Leadership And Leadership Practices And Expectations

There was research set up in the early 1980’s to determine what it takes to become an effective leader. The researchers wanted to know how ordinary men and women practiced their skills while they were in leadership. The analysis consisted of surveys that covered thousands of cases over a few years. The research revealed consistent leadership practices and expectations. Research has shown that leadership can be learned, and there are ten basic lessons on what it When you ask most people how they became great leaders, they say â€Å"trial and error.† It appears indeed that great leaders come from experience. Great leaders are pioneers who take risks in life. When challenges arise, there are people who take the opportunities for†¦show more content†¦Therefore, there is a possibility that there are leadership qualities in everyone, and a belief that ordinary people can perform extraordinary to make sure that things get done. The person just has to believe in his or her abilities and have the confidence in them and themselves. When developing leadership you have to remove the barriers that are self-imposed or placed by others. Leadership can be an emotional process. It requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice to bring a dream to reality. People will not follow a leader who they feel is unsure of themselves or their abilities. To be a good leader, you should have your mind focused on the task at hand. I read an online article about the director, Ava Du Vernay. She was the director of the acclaimed movie â€Å"Selma,† and she is taking on television with an adaptation of the book â€Å"Queen Sugar.† She is a great filmmaker, but these days there is a renaissance of the golden age of television. Things are happening and being shown on television that are stunning and changing our culture. If you are a storyteller, you want to be a part of that. Embracing diversity and complexity is an increasingly important part of leadership. Multiculturalism is the understanding and acceptance of others who may not be like you. But in Hollywood, the voice of the white male is the dominant voice. When you talk about the portrayals of black people and women in film, you want theShow MoreRelatedHigh Expectations, Trust, And Professionalism1203 Words   |  5 PagesSchool principals build a school culture of high expectations, trust, and professionalism by appreciating and supporting teacher collaboration and shared decision-making. Effective instructional leaders build strong teaching teams and help their teachers improve their classroom practice. 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The quality of leadership and effectiveness of schools to deliver an appropriate education through quality teaching have been hotRead MoreThe Inequality Of Womens Leadership1580 Words   |  7 PagesThe Inequality of Women in Leadership Throughout history, the United States have overcome a number of inequalities and discovered our many freedoms. In the modern age we now live, every individual should have equal rights. Theoretically we do, but technically there are still areas of inequality, specifically in business management. Women are facing difficulties in advancing to leadership positions within most fields, especially in Fortune 500 companies. Female leaders continually face difficultiesRead MoreSustainability Essay1340 Words   |  6 Pagesalong with educational leadership implications. Themes and Strategies that Influence Sustainability Based on a variety of data sources, Okilwa and Barnett (2017) highlighted four themes: high expectations; distributed leadership; collective responsibility for student achievement; and data-based decision-making. Embedded in each of these themes are strategies utilized to bring about initial change and then sustain it over two decades with multiple transitions of leadership. First and foremost, schoolRead MoreImportant Aspects Of A Good School Leader1309 Words   |  6 Pagesgets the people to do the greatest things.† The word â€Å"leadership† can evoke a variety of mental images; the president of a nation, an army general, a CEO, school principal, or the captain of the football team. Leadership is about direction and influence (Leithwood). Chemers states that, â€Å"Leadership is the process of social influence where one person is able to enlist the help of others to reach a common goal† (Chemers, 1997, p. 1). Leadership is a relationship between the leader and his followersRead MoreTeam Leadership Theory And Practice1472 Words   |  6 PagesOthers For Team Excellence Michelle Kinyungu Kaplan University GM503-02: Leadership Theory and Practice II Dr. Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo April 27, 2016 Introduction The topics discussed by Northouse, Kouzes, and Posner are team leadership. Team leadership are work units that have are interdependent and share common goals (Northouse,2016). In this week?s unit, team leadership will be explained through the Hill Model for Team Leadership and how it applies to team effectiveness. Furthermore, virtual andRead MoreHigher Leadership Roles Within An Organization1628 Words   |  7 Pagesstrategic readings which explained the contrast and complexities of higher leadership roles within an organization. At this point in my career and school, I have personal definitions of leadership and what leaders demonstrate in their roles as I’ve acquired learning from the field, college, and on-going management leadership courses. However, there was a greater benefit in reading the various practices of effective leadership from experts in the field. In their studies and findings, they demonstrateRead MoreTeacher Leadership, Supportive Communication And Col laboration1242 Words   |  5 Pagesregarding teacher leadership, supportive communication and collaboration. I will also reflect on practical application of these skills, such as assessing the needs, problems or issues, and creating the action plan to address the issues. In the end, I will define how teacher leadership can positively affect student learning and achievement. Becoming a Teacher Leader During the first week of the course, my idea of leadership has changed. When I look back at the idea of teacher leadership I have alwaysRead MoreTerm paper1280 Words   |  6 PagesAdvancing Health, focusing on the following sections: Transforming Practice, Transforming Education, and Transforming Leadership. Write a paper of 750-1,000 words about the impact on nursing of the 2010 IOM report on the Future of Nursing. In your paper, include: 1.The impact of the IOM report on nursing education. 2.The impact of the IOM report on nursing practice, particularly in primary care, and how you would change your practice to meet the goals of the IOM report. 3.The impact of the IOM reportRead MoreLeadership Is A Critical And Valuable Component1708 Words   |  7 PagesLeadership is a critical and valuable component to both organizational theory and behavior as, it assists the organization in accomplishing missions, values, goals and practices that are expected and desired. Leadership as defined, â€Å"is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals,† (Robbins, Stephen P., Judge, Timothy A. 2011). Leadership is diverse and may look different based on multiple factors that may include type of organization, the mission of that

The Giver Essay Topics - Is it a Scam?

The Giver Essay Topics - Is it a Scam? Choosing Good Giver Essay Topics Feelings are among the absolute most essential things in life. Kids do not choose what color pajamas they're going to wear because everything is the exact same. Baby gifts are lots of fun not just to the giver but to the expecting receiver also. The absolute most hot and trendy idea are personalized baby solutions. Giving gifts on special occasions has ever been a tradition throughout the world. Though furniture may cost you a bit, but there's still a reasonable choice for you. If your want to make your handmade furniture, don't hesitate to do so. Reading example essays works precisely the same way! Your language of essay has to be easy and understandable. Generally, it requires a research on the topic and different thoughts. Essays might be lightly modified for readability or to defend the anonymity of contributors, but we don't edit essay examples ahead of publication. Last words of advice should be creative and innovative whilst writing literary essay. Following are various kinds of essay topics for students that are categorized in many sections so you can easily chose the topic in accordance with your need and requirement. Though the idea may be appealing to young readers, it doesn't attract the exact feelings from adult readers. The message within this theme is that to be able to receive and appreciate the ideal life offers, you also need to endure some undesirable experiences. It is also shown in a big risk that had a big impact on the story. One other important theme in The Giveris the value of the person. Normally, it takes up to two hours of time to comb through dozens of sites until you discover something exciting to write about. With FreeEssayHelp you'll find hundreds of Giver essay topics in a matter of many seconds. Together with the topics, you'd come across loads of papers free of charge. To begin writing your assignment you would want to run into an interesting and promising topic. It was your very first Stirrings You're prepared for the pills. The constant attention of the puppies demonstrate that Esche is a really sensitive person that has the very best interest of others above the very best interest of her own self. 1 The ending of the giver was interpreted in a couple of unique ways. Only he and the old Giver know all the terrible things that need to happen so as to continue to keep their community in fantastic order, and also these isolates Jonas from his buddies and family members. At one time previously, the folks who inhabited Jonas' community meant to create an ideal society. So are most of the folks who reside locally. During his twelve years locally, he hadn't ever felt such straightforward moments of exquisite happiness. Everyone In Jonas' community feels exactly the same way towards one another, which means they don't have any feelings. On the flip side, Cuba and the Community and similar in the manner that in both places, several of the citizens rights are taken away and they're not permitted to leave the land. A lot of people become bullied or harassed in life due to their specific traits or qualities. Without choices, citizens are passing up important life lessons that can assist you later on in life. The citizens learn at an extremely early age to accept what they're given.

Global Marketing free essay sample

Sinar Sosro Private Limited is the first company that introduced bottled jasmine tea to the public in Indonesia in the year 1940. The family started their business in Central Java, Indonesia which then expanded their market to Jakarta, Indonesia. Initially, the jasmine tea was brewed on the spot and served to the consumers. However, after they expand their market to Jakarta, they realize that the consumers find the tea that was brewed on the spot find the drink is too hot to be consume. Thus Sosro come out with a new strategy, the bottling system. In 1970, they came out with the first design of the bottle where tea was pre-brewed and bottled when it was cooled down and thus sell it to the consumers. The design of the bottle changed again in 1972 and 1974, which the latter design was used till now. Today, there are 4 different products which are under Sosro Logo. They are Bottled Sosro tea, Sosro Fruit tea, Sosro Teabag and Sosro Joy Green Tea. In addition to the local market, Sinar Sosro had also penetrated to the overseas market mainly by exporting their products in Tetra Pak and can packages to several countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalan and several countries in the Middle Eastern countries, Africa, Australia and United States. In this report, I will be investigating and analyse the opportunities exist in Singapore for Sosro brand product which is the Sosro Teabag which comes from Indonesia. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF SINGAPORE Singapore is known as one of the best country in the world for having the suitable environment for business. Located at the crossroads of the international trade routes, it is a constant top choice by multinationals organization to invest their money in. Singapore is known as a multi-cultural country with its diverse ethnic group, thus the varieties of cuisines are always in need. Food and Beverage business is one of the major business in Singapore and there is always a market for investors under this sector. Below, we will be analyzing the environment of Singapore and it is chosen to be the destination of the product. GEOGRAPHIC Located in the central of South East Asia, Singapore has one of the major advantages in doing business through their sea routes. The availability of the international and domestic transportation as well as the natural seaport had allowed Singapore to be one of the important hubs in the international trading. Changi Airport, the international airport of Singapore allows the country to connect with more than 180 countries in the world. This location allows them to easily access to all the premier Asian market. SOCIO-CULTURAL / PEOPLE With a population of more than 4 million people including expatriates, Singapore is a densely populated island with different races of people living harmoniously together. The people are the main drive behind most of the government decisions which aim to provide a better life for the people. With a population growth rate of 3. 1% in 2009, the literacy rate of the population comes up to 95% in total contributes to the economic boom in Singapore. The increase of the population plays a major part in the increase of the demand especially in the manufacturing field. Singapore is a knowledge based country, thus explained the highly educated people in the country. According to the Labor Force Evaluation Measurement report, Singapore has the best labor force in the world. Many of them have high productivity, technical proficiency, work hard and work smart culture. With professionals coming from all over the world, they bring extensive knowledge and professional expertise as well as experience which also contributes to the welfare of Singapore. The distribution channels for the food and beverage industry in Singapore can be divided into two main sectors. They are through retailers (includes wet markets, shopping malls, and supermarkets) and food services (e. g. hotels, restaurants, airlines). When it comes to distributing the products, many of them are controlled by local suppliers and their agents. Many of the channels prefer to purchase the products directly from the suppliers if they have large order quantity, for example, NTUC Fairprice and Cold Storage. However, for those who have a smaller order quantity will purchase their products from reliable suppliers. INFRASTRUCTURE Constant upgrading of the country’s infrastructure, Singapore remains as one of the most sought after country by investors to do their business. It is also ranked as Asia’s top convention city which had hosted some of the world’s most prestigious events. Depending on the size or nature of the business, investors can choose to set up their operations in an industrial/business park, own establishments or move into a readily available commercial buildings. As it is a technology savy country, Singapore tries to use technology to build up their efficiency and approximately 99% of the population have access to internet broadband network. POLITICAL / LEGAL Singapore political system is one that depicts laws, decides priorities and sets regulations using a rational and pro-business approach. It have a vision of bringing the country to the front line of the industrialized nations with its stable and orderly government. Singapore government emphasizes its efficiency and effectiveness in every walk of life. As it is run with integrity and transparent, investors can set up their business in an efficient manner without any hassle, bureaucratic delays or the need to pay corrupt officials. According to World Bank’s report, Singapore is rated strongly for government effectiveness, regulatory quality and control of corruption. Singapore government reviews their policies and programmes and takes extreme measure to restore their economy back to stable as quickly as possible if they come upon economic crisis. Development of Singapore laws reflect and awareness of the need to recognize and accommodate the investors with their current international business and commercial practices. As there are clear-cut laws regarding working hours, minimum wages, industrial protection and taxation, Singapore makes an attractive place for investors to set up and operate their businesses. ECONOMY One of the major reasons of doing business in Singapore is the economic factor. Being a member of ASEAN (Association of South East Asia) and FTA (Free Trade Agreement) allows Singapore to be of the best destination to do their business. As part of the member of FTA, Singapore had signed an agreement on the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme on 28 January 1992 which aims to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers in the region. Other than Singapore, countries who are part of the ASEAN had also signed the agreement. Investors also enjoy a range of benefits such as preferential access to certain sectors, attractive tax regime, liberal immigration policies and intellectual property protection. Taxes are always an important factor that all investors take into consideration. One of the unique advantages of Singapore is that they have low corporate taxes. Companies that earn profit up to SGD 300,000 are imposed with 9% tax and it is capped at 18% for the amount more than that. Furthermore, Singapore follow a single-tier tax policy which means investors will be able to receive dividends tax free. In order to move away from direct taxes, Singapore government have adopted a more broad based consumption tax which is known as Goods and Services Taxes (GST) which is 7%. Intellectual Property Protection is taken seriously in Singapore. Investors or companies are able to register their trademarks in Singapore and also to apply for global trademark registration. In order to promote their economy, Singapore government had also established few programmes which is to assist investors to improve the efficiency and explore new opportunities. The availability of loans, grants and tax incentive as well as equity financing gave many investors the reason to invest in Singapore. COMPETITORS As all the information above mentioned, we know that the industry of food and beverage in Singapore is a thriving business. Thus there are many companies that brought in their products to the country. In the current market, there are many competitors that bring in their product. Using our product as a category, we have tea brands such as Lipton, Dilmah, Twinnings, Boh Plantations tea and many others as our competitors. CONCLUSION After analyzing the environment of Singapore, we realize that there are many opportunities that can be explored by the company for our products. With the correct strategy and right marketing strategy, we will be able to have a competitive advantage against other competitors and put our brand to the front. Looking at the economy of Singapore and how the government made decisions with the pro-business attitude, we believe that Singapore will be a good choice of location to invest the product. REFERENCES 1. EDB Singapore (2009), Singapore Facts and Figures, July 24 2010 http://www. fta. gov. sg/benefit. htm 2. FTA Singapore (2008), Benefits of FTA, July 24, 2010 http://www. fta. gov. sg/benefit. htm 3. Focus Singapore (2009), Business Opportunities, July 27, 2010 http://www. focussingapore. com/singapore-industry/business-opportunities. tml 4. Guide Me Singapore (2008), Advantages of Doing Business in Singapore, July 25, 2010 http://www. guidemesingapore. com/business/c643-singapore-business-setup-benefits. htm 5. Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K. (2008) Global Marketing Management, John Wiley and Sons Inc. United States of America 6. Sosro (2008), Company Profile, July 23, 2010 http://www. sosro. com/sejarah-bisnis. php 7. Statistics Singapore (2007), Latest Data, July 24, 2010 http://www. sing stat. gov. sg/stats/latestdata. html

Same Sex Marriage an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Same Sex Marriage Should same sex marriage be legally recognized? Marriage is one of the most important socio-cultural institutions that for centuries have served the humanity for its inpidual and collective good. Although sexual co-habitation exists since primitive times but marriage was exclusively a heterosexual phenomenon. However, since the last half of the 20th century certain segments of the society defied the views of the conformist prepositions about the nature and purpose of marriage and challenged the tenet that marriage is and should be entirely heterosexual. This phenomenon developed in the last years of 1950s and surged in the early years of 1960s. Need essay sample on "Same Sex Marriage" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Marriage is not only a summation of two spouses but it is an all-encompassing phenomenon that includes social, cultural, moral and legal aspects. Marriage is developed as a social patronaged and culturally patterned institution that is much more than an intimate personal relationship as it has assimilated and incorporated itself with other social institutes, so marriage should not viewed as a relationship for personal intimation only as adherents of the same-sex marriage articulate and thus should not be legalized. University Students Often Tell EssayLab support: I'm not in the mood to write my essay. Because I want to spend time with my boyfriend Professional writers advise: Don't Waste Your Time Paper Writing Service College Papers Online How to Prepare an Assignment Essay Writing Help Company The adherents of the same-sex marriage disseminated the notions that marriage has nothing to do with heterosexuality and it is exclusively superfluous religious and legal fiction. They further propagated that different other dimension of the marriages i.e. same-sex marriage, should not be sacrificed at the altar of conventional religious morality. Generally, this change in the thought process of society compelled these segments of the society to indulge in same sex marriages. (Cantor, 2006) The case for heterosexual marriage is based on the religious, social and historical fact. (Dent, 1999; Frank, 2006; Finnis, 1997; Reid, 2005;Vetri, 1998) Marriage is a social and religious bond between a man and woman. Biblical references can be provided that marriage as an institution is an association of one man and one woman. Furthermore Christianity is against gay and lesbian relationship and considers it immoral and unethical. In some cases has ordered to outcast the convicts of such crimes. In Christianity, marriage is considered a holy and sacred obligation since the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). So it was considered a vital activity since the time of Jesus as a legitimate and sacred sexual relationship between man and woman. Several legal court decisions and constitutional codes also include the same definition of marriage. Prof Eskridge (1993) provides a crux of the arguments of the opponents of the same-sex marriages by saying; Marriage, they say, must involve a man and a women because (1) this is the definitional essence of the marriage (2) the Judeo-Christian tradition requires it and/or (3) the modern Western nation-state has structured society around the assumption that only different-sex marital unions are allowed. Historically, homosexual indulgence and practices were common in primitive societies but no verified or verifiable clue is available that same-sex marriage was recognized and sanctioned as marriage socially and stately in various parts of the world. Prof Eskridge is his well researched work A history of Same-sex marriage provides various historical facts about homosexuality but not about legal sanctity of same-sex marriage. For example, he provides example from certain archaeological remains like tomb of two male courtiers of the fifth dynasty (circa 2600 B.C.) includes bas-beliefs of the two men in intimate poses. He further quotes the views of social historian David Greenberg to affirm his point of view about same-sex relationship that same-sex relationship was accepted by the state, because Pharaoh provided their tomb. (21) So it is quite clear that historically, same-sex marriage were never sanctioned by any primitive law. This historical fact is important to assume that millennia of human experience never sanctioned homosexuality as a legal marriage and there were various reasons behind that i.e. collective good of human society, fear of extinction of human species etc. He again cites David Greenberg to explaore the state recognition of same-sex relationship in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia where Mesopotamian monarch, notably King Zimri-Lim of Mari and King Hammurabi of Babylon, had male lovers akin to wives. (22) He further suggests hat although earlier laws of Mesopotamia regulates the action of sexual indulgence and marriages but it has no connotations toward approval of same-sex relationship. Reproduction is the essential human phenomenon that is primarily concerned with future and retainment of human specie. This primarily refers to the importance of hetero-sexual marriage as social fact. As the world is tending to move toward inpidualistic societies and its concerns, it is fundamentally imperative that wider social concerns must be taken into account. So the primary purpose of marriage is not an intimate relationship sanctioned by the society and state alike but it is the development and retainment of human generation. Hetero-sexual marriage is compatible with this social objective but same is not true with the same-sex marriage. Scott Bidstrup, a distinguished supporter of same sex marriage, does not take into consideration this important objective of marriage and only relies on the personal intimacy theorem. He says that Sex, in a committed gay relationship, is merely a means of expressing that love, just the same as it is for heterosexuals. Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person's core identity, and goes right the very center of his being. (Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives) But marriage is much more than an expression of love and affection for the partner or spouse. Hetero-sexual marriage capacitates men to achieve their moral and personal discipline that is a pre-requisite to achieve success in life on one hand whereas it also enabled them to live a stable and balanced domestic life. On the other hand it facilitates the married women gain a protected and stable social status, acknowledgment of protection and economic provision of their children. Somerville refutes the same-sex marriage in a higher cultural level as she derives that Marriage is primarily a cultural phenomenon and one of its absolute function is to transmit human life to the next generation and nurture and protect that life. (3) She is of the opinion that same-sex marriage could not perform that function due to the fact that it involves a relationship rather than a social function. A research study Why Marriages Matters: Twenty-One Conclusion from the Social Sciences by twelve scholars have tried to summarize the positive effects of marriage through analyzing research literature and found that Marriage is an important social good associated with an impressively broad array of positive outcomes for children and adults alike [W]hether American society succeeds or fails in building a healthy marriage culture is clearly a matter of legitimate public concern. [Doherty, William J. et al., 2002] So marriage is a social phenomenon here that has social connotations and it is not a personal relationship between two inpiduals. Adherents of the same-sex marriage further refer to the civil rights guaranteed by the constitution and put their case in the historical context that once interracial marriages were prohibited but Supreme Court established that these laws were unconstitutional and were against the letter and spirit of the constitution and fundamental rights. So they maintain that it is also erroneous and unconstitutional to bar same-sex marriages. But this argument does not validate their yearning for legalization of same-sex marriage because being of a different race and color is a natural phenomenon whereas theirs is a behavioral predicament. It is not an innate feature. It is a habitual formation that seems to be instinctive. There are certain other segments of the society with deviant behaviors i.e. pedophiles, people with incestuous orientation, pornography addicts. It does not mean that civil rights grant them validation to exercise their will against the collective good of the society. Don Browning sums the overall opposition to the case for same-sex marriage and says that providing social recognition and legal sanction to the gay marriage will epitomize the societys stride toward dismantling the goods associated with marriage. The further says that same-sex marriage is not an extension of old institution of marriage to new segments of society but it alters the overall objective and purpose of marriage. He further extends that same-sex marriage reduces marriage primarily to committed affectionate sexual relations. It goes further. It gives this new and a more narrow view of marriage all of the cultural, legal, and public support that accrued to the institution when it functioned to hold together this complex set of good. (Browning 204) All these arguments clearly manifest that same-sex marriage will not serve like the traditional institution of marriage based on hetero-sexual relationship, so it should not be endorsed as legally and constitutionally in order to save the society from socio-cultural catastrophe. From the primitive times the institution of marriages is regarded as the major source of family life. In almost every civilization it is known to serve and has served three essential social purposes. First, it is regarded, as a hatchery where new pool of children are conceived and are brought up under the maternal and paternal supervision; the rearing of children in this way assures the provision of all their psychological, emotional, social and economic needs. So same-sex marriages should not be sanctioned and must be prohibited by law. If not an extensive power of judicial activism save the society, the proponents of same-sex marriage will exploit the situations and will put aside the majority opinion about aberrancy and deviancy of homosexuals. References Bidstrup, S. Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motive. Retrieved on 7 Febrauary, 2007 Browning, D. S. The Liberal Case against Same-sex Marriage. The New York Times. 09 Mar. 2004. Cantor, D. J. Same-Sex Marriage: The Legal and Psychological Evolution in America. Wesleyan University Press. 2006. Dent, G. W. "The Defense of Traditional Marriage," The Journal of Law and Politics 15 (1999) :581-644. Eskridge, W. N. A history of Same-Sex Marriage. Symposium on Sexual Orientation and The Law. Virginia Law Review 79. 7 (1993): 1419-1513. Eskridge, W. N. The Case for Same-Sex Marriage: from Sexual Liberty to Civilized Commitment. New York: Free Press, 1996. Franke, K. M. "The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage Politics". Columbia Journal of Gender & Law 15 (2006):236-248. Finnis, J. "The Good of Marriage and the Morality of Sexual Relations: Some Philosophical and Historical Observations". American Journal of Jurisprudence 42 (1997):97-134. Patterson, C. J. "Same-Sex Marriage and the Interests of Children...," Virginia Journal of Social Policy & Law 9(2001):345-351. Perkins, J. (ed.) Defense of Marriage: Does It Need Defending?. Nova Science. 2004. Reid, E. "Assessing and Responding to Same-Sex "Marriage" in Light of Natural Law". Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy 3(2005):523-539. Somerville, A.M. The Case against Same-sex Marriage. A Brief Submitted to The Standing Committee on Justice and Human. McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law. 2003. Vetri, D. Almost Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families, and the Law". Southern University Law Review 26 (1998):1-91.

Choosing the Right Philosophy Ph.D. Program For You

Choosing the Right Philosophy Ph.D. Program For You Choosing a philosophy  program can be extremely difficult. In the U.S. alone, there are over 100 well-established schools granting graduate degrees (M.A., M.Phil., or Ph.D.) in philosophy. Needless to say, Canada, the U.K., Australia, France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and several other countries have advanced degree programs that are well-regarded, too. How should you decide which program is best for you? Length of the Degree and Financial Aid One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an academic program is the length. When it comes to Ph.D. programs, U.S. departments typically require a longer period of study (between roughly four and seven years) and usually offer multi-year financial aid packages. Other countries have different systems, and in the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain, it is more common to find three-year Ph.D. programs, some of which offer financial aid. The financial aid aspect can be a decisive factor for many students. Fresh graduates of philosophy Ph.D. programs can expect to face more challenges in the job market than graduates of law school and medical school programs. Even for graduates fortunate enough to obtain an academic job after completing their degree, it can be difficult to pay off thousands of dollars in loans. For this reason, it is not recommended to begin an advanced degree in philosophy without first securing proper financial aid. Placement Record Another important characteristic of an advanced degree program is its placement record. What sorts of jobs have the graduates from the program secured over the last few years? The placement record  can be an important indicator for prospective students. Keep in mind that placement records can improve or weaken on the basis of  changes in the reputation of the faculty members of the department and, to a smaller degree, of the institution. For instance, the philosophy departments  at  New York University  and  Rutgers University  significantly transformed their reputations since the early 2000s, and in 2017 their graduates were among the most sought-after on the market. Specialty It is, however, important to choose a program that suits the interests of the prospective student. In some cases, a relatively less-known program may actually be a students best choice. For instance, for someone interested in phenomenology and religion, the  University of Louvain  in  Belgium offers an excellent program.  Ohio State University  offers a top-notch program for students interested in the philosophy of mathematics. Because Ph.D. programs take years to complete and require a great investment on the part of the student, it is important to find a school where the student can engage intellectually with other students and faculty on the subjects that most interest them. That may be, in some cases, a prestigious name-brand school. It may also be a smaller school that happens to be less prestigious. Location Enrolling in a Ph.D. program often requires relocating- to a new country, a new city, a new neighborhood. Before making this drastic change, students should consider the location of the school and ask themselves whether they believe they can thrive in that environment. A sleepy college town may be the perfect study-zone for some students. Others may be more comfortable in a crowded city. Prestigious Departments Which schools have the most prestigious philosophy departments? It depends on how you measure prestige. Programs are always changing, and star faculty sometimes move from one program to another. Nevertheless, there are a number of schools that are known for the strength of their philosophy programs. They include Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Pittsburgh, M.I.T., University of Pennsylvania, U.C.L.A., Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, Columbia University and the University of Chicago. Department Rankings For more detailed information about how different schools compete, students can consult department rankings. The most influential ranking is probably the Philosophical Gourmet Report, edited by Professor Brian Leiter of the University of Chicago. The report, based on the evaluations of 300 faculty members, also contains a number of useful additional resources for prospective students. More recently, the Pluralist’s Guide to Philosophy Graduate Programs  has offered an alternative perspective on the strength of various philosophy departments. This guide focuses on a number of research areas that are not as prominent in Leiters report. Another ranking that deserves some attention is the Hartmann Report, edited by graduate student John Hartmann.

The Secret Life of Bees - Discussion Questions

The Secret Life of Bees - Discussion Questions Sue Monk Kidds debut novel, ​The Secret Life of Bees, is a coming-of-age story about feminine spirituality, racial tension, and maneuvering through love, loss, and change. The Secret Life of Bees is a great choice for womens book clubs and has the potential to promote lively discussions. Use these book club discussion questions to guide your group through Sue Monk Kidds touching tale. The Best Book Club Questions forThe Secret Life of Bees Spoiler Warning: These questions may reveal important details about The Secret Life of Bees. Finish the book before reading on. How would you describe Lilys feelings about her mother? Did they change throughout the novel? How did hearing that her mother left her to affect her perception of her mother?Do you believe T-Rays account of what happened when Lilys mother died?Did your opinion of T-Ray change when August told Lily about how much he used to love her mother? Does Deborahs abandonment explain or excuse T-Ray?Do you agree with Lily that people would rather die than forgive? Does she forgive her mother? T-Ray? Herself?What do the bees mean to the story? What is the secret life of bees?Do you think race was portrayed realistically in The Secret Life of Bees? What do you think Sue Monk Kidd was saying about race in this novel?Why did Rosaleen spit on the mens shoes? What are the ways the characters in the novel confront injustice? How do you think we should deal with injustice? Do these kinds of prejudices still exist today?What was your reaction to Lilys relationship with Zach? What do you think happened t o them in the future? Talk about the sisters. Who was your favorite? Do we all need a wailing wall, like May? Why do you think June was cold toward Lily? How would you describe August?What role did the Black Madonna play in their community? What do you think about the legend of the Black Madonna?Rate The Secret Life of Bees on a scale of 1 to 5.

NIH Protecting Human Research Participants Course Coursework

NIH Protecting Human Research Participants Course - Coursework Example Under the principles of beneficence, the research should pursue good over harm in a fair and within a respectful framework. In my institution, we carry research in three areas including orthopedics, psychiatry and neuroscience. All these areas involve human participants, and thus issues of minimal protection come to play. Because of this recognition of protecting human participants, our institution has complied with some requirements. More importantly, NIH Office of Extramural Reserach, (2010) states that an Ethical Review Board (ERB) is tasked with reviewing research proposals to ensure they are within the ethics and moral framework (Fiske & Hauser, 2014). The institutional review board is made up of four members from diverse disciplines. This is quite relevant because the formation of ERBs should be based on a multiplicity of professional knowledge. Besides, this committee meet twice every week to execute their mandate. This again is another prove that they act in line with the provisions of IRBs as stipulated by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Furthermore, they are involved in reviewing ongoing research and those with changes during the stretch of research. They are powerful committee that can evoke an ongoing study if there are substantial grounds to believe that an ongoing study has violated these principles. From these functions and organization, our ERB meets the NIH minimal protection of human participants.

Bussiness Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Bussiness Research Proposal - Essay Example Since different regions and countries have different cultures, it may well be assumed that some of the management styles that are effectively applied in these developed countries may not be effective in less developed countries or in other regions of the world. While several studies have been conducted to reveal the impact of transformational leadership in developed countries and a few less developed ones, quite a lot remains undone especially in the Middle East which generally has a culture that is different from those of the United States, and most western countries. It is this gap that this study seeks to fill by considering the application of transformational leadership in small businesses in Pakistan. This research will hence focus on transformational leadership and its effects on the performance of a sample of small organizations based in Pakistan. Since the Middle East is such a large region, and the number of organizations within it is quite numerous, this study will be limited to only small organizations within Pakistan. For the purpose of this research, the terms leadership and management will be considered as synonyms in spite of the differences that may exist between the two terms on strict consideration. The two terms will, in this respect, be used interchangeably without change in meaning. There are many leadership styles that can be applied by managers and supervisors to achieve organizational goals. Some leadership styles include autocratic, participative and laissez faire. Other leadership styles include transformational, situational and transactional leadership. With respect to personality, one leadership style that is commonly applied in different regions is transformational leadership. Each of these management styles has its advantages and disadvantages and impact organizational performance differently. The following sections are dedicated to describing and discussing leadership, leadership styles and the impact of

Creons Downfall Essay Example for Free

Creons Downfall Essay It is clear that Creon’s tragic flaw was his pride, arrogance and beliefs of a leader that cause his downfall. His downfall began when he denied the burial of Polyneices and was firm when he condemned Antigone for her objection to his law. Creon represents the laws of the land and the divine ruler of society. He remains loyal in upholding his laws and trying to overpower the laws of the gods, until the end when he realizes that the divine laws are stronger than his own. His regards for the laws of the city cause him to abandon all other beliefs. He feels that all should obey the rules set forth by him, even if other beliefs, moral or religious, state otherwise. This is proven when he says, â€Å"As long as I am King, no traitor is going to be honored with the loyal man. But whoever shows by word and deed that he is on the side of the State-he shall have my respect while he is living and my reverence when he is dead† (pp. 40) This proves that no one should disobey his rules even if the people that he rules for thinks his morals are wrong. But no one wants to speak out or stand up to Creon because they all fear him and afraid to loose their life going against his words. Creon showed his stubbornness by not wanting to be proved wrong because of pride. He did not want to listen to the people of Thebes who tried to tell him that Antigone did the right thing, but for fear of him, they could not really say anything. Creon thought by making an example of Antigone’s execution, everybody would get scared and won’t try to break his laws. He abused his power by thinking that he can change or break the laws of the god’s and not allowing other people to break his laws. He did not want to burry Polyneices’ body, but one of the god’s law was that every human deserves to be buried after death not depending on what that certain person did in his lifetime. Creon caused fear among his people by making a public announcement that nobody is allowed to burry Polyneices. He said that the state of Thebes consists of only him, and that there are no other laws than his. The major actions that Creon took to cause the downfall of Thebes are that he did not want to burry Polyneices nor did allow any body to do it. He broke the burial law of the god’s and punished Antigone for following their laws. The people of Thebes knew that Creon made a mistake but still were too afraid to speak up. Antigone thought that she should get honored for that what she did, but Creon did not think that way. Conclusion The downfall of Thebes was caused by Creon’s stubbornness and abuse of power. He thought by being King he can do whatever he pleases and have everything going his way. Creon’s role as a King made him believe that he has the right to brake the laws of god’s and makeup his own. He caused the corruption of Thebes by trying to measure his powers with the powers of the god’s which Teiresias foreshadowed that it won’t have a good ending. References Antigone: Creon’s Flaws. Dec 2004.

What Is Art :: essays research papers

Tolstoy wrote, in What is Art? â€Å" If a man is infected by the author’s condition of soul, if he feels this emotion and this union with others, then the object which has effected this is art: but if there be no such infection, if there be not this union with the same author and others who are moved by the same work-then it is not art?â€Å" â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† is art by this criteria. Tolstoy’s writing keeps my attention throughout â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† and awakens my soul. I have never read any literature of Leo Tolstoy, and I could not walk away from the story, I wondered what happened next. It makes me realize how important life is to be treated. This work of art expresses to me Tolstoy’s views on life and death. The short story gives examples of how a person can live life the wrong way. In reading the â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych†, many feelings stir up inside me because I can relate his experience with my grandfather that died of cirrhosis of the liver. Tolstoy reaches the soul because he describes Ivan’s life occurrence through his spiritual revelation. He observed a heartbreaking death of his brother. In reading, â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† Tolstoy portrays Ivan as a thoughtless and selfish man. I see Ivan as a frightened individual; afraid of what life has to offer. â€Å"Ivan experienced happiness only in his childhood† (Tolstoy 1179). He decides to go to the School of Law. He marries because he feels it is right not because he is in love, and his peers approve. I feel for Ivan because everyone knows that a person cannot be happy if one marries for the reasons Ivan did. After all, should not the basis of a marriage be love? Love brings happiness to our lives. Ivan does not have the happiness that love could bring. I get the impression that Ivan does not receive much love throughout his life; which makes it very hard to show love for his wife. He is incapable of loving someone because he does not know how to love. Ivan does try to give these things to his family. However, He tries to impress his colleagues. Ivan decorates his house with antiques, carefully scrutinizing as a means to pretend to have money. Ivan begins to focus on his career because of his unhappiness at home.

Example of Interpersonal Communication

Concept Application Paper Aside from food, water, oxygen and other practical needs, communication with the people around us has proven to be essential for our own well-being. The different types and styles of communication allow ourselves the opportunity to create and build relationships with the people around us. It is also the basis on how we define ourselves through self-image and self-esteem. Through social, inflated, and deflated comparison we shape ourselves into the image in which we feel would satisfy the people around us; how we think others want to see us.In more cases it is a negative thing as the true soul inside a person is usually too ashamed or scared to reveal themselves to the public. We then force ourselves to shape into an image we feel will please the people around us. Evolved from our life experiences, we set an imaginary guideline in our mind for people to be considered ‘normal’ based on our perception of how society should behave. We automatically isolate anyone who deviates from these â€Å"guidelines†; they might include a person from a different culture or someone who simply wants to express themself.It was our responsibility to investigate how society reacts to an adjustment in the social norm. In this experiment I wore a tank top, board-shorts, and flip-flops in which I enacted in unordinary verbal and non-verbal communication with the people around me. As a male in the American culture, I dress myself according to what I suppose is ‘trendy’ in my sub-culture. By observing a person’s patterns in the way they dress and how they act, it is possible to discover a person’s personality. An identity is created through our manners, appearance, and the environment we associate ourselves around.We pick and choose how we want others to see us in different situations, so of course no one would ever think of dressing out of their usual pattern for no apparent reason. However, the purpose of the expe riment is not to continue to carry on with daily procedures, but to deviate and record reactions and changes in behavior of bystanders. I devised a theory that I would be able to observe two sets of reactions, one from the people whom I share relationships with and random students whom I have never met before.People who have knowledge about my existence would be able to detect a change in behavior while a stranger would just consider their encounter simply as something out of the ordinary. I chose to wear clothing not typically suited for the weather; Corvallis was reaching mid 40os and I had decided to be dressed in clothes one would wear to the beach. I felt this was an appropriate change in behavior because it would not be following the usual guidelines of the social norm. Everyone had one or two jackets and long pants, setting the basic social code to follow.However, since I was not abiding to this ‘system’, I was considered an outcast or placed in an out-group of t he current social culture. Even if I were not doing an experiment and intentionally dressing this specific way, I would be relaying non-verbal codes to whoever saw me which in their opinion would be interpreted much different than what I may have meant them to be. It would all be a matter of opinion or relational communication between me and the people in the environment. The channels of communication would be through non-verbal/ non-vocal communication.Other channels would be invalid because I would not be communicating through other means including spoken or written words. However, fewer available channels did not result in any less interaction. In the experiment, it was interesting as the deviation from the social norm sparked two reactions in people whom either allowed this contact to prohibit them from verbally communicating with me or on the contrary, the change actually was a catalyst and started verbal communication as the main topic of discussion.This occurred in both group s of people whom I was acquaintances with and people I did not know. A friend who had happened to see me first as I left my room was slightly shocked and warned me about the weather. Although their tone wasn’t hostile, more trying to help, the message that I interpreted was â€Å"If you’re not going to change clothes you’re going to look really weird wearing that type of clothing and secondly, you’ll be cold for the rest of the time until you decide to change your mind. My reaction to this conversation was close to emotionless because I would have reacted the same and produced similar responses because we interpret any change in behavior as ‘not normal’. Walking to a dining hall outside in public, my first observation was receiving numerous stares from the people passing me. Through my analysis this was a form of intrapersonal communication because I decoded their body language with a certain meaning and message.By simple gestures of staring and changes in body language, it encoded a message of ‘out casting’ to the receiver solely based on the type of clothing I wore. I am thankful that I was not dramatically influenced by any of the responses and reactions I observed between my friends and the public. My analysis is these responses were forms of communication which easily could have been affected by culture and perception. People’s different interpretations would eventually lead to the shaping and defining of one’s identity through their behavior and appearance based on how they want others to see themselves.Although it apparent that media has a large influence on choosing how we present our public self, it may seem that the people around us also have a large influence as well. They might include significant others or just ordinary people whom we compare ourselves to in social comparison. This experiment was a great understanding of how some people automatically separate someone just by expr essing themselves. Society defines certain things such as fashion or behavior attached with the message, â€Å"follow the same guidelines or beware of being put in an out-group. Majority of people will be high-self monitors and follow the norm. Personally, I feel I am this way because of the need to feel belonging to a particular group or something. I learned that it is much harder to express one-self based on our own intuition of being ‘judged’ for what we do. By investigating how society reacted to an adjustment in the social norm, it was evident when I wore different clothing; the results when engaged were rather un-warming incidents of unordinary verbal and non-verbal communication.

The Comeback of Caterpillar – What are the dynamics of competition in the heavy construction equipment industry?

When the US construction industry grinded into an economic downturn, demand for Caterpillar products decreased. The major decrease in the US industry is the result of the completion of the interstates, giant dams, and other construction buildings. Hydraulic excavators are very big market. They accounted for 45 percent of the sales. They are the fast selling equipment that can create competition between the companies. Developing Nations played an important role in the competition, because the need for construction equipments increased to shape the new dams and especially to make roads. The growth rates of developing nations were faster than the global demand so developing nations becomes the new market areas for competition. One of the biggest competitions takes place in the replacement parts sector. It is an essential part of the industry. Replacement parts made up together over a quarter of the total revenues of the total construction equipment industry. Also the sales of replacement parts are more profitable than the whole machines. Construction Companies competed to provide the best parts for the best needs. It is vital for companies to achieve an economies of scale to survive in the competition. To achieve economics of scale, companies try to capture a large market share in order to eliminate the low volume of global sales. Distribution and service network is the essential part of the industry because the inability to operate the equipment is very expensive. To gain competitive advantage by selling parts, companies used a worldwide network of dealerships to sell their machines and provide support. Intense competition among the companies drove them to form alliances to share risks, to access new markets, use technology and share production. Oil prices are very important because decline in oil prices can depressed the market and could affect the competition directly. Currency Fluctuations affects the industry as a whole. Rise in the value of dollar makes other countries buying power decrease, which results as an import to the country The imports will be much cheaper than the domestic products, therefore industry will shift to import from other countries. Strong currency is the prime factor for companies such as Caterpillar to have trouble while competing for developing countries. Cyclical Nature of the construction equipment could make an industry wide downturn for both domestic and international markets. 2. What were the sources of Caterpillar's spectacular success up to the early 1980s? The major reason of the spectacular success of Caterpillar up to the early 1980's was the post-war years. Those were the times to reconstruct the countries that were destroyed in the wars. As a result Caterpillar products exploded during those times to rebuild Europe, build the US interstate highway system, erect the giant dams of the third world, and layout the major airports. Also Caterpillar Company followed some strategies during those times to differentiate itself from its competitors by producing reliable, high quality products and providing a fast delivery of replacement parts. As a result Caterpillar became the leader of the heavy construction equipment industry. On the other and Caterpillar's distribution and relationship with their dealers contributed to the company's world wide success. The vision of Caterpillar for their deal network was very unique. Those dealers were self sustaining businesses who invest their own capital. They generally earn 100 percent of their revenues by selling and supporting Cat equipment. By doing those Caterpillar dealers remained in the hands of the same family and helped the company to make huge success. 3. What were the strategies introduced by Schaefer, Fites, and Barton to reduce the impact of cyclical downturns on Caterpillar's results? George Schaefer * Global Outsourcing; Caterpillar sought to purchase parts and components from low cost suppliers, who maintained high quality standards. Under their new policy â€Å"shopping around the world,† they moved to outsource 80 percent of its parts and components. * With the help of its branding program Caterpillar sold outsourced machines under its own name. Branding program helped the company to keep production costs down while taking a superior marketing organization advantage. * As the demand for heavy equipment decreased Caterpillar needed to reevaluate its product mix and create a broader product line. Caterpillar started to sale light construction equipment. â€Å"Between 1984 and 1987, accordingly, Caterpillar doubled its product line from 150 to 300 models of equipment introducing many small machines that ranged from farm tractors to backhoe loaders.† They also started to market light weight vehicles to small scale owner operations and new contractors. * Schaefer promoted open communication strategy, which resulted the free flow of ideas between officers, managers, and production workers. * Also Schaefer launched the Employee Satisfaction Process (ESP), which helped the company to organize in work teams, met weekly with management and offered suggestions that helped to solve many critical aspects of the manufacturing process. The program resulted in productivity gains, quality improvements, and increased employee satisfaction. * Schaefer also launched a plant modernization program with just in time inventory method. This led the company to have computerized tools, and flexible manufacturing systems. They also changed the traditional manufacturing process system called â€Å"batch†. Unlike in batch systems assembly lines provided complete model production and helped the company to achieve high level of work in progress. * Correcting the assembly mistakes Caterpillar reconfigured the layout of its manufacturing system into flexible work cells. Workers used computerized machine tools to perform several manufacturing steps. * As general Schaefer reemerged the company as a lean, technological, flexible, and competitive global company. He increased the company shares up to 7 percent, while increased the revenues by 66 percent, Donald Fites * Fites turned the company into a utilizing integrated approach based, Japanese style company. He also wanted to bring Caterpillar's labor relations to the Japanese model, because Japanese unions are company based organizations. * He also looked deeply into the customer needs, because global pricing decisions center didn't have a broad knowledge about the local market conditions around the world. He delegated district offices authority to set prices which helped him to push responsibility down the chain of command to the lowest possible level. * He applied the same principle to Caterpillar's entire structure, developing a company wide reorganization plan under Schaefer's direction. Caterpillar's old organization structure was only suitable in US, but as the company expanded globally the limitations of such structure become apparent. * Fites broke the company into 17 semi-autonomous divisions in order to operate necessarily and to gain the company flexibility. He then required each division to have 15 percent rate of return, on the other hand he threatened to penalize any division that fell behind. This helped the company to increase their profits and give them maximum flexibility. * In addition to all those, Fites developed a new plan, which based all of its incentive compensation schemes on return on assets. As traditionally Caterpillar managers were paid in proportion to the size of the budget they controlled, or the number of employees they supervised. Also all funding, and R&D activities that controlled by each division helped the company to be more customer driven than at any other period in past. * New organization plan affected the company's distribution network as well. With the help of new divisions, dealers seeking help could contact them easily. The importance of this structure was the interaction between Caterpillar's managers and dealers increased. It also enabled the company and dealers to have closer relationships to each other. According to Fites Caterpillar's distribution system was the company's single greatest advantage over it's competitors. * Another strategy for Caterpillar was to protect its dealers against failure. Caterpillar assisted individual dealers who were subject to intense price competition. To help those dealers Caterpillar reduced prices even sometimes reduced the dealer's costs, and sometimes they launched a promotion campaign. All those helped the company to sell more vehicles and create sustainability when other dealers went out of business during the recession. * Not only they helped their dealers but also they introduced â€Å"Partners in Quality† program to have quality discussions, which links personnel at Caterpillar plants and dealerships. This helped the company to have strong personal business ties with the dealers. * Fites invested to upgrade the Caterpillar's worldwide computer network. It helped Caterpillar to link together all factories, suppliers, sealers, distribution channels and customers. With the help of this system Caterpillar guaranteed 48 hours delivery of parts anywhere in the world. Caterpillar provided the most comprehensive and fastest part delivery system in the industry. Also electronic alert system developed under Fites. This system designed to monitor machines remotely identify parts, which needed to be replaced, and replace them before they failed. This helped the company to repair the machines before they broke down. They saved repair costs, it also provided to Caterpillar reduce their inventory costs. * Fites expanded the products of the company. Caterpillar entered a total of 38 mergers and joint venture agreements. Caterpillar sold engines separately and accounted for 35 percent of Caterpillar's revenues. This is a very big market and Caterpillar engines powered one third of the big trucks in the United States. * Fites wanted to reject the collective bargaining agreement, because the labor costs are very high and they were cutting the company's global competitiveness. The labor prices were very high and Caterpillar was heavily depended on the export of domestically manufactured products. After he rejected the agreement union went to strike. But Fites forecasted the strike and he built up enough inventory to supply customers for about six months. * Fites was a very successful CEO; he trained managers and office workers to operate factory machinery, when the strike happened again he was prepared again. His ability to see the answer before the question earned company lots of money. * At last he got what he wanted. He signed a contract with the union allowing Caterpillar to introduce two tier wage system and pay new employees 70 percent of the starting union scale. The contract also provided more flexible schedule format allowing management to keep employees on the job longer than eight hours. The contract also enabled company to hire temporary employees without the approval of the union. * Fites wanted to have good relationship with the union because incase of an economic downturn and an recession he wanted to have a smooth workforce. Glen Barton * He believed that the downturn of the US market could be eliminated by an upturn in the international market. * He increased sales of Caterpillars equipment to the developing nations such as Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. By doing this he created new markets for the company. * He made non truck engines incase of a decline in the truck engines. Such diversification enabled the company to produce engines even the truck engine part offset. * Under the leadership of Barton, Caterpillar started to sell mobile power modules. * Caterpillar started to rent business equipment. Barton made efforts to make dealers diversify into rentals. As successful as it is the rental distribution segment of the fastest growing segment. * He also used joint ventures to expand into new markets, and he was very successful. He formed joint ventures with Daimler Chrysler and started to produce medium duty engines. He also started to manufacture fuel systems. Those fuel systems were designed to increase efficiency of diesel engines and thereby reduce diesel emissions.

Trial by Media Essays

Trial by Media Essays Trial by Media Essay Trial by Media Essay Trial by Media The justification system is quickly being scorched in America by how the media manages all lurid cases. People are getting prejudged by the press and public before any legal action has taken place. I believe it is completely amiss for the media to interpret whether a person is guilty or innocent, before or even after a verdict has been established in a court of law. Take O. J. Simpsons case for instance. Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. This case is known to be the most exposed trial in American history. Nicole was found dead at 12:00 AM on June 13, 1994 outside of Browns condo in the Brentwood[-0],Los Angeles. She was found stabbed several times in the head and neck with defense injuries on her hands. With some collected evidence at the scene, police suspected O. J. Simpson as the murderer. There was no CONFIRMATION Simpson was the murderer, yet the media thoughtlessly covered the case thoughtlessly like hot cakes. The was an abundant amount of media participation on the case that it drove Simpson half crazy. At one point, he had over 20 helicopters chasing him because he was on the road to committing suicide. He responded to this action by saying. just gonna go with Nicole. Bearing in mind the amount of harass he got from the media, one wouldn’t blame him! Even after this attempt, the media still had something conniving to say. â€Å"his actions were interpreted as an admission of guilt. † Disregarding Simpson was found non-guilty, the media are considered winners in spite of what the majority of the public distinguish him as today. It was a two and a half year-long case that took place about seventeen years ago. The media created biased views in the eyes of the public which gave the defendant really no chance to a fair trial. I believe this is not right at all. Without a doubt, trial by media conflicts with the judicial system and ruins the image of one’s life. Victorian MP, Theo Theophanous, was accused of raping a woman. One article stated, â€Å"He is accused of raping a woman inside Victoria’s Parliament building one evening in 1998, and has stepped down as minister for industry and trade Theophanous is robustly protesting his innocence †¦He is portraying himself as the victim of a smear campaign, and has suggested his accuser is after money. † Numerous articles were spread and harsh comments were made by the public before he even got the chance to step foot in court. Where is the justification in this? After the lengthy process of having Mr. Theophanous’s name cleared in any wrong doing, he’ll still be criticized by the public, even if he was proven innocent. Because of the harsh media, he lost his career and reputation- professionally and privately. Trial of media affects the lives of many in a way that is pure unimaginable. Human dignity is practically taken away. Some may say, we have freedom of speech and the media has the right to say whatever they desire. Well, yes. This is in fact true. Although, I believe if the media attacks the basic freedoms of others, courts should not be indecisive to strap it in. The media should at least receive support from courts imposing legitimate assurance of freedom of speech. This is suggested to protect one’s privacy and future. The media provokes a status of public mania in which allowing a fair trial to take place is nearly impossible. Clearly through O. J. Simpson’s and Theo Theophanouss case, regardless of the result of the trials, the accused will not be able to live the rest of their life without cold public scrutiny. No matter what the indictment may be, severe or ornate, a fair trial should be given and you are innocent until proven guilty in my eyes. [-;0] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Brentwood,_Los_Angeles,_California

How to Use the Perl Array Push() Function

How to Use the Perl Array Push() Function The Perl  push()  function is used to push a value or values onto the end of an array, which increases the number of elements. The new  values  then become the  last elements  in the array. It returns the new total number of elements in the array. Its easy to confuse this function with  the  unshift()  function, which adds elements to the  beginning  of an array. Heres an  example of the Perl push() function: myNames (Larry, Curly);push myNames, Moe;print myNames\n; When this code is executed, it delivers: Larry Curly Moe Picture a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right. The push() function pushes the new value or values onto the right side of the array  and increases the elements.   The array can also be thought of as a stack. Picture a stack of numbered boxes, starting with 0 at the top and increasing as it goes down. The push() function pushes the value onto the bottom of the stack  and increases the elements, like this: myNames (Larry,Curly);push myNames, Moe; You can also push multiple values onto the array directly ... myNames (Larry, Curly);push myNames, (Moe, Shemp); ... or by pushing on an array: myNames (Larry, Curly);moreNames (Moe, Shemp);push (myNames, moreNames); Note for beginning programmers:  Perl arrays begin with an symbol. Each complete line of code must end with a semicolon. If it doesnt, it wont execute. In the stacked example in this article, the lines without a semicolon are values contained in an array and enclosed in parentheses. This isnt an exception to the semicolon rule, as much as a result of the stack approach. The values in the array are not individual lines of code. It is easier to picture this in the horizontal approach to coding. Other Functions for Manipulating Arrays Other functions are also used to manipulate arrays. These make it easy and efficient to use a Perl array as a stack or as a queue. In addition to the push function, you can use: Pop function – removes and returns the last element of an arrayShift function – moves the whole array to the left. The element that is the first element of the array falls off the array and becomes the return value of the functionUnshift function – the opposite of the shift function, places a value at the beginning of an array and moves all the other element to the right.

DIABETES - LITERATURE REVIEW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

DIABETES - LITERATURE REVIEW - Essay Example The objective was to analyse the risk factor index and the study concludes that the risk of diabetes is higher in Asians, Hispanics and blacks than whites before and after taking into account difference in BMI on the basis of the study evidences. The diatory and life style informations contributed to the data collection, the specific study methods verifies the dilatory intake in terms of caloric value as well as glycemic intake too. The data collection was done repeatedly for 4 years. Questionnaires were the assessment tool. Population:- Total population was 78419.Among these population the sampling done on the basis of ethnicity as Asians- 801, whites – 75,584, Hispanics-613 and black 1421. Inclusion criteria:- The inclusion criteria were considered only the selected population who have diabetes and who are willing to participate and the gender consideration was females. Exclusion Criteria:- Exclusion criteria include the diseases other than diabetes. Result:- The result says that â€Å"Compared with whites, the age-adjusted relative risks (RRs) were 1.43 (95% CI1.08–1.90) for Asians, 1.76 (1.32–2.34) for Hispanics, and 2.18 (1.82–2.61) for blacks. After adjustment for BMI, the RRs changed to 2.26 (1.70–2.99) for Asians, 1.86 (1.40–2.47) for Hispanics, and 1.34 (1.12–1.61) for blacks. ... A healthy diet high in cereal ?ber and polyunsaturated fat and low in transfat and glycemic load was more strongly associated with a lower risk of diabetes among minorities (RR 0.54 [95% CI 0.39–0.73]) than among whites (0.77 [0.72–0.84]). As Weight gain is particularly detrimental for Asians these data evidence towards the ethnicity along with diatory intake that the inverse association of a healthy diet with diabetes is stronger for minorities than for whites. Study evidences that the immigrated Asian women population have the high prevalence of diabetes and states that the diabetes and obesity are strongly associated each other along with the higher risk rate of cardio-vascular diseases incidence (Shai et al., 2006, p.1587). Article 2: ‘Prospective study of red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes in middle aged and elderly women by American Diabetes Association-2004’ The women heath study was conducted on the topic red meat consumption and association o f type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle aged and elderly women was done by the research team with the guidance of American diabetes association in 2004 ;leads to the evidences of diatory involvement in diabetes among the specified south Asian group. Study Design and Methods: Over an average of 8.8 years, evaluated 37,309 participants in the Women’s Health Study aged above 45 years who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes and completed validated semi quantitative food frequency questionnaires in 1993. Questionnaire was the assessment tool. Participants: The study population contains 377,309 individuals. All participants were belongs to the female gender category. Inclusion criteria: The inclusion criterion includes

Drilling fluid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drilling fluid - Essay Example The mud also provides hydrostatic pressure to balance the formation pressure resulting from the formation fluids in the borehole that if uncontrolled might lead to blowout. The mud is also used in transmitting hydraulic horsepower from the surface to the drilling bit and power the measurement and logging while drilling tools. The choice of drilling mud is determined by the drilling operation to be done, and its properties should be such that it prevents back pressure and blow outs within the minimum costs as possible. (Committee, 2004, pp. 15-19) Drilling fluids are classified into three major types like water, oil, and pneumatic based fluids. The three major types are further classified depending on the purpose, chemicals added fluid phases, alkalinity and dispersion. Water based muds have four phases which include water, Active colloidal solids, Inert solids and Chemicals. The water phase or continuous provides the initial viscosity which is modified to achieve the required flow properties. The water phase also suspends the active colloidal solids and the inert solids. A sample of colloidal solid present is the Bentotite, and that of an inert solid is the Berite. Bentonite, which is a clay provides just sufficient viscosity for carrying the fragments to the surface. Baruim Sulfate increases the weight of the column for borehole stabilization. Caustic soda and other ingredients are added to increase the alkalinity and reduce corrosion. Salts such as Potassium chloride are also added to prevent water from infiltrating the rock formation. Clay is added to water based fluids to increase their density, yield point, gel strength, viscosity and to minimize fluid loss. The clays added are classified as Montmorillonites or bentonite, Kaolinites, and Illi tes. The chemicals are also added to improve the flow properties and are listed as Thinners, Dispersants and Deflocculants. (Caenn, 2011, pp. 538-542) Based on the dispersion, water

Report on The Correlation of physical strength to perfomance on Essay

Report on The Correlation of physical strength to perfomance on physically demanding jobs - Essay Example Physically demanding jobs like those that can be obtained in the armed forces, emergency rescue, construction, heavy-equipment industries and the like require a high level of physical capabilities. Occupations that involve long and cyclical duties such as lifting, carrying, pulling and pushing can potentially cause cumulative trauma disorders such as â€Å"back pain, sprains, strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neck pain† (Nindl & Sharp, 2011). Understandably, when workers are blighted by physical traumas and injuries, they become less effective in carrying out their duties and responsibilities; hence, it could have a potentially negative effect on the job performance on the whole, and eventually on the entire organization. So, this paper shall elaborate on the correlation between physical strength of workers and job performance on physically demanding jobs. In order to clearly and accurately demonstrate a decisive inference on whether a correlation exists or not, this paper shall focus on two measures: arm strength and grip strength. Data Set No. 18 S. No. GRIP x ARM y RATINGS z SIMS Mean Score (x,y, z) Mean Score (x, y) 1 100.5 51 30.2 0.77 60.57 75.75 2 95 64.5 36 -1.97 65.17 79.75 3 75.5 57.5 42.1 0.35 58.37 66.50 6 54.5 35 39.8 -1.68 43.10 44.75 7 131 86 37 1.03 84.67 108.50 8 147 71 57.2 0.53 91.73 109.00 9 104 47.5 31.2 1 60.90 76.00 10 104.5 69 38 -1.43 70.50 86.75 11 120 100 52.4 1.24 90.8 110.00 12 128.5 93.5 46.4 3.16 89.47 111.00 13 29 19 28 -4.17 25.33 24.00 14 128.5 88 57 0.91 91.17 108.25 15 98.5 65.5 29.6 -1.29 64.53 82.00 Solution By simply taking the arm and grip endurance at a particular length of time, arm and grip strength have been measured and tallied for analysis. For the first calculation of the mean score, that is, (x, y, z), ratings have been included in order to identify the significance of ratings in determining the correlation between arm and grip strength and job performance. Nevertheless, to find if ratings do have a subs tantial effect on the overall job performance, a second mean score has been measured. Interpretation Scatter plots could have been utilized in order to graphically display the relationships between the strength scores and ratings, and how the two measures relate with ratings and work simulation scores. But, the table itself can already tell enough that participants with lower strength scores have lower ratings from their employers, which could mean that they performed less effectively that their counterparts. By simply analysing the data, one can automatically conclude that, indeed, there is a correlation between physical strength on performance on physically demanding jobs. Take for instance the comparison of the mean scores and sims between participant 1 and participant 13, participant has got a better simulation and mean score as compared to participant 13 despite the fact that participant 1 got a considerably low ratings. Furthermore, there is not much relationship between ratin gs and physical strengths. Some participants who have higher physical strength do necessarily have higher performance ratings from their employers. Such is the case of participant 12 and 15; nonetheless, it

Mandatory Military Service: A good concept?

Mandatory Military Service: A good concept? Is mandatory military service a good thing for the country? Both World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War have one thing in commonmost who served were drafted through a mandatory system. Recently, high ranking Democratic Congressman, Charles Rangel, proposed reinstating the draft. Is mandatory military service a good thing for the country? I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a military draft, as well as different types of compulsory military service. When people hear about a military draft the first thing that comes to mind is the Vietnam War. The Vietnam draft system was flawed to say the least. Class played a major role in the draft. It was quite easy for those with general knowledge of the Selective Service system to avoid being drafted. Many believe some of the wealthy used their connections to get into the safer branches of the military. President Bushs political opponents have accused him of using his fathers connections during the Vietnam War to get into the relatively safe Texas Air National Guard. College students could apply for student deferment, and at the time most college students were upper class. Student deferment would last until the student finished their studies and earned a degree. If a draft was instituted today college students would only be deferred until the end of their semester. During the Vietnam War, medical deferments were common. Physical problems were legitimate reasons to be exempt from active duty service, but the lower class was at a disadvantage because of fewer medical records. For example, former presidential candidate Howard Dean was exempt from serving in the military during the Vietnam War because of a back problem for which he had medical records of from a prominent New York doctor. Some of the poor didnt have the medical records to support their ailments, and were forced to serve. According to draft supporters, a draft would unite the country. Today, most young people arent actively engaged in their government. A draft would get everyone invested in our foreign policy. Congressman Rangel believes instituting the draft would lead to fewer wars. Its one thing supporting a pre-emptive strike on a country when others in the volunteer military will be performing the mission but would you support it if you were on the front lines of that pre-emptive strike? Another question that must be asked is Should those who dont want any part of the military be forced to serve their country in the event of a draft? Our militarys objective is to defend freedom in our own country and in the world. So, a draft, in some ways, sacrifices the very values we are supposed to be defending. The Supreme Court has ruled that conscientious objection can be from religious or non-religious beliefs but can not be because of a particular war. Many objectors have served in a weapons free branch of the military, or in some form of community service. According to the Selective Service System, they can evaluate and induct everyone drafted within 193 days of an emergency. With such rapid progress, is mandatory military service now necessary? The job of the Selective Service is to provide manpower to the armed forces. Therefore, the 193 days does not include the rigorous training that is standard with the U.S. military. With such great technology at its disposal, the U.S. military makes sure its members are knowledgeable about all its weapons systems. There are many issues that must be addressed to avoid mass problems if a draft were held today. Today, homosexuals are barred from serving in the military. What would stop any person who doesnt want to serve from claiming to be a homosexual? Also, would women be drafted? Today, only men have to register for the Selective Service. If the situation in the Middle East continues to worsen and spread, our government may have no other choice but to place more boots on the ground. The only way to solve troop shortages would be to re-instate the draft. We must hope that our government would only send us in harms way when this country is truly in danger. Bibliography http://www.sss.gov Selective Service System http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/20/selective.service/index.html CNN http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/19/rangel.draft.ap/index.html CNN http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh1000/stories/bush072899.htm Washington Post http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/news/2003/hardball_dean_120103.htm Harvard University

The Influence of Self-Assessed Body Image on Confidence and Self-Esteem

Research in psychology today seems to be drawn towards particular fields of interest especially when it comes to understanding human behavior. One of the most common research topics for social psychology is body image and the perceptions that are related to age groups, genders, and ethnicities. Young people today are pressured by society to make physical appearance a dominant factor in their everyday lives, and the pressure is found not only through media influence but friends and family as well (Pavica, 2010). These pressures can affect many different aspects of a person’s life and significantly influence their actions. The aspects affected by body image can include popularity among peers, social comfort, and the attitudes an individual comes to commit to behavior (Lewis & Rosenblum, 1999). Studies of body image in the past have gained varying results as to the groups that are affected, as well as the amount of impact body image has with these groups. There has also been much debate over the validity of methods used to judge body image, and how well the measurements used actually correlate participants’ actual views of body image (Cash, Morrow, Hrabosky, & Perry 2004). Some factors that have led to this discrepancy in answers are questions that were framed to be more suitable to attain the attitudes of one gender over another. The initial studies of body image focused upon simply body shape which seemed to be more important to women, whereas body image affects were seen for men when questions of muscle definition were included into the questionnaire process (Ridgeway, & Tylka, 2005). This study hopes to gain a more in depth view of a demographic that is believed to put a great amount of focus on body image in the way the... ...ipong, Paul, and Heidi Burkey. "Body mass Index and Body Size Perception: A normalizing of overweight and obesity among diverse college students." Californian Journal of Health Promotion 9.1 (2011): 18-24. Retrieved from http://cjhp.org/Volume9-2011/issue1/18-24ratanasiripong.pdf Ridgeway, R., & Tylka, T. (2005). College men's perceptions of ideal body composition and shape. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 6(3), 209-220. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com Rosenblum, G. and Lewis, M. "The relations among body image, physical attractiveness, and body mass in adolescence." Child Development 70.1 (1999): 50-64. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00005 Seidah, Amelie, and Therese Bouffard. "Being proud of oneself as a person or being proud of one's physical appearance: What matters for feeling will in adolescense?." Social Behavior and Personality 35.2 (2007): 255-268.

Employee Recognition and Reward Program Essay

Abstract I believe that a robust employee recognition program can/will increase employee satisfaction and increase the organization’s customer service rating. In the past, employees were recognized according to their section leadership. Some were recognized and others were not. Since the implementation of the group wide recognition program, I believe the employees are happier. I will verify this through an electronically administered survey, observing the customer service trends, and comparing the rate of recognition now versus recognition prior to program implementation. Reviews of the training expectations (make the experience, do it with style, and go above and beyond) will be conducted to ensure their compliance. The 375th Medical Group (MDG) â€Å"Your Medical Home for Healthcare† initiated a new employee recognition program in 2011. They implemented the program while achieving; in 2011 the 375 MDG received NCQA Recognition as Patient Centered Medical Home. In 2010 & 2011 it was named AMC Best Patient Safety Program of the Year. In 2010 it was named as AMC Best Clinic of the Year, awarded 3 year Accreditation by AAAHC, and rated excellent by Health Services Inspection. So, in order to determine if the program was successful we must first look at the background of the MDG. (Saunders, 2012) The medical group is proud to provide many services and consists of different programs as well. â€Å"The 375 MDG supports the 375th Air Mobility Wing and 31 tenant units in the global reach mission by providing, expanding, and deploying medical capability for contingency tasking. The 375 MDG trains healthcare professionals annually through four specialty training programs and sustains the readiness skills of more than 476 active duty and Air Reserve Component personnel. Additionally, the 375 MDG provides health services for more than 26,000 beneficiaries. The 375 MDG is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care,  American Dental Association, and College of American Pathologists and has affiliations with the American Hospital Association, and American Medical Association.† (375th Medical Group, 2012) This organization was formally a hospital with emergency and inpatient services. Today the 375 MDG is a clinic with outpatient services only. With commanders coming and going every two years, all the quantum changes were taking their toll on the staff that remained behind. This was primarily your civilian staff in the world of the military. (Saunders, 2012) Method The commander1 had arrived right after an exhausting inspection, which granted the MDG a 3 year accreditation (no inspections for 3 more years). Everyone could breathe easier knowing that the inspection was done. But, wait the commander1 saw things that could be improved. She formed groups and committees. Changed/rearranged meeting names, dates and times. The new commander1 left no stone over looked except staff happiness when it came to changing the organization. The commander1 should have used Lewin’s 3 step change model. The change process would have made the change go smoother. Lewin’s Planned Change Model 3 step process is as follows: step 1) Unfreezing, prepare for the change. This is the most critical and hardest step. Step 2) Movement, implement the change. This is the easiest step. Step 3) Refreezing, reinforce the change. This step is the second most important and difficult step. This may have kept the staff from being so upset with the many changes from above without any real information about the organizations direction from the commander1 herself. A leadership survey was conducted; it identified commander1 visibility and lack of organization direction as key areas of focus. In October 2011, commander1 made some changes so that she was more visible and delivered information to the staff herself. Even though commander1 made these changes, complaints came in about staff attitude and rudeness. The patient satisfaction surveys were showing signs of unhappy followers. That is when commander1 did something about the staff’s happiness. She formed a customer service group to help with all the complaints about rude service. The patients were happy with the care they received, they were not happy with the way in which it  was being delivered. Discussion The first meeting of the group went very well. Commander1 had given clear goals; develop/implement a customer service program by 1 Jan 2012. There are five members of the group which is the average size. Groups normally go through four stages; forming – people are coming together on the team, storming – struggle for leadership role, norming – clear emergence of leader, and performing – members were focused on the task. Our group seemed as though it did these four roles in a matter of minutes. This could be because there were no less than three executive staff members in the group. The ranking member lead and we moved to performing due to the tight time schedule. The group first decided on a name for themselves. They tossed around several ideas until â€Å"375 MDG Star Council† became the official name. Then, they decided on how to replace members of the group as each member left. Commander1 had sent several members of the organization to a formal cu stomer service course, so we decide these staff members would be the replacement pool when needed. Now, we needed to figure out what the staff finds rewarding. We conducted a survey of the entire 375 MDG staff. We collected survey forms from everywhere. When we tallied the forms, it was discovered that we had received less than a third of the forms back. Plan B had been hatched; catch all of the 375 MDG staff members while they are in attendance at commander’s call. A captured audience! Without even counting the surveys, it was obvious that we had a much better collection rate. In the survey we asked only one question; what type of recognition would you like to receive and how would you like to receive it? The staff of the 375 MDG results were as follows from the highest votes to the least: a day off presented by the Group Commander, a certificate of Appreciation from the Group Commander, a written note of appreciation from their respective Squadron Commander, recognition in the weekly Commander’s blog and to be recognized by the Executive Team in front of peers. The se were the top five results of the survey the 375 MDG Star Council had to work with. The 375 MDG Star Council had to develop a set of standards which could be used as guidelines for the recognition process. They challenged themselves with the following: â€Å"To recognize those individuals who demonstrate the values and  objectives of the 375 MDG STAR program. To identify methodologies to foster a climate and atmosphere where customer focus and service permeates the organization with the ultimate goal of quality healthcare, service excellence and customer satisfaction. To understand the range of options and actions necessary to affect a cultural change in our approach to customer service.† (MDGI36-2803) â€Å"The Quality Services Office will oversee the 375 MDG STAR Customer Service awards program. Each member assigned to the 375 MDG may nominate anyone displaying outstanding customer service by completing the nomination form found on the MDG’s Enterprise Information Management (EIM) homepage. 375 MDG military and civilian employees will be recognize d under the 375 MDG STAR program. For 375 MDG contract employees, the 375 MDG STAR council will forward their nomination to the 375 MDG Contracting Services Office for entry into the Contract Tracking and Reporting (CTAR) system.† (MDGI36-2803) A set of guidelines, training, and marketing of the program needed to be developed. The 375 MDG Star Council started with the MDG acronym. The â€Å"M† stands for â€Å"Make the experience.† A positive customer hand-off would give the person you are sending the customer to information about what is needed and what has been done. It would also send a message to the customer that they are valued because they would not need to explain their situation to another person. The â€Å"D† stands for â€Å"Do it with Style.† Greet all customers with a smile as you come in contact with them. Remember the â€Å"10 foot rule†; if you come within 10 feet of a customer greet them. Take pride in yourself and your job. If you look professional and act pr ofessional then you are a professional. The â€Å"G† stands for â€Å"Go above and beyond.† When giving directions to a customer escort when possible. Stay aware and attentive to the customer’s situations such as letting them know if their provider is running late. The council then had to turn their attention to training. How do we train the entire staff of the 375 MDG? We decided to start as Kurt Lewin’s would, with his 3-step change process. (Kurt, 2012) This first stage of change involves preparing the organization to accept that change which involves breaking down the existing status quo before you can build up a new way of operating. The key to this is developing a compelling message showing why the existing way of doing things cannot continue. This is easiest to frame when you can point to declining customer satisfaction surveys: These show that things  have to change in a way that everyone can understand. To prepare the organization successfully, you need to start at its core. You need to challenge the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors that currently define it. Using the analogy of a building, you must examine and be prepared to change the existing foundations as they might not support additional levels; unless this is done, the whole building may risk collapse. The transition from unfreeze to change does not happen overnight: People take time to embrace the new direction and participate proactively in the change. In order to accept the change and contribute to making the change successful, people need to understand how the changes will benefit them. Not everyone will fall in line just because the change is necessary and will benefit the company. This is a common assumption and pitfall that should be avoided. Time and communication are the keys to a successful change campaign. People need time to understand the changes and they also need to feel highly connected to the organization throughout the transition period. When you are managing change, this can require a great deal of time and effort and hands-on management is usually the best approach. When the changes are taking shape and people have embraced the new ways of working, the organization is ready to refreeze. The outward signs of the refreeze are a stable organization chart, consisten t job descriptions, and so on. The refreeze stage also needs to help people and the organization internalize or institutionalize the changes. This means making sure that the changes are used all the time; and that they are incorporated into everyday business. With a new sense of stability, employees feel confident and comfortable with the new ways of working. The rationale for creating a new sense of stability in our every changing world is often questioned. Even though change is a constant in many organizations, this refreezing stage is still important. Without it, employees get caught in a transition trap where they aren’t sure how things should be done, so nothing ever gets done to full capacity. In the absence of a new frozen state, it is very difficult to tackle the next change initiative effectively. How do you go about convincing people that something needs changing if you haven’t allowed the most recent changes to sink in? Change will be perceived as change for change’s sake, and the m otivation required to implement new changes simply won’t be there. As part of the Refreezing process, make sure that you  celebrate the success of the change this helps people to find closure, thank them for enduring a painful time, and help them believe that future change will be successful. With the unfreeze step of Kurt Lewin’s change process being the most difficult and stressful. The 375 MDG Star Council lead the way by cutting down the â€Å"way things are done† which put everyone off balance. This evoked strong reactions in the staff, and that’s exactly what needed to done. By forcing the organization to re-examine its core, the 375 MDG Star Council effectively created a crisis, which in turn can build a strong motivation to seek out a new equilibrium. Without this motivation, you won’t get the buy-in and the participation necessary to effect any meaningful change. What better way to get buy-in, than to start with the top down process. The 375 MDG Star Council trained the Executive Team, who would then in-turn preached the new concept to their respective squadrons. Each squadron commander would then gather their managers to be trained within the next two-weeks. The squadron commander would lead off the training program with their support and motivation on how important the program is to the organization. The 375 MDG Star Council then co nducted the training for the management staff. This took place within all five squadrons and their management teams. No more than a week later each manager had to go back and deliver the training to their sections and report back to the Executive Team when the training was completed and what percentage of staff was captured. To sustain the training it will be conducted during newcomers orientation and as requested by leadership or if trends dictate the need. While the training was being conducted on all levels the 375 MDG Star Council initiated the marketing campaign which transformed into the development of the wall of fame, an â€Å"I got caught† campaign which asks the question, â€Å"How do you serve our nation’s heroes and their families?† (MDGI36-2803) The 375 MDG Star Council purchased and distributed chrome plated name plates at each clinical patient check-in desk. The 375 MDG Star Council needed to develop a way to show at a glance that 375 MDG staff member was recognized for displaying outstanding customer service. A plastic blue card with the MDG logo and explanation on one side and the phrase â€Å"The 375th Medical Group is proud to serve our Nation’s Heroes and their families.† (MDGI36-2803) On the bottom of the card is â€Å"MDG STARS† each time a staff member is recognized one of the letters is  punched in the shape of a Star. This will cause our customers to ask about the card and a way for 375 MDG staff to recognize one another. What is considered worthy of a nomination? â€Å"An act that goes above and beyond the normal expectations of daily customer service actions. These actions may be towards either our internal or external customers.† (MDGI36-2803) â€Å"The individual making the nomination may send, through electronic means or in writing, the justification as to why they believe the individual warrants this award to any member of the 375 MDG Star Council. Electronic nominations are accomplished by selecting the â€Å"STAR Catcher† banner found on the MDG STAR EIM homepage. Customer service comments provided on the 375 Medical Group Customer Satisfaction Survey forms and Service Delivery Assessment (SDA) will be transferred into the MDG STAR Catcher database.† (MDGI36-2803) â€Å"All customer service submissions will be compiled monthly and validated by the 375 MDG Star Council. The 375 MDG Star Council will punch individuals’ Star badges based on valid submissions. Additionally, the council will maintain a system to track all Star punches for MDG personnel. Individuals who receive their initial punch will earn a blue Star badge holder; individuals who receive their third punch will be recognized in the weekly MDG Commander’s blog. Individuals who receive their fifth punch will receive a written note of appreciation for their respective squadron commander. Individuals who receive their seventh punch will receive a certificate from the group commander. Individuals who receive their tenth punch will earn a one day pass for military personnel and one-day time-off incentive award for civilian employees. Individuals who receive more than ten punches will Start back at third punch for recognition. For example, individuals who receive their thirteenth punch will be recognized in the weekly MDG Commander’s blog.† (MDGI36-2803) â€Å"Monthly, the 375 MDG Star Council will determine the top three customer service submissions. These top three personnel will be showcased on the Wall of Fame board and on the 375 MDG Star EIM site . In addition, they will be nominated for the Wing’s Quarterly Customer Service recognition program. Quarterly, the 375 MDG Star Council will submit three individuals for the wing’s quarterly customer service recognition program. These individuals will be selected from the three months prior nominees. Monthly, the 375 MDG Star Council will randomly identify three 375 MDG employees for the â€Å"I got caught†¦ Serving our  Nation’s Heroes and Their Families† program. Their picture and comments will be posted on the Wall of Fame and at their duty locations.† (MDGI36-2803) Results The customer satisfaction rate is extremely important for the success of any organization. The 375 MDG Star Council will use SDA, customer surveys, patient advocate contacts and secret shopper to validate the employee recognition and reward program. The organizations standard satisfaction rate is 90%. The 375 MDG commander1 wants there to be at a minimum a 90% satisfaction rate at all times; on any given day, at any given time. The top trends/issues for patients contacting the Patient Advocate are; PCM change, Information, Assistance, Communication, Kudos/Access. From this information it would appear that the program is working well. In March 2011 there were a total of 3 positive contacts, 22 negative contacts, and 9 neutral contacts for a total of 34 individuals contacting the patient advocate for assistance of some kind. These numbers have decreased from the same timeframe as last year. (Patient Advocate, 2012) Not only are the patient advocate contacts tracked, there are feedback forms around the clinic that patients can fill out, in the month of March 2012 there were a total of 136 forms filled out with 14 individuals requesting feedback. 122 forms were positive, 12 were negative, and 2 were neutral. A snapshot of the negative feedbacks were wait time at the pharmacy was too long, waiting too long for an appointment, being told the wrong appointment time and being told to reschedule. Snapshots of the positive feedbacks were prompt and professional, great and very responsive to patients needs. (Patient Advocate, 2012) Not only is the patient advocate available along with paper surveys around the clinic, there is also a contracted company that calls patients and ask ten questions about the visit you had this week. The contracted company has no information in regards to the visit or the patient’s personal information, to ensure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is complied with, but they ask 10 questions on a 1 – 5 scale to get feedback about the facility and its services. Some of those questions are: How many days did you wait for an  appointment; were you satisfied with the care received, management of healthcare needs, and the provider you saw. (Patient Advocate, 2012) Customer satisfaction is very important to this organization and they ensure there are many ways available for customers to voice their concerns; whether good or bad. Communicating with your customers is vital to the success of the organization and providing quality care. This is an important aspect to maintain with all of the cutbacks when it comes to the healthcare industry. Quality care is essential to patient satisfaction and to the delivery of healthcare. There has been a major focus on the delivery of healthcare and the satisfaction of patients in the healthcare industry as a whole. The 375 MDG Star Council is still in the process of implementing the secret shopper program to assist with validation. They have made progress and will have the program in progress before the end of November 2012. The data from this program is unavailable at the time of publishing. If the data were available I would speculate that it would show a positive trend with a dip here or there. Overall, the SDA data, patient advocate data, and customer satisfaction surveys all show a positive trend toward program success. The 375 MDG now has a new commander who is very visible, and not just focused on how well the numbers say the organization is doing. The new commander wants to see what bad is being said and if it has a trend. He does like that the organization is maintaining well over the 90% standard, but what is the one or two percent who is not satisfied saying? How can you be sure about the staff and their approval or acceptance of the program? The 375 MDG employees will be surveyed by the year’s end to validate the program. The survey will be based on the Likert Scale. Likert developed the principle of measuring attitudes by asking people to respond to a series of statements about a topic, in terms of the extent to which they agree with them, and so tapping into the cognitive and affective components of attitudes. (McLeod, 2008) It will contain no more than five questions. The questions will be phrased to ascertain if the employee is aware of the program, knows how the program works, and how frequently do they utilize the  program. The information collected will then be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program. Once the determination is made is either for or against the program, appropriate adjustment will be made. The adjustments can range from staff education and training to changing the incentive awards presented to each Star recipient. The Employee Recognition and Reward Program started on 1 Jan 2012 as was charged by the former 375 MDG Commander1. The MDG instruction for the program is posted on the EIM site for all to view at their leisure. The star tracking system has successfully tracked over 1000 star submissions since the January 2012 kick-off. With Commander2 the customer satisfaction rates at 90% or higher the 375 MDG is meeting or exceeding its goal of the program. 2013 began as it did 3 years ago. In 2012 & 2013 we were named AMC’s Best Patient Safety Program of the Year. In 2013 we were awarded 3 year Accreditation by AAAHC, and currently pending the excellent rating by Health Services Inspection in September 2013. (Saunders, 2012) So, I believe the program to be a success, because with all the leadership changes that has taken place in the organization over the last few years. The organization would not rate as high as it does in customer satisfaction if the program was not working. In January 2013 Commander2 met with the 375 MDG Star Council to discuss the Employee Recognition Program and its current status. Commander2 gave his wish which was to have the Mystery Patient Program operational by 1 May 2013. The Star Council invited the Patient Safety Representative to assist with the development of the questionnaire. The staff was informed that the Mystery Patient Program was being developed and would be operational by 1 May 2013. The organization began its Mystery Patient Program on 1 May 2013 as commander2 wished. With only one month of data collected and reported. It is this author’s belief that the 375 MDG will see similar results over the next few months to prove the program’s success. Continued education and training of the program will help to increase the patient satisfaction rating over time.