Saturday, August 31, 2019

Dress for success Essay

Is the way a person dresses important? It can be said: â€Å"yes†, it is. It is important not only for the impression he creates for the people around him, but also there is a more important factor- that the clothes a person wears makes them feel good. Whenever a person goes somewhere he is like a turtle, and his clothes are his shell, and when he goes somewhere he needs to be dressed well, and even if the occasion is not important, and he just goes for a walk with his dog, understanding that his â€Å"shell† looks nice, and perfectly suits him makes him feel more comfortable. So, a person who wears nice clothes is more successful and self-confident. Unfortunately, according to what we can see not all people in society are following this straight  forward principle. Most of them just don’t care about how they look, and then some of them might complain about being unsuccessful. Maybe this carelessness could be a reason for their failures. Some people may argue that clothes are not so important, and it depends on a person, and how smart he is, and that only hard work can influence success. However, it does matter, and it is very important to have a nice clothes! How people dress affects the way they feel about themselves and the situation in which they perform. Dating and style coach and the founder of the Fashion Experts Network, Sheila Dicks, wrote in one of her articles, â€Å"How dressing affects your attitude and confidence†, that we don’t have to spend enormous amounts of money on our clothes, but the way we combine clothes and then introduce ourselves in them, may show our self-confidence and assurance. Dressing for many people seems very insignificant, and they don’t believe that it can affect attitude. â€Å"How people dress is related in some way to how they feel†, says Sheila Dicks. It makes sense, when we feel good we dress well, but when we are not in the mood we can look very stupid. However when we put on nice things, which we really enjoy, this automatically triggers our mood to be good, so we have more energy for the day, and things seem better for us. In Sheila’s article there’s written that there are some aspects that can increase attitude: 1) if a person knows the occasion where he’s going to be; 2) if he knows the audience he’s going to interact with; 3) he knows his own style; 4) if he has an idea of how to combine colors. 1) Tailoring according to the event is important in order not to look stupid in front of other people. It can be just going shopping or going to a business lunch, but a person has to remember to dress according to the occasion. 2) The people who the individual is in contact with are considered to be an audience. Dress is an image of a person which he will be introduced in front of his friends, colleagues, enemies and so on. It also has to do with social situation; we don’t usually see a woman working in the supermarket and wearing a cocktail dress, because she has a suitable dress code which he must follow. 3) In everything we do we have our own personal style, which makes us distinguishable from each other. People express their style of clothes in clothes’ structure, material, shape, as well as accessories. Not all occasions suit a person’s personal style, but being  aware of it helps to accommodate clothes for particular occasion. There are people who look better in warm colors and others in cool colors. Each color has different description and can lead to different effect. (Self-Growth) The best compliment that somebody can make to another person is to say, â€Å"You look fantastic†. It means that the job that somebody did with his outfit is successful, and he succeed in impressing others. This compliment about the overall outfit, is even better than hearing about a specific part of the outfit, for example, the shoes, or a bag, or a coat†¦ This compliment means that the person’s attire was successfully combined, with his self- confidence making the person look fantastic. It’s especially important when making a first impression. Because when first meeting someone a good impression will be made. In a person’s life there’s a very important and significant step, which may influence their whole life, this step is to find a good job. It means that people should be  responsible about finding work because nobody wants to lose out on a chance, so a person has to be very concerned about it. It’s when first impressions are made as well. According to CNN’s reports about what employers demand from people who went to the job interview, we can see that how we dress says a lot about us, and it forms an employer’s opinion and decides our future in the company (CNN.com/living). A company may not have a particular dress code, but they would like to see people working in appropriate and suitable clothes; the employers want to see a person with clean. Also from this CNN survey we can see when an employer has to choose between two applicants, the one who was nicely dressed and feels very confident about himself, will get a job over the applicant who’s resume is just as good, but he is not well dressed well enough (CNN.com/living). Many people can argue with that and say that it is unfair, and an employer should not make decision based just on appearance, but unfortunately it’s true, and it’s really taking place. When this well- dressed person gets his dream- job, it doesn’t mean that he should stop trying to do his best while dressing every morning. Now he’s dressing not only to impress, but also to help himself to increase his productivity and self-confidence during this working period. For example he may have very a important business meeting, and he might be nervous about  it, but since he put on his chic and stylish suit, which seems like it was just made for his body structure; he is at least sure that the people he is going to meet with will like his look, and will be more friendly and more respectful. Then, when he finally meets them, and he sees their reaction toward him, it gives him more energy and more desire, and the aim is to impress them with his working skills as well. Basically, this example shows how a good suit can make signing a profitable business contract possible. Women like to impress not only business partners, but they’re also interested in impressing the men they meet socially. Being in a good physical shape and having a nice body is great; however it is even better if this body is covered with attractive clothing. There is very good book â€Å"How to Dress for Success† by Edit Head where she gives a lot of good advice and tips about how to dress for success in different areas and also with men. It makes no difference whether a woman is just interested in a man for a relationship or as whether she sees in him a potential husband. In both examples she should put effort into choosing what to wear. Head writes that women should have an idea where and how the date is going to be, so she can choose the perfect outfit. If they go to a restaurant, or to the cinema, or to the opera, or just for a walk in the park she has to have an idea to what kind of clothes she will feel most comfortable in, and whether it will suit the place. The man should also like her outfit, because if he doesn’t the whole mascarade was in vane (Chapter 2). Most men really don’t care whether a girl is clever or not, they will find that out later; firstly they fall in love with their eyes not with the girl’s intelligence. We can see that the way we dress is so important and it regulates our attitude. Wherever we go, we have to be dressed perfectly in order to feel more confident, and to make people more attracted to us. Knowing how to combine clothes effectively and how to buy the ones that suit us is a very useful skill and knowledge to have; if a person finds something very nice, but unfortunately it doesn’t suit him, it means he shouldn’t buy it. Looking good increases our productivity as well; when we feel comfortable about our appearance we perform better in the work place. People who surround us also feel it, and they are more attracted to the person, who have strong self-esteem, and in know what they want. At work  these people are more appreciated, and are more likely to get a good job, which leads to making good money, so basically dressing well helps us to make money. However, we don’t really see successful and rich people who dressing bad do we? Work list Dicks , Sheila. â€Å"How Dressing Affects Your Attitude and Confidence.† http://www.selfgrowth.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar 2014. Head, Edit. How to dress for success . New York: Random House, 1967. Web. Haefner, Rosemary . â€Å"how to dress for success at work.† CareerBuilder.com human resources vice president. (2008): n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Diversity and healthcare

Managing a Diverse Workforce The health care institution is making the possible steps to address the concerns disclosed during the mock accreditation assessment. Various working teams and groups are being organized to develop corrective action plans for forecasted dilemmas as they become evident. For this scenario, I was chosen to lead a specific project team. Because I’m aware that diversity is an important element to producing successful outcomes, I’ve scheduled a meeting with other team leaders to provide information on this subject. Therefore, a preparation for a report on the value of diversity on the following was initiated: †¢ Work Groups Functions †¢ Different Forms †¢ The types of diversity as it is important among healthcare organizations †¢ Tools that can help ensure that diversity principle exists in these project teams Effective work groups’ main goal is to engage in external knowledge sharing; they exchange information, ideas, and feedback, the values of sharing different ideas and knowledge increases with diversity, their different organizational affiliations, roles, or positions, can expose the group to unique sources of knowledge. It is hypothesized that if members of structurally diverse work groups engage in external knowledge sharing, they will be exposed to different elements of work principles because of this active exchange of knowledge through unique external sources can establish new information frontiers. The following values should be taken in consideration when dealing with diversity within a workgroup: †¢ There is a need to stick to the regulations and be pertinent while communicating with a diverse workforce. †¢ It is crucial to avoid the use of slang words when having a conversation with individuals coming from a diverse workforce. †¢ . There is a need to understand how the persons from different cultures interpret communications. †¢ There should be proper mentoring of people from different cultures and sectors. †¢ There should be communications training given to local employees while communicating with a diverse workforce. †¢ Extra training should be given to foreign employees while communicating with a diverse workforce. †¢ Open-doors policy should be moderated while communicating with a diverse workforce The work group function is to build skills and knowledge while helping others to understand what each team member does, and actively reflecting on team accomplishments and challenges. The values of diversity forms are categories in social diversity, diversity in values, and information resource diversity. There are also moderating variables such as work type and work interdependence, on workgroup performance Organizations are now initiating to discard the old stereotype of the `ideal manager` and are beginning to consider the idea that realized factors such as any genders, any ages, racial groups, ethnic affiliation and cultural types can produce excellent managers. Healthcare organizations are able to see more creativity and innovations due to the embracement of letting go of this old stereotype in which the resulting diversity can bring a competitive advantage to the healthcare organization. To reach this point, healthcare administrators must grasp several concepts. They must first have the ability to understand exactly what diversity entails. Then there should also be an understanding of the purpose behind diversity management. Third, healthcare administrators must understand that other unknown or invisible biases do exist in their respective workplace. Finally, managers should be aware of the solutions they can employ to deal with the issues of diversity management; tools that can help ensure that diversity exists in these project teams for better competency. Specific skills and knowledge areas essential for managing a diverse workforce with sensitivity and competency begin with managers who knowledgeable in cross cultural skills, business practices and customs as well as possess increased knowledge about cultural sensitivity issues and communication styles of different cultures in order to operate and communication and thus function effectively in an increasingly diverse workforce. Managers must have developed great communication styles attuned to different cultures to prevent any communication gaps and confusion while relaying info to a diverse workforce. Managers need superior interpersonal and communication skills to lead any workforce especially one that is made up of various ethnic groups, generations, and other orientations. Knowledge of diversity principles is essential. All employees’ wants and delegated needs significantly evolve according to how they want their life stages to be characterized, and an efficient manager will adjust to these types of changes. By drastically addressing these changes, managers can structure a stable organizational culture out of identified diversity. (Goliath Business Knowledge on Demand, 2003) References Goliath Business Knowledge on Demand. (2003, June 01). Retrieved February 29, 2003, from Industry & Market Reports: http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0198-63372/Diversity-management-an-imperative-for.html Liebler, J. G. (2004). Management Principles for Heath Professional. Sudbury, MA:

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Designing and implementing an evaluation of the quality of your Lab Report - 1

Designing and implementing an evaluation of the quality of your clinical teaching - Lab Report Example The responses of the students were measured on a linkert scale and the data tabulated for analysis. Twelve graduated nurses responded to the questions. From the results obtained, all the answers ranged between satisfactory, good, and very good. A majority of the responses fell within the category of very good. There was zero data on the categories of poor and very poor. On the positive side, all the questions ranging from Question 1 to Question 8 received overwhelming positive response from the respondents. Question 12 also ranked highly with all the students endorsing the preceptors with the score of â€Å"Very Good.† From this set of results it shows that students were positively in agreement with the fact that the preceptors were available for them, the preceptors understood their roles, the preceptors used students strength and knowledge, and that the receptors acted as good role models. Equally, the students were unanimously in agreement with the fact that the preceptors showed a good rapport with the students, helped them understand goals and needs of the experience, provided immediate feedback with adequate comment, and that they asked students to ask questions. Similarly, the students were in agreement that the nurses communicated clinical and didactic knowledge well. On the negative side, Question 9 and Question 10 scored low on the responses of the nursing students with many of those who responded spreading out between the levels of satisfactory and very good. By implication, it would imply that the respondents did not feel very positively strongly on the questions of whether the preceptors could communicate clinical and didactic knowledge well. They also showed little affirmation on whether the preceptors communicated clinical and previous knowledge well. This evaluation report proved a significantly resourceful tool in revealing the effectiveness of the methods

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

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

CW - Essay Example llow members in one way or another, especially those involved with the Euro currency and thus, the European Union has taken it upon itself to come up with measures that will successfully resolve the matter. However, to understand the issues being faced in the crisis, one has to first determine the underlying causes that were responsible for the European economic crisis in the first place. Though a number of factors can be said to have been put into play, one major cause is the poor management of the banking systems in countries such as Spain, which left them in dire need of assistance to maintain their operations and remain afloat. This occurred as a result of factors such as lenient lending policies that led to a huge number of defaulters as the economic situation worsened in these countries, meaning the banks were not able to get their money back. The recession that is being faced worldwide also played a big role in the development of the crisis as investors were no longer willing to risk delving into the market due to the fear of losses. The crisis led to a number of outcomes as various markets were affected and were not able to function sufficiently due to the lack of investments. Banks that were not able to regain their money collapsed and even the major ones stumbled as a result of the defaulters while the Euro also dropped in value as a result of people choosing to switch to more stable currencies in their business dealings. Though the UK supports the recovery of the Euro, the steps that have been taken by the European Union, such as the formation of a Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) for all banks, may lead to a fading influence of the UK in the Euro Zone. The development of these bodies may lead to the interests of the UK being ignored or overlooked during the voting process on various decisions as the bodies focus on what will help the member states rather than the interests of the UK. As a result, the UK has requested for financial safeguards that

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

HR Cases Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR Cases - Case Study Example As a director, I should not ignore Fred’s frustration as it could pass on to others or have a more detrimental effect on Fred’s performance and/or performance of the team. In order to address Fred’s discontent and attitude, I would first evaluate his performance and provide a feedback about his behavior. I would acknowledge his contribution and appreciate his efforts. Along with Joan, I will chalk out a plan that would include additional responsibilities for Fred which will also help in preparing him for the next level of promotion. This will keep him motivated and focused towards the task. I will chalk out a plan for his future and set expectations along with a performance monitoring process. It is very difficult to retain an employee who has decided to move on. Retention of employees should be an ongoing process by constantly keeping them motivated and having an understanding of their needs and expectations. In the present situation, in order to retain Ezra, I would offer him with additional responsibilities in the managerial cadre which will keep him motivated. I would make a commitment that Ezra’s profile for the next opening in managerial position would definitely be considered. Although the educational aid programs have been very helpful in enhancing the process performance, I feel this program should be provided to employees in recognition of their valuable contribution to the organization for specific period of time. Moreover, a commitment from employees receiving such benefit should be taken which will ensure that the company is recovering its investment. This commitment can be in the form of a contractual agreement or bound by money and/or other benefits provided to the employee. The bank would require attendance details of Wittman and other employees of this department. It would also require the log-in

Monday, August 26, 2019

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example lity (CSR) in brief as â€Å"CSR is about business giving back to society†, and in detail as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large† (Mallenbaker.net, 2006). CSR is a broad principle involving the way a corporation manages its business processes to provide an end-to-end beneficial effect on society. Business entities are required to consider the quality of their management related to both people and processes, and the type and amount of their social impact in different areas (Mallenbaker.net, 2006). CSR is very similar to the concept of Sustainable Development which requires that corporation decisions should consider social and environmental effects, in addition to economic matters such as profits and dividends (Wikipedia, 2006). CSR suggests that corporations have a duty of care to all of their stakeholders while carrying out their business functions. Stakeholders are those individuals or organizations that have legal interest in the corporation; they are influenced by the corporation’s decisions and actions, while also having the power to influence such decisions and actions. The most important stakeholders are shareholders; other stakeholders include employees, clients, suppliers, community organizations, subsidiaries and joint venture partners (Wikipedia, 2006). CSR is beneficial to the corporation in several ways (Wikipedia, 2006). First of all, it gives the corporation a clean image of having the benefit of society at large in mind, rather than being only interested in making profits for its shareholders. Secondly, the corporation’s reputation and its brand power are strengthened; this is because consumers are increasingly checking the CSR behavior of the corporations from which they purchase their goods and services. Thirdly, chances of investment in the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

A Need for Offender Programs and Treatments Before Release Research Proposal - 1

A Need for Offender Programs and Treatments Before Release - Research Proposal Example The study will utilize questionnaire and interviews in the effort to obtain information from offenders and correctional facility officers. It is apparent that the issue of offender programs and their effectiveness has been contentious for a long time, especially in relation to their effectiveness. Apparently, this has been a concern because of the effects they have on offenders in terms of their behavior modification. Although offender programs are designed to correct behaviors of offenders, there is a need to have an effort to change their behavious. This can be enhanced during and after they have been released from correction facilities. The Alabama Department of Corrections operates 29 facilities within the state. Currently, the facility hosts around 13, 200 offenders. Pre release and reentry programs are the major programs offered by the Alabama Department of Corrections. Among other things, these programs aim at providing transitional case management services. The main focus on such services includes identifying inmate basic and technical needs, which aims at linking the offender with resources prior to his release.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Nazism and Free Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nazism and Free Speech - Essay Example The challenges that each posed to the other would be analysed in this paper. Nazism as a form of government and political ideology is detrimental to the flourishing of free speech. This can be seen in the suppression of the power of the press in a country that is under the Nazi regime. The importance of the press in shaping public opinion and rallying the dissent of a nation is well known and the suppression of freedom in this area hits at the very roots of the principles of free speech in a nation. John A. Hess’s article on Nazism and free speech, written while the Nazi regime was still in power in Germany, talks about the different views that were prevalent regarding the success of Nazism and the freedom that the press in different countries enjoyed. The article points on how commentators in Germany talked of the freedom of press in relative terms. According to them, countries like England and France do not provide their press with freedom. The reason that is advanced for th is is that the press in these countries, in order to survive, is excessively dependent upon the opinion of the people. The commentator who is referred to in the article points out how the sales of the newspapers in these countries dipped when matters that were not of immediate interest to the people were not published. This is, however, a weak argument as the news that is of importance to the people is what ought to be published in any democracy. In this case, it is the people who have the rights to decide which piece of news is worthy of publication and which one is not. Thus, the supreme authority rests with the people and not with the state functionaries. This is not the case in a Nazi state where the members of the ruling party have the power to be autocratic in deciding the topics that are to be dealt with by the press. This authority of the state subverts the very fundamentals of the idea of the freedom of the press. Hess later in his article points out how the people in democ ratic countries like America had the right to question the state in which they found the press, a right that was not available to people who were a part of countries ruled by the Nazi regimes. This argument again, strikes at the mistakes of the arguments that were made by apologists of the Nazi regime. The article, thus, demonstrates the hollowness of the arguments that were advanced by such people regarding the freedom that the press enjoyed under the Nazi regime. It also reveals that the freedom to question and protest were the most important rights that a person had under a democracy. Even if the state of things is not perfect in a democracy, as long as the right to protest remained intact, the press of the country could be considered to be free, according to Hess. The article demonstrates how the people of a certain nation, in an attempt to be apologists of the existing regime of the country, can be blind to the obvious. Hess manages to point out clearly the defects of the Nazi regime and the positives of a democratic form of government being opposed to it. Works Cited Hess, John A. â€Å"Free Speech and the Nazi Press†. The German Quarterly, 11(4) 1938. Web. 28th Mar. 2012.

Team mission statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team mission statement - Essay Example The author concludes by saying that â€Å"the mission statement affirms the company’s commitment to responsible action.† Site Relevance. This site provides the knowledge essential in making a good mission statement. In order to formulate one, each of the members of the group what exactly is a mission statement and why it needs to be established. Understanding what comprises a good mission statement is a prerequisite in having one. This site has given me an adequate knowledge on how companies come up with their mission statements which can also be applied in our virtual team. Site Summary. In her article entitled Virtual Teams Need Human Touch, Jane Hawkrigg identifies the challenges commonly faced by virtual teams together with the specific strategies which should be employed in order to maximize the productivity of virtual teams. The author stresses that virtual teams harnesses the diverse talents and potentials of each member which are geographically separated. The following are the identified best practices for virtual teaming as identified by a global research group: virtual teams need special leadership; trust is essential; team building pays off; don’t abandon face to face meetings; performance in consistency; and the use of technology to maximize performance. Site Relevance. This site has been primarily important in giving me an understanding of how to maximize the potentials of our team-members. In order to create a mission statement, these guidelines are important because they are the factors which should be considered for the virtual team to succeed. It should be noted that as a virtual team is different from a typical one, special considerations should be prioritized. Since the mission statement defines the team and its goals, these identified best practices should be emphasized on the

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military Research Paper

The Role of Women In The U.S. Military - Research Paper Example They were first introduced in military in World War I (1914-1918). Initially, the women did serve the military as nurses and also did a number of clerical jobs. After World War II, they were given permanent positions in US military under the Women Armed Services Integration Act, 1948. However, they were restricted to only 2% of the total US military. They were also not allowed higher positions of Generals in army. In 1978, female auxiliaries found in military branches were abolished by Congress and integrated forces were created for the first time. Women were also allowed to take part in many jobs other than those of healthcare and technicians. However, they were still restricted to be included in combat positions. The need of inclusion of women in combat positions was first recognized after the Gulf war in 1991. The women supported the armed forces on combat positions in the war. This brought the women to front lines. Their impressive and extraordinary services in the war gave groun d for the Defense Department of America to reconsider the ban imposed on the women to be included for combat positions. In 1993, the women were allowed to render their services on combat warships and aircrafts. Many military female officers welcomed the alterations. However, critics were of the view that these changes would damage the fighting ability of US forces. However, despite all criticism, more and more women were included for combat positions of US military. During Serbian conflict of 1999, women served as combat pilots in US Air force. Women were took part in Navy combat positions. However, during Iraq War, when two female Johnson and Lynch were captured, a debate regarding women services on combat positions started again. The role of women in US military for technical and healthcare jobs is acceptable for everyone. However, the deployment of women on combat positions is still a controversial issue. There are two view points, one that supports the deployment of women on com bat positions; and other that opposed such deployment. Both have their own arguments supporting their stand. DEPLOYMENT OF WOMEN FOR COMBAT POSITIONS IS ACCEPTABLE: SUPPORTERS’ VIEWS: The critics of women inclusion in combat points argue that the gender-integration of military will damage the morale of the women. This is the same argument which was made before when the US military was being integrated after the long segregation of whole military on racial basis. However, it is noticed later on that the racial integration of the army did not decrease the morale of the army. The same is the case with the inclusion of women for combat roles. The supporters argue that it is just a vague argument that the gender-desegregation of military will reduce the morale and efficiency of the military just as made previously about racial-desegregation of army. The supporters also criticize the point that women are physically weaker than men naturally. It is true but in non-physical attribute s, women are as much stronger as men are. They are psychologically stronger than men. However, some psychologists say that women are subjected to mental disorder same like men. Gender-integration may bring some positive effects on the overall performance of military. It increases the professional standards level of military and also brings cohesion which is by no means defective or less effective than found among men. So, there is no reason to believe that gender-desegregated units on combat positi

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Conflict in Short Story Essay Example for Free

Conflict in Short Story Essay Essay on the Conflict Presented in William Faulkner’s Short Story, â€Å"Barn Burning† Conflict in literary works can be presented in a multitude of ways and it can be about almost everything that presents opposing forces. In William Faulkner’s short story, Barn Burning, the conflict is indeed about two opposing forces—that of the father and the son who values different things and who sees things differently. However, this is not the only conflict that the story illustrates. More than the physical conflict which the father and the son so obviously have, there is a hidden conflict present which is within the son. This conflict is the battle between what is right as defined by the law which the son upholds versus what is correct as defined by familial loyalty. The story revolves around the case of the father, Mr. Snopes who is accused of burning the barn of Mr. Harris. Though the case is dismissed, the Snopes name is forever tainted and the family decides to leave town and relocate. In the beginning of the story itself, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, the little boy protagonist and youngest son of Mr. Snopes is in turmoil since he knows that his father did indeed order that the barn of Mr. Harris be burned. Readers are able to see the conflict within the character of Sartoris who wants to say the truth but who wants to be loyal to his father, a father who nurtured, sheltered, fed and protected him. Sartoris decides that he will be loyal to his father even to the point of regarding Mr. Harris as their common enemy: â€Å"our enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! Mine and hisn both! He’s my father! † (Faulkner, 1939, p. 1137). This parade of thoughts that Sartoris conjures up in his mind is the beginning of the battle of his conscience of whether he wants to abide by the loyalty that he owes his father and family or abide by societal laws. These thoughts are actually also a reflection of Sartoris convincing himself that he must at all cost, abide by familial loyalty. The same strain of thought pops again when the judge in charge of the case calls on Sartoris to testify whether his father really had a hand in the burning of the barn: â€Å"He aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do it. † (Faulkner, 1939, 1138). Sartoris knows that his father is guilty and yet he also knows that he must lie to protect his father and the reputation of the rest of the family members, that he has no choice. Later on when the family leaves town to relocate, the father calls the son to ask him whether he would tell the judge the truth. This moment is where the father explains to the son what to do and what the importance of familial piety and loyalty is: â€Å"You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you† (Faulkner, 1939, p. 1140). This explanation of the father sums up the conflict that they have with each other: the father thinks that even if a family member is wrong, the others have to stick to that wronged member while the son thinks that truth and justice are more important. This difference in opinions, values and perspectives turn out to be crucial points in the end when the father runs into trouble again and decides to burn another barn. The son finally decides without hesitation that he will not stand up for his father and for the rest of the family who chose to stand with the father. The son decides to stop the father by calling the attention of the barn owner that there is something amiss. Thus, the son wins over the father twice in the sense that he chooses to abide by his own beliefs while at the same time upholding the laws of society and saving the property of the other. However, there is also a sense of loss of the boy since he has lost his family and he causes the death of his own father by reporting him to De Spain, the barn owner. In a way, the father’s explanation with the son comes true: since the son did not stick to his blood, his blood will also not to stick to him meaning that his family (the rest of the Snopes) will also decide to leave him or be disloyal to him. In conclusion, the conflict in the story is between father and son; and between the son’s loyalties to his family versus his moral obligations to the laws of society. Both conflicts are also resolved by the end of Faulkner’s short story with the death of the father. However, there is a possibility that a new conflict arises in the loneliness that the son is now going to experience as he makes his own way in the world and whether he can survive that loneliness. References Faulkner, W. (1939). Barn burning. The Harper American literature, v. 2, 2nd ed. Ed. McQuade, D. , et al. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers Inc. pp. 1137-1149.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Motivating Business Students to the Entrepreneurial Sector

Motivating Business Students to the Entrepreneurial Sector An Empirical Study on Factors Motivating Business Students to Move to the Entrepreneurial Sector Abstract. This exploratory study is attempts to examine how employable individuals turn their focus to start-ups. Today, majority of employees still practise a more or less self-protective strategy. In this paper we would report on the results of an empirical study of factors motivating degreed potential employees to move to self enterprising. The deciding factors to become an entrepreneur and of sustainable employment-oriented factors to be analyzed in order to discover how they differ. Participants consisted of 200 students from Malaysia entered final year of business undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data on factors and types of relationships influencing career choice and entrepreneurial intention. The results of the analysis will serve as a basis for the development of employment practices designed to support start-ups in adopting sustainable business practices. 1. Introduction Today, employees still act in accordance with employers legal obligations and try not to attract special attention from local independent business owners. This papers main aim is to take a fresh look into graduates expectation on the factors motivating employees when considering switching jobs if employed and to identify the level of interest as they commence and develop entrepreneurial ventures. The study principally examined why employees decide to become entrepreneurs, therefore, seven main issues associated with graduates enterprises as they established, operated and grew their businesses, these being chosen following a process of brainstorming with a pilot group of graduate entrepreneurs. 2. Review of Literature 2.1. Overview A number of researchers have attempted to consider factors such as gender, grade point average, duration and field of study and entrepreneurial family background as important factors affecting students perception and attitudes towards the prospect of new own business formation, and some of these factors clearly enhance or inhabit such tendency (Oakey, Mukhtar and Kipling, 2002). However, Cooper, Woo, and Dunkelberg (1989) suggested that the various objectives identified by other researchers can be reduced to three factors: challenge, wealth and autonomy. Using cluster analysis Woo, Cooper, and Dunkelberg (1991) identified two types of entrepreneurs depending upon their purposes at the time of commencing the business: firstly self-regulating who placed high priority on not having to work for others, and secondly, â€Å"company-men. who builds the organization. 2.2. Motivation Generation of start up ideas have been explored by a number of researchers. Opportunity recognition is dependent on whether the entrepreneur was extrinsically stimulated. A leading entrepreneurship text has recognised the â€Å"important implications for entrepreneurs who need to be creative in their thinking† and of the concept that creativity can be learned or enhanced (Timmons Spinelli, 2008). The three types of opportunities identification to the field of entrepreneurship as established by Sarasvathy, Dew, Velamuri, and Venkataraman (2003) are recognized, discovered and created. There are various motives to start a new venture. According to Amit, McCrimmon, Zietsma and Oesch (2001), money is important but not necessarily most important. They argue that some of the key non-monetary motives for starting up a business include the wish to be independent and the combination of work and household responsibilities. These start-up motives may have important consequences for the d egree of (over)optimism that characterizes (promising) entrepreneurs. For example, if an entrepreneur is mainly driven by wealth creation, it may be expected that (s)he is more likely to be disappointed if the turnover in the first year is relatively low. If the entrepreneur is driven by the wish to be independent, (s)he may be unpleasantly surprised by the strong reliance upon a limited number of clients or the bank. If the primary start-up motive is exploiting a perceived opportunity, the entrepreneur may be faced with other people who came up with the same idea or possibly an overestimated market demand for the (new) product. Gilad and Levine (1986), agreed in their analysis on intrinsic and extrinsic that there are discrimination between start-up motives. Intrinsic motives include the desire for independence and combining work with care for family members. Entrepreneurs who are driven by such motives will probably be less inclined to set unrealistically high pecuniary goals. Extrinsic motives include two categories: pull and push factors. An opportunity of perceived profit is an important pull factor of entrepreneurship, while (the threat of) unemployment is a well-known push factor. Regarding the exploitation of opportunities, Hayward, Shepherd and Griffin(2006) argue that overoptimistic founders will commit too many resources to the opportunities that are the bases of their ventures. If entrepreneurs are ‘blinded by their own ideas and fail to adequately assess the competition and the (potential) problems to transform the opportunity into a profitable venture, over optimism is around the corner. The creation of a new organization, however, is contingent upon the belief that self-employment promises more expected utility than either employment within an existing organization or unemployment (Douglas Shepherd, 2000; Van Praag Cramer, 2001). 3. Methodology Gartner (1989) proposed that a common limitation of studies into the predictors of entrepreneurial intentions is the failure of investigators to choose samples that are (1) comprised solely of people who are serious about entrepreneurship and (2) who are in the process of making the decision to become involved in creating a new business. Krueger, Reilly and Carsrud (2000) find that studies comprising samples of upper-division college students can uncover job-related preferences at a time when respondents are struggling with important career decisions. Therefore, it is acceptable and appropriate to investigate entrepreneurial intent utilizing a sample of upper-class college students. (Brice and Nelson, 2008), it is important to note that the population of interest in their study consists of individuals who perceive that they will become entrepreneurs and not necessarily only those who will actually become entrepreneurs. This difference is significant because while actions has been demonstrated to be predicted by intentions. Therefore, the focus of this research remains at the entrepreneurial intentions level of analysis. The sample chosen consists of postgraduate and undergraduate business degree program students who were nearing graduation. When students contemplate graduation, they may also develop immediate career plans and long-range goals. The respondents are those from the business disciplines because, based on their discipline interest, they have already decided to pursue business-related careers. For that reason, a homogeneous sampling of university college students was included in this study. In this study, we follow the method tested by Brice and Nelson. This study sample consisted of 200 students from University Colleges in Malaysia who participated utilizing a structured questionnaire data collection methodology. Subjects consisted of final (3rd) year business undergraduates and final year Master of Business Administration (MBA) students in the concentrations of management. They were appropriate primarily because their academic concentration implied that they had serious interest in pursuing a business career. The main themes covered by the survey questions include firm and owner characteristics; interest to start-up; motivation to switch jobs; career preferred timing and industry; medium for seeking employment: desire and likelihood of rewards and opportunity; criteria of choosing employers. The two researchers contacted students directly via targeted groups of respondents list originating from the Faculty of their academic major program. Five questions adapted from Chen, Greene, and Crick (1998) was used to assess start up intentions. Responses were gathered on a 5-point Likert scale and total scale score was obtained by averaging the five questions. Brice and Nelson have reported a Cronbachs alpha of 0.92 for this scale, which implies strong reliability. Information pertaining to each respondents age, gender, and class was obtained to use as control variables in the analysis. Each of these control variables was recorded as non-continuous, categorical predictors. 4. Analysis and Results Once all the related information from the respondents was entirely obtained, the students motives leading to start-up were analyzed. From the mean of all motivation constructs, it could be argued that the main motive for start-up is the need for achievement (average value = 14.3), followed by economic reasons (mean value = 12.89) and the need for independence (average value = 12.89). In order to establish instrument reliability, Cronbachs coefficient alpha was computed. The reliability coefficient was 0.71 which indicates that the instrument was reliable in its measurement of determinants for start ups. Data reduction technique is used to unfold the information embedded in our data. Hypothesis 1: Intention for independent business start-ups is higher than joining established firms After elimination of subjects with survey questionnaires were only partially completed, the final sample totalled 196 students. As shown in Table 2, this sample was equally represented between the genders, consisting of 107 (54.6%) males and 89 (45.4%) females. Subjects were primarily graduating undergraduate business students (65.8%) and graduating postgraduate students (34.2%). In fact, there were 129 bachelor degree students who aged below 25 years than MBA students who aged 26 and above. The majority of subjects were expecting salary between RM5001- RM15000 (56.2%) which is not in accordance or earnable with employment even in established firms. Since the mean, median and mode values are very close to each other, it shows the data is symmetrical. The mean for the 196 students is 2.08 with a standard deviation of 1.088. The Trimmed mean value of 2.01 is similar to the mean above. Hence, shows there are no outliers in the data set. In this survey, since the sample size is 196, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is used. The p-value of the test is less than 0.001. Hence, the data is not distributed normal. Of the 196 students, 77 (39.3%) very enthusiastic towards start-ups, 52 (26.5%) eager to start-up, 46 (23.5%) open to any opportunity, and 16 (8.2%) to consider start-up option. Out of total, 5 (2.6%) prefer employment. Since the correlation value is within 0.5 to 0.8, start-up intention among degree students is said to correlate â€Å"adequately† with at least one other variables in the construct. In this survey, the KMO value is 0.819, which is considered good. Bartletts test of sphericity is used to analyse whether the correlation matrix is an identity matrix. Identity matrix can be ruled out if the p-value of the test is less than 0.05 (Karuthan and Krishna, 2009). In this model, since the p-value is less than 0.001, the researcher proceeds with factor analysis. Since the researcher wanted to study the underlying construct among the six variables: Curiosity, Interest, Consideration, Preparation, Setting Up and Start-up Timing. This is a single underlying concept; therefore, it is called the â€Å"Start-up Intent Structure†. Since the â€Å"Start-up Intent Structure† varies from person to person, it is a variable too. However, it cannot be measured by physical means. Hence, it is called a latent variable or just factor. The model for â€Å"Start-up Intent Structure† is given in Figure 4. In Figure 4, one can visualize six simultaneous regression functions: Curiosity, Interest, Consideration, Preparation, Setting Up and Start-up Timing as the dependents and â€Å"Start-up Intent Structure† as the independent. In the table above, since there are 6 variables in this analysis, 6 components (or factors) are listed in the first column. The respective eigen values and percent of variance explained are provided in the next two columns. For Factor 1, the eigen value is 3.109 and the variance is 51.811% of the total variance. For factor 3, 4,5 and 6 the eigen value is less than the default value of 1. In the same table, under â€Å"Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings†, only two factors are listed, corresponding to the factors for which the eigen values is more than 1. Based on the cumulative % column, these factors explain 68.792% of the total variance in the 6 original variables. According to Karuthan and Krishna, (2009) established that, in social sciences, at least 50% of the total variance in the variables in analysis must be explained by the factor of factors. In this survey, a single factor extracted explains more than 50% of the total variance in the original variables. Hypothesis 2: Motivations to switch job if employed in established firms associated with independent business start-ups We use multivariate data analysis to recognize the association between different motivation variables. The analysis has shown the variables in a scatter plot and quantifying the strength of association using correlation analysis. An association is established, both empirically and theoretically, therefore we pursued to obtain a regression model. This model, used to predict the value on entrepreneurial intention (outcome), given the values on the motivations to switch job if employed variables (predictors). Table 6, the p-value for the Levenes test for equality of variance is 0.000, which is less than 0.05. Thus, equality of variances is not assumed. Table 7 depicts that the F-value is 3.933 and the degrees of freedoms are 7 and 188. The p-value of the test is 0.000, which is less than 0.05 and the eta-squared value of 0.128, which is less than 0.15,hence, at least one pair of means differ significantly. Therefore there is a need to identify the pair that differs significantly. In this case, the researcher has performed posthoc tests. Based on Kruskal Wallis Test, the p-value of this test is 0.000, which is less than 0.05. Thus, at least one reason differs in terms of motivation towards self-employment rather employment. Based on Kruskal Wallis Test (Table 5) for the mean ranks, obviously, the degreed students are looking for a more challenging career in terms of expanded scope of work, more responsibilities and change in career path rank much higher compared to the students who looking to join a more established and stable organisations. On the other hand, 82.20% students feel that they need to escape from unfavourable office environment such as not happy with peers, bosses, office politics and etc. Based on Table 3.1, this supports students interest, whereby 97.4 cumulative percent and mean rank shown in table below of probability of considering the new business start-up.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Development of Competent Nursing Skills

Development of Competent Nursing Skills Introduction This essay focuses on a reflection on the development from novice, to competent beginner, to skilled practitioner in the light of my own development in clinical nursing practice. It is based on the signposts identified within my clinical learning portfolio and focuses on the notion of the helping role and caring skills within nursing practice. It utilises a reflective framework to better identify and reflect upon the journey from novice to practitioner. The model for reflection I have chosen is Gibbs Reflective Cycle (see Appendix). Reflection has been described as as a process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, and which results in a changed conceptual perspective (Boyd and Fales, 1983). Therefore, the experiences of my three placements are explored under three rotations of Gibbs Cycle. Meretoja et al (2004) state that nurses self-recognition of own level of competence is essential in maintaining high standards of care. I have chosen the caring role based on my own recognition of the level of competence achieved in this area. Cycle One Novice to Advanced beginner What Happened. I had to assist a patient in with personal care; make them comfortable in bed and collaborate in pressure area management; assist with toileting, washing, mouthcare, and application of emollient cream. I also had to document care and any deviations from the norm. Feelings I was very aware of my inexperience and of the trust this patient placed in my and the nursing team. I was also aware of the intimate nature of the care I was providing, and the fact that it was basic care also highlighted the fundamental role such care has in supporting health promotion and patient wellbeing. Evaluation I was uncomfortable at first, and clumsy in the provision of the various aspects of care. However, my mentor was informative, supportive and helpful, which assisted me in doing the various tasks. However, I found it difficult to complete these as quickly as I should have. I did learn to communicate with the patient and provide a sensitive approach. Analysis This situation required fundamental aspects of the caring role. It also demonstrates the link between basic nursing care an every other aspect of nursing. The NMC (2004) requires nurses to provide individualised care for their patients. The care for this person was based on their own needs and adapted as those needs changed. I was able to identify those needs and develop competency in providing care at this level. The caring role was very rewarding but physically and emotionally taxing However, I was still in the process of identifying particular needs and responding to them, such as toileting, which required me working with others in a collaborative manner, which I did not find easy. I also realised how much I did not know about nursing. Conclusion In this situation, I could have developed more collaborative working skills and modelled myself on those around me more actively ie., copied the ways in which other nurses and healthcare assistants provided care. When I did do this, it was effective. But I found that despite my enthusiastic approach, my knowledge base meant that I did not always understand the rationale for what I was doing. Action Plan The action plan from this was to take the confidence and competence I had developed in the practical skills and incorporate them into all aspects of the caring role. It was also to identify areas where my knowledge base was lacking, and seek out this knowledge. Keeping knowledge up to date is a requirement of the NMC code of condut (NMC, 2004). Working collaboratively is another NMC requirement (NMC, 2004). Taking this knowledge forward into practice made this process of reflection a learning activity. Cycle Two Advanced Beginner What Happened As part of my role assisting with patient care, I had to monitor pain levels and assist with providing analgesia as prescribed, along with monitoring its effectiveness. This was a surgical placement, and I also discussed with elderly patient their coping and wellbeing after hospital discharge. I engaged in health education and support to enable clients to be self-caring. I was also responsible for monitoring wellbeing through performing and recording clinical observations, recording fluid balance and reporting any abnormalities. I was also involved in providing personal care to patients in a safe manner, especially in the disposal of waste products. Feelings To begin with, I felt glad to be working at a more advanced level of competency, and felt confident in my basic nursing skills including performing clinical observations. However, the increased demand also meant increased pressure and I was aware of this. Again, I felt that I had developed a degree of competency but was very aware of my need to develop further knowledge and skills. The caring role involved supporting people and I had to access other professionals to ensure I gave the right information and that my care had been effective. Evaluation It was good to find that I had the clinical competence to effectively monitor clinical status. However, the complex nature of patient needs meant that I still didn’t always know the answers to their questions. Being involved in discharge planning was an enabling activity for myself and the patients. I developed competence in the administration of medications, under supervision, including controlled drugs, but felt I still needed more practice and skill in this area. Colleagues noted my competence and qualified staff were happy to delegate a range of appropriate tasks to me. Analysis It would appear that the caring role means the provision of patient centred, holistic care. This was achievable in this situation but required a lot of knowledge and the ability to provide focused attention and empathic care whilst carrying out complex clinical nursing tasks. This was harder to achieve, and I was made aware of my continued learning needs around medication and surgical care, for example. However, I must have developed some competence as qualified staff were happy to delegate to me and to act on my feedback. Conclusion It is hard to see what else I could have done, except perhaps done more reading around surgical care, discharge planning and the nurse-patient relationship. Action Plan It was possible to identify future learning needs, and so my action plan included building on my current competence by engaging in more advanced practice, under supervision. Having the confidence to engage in more complex nursing tasks will help me to achieve more competence in advanced practice in the future. Recognising the demands of the caring role means that I will view future practice as based upon this role. Cycle Three Competent Level What Happened. I monitored patients with chronic pain and helped with analgesia. I also supported patients with freedom of choice for their own care (NMC, 2004) and provided personal and palliative care in sensitive manner. I mastered more advanced practical nursing skills including aseptic technique and safe disposal of sharps. I fully documented all care given, and recorded medication given, and communicated to staff at shift change during the nursing handover. Feelings During this experience, I felt that my knowledge and experience in the caring role was finally coming together. I was confident and happy in engaging with patients and providing empathy and a supportive manner, whilst also carrying out more complex clinical tasks appropriately and effectively. It was very nerve-wracking giving handover, but I became more confident as I had more practice. Evaluation I was able to provide care of a high standard, and recognise my sphere of competence and seek help when needed. I was able to engage in effective caring relationships with clients, meet their individual needs, but also value my own input into their wellbeing. Analysis It was obvious that I had moved on to a level of nursing competence which allowed me some autonomy. I was able to act with less direct supervision, but still access the support of the whole care team. The caring role extended to the provision of all care, including end of life care, and I was able to utilise my knowledge and experience and also identify my learning in action, and my future learning needs, which have changed since the first reflection. Conclusion The change from novice to competent practitioner in the caring role has demonstrated not only the acquisition of skill but the incorporation of clinical abilities into what is really a way of being with patients. Action Plan Signposting future learning needs is important following this reflection. I was able to identify the need to still learn advanced clinical skills and perhaps know more about the range of other professionals who could enhance care in individual situations. Conclusion This reflection has signposted my development towards competent nursing practice. The caring role encompasses provision of basic care, advanced techniques, medication and pain relief, health promotion, end of life care and collaborative care. It seems to be the fundamental and most important part of nursing practice. Collaboration and coordination, as well as the holistic management of the situation, are highly recognized as meaningful characteristics of competent nursing practice (Meretoja et al, 2002). References Boyd E, Fales A. (1983) Reflecting learning: key to learning from experience. Humanist Psychol 23 (2) 99–117. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing. A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford Meretoja, R., Leino-Kilpi, H. Kair, A. (2004) Comparison of nurse competence in different hospital work environments Journal of NursingManagement.12(5) 329–336 Meretoja, R., Eriksson, E. Leino-Kilpi, H. (2002) Indicators for competent nursing practice Journal of Nursing Management 10(2) 95-102 Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Code of Conduct Available from www.nmc-uk.org Accessed 30-4-07.

Monday, August 19, 2019

tennis paper -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several different aspects of playing and improving your tennis game. Different strokes, rules, boundaries and many other aspects make up the game of tennis. Over the next few pages, I will do my best to explain the forehand and backhand stroke, the serve and volley, the rules of tennis, and without a doubt the grandslam.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The forehand stroke is the most popular in tennis. Stand facing the net, knees slightly bent, weight evenly distributed and forward on the balls of your feet. The racket is held in front of your body, elbows in close and parallel to the ground. The racket is supported with your free hand. From the turn position, the racket goes back until it is parallel to the ground- the angle between forearm and racket still remaining the same. The butt of the racket is pointing toward the net and the racket is on edge. The ball is contacted opposite the left leg, approximately waist high; the arm is relatively straight and the wrist firm. The follow through is a long, continuous sweeping motion finishing high with the racket butt opposite the left eye, (for right handers). The backhand is for the most part very similar just reversed. Tilt the face of your racquet down more on your backswing. Your racquet face naturally opens up (tilts upward) as you swing forward. You need to start your swing with it facing somewhat downward in order for it to end up at vertical as it meets the ball. Hold your racquet face vertical at the point where you normally meet the ball, then, without turning your wrist(s), pull the racquet back to your normal backswing position. It should face somewhat downward, and that's the angle you want at the start of each swing. The serve is, to me, the best way to take advantage of your opponent. For players of average height, hard, flat serves have to just barely clear the net, or they will go long. Only very tall players can get hard, flat serves in consistently enough to make them pay off. Adding some topspin will increase your margin of clearance over the net to several times larger. The most preferred power serve among advanced players has a mix of topspin and slice. On the serve, the feet are flat, the ball is tossed slightly over the head and out in front of the body. The forehand motion is used only straight over the top of your head. The volley becomes most ... ...1988) are the only three women's tennis players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year. Pete Sampras is tennis's all-time biggest money winner with over $40 million in career earnings. Helen Wills Moody, whose serious demeanor on the court earned her the nickname â€Å"Little Miss Poker Face†, finished the year as the no. 1 ranked women's tennis player nine times, including seven years straight from 1927 to 1933. In 1997, 16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest women's tennis player to be ranked no. 1 in the world since the rankings began in 1975. One of the most difficult accomplishments in professional tennis is winning all four of these tournaments. These tournaments are therefore known as the Grand Slam tournaments, and rank as the most important tennis tournaments of the year in the public mind as well as in terms of the ranking points and prizemoney awarded for performances in them. Though it may seem like tennis is entirely too complicated, it can be one of the most fun sports to play. Even if you’re not that good at the game, you still get great exercise, keeping you in shape. If you’ve never played tennis, start. And if you’ve played before, don’t ever stop.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Cant We All Just Get Along?: Competition Essays -- essays research pap

Can't We All Just Get Along?: Competition   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our country, everything is run by competition. From basic family roles, to sporting events, to economic well-being. It is this competitive nature that makes us able to better ourselves, and others. Competition is the driving force that pushes one forward. However, assume our nation were cooperative in nature. What would that be like? Would it be a better place than the competitive world of today?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First there must be a clear understanding of just how this competitive nature affects our everyday lives. Nearly every aspect of our day has competitive under tones. Some of this competitive nature is unknowing to the person at the time. For instance, a school is one of the best demonstrations of competitive nature at play. W...

Identify a personal hero and articulate the influence this person has h

Identify a personal hero and articulate the influence this person has had on you I learn Spanish literature from a petite, sophisticated woman who has yet to appear in anything less that pearls, a well-cut suit and carefully scraped-back hair. Nevertheless, not one class has gone by without her eventually sitting cross-legged on her desk, eyes intent behind wire-rimmed glasses, hair slipping from her ponytail as if in agreement with her insistence that Spanish is exciting and all-encompassing, that Spanish literature is life reflected. At first, I thought she was a lunatic, ranting about "El simulo," "las metaforas," and "el tema." I spent the first week getting accustomed to her quick Iberian way of speaking, catching every other verb or noun, frantically trying to piece together what exactly she wanted from me. Each time she would veer her gaze in my direction, I would bend my head down to my note pad, furiously scribbling down some non-important point in the hopes that she wouldn't call on me....

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Plant Imagery Throughout the Scarlet Letter

Honors American Lit. B The Scarlet Letter Pathway Paper – 694 wordsApril 23, 2013 Throughout The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses vegetation imagery in correlation with his ideas about sinful nature and god. When describing the prison in the very beginning of the novel, Hawthorne writes, â€Å"a grass-plot, much overgrown with†¦ such unsightly vegetation, which evidently found something congenial in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a prison† (45-46).Hawthorne uses the imagery of a black flower to depict the sinful nature of humans as it was inevitable that even in this new flourishing society the people there saw the need to build a prison. This vivid image also relates to the Puritan’s harsh view on sin in the community. Throughout the novel Hawthorne frequently criticizes the Puritan society, this being another example, â€Å"but the proprietor appeared already to have relinquished, as hopeless, the effort to perpetuate on this side of the Atlantic, in a hard soil and amid the close struggle for subsistence, the native English taste for ornamental gardening† (97).The description of the Governor’s ornamental garden shows the garden failing, as if the person caring for it had given up and realized that it was impossible to have the ornamental garden in Boston the way it was in England. This parallels Hawthorne’s beliefs about Puritan society in that their abstruse beliefs would not sustain in the new world they were creating, for god is depicted through nature demonstrating how Hawthorne feels god is looking down on the materialistic and frivolous ways of the Puritans.Later in the novel Chillingworth says, â€Å"wherefore not, since all the powers of nature call so earnestly for the confession of sin, that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart, to make manifest an unspoken crime? † (119). Nature is being associated with god in this passage theref ore Hawthorne is saying that god calls for the confession of sin and goes on to say that god disapproves of a person that does not confess, thus the black weeds, mirroring sin, grow on the graves of those who cling to secrets.This idea is also repeated later in the novel, â€Å"and all this time, perchance, when poor Mr. Dimmesdale was thinking of his grave, he questioned with himself whether the grass would ever grow on it, because an accursed thing must there be buried! † (130). Sin is again depicted as lifelessness in this passage, for Dimmesdale has sinned, and not confessed; therefore he is concerned that god will reject him. Hawthorne clearly writes with a style of dark romanticism epitomized through his description of sin in the beginning of the novel as inexorable in every society.Hawthorne also reflects his religious views and those of his times period in the way he sees god and nature as one, similar to the ideas of Pantheism, a belief in the manifestation of god th rough nature. Hawthorne frequently links god to nature as seen when Hester calls to nature, as if calling to god, for forgiveness, â€Å"’Thou shalt forgive me! ’ cried Hester, flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside him† (175). While nature symbolizes sin, it also symbolizes the comforting and forgiving appearance of god.In relation to the bible, â€Å"†¦the yellow leaves will show no vestige of the white man’s tread† (178), the yellow leaves reference the scripture Isaiah 43:25, which reads, â€Å"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more† displaying the tie between nature and god both covering and forgetting sins; also tying into Hawthorne’s religious perspective in his writing. Nathaniel Hawthorne articulates his views on sin and god through his use of vegetation imagery throughout the scarlet letter; he continually uses dead and â€Å"black† imagery to al lude to sin and secrets.His use of dead vegetation implies that he believes confession is the relief of the burden of sin and the necessary action to obtain god’s approval and forgiveness. Hawthorne also represents god’s forgiveness through plant imagery; connecting god’s washing away of sin to the forest and nature washing away of sin. Fundamentally Hawthorne uses vegetation to convey his ideas on divinity and human sinful nature in The Scarlet Letter.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Economic Systems Essay

The world’s economic systems fall into one of four main categories: Traditional economy Capitalism economy Socialism economy Mixed economy However, there are unlimited variations of each type.  An economic system must define what to produce, how to produce it and for whom to produce it. Depending on the products produced and the environment, certain economic strategies will be more successful than others â€Å"Traditional† A traditional economic system is one in which each new generation retains the economic position of its parents and grandparents. Traditional economies rely on the historic success of social customs. South America, Asia and Africa support some traditional economies of thriving agricultural villages. Tradition decides what an individual does for his living, so industry, clothing and shelter are the same as in previous generations One of the few advantages existing in a traditional economy is that the roles of individuals are clearly defined. Every member of the society knows exactly what they are to do and most don’t have any complaints about it. There are also many disadvantages to this type of society. These societies are often very slow to change and when new technologies are introduced, these ideas and techniques are discouraged. â€Å"Capitalism† Market economies are based on consumers and their buying decisions rather than government control. Market trends and product popularity generate what businesses produce. The producers choose how to make products based on the most economically sound decision: that might mean machine labor to save costs or human labor for specific skills. The buyers decide who gets which products by what they are willing to pay for what they want. Complete market economies do not utilize price controls or subsidies and prefer less regulation of industry and production. Market decisions rely on supply and demand for pricing. Government’s role is to create a stable economy for the market to operate properly. The market system relies on many factors to ensure its success. The profit motive or incentive for a financial reward for enterprise stimulates production. Information regarding available products and services needs to be available to producers and consumers. Producers use the information to set accurate prices and procure supplies at the lowest cost. Price relates directly to the costs and benefits of product creation and use and required profit. In recent years, market economies have been coming more and more popular. Three major examples of market economies are The United States, Japan, and France. There are many advantages to a market economy: One major advantage is that market economies can adjust to change easily. If there is a demand for one thing, companies have the ability to change what they produce instead of having to go through too much government protocol first. Rational self inte rest in market economies are also encouraged. People have the ability to make as much money as they can and do what is in their best interest. Another positive to market economies is that the government tries to stay out of the way of businesses. Although the government sets certain standards businesses must follow, for the most part businesses can do as they please, allowing them to produce what they want, how they want. A fourth advantage to the market economy is that there is a great variety of goods and services for consumers. If there is a demand for a good or service, the demand will almost always be met in a market econom Although there are a lot of positives to market economies, there are also many negatives that go along with it too. One major problem with this type of economy is that it doesn’t always provide the basic needs to everyone in the society. The weak, sick, disabled, and old sometimes have trouble providing for themselves and often slip into poverty. Another problem is that it becomes hard for a government with so many private businesses to provide adequate defense, education, and health care to its people. A third disadvantage to this type of economy is that there is uncertainty in the business world. One company could easily be forced out of business causing all of its employees to become unemployed and lose their means of income. The final major disadvantage is that occasionally there are market failures. This can cause some companies to become way to powerful and become a  monopoly. If the government doesn’t step in, the monopoly can take advantage of the consumers and charge ridiculously high prices â€Å"Socialism† In a command economy, the government controls all economic activity. One example of a command economy is communism.  In a government-directed economy, the market plays little to no role in production decisions. Command economies are less flexible than market economies and react slower to changes in consumer purchasing patterns and fluctuations in supply and demand Command economies have many advantages: One advantage is that equality is focused on. The government tries to eliminate all private property and distribute its good equally. If done correctly no one is in poverty and no one is wealthier than another. Social services are also emphasized in this type of economy. The government will provide equal health care, education opportunities, and make sure all people are fed. A third advantage to this type of economy is that it is capable of rapid change for major problems. The government owns the companies, so if production needs need to be shifted into a different area, the governm ent is capable of doing it rather quickly. A final major advantage of command economies is that they are very stable. Command economies will never have sudden depressions. Although command economies may seem like a utopian form of economics, they also have many disadvantages. In command economies there is very little freedom. The individual usually doesn’t have the opportunity to decide what they want to do for a career, and they have no control over the goods they receive. Another major problem is that there is little reason for innovations, hard work, or quality of the work. Since no one makes more money than everyone else, the people feel like there is no reason to work hard. A third disadvantage is that there is little focus on consumer wants. Finally, when it comes to minor day-to-day changes, the government has a hard time cooping with them. â€Å"Mixed Economy† A mixed economy combines qualities of market, command, and/or traditional systems into one. In many countries where neither the government nor the business entities can maintain the economy alone, both sectors are integral  to economic success. Certain resources are allocated through the market and others through the state. Theoretically, this system should be able to combine the best policies of both systems, but in practice the proportion government controls and response to market forces varies.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Nvq Level 5 Leadership Essay

2 Be able to implement and monitor compliance with health, safety and risk management requirements in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 2.1 see more:explain why it is important for emergency first aid tasks only to be carried out by qualified . Demonstrate compliance with health, safety and risk management procedures 2.2 . Support others to comply with legislative and organisational health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices relevant to their work 2.3 Explain the actions to take when health, safety and risk management, procedures and practices are not being complied with 2.4 Complete records and reports on health, safety and risk management issues according to legislative and organisational requirements 3 Be able to lead the implementation of policies, procedures and practices to manage risk to individuals and others in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 3.1 Contribute to development of policies, procedures and practices to identify, assess and manage risk to individuals and others 3.2 Work with individuals and others to assess potential risks and hazards 3.3 Work with individuals and others to manage potential risks and hazards 4 Be able to promote a culture where needs and risks are balanced with health and safety practice in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 4.1 Work with individuals to balance the management of risk with individual rights and the views of others 4.2 Work with individuals and others to develop a balanced approach to risk management that takes into account the benefits for individuals of risk taking 4.3 Evaluate own practice in promoting a balanced approach to risk management 4.4 Analyse how helping others to understand the balance between risk and rights improves practice 5 Be able to improve health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 5.1 Obtain feedback on health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices from individuals and others 5.2 Evaluate the health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices within the work setting. 5.3 Identify areas of policies, procedures and practices that need improvement to ensure safety and protection in the work setting. 5.4 Recommend changes to policies, procedures and practices that ensure safety and protection in the work setting

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Memo †Investment Recommendation for Centagenetix Essay

After looking over the material regarding Centagenetix, I have a recommendation as to whether or not MPM should invest in Centagenetix. I realize that we have spent a great deal of time and resources on this project already, and that Harvard Medical School is anticipating that this deal will go forward. I also realize that backing out of the deal now could reflect badly upon MPM and upon you, but my recommendation is that MPM invest in Centagenetix at this point. The main reason is that if Centagenetix is actually able to create a product to increase human longevity, there are some major questions and concerns about first getting this product to market, as well as what conditions this product might carry for measurable efficacy and if the market will be willing to accept them. I will discuss other considerations shortly but I think that is itself a potential deal-breaker. Let us first consider the New England Centenarian Study (NECS). While it is a worthwhile and interesting study, w ith good correlations between family members and a sample pool large enough to provide preliminary findings, it still has some weaknesses. The two major ones being how geographically centric it is and the size of it. Scientists who study aging have long argued that environment and lifestyle play the largest role in longevity, but Centagenetix is setting out to see if that is incorrect: if there is in fact a heritable gene (or genes) for longevity. It would seem that in order to provide a strong argument that the study reaches beyond environment, there should be more samples from areas beyond the eight towns around Boston that the NECS used. It could also be a problem that the majority of the centenarians used had no history of smoking or obesity and were generally small in stature. Granted that using these samples, they found a linkage on chromosome 4, but this does not seem to match the homologous zones for longevity in the previously studied model organisms. There are possible correlations on other chromosomes that track with those model organisms, but the patent that they filed is for the 10 million base pair region on chromosome 4. I am also concerned that the first attempt to scale the study to a larger population resulted in a noteworthy decrease of the linkage’s strength. Scaling it up further restored the statistical strength of the linkage, but the overall strength and valuation of the IP remains in question. We also need to consider the possibility that this 10M bp region will contain genes that other groups are already studying and that the patent is not strong enough to survive a challenge. It is possible that these longevity genes will be related to insulin receptors or free radical management: two areas that several groups or companies are already studying. How strong will the IP remain when there is competition for these hypothetical genes? If that is the case, the company’s major resource will be its SNP datab ase of centenarians, which will cost at least another $10 million to get to a functional state, plus more money to expand and maintain it. I have not seen any market analysis as to how much companies will pay for access to such a database. While Millennium has a somewhat similar model, they are much more pro-active in what they offer their clients, and that is what arguably drives their profits. The database will be valuable, but just how valuable is an important question. We need to know what the likelihood is that building such a SNP database will turn a profit, who specifically would be interested in paying for its use, and how much they would pay. In addition, would Centagenetix receive any royalties or payments for products based off findings from that SNP database? These are important considerations, especially if the possibility exists that the SNP database will have to support the company for any protracted amount of time. There remains a conflict-of-interest issue with Tom Perls and Harvard. If he can be enticed away from Harvard, the study that the company is based on will potentially no longer be available. Perls will be a key founding member of Centagenetix, and is expected be motivated and incentivized to work hard. Without a stake in the company, it remains unclear if that will happen. We also need to consider that if Perls does leave Harvard, will BIDMC still allow Centagenetix the use of the NECS, or should we re-consider the proposal from Whitehead to buy them out? The value of the IP revolves strongly around the NECS and Dr. Perls’ work. There needs to be a much clearer sense as to if or how these issues will be resolved, or else MPM might own a major stake in a company that will require a much larger investment to restore the IP we have assumed they already have. Finally, I want to return to my main point: Aside from a SNP database, what is at the end of the Centagenetix pipeline? Let us assume that they do find a gene or several genes that directly relate to longevity and are not in conflict with another group or company, that they can find the function of these genes, and eventually develop a product built on that discovery. Presumably, the function of this product would be to increase longevity in humans. How would they run clinical trials for this, and how long would they take? If the measure of success is how long someone lives, might not the trials take far longer than is feasible for us to provide funding? Assume that they get past pre-clinical trials; will the FDA even allow such a product to be tested? I th ink that we need to know more about how the FDA would approach such a product, as it seems like the regulatory hurdles for this will not be what most pharmaceutical companies are accustomed to. They are not trying to treat or effect a disease state, but rather to increase longevity. Granted that Ponce de Leà ³n spent much of his life searching Florida for the Fountain of Youth, and that a product like this will appeal to the general public, there is likely to be some serious regulatory and clinical trial hurdles to get it there. We also need to consider how the medical community and public will react to such a product. It seems likely that, given how many of the subjects from the NECS lived relatively healthy lives, the product will have some stipulations about health for maximum efficacy. If the public is required to not smoke, or be obese before this product will work for them then that will significantly affect adoption. In addition, how would the medical community respond to so mething with claims of increasing longevity? I think it would be highly skeptical and cynical. There will be difficulty in both convincing doctors to prescribe it, as well as getting payers to compensate for it. This will presumably be a product that patients will take for the rest of their lives, meaning there will likely be a struggle for both adoption and compliance. The only real gauge of such a product will be how long someone lives, and it will be challenging to demonstrate proof that any increase in longevity is a direct result of Centagenetix’s product. Significant market research needs to be done that considers the varying scenarios for adoption and lifestyle changes, to see if the market size is as big as one would expect it to be. In closing, I acknowledge that other products may come out of Centagenetix that are related to actual disease states or physiological processes. It is possible that they will develop an impressive and profitable drug that is related to the longevity of the patients of the NECS and be yond. Heck, they may even discover the cure for cancer. Even so, there are far too many unknowns and uncertainties in this proposal. The strength of the IP is in question. The availability of the NECS and even Dr. Perl is uncertain. What an end product looks like and what sort of market exists for it. How much more money it will take if they need to build a SNP database to remain in business, or if they have to do another NECS-like study of their own. The risks and uncertainties are sizeable, and the question about actual market size is significant. I do not think that MPM should invest in Centagenetix at this point.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Destination Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Destination Evaluation - Essay Example Through considerable exports the region has helped in gaining access to a huge pool of foreign investments which are expended over development of sectors like tourism. The region through the opening up of large number of hotels and tourism related infrastructure has helped in attracting many tourists from other nations which helped in enhancing the country’s revenues (Library of Congress-Federal Research Division, 2007, p.3, 8, 13). In this connection the paper further divulges to reflect on a particular state of the Saudi Arabian region, Bahrain and evaluate the destination in terms of the different tourism opportunities available. This state located in the Saudi Arabian peninsula is also a prime member of the cooperation council of the Gulf region joined by countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and other Saudi Arabian regions including the United Arab Emirates. ... Tourism Activities in Bahrain The region of Bahrain is gradually developing as one of the tourist hotspots in the Saudi Arabian region. Tourism is being increasingly developed in the region of Bahrain through rendering enhanced focus on drawing in large crowds to the state. It is observed that considerable amount of tourism activities would help in rendering large economic prosperity to the region. To develop Bahrain as a hunting ground for tourists the government of the region is keenly focusing on the development of hotels of three and five star qualities in large numbers. Further the region is also inviting grants from world bodies like the United Nations to help in the development of the heritage sites in the Bahrain region. The national airlines carrier of the region, Gulf Airlines is also found to render increased support for helping in the promotion of tourism in the region by helping attract large number of tourists at concessional rates. Further the government of Bahrain is increasingly focusing on the development of activities like trade expos and exhibitions which would help fetch large number of foreign delegates from developed regions of the world. Corporate tourism is being widely encouraged by helping in the enhancement of amenities pertaining to organization of meetings and conferences. The region is also found to host international sporting events like the Grand Prix which signifies the flow of large number of tourists in the country. The government of Bahrain to help encourage this wide flow of international tourists is continually working for the development of hotels and several tourism facilities inside the country with the active cooperation of the Gulf Cooperation

Film Noir Scorsese and fhe Gangster Film Movie Review

Film Noir Scorsese and fhe Gangster Film - Movie Review Example The Maltese Falcon is considered to be one of the key films cementing the genre in the respect of the public, as well as establishing its archetypes. The end result has been such quintessential crime films as Scar Face, The God Father, The Departed and the most recent American Gangster. These films are notorious for depicting East inner city life, and no director has become more known for this than Martin Scorsese. No New York director has more authentically imbedded New York ideals into popular culture than Martin Scorsese. Classified as a contemporary auteur he has carved a niche as a New York Hollywood director. The auteur theory protests that the director's films reflect the particular director's personal creative vision, as though he or she were the sole author of the work. The French word for author, many film producers have notably been credited for having auteur like influences on film projects. It has also had a major impact on film criticism, since it was erected by film director and critic Francois Truffaut in 1954. This is partly why Auteurism is most immediately connected with French New Wave. This of course, was a connection made most commonly in the mid 1950's to 60's before American filmmakers embodied the theory. Today, no contemporary American director more deserves the title of auteur than Martin Scorsese. He has presented his genuine Italian New York culture in such an auth entic way that, for so long, it is unclear whether his work is a reflection of the city, or the city is a reflection of his work. Martin Scorsese is the perfect example of an auteur because he uses the same thematic consistencies throughout all of his work. These entail Catholicism, virgin/whore conflict, redemption, ethnic pride, and of course crime culture. On top of this, he supports all of his plots with very eclectic soundtracks. The cinematography he uses is very similar in all of his films. He utilizes the fluid motion of the camera with each shot, while making the mis-en-scene of each frame valuable to the plot of the story. He is also know for using some of the same actors in his films, specifically Robert Deniro, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel. Of his large body of work, Mean Street symbolizes the blue print to the archetype that has become his unique style (Raymond, 2002). It was his first film and it contains all of the key characteristics with which he modeled his style. Scorsese has a visual style that relies on the city of New York. Mean Street embodies the culture that comes with this location. In the film, the audience is subjected to getting to know characters who spend their time womanizing, hustling, fighting, and drinking. Centered on the struggles of four men in their mid-20's and all residents of Little Italy, who are working their way up the rungs of gangster culture, some are loan sharks, and some are just plain hoods. Tony (David Proval) is a big friendly guy who runs the neighborhood bar; Michael (Richard Romanus) is a small-time loan shark who tends to rip off Brooklyn adolescents. Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) is an irresponsible hood who borrows money from loan sharks that he never intends to pay back, and Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is the nephew of the mafia boss Giovani (Cesar Danova). Charlie's only aspiration is to run his own restaurant. Mean

Monday, August 12, 2019

Compare and contrast the potential advantages and disadvantages of the Essay

Compare and contrast the potential advantages and disadvantages of the formal rational approach to strategy development - Essay Example The approach is also structural with a top to down hierarchy for decision making and assumption of responsibility. While middle level managers implement decisions in the approach, full responsibility remains with the top organs of an organization’s structure. Developed strategies, from the approach, are also detailed, and cover wide scopes. One of the advantages of such a bureaucratic approach is cost effectiveness that arises from the organization because only necessary steps and necessary personnel are involved in the strategic development process. This makes it affordable and allows for utilization of saved resources in other areas of an organization’s needs. The formal approach is also associated with efficiency that could arise from focus on a few individuals in the process and continuous involvement of the individuals in the process, a factor that identifies benefits of specialization. Efficiency promises quality decisions for effective strategies towards supporti ng desired objectives. Related to the efficiency advantage is the speed with which the formal approach can yield desired strategies. with well defines structures and specific and specialized personnel, the decision making at the different stages of the approach are faster and are therefore able to respond to emergency needs. Other advantages of the bureaucratic approach are its stability and continuity. These are because the formal structure eliminates possible barriers such as internal resistance and it is easy to replace a member of decision-making team for sustainability of a strategy development process or a developed strategy. One of the disadvantages of the formal rational approach is its concentration of power in the hands of a few people, and this could be risky if the individuals lack necessary competence or have conflict of interest. The bureaucratic scope of the approach

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Laws Regarding Freedom of Expression Research Paper

Laws Regarding Freedom of Expression - Research Paper Example   It is evidently clear from the discussion that the international law provides a three-part test that is useful in assessing limits on freedom of expression. On various occasions, the international courts responsible for overseeing international human right treaties have elaborated the three-part test through judgments. In addition, national courts have also been useful in elaborating the exact meaning of the test for limitation of freedom  of expression. The right to freedom of expression is assured in exact terms by the article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the article 19 (2) of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The three regional human rights treaties; the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the European Convention on Human rights give an assurance for freedom of expression on Articles 13, 9, and 10 respectively. There is no doubt that the right to freedom of expression is of great importance. During the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, it was made clear that the freedom of information is an essential human right. In addition, t was made clear that the right forms the basis of all the other rights. Laws regarding freedom of expression Regional court, national courts, and other related organizations across the world have reaffirmed that indeed the freedom of information is the foundation of all other rights. The Inter-American court of human rights has pointed out that freedom of expression forms the foundation for the existence of a democratic society. The other reaffirmation is from the European Court human rights, which points out that the freedom of expression forms an essential foundation for democratic societies. It further goes on to state that the right is among the basic conditions that are necessary for its development and that of human beings. The African Commission on Human and peoples’ rights points out that Ar ticle 9 is an indication that freedom of expression remains a basic human right. It further adds that the right is essential for personal development, individual political consciousness, and engaging in the performance of public affairs in the home country. One notable fact is that freedom of expression is not complete, and there are limitations to it provided by every system of law. The Article 19(3) of the ICCPR stipulates that limitations to the right to freedom of expression should be on grounds of respect of the rights or status of others. The other provision is on the grounds of protecting the national security, maintaining public order or protecting public health. International assurances on the right to freedom of expression have several essential features. To begin with, opinions are completely protected by Article 19(1) of the ICCPR. This implies that it is allowed to think evil, but giving expressions on evil thoughts warrants a sanction. The right to freedom of expressio n is for everyone. Therefore, it must be protected without any discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, color, language, political or factors that may lead to discrimination. The right also applies to ideas and information of any kind so long as the ideas or information may be communicated. The right also takes into consideration factually incorrect statements and opinions that seem to lack merit or offensive statements.