Diversity Essay Essay

As an educator in any school you have experienced a diverse range of students; from boys and girls, young adults, to immigrants starting a new life. In each classroom you will encounter and continue to encounter a different mix of student demographics. In order to be an effective educator you learn to adapt the curriculum and teaching methods to each unique situation. In most teaching experiences the students are the usually the ones adapting to the surroundings, however in my current teaching position it has been myself that has had to adapt to the surroundings. Teaching in a different country brings whole new experiences and places you outside of your comfort zone. It is not just adapting to a new curriculum and surrounding, but adapting to a new culture, and in my case a religion that is highly present in my classroom. Although my students do not differ from the other students in the classroom, does not make my classroom any less diverse. There is still a broad range of experiences and perspectives brought to the classroom that offers a powerful resource for everyone to learn more—in different ways, in new environments, and with different people. Every single person in this enormously diverse and ever changing system has the power to serve as an invaluable resource for all others, students, teachers and the community as a whole (Cummins, Brown & Sayer, 2007). As educators we all have strengths and weaknesses in our practices. It is  true that every day as a teacher you learn something new. It is those experiences that strengthen our strengths and help our weaknesses. According to Walden’s Diversity Proficiency Self-Assessment my strengths relate to understanding how cultures, family, and communities influence how my students understand, as well as knowing the needs of English language learners to support their learning. My weaknesses stem from meeting individual needs in various ways. Teaching in a different country has allowed me to place myself in a situation where I can fully immerse myself in a different culture other than my own. Being culturally sensitive to their ideas has made my relationships with the students and parents stronger than I ever thought I would be. Something as simple as dressing in their traditional clothing can be a gesture of respect, especially to the parents. Some of my students have never been around western people before so dressing in an Abaya (traditional dress worn by women) can make the students feel more comfortable. Aside from the way I present myself, my classroom setting has to be structured in a way that is acceptable as well. In the Muslim world they do not eat pork, or have anything to do with pigs; so finding an alphabet, and reading or singing songs about a farm has to be planned and alter to fit the culture inside the classroom. My classroom usually has between twenty three to twenty five students ever year. In the past several years we have had to share Arabic teachers because we do not have enough. In this case being able to meet all twenty five students’ individual needs has been a struggle for me. Also having special needs in my classroom and no special needs program to help me, a lot of my extra energy was spent with them. I try to balance by having groups set up by academic level, but even within those groups I struggled to find ways to address all individual strengths and weaknesses. Although I struggle with finding ways to ensure all my students are getting the appropriate instruction for each individual need does not mean my students to do feel a part of everyday life in my classroom. I still find  ways to show my students that they can succeed. My goal is to help facilitate my students’ pursuit for knowledge and help them acquire the communication skills, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills which will enable them to be life-long learners. A major part that has helped me promote these skills in my classroom is through professional development. Collaborating with my colleagues keeps me focused and engaged on tasks inside the school and classroom. Observing different styles of teaching has motivated me to try new ideas in my classroom and when my students show excitement about trying new things I know that they are succeeding in their own way. Not only does professional development help me become a better teacher but also the courses from Walden University. I have learned and adapted numerous ideas from other teachers and professors. The strategies and teaching English language learner’s courses have been the most influential. As teachers, student success is also a priority. It is important to remember as a teacher that success is measured in different ways. Success can be getting a good grade and for another student it could an increase in involvement. Whatever the success teachers must be able to help each student reach their full potential. In order for my students to succeed I must have goals set for myself. My first action is to continually grow in my profession. I want to be involved in new ideas and research that can enhance my day-to-day teaching. Keeping up with the latest information through courses, workshops, and professional journals can lead to more student interest and greater student success. My second action is to vary my instructional techniques. Instead of getting to the routine of doing routines I want to vary my teaching methods and provide my students with a greater opportunity to learn. Instead of differentiating one or two ways I want to have a variety of ways that will allow for different learning styles. I also want my students to understand how to succeed. I want to provide my students with a success criterion so  they understand how I will be grading their work. The broad range of experience and perspectives brought to school by culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse students offer a powerful resource for everyone to learn more in different ways, in new environments, and with different types of people (Epstein & Sheldon, 2007). The growing diversity in classrooms encourages the development and use of diverse teaching strategies designed to respond to each student as an individual. References: Cummins, J., Brown, K., & Sayers, D. (2007). Literacy, technology, and diversity: Teaching for success in changing times. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Epstein, J. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2006). Moving forward: Ideas for research on school, family, and community partnerships. In C. F. Conrad & R. Serlin (Eds.), SAGE handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry (pp. 117–138). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gender Roles in Beowulf and The Decameron Essay

The Anglo- Saxon epic Beowulf and Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron tell very different stories, but nevertheless can be said to share one common literary element: the representation of gender. Both Beowulf and many of the stories in the Decameron represent women as being the subject to men in all respects. Beowulf is a masculine epic altogether, in which women are absent, silent or otherwise merely a tool that serves the world of men. In The Decameron on the other hand, although women are present in all the stories, Boccaccio makes them the victims of his irony most of the times, picturing them either as adulteresses or as very simple beings that completely lack cleverness, like the woman who lets herself be persuaded by her lover that he is the angel Gabriel himself. However, in both Boccaccio’s tales and in Beowulf the role of the women is even more interesting to notice when the authors intend to give a positive representation of them, in the form of ideal women. The ideal women for the two texts, Griselda in Boccaccio’s hundred story and Wealhtheow in Beowulf offer indeed a good insight into the way in which women were represented: they are intended to be positive figures, but they are ideal only insomuch as they are perfect tools that serve in the men’s world. Thus, Beowulf is as Gillian Overing notes, an absolutely masculine epic, which focuses only on heroism. The world of men is accurately constructed: it is entirely composed of men’s wishes, men’s actions and so on: â€Å"Beowulf is an overwhelmingly masculine poem; it could be seen as a chronicle of male desire, a tale of men dying†¦There is no place for women in the masculine economy of Beowulf. â€Å"(Overing, 69) Beowulf is the hero and later the king, who saves the Danish people of the powerful monster Grendel and of his mother. The very few women who appear in the story are mostly mentioned directly as instruments in the world of men, as â€Å"peace-weavers† more exactly, like Hrothgar’s daughter for example, who is mentioned directly as a â€Å"promise† to a certain man, as a means to bring peace to the kingdom: â€Å"Oft to the heroes Hrothgar’s daughter,/ to earls in turn, the ale-cup tendered, –/she whom I heard these hall-companions/ Freawaru name, when fretted gold/ she proffered the warriors. Promised is she,/ gold-decked/ maid, to the glad son of Froda. / Sage this seems to the Scylding’s-friend,/ kingdom’s-keeper: he counts it wise/ the woman to wed so and ward off feud,/ store of slaughter. But seldom ever/when men are slain, does the murder-spear sink/ but briefest while, though the bride be fair! † It is quite clear that this woman will probably fail even in her modest role, as a peace maker, according to the prediction of the anonymous author. Wealhtheow, queen to Hrothgar is the only woman who is given a voice in the poem at all. Her two speeches, one addressed to her king and the other to Beowulf mark very important moments in the poem, and she almost seems to have a certain power. She advises her king not to adopt Beowulf as a son, since he already has two sons of his owns, and pledges him to his word by offering a cup. She then goes to Beowulf and offers another symbolic object, a neck-ring as a reward for his feats of heroism and urges him to fight again and confront death: â€Å"Enjoy this neck-ring with safety, Beowulf, beloved youth, and make use of this corselet, of our people’s treasure; prosper well, declare yourself with strength, and be kind of counsel to these youths. I shall remember to reward you for that. You have brought it about that men shall praise you from far and near for a long time to come†¦. Here every nobleman is true to the other, mild of heart, loyal to his lord; the thanes are united, the people willing; the wine-drinking warriors do as I bid. † (â€Å"Beowulf†, 1216-1231) In both these instances, the Danish queen seems to hold some power over the events and the world of men, since she performs such symbolic acts and since she herself declares that the warriors obey her. However, it is quite obvious that she also is an instrument just like the other women mentioned in the text. She does not perform her own will, but only acts as an ideal tool for men that takes the cup from one of them and gives it to another. It can be said that Wealhtheow is merely a mediator and a peace bringer in the poem, just like the other women represented. As Gillian Overing remarks, in Beowulf women serve only as mediators for the alliances between men, either through marriage or through symbolic, minor acts: â€Å"While we have no way of guessing at Beowulf’s sexuality, or at the poet’s or the hero’s personal views on marriage, we cannot ignore the strength of expressed masculine desire in the poem. Intensity and passion are located in the bonds of loyalty and friendship forged between men, and marriage is valued as an extension of this larger emotional context. †(Overing, 72) Thus, Wealhtheow is an ideal woman in Beowulf insomuch as she serves the purposes in men’s world, her will simply coinciding with the desires of men. In the last story of The Decameron, one of the very few that actually have a â€Å"happy† ending, Griselda the modest daughter of a shepherd is married to the Marquis of Saluzzo. Her role in the story is strikingly similar to that of Wealhtheow in Beowulf, even if the context is very different. In the story Gualtieri is a typical man, who as shown from the start, is preoccupied only with men’s business, such as hunting, and despises the idea of marriage: â€Å"†¦having neither wife nor child, [he] passed his time in naught else but in hawking and hunting, and of taking a wife and begetting children had no thought; wherein he should have been accounted very wise†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Boccaccio, 837) As the author declares, the idea of taking a wife would be completely unwise, suggesting that women are merely troublesome acquisitions for men. However, Gualtieri is married at last, but chooses the daughter of a shepherd, so as to make sure she will be more likely to obey him in everything: â€Å"He then asked her, whether, if he took her to wife, she would study to comply with his wishes, and be not wroth, no matter what he might say or do, and be obedient†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Boccaccio, 840) After a few happy years, he starts to deliberately torment his wife, through cruel acts, such as taking her children away and making her believe they are dead or humiliating her for her base condition in front of everyone. All this is done of course to try the wife’s patience and her limits in her total obedience to her husband. In the end, he makes her believe he is going to marry again, but instead brings her daughter, and the story ends well. The moral is quite evident: Boccaccio attempted to portray his idea of the perfect woman, that is the woman is nothing else but an instrument of man’s will. Griselda is so modest as to consider herself unworthy of any kind of regard, and so patient as to bear in silence her husband cruelty: â€Å"My lord, do with me as thou mayst deem best for thine own honour and comfort, for well I wot that I am of less account than they, and unworthy of this honourable estate †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Boccaccio, 842) Her similarity to Wealhtheow is now apparent: both the queen in Beowulf and Griselda are ideal women only because they serve men properly, as instruments, that do not have any will of their own. Thus, the heroines of the two texts, although they appear in very different contexts, are obviously represented in the same way, that is, as instruments that are in harmony with men’s affairs and desires. Their perfection comes precisely from their nullity as characters, as persons of their own will. Both of them are wives first of all, and are defined only through this role. Although their authors intended a positive representation of women through them, they are in fact just useful devices for men, with no real consistence of their own. Works Cited: Risden, Edward L. tr. Beowulf. Troy: Whitston Publishing, 1994. Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. New York: Signet Classics, 2003 Overing, Gillian R. Language, Sign and Gender in ‘Beowulf. ’ Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1990.

Westfarmers Curragh Pty Ltd Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Westfarmers Curragh Pty Ltd - Assignment Example Curragh falls under the category of largest independent producer of coal mines and Curragh mission is to deliver and create sustained, outstanding growth for shareholders value and return by way of delivering quality products to the customers as per their requirements. The key mining products of Curragh includes hard coking coal, steam coal and PCI coal (Curragh, 2011). Advantage for Curragh to enter the Chinese coal market would be since China is the second largest importer of coal and it imports mostly from Australia and Indonesia making room for Curragh to enter China and export coal reserve. Several factors have contributed to China’s sudden entrance in the coal import sector such as environmental as well as safety consideration, transportation bottleneck, and economic factors along with concerns with respect to depleting coal reserve. Based on the above several factors it would wise to export coal to china Analysis of external environment External environment includes industry factor and the general environmental factors and starts with an analysis of the political factors, economic, social, technological factors, environmental and legal factors which are also referred to as PESTEL analysis. Thus if Westfarmers Curragh l wants to entry China it should analyze the external environment of China through PESTEL. ... Safety with coal production has been significant focus for the Chinese government and as result deaths per million tons of coal produced has decreased by 85% in between 2000 and 2009 (World Coal Association, 2011). China has been suffering from imbalance transportation which means coal needs to be transported through long distance through roads, railways and water bodies. Thus from the perspective of the Chinese government import of coal has been encouraged and can be regarded as a way to ease the deteriorating bottleneck of transportation in China. Curragh coal can benefit through this policy as it will get assistance from the Chinese government to export coal in China which in return will enhance the brand name and value of Westfarmers, it can avail to all the rights and regulation and enter the Chinese market. Economical Coal imports in China accounts for more than half of the global production and contributes to the economy of China. Over the years China has become the second lar gest coal reserve globally next to US. China is the largest energy consumer and the economy which has grown at an average rate of 10% is the key driver in consumption of energy both in China and also on international grounds. China GDP grew to 7.8% as estimated in the first half of 2012 (EIA, 2012). China is said to be the biggest producer of coal for the past 2000 years and is the third largest coal reserves with 114billion tones and in any economic environment would make it to the top coal producer. In an environment of rapid growth of economy, China production of coal has grown up drastically and in between 2000 and 2010 the coal production has tripled (World Coal Association, 2011). Exporting Curragh Coal in China will also boost

Strategic Management - business environment - success Case Study

Strategic Management - business environment - success - Case Study Example The second section will take a look at the internal and external situation of the company through the employment of a SWOT analysis. The strategies employed by a business organisation are strongly influenced by its leaders. The strategic direction and path taken by the company is always dependent on the leadership style, personality, and experience of its decision makers. This fact is highly exemplified in the operation of Stakis Plc. Since its inception to its course of operation, the company has been run by four distinct leaders which pursued different strategies in order to take the company forward. These leaders are Reo Stakis, Andors Stakis, Sir Lewis Robertson and David Michels. Roe Stakis laid the foundation of Stakis Plc by the opening of a restaurant in Glasgow in 1947. This move during a period of "severe and continuing austerity" in an "industrial city which carried over an unattractive image from the interwar period" seems to be irrational at the moment. However, it showed the leader's Reo Stakis' optimism and the determination to offer his products in spite of the external challenges and difficulties. Reo's distinct optimism and determination fuel the growth of the company and its venture to other types of businesses. It can be seen that during his reign as the chairman of the Stakis Plc, the company has gone beyond the restaurant business into other sectors such as hotels, casinos, property and finance. The growth strategy employed by Reo can be further anlysed through the use of the Ansoff Matrix. The Ansoff's Matrix is a tool in strategic management which is utilised in order to aid in deciding the product and market growth strategy of a company. According to this tool, the strategies employed by a business organisation can be categorised according to the products offered and markets targeted. Strategies are classified as market penetration, market development, product development and diversification (Thomson and Strickland 2002). Analysing the growth strategy employed by Reo Stakis in the light of the Ansoff Matrix, it can be noted that the founder has ventured both into product development and diversification strategies. Unsatisfied as a restaurateur, he also offered lodging and recreation services to his tourists and business clients by opening hotels and casinos. This move can be described as a product development and related diversification strategy. By venturing into the leisure and hotel industries, the company is offers new products to its current market and also hopes to attract new ones. This is also evidenced by the company's rapid expansion into new geographical regions in the United Kingdom. The decision of Stakis Plc to venture into the property and financial sector is an unrelated diversification strategy. With this decision, the company moves beyond its previous business scope. It is also notable that the company's expansion strategy is often furthered through the acquisition of other firms. W ith the leadership Reo, Stakis Plc has acquired D&A Haddow and St. Ermin's Hotel. When deciding to operate in an unrelated industry, the company does not establish its own brand but seems to be more

Network (LAN) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Network (LAN) - Research Paper Example On this regard, this paper focuses on the development of a secure Local Area Network via an account of a manufacturing company located in Kuwait. It is essential to clarify that the Information Systems group for the company is composed of a significant number of high quality professionals. These professionals are expected to play a very important role in coming up with the most secure IT infrastructure system within the organization. They include the Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and the Chief Security Officer (Schneier, 2004). The roles of each of the aforementioned group members are as stipulated below. The Chief Technology Officer is in charge of overseeing the current technology applied in the company. He is also responsible for the creation of the relevant policies used in the day-to-day implementation of the current technology. The Chief Information Officer is responsible for the Information Technology along with the computer systems that support the enterprise goals of the company. Finally yet importantly, the Chief Security Officer is responsible for ensuring maximal security to the company’s communication and business systems. This is to protect the company from any unauthorized data access by an intruder In order to provide maximal security in the company’s IT infrastructure, a well-designed network diagram has hereby been integrated into the report. The aim of the diagram is to ascertain that there is a bird’s eye view of how the organization is expected to benefit from the adoption of integrated network communication system (Schneier, 2004). As indicated in the diagram below, a significant number of networking and computer devices have been provided for the day-to-day operations of the company’s IT Infrastructure. These devices include a gateway router, a wireless router switches, networking cables, printers, personal computers, a face recognition

Good or Bad Performance for Cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good or Bad Performance for Cities - Essay Example In several studies, graffiti was found to have the following advantages to the cities: (1) it revitalizes the city through â€Å"controlled graffiti†; (2) it is a form of community beautification by spicing up urban blight and (3) it educates the public through disseminating relevant social issues. On the other hand, graffiti has still been viewed as a form of vandalism and a crime in many societies. The City of Calgary, for example, penalizes those caught doing graffiti with a $5000 fine. It is viewed as a waste of time and resources as the city would eventually resort to cleaning and removing them. The costs of removing them are tremendous and take a financial toll to the government. The Journal Live news of graffiti report â€Å"unwelcome art attacks cost  £1m a year MORE than a million pounds is spent every year cleaning up graffiti in the North-East". In addition, prison sentences were handed to members of a gang who work on making graffiti and were found to have destr oyed â€Å"hundreds of buildings and railway bridges in their distinctive tags over eight months, giving transport operators a huge clean-up bill amounting to  £140,000†. The actions of graffiti artists are evaluated according to their specific objectives or purpose for doing their art form. Most governments have recognized the evolution of graffiti art as continuously transforming. Stowers (1997) averred that â€Å"whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad, or extremely valuable is a different discussion.

The Developing Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Developing Manager - Essay Example The theory had the following principles; the managers should come up with a process for every type of component of an employee’s job, encourage specialization, choose and coach employees scientifically, plan and programme the jobs, develop patterns for time and ways for each job and use wage as a motivation. A French engineer Henri Fayol came up with a clear difference between the operating and management departments of an organization, known as the â€Å"administrative theory†. He classified five key roles for managers; developing, organizing, coordinating, directing and commanding. Max Weber and Chester Barnard also contributed to the administrative theory. Max Weber made a â€Å"bureaucracy concept†, the main objective of this concept was to plan a system and methods to certify that all workers were being treated justly. Mary Parker Follett contributed to the administrative theory by highlighting the importance of the employees’ contribution, resolving differences and mutual objectives. Companies like McDonald’s still use the classical management theories. Large firms that are economizing by letting employees go and turning more efficient also use classical theories of management. (Lussier, 2008) This theory emphasized on the fact that human skills are more important as compared to technical skills. In a study conducted by Joan Woodward he showed how technology has an effect on the structure of the firm. She stated that the structure of the firm changes when technology changes. This study also demonstrated that the classical theory was effective when the firm adopted mass production technologies, and the behavioural theory was effective when the production was on a small scale. (Lussier, 2008) There are many types of management style that a firm can use, which style it chooses has a great influence on how efficient the employees are. Firm usually use a combination of all the management styles to

BLIP Echo Planar Imaging Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

BLIP Echo Planar Imaging Method - Essay Example Sampling of k-space is different in EPI that enables high quality of images acquired. EPI uses quickly switching gradients to produce its echo train as against use of RF pulses in FSE. EPI frequency encoding gradient oscillates from positive to negative to create odd and even echoes. Each read gradient echo corresponds to one k-space with the positive and negative gradients changing the direction of the line that is read. The changing of direction of the line read results in a phase ‘blip’ causing a shift in Ky and this method of phase encoding is referred to as blip EPI. Characteristics of EPI: EPI has three distinct characteristics in terms of speed, the variety of contrast and the flexibility in terms of available resolution for imaging small structures like the pituitary gland. EPI offers higher speeds (6 to 10 times) of imaging of short temporal events under motion. It provides with high image quality by collecting more averages with increased slice frequency per TR . The signal to noise ratio of the images is high and the resolution is also high. Its usefulness depends on the MR system used and the efficiency is determined by the ability to perform 1282 or 2562 in a very short time to avoid large off resonance artifacts. It means that high quality images of moving patients can be obtained by using the speed of EPI. A variety of tissue contrasts (T1, T2 and T2*) are allowed by EPI for image acquisition and small structures are imaged using the flexibility in resolution where the field view can be reduced, the echo train length can be increased or geometric distortions can be reduced to increase the resolution. Also, just half of the data of the image can be gathered that can be further synthesized through conjugation to obtain the remaining data. Flexibility in contrast can be used to produce an image similar in standards to that of an SE image with the same TE and TR by using an excitation pulse in the front part followed by a 1800 pulse (T2* dephasing) to create the first echo. EPI compared to conventional fast imaging methods: EPI uses the Blip EP method of phase encoding where each phase blip between echoes causes a shift in k-space line. Each k-space line is contributed by the gradient refocused echo and is either read positively or negatively through the gradient change. The quickly switching gradients that produce the echo train are responsible for the odd and even echoes. When the lines are read, the reversed read lines are reordered before constructing the image. Also, the rf pulse is not used to create multiple echoes as in conventional FSE. Figure 1: (a) Pulse diagram of FSE, 4 echoes and (b) pulse diagram of EPI. Source: (McMahan, 2012). Benefits in EPI: Acquiring single snap shot images is much faster (20-100 ms) using EPI when compared to conventional FSE as gradient echoes take less time as all the encoding steps are obtained after one single excitation pulse is applied. This is in contrast to the train of rf pulses applied that increases TR. Also, EPI allows flexibility in contrast that enables even small structures to be imaged very fast. Further, slice coverage is increased with EPI when compared to FSE. EPI has fewer rf pulses that result in low specific absorption rate (SAR). As SAR is low, TR is also low, resulting in more slices to be covered in the same TR as in FSE. Sensitivity to resonance effects: A disadvantage in EPI is that it is sensitive to off resonance effects of the echo gradients

Training on Conflict resolution strategies in Team Dynamics Essay Example for Free

Training on Conflict resolution strategies in Team Dynamics Essay The necessity of this training   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disagreements with how one sees life situations are just a few of the reasons that conflicts happen so ordinarily. Just as conflicts are also integral parts of daily existence so does negotiating through them (Amason, 1996; Amason, Thompson, Hochwarter, Harrison, 1995). Studies reveal that there is â€Å"no one size fits all† when it comes to navigating the disagreements and weather through storms where conflicts are concerned. However, there are principles that are observed when successful conflict management has taken place. Conflicts therefore must be confronted and understood at the individual level where a person experiences inner personal struggles at varying degrees. However, a short training tackles in detail a much larger picture as it attempts to provide a succinct look at conflict resolution strategies in the area of team dynamics by examining, describing and explaining various concepts as to the understanding of these significant concepts. Objectives for the training of communication To understand the nature of conflict as it arises in individual situations and in teams. Individual personal conflicts are inevitable occurrences that are usually taken for granted because of its â€Å"ordinariness.† Unless people undertakes a formal study on conflict management, he/she goes through life hitting and missing (at most) at ways of resolving issues and inner conflicts and in all probabilities, somehow manages to escape conflicts. The following important features in team dynamics are specifically indicated and described because these are crucial points in developing effective management of conflicts and developing efficient team dynamics. To reap the Benefits of working teams in relationship to conflict resolution strategies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Working teams in relationship to conflict resolution strategies provide benefits including personal and team growth as team members acquire insights with relationships and how these relationships are utilized to better reach worthwhile goals. In addition, working teams have optional choices rather than solitary attempts at confronting conflicts, such as higher possibility arriving at the solutions of the problems, promoting cohesiveness among the team, and increasing the involvement or participation of members. To identify the different Types of Conflict   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the study presented by Johnson (2005), few researches actually â€Å"describe how to identify conflict.† There are seven types of conflicts depending on â€Å"who is in conflict with whom† (Fisher et al, 1995; in Johnson, 2005). These are:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~an individual with inner conflicts totally unrelated to the team but whose best performance for the team is not achieved due to the personal problem, thus influencing the whole team   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~two distinct members are in direct conflict with each other   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~one against all members   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~all against one member   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~a lot of members against a lot of others as well   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~one whole team as against another team   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ~all of the team as against one person not a part of the team. To   explain ways of Managing, preparing or preventing Conflict   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since conflict and disagreements are integral to the growth and performance of teams, it is therefore necessary that individual members and as a group, go through an education process to understand the nuances of conflict. They necessitate the learning to distinguish what healthy debates are, brainstorming and normal exchange of ideas which are important to team achieving corporate goals (Johnson, 2005). Studies by Tjosvold and colleagues (1999) show that when disagreements are brought into the open and talked about, conflicts are minimized and feelings of frustration, anger and doubts or suspicions are abated. Solutions to conflict   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employing a conflict checklist can be an excellent ingredient as well in resolving and minimizing the incidence of conflict. III. Identify Types of Instructional methods you will use and why   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The best method that will be used is the seminar-workshop type which showcases the sort of brief lecture/discussion type followed by a question and answer portion. The workshop aspect will be the demonstration on activities that will enhance closeness of the relational and emotional aspect of the team’s association and promote self-understanding and self-awareness as well. Team communication and conflict are best understood when games and activities are tied up or incorporated as part of the challenge that the group will undertake. Discuss how you would tie the training into performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the discussion of the lecture on conflict and strategies that are going to be developed by individuals and groups, it is expected that these are skills that are not learned overnight. However, there are expectations that the insights must be applied during the next few days or weeks. The kind of training that is illustrated here is expected to be clearly applicable and transferable wherever the participants maybe. Training for conflict resolution strategies in team dynamics will not be that easy but the determination must be there for the participants to see real results.             References Amason, A. C. (1996). Distinguishing the effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict on strategic decision making: Resolving a paradox for top management teams. Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 123-148. Amason, A. C., Thompson, K. R., Hochwarter, W. A., Harrison, A. W. (1995). Conflict: An important dimension in successful management teams. Organizational Dynamics, 24(2), 20-35. Bens, I. (1997). Facilitating conflict. In M. Goldman (Ed.), Facilitating with ease! (pp. 83-108). Sarasota, FL: Participative Dynamics. Davison, Sue Canney. 2003. Creating Working Normas and Agreements. Accessed May 25, 2008 www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org/CreatingWorkingAgreementsDavison3.doc Fisher, K., Rayner, S., Belgard, W. (1995). Tips for teams: A ready reference for solving common team problems. NY, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Jennsen, O., Van De Vliert, E., Veenstra, C. (1999). How task and person conflict shape the role of positive interdependence in management teams. Journal of Management, 25(2), 117-141. Johnson, Debbi-Wagner. 2005. Managing Work-Team Conflict: Assessment and Preventatve Strategies. Center for Collaborative Organizations, University of North Texas.   All rights reserved. Rayeski, E., Bryant, J. D. (1994). Team resolution process: A guideline for teams to manage conflict, performance, and discipline. In M. Beyerlein M. Bullock Tjosvold, D., Morshima, M., Belsheim, J. A. (1999). Complaint handling on the shop floor: Cooperative relationships and open-minded strategies. International Journal of Conflict Management, 10(1), 45-68.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay Shakespeare wrote Macbeth between 1603 and 1606 for King James 1st (England) and 6th (Scotland). Its about a tale of royalty treachery heroes and witches. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 the public were full of tales of witches and evil. Witchcraft was a subject that the English took very seriously. They believed that a witch had a third nipple under her arm. They burned women or threw them in lakes to see if they floated, if they did, they were sentenced to death. It is estimated that in Scotland between 1564 and 1603 eight thousand suspected witches were burned to death. These executions did not cease until the end of the seventeenth century. The sight of witches in an Elizabethan theatre would have been terrifying for the audience. For my English coursework on Macbeth I have chosen to look at act one scene one, two and three. This is due to the simple fact that it is the introduction to the play and indeed it sets the feel to the whole play In Shakespeares play, we open during a thunderstorm; this prepares us for the evil witches. Three witches come onto the stage: When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? The first witch asks what the setting shall be for their next meeting, thunder, lightning and rain conditions that most people would find frightening and would stay away from. The second witch says that they will meet: When the hurlyburlys done, When the battles lost and won. We then find out that they are going to meet on the heath. They have insight into the future. The witches tell us that they are going to meet Macbeth. We do not know who Macbeth is or why the witches are meeting him, but we think that he must be evil because he is linked with the witches. Their familiars call to them and they disappear chanting: Fair is foul, and foul is fair: This expresses the main themes in the play, the reversal of fortunes, and the fact that appearance can be deceptive. And we later see Macbeth is fair in Duncans eyes but underneath he is foul, he will later betray Duncan. The opening scene is exactly thirteen lines long, thirteen is unlucky and in those times unlucky things were bad. So by this point the audience will have picked up that these are bad people. Scene two opens in a camp near the battlefield; King Duncan, Malcolm and Donalbain, his sons, and Lennox are present. They see a bleeding Captain and ask him how the battle is going. The Captain tells them how well Macbeth fights: For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name- Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements. This is portraying a picture of a tall and strong man who is highly regarded by the experienced fighters in the army. Duncan then praises Macbeth by calling him O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman This presents us with a very different view of the main character, a relative of the kings, well brought up, a courtier, but still highly regarded. The Captain then goes on to tell us of how Macbeth and Banquo responded to a fresh attack by the Norweyan lord, Sweno: they Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe. Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, Or to memorise another Golgotha, I cannot tell- Macbeth and Banquo had fought back twice as hard as if they meant to kill every man there or to create a new burial ground, he could not tell. This shows how good and strong Macbeth is in battle. The Captain goes and Ross and Angus arrive. They tell Duncan that Bellonas bridegroom had won the battle. Macbeth had won and they were painting him as a god. They also tell Duncan that the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor, Duncan decides to reward Macbeth by giving him the Thane of Cawdors title. This is ironic because Macbeth will become a traitor too. We now have two opinions of Macbeth, one evil Macbeth, linked to the witches, and one good Macbeth, a noble warrior who has fought well in battle to protect his country. The third scene is set on the heath, the witches are there, and telling each other what they have been doing since they last met. The first witch wants to put a spell on a sailor whose wife refused to give her chestnuts. She is going to toss his ship about and make sure that he does not sleep. This is reflected when Macbeth can not sleep later on in the play. The third witch shouts: A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come. They know that it is Macbeth, this too shows the witches insight. A drum is significant because it is a military symbol. We now meet Macbeth and Banquo. The first words Macbeth say are: So fair and foul a day I have not seen. This reflects the words of the witches: Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Which tells us that he is in tune with them and therefore in tune with evil. It is Macbeth who demands to hear what the witches have to say: Speak, if you can: what are you? They acclaim him: All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter! Macbeth starts and Banquo asks him why. The witches have seen his thoughts and know his ambitions, he is afraid to hear that other people know his desires. Banquo asks them what the future holds for him and the witches reply: Hail! Hail! Hail! Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: Then they disappear again into the mist. Macbeth is not happy with the information he has received and demands that they stay and tell him how he is to become Thane of Cawdor and the king. The audience will now be itching to see if the latest predictions are true: after all, the previous have all now happened. Ross and Angus arrive on the scene, they have come from the king to award Macbeth with the title of the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth doesnt know that the Thane has been sentenced to death for betraying the king: The thane of Cawdor lives. why do you dress me In borrowed robes? Banquo is amazed that the witches are right: What, can the devil speak true? Macbeth thinks to himself: Glamis, and thane of Cawdor: The greatest is behind. He thinks that they are evil and will bring about Macbeths downfall: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betrays In deepest consequence. Macbeth thinks about Banquos words and fights with his ambition and decides to let fate take its course: If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, Without my stir. In any screen version, Macbeth on the Estate, I expect a great warrior, respected by the king and fellow noblemen of Scotland. His best friend, Banquo is always by his side, and both dressed in armour coming from battle, with wounds. Macbeth should be about thirty-five to forty, he should be strong and masculine, as he has the strength to unseam a man: from the nave to the chops. I review now two modern interpretations of the play the first will be, Macbeth on the Estate is set on the Ladywood Estate in Birmingham; this is the first difference between the screen version and the text. We open on a desolate estate, you can hear the wind, it is misty, dull, dark and grey. The high rise flats break the skyline. The ground is covered in mud and rubble, something used to be there but has been destroyed. A character comes on scene, he isnt a witch, he is the Thane of Fife, Macduff. He is wearing a black tracksuit and speaks with a Jamaican accent, his words have rhythm. He tells us that what we are about to see, that Duncan is king and that he has become fat and lazy, he is no longer a good king. He tells us that there had been some problems and Duncan had told Macbeth to sort them out. The screen blacks and we see the title, when we return, we get a view from a smashed window, signifying violence. There is eerie music playing in the background, the estate is empty, abandoned. We get a clip of an alley, there are rats running around in it, this shows disease, dirt and decay. We then get a shot of a building, and a shot of another building with some children playing outside it, some men come along and they run away. The camera moves to the inside of a house, the door is kicked in and the men run into the house. The characters are introduced by freeze-frame the first man, the leader is Macbeth, he is wearing jeans and a dark jumper, this may suggest that he is evil. The other characters are introduced including Duncan, who is not at the battle. He is in a Public House; smoking and drinking, he is wearing a bright shirt, which is not buttoned, he is lazy and immoral, he is not as nice a king as Shakespeares Duncan. This makes Macbeth seem less evil when he kills him. The production is not about good fighting evil, it is about bad fighting worse. Shakespeare meant this as a morality play, however this is not a moral king and I feel that it makes me feel more sympathy for Macbeth when he betrays Duncan. The camera brings us back to the house, they are using pepper spray and baseball bats. The image is extremely violent. The television is switched on and Macbeth is distracted by it. The National Lottery is on, he seems drawn to it and is then disgusted by it and smashes the screen. Upstairs Malcolm and Macduff are fighting when they see the Thane of Cawdor, Malcolm jumps out the window Macduff is pushed down the stairs and they go back to tell Duncan. Macbeth comes up the stairs and gets trapped with Banquo. We go back to the Public House, where Malcolm and Macduff have just arrived Macduff keeps pushing Malcolm away. He tells Duncan of how the battle is progressing. This is the role of the Captain in the play. In the play we dont see the battle, this shows us a more violent side to Macbeth, however it shows him as a warrior, not just a nobleman and a loving husband. We hear that Macbeth has won the battle and all the men are praising him. Duncan decides to reward Macbeth with the title the Thane of Cawdor, he sends men to kill the present Cawdor and deliver the message to Macbeth. We then have another extra scene, they drag Cawdor to a car. Three children, the witches, have just broken the window. Cawdor is shut in the car and Malcolm sets it alight. He takes his punishment and does not attempt to escape. A close up on his face shows his disclaim for the learning Malcolm I think that Macbeth would do the same, they are alike, they are both traitors. The camera then follows the black smoke upwards. The eerie music is still playing in the background. We see Macbeth and Banquo walking past a building, voices start to shout from windows and doorways. The voices get faster and come from all over the building. The camera follows the sound. Macbeth moves to go into the building, he seems drawn to it, Banquo tries to stop him but he walks in. They go up some stairs, Macbeth seems to be following something and leads Banquo under some low gaps in the wall to a room. They go in and the witches are standing there. There are candles and tarot cards in the room. They speak to him and he scorns them. The witches are not as frightening as Shakespeares witches are; they do not have the same effect. A car horn beeps and Banquo leaves, Macbeth lingers, again drawn to the evil, and keeps looking at them, walking backwards through the door. They walk out onto the balcony, Macduff and Ross are waiting in a car below, and they tell Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor and that the old Thane is dead. They get into the car to go to Duncan. We get a close-up of Macbeth in the car, he looks out of the window and thinks about all that has happened if chance shall have me King, why chance may crown me Without my stir Ross is saying the porters speech; this scene is used after the murder of Duncan in the play. They reach the public house and again Macbeth is the first person to come through the door, he gives Duncan money and then starts a pretend fight with him. Duncan gives him his ring as a reward, he has a tattoo saying love on his hand. I think that this shows that he is close to Macbeth. The scenes in the screen version are not in the same order as in the play. The actors are using Shakespearean language in a modern setting. I do not think that this works well. I think that the Macbeth on the screen reacts well with the witches, he is drawn to them. The screen version of Macbeth is not what I imagined him to be like; he is not a well-built man. Banquo is closer to my image of Macbeth. He does not seem to be in an army, whereas in the play there was a military tie with the drum. The fight seems to be a turf-war over drugs. Duncan is not as moral as Shakespeare made him, he smokes and drinks alcohol, he is not a good king. The setting is different, the scenes are not the same, and the morality aspect has changed. The screen version does not portray Macbeth as the tragic hero. He is not the Macbeth I expected to see. The second screen version I am going to look at is Granada, again I expected to see a great warrior, but now I am more curious after seeing the Macbeth on Macbeth on the estate. The Granada version shows us an even more futuristic view of Macbeth but this time it uses actual warriors instead of vicious gangs of thugs, and they are actually fighting another country. We open on the wasteland with the witches. There are lots of bodies and old rubbish skips it looks as though there has been a battle fought here recently. We get a camera shot of the witches robbing the bodies anybody watching the scene can tell that these people are bad, evil almost as robbing the dead is frowned upon by anyone. The witches are dressed in rags and torn cloths they are grubby, they have rotten teeth and are wearing tacky plastic jewellery, They look like tramps. As they each say their lines we get a close up of each witch. When shall we three meet again I can see a middle aged woman rushing to strip the riches of a dead body, when the witches are all finished talking to each other we see them running away from the bodies and disappearing into thin air. there to meet with Macbeth Clutching watches in their hands. The camera then cuts a close up of Macbeth. This time Macbeth looks like I expected he looks strong, he looks like a warrior and he looks braver than the Macbeth we have seen from Macbeth on the estate. The camera cuts to scene two upon a hill in the country side with Duncan, Malcolm an Donalbain, Malcolms sons and Lennox standing talking, we are not told that is who they are but any one who has seen Macbeth before will know that this is who they are. With an explosion the Captain arrives war torn and bleeding, he staggers up the hill towards the group of man with his rifle slung over his back. His rifle is the currant issue weapon to the British Army so again it shows the modern aspect of the play. The Captain falls to the ground I front of the men, Duncan grabs hold of the Captain and shakes him. I can see that this Duncan is also more healthier than the king from Macbeth on the estate, he demands to know what is happening with the war and what about Macbeth. The Captain tells him that they have won the battle and that Macbeth has unseamed a mans body from his nave to his chops. The group all cheer at this they are all proud of their warrior Macbeth. Duncan then realises the Captain and orders someone to take a look at his wounds. Then with another explosion Angus and Ross appear they give the king the news of the Thane of Cawdors betrayal, king Duncan gives the order of the Thane to be killed and Macbeth to be given his title. They turn and leave down the hillside with their guns slung over their backs. The next scene begins in an original sort of way as Macbeth and Banquo riding down towards the wasteland on scramblers. This indeed is futuristic portrayal of the events, maybe the scramblers are there to represent the horses. They are now walking through the wasteland and spot the witches the viewers can now see that the witches predictions are true. Banquo spots them huddled around a fire and asks Macbeth what they are, Macbeth draws his gun and asks them to speak to him. They tell Macbeth his fortune and make paper crowns to symbolise the king, Macbeth is shocked by this and bites his nails, Banquo is questioning why Macbeth is worried and shocked by what the witches have to say. He then goes on to ask the witches what will become of him he seems happy. The witches then burn the crown in a nearby fire, they disappear in a star-trek like way again. Macbeth breaks out of his trance and calls for the witches to come back. I can see the power on his face he is almost annoyed that they are leaving it shows that he likes what they are saying. Its like saying goodbye to all the things he has ever wished for. Almost as soon as the witches leave there is another gunshot as Ross and Angus arrive, Macbeth is told that he has become the thane, he still seems shaken by the witches and now he seems disturbed. He turns his back on Ross, Banquo and Angus, this is what he will go on to do later on in the play to betray all the ones he knows on his quest to be King. He has his gun pressed against his cheek, he likes the power of the gun it makes him feel power, something that he longs to have, and we can hear his thoughts if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir We can see instead of fighting everyone to become king he is waiting for chance to crown him, or make him king. He turns to his comrades and says Till then enough come now friends He calls them friends now but would he be calling them friends if he knew he was going to kill his best friend Banquo Out of the two screen versions I prefer this one it presents the Macbeth I think of when I read Shakespeares Macbeth. It shows good camera work to add to the effects. In this version the scenes are in the same order as the book unlike Macbeth on the estate which muddles them around. I also think the witches are better portrayed as adults they seem more evil robbing the bodies. This Duncan is a good king I think this makes Macbeth seem even worse when he goes to kill him it shows that he is willing to kill good people to get where he wants to be. The war seems to be a proper war over land the way it would have been in Shakespeares time, not over drugs. This Screen version does portray Macbeth as the tragic hero I expected to see after first reading the book. Macbeth in both versions seems in a trance like state while the witches are around I think this is significant because the witches could be setting a spell on him.

Mistreatment Of Mentally Ill Patients Social Work Essay

Mistreatment Of Mentally Ill Patients Social Work Essay People suffering from mental illness are often looked differently and do not have equal access to all the opportunities in life. Though, patients family and the health care providers can play a fundamental role in the lives of these mentally ill people. Through offering a proficient care with warmth attitude they can certainly bring an optimistic change in them. But, imagine what if these caregivers are the reason of mistreatment with mental patients? This is an ethical issue which I recently came across during my clinicals and therefore decided to explore it in depth. Thus, the following paper is an attempt to analyze this issue by integrating an ethical model, highlight its significance and to discuss the causes, effects on mental health and practical strategies to overcome this immoral issue of mistreatment with mental patients. On my clinical to psychiatric ward civil hospital I encountered a 60 years old female, married and diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The chief complaints of patient were severe headache and aggressive behavior. Since 20 years patient had history of recurrent depressive illness characterized by weeping spells and low energy. On asking about the support system patient became gloomy and said I am alone and nobody likes to be with me and care for me. Further she said that due to her habit of cleaning things again and again her family becomes angry and speaks harshly to her. On spending some time with patient I came to know that how much she loved them but nobody came to meet her since she had got admitted. After taking history of patient that day I also observed that when my patient called the nurse to inquire about the medication timings, nurse replied rudely that how many times you will ask the same thing again and again. You are mentally ill but please let us remain in good health and then that staff nurse after making vicious gesture got out of that ward. This incident made patient further depressed. It is an issue which is ethically wrong, as caregivers who should help the patient when they are in true need are abusing them. As the professional code of ethics explains the significance of this ethical issue, which is the base of social morality that first of all, do no harm. It also emphasizes that the purpose of nonmaleficence includes not only definite harm but also the risk of harm (Clinical Ethics, 2004). Therefore, an ethical person must be constantly careful about the possible negative consequences of his words and actions with the mental patients. Furthermore, according to the world health organization, In Pakistan we come across upsetting stories about the mistreatment of mentally ill people due to societal hostilities daily (Gadit, 2008). Though, it is difficult to understand why such people are maltreated in Pakistan, an Islamic coun try where religious teachings are followed. Therefore, to discover the reasons behind this immoral deed, to identify actions to lessen this in society and also to make the caregivers inculcate this thought to support these people in their difficult times, I consider this issue as significant and therefore decided to highlight it in my paper. As defined by SAVE project of social services that mistreatment is a breach of persons human and civil rights causing despair. And, this violation can appear once or constantly (SAVE Project, 1995). Mistreatment of elderly person may include physical, psychological or financial exploitation and it can be intended or unintended. Intentional mistreatment involves a purposeful effort to inflict harm such as physical abuse or mauling. On the other hand, unintentional abuse takes place when an unplanned action results in damage, such as ignorance or a lack of desire of the care providers to offer proper care (Jones, Holestege, Holstege, 1997). As verbalized by my client that at home she was beaten harshly and was always ignored by the caregivers. Moreover, nurse also verbally mistreated the patient and showed lack of desire to care. However, the empirically generated model, which is an ethical model, provided by Fulmer Malley (1987) gives in depth details of causes and risk factors lead ing to mistreatment in mental patients. They divided the causal factors of mistreatment into four major categories including physical and mental impairment of the patients, increased strain on caregivers, family history of domestic violence and the societal attitudes. This model elucidates that domestic violence such as abuse and neglect are the behaviors which are learned at home and are passed from one generation to the next. Thus, elder abuse may be a continual phenomenon learned in childhood. Secondly, the stress on caregivers can also lead to mistreatment. Facing behaviors by the elderly mental persons like drug abuse, recurrent falls, incontinence or aggressive behaviors, the caregivers become exhausted and can lash out their resentment on these innocent beings. As happened with my client that due to her habit of cleaning things repeatedly, caregivers always offended and taunted her. Other external stressors such as loss of job, personal illness or low income can also place ov erwhelming demands on care providers which results in violent behaviors. Furthermore, this model suggests that the ill health of elderly persons in itself is a reason for abuse. Functional impairments lead to dependency on a caregiver for the activities of daily living. As these needs raises, the stress level of caregivers further increases. As faced by my patient, who was always reliant upon her family and husband for daily routine work. This created frustration for the family and at last they left her at psychiatric hospital. Lastly, there are several societal attitudes that contribute to mental persons maltreatment. Among these attitudes, Stigma is the most common in psychiatric settings. There are many reports affirming that such patients are teased in communities by unkind names (Gadit, 2008). Moreover, according to the World Health Report (2001), stigma and prejudice are the main hindrance faced by the mentally ill today, these abstain them from seeking appropriate care (Ramee la, 2004). Besides this, patients are also mistreated in the ward settings by the staffs, as occurred with my client. This is because, persons in institutional care are dependant, extremely fragile or chronically ill. In addition, problems such as low salaries, staff shortages and poor working environment increase the chances of mistreatment. (Lucas Stevenson, 2006). As the fundamental duty of all care providers is to perform efforts to improve the quality of life of patients. However, if these caregivers would show such an abusive behavior to the mental patients this will affect their psychological as well as physiological health. As shown in my client who along with psychological symptoms also suffered from insomnia and decreased appetite due to worries of being alone. Besides, as mentioned in literature that, negative behaviors and biases towards those having mental illness is the greatest hurdle to recovery (Chambers et al., 2010). Like, it was observed in my patient who lost all the hopes of being in normal condition as before. This was shown in her verbal comments that everyone thinks that I am mad and therefore behaves with me in harsh manner and I am sure I will never be fine again. This shows that how important role the caregivers and their attitude play in the development of mental patients. As very rightly said that Support has been kn own to help influence and motivate a behavior change in a positive way (Clark et al., 2005, p.20). Thus, if there would be lack of support system for these people it would lower their self esteem, intrinsic motivation and leads to decrease self concept (Lowder, 2007). If these mentally un well people are discriminated, this would hinder their ability to assimilate into society and this can lead to social isolation. Also, according to labeling theory, that once public label these people as mentally ill, their presence becomes undesirable in community hence leading them to social seclusion (Lowder, 2007). As happened with my client that when she asked her husband once to meet their relatives, he had beaten her scarcely with wooden stick just because he felt ashamed to take her in family gatherings. This affected her personality immensely and from that onwards she herself remained lonely and isolated. By reflecting upon this we can imagine that how a single dishonest action or altitude of caregivers can massively effect patients life. In addition, the interpersonal model of violence in mental health by Chappell and De Martino (2003) also agrees to the point that if patients needs and wishes are blocked till great extent, it would intensely affect patients mental health hence leading to disturbing effects such as ineffective adherence to treatment schedule and destruction of self (See appendices). Like, my patient tried several times to commit suicide in order to decrease her loneliness and suppress her aggression towards others. This show that it is very significant for caregivers to strengthen the mental health of these people rather than making them more vulnerable to harmful health consequences as conferred above. After thorough literature search I found out some practical interventions to promote the ways of reducing mistreatment with mental patients. It would be on individual, family, community and government level. At individual level, patients should be granted liberty to take decisions regarding their life and should not be tortured or harmed. This is supported by Human Rights Act (1998) that states no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Clinical ethics, 2004, p.24). In addition, the stair case model illuminates intervention strategies concerning abuse prevention in 3 steps which are reluctance, recognition and rebuilding. This includes interventions such as breaking through denial, decreasing social loneliness, sorrow and self blame, providing teaching and advocacy (Loughlin Duggan, 1998). Health care professionals can integrate these interventions in their care framework. I also attempted to apply this model in my patients care. I tried to make my client verbalize her feelings by providing her concrete objects like blank paper and colors. This helped her in verbalizing her internal feelings which were not shared with others since long time. Moreover, throughout my clinical weeks I remained engaged in care through non judgmental speech and body language. As supported by literature that your speech and nature should convey respect and a non-judgmental attitude (Loughlin Duggan,1998). To lessen social isolation, I involved my client in group occupational therapy and also focused on her hobbies that were, drawing and coloring the religious names. In this way I was able to socialize her to some extent. As supported by literature that, Support groups provide a channel for people with OCD to get emotional support while learning how to manage their condition. Also, this helps victims to lessen the barriers that the memories of abuse place in the way of normal life (Davis, 2008; Child abuse, CPS facts). In addition, abuse creates sense of hopelessness and low self esteem in patients as discussed earlier therefore caregivers should be taught to encourage and praise clients on their little efforts to boost their self concept. On family level, a good communication and involvement in patient care can be a best defense against mistreatment. Moreover, providing psycho education can also enable family members to remain involved in the care. As, the stress level of caregivers can also be reduced by providing tips of care giving to them and involving in family therapy (Davis, 2008). At community level, social and health workers including community leaders should have responsibility for identifying cases of mistreatment and then organizing interventions to lessen the risk of any future abuse (Loughlin Duggan, 1998). Moreover, I recommend that the psychological counseling services as well as social gathering area for mental patients should be established in the community, where these people can socialize themselves. On government level, various laws and punishments for the abusers and extensive awareness campaigns on care and destigmatization of mental illness should be arranged (Raj, 2009). Besides, government s hould also set up monitoring system to ensure that human rights are being followed in all psychiatric facilities (Gadit, 2008). Lastly, I recommend that with the help of mass media cases of abuse with mental patients should be reported so that the strategies should be planned on local and national level to minimize the risk of any future abuse. It was a good learning experience for me to write a scholarly paper. I have learnt the importance of promoting mental health without abusive and negative attitude. Moreover, faculty facilitation and literature review helped me to learn and integrate all concepts related to the issue which will help me in my future clinical settings. In conclusion, the above provided evidences are overwhelming that the mistreatment with mental patients is the disobedience of human rights as strongly proved by human rights declaration that All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. (UDHR, 2006, p.2). In addition, the paper also discussed the causes and consequences of this immoral issue of mistreatment with mental patients. Now, its the duty of caregivers to adhere to the strategies provided above, in order to offer a competent care with encouraging attitude and bring a positive change in the lives of these people.

Locked Out :: Short Stories Crime Violence Papers

Locked Out Death is a small price to pay for respect--the words spilled from the headphones like crude oil. Erway Dewey listened to the music barely hearing the lyrics. The words were dark and damaging but soothed the roughness of the harsh surroundings. It didn't matter what the words said anyway, Erway thought, it ain't real life. Erway stood in the shadow that the old warehouse doorway cast against the rising sun. He hoped the bus wouldn't take much longer because although the building sheltered him against the wind, it was cold and snowing. Today, like most other school days, he got up early so he could lift weights and play a game of basketball in the gym with his friends. It was quiet on North Avenue this early in the morning. In the afternoons, sometimes it was so loud you could shout and no one would hear. As he waited, Erway tried to remember what he had done when he got up this morning. Only forty-five minutes had passed but it was already a blur. He remembered going to the bathroom, but that was about it. The hunger in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since last night. I'll get somethin' when I get to school, Erway thought. A slight alarm swept over Erway's body; he fingered his coat pocket for his bus pass. The smooth plastic calmed him. He had forgotten it the day before and had to walk back home to get it, missing the early bus. A tall shadow appeared from around the corner of the warehouse. It was too dark outside to distinguish faces. Erway's body tensed up as he prepared for a confrontation. Would he be robbed, stabbed, shot, or just beaten? Erway stood still, cocked like a pistol ready to fire; to run or fight. As the man came closer Erway realized it was the same man he'd seen yesterday. It was just some older guy going to work or something who caught the same bus. As he came closer Erway could see he was smoking a cigarette. Cigarette smoke and the smoke from warm breath meeting cold air danced a desperate tango and disappeared in the darkness. "Hey," the man said to Erway, looking past him. "Hey," Erway replied coolly, maintaining his casual slump in the doorway. "First bus come, yet?" "Naw, not yet," Erway exhaled heavily.

Physics of Black Holes Essay -- physics space black holes

Black holes - the strange scientific phenomenon that has astounded physicists and astronomers alike for decades. Popular subjects in science fiction novels, black holes are one of the greatest enigmas of the scientific world. Even today, the concept of a super-dense ball of matter that not even light can escape from is somewhat farfetched, and many scientists disagree with each other about nearly every aspect of a black hole. This project will attempt to shed some light on these mysterious formations, and will inform you the reader of the most popular and widely accepted theories surrounding them. Karl Schwarzschild is credited with being the brilliant astronomer who developed the concept of black holes. In 1916, using Einstein's general theory of relativity, he began to make calculations about the gravity fields of stars. He concluded that if a huge mass, such as a star, were to be concentrated down to the size of an infintessimal point, the effects of Einstein's relativity would get really fairly extreme. Schwarzschild doubted that a star could get that small, and theorized that if a star did infact shrink upon itself like that, its gravity would remain the same and the planets revolving around it would remain in the same orbits they always had. Since then however, some of Schwarzschild's theories have been disproved, but most of his initial theories hold intact today. The Schwarzschild Radius, the maximum radius a body with a specific mass can have that won't let light escape, is named in his honor, and the equation of which is still in use today: Rs=2MG/(c^2) In truth, English geologist John Michell was the first to suggest the existence of black holes. He referred to them "dark stars" and based his calculations on Newt... ...ke for instance the two images below. The first is a two-dimensional representation of the gravity of a normal star. Imagine any object floating through space as a marble. Said marble rolling along the flat surface of the space will roll into the indentation made by the sun's gravity. If you flick the marble hard enough, it can roll out of the indentation and roll away. The second pic is a representation of the gravity made by a black hole. Notice that if the marble rolls into the hole, there's no way it can get out, since there is no end to the hole. Such prospects are intriguing, and provide science fiction novelists with endless material for their writings. None of these theories have been proved, and since we can't get close enough to a black hole to study one, they're all perfectly valid. Perhaps one day mankind will discover the truths behind black holes.

A Case of Convicted Rapists

I read in this journal that research mainly by interviews with convicted sexual offenders and contrast groups is important in order to understand why and how sexual violence against women occurred (1).Because masculinity has been assumed to be superior, and knowledge reflects on male dominated universe reflecting the views of patriarchal beliefs, feminists need to study and understand the reality of sexually violent men (2, 3).I noted that there are numerous hindrances in determining number and characteristics of rapists because only the ‘classic’ and violent cases are reported. To counter this, research would require interviews with the group of unreported rapists but this would again place the researcher as an accomplice because of protecting the rapist’s identity (6, 7).Information acquired in therapy is unreliable due to prisoner’s mistrust of prison officials as they feel it might be used against them in a parole hearing (10-11). Traditional masculinit y behaviour suggested the men would respond positively to a female interviewer and despite security risks, professional self took priority before the personal self in order to collect relevant data (12, 13).I understood that to get good data, a good working relationship, the use of non-threatening background information and long interviews was crucial (15).Rapport was necessary in creating trust, confidentiality and mutual respect and this appealed to even the hardcore felons who were ready to talk to a non-judgmental outsider if just to break prison monotony. While neutrality should not be portrayed as approval, disagreements can result in destruction of rapport and jeopardize future interviews. Opinion should be put forth candidly but carefully to leave the participant feeling positive about the interview (16-18).I learned that many prisoners present unique problems in regard to obtaining voluntary informed consent and mentioning that they were rapists would cause the men shame an d embarrassment (19-21). Explanations on risks, safeguards and the prisoners’ rights were given as well as permission to confirm the validity of the interview data (23-25).Research showed that prisoners are prone to lying, fabrication and manipulation in order to better their chances of parole because their approval depends on staff researchers’ assessment. While some rapists admitted to raping, they played down their use of force, others did not believe their actions constituted rape and the rest completely denied any sexual contact with the victims and pleaded mistaken identity (27-28).I also noted that while cooperation from the State Department of Corrections and the prison staff was excellent, riots and lockups, scheduling mishaps, inmate transfers and absenteeism, electricity blackouts and the occasional lack of an interview room were some of the obstacles encountered while at times unfavourable weather and lack of air conditioning made the longer interviews almo st unbearable (29-30).ReferencesDiana, s. (1990). A glimpse inside. Understanding sexual harassment: a study of convicted rapists. Rout ledge, New York. Â  

Final Nerrative Essay

He became difficult and refused to listen to Our mother. He would stroll the the streets all night and routinely come back home with items we suspect were stolen. My parents had always pondered upon and discussed the consequences of leaving us alone, without the guidance and support of both a mother and father. But because of our financial situation, my father needed to make the sacrifice. We all needed to sacrifice something. Subsequently, the behavior of my brother got worse over time and finally hit rock bottom one cold night. One Friday night approximately at 9 p. . , I was returning from school, about a block away from my house, I spotted a group of kids beating up a person. As I got closer, I recognized the unconscious body of my brother. Me being only 13 at the time, I launched myself with the greatest possible might at these bullies, which were in their twenties. Recall about 20 seconds of the fight, as I was getting stomped in my face, lying on the wet ground. To this day, I can still smell the dirt, water, blood, and leaves of that particular bush that grows around the rivers in that region of Mexico.The next day woke up in a hospital, and my first thought was about my brother. Was he well? Where was he? I ignored my head covered in bandages and the pain of my broken arm. Not even the fact that my dad flew from Los Angles and was there by my side. My heart began to fill with anger towards the man beside me, for failing to be there for us, and leaving his wife and children alone for months. When the nurse finally rolled my brother in on a squeaky hospital bed into the room, the whole family burst into tears the moment my brother and I embraced. Those were the tears of enormous relief that we were both alive.Up to this day, it has been the only time I have seen my dad cry. That day, all of us cried as a family in that cold blue pine smelling hospital room. During the following weeks of our recovery our father stayed in Mexico with us. About 3 weeks afte r this ordeal, we went back with the local police to the area where my brother and were attacked. The eerie feeling embraced us, as we walked down the block to that area. I will never forget the look on my father's face, as he looked at the scattered broken branches and our blood on he concrete floor, where we laid that night.For my father, the realization of his sons coming close to losing their lives finally struck him, he broke down. The police never found out what gang was responsible for the attack; though, still have a feeling that my brother knew some of them, but I never pushed the issue upon him after that. My parents discussed the option of sending my brother to a military school for kids who are on the wrong path in life, but a funny thing occurred. Once my father was with us fulfillment, my brother Joe completely changed, it was as a light bulb went off. Never again he got into trouble.For the sake of the family, my parents made a decision to move back to California. We sold our house in Mexico and within months, the whole family moved back to Los Angles. My brother continued to behave, as he confidently found his positive path. It ultimately took the presence of my father to turn him around. Frequently hear arguments in single parent households, that a father is not needed for happiness and stability in the family. In some instances that might be true, however, when it comes to our family, our father is the glue hat has kept us together to this day.

Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Essay

Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board: Hedging Foreign Currency Exposure Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board: Hedging Foreign Currency Exposure Issue Identification The Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan (OTPP) is a defined contribution plan that was created in 1917 to provide and administer a pension plan for Ontario school teachers. Sponsored by the Ontario Government and the Ontario Teacher’s Federation, the plan currently supports 343,000 teachers, former teachers and pensioners. The recent government decision to eliminate the 30% constraint on foreign investments and the increased volatility in the currency market has prompted the OTPP Investment Committee to address the following: 1. Whether to continue the International Equity Swap Program 2. Whether to administer changes to the Foreign Exchange Hedging Policy Goals and Objectives In order to come to a decision, it is necessary that any solution put forth must align with the goals and objectives of the fund. OTPP is a long-term fund determined to minimize risk, costs and the additional contributions required to fund the plan while maximizing its returns. OTPP Investment Strategy In the early 1990’s the OTPP board realized that it was essential to begin investing abroad to diversify risk and to capitalize on international opportunities to achieve greater returns, given the size of the fund. However, it was not until 1996 that the Foreign Exchange Hedge Program (FX Hedge Program) was implemented in response to a significant rise in currency exposure. As the fund faced increased foreign currency risk, risk management became essential and thus, a hedging policy of 50% of its foreign currency exposure was introduced. Due to the fact that OTPP has a continual commitment in supporting its pensioners, it must expose itself to limited risk and effectively hedge against any unexpected changes in its investments. Hence, a conservative policy of hedging 50% of foreign exchange exposure was enforced. Additionally, the International Equity Swap Program (IE Swap Program) was implemented as a solution to the government restriction of 30% ownership of foreign investments. Since most assets were tied up in non-marketable Ontario Debentures, a swap program enabled OTPP to reallocate its assets. OTPP Performance Evaluation The strategic decision to diversify beyond Canada and into global markets has proved to be beneficial to the OTPP investment portfolio. It has contributed substantial value to the fund over the 10 year period (1995-2005) by reducing potential losses, since five of the six foreign currencies appreciated against the Canadian dollar. For the past 15 years, OTPP investments have also consistently outperformed the benchmark rate of returns, generating a 10-year average rate of return of 11. 4% and a gross return of $15. billion over benchmark returns. Despite the portfolio’s negative rate of returns in 2001-2002, it has still produced considerable investment growth in relation to the benchmark, demonstrating the strength of OTPP’s investment policies in risk management. However, since interest rates have declined by approximately 3% (1990-2004), the value of the pension fund has increased. This has resulted in larger amount of payments made to pen sioners. Additionally, the demographics of the OTPP plan membership have changed significantly over the past 30 years. The ratio of active members per retiree has decreased from 10:1 in the 1970s to the present ratio of 1. 6:1. Moreover, the expected years retirees rely on the pension have also increased to 29 years. All these factors have exerted a great deal of pressure on the pension plan to sustain its funding with contributions from fewer working teachers. With the foreign currency market being increasingly volatile, OTPP is concerned regarding its future ability to support pension payments. Decision Criteria The Investment Committee must consider the following criteria when deciding whether to implement changes to the International Equity Swap Program and Foreign Exchange Hedging Policy: the fund’s exposure to foreign exchange risk, transaction costs, and an alignment of goals and objectives of the fund. Alternative: Although OTPP has performed well in the past, the future outlook of the pension plan remains uncertain. Therefore, OTPP has four alternatives to the future direction of the fund. OTPP can continue or discontinue the IE Swap Program and maintain or revise the current 50% FX Hedge Policy. Continue/Discontinue the Swap Program Previously, the swap program was used as a means to bypass the government restriction on foreign investment. With the regulation being lifted, OTPP has to now evaluate whether the swap program remains necessary. The program has allowed OTPP to reallocate their assets cost-effectively as it eliminates OTPP’s cost of transacting directly in foreign exchange market. Moreover, since OTPP does not gain ownership of the securities, it has reduced the amount of cash required and limited its risk by transferring the risk to counter-parties (UBS, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, etc. ).

How do people feel about the changes that have taken place on Portobello road over the last few years?

The changes that have affected Portobello road in the last decade have a had a great impact on the local community along with the future proposals which have been outlined for the area by the council in order to improve the area. For the purpose of the investigation it is useful to understand how the local community view these changes and proposals, and to gain an insight into the conflict that is arousing from the proposed changes and developments. A secondary source presented as an article from the Notting Hill Action Group, which is an organisation campaign involved in fighting local issues. In this article local residents are protesting against the eviction orders that have been served on Elgin books, a bookstore which has been on the road for more than 20 years, one of the reasons for this protest is that the rent has increased so much the bookstore can no longer afford to pay substantial amounts of money on rent. The local residents are also furious about the fact that breaches against planning consent rules i. e. ‘the Fluid juice bar shop front being put up without planning', are allowed to go unchecked by the council, even though actions like these are ‘considered an offence to the streets character'. Although these protests are creating an unhappy atmosphere in and around Portobello road, it is useful to understand why the residents feel what they do, one of the reasons may be down to the fact that residents don't want to ruin Portobello's individual character. However this is very difficult to overcome the conflict between residents and planners because many ‘greedy people in the area are using Notting hill's celebrity as a way of forcing up rents and forcing out businesses, which have been in the area for more than 30 years. An article labelled ‘Planning rage' which is slightly different to the 1st 1 although still sharing the same subject matter of ‘planning orders'. In this article (which is written by NAG) the Unitary development Plan is being criticized by many residents along with the Notting Hill Action Group itself! This is extremely relevant to the investigation because the future proposals stated in question 4 are based on the Unitary Development Plan, therefore it is useful to understand how the residents view these changes. The article starts off with the fact that ‘ owners of small family-run businesses say that they will be squeezed out by the unitary development Plan which is proposing to open the floodgates to huge chain stores. ‘ And it also states that ‘the recent arrival of chain stores such as GAP and Starbucks has fuelled their fears. ‘ It is evident from these 2 lines, that the people of Portobello road ‘don't want the small businesses (which make the area so unique) be swallowed up by chain stores that will make the area look like any where else. Especially a resident in particular called Mr Walton who lives in Arundel Gdns, who says: â€Å"we are concerned that developments should not harm the character of the area. † The council have responded to this argument by saying: â€Å"we're trying to react to what people want, and to do it within the powers we are granted. † It obvious that this is a complicated issue, because there is a balanced argument between both the councillors and the residents, therefore it is difficult to determine who is right in what is being said. Another article displays a variety of articles, one of which is to do with the division between the rich and the poor on Portobello road. This article is stating that there is a ‘widening gap between the rich and the poor in the UK and this is marked in the Notting hill area, which has multi million pound house prices while Goldbourne ward (northern section) is in the fifth poorest ward in inner London. ‘ Therefore many of the residents of the Goldbourne ward have organised a pilgrimage, which is a powerful reminder to everyone to challenge the status quo, and to work energetically for a fairer, more balanced society. Many of the people who are involved in this protest are trying to convince the council to give in to their requirements by organising these sorts of campaigns. However it is not easy for the council to equalise the 2 parts of the road because the census data on page shows that there is a high unemployment and low home ownership rate which means that most of the population live in rented houses, therefore it would take the council a long time to match up to the employment and home ownership rates which are 3 times higher in the Pembridge ward. Although the newspaper article is outlining resident views, it is still a secondary resource and so its reliability could be questioned, we cannot be sure that there is a division between the rich and the poor in the 2 wards, as the article is written by a person who may well be biased. However the primary data in the form of a shopping, environmental and residential house surveys show that the Pembridge ward is far better off than the Goldbourne ward in terms of house prices and quality. Even though most people situated in Portobello road such as the residents in the 1st NAG article are criticising the future proposals that have been made by the council (stated in question 4) there are also others who are in favour of these improvements i. e traders. In the article named ‘Portobello 2000' Anne swift is an antiques dealer who talks about the future of Portobello road, and also mentions the importance of ‘Portobello having the opportunity to establish itself as the worlds leading centre for antiques and a leading market for general commodities. Anne sees the ‘over commercialisation' of Portobello road as a good thing as this would encourage trade from tourism, however the people in the ‘planning rage' article see this as gentrification steam roller, and as a threat to small businesses. Therefore this is causing a growing conflict between traders and residents. Anne swift suggest some of her own proposals which are in line with those stated in question 4, she believes that all traders have to offer high quality goods, by displaying better merchandise. She also states that improving the environment will create a more clean and spacious environment for everyone, especially tourists. Lastly she suggests the need for friendly and efficient service in order to satisfy customers. A questionnaire which was conducted on all parts of Portobello road in order to find out information about the residents and tourists who shop there. The results of the questionnaire were then converted in to a graph, which helped to analyse the relationships between the figures. From question 1 on the graph its evident that the majority of people questioned were residents (58%) and the remaining were either tourists or workers (42%). This proves that Portobello road attracts quite a lot of tourists and therefore has a large sphere of influence, as the figures are nearly similar to that of the residents. Out of the 58% of the residents questioned, 33% of them have lived in the area between 11-20 years, which showed that they knew the area well and were aware of the changes that have taken place over the last decade. Many of the residents questioned felt that the area had changed in terms of housing which is now of a better quality and residents, as new people are being attracted to the area everyday. 2% of the residents felt that the changes had made the area better, while 29% of the people felt that the changes were quite good for the area, however there were only 7% of residents who felt that the area had declined. This shows that Portobello road has made a great improvement since the last decade. The remaining results showed that 40%of the people questioned have visited Portobello road more than 10 times mostly for Antiques and general food shopping. Again, this shows that tourism is an important factor, which affects Portobello road everyday and has maximised its function.

A Summary of the National Response Framework

â€Å"Response doctrine influences the way in which policy and plans are developed, forces are organized and trained, and equipment is procured. It promotes unity of purpose, guides professional judgment, and enables responders to best fulfill their responsibilities. (NFR, January 2008, Page 8 and 9) This summary draws upon multiple documents from one primary source, the Department of Homeland Security web site. Upon examination of these documents it became clear that as our country faced more frequent and destructive disasters, the more collaborative our preparation, response and recovery efforts had to become; and to coordinate that kind of multi-systems response our first responders and decision makers would need a framework from which to provide a powerful unified response. That document is the National Response Framework. Researching and summarizing this document is a crucial foundation to understanding 21st Century emergency management in the United States. A Summary of the National Response Framework â€Å"To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the United States Government shall establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. † — Homeland Security Presidential Directive – 5 (NPR Brochure, page 2) The National Response Framework (NRF) is a 90-page guide to how the United States conducts all-hazards response.As a student exploring the field of emergency management as a career possibility, it is clear that the National Response Framework is the essential first-step to having a better understanding of how incident response will be conducted now and in the future. Furthermore, it is the fundamental directive on how local, state and federal preparation, planning, mitigation and recove ry will be forged, as well. So if one wants to be effective in emergency management, one must first become knowledgeable of this framework.The National Response Framework is guided by the input of hundreds of stakeholders, written for government executives, private-sector and nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and emergency management practitioners to establish a comprehensive national approach to domestic incident response. The NRF works because it sharpens the focus on who is involved with emergency management at the local, tribal, state and federal levels and with the private sector and NGOs; describes what we as a nation collectively do to respond to incidents; explains how we are organized to implement response actions; and emphasizes the importance of planning.It allows first responders, decision-makers and supporting entities to provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies. (NFP- Fact Sheet, page 4) This document is a result of twenty years of federal planning documents. The NRF was preceded 15 years earlier by a Federal Response Plan (1992) that focused largely on federal roles and responsibilities only. (NFP, January 2008, page 2) However, after the 9/11 attacks, urgent efforts were made to understand and implement common incident management and response principles to develop common planning frameworks.President George W. Bush directed the development of the National Respon se Plan (NRP) in Homeland Security Presidential Directive Number 5, in February 2003. It was published one year after creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Strategy for Homeland Security (Strategy). (NFP, January 2008, page 2 and 12) The NRP formed the basis for how the federal government would coordinate with state, local and tribal governments and the private sector during the response to a national incident.It was the cornerstone for the eventual maturation to the National Response Framework. The NRP brought together best practices from a range of disciplines including: homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, firefighting, public works, public health and the private sector and integrated them into one unified structure. This unified structure provided the ability to coordinate federal support to state, local and tribal incident managers. (NFP, January 2008, page 12)President Bush’s Homeland Security Presidential Directive Number 5 also ordered the development of the National Incident Management System (NIM S), which continues to bring together federal, state, local and tribal emergency responders into a single system for managing incidents. The NIMS enables responders at all levels to work together more effectively to manage domestic incidents no matter what the cause, size or complexity. (Homeland Security Under Secretary Kicks Off National Response Plan Workshops In D. C. April 15, 2005)The National Response Plan was then renamed the National Response Framework in 2008, to better align the document with its intent. Stakeholders suggested that the NRP did not constitute a true operational plan in the sense understood by emergency managers but rather a construct for coordinated national incident management. The new National Response Framework is based directly on the NRP and retains much of its content. (NFP, page2) As mentioned previously, many of these systems developed as a response to the 9/11 attacks.The NRF is actually a requirement of the larger overarching National Strategy for Homeland Security (Strategy) that serves to guide and coalesce our countrys security efforts to achieving the following four goals: Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. Protect the American people and our critical infrastructure and key resources. Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success. The NRF obviously addresses the third goal.