Extreme Nationalism

Extreme Nationalism. Objective The objective of my essay is to let you know what were the main causes of World War 2, focusing in extreme nationalism and letting you know my opinion about it. Introduction The Second World War was a global conflict that resulted in more deaths than any other war. It started in 1939 and concluded in 1945. A lot of World Nations were involved including the Great Powers. There are several causes that led to the Second World War; here I mention the main ones: * A worldwide depression. derived from the Great Depression, the world was suffering of extreme inflation, high prices and very low wages. People suffered despair and had no hope for the future and unemployment was very high. * Problems left from The First World War. – The German people were very unhappy about the treaty and thought that it was too sever to them. Germany could not afford to pay the money and during the 1920s the people in Germany were very poor because there were not many jobs and the price of food and basic goods was high.People were dissatisfied with the government and voted to power a man, Adolf Hitler, who promised to rip up the Treaty of Versailles. * The rise of Dictators. – Nations like Germany, Italy, and Japan came under the rule of dictators or military leaders. A dictator named Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922. Military leaders took control of Japan in the early 1930s. In Germany, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, gained power in 1933. These leaders promised to restore their countries. Hitler began to arm Germany for war. Japan invaded China.Mussolini sent Italian troops to conquer Ethiopia, in Africa. And the League of Nations failed or did nothing to stop them. * Ideologies. – Some ideologies doctrines and philosophies like totalitariansm, fascism, imperialism, militarism, racism and extreme nationalism affected too. The one I’m focusing is: extreme nationalism. Extreme Nationalism. Many countries were left ou t of the Treaty of Versailles or didn’t receive a large enough piece of the Treaty pie. This led to self interest within countries to prove their power and ability to rules as top leaders.One of the most common examples was The German Workers party, more commonly known as the Nazis. They grew and expanded from one single catalytic seed into a blooming party. Nationalism was in the minds of Germans after the end World War 1, budding and taking nutriment from the steely resentment that covered German opinions. It was from the common ground of extreme nationalism that the Nazis were able to build their empire. The party started out as the Free Committee for a German Workers’ Peace in 1918.The party was built under opposition of the Treaty of Versailles, anti-Semitic, anti-Monarchist, anti-Marxist opinions and the solid belief that German nationalists were a superior race. It demanded that people should be absolutely loyal to the nation and support its foreign expansion. I t emphasized national glory. It was from the basis of extreme nationalism that the Nazis were able to be a factor in the causes of WWII. Nationalism is defined as: 1. Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation. 2.The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals. 3. Aspirations for national independence in a country under foreign domination. Personal Opinion. About nationalism I think everywhere you look; you can find tiny hints of nationalism somewhere. Personally I think that nationalism is opinionated. And in my opinion I think that nationalism can create false enemies and starts riots in many areas of the world. A negative effect to me, are people who take nationalism to the extreme.Some of these extremists protest against churches of different religions just because of their beliefs. For example, Hitler singled out every Jew just because they weren’t Christian. Some neo- Nazi groups today believe in â€Å"white power. † They protest against all the time, and it disrupts the peace in some places and creates large disputes in many areas. Aide Thamara Mendoza 50L Another extreme effect of nationalism, are the people who literally kill just because of what they believe in. For example, Iraqi nationals yelled â€Å"ALLAH!!! right before they set off a suicide bomb on American soldier. Also, some even sneak onto planes with bombs and timers strapped to their chests knowing that they’re killing many people for their beliefs. I think that their theory is bizarre and unnecessary. These methods create large confrontation between countries, which is obviously bad. I mean, I find nothing wrong in having a slight nationalistic feeling that doesn’t hurt anyone just because your lack of tolerance doesn’t let you assimilate that they are different than you and there’s nothing wrong with it.

American Arbitration Association

The American Arbitration Association (AAA) focuses on providing organizations or individuals with alternative dispute resolution services. In the United States, American Arbitration Association provides people with administrative services. Arbitration is usually used to resolve commercial disputes and it can either be mandatory or voluntary. The association offers its services to people abroad through the International Centre for Dispute Resolution.The administrative services that are offered by ICDR and AAA include, setting of hearings, providing settlement through mediation, providing the users with crucial information on dispute resolution options, and appointment of arbitrators and mediators. The American Arbitration Association in its work faces several challenges which need to be addressed in order to perform well. Introduction The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is an enterprise whose role is to arbitrate and to resolve disputes between parties.It was founded in 1926 af ter the Arbitration Society of America was consolidated with the Arbitration Foundation and the Arbitration Conference. It has the duty to administer arbitration proceedings and to provide alternative dispute resolution services to the people. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) embraces the dispute resolution processes and techniques that are applied outside the government judicial process (American Arbitration Association, Accessed on April 13, 2009).Through the AAA rules, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) is able to administer arbitration at an international level. The ICDR was established in 1996. In America, the AAA acts as the country's primary provider of arbitration and mediation services. The mediators who are employed in the institution are highly respected professionals who have great experience in industry and business law. The mediators are also highly trained in efforts to ensure that they provide high quality mediation services to address dispute s.The term arbitration is one form of alternative dispute resolution which occurs outside the court. This requires the parties involved in a dispute to be bound by the decision of the arbitrators. In addition, the American Arbitration Association provides its services abroad through the International centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). The AAA is engaged in efforts that aim at moving cases through mediation and arbitration in an impartial and fair manner. In this paper, the important role of the American Arbitration Association and the challenges it faces in its work will be discussed.Discussion Role of the American Arbitration Association The American Arbitration Association offers arbitration services to parties that may be in a dispute or experiencing a conflict. In the United States, the American Arbitration Association assists citizens to resolve disputes by administering arbitration proceedings. Through the proceedings, the association assists individuals or organizations wh o are involved in a dispute to solve it outside the courts.The case is usually reviewed and a decision that is legally binding to both sides imposed. An impartial adjudicator who is in charge during arbitration proceedings is expected to give his/her final decision which is final and binding. The American Arbitration Association benefits people or organizations greatly because it is often much faster in solving disputes as compared to litigation in court. This therefore becomes very crucial is saving a lot of time and resources that could be used in resolving a dispute in court.Because arbitration proceedings and award are usually non-public, the parties involved in a dispute can be able to resolve a dispute through confidential proceedings. Furthermore, business enterprises or organizations find arbitration more flexible and cheaper than court cases. In any arbitration proceedings, a contract need to be signed which includes an arbitration clause that names or acknowledges the Amer ican Arbitration Association as the organization that will be responsible for administering arbitration between the involved parties.The association has a primary duty to provide administrative support to the arbitrations when they are presented to a panel of arbitrators or a single arbitrator. Arbitrators who are chosen are selected in accordance with the agreement of the parties or in accordance with the association’s rules if the parties fail to agree (American Arbitration Association, 2006). The American Arbitration Association has a long history and great experience in providing people with alternative dispute resolution services.Another major role the AAA plays in resolving disputes is by administering cases starting from filing to closing. Administrative services are offered to both the American citizens, as well as those who are abroad through the International centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). Some of the administrative services that the American Arbitration Asso ciation and ICDR provide to the people include settling disputes through mediation, setting hearings, and the appointing the arbitrators and mediators who are in charge of cases that are presented.The association ensures that both mediation and arbitration cases are handled in an impartial and fair manner. To ensure that people are provided with effective alternative dispute resolution services, the American Arbitration Association is involved in the designing and the development of alternative resolution (ADR) systems for courts, unions, law firms, corporations, and government agencies. In addition, people who desire to learn more about alternative dispute resolution are able to receive training, education and publications from the association.Election services are also provided by the American Arbitration Association. The American Arbitration Association has shown its commitment to provide customer focused alignment of its resources by creating five divisions. These divisions incl ude the International, the commercial, state insurance, and construction and labor/employment/elections disciplines. These alternative dispute resolution disciplines encompass expertise in various and specific case loads (Lynch, 2001). This has made it easy for people to access necessary information about dispute resolution.The creation of the divisions provides customers with more customized services which can effectively address the specific disputes are presented in the association. The dispute resolution services that American Arbitration Association offers to the Americans involve construction, consumer, technology, employment, intellectual property, financial services, and health care and international trade conflicts. However, the association is not limited to addressing conflicts in these areas only.The alternative dispute resolution resources at the American Arbitration Association offer education and training services, the association’s rules, a panel of neutral med iators and arbitrators, as well as case administration services. These resources are utilized to ensure that real world and cost effective solutions are provided to the consumers, counsel, business, government agencies, and industry professionals (Brunet, 2006). Case administrations are offered by the American Arbitration Association in conjunction with its Dispute Avoidance and Early Resolution procedures and rules.The Arbitration and mediation procedures and rules are also offered. In case administration, a dispute resolution process begins with the filing of a case which is then followed by the selection of an appropriate mediator and arbitrator . The hearing of the cases then follow. A final decision is then made after the case hearings and then the case is closed. To assist with the case procedural elements, the association appoints skilled case managers. In addition, by providing clients with an AAA Arbitration map, the association ensures that the clients are guided through t he case processes, and advice given to them on the available options.The clients are able to benefit from the advice offered by the association on how to best manage the process by saving on time and cost. To choose a neutral for a case, a more customized approach by the American Arbitration Association provides customers with the association’s enhanced neutral selection process for large complex cases (LCC). The parties to the LCC are able to get access to five tools that based on the client-selected criteria enhance screening options. To win customer service, the association has put into place a case management team.In this approach, a case manager act as the primary point person who has the ultimate responsibility for a particular case that is given to the entire case management team. This has enabled the association to assure and give confidence to clients that cases are always addressed appropriately. In order to avoid and resolve disputes early before issues arise, the association provides customers with early dispute resolution services. The American Arbitration Association acknowledges that dispute is inevitable hence having proper mechanisms to avoid and quickly resolve disputes is crucial (Ury, 2000).The need to act proactively in providing formal dispute resolution treatments and avoiding disputes has made it necessary for AAA to develop early dispute resolution services. To assist the clients to be well prepared, to avoid, and to minimize challenges that result from disputes, the association offers various dispute avoidance and easily resolution services. Arbitration requires the involved parties to submit a dispute to impartial persons who offer an â€Å"award† which is the final and binding decision when an arbitration case is over. Awards are made in writing and are always binding to the parties.This varies with mediation in that, mediation facilitates negotiation and communication between the parties in dispute. A mediation proces s encourages the parties in dispute to voluntarily make decisions that will end the dispute. Mediation process is considered to be an effective way of resolving disputes prior to litigation or arbitration. The association provides its arbitration and mediation services by providing the AAA rules and procedures to govern ADR processes and to increase customer’s access to the associations’ well trained and screened neutrals.The association’s neutrals have great knowledge, skills, and experience in resolving disputes. The association has over 7, 000 neutrals located in various parts of the world, and their conduct is guided by the AAA code of Ethics. When parties file a case, then the association provides the parties with information about the neutrals. To ensure that all arbitration and mediation cases are fair, the association has developed rules that need to be followed to solve disputes in state programs, consumer, labor, employment and commercial disputes.The international division of the American Arbitration Association is referred to as the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). The establishment of the ICDR aimed at providing other individuals and organizations around the globe with services that the AAA was providing to the American people. Just like the American Arbitration Association, the ICDR has a primary responsibility to resolve disputes and to administer cases impartially. The ICDR has shown good organization and expertise in the administration of the international arbitration cases.The International Centre for Dispute Resolution has established cooperative agreements with various nations and institutions in order to facilitate the filing and hearing of arbitration cases (Christian and Gabriele, 2006). The ICDR has managed to do this by establishing agreements with 43 countries and 62 arbitral institutions world wide. The agreements allow the filing and hearing of cases to be done anywhere in the world. A case th at is filed based on ICDR international rules require case managers to start working on ways through which the client can be provided with up to date progress of the case.The case managers have great experience in dealing with overseas arbitration and mediation issues and are fluent in at least 13 languages. The centre has a world wide panel of over 400 independent mediators and arbitrators who have the primary responsibility of hearing and resolving cases. Each year, the ICDR handles several hundred multinational cases. The association has its offices in Mexico, Ireland, Mexico City, Dubai and New York. Through the American Arbitration Association national roster of Arbitrators and mediators, experienced and respected experts from the business and legal communities can serve the people.The association provides clients with information on alternative dispute resolution information through published books, periodicals, and on line courses. The American Arbitration Association book st ore offer videos of various issues about ADR and enhances all individuals' conflict management skills. Challenges facing the American Arbitration Association One major challenge that the American Arbitration Association faces concerns the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. The ICDR offers its service to many individuals and organizations all over the globe.In its work, the centre receives cases that aim at resolving international conflicts. In the contemporary society, international disputes keep on increasing as nations seek to achieve economic prosperity and political interests (Lynch, 2001). The ICDR has the mandate to administer the cases presented to it impartially and with fairness. Due to the sensitivity of international conflicts, the ICDR faces the challenge of how to resolve international conflicts or disputes in an impartial manner due to the factors that may a case complicated.The association has always asserted its commitment to fair and equal treatment of ind ividuals or organizations. In addition, the association is committed to ensuring that it continues to be diverse in opinion, its services, and its staff. The challenge is how to ensure that the association continues with its commitment to diversification. Furthermore, the association faces the challenge of how to effectively recruit professionals who will act as representatives at a global level, hire diverse staff, and nominate individuals from minority groups to leadership rules.In solving international conflicts, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution faces the challenge of giving a fair judgment in disputes that are politically motivated. Although the ICDR may resolve a dispute, lack of cooperation from one of the parties involved in the dispute is a great challenge when conducting case proceedings. When it comes to international disputes in the environment field, the ICDR faces the challenge of resolving disputes while at the same time respecting the involved nations, international and bilateral agreements that provide for the settlement of such disputes.Having states comply with the international obligations has become an important issue in international obligations. Conclusion The American Arbitration Association since its establishment has served people with dispute resolution services. The association has gained a lot of experience in providing alternative dispute resolution services to people world wide. Examples of these services include arbitration and mediation. Apart from providing its services in the United States, the association provides alternative dispute resolution services to people at an international level through the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR).In addition, the association in efforts to provide high quality services to the customers has developed effective strategies through disputes between parties can be solved in a fair manner. Many people and organizations are now filing cases with the American Arbitr ation Association due to the benefits it has proved to offer to the customer. However, the association faces several challenges which it needs to address in order to serve the customers appropriately. References American Arbitration Association. 2006. ADR and Law.JurisNet, LLC Publishers American Arbitration Association. www. adr. org. Accessed on April 13, 2009 Brunet, D. 2006. Arbitration Law in America: A Critical Assessment. Cambridge University Press Christian, U. , and Gabriele, K. 2006. Arbitration and Mediation in International Business Lynch, J. 2001. â€Å"ADR and Beyond: A Systems Approach to Conflict Management†, Negotiation Journal, Volume 17, Number 3, July 2001, Volume, p. 213. Ury, W. 2000. The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop. Penguin Putnam. New York

Emerging Market Economy; a Case of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Emerging Market Economy; a Case of China - Essay Example This essay describes economic achievements of China on the way of successful transforming its economic system towards market economy, while establishing the reasons behind such success. Also the essay discusses the reasons that could lead to differences in mode of entry strategies of foreign direct investment between emerging markets and developed markets. It is shown in the essay, that China has had a rapid economic growth in the last three decades since the initiation of economic reforms in the year 1979. This fast rate of economic growth has caught the world's attention, and China is now a strong emerging economy almost closing the gap between it and the US. China is now a strong emerging economy almost closing the gap between it and the United States of America. It has become a major world economic power. There has been a tremendous improvement in the macroeconomic indicators over the past decade. From 2004, the China's GDP has been growing steadily at the rate of between 9.9% and 10%. There has also been a positive growth in net export, increase foreign reserves and of great significant increase in the outward Foreign Direct Investment. In the past decade, the country has benefitted from FDI and also had some negative spillovers as an emerging economy. Some of the benefits include the generation of exports and imports, labor mobility, horizontal and vertical integration, creation of more employment opportunities, capacity building of human capital and increase in Gross Domestic Investment among others.

US Drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan to Put an Immediate End to the War Research Paper

US Drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan to Put an Immediate End to the War - Research Paper Example The emotions were not confined to slogans only; the Japanese military had already issued the order to execute all Allied prisoners if there was an  invasion (Jowett & Andrew, 2002). Finally, Anami's debates were overpowered when  Emperor Hirohito  directly asked to end the war himself (Toland & John, 1982). People who slant the decision of nuclear bombings are well in numbers. Among them are numerous US military leaders as well as ex-president  Herbert Hoover. And they move for the notion that the nuclear bombing was simply an addition to an already violent bombing campaign (Wilson, 2007).   The bombing campaign along with the sea blockade and the downfall of Germany (with its effects regarding relocation of troops), would also have brought Japanese administration to surrender, therefore proving that the atomic bombings were unnecessary from a strategic point of view. On the opposing side Kyoko Iriye Selden stated; "The most influential text is  Truman's 1955  Memoirs, which states that the atomic bomb probably saved half a million US lives— anticipated casualties in an Allied invasion of Japan planned for November.  Stimson  subsequently talked of saving one million US casualties, and  Churchill  of saving one million American and half that number of British lives" (Selden, 1989). In one sentence, the US dropped the nuclear bombs on Japan to put an instant end to World War II. The USA was intending to conquer Japan to placate it. Iwo Jima and Okinawa in particular, were unfathomably blood-spattered skirmishes. Japan didn’t care for its own citizens' lives and intended to transform their whole island into a battle fort. It was assessed that fatalities would be 1 million Americans and 500,000 British in the just the first invasion. Some skeptics say that it was used it to scare USSR as well, but there is no denying that they overlooked the final warning on 27 July 1945 after suffering the worst regular bombs could do. Debate rests that ‘The Bomb’ actually saved Japanese and allied lives. The Allies asked for absolute capitulation of the Axis. The Allies, commanded by the United States, pushed back the Japanese expansion one island after another in the Pacific. When Guam was captured, the Allies had strong barracks from which they would start the assault. The assessment of American losses for an invasion of Japan was over 1 million US citizens and soldiers, or perhaps, over 2 million Americans. The United States dropped down two atom bombs to save US citizens and accelerate the end of the war. Before dropping the atomic bomb, Japan was given warnings to surrender or suffer dire penalties. But the government of Japan put aside the warnings. While the use of nuclear bomb was a tactical and warfare turning point in both the WWII and all future political actions, there were more people slain, mutilated, and incapacitated during the Tokyo firebombing campaigns than when the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This act was done to lure Japan to submit without further hostile actions. And in fact Japan did surrender speedily therefore saving almost 100,000 American soldiers and possibly over 1,000,000 Japanese who would have perished if the US had waged a conventional attack on Japan. The Allies engaged atomic weaponries to hit Japan so that it won’t ge t up too soon. The Japanese were invading the US soil and that US had every right to defend itself. A fight-back from the US was inevitable. This argument can take any form and shape. For instance, if the US had been invading Japan, every

RAN Clean Coal Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RAN Clean Coal Report - Case Study Example In times like these, when the needs are growing and the resources are limited people, companies and industries need to come together in order come to terms with the current environmental issues that are depreciating day by day and which if not dealt in time and according may lead to a hazardous tomorrow or who knows there may not be a tomorrow. RAN or the Rainforest Forest Area Network is an organization that works with grass-root level supporters, shareholders and other partner NGOs in cultivating awareness among the masses, different companies and industries regarding issues concerning environment, the proper maintenance of the eco-system and the different ways companies can contribute to the sustainability of a greener future. The report depicts the inner urge of mankind which needs to be aroused within the society to truly break its oil and coal addictions, protect endangered forests, and promote human rights and sustainable finance, with everyone's participation. RAN or the Rainforest Area Network was founded by Randy Hayes in the year 1985 is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, USA consisting of 43 staff members from CA, Tokyo, Japan and all other concerned citizens across the globe. The main aim and objective that motivates the organisation and the people attached to it is the creation of a sustainable world which they believe can be created within one's life time if one is committed enough and immediate aggressive measures and actions are taken. Since its initiation RAN has been working with towards the protection of the rainforests by supporting the rights of its inhabitants through the means of education, grassroots organization and nonviolent direct action. By working together with the student groups, indigenous forest communities and NGOs and through the organizations own effective strategies RAN was able to accomplish its mission by organizing campaigns to redirect corporations away from the destruction and exploitation of non-sustainable forest resources (About RAN, 2008). This was RAN's first and one of the many accomplishments that followed, in their endeavor for a better, a greener future and a sustainable world. RAN's take on Clean Coal The latest of the environmental issues that RAN is involved in is coal and finding the truth that lies behind the term "clean coal". Coal is the dirtiest and yet the biggest source of electricity in America. It is the most carbon dioxide-intensive fossil fuel, for every pound of coal that is burnt, three pounds of carbon dioxide gets emitted. Naturally coal mines are the primary source of increasing number of asthma and lung cancer patients. In addition to this the extraction of coal requires strip mining which results in massive amounts of water pollution and generation of toxic wastes. However coal being the America's one of the most important resource for generating wealth and electricity for the present and for the future as well, the lure that it poses is insurmountable. Research and development over the last two decades on "clean coal technology" the term which describes the technologies that are being worked upon in

The Talk with Voluntary Participation of a Project Assignment

The Talk with Voluntary Participation of a Project - Assignment Example I explained to them it has to be done according to the procedure to avoid problems in complicated studies. They were given the list of words first and allowed to study it. It took about 2-5 minutes to study the list. Then they were given the distracter math quiz and recognition test thereafter. All participants were keen to answer the math quiz. At the end of the test, they wanted to know how many answers were correct. In Recognition test participants were asked to circle the words that they have seen in the word list prior to the math quiz. Two participants requested a further explanation of the procedure and I explained them. One subject wanted to read the word list for another time (aftermath quiz) but he was not permitted to do so. All the participants were confident about the words which were on the memory list and two of them (A and B) correctly circled all words in the list. Further, they confidently gave scores for the words they believed that was on the list. However, when they were asked to give scores from 1-5 for each word, that was not in the list they were confused and three of them felt that their early answers were wrong and they have missed more. They were confident about the words in the memory list but less confident about the words not in the list. They spent comparatively longer time to decide the scores for the words not in the list and for most words they gave scores less than 5. Only one participant (B) confidently gave 5 marks for the words, not in the list and all of his answers were correct. It took approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete a session with a participant. Since participants wanted to know their results at the end of each session their scores were calculated and explained. Three of them wanted to spend some time to go through the wrong answers and understand them. Therefore answer papers were given back to them for about 5 to 10Â  minutes.

For-profit organization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For-profit organization - Research Paper Example It is illustrative to examine the difficulties behind adopting this particular accounting procedure. The Volvo Group has a number of divisions: Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses, Volvo Construction, Volvo Penta, Volvo Aero and Volvo Financial Services. Volvo is primarily a vehicle and automobile manufacturer, but its finance website offers leases and finance solutions, meaning that accounting is doubly important for the firm (Volvo AB, 2011). Volvo had an excellent year across all departments: â€Å"During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Volvo Group continued to grow at a good pace with higher sales in all regions, improved profitability and a very strong cash flow. Year-on-year sales were up 23% to SEK 73.4 billion. Operating income improved to SEK 5.5 billion and the operating cash flow from Industrial operations amounted to SEK 15.1 billion. As a result of improved profitability and strong cash flow, net debt in the Industrial operations is now down to 37% of shareholders’ equity, which is in accordance with our objective†.

Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Suicide - Essay Example Statistics show that the population at risk for suicide includes the age people who have recently failed at a venture or have lost a loved one and those who have failed at business. It is quite common for businesspeople to take their own lives when they fail at a business and hence incur heavy losses. Once they feel that they are unable to pay off their debts, they usually commit suicide. Further, among teenagers the suicidal tendencies are more particularly for those who have been rejected by someone who they feel that they have loved. These are the cases where passion plays a major role in the reasons for committing suicide. The signs to watch out for when people have an intention to commit suicide include loss of appetite, general withdrawal from social activities, a tendency to be inclined towards depression etc. Hence, the people around the potential suicide victim need to watch out for these signs and take preventive action before it is too late. It is usually the family or friends around the person who has suicidal tendencies who need to take the potential victim to a therapist or counselor and make him or her attend those sessions with a view to provide succor to them and deter them from committing suicide. Usually when a person commits suicide, it is the people around him or her who need to bear the pain of the loss of a loved one and particularly so considering that they might blame themselves for the victim’s behavior. Hence, it is contingent upon the family and friends to spot the symptoms early and take necessary action. Suicide and the act of taking one’s life represent an extreme form of behavior and hence, laws explicitly prohibit people from taking their own lives. Hence, not only is the act of committing suicide illegal but also immoral as well. It is ingrained in our nature to fight the

Modern Public Health emphasises the importance of public involvement Essay

Modern Public Health emphasises the importance of public involvement. Critically and creatively analyse relevant literature to explain ways in which practitione - Essay Example Institute for Health Research â€Å"which aims to promote and support active public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research.† The group believes Specific organization†(Department of Health, 2006). Because people are involved in making decisions about their own health care and that of those they are close to, practitioners can be instrumental in identifying the needs of the public in which it serves. Goals of the new system are to develop a â€Å"health and social care system planned around the needs of individual people and those of the community,† create services that are â€Å" flexible, responsive, open to challenge, accountable to communities and constantly open to improvement,† and lastly, â€Å"assign decision making to the local level†(DH, 2006). Practitioners should encourage and collaborate with educators locally to provide health topic information to the youngest of the public population who will one day become the leaders and major influence in the lives of others. Even at the youngest levels, children are capable of absorbing and processing large amounts of information. One forum or place for health services that is becoming increasingly common is the workplace. The public is generally aware of job stress, health and safety risks and general employment practices that are unhealthy. Practitioners can also encourage local employers to become involved in the health education process, as an integral part of the particular workplace. Practitioners can then make recommendations for changes in processes or policies that encourage better physical and mental health, fewer workplace injuries and less time taken from work. Practitioners should be open to workplace complaints that those they serve provide. They can become advocates by addressing such diagnostic tools developed to assist them. This is a great way to influence the public and involve them in decision making processes. Allowing residents of a particular geographic area to

Ecology Essay Example for Free

Ecology Essay Patterns of plant successional change in Gatineau Park, Old Chelsea, were studied quantitatively. The relations between different successional stages of plant communities and abiotic factors were descried. To test these, we went to the fields, and worked on two transect in groups of 4. We counted the trees and measured the diameter at breast height (dbh) for tree with a dbh value greater than 2cm. The dbh measurements (cm), percentage of fern cover and percentage of bare ground were recorded and used to perform statistical analysis. No significant variations in the distribution of abundant tree species using chi2 analysis and percentage of fern cover using t-test analysis were observed between the compared sites. No significant variations found in the interquadrat analysis, and mean dbh of abundant tree species and percentage of bare ground between the sites compared. The results verified the stated hypothesis and were supported by literature sources. Introduction The purpose of this study is to quantitatively describe patterns of plant successional change in old-field succession in temperate mixed forest ecosystems and to describe the relation between abiotic factors and plant communities at different successional stages. Succession is described as predictable patterns of change over time and specifically, in ecology, as the predictable pattern of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. There are two types of succession; primary and secondary. Primary succession refers to the successional development of plant communities that takes place on a site formerly devoid of vegetation and usually lack well developed soil. Secondary succession refers to the successional development of plant communities that takes place when a well developed ecological community is disturbed either by natural or anthropogenic factors. Secondary successions are typically faster than primary successions since well developed soil is already present (Kaufman Franz, 2000). Old field succession is a type of anthropogenic secondary succession that refers to the successional development of plant communities on abandoned farmland (Cramer and Hobbs, 2007). This lab looks at an old field succession in the temperate mixed forest biome, particularly an area along the main rail of Gatineau Park Visitor Centre in Old Chelsea. This study area consists of five different sites which have been divided into transects and subdivided into quadrats. Each transect has 3 quadrats, and each site has 4 transects. There are five sites overall: site 1, site 2, site 3a, site 3b, and site 4. Each site has a different location and has had different type of disturbance. Dbh measurements (cm) of all identified tree species, percentage of plot area bare ground and percentage of area covered by ferns were recorded within the assigned quadrats. The dbh measurements were grouped into two size categories; dbh ≠¥ 2cm and dbh ≠¤ 2cm. Null hypotheses to be tested: HO1: there is no significant statistical difference between quadrats 1 and 2 of site 3a transect 2 HO2: there is no significant statistical difference between quadrats 1 and 3 of site 3a transect 2 HO3: there is no significant statistical difference between quadrats 2 and 3 of site 3a transect 2 HO4: there is no significant statistical difference between the three most abundant species of site 3a transect 2 and site 1 transect 2 HO5: there is no significant statistical difference between the dbh value for the three most abundant species at site 3a transect 2 and site 1 transect 2 HO6: there is no significant statistical difference between the percentage of bare ground at site 3a transect 2 and site 1 transect 2 HO7: there is no significant statistical difference between the percentage of plot area covered by ferns at site 3a transect 2 and site 1 transect 2 The alternate hypotheses for each of the null hypotheses state that there is a significant difference between what is being comp ared. Materials Method Refer to â€Å"Bio 2129 Ecology Lab Manual†, â€Å"Lab # 3 – Human modification of temperate forests: Disturbance and succession†, pages 4-6. Modification: Where it says to leave the string at the transect (bottom of page 5), was modified since we were given the measuring equipment before the lab began. Results Figure 1 (a) shows that at site 3a (transect 2), sugar maple is the most abundant tree species among tree species with dbh ≠¥ 2cm. (b) shows glossy buckthorn is the most abundant tree species among tree species with dbh ≠¤ 2cm. Table 1 show no statistical significance to the t-stat, therefore no significant variation exists among the quadrats 1+2 and 2+3 for the mean dbh (cm) of sugar maple. So we fail to reject the null hypothesis. On the other hand, quadrat 1+ 3 shows variation according to the t stat, therefore the null hypothesis for that quadrat is rejected. Figure 2 shows that among tree species with dbh ≠¥ 2cm, sugar maple, iron wood, red pine are the most abundant tree species at both sites 1 (transect 2), and site 1 (transect 2). Figure 3 shows that among tree species with dbh ≠¤ 2cm, sugar maple, glossy buckthorn and red ash are the most abundant tree species at site 3a (transect 2). Sugar maple, iron wood, and white ash are the most abundant tree species at site 1 (transect 2). Table 4 shows no statistical significance. We fail to reject the null hypothesis. Table 5 shows no statistical significance to the t-stats and therefore there is no significant variation in the mean dbh (cm) ≠¥ 2 cm. We fail to reject the null hypothesis. Table 6 shows no statistical significance. We fail to reject the null hypothesis.

The Bodily Continuity Criterion Philosophy Essay

The Bodily Continuity Criterion Philosophy Essay In this chapter I will demonstrate that the bodily criterion alone is not sufficient for continuation of identity, by describing the limits of acceptable physical change. However, I will also show that some form of physical continuation is necessary, such as a persons genetic make-up. Some materialist philosophers (such as Eric Olsen) have claimed that the physical body is the seat of the identity. This view claims that as long as one keeps the same body throughout their life, they are guaranteed to maintain their unique identity. This approach makes identifying selves clear and simple, as we can identify the exact spatio-temporal location of each self, as well as the starts and ends of selves. So, for example, if someone commits a crime, we can easily establish whether they are guilty or not by evidence such a fingerprints and witness testimony. As long as their body committed the crime, we are able to punish them for it. Criticisms, particularly in light of change over time There is a lot of opposition to the view that our identity should be limited to just the physical body. This position is contrary to most religions, which view our immaterial souls as intrinsic to our identities. The religious conception of a soul tends to be like that of consciousness, and some religions, such as Judeo-Christian religions, claim that this part of us continues to live on after the physical body has died. (As Parfitt points out,) The bodily criterion would only allow for a second life in the form of a physical resurrection or reincarnation. We certainly should not dismiss the position simply because it is incompatible with popular religions, though. There are more damning criticisms of the bodily criterion for identity, however. Our bodies are constantly changing- growing, shedding or regenerating cells, etc. So how much of our body must stay the same in order for us to be classed as the same person we were several years ago? For example, a popular analogy was given which describes the philosopher John Lockes favourite pair of socks, which grow holes in from being worn so often. As the holes develop, Locke repairs them with patches. But after a while of repairing his socks, none of the original material remains, and they are simply a patchwork of new pieces of material (Where is this from?). The original debate, of which Lockes example was a variation, is that of the Ship of Theseus, which has its pieces replaced one at a time, as necessary (Plutarch, p?). Many people believe that, at some point, the Ship of Theseus loses too many of its original pieces and ceases to be the same ship that Theseus had returned from Crete in. Simi larly, many believe that Lockes favourite pair of socks cease to exist when none of the original yarns are present. But, if we are to equate identity with the bodys cells, this position claims we must develop a new identity as our bodily cells change during our lifetime. This is a bizarre position to hold, as there would be no detectable change in our appearance or attitude Possible solutions to criticisms, and the success of these solutions But not everyone agrees that this is the case. Many people believe that the gradual change involved in the previous examples ensures that they retain their former identity. In the case of Lockes socks, the consensus tends to be that the resulting pair of socks are indeed the same as his favourite pair of socks, as this is the way we speak of things which have been repaired. Similarly, the gradual change of the Ship of Theseus ensures it retains its identity. As this pertains to the body, it suggests that, despite each of our cells being regenerated every ten years, this does not inhibit us from remaining the same person. This means the gradual change of our bodys cells falls within the acceptable limits of change, apparently saving the bodily criterion for identity. Thomas Hobbes offered another variation upon this theme, whereby the ships planks ere replaced with aluminium (Hobbes, p.135?). The pieces removed from the ship were then reassembled to form a replica ship. But in this example, we are more inclined to state that the replica ship which has been assembled from the original pieces is the same ship of Theseus, while the aluminium replacement is a replica. This is perhaps because a crucial part of the theory of bodily continuity is that it requires we maintain essentially the same genetic structure. This makes the concept of bodily continuity highly supported by the sciences, which tend to view us as biological creatures governed by the physical reactions which occur within our brains. A result of this is that, while our bodies could be perfectly but entirely replicated in a metallic form, these robots would lack our genetic code and would thus be a replica, rather than ourselves. Genetic determinism takes this position further, and claims that who we are is entirely dependent upon our genetics. Genetic determinists suggest that a clone and his original would have the exact same identities. The effect of genetics upon ones identity has been investigated by studies of monozygotic (identical) twins, who are genetically identical. While studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twins have previously suggested that up to 50% of our personality is genetic (ref?), most twins tend to be raised in similar environments, making it difficult to separate the influences of nature and nurture. But studies of monozygotic twins who have been raised separately indicate that only 20 to 25% of our personality is genetic in nature (Ewen, p. 73). So we have established that the gradual regeneration of our cells during our lives falls within the realms of acceptable change, whereas being replaced with a non-human body (for example, a metal one) does not. So where exactly are the boundaries for changes we deem to be acceptable? How much of our body could we lose without losing our identity? Bernard Williams describes the physical spectrum, where a persons body is replaced very gradually. He claims that this example is subject to the heap paradox. In the same way removing a grain from a heap does not stop it from being a heap, it seems that each change is too small to change our identity. Yet by the end of it the persons body has been replaced with that of Napoleons. In this example, Williams describes the physical changes which occur to the subject of this experiment, but not the psychological effects. While his body has been replaced with that of Napoleons, he may well still maintain all the same character traits and memories we associate with his original self. While this is a very radical example, it does have practical implications. If a certain amount of our body is required to stay the same for us to remain the same person, this raises questions about amputees and people who undergo extensive plastic surgery. For example, what if a man had his arms amputated, and then his legs? Would he still be the same man he was prior to these operations? While he may now lack many of the skills he had before, it seems unfair to claim he is not the same man. What if he was somehow reduced to simply his head, though? Some claim that it is not the whole body which is required for continuity of the self, but a very small part of it: the brain. This objection was raised by Sydney Shoemaker, who describes a thought experiment regarding Brown and Robinson. Brown undergoes a brain transplant, and his brain is placed in the body of Robinson. When Robinsons body awakes, it remembers everything of Browns life, behaves like Brown, has the same beliefs as Brown, and even adopts all the mannerisms his family have come to associate with him. It seems that Brown and Robinsons family alike must agree that Robinsons body is now home to Browns identity. While this is a very extreme case, it does demonstrate that the body alone is neither a sufficient nor necessary condition for the continuity. Eric Olson, however, defends the bodily criterion against this criticism, viewing the individual simply as a biological organism. He claims that humans can withstand complete psychological change and remain the same as long as they are alive for. I disagree with this position, however. It seems to me that if you remove a persons personality, mannerisms, memories, dispositions, etc, you have removed that persons very identity. It seems to me that in considering the individual as a human animal, Olson oversimplifies the issue of identity. It is easy to say that the human being still exists despite this overhaul of their mental life, but it is very difficult to substantiate the claim that their personal identity has not been at all affected by this. R. B. Ewen, Personality, a topical approach: theories, research, major controversies and emerging findings, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates Inc Publishers, New Jersey, 1998. T. Hobbes and W. Moleworth, Elements of Philosophy, vol. 4 of The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, London, J. Bohn. J. Locke? H. Noonan, Personal Identity, E. Olsen, The Human Animal: Personal Identity Without Psychology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997. D. Parfit, Reasons and Persons, Plutarch, Lives, J. Langhorne and W. Langhorne (eds), Harpers and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1859. B. Williams

Myne Owne Ground Essay -- American History Slavery

Myne Owne Ground Anthony Johnson was a black man who arrived in Virginia around 1621 and was purchased to work as a slave in the tobacco fields of the Bennett Plantation. At that time he was merely known as â€Å"Antonio a Negro†, as it wasn’t common for black slaves to have last names. On March 22nd, 1622, an Indian attack on the Bennett plantation left only 12 surviving slaves, one of them being Anthony. In that same year a woman named Mary arrived at the plantation. Being that she was the only woman living at the Bennett plantation in 1625, Anthony could be considered fortunate to have received her as his wife. Together they had at least four children. It isn’t known how Anthony received his full name of Anthony Johnson, but the time that it is believed that this happened leaves some clues for speculation. It is presumed that someone named Johnson helped Anthony and his wife escape to freedom, apparently sometime between 1625 and 1650. In the 1640’s it is belie ved that Anthony and his family owned a small farm in Northamton where they raised livestock, which was mostly des...

Alcohol and the Causes of Student Binge Drinking Essay -- Expository C

Causes of Student Binge Drinking We've all heard it before: "Too much of anything is bad for us." The amount of binge drinking occurring on American college campuses today proves that college students do not heed this warning. Binge drinking, or drinking for the purpose of getting drunk, harms both drinkers and non-drinkers alike. As today's college students come dangerously close to being swept away in the sea of papers, exams, jobs, and interviews, they use bingeing as the lifeboat that allows them to escape the stress. It allows them to forget their worries, fit in with the crowd, and live on the edge in a fast-paced world that normally does not leave time for such activities. Teetering on the brink of adulthood, yet still trapped in childhood makes drinking decisions difficult for many college students. A desire to get away from our usual lives because of societal regulations and conformity, psychological and emotional problems, and the stress of everyday life causes college binge drinking. The need to conform to societal norms set by peers leads to college binge drinking. Over the years, drinking has become a popular pastime for college students. A study conducted by Dr. Katherine C. Lyall of the University of Wisconsin defined binge drinking as "five or more drinks in a row one or more times during a two week period for men, and four or more drinks in a row one or more times during the same period for women." Lyall's study, in which 145 colleges from 40 states participated, found that 84% of all students drank during the school year. It also found that 44% of all students were binge drinkers, and 19% binged three or more times within a two week period (Lyall). Students feel the need to drink in order to fit in wit... ... well as those surrounding him or her. Societal norms, psychological and emotional problems, and stress all contribute to binge drinking. These factors should not be excuses, however. Today's college students are capable of finding a legal and safe lifeboat that keeps them from being sucked under the waves of daunting college pressures. Works Cited Addeo, Edmond G. and Jovita Reichling. Why Our Children Drink. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1975. Hamilton, Cheryl. Communicating for Results. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997. Lyall, Katherine C., PhD. "Binge Drinking on American College Campuses." August 1995. October 14, 1998. (available online). http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/RWJ_S.htm North, Robert and Richard Orange, Jr. Teenage Drinking. New York: Collier Books, 1980. Rouse, Ewing. Drinking. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1978.

scarlet letter :: essays research papers

Summer Reading: The Scarlet Letter In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is prevalent, understanding symbolism is necessary for understanding Hawthorne’s novels. The rosebush is a symbol in the novel. It is rendered through the characters of Hester and Pearl in how they are perceived by the people. Hester Prynne has been convicted of being an adulteress. She is put on a scaffold as a form of public humiliation and told to wear a Scarlet A on her breast to identify herself with shame. Hester stands on the scaffold for three hours. As she stands, she looks around at the crowd of people. Inside she is shameful but to the onlookers she appears proud. The rosebush also from a distance looks majestic and alive but as one gets closer, its thorns are revealed. Hester, like the rosebush, is very pretty and majestic but as one gets closer the Scarlet A of an adulteress is revealed. In the wild, rosebushes use their thorns to keep predators away. Hester and Pearl are like rosebushes because they try to keep people at a distance from them. As Pearl grows up she becomes a very pretty, young girl as her mother is. She is also faced with the reality that she was born out of wedlock. Pearl develops a rude, annoying personality because she has never had anyone that has wanted to be close to her because of her predestined status in the community. Before she has even grown up she is known as an inferior member of society. Her personality is her protection, just as thorns on a rosebush protect the flowers. Hester uses her Scarlet A to keep Hester from having anyone close to her. Her past has kept her from wanting anyone to try and pry into her business. She would rather people stay away from her and her family to prevent any more gossip or talk about her. However, by the novel's end, Hester has become a proto-feminist mother figure to the women of the community. The sham e attached to her scarlet letter is long gone. Women recognize that her punishment stemmed in part from the town fathers' sexism, and they come to Hester seeking shelter from the sexist forces under which they themselves suffer. Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable, but not necessarily extraordinary, woman. A rosebush too, is portrayed as being strong yet beautiful plant.

Indian Mathematicians Essay

He was born on 22na of December 1887 in a small village of Tanjore district, Madras. He failed in English in Intermediate, so his formal studies were stopped but his self-study of mathematics continued. He sent a set of 120 theorems to Professor Hardy of Cambridge. As a result he invited Ramanujan to England. Ramanujan showed that any big number can be written as sum of not more than four prime numbers. He showed that how to divide the number into two or more squares or cubes. When Mr .Litlewood came to see Ramanujan in taxi number 1729, Ramanujan said that 1729 is the smallest number which can be written in the form of sum of cubes of two numbers in two ways, i.e. 1729 = 93 + 103 = 13 + 123 since then the number 1729 is called Ramanujan’s number. In the third century B.C, Archimedes noted that the ratio of circumference of a circle to its diameter is constant. The ratio is now called ‘pi ( ÃŽ   )’ (the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet series) The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 1053 with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar was an Indian Mathematician who was born in Erode, India in 1887 on December 22. He was born into a family that was not very well to do. He went to school at the nearby place, Kumbakonam. Ramanujan is very well known for his efforts on continued fractions and series of hypergeometry. When Ramanujan was thirteen, he could work out Loney’s Trigonometry exercises without any help. At the of fourteen, he was able to acquire the theorems of cosine and sine given by L. Euler. Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics by George Shoobridge Carr was reached by him in 1903. The book helped him a lot and opened new dimensions to him were opened which helped him introduce about 6,165 theorems for himself. As he had no proper and good books in his reach, he had to figure out on his own the solutions for all the questions. It was in this quest that he discovered many tremendous methods and new algebraic series ARYABHATA Aryabhatta was born in 476A.D in Kusumpur, India. He was the first person to say that Earth is spherical and it revolves around the sun. He gave the formula (a + b)2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab He taught the method of solving the following problems: Aryabhata wrote many mathematical and astronomical treatises. His chief work was the ‘Ayrabhatiya’ which was a compilation of mathematics and astronomy. The name of this treatise was not given to it by Aryabhata but by later commentators. A disciple by him called the ‘Bhaskara’ names it ‘Ashmakatanra’ meaning ‘treatise from the Ashmaka’. This treatise is also referred to as ‘Ayra-shatas-ashta’ which translates to ‘Aryabhata’s 108’. This is a very literal name because the treatise did in fact consist of 108 verses. It covers several branches of mathematics such as algebra, arithmetic, plane and spherical trigonometry. Also included in it are theories on continued fractions, sum of power series, sine tables and quadratic equations. Aryabhata worked on the place value system using letters to signify numbers and stating qualities. He also came up with an approximation of pi ( ) and area of a triangle. He introduced the concept of sine in his work called ‘Ardha-jya’ which is translated as ‘half-chord’. SHAKUNTALA DEVI She was born in 1939 In 1980, she gave the product of two, thirteen digit numbers within 28 seconds, many countries have invited her to demonstrate her extraordinary talent. In Dallas she competed with a computer to see who give the cube root of 188138517 faster, she won. At university of USA she was asked to give the 23rd root of 91674867692003915809866092758538016248310668014430862240712651642793465704086709659 32792057674808067900227830163549248523803357453169351119035965775473400756818688305 620821016129132845564895780158806771. She answered in 50seconds. The answer is 546372891. It took a UNIVAC 1108 computer, full one minute (10 seconds more) to confirm that she was right after it was fed with 13000 instructions. BHASKARACHARYA He was born in a village of Mysore district. He was the first to give that any number divided by 0 gives infinity (00). He has written a lot about zero, surds, permutation and combination. He wrote,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The hundredth part of the circumference of a circle seems to be straight. Our earth is a big sphere and that’s why it appears to be flat.† He gave the formulae like sin(A  ± B) = sinA.cosB  ± cosA.sinB Niels Henrik Abel born August 5, 1802, island of Finnà ¸y, near Stavanger, Norway—died April 6, 1829, Froland), Norwegian mathematician, a pioneer in the development of several branches of modern mathematics. Abel’s father was a poor Lutheran minister who moved his family to the parish of Gjerstad, near the town of Risà ¸r in southeast Norway, soon after Niels Henrik was born. In 1815 Niels entered the cathedral school in Oslo, where his mathematical talent was recognized in 1817 with the arrival of a new mathematics teacher, Bernt Michael Holmboe, who introduced him to the classics in mathematical literature and proposed original problems for him to solve. Abel studied the mathematical works of the 17th-century Englishman Sir Isaac Newton, the 18th-century German Leonhard Euler, and his contemporaries the Frenchman Joseph-Louis Lagrange and the German Carl Friedrich Gauss in preparation for his own research. Abel’s father died in 1820, leaving the family in straitened circumstances, but Holmboe contributed and raised funds that enabled Abel to enter the University of Christiania (Oslo) in 1821. Abel obtained a preliminary degree from the university in 1822 and continued his studies independently with further subsidies obtained by Holmboe. Abel’s first papers, published in 1823, were on functional equations and integrals; he was the first person to formulate and solve an integral equation. His friends urged the Norwegian government to grant him a fellowship for study in Germany and France. In 1824, while waiting for a royal decree to be issued, he published at his own expense his proof of the impossibility of solving algebraically the general equation of the fifth degree, which he hoped would bring him recognition. He sent the pamphlet to Gauss, who dismissed it, failing to recognize that the famous problem had indeed been settled. Abel spent the winter of 1825–26 with Norwegian friends in Berlin, where he met August Leopold Crelle, civil engineer and self-taught enthusiast of mathematics, who became his close friend and mentor. With Abel’s warm encouragement, Crelle founded the Journal fà ¼r die reine und angewandte Mathematik (â€Å"Journal for Pure and Applied Mathematics†), commonly known as Crelle’s Journal. The first volume (1826) contains papers by Abel,  including a more elaborate version of his work on the quintic equation. Other papers dealt with equation theory, calculus, and theoretical mechanics. Later volumes presented Abel’s theory of elliptic functions, which are complex functions (see complex number) that generalize the usual trigonometric functions. In 1826 Abel went to Paris, then the world centre for mathematics, where he called on the f oremost mathematicians and completed a major paper on the theory of integrals of algebraic functions. His central result, known as Abel’s theorem, is the basis for the later theory of Abelian integrals and Abelian functions, a generalization of elliptic function theory to functions of several variables. However, Abel’s visit to Paris was unsuccessful in securing him an appointment, and the memoir he submitted to the French Academy of Sciences was lost. Abel returned to Norway heavily in debt and suffering from tuberculosis. He subsisted by tutoring, supplemented by a small grant from the University of Christiania and, beginning in 1828, by a temporary teaching position. His poverty and ill health did not decrease his production; he wrote a great number of papers during this period, principally on equation theory and elliptic functions. Among them are the theory of polynomial equations with Abelian groups. He rapidly developed the theory of elliptic functions in competition with the German Carl Gustav Jacobi. By this time Abel’s fame had spread to all mathematical centres, and strong efforts were made to secure a suitable position for him by a group from the French Academy, who addressed King Bernadotte of Norway-Sweden; Crelle also worked to secure a professorship for him in Berlin. In the fall of 1828 Abel became seriously ill, and his condition deteriorated on a sled trip at Christmastime to visit his fiancà ©e at Froland, where he died. The French Academy published his memoir in 1841.

NCAE result and course preference of 1st yr college students of USI SY 2013-2014

Over a lifetime, both every individual and the industry will change; it is expected that many people will change occupations during their lives. Careers can make or break a person and the people around them. Youth of today, however, fail to recognize this. Career planning and preparation are often done during the last years of high school life, more often than not, Career preparation is not happening.During senior year in high school, students are faced with the dilemma on what they want to do right after graduation: pursue college education, learn a trade by enrolling in technical-vocational program, or work immediately. Ideally, counselors should conduct career education activities beginning in elementary school. When students start thinking about their careers in elementary school they are more likely to have better knowledge of their personal interests as well as what career options are available to them (Kayson, 2007).Helping students make successful transitions from high school to their next step in life is one of the most basic, but important tasks a school counselor faces (Lapan, 2007). Skorikov & Vondracek, (2007) contends that career planning should be viewed as a long term, ongoing career oriented process and one time, occupational choice approaches should be avoided. Whatever career decision the high school seniors eventually make, it is important to determine the career decision making process they undergo.It is also important to know which factors they consider or disregard in their career decisions. At stake in making the right career decision is their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Thus, it is very important that they choose the career that best fits each of them. Villar (2009) stated that most parents aspired for their children to become professionals. Whatever their socio-economic status, they wanted their children to pursue a course that would attach a title to their name upon graduation.Current research and trends have emphasize d the importance of career education and comprehensive school counseling programs in schools. To date, few researchers have asked students directly what they know and need to know for post-high school planning. Most of students, especially from the public secondary schools do not have accurate information about occupational opportunities to help them make appropriate career choice ( Atienza et. al, 2010). NCAE result and course preference of 1st yr college students of USI SY 2013-2014 Over a lifetime, both every individual and the industry will change; it is expected that many people will change occupations during their lives. Careers can make or break a person and the people around them. Youth of today, however, fail to recognize this. Career planning and preparation are often done during the last years of high school life, more often than not, Career preparation is not happening.During senior year in high school, students are faced with the dilemma on what they want to do right after graduation: pursue college education, learn a trade by enrolling in technical-vocational program, or work immediately. Ideally, counselors should conduct career education activities beginning in elementary school. When students start thinking about their careers in elementary school they are more likely to have better knowledge of their personal interests as well as what career options are available to them (Kayson, 2007).Helping students make successful transitions from high school to their next step in life is one of the most basic, but important tasks a school counselor faces (Lapan, 2007). Skorikov & Vondracek, (2007) contends that career planning should be viewed as a long term, ongoing career oriented process and one time, occupational choice approaches should be avoided. Whatever career decision the high school seniors eventually make, it is important to determine the career decision making process they undergo.It is also important to know which factors they consider or disregard in their career decisions. At stake in making the right career decision is their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Thus, it is very important that they choose the career that best fits each of them. Villar (2009) stated that most parents aspired for their children to become professionals. Whatever their socio-economic status, they wanted their children to pursue a course that would attach a title to their name upon graduation.Current research and trends have emphasize d the importance of career education and comprehensive school counseling programs in schools. To date, few researchers have asked students directly what they know and need to know for post-high school planning. Most of students, especially from the public secondary schools do not have accurate information about occupational opportunities to help them make appropriate career choice ( Atienza et. al, 2010).

Bernadine Healy

There is a sea of difference in being a leader and manager of an organization. Each one of the two persona can fit in a type of organization. But in the case of the Red Cross in the US,public interest, administrative responsibility and some of the recent ethical obligations confronting public administrators in their day to day decision making. Also examine the recent trend in privatizing government functions and appeared to have not fit at all occupying the presidency.She was a victim of the position not for becoming a tough, passionate, too-driven leader, but for not coming a manager of the international Red Cross that is largely resistant to change. It has been said that managers â€Å"do things right† while leaders, on the other hand, â€Å"do the right things†. Managers are concerned primarily with managing things. Leaders, on the other hand, are show concern for leading people.Dr. Healy’s short stint in the Red Cross showed that she was more than a leader th an a manager of the gargantuan relief service organization, whose organizational grandeur, financial resources and manpower are greater than the Philippine military establishment. In fact, she was described as â€Å"a tough professional who ruffled feathers but made things happen† and â€Å"a change agent for a culture resistant to change†.But amidst controversies generated from her tough program thrusts, changes and innovations and her strong leadership in the international Red Cross, she had to cave in to pressures even as the powerful board of governors had decided to fire her out. It came to pass that the Red Cross Red is after all a conservative, non transparent organizations with heavy decentralization down in its hierarchy, with people and chapters enmeshed in turf wars and to some extent rocked with financial anomalies and a blood business that has to be rectified. It was described to have a militaristic management and a politburo-like board of governors.Dr. He aly, who came in too passionate like a savior knight in shining armor, failed these to understand. Moreover, empathy as a vital organizational trait of a leader – as espoused by US Army logistics officer William Pagonis- was evidently lacking in the upmanship and leadership of Dr. Healy. In her rush to institute dramatic changes in the international Red Cross in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing she failed to factor in the use of empathy in drawing out support of Red Cross organizations under her leadership. As she was already hounded by criticisms right even in Red Cross board of governors, unlike Pagonis, Dr.Healy failed to build up team work and design a communication structure that could complement the Red Cross chain of command, the reason why her good intents and passions were misunderstood. She failed to approach Red Cross by managing than by leading, and to pursue a long-haul of transformation process. It worth to ponder that change requires time and pro cesses. In John Kotter’s Transformation Process in his book â€Å"Change or Die†, it takes many processes to transform men and in effect the organization, and many things have to be recognized and to make and unmake. On various areas where Dr.Healy was brought down particularly in her evident over zeal to make Red Cross perform and take novel pursuits with least shoring up of empathy to the men and women across and down the line of the organization, Kotter’s organizational processes are given much rationale*. Changing the behavior of people is the most important challenge for organizations trying to compete in a turbulent world, says John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor who has studied dozens of organizations in the midst of upheaval: â€Å"The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems.The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people. Those people may be called upon to respond to profound upheavals in mark etplace dynamics — the rise of a new global competitor, say, or a shift from a regulated to a deregulated environment — or to a corporate reorganization, merger, or entry into a new business. And as individuals, we may want to change our own styles of work — how we mentor subordinates, for example, or how we react to criticism. Yet more often than not, we can’t. † In relevance to ours, the Philippine Army has to â€Å"Change or Die† if wanted to survive in the high-technological, constantly changing times.There have been more critiques leveled to the Philippine military in its organizational mission, efficacy and those relating organizational stresses and dysfunctions. The current thrusts and posturing of the country’s military for transformation have still a long way to go in so far as hurdling and taking tasks along the generalist processes spelled out. And let it be said now that changing the behavior of men and officers towards a m ission an ever-changing times is a daunting task of the Philippine Army.

Answering Question Number One

Go Ahead Enterprises started as a company and made itself famous through its unique metal toys. The company was able to establish a national reputation for their product.   Its strength lies in having a manufacturing plant which produces the toys. However, as competition intensified, the company thinkers decided to overhaul the system and to go for more profit. This re-invention of the company was successful but only for a time. The atmosphere changed and soon the company found itself wondering where to start again.   Go Ahead Enterprises evolved from a manufacturing organization into a marketing one. This made the significant over-turn of the company, which sadly, was an unforeseen suicidal path. The company reduced its number of employees and moved to the city where it could market toys. It has stopped manufacturing its own metal toys. It sold its manufacturing plant. This decision was a critical one since the company never realized its important resource- the plant itself. Having a manufacturing plant is one key for sustainability.   Plus, the company is sure that each metal toy manufactured is at its best. Quality is assured. The demands or orders for the products can be handled easily since Go Ahead Enterprises supervises its own operation. Selling the manufacturing plant was an unwise move. Losing a great deal number of people is also critical since they are the company’s best asset. Letting go of competent and trained staff or employees is a loss to the company, too. People are one great resource that brings additional investments and profit. However, cutting knowledgeable and skilled employees off from the company may also result to downfall. The company’s big bosses’ decision to source instead of manufacturing its own metal toys became a major disappointment in the long run. Go Ahead Enterprises created a niche for itself in the market. Changing the position of that niche affects the company. What Go Ahead Enterprises did was to create another niche for itself by turning into a marketing company. It used to produce metal toys under its brand name.   But since the big bosses decided to make a complete overhaul, the company lost its niche as the manufacturer of metal toys. The company leaders’ decision was enough to ruin the company unintentionally.   On organisational level, they have induced the change. What they failed to see is the long-term effect of that decision. They saw profits coming in like never before. But an initial success is not a guarantee of future sustainability and growth. The company leaders never saw that right and noble decisions may sometime lead to a bitter path.   They should have seen the consequences first before jumping to conclusion and endanger the company’s growth, position in the market and quality of products. On the other hand, environmental factors do play a big part. Globalization floods the market with cheap products. This resulted to steeping competition and fight for consumers’ favor. Globalization made the market more diversified with more choices and alternatives. The consumers are left confused, bewildered and happy. The consumers are happy because influx of goods means affordability. They get to choose the products which suit their purse. Yet, cheap goods are sometimes made of inferior quality. Satisfaction is still an issue. There are consumers who still opt to buy branded products even if it is priced higher than the usual ones. Better to spend much than to be sorry, so they say. Go Ahead Enterprises banked on globalisation and joined the bandwagon to keep itself on top of the game. It imitated other companies which are also changing their company’s course to accommodate changes. The environmental change brought by globalization has transformed, but not necessarily improved Go Ahead Enterprises. Losing the company’s niche, its manufacturing plant and its key people brought the company lower than what it used to be. Go Ahead should have maintained its manufacturing and strengthened its niche in the market. The leaders should have come up with more strategies rather than adopting a strategic plan, which in the end, brought more harm than profit. The company must focus on its vision and keep the main thing â€Å"the main thing† (Hybels 2002). In this case, Go Ahead Enterprises' fate will be on its feet again if it will re-align its strength, assets, priorities, and focus on the main thing. It may not be money or profit but company reputation and sustainability. List of References Hybels, B. 2002, Courageous Leadership, Zondervan Publishing, Michigan.                     

Obama as an Imperial President Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obama as an Imperial President - Essay Example Thurber defines an imperial president as the president with massive similarities to a king (303). In this form of leadership, the king makes the final decision regardless of the opinion shared by other forms of leadership. For instance, the creation of Obama Care was hyped to change the effectiveness of health care delivery in the United States. However, numerous flaws in the health care system were reported (Thurber 123). Congress has the role of ensuring the flaws in the system were corrected. However, President Obama changed Obama Care 22 times without consideration of the opinion of Congress. In addition, the President asserted that he does not mind the different opinions raised that may improve the quality of the health care system. This instance depicts numerous occasions the Obama administration had evaded laws that may not support its interests (Thurber 80). For this reason, one may refer to the President as an imperial president. In an argument by Thurber, the interaction be tween the president and the Congress is based on the influence of the president on the body (98). The author further points out that the president and Congress should share the same interests. This is based on that; the Congress may either accept or reject a presidential authorization. In the instance when the president disagrees with the Congress, there are risks that laws would not be passed. In addition, Congress can overturn a ruling made by the president in an instance when the body is not consulted. However, to overturn the ruling of the president, Congress requires a two-thirds majority vote (Thurber 236). For this reason, one may point out that Congress and the executive must agree on legislation to be passed.

Food Safety College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food Safety College - Essay Example The government at all levels has a role to oversee the enforcement of laws and regulations which are created for food safety. Although there are various agencies which take note of the health and safety of the public especially when it comes to the food they take, the presence of enforcement programs at the local health department is necessary. It can more far-reaching since it would be very well supervise whether everyone concerned adheres with it and violators can be easily identified. However, even with the presence of these enforcement programs, there are still many cases of food-borne diseases. This turns the focus to the food handling practices. Food handling practice may be the main cause of the persistent cases of food-borne illness. In many food establishments in the country, food handling training with particular mention to sanitation procedures has been inadequate because it is usually done quickly. This result to dangerous food handling practices related to temperature control, personal hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination. This makes effective training programs very important. The FDA Food Code recommends the certification of food safety managers as a way of demonstrating food safety knowledge. Studies have shown that sanitation in food service establishments are greatly affected by food safety training and certification (Almanza et al., 2004). In addition, the behavior of food handlers also determines food safety. If they be careless in preparing the food, it can result to contamination. Many food handling practices and sanitation procedures however can be learned through food safety training. This highlights the significance of food safety training as a very effective approach to food safety. Thu s everyone working in food establishments should undergo adequate food safety training and must be certified before they are allowed to work with food. Food safety must be ensured at all times. Since consumers may get sick with improperly prepared or contaminated foods, all food employees must undergo proper and adequate training with regards to food handling practices and all food establishments should deem it necessary. Mosquitoes are the most common vectors of many pathogenic microorganisms. A mosquito bite can sometimes result to a fatal disease. Hence, it is important that the community has enough knowledge on how to reduce the risk of acquiring these diseases. West Nile virus (WNV) is a group of disease-causing viruses usually carried by a female Culex pipiens mosquito. Each bite of this mosquito can transmit the West Nile virus. Worse is that people who become infected does not show symptoms. Only few show signs of fever and body aches but can further infect the brain and the spinal cord making it life-threatening. In places where it its endemic, it was observed that not all mosquitoes becomes infected and infection does not occur with all that individuals that are exposed to mosquitoes (Bren, 2003). According to Jesse Goodman, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, West Nile virus can be transmitted through organ transplant and blood transfusion. Aside from that, a September 2002 case in Michigan suggests that breast milk can transmit WNV. These cases however are rare. The common cause though is

Discussion Question-Law class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discussion Question-Law class - Essay Example The motorists whose papers are in order are allowed entry into the neighborhood. Nonetheless, no pedestrians are stopped for frisking. The United States Supreme Court in its responsibility, has failed to provide the guidance necessary to ensure that law enforcing officials, and local authorities, refrain from putting up checkpoints in high crime rate areas. These check points are illegal because they invade people’s privacy that is protected by the fourth amendment of the constitution. The failure of the appellate court has led to the continuation of this practice. Soon enough, it may become a routine in most U.S cities. However, with proper guidance, this can be stopped and the checkpoints will be illegal. In the case, Illinois V Lidster; the Supreme Court was facing a dilemma once again regarding check points. However, this time around authorities were not stopping vehicles in an attempt to curb crime rates but were doing so to interrogate motorists about a driver who had caused an accident (hit-and-run driver) and was at large. Joseph Pytel was the victim. He had been hit by a car when he was riding his bike. The driver of the car that hit him did not stop to identify himself hence the checkpoints were put in place. Police tried locating the driver, but after two days, their attempts were futile. They then decided to erect the check points to obtain more information from motorists. Later on Robert Lidster, a random motorist who had no knowledge at all about the accident came to the check point and was asked to stop. He did stop and was questioned briefly. However, he got fed up and started to drive away. In the process, he nearly hit a police officer. His car was swerving. The police officer noted Lidster’s erratic driving and asked for his license and registration. He was put under sobriety tests, which he did not pass. Subsequently, he was arrested for driving under the influence. The jury at the trial courts found Robert Lidster guilty

Business Environment and Strategic Management of Primark Essay - 2

Business Environment and Strategic Management of Primark - Essay Example From this study it is clear that Primark’s product categories include the ladies wear, children’s wear, men’s wear, lingerie, cosmetics, fashion accessories, and the home products. Primarily Primark’s merchandise is made especially for its own brands, but it also stocks other products from other recognised (well known) brands like the Disney, Haribo sweets, Warner Brothers, and Nivea. According to the paper the company’s apparel products lines typically showcase simple designs and fabrics in the popular sizes. Primark usually launches its stores in the high street locations and most of its products lines are usually stocked in bulk at every location. Its main competitors are BHS, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, George at ASDA, Debenhams, and TK Max. Recognised globally for its quality in apparels and clothing at the budget prices, the company provides clothing for all sizes, ages, and sexes with different department for the household goods. Its succe ss is largely attributed to a highly organised business structures that provides its customers with what they need at within a reasonable prices. Primark’s cost leadership means that the company’s market research team are usually on the pulse of the fashion changes by providing products that are similar to its rival companies quickly. The majority of the company’s sources of supply is in the overseas countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Turkey. The company has developed the computerised customs clearance, the dedicated.

Legal terminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal terminology - Essay Example Especially bad were the members of a gang called â€Å"The Big Bad Wolves,† each individual member known as a â€Å"Wolf.† So Red felt it was very foreseeable for trouble to come her way. One member of the Wolves used deceit to set up a scenario where he could trick Red out of her money. On that occasion this Wolf told Red that his mother was ill in another state and he needed money to go see her. However, Red knew the Wolf’s background and knew his mother was dead. Therefore, this amounted to fraud. Red thought such people were just mean per se, inter alia. Another Wolf once falsely claimed he was a police officer and tried to handcuff and block Red’s way in the forest. This amounted to the torts of false arrest and false imprisonment. Worse, yet, this tortfeasor Wolf later claimed in a letter to a newspaper and to all who would listen that it was Red who impersonated a police officer and not the other way around as was the truth. Red knew the letter was libel and the oral statements slander. This same lowlife Wolf once tried to sue a doctor for malpractice who stopped to help him when he was injured. Luckily, the Good Samaritan Statute protected the doctor and the lowlife Wolf lost that lawsuit. While these are not willful torts like battery, this was pretty bad behavior on the part of this Wolf fellow and it was prudent of Red to be cautious. So, Red finally reached her grandma’s house. Inside, however, were three Wolves surrounding grandma and her servant Millie. Millie helped grandma with her chores such as laundry and shopping. The three Wolves were up to no good. One Wolf was on his I-Pod conjuring up scams which amounted to a cybertort. Another Wolf was lighting up firecrackers and throwing them out the window. This constituted a nuisance to grandma’s neighbors. The third Wolf held a large tree log over grandma and kept saying he was going to beat her with it. This amounted to an assault. Thereafter, grandma and Red

Is the U.S. seeking to contain China Research Paper

Is the U.S. seeking to contain China - Research Paper Example It remains far behind on innovations and development of new technology for advanced weaponry but even then it succeeds in catching up fast with advancements. US maintain first rank as per military spending with 740 billion dollars as compared to China’s 106 billion dollars (â€Å"China Military Budget Tops $100bn† 2). This difference ensures US lead in innovation and advanced strategic weapons which in turn protects the national interest and maintains influence. China has a long way to go to take a lead in military hardware; it is even taking technology for its aerospace industry from Russia. But, with its growing capacity to catch up makes it a contender for a rising new military power. Military capability has conventionally been an indicator of a country’s influence in a region. Chinese military requirements have mainly been offshore defense and its military keeps up with this requirement easily, however, the development projects of fifth generation stealth fig hters and an aircraft carrier demonstrate its ambition for advanced weaponry and perhaps world influence. Containment strategy typically involves surrounding a target country with allies and placing strategic assets to keep physical presence directly or indirectly. If we analyze a decade of policies by the US we do find a pattern indicating containment strategies aimed at China. According to the Washington Post, â€Å"Chinas rise is a significant factor in the Obama administrations moves to strengthen ties with traditional allies, such as  South Korea and  Japan, as well as with Malaysia and Laos and even with Vietnam, a former foe† (Pomfret 1). Similarly, Bush administration started improving ties with India which even involved nuclear cooperation projects. India has long been an adversary to China with military inclination towards Russia. The pacts with these countries indicate a policy to contain China with a group of allies. The pattern is similar to formation of NATO in order to contain

The fall of Enron cannot be blamed on just a few bad apples, discuss Essay

The fall of Enron cannot be blamed on just a few bad apples, discuss critically - Essay Example lt was a replacement of Andrew Fastow, Enron’s Chief Financial Officer and the start of investigations on investment partnerships depicting the web of partnerships aimed at hiding Enron’s debt. The effect was a plummeting of Enron stock to less than a dollar, and Enron filed for bankruptcy in Dec 2, 2011. This study aims at analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the assertion that the fall of Enron cannot be blamed on just a few bad apples. The effect is the development of an in-depth understanding of the factors that were in play in the fall of Enron and provided a conclusion as to the reasons behind the fall of Enron. There are a number of strengths for the statement,â€Å"a few bad apples are to blame for Enron’s fall†. The statement takes into consideration the mistakes made by a few people including Arthur Andersen LLC, Enron’s accounting firm alongside Andrew Fastow for allowing Enron to use partnerships to hide debt and present questionable profits in its financial statements2. Andersen LLC overlooked problems at Enron since it was a lucrative client garnering over $100 million in fees; hence are among the bad apples to blame for Enron’s fall. Andersen is also responsible for the shredding of evidence relating to its dealing with Enron affecting the ability of investigations to unearth the cause of the fall showing that they are responsible for Enron’s fall. Andrew Fastow is to blame for orchestrating the minimal disclosure and the use of the mark-to-market accounting to hide debts at Enron and gives a false impression of profitability. He also demonstrated a conflict of interest in terms of the $30 million he gained from the partnerships aimed at helping Enron but allowing for him to gain from the transaction sat the expense of the stakeholders. The Enron executives form the other bad apples to blame for the fall of Enron through cashing in on their stock while using company funds for personal use through phony investments. The evidence for

Work Placement Skills Essay Example for Free

Work Placement Skills Essay Briefing on work placements and the importance of their inclusion in the DDA part 2 It is important to distinguish between different kinds of work placements. Skill would welcome clarification as to which placements will be covered by the amendments to the DDA part 2. Skill has put together this briefing on different types of learning that may include work placements. The examples used are not actual case studies, but reflect the concerns that Skill is aware of, and include situations of which we have been informed. 1Work based learning Work based learning organisations often deliver a large amount of training in the workplace. In a majority of instances trainees are on a Modern Apprenticeship programme and as such are paid as employees therefore are covered under part 2 of the DDA. However, in a substantial minority of cases, trainees are on other programmes where they are taught at a work based training organisation but spend a substantial amount of time on ‘placement’. Skill would presume that these trainees would come under Part 2 under the new regulations. It is certainly essential they do as so much of their programme is delivered in the work place. Tanya is on an office skills course run by a work based learning organisation. Some of her training takes place at the work based learning organisation but Tanya has to attend two substantial work placements. Tanya is a wheelchair user and dyslexic. Some of the adjustments she requires in relation to physical access are that furniture is arranged in a way which allows her free access in her wheelchair and a desk which a wheelchair can fit underneath. In terms of her dyslexia she works best when files etc. are very clearly marked, for example with colour coding. She works much better when using a computer than when having to write down things by hand. Her tutors have visited her work placement with her and can support her with many of the adjustments. However, if they are to be fully implemented they require the active support of her employer and other staff. The employer is clearly disturbed at the fact that Tanya requires these adjustments and mutters that he knows he has duties to his disabled employers but this does not extend to trainees who are merely on work placement. 2Further education Increasingly more and more further education students are going on work placements. In some instances these are students on a vocational NVQ programme. Justine, who is partially sighted, is on an NVQ training course in catering at a further education college. The theoretical and some of the practical parts of the course take place at college but students also have to spend blocks of time in different work places. Two of Justine’s work placements are very accommodating. However the third, a restaurant kitchen, behave in a very unfriendly way. They refuse to print out any recipes in large print saying that this ‘is not their job’ which means that Justine finds it very difficult to carry out her assignments. In the second week they ring up the college and demand that she is removed from the kitchen because they believe that her visual impairment poses a health and safety risk. Her tutor arranges for her to do double time at one of her other placements but this is not ideal as it means that she has a narrower range of experiences than other students on the course. In other cases they are students on an academic programme such as A levels where the work placement is not directly related to their course but is very important in giving them an understanding of how the workplace works and what they might like to do in the future. In some instances they might be students on a more general programme (for example an Entry Level course or a programme for people with learning difficulties). In these cases the purpose of the work placement is to extend their experiences, give them an understanding of the realities of work, and enable them to try out a particular vocational area. Mohammed has learning difficulties and is studying on a life skills course. Part of this course is to have work experience for half a day a week for a term in the local community. Mohammed discusses possible work placements with his tutor and it emerges that he would really like to work in a shop. After writing many letters, Mohammed’s tutor finally manages to arrange for Mohammed to have a work placement one afternoon a week at a local shop. Mohammed’s tutor spent some time at the placement with Mohammed supporting him in how to make the most out of his placement, but he had many students he was responsible for and so could not be there on an ongoing basis. Although Mohammed enjoyed his afternoons at the work placement, the manager of the shop expressed frustration that he was not able to carry out tasks without support and complained about the way in which he was constantly ‘hanging around’ customers which put them off. He said it was not his place to provide support for Mohammed and he needed someone who could ‘get on with the job’. After four weeks the manager sent Mohammed back to the college, saying he wanted someone ‘normal’ next time. 3Higher education In higher education, there are a number of courses that involve vocational work placements. One such example would be that of nursing and midwifery. All such courses have work placements central to them, and rightly so, as they are practical and vocational subjects. However, these placements can be difficult for disabled students. Steve is studying a BSc in Nursing at his local University. In order to complete the degree, students have to pass a number of exams and also undertake three periods of work placements. Steve has dyslexia, which means that his handwriting is poor and so he has asked to be able to type up his patient records. He is also aware that colleagues may think he is more likely to make mistakes on the drugs round, but as all nurses are checked before medication is administered to patients, he thinks this should be ok. Once he is qualified and employed, his employer would make reasonable adjustments such as these under DDA part 2. Despite an excellent track record, the third placement provider refused to make any adjustments for Steve, and spuriously cited Health and Safety law as a reason to expel him from the placement, stating the reason as being because his dyslexia meant he could not do the drug rounds and that his patient records were illegible. Because of this he failed his second year at University and will have to repeat the whole year if he wishes to gain his degree. There are also increasing numbers of sandwich courses on offer from universities, where students undertake a four-year course, of which the second or third year is spent in industry. These placements can be mandatory and without their completion a student may either not be able to progress to the next year of their course or they may not get the extra qualification or recognition that accompanies the completion of the year in industry. Often these placements consist of paid employment, and students are therefore covered by the existing DDA Part 2. However there examples of where students are not paid for these placements. Disabled students may find it more difficult to find a paid placement and so may be more likely to undertake a placement on a voluntary basis. Kerry is studying for a degree in IT. She has MS. As part of her degree, she spends a year in industry. This is a compulsory part of the course, and comes highly recommended by her university, as it will help her to get a job after graduating in a very competitive market. Students are required to complete the placement and also produce a 4000 word report on their placement year, which is worth 10 credits in the final year. Kerry is keen to do a placement, but because of her MS gets turned down from all the places she applies to. Undeterred, she tries instead to find a voluntary placement. She manages to arrange a placement, but her status as an intern means that she is asked to shift boxes and help staff with filing and photocopying, which because of her disability she cannot do. Her colleagues are also very unkind to her because of her disability, and she leaves the placement early, therefore failing the placement year and unable to complete the assignment. Recently, an unpublished survey by AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services) showed that disabled students can be just as successful as their non disabled peers in finding graduate employment. This said, they found that there were higher percentages of disabled graduates starting in clerical and secretarial, craft, personal service and sales jobs, as well as in part time and unpaid work. It was concluded that this may be because they may have difficulties in accumulating work experience while they are students. This clearly calls for work placements to be covered by the DDA so that disabled students have an equal chance to progress onto graduate employment after university. 4Self-organised placements There is also a greater emphasis on students finding and arranging work experience themselves, for example in the holiday periods, not on a paid basis. This is becoming increasingly important for students looking to enter employment. The Dearing Report on Higher Education (1997) recommended that all undergraduates should undertake a period of work experience as part of their course, in order to improve employability. This may be seen as even more important for disabled students, who may find it more difficult to progress onto employment after study. Catriona has always dreamed of being a journalist. She is blind, but uses her ‘Braille ‘n’ Speak’ electronic notetaking device to take notes when she interviews people. She previously worked on her school newspaper, and now that she is at college she wants to get some more work experience. She writes to a number of local and regional papers offering to cover stories for them. One paper offers her a few assignments but states that she must be able to use shorthand, as if she goes on assignment in Court, they will not allow electronic notetakers. Her disability means that she is unable to agree to these terms, despite the fact that she could undertake all other kinds of assignment. Although she feels that she has been treated less favourably, she feels unable to appeal because of her status as volunteer. It is hard to make a clear distinction between which of these types of placement could be classed as part of ‘vocational training’ and which not. Some are more directly related to a vocational learning programme. However, they all have the aim of supporting learners in their transition (whether immediate or in the future) to employment. Currently disabled people are significantly under-represented in paid employment, and it is important that any support possible is given to them to change this situation. A successful work placement is a very important factor in helping this to happen. These periods of work placement also form an integral part of an individual’s learning programme. If a disabled person is discriminated against in the workplace or does not have an essential reasonable adjustment made for them, this may well result in them dropping out of the placement and hence failing a particular part of their course. Under DDA Part 4 education providers currently have a responsibility to disabled learners when on work experience. The education provider has a responsibility to prepare both the student and the placement provider for the placement, and set up the necessary support. However, there is only so far they can go in ensuring discrimination does not take place and in making reasonable adjustments to the work placement. For example they can insist on a statement from the employer but cannot actually ensure that no discrimination takes place; they can suggest that, for example, furniture needs to be rearranged in order to accommodate a wheelchair user, but cannot actually authorise its movement. This can only be assured if employers themselves have duties to people on work placements as they already do towards their employees.