The importance of having enough knowledge about Testing Essay

The importance of having enough knowledge about Testing - Essay Example For this purpose, second language teachers must not only possess adequate knowledge of regarding appropriately ‘testing’ their students but also must have On the basis of my extensive research on the subject, I can safely state that ‘bilingualism’ and ‘testing’ are closely related – particularly in terms of second language studies. The accurate evaluation of a student’s performance entails the adoption of an appropriate method of testing. In the absence of such an awareness, the instructors may not be able to develop an effective test. There are various types of testing or assessment procedures. While evaluating the progress of a student in a certain skill, the teacher must develop an effective method of testing which is both reliable as well as valid.I lacked adequate knowledge regarding such crucial issues as ‘assessment’ and ‘testing’, and my experience as a second language teacher at various schools as well as at a university failed to offer the much-needed guidance and awareness on such issues. I encountered various difficulties in testing different levels of students. However, after participating in this course and the Practicum course, my knowledge and understanding of these crucial concepts have widened and helped me in appropriately evaluating the performance of my students irrespective of their levels. I strongly recommend this course to all the second language teachers who have too often deal with bilingualism and testing.

Philosophy of managing people in higher educational settings Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of managing people in higher educational settings Essay Capability to manage a team effectively is one of the main qualities which any professional seeking success needs to possess. However, the position of a leader requires many outstanding skills, and it may be very challenging at times. According to Sun Tzu, Chinese General who lived in the 5th century B. C. , â€Å"when one has all 5 virtues together: intelligence, trustworthiness, humanness, courage, sternness, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader† (Deal, Kennedy, 1988). Leadership means the ability to influence other people and guide them to the success. During many centuries it has been believed that the key to success in a team lies in the skills of the manager. No company can remain on top unless it has an outstanding manager who guides it into the right direction. Management of people in higher educational settings is a very challenging task due to the complexity of the field of education. Some of the general principles of management can be applied efficiently, but at the same time additional attention needs to be devoted to characteristic features which are common only for educational sphere. The task of the leader in higher educational settings is to manage the staff in such a way that all the skills which the members of the staff possess turn out applied at their maximum. This task is very complicated because â€Å"building the winning team requires more than just hiring a bunch of talented people. It means hiring people who will work well together. It means developing a shared vision and commitment. It means physically bringing people together in formal group meetings for open discussion of broad-based issues. It means encouraging positive, informal interactions between group members. It means instilling a â€Å"winning attitude throughout the organization. It means watching for and quickly trying to reverse team-building problems such as jealousy, cynicism, and defensive behavior. † (Building a winning team. Retrieved on November 14, from source: www. businesstown. com). The most important issue in managing the team in higher educational settings is choosing the right form of motivation for them. Since all people in the staff are different, all of them need different forms of motivation. For some staff members, only money works, and they do not get motivated by any other benefits. For others, there is nothing more important than social recognition of their efforts. Other staff members will care about the possibilities of future promotion in case of their successful performance. Therefore, in order to manage the staff effectively, the first task to do is to define where the needs of employees fall in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. After some communication with the members of the team it is easy to discover what staff members are very ambitious. They have a very high need of esteem. They need to be praised for the work they do, get recognition from senior-level management, be aware about the possibilities of their future promotion, and fulfill tasks which require lots of responsibility. These staff members are very experienced, they have already made large contributions into the university’s success, and therefore they can be motivated only through getting more and more complicated tasks to fulfill. Other staff members will not be as success-oriented, and not as experienced. They can be rather knowledgeable in the field of education but they do not seek promotion because they are quite happy with their present work. Therefore, they can be motivated by money awards and praise for their work because their needs fall into the category of belonginess and love. The next step of successful staff management in higher education setting is defining relationships between staff members, and making a sociogram which identifies the types of interactions within the social network. Without the knowledge of interactions between the staff members, there is no way to manage the team effectively. In order to manage the members of the team, it is useful at times to apply the approach of influencing some members of the team through other members. It is necessary to identify the member of the team who has the strongest influence on other members because teams are usually aligned to such staff members. It is also necessary to keep up â€Å"healthy culture† in the educational setting. â€Å"A healthy culture can promote identification (who we are), legitimation (why we need to do) communication (with whom we talk), coordination (with whom we work) and development (what are the dominant perspectives and tasks)†. (Davies, 1997, p. 135). The last step of managing the team is choosing the leadership style. Such styles include â€Å"considerate, structuring, autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire and the like† (Bjerke, 1999, p. 57). Some authors determine supporting, directive, coercive, transformational leadership styles. The most efficient styles in the majority of establishments of higher education are democratic and supportive styles, but for some types of situations autocratic and directive styles might be appropriate. For example, when the faculty leader wants to set direct goals for the staff members and make them increase their performance, it can be appropriate to use directive style. The choice of the style mainly depends on the environment in the organization and the goals which it needs to achieve. Autocratic and directive styles can sometimes represent some danger of faculty leaders becoming power-oriented. When managers care only about their own power, they tend to choose those 2 styles of leadership. It is well-known that leadership styles can be oriented on the performance of the team or on the concern about staff members. The analysis of these theories is particularly important for managing staff members in educational settings. Blake and Mouton (1964) have introduced a grid in which they identified the main styles of leadership according to those 2 characteristics. Orientation on the performance of the team means that the manager is very concerned about the results which they are going to have in the end of the period, the extent to which goals will be met. Orientation on people means that the leader will pay lots of attention to maintaining trust in the company, establishing warm relations with all the employees, giving them only appropriate tasks and motivating them. Blake and Mouton have come up with several types of managers based in their grid. â€Å"Under the style referred to as impoverished management, managers concern themselves very little with either people or results and have minimum involvement in their jobs. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). Such managers usually do not achieve good results because they show minimum concern about the activity of the company. â€Å"Team leaders†, on the contrary, manage to combine both concern about people and achieve great performance of the company. This type of managers cannot be accepted in education settings because it prevents the faculty staff from making large contributions to the development of the educational establishment. â€Å"Another style is management called country club management, in which managers have little or no concern for results but are concerned only for people. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). Such companies might not have great results because employees will not be working to the fullest. â€Å"Autocratic task managers are concerned only with developing an efficient operation, who have little or no concern for people and who are quite autocratic in their style of leadership. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). This type of manager is more favorable than the previous one, but it is also inefficient in the educational setting. In order to make the staff work efficiently, the faculty leader needs to choose the style combining both concern about staff members and concern about the performance of the team. It is very difficult to make the faculty function effectively, but this task can be achieved through the right choices of staff members’ motivation and leadership style. The field of education requires a leader with good communication skills, able to provide success-oriented policy, capable of solving all the possible problems which may arise in the team. Bibliography. 1. Alison, H. Managing people Managing Universities and Colleges Guides to Good Pratice Open University Press McGraw Hill. 2003. 2. Bjerke Bjorn. Business Leadership and Culture: National Management Styles in the Global Economy. Edward Elgar. 1999. 3. Blake, R. R. and J. S. Mouton. The Managerial Grid, Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company. 1964. 4. Building a winning team. Retrieved on November 14, from source: www. businesstown. com. 5. Davies, J. The evolution of university responses to financial reduction. Higher Education Management, 9(1), 127-140. 1997. 6. Deal, T. and A. Kennedy. Corporate Cultures, London: Penguin Books. 1988. 7. Garvin, David A. What makes for an authentic learning organization? Management Update: Newsletter from Harvard Business School 2, no. 6 (July 1): 7-9. 1993.

Government Essay -- Analysis, Thoreau

Thoreau starts his essay by supporting the motto- â€Å"that government is best which governs least† (177), which implies the reduction of governmental interference in everyday affairs by reducing the government’s capacity to tax for unpopular causes. A case in point is a poll tax – a â€Å"per head† tax imposed on all citizens to help support, what Thoreau considered an unjust war against Mexico, which would extend slavery into new US territories, organized by a small elite of persons who have manipulated government to their benefit against popular will (177). Furthermore, Thoreau maintains that government rarely proves itself useful and that it derives its authority from the majority since they are physically the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. He continues that individual’s prior obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to obey the law dictated by the majority. It can be suggested that when a go vernment is unjust, people should refuse to obey the law and dissociate themselves from the government in general. This implies that a person is not obligated to devote his life to eradicating evils from the world, but he is ought not to participate in such evils, which could mean not being a member of an unjust institution such as the government. However, at the same time, it could not be the most appropriate approach for one to dissociate from the society and be ultimately responsible to herself alone, especially in current interconnected world. Moreover, it is worth noting, that there is a strong sense of individualism and skepticism toward the government throughout Thoreau's work. It can be argued that Thoreau is deeply skeptical of the government because he despises the view that an individu... ...mply not make the world any worse. To return to the original question, it would appear that a man has a duty to act according to the dictates of his conscience, despite the latter goes against majority opinion, or the laws of society. In cases when the state supports unjust or immoral laws, Thoreau's notion of service to one's country paradoxically shifts to the form of resistance against it. Resistance is the highest form of patriotism because it illustrates a desire not to demolish government but to build a better one in the long term. Thus, Thoreau does not advocate a complete rejection of the administration, but resistance to those specific features considered to be unjust or immoral. Even though Thoreau’s ideas were not much influential in nineteenth century, it helped to inspire Mohandas Gandhi’s and Martin Luthor King’s theories of nonviolent resistance.

Key Business Issues Relating to Best Value Management

The â€Å"Key Business Issues Relating to Best Value Management and Strategic Development in the Housing/Regeneration Industry & New Business and Asset Management† are inclusive of what is termed â€Å"Best Value†. In the Housing Industry the 4Cs of best value are applied to every review. The four â€Å"Cs† are: (1) Challenging why and how a service is being provided; (2) comparing performance with the performance of others in the industry; (3) embrace of fair competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services; (4) consulting with local taxpayers, customers and the wider business community. Under the Best Value standard, local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to â€Å"secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.† (What is Best Value?, 2006) Best Value is defined as â€Å"providing local people what they want, when they want it, at a price they are willing and able to pay. It's also about being imaginative in how local needs are met.† (What is Best Value?, 2006) Other principles of Best Value are stated to include: Being accountable to local people. They have to listen to and consult the people they are there to serve. They have to report regularly on what they have achieved and what they are planning. Looking to continuously improve. Sometimes this will come through many small changes, sometimes through larger changes when the existing service is fundamentally challenged. Setting targets and publicly reporting achievement against them. Cutting across departmental boundaries, rather than just looking at services individually. Councils can also work with other local agencies to tackle issues beyond the reach of a single service and need co-operative working with partner bodies. Developing partnerships with the private sector, with communities and agencies, and between authorities. These partnerships will be able to review services jointly, develop local plans, acting together to achieve local outcomes, and provide services in some cases. Being open about service delivery. Councils shouldn't assume that they should deliver activities if other more efficient and effective means are available. This is not to say however that authorities must contract their services out – what matters is what works best for delivering services to the community, so an open mind is needed. (What is Best Value?, 2006) PART A – Critical Review of the Existing Key Business Issues Related to Best Value Management and Strategic Development in the Housing Management, Regeneration, New business and Asset Management Industry. In the assessment of DHA the comments provided by the inspecting agency were in the areas of the following which require improvement: (1)Effective Financial and Corporate Governance; (2)Asset management, including repairs and response management; (3)Reinvestment in Current Stock to meet the Decent Home Standards; (4)Poor procurement and project management systems; (7)High levels of social behavior and poor neighborhood communities. According to the standards of ‘Best Practice' in this industry accountability to the local people is considered critical. It is necessary that Dante Housing Association ‘listen' to the residents; it is critical that Dante Housing Association ‘consult' with the residents; and it is critical that Dante Housing Association ‘report' on a ‘regular basis' to the residents and inform them what plans are in process. All of these actions herein stated fall directly in line with numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and are associated with number 7 of the problem areas that must be focused on in the six months allotted for Dante Housing Association, hereafter referred to as DHA to make the necessary changes and improvements. In fact, the continuous view toward improvement is necessary to be instituted into the principles and practices of DHA so it is important that this perspective and standard be initiated into all aspects of improvement toward which this report is focused. The regular reporting and accounting publicly is critical as well in the process of instituting ‘Best Value' standards for DHA because to meet the goals that are set for DHA is not enough, because without reporting of these goals and their achievement publicly then the public will not be aware of what DHA is doing and may assume that DHA is doing nothing. DHA must institute a principle of collaboration across boundaries both within and outside of DHA in order to attain the best prices, gain the cooperation and assistance of other agencies position to offer such assistance because so many times the changes that are needed are bigger than DHA has the capacity to provide single-handedly. This leads to the next issue which is the need for DHA to establish partnerships and cooperative efforts with other companies in both the public and private sector and for the reasons as just stated. Finally, DHA must agree to consider options available in services delivery and if outsourcing some of these delivery of services might mean savings, efficiency and effectiveness then DHA must prepare itself to make the necessary changes to deliver services in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

Applying the Systems Development Life Cycle Essay

Procedure In a short paper (approximately one page), summarize how the work you have done in the previous project assignments can be integrated into the SDLC. Submission To submit this assignment, please go to the Grade Book. In the column in the Grade Book for this particular assignment, a â€Å"submit† button is available. Click on this button to be directed to your Personal Workspace where you will be able to upload and then submit this assignment. Please make sure you are submitting the final version of the assignment. The submit feature will be unavailable after submitting the assignment. Please do not post this assignment as an attachment in the Forum*. It must be submitted through the submit feature in the Grade Book. For more detailed directions and assistance for submitting assignments, please utilize the â€Å"help† feature located in the left hand navigation bar. Once at the â€Å"help† screen, choose the â€Å"How do I submit an assignment in the Grade Book† link from the â€Å"Courses† section. *Some assignments require the sharing and/or peer review of written work. In these cases, your instructor may also require you to post your assignment in a public message (i.e., to the entire class) in the Forum. Evaluation This assignment is worth 75 points. This assignment will be evaluated on the following criteria: †¢Completeness — Addresses each step/component/element required by project assignments with no obvious omissions. †¢Timeliness — Completed within specified timeframe. †¢Synthesis — Applies and/or synthesizes course content, required readings, independent research, and original thought into project as appropriate. †¢Clarity and Concision — Project composition isstructured logically, focused, well organized, and flows well. Conveys ideas clearly and concisely. †¢Language Conventions — Project consistently employs conventional English spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and paragraph construction. †¢Application of Technology — Demonstrates application of technology to the project that is realistic and appropriate for the selected professional context.

Selenium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Selenium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Selenium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 34 Symbol: Se Atomic Weight: 78.96 Discovery: Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius and Johan Gottlieb Gahn(Sweden) Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p4 Word Origin: Greek Selene: moon Properties: Selenium has an atomic radius of 117 pm, a melting point of 220.5 °C, boiling point of 685 °C, with oxidation states of 6, 4, and -2. Selenium is a member of the sulfur group of nonmetallic elements and is similar to this element in terms of its forms and compounds. Selenium exhibits photovoltaic action, where light is converted directly into electricity, and photoconductive action, where electrical resistance decreases with increased illumination. Selenium exists in several forms, but is usually prepared with an amorphous or crystalline structure. Amorphous selenium is either red (powder form) or black (vitreous form). Crystalline monoclinic selenium is deep red; crystalline hexagonal selenium, the most stable variety, is gray with a metallic luster. Elemental selenium is fairly nontoxic and is considered an essential trace element for proper nutrition. However, hydrogen selenide (H2Se) and other selenium compounds are extremely toxic, resembling arsenic in their phy siological reactions. Selenium occurs in some soils in amounts sufficient to produce serious effects on animals feeding on plants grown from those soils (e.g., locoweed). Uses: Selenium is used in xerography to copy documents and in photographic toner. It is used in the glass industry to make ruby-red colored glasses and enamels and to decolorize glass. It is used in photocells and light meters. Because it can convert AC electricity to DC, it is widely used in rectifiers. Selenium is a p-type semiconductor below its melting point, which leads to many solid-state and electronics applications. Selenium is also used as an additive to stainless steel. Sources: Selenium occurs in the minerals crooksite and clausthalite. It has been prepared from flue dusts from processing copper sulfide ores, but the anode metal from electrolytic copper refineries is a more common source of selenium. Selenium may be recovered by roasting the mud with soda or sulfuric acid, or by smelting with soda and niter: Cu2Se Na2CO3 2O2 → 2CuO Na2SeO3 CO2 The selenite Na2SeO3 is acidified with sulphuric acid. Tellurites precipitate out of solution, leaving selenous acid, H2SeO3n. Selenium is liberated from selenous acid by SO2 H2SeO3 2SO2 H2O → Se 2H2SO4 Element Classification: Non-Metal Selenium Physical Data Density (g/cc): 4.79 Melting Point (K): 490 Boiling Point (K): 958.1 Critical Temperature (K): 1766 K Appearance: soft, similar to sulfur Isotopes: Selenium has 29 known isotopes including Se-65, Se-67 to Se-94. There are six stable isotopes: Se-74 (0.89% abundance), Se-76 (9.37% abundance), Se-77 (7.63% abundance), Se-78 (23.77% abundance), Se-80 (49.61% abundance) and Se-82 (8.73% abundance). Atomic Radius (pm): 140 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 16.5 Covalent Radius (pm): 116 Ionic Radius: 42 (6e) 191 (-2e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.321 (Se-Se) Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 5.23 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 59.7 Pauling Negativity Number: 2.55 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 940.4 Oxidation States: 6, 4, -2 Lattice Structure: Hexagonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 4.360 CAS Registry Number: 7782-49-2 Selenium Trivia: Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius found a red sulfur-like deposit at a sulfuric acid manufacturing facility. He originally thought the deposit was the element tellurium. After further examination, he decided he had found a new element. Since tellurium was named after Tellus, or Earth goddess in Latin, he named his new element after the Greek Moon goddess Selene.Selenium is used in anti-dandruff shampoos.Gray selenium conducts electricity better when light is shined on it. Early photoelectric circuits and solar cells used selenium metal.Compounds containing selenium in the -2 oxidation state are called selenides.A combination of bismuth and selenium can be used to replace the more toxic lead in many brass alloys. (Lead is added to brass to increase its ability to be machined)Brazil nuts have the highest levels of nutritional selenium. One ounce of brazil nuts contain 544 micrograms of selenium or 777% the Recommended Daily Allowance. Quiz: Test your new selenium knowledge with the Selenium Facts Quiz. References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) International Atomic Energy Agency ENSDF database (Oct 2010)    Return to the Periodic Table

Labor Market Research for Nurses in the State of California

Labor Market Research for Nurses in the State of California The healthcare system in the U.S. is largely dependent on the number of health professionals available in public and private healthcare facilities across the country. Nurses are at the core of the healthcare system by virtue of their role in the doctor-patient relationship, and hence their availability is fundamental if the country is to uphold an effective, competent, and efficient healthcare system (Rickles, n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor Market Research for Nurses in the State of California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it has not been easy for many states to maintain the required number of nurses in their health facilities judging by the vastness of the healthcare sector and high level of specialization witnessed in the industry. This paper aims to use the article by Rickles et al (n.d.) titled ‘California Policy Options: Supplying California’s needs for Nurses’ to ev aluate the labor market for nurses in California state. Factors Influencing the Supply and Demand of Nurses The demand and supply of nurses is influenced by a multiplicity of factors judging by their relative importance to the healthcare system. Indeed, analysts are of the opinion that the U.S. is not anywhere near satisfying the demand for more nurses, and a time when the supply of nurses will effectively deal with the demand can never be imagined as of yet (Rickles, n.d.). California’s shortage of qualified nurses is among the most relentless in the U.S. as many of the state’s health institutions experience great difficulty in the process of recruiting and retaining qualified nursing personnel (Rickles et al, n.d.). By 2005, California had an estimated 200,000 registered nurses, with credible projections suggesting that the state’s demand for registered nurses will stand at 300,000 by 2010 and 458,733 by 2030 (Rickles et al, n.d; Hausellberg, 2010). The above scenario can be attributed to a variety of factors that influence the dynamics of supply and demand of the nurses in the state. On the demand side, it can be safely argued that the demand for nurses in California has sharply risen in the past and will continue to steadily grow in the future due to the population’s ever rising demand for healthcare (Rickles et al, n.d.). The trend is that individuals residing in California are increasingly utilizing hospital facilities, with around 4 million patients being released from hospitals in 2003, a 7% increase from the figures recorded in 1998.Advertising Looking for essay on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The total population of California has also expanded by at least 8% between 1998 and 2003, and is projected to continue expanding in the future. Still, California’s elderly population is increasing by the day, impacting heavily on the demand of nur ses since the elderly requires more medical attention than any other age-category. Other influences on the demand side include the reimbursement approaches employed by health insurance plans, federal regulations on nurse staffing ratios to meet the required nurse-to-patient ratios, aging of the Registered Nurse work force, natural attrition, and personal wealth (Rickles et al, n.d.). Influences that determine the supply of nurses into health facilities based in California seems so much constrained to meet the ever rising demand. The supply of nurses in California is mainly influenced by the duration of the nursing educational program, new graduates, input of retired nurses who may wish to return to active employment, external recruitment of nurses from other states, licensing requirements for new nurses, and sourcing of nurses from other countries (Rickles et al, n.d.). Supply of nurses is also determined by the number of students nurturing an ambition or interest to train in nursin g. Rickles et al (n.d.) posits that â€Å"†¦for the first part of the 20th century, licensed nursing was one of a few occupations widely open to women†¦As career opportunities expanded for women in the second half of that century, however, nursing had to compete with other attractive professions for new entrants† (p. 105). It is therefore prudent to argue that the enhanced labor market prospects for women have worked to diminish the supply of nurses. Lastly, the supply of nurses in California has been given a lifeline owing to the relaxation of some U.S. immigration regulations. How Nurses Pay is Determined and Structured The pay for nurses must be determined based on the local labor situation and the forces of supply and demand (Clanton, 2009). When a health facility faces a shortage of nurses as it is the case in California, the net effect on the market equilibrium in competitive market situations would be an increase in nurses’ pay. Other factors that may influence the market equilibrium and hence determine the nurses pay include costs of living prevailing in the state, consumer price index (CPI), and fluctuations in the purchasing power of the American dollar (Rickles et al n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor Market Research for Nurses in the State of California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, federal regulations such as the nurse-to-patient ratios are likely to increase the nurses’ pay as states fight to attract more nurses to keep up with the set legislations. Lastly, the professional bodies representing the nurses may play a fundamental role in determining their pay. The pay structure for nurses in the state is determined by a number of factors, namely the level of education and experience, position in the labor force, duration of service, level of specialty, nationality, and station of duty (Rickles, n.d.). Towards Increasing the Su pply of Nurses The concerned stakeholders need to offer more monetary and non-monetary incentives to attract more nurses and trigger more students to enroll in nursing schools. The federal government of California should step in to guide the labor market for nurses by offering more funds to schools for training purposes aimed at boosting supply. To further enhance supply, the central and federal governments should further relax immigration restrictions for qualified nurses from other countries to join the labor market (Rickles, n.d.). The retired nurses who have the capacity to continue in the service should be encouraged to apply through offering incentives such as bonuses and flexible working hours. Lastly, the government should chip in and assist the health facilities meet the escalating labor costs associated with enhancing the nurse-to patient ratio as per the regulations put in place (Clanton, 2009) Reference List Clanton, S. (2009). Nursing: Labor Market Research. Web. Rickle s, J., Ong, P.M., Spetz, J. (n.d.). California policy options. Supplying California’s needs for Nurses. Web. Hausellberg, W. (2010). Registered nurses in California looking at a glowing demand. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Study Guide for Albert Camuss The Fall

Study Guide for Albert Camus's The Fall Delivered by a sophisticated, outgoing, yet often suspicious narrator, Albert Camus’s The Fall employs a format that is rather uncommon in world literature. Like novels such as Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, Sartre’s Nausea, and Camus’s own The Stranger, The Fall is set up as a confession by a complicated main character- in this case, an exiled French lawyer named Jean-Baptiste Clamence. But The Fall- unlike these famous first-person writings- is actually a second-person novel. Clamence directs his confession at a single, well-defined listener, a â€Å"you† character who accompanies him (without ever speaking) for the duration of the novel. In the opening pages of The Fall, Clamence makes this listener’s acquaintance in a seedy Amsterdam bar known as Mexico City, which entertains â€Å"sailors of all nationalities† (4). Summary In the course of this initial meeting, Clamence playfully notes the similarities between him and his new companion: â€Å"You are my age in a way, with the sophisticated eye of a man in his forties who has seen everything, in a way; you are well dressed in a way, that is as people are in our country; and your hands are smooth. Hence a bourgeois, in a way! But a cultured bourgeois!† (8-9). However, there is much about Clamence’s identity that remains uncertain. He describes himself as â€Å"a judge-penitent,† yet doesn’t provide an immediate explanation of this uncommon role. And he omits key facts from his descriptions of the past: â€Å"A few years ago I was a lawyer in Paris and, indeed, a rather well-known lawyer. Of course, I didn’t tell you my real name† (17). As a lawyer, Clamence had defended poor clients with difficult cases, including criminals. His social life had been full of satisfactions- respect from his colleagues, affairs with many women- and his public behavior had been scrupulously courteous and polite. As Clamence sums up this earlier period: â€Å"Life, its creatures and its gifts, offered themselves to me, and I accepted such marks of homage with a kindly pride† (23). Eventually, this state of security began to break down, and Clamence traces his increasingly dark state of mind to a few specific life events. While in Paris, Clamence had an argument with â€Å"a spare little man wearing spectacles† and riding a motorcycle (51). This altercation with the motorcyclist alerted Clamence to the violent side of his own nature, while another experience- an encounter with a â€Å"slim young woman dressed in black† who committed suicide by throwing herself off a bridge- filled Clamence with a sense of â€Å"irresistible weakness (69-70). During an excursion to the Zuider Zee, Clamence describes the more advanced stages of his â€Å"fall.† At first, he began to feel intense turmoil and pangs of disgust with life, although â€Å"for some time, my life continued outwardly as if nothing had changed† (89). He then took turned to â€Å"alcohol and women† for comfort- yet only found temporary solace (103). Clamence expands upon his philosophy of life in the final chapter, which takes place in his own lodgings. Clamence recounts his disturbing experiences as a World War II prisoner of war, lists his objections to commonplace notions of law and freedom, and reveals the depth of his involvement in the Amsterdam underworld. (It turns out that Clamence keeps a famous stolen painting- The Just Judges by Jan van Eyck- in his apartment.) Clamence has resolved to accept life- and to accept his own fallen, immensely flawed nature- but has also resolved to share his troubling insights with anyone who will listen. In the final pages of The Fall, he reveals that his new profession of â€Å"judge-penitent† involves â€Å"indulging in public confession as often as possible† in order to acknowledge, judge, and do penance for his failings (139). Background and Contexts Camus’s Philosophy of Action: One of Camus’s greatest philosophical concerns is the possibility that life is meaningless- and the need (in spite of this possibility) for action and self-assertion. As Camus wrote in his tract The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), philosophical discourse â€Å"was previously a question of finding out whether or not life had to have a meaning to be lived. It now becomes clear on the contrary that it will be lived all the better if it has no meaning. Living an experience, a particular fate, is accepting it fully.† Camus then goes on to declare that â€Å"one of the only coherent philosophical positions is thus revolt. It is constant confrontation between man and his own obscurity.† Even though the Myth of Sisyphus is a classic of French Existentialist philosophy and a central text for understanding Camus, The Fall (which, after all, appeared in 1956) should not merely be taken as a fictional re-working of The Myth of Sisyphus. Clamence does revolt against his life as a Paris lawyer; however, he retreats from society and tries to find specific â€Å"meanings† in his actions in a manner that Camus might not have endorsed. Camus’s Background in Drama: According to literary critic Christine Margerrison, Clamence is a â€Å"self-proclaimed actor† and The Fall itself is Camus’s â€Å"greatest dramatic monologue.† At several points in his career, Camus worked simultaneously as a playwright and a novelist. (His plays Caligula and The Misunderstanding appeared in the mid 1940s- the same period that saw the publication of Camus’s novels The Stranger and The Plague. And in the 1950s, Camus both wrote The Fall and worked on theater adaptations of novels by Dostoevsky and William Faulkner.) However, Camus was not the only mid-century author who applied his talents to both theater and the novel. Camus’s Existentialist colleague Jean-Paul Sartre, for instance, is famous for his novel Nausea and for his plays The Flies and No Exit. Another of the greats of 20th century experimental literature- Irish author Samuel Beckett- created novels that read a little like â€Å"dramat ic monologues† (Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable) as well as oddly-structured, character-driven plays (Waiting for Godot, Krapp’s Last Tape). Amsterdam, Travel, and Exile: Although Amsterdam is one of Europe’s centers of art and culture, the city takes on a rather sinister character in The Fall. Camus scholar David R. Ellison has found several references to disturbing episodes in Amsterdam’s history: first, The Fall reminds us that â€Å"the commerce linking Holland to the Indies included trade not just in spices, foodstuffs, and aromatic wood, but also in slaves; and second, the novel takes place after â€Å"the years of World War II in which the Jewish population of the city (and of the Netherlands as a whole) was subject to persecution, deportation, and ultimate death in Nazi prison camps.† Amsterdam has a dark history, and exile to Amsterdam allows Clamence to face his own unpleasant past. Camus declared in his essay â€Å"The Love of Life† that â€Å"what gives value to travel is fear. It breaks down a kind of inner dà ©cor in us. We can’t cheat any more- hide ourselves away behin d the hours in the office or at the plant.† By going into living abroad and breaking his earlier, soothing routines, Clamence is forced to contemplate his deeds and face his fears. Key Topics Violence and Imagination: Although there is not much open conflict or violent action directly displayed in The Fall, Clamence’s memories, imaginings, and turns of imagery add violence and viciousness to the novel. After an unpleasant scene during a traffic jam, for instance, Clamence imagines pursuing a rude motorcyclist, â€Å"overtaking him, jamming his machine against the curb, taking him aside, and giving him the licking he had fully deserved. With a few variations, I ran off this little film a hundred times in my imagination. But it was too late, and for several days I chewed a bitter resentment† (54). Violent and disturbing fantasies help Clamence to communicate his dissatisfaction with the life he leads. Late in the novel, he compares his feelings of hopeless and perpetual guilt to a special kind of torture: â€Å"I had to submit and admit my guilt. I had to live in the little-ease. To be sure, you are not familiar with that dungeon cell that was called the litt le-ease in the Middle Ages. In general, one was forgotten there for life. That cell was distinguished from others by ingenious dimensions. It was not high enough to stand up in nor yet wide enough to lie down in. One had to take an awkward manner and live on the diagonal† (109). Clamence’s Approach to Religion: Clamence does not define himself as a religious man. However, references to God and Christianity play a major part in Clamence’s manner of speaking- and help Clamence to explain his changes in attitude and outlook. During his years of virtue and altruism, Clamence took Christian kindliness to grotesque proportions: â€Å"A very Christian friend of mine admitted that one’s initial feeling on seeing a beggar approach one’s house is unpleasant. Well, with me it was worse: I used to exult† (21). Eventually, Clamence finds yet another use for religion that is admittedly awkward and inappropriate. During his fall, the lawyer made references â€Å"to God in my speeches before the court†- a tactic that â€Å"awakened mistrust in my clients† (107). But Clamence also uses the Bible to explain his insights about human guilt and suffering. For him, Sin is part of the human condition, and even Christ on the cross is a figure of guilt: â€Å"He knew he was not altogether innocent. If he did not bear the weight of the crime he was accused of, he had committed others- even though he didn’t know which ones† (112). Clamence’s Unreliability: At several points in The Fall, Clamence acknowledges that his words, actions, and apparent identity are of questionable validity. Camus’s narrator is very good at playing different, even dishonest roles. Describing his experiences with women, Clamence notes that â€Å"I played the game. I knew they didn’t like one to reveal one’s purpose too quickly. First, there had to be conversation, fond attentions, as they say. I wasn’t worried about speeches, being a lawyer, nor about glances, having been an amateur actor during my military service. I often changed parts, but it was always the same play† (60). And later in the novel, he asks a series of rhetorical questions- â€Å"Don’t lies eventually lead to the truth? And don’t all my stories, true or false, tend toward the same conclusion?†- before concluding that â€Å"authors of confessions write especially to avoid confessing, to tell nothing of wha t they know† (119-120). It would be wrong to assume that Clamence has given his listener nothing but lies and fabrications. Yet it is possible that he is freely mixing lies and truth to create a convincing â€Å"act†- that he strategically using a persona to obscure particular facts and feelings. A Few Discussion Questions Do you think that Camus and Clamence have similar political, philosophical, and religious beliefs? Are there any major differences- and if so, why do you think Camus decided to create a character whose views are so at odds with his own?In some important passages in The Fall, Clamence introduces violent images and intentionally shocking opinions. Why do you think Clamence is dwelling on such disconcerting topics? How is his willingness to make his listener uneasy tied to his role as a â€Å"judge-penitent?†Exactly how reliable is Clamence, in your opinion? Does he ever seem to exaggerate, to obscure the truth, or to introduce obvious falsehoods? Find a few passages where Clamence seems especially elusive or unreliable, and keep in mind that Clamence may become significantly more (or significantly less) reliable from passage to passage.Re-imagine The Fall told from a different perspective. Would Camus’s novel be more effective as a first-person account by Clamence, withou t a listener? As a straightforward, third-person description of Clamence’s life? Or is The Fall supremely effective in its present form? Note on Citations: All page numbers refer to Justin OBriens translation of The Fall (Vintage International, 1991).

Fund Managers, Intangibles, and Private Disclosure Essay

Fund Managers, Intangibles, and Private Disclosure - Essay Example Intangibles come in many different forms and nature. Example of these includes structural capital, human capital and relational capital. In the present case, however, intellectual capital is the only intangible that is mentioned. A large extent, it can be said that this is so because the intellectual capital of the present company is made up of an embodiment of all the components of intangibles. What is more, given any market value, intellectual capital is believed to be made up of the difference in the market value and tangible assets possessed by the company. Therefore, because the core component of cash input in the case was share price, the intellectual capital was named as the only intangible to represent all difference that would come from the share price and tangible assets. One critical condition that can be used to judge whether the meeting constitutes insider information or not has to do with whether or not the information given can provide any form of financial advantage in the trading of shares of companies. From this perspective, since the meeting with the fund manager involved information on how value arose and how efforts can be put in place to ensure that in future dealings, more value arose from the intangibles, this advantage could be described as insider information. If for nothing at all, the information that was received was a non-public fact and not accessible to all other players in the share trade business. Ideally, because the overall income of the fund manager is determined by a ratio of the overall fund average asset, it would be said that the insider information was going to benefit the fund manager. This is because he was going to be put in a position where he was going to have better strategies put in place to manage the portfolio of trading activities and consequently see a higher rise in the fund’s average assets.

The Greenpower Car Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Greenpower Car - Assignment Example Introduction The components that will be analyzed here will heretofore include: 1) the brake disc which is made out of metal; and 2) the tyre which is made out of rubber. The Metal The metal on the brake disc is key as a component. The metal that is usually used on cars is metal that is made out of various kinds of metals that are mixed together—often known as combined metals. Brake discs made out of these metals are made with various different types of metal mixed together because the recombinant metals are stronger when mixed with each other. So, instead of just using pure silver—which is very soft, by itself and in its most purest form—a little bit of silver may be mixed with large amounts of other types of metals, including copper, bronze, and iron, in varying amounts. It really depends upon what the exact type of object is that is being formed, but, without a doubt—for brake discs, mixed or recombinant metals are definitely a major factor in deciding how to put a product together. Without a doubt, the metal that is used in brake discs goes a long way in terms of determining what type of metal will be therefore utilized for the ultimate design of the car. The Rubber Tyres are obviously going to be a big component of the car. And of course, the main focus about the tyre is going to be on the rubber in the tyres. Usually, rubber is used for various parts of the car that require a malleable material to produce a product. Rubber is actually a form of plastic—and it can be highly useful in terms of designing a car. For tyres, rubber can be extremely helpful in determining how a car part will be produced. Rubber is an at-times harder form of plastic which is useful in the production of several various auto parts—including, of course, the tyres. Of course, it would definitely depend upon the car part being produced, but generally speaking, for tyres, rubber is perfect for being integrated in the actual car part itself. Rub ber has many uses where car manufacturers simply do not want or need to have very expensive parts utilized—and this is especially true of tyres, which can turn out to be very expensive. Further, it is better to place rubber products in a car where metals are not necessary. It’s very difficult to ascertain, but usually where plastic or rubber will suffice, it is used at every turn. For certain, it is probably most important that either plastic or rubber can be used for several various purposes, and that is why it is so helpful as a substance. Conclusion Whether it is metal or rubber that is used for brake disc(s) and tyre(s), both of these substances have most certainly had a profound effect on the way cars have been produced. Metals—usually combined metals—are utilized in order to make several different parts of the car. Of course, metal is not to be outrivaled by rubber—and also, alternatively, plastic—when it comes to having to use it in o rder to put extra parts on a car. Metal and rubber are both invaluable parts of any car for brake discs and tyres respectively, and it is hoped that these elements will be more utilized in the future in order to compete in a global economy. Metal and rubber are two very necessary substances in order to produce cars. Therefore, the production of metal and rubber must continue to be encouraged in foreign countries where such substances are supposedly produced more cheaply. No

Amazon.com 2002 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Amazon.com 2002 - Assignment Example The ability to operate online gives Amazon access to global retail market, something that competitors find difficult to replicate with the enhancements provided by Amazon. Where many companies have adopted E-commerce model, the application of this concept embedded with rich experience offered by Amazon is difficult to achieve. A careful analysis would reveal that Amazon has been constantly expanding and transforming its business processes to ensure that the customer gets ultimate satisfaction. Development of zshop and marketplace segment is one such example that allows customers to have access not only to the products of Amazon but have a wide range of variety to make a selection from. Hiring third parties for logistics is also one of such examples which would ensure speedy delivery and ultimate customer satisfaction. Amazon has shown commitment to continuously improve and evolve its business processes which includes consistent efforts and investments in research and development. Des igning and customizing an interface which would portray a wide range of products with unlimited filters and separate logs with web-pages for different producers, merchandisers and sellers displays Amazon’s commitment to provide convenience to the customers. Later on, Amazon decided to invest on designing another interface which allowed all its product details and suppliers to be visible on the same page. Such transformation involved a great deal of research and development because of the varying nature of suppliers, their businesses and also their product lines. Amazon is known for exploring the opportunities offered by technological advancements. It began with a pure-play business model however with the expansion in business and need for better inventory management, it transformed into e-commerce model which had order taking, processing and remediation executed

Queen vs. Carpenter Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Queen vs. Carpenter - Term Paper Example When Carpenter told him about the death he gave him no clue about the reasons that caused death and showed that he didn’t had a clear idea. 3 Other witnesses also told that the afternoon when Mrs. Carpenter was murdered her husband arrived earlier than expected and soon a rush was created in her home after which Giles came. Another neighbor heard voices that Mr. Carpenter was disgracing his wife few hours before the murder. Some witnesses also heard sounds of quarrels coming out from Carpenter’s home. Robert McDonald Physician He told that her fits were of hysterical nature and never lasted long. McDonald confirmed that she didn’t die of fits after he had examined her body. He predicted that Mrs. Carpenter was died a couple of hours ago. After examining the body this physician was unable to identify the cause of death but it was sure that she didn’t died out of fits.4 Peter. E. Jones Post Mortem Report The report showed a number of signs of injury. Peter e xamined and suggested that these signs on the back of skull were due to external injuries which might had been the cause of death. There was no matter of poising or any other brain damage. 5 There was insufficient evidence to prove Carpenter’s guilt. Post Mortem report showed a minor indentation on the skull which might had been due to an instrument of any other accident. There were no punctured parts disapproving the cause of murder as commissioned by the trial. Stomach and heart were never determined for the causes of death. 6 If we see today the evidence provided by the doctors and witnesses was insufficient. Reports cannot be formulated just on the basis of post mortem reports. In the neighborhood only Giles had the idea and links with Carpenter and his wife. Meanwhile... It was an expensive task to take a course to the courts. Prosecutor was fined if the witness failed to appear at the proceedings rendering advantage in the hands of the witness. Similar to the civil litigation laws this starting to become recognized and entered the system by awarding costs. It was therefore said and perfumed in the current case that the monetary parties settled down by giving payments to both parties and settling the issue. This unjust act was a common observation. In many of the cases even the magistrate was the supreme power who dealt the system of transferring money from one party to another and settling the dispute. The courts were therefore left for only a few cases where all the other attempts would have failed to solve the problem. In the 19th century criminal justice was similar to the civil courts of this date, where problems of paying utility bills and other such issues were rendered as the last choice in courts.

Why do some international joint ventures succeed whereas others fail Essay

Why do some international joint ventures succeed whereas others fail - Essay Example Hence owners can disagree on the international venture’s goals making the performance of the venture more difficult to define and measure than performance of conventional organizations. Therefore, dissolution of international joint ventures (IJVs) signals not only the failure of the joint venture but also a realization of agreed goals by involved partners. Various scholars draw upon various contextual and internal factors organised in various theoretical perspectives to explain instability and failure of international joint ventures. First, the study considers benefits of conceptualising IJVs as cooperative or expedient collaboration and secondly draws on the distinctions to examine differences between instability and failure theories through structural and processual lenses. International joint ventures as cooperation experience instability from factors that erode trust, commitment, forbearance and other similar partnership qualities. For instance, a venture that lacks compli mentary with the partner is bound to be unstable; moreover, the same applies to ventures associated with significant partner differences regarding values, identities, goals, interests and practices (Salk and Shenkar, 2001). The perspective of selecting the wrong partner reduces the possibility of developing trust, which compromises cooperation making the venture vulnerable to instability. Another view conceptualises IJV as transitional organization, whose initial structure and internal dynamism create inevitable tendency to instability, which results in dissolution (Peng and Shenkar, 2002). The approach presumes that partners engage in IJVs with expedient motives seeing the partnership as a short-term instrument for serving their competitive self-interests by exploiting other partners’ weaknesses or gaining at the expense of other partners. Within this view, one variant stresses structural factors to explain imminent instability of IJVs and the other theorises instability and failure as products of internal political processes. Early influential approaches emphasise the need for parent partner to establish appropriate governance structures because when expedience prevails, IJV pose great risks to the parents like the loss of technical or strategic capabilities to opportunistic behaviour (Noe, Rebello, and Shrikhande, 2002). Most scholars are persuaded that that dominant equity control by one parent likely leads to venture success since benefits are associated with the unitary control framework (Hauswald and Hege, 2003). Similar to equity shares, which have gained dominant management control associated with the success of IJV, equal division of management control is associated with inter-parental disputes, instability and failure. Hence, structures suggest IJV’s destiny avails itself in control structures established in the original bargain. However, another complementary perspective argues that venture instability is a process dev eloped by paren ts in the lifetime of the IJV. As competition for competence, the IJV process involves multiple ‘micro bargains’ between parents as each seek to acquire the strength to exploit weaknesses of the other, the processual approach accentuate the significance of bargaining power as each manoeuvre within the IJV structure to augment its control and attain its ends (Hamel, 1991; Inkpen and Beamish, 1997). Acquisition of knowhow appears to the central aspect in joint ventures, besides joint ventures seem to be temporary in nature since there is no competition where optimal contracts are used. Moreover, duration of joint ventures relies on the

Queen vs. Carpenter Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Queen vs. Carpenter - Term Paper Example When Carpenter told him about the death he gave him no clue about the reasons that caused death and showed that he didn’t had a clear idea. 3 Other witnesses also told that the afternoon when Mrs. Carpenter was murdered her husband arrived earlier than expected and soon a rush was created in her home after which Giles came. Another neighbor heard voices that Mr. Carpenter was disgracing his wife few hours before the murder. Some witnesses also heard sounds of quarrels coming out from Carpenter’s home. Robert McDonald Physician He told that her fits were of hysterical nature and never lasted long. McDonald confirmed that she didn’t die of fits after he had examined her body. He predicted that Mrs. Carpenter was died a couple of hours ago. After examining the body this physician was unable to identify the cause of death but it was sure that she didn’t died out of fits.4 Peter. E. Jones Post Mortem Report The report showed a number of signs of injury. Peter e xamined and suggested that these signs on the back of skull were due to external injuries which might had been the cause of death. There was no matter of poising or any other brain damage. 5 There was insufficient evidence to prove Carpenter’s guilt. Post Mortem report showed a minor indentation on the skull which might had been due to an instrument of any other accident. There were no punctured parts disapproving the cause of murder as commissioned by the trial. Stomach and heart were never determined for the causes of death. 6 If we see today the evidence provided by the doctors and witnesses was insufficient. Reports cannot be formulated just on the basis of post mortem reports. In the neighborhood only Giles had the idea and links with Carpenter and his wife. Meanwhile... It was an expensive task to take a course to the courts. Prosecutor was fined if the witness failed to appear at the proceedings rendering advantage in the hands of the witness. Similar to the civil litigation laws this starting to become recognized and entered the system by awarding costs. It was therefore said and perfumed in the current case that the monetary parties settled down by giving payments to both parties and settling the issue. This unjust act was a common observation. In many of the cases even the magistrate was the supreme power who dealt the system of transferring money from one party to another and settling the dispute. The courts were therefore left for only a few cases where all the other attempts would have failed to solve the problem. In the 19th century criminal justice was similar to the civil courts of this date, where problems of paying utility bills and other such issues were rendered as the last choice in courts.

Analysis of UK Economy in Comparison with Qatar Economy Essay

Analysis of UK Economy in Comparison with Qatar Economy - Essay Example This essay presents a brief informative analysis of the economic statuses of the United Kingdom and Qatar. These countries demonstrated high levels of economic development in recent years. Economic trends usually differ from country to another. Economists have developed several economic measures to determine which country is ahead of the other in terms of economic progress. The availability of goods and services to the citizens of the country and the affordability of the commodities may be used to know how the citizens are in terms of accessibility to the national income. Other factors that are looked at in determining the wealth of the nation in comparison to another include; health facilities accessibility and affordability, food, housing and other social amenities. The U.K. wealth is one of the best in the globe. The lifestyle of the people of the kingdom is desirable, and the state is ranked among most developed economies of the world. The wealth of the kingdom is also one of the oldest, aging back to the pre-colonial period. The country was thus able to amass wealth from the colonies and developed itself on various social and industrial sectors. There are various components of the UK that can be put into comparison with Qatar. During the economic meltdown that was experienced globally, the country sought to protect her banking industry and therefore was not strictly harmed. The country’s GPD is mainly supported by the natural gas investment. More than 50% of the GDP is obtained from this industry.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the C0-Operative Bank Essay Example for Free

Corporate Social Responsibility in the C0-Operative Bank Essay 1. Introduction This report aims to review the corporate social responsibility (CSR) models which managers should consider important when deciding their CSR stance. The report will also review the corporative bank and their stakeholders regarding CSR. The report will then go on to analyse and evaluate the corporative bank’s CSR and ethical position. 2. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a topic has received the attention of organisations and managers as a whole. The 1950s marked the start of the modern era of CSR for managers, where Howard R. Bowen (1953) defines social responsibilities in his publication as the businesses’ duty to make decision and follow principles that are acceptable to society. However, Milton Friedman (1970) argued that social responsibilities is for people not businesses, he claims that the only responsibility business managers should have is to use all their resources to maximise profit and increase shareholder’s wealth (Friedman, York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970, pp. 32-34). 2.1 Carroll’s CSR Models In 1979, Carroll developed a social responsibility model with a hierarchy of four responsibilities, starting from economic, moving to legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities (see fig. 1.1). This CSR model talks about responsibilities which are the main areas that managers should consider when taking a stance on CSR. The summarised views of Carroll’s hierarchy are businesses should strike to make profit as their main priority, and then complies with the rules and regulations of the law; also behave ethically and finally be good corporate citizen (Carroll, 1979, p.500). The hierarchical four responsibility model was later improved by Carroll in 1991 as â€Å"pyramid of corporate social responsibility† (see Fig. 1.2). 2.2 Modern CSR Arguments As the definition of CSR developed and gain more attention over the years, more arguments over CSR began emerge. In reviewing CSR, both Goyder (2003) and Moore (2003) argued that firms claiming CSR in expectation of achieving greater profitability is unethical. Firms should take up CSR only if they can ensure positive impact on society and the environment. Even though Jones (2003) argued that managers must not use CSR as a business strategy but should see it as an ethical stance. However, he does not believe firms taking advantage of the opportunity to make profit is unethical. (Wan Saiful wan-Jan, 2006, pp.176-184) 2.3 Introduction of 3C-SR Model In order to counter the deficiencies of previous approaches, Meehan et al (2006) devised the 3C-SR model- â€Å"competitive advantage through â€Å"social resources†Ã¢â‚¬ . This model claims that Corporate Responsibility (CR) is a tool to making profit not ways of reducing revenue. This model is made up of three inter-related components, ethical and social commitment, connection with partners and consistency of behaviour. According to Meehan et al, if management encompasses all three elements it will build a strong corporate social performance and become a good corporate citizen. (Meehan et al, 2006). However, the models has not been based on observations and experiments, also there was no criticisms by other authors. It is subjective base and was not well supported. 3. The Co-operative Bank and Their Stakeholders The Co-operative bank is a part of the co-operative group, the largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom (UK). The bank offers a range of financial services such as saving accounts, current accounts loans and overdrafts. They are an organisation that makes profit consistently while operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner by putting their ethics into action (www.co-operativebank.co.uk). The Co-operative Bank is sensitive to the needs of all their stakeholders (see fig 1.3). It aspires to meet common economic, social, environmental and cultural needs of their stakeholders. Stakeholder of a company is anyone who has can be affected or can affect the company’s actions or decisions. The co-operative bank acts quickly on relevant and important stakeholder concerns. Engagement with their stakeholders is an important continuous activity. The cooperative bank’s CSR stance of responsible finance which consists of ethical screening, financial inclusion and microfinance is important to each of their stakeholders. (Co-operative bank sustainability policy, 2010) 4. THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK’S CSR and ETHICAL STANCE ANALYSIS 4.1 Sethi’s Three-Stage Schema Sethi’s three-stage schema is useful in determining and analysing the Co-operative bank’s adjustments of their corporate behaviour to social needs. There are three categories of social commitments; social obligation, social responsibility and social responsiveness (Sethi 1975, pp. 58-64, cited Carroll, 1979). Social obligation refers to companies behaving in response to market forces or legal restrictions. Managers of such companies only limit their response to social issues which are guided by law and the economic system. Social responsibility is corporations acknowledging social values and expectations also the importance of ethics. Whilst social responsiveness states that it is important for firms to search for ways to be socially responsibly in the continuous changing society in the long run than how to react to social pressures (Sethi 1975, pp. 58-64). Co-operative bank is continuously searching for ways to be socially and ethically responsible to meet to match the dynamic social system. They are constantly coming up with ethical policies either to meet suppliers needs or customers needs. They plan to the most socially responsible business in the UK. The bank is also making profit maintaining their economic duty to be successful. (http://www.co-operative.coop/join-the-revolution/our-plan/responsible-finance) 4.2 The 3C-SR Model Ethical and Social commitments: This element represents the values aspect of social resources. This component comprises of the promises that organisation made to their stakeholders, also the ethical standards set by them which are stated in their mission statement and goals. (Meehan et al, 2006). The Co-operative bank seeks to be the leading retail bank in global financial services industry. They have been operating with values that have been handed down by the founders which are social responsibility, openness and honesty. They aim; ââ€" ª To be profitable ââ€" ª To meet customers and community needs ââ€" ª To respond to members and give them a fair return ââ€" ª To be an ethical leader and exemplary employer in order to inspire others The Bank is very committed to delivering value to their stakeholders. In 1992 they launched their ethical policy when the customers requested that they would like their money to be invested ethically. The policy was formed to reflect customers’ ethical concern not that of the managers. The bank practice ethics in action by turning away businesses that are involve in unethical practices (fossil fuel extraction, child labour etc). The bank’s suppliers gets paid fair price and there is effective communication between them and the bank, which leads long term relationship. With the banks fantastic delivering value policy some customers and employees are yet to be satisfied. (The co-operative bank sustainability report) The Co-operative Asset Management (TCAM) ensures that there is gender balance within their banks employees and also there is no discrimination. In 2010, the bank extended this policy to other companies they do business with (The co-operative bank sustainability report, 2010, p112). Connections with partners in the value network Norman and Ramirez (1993, p69, cited Meehan et al) claims that a business network gets value from a value creating system in which all the stakeholders and the business itself work to together to create value. Meehan et al believe that if anyone of the parties fails to embrace the value network structure, then the socially oriented business model is bound to fail. If one organisation chooses to associate with another organisation, the nature of that relationship should be based on credibility on both parties, then the value structure works. In the other if on party fails to meet the commitment of the other then a stakeholder deficit will occur (see fig 1.4). The Co-operate bank ensures that their corporate customers share the same values with them as in gender equality and anti-discrimination through their TCAM. There is also their ethical screening which helps them maintain the ethical finance image. The ongoing employee, members and customers survey ensure that the connection between them and the bank is still there (The co-operative bank sustainability report). Consistency of behaviour The consistency element refers to organisations implementing their policy to conform to the commitments and maintain the performance in the long term. It is the behavioural component of the social resources over time and across all aspects of an organisations operation. The common source of criticism is when businesses claims to be socially responsible and fails to act responsibly towards society. (Meehan et al) The Co-operative bank’s ethical policies and social responsibilities have been improved to meets stakeholders needs and maintained over the years. The bank has been consistent with a satisfaction survey for their employees called â€Å"the Voice† carried out twice a year. They have also maintained their investments to their local communities and society at large over the years (The co-operative bank sustainability report). Ethical investment policy generated in 1992 is still an ongoing process for the bank (http://www.thenews.coop). In maintaining this policy, the bank is loose out on income resulting to a reduction in income for turning business away. 5. Conclusion This report has reviewed some of the different CSR theories and models that are important to managers when they are deciding on their CSR approaches. The report also reviewed how CSR has been evolving over the years with theories and models of different scholars. The co-operative bank engages their stakeholders in all their CSR approaches which help them to understand the stakeholders better. The bank understands the fact that a successful business occur only when all the stakeholders work together with mutual ethical values. Using the sethi’s three stage schema and the 3C-SR model to evaluate the Co-operative bank, it is quite clear that the bank is an ethically and socially responsible corporation. Even thought they are losing income and spending a lot to remain ethically and socially responsible they still insist on maintaining ethical policy. On the other hand the benefits of sustaining their ethical policy out weight the losses being made. The bank made a more profit in 2010 than 2009. The bank is not only using CSR as a business strategy but they are also being sensitive to all the needs of their stakeholders including positive impact the environment. REFERENCES Articles Carroll, A.B. (1979), â€Å"A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 497-505 Bowen, H.R. (1953), Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, Harper, New York, NY. Carroll, A.B. (1991), The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: towards the moral the moral management of organizational stakeholders†, Business Horizons, July/August, pp. 39-40 Carroll, A.B. (1998), â€Å"The four Faces of Corporate Citizenship†, Business and society Review Vol.100 No.1, pp.1-7 Friedman, M., (1970) â€Å"The Social responsibility of business is to increase its profit†, York Times Magazine, September 13 1970, pp. 32-34). Meehan, J; Meehan, K; Richards, A. (2006), â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility: the 3C-SR model†, International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 33, pp.386 398 Sethi, S.P. ((1975), â€Å"Dimensions of corporate social responsibility†, California Management Review, Vol. 17, No.3, pp. 58-64 Wan Saiful Wan-Jan, (2006), â€Å"Defining Corporate Social responsibility†, Vol. 6, Issue 3-4, pp. 176-184

Behaviour Modification Case Studies

Behaviour Modification Case Studies BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION SOPHIA A. JOHNSON 24 year old Marla suffers from extreme fear of social situations, she is employed to an advertising firm where she is expected to interact in multiple social setting as a means of networking. Marla is afraid if she does not get help she may lose her job. Marla is suffering from a fear of social situations, the operant behavior is her inability function in a social setting such as maintaining eye contact, she holds her head down, eyes lowered and her words are often inaudible. She often displays a slight nervous shaking almost in a trembling manner and her palms also becomes moist and sweaty making it socially inappropriate to shake hands. A flushed complexion also results from being in any social situations. This extreme fear of social situation is overcome by Marla escaping or engaging in an avoidance response known as the operant behavior, which is exhibited when the fear producing-stimulus (social settings) is present. In this case study Marla’s respondent behavior we see where she is unable to function in any social situation and prior to being employed she was able to avoid attendance to social events or gatherings. When Marla is in a social situation or functions this known as the CS (conditioned stimulus) that causes the CR (conditioned responses) which is fear or anxiety. Respondent behavior aids in the development of an anxiety problem by how the fear is able to be developed through conditioning as a result of the response received when the fear is encountered. Such as Marla avoiding going to parties or attending functions or public events. Systematic and in-vivo desensitization are from a list of techniques used to modify the behavior of those suffering from fear or anxiety. Systematic desensitization was developed by Joseph Wolfe and â€Å"practices relaxation while imagining scenes of the fear producing stimulus†, (Miltenberger, 2012, p. 480). There are three steps for a successful systematic desensitization technique to be effective, learnt relaxation skills, hierarchy list of fear producing stimuli’s and use of both relaxation and fear producing stimuli’s being repeatedly shared with the client until the fear is extinct. In-vivo desensitization differs in that it moves beyond imagining to actually exposing the client to that which he/she fears, the client must then learn to remain relaxed and use the substituted reaction while engaging in the experience of fear or anxiety. One advantage of systematic desensitization is its ease and convenience for the client, not an immediate interaction with the fear. The disadvantage is that the client may be able to maintain composer while imaging the fear but is unable to follow through of maintaining the relaxation technique when faced with the real stimuli. (Miltenberger, 2012, p. 485), notes that the most effective of the two are usually in-vivo desensitization, the advantage of choosing this method is the encounter is real and allows for the fear to be addressed on the spot and any adjustment to the relaxation technique can be noted or corrected. The disadvantage however, is it is difficult depending on the type of fear and can be time consuming and expensive for both client and therapist. Marla’s Behavior Modification Procedure Relaxation techniques deep breathing, head up and maintain eye contact she will learn to take (rapid, shallow breaths that come from her chest and quietly exhales to decrease her heart rate and calm the nervousness). Create a list of Marla’s fears with rating scale for effectively facing fears and utilizing respondent techniques starting with family gatherings (20), school functions (20) office gatherings (20), and work functions (40). Practice the relaxation techniques by doing a mock function at the therapy center, then have Marla host a small party at home for family and friends, attend office gatherings and move unto the business functions). Using the in-vivo desensitization behavior modification procedure to help Marla deal with her fear of social situations, this procedure was chosen because it was time sensitive for the client to have her fear under control as if affected her job functioning. The hierarchy was chosen by first using a familiar surroundings and group to give her the support and opportunity to practice the relaxation techniques without fear of incidents, then she would move on to less comfortable situations as she gained confidence she would finally be allowed to attend a business function and face her biggest platform for her fear. It is expected that through each mock stage the alternative response will replace the fear response. Other ABA-based treatment that can be used to decrease fear and anxiety are flooding which is the process of â€Å"exposing the individual to the feared stimulus at full intensity for a prolonged period†, there is also modeling which is used with children it allows a â€Å"child to observe another person approaching the feared stimulus or engaging in the feared activity, which hopefully helps the child to then be more likely to engage in similar behavior† (Miltenberger, 2012, p. 486) The different procedures are dependent on the type, level and degree of fear as well as the age of the person being treatment, often times multiple treatment options may have to be used to successfully help the individual overcome their fear. 6 year old Jon has a hair pulling habit/ self-stimulatory behavior, he is of normal intelligence and is known to only engage in the behavior while being inactive, this can be while watching television, quiet time in school, or waiting in line with his parents. Target behavior of hair pulling defined as the fingers-to-hair contact with or without a pulling motion and twirling. It also includes taking hand to head and grabbing a hand full of hair in a continuous downward motion. (Miltenberger, 2012), defines a behavior excess as an â€Å"undesirable target behaviorthe person wants to decrease in frequency, duration, or intensity†. In the case of Jon, we would like to decrease or eliminate the number of times he engages in hair pulling while inactive. Short-term implications that may affect Jon is that he may have headaches from the continuous pulling of his hair or scalp irritation may occur. He may also engage in pulling the hair of others causing harm. The long-term implications are bald spots or trichotillomania. (Functional Analysis and Treatment of Chronic Hair Pulling in a Child with Cri du Chat Syndrome: Effects on Co-Occurring Thumb Sucking, 2008) Since the sensory stimulation from manipulating his hair between his thumb fingers reinforces Jon’s behavior, a recommended habit reversal inclusive of â€Å"awareness training, a competing response training, social support, generalization strategies, and motivational strategies† (Miltenberger, 2012, p. 516) will be used. Based on the information share we are aware of the times that the hair pulling occur, we now need to engage Jon and his caregivers into becoming aware of the moments leading up to the hair pulling. Once awareness training has been established we can engage in a competing response training using the differential reinforcement method of reinforcing Jon non-hair pulling with praise and a token system. Social support of his caregiver using cues such as hands from hair, or no pulling of hair, or giving him a book to color while they wait in line, or hands in lap as he sits during quiet time will help to reinforce the desirable behavior. Use of motivational strategies such as letting him know how neat and nice his hair looks can help to dissuade him from engaging in hair-pulling. If Jon had an intellectual disability and was unable to comprehend why pulling his hair is bad, I would utilize a different habit reversal procedure to increase its effectiveness, I would suggesting keeping his hair short to alleviate his hair pulling action. Since hair pulling is often maintained due to automatic reinforcement using other appropriate methods of removing the stimulation received from the action will aid in reducing behavior. References Functional Analysis and Treatment of Chronic Hair Pulling in a Child with Cri du Chat Syndrome: Effects on Co-Occurring Thumb Sucking. (2008). Retrieved from Association for Behavior Analysis International: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846574/ Miltenberger, R. (2012). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures. 5th Edition. Wadsworth.

Fossil Fuels: Are they Worth the Cost? :: Environmental Issues Energy Resources Essays

Fossil Fuels: Are they Worth the Cost? Fossil fuels are a very important part of our society today. Natural gas, Coal, and oil are the world’s primary and most important source of energy. â€Å"90% of the energy we use in this country [USA] comes from fossil fuels.† (Source 3) Unfortunately, there are costs of using these fossil fuels to run our society. Some costs are obvious such as the cost of labor, equipment and supplies needed to extract, refine and transport the fossil fuels. These costs are taken care of in electricity bills, in the price of gasoline for automobiles and other governmental and company funding. There are many other costs that are less obvious. These costs are the effects fossil fuels have on our environment and on human health. Air pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil as well as dust in mines is causing problems for human health. The environment is suffering from acid rain, global warming and water and air pollution. Many times, the costs go unpaid for a nd unnoticed. It is imperative that we as a society take responsibility and strive to reduce the negative effects of fossil fuels on our environment. The global warming is a major environmental issue that is caused by the use of fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is emitted. It captures heat in the earth’s atmosphere. What is happening is that the more carbon dioxide emitted the warmer the earth’s climate is getting. I know some may be thinking that warm weather is great! Keep the global warming and the carbon dioxide coming! Global warming, however, is seriously dangerous for our society, economy, and our environment. Global warming can cause coastal cities to go under water due to a rise in sea level because of melting glaciers. Agriculture will be greatly affected as well. If temperatures keep rising, farmers will have to go through more extreme droughts. Global warming is caused by the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and has many adverse effects on the environment, our societies, and our economies. Another cost of fossil fuels is air pollution.

Mechanical Engineering Career Paper

| Mechanical EngineeringRobert MolinowskiVocollect703 Rodi Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235(412) 829-8145| | | | | Pd. 6/7 Career Paper December 15, 2011 Mechanical Engineering According to projected job employment in the year, 2018, mechanical engineering will have an estimated quarter of a million jobs nationwide. This is an increase of roughly 6% between 2008 and 2018. As the need for better, more economical necessities, a need for mechanical engineers will always be on the uplift. Many mechanical engineers â€Å"research, design, develop, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices. (Bureau, 4). This branch, within the engineering field, happens to be the broadest category. Mechanical engineers are seen throughout all aspects of life, from agricultural production to maintenance of engines of cars and machines. With mechanical engineering, most people will be stationed in an office building/manufacturing facility. Others will have the benefit of travel ing to job sites to see what their team needs to design for the specific company. A normal, typical work week would consist of working a total of forty hours. This, however, would change if the company was on a tight time schedule to get something produced for someone. Only then will the average mechanical engineer work more than forty hours a week. â€Å"We also spend time working with engineers in manufacturing and design to plan design iterations and product fixes that can be made quickly and cheaply. † (Camenson, 85). Mechanical engineering is, â€Å"†¦very much a â€Å"people-person† job. † (Camenson, 90). Everything written down in logbooks will be subject to engineer scrutiny, and that would look bad on the source’s end. If mechanical engineers were to write/draw something that could take different meanings, for example, an ink blot, this could cause a serious setback in how you go about your future in mechanical engineering. If the offense is serious enough, it could cost someone their job. This shows that you must be careful in how you go about your job in that you don’t know who’s going to see your drawings. Women, in the field of mechanical engineering are at a disadvantage when it comes to comparing men to women. Women are more content to gossiping in the office instead of working on their job. â€Å"Patience is essential. You have to check most of your ego at the door when you walk into a meeting you’ve called, but retain enough leadership skills to keep the meeting focused on its objectives. † (Camenson, 90). This quote accurately describes one of the challenges that women have while working in this field. I can be a witness to this when I went on my job shadow. There were few females working and the ones that did would do little and chit-chat with one another for great lengths of time. When it comes to men, they dominate the field in that they â€Å"outnumber women by a ratio of 3:1† (Bureau, 16). Men can be more communicative with one another during meetings as I witnessed also. Men, as I saw, were more scrutinizing during meetings but they were subtle about it. One thing of advice, â€Å"Learn how to speak in front of a group. It doesn’t matter if the only chance you get is talking to high schoolers about not drinking and driving- that counts, and probably more than giving a lecture on acoustics or materials technology. (Camenson, 94). To sum things up, working in the field of mechanical engineering is highly competitive, be careful what you design, you don’t know who could see it, and that women are at a disadvantage for various reasons when being compared to men in the field. When it comes to mechanical engineering, a detailed course study of engineering and physics is necessary if you are to want to â€Å"make it big† in the field. For just about any field of engineering, especially mechanical, â€Å"a bachelor’s degree in engineering is necessary. † (Bureau, 6). Having flexibility in an engineer’s study program allows him/her to boast a wide variety of fields of engineering for their resume. â€Å"A design course is usually the way to go but having a course study that included mathematics and the physical and life sciences would further benefit the engineer since they’ll be a more defined engineer. † (Bureau, 6). Many colleges offer two or four year degree programs in engineering. For example, Penn State offers what they call a 2+2 program. The program lets the student do his undergraduate studies at any of the branch campuses throughout Pennsylvania for the first two years. After those two years, the student will then be admitted to the main campus in University Park to complete their graduate studies. The main difference between the set of two years is that for the first two years, you’ll be doing your core courses as well as courses designed for your intended major. When you get to the main campus, that’s where you’ll focus primarily on your specific field of engineering with other students from across the state. â€Å"Businesses often look for college graduates who studied through a four year program instead of a two year. † (Bureau, 6). Graduate training is essential if you were to want to earn promotions within a certain company. This training isn’t required for most entry-level jobs. All fifty states and the District of Columbia require that any engineer who offers their services to the public to have a license or they can be fined heavily for it. These licenses are good for up to four years and must be renewed much like a driver’s license. â€Å"Most states accept out of state licensees. † (Bureau, 7). Engineers should be able to work well with others and communicate on a very high level, both orally and in writing. To stay up-to-date with the latest technologies, â€Å"many companies and firms will send their engineers to training as part of the job duties. † (Hutchinson, 4). An employment prospect for mechanical engineering graduates is the highest in any of the engineering fields. â€Å"Federal agencies such as the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers have a large number of mechanical engineers on their staff. † (Hutchinson, 4). â€Å"Over the period of ten years, from 2008 to 2018, employment in the field of engineering is expected to increase roughly eleven. † (Hutchinson, 5). This is good for me in that I will be entering the field within the next ten years, hopefully. With the high demand for new and improved products, the mechanical engineering career won’t see a downfall for quite some time. There is, however, a minor setback in the globalization of engineering. That is, â€Å"With the rise of the Internet, it has become much easier for firms to use mechanical engineers in other parts of the world to do a lot of the engineering work that once done solely by mechanical engineers in this country. † (Hutchinson, 5). This could prove to be a major setback if I would want to work overseas someday. This is something that comes up with just about any profession that I would want to work in. The mechanical engineering field, I know for a fact, took a hard hit during the recent recession. I found this information out from the use of my job shadow. Mechanical engineers are one of the top paid occupations for out-of-college graduates. â€Å"Starting salaries for a beginning mechanical engineer career will find salaries in the mid-range of engineering salaries according to 2009 data provided by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. † (Hutchinson, 5). This kind of a salary is tremendous when compared to other occupations just within engineering itself. With the kind of salary I’ll be making when I become a mechanical engineer, I’ll be able to pay off most of my student loans well before my goal, which is by age thirty. â€Å"Earnings for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education. With mechanical engineering having the highest salary in the lowest 10% of the job corps. † (Bureau, 13). Having a higher degree, such as a Master’s instead of a Bachelor’s will give you an edge in how you’re paid. Obtaining that higher degree ensures that you have a vast amount of knowledge in that specific field of knowledge. Before the invention of the computer, every design was drawn up by hand and took a much longer amount of time to complete. A vast knowledge in art would’ve been necessary to draw something as elaborate as a headset, for example. When the computer began making its march across the technological community, mechanical engineers went crazy because, they could now do their drawings on the computer instead of drawing it by hand. Now that they had their computers to work on, it was a matter of time before programs began surfacing that would further benefit a mechanical engineer and his drawings. With the invention of the three-dimensional printer, mechanical engineers can now draw their product on the computer program, then take that drawing and have it printed out in 3D to see what it would look like in reality. The 3D printer is good in that you can print out a small scale version of the product and see if it’ll be good enough to withstand various testing. I guess we owe it to Steve Jobs and Mike Wozniak for inventing the first computer. Without them, mechanical engineers might still be doing drawings by hand. â€Å"Mechanical Engineers work closely with several other engineering disciplines such as civil engineering, electrical engineering, and aerospace engineering. † (Hutchinson, 6). This just goes to show how closely related the fields of engineering truly are. In fact, all of the fields of engineering are connected to one another in one way shape or form. When it comes to the auto industry, â€Å"mechanical engineers work closely with automotive engineers. † (Hutchinson, 6). This shows that mechanical engineers work in all different kinds of environments. Other related professions include: aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineering, engineering technicians, computer scientists, physicists and astronomers. † (Hutchinson, 6). This final quote resembles the fact that mechanical engineers work with a wide variety of other professions. It is that a mechanical engineer is a piece that keeps a wide variety of occupations running at tip-top shape. Works Cited Works Cited Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Engineers, on the Internet at http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos027. htm (visited September 21,2011) Camenson, Blythe. Real People Working in Engineering. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 1998. Print. Hutchinson, Jonathon. â€Å"Mechanical Engineering Job Outlook: Employment and Salary Information. † Job Outlook: Employment and Salary. Online Degrees, 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. http://www. onlinedegrees. org/calculator/salary/mechanical-engineers Job Shadowing Job Shadowing I arrived at Vocollect Industries off of Rodi Road in Penn Hills a little after eight in the morning. I was greeted warmly by the man whom I shadowed, Mr. Molinowski. He showed me around his specific floor of which he works on in Vocollect. He ushered me into his office and began discussing what he had planned out for toady. He overviewed what he did within the company itself. He designs products for customers from anything from a microphone to a computer. This could only be possible by the works of a computer program called, Pro-Engineer. Pro-E, as engineers call it, can turn any two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional drawing were the designer can be as detailed with the drawing as he wants to. In this industry, it’s bad if there is little detail so, lots of detail is key to producing the best product. After the overview of his job and the day’s events, Robert then showed me around the labs they use to test the integrity of their products, not as a whole, but rather is little individual parts. There were many labs of which I got to personally see myself. Most of the labs had computer simulations of testing the integrity of the product in various ways. For example, the product of which was being tested was their new edition of a headset and a terminal electrical power station. This headset and terminal combination is going to be used in the manufacturing industry over in China. The different labs tested for how long a certain feature of either the headset or terminal would function properly for before it failed (broke). Other labs included applying extreme heat and cold onto the parts. The lab that caught my eye the most was the one that counted the number of times until a cord that’s connected to the terminal broke through the entire cord. When I first saw the count, in the morning, it was a mere 31,586. I asked if I could check it again before I left and when I checked it for the second time in the afternoon, the count was up to 123,874. I asked Mr. Molinowski if the second number was high because, I would think that the second count wouldn’t last much longer before it broke. He answered that this test usually goes up in excess of half a million times before it breaks apart. They do the tests to simulate the usage on the part for a five year period. This reminded me of when I learned of the various tests a car goes through before it hits the road. The test has to simulate the entire life of a car, much like they were testing for the entire life of the specific part of the headset or the terminal. After we toured all throughout the labs, we settled back in his office so he could show me his Pro-E drawings he had for the headset. Someone other than him was in charge of drawing the terminal. I asked him how long it took him to make such a detailed sketch of the headset. He said that this design took him a little over two hundred days to complete because he had to design all the small components that make up the headset, then he had to assemble them all together. By this time it was now time for a brief meeting about the upcoming month of December with the customer before the big, weekly, two-hour long meeting. The brief meeting was only a half hour but, a lot of stuff was said and discussed. They had the customer on the phone so he could put in his voice in the meeting. In this meeting, something major was brought up. Since, in Chinese culture, they give the entire country the last two weeks of our American calendar year off for the Chinese New Year’s, a time constraint was evident because nothing would be able to get done from December 23-January 1. What made matters worse is that the customer would be out of his office three days earlier, December 20. Thus essentially putting the project on hold until the New Year. With only twenty-seven days remaining until the customer shuts down for the year, things at Vollect will be very hectic. Now it was time for the long meeting, which I was already warned of at the beginning of the day. I was introduced and welcomed warmly by Bob’s fellow employees. Bob and his boss, Rich, presented to the other designers on the project design team. For two hours, they deliberated over how they could improve on the present drawing by going over every square inch of the drawing. After the meeting it was time for lunch. After we got back from lunch, Bob let me try out the Pro-E program on his computer. With my knowledge of the program from my CAD class, Pro-E came naturally to me. I told him about how in the CAD class we are designing a model replica of the old Civic Arena. He asked if I had any drawings made in Pro-E and I said, â€Å"No. Just a program called AutoCAD. † He offered his assistance and we both began working on a design for the Civic Arena. It wasn’t difficult for him to design it since he’s had so much experience with the program and that’s pretty much all he does most of the day. The only part that proved to be difficult was that every five minutes or so the program would crash without us saving the drawing. We learned that after the fifth time of crashing that we should start saving our drawing after every little thing we do. After roughly two and a half hours of messing around with the program and drawing, we had ourselves a not-to-scale model of the Civic Arena. This helped me out greatly because now I can take what I learned from Bob about the Pro-E program back to the CAD class and draw up the scale model of the Civic Arena. Interview Q&A Interview Q&A 1. What influenced you to become a mechanical engineer? What influenced me the most was that I wanted to be a guy who designs things for people and I could go to the store and say that, â€Å"I designed that! † 2. Was mechanical engineering your first choice as a major or was it a second option? Mechanical engineering was, in fact, my first choice of major. Right from my junior year in high school I was destined to be a mechanical engineer. 3. What sub-topic of mechanical engineering do you prefer the most? Why? I like all details of my job. I specifically like when I can put all the components of a product together in the Pro-E program. . What can a person like you contribute to a company such as Vocollect? I am pretty much the person who puts all of the parts together so the company and the customer can view what they want. I pretty much make the final drawing of the product and my boss puts his input in and I make changes. The final drawing then gets sent to the customer for a pproval and then we manufacture the product. So I am a pretty big factor in the company. 5. How would you approach a problem/set back that this field would present to you? Most of the problems that I have are with the computer program. It will always crash and close before I get the chance to save my work. I call tech support but whatever they do never works. Another problem that I may encounter would be when my co-workers/boss have revisions for a certain part of a product drawing. We have a meeting specifically for this. We go through every square inch of the drawing and everyone says what they think they’d do to improve on the drawing. I take notes on their improvements and then after the meetings I go back to my office and revise the drawing to suit their needs. 6. Is this your ideal/dream job? If not, what would it be? My ideal/dream job would have to be the president of the United States. I always wanted to have such immense power. I wanted to become president until I found out that they don’t get paid an entirely large amount of money. And that my public speaking skills aren’t that great so, I would not do well in getting the American people to vote for me. The job I have now is my true job. It’s where I am destined to be, in my opinion. I’ve come to know some really great people from working at Vocollect. 7. What are your short-term and long-term goals as an employee of Vocollect? My short-term goals is hoping that the Chinese company were designing this headset for will be pleased with the design. Once they approve of the drawings, it’ll feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been working on this project for almost a year now. It’s sort of a bittersweet moment that the project is almost over, in my area of expertise. As for any long-term goals, I have none yet at the moment. When I get my next design project, my goal will to get the designs done within the given amount of time. 8. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? In five years, I see myself sitting in this same seat. I have no plans for moving up in the company ladder. I’m perfectly content with where I’m at now. 9. If you were needed to relocate across the country, Oregon, would you accept the offer? Why or why not? Even though this hasn’t been a something on my mind, yet (knock on wood), I believe that I would not take the opportunity for the fact that I would have to give up my friends and family for my job. You can always find another job, but you can’t find another best friend. Even if it was for a significant increase in my pay, I would not take the offer. 10. How did your schooling in college prepare you to be a mechanical engineer for Vocollect? My schooling prepared me immensely for my involvement at Vocollect industries. I took two years of undergrad work at the University of Pennsylvania. I then moved up to the main campus of the school to complete my work to earn my bachelor of engineering degree. I am now in pursuit of gaining my masters in order to receive to a bonus in my paycheck. With the amount of schooling I have, I am fairly confident that I’ll be able to do wondrous things for Vocollect. 11. What comes to mind when you think of the word, â€Å"success†? When I think of success, I think of myself being content with my life, i. e. health, financial, etc. Success also means that I’m happy with where I’m at in life. I’m very healthy, I’m financially stable, I have friends who love me dearly. I think that I’m pretty successful in my life, according to my definition. I’m sure if you ask anyone else, they would give you a completely different answer. 12. What kind of outside experiences aided to your success in mechanical engineering? There’s only one notable outside experience that has aided to my success and that’s how I handle with criticism from my co-workers. I slowly came to accepting their criticism after my first project with Vocollect. 13. If you weren’t a mechanical engineer, what other profession would you seek? Why? If I wasn’t a mechanical engineer, I would want to be someone who would work for PennDOT, and that would be a civil engineer. I would want to work for PennDOT mainly because they make so much money and I’m a guy who likes to have money. 14. What would you consider to be your most influential accomplishment? My most influential accomplishment would have to be the day of which I graduated from college. This was a big day for me in that I came to the realization that I can now become a true mechanical engineer. All of my hard work and hours of study has finally paid off. 15. What positions within Vocollect are you hoping to reach or are you content with the position that you’re at now? With the current position I am at now, I am happy with where I’m at. I don’t see myself progressing up the job title chart. If I was to get a promotion, I would have to move to a different part of the office and have to leave my friends who I’ve grown within the company. I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of a change yet. 16. What would be some adjectives that would describe you? Some adjectives to describe me would be: creative, innovative, accepting, and courageous. I think of myself as creative because I have to be able to compile a three-dimensional drawing to present to my bosses. I’m innovative in that I can take an existing product on the market and make changes to it to make it better. I’m accepting in that I can accept people’s (my bosses) criticism and not get overly worked about it. I think of myself as being courageous in that I can take â€Å"leaps of faith† in my drawings depending on the product we’re designing, I’ll try to implement some of my own ideas into the drawing. 17. When on the job hunt, what kind of factors played a role in selecting the right company? In making my decision to work at Vocollect, I thought of mainly two deciding factors. The first one being the amount of money that I’ll be making on an annual basis. I used this factor because I don’t want to be working an insane amount of hours and not getting paid generously for it. With Vocollect, I’m able to make enough money to support myself and I can still have some extra money to do whatever I want to. The other factor in choosing Vocollect was close proximity to my house. Vocollect is less than fifteen minutes from my house. This makes it easy on me for when it comes to fueling my car. This helped very much during the recession a few years back. I saved loads of money just by having only a less than ten mile commute to work. 18. Have you had any previous jobs before this one? If so, what was/were it/they and what made you leave that job? Before finally settling down at working with Vocollect, I worked at Kennywood Park to help me pay my way through college. I left my duties at Kennywood to pursue my career as a mechanical engineer. Working at Kennywood helped me in that how I deal with working with a group of people to do a common job. 19. What was your least favorite and favorite subject(s) while in school? Why? My favorite subject while going through school would have to be my history classes. I liked history because, if it wasn’t for the past, we wouldn’t be here in the present. We need the past to occur, both mistakes and heroics, which shaped our present. My least favorite subject during my high school career would have to be my math classes. I never liked working with variables and problems that took more than ten minutes to do or an entire page to do. I also didn’t like my English classes. It was a difficulty for me to understand what I was reading for just about every story we read. 20. What went into your decision making process when prompted the question, â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up? † When I first heard of this question, when I was 10, I wanted to be a professional baseball player since I played baseball. As I grew up it slowly developed to working with machines. Then, finally, it became that I wanted to be an engineer. I went after the fact that I wanted to be a mechanical engineer to find a job to get me through high school and college. I was lucky enough to land me a job at Kennywood Park my junior year in high school. I worked there through the rest of high school and throughout my four years of college. Lucky for me, working at Kennywood helped me in understanding how a complex machine, such as a roller coaster, works and functions under such intense forces. 21. What role does technology play in mechanical engineering? Technology plays an important role in mechanical engineering for various reasons. For what I do, without the use of technology, I would have to draw all of my designs by hand which would be a pain in the backside because; my art skills aren’t that great and no one would be able to understand what I draw. With technology, I’m able to take my three-dimensional drawing in the Pro-E program and take it down to a three-dimensional printer and create a prototype of the product to see my drawing in reality instead of through a computer screen. I’ll admit that there are times that I wish I would free-hand my drawings instead of on the computer (whenever the program crashes). And there are times were I just lose track of time by drawing on the computer. Conclusion Conclusion With the combination of job shadowing and researching what goes on in the mechanical engineering field, I can say that I am pleased with what I will be able to do in my near future. After job shadowing a true mechanical engineer to get a feel of what I will be doing, I can honestly say that I can see myself being a mechanical engineer. After doing much intensive research, my amount of salary on an annual basis will be sufficient in repaying my student loans before I turn thirty, my primary objective once I get out of college. I feel that being a mechanical engineer could be really interesting since I get to render two-dimensional objects and envision them in the third-dimension. I did, believe it or not, think about a different job, but I’m hoping I don’t have to go to that resort. I only thought about this for a roughly short amount of time. I thought about how I could possibly be a structural engineer. This, I think, will act as my fallback option in case if I don’t make in the mechanical engineering field. At first, I wanted to be a structural engineer, believe it or not, but then I did some of my own separate research and found out that there aren’t too many job openings that are within fifty miles of Pittsburgh. Then, with that job plan on the â€Å"back burner†, I decided that I wanted to be the next best thing, a mechanical engineer. As I did some of my own research about mechanical engineering to find that there are several job openings that are within a twenty mile radius of the city of Pittsburgh. After doing this research, I immediately turned my attention to becoming a mechanical engineer and seeing which colleges would offer me the opportunity to get a degree in mechanical engineering. I feel that I could provide the mechanical engineering world with great knowledge of usage of technology that goes into mechanical engineering. ? Career Plan Career Plan Starting with right after graduation, my parents and family are rewarding my twelve years of hard work by accompanying me on a trip to Disney in Orlando, Florida. When I get back home, I will be on the job hunt to hopefully pay for some of my college tuition. During the summer, I hope to find an internship at some company that would further enhance my knowledge of mechanical engineering even before I go to college. Some obstacles that will probably keep my ego down would be the fact that I get bored too easily with one thing. I will have to overcome this obstacle if I want to become a mechanical engineer since most of their day involves someone sitting at a computer all day. I hope that this weakness of mine won’t play a negative role in my future. For example, I wouldn’t want my short attention span to make me change my choice of a major because I got bored with what I was doing. If it happens, it happens. You can’t mess around with what fate has to say about your life choices. I think the most training I would get to become a mechanical engineer would be from a college of engineering. Since that school would specifically be focused on engineering. After this said training in college, I hope to be able to jump right into a job that will have a good salary. As long as I’m a mechanical engineer, it doesn’t matter what the pay is. What matters is that I’ll be satisfied with myself of where I came thus far. I also hope that with a modest salary, I’ll hopefully be able to pay off any student loans of which I may acquire during my time in college. In conclusion, I’ll be happy with whatever company I work for as long as I’m long as I get to do something that involves mechanical engineering. Article â€Å"A† Summary Patrick Rogers’ article, â€Å"Vertical Leap† is an interesting article about the evolution of mechanical engineering through an example that is used in our everyday lives, an elevator. The elevator as we know today wasn’t invented until 1852 by an Elisha Graves Otis. Today’s elevators now come in all sizes and shapes to suit our everyday needs, to give a perspective as to where this engineering feat has gone in the past 150 years. The whole idea of a skyscraper is linked to the elevator itself because, no one would want to climb up fifty flights of stairs to get to their offices day in and day out. Elevators have been used upon many occasions by many notable monarchs over the course of history. For example, Louis XV had an elevator constructed at his palace in Versailles to whisk him around to all sorts of the castle because the castle was of enormous size. As the evolution of machines progressed, the use of â€Å"muscle power† was being drawn out after being used since the Industrial Revolution. Otis displayed the elevator invention to the world at America’s first world’s fair in New York in 1854. Everyone who saw the exhibit was in awe of its sleek design. The invention of the elevator almost didn’t happen because, Otis was in financial ruins and thought about leaving New York to go west to the Gold Rush in hopes that he would get rich off that. Otis’ exhibit displayed him on the platform of one of his steam-driven hoist and slowly began to rise above the crowd, awing them all. When Otis died in 1861, he left his heirs in financial debt but, he left his schematics of an elevator that was constructed so that if the rope breaks from the platform, it cannot freefall to the ground. A new man to the scene by the name of, Otis Tufts (no relation to previous Otis), developed upon Otis’ previous ideas to create an elevator that was roomy enough to carry up to a dozen guests. Reliable steam lifts soon adorned the lobbies of hotels throughout much of the U. S. and thus, the elevator had become a new material item in which business-owners could employ in their stores to move people throughout their store more efficiently. It wasn’t until 1870 that the thought of a silent elevator had begun to surface. Prior to 1870, elevators were powered by large steam pistons and pulleys which were loud and annoying for tenants of apartments of lived on the lower levels of the building. Especially dramatic was the transformations of major cities throughout the country. Many cities began construction on skyscrapers, capable of using elevators. The construction of the Otis elevator can still be viewed, not in a building, but in a home in North Carolina. This shows that Otis’ designs were able to withstand the test of time. In the 1800s, the thought of using panoramic views as a mean of romance wasn’t thought of. The Golden Age of elevators didn’t occur until the 20th century, when the world was beginning to look ahead to the future. In 1903, Otis introduced a gearless traction elevator, a quantum leap for the time. With this new elevator contraption, the secret to building true skyscrapers was defined, by eliminating the need for the cumbersome winding drums. During the Jazz Age, elevator design seemed to pulsate with the energy of the time period. The next big improvement of the elevator came when people figured out how to manage the flow of people on and off of elevators. These people, known as operators, became a popular breed of people. Improvements in technology of the elevator came during World War II by a team of Otis aiding Westinghouse, Cmp. Otis’ work could be compared to that of Henry Ford in the automobile industry. Every so often, Otis et al would try and come up with ways to improve on the previous design of the elevator. Sort of like how Apple does with their iOS devices. Today, cranes hoist the metal gears into place and construction workers assemble the shaft on the job site. The cost of a full elevator system could run you about in excess of fifteen million dollars. Article â€Å"B† Summary James Lissaint’s article, entitled, â€Å"Mechanical Engineering and Why We Need It† encompasses the true value of mecahnical engineering and the progression of the field. He also describes how the field will be able to grow in the future, as long as there is an interest for it. Mechanical engineering, when talking about it, is a very broad topic. There are many subdivisions within the field itself. Mecahnical engineering is vital in the construction of large structures (i. e. skyscrapers, bridges, etc. ) as well as new-age gadgets. This form of engineering can be dated back to ancient Greek, with their invention of the steam engine. It came to the center of discussion and modern society during the Industrial Revolution. Since its beginning, this field has undergone numerous enhancements thanks in part to the advancements in modern technology. With the help of high school physics, a small understanding of mechanical engineering basics will be known in the form of kinematics and mechanics. Mechanical engineering looks at engines in several different, yet efficient, ways. For starters, the steam engine helped to develop the world into a modern society. The idea that the steam engine could be used in motor vehicles really helped the development of transportation systems. Since then, a wide variety of engines have been produced, with diesel and petrol being the most common forms of an engine. It’s essential to know that mechanical engineering is a very broad field with many different subfields that interconnect with one another. Modern society has progressed with topics such as robotics, thermodynamics, and kinematics. The most technical field of mechanical engineering is robotics. These robots, neither human nor animals, are used in a number of practical applications throughout the manufacturingn industry. Lots of companies look for the involvemnt of robots to aide in their assembly line to quicken their production speed to gain a higher profit. Mechanical engineering plays a major role in how, and if, the robot will be able to function properly. June 24, 2016 Sean Robertson Engineer Aerotek CE 15200 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Suite 100 Lenexa, KS, 66219 Dear Mr. Robertson, Having done an internship for your company for the past two years, I believe that my involvement in your company would be a positive thing. Once I heard that there would be a job opening at the time of my completion of my internship, I immediately started to think out my options for the future. With my internship nearly complete, it is time that I look for a full-time job and this was the first company I thought of working for. Through my schooling at Temple University, I feel that I would be an excellent addition to Aerotek as an engineer. Temple was able to provide me with the necessary knowledge to further my interest in engineering. With a â€Å"big-name† company like Aerotek, I thought it would be rather fascinating to work for your company. And with my experience with all the design programs, I believe I could be a key asset for Aerotek’s future in the engineering world. I believe that I would be the best fit for the position because; when I was young I knew that I wanted to be a structural engineer. I was destined to be one, per say. While I was in high school, I worked for Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania as a ride operator. My duties included making sure the park’s several roller coasters were structurally safe for the days Anschluss of people and forces being applied to it. A major accomplishment of mine would be that in my entire two years of working there, none of the rides I inspected the morning before the park opened, never broke down. This won me an award known as the Most Reliable Worker. I won this both years I worked there. I would be ecstatic if I was selected to hold this position at Aerotek. The best time frame to reach me for a personal interview is when I’m off for holiday break, December 12 thru January 6. I hope that we’ll be meeting in the near future. Sincerely, Objective: A mechanical engineer were my experience in 3-D CAD, GD&T design, and a solid edge modeling experience would be sufficiently tested. Strengths: * Excellent use of a three-dimensional CAD. * Ability to work under strict time constraints * Ability to work in Excel to provide accurate budgets for each project * Works more efficiently under stressful conditions Ability to keep up with improvements in technology in the ever-growing field Honors: * Product launch: newer headset for manufacturing industry * Article publication: â€Å"Engineers of Today† * High honors, Penn State University School of engineering * Internship: Vocollect industries Employment: Internship: Mechanical Engineering, 2012-Present Vocollect Industries, Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. Aided in drafting various prod ucts for customers around the world. Gave in my words of advice during meetings about each product drawing. Brought more business to the company by my propaganda skills. Ride Operator: 2009-2012 Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania- observed and repaired roller coaster and thrill rides throughout the park on a daily basis from early May to late September; working at least 10-hour shifts daily during the summer months. Rides were at peak performance whenever I was on the clock. Education: June 2016: School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, State College, Pennsylvania B. A. in Mechanical Engineering Specialization: 3D CAD program Bibliography Bibliography Aerotek. Advertisement. Structural Engineer Job in Overland Park. Aertek. Monster. com, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. . Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Engineers, on the Internet at http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos027. htm (visited September 21,2011) Camenson, Blythe. Real People Working in Engineering. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 1998. Print. Dick, Chris J. â€Å"Job Shadowing. † Personal interview. 23 Nov. 2011. Hutchinson, Jonathon. â€Å"Mechanical Engineering Job Outlook: Employment and Salary Information. † Job Outlook: Employment and Salary. Online Degrees, 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. http://www. onlinedegrees. org/calculator/salary/mechanical-engineers Lissaint, James. â€Å"Mechanical Engineering and Why We Need It. † gEzine Articles, 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. . Rogers, Patrick. â€Å"Vertical Leap. † Preservation. May/June 1998: 52-61. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. Vocollect. Advertisement. Mechanical Engineer-Design Engineer-Engineer. Monster. com, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .