New Techniques to Harness Energy of Sun Research Paper

New Techniques to Harness Energy of Sun - Research Paper Example The problem is the instability of oxide. The problem was overcome by using atomic layered deposition (ALD) technique that involves covering semiconductor with a thin film of atoms as zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Cuprous oxide is inexpensive and widely available, this ALD technique gives complete impermeable layer. The process advances photo-electrochemical production of Hydrogen Dr.Grimes (2005) writes at Penn state, Research work is underway to harness solar energy through highly ordered arrays of titania nanotubes arrays that would produce hydrogen and ultimately lead to rising in solar efficiency. It’s about exposing water with these arrays to sunlight, through the process of photolysis and UV illumination efficiency would be high almost 13% and result in more hydrogen against per photon. The purpose is to replace most used and depleting energy sources as petroleum through creating a replenish-able stock of alternative energy. At the University of Utah (2007) physicists worked to convert heat into sound and then sound into electricity through formulating new devices. First, they developed new heat engines formerly called thermoacoustics prime movers and then transformed sound into power using piezoelectric (piezo for pressure). How does it work? These devices are addressed in resonators (cylinder shaped), that contains a pile of material and kept in between hot and cold heat exchanger. After heat is applied, it builds to the threshold with air producing sound at a single frequency, these waves squeeze the device and electrical voltage is produced. These devices require the flexibility of moving parts but they have a long life. Wood Angela(2008) studied that Photovoltaic or solar panels are most known these days due to the least operational cost. It uses silicon or any other similar material for chemical reaction with light; results in a flow of currents that can be used or stored in the battery. [

An analysis of television chat shows Essay Example for Free

An analysis of television chat shows Essay Television chat shows are probably the favourite genre of the majority of daytime viewers, with the schedule full to bursting point with them, there are few channels that show fewer than two chat shows on a daily basis. There are few times when you can switch on your television and the screen not be filled with the smiling faces of a chat show host and his guests. There are a wide range of chat show styles but they all conform to the same basic conventions. The conventions are that the host is famous and often comes from a journalistic background and their show is named after them. The guests are famous people and come on to the shows to promote themselves etc. the set is basic with just a few chairs and sometimes a table and also there is an audience who are in the studio watching the show live. In the traditional style chat shows these conventions are followed as if they were law. In the newer forms of chat shows these rules arent followed as closely. Although they have a host, guest and audience there set is not basic and is full of props such as computers and fake plants to add effect. The purpose of this assignment is to analyse and explore a traditional chat show in the style of Parkinson and a new-age style chat show in the form of Friday Nights All Wright Michael Parkinson is assuredly the finest example of a traditional British television chat show host. His show Parkinson is well respected, highly respective and conservative and is produced by the B. B. C. his reputation exceeds him and this is echoed by the shows status. The way that Parkinson dresses also reflects the style and status of the show. As well as the dress code of the show, the title sequence is also very sophisticated. The title sequence is an integral part of the show because it is the first thing that is seen by the viewers, so it will have to display the style and reputation of the show as well as appeal to the more mature viewers which is the shows intended audience. The title sequence for Parkinson consists of numerous still shots of previous guests such as Billy connel1y and Heather Mills-McCartney smiling and looking relaxed and comfortable. Some of the shots are posed but the majority look as if they were taken during the show, this gives the audience the idea the guests are normal people and that the show is in a very relaxing environment. As the title sequence comes to an end we are presented with a montage of celebrities faces which them form a real still shot of Parkinsons face and this then goes in to a dissolve and into the show. The music used to accompany the opening title sequence is classy, cheerful and has a big band feeling, which I think would appeal to the viewers of the show because generally the people who watch the B. B. C are from the older generation and are therefore more conservative than the viewers of I. T. V. Parkinsons entrance is stylish and grand. He enters at the top of a staircase to the theme music from the show and walks slowly to his seat; this grand entrance is a convention of a typical television chat show. It is at this point that it becomes clear who is in charge of the show. Compared with this grand entrance the entrances of Parkinsons guests are mediocre. Elton john entrance is from the side of the stage probably because he had just been performing his latest song. When Parkinson introduces Elton john he is full of compliments and the language he uses is full of flattery. He refers to Elton john as a superstar of Rock and Roll and lately ennobled. This may be used to make Elton feel relaxed and confident. He uses these phrases so that the audience will have to guess who the guest is and this will help to create suspense amongst the audience because he does not mention his guests name until the end of his monologue. After Elton takes his seat his body language is quite defensive with his hands clenched together and he doesnt look straight at his interviewer. Parkinsons body language shows that he is confident and open and I also think it shows he is experienced. He sits with a straight back and his hands are open palms up on his lap. Parkinsons opening question to Elton is whats up I think this simple question is used to direct the interviewee to the reason for his appearance on the show. It also shows that although Parkinson uses formal language his language can also include some Yorkshire dialect. Elton John answers politely and hints at why he is on the show. The body language of Parkinson is open and appealing, this is so that the guest will feel relaxed in his company and will answer his questions more openly. Eltons body language shows that e is defensive and doesnt want to reveal too much to his host. The style of questioning used by Parkinson is set so that it would help Elton to open up and become more confident in the answers he gives. Although the questions were probably agreed before the show they will still tell the audience what they want to know about the guest. Elton Johns appearance on the show in terms of his reasons for being on the programme fulfil the conventions of a chat show because he is on the show to promote something that he is doing at the moment in his career and one of the conventions of a chat show is that the guest in famous and appears on the show to promote there career. The set for the show is simple yet sophisticated. It has a pale blue background which is used to relax the interviewee and it gives the studio a modern look. Also there is a hint of pink which would make the studio warm and homely. The guest and host sit close together separated only by a small table. The guests who had appeared earlier on in the show sit further away from the host but they are still quite close. There are probably four cameras used to film this show. One camera will cover both host and guest, this would be used when the host is asking a question. Two cameras would cover the host and his guest individually, these cameras would be used to show the person who is speaking. The final camera is used to cover all four people that are on the stage. Most of the cameras are fixed and would just cut from shot to shot throughout the show. When the guest is speaking they would use a big close-up to show their facial expressions and emotions. The audience only participate in the show when a guest or the host enters onto the stage or when a guest finishes a performance. Ian Wright is a light weight chat show host when compared with Parkinson. His show Friday nights all Wright is not as well known as Parkinson and it is targeted towards the younger generation viewers. It is not a very conservative show which is a characteristic of the house style of I. T. V 1 which is not a conservative channel. His reputation as a chat show host is limited but his reputation as a footballer is legendary. Ian Wrights dress code reflects the style of the show. He is wearing a black short sleeved t-shirt and imitation leather pants. The style of the show is also tacky compared to the sophisticated Parkinson. In the clip Ian Wright comes onto the show to loud music, this music is similar to the type of music played in night clubs and it gives the impression that this show is modern. Prince Naseem enters onto the stage accompanied by the same loud music played when he enters the boxing ring. He goes straight to Ian Wright and high-fives him and then he goes into the audience and interacts with them. He walks through the audience and plays up to them and shakes hands with them. When he returns to the stage he once again high fives Wright. When he takes his seat naseem sits with his arms open wide, this show that he is confident and cocky. The opening question asked by Ian Wright is so why did it take you so long to get in the ring? he uses this question as a joke to make naseem feel at home. He also adds talk to me in a Jamaican accent to make the audience laugh. The language used throughout the show is slang and it is not very sophisticated and this echoes the style of the show. The set is cheap and simple with a fake brick wall background to give a feel of the inside of a house and there is a mural of the country side on another wall which I think is supposed to give a calming and relaxing effect. The host sits on a simple purple leather chair with a table with a C. C. T. V screen on top of it. Then there is another simple purple sofa for the guest to sit on. There are two steps down from the stage and in this area the audience sit in groups on simple chairs around small tables as if they were in a pub or night club. In the corner of the studio there is a cage containing football fans. I think that there are probably three cameras, the first is at the back of the studio and is used to show the guest, host and audience together and the second and third cameras are used so that both the host and guest have individual shots when they are speaking. The audience participate more in this show than in Parkinson because they shake hands with the guest when he enters and also they laugh a lot more than in Parkinson and the laughing is not forced as it often is in Parkinson. The most effect of these two chat shows is probably Parkinson because it will appeal to a wider audience than Friday nights all Wright and also the guest will be more sophisticated and well known than those on Ian Wrights show. Out of the two chat shows I think I prefer Parkinson because there is a wider range of guests and the guests are often in the news at the time so I like to hear there views on current affairs.

Managing Your Time Involves Prioritizing English Language Essay

Managing Your Time Involves Prioritizing English Language Essay This Essay will support the view that managing ones time involves prioritizing the tasks one has to do. Before we go further. Let us look deeply into what time management entails. Developing time management needs practise and a lot of guidance along the way. the goal is to help become aware or knowledgeable on how to use ones time effectively. Therefore Time management can be described as the process involved in planning and gaining conscious control over the amount of time spent on certain activities in order to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. In exercising the act, range of skills, number of tools and availabilty of techniques will be needed to accomplish specific task, objectives and goals. Lets not forget that the ides of managing time is mainly important when one is trying to comply with a due date. That is, a deadline is always anticipated and in order to meet it time must be managed properly. Furthermore time management does not only refer to just business, school or office activities, ity includes personal activities as well. It is considered a necessity in any activity worth doing as it will to a large extent determine the productivity and completion time. How to manage time is not taught in lectures but it has to be learnt. It doesnt matter how smart a person is, if you cannot organize yourself and arrange your schedules properly, you will find yourself procastinating the work that has to be done. In todays universities, polytechnics and tertiary institution as a whole, an individual will be outstanding if he or she can develop the ability to handle information and manage time. Mann(2008) states that Careers are made or broken by the soft skills that make you able to handle a very large workload(pg 28). In other words, you can differentiate yourself in a n organisation by putting in place the techniques to break your workload in smaller parts. Managign ones time involves prioritizing the tasks ones has to perform. It is important to proritize activities lined up before you in order not to end up achieving an aim that does not carry reward and neglecting an activity that when completed adds value. The ability to quickly process and analyse information and develop it into action is one of the most eemergent skills of the professional world today. Organize your workload in order of omportance and urgency. By doing this time is not wasted even if there was no time left to perform the non-important task, one can have a rest of mind knowing that what matters most have been attended to. We also have to be aware that even though managing time involves prioritizing tasks, it is not advisable to multitask. Multitasking is considered deadly because it decreases productivity, no matter how energetic a person is. So one must create a to-do list and spend the first hours on whatever is on top of that list. This is a great idea because e ven if you cant get the whole thing done within the time you have, you will be able to go back to the remaining ones you have started. In one of his publications, Markovitz (1996) proposed that Just because a task appeared to be interesting or enjoyable, it does not mean that you have to attend to it immediately(pg 65). Even though that activity involves a lot of fun, if it not important it should be placed on hold. If you do not attend to something that is not important, the cosequences will not have a negative effect on you. you may pass up the chance to have a laugh or enjoy a movie at that period, but it is not the last you will experience. When the tasks before you are assignments, it is good to prioritize them as well. Develop the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject, when completed it will make you feel fresh thereby having more energy to take on the other ones. When prioritizing time in relative to time, you must not allow for distractions that is, whatever you have not planned to do must not take the place of what oyu have to do. It is easy to get carried away when you are trying to perform y our task especially when you come across something you really love to do or recieves an invitation from a friend to quickly participate in some activity that will not result to time wasting. When you have set your priorities right, you should cultivate the habit of studying and achieving to them always. On the other hand, one should be disciplined enough to postpone unecessary activities until every urgent work had been done. As young people we unexpectedly meet opportunities that look appealing but a focused mind will not divert its attention. With that been said, one must begin to think in terms of pride of accomplishment. Think of what will happen when you accomplish everything on your to-do list, imagine how excited and refreshing you will feel when you looked back and realised that you have managed your time properly. There are various tools that can help and individual prioritize tasks and effectively carry them out without exceeding the time given. One is creating a simple to-do list. Just like i have mentioned earlier this program will help you identify a few items, the reason for doing them, a time frame for getting them done. To make it more interesting your to-do list can be posted on the wall in your room, bathroom, on your book or even set as a wall paper on your phnoe. This will serve as a reminder anytime it catches your eye. Another tool is a daily/weekly planner. This may include appointments, lecture timetable, group meetings, sport practise, religious programmes and even leisure time. A llong term planner is also useful, it is referred to as the monthly planner. You can use this to plan ahead for events, functions and journeys. You also have to know how your body works or know when you work best. You must perform your assignments in a way that you will not overstress yourself. Some p eople are used to staying up late studying and still have the energy to function the following morning. This is not so for the people on the other side. One must be able to know the condition that best comply with ones body structure. You can discover yours by monitoring your perormance under different conditions. Student A can study for hours without tasting any food and yet still go about attending to other engagements while student B may find it difficult to do so. Student A may not be able to study in an environment where there is loud music or concentration of so many people while student B can study beside a market place or even have the music on while reading. However the most important thing about performing a task is to note the most suitable time for it. Another situation we find ourselves is when all the tasks lined up seem to be equally important. That is the moment when you begin to feel there is too much on your plate. This is a problem that everyone face from time to time. Even though it may be difficult to skillfully juggle priorities and multiple responsiblities, it is however not impossible. Some techniques can still be applied in situations like these. The first question one should ask is: Is everything really important? Though everything is important but since you cannot divide yourself into several parts, you will have to find a way. For example if the project before you involves relating with people. What you can do is to talk to them. Finf out from then when they need your help, how much work do you still have to help them with and if they can help you by granting you a free time. When you settle with a group of people like this, then you can attend to another group whom you feel attending to them is of utmost importance . Researchers in project management have come up with two methods that are worth applying when trying to answer the questions like: How do i decide what is a priority? What should i do first? The first one is the P.O.S.E.C method. The term POSEC is an acronym which stands for prioritize by organizing, streamlining,economizing and contributing. This method supports the view by reggie leach(1990) which states that If you pay attention to your evryday personal reponsibilities first, then you are in a better position to handle other things that may come your way. This method can be followed in the order of hierachy. P Prioritize your time and define your tasks by goals. O Organize the things you have to accomplish regularly to be succesful. S Streamlining the things you may not like to do, but must be done. These are specific tasks you are not crazy about about working on. E Economizing the things you should do or may even like to do. but they are pressingly urgent. C Contibuting b y paying attention to the remamining things that make a difference but which may not have an immediate measurable benefit. This method to some extent lets you breakdown your tasks and project into little segments. It helps you put your tasks in order. An innovative speaker called Ralph ransom at one of his conference was of the view that: No matter how you prioritize your tasks or even your life the important thing is to gain control over the things that are eating away at your time and standing in the way of your accomplishing everything you would like to do. The first task for many will be to start utilizing time managements method to make their task list and projects a lot more manageable.As with anything, the first step is always the most difficult.But once you have a system in place using it will get easier and it will be very beneficial. When one realizes that some projects or habit eats away time that could be invested in educative and productive endeavors, it could be the foundation of proper management of time. The other method is called the Eisenhower method. This is the much talked about Four quadrants method where items are placed in each box according to its importance and urgency. so things that are unimportant and not urgent can be placed behind those that are. Quadrant one is where crises are, which obviously have to be handled immediately. Quadrant two is where true productivity is, and where one should be focusing most of ones energy. Quadrant three is where the traps are set. For example you recieve a call from a friend asking you to come and watch a movie with him. This interrupts you from Q2 or Q1 tasks. The call may be important to your friend but not to you. I have an ucle who used to say lack of planning on someones part should not create an emergency on yours. Quadrant fouris where we can find craps. Trivial time-wasters fall in here. e.g Facebook, t.v, pinging on blackberry. This method of eisenhower has really hleped a lot of people to understand how to properly prioritize their work. The beauty of the method is in its simplicity. All you have to do is answer YES or NO and automatically you will have your priority. In conclusion, prioritizing daily tasks is key to succesful time management. When you prioritize, you accomplish the most important task first,therefore time management should be made a habit. Always remember that everything has a deadline so make sure you know it so you will know how to prioritize it.Also be aware of the critical path,in other words Distractions. The things that you have to avoid to remain focused.

Vietnam :: essays research papers

The ICP was formed in Hong Kong in 1930 from the amalgamation of the Vietnamese and the nascent Lao and Khmer communist groups, and it received its instructions from the Moscow-based Communist International (Comintern). Communist Movement The Vietnamese communist movement began in Paris in 1920, when Ho Chi Minh, using the pseudonym Nguyen Ai Quoc, became a charter member of the French Communist Party. Two years later, Ho went to Moscow to study Marxist doctrine and then proceeded to Canton as a Comintern representative. While in China, he formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League, setting the stage for the formation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. French repression of nationalists and communists forced some of the insurgents underground, and others escaped to China. Other dissidents were imprisoned, some emerging later to play important roles in the anti-colonial movement. Ho Chi Minh was abroad at that time but was imprisoned later in Hong Kong by the British. He was released in 1933, and in 1936 a new French government released his compatriots who, at the outset of World War II, fled to China. There they were joined by Ho, who organized the Viet Minh-- purportedly a coalition of all anti-French Vietnamese groups. Official Vietnamese publications state that the Viet Minh was founded and led by the ICP. Because a Vichy French administration in Vietnam during World War II cooperated with occupying Japanese forces, the Viet Minh's anti-French activity was also directed against the Japanese, and, for a short period, there was cooperation between the Viet Minh and Allied forces. When the French were ousted by the Japanese in March 1945, the Viet Minh began to move into the countryside from their base areas in the mountains of northern Vietnam. By the time Allied troops--Chinese in the north and British in the south--arrived to take the surrender of Japanese troops, the Viet Minh leaders had already announced the formation of a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and on September 2, 1945, proclaimed Vietnam's independence. Deep divisions between Vietnamese communist and non-communist nationalists soon began to surface, however, especially in the south, and with the arrival of Allied forces later in September, the DRV was forced to begin negotiations with the French on their future relationship. The difficult negotiations broke down in December 1946, and fighting began with a Viet Minh attack on the French in Hanoi. Civil War A prolonged three-way struggle ensued among the Vietnamese communists (led by Ho Chi Minh), the French, and the Vietnamese nationalists (nominally led by Emperor Bao Dai). Vietnam :: essays research papers The ICP was formed in Hong Kong in 1930 from the amalgamation of the Vietnamese and the nascent Lao and Khmer communist groups, and it received its instructions from the Moscow-based Communist International (Comintern). Communist Movement The Vietnamese communist movement began in Paris in 1920, when Ho Chi Minh, using the pseudonym Nguyen Ai Quoc, became a charter member of the French Communist Party. Two years later, Ho went to Moscow to study Marxist doctrine and then proceeded to Canton as a Comintern representative. While in China, he formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League, setting the stage for the formation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. French repression of nationalists and communists forced some of the insurgents underground, and others escaped to China. Other dissidents were imprisoned, some emerging later to play important roles in the anti-colonial movement. Ho Chi Minh was abroad at that time but was imprisoned later in Hong Kong by the British. He was released in 1933, and in 1936 a new French government released his compatriots who, at the outset of World War II, fled to China. There they were joined by Ho, who organized the Viet Minh-- purportedly a coalition of all anti-French Vietnamese groups. Official Vietnamese publications state that the Viet Minh was founded and led by the ICP. Because a Vichy French administration in Vietnam during World War II cooperated with occupying Japanese forces, the Viet Minh's anti-French activity was also directed against the Japanese, and, for a short period, there was cooperation between the Viet Minh and Allied forces. When the French were ousted by the Japanese in March 1945, the Viet Minh began to move into the countryside from their base areas in the mountains of northern Vietnam. By the time Allied troops--Chinese in the north and British in the south--arrived to take the surrender of Japanese troops, the Viet Minh leaders had already announced the formation of a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and on September 2, 1945, proclaimed Vietnam's independence. Deep divisions between Vietnamese communist and non-communist nationalists soon began to surface, however, especially in the south, and with the arrival of Allied forces later in September, the DRV was forced to begin negotiations with the French on their future relationship. The difficult negotiations broke down in December 1946, and fighting began with a Viet Minh attack on the French in Hanoi. Civil War A prolonged three-way struggle ensued among the Vietnamese communists (led by Ho Chi Minh), the French, and the Vietnamese nationalists (nominally led by Emperor Bao Dai).

Diminishing American Pride Essay

The book Zeitoun basically talks about a Syrian American family’s experience in the time of Hurricane Katrina. It was mainly divided into two story lines, one of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the main character, a Syrian American contractor; and one of Kathy, his wife, a white woman converted Muslim. Zeitoun had an extraordinary life, also an extraordinary experience in the time of Hurricane Katrina. He was a successful well-known businessman in local area. When everyone else was fleeing their hometown before Katrina came, Zeitoun chose to stay to protect his house and business. Later then when the city was flooded, he travelled around with his small canoe, delivering help and resources. However, he was wrong arrested as a looting suspect then and was sent into jail. He was treated as a terrorist and taken away the right of fair trial, forced to confine in a maximum security prison for a crime he didn’t commit. At the end, Zeitoun was released and able to unite with his family again, but he was not compensated in any ways for his misfortune. As this book describes, everything in the time of Hurricane Katrina had gone crazy, including the American criminal justice system. The main objection of this book is to criticize racism phenomenon in America and the rotten criminal justice system. Racism is a main subject in this book. It was first mentioned in this book in Kathy’s story line about her past life experience. â€Å"Years earlier, Kathy and her mother had gone to the DMV together to have Kathy’s license renewed. Kathy was wearing her hijab, and had already received a healthy number of suspicious looks from DMV customers and staff by the time she sat down to have her picture taken. The employee behind the camera did not disguise her contempt. ‘Take that thing off,’ the woman said. † (Zeitoun page 58) From the mentioning of these kinds of past experience seemed irrelevant to Hurricane Katrina, we can see the author’s desire to insert the topic of racism into this book. Kathy’s case shrinks small comparing to Zeitoun’s case in his arrest. â€Å"‘You guys are al Qaeda,’ the soldier said. Todd laughed derisively, but Zeitoun was startled. He could not have heard right. Zeitoun had long feared this day would come. Each of the few times he had been pulled over for a traffic violation, he knew the possibility existed that he would be harassed, misunderstood, suspected of shadowy dealing that might bloom in the imagination of any given police officer. After 9/11, he and Kathy knew that many imaginations had run amok, that the introduction of the idea of ‘sleeper cells’- groups of would-be terrorists living in the U. S. and waiting, for years or decades, to strike- meant that everyone at their mosque, or the entire mosque itself, might be waiting for instructions from their presumed leaders in the hills of Afghanistan or Pakistan. (Zeitoun page 212) It didn’t surprise me at all that Zeitoun have those thoughts that might seem over-worried in some people’s eyes.. Indeed, another author Maysan Haydar had mentioned similar thoughts in her essay â€Å"Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering. † â€Å"Now some people hold their breath a bit longer, assuming I’m a fundamentalist or wondering if I’m there to cause them harm. I sense people studying me on the trains, reading the cover of the book in my hand and trying to gauge if I am one of ‘us’ or one of ‘them’. I grapple with the frustration that I can’t reassure everyone individually that my goals have everything to do with social justice and nothing to do with holy war. But I have seen suspicious fade in the eyes of the pregnant woman to whom I’ve given my subway seat or the Hasidic man whose elbow I’ve taken to help him up the stairs. † (Haydar pg 406) I feel very sorry for Haydar and Zeitoun’s experiences. Muslim people are always feared to be presumed as terrorist. American frightened by the traumatic event of 9-11 developed a stereotype against people from Middle East. The fear of being attack also again drove American crazy on national security. However, for whatever reason, racism has put upon so much harm on people we discriminate against. Muslim people like Zeitoun, hard working and honest people, are forced to live under the fear of being prosecuted for his race someday, taken away from his family, locked up in somewhere nobody would know he’s died or not. Those fears have made them coward under a lowly skin, live like second-class citizens. â€Å"In the weeks after the attacks on the Twin Towers, Kathy saw very few Muslim women in public. She was certain they were hiding, leaving home only when necessary. In Late September, she was in Walgreens when she finally saw a woman in a hijab. She ran to her. ‘Salaam alaikum! ’ she said, taking the woman’s hands. The woman, a doctor studying at Tulane, had been feeling the same way, like an exile in her own country, and they laughed at how delirious they were to see each other. † (Zeitoun page 46) Indeed, as part of international society, American allowed people to be exiled from their own country. In Edward Said’s essay, â€Å"States†, he escribed how they, Palestinian people was exiled from their own country and forced to scatter around the world, be denied of personal identity everywhere. †Some Israeli settlers on the West Bank say: ‘The Palestinians can stay here, with no rights, as resident aliens. ’ Other Israelis are less kind. † (Said pg 546) â€Å"The fact is that today I can neither return to the places of my youth, nor voyage freely in the countries and places that mean the most to me, nor feel safe from arrest or violence even in the countries I used to frequent but whose governments and policies have changed radically in recent times. (Said pg 547) In a documentary I have watched, in some cases, if a Palestinian wants to travel from points to points, they have to go through checkpoints set up by local military. They would be asked to show their prove of identity and relevant documents which sources were mostly denied. Nobody tell them what to do then, no laws protect them, some of them can’t even go to hospitals and schools like every other human being in the course that they don’t have a legal identity. We as adults, teach our kids not to bully in school, that it’s wrong to do so. In contrast, as a human, we allow our country, ourselves to bully on people with a different skin tone. Isn’t this hilarious? Another main subject posted in this book is the criminal justice system in America. Zeitoun was initially arrested in his house, then taken to the bus station, naked searched and put in jail. Throughout the whole process, he had never been told of his charges, no phone calls granted, no one had ever given him a chance to defend himself or to find a lawyer. He was treated as terrorist. In the course of his Middle-Eastern accent, everything about him seemed suspicious to the guards. He was kept in inhumane confinement, was given pork for food despite his religion. He had a deep wound in his feet but was never treated nor given any medical attention. There were basically no laws in effect, Zeitoun was treated as if he wasn’t an American citizen anymore, constitutions and laws don’t protect him. â€Å"Watching the evidence on the table mount, Zeitoun’s shoulders slackened. Most municipal systems were not functioning. There were no lawyers in the station, no judges. They would not talk their way out of this. The police and soldiers in the room were too worked up, and the evidence was too intriguing. (Zeitoun 215) But the most disappointing fact about this is what t I found out later in the book, that all of this happened to Zeitoun was not special cases happened once or twice, it was somehow permitted. â€Å"But knowing that Zeitoun’s ordeal was caused instead by systemic ignorance and malfunction- and perhaps long-festering paranoia on the part of the National Guard and whatever other agencies were involved-was unsettling. It said, quite clearly, that this wasn’t a case of a bad apple or two in the barrel. The barrel itself was rotten. (Zeitoun 307) This is totally different from what I learnt from my administration of justice class. The whole process is wrong. How could an innocent person be justified this way? Not even a phone call allowed. It is nothing better than abduction. Who gave government the right to treat people like this? I guess under the name of National Security, there’s nothing government can’t do, all laws and constitutions could be undermined. James Bamford, author of essay â€Å"Wired† pointed out the same point, says in his essay, â€Å"’They violated the Constitution setting it up. He says bluntly. â€Å"But they d idn’t care. They were going to do it anyway, and they were going to crucify anyone who stood in the way. ’† â€Å"Basically all rules were thrown out the window, and they would use any excuse to justify a waiver to spy on Americans. † (Wired pg 0843,, 084) National Security, initially served the principle of protecting Americans has become a tool to against Americans. â€Å"The NSA has turned its surveillance apparatus on the US and its citizens. It has established listening posts throughout the nation to collect and sift through billions of email messages and phone calls, whether they originate within the country or overseas. It has created a supercomputer of almost unimaginable speed to look for patterns and unscramble codes. Finally, the agency has begun building a place to store all the trillions of words and thoughts and whispers captured in its electronic net. † (Wired pg 81) Isn’t it scary to know our government has already gone this far for â€Å"National Security†? Anyone is a target of NSA. But who is more prone to be checked on? I believe this could be linked again to the topic of racism. Look back to Zeitoun and his fellows’ arrest; I believe they would never have been presumed as terrorists, despite the same context and evidence, if all four of them are white. The book Zeitoun serves more than a journalism. Dave Egger cleverly brought out these two important topics to us through the book. Could we still call our country States of freedom and equality after learning all these previously unknown facts? It’s time for people to stand up to protect the prides of America, fix our criminal justice system, drive racism into history and look forward to a better, true States of freedom and equality.

Oka Crisis, 1990 essays

Oka Crisis, 1990 essays Frequently in Canada, Aboriginal peoples rights and title to land have been disregarded as the government forces compliance from them. They are dealt with unfairly by the administration that directs this country as several of their claims to land and resources go unnoticed or are retracted when the government chooses. It is treatment like this that harvests frustration in a person, which in turn, leads to fanatical behaviour and violent outbursts similar to the one that transpired in the Municipality of Oka in 1990. When various levels of government failed to come to terms with the issue of land claims with the Mohawk people of Kanesatake and a golf course expansion was planned to go on their land, they decided to take action. It seemed unlikely that these residents of Oka would be able to achieve any results by using conventional methods of participation, so they decided to take a more radical approach. Many feel that this manifestation of anger was a logical and inevitable out come of five hundred years of inequality, but what did it accomplish? The events of the Oka crisis can be viewed as a success on some levels, but also as a failure on others. Several Aboriginals believe that the standoff was successful in drawing attention to Aboriginal issues on land rights, as others that watch the events from the outside feel that the serious issues that provoked the Oka crisis have not been resolved. This essay will examine what led up to and occurred that frightful summer, as well as describe the organization of the event and analyse how it succeeded and how it failed. The crisis began in the community of Kanesatake, where the Mohawk people live. The area is located west of Montreal in Oka, Quebec, with this small municipality only having a population of 1549 people and the Aboriginals making up a great segment of it. The Mohawk community does not officially have claims to the land ...

Accounting Differences Essays - Types Of Insurance, American Brands

Accounting Differences Essays - Types Of Insurance, American Brands Accounting Differences General Comments about the Insurance Industry Insurance Companies generate revenues by selling insurance policies. These policies provide a known amount of revenue for an unknown amount of losses offsetting that revenue. This can make the matching principle difficult. Some of the potential losses can come years after the insurance policy was written and the premiums received. The liabilities for these future losses are estimated by actuaries and are subject to a certain amount of interpretation by management. The accounting for the premium revenues is reflected in written vs. earned premium. Various statutory requirements are based on written premium, which is the amount of premium booked in a given accounting period. Earned premium is generally used for recognizing revenues for financial reporting. As insurance policies are written on an annual basis or longer, the premiums (revenues) are spread over the duration of the policy period even if the potential liability exceeds the policy period. The future liability is estimated and booked against the earned premiums. Some costs, however are not matched against this revenue, primarily commissions paid to the insurance agent that sold the policy. This expense is fully recognized at the time the premium is booked. These effects can have both positive and negative implications. In an era of declining written premiums, revenue can actually increase and expenses should decrease because of the costs incurred at the time the policy was written. Very few insurance companies in the United States actually make a profit by selling insurance. The profit is generally made from the investment income earned investing the premiums they receive now, but do not expect to pay out until some point in the future. This paper examines the published financial information of Reliance Group Holdings and Travelers Property Casualty Corp for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1998 and the third quarter reports for the quarter ending September 30, 1999. The letters to the shareholders are examined as well as the financial statements and subsequent notes. An outline of the accounting principles employed by both companies is provided as well as some basic ratio analysis. Reliance Group Holdings, Inc. 1998 Annual Report Letter to Shareholders from Saul Steinberg, Chairmen and CEO and Robert Steinberg, President and Chief Operating Officer. Operating income was up slightly over 1997. Net income was a record due to proceeds from sale of asset, Commonwealth Title. Reliance grew Shareholders Equity by $1.32 billion, highest it has ever been in the history of the company. This may not be significant accomplishment if the company had sustained steady operating and earnings growth over the long run. Reliance had 18% growth in property and casualty premiums, despite continued soft pricing environment and significant catastrophic losses as well as other weather related losses. Combined ratio for 1998 102.1. Combined ratio is a measure of premiums spent to cover losses and expenses. For every dollar in premium revenues, the company spent $1.02 in expenses and losses. Employee and management ownership aligns interests of employees with that of shareholders. The Steinberg's note a successful track record of putting innovative and specialized skills to work. In the third quarter of 1999 it will be noted that several of these innovations were not as profitable as they thought they were. Note disciplined underwriting approach. Reliance National Reliance Group Holdings largest profit center offering specialized property and casualty insurance and risk management services. They broke new ground in overseas expansion and e-commerce opportunities. These e-commerce opportunities are Cybercomp, a program to offer workmen's compensation insurance over the Internet. Reliance National's international sources generated 12% of the total premium in 1998, through offices in London, China and Argentina. Reliance Insurance This is considered a middle market company, writing insurance for small and mid size companies. The Steinbergs feel this is one of the few companies offering a full range of specialized products delivered locally. This means it is underwritten through local branch offices. Reliance National business is largely underwritten centrally, in their head office in New York. Reliance Reinsurance Reinsurance offers a method of limiting exposure for the generators of insurance policies. A reinsurer will take on a portion of a risk for a portion of the premium. Reliance Reinsurance got out of several less attractive lines of business and as they did not act soon enough as significant reserve adjustments

Comparative Advantage Essays

Comparative Advantage Essays Comparative Advantage Essay Comparative Advantage Essay I have chosen the Comparative Advantage Theory for my key term to discuss. I chose this term because it has a great importance on world trade clearly help shape the pattern of world trade, and also to get a better understanding of the concept. Comparative Advantage is the benefit or advantage of an economy to be able to produce a commodity at a lesser opportunity cost. According to Stalemate (2009), opportunity cost is the value of what had to be given up, or forgone, to consume or achieve the object. This term simply meaner, countries should specialize in a certain lass of products for export, but import the rest of product even if the country holds an absolute advantage in all products. The scholarly article I chose this week to discuss is, State should target sectors where the country industry has a comparative advantage written by T. T Ram Moan. The article talks about Justine Hussy Lines book titled The Quest for Prosperity. The book attempts to give solutions to the world financial crisis. In the article he talks about Lines distinguishes between advanced nations and developing ones in the short-run, and how money stimulus ill be effective for developing nations and not advanced nations, and also discuses Lines perspectives for Long-term growth. According to the article, government must identify the right growth sectors and support investment in those sectors, because it will lead to the overall growth in that economy. A key example is what Singapore did in the sasss when they focused on specialty chemicals that resulted in drawing developed nations into their economy (Moan, 2012). This seems pretty easy but has failed in many nations because it is hard to sometimes identify the sectors that truly eve Comparative Advantage in an economy. The theory encourages nations to engage in true free trade and to specialize in areas where they can be very effective and efficient at lower cost, instead of looking to bolster weak industries from foreign competition by imposing protective tariffs that otherwise stifle the production that leads to overall gains in wealth. Even though this theory has a huge advantage on global trade, it does have its flaws, which includes the following: It may overstate the benefits of specialization by ignoring certain costs. These costs include transport costs and any external costs associated with trade, such as air and sea pollution. Also it does not take into account relative prices and exchange rates, and also assumes perfect mobility of factors without any diminishing returns. Furthermore, complete specialization might create structural unemployment as some workers cannot transfer from one sector to another.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Project Management - Essay Example This fact clearly suggests that at the time of procurement, project managers did not clearly defined the exact needs of the project. Based on wrong assessment of the same, the system appeared to work on wrong footings as what was expected out of the system was not clearly delivered. It was therefore believed that the project failed because project managers failed to clearly anticipate the needs and solicit the correct vendors to implement the project. The vendors were probably either not as professionals as they should have been in developing the payroll processing system or the information to them was not correctly provided. This resulted into the cancellation of the project as well as it cost a lot of money to the organization because of the loose credit management as well as the wrong procurement polices because there was no clear strategy being developed by the project managers. (Washington Times, 2005) I believe that there were multiple issues involved in this project's failure. Initially it attracted the criticism of the employees working over there therefore at first stage, it failed to achieve the necessary acceptability within the organization. The issues were further complicated when the project managers failed to properly prepare the strategy for implementing effective contract as well as procurement management for the project. If project managers have given a good thought to the solicitation stage of procurement, it would have been lot better and the project would have been a success. 2) Department of Defense initiated a project in 2002 with the name of Personnel Management Key solution. The perceived objectives were to obtain efficiency in different functional areas such as organizational structures, personnel administration and leave, career management as well as work force planning etc. Many believed that it was a bigger project for a military organization however it started with lot of ambitions and hopes to accomplish something bigger for the organization which was termed as too administrative and bureaucratic in nature. The major reason for the failure of the project was cost overrun. Initially it was estimated that the total project cost would be $ 25 million in 2002 however as the project unfolded the cost rocketed to $70 million dollars forcing the project managers to abandon the project in the middle due to high cost variations and other factors which led to the cancellation of the project. However, a much deeper analysis of the issue would suggest that there were other factors which were directly responsible for the failure of the project. Initially it may be considered that the project managers have properly planned the procurement as well as contract management strategy however they were not. Though the whole details of the project are not available but the cost escalation suggests that the type of contract entered by the project managers may not have been adequately selected. It seems that the project managers may have selected actual cost reimbursement contracts where they became legally obliged to pay or reimburse all the costs to the vendors regardless of the need to assess that the cost overruns can also be caused because of the vendor's inability to provide the desired goods and services at the agreed contractual terms. If the project managers would have entered into a fixed pay contract, they could have

Argumentative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argumentative Research - Essay Example You do not have any good memories of going out, watching a movie or playing on the rides. And you do not even have any bad memories. It is like you are dead (Polakov & Guillean, 195). The word â€Å"homelessness† started being heard after the 1980s in United States when a large number of people including women and children started appearing on the streets seeking emergency shelter. Economic downturn caused by the Great Depression in the 1930s resulted in a mass movement of people in search of jobs also causing homelessness to plunge. Homeless people include men, women, children, young, old, alcoholics, drug addicts, immigrants, native Americans, as well as people from other races, ethnicities, and religions. Although every homeless person faces different circumstances, however they all have one thing in common that they do not have any permanent dwelling (Gottfried, 10). The question is: what is its proper solution for homelessness? There are various factors contributing towar ds homelessness including lack of community based care, plummeting poverty, decreasing assistance, low income, and scarcity of affordable housing. Among other causes are poverty, domestic violence, conditions of the economy, health care costs and lack of services (Hombs, 34). After budget cuts, numerous sectors of society responded by providing food, shelter, services and so on. These also include religious groups, civic groups and other organizations. Most of the funding for the emergency shelter programs comes from federal funds. The demand for shelter by homeless people has increased incredibly. Because shelter is not always available where it is required, therefore this causes family members to separate. Many people believe that simply providing these homeless people with housing is not a long term solution. In most occasions homeless people look for help themselves. They live in inexpensive and inadequate hotels that provide them with poor living conditions. Lack of having a jo b also causes them to either live in poor conditions or to keep on moving to different places in search of food and accommodation. Many homeless people also forage for food and other useful materials by means of â€Å"dumpster diving†. They look for things that are disposed of by their original owners that may prove useful to them. The things found include electronics, appliances, scrap items, other house wares and also food. Legally, dumpster diving is not particularly prohibited however dumpster diving performed within the premises of a residence may get the dumpster diver into trouble. In order to help the homeless people, the government started a cash assistance program by providing them with money. Only those people are eligible to receive this cash assistance who have incomes less than the State’s minimum Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) (Hombs, 39). Among these who are eligible, cash assistance is provided for homeless people or families. The main aim of such cash programs is to provide homeless people with money to spend on other basic necessities apart from housing as housing itself consumes a big chunk of the income. Arguments against the cash aid programs say that such aids encourage people to relocate to states in hopes to receive higher payments and this relocation does not solve the problem of homelessness but leads to greater problems. But in order to discourage people from moving to the

British Petroleum Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

British Petroleum Company - Assignment Example This paper highlights that Shareholders and owners of BP have the major influence on other stakeholders and business. The cost cutting process may also be a direct result of their emphasis on reducing expenses so that profitability could be improved. Managers are the people who have been trusted with the responsibility of managing the day to day affairs of the firm. Managers of BP are persons responsible for ensuring that the manufacturing facilities at its exploration facility are in conducive form and do not pose any threat to the life of labors or others. Managers interact with the business on daily basis because managing the business is their day to day job. They also interact with other stakeholders through annual general meetings, board meetings as well as interacting with government agencies. The decisions of the managers directly affect the business and the managers as in this case. Managers decided to cost cut and reduce the expenses however; this has resulted into the significant risk issues for the firm. From this paper it is clear that employees are the individuals who work for the organization against certain wages. Employees for BP are the people who work at its exploration facilities and were hurt in different incidents due to security and risk lapses. Business partners of the firm are those firms or individuals who do business with the firm i.e. suppliers of raw material as well other material. Business partners of BP are American government, different other suppliers who have provided it resources to extract the oil from its Texas oilfield. They can influence the business and other stakeholders to the extent of their involvement in the overall affairs of the firms. In terms of safety and risk, business partners can only be limited to the installation and maintenance services provided by them.  

The rising rents of unfurnished accommodation have been a source of Essay

The rising rents of unfurnished accommodation have been a source of concern for the government. It proposes to introduce a ceiling on rents. Examine how this might affect the accommodation markets - Essay Example In the recent years particularly after 2013, housing and accommodation cost are again rising and this rise is causing problem for the UK government. For substitute goods, if the price of one substitute is increasing; ultimate the demand for other alternative will also increase (Sloman et al., 2010). Within the UK, cost of both furnished and unfurnished accommodation is increasing. Within this context, the UK government is going to introduce and implement rent ceiling which will affect both landlords and tenants. For the landlords, the ceiling imposition will put negative impact on their income as they will no more remain in strong bargaining position. On the other hand, for tenants, the implementation of rent ceiling will put positive effect on their standard of living. For example, after the imposition of rent ceiling, the tenants will be in a position to control their cost of accommodation and this will enable them to provide more money to their other

NEWS ARTICLE SUMMARY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NEWS ARTICLE SUMMARY - Essay Example Standard & Poors is an important financial company in the United States that provides services within the credit and stock industries. The issue between the SEC and Standard & Poors stems from the fact that the latter company may have violated â€Å"federal securities laws related to its ratings of collateralized debt obligations in 2007, as the financial crisis was getting under way†(Rizzo). Standard & Poors is a company that often provides a service to the country by raising and lowering credit ratings of companies and countries. When it raises or lowers the rating, it is essentially providing a report card for how well that company/country is doing in their business and their business practices. The SEC believes that Standard & Poors basically did not do their job in monitoring companies like Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac which were significant contributors to the housing/ mortgage crisis that ultimately led the United States into this severe recession in the first place. According to Patrick Rizzo, â€Å"Some critics have said it(Standard & Poors) and other ratings agencies helped contribute to the crisis by not warning about the dangers of sub-prime mortgages(Rizzo). So, by publicly considering legal or civil action against Standard & Poors, the SEC is making a statement about this company and casting a negative light upon their practices. It is important to think about what the SEC’s motive might be however in doing this. Last month, Standard & Poors lowered the United States credit rating from AAA to AA+(Swann). This was done in August 2011 and was said to be done due to the conflict going on in the United States government over raising the debt ceiling. The lowering of the credit rating was seen as a big deal and an overall comment on how the United States was doing in handling their economic woes. Therefore, it does not seem inconceivable that the SEC, which is a part of the

Written research assignment in subject Employee Relations

Written research in subject Employee Relations - Assignment Example Organizations need to prevent and resolve problems that arise while working. Every organization should ensure that they have an employee relations program that helps in increasing good morale and employee satisfaction. Additionally, one of the most effective ways of ensuring good employee relations is adopting a strategy that values employees as stakeholders in the business (Gennard & Judge, 1999). The post-war consensus took place between 1945 and 1979. Laws were created that gave legal rights at work to employees. The employer’s obligation towards workers was also specified. In addition, disputes were resolves through mediation and social unions agreed to provide assistance to governments in resolving the economic problems of the country. However, industrial relations declined there was unemployment and wage demand and inflation continued to rise. In addition, unions improved through legislation and to achieve flexibility in the workplace, negotiations and social compromise was used rather than being imposed by employers. Consequently, the Keynesian economic objective was designed to manage the demand of the economy through achieving full employment as well as an economy that is stable. It was believed that through Keynesians, the level of unemployment depended on government policy and that the state was able to achieve a low unemployment rate by accepting a high but steady rate of inflation. A tribunal system was established in the UK to deliver the recommendations of the Donovan Commission by coming up with a system that was fast, easily to access, informal and not expensive. However, this has not been successful, as it never met the standards of the tribunal. Employers view the use of employment legislation disparagingly. In addition, employment law formalized the ideologies of natural justice whereby whichever action an employer took towards an employee was measured just

The rising rents of unfurnished accommodation have been a source of Essay

The rising rents of unfurnished accommodation have been a source of concern for the government. It proposes to introduce a ceiling on rents. Examine how this might affect the accommodation markets - Essay Example In the recent years particularly after 2013, housing and accommodation cost are again rising and this rise is causing problem for the UK government. For substitute goods, if the price of one substitute is increasing; ultimate the demand for other alternative will also increase (Sloman et al., 2010). Within the UK, cost of both furnished and unfurnished accommodation is increasing. Within this context, the UK government is going to introduce and implement rent ceiling which will affect both landlords and tenants. For the landlords, the ceiling imposition will put negative impact on their income as they will no more remain in strong bargaining position. On the other hand, for tenants, the implementation of rent ceiling will put positive effect on their standard of living. For example, after the imposition of rent ceiling, the tenants will be in a position to control their cost of accommodation and this will enable them to provide more money to their other

Written research assignment in subject Employee Relations

Written research in subject Employee Relations - Assignment Example Organizations need to prevent and resolve problems that arise while working. Every organization should ensure that they have an employee relations program that helps in increasing good morale and employee satisfaction. Additionally, one of the most effective ways of ensuring good employee relations is adopting a strategy that values employees as stakeholders in the business (Gennard & Judge, 1999). The post-war consensus took place between 1945 and 1979. Laws were created that gave legal rights at work to employees. The employer’s obligation towards workers was also specified. In addition, disputes were resolves through mediation and social unions agreed to provide assistance to governments in resolving the economic problems of the country. However, industrial relations declined there was unemployment and wage demand and inflation continued to rise. In addition, unions improved through legislation and to achieve flexibility in the workplace, negotiations and social compromise was used rather than being imposed by employers. Consequently, the Keynesian economic objective was designed to manage the demand of the economy through achieving full employment as well as an economy that is stable. It was believed that through Keynesians, the level of unemployment depended on government policy and that the state was able to achieve a low unemployment rate by accepting a high but steady rate of inflation. A tribunal system was established in the UK to deliver the recommendations of the Donovan Commission by coming up with a system that was fast, easily to access, informal and not expensive. However, this has not been successful, as it never met the standards of the tribunal. Employers view the use of employment legislation disparagingly. In addition, employment law formalized the ideologies of natural justice whereby whichever action an employer took towards an employee was measured just

Security Objective Components Essay Example for Free

Security Objective Components Essay The component of the overall security objective that deserves the most attention in the environments mentioned in the article would be the personal security. Churches do not usually have any type of security at all because they are suppose to be a very safe place for a person to go. With churches having absolutely no type of security cameras or security personnel then they are left wide open for any type of attack, whether it be shootings, bombings, arson, vandalism, or even robbery. If churches were to install security camera to watch the outside grounds then they would be better protected because they could see if any kind of crime was going on, possibly be able to catch the people that committed those crimes, and maybe even prevent some of those people from even trying to commit crimes because they see the cameras. I do not think that security camera would prevent all crimes, but I think that it would help to detour the amount of crimes committed at churches and help to keep the innocent church goers safer while church is in service. I think that the component that would be less pertinent foe churches during a vulnerability assessment would be the information and paperwork of the church. I feel that if someone is going to go on a shooting rampage or try to set fire to a church that they are not going to be concerned about the information and documents that are within that church. If a person is troubled enough to perform such a heinous act like this then files and documents are going to be the last thing on their mind. If something like this were to happen and the church had security cameras and security personnel, to watch those camera, that they would be able to look for any kind of suspicious activity like this and try to avoid something like this from happening. This would also aid police in catching the person that did this if it were to happen because they would be able to review the security cameras and see exactly what happened. I think that some countermeasures that could be taken, other than security ca meras, would be to have a security guard on duty while the church is in service because this is a more likely time for something to happen. Another thing that could be done is to have the people that work at the church keep an eye on anyone who maybe going through some very hard personal situations just in case they start to present any suspicious or strange behavior. As sad as it is that anything like this could, would, or has happened in or at a church there is  not a way to completely, one hundred percent, avoid it. There are security measures that churches can take to aid in keeping the church, its employees, and people that attend that church safe like what I have previously mentioned. Another thing that the church could do would be to contact the local fire department, SWAT team, or bomb squad so that they know exactly what needs to be done if a situation like that ever were to present its self. This way they can keep as many people safe as possible. If a situation or events like what happened at these churches has occurred at malls, I think that the exact same security objectives would be important. Personal security is going to be the most important thing. At a mall it is likely that there are going to be a lot more people and a significantly larger area to be watched so it would be pertinent to make sure that there is a considerable amount of security cameras to cover all of the necessary areas and enough security personnel to watch those cameras and patrol the mall to look out for anything out of the ordinary. The same countermeasures that applied to the churches, I believe should be applicable for the shopping malls just on a larger scale. The most important thing is still going to be making sure that all of the innocent people and employees are kept as safe as possible. Another counter measure that a mall could take would be to have after hours security in addition to the day time security, this way they can still monitor for any odd or suspicious behavior because I believe that if someone was going to try something like setting off a bomb or starting a fire then they are going to look for the best possible place to do that and they might try to do that at night. There are many different security objectives that a place of business must take into consideration because there are dangerous people out there and no one can predict what and when something bad will happen.

Epidemiology of Ebola

Epidemiology of Ebola Genesis Santiago Introduction Historical Significance Epidemiology is the study of disease distributed amongst a certain population of people. This study zooms in on groups versus individual people in the population. Epidemiology is specifically concerned with studying and surveying a population to understand what groups are being affected and whether it is based on age, sex, ethnic group, and or occupation. Furthermore the data collected during the survey and study are utilized to come to a conclusion on risk factors and how to prevent further spread of the epidemic. The Ebola virus disease is an epidemic that has returned to claim more lives than one can count. This virus was formerly known as the hemorrhagic fever. The virus was first discovered during an outbreak dated back to the year 1976. The virus obtained its name from the Ebola River in Africa. EBOV causes death in 80 to 90 percent of cases http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epidemiology Natural Life History Just as any other virus Ebola’s goal is to enter the host and replicate. Ebola has one major difference from other viruses, which is that the reservoir species is unknown. Not knowing the reservoir of the Ebola virus makes this part of the life cycle a mystery. What scientists do know about the virus is the effects and the manner in which the virus operates once it has invaded the host. The virus is made up of seven proteins that work together to consume the host cell as it begins making countless copies of itself. The seven proteins that make up the virus, violently attack the body of the cell and it’s and the structural proteins of the body of the host. Ebola multiplies at a rapid speed and immediately the infected cells become full of crystal-like blocks of virus components. The incubation period of the virus is 2 to 21 days. Ebola was first discovered in Ebola River located in West Africa. Speculation about the virus living in animal host that are native to Africa has also been a hot topic. The suspected reservoirs of the virus include bats, insects, rodents and primates that can be found in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia. In other words the virus thrives in native animals. Fortunately any animal that may have the Ebola virus if cooked cannot infect a human however when uncooked it can. If the virus does not have a host or a reservoir it cannot survive. Currently scientists do not know how the virus is killed. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/index.html http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/177623/Ebola The pathophysiology of the disease is a more complicated then many would think. If studied under an electron microscope, the virus appears as long filaments that can be branched and even weaved. The particles of the virus consist of a molecule of noninfectious single-stranded RNA. Scientists have no knowledge on how the virus attacks the cells. It has not been confirmed but researchers believe proteins suppress the immune system. These proteins that suppress the immune system are now allowed to produce replicates of the virus. Ebola can be spread through contact with bodily fluids and/or blood. Studies show that of the very few that miraculously survived from the disease still retained the virus in their organs after recovery. The disease is easy to spread in unsanitary areas that do not have enough medical supplies. Another way many are being infected is through rituals done when person has passed away. The body fluids still carry the disease. Using aseptic procedures when treating infected patient and wearing protective can prevent the transmission of the Ebola virus. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/177623/Ebola/280820/Course-of-infection Prevalence, Morbidity Mortality Ebola has claimed thousands of lives already. On August 31, 2014 it was reported by the CDC that 2,106 death cases were confirmed in the laboratory of having been caused by Ebola. On September 5, 2014 it was reported by WHO that 3,944 people have been infected by the virus. The current mortality rate of the Ebola virus is 49.9 % however it can reach 90%, in other words about half of the infected cases have resulted in fatalities. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/resources/outbreak-table.html http://healthfinder.gov/News/Article/691500/novel-ebola-vaccine-shows-potential-in-monkey-trial http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/09/09/cdc-calls-ebola-outbreak-perfect-viral-storm-as-infected-count-reaches-almost-4000-with-over-1500-fatalities/ Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Interventions There are three levels of interventions that can and should be applied when handling when preventing or treating disease. Primary interventions are used to reduce or prevent the chances that a disease or injury can affect a person. The primary interventions that would be applied to avoid or reduce the chances of contracting the virus is staying away from areas of known outbreaks. When consuming food avoid bush meat as they are suspected to carry the virus. When caring for patients use aseptic procedures and sanitize hands often. In order to prevent Ebola from spreading any further, everyone should be educated on the disease including signs and symptoms and the way it is transmitted. If a patient is infected use protective clothing. Another way to prevent contracting the illness is the use infection control measures. There is no cure at the moment for Ebola so there are vaccines one can receive to prevent contracting the virus. If a person becomes infected he/she must be isolated. In the unfortunate event that a patient passes away, do not attend funeral or burial that requires that one must handle the c orpse. Secondary Prevention includes practices and precaution used such as early detection screening and immediate intervention to keep the disease contained. There’s no way to detect the illness early on. It may take up to 22 days to experience symptoms of the virus. The immediate response to the disease would be to isolate the patient and begin to support the immune system. In using tertiary prevention the goal is to prevent anymore physical more deterioration of the body and improving quality of life as much as possible. Tertiary prevention does not exist at this moment as there is no known cure for Ebola virus. The only way for survival is if the patient’s immune system is strong enough to fight off the infection. The goal of a healthcare provider is to take care of the body and help to strengthen the immune system of the patient so that it can fight off the infection. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/prevention/ Healthy People 2020 Objectives What does Healthy People 2020 have to say about this problem? What objectives/goals do they have? If it is not addressed in Healthy People 2020, state so, but look into the CDC or WHO to find out what do they have to say about this problem. Provide Citations. After searching the healthy people 2020 database for information and studies done on Ebola I was unable to find any information. According to the CDC It is currently working with United States government agencies, WHO including domestic and international partners on one of the largest Ebola outbreaks. The CDC says that this outbreak is indeed the first outbreak in West Africa. Fortunately for the United States the Ebola virus does not pose a threat to the United States. Most importantly the CDC has now activated its Emergency Operations Center. The (EOC) is set up to help with technical assistance and organize communication with it’s partners. CDC has sent a number of health care experts to the West of Africa to several teams of public health experts to the West Africa region to begin helping the country in this crisis. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/resources/outbreaks.html Conclusion/Recommendation Summarized the most important points from your research. Provide citations. What recommendations can you offer to deal with the problem. In conclusion, the Ebola virus currently does not a confirmed resivre it comes from. Due to the fact that researchers still do not completely understand the pathophysiology of the virus this disease is hard to control and no cure is known yet. The lack of knowledge on the disease including the lack of resources is the reason the virus has been spreading like a wild fire. Thousands of West Africans are growing fearful and skeptical of the disease and even more dangerously the health care providers. Thousands of people have lost their lives or loved ones to this virus. As a nation I believe all we can do at this point is pray for that this crisis is isolated, and a cure is found soon. Although there is no significant threat of the virus in our country one can never be sure, therefore we should always wash our hands, and report signs of any symptoms as soon as possible. References Epidemiology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epidemiology 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. (2014, August 29). Retrieved September 3, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html Outbreaks Chronology: Ebola Virus Disease. (2014, August 29). Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/history/chronology.html Prevention. (2014, September 19). Retrieved September 2, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/prevention/ CDC Calls Ebola Outbreak Perfect Viral Storm As Infected Count Reaches Almost 4,000 With Over 1,500 Fatalities (2014, September 5). Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/09/09/cdc-calls-ebola-outbreak-perfect-viral-storm-as-infected-count-reaches-almost-4000-with-over-1500-fatalities/

Oliver Twist :: English Literature

Oliver Twist Oliver Twist - As the child hero of a melodramatic novel of social protest, Oliver Twist is meant to appeal more to our sentiments than to our literary sensibilities. On many levels, Oliver is not a believable character, because although he is raised in corrupt surroundings, his purity and virtue are absolute. Throughout the novel, Dickens uses Oliver's character to challenge the Victorian idea that paupers and criminals are already evil at birth, arguing instead that a corrupt environment is the source of vice. At the same time, Oliver's incorruptibility undermines some of Dickens's assertions. Oliver is shocked and horrified when he sees the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates pick a stranger's pocket and again when he is forced to participate in a burglary. Oliver's moral scruples about the sanctity of property seem inborn in him, just as Dickens's opponents thought that corruption is inborn in poor people. Furthermore, other pauper children use rough Cockney slang, but Oliver, oddly enough, speaks in proper King's English. His grammatical fastidiousness is also inexplicable, as Oliver presumably has not been educated well. Even when he is abused and manipulated, Oliver does not become angry or indignant. When Sikes and Crackit force him to assist in a robbery, Oliver merely begs to be allowed to run away and die in the fields. Oliver does not present a complex picture of a person torn between good and evil instead, he is goodness incarnate. Even if we might feel that Dickens's social criticism would have been more effective if he had focused on a more complex poor character, like the Artful Dodger or Nancy, the audience for whom Dickens was writing might not have been receptive to such a portrayal. Dickens's Victorian middle-class readers were likely to hold opinions on the poor that were only a little less extreme than those expressed by Mr. Bumble, the beadle who treats paupers with great cruelty. In fact, Oliver Twist was criticized for portraying thieves and prostitutes at all. Given the strict morals of Dickens's audience, it may have seemed necessary for him to make Oliver a saintlike figure. Because Oliver appealed to Victorian readers' sentiments, his story may have stood a better chance of effectively challenging their prejudices. Nancy - A major concern of Oliver Twist is the question of whether or not a bad environment can irrevocably poison someone's character and soul. As the novel progresses, the character who best illustrates the contradictory issues brought up by that question is Nancy. As a child of the streets, Nancy has been a thief and drinks to excess. The narrator's reference to her free and agreeable .

The Problem with Internet Addiction :: Internet Online Communication Essays

The Problem with Internet Addiction The Internet is a social technology, but the effect it has on face to face relationships can potentially be very detrimental. Like any activity, the Internet takes up a person’s time; the amount of time varies depending on the person’s level of addiction. Often this time usage could be spent bettering face to face relationships. It is not uncommon for an Internet user to begin to replace their face to face relationships with those formed on the Internet. By doing this they often negatively affect their lives. The HomeNet Project, a study on the psychological effects done through Carnegie Mellon University, shows that Internet usage often leads to a decline in social groups (Kraut, Lundmark, Patterson, Kiesler, Mukopadhyay, Scherlis). â€Å"Long hours spent on-line undercut our local social support network; this isolation promotes psychological trouble† (Stoll). The family is another group that is affected by the Internet. The HomeNet Project also shows that usage is related to declines in family interaction (Kraut). In a society that often tries to push our politicians to focus on family values and expects our phone commercials to incorporate relationships with friends, the Internet may be the opposition. If people are looking to improve their relational bonds with those close to them, they should consider stepping away from the computer screen and spending time with their friends and family. Many reasons exist as to why the Internet negatively affects face to face relationships. The wasting of time is one; the loss of social skills is another. Social skills are learned through experience and reactions to body language (Stoll). The internet can not provide either of these. Trust is often partly derived from a person’s vulnerability. Without being physically near a person, physical vulnerability is lost and thus so is a great deal of trust (Dreyfus). The computer screen can sometimes act as a shield against the physical vulnerability (Dreyfus). In that way the computer can become a safe haven to those seeking relationships without the hardships of face to face contact. A marriage guidance organization out of Britain called Relate has found that the Internet may be causing marriage problems and even break- ups (Frean). â€Å"Husbands and wives complain of becoming Internet widowers or widows after being left to sit alone as a partner spends hours at the computer messaging strangers in chat rooms, downloading music and games, or looking at pornography† (Frean).

Discuss the relative importance of physical and human factors in accounting for changes to vegetation over time within ecosystems in the British Isles Essay

There are many factors that account for the changes to the vegetation over time within ecosystems in the British Isles, such as human activity, climate, soil, light availability and intensity and natural disasters. The characteristics of the vegetation that are influenced by these factors are height, distribution, variety of species, adaptations and density of the vegetation. Some of these factors have relatively little influence on the succession development, whereas others have a dramatic influence over a long period of time, such as human activity. These factors, over time, result in the progression of a succession until the climatic climax vegetation is reached. However, sometimes these factors can mean that a plagioclimax is reached, as they prevent the succession from progressing any further and the climatic climax vegetation is never achieved, which in the UK are Oak, Hawthorne and Birch trees. This succession results in the development of an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a dynamic, stable environment which is composed of interacting and functioning biotic and abiotic components and can be of any size. There can be composed of variety of successions, such as lithoseres in grassland and woodland areas for example the Isle of Aaron, psamoseres along the coastline or small scale urban successions in urbanised areas. In an ecosystem, all the component are characterised as biotic, for example animals and plants, or abiotic for example climate, pH, soil characteristics or drainage. These biotic and abiotic factors determine the changes to the vegetation in the ecosystem overtime as they have a great effect on it, such as flooding and animal grazing. Within the ecosystem, there are inputs, outputs, stores and flows which transfer minerals, nutrients, water and light energy. The most important input is light energy from the sun, which is the source of any food chain. Producers start a food chain, but they would not be able to do so without the 2% of energy provided by the sun to allow photosynthesis to occur. 10% of this energy is then transferred through the trophic levels in the food chain, from the autotrophs, through the consumers to the detritivores. Energy is lost at each stage as a result of movement, excretion and heat loss. As long as there is sufficient sunlight, consumers will continue to be able to use the vegetation in an ecosystem is a food source, which will have a dramatic affect on the characteristics of the vegetation. In this case, both human and physical characteristics are equally important for accounting to changes in the vegetation. Nutrients in an ecosystem are transferred through the nutrient cycle, a balanced cycle which ensures that there are enough nutrients for the ecosystem to survive. This cycle is represented in a Gersmehl Diagram. An example of an ecosystem is a temperate deciduous woodland. The main human factor that affects the development of a temperate deciduous woodland is deforestation. Deforestation occurs for a number of reasons; to use the timber for commercial use, to use the land for agriculture or to use the land to build on. Once the land has been deforested, it will never be able to be used for the same environment again as the soil washes away in the rain. Therefore, human activity has an extremely large impact on the development of vegetation as it can result in the environment becoming inhospitable. One of the physical factors that affects the distribution of vegetation is the height and density of the exsisting vegetation. This is because the more dense the canopy layer, te less light will filter through the leaf mosaic to the shrub layer. This means that only plants that require little sunlight will be able to survive, unless they have adaptations that enable them to absorb as much sunlight as possible such as having bread flat leaves so that they have a large surface area, or flowering earlier or later than other plants, such as Dogs Mercury and Bluebells. Another physical factor that affects the distribution of vegetation is the climate. If an area receives too little or too much rainfall, the plants will not be able to survive. On average, the temperate deciduous woodland should receive around 750-1500mm of rain per year. If this number is greatly exceeded, then the soil will become saturated and the area will flood, suffocating the plants as they do not have access to sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide. On the contrary, if there is not enough rainfall then the plants will also die because they do not have access to a plentiful supply of minerals that the water contains such as nitrogen and magnesium. One type of succession that can form an ecosystem is a lithosere. A lithosere is a plant succession that begins life on a newly exposed rock surface, such as one left bare as a result of glacial retreat, tectonic uplift as in the formation of a raised beach, or volcanic eruption. The lithosere succession is initiated by pioneer plants, such as blue and green algae with colonise the sock as there are into a lot of nutrients available and they have no root systems, so they can survive in the hostile conditions. The succession then progresses due to the pioneer plants dissolving the rock, resulting in a release of nutrients. This then means that mosses, lichens and liverworts are able to thrive on that ground as the moss can absorb nutrients from rain water and they provide their own energy from photosynthesis. These plants chemically decay the rock by releasing acids, and physically decay the rock as a result of their root systems, leading to an amelioration of the plants so that the lithosere can progress to the next seral stage. Herbs grasses and small flowering plants can now colonise in these conditions, which are followed by ferns, brackens and small shrubs as the soil is now thick enough to support their roots and their seeds become lodged in the cracks made by the moss, so colonisation continues. Once these plants die and decay, they leave humus which adds to the richness of the soil and enables more developed plants to grow in their place. At this stage, the soil is developed enough and contains enough nutrients that it can host small tress, such as Alder and Rowan. Once these trees die, the lithosere is able to reach its climatic climax vegetation of Oak, Birch and Pine. There are many physical and human characteristics that affect the development of a lithosere. In the Isle of Aaron, there is no vegetation in areas of high relief. This is because the seeds for the plants slide down the slope, and do not colonise the steepest areas but colonise the top and bottom of the slope. Another physical factor which causes a lack of colonisation is the salt spray from the sea. The salt dehydrates the rocks that it lands on, so the area becomes inhospitable to the hardiest of plants. The prevailing winds from the south west result in a higher wind chill factor, therefore temperatures are lower, resulting in niche conditions. The winds also deliver seeds which can colonise the area, if the niche conditions that have been created are an appropriate for their survival. The southerly facing beaches receive more light and heat energy, therefore decreasing the time in which it takes for the succession to reach its climatic climax vegetation. This is because the increased heat energy results in more photosynthesis taking place, as photosynthesis needs carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to occur. As a result, the plant has more energy and so the root systems develop at a fast rate, weathering the rock. In this particular example, the physical factors have a great effect on the development of the lithosere as its development is regulated by factors such as climate, relief of land and pH of the environment. A plagioclimax is when human activity interferes with the succession of a sere and prevents it from reaching its climatic climax vegetation. Human activity which causes a plagioclimax to occur could be deforestation, animal grazing or fire clearance. Conversely, it is not just human activity that can result in a plagioclimax. Natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions can also result in a plagioclimax being reached. However, if the plagioclimax is reached as a result of physical activity then it is generally not maintained and secondary succession can occur, which is when plants develop on land that has previously been vegetated. An example of a plagioclimax is the heather moorland in the North York Moors. The North York Moors were once covered in woodland, and heather would have featured in very small quantities. However, as a result of sheep grazing and deforestation, the regrowth of the climatic climax vegetation has been prevented and now heather is the dominant species. To control the uplands and encourage new heather shoots, managed burning is employed every 15 years, a technique that eliminates the less fire resistant species, allowing heather to dominate and conserves as many nutrients as possible. To conclude, I think that both physical and human factors play a significant role in accounting for changes in vegetation over time in the British Isles. However, I feel that physical factors have a greater impact in the long term that human factors, as physical factors are such that they generally change the environment or habitat on a permanent basis, such as climate change. Nevertheless, I believe that human factors play a significant role in changes to vegetation over time, but I feel that human intervention is not as long term as a change made as a result of physical factors because humans generally have the control and power to continuously change the environment and possibly restore it back to the way in which it was originally, whereas physical factors are not controlled.

The Effectiveness of Anti-bullying Policies within the NHS: An Empirical Investigation

Based on the definition of Einarsen and Skogstad (1996), workplace bullying is defined as follows: â€Å"A person is defined as bullied if he or she is repeatedly subjected to negative acts in the workplace. However, to be a victim of such bullying one must also feel inferiority in defending oneself in the actual situation. This definition builds on research on bullying in the school playground†¦ and stresses that bullying and harassment imply a difference in the actual or perceived power and ‘strength between the persecutor and the victim.Typically, a victim of harassment or bullying is teased, badgered, and insulted and perceives that he or she has little recourse to retaliation in kind†¦This definition†¦is not limited to a predefined set of negative acts. It covers all situations in which one or more persons over a period feel subjected to negative acts that one cannot defend oneself against. Even if a single episode, e. g. physical assault may be regarded as bullying or harassment, this definition emphasizes ‘repeated negative acts.’ Consequently, serious conflicts between parties of ‘equal’ strength, or isolated episodes of conflict, are not considered as bullying. (p. 187). The NHS represents a very important entity in the delivery of healthcare services. And as bullying represents an important work place condition variable that may affect the quality of services delivered within the organisation and to patients, it is but logical to conduct a study on bullying within the NHS. Review of Related Literature O’Hare (2006) reports that there were about 5 thousand nurses attacked while at work in Northern Ireland in 2005.A handful of the victims suffered fractures, still others were grabbed by the throat, or subjected to insulting behavior such as being spat at. More than 60% of those surveyed underwent verbal harrassment as well, while about 27% were physically abused (O’Hare, 2006). These figures take on greater importance as we consider the scarcity of healthcare workers who are expected to deliver quality healthcare to NHS patients. Why is it crucial to emphasize civility in the workplace? The cuthroat competition of contemporay organisation necessitate that they develop strong retention factors that will motivate their employees to stay.It has become increasingly difficult to make employees stay within an organisation for long, and one important factor that influences such a decision is the environment of hostility vis-a-vis civility within that workplace. More often than not, employees choose to transfer to other companies instead of taking in such working conditions (Glendinning, 2001). NHS’ Definition of Bullying Bullying is defined within the NHS Trust as follows: â€Å"Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, which amounts to an abuse of power and makes the recipient feel upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable.Bully ing undermines a victim's self-confidence and may cause them to suffer stress† (NHS Anti-bullying policy, 2002, p. 1). The NHS Trust likewise acknowledges that the occurrence of bullying within the workplace results in undue stress, depression, decrease in self-esteem, undesirable performance, and ineffective dealings with others (NHS Anti-bullying policy, 2002). Definition of Bullying by the NHS Trust The UK is not alone in its struggle to protect its workers from bullying. In a study by Glendinning (2001), they studied this phenomenon within an organisational context.Through a comprehensive review of related literature, they have conlcuded that a new relationship between supervisors and subordinates have evolved, and rightly so with the increasing dynamism and competition in the new global village (Glendinning, 2001). Moreover, it prescribes that the human resource function be held most accountable for curbing such occurrence. Difficulties in Deploying Anti-bullying Policies Glendinning (1999) differentiates between a â€Å"bullying† superior and a hard to please one. The latter simply sets out stiff expectations and targets from his subrodinates to be able to optimize their performance.On the contrary, this is not the intention of a bullying boss (Glendinning, 1999). He proceeds by consistently showing aggressive behavior that causes either physical or psychological harm to the staff he supervises . Some of the repercussions of bullying behavior in the workplace are turnover, retention, recruiting and succession issues, employee health effects, reduced productivity, counterproductive behavior, and legal countermeasures by employees (Glendinning, 1999). Prescriptions for HR Professionals for Creating a Bully-free WorkplaceAccording to Cox (2005), 87% of those in the human resources funtion were keenly informed of bullying occurences within their company. This may be a disturbing finding considering that despite such awareness, there are still 19 million working days lost because of this phenomenon. In fact, the figures show that out of five employees, there is one who is likely to feel stressed from this cause. Stress, in itself, incurs substantial cost at 7 billion annually (Cox, 2005). There has been difficulty of monitoring bullying incidents, primarily because some or even several incidents go off unreported.While there are preponderant anti-bullying policies, there is a dire need for training so that there may be heightened awareness on observing the indicators of bullying. If the bad treatment is rooted on ostracism, the employer may even be held liable for the action. Currently, employees have something more solid to rely on as a result of the Majrowski v Guy's & St Thomas's NHS Trust case. Mr Majrowski contended that his employer was partly accountable for the acts of an employee and asserted that he did experience bullying, harrassment, and intimidation from his superior.He likewise experienced extreme criticisim and others were favoured over him. As a result, the Court of Appeal rules in his favour and explicitly prescribed that he could depend on the Act and that the NHS was accountable for the actions committed by the employee (Cox, 2005). This decision has accorded employee’s a novel right, including definitions and entitlements relatd to harrassment and anxiety (Cox, 2005). There are several recommendations put forth for human resource professionals to be able to promote a bully-free workplace.One such proposal is to establish standards of interpersonal behavior within the organization to be able to (Pearson, Anderson, & Portah, 1999). Spelling out these expectations early on clearly lay down what is considered desirable or undesirable behavior within the company. Next is to be able to convey a clear message on the organization’s stance on bullying and its corresponding policies. The first realm which may exert an influence on this phenomenon is the recruiting function whi ch may relay these messages to prospective employee early on during the onboarding process (Pearson, Anderson, & Portah, 1999).The policies related to bullying must also be clearly reflected onto the employee’s job description, and there should be emphasis on the repercussions of violating these. Flynn (1999) also recommends that these behaviors be included as criteria for evaluation during the performance appraisal exercise. Given this backdrop, the current paper proceeds with an empirical investigation of bullying within the NHS Trust. The primary aim to to put forth recommendations on how to increase the efficacy of its anti-bullying policy, resulting in increased retention among its nurses and medical staff.Problem Statement The present research intends to address the following problem: How effective is the drafting and deployment of anti-bullying policies within the NHS? Thus, to be able to respond to this question adequately, the following questions have been investigat ed: 1) To what degree does bullying behaviour transpire within NHS hospitals as perceived by nurses / midwives / health care assistants and student nurses? 2) What is the efficacy level of the NHS anti-bullying policy as perceived by the medical staff? 3) Is there a significant relationship between the following variables?a) Degree of bullying behaviour experienced and level of efficacy of the NHS Bullying Policy? b) Degree of bullying behaviour experienced and age of the medical staff? b) Degree of bullying behaviour experienced and length of service of medical staff? Method Research Design The present investigation is a descriptive-correlational research that intends to define the present levels of bullying occurring within the NHS. The study is descriptive because it aims to depict the levels of bullying, the degree of awareness and involvement of nursing staff and hospital personnel in the drafting an deployment of bullying policies.In effect, there will be a need to compute for means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages to present the descriptive outcomes. The research is also categorised as correlatinal since it will also establish relationships between a) bullying behaviour and level of efficacy of the NHS Anti-bullying policy, b) degree of bullying behaviour experienced and age of the medical staff; and c) degree of bullying behaviour experienced and length of service of medical staff. Samples and Sampling Plan All hospitals within the NHS umbrella are qualified to take part in the investigation.Each of these hospitals shall be invited to take part in the study. They shall be selected through the use of a random numbers table. A total of 100 nurses and hospital staff shall be chosen through stratified random sampling, where the number of respondents shall be based on the relative size of the hospital (compared to the other hospitals chosen). A consent form has been distributed to the respondents of the study which explained that they are to willingly participate in the study and that they could choose to cease from participating at any time, without reprisal.They were also assured of the confidentiality of their responses and of their anonymity. All these measures have been undertaken for ethical reasons (Bryman, 1992). For the structured interview, 10 out of the 100 nurses / midwives / health care assistants and student nurses who originally took part in the study shall be asked questions that relate to their bullying experiences. This small sample shall be purposively chosen such that half of them have reported the bullying behaviour while the remainder did not.Moreover, selected key managers of the trust shall also be interviewed on how bullying is curbed within their respective areas of jurisdiction through the Trust’s anti-bullying policy. The qualitative data that will be gathered from the interviews shall supplement the quantitative findings from the survey questionnaire (Bryman, 1992). Instrument The NHS nursing staff and medical personnel have been asked to accomplish a self-constructed bullying questionnaire, whose items were based from the NHS Trust anti-bullying policy. The instrument uses a 5-point Likert type scale, which each number representing an opinion.The tool has three major parts. The first potion requests for demographic information, including gender, age, and tenure. The second portion is further subdivided into two parts: bullying experiences and the efficacy of the NHS Trust anti-bullying policy. The first sub-item intends to measure the degree of bullying experienced by the respondent and by others who also belong to that workplace. The items on efficacy talk about about individual and managerial responsibilities as regards curbing bullying behaviours in the workplace, conduct of investigations, and bullying awareness and training.Finally, there is an item which requests for an overall evaluation of the policy’s efficacy. Procedure The instrument shall be finalised and pilot tested. Undertaking a pilot study is necessary for instrument develepment. Chisnall (1997) points out that the value of a pilot study lies in validating the accuracy and consistency of â€Å"sampling frames† and planning the final sample size by measuring variability. According to Hunt et al (1982), â€Å"pilot testing pertains to testing the questionnaire on a small sample of respondents to identify and eliminate potential problems.† The pilot test will entail the participation of 5 respondents from any of the NHS hospitals chosen. Invitation letters shall be sent to all hospital administrators of the NHS, soliciting permission for the conduct of the study. Once permission is granted, the respondents shall each be given a consent form and shall be requested to return it three days later. On the agreed upon date, the researcher shall visit each of the randomly chosen hospitals to administer survey forms to the respondents.The survey questionnaire will be personally administered by the researcher to be able to address inconsistencies in addressing respondent queries (Oppenheim, 1992). On completion of the nursing staff, medical personnel and administrators of the NHS will be thanked, and shall be briefed on the study’s objectives. The outcomes shall be made available to them upon completion of the study. On the whole, the researcher expects that the level of bullying will be correlated with the perceived efficacy of the policy. Those who are older in terms of age and with longer tenures will tend to have lesser degrees of bullying experienced.Method of Data Analysis Pearson’s correlation coefficient shall be used as the main technique for data analysis apart from the descriptive statistics – the mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages. Pearson r is a measure of the degree of association between two measures. When the figure is positive, this indicates that as one measure increases, there i s a corresponding increase in the other. Salkind (2000) asserts that the Pearson’s correlation coefficient necessitates that both variables are measured on the interval scale.The present study shall make use of the Pearson correlation coefficient to present the relationships among the variables degree of bullying, efficacy of bullying policy, age, and tenure of respondent. References Bryman, A. (1992). Reasearch methods and organisation studies. London: Routledge. Chisnall, P. M. (1997). Marketing research (5th ed. ) Berkshire: McGraw-Hill. Cox, E. (2005). Bullying is tricky for employers. The Journal, 32. Einarsen, S. & Skogstad, A. (1996). Bullying at work: Epidemiological findings in public and private organizations.European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 185-201. Glendinning, P. (2001). Workplace bullying: Curing the cancer of the American Workplace. Public Personnel Management, 30(3), 269-275. Guynn, J. (1998). Mean business: Workplace bullies undermin e morale and productivity. Providence Sunday Journal (11/01/98).. Hunt, S. D. , Sparkman, J. R. D. & Wilkox, J. (1982). The pretest in survey research: issues and preliminary findings. Journal of Marketing Research. May, 269-273. NHS Anti-bullying policy. (2002). Retreived on November 28, 2006 from http://www. southtees. nhs.uk/foi/HRPantibullying. pdf O’Hare, P. (2006). 5, 000 nurses attacked. The Mirror, 6. Olweus, D. (1999). Norway. In P. K. Smith, Y. Morita, J. Junger-Tas, D. Olweus, R. Catalano, & P. Slee (eds. ) The nature of school bullying: A cross national perspective. London: Routledge. Oppenheim, A. N. (1992). Questionnaire design interviewing and attitude measurement. London: Pinter. Pearson, C. , Anderssen, L. & Portah, C. (1999). Assessing and attacking workplace incivility. Academy of Management Review. Salkind, N. J. (2000). Statistics for people who hate statistics. USA: Sage Publications Inc.