Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Causes of Poverty in the UK Essay Example
Causes of Poverty in the UK Essay Example Causes of Poverty in the UK Analysis Essay Causes of Poverty in the UK Analysis Essay In the world economy, the United Kingdom is a developed country. However, income distribution in the country is poor with some people being extremely rich, while others living in extreme poverty. A part of citizens that has low incomes also has low living standards. However, the country has a strong social infrastructure, and, thus, the low-income earners live in relative poverty. This essay seeks to examine a view of poverty that the country has to embrace compared to its social structures and public policies. The research focuses on the main causes of poverty in the country as well as future interventions and policies to end poverty. It uses different books, articles, peer-reviewed journals, reports as well as statistics from different organizations to support the thesis. It is important to determine the main causes of poverty in the United Kingdom. It is because its form in the country differs from that of other developing countries. A comparison of the income of the populationââ¬â¢s part related to the average income assists in bringing out an actual structure of poverty in the state. The research examines the lack of material needs for citizens to support and participate in a daily life. Such a report is important in order to determine the situation of people locally in terms of housing, incomes, health, crime, skills, employment as well as a general social structure. Researchers have carried out different studies in the country in an attempt to examine the main causes and impacts of this issue. With the support of a theory and research, the essay bases its arguments on the thesis statement. The view of poverty that the country embraces will have direct impacts on the public policies that it pursues. Poverty in the UK: Methodology The research uses the case study research design. It is by selecting the case of the United Kingdom, in general, and examining the situation as well as the theories surrounding poverty in the country. It operates the research procedures by applying both qualitative and quantitative methods of the research. Quantitative methods involve the use of statistical data. It uses different statistical methods and variables such as mean, median, variance, and standard deviation among others to examine different phenomena. In this case, the research uses data from the UK about poverty, per capita income, the standards of living, surveys of a lifestyle, employment, and the Gross Domestic Product among others. The methodologies also apply the qualitative information. It is the information, which cannot be quantified. It includes job satisfaction, peopleââ¬â¢s perceptions, and ideas. There are different benefits for the research methodology The first benefit is the fact that it uses data and information already available. The use of secondary data eliminates the complexities of the primary data collection such as the use of interviews, questionnaires, and other primary data collections. There are secondary sources in the country being important for poverty measurement, social exclusion, deprivation, and standards of living. The sources used also give a change to the countryââ¬â¢s poverty situation with some time. It is clear by examining the historical information about the countryââ¬â¢s extent and nature of social inclusion as well as poverty for a period of time. In this case, the period has been taken as for the last two decades. Thus, the sources assist in mapping the countryââ¬â¢s situation in the future with several interventions and public policies. It is also possible to examine different causes of poverty over time with different policies in the past that generate various outcomes of poverty. Thus, the sources have great advantages as far as the topic is concerned. This research design also has some limitations. A major challenge is that it uses the already available information. Thus, the results of the research depend on some other researches original scholars, with underlying limitations of that primary data collection procedure. It implies that the research is prone to errors in th e sources. The research procedure involves reviewing the literature on poverty in the UK and choosing the most appropriate sources. Therefore, the research will apply about five research assistants to review journals, books, articles, and other secondary sources of information. In the research, a main challenge is that researchers as well as authorities are carrying out studies each day about poverty in the country. Consequently, newer researches might negate the inferences that the study makes. The authorities in the UK are also aware of the poverty situation. They may formulate major policies to significantly change this issue as the research continues. However, the study counters this by using the most recent sources with updates where necessary. It implies that the researcher and research assistants with the help of an academic advisor have changed the original sources during their study to accommodate the new information. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as well as the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have carried out different surveys to determine the actual situation of poverty in the country as well as its causes. The organizations have also collaborated with other public as well as private non-governmental organizations in order to determine the purposes and social effects of poverty in the UK (Kirby 2000). Both organizations are the valid sources of statistics since they have enough funding to carry out unbiased and independent researches locally. The organizations have also conducted different studies in the past to determine the economic situation of citizens in the country for more than 50 years (Kirby 2000). The two main research organizations collaborate with other academic, social, and economic institutions to ensure the validity of information. These institutions include the University of Bristol, the Department of Social Policy, Herriot-Watt University, Social Work at Yo rk Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Queenââ¬â¢s University Belfast, Open University, The World Bank, and the European Union, etc. Thus, the data available in these sources are valid and have a great impact on the European context. The organizations have spent about 10 million pounds during two years to come up with these statistics (Walsh Moore 2000). Statistics show that there are about one in every six children in the UK living in poverty. It puts the percentage of kids living in households with the lower income than the average at about 17% of the total childrenââ¬â¢s population. In figures, there were about 2.3 million of such kids in the country in 2013. The number changes after households pay the housing costs. It is up to about 3.5 million (27% of the total childrenââ¬â¢s population) of kids in the country living at lower than average homes. This figure is higher compared to that in 2012 with 300,000 more. These figures are alarming provided that their families live in a relative poverty, with less than 60% of the median net income being less than 250 pounds a week. The figures show that there 100,000 children living in poor families that have been employed since 2012. The figures are not different from those of adults with approximately 5.6 million out of the total population living in relative poverty (Salvadori 200 6). It is before they pay their housing costs with the figures increasing to 7.9 million after housing payments. In 2012, about 2 million of pensioners in the country were living in absolute poverty. In percentage, about 15% of the working population lives in relative poverty with below 60% of the median disposable income. For pensioners, the figures are at about 16%. They have changed over time with a gradual reduction in poverty in the last one decade. Therefore, poverty continues to be a challenge in the UK (Salvadori 2006). The dynamics of poverty in the country show that the society there takes some time to change from one social class to another. Examining different studies gives only one perception of poverty locally with the conclusion that the term itself only refers to the poor and non-poor people. However, the dynamics in the country proves that citizens have different people experiencing various kinds and forms of poverty. With this understanding, the one is able to see people who experience poverty in the UK, coming out of it as well as those not experiencing poverty anymore. In the country, there is a population that has come out of poverty while some other percentage still lives in poverty going through some changes in their economic classes with time. The use of just one concept to examine poverty locally is misleading and gives the information basing on a concept of the poor (Gregg MacMillan 2012). The people locally have diverse poverty experiences with some dynamics assisting to determin e differences in these experiences. An understanding of dynamics also assists in not only helping those who live in poverty. It as well helps those who have come out of it from rejoining the low economic class (Gregg MacMillan 2012). There are different studies showing that the poverty dynamics research started in the country in the 1990s. It is with the realization that different development policies in the country have affected certain poverty aspects. The poverty levels for children in the country have increased to about 30% from 10% in the 1970s. Thus, important interventions would not only affect those ones currently living in poverty. However, they impact on those being a bit above the poverty line. A view on the literature defining poverty dynamics gives an understanding of poverty eradication, reduction as well as some effects of policies and interventions. Future interventions can also fill a gap that the research in poverty dynamics has left. Poverty dynamics show that the levels of this issue in the country vary with time. The governmentââ¬â¢s measurement of this problem at any point in time does not give any specific information of people that have experienced poverty. It only gives their numbers. For example, statistics over the last two years have showed that at least 15% of the population has experienced poverty (Smith Middleton 2007). However, about 24 percent of people experienced poverty at one time or some other during the period of two years. Thus, the understanding of definitive characteristics for poverty as a constant phenomenon does not give any correct social situation. The statistics in a six year period show that at least a third part of the population has at one time experienced poverty with the low income after paying for housing. It shows that more than a double part of the actual population today living in poverty has been in that situation in the last seven years. Consequently, poverty statistics should include poverty dynamics to determine the appropriate causes and interventions (Smith Middleton 2007). The measure of poverty in the country has always been through the use of the national median income. It is in order to determine the population that cannot afford the disposable income being 60% lower than the median one. The research shows that organizations in the country that give poverty do not consider the fact that most citizens who enter poverty in the country leave it in less than two years. Thus, the percentage of those people who constantly is being in poor conditions is actually less than in the statistics. Those who live in the continued poverty are actually less than the statistics give. With poverty not being a persistent phenomenon, its measurement should change. It is to accommodate the one-off transient experiences of this issue with a better understanding (Alcock 2006). These measures should ensure that they focus on the people who get in and out of poverty with some changes in a range of their income mobility (Alcock 2006). An increase and decrease of the income es pecially for low-income earners affects poverty levels even within a period of one year. The low income earners only get some income increments to get them out of poverty with uncertainty on future increases. Thus, the population that remains in poverty is recurrent with a very high probability of those people re-entering this issue. Only about 25% of the poorest ones rise in a financial situation with a replacement rate of about the tenth. Thus, the measures to determine the causes of poverty in the country should focus on all low-income earners in the UK. They should not just consider the bottom population but should be holistic in computation. Therefore, the measures should include people experiencing all forms of this issue. They are the people who have the transient poverty. Others experience the recurrent, persistent, and one-off poverty (Brown et al. 2010). Causes of Poverty Social Causes There are several causes of poverty in the UK. These are both the social and economic aspects. The UK is among the largest countries in the worldââ¬â¢s economy. It is important to determine why a person in every six citizens lives in relative poverty. The UK government has a vision to ensure that every woman, man, and child in the country lives with a fair treatment with the respect for their dignity and life. It is regardless of their financial positions. In order to determine the main social causes of poverty locally, it is important to know that more than 13 million of the UK citizens do not have enough finance resources to live on. This part of the population does not have the power to air their views. They donââ¬â¢t obtain with the feelings about how it feels to be poor as well as the social injustice that they face during this issue (Brown Schafft 2011). The country has also had a poverty benefitsââ¬â¢ program, which is inflexible and that needs a desperate update. Th e social welfare program has played a key role in ensuring that the poor in the country have an opportunity to go up the ladder in the social and economic development. The country has had one of the strongest social infrastructures in the world. It is with different programs to support human welfare programs such as healthcare and education for all (Brown Schafft 2011). The look at the culture of poverty shows that its levels have changed significantly since the 1960s. At this time, the levels of relative poverty were low at about ten percent. The levels then rose to nearly 30 percent in the 1990s. Poverty has remained a challenge for policymakers and since 1990. However, they have continued to play an important role in the poverty reduction with significant changes from the 1990s up to date. The issue halved in the last decade due to the efforts from legislators. The citizens have a certain culture as far as poverty causes are concerned (Darton Strelitz 2003). From a social perspective, there are about three general causes of poverty. These are the social infrastructure, society opportunities and barriers in a social development such as family characteristics and social beliefs (Darton Strelitz 2003). Discrimination in terms of ethnicity, race, religion, and other characteristics is common in the country. Citizens believe that poverty is for the poor people who cannot afford luxuries in their lives. They are the only ones whom it affects. The peopleââ¬â¢s attitudes and behaviour about poverty are also important in explaining why some people are living in such bad conditions. It is because citizens in the UK partially believe that the system has played a key role in influencing the poor conditions locally. The culture of dependency is whereby a certain part of the society depends on the working members. Such an example is employees in the United Kingdom who have to support the retired family members (Geddes 1997). The culture of idleness and dependency has passed in families from one generation to another. It is due to the fact that people among certain relatives or in neighbourhood believe that their social and geographical position faces the exclusion. Social culture develops a perception that people do not seek any investment and employment opportunities. They believe that such possibilities have disappeared from their achieving (Geddes 1997). The culture of poverty leads to weak investment characteristics and a weak market for labour. There people find it difficult to cope with their current lifestyle. Their attitude shifts from focusing on education and work to find some ways to escape the social deprivation. The welfare system in the UK ensures that those having enough resources to maintain their livelihood depend on the government as well as other non-governmental welfare programs, i.e. the donors for their sustenance. The benefits arising from the value of work have become fewer because people experiencing poor conditions do not have any reason to work. They believe that the system can accommodate them in their current situation (Grimshaw 2008). The specific research on peopleââ¬â¢s perception of poverty shows that the social infrastructure has created such a culture. As a result, low income earners do not attempt to improve their socioeconomic position. Government incentives play a significant role in ensuring tha t they get all their basic needs with the elimination of personal motivation to come out of poverty (Grimshaw 2008). The look at the family structure in the United Kingdom brings a better understanding of family roles in relation to poverty. A breakdown of the family structural characteristics will bring an overall understanding of poverty issues in the UK. In the research, it is important to understand the properties which influence poverty with a focus on family structures. The welfare benefits for families in the country also influence the individual choice for the kind of lifestyle that one pursues. The family structure is a main cause of poverty with the future generation in the certain family making choices according to the influence from their lineage. The studies from the ESRC show that this structure in the UK influences the choices that children make. These children decide depending on their social and economic positions. In the country, about 8 percent of kids end up in cohabitation or as single parents. They lack the faith in a family institution because of their childhood experience (G eorge 2010). They believe that the family is an unstable institution. They have a fear to engage in lasting relationships and create strong family commitments. It is a main cause why they end up in unstable single parenting situations and cohabitation (George 2010). There is a high correlation between the family structure and poverty. The choices that children make affect their future socioeconomic status. There are also significant effects on their poverty levels. In the country, 46 percent of kids living in single parent families exist in poverty. It is very unfortunate that no secondary source gives the marital status of people experiencing poor living conditions with their family history. However, the ESRC surveys show that about 78 percent of children existing in poverty come from the families with a single parent. 20 percent of kids below three years living in relatively poor conditions are from stable families. About half of others are living in unstable family conditions with the uncertainty about their relatives and parents (Kendall 2003). These children end up at foster homes, orphanages, streets. Some of them are living with other family members such as grandparents (Kendall 2003). Using the comparative evidence from the US and other countries in Europe, researchers have found out that cohabitation in the UK for women is higher than in the US, Germany, and Canada. Single mothers have more disadvantages than their married counterparts with unstable social relationships. Therefore, poverty in the country increases with the culture that every family develops. Studies also show that people experiencing poor conditions in the United Kingdom say that their families are a main cause of their current situation. It is because the family has created the culture of poverty for their generation to follow. This behaviour does not encourage aggressiveness and does not fund the education for their children. It creates a social perspective whereby poverty continues from one generation to the next one (Kumar 1993). Alcohol and other drugs, which include heroin and cocaine, is a true contributor to poverty levels within the United Kingdom. Drug addiction reported from the poverty site has been on its rise and can relay a real connection with the poor conditionsââ¬â¢ level. It is related especially to the group of those involved in practice. These drugs are all highly addictive. Something that allows space for an argument, their usage opens one up to the title expensive habits. These behaviours are expensive. Anyone who uses them will have to find some ways to finance his or her habits (Machin McNally 2006). Their effects are, on the other hand, somewhat truly friendly to poverty. They affect the rate of productivity amongst the addicts. It goes down. Low productivity and staggering esteem will affect negatively the gross domestic product of people. There are also the effects of stress and likelihood of suicide and an increased need for medication (Machin McNally 2006). First of all, any investment being directed at medication is hefty. The chances of it to be termed as an investment depend on the peopleââ¬â¢s willingness to quit the habits and engage themselves in the hard work. If that is not forth coming, it leads to a hefty individual and the government expenditure. It will increase the chances of a poverty increase for individuals and the government (Pettitt 1998). Secondly, drug addicts could lose their lives through a suicide or an over consumption of substances. When parents, for instance, die, the risk for their children to have the poor living conditions is being very high. Chances of concentration in a class will at high levels be affected negatively. The problem looked under a subtitle of the lack of education may arise. The risk of exposure to HIV and AIDS is a real blow to any government (Pettitt 1998). The line between education and poverty exists. The relationship is inversely proportional in the sense that the more one is educated, the higher chances are for him or her to tackle poverty. In the United Kingdom, for example, children born in 1970 had fewer chances of escaping poverty than those born in 1958. It is according to the interim findings of the research being carried out by trust. It is so following an increase in the population over years and not similarly matching an increase at schools (Philo 1995). In his campaign, the statement before he had got into the office, David Cameron had this observation. He mentioned the strategies to employ to see that the problem herein expressed was tackled with the urgency it warrants. Combining these few factors discussed above, you will notice that a really big number of citizens within the national boundaries of the United Kingdom are, therefore, finding their way into a poverty bracket. I may call it so for the lack of a better word (Philo 1995). It followed by the lack of enough opportunity for the population within this bracket. It has led to people not exploiting their full potential of something that has, in turn, bred a huge degree of frustration. Of course, this does not stand to prove as a main reason why there are more than three and a half million kids living in poverty in the country. However, it only goes to show that the lack of the good education should be the real answer to the problem. It will add up to benefit the population we are discussing. If that is achieved to the level of having everybody realize the talents and work towards the fulfilment of their potential, the results would be rather beneficial to people and the government, at large (Platt 2007). Individual agency is also a major cause of poverty in the United Kingdom. It is because the personââ¬â¢s behaviour and perceptions will influence life choices with effects on their socioeconomic positions. Individual agency refers to the cognitive and behavioural characteristics of a person. Every human responds differently to various life situations affecting their choices. Unemployed people, the disabled, the retirees, and other beneficiaries of social benefits programs behave in such a way that they have accepted their fate (Andress 2008). They only depend on the programs for the daily sustenance. They do not engage in other ways to improve their social and economic status. These attitudes create a culture whereby people focus on their current dependence programs without having a necessary motivation to come out from their poor living conditions. It leads to a belief that the rich ones control all the resources at the expense of the poor people. The welfare programs in the coun try have not achieved their objectives. It is to assist the economically deprived ones (Blokland-Potters Savage 2008). They have rather created a notion that some families and generations are entirely disconnected in the cultural perspectives of the society. It damages the peopleââ¬â¢s independence to work for their livelihood and hurts their motivation, ambition, and likelihood of attempting to go out from poverty. It traps a certain part of the society into poor living conditions. Individual agency traps people into poverty with a lack of proper individual choices to influence a rise in the social status (Blokland-Potters Savage 2008). Structural Causes The distortion in the political and economic levels as well as some shifts is also the major causes of poverty in the country. The political system influences all the activities in the community by affecting the economic growth as well as reduction of social deprivation. There are many areas of concern as far as poverty in the UK is concerned. The view at the economic decline locally has led to an increase in poverty levels. The country has suffered a decrease in its economic structure especially with the financial crisis of 2008. The banking system in the United Kingdom was on a verge of collapsing (Singh 1980). Economic planners as well as legislators in the country have had great challenges in attempting to come up with the most effective policies of that time. With every citizen locally facing hard times, employment and other important economic activities have failed in bringing the country to success. With a boom, the economic situation becomes friendly for employers and the gen eral population. It creates better employment opportunities for all with government policies to support a development process. Economic distractions refer to some changes in the economic structure which influence a further change in the national income (Raffer 2010). The ability of the population to pay for goods and services has significant effects on the economic structure. The economic growth locally does not always lead to improvements in the market for goods and services at the local levels. It is because the economic growth does not directly affect everybody in the UK (Raffer 2010). The look at the Gross Domestic Product, for example, does not show the achievements of the United Kingdom in terms of the human welfare. It is because the GDP does not deal with welfare services such as education, healthcare, and employment. It can increase at the expense of the certain part in the population. Certain people can benefit because of the others. The exploitation of labour and inequality in wealth distribution affects the countryââ¬â¢s structure concerning poverty. Consequently, the rich will become richer, and the poor will be poorer. The efforts to enable the regeneration of neighbourhoods which experience poverty have been increasing. The relationship between trade and work dictates an ability of people to change one social position to the other one. Business perspectives in the country have played a meagre role in improving human lives (Salvadori 2006). The structural understanding of the UK with the policies to empower business to play a key role in the social im provement has not been successful locally. It is because there are different schools of thought as far as the factors are concerned. Appropriate economic and political structures in a developed country should ensure that there is the segregation between local businesses and societies. It will encourage the investment in such areas as housing, local facilities, education, and skillsââ¬â¢ improvement. Savings and investments are important economic activities which depend on the political and economic structure inside the UK (Seymour 2000). It is with the efforts to address the regeneration of social perspectives. They reduce the further segregation of deprived communities from the countryââ¬â¢s mainstream way of life. The economic and political system should ensure that the supply of labour and remuneration assists those people experiencing poverty. The political structure has ignored the representation at the grass root level (Seymour 2000). live CHAT The United Kingdom together with Ireland is ranked as some of the best performing countries to have the successfully reduced poverty. The real stretch towards the achievements started about fifteen years ago with the leadership of Tony Blair, the English Prime Minister. His government enacted statutes that would see that the fight against poverty would not only exist on paper. It would extend to the levels of implementation. This way, all sectors of the government and the community are working together to achieve success. Amongst the policies are the Welfare Reform Act 2007 and the Equality Children Act 2006. The government closely monitors all the implementation processes and goes ahead to publish an annual report. It illuminates the governmentââ¬â¢s progress and measures. It has seen the government pulling some really huge strides that include a decrease of poverty for some target groups like children and elder people (Wolff 2004). It has also seen more citizens with working an ability to join the labour market. It could increase the per capita income and have a real improvement in the support and promotion of financial securities to families. The taxation system has also been forced to accommodate to some changes, which include the establishment of a national minimum wage, a tax credit for low income earners, and tax credits to provide a financial support to parents. In 2003-2004, fewer children were living in poverty conditions as compared to the years 1996-1997. The data have been derived from the report on poverty reduction strategies in the United Kingdom of the year 2006. According to it, the threshold of 25 % of poverty reduction amongst children had not been met. However, the statistics of 23% was to give the government a true reason to smile. Over the last eleven years, the United Kingdom has experienced a huge growth in its GDP and employment. It is being the most likely attribution of the statistics observed (Salvadori 2006). FFFThe Role of Government and Its Policies The countryââ¬â¢s political system has some members of Parliament that belong to the central government. The local governments are not strong since they only deal with the provision of services and management of property at local levels. The country has not used the devolution of power, as there is the United States. It implies that peopleââ¬â¢s representation at the local level is poor. It creates a gap between the government and citizens. The former one does not organize any investment and savings programs locally because the banking system is a private sector. It has left this sphere to private investors with an action discouraging the culture of saving. The government has a major role to play as far as the poverty reduction in the country is concerned. Legislators have attempted to formulate several policies to influence the poor conditionsââ¬â¢ decrease (Gregg MacMillan 2012). There are several Acts of Parliament that attempt to reduce poverty levels in the country. Ho wever, the government has a long way to go as far as fighting poor conditions is concerned. The first important policy involves the creation of a local representation and advice programs to create the culture of poverty alleviation. The structural interventions include setting up an economic structure. It could support microfinance programs with different ways to empower the low income earners such as the availability of loans. Policies should also influence the social infrastructure with some benefits programs. The latter ones do not encourage idleness and dependency. The government should set these programs to support people by improving their skills and giving them an opportunity to invest. Giving people money to afford their daily needs does not assist in the poverty alleviation. Thus, the state body should formulate some policies which ensure that people experiencing poverty benefit in a long rung. The means should also promote a social cohesion especially among the youth. It w ill be important for the future social development (Kendall 2003). The view on the social and structural causes of poverty suggests that there should be the policies, which can enable the poverty reduction. The government provides family, tax, and childcare benefits as well as some work incentives among other social welfare programs. These ones have played a key role in ensuring that people experiencing poverty can afford housing, food, clothing, education, healthcare, and other essential services. However, fighting this issue of poor living conditions does not stop there. It is a long term activity which requires the collaboration between the government as well as the society. By the 1990s, it was evident that the government had ignored poverty alleviation with its rates doubling during 30 years. The statistics also show that a change in political leaders and a formulation of policies also affect a poverty alleviation process. The economic structure in the United Kingdom should be in such a way that it encourages savings, investments, and the emplo yment locally. It is to enable people who come from poor conditions from going back to the levels. The social structure should be in such a way that it encourages a social development with the provision of affordable services. It will eliminate both the social as well as structural causes and poverty, thus, ending this problem in the country.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Essay on Reptiles Essays - Sphenodontia, Living Fossils, Reptile
Essay on Reptiles Essays - Sphenodontia, Living Fossils, Reptile Essay on Reptiles Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals. The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibians and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired. Proposals have been made to reclassify the pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and certain other groups out of the class Reptilia into one or more classes of their own. The class Reptilia is divided into 6 to 12 subclasses by different authorities. This includes living and extinct species. In addition, a number of these subclasses are completely extinct. The subclasses contain about 24 orders, but only 4 of these are still represented by living animals. Of the living orders of reptiles, two arose earlier than the age of reptiles, when dinosaurs were dominant. Tuataras, of the order Rhynchocephalia, are found only on New Zealand islands, whereas the equally ancient turtles, order Chelonia, occur nearly worldwide. The order Crocodilia emerged along with the dinosaurs. Snakes and lizards, order Squamata, are today the most numerous reptile species. The Rhynchocephalia constitute the oldest order of living reptiles; the only surviving representative of the group is the tuatara, or sphenodon (Sphenodon punctatus). Structurally, the tuatara is not much different from related forms, also assigned to the order Rhynchocephalia, that may have appeared as early as the Lower Triassic Period (over 2 000 000 000 years ago). The tuatara has two pairs of well-developed limbs, a strong tail, and a scaly crest down the neck and back. The scales, which cover the entire animal, vary in size. The tuatara also has a bony arch, low on the skull behind the eye, that is not found in lizards. Finally, the teeth of the tuatara are acrodont - i.e., attached to the rim of the jaw rather than inserted in sockets. Chelonia, another ancient order of reptiles, is chiefly characterised by a shell that encloses the vital organs of the body and more or less protects the head and limbs. The protective shell, to which the evolutionary success of turtles is largely attributed, is a casing of bone covered by horny shields. Plates of bone are fused with ribs, vertebrae, and elements of shoulder and hip girdles. There are many shell variations and modifications from family to family, some of them extreme. At its highest development, the shell is not only surprisingly strong but also completely protective. The lower shell (plastron) can be closed so snuggly against the upper (carapace) that a thin knife blade could not be inserted between them. A third order of the class Reptilia is Crocodilia. Crocodiles are generally large, ponderous, amphibious animals, somewhat lizardlike in appearance, and carnivorous. They have powerful jaws with conical teeth and short legs and clawed, webbed toes. The tail is long and massive and the skin thick and plated. Their snout is relatively long and varies considerably in proportions and shape. The thick, large horny plates that cover most of the body are generally arranged in a regular pattern. The form of the is adapted to its amphibious way of life. Finally, the elongated body with its long, muscular paddletail is well suited to rapid swimming. The final
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Analysis and critique paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Analysis and critique paper - Assignment Example al., 2012). The use of randomized controlled trial or quasi-experiment study design was one of the determinants of whether a study would be included in the analysis. A potential study for this analysis had to have studied persons from a population of equal or less than eighteen years and their parents. A qualified study for inclusion in this analysis had to have used text messaging as its impact in influencing health behavior. The analysis required potential research studies to have used pre-test and or post-test in measuring health behavior outcome. The source of a potential research study for this analysis had to be a peer-reviewed journal. Any study to be included in the analysis had to have been published in English (Militello et. al., 2012). Seven studies represented by eight articles were included in the review. Many of these studies used randomized controlled trials, one used randomized crossover design study, and another used a quasi-experimental study. Three studies concluded that reminders are effective improving the outcomes of blood glucose monitoring, insulin therapy in diabetics and anti-rejection medications in liver transplant patients. More than five other studies supported this conclusion and the use of text message intervention among the diverse population of urban parents was another conclusion that was consistent in a number of the selected studies (Militello et. al., 2012). The topic of this integrative research review was clearly defined. The search for studies and other evidence used in this review was comprehensive and unbiased and the screening of citations considered for inclusion in this review was based on explicit criteria. Included studies in this review were assessed for quality by gauging their level of evidence. The discussion and display of the findings of the included studies was
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Juvenile Justice Cases Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Juvenile Justice Cases - Assignment Example The future lies with the children hence, todayââ¬â¢s laws subject them to various systems different from the adultsââ¬â¢. It is necessary to mention that todayââ¬â¢s child has not had enough chance at her disposal leading to marginal changes in the traditional roles that children play in several parts of this state. Most of them have actually adapted to the common proverbial silver-spoon which had an unimaginable meaning in the uneconomical era. Some are fortunate enough to have the necessities of a life while others face controversial and diverse problems. Some of the problems might be a direct effect of increasing strength of the economy; something that has substantially reduced the responsible behavior expectations during childhood. Most irresponsible children behavior is a result of inadequate attention from preoccupied parents who leave their children with the responsibility of taking care of themselves when they return home from school (John, 2007). Question 1 A& B: Although it might be a little easier to jump into conclusion and think that the 15-year old would be thrown to jail and manhandled, it is crucial to point out that the justice system came up with a system that aims at, not only committing itself to the restoration and protection philosophy but also provides diverse opportunities for diversion and emphasizing on the rehabilitation process other than mere punishment hence Mrs. I should not be worried due to several ways used to deal with that issue without necessarily having the little boy harassed. The punishment principle states that there can never be an occurrence of a crime in a situation where lawful punishment specifications do not exist. For example, Larceny would never be considered a criminal offence if a clearly defined law against that does not exist. The law of the land cannot simply state that, ââ¬Ëstealing is illegalââ¬â¢. Criminal punishment should be clearly specified in order to ensure that there is lawful imposition of sanctions when an individual if found guilty. In this case, the boy would be found in possession of a car that was stolen, driving without a license and even crushing the car. This may be a hard case to handle as the defendant had been found with (not just one) three offences to answer for. However, there might still be hope. He might escape a harsh punishment but must be subjected to other means of correcting his behavior (Davenport, 2009). One thing that must be put into consideration is whether or not Mrs. I could be willing to take res ponsibility of seeing to it that the future of this little boy is bright through economic means and absolute mentorship programs. That is the most lenient option adopted by a court of law in implementing justice as a means of reversing the juvenile delinquencyââ¬â¢s negative trend. A relatively strong program of diversion relevantly impacts recidivism and delinquents. As a replacement of juvenile court, sentencing and prosecution, there had to be an implementation of diversion programs. Another significant point is whether or not
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts Essay Example for Free
Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts Essay Historically, qualitative methodologies have been available much longer some as early as the 19th century as the quantitative tools marketers rely on so heavily. (2014) Donald R. Cooper Quantitative research attempts precise measurement of something. In business research, quantitative methodologies usually measure consumer behavior, knowledge, opinions, or attitudes. Such methodologies answer questions related to how much, how often, how many, when, and who (2014) Donald R. Cooper There are a few methods researchersââ¬â¢ uses to acquire or validate data; The interview is the primary data collection technique for gathering data in qualitative methodologies. Interviews vary based on the number of people involved during the interview, the level of structure, the proximity of the interviewer to the participant, and the number of interviews conducted during the research. The interview can be conducted individually (individual depth interview or IDI) or in groups. (2014) Donald R. Cooper Questionnaires often make use of Checklist and rating scales. These devices help simplify and quantify peoples behaviors and attitudes. A checklist a list of behaviors, characteristics, or other entities that the researcher is looking for. Either the researcher or survey participant simply checks whether each item on the list is observed, present or true or vice versa. A rating scale is more useful when a behavior needs to be evaluated on a continuum. They are also known as Likert scales. (Leedy and Ormrod, 2001) http://people.uwec.edu/ Some strengths of each statistical approach is that they can help to find the studies generalized to the population about which information is required, samples of individuals, communities, or organizations can be selected to ensure that the results will be representative of the population studied. Structural factors that determine how inequalities (such as gender inequalities) are produced can be analyzed, QUANT estimates can be obtained of the magnitude and distribution of impacts, QUANT estimates can be obtai ned of the costs and benefits of interventions. Some weakness of eachà statistical is there is often no information on contextual factors to help interpret the results or to explain variations in behavior between households with similar economic and demographic characteristics, administration of a structured questionnaire creates an unnatural situation that may alienate respondents, studies are expensive and time-consuming, and even the preliminary results are usually not available for a long period of time, research methods are inflexible because the instruments cannot be modified once the study begins.(2014) interaction.org When it comes to statistic analysis, there are two classifications: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. In a nutshell, descriptive statistics intends to describe a big hunk of data with summary charts and tables, but do not attempt to draw conclusions about the population from which the sample was taken. You are simply summarizing the data you have with pretty charts and graphsââ¬âkind of like telling someone the key points of the book as opposed to just handing them a thick book. (2012) mymarketresearchmethods Sampling is a shortcut method for investigating a whole population which it gathers data here on a small part of the whole parent population or sampling frame, and used to inform what the whole picture is like Systematic point sampling a grid can be used, and the points can be at the intersections of the grid lines or in the middle of each grid square. Sampling is done at the nearest feasible place. Along a transect line, sampling points for vegetation/pebble data collection could be identified systematically. Systematic line sampling the eastingââ¬â¢s or nothings of the grid on a map can be used to identify transect lines, along a beach it could be decided that a transect up the beach will be conducted every 20 metros along the length of the beach Systematic area sampling A ââ¬Ëpattern of grid squares to be sampled can be identified using a map of the study area. Advantages: It is more straight-forward than random sampling, a grid doesnt necessarily have to be used; sampling just has to be at uniform intervals, good coverage of the study area can be more easily achieved than using random sampling Disadvantages: It is more biased, as not all members or points have an equal chance of being selected; it may, therefore, lead to over or under-representation of a particular pattern In this article, we analyzed a dataset of fraudul ent credit card transactions to uncover patterns in fraudulent transactions and to demonstrate the importance ofà focusing on suspicious transactions. We argue that revealed patterns in fraudulent transactions may help financial The ability to combine to combine different research approach across conventional methodological often frustrated. Qualitative and quantitative researchers often operate with a different set of assumptions about the world and ways of learning about it. These assumptions may be seen as mutually and inevitably irreconcilable. Researchers are often taught to master only one type of method and, so, become comfortable with their expertise in handling either quantitative or qualitative analysis, but not both After reading all the material provided I must say that the best and most appropriate research method in my business would be qualitative research because it goes more in depth into the study of the business platform would give me a better and clear picture of the stability and understanding, another approach would be sampling because it gives me different choices of how to find data and make it more accurate . Inferential Article, macromolecular structures calculated from nuclear magnetic resonance data are not fully determined by experimental data but depend on subjective choices in data treatment and parameter settings. This makes it difficult to judge the precision of the structures objectively. We used Bayesian inference to derive a probability distribution that represents the unknown structure and its precision. This probability distribution also determines additional unknowns, such as theory parameters, which previously had to be chosen empirically. We implemented this approach by using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. Our method provides an objective figure of merit and improves structural quality. Because conventional structure ensembles depend on user-specific parameter settings and the minimization protocol, it is difficult if not impossible to assign statistically meaningful error bars to atomic coordinates. In contrast, stochastic samples drawn from the joint posterior density p(X, à ³, ÃÆ'|D,I) are statistically well defined and can directly be used to calculate estimates of mean values and standard deviations (14). As a special case, we can derive an average structure with atomise error bars and are thus able to define an objective figure of merit for NMR structures (2014) Inferential Structure Determination Descriptive article Walking is second only to private cars as the most common means by which individuals get from place to place in the USA and Europe. The speed at which individuals walk is relevant to theirà functioning in the community, mortality of older adults, incident ischemic stroke among postmenopausal women, and incident dementia among older adults, this study does have several limitations. First, it is not comprehensive. Although four databases were used to find relevant literature, the final search was up to the end of 2008. Between that time and the present, relevant articles other than the two identified through hand searches may have been published. Of the relevant articles identified, some did not provide data in a manner that enabled inclusion Reference (2014) Donald R. Cooper Business Research Methods 12e Entire eBook http://www.mymarketresearchmethods.com/descriptive-inferential-statistics-difference/ http://people.uwec.edu/ http://people.uwec.edu/ http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/Sampling+techniques.htm http://gbr.sagepub.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/content/14/3/373 http://www.interaction.org/annex-1-strengths-and-weaknesses-quant-evaluation-approaches http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/213604856?pq-origsite=summon
Friday, November 15, 2019
Overview of The First Red Scare :: essays research papers
In the early part of the twentieth century, Americans feared and fought against the principles of the Bolsheviks. Few Americans today even know what the ââ¬Å"Red Scareâ⬠was, let alone fear these ideas. However, many of the basic Bolshevik ideas are alive and well in the United States. Citizens of the United States are beginning to accept and even believe in many principles that the Bolshevik Revolution was all about, including eminent domain, loss of freedom of speech, loss of privacy, and income redistribution in the form of very high tax rates. The textbook years for the Red Scare were from 1917 to 1920, but there were important events before 1917 that preceded the Bolshevik Revolution. ââ¬Å"The first ââ¬Å"redsâ⬠were those Americans who supported the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century.â⬠(Hoyt, 11) The first Marxian socialists to come to the United States were German immigrants who began arriving in 1848. They slowly began to change the labor organization, and over a few years the Socialist and Communist parties were born. In 1901, all Americans were made aware of left-wing radicalism after an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz assassinated President William McKinley. ââ¬Å"No more was needed to make Americans fear and hate the very words ââ¬Å"anarchist,â⬠ââ¬Å"radical,â⬠ââ¬Å"redâ⬠and ââ¬Å"socialist,â⬠all of which they lumped togetherâ⬠. (Hoyt, 13) All of these events culminated in creating a certain fear in Americans from these groups. The climax of the fear of radicals, and the start of the Red Scare was when in November 1917, when the Russian Revolution took place. Earlier that year, there were only 11,060 Bolsheviks in Russia, yet five months later they managed to seize power. When American began to understand this concept, they were all struck with fear. Americans did not want to go back to a controlling government that they had just escaped by coming to America. The Red Scare began because of several bombs that were mailed to many people. These bombs were constructed so that when the person receiving the bomb opens their package, they will be greatly injured, or killed. There were about thirty bombs sent through the mail, and only about five were actually opened. These bombs were addressed to important people like John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, commissioners of immigration and many others. Bombs were the physical scare to people, but inside, Americans were ââ¬Å"nervous that reds could get into the government and control the people.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 32
Elena was radiantly happy. She had gone to sleep happy, only to wake up again happy, serene in the knowledge that soon ââ¬â soon she would visit Stefan, and that after that ââ¬â surely very soon ââ¬â she would be able to take Stefan away. Bonnie and Meredith weren't surprised when she wanted to see Damon about two things: one being who should go and two being what she was going to wear. What did surprise them were her choices. ââ¬Å"If it's all right,â⬠she said slowly at the beginning, tracing a finger round and round on the large table in one of the parlors as everyone gathered the next morning, ââ¬Å"I would like for just a few people to go with me. Stefan's been badly treated,â⬠she went on, ââ¬Å"and he hates to look bad in front of other people. I don't want to humiliate him.â⬠There was sort of a group blush at this. Or maybe it was a group flush of resentment ââ¬â and then a group blush of culpability. With the western windows slightly open, so that an early-morning red light fell over everything, it was hard to tell. Only one thing was certain: everyone wanted to go. ââ¬Å"So I hope,â⬠Elena said, turning to look Meredith and Bonnie in the eye, ââ¬Å"that none of you are hurt if I don't choose you to come with me.â⬠That tells both of them they're out, Elena thought as she saw understanding blossom in both faces. Most of her plans depended on how her two best friends reacted to this. Meredith gallantly stepped up to bat first. ââ¬Å"Elena, you've been through hell ââ¬â literally ââ¬â and almost died doing it ââ¬â to get to Stefan. You take with you the people who will do the most good.â⬠ââ¬Å"We realize it isn't a popularity contest,â⬠Bonnie added, swallowing, because she was trying not to cry. She really wants to go, Elena thought, but she understands. ââ¬Å"Stefan may feel more embarrassed in front of a girl than a boy,â⬠Bonnie said. And she didn't even add ââ¬Å"even though we would never do anything to embarrass him,â⬠Elena thought, going around for a hug and feeling Bonnie's soft little birdlike body in her arms. Then she turned and felt Meredith's warm and slim hard arms, and as always felt some of her tension drain away. ââ¬Å"Thank you,â⬠she said, wiping tears from her eyes afterward. ââ¬Å"And you're right, I think it would be harder to face girls than boys in the situation he's in. Also it will be harder to face friends he already knows and loves. So I would like to ask these people to go with me: Sage, Damon, and Dr. Meggar.â⬠Lakshmi leaped up as interested as if she had been chosen. ââ¬Å"Where's he in jail?â⬠she asked, quite cheerfully. Damon spoke up. ââ¬Å"The Shi no Shi.â⬠Lakshmi's eyes became round. She stared at Damon for a moment, and then she was bounding out the door, her shaken voice floating behind her: ââ¬Å"I've got chores to do, master!â⬠Elena turned to look directly at Damon. ââ¬Å"And what was that little reaction?â⬠she asked in a voice that would have frozen lava at thirty meters. ââ¬Å"I don't know. Truly, I don't. Shinichi showed me kanji characters and said that they were pronounced ââ¬ËShi no Shi' and they meant ââ¬Ëthe Death of Death' ââ¬â as in lifting the curse of death from a vampire.â⬠Sage coughed. ââ¬Å"Oh, my trusting little one. Mon cher idiot. To not get a second opinionâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å"I did, actually. I asked a middle-aged Japanese lady at a library if the romaji ââ¬â that's the Japanese words written out in our letters, meant the Death of Death. And she said yes.â⬠ââ¬Å"And you turned on your heel and walked out,â⬠Sage said. ââ¬Å"How do you know?â⬠Damon was getting angry. ââ¬Å"Because, mon cher, those words mean many things. It all depends upon the Japanese characters first used ââ¬â which you did not show her.â⬠ââ¬Å"I didn't have them! Shinichi wrote it in the air for me, in red smoke.â⬠Then in a kind of angry anguish: ââ¬Å"What other things do they mean?â⬠ââ¬Å"Well, they can mean what you said. They also could mean ââ¬Ëthe new death.' Or ââ¬Ëthe true death.' Or even ââ¬â ââ¬ËThe Gods of Death.' And given the way Stefan has been treatedâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ If stares had been stakes, Damon would have been a goner by now. Everyone was looking at him with hard, accusing eyes. He turned like a wolf at bay and bared his teeth at them in a 250-kilowatt smile. ââ¬Å"In any case, I didn't imagine it was anything remarkably pleasant,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"I just thought it would help him to get rid of the curse of being a vampire.â⬠ââ¬Å"In any case,â⬠Elena repeated. Then she said, ââ¬Å"Sage, if you would go and make sure that they'll let us in when we arrive, I would be enormously grateful.â⬠ââ¬Å"As good as done, Madame.â⬠ââ¬Å"And ââ¬â let me see ââ¬â I want everyone to wear something a little different to go visit him. If it's all right I'll go talk to Lady Ulma.â⬠She could feel Bonnie's and Meredith's bewildered looks on her back as she left. Lady Ulma was pale, but bright of eye when Elena was escorted into her room. Her sketchbook was open, a good sign. It took only a few words and a heartfelt look before Lady Ulma said firmly, ââ¬Å"We can have everything done in an hour or two. It's just a matter of calling the right people. I promise.â⬠Elena squeezed her wrist very, very gently. ââ¬Å"Thank you. Thank you ââ¬â miracle worker!â⬠ââ¬Å"And so I am to go as a penitent,â⬠Damon said. He was right outside Lady Ulma's door when Elena came out and Elena suspected him of some eavesdropping. ââ¬Å"No, that never even occurred to me,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"I just think that slave's clothing on you and the other guys will make Stefan less self-conscious. But why should you think I wanted to punish you?â⬠ââ¬Å"Don't you?â⬠ââ¬Å"You're here to help me save Stefan. You've gone through ââ¬â â⬠Elena had to stop and look in her sleeves for a clean handkerchief, until Damon offered her a black silk one. ââ¬Å"All right,â⬠he said, ââ¬Å"we won't get into that. I'm sorry. I think of things to say and then I just say them, no matter how unlikely I think they are, considering the person I'm speaking to.â⬠ââ¬Å"And don't you ever hear another little voice? A voice that says that people can be good, and may not be trying to hurt you?â⬠Elena asked wistfully, wondering how loaded with chains the child was now. ââ¬Å"I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes. But, as that voice is generally wrong in this wicked world, why should I pay it any attention?â⬠ââ¬Å"I wish sometimes you would just try,â⬠Elena whispered. ââ¬Å"I might be in a better position to argue with you, then.â⬠I like this position just fine, Damon told her telepathically and Elena realized ââ¬â how did this happen over and over? ââ¬â that they had melted into an embrace. Worse, she was wearing her morning attire ââ¬â a long silky gown and a peignoir of the same material, both in the palest of pearly blues, which turned violet in the rays of the ever-setting sun. I ââ¬â like it too, Elena admitted, and felt shockwaves go through Damon from his surface, through his body, and deep, deep into that unfathomable hole that one could see by looking into his eyes. I'm just trying to be honest, she added, almost frightened by his reaction. I can't expect anyone else to be honest if I'm not. Don't be honest, don't be honest. Hate me. Despise me, Damon begged her, at the same time caressing her arms and the two layers of silk that were all that stood between his hands and her skin. ââ¬Å"But why?â⬠Because I can't be trusted. I'm a wicked wolf, and you're a pure soul, a snow-white newborn lamb. You mustn't let me hurt you. Why should you hurt me? Because I might ââ¬â no, I don't want to bite you ââ¬â I only want to kiss you, just a little, like this. There was revelation in Damon's mind-voice. And he did kiss so sweetly, and he always knew when Elena's knees were going to give out and picked her up before she could fall on the floor. Damon, Damon, she was thinking, feeling very sweet herself because she knew she was giving him pleasure, when she suddenly realized. Oh! Damon, please let me go ââ¬â I have to go have a fitting right now! Deeply flushed, he slowly, reluctantly put her down, grabbed her before she could fall, and put her down again. I think I shall have to go have a fit right now as well, he told her earnestly as he stumbled out of the room, missing the door the first time. Not a fit ââ¬â a fitting! Elena called after him, but she never knew if he had heard. She was pleased, though, that he had let her go, without really understanding anything except that she was saying no. That was quite a bit of improvement. Then she hurried in to Lady Ulma's room, which was filled with all sorts of people, including two male models, who had just been garbed in trousers and long shirts. ââ¬Å"Sage's clothes,â⬠said Lady Ulma, nodding at the large one, ââ¬Å"and Damon's.â⬠She nodded at the smaller man. ââ¬Å"Oh, they're perfect!â⬠Lady Ulma looked at her with just the slightest doubt in her eyes. ââ¬Å"These are made of genuine sacking,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"The meanest, lowest cloth in the slave hierarchy. Are you sure they will wear them?â⬠ââ¬Å"They're wearing them or they aren't going at all,â⬠Elena said flatly and winked. Lady Ulma laughed. ââ¬Å"Good plan.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes ââ¬â but what do you think of my other plan?â⬠Elena asked, genuinely interested in Lady Ulma's opinion, even while she blushed. ââ¬Å"My dear benefactress,â⬠Lady Ulma said. ââ¬Å"I used to watch my mother put together such outfitsâ⬠¦after I had turned thirteen, of course ââ¬â and she told me that they always made her happy, for she was bringing joy to two at once, and that the purpose was nothing but joy. I promise you, Lucen and I will be done in no time. Now, should you not be getting ready?â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh, yes ââ¬â oh, I do love you, Lady Ulma! It's so funny that the more people you love, the more you want to love!â⬠And with that Elena went running back to her own rooms. Her maids-in-waiting were all there and all ready. Elena took the quickest, briskest bath of her life ââ¬â she was keyed up ââ¬â and found herself on a couch in the middle of a smiling, keen-eyed bunch, each neatly doing her job without interfering with the others. There was a depilatory, of course ââ¬â in fact one for each leg, one for her armpits, and one for her eyebrows. While these women and the women with soft creams and unguents were at work, creating a unique fragrance for Elena, another one thoughtfully considered her face and body as a whole. This woman touched up Elena's eyebrows to darken them, and gilded Elena's eyelids with metallic cosmetic paint before using something that added at least a quarter-inch to Elena's eyelashes. Then she extended Elena's eyes with exotic horizontal lines of kohl. Finally, she carefully made Elena's lips a rich glossy red that somehow gave the impression that they were continually puckered for a kiss. After this the woman sprinkled the faintest of iridescence all over Elena's body. Finally, a very large canary diamond that had been sent up from Lucen's jewelry bench was firmly cemented into her navel. It was while the hairdressers were seeing to the last of the little curls on her forehead that the two boxes and a scarlet cape came from Lady Ulma's women. Elena thanked all her ladies-in-waiting and beauticians sincerely, paid them all a bonus that had them twittering, and then asked them to leave her alone. When they dithered, she asked them again, just as politely, but in louder tones. They went. Elena's hands were trembling as she took out the outfit Lady Ulma had created. It was quite as decent as a bathing suit, but it looked like jewelry strategically placed on wisps of golden tulle. It all coordinated with the canary diamond: from the necklace to the armlets to the golden bracelets that denoted that, however expensively Elena was dressed, she was still a slave. And that was it. She was going clad in tulle and jewelry, perfume and paint, to see her Stefan. Elena put the scarlet cloak on very, very carefully to avoid rumpling or smearing anything below, and slipped her feet into delicate golden sandals with very high heels. She hurried downstairs and was exactly on time. Sage and Damon were wearing cloaks tightly closed ââ¬â which meant that they were dressed in the sacking outfits underneath. Sage had had Lady Ulma's coach made ready. Elena settled her matching golden bracelets on her wrists, hating them because she had to wear them, pretty as they were against the white fur trim on her scarlet cloak. Damon held out a hand to help her into the coach. ââ¬Å"I get to ride inside? Does that mean I don't have to wear ââ¬â â⬠But looking at Sage, her hopes were crushed. ââ¬Å"Unless we want to curtain all the windows,â⬠he said, ââ¬Å"you're legally traveling outside without slave bracelets.â⬠Elena sighed and gave her hand to Damon. Standing against the sun, he was a dark silhouette. But then, as Elena blinked in the light, he stared in astonishment. Elena knew he'd seen her gilded eyelids. His eyes dropped to her pursed-to-be-kissed lips. Elena blushed. ââ¬Å"I forbid you to order me to show you what's under the cloak,â⬠she said hastily. Damon looked thwarted. ââ¬Å"Hair in tiny curls all over your forehead, cloak that covers everything from neck to toes, lipstick likeâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ He stared again. His mouth twitched as if he were being compelled to fit it to hers. ââ¬Å"And it's time to go!â⬠Elena caroled, hastily getting into the carriage. She felt very happy, although she understood why freed slaves would never wear anything like a bracelet again. She was still happy when they reached the Shi no Shi ââ¬â that large building that seemed to combine a prison with a training facility for gladiators. And she was still happy as the guards at the large Shi no Shi checkpoint let them into the building without showing any signs of ill feeling. But then, it was hard to say if the cloak had any effect on them. They were demons: sullen, mauve-skinned, bullock-steady. She noticed something that was at first a shock and then a river of hope inside her. The front lobby of the building had a door in one side that was like the door in the side of the depot/slaveshop: always kept shut; strange symbols above; people walking up to it in different costumes and announcing a destination before turning the key and opening the door. In other words: a dimensional door. Right here in Stefan's prison. God alone knew how many guards would be after them if they tried to use it, but it was something to keep in mind. The guards on the lower floors of the Shi no Shi building, in what was most definitely a dungeon, had clear and obnoxious reactions to Elena and her party. They were some smaller species of demon ââ¬â imps, maybe, Elena thought ââ¬â and they gave the visitors a hard time over everything. Damon had to bribe them to be allowed in to the area where Stefan's cell was, to go in alone, without one guard per visitor, and to allow Elena, a slave, to go in to see a free vampire. And even when Damon had given them a small fortune to get past these obstacles, they sniggered and made harsh guttural gurglings in their throats. Elena didn't trust them. She was correct. At a corridor where Elena knew from her out of body experiences they should have turned left, instead they went straight through. They passed another set of guards, who almost collapsed from sniggering. Oh ââ¬â God ââ¬â are they taking us to see Stefan's dead body? Elena wondered suddenly. Then it was Sage who really helped her. He put out a large arm and bodily held her up, until she found her legs again. They went on walking, deeper into what was a filthy and stinking stone-floored dungeon now. Then abruptly they turned right. Elena's heart raced on before them. It was saying wrong, wrong, wrong, even before they got to the last cell in the line. The cell was completely different from Stefan's old cell. It was surrounded, not by bars, but by a sort of curlicued chicken wire that was lined with sharp spikes. No way to hand in a bottle of Black Magic. No way to get the bottle top in position to pour into a waiting mouth on the other side. No room, even, to get a finger or the mouth of a canteen through for the cellmate to suck. And the cell itself wasn't filthy, but it was bare of everything except a supine Stefan. No food, no water, no bed to hide anything in, no straw. Just Stefan. Elena screamed and had no idea if she screamed words or just a formless sound of anguish. She threw herself into the cell ââ¬â or tried to. Her hands grabbed onto curls of steel as sharp as razor that caused blood to well up instantly wherever they touched, and then Damon, who had the fastest reactions, was pulling her back. And then he just pushed past her and stared. He stared open-mouthed at his younger brother ââ¬â a gray-faced, skeletal, barely breathing young man, who looked like a child lost in his rumpled, stained, threadbare prison uniform. Damon raised a hand, as if he'd forgotten the barrier already ââ¬â and Stefan flinched. Stefan seemed not to know or recognize any of them. He peered more closely at the drops of blood left on the razor-sharp fencing where Elena had grasped it, sniffed, and then, as if something had penetrated the fog of his bafflement, looked around dully. Stefan looked up at Damon, whose cloak had fallen, and then, like a baby's, Stefan's gaze wandered on. Damon made a choking sound and turned and, knocking anyone in his way aside, ran the other way down the corner. If he was hoping that enough guards would follow him that his allies could get Stefan out, he was wrong. A few followed, like monkeys, calling out insults. The rest stayed put, behind Sage. Meanwhile, Elena's mind was churning and churning out plans. Finally she turned to Sage. ââ¬Å"Use all the money we have plus this,â⬠she said, and she reached under her cloak for her canary diamond necklace ââ¬â over two dozen thumb-sized gems ââ¬â ââ¬Å"and call to me if we need more. Get me half an hour with him. Twenty minutes, then!â⬠ââ¬â as Sage began to shake his head. ââ¬Å"Stall them, somehow; get me at least twenty minutes. I'll think of something if it kills me.â⬠After a moment Sage looked her in the eyes and nodded. ââ¬Å"I will.â⬠Then Elena looked at Dr. Meggar pleadingly. Did he have something ââ¬â did something exist ââ¬â that would help? Dr. Meggar's eyebrows went down, then their inner sides went up. It was a look of grief, of despair. But then he frowned and whispered, ââ¬Å"There's something new ââ¬â an injection that's said to help in dire cases. I could try it.â⬠Elena did her best not to fall at his feet. ââ¬Å"Please! Please try it! Please!â⬠ââ¬Å"It won't help beyond a couple of days ââ¬â ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"It won't need to! We'll get him out by then!â⬠ââ¬Å"All right.â⬠Sage had by now herded all the guards away, saying, ââ¬Å"I'm a dealer in gems and there's something you all should see.â⬠Dr. Meggar opened his bag and took out of it a syringe. ââ¬Å"Wooden needle,â⬠he said with a wan smile as he filled it with a clear red liquid from a vial. Elena had taken another syringe and she examined it eagerly as Dr. Meggar coaxed Stefan by imitation to put his arm up to the bars. At last Stefan did as Dr. Meggar wished ââ¬â only to jump away with a cry of pain as a syringe was plunged into his arm and stinging liquid injected. Elena looked at the doctor desperately. ââ¬Å"How much did he get?â⬠ââ¬Å"Only about half. It's all right ââ¬â I filled it with twice the dose and pushed as hard as I could to get theâ⬠ââ¬â some medical word Elena didn't recognize ââ¬â ââ¬Å"into him. I knew it would hurt him more, injecting that fast, but I accomplished what I wanted.â⬠ââ¬Å"Good,â⬠Elena said rapturously. ââ¬Å"Now I want you to fill this syringe with my blood.â⬠ââ¬Å"Blood?â⬠Dr. Meggar looked dismayed. ââ¬Å"Yes! The syringe is long enough to go through the bars. The blood will drip out the other side. He can drink it as it comes out. It might save him!â⬠Elena said every word carefully, as if speaking to a child. She desperately wanted to convey her meaning. ââ¬Å"Oh, Elena.â⬠The doctor sat down, with a clink, and took a hidden bottle of Black Magic out of his tunic. ââ¬Å"I'm so sorry. But it's hard enough for me to get blood out of a vial. My eyes, child ââ¬â they're ruined.â⬠ââ¬Å"But glasses ââ¬â spectacles ââ¬â ?â⬠ââ¬Å"They're no good to me anymore. It's a complicated condition. But you have to be very good to actually tap a vein in any case. Most doctors are pretty hopeless; I'm impossible. I'm sorry, child. But it's been twenty years since I was successful.â⬠ââ¬Å"Then I'll find Damon and have him open my aorta. I don't care if it kills me.â⬠ââ¬Å"But I do.â⬠This new voice coming from the brilliantly lighted cell in front of them made both the doctor and Elena jerk their heads up. ââ¬Å"Stefan! Stefan! Stefan!â⬠Uncaring of what the razor fence would do to her flesh, Elena leaned over to try to hold his hands. ââ¬Å"No,â⬠Stefan whispered, as if sharing a precious secret. ââ¬Å"Put your fingers here and here ââ¬â on top of mine. This fence is only specially treated steel ââ¬â it numbs my Power but it can't break my skin.â⬠Elena put her fingers there and there. And then she was touching Stefan. Really touching him. After so long. Neither of them spoke. Elena heard Dr. Meggar get up and quietly creep away ââ¬â to Sage, she supposed. But her mind was full of Stefan. She and he simply looked at each other, trembling, with tears quivering on their lashes, feeling very young. And very close to death. ââ¬Å"You say I always make you say it first, so I'll confound you. I love you, Elena.â⬠Teardrops fell from Elena's eyes. ââ¬Å"Just this morning I was thinking how many people there are to love. But really it's only because there's one in the first place,â⬠she whispered back to him. ââ¬Å"One forever. I love you, Stefan! I love you!â⬠Elena drew back for a moment and wiped her eyes the way all clever girls know how to do without ruining their makeup: by putting her thumbs beneath her lower lashes and leaning backward, scooping tears and kohl into infinitesimal droplets in the air. For the first time she could think. ââ¬Å"Stefan,â⬠she whispered, ââ¬Å"I'm so sorry. I wasted time this morning getting dressed up ââ¬â well, dressed down ââ¬â to show you what's waiting for you when we get you out. But nowâ⬠¦I feelâ⬠¦likeâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Now there were no tears in Stefan's eyes, either. ââ¬Å"Show me,â⬠he whispered back eagerly. Elena stood, and without theatrics, shrugged the cloak off. Shut her eyes, her hair in hundreds of kiss curls, little wispy spirals that were plastered around her face. Her gilded eyelids, waterproof, still gilded. Her only clothing the wisps of golden tulle with jewels attached to make it decent. Her entire body iridescent, perfection in the first bloom of youth that could never be matched or re-created. There was a sound like a long sighâ⬠¦and then silence, and Elena opened her eyes, terrified that Stefan might have died. But he was standing up, clutching at the iron gate as if he might wrench it off to get to her. ââ¬Å"I get all this?â⬠he whispered. ââ¬Å"All this for you. Everything for you,â⬠Elena said. At that moment there was a soft sound behind her and she whirled to see two eyes shining in the dimness of the cell opposite Stefan's.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Applicability of Lean Management in Nursing
Nurses also bring added advantages to the role of Lean leader-an uncompromising commitment to patient care and the natural ability to view hospital yester through the lens of the patient. The second literature ââ¬Å"Lean Management in Med/Surgeâ⬠By Barbara Mercer talks about the pros and cons of lean Management as Tracy Galilee, MBA, URN, has developed a professional and personal investment in the success of the organization- one aftercare's lean facilitators.Lean management principles are derived from the manufacturing industry, specifically from Toyota Motor Corporation, which espouses continuous improvement and respect for people. Sounds like a great idea to incorporate into healthcare, wouldn't you think? The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (III) agreed. The ââ¬ËHis 2005 White Paper Going Lean in Healthcare was based on expert presentations from the ââ¬ËHI Calls to Action Series.Among the experts was John Toasting, MD, president and CEO at Teacher, who was integ ral to bringing lean management to the organization. The white paper's executive summary briefly explained the purpose and goals of lean management as they would relate to healthcare: ââ¬Å"The Institute for Healthcare Improvement believes that lean principles can be ââ¬â indeed, already are being ââ¬â successfully applied to the delivery of health care. Lean thinking begins with driving out waste so that all work adds value and reverse the customer's needs.For those unfamiliar with lean management practices, Galilee did not take over as a dietary counselor; instead, she assisted nursing staff to cut the fat from daily processes that stand in the way of the most efficient practices and the best possible outcomes for patients. Now the business unit manager of the med/surge unit, Galilee continues to assist staff in employing lean principles in a developing community of empowered problem-solvers. (2) The last literature to be reviewed is an article that spoke against the impl ementation of Lean ManagementDon't ââ¬ËLean' on Me, Hospital Workers Say' by Alexandra Bradbury [August 1 5, 2013. Part of the lean ethos is getting workers to participate in their own exploitation. Some hospitals offer nurses a boost of pay and status for championing a lean project. ââ¬Å"Hospitals are very often successful at co-opting natural leaders,â⬠Mencken said. What can the union do? First is to educate members to see through management's hype-?what labor educator Charley Richardson called the ââ¬Å"tricks and trapsâ⬠designed to lull you into believing you and management have the same concerns at heart.These include Joint brainstorming, win-win rhetoric, and trust exercises. One strategy is to try to get your people onto the lean team-?but they probably won't be picked, and it's a ââ¬Å"slippery slope,â⬠Sheridan-Gonzalez said. Union members on Joint committees should treat every meeting as if it were a bargaining session, with two opposing sides. They can say, ââ¬Å"We don't accept your framing. We see this as a potential for harm,â⬠Mencken recommends. And the usual union tactics can be used against lean, too: petitions, forms that document unsafe staffing, button/ sticker days, and marches on the boss to resist speed-up. 3) Study Population Nurses have served as leaders of 2 very successful Lean initiatives at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RUSH). Founded in 1884, RUSH is a Magnet hospital that is the principal teaching hospital of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Each year Rush's 1300 physicians and 1500 nurses care for more than 200 000 patients. The first case study-ââ¬Å"OR Leanâ⬠-details the Lean transformation of Rush's operating room (OR).The second case study describes the remodeling of Rush's emergency department (DEED) with Lean principles and practices. Monsoons et al,2012) While nurses in Interiors Medical Center, New York and Cal ifornia Pacific Medical Center have iced out the disadvantages of Lean Management in their respective hospitals. Sources of Data A primary source data was utilized in this study. Lean management as cited in journals, articles and blobs and are mostly Internet based were used and acknowledged.Some of these Journals and articles are: ââ¬Å"From Toyota to the Bedside: Nurses Can Lead the Lean Way in Health Care Reformâ⬠by Joyce E. Johnson, Amy L. Smith and Kari A. Master (Nursing Administration Quarterly,September 2012 ,Volume 36 Number 3 ,Pages 234 ââ¬â 242), ââ¬Å"Lean Management in Med/Surgeâ⬠By Barbara Mercer, and ââ¬Å"Lean Management Don't ââ¬ËLean' on Me, Hospital Workers Say' by Alexandra Bradbury ââ¬ËAugust 1 5, 2013 among others. Data Analysis As stated in the research's sources 2 data clearly evolved and both stating favor and opposition towards lean management.The 2 cases in RUSH that favor lean management has the following results from their studie s: case study 1 : OR LEAN The need for improved efficiency in OR scheduling has been although the number of Lean interventions in the OR reported in the literature is relatively small when compared with interventions in other hospital departments. Most recently in 2011, Violence reported a 20% increase in OR productivity and capacity n a Canadian hospital that adopted Lean methods.The electronic paperwork to discharge a patient is ââ¬Å"eight pages of clicks,â⬠said Betsy Prescott, a leader in the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Muff get spoken to if you miss one thing. ââ¬Ëâ⬠some of these floors can have 15-19 discharges a day,â⬠she said. Mire's not taking care of the patient, you're documenting. â⬠(Bradbury,2013 ) Standardization is a watchword of lean management. Nurses at SST. Charles Medical Center in central Oregon were Justly proud of their Rapid Response Team-?it had saved lives. But that didn't stop the administration from announcing plans to end the team.The rationale? Other hospitals don't have one. Most hospitals now use computers to set staffing. You enter the number of patients on the unit today, and the software spits out how many nurses and nursing assistants are needed. Employers claim they factor in the severity of patients' conditions-?but Mortally none of them do,â⬠Burros said. (Bradbury,2013 ) Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study The strengths of this study can be summarized as the following: lean management was applied to a well known and prestigious hospital Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RUSH).Founded in 1884, RUSH is a Magnet hospital that is the principal teaching hospital of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and with well documented evidences that lean management worked for them. Other credible articles as to the applicability of lean management were also cited and gave a good argument to the promise that lean management can work fo r the healthcare sector. So in terms of credibility, accurate accumulation and evidence based arguments both for and against lean management were well presented.On the other hand, it is very clear that the main weakness of the study is its very limited scope and hence the uncertain conclusion as to whether lean management is applicable or not in nursing management. Conclusion It is very clear that the study has a very limited scope but we will summarize below both arguments for and against lean management in regards to its applicability in Nursing management. As shown in the results of the 2 case studies in order for lean management to succeed it must be: Leadership is critical for successThe literature emphasized the central role of committed leadership in the success of Lean work. According to Doss and Orr, leadership is ââ¬Å"an integral part of the Lean Operating System, not an afterthought. â⬠The support of leaders, they suggest, can ââ¬Å"make the difference between su perficial attempts at implementing Lean-where the tools and techniques are evident, but the behaviors haven't changed-and full transformational deployments where the entire organization embraces Lean from the bottom up and the top down. Monsoons et al,2012) Lean work is systems work In their 2010 review, Macho and Litter emphasized that Lean work is a whole yester strategy that cannot be done piecemeal and that no single ââ¬Å"silver bulletâ⬠solution, such as a new computer system or automated equipment, can achieve the same results. Systems thinking, the discipline of seeing wholes and inter- relationships, is certainly not new. As Sense suggested more than 20 years ago, the systems perspective is badly needed in a world overwhelmed by rapid technological change, changing demographics, shifting borders, and increasing complexity. 5)(6) Monsoons et al,2012) Communication is critical to success From the outset of our Lean work, we knew that communication was the key to the hor n-term and long-term success of our work. As we had done with past quality improvement efforts, we regularly reminded the staff to keep the vision of the future state in mind because, as the anticipatory principle suggests, the image of the future is what guides the current behavior within an organization. Monsoon et al,2012) As for the argument of those who are against lean management, the following reasons are cited: Lean management according to critics does not consider human factor for it stresses ââ¬Å"no downtime, Just in time staffing, emphasis on the use of technology to monitor staffs performance, among others. Standardization is an emphasis of lean management that also rings alarm bells among employees who do not yet have a holistic appreciation for lean. In lean, first you standardize, then you improve. Improving a non-standard process is like remodeling a house built on quicksand.It won't do you much good in the long run. ââ¬Å"(Bait, 2010 ) If we continue to standardi ze work in hospitals without accounting for the variety nurses and hospitals get from patients we will make things worse for patients, nurses, doctors and the bottom-line. The system needs to be redesigned around the work by management, ruses, doctors and others working together to improve the system. This all begins by management changing their thinking around the design and management of work. Once management understands by seeing the damage of their thinking in a normative way can real changes impact the work. Bait,2010 ) Now, to answer our query whether lean management is applicable or not in Nursing management, we say it is still remain to be seen. Learning from both sides of the argument of for or against lean, it is safe to conclude that lean management is applicable but not to all types of health care institution and setting. As much as success of lean management s well documented in the ROUGH, we have to remember this is a Magnet accredited hospital and employees are expect ed to get used to high standard work and compliance to a strong administrative leadership and management.Lean management is also about culture change and resistance will be expected so those who oppose have some valid points in which management has to seriously consider. After all for any system or management to work, people's satisfaction and cooperation should be addressed foremost and not to be ignored or taken for granted. Otherwise, what is the use of introducing a promising system such as lean management when in he process it will lead to dissatisfied and tired staff?
Friday, November 8, 2019
Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob
Isaac Blesses Jacob The story of Jacob was one of many stories that posed moral problems in biblical times. It is in Genesis 27 1-29, the story of how Jacob deceived his aging father Isaac is told. God blessed Isaac, the son of Abraham, after he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord to make his wife fertile for she was unable to bear children. The Lord granted his prayer and his wife Rebekah gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob (Collins 38). Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Isaac grew old and blind, he called to his eldest son Esau to go and hunt game in order for him to prepare his favorite foods. Esau was to prepare the food and thereafter, Isaac was to bless him. However, Rebekah overheard her husband telling Esau to prepare the feast and despising sent the younger son Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing. When Esau returned and he found out that his younger brother had deceived him and his father, he grew very angry with him and planned to kill him after his fathersââ¬â¢ death. When first reading this Scripture without any knowledge of Jacobââ¬â¢s motives, one might suspect the following conclusion: Isaac wanted Esau to have the blessing because he was not only the firstborn, but also his favorite. In order for Jacob to be obedient to his mother, and win the blessing of his father, he tricked him into believing that he was Esau. He wanted to receive the blessing so that he could prove that he was capable of completing all of his brotherââ¬â¢s tasks. However, this is not what is going on at all in this passage. Even when the twins were in the womb of their mother Rebekah, they clashed (Genesis 25 23-24). When Rebekah asked the Lord why, he replied, ââ¬Å"Two nations are in your womb, and two people of you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the youngerâ⬠(Collins 38). This suggests that the future of Esau and Jacob was foreto... Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob Free Essays on Isaac Blesses Jacob Isaac Blesses Jacob The story of Jacob was one of many stories that posed moral problems in biblical times. It is in Genesis 27 1-29, the story of how Jacob deceived his aging father Isaac is told. God blessed Isaac, the son of Abraham, after he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord to make his wife fertile for she was unable to bear children. The Lord granted his prayer and his wife Rebekah gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob (Collins 38). Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Isaac grew old and blind, he called to his eldest son Esau to go and hunt game in order for him to prepare his favorite foods. Esau was to prepare the food and thereafter, Isaac was to bless him. However, Rebekah overheard her husband telling Esau to prepare the feast and despising sent the younger son Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing. When Esau returned and he found out that his younger brother had deceived him and his father, he grew very angry with him and planned to kill him after his fathersââ¬â¢ death. When first reading this Scripture without any knowledge of Jacobââ¬â¢s motives, one might suspect the following conclusion: Isaac wanted Esau to have the blessing because he was not only the firstborn, but also his favorite. In order for Jacob to be obedient to his mother, and win the blessing of his father, he tricked him into believing that he was Esau. He wanted to receive the blessing so that he could prove that he was capable of completing all of his brotherââ¬â¢s tasks. However, this is not what is going on at all in this passage. Even when the twins were in the womb of their mother Rebekah, they clashed (Genesis 25 23-24). When Rebekah asked the Lord why, he replied, ââ¬Å"Two nations are in your womb, and two people of you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the youngerâ⬠(Collins 38). This suggests that the future of Esau and Jacob was foreto...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Compensation Is a Core Function of Human Resource Essay Example
Compensation Is a Core Function of Human Resource Essay Example Compensation Is a Core Function of Human Resource Essay Compensation Is a Core Function of Human Resource Essay Compensation is a core function of human resource management, one that has important direct or indirect implications for recruitment, appraisal, training, retention, and labour relations. At the centre of competency, cost, and productivity issues in government, pay for performance is a key methodology in the compensation field and a central component of contemporary civil service reform. This technique is a fitting topic for the anniversary symposium. Most organizations, in fact, say they recognize merit, and most personnel believe that remuneration should be tied to contribution. Managers see pay for performance as a basis of control, and employees embrace its intuitive appeal. It is not surprising, then, that public and private organizations claim to give great deference to merit, the civil service system is even named for it. Yet substantial discontinuity exists between rhetoric and reality, as business scholars point out that performance pay ââ¬Å"may not be as desirable, as easy to implement, or as widely used as commonly believedâ⬠(Fisher schoenfelt, Shaw, 2006, p. 512). But the Public service experts such as Jonathan Bruel, IBM Centre for Business of Government, likewise find that it is ââ¬Å"complex and deceptively difficult, both technically and politicallyâ⬠(Mosquera, 2008, August 18). Indeed, the managerial discretion promised by contingency compensation confronts agency missions lacking in simple profit maximization metrics, personnel who may be motivated as much by public interest as private gain, and legal provisions against political manipulation of employees. It is by no means clear that the benefits of developing such systems outweigh the costs. However, the concept of merit today is associated with commercial values and corporate-style performance pay. Although it takes many forms for most administrative, technical, and professional work, pay for performance typically seeks to use a portion of salary increases to award personal productivity. Seemingly consistent with well-known motivation theories and simple common sense, no one argues that people should not be paid for achievement incentive plans have grown in popularity in both the public and private sectors. It is the increasing diffusion of this approach to compensation that suggests the need for a re examination of merit pay for individual performance. This study assesses the practical experience, policy findings, and political realities of performance compensation in the federal government in contemporary history, followed by a discussion of its persistence. The analysis is informed by scholarly research, news media articles, government publications, and data from 15 unstructured, 30- to 50-minute telephone interviews in fall 2008. This small, diverse group of stakeholders offered insights into the promise, problems, and prospects of contingency compensation. Chosen on the basis of reputation and accessibility, it included representatives from news outlets, unions, nonprofits, consultancies public agencies, and academic. Practical Experience To summarize this section, pay clearly matters. But as experience demonstrates, it is difficult to link compensation policies to desired results; good intentions are not necessarily assumed in a political environment, and in any event are simply not enough. For example, President Barack Obama, while not rejecting the concept of contingency compensation, has indicated concern about troubled pay-for-performance systems and seeks to have a civil service bill that includes compensation reforms passed by the 2010 elections. For most agencies, it is a major administrative undertaking to implement performance pay, a task that includes the continuous re-evaluation of motivation and productivity, identification of additional levels of contribution that warrant recognition, and provision of incentives on an equitable and timely basis. As Bob Behn (2004) observes, who gets how much for what are insidiously complicated issues. Too good to be true, pay for performance might be ââ¬Å"a wonderful theory . . . unfortunately details matterâ⬠(p. 2; also see U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 2006). Although that may not be a reason not to do it, dealing with performance compensation ââ¬Å"is always unsatisfactory,â⬠according to Mark Abramson (personal communication, December 2, 2008) of Leadership, Inc. ; not only is every agencyââ¬â¢s situation different, but also the topic is complex and multifaceted. It is easy to see why, in light of the record, simpler, ââ¬Å"set-it-and-forget-itâ⬠compensation programs historically have been widespread in the public and private spheres. Indeed, performance pay promoters- tellingly- have not sought to apply the technique to presidents, members of Congress, agency secretaries, or the uniformed services. Policy Findings Shortly this section, research findings demonstrate that to avoid crippling drawbacks, a set of strict policy prerequisites is needed to implement the methodology. Although organizations do not necessarily have to wait for perfect conditions, an honest assessment of their readiness and realistic understanding of pay-for-performance pitfalls is needed (Kerr, 2008). Even in favourable circumstances, incentive remuneration may not be successful because the detailed requirements are very demanding and often impractical. Metzenbaum (2006) reported that ââ¬Å"an overwhelming body of research and experience suggests that promising rewards . . . seldom works when the rewards are linked to attainment of specific targets, progress relative to peers, progress relative to the past, or per unit of productâ⬠(p. ). Government agencies should use incentives sparingly and rely instead on ââ¬Å"intrinsic motivatorsâ⬠such as goal setting and feedback. In fact, because those in public service have strong intrinsic motivations, there is reason to expect that a ââ¬Å"market model may actually reduce performanceâ⬠(Moynihan, 2008, p. 256). Politic al Reality It is difficult to overstate the attractiveness of pecuniary incentives in a political arena. When called into question by practical experience in the field and policy findings in research, stakeholders deny the undeniable and seize on performance pay as a solution to human resource problems. Success is not required, failure is overlooked, and new programs are inaugurated with little attention to agency histories or systematic studies. There are a lot of obstacles regarding performance and pay when we looked into the politic reality of certain country controlled by communism and dictators. The pay is based on revenue of a country not by the performance. Conclusion When unexamined cultural beliefs, well-meaning ideas, ideological goals, and political loyalty prevail, administrative values are overpowered and the ability to manage is thereby impaired. What accounts for the difficulty encountered by performance pay schemes is that the normative framework of contemporary civil service reform (one that takes an inaccurate, glorified view of corporate programs) is simply inappropriate for effective public human resource management (Bowman West, 2007; Riccucci Thompson, 2008). The distinction, stated differently, between pursuing objectives as a function of monetary exchange versus as a function of duty, between an obligation to personal gain versus public good, and between extrinsic versus intrinsic work motivation (Crenson, 1995, p. 90; Perry Hondeghem, 2008). The values of economic rationality inherent in performance pay systems, as David Dillman (2007, p. 892) observes, are inconsistent with the civil service ethos. In the end, government is a public service. The claim that ââ¬Å"people tend to believe things they want to believeâ⬠offers a plausible explanation for why so many are so wrong for so long and seem unable to l earn from error. Some of the worst mistakes are not those that take people by surprise but rather those that were made with eyes wide open, a kind of ââ¬Å"false consciousnessâ⬠that dictates that what is preferred is inevitable. It follows that the more that performance compensation is discredited, the more that such testimony is ignored. Promoters convince themselves over and over again that the methodology will function properly. It is striking, for instance, how unaware some of its champions seem to be of criticisms levied against incentive pay. The legend dictates that no matter what empty, misguided pay-for-performance models should work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)