Charles Darwin Essays (914 words) - Fellows Of The Royal Society

Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was the son of Robert Waring Darwin and his wife Susannah, and the grandson of the scientist Erasmus Darwin. His mother died when he was eight years old, and he was brought up by his sister. He was taught the classics at Shrewsbury, then sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, which he hated. Like many modern students Darwin only excelled in subjects that intrigued him. Although his father was a physician, Darwin was uninterested in medicine and he was unable to stand the sight of surgery. He did eventually obtain a degree in theology from Cambridge University, although theology was of minor interest to him also. What Darwin really liked to do was tramp over the hills, observing plants and animals, collecting new specimens, scrutinizing their structures, and categorizing his findings, guided by his cousin William Darwin Fox, an entomologist. Darwin's scientific inclinations were encouraged by his botany professor, John Stevens Henslow, who was instrumental, despite heavy paternal opposition, in securing a place for Darwin as a naturalist on the surveying expedition of HMS Beagle to Patagonia. Under Captain Robert Fitzroy, Darwin visited Tenerife, the Cape Verde Island, Brazil, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Chile, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Tasmania. In the Cape Verde Island Darwin devised his theory of coral reefs. Another significant stop on the trip was in the Galapagos Islands, it was here that Darwin found huge populations of tortoises and he found that different islands were home to significantly different types of tortoises. Darwin then found that on islands without tortoises, prickly pear cactus plants grew with their pads and fruits spread out over the ground. On islands that had hundreds of tortoises, the prickly pears grew substantially thick, tall trunks, bearing the pads and fruits high above the reach of the tough mouthed tortoises. During this five-year expedition he obtained intimate knowledge of the fauna, flora, and geology of many lands, which equipped him for his later investigations. In 1836, Darwin returned to England after the 5 years with the expedition, and by 1846 he had became one of the foremost naturalists of his time, and he also published several works on the geological and zoological discoveries of his voyage. He developed a friendship with Sir Charles Lyell, became secretary of the Geological Society, a position which Darwin held for four years. In 1839 Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood. But constantly bothering Darwin was the problem of the origin of the species. Darwin sought to prove his ideal of evolution with simple examples. The various breeds of dogs provided a striking example of what Darwin sought to prove. Dogs descended from wolves, and even today the two will readily crossbreed. With rare exceptions, however, few modern dogs actually resemble wolves. Some breeds, such as the Chihuahua and the Great Dane, are so different from one another that they would be considered separate species in the wild. If humans could cross breed such radically different dogs in only a few hundred years, Darwin reasoned that nature could produce the same spectrum of living organisms given the hundreds of millions of years that she had been allowed. From 1842 Darwin lived at Down House, a country gentleman among his gardens, conservatories, pigeons, and fowls. The practical knowledge he gained there, especially in variation and interbreeding proved invaluable. At Down House Darwin addressed himself to the great work of his life, the problem of the origin of species. After five years of collecting the evidence, Darwin began to speculate on the subject. In 1842 he drew up his observations in some short notes, expanded in 1844 into a sketch of conclusions for his own use. These conclusions were the principle of natural selection, the germ of the Darwinian Theory, but with typical caution he delayed publication of his hypothesis. However, in 1858 Alfred Wallace sent Darwin a letter of his book, Malay Archipelago, which, to Darwin's surprise, contained the main ideas of his own theory of natural selection. Lyell and Joseph Hooker persuaded him to submit a paper of his own, based on his 1844 sketch, which was read simultaneou! sly with Wallace's before the Linnean Society in 1858. Neither Darwin nor Wallace was present on that historic occasion. Darwin then set to work to condense his vast mass of notes, and put into shape his great work, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, published in 1859. This great work, received throughout Europe with the deepest interest, was violently attacked because

Tuckmans Team Development Analysis Essays

Tuckmans Team Development Analysis Essays Tuckmans Team Development Analysis Paper Tuckmans Team Development Analysis Paper Tuckmans model is sequential, developmental and thematic. It is sequential in that the stages occur in a specifically stated order. Each stage will occur naturally, with the timing dependent on the nature of the group, group membership and group leadership. The model is developmental in that the issues and concerns in each stage must be resolved in order for the group to move to the next stage. If the group is not able to resolve such issues and concerns, members experience either conflict or apathy, which becomes the dominant group behaviour. If continued attempts to resolve the impasse fail, group disintegration occurs. Successful groups meet and resolve the challenges presented, so growth occurs. The model is thematic in that each stage is characterised by two dominant themes, one reflecting the task dimension and one reflecting the relationship dimension, as noted in the following table. These themes provide realistic expectations of group behaviour. This is particularly to those in leadership positions, because they can base their behaviour and interventions on these expectations. Appropriate leader interventions then can facilitate the group development process. The initial stage of small-group development is characterised by a movement toward awareness. In the process of forming, the groups task behaviour is an attempt to become oriented to the goals and procedures of the group. The amount of information available and the manner in which it is presented is critical to group development. Resolving dependency issues and testing are the major relationship behaviours. Understanding leadership roles and getting acquainted with other group members, facilitates group development at this stage. When orientation and dependency issues are resolved, conflict begins to emerge, signalling the second stage of group development. The storming process involves resistance or emotional responses to task demands and interpersonal hostility in relationships. Group members engage in behaviours that challenge the groups leadership or they isolate themselves from group interaction. If conflict is permitted to exceed controllable limits, anxiety and tension permeate the group. If conflict is suppressed and not permitted to occur, resentment and bitterness result. This can encourage apathy or abandonment of the group. Although conflict resolution often is the goal of groups during the storming stage, conflict management generally is what is achieved. In fact, conflict management is a more appropriate goal because it is desirable to maintain conflict at a manageable level to encourage the continuous growth and development of the group. The third stage of small group development, norming, is characterised by cooperation. The dominant task themes are communication and expression of opinions. Sharing of information and influence promotes cooperation and synergistic outcomes. Cohesion is the relationship theme. A blend of harmony and openness is created by the work effort, which increases morale and team building efforts. Group unity develops, and shared responsibilities increase, typically leading to decision making by consensus and democratic leadership styles. The fourth stage of small-group development is evidenced by productivity. Performing encourages functional role relatedness. The task theme is problem solving. Group effort is mobilised to achieve group goals. Group members provide valuable contributions by assuming appropriate roles that enhance problem solving. The relationship theme is interdependence; it is the basis for any successful team effort and it requires group members simultaneously to be highly independent and highly dependent. The final stage of small-group development brings the group to an end. The adjourning process involves termination of task behaviours and disengagement from relationships. Conclusion of the group is not always planned. A planned group conclusion usually involves recognition for participation and achievement as well as an opportunity for members to say personal good-byes. Adjournment of the group should be accomplished within a set time frame and have a recognisable ending point.

Waste in Government Spending Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Waste in Government Spending - Research Paper Example This paper shall specifically address the thesis: the United States government has a significant amount of unnecessary expenses which waste the taxpayers’ money. It shall discuss the fact that the US is spending unnecessarily for matters and items which can actually be discarded as government expenses. This paper is being carried out in order to establish an argumentative and logical conclusion to the thesis, setting forth a scholarly and detailed approach to the resolution of the issue raised. The US government has a significant amount of unnecessary expenses which waste the taxpayers’ money. President Barack Obama himself has acknowledged the fact that â€Å"0.004 of 1 percent of the federal budget as wasteful and proposed eliminating this $140 million from his $3.6 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget request† (Riedl, p. 1). Such waste in government spending is significantly impacting on the areas where actual and essential spending is needed and where deficiencie s are impacting on the quality of government services. There are different kinds of waste seen in government spending, and many of them were specified and detailed by Senator Tom Coburn in his 2010 report entitled â€Å"Wastebook.† Some of these unnecessary expenses shall be discussed below. ... This is an unfortunate circumstance considering the fact that thousands of American troops injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are set to return to the US requiring medical and other support services (Winter). There are about 5,000 buildings owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs, but about 300 of these are vacant and dilapidated. And yet, much money is being allocated for their upkeep and no lucrative or beneficial remedies are being implemented as yet by the government to address this issue. Coburn also discusses how the government is wasting about $1.5 million in sprucing apartments before tearing them down. This practice is seen in Shreveport, LA (p. 4). Coburn (p. 4) reports how the city of Shreveport, Louisiana spent $1.5 million of stimulus funds to fix moldy houses which were already considered for demolition. The housing authority set forth that it would use stimulus money in order to improve various low-income homes. After an audit, the authorities established tha t the city has not spent the money allocated to it; this was against the regulations set forth by the stimulus which required the city to spend the allocated money within a year. In order to comply with such mandate, the officials implemented mold remediation for the housing units (Coburn, p. 4). An evaluation established however that the remediation was not done properly; subsequently, the demolition of the buildings was implemented. Waste in government spending is also apparent with various agencies making unnecessary printing. Such unnecessary printing amounts to $930 million annual cost (Coburn, p. 5). Based on a report by Lexmark (p. 3), there are about $440 million printing savings

Visionary Leader Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Visionary Leader - Assignment Example Coleman strived improve the productivity of the company despite coming from a relatively small company. Therefore, I will place him in the category of an effective and thought leader. Based on his efforts, he stimulated actions and visions towards success of the corporation (Daft 2014). Deacon is a perfect example of an inspirational or social architect. He acknowledged the decline in his productivity and sought the assistance of a competent leader. Despite his retirement, he still offered advice for the teams and nurtured Coleman on sound decision making. Efficient leadership is all-inclusive. Hence, if I happened to be Coleman, I shall strive to advance the positive developments in a more open manner. I will consult with my staff on the shared concerns. Then, I will organize a consultative meeting with different sector stakeholders to gain more and share experiences about the plans. It is also important to benchmark during such events. Finally, I will engage Deacon in constant consultation meetings to update him on the progress and request for his regular

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY - Essay Example nd methods to use to reach their end in their faith, while in a little tradition, the practitioners are limited to each other and the knowledge that has been passed down from one person to another. A prime example between the two traditions can be seen in Catholicism, the difference between the Pope and the other followers of the religion. The Pope has studied it in the sense of the greater tradition - through books, training, and practice; the other practitioners, the ones that attend the church are those that practice the little tradition. The Pope practices Catholicism the way it was intended to be practiced, yet the church-goers do what can be informally considered "second best". There are those still that do not attend a church, but practice in the ways that they were taught by others, by traditions passed down to them. The differences lie with the clergy, the smaller groups, and the individuals. As there is very little distinction between the different ways that Catholicism can be practiced, even between the Pope and individuals of society, there is hardly a noticeable effect. Each person and each group practices how they are able to; in a way, changing the traditions is necessary, as it allows each person or each group to fully understand the finer points of their religion. Some people would not get out of books what the Pope is able to, so they work with what they have an easier time understanding. In the same sense, the changes are good - they help to bring people closer to that religion. When a person realizes that cannot achieve something one way, they improvise with another way that they are comfortable with. Many religions are seldom what they had originally been, owing to the fact that not everyone was fortunate enough to study it in the great tradition, so they resorted to what they

Alternative marketing strategies to increase market share

Alternative marketing strategies to increase market share The aim and objective of this report is to provide recommendations on ways for Natural Way Products to increase the brands market share. Based on NWPs current market share status the most effective strategies to implement incorporate a mix of market penetration and market development strategies. It is recommended that NWP maintain their current reputation in their current market as its a vital part and one of the businesses main strengths to their ongoing business. Recommendations for implementing the market penetration and market development strategies involve focusing on customer relationship management, looking for potential alliances with businesses already in the national market, using alternative media channels and look at product promotion via their current online distribution channels while tailoring the marketing campaigns to each target segment. NWP is a small, independently owned New Zealand company currently holding an estimated 10% market share in New Zealand aiming to achieve a 15% share within the next five years, and expand sales to the South Island and Australian market. The purpose and objectives of this report is to identify different market growth strategies and advise Jacqui Thompson of Natural Way Products (NWP) recommendations in order to achieve a greater market share in the New Zealand natural skincare market. This report outlines the recommended solutions for Jacqui to implement in order to achieve the companies objectives. These recommendations focus on how NWP can strive to achieve the desired growth in market share specifically using the market penetration and market development strategies using geographic expansion methods and product promotion. It is assumed that NWP have available funds to allocate to the marketing strategies recommended. With restricted access to current customer market feedback it is assumed that the points of difference stated by Jacqui are correct and therefore hold the advantage over competitors offerings. It is also assumed that the market share estimate is correct and current and that the brand Zaras is a reputable brand. 2. DISCUSSION Natural Way Products situation analysis: 2.1 Strengths: Successful established and reputable brand name and product line Current 10% market share Current experience, knowledge and resources already in place Quality and reliable products Uses some locally grown and entirely natural herbal ingredients Offers different channels of distribution through online sales and retail outlets. 2.2 Weaknesses: Currently limited to small market segment offering slower growth potential Products made in small batches risk with the more produced the less attention given as demand increases. 2.3 Opportunities: Create additional services to competitors by enhancing current features of online system Influential media awareness focus on natural-based products Look for low cost opportunities and ones that leverage current capabilities Product variants provide opportunity of selling more to the same market Opportunity for growth in new locations and underrepresented geographic markets Marketing costs are less in this digital age and easier to implement Partnerships or alliances with other businesses 2.4 Threats: Risk of retaliation from larger competitors Impact of global economy and environment on local business Little scope for using existing expertise if trying to sell completely different products or services to different customers Effect of increased market share on actual and perceived quality Alternative strategies for growth in market share: 2.5 Market Penetration NWP could gain additional market share with its current products and current markets by encouraging customers to purchase more. They would be able to utilise current experience, knowledge and resources making growth in existing product markets more cost effective and less of a risk. NWP could further advertise their products leaning on their points of difference from competitors offerings in order to encourage more customers in their existing market to use their product, or current customers to use more of it. NWP could do this by launching special promotions and offerings (Boaz, 2006, p.212); increase sales representatives; expand to department stores; and introduce a loyalty scheme to entice customers into the market. With the forever increasing use of online marketing NWP could use customised marketing through their current client database and focus on expanding the services provided through their online ordering tools. With extra features and additional offers that create a competitive advantage such as same day delivery, free gift wrapping service or free delivery; or discounted online offers. It has been argued by Gorton (2007, p.37) that maintaining the client database using customer relationship management is also important and could be used by NWP to create custom reminder responses based on previous buying patterns and as reminders on special occasions. NWPs current reputation is one of the most important assets they have. Market penetration will be a useful strategy for NWP, while maintaining expertise and experience in a market already well known to the company they are at less risk and losing reputation and upsetting product quality and service delivery. The downside to using this strategy is that this limits market share growth to current markets offering slower growth potential as opposed to developing products in new markets. 2.6 Market Development NWP should consider domestic geographic expansion as a way to improve sales volume and share position. Changing from a regional operation to a national operation (Walker, Orville C. Jr Mullins, John W. , c2011, p.251) could be best implemented by NWP through an alliance with a business already in the market and also assist in stronger buying power from suppliers. This move does create a risk of retaliation from larger national competition as well as from current regional competitors. NWP could look at targeting non-users who would be interested in using the products through advertising and media channels or offering free samples to first time users. By marketing to potential customers and making them aware of the products NWP could invest in television, internet and magazine advertising, for example in womens health magazines, or during prime television slots in which the target market are known to be viewers. Focusing on media advertising as shown by Boaz (2006, p.209) does run the risk of being costly and ineffective if not advertised correctly. NWP already offer two channels of distribution but could look at further promotion through online sales and expanding the reach of current retail stores in which their products are sold. NWP should look to open up alternative distribution channels such as direct marketing using a sales team; introducing products into department stores under another brand name, and expanding the number of retail outlets. NWP could also target different age groups of women by tailoring the advertising campaign and packaging to appeal more to each market segment. The same expertise currently used in the company can be applied with ease to the new segment therefore reducing cost and risk. Expanding products into further market segments will be an effective strategy for NWP, using geographic expansion, their current distribution channels, and further advertising. It is also recommended (Snyder, Tom Burns, Brian, 2010, p.173) that a potential alliance with major customers or with other national like-minded businesses is likely to be successful in achieving growth in market share. 2.7 Product development With 15 years of business and products already proving to be successful NWP could introduce more products to the market under their recognised brand name Zaras. Ideally NWP would need to offer a new product not currently offered by competitors and could make this offering more attractive than competitors by providing initial discount offers for first time users and then continuing at full price once theyve obtained repeat business. NWP would benefit from using their existing customer database to find out their preferences and to gain feedback for potential new products. If using this strategy NWP would benefit from integrating current users into the innovation process by asking for new product ideas from them and pursuing the most popular of those ideas. NWP could also look at packaging existing products in new ways to appeal more to the current target market. Or try promoting the current product in department or retail stores under an alternative brand name. Unless risk management is closely monitored this could be an ineffective strategy for NWP (Leithhead, 2011, para.3). Managing the risk involved in product development could put pressure on NWP as resources would need to be reallocated to the development of the new product. Product development could be costly and unrewarding for NWP. If resources are stretched to develop new products the quality of their existing offerings could suffer. Identifying critical resource limitations, recognises Gorton (2007, p.27), is essential to avoid a negative impact on the quality of current product lines. 2.8 Diversification Diversifying the current product range could help reduce NWPs overall business risk through offering products in different customer categories. NWP already have an established brand name under the name Zaras giving an advantage should the new product or target markets be unsuccessful NWPs other product lines are unlikely to be affected. Zaras would help in leveraging new products belonging to the same brand and help the company to spread their customer base while also helping the company develop its product portfolio through introduction of complimenting products in the market (Keller, Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane, 2009, p.28). NWP could introduce a diverse pricing strategy with lower quality, cheaper to produce products; however this would be going against the core values of the company which is not advisable. The huge risk with this strategy for NWP is there is often little scope for using existing expertise as it involves selling completely different products to a completely different market. This would make NWP vulnerable to a major reaction from competitors as they attempt to enter into other markets with products that could affect competition. Diversification strategy is similar to starting an entirely new business (Holden, Philip R., Wilde, Nick, 2007, p.75) also involving high risk and is not recommended for NWPs growth strategy at this time. 3. CONCLUSIONS Attempting to increase usage among current customers is less threatening to a competitor which avoids bigger competitor responses. The downside to using market penetration is that it limits market share growth to current markets offering slower growth potential as opposed to developing products in new markets. Using market development in similar segments the company can apply current expertise with ease to the new segment therefore reducing cost and risk. Domestic geographic expansion is an effective way to improve market share. Increasing use of online marketing makes a focus on expanding the services provided through current online ordering tools a useful avenue for growth in market share. An effective way of targeting non-users is through further advertising and media channels or offering samples of the products for first time users. NWP should consider the effect of increased market share on actual and perceived quality before pursuing increased market share too many customers can strain the firms resources, hurting product value and service delivery. Unless risk management is closely monitored product development and diversification could be ineffective strategies for NWP. Introduction of a diversified pricing strategy with lower quality, cheaper to produce products is an option for different markets and potential market growth; however this would be going against the core values of the company which is not advisable. Managing the risk involved in product development could put pressure on the companys resources. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS Inform current and valued clients of continuous delivery quality and services provided to build further customer satisfaction and maintain customer loyalty. Focus on developing products in new markets. Create/amend marketing budget to determine affordability of marketing techniques for tailored campaign targeting a younger/older generation specific to appeal to each target segment. Contact potential partners and retail outlets in the South Island and Australian markets for geographic market expansion. Create/amend marketing budget to determine affordability of marketing techniques for enhancements on NWP online ordering system with extra features and additional offers. Contact media channels such as womens health magazines and other media and advertising channels. Advertise offering samples of products either in-store or by online ordering in order to target non-users within the target market. Ensure NWPs increase in product sales will not impact firms resources through reallocation and reviewing of quality product and service delivery. Employ management to maintain specific target markets. Employ risk management specialist management and implement risk management plan to monitor changes in market and customer satisfaction. Focus existing expertise on market development and market penetration strategies.

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Out of the many experiments being conducted, I have the pleasure of introducing a layered density column to the class. Density is defined as mass divided by volume or the amount of stuff in a certain amount of space. Composed of many different household products (vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol, and even water), density columns present different layers through the masses of each liquid. These columns can contain as many products the experimenter desires. The liquids chosen that have a higher density tend to weigh more, unlike those that weigh less and float to the top if poured into the column. Along with the liquids chosen objects can be placed into the column, and then we would be able to see how each layer has an effect on the objects. For my lab experiment, I will be using 7 products throughout my demonstration. I could use as many products that I want, however 7 is a common amount to start with. Every product will be measured according to the amount that the cup can hold. To conduct my experiment, I will be pouring the products into 2 ounce cups and will construct the column th...

Feasibility of Telehealth Essay

Health is a vital aspect of life, which is why it is important to have an access to different health care services. The world’s population is rising radically every year; thus, the demand for quality health care services also increases. With the application of modern technology the health system has been able to accommodate this demand in many countries through the implementation of Telehealth. In Canada, accessibility and distribution of health care services is influenced by aspects like large landmass, population concentration and economy and (Sevean, et. al., 2008). The feasibility of Telehealth as an instrument for delivering health care services in Canada will be discussed in this paper, focusing on four key themes: service to rural areas, cost effectiveness, responsiveness and ease of access that will be tackled consecutively. The first paragraph after the introduction aims to give an overview on what and how Telehealth works in Canada. Central to the arguments presented in this paper is the pros of using Telehealth by means of telecommunication technologies as a substitute to the actual patient-to-health care provider interaction. Telehealth is defined by Health Canada (2000) as â€Å"the application of telecommunications and information technology to the delivery of health care and health-related services and information over large and small distances†. It is basically divided into two distinct parts: the technology being used and the persons (patient or health care provider) (Thede, 2001, para. 2). Telehealth according to Prinz, Cramer, and Englund uses four modes of telecommunication: voice-only or telephone, video images or exchange of information through digital pictures, and virtual contract or video conferencing (Background section, para. 4). Included in the Telehealth Ontario service is a contact number that you can Canadians can call 24 hours a day seven days a week. In consulting the health care provider through phone, once on the line, the health care provider, usually registered nurse, will asks the person on the other line to describe his or her health concern, the nurse will then evaluate the person’s condition and will help him or her to determine the best option available for him or her; whether to go see a doctor, admit himself or herself in an emergency room, the nurse can also advise self-care (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, 2009). Telehealth has already been incorporated in almost every medical field like Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Cardiology, Radiology and Oncology providing accuracy and more services to people. Telehealth aims to elevate the serviceability of health system by providing access for people who has a health concern anytime of any day anywhere. Telehealth provides better health service for people living in the rural areas. Canada has a large landmass with bodies of water surrounding it. The population is not equally distributed, most Canadians live in urban areas, and some smaller communities are located at rural areas and the Aboriginals mostly live in small isolated areas. In the study they conducted in 2008, Sevean, Dampier, Spadoni, Strickland and, Pilatzke found out that Canadians who live in smaller isolated community do not have an access to a quality health care because even though Canada has an excellent health services most of these health services centered on the urban areas and that is a lso why most health care professionals favor working on urban areas resulting to a shortage of health care professionals in the rural areas. In addition, specific services might only be available to large hospitals that are mostly located on big cities, forcing people in isolated communities to travel miles by land, water or air to get the medical help they need. Most road conditions in the rural areas are undeveloped increasing their inconvenience. Also, weather condition is also a great consideration in accessing health care, air and sea travel is usually cancelled during storms most roads are also inaccessible when there is a strong downpour of snow. Unavailability of help during emergencies results in fatality especially in the northern Aboriginal communities (Sevean et. al, 2008). By improving the access of health care for rural access it also decreases the mortality rate. Telehealth is designed to reduce the cost associated with the delivery of health care without compromising on the quality. Treatments and medications can be costly depending on the type and intervals plus the extra inconvenience associated with it such as travelling costs, hospital accommodations, stress, and physical limitations (Sevean et al., 2008). Included in the patient’s bill in the hospital is the room accommodation, the longer they stay at the hospital the more they have to pay. Through Telehealth, patients who underwent surgeries or had suffered illnesses have the option to check-out early and continue the recovery in their own homes; thus, lessening the costs of their hospitalization. As mentioned earlier, people who live in small isolated communities have to travel kilometers to miles in order for them to meet with their health practitioner on the cities to get medical attention or follow-up from post-recovery, through telehealth they are able to save on transportation, gas mileage and other extra expenses like parking fee. Moreover, Saqui et al, (2011) argued that telehealth consultation decreases morbidity, prevent unnecessary suboptimal costly treatment, patient transfers and travelling cost when a change in the diagnosis and treatment plan occur (Discussion Section, para. 2) Through videoconferencing, Telehealth are able to give immediate diagnosis for a patient who needs urgent care (Saqui et al., 2011). A lot of effort is involve before a patient co uld meet with his or her doctor such as making an appointment, sorting his or her schedule and so on and so forth. By the time the person with health concern meets with his or her doctor the illness might already aggravated; consequently, the health care system through Telehealth provides a quicker and more efficient way on determining the type and seriousness of the patients and illness without leaving the comfort of their homes. By contacting Telehealth as soon as a person notices some irregularities in the person’s normal body functions that indicates that he may or may not be ill, enable that person who called to act immediately preventing the illness from advancing any further or on the other hand be reassured that there’s nothing to worry about. Furthermore, Telehealth also made the monitoring on recovering patients at their homes faster, the registered nurse in-charge of monitoring the patient can guide the patient in his recovery process through a streaming media. Any concerns that may arise in the recovery process can be solved a lot quicker, the patient can leave a message or phoned and the health care provider will respond to it as soon as possible stating the fact that Telehealth service is available 24 hours a day. Moscovice and Rosenblalt (2000) that the quality of health care cannot be measured by the morbidity and mortality rates, but by the ability of the health care provider to recognize and respond to their patient immediately. One thing that proves that Telehealth is feasible in improving the delivery of health-care is its acceptability. Although Telehealth is designed mostly to cater the health care needs of people living in the rural areas and isolated communities, according to Health Canada, Telehealth service has been extended to the impoverished, the socially disadvantaged, ‘the institutionalized’ and the urban and suburban households has been added recently. The Telehealth system is tailored to improve enhance the access of the clients and their families to the health system in regards to their location, gender, age and condition. Prinz et. al, identify age as a barrier that create health discrepancy because of the limited access to health care, ‘home bound status’ and issues on transportation which is why in older patients, a branch of Telehealth called Telemonitoring is being used to provide an immediate respond in case of emergency, to allow them to stay at their homes, to lessen the risk for accidents and ‘to delay the institutionalization ( Pruski and Knops, 2005). This branch of telehealth has been proven to improve the elder’s quality of life, making the task of the caregiver easier, and lessen the elder’s admission to the hospital. The high acceptability of Telehealth comes from its ability to provide maximum support not only for the patients but also for their families. The clients feel secured because they are in a familiar environment where their families could assist them. Moreover, Telehealth has been proven to lessen the stress involve in the health care process especially for the patients with disabilities because of the reduced waiting time, omitting the need for transportation. In 2005, 100 % of the respondents in the Pediatric Surgical Telehealth Clinics survey conducted by Miller and Levesque indicated that they are satisfied in the service of Telehealth and would recommend it to others (Sevean et. al, 2008). Conclusion The four key themes of Telehealth discussed above: service to rural areas, cost effectiveness, responsiveness, and ease of access and acceptability, and the description on how Telehealth works illustrate its feasibility in delivering the health care the clients need and the advantages of using Telehealth versus the traditional way of patient-to-health care practitioners. Telehealth provides better health care services in the rural areas and isolated communities, it also lessen the cost of access to health care by decreasing the need to travel and other expenses, in addition Telehealth also provides an immediate feedback to the client or patient that is important during emergency, therefore decreases mortality and morbidity rate and lastly, it is designed for various ages, gender, disease to provide an ease of access and acceptability. Telehealth In conclusion is a more efficient way of delivering care to people through the use of various modern technologies; its feasibility has been proven. The health of future and current generations depends on the availability and efficient delivery of health care. References Office of Health and the Information Highway, Health Canada. (March 2000). Evaluating Telehealth ‘Solutions’ A Review and Synthesis of the Telehealth Evaluation Literature. Retrieved from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/ehealth-esante/2000-tele- eval/index-eng.php Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. (2009). Telehealth Program.-Ministry Program-Public Information. Retrieved from: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/telehealth/ Prinz, L., Cramer, M., Englund, A. (July-August 2008). Telehealth: A policy analysis for quality, impact on patient outcomes, and political feasibility. Nursing Outlook. 56(4), 152-158. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029655408000456 Saqui O, Chang A, McGonigle S, Purdy B, Fairholm L, Baun M, Yeung M, Rossos P, Allard J. (2007). Telehealth videoconferencing: Improving home parental nutrition parent care to rural areas of Ontario, Canada. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. 31(3), 234-239. Retrieved from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17463150 Sevean P, Dampier S, Spadoni M, Strickland S, Pilatzke S. (2009). Patients and families experiences with video telehealth in rural/remote communities in Northern Canada. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 18(1), 2573-2579. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19694885 Thede, Linda Q. (2001). â€Å"Overview and Summary: Telehealth: Promise Or Peril?†. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 6(30). Retrieved from: www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No3Sept01/TelehealthOverview.aspx Vincent, C., Reinharz, D., Deaudelin, I., Garcieau, M. (2005).Why some Health Care Professionals Adopt Telemonitoring and Others Not?. In Pruski, A. & Knops, H (Eds.). Assistive Technology: From Virtuality to Reality. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press

John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Example

John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Example John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay John Cheever and His Seemingly Average Americans Essay Average Americans Since 1935 middle class Americans have been able to sit in their suburban home or their urban apartment, open up a copy of the New Yorker, and read about themselves. Not literally, but rather a perfect reflection of themselves, or their next door neighbor, or their friend down the street. Of John Achievers nearly two hundred short stories, one hundred and twenty one were published in the New Yorker. He wrote primarily about the seemingly average American He takes that stereotype and creates narratives that delve so deeply into he psyches of each of his characters that their ordinary lives become immediately enthralling. He draws universal connections that make his stories instantly relate- able no matter the setting. Achievers work is generally sorted into four categories based on their location and while he manages to paint distinct pictures of the types of people in each environment we see an overarching theme throughout his writing the theme of the duality of man. Each story presents us with a main character, usually an upper-middle class American, battling between the facade they have rated for the outside world and their innermost thoughts and desires a feeling we have all dealt with at one time or another. These characters typically live tranquil lives that become momentarily uprooted which sends each into a state of turmoil, and though we can usually rely on Achiever to return them to normalcy, there is the occasional exception. Each character is treated with such care that even at their times of normalcy we find each one somehow captivating. Achiever creates a dialogue among his vast audience and bridges the gap of social differences by offering moon human conditions manifested within his characters. At the time of Achievers greatest success as a writer suburbia was still a fairly new addition to the American scenery, albeit a significant one, with the majority of Americans leaving the cities for the picturesque notion of quiet suburban living. This is the setting for some of Achievers most successful stories most notably The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and The Country Husband. Achiever has been widely referred to as the chronicler of suburban life, and though his entire body of work does not focus on suburbia, a large oration, and most certainly some of his best does. On this Achiever has said Theres been too much criticism of the middle-class way of life. Life can be as good and rich there as anyplace else. I am not out to be a social critic, however, nor a defender of suburbia. It goes without saying that the people in my stories and the things that happen to them could take place anywhere.. Many of Achievers stories are set in suburbia because it is a setting that lends itself perfectly to the concept of a characters internal struggle vs.. Their external appearance, but we also see this theme manifested elsewhere in other stories such as The Enormous Radio which takes place in a New York apartment building. In The Housebreaker of Shady Hill we meet Johnny Hake. Right away we are given every detail of his life age, height, weight, where he was born, where he grew up, where he was confirmed, etc. Simply put Johnny Hake is your average middle-aged suburban American male, that is until he becomes tired of his work environment and leaves his Job. Johnny rents a cubicle and tries to make a living for himself, but he soon finds that he can not support his family on the amount of money he is able to make. He finds himself desperate when it came time to borrow money he had nowhere to turn.. Having been taught by his mother never to speak about money, he could not bring himself to burden his wife with their financial difficulties. One night Johnny and his wife attend a dinner party at their friends, the Warburton, house. It is there that he learns about the large amount of cash the Carl Warburton tends to carry. That night he feels the desire for money as a premonition of death and explains he had never longed for anyone the way he yearned that night for money. He sneaks away in the middle of the night and enters he Warburton house stealing Carla wallet and returning home. As soon as he is safe in his own house, the weight of what he has Just done bares down on him. Oh, I never knew that a man could be so miserable and that the mind could open up so many chambers and fill them with self-reproach. His misery is unrelenting he makes note of every tiny theft he witnesses or reads about and his eyes twitch when he hears the word steal. He begins to see everyone around him as a thief and searches for someone he can blame. He begins acting unlike himself he is distracted in church and yells at his wife and children. At one point he even describes the types of people he hates and is pained to realize that he is one of them. Despite all of this, it does not stop him from choosing his next victims. However, on his way to steal from the Pewters it begins to rain, and it is this, of all things, that finally sobers him. It is as if is mind had been washed clear. There were ways out of my trouble if I cared to make use of them. I was not trapped. I was here on earth because I chose to be. And it was no skin off my elbow how I had been given the gifts of life so long as I possessed them, and I possessed them then. He the goes home and goes back to sleep. The next day he gets a call asking him to come back to work and that night he goes back to the Warburton and leaves the 900 he had taken. Johnny Hake returns to his normal life, his brief brush with his malevolent destiny soon to be no more than a nightmare. The Country Husband offers us a look inside the life of Francis Weed. At the beginning of the story Francis is on a plane traveling home. Soon there are technical difficulties and after a moment of terror and the mental image of the spreading wings of the Angel of Death the plane needs to make an emergency landing. All Francis wants is to share his experience with his family, but the house is in a state of chaos, and though he tries to tell his tale the children are fighting and his wife is too preoccupied to listen. At this point in the story we can understand Francis strife through the observations he makes of his life around him. Such as the outpouring of tearful petulance, lonesomeness, and self-pity he hears when listening to the neighbors piano playing or how the energetic golden retriever Jupiter is an anomaly and how his high spirits were out of place in Shady Hill.. Soon we see Francis spirits aka a turn for the better when he becomes suddenly infatuated with the beautiful, young, babysitter, Anne Morison. When these new passionate feelings take a hold of him he begins to see life in a new way, observing the beauty around him instead of the drabness. Birds were congressionally and the last of the robins. The sky shone like enamel. Even the smell of ink from his morning paper honed his appetite for life, and the world that was spread out around him was plainly a paradise. Francis, elated, buys his new love a bracelet and he even ends up kissing her, but problems arise when he meets the man that she is engaged to. After a heated argument with his wife, Francis finds himself in a hopeless state. He resolves himself to go see a psychiatrist and his life is returned to normalcy. The story ends on an anticlimactic note with a scene of a typical night in Shady Hill, everything is exactly as it should be. In this way Francis weeds exemplifies the typical Achiever character He is an ordinary middle-class suburban husband and father who experiences a sudden and fierce turn in his emotional state. Instead of changing his life for good he is instead trampled by his social restraints and returns to his average life, his momentary suasion replaced by apathy. Though not set in Shady Hill as the other stories are, The Enormous Radio fits perfectly into the pattern that John Achievers suburban tales follow. This story is instead set in an apartment building and creates the image of dozens of nearly identical rooms and families within, lending a similar feel to the suburbia of the other narrations. Our main characters in this story are Jim and Irene Westport who differed from their friends, their classmates, and their neighbors only in an interest they shared in serious music. Unfortunately, their radio breaks and Jim f forced to buy a new one. However, this new radio is revealed to not play music, but instead the sounds and conversations from the other apartments in the building. Soon listening to the private lives of her neighbors becomes an obsession for Irene. She begins listening to the radio every opportunity she gets, she can not reign in her curiosity and she begins to see her neighbors differently, wondering every time she sees someone who it was who said what. This begins to take a toll on her, she becomes upset over the things she hears but she still can not stop listening, she soon tarts to question her own happiness which before she had taken as absolute truth. She turns to her husband for reassurance Life is too terrible, too sordid and awful. But weve never been like that, have we, darling Have we I mean, weve always been good and decent and loving to one another, havent we And we have two children, two beautiful children. Our lives arent sordid, are they, darling Are they She flung her arms around his neck and drew his face down to hers. Were happy, arent we, darling We are happy, arent we. As desperately as she tries to confirm their perfect allegations the illusion is shattered when, towards the end of the story, Jim begins yelling at her, laying out all of her past wrongdoings. The story ends with Irene listening to the radio and hearing only the days news. The radio caused the upheaval of the average life of the Westport and exposed them to the evil of the world around them, an evil that they were before ignorant of and now they realize resides within their own family. These stories perfectly reflect Achievers tendency to portray characters in conflict with their inner desires and the reality of their external world.

These Wildfires Set the Country on Fire

These Wildfires Set the Country on Fire Recent fires that weve seen in the news are considered some of the worst America has had in many years. But just how do these fires compare in size to others in U.S. history? What were some of the other largest fires in U.S. history? 10. Wallow Fire. Named for the Bear Wallow Wilderness Area where the fire originated, the Wallow Fire burned 538,049 acres in Arizona and New Mexico in 2011. It was caused by an abandoned campfire. The Wallow fire caused the evacuation of more than 6,000 people as well as the destruction of 32 homes, four commercial buildings and 36 outbuildings.  The estimated cost of damages was $109 million. 9.  Murphy Complex Fire. This fire was actually a combination of six  wildfires  that merged together to create one  huge blaze. The Murphy Complex Fire hit Idaho and Nevada in 2007, burning roughly 653,100 acres. 8.  Yellowstone Fires. When most people think about wildfire, they think about the destructive Yellowstone Fires of 1988 that burned 793,880 acres in Montana and Wyoming. Similar to the Murphy Complex Fire, the Yellowstone Fire began as many small fires that merged into one large conflagration. Due to the fire, Yellowstone National Park was closed to all non-emergency personnel for the first time in the parks history. 7. Silverton Fire. Burning 1 million acres in 1865, the Silverton Fire remains the worst recorded fire in Oregon states history. 6. Peshtigo Fire. You have probably heard of the Great Chicago Fire that took place on October 8, 1871. But you may not have realized that there were other, far more destructive blazes that happened on the very same day. One of these was the Peshtigo Fire that burned 1.2 million acres in Wisconsin and killed over 1,700 people. This fire still carries the dubious distinction of being the cause of the most human deaths by fire in U.S. history.   5. Taylor Complex Fire. The year 2004 was a devastating year for Alaska in terms of wildfires. The 1.3 million acres burned in the Taylor Complex Fire were just a small portion of the 6.6 million acres burned elsewhere in the state.   4. California Summer Fires of 2008. So much of California was burning in 2008 that all of the fires were merged together to include more than 1.5 million acres of burned California land. In all, there were 4,108 fires that burned in California during the summer of 2008. Nearly 100 of these fires burned more than 1,000 and many burned tens or even hundreds of thousands of acres.   3. Great Michigan Fire. Like the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Michigan Fire was overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that blazed on the same day. The Great Michigan Fire burned 2.5 million acres in Michigan, destroying thousands of homes and businesses in its path. 2. and 1. The Great Fire of 1910 and the Miramichi Fire of 1825.  These two fires tie for being the largest wildland fires in U.S. history. The Great Fire of 1910 included 78 wildfires that burned 3 million acres in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, killing 86 people. The Miramichi Fire burned 3 million acres in Maine and New Brunswick, killing 160 people.

Discuss the practical steps a university may take to help its students Essay - 1

Discuss the practical steps a university may take to help its students be as competitive as possible when they enter the labour market - Essay Example (Farazmand and Pinkowski 2007, p. 183) In this regard, this paper will outline important steps that the universities and colleges could undertake in order for its students to be competitive in the labor market. These steps would be cited in the context of two important roles that the school is thought to play. The university, wrote Achuthan (1993), in its functionalist role, is seen as one of the final steps in the educational system, completing the long preparation of the student for his or her role in society. (Achuthan p. 27) The tertiary educational institution, hence, must ensure that their students have been immersed and ingested the basic stock of knowledge that represents the core values of its culture. Here, it is emphasized that the student is not just educated but that he or she would leave the school armed with specific employment-oriented skills and knowledge. Education institutions can do this by coordinating with the government and the private sector. Such initiative could provide the school with the knowledge and tools in order integrate in its curriculum those skill and knowledge areas that are demanded by industries today. This is demonstrated, for instance, in the way the Singaporean education system works. The fundamental characteristic of the Singaporean system is the involvement of the government in the creation of curricula in the universities. This is shown in the existence of the state agency called Economic Development Board (EDB), which is concerned with the general responsibility of ensuring the inward investment in the country. Part of its mandate is to assure the human resource requirements for new industries to be created by the foreign capital. EDB ensures that education and training system is capable of producing the right type of skills required for the new industries, as part of the greater strategy to lure

Conflict Management Theory and The Role of Manager Assignment

Conflict Management Theory and The Role of Manager - Assignment Example When people work in teams clashes of opinions are likely to occur and every manager has to deal with the conflicts in a positive way. A qualified manager can intellectually appreciate that conflicts are the necessary ingredient of a free - enterprise system( Abraham, 1965). He also should take appropriate steps to resolve the conflicts and draw meaningful implications from them. The following essay attempts to explore the role played by the manager as a leader and a mediator in resolving conflicts. The major sources of conflict in an organization are personal differences, informational deficiencies, role incompatibility and environmental stress(David and Kim, 2005). According to him, personal differences are a common source of conflicts as individuals come together to play certain defined roles in an organization. The people who form the team for the completion of a specific task come from various cultures, family traditions and extent of socialization, etc. Hence, it is very common that conflicts will arise when they work together to achieve a common objective. They differ in their perceptions about the challenges ahead of them and they also differ in their expectations about the outcomes from specified situations. When there is a mismatch between the perceptions and expectations, the situation can take a personal overtone which may be the major source of organizational conflicts. Secondly, informational deficiencies can also be a major source of conflict. There may be lapses in the information flow between various functional units or individuals. These lapses may be due to technological disabilities or psychological barriers. Technological barriers can be caused by dysfunction of technical equipment used for communication and psychological barriers can be caused by various factors such as lack of knowledge and understanding, presumptions of the person receiving the message. Next, role incompatibility is another major source of conflict. Most often this factor causes more conflicts because when it is combined with the above two factors, it causes more deep conflicts. When the team members operate with different types of people, systems, processes, and procedures and report to various team leaders, the overlapping of the roles played by the personnel can cause conflict. Lastly, environmentally induced stress caused by a change in economic conditions. Family relationships, changes in the organization, etc can be major triggers for conflicts. Especially during the times of economic slowdown as in recent times, it is very stressful for the employees. Stress due to insecurity due to change in environmental conditions can cause deep mistrust on each other and can cause teamwork more difficult. When the employees are subject to uncertainty about their job status it can cause frustration and conflicts are more certain to occur. When these types of factors influence the behavior of employees, it is the duty of the manager to take up the role of mediator and facilitator to establish smooth working relationships and achieve organizational objectives.