My Gesellschaft Society Essay

Many young people in this day and age are tying to look act, and overall seem older. I deal with these struggles everyday in my life. Kids face many dilemmas in their trek to adulthood yet, they still try to obtain adulthood earlier by going through the â€Å"proper† rites of passage. These things create dilemmas, which can help or hinder lifetime goals. Two of the dilemmas that young people face today are peer pressure, and adult pressure. Kids today in the modern society encounter things such as smoking, drinking, and violence. In a Gemeinschaft society peer pressure is not going to be a really big issue in a teens life. All of the people in that society are probably going think and have the same ideal as everybody else in their community. Although in a Gesellschaft society, teens are going to struggle with different issues because no one thinks the same or follows the same ideas or trends. I know in my life it is very hard to stick to what I believe in. There is always going to be someone out there to tell you a different side of a situation. In some ways seeing two different views of a problem is good. It helps to weigh out the good and the bad. I live in a Gesellschaft society. The friends I hang around with have many different beliefs about everything. There is no way that we can all believe or follow the same ideas. Peer pressure is a very major dilemma when friends or peers try to get a person to do what they, the majority, like and not what the individual likes, or does not want to do. Peers create some of the so-called rites, when one follows, more start to follow, then it becomes the scenario of follow the leader. For example, some teens think that drinking is a passage into adulthood because the law states you must be 21 to drink. The logic of some teens indicates that if you drink you are considered an adult. Therefore if one teen tries it he/she is supposedly accepted as a more mature person, so more people will follow. Many adolescents fear their peers because of the fact that the peer group may  have set certain ideals, yet the individual may or may not have the resources to obtain the ideals. If there is a lack of resources then the individual may have a very low level of self-esteem. Many individuals do not care for the ideals yet they allow themselves to be converted to the majority and this can also create a problem with ones self-esteem. Peer pressure is not a bad thing. We all are influenced by our peers, both negatively and positively. It helps define who we are and how we feel about subjects in our lives. It is how we chose to react to peer pressure that defines who we are as an individual. Are we a leader or a follower? Both types of people are needed to make the world go round. Basically, the difference between negative and positive peer pressure is the outcome. The reverse of the situation above is negative peer pressure. The situation itself is positive peer pressure. For example, a teen really doesn’t like sports, but pushes himself to do it to please his friends or to be accepted. Therefore, he probably doesn’t do too well at it, and gets only criticism, which lowers his self-esteem from the very friends he is trying so hard to impress. That is a form of negative peer pressure. Another kind of pressure is adult pressure, adults create many dilemmas in a teens life. Adults tell teens what and what not to do. They make things harder by the fact that adults pressure teens into colleges, jobs, careers, and life over all. Adults also create self-esteem problems in teens by not respecting choices or decisions made by teens. For example, children are taught by their parents to supposedly know what is right or wrong. The child may not like their parents’ answer to a question or situation, and in some cases get furious at the decision and go and do the wrong thing. In a way this is a case of peer pressure because the child wants to do what his/her friends are doing which could be the wrong thing and the child gets mad at the parents because they say no. Adults pressure teens into not doing things also. Drugs, sex, and alcohol are some of the many things peers and adults disagree upon. The style of clothes one wears is also a big disagreement between the two groups. In a way adult pressure is worse than peer pressure. Adults control teens lives until they are eighteen years old or older. Adults may force a son or daughter to go to a certain college that the teen does not want to attend, or obtain a career that the teen does not want. Peer pressure is a normal aspect in a teen’s life. For example, if a parent doesn’t like the current teen fashion does not mean that a parent should have to fight it. When everyone at school is wearing jeans that are five times too big for them, and a teen wants to also, you can cut them some slack. But, if everyone is wearing these jeans down around their knees, you should have a battle. In conclusion the two pressures of peers, and adults are often conflicting. Sometimes neither is good, and other times both are good. Adult pressure is by far the worst creating many problems with youths today. Peer pressure may also create problems yet they are easier to deal with. The best thing to do is to respect one’s own decision for one’s self and no one else’s.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 20th Century

In the 20th century, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the president of the United States that shaped the American Empire. He was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the nation during crisis like the Great Depression and World War II. He received overwhelming support from his citizens throughout his four terms in office. President Roosevelt began a new era in American history. Despite an attack of poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his legs in 1921, he established social reforms that gave people a new perspective on government. Government was not only expected to protect the people from foreign invaders, but to protect against poverty and unemployment. Roosevelt had also shown his military and diplomatic skill as the Commander in Chief during World War II. Born in 1882 in Hide Park N. Y, he was raised in a high class family, graduated from Harvard University and received his law degree from Columbia Law School. At age 23 he married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Even though coming from a privileged childhood, Roosevelt was close to the simple citizen†s aspirations. His New Deal program gave jobs for the workers and his wartime policies protected democracy. In 1932, F. D. R took the Democratic presidential nomination on the fourth ballot with John Nance Garner of Texas as his Vice Presidential running mate. Although there was rough competition during the choosing process, most party leaders were happy with the Roosevelt choice. It would help pull votes from the urban-Eastern region of the country. During the November campaign against Hoover, Roosevelt suggested a few parts of the â€Å"New Deal†. He spoke of relief and public works money. He wanted to develop a plan to cut agricultural overproduction. He was for public power, conservation and unemployment insurance. The repeal of prohibition and stock exchange regulation were also big items on his platform. But he mentioned little about his plans for industrial recovery or labor laws. As much foreign policy experience as he had, he talked very little of it during the campaign. When it came to election day, Roosevelt was the only viable alternative to Hoover, who many blamed for the Great Depression, although critics argue that it was the presidents preceding the Hoover administration. Roosevelt's second election was in 1936. As expected, Roosevelt won by a landslide. This reflected the nation's confidence in the man and his leadership ability. However, the nation still had a long way to go. After another over-all successful term, Roosevelt ran again in 1940. The Republicans based their campaign on the tradition that no President had ever gone for a third term in succession. To counter this, Roosevelt put the spotlight on his administration's achievements. Because of the risky situation abroad, many felt that Roosevelt's expertise was needed if war occurred. The election results against Wendell Willkie were closer than the previous two times. Much of this feeling was based on the idea that it would be a bad thing for the country to change leadership in the middle of the war. Many of the president's advisors felt he would not live through a fourth term, considering his hypertension, and cardiac failure. Because of his condition, the Vice President nomination for the 1944 election was of utmost importance. Roosevelt was persuaded to drop Henry Wallace, whom many regarded as too liberal and emotionally unsuited to be president. Harry Truman of Missouri was chosen to fill the spot. Again, the Republicans argument was term length. No President should serve for 16 years, they declared. The opposing argument by the Democrats was that no country should â€Å"change horses in mid-stream†. The election outcome was even slimmer this time, but Roosevelt still captured a hearty vote. By the time Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4, 1933, the economic situation was desperate. Between 13 and 15 million Americans were unemployed. Of these, between 1 and 2 million people were wandering about the country looking for jobs. Thousands lived in cardboard shacks called â€Å"hoovervilles†. Panic-stricken people hoping to rescue their deposits had forced 38 states to close their banks. The Depression hit all levels of the social scale, heads of corporations and Wall Street bankers were left begging on the street. Roosevelt's action would be two parted: restore confidence and rebuild the economic and social structure. In one of his addresses, he pushed confidence with his statement, â€Å"the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself† . One of his first steps was to take action upon the bank problem. Because of the Depression, people rushed to the banks to pull their deposits out in return for paper cash and gold. On March 6, 1933, Roosevelt declared a bank holiday that lasted four days. All banks in the nation were closed until the Department of Treasury could examine each one's fiscal situation. Those that were determined to correct their financial condition were allowed to reopen and those who had been badly operated were not allowed. During the Great Depression, 5,504 banks had closed and deposits of nearly $3. 5 billion dollars were lost. Shortly after the President restored confidence in the banks, what is now known as the â€Å"100 days† began on March 9 and ended on June 16, 1933. Franklin Delano Roosevelt began to submit recovery and reform laws for congressional approval. Congress passed nearly all the important bills that he requested, most of them by large majorities. The fact that there was a Democratic Party majority in both houses helped speed things along. What emerged from these100 days was a 3-fold focus, Relief-Recovery-Reform. One of the relief actions was known as the Emergency Relief Act. This established the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) that pushed an appropriation of $500 million to be spent immediately for quick relief. Moreover, the Reforestation Act of 1933 helped stop and repair some of the environmental damage that had occurred as a result of the industrial revolution. More importantly, he created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which eventually employed more than 2,5 million men at various camps. Projects included reforestation, road construction, soil erosion and flood control as well as national park development. The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was designed to raise crop prices and raise the standard of living for American farmers. Production was cut to increase demand, therefore raising the price. It also gave the president the power to inflate the currency by devaluating its gold content and issue about $3 billion in paper currency. The United States Supreme Court later struck down the AAA as unconstitutional. Another recovery measure was the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). It was designed to balance the interests of business and labor and consumers/workers and to reduce unemployment. This act set codes of anti-trust laws and fair competition, as well as setting a new standard: minimum wage. A new idea came about in those 100 days, it was known as the federal corporation. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was the first agency to work much like a private enterprise. The goal of the TVA was to reform one of the poorest parts of the country, the Tennessee River Valley. The TVA was responsible for the construction and management of power plants, dams, electricity, flood control systems and the development of navigation systems. After the initial 100 days, reform continued throughout the first term of the Roosevelt Administration. In Roosevelt's annual address to Congress on January 4, 1935, he outlined phase two of the New Deal, whose main component would be the establishment of the modern welfare system. The federal government would withdraw from the direct relief, leaving it up to state and local governments. This would include social security for the aged, unemployed and ill. Moreover, the farmers were aided by the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). Its goals were to provide electricity to isolated areas where private utility companies did not see it profitable to run lines and set up service. The year of 1935 brought with it numerous reform efforts. These were the final efforts of the New Deal before the nation geared up for war. Included in this was the National Labor Relations Act, whose most important function was to set up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which monitored corporations to ensure worker rights and safety. One of the most important and lasting effects of the Roosevelt Administration was his push for the Social Security Act. This was an innovative plan that was supposed to lead to a nation-wide retirement system. Finally, a Revenue Act of 1935 capped off the New Deal with a tax on the rich, and a tax break on the middle class citizens. The Supreme Court was fairly conservative, and attempted to shoot holes in many of Roosevelt's New Deal programs. The Supreme Court even went as far as to strike the entire AAA program down, claiming that it violated state's rights. FDR was infuriated at the actions of the Court. He thought of them as nine old men who were living in days gone by, far too conservative to see the economic and social needs of today. He soon began to plan retribution, however in secrecy. He called upon his staff to write up the Judicial Reform Act of 1937. Essentially, this document alleged that the Judicial Branch of the federal government was overwhelmed. His answer to solve the dilemma was to use his executive power of appointment and place more Justices on the Court. Another section of the Act suggested that at age 70, each Justice would be supplemented with an additional Justice. This meant up to 15 Supreme Court Justices serving at one time. Roosevelt hoped to load the Court with social liberal Democrats who would not oppose his New Deal programs. After a long period of embarrassing debate, the Senate rejected Roosevelt's proposal. This, in turn, caused Roosevelt to reject the Senate. Roosevelt used his diplomatic and military powers in the later part of his administration nearly as much as he used his executive and legislative powers in the first half. At the time Roosevelt took office, the nation was isolationist. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930's, America became even more concerned with its own problems. However, seeing the importance of a global view and seeing the possible impact of World War II, Roosevelt directed the country toward nations abroad. He also withdrew American occupation forces from some Caribbean republics, and settled oil disputes with Mexico. His desire to spread ties across the Western Hemispheres led to trade agreements with Canada and many South American states. Furthermore, Recognition was given to the Soviet government in November of 1933. This was the first attempt at civil relations since the Russian Revolution in 1917. In 1933, for the first time in 16 years, the two nations exchanged representatives. The isolationist school of thought led to the Neutrality Acts of the 1930's. These acts, passed by Congress, prohibited the US from furnishing weapons or supplies to any nation at war. President Roosevelt disliked the fact that these Acts treated all nations the same, whether a country had attacked another or not. Germany†s aggressiveness in 1939 forced Roosevelt to take a tougher stance. On December 11th 1949, the United States declared war to Germany and Italy. With World War II still in progress, the commander in chief was a candidate in the 1944 elections for a fourth time. He won over the Republican Thomas Dewey. The president†s advisors feared that F. D. R might not live through another term. In fact, on April 12 1945, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Despite his physical limitations, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a highly popular president. He shaped the value of the free world and guided his citizens through tumultuous years. ‘ ‘Their Children would live to see the causes for which he stood for prosperity, freedom, economic justice and political democracy† . It can be said that President Roosevelt was a ‘ ‘Founding Father† of the American nation, along with all the other greats of Mount Rushmore.

Chinese popular culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chinese popular culture - Essay Example Speaking about Chinese television, the 20th century is deservingly considered to be revolutionary in the field. In the 20th century you could hardly find a person who did not watch TV and now with the development of internet, television still does not loose its popularity. Then with the development of technology new opportunities appeared for people providing the chance to listen to the music and watch films every day, every moment, every second. Moreover, art became something very prestigious and musicians turned into the most influential people in the society. Braester points out â€Å"with the rise of â€Å"cultural economy† (wenhua jingji) in the mid-1990s, cultural capital and economic capital became exchangeable. Cultural references could be cashed in to enhance the monetary value of a commercial project, and the brokers of culture became powerful elite. Under these circumstances, ?lmmakers – like their counterparts in music distribution, art exhibition and liter ary promotion – could bene?t from their skills as producers of artifacts of wide appeal and their proximity to intellectual circles to become in?uential middlemen† (Braester, 2006, p. 551). The 20-21st centuries brought the new opportunities to make experiments. The popularity the television gained attracted young generations to the field of art. Now the number of musicians is growing every day as the youth is fond of music very much. With the elimination of many prejudices the Chinese society has been always full of, new opportunities to make different experiments appeared, thus new waves appeared and the development of the music accelerated. The development of technology does not bring benefits to all the fields of media. Some fields became less popular, because other fields appeared. One field that simply could not benefit from this development is the newspaper industry. It is no need to say that the development of technology made newspapers and journals useless. How ever, China can be called an exception. Chinese people still consider newspapers and journals to be the main sources of information. There are five types of popular newspapers that people like very much: evening newspapers, business issues, weekly informative newspapers and law newspapers. Speaking about the evolution of newspapers since 1978, it is essential to mention that the newspapers and journals changed much, became bright and informative. The number of newspapers and journals has also increased. In 1980 there were 80 newspapers in the country and now their number increased to 2,200. The whole number of journals and newspapers in China now grew to many millions due to new economic opportunities, which allow to open private publishing houses. Now Chinese people do not want the government to control media too strictly. The government is implementing the full control only over the news. Chinese population received more opportunities for self-expression. Globalization brought man y changes to all the areas of media. Kloet states: â€Å"over the past decades, disjunctive ?ows of capital, people, technologies, media and ideologies have been subject to profound changes that have deeply intensi?ed processes of globalization† (Kloet, 2005, p. 610). Television and newspapers are two fields, which shape the life of people in today’s Chinese society. Sometimes the influence of media is even considered to be harmful, for example, media is accused in

Ballet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ballet - Essay Example For instance in Swan Lake, an example of a classical ballet the choreography consists of movements that test and display the dancers’ skills in performing advanced ballet skills such as the pas de deux, multiple turns, extended balances and intricate footwork (128). Whereas classical ballet focuses more on the skills in technique execution by the dancers, romantic ballet gives greater emphasis on expressing emotions through dance, while still maintaining the execution of technique aspect (123). It is also relatively more recent that classical ballet, since aside from the increase in male dancers in the repertoire the themes in most romantic ballet gravitate around mythical stories or legends with fantastic or romantic elements (127). Also, romantic ballet productions are relatively more lavish compared to classical ballet, wherein not only do dancers need to be graceful and skilled, but are also required to be very expressive and have powerful acting abilities. One example of a ballet production that requires the female dancers to have all of these skills is Giselle. In the ballet’s choreography, the prima ballerina playing as Giselle as well as the other ballerinas must be skilled enough to maintain flexibility in performing both the roles of the light and dark swans, shifting from innocent to mature in each act (127). It is important to distinctly portray each role to make each scene and the whole production to be both credible and moving to viewers. This makes the dramatic quality of a romantic ballet such as Giselle distinct from classical ballet such as Swan Lake that focuses on technique execution and

Physical properties of transparent optical polymers Dissertation

Physical properties of transparent optical polymers - Dissertation Example substituted ethylenic) copolymer (Weber, 2003). Structural units of most of these polymers are given in the figure 5.2. Fig. 5.2: Structural units of common optical polymers (Martienssen and Warlimont, 2006). Because of the variations in structure, the properties such as refractive index, thermal stability, etc. vary among the different polymers (Losch et al., 1992). The properties of certain optical polymers (PC, PMMA, and ADC in comparison to glass are shown in figure 5.3. Fig. 5.3: Comparison of physical properties of glass and optical polymeric plastics – PC, PMMA and ADC (Optical Polymers International, 2010). This chapter describes and compares the physical properties of common optical polymers. The following physical properties will be discussed further: 1. ... The scattering loss of these materials is low and their refractive indices are controllable (Jones, 1997). This allows their fabrication into waveguide structures. 5.2.1. Comparison of Refractive Index The refractive index of most transparent polymeric materials is around 1.5. As these are carbon based, their refractive indices and dispersion are very different from crystals and glasses (Weber, 2003). Polyetherimide (PEI) has a refractive index higher than most other optical polymers. Other polymers with high refractive indices include polyarylsulfone, polyarylate, PC, and PS. PMMA has a refractive index of 1.491. The refractive indices of some common polymers are shown in table 5.1. The refractive index of ADC is 1.50, which compares well with that of glass. Polymer Refractive index PEI 1.658 Polyarylsulfone 1.651 Polyarylate 1.61 PS 1.590 PC 1.586 SAN 1.579 CR-39 1.504 PMMA 1.491 TPX 1.466 Table 5.1: Refractive indices of common polymeric materials. The refractive index of a polyme r is influenced by the polarizability, free volume and the difference between the maximum absorption wavelength and optical wavelength of the material (Ma et al., 2002). The higher the density and the polarizability of the material, the higher will be its refractive index. Various other polymeric materials have been used in optical focusing mechanisms. These include polyimides (PI), fluoropolymers (FP) such as Tedlar ® PVF, Tefzel ® ETFE, and Teflon ® FEP, and hydrocarbon polymers (HCP) like polyvinylbutyral (PVB). Among the fluoropolymers, the lowest index of refraction is that of Teflon FEP, which is completely fluorinated (French et al., 2011). It is observed that as the amount of

Technology is Bad for Us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Technology is Bad for Us - Essay Example These are only a small fraction of the numerous reasons why technology has been considerably harmful to the lives and wellbeing of the people whom it affects. While it has had a reasonable number of positive effects on the lives of these people also, it seems that if health and the emotional wellbeing of people are priorities for a society, the negative effects outweigh the positive effects. One major reason, which is widely accepted throughout every part of the world, is that the increasing technology is affecting the health of people negatively. This is a fact, which has a significant impact on any country or city, where the people experience a significant influence of technology in their everyday lives. This occurs mainly because technology offers people several alternatives to physical exertion. The people, whose ancestors used to walk for miles to get from any location to the next, have the luxury to drive themselves. This ease has facilitated their lives so much that they hesit ate to distances, which require ten-minute walk. Even these ten minutes seem a lot to spare to someone who is living in the fast-moving world of today, a world, which has speeded up immensely due to the rise of technological advancement. Nevertheless, even those people who do not work under the pressure of deadlines and time constraints choose to take this shortcut to travelling, simply because it is the easier, more convenient option. This has led to a very serious problem amongst the people of today, which is obesity and high cholesterol, each of which are avoidable only if one is in the habit of physically exerting themselves daily, whether by exercise, sports or simply walking the distances they need to travel (Kates, Hohenesmer and Kasperson, pp. 402-460). The obesity one sees in the developed countries today is something, which was not so common just a few decades ago. This in itself is proof that technology has had an adverse effect on the wellbeing of people. There are also several other aspects of technology today, which encourage people to choose convenience over hard work, simply due to the ease with which the relevant technology is available. An example of this phenomenon is how people choose to send emails, text messages and call people rather than going to visit them or using a slightly less convenient method of communication, such as writing a letter. This, on the surface of it, is a large advantage of technology, as it is an example of the several ways in which technology makes our lives more efficient and speedy. However, people pay a large price in terms of the negative effect this has on the relationships between people. There was once a time when one would make an effort to meet their family occasionally, if living separately, in order to maintain the relationship, and embellish the bond that exists between them. This has, however, been dismissed from the list of priorities as people have learned to replace a heartfelt meeting with a twenty -minute phone call. The level of intimacy in the interactions has decreased due to this reason, as people do not value meeting in person as much as they used to. Friends, who would keep in touch by meeting occasionally and catching up with each other, are now content with exchanging a few words through text message or Facebook wall posts. One can compare this substitute for live meetings to substituting fresh vegetables for canned food. While the content of both the meetings and the text messages

Iatrogenics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Iatrogenics - Research Paper Example The term Iatrogenic is defined as â€Å"induced in patient by physician’s actions, manner and therapy†. This term is specifically used to describe complications or adverse effects medical advice or treatment. Similarly, a pathological variation leading to detrimental consequences in a patient’s health caused by inappropriate practice of health care professionals is regarded as iatrogenic condition. According to WHO, iatrogenic disease may be defined as adverse drug reactions or complications induced by non drug medical interventions. Darchy et al., (1998) defined it, as a disease stimulated by drug prescribed by the doctor after a medical or surgical procedure. Health care associated or hospital acquired infections are a global problem. Iatrogenic frequently leads to severe complications and may require increased use of health care resources and medication, laboratory testing and prolonged duration of hospitalization. Health care personnel targets disease or risk factors for a future ailments by examining, diagnosing and prescribing a procedure for therapy. Most often, the objective of the caregiver is to prevent an ailment however, most of the effective therapies have side effects. Therefore, a dispute remains whether the benefits outweigh the harm. Initially, the focal point of iatrogenic infections is actions or inactions in terms of services of health care professionals such as physicians, pharmacists, therapists, nurses, psychologist etc. Also, the service environment of a hospital may be basis of iatrogenic (White, MA and Kleber, 2008). The estimated deaths caused by iatrogenic illness are 250,000 that make it third largest causes of deaths in U.S. (White, MA and Kleber, 2008). It costs about 6 billion pounds each year in United Kingdom for compensation (one tenth of NHS budget). History: Word iatrogenic is derived from â€Å"Iatros† a Greek word meaning brought forth by healer. Iatrogenic history can be traced back to 1800 s, when prior to implementation of aseptic techniques (hand washing and use of sterile gloves) thousands of women died due to puerperal fever; an infectious disease that was transferred between patients following delivery. Likewise, many soldiers that were injured in civil war died due to infections caused by health care personal in hospital tents. Later in 1847, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis introduced the concept of hand washing prior to patient handling which dramatically dropped the rate of infections caused by physicians. In modern medical times, in the presence of several aseptic techniques the incidence of infection caused by health care professionals is considerably reduced however, still it is regarded as a major issue in medical science (Cina and Perper, 2010). Presentations: Iatrogenic harm caused from errors in diagnosis can be broadly divided into three types: false positive results (diagnosing a disease/disorder in a individual who does not have one), false negatives (mis-diagnosi ng a disease/disorder in an individual or misjudging the severity of a disease/disorder) and failure to respond and execute to a long term treatment or recovery in a disease. It is a result of procedures or therapeutic treatments or diagnostic examinations. Most of the iatrogenic conditions become clinically evident during the hospital stay however, the infections caused

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories - Essay Example This theory postulates that companies aim at demonstrating their legitimacy to the society by acting in accordance with the bounds and norms of the community. The bounds and norms consist of all behaviour that the society accepts. Rendtorff (2009, p.145) argues that organizations safeguard the social contract between them and the society by displaying acceptable behaviour. The researcher explains that the social contract between company and the society requires organizations to deliver benefits and desirable ends to the community (Rendtorff, 2009). The failure of conforming to the expectations of the society ruins the society’s view of the company; this view is known as corporate image. Therefore, to avoid conflicts with the society, corporations aim at achieving a balance between their objectives and those of the community. Organizations adopt social and environmental reporting as a technique of maintaining legitimacy and an excellent image to the society. This is because the society expects companies to give back to them and to protect their environment (Gossling, 2011). The public expects organizations to maintain low levels of pollution because high levels threaten the health of individuals. The public also anticipate companies to support them in community projects because the society gives them a chance to conduct business in their environment (Tench, Sun, & Jones, 2012). Companies, therefore, have to report to the society about their environmental and social activities to improve their legitimacy and hence, their image and credibility to the community. Edward Freeman developed stakeholder theory, which argues that organizations aim at providing their stakeholders with value.

Affirmative action,is it necessary in the 21st. century Essay

Affirmative action,is it necessary in the 21st. century - Essay Example And although they have nurtured a particular vision of social justice. Unfortunately, not all the problems of equal opportunities at the workplace have been solved. For females and minority employees, affirmative action proposes great opportunities to be equally treated and protected (to some extent). During half a century, affirmative action policies have proved their effectiveness, but cannot "abolish" gender and racial inequalities. For this reason, training and promotion activities as a part of affirmative action are vital for successful organizational performance. Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages of these policies. They include low-qualifies fork force and low-personal achievements of employees involved in the affirmative action programs. To over come these possible threats the organization should conduct programming of specific human resources activities, based on personal development and human capital policies.Organisations play a major and continuing role in the liv es of people, especially with the growth of large-scale business organisations and the divorce of ownership from management. Organisations of one form or another are a necessary part of a society and serve many important needs. The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. It is important, therefore, to understand the role of affirmative action and the pervasive influences which it exercises over the behaviour of people. In the 21st century, the debate over pros and cons of affirmative action is still alive. Heated discussions concern the role of affirmative action in organizational development and its impact on HR management. The policy of affirmative action has deep roots. It goes back to 1941 when F. Roosevelt "encouraged minority employment by ordering defense contractors to cease discriminatory hiring" (Yates, n.d.). Further, this concept was developed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 when he "put teeth into minority hiring rules for government contractors' (Yates, n.d.). The next amendments took place under the presidency of J. Kennedy who introduced Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) "establishing to investigate contractors' practices, impose sanctions, collect employment statistics, and ensure compliance with government regulations" (Yates, n.d.). The necessity of Affirmative action was caused by dominance by white males in American workforce. At the middle of the XX century they occupied the majority of managerial positions and many of the more important blue-collar jobs. The role of women was to occupies lower-paying positions. On the other hand, racial minorities found considerable barriers to entering the labor market at the higher paying levels. The necessity of affirmative action is still an issue of the day, because people are discriminated in many aspects of our life and work. The selection process in particular directly discriminates between people in order to offer the reward of a job to one but not the others. Certain forms of discrimination are acceptable but others are not, and have been made unlawful. Facts rather than prejudice, and relevant facts rather than irrelevant facts, are important criteria in determining what type of discrimination is acceptable. "For instance, members of minority groups, females, the hard core disadvantaged, persons with disabilities, veterans, and persons more senior in age than most or who have sexual preference differences. People and groups of people typically discriminated against on the job, in promotional consideration, in employment retention, in hiring, in services and in admissions" (Martinez, 1997). Legislation, voluntary codes

Joseph Stalin Essay Example for Free

Joseph Stalin Essay One man that has gone down is history as one of the most cold-hearted, ruthless killers goes by the name of Joseph Stalin. Stalin, originally born with the name Iosif Dzhugashvili, was born in Gori, Georgia on December 21st 1879. At the time, the town where Iosif Dzhugashvili was born and raised was plagued by a lot of street violence. After demonstrating his devious way of thinking and his will to come to absolute power, Iosif Dzhugashvili eventually adopted the nickname â€Å"Stalin† from the Russian word â€Å"steel†. Once he received his new nickname, he used it as a pseudonym in his published works. Many do not know the story of Stalin’s younger years and the effect it had to the way he carried himself as a dictator. After careful speculation, it is clear to see that the future dictator and killer was very coldhearted from a very young age. From a very young age, Joseph Stalin was subjected to a lot of violence. Some of the most prominent violent events that affected the young boy started with his mother. Ekaterina Shubnaya in her piece â€Å"Prominent Russians: Joseph Stalin† states that â€Å"Some sources, however, claim that, as a strict and religious woman, she frequently resorted to physical punishment, which she believed was an integral part of child rearing. Stalin’s relationship with his mother was strained and he didn’t even attend her funeral in 1937† (1). Here, we see that violence was a natural way of Stalin’s mother to raise the youngest son of her 4 children. She would have never thought that this violence would have led her son to become one of the most violent human beings to ever live. The psychological effects of violence that Joseph Stalin went through from a young age followed him for the rest of his life. After further research, it is seen that even as a young boy, Joseph Stalin felt very lonely and unloved. The reason for this was because even his father, caused him pain psychologically and physically. Ekaterina Shubnaya continues by explaining that â€Å"Josephs father, Vissarion, a shoemaker, was heavily addicted to drinking and had a drunken habit of beating up his wife and son. Stalin recalled getting so mad at his father that he once almost killed him by throwing a knife at him† (1). His rough childhood only continued when at the age of twelve, two horse-drawn carriage accidents left his left arm permanently damaged. At the time, Joseph also caught small pox which left his face permanently scarred. The scarring on his face was a source of ridicule by the other children. As Joseph Stalin got older, he rose to power thanks to a man named Lenin. Lenin lead the Russian Communists to power in November 1917 and remained in power. With the help of Lenin, Joseph Stalin began to act ruthless and careless of others. When Lenin became too sick to lead the country in a proper way, Stalin took over and went against Lenin’s ideas and ways of leading. Noticing that Stalin wasn’t showing the characteristics of a loyal and respectful leader, Lenin wrote a testament in which he stated that he suggested Stalin be removed. John Simkin, in his piece â€Å"Joseph Stalin† shares the testament written by Lenin. It states â€Å"Comrade Stalin, having become General Secretary, has concentrated enormous power in his hands: and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution. I therefore propose to our comrades to consider a means of removing Stalin from this post and appointing someone else who differs from Stalin in one weighty respect: being more tolerant, more loyal, more polite, more considerate of his comrades(2). However, Lenin died before any actual could be taken and Joseph Stalin became the new leader of the Soviet Union. Now as the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin became very paranoid and did not trust anyone. He went against anyone that disagreed with him and had them executed. He executed journalists, and anyone else who had contact with him and who he disliked. Leon Trotsky was a man of a lot of power in the Soviet Union but Stalin made him step down from his position to gain even more power. John Simkin tells us that â€Å"In 1936 Nickolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Genrikh Yagoda, Nikolai Krestinsky and Christian Rakovsky were arrested and accused of being involved with Leon Trotsky in a plot against Stalin. They were all found guilty and were eventually executed† (3). The execution of these people and of many others was clear evidence that Joseph Stalin was killing people not because they were committing crimes or doing anything bad, but because he personally didn’t trust them and killed them from pure intuition and impulse. The absurd truth about Joseph Stalin is that he killed his own people. He killed people in his own country and in his own government. The people that helped him rise to power were the people he did not trust and who he had executed or made to disappear without any explanation given. John Simkin explains to us that â€Å"In June, 1937, Mikhail Tukhachevsky and seven other top Red Army commanders were charged with conspiracy with Germany. All eight were convicted and executed. All told, 30,000 members of the armed forces were executed. This included fifty per cent of all army officers† (3). With all these executions, people lived fearful of Stalin and did not dare test his patience. The violence against his own people is direct evidence of the psychological effects that the beatings from his parents had on Stalin. Since the people who supposedly loved him, beat him, it became second nature for Joseph Stalin to do the same with the people of his country when he rose to power. It is said that Joseph Stalin has killed over 20 million people during the time of dictatorship but there were even more killed during World War II. Palash Ghosh in her piece â€Å"How Many People Did Joseph Stalin Kill? † writes that â€Å"an amoral psychopath and paranoid with a gangster’s mentality, Stalin eliminated anyone and everyone who was a threat to his power – including (and especially) former allies. He had absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life†(1). There were another 20 million people killed during World War II amounting to a total of 40 million Soviet troops and civilians killed. The ruthlessness Joseph Stalin showed had become vividly present with his own family. Stalin had a son named Yakov who was an artillery lieutenant in the 14th Howitzer Regiment of the 14th Armored Division. Yakov refused to withdraw when German forces overran his men near Smolensk. Stalin had the expectation that no Soviet soldier was expected to be captured. He preferred his troops to commit suicide than to be captured by the opponent. This rule also applied to his son, who was captured. Brenda Haugen, writer of â€Å"Joseph Stalin Dictator of the Soviet Union† describes that â€Å"German authorities proposed a trade. They expected the Soviet leader would welcome his son’s return. A message was sent to Stalin that said the Germans would release Yakov if the Soviets freed a German officer. Stalin refused. ‘I cannot do it,’ Stalin said. ’War is war’†(11). This decision cost Yakov his life who was later believed to be killed or may have commited suicide. He died in April 1943 after running into an electric fence surrounding the camp where he was held. It is said that Joseph Stalin never felt any remorse for his son’s death and told people he had no son named Yakov. It is a clear indication that Stalin didn’t have a special bond with his family or any type of value for human life in itself. It seems that Stalin grew to be a coldhearted man who didn’t value anyone but himself. Brenda Haugen continues by stating that â€Å"In times of war, most leaders would find it difficult to justify offering special treatment to their own children. How could they spare their own childrens lives while others died fighting for the same cause? But Stalin was different than other leaders of his time. Not only did he refuse to provide special treatment to his family, he also didn’t value human life†(11). The ruthlessness of Stalin is astonishing that he would let his son be killed without any type of remorse. There’s an old saying that says that family comes first but this saying doesn’t seem to apply to Joseph Stalin’s way of thinking. Even though Stalin was one of the most well-known villains in history, he was still a very mysterious man. There is very little known about his childhood and his family. The records that have been recorded are not concrete because as Stalin gained power, he had the tendency to make things be the way he wanted them to be and no one could question him. This being said, some facts of his life seem to be produced by his fictional events created by him and not what may have really happened. Scott Ingram writes in his piece â€Å"Historys Villains Joseph Stalin† that â€Å" Another reason Stalin’s life remains shadowy is that he ordered his biography to be rewritten several times. With each of these rewrites, older records were destroyed. The more powerful Stalin became, the more he was able to take credit for things he had not done. His Communist biographers were forced to revise twentieth-century Russian history books to go along with Stalin’s orders. The aim was to present to the world the most flawless possible account of the great leader†(8). These lies brainwashed people into thinking that Stalin was a different person than who he really was. He made people see him as a perfect leader and not as a person who was killing the people that supported him. In conclusion, it is very easy to see that Stalin was influenced by his childhood experiences to become the person he was. The ruthless leader took the experience of the beatings his parents gave him and in a way beat his own country when he rose to power. He was and still is the most ruthless leather to ever live. He used fear to keep people controlled and to make people do exactly what he wanted them to do. He had people in such fear that before every speech, people were afraid to be the first to stop clapping because they’d be killed. The audience would clap for over 10 minutes in fear of being the first one to stop. This type of control is what let Joseph Stalin do anything he wanted without having anyone tell him it is wrong or to stop him from doing it. During his last days, he fell into a comma and in his last moments, in an attempt to keep living, he cursed everyone near his death bed and finally died. Joseph Stalin was a ruthless dictator and human being who had no type of remorse for anything he ever did.

The effects of globalisation on healthcare

The effects of globalisation on healthcare The increased movement of both goods and people increases opportunities for the spread of disease around the world. There are also concerns about the following: potential public health problems due to market liberalisation, the emergence of new diseases globally and worsening of existing ones due to climate change and governmental oversight over economic policies that can affect spending on healthcare. International cooperation as a result of globalisation has also had a great impact on health practices in many countries including Europe. In this backdrop, as a healthcare management consultant working for an international organisation, you are asked to examine the implications and effects of globalisation on healthcare management. Identify the effects of globalisation on healthcare Globalization in a general view is causing profound and diverse myriad of changes in the very nature of the society which can bring new possibilities and risks as well. The effects of globalization in healthcare are creating a growing concern on the health of the citizenry. Globalization itself is an extremely complex phenomenon where there is the interactive and dynamic co-evaluation of multiple cultural, economic, technological m environmental and social norms and trends at various conceivable scales. According to Rennen and Martens (Rennen W, Martens P, 2003) , globalization is defined on a contemporary notion as an intensification of cross-national cultural, economic, political, social and technological interactions that lead to the establishment of transnational structures and the global integration of cultural, economic, environmental, political and social processes on global, supranational, national, regional and local levels. However, the identification of the possible effects of globalization on healthcare goes far and even beyond the current capacity of our mental ability to capture and decipher the dynamics of the global system that we are in. This may be due to the interdeterminacy and ignorance of what the global system itself is all about. Globalization has both positive and negative effects to health care. One of the major concerns by which healthcare is primarily affected by globalization is through the increasing and worsening of internationalization of various health risks. However, if you will have to define the terms and other dimensions of the health risks such us technological, economic, social, political and cultural as well as scientific aspects. The linkages between healthcare and globalization are quite complex. Globalization itself is a multifaceted phenomenon which can affect healthcare in various ways. According to Woodward et al, 2001 (Woodward D, Drager N, Beaglehole R, Lipson D ,2001), the consequences of globalization in health is that it can either be direct, at the level of the entire populations, individuals and various healthcare delivery systems, or indirect through the economy and other factors such as sanitation, water supply and education. With the complex and complicated depth of issues concerning the effects of globalization in healthcare, it is a must that we focus on the risks to health and the delivery of health care to people which are strongly related to the central core of aspects of the globalization process which include travel, trade and exchange of ideas and information. The liberalization of international trade policies has brought forth multilateral trade negotiations in the past 50 years which ended in the establishment of the World Trade Organization according to Bettcher et, 2000. (Bettcher DW, Yach D, Guindon E, 2000) We cannot deny that economic wise, increasing trade is highly beneficial. At the back of the economic advantages of globalization, the health risks of the people are highly magnified. The important examples of health risks are alcohol, tobacco and global epidemics, the development of non-communicable diseases as well as trade in health services. Globalization poses a lot of risks to healthcare but on the other hand, it can provide a myriad of benefits. The improvisation of information technology has dramatically and effectively increased the speed in exchange of information thereby facilitating the ease of data flow. The medical discoveries in various countries can be made readily available to patients from other countries, Wassenaar,2003 (Wassenaar, 2003). Globalization served as catalyst in hastening the links in medical researchers across the world who are working into one health concern. This was best exemplified by the response of the global community to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). The internet served as the link between scientists working on global cooperation to impressively and rapidly identify SARS virus and the development of the diagnostic test. The rapid response of the global community to pandemics was a fruit if globalization, Gerberding,2003. (Gerberding JL, 2003). Globalization comes with an ounce of responsibility. It is imperative that governments and other international institution should work into the improvisation of healthcare and the proper management of the negative effects of global mobilization. WORD COUNT: 723 words NOTE: the references are included in the body of the text. Please read and be guided. Assess the influence of international institutions in healthcare settings As international borders are dissolved, people and commodities are at its optimum mobility which can create challenges to healthcare. These challenges concerning healthcare are not to be addressed by national governments alone. Otherwise, these concerns brought about by globalization to healthcare should be dealt with international institutions and organizations. The influence of the international institutions in various healthcare settings goes beyond the influence in the health practices among health professionals and providers. The government has made their step towards the achievement of their health goals towards international cooperation. Thus, it paved the way into the realization of health policies encompassing the various effects of globalization in terms of migration and social changes in norms and cultural practices related to health. One of the most effective ways of influencing the healthcare setting of a specific country is through the promulgation of various policies related to health. It is through the ratification and strong implementation of policies and guidelines which will foster the health and wellness of the citizenry. Global governance is said to be the act of giving more importance in the formulation of health related policies. The most important body or organization in the implementation and governance are the Wirkd Bank (WB) and World Health Organization (WHO). These are the most important figures in carrying out global governance regarding health. World Health Organization assumes the important roles of health in the economic development in reference to the Millennium Development Goals (UN Millennium Development Goals) The protection of the citizens against a myriad of health risks remains a daunting task. Though the health standards and practices are formulated, the growing number of public- private partnerships for the promotional of health related policies. WORD COUNT: 288 words Evaluate the impact of European Union membership on workplace health practices. A healthy citizenry is one of the major requirements for the prosperity and productivity of the economy. The fact is that the key factors into achieving economic growth include life expectancy, morbidity and mortality rate and the general health state of the population. It will be a major burden for a society to spend too much on health related problems. Thus, it will be logical enough to set health expenditures as the priority in terms of investment to promulgate the prevention and protection of the general health of the population. The European Union has significant impact on the health services delivery in the members of this international body. EU laws can have significant impact on the health care delivery system though the major attempts of national governments to keep their health care services. Moreover, infections and illnesses know no borders at all. Through the European Union, boarders across European countries have been considered non-existent. There is more room for doing business and travelling into other members of the Union. With active across the borders activities, people are more prone to pandemics. The laws pertaining to medical practices and healthcare settings across European countries are all based on the fact that the members of the European Union must provide added value most especially on the major health threats, issues which have a cross -border or international effect. Questions related to the free movement of services, people and goods should be addressed in order to get rid of possible development of diseases across countries. The common values on health care policies are more adopted towards the rights of the patients in terms of participation in their care and decision making as well as literacy in their own health. The health policies of the members of the European Union are geared towards the delivery of health to various age groups, race or social status. WORD COUNT: 311 ( Word count :1300 )Total Word Count 1322 Question 2 You are employed by Sahara Oil Company based in Qatar as their Occupational Health expert. The company produces and refines oil; it also explores gas deposits. There has not been a recent review of the environmental effects of the companys operations. You have responsibilities for the environmental health issues of Sahara Oils operations in Qatar. As well, one important responsibility you have been given is to be conversant with the impact of environmental legislation, directives and guidance and the processes that organisations need to adopt in order to provide health protection to the employees of the company, their families and the members of the local community who are affected by Sahara Oils operations in Qatar. 2.1 Identify the economics of adopting a policy of environmental awareness in heath care settings. The healthcare industry has underwent tremendous momentum in the attainment of sustainability trends. Environmental policies are of utmost values to the health care facilities across the global community. Green health care settings have sorted out their resource to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into the health care delivery system. The appeal to health care providers and institutions are for a myriad of reasons related to the awareness of the environmental responsibilities of their profession. Eco-friendly health care settings shall evolve to become a requirement rather than an option for those who are responsible enough. As environmental awareness and the advantages of environmentally friendly facilities and equipments in the health care sector start to spread and so the health care professionals are learning on how to adapt with their work environment. Green Health care offers the most potent way to safeguard and protect the welfare of Mother Nature. This is a compelling challenge especially those from the health care sector. However, through the promulgation of environmental policies in a health institution, it provides a new avenue for the exploration of leadership in the community. It is very cost efficient when you deal with the greening of health care settings more specifically its long term effects on the overhead expenditures. All of these rationales was brought to the attention of those who have attended a green health care workshop by the Institute of Medicine. The most compelling reasons why environmentally friendly policies and awareness campaigns in health care settings shall be done for the fact that most of the healthcare providers themselves believed in its potential to directly and indirectly promote and protect health. ( Institute of Medicine, 1999). The health benefits of environmental policies can operate in three scales: the locality, the entire community and the global communities around the world. The local scales shall include the walls of the hospital, facilities for research studies, clinics, construction of green structures, and the protection of visitors, workers and patients alike. According the Office of the Federal Environmental Executives, green building can be best defined in a myriad of ways green or sustainable building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and removing buildings in ways that conserve natural resources and reduce pollution (OFEE, 2003). There are a lot of ways to on how to inculcate environmental advocacy in the practice in various healthcare settings. In choosing cleaning agents, the limited use of pesticides can greatly reduce the potential harm and toxicity for those who are exposed in substances. The reduction of ecological footprints by reducing the hazards placed by the hospital in terms of the environment and the protection of the natural resources can greatly help in the promotion of environmental responsibility in health care settings. The global community can help in the stewardship of scarce resources as well as the reduction of the degradation of the environment. A hospital which purchased food or supplies from the local sources are reducing the need for long distance transportation thereby results into the reduction of the associated green house gas emissions of vehicles. All of vehicular exhausts contribute to the climate change. 2.2. Assess the actions that need to be taken by organisations to maintain the environment. The petroleum industry has stated above is one of the contributors of waste products in the world. The process of refining petroleum is dubbed to be one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States as stated by the DOE- OIT. (DOE-OIT, 2000, p. 1) In reference to the EPA fact sheet, there are several reinforcement actions for companies comprising the 30% domestic refining capability and the engaged settlement and negotiations of companies comprising the 20%. (EPA-Office of Compliance Sector Notebook for the Petroleum Refining Industry, 1995) Petroleum refining companies are dealing with the environmental impacts of their daily operations and responsible enough to regulate their impacts to nature. In the immediate future, the petroleum industry will most likely face pressures to seek the expansion of their capacity fast. What these companies should seek into is the management of potential regulatory consequences related to global warming. Eventually, the operations of this highly intense industry shall be strongly affected with the environmental advocacies they have in mind. Organizations related to health care sector are dubbed to be another major contributor in the waste production. Given the increased and intensified awareness of the environment and the financial costs which are strongly associated with waste products and the impact to public health, a lot of health institutions are adopting environmental policies which are to be practiced and observed as well as the reduction of waste product. The offer for equally efficient and effective alternatives should be at a less expensive price. The reprocessing of medical equipments are practiced by the general populace over the years. This has led to a lot of cost efficient savings for the improvement of health care services. Both the petroleum industry and the health care sector should aim on several things. The conditions were to construct high performance buildings at a consistent amount. There should be the application of shared scientific researches conducted by the hospital and the petroleum refining companies. To further strengthen the environmental advocacy, these industries and organizations shall seek to incorporate the green and environmental policies into their overall plan of improvement of communities and employees. What hospitals and health care settings is to reduce the pollution coming from vehicles. The hospital can utilize a hybrid engine or non diesel parking shuttle as well as public transportations. Carpooling can be an option for those who work in these industries. Other strategies to regulate the environmental impacts may include use of bike racks and electric hybrid cars. It was said that the health care industry have environmentally related practices but most are still on the look for viable options on how to manage their waste products. (Diconsiglio J. Reprocessing SUDs reduces waste, costs. Mater Manag Health Care. 2008) 2.3 Specify the measures that exist to improve workplace health and safety practices As a method of risk reduction for employees, a lot of companies over the past several decades have paved the way into the existence of work place health promotion programs. These programs for health promotion and safety practices have resulted in the reduction of absenteeism and tardiness, increased retention of employees and the reduction of health care costs as well as the satisfaction of its employees. There are a myriad of evidence that health promotion and programs for wellness have proven successful for employees and companies alike. When we speak about occupational safety, Occupational health and safety is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment (M.A. Farooqui, 2010) Work related accidents do not just happen without a cuse. Oftentimes they are brought about by the unsafe acts done by workers themselves due to unsafe working conditions. An oil spill for an instance is a bad results of an unsafe practice committed by petroleum refiners around the world. The reasons behind this unsafe occupation related acts would include inadequate work experience, poor knowledge of the task at hand or poor attitude towards their work and nature of task. Workers are not aware that they are continuing wrong procedures and work relatd activities due to the fact that they are not knowledgeable enough of what they do. The lack of enough knowledge primarily exists because of a myriad of reasons. An individual might do well on job routines under normal circumstances but when unusual changes and conditions arrive or they have been assigned to a challenging job , he person might most likely to make a mistake in his job that would lead to occupational related accidents. What organizations should do is to revitalize their occupational and work safety policies. Perhaps it would be useful for them to make specific steps in addressing the health and occupational safety needs of employees on all sectors of the workforce. Moreover, Safety and occupational health encompasses mental, social, physical well beings of the working population. To ensure the success of occupational safety and health practices of organization, it would require the participation and collaboration of the workers and employers alike in health and safety programs. It shall be brought to their knowledge that occupational health and safety policies are related to industrial hygiene, engineering safety, psychology, toxicology and occupational medicine. Issues on occupational health are often given less attention because safety issues are generally more challenging by nature. However, a healthy workplace is a safe place to work with by definition. Both of the health and safety issues must be addressed to achieve a successful occupational environment for workers. Awareness is the key to help in the promotion of occupational health and safety programs. Those programs must be visibile among workers and the active participation of employees will ensure the success of a program. Risk assessment of employees can be a beneficial strategy to safeguard the health of workers. Increasing the knowledge of employees is very essential to make lifestyle modification a successful approach to address health related issues. The awareness and knowledge of employees on the procedures will reinforce their knowledge. Teach your employees to identify the warning signs of medical issues as reported by a doctor. Wellness programs are important to make employees more active and optimistic at work. The entire being of a workers should be taken into consideration for occupational safety and health programs to be successful. Question 3 You have been appointed consultant to a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai that sources clinical trial contracts from abroad, especially the United States of America and western Europe. Because of its international operations, the work force of the company is also varied with employees from various countries around the world. You are asked to explore the issues that affect the companys operations in the current economic environment when implementing healthcare management practices. Analyse the responsibilities of organisations in improving work place health and safety. Employees in various occupations are being confronted with a myriad of hazards in their place of work. Safety and occupational health can address a wide range of workplace hazards from the insidious toxic fumes, noise, stress, heat and other accidents related to their job. The goal of all health and safety programs must be geared towards the attempt to solve the dilemmas related to the prevention of work-related accidents and diseases. The workplace of today are experiencing a rapid change and growth due to the presence of multitude of factors such as diversity, advancing technology and global workplace all affect the safety and occupational health conditions of various industries. International level firms must understand the real meaning if diversity at work and how to deal with the dynamic nature of the work force brought about by the globalization. Employers on the other hand, must be responsible enough to provide a safe working environment for all employees. This in accordance to the declaration made by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Good business and organizations must determine the hazards associated with the operations to protect their employees from being injured. The role of organizations in the improvement of safety and occupational health is through the careful preparation of their strategies in order to address and meet their obligations to make necessary risk assessments, place measures necessary for the health and safety of employees. The recommendations that organizations are making should be achieve on an action plan for the control or elimination of health and safety risks. There are specific things to consider when you want organizations to be responsible. Organizations should commission, organize and coordinate the risk assessment procedures among their employees. This is to ensure that the needs of those who are on the look for a safer workplace and healthy occupational environment. In order to ensure the absence of accidents among employees, they should demonstrate in their competency to show off their abilities, understand general team effort. It would not be too difficult to address these types of safety concerns. Organizations must ensure the proper coordination between assessors and the involvement of management and encouraged the workforce participation. Risk assessments must be done to properly address the health needs of employees. The monitoring of preventive and protective measures must be maintained. The essence of occupational health and safety is through the integrative model of management in the workplace. It must use a participatory problem solving approach in order to identify the promptly address the myriad of issues which are associated with disease prevention, health promotion, occupational hazard reduction and safety. The improvements of organizational and human resource management are ensured through the participation of both the employers and the workers themselves. Review approaches to the management of diversity in healthcare settings. Individuals can define diversity in various ways. The dynamic and changing demographics as well as the economics of the growing multicultural levels and the disparities in the health sector of the people who are from a myriad of diversity in terms of cultural background. The challenging diverse workforce has been one of the obstacles by which health care providers and institutions must address as a priority. However, health care professionals must then realize that the solutions on cultural diversity must go beyond the practices, customs, values and beliefs. Diversity can be defined in a broader sense with multiple dimensions. This includes the discussions on ethnic, racial and gender identities. The factors of generation, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, family ,social status, political beliefs, professional background and a myriad of individual inclinations and affiliations. Moreover, each individual member of the healthcare team is unique. They have distinct personalities and temperaments which adds to the diversity of the health care settings. Williams and OReilly has reviewed 40 years of research on this topic. They have concluded that The consistent social categorization and attraction/similarity theories, the prevalence of the evidence has suggested that the diversity is most likely to impede the functioning of the group. This conclusion was shared in various focus groups on different venues. (Williams, K. Y., and C. A. OReilly III, 1998). The proponents of homogenization on the healthcare setting can impact the team performance. Diversity must highlight the significance of competence in culture and diversified management skills in order to bring out performances of the demographically diverse health care team. (Williams, K. Y., and C. A. OReilly III, 1998). According to Williams and OReilly (1998) and Maznevski (1994) , when there is proper leverage , health care diversity can really improve the performance of a group. (Maznevski, M. L, 1994) According to Oetzel (1998; 2001) the significance of group interdependence as well as the strong group process skills in the performance of demographically diverse groups. (Oetzel, J. G. 1998) Pelled, Eisenhardt, and Xin (1999) cited that those demographically diverse teams can work together over time the emotional conflict can triggered by interpersonal clashes lessened. (Pelled, L., K. Eisenhardt, and K. Xin. 1999) A study conducted on the nursing care team performance conducted by Dreachslin, Hunt, and Sprainer (1999; 2000) cited that the leadership style was the key to reduce the emotional conflict which is oftentimes present in demographically diverse groups. Team leaders of nurses who have encourages the participated in the discussions about the group of identities and race. Those nurse team leaders who can validate the various perspectives were successful in the defused negative emotional distraught. (Dreachslin, J., P. Hunt, and E. Sprainer. 1999) According to Hopkins, Hopkins, and Mallette (2001), the strategic diversity management was strongly associated with well grounded organizational commitment not only among leaders and managers of the same ethnicity and race but among those white male managers. (Hopkins, W. E., S. Hopkins, and P. Mallette, 2001) There is an urgent need to manage diversity in health care settings. Otherwise, the diversity in the demographics can interfere the functioning of the team thereby affecting their efficiency in the delivery of health care to their patients. A common denominator among groups must be identified due to the fact that similarity can give the team members the opportunity to deal with others. Health care leaders should invest in the professional development of their employees to help them manage their differences as individuals. There are a lot of elements to consider in order to improve the organizational and team decision approaches. The group-process and the enculturation of conflict -management skills, understanding of cultural difference, self awareness and the ability to validate their efforts towards the management of diversity. The effective approach to diversity in health care settings must seek balance between customization and homogenization in order to fully explore the benefits and the lessen cots of increasingly diverse workforce and patient population. It was cited by Kochan and colleagues (2003) on how important it is to manage diversity immediately. Another approach to diverse health care settings is to utilize a research based cultural competence and diversity assessment tool. This can be used as baseline data for evaluation of the performance of diversified health care team. Compare organisational approaches to ensuring positive policies of work place diversity. Diversity in the cultural background of health care professionals can be an issue in the workplace. This will require people from various cultural and beliefs background to work together. The broader definition of diversity is through the negative and positive organizational approaches to this type of workplace related issue. Chronic conflicts can result from every health care setting and workplace. A lot of health care organizations may have examined the culture in conflict. In order to discover these streams of conflicts may come from the multi-layered complex systems. This is to improve their own capacity for prevention of conflict, settlement, resolution and management. Diversity is often the subject of argument and debate. This is one of the negative side of diversity. The term instills the political meaning of diversity. Not all members of an organization value diversity. As a rule, there are a lot of people who are most comfortable with themselves. Emphasizing diversity this may undermine the comfort level. Diversity itself can breed various approached to practices and long lasting problems. There are individuals in a myriad of organizations which may cause trouble. Moreover, there are persons who have strong prejudice against a specific group that would rapidly change the demographics of the various members of the workforce which can impose as threat to diversity. One approach to diversity in health care setting can mirror the key business issues. It must include the implementation and development of a strategic plan which aims for the goals of diversity. The creation of specific methods to attain the goals and the identification of the resources can measure the impact of diversity in the organization. The cornerstones of strategic planning to diversity may include the proper education of associates regarding the issues of diversity to the increased awareness and ability to manage the relationships among health care staff, patients and clients. Organizations must learn on how to properly and effectively integrate diversity into the policies and practices of the health care organization. This is to help the staff in inculcating the significance of the goals towards diversity. The development of accountability among the organizations can support the diversity in all levels of the healthcare sector. Diversity management is a type of human resource management approach which has emerged in the United States which aims to value diversity. The diversity management of the Scandinavian Model has emerged from the critiques of the US model. Little research has been conducted on how to manage diversity which is enacted for health care organization. Healthcare instituti

Organizational Justice and Psychological Contract Essay -- Human Resou

1. Organizational Justice The idea of justice has become noticeable building in the organizational studies. Researchers and practitioners put a great attention to the concepts of justice in the organization because of the potential results from the study. Perceptions of fairness are used as important factors in explaining, predicting and understanding human behavior in organizations (Hartman & Galle Jr., 1999; Martin & Bennett, 1996; Viswesvaran & Ones, 2002). As Colquitt et al. (2001a) explain that a number of studies on organizational justice have shown that fair treatment has a significant effect on the attitudes of individual employees, such as satisfaction and commitment, and individual behavior, such as attendance and citizenship behavior. A number of studies explain that justice plays important role in explaining variance in work attitude and behaviors. Studies shows that application of fair conduct from management deliver a positive message to employees that they can be trusted, thereby reducing the fear of exploitation while enhancing the legitimacy of the actions the organization (Lind, 2001, Tyler and Lind, 1992 and Van den Bos, 2001a). Fair treatments will reduce some uncertainty in the daily work life and makes the situation faced by employees can be predicted and controlled (Lind and Van den Bos, 2002 and Thibaut and Walker, 1975). Just behavior has the potential to bring more meaning of work life (Cropanzano et al, 2001 and Folger, 1998.). a. Definition and Forms of Organizational Justice The concept of organizational justice is a broad, multifaceted construct, encompassing several dimensions. Perceived justice previously discussed in two different perspectives. As Greenberg (1990) give details, that initia... ...1), 137-152. Robinson, S. L., & Morrison, E. W. (1995). Psychological contracts and OCB: The effect of unfulfilled obligations on civic virtue behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16(3), 289-298. Robinson, S. L., & Rousseau, D. M. (1994a). Violating the psychological contract: Not the exception but the norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(3), 245-259. Rousseau, D. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2(2), 121-139. Rousseau, D. M. (2001). Schema, promise and mutuality: The building blocks of the psychological contract. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 74(4), 511. Simons, T., & Roberson, Q. (2003). Why managers should care about fairness: The effects of aggregate justice perceptions on organizational outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 432-443.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker Essay -- essays papers

The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended,many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was reminiscent of the days of slavery. The problem was that they had to endure being treated like an inferior being by their own families sometimes, as well as from the white people that lived there. It was a life that was filled with misery for many black women, and they felt helpless to do anything about their situations. The book focuses mainly on a woman named Celie, who has lived a hard life already when, at the age of 14 she begins writing letters to God to have someone to confide in,and tell her thoughts and secrets to. In her first letter, she says â€Å"I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.† (1) Already at that age she has been taking care of her brothers and sister, and has been working very hard at trying to get something of an education. On top of this, she has been raped by her father repeatedly because, as he says, â€Å"You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t.† (1) She has had two babies by him already, and he’s taken both of them away right after they were born. She thinks at first he might have killed one of them, but later finds out that he sold them to a couple in town. Celie doesn’t do anything about her situation, because she’s used to being treated like that. She’s scared, and she fears for her sister Nettie too, when her Pa starts looking at her the same way. Eventually, a man referred to as Mr. ______ comes along and wants to marry Nettie, but he’s too old for her, and ends up marrying Celie. He takes a couple of months to think it over, but goes ahead and marries her because he needs someone to watch over his kids, and besides, she will bring the cow she was raising along. It’s not so much he wants a relationship, he just wants someone to take care of things for him so he doesn’t have to do much, and he wants something else when he wants it. Her father even tells Mr. ____ that â₠¬Å"She ugly... But she ain’t no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain’t gonna make you feed it or clothe it.† (9) As soon ... ...inds that she can be happy and content having her own life, without being treated like a doormat by others. She is finally truly happy with her life and the way it is going, except for one thing. Her life is complete when, after years of wondering about her sister, and then years of waiting, Nettie finally comes home, bringing â€Å"their† children, and Adam’s wife from Africa. As Celie puts it, â€Å"I feel a little peculiar around the children. For one thing, they grown. And I see they think me and Nettie and Shug and Albert and Samuel and Harpo and Sophia and Jack and Odessa real old and don’t know much what going on. But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.†(295) With her long lost sister, and her kids reunited with her after so much time, there really wouldn’t be any other way to feel besides young again, except for maybe an urge to make up for lost time. Now that she’s being treated like she should be, it should be easier to make up the time to her family, because she can be herself, and be happy about it. That’s saying a lot after all she’s been through, and Celie will surely make the best of her from this point on.

Importance of Memory Color Essay -- Color Sight Vision Neuropsychology

Importance of Memory Color One of the most influential aspects on the quality of our lives is color. We use our perception of color every day. Without color we could not see traffic signals or enjoy sunsets, and learning techniques would be much more difficult. Color is an important function that signals and helps facilitate perceptual organization. Memory color is a phenomenon in which an object's characteristic color influences our perception of its color. The study of what colors will maximize memorization skills is important for many reasons. Human beings rely on color to keep order in our lives. Traffic signals, warning signs, and many other signals require perception of color in order to be effective. Without the use of color our world would become chaotic. Finding the colors that are most effective on memorization would increase safety and order in our lives. Also, finding the colors that best stimulate memorization could increase study skills in students, especially those with learning disabilities. Th e use of memory color could also be used in areas of business such as retail to optimize sales by using colors that are most familiar to people, and will therefore grab their attention. Furthering the study of the effect of color on memory would be beneficial in many areas. Our lives are kept in order by numerous signs, signals, and devices that provide instruction and precautions. We are constantly adapting these devices in ways that will increase our awareness of their function. Naor (2001) found that color knowledge interacts with object representation in many levels, depending upon the access level that is triggered by the stimulus. Therefore, using colors in signs and signals that are more familiar to people w... ...9 Goolsby, B. A., & Suzuki, S. (2001). Understanding priming of color-singleton search: Roles of attention at encoding and retrieval. Perception and Psychophysics Vol. 63(6), 929-944 Johnson, B. D., Altmaier, E. M.; & Richman, L.C. (1999). Attention Deficits and Reading Disabilities: Are Immedeate Memory Defects Additive? Developmental Neuropsychology, Vol 15(2), 213-227 Kido, M. (2000). Bio-psychological effects of color. Journal of International Society of Life Info. Science, Vol 18(1), 254-262 Naor Raz, G. (2001). Understanding the role of color object representation; Evidence for multiple levels of interaction. Robinson, G., & Cipolotti, L. (2001). The selective preservation of colour naming in semantic dementia. Neurocase Special Issue: Vol 7(1), 65-75 Tavussoli, N. T. (2001). Color memory and evaluations for alphebetical and logographic brand Importance of Memory Color Essay -- Color Sight Vision Neuropsychology Importance of Memory Color One of the most influential aspects on the quality of our lives is color. We use our perception of color every day. Without color we could not see traffic signals or enjoy sunsets, and learning techniques would be much more difficult. Color is an important function that signals and helps facilitate perceptual organization. Memory color is a phenomenon in which an object's characteristic color influences our perception of its color. The study of what colors will maximize memorization skills is important for many reasons. Human beings rely on color to keep order in our lives. Traffic signals, warning signs, and many other signals require perception of color in order to be effective. Without the use of color our world would become chaotic. Finding the colors that are most effective on memorization would increase safety and order in our lives. Also, finding the colors that best stimulate memorization could increase study skills in students, especially those with learning disabilities. Th e use of memory color could also be used in areas of business such as retail to optimize sales by using colors that are most familiar to people, and will therefore grab their attention. Furthering the study of the effect of color on memory would be beneficial in many areas. Our lives are kept in order by numerous signs, signals, and devices that provide instruction and precautions. We are constantly adapting these devices in ways that will increase our awareness of their function. Naor (2001) found that color knowledge interacts with object representation in many levels, depending upon the access level that is triggered by the stimulus. Therefore, using colors in signs and signals that are more familiar to people w... ...9 Goolsby, B. A., & Suzuki, S. (2001). Understanding priming of color-singleton search: Roles of attention at encoding and retrieval. Perception and Psychophysics Vol. 63(6), 929-944 Johnson, B. D., Altmaier, E. M.; & Richman, L.C. (1999). Attention Deficits and Reading Disabilities: Are Immedeate Memory Defects Additive? Developmental Neuropsychology, Vol 15(2), 213-227 Kido, M. (2000). Bio-psychological effects of color. Journal of International Society of Life Info. Science, Vol 18(1), 254-262 Naor Raz, G. (2001). Understanding the role of color object representation; Evidence for multiple levels of interaction. Robinson, G., & Cipolotti, L. (2001). The selective preservation of colour naming in semantic dementia. Neurocase Special Issue: Vol 7(1), 65-75 Tavussoli, N. T. (2001). Color memory and evaluations for alphebetical and logographic brand

Assess the Arguments in Favor of the Greater Use of Direct Democracy in the Uk Essay

Direct democracy is the purest form of democracy and it is when the people of the state are directly consulted by the government on issues. The people themselves have the the choice and can influence the government. This can be achieved through referendums. One argument for the greater use of direct democracy is that is can increase legitimacy as the government is getting direct consent from the people through such methods such as referendums. Another reason is that if the government is spit on an issue it can hold a referendum for the people to choose, so the people have a direct influence on government and such examples of this include the AV referendum, and the 1975 EU membership referendum. Direct democracy not only supports and strengthens positive membership but it also educates people about politics and major political issues. However there are arguments against the greater use if direct democracy is that some issues can be hard and too complex for some people to understand in politics and referendum such as changing the pounds to euros in GB , and so a overall result might not be valid. Also some people might be swayed with emotion and make emotional decisions instead of rational ones, for example pro and anti abortion situations. Also there might be a â€Å"voters fatigue† and there might be low turnouts in elections and referendums and so it might lack legitimacy . For example there was a 34% turnout to whether London should have a mayor and this results lacked legitimacy as the majority did not get involved. In conclusion I believe that there should be an increase in the greater use of direct democracy in the UK because getting the consent of the people will not only increase political participation and educate the public but certain decisions can be strengthened by the direct consent of the people.

The Details on Security Change After 9/11

The word â€Å"cliche† is sure to have been used hundreds if not thousands of times for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in September 11, 2001 or commonly known as 9/11. The meaning of 9/11 first on the domestic scene is that America joined the ranks of those that suffered the brunt of terrorism for decades such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. America lost â€Å"its innocence† since this terrorist incident is of greater magnitude compared to the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993 or in terms of the socio-political impact, it really brought home the message that â€Å"no one is safe.† On the global scale, 9/11 meant that even a superpower or the â€Å"only superpower† can fall prey to a low-intensity type of warfare known as terrorism. It prove that such an act can affect economic and market outputs considering that it weakened the stock exchange and flights were cancelled for a few days throughout the United States. 9/11 also redefined the meaning of terrorism and â€Å"holds lesson for other states, not just America, by demonstrating the U.S. resolve and ability to remove regimes that harbor or sponsor terrorism, 9/11should have strengthened the deterrent message to governments that would contemplate aiding terrorists. (Knopf, 2002)† It showed that whether it is state-sponsored terrorism or ideological group-led terrorism like Al-Qaeda, governments and nations of the world must unite to battle this modern-day organized plague. In response to 9/11, the U.S. government implemented the Patriot Act of 2001 or completely known as â€Å"†Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. This piece of legislation contains sections that defines and effects controls and measures in the fight against terrorism such as: Enhancing domestic security against terrorism; International money laundering abatement and anti-terrorist financing; Removing obstacles to investigating terrorism; Providing for victims of terrorism, public safety officers and their families; Increased information sharing for critical infrastructure protection; Strengthening the criminal laws against terrorism; and Besides the Patriot Act, 9/11 brought about the existence of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through House Resolution 5005 and whose major mandate is to prevent terrorist attacks within and reduce the vulnerability to terrorism of the United States. Since DHS became the focal point of the U.S. response to terrorism some major government agencies were transferred to the DHS. One of the major outputs of the DHS is coming out with the National Response Plan (NRP) in December 2004 (DHS, 2004). The NRP â€Å"is an all-discipline, all-hazards plan that establishes a single, comprehensive framework for the management of domestic incidents. It provides the structure and mechanisms for the coordination of Federal support to State, local, and tribal incident managers and for exercising direct Federal authorities and responsibilities. (DHS, 2004)† Having been aligned with the National Incident Management System (DHS, 2004), the NRP had more 32 signatory government departments and agencies. Although it is an incident response plan, the NRP carries policies â€Å"to protect national security, coordinates the activities of the other members of the law enforcement community to detect, prevent, preempt, and disrupt terrorist attacks against the United States. This includes actions to prevent, preempt, and disrupt specific terrorist threats or actual incidents that are based upon specific intelligence or law enforcement information. (DHS, 2004)† Although brought out in general terms, the new security measures in place gives a signal to the domestic marketplace that vigilance and stricter enforcement of security rules is already in place. Trade and commerce with the United States became more stringent especially in terms of cross-border access between U.S., Mexico and Canada. On the whole, the effectiveness of the change security posture after 9/11 is being met on two fronts. One group agrees with the measures believing that it really curtails terrorist activities. On the other hand, another group declares that starting with the Patriot Act, then the rise of the Department of Homeland Security and the implementation of the National Response Plan, all these are questioned due to their singular and collective effects on rights, freedom and liberties Americans enjoy. But as in any history of the United States, the debate or division brought about by the new security measures in effect is always welcomed since this is one of the true tests of democracy – when two or more groups agree to disagree. Five years after 9/11, the full measure of the efficacy of the security policies and methods in place can only be truly gauged when a future major terrorist incident can be prevented and the perpetrators captured – only then can some of the â€Å"questionable human rights violation measures† can be vindicated! But for now, we can only â€Å"hope and pray† that such incident will not happen again or else another event that would live in infamy would be in our midst.

Reflective Learning

Induction Module 1. In your answer, identify the main lines of argument and differences in points of view between the commentators and the author. Justify your own point of view regarding the importance of reflection to individual and organisational performance. DiChiara (2002) states that there are a multitude of companies that seek to create an environment where learning and creativity can flourish, but in practice fall short due to a lack of understanding of what is truly required to facilitate reflective learning. DiChiara concerns his comments around the means in which the organisation can engage groups to nurture and develop communities where reflective practice takes place. In contrast, Raelin (2002) concentrates on the reflective skills (Raelin's five principal skills) that can be used by individuals in a group setting to encourage reflective practice. The main focus of DiChiara is around the importance of a ‘safe space' to provide the environment conducive to reflection and the development of communities of practice. Indeed, this is identified as the essential building block necessary, which indicates that the responsibility of learning is mainly placed on the organisation and not on the skill of the individual as Raelin suggests. McArthur (2002) uses his commentary to highlight the point that reflective practice does not necessarily require additional time, as reflection can be done during the event, coined as reflection-in-action by Schon (1983). Based on this train of thought, McArthur introduces two related points at which he disagrees or questions the conclusions of Raelin. Firstly, Raelin sets out guidelines regarding observing judgements where he states reactive thoughts should be examined to allow a ‘more even-handed way of being', inferring that the reactive observation will ultimately be wrong. McArthur offers an alternative solution where the judgement may actually be correct and it is the method in which the judgement is communicated that is important. Secondly, McArthur questions if the core skills, particularly of testing and probing, are indeed only applicable in group or individual situations as Raelin suggests. McArthur points out that there are three parts to our thoughts; the reactive and reflective which are internal voices and the collective which is an external voice. Skilled reflective practitioners must be able being able to distinctly separate these thoughts to arrive at the most appropriate response. McArthur argues that it is only through applying all of the core skills that this response can be found, regardless of the type of interaction involved. The obvious difference between Schein (2002) and Raelin is the focus on group or individual reflection. Schein focuses on private reflection and discusses how this can be realistically achieved. The central tenet of his commentary is that we can find time to reflect on events within our day and perhaps more importantly, this time would not be identifiable as ‘slack' or wasted time within a disapproving or unsympathetic organisational culture. It could be interpreted that the purpose of this commentary is to trigger individual reflection and that this may in turn provide some of the skill and openness required for group reflection to occur. If so, this is linked to the conclusion McArthur makes regarding the lack of skill, not time, being the primary reason for not reflecting. I believe there are a few distinct benefits of reflective practice for both the individual and the organisation. Raelin states that reflection offers the opportunity to examine actions of the past, thoughts of the present and decisions of the future and allows all three to be linked. The individual and organisation can use this to allow decisions to be made with a deeper understanding and more confidence that the situation is fairly assessed with the best interest at heart. Reflection turns experiences in to knowledge and allows skills to be developed to apply this knowledge in other situations with an entirely different context. In my opinion, the importance of reflection to individual performance is based around knowing oneself. By reflecting, the individual is able to develop a more candid assessment of themselves; how they think, what drives them and how they present their thoughts to others. By doing this, insights are gained in to internal assumptions and motivations and this allows better understanding of the true issues hindering performance. This is a powerful tool for targeting real areas for performance improvement, and by continuing to reflect as the individual takes strides to change will also provides a means of measuring improvement. Based on personal experience, Argyris (1991) accurately describes the importance of reflection to the organisation. That is, without some level of reflective practice there is a real danger of externalising issues and a blame culture being adopted even within organisations with motivated and committed individuals. The inability to reflect, for whatever reason, results in the true root cause of issues to be missed, which means the same mistakes will be made again and again. All too often we will overlook issues and accept the superficial. In my opinion, ultimately the true value of reflection to organisational performance resides in the ability to ask and find answers to the difficult questions that we otherwise miss or ignore. References Argyris, C. , 1991, â€Å"Teaching Smart People How to Learn†, Harvard Business Review, May-June, Pages 99-109. Cameron, S. (2001), â€Å"The MBA Handbook: Study skills for Postgraduate Management Study†, Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow. DiChiara, P. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Kolb, D. A. , Rubin I. M. and McIntyre, J. M. , 1974, â€Å"Organizational Psychology: An Experiential Approach†, En glewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall. McArthur, P. W. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. , Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Orton, S. , (2003), The Higher Education Academy, Social Policy and Social Work. Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Schein, E. H. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Schon, D. A. , 1983, â€Å"The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action†, New York, Basic Books.