ART IS essays

ART IS essays Privatisation takes on a number of meanings including the full or partial sale of public sector corporations, the sale of government owned assets, the opening of certain markets to private sector competition and government/private sector joint ventures in infrastructure projects. The term Government Business Enterprise (GBE) describes a statutory body, corporation, government owned company, and is an important representation of the public sector when discussing the privatisation issue. In recent years, there has been a privatisation boom, particularly in countries facing fiscal difficulties. Australia is no exception with a large amount of privatisation occurring in a number of industries including telecommunications, transport, utilities and alike. Although the revenue generated by privatisation is a dominant factor behind the push for privatisation, other issues such as public enterprise efficiency, capital expenditure priorities and union curbing can also have a great influence. There is a large amount of support for the view that private enterprises under a system of rules and laws will maximise efficiency in delivery of infrastructure and associated services for the community (BIE 1992 p42). However, the efficiency of the public sector is often hindered by a number of factors including; the lack of clear methods of measuring performance, the assignment of multiple goals which often conflict, lack of incentives to minimise costs, lack of managerial accountability, and vulnerability to political interference. The presence of important political and social functions makes the conventional assessment of public enterprise performance a difficult task. Performance indicators are necessary in order for businesses to produce gains in productive efficiency and improvements in responsiveness to the community's needs. Problem's in performance monitoring arise since Government Business Enterprises are not subject to take-overs or the ri...

The Changing Definition of African-American History

The Changing Definition of African-American History Since the origins of the field in the late 19th century, scholars have devised more than one definition of what constitutes African-American history. Some intellectuals have viewed the field as an extension or corollary to American history. Some have stressed the influence of Africa on African-American history, and others have viewed African-American history as vital to black liberation and power. Late 19th Century Definition An Ohio lawyer and minister, George Washington Williams, published the first serious work of African-American history in 1882. His work, History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880, began with the arrival of the first slaves in the North American colonies and concentrated on the major events in American history that involved or affected African-Americans. Washington, in his Note to volume two of his opus, said that he intended to lift the Negro race to its pedestal in American history as well as to instruct the present, inform the future. During this period of history, most African Americans, like Frederick Douglass, stressed their identities as Americans and did not look to Africa as a source of history and culture, according to historian Nell Irvin Painter. This was true of historians like Washington as well, but during the early decades of the 20th century and especially during the Harlem Renaissance, African-Americans, including historians, began to celebrate Africas history as their own. The Harlem Renaissance, or The New Negro Movement W.E.B. Du Bois was the foremost African-American historian during this period. In works like The Souls of Black Folk, he stressed African-American history as the confluence of three different cultures: African, American and African-American. Du Bois historical works, such as The Negro (1915), framed the history of black Americans as starting in Africa. One of Du Boiss contemporaries, historian Carter G. Woodson, created the forerunner of todays Black History MonthNegro History Weekin 1926. While Woodson felt that Negro History Week should emphasize the influence black Americans had on U.S. history, he too in his historical works looked back to Africa. William Leo Hansberry, a  professor at Howard University from 1922 to 1959, developed this trend even further by describing African-American history as the experience of the African diaspora. During the Harlem Renaissance, artists, poets, novelists, and musicians also looked toward Africa as a source of history and culture. Artist Aaron Douglas, for instance,  regularly used African themes in his paintings and murals. Black Liberation and African-American History In the 1960s and 1970s, activists and intellectuals, like Malcolm X, saw African-American history as an essential component of black liberation and power. In a 1962 speech, Malcolm explained: The thing that has made the so-called Negro in America fail, more than any other thing, is your, my, lack of knowledge concerning history. We know less about history than anything else. As Pero Dagbovie argues in African American History Reconsidered, many black intellectuals and scholars, such as Harold Cruse, Sterling Stuckey, and Vincent Harding, agreed with Malcolm that African-Americans needed to understand their past in order to seize the future. Contemporary Era White academia finally accepted African-American history as a legitimate field in the 1960s. During that decade, many universities and colleges began to offer classes and programs in African-American studies and history. The field exploded, and American history textbooks began to incorporate African-American history (as well as womens and Native American history) into their standard narratives. As a sign of the increasing visibility and importance of the field of African-American history, President Gerald Ford declared February to be Black History Month in 1974. Since then, both black and white historians have built on the work of earlier African-American historians, exploring the influence of Africa on the lives of African-Americans, creating the field of black womens history and revealing the myriad ways in which the story of the United States is the story of race relations. History has expanded to include the working class, women, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans in addition to the experiences of African-Americans. Black  history, as practiced today, is interconnected with all of these other sub-fields in U.S. history. Many of todays historians would probably agree with Du Bois inclusive definition of African-American history as the interaction among African, American and African-American peoples and cultures. Sources Dagbovie, Pero. African American History Reconsidered. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2010.Painter, Nell Irvin. Creating Black Americans: African-American History and its Meanings, 1619 to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.Williams, George Washington. History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1883.  X, Malcolm. Black Mans History. 1962 speech.

Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Human Resources - Essay Example This paper discusses the major staffing factors that contribute to poor performance by the employees and how one would assess whether the perceived dismal performance resulted from a training problem (DuBrin, 2009).   Perhaps one of the major causes of dismal employee performance is the absence of clear job descriptions that causes disorganizations especially within manufacturing industries. Marchington & Wilkinson (2006) note that when job roles are unclear, communication issues are bound to arise thus setting the stage for a myriad of performance related issues within the organization. Although unclear understanding of the obligations of the staff may lead to confusion at work, it may also cause job overlap where one job role is assigned to more than one person. This staffing problem according to DuBrin (2009) normally manifests when employees cannot fathom what their respective employers and managers expect of them in addition to being clueless about their personal limits at wor k. This is mainly because chance could be that some of the responsibilities that employees grapple with on a daily basis are not in their job description and thus could be causing them unnecessary burden that could adversely affect their performance at work. The best strategies for mitigating this problem include updating job description, training employees on teambuilding, and redesigning the job roles (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2006).   Moreover, recruitment and selection issues could lead to compromise in the quality of performance by the employees at their respective workstations. In many occasions, staffing problems begin at the time of recruitment and selection where the HR Managers could mismatch the employee and the job, or there could be job oversold for example the suggestions of nonexistent career advancement, over-qualification of the prospective workers, and the under-mention of the perceived uninteresting aspects of the job (DuBrin, 2009). This situation often leads t o job alienation on the side of the employees, which often affect their overall performance within a given industry. When employees discover some aspects about the job that they were unaware of at the time of the recruitment, they feel demoralized by the perceived dishonesty on the part of their employers. Therefore, many approach their job roles from an indifferent perspective, or they could simply harbor the intention of sending a strong message to their employers by ensuring poor performance (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2006).  However, there are strategies to deal with recruitment issues that tend to derail the performance objectives of the company. These may include the review of the procedures and processes of recruitment, and retraining the staff involved with recruitment on the job descriptions as well as updating the job specifications and descriptions. Promotion problems could lead to below par performance by employees especially in situations where the staffs receive undes erving job offers and promotions. In occasions where the company promotes its staff to a level beyond their capabilities or the staffs get earlier than usual job promotions, such

Assisted Suicides Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assisted Suicides Paper - Essay Example The debates over the right of patients to shorten their lives with the help of physicians will continue and there is probably no right or wrong side. Assisted suicide is a crime because it involves the death of the person who would live otherwise. Not a single person should be eligible to take away the life of another person, even though this other person is not willing to live. Drugs and medical devices are development to be safe and effective - the intended usage of drugs is to help patients to overcome diseases. Nevertheless, patients who physical and emotional pain caused by the diseases that cannot be cured, do not want to suffer and should be granted the right to stop their sufferings. For example, if the patient is unconscious and there is no hope that the condition will ever improve, the relatives might want to make a decision to stop his/her life. From the religious point of view, any assistance in this direction is a murder. From medical point of view, assisted suicide is wrong as well - the objective of healthcare is to make people healthier, not to kill them. However, from ethical standpoint, it is almost impossible t o label assisted suicide as murder or as a good deed because the rights and obligations of each side need to be taken into account. Moreover, the competent people should have the right to choose death - for example, through allowing to hasten death by treatment refusal. Suffering is not merely the physical pain, there are also psychological burdens and assisted suicide is the only possible way to relieve sufferings. Even though it is the human nature to have the interest in preserving life, the terminally ill individuals lack this interest and acquire the desire to die - the prohibition of assisted suicide might limit the personal liberty. From the other side, it is unethical to take the life of other people and morally wrong because of religious beliefs. It is also worth to make the distinction between two important concepts - active killing (assisted suicide) and passive (letting die). Assisted suicide is, therefore, equated to active killing. The most important point of argument is that assisted suicide has the potential to be abused - some groups of people who lack access to care might be forced to chose assisted death as the cost-saving strategy. In 1990, Dr Kevorkian has invented the Mercitron - the machine with improvements over the noose, shotgun and barbiturates which allowed the patients to choose the time and place of death and ensured the painless demise. He did not test the machine on animals or human beings until he assisted the suicide of Janet Adkins in June 1990. Afterwards, he was prohibited to assist suicides for eight months. Dr. Kevorkian's machine and assistance has caused debates in the whole country regarding the right of the physician to help people die and usage of medical devices and drugs not to cure but to kill people. The act he has done has led to the overview of existing laws. Michigan has become the first place in the world to legalize the assisted suicide. After the criminal trial of Dr. Kevorkian the Commission on Death and Dying has reached the conclusion that the practice of assisted suicide should be legalized (Walsh, 1994). The number of restrictions has been set to safeguard against the abuse. Oregon has developed the "Death with Dignity" which came into effect in 1998. Since that

Health and safety Essay Example for Free

Health and safety Essay How legislation, policies and procedures relating to health, safety and security influence health and social care settings Health and safety at work act 1974 (HASAW) This act provides general guidance about health and safety. The duty of the employer is to make sure health and safety of their employees and show that they have taken all attainable steps to do this. The employer should also give training and safety equipment, employers should carry out regular checks and improve and put in place a health and safety policy. If employers have more than five staff they have to carry out a risk assessment to find any possible hazards to employees. Information should be displayed around the work place for employees to see, for example, this could be posters. The employees also have legal duty and this is to follow their employers safety procedures, use the safety equipment that is given, report any hazards, and be aware of their own safety and the safety of others. HASAW promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting because employers tell their staff what to rules to follow and they also get training on any safety equipment which makes the service users to be in a safe environment and also that staff won’t cause any harm to themselves or their clients as they know how to use the equipment properly and safely. Control of substances hazardous to health 1994 (COSHH) These regulations refer to substances that could be hazardous, such as cleaning products. These regulations influence care settings as staff are likely to use cleaning products or store these products that could be dangerous. Most care settings will have a list of all products that could be dangerous and show on how they plant to lower the risk in using them, this is as a result of COSHH. COSHH 2002 is to protect people against danger to health, by instantly and long-term from any contact to substances found in the workplace. COSHH is to put in place the needed requirements and a sensible approach for COSHH. Employers should carry out a risk assessment of all work which could put an employee into contact with hazardous substances. There are main requirements with this legislation: Assess the risks that occur when using a hazardous substance Come to a conclusion on what precautions are needed Control or prevent exposure to employees of hazardous substances Make sure that all actions are used and maintained Monitor where necessary the employees come into contact with hazardous substances Carry out relevant health surveillance Produce plans and procedures to help with accidents, incidents and emergencies relating to hazardous substances Make sure that all employees who use hazardous substances are accurately informed, trained and supervised. COSHH covers the substances you use every day, which you might use at work-examples include adhesives and paint. COSHH also covers you when you come into contact with micro-organisms, biological and fungal and/or viral agents. COSHH risk assessments are to make a decision about what actions need to be put in place to control the hazards shown in substances. The result of this should be spoken about to all employees and a record has to be kept in a safe place, but is accessible for inspections by enforcement bodies. The actions should be controlled and developed through an order of measures: Removing the substance Replace the hazardous substance with less hazardous substances or the same substance but less hazardous Constructing control measures, such as working in a controlled environment To supply personal protective equipment (PPE) and respiratory protective equipment (RPE) but only as a last option or for very hazardous substances. The employer’s responsibilities are responsible for finishing COSHH risk assessments and speaking to the employees about the assessments. Employers are in charge of making sure control of exposure to hazardous substances are adequate and employers are also responsible to make sure that intensive examinations and tests of all engineering are followed at regular periods. A record of the inspection has to be kept for five years. COSHH promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by making sure that all actions necessary are taken to make sure staff don’t come into contact with chemicals and especially service users. For example, COSHH would be needed in a care home for people with learning disabilities, this is because they don’t always know what they are doing and therefor if cleaning chemicals weren’t put away in a locked cupboard the service user could drink it and become ill. Reporting of injuries, disease, dangerous occurrences Regulation 1995- These regulations compel workplaces to record any accidents, injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences. Every workplace should an accident reporting scheme and if an incident happens to  an employee who needs three or more days off work, this has to be reported to the health and safety executive. In a number of care settings, it is common practice to have two accident books. One is for accidents that happen to staff and the other is for service users and members of the public. This information has to be stored in an accessible place and filled in accurately and immediately in the event of an accident. If an employee, child, a member of the public or a resident has an accident in the workplaces which leads to death the health and safety executive or local authority must be reported about this. If an incident occurs and means the employer is off work for more than three days a form needs to be sent to back up the conversation relating to the incident. The people who may be involved in an investigation after an incident are: The employer The insurance company The health and safety representative The enforcing inspector The training organisation RIDDOR promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by reporting any accidents to anyone and writing it in an accident book it means that the incident can be looked into and also a risk assessment can be done on it to prevent it in the future. Manual handling 1992- This regulation includes a wide range of manual handling activities: Lifting Lowering Pushing Pulling Carrying This regulation needs the employers to avoid the need for dangerous manual handling, assess the risk of injury from any dangerous manual handling that is unable to be avoided and reducing the risk of injury due to dangerous manual handling. The employees responsibility is to follow the relevant schemes of work put in place for their safety, use equipment properly that is provided for their safety, work with their employers with health and safety issues, let the employer know if the come across any dangerous handling activities and to take care to make sure the activities they do  don’t put others at risk. Manual handling promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting because staff will be trained on how to pick things up properly and therefore they won’t hurt their back and by knowing about manual handling means you won’t harm any service users, for example if you was in a care home and you had to help an elderly person up from their chai r, you would know how to do it correctly. Data protection act 1998- This act ensures that people who collect and use personal information follow rules of good practice for managing information. This act provides rights for individuals who have given their information and the information they use. Information that is collected should only be kept for a certain time frame. Confidentiality must be adhered to the strictest of confidence in health and social care environments, for example, patients may not want their family and friends to know their diagnosis. In this act it lays down that after someone dies there records have to be kept for eight years and can’t be destroyed until the eight years is over. Treatment that children are given and maternity records have to be kept until they are 25 years of age, this changes if they die, and therefor will be destroyed at eight years. Data protection act 1998 promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by ensuring that all patients’ information is kept confident and isn’t passed on to anyone. This way the service users are protected as they are not vulnerable from people because no one knows there details. Civil contingencies act 2004- This act refers to the responses of public services in crucial emergencies. This act gives instruction on anticipation, assessment, preparation, response and recovery before, during and after a serious threat to the public well-being. The law demands all the emergency services work together, for this to be done, simulation situations are set in motion to make sure that everyone involved are aware of their roles. This act promotes the safety of individuals because they are given support during an accident and after the accident and all services working together means the individual who is the victim gets all the help they can. Care home regulations – All care homes have to have a manager that is qualified in leadership and management in care services or are registered a manager’s award. This person is important because they make sure that all parts of a care home to which service users have access to be free of hazards and if there are any risks to the individual’s risks  assessments must be carried out to lower the risks that have been identified. If the manager believes that one of their staff is becoming incompetent or could purposely cause harm to a service user, the manager can suspend that member of staff during an investigation. The care quality commission must be informed immediately by the manager if this situation arises. This regulation promotes the health and safety of individuals in a care home by making them less at risk of harm, so doing regular risk assessments ensures that all service users are safe. Care minimum standards- The national minimum care standards were written in 2003 following on from the care standards act 2000. 38 standards are set out under the care standards act 2000 by the secretary of state for health, along with the care home regulations. National minimum standards are only guidelines for providers, commissioners and users to assess the quality of care. Standards of care cover several services: care homes for 65+ year olds, care homes for 18-64 year olds, domiciliary care, adult placement schemes and nurses’ agencies. Each of these services should have a care plan for their clients which identify particular needs. Staff should get adequate training to make sure that their patients receive the identified care. Care minimum standards promotes the safety of individuals in health and social care settings by making sure all their needs are being met and their rights which makes them feel safe. Management of health and safety at work regulations 1999- The management of health and safety at work regulations explain what employers are asked to do to maintain the health and safety at work act. They put into usage for every work activity. When employers have more than five staff they have to carry out a risk assessment f or the management. Employers have to ensure that all the health and safety preventative measures identified by the risk assessment are carried out, they have to make sure the capable people are selected to help put health and safety precautions emergency actions in place and employers must give clear information and training for their staff. This regulation promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by making sure that all employers have taken necessary steps to identify any risks that may cause harm to service users. Food safety act 1990- This act gives control to environmental health inspectors to inspect food and confiscate food that is unfit for human consumption and dispose of it. Any organisation violating food hygiene  standards can be served a notice of improvement and in extreme cases can be closed short term or long term if the practices are thought to be a health hazard. Organisations can be sued for breaching standards. This act promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by making sure all food is suitable for humans and if it’s not food will be confiscated or the service will be shut down temporarily. Food safety (general food hygiene) regulations 1995-This regulations goal is to prevent cases of food poisoning by laying down that: Food areas are kept clean and acceptable standards of personal hygiene are controlled Food is thoroughly cooked through Foods are stored at the right temperature Cross-contamination is prevented Food has to be stored correctly and use-by dates must be strictly followed. In health and social care settings the kitchen should meet all the requirements of the regulations. The kitchen should be easy to clean, meaning that the surfaces should be smooth stainless steel. There should be a separate sink to wash hands and to prepare foods. Anyone who has had an infection, such as being sick and had diarrhoea should not come into contact with food until they are free of symptoms until 48 hours. This regulation promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by making sure all food is thoroughly cooked so no service users get food poisoning and by preparing food properly will ensure that no infections are caused. Policies and procedures Safeguarding- Legislation, policies and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable children and adults have made health and social care staff a lot more aware of what is known as abuse, and how to know that abuse may have already happened. These regulations will help you to understand what to do if you believe someone is being abused or a person tells you that they are. Procedures are in place to find people who have committed offences before to minimise the risk to vulnerable groups. Safeguarding promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting because understanding the rules will mean staff will be able to protect service users from abuse and other issues. Health and safety policy- All employers have to show their own  health and safety policies and procedures to say how they will operate under the law. The health and safety at work act 1974 declare that organisations have to have a health and safety policy. This promotes safety of individuals in health and social care settings by following the rules correctly no one will come to any harm. Reporting accidents- An accident/incident book keeps records and has to be kept. This promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting by recording any accidents means it can be risk assessed and prevented for in the future. Disposal of body waste- Any waste that is a potential threat of infection has to be disposed of correctly. Disposing waste safely you have to have had the right training, you have to wear person protective equipment and keep on top of good hand hygiene, report any hazardous handling and disposal of clinical waste to your manager, Dispose body fluids down the sluice or bags: yellow bag is for infected waste and used swabs and dressings-these have to be incinerated and a clear alginate bag inside a red plastic bag is for soiled and infected clothing and line to be laundered. You should not try to clean up any spillages or collect and handle specimens until you are trained fully. When cleaning any spillages you should make sure you are wearing PPE. When you collect and handle specimens you should wear PPE, ensure the containers are suitable, sterile and don’t leak, Containers should be labelled with relevant information and any forms accompanying it should be completed, and the results should be wrote in the patients records as soon as possible and highlight any unusual findings to the relevant people. This promotes the safety of staff in health and social care settings so they don’t get any infections or diseases from handling other people’s body waste. Storage and dispensing of medicines- Staff who are in charge of medication should make sure that the drug trolley and cupboards are locked. The trolley should be locked against the wall when it is not being used. Medication that service users give to themselves should be in a personal cupboard and locked so no one else can access it. This promotes the safety of service users in many health and social care settings so they don’t get the wrong medication or so they are not given too little or too much so it doesn’t cause any long term problems. Lone working- Lone working is filled with risks so therefore it is important that there are actions in place to protect and support them in work. There are policy and procedures which state how your safety will be  managed. Mobile phone policy and procedures suggests to you how and when to use your mobile. Communication policy and procedures summarise about checking in and out of each visit and letting the office know when you have got home safely. Staff welfare policy and procedures ensure you are supplied with personal safety alarms. Staff learning and development policy and procedures request you to go to personal safety and awareness training. Your main job when working alone is to know your surroundings and the likely threats to your personal safety. A disciplinary policy will lay down procedures for disciplining you if you are unsuccessful to follow actions set up to protect you. This promotes the safety of service users and staff who use health or social care services by making sure the staff know what they have to do and by this it is keeping the service user safe. Security of premises, possessions and individuals- All workplaces will have procedures that are in place to protect the employer and employees and clients and their family. Sign in and out book for visitors to state the time they arrived and departed, security codes, staff ID badges and any other professional in that environment and chains on doors are ways to secure the premises. Personal possessions of service users should be kept at a minimum and leave all valuables at home but if valuable are needed to be stored they should be put in a safe and signed by 2 people. Individual security includes CRB checks and CCTV. The workplace will have procedures put in place to tell you how to deal with potential breaches in security, report and record these breaches and support other after the breach, Deal with bomb scares, theft and missing persons, manage challenging behaviour. This promotes the safety of service users in a health or social care environment by making sure no unauthorised person is in the building who could potentially cause harm to service users. CRB checks have to be done to make sure anyone who works within a health or social care setting aren’t going to cause any harm. When cleaning PPE should be used, COSHH, Storage, Risk assessments and health surveillance should all be thought about when cleaning in health and social care settings. This promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting because it means the environment will be clean which means service users won’t get any infections and the staff are protected by all the guidelines. Food safety- All things that should be considered with these policy and procedures is to make sure fridge and freezer temperatures are  the correct temperatures, Personal hygiene is up to a good standard, different coloured chopping boards for different kinds of foods, allergies are to be known, Records should be kept, utensils should be clean, be aware of cross-contamination, HASAW and food safety regulations should also be considered. This promotes the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting because it makes sure food is prepared correctly, cooked correctly and makes sure no cross-contamination or food poisoning occurs. Fire evacuation- If a fire was to occur, closing doors as you evacuate is a good idea as this will slow down the fire by minimising the amount of oxygen getting to the fire, and this might even cause the fire to go out itself. When you are outside you should check that someone has called the fire service. You should look after others, more if they are confused or distressed, these people could be children or people with dementia. You should also make sure that no one is standing to close to the building, as it could collapse. Fire alarms should be tested regularly, staff should know what to do during an alarm, fire exits should be clear and easy to get to and there should be a designated area to go to. This promotes the safety of everyone in any health or social care setting by making sure everyone is out of the building safely when being evacuated and also by testing alarms make sure that everyone is aware of what has to be done when an evacuation has to be done. Bibliography: Health and social care, level 3, Book One, BTEC national book Publishers: Carolyn Aldworth, Marilyn Billingham, Peter Lawrence, Neil Moonie, Hilary Talman. Published by Pearson education limited Published in 2010 My notes from lessons and PowerPoints on Moodle.

Unraveling of Myths in Porter’s Old Mortality :: Porter’s Old Mortality

Unraveling of Myths in Porter’s Old Mortality â€Å"There was a kind of faded merriment in the background, with its vase of flowers and its draped velvet curtains, the kind of case and the kind of curtains that no one would have any more. The clothes were not even romantic-looking, bur merely most terribly out of fashion, and the whole affair was associated, in the minds of the little girls, with dead things: the smell of Grandmother’s medicated cigarettes and her furniture that smelled of beeswax, and her old-fashioned perfume, Orange Flower. The woman in the picture had been Aunt Amy, but she was only a ghost in a frame, and a sad, pretty story from old times. She had been beautiful, much loved, unhappy, and she had died young.† (173) Porter uses this second paragraph from Old Mortality to suggest themes and foreshadow future happenings in this story. This passage, which focuses exclusively on the background of Aunt Amy’s picture, is full of language suggesting the outdated feeling of the photograph. Phrases like â€Å"faded merriment,† â€Å"the kind of [things] no one would have any more,† â€Å"most terribly out of fashion,† â€Å"associated†¦ with dead things,† and â€Å"old-fashioned† lend the picture a sense of falseness that only time has exposed. This falseness seems to hint to the reader to be wary of accepting things as they are given. The way that the girls seem to find everything in the photograph to be dated and out of fashion also foreshadows Miranda’s inability to identify with the myth of Amy. It may also point to a larger theme of the crumbling ideal of the Southern Belle and the slowly collapsing walls of the rigid confines of the role of uppe r class, white women. The narrative can be seen as a continual unraveling by Miranda of the many myths generated by the family. The myth of who Aunt Amy was is a part of the larger myth of what constitutes a southern belle to the families of the Old South. Porter’s repeated use of flowers, beautiful, yet easily perishable, can be seen as imagery for the mythical Amy, suggesting her fragility. But just as the smells that the girls associate with the picture –medicated cigarettes, beeswax, and perfume –exist to cover up the real smells of the grandmother’s things and person, so does the created myth of frailty cover up Amy’s real independence, strength, and finally her death.

Pushed Out and Forgotten †The Batwa Essay

Born in the United States, I grew up believing that the children who lived next door or the boy who sat across from me in class had it all. Even as an adult, there are bits of me that occasionally envy the family with the perceived â€Å"perfect life;† church every Sunday, home office with a big window, stain-less carpets, and children with perfect hair. But, I know better. Life in the United States is something I take for granted. I knew this and needed to remind myself just how truly grateful I should be for the life I live in the great states. How do I do this? What do I need to see in order to really understand life outside America? I needed to leave my country and visit a place that has many struggles; where people live humbly. What I didn’t realize was that I would leave the country I chose to visit, wanting to go back and make a difference. Rwanda is rich with many things; culture, diversity, and land. Rwanda has also perfected the art of discrimination. When my plane landed, I could not have grabbed my luggage and left the airport more quickly. I was excited for what the change in culture would bring me. What I would take home to teach my own family and friends. Some were excited to see me and others were less than thrilled to see me traipsing my way through their lands. I did what I could to respect the people and their cultures, as I did my research before coming to Rwanda. The population there is made up of mostly Hutu; traditional farmers. The rest of the population, mostly consist of Tutsi (or warrior people) and the Batwa. Though I would have enjoyed getting to know all the different people and ethnicities of Rwanda, I spent most of my time with the Batwa (Whitelaw, 2007). The history of the Batwa is something that I came to hold close while traveling with some who are conflicted with the fear of the past and the uncertainty of their future. The Batwa were former Central Africa residents  who lived their lives hunting and gathering in the rain forests. Though the lives they lived were not ideal for all, they were happy. But as time went, so was the expectation that they left their homes in order for the rainforest to be used for forestry and conservation. You may say, â€Å"So, were they compensated for the land they had to give up?† Well, no. The Batwa were physically removed from their homes and their land and were never given a red cent to live elsewhere. Kicked out of home, with no money, no good explanation, and expected to build a life in an area unfamiliar to most. The Batwa had no idea what this was going to do to their lives. They knew they did not want to leave but because of their naà ¯ve understanding of the modern world, they would face some struggle ahead. This was a disaster in the making. It didn’t help that many of people, already living in the areas the Batwa were forced to move, did not accept them as people. They were and continue to be discriminated against. The Batwa live in poverty in what is supposed to be a more modern society than what they were founded on. Yet, the population continues to deteriorate. How is this possible? It is possible because they have no land to live on, they eat the farming scraps left after a harvest, they are shunned from the education system because of illiteracy and a lack of money, they are allowed to vote but not allowed to be part of government, and they find it almost impossible to find a job that can support their needs because of discrimination and lack of education (New African, 2010). The Batwa’s situation sounded eerily familiar to me. I equated their situation to the Native American’s situation when the Europeans came to America. Pushed out of their land and forced to live a different way of life in a place that was â€Å"approved† by the rest of the people. I can imagine that the way the Batwa live is similar to the way the Native American’s are forced to live. The difference is that the Native Americans feel forced by lack of education of the rest of Americans, where the Batwa’s are forced because they are still not accepted in today’s Rwandan society. Another big difference I see is that the Batwa are a part of Africa and are being discriminated by their people. Yes, they are a different ethnicity and would live their lives differently, if not forced into another. But, they are still from the same country. After spending time with this  amazing group of people, I have realized that I could not accurately explain the difference between ethnicity and race. Six months ago, I lumped those two terms together. Though they have similarities, they are different. I am a Caucasian, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to assume my ethnicity. My great friend is Caucasian, but that doesn’t mean her and I have the same ethnicity. I was born and raised in a small town out of Minnesota and she was raised in Ireland. The two terms are different. Her family traditions around the holidays are different than mine. Really understanding the differences between race in Rwanda and their ethnicities was important when trying to understand why there is and was so much discrimination. Though the race may be nearly the same, each group of people lived completely different lives. The Batwa’s lived in a rainforest and Hutu’s ran farms in a more modern lifestyle. Even the way each culture enjoys dancing is either accepted or it is not. The Batwa were forced to study Christianity, eat the foods of the modern people, and even had to learn how to wear clothing differently. The way the Batwa chose to live their lives in the rainforest would not be acceptable in the eyes of the rest of Rwanda. Ethnicity and race are different and this is why discrimination exists in Rwanda (New African, 2012). * Learning the history of how the Batwa live, by choice or not, begged the question, â€Å"what has this done to them as a people?† The discrimination of the Batwa and other small groups of people, have made it difficult for them to thrive much less survive. They impact they have on the government is nil, so seeing a dramatic change through government representation is unlikely. There are groups such as the Organization of Rwandan Potters (COPORWA) who consider the Batwa and their situations. The Batwa are value their culture and ways of life, but have lost touch because of highly encouraged religions and lack of acceptance of their culture. The Batwa do and will continue to struggle to be recognized as a minority group who needs help (Ingelaere, B., 2010). * The Batwa have lost their land, they are losing their culture, the people are not surviving, and the idea of maintaining hope is slowly slipping away. Spending time with my new found friends made me want to bring them all home with me. But, as I have learned, moving people from their homes and lives can create more problems than intended. Though, I would see to it that they were treated with the respect they deserve, it does not fix the bigger problem. The  human race has much to learn about what the true meaning of love, life, and respect is. Unfortunately, discrimination and a lack of understanding is a natural course of nature. There are some things out of our control and others in which we can only influence. If I could change anything about my visit to Rwanda, it would have been to spend more time there to understand more about why the other cultures see the Batwa the way they do. Though the discrimination against the Batwa is moving at a snail’s pace in the right direction, at least it is moving that way. Until then, I send my prayers and well wishes to the Batwa people. I would also challenge those of you reading my article to take some time to travel to a place similar to Rwanda to learn about another culture; what it has to offer is far more than money can buy. * References: Batwa A people under threat. (2010). New African, (497), 38. Ingelaere, B. (2010). Peasants, power and ethnicity: A bottom-up perspective on Rwanda’s political transition. African Affairs, 109(435), 273-292. Whitelaw, Kevin. (2007). Rwanda Reborn. U.S. News & World Report, 00415537, Vol. 142, Issue 14

Business & Administration Essay

1.1 Describe the main types of electronic message systems An electronic messaging system (EMS) allows users to send and receive messages electronically. Two of the main types of electronic message systems are as follows: E-mails, these work by the message leaving your inbox, it is then transferred to a number of servers before it reaches the other persons inbox. During this time it passes through a few servers, some of which save the email for future reference, faxes are another type of electrical message system, this works by drawing the documents through it, scanning them and saving digital images into memory. The machine dials the number, waits for acknowledgment from the fax machine on the other end then transfers the images using different frequency tones to translate varying shades of dark and light. 1.2 Describe the different features of electronic message systems There are different types of electronic message systems and therefore they have different features for example, a telephone allows for instant voice communication and has a feature known as ‘call forwarding’ this allows you to transfer any incoming or current calls to a different telephone. They also have a feature known as ‘voicemail’ this is a feature which allows you to receive messages even when you are away from the telephone, the machine records the voice message and enables you to play it back with the option to save the message, pass it to another user or to discard of it. Portable telephones also have extensive features e.g. Internet access. Email is another electronic message system which has various different features such as the ‘address book’ this feature allows users to add contacts email addresses etc. Recipients can then be attached to an email quickly through typing their name into the address book. The internet is yet another form of electronic messaging system it has become a replacement for notice boards with features such as forums, bulletins and news feeds it can be used as a quicker method of updating and viewing information e.g. newsletters and events. 1.3 Explain the purpose of keeping an electronic message system up  to date The purpose of keeping an electronic message system up to date is that we know which messages we dealt with also to avoid miscommunication. It also allows you to have a clearer overlook as to what messages you still need to preview. For example I check my emails every day when I come into work and as soon as I reply or finish reading an email I decide whether it is important or not, if it is not important l remove it from my inbox so that it is free from any unwanted messages. This will then be filed away into the appropriate subfolder (the deleted folder). This is then held on file just in case it needs to be looked at in the future for some reason. Another reason for keeping electronic message systems up to date is to ensure that no important messages are missed, if a message system is kept up to date and an important message is received it can then be dealt with quickly and efficiently as possible which will have a positive impact on your reputation as an employee as well as the company’s. 1.4 Describe how to use an electronic message system to check and delete or discard messages This is how to check, delete or discard of messages using email as a form of electronic communication. To check your email first you will be required to log in to your account. After you sign in (put your username or email address and password) you will be able to view your inbox. All new messages are shown in bold font, so it is easy to notice them. To delete or discard messages in most cases you can left click the square box next to the message(s) you want to discard of, then you will need to left click the icon with a picture of bin once you have done this the selected message(s) will be put in the â€Å"bin† folder. To remove message from bin you can either chose one message or multiple messages which you want to permanently discard of you will then need to left click on the square box and click icon â€Å"Delete forever†. If you want to remove all messages from the bin folder you will need to left click the square box on top of the screen, which will then tick all messages. After that you need to click â€Å"Delete forever† icon and that will remove all messages from the bin folder. 1.5 Explain the purpose of leaving clear messages for others The purpose of leaving clear messages for others is to ensure that the point we want to get across is received and understood thoroughly, leaving a clear message can save you valuable time in the work space as it helps get the  information across quicker if the person on the other line does not need to translate and interpret what you are saying. This can also minimize potential conflict that could come from any misunderstanding.

Dell Computer Corp †Case Study

Dell Computer Corp – Case Study Free Online Research Papers Introduction: According to Dell.com (online), Dell Incorporated describes itself as the worlds leading computer systems company. Dell is the largest and fastest growing among all major computer systems companies worldwide, with more than 46,000 employees. Dell designs, builds and customizes products and services to satisfy a range of customer requirements. Its global strategy is to be the premiere provider of products and services, including those that customers require to build their information technology and Internet infrastructures. Dell has manufacturing facilities and sales offices throughout the Americas, as well as Europe and Asia to remain close to Dells customers wherever they are located (Dell USA: About Dell, 2004). Dell regularly communicates to the public in a variety of ways. For example, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (online) pursuant to the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Dell Incorporated regularly reports its financial performance to investors, creditors, bond holders, insurers, banks, employees and other interested parties in the form of quarterly and annual filings with the SEC. Another important SEC filing is form 8-K. An 8-K report is required to be filed with the SEC in a timely manner whenever events that are deemed to be of interest to investors or potential investors occur at a publicly traded company such as Dell. The provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed following the accounting fraud related scandals involving such well known U.S. corporations as Enron and WorldCOM require even more prompt notice to the SEC of significant events (The Laws That Govern the Securities Industry, 2004). Another form of public relations communication between Dell Inc and the external public involves the use of press releases. In calendar 2004, Dell generated more than thirty press releases relating only to the companys financial condition. There were even more press releases addressing product launches and other aspects of Dells worldwide business operations. According to Luan Aten writing for LunarEclipse.net (online), a press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the media. The purpose of a press release is to give journalists information that is both useful and accurate. Generally, the first paragraph contains a brief overview of the press release. The second paragraph explains the information in detail, and typically includes a quote from a company employee. The final paragraph is a summation of the release as well as company contact information (Aten). Bob Francis of InfoWorld (1994) notes that Michael Dell created a business model that satisfies customers needs by building high quality and low cost computers to order worldwide. One of the important ways in which Dell Inc. communicates in a public relations sense is through its extensive product advertising and promotions programs. The advertisements that Dell run tend to emphasize the high quality, low cost, and customizable features of its product sales (Francis, 1994, 6). Recently, Dell expanded its product offerings to include items such as portable music storage devices, printers, and flat screen television sets. As a result, Dells most recent television ad campaigns emphasize both the companys traditional products including desktop personal computers and laptop computers, as well as the companys new products. Dells marketing campaigns have been highly successful. Dell has convinced potential customers that all of the following statements are true: Dell is committed to meeting the unique needs of customers around the world. This is why each computer is build to order. In reality, the business model that requires customers to pay in advance for products from Dell offers customers the opportunity to customize the products they prepaid. Dell operates one of the worlds largest and most profitable e-commerce sites with more than $40 million in sales daily. It positions the e-commerce site as a benefit to customers who can take as much time as necessary to customize their system. In reality the advantage to Dell is that this self-service process means that its salespeople do not need to spend their time helping customers decide what to order. The result is higher profits for Dell resulting from lower sales costs. Dells marketing campaign suggests that by eliminating the middleman in the supply chain, Dell is able to control costs and pass the savings on to customers. The effect of this message on its external public is that customers believe that Dell is able to offer top quality, cutting edge technology at rock bottom prices. In reality, by bypassing retailers, Dell is able to earn the profits the retailer would have made. Dell does not offer the lowest priced products on the market, and the technology it employs is not leading edge. For Dell to maintain this cost leadership strategy requires a company to continuously search for cost reductions in all aspects of its business. According to Elizabeth Corcoran writing for Forbes (2004), Dell was among the earliest computer companies to outsource customer service and technical support calls overseas. After sales customer support is a public relations communications process. Dell set up its first offshore technical and customers suppprt center in Bangalore, India in 2001. Dell Inc. opened a second site in the city of Hyderabad in 2003. For Dell, this particular public relations communication process has had mixed results. According to Corcoran, the cost savings for Dell are substantial. Unfortunately, language and cultural differences between U.S. customers and Dells bright but unseasoned Indian support staff led to a number of complaints. U.S. customers were often frustrated when Dell employees answering customer support and technical support calls seemed unwilling t o depart from a script of questions. In November of 2003, in response to mounting dissatisfaction with this arrangement Dell took the rare step of rerouting its large and medium-business support work from India and back to its corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas. However, customer support and technical support for small-business and consumer accounts remains in India (Corcoran, 2004, 50). Dan Briody and Jeanette Borzo writing for InfoWorld (1997) suggest that irrespective of where customer support takes place, Dell has found that direct customer relationships including pre-sale telephone support as well as after sales customer and technical support provide Dell with a constant flow of information about customers plans and requirements. This portion of the public relations communications process enables Dell to continually refine its product offerings in addition to adjusting prices, changing product features, and evaluating the impact of its marketing and advertising campaigns on customer inquiries and on customer sales (Briody, Borzo, 1997, 8). References Aten, L. How to Write a Press Release. Eclipse E-zine, Retrieved Dec 21, 2004, from lunareclipse. net/pressrelease.htm. Briody, D., Borzo, J. (1997). PC PRICE CUTS ABOUND IN REACTION TO DELLS DISTRIBUTION-EFFICIENCY MODEL. InfoWorld, 19(29): 8. Corcoran, E. (2004). Un-outsourcing. Forbes. 173(10): 50. Dell, Inc., (2004). Dell USA: about Dell. Retrieved Dec. 21, 2004, from Dell.com Web site: http://www1.us.dell.com /content/topics/global.aspx/corp/background/en/index?c=usl=ens=corp. Francis, B. (1994). Medica says Build-to-order Notebooks are Dells Edge. InfoWorld, 16(9): 6. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, (2004). The Laws that Govern the Securities Industry. Retrieved Dec. 21, 2004, from About the SEC Web site: sec.gov /about /laws.shtml. Research Papers on Dell Computer Corp - Case StudyThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

Word Choice All Together vs. Altogether

Word Choice All Together vs. Altogether Word Choice: All Together vs. Altogether What happens when two words become one? Sometimes, like with â€Å"all right† and â€Å"alright,† both terms mean the same thing. But then we have â€Å"all together† and â€Å"altogether.† These terms have a shared origin, but they have also developed distinct meanings in modern English. How, then, should we use them? And how can you avoid errors in your writing? Let us explain. All Together (All in One Place or All in Unison) Written as two words, â€Å"all together† usually means â€Å"all in one place†: My family and I were all together on vacation last year. A slightly different use is to mean â€Å"all in unison† or â€Å"all at the same time†: Let’s sing a Christmas carol. All together now! We can also separate the â€Å"all† and â€Å"together† in some sentences. For example: All of my family and I were together on vacation last year. Let’s all sing a Christmas carol together! These mean the same as the equivalent sentences above, but they have been restructured. The key factor is that â€Å"all† is a determiner and â€Å"together† is an adverb in all of these sentences. Altogether (Entirely or Taken as a Whole) Written as one word, â€Å"altogether† usually means â€Å"entirely† or â€Å"completely†: I’m not altogether sure you used that word correctly. Another use is to mean â€Å"takes as a whole† or â€Å"all things considered†: Altogether, it was the best Christmas we ever had. Finally, especially in the UK, â€Å"in the altogether† is a slang phrase for being nude. You probably don’t need to know this, as it’s quite rare. But we find the phrase amusing, so we thought we’d share. All Together or Altogether? These terms have developed distinct meanings over time, so make sure not to confuse them. Remember: The two-word phrase all together means â€Å"all in one place† or â€Å"all in unison.† Written as a single word, altogether means â€Å"entirely† or â€Å"taken as a whole.† If you are unsure which to use, try replacing it in the sentence with â€Å"entirely† or â€Å"taken as a whole.† If the replacement fits, â€Å"altogether† will be correct. Otherwise, â€Å"all together† will be correct. And if you’d like any help checking the spelling in your writing, feel free to get in touch.

Quiz Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Quiz - Coursework Example The girls, on the other hand, who display more masculine traits, are considered abnormal in the society as they do contrary to the expectation of their gender (Butler, 2011). It is this gender construction that leads to the stratification of the society where the men are placed at a higher hierarchy and the women automatically below them (Butler, 2011). This explains why the disparities exist between men and women today. Since the women are expected to be passive, calm and considerate, the men have taken over them, with very few women taking up positions that are considered prestigious. The prestigious jobs have long been left for the men. From the stated arguments, it is, therefore, warranted to conclude that gender identity is not natural but constructed by the society. The existence of evil along side a good and omnipotent God can be explained philosophically. According to the research of Clarke (2002), the omnipotent God has the ability to see all the actions that humans take part in. This involves both the good and the wrong deeds that humans do. However, it is vital to consider that evil exists because the omnipotent God gives the human beings the will and authority to do what they wish, whether good or evil. The author continues to argue that God continually advocates for good deeds (Clarke, 2002). Nonetheless, it is evident that some humans are inclined on the wrong side despite there being an omnipotent God. For these persons who do the wrong things, God takes charge of them and ensures that they suffer all the consequences of their wrong deeds (Clarke, 2002). This validates the aspect that God is omnipotent and always creates a balance between good and evil. On another note, it is also evident that God’s power goes beyond the normal world as justice is always executed by the omnipotent God. From these facts, it is evident that

Crawford and the Iraq war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crawford and the Iraq war - Essay Example His books and his words state the trouble and trauma he went through and how it changed his life. He had been deployed at Iraq for 6 months which extended upto an 18 where Crawford witnessed the turmoils of the war. He shares the story at the Warfield and the life of the soldiers at the Warfield. Hinson (2005) says "Recounting his experience Crawford in A soldier's true story says the ancient city turned out to be a hellhole". Living amidst the bombs and the noises, life became horrible and difficult. They transformed like animals, they had no feelings, no proper food or no peace of mind. Crawford witnessed fear, stupidity, resentments and breezy victories of the soldiers. The war damaged his life bit by bit. Being in the war filed, the sound of bombs, the soldiers' voices and the noisy environment gave sleepless nights to Crawford. He then took Valium tablets to sleep in the night and got used to those drugs. He found it impossible to sleep with out those tablets. Crawford visualize d variety of feeling in the war field like anger, nervousness, isolation, liberation and defeat. In spite of him leaving the war field, the images and the scenes from the war field came to his mind again and again. He spent sleepless nights even in his nation. There was always a post war stress that remained in his mind, which did not allow Crawford to lead his routine life. His regular life became complicated for him. He felt that every thing changed. In spite of Crawford coming from a war family, he was totally disturbed by the war effects.