interacted, the marginalization of these communities, and the need for a musical and poetic form of expressions for their experiences and express their view regarding the contemporary world

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The west on the eve of a new world order Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The west on the eve of a new world order - Essay Example The philosophes were the intellectuals of the Enlightenment who believed that philosophy can change the world. Montesquieu argued that separation of powers promoted checks and balances in the government. Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that the concept of the social contract happens when people use general will to create a government system. Mary Wollstonecraft argued that all human beings, including women, have innate reason. Economic changes affected the social order. By the eighteenth century, Britain and France eclipsed old world monopolies (i.e. Spain, Portugal, and the Dutch Republic) through its largely profitable colonial empires and cottage industries. Peasants in Europe were generally free compared to serfs in Eastern Europe and Russia. Patrician oligarchies dominated towns and cities across Europe. The colonial empires in the Americas had different rulers. British North American used colonization effectively because the English were motivated by the desire for religious and economic independence. These colonies were made to balance trade that favored the mother country, however, which fueled ideas for independence. French North America was managed autocratically. They did not succeed as well as the English because of lack of money and people. The thirteen British colonies in America soon declared war against their mother land and demanded independence from Britain. After winning the American Revolution, America created a new Constitution, and afterwards, a Bill of Rights in 1789. Enlightened absolutism refers to ruling through equality of all before the law, religious toleration, freedom of speech and the press, and the rights of private property. Frederick II of Prussia developed a Prussian army that upheld duty, obedience, and sacrifice, but he also limited basic freedoms and did not change serfdom. Joseph II portrayed enlightened absolutism more than Frederick II because he abolished serfdom and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Essay Example Though HIV proved vulnerable to a variety of medicinal treatments in its initial stages, its ability to mutate at a phenomenal rate has allowed it to evade all of the drugs that have been created to combat it. HIV’s propensity to rapidly evolve has thus far prevented scientists from discovering an effectual vaccine. HIV evolves (mutates) into many various types of strains in the afflicted system, therefore, the body’s immune system is not able to locate or eradicate the entirety of the virus. This is the problem for the researchers, doctors and the patients. They are attempting to fight a microbial enemy that is constantly changing and adapting so as to remain resistant to any and all anti-viral medications. â€Å"The [HIV] virus, replicating billions of times a day, can acquire new mutations at lightning speed. Eventually, some of the genetic changes enable the virus to resist even the most powerful drugs. These drug-resistant viruses come to dominate the [cellular] population and threaten the patient’s life† (â€Å"Structured Treatment†, 2001). HIV has been estimated to have the ability to mutate more than 100 times per day in untreated individuals. As a result drug resistant virus cell mutations are well ahead of the particular drug therapy being offered (Shafer, 2004). HIV is difficult to treat because it evolves so rapidly, it outpaces the treatments. â€Å"When a patient begins taking an HIV drug, the drug keeps many of the viruses from reproducing, but some survive because they happen to have a certain level of resistance† (Zimmer, 2001). Because of HIV’s ability to evolve at such a massive pace, it quickly counters selective treatments. The HIV cells that survive the initial drug infusion multiply and their decedents carry the drug resistant strain. This is the reason that patient drug therapy includes what is commonly

Monday, September 23, 2019

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Supply chain management - Essay Example Moreover, the research also addresses other fundamental concepts such as the procedures which precede the decision to invest in capital equipment and required services, whether to undertake measures that are associated with strategic outsourcing and an explanation of the legal issues and local and international contract disputes which are faced by the company. History and Background of the Organization Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) was founded in 1939 by Stanford University students Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard (Hewlett-Packard 2013). Since, its inception in a Palto Alto garage the primary objective of the business was built on the foundations of promoting a distinct within the industry. According to Hewlett-Packard (2013), the first product that was built by engineers, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard was an audio oscillator which provides assistance to sound engineers. Eight samples of the company’s first ever creation were bought by Walt Disney Studios for their project, Fanta sia. The product line by HP broadly includes Personal Computer systems (PC’s), printing & imaging (inkjet and printing), and enterprise services (software & services, and accessories & networking) (Hewlett-Packard 2013). The company sells high quality laptops, desktop computers, tablets, monitors, servers, storage systems, handheld devices, printers, toners, ink, softwares, and networking accessories. Among its services are consultation, outsourcing, infrastructure, applications and other technological services (Reuters n.d.). The Organization’s Supply Chain Management Efforts According to the International Business Blog, HP organizes its company based on product departmentalization (McEntee 2010). That is, it has three main product departments including Personal Computer systems, printing and imaging, and enterprise services. The organization chart for HP found on the Cogmap website shows Leo Apotheke as the CEO, president and Chairman of the HP company with nine Exec utive Vice Presidents (EVP’s) below it handling the different departments including technology solutions group, human resources, imaging and printing, personal systems group, and so on (2013). Below the EVP’s are the SVP’s (Senior Vice Presidents) after which come the VP’s (Vice Presidents) and then the GM’s (General Managers). Charlie McMurty is the SVP for supply chain and Randy Salley is the SVP for Information Technology (IT) and supply chain systems. To deal with supply chain issues after facing rising inventory and customer dissatisfaction in the late 1980s, HP called an internal consulting group known as SPaM (Strategic Planning and Modeling) consisting of industrial engineers and management scientists to solve problems regarding supply chain (Lee & Billington 1995). The supply chain of HP’s computational and other products included the production of integrated circuits, board assembly, final assembly and delivery. The initiative of i mproving supply chain issues was first started by the 1990 CEO of HP, John Young (Lee & Billington 1995). The company had a very diverse product line and therefore inefficiencies could occur anywhere along the chain. The first step was the identification of the problem. The shipment of supplies could be delayed or the supplies could be

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memo - Case Study Example s, the amount will not be included in the income statement until the cash payments are made.Under the accrual basis, the $2000 will be included in the income statement immediately after the sale, while the cash payment will be done on a later date(Master Movers 4). Using the accrual basis of accounting, the business expenses are recorded on the income statements in the period when they occur, which is a different period from when the payments are made. In the cash basis, the expenses are only recorded on the income statement after they have been paid out. Ff Master movers, For example, spends $2000 on advertisement under the cash basis, the $2000 will be included in the income statement only when then cash is paid out while under the accrual basis, the $2000 will be recorded on the income statements when they get the bill, and before the amount is actually paid out. The main reason the profits realized in the income statement for the past financial period were lower than expected was because the records were made in line with the cash basis of accounting, thus leaving out most of the transactions. The transactions included in the Master Mover’s record mostly contain the transactions that were already paid up in cash leaving out those that were yet to be paid up. If all the transactions carried out over the financial period were included in the records, the profits would be higher (Master Movers 2). The cash basis of accounting is mostly considered for small businesses and management of personal finances where most sale payments and payment of bills are done immediately. The accrual basis can be considered as the best accounting method for Master Movers because considering the matching principle of the accrual accounting method; the company’s expenses should match with the revenues earned over the same financial period. Income statements prepared under the accrual accounting method include all the revenues earned, and all the expenses incurred over the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay Example for Free

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay The Blue Lagoon Explores the Garden of Eden The Blue Lagoon is often ridculed as a fluff piece of adolescent nudity. However I believe The Blue Lagoon raises interesting questions about human sexuality. How did we discover sex, and what about our sexuality is innate? The movie presents the case of an innocent boy and girl from the Victorian Age, shipwrecked on a beautiful tropical island. They are soon without any adult guidance whatsover. As children, the two are inseparable, but the movie presents a plausible change in their relationship as they start to go through the changes of puberty. They dont understand the physical changes that are happening to their bodies. And they start to become distant and secretive and angry with each other and they dont quite understand why. What they dont realize is that these changes are part of the process of moving apart and developing a separate sexual indentity from each other. Only after we see the steps of this transformation to sexual maturity completed do we see they are ready to discover humans oldest instinct in each other, which comes naturally to them in time. They then go on to discover the mysteries of parenthood and the psychological changes that come with that. Other themes such as religion and law are explored as well. What keeps this movie watchable is the beauty of the actors and the beauty of the island. The scenes on the lush tropical island and the bright blue ocean are beautifully shot and dreamlike. The natural beauty evokes a Garden of Eden. And this movie seems to try and explore the relationship that might have existed between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, learning about love, sex, and children all on their own. And I think the movie gives it a pretty good shot. The Blue Lagoon is much deeper than people give it credit for.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Essence Of Decision: Explaining The Cuban Missile Crisis

Essence Of Decision: Explaining The Cuban Missile Crisis Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow examines the momentous Cuban Missile Crisis, which was one of the most successful acts of diplomacy during the Cold War. Allison and Zelikow explore through three different conceptual lenses accommodating the reader to look further into common methods of foreign policy analysis. Allison and Zelikow evaluate the events of the thirteen days in October 1962 to demonstrate the models of policy analysis from different perspectives. The authors provide ample historical reviews, evidence and documents of the events, and offers thorough analyses of the crucial time of the nuclear age by also presenting new methods to consider with foreign policy actions. The three conceptual models, which can be used to analyze policy actions; the Rational Actor, Organizational Behavior, and Governmental Politics Models are described and applied to the Cuban Missile Crisis case. Each model demonstrates different fe atures and areas of the fundamental decisions made by both the United States and the Soviet Union during the crisis. Allison and Zelikow clarify that even though there is no whole understanding of the situation as it happened at the time, and it will never be likely, however using these three theoretical lenses it will help gain a closer understanding and more of an awareness of all of the elements and the choices that were made at the time. In this essay I will attempt to draw some understanding of the decisions the United States made towards the Cuban Missile Crisis by using Allisons three conceptual lenses from the Essence of Decision, which is an analysis of the crisis itself and the decision making in the resolution procedure. Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow present Model I as the most commonly used method of evaluating foreign policy actions, this method is titled the Rational Actor Model, also known as RAM. RAM is a way of understanding policy actions taken by states, by considering the country as a rational unitary actor. The rational framework is also the most frequently used method in determining decisions between policy choices in the adoption and evaluation stages of the policy cycle. Whilst analysing an action undertaken by a state towards another state, the RAM presumes the actions taken place are intended, value maximising and strategic. The authors quote for each explanation an act consists of showing what goal the government was pursing when it acted and how the action was a reasonable choice, given the nations objective (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 15). This allows us to understand how people go about making decisions, as it is done implicitly, without the person unintentionally realising the y are doing it. The main questions in the Essence of Decision book that were answered in regards to the crisis are; Why did the Soviet Union place offensive missiles in Cuba? Why did the US respond to this action with a blockade around Cuba? And why did the Soviet Union withdraw missiles in response? Looking at the situation in understanding the US decision-making reaction to the actions, the RAM analysis considers after evaluating a number options, and considering Kennedys goals, by assessing the quality of the search for options and their respective outcomes, and check whether the final choice promised to achieve his original goals to the extent that the decision-making process comes close to this ideal model, we can say that it was rational (Allison 1999, p.33), and a blockade would have the best chance of sending the desired message to Moscow without provoking a military response. Allison and Zelikows Rational Actor Model, examines the question of whether we can understand clea rly the move made by a country in the international policy arena as a rational choice? For instance, the concept of bounded rationality appears clearly in foreign policy decision making, even when there is a central decision maker of a state, for example a leader or president who has supreme choice over all courses of action, their rational decision making will be hindered by the fact that they have no idea what the opponent is thinking. This can be referred back to the Cuban Missile Crisis; where President Kennedy and his advisors, the ExComs failed attempts at trying to understand why Khrushchev made certain decisions and actions. Since the international policy arena often deals with competitive oppositional opponents who keep their true intentions hidden as a means of accomplishing what they want (Lindbolm, 1959, p.113-127). President Kennedy becomes the driver of the debate by making sure his team cautiously takes each step of the crisis to probe deeper implications of each opti on and to stretch their imagination (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 357) as the mass of diverting nuclear war cascades upon him. Thus helps us understand why the US made a rational decision with the blockade as it had several advantages, one being it did not constitute direct attack, secondly it placed the burden of the next move on Khrushchev, and also kept other options open. This is when the USSR decided to withdraw, that is because it recognised US strategic superiority. The book argues that in fact the USSR backed down in face of US warnings that further actions would follow if the missiles were to become operational. The second Model, Allison and Zelikow presents are the Organisational Model of foreign policy. In this model, it is understood that countries and governments are not unitary actors but are stated as vast conglomerate(s) of loosely allied organisations, each with a substantial life of its own (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 143). The authors state that Governments perceive problems through organisational sensorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they define alternatives and estimate consequences as their component organisations. And process information So, the government movements are not so much logical choices decided upon by one central decision maker, but are the productions of many organizations all functioning according to standard patterns of behaviour. The effects to consider with this organisational model illustrate that the importance of looking at governmental actions this way gives us a clear understanding of why the United States made the decisions in this crisis. For example, nearly all govern ment actions in foreign policy are carried out by organizations, whether it is the Forces or the CIA, in this case, the government carrying out the policies are divided with the military and intelligence agencies. Furthermore, organizational actions are also limited and known by standard operating procedures, with what has been done before. The model which the authors present provides us with a curious opportunity to look at the role of bodies that play in foreign policy making in different ways. In Model II, Allison and Zelikow present a way of looking at policy decisions that are completely well ordered by the bureaucracy, although it may not be the government that makes the decision. In understanding the United States decision-making process with Model II, the deliberations of the EX-Com that produced possible alternatives were alternatively answered by the organisations, What specifically, could be done? (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 225). President Kennedys actions were limited b y what the military organisations could do, since their actions and decisions made were backed up with experience and previous choices in foreign policy. Essence of Decision illustrates that organisational capacities are fundamental in international policy making. Model II also allows us to understand examples of how organizational behaviours shake the implementation of certain policies. For example, the situation by the Soviet troops lack of camouflage of the missiles in Cuba, and President Kennedy rushing to control with the test flights over Soviet air space. If this occurred after the crisis had begun, there might have started a nuclear war due to wrong interpretation other than a test flight. This example suggests that there is always more to the situation of a rational decision. The authors allow us to look through other lenses to give us more of an understanding of how the US made certain decisions throughout the crisis. The third model that Allison and Zelikow illustrate in the Essence of Decision is the Governmental Politics model also known as the Bureaucratic model. Model III consists of policy actions as a process where state actors bring their personal thoughts, opinions and ideas together to achieve separate goals and decide upon a course of action collectively, which may conflict with each other. In Essence of Decision the authors explain why it is necessary to identify the games and players, to display the coalitions, bargains and compromises, and to convey some feel for the confusion (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 257). In this case, various individuals, representing various organisational interests engage in a process to achieve a negotiated group decision, which will represent the policy of a state. During the Crisis all US decisions were created by ExCom, President Kennedys inner circle of advisors that were composed together specifically for the missile crisis. Allison and Zelikow discusse d the Ex-Com members and their ideas, the significance of the Cuban issue to Kennedy, and generally try to illustrate an overall political atmosphere behind the U.S. decisions. Allison proposed in the book that because of the failure of Bay of Pigs invasion, the Republicans in the United States congress made Cuban policy into a major issue for the upcoming congressional elections later in 1962. Therefore President Kennedy decided on a strong response rather than a diplomatic one. Although the majority of ExCom initially favoured air strikes, those closest to the president, (his brother Attorney General, Robert Kennedy and Special Council General Theodore Sorensen) favoured the Blockade. At the same time Kennedy got himself into disputes with supporters of the air strikes, such as Force General Curtis Lemay. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy also distrusted the CIA and their advice. This combination of push and pull led to the implication of a blockade. (Essence of Decision Prese ntation, u.d) Because of the nature of many foreign policy decisions and the ultimate importance of the decisions they attempt to make, the public and congress can generally defer any decision-making powers to the president even if they know the situation. For instance, in Essence of Decision, we see that the president makes his decision very quickly and through complete blankness, where there were no influence from Congress, or the public as they were unaware of the actions until the White House made the statements. Allison and Zelikow mention a few times in Essence of Decision how different the situation of the Missile Crisis would be if it had happened in todays world with the immense public knowledge forcing decisions within hours rather than days. As it was, the president only had to challenge with the rivalry of ideas of his team of advisory. They brought in organizational and political thoughts from the head of agencies such as the military, which all had their own aims and o bjectives within the whole situation. As Wildavsky states, the president can nearly always gain support for his foreign policies, however his problem is to find a viable policy (1966, p. 237). For many parts of the politics Kennedy had to perform, were very limited in comparison to the domestic policy situations that occur. This model in comparison to the first two models may not illustrate an informative policy analysis, however it does offer a strong case in understanding why Kennedy came to the decision of a blockade. With essentially no opinion from the populous, the small governmental group made their decisions that could have meant life or death of millions of people. Thankfully, the Cuban Missile Crisis was settled by USs decisions. Graham and Zelikows Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis helps us understand USs decision-making throughout the thirteen days by allowing us to look through three distinctive conceptual models. The three models shown throughout the book can be used to help understand policies at any level, from domestic to foreign. Looking into actions by governments through a rational, organisational and political lens seems necessary to fully understand the moves that Kennedy took and the game Khrushchev played. I believe we are used to taking a more full approach to accepting domestic and local policy decisions because we are more alert of the aspects going into the decisions. This book helps us understand why Kennedy and ExCom made a rational decision after evaluating options ranging from doing nothing to a full invasion of Cuba, and then finally a blockade was selected because it wouldnt necessarily escalate into war, as well as forcing the Soviets to make the following move. The organisational process model allowed us to understand how Kennedy operated under time and information constraints whilst engaging in satisficing behaviour. Kennedy and Excom never really considered any other options besides the blockade or air strikes, and initially were almost solidly in favour of the air strikes. However, such attacks created huge doubt because of the US Air Force, as they could not guarantee it would disable all nuclear missiles. The blockade felt to be the safest option in that case. The bureaucratic politics model also helped us understand Kennedy and ExComs different level of power based on charisma, personality, skills of persuasion and personal ties to the head of the decision maker. Even whilst sharing the matching goals, the leaders contrast in how they accomplish it because of elements such as personal interests and background. These all have an impact on why the US made certain decision on choosing the blockade. This book constructs us to comprehend why international decisions are made, and helps simplify why rational reasons are behind certain actions. Applying the organisational process model and the governmental model to the foreign policy actions it gives us an insight to the possibilities of miscommunication, misunderstandings and disagreements that can also happen in such situations more than what we believed. Overall, Essence of Decision has helped to an extent with relevant information and evidence to support Allison and Zelikows three conceptual models, with an understanding of why the United States decided to choose the blockade option.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Canadas Immigration From 1852-1990 :: essays research papers

Canada's Immigration From 1852-1990 In 1852 many of Canada's immigrants were from Europe countries but many of these were being lost to the United states. This meant that the province of Canada was mostly French Canadians, this began the immigration promotion program in 1850s. In the 1840s the main problem was lack of control over the immigrants now the problem was getting immigrant particularly British ones to start small farms. Over the next 30 years John A. MacDonald did little to attract new immigrants to Canada. In about 1879 a new immigration law was passed that was designed to keep out paupers and destitutes. This would be the start to "weed out" the people that would live in Canada, and eventually become the laws we have today. In 1885 an act was passed that would restrict Chinese males from immigrating. This was done because of the large amount of young Chinese men that were coming to Canada to work building the CRP ( an estimated 15,701). Without these men most of whom lost their lives from injury or disease. During the 1890s a depression because of the very short growing season and very high cost of shipping the grains. This lack of rain caused many Canadians to immigrate to the U.S. for a better life. Not very attractive to immigrants to Canada. Around the beginning of the 1900s the economy was boosted by the increasing need for Canadian food products. Europe had a large population explosion and tax increase caused more and more to move to Canada. With the construction of the CPR it was much easier to go west and settle the land which was cheap or free. The Canadian government was promoting it's self every where with it's fur and grains to encourage new comers and settlers that moved to the U.S. back to Canada. With the out break of World War I tension was high. This was the lowest amount of people in years (although the amount of Americans was increasing with year of the war). Once desired immigrants were now "enemy aliens". Also people from Germany, Hungry, Poland, Romania, and many others become the objects of hostility. After the war there was a huge boom in immigrants because of Canada's growing economy. But after all booms there is always the come down by 1930 Canada was in a bad depression people were also tense because word of another war. During World War II no Canadians had it worse than the Japanese Canadians. After the booming of Pearl Harbour all Japanese-Canadians were stripped of their homes and property. The Canadian government showed great sympathy for European refugees and homeless.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Social Stratification Essays -- Papers

Inequalities exist in all types of human society. Even in the simplest cultures where variations in wealth or property are non-existent, there are inequalities between individuals, men and women, the young and the old. A person may have a higher status than others because of a particular prowness at hunting, for instance, or because he or she is believed to have special access to the ancestral spirits. To describe inequalities, sociologists speak of Social Stratification. Social Stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of sociology. Social inequality is a fundamental aspect of virtually all-social processes and a person's position in the stratification system is the most consistent predictor of his/her behaviour, attitudes, and life chances. "Social Stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences." Social Stratification persists over generations. Social Stratification is universal but not variable. It involve s not only inequality but also beliefs. 'It is useful to think of stratification as rather like the geological layering of rock in the earth's surface,' Societies can be seen as consisting of 'strata' in a hierarchy, with the more favoured at the top and the less privileged at the bottom." If we look back at the year 1912, when the Titanic sank, we can make a connection with social inequality for the way people lived back then. When we watched the blockbuster hit in 1997, we were shown how much of an impact that social inequality had on the lower class passengers. Women and children had the highest survival rate. Those who held a first class ticket, more than 60% of those survived because their cabins were on the upper decks. Only 1/3 of the third cla... ...ibility, and however imperfectly measured in the existing social classification. Of course, we recognise that in contemporary society, people are less likely spontaneously to describe their own experiences in the language of class. They search for more direct and specific determinants of their life chances to put alongside their recognition of class, and they recognise the independent part played by age, gender, and ethnicity. We do not, then, live in a 'classless' society, though we do live in a society whose members no longer spontaneously and unambiguously use the language of class as the obvious, taken-for-granted way of describing social inequalities. Class is not dead, but perhaps the monolithic social imagery of class has, indeed, had its day. It is this, which makes our society a functional one, and what will help shape it to be a stronger one in the future.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Education system exists mainly

Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles BY ant-Kuz Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles One way to select and prepare young people for their future work roles is by selecting and allocating pupils of education a role in society, as is mentioned in item A: â€Å"it also selects and allocates them to their future work roles† which means social nequality is legitimised because of the hierarchy of society – someone has to be on top and someone has to be bottom, as is streaming encouraged in the same manner. This idea is said to be stemmed from having a meritocratic society where everyone has an equality of opportunity presented to them in education and then later on, the workplace. This is how education serves its purpose to select you ng people for their future work roles.Another way that young people are prepared and selected for their future work roles is by education giving them the â€Å"specialised knowledge and kills they will need when they Join the workforce†, as mentioned in item A. This is done by providing a trained and qualified workforce in education by the introduction of vocational courses like modern apprenticeships which combine training and part- time attendance at college, meaning that they learn on a Job as well as learning in an education environment. New Right are the sociologists which focused a lot on marketization of education which focused on encouraging competition between schools so that education would improve, providing a better work force for society and in turn, better preparing young people for their future work roles.However, one of the key functions of education is social solidarity which means individual members of society must feel like they are part of a single communi ty of people; Durkheim argues that without it social life and cooperation would not be possible as everyone would want to achieve their own selfish desires. He argues that this is taught when we learn about History and Citizenship, which give us the idea of a shared community; also it does this by passing on society's culture and continues the value consensus, which is an agreement among society members on what values are important. School acts as a ‘society in miniature' as it prepares its pupils for life in a wider society, which requires social solidarity, as we have to cooperate with people who aren't family or friends, Just like in the workplace. We have to act accordingly to a set of impersonal rules that apply to all.In item A, it is mentioned that â€Å"the family cannot equip individuals with everything they need to become fully functioning members of a large-scale society' and as family is only the start of social solidarity, the feeling of belonging in a family gro up, education is needed to push that in a ider scale (as a typical nuclear family will not be bigger than 6 or so people). This is one key tunction ot education, and it exists to encourage social solidarity as well as other factors. Marxists would argue that education has different roles in society; Althusser said that there are two ways in which the bourgeoisie keep their power, one of which is the ideological state apparatus. ISAs are the way that the bourgeoisie control people's ideas, values and beliefs, and include religion, mass media and the education system. He argues that the education system is an important ISA because t reproduces class inequality by passing it on generation to generation, therefore failing to overthrow the bourgeoisie consistently.Another reason why it's important is that it legitimises class inequality by producing ideologies that cover the true effect by making workers accept that inequality is inevitable and that they earned their place in society, th erefore if they accept these ideas, they are less likely to challenge capitalism and how it's run. This is one way that Marxists argue that young pupils get allocated roles for their future work roles, and education is there for them to accept heir role and not argue against it. Another Marxist view on education is the myth of meritocracy which is the legitimation of class inequality, which is what a capitalist society is based on so there is always a risk that those at the bottom will feel their inequality is undeserved and unfair and therefore will rebel against it.Bowles and Gintis argue that education is the reason that this does not happen, as it legitimising class inequality by producing ideologies that Justify why this inequality is fair and inevitable. Bowles and Gintis describe education ‘as a giant myth-making machine' ike the myth of meritocracy, which means that it is untrue that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve, that rewards are based on effort and so on. A reason for achieving high income is argued to be determined more from your family and class background rather than ability or educational achievement. This serves the higher classes as it makes it appear that they gained their roles in the workforce by an equal opportunity but in reality, that is not the case, they use this to trick working class pupils to accept inequality.This means that the education system exists not nly to allocate and train young people for their future work roles but also to accept the roles they are given and for the bourgeoisie to keep their power. In conclusion, the education system exists to provide all kinds of functions to society, as well as allocation roles for young people that they will continue to have in the workforce; they are also trained for that role so they have the skills necessary to do the Job. Also, according to Marxists, education also introduces certain values and beliefs into young peoples' minds so that they accept the inequalit y that happens in a capitalist society as an everyday inevitability.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Ptlls Level 3 Theory Assessment 1

UNIT 1 PTLLS LEVEL 3 THEORY ASSESSMENT (1) / JOHN A F BRADY @ MERCIA 2011 Describe what your role, responsibilities and boundaries would be as a teacher in terms of the teaching / training cycle. The role of the teacher is to facilitate the learning aims of the taught group on behalf of them and their service provider. Examples of overall learning aims include the passing of knowledge-based examinations, the demonstration of a skill or competency and, in some cases, a combination of all such elements. The teacher’s responsibilities are a set of specific actions grouped to achieve desired learning outcomes. These responsibilities cover two distinct areas, namely the pastoral and the pedagogic. The former includes student health & safety and behaviour management, the latter teaching methods and student engagement. In this context, the term ‘boundaries’ describes the social contract between the service provider, teacher and learner group. Boundaries are concerned, for example, with service limits and the establishment and policing of codes of conduct. The teaching/training cycle is comprised of five activities, namely:- (i) the identification of needs, (ii) lesson planning and design, (iii) teaching the lesson and the facilitation of learning, (iv) assessing learner achievements, and (v) evaluating the contribution made of the teaching methods used. Identifying needs combines data collected before student induction, e. g. returned application forms and observations made at induction, e. g. during ice-breaker activity. My specialism of teaching adults English as a foreign language needs to ascertain a student’s ability to listen, read, talk and write. My role here includes assessing whether a student’s subject ability is appropriate or would be better addressed in a ‘special needs’ context. My understanding of the material and institutional teaching environments will also inform how best to cater for students with mobility issues/learning difficulties. Design and planning concerns the pedagogic and the pastoral. For the former, a series of lesson plans need to be devised to enable students to learn the syllabus content required by the awarding authority. Pastoral activities include social and institutional induction, e. g. ice-breakers, site-tours, H&S and other professional/legal requirements. A lesson is taught by the teacher and learnt by the student. A teaching responsibility is to gain insight into student ways of learning and to adjustdelivery to further facilitate learning. Consideration of inclusivity, diversity, behaviour and student inter-action will also improve teaching/learning performance. Assessing adults learning English as a foreign language is a challenge. The teacher needs to use proceedures as laid down but remain flexible enough to guage nuances between those whose vocal skills may disguise poor written skills vice versa. Assessment must be systematic, collated and intelligible to others. Evaluation likewise should be systematic and collated with clearly defined outcomes. Student feedback, CPD and self assessment are critical for the improvement of teaching performance and learning outcomes. (Recommended 300 – 500, actual 429 words,excluding titles)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Kings David and Solomon: from 10th Century B.C.E. to Present Day Controversy

Kings David and Solomon: From 10th Century B. C. E. to present day Controversy Introduction Perhaps the most famous Old Testament Kings, as well as two of the most famous Hebrew heroes of all time were, King Solomon and his father King David. Their stories have been told time and time again throughout the ages: passed down orally for centuries, then later reproduced and shared all over the globe as intricate portions of many historical religious texts including the Torah, the Koran and the Holy Bible. Biblical sources include: I Chronicles, I Kings, Ecclesiastes, as well as the accounts of many prophets.Furthermore, King David and King Solomon have been attributed to writing several Old Testament books including: the Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and various Psalms. Historically, David is known for uniting the Kingdom of Israel, replacing Hebron and making Jerusalem its capitol, as well as establishing a dynasty that was held sacred in the hearts and hopes of the Jews for centuries after its demise. His son and successor Solomon is most noted for advancing David’s kingdom and for building the First Temple.In fact, according to Abba Eban (1999), author of over half a dozen historical reference books on Jewish history as well as the PBS television series â€Å"Civilization and the Jews,† â€Å"Solomon’s Temple was the crowning glory of a building program that rivaled those of the Pharaohs† (p. 50). Archaeologists claim to have found remnants of Solomon’s Temple as well in the form of a tablet dated tenth century B. C. E. (Carpenter, 2003, p. 46). However, not all historians and archaeologists agree to the authenticity of the tablet or even to the extent of King David and King Solomon’s rule.Recently, controversy has erupted concerning whether or not, King David and King Solomon, of the Old Testament (also known as the Jewish Bible) were actually the â€Å"grand builders of the united north-south monarchy in An cient Palestine† attributed to them through the Bible and said to unravel after their demise (Halken, 2006, p. 41). The Legacies of David and Solomon According to Rogerson (1999): It is no surprise that David should be one of the most important figures in the bible. As printed in the tradition his achievements were outstanding.Before his reign Israel was a defeated vassal people. Within a few years David made Israel free, and even extended his control over some small neighbouring peoples. Before his reign there was no one dominant political or religious centre in Israel. Within a few years Jerusalem had obtained a centrality that it never subsequently lost (p. 82). David was born around 1040 B. C. E. in Bethlehem, Judah (Castel, 1985, p. 87). He grew up the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, and has been linked with the Ammonite royal family (Rogerson, 1999, p. 78; 2 Samuel, 10: 1-2; 17:25-7).As a teenager David joined the entourage of Israeli King Saul as a minstrel and harpsic hord player. It was during this time period that he first gained notoriety when he defeated the ominous giant Goliath armed with a mere slingshot. In 1 Samuel 18:20-30 it states that with a dowry of 200 Philistine foreskins he married King Saul’s daughter Michal. Unfortunately, David’s marital bliss was cut short by the jealousy of his new father-in-law. Already a seasoned warrior David was praised as a military force with songs proclaiming â€Å"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands† (Rogerson, 1999, p. 78).While fleeing Saul’s armies to the south, David accomplished a great many military victories alongside his former enemies the Philistines, as described in 1 Samuel. Though his military reign started as an almost nomadic band with him a â€Å"robin-hood like bandit-chief,† his strategic prowess was realized by the Judean elders and he was proclaimed King of Judah in Hebron, c. a. 1010 (although some texts have him proclaiming himself King of Judah) (Castel, 1985, p. 89; Halkin, 2006, p. 41). He unified the Israeli tribes to the north and Judah to south and became the ruler of all of Israel seven years later following the death of King Saul c. a. 000 B. C. E. (Castel, 1985, pp. 87-89; Grant, 1984, pp. 75-78; Learsi, 1949, pp. 49-51; Rogerson, 1999, pp. 79-80; 2 Samuel, c. a. 1100-1010 B. C. E. , pp. 505-555). In a brilliant political move David took over the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and made it the capitol of the new United Kingdom of Israel â€Å"thenceforward to be honored as the City of David† (2 Samuel, 1997, pp. 505-555; Eban, 1999, p. 47). Moving the capitol to Jerusalem was an ingenious move on David’s part since it placed him geographically between the northern tribes of Israel and the former Judah. This also unified the Hebrew nation politically since Jerusalem was a fresh tart, not being formerly of Israel or Judah. In order to unify the nation religiously David (with the help o f King Hiram of Tyre) built a palace on Mount Zion where he housed the Ark of the Covenant (Castel, 1985, p. 90; Eban, 1999, p. 49; Halkin, 2006, p. 43; Learsi, 1949, p. 55; Rogerson, 1999, pp. 81-82). He then set out to expand his kingdom taking over and taxing all of Canaan (Rogerson, 1999, p. 82). King David ruled Israel for the next 33 years (Castel, 1985, p. 89; Harkin, 2006, p. 41). Unfortunately the house of David, like many great monarchs (especially those who practiced polygamy) faced great diplomatic personal odds.Among them was internal dissent including a great deal of â€Å"palace intrigue† that was coupled with David’s personal struggles involving subduing his strong passionate nature (1 Samuel, 1997, pp. 439-504; 2 Samuel, 1997, pp. 505-555). As for Solomon, his controversial legacy began before his birth with the scandalous circumstances surrounding his parents union. His mother, Bathsheba, had been married to another man when David saw her, had her, an d then had her husband put to death by placing him on the front lines of battle (Rogerson, 1999, p. 85). Since Bathsheba was a favorite of David’s he promised her that her son would be his successor.It took some clever maneuvering but Solomon was proclaimed King of Israel in c. a. 960 (Harkin, 2006, p. 43). Solomon’s reign was characterized by his diplomatic matrimonial choices, made in order to enhance his trade routes and expand his Kingdom. His first betrothal was to one of King Hiram’s daughters, solidifying his kinship with Tyre. This provided him with the materials necessary to build his father’s Temple. Another strategic marriage was to an Egyptian pharoah’s daughter. As a dowry the pharaoh burnt down the city Gezer and gave it to Solomon.All in all Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (Eban, 1984, p. 49-50). Historical and Archaeological Controversy In the last several years there has been an abundance of historical and archaeological d ebate over the reigns of King David and King Solomon. According to Harkin (2006) archaeologist Israel Finkelstein and author Neil Asher Silberman state that, kings David and Solomon, though â€Å"genuine historical figures† were but â€Å"bandit chiefs† (p. 41). Finkelstein believes that Israel could not have reached its peak during the reigns of David and Solomon in the 10th century, but rather in the 8th or 9th.Finkelstein’s account relies wholly on the lack of archaeological evidence to prove the existence of the monumental architecture described in the biblical accounts of David and Solomon (Harkin, 2006, pp. 41-48). However, their opinion is countered by several archaeological discoveries that have occurred over the last several years, resulting in their evidence being described as â€Å"†¦tendentious†¦like a conspiracy theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Harkin, 2006, p. 48). According to Blakely (2002) two maps of tenth century BC. E. ere uncovered providing archaeological evidence of King David and King Solomon’s kingdom (p. 49). Then in 2003 a possible breakthrough discovery was made: a piece of sandstone was unearthed said to be the first documented archaeological evidence of Solomon’s temple. Researchers at the Geological Survey of Israel examined the tablets and found them to be â€Å"almost certainly genuine† (Carpenter, 2003, p. 46). According to Bar-llan University archaeologist Gabrial Barkai, these tablets â€Å"could be the most significant archaeological finding in yet in the land of Israel† (Carpenter, 2003, p. 6). Further proof of the existence of King David and King Solomon’s kingdom was the amazing find of a 3000 plus structure by archaeologist Eilat Mazar which debunks Finkelstein’s claim that David and Solomon were nothing but â€Å"bandit chiefs† (Halkin, 2006, pp. 41-48). Conclusion The tedious process of gathering archaeological information certainly takes time. Not just time but a great deal of clever maneuvering, as well as ready manpower and abundant monetary resources. Even if you do have permission to dig, there is modern day architecture to be worked around.One just cannot go around up heaving present day civilizations in order to prove the existence of past civilizations. However, in the case of kings David and Solomon their existence has been proven time and time again. Backing up the biblical account is the â€Å"Tel Dan Stele† an Aramaic text uncovered in 1993 dated 835 B. C. E. which boasts of Hazael King of Damascus’ victory over northern Israel’s king Jehoram son of Ahab and southern Judah’s Ahaziahu of the house of David (Halkin, 2006, p. 48).

Image of Nursing Essay

Every nurse should be concerned with the overall image of nursing. Nursing is considered to be the most trusted, honest and ethical profession. The media and the public will continually critique how nurses perform in and out of the clinical setting. Nursing protocols and guidelines have shaped nurses into professionals who have a great deal of knowledge and experience in their particular field. The image of nursing has changed a lot over the years and each nurse has a personal responsibility to maintain a positive overall image (Gambrell, 2004). Nurses should ask themselves how to confront and address the negative images of nursing. We need to be aware of how our appearance affects the delivery of healthcare. Tattoos, piercings and scrubs are very influential in the eyes of the patient and their families. Popular TV shows also portray nurses in a certain way that could cause common misconceptions. In recent years more males have been entering the nursing field and are taking on more duties as role models and mentors who are admired and respected (Hoeve, 2013). Nurses should incorporate communication, collaboration, critical thinking and clinical judgment into every aspect of their job. These qualities should begin in school and will hopefully remain with the nurse for the entirety of their career. Every single nurse is ultimately responsible for how the profession of nursing is  viewed. The â€Å"image† of nursing is very subjective and therefore, no absolute definition exits. The majority of a nurse’s work is invisible to all except the patients, their families and the organizations they work for. We’re always being watched and a positive attitude can go a long way in the eyes of the patients and their families. Nurses traditionally don’t have a strong relationship with the media. They tend to focus more on human-interest stories rather than professional abilities. By publicly sharing aspects of our jobs we are then able to enhance the public’s image of nursing. The image of nursing will successfully be enhanced because we will be seen as professionals who care for each other and support one another’s professional growth . I believe that every nurse, from new grads to clinical nurse 4’s, is absolutely responsible for the overall image of nursing. Public opinion shapes political agendas. Because public opinion is often based on inaccurate images, nurses must participate in the public arena to shape our image (Gambrell, 2004). Nurses are not given due recognition for the skills they have by the majority of the public. The essence of nursing is not always clear and nurses still suffer from many stereotypes including gender. The media often depict nurses working at the patient’s bedside and performing repetitive and routine tasks, mostly as the doctor’s handmaiden. The public image of nurses does not always match their professional image; nurses are not depicted as autonomous professionals and the public is not aware that nowadays nursing is to a great extent a theory-based and scholarly profession (Hoeve, 2013). As nurses, we should always strive to uphold a positive public image, self-concept and professional identity. The self-concept of nurses and their professional identity are determined by many factors, including public image, work environment, work values, education and culture. A negative public image may challenge nurses to look for successful strategies to improve their self-concept and to show their invaluable contribution to the healthcare system. I’m very proud to be in this field. References Gambrell, M. (2004). Improving Our Image a Nurse at a Time. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 33(10), 510-511. Hoeve, Y. T., Jansen, G., & Roodbol, P. (2013). The nursing profession: public image, self-concept and professional identity. A discussion paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(2), 295-309.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Review Of Entwistle’s Integration Of Psychology And Theology Essay

Starting with differentiating that which is wholly a biblical worldview and vigilantly avoiding the â€Å"roadblocks† that the readers might mistake as something else other than the essentials of Christian beliefs, the author, Dr. Entwistle (2004) nudges in graduated measures to a clearer understanding of where he intends his reader to reach: which is the integration of these two distinct paradigms. For the author, looking at psychology and/or human behavior and its complexities as a faithful Christian, human individuals are understood as well as coined by different terminologies other than their biblical counterparts (Entwistle, 2004). To arrive to a common understanding of the fundamentals of Christianity and to relate that to social science is not an impossible task at all despite the â€Å"wide chasm† that had been erected by certain schools of thoughts coming from either side. Presuppositions or philosophical conceptualizations are the pillars of any worldview, and to successfully establish a new one requires that changes or reinforcements be made at this plane. The integrative approaches were framed at this level so as to remove mental oppositions as they arise every time in one’s thoughts. When this is not adequately laid down, no audience can align their thoughts or understanding with what the author (i. e. , David Entwistle) tries to convey (Entwistle, 2004). According to the author, social science and the basic principles of the Bible do not antagonize scientific findings, in most occasions. They do not come in conflict with each other in most of the ideals. For instance, the psyche or soul and its make up; rather science in a way confirms (as if it needs confirmation) what the Bible long declares (Entwistle, 2004). The issue then is not accepting a secular psychology nor accepting a liberal theology; rather it is the accepting of psychology as a discipline science. Narrowing it down, psychology simply tries to study the human mind and how it functions. The Christian mind is the focus of most of the New Testament doctrine and principles. Its sanctification and renewal is one of Christianity’s lifelong primary objectives; and it is definitely God’s objectives as well as declared clearly in the Scriptures. It is His will for the people’s lives to have their minds changed or renewed. In this standpoint, science very well is able to relate its findings with how the mind works and how man relates these workings in his milieu and/or community (Entwistle, 2004). Dr. Entwistle puts aside every seemingly combatant view against psychology in general, and against seemingly narrow Christianity as well; so as to remove doubts to the a feasible and possible integration of psychology and Christianity (Entwistle, 2004). Declaring pitfalls of immature faith and pop psychology which respectively, easily captivate enthusiasts and followers alike, the approaches that the author actually took was to set aside what competing worldviews were there and faithfully move to abide to the demands of the Scriptures at the same time embracing the plausible scientific evidences that are emerging in psychology and examining these in the light of a complete revelation of the message of the Scriptures (Entwistle, 2004). Much appreciation goes to the scholarly work of Dr. Entwistle. His wide grasp of Scriptures and doctrines of the Christian faith is very impressive. It is with the impression that the author has a deep thirst of the things of God and of the beauty of His plan of salvation. Equally, his search for the basic functioning of the mind and behavioral activities of individuals are evident throughout the accounts in the book (Entwistle, 2004). What bothers me about this book is that Dr. Entwistle must have kept his philosophical discussions to a minimum so that his audience or readership will be able to digest at that level. There are theological questions that are not satisfied just by going through the presuppositions (Entwistle, 2004). Though this is essentially a requisite, still, major doctrines in the Christian faith cannot be sufficiently addressed within the pages of his book. Just like when he mentioned about â€Å"Athens and Jerusalem† right from the beginning of his treatise. The author should be careful about discussing the two kinds of wisdom that he proposed through the â€Å"locations† he mentioned. The Jerusalem that he talked about in his book as referred to by Tertullian is not representative of a thorough grasp of the Christian faith that is balanced and sound (Entwistle, 2004). Another thing is that no matter how important the contribution of Psychology is to the understanding of human behavior, to say that it can help our Biblical understanding is an affront to the admonition and declaration in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Scriptures is complete and enough for it is able to deal with the entire man. Though I do admire the work and breakthrough of psychology and its scientific procedures providing an honest and realistic proof to many of the realities of human activities, the important integrative approach is still to present both as important in their own right and yet the Biblical picture elevated to its rightful place. I guess that is what Dr. Entwistle actually really wanted (Entwistle, 2004). Another thing that bothers me is that, how many Christian counselors are prepared to help their clients sort the distinctions and similarities between psychology and the Christian faith? This is important because basic to therapy success is that when therapist and client share similar worldviews, the therapy may then advance (Entwistle, 2004). To come up with the balanced worldview (an integration in other words), the balance between the realms mentioned, including the true frame of human individuals and the true nature of God (or theology) are properly considered (Entwistle, 2004). Thoroughly accepting the fact that there is no contest between the natural and the spiritual; only that troubles arise when one realm is overemphasized at the expense of another. This thin line or slight tension between the two levels is best expressed in the personhood of Jesus Christ, who was a perfect man as well as God. If we start to equate ourselves with that notion (which is usually happening) and we start to think that we are balanced, then we surely lack understanding or real self-awareness of the fact that we are deeply and seriously out of balance and this is one reason why we need help.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Communication Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Communication - Coursework Example Culture is an important factor that determines the effectiveness of a communication. Notably, cultural and social stereotype affect the psychological communication as the receiver or sender can have prejudiced opinion regarding the other party. For example, a discussion or debate between an Africa American and a White American might have stereotypical influence from both parties. Specifically, the White might view the Black as unintelligent while the Black might see the White as biased. Consequently, for practical communication, such stereotypes and prejudice must be eliminated. The three levels of metacommunication are reflective, adaptive, and anticipatory. Reflective metacommunication is the process whereby an individual thinks about the communication after the conversation is over. I would rate myself ‘good’ as I reflect on the conversation to determine my strengths and weaknesses and make proper decisions on how to improve my skills in future. Anticipatory metacommunication is the process of planning to communicate. In this category, I would rate myself ‘fair’ because I frequently plan to tell my friends or parents about some issues I need to discuss with them. Finally, adaptive metacommunication is the listening skills theories that detect the ability to listen actively and thoughtfully. In this category, I would rate myself fair because if am sometimes hindered from listening attentively due to concentration on my Smartphone. When working as a manager, there are crucial times that you need to prepare what to say. Specifically, this entails giving the reason for a particular reaction. For example, when transferring a worker from one location to the other, the manager must offer adequate reason why the selected candidate is the most important and how the new opportunity will benefit the individual and the organization. However, some

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Expanding of Businesses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expanding of Businesses - Assignment Example In this similar context, one of the chief factors related to exporting which needs to be considered by the small firms is to concentrate on sales activities for exporting in markets having better performance as compared to firms pursuing strategies in isolation. There are various reasons for firms engaging in expansion on global basis that include exploiting the unique knowledge possessed by the firms and potentially reducing costs through development scale of economies or through leveraging resources (Brouthers & et. al., 2009). In order to determine the major factors that a small organisation has to consider before commencement of exporting, it has been viewed that the notion of export planning plays a decisive part in the commencement of exporting. In this regard, it can be affirmed that export planning might assist a firm towards accessing the potential of mitigating uncertainties and complexities related to exporting. Another key factor related to exporting for small firms is fo rmation of strategic alliances with trustful partners. This step could be beneficial for small organizations to maintain effective performance in long run (Sengupta & et.al., 1999). It can also be stated that through proper research of market, it is quite possible to make a thorough assessment of the markets resulting in acquiring a brief idea about the market nature. Efficient distribution and shipping assists smaller firms in exporting as an organization finds an appropriate market that has reasonable demand and regulations and bears no entry barriers that eventually results in smooth conduct of business (Samuels, 2013). It can be stated that the small organisations needed to consider certain key factors prior to their commencement of exporting. In this similar concern, the small organisations strongly believe that they can attain significant benefits from considering the factors before commencing exporting. The benefits comprise raising sales along with revenues, minimizing risks , enlarging life-cycle of the products and most significantly penetrating into new business markets among others (Tekle, 2013). After acquiring a brief idea about the benefits that can acquire by the small organisations, it can be affirmed from a broader perspective that they need to consider a particular chief factor concerning building an effective corporate international image prior to the commencement of exporting. It has often been viewed that financial risks generally occurs while carrying out transactions on an international basis. Thus, on the basis of the above discussion, it can be stated that the small organisations must consider certain other major factors like adopting as well as executing planning dimensions, conducting proper analysis of market and concentrating much upon product pricing and quality prior to the commencement of exporting (Tekle, 2013). Question 2 It has been apparently observed that the business organisations belonging to this modern day context tends to invest substantially in abroad for the purpose of raising profitability, overall productivity, business reputation and most significantly attaining superior competitive position. However, relating to this context, it can be observed that a business organisation when investing abroad often has the difficult choice of either buying an existing facility or building a new facility. This can be owing to the reason

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management - Essay Example Various undertakings require examination before undertaking them so as to enable for sound judgment. Figuring out objectives and then setting up a plan on now to reach the targets is one key technique of efficient planning. One major planning tool that happens to be efficient is enquiring from the individuals carrying out the various tasks for their input. Making it happen happens to be the next procedure of the management process after obtaining a plan. The management ought to ascertain that everything required to implement to the management plan is set or is available when required. It is imperative to confirm that everyone comprehends their role and significance their role contributes to the general success. The following procedure involves telling individuals whatever they are required to perform. It is crucial to make certain everything is running according to plan. When there exists a setback, management is charged with the role of stepping in to modify the plan. Managing is no t a simple task. Nonetheless, it can be performed successfully with the experience being very rewarding. In the management process, matters that could be derailing the efficiency of individuals often pop up from the actions they are involved in that are time consuming. Internet email tends to be abused by the individuals working for various organizations. It is in this light that this report is looking to examine the management reasons that lead to their decisions to banning the use of internal email within the organizations. This report also gives an example of some of the corporations or organizations that have resulted to the prohibition of internal email usage, highlighting whether the move is an effective tool for effective management (Daft, 2011, 123). Phones 4U administrator is part of the emerging team of management that has called to the end of staff facing up their work without engaging in the utilization of email. Phones 4U ironically commends the virtues of contemporary communications to customers, however, the staff has been prohibited from utilizing one of the world’s most inexhaustible tools of communication, email. The holder of this chain’s multi-millionaire commercial holding, John Caudwell has the faith that the 2,500 staff has wasted a lot of time receiving and sending emails, rather than adequate time dealing and serving the customers face to face. The owner believes the email prohibition resulted in a dramatic and affirmative effect. According to John Caudwell, the email was insidiously overrunning Phones 4U. There had been signs by the management and staff, as well, at the firm’s headquarters and its stores, that the email propagation was inhibiting their effectiveness. The time spent per day after the ban, as articulated by Caudwell, amounted to three hours, which translated to a saving of ?6m each month. The industry players analyzed the move by Caudwell as a means to rejuvenate Phones 4U in its quest to take on it s major competitors, such as Carpfone Warehouse. On the contrary, some market analysts view such measures by managements differently. After chopping the hard expenditures to the bone, focus has shifted to the malleable expenditure, the individual time spent on the practices of management that have for years gone by unnoticed. The requirement for outstanding managers is ever present. The unprocessed number of managers required is declining. This has been necessitated by the networks

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Indeterminate Sentence and Parole Major Criticisms Personal Statement

Indeterminate Sentence and Parole Major Criticisms - Personal Statement Example The main central of indeterminate sentence and parole major criticisms is that neither rehabilitation nor criminal sanctions’ cardinal purpose is the attainable goal. The attainable and suitable aim of justice supported is punishment. Correctional officials have clinched indeterminate sentence outside their intractable desire to regulate the convicts’ behavior, and that is both evil and hypocritical. Effect of the indeterminate sentence can be partly viewed to be overcrowding in prisons. The rehabilitation model’s hypocrisy, disparate sentence, non volitional participation in programs by prisoners, and irrational and unpredictable paroling decisions all pilot to unrest, violence, and prison alienation. In researcher’s view, he would support abolition of both parole and indeterminate sentence. Indeterminate sentence presents disparate sentences obligated for similar crimes. Those disparities reflect socioeconomic and racial prejudices. Indeterminate sentenc e and parole require more supervision time costs regarding the administration, yet they do not satisfy the retributive sentiments of the public. As earlier mentioned, indeterminate sentence causes overcrowding in prisons which may easily result into disease outbreaks in the prison; this is a punishment to human healthy rather than a way of rectifying their behavior. Parole requires enormous expenses due to incompetence and corruption within the system. In addition, there is inaccurate knowledge of those who would be previously convicted.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Observation of community Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Observation of community - Assignment Example Facebook seems to be the most popular site when it comes to making friends and Social networking. People are free to advertise themselves as well as their skills, books and professions etc. and try to better their existing prospects. The people at Facebook have come to realize that even companies are interested in engaging themselves with other stakeholders in a more dynamic and informal manner and hence have gone that extra mile in creating a potent platform for them to associate with each other. Many big Corporate Companies and artistes have joined the Facebook Community in order to further enhance their prospects. The language used by this particular group of people is slightly more formal than the other groups. This is because professions are involved. Informal language such as â€Å"Oh c’mon yaar’, ‘yeah of course’, ‘no probs’, ‘catch you later then’ ‘bring along your resume and catch me at ma office tom. @ lunch time etc. are some of the informal phrases used in the language spoken here. Other common phrases used between associates are ‘give me a buzz’ or ‘give me a tinkle before comin’ pal’, IMHO (in my humble opinion) This is the most informal and exciting platform on Facebook because it is here that friends meet and exchange fun and ideas across the globe. The world becomes a smaller place when people interact and associate with each other between continents and across the world. The language used on this platform is filled with fun and laughter punctuated with a lot of jokes and funny ideas. People who associate with each other as friends on a surface level exchange a lot of information, thoughts and ideas which prove to be very useful and encouraging. The majority of users, take their friendship to a far more deeper level and engage in sharing their innermost and deepest feelings and emotions in exchange for solace, understanding and

Sunday, September 8, 2019

The Minnesota Attorney General Can Sue The Mega Computer Chip Assignment

The Minnesota Attorney General Can Sue The Mega Computer Chip Manufacturer - Assignment Example The attorney general can sue the Mega Computer Chip Manufacturer in the federal court. This is because the United States Justice Department can use its powers to present antitrust cases that are criminal under the federal antitrust laws. The federal courts are able to show that the MCCM has a market share by number and revenue of chips sold at 80 and 90% respectively. Additionally, Original Equipment Manufacturers, a national company, has the responsibility of selling the MCCM chips. On the other hand, the Minnesota attorney general can sue the MCCM for antitrust and monopoly violation in the state of Minnesota. This is because the state can handle federal antitrust lawsuits. The state attorney can sue on the state’s behalf so as to rectify the wrong practices. Moreover, apart from compensating the federal and local governments, the state government will also be compensated in case a company is guilty of a violation. Monopoly power entails increasing or reducing prices of commodities or services for an unknown period without fearing to be undersold by those who can provide alternative services or goods. The Mega Computer Chip Manufacturer has monopoly power, and they use it. MCCM has policies that impose prohibitive burdens or costs on Original Equipment Manufacturers, who are the manufacturers of computers, and who fit in the chips in their computers. The MCCM’s monopoly power makes them have an effect on OEM’s prices since they can lower or increase the price of the chips and OEM cannot. Additionally, MCCM can inform OEM the number of chips they can use, pay them so that they do not use their competitors’ chips, and delay their competitors’ chips use (Cheeseman, 2011). A method of dispute resolution should be included in the contract. This will be helpful in the event of a disagreement (Cheeseman, 2011). Alternative dispute resolution methods should be adopted over courts. This is because it is more flexible, cost-effective, and faster than court trials. The resolution will take place in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota has the potential of handling court cases. In case the contract uses a court as a method of dispute resolution, the court in Minnesota can provide for a distinct jurisdiction or general jurisdiction.  

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consensual Relationship Agreements - Case Study Example Some people believe that workplace romantic relationships should be allowed and that employers should never try to inhibit them. Others, on the other hand, believe that these relationships should be inhibited and that the employees should not be allowed to express their feelings and emotions at work because this interferes with proper workplace ethics (Cohen, 2009). Consensual relationship agreement is a process that has been suggested for managing workplace relationships. A consensual relationship agreement is like a relationship contract where two individuals sign an agreement that explicitly reveals their personal and romantic relationships. As they sign the agreement, they agree to be in the relationship willingly and that their relationship will not affect their professionalism in the workplace. Advantages Consensual relationship agreements are extremely useful both to employees and the organization. Having employees sign this kind of agreement will be useful in making sure that any personal relationships in the workplace are well managed (Hellriegel, 2007). Employees will be sure that if the relationship takes a different course that it was meant, they will not be victimized by their partners by being sued for sexual harassment. A consensual relationship agreement will also help the employees to be sober about their professionalism and be able to separate their personal and professional life. Moreover, signing a consensual relationship agreement will be a better way of aiding the employees in having a relationship that they are not ashamed of and that has a better foundation. Consensual relationship agreements are no more of privacy intrusion than a marriage contract, especially considering that there is nothing for employees to be shameful about if their relationship is open and not based on negative foundations such as immorality or cheating other existing spouses. Employees can also benefit from the consensual relationship agreement because it will pro tect them from getting into relationships with people who are not serious about the relationship. All these factors indicate that the workplace will be improved and that the negative effects that come from personal relationships in the workplace will not be a problem. Argument Against Consensual relationship agreements also have negative impacts. For one reason, the use of consensual relationship agreements assumes that the relationships have a starting point. It is not easy to determine when and where a romantic relationship starts so that the parties involved can decide to sign the contract. While the whole idea of consensual relationship agreements is good because it is meant to make the workplace a better place and avoid confusions in the workplace, its implementation can only remain to be elusive. Studies show that employees resent being micromanaged even from a professional point of view, let alone from a personal point of view. Telling employees that they have to sign a contr act or an agreement in order for them to have a personal relationship is not as practical as it is theoretical. The spirit of consensual relationship agreements may be good, but how to implement is the problem. The other issue with consensual relationship agreements is that it fails to consider that relationships are volatile and always shifting. For instance, two people in a

Friday, September 6, 2019

Activity Intended for Enhancing a Skill Essay Example for Free

Activity Intended for Enhancing a Skill Essay This paper examines the effectiveness of the activity that is carried out in order to enhance a particular skill. The activity of turning letters into words is selected and carried out as a game between the members of an identified group with the main objective being attainment of improved group performance and development. The paper examines the degree of response achieved in the skill with the help of the intended activity. The game of Turning Letters into Words is an activity that is chosen to improve the development and performance of a group and is a great tool to develop knowledge abilities and skills through participation. Dividing the whole group into smaller teams helps in building a structured approach towards shared group objective. This activity creates a stimulating learning environment for each member and hones their behavioral skills to maximize the team’s performance and development. All the members participate fully in terms giving individual contribution as well as working together with others. Being an integral part of the team and having the responsibility of making the maximum words possible with the provided letters, gives a boost to the team spirit. Each member is then supposed to question oneself about whether the letters contributed by him/her helped or restricted the team members in making the most of the needed long words. This brings out the feeling of cohesiveness and suppresses the individualistic approach, which helps in rapid increase in performance levels. The collective act of choosing the letters and making maximum words not just brings the members together, but also promotes the feeling of trust, cooperation and the winning streak. The feeling of competing at the group level helps he members to cope with the distinct behaviors and perspectives, without getting into the blame game. Each member strives to achieve the maximum number of words by unknowingly working towards the strengths and weaknesses of their own teams and articulating the team’s vision. The activity of forming words as a team helps in establishing clear team guidelines, objectives and a well thought out team orientation process. The process of mapping the individual performance with the team’s overall performance while working at a high capacity in the present role augments the group development to accomplish the maximum performance. However, a close scrutiny of the team members’ reaction reveals that the age group is a significant factor in defining the individual’s response to such skill enhancing activities. The different set of values and attitude characterize the way the older generation is not so rapid with coming up with new words. The newer generation however responds more quickly to such skill grinding activities. Therefore, it can be concluded that strategically designed activities can surely be used to facilitate requisite skills such as yielding performance metrics, provided the management is well knowledgeable about the degree of responsiveness. References http://www. teambuildingportal. com/games/turning-letters-words. php