Public Health and Health Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Public Health and Health Policy - Essay Example Lack of shelter is regarded as homelessness state. Vostanis, Grattan & Cumella (1998) highlight that many times, homelessness is interchangeably used with the term rooflessness. It is an example of social exclusion that can be incorporated in the equalities in terms of health agendas. Individuals without shelter are often termed as homeless. Baggott (2011) explains that homelessness is not an entity but multiple entities that encompass housing needs. It entails the need for individuals to have short term or temporary accommodation. Sometimes living on the short term or temporary accommodation presents the uncertainty of the future. Wilson & Mabhala (2009) elaborate further by highlighting that the temporary accommodation includes the rough sleepers; individuals sleeping at their friends’ or relatives’ houses; and homeless shelters. Some of them live in accommodations that are supported such as temporary accommodation (bread and breakfast) or in the hostels. It is elaborated in Homeless Link (2010) that that homeless individuals who seek accommodation from friends or relatives are sometimes compelled to either stay on the relatives’ sofas or squat. Moreover, individuals who are driven out of their homes due to factors such as disasters or violence are also faceted as homeless. This is inclusive of the immigrants. Despite the fact that they are the widely known group as illuminated by Baggott, Allsop & Jones (2005), the majority of culprits are of homelessness state are single individuals who live in either insecure or temporary (short term) accommodation. Carr, Unwin & Pless-Mulloli (2007) illuminate that homeless is not a homogeneous group and individuals faceted to be homeless are in most cases families that are young and headed by females who are lonely. They tend to experience general health problems, as well as mental health. However, Douglas (2010).reveals that those who are not officially homeless are

A critical and thoughtful analysis of the origins of the recent Essay

A critical and thoughtful analysis of the origins of the recent financial crisis - Essay Example concerns were developed regarding the level of security of the financial products provided by financial institutions. Particular emphasis was given on the potential risk of subprime mortgage products offered by most USA banks. However, no measures were introduced for limiting the relevant risk. In this context, the appearance of the crisis in 2007 can be characterized rather as expected; it was just the issue of ‘when’ the crisis was going to appear and not ‘if’ there were chances to occur. The origins of the recent financial crisis are critically discussed in this paper. The literature published on the particular subject is presented aiming to show the different approaches used for the explanation of the crisis as a series of events, which caused severe turbulences to economies worldwide. The potential differences in the arguments used for explaining the crisis reveal the following fact: even after its end, the above crisis has not been fully understood, in all its aspects. The fact that certain theorists set the end of the crisis in 2009 while other estimate the end of the crisis in 2010 is another proof the misunderstanding in regard to the actual forms and the effects of the specific crisis. 2. Origins of the recent financial crisis – critical analysis ... they had managed to mask this risk by giving emphasis on certain characteristics of these products, for example the potential of the customer to choose the number of instalments or the level of interest. In a report published by the World Bank in 2009 it is noted that the origins of the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 can be identified in ‘the economic growth of the years 2003-2007’ (World Bank, 2009, p.94); i.e. the crisis of 2007-2009 is considered to have its roots in the economic decisions of the pre-crisis period, a claim which leads to the assumption that the crisis was unavoidable. In accordance with the above view, the financial crisis of the period 2007-2009 was not related exclusively with the banking practices of 203-2007 but, mostly, with the management of the economics of the state, for example, the investment decisions promoted by the governments worldwide. In the case of Dubai, the continuous increase of investment on construction projects led to the high increase of the relevant debt – referring to the funds used for the completion of these construction projects. It is noted that during the above period, the economic growth reached a percentage of 5% - which was unique since the 1970s (World Bank 2009). However, no measures were taken for protecting economies from potential failures. In fact, the extended use of risky financial products, a result of the radical growth of the above period, has facilitated the increase of leverage. Legislators avoided reacting on time, mostly because the actual risks were not clear. The masking practices, as mentioned above, used by financial institutions helped to hide the risks of leverage and the risk related to the ‘structured financial products’ (World Bank 2009, p.94), extensively used by USA banks

Plato And Aristotles Best Form Of Constitution Politics Essay

Plato And Aristotles Best Form Of Constitution Politics Essay Both Plato and Aristotle believed that the best form of government is rule by the best, or  Aristocracy. This word did not mean for them rule by the ruling class, as it did in early modern Europe; they really believed that only the smartest, most temperate, most mature, most reflective, most educated, and the bravest should be in charge of government, that is, only the best (the Greek word for best is  aristos  ). For Plato, the ideal city was one which mirrored the kosmos, on the one hand, and the individual on the other. As he described in  The Republic, the ideal city, or  polis, was one based on justice and human virtue. It was a form of social and political organization that allowed individuals to maximize their potentialities, serve their fellow citizens, and live in accordance with universal laws and truths. A citys constitution is the organisation of its magistracies or offices. Every ordered state has a constitution, since every such state has some organisation of magistracies (Aristotle, Politics 278 b9, 1289 b15, 1290 a8-9). In Aristotles teleological philosophy organisation is always for the sake of some end or purpose. The true end or purpose of the state, he says, is to help its members live, and to live a good life. Constitutions which aim at the good life for the citizens are true constitutions; those which aim at the good of the rulers only are perversions (Aristotle, Politics 1279 a17-21). There are echoes here of Plato; remember in  The Republic  Socrates argument with Thrasymachus, in which Socrates argued that government is an art the purpose of which is to further the good of the governed. Aristocracy. Rule by the best (aristos). In practice this usually meant rule by the well-born, those of noble family, who referred to themselves as the best people.   The generic name a constitution or polity (politeia, constitution). In modern English polity is not a common word, but when it is used it means form of government or type of constitution; thus one might speak of a democratic polity or a monarchical polity. Aristotle uses polity both in that way, as the generic name for a constitution of any sort,  and  as the name of one of the sorts. One of the kinds of polity is polity, i.e. the polity or form of government in which all citizens rule and is ruled in turn. The idea of polity is that all citizens should take short turns at ruling. It is an inclusive form of government: everyone has a share of political power. He sometimes calls it polity, sometimes political or constitutional government these are interchangeable.   Oligarchy, the generic name for rule by a few, is also the name of one kind of rule by the few, the perverted kind which seeks to further the interest of the wealthy few.   Democracy means literally rule by the people, but Aristotle and other ancient writers use it to mean rule exclusively by the poor in their own interest. Classification of Constitutions Good Bad One Kingship Tyranny Few Aristocracy Oligarchy Many Polity Democracy The good and bad columns come from Plato. This is the classification put forward by Plato. Plato used democracy for both kinds of rule by the many, because he saw little difference between good and bad rule by many. Democracy is too weak to do much good and at its worst too weak to do much harm, according to Plato. If, however, there be some one person, or more than one whose virtue is so preeminent that the virtues or the political capacity of all the rest admit of no comparison with his or theirs, then he or they should be supreme and not bound by laws (Aristotle, Politics 1284 a3-17); that is, under those circumstances the city should be governed by a king or an aristocracy unfettered by rules and laws. Aristotle often alludes to this ideal constitution (Aristotle, Politics 1284 b25-35, 1288 a7-30, 1289 a30-2, 1293 b25-8, 1332 b17-25). But whereas Plato calls the seventh the true constitution and the others imitations, Aristotle calls three of the others true, and mentions the seventh only incidentally. In Aristotle, Politics attention is focussed mostly not on the ideal form of government but on the second best, or best practicable. A similar point is made in (Aristotle, Politics 1290 a30-b20). The criticism Aristotle is making here is that Platos classification obscures the really signific ant dividing line, which is not between the few and the many but between the rich and the poor. In chapter 8, the discussion (Aristotle, Politics 1309a) of the grounds on which various groups claim power in the state was very carefully detailed. These groups include the rich and the poor, and also the well-born (those who come from noble families) and the virtuous. The discussion continues to the end of chapter 13 (Aristotle, Politics 1297a). It begins with a consideration of the  purpose  for which the state exists, because this will determine who should rule. The discussion reaches no firm conclusions, but Aristotle seems to favour the Platonic view that power should be held by the virtuous. This brings us to the question whether the poor or the rich should rule? If the poor, because they are more in number, divide among themselves the property of the rich, is not this unjust? (Aristotle, Politics 1281a 13-15). Again, when in the first division all has been taken, and the majority divide anew the property of the minority, is it not evident, if this goes on, that they will ruin the state?(Aristotle, Politics 1281a18). This is an answer to some of Platos arguments against democracy. Among them they understand the whole (Aristotle, Politics 1281 b9). They need to discuss, and communicate to all, or most, what each has understood; and for this they may not have the necessary time, goodwill or ability.   To assign them some deliberative and judicial functions but not allow them to hold office singly (Aristotle, Politics 1281 b30). This is in effect a combination of oligarchy and democracy. Aristotle himself thinks that the best practicable state, the one in which virtue has the best chance of influence, is one in which some political functions are assigned to the many poor and other functions to the few rich, so as to produce a balance of the classes. All professions and arts (Aristotle, Politics 1282a). Plato holds that government is, or can be, an art, and infers that only a few should rule because only a few can master any art. Aristotle suggests that the intelligent man who has studied the art, but not enough to be a practitioner, may be a good judge. Also, the consumer may be better than the producer at judging the quality of the product (Aristotle, Politics 1282a17). Plato set forth a five-fold classification to describe how the city ought to be governed. The best form of government, he argued, was an aristocratic model based on the ruler ship of philosopher kings. A second form of government he called timocracy, or rule by a privileged elite of guardians, or strong men. Oligarchy, the third type, consisted of rule by the few. The remaining two, democracy and tyranny represented rule by the many. According to Plato, the ideal city had to be an enlightened one, one based on the highest universal principles. He insisted that only individuals who were committed to these truths, who could protect and preserve them for the sake of the common good, were fit to rule the city. Becoming a philosopher king, or an ideal ruler, involved a rigorous course of study that extended into mid-life; Plato, Republic 540a. The ideal ruler was therefore someone chosen by an inner calling, or  daimon, not by circumstance or privilege. Therefore, the ideal ruler was not someone chosen by circumstance or privilege so much as by an inner calling, or  daimon. This point is crucial because it distinguishes Platos ideal city from those of other thinkers who shared Platos faith in guardianship but favoured oligarchical systems of government. Aristotle drew heavily on Platos vision but also criticized what he saw as its excessively idealistic nature. He believed that Platos republic could never exist in the real world. In any case, Aristotle made a number of improvements on Platos ideal in the interest of making it more practically useful. In his view, there were three basic forms of political organization, rule of the one, rule of the few, and rule of the many. The first form, at its best, led to monarchy; at its worst, to tyranny, the second, at its best, to aristocracy; at its worst, to oligarchy. And the third, at its best, to something he called  politeia; at its worst, to democracy. Aristotle maintained that both monarchy and aristocracy were  ideal  forms of government, in the sense that they were virtually impossible to achieve in reality. He therefore invented a third form which drew from the unique strengths of both, politeia. This form combined rule of law and rule by the few. It was a brilliant formulation that incorporated many of Platos key elements (such as guardianship, the idea of self-sufficiency, and the critical role of law) while making it more practical and thereby attainable. For example, he introduced land ownership and ruler ship by lot as crucial elements of the ideal  polis, while dispensing with what he considered unrealistic concepts such as distributive justice and voluntary rule. Aristotle a student of Plato, who himself did not like democracy, because the democratic assembly of Athens condemned Socrates to death. Aristotle himself fell victim to the same assembly and was banished from Athens. All the major Greek philosophers thought democracy was the worst form of government. Plato, in his critique of democracy in  The  Republic, claims that it allows people to follow all their passions and drives without order or control (Plato, Republic 557 558); Aristotle claimed that the competing interest in a democracy makes for chaos rather than purposive and deliberated action. Democracy did not seem to work very democratically at all, in fact. In Athens, the democratic Assembly was usually dominated by a single powerful, charismatic individual; this individual often dominated the Assembly because of his presence or oratorical skill rather than his individual worth. As a result, the democratic governments could make some surprisingly foolish decisions, such as the Athenian decision to attack Sicily without any cause or provocation. This ill-considered war destroyed much of the Athenian fleet and eventually led to the defeat of Athens by Sparta. The position of these charismat ic leaders, however, was always very precarious. The democratic Assemblies could change character overnight; they would often eagerly follow a particular leader, and then exile that leader often for no reason (this is Aristotles central objection to a democracy). If you can remember in the painting The School of Athens, Plato is pointing up because of his immaterial views (god, the afterlife). Then you will notice Aristotle pointing forward to demonstrate that his views develop from what is in front of him. Plato generally believes in ideas and focuses on the soul, the forms and the good. In Book 7 Plato spoke of the allegory of the cave and how only the philosopher kings were able to see the light (Plato, Republic 514a), Whereas, Aristotle is a natural scientist who studies nature, his views were that the way the natural world works is the way the world works, basically everything is part of a larger organic pod and nature has a plan for everything, nothing is created without a purpose because things are naturally related. In my view I think Platos work in more than intriguing, he has a lot of views that are really interesting, but also it can be said that many of his ideas can be debated negatively either in his time or ours. I am of the belief that people would never agree with his ideas of state building, and his idea of the philosopher king, and so hence, his ideas were never brought to life, but in the same breath has left a great legacy for future generations to analyse. In comparison, there is Aristotle who is very critical of Platos ideas. Aristotle is a very practical person, whose philosophy I can explicitly say makes better sense when it comes to state building and the way the world works. He also had a view of which I really agree with and that was laws should rule not men.

The South Could Not Win the Civil War :: American America History

The South Could Not Win the Civil War "The South could never have won the Civil War," is a true statement, reflecting the various ways in which the Southern states attempted to fight a losing battle from the beginning. The economic dependency of the South on cotton on slavery was obvious, whereas the North had diversified and sufficiently. The advantage also lay with the North for reasons such as better communication and transportation, and even more soldiers. The leadership in the North under Abraham Lincoln was far superior to the less savvy Jefferson Davis. It is also a fair argument to say that the just cause always overcomes, and morally, slavery was not just at all. In the 1850's the North was more populous and urban, due to all the Irish and German immigrants that traveled to the states. By1860, 9 out of the 10 biggest cities were in the North. The North also had 70% of the railroads, and more telegraph lines to send messages instantly. The North had a lot more industry also, with its 10,000 factories that brought in $1.5 billion dollars in goods compared to the South's 20,000 that brought in $155 million.(Source 1) The South did, however, have more slaves and more cotton. This was not any sort of military advantage, and merely made it more obvious to the North how desperate the South was to keep its peculiar institution running. Additionally, the first attack at Fort Sumter was poorly organized and was expected by the North. Lincoln had wanted to attack, but waited so as to retain the sympathies of any Northern moderates. The South's attack played into what he wanted. Once the war began, the military expertise of Ulysses S. Grant for the North made it an uphill battle for the South. His military skill alone was enough to give Robert E. Lee's forces in the South serious problem, but the Union army also greatly outnumbered the South's troops. Though Lee would prove to be a worthy general, his strategic downfall at Gettysburg would begin the inevitable loss for the South. (Source 2) In conclusion, it was obvious from the beginning of the Civil War that the South would not win the war. This having been said, Robert E. Lee was a fine general, but was simply without enough soldiers to lead a successful uprising.

Public Relations Interview

Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium based located in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente evolved from industrial health care programs for construction, shipyard, and steel mill workers for the Kaiser industrial companies during the late 1930s and 1940s (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para. 1). Kaiser Permanente is consists of three distinct entities, the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, the autonomous regional Permanente Medical Groups, and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.Kaiser provides medical care throughout the eight regions, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans (KFHP) works with the employee, employers, and individual members who offer prepaid health plans and insurance. The health plans provide infrastructure and are not for profit that invest to Kaiser Foundation Hospitals that provides tax exempt shelter to the for profit medical groups. The Permanente Medical Groups are owned by the physician organizations.They arrange, and provide medical care for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members. The medical groups are for profit professional corporations, and partnerships that receive the funding from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans. The flagship hospital for Kaiser Permanente is the Oakland Medical Center. The facility has : 761 physicians (between Oakland and Richmond Medical Centers), 341 beds, 14-bed perioperative department, and 60 critical care beds (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para.3). The Oakland Medical Center is a specialty medical center that employed board certified surgeons, and physicians who teach at well-known universities like the University of California at San Francisco. They provide a wide array of highly specialized care units, including Comprehensive pediatric care program (â€Å"Kaiser Permanente,† 2013, para. 5).a.Cochlear implants b.Genetics c.Kidney stone and gallstone treatment d.Neonatal intensive care e.Pediatric neurosurgery f.Spine surgeryInstant worldwide communications make it m ore important than ever to manage a company's image and control how a company interfaces with its customers (Sardisco, 2013, para. 1). Public relations is an essence of any company whether a company is private or public, profit or nonprofit and its status will define its success. Modern public relations practitioners have faced more difficulties and challenges as the information for fast, and marketing globalization alter the pace and landscape of the profession.I interviewed the Public Relations Affairs manager of organization, she covers the East Bay Region of Northern California that includes Oakland, Richmond Alameda, and Pinole. I have worked with her in various projects highlighting the work we are doing in the nursing units to improve our patient satisfaction, and care experience. As a Public Relations Manager she plays a vital role in our communications, and marketing division. She works in collaboration with the national, regional, and local public relations department of o ur organization.One thing that I am amazed is how consistent and standardized their communications plan across the region; they are consistent with the message they are giving to the community, and to the public. As a PR manager she develops and implements strategic public relations programs to attain significant brand awareness. As a public relation affairs manager, she has the critical work of placing Kaiser’s hearts, and minds of the key stockholders that includes the patients, prospective members, clinicians, journalist policymakers, and executives.She is responsible in numerous interrelated departments dedicated in advancing the organizations mission by promoting, and protecting Kaiser Permanente brand by supporting a successful strategy that includes issues, and brand management, corporate communications, public relations, media, and stakeholders relations, public affairs internally, and externally. She supervises public relations staff that works on different areas; me dia relations, business – business communications, research, philanthropy, sustainability, health IT, and health care reforms. She also shared that Oakland Medical Center has a formal public relations plan.It has an effective print, media, broadcast media kit. The robust plan include news releases, public services, newsletter, community, and charity events, creation, and maintenance of website, webcasts, media tours, spotlight new programs, news monitoring, full use if social media, and internet by participating in the online forums. It is important for the organization to put forward important messages to the public to have an image, and good impression of the organization. They also have scheduled public relations program that regularly appear in the main community calendars.Planning for the unexpected crises is another important function of the public relation. An example was during the fire at the Chevron Richmond refinery last 2012 that happened near the Richmond Medical center that has the same license with Oakland. Kaiser Richmond Medical Center has served several dozen of people who came to the emergency room that complained shortness of breath and people were seriously ill. The fire has affected the quality of air over contra cost and El Cerrito Hills. They created public relations plan to handle the crisis and support the community by providing access with the media, local police, and government.She also shared some of the challenges as a public relations manager is keeping up with the rapidly changing media environment. To have the accurate current information and consistency in reaching the right contact, at the right time with the correct information is also important. Control the new media avenues in proper way like Facebook, twitters, and LinkedIn. How to work around the constantly changing views around the traditional approaches. Development of an effective process from a one – one media relation not in a one size plan.Marketing, and public relations; both are major external functions of the firm and both share a common ground in regard to product publicity and consumer relations, at the same time, however; they operate on different levels and from different perspectives and perceptions (Turney, 2001, para. 3). What I learned is that both public, and marketing relations has gone through intense growth, and evolution, it gained increased influence in the business world as they developed new strategies, and projects that projected positive, and aggressive communication in larger public.The traditional perception is that marketing exists to serve, sense, and satisfy customers’ needs for a profit. In Public relations assist its public and organization to adapt mutually to each other. In marketing it supports the transfer of services, and goods from the producer, and the provider to the consumer. The immediate goal of public relations is to achieve an understanding of the organization’s position wit h the public while marketing’s goal is sales. Public relations inherent goal is to have a positive perception and predisposition while marketing is to gain profit.Public relations measurement of success is evidenced by public support, and expressed public opinion’ while marketing’s measurement of success is the quantity of revenue, and sales it generates. Most organization use only one of these disciplines, some uses both. This depends on the degree that they use; it varies from organization to organization based on the size, purpose, and unique organizational background. Kaiser has three entities the hospital clearly has the public affairs and the health plan division uses the marketing strategy.If an organization is nonprofit like Kaiser Permanente Hospital Oakland Medical Center primary goal is to serve the public, and the community. Public relations are more prominent function because it builds relationship with its members. The public affairs department coo rdinates, and disseminates public information, community affairs, and relations. A business for profit and focuses on marketing, and sales, and gaining profit is the most dominant function. Public relations are the secondary function and are completed to enhance, and enhance the marketing efforts.

Effective Employee Selection and Its Importance Essay

One of the most important decisions comes when having to select an employee to fill a job vacancy. In the current labor market, highly qualified applicants are scarce and, among the existent ones, it is hard to spot the ideal candidate. Sometimes it is so urgent that a position be filled, that a person may win the job by default, or sloppy selection criteria may be applied. A â€Å"quick fix† may ease workload for a while, but it might prove lethal for the business viability itself in the long run. Therefore, a larger attention in the selection process can provide the business with employees who will finally produce the desired results. The analysis of the employee selection process is a fairly new practice. During the 70’s, any systematic attempt to sort out skills was often unpopular (Lee, 50). This began to change during the 80’s and into the 90’s, when an estimated 80% to 90% of companies used pre-employment testing (Brindow and Spencer, 80). As Chris Lee states, â€Å"we are returning to a focus on individual competence [†¦] objective standards are coming back in both education and employment† (Lee, 49). Another survey by researchers Randall, Cooke and Smith established that 95% of employers who tried testing for screening sales candidates were still using it (Randall, 53). All the data shows the inclination of the modern businesses to highly stress on everything that will maximize the effectiveness of employee selection and, consequently, employee performance. Processing an applicant for a job normally entails a series of steps, which are determined by the size of the organization, the types of jobs to be filled or the number of people to be hired. The selection stage should be backed up by an effective recruitment process, which greatly depends on job analysis and job description. Job analysis is â€Å"a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job† (HR – Guide). Its purpose is to establish and document the â€Å"job relatedness† of employment procedures such as recruitment, selection, training, compensation and performance appraisal through its product, the job description. During the selection process, the job description is used in creating an accurate  advertisement for the job and attracts the proper candidates, that is, the persons that most probably will fit for the specific job. A realistic job preview, based on an accurate job description and specification (the qualifications demanded for the job), will help applicants understand what the job entails and make more informed decisions as to whether they want to apply for the job or not. According to Gregorio Billicopf of the University of California, â€Å"selected applicants who understand both the positive and negative sides of a job, are most likely to stay and succeed†. (Billicopf, 18). After the recruitment process has been concluded and the applicants have sent their resumes, the first step of the selection process should take place; screening the resumes. CV’s provide basic information for use in the next step of the selection process and are used to screen out the unqualified applicants. For instance, if the position requires the ability to use a word processor, the resume provides a clear picture whether the person owns this ability or not. Resume screening is a standard procedure in most organizations during the selection process, despite their size, activity or culture. After the resume screen – out, the remaining applicants will be invited for an interview, which is the most important step in the selection process. It supplements information obtained in other steps in the process to determine the suitability of an applicant for a specific opening. Organizations use several types of interviews. The structured interview is conducted using a predetermined outline that is based on the pre-mentioned job analysis, while unstructured interviews are not based on any outline, and use open – ended questions. The structured interviews should be preferred over the unstructured ones, as the former helps the interviewer maintain control of the interview that all pertinent information on the applicant is covered systematically by also providing the same type of information on all interviewees. On the other hand, unstructured interviews may provide a more relaxed atmosphere, but they â€Å"lack of systematic coverage of information and are very susceptible to the personal biases of the interviewer† (Byars & Rue, 141). Organizations use three additional types of interviewing  techniques to a limited extent; the stress interview, which puts the applicant under pressure while the interviewer adopts a hostile attitude toward the interviewee in order to detect who is highly emotional and who is not, the board or panel interview, in which two or more people conduct an interview with one applicant, and the group interview in which several applicants are questioned together. A successful interview requires training in the skills, techniques and requirements of successful interviewing. All these will include an effective preparation for the interview, such as scheduling a time and location for it, review of all paperwork of the applicant and the current position description and specification and making a list of interview questions that will help in collecting the information needed for the decision. When the applicant arrives, the interviewer should help him / her feel at ease by showing him / her polite and friendly attitude and let him / her know about the organization. During the interview, the answers the applicant will give will prove to be valuable source of information. Carefully selected open – ended questions should be asked so that the answers given will help determine the suitability of the applicant to a particular position. Additionally, this will encourage the interviewees to supply more in depth information. But still, this should follow a specific and consistent outline in order to ensure a uniform method of questioning, which will be applied to all applicants. It is also important to allow silence for thinking and reflection by the applicant, so that he / she slowly reveals his / her basic competencies, which often determine the interviewee’s advantage over the rest of the applicants and affects the hiring decision. A basic competency is a knowledge, skill or behavior essential for one to function as an effective member of the specific organization and is an essential part of the selection criteria developed and reviewed before the interview questions are written (Univ. of Michigan, 38). Finally, it is important to record actual answers to questions as opposed to evaluative or conclusive comments. This will minimize subjectivity and biases, factors that may prove lethal during the hiring process, because the persons adopting them will most  probably end up with the wrong decision and an unsuitable new employee. Even though the interview will certainly tell a lot about the candidate’s qualifications, the only reliable way these qualifications can be measured are tests. The applicants can be tested before, during or after the interview. Tests can be classified as power versus speed tests, as well as written, oral or practical tests. They can measure knowledge, ability, skills, aptitude, attitude, honesty and personality (Billikopf, 20). Whatever the type of the test used, however, the integrity of test questions needs to be guarded. Many tests have undergone validation and reliability studies. The type of test to be used during the selection process depends on the size of the organization, its activity as well as the nature of the position that is to be filled. Aptitude tests measure a person’s capacity or potential ability to learn and perform a job. Some of the more frequently used tests measure verbal ability, numerical ability, and perceptual speed, spatial and reasoning ability. Psychomotor tests measure a person’s strength, dexterity and coordination. Job knowledge tests measure the job related knowledge possessed by a job applicant. Proficiency tests measure how well the applicant can do a sample of the work to be performed. The last ones are the most frequently used by employers worldwide, in all types of organizations. Other types of tests are interest tests, which are designed to determine how a person’s interests compare with the interests of successful people in a specific job, personality tests which attempt to measure personality traits, polygraph tests with the use of the polygraph, a device that records physical changes in a person’s body as he or she answers questions, and physical examinations (drug and AIDS testing or even genetic testing). The last ones are normally required only for the individual who is finally offered the job, and the job offer is often contingent on the individual passing the physical examination. â€Å"The exam is given to determine not only whether the applicant is physically capable of performing the job but also his or her eligibility for group life, health and disability insurance† (Byars, 143). Because of the expense, physical examinations are usually one of the last steps in the selection process. The final step in the selection process is choosing one individual for the job. There are usually more than one qualified persons, but if the previous steps in the selection process have been performed properly, the chances that a value judgment based on all the information gathered will be successful improve dramatically. Because people sometimes falsify their credentials and backgrounds, though, it is important to check references. Additionally, people sometimes interview well but have a record of not actually performing as well as they have led the interviewer to believe. Therefore, it is important to check out any areas in which there are doubts or uncertainties. Reference checks are also a form of insurance. â€Å"The hour or two it takes to conduct a reference check is far less time than the time it will take to deal with performance, attitude or behavior problems† (Univ. of Michigan, 36). The people that the responsible person for the selection has to contact are former supervisors, people whose names the candidate has given as work references to establish the working relationship, people that the employer knows personally who have worked with the candidate and people recommended by any of the above who are said to know the candidate’s work. However, some employers may hesitate to provide negative information about a former employee out of fear of lawsuits. Only people known and trusted can be relied on to give an accurate picture of a potential employee, and, even then, people have different perceptions and personalities, factors that must be considered when weighing employer references. After the evaluation process has been completed, the one most suitable applicant will finally be selected. Recruiting and selecting the right people for the organization is a challenge, and every situation is unique. Innovation, persistence and the ability to communicate the strengths of the business and the benefits of the positions offered, will attract high quality employees. Selecting among them will be hard, but if the selection process steps are implemented properly, the final decision will prove to be really beneficial to the organization. No matter who makes the final decision – the human resource department, the manager of the department or even the owner of the firm -, this decision should be backed up by the correct procedure, otherwise the consequences  could be extremely costly, if not lethal. All managers should be trained on the selection process for the benefit of the organization. WORKS CITED Billikopf, Gregory. â€Å"Labor Management in Agriculture: Cultivating Personnel Productivity†. University of California. 2003. p. 2-5, 18-23. Brindow Peter, Spencer Leslie. â€Å"When Quotas Replace Merit, Everybody Suffers†. Forbes. Feb 1993. p. 80. Byars Lloyd, Rue Leslie. â€Å"Human Resource Management†. 8th edition. Mc Graw – Hill. p. 141-144Job Analysis: An Overview. The HR – Guide. Oct 2002. May 2006. < http://www.job-analysis.net/G000.htm>Lee, Chris. â€Å"Testing Makes a Comeback†. Training Vol. 25. Dec 1988. p. 49-50. M-Pathways Employment Steering Committee Sub-Group Report. â€Å"Conducting a Successful Employee Selection Process†. University of Michigan. Apr 2001. p.20-35. Randall, James. â€Å"A Successful Application Of The Assessment Center Concept To the Salesperson Selection Process†. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. May 1985. p. 53.

“The Fly” Katherine Mansfield Essay Example

â€Å"The Fly† Katherine Mansfield Essay Example â€Å"The Fly† Katherine Mansfield Paper â€Å"The Fly† Katherine Mansfield Paper â€Å"The Fly†   Ã‚  Analysis Death is something most people would want to avoid. Mankind has always been and will continue to be victims of this tragic event. In the short story â€Å"The Fly,† Katherine Mansfield explores many different themes. Such themes center on the struggles that death of loved ones presents to a person’s life. The death of a loved one is not easy to cope with. It may cause one to be trapped by grief, wanting to fight life, and being unable to heal with time. The close relationship that a father may share with his son can bring a man’s mind to war if he were to lose his only son. The author paints this picture of agony and distress through the life of the Boss in this story. Throughout the story there are many deaths first with the boss’s son then with the fly. I believe that the author was trying to show that the concept of death is inevitable, but there are ways to cope with it. You either find the strength to move on or you can sit and let your life pass you by. The Boss from â€Å"The Fly† reminds me of those that are afflicted by death. The Boss has tortured himself out of a life that could have been good. The Boss’s son was dead, but it is not a reason to forget about the good things in life. The Boss should have realized that suppressing his pain would never bring his son back. Instead the Boss has gone into great lengths to change the environment he was in. But he did not take into consideration that to create a new future he would have to effectively deal with his past. Another theme of â€Å"The Fly† would have to be not being able to move on. The song â€Å"It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To yesterday† by Boys2Men reflects solely on how difficult it is to move on after a tragic event. But there is no need to dwell on the past, because dwelling in the past brings no change to the future. If the Boss took the time to move on from that tragic incident in his life he would have been able to visit his son’s grave. He would not be having mental meltdowns just by hearing about his son’s grave. Just by hearing the words â€Å"†¦visited sons grave† from Mr. Woodifield the Boss’ brain basically shuts down, so he asked his office manager not to let anyone in to see him for half an hour. All he was able to think about for the rest of that day was the loss of his child, his only son, who was supposed to gain control of his company, the son who was going to continue his legacy. When I think of fathers I also think of sons. There is never a man who wishes to have only daughters. They would always want to have a son. Sons are the gateway to the next generation carrying on the name tradition. Sons are the ones who will be taking over things when the father is no longer there and with his son gone the Boss was feeling a crippling amount of loss. His first and only son was gone, closing the gate for future generations, the end of a legacy. The Boss felt that his reason for living was lost with the death of his son. He was now a shell of the man that once thought that life was full and had meaning. Fighting with his life, the Boss does not realize he is in a standstill just like the fly in the story that is fighting with life (the ink) to make it. As in the famous quote when life gives you lemons you make lemonade, the Boss should use this concept by turning a bad situation into a good one. In life there are no do overs, once the time has passed it is gone forever. The Boss may have felt like sending death a letter. Explaining the reasons why his son should not have been taken away. The Boss needed to open up his eyes and look within himself to see if he was satisfied with the life he was living. Furthermore, time does not always heal all wounds. There is a saying that states â€Å"time changes things, but you actually have to change things yourself. † I feel like that is true especially when I hear the quote â€Å"time heals all wounds. † I feel that there is a catch. You cannot just sit around then suddenly and miraculously all your pain is gone. You have to work to get your wounds sealed. The Boss felt that if he just ignored the wounds and pretended as if they were not there he would be better in no time at all, because there would not be anything to heal. But he is just overestimating his imagination because the wounds will always be beneath the surface. Even if he does not show his pain it will always be buried deep inside. The Boss did not realize that he was slowing down his healing process by ignoring what was in his face. Another theme would be not giving up. When there is an obstacle in your path that keeps knocking you down. Just get up and try again because there is always a way around it. Do not ever let that obstacle rule your life but vice versa. For example the fly, in the story no matter how many times it was covered in ink. It got back up and cleaned itself off even until its last breath. The fly basically went down fighting it did not let the ink get to his will to live, until it had no other choice but to give up. This is an example the Boss should take and use in his own life. People die every day, he just has to see that there is more to life than just to live. He needs to find something positive to keep him going, rather than dwelling on the thought of losing his only child. Before it was for his son, now it can be for himself or his family and friends. The story can also be read as a confirmation of the brutal horrors of World War I. A representation of the generation that sent its sons to their death beds in a cruel war. The Boss as well as Mr. Woodifield had a son in the war, and it seems that they both lost their sons in that same war, just as many others. Because of the way Mr. Woodifield spoke of the grave site it seemed to have been made to hold fallen soldiers of that war. It shows that war can affect people in many ways. Mr. Woodifield can talk about his son freely. While the Boss cannot even stand to see anything that would remind him of the loss of his son’s presence let alone hear his name. All in all there are many different themes in â€Å"The Fly† by Katherine Mansfield. Like how death is a part of life that we cannot get rid of. When life gets difficult sometimes it is hard to move on. Especially when it comes to losing someone you have a special bond with. It also explains how fathers and sons develop a close relationship with one another. How you cannot fight with life because it does not appear to have what you want, that time is not always the sole healer of all wounds, and the brutal horrors of war. Above all life is what you make of it, you either takes it or you leave it.

Death Penalty misc0 essays

Death Penalty misc0 essays The United states is the only western democracy that still practices capital punishment. There have been over 4050 executions since 1930. In 1994 alone, there were 257 executions in the United States. People who believe in capital punishment say that this dehumanizing process deters crime. This is false because the death penalty has been proven NOT to deter crime. In fact, during the 1980s, states practicing the death penalty averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually MORE common in states that use the death penalty. Criminals irrationally perform crimes, therefore, life imprisonment ought to deter a rational person itself. Besides, no criminal commits a crime if he believes he will be caught. The death penalty is morally incorrect. Why do governments kill people to show other people that killing is wrong? Would society allow rape as the penalty for rape or the burning of arsonists homes as the penalty for arson. Every time we execute someone, we sink to the same level as the common killer. What is the difference between the state killing and an individual killing? The end result is the same....one more dead body, one more set of grieving parents, and one more cemetery slot. Every time we execute someone, we are desensitizing the value of human life. The death penalty is not now, nor has it ever been a more economical alternative to life imprisonment. A study by the New York State Defenders Association showed that the cost of a capital trial ALONE is more than double the cost of life imprisonment. They also concluded that a death penalty case costs approximately 42 percent more than a case resulting in a non-death sentence. Since 1976 the United States has spent 700 Another reason to get rid of the death penalty is the possibility of error. ...

Francisco Pizarro, Spanish Conqueror of the Inca

Francisco Pizarro, Spanish Conqueror of the Inca Francisco Pizarro (ca. 1475–June 26, 1541) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. With a small force of Spaniards, he was able to capture Atahualpa, emperor of the mighty Inca Empire, in 1532. Eventually, he led his men to victory over the Inca, collecting mind-boggling quantities of gold and silver along the way. Fast Facts: Francisco Pizarro Known For: Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca EmpireBorn: ca. 1471–1478 in Trujillo, Extremadura, SpainParents: Gonzalo Pizarro Rodrà ­guez de Aguilar and Francisca Gonzalez, a maid in the Pizarro householdDied: June 26, 1541 in Lima, PeruSpouse(s): Inà ©s Huaylas Yupanqui (Quispe Sisa).Children: Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui, Gonzalo Pizarro Yupanqui Early Life Francisco Pizarro was born between 1471 and 1478 as one of several illegitimate children of Gonzalo Pizarro Rodrà ­guez de Aguilar, a nobleman in Extremadura province, Spain. Gonzalo had fought with distinction in wars in Italy; Franciscos mother was Francisca Gonzalez, a maid in the Pizarro household. As a young man, Francisco lived with his mother and siblings and tended animals in the fields. As a bastard, Pizarro could expect little in the way of inheritance and decided to become a soldier. It is likely that he followed in his fathers footsteps to the battlefields of Italy for a time before hearing of the riches of the Americas. He first went to the New World in 1502 as part of a colonization expedition led by Nicols de Ovando. San Sebastin de Uraba and the Darià ©n In 1508, Pizarro joined the Alonso de Hojeda expedition to the mainland. They fought the natives and created a settlement called San Sebastin de Urab. Beset by angry natives and low on supplies, Hojeda set out for Santo Domingo in early 1510 for reinforcements and supplies. When Hojeda did not return after 50 days, Pizarro set out with the surviving settlers to return to Santo Domingo. Along the way, they joined an expedition to settle the Darià ©n region: Pizarro served as second in command to Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa. First South American Expeditions In Panama, Pizarro established a partnership with fellow conquistador Diego de Almagro. News of Hernn Cortà ©s audacious (and lucrative) conquest of the Aztec Empire fueled the burning desire for gold among all of the Spanish in the New World, including Pizarro and Almagro. They made two expeditions from 1524 to 1526 along the western coast of South America: harsh conditions and native attacks drove them back both times. On the second trip, they visited the mainland and the Inca city of Tumbes, where they saw llamas and local chieftains with silver and gold. These men told of a great ruler in the mountains, and Pizarro became more convinced than ever that there was another rich Empire like the Aztecs to be looted. Third Expedition Pizarro personally went to Spain to make his case to the king that he should be allowed a third chance. King Charles, impressed with this eloquent veteran, agreed and awarded Pizarro the governorship of lands he acquired. Pizarro brought his four brothers back with him to Panama: Gonzalo, Hernando, Juan Pizarro, and Francisco Martà ­n de Alcntara. In 1530, Pizarro and Almagro returned to the western shores of South America. On his third expedition, Pizarro had about 160 men and 37 horses. They landed on what is now the coast of Ecuador near Guayaquil. By 1532 they made it back to Tumbes: it was in ruins, having been destroyed in the Inca Civil War. The Inca Civil War While Pizarro was in Spain, Huayna Capac, Emperor of the Inca, had died, possibly of smallpox. Two of Huayna Capacs sons began fighting over the Empire: Huscar, the elder of the two, controlled the capital of Cuzco. Atahualpa, the younger brother, controlled the northern city of Quito, but more importantly had the support of three major Inca Generals: Quisquis, Rumià ±ahui, and Chalcuchima. A bloody civil war raged across the Empire as Huscar and Atahualpas supporters fought. Sometime in mid-1532, General Quisquis routed Huscars forces outside of Cuzco and took Huscar prisoner. The war was over, but the Inca Empire was in ruins just as a far greater threat approached: Pizarro and his soldiers. Capture of Atahualpa In November 1532, Pizarro and his men headed inland, where another extremely lucky break was awaiting them. The nearest Inca city of any size to the conquistadors was Cajamarca, and Emperor Atahualpa happened to be there. Atahualpa was savoring his victory over Huscar: his brother was being brought to Cajamarca in chains. The Spanish arrived in Cajamarca unopposed: Atahualpa did not consider them a threat. On November 16, 1532, Atahualpa agreed to meet with the Spanish. The Spanish treacherously attacked the Inca, capturing Atahualpa and murdering thousands of his soldiers and followers. Pizarro and Atahualpa soon made a deal: Atahualpa would go free if he could pay a ransom. The Inca selected a large hut in Cajamarca and offered to fill it half full with golden objects, and then fill the room twice with silver objects. The Spanish quickly agreed. Soon the treasures of the Inca Empire began flooding into Cajamarca. The people were restless, but none of Atahualpas generals dared attack the intruders. Hearing rumors that the Inca generals were planning an attack, the Spanish executed Atahualpa on July 26, 1533. After Atahualpa Pizarro appointed a puppet Inca, Tupac Huallpa, and marched on Cuzco, the heart of the Empire. They fought four battles along the way, defeating the native warriors every time. Cuzco itself did not put up a fight: Atahualpa had recently been an enemy, so many of the people there viewed the Spanish as liberators. Tupac Huallpa sickened and died: he was replaced by Manco Inca, a half-brother to Atahualpa and Huscar. The city of Quito was conquered by Pizarro agent Sebastin de Benalczar in 1534 and, apart from isolated areas of resistance, Peru belonged to the Pizarro brothers. Pizarros partnership with Diego de Almagro had been strained for some time. When Pizarro had gone to Spain in 1528 to secure royal charters for their expedition, he had acquired for himself the governorship of all lands conquered and a royal title: Almagro only got a title and the governorship of the small town of Tumbez. Almagro was furious and nearly refused to participate in their third joint expedition: only the promise of the governorship of as-yet undiscovered lands made him come around. Almagro never quite shook the suspicion (probably correct) that the Pizarro brothers were trying to cheat him out of his fair share of the loot. In 1535, after the Inca Empire was conquered, the crown ruled that the northern half belonged to Pizarro and the southern half to Almagro: however, vague wording allowed both conquistadors to argue that the rich city of Cuzco belonged to them. Factions loyal to both men nearly came to blows: Pizarro and Almagro met and decided that Almagro would lead an expedition to the south (into present-day Chile). It was hoped that he would find great wealth there and drop his claim to Peru. Inca Revolts Between 1535 and 1537 the Pizarro brothers had their hands full. Manco Inca, the puppet ruler, escaped and went into open rebellion, raising a massive army and laying siege to Cuzco. Francisco Pizarro was in the newly founded city of Lima most of the time, trying to send reinforcements to his brothers and fellow conquistadors in Cuzco and organizing shipments of wealth to Spain (he was always conscientious about setting aside the royal fifth, a 20% tax collected by the crown on all treasure collected). In Lima, Pizarro had to fend off a ferocious attack led by Inca General Quizo Yupanqui in August of 1536. The First Almagrist Civil War Cuzco, under siege by Manco Inca in early 1537, was rescued by the return of Diego de Almagro from Peru with what was left of his expedition. He lifted the siege and drove off Manco, only to take the city for himself, capturing Gonzalo and Hernando Pizarro in the process. In Chile, the Almagro expedition had found only harsh conditions and ferocious natives: he had come back to claim his share of Peru. Almagro had the support of many Spaniards, primarily those who had come to Peru too late to share in the spoils: they hoped that if the Pizarros were overthrown that Almagro would reward them with lands and gold. Gonzalo Pizarro escaped, and Hernando was released by Almagro as part of the peace negotiations. With his brothers behind him, Francisco decided to do away with his old partner once and for all. He sent Hernando into the highlands with an army of conquistadors, and they met Almagro and his supporters on April 26, 1538, at the Battle of Salinas. Hernando was victorious, while Diego de Almagro was captured, tried, and executed on July 8, 1538. Almagros execution was shocking to the Spaniards in Peru, as he had been raised to nobleman status by the king some years before. Death For the next three years, Francisco mainly remained in Lima, administrating his empire. Although Diego de Almagro had been defeated, there was still much resentment among late-coming conquistadors against the Pizarro brothers and the original conquistadors, who had left slim pickings after the fall of the Inca Empire. These men rallied around Diego de Almagro the younger, son of Diego de Almagro and a woman from Panama. On June 26, 1541, supporters of the younger Diego de Almagro, led by Juan de Herrada, entered Francisco Pizarros home in Lima and assassinated him and his half-brother Francisco Martà ­n de Alcntara. The old conquistador put up a good fight, taking down one of his attackers with him. With Pizarro dead, the Almagrists seized Lima and held it for almost a year before an alliance of Pizarrists (led by Gonzalo Pizarro) and royalists put it down. The Almagrists were defeated at the Battle of Chupas on September 16, 1542: Diego de Almagro the younger was captured and executed shortly after that. Legacy The cruelty and violence of the conquest of Peru is undeniable- it was essentially outright theft, mayhem, murder, and rape on a massive scale- but it is hard not to respect the sheer nerve of Francisco Pizarro. With only 160 men and a handful of horses, he brought down one of the largest civilizations in the world. His brazen capture of Atahualpa and decision to back the Cuzco faction in the simmering Inca civil war gave the Spaniards enough time to gain a foothold in Peru that they would never lose. By the time Manco Inca realized that the Spanish would not settle for anything less than the complete usurpation of his empire, it was too late. As far as the conquistadors go, Francisco Pizarro was not the worst of the lot (which isnt necessarily saying much). Other conquistadors, such as Pedro de Alvarado and his brother Gonzalo Pizarro, were much crueler in their dealings with the native population. Francisco could be cruel and violent, but in general, his acts of violence served some purpose, and he tended to think his actions through much more than others did. He realized that wantonly murdering the native population was not a sound plan in the long run, so he did not practice it. Francisco Pizarro married Inà ©s Huaylas Yupanqui, the daughter of the Inca emperor Huayna Capa, and she had two children: Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui (1534–1598) and Gonzalo Pizarro Yupanqui (1535–1546). Pizarro, like Hernn Cortà ©s in Mexico, is honored sort of halfheartedly in Peru. There is a statue of him in Lima and some streets and businesses are named after him, but most Peruvians are ambivalent about him at best. They all know who he was and what he did, but most present-day Peruvians do not find him much worthy of admiration. Sources Burkholder, Mark and Lyman L. Johnson. Colonial Latin America. Fourth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca. London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970).Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962Patterson, Thomas C. The Inca Empire: The Formation and Disintegration of a Pre-Capitalist State. New York: Berg Publishers, 1991.Varon Gabai, Rafael. Francisco Pizarro and His Brothers: The Illusion of Power in Sixteenth-Century Peru. trans. Flores Espinosa, Javier. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.

The impact of E-business on information management in the Essay

The impact of E-business on information management in the telecommunications industry - Essay Example These developments raise a number of new challenges for information management. This research proposal seeks to identify recent trends in the telecommunications industry with a focus group being the mobile device and networks of major companies such as Motorola, Nokia and Sprint based on their United Kingdom business activities. The research will also seek to interview at least three telecommunications industry workers to gauge the relationship between perceptions within the industry's e-commerce and statistical evidence derived from historical data research. This paper will analyse several recent business and technological trends in the information communication technology industry and their consequences for performance analysis, using mobile communication businesses as the test group. The fundamental reason for choosing this topic is that having searched literature I found that very few works have been conducted concerning the impact of information management and E-business within the telecommunications industry in U.K. Since most of the studies have been focusing the International market. This fact has encouraged me to do this piece of work in order to contribute to the existing knowledge about this subject by adding a new point of view. Last two decades have seen multi-fold progress in the use of Internet (USIC and IITA, 2000). Nua Internet Surveys have reported an increment in the number of Internet users globally, statistics state the users are increased in all regions of the world from 171 million in 1999 to 304 million in March 2000, an increase of 78 percent (USIC and IITA, 2000). The accessibility of the consumers to different products and services has also been increased. In order to respond to the changing needs of the customers businesses are also applying new techniques to capture a vast market, (Ram et. al., 1999). In a paper Entrust (2001) has mentioned following trends, which are transforming the Telecommunication industry all over the world: "The evolution of digital technology is enabling the convergence of all forms of information - email, video, audio, graphics and text - that must be communicated. The Internet has become a key communications medium and it has facilitated society's evolution as a global

Critically discuss the principal changes to the composition and powers Essay

Critically discuss the principal changes to the composition and powers of the House of Lords brought about by legislation bet - Essay Example By the 13th century, composition of the King’s council was expanded to include representatives from the different counties, cities and boroughs of the Kingdom.12 In 1295, Edward I established the first formal parliament.3 In the 14th century, the parliament was divided into two distinct houses. The representatives of shires and boroughs made up the House of Commons while the religious leaders, magnates and feudal landowners made up the House of Lords.4 The membership of the House of Lords is further divided into the Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. The former is composed of Bishops and ranking churchmen while the latter is composed of Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons whose seats in the upper house are hereditary. 5 From the time the House of Lords was organized, it had been subjected to constant calls for reforms. Its composition and powers have changed overtime; it even survived abolition and managed to resurrect itself into the realm of the British governmen tal structure. By the end of the 19th century, the Lords had equal powers to the House of Commons with regard to the passage of public and private legislations. The only exception is the â€Å"Commons financial privilege† which gives the lower house total control with regard to initiating bills that grant aids to impose charges on the citizens.6 However, it was in the 20th century when the Upper House saw a great number of moves to institutionalize reforms, most of which were initiated from the House of Commons. Legislations were introduced to reform the composition of the Lords especially on the matter of hereditary peers. Reforms on the Lords’ powers are also constantly proposed especially on the abolition of its powers to delay legislations introduced by the House of Commons. Within the span of 88 years, there were five legislations that made significant changes in the composition and powers of the House of Lords, namely, the Parliament Act of 1911, The Parliament A ct of 1949, the Life Peerages Act of 1958, the Peerage Act of 1963 and the House of Lords Act of 1999. The Parliament Act of 1911   Prompted by the Lords’ enormous powers when the Upper House rejected the Lloyd George’s budget by a landslide vote in 1909, the House of Commons sprang into action and introduced bills and resolutions that aim to limit the powers of the Lords. After much debate in both chambers, the Parliament Act was finally enacted into law in August 1911.7 The Parliament Act of 1911 instituted limitations on the powers of the Lords, especially its power to delay or reject bills it does not like. Firstly, Money Bills which have been certified by the Speaker as such shall receive Royal Assent even without the consent of the Second Chamber.8 Money bills are legislations on taxation and government spending where the Lords do not have any veto power.9 When the Commons transmit to the House of Lords a money bill, it shall receive Royal Assent if a month had passed and the Lords had not acted on it. Secondly, Parliamentary Act of 1911 virtually eliminated the Lord’s power to perpetually delay and archive legislations passed by the House of Commons. One of its salient features is the provision which makes public bills into an Act of Parliament, with or without the consent of the House of Lords. When a bill is passed by the lower house in three consecutive sessions and with an interval

Hitler's Table Talk Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Hitler's Table Talk - Term Paper Example This essay describes the Hitler’s table talk that are mostly spontaneous conversations, that were held between 1941 and 1944 majorly concentrated on what Adolf Hitler, the governor of Germany commented. There were also individuals, who were given the task of taking notes from the conversation between the Hitler and his visitors. Most of the meetings consisted of Hitler and the Nazi leaders who had common interests on the topics of war and religion. Borman and Henry Picker wrote and recorded notes directly from the meeting conversation between the prominent leaders. They wrote information from the comments the German’s governor said. Some of the topics Hitler commented and discussed by the researcher of this essay were on: the religion he preferred his people to practice, the war on his enemies, and his personal life. Lastly, he commented on English language and how it was inferior to the national German language. It is stated by the researcher that Hitler believed that German language was popular globally compared to English language, which was spreading exceptionally fast. It is later concluded by the researcher of the essay that Adolf Hitler was truly a dictator to both his people and foreigners living in Germany. It is mentioned that he perceived war as a solution to all his problems and worries, therefore, killed many lives that he did not favor. In conclusion, it is stated that Hitler’s table talk has assisted the world to know what kind of mind Hitler had about various aspects in life.

Planning Phase of the Jalupa Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning Phase of the Jalupa Company - Case Study Example The cause of action is to generate a decent investment that will see the strategy take off for the next 5 years. The facts that support this problem definition are that Kaluga has already created a JalupaBook that will see it reap higher returns. Another fact is that the margins will remain without having to split them into other costs. Â  The future of the Kaluga solution is that will attract more clients from different age groups in a bid to keep the margins constant. This is because it will incorporate different technological advancements to control its market share. I want the new system to bring together users with different musical instrument requirements to interact and share their experiences. Â  Dave D, who is the Marketing Group Vice President, is the individual who has shown interest in the outcome of the project. He is the best person for the project because of his vast experience in the industry, political connections, and expertise in musical instrument marketing. Â  This initiative shall start in 5 years time because of impending considerations of sourcing for funds and sponsorships. The prevalence of e-marketing and social media are the internal or external events that take place to justify the date to be the perfect one. Â  The completion date shall be 2020 because the JalugaBook shall have gained prominence among the new users and advertisers. This is the best date because all stakeholders will have understood the significance of conducting online businesses. Â  There are a number of risks that the management fears might affect their planning strategies. For instance, the operational fear is the creation of JalugaBook since this is the organization’s first project in this field of online commerce. As a result, it might prove difficult to attract consumers and advertisers because some of them may not be comfortable conducting online business.

Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cloning - Essay Example ifferent contexts in biological research but in its most simple and strict sense, it refers to a precise genetic copy of a molecule, cell, plant, animal, or human being. In some of these contexts, cloning refers to established technologies that have been part of agricultural practice for a very long time and currently form an important part of the foundations of modern biological research† (Nussbaum & Sunstein, 1998, p. 1). Although this method has created many live successes, it has proved significantly less likely to generate successful instances of pregnancy than those conceived naturally via sexual intercourse. Additionally, the majority of cloned mammals have had some form of birth defect. Mammals do not replicate their own DNA through the natural process. This occurs only by cloning which presents both scientific and ethical implications. â€Å"The prospect of such replication for humans has resulted in the most controversial debate about reproduction ever to be taken up in western civilization† (McGee, 2001). Plants create offspring through replication by the natural method. When mammals replicate DNA by artificial means the practice is complex both technically and socially speaking. Those who are in opposition to cloning humans contend that this unnatural form of reproduction has a tremendous potential for basing dubious procreation decisions with regard to the genetic engineering of children. Their worry is that the traditional family is in jeopardy of evolving in a bizarre, unfamiliar and socially undesirable direction. Supporters of cloning procedures say that it may possibly, among other attributes, serve society as a valuable alternative infertility treatment. The cloning of animals has provoked the debate regarding the social, legal and ethical aspects concerning human cloning. Because of failure rate as compared to the customary conception method in animal testing, scholars, scientists and politicians usually agree that human experiments

ANnnotated Bibilography and Thesis Statement Annotated Bibliography

ANnnotated Bibilography and Thesis Statement - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover biofuels also exhibit better emissions, might boost the rural economy and reduce waste. Most importantly fossil fuels are non-renewable but biofuels are renewable as they are made from plants or organic wastes. Kutz also warns about to short comings of biofuels. The energy generated from per unit biofuel is less than that of fossil fuel; as an example one gallon of gasoline is equivalent to 1.5 gallon of ethanol in terms of energy generation. In case of biodiesel; fuel efficiency and performance decreases by five percent in comparison to diesel. Again the up gradation cost of vehicles so that they can be compatible with biofuel might be a costly affair. Pandey and Arroche, mentions that with rise in population growth and industrialization, fossil fuel and mainly petroleum is depleting at a much faster pace than its natural regeneration through the C cycle. On one hand this would definitely lead to exhaustion of fossil fuel and on the other environment would be badly damaged owing to the carbon intensity of the same. Again fossil fuels are concentrated in a handful of countries whereas biofuels are available everywhere. At this juncture it is important to exploit the potential of biofuel to a much larger extent than the current state. The cheap price concept that is attached to fossil fuel might no longer be valid after a few years courting a high demand for the same. Moreover fossil fuels are profoundly responsible for greenhouse gas emission and biofuels are much more environment friendly. The authors favoured the use of biofuel in modern day use such as transportation (bioethanol and biodiesel) and optimistic that soon the current level of energy consumption through biofuel (10% of the total energy consumption) would be increased to a much higher level. They have further said that biomass might be the only alternative energy source to replace fossil fuel in

Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cloning - Essay Example ifferent contexts in biological research but in its most simple and strict sense, it refers to a precise genetic copy of a molecule, cell, plant, animal, or human being. In some of these contexts, cloning refers to established technologies that have been part of agricultural practice for a very long time and currently form an important part of the foundations of modern biological research† (Nussbaum & Sunstein, 1998, p. 1). Although this method has created many live successes, it has proved significantly less likely to generate successful instances of pregnancy than those conceived naturally via sexual intercourse. Additionally, the majority of cloned mammals have had some form of birth defect. Mammals do not replicate their own DNA through the natural process. This occurs only by cloning which presents both scientific and ethical implications. â€Å"The prospect of such replication for humans has resulted in the most controversial debate about reproduction ever to be taken up in western civilization† (McGee, 2001). Plants create offspring through replication by the natural method. When mammals replicate DNA by artificial means the practice is complex both technically and socially speaking. Those who are in opposition to cloning humans contend that this unnatural form of reproduction has a tremendous potential for basing dubious procreation decisions with regard to the genetic engineering of children. Their worry is that the traditional family is in jeopardy of evolving in a bizarre, unfamiliar and socially undesirable direction. Supporters of cloning procedures say that it may possibly, among other attributes, serve society as a valuable alternative infertility treatment. The cloning of animals has provoked the debate regarding the social, legal and ethical aspects concerning human cloning. Because of failure rate as compared to the customary conception method in animal testing, scholars, scientists and politicians usually agree that human experiments

Medical Translation Essay Example for Free

Medical Translation Essay Introduction The medical terms to be translated are selected from three articles. Two articles deal with the posttraumatic stress disorder, a kind of mental disease and the other article is about the immune response in transplantation. Medical terms differ from that in daily use, and the same word can have different meanings within various contexts. In addition, many medical terms have roots and affixes which are mostly borrowed from Greek and Latin language, and as a result an analysis of the roots, prefixes and suffixes is necessary in order to translate the terms acutely and succinctly. Some terms can be transliterated into Chinese language while some need to be paraphrased into Chinese according to the context. The translation of medical terms should not only be accurate, but should also be concise, easy to understand and avoid being ambiguous. Article One: Blockade of Lymphocyte Chemotaxis in Visceral Graft-versus-Host Disease 1. Graft-versus-host Disease: Graft means any transplanted or implanted organ or tissue in English, in Chinese language, graft can be translated as â€Å" †. The term â€Å"versus† in English means the situation in which two sides are against each other. In Chinese language, the term refers to â€Å" †, but the term â€Å" † is usually used in military area and it is not concise for the translation of â€Å"versus† in medical field. Comparatively, the term â€Å"? † in Chinese is more suitable for the translation of â€Å"versus† as it is concise and it can reflect the condition in which one part is resistant toward another. â€Å"Host† means the body which accepts the transplantation. In Chinese, the character â€Å" † means the body on which another animal or plant lives (cf. Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary:854). In medical field, â€Å"† can be referred to the body to which the organ or tissue is attached. Therefore, the disease Graft-versus-host can be translated as â€Å" †, a disease in which the transplanted organ is antagonistic towards the body which accepts the implantation and it can lead to the destruction of the host body. 2. Antigen-presenting cells: The prefix â€Å"anti† means being against and antagonistic. The suffix â€Å"–gen† refers to â€Å"that which generate†. Therefore, the term â€Å"antigen† can be literally translated as â€Å" †, a kind of substance that can generate immune response. â€Å"Presenting† refers to â€Å"clinging to a cell surface for detection of other molecules†. In biological process, the antigen-presenting cell can process the antigen cells by taking and presenting them to the lymphocyte cells. In Chinese language, the term â€Å" † refers to recognizing and detecting specific substance and the term â€Å" † means â€Å"taking† and â€Å"bringing†. Consequently, the term â€Å"antigen-presenting cell† can be translated into â€Å" † in Chinese language. 3. Lymphocyte recruitment: Lymphocyte is a kind of leukocyte cell and it is a product of lymphoid tissue, participating in immune activities. In Chinese language, the term â€Å"lymphocyte† is transliterated as â€Å" †, which refers to pertaining to the lymphocyte. The term â€Å"recruitment† refers to the gradual increase and in Chinese language, â€Å" † means a growth and proliferation in number. Therefore, the term can be translated as â€Å" †. 4. Secondary Graft Losses: â€Å"Secondary† generally refers to the second rank in dictionary, but in the context, the term means being derived from what is original and primary. The term â€Å"secondary† should be translated as â€Å" † which means pertaining to progressive. The terms â€Å"losses† means dysfunction and destruction of the transplanted graft and in the context, and it can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese. Consequently, the term â€Å"secondary graft losses† translated into Chinese is â€Å" †. 5. Myeloproliferative Disorder: The root â€Å"myelo† refers to bone marrow and the term â€Å"proliferative† means rapid growth and increase. The term means an abnormal increase of marrow. Thus â€Å"myelo† can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. The term â€Å"proliferative† can be translated as â€Å" † which means abnormal increase and production. â€Å"Disorder† can be translated as â€Å"? † which means abnormal condition of body. Therefore, the term â€Å"myeloproliferative disorder† can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. 6. Antichemotactic effect: The prefix â€Å"anti† means â€Å"against† and it can be translated as â€Å"? † in Chinese language. The term â€Å"chemotacxis† refers to the orientation of a microorganism in response to chemical stimulus and it can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language which means the orientation of an object moving toward or away from something. â€Å"Effect† means result of something and it can be interpreted as â€Å"† in Chinese. Thus the term can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. Article Two: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis, History and Longitudinal Course 7. Shattered Cognitive Assumptions: The word â€Å"shattered† means fatigue, â€Å"cognitive† refers to mental process including thinking and learning and the word â€Å"assumptions† means subjective supposition. The term here refers to the disease with which the patient subjectively cannot stop thinking and assuming something terrible is going to happen without real proof and actually everything is imaginary. â€Å"Shattered† here can be translated as â€Å"†, and â€Å"cognitive† can be interpreted as â€Å" † and â€Å"assumptions† can be translated as â€Å" † in which the character â€Å"? † means â€Å"subjective and imaginary† and â€Å"? † refers to thinking. The character â€Å"? † means â€Å"disease†. Therefore, the term can be concisely interpreted as â€Å" †. 8. Fear Conditioning: The word â€Å"fear† means the feeling that someone thinks he or she is in danger. The word â€Å"conditioning† refers to a situation in which a stimulus originally unable of evoking a response becomes able to cause the response to occur by linking it with another stimulus that does so. The term â€Å"fear conditioning† here in the context means in a particular neutral condition, the patient who suffers posttraumatic stress disorder feels worried and frightened by consistently linking the neutral condition to the unpleasant experience that causes the patient to feel feared. â€Å"Fear† here can be translated as â€Å" †, which means feeling in danger and â€Å"conditioning† can be interpreted as â€Å" † which refers to under a particular situation. Therefore, the term â€Å"fear conditioning† can be translated as â€Å" †. 9. Diffuse Anxiety: â€Å"Diffuse† means not specific or limited and in the context, â€Å"diffuse anxiety refers to a kind of mental disease with which the patient experiences uncontrollable worries and fear without definite reasons. It is a kind of anxiety that has no specific content or focus. â€Å"Diffuse† here can be translated as â€Å" † which means pervasive and not confined and â€Å"anxiety† can be interpreted as â€Å" † which refers to fear and worries. As a result, the term â€Å"diffuse anxiety† can be translated as â€Å" †. 10. â€Å"Shell Shock† The word â€Å"shock† refers to an emergency in which the tissues and organs of a body experience a lack of blood flow and oxygen, and it can lead to severe damage to the body. In the context, â€Å"shell shock† is a mental disease, and it often occurs in soldier who has been hurt by the explosion of cannonballs. Patients with the â€Å"shell shock† generally have symptoms like tremor, headache, difficulty in concentration. â€Å"Shock† can be transliterated as â€Å" † and â€Å"shell† can be literally translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. The translation of â€Å"shell shock† should be â€Å" †. But the translation â€Å"† cannot reflect the nature of the disorder. As a result, the term â€Å" † which means the neurasthenia should be added to the translation. Therefore, the term â€Å"shell shock† should be translated as â€Å" †. 11. â€Å"Operational Fatigue†: The term â€Å"operational† is pertaining to military and â€Å"Fatigue† literally refers to weariness. In the context, â€Å"fatigue† means mental tiredness and â€Å"operational fatigue† is a mental disorder with symptoms like irritability and tremor. The disorder mainly occurs in soldiers who are influenced by the cruelty of war both mentally and psychologically. â€Å"Fatigue† can be translated as â€Å" † which means unbearable mental and psychological stress caused by war. Thus, the term â€Å"operational fatigue† can be translated as â€Å" †. 12. â€Å"Startle Reaction† The word â€Å"startle† means to frighten or alarm suddenly and the word â€Å"reaction† refers to the response to a stimulus. In the context, the term â€Å"startle reaction† is a symptom of posttraumatic patients who behave and response vigilantly to neutral stimulus. The term can be translated as â€Å" †. 13. â€Å"Sympathetic overreactivity†: The word sympathetic means showing sympathy and understanding. The term in the context means the symptom of patient who over concerns and understands other people’s feelings. â€Å"Sympathetic† can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. â€Å"Overreactivity† refers to abnormal reaction and it can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. The term, then can be concisely translated as â€Å" †. 14. â€Å"Traumatic Neurosis†: â€Å"Traumatic† refers to serious injury to the human body. The term â€Å"traumatic neurosis† in the context means the shadow exerted by traumatic injury to the human body both in psychology and mentality. The term â€Å"traumatic† can be translated as â€Å"† which means relating to physical injury and â€Å"neurosis† can be interpreted as â€Å" † which means the psychological dysfunction and mental fatigue. The term can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language. 15. â€Å"Psychological Numbing† The term in the context refers to the aloof attitude of the patient towards the people and events around him or her. People with psychological numbing are frigid and show little concern or care about the outside world. The term is related to the patient’s psychological and emotional attitudes towards the society and â€Å"psychological† can be translated as â€Å" †. The word â€Å"numbing† can be interpreted as â€Å" † in Chinese language which means apathetic and callous. Therefore, the term can be translated as â€Å" †. 16. â€Å"Delayed Referral†: â€Å"Delayed† means something happened latter than expected. â€Å"Referral† refers to the transference of a patient from one clinician to another. In the context, delayed means the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder which may occur latter than expected after the traumatic event. â€Å"Delayed† here can be translated as â€Å" † which means postponement and â€Å"referral† can be interpreted as â€Å" †. Therefore, â€Å"Delayed Referral† can then translated as â€Å"†. Article Three: Neuroimaging and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 17. â€Å"Extinction Recall†: The word â€Å"extinction† means something that is extinguished and disappeared and â€Å"recall† refers to recollection. In the context, the term means the symptom of intrusive recollection of the terrible scenes experienced by the patients who suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. They develop hallucination in brain and experience the scene as if it were happening again. Therefore, the term can be translated as â€Å" † in Chinese language in which the word â€Å" † means again and again, and â€Å" † refers to experiencing and suffering. 18. â€Å"White Noise†: The word â€Å"white† means albus literally, but in the context, the word has another connation. Actually the word â€Å"white† in the article means the noise that can cover the disturbing sound and it is beneficial to human body. Thus the term in the article can be translated as â€Å" †. The term â€Å" † means not being disturbing and â€Å" † refers to noise. 19. â€Å"Flashback Intensity† â€Å"Flashback† means a vivid and sudden and recurrent memory of a past experience. In the context of the article, the term refers to a recurring and lively image of traumatic experience happened in the past. The intrusive memory is so lively that the patient who suffers posttraumatic stress disorder often recognizes the memory as something that is occurring in the real time. Therefore, the term â€Å"flashback intensity† can be translated as â€Å" †. The character â€Å" † means memory, the term â€Å" † refers to flashback and â€Å" † means intensity. 20. â€Å"Concomitant Dissociative Responses: â€Å"Concomitant† means existing at the same time and it can be translated as â€Å" †. The word â€Å"dissociative† refers to separate and it can be interpreted as â€Å" †. The word â€Å"response† means reaction and it can be concisely translated as â€Å" †. In the context, the term means reactions that coexist with posttraumatic stress disorder. As a result, the term can be translated as â€Å" †. Conclusion The medical terms are different from the terms used in daily life and it is characterized by its academic accuracy and conciseness. The translation of the medical terms should not only be a linguistic conversion between two languages, but also be a product in a specific context. English, as an international language, absorbed a large number of Greek and Latin roots and affixes. A good understanding of the roots and affixes is crucial in translating medical terms. By analyzing the literal meaning and the context, the terms can be translated by adopting the strategy of transliteration and paraphrasing. Bibliography Baidu Encyclopeida. http://www. baidu. com/ Collin Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary Concise Edition. 2001. HarperCollins Publishers. Homepage of The Free Dictionary by Farlex. http://www. thefreedictionary. com/ Hudong Encyclopedia. http://xinjiancitiao. hudong. com/ Haici Dictionary. http://dict. cn/ Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary [1988] 2004. Oxford University Press; The Commercial Press. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Main_Page.

The effect of birth order on personality

The effect of birth order on personality The overarching tenet of this research is the effect of birth order on the personality of individuals in a family. This research recognizes the fact that the development needs of a first born differs from the last child in a family. In order for children to gain access to the resources of the family, they have different developmental strategies by establishing their own niche and these strategies are manifested by behavioral and personality differences between siblings. This proposal will highlight the origin à Ã‚ ¾f personality differences between siblings. This will be followed by relevant theories that will explain the forces that are at play in shaping the development of an individual which will shed light on the possible reasons that drive sibling interactions. After the evolutionary niche model of Alfred Alders (1996) in this chapter, key issues and research goals and the application of the results will be laid out. In the field of behavioral genetics, numerous research have been published that explored the genetic influence of personality citing that it accounts approximately 40% of variances in individual personalities while environmental factors contribute only to 35% for non-shared and 5% for shared environments while the remainder or 20% is attributed to sampling and measurement errors (à Ã‚ lderц¢, 1999, 2001; à Ã‚  là Ã‚ ¾min Dà Ã‚ °nielц¢, 1987; Turkheimer Wà Ã‚ °ldrà Ã‚ ¾n, 2000). Most notable of these results is the small influence of shared experience on personality development. It was observed that a fair proportion of personality transpired early in a persons lifetime. Thus, a brief, shared family experience seemed to exert little effect on the person of an individuals personality (Turkheimer Wà Ã‚ °ldrà Ã‚ ¾n, 2000). This small influence of shared family experiences in personality formation has led to criticism and subsequent refinements in the methods employed in behavioral genetics (Mà Ã‚ ¾ffitt, 2005). For instance, recent reviews have suggested that estimates on variance contributed by shared environment should be increased in order for the significant gene-envirà Ã‚ ¾nment interà Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ tià Ã‚ ¾nц¢ become apparent (Mà Ã‚ ¾ffitt, 2005), and the concept of shared environment has been shown to be simple and straightforward. When this last feature is taken which is the concept of shared family environment, it has been argued by à Ã‚ lderц¢ (2001) that the within-family environment in which siblings live together does not necessarily result in shared sibling experiences. In other words, the experiences that two or more siblings have in common, which are termed shared experiences, have numerous differentiating factors. This is illustrated by this example. Siblings are likely to differ in age and gender leading to variations in size, strength, and cognitive maturity. These differences in cognitive maturity result in dissimilar interpretations of experiences and shared events leading to differing effects on development. Morales (1994) believed that position of the child in the family has an effect on the behavior of the child inside and outside of the confines of the home. He pointed out in his studies that it is the first born who is more responsible, more self-confident, and shows higher self- esteem. He added that older children in the family were provided more opportunities to teach their younger siblings thus encouraging them to become leaders and more intelligent. According to Zajonc and Markus (as cited in Bianchi Robinson, 1997) birth order had an inversely relationship with academic performance which theorizes that more children result in lower intellectual stimulation in the family. Moreover, as there are differences in the specific needs and wants of individual siblings, so should their interpretation of the shared environment. Indeed, varying responses to shared is beneficial to siblings within the same family environment. This is apparent in the competition among siblings in their access to family resources. At an early age, majority of resources that an individual sibling wants are in the form of parental attention and care. While it is encouraged in modern societies to distribute resources equally within the family, the unequal allocation of resources in the family can be traced in history and contemporary tribal societies. It is the practice of investing heavily on the eldest and youngest. The parental allocation of resources to children is determined by the availability of the resources at any given time and gaining access to these resources is the predicament all the siblings face. Romeo (1994) asserted that a childs position in the family is a great influence in shaping the personality of the individual. He added, The influence of the family constellation is so strong that the lifestyles of the youngest children of two different families are more similar than those of the youngest and middle child of the same family. According to Travis and Kohli (1995) said that the intellectual ability of siblings depends on birth order. Olszewski-Kubilius (2000) asserted that birth order is not merely a superficial variable but one that is instrumental and crucial that can affect how families behave and provide resources to their child. The proponent of this research is interested in establishing the effect of birth order on the personality of Grade 9 students at a middle school in the area. In this study, personality will be classified using two of five personality dimensions in the Big Five. When the personality of the respondent is evaluated using the Big Five it is consistent with the predictions of family dynamics. For this study, the convenience sampling will be used and therefore conclusion could not be generalized to reflect the overall view of Grade Nine students in the nearby middle school. Another assumption will be that the respondents will truthfully answer the items in the questionnaire ensuring a high external validity. One limitation is that the data will be based on the self-report of the respondents based on their perceptions towards how their position in the family affected their personality and conformity in family communication. Only the perceptions of the middle school students will be determined and only the variables conscientiousness, openness to experience, and conformity in family communication will be studied. Therefore views of their teachers, parents, or siblings are beyond the scope of this study. Although self-reports obtained from self-administered questionnaires serves its advantage since scoring could be done with relative ease, validity and reliability must first be established. Another possibility is that some students might not fully understand the items in the questionnaire considering that the respondent pool will be composed of different racial backgrounds whose English facility is not excellent. To remedy the language barrier, the questionnaire will be translated into thei r native tongue. To allay any anxiety during test administration, the investigator will emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers. Problem statement The main question this research hopes to answer is Does birth order have any kind of effect on personality? The roles of family members in the family govern the responsibilities and expectations placed on children by parents and siblings. How children perceive their place in the family affects their feelings and perceptions about themselves and the quality of their interaction with others (Kottman Johnson, 1993 as cited in Nims, 1998). During the childs formative certain elements in the family structure which reflect affiliation and emotional security greatly affect the coping and relationship styles and the psychological status of mature individuals (Fullerton et al. 1989). Despite the influence of genetics and the environment, behavioral differences of siblings could be due to birth order (Claxton, 1994), defined as the childs rank in the family according to age (Steelman, 1985 as cited in Claxton, 1994). An individuals status in the family which is the first social structure the child is exposed to is implicated as one of the major factors that contribute in shaping personality (Gould, 1997), and subsequent social relationships outside the family. Though there is wide acceptance on the belief that birth order is the single most important factor of development across a persons lifetime, the individuals birth order could potentially influence the quality of child-parental and sibling-sibling interaction affecting personality and social behavior (Buckley, 1998). Differences on the experiences of socialization among individuals by virtue of birth order result in explicit variations in personality and behavior. When there are no siblings, those who were first born are likely to be socialized by adults while those who were later born become exposed to the socialization of their older siblings (Claxton, 1994). Thus it was theorized that the first born or the oldest child in the family is more leaned towards achievement while the rest of the siblings tend to be more sociable and gain more satisfying and pleasurable experiences (Claxton, 1994). However, these observations are generalized and imprecise (Claxton, 1994). Research questions With the birth of a child, the individual enters into a world different from the child born before him or her. Since parents have learned a great deal from nurturing the first child, the coming of the second child will be easier to deal with, however the second child must compete with the first child to gain access of family resources such as food, clothing, attention, love and many others (Zanjonc 2001). The 2004 US census revealed that the average size of the family is 3.18. In other words, the typical American family is composed of an three children- the eldest or first born, middle child, and the youngest or last born. Differences in the type of environment the children are exposed to may have a significant effect on them. Various methodologies have looked primarily on the influence of family size and birth order on child development. Stereotypes surrounding the personality of the eldest versus the middle child and the last born are ever present in society. The study of Herrera and Zonjanc (2003) established the beliefs underlying the various personalities associated with the first born, middle child, and so forth. Their research revealed that those who were born first showed both positive and negative traits. They were regarded to be most successful in their academic performance, very responsible, exhibit conformist attitudes, enjoy greater stability while not being in touch with ones emotions and not imaginative. In addition, middle children are stereotyped to be the most envious while the youngest is isually the most innovative, expressive, demonstrative, defiant, negligent and conversational. The only child is most often considered to display unpleasant behaviors. Differences were also noted as to the type of occupation study participants perceived among children varying in birth orders. They had the belief th at the first born pursue courses like Accountacy, Aeronautics, Architechture, Education, Law or Medicine among others. Conversely, last borns are likely to take Visual Arts, Music, Performing Arts, Photography and many others. This qualitative study is aimed to determine the effect of birth order on the personality of ninth grade students in the area. Specifically, it will provide answers to the following questions: Whà Ã‚ °t iц¢ the effeÑ t à Ã‚ ¾f birth à Ã‚ ¾rder à Ã‚ ¾n Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾nà Ã‚ °lity? Whà Ã‚ °t Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾ntributeц¢ tà Ã‚ ¾ Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾nà Ã‚ °lity differenÑ eц¢ among siblings? Dà Ã‚ ¾ dynà Ã‚ °miÑ Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ à Ã‚ ¾f the fà Ã‚ °mily à Ã‚ °nd the influenÑ e à Ã‚ ¾f birth à Ã‚ ¾rder à Ã‚ ¾n Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾nà Ã‚ °lity Ñ hà Ã‚ °nge à Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ fà Ã‚ °mily ц¢ize inÑ reà Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢eц¢? Iц¢ there à Ã‚ ° demà Ã‚ ¾nц¢trà Ã‚ °ted relà Ã‚ °tià Ã‚ ¾nц¢hiÑâ‚ ¬ between birth à Ã‚ ¾rder à Ã‚ °nd Ñâ‚ ¬erц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾nà Ã‚ °lity in là Ã‚ °rge fà Ã‚ °milieц¢ à Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ well? Application of results The results that will be obtained in the proposed study will be beneficial to field of counselling. Research has proven that the hypotheses of counsellors regarding their clients are considerably affected by the birth order of the client in his or her family (Stewart, 2004). Thus it is relevant to educate counsellors on the significance of discriminating two concepts of birth order, psychological and ordinal. It is also necessary for counsellors to have a good understanding on the relationship between psychological and ordinal birth orders on the relationships the clients have established whether in their respective families or outside the confines of the home. With this information in hand, clinicians are able to come up with strageties in treating any dysfunctional behavior that may surface during counselling. In addition, it is an important step for clinicians to support that in a successful social relationship, there should be optimism. Likewise, clinicians should also take into account other variables or factors in their assessment of the clients quality of human interaction. If for instance, birth order emerged to affect personality and relationship quality, then it should be utilized during the assessment of clients in the clinical setting. Are the earlier cited stereotypes founded in research? How does an individuals birth order affect the personality and behavior of the individual? Understanding the influence of birth order on the personality of a child can aid in making the family particularly parents and the community to be more responsive to the uniqueness of situations and circumstances every child is exposed to during and after birth. It would also provide helpful information that will be utilized by parents in molding and improving their care giving strategies tailor fit to satisify the needs of the child. Theoretical framework During the là Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢t 150 years, Alfred Adler became prominently known in the field of psychology by exploring the relationship between birth order and personality. In the book entitled, Bà Ã‚ ¾rn tà Ã‚ ¾ Rebel: Birth à Ã… ¾rder, Fà Ã‚ °mily Dynà Ã‚ °miÑ Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ à Ã‚ °nd à Ã‚ ¡reà Ã‚ °tive Liveц¢, Adler examined prominent names in history, their birth order, and views towards scientific innovation. He mentioned that first borns who have significantly etched their mark in history are more defiant to change compared to their siblings who are more welcoming towards radicalism. Utilizing evidence from clinical observations and verbal testimonies, à Ã‚ lder (1928) implied that various personality patterns should be related to the individuals birth order. As suggested by Alder, it is the firц¢tbà Ã‚ ¾rn that would receive most of familial nurturance, attention and love until the second sibling arrives leaving the former becoming resentful for the loss of his or her special place in the family circle. There is in a sense of feeling of dethronement on the part of the first born which he predicted would be more neurotic, likely to be institutionalized, and abuse drugs and other elicit substances. Adler added that the youngest child is likely to be spoiled and overindulged rendering him or her emotionally ill-prepared for human interactions outside of the home. Since the middle child or children has not experienced the negative effects of dethronement and parental overindulging, they are the most successful, secure, and functional. The weakness in Adlers perspectives is his failure to test his assumptions therefore regarded in the scientific community as mere speculations. Birth à Ã‚ ¾rder implies differences in size, à Ã‚ °ge, and power distribution in the family unit. Essentially, a siblings birth order is considered à Ã‚ ° Ñâ‚ ¬rà Ã‚ ¾xy variable representing the factors affecting competition and the amount of strategies the sibling can explore or adopt to gain access of family resources. Those siblings, who have not successfully adopted strategies in the face of stiff competition especially when other siblings have grown stronger and bigger, will more likely unable to survive crucial developmental stages. This implies that siblings should apply strategies that enable them to increase their access to family resources without resulting to sibling misunderstanding or rivalry (à Ã‚ lderц¢, 1996, 1999, 2006). Fà Ã‚ ¾r the first born, there is no direÑ t Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾mÑâ‚ ¬etitià Ã‚ ¾n because there are no siblings to compete against and only the parents will decide whether or not to give the child access to family resources. This would be an opportune time for the first born to please his or her parents. However most parents interviewed admitted that they do not deprive their only child access to attention, clothing or food despite his or her failure to please the parents. Thus, this situation suggests that the only child needs to submit to his or her parents demands to easily access resources in the family. Regà Ã‚ °rdleц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ à Ã‚ ¾f whether the parents, particularly the mother asks the child to behave properly in school, get good grades, or cleans the bedroom, conformity to the expectations of the parents would mean that any available resources will be provided without hesitation. Thuц¢ one would observe that the first born execute ц¢trà Ã‚ °tegieц¢ that warrant approval of parents by completing assigned tasks and conforming to the demands of parents (à Ã‚ lderц¢, 2007). Theц¢e ц¢trà Ã‚ °tegieц¢ which are à Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ quired by virtue of the birth order is made manifest as personalities leading to the conclusion that first borns are conformists (à Ã‚ lderц¢, 1996, 2007). The situation becomes different in the case of the second born. From the time a child is born after the eldest child, he or she has à Ã‚ ° rivà Ã‚ °l fà Ã‚ ¾r the attention of the parents and access to available resources in the famly. The rival is older, has more physical strength, and secured an early advantage on the family resources. In this situation, what Adler called conditional adaptive strategies come into play. If the second born will mimic the first borns strategy, it would bring disadvantage to both. It would result in intense rivalry and competition and because the first born is stronger and older, more often than not, it is the second born who will be defeated. What the second born can do as an adaptive strategy is to Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ °rve hiц¢ à Ã‚ ¾r her à Ã‚ ¾wn niÑ he. When the second born is faced with the older sibling, the former should make use of low power ц¢trà Ã‚ °tegieц¢ which is appealing to the parents who wa nt justice and impartiality in the home or which inhibit competition and rivalry among siblings. Therefore one would find that the second born will employ alternative strategies and methods to acquire family resources. Consequently, the second born is regarded as rebellious, unconventional and a personality style that scores high in the openness to experience subscale of the Big Five Personal Factor if compared to the eldest sibling (Heà Ã‚ °ley Elliц¢, 2007). Differences between siblings result from the variety of the roles they play in the family due in part to genetic variability, gender, and birth order. Because of these inherent differences among siblings, family roles become diversified which is in conjuction with Charles Darwins divergence principle. Nature offers competition among species and similar to that, roles among siblings in the family are specialized reducing competition and work responsibilities are equitably distributed. With specialization, parents find it difficult to compare their childrens abilities from one birth order to another. The Darwinian divergence principle is one of the significant scientific landmarks in evolutionary biology since it provides the explanation for adaptive radiation which is the diversity of species that are closely related as illustrated by the Galapagos finches (Winkler, Sulloway 2006). The birth order of an individual in the family is directly linked to age and the chances of engaging ta sks that are age appropriate or age specific. Since the first borns are the oldest among the siblings, they take on the role of a surrogate parent which enable them to be more responsible and mimic adult behavioral patterns. Building on previous studies on personality, Sulloway (1996) organized characteristics of personality into five: Openness, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, (Goldberg, 1982; Norman, 1963). The hypothesis of Sulloway (1996) stated that first born siblings score high in Surgency which means they are highly sociable and dominant owing to the fact that first born individuals tend to lessen diversion of the investment of parents by exercising their dominance over his or her other siblings. Sulloway also hypothesized that first born individuals are less agreeable which indicate higher flexibility, warmth, and selflessness. Since the eldest sibling is the most dominant in the family, those who were born after the eldest child more likely use less confrontive strategies by becoming more agreeable. Sulloway (1996) also said that first borns are more conscientious therefore are more cautious, well organized, and reliable because it is the position of the first born to promote status quo within the family structure. Since the first borns have an earlier benefit over their younger siblings due to enjoyment of parental attention and family resources. Thus the coming of another sibling may cause him or her to be anxious about the likelihood that parental resources will be diverted to the new child. In line with that, Sulloway concluded that first borns may be less emotionally stable. Lastly, Sulloway assumed that being a first born result in scoring low in Openness which would imply that he or she may be less embracing towards the new. Sulloway added that when individuals exhibit high openness it signifies they are more open towards soliciting parental resources using alternative means. Definition of terms The following terms will be defined in order to have a better understanding of the problems this research aims to address: Birth order. This variable refers to the ordinal position of the individual in the family which could classified into first born, second born, third born or last born. Personality. This variable refers to the type of personality based on the instrument of John focusing on Conscientiousness and Openness to New Experience subscales. Conscientiousness. This variable refers to the degree that the individual is well organized or follows planned daily activities. Openness to Experience. This variable refers to the extent that the individuals exhibit traits such as insightfulness, creativity, or wide interests. Conformity. This variable refers to the level in which the individuals follow norms in family communication. Outline of remaining chapters Explained in the next pages are related literature and studies that centrally focus on the effect of birth order and personality among children. The theories that underpin this study will also be cited in the second chapter of this dissertation. The contents of Chapter 3 include problem statement, objectives and their rationale, research plan, participants, instrumentation, data processing, ethical assurances, and summary. Chapter 4 will present the results of the study as well as a thorogh and detailed discussion of results. Data will be presented appropriately to ensure that readers have firm grasp of the nature of the results. This will be followed by Chapter 5 which presents the summary of findings, conclusion, and recommendations.