Education in South Africa Essay

Education is the foundation, the root, the sprout from which our current and next generation will lead and engender from. Therefore, having the best educational system in the world ensures me, you and our children a fighting change, albeit pugnacious. This statement is disseminated and broadcasted as fact and the average Joe accepts it as the truth. However, this essay will point directly at the historical and political impediment existing in and on the emotion of the number one South African, me. My essay taunts the question:†As a 40 year old white Afrikaans man, where do I stand in the South African educational system?†, and does it conform to the statement to be the best in the world. I ask the question in all honesty and respect. I am reflecting on education I attained as an Afrikaans â€Å"silver spoon in the mouth† little brat right through to my more sensible self Technical College tuition and my current B-COM studies as a self reliant adult. Historically, my peers and I were advantaged by the system in place, much more than our counterparts in the townships and homelands. I believe that the powers ruled then had only the best intentions for the educational portfolio, albeit it was one-sided in the racial arena. The story of our lives. The institutions that were build and the standards academically set was internationally very high. I firmly believe this basis where we as the new generation sprung from, was based on the system already in place. The difference is, now we can engender from the same mark. We have the brick and mortar that separated the black from white now as monuments of growth and unity, known as Universities. We have the seats and blackboards. We have the prospectus. We have the fervent minds of prospective students. This is the formula for an educational system of note. One important ingredient lacks this recipe of success: Emotion. The emotional scars that on all sides of all the political fences erecte d end torn down over and again remains as barriers and brick walls in the minds of us, the students. Being brought up and instructed that white is white and black is black and the two don’t mix, I soon realized and discerned myself with the fact that the black children could not share in the same educational system. It was the year 1983 when I was starting my high school education this realization came to be. It was clear to see the technical equipment installed in the white schools was not equal to that installed for the black children. This point in my life was the pivot of my social and political views. An immense amount of guilt and shame  fell upon me and I had to hide this not to be shunned from my peers. The fact that my emotions were suppressed added to my shame and guild. So the emotional wall I mentioned grew stronger and stronger. Separation from your mother tongue whilst being educated is an enormous social blunder politicians the world over are making. The emotional impact a child in learning has with his or her home language not present during schooling is a l ifelong scar on the psyche. Not only does it scar, it places a lid on the information these young minds needs to harvest. I had it all fed in my mother tongue from day one. My black peers not. How can a child from a Tswana, Zulu or Venda upbringing now be educated in Afrikaans or English? I feel for the individual that now wants to through the language as a hand grenade in the education war on foreign language in the institutions we get taught at. Why was my language removed from the universities and colleges I want to attend to? Or better asked â€Å"why is my language not present in the current prospectus?† I understand the technical terms and application theories much better in my mother tongue. This I’m asking not as an individual, I’m asking this as every single student you teach and educate every single day. This, my dear educator, this is a historical and political impediment existing in and on the emotion of not just your number one South African, me, but on many, if not all student s. Furthermore and albeit it not be the least, who should pay for my education? I am and average income earner. I can pay for myself, but, I will not be able to sustain my current situation and send one of my children to university. I cannot fathom the impact it has on lower income families. The mere thought that it would change financially after the graduation and after employment status was reached because of the education, does not balance the situation throughout the period. The scholarship and sponsorships given to young students are great. And here comes a big but, why only to certain ethnic groups? Don’t we all suffer? Our current students did not take part in the historical events that shaped our New South Africa. The foundation of our New South Africa rest squarely on their shoulders and it is their responsibility to maintain and ensure prosperity for one and all. By advantaging and allowing one group to benefit on majority defies the Rainbow Nation’s idea. The students that cannot afford to be where we are and those who can barely sustain their presence amongst us, with the paying surplus of students, see this and feel  this on the emotion. It cuts deep to be separated. We came a long and hard way to prevent just this. It is not fair to impend this politics on the minds and emotion of any student. The emotional scars on all sides are real and remain as barriers and brick walls in the minds of us, the students, the student that wrote this essay. This is encumbering the South African Educational system to be the best in the world. Nevertheless I have to believe, I do believe and I trust and pray that our educational system has a place for me and my peers. I therefore conclude, I pray and I hope that my fellow students and I can oversee the sins of our fathers. That we can leap forward and expect to be followed in, English education as language of the future educational system. I hope for financial aid that will accommodate all who needs it. I pray to my fellow students, educators and fellow South Africans to see the future of our education and where it can lead us. I pray for them not to let the past influence and dictate the Educational System’s future. This done, I believe we have the best educational system in the world. We can make the difference.

Vannah

Two hundred and six years ago, high officials of two nations deliberately turned 5,000 square miles of Southwest Louisiana into a safe refuge for violent criminals who flocked to it from all over the young nation. This is how it happened. In 1803, the united States had paid France $15 million to abandon its claim to 828,00 square miles of land in the brand-new America. It was called the Louisiana purchase, but we TLD actually buy the land. America and France both claimed the land, and e paid France SSL 5 million to abandon its claim, leaving us as sole owners of the land.When the Louisiana Purchase was announced, Spain protested, saying France had no right to include a 5,000-square-mile strip of land in what is now Southwest Louisiana in the Louisiana Purchase. Spain said the land had been found by Spanish explorers and claimed for Spain. We argued that the Louisiana Purchase was history and we wouldn't try to change It. Spain said It wanted its land. The argument got hotter. When bo th sides hinted they might use military force to support their claims, lore but not wiser heads stepped in.The cool heads suggested that the disputed land be set aside and belong to nobody until ownership was decided by peaceful negotiation. Both America and Spain liked the idea. Thus was born the Neutral Strip. The disputed land being put aside was bound on the West by the Sabine River in East Texas. It was bound on the East by El Arroyo, the Spanish name for what is now the Calcifies River. It was bound on the South by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the North by the 32nd parallel, which was near Southeast in Red River Parish.The Neutral Strip included all or portions of the present Louisiana parishes of De Sotto, Sabine, Nuthatches, Vernon, Rapider, Beauregard, Allen, Calcifies,Jefferson Davis and Cameron. The rules or the Neutral Strip were simple: I For whatever time it took to peacefully negotiate ownership, the disputed land would belong to nobody. I Nobody would be allowed to liv e on the disputed land, which would also be off-alms or anyone In the military or law enforcement. I Since the Neutral strip would have no Inhabitants, there was no need for laws, ordinances, ales or regulations.The Neutral Strip opened in 1806, and the response was immediate. The strip became known as No Man's Land, and it seemed that every criminal in our young nation heard of it and moved into No Man's Land. Squatters took over land uninvited. It seemed that anybody who asked got grants from Spain for small tracts of land. Runaway slaves sought refuge there. Convicts who escaped from prison disappeared Into No Man's Land. So did military deserters , criminals sought for smuggling contraband goods, murderers, robbers, counterfeiters and rapists.Bands left No Man's Land to rob trade caravans, then disappeared again in No Man's Land. Other bands left long enough to rob homes and businesses before returning and melting into the lawless crowds in No Man's Land. Even joint military uni ts hesitated before entering No Man's Land. Two raids, in 1812 and 1816, netted few arrests and caused little Interruption of criminal activities. Inside the strip, there Land kept loaded guns in their houses. A curious mind-set developed that was copied years later by lawmen in some cities.The feeling was that having the worst elements of society gathered into one area created more safety in other parts of the city or parish. The same mind-set that led to red light districts and allowed criminals to congregate in specific areas of a city or parish. There were several roads across the 50-mile width of the strip that retained the Spanish names of Camino Real (Royal Road) which became routes of terror for traders. Some traders skirted No Mans' Land to the South by using schooners to carry goods to Galveston and other Texas ports for distribution.To the North, traders skirted No Man's Land by going through upper Red River Parish. After 13 years of crime and violence in No Man's Land, r elief came from an unexpected source. The Adams-Ions Treaty of 1819, known as the Transcontinental Treaty, was a pact between the United States and Spain. It was mainly directed at Florida. Under the agreement, we paid Spain $5 million and Spain withdrew its claim on Florida. In what was considered a lesser clause in the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain also gave up its claim on any land in Louisiana. With that silent stroke, No Man's Land died.

Juvenile Offenders Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Juvenile Offenders - Term Paper Example Third, majority of the juvenile offenders have a traumatic history which not only questions their mental health but also the efficiency of social institutions such as schools, high schools, hospitals, family and others to ensure proper development of children. Fourth, European Convention of Human Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child and other international charters and conventions clearly state about the right of every person to live and the fact that children can not receive capital punishments. Fifth, the public opinion is supports the stance of this paper. Sixth, capital punishment evades the chance of any individual to prove him or her innocent in future in light of any new developments or evidence. Introduction This paper is an attempt to explore the controversial, serious, and debatable issue about juvenile offenders. The paper discusses the question of legal execution of juvenile offenders who are less than the age of 18 years and have committed a murder. Statement of Problem The paper will take the stance that "Juvenile offenders who commit murder under the age of 18 should not be legally executed". ... First, since the past few years, this issue has been of great attention and debate in the public and expert circles. Second, in light of my personal stance on the topic, I believe that by legal execution of juvenile offenders, the law enforcement agencies are not following but breaking the law and contributing to a crime and it is our responsibility to play our part to stop it. Third, children are the future of any nation and if they are committing such actions then this is a wake up call for all authorities and with the help of this paper, I put emphasis on the fact that it is time for them to sit down and reexamine the entire system and the root cause of the same. Discussion One of most important arguments in opposition of juveniles facing legal execution is the fact that studies have shown that children under the ages of 18 are still in their developmental stages. During this age, juveniles are still immature and they fail to understand the full weight and consequences of their de cision (Siegel & Welsh, 2008). Furthermore, children are more vulnerable to peer-pressure and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. Since they are developmentally different from adults, they fail to control their temptations and impulses, which make it morally incorrect to treat them as adults or blame them for their actions in the same way as adults (Hesse, Lawrence & Hesse, 2009). That is also the reason why 18 years is the minimum age for every big step in life. There are many countries in the world, which do not allow marriage before the age of 18; in fact, some countries and states extend the same to the limit to the age of 21 (Boesky & American Correctional Association, 2002). Moreover, 18 years is also the minimum age for voting, entering into a

American Well Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Well - Assignment Example This leads to resolving medical issues early hence a better quality of life for the patient and reduced costs in the end. Also, a patient can choose a physician of their liking in quick fashion (Internet health care, 2). Apart from physicians and specialists, patients can access services of pharmacists and NPs. The biggest disadvantage of using this platform is that often the doctor will be communicating with the patient via phone or chat and may not obtain all the facts. The result can be offering advice or prescription that is erroneous. Also, the ease with which patient access drugs may not be safe for them since they may omit some information either knowing or unknowingly. Physicians would have preliminary information before they finally meet their patients. This generally means a lot of time being saved hence the physician could attend to more patients. With this system, patient visits are expedited hence improved hospital efficiency. Physicians who are in low demand geographical areas can work with patients elsewhere (Putnam, 34). What this means is more work for them hence better pay. On the down side, data that the physician accesses about a patient may be erroneous because of editing of the same by unreliable persons. This can present serious legal and health issues. Insurance companies can improve their reputation by having such a service. Overall, people are distrustful to insurance companies (Kabbes, 21). By providing a service that is cheap and reliable, some form of goodwill is developed between the insurer and the public. Also, the insurance firms can align their financials with those of the physicians. The results would be better margins for the insurance company. One drawdown, the insurance may encounter logistical problems in incorporating this platform into their already complex system. If not properly streamlined this platform could lead to

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Auditing - Essay Example 2). Inventories should always be stated at the lower cost and the market prices or the net realizable value. The net realizable value is the amount that the asset can fetch as at the reporting date, less the estimated costs required to complete the transaction. These could include selling costs and overhead costs. The values stated in the inventories of Abbey Plc. in the annual report for the year 2014 should be tested adequately to ensure that they are the correct market values of such inventories. Fixed assets are critical items, which the auditor should ascertain and ensure that values attached to them are their correct fair values to be disclosed to the shareholders (Rittenberg et al. 2011, p. 626). Disclosing the values of the fixed assets in excess of their correct fair values would make the financial statements to be overstated; thus provide shareholders with a wrong financial position of their company. Trade and other receivables should be recognized and carried at the lower cost of their original invoiced value and the recoverable amount. In case the time value of money is material, receivables should be carried at the amortized cost. The company should make provisions in situations where there is some adequate evidence that the amount would not be recovered in full. The balances should be written off when the chances of recovery are assessed as being remote (Henning et al. 2007, p. 313). Adequate audit procedures should be done to ensure that the company did not make too much or too little provision to cater for trade and other receivables, which could not be recovered. Also, before writing off bad debts, all the relevant procedures should be followed since some managers may decide to write off debts, which could not be written off with the objective of hiding the correct amount of revenue collected by the company

Cap and Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cap and Trade - Essay Example As per the Cap and Trade law each entity has got a limit to the amount of emissions it can emit, which is set in the form of tons. Because of this the emission to the environment can be easily measured and traded in the pollution market. (www.edf.org ) Another element of the Cap and Trade law, allows the buyers and sellers of the allowances to trade internally. Entities are also given the power to bank the allowance which is not used for future use. (www.edf.org ) The system also makes it mandatory that, each entity has to be very much truthful regarding the number of allowances that it holds and the number of tons that it had emitted to the atmosphere which should be equal after a given period of time. (www.edf.org ) Thus this law is totally aimed at the industries, which are considered as the main contributors of atmospheric pollution in America. The business establishments in America will surely be affected by such a law, since it will put a curb to the level of pollutants they can emit. This could in turn affect the production output of such industries and automobile sector because they need to pay higher, for buying allowances. This could very well result in an increase in the prices of consumer products. The American government is the one who is in favor of the Cap and Trade law, since it will be another way to get money from the general American public and the industrial sectors. (www.washingtonpost.com ) There have been many sectors in the American industry, which are against the Cap and Trade system and these are mainly the Oil refining sector and Trucking industry along with the utilities sector, which will mainly face the brunt of this law. (www.environmentalleader.com ) Â  

Real Beauty Sketches Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Real Beauty Sketches - Assignment Example Repetitions can either be of identical or almost identical words. The phrase ‘Do you think you are more beautiful than you say† has been repeated severally in this film. The film also ends with a similar phrase, ‘you are more beautiful than you think’. Other words from this film, as used by the strangers depict the principle of binary opposition. Each woman describes themselves in a predominantly negative way. Strangers use different phrases such as ‘protruding jaw’, ‘big forehead’, and ‘rounder face’ to mean one and the same characteristic and to answer to the phrase ‘Tell me about your chin’. Some repetition within this film is essential to the theme of the campaign. ‘you are more beautiful than you think’ has been repeated severally to make it known to the women that they are more beautiful than they think, as depicted from the stranger's views.   The things we hear about us from other people may not be of any importance. Some women described their chin from what they were told for instance, ‘my mom told me I had a big jaw’.

HR management challenge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HR management challenge - Essay Example The funds required for the operation of the hospital is obtained from the property taxes on the residents of Dallas. The hospital experiences a huge volume of patients on a regular basis. The hospital beds are laid in the wide hallways. The renovation of the hospital has been proposed by the Dallas County Commissioner’s court by replacement of the old infrastructure with a new 17 storied building in order to provide quality healthcare service that also takes care of patient safety. Real world healthcare human resource management challenge Recently Parkland Memorial Hospital has shown the doors to many of its employees. This has resulted in huge vacancy in the nursing department, which is three times higher than it was a year ago, as per the official figure. More than 400 workers which included registered nurses have left the hospital between November and mid-March. The figure is around 30 per cent more than what was expected. Jim Johnson the new human resource director of the hospital has acknowledged that there is more stress than it had been in the past. Almost all of the workers have left voluntarily, though 101 of them were fired after giving reasons for the same. The reasons which can be stated are tiredness, showing rude behavior to the patients, stealing and unexcused absences. Some of the employees who are underperforming are being made to undergo training to improve their skill. But the problem they are facing is that these employees are choosing to leave voluntarily. The hospital can’t keep the patients happy without keeping the workers happy. They have to motivate the staff. The main problem is the availability of nurses who can leave easily any hospital as they can get a job anywhere. But the main reason of them leaving is that there is an extraordinary amount of workload. To prevent this management have communicated to give retention bonuses to the nurses (JACOBSON, 2012). What has happened thus far and description of the challenge Dr . Thomas Royer who is the interim chief executive officer, have acknowledged that the hospital managers are walking a fine line and taking steps to make necessary changes. They have to put pressure on the employees to improve their performance but at the same time cannot pressurize too much on the employees which will force them to leave the hospital. A registered nurse, who left Parkland, told she was driven by low morale as the rank-and-file workers were blamed for what was wrong in the hospital. They were all treated as incompetent. They were criticized even for the right things they were doing. The employees believed that the main reason the problem was created was due to middle level management. None of the middle level managers were fired. All the blames were put on the employees itself. They left Parkland because they knew what was wrong and nothing was being done to correct it. They felt that the senior level management was not concerned about their issues. Johnson said thou gh the management tried to do their part to help them but it had the opposite effect on the employees. For example if a patient party reported any complaint to the managers regarding employee error which requires a corrective action the employee would feel demoralize by the action taken by them. Morale sunk so low in recent months that the hospital’s pastoral care staff had to begin counseling the employees, not just the patients. The hospital was also struggling to attract new candidates. The present scenario is also affecting their

CRITICAL THINKING PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRITICAL THINKING PROJECT - Essay Example The next section will be an analysis of the strategy required to make my theory of an educated person practical. Malcolm X distinguishes education and schooling in terms of the objectives that each seek to meet. According to him, being educated is about one having an internal drive to read more and discover what has been left out in conventional educational system. For him being educated is more than gaining â€Å"status symbol† which is offered by colleges (Malcolm X 217). This is based on his belief that education outside the formal system ensured he read more and developed increased sensitivity to knowledge propagated by different authors. The relationship between education and the community is found in its ability to empower people and enable them rediscover their position in the world. For instance, Malcolm X’s education was central to discovering the inconsistencies between the truth of African history and negative portrayal of their contribution to human civilization. For Bell Hooks, the process of education involves students learning by internalization of information as opposed to rote learning where students are consumers of knowledge. Therefore, for one to become educated, they must be ready to be active participants in the process of learning. Active participation according to Hooks ensures the learner is able to â€Å"link awareness with practice† (Hooks 14). Hooks see schooling as a process that leads to education of students; however, for the students to be educated, they must be empowered. Hooks advices students to seek education that leads to self-actualization attained through unification of body and mind. The author is against education that seeks to separate body and mind as necessary in wellbeing of the learner. It is only through education that emphasizes union of mind, body and spirit is necessary for the learner to be able to

The Influence of English on My Writing Skills Essay Example for Free

The Influence of English on My Writing Skills Essay I started learning English when I was 10. I found learning foreign language very entertaining, useful and, funny. In a very short time period I learned to speak English quite good and I was able to understand American movies without subtitles. As time was passing, my English was gradually improving and after couple of years I was able to speak it fluently. When it comes to writing, however, I was struggling from the very beginning. Even though I could speak English fluently, I never was really able to print my thoughts on piece of paper. When I was in high school, the English teacher thought that level of my English was among the highest in a class. However, she would never understand my poor performance on written tasks. She was very surprised that I can speak English so well, but still perform poor on essays. In the beginning, the professor though it is due my poor writing skills in general. But, on the other side, my essay grades in Bosnian very excellent, and Bosnian teacher would speak in superlatives about me. So one day, Ana, the English teacher gave me a very interesting task. She first told me to write an essay in Bosnian, and then to use a same topic, and write it in English. I did so, and difference was massive. The Bosnian essay was excellent, and essay written in English not even close as good. We finally found out what was the problem. Although, I was speaking English very well, the most of the words I knew came from different movies and TV shows. The English I was using was mostly made of slang words an terms. It was very good for easy conversation, but not that good for writing. This was a problem that I never completely solved. Despite my writing skills were improving all the time, my English essays were never that good and far away from those written in Bosnian. When it comes to writing the language barrier was insurmountable. The great ideas and thoughts were always coming to my mind, but I was never really able to write them down in English. However, I am pretty sure that I am not the only one with this problem. I think that there are many kids, especially in non-English speaking countries, which have same problems with overcoming language barrier. They all probably have great imagination and great ideas but cannot express them on piece of paper. Overcoming this language barrier was very tough task for me, and I have not finished it yet. Never less, I will keep trying and practicing until my English becomes as good as my Bosnian. I would strongly encourage all other internationals, with same problem, to keep trying and never give up. Because, one day, when we write an English essay and our teacher cannot tell that it’s written by an international; I will know that we made it!

Media Essays Media Traditional Television

Media Essays Media Traditional Television Media Traditional Television Media convergence is inevitable as new media challenges the dominance of traditional media and traditional media reacts to this challenge. Discuss. Introduction Media convergence has become an issue over the last ten years as new technologies such as the Internet and computers have become intermingled with ‘traditional media’ such as television and newspapers. This media convergence transcends social, cultural, economic, technological and industrial changes, all of which will be discussed in the dissertation (Jenkins, 2006, pp. 3-5). This convergence can happen in a number of ways, but the main focus is on the convergence of types of media technology in society and within the media industry itself (Bell, 2006). This is generally thought of as ‘new media’ such as computers colliding with ‘traditional media’ such as television and print media (Franklin, et al, 2008). Apart from the technological convergence, the dissertation will also look at how audiences are engaging and making sense of these technologies. This is often referred to as ‘cultural convergence’ within media (Jenkins, 2008). The problem to be addressed here is whether or not media convergence within technological and cultural terms is inevitable as new media pushes forward and challenges traditional media forms. Although it is clear that technological convergence is occurring, the problem is more complex than this and also includes transitions within culture, the media industry, markets, genres and audiences (Jenkins, 2004, pp. 37-41). Therefore, the problem posed here is how to look at the challenge to traditional media from new media, and how the traditional media is responding. Is this pattern of challenge and response leading to an inevitable convergence of media in all aspects? Methodology In order to answer this question, the researcher will use the method of document analysis throughout the dissertation. Document analysis is a qualitative method of reviewing the content and meaning of texts, and is appropriate in this case because of the accessibility of documented evidence and opinion on the subject of media convergence. A qualitative method is needed in a subject like this because the key elements of research are focused around cultural trends and opinions, technological changes, and not around specifically quantitative elements. Furthermore, as cultural phenomena, texts are the ideal way to review cultural changes within media (Stokes, 2003, pp. 52-54). However, as a subjective medium it can be difficult to use textual analysis, because a hypothesis needs to be formed before beginning the analysis. This will not be a problem in this case though because the problem of media convergence and its supposed inevitability has already been identified as the focus of the dissertation through initial research. Document analysis also allows the researcher to look at the specific cultural and social context of media documents, as well as using primary, secondary and general documents to create a full picture of the research problem. There will be a large focus on primary documents regarding media convergence, media culture and technology within the research (Altheide, 1996, pp. 3-6). Aims and objectives The aim of this essay to give an answer as to the inevitability of media convergence in light of the challenges from new media to traditional media as well as the response from traditional media to this challenge. Firstly, this will involve fully defining media convergence in its various guises and what media convergence on an industrial, cultural, technological, market-based and audience-based level would constitute (Durham and Kellner, 2006). Then there will be a review of the literature on the emergence of new media and its challenge to traditional media in a technological, industrial and cultural sense (Thorburn, Jenkins and Seawell, 2003, pp. 281-314). The section after this will look at the reaction from traditional media to this challenge, and how this has reshaped traditional media fields such as television and print media (Lawson-Borders, pp. 27-43). A section will then examine the issues of media convergence in light of the challenges and responses between traditional and new media. To illustrate some of these challenges in a real-world setting, the case of China’s media climate will be examined. China has undergone a large number of reforms in media over the last ten years and is the issues of convergence are particularly relevant to such a setting of technological, social and industrial change (Hong, 1998, pp. 41-53). From these chapters a conclusion will be drawn with regards to the future inevitability of media convergence in a variety of contexts – technological, cultural, industrial, market-based, and audience-based. Literature Review The emergence of new media and its challenge The major challenge from new media has come from technological innovation over the last ten years, with the emergence of computer technology and the Internet. For the purposes of this dissertation, there will not be a lengthy discussion about what constitutes ‘new’ or ‘old’ media as put forward by Manovich (2001), but rather it will be content with the idea that new media includes computers, the Internet and digital mobile devices as the standard, whereas ‘traditional’ media encompasses print media, television and radio as standards. This new media has significant functional equivalence with traditional media such as print media and television, and is therefore taking some of this market (Adoni and Nossek, 2001, pp. 76-81). Consequently, the competition for audience numbers and cultural significance began. The old ideals and concepts of traditional media have been put under pressure by the flexibility, innovation and new approaches of new media (McQuail, Siune, and Euromedia Research Group, 1998, pp. 1-3). New media forms such as mobile device streaming (Nilsson, Nulden and Olsson, 2001, pp. 34-36), the Internet (Lister, Dovey and Giddings, 2003, pp. 35-37), and news websites and feeds (Digital Spy, 2008) have changed the parameters of what constitutes media in today’s world. Not only has new media changed the technological parameters, but it has changed the market and cultural climate of media as well. There have been questions about how the market needs to respond to new media in terms of regulations –for example how broadband services should be monitored or regulated in media terms (Blackman, 1998, pp. 166-169). Broadcast licensing rules have had to be adapted or reviewed in light of the explosion of new media sources and types around the world, which has caused controversy and disagreement as to how to handle these new mediums (Weare, Levi and Raphael, 2001, pp. 47-55). There has been a change in the way audiences are now viewing media, and with the media and social culture so closely linked this has helped change social attitudes. The likes of MySpace and YouTube are good examples of the way in which new media is challenging social norms generated by traditional media forms. This has stretched to the realm of politics, where new media is now seen as a potentially more effective tool for furthering democratic process than traditional media, despite the conceptual difficulties of putting this into practice (Barnett, 1997, pp. 211-216). Another area that has been changed by this new media challenge is the actual teaching of media and journalism. New media has meant that journalists in traditional media need to understand the new ways of broadcasting and delivering information effectively, particularly in light of how politically controlled the finances and content are of many traditional news media organizations. The education has shifted from traditional media to multi-media (Quinn, 2001, pp. 84-87). Education in other areas is also being influenced by the challenge of new media to traditional media, and has been particularly influential in the field of interactive learning programs (Fallahkhair, 2003). These challenges to traditional media by new media have occurred rapidly, and the effects are wide-ranging. The traditional media world has had to respond to this challenge in order to survive. The reaction from traditional media The reaction from traditional media has not been one of competition or rejection of new media, but an understanding that this type of media is now part of the landscape and needs to be embraced. This is what has led to the so-called ‘convergence’ of media throughout the world over the last ten years. Initially the response from traditional media was one of technological convergence – this was inevitable in the sense that new technologies that can give a competitive edge are always adopted in such an industry where possible. In this case the technological driver was digitalization in terms of television, and the spread of Internet news within printed media (Henten, Falch and Tadayoni, 2003). However, as technology progressed so did cultural and social changes, as well as market changes within the world of media. In order to stay relevant and part of the cutting-edge of culture, traditional media has had to adapt to and converge with new media in terms of policies, techniques and attitude in some area in addition to the technological convergence. The structure for storing media and content has changed as ICT has progressed, and has created the need for traditional media to be more instant in its deployment of content and services (Lindqvist and Siivonen, 2002). Established print media firms have embraced the new media to help expand their services and reach untapped audiences. For example, The Guardian now has a full online media section that allows it to reach a far larger and more varied audience than previously possible through its traditional print publications (Guardian News and Media Limited, 2008). It has also allowed traditional journalists to cover more content than before and express their own views with other journalists. Rather than being run by big business, convergent press forms such as journalism sites are now run by journalists themselves (European Journalism Centre, 2008). The resources available for the consumers and journalists have increased drastically, as has the ease with which information can be accessed (ABC, 2008, and Future Foundation, 2008). This is not simply down to the emergence of new media, but the convergence of new and traditional media. The nature of traditional media advertising has also been changed, with print media companies now creating websites and online services to complement their traditional print forms (WARC, 2008, and Zenith Optimedia, 2008). The industry has also responded by broadening the scope of its regulations and research to encompass these new media types (Advertising Research Foundation, 2008), and in some cases create whole new sites and companies devoted to media convergence and advertising (Haymarket Media, 2008). Media advertising has moved from the realms of print and television to become an interactive, digital and global source online (European Interactive Advertising Association, 2008). The traditional media of television has also responded by converging with new media technologies and attitudes. OFCOM now has a website, and deals with not only traditional TV and radio regulations but now has newer wireless and online communications regulations in place (OFCOM, 2008). Perhaps most crucially the convergence has allowed for television audiences to be more widely recognized and understood. It is now easier to monitor audience trends, and this information is now available not only to traditional media industry professionals but new media consumers, users and creators as well (BARB, 2008, and Screen Digest, 2008). The response from traditional media has not been to fight back on its own, but to merge with new media in order to take advantage of its benefits. Issues of media convergence As can be seen, media convergence is and was inevitable in technological terms because of the need of traditional media to compete with the innovations of new media as well. However, it is not yet clear how far this convergence goes, and whether or not full media convergence on a cultural, market-based, audience-based and industrial level is occurring or will occur. The bar has been set by new media companies in terms of innovation, and it seems that although a number of companies within traditional media are following this example (Lawson-Borders, 2003, pp. 98-99), the traditional media industry itself is perhaps more focused on technological convergence than a complete convergence of attitudes and processes. The major effect of convergence at this time appears to be the digitalization of traditional media. Although this has not completely changed the way in which traditional journalism is handled, it has changed its presentation and also blurred the lines between larger corporations and smaller entities (Kawamoto, 2003, pp. 5-12). Evidence of this can be seen in recent worldwide news stories where new and traditional Medias became visibly interdependent. The Virginia Tech massacre is one such example, perhaps the first of its kind. In this case the new media and traditional media fed off each other for information and opinion, and not just in a technological sense. Whilst some question the strain in ethical boundaries such convergence causes, it is clear that convergence can and will occur in more than just a technological form (Garofoli, 2007). However, it is still not clear whether complete media convergence is in fact inevitable. It seems that much might depend upon the consequences of such a convergence (Anderson and Elckelman, 1999), as well as the reaction from audiences and culture as a whole (Wilkinson, 2008). China, media and convergence China is a good example of how convergence has come about in a real-world setting. As with other areas of the world, China’s convergence issues are seen as convergence of technologies to create multi-media networks (Ure and Xiong-Jian, 1999, p. 17) However, the pace of convergence and change has perhaps been more rapid than in places such as the UK or US, with tighter government controls on media in place. In order to maintain a balance between the traditional and new media, China has had to move further towards complete convergence than some other countries. However, there is still a long way to go in China with regards to convergence, particularly in terms of cultural issues such as the heterogeneous development of cultures and attitudes. China shows that whilst technological and market-driven media convergence may be inevitable, the inevitability of complete convergence depends upon political and cultural issues associated with audience reactions and needs as well as the slow-changing institutions of power behind traditional media (Donald, Keane, and Hong, 2002, pp. 3-7). Although perhaps not as extreme as the Chinese situations of ‘dissident vs., state’, it is true that convergence on levels other than technological and financial is perhaps not inevitable, even it is seems extremely probable at this point (Akhavan-Majid, 2004, pp. 553-555). The next step for media convergence is certainly to create a regulatory system that allows traditional and new media forms to combine in a way that allows not only technological innovations but differing attitudes, viewpoints and market goals to converge (Tan, 1999, 271-275). Bibliography ABC., 2008. ABC Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.abc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=nav/abcbreadcrumbonly=ydf=yp=type=mainmenuid= (Accessed 20th August 2008). Adoni, H., and Nossek, H., 2001. The new media consumers: Media convergence and the displacement effect. Communications, 26(1), pp. 59-83. Advertising Research Foundation., ARF Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.thearf.org/ (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Akhavan-Majid, R., 2004. Mass Media Reform in China. Gazette, 66(6), pp. 553-565. Altheide, D.L., 1996. Qualitative Media Analysis: Qualitative Media Analysis (p) plugged-in Research. London: SAGE. Anderson, J.W., and Elckelman, D.F., 1999. Media convergence and its consequences. Middle East Insight, March/April 1999, pp. 59-61. Barnett, S., 1997. New Media, Old Problems. European Journal of Communication, 12(2), pp. 193-218. Bell, E., 2006. Media convergence is the buzz, but who knows what it means?. The Guardian, Saturday 15th July, 2006. Blackman, C.R., 1998. Convergence between telecommunications and other media How should regulation adapt?. Telecommunications Policy, 22(3), pp. 163-170. Broadcast Audience Research Board Limited., 2008. BARB Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.barb.co.uk/index1.cfm (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Digital Spy., 2008. Digital Spy RSS News Feed. (Online). Available at: http://syndication.digitalspy.co.uk/rss_news/dsmedianews.xml (Accessed 23rd August 2008). Donald, S.H., Keane, M., and Hong, Y., 2002. Media in China: Consumption, Content and Crisis. London: Routledge. Durham, M.G., and Kellner, D., 2006. Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. European Interactive Advertising Association., 2008. EIAA Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.eiaa.net/index.asp (Accessed 21st August 2008). European Journalism Centre., 2008. EJC Newsletter and Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.ejc.net/ (Accessed 23rd August 2008). Fallahkhair, S., 2003. Media convergence: An architecture for iTV and mobile phone based interactive language learning. School of Computing and Information Sciences. Available at: http://eprints.brighton.ac.uk/2883/01/Mediaconverge.pdf Franklin, M., et al. 2008. Debate: Will Web and Television Converge? (Online). Available at: http://graphics.stanford.edu/~bjohanso/cs448/ (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Future Foundation., 2008. Future Foundation Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.futurefoundation.net/publications.php?disp=462 (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Garofoli, J., 2007. Viriginia Tech Massacre: New-media culture challenges limits of journalism ethics. San Francisco Chronicle, April 20th, 2007. Guardian News and Media Limited., 2008. The Guardian Online. (Online). Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Haymarket Media., 2008. Brand Republic. (Online). Available at: http://www.brandrepublic.com/ (Accessed 22nd August 2008). Henten, A., Falch, M., and Tadayoni, R., 2003. Some Implications for Regulation of ICT and Media Convergence. World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economies (WDR). Available at: http://www.regulateonline.org/2003/pdf/wdr0202.pdf Hong, J., 1998. The Internationalization of Television in China: The Evolution of Ideology, Society, and Media Since the Reform. Westport, CT: Praeger. Jenkins, H., 2004. The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 7(1), pp. 33-43. Jenkins, H., 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press. Jenkins, H., 2008. Media Convergence. (Online). Available at: http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/converge.html (Accessed 21st August 2008). Kawamoto, K., 2003. Digital Journalism: Emerging Media and the Changing Horizons of Journalism. Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield. Lawson-Borders, G., 2003. Integrating New Media and Old Media: Seven Observations of Convergence as a Strategy for Best Practices in Media Organizations. JMM – The International Journal on Media Management, 5(2), pp. 91-99. Lawson-Borders, G., 2005. Media Organizations and Convergence: Case Studies of Media Convergence Pioneers. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Lindqvist, U., and Siivonen, T., 2002. Integration and Convergence in the Media Field. Paper from the 29th IARIGAI Research Conference on September 8-11, 2002 at the Lake of Lucerne, Switzerland. Available at: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/julkaisut/muut/2002/iarigai2002.pdf Lister, M., Dovey, J., and Giddings, S., 2003. New Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge. Manovich, L., 2001. The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. McQuail, D., Siune, K., and Euromedia Research Group., 1998. Media Policy: Convergence, Concentration, and Commerce. London: SAGE. Nilsson, A., Nulden, U., and Olsson, D., 2001. Mobile Media: The Convergence of Media and Mobile Communications. Convergence: The Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 7(1), pp.34-38. OFCOM., 2008. Office of Communications Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/ (Accessed 20th August 2008). Quinn, S., 2001. Media convergence: Implications for journalism education. Australian Studies in Journalism, 10-11, pp. 84-105. Screen Digest., 2008. Screen Digest Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.screendigest.com/ (Accessed 21st August 2008). Stokes, J.C., 2003. How to do media and cultural studies. London: SAGE. Tan, Z., 1999. Regulating China’s Internet: convergence toward a coherent regulatory regime. Telecommunications Policy, 23(3-4), pp.261-276. Thorburn, D., Jenkins, H., and Seawell, B., 2003. Rethinking Media Change: The Aesthetics of Transition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Ure, J., and Xiong-Jian, L., 1999. Convergence and China’s National Information Infrastructure. In M.Hukill, R.Ono and C.Vallath eds. Electronic Communication Convergence: Policy Challenges in Asia, Singapore. Available at: http://www.trp.hku.hk/papers/2001/china_convergence.pdf WARC., 2008. World Advertising Research Centre. (Online). Available at: http://www.warc.com/Default.asp?ID=1 (Accessed 21st August 2008). Weare, C., Levis, T., and Raphael, J., 2001. Media Convergence and the Chilling Effect of Broadcast Licensing. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 6(3), pp. 47-70. Wilkinson, J.S., 2008. Media Convergence and the Implications for Audiences, Institutions, and Journalism Education. (Online). Available at: http://www.rthk.org.hk/mediadigest/20080415_76_121820.html (Accessed August 23rd 2008). Zenith Optimedia., 2008. Marketer’s Portal. (Online). Available at: http://www.marketersportal.com/ (Accessed 21st August 2008).

Paul Cronan and New England Telephone Company Case Analysis Essay

Paul Cronan and New England Telephone Company Case Analysis Legal Case Analysis Facts: ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Cronan was a long-term New England Telephone Company (NET) employee (1973 - 1986), assigned at South Boston. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul was diagnosed with AIDS Related Complex (ARC) in 1985. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul informed his supervisor about ARC when asked about his third request to leave work for a medical appointment (1985). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul had a poor attendance history. His tardiness and medical appointments concerned his supervision. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul was granted NET sickness benefits in June 1985. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Disparaging comments about Paul and AIDS were observed in NET restrooms (summer 1985). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul obtained medical permission to return to work with NET, but his requests for transfer way from the South Boston dispatch center were not processed by his new supervisor (August 1885). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NET issues new AIDS policy (September 1985). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul is hospitalized (September 1985), and receives a memo from NET offering to return him to his previous position with reasonable accommodation for limitations. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul files suit against NET for ?privacy law violations? and ?discrimination? using Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (December 1985). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NET tried to move the case to Federal court and failed (January 1986). The court determined that neither federal law nor union contracts preempted Massachusetts state laws on discrimination and privacy. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NET informs Paul his illness benefits have run out and place him on long-term disability (June 1986). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul and NET settle out of court, including allowing Paul to return to work at Needham facility (October 1886). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AIDS awareness training provided to NET personnel at Needham by medical AIDS specialists before Paul comes back to work (October 1986). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Paul?s first day back at NET Needham, he finds a hostile work environment and IBEW Local 2222 workers file a grievance over safety concerns related to exposure to AIDS (October 1986). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Paul?s second day back to work, 29 of 39 employees refused to enter the NET Needham facility and walked off the job. Several of these employees made statements regarding their fear AIDS and discomfort around Cronan (October 1986). Critical Legal Issues: ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Was Paul Cronan discriminated against on the basis of a handicap, AIDS? ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Was AIDS/ARC a handicap? ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ... a large sum of money to go away (the easy way out). ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NET could have accommodated Paul immediately and used his services doing something that prevented or limited his contact with employees or other people. This may have been a breech of union contract. Judgement and Rationale: ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once errors were made and the damage was done, NET was best served by taking the actions they did in settling out of court with Paul Cronan. This minimized the extent of financial loss, and prevented further tarnishing their corporate image. In this case it was NETs responsibility to do the right thing from the beginning. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   NET would have lost the legal battle in court. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 19732 clearly prohibits discrimination in employment against qualified individuals with a disability. Like the ADA, a qualified individual with a disability is a person who: (1) has a physical or mental impairment which ?substantially limits? one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of such impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. In this case the court would likely have determined that AIDS and the perception of AIDS qualified it as a disability.

Technology and Beckett’s Play, Krapp’s Last Tape Essay -- Krapp’s Last

Technology and Beckett’s Play, Krapp’s Last Tape â€Å"bois seul bouffe brà »le crà ªve seul comme devant les absents sont morts les prà ©sents puent sors tes yeux dà ©tourne-les sur les roseaux se taquinent-ils ou les aà ¯s pas la peine il y a le vent et l’à ©tat de veille†[1][1] -Samuel Beckett, Untitled As an avant-garde writer and a trend starter, Beckett was intensely in touch with his own time and its most significant realities, one of which being technological progress. In his play Krapp’s Last Tape, first performed in 1958, we meet yet another one of his spiritually crippled and disillusioned characters: Krapp, an old recluse. Krapp is alone on the stage, seconded only by a tape player/recorder. As an embodiment of his memory, the machine completes Krapp and provides him with a link to his past, a grounding force which serves to give him a stronger presence. Ultimately, however, Krapp is no better off than analogous characters in Beckett’s work. Whatever crumbs of hope the machine may bring, the core of the human problem is still the human condition, and that itself may not be changed by any form of insight into the past, however clear. â€Å"A late evening in the future.† starts Beckett’s script of Krapp’s Last Tape. One needs not to imagine what this future is like; if this indication is significant at all, its meaning does not exist has a stage direction to be interpreted creatively by the theatrical director. Rather, this indication concerns the whole mood and pace of the play; this is to be the future; that time or state after all that we may have planned or expected has passed. The world which Krapp inhabits is far away from our own; his â€Å"den† might as well be on another p... ...t or indirect manner. In fact, one would be in the right to propound the contrary; that the machine, in Beckett’s opinion, is a distraction from the meaningful aspects of existence, a superficial solution to the real problems of life. Works Cited and Consulted Astro, Alan. Understanding Samuel Beckett. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 1992. Beckett, Samuel. Collected Poems in English and French. New-York: Grover Press, 1977. Beckett, Samuel. Endgame. New-York: Grove Press, 1970. Beckett, Samuel. Krapp’s Last Tape and Embers. London, Faber and Faber,1968. Beckett, Samuel. Beckett: The Complete Short Prose,1929-1989 ed. S.E. Gontarski. New-York: Grove Press, 1995. Durozoi, Gà ©rard. Prà ©sence littà ©raire : Beckett. Paris: Bordas, 1972. Notes 1 Collected Poems in English and French, 45. 2 The Complete Short Prose, xi 3 Durozoi, 101

Never Giving Up

It has been said that life can never be carried out and truly lived to its fullest unless there has been some sort of suffering and pain. Mistakes are to be learned from, and a hard past can only result in a stronger present. Though many might find themselves alone in their misery the truth is they are not, everyone has struggles. We all have our ups and downs, but it is how we react to them that truly matters. Life is life and no matter what, giving up on lifelong dreams and aspirations because of a few bumps in the road should never be an option. It isn't where you come from; it's where your going that counts,† stated a very wise woman by the name of Ella Fitzgerald. This may be hard to believe but even people with great success like Ella Fitzgerald, can come from a troubled background. Before her career took off, this superstar Jazz singer known as the â€Å"first lady of song† was just another troubled teen forced to cope with the early separation of her parents. Fro m there things only got worse for Ella and in 1993, her mother died from injuries she had suffered from a car accident. It was not long before tragedy struck Ella's life once again, this time she mourned the loss of her mother's boyfriend and her half sister's father. From there it was all down hill for this sixteen year old and it was not long before she found herself in trouble with the law. â€Å"You may be disappointed if you fail but your doomed if you don't try. † These words spoken by Beverly Sills had to have somehow found their way into Ella's head because no matter what came her way, she did not give up. With a little patience, Ella was on to launching one of the largest music careers in the business. Perfection is boring, if a face doesn't have a mistake it's nothing,† stated Kevyn Aucoin. Nowadays, the success of those emerging from a troubled past is greater than ever. After all, who could forget American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino's shocking past confessions in her enormously famous autobiography, â€Å"The Fantasia Barrino Story; Life is not a Fairy Tale? † Fantasi a's traumatizing childhood seemed to be weaved with stories of pain, lies, and betrayal everywhere she turned. At an early age, Fantasia was a victim of rape and divorce. She pursued a music career in her small town of North Carolina but found that she just did not tand out from among the other teens. With low self-esteem, it was not long before Fantasia fell into the wrong crowd and found herself a seventeen-year-old, pregnant, illiterate, high school drop out. Fantasia faced a lot of criticism when she was considered for America's idol, but she did not let that bother her and continued on to become an idol for those who like her have come from a hard background. Like Helen Keller once said, â€Å"No Pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an unchartered land. † Fantasia Barrino has proven that â€Å"life is not a Fairy Tale† but you can sure make it one. It is not just celebrities that can overcome a troubled past and live up to their potential it is also people just like us. Who knows, the big shot lawyer next door could have been the one bullied in school and told time and time again that he was not good enough. It is all about strength and perseverance, believe despite the odds and what others say. To find success in the outside world you must first find it in yourself. In Ella Fitzgerald's own words, â€Å"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. â€Å"

Hca/210 Final Project Wk 9

My Proposal for a New Health Care System Alyssa Zacharias HCA/210 March 28, 2010 Joan Lewis {pcut:paragraph_to_cut} A vision for a new health care system would be guaranteed affordable health care to all Americans. Our medical care is good, but the system which the care is financed is extremely inefficient, unfair, and extremely bad. Americans remain uninsured, due to the high cost of health care coverage, not just to the family finances, but to corporate American’s bottom line as well. The United States spends much more share of its economy on health care than any other nation, and yet has failed Americans with the one thing that health insurance is suppose to provide: health security. To avoid recurring dismissal of previous campaigns, this new health care system will provide a successful agenda taken seriously the political constraints, and organizational realities that have hamstrung reform efforts in the past. This system will build on the most popular elements of the present structure; (Medicare and employment-based health insurance) making changes that are self-reinforced, straightforward, and guaranteed health security. ( Hacker, S. Jacob, January 11, 2007) My new health care system will expand coverage, create better incentives for quality and efficiency, and link health insurance to individuals, rather than to their place of employment. It will be guided with personal responsibility for one’s own health as well as being ensured the health and welfare of all our citizens. It would make health insurance mandatory for all U. S. citizens, offering subsidies to help defray the cost of premiums. Our American citizens would benefit the most from this new health care system. A failure to act rising health care costs will jeopardize our public’s health and undercut out international competitiveness. A failure to make affordable health changes available to our Americans who are currently uninsured is morally indefensible. If we use this new health care system, we will be lowering the health care costs and the premium costs of medication. This will suit the needs of all American citizens, with low income or no income that have little or no health coverage at all. (Nichols, Len, July 2007) My new health care system would not have any existing populations with disadvantages, there would be an affordable plan for all American citizens, and this new system would leave no individual uninsured. Each American citizen will have coverage for their medical and medication needs, with affordable premium plans to suit their budgets. This new proposal would solve current challenges such as; 1) access to health care- the first major challenge, people being uninsured are less likely to receive appropriate care, for such things as chronic illnesses, and are more likely to die from diseases. 2) cost- the evidence suggests that the cost of health care in the United States is greater than necessary to allow us to achieve the levels of health and longevity we now enjoy. Insurance companies and the government play such prominent roles in financial health care, patients and doctors have less incentive to consider the extra costs of optional tests or treatments. Taking on this fist challenge we will take in consideration that the uninsured are not all alike; they include people, who have low income, people who are not poor but have costly health conditions, those employed but don’t get offered an group health insurance. Taking on the second challenge, could be the challenge hard to overcome. Increasing access or improving quality, may increase rather than reduce total cost. Patients, doctors, and hospitals must be given incentives for choosing cost-effective approaches. The best way to reduce the financial burdens in our health care system is to deliver cost-effective health care throughout the entire system. Today with the diversity of people, companies can’t create just one benefits program that meets everyone’s needs. The employer decides how much money it will allot per employee for the year for benefits; once that figure is assigned the employees can research and compare the costs of various health insurance options. (Bernanke, S. Ben, June 16, 2008) In conclusion this new health care system would provide affordable and reliable health care for every American. This would also provide the much needed coverage for those who need it the most. Having health coverage for every American would also cut down on the amount of people who wait to see a doctor until they are too ill, who then have to go into the emergency room, which then costs the health care system and government more money. (Bernanke, S. Ben, June 16, 2008) http://www. federalreserve. gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20080616a. htm (Hacker, S. Jacob, January 11, 2007) http://sharedprosperity. org/bp180. html (Nichols, Len, July 2007) http://www. newamericannet/publications/policy/sustainable_health_system_all_americans

Accounting Fraud at Worldcom

Accounting Fraud at WorldCom LDDS began operations in 1984 offering services to local retail and commercial customers in the southern states. It was initially a loss making enterprise, and thus hired Bernie J. (Bernie) Ebbers to run things. It took him less than a year to make the company profitable. By the end of 1993, LDDS was the fourth largest long distance carrier in the United States. After a shareholder vote in May 1995, the company officially came to be known as WorldCom. WorldCom culture was dominated by a strong chief executive officer (Bernie J. Bernie) Ebbers), who was given virtually unfettered discretion to commit vast amounts of shareholder resources and determine corporate direction without even the slightest scrutiny or meaningful deliberation or analysis by senior management or the board of directors and legal function was less influential and less welcome than in a healthy corporate environment. Top hierarchy granted compensation and bonus beyond the company guidel ines to a select group of individuals based on their loyalty to them.The company’s human resource virtually never objected to such special awards. Inaddition, there was no outlet for employees to express their concerns. The room four improvement and corrective measures was obsolete, the consequence of all these culture irregularities were the factor to the big disaster for the company. According to Ebber, in 1997,†our goal is to be the NO. 1 stock on Wall Street. †Revenue growth was a key to increasing the company’s market value. Ebbers was obsessed with revenue growth and insisted on a 42% E/R ratio.He encouraged managers to push for revenue, even if it meant that long term costs would outweigh the short term gains. As business operations declined post the 1st quarter in 2000, CFO Sullivan used accounting tactics to achieve targeted performance, accounting principles require companies to estimate expected payments from line costs and match them with revenu es in the income statement,. Throughout 1999 and 2000, Sullivan told staff to release accruals which too high compared to the relative cash payments, without considered â€Å"Matching Principe†.Over a 7 quarter period between 1999 and 2000, WorldCom released $3. 3 billion worth of accruals. Sullivan directed the making of accounting entries that had no basis in generally accepted accounting principles in order to create the false appearance that WorldCom had achieved those revenue targets. As an accountant, one should be familiar with the standards and rules of the position, accept personal responsibilities for the foreseeable consequence of actions, and realize the long-term effect of such behavior on the accounting industry and the citizens.At all times, an accountant should conduct themselves with integrity, dignity, and respect for the position held in society. Whistleblowers frequently face reprisal, sometimes at the hands of the organization or group which they have acc used, sometimes from related organizations, and sometimes under law. | As Terance Miethe explains in his book, Whistle blowing at Work, many people see the whistleblower as a â€Å"snitch,† or a â€Å"a lowlife who betrays a sacred trust largely for personal gain. † In the flip side, whistleblowers are seen as â€Å"saviors† who ultimately helped create important changes in organizations.This approach to whistleblowers as guardians of public accountability is often taken by consumer advocates. I would not consider blowing the whistle. I would rather distance myself after informing my immediate supervisor if any wrong practice or misconduct similar to the WorldCom Fraud is happening in my environment. Public confidence in the accounting profession has been changed by corporate scandals, which created a crisis that affected the reputation and credibility of accounting professionals.The unethical decisions made by accountants can prove detrimental to the public who rely on information from the financial statements to make decisions. Users of financial statements rely on the information purported by an enterprise to exhibit certain qualitative characteristics that are both relevant and reliable. The impact of unethical decisions of both corporate leaders and accounting firms involving financial reporting by U. S. orporations has necessitated a new governmental regulation under SOX Act of 2002. President Bush signed this Act into law (Public Law 107-204) on July 30, 2002. The Act resulted in major changes to compliance practices of large U. S. and non-U. S. companies, whose securities are listed or traded on U. S. stock exchanges, requiring executives, boards of directors and external auditors to undertake measures to implement greater accountability, responsibility and transparency of financial reporting. Accounting Fraud at Worldcom Accounting Fraud at WorldCom LDDS began operations in 1984 offering services to local retail and commercial customers in the southern states. It was initially a loss making enterprise, and thus hired Bernie J. (Bernie) Ebbers to run things. It took him less than a year to make the company profitable. By the end of 1993, LDDS was the fourth largest long distance carrier in the United States. After a shareholder vote in May 1995, the company officially came to be known as WorldCom. WorldCom culture was dominated by a strong chief executive officer (Bernie J. Bernie) Ebbers), who was given virtually unfettered discretion to commit vast amounts of shareholder resources and determine corporate direction without even the slightest scrutiny or meaningful deliberation or analysis by senior management or the board of directors and legal function was less influential and less welcome than in a healthy corporate environment. Top hierarchy granted compensation and bonus beyond the company guidel ines to a select group of individuals based on their loyalty to them.The company’s human resource virtually never objected to such special awards. Inaddition, there was no outlet for employees to express their concerns. The room four improvement and corrective measures was obsolete, the consequence of all these culture irregularities were the factor to the big disaster for the company. According to Ebber, in 1997,†our goal is to be the NO. 1 stock on Wall Street. †Revenue growth was a key to increasing the company’s market value. Ebbers was obsessed with revenue growth and insisted on a 42% E/R ratio.He encouraged managers to push for revenue, even if it meant that long term costs would outweigh the short term gains. As business operations declined post the 1st quarter in 2000, CFO Sullivan used accounting tactics to achieve targeted performance, accounting principles require companies to estimate expected payments from line costs and match them with revenu es in the income statement,. Throughout 1999 and 2000, Sullivan told staff to release accruals which too high compared to the relative cash payments, without considered â€Å"Matching Principe†.Over a 7 quarter period between 1999 and 2000, WorldCom released $3. 3 billion worth of accruals. Sullivan directed the making of accounting entries that had no basis in generally accepted accounting principles in order to create the false appearance that WorldCom had achieved those revenue targets. As an accountant, one should be familiar with the standards and rules of the position, accept personal responsibilities for the foreseeable consequence of actions, and realize the long-term effect of such behavior on the accounting industry and the citizens.At all times, an accountant should conduct themselves with integrity, dignity, and respect for the position held in society. Whistleblowers frequently face reprisal, sometimes at the hands of the organization or group which they have acc used, sometimes from related organizations, and sometimes under law. | As Terance Miethe explains in his book, Whistle blowing at Work, many people see the whistleblower as a â€Å"snitch,† or a â€Å"a lowlife who betrays a sacred trust largely for personal gain. † In the flip side, whistleblowers are seen as â€Å"saviors† who ultimately helped create important changes in organizations.This approach to whistleblowers as guardians of public accountability is often taken by consumer advocates. I would not consider blowing the whistle. I would rather distance myself after informing my immediate supervisor if any wrong practice or misconduct similar to the WorldCom Fraud is happening in my environment. Public confidence in the accounting profession has been changed by corporate scandals, which created a crisis that affected the reputation and credibility of accounting professionals.The unethical decisions made by accountants can prove detrimental to the public who rely on information from the financial statements to make decisions. Users of financial statements rely on the information purported by an enterprise to exhibit certain qualitative characteristics that are both relevant and reliable. The impact of unethical decisions of both corporate leaders and accounting firms involving financial reporting by U. S. orporations has necessitated a new governmental regulation under SOX Act of 2002. President Bush signed this Act into law (Public Law 107-204) on July 30, 2002. The Act resulted in major changes to compliance practices of large U. S. and non-U. S. companies, whose securities are listed or traded on U. S. stock exchanges, requiring executives, boards of directors and external auditors to undertake measures to implement greater accountability, responsibility and transparency of financial reporting.

Jackal Reaction Paper

In â€Å"Moral Mazes†, Robert Jackal explores the elements of bureaucracy and its influencing prevailing form in the American work environment in the different organizational levels of hierarchy. Upon reading this businesses best seller, I was very skeptical about Jackal’s research and ideas. Jackal’s study, scrutinizing only a handful of large and mid-sized companies, gave me the impression of lack of breadth. However, the meticulous and depth of the study of each of these organizations truly gave me a great sense of credulousness.Although I believe that not all the companies behave the way Jackal portrays his selected companies, they do illustrate common aspects that I can observe in real corporations and in my own work place. This reaction paper will explore specific areas of â€Å"Moral Mazes† that illustrate organizational culture in American businesses and how bureaucratic organizational structure maps out moral consciousness that relate directly to my personal and professional life. These specific areas of discussion include: inner circles and connections; decentralization and accountability; team player versus self-promotion; and finally, image and public illusion.Jackall introduces Max Weber’s description of the Protestant ethic as to the set of beliefs and binding social rules that guide the methodical, rational subjection of human impulse and desire to God’s will through â€Å"restless, continuous, systematic work in a worldly calling† (Jackall, 2010, p. 6). Furthermore, Jackall presents Weber’s Prussian model of bureaucracy, which is objective, close to detail, standardized, impersonal and separates the offices from persons (Jackall, 2010, p. 10).I agree with Jackall that these two terms, Protestant ethic and the Prussian model of bureaucracy, are idealistic systems in which any kind organization would run efficiently and smoothly. The reason why I support these ideas is because I believe hard work, like the Protestant ethic preaches, can lead someone towards success. Moreover, with Weber’s Prussian model of bureaucracy, processes would be fair and objective. Unfortunately, I also believe that these are not the sole ingredients to succeed. Protestant ethics eventually lead people to accumulate wealth, which then sparked a domino effect towards bureaucracy.Jackall describes patrimonial bureaucracy, which was the organizational form of kings and princes, as personal loyalty being the norm, not loyalty to an office (Jackall, 2010, p. 11). However, modern American organizations are administrated as a hybrid between the pure form of bureaucracy and the patrimonial bureaucracy (Jackall, 2010, p. 11). This leads me into my first point of inner circles and connections. Even Jackall himself ironically channeled through bureaucratic elevators through the core of his study that was the basis of this book.Originally, Jackall was rejected by thirty six different corporations th at did not want to be ethically studied and gave suspicious excuses like they were going through â€Å"transitional phases† and that there were no tangible organizational benefits to be gained from a study of managerial ethics. Talking to the right people however, Jackall was â€Å"vouched for† and was able to penetrate several high ranked executives in the few companies that he meticulously studied as well as gained the trust of many managers that gave him great insight upon ethical issues within their organizations.Jackall illustrates this â€Å"if you know people, you’ll go to places† idea once again in Chapter 2 with the example of Weft Corporation’s new CEO who staffed all key positions with people form his inner circles as well as with people who served under him in the Army during World War II (Jackal, 2010 p. 35). I agree with Jackall that connections can lead you to places because I have a friend that got a very prestigious managerial posi tion in a big insurance company in Canada where his uncle is currently CEO.When CEO’s have power it is said to be a centralized business, however, decentralization creates a more efficient spectrum in the business side of the organization. As Jackall states, decentralization pushes down responsibilities and decisions as far down the organizational line as possible (Jackall, 2010, p. 18). In a decentralized structure, it gives top executives to take credit for positive outcomes and wash their hands when there are failures by pushing down details along with responsibilities and decisions. This was the case with Enron and the top executives playing dumb when everyone was trying to point fingers.For example, Kenneth Lay, former CEO and chairman of Enron, genuinely believed and accepted that he did not know anything about the Enron scandals and procedures. This is an example of lack of accountability and how pushing down details allows superiors to get off the hook. Another import ant consequence that pushing down of details create is the fact that middle managers, who know the details, become the â€Å"point men† or â€Å"fall guys† when things go wrong (Jackal, 2010, p. 22). This lack of accountability is truly disturbing and unfair.In my old job at a stainless steel company where I worked in the marketing department, a coworker got blamed for missing a deadline that was not clearly stated by her manager. She almost ended up losing her job and, instead of being accountable for the mistake, her manager blamed her for not paying close attention to her instructions. My next point of discussion involves the relationship between being a â€Å"team player† and the concept of â€Å"every man for himself†. Like Jackall states that, in order to get ahead, one must be a team player. Jackall uses an analogy where a football team is the organization.For example, the quarter back is the boss and a player is anyone who has a stake in and is in volved in a decision, etc. I only partially agree with Jackall’s view where being a team player will get you ahead because in some way one must play as a team and cooperate with one another in order to reach similar goals. However, I lean more towards Jackall’s cynical and somber reality of individuality and self-promotion. I believe that one can get ahead by how he presents himself and how well he sells himself. Like Jackall explains, one sells oneself and will differentiate from others with the right style (Jackall, 2010, p. 0). I recently got an internship with Northwestern Mutual. They are currently ranked in the top ten internship programs in the country. I personally do not have a stacked up resume or anything like that, but I sold myself very well in the initial interview, presented myself even better and left them with a memorable first impression. In order to leave a lasting and impressive self-brand one must â€Å"dress for success†. Like Jackall descr ibes, bureaucracies not only rationalize work, buy they rationalize people’s public face (Jackall, 2010, p. 49). I could not agree more with Jackall on this idea.I believe that image and professionalism separates the dominating and strong from the weak. Even if it is a facade, external appearances are critical. This part of the â€Å"mask† that Jackall mentions throughout this book. In relation to image Jackall mentions public perception or illusion in one of his interviews: â€Å"The whole thing becomes a complicated game of maintaining the public perception, the illusion really, that I’m on the move† (Jackall, 2010, p. 47). I believe that task oriented skills will only get you so far, but it is the perception that you have on others what is truly going to propel you.Concluding this paper, I want to remark the importance of networking, connections and relationships one nurtures throughout one’s personal and professional career. One never knows whi ch will become an important stepping-stone towards a successful and happy career. In relation to decentralizing organizations, it is easy for top executives to wash their hands when something goes wrong. Being accountable not only shows character, it is also the right thing to do. Moreover, balancing both factors of â€Å"team player† and â€Å"self-promotion† not only will one have a strong equilibrium but will also maintain the right tools to get ahead successfully.Finally, wearing that â€Å"mask† and portraying the illusion to maintain a strong image is a dependable skill worth polishing and implementing. I originally thought of Moral Mazes as a difficult read due to the sophisticated and eloquent language used by Jackall, but I quickly caught into it, especially re-reading certain sections after our class discussions. It really surprised me how people’s perceptions differ throughout the different situational and moral dilemmas. Even though it is fina ncially difficult to achieve, it would be interesting to read a large-scale study version of Moral Mazes.

Personal life Essay

Dance; a body of expression, a medium of communication, happiness and love. Dance is my passion. I am a trained Bharata Natyam dancer. I am proud to be an Indian because of its rich culture and heritage. In Bharata Natyam Bha i. e Bhaava (expression), Ra i. e Ragha (rhythm) and Ta i. e Taal (beat) are the basic components of a dance. There are seven different classical dance forms in india – Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri and Kathak. I am blessed to be a part of this culture. It is my mother who developed this art in me. I have also learnt other dance forms such as Western and Folk. It is through dance that I find inner peace and true happiness. This art form gave me beautiful opportunities. I have represented my country in Dubai, France and Finland International festivals. Being a part of these festivals made me realize even if we have language barrier the language of dance bridged the gap between us. I’ve explored many cultures, their way of living, their way of life through this art. Dance needs no interpretation. Dance is also one of the strongest medium to pass a message. I believe one must use this art for a good cause. Famous dancers such as Hema Malini, Helen, Vayjantimala, Shri Gopal Krishna, Smt Rukhmani Devi, Shri Birju Maharaj are respected for their contribution. Dance taught me to correct myself. It has developed in me the ability of working towards excellence. I’ve acquired certain skills from this art which I believe are my competencies as a manger such as confidence, self-presentation, and an ability to cope with criticism and learn from it. As a performer I have an open mind and the ability to move beyond boundaries and experiment with different ideas. Every human being has a purpose for his existence. I believe my purpose is to spread love and happiness and do my bit for the society. I wish to make my parents proud. I wish to make this world a better place in my own little way. I wish to stay in your hearts forever!!

Improving Interactions between Meeting Planners and Hotel Employees Research Paper

Improving Interactions between Meeting Planners and Hotel Employees - Research Paper Example The results of the primary research will be compared with that of the secondary research, in this case, the results of the surveys conducted by Rutherford and Umbreit, as embodied in the literature review. Literature Review Meeting planners can provide hotels with substantial revenue. Yet little empirical research has examined how hotel sales personnel might facilitate generating this business from meeting planners. (Lee et al, 2005) However, some have made these studies, and one of them is the study conducted by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry who developed an instrument for measuring customers' perceptions of service quality. The instrument includes dimensions of assurance, empathy, tangibles, reliability, and responsiveness. The most critical dimension was reliability. There is the performance of promised services. The next most critical was responsiveness, or the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. The SERVQUAL method from Zeithaml, Parasuman, and Berry is a technique that can be used for performing a gap analysis of an organization's service quality performance against customer service quality needs. SERVQUAL is an empirically derived method that may bed used by a services organization to improve service quality. The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers (12 Manage Management Communities, 2007). These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is "excellent". The resulting gap analysis may then be used as a driver for service quality improvement. SERVQUAL takes into account the perceptions of... Meeting planners can provide hotels with substantial revenue. Yet little empirical research has examined how hotel sales personnel might facilitate generating this business from meeting planners. (Lee et al, 2005) However, some have made these studies, and one of them is the study conducted by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry who developed an instrument for measuring customers’ perceptions of service quality. The instrument includes dimensions of assurance, empathy, tangibles, reliability, and responsiveness. The most critical dimension was reliability. There is the performance of promised services. The next most critical were responsiveness, or the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. The SERVQUAL method from Zeithaml, Parahuman, and Berry is a technique that can be used for performing a gap analysis of an organization’s service quality performance against customer service quality needs. SERVQUAL is an empirically derived method that may be used by a services organization to improve service quality. The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers (12 Manage Management Communities, 2007). These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is â€Å"excellent†. The resulting gap analysis may then be used as a driver for service quality improvement. SERVQUAL takes into account the perceptions of customers of the relative importance of service attributes.

Is the Judicial Branch Still the Weakest Branch of Government Essay

Is the Judicial Branch Still the Weakest Branch of Government - Essay Example Every day, Linda Brown together with her sister had to pass through a risky railroad switchyard to reach the bus stop for the drive to their all black elementary school. The elementary school near the Brown’s house was only for the white students. This prompted Linda Brown together with her family to present this issue to court since it breached the 14th Amendment. The judgment passed by the federal district court was that discrimination in public education was detrimental to black students but since both all- white schools and all black schools had similar transportation, buildings, teachers, as well as, curricula, the court declared the segregation lawful (Olivo 123). Being dissatisfied with the court verdict, the Browns took their case to the Supreme Court asserting that although the facilities were the same, discriminated schools could never be alike to one another. Eventually, the Supreme Court passed their judgment that state laws demanding segregated but equal schools b reached the EPC (Equal protection clause) of the Fourteenth Amendment. This case was relevant since it set the basis for the civil rights movements and provided African Americans with the hope of the removal of segregated but equal on every front policy. In fact, it reversed decades of the segregationist practices in America. Therefore, it is a transformational event, which brought the birth of social and political revolution, and opened the entrances of all public schools to every individual within the US. Additionally, it enabled individuals of different colors have equal chances to a public and free education irrespective of their races and residential places. The judicial unit of the US lacks power to judge, and this choice to carry decisions and make the judgment lies on the executive. As noted by the court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the executive delegates the privilege and holds the communitys sword (Court

The Advantages of Paying Cash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Advantages of Paying Cash - Essay Example It should be noted that compared to credit cards, cash payments make an individual more conscious of his expenditures, exempt him of annual charges, and motivates the individual to save.As opposed to cash payments, credit cards allow an individual to spend more than the money that he actually has. For example, when shopping a person with credit card tend to spend more on items that he does not necessarily need. With cash, a person will be constrained by the amount that he carries.Secondly, without credit cards, an individual is exempt from paying annual fees and other interest charges. The $200 charge by companies annually is often enough to purchase some necessities. Also, interest charges are additional expenses which one doesn't want to shoulder.Lastly, cash payments motivate a person to save. It should be noted that since you only spend what you have, you are not tempted to allot money for unnecessary purchases. This together with the absence of financial charges motivates you to save money.If I am faced with the important decision of choosing the place where I want to spend all my life, I will choose to stay in the city. Away from the solace and the boredom of the small town, a city provides a quality of life which will enable me to develop my strengths to the fullest. The big city often offers the best schools in the country, the more exciting and challenging job opportunities, and the best companies to work for. I always believe in developing my competencies through education which can be best secured by a huge and reputable university in the city. Universities in big cities often invest so much in the quality of the education that they offer thereby allowing their students to be the best in their respective fields. Secondly, there are more job opportunities in the city. In a small town, jobs are limited and are often non-challenging to an adventurous person like me. In a big city, jobs require the completion of tasks which are more exciting. Having these tasks will enable me to learn more. Big cities also house the best companies to work for. Recognizing the quality of the people that they have, these companies offer huge compensation together with nonfinancial rewards. Working with the best company also has the advantage of working with the best in the industry. A big city represents the life that I choose for myself. As opposed to the small, quiet town it provides opportunities of growth for me. In the big city, I can be equipped with better education, work more challenging jobs, and can be a part of the world's best organizations. How to Do Your Laundry Who says that you always need to bring your dirty clothes in the laundry shops for cleaning It is often disappointing to find out that people are relying so much and paying for these services when washing clothes is just an easy task. Doing your laundry can be done in three major steps namely, the pre-washing preparations, the actual washing, and drying. In order make washing easier, it is best to always separate the colored from the whites. This way, the colors will be maintained and color fast clothes are also protected. Before putting them in the washing machine, all foreign objects such as clips, pens, wallets, and other should be removed from the clothes. Also, it is best to prepare the machine by following the manufacturer's instructions. During the actual washing, the procedure of the washing machin

A reflective of The Pain Scale by Eula Biss Essay

A reflective of The Pain Scale by Eula Biss - Essay Example ea of establishing a measurement scale or a pain scale because she realize that there is really no such thing as absolute especially when it comes to pain. Bliss article was a wonderful literary excursion to articulate the nature of pain but she did not have to go such length had she just been keen with how people deal with pain and distress than study Dante’s Inferno in her quest to understand pain. Her synthesis also that it is virtually impossible to measure pain could not have been lengthy had she observed that pain is relative to people and its triggers are virtually countless. Being such, the examples that would show how relative is pain is abundant. We need not go further to cite examples. We can cite our study. There are students who would be devastated to get a failing or a lower grade while there are students who would just shrug it off and just try to study harder next time. There are people who are daunted by failure and are immensely distressed by it while there are people who take pain in stride and instead measure their true success from their ability to recover from failure. Biss associated pain to religion and to be specific, to Christian perspective of religion which for me is a limited attempt to establish a reference to understand pain. It is limited because pain is universal albeit how we feel it varies in degree and what causes it is relative and the yardstick she attempted to use are prejudiced. For example, Dante’s Inferno is a brilliant literary masterpiece as referenced in the article The Pain Scale but it cannot be inferred to in measuring pain as something universal that could cover every human being. For all we know, Dante’s Inferno is Christian in orientation because in it Prophet Muhammad was referred to as false prophet and therefore to be placed in the vortex of hell and to use to quantify the pain of Mohammedans or Muslims is quite offensive. God is also associated to the number zero and this must be the

Impact and Research Findings Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact and Research Findings - Assignment Example Automated processes would also eliminate or reduce product defects, which would save the company money and improve the production process. Automation would ensure that all processes are conducted effortlessly and that they would run the same way each time they are conducted. No human errors would be allowed. As a result, there would be fewer errors made and errors may not just be defects, but can be about erring that can affect the production process as a whole (Benhabib, 2003). Automation would eliminate or reduce monotony. As humans, it is normal to get bored, especially where repetitive tasks are involved. Monotony slows down performance and increases the chances of defects occurring. There is no monotony in automated processes, no matter the frequency, so productivity is not affected. Processes are conducted at the same speed each time. Automation would help the company comply with internal or external requirements, e.g. statutory requirements, and facilitate cost savings by redu cing the training of required staff. Without automation a lot of time would have been required to train staff to perform even the most repetitive of duties, especially if the duties required a high degree of precision/accuracy. With automation, however, far less training would be required, so overheads would be significantly reduced. Automation would make auditing the company a simple task in itself, so less time would be required to analyze and evaluate processes and the production process as a whole. Due to their high degree of flexibility, automated processes would make the company flexible as well. It would be easier to make changes, or at least much easier than it would be to revise tasks that involve only humans. This level of flexibility would be vital if changes are needed at short notice. The fact that defects would be reduced would mean that customer satisfaction is ensured to a high degree. Therefore, while