The Rise of the Boston Tea Party - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 518 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/08/02 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Boston Tea Party Essay Did you like this example? Although acts such as the quartering acts, stamp act, and so on, led to the rise of the Boston Tea Party, the Tea Act was the last straw for the colonist. The Tea Act of 1773, allowed the British Indian Company to sell its tea directly to the colonies, underminding colonia tea merchants. Inspite of the consenquences, the Intolerable acts, that the colonist had to deal with, the Boston Tea Party played a mayor role in the start of the American Revolution. In the 1760s, a countless number of acts were being imposed on the American Colonies so Britain could pay their debt after the 7 years war. For more than 9 years, the colonist tolerated theses new laws. These acts were known as the Sugar Act of 1764, taxing sugar, cofffee, and wine; the Stamp Act of 176, which taxed irems such as newspapers and envelopes; and the Townshend act of 1767, taxing galss, lead, paint, and so on. It wasnt until December 16, 1773 in Boston Massachusetts that they decided to finally take a huge action. Colonist were angry that Britain was imposing taxation without representation. John Hancock decided to organize a boycott against tea, which was subject to an import tax. No matter how much the colonist rejected the East Indian Company tea, Britain forced the tea ashore. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Rise of the Boston Tea Party" essay for you Create order A memoir writen from George Hewes, a Boston shoemaker, allows us to learn about the Boston Tea party from the colonist perspective. On a cold December 16th, Hewes says he along with other colonist and the Sons of Libery dressed up as Indians, tomahawks to be specific. They marched to Griffins Wharf, where the ships containing the tea were located, and split into 3 parties. Once every party aborded each ship, they were ordered to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard (Hewes). After 4 to 5 hours, more than 300 chest of tea were dumped in the Boston Harbor. They were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist [them] (Hewes). Once every chest of tea was throw out of the ship, everybody retreated back to their homes with abosoloutely no questions being asked outloud. Regardless of the silence, one thing was clear there appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, an d risk the consequences for himself (Hewes). Although other events lead up to the Revolutionary War, the Boston Tea Party was a silent and peacful protest. There were no deaths or major violences towards each other during this time. Before the colonist could take action into their own hands, they came together at the South Meetinh House before heading to the wharf. Rumors spread that Sam Adams organized force behind the protest. The sons of libery and colinist dressed as Indias not to mock nor appear scary but because they wanted to blend in and hide their real indentities. During the Boston Tea Party, stealing or any other illegal acitivity was prohibited becasue the colonist did not want to be criminals, they wanted to make a stance against the unfair rules and make a political statement.

The French And American Revolutions - 2117 Words

The French and American Revolutions were pivotal in setting up new societies. Economic, social, and political tensions leading up to the revolutions caused citizens to want change in the way their government worked and functioned within society. Those who wanted the most change within the government were called the radicals; those who wanted the least amount of change were called the conservatives (Baradat 19; 24). The amount of change in their government was a part of the political spectrum which grouped events and people into five groups according to how much change they wanted. Both of the changes resulting from the two revolutions can be classified within this political spectrum as well. While the changes in government resulting from†¦show more content†¦The British government did not have a formal constitution, but the government was run by two sections: the monarch, and the parliament. Neither had absolute control as the parliament was able to curb the power of the mon arch and the parliament could not pass any bills or taxes without the agreement from the monarch. Therefore, the British government had created some checks and balances so that no one group of government would become omnipotent. An example of this can be seen in the English Bill of Rights written in 1698 which states, â€Å"the raising or keeping of a standing army within time of peace, unless it be with the consent of Parliament, is against the law,† (English Parliament). This shows the Parliament had some power over the monarch. Later on, this idea of checks and balances would be put into the American government. While the Americans did not create this idea themselves, they believed in its’ value to society. Due to tensions between the American colonists and the British, the colonists wanted to break away and form a government where their ideas were heard. The primary tension was caused by the problems in the economy. Britain was left with a lot of debt after the Seven Years’ War. The colonists were blamed for this because they were clashing with the Native Americans and the French who had other settlements further inland--a space the American settlers wanted to occupy. Fighting the Natives and the French cost the

Effect of Ph on Green Pea Germination free essay sample

Effect of pH on Green Pea Germination Objective: To determine how pH affects the germination of green peas and to examine the degree of germination within each pH level. We will do this by using various buffer solutions (along with distilled water) to grow green peas. Hypothesis: We expected that the group of peas that encountered a pH of 7 to have the most and highest degree of germination. Materials: tap water buffer solutions pH 3,5, 7, 1 distilled water 50 greens peas trays paper towels beakers Procedure: Wrap 25 peas (25 peas = 1 group) in paper towels. Place each group in 2. Pour 10 mL of tap water and 30 mL of distilled water or buffer solution onto each group of peas 3. 4. Add tap water accordingly to keep peas moist After one week, add another 20mL of distilled water or buffer solution onto each group of peas. 5. Observe amount of germination and degree of germination (length of the shoots) PH3 PH5 Distilled Water PH7 PH9 PHII Number Germinated 17 24 Number not Germinated Number of peas with shoots that were at least 1 inch long 14

Spinal Cord Injuries Essays - Neurotrauma, Spinal Cord, Tetraplegia

Spinal Cord Injuries As an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), when someone has a spinal injury, additional movement may cause further damage to the spine. EMT's must always immobilize the patient's head and torso in the position found. The purpose of an EMT is to prevent further harm to the patient until more professional medical help can be obtained. If in doubt about whether a person has received a spinal injury, always assume he or she has. A spinal cord injury (SCI) is very serious because it can mean the loss of sensation and function in the parts of the body below the site of the injury. SCI's are caused in many different ways. Some of the most common ways a person may obtain a SCI are- motor vehicle accidents, bullet or stab wound, diving accidents, electric shock, awkward positioning of the body, falls, sports injuries (such as football or diving), industrial accidents, assault and gunshot wounds. Polio, Spina Bifida and Friedreich's Ataxia are some of the frequent diseases that cause SCI. SCI may also be know in other names such as spinal cord compression (SCC) and spinal cord trauma (SCT). According to an article in , SCI's occur in approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people per year in the U.S. About 10,000 of these people are permanently paralyzed, and many of the rest die as a result of their injuries. Most spinal cord trauma occurs to young, healthy individuals. Males between the ages of 15 and 35 are most commonly affected. The spinal cord is about 18 inches long and extends from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back, to about the waist. It is composed of 33 bones called vertebrae, 31 pairs of nerves, 40 muscles and numerous connecting tendons and ligaments running from the base of the skull to the tailbone. Between the vertebrae are fibrous, elastic cartilage called discs. These absorb shock and keep your spine flexible and cushion the hard vertebrae as it moves. The nerves that lie within the spinal cord are upper motor neurons (UMN's) and their function is to carry the messages back and forth from the brain to the spinal nerves along the spinal tract. The spinal nerves that branch out from the spinal cord to the other parts of the body are called lower motor neurons (LMN's). These spinal nerves exit and enter at each vertebral level and communicate with specific areas of the body. The sensory portions of the LMN carry messages about sensation from the skin and other body parts and organs to the brain. The motor portions of the LMN send messages from the brain to the various body parts to begin actions such as muscle movement. The brain and the spinal cord both make up the Central Nervous System. Motor and sensory nerves outside the central nervous system make up the Peripheral Nervous System and another diffuse system of nerves that control involuntary functions such as blood pressure and temperature regulation are the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems. Rings of bone called vertebra surround the spinal cord, and these bones make up the spinal column or backbones. Most often, the higher in the spinal column the injury occurs, the more dysfunction a person will experience. The vertebras are named according to their location. The 8 vertebra in the neck are called the Cervical Vertebra. The top vertebra is called C-1; the next is C-2, and etc. Cervical SCI's usually cause loss of function in the arms and legs, resulting in quadriplegia. The 12 vertebra in the chest are called the Thoracic Vertebra. The first is called the T-1 and it's where the top rib attaches. Injuries to this region usually affect the chest and the legs and result in paraplegia. The vertebra in the lower back between the thoracic and the pelvis, are called the Lumbar Vertebra. The sacral vertebras run from the pelvis to the end of the spinal column. Injuries to the 5 Lumbar vertebra and similarly to the 5 sacral vertebra generally result in some loss of functioning in the hips and legs. The effects of SCI depend on the type of injury and the level of the injury. SCI can be divided into two types of injury- complete and incomplete. A complete injury means that there is no function below the level of the injury, no sensation and no voluntary movement. Both sides of the body are equally affected. An incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the primary level

Of Mice And Men Essays (434 words) - English-language Films

Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men Many of you may think it was easy enough for George to pick up that Luger and shoot this man, Lennie, right in the back of the head. This, however, is not so. The internal conflict that George must have faced was no doubt greater than anything you can imagine. George, an angel of mercy to his good friend and confidant, Lennie Small, is not a murderer. He is quite the opposite. The care of Lennie had been placed into George's hands by a dying woman. George had promised that he would take care of Lennie, watch after him, make sure he was safe. Because the greatest danger to Lennie, George and this Aunt Clara must have known, was himself. His sheer strength and simple mindedness had gotten Lennie in trouble many times before, and then, suddenly, he had killed a woman. The blame can not be placed anywhere for this woman's death. Lennie had no idea what he had done, the only thing he knew was that George would be upset. George did not kill Lennie out of spite, not because his thoughtless, innocent, act had dashed George's hopes of having a small farm. George had to do this because the other choices were grim. Lennie could be hanged, bludgeoned and beaten by the group of ranch hands that were after him. Or, maybe worse, Lennie would have been ripped from George's side and been thrown into some horrid mental institution, a danger to himself, a danger to others. After all, if they had escaped that town there would be the next town, the next dead girl, and another gang to out run. Perhaps it is best if Lennie's last, simple thoughts were of George telling him of the land they would own and work together. George did not, after all, just go up to Lennie and shoot him, point blank in the back of the head. He painted a lovely picture for Lennie to gaze upon before Lennie died, of the vegetable garden they would plant and the rabbit hutch that Lennie would be in charge of. Also, had Lennie lived, he would have never understood why there would not be ranch, only that there would be no soft rabbits for him to tend. What George did was a duty to himself, to Lennie, to society, because they would have always been running from something to somewhere. George has suffered the most out of any of these parties involved. He has lost a good friend and companion, a rarity in these times. What he did was out of love, not malice, and he should not be prosecuted. George has to live with what he had to do. That should be enough punishment.

Ethical Issue Whistleblowing

Ethical Issue Whistleblowing Abstract Whistle blowing is a courageous act of reporting misdoings of other people. This paper looks at the act in an engineering context, where an engineer raises concern about problems with a current system before or after a disaster. The actor hopes to prevent future disaster based on problems identified. The paper presents the case of Salvador Castro, an engineer with Air-Shields Inc. who discovered design flaws in his company’s product.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issue: Whistleblowing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The flaws had the potential to cause death to end users, yet reporting them to management did not cause the company to take corrective action. The paper analyses the ethical factors at play. It intends to explain why Castro ended up losing his job. The paper also provides recommendations for companies and individuals faced with such an engineering ethical dilemma to have me asures that ensure there is no victimization of whistle blowers or abuse of whistle blowing privileges. Introduction Whistle blowing refers to the action of reporting ethical behaviour of another person or other people. For the whistle-blower, the intention to report comes from the existence of conflicts in morality. The overall intention is usually to promote justice and fairness and have a positive outcome for the benefit of all stakeholders. On the other hand, those who are subjects of a whistle blowing case may feel betrayed, and the whistle-blower can be considered disloyal (Waytz, Dungan, Young, 2013). In engineering circles, whistle blowing can occur before and after a disaster happens. It usually involves the presentation of facts about a disaster, which will put blame on engineers. In cases where the reporting happens after an accident or disaster, the acts of whistle blowing still remains futuristic (Harris, Pritchard, Rabins, 2009). The aim of reporting is to ensure tha t the good of the public and other stakeholders is considered in future engagements.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some engineering cases, there can be warnings about projects and other endeavours, but these may not qualify as whistle-blowing because they occur within the channels of communication used by the engineering community. Whistle blowing only happens when there is a clear deviation from the norm in reporting of ethical violations. The case presented in this paper is about a medical electronics engineering firm called Air-Shields Inc. that manufactures life support equipment for medical institutions. An engineer in the company discovers a design flaw and informs his supervisor so that the problem does not reoccur and cause untold damage in future. However, no one in the company takes any steps to remedy the situation (Kumagai, 2004). Case overvie w Kumagai (2004) reports the story of Salvador Castro, a medical electronics engineer who acted as a whistle-blower. Castro came to know that the design of one of the earliest incubators was faulty. Based on his engineering knowledge and role in the company, he immediately informed his supervisor of the problem. He explained the situation and its consequences, should the company fail to undertake corrective action. It would cost some money to fix the problem, and on the other hand, there was risk of patient death if the problem goes unfixed. When supervisors and no one else at the company seemed to pay attention to the dangers presented by the design flaw, Castro informed his superiors that he was going to inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so that regulative action against the company would be taken. The intention of reporting to FDA was to save lives of patients that would rely on the faulty incubators. However, Castro’s actions were not well received by the company. His intention to report to FDA cost him his job. Castro faced an ethical dilemma of keeping his job by not reporting the design flaw, or going ahead to whistle blow and lose his job. On the other hand, Air-Shields Inc. had to consider making the recommended fix or dismissing the claims and face the risk of being accused of contravening engineering obligations to take actions that benefit health, welfare and security of the public (Kumagai, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issue: Whistleblowing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A description of the engineering failure The persistent objective should be to protect the safety, health, and welfare of the public in any work done by engineers. Where there are abuses in areas that affect the public interest, an engineer is expected to speak out (Saini, 2012). Castro spoke when he discovered a design flaw. He did the right thing as an engineer. H owever, the company’s failure to address the flaw was an engineering failure, a deliberate mistake that increased the risk of death for innocent people. On the other hand, Castro made a mistake of not fully understanding how the system operates. Going directly to supervisors with the information was good, but it would also present trust issues with management. As a result, there were conflicts of interest. The company failed its ethical test by retaliating against Castro’s whistle blowing activities, instead of embracing required changes. An in-depth analysis of the major issues surrounding the failure Whistle blowing has moral complexities. An accusation and a retaliation both produce injury. Castro’s action to report the flaw threatened his career. Similarly, his actions also threatened the careers of other employees in the company. Thus, an analysis of the case reveals that there could be a situation where actions by the company against one individual, such a s Castro are meant to protect the careers of many other people, the staff members. The company needs to have a system of dealing with bad news about its manufacturing process. It needs to accommodate the findings by engineers that highlight errors in its products. The setup of safety and corrective mechanisms for its engineering and manufacturing processes is a moral requirement. If these systems were in place, then the reporting by Castro would be welcome. The company did not have a means of informing the public about its products. In such instances, the expectation by the public is that the company will issue a product recall, if the design flaw is very grave. Otherwise, it may issue a cautionary message. If the problem is not very serious, the company can fail to inform the public so that it does not create unnecessary panic. Nevertheless, it must undertake corrective action for the problem identified.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An analysis of the ethical lapses When an engineer like Castro is making a whistle blowing attempt, he or she assumes that someone somewhere having the right authority will respond to the discovery. Such a response would arise because the person understands the moral importance of disclosure. In many cases, the whistle-blower puts this faith in the employer’s top management. This is a mistake. The action assumes that top management will be free of corruption. It also fails to consider the repercussions of the report. The action dramatizes the moral situation of many engineers who have the ability to detect problems that can affect the public. However, engineers must also develop the capacity to convince others to react. If Castro had the required skills in negotiating, persuading and allying with colleagues, he could have approached the case differently. He could have convinced many of his colleagues to consider the moral implications of the flaw and compelled the company to take action (Waytz, Dungan, Young, 2013). A formal communication channel that relies on the management levels of the company acted as an impediment to the overall effectiveness of whistle blowing. Communication to supervisors may have not been interpreted well (Harris, Pritchard, Rabins, 2009). The company needed an alternative feedback mechanism that allows different levels of management and technical departments to get information without allowing one level or individual to dictate message reception. If this were the case, some other managers or engineers would have taken up the case based on its moral principles and acted right. Another reason for the observed reaction to whistle-blowing in Castro’s case is that the valuation of fairness by the whistle blower was different from that of the company. Recommendations for actions Whistle blowers who receive heroic acclaim are rare. Practical, ethical reactions to whistle blowers in engineering may not always match expectatio ns of the whistle blower. It is important for both parties in the accusations to understand their motivations and work towards reducing the cost of their actions while they increase benefits to all parties involved. Companies should not just interpret whistle blowing as a disloyal action, especially when it happens through the available channels of organizational communication. The best way is for engineers at all levels of the organization to set up a brute force deliberate reasoning process that will override any tendencies of partiality or in-group favouritism (Waytz, Dungan, Young, 2013). This will ensure that all cases receive fair treatment and actions are based on facts and values of an organization. Such a system will also prevent abuse of whistle blowing privileges for personal vendettas. References Harris, C., Pritchard, M., Rabins, J. (2009). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases. New York: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Kumagai, J. (2004, April 1). The whistle-blowers di lemma. Retrieved from IEEE Specturm: https://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/tech-careers/the-whistleblowers-dilemma Saini, A. (2012, February 20). Social engineering. Retrieved from Engineering and Technology Magazine: https://eandt.theiet.org/ Waytz, A., Dungan, J., Young, L. (2013). The whistleblowers dilemma and the fairness-loyalty tradeoff. Journal of Experiemental Social Psychology, 49, 1027-1033.

This I Believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

This I Believe - Essay Example Based on my vision of the universe, my idea of life forms, and my concept of ‘God,’ I choose to believe in the existence of alien life in our universe. In terms of the awesome size of our ever-expanding universe, whose dimensions I can hardly imagine, I picture the location of our beautiful planet, Earth. I see that Earth is a little planet orbiting a minor star, the sun. The sun is but one star in the billions upon billions of stars in our galaxy. To go on, our galaxy is but one in billions of galaxies in the universe, and each galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars. Billions of stars have their own solar systems. Astronomers have already discovered about three hundred planets outside our solar system, which is but a small beginning. In this picture, I see that Earth is but a little piece of rock in a solar system that occupies a small space in a small galaxy in a vast, vast universe! How can life be exclusive to our planet alone? I believe that extraterrestrial life exists in various forms which are different from those on earth. When I allow myself to break free from the picture of ‘life’ only as it exists on earth, I am able to accept that extraterrestrial life is likely to be in forms adapted to the particular conditions of each unique planet.

Can the rich buy justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Can the rich buy justice - Essay Example Oscar Pistorius is 27 years old and is a former Olympian. He was accused of shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, with a gun four times through the door to the toilet room in his room in the middle of night. However, Pristorius pleaded not guilty of murder. He explained that he thought at the time that it was an intruder and he acted instantaneously as an attempt of self-defence. The trial was started on March 3 and up till now thirteen hearings have been conducted and the court has heard eighteen witnesses. The proceedings of the trials have been entirely broadcasted by the media and there has been an intense media hype associated with the case (CNN Staff). Although the explanation given by Pristorius is the only possible defense which could save him, according to legal experts he will have a tough time winning the case because of the evidences pointing out towards him. According to South Africa’s law, the most serious punishment which may be given is that of minimum 25 y ears imprisonment. According to neighbors, they heard a woman and man arguing and they also heard the sounds of a woman screaming before the sound of gun shot. This was in contradiction with the Mr. Pristorius statement who said that she was in bed when he heard the noises and went to investigate (Lyall). Oscar Pristorius with his fame and money has the advantage to utilize the best of facilities and amenities. He called four forensic scientists and also hired the help of a US forensic animation firm so that they could recreate the crime scene digitally. This would help in explaining his defense in a more effective and visual manner (Smith). Pristorius has gained the support of millions of fans through his emotional scenes depicted during the court proceedings and the display of disgust and intense emotion when the pictures of the crime scene were displayed. There were news that Team Pristorius had created a twitter account of

Activity Plan and Initial Recommendations for Tourism Company Essay

Activity Plan and Initial Recommendations for Tourism Company - Essay Example The researcher will be looking into past results and report with the help of secondary data collections methods which will be gathered from books, journal, internet and previous report with respect to tourism. Since the idea is to increase the rate travelling in our target consumers, we will be focusing on questionnaire which will focus on questions like frequency of travel, favourite destinations, etc. with these kinds of data we will be able to understand the trend of our consumers, their preferable destinations so that design and modify our packages accordingly. Before the researcher starts the activity planning and showcases the company, he needs to build the audience in to present it to them. So audience building is an essential part of the tourism industry. So the first focus will be building a new and existing group of audience. Audience development is about putting them in the center of the stage and trying to comprehend what individuals need; exhibiting our facility, gatheri ng or activity in a manner which is receptive, and welcoming; and empowering interest and engagement. As of late, there has been an expanding accentuation on audience improvement, especially from Government, open segment offices and stipend giving forms, for example, the Lottery funders. The inclination is that creating a more extensive cross-area of help is critical to building future backing for the legacy and that openly subsidized organizations have an obligation to captivate with all segments of the neighborhood.

Guide to performing a Job Evaluation

Guide to performing a Job Evaluation What are the main issues faced by the residents in Portugal? Click on the play button to watch the video. Highlight the issues and look for the solutions. Share your opinions in the LMS Forum. [MMP: Create video screen and embed video as shown in link] Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vKDyPJmQD0 Job evaluation is the process of determining the worth of jobs assigned to employees.The worth of a job is determined by the demand for it in relation to its job description, job specification and the expected outcomes from that job. In some cases, it is found that an employee who holds a similar position as his colleague may hold a different role, and have different responsibilities and accountability. In such cases, he/she should receive different pay. This chapter discusses the importance of job evaluation, basic job evaluation methods, the hay guide chart method, and inputs to refer to when pricing jobs. Job Evaluation and Its Importance Job evaluation is the process of determining the value of one job in comparison to the other jobs within the organisation so a fair salary system can be established. The job evaluation process is the most common method used to provide a rationale for a pay structure and to assign a job to a pay grade. Job evaluation can also be defined as a practical technique for trained and experienced employees to judge the size of one job relative to others. It does not directly determine the pay levels but establishes the basis for an internal ranking of jobs. Among other definitions are as follows: Job evaluation is concerned with assessing the relative demands of different jobs within the organisation. Its usual purpose is to provide a basis for relating differences in rates of pay to different in-job requirements. It is therefore a tool which can be used to help determine a pay structure. (Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), London 1984) A job evaluation system consists of compensable factors and a weighting scheme based on the importance of each compensable factor to the organisation. Compensable factors are the characteristics of jobs that an organisation values and chooses to pay for. These characteristics may include job complexity, working conditions, required education, required experience and responsibility. (Noe et. al. 2003) Job evaluation is a systematic procedure to determine the relative worth or value of jobs. Although there are several different approaches, each one considers the duties, responsibilities and working conditions of the job. The objective of job evaluation is to identify which jobs should be paid more than others. (Schwind et. al. 1999) The objectives of a job evaluation process in an organisation are as follows: Establishes the relative value or size of jobs, i.e. internal relatives. Produces the information required to design and maintain equitable and defensible grade and pay structures, critical in any organisation. Provides as a basis for grading jobs within a grade structure, thus enabling consistent decisions to be made about job grading. Ensures that the organisation meets ethical and legal equal pay for work of equal value obligtions. More recently the use of job evaluation is the hinge of most equal pay cases. Despite its popularity, it is often misunderstood. So, the following facts about job evaluation must be made clear: SELF-CHECK What is job evaluation and why is it important? What are the four facts about job evaluation? Job Evaluation Methods The human resource management is usually responsible for administering the job evaluation programme. However, actual job evaluation is typically done by a committee. The committee might include the human resource director as the chairperson and the finance, marketing and production heads. Job Evaluation Committee Chairperson (Human Resource Director) Head of Finance Head of Marketing Head of Production Figure 8.1: The job evaluation programme is typically performed by a committee within the organisation Small and medium sized organisations may elect to use outside consultants as they often lack job evaluation experience. When employing a qualified consultant, management should require the consultant to develop an internal job evaluation programme and train company employees to administer it correctly. This can be done by reviewing information obtained through job analysis regarding the duties, responsibilities and working conditions of the organisation. With this knowledge, the relative worth of jobs is determined and the consultant will be able to shape a job evaluation programme suitable to the company by selecting an appropriate job evaluation method. Figure 8.2: The 10 basic steps in conducting an effective job evaluation There are four basic job evaluation methods commonly used by organisations. They are job ranking, job classification (or job grading), factor comparison and the point system. Job ranking and job classification are categorised as non quantitative methods while factor comparison and the point system are classified as quantitative methods. A job evaluation committee or an outside consultant needs to choose one method and modify the method to suit the organisations particular need. Figure 8.3: Job evaluation methods Job Ranking Method In the ranking method, jobs are compared to each other and arranged in order according to their worth to the organisation. The worth of a job is usually based on judgements of skill, effort (physical and mental), responsibility (supervisory and fiscal), and working conditions. The steps involved in ranking jobs are Rank Jobs Make an overall comparison between jobs, by focusing on certain factors such as, responsibility, skills, effort, and working conditions. It is possible that elements of some jobs may be overlooked or weighed too heavily. Rank jobs from the highest to the lowest. The highest and lowest are ranked first, followed by the next highest to the next lowest, until all jobs are ranked. Conduct job analysis and write job descriptions. Pay scales are established based on the rankings, where more important jobs are paid more. However, as the ranking of jobs are subjective and lack precision, the pay levels may be inaccurate. The job ranking method is perhaps the simplest method of job evaluation but it is also known to be the least precise among the four evaluation methods. WEB-SITE Find out the ten worst jobs in the US of 2010. Go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/06/worst-jobs-2010-careercas_n_413511.html Job Classification Job classification is a form of evaluation that assigns jobs to an existing grade/category structure according to their relative worth to the organisation. First, job grades or categories are established and each is given a standard description, as shown in Table 8.1. Table 8.1: A Job Classification schedule for use with Job Grading Method Job Grade Standard Description I Work is simple and highly repetitive; done under close supervision; requires minimal training and little responsibility, or initiative. II Work is simple and repetitive; done under close supervision; requires some training or skill. Employee is only rarely expected to assume responsibility or exhibit initiative. III Work is simple, with little variation; done under general supervision; training or skill is required. Employee has minimum responsibility and must take some initiative to perform satisfactorily. IV Work is moderately complex, with some variation; done under general supervision; requires high level skills. Employee is responsible for equipment and safety, and must exhibit initiative regularly. V Work is complex and varied; done under general supervision; requires advanced level skills. Employee is responsible for equipment and safety, and must show a high degree of initiative. Next, the standard description that most nearly matches a job description determines the grade of that job. Job classification or job grading is slightly more sophisticated than job ranking, but it too is not very precise. Factor Comparison In the factor comparison method, each job is ranked according to a series of factors. This method includes five major steps. Under this method, instead of ranking complete jobs, each job is ranked according to a series of factors (as shown in Figure 8.3). Figure 8.4: The five universal job factors Job evaluators must then identify factors relevant and common in a broad range of jobs as shown in Table 8.2. A numerical point value is assigned to each job factor. The weights might be different for different job positions. Some organisations use different factors for managerial, professional, sales and other positions. Table 8.2: Factors relevant and common in a broad range of jobs Job Mental Skill Physical Responsibility Working Condition System Analyst 1 4 2 1 3 Data Entry Clerk 4 1 1 4 1 Programmer 2 3 3 2 4 Operator 3 2 4 3 2 Note: In the mental requirement, systems analyst ranked highest (1), followed by programmer (2), operator (3) and clerk (4). The evaluation allows the committee to determine the relative importance of each job. In this method, pay will be assigned by comparing the weights of the factors required for each job. This method of job evaluation is more systematic. Point System This method evaluates the critical factors of each job. But instead of using wages, as the factor comparison method does, it uses points. Under the point rating system, a number of factors such as skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions are identified as being common to all jobs being evaluated. Each factor is then given a weighting indicating its values relative to the others and for each factor there are varying degrees (as shown in Table 8.3). Table 8.3: Point system matrix No. Critical Factors Levels or Degrees Minimum I Low II Moderate III High IV 1 Responsibility Safety of others 25 50 75 100 Equipment and materials 20 40 60 80 Assisting trainees 5 20 60 50 Product/ Service Quality 20 40 60 80 2 Skill Experience 45 90 135 180 Education / Training 25 50 75 100 3 Effort Physical 25 50 75 100 Mental 25 70 105 150 4 Working Condition Unpleasant condition 20 20 60 80 Hazards 20 40 60 80 Total Points 100 A job description is prepared for each job and a committee then considers each description in turn, comparing it factor by factor, with the degree definitions. Points are allocated for each factor and the total point value determines the relative worth of each job. A point system is more precise than the factor comparison method because it can handle critical factors in more detail. This method is also used more than the other methods. Some 95% of the major corporations in the US are thought to use some variation of this method to evaluate jobs. Accountability Accuracy Analysis and judgment Complexity Contact and diplomacy Creativity Decision-making Dexterity (clever, skilful, neatness) Education Effects of errors Effort Initiative Judgment Know-how Knowledge and skill Mental effort Mental Fatigue Physical demands Physical skills Planning and coordination Problem-solving Responsibility for cash/material/confidential Information equipment, process, record and reports Social skills Supervision given/received Task completion Training and experience Work condition Work pressure Figure 8.5: A list of factors used most frequently in the point rating method as prepared by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) SELF-CHECK Describe how each of the four job evaluation methods below determine the worth of a job to an organisation. a) Job ranking b) Job classification c) Factor comparison d) Point system Hay Guide Chart The job evaluation process is enormously time consuming, complex and often a frustrating task as it is subjected to political pressures and biases that is natural among committee members who represent different functional areas. It has been proven that the job evaluation process is easier to do if the committee compares factors common to all jobs (compensable factors). For evaluating management jobs, the Hay Guide Chart Profile Method is the most popular method. This method provides a common language, an organised framework and the criteria to ensure that judgements applied can be tested and defended in an objective, consistent and equitable manner. This method is based on assessing three main factors, which are: know how problem solving accountability INPUT PROCESS CONTRIBUTION KNOW-HOW PROBLEM SOLVING ACCOUNTABILITY Figure 8.6: The Hay Guide Chart Method (a) Know How Knowledge, skills and experience needed for acceptable job performance. It consists of three dimensions which are: Scientific disciplines, specialised techniques, and practical procedures The depth and range of specialised knowledge required to perform the job. It requires a deep authoritative knowledge in areas of considerable significance to the organisation disciplines or general knowledge required to deal with strategic issues at the most senior level within the organisation. Managerial know-how Requirements needed in the job to plan, supervise, coordinate and integrate different activities, resources or parts of the organisation. Human relation skills Skills needed to communicate with and influence individuals and groups within and outside the organisation to achieve the necessary results. (b) Problem Solving The span, complexity and level of analytical, evaluative and innovative thought required in the job. The problem solving factor has two components. They are: Thinking environment The environment in which thinking takes place. Identifies and addresses problems that arise. Depends on the absence or presence of policy, procedure, supervision as well as other guidance. Thinking challenge Thinking done to assess the complexity of problems encountered, ranging from simple to complex situations. Also involves the extent of original thinking needed to arrive at conclusions. (c) Accountability Discretion given to the job holder to influence or determine the course of events and his/her answerability for the consequences of his/her decisions and actions. Accountability has three dimensions which are: Freedom to Act Assesses the degree of freedom of action given to a job by the organisation. Magnitude Gauges how much of the organisation is effected by the job holders accomplishment of the job. Job impact on end results Concerned with how directly the job affects end results in that area. SELF-CHECK Explain the three factors that the Hay Guide Chart method considers in evaluating the worth of a job to the organisation. Pricing Jobs Pricing jobs are divided into two activities: Establishing the appropriate pay level for each job. Grouping the different pay levels into a structure that can be managed effectively. It would not be unusual, for instance, for the personnel manager of Motorola to regularly share wage data on key positions. Firms in the community like Hewlett Packard identify job positions such as maintenance engineer, electrical engineer, key punch operators or clerk-typists and give comprehensive descriptions of these jobs. During the wage survey, various information can be requested (as shown in Figure 8.7). Figure 8.7: Information that can be requested when conducting a wage survey (a) Pay Level The appropriate pay level for any job reflects its relative and absolute worth. A jobs relative internal worth is determined by its ranking through the job evaluation process. The absolute worth of the job is controlled by what the labour market pays for similar jobs. Figure 8.8: Pay level Source: http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/acute-care/pay-levels-confirm-lower-status-of-nurses/5008226.article (b) Scattergram In order to set the right pay level, the job evaluation ranking and the survey wage rates (the going rates in the industry) are combined through the use of a graph called the scattergram. [GD: Insert image of scattergram] Figure 8.9: Scattergram (c) Wage-trend line Through the dots that represent key jobs, a wage-trend line is drawn as close to as many points as possible (the line can be drawn freehand). Most importantly, this method can be used to identify jobs whose pay is out of the trend line. When a jobs pay rate is too high, it should be identified as a red circle rate. Undervalued rates (wage rate is too low) carry a green circle and attempts should be made to grant these jobs an average pay increase. Figure 8.10: Wage-trend line (d) Pay structure Jobs that are similar, in terms of class grades and points, are grouped together. For instance, pay grade 1 may cover 0-100 points, pay grade 2 from 1-200 points, and so on. The result is a hierarchy of wages. The more important jobs are paid more, and as individuals assume jobs of greater importance, they rise within the wages structure. Figure 8.11: Pay structure Source: http://skorcareer.com.my/images/salary-survey-asia.jpg Rate ranges are simply pay ranges for each job class. For example, the wage-trend line indicates that $8.00 is the average hourly rate for a particular job class. With a rate range of $1 for each class, a marginal performer is placed at a midpoint or $8.00. When performer appraisals indicate above-average performance, the employee may be given a merit rise of, say 25 cents per hour. Once the employee reaches the top of the wage range, no more wage increase will be forthcoming. Either a promotion or a general across-the-board pay raise needs to occur for this worker to exceed $8.50 an across-the-board increase moves the entire wage trend line upward. As new jobs are created, the wage and salary section of the personnel department performs a job evaluation. For this evaluation, the new job is assigned to an appropriate job class. If rate ranges are used, the new incumbent will start at the bottom of the range and receive raises, where appropriate, to the top of the rate range. SELF-CHECK What are the inputs that can be requested when conducting a wage survey to price jobs? Case Study The Thai Silk Company, Ltd. Source: http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/ThaiSilk.html (a) Thai Silk Industry The production of Thai silk involves a number of stages. The earliest fiber production, was carried out by approximately 500,000 individual peasant families primarily in the economically-depressed northern portion of the country. Several hundred family firms located in the larger provincial towns and in Bangkok undertook intermediate stages dyeing, spinning and weaving. The final stages printing, converting and retailing were dominated by fewer than 100 enterprises located in Bangkok. (b) Finishing and Converting Thai silk moved directly from weavers into retail channels to be sold as fabric. However, a portion was finished (e.g. printed with a design) and/or converted (e.g. made into a pillow case, garment, window drape, etc.) before reaching retail. There were seven finishing establishments in the country, all located in Bangkok. The largest of these was a 51%-owned joint venture of Thai Silk Company Ltd. (TSC). It contained 16 hand painting tables compared to only 10 by its next largest competitor. It was the only finisher in the country specialising in silk to own an automatic printing machine. (c) Proposed New Weaving Mill On top of these changes, an important new development is currently under consideration. It involves a proposed 51-owned weaving joint venture, the Thai Silk Handweaving Co. Ltd. (TSHC). The plant was to be located at Pakthongchai in Korat Province about 100 miles northeast of Bangkok. It would initially contain 120 hand looms of the tradiational variety with capacity to supply about 20% of TSCs fabric needs. Currently, there are plans for an increase in the number of looms to 600 over a 6 year period. TSCs share of initial capitalisation would amount to 2.4 million Baht. SELF-CHECK The silk production involves many processes and stages, from dyeing to printing and retailing. As the Human Resource manager, how would you price the pay for employees working in the different stages of the silk production? Summary This chapter introduced you to job evaluation, its methods, the hay guide chart method, and inputs to refer to when pricing jobs. We have learned that: Job evaluation is the process of determining the value of one job in comparison to the other jobs within the organisation so a fair salary system can be established. It is the most common method used to provide a rationale for a pay structure and to assign a job to a pay grade. Job evaluation is usually administered by the human resource manager. However, it is typically performed by either a committee within the organisation or by outside consultants. The four basic job evaluation methods commonly used by organisations are: Job ranking Job classification (or job grading) Factor comparison The point system The hay guide chart method of evaluating jobs assesses three main factors: Know-how Problem solving Accountability When performing a job survey to price jobs, the following information can be requested: Pay level Scattergram Wage-trend line Pay structure Glossary Terms Definition Factor comparison Each job is ranked according to a series of factors, namely mental requirement, skill, physical requirement, responsibilities and working conditions. Hay guide chart method A job evaluation method that considers know-how, problem solving and accountability. Job classification/Job grading A form of evaluation that assigns jobs to an existing grade/category structure according to their relative worth to the organisation. Job evaluation The process of determining the value of one job in comparison to the other jobs within the organisation so a fair salary system can be established. Job ranking Jobs are compared to each other and arranged in order according to their worth to the organisation. Pay level What the labour market pays for similar jobs. Pay structure Jobs that are similar, in terms of class grades and points, are grouped together. Point system method Evaluates the critical factors of each job. But instead of using wages, as the factor comparison method does, it uses points. Scattergram A graph that uses plotted points to represent a set of data. Wage-trend line A line drawn as closely as possible to as many points representing key jobs in a graph.

Innovation and Knowledge Essay -- History, Marx, Schumpeter, Kondratie

For centuries now the subject of innovation has given ground for much discussion and debate. In its wider context economic historians and sociologists have theorised and argued its contribution to economic growth and society in general, nevertheless, many have termed innovation as the ‘engine of growth.’ Therefore, to appreciate the extent of benefit that innovation can offer business this introduction begins with some of these theories. Famous names such as, Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter, and Nicolai Kondratieff respectively, which are seen by many as experts in their field have all, in their own manner, cited innovation and technological progress as the stimulus for economic growth. However, it was Marx who first realised that economic growth could be associated to innovation, and innovations and entrepreneurs were the drivers of technological progress. Given that one new innovation by an entrepreneur or inventor can open up a new profit stream which then persuades anot her of their kind to innovate, thus providing new wealth and increasing profits in the economy as a whole, which in turn drives growth. More recently Kondratieff using his ‘long-wave theory of innovation’ demonstrated how innovation was responsible for major eras of economic growth and technological development. He described this as a series of wave-like peaks and troughs each lasting between forty or fifty years, which span prosperity during peak periods of innovation and technological progress, and as this recedes a gradual recession into a trough of depression exists. For instance he observes over the la... ...sign training called the T-shaped designer a new way of design thinking by using design processes and methods to foster innovation and grow business – design is a way of thinking. The stem of the T is the depth of knowledge in their specialist subject while the horizontal cap of the T represents the breadth – their ability to make their method, skills and thinking work in a different context. This has led some American schools and university to change their approach to design schooling. In the United Kingdom new courses from centres of excellence are to be offered with a hands-on and multidisciplinary classes combining management studies, engineering, technology and design creativity. All this is positive for business and UK design as heading into the 21st century the need for innovative products will grow as global business becomes even greedier for new things.

Mcmillan

There are many ideas that revolve around what is quality assessment. What can be done to make sure that we are ‘building proficiency in basic skills, closing achievement gaps, and fostering the top notch knowledge and skills that students will need in a competitive global society’ (Scherer, 2009, p. 5). The following paper identifies five key aspects of what represents quality assessment. The method of assessment can influence a student’s motivation and achievement. A student’s performance can be improved through their involvement in the assessment process and enable them to take responsibility for their own learning. McMillan states that by allowing a student to be involved in the grading criteria and apply those criteria to their work a teacher may increase the student’s motivation to learn and succeed. (McMillan 2000) Every student has an individual learning style, McMillan states that using multiple methods of assessment a teacher can shape the way students understands, processes, and uses information. By doing this a complete picture of what students understand can be compiled. Using multiple methods can assist to address each student's strengths and weaknesses. (McMillan 2000) Just as assessment impacts student learning and motivation, it also influences the nature of what is being taught. (McMillan, 2000) McMillan states that when assessment is incorporated with instruction it informs teachers what activities and assignments would be most useful, and what level of teaching is appropriate, where her students are, when to ask more questions, when to give more examples and what responses to student questions is most appropriate (McMillan 2000). Fair and ethical assessment ensures that all students are given a level playing field, which they are given the opportunity to demonstrate what they know. The Standards presents four views of fairness: as absence of bias (e. g. , offensiveness and unfair penalization), as equitable treatment, as equality in outcomes, and as opportunity to learn. ’ (McMillan 2000) Teachers have limited time, they need to be able to achieve a balance between providing to provide a full understanding of study material and score re sults. Therefore the efficiency of assessments needs to be considered. There are many facets that exist within the process of assessment that can influence a student’s enthusiasm and achievement. Teachers need to recognise the ability of students to take control of their own achievement and accept responsibility for their own learning. Clay, M. (2002) An observation survey of early literacy achievement. New Zealand. Heinemann Education. Code of fair testing practices in education (1988). Washington, DC: Joint Committee on Testing Practices (American Psychological Association). Retrieved from http://ericae. net/code. htm McMillan, J. H. (2001). Essential assessment concepts for teachers and administrators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Publishing Company. McMillan, James H. (2000). Fundamental assessment principles for teachers and school administrators. Practical Assessment, Research ; Evaluation, 7(8). Retrieved from http://PAREonline. net/getvn. asp? v=7;n=8 McMillan, J,H. (2011). Classroom Assessment Principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction. Boston USA: Pearson Education Inc. Schafer, W. D. (1991). Essential assessment skills in professional education of teachers. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 10, (1), 3-6.

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buy custom Negros Oriental State University essay This article has been written by four authors. Madeleine Gregg is professor at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Marcia L. Rock is associate professor in the department of Specialized Education Services, University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Naomi P. Zigmond is distinguished professor in the Department of Instruction and Learning, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robert A. Gable is Constance F. and Colgate W. Darden professor at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. The audiences targeted are the virtual coaches and teachers. The article technically focuses on introducing, explaining and encouraging the use of Bug-In-Ear (virtual coaching) as a method of coaching teachers. It describes a virtual coach as a supportive companion who inspires and builds up teachers and should offer more encouraging, supporting statements than corrective or instructive ones. The article clearly outlines good qualities and skills required for a good coach-teacher relationship. It can be a good reference material for those who would like to know more about virtual coaching and its advantages over the traditional side-by-side coaching. The author of the article is a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and the president of the Instructional Coaching Group. He is also the author of Unmistakable Impact: A Partnership Approach for Dramatcally Improving Instruction (Corwin, 2010). In his work, he targets coaches as his audience, with an aim of illustrating what good coaches are expected to do. The author emphasizes on the benefits of a good interaction between the coach and the teacher. It also explains seven partnership principles of coaching and the actions of good coaches. It outlines partnership as an act of shared learning as much as it is about shared power. The article also explains the activities in which coaches who act on the partnership principles should engage in. It depicts a coach as a thinking partner for teachers, and coaching as a meeting of minds. Generally, the article is useful and forms a good advice for coaches hence helps improve their performance. The site deals with designing a professional development program for a school or district. It explains the characteristics of an effective professional development. It notes that the content of professional development programs is based on organizational needs. The site also gives the categories and connections that schools should focus on so as to ensure continuous improvement. An option for taking a survey is also granted so as to collect opinion, views and facts. Its audiences are administrators of a school, district or both. It is purposely gives appropriate advice and guidance to them. It provides the tips that ensure that schools and districts remain on an improvement plane. It maainly stresses on directly helping the students achieve their goals and supporting student learning needs. Furthermore, it states that cooperation is needed between teachers and the administrators in planning and implementation process to ensure the smooth running of the institution. This website can f orm a good reference for administrators, though it does not provide clear management skills. EDC Science Foundation. Resources for Teacher Leadership: Mentoring and Coaching The site avails resources that help to improve teacher leadership. It contains a list of links to other resourceful sites which elaborates deeper about mentoring and coaching. The links gives more detailed and clearer notes about the various issues related to mentoring and coaching. In addition to that it offers resources for assisting a colleague who may be new to teaching, the school, the discipline, or to a change in the practices or curriculum recently instituted by the district, school, or department. The site describes the components of a high-quality mentor program. The site targets mentors especially those who are new to teaching, a school, department, or curriculum change. The site may also be a source of references to coaching staffs. The site provides very useful information to the targeted audiences. It adequately enables them to deal with crucial issues at hand satisfactorily and with great skill. Buy custom Negros Oriental State University essay

Womens Writing Changes essays

Womens Writing Changes essays Women's writing styles have changed over the years as women's roles have changed in this world. The more that woman's roles have changed the more that their writing changes. There are many reasons to account for the changes in women's writing. At first, in the early years, women were not even allowed to be writers. After women were allowed to become writers, they didn't write about what interested them, they wrote about what about what would interest men. Women writers were writing for a male audience. That soon changed women were writing more about things that were of interest to women because now women were writing for a female audience. Another reasons that can account for the change in women's writing is that woman's role in life have changed. Women don't all have the same role in life, taking care of the home and family. When women's roles only consisted of taking care of the home, their children, and husband, their writings were very different than when the women were out in the world doing different things. Some women's writing inferred that they were being suppressed because they wanted more out of life that what the men would allow them to have. When women felt suppressed in their lives they brought that feeling into their writing. Later, after women could do more with their lives and didn't feel maybe as suppressed by men, women's writing changed. Another reasons that can account for the change in women's writing are the change in what concerns women now from what the concerns of women years ago. When the concerns of women change, the writing changes too. At one point the only major concern that women had was their family and the home. Now, women have more concerns about themselves and their careers. It's not to say that women are not concerned with their family and home anymore, it's just to say that now women have more to be concerned with, and that can accoun ...

Entrepreneurial business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurial business - Essay Example The share of powered brushes is almost half of the value of the market. The social factor that influences the toothbrush market is that consumers are getting more sensitive towards dental healthcare in order to reduce dental treatment. According to date UK consumers’ concerns regarding toothbrushes are: they value the features of the toothbrushes, the comfort they provide, if they are recommended by professional and they also have concerns more about health of gums rather than cavity protection. The findings suggest that consumers are willing to pay premium prices for toothbrushes addressing these concerns: (The Infoshop.com, Toothbrushes –UK-April 2004, There is no specific environmental factors mentioned in reports, however the fact that more people are environmentally concerned should not be ignored. Any efforts in producing a new toothbrush should take this factor into consideration and adapt its manufacturing ability accordingly The powered toothbrushes continuously evolve the ones with round oscillating bristle heads have helped to improve oral hygiene. According to clinical studies, powered toothbrushes are more efficient to remove plaque than manual therefore they are widely accepted among dentists. In the late 1990’s the market of powered toothbrushes was shaped into two distinct categories: the high end toothbrushes ($20-$110) that provided complex motions to the bristles and the low end which provided very little cleaning benefit. â€Å"The brush head, with its combination of fixed and moving bristles, was designed to have a more traditional sized brush head permitting patients to brush their teeth in an optimal manner recommended by a dentist, while the motorized circular portion of the brush promotes more effective cleaning.   In addition, this brush has an angled shaft to permit easier access to the back teeth in the oral cavity† The type of consumers that use powered toothbrushes are the

The weakness of using Fackbook and Twitter for consumer engagement Essay

The weakness of using Fackbook and Twitter for consumer engagement with the firm - Essay Example The other extra duties of this individual or individuals include monitoring as well as responding to questions and comments robbing marketing department off necessary hands on personnel in keeping the company afloat (Hu, 2011). This is especially a problem for small companies or start-ups with limited resources. In this sense, social media presents a weakness in increasing a firm’s running overheads without necessary guarantee for increased revenue. Facebook and Twitter may pose a weakness in a firm’s engagement with its customers due to having a wrong strategy for online branding (Kuzgun, 2013). This could put the firm at a viral social disadvantage and could even end up damaging the firm’s reputation. Few people will most probably notice mistakes made offline, but when the mistakes regarding a firm’s portrayal are made online, they are immediately noted by many and spread over the net. This is aggravated by the fact that bad news or negativity on Facebook and Twitter trends faster than good news for gossip is considered juicy while normal news is boring. The online interactive media like any other Information Technology field is highly prone to threats of hacking or malicious compromise of content (Thomases, 2010). The hackers may be out to malign the firm and jeopardize its online marketing efforts through posting false tweets. There has been evidence and news of hackings into Facebook and Twitter accounts of established and renowned companies sending the message across the business world that really no firm is invisible. This loophole mat cost the firm its reputation negating the intentions to use social media in the first place. Social marketing is also seen as somewhat intrusive. Some ardent members on Facebook and Twitter feel that advertisement placement through collection of member information from these sites is intruding on their privacy and that confidentiality is compromised. This causes marketing efforts to be met

Psychiatric Nursing Reflective Journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psychiatric Nursing Reflective Journals - Essay Example She appeared inattentive to my instructions and needed three repetitions of what I had said for her to understand me. When she had obeyed my instructions, I admired volubly her pretty appearance and hugged her. To my queries, she had just stared at me as if she was scared but today she called me up. Seizing the opportunity, I moved up. Nervously pulling me to her side and looking around to ensure that nobody was within hearing distance, she whispered in my ear. Her neighbor was plotting to kill her and her husband, it seemed. She had heard noises from her backyard which sounded like gunshots when she had been in the kitchen at home. Her movements appeared jerky and speech was not incoherent but appeared monotonous. Realizing that her suspicious and guarded nature was characteristic of her condition, paranoid schizophrenia, I pretended to be a good listener to gain her confidence. She claimed that the neighbor of around her age was attracted to her and was eyeing her sexually. Several times he had approached her for sexual favors. She had told her husband about this but he did not believe her. At times the neighbor had thrown stones at her house when she was alone and had rung the doorbell several times. Each time she went to the door, there would be no one. Saying all of this at one go, she quickly pushed me aside when she noticed the nursing supervisor arriving. When the supervisor had left, Mrs. Jones again strode up to me and caught my attention. She told me that her husband was a good man but he did not believe her stories and told me to keep what she told a secret. Half an hour later, Mrs. Jones did not appear to want to talk with me. When I smiled at her, she seemed to have no recognition. I was a little taken back by the stony look on her face. Her husband had told me that she was a receptionist in a hotel and very much appreciated by the others and customers. Believing that she was then well, she had stopped her treatment. He had not noticed the medicin es not being taken. This had triggered this episode. She had also not kept her appointments with the psychotherapist. Anyone would have believed this lady the way she told the stories. They would have been credible had they come from a normal person. The fact that she was admitted for paranoid schizophrenia reminded me that the stories could be delusions. Though I had studied about schizophrenia and its various forms and symptoms, this was the first time that I was in close contact with a person with schizophrenia. Having no physical deficiencies, Mrs. Jones could easily pass on the road without anyone realizing the depth of mental illness that she had, the extent of trouble that she could create and the magnitude of suffering that she went through. What she needed was sympathetic people around her and proper pharmacological and psychological treatment. A person who did not know her to be a patient could even irritate her unknowingly. This was the situation for most psychiatric diso rders. When we were taught psychiatry, we never realized that most psychiatric patients became ill only occasionally and that most of their lives; they were presumably fine and able to work like Mrs. Jones. Treatment allowed them to be a part of normal society. However the treatment schedules should never be missed. I also noted that psychiatric patients should never be allowed to consume drugs without supervision. A family member had to take responsibility. This was another of my new learning. It would serve

Management, Organisations and People Module Report Essay Example for Free

Management, Organisations and People Module Report Essay Introduction: The aim of this report is to provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group and how they have developed over time. It will first outline the methodology used to conduct this report and then go on to introduce the managers and workers and explain how their current work roles have developed over time. Subsequently, the report will provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group. To conclude the report, there will be a quick summary of what has already been mentioned and some limitations of the findings, methodology and related theories used in the report. The beauty salon which was named after its manager is privately owned and located in Chiswick in West London. In addition, it has two other branches located in Ealing and Hammersmith, both also within the West London area and owned by the same manager. All three of the beauty salons are relatively small in size making satisfactory profits and located just off the high streets in quieter areas. The first branch was opened in 1999 in Chiswick and the others followed on 5 years later, the Hammersmith branch being the newest. Method This report was conducted using both primary and secondary research. The primary research was collected directly from the manager and team members by interviewing them. By so doing, the research collected was new and wasn’t research that had already existed. Secondary research was collected through the use of books, the internet and articles and hence looking at existing data. Findings and discussion Behavioural theory As the manager, Mimi Vasquez, supervises and manages the overall performance of his staff and the business. His current work role is to analyse and recommend developing strategies on how to improve the quality of their services e.g. more speed and efficiency in cutting hair and accuracy with mixing colours of hair dye. These two examples are some of Mimi’s main targets and he wishes to have met these goals by July 2011. Mimi also examines ways to achieve his business goals of maximising profits and acknowledges that compensations and rewards have worked well in the past as they motivate and encourage staff to work better: Every year he elects 2 people as the most improved and most enthusiastic team members and rewards them in the form of bonuses and HMV vouchers. His work role also involves instructing his team members and allocating them to different parts of the salon when the day gets busy Moreover, this has played a great role in the development of Mimi’s leadership within the business. Yukl (2006, p5) defines leadership as- Leadership is the process wherein an individual member of a group or organization influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives and strategies, the organization of work activities, the motivation of people to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by member, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organisation. Yukl’s definition very closely matches Mimi’s approach to leadership in the sense that it emphasizes the importance of ‘people skills’ and the social influence that leadership can have. One theory to provide evidence for this is the behaviour perspective. This theory claims that people become leaders because of what they do and this can be split into two different categories: task behaviour and relationship behaviour. Task behaviour places the main focus on the degree to which a leader emphasises productivity targets, goal accomplishments and maintaining standards. These behaviours can also be called ‘production-centred’ and it can be seen in Mimi’s leadership style when he uses HMV vouchers to motivate his staff to work harder and faster. Mimi has also said that rewards gave his staff an incentive to work and this played a crucial part in keeping them happy and full of energy, even towards the end of the day. Furthermore, relationship behaviour focuses on manager’s actions that show concern for their staff and their welfare as opposed to behaviours that concentrate on completing tasks. Although this contrasts to task behaviour, this can also be seen in Mimi’s leadership approach in the sense that he aims to improve his staff’s skills and help them gain more confidence in their job role. Trait perspective The controversy in defining leadership has enabled many different theories to be developed in an attempt to explain the meaning of a leader within a business or an organisation. Bratton (2010, p363) cited that ‘individuals who occupy leadership positions possess superior qualities or attributes compared with the traits possessed by non- leaders’. This view is known as the trait perspective and its’ theories such as the ‘great man theories’ focus mostly on positive characteristics such as stamina, intelligence and fluency in speech. Research in 1974 by Stogdill showed that socioeconomic factors also played a great role for example, very few corporate leaders had fathers who held a low class position or who were paid quite poorly. Stogdill also found that intelligence and fluency in speech were very closely related to leadership and used these traits to differentiate leaders from followers. He then concluded that there were ‘specific patterns’ of traits that occurred in some people which gave them an advantage when seeking a leadership position. Shabina and Mario also described their manager to hold very positive characteristics such as friendly, talkative, enthusiastic and organised and wasn’t like the other staff members at ‘Mimi Vasquez hair and beauty’ in the sense that he was much more determined. This therefore justifies why Mimi is a leader. In addition, research into ‘substitute’s for leadership’ claim that there should be a distinct difference between the leader and the followers in a business and there should be inflexible rules and formalized areas of responsibility in order to prevent the followers from being guided by their peers and replacing their existing leader. This would occur if the followers realized that their peers had the skills equivalent to their leader and they decided to follow them instead. Keith Grint (2005) also argues that successful leadership- Is not a list of innate skills and competences, or how much charisma you have, or whether you have a vision or a strategy for achieving that vision, but whether you have a capacity to learn from your followers. This again, provides evidence against the trait perspective stating that this is not what makes an effective leader. The shared/super leadership theory The founding of Mimi’s other branches, helped him gain experience which developed his role even further as he had to identify problems, make choices and provide alternatives actions to his initial plans. His role development throughout the years has been quite significant and his responsibilities have duplicated allowing him to improve his time management and organisation. Mario and Shabina are two team members of the salon who were also interviewed. Mario is a professional hair stylist whose work role involves restyling and cutting clients’ hair, dying, permanent hair straightening, Brazilian hair blow drying etc. His work role is crucial to the business as he has qualities and skills that require a lot of training and experience in order to gain. Mario’s work role has developed over the years as his experience has allowed him to move up the ladder in regards to the styles and haircuts he can confidently perform. The number of clients he reserves on a daily basis has also increased over the past 6 years of working at the salon showing an improvement in his abilities. He is now responsible for his own clients as before he would only deal with Mimi’s clients and help around. However, he is still in a lower position to Mimi and is usually responsible for making sure that Mimi’s clients are booked in for the dates and times they requested, making sure none of the time slots clash with one another. The Shared/super leadership theory suggests that excellent leaders are those who help their followers develop by acting as their teacher rather than keeping all of their knowledge to themselves. To add, Peter Senge(1990) also stated that ‘leaders are designers, stewards and teachers’ which supports the view. Mimi has constantly trained his team members, in particularly Mario and this also adds towards the statement that Mimi is an effective leadership. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory Shabina is the only beautician at ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ and her role involves taking care of her own customers and making her own bookings as well as offering all of the services; waxing, laser hair removal, threading, massages etc. Her role doesn’t involve anything to do with hair, and she works in her own room downstairs. However, Mimi is her manager also and so it is her responsibility to follow all of his guidelines and instructions. Her role has developed over the past 3 years as she first started out as an assistant, cleaning around and helping the beautician. She then worked her way up by gaining experience and qualifications and developed her role into a full-time professional beautician. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory proposes that the effectiveness of the leader depends on whether the leadership style is matched with the followers and the environment. It is based on 3 main assumptions: 1) leader-member relations, which relate to whether the leader receives support, respect and trust of the followers; 2) task structure, which relates to how structured the tasks performed by followers are; 3) position power, which relates to the formal authority that the leader can exert through the use of punishment and rewards. This theory can explain Mimi’s leadership style as it explains why Mimi’s leadership is effective and hence how he has been able to successfully run the business for so many years. In relation to this theory, Mimi is placed to be known as a relationship-orientated leader and so it explains that his team members have been able to develop throughout the years because of his concern for them. The situational leadership theory Mimi’s relationship to his group is fairly hierarchical where he would force influence upon others to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t. This hair and beauty business is a good example as it shows how Mario takes responsibility for making bookings for both, his and Mimi’s clients. The group itself had developed over the years as they have slowly started to work as a team, helping each other and finishing each other’s jobs off when the salon gets busy. In 1999, manager Mimi’s Vasquez’s main roles were to simply open and close the salon, receive payments for the service provided and order raw materials such as; hair dye, scissors, wax etc. Now, with the growth of the business, all of the team members in the salon have developed their roles as they have had to cover for each other and enhance coordination skills. The situational leadership model is where the leaders’ leadership style depends on the maturity of the followers; it can explain that why Mimi trusts his staff to look after his salon whilst he is in a different branch. The friendly nature of the business also allows Mimi to be less formal and more flexible with rules and procedures. Bratton (2010, p.370) states that ‘Follower maturity is determined by the ability and willingness of the followers to accept responsibility for completing their work’. The fact that each team member has their own set of responsibilities proves that their levels of maturity are very high and hence can explain why Mimi’s rules are quite flexible, according to Mario and Shabina. Conclusion The report has explored Mimi’s approach to leadership using the behavioural, trait, shared/super leadership, contingency and situational theories and it can clearly be seen that leadership is not easily defined and its effectiveness isn’t easily measured. It has also outlined the work roles of the manager as well as the team members and explained how their roles have developed. To conclude, although the report gives a sense of idea of what Mimi’s leadership approach may be, in reality it is very hard to accurately describe using only one theory. Appendix Bratton, J. (2010) Work and organisational behaviour. 2nd edn, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Grint,K.(2005) Leadership: limits and possibilities, Basingstoke: Palgrave Senge, P.M.(1990) The Fifth Discipline. New York: Currency/Doubleday Yukl, G.(2006) Leadership in organizations.6th edn, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

Opportunities in America :: Essays Papers

Opportunities in America Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† is a story based on the account of a young Chinese girl living in the United States with her overly pushy mother. Two kinds is about opportunity, perseverance, and accomplishment. These are the things Jing-mei learns as she grows up in what many people call â€Å"The Land of Opportunity†. In America, it is believed that you have the opportunity to become anything you would like to be. For immigrants it is believed that â€Å"you can be best anything† (553). It is the same for the mother in this story. She believes that her daughter, Jing-mei, can be anything she wishes, even a prodigy. Though this idea of Jing-mei becoming a prodigy sounds far fetched, the mother is determined to turn her daughter into something, or someone who will make the family proud. The idea of Jing-mei becoming someone is not far fetched though. The only thing she needs to have is perseverance. Many people in America have the opportunity to advance themselves in their field of work, but they do not push themselves toward their limits. Jing-mei had decided not to push herself. She was continually saying â€Å" I won’t be what I’m not† (555). This is the attitude of many people today. They do not want to be changed. They just assume to assert their own will. Many people, in the end, come to realize that with perseverance comes accomplishment. Sometimes that is enough to get them on the right track. It took Jing-mei a lot of time to really experience the realm of accomplishment. It wasn’t until after she failed so many times that she realized she must persevere to become something in life. Jing-mei finally felt the realm of accomplishment when she realized that the piano lessons her mother forced upon her so many years ago had actually stayed with her through all the years. She was surprised to find â€Å"how easily the notes came back† (562). She now understood why it was so important to her mother for her to succeed. The mother did not want all of the glory for herself. She wanted Jing-mei to experience some of it. She wanted her to be happy. Jing-mei discovered the wonderful world of opportunity, the need for perseverance and the glory of accomplishment when she sat down at the piano and played the song she had failed to play so many years ago.

Effects of Migration Into Cities

The effects of moving into a new city or town Today everybody is going in the glamorous world of cities where one can progress and make the best use of his or her life. Parents†¦.. Listen to their talks with their children. They say that my son or daughter will settle or go to abroad one day. And with this they start imagining and forcing their child to get highest degree and run away from where they are. Each parent today has this mentality that there is heaven like something in abroad and much else. There are many such examples to discuss. But for now one is enough I think.In terms of living a life in a new city there are many possibilities of advantages as well as disadvantages as can be seen in education, employment and settlement point of view. These three things can be much better improved in a city where there is much scope to put a step forward towards his or her aim. In a city each one who is settled there has only one intention to earn a gallon of paper notes and coins and live a luxurious and easy way of life. This luxurious life is expected by all people. But there is something called feeling of attachment.There is an attachment towards his or her native place. One cannot forget his or her childhood days or their neighbours and the love between them. Emotions are not allowed in a city or the town. Today since all the places are becoming industrialized there is no space for emotions but only profit. And because of this all the people are running after them. There is a great effect on especially the country. Since all the citizens are settled in abroad and the income they earn is of no use to the country, the country’s economic status lowers as compared to other countries.The newer generation is no longer staying in their native country specially India. India is full of corruption, they say. But it is not so. If the abroad based thinkers try, the situation can be changed. The major disadvantage of moving to a new city is the loss of attach ment to the native place and their neighbours. From birth we are attached to our villages or town, its nature, its culture and its people. But as we move to a new area, far from ours, we cannot accept its culture and people very easily. We cannot adjust there due to our unforgettable habits with our ulture. As we move to a new city, we have to accept the people, the culture, and their behaviors and accordingly we have to adjust. But it is not so easy. Since the people are keenly interested in earning money and luxurious life they are ready to do anything for this. According to me, I can’t accept the concept of moving to a new place permanently. Because it affects our native place or country. Earlier during the British rule all the intelligent brains of India were sent out to England or the other countries out of India.So that the foreign countries would progress better in terms of technology. But with this, India had to suffer in its progression. Today after British rule is n o longer still their mentality always exists in each Indian that to go to abroad but not to stay here in India. The aim of writing this article is to aware the people of not to go to abroad but it is better and much better to stay in your own country and sacrifice your talents to your people and their future. – Prachiti Ganpule SYBA, St. Xavier’s college, Mapusa Goa

Motorcycles are dangerous Essay

The road is filled with cars and motorcycles but what makes motorcycles seem dangerous, is it the motorcycle itself, is it the drivers who are driving side by side with motorcycles or is it the dare devils riding motorcycles? There is a saying for motorcycles, â€Å"Its not if one fall, its when one falls. † This is said because beginners are notorious for dropping their motorcycles. Motorcycles themselves are not dangerous. It’s the non-experienced drivers and the drivers around them, that pose a threat to motorcycle riders all over the world. The thing with both motorcycles and cars, is if one were to take all the safety classes and course, they would then be less likely to come across accidents on the road. It’s also surprisingly important to know about the vehicle that you drive. Whether that be a car or a motorcycle, because if you know about the mechanics behind it, there is less of a chance that one would get into an accident caused by a mechanical error. Riders who peacock (the act of dressing in color, very noticeable) and wear proper gear are less likely to be in an accident or be hurt in one. Drinking and riding is a big no-no, on a motorcycle the rider need to have full control of the motorcycle and surroundings, drinking even the legal limit will impair a rider far more than in a car. The standard thought is motorcycles are dangerous, but the truth is they are as dangerous as drivers make them or can be even safer than cars if the driver takes the proper initiative and audited. A motorcycle is a tool of transportation, the way it is used determines whether it is dangerous or safe. If an inexperienced person gets on a motorcycle and expects to go on a ride, most likely that person will end up in an accident and in the hospital. It is important to learn to use the tool, what it can do and how knowing all the right steps to staying safe. Motorcycleminds. org recommends that every rider take the beginning rider education class and advanced education rider class to protect oneself and others on the road. These educational classes teach one everything from tire pressure to lane sharing properly. One of the acronyms taught in these classes that beginning to expert cyclist use every time they hop on a motorcycle is T-CLOCS and it stands for tires and wheels, controls, lights, oil, chassis, stands. T-CLOCS is a MSC (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) checklist to keep siders alert and safe. The full in depth checklist can be found on http://www. msf-usa. org/downloads/t-clocsinspectionchecklist. pdf . Without T-CLOCS riders might be going out on and unsafe motorcycle asking for an accident to happen. Knowing how a motorcycle works is just half the game, practice allows for one to perfect the technique of riding making safer and safer every day but still realizing that one always need to be in control but the same can be said for drivers of cars even pedestrians on bicycles. All a motorcycle is a tool and like any other tool it can be classified as dangerous only if miss used and abused. A nail gun can be very dangerous if used improperly but when used properly it can do a professional clean job without any accidents. Broken, worn out parts can be replaced, a human life can’t, safety is only as safe as the driver makes it motorcycles are not dangerous. Choosing proper riding gear will increase minimizing damage in an accident and will maximize how visible the rider is to others on the road. This is where Peacocking and safety should unite to minimize falling in blind spots of other drivers. Covering oneself in riding gear may not seem very stylish but it beats being cheese in a cheese grinder. When driving a car the people in it use seat belts and like to have airbags with outstanding crash ratings. To provide the same level of protection as a car, motorcycle riders should consider wearing proper DOT (Department Of Transportation) approved gear to ensure crash test ratings. When it comes to gear and its expenses it is important to think that the gear is the only thing between the rider and asphalt in an accident. Starting out from ground up with gear, proper boots that have ankle support and have close toes is very important. Having proper boots will prevent skin burns and many accidental rolled ankles. Depending on the kind of riding being done leg and knee pads can be bought but thick jeans or protective riding pants suffice in most cases. Hands that are not protected in an accident can be badly damaged but it is easy to prevent this by having sturdy gloves deigned for the type of riding going on. Jackets can be safe, flashy and fashionable, why not have all three working together? Most motorcycles jackets do, they will provide protective padding, materials that are comfortable but can handle road rash so that skin doesn’t, and while being fashionable usually they make riders more visible to others. As Basem Wasef Writer of Motorcycle Gear 101 on about. com said,â€Å"An old saying goes something like this: If you’ve got a $20 head, buy yourself a $20 helmet. † DOT approved helmets that provide three quarters to full face helmets are crucial in providing proper protections. Having all the appropriate riding gear makes falls that will happen, be less harsh and cuts the dangers of riding by a great deal. People wearing gear properly will be safe like a driver driving in a car with good crash ratings. Accidents happen in cars and motorcycles, being ready for them take many of the danger out of riding motorcycles. The most dangerous thing on a motorcycle is a fatal crash. Most people don’t realize is that a majority of fatal motorcycle accidents are caused by the misuse of motorcycle or riding under the influence. â€Å"One out of three motorcycle accidents involves a rider who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Thirty-five percent of fatal motorcycle accidents involve a speeding motorcycle rider. † Keller and Keller law firm. Sixty-eight percent that leaves about thirty-two percent for other fatalities to be cause by things cars, trucks and motorcycles fault accidents. Following the law will prevent most motorcycle accidents. All vehicles on the road can be dangerous, if misused, not just motorcycles. Falling on a motorcycle happens but riders keep their head held high just like a teen that crashes their first car. Remembering T-CLOCS can save a riders life and the life of the surrounding people. Dressing to what, a peacock-cock-cock peacock allows on to standout and stay safe on the road. Motorcycles are not dangerous vehicles used properly, skateboards and BMX bikes can be more dangerous. As a avid motorcycle rider of four years I strongly urge anyone interested in riding in MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). Keep the roads safe for future generations. Works Cited http://www. msf-usa. org/downloads/t-clocsinspectionchecklist. pdf http://dsc. discovery. com/cars-bikes/top-10-ways-to-stay-safe-on-your-motorcycle-2. html http://motorcycleminds. org/? p=847 http://ridingsafely. com/ridingsafely1. html http://motorcycles. about. com/od/gearreviews/tp/Motorcycle-Safety-Gear-101. htm http://www. 2keller. com/library/motorcycle-accident-statistics-motorcycle-acci View as multi-pages.

Reflection Upon Ebl and Ipl Essays

Reflection Upon Ebl and Ipl Essays Reflection Upon Ebl and Ipl Essay Reflection Upon Ebl and Ipl Essay Reflection on the experience of EBL and IPL, including discussion of group processes and my own personal contribution. Within term A of year one I have been introduced to the concepts of Evidence based and Inter-professional learning. These methods of learning are central to the work of a qualified nurse. One of the essential skills of Nursing is self awareness. Burnard 1992:25 tells us that self awareness is â€Å"the continuous and evolving process of getting to know who you are†. This practice is promoted by the interaction required when working in groups. I have found this to be one of the key concepts I have taken from the first term. Tuckman describes the five stages of group processes as forming, storming, norming, performing, and the latterly added adjourning. Having read Tuckman’s theory, I can recognise his theories in the experience I have undergone in EBL in particular. This may have been because IPL commenced after the initial stages of EBL had already occurred, and as such I recognised the same stages as I had already experienced in EBL, meaning that these were not such a learning curve in the latterly formed IPL group. Tuckman’s first stage of ‘Forming’ refers to the period directly following the creation of the group, in which the individuals are becoming acclimatised to the boundaries within the group, both on a professional and interpersonal basis, forming and testing relationships. This was an interesting stage within our EBL group formation as it almost regressed us back to our school days, the assigned group leader – or facilitator assuming the role of the teacher, the group choosing specific seats, and returning to these same seats for each meeting; politely raising hands in order to make a point to the group. At this stage the individual may be acutely self aware, in a way which limits their participation in the group, or lacking any self awareness in a way which potentially damages the aim of the group, distracts, and delays progress. Certainly I could identify both of these behaviours within my own EBL group. The second stage identified by Tuckman is that of ‘Storming’. This is conflict stemming from inter-personal issues that produces a resistance to group influence and requirements. I believe that this stage was certainly evident within EBL, and occurred very quickly. Personally I experienced agitation at the behaviour of others within the group who I felt were jeopardising our learning and progress by not producing work as required, while at the same time appearing non constructively critical of the opinions of others who were providing a full contribution to the group. I am aware that my own agitation at the behaviour of those I felt were jeopardising the aim of the group in turn probably contributed to the ‘Storming’ phase of the group, yet found this difficult to deal with. Perhaps I judged others in the group using my own values or ideology – that I had entered into this group to study Nursing and was extremely anxious to use this time in the most effective way to learn and share learning. Perhaps the very fact that we had entered this group through choice rather than instruction, and the nature of the career the group as a whole wished to pursue made it difficult to understand those that were not as focused on their studies. Interestingly, I am not sure whether the group as a whole emerged from the ‘Storming’ Phase of EBL. Certainly the group progressed and matured from the initial weeks, yet I am not sure whether this was as a whole, or rather with the acceptance that some group members would not make a valid contribution to the group and that the remainder would have to make up for this potential deficit in learning. As such, perhaps the group entered its ‘Norming’ stage without completely overcoming the storming stage, or becoming complicit to the shared set of values drawn up and agreed in the forming stage. Norming within this EBL group was the progression to accomplishing tasks with less involvement from the facilitator, and less internal group argument and criticism. The fourth stage outlined by Tuckman is that of Performing. The group should be highly skilled and working as a tight unit, requiring no input from a leader or facilitator. I certainly do not feel that our EBL group attained this level, yet interestingly I feel it was attained by our IPL group from the second meeting. Perhaps this is due to the fact that within IPL we have the added element of respecting each other’s professions, and the requirement to trust what we are told by other group members as we have not undergone the same experience or learning. Within EBL, as a group of student Nurses from the same cohort, there is an understanding that we have all experienced the same level of teaching thus far in our course and that we should all be capable to the same basic level. Unfortunately this did not seem to translate itself to our BL, where our very different opinions and understandings of what we were required to do both within our learning group and research means that while we were able to agree on learning outcomes and complete the research each week, we certainly required guidance from our facilitator, and there was a very apparent acceptance that some individuals did not participate in a satisfactory manner, and would continue to disrupt the group and its purpose. Perhaps the fact that our EBL group did not successfully complete the four stages of Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing, gave me a slightly different outlook upon the fifth latterly added stage of adjourning. Adjourning is also referred to as the mourning period. A period Tuckman tells us we should prepare for from the formation of the group. Tuckman tells us this can be a stressful period, especially where unplanned. We were made aware from the initial group formation that the process would only be five weeks in length, however rather than holding this knowledge to use as acceptance once the group dissolved, I found myself and others in the group referring to it often to get us through the difficult and seemingly endless storming phase our group produced. Knowing that the group would adjourn helped me greatly in accepting the behaviour of others that I do not find appropriate or otherwise tolerable. I have found the entire process of EBL extremely useful if not always enjoyable. It has been interesting in that we drew up our shared values and acceptable behaviour on the very first meeting at the suggestion of our facilitator – something I have never done when involved in group work previously, yet this group turned out to be perhaps the least successful group I have been involved in, not abiding by the shared values set out at the point of creation, and storming throughout the entire process, at times jeopardising the very purpose of the group’s creation. Burnard, Philip. | Title    | Know yourself! :  self-awareness activities for nurses and other health professionals /  Philip Burnard. | Publisher    | London :  Whurr,  1997 |