Unit 3: Screening and Assessment

The Assessment Process Maria Barrezueta Kaplan University The Assessment Process Many sources of energy exist all around us, the two main forms of energy are kinetic and potential. While potential energy is less obvious, kinetic energy can be easier to identify. Energy comes from different sources, some that are renewable and others that have a limited supply. The world that we live in has a high demand for energy, and it is important to find alternative sources that are renewable and cost effective.It is beneficial to reflect on the energy that is used daily, try to find ways of using renewable resources, and making it a personal duty to conserve energy by reducing daily usage. Energy is used in many different ways, anything that is able to do â€Å"work† exhibits energy (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). Humans rely on food for energy, as our bodies convert food into work (Trefil & Hazen, 2010). With so many technical advances, energy has a significant role in our everyday lives.The al arm that is used to wake up, the lights that we use when its dark, the hot water that we use in the morning, the electricity that is used for a blow dryer or straightener, to make coffee and toast, the gas that is used to drive to work†¦it seems as energy sources are in constant use, half the time it happens effortlessly. Electricity is a source of energy that is used for many different appliances that serve our daily needs. It is however a secondary source of energy because it originates from coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear (energy4me. com, 2013).Electricity can be made from renewable sources such as solar energy and wind (Trefil and Hazen, 2010). As electricity makes many of the tools we need functional, gas is also an energy source that is used at home, during travel and at work. Living in California, the weather is not a subject to complain about. Nonetheless, we use the air conditioner in the summer time and the heater in the winter. Some homes use electric stoves whil e others use gas. All of these energy sources come from petroleum; the energy source that provides fuel for our vehicles, heat for our homes, produces electricity, and is used in many everyday products (energy4me. om, 2013). According to Trefil and Hazen â€Å"Fuels like oil (petroleum), coal, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they are the result of processes that happened long ago† (2010). Consequently, petroleum a very high in demand source of energy, is not renewable. Renewable energy has become a very important topic, as the need to conserve fossil fuels has increased significantly. When considering renewable resources, different factors exist such as reliability and cost.As mentioned earlier, the two main forms of renewable energy come from wind and solar energy because these sources are reliable and there are no global warming risks involved (Trefil and Hazen, 2010). Wind energy is a renewable source of energy; with the use of wind turbines, it generates e lectricity with each turn of the blade (energy4me. com, 2013). Since electricity is produced with each turn, the amount of energy obtained depends on the amount of wind available to that region. California has 3 main wind farms and are located in Tehachapi, Altamont Pass, and San Gorgonio (California Energy Commission, 2013).Wind energy is generally higher around spring and summer, which doesn’t make it a reliable source all year long. Using wind energy for personal home use would only work if one lived by the coast. Wind energy is not a renewable energy source that is available to many populations, thus would not be appropriate to residents looking for alternative energy sources. A renewable source that can be more accessible is solar energy, especially in California since energy is obtained from the sun. The use of solar energy has been around since ancient times, the amount of solar power available is endless.The downfall is that when the sun is not shining, there is no po wer generated. However, living in southern California, using solar energy is more readily available than in other regions because it is typically sunny. To use solar energy, solar panels that produce photovoltaic cells are created, these panels turn sunlight into electricity (energy4me. com, 2013). Another source of renewable energy is hydropower, which uses water to create electricity. Generally hydropower projects consist of a strong flow of water that puts pressure and turns the turbines that generate electricity (energy4me. om, 2013). Hydropower is a reliable source, however it would not be appropriate for southern Californians because the area is too dry and a hydropower project would not work. The main energy source that is used is petroleum, we use it for transportation, heating, cooling, and for its many other benefits. The disadvantage of petroleum is that only a limited supply exists. There is also a possible risk of environmental damage whenever drilling for petroleum is done. The advantage of renewable energy sources is that the supply relies on the weather conditions.This means that as long as there is sunlight, solar energy can be produced. Wherever wet regions exist, hydropower projects can be set up, just as windy regions can use wind turbines to generate electricity. All of these resources are naturally available, thus allowing an endless supply of energy. Nonetheless, the main disadvantage of all renewable energy sources is that all of the methods discussed are quite costly. Building wind turbines can be expensive, however after they have been built, electricity is generated at no cost. The same with solar energy, it involves a high investment and only works with sunlight.However, the system does last 15-30 years which is a significant amount of time. The hydropower projects are not only pricey, but there is also a risk that it may have an environmental impact by changing the dam area (energy4me. com, 2013). Despite its disadvantage, it does has the capability of creating large amounts of power. It is important to take personal responsibility on the energy that is used, by practicing energy conservation. This can be done * In addition to using alternative forms of energy, energy conservation is also a significant way in which we can reduce our ecological impacts on the environment.Determine areas where you may already practice energy conservation and also identify at least 3 ways in which you can reduce your energy use both at home, at work, and in other actions you take on a regular Shawn_Edwards_Assignment2. doc References California Energy Commission (n. a. ) (n. d. ). Retrieved on April 18, 2013 from: http://www. energy. ca. gov/ Energy Sources (n. a. ) (2013). Retrieved on April 18, 2013 from: http://www. energy4me. org/ National Renewable Energy Laboratory (n. a. ) (2013) Retrieved on April 18, 2013 from: http://www. nrel. gov/

A Failure to Communicate: Long Term Care for the Baby Boomers

The Government is taking the home Mary and Marshall Brandenburg worked for all their lives.   Mary and Marshall poured all of their assets into realizing the American dream of home ownership.   Now they are among the thousands of seniors who are having that dream extinguished by the estate recovery provision of Medicaid.   Mary has lived in a nursing home since 2001.When she dies, Georgia will collect the cost of her long-term care from her estate, wiping out any inheritance for her family.   Like Mary and Marshall, most Americans think the money taken out of their paychecks every week for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will cover their long-term care.   This is simply not true.This paper explores the misconception held by a significant number of people that Government programs will pay for long-term care.   This paper also discusses the way Congress altered the role of Medicaid through passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.   The policy changes of the DA R substantially affect estate planning and increase the need for long-term care insurance.Also included is a discussion of provisions a long-term insurance policy should include.   The two main delivery methods of long-term care insurance are through a private carrier or a state sponsored Long-Term Care Partnership Program.   The paper concludes by recommending nationwide implementation of the Long-Term Care Partnership Program.II. ITS REALITY TIME FOR THE BABY BOOMERS!Americans are living longer than ever and the first members of the Baby Boom Generation will reach 65 in four more years.   Many of them are or have been caregivers for their parents.   The reality of old age is now staring them directly in the face.As one recent blogger lamented: â€Å"I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday, wiping down the mirror, when it happened.   It stopped me in my tracks, mid-swipe, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.   I blinked hard, took another look, but there was no denying the truth.   I have become my mother.†A. Just Who Are These â€Å"Boomers† Anyway?The U. S. Census Bureau defines Baby Boomers as the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964.   They comprise approximately 30% of the total population and are more numerous than any other generation.   Boomers transformed America into what is now the wealthiest and strongest nation on the planet.Along the way, they also transformed our culture.   Boomers are the driving force behind the emphasis on individual rights, from civil rights to gay rights.   They started out by challenging authority but now control almost every major institution.Now they are facing retirement but the majority of them have not considered any type of estate planning.   According to a recent study, 60% of Americans between the ages of 21 and 64 have neither an IRA nor a 401(k).   According to Cheryl Russell, a well-known demographer, most Boomers â€Å"haven't faced retirement planning yet, b ut when they do, it will come as a shock.†B.   Their Need for Long Term CareAmericans are living longer than ever.   At birth, a Boomer could expect to live to the age of seventy.   Now Americans reaching 65 have a life expectancy of 20 more years.   This trend of more of us getting older and living longer will continue.   Individuals that are age 85 and older are the fastest growing demographic of our population.At age fifty, there is a 20% chance of needing long-term care within the next year.   At age 65, there is a 44% lifetime risk of entering a nursing home.   The trend is clear, more and more of us will need long-term care.What is Long-Term Care?Long-term care encompasses a broad range of services needed by people who are unable to care for themselves because of illness, disability or aging.   Long-term care is the assistance needed to perform the essential activities of daily living (ADLs).   Individuals may receive this assistance at home, in an assi sted living facility, adult day care center or skilled nursing home.The term, activities of daily living, means activities that people generally do by themselves on a daily basis.   These are dressing, bathing, transferring (getting into and out of bed or a chair), walking, eating and toileting/continence.   Medicaid eligibility or payments from a long-term care insurance policy usually require the person be unable to perform two or more of the ADLs.However, long-term care encompasses more than just meeting the chronic health care needs of an individual. Maintaining your quality of life and lifestyle preferences are also important components.   Providing assistance in a traditional facility is usually more efficient and cheaper than assistance provided at home.Yet most people prefer to remain in their home and maintain control in the determining their daily activities.   Whether this is possible depends on the individual’s financial situation and the availability of s upport from the family or community.

Literacy Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literacy Narrative - Essay Example Furthermore, learning a language amounts to the spread of literacy and fluency in yet another aspect and, thus, is helpful mainly to communicate with people. As a student from China, learning the English language did pose a few problems to me, however, gradually, I was able to catch on very well though not without a few eventful incidents and memories to remember the process by. â€Å"Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This impression is due entirely to my prison studies.† (Malcolm X) Malcolm X, the renowned leader of Black America, has been an inspiration along my journey of learning English. His quote suggests that everything is possible, even teaching oneself an alien language. As I signed myself for some English speaking lessons, I felt excited knowing that I would be providing myself the opportunity to delve into another road in life and learn a number of new things which could help me somewhere in the future. Also, I retain a keen interest in reading and, thus, learning a new language means having twice the literature material, if not more, to read and gain knowledge and information. Initially, my enthusiasm knew no bounds as my instructor began teaching me the fundamentals of the English grammar; however, soon I became weary and began to lose interest. With time, it was becoming frustrating to learn the language because I would often trip on my grammar and make silly mistakes; I would forget what certain words meant and where and how to use them in sentences; and I even got annoyed at myself for not being able to understand accents of the English speaking people living abroad. However, my dream of studying abroad in an English speaking environment kept me going and soon I realized just how funny the language was. I began to understand laughter-causing things like homonyms and puns, not to forget mentioning beautiful pro verbs and idioms that I began to make use of in my daily speech. My teacher was impressed with me as I took to reading books for children in English to begin with. My class was full of fresh zeal, both children and adults alike, trying to master the English language through skits, plays, dialogues, songs and poems. But for my teacher, I would not have been so fluent in the language today; he made sure that we signed up for participating in English plays, watching English movies and listening to English music while singing along in order to strengthen whatever knowledge we had, and to also make sure that we would not make silly mistakes while learning. I recall watching the film ‘My Fair Lady’, which is about a young girl trying to learn the sophisticated form of speaking in English in order to impress people from high society and make them believe that she fitted in there. That film gave me the motivation to open my books and practise my speech more and more because it helped me believe that I, too, one day, could be as polished in the language as she was. With time, I realized that watching English movies with their subtitles was one of the best ways to learn new sentences and how to use them in speech. Also, my teacher urged us to watch the news in English so that it would also help us keep in touch with current affairs from around the world and we would be able to

The Post Bureaucratic Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Post Bureaucratic Organization - Essay Example It will be structured according to the following outline: The first part introduces the reader to the idea of the bureaucratic organization. The major characteristics of the bureaucracy will be presented and discussed in order to provide a good background for the post-bureaucratic organization. The second part will be a discussion of the features of the post-bureaucratic organization and the final part will discuss the challenges and pressures that managers face in a post-bureaucratic environment, with some ideas on how managers can cope with such pressures and challenges. The essay will also discuss and evaluate the post-bureaucratic organization on the basis of the characteristics of the bureaucracy as expounded by Max Weber. There have been many views about the bureaucracy as an organizational form. Many have criticized it saying it is very impersonal and is not responsive. The hierarchical structure is also said to be inflexible and does not allow for dynamism. However, there are also those who believe that the bureaucratic structure is here to stay. And still there are those who think that organizations are neither strictly bureaucratic nor non-bureaucratic. ... However, since much of the writings of Karl Marx are more focused on the philosophical and social ideologies, especially with his concept of revolutionary communism, Max Weber has come to be known as the proponent of the concept of bureaucracy. This essay will focus on the ideas advanced by Max Weber regarding the bureaucratic organization. The description "Weberian", referring to Weber's model, has become a comfortable term to use in readings about the bureaucracy. Weber's bureaucracy is considered by scholars and practitioners as the "ideal organization" or the "ideal-type" organization. This idea of an ideal structure however draws out varied reactions from different people. Some agree with the idea of achieving order through its prescribed system of doing things. Others condemn it for causing problems like delays, corruption, being too impersonal, etc. In order to put all these in their proper perspective, a good starting point is to define the concept of bureaucracy. The first and most common word one comes across in readings related to bureaucracy is the word rationality. Quoting Weber, Neil Garston defines bureaucracy in the book Bureaucracy: Three Paradigms through an explanation of the categories of rational legal authority. Authority in this sense is equated to bureaucracy and involves the following: 1 1. A continuous organization of official functions bound by rules 2. A specified sphere of competence involving spheres of obligations marked by division of labor; incumbent being provided with authority to carry out functions; clearly defined means of compulsion 3. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy 4. The rules which regulate the conduct of an office may be technical rules or norms 5.

What were the status and the roles of Jews under Islamic Rule Discuss Essay

What were the status and the roles of Jews under Islamic Rule Discuss 3 issues - Essay Example The Nazi forces had committed many atrocities against the Jews. They burnt the papers, which contained many important discoveries of Albert Einstein. The paper presents an overview of Jews under Islamic rule. Muslims used to support other religion generally. Muslims believe Islam is only the religion. Muslims feel that the Jews are wrong in believing theirs is a god’s religion. Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet and messiah whom Christians are worshipping as god. Christians have paid much attention towards Jews in the west, whereas in Muslims countries, the Jews were given less importance but they were wealthy. Christians and Jews are friendly in Europe with good religions atmosphere. Whereas in Muslims countries the Jews were treated as minority amongst other religions which resulted in they did not become intruded in Muslim areas. It’s every country’s responsibility to protect it citizen’s basic human rights. Human rights violation should be considered as a serious offence, legal and appropriate action should be taken against those who violate these rights. Countries like Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and most of the other Islamic countries don’t even consider providing and implementing basic human rights. Jews comes under the minority section and have been given less importance. In Islamic countries the important hurdle is the Shariat1 law. This law prevents basic amenities to the minority sections. According to this law women were not equal to men, they should always be under veil, only her members could see her face, men can marry as any times as they want, women should get married only once and many other stringent laws are under implementation. The Israel and Palestinian conflict has taken center stage in the world politics. It also reflects a fight between the Jews and Muslims and those who are in support with both the religions respectively. It is seen as a war between

The Labeling Theory and The Cultural Deviance Theory Assignment

The Labeling Theory and The Cultural Deviance Theory - Assignment Example In response to question 4, labeling theory is chosen as the most appropriate theory to account for the case. Labeling and the Cultural Deviancy theories Introduction It could be argued that criminal activities are common in every society across the world. Furthermore, has been argued that criminal activities have existed as along as man and societies have contented and grappled with addressing them. However, what has been of great concern is the evolution and surge of criminal activities. In the attempts of addressing crimes, criminologists have sought to understand the causes and proposed an array of theories, including the labeling theory and the legitimate crime causation theory. This paper answers some pertinent questions in regard to the two theories. Response to question 1 The proponents of the labeling theory are concerned that the labels that are placed on the offenders through the justice systems. Such labels function to worsen the behaviors of the inmates because the labels function to aggravate the behaviors that need to be stopped. In the long run, this constrains recovery form criminal behaviors. The proponents are concerned that the criminal justice system has not only failed to stop criminal behaviors, but it is also functioning to reinforce the very criminal behaviors (Gabbidon & Greene, 2013). An alternative theory that could be utilized to avoid stereotyping within the criminal justice system is the cultural deviancy theory. The cultural deviance theory posits that the cause of the criminal behaviors in the urban areas can be hardly attributed to poverty, but to a distinct lower-class culture, which is mainly concerned about the societal norms. The social deviancy theory is based on the conflict perspective, thus perceives cultural deviancy as a condition that is normal that crime is simply a concept of conflicts within classes (Bereska, 2011). The theory posits that the lower class category contains its values, goals and ideals that significa ntly differ from those of other classes. As the individuals within the lower classes conform to these practices on the course of day life routine, they also interact with people from other classes. Their behaviors overlap and conflict and the lower-class group suffer the implication of being considered socially deviant. This theory also follows the account that as people conform to the values within the class, they may even impart the values to the subsequent generation. This theory acknowledges the basis of nature versus nurture, wherein the behaviors of persons are nurtured by the intervening social environment. Thus, cultural deviance theory is that which approaches crimes from the sociological perspectives. Cultural deviance theory does not present criminals as immoral and sinful people, and describes crimes based in the examination of race, social circle, levels of education and income, culture, among other social aspects and this makes it particularly suited to limit stereotyp ing within the criminal justice systems. Then the only weakness this approach is that it tends to justify crimes as unintentional. Response to Part 2 In my view, labeling is a legitimate crime causation theory on various accounts. According to the

Financial strength and developments of Lonmin Plc Essay

Financial strength and developments of Lonmin Plc - Essay Example Headquartered in Britain, Lonmin Plc’s selling is extended worldwide and the company’s flagship possessions is located in Marikana mine in South Africa. It has its effective operations in Canada and the group has total employees over 28,276 (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The business also has joint ventures with Vakle and Walbridge. The company searches for PGM mineralization in Ontario and Northern Ireland project which is an initial stage exploration opportunity for the company (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). 1.3. Turnover of Lonmin Plc As indicated from Lonmin Plc’s annual report, the yearly turnover produced by the business in the year 2014 is observed to be 582.4 billion (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The revenue of the company is observed to be decreasing over the past five years as the operating expense of the company is increasing. The platinum sales of the group accounted for 701,831 ounces and for PGM sales it was 1,383,945 ounces. Asset turnover of Lonmin Plc is found to be $4,384.5 Million which deceased over the past five years (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The consensus forecast amongst 20 polled investments analysts who covers the company advised the investors to grip their position in the group. The forecasts of the analysts indicate that the company in the near future is expected to outperform the market. Lonmin Plc is listed in the London stock exchange and Johannesburg stock exchange and has been observed to major shares in the market.

Should the U.S. reinstitute corporal punishment Essay

Should the U.S. reinstitute corporal punishment - Essay Example Corporal punishment is diminutive of personal respect to each person. I believe that each person in entitled to a respect of his dignity. And this type of punishment is unacceptable. According to research, corporal punishment has not been effective as means of instilling morals and solving social problems. This type of punishment threatens the physical well being of a person. According to research, corporal punishment also results in depression, anxiety, stress and other emotional related problems. In the bible, there are conflicting provisions when it comes to corporal punishment. According to Robinson (2005), there are passages that contain or recommend the use of the physical pain to discipline children. One of these passages can be found in Prov 22:14 which states that â€Å"Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell (Shoel).† Some of those conservative Christians or followers of the Bible require parents to use corporal punishment. However, the so-called Golden Rule is telling us another point. Jesus always teaches us the theme to treat others as you would wish to be treated. But who wants to be paddled, spanked or whipped? Every person does not like to be inflicted with pain.

Adult Aging and Development Project Description Essay - 9

Adult Aging and Development Project Description - Essay Example Lastly, there is retrieval that is the getting back the memory from storage for use. Researchers in human development and aging have gone deep scrutinizing the speed of processing information and working memory capacity to understand the effect of the age difference on the memory. In the memory process, the older adults have a myriad of issues like retrieval and encoding problems. The strategies of encoding are not readily used by the older adults as it happens to the young adults. There is decreased the flow of blood to the brain while encoding hence less brain activity. The older adults are more affected by false memories. False memories are made of the remembering and giving an account to events that never took place. For the fact that the old are affected more than the young ones, then they are not used in the court of law to testify as eyewitnesses in most cases. The older adults have a problem with having selective attention. The distracters affect the old more than it does to the young adults. Therefore, there is difficulty in the performance of complex tasks for their nature of divided attention. At the same time when talking to the adults, there is a need to be relevant and provide with an environment that is less distracted for better performance. As one age, their attention deficit keeps increasing up to the point they cannot work on any work constructively. From the studies, there is a substantial decline in intellectual abilities. There is a steady increase in intelligence up to the age of sixty where the fluid intelligence starts to decrease hence becoming less intelligent than the younger counterparts. The exceptional creativity that is extraordinary and helpful to the society is at its peak in the thirties and the decline as time goes. The older people lose that compelling desire to be creative hence the decreased creativity in the adults.  

Pro-social effects of the media Essay Example for Free

Pro-social effects of the media Essay One explanation of the pro-social effects of the media on behaviour comes from Banduras Social Learning Theory. Banduras research suggests that children learn through observing a behaviour, then later imitating it if the expectation of reward is high. For example the child needs to pay attention to a role model for example seeing a super hero, then there needs to be retention of the information into the LTM, reproduction, so the child imitates the same type of behaviour such as helping others, and finally the child needs to be motivated to imitate the behaviour such as, being the same gender. The process of social learning works in the same way for learning pro-social acts as seen on television as it does for learning anti-social acts (vicarious reinforcement). Unlike the depiction of anti-social acts, however, the depiction of pro-social acts (such as generosity or helping) is likely to be in accord with established social norms (e.g., the need to be helpful and generous to others). Assuming that these social norms have been internalised by the viewer, the imitation of these acts, therefore, is likely to be associated with the expectation of social reinforcement, and so the child is motivated to repeat these actions in their own life. Furthermore, Bandura would also suggest that the pro-social effects of the media derives from reciprocal determinism whereby people who watch programmes about helping people will make friends with people who watch similar TV programmes. A second explanation of how the media influences pro-social behaviour comes from research into developmental trends. Pro social behaviours have been shown to be contingent on the development of pro social skills, such as perspective taking, empathy and a high level or moral reasoning which continue to develop through adolescence, which increase with age (Eisenberg, 1990). E.g., research has shown that young children are less able to recognise the emotional state of others and are less sure of how to help. It has also been found that children have difficulty recognising and understanding pro-social messages, and may be less affected by pro social messages if these portrayals are more complex than the simple modelling of specific behaviour (Mares, 1996). One strength of media influences on pro social behaviour comes from further empirical support from Woodward (1999). In their study they found that US programmes for pre-school children had high levels of pro-social content: 77% of programmes surveyed contained at least one pro social lesson. This suggests that there is wider academic credibility for the influence media has on pro-social behaviour. A further strength of LST comes from further empirical support provided by Mares and Woodward (2001). They found from their research that children are most affected when they are able to see exact steps for positive behaviour, such as when someone donates tokens. This could be because they can remember concrete acts better than abstract ones. This suggests that there is wider academic credibility for the idea of imitating pro-social behaviour. Furthermore, the explanations into the media effects on pro-social behaviour is that there are practical applications. For example, Johnston et al. Found that learning pro social behaviour was best when there were follow up discussions. For example, when Johnson showed students a TV programme in a classroom and accompanied by teacher-led discussions students were more willing to help. This suggests that using SLT of media can improve the quality of peoples lives who are anti-social. Finally, the research into media effects on pro-social behaviour is that it has high reliability. The reason for this is because the research is carried out in a laboratory study, where there is control over the IV and DV and most extraneous variables are reduced. This suggests that if the research was tested and re-tested then the same results would be achieved. However, one weakness of the SLT is that because the theory is based in research from the laboratory is it lacks ecological validity. Huston (1983) argues that some programmes foster only limited types of pro-social behaviour that do not really apply in real life. For the best effect stories need to depict ordinary everyday kindness and helping and, after the programme adults in the childrens life need to discuss the programme content with them and role model pro-social behaviour in the course of play. This suggests that the findings from this research could not be applied to real life situations. Another weakness of Johnstons research is that there is contradictory evidence provided by Rubenstein et al. (1982). They found that in a study of adolescents hospitalised for psychiatric problems, found that post-viewing discussion led to decreased altruism, possibly because the adolescents wanted to take up a view that was contrary to that held by adults. Moreover, the effects of media on pro-social behaviour is that it is reductionist. The reason for this is because other factors need to be involved, for example personality and temperament of the child and parents. This suggests that the research is oversimplistic when explaining helping behaviour. A final weakness is that the research is culturally specific. The reason for this because the majority of the research has been carried out in the USA and therefore the criteria of pro-social behaviour may be different to non-western societies. This suggests that the research cannot be generalised to the whole population.

Semantics And The Structure Of Sentence

Semantics And The Structure Of Sentence Semantics is the study of meaning. It typically focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for. Linguistic semantics is the study of meanings that humans use language to express. Other forms of semantics include the semantics of programming languages, formal logics, and semiotics. The word semantics itself denotes a range of ideas, from the popular to the highly technical. It is often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation. This problem of understanding has been the subject of many formal inquiries, over a long period of time, most notably in the field of formal semantics. In linguistics, it is the study of interpretation of signs or symbols as used by agents or communities within particular circumstances and contexts. Within this view, sounds, facial expressions, body language, proxemics has semantic (meaningful) content, and each has several branches of study. In written language, such things as paragraph structure and punctuation have semantic content; in other forms of language, there is other semantic content. The formal study of semantics intersects with many other fields of inquiry, including lexicology, syntax, pragmatics, etymology and others, although semantics is a well-defined field in its own right, often with synthetic properties. In philosophy of language, semantics and reference are related fields. Further related fields include philology, communication, and semiotics. The formal study of semantics is therefore complex. Semantics contrasts with syntax, the study of the combinatory of units of a language (without reference to their meaning), and pragmatics, the study of the relationships between the symbols of a language, their meaning, and the users of the language. In international scientific vocabulary semantics is also called semasiology. LEXICAL CONCEPTUAL SEMANTICS This theory is an effort to explain properties of argument structure. The assumption behind this theory is that syntactic properties of phrases reflect the meanings of the words that head them. With this theory, linguists can better deal with the fact that subtle differences in word meaning correlate with other differences in the syntactic structure that the word appears in. The way this is gone about is by looking at the internal structure of words. These small parts that make up the internal structure of words are referred to as semantic primitives. LEXICAL SEMANTICS A linguistic theory that investigates word meaning. This theory understands that the meaning of a word is fully reflected by its context. Here, the meaning of a word is constituted by its contextual relations. Therefore, a distinction between degrees of participation as well as modes of participation are made. In order to accomplish this distinction any part of a sentence that bears a meaning and combines with the meanings of other constituents is labeled as a semantic constituent. Semantic constituents that can not be broken down into more elementary constituents are labeled a minimal semantic constituent. COMPUTATIONAL SEMANTICS Computational Semantics is focused on the processing of linguistic meaning. In order to do this concrete algorithms and architectures are described. Within this framework the algorithms and architectures are also analyzed in terms of decidability, time/space complexity, data structures which they require and communication protocols. Many companies use semantic technologies to create commercial value. The fundamental point is that you cannot create much value from content that you do not understand. Once you understand, then you can interrogate more effectively, create explicit relationships between content around topics and issues, inform contextual advertising and product placement, and build a standard method of sharing structured data between publishers. Halliday (1987) describes some syntactic and semantic differences between the spoken and written modes of communication. Hoey (1986), Van Valin (1984) and Winter (1977) describe the syntax and semantics of clause connection, focusing largely on several English registers According to the traditional grammar, sentences consist of words, but not every string of word constitutes a sentence as we can see in the following example: Lion cage this less in dangerous is the. A possible analysis is that if we look at this example we know the meaning of the individual words, but the sequence as a whole does not make sense, so we cannot consider this structure a sentence. Thus, we can affirm that if a sequence of words is to constitute a sentence, it must he meaningful, for instance: The lion is less dangerous in this cage. The network of relations between the words of a sentence is called its structure. There are many different aspects that influence the structure of a sentence. A very important one is word order. The different order of the words in a sentence can bring by a difference in its meaning, as in the following example: Did he say who he was?= Who did he say he was? But a difference in word order does not always imply a difference in meaning. Sometimes it simply entails a difference in emphasis: John ran away //A way ran John . In relation with the words, the structure of the sentence also depends on the individual meaning of the words or word-groups making up the sentence; in the following example the difference of structure is not due to word order but to the relationship between the words: Peter was waiting for seven friends. //Peter was waiting for seven minutes. Then this kind of Grammar deals with the concept of Ambiguous sentences and explains that the structure of sentences is not always unambiguously derivable from overt marks like word order, lexical items etc Sometimes we come across sentences to which more than one structure can he assigned, having therefore, more than one meaning. This type of sentence receives the name of Ambiguous Sentence, as in the following examples: George likes Susan more than Joan // Visiting relatives can be boring. Only through the context in which these sentences may appear can we know which of the two possible meanings is intended. According to the Transformational Grammar, it deals with the idea that a sentence has a syntactic structure, and it follows this term in order to develop its theory. The first important point deals with the idea that the evidence for claiming that sentences have a syntactic structure in language comes from the native speakers intuition about the structure of sentences in his language. These structural intuitions which native speakers have about the Syntax of their languages are two types: 1. The constituents: intuitions about how sound-sequences in sentences are structured into larger structural units. 2. Categories: intuitions about whether structural units belong to the same category or not. So, the following example is going to illustrate this fact: To analyze the concept of sentence we can do the following analysis: words are grouped into lower constituents. For example à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"incredibly modifies intelligentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ , so the sequence [incredibly intelligent] is a phrasal constituent of the sentence. Also, following the analysis, this modifies pupil, so the sequence [that pupil] forms a single structural unit, a constituent of the sentence. The same happens in the sequence [that teacher]. But furthermore also the sequence [to that teacher] is another constituent. To the transformational grammar, the phrases [incredibly intelligent] and [to that teacher] both modify seemà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ , then the whole sequence [seem incredibly intelligent to that teacher] is also a constituent. Thus, all this information can he represented as we see before in diagrammatic form, that is a tree diagram. Each point in the tree is called a node, and each node represents a constituent. But, however, since nodes are predictable, later they were suppressed in subsequent tree-diagrams. But a tree-diagram does not provide any representation of our intuitions about which constituents are constituents of the same type. The traditional way of describing the similarities and differences between constituents is to say that they belong to categories of various types. And the same happens with the phrases. Finally, to this type of grammar, the whole sequence [that pupil must seem incredibly intelligent to that teacher] is a special type of constituent traditionally termed a clause or sentence. 3. Conventions to Be used in the analysis of a sentence, the constituents aNd its levels Every sentence can he analysed at four distinct form levels: the word-level, the phrase-level, the clause-level and the sentence- level. And this is called the rank scale. Later, after the explanation of the constituents of a sentence we will see the different levels and how they can he analysed following the same example. Thus, a diagram as this provides a visual presentation of the categorial constituent structure of the sentence. It shows us how sentence is structured out of its constituent phrases, and how each of the phrases is structured out of its component words, and also it provides a visual presentation of the phrase structure of sentence. The type of labelled tree- diagram used here is referred to as a Phrase-marker (P-marker) because it marks the hierarchical grouping of words into phrases, and phrases into sentences. Another method of visual display used in the linguistic literature is to make use of labelled bracketing. Within this system, we could represent the categorial status of the words in the structure mentioned before as in the following example: [D This] [N pupil] [M must] [V seem] [Adv incredibly] [A intelligent] [P to] [D that] [N teacher] We could use this system of labelled bracketing to represent the fact that [this pupil] and [that teacher] are noun phrases, that [to that teacher] is a prepositional phrase. That [incredibly intelligent] is an adjective phrase, that [seem incredibly intelligent to that teacher] is a verb phrase, and that [this pupil must seem incredibly intelligent to that teacher] is an S = clause. As follows: [S [NP [D this] [N pupil]] [M must] [VP [V seem] [AP [ADV incredibly][A intelligent]] [PP [P to][NP [D that] [N teacher] ] ] ] ] Then the two diagrams represented here contain the same information. Many linguists prefer tree-diagrams as a form of visual representation of syntactic structure because they are easier to read, and the reason for that is that the information they contain is less condensed. Thus, diagrams like these provide a virtually complete representation of the syntactic structure of the sentence. Also we can find partial tree-diagrams or partial labeled bracketing: for instance if we take the sentence mentioned before, we can see that it contains three major constituents: CONCLUSION According to grammarians, it can be said that there is a hierarchical order. That is to say, sounds are the constituents of words, words are the constituents of the phrases and phrases are the constituents of sentences or clauses. Then as a conclusion to this point, we can say that sentences are not just unstructured sequence of sounds; rather they have a hierarchical constituent structure in which sounds are grouped together into words, words into phrases, and phrases into sentences. On the other hand, it is important to point out the main features of the different categories although they have not been explained in this assignment. That is to say, when we talk about sentences, it is absolutely necessary to know the features of the categories as constituents of the own sentence. In a nutshell, it can be said that Radfords book, Ouhalla ´s work and the linguistics dictionaries are a useful guide for the student in the sense that they make easier the comprehension of grammar. It is due to the fact that they give us (as students) clear information by using simple examples.

Microprocessor-based Mobile Robot with On-board Vision System Driving Range Golf Ball Retriever :: essays research papers

Microprocessor-based Mobile Robot with On-board Vision System Driving Range Golf Ball Retriever   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Golf Retrieving Mobile Robot is an undergraduate thesis of the DLSU students. It is a robot that is capable of retrieving golf balls automatically without the assistance of a person. This is very useful in a driving range or the area where golfers practice their swings to hit golf balls. The robot is named Greg, it is able to accumulate golf balls on the field. The problems that might arise are the confusion of the driving ranges and re-use of golf balls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The flow of the operation starts from capturing the image, after which is the process image for detection of the borders as well as the golf balls. Using image processing base on the RGB values or the white and non-white image, the system is capable of distinguishing whether the object is a golf ball or not. The logic of the system is created using neural networks. The logic is programmed in such a way that the robot is able to determine how far the golf ball is and whether the object is actually a golf ball or not. The dimples of the golf ball are also one of the considerations they use in creating the logic of the system. The person is able to set the boundaries for the robot to move around. This is done by putting a boundary using blue or red tapes for the robot to sense. The border detection and avoidance is used to prevent the robot from going out of the prescribed area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main objective of the system is to be able to identify and retrieve golf balls. There are five main components of the system, namely, the PC compartment, the remote control, the wheels and chassis, the vision system, and the ball counter. The vision system used is the modified desktop computer. Wheels and chassis are utilized to have the mobot move around the field. The robot is capable of moving around and retrieving golf balls by itself, but the user has the option of controlling the robot through the use of the remote control or the master control of the robot. The robot consists of a front wheel which is the caster wheel and a back wheel or the rubber wheels.

America! - Home of Millionaires and Homeless :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

America! - Home of Millionaires and Homeless If you've been to San Francisco lately, then you know homelessness is a big problem. It's impossible to go anywhere in the city without being confronted by panhandlers and other people living in exile. More and more common is the frowzy vagabond with the sign "Homeless. Will work for food. God Bless." Even outside urban communities, this has become a common sight at busy intersections and freeway off-ramps. I'm not trying to say homelessness is a newly emerging problem in our society. I'm sure homeless people have been around since the Pilgrims left Europe in search of religious freedom. However, the situation has escalated to such a degree in the last ten years that it's obviously now a chronic problem that our government is trying to write off. Ironically, as the number of homeless families increase across our beloved country, so do corporate profits. Driving right past the beggar on the street corner are sixty thousand dollar automobiles with passengers too busy to stop and throw out a dollar to help feed a hungry American with no place to live. Something is very wrong with that picture. I once had the misfortune of being stranded in San Francisco in the middle of the night. My car was stolen, I had no money and no one to call. I went to an all-night restaurant to escape the cold and sat on a couch in the lobby to think about what I was going to do. After about thirty minutes, I was approached by a squalid gentleman who asked if I needed a place to stay. A little hesitant, I shrugged my shoulders and nodded. We walked a couple blocks to a shelter for homeless people. My guide said his name was Evan, and the place we were going wasn't exactly the Hilton, but it was safe. It was an empty government building in the Civic Center area. The smell was horrendous; a mixture of BO, bad breath and urine. The sleeping area was a bare room, no furniture, with literally hundreds of people sleeping on the floor. I didn't think I was going to be able to stay because of the loud snoring and bad smell of the other occupants. Evan sensed my discomfort and began to tell me a story abou t how he came to be homeless. He had worked as a long distance operator at AT&T for several years.

Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Addiction, Drug, Marijuana, Weed

Some people say that Marijuana is not additive, some say it is. If it’s known to be both then how can people really know how it affects the body? On an interview with Elvis Duran and the morning show Lady Gaga admitted that she was addicted to marijuana. She was doing 15 joints of marijuana without tobacco in them every day. In Lady Gaga’s life she has been addicted to some type of drug from a young age. She used the analogy of Lilly pad drugs. She would get to the point where she couldn’t go any further with one substance so she would have to go to the next substance. She started doing marijuana on a tour because she was in a lot of pain; she was in so much pain that she was getting depressed. Lady Gaga said that looking back she can see that the pain was her hip, but at the time she didn’t know where it was coming from. She also said that it was to help with her anxiety. She started doing marijuana to stop the pain she would do the drug in the morning an d then sleep it off in the afternoon; she said that she would never do a show high. She decided to speak about it so young people are aware that addiction to the drug is possible, and not a myth. (Wall Street Journal n.p) Marijuana or Cannabis —often called pot, weed, or herb—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant, has been used as an instrument to achieve euphoria, a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness, since ancient times. Marijuana has been traced back to the Chinese, dating from 2737 B.C.. From there it went to India to North Africa and then reached Europe around the time of 500 A.D.. In the record of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung the use of marijuana was for medication for rheuma... ... he said â€Å"I would caution against this assumption[that marijuana is the most effective drug for medical purposes] due to the lack of consistent, repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana's medical benefits.† Works Cited Wall Street Journal. "Lady Gaga Says She's Addicted to Marijuana." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. "DrugFacts: Marijuana." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). N.p., Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. Messerli, Joe. "BalancedPolitics.org." - Legalization of Marijuana-Advantages & Disadvantages. Balanced Politics, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. "History of Marijuana." Marijuana History. Narconon International, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. "Pros and Cons - Medical Marijuana." ProCon.org Headlines. ProsCons.org, 6 May 2009. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. "Pro's of Marijuana Legalization." MarijuanaToday.com. N.p., Aug. 1010. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.

Renaissance Philosophy Essay

I believe that the Renaissance philosopher who has provided the greatest contribution to humanity is Rene Descartes, whose aggregate contributions to intellectualism in Western culture are difficult to overstate. His significance lies in his judicious use of skepticism in the assessment of truths and beliefs frequently held up as objective knowledge. Descartes was a Catholic, but this did not necessarily mean that he took its authoritative and hegemonic role in the maintenance of knowledge at face value. He realized that certain truths cannot be satisfactorily determined through Church teachings alone, and therefore what must be held up to close scrutiny is not ‘truth’ itself but the criteria used to assess it. Granted, Descartes was not the first person to examine such issues. The skeptical tradition dates as far back as the first millennium AD. But rather than asserting that truth has no value, Descartes was concerned with the development of a unified and almost arithmetic means of measuring knowledge. This sense of skepticism blended with a belief in ordered reasoning is reflected in his other pursuits, particularly mathematics. This combination of mathematics and sophistry is made most manifest in Cartesian dualism, which argues a divide between the nonmaterial mind/soul and the material of the body that influences each other. However, it is Descartes’ ordering of metaphysics that has provoked the most significant amount of reaction and influence in equal measures supporting or contradicting him. Descartes believed that in order to prove the existence of the material world, one must first prove the existence of the self, which he posited as self-evident because â€Å"Cogito ergo sum† or â€Å"I think, therefore I am. † The reaction to these assertions is primarily split along two lines: skepticism and idealism. George Berkeley’s disagreement falls in the latter category, as he opined that Cartesian dualism implied that we cannot know anything beyond the sensations and ideas our mind believes to exist, while David Hume problematized why we believe in the existence of an external in the first place. John Locke developed a more nuanced understanding of the mind-self by defining it as a â€Å"conscious thinking thing† whose materiality or immateriality is irrelevant to acknowledging that it is conscious of sensation and emotion. Locke also posited that the body is also crucial to the formation of the mind-self, arguing that the mind-self is a tabula rasa, a blank slate shaped by experience, including natal sources of experience. Immanuel Kant developed an elaborate set of transcendental arguments and categories as a means f proving the existence of external reality. Essentially speaking, while sensations and perceptions do exist, they are meaningless without a unified comprehension of them. As such, experience is formed by the mind-self being able to cohere these impressions together as something meaningful. George Hegel challenged the understanding of truth as not just a concern with matters of substance, but matters of the subject perceiving and comprehending truth. As such, truth is just as contingent on the mind-self which thinks. Thus, unlike Berkeley, external realities are not just mere mental content, but an expression of thought itself. Descartes may have found few adherents during his time and years after, but his importance to succeeding philosophers who have attempted to deconstruct the contents of the mind and its relationship and understanding of the external world. In effect, he ushered in a fundamental level of doubt in assessing truth and knowledge so necessary in abnegating the kind of dogmatism which makes unquestioned acceptance of ‘common wisdom’ so problematic.

Ecosystems at Risk

The negative nature and rate of change that is occurring within the Great Barrier Reef(GBR) is largely due to human induced activity. Coral reefs are vulnerable to the slightest of human impacts and the frequency in which we are doing so has dramatically increased over the years, increasing it to a global scale. Climate change along with pollution, overfishing and tourism are affecting the vulnerable ecosystems existence. Climate change is affecting the globe at an increasing intensity.The Great Barrier Reef is experiencing many changes that it is unable to adapt to such as a rise in the average water temperature. The unnatural change physiologically stresses the corals and upset the critical balance that maintains their symbiotic relationship with algae that inhibits it. When this process occurs the corals lose their colour becoming bleached, the recognized biological effects reduce the calcification rates, weakening the skeletons and eventually eroding coral communities.Polar ice c aps are also melting due to global climate change, having serious impacts on the nature and life span of coral reefs. As the levels slowly rise, fresh water inlets will be contaminated with salt water affecting the biodiversity of terrestrial vegetation in these fragile environments. Humans impact the GBR is through numerous paths of pollution, all of which can cause serious damage. Although not directly, deforestation has many long-term impacts, as well as sedimentation, fertilizers and pesticides, runoff and plastic build up. 2% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by land-based pollution; both chemical and nutrient based e. g. fertilizers, herbicides, human derived sewage and pesticides. 80% of the GBR’s adjacent land is farmland that supports agricultural production. The chemicals used to maintain the farmland pose long term damage to the ecosystem due to their high levels of phosphorus and nitrates. This runoff affect occurs when the farmer uses too much of t he product to maintain his land, or it is lost to ground water.Sediments that flow out from rivers with large amounts of eroded material carry with it many of the pollutants stated previously from farms that border the reef at risk. Tourism is vital to help people recognize and promote the value of protecting the Great Barrier Reef, but at the same time has certain elements involved with it, that are slowly taking toll on the environment, which will if not looked at closer, or eliminated all together destroy it for generations to come.Tourism is listed a s a major management issue to the GBR, because of the large amount of tourists and its value to the economy. The impacts range from low to high priority, and often trigger large infrastructure developments on islans and coastal communities, leading to further problems involving runoff and other pollutants mentioned earlier. Also associated with tourism, is the souvenir, ornamental and aquarium trade that severely affects the livelih ood of the GBR.People taking home a small piece of the reef cause significantly widespread damage to the ecosystem and its biodiversity. For the Great Barrier Reef to be enjoyed for generations to come, protections laws need to be set, understood and most of all abided by. The nature and rate of change is fast increasing the decline of one of Australia’s most beautiful ecosystems that should be enjoyed without disturbances. The fragile ecosystem is able to adapt to natural fluctuations and subtle changes in the ecosystem, but human activity is fast destroying it. Ecosystems at Risk The negative nature and rate of change that is occurring within the Great Barrier Reef(GBR) is largely due to human induced activity. Coral reefs are vulnerable to the slightest of human impacts and the frequency in which we are doing so has dramatically increased over the years, increasing it to a global scale. Climate change along with pollution, overfishing and tourism are affecting the vulnerable ecosystems existence. Climate change is affecting the globe at an increasing intensity.The Great Barrier Reef is experiencing many changes that it is unable to adapt to such as a rise in the average water temperature. The unnatural change physiologically stresses the corals and upset the critical balance that maintains their symbiotic relationship with algae that inhibits it. When this process occurs the corals lose their colour becoming bleached, the recognized biological effects reduce the calcification rates, weakening the skeletons and eventually eroding coral communities.Polar ice c aps are also melting due to global climate change, having serious impacts on the nature and life span of coral reefs. As the levels slowly rise, fresh water inlets will be contaminated with salt water affecting the biodiversity of terrestrial vegetation in these fragile environments. Humans impact the GBR is through numerous paths of pollution, all of which can cause serious damage. Although not directly, deforestation has many long-term impacts, as well as sedimentation, fertilizers and pesticides, runoff and plastic build up. 2% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by land-based pollution; both chemical and nutrient based e. g. fertilizers, herbicides, human derived sewage and pesticides. 80% of the GBR’s adjacent land is farmland that supports agricultural production. The chemicals used to maintain the farmland pose long term damage to the ecosystem due to their high levels of phosphorus and nitrates. This runoff affect occurs when the farmer uses too much of t he product to maintain his land, or it is lost to ground water.Sediments that flow out from rivers with large amounts of eroded material carry with it many of the pollutants stated previously from farms that border the reef at risk. Tourism is vital to help people recognize and promote the value of protecting the Great Barrier Reef, but at the same time has certain elements involved with it, that are slowly taking toll on the environment, which will if not looked at closer, or eliminated all together destroy it for generations to come.Tourism is listed a s a major management issue to the GBR, because of the large amount of tourists and its value to the economy. The impacts range from low to high priority, and often trigger large infrastructure developments on islans and coastal communities, leading to further problems involving runoff and other pollutants mentioned earlier. Also associated with tourism, is the souvenir, ornamental and aquarium trade that severely affects the livelih ood of the GBR.People taking home a small piece of the reef cause significantly widespread damage to the ecosystem and its biodiversity. For the Great Barrier Reef to be enjoyed for generations to come, protections laws need to be set, understood and most of all abided by. The nature and rate of change is fast increasing the decline of one of Australia’s most beautiful ecosystems that should be enjoyed without disturbances. The fragile ecosystem is able to adapt to natural fluctuations and subtle changes in the ecosystem, but human activity is fast destroying it.

First Impressions Essay

First impressions are very important to every day life. They are the basis of how relationships start and how perceptions are formed. The opinions could begin many things and lead towards success or these opinions could be ones that are misleading and have a negative impact on how people relate to you. First impressions are very important on people’s social life, in your education and in employment. In your social life, first impressions come from your friends, family, and even new people who come into your life. First impressions on employment go from your current co-workers, boss, and former employers. They are very significant in job interviews. First impressions are important, but are not always the final word. First impressions from the social perspective is the issue at hand, when viewing the importance of first impressions, and then taking in account the environment that one is in, then lastly viewing the important role that first impressions play throughout the course of a relationship such a friendship. The importance of first impressions is essential to the development of relationships be it for a friendship or just merely business acquaintances, the role of first impressions is resounded throughout the course of that relationships. How you are perceived has a very basic bearing as to how you are treated. Your outward appearance plays a pivotal role in the compiling of a first impression, when you are viewed by others, a snap decision is made about you that people will hold in their minds whether subconsciously, or conscientiously that first moment that they laid eyes on you. Also the way that you portray yourself comes into play at this point, your social skills are the main focus of the first impression after the mental image of you is implanted in the person’s mind. Studies have shown that humans have developed the ability to quickly decide whether a new person will hurt or enrich us. First impressions or what are called â€Å"thin slices† are generated in the most primitive areas of the brain, where feelings are processed. It’s a very primal process and has evolved from our ancestors as a way to protect themselves. Applying both the thin slices theory, along with our own values and beliefs, it appears that first impressions are processed from the feeling part of our brains, as a way to protect or safeguard our belief and value structures. Research also shows  that the power of knowledge to organize, select, learn and judge comes from values and beliefs as much as information and logic. Attitudes also enter into our calculations of first impressions. While subtle, they can cause real world damage, that’s why it’s imperative to nature relationships with others. People who spend time observing and listening tend to ha ve a higher percentage of correct snap judgments. While first impressions can never be changed, we can allow movement in our processing and value systems. To contribute effectively to society we must evaluate who we are as individuals and how we form judgments.

Key Skills of Management Essay

1. Introduction In this essay I have attempted to describe the key skills of management, in my opinion, and how working with others can develop them. I have drawn on my own experiences as a manager and reinforced my answers with research from the internet and other reference sources. There are various skills needed for good management, some skills are learned others are instilled as a part of that person’s nature. Within this essay I discuss these skills and the importance of good management behaviour. 2. Key skills – my viewpoint I manage four teams, each consisting of 15 members of staff. Within each team is a supervisor whose task is to monitor the running of the operation line and to inform me of any deviation from the norm. I am privileged enough to have a support team of a quality facilitator, two fitters, an electrician and a process engineer, who I direct to assist with the events of the day. Enthusiasm and motivation I am enthusiastic and self-motivated; I maintain this through seeing issues as a challenge and an opportunity to test my skills. If I am enthusiastic then my staff will be encouraged to be motivated too, ‘It’s hard to be productive without enthusiasm.’ (Gates B) Henri Fayol states that there are fourteen principles of management. In principle number seven (Remuneration) Fayol argues that ‘Workers must be paid sufficiently as this is a chief motivation of employees and therefore greatly influences productivity.’ I personally do not feel that this is a chief motivation even though it is a factor but that job satisfaction and also a sense of belonging are greater influences in productivity. Communication I believe it is important to have a pre-shift meeting with the supervisors and run through what is planned for the day. Any concerns are raised prior to the start of the shift, so we have a clear direction of how we are going to achieve these goals. I try to keep meetings informative, constructive yet light and brisk. I feel it is important that we start the day with a can-do attitude. It is important to me that the delivery of any communication is clear, precise and accurate. Communication works two ways and I feel that we only learn by listening. I operate an open door policy, where any member of staff at any level can speak to me. Encouraging growth of people and business I want to encourage growth within the company; in order to do this I develop people by encouraging them to learn new skills and keep up-to-date with processes on the line. The rotation of staff within the production line not only benefits the operator with skills and self worth but also protects the company when manning levels are low. Control of production is constantly developing and shifts with new products, technology and tools. Clear instruction is given to staff to embrace and use these as a way forward for the success of the company and maintain our position as leaders in the world market. Following policies I follow the company policies in all aspects of my work and with discipline. I feel I am firm but fair; I nip things in the bud and deal with conflict in a calm, mature and professional manner. I am trustworthy and always deal with matters with integrity. Respect Respect plays an important role in getting results from staff. I respect everyone and work hard to earn respect from my staff by being a team player and not taking my role for granted. I have worked on every process on each line to different skill levels and am aware of the requirements of each job. I would never expect any member of staff to complete a task I would not do myself. Understanding customers It is important to understand the expectations of customers, to achieve these within the budget and on time. In order to achieve this we work closely to a plan, delivering on time and in full (OTIF). Feedback It is important that recognition is given on a regular basis to staff that are doing well and like wise, support is given to staff who find things a struggle. It is easier to rectify any non-conformance at the very beginning than letting bad habits form. The ability to explain things that are incorrect and how to rectify them is an important management quality. Resolving issues Whenever a major problem comes to light, I tend to bring key skilled personnel such as quality facilitators, department manager, shift manager, manufacturing supervisors, process engineers, fitters, electricians or operators into a brain storming session. We utilise the skills we have developed and use management tools such as, the ‘Ishikawa diagram’, or known to myself as the ‘Fishbone diagram’. Each personnel would have a valuable input using the knowledge that they have obtained from their own perspective. Cause Cause Cause Cause Cause Figure 1: Fishbone diagram as based on the original by Kaoru Ishikawa. In these sessions, we systematically work through inputs that could cause the effect that we see and then place a frame around the problem to find out what is, and is not a possible factor. Further investigation is made into these probable causes until the root of the issue is found. It is extremely important to use all of the skills at hand to have a complete overview. 3. Conclusion Throughout this essay I have explored the use of what are in my opinion, the most important skills to have as a manager. It is not intended as an exhaustive list, but a sample of the many ways people manage. In my opinion the most important skills of management are being able to project manage and coordinate while also having leadership qualities, or personable skills. In the words of John C Maxwell, â€Å"Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.† Within this essay I have explored the nature of the key skills and have shown that in working together with staff, results can be achieved by following these rules.

Pascal's Wager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pascal's Wager - Essay Example Pascal's Penses, then, is totally different from conventional reasoning since it endeavors to provide practical reasons for belief in God. Taking the gambler's parlance, Pascal is saying that one should "wager that God exists because it is our best bet (Hajek). According to Ryan (1994), this line of reasoning has roots in the writings of Plato, Arnobius, Lactantius. Pascal's wager, in a nutshell, is: if you believe in God and he does not exist, you share the same fate as those who do not believe in God - death. However, if He does exist, you stand to gain salvation, while the unbeliever still faces a static destiny - death. So the believer, technically, has nothing to lose and all to gain, while the unbeliever whether right or not about his or her wager will only face death in the end. Therefore it is only logical to wager on the choice that makes the most sense - belief in God. It, in a sense is a philosophical win-win situation. Pascal maintains that we are incapable of knowing whether God exists or not, yet we must "wager" one way or the other. Reason cannot settle which way we should incline, but a consideration of the relevant outcomes supposedly can. Pascal's line of reasoning is intriguing.

Got milk Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Got milk - Case Study Example It does not matter that the ice cream company only sourced the milk because the company had an obligation to find any defects before the production process started. In this case, I think that the ice cream company and milk supplier should be held jointly liable; the first for not identifying the defect and the latter for supplying a product that was unsafe and harmful for consumers. 2. Do you think a CRM system could have helped communicate issues in the milk production supply chain? How could a company use a CRM system to perform damage control after finding out about contaminated milk in the supply chain? I think that a CRM system could have been helpful to communicate regarding issues in the supply chain. It seemed like there was no connection between milking stations and big dairy companies. A CRM system would have figured out where the problems were occurring and then quickly find a way to resolve those problems. Customers are a big part of this system, and their opinions could have been sought out much sooner in regards to milk quality. A company could use a CRM system to perform damage control by informing consumers immediately when a problem crops up and also helping to prevent confusion. Communication with customers is very important because otherwise some rumors can be formed and they may potentially have a damaging effect on the company. The best option is just to be open and honest about a problem whenever one is identified. 3. Do you agree with the Chinese court in sentencing of the middlemen to death and a dairy boss to life in prison for their roles in the milk contamination scandal? Do you think the United States should implement similar laws for unethical corporate behavior? No, I dont really agree with the decision of the Chinese court because I think that the punishment is a little over the top. I feel like this is more for

Fossil case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fossil case - Essay Example ed by Fossil can be clearly construed as heterogeneous in nature, which is so because the customers would tend to search for the products first and then chose the one which suits them best and satisfies their wants. The essential characteristics of such products and the consumer decision making is listed below. The sequence of product lifecycle is where a new product evolves through series of stages over a period of time. These stages are the development of the product, moving to introduction, then growth, maturity and finally decline. There reason that has been associated with the changes in the product life cycle and the creation of such a sequence is change in the situation of marketing which resultantly affects the marketing strategy and marketing mix,. Marketing mix is commonly referred to as the 4 P’s of marketing. These 4 P’s are the parameters that the marketing manager can control subject to the internal and external constraints of the marketing environment. Pricing is a main feature of the marketing mix and the only one which generates revenue. It would be better for the company to increase the buying capability of the customers to gather larger revenue

Explain a Marketing concept for MKGT 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Explain a Marketing concept for MKGT 3000 - Essay Example We would be discussing few major factors that significantly impact purchase behavior and consumption pattern of the products that are used in marketing a product. Customers’ purchase behavior is quite complex because it is intensely influenced by socio-economic and psychological paradigms. It is true that consumers purchase products only when they perceive the need for it. But at the same time, the need could have triggered either by advertisement or by observing other people which could lead to the purchase of the product. Various factors like price, buying value, consumption value and after sales performance add credibility to the purchase. If customer is satisfied, the organizations are not only able to retain them but they are also liable to get new ones through word of mouth publicity that greatly establishes their market credibility. Arnould et al (2004) assert that consumer behavior is also motivated by desired goal that is need based. Products that are bought mainly as a lifestyle statement are prompted by motivated goals. Luxury brands and trend setting goods are major indicators of changing lifestyle pattern that people are ready to adopt to keep up with the times. People are prone to adopt new lifestyle that reflects that changing socio-economic status in society. It also reveals their new value system, tastes and indeed changing preferences.

Innovation in organizational structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Innovation in organizational structure - Essay Example It also reflects similarities with other aspects of Lewin's general model of change. For example, the planning stage can be described as a period of unfreezing, or problem awareness, the action stage as a period of changing or trying out new forms of behavior in an attempt to understand and cope with the system's problems and the results stage as a period of refreezing, in which newer forms of behaviors are tried out on the job and, if successful and reinforcing, become a part of the system's problem-solving behavior. Action research is generally problem centered, client centered, and action oriented. In this process data are not simply used to compile a written report but they are actually fed back in open joint sessions, and the client and the change agent work jointly for identifying and ranking specific problems, for devising methods of finding their real causes, and to develop plans for coping with them practically. Scientific method that includes data gathering, forming hypothe ses, testing hypotheses, and measuring results is an integral part of this process. Action research also sets in motion a long-range, cyclical, self-correcting mechanism for maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of the client's system by leaving the system with practical and useful tools for introducinbg changes. (Lewin, 1946) It can be described as an problem-solving process involving four statges. It is generally used in quality control.

Art anaylsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art anaylsis - Essay Example On research, it is evident that the STEN in STEN MK. V submachine gun is an acronym from the names of the chief designers of the weapon namely Shepherd, Turpin and Enfield. The submachine was produced in several basic marks i.e. mark I, mark II mark III and the initials MK were used for the term mark. The drawing is small, measuring 44 by 33 inches, yet immensely powerful. Though its dimensions may be small, the art work is immensely powerful. In simple terms, the smaller the submachine, the higher is its efficiency and effectiveness. The fire arm is small and yet it is extremely powerful. The STEN was used exceptionally extensively throughout World War II and in the Korean War by the British and commonwealth forces. This background information makes the inscriptions â€Å"God Bless America† on the drawings stock very full of meaning, hence extremely powerful. The aspect of its sight of the submachine on the globe is additive in a symbolic way. The artist used an acrylic, a pl astic polymer pigment which is used with water and dries extremely quickly, on a canvas ground. The canvas has the ability to reflect light. The use of acrylic on canvas gives the drawing exceptionally impressive and distinctive detail and a rich visual sensation. The artist also blends closely related colors in, but the blue color comes out as giving the globe a feeling of calmness. The message seems to be that a STEN Submachine can restore calm in the globe. The artwork has the flag of the United States of America embedded on it and these may be used to mean that the machine is heavily used in America to shed blood, and it is only through the blessing of God that the country will be saved. On the background, closely related colors are also blended making the submachine appear as if it is placed on the entrance of a cave. It also appears that there is light radiating from the background. This gives the submachine a highly symbolic meaning; one feels that the artist meant a gun is a protective instrument. The light that radiates from the back is a symbol of hope, that if a person has a gun they can have hope they are or will be safe. The dominant message that comes out in this work is the correlation between a gun and safety. To enhance the subject matter, a map of the world has been painted and then gun pointed at it, and it is specifically pointed at the United States of America. This is to show that the machine has been used globally and more so in the United States of America. In the map of the world, the United States is painted as one which is torn apart and full of blood. This is to show that regardless of its small size, the machine is able to shed blood in a whole country. During World War II, Britain and the commonwealth countries relied on the United States for supply of guns as it had entered the war without an adequate submachine gun of its own. So, Britain and the commonwealth countries purchased large numbers of Thompson submachine guns from the United States. American factories at the time were operating at peacetime levels, and as such were not able to meet demand for the weapon by Britain. The British army was then defeated at the continent and the Dunkirk Evacuation because of shortage of weapons with which to defend Britain. Thus, a drastic action had to be taken as there were no sufficient numbers of Thompsons submachine guns available. Thus, a shortage in supply led to the invention of the STEN gun so the machine was hastily created. Its

Literature Adaptations Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature Adaptations - Movie Review Example Since then, this story is continually being told to children and society has seen many adaptations including Jordan and Carter's controversial "The Company f Wolves." Be it presented as literature, oral storytelling, or cinematography these sources have one theme in common: they tell a cautionary tale f the warnings f entering adolescence. In comparing the historical, sexual, and moral aspects f Perrault's "Little Red Riding Hood," France's "The False Grandmother," and Jordan's "The Company f Wolves, readers are left appreciating the different means used in communicating the warnings f entering adolescence. (Bordwell 1-4) Oral stories are quite different from those f common literature. In France's oral version there is little time spent on focusing on detail in terms f an introduction to the story and setting. Instead, this oral version quickly jumps to the girl's encounter with the wolf. This happens all within the first sentence: "Once upon a time a girl was walking through the woods with a basket f goodies for her grandmother, when she met a wolf." Since these stories were told orally, there is most likely no need for a significant amount f detail simply because this was not the focus f the performance. As well, these types f stories are not read but seen and heard by the audience. What is significantly different about an oral story is that there is a heavy reliance on the storyteller to deliver a captivating performance, meaning that the action f the story is heightened by compressing the sequence f events in a set amount f time. Thus, little time is spent focusing on elements such as a historica l setting. Readers are made aware f the setting in Perrault's literary version f Little Red Riding Hood when he writes: "Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen." He further reveals information about the surroundings f the story as the girl is sent out to give her grandmother food: "Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village... As she was going through the wood, she met a wolf..." There is little to be questioned because f the amount f detail used by Perrault. In stories that are written or published, there is a need to have a certain amount f detail so readers are not left questioning the story. Written stories require more detail than oral stories. Perrault has added enough information about the location f the story so that readers would not be left confused about certain parts f the plot. (Naremore 5-6) Film is also another means by which folktales can be presented. The manner in which this is presented is far different than reading folktale literature or watching the story be performed with sounds and movements by a storyteller. In "The Company f Wolves" Jordan and Carter incorporate a significant amount f detail in a short amount f time: "close shot f the window looking out onto the dream nightscape; camera tracks in past the window frame EXT. FOREST -- DAY dissolve from nightscape to daylight forest scene, autumnal colours. Camera tracks in and pans right to disclose a distant church spire." Viewers f this film are better able to grasp the setting because they are visually transported to a setting where they are able to make obvious assumptions about the surroundings. There is a significant amo

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Essay Example for Free

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Essay Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam graduated in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology in 1958 and joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). In 1962, Kalam joined the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). In 1982, he rejoined DRDO as the Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Dr. Kalam is credited with the development and operationalization of Indias Agni and Prithvi missiles. He worked as the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research Development from 1992 to 1999. During this period, the Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted. Dr. Kalam held the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India from November 1999 to November 2001. Dr. Kalam took up teaching at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001. He is a prolific author. His books, Wings of Fire, India 2020 A Vision for the New Millennium, My journey and Ignited Minds Unleashing the power within India have become bestsellers. He is a favourite with children all over the country and has met children all over the country and has encouraged them with his learned talks. Dr. Abdul Kalam was conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa by the Simon Fraser University, Canada. He also wrote a book named â€Å"Turning Points: A journey through challenges† which was published by Harper Collins India. The book tells us about his story with details from his career and presidency that are not generally known. He speaks on certain points of controversy offering insight into an extraordinary personality and shows a vision of how a country with a great heritage can turn out to be great with perseverance, confidence and effort. Dr. Kalam has received a host of awards both in India and abroad. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. He is of the view that we should work wholeheartedly to make India a developed nation by 2020. Besides being a bachelor, Kalam is a strict disciplinarian, a complete vegetarian and teetotaler. Among the many firsts to his credit, he became Indias first President to undertake an undersea journey when he boarded the INS Sindhurakshak, a submarine, from Visakhapatnam. He also became the first president to undertake a sortie in a fighter aircraft, a Sukhoi-30 MKI.

Milgram Obedience Review Essay Example for Free

Milgram Obedience Review Essay Obedience is as basic an element in the structure of social life as one can point to. Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the person dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, with defiance or submission, to the commands of others. For many people, obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed a potent impulse overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct. The dilemma inherent in submission to authority is ancient, as old as the story of Abraham, and the question of whether one should obey when commands conflict with conscience has been argued by Plato, dramatized in Antigone, and treated to philosophic analysis in almost every historical epoch. Conservative philosophers argue that the very fabric of society is threatened by disobedience, while humanists stress the primacy of the individual conscience. The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations. I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects ears ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation. This is from perils of obedience by Stanley milgram. I enjoyed this article.

Causes of Homelessness

Causes of Homelessness Homelessness can significantly impact on the health, welfare and employment prospects of those unfortunate enough to experience it. The life expectancy of rough sleepers is 42 years. Children living in temporary or shared accommodation have their education disrupted and are more likely to suffer from behavioural problems (House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts 2005). Whilst lack of educational achievement is classed as disadvantage in the jobs market, those with no qualifications (who do not suffer from any other form of disadvantage) have a relatively high rate of employment. However, where there is additional disadvantage such as homelessness, substance misuse or criminal record these factors combine to depress employment rates. The client group approach has been successful in targeting specific groups such as single mothers and the disabled, assisting them to move out of welfare dependency. This approach has been less successful with respect to clients who suffer from multiple disadvantages (Freud 2007). In 1998, the then Prime Minister pledged to reduce the number of rough sleepers by two-thirds by 2002. Many of those who have made the transition from rough sleeping have done so by using hostels as a first step (Department for Communities and Local Government 2006). However, fundamental to the achievement of successful outcomes with respect to homelessness is to encourage homeless people into meaningful activity, training and ultimately employment (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2005, Department for Communities and Local Government 2006). There is also a recognition that services for the disadvantaged should be joined-up, which will assist in providing co-ordination to those who face homelessness (Department for Communities and Local Government 2003). Research indicates that there are two approaches apparent as the most successful with respect to homeless people those that are holistic and tailored (Freud 2007, Butcher et al 2007). This implies addressing all of the problems faced by the individual including employment, health as well as housing. The key benefits of this approach are sustainable outcomes and effectiveness in tackling homelessness and multiple needs (Butcher et al 2007). However, the homeless face significant issues relating to training and employment. This review seeks to examine the key issues with respect to homeless people and their ability to access training and employment opportunities. This is fundamental as employment is considered one of the primary pathways addressing social exclusion and leading to financial independence (Lownsbrough 2005, Sodha and Grant 2010). Homelessness Legally, the law classes a person as homeless if they do not have the legal right to occupy any living accommodation, or the accommodation they occupy is not suitable or habitable. Many regard homelessness as rough sleeping but this disguises other forms of homelessness such as those living in temporary accommodation, bed breakfast, hostels etc. (Shelter 2007). The obligations on local authorities are included in the Housing Act 1996, which was amended by the Homelessness Act 2002. This places a duty on local authorities to house people who fit the homelessness criteria. However, not everyone defined as homeless will be entitled to accommodation. To qualify for housing under the homelessness legislation an applicant must meet eligibility criteria, be legally defined as homeless, be in priority need and not have become intentionally homeless. Whilst a person may have a serious housing need, if they do not fulfil the criteria, the local authority does not have a duty to house them (Shelter 2007). It is difficult to quantify numbers of homeless people due to the extent of hidden homelessness. In addition there are those who experience episodes of homelessness between more stable periods (Shelter 2007). Opinion Leader Research (2006) found that the majority of homeless were in a cycle of repeated episodes of homelessness and this was related to debt problems, drug and alcohol dependency and the nature of hostel accommodation i.e. noisy, violent, costly. Daytime homelessness has also been identified (Jones and Pleace 2005). Originally used in the USA, the term refers to the situation where hostel dwellers are ejected from their accommodation during the day so whilst they may have over-night accommodation, the lack of a home during the day results in daytime homelessness. Causes The causes of homelessness are many and varied, but generally fall into the categories of structural factors (unemployment, poverty, lack of suitable housing, the extent of legal rights, social trends, benefits issues and policy development such as the closure of long-stay institutions) and personal factors (drug / alcohol misuse, problems at school, debts, physical and mental health issues, family breakdown, leaving the care system or armed forces) (Shelter 2007, Butcher et al 2007). A spiral or chain of events could also lead to homelessness. An event such as a family breakdown leads to loss of home or family support, which triggers a response such as substance misuse, loss of self-esteem and motivation (Butcher et al 2007). There are also a series of risk factors or indicators that confront the homeless or potentially homeless (Jones and Pleace 2005). These are: school exclusion and lack of qualifications; time in local authority care; multiple needs: combined mental health drug / alcohol problems; contact with the criminal justice system; time in the armed forces; previous experience of homelessness; lack of a social support network; difficulties in furnishing or maintaining a home; debts, especially rent or mortgage arrears; causing nuisance to neighbours (often linked to multiple needs). Impact Homelessness is traumatic. In addition, many have suffered a trauma leading homelessness such as home repossession, drug and alcohol misuse, domestic violence etc. Homelessness can lead to disempowerment, isolation and poverty. Homeless people rely on benefits and this in-turn can lead to dependency due to the high rents payable in supported housing such as hostels (Shelter 2007). Evidence suggests that homeless people will remain in supported housing such as hostels for some time, impacting on their attempts to re-enter the mainstream (Singh 2005). The reliance on benefits due to the high rents in temporary accommodation has a significant impact on a homeless persons ability to get a job and move on. As income rises Housing and Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are reduced. If a homeless person manages to find a job, they may be no better of as their benefits are reduced accordingly. When travel and other costs related to working is accounted for the homeless person may be no better off (Shelter 2007) this is examined in greater detail below. Young homeless people face a struggle in the transition to adult life (Foyer Federation 2001). They face issues such as poverty, lack of qualifications, family encouragement and self-esteem. Those who were homeless and those providing services have often referred to a homelessness culture (Crisis 2005), but this was in fact a reference to the most damaging aspect of many homeless peoples former way of life i.e. drug and alcohol dependency. The importance of Life Skills Many authors have examined and highlighted the value of life skills in tackling homelessness and social exclusion (Foyer Federation 2001, Department for Communities and Local Government 2003, Parsons and Palmer 2004, Lownsbrough 2005, Lownsbrough et al 2005, Singh 2005, Department for Communities and Local Government 2006, Opinion Leader Research 2006, Whitehead 2006, New Economics Foundation 2008, Quilgars et al 2008). However, Jones and Pleace (2005) suggest that research from as far back as the 1980s indicates that there are more complex issues leading to the risk of homelessness, rather than just a lack of life skills. They cite Jones et al (2001) assertion that life skills training is carried out with homeless people because it is accepted practice rather than because of an evidence base related to its efficacy. Employers and those in education are paying increasing attention to skills rather than just knowledge. This relates to how someone might react to a particular situation rather than how much they know. The work environment is increasingly focussed on key skills, learning skills and life skills. This focus has coincided with a similar debate about the acquisition of life skills to tackle social exclusion and address welfare reform. Life skills are recognised as being essential for people to managing their lives and relationships. They are also vital with respect to finding and sustaining a job (Lownsbrough et al 2005). There is an underlying assumption of a correlation between lack of life skills and being part of a socially excluded group. This raises two important questions; do people become excluded as a result of poor life skills? Or are life skills forgotten as a result of social exclusion and dealing with the challenging circumstances that exclusion throws-up? Whilst there is no evidence to suggest a causal link there is an interaction, which means families can spend generations trying to escape (from exclusion) (Lownsbrough et al 2005). Life skills are the activities that relate to daily living such as washing, cleaning and managing a household budget together with the soft skills such as communication that allow individuals to form and manage relationships. Singh (2005) found that some homeless peoples lack of life skills meant they were not able to access services and behavioural norms such as punctuality were not developed. Acquiring and maintaining life skills has been found to act as a gateway to more formal training in the same skill, which has ultimately led to employment. There are a number of examples where learning basic cookery skills have stimulated an interest in undertaking technical training and subsequent employment in catering (Lownsbrough 2005). When a person becomes excluded for a particular reason, the issue defines them in society and they are offered services that aim to alleviate the issue that has caused the exclusion, such as the provision of hot meals, clean clothing etc. They are then offered services that enable them to overcome the exclusion such as training, job search etc. Life skills training can provide a vital bridge between these services (Lownsbrough et al 2005). Whilst for some, undertaking formal training will ultimately lead to independence; others may need to acquire more basis skills in the short term. Homeless people generally need a wide range of training from formal education to support with respect to support services including general life skills, psychological support, social skills, financial management, basic skills and job related skills (Opinion Leader Research 2006). Meaningful Activity Lack of motivation is a common issue among homeless people (Jones and Pleace 2005, Singh 2005, Centrepoint 2006, OSW 2007, New Economics Foundation 2008). However, participating in meaningful activity is seen as a way of engaging the socially excluded and disadvantaged in activity that, whilst not actually concerning education, job-search etc, incorporates activities that teach those involved about teamwork, social skills etc., which are useful in the jobs market. Activities can be volunteering, art-based activity (theatre, painting, photography) or those involving health such as Tai Chi. Engaging with the homeless via the use of meaningful activity can provide a gateway into more formal training and job search and has been found to have an impact on social issues such as self-esteem and the ability to form and maintain relationships (Jones and Pleace 2005, Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills 2009). Meaningful activity around arts based projects also has a number of advantages such as the opportunity to be creative. In addition, there are no entry requirements or skills requirements so participants feel less exposed and can progress at their own speed. It also affords the opportunity of allowing the person to express and reflect what has happened to them (Cameron et al 2003). Government Policy relating to Work The government has made good progress in its Welfare to Work agenda and the creation of New Deal and Jobcentre plus has been instrumental in achieving this success. However, the government needs to build on its achievements so far to ensure that the most disadvantaged in society are also given opportunities to move from benefits dependency, but this should recognise that they may have special needs which need to be addressed in a holistic way (Freud 2007). As a result of improved economic prosperity, government has transformed work and opportunity in Britain. The goal of full employment matters because work provides the opportunity for development, progression and financial independence (Department for Work and Pensions 2007a). Governments intention is to create the circumstances whereby people move from being spectators to becoming participants, actively seeking and preparing for work (Department for Work and Pensions 2007b). There are five key elements that will be used to achieve the aim of full employment: A stronger framework of rights and responsibilities to move benefit claimants from being passive recipients to being active jobseekers A personalised and responsive approach will empower advisers and give increased discretion to Jobcentre Plus staff Partnership the public, private and third sectors working together on the basis of what works best Targeting areas of high worklessness by devolving and empowering communities Not just jobs, but jobs that pay and offer opportunities for progression There are also plans to improve support and provide work incentives in conjunction with a benefits system that rewards responsibility together with a greater choice over the support that is provided (Green Paper Department for Work and Pensions 2008a). The intention is to: Simplify benefits with the result that there will be two payments, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for those with a condition that prevents working and Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for those actively seeking work. Ensure that there is a no right to life on benefits. Disregard child maintenance payments when calculating entitlement. The subsequent White Paper (Department for Work and Pensions 2008b) sets out a programme to implement proposals with respect to changing the benefits system, improving job search services, adding conditionality to benefits entitlement, providing and defining additional support and ending child poverty. In January 2009, the Welfare Reform Act 2009 translated into statute the foregoing policy and discussion documents, aiming to increase the employment rate to 80%, end child-poverty, offer tailored support to job-seekers and place conditionality on benefits entitlements. There are a number of initiatives that are aimed at helping to move homeless people into work (Crisis 2007). These are: Pathways to Work: Aimed at supporting those claiming Incapacity Benefit to make the transition into work. This is particularly relevant to the homeless as circa 70% of homeless people claim this benefit (Crisis 2007). The New Deal / Flexible New Deal: Offering counselling and guidance, training and education. In 2004, the initiative was adapted to make it more suitable to the homeless (Department for Work and Pensions 2004). However, as eligibility is restricted to those in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance for at least six consecutive months, this may prove to be a barrier to the homeless as their lifestyles often result in gaps in claims (Crisis 2007). Jobcentre Plus: 2006 saw the opening of a centre in London devoted to working with the homeless and this coincided with a national commitment to prioritise the needs of the homeless (crisis 2007). progress2work and the progress2work-LinkUP: These pilot schemes recognise that disadvantaged clients need more time together with specialist interventions from statutory and other agencies to make lasting impact on employment outcomes. The target system used to measure Jobcentre Plus and others recognises that there are some clients that may require specialist, long-term assistance (Department for Work and Pensions 2004). However, there is concern over the ability of the model to justify its existence over the three-year term before the committed funding runs out (Crisis 2007). New Deal and Flexible New Deal together with Jobcentre Plus have proved effective assisting circa 90% back into work within twelve months. Prior to the recession Job Seekers Allowance claim levels were the lowest for thirty years. Unemployment levels during the recession were at lower rates than predicted by the government (Sodha and Grant 2010). Whilst the welfare-to-work programme has undoubtedly had assisted in creating a population of more skilled, educated and active, the homeless continue to face exclusion and run the risk of suffering more disadvantage (Sodha and Grant 2010). Homelessness and Work In 1986 83% of homeless people were in some form of paid employment but by 2005 this figure had dropped to 5% and by 2007 only 4% were in work (St Mungos 2005 and 2007). Singh (2005) found that 77% of those surveyed wanted to work. 97% of hostel residents would like to work (St Mungos 2007) and a 2010 survey conducted by St Mungos revealed that 80% agreed with the statement one of my goals is to get back into work. Research has reliably indicated that rates of employment among young homeless people are very low and that they face a combination of significant barriers that impact on their educational achievement and employment potential (Centrepoint 2006). worklessness lies at the root of deprivation (Meadows 2008). Employment is one of the key routes toward addressing social exclusion and achieving independence, both socially and financially (Lownsbrough 2005, Sodha and Grant 2010). However, financial rewards are not the singular motivation for the homeless wanting to find work (New Economics Foundation 2008). Barriers Homeless people face a range of issues, which form barriers to their progression from benefits into training, work and independence. These barriers are person-related and systemic or structural. Person-related barriers include: Lack of skills (including life-skills) and / or qualifications Low motivation Lack of confidence and self-esteem Poor job search skills Lack of work experience Health, both physical and mental Addictions Cultural / language barriers Fear of change and the unknown Low respect for / mistrust of authority Criminal record The structural / systematic barriers include: Living in concentrations of worklessness Living in social housing / hostels and the stigma attached Poor local transport Limited local job opportunities High cost of hostel rents Poor financial incentives and the benefits trap Lack of ongoing support Discrimination (Parsons and Palmer 2004, Jones Pleace 2005, Lownsbrough 2005, Singh 2005, Centrpoint 2006, Opinion Leader Research 2006, Butcher et al 2007, New Economic Foundation 2008, Sodha Grant 2010, Business Action on Homelessness 2009) 37% of homeless people have no formal qualifications whilst 13% have Level 3 qualifications (more than 1 A Level) or above. This compares to just fewer than 50% of the general population (New Economic Foundation 2008). In addition, many suffer barriers relating to competing issues (Singh 2005, Jones Pleace 2005). Competing issues arise where a pressing need such as dealing with addiction prevents the person addressing the issue of finding work. Singh (2005) cites Maslows Hierarchy of Needs model, which suggests that fundamental needs such as finding a home take precedence in the hierarchy over, for example, addressing issues around self-esteem. Lower level barriers include lack of suitable clothing to attend an interview, inadequate access to a telephone or computer and the lack of somewhere suitable to complete an application (Parsons and Palmer 2005, Singh 2005). Pathway to Employment The traditional pathway to employment model employed by the homelessness sector is a three-stage process where the first engagement stage is centred on addressing the issues that led to homelessness such as treatment for substance misuse. In the second stage of pre-work support the process is about attempting to get clients work-ready and can include volunteering, job-search, training, work placements etc, which will hopefully result in a job offer. The last stage involves in-work support which can take the form of job-coaching and at-work training (New Economics Foundation 2008). However, a revised model should be used that more readily reflects the journey into employment (New Economics Foundation 2008). The new model highlights the need for intensive support during the first twelve weeks of employment, as this is the period when homeless people struggle financially, emotionally and practically. The model is based on four key stages i.e. Engagement, Pre-work support, Settling into work, Sustainable employment. Whilst this new model represents a linear path to employment it may need to be modified to reflect the reality that a person with high support needs may drop out at any stage. So if a person drops out at the Settling into work phase, this may result in further work on the Pre-work or even Engagement phases (New Economics Foundation 2008). Butcher et al (2007) reported a seven-stage journey to employability comprising engagement, needs assessment, individual action plan, support, and labour market preparation, in work support, sustainable employment. The content of this seven-stage route shares many similarities with the revised model above. Fothergill (2008) develops the model to create The Right Deal for Homeless People to prove a holistic and co-ordinated range of support to assist the homeless into work and independence. Meadows (2008) indicated that homeless people come from a range of backgrounds with different needs relating to education, health (both physical and mental), contact with the justice system etc. The most effective interventions with respect to homeless people and their pathway to employment are those that address the needs of the individual, which may involve interventions via referrals to specialist agencies. As a result of the Places of Change programme (Department of Communities and Local Government 2006), St Mungos instituted a five-stage Pathways to Employment programme, beginning with an Occupational Health Check which then proceeds with activities such as basic skills training, vocational guidance, long-term meaningful activity, external accredited training, job search, coaching and end with in-work support. Clients are also provided with suitable clothing to attend interviews. (St Mungos 2007). Evaluation of this programme noted the project having a significant impact on participants lives. The journey towards increasing independence and employment has begun for participating clients. The programme can achieve significant outcomes but interpretation of outcomes must recognise the progress that clients can realistically make (Sodha and Grant 2010). The Ready for Work programme under the auspices of Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) targets those who may be ready for work but lack skills, confidence or are long-term unemployed. In a two-week work placement they are allocated a buddy, together with support from BAOH trained staff for six months following the placement. Since its inception 2000 out of 5000 people have found work and of the participants 38% go on to full time work. 500 businesses are involved and they report the valuable contribution that the homeless can make (Sodha and Grant 2010). There is scope to employ homeless people in the homelessness field (Ireland 2010). Circa 20% of the staff within Thames Reach, Tyneside Cyrenians and P3 are former service users. There are 17,000 employed in the sector and if all organisations employed service users at this 20% rate, this would realise some 3,400 positions. Although there is no single pathway model, the similarities of each organisations approach are a lead from senior management, incorporating the model into business planning and ensuring staff buy-in. Staff who are former service users display a high level of commitment to the job, other service users and are able to use their experience to benefit their case-load. There are a number of benefits in employing service users: Beneficial impact on culture Credibility and influence with policy makers Adding value to service delivery as a result of the experience of staff (Ireland 2010) Sustaining employment can be a particular issue with respect to the homeless and reasons for not being able to sustain work include transport, not being mentally ready and difficulties with integration into the workforce. This reinforces the need for tailored one-to-one support during the early stages of employment (Singh 2005, Sodha and Grant 2010). In addition to facing problems fitting in (Business Action on Homelessness 2009) in the initial stages of employment, there are other issues which can prove significant in determining whether a homeless person is able to sustain the new job. They are poor financial planning, which relates to the transition from benefits, particularly where the persons income is cost neutral or where they are only slightly better off, the effect of temporary, casual contracts as the benefits system is not geared up to address this type of work and social isolation particularly where the move into employment is accompanied by a move from a hostel into more permanent accommodation, resulting in less or no contact with existing social networks. Barriers to sustaining employment also include drug / alcohol dependency, emotional problems, particularly during tense or stressful periods and the likelihood was that the job would be low skilled and low-paid resulting in little job satisfaction (Opinion Leader Research 2006). Meadows (2008) also highlighted the need to work with young homeless and disadvantaged people to develop a work-focussed lifestyle can assist in tackling other areas of disadvantage. Benefits System Generally referred to as the benefits trap, this situation occurs when the reduction in benefits as a result of having a job means that the person is marginally, or no better off. When questioned, however 56% of homeless individual stated they would take a job in these circumstances whilst 21% would take other issues into account before coming to a decision (Singh 2005). Many people find that they are no better off in work: Taking into account the costs of work (travel or work-related clothing, for example) a JSA claimant over the age of 25 faces a participation tax rate exceeding 100% for most of the first 20 hours of work (and just below 100% for the hours after. As a result, the individual gains only  £29.06 after 40 hours of work (Sodha and Grant 2010). Caseworkers, clients and experts in the field of homelessness find that the tax and benefits system is confusing. The benefits system plays a fundamental role in the transition from benefits dependency into work, but the perception is that the system operates as a bureaucratic function that militates against support into work. These difficulties result in people not claiming entitlements, particularly with respect to in-work, benefits and tapering payments. There is also the concern amongst claimants that benefits entitlements have been calculated incorrectly, resulting in claw-back at a later date. The system of Working Tax credits has also resulted in some being worse off after following a recalculation of entitlement after 12 months in work (New Economics Foundation 2008). Bearing in mind that many homeless people are already in debt, poor transitional arrangements resulted in many taking on more debts, thereby increasing the likelihood of a further episode of homelessness. This difficult experience in moving into work reduces the motivation to try again (New Economics Foundation 2008). Difficult benefits to work transitions can result in a four-week period between benefits concluding and the arrival of the first pay-slip (Sodha and Grant 2010). Workless people are not well informed about the availability of Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Childcare Tax Credit and additional forms of support. The complex inter-relationships of these benefits together with family circumstances, earnings and location mean that the system has a limited role to play in encouraging the transition to work (Meadows 2008, Sodha and Grant 2010, Business Action on Homelessness 2009). There is also a perception amongst homeless people that working will not make them better off, particularly as the jobs they could apply for are low skilled and low paid. There is also evidence that pressure from government agencies to take work has driven many to forego benefits in favour of begging or part time casual work (Opinion Leader Research 2006). The system of benefits is poorly structured, particularly with respect to sign-on days so there is evidence of those on Ready to Work placements having to take days off in order to avoid loosing benefits payments. The complex nature of Housing Benefit recalculations makes it problematic for those on variable hours or short-term contracts (Business Action on Homelessness 2009). Attitudes of Employers In a survey of fifteen employers, all thought that commercial and non-commercial employers had a duty to help socially disadvantaged people such as the homeless. Employers consider that Corporate Social Responsibility at a local level is particularly important as it affords them the opportunity of putting something back. Although most employers had recruitment policies, they tended to be influenced by equal opportunities legislation rather than addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups such as the homeless (Singh 2005). Involving employers can be complex as they are likely to be resistant to anything that is time consuming and does not have clear outcomes. However, good relationships with employers can provide opportunities for work placements and the potential to have an effect on recruitment policies (Meadows 2008). Of those organisations that offered work placements to homeless people, they suggested a number of benefits to the organisation: Improved understanding of the issues. Challenge to existing policies within the organisation. Utilisation of untapped skills. Seeing first hand someone reclaiming their lives, dignity and self-respect. The negative aspects were reported as: Some candidates not being work