Increasingly multicultural Essay

Montreal is a vibrant cosmopolitan city that is becoming increasingly multicultural. although this is the case Quebec’s language laws have made it all but impossible to post outdoor signs in languages other than French. Other disadvantageous do not point just to those who do not speak French. Since Bill 101 was passed in 1977 many were skeptical over the change in the school system when it urged Quebec to change a law that requires most immigrant children to get their schooling in French. The law that now keeps most immigrant children out of English schools, Bill 101, was enacted 22 years ago under the authority of our good old friend Rene Levesque in response to nationalist fears that a pronounced tendency among Quebec allophones to choose an English education for their children – together with a low francophone birth rate – posed a long-term threat to the future of the French language, especially here in Montreal. Why couldn’t the city be left the way it was, the needless threat of all of Quebec’s language laws have posed a menace to society. The more laws that have been passed the more the French Majority have become involved resulting in a greater vigor to stay free from English. There have been in the past many riots and angered separatists willing to give their lives for the right to keep the French language intact. If the Government hadn’t been so enthusiastic over efforts to change the face of the province maybe the majority of the population would have left the issue of language alone and accepted the English for what they are. Many have grown through the upbringing of their parents to treat everybody the same, and also by the old saying. Don’t judge a book by its cover. It is a complete outrage for the Government to witness crimes of hate and to ignored them by making the problem worse by going ahead with their proposed we hate the English lets get them out of here law. That has definitely been the way that allophones have felt and they were never given a fair share of anything, not even a vote. After the referendum this had become the talk of the nation when rumors suggested that die-hard separatists had tampered with the votes after the 1994 referendum when Quebec narrowly escaped separation from Canada by just a hair’s breadth. But the havoc hadn’t only just begun, there were incidents in the past when Prime Minister Trudeau was in charge that literally tested the lives of allophones, closer to home over here in Westmount. Alleged obstinate separatists preformed acts of hate on Montreal’s well-known English community. Bombs were neatly placed in to mailboxes that were, appallingly, set to detonate once opened. This spelled danger to Montreal’s allophone community who flocked elsewhere to get away from the unbearable tensions that were built amongst them by these alleged terrorists. That is exactly why I disagree with Mordecai Richler’s opinion over Montreal’s status. He once said. â€Å"We Haven’t Lost our heads only our apostrophes†¦. Montreal however diminished is still to my mind the most agreeable city in Canada. And this is because the two cultures not only confront eachother but also continue to enrich eachother. † How could such a knowledgeable man ignore all the violence and the lack of equality. It has to be said that there has never been a time when it was liberated to say that we have grown to enrich each other because it quite simply isn’t true. Problems between the two vibrant cultures have not caused astronomical damage, but enough damage to believe that allophones are not wanted. Tensions for a while remained calm, but more recently the bombings that plagued some second Cup coffee shops, in a furious scuffle just to change the name to Deuxieme Tasse. Similar incidents include Jacques Villneuve’s opening of his bar called new town the translation of his last name. The successful Formula 1 hero was the target of many unpleased individuals over the name of his bar. Villneuve was later asked to reply and give his opinion to the miserable reaction over the name and quite simply stated that people in this city must become more open minded. Can’t really disagree there. It comes to show that times haven’t changed and that tensions are still sky high. That is exactly why I disagree with Mordecai Richler’s opinion over the Montreal’s status. He once said. â€Å"We Haven’t Lost our heads only our apostrophes†¦. Montreal however diminished is still to my mind the most agreeable city in Canada. And this is because the two cultures not only confront eachother but also continue to enrich eachother. â€Å"

Modernization theory Essay

Modernization theory focuses on the main idea that the processes which the currently developed countries went through are vital to achieving development in the underdeveloped and developing countries. Modernization is thought to take place in five stages according to the Rostow’s stage theory (Rostow 1960), namely; †¢ The traditional society †¢ Take-off preconditions †¢ Take-off †¢ Drive to maturity †¢ High mass consumption age The modernization theory is based on the idea of human progress according to Carneiro (2003) although according to Jones (1985) and McNeill (1990), the idea of human progress seemed unrealistic so long as man did not significantly influence the natural environment and as long as there was no perceptible change in the agrarian economies from one generation to the next. The developed countries are to serve an important role in helping the developing countries to achieve their level of development and serve as examples. Modernization traces its origin in the enlightenment era with the focus that progress in technology would help man overcome the challenges that the nature posed and man would have control over nature. Condorcet (1979) argued that moral values of people would change through economic development and technological progress, and therefore linked cultural change to economic development. Rostow (1961) argued that the economic effectiveness in the countries of low incomes is hampered by their social institutions and traditional cultural values. In these countries large population do not allow the individuals to save, as does the lack of strong work ethic (Giddens, & Griffiths2006). According to the Marxist version of the modernization theory, early industrial society was characterized by exploitation. Growth of the developing countries would result from the use of education and technology. Allocation of resources in the developing countries in an irrational way was linked to the drawback in the industrialization of these countries. In order for a country to develop, it was necessary to remove the cultural, institutional and organizational roadblocks on its way to modernization and allocate resources rationally. Modernization is, according to Inglehart & Welzel (2005), a process of the development of human where development of the economy triggers cultural changes which make democracy, gender equality, and individual autonomy increasingly possible. In addition to bringing out the root causes of the problems existing in the underdeveloped or developing countries, the theory also can help countries focus on means and ways of alleviating poverty by emulating the already developed countries. The theory puts strength to the fact that development is reachable, even by the underdeveloped and the developing nations and therefore can help the latter to put efforts to reach the developed world. The theory explains an important point why the developing countries cannot wake up one day and expect to see themselves developed, but that to achieve development, a particular process is followed-building the sub-processes in this process is of paramount importance to the countries of low economy. Dependency theory can be defined as an explanation of the development of the economy of a country’s or state’s development policy as influenced by the outside forces of cultural, economical, and political aspects (Sunkel, 1969). It is a system through which the developmental possibilities of the subordinate countries are disadvantaged and conditioned by the economic expansion and development of another country (Dos Santos, 1971). Dependency theory emanated in the 1950s with Raul Prebisch who was the director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and together with his colleagues was not comfortable with the way the developed economy in the developed nations failed to lead to growth in the poorer countries. According to him, the poorer countries exported the raw materials to the developed countries and yet received the same goods as processed goods and the earnings from the exports was not enough to fund the imports. Prebisch offered a solution for the poor countries to substitute imports and avoid use of their foreign reserves to purchase for imports of manufactured goods. Import substitution was hard to follow because of obstacles that were facing the poorer countries. These included: the possibility or ability of controlling their exports of primary products; political will as concerning desire or possibility to shifting from producing primary goods; and the inability of the small internal markets of the poorer countries which made them unable to support the economies of scale used by the richer countries to keep their prices low. International capitalism has been mentioned as the force causing dependency relationship According to Gunder (1972), contemporary underdevelopment is as a result of continued relationships-economic or others-between the developed and the poorer countries. Unlike imperialism which explains dominant state expansion, dependency explains underdevelopment-the result of imperialism. Dependency theory was developed as a result of combination of economic doctrine called structuralism, and Marxist sociology. It blamed the US intervention and the role of the Latin America in the world economy as failing to achieve development and its political authoritarianism as a result of its role in exporting raw materials in the world economy. America was said to suffer deterioration in the terms of trade by experiencing cheaper exports due to low wage resulting from surplus labor, and more expensive imports because, instead of the productivity gains being passed on as lower prices, they were going to the increasingly monopolistic industrial firms. Latin America would therefore, because of this free trade, not be able to accumulate surplus capital required to industrialize. The difference between developed and underdeveloped economies was said not only to be on state of the system of production, or simple difference of stage, but also to be of position or function within a single international economic structure of production and distribution. Poverty of the countries was blamed for the richness of some others, not because of any failure (Reid, 2007). Social exclusion of masses as a result of domination of the economy through industrial monopolies yielded to urbanization void of industrialization (Reid, 2007). As a payment to investments, the foreign investors required that the state discipline those demanding high wages leading to military dictatorship. Although their diverging points on the theory, there is an agreement in issues like the influence of external forces that developed world use to extend their interests abroad which includes foreign aids, communications, multinational corporations and other tools. In all the definitions there is an agreement that there exist two sets of states; the dominant and the dependent, centre and the periphery, the metropolitan and the satellite. All of the definitions point to dynamism of the relationship between the dominant and the dynamic country since the interactions between them tend to reinforce and intensify the unfair patterns (Ferraro, 1996). Like the Modernization theory which can be considered to be developed by different people, the dependency theory also is said to have arisen in three principle formulations. According to Reid (2007) the first principal formulation of the dependency theory focused on formal and institutional relationships such as trade relations and foreign trade, as factors which were sources to dependency. The second formulation treated the theory as a subfield of the refined imperialism theory of the Leninist and the analysis of capitalism by Marxist. The third formulation dealt with the two previous definitions. The theory has assisted in shedding light as concerns the exploitation existing in the monopolistic world market where countries with strong economies try to dominate over those with weak economies and create a monopolistic effect of trade. Continued use of foreign aid to the poor nations, which has seen countries being over-reliance to donors, has left poor countries with no solid alternatives than to pledge loyalty to the developing nations. The theory has helped in enumerating the disadvantages that can be acquired from capitalism especially where the capitalism is the influence to the establishment of relations between countries. The theory was criticized as eroding Latin American’s belief in selves, according to Lawrence Harrison, in addition to patronizing and paralyzing Latin America. The formulations were attacked as ignoring or undermining the other causes of underdevelopment such as internal social and cultural factors and were neglect of culture, race, gender and ethnicity. Besides, there were some countries like Asian countries which developed purely on a capitalistic system, and countries like Taiwan and South Korea developed through the ideas that have been propelled in the development theory (‘Dependency verses Dependency theory’). The theory has been blamed as indicating that for a country to succeed, it should join others who have succeeded in the exploitation of some, even if it does this on a regional level. It has been termed to be a strategy left only for the smaller third world countries with no real alternative market, and is no strategy at all. The dependency theory work has been blamed also for criticizing development in the third world, indicating that such development builds a society different from that at the core (developed world) and that there is no way the resulting society can be as that at the core. Development in the third world can be best described, as the dependency theory points out, development of underdeveloped and not as the advertised development. The similarities between the two theories can summarized as follows: †¢ Both theories concern themselves with the relationship between the underdeveloped and the developing with the developed countries. While the modernization theory is concerned with the view that the developed countries should serve as an example to the developing or underdeveloped countries for development purposes, the dependency theory explains the development of the country in relation to the outside forces or influences which may be as a result of the activities of the developed countries. Both therefore deal with and recognize that there exist the relationship between thee two types of countries. †¢ Both theories are consent to the idea that the developed countries have a superior hand in terms of the economy, over the developing or the underdeveloped world. The difference in this area is that the dependency theory seems to indicate an unfair dominance of the developed economies over the developing or underdeveloped ones, whereas the modernization theory views the relationship as health-that the developed economies can assist the underdeveloped or the developing ones †¢ Both theories do not give a one-sided explanation as concerns the causes of the low economic status in the developing or underdeveloped countries. While the modernization theory gives a critical look at the reason for the poor economic status of the developing or underdeveloped nations as being a result of the problems already existing such as overpopulation and lack of work ethics, it may be seen as neglecting the role of the developed economies in the resulting economic problems of the third word countries. In its explanation to the resulting economic difficulties in the third world, dependency theory has leaned unfairly away from the role played by the third world countries in resulting to their own economic problems. It has been blamed, as seen earlier, as neglecting the social economic factors that contribute to economic problems in third world countries. It can be seen to be unfairly explaining the problem as a result to exploitation and external forces. †¢ There are a range of modifications or disagreements arising among scholars in the development of the two theories Other differences †¢ While the modernization theory seems to explain the causes of poor economy in the third world as the result of the activities of the countries themselves for example through poor allocation of resources, and with a view to solving it, the dependency theory can largely be described as a criticism to the developed countries as being the cause to the problems of the economy in the third world. The modernization theory focuses on the internal causes of the poor economy in the third world, but the dependency theory focuses on the external influences †¢ The dependency theory is devoid of a clean sheet and proper strategy of solving the economic problem of the third world in a non fair market, to the event that it has been described as a ‘no strategy at all’. The modernization theory presents a way of solving the problems of economy affecting the third world such as substitution of imports, advance in use of technology and further education to improve economy. References Andre Gunder Frank, â€Å"The Development of Underdevelopment,† in James D. Cockcroft, Andre Gunder Frank, and Dale Johnson, eds., Dependence and Underdevelopment. Garden City, New York: Anchor Books, 1972, p. 3. ‘Development verses Dependency theory’ Retrieved November 13, 2008 from http://www. revision-notes. co. uk/revision/619. html Dos Santos Theotonio. â€Å"The Structure of Dependence,† in K. T. Fann and Donald C. Hodges, eds. , Readings in U. S. Imperialism. Boston: Porter Sargent, 1971, p. 226 Ferraro Vincent. Dependency Theory: An Introduction. July 1996. Retrieved November 13, 2008 from http://www. mtholyoke. edu/acad/intrel/depend. htm Giddens Anthony & Simon Griffiths. (2006). Sociology. Polity Hogan Michael, Thomas Paterson. (2004). Explaining the History of American Foreign Relations. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press Inglehart Ronald & Christian Welzel. (2005). Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy: The Human Development Sequence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Reid Michael. Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America’s Soul. Yale: Yale University Press Sunkel Svaldo. â€Å"National Development Policy and External Dependence in Latin America,† The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 6, no. 1, October 1969, p. 23

Development of the Welfare State

What factors have led to the development of the British welfare state? The British welfare state has an impact on our lives on a daily basis and has been transformed since its initial developments in the early 19th century. I will be exploring the social, economic and political factors that led to the development of the British welfare state up to 1945, and I will assess the most dominate features at the time and those that are still prevalent within the current welfare system today. The historical origins of the British welfare state can be dated to Elizabethan times with the introduction of the Poor Law (1601) which dealt with welfare at a local level. This was the first instance where the government attempted to ensure that the poor had the means to live. This continued until the impacts of the Industrial Revolution called for changes in the provision for the poor. From the late 18th century British society was being transformed through economic and industrial growth. There was a revolution in the use of land in the production of raw goods, and technological advances in the use of machinery and the manufacture of goods. The state allowed markets to operate freely without regulation. There was also a mass migration of people moving from towns to the cities seeking employment. Many of these people were dependent on employment within the factories and on the assembly lines. Although there were many benefits from industrialisation on the economic front, urbanisation created a large concentration of people in many areas, his lead to major problems with health and housing. In addition, when jobs were no longer available, men were unable to support their families. The family unit was often broken with most fathers travelling many miles to their place of work. Many women and children were also forced to find employment as a result of being widowed and orphaned. Poverty, unemployment along with many other social issues became a recognised problem within the new urban communities. In line with these economical and social changes there were also changes taking place within the political sphere. The growth of political democracy and ‘the centralisation of governmental powers’ (Pierson. C 2006, p16) led to more competition between the British liberal and conservative political parties in of the time. It could therefore be suggested that political forces helped to shape the welfare state. It can be argued that developments in state welfare were a direct response to some of the problems generated by the changing nature for society through industrialisation and the social risks related to this. The Poor Law amendments (1834) meant that only those who were really in need, for example the poorest paid workers would receive support. These reforms differentiated between the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor. Individuals were expected to ‘submit to degrading and shameful procedures to receive any benefit.. thus only the completely destitute, would be prepared to come forward for help’(Blakemore. K 2003, p42). The workhouse was introduced to force people to work in order to receive their benefits. This transformed public attitudes to towards poverty, whereby being poor and dependant of benefits became shameful and those receiving support were increasingly stigmatized. Other laws were also passed such as the Factory Act (1883) which aimed to reform the working conditions of factory workers by ‘legally enforcing a ten-hour day and rules governing the employment of children’(Alcock. C 2006,p19). This Act especially focused on women and children, and also enforced health and safety regulations, in addition, employers had to comply with educational classes for employees during the working day. At this point, it is evident that although state involvement was limited because of the dominant liberal principals of the time. Yet, there were the beginnings of a new beauracratic approach in state intervention. The Boer Wars (1880-1881,1899-1902) were fought between Britain and Holland as part of Britain’s empire building mission. The economic and human cost was evident following the two wars. Britain was faced with a country that needed rebuilding and a population that needed comfort and confidence from their leaders. The wars also highlighted the extent of poverty and poor health within the unskilled labour classes which showed that there was a strong need for welfare reform. Following these wars, David Lloyd George and his Liberal Party enacted the National Insurance Act 1911 setting up a national insurance contribution for unemployment and health benefits such as sick pay and maternity pay. The government introduced limited unemployment benefits, with old age pensions, and job centres available to help people find jobs, paid for by national insurance contributions and income taxes. Although this scheme was limited, it offered greater social welfare provision than the previous Poor Laws. However, benefits were subject to a contribution basis, and those benefits would run out once the contributions were used. ‘The scheme was not designed to provide widespread relief in a period of mass unemployment’ (Hill. M 2006,p24). Although this act appeared to have some benefits, there were also many issues, and the majority of people were not able to could not cope financially without being able to work. Most of these policies remained in place throughout the first world war (1913-1918) and the Great Depression. However, during World War I, Britain experienced conscription for the first time and this lead to changes within the workforce as many women took up employment in a range of roles to support the war effort ‘the beneficial effects of regular employment, longer hours and rising wages was offset by rapidly rising prices of essential goods’ (Thane. P 1996,p120). It can be suggested here that the effects of the wars called for immediate changes in the welfare state especially in relation to unemployment, health, housing and disability benefits. The Labour Government of 1945, were determined to eliminate poverty, ill health, and social deprivation. Their social and economic policies were driven by the party’s own ideals and long-term objectives. William Beveridge was a government adviser to Winston Churchill. He filled his report and made recommendations about reforms to the provision of welfare. Beverigde based the principles of his report by seeking to ‘establish a unified universal social insurance social system’ (Thane. P 1996, p 232). This led to the introduction of many social security schemes including the National Insurance Act 1946 and the National Assistance Act 1948, which dealt with sickness and unemployment benefits and retirement pensions. These acts and reforms formed the basis for the welfare state that has been accomplished over time. From the early 18th century, there was a mixture of factors that lead to the development of the welfare state in Britain. These reforms and developments in welfare provision were a direct response to economic, political and social changes taking place at the time. Welfare reform persists to change today within its current framework, and continues to respond to these factors which are often interlinked and constantly shifting. References Blakemore,K. (2003) Social Policy: An Introduction (Open University Press) Burnett,J. 1994) Idle Hands: The Experience of Unemployment 1790-1990 (Routledge) Hill,M. (2000) Understanding Social Policy (Blackwell) Fraser,D. (1984) The Evolution of the British Welfare State: A History of Social Policy Since the Industrial Revolution (MacMillan) Goodin, R. E. , & Mitchell, D. (2000). The Foundations of the Welfare State, Part I, London: Edward Elgar Publish ers Pierson,C. (1998) Beyond the Welfare State: The New Political Economy of Welfare (Polity Press) Pierson,P. (2001). The New Politics of the Welfare State, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Thane, (1982) The Foundations of the Welfare State in Britain 1945-1960 (Longman)

Sicko by michael moore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sicko by michael moore - Essay Example Michael Moore has proficiently used ethos, pathos and logos to makes his argument stronger in the movie. (Thesis) The main technique used by Michael Moore to get attention of the people is Pathos. In the first few scenes of the movie, the director has shown a man who is sewing his own knee, a 79 year old man who is working still to pay his prescriptions and an old man who had to decide which finger he would use to pay for to get fixed. These scenes are emotionally charging and make the audience feel the pain and agony undergone by people. The audience gets connected with the people in the movie and sympathizes for them. These scenes project the pathetic health care situation in America and how people suffer despite they are in a rich country. The pathetic condition of people is the core pathos used by director in the movie. In this movie, the husband of a woman who works for a hospital gets denied for bone marrow transplantation because it not a mandatory surgery. He dies after few w eeks. Here the pathos is used in a great way as the viewers connects with the wife through the interview and gets attached and sympathize for her. Another major example in the movie is where a mother is interviewed on a playground; this is an emotional scene as she had lost her daughter. The reason why Michael Moore is instilling such scenes in movie is to portray the audience about the poor health care system in US. As per (Bradshaw) â€Å"This magnificent new film from Michael Moore is a timely reminder of the grotesque mess that Americans have made for themselves with healthcare, and how insidiously easy it would be for the same thing to happen to us, little by little†. The viewers feel disgusted and hate health insurance companies after the death of the man who was denied surgery. The movie has many interview instances and some people who have taken part in the interview have worked for treacherous heath insurance companies. These people have much knowledge about the comp anies and can be regarded as ethos of the argument. The people who are interviewed discuss and explain about the health insurance working system and principles. O ne good example of Michael Moore was when he interviewed a person who had the job of collecting history of clients to deny them claims. These instances make the audience understand the treacherous ways of health insurance companies. The author wants the public to understand how they are being fooled of money by the health insurance companies. This scene persuades the people to understand that ethics of health insurance companies are weak and the government is less concerned about this fact. The main aim of the director in making movie is to show the ignorance of public health in America. Michael Moore uses statistical information also to convey the pathetic health care situation in America. â€Å"Fifty million Americans do not have health insurance† (SICKO). This is opening statement of the movie. Right of the bat, Michael Moore announces a statistic that exclaims that there is something wrong with America’s health care. The use of statistics by Michael Moore is ideal because the movie is not only about statistics, but few of them prove his points. Another statistic that was impressive was â€Å"health care programs spent over 100 million dollars to beat Hilary and her view of socialized health care†. This shows the shrewd means of health care business and these statistics

Wk 10 (67) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk 10 (67) - Essay Example Beverly is upset because her surgery is next week and although she will not stop it, she is not sure how to talk to Sally about this final situation. From the conversation it seems that Beverly is asking the counselor to help her help Sally. The first strategy may be to explore the idea that Sally is grieving the loss of someone she dearly loves. This final step is the last identification that Sally has with Beverly as a man. This is now going to go away and Sally is probably going through the various phases of grief; this would be something to explore. According to Carroll and Gilroy (2002) counselors must first understand this issue and move part their own transphobia (p. 235). Certainly a man who is turning into a woman who legally married a woman can be cause for concern for the counselor, so they would need to deal with their own problems with the situation before counseling Beverly. Carroll and Gilroy also suggest getting more information through novels, films, biographies and periodicals (p. 235). In terms of counseling a client centered approach seems to be best because many transgendered people have challenges with trust in someone who is not transgendered because of ill treatment in the past (p. 238). Carroll, Gilroy and Ryan (2002) suggest that counselors should also have a growing knowledge of terminology that is evolving in the transgendered community along with "local, regional and national support networks (p. 134). This information can assist the client and give more information. Mark is a 35 year old male of mixed heritage. His father was black and American Indian and his mother identifies as "white" because her parents were Jamaican and Scotch Irish. Mark grew up in a home where he had no real understanding of any heritage because his family did not identify with any one group. As Mark grew older and left the family he has tried to interact

Information Management and Knowledge Management Essay

Information Management and Knowledge Management - Essay Example According to the discussion in order to evaluate the importance of information flow and knowledge management both the concepts should be properly understood and analysed. According to Duan, Nie and Coakes, knowledge management concept is a further modelling of the information management which focuses on developing the database system of a firm whereas information management processes are used to ensure that the right person is having the right information. On the other hand, BegonaLloria stated that use of knowledge and information management practices are used in a correlated manner. It has been observed in case of Danone who use their customised Networking Attitude for sharing of information among their employee base and also measure the accuracy of the information.  This paper declares that  in the 21st century, the operational process of Danone experienced many changes that were focused on enhancing diversity and also improve their knowledge management process. The introducti on of Riboud as the CEO of Danone was such a step which enabled the company to maintain communication with the local markets and gather relevant information regarding the market conditions. Riboud’s belief was that having a proper information network through the operational channels will help the organisation in designing an accurate business measures. The company introduced the Growth Program in the year 2003 which would allow them to align their knowledge management activities with the growth of the organisation.  

The role of retailer branding strategies within retail stores Essay

The role of retailer branding strategies within retail stores - Essay Example Talking in a more elaborate manner, it can be said that the high-level communication technologies have helped in the process of diffusing the globalization trends around the world. As a result of the fast spreading of trends of globalization in various markets, it can be said that the consumers located in various regions, countries and continents around the world have started demanding a more enhanced category of products and services, which should necessarily follow the standards of global quality. As a result, this has led to the process of creating a significant pressure on the economies and markets around the world with regard to the demand for globally popular brands of products and services. Moreover, besides the growing demand for various kinds of globally popular products and services in various markets, the governments of countries around the world have realised the fact that, for the purpose of promoting significant amount of growth and development in their individual natio ns, opening up of the economy is very important. The governments of many countries have now realized that by opening up their previously closed economies, the markets of their respective countries will immediately start developing and growing because of considerable amounts of investments made by various business organizations around the world. It is relevant, in this particular context, to state the fact that many companies, which are present in various markets around the world, will look forward to entering the newly emerged markets of the growing and developing economies for the purpose of consolidating their growth prospects. Talking on this note, it can be said that the international, transnational and multinational companies will focus on the process of making a considerable amount of investment in the new markets in the form of foreign direct investments (FDIs) and foreign institutional investments (FIIs). Talking on the same lines, it can be said that the companies in the in ternational arena will be making significant amounts of large scale investments in terms of FIIs and FDIs for the main purpose of developing the market as well as the business infrastructure in the new markets. This will automatically lead to the emergence of new and large scale job opportunities, which will contribute towards creating a high rate of growth for the emerging economies. Now, with the development of the economies around the world in both the developed as well as the developing markets, it can be said that a significant amount of development will happen in the society and lifestyle of the masses living in those countries. The accumulation and growth of wealth complemented by the factor of an evolving lifestyle of the masses will contribute towards opening of new kinds of services. It is important to quote in the same context that the evolution of new lifestyle trends in the society of the developing economies will lead to a significant change in the consumer behaviour o f the masses. This will also present a significant amount of opportunity with regard to the evolution of new shopping trends of the masses and, as a result, will require significant amoun

Occupational Health and Safety Management (Part II only - Explaining Assignment

Occupational Health and Safety Management (Part II only - Explaining the accident) - Assignment Example The cleaner was working hurriedly due to the heavy workload and pressure that some water would splash on the floor. The waitress, while passing near Wong, slipped when she stepped on the slippery floor. The movements of the waitress caught the attention of Wong who abruptly glanced at her. Such sudden glance caused Wong to injure his fingers. The waitress is newly hired (reported for work on December 22nd) and was wearing heeled shoes when she slipped on the 24th of December. Just recently, the same waitress slipped in the kitchen and as she grabbed the working desk, a knife fell on the floor. The knife had been blunted, which is the same knife used by Wong. The kitchen has ventilation and sufficient lighting. The chef, assistant chef and the cleaner wore aprons and non-slippery shoes. The kitchen does not have slippery floor signage. Kitchen equipment and tools that become rusted or unusable should be properly disposed through a Disposal Form. From December 15 to 24, the cafe person nel were required to work for 11 hours a day. Therefore, at the time of the occurrence of the accident, all the staff were already fatigued and stressed due to extreme work demand. The degree of injury can be considered as a minor injury since the doctor advised Wong to take three days leave from work. Factors that Led to the Accident: Investigated and Not Identified by Manager A trail of occurrences had led to the happening of the accident. All the cafe personnel were fatigued and stressed due to overwork and pressure. The waitress was not wearing non-slippery shoes in the kitchen. The cleaner was carelessly washing the dishes that causes water splashes on the floor. She might also be negligently walking across the floor without taking notice of her surroundings. On the part of Wong, he naturally reacted to see what was happening or whether the waitress would fall toward him. While the waitress was carelessly walking across the floor, the cleaner was carelessly and negligently wash ing dishes; thus water that spilled on the floor made it slippery. The kitchen, although well lighted and ventilated, is not constructed properly. The sink where the dishes are washed should not be placed near the door but somewhere in the inner part of the kitchen, or the corner opposite the kitchen door. The current location of the sink really invites accidents and would be an obstruction to the movement of personnel in the kitchen. The main entrance to the kitchen should be free from any obstruction, either to the left or to the right after entering the kitchen. Although not mentioned in the incident report, the sink may be located on the left or the right side of the door. The door must be able to swing freely forward or backward. No signage was posted at conspicuous places inside the kitchen such as â€Å"Slippery Floor†, â€Å"Unauthorized Persons not Allowed†, â€Å"Always Wear Proper Kitchen Attire†, and several others. There is also inadequacy in the pr ocedure inside the kitchen. The waitress should not be allowed to approach the working area of the chef and assistant chef to get the food. The food ready to be served must be placed by the assistant chef at a place near the entrance of the door, but far enough so as not to cause an obstruction. In this manner, the waitress would not be disrupting the attention of the assistant chef

Generating Evidance for Evidence-based Practice Thesis Proposal

Generating Evidance for Evidence-based Practice - Thesis Proposal Example Organizational culture is often discussed hand-in-hand with readiness assessment when thinking of the implementation of systems such as an electronic based competency records because organizational cultures are not readily changed and as such, if there is no effective readiness assessment in place, changes are that the changes will not be effectively undertaken. Having said this, it is important to point out that readiness assessment is a much integrated approach that is used in measuring how agile the need to undertake changes within a healthcare facility can take place. In effect, a readiness assessment that is directed at comparing the effect of completeness when converting inpatient registered nurse competency records from a paper to an electronic document system would consider a number of factors and that could either speed up the change process or slow it down. Some of these factors could be internal or external and generally constitute the environmental factors affecting chang e (Grayson, 2008). Specific examples of these could be mentioned as issues of technology, infrastructure, personnel, social adaptability, among others. Problem Description Background of the problem The importance of RN competence records can never be overshadowed in a healthcare setting where the need for ensuring high class training of nurses is a priority (Kalb, 1999). In the midst of the relevance and importance of keeping competence records in ensuring positive nurse attitude, nurse functions and education, it will be admitted that there is currently a paradigm shift where much focus is no the use of technology in guaranteeing and assuring efficiency and effectiveness (McKessy et al, 2008). It is against this background that it is important to assess the impact that an electronic competence record would have on nursing practice. Stakeholders/change agents In a bid to ensuring the effective use of RN competence records, there are a number of stakeholders whose roles stand out so clear and importantly in the delivery of responsibilities. Whether by the use of the traditional paper and pen competence records system or by using the electronic system, certain key stakeholders need to play relevant roles to bring about changes in the delivery of responsibilities within the hospital responsible for the training of the nurses. On a broader perspective, these stakeholders will be identified as the curriculum planners, supervisors/trainers, nurses/trainees, and the larger society. As stakeholders, the present proposal is going to affect these agents directly. For example the curriculum planners are going to be equipped with useful policies that need to be incorporated into existing curriculum provisions for trained and registered nurses in order to ensure a sound transition from traditional competence records to electronic competence records. Supervisors and trainers are also going to have their works and duties enhanced whiles the larger community is going to benef it from an effectively trained nurse with all necessary competence mastered. The evidence-based question Throughout the conduct of the evidence-based practice, there is going to be one pivotal question that is going to guide the researcher on the trend of data collection and the scope of literature review. Essentially, the evidence-base

(Social Injustice) The that racism is tolerated today why is one life Essay

(Social Injustice) The that racism is tolerated today why is one life worth more than another still today,why is ok for one man - Essay Example But what is racism? It is a belief that one`s race and beliefs are superior to another. The term ethnocentrism is also used which is a belief that a person`s group and sub culture is superior to that of another person. A racist is an individual who believes that people belonging to different races should be separated and should work in a joint environment. The 21st century has seen a lot of advancements in terms of technology, globalization and shared values and it is surprising to know that racism is still practiced all over world and human being have been unable to remove the act of racism from our society. Racism has existed throughout the history of human kind and it has taken a number of different forms. Racism is done on the basis of culture, language, skin color, gender as well as age and disability. The most famous case of racism has been seen in the western world where discrimination took place against the African-American as they were forced to do slavery on the basis of th eir skin color. They were believed to be an inferior race and were not given proper rights and opportunities. This kind of racism is still seen today but it has decreased by a large percentage due to laws and regulations. Gender discrimination is another common type of discrimination prevalent in all the countries. Women and other minorities are often excluded from important matters or decision as they are thought to be less capable and worthy as compared to their counterpart. In workplaces, women have to face a glass ceiling as they are not given proper opportunities for promotion as well as improvements and even paid less than men who are working at the same position and same level of expertise. Although there are laws and regulation for this type of discrimination as well but it is still seen today all around the world. Women living in eastern countries, especially have to face discrimination as their families think that their main responsibility is to take care of the children a nd family at home. As a result of this, they are given lesser chances and opportunities to grow (Anup; Home - Race, Racism and the Law). Racism has been prominent in workplaces and organizations. Workers are facing discrimination as they are not given employment opportunities only because of their skin color, religion or their language. Employees have to face prejudice, discrimination and other acts of stereotype. Prejudice is the tendency to view people with different qualities as being different. Prejudice results in discrimination and stereotyping. Stereotyping is an irrational belief associated with a particular group of people. It is the assumption that all individuals belonging to a particular group have similar characteristics. It also leads to the concept of diversity which is every way in which an individual differs. Managers in organization are working hard to remove discrimination and racism from their workplace and are encouraging people to adopt workplace diversity. Wor kplace diversity is defined as appreciating the differences in all the co-workers and working together in teams for the betterment of the organization as a whole. The benefits of workplace diversity include reduces costs in terms of absenteeism and turnover as well as better solutions for work related problems as a result of effective team work (Richard & Lane) There are a number of laws and regulations to counter racism in societies. The universal declaration of human rights includes Article 9 which gives

Recycling Should Be Mandatory for Everyone Essay

Recycling Should Be Mandatory for Everyone - Essay Example Recycling is beneficial to the environment, is cost-effective and must be made mandatory in order to succeed. The environmental benefits of recycling are well-documented and beyond doubt. Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals, prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials, saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change and helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States (EPA). The common method of dealing with waste is landfilling. This method is an inefficient waste of resources: The EPA asserts that the largest single component of landfills is packaging material which is 100 percent recyclable. One out of every 100 pounds dumped in U.S. landfills consists of the highly recyclable junk mail. Landfills also contribute to global warming through the release of methane into the atmosphere and by the pollution of groundwater and waterways. Recycling is an efficient alternative to la ndfills. Contrary to popular perception, recycling is cost-effective. The major argument put forward by critics of recycling is that it is often comparatively more expensive than landfilling. This argument is highly misleading. As Edward Humes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author says, â€Å"You could similarly argue that paying to go to the dentist is always more expensive than not going. Or that we sure could have saved on the military if only we had surrendered after Pearl Harbor rather than declaring war.† Critics of recycling conveniently fail to take into consideration the long term financial costs of addressing the costs of pollution caused by landfilling.                 Ã‚  

Does Ethnicity and Language to the Degree of Parent Involvement in Schools Essay Example for Free

Does Ethnicity and Language to the Degree of Parent Involvement in Schools Essay Many recent studies have indicated that parent involvement can make significant differences to outcomes at schools. Why some parents become involved more than others in their childrens education has been the subject of past studies, and ethnic minority status (especially Black and Hispanic) have been associated in the past with poor involvement compared to whites. But other studies have shown completely opposite conclusions i. e. parental involvement is higher in ethnic groups than whites. The critique: This questionnaire study of teachers and parents was a multi-dimensional investigation into the role of ethnicity in parental involvement in schooling found that Black parents perceive that they take a more active role in their childrens schooling than any other ethnic group. By contrast the teachers perceptions on the issue were drastically opposite – teachers reported much lower levels of alliance with Black parents than White or Hispanic parents. The fact that fewer than 4% of teachers in this study were blacks probably has been a significant factor in this regard. One of the main weaknesses of this study is a lack of verifiability – it was entirely based on questionnaires, without any involvement of students themselves. Secondly the fact that the population consisted entirely of low-performers may have introduced a source of bias in the study. There were also inadequate measures of ruling out the effect of other confounding factors e. g. education level, incomes of households which made it difficult to compare ethnicity properly. Finally, some ethnic groups returned more questionnaire than others, making it difficult to conduct a like for like study. Conclusion : More studies are needed, carried out in a more rigorous method, before the true effect of ethnicity on parental involvement with schools can be established.

Development of Self as Nurse

Development of Self as Nurse HH/NURS 4516 Development of Self as Nurse: Advanced Professional Issues – CAREER PLAN ASSIGNMENT – Scanning Your Environment Self-Assessment Reality Check Career Vision Career Goals -In my third year clinical placement, my nurse mentor was organized and possessed excellent communication skills when dealing with the interdisciplinary team and the families of the newborns within her care. -Environmental constraints when looking for a job includes: job availability, changes in the healthcare economy (e.g. budget), and being up against many competitors wanting the same job. -Environmental resources: Nursing school faculty and also the clinical setting. -The opportunities of learning in my school setting is very diverse and have contributed in my decision and focus on working with newborns and their families. -Important social and health issues in my community would be many older adults in the community are staying home. As more of these older adults stay home they are at increased risk for falls and possible burns due to their declining motor skills and sensory senses. Current nursing issues affecting my local area would be a decrease in nursing jobs for new graduates. Older nurses are slowing turnover by taking longer to retire, and new graduates are flooding the market. -Many nurses use technology to document patient care and also to communicate with others in the interdisciplinary team. -Interventions to prevent stress and burnout and to retain nurses are critically necessary to ensure efficient and quality client care. -Global Health issues such as the Ebola virus disease in West Africa is currently now traveling all over the world. It is vital for nurses and nursing students to stay well informed about this severe illness in order to educate clients and the public to help prevent spread. -Horizontal violence is a global nursing issue affecting many nurses and their practice. -Practicing in the clinical setting as a nursing student has allowed me the opportunity to spend additional time with my clients and learn more about who they are as a person as oppose to viewing them as walking diagnosis and room number. -It is essential that I Maintain balance and values in all aspects of my life because nursing can be quite stressful at times and a good support system is needed to help cope with stress. -In the clinical setting, I am able to therapeutically support my clients and tend to their needs while still maintaining my professional boundaries. My most significant accomplishments while in the nursing program would be receiving an invitation to join York University’s honor society for being the top 15% student in the faculty of health. -As a result of an increased self-awareness and increased knowledge base in my forth year, I feel that I am much more interactive and confident with members of the multidisciplinary team and with the patients. -New knowledge and skills that I have acquired since my last self-assessment would be there is an increase in my ability to perform technical skills such as monitoring, setting up and administrating IV medications and also inserting a urinary catheter using sterile technique to my clients. In the beginning, I had some time management issues due to saving my charting until towards the end of the shift, which then resulted in me leaving clinical late. Now, I ensure that I document as I go; thus improving my time management in the clinical setting. I am known as a hard worker and focused individual which has been evidenced by the numerous academic recognition awards I have received. I have been told that my strengths in the clinical setting include patient education, patient advocacy, and meeting the client’s basic needs. The key areas for development that I need to improve upon would be memorization of lab values. Often times, people describe me as a good listener and very patient and caring. -My assessment of my accomplishments compared with others assessments of me are quite accurate when being compared together as I feel I am a hard worker that prides in giving quality patient care and producing work of the same caliber in the classroom. I am hopeful that I will receive my request for the NICU as my final practicum as I have met the additional requirements needed for this specialized area; by going this route, I may be able to take part in the new grad initiative and hopefully secure a job if available. I have been able to identify my strengths and weaknesses with the help of my preceptor and my own reflection in clinical and theory practice. I am optimistic about what my nursing career holds in the future and also gaining the ability to grow and learn as a person and a nurse in my clinical experiences. -I am an expert practice neonatal intensive care nurse that works with a diverse group of young clients and their families in a large teaching hospital in the downtown region of Toronto. In the clinical setting I have been recognized for my extensive knowledge base, my ability to work effectively and efficiently under high levels of stress and also collaborate effectively with the interdisciplinary team. In accordance with the College of Nurses (CNO) standards of practice, I ensure that my nursing practice is always being guided and supported by current research; In addition I have been diligent in taking continuing education certificate courses at available colleges and universities online and locally. Through years of experience I have perfected the craft of building the nurse-client relationship by utilizing therapeutic techniques which will enable me to provide comfort and support to families in my care. Short term Network with other nurses in the NICU through a professional organization and related interest groups. Use nursing practice placement experiences gained in my previous semesters and final integrated practicum to develop necessary competencies in this area of practice. Connect with nurse mentors in the NICU clinical setting that I have worked with previously and use them as a resource. Get a staff nurse position in a Neonatal intensive care unit upon graduation and passing the NCLEX Long term 1. Take additional courses in order to become more knowledgeable in providing client and family centered care when attending to neonates. 2. Become a specialized Nurse Practitioner- (Need to complete the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner certificate program at Ryerson University, subsequent to obtaining my Master’s Degree in Nursing.) Career Plan Action Steps Resources Timeline (When to accomplish) Indicators of Success (How will I know I have succeeded?) Next Steps (How will you market yourself?) 1) Speak to up to three faculty staff members who could possibly become mentors in the area of neonatal intensive care or pediatrics. 2)Through my environmental scan, identify the professional skills and nursing practice competencies that are essential to working competently in the NICU 3) Speak to past nursing students and current nursing staff who have experience working on the neonatal intensive care unit. 4) Meet with the placement coordinator to discuss and understand placement requirements for forth year students entering into specialized integrated practicum areas (e.g. NICU). -Faculty members with a pediatrics and neonatal intensive care background Utilize contact information obtained from the Nurse manager on the NICU. -The College of Nurses website -Registered nurses association of Ontario Canadian Nursing Students Association -Nurse manager and staff on the NICU at Trillium health center. -Colleagues that just finished the nursing program in previous year. -Nursing practice placement coordinator -Faculty members with related neonatal intensive care background June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 November 2014 1) Make appointments with selected faculty members who have a neonatal and pediatric background to discuss the possibility of becoming my mentor. 2)- Ensuring that environmental scan is continually updated as my self-assessment or career vision may change. These updates indicate that significant changes may have occurred around me as I move forward in my job or education. -I will also attend professional association meetings. 3)-Connect with former colleagues who have graduated in the previous year via telephone or social media nursing groups to get feedback. Contact nurse manager via email to let her know of my interest in obtaining a new grad initiative position 4)-Contact the placement coordinator and related persons to establish a meeting time and place to discuss questions that I may have in regards to integrated Practicum. As a new graduate nurse, I am aware that I may not have much experience when compared to a more â€Å"seasoned† nurse when applying for the same job position; but I am confident in my abilities and know that I am able to learn and adapt to my environment with much quickness and efficiency. I am able to be my own best marketer when in a setting that requires selling of self by ensuring that I am being represented in the best possible way and utilizing all available resources. I am a member of The Golden Key International Honor Society in which I am able to attend conferences and workshops locally, provincially and nationally. This will allow me the opportunity to connect and network with colleagues who I may be able to call upon for advice and direction if needed. This will further aid in my success of being employed as new graduate nurse in my dream job the NICU.

To What Extent Can Psychology Be Considered a Science?

To What Extent Can Psychology Be Considered a Science? Examine to what extent Psychology can be considered a Science Rebecca Harris Introduction The question can: ‘Psychology be considered a Science?’ It is important to understand what a Science is in relation to Psychology. Psychology is deemed as the scientific study of behaviour. Science is ‘a branch of knowledge conducted on objective principles involving the systematised observation of an experiment with phenomena.’ So can Psychology be a Science? Throughout this essay, deeper understanding of Psychological Methods and the aims of Science and how these link, will be looked at and investigated further. There are four basic principles of Science; truth, objectivity, realism and rationality. For psychology to be perceived as a science certain scientific methodology would be needed, these are: objective observation, evidence to back up an argument, an investigation to test the hypothesis, an induction which draws conclusions from facts or examples, repetition, critical analysis and verification and testing of the study. Empiricism, a scientific approach founded by philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), turned into a scientific method of enquiry that used both observation and experiments to gather facts and evidence that may have been needed. Scientific enquiry can be based upon two phrases: 1. Too do with theory and the foundation of hypotheses. 2. Empirical method, thus being experiments and observations. The main method of scientific enquiry would be the use of experiments. Using examinations make research more scientific. Important key features for an experiment are control over variables, in this case they would either be: Independent, dependent and extraneous. This particular approach would be a strength towards Psychology as a Science as cause and effect can be established due to the control over the experiments. A form of Empiricism is Logical Positivism. This theory suggests that sensory experience is our main and only source of information about the world we live in. There are two main claims for this theory: Knowledge Empiricism- The theory that the knowledge of the world is gained through evidence from our sensory experiences. The theory states that the meaning of a statement is determined by verifiability. Verification must be through observation. This is an advantage of Psychology as a Science as behaviour is looked at through observation and so therefore this means that verification can happen. Rationalism compared to Empiricism is that senses cannot be completely relied upon to provide knowledge needed. Knowledge can be gained by inductive reasoning, as long as it’s applied correctly. Rationalists look at the world we live in and see deeper meaning behind everything they see, implying that the world is not real. Empiricists see the world we’re living in as the true world and that everything we see does not have a deeper meaning. Idealism and realism are two philosophical terms that deal with our minds relationship with the world in which we live. Idealism: knowledge that the mind interprets what we see. The knowledge that constructs the mind and does not necessarily correspond to the on goings of the outside world. What we see is not really real. Realism: the idea that knowledge reveals the reality of the outside world. Thus meaning that, it is what it is, you see what you see. This is a disadvantage for Psychology as a Science as it can’t be proven or disproven that whether the world we live in is real or not. Locke took on the nature-nurture debate, the first part to the theory of behaviourism and came up with the idea that the human mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ meaning ‘blank slate’. In 1913 Watson gained the support that Wundt had lost and formed behaviourism. Wundt concentrated on introspection, however, Watson believed that this couldn’t be proved or disproved so decided to concentrate on the study of behavior. Behaviourism as a theory of Psychology was finally created. The overall meaning of behaviourism is to study the idea of the relationship between people’s environment and their behaviour, without application to hypothetical events happening within one’s head. The use of behaviour today can be seen as Scientific, helping mentally ill patients with behaviour modification and therapy to treat mental disorders. Modern behaviour now looks at mental processes like; imagery and attention, considered to be proper subject matter for scientific in vestigation. Positivism a form of behaviourism that uses experimental methods, as well as quantitative data. Conclusions are not derived from a subjective approach. The conscious can’t be objectively observed. It rejects emotions, feelings and mental processes and qualitative data is not used, so evidence that is collected is limited. Therefore not Scientific and disagrees with psychology as a Science. Social Constructionist: a social situation which we face, our behavior dependent upon the social situation so it’s not scientific. If people behave in a certain way then this leads to personality bias. Rather than looking at the behaviour in a social setting, research should be on the relative social construction. This looks at social cognition: what we think other people are thinking. This is a disadvantage to why psychology is a science as it’s difficult to apply research as the focus would be on subjective constructions. Critical Realism looks at experience, culture and history when conducting observations and theories. It applies scientific practice to multiple methods of data collection. We are aware of a situation and act critical about what we’re doing. It gives us ideas on how to research and it uses multiple approaches, so the comparison of results can take place. This is an advantage to why Psychology is a Science due to the multiple research methods used rigorously: including experimental method. A hypothetico-deductive method is a technique which involves observation of a participant. In order for the hypotheses to be classified scientific the researcher must generate a testable and realistic hypothesis, it must be falsifiable by recognized scientific methods. It can never be confirmed fully. Some predictions must be made, these are to be proved or disproved. The predictions must be directly testable for the hypothetico-deductive method to be valid. Trying to test the hypothesis that God exists would be difficult because there is no way to scientifically evaluate it. This is an advantage of why psychology is a science as observation, the gathering and collecting of data is used. Kuhn 1922-1996 was a historian and had a great impact on revolutionary psychology in the field of paradigms. The idea was to unite all thoughts and opinions on the subject. With the success of this came Psychologies biggest and most feared alienation: the inability for a universal paradigm. This is the greatest criticism to Psychologies claim to be Scientific. Kuhn himself gave psychology a name: Pseudo-Science. The fact that a universal paradigm can’t be formed means that this is a disadvantage towards Psychology as a Science, as all scientific methods should have paradigms. Popper 1902-1994 a philosopher with strong opinions towards whether Psychology is a Science. He believed that for a theory to be scientific it doesn’t have to be true. Facts can show theories to be wrong. He had two major concerns, the first was defending and maintaining the idea that Science does progress. This concern was built in the positivist account that facts can and do verify theories. Popper believed that this part of the society was being put at risk due to ‘pseudo-scientific’ theories that were not open to rejection, thus in particular: Freud and his idea of Psychoanalysis. Poppers view of falsification was a disadvantage of why Psychology is a Science as Freud and psychoanalysis led to the argument that psychological theories are not falsifiable. According to Kuhn; the lack of ecological validity is a disadvantage to why Psychology has a lack of acknowledgement within scientific communities. If a study was based on Behaviourism, a key theory of Psychology, then there are some key ideologies that the investigation should have: generalization, reinforcement and behaviour shaping. This in turn explains vast behaviours from language acquisition through too moral development. In Science, conclusions always remain true, however, in Psychology, this is not the case. When a piece of research is conducted in an artificial environment, the participants are aware of the study and may act and behave differently. This being demand characteristics, it affects the overall result, as there are no form of applications to everyday life. It can also be argued that; it’s low on the idea of application to real life due to the participants behaviour i.e. demand characteristics. This was showed in Piaget study of Conservation. In 1974 McGarrigle and Donaldson challenged Piaget. The children within the Piaget study were not in a natural setting and behaved socially correct and responded to demand characteristics. If a study is low in ecological validity then it isn’t really measuring how people behave in everyday life. The main problem for this is how to study characteristics of people who are aware of what they are doing. This is a disadvantage to Psychology being a science as participants are aware of the study and the unnatural setting. In conclusion to the question: Is Psychology a Science? There is no easy answer. Some of the approaches and studies do meet the guidelines that are required for Psychology to be a Science, however, others don’t. Psychology has merely progressed as a discipline as it models itself on the natural sciences. Although there are enough disadvantages and advantages to say whether Psychology is a Science, it will be an ongoing debate to which no-one will know the answer, you simply have an opinion that’s neither right nor wrong. REFERENCES Gross, R. (2010). Psychology The Science of Mind and Behaviour. 6th ed. London: Hatchett . McLeod, S. (2008). Psychology as a Science. Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/science-psychology.html. [Last Accessed 07/10/2014]. Bainbridge, A. Bradshaw, P. Latham, S. Lintern, F. (2008). OCR Psychology. 1st ed. Essex: Heinemann. Carlson, R. N. (1993). Psychology The Science of Behaviour. 4th ed. MA, USA: Allyn Bacon. Brysbaert, M. Rastle, K. (2012). Historical and conceptual issues in psychology. 2nd ed. London: Pearson . The Science Council. (2009). What is Science? Available at: http://www.sciencecouncil.org/definition. [Last Accessed 21/10/2014]. Group decision making: Communication theories Group decision making: Communication theories Functional Perspective On Group Decision Making Introduction Purpose The purpose of this report is introducing a theory and corresponding theorists of communication. Whereas also in this report I will be writing about the theorists, their theory and how I believe it relates to todays world. One other purpose of writing this report is to report what I think about how the theory could be useful in the Information Technology. Scope The extent of my research was the usage of the Library and internet surfing. Hours and hours were spent in the library searching for information on my topic and there was hardly any book with information on my theory but had information of related topics to my theory. So as on the internet the information given Limitations While preparing this report there were some limitations in the preparation of this report which includes the amount of time given to write this report because there was other assignments that I had to spend time on as well which was due a few days before this report is to be handed in. The limited time that I am able to access the computer here in school as I house Im living in do not have any computers. Other than that there was a lack of information got from the sources of information that I have searched on such as books from the library and books and articles from the internet and library databases. There was a lack of information available. Research Methods The few methods that I have used to obtain information were books from the library. This included my textbook. My textbook was the only book in the library that had information about my theory and some other books that I have read through had information that was related to my theory. I also obtained information from the internet although it provided some information on my theory but not so much or not enough. Lastly is I have contact with some of the ex-whitireia students who took IT, I contacted each one I know asking if they had come across my theory and if they could their knowledge of my theory with me. Structure Of The Report This report has six main parts and each part was organised according to the normal layout of a report. Besides the cover page this report started with an abstract which spots out the key ideas of what the whole report is going to be about, lead by the table of content which shows the number of pages for each content. Starting with the introduction which has six sub-headings, following is the findings or the main body of the report which has seven parts and following up is always the conclusion which has two parts and lastly the glossary of terms and references / bibliography. Literature Review Groups make high-quality decisions when members fulfil four requisite functions: (1) problem analysis, (2) goal setting, (3) identification of alternatives, and (4) evaluation of positive and negative consequences. Most group communication disrupts progress toward accomplishing these functional tasks, but counteractive communication can bring people back to rational inquiry. Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. Group and Public communication – Group decision making. Chp. 17, 7th Ed The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate that group decision-making performance is contingent on the effective or ineffective satisfaction of important decisional functions. The investigation involved three related studies. In the first study, an attempt was made to confirm the existence of systematic relationships between the quality of group decisions and the satisfaction of four functional requirements. The results supported the existence of significant positive relationships between group decision-making performance and the satisfaction of these decisional functions. In the second study, an attempt was made to establish the independent main effects of each of those four functions. Using a three-dimensional interaction coding scheme, it was found that variations in group decision quality can be independently accounted for by the quality of interaction in regards to three functions—problem analysis, evaluation of positive qualities, and evaluation of negative qua lities. In the third study, an attempt was made to demonstrate that the quality of group decisions can be traced to the effective or ineffective satisfaction of decisional functions. The results provide conclusive evidence (at least at the level of primary reasoning), that the quality of a groups decision is a direct result of the groups ability (or inability) to perform important decisional functions. Taken as a whole, the studies thus offer continued support for the functional perspective Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective. Human Communication Research, Vol. 14, p487 – 515, No. 4 Two Articles From The Library Databases The article focuses on a study, which evaluated the comparative effectiveness of several methods for decisions making of task groups. Despite the widespread use of task groups and the dissatisfaction that many experience in seemingly endless rounds of task-group meetings, relatively little effort has been made within social work to examine the functioning of task groups empirically. And although there have been some efforts to improve social workers skills in leading task groups, it has been suggested that the study of task groups has been largely abandoned by social work. When examining the efficacy of task groups, it is important to recognize that groups have many different functions in social service agencies. Among their most important functions are helping staff members feel involved in the work of the agency or organization, sharing information, developing new and creative ideas, monitoring programs, solving problems and making decisions. Although many of these functions overla p, a group that has accomplished one function quite well may not be effective at accomplishing another function. Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. (1984). An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. EBSCO host – Social work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p339-346, 8p Title: Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alienation Relationships between teachers perceptions concerning their status in decision making and feelings of work alienation were investigated. A two part questionnaire was administered to 311 teachers from kindergarten through grade 12 in urban and suburban schools. One part asked about current and ideal levels of influence in 12 decisional areas. The second part consisted of a four-item alienation scale. Significant positive zeroder correlations were found between alienation and deprivation in technical and managerial domains for urban teachers, and with deprivation in managerial decision making for suburban teachers. Significant negative zero-order correlations were found for both groups of teachers. Partial correlations of alienation and deprivation in decision making were not significant. Partial correlations of alienation with perceived influence in technical decision making were significant for both groups. Partials with managerial influence were significant for urban teachers. Benson, N., Malone, P. (1987), Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alienation. EBSCO host – Education, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p244, 8p, 6 charts Friends Background Of My Theorists The knowledge and interest in small group communication and decision making effectiveness, of two Communication professors Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran was combined to create this theory. Dennis S. Gouran Gouran is a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Labor Studies and Employment Relations and Graduate Officer and his research areas is small group decision. During his life of education he received his B.S., Illinois State University, 1963, M.S., Illinois State University, 1965, Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1968 He is specialized in small group communication with particular emphasis in decision-making. His research has included theoretical, experimental, and critical studies of small group interaction. The focus of Gourans research interest is the ways in which communication functions in the service of task requirements in problem-solving and decisions-making groups. Randy Y. Hirokawa Hirokawa received his B.A from the University of Hawaii at Moana, and his M.A and Ph.D from the University of Washington. He was inducted into the University Of Washington Department Of Hall of Fame. He is known for his expertise in area of small group communication and decision-making effectiveness. Hirokawas scholarship has contributed to the development of a theory called the â€Å"Functional perspective.† Outline Of My Theory Situation Of How The Theory Came About This theory came about as a four departmental search committees appointed to select final candidates for positions in rhetoric, theatre, journalism and broadcast producing. The whole department each group to come up with top-notch candidates and reliable with a discipline that values sensible and reasonable communication or discussion, it was likely supposed that they would make their high quality decisions after systematic and reasoned discussion. Given was the mix of communication interests, academic knowledge and professional prejudices that committee members bought to the table were not their final choices likely to be made on political rather than rational grounds. But even if they were objective, it was a fear that their free-for-all debate over candidates would so cloud their judgement that they would end up making second-rate choices. Theorists Point Of Views Of The Situation And Their Contribution To Building The Theory Hirokawa and Gouran believe that these negative and gloomy views are not necessary. They assume that group members caring about the issue are; reasonably intelligent, face a challenging task that calls for more facts and has new ideas, or a clear thinking. They are also persuaded that group communication has positive effect on the final decision. Hirokawa Randy speaks of the quality solutions and developed the core principles of the theory during his graduate studies, today his research tests refines this theory. Gouran Dennis refers to decisions that are appropriate and he has laid ground work for the theory with his early writing on the group decision making. Four Functions For Effective Decision Making By observing group decision making Hirokawa and Gouran see that there are task requirements and conditions that group members needs to accomplished to reach high-quality solutions and they refer to these conditions as â€Å"requisite functions of effective decision making.† Along with other pioneers research Hirokawa and Gouran drew an analogy between small groups and biological systems and saw thats just the same conditions that an organism must go through for survival in an ever changing environment as group members must go through functions or have conditions during group decision makings for success in the choice they make. So then four functions were then created for effective decision making as followed. Analysis Of The Problem It is very important for group members to be realistic when looking at the current conditions of any situation that is facing a problem and if there is any misunderstanding of the situation be likely to be complex when each member makes their final decision. The situation here is that the search committee are facing difficulties in selecting candidates which is a problem. They could barely make up their mind. In such cases the group members needs to examine or investigate what the problem really is, then find ways to work out this problem. Analysing of the problem could also have steps to follow or some conditions that must be required. For example from the theory in one of the departments searches for a rhetorician, a theatre director etc presented no obvious difficulties, in this case a job description was drafted and advertised throughout the company and through relationship management , searched for parties whom may be interested. Goal Setting Decision making needs to be clear and concise, therefore there must be some form of criteria for a proposed solution. Hirokawa and Gouran mention that failure to comply with criteria will drive the decision to be governed by politics rather than reason. An example portrayed by the two authors is the recruiting of faculty – criteria were: Doctorate Teaching Experience (Minimum 5 Years) Scholar Publisher And to narrow the search, candidates must be able to engage / build rapport with students and who is able to pursue knowledge from a liberal arts point of view. In having criterias during decision making, this gives the group a short list of candidates and more confidence in their decision. Identifications Of Alternatives To minimise risk in making a decision, Hirokawa and Gouran stressed the significance of having alternative solutions, so that the group can always resort to plan B or plan C. In the case of finding a candidate for a Broadcast production role, the criteria was industry experience, hold a doctorate / masters, radio and broadcast experience. The search for the candidate was limited as not many had an advanced degree no-one had a background in video production. After many brainstorming sessions, this was given to a search committee to do more thorough research for the perfect candidate. As a result of continuous emails and networking – the search committee generated relevant alternatives and discovered two candidates whom they will chose one to fulfil the role. Evaluation Of Positive And Negative Characteristics The next step in decision making is weighing the alternatives. It is very important to look at the pro and cons of each option against the criteria given. The authors mention that decision making often muddles up, and in need of at least one member to remind each other of the positive and negative features of one option. Prioritizing These Functions In order to make decisions one must prioritize the four main functions for effective decision making. Hirokawa and Gouran mentioned that all four functions need to be accomplished to maximise the probability of a high quality decision. They also mention that as long as members use all four functions, what ever the order they like, they will come to a successful decision making. However, groups that resolve particularly difficult situation often take a similar route to come to their final solution. The Role Of Communication In Fulfilling The Functions Communication is the key factor for quality group decision making. Verbal discussion within a group makes it possible to disseminate information, identify errors and also to influence each other. Hirokawa believes that communication plays a vital role in shaping high quality decisions. They also believe that communication through discussion can also make the group wander in different directions and at the same time pull them back onto the directed path. The authors outline three types of communication in decision making groups: 1) Promotive –When the group moves along the same path and calling upon the four main decision functions. 2) Disruptive – Discussions that divert the group members away from the four main decision functions. 3) Counteractive- The interaction that the group use to get each other back on track. The three types of communication above are then aligned with the four functions to create the â€Å"Function-Oriented Interaction Coding System: (FOICS) Checklist. This register is used to analyse communication within a group by matching each column and each row like the diagram below: From The Tiny Pond To The Big Ocean The above metaphor is Hirokawas way of portraying the review of his functional perspective in decision making , the risks that take place within his laboratory during his research and whether it was strong enough to withstand the multiple opposing forces from the ‘real world and other researchers. Hirokawa concludes this metaphor by saying that there are times when following the prescriptions of decision making does not always lead to a decision that works. He then challenges researchers not to look at the outcome but look at what functional conditions work and what does not work. Practical Advice For Amateurs And Professionals The authors give us advice on how to use functional prospective to come up with better decision making. They suggest the following: For groups to use their own opinions. For groups to not have a close minded attitude. Groups to take proactive measures and reflective thinking. The authors acknowledge their intellectual their philosopher) John Dewey. Dewey advocated a six step process of â€Å"reflective thinking† (equivalent to Hirokawa and Gourans four requisite function) to the approach of treating a patient. His steps were as follows: 1) Recognise the illness 2) Diagnose the cause of the illness 3) Establish options for cure 4) Consider possible remedies 5) Test which solution will work 6) Implement the best solution Deweys process above is very similar to Hirokawa and Gourans four requisite functions in decision making. Both of these lists recommend that group members discuss ways that promotes problem analysis, goal setting, finding alternatives and the evaluation of these options. Applications Of The Theory This theory can be applied to everyday situations, whether its at work, home, IT industry or anywhere of any situation where group members take part. Every time group member gather to make decision on some issues they will always be facing problem. Because each group member has different opinions of each situation or there would only be two or three members agreeing on the same situation. So therefore Hirokawa and Gouran have developed four functions to follow for effective group decision making. Not only that these two theorists has also written the roles to fulfilling these functions. This theory can be applied to the IT Industry because there is a situation that needs to be discussed as a group for whats good to be used in the IT industries. Evaluation Of The Theory From the chapter three of Griffin (Weighing the Words) I have applied the appropriate evaluative standards to your theory which is Scientific Standard 2: Prediction of Future Events. This standard states a good objective theory predicts what will happen and it is only possible when we are dealing with our five senses. Applying this to my theory is that each of these group members sees the situation and they hear what is being talked about in the group discussion to whether to agree or disagree is based on how they feel about the situation and think of the situation. This is to prevent problems that may happen in the future because it isnt prevented same problem will occur in the future. Conclusion Summary Of My Points Of Information Hirokawa and Gouran saw the situation and thought of ways to maintain it. They saw that just the same way that an organism must go through for survival in an ever changing environment is just the same way that group members must go through functions or have conditions during group decision makings for success in the choice they make. They then developed the four functions which are; Analysis of the problem, goal setting, identification of alternatives and evaluation of Positive and Negative characteristics. They also state the importance or prioritizing these functions and its roles to fulfilling these functions. They also stated a metaphor â€Å" From tiny pond to the big ocean†. A Critique Of My Theory (Weight Of Argument For And Against) This theory accounts for group decision-making performance in terms of the role that group communication plays in facilitating or impeding the groups efforts to perform cognitive and interpersonal decision-making functions. This theory has been identified as one of the three most influential theories of small group communication. The functional perspective that has been described in this theory illustrates the wisdom of the joint interaction. As the Hebrew proverb suggests, â€Å"Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.† Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a final the output can be an action or an opinion of choice The next step in decision making is weighing the alternatives. It is very important to look at the pro and cons of each option against the criteria given. The authors mention that decision making often muddles up, and in need of at least one member to remind each other of the positive and negative features of one option. Glossary Of Terms Perspective Position: a way of regarding situations or topics or the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer Functional Designed for or capable of a particular function or use Evaluation Act of ascertaining or fixing the value Requisite Necessity: anything indispensable or needed Promotive Interaction that moves the group along the goal path by calling attention to one of the four requisite Disruptive Interaction that diverts, retards, or frustrates group members ability to achieve the four task functions Counteractive Interaction that members use to get the group back on track Amateurs An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without formal training or pay Decision Making Can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Group decision Is decision making in groups consisting of multiple members/entities. The challenge of group decision is deciding what action a group should take. There are various systems designed to solve this problem References / Bibliography â€Å"A Critical Summary of Research on the Role of Argument in Decision-Making Groups.† In Argument and Social Practice: Proceedings of the Fourth SCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation. J. Robert Cox, Malcolm O. Sillars, and Gregg B. Walker (Eds.). Annandale, Virginia: Speech Communication Association, 1985. 14 pp. (Revised and reprinted in Readings in Argumentation. William L. Benoit, Dale Hample, and Pamela J. Benoit (Eds.). San Francisco: Foris, 1992. 17 pp.) Benson, N., Malone, P. (1987), Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alientation. EBSCO host – Education, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p244, 8p, 6 charts Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory. (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. (7th ed.). Group and Public communication – Group decision making. Chp. 17 Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective. Human Communication Research, Vol. 14, p487 – 515, No. 4 â€Å"The Role of Communication in Decision-Making Groups: A Functional Perspective.† In Communications in Transition. Mary S. Mander (Ed.). New York: Praeger, 1983. 21 pp. With Randy Y. Hirokawa. (First Author) Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. (1984). An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. EBSCO host – Social work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p339-346, 8p Internet Sources Benson, N., Malone, P., Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alientation. Retrieved on July 28, 2009 , from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1hid=108sid=c11c7b30-a902-46f1-96a5-9d484e1b62b8%40sessionmgr110bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5hAN=5271089 Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. ,An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. Retrieved on August 1, 2009, From http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1hid=12sid=cc76eb43-f251-4f74-870f-20d856b51553%40sessionmgr4bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5hAN=4708464 Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. Group and Public communication, Retrieved on July 19, 2009, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119457900/abstract?CRETRY=1SRETRY=0 Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective, Retrieved on July 10, 2009, from http://www.afirstlook.com/main.cfm/theory_resources/Functional_Perspective_on_Group_Decision_Making

Nineteenth Century Views on Charity as Depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Life and Novel, Jane Eyre :: Bronte

Nineteenth Century Views on Charity as Depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Life and Novel, Jane Eyre In the nineteenth century, the role of charity was portrayed differently by many individuals depending on what religion they followed. On one hand, many people felt obligated to help the unfortunate to comply with religious responsibility and to become better individuals. On the other hand, Others, felt that the misfortunes of the poor weren’t their responsibility. The different concepts of charity can be viewed in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, as she reveals to us the various experiences Jane underwent as an orphan. Many of the instances that Bronte mentions in her novel are references to some of the incidents she encountered in her school years. To know why charity was significantly one of Bronte’s main focuses in the novel, we will look at the conceptions that the Anglicans and other Christian groups had of charity in the nineteenth century, as well as a history of Bronte’s familial background. The Anglicans and other Christian groups viewed charity differently in the nineteenth century. Each religion had and preached its own concept. We learn that the Anglicans’ views are more in opposition to charity when Cheryl Walsh indicates that, "Through this type of religion, there was very little encouragement for the development of a social conscience—of recognition of any kind of responsibility for the welfare of fellow human beings"(353). Walsh also mentions that Anglicans "Felt neither responsible for the suffering of the poor nor called on to help alleviate that suffering"(353). The belief of not being responsible for the misfortunes of the poor and not attempting to help them in any way draws the notion that Anglicans clearly didn’t favor charitable acts. On the other hand, according to St. Paul, Christianity’s view on charity was more an act of duty than the expected one of kindness. Christianity propagated charity as one of the necessary acts that a good Christian should follow. Graham Gordon believes that in Christianity, "Charity is considered chief of the Christian virtues," and that "Charity is commended by St. Paul for being the true way to the end which religious practices seek"(10). We can see that in being a chief virtue, charity is highly encouraged in the sense that helping others is considered to be a great deed of good doing. Therefore, we can draw the notion that those who wish to follow the "true way to the end," are those that contribute the most to the poor, as opposed to those mentioned by Walsh who see themselves as "not responsible for the welfare of human beings.