Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Suicide - Essay Example As the author reveals, the woman is apparently tormented by her past. She feels completely shattered between her two previous husbands in Chicago, which is outside her native home in the north. She appears embittered about â€Å"lost beauty.†The woman lives in abject poverty, endures racial discrimination, suffers from mental illness, and feels abandoned. She is also depressed and lonely. The poem ‘Suicide Note’ on the other hand is a representation of the disappointments that a girl faces in her life, the poem suggests that the suicide note is written while the girl is planning to commit a suicide, she expresses her disappointments, failures, struggles and hardships, she gives justifications for her act that she was unable to fight with the world and she wasn’t strong enough to win and defeat others. Both the poems thematically are same; they describe human failures, disappointments and disapproval of everything. Every human being goes through these situations, suicide is a feeling that every human goes through on various occasions in life. In terms of representation, these poems contradict with each other, in Harjo’s poem there is a representation of suicidal feelings of a mother and in Mirikitani’s poem, there is a representation of a daughter’s suicidal feelings. In Harjo’s poem the woman cries over loss of her physical beauty, the way her physical structure is described and describing her as the mother of three suggests that she is disappointed because she has lost her physical beauty and she thinks that she has lost every reason to live, whereas in Mirikitani’s poem the girl is disappointed by the fact that she couldn’t prove her worth to her parents and that she has disappointed them by not proving herself to them. Thus, to conclude, it can be said that both the poems are similar on thematic

Sample Outline for Case Study Essay Example for Free

Sample Outline for Case Study Essay I. Introduction: Overview of the type of substance abuse issue you are focusing upon, its impact (on society and this agency) and your interest in this agency. (Tip: Open with something shocking or startling which will grab your reader’s attention. Look at some of the articles you have read to get ideas.) II. Agency A. The agency/program you choose to examine and why B. History of the agency/program C. Current data on agency/program: size, number of personnel, service area, mission, etc D. Who you spoke to in the agency/program E. Conclusion you came to after conducting your initial interviews 1. What is the challenge this agency faces in regard to substance abuse? III. Issue you discovered A. Thought provoking discussion of the issue and what problems it causes 1. Challenges for society in general 2. Challenges for the agency/program 3. Challenges for those in the agency/program 4. Possible solutions or ways to address this problem that occurred to you before doing the research IV. Your research A. Articles you examined which relate to this issue B. Findings of those articles C. How you feel these findings relate to your agency/program and their challenges D. Follow-up interview 1. What did your interviewee say about your findings? 2. How might your findings relate to this agency? E. Thoughtful discussion of your conclusion(s) about how this issue should be handled, based upon your findings and your follow-up interview F. Wrap this part of your paper up in a compelling manner – perhaps refer back to the â€Å"shocking† part of your introduction Your assessment of this case study A. The procedures – what worked, what didn’t? What you learned How this assignment has impacted your career goals Reminders: †¢ Be sure you establish credibility of your interviewee and authors of scholarly articles you cite in your paper! †¢ Be sure you cite and discuss a minimum of two scholarly articles in this paper – you may use other sources, but must use at least two scholarly references!

Heart Attacks Essay -- essays research papers

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to a portion of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. This happens when one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle is blocked by an obstruction. This blockage can be due to a condition called atherosclerosis (a build up of fatty like substance along the wall of the artery), a blood clot or a coronary vessel spasm along with a total obstruction. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart stops, that area of the heart will no longer receive the oxygen or nutrients needed to carry out its function and will die. If it is a very small part of the heart involved, it will be able to work without it. If a large portion is damaged, irreversible damage will happen which can lead to death.Damage to the heart muscle may be so severe that it may cause abnormal heart rhythm, called arrhythmias. Most people who are of a myocardial infraction or a heart attack do so within a few hours due to a type of arrhythmia The heart attack victim will complain of pressure, discomfort or a squeezing sensation in the centre of the chest. There may be pain radiating to the arms or the neck. There may also be shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and or indigestion. The pain that occurs is the result of heart tissue ischemia (decreased blood supply). The area that is not receiving enough blood is literally crying out for help. When a person complains of any of the symptoms mentioned, they should be transported ...

Welch Case Study

This particular case discusses whether General Electric fulfilled its Corporate Social Responsibility under the leadership of Jack Welsh or if it just met basic obligations. It also displays the evolving idea of social responsibility in a corporation by contrasting the corporation’s actions during Welsh’s leadership and after Welsh retired. It is shown that Welsh had a classical economic view of social responsibility. General Electric followed a traditional business model while Welsh was working and a progressive business model after he retired. He used a cutthroat ranking system based off of social Darwinism in order to sort out the â€Å"best† of his employees. Lastly, it displays that norms and principles are always changing according to corporate social responsibility and that corporations should act in response to those changes.1. I do not believe that GE in the Welch era fulfilled their duty of corporate social responsibility. They did not avoid harming the environment because they dumped toxins into the Hudson River. During the Welch era, GE did not make any efforts to enhance any societal assets; they only supplied the minimum of what they needed to create wealth for the company. They did not try to protect their employees or go beyond what is necessary. Many pressures, including the vitality curve evaluation system, were purely performance driven.Though job cuts are necessary for the survival for a business, it seemed like they treated their employees as a resource instead of human beings. For example, the GE Pension Fund could have provided retirees and their unions with more benefits but instead Welch wanted to leave the pension plan overfunded to benefit the corporation. He failed to attribute any credit to GE’s former employees for the company’s success.General Electric’s corporate social responsibility could have been done in a much better way. First, they could aim to prevent environmental damage caused b y their company. If they could not prevent environmental damage entirely then they could at least perform actions to decrease any harm previously done. Then they change the evaluation system by â€Å"loosening the reigns† and making the system less callous. This would prevent any  unnecessary pressure from being forced onto employees. This change would improve teamwork and decrease backstabbing.It will also allow for more diversity at the top and would help prevent any once middle range managers from being cut. GE could have evaluated employees and then restructured their hierarchy by placing the more talented managers at the top instead of solely using a â€Å"firing† system. Finally, Welsh should have also kept his personal opinions separate from his business world. Though Welsh could have disliked overweight people, he should not have treated overweight people differently in the workplace.2. Yes, I think that GE under Welsh displays a view of corporate social resp onsibility that is closer to Friedman’s view. Welsh shared Friedman’s view that spending corporate funds on social projects diverts shareholder’s dollars to programs they may not even favor. Welsh consistently gave back to GE’s shareholders but neglected to create any funds for social projects. GE under Welsh’s era only focused solely on the first inner circle of responsibilities.The inner circle includes responsibility for efficient execution of the economic function resulting in products, jobs, and economic growth. GE clearly executed this inner circle of responsibility by being extremely profitable, paying taxes, enriching shareholders, and making many of its directors and managers multimillionaires in GE stock. In GE Welsh did not practice an intermediate circle of responsibility because it did not exercise its economic function with a sensitive awareness of changing values and priorities, especially in relation to environmental damage.During t his time there were many changing values of incorporating diversity in the workplace, protecting the environment and preventing damage, and the change of business ethics. The view of corporate social responsibility was changing to a model more similar to the progressive business model yet Welsh adhered to a strict traditional business model. GE especially ignored the outer circle of social responsibility because it did not try to improve the social environment by any means.3.Overall, Welsh’s GE met less than half of the general principles of corporate social responsibility. GE religiously followed the principle that corporations are economic institutions run for profit. Welsh’s highest  concern was economic and he was not afraid to suffer short run costs to society if they promised long-term benefits.The only aspect they did not meet for this principal is that they did not seek ways to solve social problems at a profit. They simply did not seek to solve any social pr oblems at all. The only principle that was generally highlighted by GE was that managers should try to meet legitimate needs of multiple stakeholders. The corporation always tried to bring in the largest gains for their shareholders.Welsh’s GE failed to follow the principles of multiple bodies of law, act ethically, to correct adverse social impacts they caused, to vary social responsibility according to company characteristics, to comply with a social contract, or to be transparent and accountable. GE encountered a pattern of criminal cases during this time and therefore did not follow multiple bodies of law, act ethically, or be transparent and accountable. Since GE caused the pollution to the Hudson River and Welch refused to fund the dredging, they did not correct adverse social impacts they caused. Welsh neglected to comply with the social contract because he did not treat retirees or employees fairly and acted as if they were a disposable component of the corporation us ed solely to bring in profits.Lastly, GE did not vary its social responsibilities with the company characteristics. GE was a very large corporation and because of that they should have rewarded their retirees and employees generously with benefits. Because they were a very large corporation that can affect the environment, they should have tried to prevent any damage done to the earth.4.The pros of ranking shareholders over employees and other stakeholders would be that there is more money and profits. Because Welsh had a classical economic view of corporate social responsibility, the shareholders were his primary concern. The cons would be that employees and other stakeholders would become discouraged due to the shareholders being put first and ultimately they would not want to be associated with that company. If the employees feel worthless to the company then they could become unmotivated and hurt GE’s profits. Another con would be that they are not fulfilling their underl ying social contract and could lose the public’s  support.I do not think that it is specifically wrong to view employees as costs of production, because technically they are a resource to the company and are contributing human and physical capital. On the other hand, I believe that â€Å"these sources of capital† should be handled with care and that the employees should be seen as human beings as well. Ignoring the fact that employees are human beings could lead to unethical acts and violation of GE’s social contract. Overall, it is okay to view employees as costs of production, but acting unethically because of this belief is wrong. I think that GE should have rebalanced some of its priorities.They should have viewed their shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders with equal importance. Their employees and other stakeholders should not be viewed as less significant in the company because they represent a large portion of it. Even though they do not dire ctly bring in as much money as GE’s shareholders, they deserve to be treated fairly and ultimately help create profits in the long run.5. GE was much more socially responsible in the Immelt aftermath. The Immelt era offered more benefits to society. Immelt benefitted the environment enormously in comparison to Welch by agreeing to a clean up of the Hudson River, by cutting GE’s emissions, and by launching GE’s â€Å"eco-imagination† initiative.Immelt also benefitted his employees and society much more than Welsh. He loosened Welch’s guidelines for the ranking process, putting less unnecessary pressure and stress on employees. He also showed appreciation for diversity in the top management positions by promoting the progress of women in management through research on sexism. He was more responsive to GE’s social and environmental impacts and the company became the second most socially responsible company under his leadership.One advantage tha t Welch had over Immelt was his popularity with the shareholders. Though shareholders viewed Immelt’s leadership negatively at first, in the end they still gained on their investments throughout the course of 9 years. It was not a large amount of growth but it was 82 percent better than GE’s return alone. This showed that GE could be lead differently, without the use of Welch’s harsh tactics, and still continue to profit.

Comparison of Freud’s and Plato’s Aspects of Human Character Essay

Aspects of human character have been discussed in a number of fields; inputs from the philosophical and political perspectives can be identified by how human character is in place with respect to the society whereas concepts from the psychological field can be observed to focus more on the individual and its relationship with his environment.   Such is demonstrated by Plato in his The Republic which can be seen to potentially contrast with Sigmund Freud in his discourse in Civilization and its Discontents.   Plato had apparently came up with literature describing a functional society according to certain controls needed in order to establish a civilization according to certain ideologies such as justice, authority, and the ideal state, among others.   Freud, on one hand, tackled a world that is already in existence and presented an analysis on life and reality. From this, when it comes to their respective discussions on the human character, Plato’s The Republic presented how human character should be while Freud discussed what human character is through instinctual drives.   Plato’s prescription for the Guardians, the social class tasked to rule the society, mentioned that their education should emphasize their â€Å"love for wisdom† and â€Å"high spirits†.   This characterization can be therefore compared with Freud’s discussion on Eros and Death; the comparison can thereby give way in identifying whether their references for the twin aspects of human character were the same or not. Plato’s â€Å"Love of Wisdom† and â€Å"High Spirits† Plato proposed the formation of a social class called the Guardians who would rule the society.   Given the great responsibility that is going to be vested in them, these Guardians are proposed to learn certain aspects that would make them an effective ruler and manager of the state.   In this case, it was brought up in the discussion in The Republic that â€Å"[†¦] it’s our job, as it seems, to choose, if we’re able, which are the natures, and what kind they are, fit for guarding the city† (Book II, 374e).   Hence, the discussion resulted to a description of the Guardians, as follows (Book II, 376c): â€Å"Then the man who’s going to be a fine and good guardian of the city for us will in his nature be philosophic, spirited, swift, and strong.† The context in which they discussed the trait of â€Å"love of wisdom† (Book II, 376b) apparently referred to the philosophical leanings of the Guardian.   In addition, possessing the love of wisdom is also associated with having the â€Å"love of learning† (Book 2, 376b).   It can be gathered that â€Å"love† in this context is based on having the nature to pursuit a deep interest for knowledge thereby demonstrating how an individual can have the characteristic of an ideal ruler. In addition to the discussion on â€Å"love of wisdom†, possessing a high spirit or â€Å"spirited† is also seen as a significant characterization of a Guardian.   The characters initially discussed this aspect in the context of citing animal behavior, hence, demonstrating that the high spirits may initially come from the individual’s courageous nature.   What makes the human distinctive from the animals, as seen in the discussion, is how this ideal person also injects a sense of gentleness in this instinctive characteristic (Book II, 375c): â€Å"Yet, they must be gentle to their own and cruel to enemies. If not, they’ll not wait for others to destroy them, but they’ll do it themselves beforehand.† In this case, what they are looking for in a Guardian is someone who is â€Å"gentle and great-spirited† (Book II, 375c); the challenge, however, as noted in the dialogues, is how these two traits oppose each other. The concept of â€Å"love of wisdom† and â€Å"high spirits† in Plato’s work, in the context of Guardians’ characters, clearly show that they are discussing human characteristics that are admirable.   The twin aspects of human character, in this case, show how these two characteristics complement each other in which case, the ideal person for the function is some who is spirit and by nature, philosophical. Freud’s Eros and Death The context in which Freud discussed Eros and Death in Civilization and its Discontents is how these two instinctive forces, albeit opposing, work together in life.   As Freud discussed (66): That is to say, as well as Eros there was an instinct of death. The phenomena of life could be explained from the concurrent or mutually opposing action of these two instincts â€Å"[†¦] A more fruitful idea was that a portion of the instinct is diverted towards the external world and comes to light as an instinct of aggressiveness and destructiveness. In this way the instinct itself could be pressed into the service of Eros, in that the organism was destroying some other thing, whether animate or inanimate, instead of destroying its own self. Conversely, any restriction of this aggressiveness directed outwards would be bound to increase the self-destruction, which is in any case proceeding.† Although Freud noted that Death, which is also associated with destruction, and even Evil, may â€Å"name his adversary not what is holy and good, but Nature’s power to create, to multiply life–that is, Eros† (68), he noted that Eros and Death can be â€Å"alloyed† with each other, thereby resulting to an integration which hides either purpose.   An example Freud cited is how this is evident in sadism in which destruction can also bring satisfaction, the very idea in itself brings a certain degree of enjoyment. Conclusion: Comparison Based on the above discussions, the contexts in which Plato and Freud discussed â€Å"love for wisdom† and â€Å"high spirits†, and Eros and Death can be regarded to be total opposites.   For Plato, how these human aspects function is for the purpose of greater good; the ideal nature of the individual in the form of the Guardians is meant to benefit the society which the Guardians are tasked to serve.   In this case, the intent to define these traits, which is the union of philosophy and spiritedness, is meant to put together an exceptional leader.   In Freud’s discussion, on one hand, presented a justification as to how two opposing ideas, Eros and Death, actually work, and how these are in fact a reality of human nature. Plato and Freud discussed human nature in different contexts: for Plato, the opposing twin aspects of human nature (â€Å"love of wisdom† and â€Å"high spirits†) can be reconciled and further enhanced through education, thereby resulting to an ideal functional leader for the ideal city.   Freud, on one hand, discussed how the opposing Eros and Death do exist in human nature and how this is exemplified by the presence of satisfaction in destruction; the integration of Eros and Death may not result to an ideal person, but this demonstrates the humanness of the individual. Apparently, the similarity ends there; the similarity can be seen in the seed of the argument which is how opposing ideas do work together as a part of human nature.   Both demonstrated how internal contradictions further contribute to human characteristics that lead to how people eventually function.   In this case, the premise of their discussion is the same yet the intent of the discussion is different.   For Plato, the marriage of â€Å"love of wisdom† and â€Å"high spiritedness† gives way to an ideal class in an ideal society whereas Freud’s â€Å"alloyed† Eros and Death benefits the destruction more because it is in the face of Eros that Death can hide. Upon a close reading of the texts, there is also a similarity of the premise in terms of these two works; Plato’s The Republic contains a series of discussions leading to the definition of an ideal state whereas Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents showed how the individual can be in conflict with the society.   In addition, both agreed how the implementation of laws can establish control in a society basically manned by individuals with baser instincts; however, Plato pointed out how education can manage these instincts and how people can be formed into functional citizens while Freud mostly highlighted how individuals will be always governed by the pleasure principle.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Workplace Collaboration

Advantages and Disadvantages of Workplace Collaboration Free Online Research Papers The culture of collaboration is strong in today’s workplace. Collaboration is used in almost every industry in a multitude of situations. Pared down to its bare essentials, collaboration can be defined as â€Å"a dynamic process resulting from developmental group stages and as an outcome, producing a synthesis of different perspectives (Gardner, 2005, p. 2). The success or failure of collaboration depends on the characteristics of the stakeholders that form the group and the dynamics of the group. Often, no formal training regarding collaboration is provided in the workplace. Hence, collaboration efforts fail, leading to a mixed bag of opinions regarding whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or not. This paper shall explore both sides of the issue. The Phases of Collaboration Collaboration addresses complex problems when it is not more efficient to have an individual take responsibility for resolving the issue. At best, collaboration lends itself to situations where the solution appears to be â€Å"imperfect, changing or divergent (Gardner, 2005, p. 10). Collaboration has three phases; problem setting, direction setting, and structuring (Gardner, 2005). During the problem setting phase, stakeholders establish their credentials and expertise. Next, during the direction setting phase, stakeholders agree on the problem and what actions and resources are needed to address it. Lastly, in the structuring phase, stakeholders implement what was agreed upon in the previous stage and allocate roles, responsibilities and resources (Gardner, 2005). For collaboration to be successful, the stakeholders must all have a similar mental model of what the process entails and what outcomes are expected. Stakeholders’ Characteristics Influence Collaboration Communication dimensions impact collaboration. Thus, the delivery of content and how the sender perceives the relationship with the other party is important (Gardner, 2009). Another key element is the value individuals attribute to the communication process and how much time they contribute in its pursuit. Furthermore, the environment for communication can also vary, according to the tastes of the stakeholders. Face-to-face sessions, socializing, sophisticated software and instant messaging all foster collaboration and meaningful relationships. According to Pressman (2009), â€Å"the most effective teams are composed of highly competent individuals with at least a modicum of interpersonal skills and a balanced mix of personalities and passions† ( ¶ 18). Davies, (2009) suggests that in order to get a team that complements each other, stakeholders should be recruited on the basis of whether they are thought-oriented, people-oriented or action-oriented. Their specialist knowledge, qualifications and experience should also be considered. Types of Collaboration Types of collaboration can vary according to the make-up of the members and the goals of the collaboration efforts. The most common types of team collaboration are cross-functional, specialized, and partnership. In cross-functional collaboration, members of the team have diverse functions within an organization, and a common goal. In specialized collaboration, team members often have the same skill set and share similar experiences. Additionally, collaboration can exist as a partnership, where various departments come together to discuss the points where they intersect in the organization. The key elements to identifying team collaboration are: â€Å"members of the group are known, there are clear task interdependencies, expected reciprocity, and explicit time-lines and goals† (Callahan, Schenk, White, 2008,  ¶ 13). Two more categories of collaboration also exist: community and network. There is a shared area of interest in community collaboration, but the goal is learning rather than being task based. On the other hand, network collaboration starts with individual self-interest and accrues to the network as individuals add their own personal knowledge or opinions. However, there are no roles or time-lines defined (Callahan, Schenk, White, 2008). Advantages of Workplace Collaboration This section will examine what the team found as being the most important advantages of workplace collaboration. Team B specifically looked at team collaboration and the sub-categories. The common factor among these advantages appears to be the level of cooperation and the rapport established between team members. Trust (once established) In collaborative environments, cooperation is the mechanism by which trust is increased (Gardner, 2005). Trust is a substantial advantage when a group is able to use this to their benefit. Confidence can be developed and strengthened through communication between stakeholders, honesty, accepting and giving advice, completing tasks, and meeting deadlines. Getting tasks successfully completed can be difficult. However, completion of tasks is critical to developing trust. Rushing through a task and declaring that the task is finished, then finding out mistakes were made, or things were missed, will lead to a loss of trust. On the other hand, knowing that time was taken to ensure a task is complete, is a good way of helping develop trust. Project Management Collaboration, like teamwork, provides structure and balance in regard to projects. Collaboration provides and fosters the belief, â€Å"For the greater good,† instead of the belief, â€Å"What’s in it for me.† This fostered belief allows for cross-functional teams to perform at a high level of performance, time management, fiscal responsibility and critical checks and balances (Archer, 2004). Time Management The management of time is a key component in any work relationship and limited time is an obvious obstacle to a successful collaboration effort which must be managed accordingly. Collaborative teams realize that collaboration is a journey. As such, team members often build enough time into the project to accommodate changes, testing and meetings (Gardner, 2005). Communication Having a sense of belonging is also important to collaboration. People have a natural need to belong and seek to feel like they are part of something. Collaboration fills that need. Collaboration brings out the best in people because it drives better working relationships, which forges camaraderie between its members. For example, when teams build strong communication methodologies, the possibilities are endless (Marshall, 1995). Through communicating with each other, a wealth of information is conveyed. Individuals within teams learn from each other. Often, by listening and observing the behavior of others within the team, members learn skill sets that cannot be learned in any other way. Social Relationships The social makeup of any team is interestingly dynamic. It allows members to gain a better perspective from experiences of other team members, which in turn makes the individual team members stronger. The importance of optimizing individual and team member strengths relies on the team having different cultures, diversity in work experiences, and a mix of genders represented accordingly. Higher Productivity According to Computerworld, collaboration, if channeled correctly, provides increased productivity, which can lead to vast benefits for organizations (Teaming Up for Work, 2008). When productivity is increased, it becomes a considerable advantage in getting projects completed. Through collaboration, productivity is improved as tasks become more manageable. Work is accomplished more rapidly, a higher percentage of mistakes are caught, resources are abundant, expenses are shared, and someone is able to step in where another leaves off or is unable to help. Problem Solving Projects can seem overbearing. The difficulty is organizing them. Being able to split the responsibility makes the project more manageable. In theory, everyone gets to work on a small task contributing to the desired result. Being able to work on a small task allows more involvement on that specific task. The advantage of added contribution to the tasks generates a higher quality result. Splitting tasks is also very effective when attempting to resolve complex problems. Drexler and Forrester (1998) believe that collaborative teamwork is what it takes to meet the ever- changing market conditions of today. In the case of software developers, programs are usually broken down into small segments assigned to different teams working in parallel, which results in faster deployment. Collaboration also combines the expertise of the groups to produce a consensus of much better thought decisions. A group of investors will usually outperform a single expert; the bad opinions in the crowd tend to cancel out, so that the average is wise, an advantage known as the wisdom of the crowds (Freedman, 2006, p. 62). Creativity and Innovation Innovation and creativity can be advantages of collaboration, but they need to be broken down into their elements – inspiration, invention and implementation. Without all three elements, there is no advantage. Inspiration comes from a dynamic environment, invention from chaos, and implementation from structure and planning. Cross-functional teams seem to be more innovative than other types of teams because these teams provide those elements (Spencer, 2008). Disadvantages of Workplace Collaboration After researching, Team B found out that the number of disadvantages associated with collaboration equals the advantages. This section will explain what the team found to be the most critical disadvantages. Extensive Time and Effort Required to Manage Collaboration Effectively Every project is going to be time consuming. The difficulty is finding the time to complete the project, and at the same time, work on others. Supposedly, working as a team can greatly reduce solution timelines. When less time is spent on a project, it allows for more time to be allocated towards other initiatives and company strategies. The more objectives a company can get accomplished, the more productive that company will be. Collaboration in the workplace is not always as good as it sounds. One of the biggest problems with working in groups is time management. A collaborative process tends to be lengthier than other methods because more people are involved. Time is of the essence when it comes to getting projects done and turned in by the deadline. It takes effort and coordination to find time to work together (Johnson, 2006). When a group of individuals in the workplace is thrown together to get a task done, most of the time the project is not only theirs. The issue then arises of when can the group meet during the workday and have a sit-down to decide how to delegate the pieces of project. If everyone doesn’t agree on an outcome, then the team becomes deadlocked and that takes time to resolve. It also takes more time agreeing on a schedule to get the work accomplished in a timely manner. If the team leader is too busy resolving conflicts and trying to make all the decisions that no one else can, then he or she does not have the time to participate effectively and collaborate (Johnson, 2006). Unequal Workload and Wallflowers: Non-Contributors A lack of participation from non-contributors can cause group members to experience an increased workload and feelings of anger, resentment and alienation. When working alone, it is agonizingly obvious when someone is not generating any help. On the other hand, a wallflower personality can be physically present, observing the actions of others, but contributing nothing, while remaining part of the group (Davies, 2009; Freedman, 2006). Groupthink Members in a poorly managed team often resort to suppressing their own opinions to avoid conflicts with others. The result is a buy-in to a consensus. A good example of this is Enron, where fatally wrong decisions were made based on a false consensus of ideas. A groupthink approach defeats the wisest members, who lose confidence in their reasoning when facing a majority of opposing opinions (Freedman, 2006). Technology Can Make Collaboration Worse Technological advancements can make collaboration worse; members become more hesitant to offer their opinions due to fear of confronting the larger audience made possible by instant messaging, web-conferencing and other virtual collaboration tools. In addition, technology makes collaboration easier for every team member to bring more ideas to the discussions. Eventually, foolish ideas are allowed to gain significance when it becomes difficult to filter the pool of ideas (Freedman, 2006). Social Loafing and Romance of the Teams Freedman (2006) argues that effectiveness of collaborative teams could simply be a misconception. The structure of most teams makes members lazy, exerting little effort and not achieving their full potential. This aspect is what encourages people to love teamwork. The romance of teams is what Natalie Allen, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario, calls it. Freedman cited Kip Williams, a Purdue psychology researcher, who believes that the notion that individuals outthink and outdecide groups is so well established among experts that they dont bother to study it anymore (p. 62). This is exemplified when conducting brainstorming sessions. It is always assumed that group brainstorming brings more bright ideas than individual brainstormers. The fact is that individuals are able to do more thinking when left alone, whereas the group members waste their time listening to others. When compared to the loud interaction of the team, individuals appear less productive due to their s ilent brainstorming (Freedman, 2006). Mistrust Collaboration at work can cause conflicts, and if these conflicts are allowed to continue then they can become a hindrance to an otherwise productive team. Knowledge protection can be one cause of conflict when working in a team environment. Team members may fear others in the group and feel the need to protect their knowledge and interests. If they protect their interests then they won’t keep an open mind or speak what is on their mind when in discussion. This kind of protection can then lead to further issues like miscommunication and mistrust (Littleson, 2008). Loss of Individuality The loss of individuality can be summed up as the loss of power or personal direction in the workplace. Responsibility for tasks gives one power, and once responsibility is lost, power is lost (Johnson, 2006). Loss of individualism can cause one to lose focus and direction. Team members must be sure to keep and maintain that balance between individualism and integration (Gardner, 2006). Problems Can Take Longer to Resolve Collaborative teams can sometimes fall into situations where they are not able to reach a solution to a given problem. This usually happens when groups are assigned to make decisions. As cited by Freedman (2006), Bernard Nijstad, a psychologist at the University of Amsterdam, stated, About half of all groups dont reach any conclusion at all (p. 62). In addition, complexity and interdependence of certain teams might elongate the resolution times when groups wait for each other to build the final product. Conflict of Divided Loyalties Divided loyalties can occur when stakeholders identify more with their department than with the organization. When the organization and the department have differing goals, then collaboration efforts are jeopardized, and conflicts arise. Instead of working for the good of the company, stakeholders work against each other, creating a weakness in the organization (Archer, 2004). However, the impact of divided loyalties can be alleviated if it is understood that this situation exists. Partnering, as a form of collaboration, recognizes that different sub-groups exist and the need to work with these differences rather than remove them (Archer, 2004). In this form of collaboration, areas of interception or commonality are examined and improved by the group. Conflicting Cultural Elements and Values in a Diverse Group Charles Darwin once said, â€Å"In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed† (Pressman, 2009,  ¶ 19). By not learning to compromise with others, one runs the risk of losing services, innovation, attitude, commitment and ultimately the designated goal. Codependency Codependency is widespread, and it appears with ever increasing frequency in the workplace these days. Often, collaboration can encourage codependency rather than interdependency (Johnson, 2006). A codependent person is one whom, knowingly or involuntarily, reinforces dependency on other persons or groups. A codependent individual may not think that he or she has to work as hard, since he or she has a group to help him or her out. In the end, he or she receives undeserved credit, or blame, although he or she did not participate in or contribute to the outcome. The problem with codependency is that it results in an entanglement with another person or persons, rather than a relationship where both parties are equal. Feelings of subordination can cause this, and the stakeholder represses their own thoughts in a group setting, saying nothing. At this point, everyone needs to pitch in a little extra to save the group from falling apart. Each individual member of the group needs to pick up the slack, develop skills in different areas, increase workload and be prepared to rescue the codependent from his or her own shortcomings. In the writer’s opinion, repeated group salvaging attempts will only allow the deprived individual to continue this destructive course and become even more dependent on the unhealthy care taking from others (Johnson, 2006). Conclusion Ultimately, the success or failure of any group resides with all the team members. All the stakeholders will need to work as a cohesive unit in order for the team dynamics to be successful. If the team can establish trust, resolve conflicts, foster creativity and innovation, and maintain the integrity of the team the probability of success increases. Just as there are positives to collaboration, there is an equal amount of negative aspects such as unevenly distributed workloads, time restraints, information overload, and mistrust. If the team allows negative aspects to affect the team it will reduce the chance of success significantly. As Charles Darwin once said, â€Å"In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed† (Pressman, 2009,  ¶ 19). References Archer, D. (2004, October). The Myths of teamworking. Engineering Management, 14(5), 16-18. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Callahan, S., Schenk, M., White, N. (2008, April). Building a Collaborative Workplace. Anecdote.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from anecdote.com.au/whitepapers.php?wpid+15 Davies, N. (2009, March 25). Build an Effective Team. Nursing Standard, 23(29), 72-72. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Drexler, A., Forrester, R. (1998, January). Teamworknot necessarily the answer. HRMagazine, 43(1), 55. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Business Source Complete database. Freedman, D. (2006, September). Collaboration is the hottest buzzword in business today. Too bad it doesnt work. Inc, 28(9), 61-62. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Gardner, D. (2005, January). Ten lessons in collaboration. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 10(1), 61-74. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Johnson, D. (2006, January). A few words about collaboration. Library Media Connection, 24(4), 98-98. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from Business Source Alumni Edition database. Littleson, R. (2008, February). Collaborative decision making requires a collaboration of capabilities, Kinaxis Electronic Business. Retrieved June 15, 2009, 2008, from edn.com/index.asp?layout=articlearticleid=CA6528683 Marshall, E. (1995, June). The collaborative workplace. Management Review, 84(6), 13. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from MasterFILE Premier Database. Pressman, A. (2009, April). Its a very good time to develop your firms collaboration skills. Architectural Record, 197(4), 47-47. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. Spencer, R. (2008, January). Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. Research Technology Management, 51(1), 62-63. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from Business Source Complete database. Teaming Up for Work. (2008, February). Computerworld, 42(8), S4. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1435697981). Research Papers on Advantages and Disadvantages of Workplace CollaborationOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemResearch Process Part OneIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

3 Parallel-Structure Problems

3 Parallel-Structure Problems 3 Parallel-Structure Problems 3 Parallel-Structure Problems By Mark Nichol Each of the following sentences has an organizational flaw. A discussion of each is followed by a suggested revision. 1. People who are successful at careers in fashion design are hardworking, detail oriented, and love apparel. Each of the three qualities of successful fashion designers must be preceded by a verb, or they all must share one- or the first two must be connected by a conjunction in order to share one. Here, hardworking is supported by are and apparel follows love, but â€Å"detail oriented† is orphaned. The sentence must be restructured so that â€Å"detail oriented† shares are with hardworking: â€Å"People who are successful at careers in fashion design are hard working and detail oriented and love apparel.† (â€Å"People who are successful at careers in fashion design are hard working, are detail oriented, and love apparel† is also correct, but the first two qualities are closely related as terms that refer to aptitudes as opposed to the attitudinal quality of an interest in attire, so sharing of a conjunction seems more appropriate.) 2. Gluten has been blamed for everything from weight gain, bloating to mood issues such as depression. A list of factors must be organized as a list or a spectrum, but this sentence, although it is constructed to express a range of several factors, mixes the approaches. For consistency, the factors should be separated by prepositions only, without punctuation: â€Å"Gluten has been blamed for everything from weight gain to bloating to mood issues such as depression.† 3. Site users can be matched by location, gender, age, sexual orientation, and they’re encouraged to post a photo and personal description. The independent clause that follows the conjunction and is not part of the list in the preceding independent clause, which requires and before the final item in that list: â€Å"Site users can be matched by location, gender, age, and sexual orientation, and they’re encouraged to post a photo and personal description.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1English Grammar 101: Verb MoodPredicate Complements

Word Games to Improve Your Writing

Word Games to Improve Your Writing Word Games to Improve Your Writing Word Games to Improve Your Writing By Ali Hale It’s hard work to increase your vocabulary by memorising long lists of words and definitions, or to improve your spelling by constantly writing out words you get wrong. Why not try playing some word-based games instead? If you have kids, these are great ways to help them with their writing skills whilst having fun! Scrabble A hugely popular board game (and even available on Facebook), Scrabble involves creating words from â€Å"tiles†, each with a letter on. You need two to four players, each of whom starts the game with seven tiles. The first player must make a full word from the tiles in their hand. After that, each person must create a word that overlaps one already on the board – a bit like words on a crossword puzzle. You can create more than one word by cunning positioning of your tiles, but the tiles you put down on the board must go in a straight line forming one main word. Each word gets a score based on the letters used, After you’ve played, you take more letters from the tile bag, until it’s eventually empty. Scrabble is great for building up your vocabulary – though you may want to introduce a â€Å"house rule† that everyone should be able to use the word they’ve played in a sentence. Certain members of my family have a â€Å"crib sheet† of two-letter words like â€Å"el† and â€Å"ny† (you can get a list of official two-letter words here). Scrabble is also a good game to help you with spelling; there’s nothing worse than playing what you think is a killer move only to be told you’ve spelt the word wrong. There are some variants of Scrabble such as Upwords, a 3D version (you can stack the letter tiles on top of one another). Crosswords In the UK, almost every daily newspaper has a crossword. Some are easy and some are fiendishly hard! A crossword is a series of white squares, each representing a letter, which overlap. The words can go â€Å"down† or â€Å"across†, and each word has a number corresponding to a clue. Once you’ve solved a clue, you can fill in that word. For practising your spelling and vocabulary, you’ll probably want to avoid â€Å"cryptic† crosswords (where the clue only relates obliquely to the answer – for example, you might have to form an anagram from words in the clue to find the answer). Some crosswords also rely on a high level of literary or historical knowledge. You might want to start by trying some crosswords available online. A fun variant on the crossword is to start with a completed one and then make up the clues – this could be a great game to play with kids or friends to think up some unusual definitions of words. Hangman A popular pen-and-paper game, Hangman can help with spelling, vocabulary and recognising letter patterns. It’s most suited to kids or people who are still learning English. You need two players. One, the ‘Hangman’ thinks up a word and writes down a series of dashes on a piece of paper, each dash representing one letter. So a five letter word would look like this: __ __ __ __ __ The other player must guess letters, one at a time. If the letter appears in the word, the Hangman writes that letter over the appropriate dash. If the letter doesn’t appear, the Hangman writes it in a corner of the paper, and draws the next section of the scaffold to ‘hang’ the other player. The aim for the Hangman is to pick a word which the other player won’t guess before the scaffold is complete. The aim for the player is to guess the word before being ‘hanged’! There are full instructions at Wikipedias Hangman page. You can play an online version of Hangman designed for students of English as a Foreign Language at English Banana. Consequences To play consequences, you’ll need at least three people (the more the better), and a sheet of paper per person. It’s a great game for parties – whether young or old – and would be a good ice-breaker for a writers’ workshop. The game goes like this: Each player writes down a man’s name – it’s funniest if it’s someone the group knows, maybe a political figure – folds the top of the paper over to hide it, and passes it on. Everyone writes down â€Å"met† and a woman’s name – again, try picking a famous person – folds the paper again, and passes it on. This time, write â€Å"at† or â€Å"in† and the place where they met. Next, write â€Å"He said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and a line of dialogue. (Fold, pass it on†¦) Now, write â€Å"She said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and a line of dialogue. (Fold, pass it on†¦) Finally, write the consequence, eg. â€Å"And they lived happily ever after† – but be more imaginative than that! Pass the papers on one more time. Everyone unfolds their paper, and takes it in turn to read out the mini story. This always leads to some funny stories, and if you’re playing it with your kids, you might want to use â€Å"teachers’ names† or â€Å"cartoon characters†. It’s a great way to introduce story telling techniques to children, or to come up with some off-the-wall ideas with a group of adults. It might also help you with dialogue skills or comic writing techniques. Do you have a favourite writing game? Has it helped you to improve your English – or helped your kids with their spelling? Or do you just play for fun? Let us know in the comments †¦ Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. Further50 Nautical Terms in General UsePredicate Complements

Case Scenario 2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scenario 2 - Case Study Example Although there is an excellent set of guidelines, they are somewhat dry and by themselves do not convey the urgency and relevance that they should, (Bailey& Burch, 2005). As a professional behavioural analyst, the codes of conduct prescribe a confidentiality clause that calls for the adherence to strict rules and regulations when it comes to revealing information about patients to third parties. Although this is the case, it is important on the other hand to keep records of the success stories of the well treated and recovered patients such as the one the former student asks. He treated a patient and he can be noted as one of the success stories in his career as the dilemma of data disclosure creeps in.Bailey & Burch, (2005) are of the opinion that it is inhumane for a professional to misuse and maltreat a patient who is not aware of his rights and privileges and hence cannot speak up as in this case, the parameters of the situation being the client whose guardian is portrayed as too hectic to be disturbed with matters that involve the disclosure agreements of the successful patient treated with aggressive behavior issues.The former behaviour analyst student, now in the professional field has faces a dilemma in the disclosure agreements that were not mention when the treatment began in the approvals signed. The Basis of the Conflict There is conflicting interests and unclear standards as the practisingbehaviour analyst is torn between the interests of the client as well as the interests of his career advancement in the publication of his success story of the patient involved. This conflict of interest of the two parties is based on the assumption that the guardian is too busy to be disturbed on signing the relevant documents that can be drafted to allow the professional to use data from the successful treatment of the patient in a publication. There are high chances that the guardian will not be able to read such a publication but on the other hand runs the ris k that the case might generate so much public interest that the guardian will be forced to spare some time and get to know the contents of the publication. It is also eating the conscience of the former student that he might be breaching professional ethical conduct in releasing the data to the public bearing in mind that there was no disclosure agreement signed prior to the treatment as well as there was no intention to use the data for such purposes. Available options At this point, the former student has the option of going ahead to use the data without the consent of the client and in case the publication generates a heated debate and the disclosure agreements come under scrutiny, he should be ready to face the consequences of his actions. On the other hand, the publication could be a basis to elevate his career and gain more clients. He also has the option of tracking down the guardian and sweet talk him to create time to draft and sign the necessary disclosure agreements befor e the publication is done. This will avoid the legal tussles that may ensure if the client finds his rights violated while on the other hand it is a long and tedious process that will involve costs to the lawyers. He also has the option of letting go of the publication but as well include the necessary disclosure documentation in any other treatment of the next patients. This will ensure that any other conflicts of interests will not arise. Best Course of Action and Outcome The best

Family Food Menu Simulation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Food Menu Simulation - Assignment Example It is therefore important to note that this is a better that can help in the making of the life better by reducing the individual’s spending habits in a family and thereby making life to seem less costly (Hatmut, 2007). Another important point that cannot go without highlighting is that this paper delves on the people or families that are living in the poverty threshold. Family threshold can be defined as the minimum and the lowest level of income that is considered in a given economy. This is the lowest wage rate that is paid in a given economy and so the paper discusses how these families that are falling in this category can manage to survive and make ends meet in their normal life situation and also how they can eat healthy meals that are also nutritious for the better of their health. This paper has therefore provided reliable information concerning this and has even provided a menu that such families can use for the whole week to eat healthy meals (Hatmut, 2007). In the selection of the family profile, the profile that will be appropriate for the discussion in the paper is a profile that has four people. In this profile, it is important to highlight that the make up for the family is that there is one male, one female and two children. It is also important to highlight that the ages are that the adults, that is the male and the female are at the ages of 20 to 50 years and that the children are at the ages of 8 years and 15 years of ages. It is quite important to note that in nutrition concept, there is need for the consumers to determine their meals of consumption based on the age. This is so because of the differences in the rates of the body metabolism that they undergo in the living (Hatmut, 2007). Age is a vital factor that should always be put into consideration before the preparation of any menu for the family. It is also important to note that besides the age factor, it is also important to note that

Lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lit - Essay Example Some of the effects of child abuse include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic disorder, physical injury and propensity to for further victimization during adulthood among other problems. Sexual abuse by one of the family members results to incest and leads to long-term and more serious psychological trauma, mostly as in the case of parental incest. According to a 2009 report done in 22 countries by Clinical Psychology Review, the global dominance of child abuse has been estimated at 19% for females and 8% for males. Going by the available data, Africa leads in cases of child abuse (34%), especially in South Africa, with Europe being the least with 9.2%. Men commit most of these child abuse cases and some of them who have abused sexually a prepubescent child are pedophiles. A child who has undergone prolonged sexual abuse is most likely to develop a feeling of worthlessness, low self-esteem, and distorted or abnormal view of sex (Elizabeth, 2007). The child may later become withdrawn and mistrust the adults and may end up being suicidal. Fear-the offender makes the child to swear to secrecy and makes the child believe that something bad will happen if they reveal. Bribery, coercion or threats mostly accompanies sexual abuse. Overpoweringly, the child fears to tell out because of the consequences that might result e.g. blame, punishment, not being trusted, ultimate rejection or abandonment. Guilt and shame- the child knows that something is wrong but ends up blaming himself/herself not others. The offender mostly encourages the child to believe that the abuse was his/her fault and; as a result, becomes a person Responsibility-the offender forces the child to feel responsible for hiding the abuse. The child on the other side believes that they are responsible for keeping the secret so as to unite their family and maintain appearances by all means. However, the burden of responsibility

Business to Business Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business to Business Marketing - Case Study Example From the current organizational structure it can be deduced that SCS is a centralized, line-staff function organization. Keeping this in mind and the growth strategy they choose, it would directly impact their success in the new region. The positive fact us that SCS has a very good word of mouth. However, the question is to maintain the same level of word of mount in the new region, they would have to match the same deliverables that they are in Birmingham. SCS will soon be completing a decade of operating successfully in the UK market. After establishing its brand name in the commercial cleaning market, now they are seeking to expand their operations to other regions. One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. ... One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. After establishing the importance of having a sales force, the next step is to organize the sales force. Organization of sales force is carried out by: Organizing the sales force: Applied to SCS Organizing the objectives Achieve sales orders from atleast twenty offices in the nearby regions of Norwich Organizing the individual assignments Each sales person is responsible for arranging five orders a month. Organizing the tasks Each sales representative has to visit two offices a day Appointing a leader All the sales representatives will be reporting to the Sales Manager Effective organization of sales force requires: Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. out of a team of four sales people, the two who possess exceptional selling skills should be kept exclusively for this function and career growth options should be made for them. The two who are not so good at sales can also be utilized for other purposes for example if one of them is good at communication, he can help the rest of them with their letters and proposals. Span of management: The smaller the number of bosses the better it is. As the saying goes, "too many cooks spoil the broth" likewise too many bosses eventually lead to an authority proving tirade rather than a work team. It is best if the chain of command has only one boss giving clear-cut instructions. Change

War And Civilization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War And Civilization - Assignment Example Wars have been the violent catalyst for changes throughout history. Wars are, however, part of the agencies that help bring changes and progress in human life and the world. It might sound absurd, but wars are part of the human life activities. Wars simulate national growth, advancement in information technology, medical research, and solve some of the most complex political differences. They evoke bravery and heroism among communities and nations. In medical and health care systems, war has been the subject of appreciation as it has promoted human civilization. It is indeed a catalyst that has brought advances in medical science. Most of the chemical medicines and surgical techniques used in clinics and hospitals were not discovered when people were at peace in their homes. They were discovered and advanced when the need arose particularly when casualties of wars were in dire need of medication. Diseases such as Pestilent that evolved out of the war needed the rapid response with th e appropriate medical treatment (Smith, 2006). There are indeed several contributions of war to human civilization. The US, for example, had economic gains for its people from both World War I and II. If one looks the wars as agents of world peace, they did succeed in promoting peace and keeping the world safe. World War II eliminated Hitler who was a threat to the peace and unity of many people. In the 1973 war, Israel won a battle that enabled it to expand boundaries and acquire land that was previously a forbidden territory.

Business to Business Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business to Business Marketing - Case Study Example From the current organizational structure it can be deduced that SCS is a centralized, line-staff function organization. Keeping this in mind and the growth strategy they choose, it would directly impact their success in the new region. The positive fact us that SCS has a very good word of mouth. However, the question is to maintain the same level of word of mount in the new region, they would have to match the same deliverables that they are in Birmingham. SCS will soon be completing a decade of operating successfully in the UK market. After establishing its brand name in the commercial cleaning market, now they are seeking to expand their operations to other regions. One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. ... One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. After establishing the importance of having a sales force, the next step is to organize the sales force. Organization of sales force is carried out by: Organizing the sales force: Applied to SCS Organizing the objectives Achieve sales orders from atleast twenty offices in the nearby regions of Norwich Organizing the individual assignments Each sales person is responsible for arranging five orders a month. Organizing the tasks Each sales representative has to visit two offices a day Appointing a leader All the sales representatives will be reporting to the Sales Manager Effective organization of sales force requires: Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. out of a team of four sales people, the two who possess exceptional selling skills should be kept exclusively for this function and career growth options should be made for them. The two who are not so good at sales can also be utilized for other purposes for example if one of them is good at communication, he can help the rest of them with their letters and proposals. Span of management: The smaller the number of bosses the better it is. As the saying goes, "too many cooks spoil the broth" likewise too many bosses eventually lead to an authority proving tirade rather than a work team. It is best if the chain of command has only one boss giving clear-cut instructions. Change

Project Planning - Integrating Professional Experience Essay

Project Planning - Integrating Professional Experience - Essay Example These same naysayer would also argue that the plan, once completed is disregarded and merely put on the shelf so the team can get down to doing some real work. To people management, we mean the planning activity that involves deciding on the types of people in form of resources that are required to fulfill the requirements of the project. In other words the types of skills and number of workers we need to complete the project (kwysocki, 1997). In this chapter, we will discuss about planning. What kind of role planning plays? Does it works in Governmental Infrastructure Projects? We will start this chapter with general talk about planning. Whenever we talk about the methods involved in the project management we normally refer those methods towards the management of people as well as resources. The management of people is the management of workers. Management of people guides us about the roles and duties that a worker can perform in a project for making a project successful. It also g uides management what type of staff should reserve for a specific project. How management will take advantage of skilled workers to making a project successful. Project Management plays an important role in Government Infrastructure Projects (Kerzner, 2003). Planning is a basic element of project management which allows management to make plan needed for the completion of project. As such, it is a most important feature of intellectual actions. This thought action is required to the creation and improvement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans, that is, it merge forecasting of developments with the research of situation of how to take action to them. The Word Planning is also used for explaining the appropriate actions used in such an effort, including preparation of documentation, designing work, or meetings to discuss about the main issues in project, how to achieve objectives, and what approach should be followed. Further than this, the

The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation By John Ehle Essay Example for Free

The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation By John Ehle Essay Author John Ehle has written a book that follows the struggles of the early Cherokee people that were torn between the ways of their ancestors and the new rà ©gimes that some of their people want to follow. The Cherokee people were confused with how to adapt to their surroundings and to claim their own rights that the current government was denying to them. In the Trail of Tears, Ehle uses many different people and the historic accounts of their actions to tell the story of tragic and unfair deals made with the Cherokee people by the United States. One of the main historical figures Mr. Ehle centers upon is Major Ridge. He tells of Major Ridges ideas and hopes that would lead his people to prosperity. The United States government is closely analyzed; specifically pertaining to how the government neglected to help the Cherokee people become more efficient for themselves and not protecting them from other land greedy states. On the Hiwasse River, in approximately 1771, in what is now known as Virgina, a Cherokee woman, whos father was Highland Scot and her mother full Cherokee, gave birth to a baby boy named Ridge. The woman hopped that Ridge would grow to be a strong leader of his people. The Cherokee people were of a matrilineal society. This meant that Ridges mother and her brothers took the active role of instructing him in the ways of being a hunter. From the time that he was born until the age of five he received instruction, in the town that he lived in with other boys, of how to be a warrior. When he was five a great war broke out between the Indians and whites and his parents decided it best to leave. This war helped give Ridge a glance at what was to come for him and his people. They moved into a cove in the higher mountains, which forced him to stop his training as a hunter so that he could help his family survive. A few years later the war had ended and when he was ten years old his family moved to the town of Chestowee where he resumed his training with his uncles instructions. When Ridge reached puberty he moved to advanced instruction to become a warrior, a strong and mighty position, and  this helped to welcome him to manhood. From this point on in his life rituals and ceremonies would be very important in everything he would do. One instance was the rituals that were need in order for a Cherokee man to  participate in a very important ball game. Certain things that were done were that the player could not eat certain types of foods or he could not touch a woman for the whole week before the game. Also the players Hickory stick was very important to him and had very important handling procedures that insured that the stick would be kept pure. One rite that was associated with the ball game was the scratching rite. The players were inflicted with almost three hundred scratches made from the ends of feathers all over their bodies. The strict ritual guide lines that Ridge was made to follow when he was younger helped to prepare him for all the struggles that he was to face in the years to come. It was in this year when Ridge was seventeen that the struggle between the Cherokees and the whites came to a final confrontation. During this time Ridge proved himself as a warrior by having more scalps than his father. When he can home he courted and married Susana. It was at this point he was invited to be a spokesman at the main council meeting for his town, a certifiably honor at his age of twenty-five. He was also known as being one of the first of his people to be a successful farmer, ferry owner and tradesmen. Susana and Ridge bore two children, Nancy and John. Later on Ridge assisted Colonel Jackson in subduing the uprising of the Creeks and Seminoles, which lead to his appointment of Major in the U.S. militia. Major ridge is the person responsible for the formation of the new Cherokee Nation. He began the new nation at New Echota, which contained within it a museum, library, judicial courts, legislative buildings and its own printing press, which published the first Cherokee newspaper the Phoenix. After his involvement with this new capital city, Major Ridge was hired to be the head negotiator for the Creeks land disputes in 1825. After the election of John Ross as principle chief, he was publicly humiliated and decided to concentrate on his livelihood. His son John then took over the role as heads spokesman. Major Ridge supported his son when John stated Indian immigration was the only future for the Cherokees. He continued to support John after Major Ridges own removal to Arkansas and until his murder, in 1839. There were many individuals and parties that were both beneficial and detrimental to the Cherokees trying to find their own way as a nation.  President Thomas Jefferson, who was the phasilitator of the Louisiana Purchase. President Andrew Jackson was one of the key figures in the movement to have the Cherokees relocated, just for the sake of creating more land for the white United States. Wilson Lumpkin was also a key factor in the Cherokee removal. He was the one who introduced the removal bill in Congress. Later on as governor of Georgia, he passed legislation making all Cherokee lands within the boarders of Georgia fall under its jurisdictional laws. There where many different religious factions that came into contact with the Cherokee people. Most of the religious contact between the whites and the Cherokees came in the formation of schools. Some of the individuals that helped to create these schools were: Reverend Cornelius started Brainerd in 1817, Reverend Samuel Worcester (postmaster and legal council) and Miss Sophia Sawyer who taught at a Monrovian church/school. There were many positive influences that came to the Cherokees through their own people: Major Ridge, his son John, Sequoyah (creator of the Cherokee written language), Charles Hicks, James Vann and Elias Buck Boudinot. The six afore mentioned people were the major influences on the creation of the New Cherokee Nation. The downfall of the Cherokee people began in 1803 with Thomas Jefferson negotiating the Louisiana Purchase. All of the Cherokee people were against this purchase, because it sold Cherokee and other tribes land to the U.S. that had no right to be bought or sold to any nation. From that point on the Cherokee people were in constant turmoil in way to keep from being pushed of their land by the whites. The United States Government, state governments and white prospectors were the people wanting the land in the name of progress. The New Echota Treaty was the final blow to the Cherokee people. The treaty, signed by John Ridge, John Walker Jr., Elias Boudinot, Major Ridge, Andrew Ross, John Gunter, and Stand Waters, gave the U.S. Cherokee lands of the east in exchange for lands in the west plus subsidies and surplus of 4.5 million dollars. The Cherokees that were opposed to the treaty was John Ross and his entire delegation. Even after they were forcibly removed from their land and relocated, they took the law into their own hands and assassinated Major Ridge, John Ridge and Elias Boudinot (the founders of the treaty). The most relished part of the book was in the beginning when the Cherokee people where at peace within their own sect. They had not yet lost their identity as a culture. The Cherokees knew who they were and that their life, which might be simple compared to the whites, was a full and complete life. This was all that was needed to survive and to be happy. In my opinion this book gives many accurate historical accounts of all aspects of the Cherokee removal. The beginning jumped around in topic a bit, making the book a little difficult to start, but one in the body of it there were many interesting facts given about the removal.

The White Mans Burden, Rudyard Kipling | Analysis

The White Mans Burden, Rudyard Kipling | Analysis I aim to evaluate the use of irony and symbol in the poems The White Mans Burden and the Real White Mans Burden to see how effective both writers were in using these elements to convey meanings. In the case of Kipling, I will consider two points of views. The first point of view is that Kipling was an imperialist who supports the take over of other governments to show superiority. The second point of view is that Kipling was an imperialist who supports the take over of other governments as an act of humanity to bring civilization to the uncivilized and, that he warns of the perils of showing superiority as oppose to bringing true liberation. In the case of Crosby, since he presents a single view point, I will evaluate his effectiveness of using irony and symbolism in parodying the work of Kipling. Effectively used, irony and symbol could convey a message with more than one meaning as demonstrated in Rudyard Kiplings poem The White Mans Burden or, they could convey a single message de monstrated in Ernest H. Crosbys poem The Real White Mans Burden. In the final analysis, I submit that the effective use of the elements of poetry, in this case, irony and symbol, are vital to the correct interpretation and understanding of the meaning of both poems. In order to establish a well-rounded understanding of the basis for the two interpretations of Kiplings work and the single interpretation of the work of Crosby, I submit definitions for the terms imperialism, irony, and symbol. These definitions will also serve to show whether or not there was effectiveness in the use of the elements of poetry, in both poems. As defined by Dictionary.Com: Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. Irony is the discrepancy between what is said, done, expected or intended, and what is meant, what happens, and what others understand. Satirical irony is the exposure of the vices or follies of an individual, a group, an institution, an idea, a society, usually with a view to correct the folly. Symbol is anything that stands for something else. (Dictionary.Com) Having establishing the definitions, I will now analyze the use of irony and symbols in Ruyard Kiplings poem. While Kipling uses both irony and symbols, his use of irony is greater. Kiplings expertly uses irony to bring about the intended end result of two opposing perspectives as to whether imperialism is for human good or elitist gain. In the first view point, Kipling uses the poem The White Mans Burden to encourage America to take over the Phillipines imperialistically or, for elitist gain. Kipling writes: Take up the White mans burden / Send forth the best ye breed / Go bind your sons in exile / To serve your captives need; (1-4) The first observation of the poem is Kiplings decision to call the poem The White Mans Burden. Undoubtedly, the use of the phrase White Man is the lightening rod that sparks the view that Kiplings position was that of an imperialist having at its core the tenets of Social Darwinism. According to Kretchner, the concept of Social Darwinism purports that natural order obligates powerful, civilized nations to appropriate the limited resources of the weak. (Kretchmar) Hence, Kiplings urging of America to assist the Phillipines to reach civilization may be interpreted as him supporting the imperialistic movement. Even further, Kiplings encouragement that the empire should send forth the best ye breed has very strong racial connotations. During that time in history, blacks were not considered as equals to whites in America. The unequal treatment of blacks was so prevalent in Americas economic, political, and social systems that James Weldon Johnson, writes Lift Every Voice and Sing also known as the Black National Anthem, to encourage black people to sing and march until victory is won. This cry for equality continues in 1968, with Martin Luther King still only having a dream of equality. Though, in 2008, Barrack Obama becomes the first black President, there still remains the cry for true equality. In addition to the charges to Take up White Mans burden / Send forth the best ye breed(1-2), Kiplings use of phrases such as To veil the threat of terror / And check the show of pride. (11-12) asserts that the Empire must do what is necessary to eliminate resistance and to subdue insurrections against Imperialism. Not only should the Empire silence the voices of the captives, but she must also limit or remove any signs of pride that they might muster. Further, Kiplings characterizations of the people as On fluttered folk and wild / New caught- sullen peoples, / Half-devil and half-child. (6-8) may be easily construed as connatively condescending. Kipling seems to imply that the empire must be prepared to reinforce her stance By open speech and simple / A hundred times make plain (13-14). Kiplings distinction of the empire seem to be lofty in its tone. By marrying the symbols of the captives as being inferior people to the santimonious responsibility of the Empire to bring civility to the uncivilized, one can conclude that Kipling supports that the Empire is superior and hence has the responsibility to bring civility to the uncivilized. Ironically, the same body of work that interpretively champions the Empire as being superior to the captives, implores the empire to be fair and complete in its liberation of the captives. The second point of view to the work of Kipling in the The White Mans Burden is 4that he advocates for the fair treatment of the captives. Kiplings urging of the empire to liberate the captives and to take care of their needs can be found throughout his poem. According to Bonamy Dobree, while speaking to Canadians in 1907, Kipling said: I have, I confess it now, done my best for about twenty years to make all men of the sister nations within the Empire interested in each other. Because I know that at heart all our men are pretty much alike, in that they have the same aspirations,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and when all is said and done we have only each other to depend upon. (Dobree 80) Kipling demonstrates a view consistent to those who believe that true liberation is not oppressive. For example, he writes: Take up the White Mans burden / The savage wars of peace- / Fill full the mouth of Famine / And bid the sickness cease; (17-20) Further, Kipling warns the Empire that all of its actions or inactions, all that it say or not say will help to determine how the captives view the Empire and its God. Here is what Kipling says: By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do, / The silent, sullen peoples / Shall weigh your gods and you. (45-48) In addition to how the captives view the Empire and its God, Kipling writes that other countries and future generations will also look at the treatment of the captives and judge the Empire. Kipling goes on to tell the empire not to celebrate its victory or relish in the praise, since these acts are childish, but that the Empire should be more concern with how the work would be judged by the Empires peers for years to come.To encapsulate the view that Kipling wanted the Empire to bring civilization without showing superiority, his closing verse from the poem is submitted. Kipling writes: Take up the White Mans burden / Have done with childish days / The lightly preferred laurel, / The easy, ungrudged praise. / Comes now, to search your manhood / Through all the thankless years / Cold. Edged with dear-bought wisdom, / The judgment of your peers! (49-56) These words clearly indicate that Kipling encourage the Empire to be honorable in its dealings with the Natives. Contrary to the school of thought that Kipling advocates civilization with true liberation, is Crosbys position that the Empire uses blessings as a doorway to go in and take away the true riches of the people and in exchange gives them an oppressive life style. Unlike Kiplings rendering of his poem, The White Mans Burden where he shows his trust for the Empire, Crosby in his parody The Real White Mans Burden, blatantly shows his mistrust of the Empire. Most importantly, though he employs heavy use of irony and symbols to demonstrate his opposing view of the Empire, Crosby does not dillute the single message of his poem. First, Crosbys title of the poem is a clear indicator of his dissent from Kiplings views. He uses the term White Man to solidify the object of his remarks, but, he goes further by using the word Real which ironically implies that there is a masking of the truth. Crosbys title speaks strongly of his judgment against the Empire. Historically, his point of view is drawn from his experiences as a social activist and as a black man living in America at the time of the Spanish American War. According to an essay by Andrew Hebard, Crosbys position on Imperialism mirrors that of Amy Kaplan who says imperialism is as a network of power relations that changes over space and time and is riddled with instability, ambiguity, and disorder, rather than as a monolithic system of domination that the very word empire implies. (Hebard) Next, are observations of the blending of symbol and irony used by Crosby to demonstrate his view of the Empire. Crosby believes that the motive of the Empire is ill-willed. He also believes that their chaiotic sytems bring failure, and the Empire dangle proverbial carrots in exchange for far more valuable gains. Crosbys position is that the eventual outcome of imperialism will be social, economical, and political oppression. At this time, a detailed look at Crosbys use of irony and symbols to depict the social climate that prevailed in America, the climate which he opposed to being introduced to the Natives, is warranted. Crosby asserts: Take up the White Mans burden; / Send forth your sturdy sons, / And load them down with whisky / And Testaments and guns. (1-4) Ironically, these lines subliminally say that the drinking of whiskey mask the truth, since it is widely known that people who consume too much alcohol are not as cognitively aware as they should be and, therefore, not able to think correctly are apt to believe anything told to them. Further, being loaded down with whiskey causes a usually sturdy person to stagger, and even fall. More overtly though, is the fact that Testament represents truth and wholesomeness, and guns represent power and destruction. But, because the minds are altered with alcohol, the masking of the real motive is easily perpetrated. There is a strong possibility that the soldiers will introduce the social ill of alcoholism to the natives, and will also help to spread propoganda about the good of imperialisim thereby causing the natives to become drunk and misinformed. The abililty of the natives to think reasonably correct about their condition will be diminished. To further support his view of social failure and to show that the Empire thinks that the Natives have limited information and can be easily captured if not military, certainly they can be captured through the spread of socially communicable diseases. Crosby writes: Throw in a few diseases / to spread in tropic climes, / For there the healthy niggers / Are quite behind the times. (5-8) Crosby bolsters his position of social oppression by saying: Give them electrocution chairs, / And prisons too, galore, / And if they seem inclined to kick, / Then spill their heathen gore. (21-24) The symbols of electrocution chairs, prisons, and gore ironically speaks of death both physically and mentally. Physically speaking, there is the death of the person whether by electrocution, or the spilling of the blood. Then, there is death of having freedom of space, since prisons limit movement. While subtle, based on Crosbys account, the intention to kill the dreams of the natives, screams from the pages of history. Crosby knows from his experience, that if any form of resistance, whether through word or action, is shown, if any attempt to pursue any dreams, ideologies, or customs that threatens the goals of the Empire is made, that the Empire would by any means necessary, ensure that the pursuit of those dreams was deferred and dry up like A Raisins in the Sun. (Diyanni 1870 ) In addition to social oppression, Crosby purports that the Natives will be opressed economically through hard labor as well as through the Empires system of taxation and debt. The view point of oppresive labor is aptly projected through the use of irony. Crosby claims: And dont forget the factories. / on those benighted shores / They have no cheerful iron mills / Nor eke departmemnt stores / They never work twelve hours a day, / And live in strange content. (9-14) Through his masterful use of irony, Crosby argues that the natives, who did not work as long hours as did the Americans, were very content with what little they thought they had. However, the bigger issue for Crosby appears to be that Empire knew that the natives were actually very successful and wealthy and sought to make them believe that their way of life was inadequate, and to turn them from being owners of the land to laborers in the land so that the Empire may be expanded. (A perfect combination of imperialism and colonialism!) Even more indicative of his stance against economic oppression, Crosby decried the imposing of taxation and debt. He writes: Take up the White Mans burden, / And teach the Phillipines / What interest and taxes are / and what a mortgage means. (17-20) Again, in Crosbys minds eye, there is the irony of a people who are successful in their simple but, independent way of life who being militarily inferior are consequently forced to become failures by their dependence on a monstrous financial system. In a final attempt to show the fallacy of the Empire, Crosby highlights the political climate that the Empire embraces. He pens: They need our labor question, too, / And politics and fraud. / Weve made a pretty mess at home; / Lets make a mess abroad. (25 -28) The irony in these lines humorously evaluate the endeavor of the Empire to fix anothers problem, when it cannot solve its own problems. In a nutshell, Crosby believes that Imperialism is a preposterous veiled attempt to cloak greed in kind deeds by using methods that are disfunctional. In summarizing his single message of the failure and hypocrisy of the Empire, Crosby does three things. First he mocks what the Empire regards as a valiant mission, Next, he shows the unparrarel trade that the Empire wants, and then, he addresses the faà §ade of the scripting of the mission that the Empire prefer to be written in the annals of history. The use of satirical irony and symbols are well armoured vehicles to deliver these points. Crosby declares: Take up the White Mans burden; / to you who thus succeed / In civilizing savage hordes / They owe a debt, indeed; (33 -36) Crosby questions the validity of the mission. He goes on to weigh the exchange between the Empire and the Natives. He adds: Concessions, pensions, salaries, / And priviledge and right, / with outstretched hands you raised to bless / Grab everything in sight. (37 -40). In terms of irony, not only is there a contrast between how much is given verses how much is taken, but, also of what is given verses what is taken. The natives receive a few limited handouts like agreements, benefits, and paychecks and, in exchange the Empire takes ownership of the natives land and naturual resources. Interpretively, Crosby demostrates this transaction as a falling leap by going from owning to owing; which is very much an uneven trade. Finally, he attacks the hypocrisy of using the art of writing to distort the issue and hide the true motive of the Empire. It is necessary to present the catalog of words Crosby uses to expose what he views as being socially, economically, and politically incorrect . Crosby concludes: Take up the White Mans burden, / And if your write in verse, / Flatter your Nations vices, / And strive to make them worse. / Then learn that if with pious words / you ornament each phrase, / In a world of canting hypocrites / This kind of business pays. (41 48) Fittingly, Crosby uses satirical irony to reveal the true motive of the insincere enthusiam that Crosby believes Kipling is showing for the Empires high ideals of pious goodness. Crosby is successful in presenting the single viewpoint of the Empires greed disguised as bringing civility to the uncivilized. In conclusion, the expert use of irony and symbol by both Kipling and Crosby prove to be excellent conveyors of the poets messages. Kiplings use of irony and symbol brillantly delivered two very contradictory positions. He lauds Imperialism by advocating that it is the responsibility of civilized nations to help to bring civilization to underdeveloped nations. He also decries the pride of thinking to be superior and being unfair to people perceived to be less finanically fortunate, not as socially advanced, and not as politically savvy. Like Kipling, Crosby employs irony and symbols to deliver his solo message. Crosbys message is that the Empire is hypocrital in its motive and that the gist of what they really wanted to do was camoflagued by missions to humanity, and described as helping to bring civilization to the uncivilized. Clearly, the poets use of irony and symbol shaped the understanding and interpretation of the poems intended meanings. The use of Irony and Symbol was so wel l executed, there remains no argument as to the value of these elements in both poems.

Students with Special Needs in the Language Classroom Essay examples --

Students with Special Needs in the Language Classroom Students that show the need for special education are those who have more difficulties that the rest of the students in understanding curriculum that is at their age level. Reasons for the difficulties could be the result of a series of internal causes or the result of an inadequate educational approach. To overcome these deficiencies, the student needs a series of conditions that offer special adaptations to ordinary curriculum, such as including a list of specific resources that the students can use that differ than those which the school offers on a daily basis. The language teacher has to pay special attention to the use of written and oral language in the foreign language in the classroom. There are effective motivation devices that, with correct use, help the slower learners include themselves in the progress of the class, as well as ensure that the gifted students do not lose time or get bored. There are also useful devices for those studetns with special needs; in carefully selected materials they can find the help necessary to reach the objectives layed out for their situation. The teacher should pull the maximum benefit from the interaction among students through performing and acting out role-plays, readings, recordings or songs, description of illustrations, photographs, etc. Also the teacher could find beneficial the oral comprehension exercises, in which the students must find some particular information. The teacher must consider that the student's learning difficulties mainly have interactive origins. This means that the difficulties depend as much on the student's own characteristics as on the environment in which the student de... ...rn themselves into investigators by reflecting on their own actions, primarily thinking about: * If they adapt the course contents to the levels of the students, with the lessons being taught more or less to the middle level of the group * If they teach specific lessons for students with special needs * If they apply the curriculum openly, concentrating on the students' interests * If they study at great length every situation that arises in the classroom * If continuous attention is given to diversity in curriculum diversivication programs * If the faculty's suport is necessary to carry out the personalized attention * If they use materials other than the textbook * If they look into psycho-pedagogical studies * If they carry out and use the results from the initial evaluation as an information source for future action

Compulsory Education in Saudi Arabia

Education is very important as it greatly influences people’s behavior, interpersonal relationships, leadership and the general economy. When people are educated, they become more open minded to new ideas and it is this change in attitudes that enhances innovation and intelligence in society to make people skilled in certain areas such that they positively impact on the society (World Education Forum, 2000). Saudi Arabia is one of the countries in the Middle East whose economy is growing rapidly. The country therefore needs skilled people to work in the industries who will continue propelling the economy to greater heights. For this reasons, education in Saudi Arabia is something that the government considers as a necessity and that is why it is has dedicated itself to improve the literacy levels especially among people in the rural areas. Saudi Arabia being an Islamic state it is ensuring that the citizens follow the culture and traditions as stated in the holy Quran. To enhance this, the school curriculum follows the Islamic principles and belief system. This research will look at the various ways in which education in Saudi Arabia is enhanced in several ways so as to ensure that the children of Saudi Arabia have access to good education. Compulsory Education Compulsory education generally means that children are allowed to go to school without being asked to pay any fees. This is because the government will cater for the expenses that the public schools will incur which are mainly related to school tuition. Compulsory education in Saudi Arabia was initiated during the reign of the two Kings; Faisal and Khalid (1964- 1982). It was then that the education system was changed from the former Egyptian model and a five year plan was formulated so as to enhance human capital development via education and training. Initially, 50% of the best children after finishing primary education went to secondary and the rest were enrolled in the training institutions. Nowadays, compulsory education in Saudi Arabia generally includes primary and secondary education and partly higher education which is funded by the government. Compulsory education has been beneficial to the government as well as the people because the poor and marginalized children can now go to school, more people are becoming educated and skilled and the government now has leant to budget it s money well so that all sectors of the economy get enough funding. This initiative has helped in reducing the cases of unequal distribution of resources (OECD Staff, 230). For easy monitoring of academic progress, the kingdom is divided into school districts (Saudi Arabia, 2009). The Ministry of Education is responsible for formulating educational policies that are used by all schools in the different districts. We will now look at how compulsory education works in the different levels of education. Primary Education. Primary education was made free by the government so that everyone in the country could be educated such that when they become of age and are left on their own , they have high chances of finding a job so that they an meet their daily needs. â€Å"Since Saudi Arabia follows the Sharia Law even in the school system, boys and girls are separated and that is why there are separate schools for both genders but all follow the same education system as the exams set are the same (State University, 2009). † The system therefore includes traditional education for boys, general education for the boys and girls education system. Primary education constitutes the elementary school where upon successfully completing this stage, a child is awarded the general elementary schools certificate and the intermediate schools where after finishing at around the age of 15, one is awarded the intermediate schools certificate. The subjects that are learnt at the primary level are those that are meant to create a strong foundation so that the children can develop an interest on the areas that they would like to specialize (Sedgwick, 2001). The subjects studied include, mathematics, Arabic, English, science, art, history and religious studies. The boys on top of this, they study physical education. o Secondary Education Secondary education is supposed to shape the growing children’s behavior and build on the areas where they can specialize so that by the time they finish high school and get the general secondary education certificate, technical secondary school or the religious Institute Secondary Education certificate, they can choose either to further their studies if they have passed or to engage in other economic activities if they do not join training institutions. Under the secondary education, there is the general secondary education and the religious secondary school which mainly focuses on the social sciences and religious studies (Rothbard, 2006). † Subjects taught in the general secondary education may be optional but there are those that everyone has to learn which include scientific and literary subjects. The technical secondary school offers vocational, commercial and agricultural training progra ms as specified by the general Organization for Technical Education. This system is good as it makes people define at an early age the areas they would like to specialize on. After completion, there is further vocational and training that seeks to emphasize on the skills acquired. o Higher Education There are 7 public universities, teacher training colleges and colleges for women. The universities follow two systems, the modern system that is influenced by the western ways of doing things and the traditional Islamic system which mainly teaches students on Islamic laws and social studies. When students pass their secondary education specifically the Tawjihi or the General Secondary Education Certificate examinations, they will be admitted to the universities (Sedgwick, 2001). † University education is supposed to take four years but there are exceptions in disciplines like medicine, engineering and Pharmacy which can last for up to eight years. The women colleges mostly offer bachelor and masters degrees but there is also a doctorate in education following the provisions made by the General Presidency for Girls Education. The government has also established higher technical institutions and those that deal in financial and commercial sciences. The courses take about two to three years and after completion, certificates and diplomas are awarded. These non-university higher education institutions are governed by the General organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVT). The students who are admitted to these schools have to have undergone secondary education and specialized in the science subjects or gone to the vocational and commercial schools. Teacher training. The government of Saudi Arabia in wanting to offer the best teachers for the schools they have funded and built, they have invested in teacher training colleges. There are about 18 teacher training colleges and the Ministry of Education ensures that the colleges are well supported so that they produce competent and skilled teachers who will be recruited by the government after the completion of their studies to each in the public schools around the country. The teachers are trained for all the levels which include primary, secondary and higher education. King Abdul Aziz University usually trains the teachers who will concentrate in higher education (Sedgwick, 2001). o Special Education Specialized education include taking care of the disable in society, adult education, offering public administration services and educating and training the military personnel in various fields. ? Physically challenged educational initiatives The Saudi government in its quest of equitable distribution of resources has not forgotten the physically challenged people and children in society. Schools have been established within the kingdom to cater for disabilities like blindness, mental cases and the deafness. These schools generally create a safe haven for the pupils who would otherwise been shun away by society by ensuring that there are facilities that will cater for the physical therapy sessions they sometimes undergo through and proper training sessions. King Saud University teaches teachers so that they can take care of special children. The College of Applied Medicine also teaches educators on how they can deal with deaf children. Adult education Research has shown that the illiteracy levels are more in women than they are in men. That that is why adult education programs have been developed to deal with such cases. The ministry of education in conjunction with the General Presidency of Girls Education has opened up institutions that help the elderly in society to read and write. In addition to this, they undergo various vocational training classes so that they can gain skills which ah they can use to earn income. For example the women are taught about weaving and Pottery. Public Administration To enhance the skills that people gain in school, the government offers special training to people who work in hospitals so that they can offer the best health care to patients, people in the banking sector so that they can manage people finances well and also the governments resources as they will be more observant on the changes in the domestic, regional and global market trends. Special training is also given to the people who handle electronic data and secretaries. The goal of building on the skills of the public administrators is to ensure that they serve the public well, manage the country’s resources and perform their duties without any form of biasness (Abir, 1988). ? Military Training and Education The government in its commitment to protecting people’s lives and safeguarding their lives and property from any form of internal and external danger, it has set up military training camps for all the different divisions within the military. Where upon completion of the course, A military science degree is awarded. Health training centers are also in place which train doctors in various fields, nurses, laboratory assistants, pharmacists and intuitionalists who can therefore offer better health treatment to people all over the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also working with other institutions in conducting research on various things so that they can continue enhancing various sectors of the economy. Funding. The Provision of quality education is something that the government is working on and that is why the government allocates funds to schools in order to buy things like stationery, reading and writing books and also building of classrooms. In building schools, the Ministry of Education emphasizes on the rural development fast because a lot of people are now living in the cities and man people are migrating to the urban areas leaving them underdeveloped. â€Å"That is why they need to make sure that there are good schools in the regions and better facilities so that people stay and develop the areas (UNESCO, 2007). The ministry also offers scholarships to the children who have performed well and they would like to further their education in oversees countries. The ministry thus relies on the budget allocation set aside for educational purposes and several charities got from donors. â€Å"The state is developing ways that will make the private sector more involved in the prov ision of extra funding for educational programs (Raheed, 2008). † The ministry of Education ha therefore come up with ways that aim at increasing the support of the community for this initiative. Since some private institutions fund schools, they are being given a duty of monitoring and evaluating the activities that occur in such schools so that they can perform better and continue giving the funds. Challenges and Solutions Though the compulsory educational system is meant to make the citizens more knowledgeable, it is faced wit various setbacks that need to be addressed if the Ministry of Education objectives are to be fulfilled. One of the challenges is that the number of the children going to school is increasing and this has made the public schools especially the primary schools become congested. This situation is straining the learning process as the teachers have to cope with the large number of children and therefore they cannot address the individual needs of the children. Moreover, performance of the pupils in such schools is diminishing. That is why the private schools are starting to gain popularity because they are offering quality services hence their better performance. If policies are poorly designed, parents will keep their children at home and neither party will gain in the process (Field et al, 2007). For the state to be able to cope with this problem, they have to redefine their policies so that they can build more schools or hire more teachers. Another challenge is that the teachers or educators salaries have not been increased therefore they are not motivated enough to teach students. The ministry needs to adjust the teachers pay packages because if the problem persists, the people who are largely going to suffer will be the students as they will be caught in a tag of war between the teachers and the state. Women education is largely governed by Islamic principles and that is why it is difficult for the women to further their education. â€Å"The women especially those who want to pursue higher education in other countries are not easily allowed to travel to other countries and this restricts then from finding pleasure in careers they want to do (Arabic News, 2003). † On top of this, priority is always given to the boys therefore women have a limited chance again of enhancing their careers. The state as much as it is Islamic, it can allow exceptions and even provide guidelines that will help the women who would like to further their studies. Funding is a major issue and this can be attributed to mismanagement of some of the funds allocated to educational ventures and the leaders both of schools and the state not being accountable for the funds. There are cases where schools do not have records of the money they have spent and this makes it difficult to properly allocate funds (Ghonemy, 1998). The leaders therefore need to guide the people in proper ways and ensure that they positively then to follow in their footsteps. Moreover, they need to properly plan and budget for their activities. In conclusion, compulsory education has helped the state increase its human resource capabilities by supporting education and training programs in almost all sectors of the economy. If they implement the solutions to the various problems mentioned and continually monitor and evaluate the progress of schools, then they have a high chance of improving the education sector and likewise the lives of the people of Saudi Arabia.