The Courage of Soldiers

1.Describe the life of Pauline and her siblings.Pauline and her siblings lived a life filled with fear. She was taught at a very young age about the challenges that her parents had gone through in order for her and her sibling to lead a better life. Pauline and her siblings faced physical abuse from their demanding and controlling father. Only the letter ‘A’ was accepted on their school report caard†¦ anything below that deserved a wack with a stick from their abusive father.2.Make a list of the pressures the children in the Ngyuen family faced growing up with their parents.†¢ Worked at the restaurant before and after school†¢Had to attend maths school, Vietnamese school, cooking school, debating and martial arts. They were expected to do all this and had to get top grades at school. 3.What were the father’s methods of discipline? Which do you consider to be worse and why? The father’s methods of discipline were physical abuse and public humi liation. I personally consider public humiliation to be worse because parents who publicly humiliate a child don’t do it for the child's own good but to demonstrate the act of power play over the child. When we are publically humiliated in front of our peers, family and friends, we feel like a raw wound that everybody feels free to rub salt in. They feel utterly open to the judgment of the world and utterly powerless to change it or to take care of themselves while experiencing it.People will judge and as social beings, the opinions of others matter a lot. When they faced the physical abuse, it happened at home and they were able to hide their wounds, when it was done publicly though they couldn’t hide. They had to bear the shame in front of the world. 4.Children raised in abusive environments like Pauline, find it more difficult to define their individual identity and achieve a sense of belonging. Do you agree.Please explain. Yes I do agree that children raised in abu sive environments like Pauline, find it more difficult to define their individual identity and achieve a sense of belonging. This is because that those who face such difficult situations everyday are constricted and aren’t able to roam around and find out who they really are. Because of this constriction it is also hard for them to find a sense of belonging because they are constantly trying to please their parents. 5.Provide several quotes and page that show clearly how Pauline felit living with her parents. †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fear dominated every day of my childhood. Fear and dog shit covering the yard were the smells of my childhood.† Pg. 292 †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"He had never attempted to get to know or understand his children.† Pg. 294 †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"My father controlled every hour of our day and when any situation fell out of his control, we suffered the full force of his anger.† Pg. 293 †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"It is ironic that we in turn had to escape the tyranny of his rul e to find freedom for ourselves.† Pg. 2946.Describe how Pauline might have felt when she ran away from home. What thoughts would have been going through her mind? Pauline might have felt scared, unsure and frightened when she ran away from home. She would have been worried for her brothers, who is going to look after them? What will happen if her dad finds her? Can she do this? Feelings of doubt would have taken over her but she overcame this and decided to finally do something for herself. 7.What do you think of Pauline’s decision to leave home?I think Pauline’s decision to leave home was the right thing to do. She had to get out of there sooner or later. She had to venture out in the real world and find her individual identity and her sense of belonging.8.How did Pauline’s experiences at home affect her in life? What kind of a person has she become? Pauline’s experiences at home affected her life in such a way that she has become9.Why did Pauline continue to inform her father of her academic achievements after she left home? Pauline continued to inform her father of her academic achievements after she left home because she wanted him to know that his words had still stuck with her. ‘Aim high, hold strong ambitions for your future.’ Pg. 296.10.Why is the story titled ‘The Courage of Soldiers’? Is this a fitting title? What title would you have given the story? Yes the title, The Courage of Soldiers, is a fitting title. The courage that soldiers is the same level  of courage the Pauline and her siblings had. I would title this story as ‘ The Courage of Soldiers’ as well. 11.Why did Pauline’s father behave in the way he did?Pauline’s father behaved in the way that he did because he wanted the best for his children. He wanted his children to lead a traditional life and. The way that he implemented his beliefs on his children was wrong though. He was very dominating and never really bothered to know his children. He was over protective and wanted total control over his children.

Alarm over Dramatic Weakening of Gulf Stream Essay

Gulf Stream and the extension it has on Europe is said to be a powerful Atlantic current that has its origin in Gulf of Mexico all the way to Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. It is the one that influences the climate in the North American coast as well as the coast in Europe. It is also used as a source of renewable energy for the generation of power. Gulf Stream is a strong current that usually meets with other ocean currents and rain is formed. It also transports water in the form of waves and also helps the rivers that drain in the Atlantic Ocean. It forms rain as the current is able to cool the water that is draining in the Atlantic Ocean thus evaporation takes place and falls in form of rain. Since the current is the one that is controlling the climate in the region that it passes scientists have warned that there is evidence of its weakening. This means that there are areas that the current will cool thus preventing human activities from taking place. According to George et al 1995, this will lead to reduction of global warming in the future until 2015. This is evident as the warm water that comes from tropical Atlantic is cold when it gets to the north of Atlantic. This is not to say that the climate will change badly as it might be thought. According to the same source the Gulf Stream is said to have weakened in the past decades and this has been caused by global warming. The strength that the current has, when measured it has been found to slow by 30%. This has made the circulation to slow down and if it remains so the temperatures in some countries are likely to drop like in Britain. It is also not clear whether the weakening is long term or short term. The reason why temperatures are likely to change is because the current transports heat from regions that are equatorial to the circle of the Arctic. This makes the water in the surface to warm as the current releases the heat as it goes to the north where it is cold. Global warming affects the current by slowing it down. This is because global warming has caused melting of the water in the mountainous regions to melt and makes the water less saline thus cooling cannot take place. In Paris â€Å"Little Ice Age† that started in Europe is as a result of the weakening of the Gulf Stream. This is because there is warm water that enters River Thames and cannot allow it to cool to how it was in the past. This has also changed the weather in the region. The weakening has been explained in the British journal Nature. The Gulf Stream has been blamed because the warm water that it takes from the tropical regions to the coastline in Europe has cause severe weather changes in the regions that it passes through. There is also evidence in the sediment cores from where the Gulf Stream enters. There are planktons that are evident in these cores and this depends on the isotope that is present in oxygen. The isotope is dependant on the salinity of the water. This is what shows the density of the water in the sea. According to scientists there is evidence that there are changes that are taking place in the Gulf Stream. They say that if the Gulf Stream did not have any influence Britain and Siberia could have the same latitude. In the past Greenland Sea had dense water sinking but since today it meets the Gulf steam currents it warms up and the result is that the water becomes warm. This has caused the water to become warm and affect the animals that are present in the water. Chimneys are the dense water that used to sink and this has reduced and thus weakening the Gulf Stream current. The ice in the sea is said to be getting thinner and thinner. Other scientists from Cambridge University have confirmed the weakening of the Gulf Stream and that Europe is likely to be cold than in the past. This is because of the fact that the strength at which the current is flowing is slower than in the past. They have also said that the chimneys that were present in the Greenland Sea are no longer there. It is because of these chimneys that the world is experiencing the climatic changes that are taking place. They have also predicted that the waters are going to remain as they are and that temperature in Britain is going to drop in the next decade. (Taylor, et al, 1992 p. 920) The weakening of these temperatures is going to cause no melting of the snow that falls in countries like Finland and France. This will cause glaciations to begin because there will be an increase in the reflectivity of the planet. The Gulf currents is also said to affect the other currents that it meets as it travels. There are also some climatic changes that are likely to occur in the future but they are not known. It is also projected that the currents will continue to slow down in the future. Work Cited George, D. G. and A. H. Taylor, UK lake plankton and the Gulf Stream. Nature, 1995, 378, 139 Taylor, A. H. , Colebrook, J. M. , Stephens, J. A. and N. G. Baker, Latitudinal displacements of the Gulf Stream and the abundance of plankton in the north-east Atlantic. J. of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1992, 72, 919-921.

Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioners Assignment

Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioners - Assignment Example The role of the APNs will be to come up with suggestions of alternative therapies that can be applied during the process and also aid in the supervision of the patient. In the entire process, the APNs will be engaged in the provision of education services to the patients and their caretakers on the advantages of new approaches to medication that can reduce the level of pain and suffering. The APNs will at the same time also provide tools to the patients that will significantly apply ultimate control during their treatment. They will also engage the patients in the effective management of events and conditions that befall the patients during their treatment period. By so doing, the hospital management will be in a position to achieve their goals as provided for in the plan of treatment. The APNs play a central role in this particular process since they target the patients with the aim of enlightening them on various procedures that would benefit them in their entire lives. Eventually, these procedures will serve to reduce the length of stay in the hospital, cutting on the medical costs of the patients as well as empowering the patients. It I the role of APNs in making patients and their family members understand the most effective techniques amongst combined therapies that will be in a position to boost their options of treatment. To be able to deliver effectively in their role as educators to patients and their families, APNs will be under obligation to come up with a realist educational plan.

Relationship between the Public Relations and Marketing functions Essay

Relationship between the Public Relations and Marketing functions - Essay Example Public relations if well utilized serve as an effective tool in building awareness through generating stories in the media. Then public relation after developing the story in the media then takes another step to create a sense of an enigma among salespersons to boost their morale of work. Marketing mainly involves a variety of processes concerned with finding out what customers want and then availing it for them at a profit (Weinreich, 2011). This process of marketing mainly involves four key elements, referred to as marketing mix. Red Bull, one of the most popular soft drink producers has continued to enjoy continuous prosperity in many of its stalls due to its ability to perfectly bridge the gap between public relations and marketing. In the attempt to popularize the company products, Red Bull, has adopted various forms of marketing to promote its products. The company has intensively used advertising as one tool of its marketing (Dubois, 2010). Without advertising, many notable red bull products could be still unknown to consumers. Initially, Red bull solely depended on encouragement strategy to the consumers. They orally urged them to try the company’s products so as to realize the power and the uniqueness of them. Their marketing effort concentrates on getting more and more persons to buy the company’s product. They believed that after consuming their products, customers will get satisfied and later will serve as means of marketing message dissemination channel. Later, the company adopted modern means of marketing like advertising in order to reach more consumers so as to increase the company profits. As a form of marketing, the advertisement has given the red bull company a competitive edge in the soft drink market (Yates, 2008).  

What does Emptiness Mean in Mahayana Buddhism Essay

What does Emptiness Mean in Mahayana Buddhism - Essay Example Mahayana Buddhists could be given the credit of giving birth to Mahayana scriptures. In the centuries after the death of Buddha, there arose a number of doctrinal of school and monastic sects. Mahayana Buddhism also teaches that the death of Buddha is a mere illusion and his spirit is still alive for human consultation. The early Mahayana sutra was taught by oral transmission and the Buddhist sect during those times were much committed to its preservance.The origin of Mahayana could be traced to the activities of the laity, a lay revolt against the arrogance and pretensions of the monks. As per (Keenan,1993,pg.48-63) â€Å"Mahayana teachings subsequently were shaped into a philosophy in the writings of Nagarjuna, a monk-scholar who lived at the beginning of the second century†Mahayana is simply, honest, true, Buddhism which has a doctrine of â€Å"emptiness† in it. Mahayana proposed the concept of â€Å"emptiness†, known as Sunyata. Sunyata means â€Å"emptiness † and it was the logical development of the earlier Buddhist concept that the human being posses an enduring soul and all the things were conditioned by pre – existing conditions. The concept of Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism emphasis on how, through the follow of Mahayana, one follows the Buddha’s path and his quality of compassion. ... (Chodron,2001,pg 36-43) â€Å"Taking the Bodhisattva vow is important because it's not only the personal vow of compassion but also it lets me keep the compassion in my mind. I will be more "good" in this way and more positive†. As per ( Sach,pg 121)â€Å" As we can see the Boddhisatva in Mahayana is different from that of arhat of Theravada Buddhism†. Mahayana Buddhism was not a single school of thought, but a religious discipline which prominently created its identity by differentiating itself from other movements within Buddhism. The Mahayana in their early stage was a monastic group who strictly followed their Buddhist principles.. A person thinking outside of Mahayana perspective may find the Mahayana as illogical. In Mahayana Buddhism emptiness is the most fundamental principle which refers to â€Å"non existence†. According to ( Soeng,2001,pg.3-12) â€Å"The interdependence of field and being is understood by the Madhayamaka tradition in a phenomenologica l way† The Emptiness as in Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism states that â€Å"emptiness† is non – being on one hand but that there is, on the other, something remaining there in which, being reality cannot be negated. Emptiness include both being and non – being both negation and affirmation.As per ( Kiyota,1991.pg.67) â€Å"Emptiness was not the monopoly of Mahayana, for it appears in earlier Buddhism, too†. First the Mahayana Vibaga expounds the relationship between the â€Å"unreal notion† and â€Å"emptiness†. Mahayana proclaims that the true core nature of being is â€Å"emptiness†. According to Mahayana’s the ultimate truth is â€Å"emptiness†. It also explains

Project management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project management - Research Paper Example Other aspects of green computing include telecommuting – a flexible work arrangement which involves working from home and other locations away from a central or main office; thin client solutions; use of open source software; and the development of software to ensure sustainability in IT for use internally and for third parties. IBM is one of several companies engaged in the practice and promotion of green computing. The company is engaged in many areas of green computing as outlined below. Data center and overall energy efficiency – In this area IBM has received a number of awards. In fact, on June 2012 the company received the 2012 European Union Code of Conduct for Data Centers award (IBM 2012). This award was given for innovations in technology which seeks to facilitate improvements in data center energy efficiency (IBM 2012). IBM was the only company awarded in the corporate level category and this is significant. The company remains active in this area providing d ata to both the EC Directorate General Joint Research Centre-Institute for Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (IBM 2012). Disposal of electronic waste and recycling – This is a very important area at IBM. In a statement entitled ‘IBM Product Take Back for Recycling,’ IBM indicates that the company participates in recycling programs. However, it indicates that certain damaged items such as monitors that have cracks, leakages that are visible such as leaking batteries cannot be shipped. Guidelines are also provided for proper handing and disposal for items that are not allowed in the recycling program. Telecommuting - Nilles 1998 (Cited in Kossek et al (348) indicates that telecommuting is work done at hope with the support of telecommunications technology. People are able to work from anywhere and so the need for large office spaces requiring lighting and other forms of energy is not necessary. Telecommuting was adopted at IBM in Indiana as a way of re ducing real estate costs. Therefore, instead of further reducing the number of people employed as was earlier practiced the CEO at the time recommended a reduction in real estate. People were able to work from almost anywhere and so the need for large office spaces was not necessary. Virtualization of server resources – Virtualization facilitates improvements in the use of IT resources (IBM 2005; 1). IBM not only practices this as a way of reducing hardware costs but provide a means of doing so for customers. In addition to reducing hardware costs virtualization provides additional benefits including the and also facilitating flexibility and responsiveness in the use of IT resources (IBM 2005; 2). Examples of BM virtualization resources include Xen and VMware. This process facilitates greener computing by reducing the resources required for IT infrastructure as well as a reduction in energy use. Thin client solutions – Promises computing services that are easier to mai ntain and a reduction in the cost of IT infrastructure. It represents a return to a somewhat centralized and more manageable IT infrastructure which is embodied in the thin client model. IBM is just one of the companies providing this solution. In a news release entitled ‘IBM Announces Comprehensive New Thin Client Solutions’ IBM indicates that its new thin client solutions allow organizations to shift various tasks away form desktop to servers on the internet or internally and

Roles in an Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Roles in an Investigation - Essay Example investigation, I would play the role of helping the investigators carry out their duties to know the cause of the death and act as a counselor as well. I would do research and aid in investigating all the possible reasons that might have caused the Chief’s death. After identifying the cause of the death, I would know the cause of the death, as well as the possible criminal responsible for the act. Therefore, the issue leading to the death of the chief would be discussed and counseling would be a major role to play to help people prevent future reoccurrence of the incidents. By playing a role of counseling, I would also assist the affected family to recover quickly from stress show them how to deal with problems and handle them effectively. Kocsis (2009) believes that the concept of psychology autopsy is not a simple concept hence hard to explain. He depicts that psychology autopsy is a mechanism that is largely recognized for evaluating possible circumstances that were behind a certain death. Further still, other psychologists consider it as a research paradigm in which all the types and reasons that may lead an individual to committing suicide are studied. Despite the fact that its operational application has its origin from coroner’s investigation, it developed to a point where the state of mind of the deceased person is evaluated. This reconstruction is usually based on information that is obtained from individual documents, police reports, and interviews with friends or the families, medical records and other people who had the contact with the victim before his death. The purpose of psychological autopsy is to carry out an accurate death process of the decedent, hence classifying the death mode in the deat h certificate. This method requires detailed information in the decedent’s life and many interviews from decedent’s social environment, friends, and families. There are two major trends that are used in psychological autopsies, which include

Japanese political culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japanese political culture - Essay Example The political system is segregated into three major divisions; the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The legislative arm that is, the national diet supersedes the decisions of any other branch of the government. It is mandated in making constitutional amendments as well as passing the laws that govern the overall functions of the government. For one to be eligible to hold a position in the diet, the minimum age for joining the House of Representatives is 25 years while for joining the House of Councilors id 30 years. Nevertheless, the cabinet of ministers has the powers to dissolve the House of Representatives before their full term, while the house of councilors remains unaffected and can only be dissolved upon completion of its six-year term. In addition to the legislature, the cabinet also has powers to control the entire executive function of the government. It is headed by the prime minister who has the jurisdiction to appoint and dismiss ministers. He state ministe rs have chosen from the national diet their independence in making decisions is compromised. However, the Japanese constitution clearly states that cabinet should act autonomously for the purpose of ensuring quality service delivery to all people and not for certain interest groups. Therefore, the jobs of ministers and all other public servants are not affected by changes in political situations. The public service has to be vetted before assuming any responsibilities. Notably, the cabinet has 11 ministers who are deputized by two other officials.

Management of a Software Development Project Essay Example for Free

Management of a Software Development Project Essay Introduction Many years ago, general services offered by hotels like dinner reservations, room reservations and other services were done manually. Most hotels used books, ledgers and papers to record names of guests, their duration of stay and contact details. This required a lot of effort and time. Since the advent of the information age however, dynamic and interactive websites have been introduced which have more efficient and faster technological features and capabilities for the management of hotel services. For any business to remain competitive, it is necessary to maintain an online presence in order to reach out to customers all over the world and compete on a global platform. Reservations and payments are now done online to ensure that conduction of business is faster and more convenient for customers. Definition of Project Management A project is a temporary endeavor that is done to generate a unique product or service (Duncan 1996). Project Management is an activity that involves the overall supervision, management and co-ordination of all activities related to accomplishing a set activity. It always has a start and a finish date. According to Whitten, Project Management is a process that starts at the beginning of a project, is conducted throughout a project and doesn’t end until after the project is completed (2001).   According to Duncan (1996), Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to activities to fulfill stakeholders’ needs and expectations. It usually involves finding a balance among scope, time, cost, quality, and varying expectations of stakeholders. Another definition of Project Management is â€Å" the process of scoping, planning, staffing, conducting, directing, and managing the development of a system at an affordable cost within a specified time frame† (Whitten, Bentley Dittman 2001, p.124). Importance of Project Management According to Dr Malcolm Wheatley, â€Å"Project management as a management discipline, supports much economic activity.† In major industries like Information Technology, Software Development, Construction, Pharmaceuticals, and Aerospace, project management is fundamental. Project Management is also important in governments that have set goals and milestones which can only be achieved with effective management practices. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce, estimated in 2001 that the US companies spend $2.3trn on projects every year (2000).   Project management is important in any economic activity because it ensures adequate planning, scheduling and successful execution of a project; it also helps to reduce possible risks associated with a project and ensure minimal hitches. Project Management is indeed important to every economy. Many projects fail because of poor knowledge of Project Management concepts. Its relevance cannot be over emphasized. Role of the Project Manager The project manager is in charge of daily management and supervision of the project. He manages the project to ensure that things go according to plan. He also communicates with all stakeholders and project team members to ensure that there’s a clear understanding of general requirements. The project manager confirms users’ requirements to make sure that these requirements are incorporated into the end-product. A project manager engages in scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, scheduling, directing, controlling and closing a project (Whitten 2001, p.127). Swot Analysis The Regency Hotels has several strengths that serve as advantages. It has the potential to expand its services to customers internationally due to the number of branches it has, internet availability and its unique services. It is also strategically located, can leverage on its positioning and has a wide customer base. Its two major weaknesses are: 1) it has a static website which cannot provide interactive functions like online payments, online reservations, message boards, fan clubs, and so on. 2) It does not have skilled IT staff in-house that can manage the online system when it is eventually deployed. There are however, opportunities for it to become one of the best hotels in the world by maintaining a consistent and interactive global presence.   Increased competition is the major threat to Regency Hotels. Most hotels today, have a strong online presence that offers customers various services that make their experiences with the hotel more memorable and convenient, like booking and paying online. Regency Hotels is yet to rise to the challenge. Development methodology The software development methodology to be adopted for the production of this system is the waterfall method. This is an approach to software development that specifies that a project should be grouped into phases and one phase must be completed before the next. The project is carried out in a logical manner through a pre-determined number of steps. This method is preferred because the duration of the project is only two weeks and the requirements are clear.   With the waterfall method, project reviews are conducted between stages, which represent milestones. This provides an organized scenario that ensures required documentation and quality management of the developed application is carried out (Sorensen 1995). Project Scope The project scope definition involves clarifying the boundaries of the project. Regency Hotels in addition to available technological features like retrieving customers’ information, billing, checking for room availability, desires a system with added capabilities of online booking and payment. This project involves building a system that can accept online booking and payment options by customers. A portal will be developed to include the following features: Online reservations, online payment, checking room availability, checking in, checking out, discussion group and general information on the hotel. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) will be added to the website to provide for added security when paying online; search functions will be provided on web pages to check for room availability and booking; e-mail and discussion group facilities will be included to facilitate communication between customers and the hotel; and other technological features from the available website will be incorporated into the new portal to ensure that a robust system that meets the expectations of Stakeholders at Regency Hotels is built. The final system will be deployed at the hotel and tested. Staff members that need to be trained will be identified and educated on how to use the system. The change management process will be made easier for staff of Regency Hotel by ensuring that they are adequately trained, resources are provide to assist them, and maintenance/ support plans are put in place. Result of using COCOMO model to estimate effort, duration and number of people required. The Constructive Cost Model, known as COCOMO was developed by Barry Boehm in 1981. It is based on the waterfall model and is used for estimating the number of person and months needed to develop software. It also estimates the development schedule in months. The development mode for this project is organic because it is a small and straight-forward one. A small team with sufficient experience work together to develop the portal system (Merlo-Schett 2002). COCOMO is defined in terms of three basic models: The Basic model, the Intermediate model and the detailed model. The KDSI is the size of the project in Kilo delivered source instructions. These are source lines that are created by the project team. Using the Intermediate COCOMO I, calculation is done as follows: Required: Portal system for online payment and booking Development Effort (MM) = a * KDSI b Effort and development Time (TDEV) =     2.5 * MM c With organic mode of development, a = 3.2, b = 1.05, c = 0.38 4 modules to implement: Data entry 0.5 KDSI Data update 0.3 KDSI Online Reservations 0.8 KDSI Online Payment 0.7 KDSI System SIZE 2.3 KDSI MM = 3.2 * 2.3 1.05   = 7.7 TDEV = 2.5 * MM c = 2.5* 7.7 0.38 = 5.4 (Project needs more than 5 months to complete) Number of people to be hired = MM/TDEV = 7.7/5.4 = 1.4 (This means that more than one team member is needed to execute the project). The major shortcoming of the above calculation is that value of the KDSI used is approximate (Merlo-Schett 2002). Hardware and Software Requirements At least four separate computers will be needed for building the portal, testing it and hosting it.   Softwares like Macromedia Dreamweaver, Java, PHP, SQL Server and Visual Basic .NET will be needed for building the portal. A central server for hosting and managing user connections to the portal will also be required.   Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure shows the hierarchical decomposition of projects into phases, activities and tasks (Whitten 2001, p.135). SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify sponsors and stakeholders 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meet with sponsors and stakeholders to clarify system requirements 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Produce Software Requirements Specification Draft 1.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign-off on software requirements TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine hardware and software needed for developing the system 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procure hardware and software needed for system development 2.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set-up hardware and software for use SCOPE MANAGEMENT 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop a written scope statement as a basis for future project decisions 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Verify Scope of the Project with sponsors 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perform Scope Change Control to prevent scope creep COST SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT 4.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop an estimate of project costs 4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Meeting with Stakeholders to agree on cost and deadline 4.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Receive Payment from Stakeholders 4.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allocate cost estimates to individual work items 4.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate actual versus projected schedule 4.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Control changes to project budget to avoid going over the budget 4.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Compare actual and budgeted costs 4.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Development 4.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Control HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PHASE 5.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify Project Roles/Conduct Organizational Planning 5.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine Skills of People needed to develop system 5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine number of people to work on the project 5.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruit Project Team Members 5.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Engage staff with appropriate skills 5.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop individual and group skills to enhance project performance ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT PHASE 6.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop activity list for project team members 6.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sub-divide major project deliverables into smaller components 6.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assign Team Members to tasks and deliverables 6.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Supervise activities within the project team 6.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate Performance and Productivity 6.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Update activity list as necessary 6.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct meetings and review status reports on software development PROJECT OFFICE ADMINISTRATION 7.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attend to daily activities or events concerning the project 7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General project supervision PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS 8.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine information and communication needs of stakeholders 8.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Provide information to stakeholders in a timely fashion 8.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put contact details of all team members and stakeholders into the database 8.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance reporting to stakeholders through status reports, progress measurement and forecasting 8.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set up meetings with project team members 8.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop status reports for the project RISK MANAGEMENT 9.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify all possible risks within the project and effects on project 9.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define steps for responding to threats 9.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Respond to changes in risks during the course of the project QUALITY MANAGEMENT 10.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify quality standards relevant to the project and how to satisfy them 10.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate overall project performance 10.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define Quality Assurance Specifications 10.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Code and check the system for compliance with quality standards 10.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Test System to make sure it fits clients requirements Hand-Over of Project 11.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ensure adherence to client requirement 11.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct Customer Acceptance Tests 11.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Review Software User Manuals 11.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign off Certify Solution Development 11.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Submit Project Close-out Report 11.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Terminate Project Project scheduling (Please refer to attached Microsoft Project document for dependency between activities, network diagram, critical path and Gantt chart) A Project network diagram displays the logical relationships of project activities. A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that shows tasks against timelines. Each bar is equivalent to a project task. Gantt charts show, tasks that can be performed at the same time (Whitten 2001, p.128).Any tasks on the critical path cannot be delayed. Name of Activity  Ã‚      Duration Starting Date    Finishing Date    Software Requirement Specification 1 Day Wed 4/23/08 Wed 4/23/08 Technology Specification 1 Day Thu 4/24/08 Thu 4/24/08 Scope Management 10 Days    Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Cost Schedule Management 12 Days Wed 4/23/08 Thu 5/8/08 Human Resources Management Phase 8 Days Wed 4/23/08 Fri 5/2/08    Activity Management Phase 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Office Administration 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Communications 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Risk Management 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Quality Management 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Hand-Over of Project 10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Possible risks related to the software development project Every project has its own share of risks. Risks associated with this project are outlined below: The period of time given for the execution of the project is short. The COCOMO model shows that a project of such magnitude requires at least 5 months for completion. There is a risk of the project exceeding the time frame allocated by the stakeholders. User requirements may change or expand during the duration of project. There is a risk of having to accommodate changes to the design of the portal. This is known as scope creep and may affect the schedule and budget (Whitten 2001). With the obvious need to procure softwares for the development of the portal system, resources like time and money may not be sufficient. There is a risk of taking short cuts around the system development methodology in order to meet the deadline and not exceed the budget. This might affect the quality of the final product. Another potential risk is that of feature creep. This refers to the uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system that is being developed without regard to schedule and budget (Whitten 2001, p.125). A portal system is a robust application that is designed to fulfill various needs of an organization. The temptation to add more features is always a prevalent risk There is the risk of a team member resigning from the project. This will cause a considerable loss of time. There is also the risk of insufficient communication within the project team which may lead to misunderstanding of customers’ requirements, and cause a deviation from the project plan, budget and schedule. Project Monitoring Project monitoring involves supervising the project throughout its lifecycle. This is important in order to know how things are going and to solve any problem that may arise during the course of the project. This can be done via meetings, emails, reports on progress and finances and also by observing project management best practices. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Applying the principles of Project Management to the development of the portal system at Regency Hotels will go a long way to ensure that the objectives are met on time, within budget and that the software product will be of the desired quality. Project Management is a crucial practice that should be encouraged in every sector of the economy. It ensures that money, energy and time are not wasted on failed projects. With sufficient project management practices in place, stakeholders and contractors can conduct businesses without bothering about the hitches involved with long-term projects. Regardless of the end product, which could be a new service, product or knowledge, project management ensures that a successful outcome is achieved within the available resources and time frame. References Whitten, JL, Bentley, LD, Dittman, KC 2001, Systems Analysis and Design Methods, 5th edn, Mc Graw-Hill, New York. Wheatley, M 2000, The Importance of Project Management, Project Smart. Available from: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-importance-of-project-management.html [22 April 2008] Sorensen, R 1995, A comparison of Software Development Methodologies, Software Technology Support Centre. Available from: http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/01/Comparis.asp [24 April 2008] Duncan, WR 1996, A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI Standards Committee. Available from: www.unipi.gr/akad_tmhm/biom_dioik_tech/files/pmbok.pdf [24 April 2008] Merlo-Schett, N 2002, COCOMO Constructive Cost Model, Proceedings of the seminar cost estimation W 2002/2003, pp. 1-24. Available from: www.ifi.unizh.ch/req/courses/seminar_ws02/reports/Slides_4.pdf [22 April 2008].

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Essay The definition of professional development varies in school districts and educators agree that the term is ever changing and involves the use of technology. Some educators have said that the term has an operational definition. In the article, key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development, author John Wells offers the following definition for educators within the context of the technological age:Professional development†¦goes beyond the term training with its implications of learning skills, and encompasses a definition that includes formal and informal means of helping teachers not only learn new skills, but also develop new insights into pedagogy and their own practices, and explore new or advanced understandings of content and resources. [This] definition of professional development includes support for teachers as they encounter the challenges that come with putting into practice their evolving understanding about the use of technology to support inquiry-based learning (p.2). Professional development may encompass various characteristics such as goals and outcomes aligned to the districts, relevant topics in trainings, opportunities for staff collaboration, development maintained by an on-site coordinator, high quality and professional training and evaluations to determine effectiveness of program. James Polk, author of traits of effective teachers, states, the need for a strong professional development program is well established in research (p.2). Mr. Polk (2006) cites a recent study of factors contributing to three aspects of the teaching process that, teachers ranked professional development in the top third of importance on each aspect (p. 2). In analyzing the professional development plan of my school district, Richland County School District One, I noticed several issues that were identified by Mr. Polk. Mr. Polk outlined several problems associated with the traditional in-service programs that are deemed ineffective. Mr. Polk (2006) states that:assumptions, such as periodic in-service being sufficient to develop new teaching methods and improve practice, teachers being able to learn by listening to a speaker, and professional development being a luxury  rather than an integral part of district improvement, are all negating factors in the implementation of patronization of training programs (p. 2). Mr. Polk further identifies research-based, more effective assumptions such as professional development should be perpetual, and school change involves external and internal organizations and personal development. In professional development programs, the instructions to teacher should be demonstrated or modeled, practiced with feedback and professional development should be integrated into the daily life of teachers. Mr. Polk (2006) states that if professional growth rests solely on bimonthly, two-hour in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early, then any training received will unlikely be reflected in student mastery (p.2). Richland County School District Ones (RSDI) professional development program has several components such as the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA), Avatar, and classroom walkthrough. According to the Richland County School District Ones website, Plan Do Check Act is used in designing curriculum and delivering classroom instruction, in providing student support services, staff goal setting and evaluation, developing any new program, product or process design, planning strategically and starting a new improvement project or implementing any change. The Plan component is identifying the learning problem and gathering the needed data. The Do component is analyzing the causes and implementing the plan on a trial of pilot basis. The Check component of PDCA is gathering the data results of the solution and analyzing the data. The Act component is implementing the instruction for all students and modifying the improvement plan. Avatar is the districts professional development management system that allows for teaches to sign up for trainings offered by the district. All the trainings are offered after school or in the summer; this contradicts the recommendation offered by Mr. Polk that professional development should be integrated into the daily life of the teacher during the school day. The classroom walkthrough team is a district employee, the principal, assistant principal, and the professional development on-site coordinator. The team conducts the classroom walkthrough by observing the instructional strategies of a teacher for a total of five to ten minutes. The teacher is not offered prior information or feedback on the classroom walkthrough to correct or enhance his instructional strategies. The Richland County School District One website offers the levels of engagement of the students who the team should identify during the walkthrough. The levels; Authentic Engagement, Ritual Engagement, Passive Compliance, Retreatism, and Rebellion and their definitions are cited on the web page but teachers would not know their level due to lack of communication from the classroom walkthrough team. The problem of the poor quality of professional development was identified in the South Carolina schools that I have researched. For example, in Richland County School District Two, the districts professional development program mirrors Richland County School District Ones program by only focusing on providing monthly in-service trainings on half-days for students or summer in-service activities. Both districts also provide the occasional monthly state or national conference in the teachers subject area and online training, i.e. Educational Television. Richland County School District Two differs by offering their Richland School District Twos Technology Education Collaboration Mentors Program. The program is for school-selected representatives from every school in the district. The program focuses on helping fellow staff members develop personal technology skills and integrate technology into their classroom. Besides this program, I was unable to find any difference from the two dist ricts and the professional development training. Richland County School District One and District Two professional development programs consist of low quality training once a month, irrelevant topics, lack of feedback from teachers and administrators, and concepts but lack of implementation. The districts programs lack the scope, high quality, accessibility (besides the Avatar system in RSDI), relevancy, and feedback from students. The majority of the districts professional development program is the poor quality program described by Mr. Polk; two-hour  in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early from school. Reference Polk, J. (2006). Traits of effective teachers. Arts Education Policy Review, 107, p. 23-30. Wells, J. (2007). Key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 15, p. 101-123. www.richlandone.org/ipda/Training_Tools/pdca.htm and www.richland2.org

Types Of Crisis With Special Reference Management Essay

Types Of Crisis With Special Reference Management Essay Natural crises, typically natural disasters considered as acts of God, are such environmental phenomena as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and hurricanes, floods, landslides, tsunamis, storms, and droughts that threaten life, property, and the environment itself. Example: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (Tsunami) Technological crises Technological crises are caused by human application of science and technology. Technological accidents inevitably occur when technology becomes complex and coupled and something goes wrong in the system as a whole (Technological breakdowns). Some technological crises occur when human error causes disruptions (Human breakdowns). People tend to assign blame for a technological disaster because technology is subject to human manipulation whereas they do not hold anyone responsible for natural disaster. When an accident creates significant environmental damage, the crisis is categorized as mega damage. Samples include software failures, industrial accidents, and oil spills. Examples: Chernobyl disaster, Exxon Valdez oil spill Confrontation crises Confrontation crises occur when discontented individuals and/or groups fight businesses, government, and various interest groups to win acceptance of their demands and expectations. The common type of confrontation crises is boycotts, and other types are picketing, sit-ins, ultimatums to those in authority, blockade or occupation of buildings, and resisting or disobeying police. Example: Rainbow/PUSHs (People United to Serve Humanity) boycott of Nike Crises of malevolence An organization faces a crisis of malevolence when opponents or miscreant individuals use criminal means or other extreme tactics for the purpose of expressing hostility or anger toward, or seeking gain from, a company, country, or economic system, perhaps with the aim of destabilizing or destroying it. Sample crises include product tampering, kidnapping, malicious rumors, terrorism, and espionage. Example: 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders Crises of organizational misdeeds Crises occur when management takes actions it knows will harm or place stakeholders at risk for harm without adequate precautions. Lerbinger specified three different types of crises of organizational misdeeds: crises of skewed management values, crises of deception, and crises of management misconduct. Crises of skewed management values Crises of skewed management values are caused when managers favor short-term economic gain and neglect broader social values and stakeholders other than investors. This state of lopsided values is rooted in the classical business creed that focuses on the interests of stockholders and tends to disregard the interests of its other stakeholders such as customers, employees, and the community. Example: Sears sacrifices customer trust Crises of deception Crises of deception occur when management conceals or misrepresents information about itself and its products in its dealing with consumers and others. Example: Dow Cornings silicone-gel breast implant Crises of management misconduct Some crises are caused not only by skewed values and deception but deliberate amorality and illegality. Workplace violence Crises occur when an employee or former employee commits violence against other employees on organizational grounds. Example: DuPonts Lycra Rumors False information about an organization or its products creates crises hurting the organizations reputation. Sample is linking the organization to radical groups or stories that their products are contaminated. Example: Procter Gambles Logo controversy Government and crisis management Historically, government at all levels local, state, and national has played a large role in crisis management. Indeed, many political philosophers have considered this to be one of the primary roles of government. Emergency services, such as fire and police departments at the local level, and the United States National Guard at the federal level, often play integral roles in crisis situations. To help coordinate communication during the response phase of a crisis, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security administers the National Response Plan (NRP). This plan is intended to integrate public and private response by providing a common language and outlining a chain-of-command when multiple parties are mobilized. It is based on the premise that incidences should be handled at the lowest organizational level possible. The NRP recognizes the private sector as a key partner in domestic incident management, particularly in the area of critical infrastructure protection and restoration. The NRP is a companion to the National Incidence Management System that acts as a more general template for incident management regardless of cause, size, or complexity. FEMA offers free web-based training on the National Response Plan through the Emergency Management Institute. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) is a relatively recent mechanism that facilitates crisis communication across different mediums and systems. CAP helps create a consistent emergency alert format to reach geographically and linguistically diverse audiences through both audio and visual mediums. Elected officials and crisis management Historically, politics and crisis go hand-in-hand. In describing crisis, President Abraham Lincoln said, We live in the midst of alarms, anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read. Crisis management has become a defining feature of contemporary governance. In times of crisis, communities and members of organizations expect their public leaders to minimize the impact of the crisis at hand, while critics and bureaucratic competitors try to seize the moment to blame incumbent rulers and their policies. In this extreme environment, policy makers must somehow establish a sense of normality, and foster collective learning from the crisis experience. In the face of crisis, leaders must deal with the strategic challenges they face, the political risks and opportunities they encounter, the errors they make, the pitfalls they need to avoid, and the paths away from crisis they may pursue. The necessity for management is even more significant with the advent of a 24-hour news cycle and an increasingly internet-savvy audience with ever-changing technology at its fingertips. Public leaders have a special responsibility to help safeguard society from the adverse consequences of crisis. Experts in crisis management note that leaders who take this responsibility seriously would have to concern themselves with all crisis phases: the incubation stage, the onset, and the aftermath. Crisis leadership then involves five critical tasks: sense making, decision making, meaning making, terminating, and learning. A brief description of the five facets of crisis leadership includes: Sense making may be considered as the classical situation assessment step in decision making. 2. Decision making is both the act of coming to a decision as the implementation of that decision. 3. Meaning making refers to crisis management as political communication. 4. Terminating a crisis is only possible if the public leader correctly handles the accountability question. 5. Learning, refers to the actual learning from a crisis is limited. The authors note, a crisis often opens a window of opportunity for reform for better or for worse. Models and theories associated with crisis management Crisis Management Model Successfully defusing a crisis requires an understanding of how to handle a crisis before they occur. Gonzalez- Herrero and Pratt found the different phases of Crisis Management. There are 3 phases in any Crisis Management are as below 1. The diagnosis of the impending trouble or the danger signals. 2. Choosing appropriate Turnaround Strategy. 3. Implementation of the change process and its monitoring. Management Crisis Planning No corporation looks forward to facing a situation that causes a significant disruption to their business, especially one that stimulates extensive media coverage. Public scrutiny can result in a negative financial, political, legal and government impact. Crisis management planning deals with providing the best response to a crisis. Contingency planning Preparing contingency plans in advance, as part of a crisis management plan, is the first step to ensuring an organization is appropriately prepared for a crisis. Crisis management teams can rehearse a crisis plan by developing a simulated scenario to use as a drill. The plan should clearly stipulate that the only people to speak publicly about the crisis are the designated persons, such as the company spokesperson or crisis team members. The first hours after a crisis breaks are the most crucial, so working with speed and efficiency is important, and the plan should indicate how quickly each function should be performed. When preparing to offer a statement externally as well as internally, information should be accurate. Providing incorrect or manipulated information has a tendency to backfire and will greatly exacerbate the situation. The contingency plan should contain information and guidance that will help decision makers to consider not only the short-term consequences, but the long-term effects of every decision. Business continuity planning When a crisis will undoubtedly cause a significant disruption to an organization, a business continuity plan can help minimize the disruption. First, one must identify the critical functions and processes that are necessary to keep the organization running. Then each critical function and or/ process must have its own contingency plan in the event that one of the functions/processes ceases or fails. Testing these contingency plans by rehearsing the required actions in a simulation will allow for all involved to become more sensitive and aware of the possibility of a crisis. As a result, in the event of an actual crisis, the team members will act more quickly and effectively. Structural-functional systems theory Providing information to an organization in a time of crisis is critical to effective crisis management. Structural-functional systems theory addresses the intricacies of information networks and levels of command making up organizational communication. The structural-functional theory identifies information flow in organizations as networks made up of members and links. Information in organizations flow in patterns called networks. Diffusion of innovation theory Another theory that can be applied to the sharing of information is Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Developed by Everett Rogers, the theory describes how innovation is disseminated and communicated through certain channels over a period of time. Diffusion of innovation in communication occurs when an individual communicates a new idea to one or several others. At its most elementary form, the process involves: (1) an innovation, (2) an individual or other unit of adoption that has knowledge of or experience with using the innovation, (3) another individual or other unit that does not yet have knowledge of the innovation, and (4) a communication channel connecting the two units. A communication channel is the means by which messages get from one individual to another. Unequal human capital theory James postulates that organizational crisis can result from discrimination lawsuits. Jamess theory of unequal human capital and social position derives from economic theories of human and social capital concluding that minority employees receive fewer organizational rewards than those with access to executive management. In a recent study of managers in a Fortune 500 company, race was found to be a predictor of promotion opportunity or lack thereof. Thus, discrimination lawsuits can invite negative stakeholder reaction, damage the companys reputation, and threaten corporate survival. Social media and crisis management Social media has accelerated the speed that information about a crisis can spread. The viral affect of social networks such as Twitter means that stakeholders can break news faster than traditional media making managing a crisis harder. This can be mitigated by having the right training and policy in place as well as the right social media monitoring tools to detect signs of a crisis breaking. Social media also gives crisis management teams access to real-time information about how a crisis is impacting stakeholder sentiment and the issues that are of most concern to them. Public Distribution System (PDS) The Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is an important public intervention for enhancing food security. The PDS provides subsidised food grains (and other essential commodities) through a network of fair price shops. Until 1992 access to the PDS was, at least in theory if not in practice, universal. Corruption and high operational costs were among the reasons that were used to justify the move to the Revamped Public Distribution System (based on a principle of geographic targeting) in tribal, arid, hill and remote areas in 1992 and then to a Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in 1997. Under the TPDS, households were classi ¬Ã‚ ed as Above Poverty Line (APL) or Below Poverty Line (BPL), based on the economic status of households. BPL households continued to receive subsidised food grains through the TPDS whereas subsidies for APL households have been gradually phased out. The impact of these changes can be evaluated on several criteria including selection into or exclusion from the TPDS, utilisation of PDS quotas, e ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ect on the consumption patterns and so on. Correct identi ¬Ã‚ cation could mean that the programme may have improved in terms of better targeted subsidies. Access to cheap food grain could make a more diversi ¬Ã‚ ed and nutritious diet a ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ordable for poor households. Much depends, however, on the actual functioning of the PDS on the ground. Those with BPL cards made repeated trips to ration shop that were often quite far and queued in order to enjoy this small subsidy. In spite o this, they rarely got their full entitlement of 35kg. Having spent some time at ratio shops, I noticed that they were often cheated by their PDS dealer. Those who were aware of being cheated often complained to me, but did not protest in front of the PDS dealer. I find that though BPL cards have generally been given to the poorer households in the sample, utilisation is low. Among those who have access to the TPDS, one-third of the sample households do not utilise their quota at all and another half do not utilise their quota fully. Further, many of these households purchase the same items from the market at higher prices. This puzzle of under-purchase (purchasing less than ones entitlement and yet purchasing from the market at a higher price) from the PDS is examined using a dual pricing model. The dual-pricing model provides a framework within which government intervention in the wheat market and its associated problems can be analysed. However, in order to account for under-purchase from the PDS and related patterns, the standard dual-pricing model needs to be extended to take into account additional factors such as transaction costs, uncertainty, and quality variations. There could be various reasons for low utilisation levels. Demand-side bottlenecks include cash- ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow problems (that is, households may not have cash when foodgrain is available in government ration shops), inappropriate foodgrains being supplied through the PDS, and so on. There are also supply-side constraints in the form of diversion to the open market or just irregular functioning of ration shops. The article also examines the impact of the PDS on consumption patterns. While the PDS does not have much impact on the level of cereal consumption, it seems to a ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ect the composition of cereal consumption. Speci ¬Ã‚ cally, the TPDS tilts cereal consumption of households towards wheat , away from coarse cereals. This is possibly a matter of concern, since coarse cereals are generally more nutritious than wheat. Problems which headed in PDS Free Amenities Free Supplies: Many family card or ration card holders dont go to the Fair Price Shops to get the goods or benefits which is eligible to them. As a result rice, wheat, sugar, kerosene or any other form of PDS which needs to be settled or handed over to the real beneficiary is not properly distributed. Still there are issues of hoarding and creation of black markets. The one who deserves is deprived of the benefits. The Govt.s prime motive is to eradicate death which occurs due to starvation and poverty. As a result it was decided to introduce subsidized PDS goods and free PDS goods. Later on this PDS was taken as a political strategy by politicians for their success in elections As a result of providing free amenities and free PDS people become lazy. They dont go for any form of employment especially, marginalized sections of the people. In the case of a SSI or Tiny sector which is labour intensive in nature face the heat or crisis in the form of short supply of labour. The amount which is being spent from the States Treasury for PDS Free Amenities results in price rise for other articles, goods and services in the form of taxation and setting off the amount which has been infused / spended in the PDS Free Amenities. Due to short supply of labour and due to power crisis which is now seen in many parts of India the GDP with regard to manufacturing sector has declined. At present due to failure of monsoon and uneven monsoon rains the kharif crops are destroyed. This has resulted in a heavy loss to the farmers and this lead to reduced supply of food grains and increased prices in the market. Now this particular free PDS cannot apply due to short supply of grains. Now the people who are unemployed or underemployed face the crisis as they have enjoyed free benefits throughout these years. They dont have the mindset to go in search for any other alternative employment opportunities. These free amenities made people more greedy Suggestions to solve the crisis which was created due to free PDS free amenities: The BPL(Below Poverty Line) should be provided with these benefits. Proper survey and field work should be conducted to know the population which is in the BPL. It is better to reduce the issue of PDS to APL (Above Poverty Line) and at a later stage it is advisable to eradicate this PDS to APL as they prove to be self sufficient with their earnings. Free PDS other amenities should be provided to the marginalized sections of the society based on a condition that atleast one person either male / female in a family should make themselves employed in any organized or unorganized sector. Awareness camps on health, stress management and necessity of being employed should be given. If the above said measures were put into effect then the scarce supply of labour can be reduced. Crisis of Malevolence: Organizations face crisis of malevolence when some notorious employees take the help of criminal activities and extreme steps to fulfill their demands. Acts like kidnapping companys officials, false rumours all lead to crisis of malevolence. Malevolence Employees who behave illegally or unethically act with malevolence. Intentional harm to an individual or company is malevolence. This type of crises includes security breaches, product tampering, sabotage, extortion, lawsuits and employee scandals. Malevolence outside of an organization may include kidnapping, assault or spreading rumors. Malevolence may refer to: Evil Hostility Malice (law) Sadism Security breach An act from outside an organization that bypasses or contravenes security policies, practices, or procedures. A similar internal act is called security violation. Broadly speaking, a security breach is a violation of any policy or law that is designed to secure something. When people or vehicles bypass screening checkpoints, or enter secure buildings without presenting the appropriate credentials, security breaches are generally obvious. Less obvious are security breaches that involve data or information. In a data context, a security breach is any activity that compromises the confidential nature of certain information. Most of the time, what is or is not a security breach is defined by law. Statutes in many countries set out security measures for any number of things, from border crossings to data sharing and electronic commerce transactions. A breach is usually defined as any action, intentional or otherwise, that weakens a certain defined security interest. The best-known security breaches typically cause some noticeable harm. An airport security breach that allows a passenger to board a plane with a weapon, or a data loss that leads to identity theft are clear examples. Under most security breach laws, however, harm is not always a requirement. The threat of harm, or likelihood of harm, is usually enough. Product Tampering, the unauthorized altering of a consumer product without the knowledge of the products owner or eventual user, is almost always treated as a threat to human health or safety, because it typically changes the contents of ingested products, such as foods or drugs, in a harmful manner. An exception to this pattern is fraudulently decreasing the odometer settings on used automobiles in an effort to increase the apparent value of a vehicle to a prospective buyer. Product tampering began in the 1890s. An especially bad case was the cyanide poisoning of Bromo Seltzer containers. The worst case of product tampering in America in the twentieth century happened in Chicago in 1982, when poison placed in packages of Tylenol killed seven people. Congress responded with the Federal Anti-Tampering Act of 1983, making it a crime to tamper with products or to make false claims of tampering. Tampering motives have included revenge, financial gain, and publicity for various causes. Ta mpering incidents have triggered false reports and copycat cases, both of which occurred in 1993 in response to a fabricated story that syringes were found in Pepsi-Cola cans. To combat tampering, manufacturers use science and technology to generate tamper-evident packaging and DNA testing to identify suspected tamperers. Sabotage is a form of subversion which involves deliberate damage, interference, or disruption. In a classic example, ecological activists have disabled the engines of logging equipment in the Pacific Northwest to prevent loggers from working at various points in history. There are a number of different forms of sabotage, all of which are designed to obstruct an activity in some way, creating chaos and often generating economic problems as people struggle to resolve the damage. Many people are not familiar with the true origins of this word, although they may be acquainted with the folk etymology, which claims that the term is derived from the practice of throwing wooden shoes known as sabots into the workings of machines. Though a charming idea, this is not, in fact correct. Sabotage actually comes from the French word saboter, which means to walk clumsily, a reference to the self-same sabots discussed above; the term is actually meant to describe the work stoppage and disruption created by sabotage. One of the most infamous forms is military sabotage, in which saboteurs penetrate the defenses of an enemy and attempt to disrupt weapons systems, military strategy, and so forth. Sometimes, damage comes from within, with rebels sabotaging the military of their own nations in an attempt to help the enemy gain the upper hand. It can also take a political form, in which case it is primarily carried out through well-timed media releases and comments which are designed to undermine opposing political campaigns. Extortion is a crime that involves the illegal acquisition of money, property, or favors through the use of force, or the threat of force. Historically, the term was defined as an abuse of privilege on the part of a public official who used his or her position to get money or favors, but today, people at all levels of society could potentially commit extortion. Penalties vary, depending on the specifics of the crime. In some countries, it is treated especially seriously because it is linked with organized crime, and sometimes special laws are designed to make it easier to prosecute and punish extortion. To the casual ear, extortion can sound very similar to blackmail, in which people use a threat to demand payments or favors, and robbery, in which a criminal takes something by force. However, extortion is slightly different from both of these crimes. In blackmail, someone threatens to do something which is entirely legal, such as publishing a set of photographs, with the blackmailee offering payment to avoid exposure and humiliation. Extortion is entirely illegal, as it involves threats of violence or other illegal acts. A lawsuit or (very rarely) suit in law is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendants actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiffs complaint. If the plaintiff is successful, judgment is in the plaintiffs favor, and a variety of court orders may be issued to enforce a right, award damages, or impose a temporary or permanent injunction to prevent an act or compel an act. A declaratory judgment may be issued to prevent future legal disputes. Although not as common, lawsuit may also refer to a criminal action, criminal proceeding, or criminal claim. A lawsuit may involve dispute resolution of private law issues between individuals, business entities or non-profit organizations. A lawsuit may also enable the state to be treated as if it were a private party in a civil case, as plaintiff, or defendant regarding an injury, or may provide the state with a civil cause of action to enforce certain laws. The conduct of a lawsuit is called litigation. One who has a tendency to litigate rather than seek non-judicial remedies is called litigious.The plaintiffs and defendants are called litigants and the attorneys representing them are called litigators. When Good Employees Do Bad: Seven Behaviors that May Precede a Scandal by David Gebler Good intentions can lead to bad outcomes in business. This is  especially true in organizations that have toxic cultures in which  leaders tout worthy valuesand then put up roadblocks that prevent  employees from living those values. The GSA scandal provides an apt example. With all the rampant spending  at the GSA, one has to ask if employees were afraid to speak up, lest  they upset their coworkers. Or perhaps they had become complacent in  an upbeat, backslapping culture that rewarded everyone early, often, and extravagantly. Time will tell. In the case of the GSA, the good  intention of employeesto be a solid team playerled to a very bad  result. But its poor leadership that created that toxic culture and  allowed it to drag good employees down. Gebler says desirable behaviors such as being team players (as in the  case of the GSA), or even meeting deadlines, being goal-oriented, and  staying on budget can get distorted and become destructive in a  company driven by weak leadership values and a weak culture. Thats  because leadership values drive success, not employee behaviors. When we look at companies that have faced scandals such as recalls,  ethical violations, or crimes, the problem often comes down to  employees whose surprisingly positive behavior was distorted by a  toxic culture and clueless leaders. Here are seven seemingly benign  behaviors that may come back to bite a company if they become  exaggerated and throw the organization out of alignment: Blind loyalty to the team. Loyalty is a good thing, right? Not when it  creates a culture of I know this is bad, but its not my decision.  The unethical spending at the GSA was a symptom of leadership without  values. Employees were rewarded with lavish perks provided by managers  who had their own interests at heart. This created a culture in which  employees received the greatest benefit by staying loyal to their  coworkers and generous bosses, rather than questioning their actions. Commitment to meeting deadlines. One would think that a company where  employees are encouraged to meet deadlines and rewarded for doing so  consistently would lead to super-productivity and efficiency. In fact,  it can lead to disaster. At Johnson Johnson, the understood  directive to get product to market on tough deadlines created a  culture of Dont ask too many questions and resulted in a series of  dangerous drug recalls that badly sullied the companys reputation. Excessive optimism. When a person is sick, optimism can buoy his  spirits and help healing. When a company is unhealthy, Everything is  going to be okay is not what you need to hear from those in authority  positions. Take David Myers, former controller of WorldCom. By his own account, he saw the problems of the now-defunct company through  rose-colored glasses. He simply kept believing-and telling his  frightened staff-that the problems would resolve themselves  eventually. By the time he came to his senses, he was under arrest for  accounting fraud. Staying focused on a goal.  Telling employees to keep their eye on the prize is not intrinsically a bad thing. But when the goal becomes more important to management  than the underlying values of the organization, it can lead to a  dysfunctional culture. For example, in the 1990s, Sears gave its auto  repair mechanics a mandatory sales goal of $147 per hour. It wasnt  long before customers began to be overcharged or sold unnecessary  repairs. Having a competitive mindset. Boeing is known for its highly  competitive employees and work culture. Thats a good thing, right?  Not so in 1996, when the company lost billions in government contracts  for ethics violations after an employee stole 25,000 pages of  proprietary documents from Lockheed. Flash forward to 2005, when  employees were still so competitive that their own work teams were  known to keep useful information secret from other teams in the  company to make sure they stayed on top. Too much competition can  erode cultural values, leading to disaster. Sticking to a budget. Most managers would be thrilled if their  employees were doggedly determined to stay on budget and not cost the  company any unnecessary money. But a good intention can go bad when  financial performance becomes the only metric that matters. That was  the case, many believe, behind the fatal mistake made on the BP oil  platform in the Gulf. Before the explosion in April 2012 caused by a  safety shortcut, BPs Macondo project was more than $40 million over  budget. You know the rest. Wanting to please higher

All Quiet On The Western Front :: essays research papers

Decline of Morality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque shows that war destroys more than just the physical level; the decline of morality has taken place through various circumstances in the novel such as: then incident where Paul Baumer is forced to kill a soldier in a shell hole, when Paul lies to his mother and the mother of his dead friend Kemmerich and when Paul and Kat must beat a recruit unconscious to stop him from leaving the trench; these incidents can be compared to events in the 1990’s such as: rise in the abortion rate, Columbine High School shootings, and the incident between President Clinton and Monica Lewinski.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Chapter 7 Paul is granted a leave from his duties for about a month and in this time he plans on going home and visiting his family. When he arrives his mother asks him questions about how he is and about the war. More specifically she asks, â€Å"Was it very bad out there, Paul?† He thinks to himself how that is a bad question and that nobody realizes how bad the soldiers actually have so he is forced to lie. He says â€Å"No, Mother, not so very. There are always a lot of us together so it isn’t so bad.† Here the author proves that the war forces some to lie to their parents whom they have always been honest with and this demonstrates the decline of family life that the war causes. Later in the chapter he goes to visit the mother of his dead friend, Kemmerich. While there he tells her that he died instantly and she doesn’t believe him, â€Å"You lie. I know better. I have felt his anguish-tell the truth, I want to know it, I must know it.†(159) He again lies to her, â€Å"No, I was beside him. He died at once† (159). But yet she tells him, â€Å"I know you want to comfort me, but don’t you see, you torment me far more than if you told me the truth? I cannot bear the uncertainty† (159). He sticks to his story telling her, â€Å"He died immediately. He felt absolutely nothing at all. His face was quite calm† (160). Again this incident shows that war has a major affect on family life, if he is able to lie to his mother about the war easily, that makes it easier for him to lie to Mrs. Kemmerich about her son. These incidents can be most closely related to the confrontation involving the President

Stuart Hall Essay -- British Culture

Outline: In this essay I will try to present the ways in which Stuart Hall influenced the development of Cultural Studies in Britain and illuminate the importance of his contribution to the understanding of British culture in general. As â€Å"one of the leading cultural theorists†, an epithet given to him by The Observer in 2007, he expanded the field of study to include gender, race and identity. He is also important for introducing new approaches to the study based on the works of French theorists. Introduction Stuart Hall was born in Kingston, Jamaica on February 3, 1932. After receiving a Rhodes scholarship in the 1950 he came to Britain in order to study at Merton College at the University of Oxford. He was a member of the Windrush generation, when a great number of African-Caribbeans migrated to the UK and other parts of Europe in the search of a better future. It is interesting to note that he was part of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1957. The publication of his book â€Å"The Popular Arts† (Hall and Whannel 1967; first published in Britain in 1964) ten years later led to the invitation by Richard Hoggart, another important figure in the founding of British Cultural Studies, to join the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. In 1968 he replaced Hoggart as the director of the institution and held the position until 1979. The BCCCS might be considered the cradle of cultural studies in Britain and some might even say that is the pivotal institution in the history of cultural studies in general. After leaving his position at the Centre, Hall became a professor at the Open University. He retired in 1997. Throughout his career, Hall stressed the practical impact that cultural studies can have on... ...’s work has been crucial for both the process of formation and the expansion and development of British Cultural Studies, as well as cultural studies as an international discipline. Due to the fact that Hall was born in Jamaica but practiced his career in Britain, he is able to present views both from inside and outside the British society. As much as he participated in contributing to the studies dealing with ethnicity, he also contributed to the study of national identity. The impact of his work expands the circle of cultural studies; during the 1980s he was a fierce critic of Thatcherism and influenced the Labour Party in Britain. The dedication he put in his work, together with the innovation and diversity of his studies have earned him the epithet â€Å"The Father of Cultural Studies†, a title most certainly deserved for redefining British cultural studies.

Power is a theme widely explored throughout the play Macbeth

Society is influenced strongly by both power and tyranny. We see in the media headlines exposing stories about extremist leaders like Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Husein, who fuelled by the ambitions of power, lead countries into tyranny. So is it a coincidence that Shakespeare portrayed a play to characterise these men? Macbeth, is a play depicting a Scottish general who at the beginning is introduced as a hero, however driven by power and supernatural occurrences, we witness his downfall and eventual death. It is widely discussed whether Shakespeare is still relevant, in which I believe that throughout the play Macbeth, many issues still affecting us today were concepts Shakespeare had created. Power is a theme widely explored throughout the play Macbeth, â€Å"Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, greater than both, by the all- hail hereafter.† Spoken by Lady Macbeth she uses positive adjectives to praise and acknowledge Macbeth’s statuses, by using short choppy phrases she encourages Macbeth to obtain the title of ‘king’, making the temptation to murder Duncan even more irresistible. Reinforcing the idea of power is Macbeth, â€Å"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, that o’erleaps itself and falls on the other,† through the use of personification, Macbeth’s ambitious need for power is represented as something great enough to overthrow Duncan. Macbeth describes his ambition as being ‘vaulting’, however is aware that through murder follows the endless possible punishments, however Macbeth sees the temptation as being too great. Similar to this is the incidents occurring in Libya, where at the age of 27, Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the Libyan king, when he was at his most vulnerable in Turkey seeking medical treatment. In the play Macbeth, power is shown as something that may lead to the downfall or destruction of anyone who seeks it for their own personal success. In comparison to this statement is the story of Saddam Husein, the former president of Iraq, who murdered all of his opposition in order to defend his title and remain the one with the most power. However due to these inhumane acts was charged with crimes against humanity and mass murder, which eventually led to his execution. Enhancing this idea of power is the theme of tyranny. Unlike Duncan who brought order and justice to Scotland, Macbeth led Scotland as a tyrannical leader. He defied order- the Great Chain of Being, a Christian concept which was based around a divinely planned hierarchical order- which was shown through the use of imagery of the storm, chaos, murder and the supernatural. â€Å"The night has been unruly†¦ Some say the Earth was feverous and did shake.† Lennox explains to Macbeth that on that particular night things had seemed very unnatural, this symbolising that bad times were to come. Another literary technique used is foreshadowing, the unnatural occurrences foreshadow Duncan’s gruesome murder as well as the treachery Macbeth will bring to Scotland. In comparison to this is when Malcolm, son of Duncan, overthrows Macbeth. â€Å"Hail king! For so thou art. Behold where stands thus usurpers cursed head. The time is free.† Macduff happily announces Macbeth’s death, receiving vengeance for his brutally murdered family and the return of peace to Scotland, where ‘banquets are free of violent murders, nights are peaceful and honours are received freely.’ This contrast between kingship and tyranny is an important part of the play Macbeth, it also reflects Iraq both before and after Saddam Husein’s corruptive rule. Many supported his execution, former U.S. President George W. Bush conveying his opinion that Saddam Husein deserved the ‘ultimate justice’. Shakespeare has used language and dramatic techniques to convey a series of themes that still affect us today. Power and tyranny are outlined throughout his play Macbeth and in modern society these issues still affect us, in the example of the two extremist leader’s Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and ex- president of Iraq Saddam Husein. Thus, it gives us reason to believe that Shakespeare is still very much relevant today and that his themes will forever remain both universal and eternal.

Although the public sector

The ability of today’s health care system to provide high quality care to an aging society depends on the resources available to pay for these services. Although the public sector will bear much of the burden of health and long term care costs many of the required future resources will need to come from the elderly themselves, as is the case today. Unless public insurance systems become much more generous in coming years the elderly will bear the costs of many types of uncovered services.Drugs and long term costs will top the list of uncovered services. However, emerging elective procedures, perhaps in die area of gene therapy, and cutting edge diagnostic tools may not be uniformly covered by future insurance programs. Senator George Allen, R-Va. , introduced the Long-Term Care Act of 2005. The legislation, if passed, will make it possible for individuals to use money from their 401 (k) and 403 (b) plans to purchase long-term care in insurance with pretax dollars without penal ty.The Long-Term Care Act is similar to companion legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. It would allow individuals to use their Individual Retirement account (IRA) pretax dollars without penalty in addition to using their 401 (k) and 403 (b) plans. Allen’s proposal, cosponsored by Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. , was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The House bill was sent to the House Sub-Committee on Health just this past March. By the year 2030, Medicaid’s nursing home expenditures are expected to reach $130 billion per year.Private long-term care insurance could reduce Medicaid’s future institutional care expenses by more than $40 billion each year, while giving those who are insured alternatives to nursing homes, such as home care, adult day care or foster care and assisted living. The costs of long-term care can be staggering and quickly exhaust even a modest estate. The magnitude of the cost for long-term care is potentially catastrophic to the average American with the median annual income of $52,000.According to a recent market survey, nursing home stays average two and one-half years with an average yearly cost of $55,000 per year or a total of approximately $138,000. It is easy to see how such care could quickly deplete the asset of a household. Four out of 10 people living to age 65 and older will use a nursing home for long-term care and 21% of those will stay for 5 years longer. Many others will use home health care. Depending on the required level of skill, home health care may equal the cost of nursing home care. The Congressional Budget Office has projected long-term care costs will double from 2000 to 2020.Further compounding the situation has been the diminished willingness of the federal and state governments to continue to absorb over fifty-seven percent of the long-term care costs through Medicare and Medicaid. Policy-makers have been seeking and choosing techniques that limit public resp onsibility and financial involvement in favor of transferring more and more costs back to the individual through the private system. A major policy goal is to change public opinion to view long-term care a particular risk and thus the responsibility of the individual rather than that of the government.With such a shift in thinking long-term care insurance would be a component of retirement planning with emphasis on a private-sector solution rather than a public one. Facing the reality of financing long-term care may require a national crisis in which care becomes unavailable or unaffordable. Under such circumstance, there might be a heightened awareness of the need for clear public policy. Policy-makers will have to face the only feasible alternatives to the existing system: full public financing of long-term care funded by tax dollars or greater incentives for private long-term insurance both through group and individual plans.These approaches are far from perfect by to leave the s ystem as it is could mean long-term damage to the economy through the hugely inefficient diversion of money to pay for long term care that we see today. Reference: American Council of Life Insurance (1998). Who will pay for the Baby Boomers’ Long- Term Care Needs? Washington, D. C. : Cynthia E. Conrad & Ann Costello Beam, B. and J. McFadden (1998). Employee Benefits. Detroit: Dearborn. Bell, A. (2001) . â€Å"Group LTC Plans Jump 121% Last Year†. National Underwriter. (http://www. nunnews. com/zrchives/th_archive/2000/-105-01/1200118grouplte. asp).

Plato and the Concept of Knowledge Essay

Plato’s Theaetetus is a dialogue that discusses and attempts to find a definition of knowledge. The two characters, Socrates and Theaetetus, approach the argument with the initial idea that knowledge is the addition of a true judgment and an account. However, Socrates raises some concerns regarding the fundamental aspects that make the definition true. Ultimately, the two characters find that their original definition of knowledge is not as accurate, nor as simple as they once believed. The article opens with Theaetetus recalling a definition of knowledge he once heard, which stated â€Å"true judgment with an account is knowledge [and is therefore knowable], and the kind without an account falls outside the sphere of knowledge [and is therefore unknowable]† (126). Socrates begins to question one’s ability to determine whether something is or is not knowable, and he demonstrates the concept using the relationship between elements and complexes. In doing so, he explains a recent dream of his, which, in turn, is actually an explanation of Dream Theory. Dream Theory states that â€Å"the primary elements, of which we and everything else are composed, have no account. Each of them itself, by itself, can only be named† (126). In other words, as elements cannot be broken down further, elements cannot have an account because that would require the determining of whether or not the said elements exist. The addition of that information onto the original element itself results in something that is no longer in its simplest form. Therefore, no elements can have accounts, nor can they be knowable; elements can only be perceived. Consequently, this poses the question as to whether or not complexes are knowable given that their elements are not. When complexes are viewed as the sum of all their elements, it is safe to conclude that the complexes are unknowable, as their elements are unknowable. This idea allowed Socrates to then consider whether complexes were mere sums or if they should instead be viewed as wholes that cannot be dissected into parts. However, the problem with this idea is that, when viewed as a whole that cannot be separated, the complex is then no different than an element, and therefore cannot have an account. After failing to determine what does and does not have an account, Socrates decides to turn his attention to determining what constitutes an account. First, he defines it as stating one’s judgment through speech. Immediately, this manifests flaws in the sense that any true statement could then be considered an account. If this were the case, there would be no differentiation between an account and a true judgment. Next, he defines an account as listing the elements of the things known. Again, this must be incorrect because the possibility exists that one could simply memorize the elements without actually understanding them. Without understanding, one cannot have knowledge. Finally, he defines an account as differentiating the known thing from everything else. This would require knowledge of the differences, and ultimately would again be a reiteration of the true judgment. Additionally, one would be defining knowledge as true judgment plus knowledge, which would be considered a fallacy. This marks the final turning point in Socrates’s and Theaetetus’s overall definition of knowledge, where the two characters decide that their initial definition could not be considered correct. Through their attempts to dissect the supposed explanation of knowledge, Socrates and Theaetetus finally reach the conclusion that knowledge is â€Å"neither perception, nor true judgment, nor an account added to true judgment† (133).

Buddhism has developed in a variety of different forms

Introduction:Buddhism is one of the six major religions in the world. Like other religions it has a highly developed system of beliefs, a moral code and a transcendental dimension. In simple words, it looks beyond ordinary human experience to something deeply spiritual which can be realized through leading a good moral life and religious practice. Buddhism takes its name from the Buddha, a human being whose teachings developed into what is now known as ’Buddhism’.It has existed for about 2500 years, even older than both Christianity and Islam.   For some, Buddhism is a religion, for others it is a philosophy or a culture. This religion emerged in north-eastern India in the area along what is known as the ‘Ganges basin’. At that time (fifth century BCE), this area running alongside the River Ganges had become a place of civilizations, with abundance of food, rising population and increasing urbanization. Note that Buddha was not a god but a flesh-and-blood human being.  His family name was Siddhartha Gautama but later was referred to as the Buddha which means ‘Enlightened One’ or ‘Awakened One’. Once someone asked the Buddha, ‘Are you a god?’ His reply was ‘No, I’m not a god, I’m awake!’ Although the Buddha didn’t claim to be a god, he did affirm that he was a fully realized human being, that he fully understood the nature of the human condition and that he had discovered a state of being known as Nirvana. This was a state in which all selfish desire and therefore all suffering had come to an end. He taught that by following his teachings, others too could realize once and for all this blissful state.Buddha taught that there are six realms of existence – gods, humans, jealous gods, animals, ghosts and hell-beings. The realm of the gods is one of great pleasure but it is not a place that one should aspire to particularly. This is because this world is no t eternal and eventually the gods themselves will fall into the lower realms. The best of all realms is said to be the human realm. This is because the suffering we inevitably experience in life doesn’t make us too complacent and consequently we are more likely to make the effort necessary for spiritual progress. The gods are too absorbed in pleasure to attempt this.Buddhism has been described as ‘a moral system without a god’ and ‘a faith without a god’. The essential teachings of the Buddha can be summed up in the following quotation from a Buddhist scripture.† Not to do evil, to cultivate good, to purify one's mind†. Buddhism is practiced worldwide. It started in India and from there spread to Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. In the twentieth century, Buddhism has spread to the West, including Europe, the UK, and the USA. What has been distinctive about the spread of Buddhism is its a bility to keep its core teachings intact but at the same time showing great flexibility in adapting to the culture that adopts it.For the interest of this topic, the compares will be between Thailand Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. This two countries practice Buddhism but it appears quite different, but the essential teachings of the Buddha are interpreted along very similar lines. This is because over the centuries, various forms or schools of Buddhism have emerged with slightly different practices and rituals. The earliest form of Buddhism is known as Theravada. A new form of Buddhism emerged from this which is known as Mahayana Buddhism. The latter is a broad umbrella and covers such schools of Buddhism as Zen, Pure Land and Nichiren. A third major branch of Buddhism is known as Vajrayana of which Tibetan Buddhism is the principal expression. All three traditions Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana – continue to flourish.As mentioned above, both Thailand Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism believe in the story of prince Siddhartha reaching enlightenment. However, they vary in the role of this in the grand Buddhist cosmos. Theravada Buddhism is practiced in Thailand; it is often called Southern Buddhism because of the path it took through Southern India to Southeast Asia. This system remains true to the original teachings of Prince Siddhartha, (also known as Sakyamuni Gautama Buddha), that are found in the Pali scriptures. The Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path are the main focus of the school.They believe that the Buddha was a man who liberated himself through meditation and contemplation. They look upon him as a teacher as opposed to a deity, and so images of the Buddha in these lands are revered or venerated, not worshipped. In this system, each individual must strive to liberate oneself through enlightened actions. Neither gods nor magic spells can assist the process.Buddhism in Thailand: The Thai form of Buddhism is sometimes called Lankavamsa (mea ning Singhalese or Sri Lankan lineage) because it was introduced to the 13th century Sukhothai Kingdom by monks from Sri Lanka. This form of Buddhism grew as the Sukhothai Kingdom expanded over Northern and Central Thailand. However, Ayuthaya in central Thailand grew into a powerful kingdom, and eventually annexed Sukhothai in 1376. The Thai Kings of Ayuthaya made conquests over areas of central Thailand formerly held by the Khmer Empire, which had been practicing a blend of Buddhism and Hinduism much more akin to Mahayana Buddhism than to the Sri Lankan form. The Ayuthaya kings incorporated many of these beliefs into the Buddhism they had inherited from Sukhothai.This has had a lasting effect on Thai Buddhism to this day. It is ironic to note that during Dutch persecution in Sri Lanka during the 18th century, the ordination lineage of monks there broke down. It was Thailand (then known as Siam) that restored the Sangha (brotherhood of monks) in Sri Lanka. Hence, the main sect of Bu ddhism in Sri Lanka is known as Siam Nikaya (meaning Siam Sect)Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism: The Vajrayana system is a sect of Mahayana Buddhism, and represents the occult branch of Buddhism that is today practiced mainly in Tibet and some parts of Bhutan and Nepal. Also known as Tantric Buddhism, it owes its origin to the scholar Padmasambhava who went to Tibet from Bengal. He assimilated Hinayana and Mahayana doctrines of Buddhism with the pagan Bon religion of Tibet and the occult practices of Tantric Hinduism.Thus beside meditation and contemplation, Vajrayana also prescribes the visualization of Buddhas passionately embracing their shaktis and the use of ritual diagrams (mandalas), special chants (mantras), specific postures (mudras) and sexual practices (maithuna) to attain enlightenment and liberation. The idea of these practices is not to indulge the senses. The aim is to experience and understand the fleeting nature of the material world. A true adept or siddha thus become s fully aware that material existence or ‘samsara' is no different from spiritual release or ‘nirvana'.ConclusionAs stated earlier, these two main branches of Buddhism has different practices, but they all have some fundamental similarities. They believe that Siddhartha was the son of a powerful king, and that his father brought him up surrounded by all the pleasures of the world, isolated in the palace, so that Siddhartha would never know sorrow. The prince grew up, married, and had a child, always surrounded by luxury. There are more similarities as well, but the differences in Buddhism are very significant.REFERENCE:Buddhism and Buddhists Act www.buddhart.com2. Cousins, L. S. (1996). â€Å"The Dating of the Historical Buddha: A Review Article†. Journal of the   Royal Asiatic Society Series 3 (6.1): 57-63. Retrieved on 20073. Davidson, Ronald M. (2003). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISB N 0231126190.4.Gethin, Rupert (1998). Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-289223-1.5.Gombrich, Richard (ed.); Heinz Bechert (ed.) (1984). The World of Buddhism. 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