Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Feedback and Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Feedback and Me - Essay Example For instance, if customers are not impressed with quality of service, this is the time to improve and appeal to the clientele (Friedrich, 2012). Feedback is critical in enhancing performance. Without feedback, it would not be easy for me to evaluate performance. How would I know whether I am on the right path? Feedback then becomes the best platform through which I gauge my performance (Sadri & Seton, 2011). I have been criticized severally, told that what I am doing is either right or wrong. Without feedback, there is no direction for my business; there is no reference point. I have had to change my business strategies based on the feedbacks I get from customers and employees. In other words, feedback is paramount for any business. A 360-degree evaluation, for instance, comes in handy in helping me to know what my seniors are thinking about my performance; what my junior are thinking about my performance; and what my peers are thinking about my services as well as leadership styles (Peepers, 2001). Such an assessment would help one to know the expectations of people and improve accordingly. Timely and effective communication is critical in performance management. When employees are given feedback on their progress at work, they will surely improve as nobody wants to fail (Namhata, 2011). In my many years of doing business (I run a food outlet in a busy street), I have learnt that feedback works best when it centers on a particular goal. To be on the safe side, I establish performance expectations of employees as well as goals. This enables me to get objective, tangible, and powerful feedback that helps to gauge future expectations. It also helps to alleviate conflicts between the workforce and me. I remember and instance when I told the workforce I work with that they had exceeded expectations. This was a way of telling them that they were effective and that they were doing such a wonderful job (Namhata, 2011). Feedback should be timely. Employees should

Monday, October 28, 2019

Main Trends in Births and Deaths in the United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Main Trends in Births and Deaths in the United Kingdom Essay The birth rate of a country refers to the number of live births per thousand of the population per year. The general trend for the UK is that there has been a decline in the birth rate since 1900 however there have been fluctuations in the rate due e.g. After World War 1 2 and in the 1960s. Sociologists believe this is because of four major factors: changes in gender roles, falling infant mortality, children being seen as an economic burden and our society becoming more child centred. A main part of the decline can be explained in terms of women simply choosing to have fewer children. As the position of women in society has changed overtime, they have chosen to delay childbearing and to limit the number of children they are having because of several factors. Women now have equality with men because of the Equality Act 2010 as well as receiving increased educational and employment opportunities. Other ways in which women’s position has changed is that there is now easier access to divorce, contraception and abortion meaning that they can avoid unwanted pregnancy so have full choice over when they have a child. Beck and Back-Gernsheim(1995) said that the changes in the birth and fertility rate are due to individualisation meaning that people have more choice to follow their own norms and values as well as making their own decisions, rather the following what society deems acceptable. Also the falling infant mortality rate (number of children dying before their first birthday per thousand of live births) has fallen dramatically as a result of factors such as better living standards, improved hygiene and sanitation, improvements to healthcare and the developments made to the welfare state. Geographers explain that these circumstances lead to a demographic revolution in which birth and fertility fall because women no longer feel they need to have a large number of childre n to protect against the risk of infant mortality. It is clear that the attitudes towards children have changed and society in general has become more child-centred, meaning that we are now more concerned about the welfare of children than in the past. The social norms about childcare have changed significantly and the time and costs involved in raising children have significantly increased, therefore making a large family economically unattractive. In the early 19th century children were often seen as an economic asset because they were able to work and contribute towards the family income at a relatively young age however nowadays legislation has  banned children from working and has also increased the time that children have to stay in education for..Because of this, children are financially dependent on their parents for longer so are seen more as an economic burden rather than an asset. As well as this, due to the improvement of the welfare provision for the elderly, parents no longer need to worry as much about having large a mounts of children to look after them once they are elderly. Since people are now having fewer children, the dependency ratio, along with the birth rate has decreased meaning that there are fewer dependents within the population leading to less childcare and school services needed. Although there has been a decline in the birth rate, the amount of deaths occurring in the UK remains steady and the death rate is decreasing because of the growing population since 1900. The death rate refers to the number of people dying per thousand of the population per year. The average life expectancy is now around 78 years for men and 82 years for women whereas in 1900 it was 45 years for men and 48 for women. This tells us that people are staying healthier for longer and this is because of a number of factors including: improved nutrition and living standards, developments in medicine and improved government provisions of welfare and health. It has been said that over half the decline is the death rate is due to the decrease of infectious diseases and McKeow n(1972) argues that most of the fall in the death rate took place before immunisation and was based mainly on good nutrition and hygiene. Studies by Rowntree and others (1899, 1950) found a rapid decline in absolute poverty meaning that people have better living standards which have allowed significant improvements to diet that help increase resistance to some infectious diseases Medical knowledge has improved dramatically since 1900 because of the establishment of the NHS in 1949 as well as a better knowledge of antibiotics, surgery, treatment and immunisation which have helped decrease the death rate. The government also continues to make provisions for those who need it e.g. EMA, careers allowance, working class credits which allow people to have a better quality of life. After the Beveridge Report of 1944, the range of welfare provisions available has expanded and become more universally available. It provided protection against risk factors such as old age through pensions, and low income through housing benefits, unemployment benefit and the benefit now called income support. There are many of other factors involved in the  decrease of the death rate including that there are a lot less dangerous occupations available to people e.g. mining and factory working as well as having higher incomes meaning that people are able to afford better foods and medicines which contribute to the health and wellbeing of individuals. It is evident that even as the population of the UK increases, the death rate and birth rate are both decreasing. These are both because of a number of factors however the most important for both seem to be the improvement of medical knowledge and practices which stop people from becoming ill and include important things such as medicines, contraception and support services for those who become pregnant or suffer with diseases.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

juvenile delinquency :: essays research papers

Can more than one theory be used to explain crime? Absolutely. From a liberal viewpoint, there exist two fundamental theories to explain the causal factors behind juvenile delinquency. Those theories are Social Deviance Theory and Developmental Theory. Young people become socially deviant by non-conforming. They become juvenile delinquents, and turn against the very system that is trying to help them. Society has made many laws and many standards have been set. The social deviant does not follow those rules and regulations. He/she lives a life of crime instead. An overview of approaches explains deviant behavior. Social Deviance Theory can be further broken down into five theories including anomie, differential association, social control theory, conflict theory, and labeling theory. Social Deviance Theory is an important explanation in the theory of crime. Without this explanation, it would be impossible to explain a great deal of the factors involved in juvenile delinquency. Socia l Deviance Theory and Development Theories are the umbrellas under which other theories used to explain juvenile delinquency fall. Depending on the criminal and the type of crime committed, different theories are used. Youth violence in our country has risen dramatically in the past decade. The number of violent arrests of youth under the age 18 has increased dramtically: 36 percent between 1989 and 1993, more than 4 times the increased reported for adults. During that period, juvenile arrests for homicide increased by 45 percent, while adult homicide arrests increased by only 6 percent (FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, 1994). Among teenagers 15 to 19 years old, the escalation of gun violence is particulary alarming: one of every four deaths of a teenager is attributable to a firearm injury. The number of juvenile violent crime arrests will double by the year 2010 if current arrest and population trends continue. Can our communities bear another 260,000 such arrests each year?

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How to Steal a Million Dollars

Fraud Examination Unit 9 6/2/12 How to steal a million dollars Mr. Seneca Stunton was an accountant clerk for a company called Carlton Chemical. Seneca had no formal education for accounting. His experience was for a smaller company which he exceled at book keeping. He accepted the job with Carlton Chemical and he was on the track to excel and have a great career. His supervisor was just in Seneca’s position, so Seneca was pretty happy to see that there were advancement opportunities within the company. Seneca approached his job with commitment and enthusiasm.He was married and with his wife and his own kids they had a total of seven children. Seneca’s duties were accounts receivable collections, posting payments, resolution of customer service inquires and maintenance of the accounts receivable ledgers. Patrick Dawley was the owner; he started the business over thirty years ago. Carlton Chemical sells chemicals to large and small business and they use it for raw materi al. The company was growing, Patrick looked on what really drove sales was how effective the operation is, like keeping accurate order taking, billing and collections, timely deliveries and great customer service.Patrick was viewed as a problem solver. There was not a problem too small for him to figure out. He had the ability to look at the problem and see the solution. Patrick was the only one who really had accuses to the money, all transactions had to go to him to approve. Every week he held detailed meetings about the money and unpaid bills. He looked over the statements on a regular basis. There was not really too much that got passed him so when he found out the ARs was not correct and there was more outstanding bills then he thought there was really surprised him.Seneca was taking one person’s larger payments and was putting it to other customer’s outstanding bills. He was doing this for over a great deal of time. Which created a huge landslide of problems for the company, and when all the audits was said and done there was around two million dollars missing. This investigation took a very long time and they could not find where the money went. They investigated Seneca’s life style and he did not over spend or live outside his salary, and everything they could do pointed that there was no money stolen. So they were stumped where the money went.There was however inappropriate discounts given to the customers. There were some complaints about this from the customers, but the company did not follow up on it. Carlton Chemical did recover a little of the money from customers that were willing to pay some of their bills, and from the insurance that the company has. After all this they were still one million dollars down. This was a unique problem that the company faced. The biggest thing that allowed Seneca to do this was the lack of supervision. Patrick looked at all the statements that where involved directly with the money.He did not think to keep track of the outstanding payments since that could not allow someone to directly steal from the company. Even thou Seneca had no control nor did he touch money he still was in charge of the bills. He did not steal from the company directly but he did use other payments to pay the past due. Which then created the first payments to be late and so it was a huge snowball effect. In no time at all there were so many past due bills. I think Seneca did this because he simply did not like addressing the customers about their bills. So he came up with this idea.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Adolescent Rebellion Essay

Adolescents go to extreme measures to find their identity, often times rebelling to prove that they are their own people. Rebelling is a way for the adolescent to prove their independence, which makes sense in Huck’s case. Rebelling can range from not obeying parents to making friends with undesirable characters to completely going against the norms of the society. Huck’s home life and upbringing fuel his desire to rebel especially since he has trouble adapting to society, similar to Holden Caulfield, always looking for ways to be different and often times difficult and unreasonable. The adolescent years are marked by the search for personal identity and finally experiencing the real world as a maturing adult. With this being said, the reason adolescents such as Huck rebel is because they have trouble accepting the norms of society and refuse to conform. In the first novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Author Mark Twain uses this story to show the immorality of society in the 1800’s. To convey this message, he uses his main character, a rebellious adolescent named Huck Finn. Huck has a very difficult time accepting the ways of society and refuses to let his guardians, The Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, as well as many other characters attempt to civilize him. Huck rebels against many things such as religion, education, cleanliness, and mannerisms. He even rebels against the main principle of society at the time which is slavery. He befriends a slave named Jim and is given the choice of following society’s rules and turning him in or treating him as an equal and assisting him to freedom. Mark Twain uses this novel to address many issues in society in the 1800’s, but mainly slavery and prejudice. I believe this novel teaches morals and lessons involving children and racial discrimination today. In the essay titled, The Controversy over Race: Does Huckleberry Finn Combat or Reinforce Racism, critic Julius Lester goes to the extent of saying that Mark Twain’s writings are â€Å"ethically dangerous† and claims that the author is in fact somewhat racist. He believes that Mark Twain does not take slavery seriously and therefore African Americans. He explains how Twain makes a mockery of Jim, degrading him throughout the novel through the use of Huck Finn. (356) Many critics like Lester, imply many negative claims against Twain but I believe this accusation is irrelevant because Twain is not using Huck Finn to degrade Jim, he is in fact using him as a symbol of innocence to the immorality of society. Huck is at that age where he is unaware of the difference between right and wrong but when he is faced with a matter as complex as discrimination; he takes his own path instead of following society’s regulations. Like a toddler at the playground, when a child of different color or race approaches them to play, they don’t discriminate; they sense a friendly individual and befriend them. Twain allows his character to rebel against the prejudice society, in order to raise awareness and address the issue of racism. The other criticisms we have read and discussed this semester, critique and pin point any flaw possible of criticism in each of the novels. Some criticisms aimed towards one novel can even apply to others. In Brivic’s The Disjunctive Structure of Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, the author states, â€Å"Psychoanalysis shows how the images that weave through Portrait are linked by unconscious motivation to form a dynamic structure. Within this structure Stephen Dedalus develops his thinking around a central principle of connection with the world through alienation. And the conflicts and transformations in the structure enact opposing views by which Joyce both supports and condemns Stephen (279). This quote is interesting because it applies to two of the novels characters we have been introduced to, both Portrait’s alter ego,Stephen Dedalus, and The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, the society outcast looking for a path in life. Stephen and Holden both encounter many similar situations, where they find themselves in search of happiness and comfort. J. D Salinger puppets the protagonist of Holden Caulfield to verbally assault almost every in stitution and character he encounters during his transition from childhood to adulthood. Deeply mentally and emotionally disturbed, Holden resists conformity to every vice, failing out of four preparatory schools, lying about countless details to add excitement to his anticlimactic life, and stereotyping every individual he encounters and labeling them â€Å"phony†, proving Holden to be the most superficial of all the characters. Holden’s opinionated personality allows him to openly pass judgment and portray the kind of behavior he thinks contributes toward the corrupted, indecent world he is apart of. Holden believes he must be a protector of innocence; he must protect Phobe and all hildren from the cruel reality of how the world operates. He is â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, based off a poem, where he will catch the children and protect them as they fall off the cliff of childhood into the reality of adulthood, it is possible Holden Caulfield is consumed by the idea of sex, Holden engages in several contradicting actions, he solicits a prostitute b ut refuses to sleep with her, yearns for the affection or companionship of another girl but distances and degrades himself when he feels exposed, and repeatedly calls â€Å"Jane† but hangs up before speaking with her. J. D Salinger uses Holden to raise the issues of sexuality, sexual promiscuity, and homosexuality several times throughout the novel. In Daisy Miller, Author Henry James discusses the morals between the Americans and the Europeans and the involvement of women in the time setting of the novel. Daisy Miller, the main character, is one of the main mysteries throughout the novel as the author causes the reader to wonder whether she is really a â€Å"nice† girl or not. Daisy is young, wealthy, attractive American girl who travels through Europe with her family. With a strange mixture of personality traits ranging from high spirited and independent to ignorant and shallow, Daisy goes on an adventure that is illustrated to clarify the subtext involving the differences in American and European values. The author directs the audience towards the gender roles in society and how women of this time setting were at a much higher social standard. Women at this time were controlled with a sexist set of rules appointed by government officials according to gender. As you get deeper into the novel, you find out that Daisy is not as innocent as she seems she is very rebellious. Through this rebellion, the author addresses sexist tendencies and the pride of American womanhood and freedom despite social constraints. The reasons why adolescents rebel vary from person to person yet they hold one thing in common. It is to prove their independence as they disagree with how they should conform to society. Whether people are â€Å"fake† or the norms of the society, like slavery and racism, are wrong, adolescents find a way to be difficult in a sense to prove they have their own identity and they are independent. Each of the authors we have read over the course of the semester, Twain, Joyce, Salinger, and James took the risk of breaking the rules with their words in order to convey their messages to a large-scale audience. The adolescent years are marked by the search for personal identity and finally experiencing the real world as a maturing adult. With this being said, the reason adolescents such as Huck rebel is because they have trouble accepting the norms of society and refuse to conform.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

BUY ESSAY PAPERS

BUY ESSAY PAPERS With fast speed of our lives, sometimes we need assistance with essay or term paper writing. For this purpose we are able to use various custom paper writing services and receive the results what need at any times when we need it. One of the toughest assignments is writing a business research paper. Students must plan ahead the whole research process in order to deliver the paper on time. Buy essay papers online and let yourself save time and efforts as you get quality written assignment according with your instructions.   When you start writing a business paper, you main concentration is to present your written assignment within the set rules. You must strictly follow the topic and provide all necessary details, arguments and facts according with the subject you chose. Another challenge with writing quality business research or term paper is to accept the help from others. Doing research includes consulting with experts on the subject you write about. Be precise on the business research paper structure and always finish up with proofreading and grammar check.

Monday, October 21, 2019

buy custom Introduction of MRI essay

buy custom Introduction of MRI essay Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a unique imaging technique used in medical practices of radiology in order to visualize the detailed images of internal structures. It applies the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to image different types of nuclei atom inside a persons body. This is accomplished using Magnetic resonance imaging machine, which uses strong magnetic fields to align magnetization of few of body atoms. This is a new technology in the medical field, and the first magnetic resonance imaging was developed in United Kingdom at the famous University of Aberdeen. The very firsts image of magnetic resonance was published in early 1973.Improvements of this technology then followed this development and years later at John Hopkins University the current magnetic imaging resonance machine was developed by a research team headed by Paul Bottomley who was the director of research in magnetic resonance at this university. The machine also uses fields of radio frequency to orderly alter the magnetization alignments. This functions cause the body nuclei to produce rotating magnetic fields that are easily detected by the machine scanner. This information is then recorded in order to construct a visible image of the body area that has been scanned. Magnetic resonance imaging is very effective as it provides detailed descriptions of various contrasts between various soft tissues found in the body thus making it possible to view clear images of various body ailments and parts such as the heart, muscles, brain, and diverse types of cancers. Magnetic resonance imaging does not make use of ionizing radiations unlike traditional x-rays and other convectional scanning methods. A computer is used to convert all the signals obtained from MRI scan into remarkably clear and detailed cross-sectional body images of the scanned body parts. MRI has wide uses in the medical field .It is used by doctors to find various body problems which include bleeding, diseses or infections of the blood vessels, tumors ,injury ,among others.MRI is also used to produce a more detailed description about a body problem initial detected through use of X-ray, CT scan or ultrasound scan. Different types of contrast material are used during a scan using MRI to show the abnormal body tissues more clearly. There are many types of the MRI exams existing today. First is the Brain MRI that is used to scan the body brain. It is mostly used to diagnose people with problems such as chronic headache, hearing loss, seizures, brain tumor, nerve injury, an aneurysm, brain breeding, and other detrimental problems. During a MRI of the brain, a unique device offered to as head coil is used to aid in producing detailed pictures of the persons brain. Furthermore, there is Chest MRI, which is used to scan the chest where it looks at various organs like the heart, blood vessels such as coronary, and the valves. It helps to show whether lungs or the body heart are damaged. As Catherine and John (2005) exposits, A scan called Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is used to diagnose condition of blood vessels and how blood is flowing through the blood vessels.(p.176). MRA is important as it aids in detecting and studying the constriction areas or dilation areas of the body blood vessels. Another type is the spine MRI which is mostly used in people having arm, neck ,leg or back pains to aid in detecting herniated disks or spinal stenosis defined as the narrowing of ,spinal tumors and disc bulges. MRI is the best method to use in the search for recurrent disks herniations in patients having histories of prior surgeries of the back. In addition, there is Abdomen MRI that is used to scan body abdomen to diagnose problems in various belly structures and organs such as pancreases, bladder, liver, kidneys, adrenal grands, and gallbladder.It is also used in finding bleeding, blockage, and infections in the belly. For women patients, Pelvic MRI is used to provide detailed descriptions of the ovaries and the uterus in most cases as a follow up to an abnormality detected using ultrasound. For male patients, Pelvic MRI is used to check patients diagnosed with dreaded prostate cancer. Furthermore, Pelvic MRI is used to check at various types of pelvis muscles and bones. There generally two known types of MRI machines, open MRI machines and closed MRI machines. The main and noticeable difference is on the sizes of these machines and the extent to which they surround the people being checked. A closed MRI machine has amore narrower tube is also smaller and produces good images of the body parts being scanned. On the other hand, the open machine has its three-sided open thus becoming more comfortable to the patients .However, the open machines images are not that good because the magnetic fields are not traveling in a complete cycle around the entire body. In most cases, a technologist who has specialized in MRI does the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test or check-up. Some of the MRI exams need an MRI dye or contrast injection which is very safe and completely different from other contrast agents used in imaging tests with use of x-rays like intravenous pyelogram or CT scan.MRI is painless procedure and has no side effects on the pregnant patients. No major preparations are needed before an MRI exam. The only existing exception is a unique study of body bile ducts referred to as magnetic resonance cholangiopancratography (MRCP) where drinking and eating is Prohibited 2 or 3 hours before the test is done. The unique characteristics of MRI have tremendously advanced doctors abilities to view various human tissues as it can easily generate clear and detailed images of any body part and from any particular angle without need for surgical cutting.MRI causes very little damage to the body cellular structures. Buy custom Introduction of MRI essay

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Proper Disposal of Batteries

Proper Disposal of Batteries Today’s common household batteries - those ubiquitous AAs, AAAs, Cs, Ds, and 9-volts from Duracell, Energizer, and others - are not thought to pose as great a threat to properly equipped modern landfills as they used to because they contain much less mercury than their predecessors. As a result, most municipalities now recommend simply throwing such batteries away with your trash. Common household batteries are also called alkaline batteries; the chemical type is important in choosing proper disposal options. Battery Disposal or Recycling? Nevertheless, environmentally concerned consumers might feel better recycling such batteries anyway, as they still do contain trace amounts of mercury and other potentially toxic stuff. Some municipalities will accept these batteries (as well as older, more toxic ones) at household hazardous waste facilities, from which they will most likely be sent elsewhere to be processed and recycled as components in new batteries, or incinerated in a dedicated hazardous waste processing facility. How to Recycle Batteries Other options abound, such as the mail-order service, Battery Solutions, which will recycle your spent batteries at a low cost, calculated by the pound. Meanwhile, the national chain, Batteries Plus, is happy to take back disposable batteries for recycling at any of its 255 retail stores coast-to-coast. Older Batteries Should Always Be Recycled Consumers should note that any old batteries they may find buried in their closets that were made before 1997- when Congress mandated a widespread mercury phase-out in batteries of all types- should most surely be recycled and not discarded with the trash, as they may contain as much as 10 times the mercury of newer versions. Check with your municipality; they may have a program for this type of waste, such as a yearly hazardous waste drop off day. Lithium batteries, these small, round ones used for hearing aids, watches, and car key fobs, are toxic and should not be thrown in the trash. Treat them like you would any other household hazardous waste. Car batteries are recyclable, and in fact are quite valuable. Auto part stores will gladly take them back, and so will many residential waste transfer stations. The Problem of Rechargeable Batteries Perhaps of greater concern nowadays is what’s happening to spent rechargeable batteries from cell phones, laptops, and other portable electronic equipment. Such items contain potentially toxic heavy metals sealed up inside, and if thrown out with the regular garbage can jeopardize the environmental integrity of both landfills and incinerator emissions. Luckily, the battery industry sponsors the operations of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), which facilitates the collection of used rechargeable batteries in an industry-wide â€Å"take back† program for recycling. Your big-box hardware store chain (like Home Depot and Lowes) likely has a booth where you can drop off rechargeable batteries for recycling. Additional Battery Recycling Options Consumers can help by limiting their electronics purchases to items that carry the RBRC logo on their packaging. Furthermore, they can find out where to drop off old rechargeable batteries (and even old cell phones) by checking RBRC’s website. Also, many electronics stores will take back rechargeable batteries and deliver them to RBRC free-of-charge,  check with your favorite retailer. RBRC then processes the batteries via a thermal recovery technology that reclaims metals such as nickel, iron, cadmium, lead, and cobalt, repurposing them for use in new batteries.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Answer exam question1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer exam question1 - Essay Example It is a systematic approach, which entails various activities performed to get people’s performance to attain agency, group and individual goals, (Mitchell 2007, p.90). Staff appraisal is a strategy used to evaluate an employee’s job performance (based on job quantity, quality, cost and time) by the management. Staff appraisal is an aspect of guiding and career development management, and the process is used for obtaining, information recording and analyzing the relative value of a workers to the company. Staff performance appraisal analyzes the current achievements and limitations, individual limitations and strengths of an employees as well as qualification for additional training. Objectives and purposes in multinational organizations The main objective of performance management systems and staff appraisals is to connect the goals and strategies of an organization to personal and group performance to enhance effectiveness of an organization – increased product ivity and profitability. Multinational organizations require performance management systems to asses and ensure that their workforce is performing their duties as required in a satisfactory and efficient way that contributes to the overall organizational goals and target, (Aguinis, 2009, p.52). Performance is the actual test for marketplace survival, therefore, high performing workers contribute to excellent performance, giving the organization a competitive advantage – and their additional effort distinguishes exceptional organization from others organizations. Effective performance system encourages teamwork, effective communication and collaboration among employees, which is crucial for multinational organization to survive in competing market place. It is critical for companies to have the system in place to define, appreciate, rewards and maintain their best performers to attain sustainable growth as a survival mechanism. Appraisal performance, on the other hand, aims to enhance worker’s job performance by defining the limitations and strengths and creating channels of utilizing these strengths within the company and overcoming the weaknesses. How applicable are these techniques to non-western societies? The general inadequacy of management skills and expertise hinders complex structures development like systems of performance management in non-western societies. They thus focus on introducing and imitating systems and tools from western societies that are not applicable and suitable for local situations, (Harzing and Ruysseveldt, 1995, p.85). This poses a question of whether modern techniques such as performance management systems and staff appraisal are applicable for non-western societies. Yes, these techniques are applicable to non-western societies because poor management practices, inefficiencies in bureaucratic systems and reduced productivity force managers to adopt rapid and ready to implement western techniques. These techniques ar e crucial to non-western societies encourages teamwork, effective communication and collaboration among employees which is crucial for their survival in competing marketplace, (Mendenhall and ODdou, 2000, p.20). Performance management systems and staff appraisals is required to connect the goals and strategies of an non-western societies to personal and group performance to enhance effectiveness of the organizations. Conclusion The approach of performance ma

Friday, October 18, 2019

Are there any economic reasons for continuing EU agriculture support Essay

Are there any economic reasons for continuing EU agriculture support as opposed to leaving agriculture to the mercy of market forces - Essay Example The EU supports a particular model of agriculture that meets the food concerns of its citizens, safeguards the environment, and allows farmers to live decently. The essay discusses possible economic reasons of continued EU agricultural support as opposed to leaving agriculture to the mercy of market forces. The EU plays a critical role in ensuring adequate food supply within Europe. Without food security, Europe would be dangerously dependent on the fluctuating rate of imports(Baldwin & Wyplosz, 2012, p. 422). The agricultural sector needs the stability provided by the CAP in order to ensure maximum production of food reserves. If left to the market forces, farmers would not find it easy investing in the improvements towards productivity, environmental protection and food safety(El-Agraa, 2011, p. 290). The Common Agricultural Policy ensures the Europeans have a stable supply of food at reasonable prices. With the ever increasing impact of global warming on the quantity of harvests, it is important to protect the local food supplies. Without the support of the Common Agricultural Policy, all the 27 EU nations would have developed their competing support systems, creating a chaotic single market(Nello, 2011, p. 368). The EU works towards protecting the rural communities that are constantly under threat. The average farmers’ income is only half the average wage of the EU. It is no surprise that the rate of agricultural employment fell by about 25 percent over the last decade(Dearden, 2005, p. 86). About 60% of the EU population live in the countryside and cover 90% of the Union’s territory. The countryside is one of the greatest interests of the EU since farmers need help in protecting the environment, as well as their way of life. Currently, the CAP offers adequate training to farmers, and assistance to new farmers starting up(Pelkmans,

Grouch Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grouch - Personal Statement Example I am not one of them. Grouchiness is its own reward, and often times it can also give a person a distinct strategic advantage in any given situation. The Grouch is a cruel master who has the capacity to take charge and ensure that things are done right. Simply put, people respond to anger. An angry person can motivate others to attain new levels of achievement. In today's economy, not a single company can afford to lose a customer. If you spend money, then you are in a buyer's market for an exceptional level of service. No one wants to see a client walk away in a bad mood. I was on the phone the other day trying to get some support for a computer program that was not functioning properly. Just the slightest edge of Grouchy frustration in my voice elicited many apologies from by service representative. In just a few minutes I got more than enough help to solve all of technological woes. When I received the email feedback form inquiring about my experience, the Grouch in me checked the "dissatisfied" box on every question. For some reason, it was important to me to show these executives who is boss. Sometimes anger is justifiable in itself with no apparent practical purpose. I was driving in my car today and some lady cuts right in front of me and then slows down. Before I know it, I have to jam on my brakes just to keep from hitting her. Sure I could have kept my mouth shut and driven around her, but it was so much more fun to burst into a rage and start shouting at the other car. "What are you doing Why did you cut in front of me" No one could hear what I was saying of course because my car windows were rolled up. It was exciting none-the-less to engage in such an outburst. The afterglow of a Grouchy temper tantrum is an experience worth savoring. It doesn't really matter if there was a crime committed or not. The Grouch is happy enough to treat every minor infraction as a potentially life-threatening violation. There are personal benefits to being a Grouch. After a rampage, one is left with the not-so-subtle feeling of superiority. It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to say that being a Grouch is similar to being a drug addict. Both behaviors cause a physiological change in the body. Endorphins are released and they bind to receptors on neurons of the brain resulting in a sensation of euphoria. A cascade of internal chemical events gives you the rush you've been craving without the messiness or inconvenience of actually having to "shoot up". Without a doubt rage is an addictive behavior, perhaps even more addictive than a chemical dependency. I do not know if there are 12-step recovery groups for Grouches (rage-a-holics anonymous, perhaps) but there is a definite need for them. Being a Grouch can be hard work sometimes. It is a complex task that engages a variety of emotions, not just anger. For example, in order to get to that place of becoming properly incensed there are some prerequisites. First you have to develop a taste for righteous indignation. Taking offense at another person's behavior is key to developing a good rage. That is the trigger which gets the ball rolling. The process starts when I am standing innocently by myself, and then someone comes along and disturbs me in some small way. You have to believe that you are an innocent victim in order to be a Grouch. The first rule of victimhood is to deny all

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Ethical behavior in an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical behavior in an organization - Essay Example In other words it acts as the road map or set of guidelines to help the firm in acting and conducting itself in a socially and commercially acceptable manner. A well designed code of ethics will help highlight the resources available to achieve various goals set at the personal and corporate levels. A good code of ethics document will inspire confidence in all associates – like suppliers, clients and employees. Equally important is liaising with regulators, which is often overlooked amidst other pressing priorities. It is understood that a regulatory atmosphere conducive to fair and competitive business can help raise ethical standards of all parties involved. It is important that the code of ethics document exhibits a keen awareness of this reality. This would imply foresight and visionary thinking on part of its planners. (Blackburn, 2001) But it is crucial to understand that the entrenched profit-motive of many business organizations make ethical behavior hard to implement. A case in point is the Public Relations industry which offers its services to other manufacturing and service industries. The concept of marketing commodities in a consumer market had long drawn the criticism of ethicists. On a broader perspective, the inherently weak moral imperative of capitalist culture makes this outcome inevitable.

International business in the globalization process Essay

International business in the globalization process - Essay Example This means that these global giants are ready to look after the societal aspects since they have understood how things work within their own respective areas. An example of such a global giant is Shell which has earmarked corporate social responsibility campaigns within the fields of education and empowerment to the small business owners all over the world (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan, 2011). The less than responsible businesses could be given food for thought since these global giants are playing big within the corporate social responsibility realms and ask for encouragement within their own ranks. They could find new ways and means to go out there and bring about a significant difference within the lives of the people, just like the global giants that have invested heavily within the corporate social responsibility undertakings. In essence, the role played by the major businesses in this day and age is of tremendous influence and should be treated as such because this embodies the basis of a significant change in the times to follow. References Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan., 2011. International Business Environments and Operations, Prentice Hall.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Ethical behavior in an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical behavior in an organization - Essay Example In other words it acts as the road map or set of guidelines to help the firm in acting and conducting itself in a socially and commercially acceptable manner. A well designed code of ethics will help highlight the resources available to achieve various goals set at the personal and corporate levels. A good code of ethics document will inspire confidence in all associates – like suppliers, clients and employees. Equally important is liaising with regulators, which is often overlooked amidst other pressing priorities. It is understood that a regulatory atmosphere conducive to fair and competitive business can help raise ethical standards of all parties involved. It is important that the code of ethics document exhibits a keen awareness of this reality. This would imply foresight and visionary thinking on part of its planners. (Blackburn, 2001) But it is crucial to understand that the entrenched profit-motive of many business organizations make ethical behavior hard to implement. A case in point is the Public Relations industry which offers its services to other manufacturing and service industries. The concept of marketing commodities in a consumer market had long drawn the criticism of ethicists. On a broader perspective, the inherently weak moral imperative of capitalist culture makes this outcome inevitable.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Techniques used in landscape interpretations Essay

Techniques used in landscape interpretations - Essay Example might not pay that much attention to the castle itself and try to set his/her attention to the way the castle builders included and used natural elements of the land to their advantage. All these different interpretations means that there is no single unified technique to examine a landscape and as there are hundreds of landscapes and thousands of interpretations which can be made of those landscapes a singular technique might be impossible to come by. At the same time, there are various schools of thought which lead a person to apply some basic interpretive methods that further allow them to come up with a singular interpretation for a particular scene. Towards that purpose it is essential for us to understand and appreciate the modern methods of landscape interpretations which are discussed in this paper along. These interpretative techniques have been mentioned by architects, artists and scientists who have utilized these methods to study landscapes around the world. Normally, the first step in examining any given landscape is to actually look at the landscape with the naked eye. Of course this may not be possible in certain situations like interpreting the landscapes of other planets or subterranean structures but in most topographical analysis situations it is certainly a clear possibility. Dennis (2003) gives a very interesting approach to this subject by giving four ways to deliberately look at a landscape. The visual ideology of a landscape is the first element which can be created in the mind of the person who is trying to interpret a landscape. The visual ideology often masks the social conditions which produced the landscape in the first place but by paying close attention to the attention, a person can get to the superficial meaning embedded in the landscape. This signifies the material landscape as the representation of the natural order which is present in the scene and also clarifies any social relations which can be seen from the ideology which

Black People and Roberta Essay Example for Free

Black People and Roberta Essay In Toni Morrison’s â€Å"Recitatif,† the story is about two girls, Twyla and Roberta. They grow up in an orphanage because their mothers could not care for them. Morrison makes it clear the girls come from different ethnic backgrounds but never states which one is black or white. At one point in the story Twyla comments, â€Å"We looked like salt and pepper. † I grew frustrated with the story and had to read it several times. I could never determine who was black and white and the lesson I learned should have been it doesn’t really matter. The story begins with Twyla’s mother dropping her off at the orphanage. She meets Roberta and they become best friends. The bond they share occurs because they were not considered real orphans. They were abandoned kids unlike the other children whose parents had died. One of the last times the girls see each other was the day of a visitation. On that night, Twyla’s mother was wearing â€Å"those tight green slacks that made her butt stick out. † Many people have labeled blacks as having larger butts. She could have been black, she could have been a heavy white woman with a large butt, or a Hispanic woman like me. But I automatically stereotyped and went with Twyla has to be black. During the visitation Roberta’s mother â€Å"had brought chicken legs. † Twyla notices Roberta does not eat the chicken legs. I always thought black people liked chicken more than white people which means Roberta was white since she did not eat the chicken. Or maybe she just wasn’t hungry. Shortly after that visitation Roberta’s mother came to take her home, leaving the girls devastated. They see each other several times throughout the years. At their first meeting, Roberta was rude and distant because she was high. Roberta tells Twyla she is on the way to see Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was an infamous black guitarist. I thought at this point Roberta has to be black. However Hendrix’s band was interracial with a diverse audience. Roberta could have been white due to the diverse audience. I am a huge Hendrix fan and I am not black so why would I think Roberta is. Twelve years later they meet again at a grocery store. Roberta married a rich man and was extremely friendly to Twyla. Twyla cannot hold back her emotions and asks Roberta about the last time they saw each other. Roberta shrugs it off, â€Å"Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black—white. You know how everything was. † I can relate to this. In 1980, the Cuban Mariel Boat Lifts came over bring thousands of Cubans. I am Cuban but I was born here. Kids I had known since kindergarten treated me as if I just come over on the boats. It had a lasting effect on me and matured me beyond my years. The third time they meet is at the school where their children attend. Roberta and other mothers were picketing because they did not want their kids to be segregated. This led to a fight severing any last chance of a friendship for them as it would not be resolved until Twyla and Roberta meet for a final time. As the story ends I do not get a sense of closure. The question of which girl is white or black remains unanswered. It opened my eyes and made me question how prejudice I really am. I try to not stereotype as a result of what I went through as a child but I found myself doing just that. I can understand why Morrison wrote the way she. I am not sure what her goal was overall but to me it seemed as if she were teaching me about prejudices. â€Å"Recitatif† challenged me to not judge either girl by their race but accept them for who they are. In the end, what difference did it really make about the girls’ races? The story is about how their friendship develops and then deteriorates. Nothing more; nothing less.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Poem Death Of The Hired Man English Literature Essay

The Poem Death Of The Hired Man English Literature Essay Authors of poems use many different types of devices to help convey the theme of their poem. These devices can range from structural or poetic devices to examples of meter. In Robert Frosts poem, The Death of the Hired Man, the theme of the poem that the author is attempting to portray is the need to forgive and accept people for who they are before it is too late; Frost presents this to the reader through structural devices, poetic devices, and metrical devices. The significance of most of Robert Frosts life having been spent in the New England area is because for many of his poems but especially for his poem, The Death of the Hired man, the setting is in New England (Bloom 1). Also, for the poem, The Death of the Hired Man, which is based on a farm in New England and its family, Frost uses personal experience in writing the poem because he has lived, worked, and owned a farm in New England (Bouchard 3). The significance of the setting and characters in this poem is that he presents speakers who are marked by extraordinary severity and power (Blooms 1). The life history of Robert Frost is very important in helping the reader analyze and understand the poem and the theme of the poem that the author, Robert Frost, is attempting to convey in his poem The Death of the Hired Man. The basic summary of the poem is that the main characters, Warren and Mary, who are the owners of the farm, have a hired man who decides to leave them to find better pay ing work when the busy times approach; but when work is slow, then he will return looking for odd jobs to earn money. Warren has had enough, and he is seriously contemplating with his wife what actions he should take with this man. Mary is a woman of an abundance more compassion than her husband, and she realizes from the beginning that Silas is a dying man and that he has returned to the only home he knows. Now Mary is attempting everything she can to show her husband the better parts of Silas but even she realizes how hard this is; she has from the beginning already forgiven Silas for his past actions and life with wide open arms accepting him into her home and attempting her best to take care of him. This is what she is attempting to accomplish all throughout the poem with her husband so that he will feel the same way about Silas that she does before the rest of Silass very short life ends. There are many critics that have analyzed and agree that the theme that Robert Frost presents in his poem The Death of the Hired Man is that people need to be forgiven and accepted before it is too late. In the critical essay by Bloom on the second page, he mentions that in the poem the main character Warren begins to focus in the word home and the idea of home. This continues in the conversation between the husband and wife, Warren and Mary, as they subtly consider human responsibility, kinship, and justice (Bloom 2). Through this conversation, Frost uses the dialogue to examine the social and familial fabric of a place where interaction with neighbors punctuates a potentially unbearable sense of isolation (Bloom 2). This means that Warren and Mary are having a conversation in which Mary is attempting to convince her husband to see that their farm is the only home that Silas has and that in the end he wasnt such a bad guy, so then Warren needs forgive him and accept him into their h ome with open and loving arms. Also, Bloom notices that Mary has a perspective of compassionate identification and emotional response that contrasts Warrens more rational view of fair judgment. Frost encapsulates Marys attitude in one present tense, active sentence, I sympathize (Bloom 2). The line that Bloom quotes from the poem is located in line eighty of the poem. This representation of Mary gives hint to the allusion that Robert Frost gives in the poem and that allusion is seen in Luke 15 verses 11-32 in the Bible and that is the parable of the Lost Son that Jesus presents. The attitude that Warren has toward the idea of Silas claiming their home and their farm as his one and only home even when he has a very wealthy brother who happens to live thirteen miles down the road is that he believes that Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in, and for this reason he believes that their home should not be claimed by Silas as his home for that very reason (Bloom 3). That quote is located on lines one-hundred-twenty-three and one-hundred-twenty-four. In addition, in the critical essay by Katherine Kearns argues that Mary acquires a maternal nurturing figure with Silas and that is why she forgives and accepts him more readily than her husband because he takes on a fatherly role and sees Silas as a son that has chosen a relatively dissolute life and not learned a single lesson or moral from him through all the years that he has employed him. This also correlates with the allusion that Frost attempts to show in his poem because Mary shares the same role that the father in the parable does when he accepts his lost son with open and loving arms back into his life and his home. The evidence that critics have found in the poem to support the theme of how there is a need for people to accept and forgive others before it is too late, Robert Frost supports this more thoroughly through structural, poetic and metrical devices that come dir ectly from the poem and he uses them specifically to help show the theme of his poem The Death of the Hired Man. There are many different poetic devices, structural devices, and metrical devices that Robert Frost uses throughout his poem to grab the readers attention to that specific point to help show the theme of the poem; these along with the allusion that is present all throughout the poem, help the reader understand the authors theme. The first of these is the characterization of the main character of Mary that Frost presents in the poem. This characterization presents her as a very kind, compassionate, loving, understanding, and motherly person who cares very much for the character of Silas because of the hard life that he has lived. The reader can see this in lines one-hundred-and-fifty-five to one-hundred-sixty-one when Mary says, No, but he hurt my heart the way he lay And rolled his old head on that sharp-edged chair-back. He wouldnt let me put him on the lounge. You must go in and see what you can do. I made the bed up for him there to-night. Youll be surprised at him how much hes b roken. His working days are done; Im sure of it. Also, the use of unrhymed iambic pentameter in the poem helps Robert Frost create a sense of the poem appearing as a conversation between two people. This metrical device helps the reader connect with Frosts theme because the dialogue that it creates helps the reader feel like this is more of an every day problem that helps the reader relate and it helps show how hard Mary is actually attempting to convince her husband to forgive and accept Silas before it is too late. Furthermore, in line twenty and twenty-one when Frost says, Enough at least to buy tobacco with, wont have to beg and be beholden. Frost uses alliteration here for the words beg and beholden to show how poor and desperate Silass life actually is and it helps the reader make the connection between Silas and that of the Lost Son in the allusion that Frost presents in the poem. In like manner, the simile that Frost presents in line seventy-five when he says, Well, those da ys trouble Silas like a dream. This use of a simile helps show the reader that Silas is attempting desperately to change, and he wants to make this change so that he will not disappoint his family any more and so that they will accept and forgive him and let him be a part of their life again. In lines eighty and eighty-one there is an example of foreshadowing that Frost uses when he says, I sympathize. I know just how it feels To think of the right thing to say too late. This foreshadowing shows that Warren will know this feeling because at the end of the poem after he discovers that Silas is already dead, he realizes that he needed to tell Silas that he forgives him and accepts him before he had died but now it is too late. In addition, there is another simile that is important when Robert Frost says, He takes it out in bunches like big birds nests. Frost uses this simile because it is another way to correlate the idea of a home with that of Silas, because a birds nest is a birds h ome so that is another hint to show the reader that the farm is Silass home since the hay that looks like the birds nests was the hay from Warrens farm. In lines one-hundred-and-four to one-hundred-and-six, there are examples of parallel structure in the first two lines and a tricolon crescens that involves all three lines when Frost says, And nothing to look backward to with pride, And nothing to look forward to with hope, So now and never any different. Frost shows in these lines that unless something changes in Silass life he has accomplished nothing, he has nothing really positive in his life to look toward, and that this will never change; so at this moment Mary is attempting to convince her husband to forgive and accept Silas because otherwise his life really isnt worth living and because he has already lived such a hard life. The use of the parallel structure in the first two lines helps to emphasize how bad Silass life is and will be while the tricolon crescens emphasizes th e fact that his life will stay like this until he dies unless something changes. The imagery that Frost creates at the end of the poem in lines one-hundred-sixty-eight to one-hundred-seventy-two not only creates an image in the readers mind, but Robert Frost also uses it to foreshadow the ending of his poem. The image describes a small cloud that looks like it may hit the moon, which it does, this little cloud symbolizes Silas where as the moon symbolizes Warren and the hitting symbolizes if Warren will ever forgive and accept Silas, when the cloud does strike the moon in the image it tells the reader that Warren finally does forgive and accept Silas. Finally, there is the allusion that Robert Frost shows throughout the whole poem and that he uses to help convey the theme of the poem. This allusion is a Biblical allusion that is in Luke 15: 11-32, it is a parable that is called the Parable of the Lost Son, and Jesus is the one to tell it. The reason that Jesus tells this story is be cause it was to show that even when we as Christians stray in our faith that our Heavenly Father, God, will always forgive us and accept us back with open loving arms. The reader can take this to an even more literal level and that is where the theme of the poem is realized because it also shows that we as people need to always forgive and accept others for who they are before it is too late. For this poem though Mary symbolizes the father, Warren the angry obedient son and Silas would be the foolish young son that wasted all of inheritance. Through the use of poetic devices, structural devices, and metrical devices, Robert Frost has been able to emphasize and show the many different parts of his theme throughout the poem. Also the readers are able to conclude that Frost is telling them that they need to forgive and accept anybody in their life and accept them before it is too late because you never know when you might not get the chance to ever attempt it again.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Fascism - Alternative Approach Essay -- essays research papers

Fascism. The name of this movement alone provokes thoughts of hate, racism and evil throughout all modern western civilizations. Never before has one word created such a cultural taboo for nearly two generations. As a people, we immediately think of Fascism as Hitler’s methodical destruction of nearly six million Jews during World War II, but as a movement, there is so much more to be learned. It is the aim of this paper to accurately and without judgement look at Fascism from its creation to modern day applications. Benito Mussolini was catapulted into power in 1919 after helping create and naming his movement Fascism. Italian Fascism began on the left but stressed the dire need for strong nationalism with an urgency to industrialize. His style prized violence, idealism and anti-materialism, bonding him with the plight of the socialists of the time. As time went on in Italy, Mussolini merged with many modern corporations, luring him further and further to the right. Benito’s vision of Fascism facilitated national liberation, and racism was never his political nor personal goal. Many of Mussolini’s top aids and elite were Jews prior to his alliance with Hitler in 1937. In 1932 Mussolini wrote a lengthy definition of Fascism for the Italian Encyclopedia. This work shows exactly what it was Mussolini believed he was doing, creating a new wave of change. The definition is lengthy and often repetitive, however it is absolutely essential to the understanding of fundamental fascism t hat some of its points be explained and discussed herein. "Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace. War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have courage to meet it. All other trials are substitutes, which never really put men into the position where they have to make the great decision -- the alternative of life or death.... " This paragraph alone explains the reasons for nearly all modern wars in this century. Mussolini’s founding ideal was that of struggle. He believed war to be the climax of human emotion, believing that peace was not, an... ...bsp;In France, the primarily Fascist party led by Jean-Marie Le Pen gained 29% of the vote. This excerpt not only applies to France, but to conditions that will continue to rise throughout the world. Whenever a group of people go unheard, unrest immediately occurs. What follows unrest is the willingness to be apart of something that will lead you somewhere great. The rising popularity of Fascism is not due to a change in man’s thinking, but due to nations not listening to their people. Thousands of "skinheads" march through the streets of Germany waiting for a time when they will once again stake their claim for the world. It is only a matter of time before the comfort and discipline Fascism offers becomes a reality in the world. Benito Mussolini believed in the power of state and corporate becoming one to best represent the needs of the people. The time has come for the ordinary people of the world to declare what they desire to be known as next, before the choi ce is made for them. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." — Friedrich Nietzsche

Friday, October 11, 2019

Importance of Understanding Cultural, Ethnic, and Gender Essay

Culture is defined â€Å"as a set of values, practices, traditions or beliefs a group shares, whether due to age, race or ethnicity, religion or gender† (Mayhew, 2014). Diversity is â€Å"the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation† (2014). Diversity in the workplace refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. It can include gender, age, personality, background, race, ethnic group, and much more. It doesn’t just include how people see themselves but how they see others as well and this affect how they act in a work environment. Some of the issues companies have to deal with are communication, adaptability and change. Embracing diversity and accepting and appreciating the differences means individual strengths and weaknesses can be understood and factored into building workplace teams. Recognizing and appreciating cultural differences is only the tip of the iceberg. Subordinate group attitudes that have developed over time may cause them to be defensive. It is necessary to work towards bridging the gap between dominant and subordinate groups to help them to communicate better. Managers and leaders need to step out of their comfort levels and develop knowledge of cultural differences and be sensitive to the fact that there are diversity issues. If you establish relationships at work with people who are different than you, you start to learn about the talent and knowledge that diverse culture can add to your company. Most hospitals have come to the realization that people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, genders, as well as religions, bring with them different values and perspectives. Managers have to make sure that top priority is given to  patient care. If there are misunderstandings between employees related to culture, ethnicity, or gender, it will eventually affect patient care. It is the managers’ duty to keep in mind that it is important to make the hospital unit as diverse as possible but making sure there is also a balance. â€Å"Fortunately, attitudes are changing. Nursing managers in hospitals must creating workplace and educational programs to help nurses overcome discriminatory feelings they may consciously or unconsciously hold toward colleagues or patients.† (Rob & Douglas, 2004) . If there are diverse groups in the unit, there are a number of nurses who think differently and have a different way of looking at patients and their needs. Therefore there is a better chance that patient’s needs will be tended to. Being a lefty for a day is a challenge that left handed people endure on a daily basis. Tasks such as opening a bottle of wine, using a wall mounted pencil sharpener, and turning the pages of a book were all rather difficult. Daily tasks that we don’t think twice about become r a daunting mountain to climb. My mom is a left-handed so in addition to my own experience, I asked her what she has gone through since she was born a lefty. She told me that her mom, my grandmother, would always yell at her for using her left hand to write and do day to day tasks. When my mom would do her homework with her left hand, my grandmother would threaten her and make her use her right hand. Her reason was that left handed people are not â€Å"smart.† In today’s modern day and age, we know and understand that is not the case. â€Å"Forcing a left-handed to be right-handed causes reduced activity in the dominant right hemisphere and increase activity in the non-dominant side. Since creativity and imagination are dominant parts of right brain, they will remain under-developed and the left-side of the brain sees increased activity that deals with reality, facts and logic, characteristics that are opposite of the person’s true potential† (Abbasi, 2011). Forcing people therefore tends to make them slower and do not reach their potential in life. It does seem being a lefty in a right handed world is a very big disadvantage. However, lefty’s do learn to adapt to doing things with both hands making them ambidextrous. So, in the end they gained something, rather than losing something. References Chron. (2007, May 4). Examples of Cultural Differences in the Workplace. Retrieved From the Chron small business website: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-cultural-differences-workplace-11494.html Reason before Passion. (2011, August 8). Never force left-handed child to be right-handed. Retrieved from the Reason before Passion website: http://wasioabbasi.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/never-force-left-handed-child-to-be-right-handed/

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Divorce Research Paper Essay

Pondering question to get reader thinking about topic II. What the problem is d. â€Å"Children do not fall behind their peers in these areas during the potentially disruptive period before their parents divorce, the study revealed. Instead, it’s after the split that kids seem to have the most trouble coping. Include this from Healthday reporter Alan mozes e. What the child feels, they feel its their fault and makes them more upset III. Statistics f. What classes children with divorced parents are struggling in g. Average grades for the kids h. What it does to teens IV. My personal experience i. How my grades were before and after j. What classes I was struggling in k. My personal feelings about it V. Conclusion l. Say how parents really need to think about how it will affect their child before going through with it. m. My views on the statistics and why it is valid info n. Opinion about parents being more involved in children’s schoolwork. Christian Startt Mrs. Pantusa English 1 A. P Prep April 26, 2013 Divorce and How It Affects Children Introduction Divorce can be the most inconvenient and hardest long-term problem of a child’s life, affecting all parts of his or her life all because of the parent’s failing marriage. 41% of first marriages end in divorce (Irvin, M), which is a substantial percentage of marriage that has not followed through with their vows and left their kid’s normality in the dust. Grades, emotions, and innocence all are changed in the process of the divorce, as well as a new set of challenge and problems these kids have to face in everyday life. Divorce isn’t just a split between a family, it’s more of a life changer. â€Å"As soon as me and my wife Terri divorced†, explains Chris Startt, â€Å"basic life changed heavily. Laundry, cooking dinner everyday, and constantly worrying about my son’s grades has really kept me busy and stressed†. I asked Chris how his son’s grades were after his divorce. â€Å"When me and my ex were still together, Christian’s grades were outstanding, strait A’s. But later (a year passes) his grades went from strait A’s to B’s and C’s later on in middle school†. According to Healthday reporter Alan Mozes, â€Å"Children do not fall behind their peers in these areas during the potentially disruptive period before their parents divorce, the study revealed. Instead, it’s after the split that kids seem to have the most trouble coping†. Research suggests that the odds of a divorce occurring in a household before the children become grown rest at about 50% (Ahilburg and DeVita, 1992), with divorce rates beginning to soar in 1963 (Jeynes, 1999). A 60-year literature review of 347 experimental studies confirmed that many studies have concluded that divorce has negative consequences for children’s academic achievement (Kunz, 1992). Most research shows that the child’s math scores were the ones that were mostly affected. â€Å"Kim found that while a divorce is in progress, first, second and third-graders experience a dip in math test scores — a decline that holds steady once the divorce is final†. (Mozes) But, at the same time reading scores didn’t really seem to be changing, as research from (Mozes) shows that â€Å"†¦however, Kim found that reading scores remain unaffected†. When my parents divorced, about 6 years ago, I was 9 years old in 3rd grade and that’s when my grades went from strait A’s, to A’s and B’s, and then a C here and there. Mathematics really begun to get more and more difficult to concentrate to and the tests were getting harder to understand. Reading, however, was my strength in elementary school, and it remained un-affected after my parents divorce. Researcher Hyun Sik Kim explains, â€Å"Reading is not that cumulative. But with math, you must understand previous things to develop. For example, if I do not understand that one plus one is two, then I cannot understand multiplication. Divorce really puts a child’s mind in motion. After the divorce the child may feel like it was his/her fault, causing stress and emotional problems. By this happening, the child will become more stressed by the moving between houses, therefor making it harder to concentrate on schoolwork and thus grades beginning to lower. My personal experiences also help support my argument. Divorce should be decided with caution; you have to think about how its going to affect your child and how its going to affect their future.

Brother Sebastian in the novel Lamb Essay

In the novel â€Å"Lamb† by Bernard Mac Laverty, written in 1976, I cannot but feel sympathetic towards the main character Brother Sebastian (Michael Lamb). I feel that he was a victim of circumstances. He was brought up in a farm in Ballycastle where he was taught by his father to put animals who were suffering out of their misery. In the novel Mac Laverty describes how his father â€Å"had pulled chickens necks so fast and expertly that they never felt a thing†. To Sebastian Owen Kane was just like an animal with no future and the most humane thing to do was put him out of his misery. Throughout this novel there is a recurring theme of a father and son relationship. The killing was ritualistic as Sebastian’s religious beliefs would have meant that he believed that the boy was going to eternal happiness with God in heaven. â€Å"It was motivated by love. It would be a pure. Of this he was sure†. From the much protected environment with his mother and father on the farm he entered the Irish Christian Brothers the year he was due to leave school which would have been about sixteen. In the Brotherhood he had no real adult life as he was restricted by the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. When the novel opens Sebastian is a wood work teacher in a Home (which is situated in the south of Ireland Galway) for delinquent boys, which was run by a sadistic, cruel Brother called Brother Benedict. The relationship between the two men was hostile as Benedict was an academic snob who looked down on Sebastian for his lack of formal education. He uses the simile and the metaphor: â€Å"A man with one language is like a man with one eye. I myself have four good eyes and a few lesser ones – which could be polished up† Both Brother Sebastian and Benedict disagreed with each other on how to discipline the boys in the Home. Benedict’s attitude was â€Å"If they do not conform we thrash them. We teach them a little of God and a lot of fear. † He criticised Sebastian for his â€Å"Soft centred self centred idealism†. Owen Kane was put into the Home by his mother for â€Å"always mitching school†. Owen suffered from epilepsy and was the youngest boy in the Home. It is true that Owen had been put away because he had continually mitched school and had run away from home frequently – the Gardai had been informed on four occasions at least. God knows how many times they had not been informed. His father would beat him often: â€Å"When he came home he would get drunk and whip Owen with whatever came into hand†. His mother would often be absent from his company but he preferred all that than living in the Home. He had a neutral/positive relationship with Sebastian and a negative relationship with Benedict. Owen Kane and Sebastian both have the same views on the Home. In the novel Brother Sebastian father dies and he is left a sum of money from the farm in which his father owned. Brother Benedict is lecturing about Obedience â€Å"Obedience, Brother, is a very rare virtue† and with no doubt wants Brother Sebastian to stay so the Brotherhood gets the money. From the novel we get the Atmosphere of what the Home was like â€Å"The walls were painted throughout a pale hospital green† and â€Å"The place was scrubbed and clean and dead â€Å"Like a corpse†. First instinctive impressions of the Home are lifeless cold miserable and absolutely unpleasant which do not relate to a â€Å"home† at all. Bernard McLaverty uses his scenes to describe the Home and they have a similar description of a hospital â€Å"The air was full of disinfectant and polish†. The surrounding environment of outside the Home gives a bizarre welcome to inmates. â€Å"Surrounding the whole complex was a high wire fence that screamed and whistled in the constant wind from the sea† A great use of personification is used in this quote and it works to make you feel anything but nice feelings, it makes you feel the â€Å"Home† is more like a Prison and the boys were not there to be reformed but there for Punishment. At the beginning of this novel I admire Sebastian for being nice to the â€Å"inmates† and especially to Owen who is the youngest of the boys in the Home, suffers from epilepsy and experienced a hard life with his parents. I feel sympathetic for Owen Kane as I believe he wasn’t given the opportunity at life before he was entered the Home. Benedict gets all my negatives as I see him for more evil than good. He is a bully to Sebastian, Owen and all the other boys. Brother Sebastian wants to leave because he doesn’t believe in by Benedict’s duct rue of â€Å"Kill and cure†. He plans to run away and decides to take Owen with him. I believe Sebastian wanted to take Owen with him because he had sympathy for Owen and wanted him to have a better chance at life and he thought he could provide in the manner of a father and son relation†¦ Personally I think this was the best decision to make for Owen and him self as both of them were miserable and living in the Home seemed like a dead end, an everlasting punishment to both of them. He is given the chance to abandon the Home when he receives the money from his father’s farm. With free will Owen agreed to leave.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

LAND LAW II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

LAND LAW II - Essay Example These exceptions include: (a) An act of generosity (Helsop v Burns, which you already mentioned it) (b)Service Occupancy (Crane v Morris) (c) Occupancy by virtue of office (d) Occypancy prior to completion of contract of sale Indeed, by definition, the very first requirement for a lease is exclusive possession. Without an exclusive possession, there is no way a lease can be finalized. This is so because the exclusive possession taken by the person taking the lease, and hereby known as the tenant gives that person the right to exclude all people from the property in question. Such exclusion does not only involve third parties and people outside the transfer transaction but also includes the landlord and all agents of the landlord. This underlining legal phenomenon notwithstanding, it has been argued in most quarters of statutory practice that an occupier who enjoys exclusive possess is not necessarily a tenant (Gray and Grey, 2009, p. 341). A major premise to this argument is given in Street v Mountford [1985]. In the case, the court gave a clear judgment to the effect that a person’s occupation of a property could either amount to being a tenant or only a licence. What was rather very relevant in determining tenancy was the content of the agreement and not what the parties choose to call their agreement. This is in regard to what Lord Templeman stated while giving judgement that â€Å"an agreement for exclusive possession for a term at a rent creates a lease or tenancy, regardless of what the parties call it† Street v Mountford [1985]. Heslop v Burns [1974] is another case that throws some light on the statement that even though a tenant must have exclusive possession, an occupier who enjoys exclusive possession is not necessarily a tenant. In the case, it is seen that in situations where there is an act of generosity, charity or friendship, even if exclusive possession occurs, this may not amount to the occupier becoming a tenant if there are no intentions to create a legal relation. The fact of the case has it that a wealthy man allows friends to occupy his house for free without rent. This notwithstanding, the friends had exclusive possession; and latter the wealthy man died. Meanwhile in principle, it is contested that the presence of exclusive possession is only worth being regarded as a licence if it comes about as a friendly arrangement with no intentions to create legal relations. Indeed, the same basis of the principle was held in the judicial hearing, concluding that the arrangement was only a licence. This is a very clear confirmation that as posited by Lord Templeman, an exclusive possession is not always equal to a tenancy. In another case, of Rhodes v Dalby [1971], a premise is given to the effect that a person may have occupancy with exclusive possession but may not necessarily be a tenant. The fact of that case has it that a man who was travelling abroad asked a friend to live in his bungalow whiles he was aw ay. Between the two parties, what existed was a â€Å"gentleman’s agreement†, ordering the friend to be taking care of the property and keeping it in shape. In the situation, and in situation of this nature, because the owner of the property leaves the property

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Project Editiing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Editiing - Essay Example School characteristics such as location, policy and curriculum load also affect student success and should be considered when discussing high school dropout rates. All these predicting dynamics need to be focused on and studied in order to continue the downward trend of high school dropout rates and hopefully eradicate them all together. â€Å"To address the high school dropout problem, educational institutions must identify early on which students are likely to drop out† (Burrus and Roberts, p.1). Among students in America, about more than 33% do not graduate high school with their original classes. The troubling part is the higher 50% of minorities that are not completing their high school education. These statistics affect the demographic trends and creates a concentration of dropouts in poor urban neighborhoods. Unfortunately, 15% of the country’s high schools, mostly in urban areas, yield half of total dropouts (Dervarics, 2007). The issue of teens dropping out of high school is a widespread social and educational problem that has serious implications not only for an individual but also for society as a whole. A great source of data on high school dropouts is the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) reports. For 50 years now, this federally funded research center has aided in serving the institution of education with cutting edge research, practice and professional development. It is known, respected and utilized worldwide. One of its most popular entries came from the High School Journal and was titled, â€Å"Academic Disidentification, Race, and High School Dropouts† by Dr. Bryan Griffin. It described how a student’s ability to identify with academics is a big predictor of whether they will successfully complete high school (p. 71). Griffin went on to identify two models of student behavior that may cause early departure from high school; the frustration-self-esteem model and the participation-identification model. His article then

Monday, October 7, 2019

Management of Change Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management of Change - Case Study Example However, the management failed in addressing the short-term health risks of the long-sleeved shirts especially during the hot summer. It is true that there are many risk-behaviours, incidents and injuries that occur in the construction industry thus Main Roads department must focus on the occupational health and safety of its workforce estimated at 5,000 workers. There are some organizational barriers to change since the department of Main Roads has a centralised policy of resource allocation, bureaucratic procedures and a hierarchical structure thus hindering flow of information and fast decision-making. However, the Main Roads department claims that it cooperates with other government departments in implementation of policy agenda through consultations with stakeholders and external agencies. Surprisingly, the department did not consult with Cancer Council on the sun-safe strategies that will ensure workers are protected from skin cancer in the workplace, but relied on World Health Organization (WHO) advice on and figures that point out the Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer. On the other hand, Cancer Council recommends that all workplaces to have ultraviolent (UV) radiation protection program that entails comprehensive policy and strategies of early detection and prevention of skin cancer. It is a fact that construction wo rkers have higher risk of skin cancer that all other workers due to long exposure to radiation from direct sunlight and UV rays. The Main Roads department has a positive culture that aims at protecting workers from health risks. The department has certain shared norms, customs and practices. However, the outside workers have the mentality that ‘as soon as the sun comes out you take your shirt off’. The department has created a powerful coalition â€Å" A Safety Leaders Group† that will steer the efforts of promoting positive safety staff attitudes in the

Sunday, October 6, 2019

The Role of the Colonies in the British Mercantilist System Essay

The Role of the Colonies in the British Mercantilist System - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in the early 17th century, England was a second rate producer, merchant and naval force. By the end of the century, it pushed out its first class competitors, such as the Dutch and the French, through its military prowess and economic ingenuity. King James II, a firm believer in the divine right of a ruler, solidified the colonial rule.   Though his successors, who would loosen the grip on the power over colonies, the British Empire was based on commerce and thus its protection through military prowess. British Empire expanded using its colonies as a source of economic progress and status symbol among other countries.   With King James II, British colonies turned into a source of profit and power for the British Empire. King James II attempted to create a centrally managed Atlantic Empire. Though the Glorious Revolution weakened royal grip on power, King James II put forth the foundations of mercantilism, such as the need to expand economically in order to be a glorious empire. British colonies thus served to improve British economic status among other monarchies and independent states and towns in Europe. Mercantilism was a policy promoting self-sufficiency among countries of the day. According to Nettels, â€Å"[t]he policy aimed to gain for the nation a high degree of security or self-sufficiency, especially as regards food supply, raw materials needed for essential industries, and the sinews of war†. With this goal in mind, the British aristocracy pursued colonies which could produce sugar, tobacco and other food products. In exchange, they were required to buy English manufactured goods, or use the English merchants as intermediaries (Henretta & Brody 69). This practice was prescribed by the Staple Act of 1663, according to which colonial planters bought most of the needed manufactured goods from England (Nettels 109). England prohibited trade with other European countries, as it could not impose favorable terms of trade (Nettels 105). English government designed laws that would keep colonies dependent upon English economy: â€Å"Slaves must be bought from English slave traders. The area must depend upon English sources for capital and credit, and the planters could not avail themselves of legal devices in order to ease their burdens of debt† (Nettels 109). Industrial development overwhelmingly took place in England. English policies were to encourage industrial development by any means possible, such as â€Å"tariffs, bounties and other forms of state aid† (Nettels 113). Unlike the English manufacturers, colonial manufacturers received no such subsidies (Nettels 113). English government ensured the policy was followed by forbidding colonial governments to assist colonies with any help whatsoever in the field of manufacturing (Nettels 113). The British aristocracy encouraged conquest of new colonies, and imposed itself as a naval power (Nettels 106). Mercantilists viewed it a government’s duty to guard favorable terms of trade and to store an adequate amount of gold and silver (Nettels 106). Therefore, according to the Navigation Act of 1661, the mercantilist government prohibited its citizens all trade with foreign merchants and vessels (Nettels 109). Its military ensured the law was obeyed and they even imposed it on the Dutch and the French. However, the mercantilist government did not create activities in the colonies. According to Nettels, economic activities sprang up from colonists, who decided which economic activity was necessary for their survival in new lands (108). As a result, the government only controlled a certain economic activity once it had proven itself to be profitable. The British government retarded the economic growth of plantations. The mercantilist system in England did not aim to promote economic development in its colonies. Mercantilism aimed to extract wealth from

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Microeconomic Issue of Social Importance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microeconomic Issue of Social Importance - Essay Example On the other hand, the suggestion too from the literature is that cigarettes are addictive, and so the demand may in fact be somewhat inelastic. This means that it may be that driving up prices through taxation may not curb consumption as the authorities hope. Some studies suggest this somewhat, even as those studies also suggest that demand is elastic for young smokers, new smokers, and those who have low income. In the long run, therefore, as the population turns over, demand should go down due to taxation leading to higher cigarette prices. The issue at hand is the determination of exactly how cigarette taxation impacts demand, such as in terms of the demographic characteristics of the market response to the taxation and other related aspects of demand. In general, in terms of supply and demand, we see from recent data and from insights from the literature that taxation has a large dampening effect on overall demand for cigarettes (Chaloupka;; Meier and Licari; Wasserman et al.). The overall take from the academic literature is that taxation does curb consumption. Moreover, the higher the price increases resulting from higher taxes, the greater the reductions in demand and consumption. Other insights include that demand is more sensitive to price reductions rather than price increases. This means that reducing taxes can increase demand by a greater amount. This is in comparison to the reduction in demand from the same level of tax reductions. To illustrate, say taxes go down by 10 percent, and demand goes up by say 20 percent. Going the other way, if taxes go up by 10 percent, the demand does not go down by 20 percent, but just by half, at 10 percent for cigarettes. These and other insights are useful in understanding the microeconomic aspects of the impacts of taxation on cigarette consumption and economics. The rest of the paper explores these impacts more closely (Sylvain; Bader et al.). Data from 2012 strongly supports the

Friday, October 4, 2019

Causation and Intervening Acts in Criminal Law Essay Example for Free

Causation and Intervening Acts in Criminal Law Essay According to Robin J.A. in Malette v Shulman[1], â€Å"the right of self-determination which underlies the doctrine of informed consent also obviously encompasses the right to refuse medical treatment. A competent adult is generally entitled to reject a specific treatment or all treatment, or to select an alternate form of treatment, even if the decision may entail risks as serious as death†¦The doctrine of informed consent is plainly intended to ensure the freedom of individuals to make choices concerning their medical care. For this freedom to be meaningful, people must have the right to make choices that accord with their own values regardless of how unwise or foolish those choices may appear to others.†[2] R v Blaue[3], a famous causation case in criminal law, brings to foreground a thought-provoking debate about whether an individual’s religious beliefs and other psychological values could be included in the ‘thin skull’ rule and whether the refusal to take lifesaving medical treatment breaks the chain of causation that exists between the defendant’s wrongdoing and the purported outcome of that wrongdoing. The facts of the case are as follows Blaue, the defendant, stabbed a woman numerous times after she refused to have sexual intercourse with him. She was a Jehovah’s Witness and was therefore not in favour of blood transfusions. After the stabbing, she was taken to a hospital and was told that she urgently needed to have a blood transfusion, without which she would die. Owing to her religious beliefs, she refused to consent with the suggested treatment. As a result, she died in the hospital. While giving the judgment, Lawton L.J. stated that â€Å"those who use violence on other people must take their victims as they find them.†[4] This, according to him, not only includes victims’ physical characteristics, but also their emotional, psychological and spiritual values and beliefs. This decision has proved to be extremely controversial and gives rise to various debates. Most understand the rationale behind the court’s judgment and agree that the defendant is , as a matter of fact, criminally liable for causing the injury. After all, the victim was at the receiving end of several stabbings, imposed by the defendant, who clearly had an intention of causing serious bodily harm, if not death. However, some feel that the death was the result of the victim’s refusal to carry out the blood transfusion. They feel that the defendant should not be responsible for the unusual, irrational and unjustified religious beliefs of the victim. In addition, the defendant could not have possibly foreseen her backing out of receiving medical treatment in the hospital. The Blaue case creates many doubts about the doctrine of causation in criminal law. Was Blaue responsible for the victim’s death or was it an act of the victim, since it was her decision to refuse a blood transfusion? If we conclude that Blaue is indeed responsible for her death, another question comes to mind: Why is the victim not responsible for her own death? First and foremost, it is a fact that the victim sustained injuries due to numerous stabbings and it was Blaue who had inflicted them upon her. Her not taking any steps to save herself did not instigate her death. Secondly, there is an application of the ‘thin skull’ rule in this case. An important principle of the law of causation is that defendants must ‘take their victims as they find them.’ This means that if a defendant pushes someone and because they have a thin skull, they crack their head and die, the defendant will be liable for causing their death. The Court of Appeal in Blaue indicated that the decision could be seen as a ‘thin skull’ example. It was established that the ‘thin skull’ rule goes beyond the physical characteristics of individuals, also including a person’s moral and religious beliefs. Thirdly, the victim’s decision to not undergo blood transfusion, which would have clearly saved her life, was based on profound religious views and hence, did not constitute a novus actus interveniens. That is, it was not an intervening act. Nevertheless, the judgment has been critisised on various grounds. Why was the vict im’s decision to refuse medical treatment seen as a subsisting condition rather than an intervening cause? Would it have been the same if the refusal was due to a fear of needles or the fact that she could not bear the pain and thought dying was the only way to end the agony? A decision steered by religious beliefs is a moral choice, that is, a free decision. Why should the defendant endure the responsibility if the victim makes a free choice to kill herself any more than he should if, weakened by the injury, the victim took a controversial choice to end her life with dignity rather than enduring pain and life-long humiliation? Thus, to understand the Blaue case, we not only need to take into account causation in criminal law, but also the two doctrines which apply to the concept of proximate causation; the ‘thin skull’ rule and the principle of novus actus interveniens. Causation In criminal law, individuals that are guilty of a crime are penalised for the harm they cause if both the physical and the mental element of committing an offence is present. There must be a valid connection between an individual’s conduct and the result alleged to constitute an offence. The causation requirement attaches criminal responsibility to those individuals whose conduct is sufficient enough to bring about serious bodily injury or death. In Hallett[5], the accused assaulted a man and left him on a beach. Over the next few hours, the man drowned. The court concluded that Hallett’s contribution to his death was more than minimal to hold him responsible for it. However, in Blaue, the defendant was found to be the substantial and operating cause of the woman’s death. That is, his stabbings is why she was admitted to a hospital in the first place. ‘Thin skull’ rule The defendant must take the victim as he finds him or her and this means ‘the whole man and not just the physical man.’ This rule applies irrespective of whether the defendant is aware of the condition in the victim. On one hand, there are instances where the victim suffers from a pre-existing condition which renders him or her more vulnerable to injuries. On the other hand, there are cases where the victim does not take medical treatment to heal wounds and suffers serious harm as a result. A defendant cannot escape liability for a victim’s death as a result of an abnormality pres ent in the victim or an internal, subsisting belief of the victim. It is his fault that he caused harm in the first place. In R v Hayward[6], a man chased his wife into the street shouting threats and kicked her. She collapsed and died from an unusual thyroid condition which made her susceptible to physical exertion and fear. He was convicted of manslaughter because he aggravated her pre-existing condition by physically assaulting her. This case is a good example of the ‘thin skull’ rule applying to the physical characteristics of an individual. The fact that he could not possibly foresee her dying is not an excuse. However, can a victims religious beliefs constitute a thin skull? With reference to Blaue, according to Hart and Honorà ©: â€Å"The question is not whether it is reasonable to believe that blood transfusion is wrong, but whether a person whose life is in danger can reasonably be expected to abandon a firmly held religious belief. The answer must be surely no.†[7] Religious beliefs and convictions are an internal cha racteristic of individuals, which is deeply rooted in their way of thinking and life. It is intrinsic to every person. Hence, people cannot be held legally accountable for possessing such sentiments. Novus Actus Interveniens The general principle is that an intervention by a third party will break the chain of causation if it is ‘free, deliberate and informed.’ In R v Kennedy[8], Kennedy prepared a syringe for the victim, who injected himself and died due to an overdose. Kennedy was convicted of unlawful manslaughter. The act of the victim, in injecting himself with the drug, was an intentional, free, deliberate and an informed action. Thus, the drug dealer is not guilty of unlawful manslaughter. In contrast, in R v Dear[9], the defendant slashed the victim repeatedly with a knife. The victim died two days later. The defendant appealed against his conviction for murder, arguing that the chain of causation had been broken because the victim had committed suicide either by reopening his wounds or because he had failed to take steps to stop the blood flow after the wounds had reopened them selves. The court dismissed the appeal and held that the real question was whether the injuries inflicted by the defendant were a substantial and operating cause of the death. The victims death resulted from excessive bleeding from the artery, which was triggered by the defendant when he attacked the victim. In Blaue, the refusal to get treatment does not break the chain of causation, despite the fact that it was informed and deliberate, because having such a belief is involuntary and requisite. According to Hart and Honorà ©, â€Å"the question to be decided is whether the decision to refuse treatment is not merely deliberate and informed but also a free one. In view of the high value attached in our society to the matters of conscience, the victim, though free to accept any belief she wished, is not thereafter free to abandon her chosen belief merely because she finds herself in a situation in which her life may otherwise be in danger. So it was not her free act to refuse a transfusion.†[10] It was reasonably foreseeable that a Jehovah’s Witness would refuse a blood transfusion. The victim had no choice due to her religion. It was not a free decision because, in a way, she was bound by it. It could be said that she simply let the wound take its natural course. Moreover, the death was caused due to the bleeding arising from the penetration of the lungs, which was brought about by the stabbings. The substantial and operating cause test does not take into account a victim’s distinct characteristic. So long as victim died of internal bleeding due to the wound administered by Blaue, we need not ask further questions. However, if the principle of ‘taking your victims as you find them, including their beliefs’ is applied to more cases, it would have varying results. Let’s assume that X assaults Y. Y ends up committing suicide because she is mentally unstable or because she hopes to get X behind bars. Another example could be that X shoots Y on his left leg. Y could go to the hospital but decides to remove the bullet by himself. Unable to do so and still refusing medical treatment, he dies. Should X ‘take’ Y’s unstable, vengeful or negligent behaviour? Is that justified or is it unfair? [ 1 ]. Malette v Shulman [1991] 2 Med LR 162. [ 2 ]. Jerome Edmund Bickenback, Canadian cases in the philosophy of law, 4th edition, at 160 to 161. [ 3 ]. R v Blaue [1975] 1 WLR 1411. [ 4 ]. Michael T. Molan, Sourcebook on Criminal Law, 2nd edition, at 67. [ 5 ]. Hallett [1969] SASR 141. [ 6 ]. R v Hayward (1908) 21 Cox 692. [ 7 ]. Denis Klimchuk, Causation, Thin Skulls and Equality (1998) at pg. 126. [ 8 ]. R v Kennedy [2007] UKHL 38. [ 9 ]. R v Dear [1996] Crim LR 595. [ 10 ]. Alan Norrie, Crime, Reason and History: A Critical Introduction to Criminal Law, at pg. 143.