Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Poverty and Domestic Violence

The topics chosen from the given scenario are domestic violence, poverty and feminism. Women's Aid (2009) defines domestic violence as physical, sexual, psychological, or financial. This takes place within an intimate or family type relationship. All forms of domestic violence come from the abuser's desire for power and control. The perpetrator is most commonly male but can be female. For the purpose of the assignment I will use the terminology domestic violence rather than domestic abuse because although the latter is the preferred term a lot of the texts still refer to this as violence. One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime; many of these on a number of occasions. One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute and on average two women are killed by a current or former partner every week (Women's Aid, 2009). These statistics speak volumes as to the enormous problem we as social workers face. This assignment will briefly discuss interventions employed to ease poverty in history. Social policy and laws pertaining to domestic violence will be highlighted. Feminism will be used to mention the origins and dynamics of domestic violence. The Ecological Theory and its relevance to social work practice will be demonstrated. Personal reflection will be given and finally a conclusion will draw together the aforementioned topics. History and political development Domestic abuse can be resultant of social structural factors such as bad housing, unemployment and poverty. One can not plot the history of domestic abuse because historically it was seen as a private family matter rather than a societal issue but it is possible to look at a potential causal issue: poverty. An act which was designed to alleviate poverty was the English Poor Laws introduced in 1601 this dictated that the poor and disabled were taken care of by the working able bodied and the local parishes. The work houses accommodated thousands of poor people who had no choice but to enter these foreboding establishments if they could not find work. Prior to this the poor were cared for by charity (Marshall, 2002). Enlightenment arose in the eighteenth century as a result of the French addressing their problem of poverty, this was more a way of thinking than a movement but this spread across Europe. This belief was that the government should reward efforts of those working and should not make those poorer when they are willing to work by failing to provide employment. (McStay Adams, 1991). Less known for helping the poor is the contribution of religious women, one such example being the Sisters of Mercy who for many years during the 1800's provided direct aid to the poor. The Sisters of Mercy helped establish social welfare systems and according to Luquet (2005) contributed to what became social work. In 1942 the Beveridge Report highlighted what was referred to as the ‘five giants'. These were idleness, squalor, want, disease and ignorance. As a result of this a programme of employment was introduced, new houses were built, benefit schemes were initiated, free healthcare was available to everyone and free secondary education was provided by the state (Aslangul et al, 2000). Thatcherism is the term referred to during the period between 1979 and 1991 when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. During her time in office she was concerned with controlling Britain's money supply, known as monetarism. She began privatising public companies and introduced the controversial poll tax. When New Labour was elected they merely retreated further from a commitment to welfare. Basically, they moved away from their traditional roots (McAuley, 2003). Social policy and law Social work has witnessed unprecedented changes as a result of the ever changing social policies and new laws which in turn have forced social work to adapt at an alarming rate. Humphrey cited in Davies (2008) in reference to domestic violence wrote; significant barriers are apparent when working in this area but the increase in awareness has resulted in the development of legislation, policy and practice. The Women's Movement in Britain during the 1960's and 1970's was influenced by radical feminism from USA. The ideology of this was to campaign for equal pay, job opportunities, education, reproductive freedom, childcare, financial and legal independence and end violence against women (Dobash and Dobash, 1992). The acknowledgment of violence in families was over 150 years ago when The Act for Prevention and Punishment of Aggravated Assaults on Women and Children 1853 and the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (McKie, 2005). The first legal recognition in recent history was given to domestic abuse and the women's need to escape from violence in their homes with the introduction of The Domestic Violence Act 1976 (Pascall, 1997). Interagency collaboration is essential when working in the area of domestic violence. Working Together provides comprehensive and detailed guidance for professionals (Department for Education and Skills, 2006). To protect the victim of domestic violence the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is in place which can be used to protect someone from behaviour which causes psychological injury. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 extend this power (Brayne and Carr, 2008). The Adoption and Children Act 2002 was amended to include the definition of harm, which now states ‘impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another'. Those vulnerable because of domestic violence or the threat of violence are given priority for housing according to the Homeless Act 2002 (Alcock, 2008). Chung et al (2001) reported that the government suggested to gp's to consider routinely screening women for domestic violence to try and increase rates of identification. However, it is only recently that this concept has been implemented in midwifery but has yet to become commonplace in general practice. This is disappointing because more women are seen by gp's. Also, women may see their doctor about something which may appear unrelated but as Humphreys and Thiara (2003) explain depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and self harm are so prevalent amongst abused women these are referred to as ‘symptoms of abuse' which could be picked up and acted upon by gp's. Feminism Dutton (2007) wrote that psychiatry in the early twentieth century had determined that women remain in abusive relationships because the punishment fills an unconscious need in them. Fortunately, this viewpoint was seen as victim blaming by feminists. Feminists all share the same basic philosophy of wanting fairness and equality. There are however several feminist theories such as radical feminism. It was feminists who first highlighted domestic violence and other taboo issues which were previously beyond public scrutiny because it was thought these belonged to the private sphere of the family (Hester and Pearson cited in Trevithick 2005). Research shows there is a link between domestic violence and child abuse. Women with learning disabilities have been found to be vulnerable as are physically disabled women (Humphries cited in Davies, 2008). A very powerful statement by Stacey and Price cited in Pascall (1997) wrote domestic violence is a way men assert power over women. Foucalt (1979) disputes this suggestion because he says power is not used against another and power is not seen as a property or possession. Karl Marx highlighted women's inequalities and their oppression within society but capitalism was mentioned as being the main reason for this (McAuley, 2003). According to Harris (2005) feminists criticise the media especially the film industry for the film industry for their explicit portrayal of sex and glorifying male violence against women. Similarly, reported allegations of rape are increasing while convictions in the UK decline (McKie, 2005). This knowledge does not instil much confidence in women and in my opinion damages the feminist principles that have taken so long to construct. It must be recognised that only a small number of men are interested in pro-feminist theories and ideas. Ecological theory, social work practice and reflection. The ecological theory in sociology has a direct connection to human interactions. It explores the relationship of the physical environment and human culture (Macionis and Plummer, 2005). Using this theory it attempts to link violence in the family to the broader social environment. As a social worker one must recognise women who are being subjected to domestic violence and need a network of support. These include cultural, formal, informal social family networks, the closer family setting and circumstances and family history. It is important to know the policies and laws pertaining to domestic violence. Also, it is beneficial to have knowledge of safe houses, counselling services and practical support. My personal opinion about domestic violence has not changed over the years. Although, I have recently recognised and accept the relationship between low self esteem and domestic violence. I had a fortunate upbringing and my father always instilled in me the importance of having self respect first and foremost when meeting people. I did have a friend who was subjected to domestic violence but she did not confide in me until her boyfriend had left her for another woman, which I told her was a blessing for her. The thought of someone being violent towards another human being makes me feel sick and I can not comprehend what motivates anyone to abuse another person. Conclusion This assignment has explored domestic violence, poverty, history and politics in relation to poverty. Policies and laws were mentioned which protect those subjected to domestic violence. Feminism was discussed, the ecological theory was briefly applied to domestic violence and an explanation was given to its relevance to social work. Finally, I reflected on my own thoughts and feelings in relation to domestic violence. Having completed this assignment and read widely on the subject of domestic violence I feel this is an emotive area which requires much empathy and support. I believe the most important qualities when working with this issue is to be the victims advocate and empower them on their terms.

Christian Perspective on Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay

Throughout our lifetimes, we are faced with questions that sometimes seem impossible to answer. Everyone is guided by something (or someone) when It comes to making choices both big and small. When it comes to issues of a moral nature, â€Å"three-quarters of all Americans claim their religious beliefs are the primary Influence on how they find guidance In their lives. † (O’Mathuna and Amundsen, 1998) What is the Christian perspective on physician-assisted suicide (PAS)? While the topic certainly inspires debate, conclusions can be reached using examples from the Bible, cripture verses regarding life and death, and denominational statements. There are seven recorded accounts of people in the Bible choosing to end their own lives. (Because the Bible does not speak specifically of PAS, insights will be drawn using examples of suicide. According to the Bible, killing Is killing; no matter who commits the act for what reason. ) Abimilech, Samson, Ahithophel, King Zimri, King Saul, Saul’s armor bearer, and Judas Iscariot. While there is no specific command in the Bible condemning the choice to end one’s own life, the depictions of the aforementioned characters are not those of a positive nature. Abimelech seizes power in his lifetime by conspiracy and murder of 70 of his own half-brothers. He is not chosen or appointed by God. After being mortally wounded by having a woman drop a stone on his head, he asks that his armor bearer run him through with his sword so that no one can say he was killed by a woman. The passage states that his death repaid the wickedness he had done to his father by murdering his brothers (Judges 9:50-57, New International Version). Samson is gifted by God with amazing strength. However, he ignores God’s commandments and lives a life tainted with trickery and sexual Immorality. He dies after being held prisoner by his enemies when he tears down a temple to which he has been tied. It collapses killing Samson and everyone else inside Oudges 17:29-30, NIV). Saul becomes the first king of Israel after being warned by God that Israel’s desire for a human king Is a rejection of the kingship of God. Saul; eventually becomes alienated from God, his family, and his people. His jealousy leads him to attempt murder on more than one occasion. Saul becomes wounded during battle and has no one to turn to for help and refuses to seek Cod. He asks his armor earer to help him die, and after he refuses (and then immediately takes his own life), Saul chooses to fall on his own sword (1 Samuel 31:1-6, NIV). Oftentimes in the New Testament, self-destructive behavior (suicide) Is associated with demon possession. Though the suicide of Judas Iscariot in the New Testament is recorded without comment, Judas was called a traitor, a devil, a thief, and a son of perdition. Judas betrayed Jesus. claiming he never knew him. The weight of his guilt lead him to hang himself. â€Å"A similar analysis of all the other suicide accounts reveals a consistent pattern. Nowhere is suicide praised or commended. In fact, the lack of explicit comment on the suicides could Just as easily be viewed as a negative evaluation. † (O’Mathuna and Amundsen, 1998) There is one last mention of suicide in the New Testament, yet its conclusion is full of hope and life. Two characters, Paul night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God in the midst of their suffering. A violent earthquake shook the foundation of the prison, opened all the cell doors, and loosened all of the chains of the prisoners. The Jailer was awakened and for fear of being killed once prisoners escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted and insisted that he not harm himself because no one had escaped. Paul and Silas then spoke with the Jailer about God’s love and salvation. The Jailer was filled with Joy because he had come to believe in God (Acts 16:24-34, NIV). Christians believe that the Bible is the spoken word of God through his people. They believe that the Journey of Jesus Christ from birth to death on a cross demonstrates how they are called to live even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

English VS. Spanish Colonization Essay

Although the English and Spanish both sought to sail across the Atlantic and explore to conquer the New World for their own unique reasons, the conditions and experiences they faced differed greatly. Spain claimed to have conquered the New World first with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, while the English claimed to have done so with the establishment of Jamestown in 1607. Spain and England both colonized the Americas and sought to stay there, but were faced with many obstacles that would interfere with how they continued to populate the land. Both the Spanish and the English had different colonies which had different climates and were surrounded by different landscapes. Most English colonies were established by royal charter. The earliest permanent English settlements were in Virginia and Massachusetts. The footprint of these colonies stretched as far West as the Mississippi River. While Virginia was a Southern Colony, Massachusetts was a New England Colony. Each colony had different farmland unique to the region. Virginia was capable of growing many things such as tobacco, corn, and squash. The land in Massachusetts had little capability, needing to be fertilized to farm but long winters also posed the threat of killing crops. However, Spain maintained the land that was generally south of Georgia. Crown-sponsored conquests gained riches for Spain and expanded its empire. Most of the southern region of present-day North America was claimed by the Spanish and stretched as far as the California coast. Settlements include; St. Augustine, Florida (1565), Santa Fe, New Mexico (1610), and many cities in Texas and California. Due to the Spanish occupation of the south, they experienced rich soil and short winter. Resulting in successful farming which reinforced the survival of the populace. Spain and England were both ruled under kings. However, these kings were followed differently by its people. The English had a more loose approach to how the citizens should obey the king. An increased distance from England and the king allowed colonists the opportunity for local governments, representative assemblies, and self-taxation, as long as they did not take up arms against the Crown.  However, Spain was very strict about how their colonists should follow their king. Spain maintained a tighter grip on its citizens. Unlike the English, the Spanish monarch had appointed governors, who reported to the king alone, to rule over the Spanish Colonies. Settlers had to obey the king’s laws and were unable to govern themselves. Religion was a large reason for both the English and the Spanish to conquer the Ameri cas. The English, who were largely non-Catholic, sought to travel to the Americas for religious freedom. Although some tolerance was practiced in most colonies, the Puritans in Massachusetts established a restrictive religious leadership. In relation to the way the English are encouraged to follow their king, they had a similar rule for those who chose to live under different religions. The Church of England was the religion that the government wanted everyone to follow before most of the English colonies were established. All citizens were expected to follow the Church of England, or pay a fine. Those who followed were allowed to practice whatever religion they chose as long as they kept it to themselves. This angered many Puritans, which led to many wanting to sail across the Atlantic to the New World. Those who left were seeking to be free of the Church of England. This caused many colonies such as New Jersey and Rhode Island to have religious freedom. However, the Spanish did mostly everything in the name of God. Catholicism was the absolute most important religion in the eyes of the Spanish. Settlers were restricted to be Catholics; those who were Protestants were persecuted and driven out. In the beginning, primary purpose for the Spanish exploration of the New World was to spread Christianity, but was deterred by the benefits of discovering gold and fortune. Colonization of the New World was different for both Spain and England through their religion, government, and geography. The English sought to establish permanent settlements along the Atlantic Coast while the Spanish came to conquer and exploit the wealth and resources that already existed. Through different reasoning both European countries sought to conquer the same land, but faced various complications.

Monday, July 29, 2019

HCM611-0803A-01 Managing the Health Care Organization - Phase 2 Group Essay

HCM611-0803A-01 Managing the Health Care Organization - Phase 2 Group Project - Essay Example In the healthcare division, this type of result is unacceptable. Employee morale and motivation is very important as it is directly related to their performance and good communication and problem solving is the key to achieve that. (Managing Healthcare: Pros and Cons, n.d) The manner, in which things were being managed in the past at the Regency Healthcare Group, was a perfect example of how management practices are not supposed to be. The assessment performed revealed that staff members were generally unhappy about how things were being dealt with in the past. It is extremely important for higher level managers to avoid being condescending towards their subordinates. An aggressive communication style will only worsen the staff members’ attitude towards the manager, in this case, the Surgery Director, and result in demoralization. Performance is greatly affected by such behavior and even if subordinates do perform under fear and pressure, the staff and the customers, in this case the patients will be going away with an unpleasant experience (Managing Healthcare: Pros and Cons, n.d). This makes the staff and patients reluctant about any future participation and involvement with the manager. No problems are solved through force. It is important t o take a logical and organized approach towards solving a problem so that instead of making things worse, a solution can be achieved and everyone involved in the process leaves with a learning experience. A more detailed analysis needs to be made on how the managerial approach of the predecessor was unsuitable and what problems it caused. Also, alternative managerial techniques need to be looked in to so that staff efficiency, employee morale and the quality of care can be improved. (Thomson, n.d) Staff efficiency is one of the vital aspects in a healthcare organization. An efficient staff means that patients will be dealt with efficiency, promptly and effectively. An

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The Politics of Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Politics of Education - Assignment Example of education with successful establishment of libraries in some societies, Mann claims that education contributes immensely towards individual’s mental improvement (Massachusetts. Board of Education 95). He relates most countries’ prosperity with education; he believes that education contributes to growth and development of a successful generation. Additionally, Mann believes that education has a significant impact on how governments bestow their leaderships; he believes that education enhances the discharge of regal duties by the government. Mann’s views on education conquer with the current perception of education. This is evidenced by how majority f the people value education in the current societies; most people believe that education gives individuals the platform of expressing themselves. It also boosts the courage of people who value their rights; it enables them question their leaders about the mistakes they make in their daily activities. It is also evident that lots of advancement has taken place in the current societies because of increase in the rate of literacy among people. Additionally, most people are successive and independent today because of exposure and awareness enhanced by education. In what ways were you prepared by your experiences in elementary, middle, and high school for achieving success in college? In what ways did the readings help you understand better how you were educated? The passage of my lifetime through elementary, middle, and high school played a very significant role in my life. It made me value books and develop the urge of advancing my education elsewhere after high school. It is through the association with my colleagues in these academic levels that I garnered courage that enabled me to associate with other students from different backgrounds. Apart from learning that hardworking plays a pivotal role in one’s academic success, my passage through high school also made me have easy time in college; the experience

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Swimming (Pleasures and meanings) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swimming (Pleasures and meanings) - Essay Example Swimming is a pleasure that engages the literary interpretations of water, the individual and the public seeking to refresh and make new their spirit through the flow of cooling water over their bodies. Clients Name Name of Professor Name of Class Date The Pleasure of Swimming Water flows around the body, the pressure made by cupped hands propelling the movement forward or back, as the flesh parts the liquid and glides through. There is little resistance as movement presses it, manipulating the shape, and using it to change direction or displace oneself from one distinct space to the next. Never the same nor ever not defined through its volume, the shifting current is always about what is new. Water refreshes and refines, carrying great symbolism in the literary discourse, while still having stable and concrete purpose in the physical world. Nothing in the world represents purity in quite the same way as water, even though in its natural state it is constantly full of different types of bacteria, algae, and life. Bodies are mostly water, tears are water, and the road to health is full of water. Swimming through water is a pleasure of the spirit, one of the most solitary sports that, even in a room full of spectators, becomes an interaction of quiet between the water and the swimmer. Pleasure and sensation are not the same thing because pleasure is a definition of a type of sensation. The philosophy of pleasure is tied to the physiology of sensation, but sensation is not always required for pleasure. Puccetti conducted experiments trying to define the pleasure centers and concluded that pleasure was within the brain and could be located, but despite the fact that he also found the center of punishment, and that a monkey would deteriorate quickly if the punishment center was stimulated repeated over the course of hours, indicates that there is more to punishment and pleasure than can be found in physiological discourse. Pleasure is a discourse as much as an exper ience. It is the framing of ideas that result in something that extends into the social and cultural experience. Swimming is an event that can be discussed through a great many different concepts. Swimming is an isolated event, the water creating barriers between one swimmer and the next. It is also a social event where crowds of people come together to enjoy the nature of water, the cooling effect that it has on a summer day or the atmosphere it brings for enjoying the interactions of family and friends. Sometimes it involves a sporting event where crowds gather to watch the prowess of a swimmer, their sleek, long muscles gliding fervently through the water. Akiko Busch discusses the idea of swimming as a way in which to cross a divide, to summon up enough spirit to conquer space and one’s position in the greater scheme of life. When Busch took up the challenge to swim across the Hudson River, a great many cultural connections became apparent through the course of the event. The Hudson River is a place of deep history. In the late 1990s a team of scientists decided to create a sonar map of the river bed floor in order to investigate data relevant to marine life habitation. However, what they discovered was more than 200 wrecks that catalogued centuries of history from the time of the American Revolution, through the subsequent river tragedies. In addition, a 3000 year old wall

Friday, July 26, 2019

Venezuela's economic environment Research Paper

Venezuela's economic environment - Research Paper Example This means that the country has a great share in the geopolitical structure of the world. Venezuela, at 2013, is the world’s 34th largest economy with a GDP of $ 407.4 billion (Central Intelligence Agency 1). It experienced a growth rate of 1.6 percent, which is attributed to a slow and unstable recovery from the 2008’s world recession. In 2012, it experienced a growth rate of 5.6 percent. Besides, it has Per Capita GDP of $ 13, 600. This is the world’s 99th largest PPP. Oil forms a major part of Venezuelan economy since it contributes 96 percent of its export earnings, 12 percent of its GDP, and 45 percent of its annual budget. Manufacturing forms a huge percent of Venezuelan’s economy as the country exports steel, cement, and aluminum. The industry sector contributes 35.5% of the country’s GDP. Agriculture forms a mere 3.7 percent of the economy suggesting that the sector is underdeveloped. Although it exports agricultural products such as fish, the country imports two-thirds of its food supplies. The services’ sector is occupi es the largest part of the GDP, 60.8 % thereby employing 70.9 percent of the Venezuelan population. In terms of economic freedom index, the country has a score of 36.3 thereby making it a repressed economy. This means that there is limited individual freedom and liberty as pertains to investment and economic prosperity. The government has a big stake in economic activities, which in turn limits innovation and individual economic prosperity. It is essential, however, to note that Hugo Chavez, the former president, nationalized the oil industry in order to prevent conflicts and eliminate corruption. Venezuela experiences significant economic problems that correspond with state control of economic activities. Venezuela has a corruption index of 20 and ranks 166th in the world. This also

Thursday, July 25, 2019

HR Planning and Recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HR Planning and Recruitment - Essay Example This essay focuses on the Human Resource planning and recruitment, that is one of the crucial requirements of the organizations. The main reasons for ensuring effective management of the company’s personnel is that it ensures that there is adequate number of staff members. KFC is the best example among all the fast food restaurant chains as it has allocated sufficient amount of resources in its personnel. Every aspect of HR is adequately planned out so that the operations of the company are not impacted at all. Even the recruitment of employees is done in accordance to the international standards so that the right people are hired at all positions. In order to sustain the edge within the industry, it is vital for KFC to keep track of the changes taking place in the employment market. It has employed right resources for management of this crucial aspect of the organization and has successfully created a highly, efficient, proactive, sincere and loyal team of employees. Each of the personnel is committed to enhancing the organization’s image in the fast food industry. Hence, KFC has developed an effective HR department for managing its international operations successfully. The success of the company lies in its policy of developing an efficient, loyal and committed workforce by allocating adequate resources in its recruitment and selection process. Even the policies are developed in accordance to the latest market trends so that the gap between the demand and supply of personnel is appropriately planned out.

Promotional Mixes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Promotional Mixes - Essay Example Being a new product, it will target an audience which will be the small and medium enterprises especially those managed by either women groups or the youths. The advertisement will all be about the potential of both the youth and women and will encourage them to open different accounts with the bank. The opening of accounts will be free of charge thus the bank will be emphasizing on offering clients with great services at no cost. One of the best options for the target market will be the opening of group accounts which will offer the benefit of no operating charges. If groups save a specified amount, groups can ask for loans depending on their savings. The loans come with low interest rates and payable depending on the amount to be borrowed and methods of payment will be better than that of normal loans (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2011). The other method will be personal selling in that the bank representative resort to heading to where the small and medium enterprises are located to try and persuade the audience on the new product. This will involve calling meetings to be chaired by bank agents and try to face the group members in person thus Appling the push strategy thus creating consumer demand for the new product (Banasiewicz, 2009). Also the bank will apply the use of publicity involving the association with the general public regarding the use and benefits of the new banking product. This will be in form of press releases or press conferences, event sponsorship in that the bank may sponsor youth events such as soccer tournaments thus getting the opportunity to capture the attention of the general public .The other mix will be public relation involving the interaction between the bank and the business environment. This will enable the bank to get immediate feedback to questions and inquiries as far as the new product will be concerned. The bank will treat customer responses with utmost seriousness because they reflect

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Women in the Workplace A Positive Perspective Essay

Women in the Workplace A Positive Perspective - Essay Example " (Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1603) Whatever be the saying, it is a fact that women are the best creation of God or Mother Nature. Majority of the world's population do not release this and they treat women like slaves; be it at home or at work place. Men believe that women should not be independent and they want their household women (wife, daughter, sister or even mother) to be under the control of a man. In the olden days when the bread winner of the family (man) used to go out for business he would entrust the female of the house in the hands of a boy no matter if he is a kid who can not take care of even himself. This was their plight, then. The goals of human development are deeply interlaced with the development and authorization of women as they comprise a significant proportion of the total population. Women not only represent the precious human resources of a country but their socio economic development sets the velocity for the growth of the rest of the economy. Women in general were not allowed to be independent when growing up. The parents enforced different regulations on a girl which just hindered the girl from maturing enough. Girls were either protected by their parents or the primitive laws and they are never permitted to excel intellectually. The barbaric act of Sati practiced in India is worth to mention here. The practice was when the husband dies the wife has to jump into the pyre and sacrifice her life. If she fails to do so, others will throw her into the burning pyre, forcefully. Sat was a funeral practice among some Hindu communities in which a recently-widowed woman would either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre. This practice is now very rare and outlawed in modern India.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice). Thanks to Mr. Rajaram Mohan Roy, who was social reformer and Lord William Bentinck, the British governor, the practice of Sati was put to an end by the British government in the year 1832. But times have changed since then. The society reached new realms of progress in all aspects of human life. Civilization and culture prospered. General awareness of the rights of people and impartment of education to women has put women in a more or less equal status with men. Rules and regulations are formed in each and every country and internal and international laws are developed and implemented that guarantee safety of women and her right to live as a human being Let us analyze the topic: 'Women at Work Place - a Positive Perspective', in this context. Introduction: Manu smriti (a Sanskrit word) which is also known as Manava-Dharmasastra (Sanskrit) is the most significant and originally written code of custom of Hinduism. This text has discriminated women in a most atrocious way. According to Manu,"In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, and then to her sons; a woman must never be independent. There is no God on earth for a woman than her husband.....She must, on the death of her husband allow herself to be burnt alive on the same funeral pyre. That everyone will praise her virtue." This verse from Manu smriti has portrayed woman as the one who is dependent entirely on man right from her birth till her death. Now nobody considers Manu smriti as the final word now, and human society has grown to such a level to discard every law and code of conduct during the passage of time. The world is

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Personal statement for graduate school Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For graduate school - Personal Statement Example By serving at the air force, I have developed a very scheduled and organized lifestyle. Spending my time at the air force has allowed me to gain the skills that help in responding, reacting, interacting and dealing with different types of people. Working with the air force has really helped me to recognize my limits, abilities, skills and true potential. My experience with the air force has taught me to be calm, tolerant, and cool. It has trained me to work under all sorts of pressure and stress, and still gain the best possible outcomes. I am currently working at the airport and in order to advance professionally, I need to be equipped with management skills. Hence I firmly believe that having a master’s degree in Business Management and Leadership will not only enhance the leadership and management skills but will also open the doors of opportunities for me. Choosing what is best for me and looking at the best available options I have applied at CUNY School of Professional Studies to gain the extra skills to become a successful and highly qualified airport manager. Looking at the extensive business education that is being provided by CUNY and the analytical leadership skills that I will gain from the school, I can anticipate that it is really going to be helpful for me in managing and handling the affairs that I will encoun ter at the air port. I, being a single parent, have learned how to organize my time, my priorities and how to get things done in the best possible way even during emergencies. Living the life of a militant and a single parent, I have learned not take everything for granted. Being the air force and serving for the troops at Afghanistan, I have discovered what volunteering means and how it pays off when you see the smiles on people’s faces who had given up on everything, who had given up on hope. Learning is an ongoing process and I

Monday, July 22, 2019

Speech of David foster wallace Essay Example for Free

Speech of David foster wallace Essay The speech, was written by David Foster Wallace, and it was delivered to the graduating class of 2005 at Kenyon College. Wallace talked about the real importance of having a degree that it is more than â€Å"just a material payoff†. He also tells the students that a liberal arts education is all about â€Å"teaching you how to think†. This means that it is all about having the choice of what we can think about. He talks about the real values of an education. It is more than the knowledge we learn but more about simple awareness. Wallace goes on with saying that learning how to think also come with becoming less arrogant to the different people around us. As humans, we tend to be very self-centered in everything we do. Wallace says that we need to learn to adjust our â€Å"natural default setting† to become less self-centered. Read more: David foster wallace good people essay I agree with a lot of what Wallace said in his speech. I think that earning a degree should definitely be more than how much money you will make. It should be about what it means to you as a person. Education is more than just learning information to get by in school and to graduate. It is about learning about yourself and who you as a person and I think that is what college does for people. Wallace is right in saying that knowledge is about the simple awareness and becoming less arrogant. I think that people do think that they are the center of the universe. This way of thought makes a person think they are the most important and that they are right all the time which is not true. Knowledge really is power because it does help people become less self-centered like Wallace states.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Overview Of Project Quality Management

Overview Of Project Quality Management Project Quality Management is a crucial element in 9 knowledge areas as the victory of any project is dependent on its quality and it is equally essential for Project Manager. In Project Management Domain, every person demands quality. The endeavor of this paper is to evaluate quality in project management domain by considering quality management in terms of following the quality planning, quality assurance and quality control processes by exploring the practices to success by maintaining cost, time and scope constraints. We will survey how quality affects the system and people associated with it and how to meet targets of any organization through better quality management. Keywords- Project Quality Management, Project Management Domain, Quality Planning, Quality assurance, Quality Control, Project Implementation. Introduction To Domain Project Quality Management is the most difficult knowledge area to define. The ISO defines quality as the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs (ISO8402:1994) or the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements. Different experts have different views about quality. In software project management, Research have shown that most common reasons behind projects failure are schedule overruns, over budgets and the scope creep, these triple constraints (time, cost and scope) are termed as quality angle by Microsoft and changes made to any of these three sides probably effects the quality as quality is not a side of a triangle but is a outcome of what you do with time, cost and scope therefore these angles must be met for achieving quality of any project in the project management domain. The reason for failure can also be measured to be the eagerness of project managers in adopting new methodologies, tools, techniques, skills and knowledge for achieving success of any project but not focusing on the quality itself. Quality has different definitions in different organizations depending upon its standards but a basic one is that whatever is delivered should be according to the customer or organizations expectations. According to Howard Gitlow and Shelley Gitlow Quality is defined as surpassing customer needs and expectations throughout the life of the product. The quality of any project can be judged from different viewpoints e.g. business and technical. From business viewpoint the focus is on completing the project on time, within specified budget and according to the needs. From technical viewpoint quality verifies that the project conforms to the business standards e.g. documentation, user interfaces and the naming standards and the system to be produced should be maintainable. Therefore, the main principle of Project Quality Management is to guarantee customer satisfaction. To understand quality of any project, the project team must spend time and build up good relationships with stakeholders to realize what quality is according to them as only customer can decide if product quality is acceptable. Problem Description Many technical projects fail because the project managers mostly emphasize on written requirements rather than stakeholders expectations. For example, the project manager and his team must understand the importance of delivering 50 Intel Laptops to customer successfully. Changes are unavoidable during any project implementation, which may have a major or minor impact on projects estimated schedule, budget and defined constraints if not planned accordingly; it can lead to project failure. A 2002 survey of IT organizations shows that about 67% of the disputes on the functionality of the systems were that they did not meet up to claims of the developer and 56% of the disputes were due to slipped delivery dates which eventually ended in litigation.[13] For the management of project quality, quality planning, quality assurance and quality control holds an important point in the management domain. Every project must have a quality plan as it is a basic input for quality assurance and quality control but many organizations dont bother to produce a plan because of its complexity which often results in undesirable product outcomes. Scope There are certain tools and techniques used in the project quality management area but the main processes to be followed for the achievement of quality products are the Quality Planning Quality Assurance Quality Control A concise analysis of these processes would elaborate various inputs involved with these processes and the tools and techniques used to generate the required outputs that lead to the accomplishment of better quality products. In this paper, the success of quality will be discussed in terms of meeting defined time, cost and scope and how quality management processes leads to achieve targets of an organization. Proposed Approach The systematic approach that would be followed to achieve quality in projects is the quality management processes and the Re planning of cost, scope and time depending upon which module is more constraint in a particular project. Process Project Phase Key Deliverables Plan Quality Planning Quality Management Plan, Quality Metrics Quality Assurance Execution Change Requests Quality Control Monitoring and Controlling Quality control measurements Quality Re-Planning Re-Planning Trade-off between Quality Angle Table 1: Quality Processes [12] These processes usually take place at least once in any project to maintain the projects quality as mentioned in PMBOK8 but plan should not be fixed in any case, it changes as the project progresses and is monitored in Quality control phase by getting the customer feedback and evaluating its conformance to requirements and fitness for use, Re-planning is done if the Quality assurance is not performed as previously planned. A brief elaboration of each process is given highlighting IT Projects Quality. Quality Planning Planning Quality involves implementation of organizations quality standards and policies which should be followed in that particular organization.[3] A quality plan needs to cover a number of elements: [3] What work needs to go through a quality check? Tools and Techniques for quality planning? When should it be carried out and what resources are allocated? Who is responsible for the required quality? What should be the output? What work needs to go through quality check? The Quality of deliverables of project are checked for example a requirements document is checked if it is according to the customer demands similarly the quality check is carried our for other deliverables. For the milestones or checkpoints, a standard is followed to check their functionality. For the project itself, it may be appropriate to have the project management practices reviewed for quality once the project is initially established. This may be useful to give the Sponsor and top management a level of confidence in the team. Tools and Techniques for quality planning? Cost gain study- This study assures that gain should overweigh the cost. The productivity should be high with lower cost which satisfies customer requirements. Benchmarking- The performance of the project is measured in terms of planned performance or by comparing its performance with other projects in same application areas [4][5]. Quality Diagrams- Different charts and diagrams help in predicting quality problems and build up methods to deal with them. [7] When should it be carried out and what resources are allocated? Quality measurements are held prior to the delivery of product when there are long development times for a deliverable and the resources required for the development of project are allocated such as human resources, financial and material resources. For example, if four milestones of the project are estimated to be completed in 8 weeks but after the completion of 2 milestones the time left is only 3 weeks, it may be worth holding the inspection after each milestone to identify any problems early and reduce rework by reshuffling of resources and optimization of plan. Who is responsible for the required quality? The developers of the product as well as the customer both are responsible for the quality. In fact customer requirements define quality, not processes. For example a customer goes to a garments shop for purchasing a jersey, he would typically check its fabric, color, size and price if its according to his requirements than he would say its of good quality. He will not consider what processes are used to make it and how much time it took. In other words, it is not what you do or how you do it but who uses it that counts. Using the quality example again you can make the best clothing that was ever made, using the optimum materials and applying efficient processes but if no body needs it than it is just a waste. Hence, it is not only the project manager but the one essential to project success. [6] What should be the outputs of quality planning? The output includes the understanding of implementing quality policy by project management team. The quality plan should focus on Quality assurance (Execution), Quality Control (monitoring) and Quality improvement (Re-planning) of the project. Metrics and the checklists are most common outputs. Metrics describes what something is and how it is measured by quality control process for example the project management team makes a detailed schedule of start and end of every activity in the form of metrics. Many organizations use standard checklists to measure quality of activities performed. Quality Assurance (QA) In Quality Assurance (QA), the quality of a project is guaranteed by performing all the activities that are being planned from design to servicing and documentation that satisfies customer demands. It is a process of ensuring that the project meets quality standards which is also defined as quality measurements. [6][7] Quality Audit- is an important tool for quality assurance. These audits help to improve performance of future projects by learning lessons from previous projects. Quality audits are performed by many engineering industries by first designing a quality metrics for a project and then analyzing the metrics throughout the project development. Quality Audits are usually performed by internal (in-house) auditors or external (third parties) customer involved in the project. Audits can be conducted on schedule basis for example, after each milestone or they can be performed on random whenever there is a need or as ordered by top management. The main goal of Quality Audits is to identify ineffective standards and policies used and replace them with best practices. Quality audit verify the execution of approved change requests, corrective and preventive action and defect repairs. [6] Quality Assurance Plan- Large projects usually involve thousands of activities which becomes complex for quality assurance to track them. So they should be collected in quality assurance plan for their efficient management. A standard for Quality assurance plan is developed for an organization and it is the responsibility of project team members to develop one which should include the following elements [6] WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) User Requirements and Specification Activity to be performed When to perform the activity Who will perform the activity Quality Assurance Output- Quality Improvement improves the value and usefulness of a project and provides benefits to the project stakeholders [6]. Quality improvement not only improves the quality of project management but also it improves the quality of a product by following a continuous cycle known as The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle [1] which is the source of Quality Improvement. As customer needs changes with time so this process helps to meet their new requirements by getting their feedback on regular basis, it may also help to reduce costs by providing long-term benefits for customer satisfaction. Plan a change in the right process for getting for improving it and getting beneficial results. Do apply the change as a test case to test if it gives the desired results. Check the effect of the applied changes in the entire system by analyzing it thoroughly. Act to apply the change to the entire system based on the result of test cases if it provides the desired result. [6] Follow the cycle for other processes for an improved change. Barriers to Quality Improvement- Quality improvement bring changes in a product to improve its quality but because of its complexity it is not always considered significant to be followed in every project. It is the responsibility of top management and due to the risk that an improvement change would not produce the desired results prevents the management from applying this policy. On the other hand, long-term benefits produce by the improvement would overcome the short-term risk. Quality control Quality Control is the process for monitoring specific project results to determine whether the comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance (comp. PMBOK3) [8] The Project results are usually monitored throughout this phase and if an inconsistency is observed in the planned specification and the actual results, the project team takes corrective actions to repair that variation and take precautionary steps to avoid this variation from reoccurring. These results are generally examined by Quality Audits and the Quality Assurance Plan and Activities are improved according to the requirement. [11] The Quality Control, therefore strives on the Project Results, checklists and the quality management plan for monitoring actual results. Various Tools are being used for the measurement of Quality control. Through the use of Inspection and Statistical Sampling, data about the performance of actual system is compared with the quality standards. Cause and Effect Diagrams provides knowledge about the reasons of any deficiencies. Many other tools are used to display performance data such as Control Charts, Flowcharts, Histograms, Pareto Charts, Run Charts, and Scatter Diagrams,[10] the data is not simply displayed but gives an insight of useful information about the products conformance to requirements and illustrates whether the quality standards are met. If the quality is not acceptable, a Change Request will be made. If the deliverables are acceptable, the output of Validated Deliverables goes to the Verify Scope process for final approval. [7] Quality Re-Planning The nature of Project Quality management must focus on the product of project as well as the management of project because severe consequences can result for project stakeholders from failure to meet quality requirements in any of these dimensions. [7] Re-Planning is done when the actual target about project management that is defined in the Quality Planning phase seems to fluctuate concerning scope, time and cost of the project which can be measured at anytime at the completion of any deliverables and milestones during the product development. It is the responsibility of Project Manager that he should balance both dimensions, the product goals and the management goals. The project team should not overwork to achieve product quality as it reduces the management quality by resulting in Employee turnover [7]. Similarly, the three elements of management dimension must be balanced by project manager throughout the development activity. For example, the information technology teamwork project has a preliminary scope of generating a sixty to seventy pages report and one and a half hour presentation on any twenty five prospective IT projects. The preliminary time and cost of this project is set as two months and $65,000. This estimation provides the targets to be achieved for scope, time and cost at the start of Project. Balancing them through the end of the project is fairly an ideal situation which is not always possible as a result trade-offs are made between these triple elements depending upon the importance of that particula r element in the given situation and the experienced project manager. For example, to collect at least twenty five good ideas about the IT teamwork project, a survey is planned online to be done within a week with a cost of approximately $4,000 and suppose the survey produced only few good ideas in the given time and cost. In this situation, the collection of ideas is most essential as it is the key input so the time and cost are adjusted for the achieving the desired scope [2]. Re-planning is therefore, changing the initial plans if it is desirable for the accomplishment of Projects Management. Fig 4. Managing Quality APPLICATION AREAS Enterprise wide Quality Management Systems Due to the latest developments in information technologies and system design, advance quality management software has been established with the ability to incorporate quality software applications with business processing systems. The open architecture and object-oriented technology is the source of these new systems, incorporated quality management can be attained by connecting system components to the enterprise management system. The modules are associated through a standard interface structure that enables different applications to exchange information. Integrating the quality management system with business automation systems can considerably affect profitability. Such integration reduces the time and effort related with data entry. An incorporated quality management system offers online access of data stored within each system component. Through associating this data into automated reporting systems, management can carry out assessments on serious processes that states a compan ys victory. [14] Automotive Industry Automotive sector has been active in inventing new manufacturing strategies having to current high level of competition. With this scenario the challenges faced by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) have also increased over the years. Due to this high level of competition, companies have indeed emphasized to increase the quality in all aspects of products and services within their management system. Therefore quality management (QM) has become increasingly popular as one of the managerial devices in ensuring continuous improvement as to improve customer satisfaction and to ensure its product or service quality. Another dare tackled by automotive industry is the stress to reduce delivery period and cost. Quality Management element with support for advanced features like TQM will help to uphold quality from basis. This receives importance owing to the continuous pressure exerted to cut cost and improve quality. [15] Airline Business The safety of airplanes in service is critical in the aviation business, both in terms of accident avoidance and economic performance. The recent valuation of consequences to the airlines by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has highlighted the challenges faced by the airlines. Lack of compliance tools and insufficient quality management is bullying an unparalleled crisis in the airline business. An operational program to handle FAA ordinance to be used by airlines business requires an incorporated, enterprise-wide quality management solution that includes a dominant acquiescence platform which provides strong domain expertise in airline and aerospace equipment. The best examples counted in providing world-class acquiescence and quality solutions is the Tata Consultancy Services and MetricStream which includes a best solution for airline business in the form of global corroboration and support services [16]. E-Service Quality Management Todays Society emphasizes more on the use of modern communication and information technologies. E-services is an example of modern computer application that provides access to online services. Quality Management Systems are required to offer a reliable way to select, analyze, rank and design the right eservices. The growing consumption of e-services has elevated the requirement to state principles and means to evaluate and assure quality. Investment in e-services is a significant step towards improving the quality of life in our vigorous society. A Quality Management Framework in the context of e-services has the following components: e-service as object (entity), e-service development and delivery process as process, business and consumer as users, specific service request as request as requirements, evaluation and measurement of the e-service to determine its quality. E-Service Quality Management Framework provides benchmarking capabilities and comparative assessment of e-services. It also supports making decisions in improving the quality of service and overall customer satisfaction. [17] POTENTIAL RESEARCH AREAS Improve Quality Management for modern development methodologies: RAD, Agile and Extreme Programming Rapid Application Development (RAD) refers to a type of software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The planning of software developed using RAD is interleaved with writing the software itself.[18] However, there can be real difficulties with this approach. Frequent change tends to corrupt software structure making it more expensive to change and evolve to meet new requirements. Progress can be hard to evaluate and problems can be hard to find because there is no documentation to reveal what has been done. Therefore quality of the software may suffer. Without a specification it may be difficult to validate the system. [19] Improve Quality through Customer Involvement Quality is not determined or defined by the producing company. Quality is determined by the customer. Thus quality of a product or a service is the customers perception of the degree to which the product or service meets his or her expectations. [20] New Techniques for developing a strategic quality plan Organizations face a continuous barrage of requests to improve quality. Every quality management plan can, and must be tied to key business process performance indicators in order to have any real impact on productivity and the bottom-line. However, strategic plans are rarely translated into the quality strategies needed to ensure overall performance improvement gains. [21] CONCLUSION Project Quality management is becoming a part of every project from information technology to enterprise and different industries for the achievement of high quality products and services. By following the quality processes in systems, the quality can be greatly improved and in order to attain efficient Project Quality Management, the concepts of Project Quality management are also incorporated with the quality processes. The project manager and team should have the clear conception about management for managing quality processes. The Proposed Quality Processes cover both aspects of Quality, the product of the project as well as the management of project in the light of scope, time and cost. Project Quality Management is suitable for applications related to IT and Management systems. REFRENCES Frank J. Koksis, Project Quality Management, November 15, 2006. Kathy Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management 4th Edition pp 289-337. Neville Turbit, Project Quality Planning in the Project Perfect White Paper Collection. June 2005 (Available at http://www.projectperfect.com.au ) Pawan Kumar, Quality Planning Tools PMI Westchester Quality SIG. November 2007. MJ ODwyer, Quality Planning tools and techniques in Quality Planning for a Project. April 23, 2010. Kenneth H. Rose, Project Quality Management Why, What and How J Ross Publishing Inc. 2005. pp 40-72. King Fahad University of Petroleum Minerals, Project Quality Management Virtual Course, Project Quality Management (Available at http://www.pmeducate.info_sample ) Microsoft Quality Angle (Available at http://www.maxwideman.com/musings/triangles.htm) TapUniversity, Perform Quality Control Process. June 15, 2009. (Available at http://blog.tapuniversity.com/2009/06/15/perform-quality-control-process/) Project Management Institute, PMBOK8 (Available at http://www.softwareresearch.net/fileadmin/src/docs/teaching/SS06/PM/PMBOK8.pdf) Project Quality Management in Project Management (Available at http://www.slideshare.net/guest4408ddc/project-management-3289318 ) Ian Sommerville, A brief overview of Software Engineering in Software Engineering-7th edition. 2004. Ned Greenberg and Leonard Hemphill, Enterprise Wide Quality Management Systems (Available at http://www.qualitydigest.com/feb99/html/body_enterprize.html ) Significance of TQM in price sensitive automotive industry in ERP categories (Available at http://www.eresourceerp.com/Significance-of-TQM-in-automotive-market.html ) Effective Safety and Quality Management in the Airline Industry for Improved Business Performance(Available at http://www.metricstream.com/webinars/webinar_05june08_TCS.htm ) Lorena Batagan, E-Service Quality Management in Software Analysis, Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods. (Available at http://jaqm.ro/issues/volume-4,issue-3/pdfs/batagan_pocovnicu_capisizu.pdf) Rapid Application Development as used in software development/management (Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_application_development) Agile Software Quality Assurance (Available at http://www.sqa.net/agile-software-quality.html) Total Quality management (Available athttp://www.promptpapers.com/free_term_papers.php?term_paper=2674386title=Total-Quality-Management) Develop a strategic quality plan (Available at http://www.bia.ca/strategic-quality-planning.htm)

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development Healthcare professionals use of the term continuing professional development has evolved over the past decades from the narrower terms of continuing dental education (CDE); continuing medical education (CME), and continuing education (CE). Although these terms are still used interchangeably, the broader CPD, acknowledges the inclusion of topics that extend beyond the traditional scope of health care subjects such as managerial, personal and social skills, and recognises the multidisciplinary context of practice and the wide range of competences required to provide high quality patient care. It is the process by which healthcare professionals update themselves through the continuous acquisition of new knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to remain competent, current and able to meet the needs of their patients (Peck, McCall, McLaren and Rotem, 2000) and, their statutory obligations via their regulatory body (Mathewson and Rudkin, 2008). The underlying philosophy of CPD is to encourage lifelong learning (Griscti and Jacono, 2006). It is essentially lifelong learning in practice (Peck et al, 2000) that, post qualification and registration, now forms a continuum of cradle-to-grave quality assurance throughout a professionals working life (Mathewson and Rudkin, 2008). The aim of this literature research is to support the authors dissertation which is an investigation into the possible impact and effectiveness of mandatory CPD on the professional competence of dental care professionals (DCPS), specifically, dental hygienists. The author is a qualified dental hygienist of 27 years and is included in the cohort of PCDs who complete their first five year cycle of CPD in July 2013. A literature search found very few studies relating to dental hygienists and CPD therefore a vast majority of information has been abstracted from literature pertaining to dentists and aligned healthcare professionals such as, doctors who also undertake mandatory CPD. This assignment will refer to the applicable, generic outcomes from the literature unless the results are specific to a healthcare group CPDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a career long process required [by dentists] to maintain, update and broaden [their] attitudes, knowledge and skills in a way that will bring the greatest benefit to [their] patients European Commission 1996 cited in Tseveenjav, 2003; Bailey, 2012. As a professional healthcare worker, CPD is important in that the quality of practice is dependent on the possession and proper use of high level skills, which, if not maintained may have a serious impact or consequence for the patient (Collin, Van der Heijden and Lewis, 2012). Therefore, it is regarded as an ethical obligation and professional responsibility that practitioners engage in CPD (Murtomaa, 1984 cited in Tseveenjav, 2003) as it is an important value of professionalism (Donen, 1998). Following a literature review, Hilton (2004) identifies six domains incorporated within (medical) professionalism, three of which are the personal or intrinsic attributes. These are: ethical practice; reflection and self-awareness; responsibility and accountability for ones actions including a commitment to excellence, lifelong learning and critical reasoning. Cosgrove (cited in Hilton, 2004) describes professionalism as a state not trait which must be maintained once acquired. The General Den tal Council (GDC) concur and add that CPD, as part of professionalism, also promotes confidence in the practitioner and dental team (GDC Preparing for practice:6). This is, however, applicable to all professionals who have a moral and social responsibility to remain competent and current in their subject specialism whether this is through legal compulsion or not. Mandatory participation in CPD As a response to environmental pressures (Johnson, 2008) such as advances in technology which have led to the erosion of traditional (medical) boundaries (Pendleton, 1995); health sector reforms with a focus on prevention (Johnson, 2008); and partly as a result of paradigm shifts in societal expectations demanding increased accountability (Tulinius and Holge-Hazleton, 2010; Mathewson and Rudkin, 2008; Tseveenjav, M, and Muttomaa, 2003) mandatory CPD was introduced as a quality assurance system to reassure the public that dental professionals are fit to practice and meet the standards required to stay registered with the GDCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦without which they cannot practice (Mathewson and Rudkin, 2008). In July 2008 the GDC, the dental regulatory body, introduced compulsory registration and mandatory continued professional development for all DCPs. The GDC specified that, within a five year cycle, each DCP should provide evidence of compliance with the mandate and complete a legal minimum of 150 hours of CPD; 50 hours of which must be verifiable by certification and include the core subjects of medical emergencies, disinfection and contamination, and radiography (GDC Continuing Professional Development for dental care professionals, 2012). The rationale, specific to healthcare professionals is that effective regulation maximises positive health outcomes (Johnson, 2008). The purpose of professional regulation and mandatory CPD is twofold: firstly to ensure the patients health, welfare and safety and, secondly to protect the public from harm (Johnson, 2008). Many authors argue against mandatory CPD. Carpinto (1991, cited in Joyce and Cowman, 2007) felt that mandatory continuing education is at odds with the values and beliefs on which lifelong learning is based, cynically noting that it is targeted at those who least need it those who are already competent! Donen (1998) observed that only attendance, not learning can be mandated and that CME needs will differ for individuals depending on what stage they have reached in their careers. Mandatory CE was considered ineffective and outdated in so much as the system only requires proof of CPD attendance but is not required to demonstrate application to practice or competence and that it does not improve the quality of practice (Bilawka and Craig,2003:2). Additionally, mandatory CPD may, potentially devalue learning by affecting an individuals approach (Friedman and Phillips, 2004 cited in Sturrock and Lennie, 2009). The anaesthetists surveyed by Heath and Joness (1998) agree, commenting that it is often thought of as bums on seats and ticking the box. Despite the evidence, regulatory bodies continue to use mandatory CPD as a means of quality assurance. Prior to the introduction of mandatory CPD in the UK, Oosterbeek (cited in Belfield, Morris, Bullock and Frame 2001) offered an explanation in favour of mandatory CPD, which although not stated, may prove to be the overriding factor as to the enforcement of the mandatory model: there is some evidence that current provision of CPD may exacerbate disparities in service standards: the highly skilled appear to volunteer for more CPD. Therefore Compulsory or prescribed CPD may compress these differentials and hence have a positive equity effect in ensuring uniform patient care. Furthermore, Hibbs (1989, cited in Sturrock and Lennie, 2009) suggest that, in the nursing profession, a small minority would not update their professional knowledge, either informally or formally, if CPD was not a mandatory requirement. Evidence suggests this minority exists across the professions (Firmstone et al, 2004, Schostak et al, 2010). It cannot, however, be assumed that non participation equates to practi tioners not being competent or motivated (Griscti and Jacono, 2006). Another dimension may, perhaps, be found in competency and litigation. The GDC prescribes three core subjects: medical emergencies; radiography, and disinfection and contamination. Shanley et al (cited in Barnes et al 2012) claim that most dental mistakes are made in these areas of competency. The author could find no further references or evidence in the GDC literature but from personal experience finds this an understandable and reasonable claim, and that a wider literature search will reveal more. Furthermore, in addition to specialist, update courses, these areas are included in the list of most requested CPD topics at meetings (Barnes et al, 2012), suggesting that practitioners are aware that current practices in these areas are constantly changing and of their impact and consequences for all concerned. Therefore, it is understandable that the GDC reinforces these topics within the CPD cycle. Although, Cervero (2000) noted with caution that the trend across the professions in Am erica, was the increasing use of CE as the foundation for re-licensure when regulating professional practice; with all state medical boards requiring annual accreditation of continuing education for recertification. The GDC will soon introduce this system, called Revalidation, for dentists and is currently in consultation over its introduction for DCPs. Scientific knowledge in dentistry is currently doubling every 5 years Florida Academy of General Dentistry cited in Mattheos et al 2010 Some studies show that after ten years, there is a steady decline in the current, applicable knowledge of a practitioner (van Leeuwen etal, 1995; Day et al, 1988; Ramsay et al, 1991 cited in Donen, 1998). Several authors noted that practitioners tend to take CPD in topics of personal interest rather than areas of deficiency or what might be deemed essential (Heath and Jones, 1998; Sibley et al cited in Norman, Shannon, and Marrin, 2004; Sturrock and Lennie, 2009; Barnes et al, 2012). In a rapidly changing healthcare environment, this emphasises the importance of healthcare workers remaining current as relevant knowledge and skills have a shelf life. Eagle (cited in Heath and Jones, 1998) defines the educational process as one which results in an alteration in behaviour that is persistent, predetermined and that has been gained through the learners acquisition of new psychomotor skills, knowledge or attitudes. Whilst Davis (cited in Cantillon and Jones, 1999) defines CME as any and al l the ways by which [doctors] learn after formal completion of their training. Continuing Professional Development Intervention Effectiveness Several studies explored the various methods of obtaining CPD and their effectiveness in changing clinical practice, post event. Most were database and literature reviews, others used both qualitative and quantitative research data. All work is peer reviewed with the majority referencing and drawing from the authoritative work of Davis et al 1995, Changing Physician Performance A Systematic Review of the Effect of Continuing Medical Education Strategies. Much of their work confirms and complements Davis et als main findings that many CME interventions may alter physician performance and also, but to a lesser degree, healthcare outcomes. Concluding that these alterations are most often small, less often moderate and rarely large, adding, that CME interventions should be understood in the context of the delivery methods, nature and quality of the interaction and consideration be given to the complex, individual variables such as needs assessment and barriers to change (Davis et al 19 95). CPD activities range from the increasing use of the internet; journals and study clubs; lunch and learn events sponsored by commercial companies to regional and national conferences. Research, however, has shown that attendance at these events is usually due to personal interest rather than identification or a needs analysis of a weakness in a particular area, and that some professionals may not even perceive any deficit in their knowledge or practice (Hopcraft et al, 2010). The majority of papers reviewed are critical of the didactic, single event lecture. British consultant anaesthetists, surveyed by questionnaire, found that overall single event interventions such as didactic lectures were the least effective at eliciting change (Heath and Jones, 1998). Lectures were often criticised for their passive dissemination of information (Bilawka and Craig, 2003) with lecturers trying to impart too much information; not leaving enough time for questions and some attendees felt that they had not learnt anything new (Heath and Jones, 1998). Davis et al (1999) stated that didactic modality has little or no role to play. Contrary to Heath and Jones findings, Harrison and Hogg (2003) conducted a qualitative study which evaluated the reasons why doctors attend traditional CME programmes. They carried out in-depth interviews, before and after a course, and found resistance to the statement that traditional CME (lecture) does not change doctors behaviour, disagreeing , stating, they always learnt something new and were able to give concrete examples of their claims. The value of lectures may be that the information is broadly presented, thus enabling individuals to sift the information for that pearl of wisdom relevant to their practice (Harrison and Hogg, 2003). This may explain the on-going popularity of the traditional lecture in that individuals attend because it does enable some form of up-date; specialists or experts in their field of interest appears to be a draw, and possibly reassurance that their own practice is within current guidelines and thinking (Wiskott et al, 2000). Another dimension to the lecture is the informal interaction with colleagues, where collegial learning takes place as experiences are compared. There is also a perceived relative cost benefit (Brown, Belfield and Field, 2002). Workshops and hands-on courses, learning through participation, have shown to be catalysts for change amongst dentists although they have a greater associated cost they achieve a longer term impact on practice (Mercer et al cited in Bullock et al, 1999), which is sustainable (Mattheos et al, 2010). Interactive interventions such as journal clubs and small focused group discussions produced a greater effect than a single intervention (Mansouri and Lockyer, 2007). If used alone many CPD interventions have minor or negligible effect but when combined with other methods such as peer review, audit and feedback multifaceted interventions, may have a cumulative and significant effect (Oxman et al, 1995). there are no magic bullets for improving the quality of healthcare, but there are a wide range of interventions available that, if used appropriately, could lead to important improvements in professional practice and patient outcomes. Oxman et al, 1995 The majority of studies concentrated on formal, planned structured programme, there was little evidence of research into the effectiveness of informal CPD and its application to practice, presumably due to difficulties in assessing impact and relying on self-reporting. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦responsibility for the effectiveness of CPD lies with the learner Eraut, 2001 The effectiveness of CPD has been described, ideally, as the practitioner gaining improvements in practice through knowledge and skill and this improvement translates in to better health outcomes for patients respectively. Although Belfield, et al (2001) state that it is very difficult to conduct controlled studies to demonstrate improvements in practice, or patient outcomes after educational activities and most benefits and changes to practice are self-reported with no independent verification (Eaton et al, 2011). The literature review shows that effective CPD has many so many potential aspects to be studied, but the majority of studies reviewed focused on the effectiveness of formal modes of CPD, confirming Davies et als (1995) findings and mostly drawing the same conclusions. These conclusions, however, will be scrutinised further as tighter restrictions on CPD come into force through the introduction of Revalidation which will only accept validated certification. This would seem to discard the value or impact of informal learning which seems at odds with the much referenced Davies et al (1995) definition of CME as any and all the ways by which [doctors] learn after formal completion of their training. The systematic reviews have not drawn any firm conclusions on which intervention is the most effective stating that there is no single strategy effective in all settings (Donen 1998) due to the very many variables that impact of on the effectiveness of CPD. These areas be will be explored furt her in the authors research project. The last study relating specifically to Dental Hygienists was by Ross et al in 2005, who conducted a study of Scottish dental hygienists, briefly touching on CPD. As yet there have been no studies into the effects of mandatory CPD and dental hygienists. The literature thus far has helped to formulate the research question: What impact does mandatory Continuing Professional Development have an on the effectiveness of dental hygienists professional competency? References Barnes, E. Bullock, A.D. Bailey, S.E.R. Cowpe, J.G. Karahajarju-Suvanto. (2012). A review of continuing professional development for dentists in Europe, European Journal of Dental Education 16 (2012) 166-178. Belfield, C.R. Morris, Z.S. Bullock, A.D. Frame, J.W. (2001). The benefits and costs of continuing professional development (CDP) for general dental practice: a discussion, European Journal of Dental Education 2001, 5: 47-52. Bilawka, E. Craig, B.J. (2003). Quality Assurance in Health Care: past, present and future (Part 1), International Journal of Dental Hygiene 1, 2003; 159-168. Bradshaw, A. (1998). Defining competency in nursing (part 2) an analytical review, Journal of Clinical Nursing 1998; 7: 103-111. Brown, C.A. Belfield, C.R. Field, S.R. (2002). Cost effectiveness of continuing professional development in health care: a critical review of the evidence, BMJ Volume 324, 16 March 2002, 652-655. Carpinto (1991) cited in Joyce, P. Cowman, S. (2007). Continuing professional development: Investment or expectation?, Journal of Nursing Management, 2007, 15, 626-633. Cervero, R. (2000). Trends and issues in Continuing Professional Education, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 86, Summer 2000, 3-12. Collin, K. Van der Heijden, B. Lewis P. (2012). Continuing professional development, International Journal of Training and Development, 16:3, 155-163. Cosgrove cited in Hilton, S. (2004). Medical Professionalism: how can we encourage it in our students?, The Clinical Teacher, December 2004, Volume 1, No. 2, 69-73. Davis, D. Thomson, M.A. Andrew, D. Oxman, M.D. Haynes, M.D. (1995). Changing Physician Performance: A Systematic Review of the Effect of Continuing Medical Education Strategies,. JAMA, September 6, 1995 Vol 274, No 9. Davis, D. OBrien, M.A.T. Freemantle, N. Wolf, F.M. Mazmanian, P. Taylor-Vaisey, A. (1999). Impact of Formal Continuing Medical Education Do Conferences, Workshops, Rounds, and other Traditional Continuing Education Activities Change Physician Behaviour or Health Care Outcomes?, JAMA, September 1, 1999, Vol. 282, No. 9, 867-874. Davis cited in Cantillon, P. Jones, R. (1999). Does continuing medical education in general practice make a difference?, British Medical Journal, Volume 318, 8 May 1999, 1276-1279. Donen, N. (1998). No to mandatory continuing medical education, Yes to mandatory practice auditing and professional educational development, JAMC, 21 AVR. 1998; 158 (8). Eagle cited in Heath, K.J. Jones, J.G. (1998). Experiences and attitudes of consultant and non-training grade anaesthetists to continuing medical education (CME), Anaesthesia, 1998, 53, pp. 641-467. Epstein, R.M. Hundert, E.M. (2002). Defining and Assessing Professional Competence, JAMA, January 9, 2002, Volume 287, No. 2. Eraut, M. (2001). Do continuing professional development models promote one-dimensional learning?, Medical Education, 2001; 35: 8-11. European Commission (1996) cited in Tseveenjav, B. M, M. Murtomaa, V. Muromaa, H. (2003). Attendance at and self-perceived need for continuing education among Mongolian dentists, European Journal of Dental Education 2003; 7: 130-135. Fernadez, N. Dory, V. Ste-Marie, L-G. Chaput, M. Charlin, B. Boucher, A. (2012). Varying conceptions of competence: an analysis of how health sciences educators define competence, Medical Education 2012; 46: 357-365. Firmstone, V.R. Bullock, A.D. Fielding, A. Frame, J.W. Gibson, C. Hall, J. (2004). The impact of course attendance on the practice of dentists, British Dental Journal, Volume 196 No. 12, June 26 2002. Florida Academy of General Dentistry cited in Mattheos, N. Schoonheim-Klein, M. Walmsley, A. D. Chapple, I. L.C. Innovative educational methods and technologies applicable to continuing professional development in periodontology, European Journal of Education 14 (Suppl 1) (2010) 43-52. GDC. (2012). Continuing professional development for dental care professionals. Available at: http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Publications/Publications/CPD%20for%20dental%20care%20professionals.pdf Accessed on: 12 Oct 12. GDC. Preparing for practice Dental team learning outcomes for registration. Available at: http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Publications/Publications/GDC%20Learning%20Outcomes.pdf Accessed on: 12 Oct 12. Griscti, O. Jacono, J. (2006). Effectiveness of continuing education programmes in nursing: literature review, Integrative Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses, Journal Compilation. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. pp. 449-455. Harrison, C. Hogg, W. (2003). Why do doctors attend traditional CME events if they dont change what they do in their surgeries? Evaluation of doctors reasons for attending a traditional CME programme. Medical Education 2003; 37: 884-888. Heath, K.J. Jones, J.G. (1998). Experiences and attitudes of consultant and non-training grade anaesthetists to continuing medical education (CME), Anaesthesia, 1998, 53, pp. 641-467. Hibbs (1989) cited in Sturrock, J.B.E. Lennie, S.C. (2009). Compulsory continuing professional development: a questionnaire-based survey of the UK dietetic profession, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 22, pp. 12-20. Hilton, S. (2004). Medical Professionalism: how can we encourage it in our students?, The Clinical Teacher, December 2004, Volume 1, No. 2, 69-73. Hopcraft, M.S. Manton, D.J. Chong, P.L. Ko, G. Ong, P.Y.S. Sribalachandran, S. Wang, C-J. (2010). Participation in Continuing Professional Development by dental practiioners in Victoria, Australia in 2007, European journal of Dental Education 14 (2010) 227-234. Johnson,P.M. (2008). Dental hygiene regulation: a global perspective, International Journal of Dental Hygiene 6 2008; 221-228. Mansouri, M. Lockyer, J. (2007). A Meta-Analysis of Continuing Medical Education Effectiveness, Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 27(1): 6-15. Mathewson, H. Rudkin, D. (2008). The GDC lifting the lid. Part 3: education, CPD and revalidation, British Dental Journal, Volume 205, No. 1, July 12 2008, 41-44. Mattheos, N. Schoonheim-Klein, M. Walmsley, A. D. Chapple, I. L.C. Innovative educational methods and technologies applicable to continuing professional development in periodontology, European Journal of Education 14 (Suppl 1) (2010) 43-52. Mercer et al cited in Bullock, A.D. Belfield, C.R. Butterfield, S. Ribbins, P.M. Frame, J.W. (1999). Continuing education courses in dentistry: assessing impact, Medical Education 1999; 33: 484-488. Murtomaa (1984) cited in Tseveenjav, B. M, M. Murtomaa, V. Muromaa, H. (2003). Attendance at and self-perceived need for continuing education among Mongolian dentists, European Journal of Dental Education 2003; 7: 130-135. Oosterbeek cited in Belfield, C.R. Morris, Z.S. Bullock, A.D. Frame, J.W. (2001). The benefits and costs of continuing professional development (CDP) for general dental practice: a discussion, European Journal of Dental Education 2001, 5: 47-52. Oxman, A.D. Thomson, M.A. Davis. D. Haynes, B. (1995). No magic bullets: A systematic review of 102 trials of interventions to improve professional practice, Canadian Medical Association Journal. November 15, 1995; 153 (10), 1423-1431. Peck, C. McCall, M. McLaren, B. Rotem, T. (2000). Continuing medical education and continuing professional development: international comparisons, BMJ 2000; 320, 12 February 2000, 432-435. Pendleton, D. (1995). Professional development in general practice: problems, puzzles and paradigms, British Journal of General Practice, July 1995, 377-381. Phillips (2004) cited in Sturrock, J.B.E. Lennie, S.C. (2009). Compulsory continuing professional development: a questionnaire-based survey of the UK dietetic profession, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 22, pp. 12-20. Ramsay et al (1991) cited in Donen, N. (1998). No to mandatory continuing medical education, Yes to mandatory practice auditing and professional educational development, JAMC, 21 AVR. 1998; 158 (8). Robertson,K. (2005). Reflection in professional practice and education, Austrailian Family Physician Vol.34, No. 9, September 2005, 781-783. Shanley et al cited in Barnes, E. Bullock, A.D. Bailey, S.E.R. Cowpe, J.G. Karahajarju-Suvanto. (2012). A review of continuing professional development for dentists in Europe, European Journal of Dental Education 16 (2012) 166-178. Sibley et al cited in Norman, G.R. Shannon, S.I. Marrin, M.L. (2004). The need for needs assessment in continuing medical education, BMJ, Volume 328, 28 April 2004, 999-1001. Sturrock, J.B.E. Lennie, S.C. (2009). Compulsory continuing professional development: a questionnaire-based survey of the UK dietetic profession, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 22, pp. 12-20. Tseveenjav, B. M, M. Murtomaa, V. Muromaa, H. (2003). Attendance at and self-perceived need for continuing education among Mongolian dentists, European Journal of Dental Education 2003; 7: 130-135. Tulinius, C. Holge-Hazleton, B. (2010). Continuing professional development for general practitioners: supporting the development of professionalism, Medical Education 2010; 44: 412-420. Wilson, N.H.F. Jones, M.L. Pine, C. Saunders, W.P. Seymour, R.A. (2008). Meeting Report Looking forward: educating tomorrows dental team, European Journal of Dental Education, 12 (2008) 176-199. Wiskott, A. H.W. Borgis, Serge. Somoness, M. (2000). A continuing education programme for general practitioners, European Journal of Dental Education 2000 4: 57-64.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach :: Essays Papers

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach May 11, 1752-January 22, 1840 Born in Gotha, Germany in 1752, Blumenbach went on to Jena to study medicine. He completed his doctoral training at Gottingen in 1775. Just a year later, he was appointed as an extraordinary professor of medicine. His study of the history of man showing the value of using comparative anatomy and his classification of the five varieties of man were two important contributions made by Blumenbach (1911 Edition). He wasted no time in becoming one of the most influential members of the fields of comparative anatomy, zoology, physiology, anthropology, and craniology, in fact, Blumenbach is considered to be the founder of anthropology as well as craniology. In his construction of this new field of physical anthropology, he used the methods of natural historians, and applied those methods to the human species (Keith 106). Objectifying the study of mankind, Blumenbach collected numerous specimens from various races. Skulls, skin, hair and pictures were among the items coll ected. From each item, the location, as well as race of the item, was known and recorded. Prior to Blumenbach's systematized assortment of specimens, the only collections "consisted of miscellaneous oddities preserved in the 'cabinets' of noble houses, for the idle amusement of the curious." (Keith, 106). Blumenbach' s more complete collection allowed intensive study into the racial history of mankind, which is just what he wanted to do. Blumenbach was also the first to study the actual form of skulls (Retzius 283). The book, On the Natural Variety of Mankind, was Blumenbach's main contribution to the field of anthropology and comparative anatomy. In this book he discusses the chief varieties of mankind, the causes of degeneration, the differences between man and other animals, the differences, and causes of differences, between varieties of man, and various other issues related to the existing varieties of the species of man. Blumenbach asserts that climate is an important contributing factor in racial differences. In fact, he states specifically, "climate is the principal cause of the racial face," (Blumenbach 229). Diet and customs were also important contributions, according to Blumenbach. He even went so far as to say that the Ethiopians’ flattened facial features were caused by the practice of mothers carrying their infants on their backs while working, and thus pressing the infants face into the mothers’ backs (Schiebinger 393).

Friday, July 19, 2019

Networking and Communication Essay -- Technology, iPod, iTouch

Introduction Through many generations, technology has innovated and advanced itself to meet the demands of the consumer market. Consumers desire products that will enhance their social networking and communication. One of the most powerful products to keep consumers socially connected was the iPod touch. The iPod touch is not only a portable media player; it has numerous applications from all forms of entertainment to social networking. Apple marketed the first iPod touch in September of 2007, and by present day; it is rare to find any individual without one. Background As the iTouch is able to download music, videos, and movies, there are all kinds of legal ethical issues that are involved such as copyright infringements. In addition, since they are mobile devices, users can connect to the Internet through any unsecured wireless network, even if it means they are stealing the service. Additionally, there are various social issues drawn in since the Touch acts as a form of communication. With users constantly updating their statuses and the convenience of the tracking tool, it creates severe problems for stalking and cyber security. Another thing that has come up recently is that Apple is now offering subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, and etc. that can be read on the Touch. The problem is that one has to pay for and download an application from the Apple store in order to read them, even though one has already paid for a subscription to the magazine. The iPod Touch has doubtlessly strengthened sociability between people, but it also shaped problems for cyber stalking and personal safety. Ethical legal issues Copyright infringement becomes a severe problem when consumers illegally download music, videos, and movi... ...out privacy. Conclusion The iPod touch has created copious benefits for consumers, and for that reason, it is uncommon to spot an individual without one. Ever since the iPod touch first appeared in the market, it has generated amazing sales for the Apple company. Since the Touch is indeed a mobile device, many ethical, legal, security, and social issues come into play. Legal issues such as copyright infringement, ethical issues such as cheating on exams, security issues like the tracking gadget, and problems with social networking are all issues involved with the new technology. The different issues are building and connecting upon each other. Despite the issues encountered, the iPod Touch is a powerful gadget with various applications and entertainment. It has enhanced and simplified communication and networking to meet the demands of its consumers’ generation.

James Buchanan :: essays research papers

James Buchanan On April 23, 1791, a great man was born; fifteenth president of the United States, James Buchanan.He was born near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. His father, James Buchanan, and his mother Elizabeth Speer Buchanan, raised their son a Presbyterian. He grew up in a well to do home, being the eldest of eleven other siblings. His parents cared for them all in their mansion in Pennsylvania. They sent him to Dickinson College. Buchanan graduated in 1809, was admitted to the bar in 1812, and then moved to Lancaster to set up his law practice. His political career was initiated in 1814 with his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; in 1821 he began his first five elective terms in the House of Representatives. President Andrew Jackson appointed James Minister to Russia, upon his return in 1834. Buchanan was in the service of the United States Senate for a decade, and then became a secretary under James K. Polk, and as President Pierce’ s minister to Great Britain. During this Foreign Service, Buchanan’s name was mentioned as the Democratic Party’s for the 1856 Presidential Election. Buchanan had strived for this election in the three previous elections; it had seemed to pass over him. But by 1856, Buchanan was ready to retire from public service and only accepted the nomination out of duty and obligation. Buchanan didn’t actively campaign for the presidency, but instead remained quietly at home in Wheatland. Buchanan’s presidency was characterized by the state’s rights and slavery issues, which tore our country apart. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, and by the time Buchanan left office, six states had seceded from the union. When seven of the fifteen stated seceded from the union, in 1860-1861, Buchanan did not force them to stay in the union. He felt that violence would only make more states leave. His policy delayed the Civil War until after Abraham Lincoln took office. So, therefore, Buchanan actually was president during the very beginnings of the Civil War . Being a minister to Great Britain, the Whig party regained the presidency in 1849, and Buchanan retired to Wheatland. He ran for the democratic presidential nomination. Franklin Pierce won the nomination and the election though. He appointed Buchanan minister to Great Britain. In London, Buchanan tried for two years to modify the Clayton-Bulwer treaty of 1850. This treaty provided that neither nation should occupy territory in Central America.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Outer Space Exploration

Skies The Limit? The exploration of space VS The issues on earth. Aileen Johnson English Composition Introduction We live in a world where there are environmental issues that range from global warming to air pollution. Environmental scientists dedicated themselves by putting years and years into finding a long-term solution for these issues. The effects of these issues can potentially be damaging in the next couple of decades so people live I fear of what is to come. This same fear prevents people from thinking outside of the box. We came so far in the mist of our issues that it almost seems unfixable.With new technology today we have various ways for exploring outside our world to find new ways to make life on earth a little easier. Since issues on earth are still in effect, people’s fear of what is to come in the future prevent them from becoming aware of how exploring outside this world in space can actually benefit us all, and how important it is to our planet earth. Altho ugh there are many environmental issues on earth, outer exploration should continue to be funded. Outer space exploration may be needed in the future to prevent or solve new issues on earth to come. Oblivious To the BenefitsThere are many benefits to outer space exploration that people are aware not of. Before I decided to do research I was unaware of the number of things that we actually use today that would have never been possible if we did not explore outer space in the past, that we are going to get into later on is this paper. Imagine you went to the grocery store and spent 300 dollars on food, and you go home, check your pockets, and see the receipt for your purchase of food. Now Imagined the food disappeared or you put the food away and it doesn’t look like as much food as you thought it was.Having spent money on something that you do not really see too much results for can make you regret spending so much money, or prevent you from doing it again. This is the same co ncept with funding outer space exploration; we see all of the money going into a project like adventure, without seeing the results of this big purchase. Another example is how we can spend money. This example does not count for us individually but as a whole. When we get a lump some of money sometimes it is hard for us not to go crazy and spend everything or most of it.When we do go crazy and spend all of it on little things, eating out all time, clothes, or just small purchases, we get more upset when the money is gone and we have no idea where the money went. That’s the same as spending money on space and not seeing the results from the purchase. Other problems circles around on how important it is to fund outer space exploration. The way we prioritize things in this world can affect our ability to make decisions and limit us to taking risks. For example, tax season come around and we get that nice refund back and think of all the things that we can do with that check.Now lets say that bills and credits card payments are the â€Å"global issues† and house leans and stocks are the â€Å"outer space† exploration. When we receive that that refund we become worriers and we think about all the bills we have to catch up on and what other things we need to pay off. Instead, we can look into investing into stocks and house leans that will benefit us in the future by making us more money overtime. Since people do are so caught up on the current issue, investing into something that doesn’t show results right away, will be last priority.If people do no understand the benefits of outer space exploration they can easily form the decision that it shouldn’t be funded. If they do not know what outer space exploration can do for earth they will find it unnecessary. Knowing the benefits can change the minds of a lot of people who forms these opinions. Sharing with people the benefits of exploring outer space can stop the controversy that it shouldn’t be funded any longer. There are a lot of websites that explain what people do in space, but not many go into detail about how it is beneficial to us on earth, this will mislead people into thinking that it is pointless.Not being aware of these benefits can cause fear in everyone when it comes down to spending money, which lead us to the next topic. Issues on Earth: Distractions and Paranoia The issues we have here on earth distracts the minds of many people causing distractions and paranoia. There is a website that was designed to count in actually time how much money we are spending on war. You can see the numbers go up in actual time. This creates anxiety to people specifically in America because we know that war is one of the major issues we have here on earth.Yes we know that the war is costing a lot of money and its okay that to keep track of that, but the amount of money spent is what people worry about. It is something that is keeping us in debt and some wou ld also agree that the war is a pointless price to pay. When you have an issue as big as this, it scares people in to thinking that anything that we are spending money on now should show clear results from the money we are putting into it. Then we get distracted. With the issues here on earth rising day by day it distracts us.We can be aware of what NASA can do for us but the issues that clearly orbiting around us can make hold or attention for a long time. Let me give you an example how distraction and paranoia can be created. 99% percent of Americans watch TV, and there are many of those who watch the news. Imagine you turn on the TV and after your favorites show go of the news come on. You hear about the murders, theft, and car jacking that are going on. This grabs our attention and have us thinking about the high crime rate. Next it’s the poor education systems with high unemployment rate, the big distraction.Our minds are focused now on the issues surrounding us. Next th at comes on is the issue that hits us all†¦war. This here is where our paranoia kicks in because not only is this an issue, it is something that is going to make us wonder, where is all the money coming from to support this idea. When we shut the TV off after the news finish we are left with the negative but true issues that are going on. We go to sleep with it in the back of our minds. The next day imagine you watch the morning news and the announcer comes on and say that the president just signed a multi-million dollar approval to invest millions in NASA for exploration of pace, without giving any clear reason on how this investment will benefit earth or the people on it. With the paranoia already build up in our minds and the anxiety from the issues we have yet to solve, investing millions of dollars into a cause that we do not think is necessary at the time can be a lot for us to want to jump up and agree with. Now that we have this huge issue of spending and being in debt, it forces Americans to â€Å"budget† or limit ourselves.They do not want to fund anything other than what we absolute need because the problems that are obvious like the money we spent on war, are way bigger than the problems that have yet to come, therefore we limit our thinking for now when we can be preparing for the future. Now that we know that by people being oblivious to how outer space exploration can be beneficial and how the money we spend on other issues on earth can make us a little paranoid about what we spend money on; but may be knowing exactly how outer space exploration or â€Å"O. S. E† can actually prevent issues on earth and help us, we can support it rather than oppose it.O. S. E Preventing Issues on Earth Outer space exploration can prevent future problems and help with current issues on earth. When people oppose the idea of funding O. S. E, they tend to forget about the satellites they we have out there. Those very same satellites that would hav e not existed if it was not for O. S. E in the first place. These satellites are like god to us with the modern technology that we have today and knowing how we benefit from them is important. Satellites in outer space control a lot of things that we can take advantage of according to this article.It helps to predict the weather, GPS navigations and locate other things also. How can predicting the weather help with issues on earth you may ask? Knowing when a snow storm is coming help us to prepare in advance to put salt down on the roads so that people would not slide on ice when there are driving and get into an accident. Knowing when a hurricane is going to hit, let us know to get generators for power and gas for cars, food and water for everyone. Knowing that it is going to be dangerously hot with heat wave ahead lets us know to stay home under the AC rather to drive somewhere far and put ourselves in danger of the heat.All of these issues that can arise on earth, prevented just by simply predicting the weather, and the weather predicted from the help of satellites in outer space. Another benefit that too many people do not know about is that space also provide certain metals used to build aircraft and the same ones are also used in healthcare facilities around the world for medicine. We benefit also from the GPS, saving us time, frustration and gas. This seemingly not a huge issue on earth at the moment until you is in a dangerous situation and need to get somewhere fast; like getting lost in the woods.Also GPS help police locate criminals, crime, and other mobilizing action that can cause danger to civilians. Being able to position a moving target in actual time has helped different people with different careers like aircrafts, ships, soldiers, and the US government. Without satellites the modern careers we have today would not exists, leading us to many issues to run into in the future. Can you imagine the many issues that we would be facing not knowing when a dangerous snowstorm is going to hit? Or getting lost in the middle of knows where without a phone to call 911.Issues like the ones mentioned in the last paragraph are prevented everyday taking somebody somewhere out of a dangerous situation thanks to the satellites that were created through O. S. E. Knowing how the earth orbits the sun helps ups a great deal also. O. S. E helped us to discover other planets they have different resources that we may use in the future once we are able to tap into them. These resources can help us in the future when it is our last resort and we have nothing less. Being able to make use of resources out of planets in space now for the future is important.Why wait for the issue to arise to try and fix it when we can prevent it before it even happens? Think About it. Conclusion Reflect back on how far we can with technology because of discovers we made in outer spaces. All the distractions people see and hear on the news everyday can now become jus t another issue along with not funding O. S. E. That paranoia that people have that we are wasting money on something that we do not need can now go away, and you can feel at ease knowing the that we benefit a great deal from these explorations.Its like now you know what you are investing in and seeing that the benefits will set us up for the future can help you relax a little and support the cause. Outer space exploration led us to discover such advance technology that we can use today. These same discoveries can help prevent issues on earth. The fact that satellites predict the weather is major. The fact that GPS can locate crime is major. The fact that the same technology helps our troops in combat, in officers on duty is major. These things are all beneficial to us in multiple ways.If outer space exploration wasn’t funded in the first place we would have not have been able to do research to discover these things that we benefit from today in the past we were open to fundi ng this, and in the future that is now the present, we are able to benefit from those explorations. Further research may be able to prevent new problems in the future. Funding O. S. E uses only a tiny fraction of what we spend on war today, yet we benefit from it more than our current biggest investment. We need to think more in the future so that when it gets here we can continue to advance and become affective fixing issues before they come.REFERENCES | | | Baker, David. Scientific American Inventions From Outer Space: Everyday Uses for NASA Technology. New York, NY, 2 McClatchy-Tribune Information services news [Washington] June 7, 2009 Ashford University library. http://search. proquest. com. proxy-library. ashford. edu/pqcentral/docview/458167003/13CA8999DD0412DC52/7? accountid=32521 Neil, Tyson Author Foreign Affairs; Mar/Apr2012, Vol. 91 Issue 2, p22-33, 12p of Ashford University Library. http://search. proquest. com. proxy-library. ashford. edu/pqcentral/docview/458167003/13 CA8999DD0412DC52/7? accountid=32521 Steitz, David E.