Explain the personal attributes valued by employers of IT personnel

I am working in careers advice for IT personnel. I have been asked to produce a small booklet on valued employee attributes and communication barriers. I will write a report explaining the personal attributes valued by employers. Attitudes Determination Determination is very important in the workplace as it shows that they are able to get on and complete the work without getting distracted. Determination is also great when facing problems as the employee will be determined to finish the task and will try everything to overcome any problems that may prevent them from their end goal. Whilst on my internship at BP I was very determined to finish the work and I didn’t allow anything to distract me from completing the work. This allowed me to complete more work in the time frame I was given which was very useful to my team. Independence Independence is also a very important soft skill to have in the workplace. Employees will be expected to complete tasks on their own without any help from others. Employees need to think for themselves and not rely on other people to tell them what they have to do next. At BP I showed independence by making meetings with people I needed specific information rather than waiting for someone to come to me. Also when I was given tasks, I would work on it alone and if I got to problems I would try to overcome them on my own. Planning skills Planning is important in the workplace it involves thinking ahead to decide what you need to do to achieve a goal within a given timescale. It’s important in planning that goals are established, strategies and objectives are decided to be successful. By planning tasks can be done in the time given. Whilst at BP I showed planning skills by looking at the tasks I had and then planning how I was going to compete the tasks. Such as drawing diagrams or writing down the formulas and where I was going to use them in my excel sheets. Time management To make the best use of your time, you need to manage it effectively. To do this you have to take control on your time and plan when you are going to complete things by; using a diary would help. Also you need to make sure that time is protected from interruptions and make sure you are strict on time making sure vital tasks are done before doing less important things. Being good at time management will be useful because it will mean that tasks will be done for the deadline and the employee will never be late for meetings or for work which means that work can be done when it’s needed. On my internship I showed time management skills by planning my tasks for specific times and making sure I had it done by the deadline. Also making sure if I had meetings in another building I left enough time to get there to make sure I wasn’t late. Specific Attributes Job For some jobs technical knowledge will be needed. for instance in my job at BP I needed to have knowledge on IT programs such as Microsoft, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and also needed to have knowledge on SharePoint which is used for online storage. An employee might demonstrate technical skills by taking and passing academic or vocational qualifications, or you might have a certificate to prove that you have a special skill; such as ICT Qualifications. Health and safety If an employee is unwell then they should stay off work until they are recovered. Coming into work sick will then make everyone else sick and in order to prevent this they need to get better at home. The Health and Safety at Work Act requires all employees to ‘take reasonable care of themselves and others who could be affected by what they do’. This Act also states that if you are an employee who has ‘been injured at work, seen a dangerous occurrence, or your doctor has certified that you have a work-related reportable disease, you must inform your employer’.

Brief History of Radio Broadcasting Essay

According to an online article that was written by Gearbox (2011), the radio has become one of our most simple forms of broadcasting and communication. From helping connect soldiers on the front line of battle to entertaining the commuter on their ride to work, the radio is a part of everyday life. The article gives a brief history of radio broadcasting, in addition to how the low cost and simplicity of technology has become very easy to tune in to your favorite station, even though it was not always that way. The article mentioned that it began in 1887 when a man named Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves and their ability to transmit code wirelessly. Hertz’s research was followed up by Reginald Fessenden who created the first continuous wave generator, which was inspired by the action of skipping stones across water. The article went on to talk about the dawn of commercial radio and how the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was established bringing about innovations in high powered radio. he article stated that Frank Conrad an engineer for Westinghouse was the first to begin broadcasting, which he did out of his garage, where he began broadcasting sports, news, and music while at the same time giving â€Å"free advertising† spots to people. The article gave a brief description of how Sears Department stores begin to buy into the new technology selling approximately 17 million units between 1925 and 1930 which gave radio the title of â€Å"mass media†. The article went into more detail about how large audience radio stations began selling on-air advertising time helping to generate 27 million dollars a year in 1937. The article further spoke about the first major network that began broadcasting was NBC (1926) and soon after CBS was started as competition. The article then elaborated on how these stations began to hire big names like Jack Benny, George Burns, and Ed Wynn to do on air shows. The article also stated that the popularity of radio interference started to become a problem, resulting in licenses issued by the government, which was later defined as AM radio, standardized channels, and eradicated portable stations. The article mentioned that during the depression in 1930, spending on radio tripled and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) was developed to regulate foreign commerce communication by radio.

BTVET in Uganda

BTVET in Uganda AN INVESTIGATIVE STUDY OF FACTORS AFFECTING ENROLMENT AND COMPLETION RATES IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING (BTVET) IN UGANDA Introduction This study attempts to conduct an investigation of the factors affecting enrolment and completion rates within the Business, Technical & Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) institutions in Uganda. The study covers a period of ten years (between 1999 to 2009), rationally decided upon as it was during this time when the government Implemented major reforms within the education system of the country, as a result of the Education Review Commission (1989). It will be noted that 1999 falls two years short of the actual time (1997) when the government implemented Universal Primary Education (UPE) free to four children of every Ugandan family in the country a step towards meeting Education for all (EFA) by the year 2012 as one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in the country. The study takes place more than ten years down the line since t he inception of UPE and three years after Universal Secondary Education (USE) programmes. Whilst many primary schools are still struggling with the influx of pupils who would otherwise have had no chance of getting a formal elementary education if it were not for UPE and USE, this author seeks to investigate whether the implementation of these programmes has in any way made a difference to people’s attitudes towards education in general and vocational education in particular. The study seeks to investigate the trend of enrolment and completion in institutions of higher learning and in particular those in the Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) sector during the time when Education For All (EFA) by the year 2012, has been on top of the agenda as one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for developing countries. The UPE programme took off amidst a barrage of problems including widespread public criticism resulting from the initiall y poor performance of typical UPE schools in the country. Among the problems that pledged this programme from the very start was the issue of congestion of the available classrooms. Because of the UPE programme many schools reported overwhelming enrolments leading to an influx of the hitherto non school going children. This became a cause for concern as a result of the overstretched existing facilities within schools. In spite of the inadequate conditions under which some of the schools operated, and whilst some schools were still lamenting the lack of space and inadequate facilities, it was about this time that the government made good its second promise regarding free education and introduced the Universal Secondary Education, (USE) free for all. The programme, which started in 2007, was introduced in a similar way to UPE ten years earlier. Similar in a sense that the programme was ill prepared for as it was started within the existing school infrastructure and with the same manpo wer. Three years down the line however, reports from the media and evidence from schools seem to suggest that the USE programme has produced increased rates of enrolment in secondary schools by the year since it was started. It is the assumption of this author that if these reforms in the education sector have so far been a success story they could have a similar impact on people’s attitudes regarding education in general and vocational education in particular, and it is from the results of this study that this fact will be fully established. It is on this basis among other factors that this author is to conduct a study of the rates at which students enroll and complete their courses paying particular attention to such factors as cause them to drop out and what to do about it.

It is necessary for large listed companies in different countries to Assignment

It is necessary for large listed companies in different countries to prepare financial statements using uniform accounting stand - Assignment Example Financial accounting and managerial accounting deal with the preparation of accounting reports that provide information for decision making. Financial accounting deals with the preparation of financial statements such as the balance sheets and the profit and loss accounts. These are disclosed to both internal and external users. The internal users include the management and employees. Management accounting deals with the preparation of accounts that are used internally by management for decision making. Financial accounting statements are subject to the scrutiny of outsiders; potential investors, financial institutions and economic analysts compared to managerial accounts that are used internally by management (Ramanna & Sletten, 2009). Financial accounts provide information on the financial position and position of the business whereas management accounts provide information for planning, budgets and controls for management decision making. This explains why financial accounts need to follow certain standards compared to managerial accounts. Due to globalization, countries need to speak the same language internationally so that the accounts produced can be understood and improve investor confidence regardless of the country concerned. This paper sets out to explain what IFRS is, the arguments for and against using uniform accounting standards in the preparation of financial statements and the flexibility of the preparation of management accounting reports (Caroline, 2010). History of International Financial Reporting Standards The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was formed to promote the adoption of the IFRS so that there is worldwide consistency in financial reporting regardless of where the organization was located. The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) was formed in 1973 to prepare standards that would be used by smaller nations in creating their own internal accounting standards. This was succeeded by the IASB in 2001. GAA P is an appropriate tool for financial reporting where organizations operate within a country’s borders with reason. With globalization a company may find it difficult to compare its financial statements using its GAAP without violating the GAAP of another. IFRS were developed due to the growth of global markets and the desire by multinationals and organizations to have one common set of financial statements that can be understood internationally. The IASB was mandated to develop high quality accounting standards that would reduce the cost of doing business, increase efficiency and provide information for potential investors. Currently, there are over 100 countries that have adopted the IFRS. There are many countries that are in the process of replacing the local standards with IFRS such as the US (Armstrong, Barth, Jagolinzer, & Riedl, 2010). Benefits of International Financial Reporting Standards There is greater comparability of financial statements. Companies from differe nt countries can easily compare their accounts. Using different rules in the preparation would not be possible and good for investment. The statements can be compared in all the financial markets irrelevant of where they were prepared. Financial statements prepared using IFRS are more flexible as they are principle based compared to local accounting stan

Procurement route-Public Private Partnerships (PPP)- Private Finance Assignment

Procurement route-Public Private Partnerships (PPP)- Private Finance Initiative(PFI) - Assignment Example Starting in 1993, the WHO campaigned to private enterprises and other non-government organisations the advocacy to create meaningful partnerships that seek to create projects and programs dedicated to health and development of people. In fact, creating PPP is part of the core strategy of the organisation called the â€Å"Initiative on Public-Private Partnerships for Health,† which succeeded in forming 70 health partnerships around the world (Buse & Waxman, 2001, p.748). The emphasis placed on partnerships for the sake of health is mirrored in the implication that it draws. A healthy society means a healthy workforce and a robust economy. This report aims to explain the fundamental principles of PPP in the context of the proposed expansion of referral hospital along with the enhancement of hospital facilities and services in the midst of global economic downturn. It will evaluate its advantages and disadvantages as well as the Public Finance Initiative and Public Partnerships a s a procurement route. Relevant examples, statistics, and figures will also be presented in this report. 2. Principles of Public Private Partnerships (PPP), Merits and Demerits 2.1 PPP is a form of agreement; thus, it is bounded by equal, reciprocal, and shared rights and obligations. Buse and Walt (2000) expressed the blurring line between what it means to be a private entity and a government entity. Citing its many positive outcomes, PPP entails the formation of an agreement specifying the roles, responsibilities, and rights of each party involved. There is a mutual understanding, as well as expectations between the two parties prior to the agreement that was created. In the same manner, both recognise that they have a common goal, and that is, to improve the quality of health afforded to the people in the context of health care. Buse and Walt (2000) added that there are four crucial principles agreed between the two parties, which must be observed in a partnership. These are bene ficence, meaning public health must be achieved; nonmaleficence or the effort not to develop poor health instead; autonomy or the conscious effort not to step into the boundaries of the other party; and equity which seeks to equally distribute the benefits to people in a dire situation. 2.2 There are no fixed roles assigned to a partner over time. This principle is somewhat confusing considering the specific agreed terms between the two parties mentioned earlier. Buse and Walt (2000, p.551) claimed, nonetheless, that the idea of partnership is â€Å"non-specific,† meaning the definition of partnership depends from one partnership to the other. For instance, not-for-profit organisations have bigger community sectors as their dominant partners, but at present, this has shifted into a partnership between NGOs and corporate organisations in which the emphasis is more on the relationship between a recipient and a donor. Hence, the role/s assigned to a partner to the agreement may change overtime and may be measured unequally, especially in cases when the other partner is able to contribute more knowledge or financial resources compared to the other party. Figure 1: PPP Transformation from 1970s to Present Source: Buse and Walt (2000) Figure 1 above shows the shift in the definition of partnerships. The creation of PPP was built between donors and the recipient government. It was not identified whether the donors included governments, NGOs, or private sectors, which exists for

Contemporary issues in managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contemporary issues in managment - Essay Example One cannot thus separate a corporation from the community in which it operates and as such, whatever it does should be for the collective good of that communities for happiness to be achieved. A corporation in this case is itself a citizen and has an intrinsic responsibility as a social entity; that is, it should be socially responsible. This is in contradiction to economists such as Milton Friedman who viewed corporations as individual entities whose sole responsibility was to make profits. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) was traditionally associated with philanthropy and charity but later came to be associated with stakeholder interests. Carroll and Shabana consider it a post-World War II phenomenon defined as the â€Å"economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic expectations that a society has of organisations at a given point in time† (2010: 89). For McGuire (1963), CSR extends beyond those four expectations such as reputation and company image. Whatever the case, suc cess of CSR depends on commitment from senior management as well as low-level staff and its implementation varies from company to company depending on its context. The aim of this paper is to critically discuss and evaluate an environmental issue that an organisation addresses using the framework presented by Wood (1991). In this case, the orgnisation to be discussed is Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. The first section will give a brief background of the organisation. The Second section will be a brief background of CSR. Third section will discuss the business case for CSR followed by analysis of the environmental issue using the corporate social performance model and finally, a brief summary will be given. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc is the world’s number one retailer with 100 million U.S. shoppers a week visiting their stores. It was founded in 1962 with a commitment to make a difference in the lives of its customers. It has 11,000 stores with 71 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce in

Strategic management, British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic management, British Airways - Essay Example External market costs, such as supply chain, are also impacting profit negatively at BA. This report takes an in-depth view of the market environment in which British Airways must operate as well as a strategic analysis about how the company has positioned itself for strategic success. British Airways operates in a very difficult environment currently, with profit continuously declining both in consumer travel and in the cargo division of the business. It is currently the economic downturn being felt globally which is contributing to these profit declines. Done (2009) offers that the recession has given the business more than two years of losses, with loss expectations until at least March 2010. Much of this decline, according to the author, is due to difficult financial market trading conditions which significantly impacts the budget capability at BA. In fact, this economic recession has caused British Airways to lose a total of 17.7 percent of its passenger traffic profit just in April of 2009 (Done). Additionally, BA is also losing money due to the slip of value in the British pound. Done (2009) offers that its total operating loss was 150 million pounds, which will serve as the firm’s first operating loss in over five years. These losses have given the company a very poor credit rating which impacts the firm’s ability to procure enough working capital to make strategic changes which can have positive long-term impact, such as new construction at various international airport terminals. There is also a great deal of competition in British Airways’ passenger traffic division of the business, including Lufthansa, Ryanair, Air France, Martinair and Iberia (plus many more European airlines). Competition is one external force which appears to be consistently trying to outperform BA by offering different consumer options on board, such as

Identify And Discuss The Main Factors In The Origins Of The Essay

Identify And Discuss The Main Factors In The Origins Of The Reformation Who Or What Was The Single Greatest Catalyst For Change - Essay Example While some causes for doubt where natural processes quite beyond the scope or prevention of the church of the times, such as in the case of the Black Death and subsequent plagues that periodically decimated the European population, others were undoubtedly the result of greed and bids for power, such as could be seen in the Western Schism. Finally, social changes ranged far out of the control of the church through a variety of factors. A growth in the population leading up to the reformation, coupled with significant changes in economic structures as agrarian workers moved to towns and villages began to produce a more literary public. This was encouraged by the invention of the printing press that made the production of books faster and more economical and thus making them more accessible to a wider audience. This, in turn, promoted the spread of Humanitarian ideas throughout the general public following a period of church failures. Thus, while it can be argued that Martin Luther was the biggest catalyst for change, he was heavily assisted by a variety of factors that came together at just the right time and place for his words to have maximum impact. The Black Death was the first of several waves of plague that would periodically decimate and terrorize the European population until a probable cause was finally identified. In this, the first of the plagues, the populace was more than terrified at the horrible curse that had been brought upon them, striking seemingly at random and completely unstoppable. Those suffering the illness might not know they’d contracted it for up to seven days and then would experience headaches, nausea, aching joints, swelling of the lymph nodes, high fevers and vomiting. Reports indicate as much as a third of all Europeans died of the disease and the mortality rate for those contracting it was reportedly as high as 75 percent (Luftus et al, 1999). In the face of this devastating and mysterious illness that

Reflexivity, central tenet of qualitative inquiry Assignment

Reflexivity, central tenet of qualitative inquiry - Assignment Example In the quest to carry out any form of research by the individuals, the individual is bound to be inclined to one position or another in the quest to validate their form of research carried out by the individual. According to Cousin (pp.10) it is vital that the researcher comprehends that biases and assumptions that may come along with the kind of research they may be undertaking. An understanding of the biases and assumptions allows the researchers ensure that their work is valid and reliable. This essay shall undertake an initiative to highlight the assumptions that may implicate the validity of a research as well as articulate an epistemological orientation in the case of scientific research. The case of scientific inquiry entails the extent in which the researcher is able to set the research problem as their own problem then undertake measures to solve the problem. In the case of Science Education, the concept of subjectivity cannot be alienated from the fact that research has to be proven by some facts behind it. Cousin (pp.11) indicates that it is the responsibility of the researcher to find out the truth from an array of fallacies that may exist in the concerned area of study. This concept turns down to the fact that reflexivity is inescapable in the case of a researcher. After conducting research, the researcher must employ proper use of language in presenting their findings. In the context of Science Education, the ‘self’ is crucial in the research process.

Shutter Island Essay Example for Free

Shutter Island Essay This movie was confusing from the beginning, Edward Teddy Daniels a previous World War II veteran whom suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and constantly has flashbacks. Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshall Daniels and his partners Chuck Aule while the investigate the disappearance mental patient from Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminal Insane. Teddy requested the assignment for personal reasons. But he wonders was he hasn’t been brought to the island and conspiracy. Fire is an symbol for Teddy whole existence every time Teddy is around (ex. The matches he lights in Ward C) the fire in the cave with Dr. Solando and when he starts an fire and blows up Dr. Crawley’s car. He constantly played with fire that burnt down his own apartment killing four people one of which was his own wife Dolores Chanal. He has produced this whole conspiracy theory that somehow the government has begun doing experimental testing on patients at the asylum. In reality Teddy has been declared insane and was sent to Shutters Island. Upon arriving at the institution. Teddy is the subject of the experiment; the doctors attempt to have Teddy regain his life back. Dr. Crawley and Dr. Sheehan began implanting false memories into Teddy’s mind. Teddy is delusional claims that he is an U.S. Marshall to justify his own presence. Dr. Crawley who invented Racheal Solando for him to discover what happen to the 67 patient which is actually Edward (Teddy) Daniels. Teddy’s partner who is really Dr. Sheehan is in on the experiment he tries to steer Teddy in right direction. He encourages Teddy to continue the hunt he tries to push fear on Teddy by even taking him to an Mausoleum. And he is always playing with Teddy whether its real or delusional He even gives Teddy an admission form that says it’s really 67 patients at the asylum so Teddy’s Feel that he has to find Racheal whom is supposedly escaped which she really turns out to be a nurse whom has treated Teddy while he has been a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital. While on the hunt for the missing patient Teddy encounters different obstacles. Dr. Crawley and Dr. Sheehan are is slowly taking Teddy off his meds so he starting to feel body tremors and withdrawals. Sheehan and Crawley began to monitor his doses for the role playing experiment in the film Teddy begins to have more vivid hallucinations while he’s awake his meds are meant to suppress all types of psychosis not to trigger more going off the meds make Teddy really unsteady. When Teddy reaches the lighthouse he is confused and is starting to second guess everything that he has been going through. He has developed his own explanation. Though it was an complete delusional fantasy. At this point the experiment is judged to have failed or succeeded , If Teddy accepts this fabricated account that the Drs. Have succeeded in attempting to implant a false memory. Teddy has been through this before and realizes that there is no way out Shutter Island Teddy struggles with being Lobotomize but reconsiders and decides that lobotomy would be better than chasing Andrew Laeddis for the rest of his life he figure they’ll just try to keep forcing the Lake House, Racheal Solando, and the other delusions he was having over and over again. Teddy made the choice to take the lobotomy and thus die a good man. â€Å"It is better to live as a monster or die a good man†. He refuses to accept the reality that he was just a an maintenance man who love to play with fire whose wife died because of this, and is stuck in a delusion in which he is Teddy Daniels an U.S. Marshall hunting down a suspected killer Andrew Laeddis an false identity other than a man that killed his wife. Throughout the entire movie the audience is caught up in the Teddy story thinking that he is actually sent to the island to find a suspected escapee. Even his flashbacks trigger the watcher to think Teddy has really had a hard life losing his children, killing his beloved wife whom the audience thought she actually killed the children which causing Teddy is become an alcoholic. Unbeknown to the watcher Teddy is playing the role of a functioning adult whose is trying desperately trying to figure up what is really happening on Shutter Island. The Drs. are trying so hard to get a major breakthrough with medicine by giving the opportunity to reenact his own fabricated story. The viewer is rooting for Teddy only to realize he is leading them a on wild goose hunt because in fact he is insane and can’t grasp the concept on reality what’s real, fake, makeup, or just plain lunacy. One question are there two possible endings were Teddy and Andrew possibly real was Teddy really married was a government it coverup did Teddy knows too much about the Nazis and espionage? This moving was scaring at the same time interesting because it is an movie one would possibly have to see more than once to get an complete understanding.

Racism in the 1960s

Racism in the 1960s Racism in the 1960s The 1960s were a time where the world was changing. Music was changing, politics were changing, and people were changing. But one problem seemed to remain in society Racism. Although the 1960s were the era of the Baby Boom, the racist segregation did not subside. Although segregation thrived through Jim Crow Laws, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X both fought hard against it. This segregation lead to possibly the worlds greatest achievement, the African-American Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, the way of life was different for people with different colors of skin. There were separate bathrooms, separate restaurants, drinking fountains, and churches for black people. Restaurants had a Jim Crow law, that stated, It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which white and colored people are served in the same room, unless such white and colored persons are effectively separated by a solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from the street is provided for each compartment. Black people were also forced to use different barbers, nurses and jail cells. The segregation between black people and white people was evident and enforced by law. These laws were called Jim Crow Laws, and were local laws that outlined the segregation between black people and white people. Any act against a Jim Crow law was punishable by law and received an unusually hefty punishment. These separate but equal approaches lead to much discrimination that African-American communities endured for much of the decade. These laws covered aspects such as barbers, prisons, nurses, and libraries. Some examples of Jim Crow laws were: 1. No colored barber shall serve as a barber (to) white girls or women (Georgia). 2. No person or corporation shall require any White female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which Negro men are placed (Alabama). 3. The warden shall see that the white convicts shall have separate apartments for both eating and sleeping from the Negro convicts (Mississippi). Although these laws were all forced by law, they were all forced by the public as well. Many mobs of white men used lynching in the 1960s to try and manipulate the African-American population. Lynching is considered the punishment of any person without legal process or authority. Any person who tried to promote against, abolish, or defy the Jim Crow laws were often beaten and/or killed. With the help of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, these laws were only in effect up until 1965. In 1968 the Supreme Court declared all types of segregation unconstitutional. Martin Luther King Jr. was an integral part of the abolishment of Jim Crow Laws and the public support of the Civil Rights Movement. Growing up as a child, Martin Luther King Jr. was a very smart human being. He attended segregated high schools in Georgia but only stayed for a short amount of time. Because of Martins superb intelligence, he was able to finish grades 9-12 in just two years, making him a high school graduate at the age of fifteen. After receiving a doctorate at Boston University, Martin had already started his effect on society. He participated in a 382 day boycott to remove the segregation between black and white people on buses. The supreme court agreed and on December 21, 1956, the law was ruled unconstitutional. Martin Luther King paid the price for this great achievement, finding himself arrested and his home was bombed. The African-American Civil Rights Movement took place in the 1960s and really gained support on August 28th, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. made hi s plea to the world for racial equality during his I Have a Dream speech. This speech was a powerful moment in history and held the support of people all over the planet. I have a dream is still regarded as one of the greatest political statements ever to be made.

James Baldwins Giovannis Room Essay -- James Baldwin Giovannis room

James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room James Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room is titled such for the purpose of accentuating the symbolism of Giovanni’s room. Within the novel Giovanni’s room is portrayed with such characteristics as being Giovanni’s prison, symbolic of Giovanni’s life, holding the relationship between Giovanni and David, being a metaphor of homosexuality for David and being a tomb underwater. These different portrayals of Giovanni’s room are combined within the novel to create an overall negative metaphor of homosexuality as perpetuated by society. These different portrayals of Giovanni’s room are dirty, suffocating and restricting; Baldwin is showing the reader that homosexuality can be understood as all of these things, detrimental as they are. The novel is a reflection upon the common belief in society that homosexuality is unnatural and wrong, causing homosexual men to turn societal negativity into self hatred. One of the metaphors for Giovanni’s room is the parallel created linking his room to his jail cell. When Giovanni is in jail, David wonders about the jail cell he is in and says, â€Å"I wonder about the size of Giovanni’s cell. I wonder if it is bigger than his room† (113). In David’s thought he creates the definition of Giovanni’s room being a cell. The prison cell is close in size to his room, and it is also much like the room in that he is stuck there as a prisoner. Giovanni’s permanence in his room, as in the jail cell, is further exemplified when David is talking about the room; â€Å"I’m talking about that room, that hideous room. Why have you buried yourself there so long?† (117). David is directly comparing Giovanni’s room to a tomb, which, like a cell, is an imprisonment. David is say... ...rget it. This negative view of homosexuality is enforced by society, which David absorbs into himself. Through David and his perception of the many metaphors contained within Giovanni’s room, James Baldwin is showing a negative interpretation of homosexuality as identified in society. The metaphors within Giovanni’s room are Giovanni’s prison, symbolic of Giovanni’s life, holding the relationship between Giovanni and David, being a metaphor of homosexuality for David and being a tomb underwater. These metaphors are negative and exist to demonstrate to the reader that homosexuality is restricting, punishing, dirty and suffocating. These negative connotations of homosexuality are brought from society and internalized by the characters and builds into self hate. Works Cited: Baldwin, James, and Caryl Phillips. Giovanni's Room. London: Penguin, 2001. Print.

Political Economy Essay -- Mass Media News Mediated Messages

Political Economy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our society is strongly influenced by all sources of media. The media shows us what is going on in the world news, fashion and much more. The media is our connection to the world and what goes on all around us. The political economy approach looks at the influence that ownership control, advertising and audience spending has over the mass media and the mediated messages we receive on a daily basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Political economy believes that everything about media products is created through structural features (ownership, advertising and audience spending). The industries and businesses that the media works for and out of are organized through the economic and political factors of our economy. Political economy stresses that private ownership has a major influence on the content and structure of the media.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three viewpoints on ownership control Kevin Williams discusses in Understanding Media Theory. First, Marxist political economy believes that there is a direct link between ownership and control. An owner determines who, what facts and what ideas the public actually sees. Second, Structuralists say it is impossible to have a direct relationship between ownership and control. Structuralists believe that an owner is not physically able to keep up with the operations of mediated messages made on a daily basis. There are too many messages made for an owner to look over and ok before production. Instead Structuralists believe to have alloc...

Key Elements of Successful Leadership Essay -- servant leadership chri

Key Elements of Successful Leadership John Quincy Adams provided one of my favorite quotes on leadership; â€Å"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.† In its most basic form leadership refers to influence. Though leaders often help us to accomplish more, poor leadership can also be the source of extreme frustration. The importance of good leadership is apparent on a college campus. Many organizations run smoothly and efficiently while others are mired in chaos and confusion; the difference is leadership. The college setting provides many opportunities for the development of leadership expertise. I believe three common factors exist in all successful leadership; a focus on people, clear communication, and character. A good leader understands that he or she cannot accomplish anything without the support of followers. The best way to develop this support is by showing love, dignity, and respect to the people being led. The secular manager can apply the principles of this model, but only a Christian can understand the reasoning behind it. A proper perspective recognizes that â€Å"all people have inherent value by virtue of being created in the image of God, and thus [have] an inherent right to develop to their fullest potential.† (Hind, 20) Instead of using people in order to accomplish goals, Christian leaders should accomplish goals in order to develop people. I often get involved in leadership roles for self-promotion and increased status. However, the Scriptural model of leadership is much different. Jesus is the ultimate example of what is oft labeled servant leadership. Servant leadership is the submission of the leader’s ego and will in order to meet... ...rinciples in the pursuit of Christlike leadership. Above all I must realize that leadership is not about personal glory, but it is about the mission that God has given me, and the people that I am responsible to lead. Works Cited: Brown, Bill â€Å"Three Perspectives on Leadership† 4/16/2004 Speech given to Organizational Leadership class Dubrin, Andrew J. Leadership: Research Findings, Practice and Skills 2nd Edition Houghton Mifflin Company, Princton, NJ, 1998 Hind, James F. The Heart & Soul of Effective Management (1989) Victor Books, Wheaton, Ill. Lewis, Jone Johnson â€Å"Leadership Quotes†  © 1995-2003 http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_leadership.html Maxwell, John C. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (1999) Thomas Nelson Publishers, New York, NY Swindoll, Charles R. Hand Me Another Brick (1978) Thomas Nelson Publishers, New York, NY

Tacitus Germania and Women

Germania, written by the Roman Cornelius Tacitus in 98 A. D, is a historical work on the warlike Germanic tribes located north of the Danube and the Rhine rivers. Anthropology is the study of societies, cultures, and origins of human races. In Germania, Tacitus describes the inhabitants, customs, and society of these Germanic tribes giving valuable anthropological insight. Tacitus specifically describes the role women held in these early Germanic societies.Germania is anthropologically insightful of Germanic women by showing the high regard the Germanic tribes held toward women; evidenced through the women's influence on wars, their role in society, and the Germanic marriage customs. Cornelius Tacitus was born in 56 A. D in the area of southern Gaul. By the year 75 he lived in Rome training as an orator. A year later he married the daughter of the consul Julius Agricola. In later years he wrote a biography of Julius Agricola. He eventually took up a career in politics rising from sen ator all the way up to the consulship in 97.After the consulship he continued with his political career as proconsul of Asia but began to write historical works as well. Some of Tacitus' major works include Agricola written in 97-8, Germania written in 98, The Histories, recording Roman history from 69 to 96, and The Annals, recording the history from 14 to 68. Tacitus is known as one of the greatest historians and prose stylists who wrote in Latin. His works The Histories and The Annals are among the masterpieces of Latin literature. Little evidence exists of Tacitus later life or the date of his death. 1Germania is split into 46 chapters or sections. Each one focuses on a different aspect of Germanic life and society. The book begins with a description of the geography of Germania with its boundaries of rivers, mountains, and the ocean. Tacitus then continues to describe the people themselves as a race â€Å"little affected by immigration† (37) because of their geography. T he name ‘Germania' came from the first people to cross the Rhine and defeat the Gauls. The inhabitants took the name Germani in honor of the conquerors and the terror they brought with them.Tacitus gives  descriptions of the Germani's religion, warlike society, home life, government, and the specific Germanic tribes or groups. With regards to religion, the Germani have many gods. Their most important god is Mercury. The Germani were known to give human sacrifices to appease Mercury at times. Other gods such as Hercules and Mars merely required animal sacrifices. The Germani are a very warlike society. Tacitus describes in detail their national war song to the gods sung before and during battle with a deep throaty roar. In the words of Tacitus, â€Å"The Germani have no taste for peace† (41). They are a culture of war.This warlike culture effects the home life and government of the Germani. Marriage is an important institution for the Germani and is highly revered. Tac itus cites that the women are in fact one of the men's greatest motivations for success in war. Though their kings are chosen by noble birth, they choose leaders for their valor. Neither the leaders nor the kings, however, have absolute power. Tacitus expounds upon all these aspects of Germani society in great detail. To conclude Germania Tacitus describes the specific practices of more than 20 individual nations and tribes within the area of Germania.The first evidence Germania gives of the Germani's high regard for women is apparent through the women's influence on the men during war. The women encouraged the men during war and had a great power to motivate the men. Tacitus explains how the women and children were the dearest possessions of the men and continues to say, â€Å"†¦ to them he looks for his highest praise. The men take their wounds to their mothers and wives, who are not afraid of counting and examining the blows, and bring food and encouragement to those fighti ng† (38).The women are taking a very active role in war through caring for the men. The men do not take this for granted, this is their greatest motivation. Tacitus explains more fully the women's ability to motivate the men, â€Å"Tradition has it that armies wavering and even on the point of collapse have been restored by the steadfast pleas of the women, who bared their breasts and described how close they were to enslavement – a fate that the men fear more keenly for their women than for themselves† (38).The women had such a strong power to motivate the men that they could restore the strength of a failing army. The Germani's high regard of women is evident by the women's ability to motivate and encourage the men during war. The thoughts and opinions of Germani women were regarded highly giving them a valuable role in society. Tacitus explains, â€Å"†¦ they believe that there resides in women something holy and prophetic, and so do not scorn their advi ce or disregard their replies† (39).Many societies, especially during this time, believed women to be incapable of intelligent reasoning. The Germani, however, believe women have something holy or prophetic within them. This caused the men to listen to the advice and opinions of the women rather than toss them aside as ignorant. This role of women, possessing something holy and sharing advice, shows a high regard for women in Germanic society. Lastly, the respect and honor shown to women through the Germanic marriage customs show a high regard for women.Tacitus praises the Germani's strict view of marriage. Tacitus describes their marriage customs, â€Å"They are almost unique among barbarians in being satisfied with one wife each†¦ The dowry is brought not by wife to husband, but by husband to wife. Parents and kinsmen attend and approve the gifts, gifts not chosen to please a woman's whim or gaily deck a young bride, but oxen, a horse with reins, a shield with spear an d sword† (43). By each man taking one woman for life the Germani demonstrate a value of women as more than property.The most unique and remarkable custom though regards the dowry. In most cultures the dowry is the gifts and inheritance the bride has to offer the groom. With the Germani, however, this is reversed. Instead the man must bring a dowry to offer the bride. The dowry is not made up of frivolous items for the bride to enjoy but practical items for living. This custom shows the brides worth and honor and demonstrates the Germani's view of women as being valuable and intelligent. The women of Germania are not pushed aside or placed at the bottom of Germanic society.Instead, they motivate the men in war renewing their strength when they are weary. The men value the women enough to place their safety above their lives in battle. The Germani believe the women to have something holy within them, so the men listen to them and do not disregard there advice. Finally, the men d o not trade women as possessions but honor them with a dowry and stay true to one woman in marriage. These anthropological insights of Germanic women described in Germania show the Germanic people held women in high regard in their culture and society.

Bringing Adam Home Essay

Bringing Adam Home review examines the story of the decades-long investigation into the abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh. The police investigation took 27 years to prove guilt of the serial killer, Ottis Toole, who made multiple confessions to the murder. The book is written by the experienced detective writer Les Standiford with the help of the retired detective Joe Matthews, who finally found evidence of Toole’s committing the murder 27 years afterwards. The case of Adam Walsh has influenced the American society in the way that legislatures were made protecting children, and practices were adopted helping find missing and potentially abducted children. Key words: abduction, evidence, investigation, kidnapping, murder. Bringing Adam Home Book Review Standiford, L., & Matthews, J. (2011).Bringing Adam home: The abduction that changed America. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN:9780061983900. Bringing Adam Home is the story of the decades-long investigation into the abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh who missed from a local Sears in Hollywood, Florida, on July 27, 1981. The police investigation took 27 years to prove guilt of the serial killer, Ottis Toole, who made multiple confessions to the murder – yet the Hollywood, FL, police department did not believe him and failed to use any of evidences that had been found. The abduction of Adam Walshblew people’s minds and undermined their sense of protection. The American society has never been the same ever since – parents did not let their kids play alone outside, nor did their ever say ‘Be home by dark’; a child could be left nowhere unsupervised. It was Adam’s family bad luck that at that time, there were no Amber Alerts and no national data base for crimes against children. Adam’s parents, John and  Revà © Walsh, bent backwards to change the situation. They became renowned crime fighters, propelled the passage of the 1982 Missing Children Act, and John Walsh became a host of the television program America’s Most Wanted (Standiford2011). Adam Walsh’s kidnapping was not only the most important casein American history of missing children that changed the corresponding legislature but also the most famous one. Many people still remember themselves being kids and watching it on the news (Martin, 2011). However, the details of the case are not as well-known as they should be; given the coverage in the media.The more emotional side of the story, through the eyes of the Walsh family, is rendered in Tears of Ragewritten by John Walsh (Scott, 2011). The puzzle of the botched investigation that ran over almost three decades was solved by the retired Miami detective Joe Matthews and written down by the acclaimed writer Les Standiford, the au thor of 9 fiction novels and 6 non-fiction books (Standiford, 2001). The authors open their cards in the very beginning of the book and introduce the killer, Ottis Toole, right in the second chapter. Toole was a low IQ drifter who set fires and assaulted people to relieve his psychological pressure. From chapter 2 to 4, the authorsgive a detailed recount of the work of Hollywood detective Hoffman who could not organize his work so not to lose important clues and evidence and who was not very keen on the idea that Toole was the killer. According toMatthews, Hoffman is portrayed as a moody and self-contained investigator who â€Å"looked like a guy who disapproved of most things on general principle† (Standiford, 2001). Apart from disregarded leads and lost evidences, Hoffman also treated Adam’s parents carelessly not bothering to inform them that their friend Jimmy Campbell, who was prime suspect, had been cleared. For many years John and Revà ©Walsh received no information from the police as for the investigation of their son’s murder. Matthews felt that it was extremely insensitive on the part of Hoffman. Together with undeveloped enough forensic methods, the case of Adam Walsh advanced by imperceptible pace. As Reve Walsh put it: â€Å"It was a sad thing for this country that the fight had to be led by two broken-down parents of a murdered child†(Standiford, 2001). The authors underscore that it could not be said that the Hollywood department was incompetent. Rather that the case was too difficult, and Detective Hoffman turned out to be too snobbish not only to ask for help but also to accept help from Joe Matthews when he  offered it not once. Hoffman was â€Å"too unstructured and ill-equipped† for such mind-bogging case (Standiford, 2001).Det. Serg. Matthews was a lie detector expert and an experiences homicide detective and, being hired by the Hollywood, Fl, Polic e Department, he was very interested by the case and was ready to use his knowledge to solve the case. Among other things, the difference in approaches of two detectives was that Hoffman was obsessed with finding physical evidences linking Toole to the Adam’s murder; while Matthews believed that circumstantial evidence could make do in some cases. That meticulous recount of all glaring mistakes of the Hollywood, Fl, police department and the detailed description of their daily working life had its aim in showing that detectives’ work is far from the glamorized TV series. Doing on a daily basis such boring chores as searching for a person who moved and did not leave the new address, or surveilling a suspect for many days, exhaust detectives, and the not very dedicated ones â€Å"let things slide† (Standiford, 2011).Standiford and Matthews seem to mention every lead that was not followed, and every report that was incomplete or even falsified. Matthews blames the manner of interrogation when the suspect was let speak without asking necessary questions, and he found the witness who was consistently ignored by Hoffman. The most shocking omission, the reader may consider, was the neglect of the repeated confessions by Toole with a graphic description of the whole process of abduction, murdering, sodomizing, and decapitating of Adam Walsh and the subsequent dismembering and setting ablaze his body. Toole even gave a sensational interview to Jacksonville Times Union where he repeated his confession to the murder of Adam Walsh (Standiford, 2011). Chapters 5 to 6 focus on Matthews’s account of how he proceeded with the investigation. It became possible only after Hoffman was transferred to the Patrol Division in 1994 (Standiford, 2011). Matthews spent two years and nine months reviewing the case and adding new materials. In the end,Matthews had multiple eyewitness identification of Toole taking Adam from Sears, twenty-five independent confessions to the crime made by Ottis Toole, and most important of all – missed by previous investigators – luminal images of machete and luminal outline of a child’s face on the carpet of Toole’s Cadillac. It finally proved Ottis Toole to be the man who committed the crime. The first part of the book does not make an easy reading. When Toole gives his numerous confessions to various  detectives all the same details of the murder, rape, and dismembering are repeated ad nauseam, without adding anything new. Because of it, for those readers who like genuine crime stories, the book may seem quite slow. Standiford and Matthews were extremely repetitive in details of the crime itself, its prolonged investigation, the history behind the suspects, and descriptions of Toole’s perversions. However, the authors rather had in mind to show how the process of investigation can be dragged for years due to the inability of the police to find hard evidence for the already confessed crime. Standiford, who is an experienced detective writer with a number of narrative non-fiction stories under his belt, narrates dryly and matter-of-factly, which contributes to the authentic feel of the blood-chil ling story. Despite waving their incompetence, Matthews provides a scrupulous evidence of the Hollywood, Fla., police department’s negligence, thus making it difficult to believe that behind such an undisciplined behavior may be anything other than a conspiracy to cover up its incompetence. The authors’aim seems to lay in proving two points. Firstly, the case could have been solved within two years, when Ottis Toole was arrested for arson and confessed repeatedly to the murder of Adam Walsh saying that he was â€Å"very, very sorry that he did it† (Standiford, 2011). Secondly, the police department of Hollywood, FL, had a chance to solve the case quickly, had they let do it to Det. Serg. Matthews. Bringing Adam Home is a gruesome story of justice finally served two decades too late. By that time, though, Ottis Toole had died in prison. And our society has changed. Now kids are warned about strangers. No one leaves their kids in the toy area and goes shopping anymore. Lawenforcement has transformed its practices to better protect children. Public places have adopted Code Adam, a powerful search tool for lost and potentially kidnapped children (Code Adam, n.d.). Code Adam is a predecessor to Amber Alert, a network of notifications to the public through urgent bulletins on television and radio. References Code Adam.(n.d.). The National center for missing &exploited children. Retrieved from http://www.missingkids.com/CodeAdam Martin, C. (2011, February 09). Book Review – Bringing Adam home by Les Standiford[Web log post].Retrieved fromhttp://www.chaoticcompendiums.com/2011/02/book-review-bringing-adam-home-by-les.html Scott, M. (2011, February 26). ‘Bringing Adam home’ offers strong proof in the 1981 murder of Adam Walsh. Cleveland.com. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2011/02/bringing_adam_home_offers_stro.html Standiford, L. (2001). Biography[Web log post].Retrieved from http://www.les-standiford.com/Pages/Biography.html Standiford, L., & Matthews, J. (2011).Bringing Adam home: The abduction that changed America. New York, NY: Harper Collins. E-book

Extreme sports risky but worth it? Essay

Imagine the feeling of accomplishment, the adrenaline rush, and the overall thrill of participating in an extreme sport for the first time. Whether it be skydiving or successfully landing a jump on your snowboard or skis for the first time. Extreme sports are all about big risk, and big reward. To me there are four categories of extreme sports the ones performed in the air, water, on the ground, or on the snow. They can vary from mountain biking or jumping out of a plane with nothing but a parachute attached to your back. To some people, they see extreme sports as an unnecessary risk. But to others these high risk sports are there passion and they couldn’t see life without it. I remember the first time I went snowboarding and I didn’t see the point, I thought it was boring and I wondered how people could enjoy it. But this was only because I wasn’t good at it, and because of that I was frustrated. Once I made that very first run down the hill without falling, tha t was awesome, it was a huge confidence booster and it was kind of like hearing the Beatles for the first time, simply amazing. Looking back now I am very happy that I decided to get back on the board and teach myself how to ride because it is currently one of my most favourite things to do. I enjoy it so much because now when I am racing down a hill it feels so refreshing, regenerating, and rejuvenating. I still remember the first time I landed a jump and the thrill and rush that came with it, I just wanted to do it again and again, and at that point I wasn’t worried about any of the risks involved with landing that jump, because everything felt so†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ worth it. Many people have been badly injured doing extreme sports, for example; Jeb Corliss who was base jumping in a wing suit in South Africa when he crashed into some rocks at 120 mph and suffered devastating injuries and several broken bones. He made a full recovery and went right back out to base jumping about 4 months after the accident. Kevin Pearce is a snowboarder who was trying to perfect a trick in the half-pipe ended up suffering a traumatic brain injury. Doctors weren’t sure that he would ever regain the ability to walk again. Not only did he learn to walk again, but in only two years he was back out on the slopes. Bethany Hamilton is a surfer who came face to face with death after she lost her left arm to a shark while surfing in Hawaii. She is now back out on the water surfing with only one arm. To these extreme athletes they have a passion for the sport  and they have gone through severe injuries in which they recovered or only have one arm. Yet even going through those experiences they still want to get back on their board or in the air with their wing-suit to continue to do what they love doing. They rather take the risk with their sport then stop the sport completely, because to them the benefits o utweigh the risks. The number one reason I think that people don’t try an extreme sport in their life is that they don’t want to be putting there selves at risk, because to them there is no reward, because they have never felt what its like to have an adrenaline rush or that they aren’t thrill seekers. All it takes is education on the sport and how to stay safe while doing the sport, what kind of gear is needed and what type of training they should go through beforehand. It is also important to know the risks and the dangers of what your doing and how to react to those types of situations. It is also important to know that you can never be too safe. I think that if we all get out one day and try something extreme or out of our comfort zones, afterwards we will like it and get the I want more kind of feeling. At that point I think the benefits of the extreme sport outweigh the risks.

The Blue Sword CHAPTER FOUR

She stared out of her bedroom window at the moonlit desert. Shadows drifted across the pale sand, from one shaded hollow to the next clump of dry brush. Almost she could pretend the shadows had direction, intention. It was a game she often played. She ought to be in bed; she heard two o'clock strike. The location and acoustics of the big clock that stood in the front hall were such that it could be heard throughout the large house it presided over – probably even in the servants' quarters, although she had never had occasion to find out and didn't quite dare ask. She had often wondered if it was perversity or accident – and for whatever reason, why wasn't it changed? – that the clock should so be located as to force the knowledge of the passing of time upon everyone in the Residency, every hour of every day. Who would want to know the time when one couldn't sleep? She had had insomnia badly when she was fresh from Home. It had never occurred to her that she would not be able to sleep without the sound of the wind through the oak trees outside her bedroom at Home; she had slept admirably aboard the ship, when apprehensions about her future should have been thickest. But the sound of the ceaseless desert air kept her awake night after night. There was something about it too like speech, and not at all like the comfortable murmur of oak leaves. But most of that had worn off in the first few weeks here. She had had only occasional bad nights since then. Bad? she thought. Why bad? I rarely feel much the worse the next day, except for a sort of moral irritability that seems to go with the feeling that I ought to have spent all those silent hours asleep. But this last week had been quite as bad – as sleepless – as any she had known. The last two nights she had spent curled up in the window-seat of her bedroom; she had come to the point where she couldn't bear even to look at her bed. Yesterday Annie, when she had come to waken her, had found her still at the window, where she had dozed off near dawn; and, like the placid sensible maid that she was, had been scandalized. Apparently she had then had the ill grace to mention the matter to Lady Amelia, who, in spite of all the alarums and excursions of the week past, had still found time to stop at Harry's room just at bedtime, and cluck over her, and abjure her to drink some nice warm milk (Milk! thought Harry with revulsion, who had given it up forever at the age of twelve, with her first grown-up cup of tea), and make her promise to try to sleep – as if that ever had anything to do with it – and ask her if she was sure she was feeling quite well. â€Å"Very well, ma'am,† Harry replied. Lady Amelia looked at her with concern. â€Å"You aren't fidgeting yourself about, mmm, last week, are you?† Harry shook her head, and smiled a little. â€Å"No, truly, I am in excellent health.† She thought of the end of a conversation she had heard, two days past, as Dedham and Peterson left Sir Charles' study without noticing her presence in the hall behind them. † †¦ don't like it one bit,† Peterson was saying. Dedham ran his hand over the top of his close-cropped head and remarked, half-humorously, â€Å"You know, though, if in a month or a year from now, one of those Hillfolk comes galloping in on a lathered horse and yells, ‘The pass! We are overwhelmed!' I'm going to close up the fort and go see about it with as many men as I can find, and worry about reporting it later.† The front door had closed behind the two of them, and Harry proceeded thoughtfully on her way. â€Å"I hope you are not sickening for anything, child,† said Lady Amelia; â€Å"your eyes seem overbright.† She paused, and then said in a tone of voice that suggested she was not sure this bit of reassurance was wise, as perhaps it would aggravate a nervous condition instead of soothing it: â€Å"You must understand, my dear, that if there is any real danger, you and I will be sent away in time.† Harry looked at her, startled. Lady Amelia misread her look, and patted her hand. â€Å"You mustn't distress yourself. Sir Charles and Colonel Dedham will take care of us.† Yesterday Harry had managed to corner Jack when he came again to closet himself with Sir Charles for long mysterious hours. Harry had lurked in the breakfast room till Jack emerged, looking tired. His look lightened when he saw her, and he greeted her, â€Å"Good morning, my dear. I see a gleam in your eye; what bit of arcane Damarian lore do you wish to wrest from me today?† â€Å"What was it exactly that you said to Corlath that morning, just as he left?† replied Harry promptly. Jack laughed. â€Å"You don't pull your punches, do you?† He sobered, looking at her quizzically. â€Å"I don't know that I should tell you – â€Å" â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"But I will. In the days of Damar's civil wars, a man pledged himself so, to his king, or to the particular claimant he wished to support. It was a particularly dangerous and unsettled time, and so the ritual swearing to one's leader meant rather a lot – more, for example, than our Queen's officers taking an oath to her, as we all must do. The phrase still carries weight in Hill tradition †¦ but you see, my giving it to Corlath was a trifle, hmm, unprofessional of me, as Homelander protecting the Homelander Border from Corlath. A calculated risk on my part †¦ † He shrugged. â€Å"I hoped to indicate that not all Homelanders are †¦ unsympathetic to the Free Hillfolk, whatever the official attitude is.† Harry lay down in her detestable bed after Lady Amelia left her, and dozed, after a fashion, till midnight; but then the darkness and peacefulness wakened her, and she came again to her window-seat to watch the night pass. Two-thirty. How black the sky was around the stars; nearer the horizon were longer flatter glints in the darkness, unsuitable for stars, and these were the mountains; and the desert was shades of grey. Without realizing it, she drifted into sleep. There was the Residency, stolid and black in the moonlight. Faran and Innath would stay here, with the horses; it was not safe to take them any nearer. He would go the rest of the way on foot. Safe! He grinned sourly behind the safety of the grey hood pulled over his face, and slid into the shadows. The adventure was upon them, for good or ill. â€Å"Sola, not an Outlander,† Faran had begged, almost tearfully; and Corlath had flushed under his sun-darkened skin. There had been certain romantic interludes in the past that had included galloping across the desert at night; but he had never abducted any woman whose enthusiastic support for such a plan had not been secured well in advance. Corlath's father had been a notorious lover of women; unsuspected half-brothers and half-sisters of the present king still turned up occasionally, which kept the subject in everyone's mind. Corlath sometimes thought that his own policy of discretion in such matters only made his people nervous because they didn't know what was going on – or if anything was. For some time now there hadn't been, but by the gods, did his own Riders really expect him to break out by making an ass of himself over an Outlander – and now of all times? But, on the other hand, he could not well explain his reasons – even to himself – although his determination was fixed, as he had unhappily realized the moment the words were out of his mouth. But he hated to see his people unhappy – because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one – and so, while he could rightfully have told Faran to let it be, he had given as much of an answer as he could. â€Å"This is an affair of state,† he said slowly, because he could not quite bring himself to say that his kelar was concerning itself with an Outlander, even to his Riders, who were his dearest friends as well as his most trusted subjects. â€Å"The girl will be a prisoner of honor, treated with all honor, by me as well as by you.† No one had understood, but they were a little soothed; and they avoided thinking about the unwritten law of their land that said that a kidnapped woman has been ravished of her honor, whether she has been actually ravished of anything beyond a few uncomfortable hours across somebody's saddlebow or not. It was generally accounted an honor for a Hillman or woman to be seduced by a member of the royal family – which was why kelar, originally a royal Gift, continued to turn up in odd places – if a somewhat uncomfortable honor, for who could be entirely at ease with a lover who must never quite meet one's eyes? And Outlanders were peculiar, as everyone knew, so who did know how they might react? â€Å"Sola,† Faran quavered, and Corlath paused and turned a little toward the man to indicate that he would listen. â€Å"Sola, what will happen when the Outlanders find her gone?† â€Å"What of it?† â€Å"They will come after her.† â€Å"Not if they do not know where she has gone.† â€Å"But – how could they not know?† Corlath smiled grimly. â€Å"Because we shall not tell them.† Faran, by his own choice, had not been one of those who accompanied his king to the council with the Outlanders; Forloy and Innath and the others who had gone were wearing smiles to match the king's. The Outlanders could not see what happened under their very noses. â€Å"You shall leave here at once, and travel, slowly, toward the mountains; and set up camp again where the Leik spring touches the surface. There you will wait for me. I will return the way we came, in secret, in three days' time, so that the girl will not disappear too soon after the Hillfolk were seen in the Outlander station. Then I shall take the girl from her bed as she sleeps in the big house, and ride back to you.† There was a meditative silence; at last Faran said: â€Å"I would go with you, Sola. My horse is fast.† His voice was still unhappy, but the quaver was gone; and as he looked at the faces of the six Riders who had been with Corlath when he spoke with the Outlander commissioner, he began to feel curious. He had never seen an Outlander, even from a distance; never looked upon an Outlander town. After three restless days at the deserted campsite, Corlath, Faran, and Innath rode swiftly back toward the Outlander town. Corlath thought: They can't see us even in broad daylight when we gallop toward them with cloaks flapping and horses whinnying. We creep like burglars to an empty house, pretending that it has an owner because we can't quite believe it is this easy. Faran and Innath knelt down where they were and did not look as their king left them, for they knew they would see no more than he wished them to. The horses waited as silently as the men, but the king's bay stallion watched him go. The only sound was the wind whispering through the low brush and the horses' long manes. Corlath reached the house without difficulty; he had expected none. Watchdogs ignored him, or mysteriously counted him a friend. There were several black-and-brown furry shapes lying about sullenly snoring in the Residency garden. Outlander dogs did not like the northeast Border of Daria; and Hill dogs, who would have awakened at once and watched him silently, did not get on well with Outlanders. He passed the stables, but the grooms slept as heavily as the dogs. He couldn't see in the dark, but even in the places where the moonlight was no help he knew where things were. He reached the wall of the house and laid a hand on it. Depending on what sort of a mood the kelar was in, he could occasionally walk through walls, without knocking them down first, or at least see through them. And then again, sometimes he couldn't. It would be tiresome if he had to break in like the common burglar he felt, and wander from room to room looking at faces on pillows. There was even the remote chance he could get caught at it. No. This wasn't going to be one of those times: the kelar was with him – since it had gotten him into this dilemma, he thought, at least it was going to help to get him out of it – and he knew almost at once where she was. His only bad moment was when that damned clock in the front hall tolled like a call for the dead, and seemed to reach up the stairs after him like cold pale hands. She was curled up, drooping and asleep on a cushioned shelf built out from a curved window; and for a moment pity struck him and he hesitated. What good will pity do me? he thought almost angrily; I'm not here by choice. But he wrapped the cloak around her with unnecessary tenderness as he breathed a few words over her head to make sure she would sleep. Harry struggled out of some of the oddest dreams she'd ever had into a dim and foggy reality full of bumps and jolts. Was she ill? She couldn't seem to make out what was happening to her, save that it was very uncomfortable, and it was not like her to have difficulty waking up. She opened her eyes blearily and saw something that looked like dawn behind something that looked like hills, although she was a long way from them †¦ Where she was, she then realized, was slung sideways across a horse's withers with her feet sliding across his shoulder with every stride – no more comfortable for him than me – and she was held sitting upright by an arm round her middle that clamped her arms to her sides, and her head appeared to be bouncing against a human shoulder. Her only clear notion, and it wasn't very, was that she was perfectly capable of riding a horse herself, and resented being treated like a bundle or a baby: so she struggled. She raised her head with a gasp and shook her face free of the deep hood pulled over it; tried to sit up a bit farther and turn a bit more to the front. This caused the rider to rein his horse in abruptly; except she realized there were no reins. The rider seized her a little more firmly and then there were two other men on horseback beside her, and they dismounted and came toward her at once. They were dressed like Hillfolk, with hoods pulled low over their faces; and quite suddenly, still not understanding what had happened to her, she was afraid. The rider who held her handed her down to the men beneath; and she noticed that the shoulder her heels were knocking was bright bay, and the mane long and black. Then as the two men caught her by the arms, her feet touched the ground, and she fainted again. She woke once again in twilight, but this time the red glow came from the opposite direction. This time she awoke feeling more like herself; or she thought she did, but her surroundings were so unlikely she wasn't sure. She sat up and discovered she could; she was lying on a blanket, still wrapped in a dark hooded cloak that wasn't hers; and underneath she discovered she was still wearing her nightgown, and the dressing-gown over it. She was barefoot; she spent a light-headed minute or two trying to remember if her slippers had disappeared or if she'd never put them on – last night, or whenever it was – caught herself here, and looked around. She was in a bit of a hollow, with a scrub-covered dune behind her. Over her was a sort of tent roof, pegged out in a square, but with only one side let down. The other three offered her a view of the dune; the sunset, if that was what it was; and three men crouching over a tiny smokeless fire, built against the opposite arm of the same dune. Around its edge she could see the black hills fading in the last light, and three horses. Three lumps that might be saddles lay near them, but the horses – a grey, a chestnut, and a blood bay – were not tethered in any way. She had only just looked at these things with a first quick glance, and had not yet begun to puzzle over them, when one of the men stood up from the fire and walked over to her. The other two appeared to pay no attention, remaining bent over their knees and staring into the small red heart of the fire. The third man knelt down near her and offered a cup with something in it that steamed, and she took it at once without thinking, for the man's gesture had been a command. Then she held it and looked at it. Whatever it was, it was brown, and it smelled delicious; her stomach woke up at once, and complained. She looked at the cup, and then at the man; he was wrapped in a cloak and she could not see his face. After a moment he gestured again, at the cup she held, and said, â€Å"Drink it.† She licked her lips and wondered how her voice was going to sound. â€Å"I would rather not sleep any more.† That came out pretty well. There was another pause, but whether it was because he did not understand her – his accent was curious and heavy, although the Homelander words were readily recognizable – or was choosing his answer carefully, she could not tell. At last he said: â€Å"It will not make you sleep.† She realized that she was much too thirsty to care whether or not she believed him; and she drank it all. It tasted as good as it smelled, which, she thought, gave it points over coffee. Then she realized that she was now terribly hungry. â€Å"There is food if you wish it.† She nodded, and at once he brought her a plate of food and some more of the hot brown drink. He sat down again, as if with the intention of watching each mouthful. She looked at him, or rather at the shadow beneath the hood; then she transferred her attention to her plate. On it, beside the steaming hump of what she took to be stew, was an oddly shaped spoon; the handle was very arched, the bowl almost flat. She picked it up. â€Å"Be careful,† he said. â€Å"The sleep you have had makes some people sick.† So I was drugged, she thought. There was a peculiar relief in this, as if she now had an excuse to remember nothing at all about how she came to be where she was. She ate what she had been given, and felt the better for it, although the meat was unfamiliar to her; but the feeling better brought into unwelcome prominence all her questions about where she was, and why, and – worst – what next. She hesitated, looking at her now-empty plate. It was a dull grey, with a black symbol at its center. I wonder if it means anything, she thought. Health and long life? A charm against getting broken or lost? Or a symbolic representation of Death to Outlanders? â€Å"Is it well?† the man beside her asked. â€Å"I would – er – be more comfortable if I could see your face,† she said, trying to strike a clear note among reasonable timidity, dreadful cowardice, and politeness to one's captor. He threw back his hood, and turned his head so his face was clearly visible against the fading light behind him. â€Å"My God,† she said involuntarily: it was Corlath. â€Å"You recognize me, then?† he inquired; and at her startled nod – Yes, Your Majesty, she thought, but her tongue was glued to her teeth – he said, â€Å"Good,† and stood up. She looked dazed; he wished he might say something to reassure her, but if he couldn't explain to his own people why he was doing what he was doing, he knew he would be able to say nothing to her. He watched her gathering her dignity about her and settling it over her stricken expression. She said nothing further, and he picked up her plate and cup and took them back to the fire, where Innath scrubbed them with sand and put them away. Harry was too busy with her own thoughts to suspect sympathy from her kidnapper. She saw him as a figure in a cloak, and watched him join his men at the fire; neither of them looked her way. One stamped out the fire and packed the cooking-utensils in a bag; the other saddled the horses. Corlath stood staring at the hills, his arms folded, his cloak shifting in the evening breeze; the light was nearly all gone, and she soon could not discern his still figure against the background of the black hills. She stood up, a little shakily; her feet were uncertain under her, and her head was uncertain so far from the ground. She walked a few steps; the sand was warm underfoot, but not unbearably so. The two men – still without looking at her – slid past her, one on each side, and dismantled the tent, rolled it up, and stored it away so quickly it seemed almost like magic; and as the last bag was fastened to a saddle strap, Corlath turned, although no word had been spoken. The red bay followed him. â€Å"This is Isfahel,† he said to her gravely. â€Å"You would say perhaps †¦ Fireheart.† She looked up at the big horse, not sure what response was required; she felt that patting this great beast would be taking a liberty. To do something, she offered him the flat of her hand, and was foolishly gratified when he arched his neck and lowered his nose till his breath tickled her hand. He raised his head again and pricked his ears at Corlath; Harry felt that she had just undergone some rite of initiation, and wondered if she'd passed. The other two men approached them; the other two horses followed. Am I about to be slung over the saddlebow like a sack of meal again? she thought. Is it more difficult to do the slinging when the sack in question is standing and looking at you? She turned her head away, whereupon the other two men were found to be looking intently at the sand around their boots. The baggage was all tied behind their saddles, and the hollow they stood in looked as bare and undisturbed as if it had never sheltered a campsite. She turned her head back to Corlath again. â€Å"I can ride – at least a little,† she said humbly, although she had been considered an excellent horsewoman at Home. â€Å"Do you think I might sit †¦ facing forward, perhaps?† Corlath nodded and let go the horse's mane. He adjusted the leather-covered roll of fleece at the front of the saddle, then turned back to her. â€Å"Can you mount?† She eyed the height of the horse's back: Eighteen hands if he's an inch, she thought, and that may be conservative. â€Å"I'm not sure,† she admitted. Then, to the horror of the other two men, the puzzlement of Fireheart, and the surprise of Harry herself, Corlath knelt in the sand and offered her his cupped hands. She put a sandy foot in the hands, and was tossed up as easily as if she were a butterfly or a flower petal. She found this a bit unnerving. He mounted behind her with the same simple grace she'd seen in the Residency courtyard. The other two horses and their riders came up beside them; they wheeled together to face the hills, and together broke into a canter; Harry could detect no word or gesture of command. They rode all night – walk and canter and brief swift gallop – and Harry was bitterly tired before the line of hills before them began to emerge from a greying sky. They stopped only once; Harry swung her leg over the horse's withers and slid to the ground before any offer of help could be made; and while she didn't fold up where she stood, there was a nasty moment when she thought she might, and the sand heaved under her like the motion of a horse galloping. She was given bread, and some curious green fruit, and something to drink; and Corlath threw her into the saddle again while his men bit their lips and averted their eyes. She wound her hands in Fireheart's long mane, stiffened her back, and blinked, and willed herself to stay awake. She'd said she could ride, and she didn't want to be carried †¦ wherever they were going †¦ but she wasn't going to think about that. Just think about sitting up straight. Once when they slowed to a walk, Corlath handed her a skin bag and said, â€Å"Not much farther now,† and the words sounded kindly, not scornful. She wished she could see his face, but it was awkward to twist around to peer at someone who was just behind one's shoulder, so she didn't. The contents of the bag burned her mouth and made her gasp, but she sat up the straighter for it. Then as she stared at the line of hills, and squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, and was sure that the sky was turning paler, she was not imagining things, the three horses pulled up to a walk, then halted, ears forward. Corlath pointed; or to Harry it seemed that a disembodied hand and arm materialized by her right cheek. â€Å"There.† She followed the line his finger indicated, but she saw only waves of sand. The horses leaped forward at a gallop that appalled her with its swiftness at the end of such a journey; the shock of each of Fireheart's hoofs striking the ground rattled her bones. When she raised her eyes from the lift and fall of the black mane over her bands, she saw a glint of white, and of grey shapes too regular to be dunes. The sun broke golden over the hills as the three horses thundered into the camp.

Chronic Illness and Palliative Care. Master Nursing Essay

Chronic Illness and Palliative Care. Master Nursing - Essay Example The discussion in this paper will be based on the principles of care of a patient with a chronic illness which is asthma in attempts to explore three main concepts, living with asthma and patients quality of life; the client's empowerment through self-management care and the continuity of care in a multidisciplinary team approach with a palliative care setting. According to the definition provided by the World Health Organization (1990), "Palliative care is the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain or other symptoms and psychological, social and spiritual problems in this context are of paramount importance" (pp. 804). Regarding shared values and ethics in palliative care, ethike is a Greek word from which the word ethics is derived. Ethos is a value which one has and consistently applies to one's life. Within the palliative care setting, there are three aspects of patient care that need special attention: the realms of t he palliative care patient; the realm of the palliative care nurse; and the realm of the palliative care team. ... Scott was diagnosed with asthma at age of six years. There are some factors such as dairy products; shellfish; electrical storms and dairy dust that trigger his asthma attacks. Scott is married, but his wife left him three months ago and his condition gets worse and the house does not have the same standard as before. In his effort to find alleviation of the symptoms of asthma, Scott attends his 45 to 49 year old health assessment for the first time. The Patient's Diagnosis Scott was diagnosed with asthma at age of six years. His asthma is a chronic condition. Recently, Scott is complaining of bad asthma attack which stopped him to attend his work as usual. Additionally, Scott has psoriasis and the history of having it is unknown. However, the nurse practitioner should conduct a thorough health assessment in order to gain furthers details about the diagnosis of both disease, treatment, and the way of self management that is followed by Scott in order to control over his condition. Me asuring the severity level of asthma is determined by the physician by asking the client to have a lung function test (LFT), which a breathing test that identify whether the person is having asthma and its severity. Another test that can be done easily by the patient is spirometry, which is an instrument that is considered to be the most accurate test to determine asthma (Department of Health and Aging, 2010b). Living With Asthma Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways and lung. It is characterized by wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. There are some of the risk factors that contribute to trigger asthma attack such as colds and flu, air

Volex Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Volex Group - Essay Example Volex has identified healthcare sector as one of the most prominent thrust area on a global basis. Rising disposable incomes in the hands of the people in emerging markets, increased awareness and rising living standards have given a great boost to the healthcare market there. Increased average lifespan in the developed countries coupled with greater emphasis on the preventive measures have also caused a huge demand in healthcare sector in this part. Moreover, the current recessionary trend has a little effect on the demand of healthcare sector. That definitely goes well with the company’s healthcare strategy. The company proudly proclaims that Volex has obtained ISO 13485:2003 accreditations this year for its three international manufacturing facilities in Poland, India, and China. The ISO-13485 certifies the design, manufacturing and project management capabilities of medical devices of the company. It establishes product safety, traceability, risk management and design tran sfer activities in product development. ... Rising disposable incomes in the hands of the people in emerging markets, increased awareness and rising living standards have given a great boost to the healthcare market there. Increased average lifespan in the developed countries coupled with greater emphasis on the preventive measures have also caused a huge demand in healthcare sector in this part. Moreover, the current recessionary trend has a little effect on the demand of healthcare sector. That definitely goes well with the company’s healthcare strategy. The company proudly proclaims that Volex has obtained ISO 13485:2003 accreditations this year for its three international manufacturing facilities in Poland, India, and China. The ISO-13485 certifies the design, manufacturing and project management capabilities of medical devices of the company. It establishes product safety, traceability, risk management and design transfer activities in product development. Prior to that, the company had the accreditation of its des ign centre in Ireland last year. This is an indication of the company's foray into the health care sector strengthening its product portfolio and achieving the industry standards that the market requires. The three manufacturing facilities at Chennai (India), Suzhou (China) and Bydgoszcz (Poland) are equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities to deliver complex interconnect products for advanced applications such as CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, X-Ray and ultrasound. This will certainly help the company to create enough customer confidence among the health care sector. (Volex Builds, 2011) Volex's ISO achievement displays its commitment towards design processes for product delivery. This amply testifies the credentials of the Volex in

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Case Study

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Serv - Case Study Example Exposure therapy involves extended exposure, implosion therapy, flooding, and systematic desensitization among others. There are different approaches that have been used in the past to deal with the posttraumatic stress disorder which include VR therapy (virtual reality). This kind of therapy allows an individual to confront the past bad experience in a controlled and safe manner. The virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) is another method of combating posttraumatic stress disorder. This method incorporates physiological monitoring in the earlier discussed VR therapy, it also include training. This is a documentation of a randomized trail, which include discussions on specific issues of posttraumatic stress disorder therapies trials in a military environment. This study was designed to investigate whether patients suffering from combat related posttraumatic stress disorder are likely to show significant improvement in virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) than t he usual treatment. Methodology The study was a randomized trial of virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD) compared to the usual treatments. ... The assessors to determine eligible participants did screening and only participants who meet the requirements for the study were included. Qualified psychologists conducted therapies on patients treated in the early phase of the study and the therapies were done twice a week for every participant. This went on for a period of ten weeks. Participants were taught aspects of attention and meditation control in the first session of the therapy and the second session involved reviewing of the autonomic control and attentional training. The subsequent sessions that followed involved exposing the participants to VR stimulation of Afghanistan or Iraq most traumatic experiences. Some participants were assigned VR-GET whereas others were assigned TAU. The statistical analysis involved classifying the participants if the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) either reduced or did not reduce by thirty percent. The chi-square test with yattes correlation was used to compare the proportions of res pondents in VR-GET and TAU. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the categorical variables and t-test for comparing continuous variables. Analysis of variance was also used to examine groups and time changes in CAPS scores. Results, Discussions and Conclusion The study had twenty participants who met the inclusion criteria and ten were assigned the VR-GET while the remaining assigned TAU. Post treatment assessment was done after the ten weeks and one participant did not come back for this assessment. Seventy percent of the participants assigned VR-GET showed a 30% or more improvement. Less than 30% of the participants who were assigned TAU showed improvements. There was a wide variation in response to treatment with the VR-GET and TAU study

Business Valuation of Tesco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Valuation of Tesco - Research Paper Example The paper discusses reasons resulting in the declining performance of Tesco. In the recession time, when other competitors like Wal-Mart, Sainsbury’s, and Carrefour have been facing severe problems, Tesco has adopted strong strategic plans to cope with the financial crisis. In the years following the financial crisis period, the company has reported a declining profit, despite the fact that profits yielding from its operations were greater, but the consumers’ behavior remained ineffective. Tough competition among competitive companies led by low-profit margin pricing and marketing activities has been observed during 2012-2013. The company has maintained strong policies and strategies to overcome obstacles (Miller, 2005). The analysis of the performance of Tesco shows that the competition has led the company to initiate steps to minimize its costs. It has enabled the company to increase its profit margin when consumers hesitate to spend. On the other hand, an effective a nd innovative platform in the operational side of the business has been observed (Naunheim, 2011).  As the consumer’s behavior model has changed in recent years, this strategy of Tesco has regained the confidence of consumers and has increased its sales volume. The analysis of the five-year financial information (see Table 1) depicts that the company’s stock price has been fluctuating with the changes under economic circumstances (Naunheim, 2011). Tesco’s stock price peaked during 2009-2010, whereas a gradual fall was observed in 2010-2011, but a major decline in stock prices was in 2012-2013 (Dinkhoff, 2009). According to financial data, there has been a major decline in 2012. Amongst competitors in the retailing and grocery merchandising industry, Sainsbury’s stock value has been gradually increased during 2009-2011. By the end of 2011, the company’s stock peaked, and after 2011 a gradual decline in the Sainsbury’s stock prices has been observed (Dinkhoff, 2009). Sainsbury’s market price has not fluctuated like that of Tesco during 2011-2012.  

Risk and value management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk and value management - Essay Example Based on the primary objective of value management to develop project objectives with uttermost clarity, the process facilitates quest for background information on the project as well as the project’s needs. These initiatives facilitate an extensive development of knowledge on the project towards management competency of business knowledge. As a result, value management provides an opportunity for developing insights into a project for proper management of the strategic management stage and the entire project. Value management also creates time resource between the initiation stage of a project and the project’s implementation stage. With an outlined budget for value management’s time, an organization is able to identify and evaluate outlined objectives in a project for improvement. This therefore means that apart from the benefits of the value management, its incorporation in the project’s budget adds value to the briefing process as well as the entire p roject (Turner, p. 307). Value management also facilitates identification of client’s needs and expectations from a project. The analytical approach of the management that aims at identification of the objectives of the project particularly leads to an understanding of what the customer wants out of the project. This further facilitates development of objective and establishment of ground for customer utility at the completion of the project. Establishing customers’ needs is also important in the strategic briefing stage because the success and feasibility of a project is measured against expectations of the stakeholders. With all needs of the client identified by the value management process, the strategic briefing process develops the capacity to evaluate feasibility of the needs as well as incorporating the need into the project’s objectives. There is also an induced benefit of empowerment and development of team members in value management. The interactive approach in