City of God Essay

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli cements his reputation as an Italian political theorist who, wicked as he may seem, believed that morality and ethics did not mix well with politics and the mechanisms of power. From this book rose the ever famous line, â€Å"The end justifies the means†, and true enough The Prince had embodied a way of thinking so revolutionary and controversial that for hundreds of years, it had remained the ultimate handbook for political control. This is illustrated very well in Chapter 17, where Machiavelli discusses cruelty and its importance to maintaining power. â€Å"Here the question arises: is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa? I don’t doubt that every prince would like to be both; but since it is hard to accommodate these qualities, if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. † This quote easily became emblazoned in the reader’s minds partly because of its cruel approach, which however brutal it may seem, borders on reality and actual truth. In order to get hold of your subjects more, to keep them united and to keep them from revolting against you, Machiavelli relates that it is imperative to be punitive and exacting; to have them live in dread than to easily lose power by being mild and amiable. Fear then is necessary to be able to rule your subjects and keep them under your control. Machiavelli points out that the loyalty gained from fear is much more difficult to lose and therefore any ruler must strive to be feared. Such is the way of Machiavelli’s thinking and this quote becomes testament to his genius. His ideas, though wicked and malevolent, are worth to be considered by any one who desires to gain and control power for they stand out remarkably honest and brutally clever. Saint Augustine, being governed by his beliefs and principles, wrote in a way that he incorporates his vocation to convey and relate to the people what it is that God intends for society. In The City of God, Augustine’s work primarily takes this approach to express his ideas on the workings of an earthly city and how it is needed to be likened to the â€Å"city of God†. This work was primarily written to assuage the doubts and answer the criticisms of the people about the defeat of Rome, which was thought to be protected by God, and therefore, unlikely to fall. Moreover, Augustine heavily inclines his work towards the good and the belief of an omnipotent God and his offering of eternal happiness. In particular, Augustine stresses the importance of peace as an end goal, â€Å"Peace is such a great good that even with respect to earthly and mortal things, nothing is heard with greater pleasure nothing desired more longingly, and in the end, nothing better can be found† Augustine uses theology and the Christian doctrine to relate to the needs of his time and answer the questions that the circumstances had merited. He reiterates that attaining peace is the people’s ultimate purpose, be it heavenly peace or that maintained on earth. He addresses the difficulties that societies face and acknowledges that fact that it is necessary to create and maintain order and bring chaos to its end. Essentially, The City of God, as the quote has clearly embodied, becomes a sort of pacification to the troubles of the people, something Augustine does cleverly well. The City of God remains influential to those it had convinced to believe. Aristotle is arguably one of the famous philosophers who ever lived. As an early proponent of philosophy and critical thinking, his works had been based upon and studied countless times. His theories of state and political association are deemed basic and essential even as others have grown to reject and disprove them through time. One point he made when discussing about politics is the necessity for a man to not be isolated and completely independent of others. He relates, â€Å"The man who is isolated, who is unable to share in the benefits of political association, or has no need to share because he is already self-sufficient, is no part of the city, and must therefore be either a beast or god† In the creation of a polis or city-state, it is inevitable that men grow to need each other. Each individual member of a city is dependent on the other as well as on the entire association taken as a whole. Aristotle argues that a man cut off from society, being not part of it, is like a God with such great power, or an unworthy beast which has really no care at all. With this comes to mind the popular saying that, â€Å"No man is an island. † This stays true up to now and is one of the foundations of the principles of society. In building a state, the fundamental theory is important and highlighted — that of its citizens being one with the state, growing and developing with it and them associating with each and every member of the state. From this, the concept of organization is emphasized and the primary building blocks of a state is laid out and achieved.

Listo system Essay

Introduction and Background: Listo system is one of the leading graphic service agency with long history of success at early 1990s. In early 1090s, the company quickly grew into one of the top graphic service companies in the world Listo system ‘VISION statement is â€Å"To be recognized as a leader in supplying quality graphic design product and services to our customers and to be respected by our clients and staff.† Listo Systems’ MISSION statement is: â€Å"We strive to develop superior graphic design products and services for our users through state-of-the-art technology, innovation, teamwork, and leadership.† (Justanswer.com) Diagnosis: Development of e-commerce in modern competitive commercial world has reduced need of middleman, brokers, and distributor, which radically changed the traditional layer distribution channel .The development of technological infrastructure epically ecommerce trading system not only shifted the power from seller to buyer, but also gave consumer’s the ability to search for best quality, service, term, flexibility and innovation. This gave wide flexibility in consumer buying process. If customer were not pleased with company’s product or service, they feel free to switch brand to other firm. Technologies have allowed Listo Systems to provide quality services and products faster and more efficiently. However, new technology has also been beneficial for Listo Systems’ competitors. The competition has grown significantly in number and in the quality of services and products that they provide. The increase in technology has also led to an increase in customer demands and expectations. Customers want services and products; however Listo’s Management was less concerned with the opinions and was more focused on production and profit. Instead of enlisting employees’ opinions, more directive orders were given. Listo hired a number of new managers and employees and due to lack of training and increased complexity associated with adding new layers to the hierarchy resulted in the organization’s goals and objectives becoming unclear. Analysis and evaluation: Analysis and evaluation can be done using two theories. PEST Analysis: Political: During 1990 various countries were implementing Trade liberalization, and perfect competition market for globalization where Listo also felt its impact both negatively and positively Economic: Europe and rest of the world felt the impact of government policies concerning taxation, labor union, cyber regulation, exchange rate policies . Social: Huge social change due to change in technology like internet media, was felt by listo system. Consumer attitude and opinion, consumer buying pattern , fashion and role model, were serious matter to focus during 1990 which hit listo hard enough to panic. Technological: Competing Technology development, could be handled through research based strategy, research based funding for replacement and solution of technology , information and communication, and consumer buying mechanism vs technology did not get full attention. Recommendation: 1. Listo should have to implement Research based funding for computing technological change should be implemented 2. Proper management strategy should be implemented to cope globalization and political change. 3. The expectancy theory should be implemented to motivate the employee provide them the assurance effort will lead to acceptable performance (expectancy), Performance will be rewarded (instrumentality), and The value of the rewards is highly positive (valence). (Herzberg, 1968) How has Listo Systems felt the impact of power shifting from the seller to the buyer? According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School, â€Å"The major challenge management faces today is living in a world of turbulence and uncertainty where new competitors arrive on the scene daily and competitive conditions change. We can no longer count on a stable world that is unchanging and unvarying and manage accordingly.† This statement implies in the case of Listo System and its overall performance in a competitive market. Regarding its history, Listo was very much concerned about its employee’s needs and their participation in decision making of the company. To operate in a world shaped by globalization and information revolution, the company focused more on the advancement of technologies and improvement in productivity. But the employees were taken as a secondary  importance. They were not provided with proper training of new technology and their views on decision making process were ignored. The significant changes in information flow, created people issues and called out the need for mass training in the organization. The company started giving emphasis to the advancement and was more concentrated on production and profit. Due to the lack of proper training, the employee’s became less motivated. For a better and effective performance, it is necessary for an organization to understand the behavior and needs of the employees. Satisfaction of the needs leads the employees to work more efficiently and effectively. A positive environment should be provided to make them more productive. But Listo ignored the requirement of the employees. And, the employees could not resist the rapid change in the organization. Moreover, new layers of supervisors and employees were added which slowed the pace of decision making. All these changes resulted in lack of employee’s motivation, lack of clearness of goal and a shift of power from seller to the buyer. The demotivation of employees and lack of clearness of the goal in the agency resulted in low quality production. As a result, the company could not cope with the growing and changing need of the customer and started losing them gradually. According to Michael Hammer, customers want more products from less money, more quality and service and more flexibility and convenience and more innovation. While the organization had been expanding in size and competence level, productivity was affected and quality decreased. It was very difficult to fulfill the needs and wants of powerful customers who have the ability to search for best service, quality, technology, innovation, etc. Due to the fast internet technology, customers have become aware of the new quality products with cheaper price and their expectancy level has become higher. They want more products in fewer prices and within a limited time. Directing, changing and influencing behavior of such customers is significant for the sustainability. The company must provide real value to them either by offering strong products and services or lowering the cost or by creating new technologies that is more efficient. Listo ignored the issues of consumer behavior as well as employee’s behavior. Ultimately, the power shifted from the seller to the buyer of the products and services. Customers were aware of the substitute products and services that are quality product at lower price which resulted as benefit to the competitors  of the company. As seller may raise the market price by withholding supply, the buyers may be able to reduce the market price by withholding the demand. To gather the attraction of such a huge market with all the knowledge and information, Listo had to strive hard. It should have focused more on customer’s behavior and their needs along with the employee’s satisfaction at work. There was no other option for the agency but to match the changing and growing need of powerful customers. The management needed to make new strategies to sustain in the changing market. The power shifting from the seller to the buyer had a big impact on the overall performance of the company. Due to this change of power, now the supply of the products and services depend on the satisfaction of the customer’s need and wants. It was now up to those large numbers of buyers to evaluate the products and make radical changes in the supply. Thus, the power shifting from seller to the buyer was an unexpected failure and gradual decrease in the demand of products and services of Listo Systems. What external environmental factors are affecting Listo Systems? An environmental factor plays a crucial role in the development of any organization. There are two types of environmental factors that affect the performance of a company (i.e. internal and external).Internal factors of environment refers to events, factors, people, system and conditions inside the organization that are controllable by the company. Whereas, the external factors of environment are those that occur outside the organization but causes the changes inside and are many times uncontrollable by the management of the organization. Based on Achieve Model, the external factors are the environment that can influence the performance an individual even if he/she has all the ability needed to the job. Listo Systems was also affected by both the internal as well as external factors in the environment. The internal factors included the goal of the organization, company’s rules and regulations along with its aim, organizational culture, and the employees working in the agency. Change in the internal factors of Listo had a great impact on its performance. Similarly, the external factors like customers, competitors, technology, suppliers, the economy, resources, and the regulatory system had a significant influence on its operation, growth, and long term sustainability. As per the information provided in the  websites, Listo being more focused on new technology was losing its employee’s motivation. As a result, the productivity was low and the quality was below the expectation of the economy, the customers, the suppliers, etc. Customers want quality product at cheaper price and if they don’t get it, they walk away for a substitute product that different competitors of the organization provide at lower price. The same thing happens in the case of Listo systems. The customers were taken away by the competitors because of the quality product at a cheaper price. The competitors were aware of the consumer’s behavior and expectancy. But, Listo had ignored the consumer’s behavior along with the other human behavior. It is very essential for an organization to understand the human behavior because it has to deal with human with different understanding, thoughts, needs, values and priorities. Even though the external factors are outside the company, it is important to monitor and adapt the external environment in a continuous manner. Since, Listo didn’t have a continuous monitoring on external environment, it lost its control oven those factors and it was very difficult for the agency to sustain in the market. It could not adapt the changing and varying environment as well as needs of the customers who play a vital role in the success of a company. Customers being dissatisfied with its products and services chose to move on to the substitutes provided by the competitors. And, the competitors having a good understanding of the human behavior made changes with their products to attract the customers of Listo. They were aware that if they provide a quality product at that moment they can win those customers which made Listo to lose its customers and made the demand low. Advancement in technology needs proper training which was not provided by the agency to its employees and thus there was lack of motivation resulting in low productivity. Thus, the suppliers of the materials and resources of the company were not willing to work with Listo systems because of its failure in the market. These external factors affected the overall environment of the graphic design company and changing its great success in the world to failure ultimately. CHAPTER- 2 COGNITIVE DISSONANCE Introduction: Cognitive dissonance deals with the relationship between one’s self-perception and their environment. Leon Festinger analyzed that when two  perceptions relevant to each other are in conflict, it creates the situation of dissonance. Diagnosis / Analysis: Alderfer’s ERG theory states that there are three core needs to motivate people; growth, relatedness and existence. Jackie had been looking for a large organization where she could develop her long-term career goals. Her positive attitude towards recycling was influenced by her observations and experiences that she had during her school life. There she tracked what happened to all the paper put in the trash pail in each classroom. Recommendation: There are many such employers who understand the employee’s behavior and adapt themselves to make them influence for a better performance and predict the future behavior of employees. So, there can be other options and opportunities for the job for Jackie. Because if she stays with Dorf, she might get frustrated if she can’t ignore the company’s choice to recycle and later on get disappointed and it will be harmful to both the company and Jackie herself. 1. Discuss Jackie’s dilemma in terms of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance deals with the relationship between one’s self-perception and their environment. Leon Festinger analyzed that when two perceptions relevant to each other are in conflict, it creates the situation of dissonance. Jackie Hartnett, an individual with a high technical skills and a strong passion for the well-being for the environment, got job at Dorf Car Factory. Since, she was very much interested and concerned about the well-being of the environment; she could satisfy her job of reducing the harmful effects of wastes and garbage coming from factories by the means of recycling in an effective way and could give an outstanding performance. She had a very positive attitude and behavior towards her job as well as the boss, Charlie Damon. A positive behavior and attitude at his/her job helps a person to achieve the desired goal and satisfaction of physiological, social, safety, esteem and self-actualization needs. Alderfer’s ERG theory states that there are three core needs to motivate people; growth, relatedness and existence. (Managementstudyguide.com) Jackie had been  looking for a large organization where she could develop her long-term career goals. Her positive attitude towards recycling was influenced by her observations and experiences that she had during her school life. There she tracked what happened to all the paper put in the trash pail in each classroom. Jackie implemented a school- wide recycle program where she could apply her learning and experiences to make the environment free from the harmful elements. In this program, all the waste or papers were put in a separate trash pail and sent to a recycling factory to change it in reusable consumer goods. Her boss was finding her very attentive and efficient at work. She was experiencing a job satisfaction which matched her expectancy. Job satisfaction is achieved when needs of an individual is fulfilled. Both attitude and job satisfaction are interrelated. If Jackie had a negative attitude towards her job, she would have never been satisfied. Her needs were satisfied as well. But sometimes needs are blocked in the attempt to accomplish a goal. Frustration occurs when the goal attainment is blocked. Whereas, aggression comes with an aggressive and unfriendly behavior. Rationalization is a situation when a person makes excuses for his/her failure to accomplish a goal and regression is a tendency to react. Moreover, fixation means repeating the same behavior as per Maier. And, resignation relates to a situation when an individual gives up to the situation or move on after a prolonged frustration. All these situations come under cognitive dissonance. 2. How could this new information on Dorf’s actual recycling program affect Jackie’s perception of the company she works for? What impact could this have on her overall performance? Are her personal values around recycling strong enough to determine who she works for? Being experienced for a year in the job of recycling Drof’s performance had improved day by day. At the same time, she came to know about the facts of the recycling program and she then uncovered the actual information showing that several factory shipments of waste material being sold to another company. She made some quick research and came to the point that those other companies didn’t properly dispose the waste products in a hygienic way. The waste products and materials were not disposed in the right way to keep the environment free from the harmful effects of it. And, when she approached her boss, Charlie,  with the facts and information regarding the waste materials recycling, she was taken aback. She was informed about the costs associated with the approaches to ‘greener’. She was dissatisfied with the reply and was disheartened in a way that she started thinking about her personal values which must match with one’s job. Her personal value towards recycling doesn’t allow her to stay in the same job anymore a kind of frustration was created in her attitude as well as behavior. The actual recycling programs changed her attitude and lead her to cognitive dissonance where two perception of her own were moving in her mind. She was in a dilemma whether she should leave the job and break the commitment she had made with the company or she should continue her job instead of knowing the fact of it. But she had to decide and choose between her own perceptions which were a very difficult situation. Her personal values were strong because they were created as an attitude from school life environment. It’s very difficult to change such a strong and positive attitude which is built in years. It could determine what she was actually working for, whether for her personal values or for the achievement of goal. 3. Do you think Jackie should ignore the company’s choice to recycle or not and just keep doing her job? Is she willing to walk away from a good paying job with benefits? Are there other employers who are likely to be more open to recycling programs, and should she pursue opportunities with those companies? The recycling program of Dorf Car Factory created a psychological discomfort in Jackie and she was bound to change her perception to reduce the tension by ignoring the company’s choice to recycle. Cognitive dissonance in her changed her attitude and also affected her performance. Her goal won’t be achieved if she quits from the job. Her needs will be blocked which will lead her to an irrational behavior in a continuous manner. If she is not satisfied at her work place, the environment where she works, she can’t satisfy her job as well as the boss. She will be frustrated and the frustration will develop to the extent that will occur an aggressive behavior. Later on this aggression will take place of rationalization, fixation and resignation if continued for a long period of time. In that situation, she can’t ignore the Dorf’s choice whether to recycle or not because her inner perception and values are very different than her job requirement. But an employee should never ignore the fact that an organization’s achievement of goal is also the responsibility of the employee working there. Their performance and activity can improve or hinder the overall performance and play a crucial role in attainment of the organizational goal. At the same time, job satisfaction motivates one to work better and increase the productivity. One can’t work in a negative environment where employee’s satisfaction is not given any priority. Firstly, she should understand her need. Then, she should try to handle the situation and make herself comfortable with the job and focus on her work and try to change her attitude towards the recycling programs. If her attitude is changed positively, she won’t have any problem at her job at Dorf. Secondly, Jackie should try to find out a job that matches her satisfaction, competence, values and perceptions. And, she should have the broader knowledge of the companies and should also find out whether she’ll get the same type of job environment and employers or there are many more opportunities in the market where she can fit herself and get job satisfaction which won’t hamper her values and ethics. In my opinion, our values and attitude brings a sense of self-confidence and responsibility in us. So, Jackie should stay with her own values and move on for a job that satisfies her motives and needs rather than hanging on for a better payment. There are many such employers who understand the employee’s behavior and adapt themselves to make them influence for a better performance and predict the future behavior of employees. So, there can be other options and opportunities for the job for Jackie. Because if she stays with Dorf, she might get frustrated if she can’t ignore the company’s choice to recycle and later on get disappointed and it will be harmful to both the company and Jackie herself. Definitely, she should pursue to the opportunities of recycling programs with other companies for her better development and achievement of her own goal and should walk away from the Dorf Car Factory where she can’t get a job satisfaction and motivation. Bibliography F, H. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard. Herzberg. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard . Justanswer.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.justanswer.com: http://www.justanswer.com/homework/5gcht-case-study-listo-systems-challenge-growing-organization-listo.html Managementstudyguide.com. (n.d.). Retrieved

Political Attitude

Essay #3 Emily Sawyer Civics and Economics H: Mr. Gain 3rd block 10/28/11 An individual’s political attitude can transpire from many sources. These sources can be identified as one’s Personal Background, the media’s influence, and an individual’s claimed opinion. Personal Background has a large effect on a person’s political attitude because it includes family, experiences in a person’s life, and that person’s age. People become accustomed to their own lives, and don’t realize how much every little thing about you makes you who you are.Political attitude can be based on what an individual’s family has been telling them about the United States Government, but these things parents are telling their children, are the parent’s outlooks and attitudes. Such as a person who grew up with a full family of Republicans will most likely be a Republican. It’s almost like their family brainwashed them into having an exclu sive political perspective. People can develop a political attitude through the experiences in their life such as where that person grew up as a child, or their family’s economic class.A person who grew up in the southern states might be influenced to be a republican because in recent elections, southern state’s votes such as Alabama and Georgia’s came out as Republican. Age can also play a role in this because as everything changes and everyone changes, as so do times. Important events that would influence a person’s political view occur at different times. Media plays a role in the influence of political attitudes of American citizens today because within the last 50 years, there has been a significant advancement in technology.First there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet. A regular person wakes up in the morning and either reads the newspaper or a magazine, or some type of news. So, just becau se one article says something about their political view, a person who often reads and agrees with the magazine might start thinking the same thing. Again, some type of brainwashing. In work we usually know what we have to do based on our experiences and studies, however in our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of.An individual’s opinion is usually a combination of everything they know on the subject and what they are told and are willing to believe. So, our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. An individual’s political attitude can transpire from many sources. These sources can be identified as one’s Personal Background, the media’s influence, and an individual’s claimed opinion. A person’s political outlook can also change due to many of these things.

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 24

Education - Essay Example The system will empower student’s partnership with education stakeholders thereby creating a more attractive and friendly learning environment. The significance of education in the national development is a key issue that requires efforts from all zones to ensure achievement of the best results. The pace of national developments in Saudi Arabia requires policy makers and other stakeholders to be more vigilant on issues that may hinder educational goal achievement. It is the reason that parents and the ministry of education felt needed address and the best way is through making education system friendlier to students (Doumato and Marsha 57). A positive move will have a great impact on the education system bearing in mind that students are more sensitive on issues of freedom, process and the education environment. Students are subject to many challenges in the course of learning. These challenges may be a limiting factor in achievement of their goals but with a friendlier school and learning environment, these challenges may be minimal. Most students even drop out of school citing inability to cope with school life a reason that has made the ministry support a friendlier school environment to ensure students appreciate and feel catered in the learning process (Sedgwick 23). The efforts to make school life friendlier have significant benefits but at the same time has many negative effects on student’s education and their adequateness to adapt to the general life. Technology is important and is a key factor in making learning environment more appealing but has negative effects attached to it. The encouragement of student-teacher relationship has many benefits and lays several negative effects too. The use of buses by students to and from school may also have negative effects on student’s life. The negative impacts range from moral corrosion, change of lifestyles, health

Relationship Between Performance Appraisal Systems And Nursing Staff Article

Relationship Between Performance Appraisal Systems And Nursing Staff Performance - Article Example This is advantageous to the hospital, and the patients as well because, nurses will be motivated to put their best foot forward, so that during the evaluation, they score highly, which might earn them a promotion. For the patients, they will get the best care a treatment, which will ensure that there is more influx of patients to the hospital, resulting to economic benefits to the hospitals. This paper will focus on the process of carrying out the appraisal performance on nurses, and how it is beneficial to them. The key words used to search these articles were performance appraisal and nursing management. From the results, I determined whether the articles met the aims and objectives of the research, examined each one of them carefully by pulling and synthesizing the results. I also applied the qualitative results which examined the how and why questions, and the quantitative results which examined the cause and effect. Several literature reviews give their opinions on the same. There are many sources, but not all of them fit the research. The sources that I chose for this research were from their titles and abstracts of the articles, since they gave an overview of what was in the whole article. Those that were relevant were excluded, at this point. The next step was to gain access to the full texts of the chosen articles, and the same criteria of inclusion and exclusion applied again, and final number sources were left for use (Roussel & Swansburg, 2006). The Relationship between Performanc e Appraisal Systems and Nursing Staff Performance For over three decades, organizations have considered performance appraisal systems as key organizational processes for the management and development of personnel (Giangreco et al 2010; Levy & Williams 2004; Ferris et al 2008). The aim of performance appraisal systems is to offer a comparison between the level of performance expected by any one organization and the performance achieved by an individual or group of individuals. The basis for performance of evaluation is that it helps to improve performance by providing concise feedback on how the individual or department is doing in the place of work. The popularity of the use of appraisal systems is, however, surrounded by a forceful debate on their productivity and the related costs and benefits. It is widely believed that performance appraisals are prone to bias, that they do not demonstrate high levels of accuracy, and that they are not readily accepted by users (Coates, 2004). T he argument against the use of performance appraisal systems is based on tension in the organizational climate, as well as resistance and opposition amongst employees who may find the use of performance appraisal systems derogatory or pejorative (Wright 2004). In some cases, a negative performance appraisal may even lead to a reduction in productivity (Banka & Roberson, 2002). Western business environments are different from those in the East and globalization has provided access to various business environments, which necessitates optimal expertise. Applying a performance appraisal system to a healthcare organization in which many of the employees may be unfamiliar with certain systems may again

Revitalizing Health and Safety and its effect on the Construction Essay

Revitalizing Health and Safety and its effect on the Construction Industry - Essay Example In order to carry out this study whether there exists a need to change the law already in place, a committee was formed and the people resorted to getting answers on various topics from willing respondents. All these inputs were taken and the same was assimilated and analyzed to give below the results. Health and Safety is looked at as a part of the work and many people seem to lack awareness of H&S. This is happening because H&S is more an employer's obligation to fit into the governmental regulation rather than looked at as a means to achieve better and safer productive levels. While the law looked at providing norms that the employers need to adopt to ensure the safety and health of their employees, it was not proactive to the lacunae that existed in the system. The work place has under gone considerable change and so has the working methodology. From a more manufacturing oriented environment we have moved a service oriented environment. Now, it was widely felt by the members of the public and the others that the following points also need to be considered while bringing in new impetus to the Health and Safety at Work Place. The construction industry is having a high rate of accident resulting in both fatal and serious injuries. Though the Construction Design and Management Regulations have brought in a design consideration that would imbibe

Organizational bahavior Business (MBA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational bahavior Business (MBA) - Essay Example 45). The key to managing a diverse workforce is increasing individual awareness of and sensitivity to differences of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and age. The locus of change is the individual and change itself is both intra- and inter-personal. This approach is consistent with the preponderance of diversity initiatives undertaken in organizations, which primarily comprise training and development efforts such as diversity awareness training, leadership training, mentoring, and personal support group (Cope 2000, p. 76). A strict code of ethics and social corporate responsibility will ensure that the company value all stakeholders and ensures fair treatment of all groups. Ethics and SCR will ensure high high-standards of performance and ethical norms followed by all employees. The system of inquiry will help to incorporate specific references to such topics as new legal and ethical dimensions, and SCR (Frederick 2000, p. 5). It should be framed so that it is easy to derive from it policies on these and other aspects of conduct at work. It also will provide a basis on which to build training on such problem themes in a way which is convincing even to people who might otherwise consider them to be matters only for campaigning special interest groups (Frederick 2000, p. 23). It is the role of management to act as important activity and to co-ordinate, direct and guide the efforts of members toward the achievement of goals and objectives (Dubbink 2003, pp. 3, 7). Within this process ethics and ethical c ode has a great influence on organization and decision making process as a part of management. the company can donate some money to local church or healthcare organization, finance non-for-profit organization or support R&D activities. The company should consider social issues and environmental influences in making investment decisions (Dubbink 2003, p. 42). Employees, their work safety and health are the main priority. It is important to improve working conditions and introduced health related programs for employee. Also, it is vital for the company to take actions and decrease GHG emissions and negative impact of production on the environment. Question 2 In general, the level of successful performance of a team is influenced by successful or unsuccessful decision-making process, because it involves full discussion and participation. This appears to work best where a high level of interaction is required among all members of the group in order to solve complex problems. The main factors which imperative to effectively measuring the successful performance team performance are team dynamics and cohesion, common language and shared understanding (DeMarco and Lister 1999, p. 45, 52). Also, it is possible to single out the level of professionalism and leadership qualities of a leader (DeMarco and Lister 1999, p. 155). "A team leader should bear in mind that low dynamics prevent teams to produce a higher level of output"

Transitions for children with special needs Literature review

Transitions for children with special needs - Literature review Example These points of transition are especially significant in the lives of the child and their family, involving considerable stress and challenges for families, children, receiving, and sending staff. Several theoretical frameworks exist that are significant in the conceptualization of the process of transition, especially for children with special needs. These include the Bio-ecological Model, the McCubbin and McCubbin Resiliency Model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation, and the Conceptual Transition Model. Avalos-Snyder & Haugen (2014: p54) expounds on the Bio-ecological Model, discussing its focus on the development of children with special needs within the context of their immediate environment and their family, as well as the more distal and larger influences portended by the wider community. Relationships and interactions are viewed as being influential on the child’s development, occurring with the passing of time. Transition of children with special needs to school is characterized in this manner, in which the child is placed in the middle of the entire process and is influenced by their interactions with the immediate environment. McCubbin and McCubbin’s resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation, as discussed by Rosenkoetter et al (2008: p34), concentrates on the vulnerabilities and strengths of the child’s family, such as the family’s ability to assess their child’s situation, problem solving, family functioning patterns, and their utilization of coping skills. The model uses these factors together in combination with consideration of the resources that are available to the family in its exploration of how these families adjust to change in the initial stages, as well as how they adapt to crises that they face. Dockett et al (2011: p49) applies the resiliency model of family stress, adaptation,

Creating A Social Program Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creating A Social Program - Coursework Example The causes of Fibromyalgia are not clear, but it is clear that it is a disorder with a number of possible causes. It seems sufferers have all experienced stressful or traumatic events, such as car accidents, repetitive injuries, illness, and certain diseases that can accompany the discomfort. These may include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and ankylosing spondylitus (spinal arthritis) (National Institute of Health 2007). Scientists believe there maybe a genetic factor involved in the disorder and women who have a family member with the disorder are more likely to have it themselves. Researchers once believed the debilitating pain reported by Fibromyalgia sufferers was the result of the accompanying depression they experience, however, recent brain scan research has shown an increase in blood flow to the areas of the brain that detect pain intensity (Anderson 2008). Common limitations of patients suffering from Fibromyalgia include exertion and mobility limitatio ns (pushing, pulling, lifting, etc.), extremely reduced energy and stamina levels, cognitive deficits, and the need for a restricted environment due to sensitivities to cold, light, noise and changes in air pressure (Contreras 2003). Fibromyalgia can be very difficult to diagnose and presently there are no specific tests that can be used to determine a clear diagnosis. For this reason, some patients may require several doctor visits and tests to be performed prior to receiving a correct diagnosis. The American College of Rheumatology currently presents the standards for diagnosing Fibromyalgia after other factors have been ruled out. This diagnostic standard includes checking for a certain number (11-18) of tender points on the patients body. Because the complaints and symptoms of Fibromyalgia can be vague and vary between patients, physicians tend to put patients through repeated evaluations prior to diagnosis (Elrod 1997). This extensive diagnostic

Forces Initiating or Inhibiting Change in Organizations Essay

Forces Initiating or Inhibiting Change in Organizations - Essay Example The coming of new technology, Robins said, affects the jobs and the organization. There was a time when pagers were in vogue. It was a necessary communication tool for sales and field personnel, but cellular phones took them out of the picture. Computer knowledge is an added requirement for new employees, a necessity in almost all business outfits. Technology, likewise, affects a company or industry, especially the music industry with online downloads and sharing. He commented that genetic technology allows pharmaceutical corporations to produce drugs for particular individuals, which in turn produces a dilemma for insurance companies on who would be insured or not. With competition no longer confined within a geographic territory but globally, new products and services should be introduced for survival. With business deals being transacted and concluded online, technical and support units became part of the structure.

Software Usability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Software Usability - Essay Example or the successful execution of business processes that the designs of the information systems embedded within them are user centered and targeted towards the achievement of specific goals with effectiveness. Usability is judged at the very initiation when the user interacts with the user interface of software. The readability of the user interface and the accessibility that it provides are both key factors that can be considered in order to assess the usability of that particular system. Specific User tasks to be highlighted. Usability precision without the implementation of this task at the design phase is impossible. Every computer system module needs to be designed specific to its users’ needs. The simply and clearly chalked out the requirements of the users are, the easier and more efficiently implemented is the usability of the system. Goals to be Determined-Evaluate what is the final required end result. In accordance with the data collected, the tasks required to reach the goal are embedded within the software design of the computer system. User profile should be determined. Representatives similar to the target market should be approached. The system should be accessed by them and their response should be integrated into the final outcome of the software. Conduct preliminary trial sessions. The representatives who are made to access the system before its finalization are provided with specific rooms in which they are monitored by audio/visual recording or eye tracking equipment. Since the physical response of users is part of the usability assessment the data collected is of immense importance. Data input from the users should be evaluated. Respect should be given to the areas of the system that left the users unsatisfied and distressed. Close attention should be paid to areas where the users were not satisfied. DISAGREEMENTS about usability should be resolved with the consensus of opinion. The hiring of external agents that would be third party to

Gallaudet University Essay Example for Free

Gallaudet University Essay Gallaudet is a premier and the only university dedicated to educating and broadening the career choices of deaf, hard-of-hearing and a minority of hearing students as well. Duly accredited, it currently offers 40 Bachelor of Arts or Science degrees in its undergraduate program as well as certificates, masteral, specialist and doctoral degrees in its graduate program (Gallaudet, 2008). Gallaudet’s strong commitment to the education of the deaf is also evident in its accomplishment of high-quality research on various aspects of the lives of deaf people. It also maintains the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center catering to deaf and hard-of-hearing children. It is through this center that the university fulfills its federal mandate to pioneer the development, implementation and dissemination of educational strategies for the deaf (Gallaudet, 2008). Gallaudet began as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind, incorporated by Congress in 1857 (Gallaudet, 2008). The original school building was situated on two acres of land in Northeastern Washington, D. C. which was donated by the businessman Amos Kendall the year before. The first set of students was composed of six blind and twelve deaf individuals. The first school superintendent, and later president of the corporation, was Edward Miner Gallaudet whose father, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founded the first institution for the deaf in the country (Gallaudet, 2008). In 1864, Congress permitted the school to grant college degrees through a law enacted by President Abraham Lincoln and the first commencement happened in June, 1869 where three young men received their diplomas signed by President Ulysses S. Grant (Berke, 2007). Up to the present, the incumbent U. S. President signs the diplomas of Gallaudet graduates. From then on up to the 1950’s, the college underwent many developments as enrollment steadily rose which necessitated the expansion of its physical structure as well as enhancement of the capacity of its faculty and other personnel. Through another act of Congress, the college was renamed Gallaudet College in 1954, in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and in 1969, the two schools that today make up the Laurent Clerc Center were established with the support of the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and President Richard Nixon (Berke, 2007). The evolution and expansion of Gallaudet as an institution continued on to the following decades. Finally, in October 1986, Congress conferred to the 122 year-old college its university status so that in the succeeding semester, the total number of students enrolled in all programs reached a peak of nearly 2,000 (Gallaudet, 2008). Two years later, students launched the Deaf President Now (DPN) to persuade the Board of Trustees to appoint a deaf president, a position that has always been held by hearing people. The DPN campaign’s major impact on the community, the country and even beyond was the greater consciousness it created with regards to deaf people. The pressure that the protest created led to the appointment of I. King Jordan as Gallaudet’s first deaf president while the appointment of Philip Bravin as the first deaf chair of the Board followed fueling changes that today allowed 51 percent of the members of the Board to be deaf (Jordan, 2007). Gallaudet is also renowned for organizing and hosting international gatherings the Deaf Way I in 1989 followed by Deaf Way II in 2002, to â€Å"honor the history, language, art, culture, and empowerment of deaf people† (Gallaudet, 2008). Further, it has pledged its commitment to promoting environmental protection as well as respect for diversity (greenreportcard. org, 2008). Finally, the university also employs and adapts modern technology to the needs of the deaf as can be witnessed at the James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center and the Student Academic Center (Gallaudet, 2008). List of References Berke, J. (2007). Deaf History – History of Gallaudet University. Retrieved 14 October 2008 from http://deafness. about. com/cs/featurearticles/a/gallyhistory. htm. Gallaudet University (2008). History, Diversity, Fast Facts. Retrieved 14 October, 2008 from http://www. gallaudet. edu/Diversity. xml. Greenreportcard. org (2008). College Sustainability Report Card: Gallaudet University. Retrieved 14 October 2008 from http://www. greenreportcard. org/report-card- 2009/schools/gallaudet-university. Jordan, I. K. (2007). Deaf Culture and Gallaudet. Retrieved 14 October 2008 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp- dyn/content/article/2007/01/21/AR2007012101118. html? sub=AR.

The Relationship between Sustainable Development and Product Innovation in the Body Shop

The Relationship between Sustainable Development and Product Innovation in the Body Shop Abstract Currently, the general public is concerned about sustainable development and the effect on business activities is much discussed. This project will mainly focus on product innovation, and analyze how the successful business The Body Shop integrated the issue into its business plan in the fashion market in the UK. Theories of sustainable business strategy have already been carried out by many experts and the achievements of The Body Shop also have been highlighted. Regarding product innovation, it is concluded that although some of the sustainable product designs need to be improved, however, it is still successful to reach the environmental product innovation development. This may be of use to business, especially for those who are seeking for the most proper sustainable business strategy. Contents Abstract List of figures Introductionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..1 Sustainable Developmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.3 Definitionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..3 Impact on enterpriseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..5 Product Innovationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..9 Innovation and NPDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..9 Product innovation for the environmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.11 The Fashion Market in the UK: The Body Shopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦14 Conclusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..18 List of referencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦20 List of Figures Figure 1. The Three Components of Sustainabilityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..4 Figure 2. The Enterprise Management Modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦6 Figure 3. Interactive Model of Innovationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦10 Figure 4. A Framework of Achieving Green Designà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.12 Introduction In recent decades, the importance of sustainable development has been globally emphasized and discussed in the business approaches in all realms of the market. As Rainey (2006:84) mentioned, it is important for business to integrate the environment issues with the business management approaches. Companies, in the present time, not only have to make the maximum profit for shareholders but also need to maintain the balance of environment when they are implementing business activities. In the fashion market, developing a new product through the philosophy of sustainability is the most efficient way to achieve the sustainable requirements successfully. As Stamm (2008) commented, designing a sustainable product can avoid the cost of repairing the damage to the environment and also help the company to adapt to the environmental requirements rapidly. Therefore, focusing on producing eco-friendly products can be a vital issue. Although much of the literature is emphasizing the importance of implementing the sustainable product innovation, there is still little companies can do to achieve the goal successfully. As Carrillo-Hermosilla (2009) stated, since there is a wide range of sustainable strategies, it might be risky for companies to adapt the approach in an uncoordinated manner. According to Buchholtz (2006) the relationships between business and society seem to support this, and reach a conclusion that when companies announce taking the responsibility to meet the social expectations, it will be examined in a more critical way by the general public. The aim of the project is to examine the well-known company in the UK fashion market, namely The Body Shop to see how it achieves the sustainability requirements when running the business and how the product is developed in a sustainable way. The project will first start with the definition of the sustainable development, then analyze how the business approach is affected by the sustainable issue. Finally, it will focus on the product innovation for the environmental protection and examine The Body Shop in compliance with the theories mentioned. 1. Sustainable Development 1.1 Definition of Sustainable Development There is a strong possibility that business activities will generate numerous environmental crises when they mainly aim at maximizing profit. Some examples of the damage are environmental pollution, ever-increasing problems of waste disposal, and the erosion of local cultures and environment caused by the booming tourism industry. Therefore, the regulations of environmental protection are essential to ensure well-being both at present and in the future. (Carrillo 2009:1) Sustainability, which was brought to public attention in the 1970s, was clearly outlined in the Brundtland Report, which stated that it is crucial that the economic development be prevented from exhausting natural resources and the environment should be repaired. In the past, the concept of sustainability was deemed to be similar to environmental protection, which in the present time has been extended to include three dimensions, namely economic, social, and environmental (Elkington 1999). Figure 1. The three components of sustainability Source: Crane (2004:23) Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987) More specifically, the three segments of sustainable development represent different meanings. The environmental part is to decrease the damage of human activity on limited natural resources and to protect the health of environment for the future generation. The aim of the economic segment is to protect the future generations from the disadvantages of continuing population or industrial activity growth. The final part is the social segment. This mainly focuses on the influence of business activities on native people. With the coming of the age of sustainable development, more and more companies are beginning to reexamine themselves. For example, in the UK, as Crane (2007:24) stated, the popularity of the dish named Fish and Chips, caused a severe overfishing problem. As a response, the government imported fish from other more sustainable resources to ameliorate the harm to the bio-system. 1.2 Impact on Enterprise Sustainable development has significantly affected the business management approaches over the past few decades. Although it is risky for business to adapt themselves to the requirements of sustainable development, companies still can take advantage of the emerging issue by formulating effective sustainable strategies. (Rainey, 2006) In order to develop a holistic sustainable strategy, it is useful to apply the enterprise management model (EMM) to achieve the SWOT analysis. As Rainey (2006:87) provided, the EMM presents an overview of the environment of business which is much closer to the practical business environment. Business can develop the sustainable strategies by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of internal components and the opportunities and threats of external surrounding. Figure 2. The Enterprise Management Model Source: Rainey (2006:88) Firstly, business can conduct the SW analysis. The internal environment is presented as a value-added process in EMM which provides the business a complete structure to maintain the balance of environment and avoid producing toxic waste. By examining the process of producing products, business can make sure that the sustainable development is followed not only by the business itself but also by the material suppliers. (Rainey, 2006:90) Furthermore, companies should analyze the opportunities and threats of the external environment, which mainly focuses on the effects of shareholders and the infrastructure. Shareholders are the people who can affect the practice of business operation and marketing strategies. The infrastructure is the facility which supports business to meet the social expectations. Both of them are associated with the aspects of social, political/legal, economic, technology, competition, ecology, and ethical and connect the external surrounding and internal elements with the knowledge and information flow. (Rainey, 2006:91) After the SWOT analysis, it seems possible that companies are able to develop sustainable strategies in an organized manner. According to Weybrecht (2010:387), the sustainable strategy was developed depends on whether the business applied it to the whole business approaches or only integrated it in an uncoordinated way. However, there is a far less agreement about the possible sustainable strategies. Rainey (2006) concluded that the sustainable strategies need to be designed in a systematic method which linking the several possible sustainable issues with the supply networks, operation, distribution, markets and customers, and retirement disposal. Although businesses are adapted to the sustainable development by setting the effective sustainable strategies, it still cannot be successful without the cultural change. Changing the business culture means to establish sustainable thinking and knowledge in the organization. As Weybrecht(2010:255) claimed the sustainable culture can be built in the following process: Communication- hold discussions constantly to exchange the ideas about sustainability. Recruiting- hiring the right person to lead the sustainable related management activities. Feedback- training staff by offering some sustainable related education programs and give some rewards when staffs achieve the sustainable mission successfully. By following the steps above, the concepts of sustainability can be built from the bottom of the organization to the top. (Weybrecht, 2010:255) 2. Product Innovation 2.1 Innovation and NPD Innovation plays a considerably important part in the present time. As Trott (2008) pointed out, since the 1930s, many researchers have argued about the relationship between innovation and economic growth. It seems that issues about innovation have drawn public attention for many years and are still being discussed until now. However, the relationship between innovation and business management has been highlighted and widely discussed since Abernathy and Utterback(1978) contended that the birth of any industrial sector is associated with the one radical innovation by another and the widespread incremental innovation, which means that the power of innovation decides the fate of new business. Since the rising popularity of innovation, the explanation of innovation is defined in many different ways. According to Stamm (2008:259), innovation includes creativity and implementation, which means innovation not only requires creativity, to generate new ideas, but also implementation which me ans the business activities to realize the unique ideas. Implementation is a process of business activities which plays a determined role in the success of innovation. As Stamm (2008:273) analyzed, the implementation can be divided into three steps, namely idea selection, development, and commercialization which turn the creativity into a rigid one. Figure 3. Interactive Model of Innovation Source: Trott (2008:23) As Trott (2008) stated, innovation is the result of the marketplace, the science base, and the organizations capabilities and affected by the increasing improvement of technology and the needs of the market. Moreover, in the process of new product development (NPD), examining the different aspects of a product is an important process to achieve the product innovation. Trott (2008) showed the five aspects of marketing, economics, design and engineering, RD, and production management, which provided companies with the direction to develop new products. Although companies can make profits by decreasing the cost of manufacture, the sales increase will not last for a long time since the competitor will set a relatively low price quickly which will turn the competition of market share into a vicious circle. Also, the long-term methods to increase the market share and be a market leader is to create the competing ability which is hard to imitate. 2.2 Product Innovation for the Environment The concept of product innovation for the environment is to design a product which lowers the impact on the business environment, and meets the social expectations. In the dynamic environment, how to produce a product that meets the requirement of sustainability becomes the most important issue. Although staff from the top to the bottom all need to be responsible for the change of sustainable development, the most efficient way is to focus on the design. A comment by MacKenzie stated, Designers are the central part of product innovation as they embrace the holistic knowledge to design an eco-friendly product. This opinion is also supported by Carrillo-Hermosilla (2009:98) which mentioned that design for environment can decrease the reprocessing cost and avoid encountering problems in the end of product life. As Burell (1992:91) suggested that the design of an environmentally friendly product can follow four dimensions. The framework for achieving green design is presented as follow: Material Conscious Energy conscious Green Design Maximize product life Design for recyclability Figure 4. A framework for achieving green design Source: Adapted from Burall (1992:92) In order to achieve the requirement of sustainability, companies need to minimize the use of hazardous materials and find the alternative ingredients which do not come from the scarce resources. Additionally, companies can also use the material which is beneficial to the environment such as recyclable paper. Also, it is essential to make sure that the suppliers follow the standard of environmental protection which will not affect the sustainable achievement of the company. Moreover, saving energy is also an important issue. Currently, many environmental issues like global warming are caused by the overuse of energy power. Business should design the product which can lower the consumption of energy and be user-friendly for customer to operate. With regard to the design for recyclability, although the company already uses natural resources, it still needs to avoid combining too many different ingredients which may lead the product to be difficult to recycle. Additionally, labeling the ingredients of products clearly can be helpful not only because the classifying work can be easier but also make the hazardous ingredients to be noticeable. Also, designing the long life products for re-use can reduce the amount of wastes. As to maximize product life, design a product which is more realistic than only fashionable and ameliorate the weakness of products can improve the companys reputation. Furthermore, it is also vital for companies to design a product which can be user-friendly and easier to be repaired. Developing eco-friendly products by examining through the four aspects can help companies to meet the sustainable standards more efficiently. Products which meet the social expectations can generate the profit in a long term way through the rising of companys reputation. (Burall, 1992) The Fashion market in the UK: The Body Shop The Body Shop was founded by Annita Roddick in Brighton in 1976. Unlike most cosmetics companies, the promotion concept of The Body Shop is to emphasize the suitable cosmetics products for the different age of people instead of selling the slogan that people can stop ageing because of using its products. With regard to the internal analysis of The Body Shop, in order to ensure the maintenance of sustainability, it chooses the natural resources to be its raw materials and builds a close connection with its suppliers. Also, due to meet its shareholders expectation of caring for the elder people in the community it trades with, The Body Shop establishes the Trade Not Aid to alleviate the poverty and help people who are suffering from low payment in the third world countries. Moreover, The Body Shop aims higher moral standards by not only building a soap factory in the deprived region instead of in the safe suburb but also donating 25% of the future profit to extend the local facilities. The concept of sustainability of The Body Shop is to consider the value of sustainability as a core issue in its decision making process. For example, when The Body Shop wants to develop a new product, it will examine each aspect of the product design which is related to the sustainable issues and devote itself to making the world as good as possible. In addition, The Body Shop founded a training school in 1985. The purpose of the training school is to educate its employees and related business partners about the knowledge of the latest environmental issues and considerate the awareness of environmental protection. (Roddick, 1992) As to the product innovation, green design, of The Body Shop, it is considered as a paradigm among various companies. There are two major applications of green design in The Body Shop. First of all, when it comes to the material conscious, most of the cosmetics products in The Body Shop consist of natural ingredients, such as, cocoa, and green mud. None of them are scarce or natural resources under threat. Secondly, there are some of the product designs for recyclability in The Body Shop. Before 1980s, The Body Shop particularly focused on the recycling and energy conservation schemes. After that The Body Shop started to pay attention to the environmental issues of packaging, waste and effluents and invented a bag which was made from recycled polyethylene in order to diminish the negative influences of its products. Besides, it encouraged the general public to use the non-chlorine bleached cotton bags which can be refillable. In 1992, The Body Shop was the first corporation in the UK which recycled its own post-customer recycled waste. However, it is important to point that learning how to use natural resources to produce sustainable products in the underdeveloped countries may lead to the overuse of the natural resources. Since the natural resources are rather unique in the underdeveloped countries, the company may only gather the natural resources from the certain countries, however, because of the great demand of certain useful materials, they may be overused, which in turn the natural resources may become scarce in the future. Take honey for example, honey is known as a natural ingredient which contains rich nutritive materials. However, the rapidly increasing demand of honey makes the amount become fewer and fewer. As a result, some of the companies are forced to stop using honey as their materials. Additionally, although it is believe that the economy of the third world countries gain benefits from the Trade no Aid activity because the indigenous people can avoid the price exploitation of the middle trader. However, trading with poorer countries might generate several drawbacks in these third-world countries. The most significant negative effect is on the economic development. Because the majority type of jobs offered by trading activities is usually low-paid or short-term job the benefit of this kind of jobs is limited. Although the living standard of indigenous people is improved temporarily, it must not be overlooked that the countries in the third world have become more and more dependent on foreign countries and less likely to change their economic status by themselves. Furthermore, although the concept of using cotton bags is a favorable idea to avoid the environmental pollution of plastic bags, it did not turn out to be widespread. In The Body Shop store, people are still using paper bags instead of the cotton bags. The reason why it is not as popular as it should be, might because it is inconvenient for customers to bring the cotton bag with them whenever they are out for shopping. However, this problem can be solved by providing customers some incentives to encourage them to use the cotton bags instead of paper bags. For instance, the body shop can offer customers a discount when they use the cotton bags. After the examination of the sustainable product innovation, it can be understand that it is challenging for companies to achieve the goal of sustainability. Conclusion Business approaches are significantly affected by sustainable development. Not only the development of business strategies and culture establishment but also the new product design was influenced by the issue. With regard to the development of sustainable strategy, it is important for companies to examine the internal and external business environment and make the difficulty of fulfilling the social expectations into an opportunity to earn a profit. Furthermore, when producing a product, it is essential to consider the usage of materials, the consumption energy, the life span of products, and the possibility of recycling. In the case study of The Body Shop, it can be clearly seen that the company has altered a wide range of the business approaches to meet the social expectations. However, the analysis also shows that the sustainable strategies of The Body Shop still can be improved, such as the promotion of cotton bag use and the way they help the countries in the third world. After discussing the relationship between sustainable development and product innovation, it was concluded that integrating the business approaches with the environment management can be successful in the real world and it will be more efficient when focusing on the green product design. As Buchholtz (2006:106) stated that an active involvement in the changing society can benefit a company from the significant challenge. It should be noted that other business approaches and different types of market, which is not described in detail in this project might also be related to the sustainable development. In the future, analyzing the different realms of market place can be helpful to those businesses which are interested in developing sustainable business approaches.

Communicating With The Mentally Challenged Education Essay

Communicating With The Mentally Challenged Education Essay The purpose is to make people aware that although you try to be politically correct when communicating with the mentally challenged, mild through server, there is a definite communication channel to use. My purpose is, since I do foster care and have been given a child that is severely challenged, was to learn as much as possible as how the learning habits of the child and the best or different ways to communicate to the child knowing the child will always be challenged. For the purpose of this paper I will refer to the child as he (although it could well be a she) and since Sonic the hedge hog seems to be a favorite between both sexes, the name of the child, in order to protect the childs identity will be referred to as Sonic. Thesis statement All children must mature and the responsibility to develop all children falls upon each of us to raise the child up and yet when it comes to the mentally challenged child there must be different channels of communication between the adult and that child. These conduits allows the adult to take into account the intelligence of the child, and reach the child on their level, even if it means going down to their level. The adult talk must reflect the childs level of understanding. If more people do not take a more active interest in the life of the mentally retarded then we will not have any place to go except in an institutional living and that is not fair because we are Gods creatures. Anonymous Introduction Communicating with the mentally challenged is not only a challenge to the mentally challenged, but the adult as well. Each situation must be understood before continuing in educating the child to become a productive part of society, if that is possible. Looking at the definition of mentally challenged and to what degree the child is challenged, from borderline cases to highly severe, and a true treatment plan can be formulated to mold the child to usefulness even if that usefulness is nothing more then getting oneself to the bathroom. The mentally challenge will grow and mature the question is how much? For mentally challenged kids and adults, some things can never be learned. (Emma, 2007) Defining Mentally Challenged Mentally challenged primary depends on the I.Q. of the child along with one or more of the many psychological tests available to measure the intelligence or mental functioning of the child. Therefore, when the mental age is divided by the chronological age and multiplied by a hundred, what you get is the Intelligence Quotient or the I.Q. (De la Jara, 2007) An I.Q. above 140 is the sign of a genius. An average to very intelligent child would score of 100 120 and a dull child would score 80 90. Those children classified below 85 are classified even further. An IQ of 84-70 is considered borderline mentally challenged, while those 55-69 are mild cases and consider educable. 40-54 are Moderate cases but trainable, 25-39 are severely deficient and any IQ below 24 is classified as highly severe. Mental age refers to an age at a normal level of performance on an intelligence test, and it became a popular way of referring to mental level as measured by the Binet Simon scale of 1908. The Binet Simon scale identified the academic skills typical of specific age groups. In 1912, William Stern used chronological age as a denominator to be divided into mental age, resulting in an intelligence quotient. In 1916, Lewis Terman multiplied this intelligence quotient by 100 (to eliminate the decimal places) and called the result an IQ score. Termans formula of mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100 became popularized as the formula for calculating a persons IQ. Adult intelligence does not change from year to year so the concept of mental age is less meaningful when discussing adults. Contemporary IQ tests use cumulative indexes to determine scores rather than the calculation of IQ scores based upon Termans formula. A contemporary equivalent of mental age is the Standa rd Age Score of the Stanford-Binet IQ test, which was formulated in 1987. Overview of mentally challenged Although there is no hard evidence, one of the strongest factors of the mental deficiency is hereditary. Besides this there are a number of environmental factors that contribute to mental arrest, malnutrition or infection during pregnancy or even an excessive intake of drugs and RH incompatibility whatever the cause, if the handicap is very severe, the entire development of the child gets affected physical, social and emotional along with mental. Some of these children cannot perform the simplest of tasks that we all seem to take for granted. Simple things like walking straight, eating or toilet training. A great amount of patience and tolerance is required to supervise and handle such a child. Mental retardation occurs in 2.5-3% of the general population. About 6-7.5 million mentally retarded individuals live in the United States alone. Mental retardation begins in childhood or adolescence before the age of 18. In most cases, it persists throughout adulthood. Mentally retarded children reach developmental milestones such as walking and talking much later than the general population. Approximately 85% of the mentally retarded population is in the mildly retarded category and they can often acquire academic skills up to the 6th grade level, become self-sufficient, and in some cases live independently, with community and social support. Low IQ scores and limitations in adaptive skills are the hallmarks of mental retardation. Aggression, self-in-jury, and mood disorders are sometimes associated with the disability. The severity of the symptoms and the age at which they first appear depend on the cause. Children who are mentally retarded reach developmental milestones significantly later than expected, if at all. If retardation is caused by chromosomal or other genetic disorders, it is often apparent from infancy. If retardation is caused by childhood illnesses or injuries, learning and adaptive skills that were once easy may suddenly become difficult or impossible to master. The most noticeable emotional characteristics children with mental retardation often recognize that they have difficulties with tasks that others find easy. This realization can lead to frustration, anger and depression. Some children with mental retardation may suffer from anxiety. These children may act out due to these emotions. They may have trouble expressing their feelings and may show their feelings in ways such as refusing to eat or sleeping too much. Sonic, the foster child living with me, will be calm and act like a five year old one moment, and then if you ask something of sonic, major mood change to the point of aggression. How to understand the mentally challenged Anyone who has toiled with the mentally challenged people knows, many will tell you exactly what is on their mind. When something does not go Sonics way, he will tell you and if you persist, he will tell you she will kill you, and hates you. Understanding that this is typical in a mentally challenged you let it roll off you and just stay close enough to make sure that sonic does not hurt herself. The mentally challenged know their likes and dislikes, what is going on in their lives, and even some idea of what they want their future to be. When the mentally challenged are treated as subhuman, as children, or as a menace to society, it follows that we become the ones to decide what is best for them, and what kind of life they should lead, we instead should remind ourselves that they are Gods creatures. They need to be treated as serious human beings with important things to communicate. (McLean, Brady, Mclean, Behrens, 1999) Understanding their language is likely to be much better than the ability to express it. Speech maybe very poorly articulated and difficult to understand One of the critical aspects in forming a communication is one that emphasizes skill actualization, where teachers give the mentally challenged many opportunities to use and expand on their already developed skills. Skill actualization goals are represented in the individual education plan (IEP) such as the child will use whatever skill is already developed and continue to expand to the point where the child will reach the next goal. In Sonics case, the IEP has included counting skills up to 20, understanding the valued of money, and doing simple life skills. Steps in Creating Communication The first step to communicating with a mentally challenged person is to understand the way they communicate. Mirror there patterns keeping in mind get on their level but do not be on their level. Match the way they see the world, not as a child but as a learning style. Most are visual learns where they learn in pictures, using word like see and look. Visual learners prefer to use diagrams, pictures, study notes, handouts and movies to see the information they are learning. Sometimes the mentally challenged are audio learns where they may not even look at you but put more stock into the spoken word and the voice inflection. This is a fine line where the teacher must be very calm and sure of each word other wise you could miscommunication and all the building process is for naught. The mentally challenged needs to be heard and we must allow them to hear us. The final learning style is kinesthetic learners also called tactile learners need to feel it to learn best. The more the learning experience involves moving, touching, tasting and feeling, the more it will be absorbed by this type of learner. Projects and experiments also work well with this group. Young children learn thins way by reaching out to something and feeling it, touching it, and breaking it. (OK I had to put that in) The real art is to combine learning styles to fit the child. Sonic uses Visual about 80% and verbal about 15% and kinesthetic the remaining 5%. If you show her something, she will remember and get the message quickly, by adding the verbal component he will recall the instruction the next day, demonstrating, giving verbal instruction then transferring ownership of a task, builds his self-confidence. There are small tasks she can do the give him pride in doing well, such as showing which day on the med chart we are on and then picking the proper cup to take. The second step is to incorporate the communication skills in both the education setting as well as the extra curricula activities. Opportunities exist almost constancy or as it is called teachable moments. The hardest part as a teacher is to keep on top of the moments one can take advantage of and then take advantage of them. At home with sonic, it becomes a one on one the moment Sonic comes home from school until bedtime and in turn allows many more recognizable and controlled setting. The third step is to facilitate conversation and keep them engaged as much as possible. The issue here must be keeping it simple. In studies, (McLean, Brady, Mclean, Behrens, 1999) simple yes or no question got the most response from the mentally challenged. Asking completed questions creates confusion and frustration, and can actually cause the person to regress rather then moving forward. Using the KISS (keep it simple) method more ground can be make rather creating an antagonistic climate. How to communicate with the Mentally Challenged 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maintain a calm, low volume. Speaking louder does not make you more understandable. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When determining age-appropriateness of your words, remember that you must know the mental age of your listener, not his or her calendar age. Remember, they are just mentally challenged, not a person with a limited vocabulary, such as a five-year-old. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words. This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not mimic how the mentally challenged speaker pronounces words in a misguided presumption that he or she will understand if you speak like he or she does. This does not make you easier to understand. It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your sensitivity to his or her handicap. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoid running words together. For example, do not say, Do-ya wanna eat-a pizza? One of the biggest challenges for listeners knows where one word ends and the next one begins. Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When possible, opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex. The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. Big is a better choice than enormous, for example. Make is a better choice than manufacture. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoid speech complexity, which is beyond your listeners comprehension level. Use simple subject-verb-object statements with the significantly challenged. More mildly challenged people may be able to handle more forms that are complex. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Look them in the eye. It lets them know that you care about what you are saying. Although they may rarely make eye contact with you, behave as if you really are interested in what they are talking about. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Treat people with disabilities with respect. Do not treat them as inferior. Remember that the person you are talking to has feelings and is not stupid. Rather, he/she is challenged with something you will never understand the ability to understand, communicate, or decipher. 10.   Patience is the key. 11.   Be aware that you must listen and observe the person you are speaking to. In most cases, communicating with a person with a disability is very much like learning how to understand an accent. Be ready to adjust your communication style in a respectful way when necessary. 12.   Treat them as close as possible as you would a normal person, except use age-appropriate words. Otherwise, they may sense something is up. 13.   Smile to show them you are enjoying their company. 14.   Be aware of the tone of your voice.   Is it patronizing? Are you speaking with the tone you would use for a child? Adjust accordingly. (Challenges faced by, 2010) Conclusion The mentally challenged can become part of the community by understanding how they speak and process information. The earlier the problem is detected the better it is for the child. Sometimes the public tries to hide the fact until it becomes apparent to all, and by then it is too late to get timely help. There are plenty of child guidance centers and special schools around to provide the perfect environment to aid in the development of the child. If these facilities are not utilized, a mentally deficient child will definitely develop severe social and emotional problems as well. We all should try to accept the fact that their child is mentally challenged and help him or her grow to the full potential that he or she is capable of. Some people try for a miraculous cure and expend a lot of time and energy in search of a divine elixir. Even though such an attitude is understandable, it does not show any results. That time will be better spent in admitting the child to a special school or sheltered institution where he can get professional help. Communicating with people who have mental deficiency is a skill that you can hone over time with continuous practice. There are some tips, which will allow you to communicate in a better way with them. Words are just the tip of the communication iceberg. When conversing with a person, we send myriad signals by the way we stand the expression on our face and the tone of our voice. These form levels of communication that bypass words. When talking to anyone, remember to relax and consciously use body language in a positive manner. Even if the verbal communication is misunderstood, the body language can convey concern and interest. The person will receive the message that we are interested in them and care about their feelings. Watch what you say to the child, be very careful of the environment they are in, and make sure people treat the child as one of us, not a special child. Each Tuesday we play softball for the church and each time Sonic gets up a homerun is produced. It is not the home run that matters to us, although Sonic would tell you other wise, but the encouragement of being one of the gang that allows her to participate in an activity someone with a mentally challenged condition would never experience.

A Feminist Perspective of A Dolls House Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wo

A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life. At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her... ...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan. 1977 Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Shaw, Bernard. "A Doll's House Again."   Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1979. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40. A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wo A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life. At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her... ...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan. 1977 Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Shaw, Bernard. "A Doll's House Again."   Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1979. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.