Masters program application essay

My first foray into the cutthroat world of office work was at the office of Verizon Wireless. Here I served as an account manager and was assigned various tasks relating to accounts management. The work involved required me to seek out and win over new clients for the business as well as maintaining the company relationship with the already existing client base. It was at Verizon Wireless where I learned the various ways of dealing with clients. I learned how to satisfy the clients needs even if it seemed to be an almost impossible task. The experience I gained at Verizon Wireless can be considered to be highly valuable people skills that led me to believe that it would be possible for me to venture out on my own. The work path I was traversing at the time led me to take a chance on starting up a company based on sole proprietorship. Out of the many business ideas I had in mind, I settled on starting a small business that I could hopefully develop into a moneymaking machine. Thus, Setra Logistics was born. At Setra, I became involved in developing a management company that centered within the importation, exportation, and transportation business. The company's first business venture was doing local transport for auto auctions as well as shipping small cargo overseas. I ended up taking a loss at that time but I was not bothered because I felt that I was growing as a person and enhancing my management skills. Over time, I began employing more people and I learned to manage their individual work ethics and beliefs in life in order to bring out their full potential for the benefit of the company.   Through sheer hard work, patience, and perseverance, I managed to guide the company into a time of growth and at present the company is now a full fledged transport company boasting of an international clientele based throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. All these companies use our services for importing goods from the USA. Within the USA, we also have our own transport fleet that deals in transporting goods within the US. My biggest accomplishment to date though is that I managed to find partner companies overseas who can help hasten our logistics process in the aforementioned regions. At Setra Logistics, I manage a group of 7 employees of various genders, race, and nationality. It is because of the confidence I developed over the years here that I found the inner strength to try and establish another business venture. It is true that running a business alone is time consuming and 100% stressful but I have found that in the particular line of business Setra is in, it is best managed alone. Later one, I realized that I was starting to outgrow Setra Logistics and needed something new to tweak my interest. After a get together with some other business minded people, we agreed to pool our resources together and established ACS ATm, Incorporated.   Along with my partner, I am now heavily involved in the ATM machine and ISO clearinghouse business. ACS ATm is a company that specializes in ATM machine installation as well as credit card services. My company is quite active in the New York Metro area. My partners and I share the same vision of the future for ACS. We all look forward to managing the business so well, that, in the near future, it will become a leading processor for automated Teller machine software and hardware worldwide. Along with 3 other managers, our goal is to learn the ins and outs of the ATM transaction processing business and then, develop out own innovative ideas and products that will change the ATM transaction processing procedures worldwide. Our plans for the future are not limited to simply operating ATM machines and merchant services. Eventually, my managerial partners and I would like to become the brains behind tapping the remaining 70% of untapped electronic cash markets using cutting-edge and highly innovative ideas and products worthy of being tagged as 21st century banking and e-commerce trendsetters In the retrospect, I have to say that I am well versed in the languages of team and individual management. I am a skilled manager who can either run my own company, or develop a totally new company along with others who share my business visions. At Setra, I run a well oiled machine all by myself while at ACS, I learn to meet other managers halfway in order to achieve a greater success in the business venture.      

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Desiree’s Baby Essay

This passage’s relationship with the general theme or idea of the story is that it was able to show the main character’s dilemma of whether succumbing to his predetermined death or fighting for his life and his desire to be with his love ones. More so, the ticking of his watch symbolized the feeling of fear and alarm over the notion of an impending death. In this type situation or conflict, an individual would normally notice all the things that are happening around him. However, his senses were enhanced making the main character to see all the things in a micro-level which means that everything has been intensified such as the ticking of his watch that he thought was the sound of loud pounding of metal (Eserver. org). 2. â€Å"When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God† The story of Desiree’s Baby story revolved around unconditional love as well as the limitations of love. In the passage, it demonstrated Desiree’s unconditional love for her husband despite his erratic temperament and his apparent concern over racial issues. However, this also suggests that the husband did not reciprocate the level of love and care that was being given to him. In connection with the general theme of the story, the passage emphasized the main character’s sentiments towards the overpowering characteristic of love or being in love. She is willing to give her all to the man she loves without expecting any in return which was the main idea of the story. More so, in the end, regret or remorse is the only redemption that one can do to compensate for a great love loss (Eastoftheweb. com). Works Cited Bierce, Ambrose. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. † 2009. Eserver. org. 14 April 2009 Chopin, Kate. â€Å"Desiree’s Baby. † 2003. Eastoftheweb. com. 14 April 2009

Berties initial contact

Berties initial contact Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . Berties initial contact Bertie’s initial contact, Freddy grabbing his elbow to gain his attention and Bertie pushing him away could all arguably constitute a battery. A battery is the direct infliction of unlawful force on another person without lawful justification. In order for them to be considered a battery they must satisfy the requirements. There must be an application of force, the force must be direct and immediate and the contact must be unlawful. The law prohibits all deliberate touching as ‘it has long been established that any touching of another however slight, may amount to a battery’. There are however some exceptions. Exceptions are made for minor everyday touching, Lord Goff in Collins v Wilcock [1984] 1 WLR 1172 states that ‘boarder exceptions has been created to allow for the exigencies of everyday life’. (Harvey, Barbara & Marston, John (6th Edition) Cases and Commentary on Tort, Oxford University Press p351) Bertie’s initi al contact could be arguably ‘not actionable’ (Harvey & Marston, Tort) because such slight jostling is ‘impliedly consented by all who move in society and expose themselves to the risk of bodily contact’ (Collins v Wilcock). He does not therefore satisfy the first requirement. The touching is perhaps negligent but not intentional. In Cole v Turner it was said that if two or more people meet in a passage and ‘without any violence or design of harm the one touches the other gently it will be no battery’ (Cole v Turner) and the aforementioned dicta highlights that a minor touch is ‘widely accepted as part and parcel of everyday life’. Freddie would therefore on this basis not be liable for a battery. Freddy intentionally grabbing Peters elbow to attract his attention similarly falls into that category. There is an application of force and it was direct, immediate and intentional, however it would not be considered unlawful. There is a clear distinction between an unlawful battery and touching to draw someone’s attention. The circumstances are clear that the purpose was to gain Bertie’s attention. Lord Goff in Collins v Wilcock opined that ‘along such forms of conduct, long held to be acceptable, is touching a person for the purpose of engaging his attention’. It is therefore also likely to be construed also as minor touching. The touching would have to be ‘unjustified for Freddy to be liable therefore Freddy’s would not be liable for battery. However Bertie pushing Freddy away could be considered a battery. In Wilson v Pringle [1986] 2 All ER 440 the court of appeal stated the essence of a battery you required a ‘hostile intentional touching’. However Lord Goff suggested that ‘qualification is difficult to reconcile with the principle that any touching of another’s body is, in the absence of lawful excuse, capable of amounting to a battery’ . This discounted the need for and ‘hostile’ act, and this was confirmed in Collins v Wilcock as the touching of the defendant was considered a battery as there was not a lawful arrest. There was no evidence of hostility in Collins v Wilcock, the requirement was therefore that the touching is merely unlawful. The mental element is also apparent. Lord Denning in Letang v Cooper [1964] 2 All ER 929 opined that ‘if one man intentionally applies force directly to another, the claimant has a cause of action in assault and battery’ (Harvey & Marston, Tort). There can be no doubts that there is an application of force, Bertie’s actions are intentional. The force is direct and immediate and the contact is not one of those excused as everyday jostling. Bertie’s actions will therefore be considered unlawful and therefore they are liable for a battery.

Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Outsourcing - Essay Example From raw materials to semi-finished components, from consulting to detail engineering and from direct sales to distributor/retailer networks – there have been avenues for outsourcing as a part of strategic management of operations. The new twist to this has been the phenomenal growth of outsourcing from overseas resources as opposed to the conventional local outsourcing, resulting in significant job losses at home and the public outcry. Business surpluses or profits seek avenues of investment with high returns. Multinational firms in the developed nations with high surpluses and operating in saturated markets look to developing and underdeveloped nations with high populations for investments. The latter countries, on the other hand have the problem of high unemployment or surplus labor and low wage structure. These factors result in overseas investments, actively supported by the globalization process. In the process, the benefit of low cost production not just for the overseas market but for the home market itself Loss of jobs for locals is a sensitive issue for politicians and the public spirited. President Obama’s famous statement, ‘Say no to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo’ reflects the chasm between political and business compulsions. Multinationals like Nokia, IBM, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, General Motors and Levy have set up production facilities overseas with local employees while even in the US thousands of jobs in the technology industry are contracted to foreign workers (CNN.com; Rai, New York Times Feb.22, 2004; Case study, Rugman & Collinson, 2009, pp.30 ). The debate surrounding the ‘sweatshops’ of Asian countries with both the supporters and opponents holding out valid arguments, is another angle to the phenomenon of outsourcing. In the ultimate analysis, outsourcing has to be viewed as a trade off between high-cost local manufacture vs. low-priced but standard quality foreign-made products vs. job losses at home vs. expanding demand

Adaptation of Hills Like White Elephant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Adaptation of Hills Like White Elephant - Essay Example Women and men; seduction stories bring to the screen three stories each of which is focused on a man and a woman. Ernest Hemingway perfectly describes the setting of the story it a description of the view of River Ebro and white hills from a point at the train station in Spain. The girl likens the mountains to elephants which the American had never seen. These hills across the valley of Ebrol are described to be long and white with no shade or trees on the inside unlike the setting in the movie which shows the American and the girl seated with drinks on the table as they continue with their journey. The settings in the novel as well as in the movie do not show any variation as they are similarly outlined. The American and the girl are the main characters of the story. However, the American does not reveal his name; neither does the girl address him by his name. The American’s convincing nature is clearly shown as he tries to convince the girl undergo an operation without carin g about the girl. The girl is the female protagonist in the story. The American addresses her as jig although her real name is not revealed in the story. The girl being less sure of what she wants tempts the American to convince her to have an abortion. The girl seems not to care or worry about her self-worth as she is ready to undergo abortion (operation) as long as the American loves her. She is not straight forward about what she actually wants. â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† consists of the dialogue between the American man and the girl with only few narrated segments in the story as opposed to the lengthy stage direction and frequency of occurrence in the women and men; seduction stories movie. This keeps the reader in the dark about the previous actions of the character and their motives. The aspect of flash is well captured in the women and men; seduction stories movie which helps the viewer to keep pace with previous actions, character’s actions and intentio ns or motives. This helps to set the mood and also establishes the landscape in understanding the conflict of the characters. The inability of the girl to speak Spanish with the bar attendant is an illustration of how dialogue is emphasized and her independence on the American and also shows the difficulties she had in expressing herself to other people. The American and the girl as well as the underlying conflict are characterized by the content and the manner of conversation which demonstrates radical compression and a higher degree of suggestiveness and implication. This is demonstrated during the first interaction between the American and the girl regarding the choice of a drink in which the girl asks the American. This conversation outlines the lack of the girl’s free will to ask for a drink while showing the manipulating character of the man. Conversation is also evident when the girl begs the man to stop talking after she realized that their conversation were futile. T he girl begs him ‘†¦.please, please, please, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Language and communication between the American and the girl become intense and more focused as the couples’ relationship is in a crisis due to the girl’s pregnancy. The couple seems to struggle in their conversation on the course they relationship will take especially when in public. To make matters worse, the readers are left not knowing whether the couple was able to find a common ground as the story ends

Should Texting Be Ban During Driving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should Texting Be Ban During Driving - Essay Example 2008) According to a CBS News correspondent Kelly (2009), the issue of mobile phone usage while driving has been a heated one over the time. In the United States, a split over the cell phone policy became evident when the Republican Senator Wagner, D-Chopee and the chair of the committee, Steven Baddour proposed to have a bill (H 3354), aimed at regulating cell phone usage within a car, with lawmakers and advocates terming the practice as the "new drunk driving." He also stated that all states needed to emulate the six States that have banned cell phone usage while driving, i.e. New Jersey, New York, California, Connecticut, Washington and Utah. This is not to mention the thirteen States that have completely banned text messaging for all drivers, i.e. Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, California, Louisiana, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota, Utah, Tennessee, Washington and Virginia. (Kelly Cobiella, June 11, 2009) Jackson (2008) commented, "The American Insurance Association's members are responsible for handling 20% of the bay State auto insurance market". The association has declared that it supports the bills seeking to ban text messaging while driving, using an earpiece or speakerphone on a mobile phone, as well as banning of any use of any mobile phone for drivers under the age of 18 years. The Statehouse News Service also reported on the 11th of June that twenty five people had been killed in a train collision the previous fall, which included the train driver who had been spotted sending text messages moments before the fatal crash. The person who had spotted him was a student, who said, "Even if you take your eyes off the road for two seconds, you could drive off the road or hit another car". (Jackson, Maggie 2008, pg 111-115) Scope of Use of Cell Phone Texting In the today's world, text messaging is the most widely used data service, with over 35% of all mobile phone users in America, or over 4.5 million out of over 8 million phone subscribers at the end of 2007 being active users of the short message services. In the same time, other countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden have over 72% of the population using the short message services (SMS). In Europe, an average of 85% by the end of 2007 and North America rapidly catching up at over 56% of active SMS users, clearly shows the scope of use of the service. This coupled with the 2001, Global Messaging Survey by Nokia indicate how addictive text messaging can be. (Gogging and Peterson 2008) Other studies have been carried out by the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 2004, and others by the University of Queensland in Australia, which concluded that text messaging is the most addictive digital service on mobile or internet, even to the levels of addictiveness experienced by cigarette smokers, where the user gets into a habit of text reception and a need to remain connected known as "reachability" .This habit has resulted in SMS becoming widely used in delivering digital content such as news

Noise pollution in the ocean Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Noise pollution in the ocean - Research Paper Example Some of the marine life has been adversely affected by the increase in noise pollution in the oceans and their survival has been compromised. Most of the marine life species have evolved over the years to possess very acute hearing abilities which are affected by an increase in the noise under water. Naturally, most of the species in the oceans majorly depend on sound to detect danger and also to hunt for their food. Noise pollution masks the important sounds to the marine life and it also causes stress to the animals. This paper focuses on noise pollution in the ocean and addresses the three main animals that are affected and how humans contribute to the noise pollution in the ocean. The three main animals affected by noise pollution Cephalopods Giant squids are some of the ocean animals that are affected by noise pollution. The squids are injured by the noise and it could even lead to death if they are subjected to certain frequencies of sound for a long time. According to research ers who are set out to find out whether squids can hear, the results of their study showed that the sea animals can hear. Unlike humans, their hearing capability is limited to around 500 Hz. This means that the animals cannot perceive the high frequency sounds from animals like dolphin screeches. Recent study has revealed that Giant squids are affected by sound in the least expected way, which affects their balance. In the research experiment, the squids were placed in tanks and were then exposed to two straight hours sound at low frequency. The findings revealed that the animals suffered great damage to their statocyst tissue which is responsible for balance while navigating in the water. The exposure is traumatizing and the lesions in their statocysts get worse (Coghlan 15). There are many types of squids and they have many relatives in the Cephalopods groups of marine species. The Octopus is also in the group and it is also vulnerable to noise pollution. Octopuses have also been affected in a similar way as the Squids by the low frequency noise in the ocean (Heimbuch Para 8). Squids live in various parts of the sea, some may be found in the deep sea while others may be found at more shallow depths. Noise from the activities on the surface of the sea or in the deep sea during fishing done by humans is transferred very fast across the water and it can reach the animals at all depths. Cephalopods are therefore very vulnerable to trauma and damage from noise pollution that is on the increase in the ocean. Cephalopods like the Humboldt Squid have been one of the most adversely affected marine species by noise pollution in the ocean over the past decade. In 2004, thousands of the squids died and were washed to the coast in Oregon. In 2008, a similar case occurred in the same region (Mulvaney Para 1). At that time, the marine biologists had no idea what was causing the mysterious deaths on such a large number of squids. Biologists undertook a study on four species of squids to determine the damage caused by low frequency noise on the animals. After a short time of exposure to the noise, the biologists observed that the hair in the statocysts of the animals had experienced damages. The nerves in the statocysts later swelled and soon after, holes would form in the statocysts. The findings were very shocking since the sound used was very low in frequency and the biologists were worried that exposure to higher frequencies of noise to the squid would have worse effects on them. Whales

Social Problem Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social Problem - Research Paper Example This essay is a critical evaluation of crime as a social problem in the society a well as the measures that can be put into place to ensure that the vice is contained for the welfare and the security of citizens in the world. The rate of crime has risen significantly in the society. To some extent, this can be attributed to the invention of lethal weapons such as guns and ammunition especially during the world wars whereby the various super powers were battling over military superiority (Mednick, 2001). This saw the invention of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear bombs, assault rifles, and grenades as well as other small arms such as pistols and bayonets. Whereas the initial intention of these discoveries was for the protection of the nation’s sovereignty through military empowerment, the end result was that the equipment found their way into the civilian hands either accidentally or through illegal means. For example, it is approximated that 190,000 weapons issued to Iraq forces in the year 2007 can not be accounted for by the US department of defense (Dunbar, 2006). Probably, the arms found their way into the wrong hands of illegal forces who pose a great risk to the security of civilia ns as well as government forces that are out to maintain law and order. People commit crimes due to a variety of reasons. These reasons are for example peer pressure (Mednick, 2001). This refers to the influence that people may have on the conduct of their friends who could be of the same age group as they are or even older who may decide to follow the habits of others without questioning the moral aspect of what they intend to do as long as it satisfies their worldly fantasies. Such groups introduces their friends to crimes such as drug trafficking which is a well paying but risky vice bearing in mind of the consequences that one would face once he is arrested.

What kind of leadership style improves employee satisfaction in China Literature review

What kind of leadership style improves employee satisfaction in China - Literature review Example Work by 9 different authors (Fu et al (2011), Shen, J (2010), Talehgani et al (2010), Hsu and Chen (2011), Ngo et al (2008), Wong et al (2007), Madlcok (2008), Loi and Ngo (2010) and Wu and Chiang (2007)) between 2007 and 2012 have been primarily discussed in the study to identify their methodology for studying the different factors determining employee job satisfaction, the reliability and validity of the data and methodology, their findings and to identify if any major similarities or differences exist in their observations. This critical review of the mentioned available literature is useful in understanding the relationship between leadership styles and employee satisfaction. Topic review It is understood that leadership is a process that has influence on the motivation and performance of group activities as the group works towards realizing the common goals. The type of leadership provided by the leader or manager and the specific environment are seen to determine the successful achievement of the organizational goals in every organization or group across the globe (Talehgani et al, 2010, p 92). This prompts one to explore what leadership style or styles exist that is identified to be more successful than others and what impact these styles have on factors including employee motivation and subsequent job satisfaction. Their study draws on a combination of Robert House’s direction-goal model (House, 1996) and Geert Hofstede’s study on dividing of cultural dimensions (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2012) to develop a model that aimed to assess the cultural behaviour pattern in 18 countries. The researchers divided leadership styles into four categories: directional, supportive, participatory and success oriented... The purpose of this research is to study the different leadership styles employed by managers in the different organizational settings to assess the impact on employee satisfaction in China. The focus of the study is to understand the different kinds of organizational settings or firm ownership and identify what specific patterns of leadership exist within these different organizations to affect employee motivation and job satisfaction. This study is important in the background of China facing talent shortage as per a 2010 survey by Manpower Inc. and another joint survey conducted by Kelly Services and Harvard Business Review. It is understood that leadership is a process that has influence on the motivation and performance of group activities as the group works towards realizing the common goals. The type of leadership provided by the leader or manager and the specific environment are seen to determine the successful achievement of the organizational goals in every organization or g roup across the globe. This prompts one to explore what leadership style or styles exist that is identified to be more successful than others and what impact these styles have on factors including employee motivation and subsequent job satisfaction. Their study draws on a combination of Robert House’s direction-goal model and Geert Hofstede’s study on dividing of cultural dimensions to develop a model that aimed to assess the cultural behaviour pattern in 18 countries. The researchers divided leadership styles into four categories: directional, supportive, participatory and success oriented leadership.

Modern Art Essay Example for Free

Modern Art Essay Some people consider modern arts not serious. In this regard, the question â€Å"Can we think of modern art as real art? † comes into existence. So to answer to this question we need to take for consideration what is art in general and what forms it has. There are a variety of arts, including visual arts and design, decorative arts, plastic arts and the performing arts. So, Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. And artistic expression takes many forms: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, music, literature, and architecture are the most widely recognized forms. To begin with, when we speak about modern art, in most cases we think about the field of fine arts. Because exactly fine arts underwent the visible changes for centuries. The number of styles of painting is enormous. Artistic works can be grouped by styles according to the common principles of creative thinking. Each epoch is characterized by a certain worldview; that is why throughout the centuries the ways of thinking about art was also changing. Fine arts faced such styles as Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, Realism, Impressionism and so on. Modern art refers to works produced during the period from 1870. Typically, modern artists rejected previous Renaissance-based traditions, in favour of new forms of artistic experimentation. They used new materials, new techniques of painting, and developed new theories about how art should reflect the perceived world. And nowadays there exists a great amount of styles of Modern art, for example: Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Performance Art, Dada Style, Neoplasticism, Surrealist Style, Postminimalism, Graffiti Art, etc. Concerning the question of modern art it’s quite difficult to judge, but nevertheless people are divided into two sides: pros and cons. First and foremost art implies the inseparability of form and content and of course talent. Famous artists affirmed that it is necessary to master the skill the main component of the art. But many modern works have lack of this component. Modern art has no its purpose to create the artistic work, that is why modern artists are indifferent to internal connection of form and content. Therefore it is impossible without accompanying comment; for example the artist can grab a canvas, paint it in different colours and put some strokes on it, and this kind of painting can represent his happiness. Because it is often said that modern art can be done without any talent or efforts. After all real art needs to show emotion, beauty, and needs to be a window to the artists  emotions. Art is something that you see and must look deeply into to understand or find beauty in. Modern art is art that a 5 year old can do so it has too little effort to be considered art. Many people believe that such so called artists are supported by the mass media, that is why their works are sold for million dollars. Every person could take a brush and do smth like that, but no one would buy this daub. They say Leonardo was a great artist. Raphael was a great artist, but modern ones can’t be compared. So for the great majority of people modern art is not serious. On the other hand, who is anyone to judge what real art is? After all our understanding of art comes to nothing more than our school knowledge about periods of Renaissance, Classicism or Modern. Just because one doesnt like or understand the art, doesnt mean that the art is not real art. Besides, it should be noted that there is the term contemporary art, meaning the work of artists of the 90-ies of XX century. It represents the mirror of contemporary world. And often great

Reflective Assessment: Bucket and Dipper Theory

Reflective Assessment: Bucket and Dipper Theory Ming Chak Ip   The module was centered on the issue of positive response and feedback on events. It relied heavily on the bucket and dipper theory which was developed by Don Clifton and Tom Rath. It purports that we all have an invincible bucket and dipper. When our bucket is overflowing, we are filled with positive emotions and we impact others around us constructively through words and reaction. The dipper is what we use to fill other peoples invincible buckets. The theory is bent on the positive repercussions of positive responses and influences on others. When we receive information positively and respond graciously, we maximize the positive impacts on our recipients and positive outcomes are reflected in our being as well. This theory is further enhanced by the study by Shelly Gable, which proposes highly that when people share good news and their experiences in life, they form more productive social connections. Sharing promotes ones emotional well-being and allows them to continue engaging p ositively with the people and environments around them. The bucket and dipper theory is very fundamental in informing and enhancing interpersonal relations. It fosters the development of personal skills and, thus, it is very relevant to the growth of a corporate and to ones personal development. The bucket and dipper theory is a positivity pathway that informs productive relationships within and outside the workplace. It emphasizes the need for active and constructive responses as opposed to passive and destructive inputs (Rath Clifton, 2009). The theory can be enhanced in ones life through acts such as active listening to our family and friends as they communicate with us, and practicing mindfulness and emotional and physical presence during the communication. It would also be enhanced further when we avoid cutting into the stories of the speaker, with our own experiences and advice very early into the conversation. Further, we should be genuinely authentic as we engage in asking positive questions about the incidents of the speakers. O ur support should be gracious and we should commend and congratulate our peers for their positive undertakings. Consequently, our engagement with the speaker should be used to enhance their experience and highlight the importance of their achievements. More importantly, we should always seek to fill the empty buckets around us through gestures and extra acts of kindness. One of the main limitations of the theory is the assumption that we can attain optimal positivity in all undertakings in life (McCloud, 2015). In some instances, it is not possible to give active and constructive feedbacks; we are required to critique negative undertakings and behaviors in our peers and friends. While passive and destructive and active and destructive responses will do more damage than good, we need to find a place of agreeability where our response is not active and constructive. We should aim at balanced emotions and reactions based on the specific incidents. On an average day at work, I have extensive contact with the younger workmates who are training interns with the organization. I am required to assist them with their assignments and direct them on issues they do not understand about the organization. Being a junior manager, this is a duty I considered cumbersome since it includes my daily engagement in evaluating their experiences in the field and going over minor details of their routine. It requires a lot of patience and skills in directing the interns, who are fresh from college, regarding their assignments. In most of our discussion engagements, I have noticed that one of the interns is especially enthusiastic about minor details which I considered irrelevant. She enjoyed highlighting her experiences with her peers and customers through the day and fusing the interactions with the eventual assignments. This habit was initially annoying to me since it drew me from the main target which was to complete my assessment with the all t he interns and redirect my efforts to more serious assignments of the day. After engaging with the module readings, however, I am more informed on how nurturing positive feedback mechanisms and sharing the minor details and achievements of the day have a positive impact, not only on my interns but on my personal and professional development as well. By applying the module teachings, I started listening attentively and responding actively and constructively to the interns, especially to the arguments of the most enthusiastic lady in the group. I observed better learning experiences for both of us. I was able to inspire her understanding of the assignments in a better manner since; we would apply the lessons from her interactions with her friends to solving major issues of the assignments and illustrating more applicable principles to corporate development. I realized that my relationship with her and my other interns has been greatly enhanced as I continued to fill their buckets on a daily basis. I am a better friend and a better aid by applying the simple concept of listening positively and responding adequately to experiences that I once considered irrelevant. My application of the theory has since extended to other spheres of my life. I am able to relate better with my other colleagues and seniors at the workplace, and with pe ople, including strangers, I meet on a daily basis. I am a better team player at work; I have a better understanding of the people around me and the little things that impact them in their daily lives. Overly, I am positive of the immense contributions of the module teachings to my overall life. I have become a better listener, I pay more attention to details that are necessary to those around me and I have learned to accommodate views in a more positive and engaging manner. I am striving to be an active and constructive listener to my workmates and family members. I strongly believe that the lessons learned will be of great value as I continue to grow professionally and interact with people around me. They are surely, a great component in the making of a good leader. References ListMcCloud, C. (2015). Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. New York: Bucket Fillers. Rath, D., Clifton, D. (2009). How Full Is Your Bucket? Educators Edition: Positive Strategies for Work and Life. New York: Simon and Schuster.

The Privacy of E-Mail Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays Interne

The Privacy of E-Mail Today the Internet is being used more and more frequently, and the question of e-mail privacy is becoming more and more of an issue in society. Many people today, both at work and at home, are using e-mail to keep in touch with their friends, family, and their co-workers. Sometimes the information that is contained in these messages is private and confidential, neither the sender nor the receiver wish any one else to be privy to what is contained in these messages. What happens if that very private piece of mail is intercepted and read by those whom it is not meant for? For some people it might only be a slight problem, but for others it could cause some serious problems. It also brings up the issue of who actually has the right to read e-mail. Is it acceptable for someone's boss or employer to be reading e-mail that is not meant for them, and is it acceptable for the police to read the private e-mail of those whom they suspect have been involved a crime? There are dozens questions that arise when a person is discussing the issue of e-mail privacy and just who has the right to read what some one else has sent to a person, something that might contain a message that they do not want read by anyone else. In 1986 the Electronic Communications Privacy Act was put into effect by Congress, this act was designed to protect the users of e-mail from having to worry about others reading what they consider to be a private message. In basic terms the act states that e-mail is not to be intercepted by an outside third party without the proper authorization. It also states that the police are not able to search and seize a persons e-mail unless they are in the possesion of a warrant authorizing them to do so. Whil... ...mics of Mass Communication 6th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill College 1999. Electronic Interaction in the Workplace: Monitoring, Retriving and Storing Employee Communications. Mark S. Dichler and Michael S. Burkhardt. October 2-5, 1996. The American Employment Law Council. November 27, 1999. www.mlb,com/speech1.html Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. "Who's Reading Your Screen?" Time Jan. 18, 1993, p.46. Reprinted in Privacy, SIRS. Boca Raton Fl., 1996. vol 5. art 1. Grossman, Lev. "How Bad Was the Hotmail Disaster?" Time Digital (August 31, 1999): 5pars. 27 Nov. 1999. www.time.com "Internet Privacy Survey." Privacy & American Business July/Aug 1997, pp. 1. Reprinted in Privacy, SIRS. Boca Raton Fl., 1996. vol 5. art 95. Privacy Rights 1996-1999. 27 Nov. 1999. San Jose Mercury News Jan. 30, 1994, pp. 1F. Reprinted in Privacy SIRS. Boca Raton, Fl., 1996. vol. 5. art. 22.

De Vaca and Smith :: Social Issues, Indian Life

Both Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and John Smith hold different attitudes regarding their accounts of Indian life. The difference in attitudes may have resulted from the difference in treatments that each man received while in captivity. De Vaca’s experience is a humbling one. His account of Indian life is written in a thoughtful manner, and he describes the Indians kindly. While he describes his captivity as â€Å"melancholy and wretched† (De Vaca 34), it’s clear that he harbors no ill feelings towards the Indians. He states that he and his men were treated well, that they lived as â€Å"free agents† (De Vaca 32) and tried to accustom themselves to Indian life. He’s highly observant of the Indian life. He records the Indian lifestyles in detail; his account reads more like a cultural anthropology study. His account of Indian life ends on a sympathetic note towards the Indians especially after he realizes his misjudgment of the Christians. â€Å"We often misjudge the motives of men,† de Vaca writes, â€Å"We thought we had effected the Indians’ liberty, when the Christians were but poising to pounce (De Vaca 36).† Smith, on the other hand, describes his account in a boastful manner. His account of Indian life reads like a fantastic adventure novel in which he is the glorified hero. He continuously refers to the Indians as â€Å"savages† (Smith 46) or â€Å"barbarians† (Smith 48) throughout his account. He even describes them as â€Å"devils† (Smith 51). At one point, he thinks that the Indians are trying to â€Å"fat him to eat him† (Smith 50). Smith’s account is so incredibly dramatic that he expects â€Å"every hour to be put to one death or other† (Smith 52). Also, the incident with Pocahontas saving Smith appears to be highly romanticized. Smith’s manner of writing, in which he writes of himself in the third person, only adds to the boastful tone of this account. It makes the entire account seem impersonal. It also makes Smith appear self-important and frivolous. One can only speculate on why there is such a huge difference in these two writers’ attitudes. Their backgrounds may be factors that have influenced their attitudes. For de Vaca, it may be his religious background that has influenced him and shaped his attitude. In his account, he acknowledges his religion several times. â€Å"My only solace in these labors was to think of the sufferings of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and the blood He shed for me,† de Vaca writes.

Literary Devices Used In Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

Literary Devices used in Macbeth Imagine how dull a Shakespearean play would be without the ingenious literary devices and techniques that contribute so much to the fulfillment of its reader or viewer. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy that combines fact and legend to tell the story of an eleventh century king. Shakespeare uses numerous types of literary techniques to make this tragic play more appealing. Three literary devices that Shakespeare uses to make Macbeth more interesting and effective are irony, symbolism, and imagery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One technique that Shakespeare uses is irony. Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means the opposite. When a reader understands the irony of what a character is saying, then he can truly understand the nature and intentions of the character. An example of verbal irony is when Macbeth says to Banquo, "Tonight we hold a solemn supper, sir,/ And I’ll request your presence" (Macbeth 3.1.13-14). The reader soon discovers that Banquo never makes it to the banquet because he is brutally murdered by order of Macbeth. Shakespeare also uses situation irony. This occurs when the results of an action or event are different than what is expected. An example of situation irony occurs when Macduff talks to Malcolm and discusses the tragedies that are taking place in Scotland. Without knowing that his own family has been slain Macduff says, " Each new morn/ New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows/ Strike heaven on the fac...

Impact of New Technology on Lifestyle and Health Essay

As a start I would like to give a short and simple definition of the concept â€Å"technology†. Technology will, in this case and this paper, refer to any physical object, product, environment, or symbol that has been created by human beings. Another frequently used concept with the same meaning is â€Å"artifact† (Simon, 1969). Technology has had a great impact upon the living conditions of people all over the world. Technology has helped us to perform many tasks safer, faster, and with higher precision than would be possible without its help. Technology has also made us stronger, helped us to travel faster, and made it possible for us to perform tasks that otherwise would be impossible to perform. With the help of technology we can perform many tasks that are dangerous for people to perform, like working in a hostile physical environment, for instance in a contaminated or radioactive environment. Technology has helped us to perform boring manual tasks day and night, every day in the week, even without a coffee brake. Technology has made it possible for us to travel all over the world and reach new destinations, quicker than ever. Soon we might even travel to other planets in our Solar system. The invention of machines, computers and other technological artefacts has improved our mental abilities too. Technology can make us smart (Norman, 1993) by increasing our abilities to remember better, by storing information in different formats, and support our reasoning activities. Thanks to computers we can perform complex calculations quickly, simulate processes of different kind, create art and music, and so on. Technology has also helped us to pick up information that earlier was impossible to pick up. Microscopes and telescopes, only to mention a few technological devices, have made it possible for us to look into worlds that we otherwise would not have any access to. New intelligent hearing aids have helped people with hearing deficits to pick up auditory information better and improved the possibilities to communicate with other people. Technology can improve our abilities to control vehicles of different kind, for instance to improve the ability to steer, brake and shift gears in the car. New technology has been used to create systems that can help drivers to find new destinations, or find the quickest route to known destinations. New technology has also been developed for helping drivers to avoid collisions and other dangerous situations. Technology has made it possible to adapt cars to drivers with functional handicap so that they can drive (nearly?) as safely as drivers without these problems. Technology can help mariners to navigate ships across the Atlantic with high precision, to assist pilots in their task of flying to selected destinations, avoid collisions in the air, control the aircraft, and so on. Process industries, manufacturing industries, energy producing industries can today be controlled with the help of new advanced technology. Technology has had an impact on the way we live, work, enjoy ourselves, and communicate with each other. Thanks to improved transportation systems we can now live at a distance from our working place, and commute to our job. Some of us can work from home thanks to the computer and the ability to send digital messages to different destinations. Thanks to the World Wide Web we can communicate with people at very distant places and arrange virtual meetings. We also have new ways of entertaining ourselves. Technology in the Health sector has made important contributions to the treatment of diseases and with the help of advanced technology it is now possible to save lives in a way that was not possible only a few decades ago. In her key note, professor Axelsson has shown how technology can be used in health care. Soon it may be possible to replace missing limbs with artifacts that can perform the tasks the missing limb should have performed. Changes in lifestyle? I believe we can identify some important changes in our lifestyles that are, at least partly, caused by the technological development. With the focus on human work I believe we can identify the following, and many more changes. A shift from physical to mental workload One important trend in our working life is a shift from physically demanding tasks to mentally demanding tasks. Human work has for a long time been more or less dominated by tasks that were physically demanding. Some of these tasks are still with us, but in many cases new technology can help us to perform them with less physical effort. A farmer, say 150 years ago, performed many manual tasks. Today there exist machines that can help the farmer to perform many of the tasks. A miner used to perform many heavy manual tasks when my father was working as a miner. Today trucks are doing the job, quicker and faster. Instead of performing the physically demanding tasks an operator of a machine has to control the machine and supervise its performance, indicating a shift to a mentally demanding task. A task is mentally demanding if it imposes a workload on our abilities to search for and pick up relevant information, store information, use information to make decisions, solve problems, develop action plans and supervise the performance of action plans. Many working tasks today have the character of being more mentally demanding than physically demanding. A shift towards supervising processes The condition for workers has, in many cases, changed from being in direct contact with the working task to using some kind of technological device to perform the task. This has quite often resulted in a new role for the worker. The new role is more of a supervisor of a process. Examples may be found among pilots who are interacting with a computer, the flight management system, which is performing part of the flying task. Another example can be found among workers in highly automated industrial processes, where an automated system is controlling a large part of the process. Increased complexity The introduction of computers has increased the complexity of many tasks. The amount of information we are forced to process in working life has increased. As a result is it has become harder to understand the way different systems are working. The logic of many systems is hidden in the computer and not possible to inspect directly. Negative impact of technology There are some psychological consequences of the changes that has occurred as a result of new technology. In some cases technology can make us stupid, confused and disoriented. Please let me illustrate this statement by giving a few examples on how technology can confuse us and make us look stupid. Technology that may make us stupid Doors are equipped with some kind of device to open and close them. In some cases it is perfectly obvious how the device works by looking at it. In other cases it might be confusing. There exist doors where the device to open and close the doors are identical in shape, but works completely different. A good design should make it obvious how a door should be opened and the principle of consistency should be used. In some cases it may be extremely important to be able to open doors quickly and without involving higher mental processes. Another example of a violation of the principle of consistency is when you have a door with two locks, and to open the door you must turn the key in different directions in each lock. Still another example can be taken from the medical sector. A number of studies have shown that errors are made in this sector, and that errors tend to occur when patients are given their medicine. One possible explanation to this is that different medicines may be stored in bottles that look very much like each other. An interesting question is how the container for different medicines should be physically designed so that it is easy to distinguish different drugs. An example from the automobile industry has to do with the relationship between controls and, in this case, windows. A good principle, stemming from Gestalt psychology, is that you should place a control of a certain device close to that device. This is called the â€Å"proximity principle†. In some cases this is not done, and controls for the windows in a car might be located far away from the windows. The design of the physical environment is also of interest. When a new living area is created and houses and paths are designed, it is common to find that people living there are not walking on the paths that have been so nicely designed. Instead they quite often are using the shortest route across some sensitive area(s). A simple solution here would be to wait and see where people are walking, and after that decide the paths should be located. In some hotel rooms you must use most of your brain power to figure out how the shower works. The problem in many cases is that the function is hidden, and it is not possible to directly see how the shower must be operated. Technology can be used to supervise people – Big Brother can see you In some cases technology is used to supervise worker’s performance at workplaces. This may increase the stress level of the involved workers, and in some cases increase their stress level, and make them sick. On example comes from call centres. The number of call centres has increased rapidly in Sweden. A common definition of a call centre is a working place where people are engaged in telephone communication with customers and are doing that with the help of computer support. In a call centre the operator’s performance can be effectively supervised with the help of computers. It is possible to measure the number of telephone calls each employee is performing during the working day, and also measure the number of breaks that occur during a working day. A psychological effect of this registration is, sometimes, an increased stress level among the workers. Big Brother can see you! Technology can be used to supervise traffic streams, control traffic streams, and identify speeding drivers. Cameras on the road side are being more and more common in Sweden. Some drivers don’t like being supervised by â€Å"Big Brother† and one solution seems to be the destruction of cameras. Technology can also be used to prevent drunken drivers from using their car. Before the car can be started the driver must exhale (breathe) into a measuring device. If the device detects alcohol in the air then the car will not be possible to start. Some drivers which have been found guilty of driving when intoxicated by alcohol have, as a part of their treatment, accepted to install this kind of device in their car. A follow up study has shown that many of these convicted drivers have stopped using this device. Technology can give an invitation to â€Å"Human Error† Besides making us feel stupid, improper design of technology can cause incidents, accidents, and in the worst case kill people. Please let me illustrate this by using some well known accidents as examples. Three Mile Island, USA. This accident happened in the USA 1971. A problem occurred in the Nuclear Power Plant and the situation gradually developed into something problematic. One, out of many, aspects of this accident is that the alarm systems in the Power Plant were activated, and very soon a large number of alarms and warnings were sounding. This probably increased the stress level of the operators who were trying to understand the problem and what to do with it. A high level of stress is not an optimal condition for solving a complex problem. One problem here was that instead of helping the operators to solve the problem the alarm systems made the situation worse. The crash in Gottrà ¶ra, Sweden. A certain similarity can be found in an accident with a passenger plane in Sweden, 1991. A plane (MD 81) started from Arlanda airport (Stockholm) and soon after the start it lost the power of one engine and shortly thereafter the power of the other engine. The captain’s plan was to fly the plane without the help of the engines (basic flying) and perform an emergency landing on an empty field at a distance from the airport. During the four minutes, from the moment the engines had stopped until the aircraft landed safely (!), the plane was shaking and the instrument panel were blinking. Auditory warnings were activated and a female warning voice was talking continuously. The information from the plane to the captain was chaotic and did not offer any useful help to him. In one interview after the accident the captain stated that on the wish list was a warning system that can offer help in situations of this kind. Not a system that distracts and increases the pilots stress level. In Linkà ¶ping, Sweden, a number of patients were treated with the help of a machine that should purify their blood. A nurse misjudged the information from the machine and by mistake turned the machine off. A number of patients died as a result. The machine was built by some technicians and when it was working correctly a number of indicators (lamps) showed the colour red. Normally red is a colour that is used for warnings of different kind. There are also a number of accidents that have occurred as a result of automation. Automation of some tasks may solve some problems, but can also create new possibilities for errors (Bainbridge, 1987). It has been found that people may have an over trust in automation and believe that an automated system takes care of more that it actually can take care of. Automation can also have the effect that an operator becomes less involved in the control of a system and has a problem to take the control back when so needed. What can we do to avoid the negative sides of technology? In the cases where technology is used to supervise people and this is not totally accepted by people this may be regarded as a political question and should be treated as such. This case will not be discussed further in this paper. In cases where the design of technology has caused problems it is possible to provide some guidelines. Improper design of technology is common when technology is designed without consideration of the user’s needs, abilities and limitations. The following advices can be given: Start the development process of new technology by investigating the needs of the intended users! Perform a task analysis (see for instance Kirwan and Ainsworth, 1993) and try to understand what the users need are in order to perform the task efficiently and safely. Involve the intended users early in the design process! Remember that they have a lot of valuable knowledge concerning the task and how it may be performed. Respect individual differences! There are sometimes large individual variations among users of a technological device and the design should be flexible enough to take care of this variation. Make it possible for users to understand the technical device. If users can understand the way a technical device works (if I push this button, then that will happen) the risk for so called â€Å"human error† will most likely decrease. Use the scientific method – test and test again, until you have eliminated the worst problems. The empirical testing of a technical device should have a high priority. Design for human error! People will, in the long run, get tired, distracted or anything else and make an error. This is sometimes called Murphy’s law – if anything can go wrong then it will, sooner or later. Human beings are not like machines and we have to design with that in mind. A technical device should be designed to make it possible to escape the error that sooner or later will be made. Provide feedback (this happened) and feedforward (that will happen). Feedback and feedforward from a technical device should be clear and easy to understand. This will give the user a possibility to understand the system. If possible introduce an undo function! As mentioned earlier people will make errors and this is an error correcting possibility. Use a system perspective! Any kind of technological equipment will be used in a certain context. Analyse the context and see whether the new artefact can successfully be mixed into the context. These are general rules to follow, and by following them I strongly believe that we can influence the design of technology in such a way that our lifestyles and health will be improved. References Bainbridge, L. (1987). Ironies of Automation. In J. Rasmussen, K. Duncan and J. Leplat (Eds.) New Technology and Human Error, John Wiley & Sons Ltd Kirwan, B., and Ainsworth, L.K. (Eds.) (1993). A guide to task analysis. Taylor & Francis Norman, D.A. (1993). Things that make us smart. PERSEUS BOOKS, USA Reason, J. (1990). Human error. Cambridge university press, USA Simon, H. (1969). The Science of the Artificial. The M.I.T. PRESS

The Story of Odysseus

Odysseus, a hopeless player or a faithful husband? In my opinion, I believe that Odysseus is a hopeless player. Although he was trying to return to Ithaca so that he could be reunited with his beautiful wife Penelope, on his journey he was not always faithful. First off I would describe Odysseus as a desperate type of guy because he tries to charm every girl he lays eyes upon, he will go for anything he can find. On one of his adventures he received a bath from four lovely ladies. Odysseus just meets these women and he starts flirting with them.That is absolutely appalling and quite disturbing. Also that’s not all this selfish player did. Secondly, Odysseus cheated on Penelope more than once! That’s so rude, and inconsiderate! He cheated with Calypso at least once and with Circe multiple times! Crew members Elpenor, Achaemenides, and Mnestheus said that they had a feeling Odysseus was cheating because he always left the sleeping area at night, and would return in the mo rning. Making it seem like he never even cared about Penelope. Was it really a plan to get back to home or just meet a bunch of women on the way?Lastly I think Odysseus is a hypocrite because he gets mad at the suitors for having sex with the maids even though he did the same thing with Calypso and Circe. It doesn’t make sense to me how you can be mad at someone for something then you go to the same thing? In my statement saying Odysseus is a â€Å"hopeless player† him being a hypocrite basically described the first part, hopeless. Every now and then I think that Odysseus needs to check himself. Overall Odysseus, not a good guy, he flirts, he cheats, and he’s a hypocrite. In other words he’s a hopeless player.

Cover Letter for Front Desk Position

Dear XXX, I would like to express my interest in the summer front desk internship offered by (Company Name) This internship would allow me to gain knowledge and experience in the hospitality industry and apply what I have learned throughout my collegiate education. Hopefully the internship would lead to a career opportunity as well.I will be graduating May 2006 from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Management with a Minor in Entrepreneurship. This position is a one that I believe I would excel at. Not only am I self motivated and eager to succeed, but I also work well in groups and have effective communication skills. This was noted in my Organizational Structures and Behavior Management course when I was awarded for outstanding group presentation.This enthusiasm for success and team player attitude will allow me to constantly strive to work with others to better serve customers and complete daily tasks during the front desk internship. Past exp erience in the retail industry as a sales associate at Academy Sports and Outdoors has also equipped me with quality customer service skills that can also be applied to the front desk internship. I am an excellent listener and problem solver, which enables me to adapt to changing and challenging situations.My organizational skills also allow me to multitask and manage my time effectively when performing daily tasks and meeting deadlines. I hope that you will consider me for the summer front desk internship. My skills and capabilities acquired in previous work experiences and education would benefit both you and me if I gained this internship. Enclosed is a copy of my resume for you review. I would appreciate the opportunity and look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, (Your Name) Enclosure

Ocd Research Paper

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. An individual with OCD tends to worry about many different things. On average, one out of fifty adults currently suffer from this disorder, and twice that many have had it at some point in their lives. When worries, doubts, or superstitious beliefs become excessive then a diagnosis of OCD is made. With OCD it is thought that the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can't let go. Most often people with OCD describe the symptoms as a case of mental hiccups that won't go away. This causes problems in information processing.OCD was generally thought as untreatable until the arrival of modern medications and cognitive behavior therapy. Most people continue to suffer even though they had years of ineffective psychotherapy. Today treatments tend to help most people with OCD. OCD is not completely curable but is somewhat treatable. OCD is a potentially disabling condition that may persist through out a person's life and get worse without treatment. An individual with OCD becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are senseless and distressing but are extremely powerful and hard to overcome.OCD can occur in cases from mild to severe, but if left untreated can destroy a persons life and capacity to function at work, school, and even at home. Some of the worries and rituals can get out of control. An individual life becomes dominated by thoughts and behaviors they know make absolutely no sense but they are powerless to control. People with OCD tend to fear uncertainty; these people are plagued by persistent and recurring thoughts or â€Å"obsessions† that they find very disturbing. These thoughts usually reflect exaggerated anxiety or fears that have no basis on reality.A person who suffers from OCD has constant doubts about their behaviors and constantly seeks assurance from other people. Many people who suffer from this disorder feel compell ed to perform certain rituals or routines to help relieve the anxiety caused by their â€Å"obsessions†, however the relief is only temporary. Some rituals or â€Å"obsessions† include cleaning, checking, repeating, slowness, and hoarding. Usually an individual has both obsessions and compulsions, though sometimes they have only one or the other.A person with OCD usually wants everything around them to be perfect. {What is 1}? Most common symptoms of OCD go along with a certain compulsion for instance: A need to tell, ask, or confess goes along with praying. A need to have things â€Å"just so† goes along with hoarding or saving. Forbidden thoughts equals arranging. Excessive religious or moral doubt = counting. Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges cause touching. Imagining losing control or aggressive urges causes checking. Imagining having harmed ones self or others creates the symptom of repeating.Fear of contamination or germs causes constant washing. Compulsi ons are intrusive thoughts, impulses, and images that feel out of control and occur over and over again. A sufferer does not want to have these ideas and knows that they don't make any sense but find them intrusive and disturbing. A person with OCD may be obsessed with the idea they are contaminated or may contaminate someone else and worry excessively about dirt and germs. This person could also have an intense fear that they harmed someone else although they usually know it is not realistic. {What 3}Some of the most common obsessions of OCD in children are extreme concern with order, concern that a task or assignment has been done poorly or incorrectly, concern with certain sounds or images, fear that a disaster will occur, there is also the fear of AIDS, fear of getting dirty, fear of losing important things, recurring thoughts, and a fear of saying something wrong. Checking compulsions are rituals that are precipitated by fear of harm to oneself or others and this includes the c hecking of doors, locks, heaters, alarms, faucets, switches, and other objects that could be a threat.This can create problems for the learning of a child. For example while getting ready for school a child may check his or her books several times to make sure they are all there even to the point where the child is late for school. Once the child is in school they may call to return home and check their books once more. These rituals may also interfere with the completion of homework. This could make a child work late at night to complete an assignment that could have taken ten minutes to complete. Repeating compulsions are rituals in which some one repeats a certain action over and over again.These rituals can in some cases be anxiety driven and in other cases have to be done â€Å"just so†. For instance a person might walk backward and forward or get up and down from a chair many times until the ritual is performed â€Å"just right†. These rituals are also connected with counting rituals. In children the rituals can assume many forms in the classroom. This could lead to many repeated questions because the child may need to remember or know something. On written assignments the student could endlessly cross out, trace, or rewrite letters or words.Lockers can also cause a problem because the combination may need to be repeated several times till it feels right. Note taking is most likely impossible because the student is compelled to take every word down. Computer scored tests are a nightmare because the student has to fill in the circles perfectly. Uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a sensation that things have to be â€Å"just so† usually accompany obsessions. A person tries to make their obsessions go away by performing certain compulsive rituals. These compulsions are acts that an individual may perform repeatedly, often according to certain â€Å"rules†.OCD symptoms do not give a person pleasure but a sense of temporary relief for a short period of time. The relief is only temporary and the discomfort always comes back. These relieve make up a lot of time and interfere with a person's social life and relationships. The less common form of OCD is hoarding which is the excessive saving of typically worthless items. A most commonly thought form of OCD is contamination. This is the awareness of germs, disease, or the presence of dirt that evokes a sense of threat and an incredible inspiration to reduce the presence of contamination.The compulsion of contamination involves a cleaning response such as hand washing and chronic cleaning. {Steven1} Another common form of OCD is checking. Checking involves door locks, lights, switches, faucets, stoves, or items left unchecked that might pose a threat to ones well being or the well being of others. It is not uncommon for people to check items between 10 to 100 times a day. The impulse to recheck can remain until the person experiences a reductio n in tension despite the realization that the item is secure.One other less common form of OCD is ordering in which a person feels compelled to place items in a designated spot in order. Although contamination fears frequently lead to excessive washing they can also have the opposite affect, shoes may be untied, teeth unbrushed, clothing may be slovenly and hair may be dirty. In these cases, fear of contamination of personal objects or body parts leads to the individuals’ refusal to touch them. A combination of excessive hand washing and sloppiness in other areas of grooming had even been reported. Obsessions revolving around a need for symmetry may result in compulsive arranging.Children who engage in symmetry-related rituals may also feel compelled to have both sides of their bodies identical. For instance a child my spend an inordinate amount of time tying and retying shoelaces so that each side of the bow is perfectly even or â€Å"balanced†. Symmetry rituals may c onsist of taking steps that are identical in length or speaking with equal stress on each syllable. In a classroom, symmetry rituals may be seen in the student's compelling need for order. Books on a shelf, items on a desk, or problems on a page must be arranged in a precise manner so that they can appear symmetrical to the student.Most people recognize at some point that their obsessions are not just worries about real problems but are coming from their minds. Compulsions are excessive or unreasonable but the sufferer has to perform them. OCD poor insight is an individual that not recognize that their beliefs and actions are unreasonable and unreal. Extreme severe distress tends to happen when the symptoms wax and ware over time. OCD symptoms can start at any age from as early as preschool too as late as adulthood. 1/3 of 1/2 of adult sufferers said that their symptoms started during their childhood.On an average people spend 9 years seeking a diagnosis and see up to 3 to 4 doctors . Studies also show that it takes an average 17 years from the time OCD begins for an individual to find appropriate treatment. {What 3} OCD may be under diagnosed and untreated for a number of reasons. People with OCD may be secretive about their symptoms or lack insight on the illness. Many healthcare providers are not familiar with the symptoms and are not trained to provide treatment. Some people may also not have access to treatment resources. This is unfortunate since early diagnoses and proper treatment can help an individual.Research suggests genes do play a role in development of the disorder yet no specific genes have been found for OCD. Childhood onset tends to run in the family. An increasing risk for a child getting OCD is if the parent has it. When OCD runs in families it seems to be inherited but not the specific symptoms. One example is if a child has checking rituals his mother might wash excessively. There is no single proven cause for OCD. Research suggests that O CD could involve problems in communication between the brain and deeper structures although this is not proven. what 4} For many years only a small minority of healthcare professionals patients had OCD there for it was thought to be rare. OCD went unrecognized often because many of those afflicted with it kept their repetitive thoughts a secret and failed to seek treatment. This led to the underestimate of the number of people with the illness. {obsessions 1} In approximately 80% of all cases, people performing the rituals are painfully aware that their behavior is unreasonable and irrational. OCD is an anxiety disorder the thought associated with OCD is bizarre.The thoughts associated with OCD are recurrent obsessions that create an awareness of alarm or threat. Obsessions can take form of a threat or physical alarm to oneself or others. People typically engage in some avoidance or escape response in reaction to the obsessive threat. There are three main branches of OCD. The most c ommon and well-known branch of OCD is known as OC where the undoing response generally involves some overt behavior. The next branch of OCD is purely obsess ional this involves the escape or avoidance of noxious and unwanted thoughts.There are a number of treatment strategies, which are specific to obsessive problems. For example, motivations neutralizing behavior and other counter-productive strategies, increasing selective attention and increased negative mood. These serve to maintain the negative beliefs and therefore the obsessive-compulsive problem. Most recently developments in cognitive therapy suggest that the key to understanding obsession problems lies in the way the intrusive thoughts, images, impulses and doubts are interpreted. The general and specific aspects of cognitive-behavioral treatment are described.The important negative interpretations usually include the idea that a person's actions can result in harm to onset to others. This responsibility interpretation has several consequences. { steven 1} OCD can change and affect a person’s life in many ways sometimes alienating them from their friends and family. Many sufferers with OCD are never diagnosed because they are so secretive about their symptoms. They are afraid to let people know and are even embarrassed about their compulsive reactions. It is a fact that approximately one million children and adolescents in the United States alone suffer from OCD.This means that 3 to 5 children in an average elementary school and 20 teenagers in a large high school are currently suffering. OCD affects adolescents during an important time of social development. Schoolwork, homework, and friendships are affected most often. Most children are to young to realize that there obsessions and compulsions are unusual. Adolescents are embarrassed because they don't want to be different from other people and they worry uncontrollably about their behavior. These adolescents usually hide their rituals in fr ont of friends at school or at home and become mentally exhausted and strained.Children and adolescents that suffer from OCD are different from adults because they express their disorder in special ways. Young children often say their rituals are silly. Young children's OCD is never really recognized by their parents until they are about 3 or 4 sometimes even older. To get a proper diagnosis the child should be brought to a doctor or psychiatrist. While a child is at school they usually erase and redo their assignments, which usually results in late schoolwork. Classroom concentration is usually limited because a child is obsessing about their fears and rituals.Parents should tell a child's teacher about the OCD and may ask for occasional progress reports. OCD is not contagious and parents are often blamed for the disorder they are said to have parental perfections, inappropriate toilet training, or even under parenting. The cause for OCD is neurobiological. Although life events can also aid in the onset of OCD. Children's OCD is often said to be started by a death of a loved one, a divorce, moving to a new location, or unhappiness with changes in school. Approximately 80 percent of children and adolescents with OCD at some point during their illness will develop a washing or cleaning ritual.The most common compulsion is hand washing. An individual may feel compelled to wash their hands extensively and according to a self-prescribed manner for minutes or hours at a time. Other individuals may be less thorough about washing or cleaning but may engage in the act a number of times a day sometimes even hundreds. During school these rituals may manifest themselves in the school setting as subtle behaviors not obviously or immediately related to washing or cleaning. The student’s teacher should be alert if the student frequently excuses himself or herself from the classroom under voiding or guise.This child could actually be seeking a private area in which to carry out the cleaning rituals. Another sign is the presence of dry, red, chapped, cracked, or even bleeding hands. Bleeding hands are a result of washing with strong cleaning agents such as â€Å"Mr. Clean† to free themselves of â€Å"contaminants†. OCD sufferers usually experience obsessional thoughts that lead to compulsive avoidance in these cases, individuals may go to great lengths to avoid objects, substances, or situations that are capable of triggering fear or discomfort.For example, fear of contamination may result in the avoiding of objects usually found in the classroom, things like paint, glue, paste, clay, tape, and ink. A child may even inappropriately cover their hands with clothing or gloves or may use facial tissue, shirts, or shirt cuffs to open doors or turn on faucets. A student with an obsessive fear of harm may avoid using scissors or other sharp tools in the classroom. A child may even circumvent the use of a certain doorway because a passage t hrough that entry may trigger a repeating ritual.Children and adolescents with OCD may also engage in compulsive reassurance seeking. In the school setting, they may continually ask teachers or other school personnel for reassurance that there for example are no germs on the drinking fountain or that they have not made any errors on a page. Although reassurance may serve to allay the anxiety or discomfort that frequently accompanies their fears the relief is often short lived, different situations typically arise in the classroom that pose new fears or discomfort for the student.Number obsessions are typically common among young boys. Only certain numbers are â€Å"safe† other numbers are â€Å"bad†. An obsession with a particular number may result in a child's having to repeat an action a given number of times or having to repeatedly count to a particular number. Some children with strong religious ties have an obsessive fear that they are doing something evil. This s ymptom of OCD is called â€Å"scrupulosity† and causes an individual to tell themselves that they constantly commit sins, and they must pray constantly or find ways to condone their imagined sins.Members of the catholic religion who suffer from this may go to confession many times a week. Some individuals create elaborate systems to avoid certain thoughts, memories, or actions, or to replace or equalize â€Å"sinful† thoughts with pure good ones. One of the most reported obsessions in youth with OCD is a fear of contamination. This fear may center on a concern with germs, dirt, ink, paint, excrement, body secretions, blood, chemicals, and other substances. Recently, an increase in obsessions with AIDS had also been witnessed.Preoccupation with contamination may lead to the avoidance of suspected contaminants or constant findings in studies such as testing the effectiveness of different therapies; strongly suggest that it is the working alliance or bond between therapis t and patient, which is paramount to therapeutic success. Interpersonal aspects of treatment such as 1. comfort 2. confidence and 3. a true commitment from both patient and therapist make a great deal of difference in fostering an atmosphere of collaboration. To be successful both the patient and the therapist need to bring their fullest devotion to the explicit and implicit contract of therapy.By saying this it means that at the end of each session both parties need to come to an agreement of the next week's challenges. The patient must except the responsibility and be willing to participate in his or her challenges. Clients can choose to share the challenges of this therapy with an experienced partner or they can choose to decline. The principles of this therapy focus on fostering a sense of therapeutic independence on the part of the client. Equally important to training, knowledge, experience, and credentials are understanding, compassion and warmth.Most often the cognitive-beha viorist believes that self-disclosure is a healthy part of any relationship, including a therapeutic one. Therefore when a client answers questions about themselves it is considered a natural and healthy part of the therapeutic exchange. {steven phillipson 1} The basic premise of this therapy is based on the belief that at the heart of depression exist distorted and irrational thinking patterns. Such patterns revolve around our automatic reactions toward life circumstances, which create upsetting emotional consequences.CBT was developed to assist patients to respond rationally to automatic irrational thoughts. Here automatic thoughts are said to be mental reflexive reactions to upsetting events. Typically, the approach teaches people to learn to identify our reflexive reactions or â€Å"beliefs† that occur as a consequence to upsetting events, that are responsible for the periodic upset we experience. Traditional therapist that specialize in CBT focus on teaching clients to s ubstitute rational thinking for automatic irrational thinking. {steven phillipson 2}Basic CBT believes that within all of us exist irrational ideas. This therapeutic intervention is based on therapists' faith in our ability to learn how to sort out the difference between being rational and irrational. At the heart of learning is the belief that we learn from society, family, and religion how to think in dysfunctional and irrational ways. Traditional CBT for patients suffering with OCD is therefore likely to be counter productive toward achieving a beneficial therapeutic outcome. This approach assumes that persons are reacting irrationally to a rationally safe situation.The problem is that the majority of OCD patients are aware that what they are doing is bizarre and irrational. Most can even predict that the risk of danger is infinitesimal. Yet they feel overwhelmingly compelled to act out some escape response. Therefore using traditional CBT: activating event, automatic thought, em otional reaction, and rational response would be futile. Traditional CBT was developed as a treatment for depression. The two basic components entail, 1. the behind the scenes strategizing and 2. the front line conflict.It is very important not to mix up the appropriate application of these two separate strategies when dealing with OCD. The manner in which one conceptualizes a battle and the behavior exerted in fighting it, are very different. {steven phillipson 3} Cognitive therapy for OCD predominantly focuses on the two mentioned aspects of this disorder. The first aspect initially involves having sufferers develop a healthy and informed understanding of how the mechanisms of OCD operate. This focus will be referred to as cognitive conceptualization.Cognitive conceptualization includes having the sufferer separate themselves from the emotional or moral implications of what the disorder seems to represent. Many people who suffer from the purely obsessional form of this condition a nd responsibility experience tremendous amounts of guilt and shame for having these thoughts or being responsible for the wellbeing of others. Also involved with the first aspect is having clients appreciate that giving in to a ritual or embracing the risk of the obsession, requires making a series of genuine choices and are not pre-programmed reflexive reactions.Critical aspects of this focus involve reshaping one's response set to the risk. This involves concentrating on one's relationship with their condition as that of making choices in the matter of giving in the ritual, or not. This viewpoint is in difference to perceiving the reaction to cognitive threats as obligatory or as having no choice in the matter. In practice this translates into having patients reframe their disposition from, â€Å"I had to† to â€Å"I chose to†.Research has clearly showed that acknowledging our choice in the matter of facing difficult life challenges increases one's tolerance to adver sity. Consistently studies have demonstrated that our ability to tolerate pain is greatly increased as we acknowledge our choice in relation to the decision to seek relief or to tolerate the discomfort. As our perceptible sense of control increases so does our willingness to tolerate discomfort. A minor but crucial aspect of cognitive-conceptualization involves educating people about the actual risks pertaining to their specific concerns.Unfortunately medical science doesn't offer total certainty. Therefore telling someone that the chances of getting AIDS from a door knob is slim at best, does little to take away the general concern. Some people claim to have been guided by their disorder for so long that they have forgotten their real instincts. In addition, becoming informed that people who spike about being a danger to others rarely actually do damaging things or that person with anxiety disorders almost by no means develops schizophrenia might educate, but rarely provides lastin g relief. Steven Phillipson 4} Cognitive-management is the second goal of CT; this involves teaching individuals to respond to obsessive threats in a way that there is little to no debate in response to being spiked. The main goal is to reduce conflict or mental escape in formulating a response to the upsetting thought. The end product is referred to as habituation. Principles are also included in cognitive-management. These principles enhance greater levels of tolerance toward the physical discomfort, generated by the anxiety.The principles include making space for the discomfort and looking upon it as something to be managed effectively, rather that just achieving a period of relief. The search to eliminate the spike is more than likely the greatest cognitive misconceptualization that people bring to the therapeutic process. Eventually the goal of CT for OCD is to manage he spike effectively, not to focus on its existence or disappearance. The same thing could be said about the ex perience of anxiety. Tolerating anxiety focuses on developing room for the experience.Developing room for its presence enables the brain to focus on other information. Cognitive conceptualization focuses on helping take out a sense of culpability, guilt and shame, which is pervasive among obsessive-compulsive sufferers. To access the ideas and philosophy of cognitive-conceptualization in the midst of the challenge would be unadvised because it would tend to be reassurance oriented. The goal for later on in the treatment is instructive in aiding a person's respond effectively to the cognitive prompt of the danger with the least resistance, which thereby allows habituation.Creating an aggressive disposition toward a challenge is tremendously advantageous toward a successful recovery. Aggressiveness is defined as actively looking for anxiety provoking challenges. Paradoxically, when a person seeks an anxiety provoking challenge there tends to be a greater likelihood that experiencing r educed levels of anxiety is achieved. This comes out due to changing the condition's momentum from endless escape to approach. â€Å"As we seek challenges there is less likelihood of finding them†. Cognitive therapy for OCD has two main applications 1. o help people understand the guidelines of anxiety disorders overall plan 2. to provide specific suggestions in response to the moment of being challenged by awareness that there is some imminent danger. Cognitive principles to assist sufferers develop a healthy disposition in the direction of their anxiety is The statement â€Å"within the question lies the answer† proposes that when confronted with a seemingly sincere risk, relying on the consciousness that there is doubt and therefore making the strength of mind to receive the possibility will get rid of a enormous quantity of difficulty solving. steven phillipson 6} The ultimate aspect of cognitive management entails deliberately creating the consciousness and nature of the chance while engaging in the uncovering exercise. This strategy suggests that combining the behavior a compulsive act with a self-talk enhances the impact of an uncovering exercise. Making the choice to put up with the risk tends to close down the brain's natural propensity to alert its host, through physical uneasiness and cognitive warnings, that you should feel unpleasant until the danger is removed.Overall CT involves providing a sufferer with specific responses to the spikes and educating them about the distinction between having these concerns and separating one's identity from the topics of the condition and highlighting general strategies which facilitate anxiety management. This goes to say that providing reassurances and attempting to educate the sufferer about the truly limited risks involved in the spikes is counterproductive and alienating. {steven phillipson 7} lead to excessive washing.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT - Essay Example This spurs up the controversy over the stratification of life, whether some lives are more important than others are. This paper analyses the various theoretical propositions for capital punishment as a primary to establishing the best theoretical explanation of its role in serving justice of both the perpetrator and the victim. Riemann argues that the application of capital punishment bear an inherent deprivation of human right to life. In his further proposition, Reiman counteracts this stance by the fact that the inalienability of life is subject to an individual’s ability to affirm rationality through responsible actions. In essence, Reiman postulates that the murderer, by the acts of murder, dehumanizes him or herself and proves to be unworthy of residing among human societies and therefore the deprivation of life is self-inflicted rather than induced. Reimann argues that in paying back the perpetrator with an injury equivalent to the one the victim suffered, the punishment brings the perpetrator back down to the understanding of equity of life. It would be re-establishing equality between the perpetrator and the victim. Reiman’s philosophy of capital punishment partly subscribes to its beneficial application but gives the conditions for its application that is the assurance of the attainment of the highest level of deterrence rather than the mere satisfaction of the victim. Reiman contradictorily casts aspersions on the substantiality of death penalty arguing that its effectiveness as a means of punishment should be subject to the worthiness of its application beyond the mere satisfaction of the victims. It startles however how easy it is to determine the satisfaction of the already immortalized victim of murder to weigh it against the effects of criminals’ subjection to death as a repatriation mechanism. Kant is recognizably the proponent of the retributivist theory of capital

Seven Floors by Dino Buzzati Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seven Floors by Dino Buzzati - Essay Example The theme of TIME In virtually all the short stories of Buzzati, time is a major player that is calculated and predicted in terms of its relationship with space, juggled into a confusion of days, locked into large crates, or thrown out of synch with the events that are supposed to compose it (p87). Accordingly, Buzzati says â€Å"time remains uncontrollable and the minutes and hours march forward like great lords with so much composure, no one would ever say they are our enemies† (p90). Buzzati thus declares â€Å"time to be the force that leads us into the clutches of death, which appears in Buzzati’s stories as it appears in life: waiting outside the garden gate, furtively entering our homes as we lie sleeping, or violently tearing away at the foundations of our homes† (p101). Seymour (p127) observes that â€Å"this objective and eternal time is seen as a real power, a living figure that ends up by identifying itself with death†. The element of CHARACTERIZATION Buzzati’s characters are never fully defined as they are given common Italian names. Their lives are filled with repetition, routine and monotony in what he calls â€Å"the absurd human condition† (p117). His characters are â€Å"humble, ordinary and unblessed as they are less important than the realities that determine the course of their lives†

Long Term Effects of Being a Non-Union Actor Essay

Long Term Effects of Being a Non-Union Actor - Essay Example The thesis of this paper is: When an actor is non-union long-term, self-esteem is often low because he or she rarely makes more than a union actor’s minimum wage.   Furthermore, opportunities to audition are limited, and non-union workers do not receive the respect or benefits provided to those who are in unions. "Ever since the first Hollywood director yelled, 'Action!' on the set of a motion picture, the anonymous corps of performers known as 'extras' formed an integral element of the film capital's working society". This powerful opening leads directly to the crux of this paper. Actors who work as walk-ons, diner patrons, soldiers, and the like are called extras. These are the actors that do not have a spoken part in the production; they are there to provide the full ambiance of the scene. If the production is to convey a busy street scene, that scene requires a host of extras to make the scene believable, therefore, the presence of each and every extra constitutes a comp leted realistic scene that the viewer finds credible. Yet, many extras are not paid in a manner consistent with their important function within the industry. In fact, if the extra happens to lack union status, that extra's pay is decimated by as much as 50% of what a union member would be paid for the same work. Non-union extras should be paid for the work they perform as handsomely as union workers. There are two reasons why the researcher postulate this idea: 1) non-union members who do not receive pay on par with their union counterparts fall into a situation of low self-esteem, and if continued over an extended period of time leads directly to 2) non-union members becoming disenchanted with the industry and performing at lower standards which is not good for the individual extra, nor for the industry as a whole. The author will use the rest of this paper to prove his thesis which will rest upon three foundational points: 1. an extra's pay level denotes their value to the product ion company; 2. challenges in obtaining union membership and, 3. "ordinariness", and the fear of it. In 1995-1996, there were a series of articles that dealt with the issue of union versus non-union pay rates for extras. In one such article, it was stated that a union extra earned $99 a day, or $128 a day for a soap opera job, yet a non-union extra only earned between $30-70 a day for doing the same work. Not only do non-union extra receive lesser pay than union members, the non-union extras also receive lesser amenities, if given any at all. The Horwitz article states, "a SAG extra in The Associate recalls '300 extras in a basement with one bathroom'[and another] 'extra in Sylvester Stallone's Daylight describes several hundred extras in a dimly lit, cold warehouse with winds gusting in off the Hudson. "There were two Portosans". Not as glamorous as one would suppose. In a recent journal article, pay level and self-esteem were studied and it was found that 'consistent with reinforc ement and expectancy theories, most of this research concludes that when high performance results in high pay increases, performance is reinforced and more likely to be repeated in the future'. This study states what most people intuitively expect - you earn based on how well you perform. Yet, in the world of the extra, this almost truism does not exist. In their world, you earn based on union membership.