My strengths and weakness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My strengths and weakness - Essay Example I also responded to critical questions about financial products such as procedures for money transfer, steps of opening electronic banking and password configurations. I have utilized my good communications to enhance the communities through; resolving differences and integrating different communities with a view to satisfying their needs thus, solving their problems. Creativity has greatly expounded my mind to think beyond the world of imagination. In my business experiences at Citibank, I thought and recommended: "Money Management Sumer Camp" which was accepted by the company and also inquired fascinating in-depth questions about work. Through my creative mind, I have been able to divide spaces and encounters in public places so as to minimize social barriers and impact relationships between people and communities. Enthusiasm has been the core pillar of my social development.In my trainee duties at Citibank, China I was ever passionate about my job and people, passionate about help ing individual clients open and close banking accounts. In my community, I have carried out extensive social responsibilities such as the provision of food, clothing, and mentorship to poor, afflicted and needy in the society. However, my greatest weakness has been due to poor time management. This has been as a result of numerous tasks running simultaneously thus making me difficult to choose the right activity to be completed first. I am working on this through the formulation of diaries to guiding me in the right procedures.

Relationship between creativity and parenting among preschool children

Relationship between creativity and parenting among preschool children Parenting is potentially a prominent process which affects childs biophysical, psychological, social, and spiritual development. According to researches parenting styles have a crucial role in childrens development(Holden Edwards,1989;Baumrind,1991;DarlingSteinberg,1993;Chao,1994;Paulson,1994;Lorenz,Hoven,AndrewsBird,1995;Reissetal.1995;PalmerHollin,1996;Radziszewska,Richardson,DentFlay,1996;Holdren,1997,Querido,Warner,Eyberg,2002;Sabbatini,Leaper,2004;Dixon,Hamilton-Giachritis Browne,2005) . Due to the fact that parents are the first people who interact with children in the environment, parenting style is considered to be an important factor in childrens growth (Steinberg, Elmen, Mounts, 1989; Pratt, 1988; Xie, 1996). since it has impact on various dimensions of child development such as physical, cognitive , emotional, social and language development. Unfortunately, many parents lack information on how to provide a good home environment and how to use good parenting practices to encourage their childrens abilities. Teachers and other childhood professionals are key resource persons who can disseminate information to parents and encourage parents to choose effective parenting style. It is a well -known fact that parenting styles set the environmental and emotional context for childrens development. Many writers have noted that specific parenting practices are less important in predicting child well-being than is the broad pattern of parenting. Most researchers who try to describe this broad parental setting rely on Diana Baumrinds concept of parenting style. The construct of parenting style is used to capture normal variations in parents attempts to control and socialize their children (Baumrind, 1991). Diana Baumrind (1966) was the first researcher who made lots of effort in researching about the conception of parenting style and its various types; she classified parenting style into three types of authoritarian, permissive and authoritative. the authoritarian parenting style is characterized by being highly challenging and less responsive. The authoritarian parent is inflexible, rough, and demanding. Coarse parents usually fall in this category (It is worth saying that Baumrind added the point that not all authoritarian parents are abusive) (Diana Baumrind 1966). permissive parents are less taxing however highly responsive. The permissive parent is excessively responsive to the childs needs in the way that they rarely apply orderly rules. The outcome of permissive parenting would usually be the spoiled child (Diana Baumrinds 1966). Children are all born with certain set of characteristics and abilities which may be cultivated based on the surrounding environment. Creativity is among these characteristics and since each child is born with the instinctive ability to be creative, all children have the right to be given the opportunity to discover, use and nurture this inborn gift. All children have capacity to be creative and children should have the opportunity to show their ability to be creative (Torrance 1970). Hence parents must create an atmosphere conducive to develop creativity. Definitions of creativity are not straightforward and limited so that we come across various writers contributing to the disputation about the constitution of creativity with different views. However most theorists come to the same point that the creative process in all its different definitions share some common aspects which are imagination, originality, productivity, problem solving and the ability to create an outcome of value and worth hence creativity can be defined as a process of thinking and responding that is engaged with connecting with our prior experience, making response to incentives (objects, ideas, symbols, people, situations) and bring into being at least one unique combination. E. Paul Torrance (1997), one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity, defined creativity as the process of sensing problems, forming ideas, and deriving unprecedented solutions of unique problems with elaboration and embellishment. The study of creativity in young children has been approached form different point of views. There has been several investigations examining parental and family influences on preschoolers creativity . Bomba ,Moran, and Goble(1991) organized a study on children and their parents to explore the relationship between familial style and preschoolers creative potential. Findings revealed that children of families who were flexible in their family structure got higher scores on a creativity test. Statement of Problem The parents and learning environment during early childhood have great impact on child outcomes .There are evidences that show how parents can influence on children such as family income, parentsoccupatios and parents education. Infect parents are influential person through of the childs life. They have essential task to teach children new skills and who are the first teachers. There are several styles that parents chose during the parenting and each one has particular influence on children. Baumrid was the first researcher that use parenting style concept and other research until now show that significant effect parenting style on all aspect of child outcomes. Therefore awareness of how and what influences parenting style is significant when researches have shown relationship between parenting style and positive and negative children outcomes. Negative outcomes including: eating disorders, aggression, low academic performance, depression and positive outcome such as high academic achievement, self esteem. The problem being addressed in this study is to investigate the relationship between parenting style and creativity level of Iranian preschool children live in Malaysia. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a727330303db=all early education and children outcomes 2005 nfluences of parents education on their childrens educational attainments: the role of parent and child perceptions   Purpose of study The major purpose of this study is to explore relationship between parenting style [namely authoritative, authoritarian and permissive] and creativity among preschool children. The second purpose of study is that provides information to parents on the effects of their styles on creativity and their childrens performance in creativity. It provides information about the creativity level of Iranian preschool children as well as provides information about parenting style in Iranian students. There are some reasons to show this study is useful : first reason is that recently there is more focus on child development than before and that parents must be more educated about their parenting styles .Second reason is that the researches show lack of awareness of parents about parenting styles they choose which has direct influence on the child outcomes .For the third reason, the findings will help professionals and educators in early childhood area to design suitable programs to parents in order to enhance their knowledge about parenting and parenting styles . Research questions The research questions for this study are as follows: Is there any relationship between authoritative Iranian parents and their child creativity? Is there any relationship between authoritarian Iranian parents and their child creativity? Is there any relationship between permissive Iranian parents and their child creativity? Limitation of study In this study only Iranian parents in Malaysia will be used as sample since I am Iranian and my concern is to inform the Iranian parents how their parenting style will influence their children creativity. The second limitation is the questionnaire is in English language. Third, this study is carry out in public Iranian preschool. Operational definitions The following concepts were nominally defined for this study: Parenting style: Parenting is a complicated set of activities which involves much particular behaviour that work independently and collectively to affect child outcomes. Parenting has such a significant role in childs life that determines the nature of children s following life and even their future parenting styles. (GearyFlinn, 2001; Keller, 2001). Darling and Steinberg (1993) define a parenting style as the emotional climate in which parents raise their children. Darling and Steinberg defined parenting style as: A constellation of attitudes toward the child that are communicated to the child and that taken together, create an emotional climate in which the parents behaviors are expressed. These behaviors include both the specific, goal-directed behaviors through which parents perform their paternal duties and non-goal-directed parental behaviors, such as gestures, changes in tone of voice, or the spontaneous expression of emotion.(DarlingStenberg,1993,p.3). Diana Baumrind conducted an interview with parents of preschool children and observed the interaction between parents and children and based on the result she believed that parenting styles have two important dimensions (Baumrind,1971,1978,1989). The first one wasparental responsiveness and the second one was parental demandigness. Parental responsiveness refers to parents consideration on childs needs. Parental demandiingness refers to the demands which are made by parents on their children to become unified into the family and the society. She described parenting style in three categories: authoritarian, authoritative and permissive . Authoritarian parenting style: Authoritarian parenting style is described with high demandingness but low responsiveness. Authoritarian parents do not express ideas or reasons behind their rules for their children and children have to follow the rules unconditionally. Attitude of these parents is that the child must do whatever they say. The authoritarian parents communicate less with their children and they use punishment if the children do not accept the rules. Authoritative parenting style: Authoritative parenting style is the most appropriate method with the best outcomes .Parents have moderate demanding and moderate responsiveness. They have reasonable requests to child, they show love and affection, and they listen to childs views, they encourage children to be independent. Authoritative parents explain to the child the reasoning behind their rules and control. (Baumrind,1966) Permissive parenting style: Permissive parenting style is described with high responsiveness however low demandingness .Permissive parents tend to give more freedom to children and less control, guidance and punishment. The child can do whatever she or he wants unconditionally. children of permissive parents show traits such as low self-esteem and lack of independency. Creativity Several experts define creativity in many various ways and each researcher has his own definition on creativity and in highest number of definitions, creativity is making new thing, originality, unusual, unexpected, valuable etc.(preschool education book). Torrances definition of creativity (1974): A process of becoming sensitive to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge, missing elements, disharmonies, and so on; identifying the difficult; searching for solutions, making guesses or formulating hypotheses about the deficiencies; testing and retesting these hypotheses and possibly modifying and retesting them; and finally communicating the results (p.8). Preschool children Based on Malaysian curriculum, children between 4 to 6 is located under preschool Methodology This research is a quantitative study and the data will collate by questioners. Instrumentation: The instrument used in this study will be TCAM ( Torrance 1981) to measur creativity in preschool children and will also use a version of the parenting styles and Dimensions Questionnaire(PSDQ) (Robinson, Mandelco, Olsen, Hart, 2001) to collect data. Method analysing data is by the quantitative data analysis .Spss version 17 will be used in this study. Sample A total of 100 Iranian parents in Kuala Lumpur (50 females and 50 males) and 50 preschool children from Iran will be included in this study. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20056147/

Web-Based Issue Position Statement :: Essays Papers

Web-Based Issue Position Statement Introduction The use of laboratory animals in the classroom is an extremely controversial issue. Ethics as well as religion are challenged with the dissection of animals. This controversy is not a new one, animal dissection has been disputed for well over a hundred years (National Research Council, 1988). There have been numerous court cases concerning this issue and laws have been enacted to give students the right to refrain from participating in animal dissection (NABT, 1990). Background Animal dissection started hundreds of years ago in order to gain a better understanding of how the body works. It has helped us to learn about, prevent, and cure diseases that could have otherwise never been understood (National Research Council, 1988). Without animal research human health in general would be at a much lower level. â€Å"..in the United States, animal experimentation has contributed to an increase in average life expectancy of about twenty five years since 1900† (Research Council, 1988). Dissection was not used in the classroom until 1920 and did not become part of the regular curriculum until the 1960’s (NABT, 1990). The original attitude towards dissection in the classroom was generally supportive and understanding of the benefits of this type of study. In 1987 high school student Jennifer Graham went to court after her grade was lowered because she refused to participate in a frog dissection. After this incident, public opinion on dissection in the classroom completely changed (NABT, 1990). Since then, the controversy has heightened and researchers continue to debate with animal rights activists on the issue. People in support of animal use in the classroom present several arguments, the most popular being that it is a hands-on experience that allows student the opportunity to understand the body form and function (Lewis, 1997). It also allows students to see the actual placement of organs, the appearance and texture of tissues and organs, and the relationship of the organs with one another (NABT, 1990). Howard E. Buhse, associate director of the department of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, claims that through dissection students gain a respect for the complicated way a body is put together. Buhse also states that the plastic models throw students off because, unlike the models, no body has perfect organs and there is natural anatomical variation of the placement of the organs (Lewis, 1997).

 Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma High School Essay

Background of the Study Soap is an essential cleaning agent, helping people to keep themselves and their surroundings clean. When soap is mixed with water, it forms a lather that washes out dirt and grease for better than water alone. Soap can be made on a small scale in the home or village cheaply and easily. The main ingredients are fats and lye both of which can be made from materials found through out the world. Making soap at home is practical when there is waste fat or oil and when there is no cheap source of soap. Because of this, the researchers though of finding ways in utilizing guava in making home made soap that can substitute commercial soap. Instead of buying anti-bacterial commercial soap we can use home made guava soap. The guava was chosen as a substitute ingredient for anti-bacterial commercial soap because it is cheaper not like the commercial anti-bacterial soap. Guava can just gather in the backyard and it is easy to make. Significance of the Study This study is significant in making a bathing soap with guava extract as treatment for acne. This plant is very common to our environment, and aside of its availability; it is easy to cultivate. It contains many components for healing skin disorders. Scope and limitation This study is focus only on how guava extract (Psidium guajava Linn) be effective in killing microorganism like Fungi and Bacteria. The study of guava leaves and getting their extract is often useful. It has the ability to treat, cure, disinfect skin disorders and capable of being a herbal plant for acnes. Statement of Problem It stated that Guava leaves extract is good for skin. Based on research, it has many constituents that is good for skin. It answers the following questions: 1. Is there any constituents of guava leaves that is good for skin? 2. If it is useful, how long will it take for the users to see complete results? Hypothesis Yes, Guava leaves is good treatment for acne. Chapter II EVALUATION, DESIGN AND FRAMEWORK Theoretical Framework Conceptual Framework Definition of terms

Lord of The Flies Human Allegory Essay

In Lord of the Flies William Golding uses allegories to illustrate the human psyche. Different characters are used to represent different parts of an individual’s mental structure: the impulses of the Id, the rationality of the Ego, and the moral understanding of the Superego. Golding carefully describes each character’s actions to coincide with each part of the psyche. Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph are characters in the story that represent the psyche. According to Sigmun Freud, the Id is the impulsive part of the psyche. Evidence of this is the killing of the sow. To elaborate, the killing of the sow has been deemed a â€Å"symbolic rape,† symbolizing man’s sexual desire. The manner that the boys go about in killing the pigs is based on sexual desire and violence; all parts of the Id. An example of this is the boys chant they recite after the hunt, as well as the lust they receive when chasing the sow. The pig’s head also represents the Id in the boys. The pig’s head becomes evidence of their atrocities brought on by impulsive and animalistic behavior. The boys wanted satisfaction, ultimately achieving it through the brutal murder of the sow. Furthermore, Golding’s Jack has been interpreted to personify the Id. An exemplar is his thirst for blood which gives him gratification. He takes great pride in hunting and killing pigs, eventually smearing the pig’s blood on his face. This is violent and primal, not very productive for the group and is meant as a source of satisfaction. Hunting should be pointless, the boys are on an island surrounded by fruit. Golding states, â€Å"†¦gorging fruit in the forest.†(pg.25). Jack is too busy wanting to hunt that he forgets about being rescued. One instance being early in the novel when a boat appears on the horizon; Jack allows the fire to burn out while hunting; eliminating aspirations of rescue. Moreover, as Jack embodies the Id; Ralph represents the ego. Ralph epitomizes the reasoning among the group. Sine Ralph is the leader, it becomes his responsibility to keep order. The ego makes rational choices while satisfying the Id. For instance, Ralph’s main task is to keep the order and control Jack and his impulses. Ralph delegates jobs: Jack and the choir become hunters and the rest will build the huts. For example, Ralph comes up with the idea the idea that who ever holds the conch gets to talk. Also, Ralph is the one who comes up with the idea to get the boys names. Golding writes,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦If a ship comes near the island†¦We must make a fire.†(pg.35). This quote shows Ralph’s rational thinking on how to get rescued. Ralph thinks of the sensible thing to do for instance, Golding states â€Å"What was the sensible thing to do?†(pg.196). Due to Ralph’s rational thinking, he has  been interpreted to manifest the ego. Furthermore, readers have drawn conclusions that Piggy represents the super ego, Piggy acts like the conscience for the group; for example, Golding inscribes â€Å"What’s grown-ups goin’ to think? Young Simon was murdered.†(pg.157). This quote communicates how Piggy attempts to guilt the boys for the terrible crime they committed. Piggy comprehends moral values and tries to guilt Ralph for participating in the murder of Simon. Throughout the story Piggy constantly reminds Jack and Ralph about the priorities. He nags them incessantly about the fire, as well as; the importance of the conch and assemblies, the proper way to do a task, and how to act properly. Golding writes, â€Å"There was no Piggy to talk sense.†(pg.196). This quote justifies how Piggy acts like the boys conscience. In addition to Piggy, Simon has also been interpreted to represent the super ego based on his actions throughout the novel. For example, when the little kids wanted the fruit Simon got it down for them. Another example is when Simon attempts to warn the others that the beast is them. Golding states, â€Å"‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?†(pg.136). Moreover, Simon’s moral values become evident when he gives meat to Piggy. Golding exclaims, â€Å"†¦Shoved the piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy.† Simons moral values on how to treat others, based on his actions in the novel clarifies how readers could draw conclusions that he embodies the super ego. Subsequently, interpretations on the novel have revealed Piggy’s death to represent the Id’s complete take over of the island. Golding exclaims, â€Å"The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow †¦the body of Piggy was gone.†(pg.180). Without Piggy, there is no moral reasoning to help make the right choices. After Piggy dies, Jack attempts to kill Ralph to eradicate rational thinking. This is an example of the Id’s superiority and strength over the ego, without the presence of the super ego. Without the super ego deciding the right from the wrong, the Id will take over. In the novel, had the naval officer not intervene, Jack would have completed the Id’s takeover of the egos by killing Ralph. As a final point, Golding uses Freud’s philosophies regarding the psyche to show human nature in Lord of the Flies. Ralph, Jack and Piggy represent the different parts of the psyche and what happens when one falls. Jack represents the Id with his impulses to kill. Piggy represents the super ego through his moral understanding, while Ralph symbolizes the ego, caught between the Id and super ego. Golding illustrates in â€Å"Lord of the Flies† that the Id is most powerful and comes out when a man is subjected to a primitive mindset. The further into this mindset, the stronger the Id becomes resulting in a loss of the ego and super ego. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1954.

Functions of Management at Arthur Andersen

Functions of Management at Arthur Andersen Free Online Research Papers Arthur Andersen was founded in 1913 in Chicago, Illinois and was seen as one of thee top accounting firms in the country with over 20,000 employees in the United States alone. Over the years times change and so does revenue, Arthur Andersen (the man himself) had high standards as to the practice of accounting, but his practice after his death in 1947 did not, resulting in many ethic and legal violations. WorldCom, Waste Management, and Enron are some of Arthur Andersen’s clients that have caused this once great accounting firm to almost non-existence. We will investigate Arthur Anderson’s legal, ethic, and social responsibility towards strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning to show how it has affected the company today. Introduction Arthur Andersen LLP once was recognized as one of the top accounting and auditing firms in the nation. Andersen had a broad range of clients from different industries and countries across the world, until legal and ethic violations ended the organizations reign in 2002 with the collapse of the Enron Corporation. Even before Enron there was speculation of wrongdoing with WorldCom as too the auditing practices of Arthur Andersen. Management planning at Arthur Andersen was known for making sound decisions with partners and alliances, until the late 1990’s where greed and illegal auditing practices took over. Due to ethic, legal, and social responsibility companies like WorldCom and Arthur Andersen collapsed and changes were made to protect the public from further illegal operations. Functions of management According to Niece, Trompeter (2004) all Andersen employees were trained in the same methods and each office followed firm policies established by the central management in the office of the chairman. Partnerships were the firms top management, Andersen had 50% share and was president, then his partner Leonard Spacek was vice president, over the years the firm would have more partners and employees. From there the firm introduced a committee to oversee rules and regulations called committee on accounting principles and auditing procedures (CAPAP). Like any big service industry company, management wanted to branch out in different areas such as consulting and management, with these new functions brought on divisions, not only in the States but in other countries as well. This would make Arthur Andersen the biggest accounting firm in the World. As Arthur Andersen grew so did greed from within the company, and alliances and divisions were split. This caused more competition and increase d greed among management of the firms resulting in legal and ethic violations at Arthur Andersen. Legal Issues Legal issues were never an issue in the early days of Arthur Andersen, when the organization was smaller and more structured. In 1996 Waste Management came to light in both legal and ethic violations as the SEC found Andersen reckless in their auditing practices. This led to charging large fees and making Waste Management look better on paper than originally thought without even receiving the correct financials. In the years 2000-2002 Arthur Andersen was caught in the middle of another scandal that rocked the economy: WorldCom was in the midst of the same illegal mischief as Waste Management but to a deeper extent and right in the center of this mess was Arthur Andersen. The Auditing firm for both Waste Management and WorldCom was in back to back battles with forging documents and fraud, but seemingly only received fines and a closer eye from the SEC and the federal government. David Duncan President of Enron was accused of shredding documents along with Arthur Andersen was the final and last straw for the firm, and in 2002 was brought up on federal charges of fraud, but in the end all the Andersen firm got was obstructing justice and lost their license to conduct audits even though they were never convicted or charged with bad audits. Ethics Arthur Andersen was an organization that was committed to honesty, integerty, independence, high legal and ethical standards, and dedication to the public; and now in 2008 the company is nothing more than a shadow of it’s former self. Ethics was important to Arthur Andersen who donated more than $5 million dollars to universities for awareness of ethical issues pertaining to business. Ethics was the backbone of the form that Arthur Andersen started in 1913, and due to the greed of cooperate officers and its partners has seen the last of this once proud and respected firm. Accounting and auditing practices have long held high standards of ethics, and due to the disasters of these organizations certain laws have been passed to bring confidence back to the public of financial institutions, the Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002 is one that requires the rotation of lead auditors within in a firm to conduct audits. According to Orin (2008) the Sarbanes-Oxley act should be expanded to requ ire audit-firm rotation. This would bring independence back and restore public trust. Social Responsibility In order to take social and corporate responsibility, a organization must admit guilt. Arthur Andersen never really admitted any wrong doing in none of their cases in court, but did pay fines and reimburse shareholders for their loss. Is this all Arthur Andersen can do is pay fines and costs and not serve any other sanctions? Arthur Andersen’s social responsibility was to admit guilt and surrender its licenses to practice accounting, which it never did and to this day still, has operations in Chicago. With little or no customers the damage was done to this century old firm, and Arthur Andersen now holds the burden of social responsibility with no business. Factors of Planning Illegal and ethic violations: One factor that effects strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning is illegal and ethic violations, once these allegations are made the company needs to revisit strategies and come up with a plan to fight these allegations. The second phase would be tactical, what tactics are going to be used and how to implement them, this changes in how you operate not 100%, but as you could see if found guilty of any wrongdoing, your operations have been altered and need to be restructured. No company can plan for a disaster has the one that faced Arthur Andersen, but contingency plans were in place as to a legal council to brief and research certain violations pertaining to accounting. Cultural factors: Cultural factors can play a part in all phases of planning especially with international companies like Arthur Andersen. In the early 1940’s the firm wanted to improve relations with consumers and businesses overseas, this needed to be done by changing all plans in order to gain the confidence and respect of different cultures. Arthur Andersen did what all organizations do that succeed internationally, that is changes the plans of the organization. Economic factors: Economic factors can be the most important factor to changing all of an organizations planning. Whether the world is in a good market or bad, plans need to be changed when this happens. Another factor the economy plays is greed and Arthur Andersen’s demise was greed, this brought down the organization where no planning could save the firm, not even the contingency plan the firm had in place. Other organizations such as Chrysler has felt this economic crunch and has had too restructure the company from top to bottom in order to survive, at least for now. Conclusion Arthur Andersen was a top 5 accounting firm and due to poor management and greed the organization failed. Arthur Andersen basically created the standards of ethics for accounting and now it turned it back on the accounting practice, the public, and trust of companies to gain a profit and rise above the competition. When dealing with illegal activity and ethic violations the law and the public will always come out on top and the members of Arthur Andersen have forgotten all of the issues, ethics and responsibilities that made the firm a top 5 accounting institution. Since 1913 all of the planning and resources that the man Arthur Andersen had laid out is gone as quick as a Chicago wind. Many accounting firms have suffered in the wake of poor public perception and some have gained from the loss of Arthur Andersen. I wonder which company will be next in the news due to poor management planning and scandal. References Niece, J., Trompeter, G. (2004, Summer 2004). The Demise of Arthur Andersen’s One-Firm Concept: A Case Study in Corporate Governance. Business Society review,109 (2), 183-207. Retrieved December 15, 2008 from EBSCOhost. Orin, R. (2008, Winter2008). Ethical Guidance and Constraint Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Journal of Accounting, Auditing Finance, 23(1), 141-171. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from EBSCOhost. Research Papers on Functions of Management at Arthur AndersenThe Project Managment Office SystemNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceDefinition of Export QuotasAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

How to Tell Your Parents You Want to Drop Out of College

How to Tell Your Parents You Want to Drop Out of College If you are considering dropping out of college, you likely have a good reason: personal, financial,  academic, or a combination of factors. Even though the benefits of dropping out may be clear to you, your parents may have some concerns, and talking to them about dropping out may not be easy. So where can you begin? What should you say? Be Honest Dropping out of college is a big deal, and your parents know this. Even if they suspected that this conversation was coming, they probably arent going to be too pleased about it. Consequently, you owe it to them- and yourself- to be honest about the main reasons driving your decision. Are you failing your classes? Not connecting socially with others? Feeling lost academically? Is the financial obligation too much to bear? If you expect to have an honest, adult conversation about dropping out, youll need to contribute your own honesty and maturity as well. Be Specific General statements, like I just dont like it, I dont want to be there, and I just want to come home, may be accurate, but theyre vague and therefore not very helpful. Additionally, your parents may not know how to respond to these kinds of general statements other than to tell you to get back to class. If, however, youre more specific- I need some time off from school to figure out what I want to study, I need a break right now academically and intellectually, Im concerned about how much this is costing- both you and your parents can have a constructive conversation about your concerns. Explain What Dropping Out Will Accomplish Dropping out has such a heavy feel to it because it is a very serious choice. To assuage their concerns, discuss with your parents what dropping out will accomplish. True, youll leave your current situation, but then what? While withdrawing from your current college or university might be appealing, it should be only one step in a longer, carefully thought-out process. What will you do instead? Will you work? Travel? Aim to re-enroll in a semester or two? The conversation should not just be about leaving college; it should also include what youre planning to do next. Be Aware of the Consequences Your parents will likely have a lot of questions for you about whats going to happen if you drop out. What are the financial consequences going to be? When will you have to start paying back your student loans, or can you put them on deferment? What will happen to the loan and grant money youve already accepted for this term? What about your lost credits? Can you re-enroll at your institution at a later time, or will you have to reapply for admission? What obligations will you still have for your living arrangements? While your heart and mind might be set on dropping out and leaving your current situation, your parents can be great resources for helping you keep your focus on whats most important. The key, however, is to fully engage and work in partnership with them to make the transition as painless as possible for everyone involved.

64 Great Colleges That Dont Require Essays to Apply

64 Great Colleges That Don't Require Essays to Apply SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If the thought of writing a college essay fills you with terror, you might be wondering: are there any colleges that don’t require essays? The answer is yes, there are! This guide will give youan overview of colleges that don’t require admissions essays, how to find these schools, and whether you should apply to one or not. We’ll wrap up with a list of 64 colleges with no essay requirementthat you can apply to. Why Do Some Colleges Not Require an Essay? In general, college essays help schools get a sense of you as a person- beyond your academic record, GPA, and test scores. They give you a chance to clearly articulate your goals and also give admissions officers a better idea of how you’ll fit within the school's community. Finally, essays are helpful because they provide schools with concrete evidence of your writing ability. However, there are many colleges that don’t require essays for admissions. What are some reasons why? Let's take a look at the three biggest ones: #1: Limited Resources It takes a lot of admissions officers' time and energy to read and evaluate college essays. At smaller schools with fewer resources, and even at larger schools that enroll tens of thousands of students, the resource costs associated with reading each essay for every single student might outweigh the benefits of getting additional informationon applicants beyond GPAs, test scores, and transcripts. Schools sometimes balance these concerns by requiring essays only for the most competitive programs (usually things such as engineering and nursing) or for scholarships, for which the additional information might be more instrumental in making decisions. They need to use those limited resources for coffee. #2: Specific Admissions Cutoffs/Criteria Many colleges, particularly public schools, admit students based on a type of selection index, which tabulates some combination of GPA, test scores, and/or class rank. If students meet the minimum index score cutoff, they will be admitted. In this case, the school might simply feel that additional information from an essay isn't necessary for making a decisionregarding whether a student will be successful or not. Selection indices are also often different for in-state and out-of-state students, with the latter being subject to more stringent academic criteria. In addition, the selection index is sometimes used for scholarships, with students with higher index scores being awarded more money. Schools with selection indices do often require or recommend college essays for borderline candidates so that students can provide additional information on why they'd be a good fit at the school in spite of not meeting the stated academic criteria. #3: Make Admissions Process Easy and Appealing Some colleges hope that by making the admissions process easy and requiring only a transcript, test scores, and basic demographic information, they'll attract a wider variety of applicants. By presenting their application process as a simple alternative to more intensive processes that require letters of recommendation, essays, and so on, they can attract students who are on the fence about applying to college at all. They could even potentially motivate highly qualified applicants to use them as one of their safety or match schoolsbecause the students won’t need to write additional essays or do extra work to apply. Some applications seem like you just have to click to apply! How to Find Colleges That Don't Require Essays According todata compiled by the US Department of Education, there are 4,583 degree-granting postsecondary educational institutions in the US as of 2016. This figure includes both two-year institutions (about 1,600) and four-year institutions (about 3,000). The truth, though, is that a huge number of these schools don’t require essays for admission. If you want to know whether a particular school requires an essay for admission, Google "[School Name] freshman admission requirements" or "[School Name] admissions essay." This should pull up pages from the school's official website, with links to guidelines on admission essays. If, however, you’re looking more generally for schools that don’t require essays, you can check out our comprehensive list of 64 schools below or try one of the following starting places: Public Universities in Your State A huge number of public universities don’t require essays for admissions. Even if the major public schools in your state (such as the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign or UCLA) require essays for admission, you might find that the smaller campuses andsmaller or more specialized state schools (such as Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago State University, etc.) might not require essays. So be sure to check those out! You can actually get a pretty robust list of schools in your state by simply Googling "[State Name] colleges." Do this and a list of colleges will appear across the top of your screen. Thanks, Google! Schools With Automatic Admissions Criteria A school that has criteria for automatic admission (e.g., if you live in-state and have a particular class rank, GPA, and/or test score profile) might not require applicants who meet the automatic criteria to submit essays with their applications. However, don’t assume that just because you meet automatic admissions criteria that you won’t need to write an essay. At UT Austin, for example, all students must submit an essay, regardless of whether they meet the automatic admissions criteria. Although you could probably write just a straightforward paragraph in the essay section and still get admitted (since you meet the criteria), you’d likely be hurting your scholarship potential, not to mention jeopardizing your chances of being let into your desired major. Small Private Liberal Arts Institutions Another group of schools that might not require essays are smaller, private liberal arts institutions. These types of schools often serve a fairly niche market and might simply not get a high enough application volume to need essays to differentiate applicants. Community Colleges Local community colleges do not require essays for enrollment, since most allow anyone to enroll. Some even have automatic transfer agreements with local four-year universities. However, if you want to transfer to a particular four-year university after you finish at a community college, you might very well have to write an essay- so you could just be putting off the inevitable! You can find a lot of no-essay colleges for your basket! Complete List: 64 Colleges That Don’t Require Essays The following chart contains 64 colleges with no essay requirement, organized by state. I’ve also included information on application requirements and the US Newsranking for each school (though, of course, there are limitations to theserankings.) Note that these are far from the only no-essay college applications- just some of the most notable. Follow our guidelines above for finding additional essay-free colleges. State School Essay Requirement Notes on Admission Criteria US NewsRanking Alabama University of Alabama None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #129 Alabama State University None Primarily determined by GPA and test scores Regional Universities South - Tier 2 Alaska University of Alaska Anchorage None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Universities West - #81 University of Alaska Fairbanks None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #215 Arizona Northern Arizona University None Primarily determined by GPA and test scores National Universities - Tier 2 University of Arizona Optional for "Comprehensive Review" admission Assured admission for in-state applicants who meet criteria; comprehensive review process for all other applicants National Universities - #106 Arizona State University None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #5 Arkansas Arkansas State University None Primarily determined by GPA and test scores Regional Universities South - #95 University of Arkansas None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #152 California California State University None Primarily by eligibility index; some majors/campuses have more stringent requirements Ranking depends on campus Colorado University of Colorado - Denver None (though UC Boulder does require an essay) Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #205 Connecticut University of Bridgeport Only required for dental hygiene students; otherwise, encouraged but not required. Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Universities North - Tier 2 Delaware Delaware State University None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Universities North - Tier 2 Florida University of Central Florida Strongly encouraged but not required Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #165 University of South Florida None "Each applicant is considered individually, taking into account grades, rigor of curriculum and standardized test scores" National Universities - #124 Georgia Georgia State University Optional Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #187 Hawaii University of Hawaii Manoa None Primarily determined by GPA, transcripts, test scores, class rank National Universities - #157 Idaho University of Idaho None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #165 Illinois Illinois State University Optional personal statement Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #171 Indiana Indiana Wesleyan University None Meet GPA and test score cutoffs Regional Universities Midwest - #32 University of Southern Indiana None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Universities Midwest - Tier 2 University of Indianapolis Writing samples are encouraged but not required Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank Regional Universities Midwest - #38 Iowa Iowa State University None Primarily through the Regent Admission Index National Universities - #9 University of Iowa None Different requirements for different schools in the university National Universities - #89 Kansas Kansas State University None Students must meet GPA/test requirements and complete Precollege Curriculum National Universities - #147 University of Kansas Short answers only for those who don't meet Assured Admission criteria Meet Assured Admission criteria through GPA/test score requirements National Universities - #129 Kentucky Kentucky State University None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Colleges South - #30 Louisiana Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge None Primarily determined by GPA and test scores National Universities - #140 University of Louisiana - Lafayette None Guaranteed admission for in-state applicants who meet criteria; primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - Tier 2 Maryland Bowie State University Optional Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts Regional Universities North - Tier 2 Massachusetts Bridgewater State University Encouraged but not required Primarily determined by test scores and transcripts Regional Universities North - #7 Michigan Eastern Michigan University None Admissions index based on test scores and GPA National Universities - Tier 2 Western Michigan University None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #205 Minnesota University of Minnesota - Twin Cities None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #76 Mississippi University of Mississippi None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #152 Mississippi State University None Assured admission for students who have completed prerequisite coursework and meet a combination of GPA/class rank/test score criteria National Universities - #177 Missouri University of Missouri None Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #129 Missouri State University Essays required only if you don't meet the selection index criteria Meet selection index criteria and have completed prerequisite coursework Regional Universities Midwest - #1 Montana University of Montana None Meet primary requirements and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #201 Nebraska University of Nebraska - Lincoln Required only for scholarship consideration Assured admission if you meet performance requirements and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #129 Nevada University of Nevada Reno None Meet GPA or test score requirement and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #201 New Jersey Kean University Recommended but not required Primarily determined by test scores, transcripts, and any supplementary documentation submitted Regional Universities North - #139 New Mexico University of New Mexico None Primarily determined by test scores and transcripts National Universities - #187 New York Siena College Optional writing sample Primarily determined by transcripts; test scores are optional for most programs, as is the essay National Liberal Arts Colleges - #135 CUNY-Baruch College Recommended but not required Primarily determined by test scores, transcripts, and any supplementary documentation submitted Regional Universities North - #20 CUNY-Hunter College Optional Primarily determined by test scores, transcripts, and any supplementary documentation submitted Regional Universities North - #25 North Carolina West Carolina University Recommended but not required Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank Regional Universities South - #34 North Dakota University of North Dakota None Meet GPA and test score requirements and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #205 Ohio Ohio University Optional Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts, class rank National Universities - #171 Oklahoma Oklahoma State University Essay required only if you need comprehensive application review Assured admission by combination of GPA/class rank/test scores; otherwise comprehensive application review National Universities - #157 Oregon Southern Oregon University Optional writing sample Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts; students who feel they might not meet academic requirements can submit supporting documentation Regional Universities West - #88 Western Oregon University Required only for students who don't meet minimum academic requirements Admission primarily via GPA (3.0+) and recommendation; test optional except for students applying for scholarships and honors, or for those who don't meet minimum academic requirements Regional Universities West - #63 Eastern Oregon University Required only for petitioning students Automatic admission for students who meet basic coursework/test requirements and have a GPA of 2.75 Regional Universities West - Tier 2 Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh Optional short-answer questions Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #70 South Carolina Clemson University Optional Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #66 University of South Carolina Only required for Honors College application Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #106 South Dakota University of South Dakota None Meet GPA, test score, or class rank cutoff and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #226 Tennessee Tennessee State University None Meet GPA/test score cutoffs and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - Tier 2 Utah University of Utah Only required for Honors College application Primarily determined by GPA, test scores, transcripts National Universities - #9 Utah State University None Meet GPA/test score cutoffs and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #205 Washington Washington State University None Meet College Academic Distribution Requirements; assured admission for top 10% of class or 3.5+ GPA National Universities - #140 West Virginia West Virginia University None Meet GPA/test score cutoffs and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #205 Wyoming University of Wyoming None Meet GPA/test score cutoffs and have completed prerequisite coursework National Universities - #183 Canada McGill University Essay only required for some programs and scholarships Primarily determined by test scores and transcripts Global Universities - #49 Is this all the paper you've got? No problem forno-essay college applications! Should You Apply to a College That Doesn’t Require an Essay? If you’re reading this article, you’re clearly worried about writing application essays for one reason or another. Maybe you’re concerned about having enough time to finish everything. Or maybe you think your writing is terrible. Here are some reasons to write college essays in spite of your misgivings: You Want to Apply to the Most Selective Schools If you're hoping to apply to the most selective schools, you'll almost certainly have to write at least one essay. The most highly ranked no-essay school that I could find was Clemson- a great school. But if you’re going for UChicago, MIT, Stanford, or an Ivy League-level school, you'll have to write an essay. You Want a Scholarship Even if you do apply to a school that doesn’t require an essay, you might still have to write an essay if you want to apply for the most competitive scholarships. You Have Special Circumstances to Explain If you have any kind of special circumstance to explain- say, a dip in your grades one year due to a family illness- you definitely want to write about it in an essay. This will help you compensate for any perceived deficits in your academic record and also prevent you from being penalized in the admissions process for the vagaries of life. There's value in telling your story to the admissions committee. You’re a Good Writer I’m thinking that most strong writers are going to actively want to write college essays, but just in case: if writing is one of your strengths, definitely write an essay. You want to show off your best qualities to admissions officers, after all! If your primary concern is time, use something like the Common Application so you don’t have to write a new essay for every school. The Essay Prompt Is Short Some college essays are barely essays at all. Some required essays have just a 250-word limit, and 500 words is pretty standard. For reference, the first section of this article- "Why Do Some Colleges Not Require Essays?"- is about 450 words, including sub-headings. That’s not so bad! You Can Get Help Although it’s important that your college essays are your own work, you’re allowed to get help with them! Colleges expect you to put your best foot forward, so if that means discussing ideas with parents and teachers, and having someone else look over your rough drafts and offer suggestions, that’s completely fine. You don’t have to go at it completely alone. You Can Reuse an Essay for All Your Schools For schools that use the Common App, Coalition App, or Universal College App, you can generally use one essay for all your colleges. Some schools might require additional supplemental essays, though, so be sure to look that up in advance to avoid being blindsided later. So Should I Write an Essay? If it happens that all the schools you want to apply to don’t require essays, then great!But overall, I'd say don’t let the fact that a school has one (or even two) essays stop you from applying if you're genuinely interested in going there. If you find writing essays stressful or if you're time-limited, there’s nothing wrong with using some strategies to limit the number of polished essays you need to produce (such as using the Common App) and applying to a mix of essay and no-essay schools. Sometimes the pen really is mightier than the sword. Key Takeaways: Colleges That Don’t Require Essays There are actually tons of colleges that don’t require essays. Here are some common reasons why a college might not require an essay: Limited resources- it takes a lot of time and effort to read an essay by each applicant They might have certain GPA and/or test score admissions criteria and feel as though the information provided by an essay isn’t necessary To make it more appealing to students by having an easier application process So how can you find college applicationswithout essays? Here are some places to start: Public schools in your state, especially smaller ones in case the bigger ones do require essays Schools with automatic admissions criteria- if you qualify for admission, you might not need to write an essay Smaller liberal arts institutions Community colleges When it comes down to it, though, should you apply to colleges with no essay requirement? Here are some reasons you might want to write a college essay, even if you're apprehensive: The most selective colleges usually do require essays Scholarship applications for particular schools often require essays If you have special circumstances to explain, plan on writing an essay Strong writers should write essays to put their best foot forward Word limits are often very short- think 250-500 words (that’s just a few paragraphs!) You’re allowed (and encouraged) to get help with brainstorming ideas and revising drafts If you use an application system that can send applications to multiple schools, such as the Common App, Coalition App, or Universal College App, you might be able to write just one essay for all the schools you're applying to Don't forget to also check out our list of 64 colleges that don't require essays! No essay, no tears! What's Next? Need more help looking for colleges? See our step-by-step guide to college research. Also, check out how to decide where to go to college and the difference between a college and a university! Decided to write an essay after all and need some help? Check out our comprehensive guide to writing a college essayand our guide to writing the "why this college" essay. Be sure toavoid these 10 college essay mistakes, too. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

American History Week 4 #16 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American History Week 4 #16 - Article Example He rejected the use of blackface performances and minstrel shows that whites used to depict African Americans as stupid, primitive, and lazy people. Such plays teased Africans and belittled them substantially. Torrence noticed this racial tragedy and decided to condemn it exclusively. Additionally, McKay contributed through his vastly read poem named â€Å"If We Must Die† (Taylor, 2006). The poem condemned the ruthless killings that whites executed on the blacks. The blacks experienced great injustice from the whites who tormented and killed them without proper reasons. The poem equally urged the Negros to stand up and fight back. McKay was against the rampant and undesirable deaths that engulfed the Negro communities in Harlem and beyond. He urged the blacks to defy the killings through retaliation despite their limited numbers. Similarly, Hubert Harrison founded the fist dailies for the New Negro movement, which indicated the fight against the whites’ intolerance and initiation of movements that despised the literacy and integrity of blacks. The collective impacts that the works of these figures made on the American society were numerous. Evidently, their efforts reduced the tolls of discrimination that the Africans faced. The blacks became stronger in fighting for their dues and resisted the unworthy discrimination from whites. These artists endured to show that the black societies were similarly humans and deserved fair treatments just like whites. Additionally, blacks correspondingly contributed the building of

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 10

Taxation - Essay Example This new progressive income tax introduced by Pitt saw the people remitting a levy of 2 old pence for every pound on incomes that were more than  £60 (this minimum amount was reviewed in 2014 and fixed at  £5348). The levy actually increased up to a maximum amount of 2 shillings (10 percent) particularly on incomes more than  £200. Pitt had projected a total receipt of  £10 million from the new tax but in actual sense it raised just over  £6 million in 1799 (James, 2009, pg. 30). This income tax introduced by Pitt was levied between 1799 and 1802 and was abolished by Henry Addington basically during the peace of Amiens. Addington had actually taken over as prime Minister following the resignation of Pitt in 1801 as a result of Catholic Emancipation. Recommence of the hostilities in 1803 saw the reintroduction of income tax by Addington; however, it was re-abolished in 1816 a year after the Waterloo Battle. Income Tax Act 1842 by Sir Robert Peel again saw the reintroduction of the income tax in the United Kingdom due to the growing deficit in the budget. This new income was only levied on incomes above  £150 which in 2014 was fixed at  £11,956 (James, 2009, pg. 41). Income tax in the UK has practically changed over the years. Firstly it was levied on a person’s income even though the persons were not beneficially entitled to the income which was taxed however; at the moment a person pays tax only on the income to which they are beneficially entitled. In 1965, an introduction of corporation tax took out most companies from the then income tax net. Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 consolidated the changes in the taxation. Further, there were changes in the taxation schedules. For instance, in 1988, Schedule B was abolished, in 1996, Schedule C was abolished and in 2003, schedule E was also abolished. The remaining Schedules were then superseded by an act introduced in 2005(Income Tax (Trading and other Income) Act 2005 particularly for the

Doing yoga at a local recreation center can cause harm to Hinduism Essay

Doing yoga at a local recreation center can cause harm to Hinduism - Essay Example Currently, yoga has been influenced by modern world. In most cases, modern day yoga has been misrepresented; it has less spiritual essence, and has more emphasis on financial gain. This is because modern day yoga has been reduced to physical exercise program, with yoga specialists releasing yoga videos, as well as magazines for sale. This situation has been worsened by the fact that more yoga specialist especially those in the secular field have no background on Hinduism and they do not appreciate Hinduism and Buddhism religions. In the United States, it is estimated that approximately, 20 million people practice yoga. It is estimated that the practiced has been there since 1970 with majority of the US citizen pursuing yoga for medical reasons with few individuals pursuing it for purposes of acquiring body energy and stamina, spirituality and to magnify self esteem and creativity (Syman, 2010). In this regard, due to beneficial aspects of modern day yoga, the practice has been integrated in recreation facilities in developed nation. In Ohio, the integration of yoga at Snowpea City Recreation Center has been critiqued by majority of the residents due to the fact that the center which was funded by resident taxes should , therefore, not promote Hindi practices like yoga, since most of the residents are non-Hindi believers (Syman, 2010). In this regard majority of the residents have criticized the yoga practices due to the fact that it downplays the Monism principle of Christianity (the philosophy of existence of one God, the distinction between one God and the universe). The practice of yoga where an individual is recommended to repeat the phrase â€Å"So-ham† during deep breaths is violation of Christian faith since the quote translates to identification of oneself to the divine and the merging of oneself with the divine. In addition, yoga advocates for an individual’s spiritual detachment and freedom from body and material constraint, while

Advanced HealthCare Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Advanced HealthCare Management - Assignment Example Likewise, the understaffing and being overworked could result to errors (medication errors, documentation errors, and even errors in the effective deliver y of patient care); as well as low morale, low productivity, job dissatisfaction, and high turnover. As reported in a news article, â€Å"a study of physicians in Massachusetts released today indicates poor RN-to-patient ratios in hospitals are resulting in significant harm and even death for patients. According to the survey, physicians rank understaffing of registered nurses as the biggest problem in Massachusetts hospitals directly affecting patient care† (Massachusetts Nurses Association, 2005, par. 1). The proposed solution to this motivational problem are as follows: job redesign through (1) a review of the staffing requirements based on the number of patients that are regularly confined in the health care setting; (2) determining the most appropriate nurse-patient ratio; (3) hire new or temporary nurses as deemed needed to addressing understaffing concerns, either on a short-term or long-term basis. Through these recommendations, the root cause of the problem would be determined through identifying the current number of patients who are being attended to, as well as the current supply of nurses in the organization. Current changes in the external environment could have significantly altered the demand and supply of patients and nurses which contributed to the problem. The second motivational problem is inadequate support or resources. For instance, in a nursing unit, there should be some expected level of supplies, equipment, medications, and hospital forms which are critical in undertaking the stipulated responsibilities. The list could include medical supplies and equipment in the emergency cart, prescribed medications, as well as patients’ charts and forms, among others. If any of these are inadequate, the performance of nurses would be jeopardized in terms of potentially affecting the level

Workers in the African countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Workers in the African countries - Essay Example Growth performance of African countries of 1970s and 1990s had been unimpressive. The empirical literature is still inconclusive. Importance of measuring the output per worker growth that is connected with per worker physical and human capital lies in assessing political changes, technology improvement and social upheavals. It also shows at times, that even in countries with higher economic growth, trends could be reversing. Main factor that affects all levels of economy is the targeted level of development. Financial liberalization is supposed to stimulate higher savings rate and higher interest rates on those savings, leading to higher capital growth. The level of real income plays the most important part in savings, especially in poor countries. Naturally as income increases, savings rate too increases, with comfortable spending power. Empirical research done in the field shows that for sub-Saharan Africa to achieve 5.3 per cent GDP growth, to reach the point where savings rate could be comfortable, it would require 18 years. Though a lot is done in this field, further empirical research has to be done on priority basis. Current research stops after showing that African savings and interest rates are linked with low-income rate and very few government policies exist to encourage savings. In the last two decades, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Sudan suffered capital flight of 60%, while other African countries suffered a lesser 40%. Many African top officials were presumed to have huge foreign currency accounts in other continents and chances are remote of its being reinvested in Africa. "A difficult question is what African governments can do to obtain the repatriation of those funds, and how the countries in which the accounts are held can be persuaded to be of assistance." http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/ESPD/economic_report_1999.htm Foreign direct investment flow to Africa is not stupendous and to create higher savings rate this has to be increased. Migration of skilled labour out of Africa had been another deterrent. Migration is motivated usually because of low investment in transport, infrastructure, energy and communication. Africa has to expand its investment, growth and productivity to stimulate savings rate. African countries are politically and socially unstable and this does not create an atmosphere conducive to attract investments. But it is heartening to note that from 1994 to 1998, Africa showed positive GDP growth in spite of unfavourable global conditions. "To test whether or not Africa has built a critical mass of momentum towards sustained, poverty-reducing growth requires the use of multiple evaluation criteria. Unfortunately, comprehensive, Africa-specific composite indices needed for this purpose are not available," http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/ESPD/economic_report_1999.htm Savings rate usually depends on capabilities, aspirations, functions and peculiar constraints of the region and might be helped with a policy evaluation by the Governments. African Governments, most of the time, are fighting for their own survival and this leaves with insufficient elbow space for economic measures. This failure leads to non-accumulation of future growth, and hence, future welfare. This might result in lack of education, unemployment and low worker output. People's choices get highly curtailed with very few future opportunities, leaving generations to come in

Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Innovation - Essay Example As an enabler of social, personal, business and information sharing interaction, Internet has had far reaching effects on the societies and individuals across the world. Previously unimagined, Internet has allowed people to have instant online access to information including news, education, and entertainment as well as allowed communication through email. While this facility has had a notable effect on individual lives and how we communicate and do business, the real societal changes lie elsewhere. The Internet has allowed democratisation of information where individuals and communities can now become producers in addition to being consumers of information. Domains like journalism and art, which were limited to mainstream and traditional spheres of influence, have opened up to individuals who can express and create their own identity and personal following. Social networking sites like Facebook and Youtube have given rise to new online relationships. While some of these never result in face to face contact in person, the phenomenon has enabled connections across geographical and cultural divides based on personal preferences, interest groups and vocational interests. Several social support groups have sprung up on the webs which have particularly helped those who are either shy or unable to be part of physical groups. The ability to be anonymous on the web is an advantage here. Finally, the Internet has increasingly become home for civic and political advocacy (Lin & Atkin, 20 07: p. 184). President Obama’s presidential campaign depended heavily on the Internet, for example. Tyler noted that there was nothing new about the Internet and that it merely allowed â€Å"new ways of doing old things† and did not have a social impact (Tyler, 2002). So, in essence, are the benefits or pitfalls caused by Internet indistinguishable from those we already know of? Perhaps the answer is not that

Workers in the African countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Workers in the African countries - Essay Example Growth performance of African countries of 1970s and 1990s had been unimpressive. The empirical literature is still inconclusive. Importance of measuring the output per worker growth that is connected with per worker physical and human capital lies in assessing political changes, technology improvement and social upheavals. It also shows at times, that even in countries with higher economic growth, trends could be reversing. Main factor that affects all levels of economy is the targeted level of development. Financial liberalization is supposed to stimulate higher savings rate and higher interest rates on those savings, leading to higher capital growth. The level of real income plays the most important part in savings, especially in poor countries. Naturally as income increases, savings rate too increases, with comfortable spending power. Empirical research done in the field shows that for sub-Saharan Africa to achieve 5.3 per cent GDP growth, to reach the point where savings rate could be comfortable, it would require 18 years. Though a lot is done in this field, further empirical research has to be done on priority basis. Current research stops after showing that African savings and interest rates are linked with low-income rate and very few government policies exist to encourage savings. In the last two decades, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Sudan suffered capital flight of 60%, while other African countries suffered a lesser 40%. Many African top officials were presumed to have huge foreign currency accounts in other continents and chances are remote of its being reinvested in Africa. "A difficult question is what African governments can do to obtain the repatriation of those funds, and how the countries in which the accounts are held can be persuaded to be of assistance." http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/ESPD/economic_report_1999.htm Foreign direct investment flow to Africa is not stupendous and to create higher savings rate this has to be increased. Migration of skilled labour out of Africa had been another deterrent. Migration is motivated usually because of low investment in transport, infrastructure, energy and communication. Africa has to expand its investment, growth and productivity to stimulate savings rate. African countries are politically and socially unstable and this does not create an atmosphere conducive to attract investments. But it is heartening to note that from 1994 to 1998, Africa showed positive GDP growth in spite of unfavourable global conditions. "To test whether or not Africa has built a critical mass of momentum towards sustained, poverty-reducing growth requires the use of multiple evaluation criteria. Unfortunately, comprehensive, Africa-specific composite indices needed for this purpose are not available," http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/ESPD/economic_report_1999.htm Savings rate usually depends on capabilities, aspirations, functions and peculiar constraints of the region and might be helped with a policy evaluation by the Governments. African Governments, most of the time, are fighting for their own survival and this leaves with insufficient elbow space for economic measures. This failure leads to non-accumulation of future growth, and hence, future welfare. This might result in lack of education, unemployment and low worker output. People's choices get highly curtailed with very few future opportunities, leaving generations to come in

Management Contracting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Management Contracting - Essay Example Furthermore, it is considered that using the design and build approach tends to produce projects that are poorly adapted to complex technical or aesthetic requirements (Quatman & Dhar, 2003). Additionally it is argued that the design and build approach fails to utilise competitive bidding so that prospective builders might bid on the very same design. The selection criteria for contractors is often subjective and becomes hard to justify in the later stage of the project (Broyles, 2011). In contrast research has shown that the design and build approach provides projects 33.5% faster than projects built using the separate design and build approaches. In addition the same research has highlighted that the design and build approach allows 12% faster construction along with a 6.1% lower unit cost (Construction Industry Institute, 1998). 2. NEC3 Approach The New Engineering Contract (NEC) is a formal system of contracting adopted by the Institution of Civil Engineers which provides guideli nes for drafting various kinds of documents for construction projects. These documents relate in general to obtaining tenders as well as awarding and administering different kinds of contracts (Gerard, 2005). In legal terms these prescribe the duties and responsibilities of Employers and Contractors through the Works Information (Brook, 2004). In itself the Works Information comprises of the Contract Data part one which details the Data provided by the Employer as well as the Contract Data part two which details the Data provided by the Contractor. The flexibility provided by this contracting approach makes it a popular choice as it provides the Employer and the Contractor with a number of choices for contracting... This essay describes the management contracting, that recently has diversified the approach to contracting in a number of ways. Employers today may choose to use any types of contracts in order to deal with design, building, procurement and other aspects of construction. Typically it is up to the requirements of the individual build to define the most suitable form of contract. The current situation at hand requires that a flagship store be built for a high value client. This indicates that the build needs to provide the client with a fresh and innovative design. There might be chances that the unique design would require special expertise in modern construction techniques. Therefore, it could be surmised that the required building requires innovation in both the design and construction phases. The different options available to the client are presented in the essay including the design and build approach as well as the NEC3 approach to discern a fitting solution for the issue. In co nclusion, the researcher states that for the case of the customer being discussed it would be highly appropriate to suggest a NEC3 framework based contract. The design contract should be well separated from the construction contract in order to ensure that the best possible Designers and Contractors bid for both aspects of the project. This in itself will ensure competition and better results, the use of the NEC3 framework design and build fronts will ensure that cooperation is promoted along with a sustainable working relationship.

The role of gold and the gold commander

The role of gold and the gold commander This chapter will examine the role of Gold, attempt to identify what makes an effective Gold Commander, and seek to establish the extent to which the interaction between Gold and Silver requires technical knowledge and understanding. The chapter will also explore the cultural component of Gold Command, and whether organisational culture places informal barriers in the path of direct entrants being accepted to undertake the role within the Fire Rescue Service. The author intends to define and explain the research question in the context of contemporary ideas and thinking, and to develop a good understanding and insight into relevant previous research and the trends that have emerged (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003) The Gold Commander is expected to exercise leadership, which traditionally would have been developed whilst operating at the operational and tactical level (following the normal career progression path). However, the recent appointment of senior managers within the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) who have joined as direct entrants since the introduction of new appointment and promotion regulations, which has allowed multi-tier entry (ODPM, 2004) will have evidenced leadership skills, which will generally have been developed as a result of working in other occupations. As has been mentioned in a previous chapter, Adam Crozier is an example of a businessman who has demonstrated an ability to adapt and excel in different occupations, and exercise effective leadership with support from subject matter experts. With jobs as diverse as the Football Association and Royal Mail, is it possible that given an appropriate level of support, and a nominal amount of training, Crozier could also demonstrate effective leadership as a Gold Commander? A business leader may lead a team and make difficult decisions through an economic crisis, in the same way that the Gold Commander is responsible for leading their team, albeit remotely from the personnel who will be working at Bronze and Silver level. As it is recognised that effective leadership processes represent a critical factor in the success of teams in organisations (Zaccharo et al., 2001, quoted in Flin et al., 2008: 132), it is clear that the role of the Gold Commander in leading the team is vitally important to a successful outcome. The leader needs to be effective in order to play a positive role in the resolution of an incident, and it is therefore necessary to define what effective actually means, Oxford Dictionaries online simply states its meaning as successful in producing a desired or intended result (http://oxforddictionaries.com accessed 24/11/10). However the measure of that success, and therefore effectiveness, is very subjective, indeed in the case of a tragi c incident involving loss of life, the quality of the leadership may be subject to scrutiny by judicial review or public enquiry. The Role of the Gold Commander During an emergency it may be appropriate to implement strategic or Gold command, however the FRS will rarely instigate a Gold Commander solely for an FRS operation, which has minimal impact on other organisations. However, whilst a Principal Officer1 may be the Incident Commander at a large, complex, or high profile incident, they will be operating at the tactical level when in command. In this situation Gold command is not applicable, although some co-ordination at Silver level is likely to be required. If the same incident required a higher degree of interoperability and a Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) were formed (HMG, 2009), it will require the attendance of a commander, who may be a lower ranking officer, but who nevertheless should have an appropriate level of experience and authority to act. This individual, formally known as the Fire Gold Commander, will set tactical parameters for Silver to operate within, and will not be expected to direct or take charge of operations on the actual incident ground. As soon as circumstances permit the Principal Officer should assume command, indicating that the positions are role related (ICS, 2008, p.21-24). However, the Police will routinely designate Gold Commanders, who will assume overall command and have ultimate responsibility and accountability for the response to an incident. The Police Gold will have a secondary role to establish and chair the SCG in order to coordinate the emergency or major incident (ACPO, 2009 p.26). This would suggest a different expectation of the role of the respective Gold Commanders, with the levels of culpability/accountability appearing to contrast somewhat. If the Police Gold Commander is required to ratify and review the progress of Silver Commanders tactical plans (ACPO, 2009 p.25) and the Fire Gold Commander is required to set tactical parameters for Silver to operate within, and prioritise the personnel and resource demands (ICS, 2008), the latter suggests a more hands-off approach. This may explain why Police Gold Commanders appear to be more reluctant to accept direct entrants at the senior level. 1 Chief, Deputy or Assistant Officer 2 Gold Silver Bronze Experiential Decision Making The definition of an appropriate level of experience as stated above is subjective, and clearly open to debate. It raises the question of whether the skills required for effective command at the operational and tactical level, are identical to those required for strategic command? Since 1985, researchers have been trying to establish how decisions are made during stressful non-routine situations, with Fire Commanders being of particular interest (Klein et al, 1993). The study of Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) is concerned with how experienced people, working as individuals or groups in dynamic, uncertain and often fast paced environments, identify and assess their situation, make decisions and take actions whose consequences are meaningful to them and to the larger organisation in which they operate Zsambok and Klein (1997) (cited in Flin and Arbuthnot, 2002. p. 207). It has been stated that decisions made under stress do not follow traditional decision-making processes, and inst ead fireground commanders rely on their well developed sense of intuition (Gasaway, 2007). The amount of information required to make a decision will depend on the experience and intuition of the commander, and this has been referred to as thin slicing by Gladwell (2005) which means making very quick decisions with small amounts of information, or the concept of thinking without thinking, or the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behaviour based on very narrow slices of experience. Gladwell contends that thin-slicing can have its uses or can be a mistake. If one takes a small amount of information to generalise or make decisions in whole then decisions may be made that really are incorrect. However, sometimes a small amount of relevant information is all that is required to make decisions and act. Gladwell hints that ultimately we should only rely on thin-slicing when our intuition has been honed by experience and training as truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking. Clearly, the ability to thin slice derives from experience of the situation or similar environment, where the commander has successfully or unsuccessfully dealt with an incident and can anticipate the next problem that may arise, which links to recognition primed decision making (RPD). The question of whether thin slicing has its place in the SCG environment is debatable, as RPD is not usually associated with Gold level decision making, for strategic commanders may need to be discouraged from making decisions based on intuition, if a more analytical approach is more appropriate (Fredholm 1997, cited HMG 2008). Flin and Arbuthnot (2002, p. 214) considered the fields of aviation, military and the police, and suggested that Incident Commanders (IC) may adopt one of four decision strategies, depending on their assessment of the available time and level of risk: Recognition primed (intuition, gut feel) (If X then Y- little conscious effort need to retrieve Y) Procedures (written or memorised) (If X then Y conscious search) Analytical comparison of the different courses of action available (If X, which Y?) Creative (designing a novel course of action) (If X, have no Y, design new Y). The decision strategies are based on increasing levels of mental concentration, not just to retrieve information from the memory stores (long term memory), but to consciously operate on or think about the information retrieved (working memory) (Flin and Arbuthnot, 2002). Most of the studies involving NDM have related to decision making in dynamic environments where there is little time for the luxury of creative or analytical problem solving (HMG 2008). So how are prior operational and tactical experiences of a Gold Commander utilised, when faced with never before experienced occurrences such as the Buncefield Fire, the largest fire in Europe since 1945 which relied on creativity rather than prior experience to resolve successfully? (Wilsher, 2006) If decision making is dependent on the experiences of the decision maker, it must also rely on the ability of the Gold Commander to be self reflective. If an individual is unable to effectively reflect and learn from their experiences, they will be unable to apply the learning to future events. Considering Kolbs experiential learning cycle (as shown in figure 1), it could be that they have twenty years experience, or one years experience, twenty times. So time alone is not a pre-cursor to being an effective Gold Commander, its what has been learnt from the experiences during that time. Figure 1 Kolbs Learning Cycle (University of Leeds 2010) Leadership One of the key responsibilities of the Gold Commander is to work with partner agencies (ICS, 2008 p24). This will require a positive working relationship both before an incident occurs, as true interoperability is built on mutual understanding, familiarity and trust (ACPO, 2009). According to Goleman (2002: 51-52) relationship management relies on the most visible tools of leadership including persuasion, conflict management and collaboration. More recently, this was confirmed by Bradberry and Greaves (2005), and of course collaboration, and to a lesser extent persuasion, are components of leadership which will often be tested in the Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) environment. Much research has been conducted to quantify the desirable attributes required for effective leadership (Kets de Vries 1993; Higgs 2002, Parry and Meindl 2002). Although there are many different types of leaders, people will often prefer to work with a leader who has outstanding soft skills. Evidence in creasingly shows that the higher one goes in an organization, the more important EI can be (Kemper, 1999, p. 16). The Gold Commander should have developed self awareness, as the leadership of an organisation or team, can influence the work environment and affect everything from morale, to effective performance. The selection and development of leaders is amongst the oldest of personnel functions (Fiedler 2001), but much of early leadership selection was conducted by birthright (Northouse 2007). Throughout the past century considerable research has been conducted into leadership which can largely be placed into three primary categories; leadership traits, leadership behaviours and the situational context of leadership (Sashkin and Sashkin 2003). Northouse (2007) states that Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse. 2007: 3). Flin et al (2008: 129) suggest that leadership relates to the personal qualities, behaviours, styles and strategies adopted by the team leader. They further suggest that leaders come in various forms, with some being task specialists, and others good with people. Trait theories of leadership were popular during the early to mid 1900s, and worked on the assumption that great leaders are born great (Sashkin and Sashkin 2003) and that by defining the necessary traits of effective leaders the secrets of leadership could be unlocked (Densten 2003). If leadership was a result of definable traits then it would be reasonable to expect that a defined list of those traits would have been found after over 100 years of research. This has not been found. The main criticisms of the trait theories are that they fail to take account of the situational and contextual aspects of leadership, and many of the definitions of various traits are highly subjective (Northouse 2007). The debate continues as to whether an individual must possess a definite set of characteristics in order to be a leader in any given situation. Some authors have suggested that the traits necessary for battlefield leadership would be effective in a school environment, dismissing the impact of the situation (Sadler 1997). Research indicates that there are varying opinions on the level of requirement of these very different qualities. Annotating these qualities into a list form results in a comprehensive summation but does the Gold Commander have to possess all, or just some of them? Conversely, if the list is not exhaustive and it is possible that someone might have other leadership qualities. How does that equate? Emotional Intelligence Commanding an emergency clearly requires effective leadership, and by its very nature a dynamic incident will sometimes require an autocratic style, but is this always necessary? Is it the case that in the Gold environment, the application of softer skills is more advantageous, with Emotional Intelligence (EI) becoming a more important component? EI was first mentioned in an unpublished thesis in 1986, and was the subject of a US article published in 1990, where it is described as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (Mayer and Salovey, 1990). Since that time there has been a vast amount of research and published information on the subject of EI, evidenced when the author searched for books titled Emotional Intelligence on the website of an online bookseller, returning a total of 9507 results (Amazon UK November 2010). Golemans original work is open to some debate as he seems to contradict his theory by suggesting that emotion is a biological reaction on the one hand, whereas EI can be learnt and developed. Whatever the case, it is clearly more art than science, as the interpretation of EI is subjective. It would appear that the wide interest in the subject is due to the emerging recognition of the power of EI, both in terms of personal development, with the suggested opportunity to transform an individuals life experience, health and happiness, and for transforming the effectiveness of work organisations. The developing argument is that levels of emotional intelligence are inextricably linked to levels of performance, particularly in senior positions within an organisation, a viewpoint which is often repeated (Sparrow and Knight 2006). Some organisations have embraced the principles of EI, including the Royal Air Force, which in 2002 completed a comprehensive review of leadership development, leading to the establishment of the RAF Leadership Centre. The centres website informs that the RAF seeks a particular contribution from its leaders and lists nine attributes required for effective leadership. The second attribute listed, is concerned with the possession of EI, described thus; Emotionally Intelligent Self-awareness is one of the key foundations of effective leadership. Leaders who know themselves will be able to develop self-control and subsequently understand the needs of others. This will enable them to manage relationships at all levels better and remain calm under pressure. Thus individuals will be able to function as part of a wider team, invariably multidisciplinary, increasingly joint and often multinational, in the delivery of military capability http://www.raf.mod.uk/pmdair/rafcms/mediafiles/1E8488F4_5056_A318_A8AB0AC2CFC4589A.doc. (accessed 29/11/10). In 2006 the Centre for Leadership was established at the Fire Service College. The strategy for the development of tomorrows FRS leaders is enshrined within the leadership model Aspire (HMG 2008) which has been developed in response to the identification of the importance of excellence in leadership. The model is underpinned by the FRS core values, linking transformational models of leadership, and guiding behaviours to influence leadership actions and results. The Aspire model contains some elements which can be linked to EI, including; Openness to Change Situational Awareness Confidence Resilience Effective Communication The author finds it somewhat surprising that, whilst it is obvious that the RAF has recognised the connection between emotional intelligence and effective leadership, there is no direct mention of EI within the Aspire Leadership Model and Framework for the FRS. This is somewhat disappointing Notwithstanding the above, the FRS has recognised the value of people management competences, in addition to task competencies, and that both competency sets need to be included in assessing, training and evaluating effective incident commanders. The non-technical skills of an organisations emergency response personnel are as important as their technical expertise and knowledge and application of emergency operating procedures (Crichton and Flin, 2001). Competence A dictionary definition (www.dictionary.reference.com) of competence is: the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification or capacity. Whereas Harvey (2004) describes it as the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities at a level of expertise sufficient to be able to perform in an appropriate work setting However acquiring skills are only part of the equation, for it is necessary to effectively perform a role as defined by Boyatzis: Effective performance of a job is the attainment of specific results (i.e. outcomes) required by the job through specific actions while maintaining or being consistent with policies, procedures conditions of the organisational environment. (Boyatzis, 1982:12) He further contends that maximum performance occurs when an individuals capability is consistent with the job demands and the organisational environment. (Boyatzis, 2007:2). Figure 2 Boyatziss model for competencies and effective performance Boyatzis model illustrates how an individuals personal values, knowledge, competencies and abilities contribute to performance in terms of the overlap with the job demands and the organisational environment. In simple terms this means that the bigger the overlap the better the performance. For the purpose of this research paper, Flins (1996) definition will be followed, which is the ability to perform consistently within an occupation to the standards expected in employment. The National Occupational Standard for a Fire Gold Commander working at the Strategic Level is EFSM 1 (www.skillsforjustice-ipds.com/nos/en/EFSM1.doc accessed 7/12/12). This standard details the technical skills and understanding which are required at this level. However, there is no mention of non-technical skills, as these are contained within the National Strategic Manager Personal Qualities and Attributes (CLG, 2009). In the emergency services, competency requirements for key decision makers are still very much based on rank rather than proven skill or ability though there is a move to change this. In the FRS, there is a shift from rank to role, where there is a role map of competences under the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) designed to be relevant to each level in the service. However, as with any cultural shift, it will take some time for this reality to assert itself through all ranks within the FRS (Devitt, 2009). The author finds it interesting to note that whilst there is a role map for Brigade Manager, strategic uniformed mangers within the FRS still prefer to title themselves, Chief Fire Officer. Does this perhaps suggest that the senior leadership of the FRS are not culturally ready to embrace modernisation in its truest sense? Culture Organisational culture is a system of shared values, and beliefs about what is important, what behaviours are appropriate and about feelings and relationships internally and externally. Values and cultures need to be unique to the organisation, widely shared and reflected in daily practice and relevant to the company purpose and strategy. (CIPD, 2011). In simple terms it can be referred as the way we do things around here. The leader will be affected by the culture in which they operate, and its values, structure, hierarchy and rules will dictate how they are likely to command an incident, and ultimately whether they will be judged to be effective or ineffective (Devitt, 2009 p.37). Devitt refers to the work of Reiner (1991) who studied senior police officers and identified four different types of Chief Constable, the barons, bobbies, bosses and bureaucrats. Reiner contended that their different leadership styles will be reflected in the culture of the organisation which may influence the Chair of an SCG, and thus the style and approach with which a strategic multi-agency response is operated. If the Chair of an SCG adopts the style of a boss, who controls mainly through authority not power, dont suffer criticism gladly, and see community policing as idealistic in the face of an overwhelming tide of crime, this will clearly affect the dynamics of the group Devitt (2009). Chan (1996) undertook a study of police culture, and refers to Bourdieus relational theory, which explains cultural practice as the result of interaction between cultural dispositions (habitus) and structural positions (field), situating culture in the social and political context of police work. Sackmann goes on to describe the essence of culture as the collective construction of social reality. Her cognitive model encompasses all forms of shared organised knowledge: the form of things that people have in their minds; their models for perceiving, integrating, and interpreting them; the ideas or theories that they use collectively to make sense of their social and physical reality (Sackmann 1991: 21). She classifies cultural knowledge within an organisation into four dimensions: dictionary knowledge, which provides definitions and labels of things and events within an organization; directory knowledge, which contains descriptions about how things are done generally in the organization; recipe knowledge, which prescribes what should or should not be done in specific situations; and axiomatic knowledge, which represents the fundamental assumptions about why things are done the way they are in an organisation. Axiomatic knowledge, often held by top management, constitutes the foundation for the shape and future of the organisation. These may be adjusted or revised from time to time as a result of critical evaluations or growing experience. Sackmann sees cultural cognitions as being held by groups rather than individuals. These cognitions are socially constructed, and may be changed or perpetuated by organisational processes through repeated applications. In time, these cognitions are imbued with emotions and acquire degrees of importance; they also become habits of thoughts that translate into habitual actions. With the FRS implementation of the modernisation agenda under the National Framework (although this has recently changed with the election of the coalition government), some senior fire officers are reluctant to readily accept that direct entrants or non-operational staff may be effective at undertaking a Gold Command role, whilst a number of Police Gold Commanders have expressed th eir opposition to the idea, as evidenced by the authors research..