Saturday, August 31, 2019

Wealth of Teaching

Vive been working as a teacher for a year and four months now. Yet my understanding of being a teacher is still evolving day by day. I realized that how I understood this profession was not yet substantial until I was Immersed In the actual teaching scenario. I realize that the books, lectures, and inputs given by my college professors, when I was just an education student, are just spectacles of what is in store for me. When I ask my students what course they are planning to take up, they tend to mention almost all the other courses other than education primarily because they live that they won't gain much from this course In the future.Right now, the standards of the world are geared towards determining the gains. People nowadays choose a career that will give them greater return of Investments with minimal sacrifice due, perhaps to the fast paced and technological world that we have, when everything we need and want can be acquired in an instant. There is some truth to that. If I am only after the monetary gains of this profession, I might have surrendered last year and should have furnished my resignation papers. To be honest, my salary seems to be Just sufficient for my dally needs. Just say, this profession Is not a dream Job for someone who wishes to have a great bank account. What fuels me then is the realization that I'm gaining a lot beyond the standards of the world. When I was a high school student, I really dreamt to be a teacher because of the great inspiration that my teachers gave me. I promised that one time I will be like them. Now that I am already teaching, I am amazed that my Inspirations for this vocation are still out there doing the thing that they fell in love with- teaching.Some of them are even ageing already in this profession yet still pursue the same passion since the first time I saw them. I believe that teaching, using some economic terms, utilizes love as the main capital. A teacher who still wants to teach is a person filled wi th love and ready to give and share love to others. I think that right now people seek and clamor for opportunities to express their love more In the things that they do, But teachers, Like me, do not need to make an effort to love more since loving Is embedded In our Job description.This sounds easy yet very challenging at the same time There are even times that even as young as I am, I am forced to grow old and be a parent to my student, to find solutions to problems I have not even encountered in my life, and to find hope from students who don't even see the light within them. Why do we do these things? We do these things definitely not because of the salary given to our employers but because finding the most loving thing to do Is Integral to the desire off real teacher.One of the commercials that I really enjoy watching because I feel I can perfectly elate with it is the Unsafe commercial about a teacher narrating her story of her teaching profession and answering the question, â€Å"Para casino aka baa bandwagon? † In the same way, I believe that this commercial perfectly illustrates how teachers are passionate about life because of what they do. I myself consider teaching as one of teaching excites me since it provides me with several new opportunities to express my deepest humanity in the act of loving others, particularly my students.But aside from being given the opportunity to love, I believe that another gain of caching is the experience of being loved. One of the concrete manifestations of this is my experience of having a family. Because of teaching, I experienced having more than an extended family in the person of my students and parent. I consider my students and parents as family members and not as clients. This is the reason why my students and teachers love me not as a business partner as well but as a relative ready to love them the same way.In the same way, Just recently, I saw some of my students who graduated last year. Seeing the m in their college uniforms is such a great feeling. But I guess the best part is to be able to update each other about what is new about them and being able to look back at the memories of high school. A heartwarming message was given to me by one of my students saying that I have contributed to his growth as a person, and that he is very thankful for all of the efforts that I have made Just for him to value his education.This made me realize that teaching entails sacrifice and emptying. We teachers empty ourselves as we meet our students in the classroom in the hope that they would be filled. Emptying in itself is a risk that we teachers face every day. In our daily grind, we give our whole selves to our students without a strong assurance of a concrete change. But as we give ourselves to our students, we rely on their goodness and infinite giftedness that someday whatever we are doing would help them find their real purpose and mission in their life.As they find themselves, we no t only help others towards greater self-discovery, rather we impart more hope to them as they further appreciate life in its fullest sense Likewise, the wealth that we received in the form of students' appreciation, parents' raises and the recognition of others seeing our capacity to be able to make a difference to the lives of others are more than the abundance of the love we have given and a part of ourselves that we have shared for this risk. Thus, great risk, greater returns.Contrary to the belief of other people, I am a living witness that there is, indeed, wealth in teaching. As a matter fact, this profession has been truly a gift for me since it is through this that Vive been experiencing a lot of growth beyond the monetary and worldly standards. To be given an opportunity to love and to experience the abundance of love is in itself satisfying because it continues to lead me to greater happiness and appreciation of the true meaning of life lived to the fullest and shared with other people.Sam is currently teaching at Xavier University High School – Atone De Canaan as the Social Studies teacher for various 3rd and 4th year classes. All in all, Sam handles 7 classes. He Handles the Social Order Club and the Youth Christian Life Community Clubs, which are two of the clubs under the socio-spiritual cluster of the said school.

Anger Management Essay

Anger is a normal state of emotion and can be helpful in times of confrontation because it increases our focus and improves out performance (Tamir). But, that same anger if uncontrolled can cause high blood pressure and the over indulgence of tobacco, alcohol and over eating. All of which lead to heart disease as well as the destruction of personal relationships in our life at home, work and school. (Potts). This is why it is so important to learn how to manage anger in every situation and not let it gain control of our lives. Every person at some time experiences anger so it is crucial to identify the causes before they happen so that steps can be taken to stay in control of our emotions. Anger is typically caused by a variety of factors. The main factors are stress, exhaustion, suppressing emotions from previous confrontations, feelings of being misunderstood and failure. (Kazdin) Anger only becomes a problem when a person loses control of themselves in what they say and do to others. This loss of control can lead to devastating consequences both to the one that is angry and to the people surrounding them. Some of the consequences of this anger issue when control is lost can be depression, relationship problems, as well as destructive activities to oneself and others. (http://anger-issues. org/) To stay in control of an issue, you must first identify the contributing factors and what to do about them before they happen. So how is a person to deal with anger? Not getting angry is the best solution, but as human beings that is not possible. When becoming angry some of the best ways to control it are to identify stress as it is happening, develop empathy, respond instead of reacting, change the hought processes you are having, communicate assertively, adjust your expectations, forgive, and retreat to rethink the situation. (Novick) We need to identity stress before it becomes anger. This step in anger management requires that we be self-aware and have a complete understanding of our limits so that we can specifically identify stress factors. When we know and understand that stress is the underlying cause of anger and can identify that stress we are better able to set limits. These limits allow us to interact with other people and participate in activities that we find enjoyable without confrontations. They also allow us to set boundaries for others in our personal relationships so that these relationships can be mutually beneficial. Developing empathy for the other person is another way to control anger. When we learn to see situations from another’s point of view it is much easier to stay in control of our emotions. By putting ourselves in another’s place and understanding their needs and desires we show maturity and gain understanding that we did not have before. This skill, when practiced, can lead to better team work among individuals when working on projects. It can also ease the tensions that accompany relationships with family and spouses. As human beings we not only have the capability to be angry but we also the capability to choose how we express that anger. Having this choice allows us to learn new ways to communicate our needs, feelings or requests more effectively. By learning new ways to express anger we are enabled to respond to others rather than automatically reacting to them when they cross our boundaries or limits and trigger our emotions. Anger is an emotion that can feed on itself. When situations that cause anger in an individual are constantly replayed in that persons mind, the angry feelings continue to grow until they are all encompassing. This all-encompassing anger clouds our judgment of the situation, changing facts and altering memories to justify the anger itself. Yet, if a person can change the thought processes that are feeding the anger and divert their attention from the anger to another more pleasurable situation they are more ble to take control of their anger and stop it from developing further. By developing the ability to change our thought processes we are better able to release our anger and not let it consume us as well as training our minds to focus on more important issues that are in need of our attention. When we learn how to communicate in an effective and honest way how we are feeling and are able to respond to situations without getting angry or hostile we are gaining valuable leadership c haracteristics as well as diffusing the emotion of anger. When we get angry with another person we are giving that person control of us. When we refrain from getting angry and take control of our own emotions we portray maturity and not only the ability to control ourselves but to stay in control of the situation around us. Anger can often be the result of expectations that are not met by situations or other people that we come in contact with. When we learn to adjust our expectations without showing anger we can learn how to deal with the difficult people or situations in our lives in a better way. This valuable tool, that allows us to adjust expectations, can also teach us how to compensate for our own deficiencies or failures in life. We learn how to release ourselves and others from feelings of judgment and unworthiness. When we find release from these feelings of self-doubt we also release the mechanism in our mind that activates our fight or flight urges. Anger in the form of resentment causes more damage to the person that is angry than to the offending party. It can result in weight loss, insomnia, alcoholism, drug dependence as well as high blood pressure and heart disease. By making a conscious decision to release the emotions of anger through forgiveness or acceptance of the other person, while reestablishing our boundaries, we can make a major step toward controlling our anger. Learning this release of anger is a gift that a person gives themselves. It enables the person to live a happier life without the constant reminder of what happened replaying in their mind and gives that person a peace that is more valuable than wealth. When faced with a situation that has become volatile another technique for anger management is to retreat to regain perspective and think the situation through. This allows a person to gain the opportunity to step back from the situation and identify what is the root cause of their emotions and whether or not an angry reaction will help the situation or whether it will make the situation worse. If it is a person that is bringing about feelings of anger, then they should let that other person know that they will return to the discussion when they have cooled down. This way no harsh or hasty words are spoken, no feelings are hurt and control will have still been maintained while gaining time to think about what specifically has been the root cause of anger. If a person is performing some type of work when feelings of frustration and anger begin to arise, the best choice is to stop what they are doing and do something completely different from what they were doing before. This again gives the person a time out break to think about the root causes of their anger and the specific reasons for their frustrations and by reducing tension that person is more likely to see a solution to whatever has frustrated them. Anger is not created the same in every person, nor does every person show anger in the same way. Different beliefs as well as the way that people interpret different situations in their mind will produce different emotions (Kazdin). It is only when a person becomes aware of their limits and gains an understanding of their individual patterns of emotions that they are able to gain control of their emotions and learn to change how they respond to situations and events that they come into contact with. After a person gains an awareness of the different elements in their mind and how they cause emotions, that person will be more able to use techniques to change the way that they react. With the ability to identify stress comes the opportunity to eliminate the focus of a person’s anger and unhappiness. The main benefit from learning how to identify all of the factors of stress and learning how to manage them is that, with practice, the identification and response becomes automatic and so there is no anger to control or manage because a person has none.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Arts Impact on Society

Art is an extremely private experience, yet, it is meant to be shared with the public. Society, as a whole, examines the art produced and has the right to approve, disapprove, acknowledge, ignore, praise and abuse it. The public or society has not remained constant over the years. In the time of the Renaissance, for example, only a select few were â€Å"society. † They commissioned art, were patrons of the arts and their artists. Today, almost anyone can share in the experience of art. They can attempt to create, view and act as a critic. Does art make the world a better place, or is it quite useless? This is a very ancient riddle, and no one has solved it yet. A similar question – has art truly had any impact upon society? Has it fashioned or molded minds? Has it shaped opinions and altered how people feel or think? Is it practicable in or relevant to society and its individuals' daily lives? Art reflects life. It is a portrait of history, whether it is history of the current moment or an event in the past or something of the imagination. Art has captured an event, clarifying its existence and representation to society. The portraits of the French Revolution by David, Benjamin West's portrayal of the death of General Wolfe and Poussin's recreation of the Rape of the Sabine Women all strive to provide a version of historical events. Society, in turn, can accept or reject these portrayals of true events. Sometimes, as in the case of Goya's depiction of the French behavior during their conquest of Spain, art inspires a deep hatred of a certain nationality. Art encapsulate a country's culture during that time period. Rembrandt, Rousseau, Monet, Hogarth, Whistler, Jan Steen, Frans Hal and Breughel depict for their generation the world as they see it. They affect future society by providing concise, if sometimes imaginative, depictions of daily life. Brughel the Elder paints peasants, Jean Baptiste depicts lower-class life and Daumier's subjects in â€Å"The Third Class Carriage† are not the lofty work of Gainsborough. The wit and graphicness of Hogarth in â€Å"The Rake's Progress† or the imposing work of Thomas Eakins' â€Å"The Gross Clinic† provide historians with clues and pictures to a vastly different way of life. Jan Steen's â€Å"The Eve of St. Nicholas† provides a way to uncover how people spent Christmas in the early 17th century in the Netherlands. Art has encouraged feelings of patriotism and national pride. Goya's, â€Å"The Third of May, 1808,† the Americans portrayal of their revolution and countless other artists across the centuries have provided an impact extending beyond the work. Depictions of Washington crossing the Delaware, and portraits of battlefields, at home and abroad, are scenes that inspire society. These works also remind the public of their past, what has been sacrificed or accomplished and what they can aspire to in the present or future. Artwork has also provided clues to lives long over and species since disappeared. Holstein provides us with portraits of people long dead e. g. Henry VIII, Erasmus of Rotterdam, as Rubens does with his painting of Marie de' Medici. Goya's masterful and psychologically rich work â€Å"The Family of Charles IV† lays bare the natures and relationships of this royal family for all of society to view. Art has also provided examples of garden styles, structures to be imitated and fashions to follow. Artwork has allowed us to glimpse lives and lifestyles. At one time, dressmakers in the colonies used the artwork found in magazines and depicted in reproductions of paintings to create the latest in fashionable clothing. Art shaped a fashionable society where none had existed before. It allowed the Americans to be as up-to-date as their European counterparts. In the same manner, George Caleb Bingham with his painting â€Å"Fur Traders on the Mississippi† allowed Europeans a glimpse of another life. The art works by the Jewish artists trapped in the concentration camps of World War II preserve for all time the horrors of war and the inhumanity inflicted by one race upon another. Art has also been a medium to help spread a culture. Art of propaganda during war is a classic example. Posters urge people to support their troops. Marketing ploys ask consumers to buy locally or purchase a specific product. Pop art is probably one of the most influential societal tools of the modern and post-modern age. The best possible example is Any Warhol. His Campbell Soup Cans are now icons. Art has stirred the imagination of all nations from the earliest time. It has helped roused patriotic fervor, brought new ideas and culture to light, raised questions and rewritten or reinterpreted historical events. Art has provided clues to the past and advanced questions about the future. Its impact continues to be felt emotionally. For, above all, art touches us beyond the intellect, reaching down into society's emotional core. In the end, the greatest impact of art is its ability to provide us with the truth about the world seen through the eye of an artist.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Hilton world wild Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hilton world wild - Assignment Example The rich history and success of the Hilton worldwide makes it a preferred choice by travelers, employees, developers and investors. This hospitality giant offers wide range of top class hospitality services at its various branches around the globe. The company has won several awards and accolades for the exemplary services it has offered in the hospitality industry since its inception in 1919.It was originally known as the Hilton Hotel Corporation. However, in September 2009, it changed its name to Hilton worldwide complete with a new logo and style, it also changed its image, vision and mission (Gilliana & Watson, 2004). Hilton Worldwide, originally called the Hilton Hotel Corporation, is among the top service providers in the hotel industry. The group is known for the exemplary services and products its offers to its clients around the globe. This has made it have a competitive edge over other players in the hospitality industry. Through the 94 years of service, the hotel has maintained a good reputation around the globe and has won several accolades because of this. Hilton Worldwide has diversified with hotels that serve every class of people. The company has high end hotels as well as mind priced hotels. It also offers business class services. This diversification has enabled to attract a high client base throughout the world (Gilliana & Watson, 2004). Hilton Worldwide has an effective framework that helps in facilitating effective coordination of both internal and external communication. The overall purpose of this framework that is used by this hospitality giant is to establish and maintain a good reputation across the globe. The company seeks develop and maintain a good relationship with its employees, shareholders, the media and the general public. This goes a long ways in helping it achieve its goals and winning more clients, investors and developers. This framework is

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Discuss the importance of body language and gesture in the councelling Essay

Discuss the importance of body language and gesture in the councelling exchange - Essay Example Counseling is a short-term, theory-based, non-directive, non-judgmental process (Stressmgn, n.d.). During the process, the client or the individual who is facing adjustment, developmental or situational problems, is helped by the counselor to gain awareness of himself and make decisions with support. Hence, the process of counseling would involve befriending, listening, helping, and empowering. Counseling is today a widely practiced profession and deals with problems in the field of personal, social, educational, vocational, mental health issues. Counseling can be of various types like supportive counseling, educational counseling, guidance counseling, career counseling, crisis counseling, grief counseling, post-traumatic counseling, management counseling, family counseling, marriage counseling, counseling in medical settings, rehabilitative and mental health counseling. Body language is a crucial communication tool, yet few people are well-versed in it. It has a significant impact on people’s perception even before we speak. It generates physical and emotional responses to people and situations in life. In counseling, it has great importance be it counseling for career, counseling individuals with difficulties or diseases. When a person comes for counseling, he is generally in a state of indecision and distressed. He is normally reluctant to reveal personal information and secrets. A client may or may not be aware of the need for counseling or his or her present level of functioning. A counselor has to make the individual understand his or her own body language so that they are able to understand themselves better. The counselor needs to use body language as well as interpret the body language of the client or the patient. A counselor has to be fluent in comprehending and responding to the body language and gestures of the client. To help hi m overcome resistance and comprehend himself, body language is extremely important. Hence,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 38

Questions - Assignment Example However, the decision is in contrary to the philosophy of evolutionary marketing. This is because, the reason for short in the enrollment as earlier forecasted was not analyzed, thus decision to increase sales agents does not fulfill the concept of evolutionary marketing. The mission of the organization is just similar to almost all business organizations, which is quality service. In this case, it is quality invasive surgical service that the management aims to offer to the community. The service cannot market itself, as the management thinks. The quality should be marketed to the clients for them to understand the value attached to it. First, certain ailments that are preventable will be identified, and employees who prevent themselves from those diseases will be granted bonuses or reward. Secondly, the contribution for the employees from the employer will be invested for profit creation. Employees will be allowed to apply for a loan and repay at a lower interest rate. To compete aggressively with the other plans, the two approaches will create a market share for the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Exam questions - Essay Example The Discounted Cash Flow ("DCF") technique is the most commonly used valuation method that accounts for the "going-concern" value of the Company. The cash flow projections are derived from (a) assumed revenue generation on product sales, less (b) operating costs and debt repayment on capital investments (not including interest payments), plus (c) an estimate of the Company's residual value at the end of the 3 to 5 year period. These projections are then discounted back to the present by the risk-adjusted, weighted-average cost of capital. This cost of capital accounts for interest payments and/or equity returns expected by investors in the Company over the projection period. Venture Capital Valuation Techniques Sophisticated investors such as VCs, institutional investors and corporate investors generally begin the valuation analysis by examining management's cash flow projections to test the underlying assumptions and business model. Once the investor has developed a certain comfort level in the projections, a variety of techniques are used to determine the percentage ownership the investor will require. Each of these methods start with the management's projections under the DCF technique, but ignore management's application of its assumed discount rate to the present in order to value the Company. Instead, the VC investor imposes its own ROI, as indicated in each of the methods described below - to meet its own investment parameters irrespective of management's analysis of the cost of capital. By applying its own ROI, the investor can then determine the percentage ownership it will require to reach this ROI assuming a certain market valuation for the Company. Where these VC valuation methods differ from the DCF method is in (a) the difference...Once the investor has developed a certain comfort level in the projections, a variety of techniques are used to determine the percentage ownership the investor will require. Each of these methods start with the management's projections under the DCF technique, but ignore management's application of its assumed discount rate to the present in order to value the Company. Instead, the VC investor imposes its own ROI, as indicated in each of the methods described below - to meet its own investment parameters irrespective of management's analysis of the cost of capital. By applying its own ROI, the investor can then determine the percentage ownership it will require to reach this ROI assuming a certain market valuation for the Company. Where these VC valuation methods differ from the DCF method is in (a) the difference in the discount rate, or ROI applied by the Company and by the investor, and (b) the use all VC methods employ of P/E ratios to determine market valuation of the Company at the end of the projection period (equivalent to the methods used under the DCF technique

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The New Yorker Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The New Yorker - Research Paper Example These have led to so many magazines struggling of holding on to readers, a hurdle that The New Yorker magazine appear to easily overcome as its readers have been increasing since its launch in 1925, surpassing 1 million circulations in 2004 (The New Yorker, n.p.). This paper explores how The New Yorker overcomes competition from other sources of information and entertainment through its design and structure. I believe that there are boundaries and rules in designing a magazine that have to be adhered to give the magazine an appealing look and content rich in sought-after information as well as an entertainment touch. Such principles relate to the length and excitement of the articles, expertise of the author of the articles, inclusion of extra useful information among others. The length and excitement of the articles influence the readers’ motivation and urge read another publication. The authors’ expertise wins the readers’ trust while inclusion of extra useful information such as advertisements attract readers as they believe they will obtain extra of products/services around them at no extra cost. I will explore the structures of four issues of the New Yorker magazine (March 3, March 10, March 17 and March 24) which include culture and politics, poetry and fiction, humor and cartoons and criticism and reviews sections to establish whether it adheres to the magazi ne design principles of attracting

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Three Elements of Sustainable Design Research Paper

Three Elements of Sustainable Design - Research Paper Example In the similar manner, the utilization of recycling and reusing different things can also make the clear reduction in the green house emissions (Connectingthecoast.uwex.edu, n.pag.). On the other hand, the cutting down of forests is also producing endangering the environmental stability of the earth, as forests play an important role in maintaining the oxygen level in the atmosphere and maintaining the biodiversity of the planet. Besides that, forests also help is sustaining the water on the planet. In this paper I will examine the sustainable ideas employed by the ‘Green Print Solutions’ that is working as a paper printing company. The company ‘Green Print Solutions’ is a printing company that prints various kinds of banners and printed advertisements. The size of the prints may vary according to the order. Company is capable of proving all available sizes utilizing green and renewable resources thus impacting the environment as less as possible. The compan y is such designed to use the natural resources that can be grown or made available from the environmental sources. The word ‘design’ is to interpret the process from where the process starts to the end product. For any industry to be considered as the green industry, it must pass the criteria to green design. In green design, the industry mast have to utilize as less energy as possible, it must have the capability to utilize the natural resources and it must have no or less environmental impacts. The utilization of energy can be limited by utilizing the natural solar light for the lightening purposes, other methods may include the utilization of alternative resources like solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, etc for the generation of energy; however, the architecture also matters a lot. The utilization of natural resources, which can be locally available, can reduce the transportation costs and emissions. However, the environmental impacts can be minimized by making a cle ar reduction in the waste, reusing or recycling the wastes and utilizing the materials that are biodegradable. The whole process maintains the health of the environment and thus the health of the humans. The company has no or fewer environmental impacts and all the strategies the company is utilizing are environmentally friendly. The major aim of the company is to run the printing business by utilizing the green resources like the wood required for the printing of the paper come from the sustainably managed forests. Wastes from the industry are managed in such a way that the wastes no longer remain dangerous for the environment. Wastes are recycled for increasing the efficiency of the company not only in the economic sense but also considering the environmental aspects. The end products and nearly all types of the wastes omitted by the industry are biodegradable. The utilization of such the strategies not only reduces the green house emissions and environmental impacts but also give rise to the profits the company generates by selling the prints to various dealers and customers. The three important elements of the sustainable design are the environment, economy and society. Any company that has a sustainable design must maintain the three elements of the sustainable design. Any design that has the environmental sustainability but lacks the environmental sustainability would be not feasible (Exinfm.com, n.pag.). In the similar way, sustainable design

Friday, August 23, 2019

Applying theory to a practice problem 3 Research Paper

Applying theory to a practice problem 3 - Research Paper Example Luke's Hospital School of Nursing. She earned both Master of Science in Nursing and a PhD from Case Western Reserve University in 1987 and 1997 respectively. Currently Kolcaba is serving as Associate Professor of nursing at Akron College of Nursing. Kolcaba has received many awards, including the Midwest Nursing Research Society award of Advancement of Science Award and the Case Western Reserve University award Cushing Robb Prize. Since retiring from professional teaching, she has been volunteering with the Honor Society of Nursing and the American Nurses Association. She has done various publications including Comfort Theory and Practice: A Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research. On the other hand, Dr. Margaret Jean Watson was born in 1940 in West Virginia and grew up in an extended family (Watson, 2010). Watson graduated with her bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Colorado. She earned her master’s in psychiatric-mental health nursing, and a doctorateà ¢â‚¬â„¢s in educational psychology and counseling (Johnson & Webber, 2010). She joined the teaching profession and became a distinguished Professor in Nursing and holds a Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado Health Science Center (Johnson & Webber, 2010). ... Dr. Watson is a fellow in the American Academy of nursing. She has national and international honors (Watson, 1997). When Watson created the caring theory, she had in mind the purpose to capture the medical standard of the patient and the environment in which they lived (Watson, 2008). This paper seeks to describe a nursing theory established by the above described nursing theorists and the influences contributed by the theorists, the concepts and the propositions of the theory, and then apply the theory to a practice problem through demonstrating the links to the elements of the theory and the problem. According to Kolcaba (1993), comfort theory addresses the satisfaction of human needs that arise from stressful health care situations. The paper seeks to apply this theory in the field of patient negligence. This involves the lack of coordination and communication in care, and also the management and control of symptoms, before the disease is aggravated. This problem is experienced i n both the public and private sector hence Kolcaba (1993) sort to address this issue and return sanity in the administration of patient care. According to L.J. Morrison and R.S Morrison (2006), palliative care are important in the care of elderly people as they require close monitoring. The problem is quite a matter of interest, quoting from statistics most patients die due to negligence by nurses. If the issue is addressed appropriately this will prevent the end of avoidable deaths. Kolcaba (1993) acknowledges that various scientific steps such as the muscle relaxation procedure and the therapeutic touch have been made to ensure that patients are well taken care of. In addition to the acknowledgement of the work of Katharine Kolcaba, The University of

Investment Advice for Microsoft Research Proposal

Investment Advice for Microsoft - Research Proposal Example Microsoft - major industry player - is headed by Mr. Steven A. Balmer, Microsoft’s 49-year old Chief Executive Officer (CEO).   The company’s co-founder, the illustrious Mr. Bill Gates, also sits in the Board of Directors and acts as its Chief Technological Architect.   As at end of the fiscal year 2005, Mr. Balmer along with the other directors of the company received an average annual salary of about $1.0 million each. As a global company, Microsoft operates in various countries across the world.   The headquarter is located at One Microsoft Way in Redmond, Washington D.C.   Direct competitors of Microsoft include other formidable companies such as Google Inc., International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and Oracle Corp.   In terms of sales, Microsoft came in second to IBM as at end-June 2005.   However, Microsoft has posted the highest net income as compared to other industry players. Based on the above financial highlights, it can be seen that sales of Microsoft are steadily accelerating as evidenced by the moderate sales growth in the last three years.   In the same way, the income the company generated as at end-June 2005 has recovered from the decline in the previous year.   The sales and income posted by Microsoft are well above the industry average in 2005. Similarly, Microsoft has consistently proven its ability to convert sales into income in the past three years as seen in the company’s net profit margin.   Its 3-year average of 28% is higher than the industry average of only 23.5%. In terms of liquidity, Microsoft is highly liquid since it has more than sufficient current assets to cover its current liabilities.   As such it has a high current ratio that sends a positive signal to investors.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Presentation Essay Example for Free

Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Presentation Essay General Questions General Academic Questions CMGT/400 Week 5 Learning Team Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Report and Presentation Develop a 3,000- to 3,500-word report for the CIO of Kudler Fine Foods.  · This report should cover the material from the previous weeks, providing a comprehensive look at the key safeguards needed for the project at each stage of the systems development processes.  · The report should have clear recommendations to ensure that the final frequent shopper program system is properly secured against likely threats. Include the requirements for future audit provisions the internal staff may use to validate the security measures in the system. Prepare a presentation to executive management at Kudler Fine Foods of the need to make the changes recommended in the paper.  · The presentation should be 8 – 10 slides in length.  · The presentation must include appropriate graphics, and may be in a Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®presentation format.  · Online students will submit a presentation that must include detailed speaker notes.   It is important that you map out your first day at school before your actual first day. Plan out the best strategy for navigating the campus, learning the amount of time it will take to get from class to class. In addition, find the other places that you plan to visit frequently, and note their  location on your map. This document of CMGT 400 Week 5 Presentation includes: Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Presentation General Questions General Academic Questions CMGT/400 Week 5 Learning Team Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Report and Presentation Develop a 3,000- to 3,500-word report for the CIO of Kudler Fine Foods. For downloading more tutorials visit https://bitly.com/1rubupQ It is important that you map out your first day at school before your actual first day. Plan out the best strategy for navigating the campus, learning the amount of time it will take to get from class to class. In addition, find the other places that you plan to visit frequently, and note their location on your map. General Questions General Academic Questions CMGT/400 Week 5 Learning Team Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Report and Presentation Develop a 3,000- to 3,500-word report for the CIO of Kudler Fine Foods.  · This report should cover the material from the previous weeks, providing a comprehensive look at the key safeguards needed for the project at each stage of the systems development processes.  · The report should have clear recommendations to ensure that the final frequent shopper program system is properly secured against likely threats. Include the requirements for future audit provisions the internal staff may  use to validate the security measures in the system. Prepare a presentation to executive management at Kudler Fine Foods of the need to make the changes recommended in the paper.  · The presentation should be 8 – 10 slides in length.  · The presentation must include appropriate graphics, and may be in a Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®presentation format.  · Online students will submit a presentation that must include detailed speaker notes.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Analysis Of The Ryanair Business Strategy Business Essay

Analysis Of The Ryanair Business Strategy Business Essay Business strategy is an essential component to a firms business model and is a vital player in aiding the firm drive itself to achieve its mission. Through a clear business strategy a firm can derive its position in the long term and create a competitive advantage in the market for itself. In this essay we explore the business model of Ryanair and assess their strategy. Ryanair is an Irish low cost airline headquartered in Dublin founded in 1985. It operates 181 aircrafts over 729 routes across Europe and North Africa from 31 bases. Ryanair has seen large success over the recent years due to its low-cost business model and has become the worlds largest airline in terms of international passenger numbers. Taking Porters generic business strategies into consideration, Ryanair operates a cost-leadership strategy to drive itself into achieving its mission of being the leading European low-cost carrier (LCC). Throughout this essay the business strategy of Ryanair will be analysed and the sustainability of their model evaluated. Ryanairs objective is to firmly establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service (Ryanair). Considering their objectives and mission, Ryanairs decision on their cost-leadership strategy was based on a few main factors which are discussed below. A major influence was the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978 which removed government intervention within the European continent. Under the new rules, routes and fare decisions were made by individual airlines which meant that they could compete on other factors besides food, cabin crew and frequency. As a result of deregulation, a large number of new airline start-ups emerged within the EU and competition among airlines increased dramatically resulting in downward price pressures. Ryanair was established to take full advantage of these market conditions. By offering low prices, Ryanair entered a huge and virtually unlimited market. Having seen the major success of the low cost carrier Southwest in the United States, Ryanair decided to follow in their footsteps by establishing a LCC for the European continent that targeted fare conscious leisure travellers and regular low cost business travellers. By doing this Ryanair became the first low-fare airline in Europe. However, they took the Southwest model further by offering no drinks and snacks at all and abolishing the frequent flyer program which Southwest up to this day offers its customers (Boesch 2007). The evaluation of Porters five forces influenced Ryanairs choice of a cost-leadership strategy, as the threat presented by new entrants and the threat of substitutes could hinder their success. The threat of new entrants is high within the aviation industry which meant that low fares would help drive away any further competition. The threat of substitutes to Ryanair had to also be carefully examined. Their primary market, Europe, had the availability of high speed trains and car holidays. For Ryanair to be successful, prices had to be low to attract the public, and resist strong competition from substitutes like Eurostar. As Europes largest low fare airline, Ryanairs competitive advantage remains in their ability to continue as cost leaders; providing the cheapest fares to its customers. This dictates that the company must minimise its own costs to ensure that they are able to offer customers the service at a price below their direct competitors. This leads us to consider some key functional strategies which directly help Ryanair towards their ultimate goal to be Europes leading low fares airline (Ryanair). The marketing strategy is perhaps the most obvious and significant functional strategy of Ryanair. Low fares are designed to stimulate demand, attracting fare-conscious travellers, those who may have used alternative forms of transportation or even those who may have not travelled at all. Penetration pricing as it is called helps gain market share and simply, more customers equals more revenue (Wheelen Hunger 2006). Tickets are almost solely sold on their website www.ryanair.com which very importantly keeps sales costs to a minimum since very few phone operators are employed and computers are able to cheaply handle all functions of sales. With ever increasing accessibility of the internet globally anybody with internet access can buy airline tickets from Ryanair, so distribution practically takes care of itself through this medium. Ryan Air relies on low cost promotions and in recent times has concentrated on their One million seats at one pound which is usually advertised through t heir internet site, national press and bulletin boards. It is the simplicity of this promotion which helps keep costs low since expensive advertising agencies can be entirely avoided and advertising can be dealt with in house. Ryanairs operations strateg1y determines how the airline will deploy its resources and the policies it will operate by. To keep costs low they operate a no frills service onboard aircraft. This means the fare only includes the flight. There are however a number of other measures directly related to a no frills service. These include ticketless boarding, unallocated seats, one class of travel, costs for check-in baggage, no refund policy, basic seats (to increase aircraft capacity) and charging for any additional service. All this significantly reduces costs to Ryanair. The Achilles heel of Ryanair is their greater aircraft utilisation through super quick turnaround times. Essentially this means the aircraft spends very little time on the ground, they achieve this through their human resource policies and by having none or very little cargo in the baggage hold to speed up loading and unloading of the aircraft. Logistics strategy deals with the flow of products into and out of Ryanair. Again there is heavy emphasis on cost saving and reducing measures. Ryanair fly to secondary airports which are potentially much further from the City centre but accessible enough by other forms of ground transportation. At these airports Ryanair are able to negotiate extremely aggressively and demand the lowest landing and handling fees. Additionally Ryanair is usually able to gain financial assistance with marketing and promotional campaigns at these airports. As cost leader Ryanair strives to undercut all its rivals but this means very low income per fare and requires maximum utilisation of its resources. Fortunately their financial policy ensures they are able to still profit handsomely from rock bottom fares. The aim is to breakeven on fares but to make their profits out of ancillary charges and commissions from their partners. Ryanair has a number of affiliates such as Hertz car rental, Acumus insurance and booking.com all of whom are advertised readily on the Ryanair website. Since the website has high website traffic its partners are able to reach out to Ryanairs huge client base and are prepared to pay good commissions to the firm for this privilege (IdeaWorks). Ryanair also generate income from advertising on board the aircraft. Ancillary revenue is generated from many of the services that traditional airlines wouldnt charge for, such as large baggage into the cargo hold, allocated seating, snacks and drinks. Ryanairs strategy when purchasing aircraft is to buy new, uniform aircraft. This is beneficial for a number of reasons all of which directly help cost saving measures. Firstly, by being able to order same aircraft in bulk they are able to negotiate a better price per aircraft. Secondly, uniform aircraft mean that there are potential savings in staff training; air stewards being more familiar with all aircraft and maintenance will be simpler. Finally by buying new, the company has safer, more fuel efficient planes with lower maintenance costs. Safer aircraft also means greater consumer confidence, equating to more fare sales. Furthermore Ryanair aggressively hedge and fix as many of their costs as possible, such as oil and aircraft prices so they are not subject to future price fluctuations which could adversely affect profitability (Stone 2008). The human resource policy is again directly related to reducing costs. Employees are expected to pay for their own uniform and equipment. Training given is the required minimum and staff utilisation is among the highest in the airline industry. Many staff are employed on performance contracts and those who do not meet their expectations are readily replaced. Staff are also expected to take on a number of roles, cabin staff will also clean the aircraft prior to the next service, check in staff assist in boarding the aircraft etc. Ryanair has successfully experienced years of growth both in the number of its aircrafts and passengers since its launch.   However, with the global financial system recently suffering its greatest crisis in more than 70 years, existing business models of many aviation firms are coming under great strain. As this economic downturn bankrupts LCCs like XL and Zoom with more expected to follow, the question is whether Ryanairs cost-leadership strategy is sustainable or not as it continues to offer lower fares in the face of high costs. Although Ryanair has posted losses along with other aviation firms for the latest quarter, it is expected to emerge from this downturn with fewer competitors because its à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.8 billon balance sheet is one of the strongest in the industry. Additionally, as the credit crunch takes its toll, traditional airlines are not in a position to cut fares and the threat of new LCCs is virtually eliminated due to the lack of financing. Although Ryanair f aces competition from substitutes like Eurostar, it is at an advantage because of Eurostars limited destinations.   Ryanair is sticking to its mantra, when the going gets tough, sell more seats for almost nothing (Symonds 2008). By offering low fares, Ryanair expects passengers to trade down to the low cost airlines rather than stop flying completely. This trend appears accurate so far based on passenger numbers as recession forces millions of passengers to focus on price (Waterman 2009). Additionally, the latest statistics from The European Low Fares Airline Association members show a 15.7% year-on-year growth in the number of passengers for 2008, indicating that the LCC model is robust, even in times of crisis (Latest 2009). Consequently, there is no doubt that Ryanair looks poised for substantial profits and passenger growth in the coming years. However, in order to compete with other LCCs and maintain its continued market share growth in the future, Ryanair needs to improve its poor customer relations. The sustainability of Ryanairs cost leadership strategy also depends largely on the price of oil and how effective the firm is in cutting costs in order to continue offering low fares. According to the firms latest financial report, Ryanair will enjoy significantly lower oil costs thanks to their recent hedging programme, when most of their competitors are already hedged at much higher prices. These lower prices will drive Ryanairs traffic growth, maintain high load factors and capture market share from higher cost fuel surcharging competitors (3rd Quarter Results 2009). In order to cut costs, Ryanair plans to close all its airport check-in desks by the end of 2009 and have passengers check-in online instead. Other cost saving methods not yet implemented include charging customers for using toilets on airplanes (Lalor 2009). These cost cutting ideas are not very popular among consumers and it means that Ryanair needs to improve its already tarnished brand image in the future which it had attained through negative press reporting and misleading advertisements. The current strategy at Ryanair is expected to work so well that despite the recession Ryanairs CEO has underlined the firms commitment to expansion. The firm is expected to grow at 20 percent a year because of a 180 aircrafts on order from Boeing. These expansion plans for the future will require the company to increase its landing slots at airports and recruit more employees. Currently Ryanair has limited access to landing slots in major airports and the secondary airports are long distances away from city centres which could make it less attractive in the future.   However, a remarkable cut in flights by other European airline carriers due to recession is creating enormous opportunities for Ryanair, as many major airports compete to reduce charges in order to attract Ryanairs growth (3rd Quarter Results 2009). Availability of skilled personnel shouldnt be a problem for Ryanair due to recent high unemployment levels. However, Ryanair needs to improve its current low level of empa thy for employees if it is to retain them in the future. Even though Ryanairs cost leadership strategy is robust and it looks set to serve them well in the future, there are some key areas within the business that can be improved on to enhance the firms profitability and brand image. Ryanair has always been criticised for many aspects of its poor customer relations. According to The Economist, Ryanairs cavalier treatment of passengers had given Ryanair a deserved reputation for nastiness and that the airline has become a byword for appalling customer service   and jeering rudeness towards anyone or anything that gets in its way (Aviation 2007). If Ryanair is to maintain its large customer base, it needs to ensure that it acknowledges its customers concerns and maintains a service focused attitude at all costs. Ryanair needs to invest in servicing customers better by providing a non-premium contact number, improving its non user friendly website, and simplifying the terms and conditions of the flight service. Ryanair should also create a frequent flyer program to establish a fixed customer base and encourage customer loyalty. Ryanair is notorious for its high staff turnover which negatively affects its reputation as an employer. Over utilization of employees, poor remuneration package, and minimal training are a few other critical items to be considered by Ryanair if it is to retain employees in the future. Ryanair needs to understand that although it is currently possible to replace outgoing employees, but with time Ryanairs overall image will be tarnished. Resultantly, attracting new employees could become impossible and this will hinder their expansion plans. Ryanair should incorporate a flexible benefits package solely designed to improve employee morale such as flexible working hours and extra holidays. To improve its image amongst employees, training at all employee levels must include exposure to similar techniques and methods that help promote the development of a uniform company identity. Following huge success in Europe, Ryanair should consider introducing low cost transatlantic flights to support its expansion plans and attain a larger customer base. With a high demand for certain routes like London-New York and room for negotiation in airplane prices and airport slots mainly due to the current financial climate, it is an ideal time to further reap the rewards of the cost leadership strategy that has served Ryanair so well over the years. Ryanairs model looks set to survive the current industrial downturn through its lower costs and substantial cash balances. No airline is better placed in Europe than Ryanair to trade through this downturn. It will therefore continue to grow, by lowering fares, taking market share from competitors, and expanding in markets where competitors either withdraw capacity or go bust (Monaghan 2008). By taking the recommended improvements into consideration, it looks like Ryanairs cost leadership strategy seems ideal for the future. Word Count: 2,493

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Company Law problem question: Running a business

Company Law problem question: Running a business Company Law problem question Question 1(a) Tom, Dick and Harry are in business together in the form of a legal partnership. The business having developed somewhat, they are now keen to incorporate their business into a limited company. This will undoubtedly have benefits for the traders, although there are of course certain ramifications of which they should be aware which will be dealt with after a discussion of the benefits of incorporating. The correct choice of business medium is a crucial decision for any business. It will affect how the business trades, the liability of those running the business (in their guise of partners or directors) and the liabilities of the business itself for taxation, for example, in the case of a company. Perhaps the most significant concern for Tom, Dick and Harry, is the risk of capital that is associated with any business. The overwhelming benefit in this context of forming a limited company over remaining as a partnership is that a company will carry only limited liability. This means that the owners of the company (that is, Tom, Dick and Harry, assuming they remain as directors and become shareholders) will only be liable for the amount of unpaid shares in the company if the company were to become insolvent or even bankrupt. In other words, they can choose the amount which they are willing to pay into the company (which does not have to be paid up front), and this is the total amount f or which they would be liable should the company ever be wound up. This can be contrasted with the situation under a partnership where the partners would be both jointly and severally liable for the entire value of their trading losses. This means a partner could lose any property that he owns. The beneficial effects of this arrangement would be limited, however, in a number of situations. If Tom Dick and Harry were to risk everything in the business, that is, if they invest all there assets in the business, then they would still lose it all if the company were to become insolvent. Secondly, it is often the case that when a company comes to borrow money for business development, and particularly where the company is relatively new and unknown to the banks, that the lenders will demand personal guarantees for the value of the loan on top of the normal contractual and security relations with the company. These would, obviously, override the limited liability associated with the company. As business is good for Tom, Dick and Harry at the moment, however, this would not appear to be an immediate problem. A further issue to be considered when deciding whether to incorporate as a company is the expense involved. While these are not extortionate, they are, at least, significant, and should be duly considered by Tom, Dick and Harry. Unlike a partnership, a company needs to be registered, which incurs fees itself. There will be legal fees payable to the solicitor who draws up the new company’s memorandum and articles of association (together, the constitutional documents of the company), which are essential, and outline the aims, methods, and rules of the company’s business life. A similar issue of expense and complexity that will be incurred by a company as opposed to a partnership relates to the accounts of the company. While all businesses, including partnerships, obviously wish to keep accounts, the requirements for accounting for companies are more particular and complicated. The accounts need to be more detailed, and show certain information in a particular way. Furthermore, because companies are subject to more rigorous regulation, the accounts of a company will need to be audited annually by an independent qualified accountant. This, of course, will incur higher accountancy costs that would be expected for a partnership. The company will also be required to complete an annual return and pay a fee on filing it with the Registrar. A company is subject to certain rules and regulations relating to its operation and management, which are statutorily set out in the Companies Act 1985 (subject to be overhauled when the current Company Reform Bill makes it through Parliament). An example of this is the requirement that a company must have at least one director and one secretary. It is usual for the first owners (Tom, Dick and Harry) to become the first directors and / or secretary. These officials will have certain obligations relating to duties owed to the company, and in respect of items that need to be completed and filed with the Registrar of companies at Companies House. An important consideration to take into account is the flexibility of a company to change its internal structure if and when circumstances require it. Such a change would normally involve and require an alteration to the company’s articles of association. This would require, under the Companies Act, a so-called ‘special resolution’, which equates to 75% of the shareholders. In the case of Tom, Dick and Harry, if they were to remain the only shareholders, any such decision would, of course, have to be unanimous. If any conflict is predicted, this will have to be a consideration for the parties. It is worth noting that this requirement is no more stringent than that required for altering a partnership agreement, which requires the approval of all partners. If a conflict were to arise between the directors of the company, the other shareholders would be able to remove the troublesome director by way of an ordinary resolution. Finally, the legal status of a company differs significantly from that of a partnership. A company is seen as a separate legal person, which means it can contract and be held liable in its own name. This has ramifications for the liability of the directors, and is generally seen as a benefit of a company. Only a company (and not a partnership) can create floating charges over their assets. This is significant when it comes to raising finance by way of granting security. It will probably be easier for a company to raise the requisite finance than for a partnership to do so. It is also significant (or may be) that an unlimited number of people can become members of a company, whereas a partnership is limited to twenty partners. If and when the company grows and develops, it will be in its interests to be unlimited in the number of new members it can obtain. Question 1(b) In this scenario, there are a number of developments which will impact on the running and management of the business. Each development will be taken in turn. Firstly, the sale of the company’s property to Dick’s sister, Fanny in 2006 will be problematic. There are three principal areas of concern. Firstly, the company’s articles of association expressly prohibit the sale of company property without a special resolution of the members. As was mentioned above, a special resolution requires a 75% majority, or in this case, as there are only three members, a unanimous vote. There is a course of action that the directors can take, however, after the event, that could ratify the sale of the company property. They will simply need to call an extraordinary general meeting, following the correct procedure of course, and pass a special resolution either to ratify the sale of the company property to Fanny, or else to alter the articles of association to allow for such sales in a more general context. The value and size of the property that is sold to Fanny will be significant in the second area of concern for the company. Under section 320 of the CA, ‘a company shall not enter into an arrangement whereby a director of the company or its holding company, or a person connected with such a director, acquires or is to acquire one or more non-cash assets of the requisite value from the company†¦unless the arrangement is first approved by a resolution of the company in general meeting.’ The reason the value of the property that is transferred to Fanny is significant is because of the existence of the concept of ‘requisite value’, which is set down in section 320(2). This states that the requisite value for a non-cash asset is  £100,000 or 10% of the company’s asset value. If the property is of this value or greater, then, it will be of the requisite value, and will contravene section 320. The fact that Fanny (the purchaser) is the sister of a dir ector classes her as a ‘connected person’. As such, she breaches the section 320 prohibition. Finally, the gross undervaluing of the property in the company’s sale of it to Fanny will be a problem, as it is likely that this will breach section 339 CA in the case of the company becoming insolvent. Were this to happen, the insolvency practitioner would likely deem the transaction to be voidable, and the asset would be brought back into the pool of the company’s assets in order to satisfy the creditors. This would occur if the transaction occurred within 5 years of the presentation of the petition for winding up (because Fanny, again, is an ‘associate’ of the transferor). Under section 238 defines a transaction at an undervalue as one where a company makes a gift to any person and receives either no consideration for it or consideration worth significantly less than the consideration provided by the company. This transaction clearly qualifies as such. It will be deemed to be set aside if insolvency proceedings commence within two years of the transacti on. Each of the directors’ decisions will now be addressed. They decide, firstly, to enter a contract with Oui Ltd. This is not, of course, a problem in itself, apart from the fact that Tom is a director of Oui Ltd. Firstly, if entry into the contract was ratified by an ordinary resolution in the company, Tom would not have been able to vote on it under section 94, because he has an interest in it. If Dry Ltd have adopted Table A articles of association, this would be confirmed by article 94. The company should have kept a register of its directors, which lists the interests and other directorships of all its directors (under section 288 CA), which would have detailed Tom’s directorship of Oui Ltd. Furthermore, section 317 CA requires Tom to have declared his interest in the proposed contract with Oui Ltd at a board meeting of Dry Ltd. He should have given general notice of his directorship. The company issues a further 10,000 unpaid shares to a third party to fight off a takeover bid. This should not create a problem so long as the company’s articles of association give the directors power to issue shares. This in turn is dependent on the company having a sufficient amount of unissued authorised share capital. If it does not, a special resolution will need to be passed to increase this authorised share capital, before passing a further resolution allowing the issue. The powers of the directors in this instance are regulated by section 80 CA. Furthermore, the company must, under section 89, give consideration to rights of pre-emption to existing shareholders. As the directors are the only three shareholders, this should not be a problem, but it would mean they had to wait 21 days before issuing the new shares. The resignation of David and his formation of Whip Ltd, which obtains the contract from Pop Ltd might breach his director’s service contract with Dry Ltd. It is usual for such contracts to contain a clause prohibiting former directors using their business contacts within a certain time of leaving the former directorship; a non-solicitation clause. This would protect Dry Ltd’s business links. Given Harry’s age and his mental deterioration, the company will be able, if it has the heart, to remove him from office following the procedure for removal of directors set down in section 303 CA, which requires an ordinary resolution to be passed. Harry may be able to claim damages for his removal from office under this procedure.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Minorities in Special Education Essay -- Learning Teaching Ethnicity P

The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system? Special education is a large part of the education system, which includes the mentally retarded, people with learning disabilities, the emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, visually impaired, etc. Many people fail to include this system as one that can possibly involve discrimination, but those enrolled in special education has increased among all racial classifications. Between 1980 and 1990, the entire population enlisted in special education has increased. European American increased by 6%, African Americans increased by 13%, Hispanic Americans increased by 53%, and Asian Americans/Pacific Americans increased by 107.8% (Ford, Obiakor, p. 8). In the end, it is these students who ultimately experience low rates of employment, low income, and growing rates of incarceration. Another survey indicates t... ...er how hard teachers try to make students learn, if the students don’t want to, then they won’t. The only sure fire way to decrease the so-called discrimination is to make students dedicated to learning and thus make it one of their top priorities. If not, then there will continue to be many problems and an increasing number of cases concerning discrimination within the education system. Bibliography Page Losen, D. and Orfield, G., ed. (2002). Racial Inequality in Special Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Obiakor, F. and Ford, B., ed. (2002). Creating Successful Learning Environments for African American Learners With Exceptionalities. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Ormsbee, C. (2001). "Ending Discrimination in Special Education/Achieving Educational Equity (Book Review)." Intervention in School & Clinic; Sep2001, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p48.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Asian-American Stereotypes Essay -- essays research papers Asians Ethn

Asian-American Stereotypes Overview Asian stereotypes are a product of prevailing myths propagated by various media, from books, plays, movies, television, to even historical propaganda. Generally speaking, the stereotyping of Asian women often swing to extreme types: the docile, subservient sexual object, or the dragon lady. Asian Americans only make up a small percentage of the United States population and live mostly on the west and east coasts of mainland United States and Hawaii. Consequently, the rest of the American population will most likely get their exposures to Asian Americans through television and movies. Popular media exposure to Asian Americans lacks one-on-one acquaintance with Asian Americans. It hinders the process that could help Americans from other racial backgrounds realize that the stereotypical characters in Hollywood movie productions are unjust and biased. Furthermore, these popular movies do not reflect the true individuality of the typical Asian American living in America. Hollywood has a tradition of portraying Asian women as exotic, subservient, compliant, industrious, and more than often, eager to please. These race and class stereotypes of Asian American women give the impression of what Asian American women are really like to other Americans as well as to Asian Americans themselves. This perpetuates race and class inequalities of Asian Americans by allowing these belittling Asian characteristics to appear repeatedly in society. The beliefs that Asian American women are weak or passive and allow themselves to be sexually and emotionally abused by men also prevail in common media. These stereotypes of a submissive, obedient Asian woman made up of sexual desires waiting to be rescued by a man were formed by mesmerized, ignorant Westerners who were not viewing Asians as people, rather as objects for their enjoyment. These Hollywood images of ?easy women? have spilled over into mainstream images of Asian women. In result, Asian women are viewed for the ir sexual desire and hyper-femininity As mysterious and sexual, Asian women cannot be taken seriously by society. Ideally, these women are depicted as geisha girls, Oriental massagers, comfort women and prostitutes. With their main objective being to submit to their dominator?s every desire, Asian women are seen as sexually desirable. The stereotype remains that all of th... ...nd that many non-Asian students at UCI had not even heard of terms such as ?Dragon Lady? or ?China Doll.? Though they did know the connotations behind the stereotypes, they were not familiar with the actual label. The Asian men in our study already knew those terms, most likely because they were raised within the Asian culture, which provides a biased viewpoint.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, it is very obvious that the stereotypes that Hollywood creates about certain nationalities, ethnicities, races, and gender that are ingrained and prevail in the minds of many Americans. Though some can be as comical or entertaining, they should not be tolerated or continued. By allowing media to feed us with knowledge of the unknown only perpetuates the ignorance behind such atrocities like racism and hate related violence. The research conducted for this paper shows that these false stereotypes about Asian Americans cross all borders. Young Asian American males at UCI can identify the same false perceptions of Vietnamese American women that we find in the media, because that is where those ideas are taught. Until the media eliminates these negative stereotypes of all people, ignorance will prevail.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Importance of Tourism

Some people think tourism is just going to a travel agency and buying a tour to visit a place. However, there are more issues involved with this field than people can imagine. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) tourism represented 5% of the direct global GDS, offering 235 million jobs worldwide and generating more than US$ 1 billion for local communities where it is developed. It is clear, therefore, that tourism brings advantages to a country, but there are obviously disadvantages.This essay will demonstrate that tourism is much more than a simple trip and can positively or negatively affect different aspects and it will argue the importance of planning before tourism is developed will be explored. Discussion of the positive and negative aspects of tourism will be really complex (Ragsdale, n. d. ). To better comprehend the positive and negative consequences generated by tourism, it is important to evaluate each aspect linked separately. Economical, environmental, cu ltural and social aspects are the most significant aspects.Economic effects are the first benefits to the host country. Tourism increases job opportunities, because it creates new roles, such as servers, hotel staff, retail outlets and tour guides. Moreover, the population also can work in jobs of new hotels and facilities created as result of the tourism industry. (Ragsdale, n. d. ). Some other effects are the economic development, the improvement of income, the currency and the employment (Rodrigues, 2012). As an example, Bahamas have the tourism as their mainly local economy and source of jobs.The tourism guarantees employment for more than half of community, directly or indirectly. (Members of the Demand Media Studios Community, n. d. ). Before tourism being developed in this region the population was living in poor life conditions and occupying worst job positions. Regarding the environmental aspect, tourism can be a reason to protect the nature and the money collected from tic kets to visit parks makes people obey rules to preserve the park. This industry also gives a chance to understand how the environment works.  (Allen, n. d. ).Additionally, conservation of natural areas, rising environmental quality, stimulating the participation of people with the environment, improvement of infrastructure and increased awareness of the environment are some example of positive effects of tourism. (Rodrigues, 2012). Cultural and social aspects are some of the touristic attractions. This direct contact teaches visitors a new view and it is lucrative for the local population. (Ragsdale, n. d. ).Furthermore, tourism can help to conserve cultural heritage, the cultural exchanges and the renewal of cultural pride. Also it promotes peace and greater empowerment of women (Rodrigues, 2012). In Bahamas the cultural identity is a concern of local government about the trivialization of crafts and influences of other cultures about changing local traditions. (Members of the De mand Media Studios Community, n. d. ). Probably, without tourism the government would never think about the Bahamas traditions.On the other hand, negative effects are being showed too (Allen, n. d. ). Economically, it is important consider how to finance and maintain tourism, because it can also encroach on the community with companies from another country, taking part of the profits instead of local population. (Ragsdale, n. d. ). In addition, tourism can aggravate social inequality, because if you didn?t have qualification, you would not have opportunity to work in this field. Besides, it can also raise the local and the housing costs around the touristic areas (Allen, n.  d. ).Bali is a good example of this situation. The tourism had grown about 80% in 2010 compared to 2000 and also had grown franchising and convenience stores around the city giving the profits to overseas companies. Moreover, the government gave a temporary residence to 6,000 foreigners allowing them to work; it was not very fair competition for better jobs. In addiction, the real estate sector increased the property values causing the local population to migrate to other cities and without much infrastructure.(Trunkl, 2011). It is recognizable that tourism also can be a disruptive mechanism against nature (Ragsdale, n. d. ). It can contribute to water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, visual pollution and problems with rising trash. In Bali tourism are destroying the natural source and overloading local infrastructure, affecting the environment and the community. The transit is increasingly congested and natural areas and plantations are being devastated to build more roads or tourist attractions. (Trunkl, 2011).In relation to the cultural aspect, tourism can negatively affect the authenticity of community, disrespecting traditions such as religious rites and crafts. (Rodrigues, 2012). Tourism causes a really invasive situation and consequently the host community will be influe nced by tourists, endangering their customs, habits and cultural riches. (Ragsdale, n. d. ). Socially the unpleasantness between tourists and natives is a negative result in this area. Moreover, the excess numbers of tourists leads to a less quality of the attraction and it may increase the cases of prostitution, crime and violence.  (Rodrigues, 2012).To reduce negative impacts and enhance positive impacts will be necessary a good tourism planning, always based on social equity, environmental awareness and expansion of the local economy. Tourism planning is a mechanism of management focused in an actual scenario of destination analysis to project possible panoramas. This mechanism builds a guide to transform the current target into sustainable tourist attraction using the resources available efficiently. First of all, the government should involve and sensitize the community where they want to explore the tourism.Without this support, the tourism will inevitably fail. After that, they need to define the goals: what kind of tourism will be explored in this region; which kind of public will be explored and if all industry involved is prepared. Thus, they analyse all resources and create a strategy of product development. After that, tourism will be explored. Furthermore, it will be always monitored and evaluated to do constant readjustments (Miranda, 2013). In conclusion, tourism has a great power of influence in societies where it is developed in very interesting aspects.For this reason, tourism cannot be considered as something unimportant and it not even occurs without a planning. It should be well planned, executed and monitored results to make changes as needed. This dynamic will require well trained professionals and constant research in this area. It is no longer possible to think in tourism as just a simple trip, everything that occurs during any trip is interconnected and affects the whole society. Provide a well planned and sustainable tourism will b e inevitable for the survival of the local community. The focus now is to maximize the positive aspects and minimize the negative one.

Future of democracy Essay

Illiberal democracy is a system of governance in which the citizens are kept in the dark about the conduct and activities of powerful officials in the government due to the absence of civil liberties. Despite the existence of democratic space in a country, the society becomes an â€Å"un-open† society. Such situations arise in cases where despite the existence of a democratic constitution that limits the powers of government, its liberties are not taken into consideration by the ruling class due to lack of strong constitutional legal framework. Illiberal democratic regimes feel that they have the right to act in whichever way they feel is best provided that regular elections are held. Such governments may impose rules which interfere with the individual liberties such as: the freedom of assembly and speech, making it difficult for opposition forces to succeed in criticizing it (Zakaria 2007). There is a wide range of illiberal democratic governments. They range from those dictatorial governments to those governments that are nearly democratic. An illiberal democracy regime can be determined through observing the nature in which the government carries its elections. If a government does not carry out regular, free, competitive and fair elections when filling its principle governance positions, then it can be classified as an illiberal democracy government according to the yearly freedom house ratings. Around the globe, democratically elected governments have gone beyond their limits and deprived their citizens their rights which are provided for in the constitution. Countries such as the Philippines and Peru are some of the countries with illiberal democratic governments. According to Zakaria (2008), democracy that has no constitutional liberalism produces centralized governments, eroded liberty, conflicts, war and ethnic competition. There are a wide range of implications of liberalism to the foreign policy. First, it is a guarantee for humility. Although it can be easier for elections to be imposed on a country, it will be difficult to impose constitutional liberalism to a society. Genuine democratization and liberalization is a process which is long-term and gradual in nature that an election acts as a step towards achieving its overall goal. Without the necessary precautions being taken, such an election can end up being a false step towards the process. This has prompted nongovernmental organizations together with various governments to put in place measures that are aimed at promoting constitutional liberalisms in countries which are in the process of becoming developed (Zakaria 2007). National democracy endowment fosters independent labor unions together with political parties and also ensures that there are free markets. Independent judiciaries are funded by the USA through the International Development Agency but in the end, elections trump virtually everything. On the other hand, if elections are not held in a transparent way that promotes democracy, the incident should not be viewed as dictatorship but instead it should be taken as a mistake that has been committed. Although fair elections form part of the virtues of effective governance, it should not be the only virtue that should be capitalized on. Other government yardsticks should be used in judging it. Such yardsticks include: civil, religious and economic liberties which form the basis of human dignity and autonomy. When a government extends these liberties to its people despite its limited democratic space, it cannot be categorized as a dictatorial government. Countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore provide their citizens with a better life of happiness in spite of the limited political freedom. Countries such as China which have continued with repressive regimes offer their citizens more economic liberty and autonomy in their current forms than they have ever offered in their history. Despite the achievements that China has achieved for its citizens such as economic freedom, much still needs to be done to effect proper change towards full liberalizing democracy (Zakaria 2008, 200). Zakariah concludes with a recommendation that there is need for countries to change their system of governance through constitutionalism. He says that when there is too much dependency on pure democracy, it affects transitional countries such that they lack constitutions which can be considered imaginative. Constitutionalism is a system of governance in which there are checks and balances which are meant to prevent stagnation and abuse of power by officials in governments. This is achieved through drafting a list of rights for the citizens and ensuring that they are given to people by putting in place proper structures to ensure that they are not neglected by authorities. Various groups are also empowered to ensure that the officials observe the rule of law (Zakaria 2007). Just as an ambitious idea is made to counteract another ambitious idea, constitutions were made to cater for public passion and ensure effective governance. Despite its creation, most European countries at the moment have started looking at their constitutions suspiciously because of the wide range of rich unelected bodies that indirectly vote, do checks and balances and federal arrangements to both formal and informal constitution. Such procedures which do not advocate for direct democracy are considered to be inauthentic because they muzzle the people’s voices (Zakaria 2008, 200). It is therefore important for any country to use the type of governance that suits them but should at the same time put the interests of its citizens ahead of any other issue. Bibliography Zakaria, F. 2008. The post-American world. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Zakaria, F. 2007. The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad. New York:

Friday, August 16, 2019

Political socialization and how women define politics and power Essay

There are various types of political socialization, and these have various effects on political participation. The traditional sex role socialization involves the integration of traditional roles performed by men and women into the political scene. This form of socialization has the effect of exclusion of women in political participation and dominance of politics by men. This effect has been in existence for a long time; like for instance, until 1975, exclusion of women from jury duty could be granted on ground of interference with domestic chores. According to Lawless and Fox (8-11), another type of political socialization involves the masculinized ethos, and this is the type of political socialization which relies on political institutions during campaigns. Since most of the institutions are dominated by men, then an ethos of masculinity is developed. This form of socialization is reinforced by the lack of legislature which advocates for inclusion of female participation in policy agendas. This form of socialization also serves to alienate women from positions of power and political participation. The gendered psyche is a form of socialization which ensures male domination of the political activities through infusing a culture which relegates women to the periphery in political participation. Women are made to feel valued, protected and secure, which makes it be viewed as normal for men to engage in politics but not reasonable for women to engage in it. This is a situation which is seen in the corporate scene. A large number of women normally downplay achievements in business, which makes them qualify for much lower salaries compared to men with similar or even lesser achievements. This form of socialization encourages political participation by men and discourages political participation by women. However, despite all these challenges, some women such as Latina women still manage to play very important roles in politics (Cohen & Jones 224-230). Part B How women define politics. Latina women in Boston Massachusetts play important roles in the political scene. They are involved in protest marches, community events, voter registration, election campaigns, workshops, community forums and social and political change. They play very crucial roles in the development of society and most of the women who were surveyed wanted to get involved in politics (Cohen & Jones 223-231). These women experience certain stages of development which encourage them to join politics. These stages involve the questioning of conditions where they live and searching for solutions from other people and themselves. However, some women recognize the need for change and grab the opportunity to do what they believe in. Socialism, independence and statehood are the main motivators in joining politics for some women. Other women are motivated by problems which they experienced such as poor housing, school dropout and AIDS in the community. There are also other women who believe that socialization in the family is a major determinant of joining politics. There are different perspectives of politics according to the Latina women, with some viewing it as involving giving support, and helping others in fulfilling their obligation. This is an aspect of politics which is derived from the family social setting. It can be traced to the fact that most Latinas from political supportive families, view sharing as the goal of working with other people. The Latina family traditions advocate for helping, giving or sharing and forms the basis of political activities. Women who are socialized according to this perspective aim at empowering the people in the community and sharing the resources which are available. Another perspective of politics according to the Latina women is escape from oppression. Since many Latina women have faced oppression at one point in their lives, either from the system, their husbands or fathers, they identify with this cause and believe that politics is a solution from oppression. These above perspectives capture how most Latina women define politics. Part C How women define power. According to Lawless and Fox (1-5), most women do not have the confidence to seek positions of power despite having excellent credentials and qualifications. A survey was performed and targeted four qualified career people who had high credentials, in a bid to find out their chances for running for a position of power. These people were Cheryl, Tricia, Randall and Kevin. Cheryl is an accomplished lawyer with excellent credentials while Tricia is a professor in Sociology in a large University. Randall is also a college professor while Kevin is a partner in a law firm. The survey revealed that unlike men who are ready to grab the positions of power, women did not even consider running for the same positions. Cheryl and Tricia would not consider running for a position of power, while Randall and Kevin said they would grab the opportunity immediately. This is a situation which is replicated in the political scene. Women are not ready to run for public office irrespective of the fact that they are highly qualified. Since there are no obvious obstacles in campaigning for office for the female gender, it is clear that the lack of interest in running for power plays a major role in the dominance of political scene by men. However, there are people who are of the opinion that when men run for office, the vacant seats which emerge are occupied by women, and this ensures that they still have power. This may be true, but the fact is that women are not interested in running for political and power positions. According to (Cruz 424), if women do not adopt a strategy of helping one another, they will not succeed in politics. Further research should be carried out on the topic to unmask the reasons behind this lack of interest. Works Cited. Cohen Cathy & Jones Kathy. (1997). Women transforming politics: An alternative reader. New York: New York University Press, p220-240. Cruz, Takash P. 1993. Breaking Barriers to Representation: Chicana/Latina Elected Officials in California. Journal of Urban Anthropology, p 420-430. Lawless, J. L. & Fox, R. L. (2005). It takes a candidate: Why women don’t run for office. New York: Cambridge Press, p1-13.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Life History Essay

The purpose of getting a life history on a person is to be able to â€Å"paint a picture† of who they are. The information from the history should not just be a random collection of facts. The history should be an account of the person’s life story, including important themes in their life that reflect the development of their personality and their relationships with other people. Life histories play key roles in psychological treatment and research. While the following guidelines are rather typical of the sort of questions asked, interviews vary considerable depending on who’s doing them and why. Your purpose in conducting this interview is educational. While your objective is collecting the same information you might in a real clinical or research situation, keep in mind this is a didactic exercise. Therefore, be willing to sacrifice sensitive or upsetting information to protect the comfort and privacy of your subject. Be sure to let him or her know (s)he does not need to talk about anything (s)he doesn’t want to. While doing the interview, pay careful attention to how the person is responding to your questions, and always be respectful of his/her privacy. If it seems like the person is uncomfortable discussing some aspect of his or her life, don’t press for an answer. Move on to the next part of the interview. Each of you will interview a classmate. Then, that classmate will interview you. I expect each interview to take about 1.5 hours. You should take notes, and if you have access to a tape recorder, I would recommend using it too. Be sure to check your recorder to see that it is working, though, and take notes anyway–machines fail at the darndest times! Be sure to print a copy of these guidelines and bring them with you. Don’t be afraid to refer back to them for questions and guidance about topics to broach. This assignment is due on 5/29/00. Beginning the Interview It is best to begin the interview by giving the person free range to tell their life story. Where they start their story and how they tell it will reveal what immediately strikes them as important. So begin the interview with the following instructions: â€Å"I’d like to find out about your life history. Could you tell me about it? Describe it to me as if you were telling me your life story.† Most people will leave out certain details. If the details seem important, use open-ended questions to probe for more information, such as â€Å"And then what happened?† or â€Å"What did you do after that?† We also want to find out about how people thought and felt about what happened to them. If they omit this information, use such questions as â€Å"How did you feel about that?† or â€Å"What did you think about that at the time?† The Importance of Reflection It is best if the interview doesn’t turn into a â€Å"question and answer† session where you ask questions and they give short answers. It’s difficult to do, but try to turn the interview into a smoothly flowing discussion. Use the technique known as â€Å"reflection† to encourage a person to talk more about something. Simply reflect back to the person some important aspect of what they have just said. You may simply repeat the exact words the person used, or you may sometimes add in some thought or feeling that you detected in what the person said. Reflections are NOT in the form of a question. If you can do this effectively, you won’t have to bombard the person with all of the questions listed above. Here are some examples: Person: â€Å"My father and I used to play ball in the backyard. We had a lot of fun with that.† You: â€Å"You and your father had some fun times.† Person: â€Å"When he said that to me, it really annoyed me. I couldn’t believe my best friend would say something like that.† You: â€Å"He could really get you angry with his remarks.† Other examples of open-ended reflections might be: â€Å"I guess you really enjoyed that time of your life.† â€Å"It sounds like it upset you when he said that.† â€Å"It seems like that was a very important event for you.† When a question does seem necessary, open-ended questions are most likely to lead to richer responses (rather than â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†). Open ended questions invite answers that are descriptive and elaborative, rather than monosyllables. â€Å"How do you feel about school† is an open-ended questions, because it allows great latitude in the response that might be given. â€Å"Do you like school† would merely prompt a few word response; similarly, a multple-choice format limits responses. There are situations where open-ended questions are not optimal (e.g., â€Å"When and where were you born† is fine). But usually, the goal is getting the subject to talk about important topics, rather than answer hundreds of questions you think might be relevant. Open-ended questions are usually best for initiating a flowing conversation. Areas to Explore People will also leave out certain topic areas that are important. You will need to ask questions about this areas, but always try to do so in an open-ended way that allows people to express themselves freely, according to what strikes them as important. You should get information about all of the following areas. Start with the first open-ended question, and work your way down to the following questions, if needed. 1. The history of parents and grandparents: â€Å"Tell me about your parents’ lives.† â€Å"What can you tell me about your grandparents’ lives?† (Inquire about their lives before and after marriage, including important events in their life, their childhood, education, occupation, ethnic and religious background. If they leave out a parent or grandparent, inquire about them) 2. Early childhood (before school): â€Å"What do you know about yourself as a baby.† â€Å"What was your mother’s pregnancy like?† â€Å"Were there any family stories or jokes about what you were like as a child?† â€Å"What are your earliest childhood memories?† â€Å"What do you remember or know about major early events in your life – like eating habits, walking, talking, and toilet training?† â€Å"Were there any stresses in your family at that time?† 3. School Years: â€Å"What were your early years in school like?† â€Å"Do you remember the very first day of school?† â€Å"How did you do at school work through the years?† â€Å"What were your relationships like with your teachers and schoolmates?† â€Å"Who were your friends and what sorts of things did you do with them?† 4. Adolescence: â€Å"What was your adolescence like?† â€Å"How was your social and school life at that time?† â€Å"When did you enter puberty. How did your life change then? â€Å"What was your relationship with your friends during your teen years?† â€Å"What was your relationship with your family at that time?† â€Å"When did you start to date, and what were those relationships like?† 5. Adult Life (including college): â€Å"What has been important about your adult life?† â€Å"What have your adult relationships with friends and co- workers been like?† â€Å"What has your relationship with your (husband/wife, fiance, boyfriend/girlfriend) been like? â€Å"What types of jobs have you worked at, and what did you think about those jobs?† â€Å"What was college like for you?† â€Å"What hobbies or other interests do you have?† 6. Family Information (if you didn’t already get this info): â€Å"What has your family been like over the years.† â€Å"Tell me about your brothers and sisters† (age, education, marital status, their relationship with the interviewee) â€Å"How would you describe the personalities of the people in your family?† â€Å"What role did each parent take in raising you?† â€Å"Were there any emotional problems in the family, or conflicts between family members?† â€Å"Did your family ever move? What was that like?† â€Å"What is the ethnic background of your family?† â€Å"What has been your religious upbringing, and your attitudes about religion?† â€Å"Describe your own family.† (relationship with children, how children relate to each other and spouse, typical activities, etc.) Questions & Answers about the Assignment Here are some questions a classmate asked. I felt it might be helpful to share them, and my replies, with the rest of you. I do have a tape recorder ( I am not sure if I trust it very much, what if it doesn’t pick up the voice or ), Point the mike at the interviewee, talk a few minutes, then play it back to see if it’s working. If your partner has a tape, use it too as a back-up. I actually do use two sometimes in my work. And, of course, take notes in case the darn thing decides to fail when you need it most. but what should I do about notes? (i don’t write very fast at all) And how can/should an interviewer take notes so as to minimize its interference in the interview? Learning to use shorthand is part of learning to be a good inteviewer. Just write what you must to reconstruct the conversation. You can go back and fill in the details later. It’s ok to ask the interviewee to wait while you write (â€Å"just a second, please†¦ok, thanks, go ahead.†). This is less disruptive than you might imagine, as long as you don’t do it too frequently. Are we supposed to ask All the questions? That is a stupid lead-in on my part, but it seems like that would take longer than 1.5 hours. I actually expect the interviews will run about 2 hours, but if I assigned that people would run over anyway, so I thought I’d do you a favor by starting with a lower expectation. Try to pace yourself. If you find you’re spending lots of time on one part of your subject’s life, move the conversation (â€Å"great. Thanks. Now, could you tell me about [new topic]†). I don’t expect anyone will follow the guidelines exactly. That’s why I’m offering them as guidelines rather than a rigid set of questions. Are there wrong responses to this interview? I would not want to ramble and be a bore. I like to talk/share. I am trying to decide if I should warn my interviewer. That really is the interviewer’s job†¦to politely redirect the subject when (s)he rambles off. Some of that is inevitable, even desirable, but it is important to redirect things when the subject lapses into long, relatively unimportant tangents. Besides what if you just don’t remember or it takes too long to try and remember or you only remember vaguely or if things are difficult to explain? Well, you won’t be able to say much about those things. That’s ok. It’s not as though I think about these things all that often or in specific articulable terms, ya know? Or do I sound like an idiot? No, I feel the same way about some of the questions. For example, I don’t know much about my toilet training. I suppose if I was still in diapers at age 4 I probably WOULD know about it, so often, when something in early childhood is unremarkable, we don’t know much about it. That’s fine. Should we try to think of responses? What should/can I do to be a better interviewee/interviewer? I don’t think you need to prepare to be interviewed. Of course, there’s no harm in thinking a little about the questions ahead of time, but I think it would be a poor idea to prepare your responses. That wouldn’t give your interviewer a very natural experience. By the way, what is the age range difference between what is referred to in/by Schoool Years versus Adolescence? School Years generally refers to middle- and later-childhood, say the ages of 6-12. Also, What is due on the 26nd? Notes? A write-up of some sort? Q & A transcript type record? No. Both interviews should be complete by that date. Your write up will be due on the last meeting of class. You say this is a Didactic experience—as opposed to what? What sort of instruction is that intended to give us? Did you mean to convey anything specific, may I ask? Not to sound suspicious, just trying to understand. I’m trying to remind you that this is a learning experience. So, if you start discussing things that are upsetting to the interviewee, or (s)he is reluctant to discuss, I wouldn’t encourage you to â€Å"push† or â€Å"dig deeper.† One might do such things during a professional assessment, or as a therapist, but this is an educational experience for the interviewer, not a clinical intervention to benefit the interviewee. Consequently, it’s appropriate to sacrifice information that be essential in a different context. For example, if you find that your subject was beaten as a kid, you might not push for details in this exercise (that would be an unwarrented intrusion), although I certainly might in a â€Å"real† clinical or research interview.