Monday, September 30, 2019

And Then There Were None

Vera Calculator: Loved a man named Hugo Hog's nephew was the boy she watched Since the boy was a boy, Hugo lost all the inheritance money and therefore could not marry Vera Cyril desperately wanted to swim out to the rock in the ocean Vera knew he was too weak to Vera told him he could swim out there knowing full well that he would drown The family did not suspect her of killing him, but Hugo knew in his heart that she did so he left her What Vera didn't know was that Hugo loved Cyril Dry.Armstrong: Operated on a lady while he was drunk The sister (nurse) was aware of this but did not tell on him The lady died This memory haunts him Philip Lombard: Not a good leader He left 21 men to die Captain should die with his ship He was a coward for leaving them Intro important pillars Of society. This is how we live our lives Every doctor takes a Hippocratic oath which is an oath to practice medicine ethically and honestly.Vera Swam in easy practiced strokes after him knowing only to surely s he wouldn't be in time He was forbidden to swim out far- his parents forbid him to do this He wants to swim out there- Cyril said this He wasn't strong-very said this. It doesn't say why A small puny child no stamina-Vera said this.. T doesn't sys why The kind of child that perhaps wouldn't live to grow up. Vera says this.Because Hess weak and has no stamina Cyril thought he could swim out to the rock-he says this because he believes he can Vera responded saying she knows he can-she says this because she wants him dead Vera deltoid she would talk to his mom on the beach tomorrow and when she looks up he will be there on the rock waving to her-she trying to encourage him to swim to the rock because she knows he wont make it and he could swim out to the rock tomorrow-Vera says this because she planned a way to kill him in a way that no one will foreknow she did it Cyril told stories-Vera said that he was a liar and always made up stories.She said this because if he somehow made it to the rock then he would say Vera said he could, but since he made up stories no one wildebeest him she pretended to swim out after him-Vera recalls this before she kills herself from the guilt. She wanted him dead so she could marry Hugo Armstrong Operated while drunk Simple job if he wasn't drunk The sister knew Luckily there's loyalty in his profession so she didn't tell â€Å"Dry. Armstrong now. Well-known man. Had a consulting-room in Harley Street. Absolutely straight and aboveboard in his profession. Haven't been able to trace any record of an illegal operation or anything of that kind.It's true that there was a woman called Clues who was operated on by him way back in 1925 at Loiterer, when he was attached to the hospital there. Peritonitis and she died on the operating table. Maybe he wasn't very skilful over the pop-? after all he hadn't much experience-? but after all clumsiness isn't a criminal offence. There was certainly no motive. Christie, Ghats (2009-03-17). And Then There were None (P. 242). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition. After marathon dies hashes as nightmare recalling the operating room Lombard Left 21 men to dieClaims it was a matter of self-preservation They were lost in the bush Him and a couple others took what food was there and left Said self-preservation is a man's first duty Intro: explain your moral code east guilty: dry. Armstrong He had no motive Don't know He killed one person He knew what he did was wrong Middle man: Vera She didn't necessarily know he would die. She just hoped he would. Most guilty: Lombard When you accept the position of captain you are accepting to do whatever you have to to make sure your men survive. Even if it means you wont survive.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Conflict Is Growth Essay

When one struggles, they are paying the price to receive beneficial growth in their lives. Conflict will always be around in daily life to challenge our beliefs and behaviors, so it is important to bring emotions and deep feelings out so that issues may have a chance of being resolved. The best thing anybody can do is to deal with it in a positive manner creating growth and maturity, but occasionally one will learn nothing and reject any improvement. Two stories this semester that dealt with this issue directly were Useless Beauty by Guy De Maupassant and Premium Harmony by Stephen King. These tales brought conflict to a great point creating tension but it was the way they were handled that makes both stories standout. In Useless Beauty, the protagonist Madame de Mascaret had a strength that was fighting for deliverance. â€Å"This is what I have to say to you. I am afraid of nothing, whatever you may do to me. You may kill me if you like† (Maupassant 6). â€Å"I am a woman of the civilized world, monsieur–we all are–and we are no longer, and we refuse to be, mere females to restock the earth,†(Maupassant 16). Conflict was an ongoing issue within her marriage; beginning with her husband who was always jealous of her flawless beauty and constrained her from society by impregnating her repeatedly over a period of eleven years. Forced into marriage for money and not truly in a love relationship with Comte de Mascaret, Madame struck back with revenge â€Å"One of your children is not yours, and one only; that I swear to you before God, who hears me here. That was the only revenge that was possible for me in return for all your abominable masculine tyrannies, in return for the penal servitude of childbearing to which you have condemned me† (Maupassant 6). Leaving Comte to dwell on this thought and not know which child was not his, he finally came to express his true feelings towards Madame admitting his jealousy and the way her confession has troubled his relationship with the children. The resolution for the story is quite interesting, although Comte never found out which child wasn’t his, the two together were able to come to a medium and recognize how each other felt and begin a friendship throughout the hurt and pain that was finally based on truth and respect for the both of them. I admired the fact that something of this capacity could help someone understand the beauty of a woman and her place in society. In Premium Harmony, Stephen King wrote about a marriage that is still realistic in today’s society. It captured a close look of a man name Ray, the protagonist, disconnected from a life it seems he never wanted to be in from the start. Ray and his wife Mary Burkett are extremely in conflict within their marriage and failing at it rapidly. They both argue and lie about many things that shouldn’t even be an issue and without any passion behind it. It’s really all the same argument. It has circularity† (King 1). I believe conflict sets the whole mood for the story itself. After they found out that they couldn’t have kids Ray bought Mary a dog, and this is where is seems the disagreements arise. Ray compares their arguing to â€Å"a dog track† and that â€Å"When they argue, they’re like greyhounds chasing the mechanical rabbit† (King 1). Ray shows a jealousy towards Biznezz, the dog, and this could be for different reasons but I believe the main reason is that his relationship with Mary is deteriorating and increasing with the dog. The word â€Å"Love is used only when in reference to the dog and not even after Ray attends to Mary’s body does he speak the simple four letter word. The resolution for this story was not ordinary. To escape the negative impact of the marriage, I believe depression killed Mary and Ray saw this as a relief from the arguments with his wife. Stephen King mentions two distinct items in this short story, a pack of smokes â€Å"Premium Harmonies† and Mary’s â€Å"Little Debbie’s† they are pretty much opposites and this is comparable to their relationship. It’s not until the end, once the dog dies, that Ray’s numbness takes a turn and he shows any kind of emotion â€Å"You’re with her now, Biz,† he says again through his tears. His voice is clogged and thick† (King 9). â€Å"Poor old Mary, poor old Biz. Damn it all! † (King 10) This definitely leaves unbelievable and amusing emotions that make you wonder did Ray want to be unbothered all along? Confrontation: Reading these two stories made me realize exactly what I don’t want my marriage to become. In any relationship, how you resolve conflict is what matters most. With today’s society, people question love and what they want in a mate. It is more complex and the earlier roles by women and men are no longer defined. The women’s movement has improved may factors, but we still must understand the consideration of each other and our families. This new evolution of marriage has made the basis only to fulfilling emotional and psychological needs other than aspects that love was built on. We truly must not forget the meaning behind love and matrimony.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Performance Management Plan Essay

I have been gathering information to help analyze your business and to assist in giving you recommendations based on the business strategy you have compiled to increase performance of the employees and business. I will be looking at several objectives to help with the performance plan that your company will use to identify any area of improvement and to enhance on the areas of expertise. I understand that your expectations are as follows, Landslide Limousine will be at a negative $50,000 for the first year with the expectation of a growth of 5% over two years, and you are planning to have 25 employees with a turnover rate of 10%. To assist in explaining the plan I have in mind, I will break the plan into different subject topics for you to follow, and give explanations as well. A. Aligning performance to the business strategy When considering performance it is necessary to incorporate some type of performance appraisal program within the organization. This serves as a tool for the employees to work toward, with the proper appraisal program the employee will feel a since of ownership of their own behaviors and will have a benefit for achieving goals or objectives. This also gives the employee a  motivation to change positions and continue with a training program to enhance their own personal wealth within the organization. The employees will also feel more open in providing feedback to other employees, provide ideas and help to develop new employee’s skills as they learn the importance of enhancing their own skill set. Using a management by objective process will give the employees the objective to work toward, and will give the employee a standard of acceptable behaviors. Self-appraisals will be key in this realm, customer feedback, and continual monitoring will help to evaluate the performance of each individual. Immediate supervisors or managers will assist in the appraisal process, and you will be informed of the continual behavior of each employee on a regular basis. Customer feedback will be useful information as this will be one of the key elements in the appraisal as customer service is what will drive your business to the next level. Cascio, (2013). 2. Job analysis The skills necessary for the employee to have will be the basis of the job analysis. This is why it will be important to determine what skills are needed in this field. What measures will be used to evaluate each individual’s job or merit pay. We must define what job will require what skills and what will be the qualification for each position. By determining the job qualifications for each position will help in the selective process to find the right people for the right job. Mr. Stonefield, you will need to define the positions you will have within the organization by separating each skill set required and what each job title will need. This can be done with a job analysis; it should include the tasks required for each job by title. It will be necessary to determine what the limousine drivers will be expected to accomplish while transporting clients. The job can be also defined by how much lifting, long periods of downtime, ability to drive extended vehicles, and the skill set of the individual to navigate to different geographical areas within the region. The job must reflect the experience of the driver, their educational background, and what are their abilities or proven track records. 3. The organizational performance philosophy The rewards to excellence are the Landslide Limousine motto. The company  is committed to the best customer experience; this is measured by consistency, customer satisfaction, and continual development of the staff. 4. Measuring the employee’s abilities and continual skill enhancement Measuring employee skills is important to the performance of the individual; this provides continual feedback, coaching, and growth for the employee. The goals set for these individuals must be clear, concise, and obtainable, Cascio, (2013). Employees should have ongoing meetings with the management staff to reflect on achievements and goals set for future achievements. This setting should also encourage feedback from the employee; this will allow the employee to feel as though their suggestions count in the process of the growth of the organization. The objectives should have a clear vision of how each one will be achieved, using a graphic rating scale can assist in this process. The behavior anchored rating scale (BARS) can also help to analyze critical incidents and then compare these to the norm. Casico, (2013). 5. Addressing skill gaps within the organization A skills gap analysis identifies specific skills needed to complete any given task and then takes that information and compares it to the level of current requirements. This is completed by doing a skill assessment which will determine the skills needed for any of the particular jobs within the organization or job category (Cascio, 2013). Then by applying the assessment as a benchmark for the job you can develop a plan for the training process needed to assist the employees in their road to success. One must develop a list of skills per job and determine the knowledge needed for each role, and then once the skills are assessed and the training is planned out one must go through the skills needed to improve on these skills by reviewing with an appraisal review. According to (Lorri Freifield, 2014), transfer knowledge can assist in enhancing a technical talent through mentors helping employees to explore their best practices. 6. Delivering Performance through feedback Delivering performance is very important, I would suggest using a process of multi-rater or the 360-degree feedback. This uses observations from many aspects of a person in many roles. Cascio, (2013). The immediate supervisor or manager, co-worker and customers rate the employee through feedback form the performance of that individual that is observed. This will  assist with any self-evaluation error and the feedback from different areas will give a 360 view of the individual, this will assist in understanding how the employee is effective in their role. Observant views with others assist in keeping a fair and objective view of employees; this will also assist in continuing a fair and objective review process. Mr. Stonefield the performance management framework given outlines the steps necessary in reviewing standards of an individual and team by actual performance. When looking at the overall strategy of the company as a whole Landslide Limousine will need to minimize the turnover and enhance on the skill set to enhance the overall employee performance. It will be necessary to look into the best cost effective way to handle any performance management and by using the recommendations I have listed Landslide Limousine will be striving to the goal of being the best in the Austin Texas area. References Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources (9th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw Hills Companies, Inc. Lorri Friefield. (2014). Training the Source for Professional Development Retrieved from http://www.trainingmag.com/solving-todays-skill-gaps

Friday, September 27, 2019

Read about the Zenos paradoxes of the achilles and the tortoise Essay

Read about the Zenos paradoxes of the achilles and the tortoise - Essay Example Achilles will never get the tortoise, says Zeno. Accordingly, great philosophy shows that quick runners never get the moderate runners. So much the more terrible for the claim that movement truly happens, Zeno says about his tutor Parmenides who had contended that movement is a fantasy. Despite the fact that no researchers today would concur with Zenos decision, we cant get away from the Catch by hopping up from our seat and pursuing none, of these down a tortoise, nor by saying Achilles ought to race to some other target put in front of where the tortoise is right now. What is needed is an examination of Zenos own contention that does not get us neither involved in new conundrums nor devastates our math and science (Dowden 2013). Zeno accepted separations and lengths of time could be isolated into a genuine endlessness of unified parts, and he expected these are an excess of for the runner to finish. Aristotles remedies said Zeno ought to have expected there are just potential infinities, and he should not put or times gap into indissoluble parts. His remedies turned into the by and large acknowledged result until the late nineteenth century. The current standard remedy says Zeno was right to presume that a runners way holds a genuine incalculability of parts; however, he was mixed up to expect this is too much. This remedy utilizes the contraption of analytics, which has demonstrated its essentialness for the improvement of present day science. In the twentieth century it got clear to most analysts that forbidding genuine infinities, as Aristotle needed, hampers the development of set hypothesis and at last of math and physical science. This standard remedy took many years to flawless and was because of the adaptability of perceptive people who were eager to supplant old hypotheses and their ideas with more productive ones, notwithstanding the harm done to practical judgment skills and our guileless

Thursday, September 26, 2019

How is the development of hybrid car for the next 5 years in the Essay

How is the development of hybrid car for the next 5 years in the United Kingdom - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the turnover of the automobile industry in UK has improved after the recession, as it was around  £41 billion in the year 2009, which has escalated to  £49 billion in the year 2010. However, it was  £50 billion before recession. The value of vehicle export also increased in 2010 to  £29 billion, which is even more than the pre-recession figures. All this statistics indicates that the automobile industry in UK contribute majorly towards the national income of the country. UK automobile segment contribute 11 percent of trade profit for the country. The popularity of automobile from UK can be understood from the fact that almost four vehicle out of five are exported out of the country. It has been many years the vehicles manufacturers are trying to reduce the environmental impact on the manufacturing process and products. This has been done in order to maintain balance between environmental care, economic progress and social respo nsibility. It was the automobile industry in UK who first issued their sustainability report, and expressed their environmental achievements in that report. In the past 10 years, this industry has been making strong strides to reduce the impact of products throughout the lifecycle of the product. Improvement in the production process has been seen in the automobile industry since 2000. For example the usage of water has been cut by around 34 percent, and the CO2 emission has reduced by 17 percent.  ... The popularity of automobile from UK can be understood from the fact that almost four vehicle out of five are exported out of the country. It has been many years the vehicles manufacturers are trying to reduce the environmental impact on the manufacturing process and products (Elliott, and Percy, 2007). This has been done in order to maintain balance between environmental care, economic progress and social responsibility. It was the automobile industry in UK who first issued their sustainability report, and expressed their environmental achievements in that report. In the past 10 years, this industry has been making strong strides to reduce the impact of products throughout the lifecycle of the product (Franzen, and Moriarty, 2008). Improvement in the production process has been seen in the automobile industry since 2000. For example the usage of water has been cut by around 34 percent, and the CO2 emission has reduced by 17 percent. It has been also noticed that around 73 percent of less dissipate enter for landfills (Gelder, 2005). Automotive industry of the country is engaged in revolutionising the transportation system in the country. The automotive sector of UK is considered to be one of the largest investors in research and development, which assist in delivering sustainable motoring in 21st century. One of the outcomes of such initiatives is the hybrid cars (Holt, 2002). The market for hybrid cars are booming and the demand is good, if not high like the conventional cars. However, statistics shows that the sales of hybrid cars escalated from 9000 units to 39,880 units in the year 2006. Companies like Toyota sold 91 percent of hybrid cars in UK and Honda sold about 3,410 (King, 2006). The sales of hybrid cars

Type of Federalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Type of Federalism - Essay Example Each of these has many departments, and each of these departments uses a suitable type of federalism when solving its issues (Dye, 2010). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the US government is concerned with preventing and disrupting terrorist attacks, protecting American citizens from any aggression, protecting infrastructural facilities and resources in the US, and enforcing immigration laws. In order to do this, the department patrols borders regularly, protects travelers, responds to emergencies and disasters, and also ensures that citizens are prepared for any form of emergency situations (Zimmerman, 2010). Cooperative federalism should be applied in homeland security issues since it would produce better results than the other types of federalism. Cooperative federalism requires that the federal government, local governments and state governments share responsibilities in governing the people. Therefore, applying cooperative federalism in the Department of Homeland security would ensure that all units of the federal government cooperate in ensuring that security of citizens is promoted and terrorism is combated from the grassroots. Cooperative Federalism would also ensure that illegal immigrations are prevented from local borders of all states. This form of federalism would also ensure that the state’s resources and infrastructural facilities are protected from destruction from the lowest government unit to the highest. If such measures were only directed at the level of the federal government, the mission of the department would not be realized at the level of the local government and the state government. New Federalism is analogous to Cooperative Federalism since it entails devolution of power from the Federal government to the state government. This type should also be applied by the DHS in solving issues as it would ensure that grass-root issues are solved. Permissive federalism should not be used by the DHS since it

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Environmental Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental Analysis - Essay Example Marketing is the concluding approach used to endorse the selling strategy for products such as the iPhone 4s. Marketing has then been cleverly practiced at the company to encourage its business. With this understanding, this paper critically examines Apple Inc. and the application of PESTEL analysis. Introduction In any given business organization, management is something which should be done in the right manner possible, and this should be able to integrate all elements of management and functions as well. This becomes a defining application which has the capability of improving performance and ensuring that business goals have been realized within the shortest time possible. For instance, within any strategies of management, it should be appropriate to adopt a number of practices, theories and organizational adoptions which have the capability of improving performance of business organization. In this study, it would be necessary to understand the issue of leader and management and how they can be viewed and adopted towards ensuring that the greatest gains have been realized in the business organization. Different organizations have been able to come into terms with such approaches, and hence they have been in a position of realizing the greatest gains within their business operations. ... 38). This kind of leadership and organizational responsibility has been something very significant for the business, and as well has been able to bring a new wave of promotional engagement which has been seeing an improvement in the business engagement thus leading to the realization of business goals. Basically, Apple Corporation has been able to improve its business engagements, and hence becoming one of the best performing businesses in the economy of the country. There has also been an effective modality in decision making which has been vital towards the realization of business goals. Management and leadership ideologies have been adopted in the best manner thus leading to the realization of goals within the business (Wharam, 2009). In that sense, it should be worth noting that the best of gains in any business shall be only be in line with the kind of engagement of management and leadership which have been adopted in the business (Gill, 2006). It would thus be very appropriate to study the kind of engagements which have been adopted in this business and see how it has been able to become a perfect performer in the business. Management and Leadership: Apple Corporation At Apple, there has been the need of ensuring that all business engagements have been appropriately led and managed towards the realization of the best business goals. In that sense, it should be necessary to apply all management functions as this has the capability of ensuring that the best of gains have been realized in the operations of the business. However, there should be the need of understanding that there are a number of differences between management and leadership (Rost, 2004). In management, this is a wide conceptual

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Bilingual Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bilingual Education - Essay Example In his autobiography Hunger of Memory, Rodriquez unintentionally portrays himself as an exception to his own beliefs. (Rodriquez 12) This book tracks this Mexican American from the time that he was a "schoolchild until he became a literary scholar and nationally acclaimed memoirist. His memoir also describes his gradual alienation from his cultural roots as his assimilation into mainstream culture deprives him of his native tongue and his connection to his past. The book achieves popularity at a time when multiculturalism is becoming a force in American education." (Burt 2004) In order to make sense of the factors that make up Rodriquez's life, he chooses his love for languages to explain how his persona is formed. Rodriquez surmises that it is better to have used English in school rather than to have had a bilingual education. As he struggles to prove this, he represents himself with a paradox of emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. It is his opinion that it was the different uses of languages and his reaction to them that sets him apart. According to Rodriquez, "It is not possible for any child ever to use his family's language in school. " He thinks that "not to understand this, is to misunderstand the public uses of schooling and to trivialize the nature of intimate life and a family's language." (Aria 13) In his writings Rodriquez appears to... In his failure to study these anomalies, Rodriquez does a disservice to himself. When he started school, Rodriquez could only speak "fifty stray English words." (Rodriquez 1) Unlike his brother and sister who attended a Roman Catholic school, Rodriquez went to an all white school with children whose parents were professionals. In his mind, this must have presented a sharp contrast to his own parents who were poor and spoke little English. During this time, he also observed that his brother and sister enjoyed a relationship of togetherness, one that left him feeling alone. His sense of alienation continued to grow as he listened to them " communicating among themselves in Spanish." (Rodriquez 1) Rodriquez has been criticized for cutting himself off from his roots. A better argument would be that the languages barriers that were forced upon him caused this gap. Had he been given a bilingual education this would have been different. Instead of living in language compartments at his home and school, his new English language would have blended into that of his native tongue. As his brother and sister did, Rodriquez would have used both languages interchangeably.If one reads Rodriquez's work closely, they sense his great affection for his family. The feelings of shame that he talks about are more general than personal. Nevertheless, it is easier to attack the character of Rodriquez than to discover the bonds that exists between him and his people in spite of their physical and psychological differences. While addressing the relationship between his brother and sister, it is evident that he has the feeling that he is an only child. Rather than to see how a bilingual education might have made a difference, he chooses to feel

Monday, September 23, 2019

Mix strategy for Mobile Services Provider Vodafone Essay - 8

Mix strategy for Mobile Services Provider Vodafone - Essay Example To achieve this objective this report first examines the profile of the companies. A comparative analysis is then conducted, and at the end, a few recommendations are offered. Â  Vodafone is the largest telecommunications company, and its headquarters are located in Newbury, England. The company was formed in 1982 but has since established itself as a worldwide brand. The company is a joint venture between Racial Electronics and Millicom and the Hambros technology. In the UK, the aim of the company is to maintain market leadership by developing new products and services. However, in the recent past, the company has been facing huge competition from the new products in the market targeting the young population. To compete effectively, the company is continually updating the range of phones and services. In addition, the company is constantly, communicating with its customers about the benefits of the available products. To improve the visibility of its brand, the company has formed a commercial alliance with the Manchester United club (Heuer 2010, p.56). In Europe, the company has expanded its influence through the acquisition of partner networks. Just to illustrate, on December 3rd, 2002, the company entered into the Estonian market by signing a Partner Network Agreement with Radiolinja (Grant 2010, p.89).

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The EU Water Framework Directive Essay Example for Free

The EU Water Framework Directive Essay The EU Water framework directive was adopted on 23rd October, year 2000. This water framework directive aims at protection as well as management of the European waters. It also includes the adoption of plans to manage and appropriate measures that apply for each water mass. Through this water framework directive, the EU is able to manage inland surface, coastal waters, ground water as well as transitional waters with an aim of preventing and reducing pollution, promoting sustainable use of water, protecting of the aquatic environment, improving the aquatic ecosystem status as well as mitigating the effects of droughts and that of floods. The EU water framework directive has some demands that all the member states must meet. One of these demands is that of pricing. If water is adequately priced, it acts as a major incentive for sustainable and better use of the water resources. The member states are therefore required to see to it that the prices charged to the water consumers for example for the distribution of water is fresh or collection and treatment of dirty water, reflects or rather shows true costs. However, some EU member states have a very stiff challenge in meeting this demand. The EU water framework directive also demands that there should be full public participation so as to achieve the goal of having clean water. In order to port public participation in place, rallies and seminars must be conducted so as to educate the public on the need for having clean water. The EU member states should also exercise greater transparency during establishment of objectives, when imposing measures and when reporting standards (www. dhigroup. com/). If these things are practiced, then higher number of citizens tends to influence and participate in overall environmental protection. Most EU states however have had a challenge in engaging their citizens in participating or working towards having clean water. Lack of sufficient funds to hold conferences and seminars with the citizens so as to create awareness has been a major challenge. Another demand for EU water framework directive is that there should be coordination of objectives. These objectives include protection of the aquatic ecology, protection of water resources for drinking and protection of water used for bathing. All these are objectives that must be integrated as far as each river basin is concerned. However, most EU member states have a challenge in integrating these objectives for each river basin. The EU member states have also been faced with a challenge of business pressures. In meeting the demand of the EU water framework directive, most large water consumptive abstractors such as water companies, food as well as drink manufacturers. These firms are likely to be affected in the process of licensing the ground water, which may be identified as a chief cause of poor ecology. In addition, the EU member states face a challenge of maintaining clean water in rivers. This may occur if Environment Agency has water bodies that are small in the river basin, hence sewage treatment works that discharge into small rivers tend to be vulnerable. The EU water framework directive also should have a criteria against which ecological status have to be assessed. However, this criteria has not yet been achieved and hence it is a challenge to the EU member states to bring foist it is criteria. The member states are also having a challenge of ensuring that the methods that are adapted to measure impacts are comparable. The EU Water framework directive has a demand that the standards for water protection must be laid down as well as setting down the organizational aspect of water management. It also demands that the core objectives of the environment are to prevent aquatic ecosystems’ deterioration and restoration of polluted waters within a given timescale. The challenge to the EU member states is how to take into account the economic considerations so as to ensure that the improvements that are planned are not unnecessarily expensive as well as technically infeasible. EU member states are also faced with a challenge of cost uncertainties. In spite of thorough preparation and pilot testing that has taken place, many crucial decisions on how to implement and carry out the directive and measures as well as legal instruments that will be required have not yet been made. This uncertainty and short of information is shown in the wide range of values of the associated costs as well as benefits contained regulatory impact assessment that was published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Conclusion. The EU water framework directive is one of the most important directives adopted by the EU member states. It aims at adopting and maintaining way of ensuring that clean water is obtained through ensuring that all water masses are kept free from pollution. To achieve this, all the member states have to put I place all the necessary requirements as well as provide awareness to its citizens. It is through the awareness and cooperation of the citizens that water pollution can be achieved.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Traditional Absorption Costing And Activity Based Costing

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Traditional Absorption Costing And Activity Based Costing The major distinguishing features of ABC compared with traditional costing system are that ABC systems assign costs to activity cost centres rather than departments. (Drury, 2008) Although traditional absorption techniques may apparently seem to less complicated or tedious as opposed to ABC, the report will show why, ABC is the best most accurate technique. The traditional technique used to determine which technique is better of the two will be absorbing indirect costs on a labour hour basis. Why does the company need either absorption costing or ABC? There are two main reasons why the company needs to employ either technique these include; To identify product costs for pricing and/or cost control purposes Its necessary for manufacturers to ascertain the cost of closing stock in order to measure and report profits to the shareholders, plus in the UK SSAP 9 IN 1975 has requires all companies to include manufacturing overheads in the cost of closing stock. (Drury, 2008) Differences between Traditional Absorption Costing and ABC There are three major differences between absorption costing and ABC: In traditional cost accounting it is assumed that cost objects consume resources whereas in ABC it is assumed that cost objects consume activities. Traditional cost accounting mostly utilizes volume related allocation bases while ABC uses drivers at various levels. Traditional cost accounting is structure-oriented whereas ABC is process-oriented. (Emblemsvag, 2008) This is further illustrated in the figure below (Emblemsvag, 2008) ABC brings detailed information from the processes up to assess costs and manage capacity on many levels whereas traditional cost accounting methods simply allocate costs, or capacity to be correct, down onto the cost objects without considering any cause and effect relations (Emblemsvag, 2008). Further differences include; (James D. Tarr, 2004) Traditional cost models apply resources to products in two ways. So called direct costs like material and direct labour are attributed directly to the product and other resources are arbitrarily allocated to the product, typically through the mechanism of direct labour hours, labour dollars or machine hours. Sales, marketing and administrative costs are not included in product costs. Activity Based Costing (ABC) does not change the way material and direct labour are attributed to manufactured products with the exception that direct labour loses its special place as a surrogate application method for overhead resources. Direct labour is considered another cost pool to be assigned to processes and products in a meaningful manner, no different than any other resource. The primary task of activity based costing is to break out indirect activities into meaningful pools which can then be assigned to processes in a manner which better reflects the way costs are actually incurred. The system must recognize that resources are consumed by processes or products in different proportions for each activity. With ABC, all costs reside in resources, which are such things as material, labour, space, equipment and services. Resources are consumed by activities which have no inherent cost. The cost associated with activities represents the amount of resource they consume per unit of activity. Resources and activities are then applied to cost objects, that is, the purpose for which the resource is consumed and the activity is performed. Each resource and activity has a unit of measure which defines the amount of the resource consumed or activity required by a unit of demand for it. Resources can be consumed by resources (e.g. office space resource is consumed by an employee resource), by activities (e.g. telephone resource is consumed by a customer service call activity) or by cost objects (e.g. material resource is consumed by a product cost object). Activities can be performed in support of another activity (e.g. invoice printing activity supports the billing activity) or in response to a cost object (e.g. purchase orders are issued to support the material acquisition process). A cost object can be a process or product and either an interim cost object or an end user (customer) cost object. For example, hiring personnel may be a cost object of Human Resources Department utilizing space, utility, telephone, supply and labour resources and performing advertising, calling, interviewing and orientation activities. That cost object may be a resource used by other departments to secure labour resource for their department. Building a network of resources, activities and cost objects defines the operational flow of the process or processes to be costed. Each resource and activity has a unit of measure which converts them at a unit of demand rate. If a cost model is to be useful and effective in determining process and product costs, it is imperative that the business process be identified and understood first. Only then can costs be attached to determine the cost of the defined process.  (James D. Tarr, 2004) Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional absorption costing techniques Advantages: (College Accounting Coach, 2006) It recognizes the importance of fixed costs in production. This method is accepted by Inland Revenue as stock is not undervalued This method is always used to prepare financial accounts; When production remains constant but sales fluctuate absorption costing will show less fluctuation in net profit and Unlike marginal costing where fixed costs are agreed to change into variable cost, it is cost into the stock value hence distorting stock valuation. Disadvantages: Ignores the fact that different products make different demands on factory support services. (Drury, 2008) As absorption costing emphasized on total cost namely both variable and fixed, it is not so useful for management to use to make decision, planning and control. (College Accounting Coach, 2006) As the managers emphasis is on total cost, the cost volume profit relationship is ignored. The manager needs to use his intuition to make the decision. (College Accounting Coach, 2006) Lucey, lists the following Advantages and Disadvantages of Activity Based Costing (ABC) (Lucey, 2002) Advantages: More realistic product costs are provided especially in, industries where support overheads are a significant proportion of total costs. More overheads can be traced to the product. ABC is concerned with all activities so takes product costing beyond the traditional factory floor basis. It recognises activities which cause cost, not products and it is products which consume activities. Focuses attention on the real nature of cost behaviour and helps in reducing costs and identifying activities which do not add value to the product. ABC recognises the complexity and diversity of modern production by the use of multiple cost drivers, many of which are transaction based rather than based solely on production volume. ABC provides a reliable indication of long run variable product cost which is relevant to strategic making. ABC is flexible enough to trace costs to processes, customers, areas of managerial responsibility, as well as product costs. ABC provides useful financial measures (e.g. cost driver rates) and non-financial measures (e.g. transactions volume) Disadvantages: Even though ABC removes most the problems with traditional absorption techniques its faced with the following criticism The choice of cost drivers. It is a simplistic assumption that a chosen cost driver is an adequate summary measure of complex activities The assumption of a direct, linear relationship between the usage of a cost driver and the amount of overheads. Very few costs indeed are truly variable in this sense whether in the short or long term. The problem of common costs. It is often difficult to attribute costs to single activities; some costs support several activities. Tracing difficulties. It is not always apparent which product should carry the traced overhead. Complexity. A full ABC system having numerous cost pools and cost drivers is more complex and consequently more expensive to operate. (Lucey, 2002) Definitions: An allocation: where discrete items of cost can be allotted to cost centres An apportionment: this is where the cost has to be spread or shared over several cost centres Absorption rates: Is the rate determined in advance for all cost centres for allocating fixed costs and variable costs (together or separately) to the output, in an accounting period. Recommendation: I suggest that the company consider adopting the ABC technique as this is much more suitable way to monitor costs especially in a company in where direct costs are a declining proportion of total cost and support overheads are a major proportion of costs in this company and is therefore of considerable importance that these support overheads are traced to product costs in a more realistic manner.

Friday, September 20, 2019

A Look At Burnout Psychology Essay

A Look At Burnout Psychology Essay CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and burnout among nurses working in private hospitals in Malaysia. Theoretical literature related to this relationship will be presented in the first part of this chapter. The existing literature on the topics was examined and key pieces were brought together to establish a foundation for this study. The next part of the review explores the literature which has supported the proposed relationship between EI and burnout among the nurses in Malaysia. 2.2 Burnout The term burnout has its roots in the medical and nursing disciplines. It was first defined by a psychiatrist, named Herbert Freudenberger in 1974. The theory of burnout was developed through his clinical experience by exploring the turmoil that people experience every day. According to Maslach and Jackson (1981a), burnout occurs in the helping professions, such as nursing due to the chronic stress associated with doing work that involves people. Basically burnout occurs as feelings of emotional exhaustion, negative feelings, and attitudes within the job and the increase of negative self-concept. The earliest use of the burnout term in nursing literature was found in the articles published by Seymour Shubin in 1978. Shubin described burnout as hazardous to nursing and all other helping professions. The study of burnout, although not exclusive to nursing, continues to be an important occupational issue for the nursing profession. 2.2.1 Definition of Burnout There are many definitions of burnout, however most definitions share a view of burnout as a state of fatigue and emotional exhaustion, as a result of emotional depletion and loss of motivation. The term burnout that was first coined by Freudenberger in 1974 refers to wearing out from the pressures of work. It was used to describe the experience of employees in professions that needs high degree of people contract. Freudenberger in 1975 further defined burnout as wearing out, failing, becoming exhausted, and it occurs when excessive demands on energy, strength or resources are made. Cherniss (1980) was among the first to describe burnout within human service field who defined burnout as a process that leads to an individuals attitudes and behavior change in negative ways in response to work stress. On the other hand, Maslach (1982) who has extensively researched about burnout has provided the most commonly accepted definition of burnout as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment that can occur among individuals who do people work of some kind. Maslach identified three related themes: (1) painful emotional experiences often resulted in clinical practitioners feeling emotionally exhausted and drained; (2) as a result, they developed negative and cynical attitudes towards their clients; and (3) personal competence suffered resulting in feelings of failure about their ability to work in the health care profession. These three themes were summarized as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal acc omplishment and later operationalized to measure burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach, Jackson Leiter, 1996). Garrosa, Moreno-Jimenez, Liang and Gonzalez (2008) pointed out that burnout is a specific form of chronic and occupational stress in the professional social services. According to Westman and Eden (1996), studies have shown a strong relationship between work stress and burnout in many occupations. Especially, burnout has been repeatedly linked to job stress in the human service field due to the frequent and intense interactions with clients (Cordes Doughery, 1993; Lee Ashforth, 1996). Additionally, studies have also shown that nurses who experience occupational stress experience greater burnout (Stechmiller Yarandi, 1993). Thus, burnout is related to stress whereby burnout is a reaction to stress. Prolonged and unrelieved work stress often leads to burnout which results in negative attitudes towards work. Freudenberger (1975) postulates that burnout involves physical and behavioral symptoms. Behavioral consequences of burnout include decreased interaction with care recipients, ine ffective absenteeism, and high levels of job turnover (Maslach, 1982; Maslach Leiter, 1997). 2.2.2 Models of Burnout The burnout literature provides several models of burnout. This section describes four models constructed in the early eighties which proceed from the simplest to the most complex model. 2.2.2.1 Cherniss transaction model of burnout Cherniss (1980) was a significant figure of the first wave of burnout researchers and offered a burnout model that articulate transactional imbalance between the personal resources of the giver and the demands of the recipient or situation. Cherniss described burnout as a transactional stress process that involves three stages. The first stage is stress whereby demands placed exceed individual resources for coping. The second stage is strain, the initial emotional response to stress which usually includes feelings of anxiety, tension, fatigue, and exhaustion. Finally, defensive coping occurs which leads to changes in attitudes and behavior such as the tendency of burnout individuals to treat clients in depersonalized way. Two years later, Cherniss modified his model and elaborated on the model that the causes of stress can either be internal or external demands. Additionally, the limited resources contributing to stress can also be external (e.g. availability of time, work space, and equipment) or internal (e.g. skills, knowledge, energy, and personality). In summary, Cherniss theorized that burnout is a coping response in a transactional process that begins with excessive and prolonged exposure to job stress. The uncontrollable stress causes strain in the individual which influences the coping process. If the stress is prolonged or becomes more intense, it will deplete the coping resources of an individual and force the individual to withdraw psychologically. 2.2.2.2 Edelwich and Brodsky: Five stages of burnout Edelwich and Brodsky (1980) suggested five stages of burnout: (1) enthusiasm; (2) stagnation; (3) frustration; (4) apathy; and (5) intervention. At the first stage, employees have great enthusiasm for their new jobs. They do not know much about their job and have unrealistic expectations about outcomes of their effort. Therefore, when the outcome is not as expected, they become disillusioned. During the period of stagnation at stage two, realities of the job become evident. The job is no longer satisfying as it first appeared. Employees are now more concerned with meeting personal needs, working hours, and career development. The third stage is called the period of frustration. Employees begin to question their job effectiveness and the value of their job. The limits imposed by bureaucracy frustrate the individuals and they become dissatisfied with the job situation. At this stage, employees begin to develop emotional, physical, and behavioral problems. Proceed to stage four; employees frustration turns to apathy because individuals feel trapped. On one hand, they feel frustrated by the job situation but on the other hand, they need the salary. The emotional and physical responses of individuals become worse whereby they would avoid clients whenever possible. The final stage is intervention. Nevertheless, it cannot be determined whether this stage would occur in an organization or the individual who is experiencing burnout would recognize their psychological state as undesirable. In summary, Edelwich and Brodsky viewed burnout as an evolutionary process that begins with idealistic enthusiasm and commitment. Subsequently, the loss of idealism, vigor, and purpose is triggered largely by work conditions (Edelwich Brodsky, 1980). 2.2.2.3 Maslach: Burnout caused by social interaction Maslach, a social psychologist, who became a stellar figure in the emerging research of burnout, has provided the conceptual definition that begun the second wave of research. Maslach (1982) described burnout as a three-dimensional syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Another specific contribution Maslach made was the theoretical emphasis on the relational causes of burnout which linked to the social roots of emotional expenditure (Leiter Maslach, 1988; Maslach Leiter, 1997). Maslach (1982) saw that emotional overload and subsequent emotional exhaustion is the heart of the burnout syndrome. Thus, the first response to a stressful interaction with other people is emotional exhaustion. As people become emotionally depleted, they cope by cutting back on their involvement with others. This detached response which called depersonalization is the second aspect of burnout and leads to various negative attitudes and behaviors. At this stage, individuals who experience burnout feel more emotional distress and guilt about how they have treated those that they are trying to help. Finally, the feeling of reduced personal accomplishment which is the third aspect of burnout appears. At this point, the individuals feel inadequate about their ability to treat or help others. They tend to believe that they have failed professionally and chosen the wrong profession. A major contribution by Maslach was the development of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Maslach and Jackson (1981a, 1981b) developed the MBI, which was one of the first reliable instruments for valid measurement of burnout. MBI is still the most widely-used measure of burnout in current research. MBI assesses psychological burnout and has three different versions, which include one general survey, one for human service professionals, and one for educators. The most commonly used measure of burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey or MBI-HSS (Maslach, Jackson Leiter, 1996) which was developed to measure occupational burnout among people working in the field of human services. 2.2.2.4 Golembiewski, Munzenrider and Carter: Rigorous scientific research While other models focused on the order in which burnout aspects occur and the helping professions, Golembiewski, Munzenrider and Carter (1983) were concerned to make the study of burnout more rigorous and to broaden the population in which burnout was examined. Golembiewski et al. noticed that research was lacking in terms of empirical investigation of the stages of burnout. To rectify both the lack of empiricism and extend the study of burnout to wider work settings, the authors used Maslach and Jacksons MBI (1981a, 1981b) to measure burnout among nursery school teachers and nurse educators. Golembiewski et al.s results in 1983 suggested that depersonalization occurs first and increases greatly before reduction in personal accomplishment occurs and finally emotional exhaustion follows. Their argument was based on the fact that when people sense a loss of control and autonomy, their self-image is threatened. Initially, individuals may seek constructive ways out of the situation such as leaving the job. However, if the situation persists, they may begin to treat others as objects resulting in depersonalization. This will lead to diminished personal accomplishment and ultimately worsening emotional exhaustion. Based on Golembiewski et al.s findings and discussion of the burnout model in 1983, it can be classified that their model is similar to the earliest version of burnout model proposed by Cherniss (1980). Additionally, based on their model, Golembiewski et al. used a modified version of MBI and administered the instrument to a small population. The results allowed them to propose a model of burnout with eight stages. However, their model did not clarify or simplify the understanding of burnout. They moved to more rigorous methods of data collection and analysis using MBI as measurement instrument and expanded the population of employees to which results can be generalized. 2.2.3 Burnout and Nursing Employees in general experience burnout on the job, especially those in jobs with high contact with people. Nevertheless, nurses are considered at high risk of work-related stress and particularly susceptible to burnout among the different healthcare providers (Keane, Ducette Alder, 1985; Kilpatrick, 1989; Schaefer Moos, 1993; Schaufeli Janczur, 1994; Duquette, Kerouac Sandhu Beaudet, 1994; Farrington, 1995; Decker, 1997; Marsh, Beard Adams, 1999; Koivula, Paunonen Laippala, 2000; Taormina Law, 2000; Shimizu, Mizoue, Kubota, Mishima Nagata, 2003; Jenkins Elliott, 2004; Piko, 2006). This is also proven by the fact that burnout in nursing has received world-wide attention (Demerouti, Bakker, Nechreiner Schaufeli, 2000). Several studies have identified nurse burnout rates are as high as 40-50% (Hapell, Martin Pinikahana, 2003; Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke Vargas, 2004). Nurses are particularly susceptible to the development of burnout, mainly because of the nature and the em otional demands of their profession. Nurses experience considerable stress in their job because they have long working hours, a wide range of tasks, interpersonal conflict with patients and their families, doctors, and other co-workers, exposure to death and dying, and noise pollution (Schmitz, Neuman Opperman, 2000; Maslach, Schaufeli Leiter, 2001; Shimizu et al., 2003). Studies have also confirmed that stressful circumstances for hospital nurses are escalating and including work load (Foxall, Zimmerman, Standley Bene, 1990; Healey McKay, 2000; Koivula et al., 2000). Basically, nurses are subjected to many demands in the workplace which include physical demands and the psychological/emotional demands. The physical demands are related to the physical energy required to perform the daily duties of nursing such as transferring patients in and out of bed and lifting patients onto a bed. On the other hand, psychological/emotional demands are related to the emotional energy required to care for patients with chronic illn ess (Van Servellen Leake, 1993). Therefore, nurses who feel overloaded perceive a lack of meaningful connection with the patients. 2.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI) Emotional intelligence (EI) is complementary to cognitive abilities (IQ) (Devrim, Nadi, Mahmut, Mustafa Mustafa Kemal, 2005). Goleman (1995) stated that EI is significant to success. Goleman further explains the difference between people with high IQs who experience difficulties in their personal and professional lives and people with moderate IQs who are very successful in all their endeavours. Emotions are separated from that of the rational mind having independent views and a mind of their own (Freshwater Stickley, 2004). Therefore, one has two minds, a rational mind that thinks and an emotional mind that feels. In conclusion, both the rational mind and emotional mind, store memories and influence our responses, actions, and choices. Furthermore, EI such as academic intelligence can be learned and developed with age (Mayer, Caruso Salovey, 2000). Research has shown that people with high EI understand their own and others feelings, know how to manage themselves, deal successfully with others, and respond effectively to work demands (Dulewicz Higgs, 2003; Goleman, 2005). Cooper (1997) stated that people with high levels of EI experience more career success, build stronger personal relationships, lead more effectively, and enjoy better health than those with low EI. Hence, developing EI competencies in existing employees or finding individuals who posses these skills will enhance the organizations bottom line (Goleman, 1998a, 1998b) and ensure long-term success for the company. 2.3.1 Background and Definition of Emotional Intelligence (EI) The idea of EI has its roots in the social intelligences. EI was first proposed by Thorndike in 1921, who noted that it was of value in human interactions and relationships. Gardners (1983) multiple intelligence theory later also contributed to the theory of EI through the identification of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. Interpersonal intelligence comprised of the ability to understand others and to co-operate with them, whereas intrapersonal intelligence comprised of the ability to be self-aware, to recognize ones own feelings, and to use this to operate successfully in life. However, the term EI was not brought into mainstream psychology until 1990s (Mayer, DiPaolo Salovey, 1990; Salovey Mayer, 1990). Hence, EI is a new construct since the first peer-reviewed article that was published in 1990 (Salovey Mayer, 1990). The concept is also described as a new theory which is still in the initial stage of development and testing (Ashkanasy, Hartel Daus, 2002; Cherniss , Extein, Goleman Weissberg, 2006). As a result, definition of EI varies. Salovey and Mayer (1990) first coined the term of EI and defined EI as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions. Mayer et al. (2000) further defined EI as an ability to recognize the meanings of emotions and their relationships, and reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. EI is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them. However, the concept of EI was popularized by Goleman (1995) through his book Emotional Intelligence, which became a best-selling book for business and education leaders. Goleman (1998a) identified EI as the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. In addition, Bar-On (2005) defined EI as a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills, and facilitators that determine how effectively we understand and express ourselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands. In conclusion, recognizing feelings and controlling emotions are described as the core competencies of EI. Individuals who are emotionally intelligent can understand one another and each others views to overcome conflict and avoid damaging the relationship. Therefore, EI is about sensing what others are feelings and handling relationships effectively (Dulewicz Higgs, 2000). Previous research also addressed the relationship between EI and work outcome variables such as stress perceptions in the workplace (Bar-On, Brown, Kirkcaldy Thome, 2000; Nikolaou Tsaousis, 2002), job satisfaction (Wong Law, 2002), job commitment (Nikolaou Tsaousis, 2002), leader effectiveness (Higgs Aitken, 2003), and performance (Lam Kirby, 2002; Van Rooy Viswesvaran, 2004; Lopes, Grewal, Kadis, Gall Salovey, 2006). 2.3.2 Theories of Emotional Intelligence (EI) Since the emergence of the concept of EI in 1990s, many theories have been proposed. Nevertheless, three theories have gained acceptance among scholars and practitioners (Dulewicz, Higgs Slaski, 2003). These three major theoretical constructs each focused on understanding the roles of skills, traits, and abilities in EI (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). EI has been defined as an ability (Salovey Mayer, 1990), a set of traits and abilities (Bar-On, 2005) or a combination of skills and personal competencies (Goleman, 1995). The ability model is based on an individuals ability to use emotion as part of the reasoning process (Mayer et al., 2000). Mayer et al. asserted that EI depends on the ability to process emotional information and to use core abilities related to emotions. Bar-On (2005) conceptualized EI as a set of personality traits and abilities that predict emotional and social adaption within environments. Bar-On also affirmed that EI is teachable and learnable. According to Goleman (1995), EI is a set of learned skills and competencies and this conceptualization is most widely accepted outside academia. Golemans ideas have contributed to the development of leadership models that outline skills and competencies related to emotionally competent leadership (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). Additionally, the literature has evolved into two main categories of EI models: (1) ability model; and (2) mixed model (Feyerherm Rice, 2002). The Salovey and Mayer theory is considered an ability model of EI, while the Bar-On and Goleman theories are considered mixed model of EI (Mayer et al., 2000). Basically, the ability model encapsulates EI as a skill and the mixed model go beyond ability by including additional personality characteristics that leads to certain behavior. 2.3.2.1 Ability Model The ability model of EI is the Salovey and Mayer (1990) model which officially launched the field of EI. Salovey and Mayer viewed EI as an ability that exists, interacts, and complements an individuals cognitive capabilities. Ability theory promotes the relationship between cognition and emotion based on mental abilities (Mayer, Salovey Caruso, 2004). Salovey and Mayer conceptualized EI as a set of interrelated skills composed of four branches of abilities, which include: (1) perception and expression of emotion; (2) using emotions to facilitate thought; (3) understanding and analyzing emotions; and (4) managing emotions (Mayer et al., 2004). The four branches can be described as follows: (1) the perceiving emotions branch relates to the ability to detect emotions in oneself and in others; (2) the using emotions branch relates to the ability to use emotions in cognitive activities such as problem solving; (3) the understanding emotions branch relates to the ability to comprehend the complexity of emotional language and emotional relationships; and (4) the managing emotions branch relates to the ability for one to regulate emotions in oneself and in others. The ability model of EI is different from other theories because the model is the only one which utilizes an instrument designed to measure ability (Dulewicz et al., 2003). This model operationalizes EI using ability-based measures: the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MECEIT) (Mayer, Salovey Caruso, 2002) and its predecessor, the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS) (Salovey Mayer, 1990). The ability tests measure how well people perform tasks and solve emotional problems, as opposed to other EI scales which rely on the individuals subjective assessment of his or her perceived emotional skills. However, ability tests are expensive and require more resources to administer and score. MSCEIT instrument is difficult to score and lacks workplace applicability (Brackett, Rivers, Shiffman, Lerner Salovey, 2006). Consequently, self-report assessment outnumbers ability tests are more widely used in the mixed models. 2.3.2.2 Mixed Models EI mixed theories highlight the emotional and social functioning of individuals (Goleman, 2005; Bar-On, 2006). Therefore, Bar-On categorizes his model of EI as a key of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Bar-On (2005) asserted five key competencies are associated with ESI, whereby the five domains of this mixed model are: (1) intrapersonal capacity (the ability to be aware and understand ones own emotions and to express ones feelings and ideas); (2) interpersonal skills (the ability to be aware, understand, and appreciate others feelings as well as to build and maintain effective and satisfying relationships with others); (3) adaptability (the ability to adapt to various situations by effectively managing personal, social, and environmental changes by employing various skills such as problem solving, reality testing, and flexibility); (4) stress management strategies (the ability to manage emotions and to use those emotions to stay motivated and persistent); and (5) motivational an d general mood factors (the ability to be optimistic, to enjoy oneself and others, and to maintain positive feelings) (Bar-On et al., 2000). The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), a self-report measure is considered as the most widely used measure of ESI (Bar-On, 2005). The EQ-i analyzes the concept of emotional and social functioning by measuring a persons ability to deal with daily demands and pressures. People who are taking EQ-i answer questions based on five competencies: (1) intrapersonal skills such as emotional self-awareness, self-regard, self-actualization, or independence; (2) interpersonal skills such as interpersonal relationships, empathy, and social responsibility; (3) adaptability, including problem solving, flexibility, and reality testing; (4) stress management, including tolerance and impulse control; and (5) general mood of optimism and happiness. Goleman developed his mixed model theory of EI by building on the work of Salovey and Mayer, in addition to other researchers in the field (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). Basically, Golemans model of EI can be grouped into personal competencies and social competencies that affect personal success in the workplace. Goleman (2005) stated that a personal competence is the ability to keep self-awareness and manage ones behaviors while a social competence is the ability to understand the behaviors of others and manage relationships effectively. These competencies are described in detail as: (1) self-awareness (knowing ones internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions); (2) self-management (managing ones internal states, impulses, and resources); (3) motivation (emotional tendencies that facilitate reaching goals); empathy (awareness of others feelings, needs, and concerns); and (4) social skills (adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others) (Goleman, 1998a). Based on the emotional competencies identified by Goleman (1998a), the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) was designed to assess EI. ECI is a 360-degree scale which gathers self, subordinate, peer, and supervisory ratings on social and emotional competencies of individuals in organizations. Subsequently, Boyatzis (2007) designed Emotional Social Competency Instrument (ESCI), a multi-rater assessment in real organizational contexts which comprised of four emotional and social competencies, which include: (1) self-awareness; (2) self-management; (3) social awareness; and (4) relationship management. In general, EI mixed models stress performance based on behavioral competencies and personality traits suitable for a wide range of work contexts, job roles, and job levels (Petrides, Furnham Martin, 2004; Goleman, 2005; Boyatzis, 2007). The mixed model is also comprised of other measurement instruments. For examples, measures such as the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden Dornheim, 1998), and Wong and Laws (2002) leadership-focused measure of EI. Many studies in the literature utilize self-report measures of EI based on mixed model perspective that incorporates both disposition and ability (Chan, 2006). According to MacCann, Matthews, Zeidner and Roberts (2003), mixed model scales vastly outnumber ability tests at the stage of EI development, meaning that EI is more commonly assessed as a disposition, rather than as an ability. Additionally, self-report or peer-report measures require less amount of time to com plete and are most cost-effective than the ability based measure. 2.3.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Nursing There is a large body of knowledge related to EI exists outside nursing whereas EI theory and research within nursing is scarce and a more recent phenomenon (Akerjordet Severinsson, 2007; Smith, Profetto-McGrath Cummings, 2009). Smith et al. (2009) conducted a literature review related to EI and nursing during 1995-2007. Smith et al. found only 21 theoretical and 9 empirical articles related to the subject and concluded that although the body of theoretical literature in nursing is growing, scientific research about EI and nursing is just beginning. Apart from that, researches that link EI and nursing are mostly correlation designs using small sample sizes. Akerjordet and Severinsson (2007) asserted that EI has significant implications for nurses quality of work in healthcare. Therefore some qualitative studies have been conducted to explore the concepts and ideas of EI in nursing (Akerjordet Severinsson, 2004; Freshwater Stickley, 2004; Kooker, Shoultz Codier, 2007; Hurley Rankin, 2008). Akerjordet and Severinsson (2004) used qualitative interviews to gain insight into mental health nurses emotional experiences in practice and sought to understand the connection between nurses articulations of emotions in practice and EI concepts. Four main themes emerged from the study, which include: (1) relationship with the patient; (2) the substance of supervision; (3) motivation; and (4) responsibility which are related to different aspects of EI. For instance, relationship with the patient which was a central research finding is linked to EI through the ability to interpret and communicate emotional information. Akerjordet and Severinsson co ncluded that EI implies important personal and interpersonal skills in nurses therapeutic use of self, critical reflection, and stimulates the search for a deeper understanding of professional nursing identity. Additionally, quantitative studies in nursing have linked EI with coping strategies (Rochester, Kilstoff Scott, 2005; Montes-Berges Augusto, 2007) and burnout (Gerits, Derksen, Verbruggen Katzko, 2005). Montes-Berges and Augusto (2007) investigated links between nursing students EI, coping with stress and success at school or work. They indicated that nursing students who possess EI competencies are more likely to manage the pressures of school and continue throughout the nursing programs. The findings further pointed out a moderate correlation between nurses EI and coping within work-related environments. Another study found a clear link between EI and burnout in nurses measured at two different points in time (Gerits et al., 2005). Gerits et al. conducted a two-year longitudinal study on the EI profiles with 380 nurses working in 56 Dutch residential facilities for people with mental retardation. The fewest symptoms of burnout were reported by female nurses with relatively high EI profiles and relatively low social skills. EI has been identified as important for leaders in healthcare environments (Vitello-Cicciu, 2002; Cummings, 2004; McQueen, 2004). Organizational literature supports the notion that strong leaders who know how to manage emotions within complex healthcare systems is needed and will further benefit patient care, nurses, and organizations (Snow, 2001; Herbert Edgar, 2004; Feather, 2009). Emotionally intelligent leaders use emotionally intelligent skill to recognize the professional and emotional needs of colleagues, establish positive relationships with nurses, motivate passion and dedication in the workplace and ultimately influence patient care practices (Vitello-Cicciu, 2003). In a nutshell, emotionally intelligent leaders secure a commitment for excellence in practice through emotionally intelligent relationships that promote improvements in thinking, critical decision making, and care delivery (Strickland, 2000; Snow, 2001; Goleman, 2005). In summary, EI concept is increasingly recognized and is making an appearance in nursing journals (Cadman Brewer, 2001; Evans Allen, 2002; Freshman Rubino, 2002). The literature revealed EI is important and relevant to nursing from both an empirical and a theoretical perspective. EI influences emotion within caring relationships, quality of care and stress management. Emotionally intelligent leaders influence employees retention, quality of patient care, and pati

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Wuthering Heights - Series of Contrasts :: essays research papers

A) Catherine’s love for Heathcliff is torn between both Heathcliff and Edgar Linton – conflicting loyalties. Her love for Heathcliff is prompted by impulses to disregard social conventions. Her love for Heathcliff causes her to throw tantrums and to run around the moor. She considers Heathcliff her soul mate: their life growing up together, their enjoyable times on the moor, and her freedom and innocence of her childhood. â€Å"If I’ve done wrong, I’m dying for it. It is enough! You left me too – but I won’t upbraid you! I forgive you. Forgive me!† represents Catherine’s love and yet her cruel treatment of Heathcliff for marrying Edgar to attain material and social gains. B) In chapter 17 Isabelle returns to the Grange in physical disarray. She saw Heathcliff as a romantic figure, like a character one would find in a novel. Yet, her decision to go with Heathcliff ruins her life. He never returns her feelings and treats her as a tool in his perusal of revenge on the Linton family. C) Both women have an initial desire to be with Heathcliff, while only Isabella ends up marrying Heathcliff. Heathcliff’s love for Isabella is a mere tool to achieve his ultimate goal of revenge. He marries her as a mean of revenge. On the other hand, Heathcliff and Catherine would complete each other, they are soul-mates. Neither of their experiences are successful and they both do not get what they originally desired (the love of their life). 2. A) When Hindley's wife Frances dies shortly after giving birth to their son Hareton, Hindley lapses into alcoholism and dissipation. Nelly expected Hindley to become sober and attend his wife’s funeral. â€Å"'Yesterday, you know, Mr. Earnshaw should have been at the funeral. He kept himself sober for the purpose - tolerably sober: not going to bed mad at six o'clock and getting up drunk at twelve. Consequently, he rose, in suicidal low spirits, as fit for the church as for a dance; and instead, he sat down by the fire and swallowed gin or brandy by tumblerfuls.† B) â€Å"But, I thought in my mind, Hindley, with apparently the stronger head, has shown himself sadly the worse and the weaker man. When his ship struck, the captain abandoned his post; and the crew, instead of trying to save her, rushed into riot and confusion, leaving no hope for their luckless vessel. Linton, on the contrary, displayed the true courage of a loyal and faithful soul: he trusted God; and God comforted him† Wuthering Heights - Series of Contrasts :: essays research papers A) Catherine’s love for Heathcliff is torn between both Heathcliff and Edgar Linton – conflicting loyalties. Her love for Heathcliff is prompted by impulses to disregard social conventions. Her love for Heathcliff causes her to throw tantrums and to run around the moor. She considers Heathcliff her soul mate: their life growing up together, their enjoyable times on the moor, and her freedom and innocence of her childhood. â€Å"If I’ve done wrong, I’m dying for it. It is enough! You left me too – but I won’t upbraid you! I forgive you. Forgive me!† represents Catherine’s love and yet her cruel treatment of Heathcliff for marrying Edgar to attain material and social gains. B) In chapter 17 Isabelle returns to the Grange in physical disarray. She saw Heathcliff as a romantic figure, like a character one would find in a novel. Yet, her decision to go with Heathcliff ruins her life. He never returns her feelings and treats her as a tool in his perusal of revenge on the Linton family. C) Both women have an initial desire to be with Heathcliff, while only Isabella ends up marrying Heathcliff. Heathcliff’s love for Isabella is a mere tool to achieve his ultimate goal of revenge. He marries her as a mean of revenge. On the other hand, Heathcliff and Catherine would complete each other, they are soul-mates. Neither of their experiences are successful and they both do not get what they originally desired (the love of their life). 2. A) When Hindley's wife Frances dies shortly after giving birth to their son Hareton, Hindley lapses into alcoholism and dissipation. Nelly expected Hindley to become sober and attend his wife’s funeral. â€Å"'Yesterday, you know, Mr. Earnshaw should have been at the funeral. He kept himself sober for the purpose - tolerably sober: not going to bed mad at six o'clock and getting up drunk at twelve. Consequently, he rose, in suicidal low spirits, as fit for the church as for a dance; and instead, he sat down by the fire and swallowed gin or brandy by tumblerfuls.† B) â€Å"But, I thought in my mind, Hindley, with apparently the stronger head, has shown himself sadly the worse and the weaker man. When his ship struck, the captain abandoned his post; and the crew, instead of trying to save her, rushed into riot and confusion, leaving no hope for their luckless vessel. Linton, on the contrary, displayed the true courage of a loyal and faithful soul: he trusted God; and God comforted him†

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Consider how Seanus Heany provides us with a view of his childhood in :: English Literature

Consider how Seanus Heany provides us with a view of his childhood in the following poems: Digging, Death of a Naturalist, follower, blackberry picking, The barn and mid term break Sheanus Heany was born in 1939 on a farm in County Derry, Northern Ireland. His poetry is based on the landscape in his farm from his childhood. In his life there is one key feature that changed him from the rest of his family. This was the level of education that he obtained. He went to a decent school unlike his family that enabled him to write and not farm. He is currently a professor of poetry at Oxford. There are two large symbolic features in his poetry. Firstly, the danger in the countryside could be said to represent the danger in Northern Island at the time. Secondly, there is a strong sense of division in his family, which could be linked with Heany growing up in a divided country. His first poem in the Death of a Naturalist is very important. The purpose of it is to symbolise and introduce his circumstances. 'Between my finger and thumb the squat pen rests'. Look at this first sentence. It is telling you he is a writer. He is telling you that the pen rests. This means that he is comfortable with it. In a way he is saying that the pen belongs in his hand. Then he goes on to write 'snug as a gun'. A gun is a weapon. Something used for destruction which poetry is not. But, If you look closer you can see that maybe the pen has destroyed something. Heany was brought up in a Irish rural family. He is expected to become a farmer. In this way the pen has taken something away from him. It has changed the relationship with his family and lengthened the gap between them. Throughout nearly each poem there seems to be a barrier. Here it is the window, 'under my window'. Heany is doing mental work while his father is doing physical. Here is an example of how Heany and his father are different. 'My father digging I look down'. Even Heany's vision of his father from 20 years is one of digging. His father is natural with the farm work. When he is digging he is smooth and it is a harmonious movement. 'Bends low twenty years away stooping in rhythm through potato drills where he was digging'. His father's comfort with digging is displayed again. The boot is 'nestled' on the lug which is a word of belonging. His foot fits

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Resume Example Essay

Objective: To obtain a challenging post at your reputable organization that will utilize both my educational background and professional experience to contribute to the organization’s noble and humanitarian goals and simultaneously provide excellent opportunities for career development and personal growth. An aspiring team worker, hard working and dedicated professional who wants to meet the challenges posed in the industry and to contribute towards the growth of the organization along with self-motivation. Work Experience: Export documentation (CMA CGM Shipping India Pvt Ltd, Chennai) (Apr 2012 to May 2013) – Functional Tasks * Prioritize keying of the Shipping Instructions based on ACI / AMS and Vessel Closure deadlines. * Ensure all Customer Requirements are followed as per Reference Guide / SOPs * Escalate any concerns and job-specific queries through the team Supervisor. * Only genuine queries are raised to the Area offices and simultaneously and moved to the pending folder. * Check the draft bill against the Shipping Instruction and make necessary corrections. * Ensure Accuracy and Turn time of bill is maintained as per standard * Achievement of targets based on set standards. – Reporting & Reviews * Record the daily productivity / count in Internal CMA CGM application. * Ensure daily count tallies with the weekly figure. * Ensure he/she is aware of his/her errors and takes constructive effort to reduce them. Quality Analyst (Source HOV, Chennai) (Aug 2011 to Mar 2012) * Functional task of preparing reports to the companies throughout of process, it involves their individual productivity, project standardization, TAT, SLA. Over all 18 projects had concentrated and prepared reports for company owned Citrix software and MS Excel. The reports are in Paratoo chart, Pie chart and mainly using MIS (Management Information System) Concepts to implement the quality analyzing structure Hands on experience in Workflow design and deployment. Additional Qualification: * English Typewriting Junior Grade. * Pursed CCNA, RHCE, CWNA training course in ICA computer education, Coimbatore. Educational Qualifications: * Master of Computer Applications (MCA) with an aggregate of 76% from Coimbatore Institute of Management and Technology, (Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore) in the year of 2008-2011. * Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) with an aggregate of 73% from SVN College, (Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai) in the year of 2005-2008. * Higher secondary education with an aggregate of 60% from M.N.U.J. N Hr. Sec. School, Madurai. * Secondary education with an aggregate of 64% from M.N.U.J.N Hr. Sec. School, Madurai. STRENGTH * Works well among team. * Positive Attitude. * Free to learn, quick learner.

Monday, September 16, 2019

EMT/Paramedic Essay

People’s lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. EMTs and paramedics provide this vital service as they care for and transport the sick or injured to a medical facility. In an emergency, EMTs and paramedics are typically dispatched by a 911 operator to the scene, where they often work with police and firefighters. while assessing the nature of the patients condition, they try to determine whether the patient has any pre-existing medical conditions. EMT workers work in a group such like one make sures the patient is okay while another drives and etc. At the medical facility, EMTs and paramedics help transfer patients to the emergency department, report their observations and actions to emergency department staff, and may provide additional emergency treatment. After each medical run, they have to document trip, replace used supplies, and check the equipment. EMTs and paramedics also provide transportation for patients from one medical facility to another, particularly if they work for private ambulance services Training: A high school diploma is usually required to enter an emergency medical technician training program Training is offered at progressive levels: EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and Paramedic. At the EMT-Basic level, coursework emphasizes emergency skills, such as managing respiratory, trauma, and cardiac emergencies, and patient assessment. Graduates of approved EMT-Basic training programs must pass a written and practical examination administered by the State licensing agency or the NREMT. He program provides instruction and practice in dealing with bleeding, fractures, airway obstruction, cardiac arrest, and emergency childbirth. Students learn how to use and maintain common emergency equipment, such as backboards, suction devices, splints, oxygen delivery systems, and stretchers. At the EMT-Intermediate level, training requirements vary by State. The nationally defined levels, EMT-Intermediate 1985 and EMT-Intermediate 1999, typically require 30 to 350 hours of training based on scope of practice. Students learn advanced skills such the use of advanced airway devices, intravenous fluids, and some medications. The most advanced level of training for this occupation is Paramedic. caregiver  receives training in anatomy and physiology as well as advanced medical skills. Most commonly, the training is conducted in community colleges and technical schools and may result in an associate’s degree. Employment Most career EMTs and paramedics work in metropolitan areas. Volunteer EMTs and paramedics are more common in small cities, towns, and rural areas. About 45 percent worked as employees of ambulance services. About 29 percent worked in local government. Another 20 percent worked in hospitals. Job Outlook Employment of emergency medical technicians and paramedics is expected to grow 9 percent between 2008 and 2018 which is average. As a large segment of the population—aging members of the baby boom generation—becomes more likely to have medical emergencies, demand will increase for EMTs and paramedics. employment of EMTs and paramedics is expected to grow by 33 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Earnings Earnings of EMTs and Paramedics depend on the employment setting and geographic location of their jobs, as well as their training and experience. EMT average salary: $31,061 Paramedic average salary: $38,902 Schooling A High School diploma and completion of a training program is required. Employment Benefits: Choice of wide variety of health plans with family coverage, as well as prescription, dental and eyecare benefits 3 weeks vacation to start *(increases to 5 weeks after 8 years) Excellent pension benefits which include: 5 year pension vesting & full pension benefits after 25 years of service, regardless of age Excellent promotional opportunities Deferred compensation/401K and flexible spending plans.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Liberal Arts vs Science Essay

Liberal arts deal with the sections of education that specialize in imparting general knowledge to learners. This is usually meant to build a strong intellectual capacity on general subjects that would not require technical or even professional skills. The sections of arts that are basically seen as to be in this category include languages, philosophy, music, basic arithmetic and history. In as much as humanities are considered to be part of liberal arts, they my lean towards scientific processes like those in geography and research sciences. On the other hand, sciences are based on technical subjects like physics and chemistry. Scientific knowledge is specific and can be based on a plethora of scientific specialties. Some examples may include biology, physics, engineering and medicine. Other areas in sciences that are specific can include actuarial science and applied mathematics. Developments in the current world of education indicate that more and more students are being encouraged to specialize on sciences than liberal arts. Does this signal that liberal arts are dead and everything is now about science and technology? Specialists in many quarters have advanced arguments that point to the fact that liberal arts are dying fast. Reasons include the fact that more professionals in sciences receive better compensation packages than their counterparts in liberal arts. The idea that liberal arts are a dying section of education is supported by facts. This is due to the fact that more and more people are embracing education in sciences that seem to be generally more appealing. The Industrial Revolution experienced in the world over seemed to emphasize the fact that the world would lean more towards technical aspects of education than on the arts. During the onset of this revolution in the late nineteenth century, inventions in sciences drove many to pursue technical subjects as they seemed to be leading to the most lucrative jobs. Examples lay in the engineering and other technological fields that had strong foundations in sciences. As such, many institutions that were recruiting prospective employees developed pay packages that were tailored to be better than those for employees in the liberal art field. Other factors that point to this being true include the declining budgetary allocation in universities that specialize in liberal arts. This was aggravated by the recession experienced during the period 2008-2009. A study showed that most students who had degrees in the fields and disciplines in liberal arts suffered job cuts and lay-offs during this period (Cook 1) (The Death of Liberal Arts: How the Recession and Unemployment are making Schools and Students Rethink the Value of an Education in The Humanities 1). The numbers of tertiary institutions that offer courses in these fields have declined by nearly a hundred since the early nineties to date. Despite this trend in developments, there are facts that point towards this being the truth and there are some others that seem to dispute this idea. Current job markets indicate that every employee has to have at least some basic technical knowledge. This may mostly lie in the knowledge of Information Technology (IT). It is prudent to observe that in the modern world, nearly all organizations insist on recruiting employees who have basic knowledge on how to process data using computers. This may be in writing documents or even manipulating data to obtain a desired result. Therefore, most organizations recruit prospective employees with basic computer proficiency skills. These skills are deemed to be mandatory in communication and other day-to-day activities in the office. On the other hand, most companies that are recruiting prospective employees are insistent upon the ability of employees to integrate with the community. This would include the immediate community living within the precincts of the location of such companies or even the prospective customers. To have such abilities, one needs to have studied some form of psychology or even sociology. These form part of the liberal arts. Consequently, these companies recruit employees who have studied in these fields and hence have the abilities to mingle with the said people. This knowledge might be important in marketing or even companies that deal in communications and customer care. Therefore, there are job market patterns that may seem to suggest that liberal arts may not be totally dead. Kathleen Haney, a professor of Philosophy of Education in the University of Houston-Downtown, opines that in the view of a layman, liberal arts are dead. She observes that liberal arts are mainly important in the formative years of education such as the elementary and secondary education. Later on, when a student needs to become more skilled in specific subjects, he may need the knowledge acquired in the elementary and secondary that dealt more on liberal arts. Such skills might include languages so as to communicate with others well. However, in â€Å"The Liberal Arts and the End of Education†, she explains the need for everyone to view liberal arts as losing its shine due to the influence of development. Development, she insists, impresses upon scholars the need to embrace more technical subjects. This she attributes to the need by more organizations to employ people who have knowledge in practical-oriented subjects like sciences. In as much as her works seem to approve of this as the trend, she however goes ahead to implore us to change our mind-frame so that we can see liberal arts as pivotal in enabling us to be able to be proficient in these practical subjects. She insists that the more technical subjects would need the services of liberal arts to survive. This she subtly alludes to when she says that languages are the essence of understanding and communication. Therefore, she agrees to the fact that liberal arts are losing their shine due to the current patterns in job markets. She however does not encourage this as it might be of detriment to ignore important sections of liberal arts like languages. The trend that she observes goes way back in time and is founded from the early times. The enthusiasm with which liberal arts were embraced before the Industrial Revolution has considerably gone down due to the mentioned facts. There seems to be a number of reasons that have been fronted for this kind of happening. It is only natural that for this, there has to be some form of consequences. The future generations face a more challenging task of trying to ignore or even do without an important part of education. As a matter of fact, the consequences might have very heavy repercussions on education in general. The main factor that will contribute to this is the need for people who can efficiently communicate in certain settings. For instance, when languages are abolished in the curriculum, students will need extra efforts to learn foreign languages so that they can earn whole-some multi-cultural competency. An example is when a company needs to venture into a foreign market and it requires one of the staff members to be able to communicate to the natives in their language. This would mean that the staff will be required to learn the native language of the people residing in the area. This might be expensive to undertake as the only other option is to employ a native. Many people have come up with arguments in support of the notion that liberal arts are dead. However, there are some writers who have come up with opposing arguments that seem to be water-tight. The American Council of Learned Societies has come up with issues that seem to show that the liberal arts are still popular in colleges. It discusses the importance of liberal arts in communication and the full understanding of human nature (American Council of Learned Societies 1) (Liberal Arts in American Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities 1). It is subjects like philosophy and psychology that enable scientists like doctors and psychiatrists to understand how to deal with illnesses of the human mind. Coupled with this, the languages help in comprehension of several issues. Their argument is based on the fact that liberal arts build a comprehensive understanding of the human being. This seems to be a very convincing argument since most of sciences deal in the physical part of a human being but not on the moral, spiritual and social part. In the international arena, the science vs. art debacle has taken various forms depending on situations. For instance, many parents still insist on their children taking more professional courses as opposed to them having to take courses in liberal arts. It is of interest to note that many writers attribute this to the different priorities that people in the different social classes have. For instance, many students in the upper middle class will not feel pressured to earn degrees in the professional courses that are not seen as art-based. On the other hand, students who have to work to earn money for their fees have always chosen professional courses over the liberal arts. This has been attributed to the fact that the students from affluent families have no worries about fees and which college they feel they want to attend. Their schooling is a matter of choice as opposed to students with limited financial abilities who will be restricted to their budgets due to financial constraints. In conclusion, it has been shown that liberal arts are losing attention as an important part of education. Many factors have pointed to this. It is important to note that the need to study other technical subjects important in scientific development have led this. It is also important to note that the foundations of basic education are laid through the use of liberal arts like languages. Therefore, it is pragmatic to stop this trend before it leads to harm. The fact that more and more institutions are beginning to lower the budgetary allocations on liberal arts is worrying. It is worth noting that the recession exposed the weakness in the humanities sector of education as professionals in this field suffered more job cuts. This would actually lead to anyone conclusively saying that the liberal arts are actually dead. However, many a writer has sufficiently come up with arguments that signify the importance of liberal arts in the current and future settings. Therefore, while it is important to note that liberal arts are dying, it is a task set upon us to develop curricula that will ensure that the sections that liberal arts cover in education are taken over by an equally fulfilling branch of education. References Cook, N. The Death of Liberal Arts: How the Recession and Unemployment are making Schools and Students Rethink the Value of an Education in The Humanities. (5th April, 2010). Newsweek Web Exclusive. Web. America Council of Learned Societies. Liberal Arts in American Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities. 2005. American Council of Learned Societies. Print.