Latin American Theories of Development and Underdevelopment

Essay on FIN 402 Week 5 DQs

Essay on FIN 402 Week 5 DQs Essay on FIN 402 Week 5 DQs This file of FIN 402 Week 5 Discussion Questions consists of: DQ1: What are different types of alternative investment vehicles? Which is preferable? What factors could affect the choice of such a vehicle? DQ2: What are derivatives? How may they be used to manage a portfolio? DQ3: What is an individual retirement account? Is it important to have an individual retirement account? Business - Finance FIN 402 Entire Course FIN402 Entire Course FIN-402 Entire Course A college education offers innumerable benefits to those who decide to pursue one. Unfortunately, there are just as many paths toward a degree as there are types of students wishing to matriculate. With any luck, the article above has demystified the process a bit and provided useful guidance for anyone ready to embark on the road to greater knowledge. This file of FIN 402 Week 5 Discussion Questions consists of: DQ1: What are different types of alternative investment vehicles? Which is preferable? What factors could affect the choice of such a vehicle? DQ2: What are derivatives? How may they be used to manage a portfolio? DQ3: What is an individual retirement account? Is it important to have an individual retirement account? Business - Finance FIN 402 Entire Course FIN402 Entire Course FIN-402 Entire Course A college education offers innumerable benefits to those who decide to pursue one. Unfortunately, there are just as many paths toward a degree as there are types of students wishing to

Literature is an exercise in trying to understand the human condition Essay

Literature is an exercise in trying to understand the human condition - Essay Example It is hoped that an analysis of the two novels through the feminist lens would lead to a better understanding of broader humanity. It is not an exaggeration to say that Salman Rushdie revolutionized the art of fiction with his breakthrough work Midnight’s Children. As the role and viability of literature as a medium of education and entertainment came to be questioned during the 1980s, Midnight’s Children sprung like a fountain of elixir and brought freshness and vitality to English Literature. Hence Rushdie could rightly be regarded as an eminent postmodern and postcolonial master of words. This essay will be dealing with two of his lesser acclaimed works – The Enchantress of Florence and The Ground Beneath Her Feet – and make observations on the treatment of gender. The two books are particularly suitable to gender study for they feature strong, bold, ebullient and beautiful female characters. The very title The Ground Beneath Her Feet stands in tribute to the woman being loved. The phrase represents the feelings of adoration and sanctity that the narrator feels toward the woman he loves. In this case, Vina Apsara is the object of love and Umeed ‘Rai’ Merchant is the narrator, although the latter’s love would prove futile in the face of Ormus Cama’s (the protagonist) charm and talent. Only a writer who’s in love with the character could take it to great heights of self-expression. This is amply evident in the elaborate manner in which Rushdie sketches Vina’s character through the course of the novel. Not only is she musically gifted, she has traversed several continents and overcome arduous circumstances on the way to super stardom. During her formative years, her journeys between America, India and Europe were full of threats and disasters. Yet, through some hidden mechanism of nature and unaccounted fortitude she marches on in life to fulfill her artistic destiny. The strength in Vina†™s womanhood is borne by the manner in which she withstood the series of misfortunes visiting her life. When she was a child, Vina only nearly escaped abandonment by her biological father. Though she was fortunate to evade the maddening murder spree of her mother, the loss of her siblings is a real tragedy. Although an element of divine plan is implicit in such a life course, the derivation of strength from inner resources is also present. (Mishra, 1999, p.42) To understand the feminism of Vina Apsara, one has to look at the traits of her eventual replacement, Mira. This younger, steadier avatar of Vina proves to be quite the opposite of her predecessor. In Vina’s case, the chief antagonist is herself, as her tendency to blow up all of a sudden has led to many troubles. The iconic Vina is someone who collapsed under her own weight – further burdened by â€Å"her own unattainable, constantly transforming image†. In contrast, we have Mira, who represents an â₠¬Å"â€Å"ordinary human love beneath one's feet† (575), that is, the kind of stability and wherewithal that can ensure longevity without the sensationalist, self-destructive trappings of Vina Apsara's radicalism†. (Pirbhai, 2001, p.54) In this regard, Mira’s feminism is not in any way deficient than that of Vina’s, only more powerful. The word Mira could be construed as a pun on â€Å"

Critically analyse the effectiveness of United Nations Security Essay

Critically analyse the effectiveness of United Nations Security Council - Essay Example nal law is not an empty promise.† His rhetorics, however, were met with critical remarks from President Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica, who said that the United Nations had failed in its mission to make the world a safe place to live in. He accused the UNSC of continuously turning â€Å"a blind eye† to arms proliferation, as well as to countries that refused to ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. He added that it was not possible for the world to be safe, if arms proliferation was not given top priority on the international agenda. His sentiments were echoed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who observed that Iran and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea , who were â€Å"right in front of us,† had violated Security Council resolutions to stop the testing of ballistic missiles (Security Council SC/ 9746, 2009). He stressed the need for all Council decisions to prove effective by producing positive results. Fore most on the minds of the Heads of State, however, was how the permanent five (P-5) members of the UNSC, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), propose to work together to solve the intractable nuclear issues that had existed since the Cold War. This essay seeks to analyze: i) politics within the United Nations Security Council, ii) reform in the United Nations Security Council, iii) the Security Council today - 21st Century, and iv) the role of the Secretary-General. The first major setback that paralyzed the United Nations Security Council from managing and handling international security issues effectively, was the use of vetoes by the five permanent members (P-5)(P. Wallensteen, P. Johansson, 2004: 20). During the Cold War period, a total of 193 vetoes were casted. Of these, forty-four were concerned with electing a new Secretary-General, fifty-four concerned the election of new members to the organization, while the rest of the vetoes were used as a show of rejection of draft resolutions

Compare to the Modern World Essay Example for Free

Compare to the Modern World Essay The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is a political treatise that gives a vivid account of the means rulers adapt to gain power, or to maintain power. In the context of modern politics, The Prince has often been compared with Arthasastra by Kautilya. The relevance of the treatise goes beyond its time, and acts as a revealing paradigm for political schemes. Many critics find the book an engrossing one especially the way Machiavelli takes a contemptuous stance at established notions of morality. Reading the book often gives a feeling that the author satirizes more than he wants to advocate. The cynical outlook expressed with a secular approach was a refreshing deviation from established norms of political treatises. This article is going to focus on the impact of The Prince on western philosophy and political ideologies. As the book looks into the acquisition, perpetuation and use of political power in the western countries, we would also bring into account Machiavelli’s concept of ‘Mixed Principalities’ with regards to what the modern day governments preferred to follow (Hooker n. d. ). To elucidate furthermore on our proposed area of discussion, we need to closely examine chapter 3 of The Prince. This chapter deals with ‘Mixed Principalities’ and the difficulties in regulating them. By the term ‘Mixed Principalities’, Machiavelli provides two basic types of ruling: hereditary and new. In chapter 1 and chapter 2 of The Prince, Machiavelli asserts the basic methods of acquisition in the light of ‘Mixed Principalities’. He cites examples of both hereditary as well as new principalities: The new are either entirely new, as was Milan to Francesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, members annexed to the hereditary state of the prince who has acquired them, as was the kingdom of Naples to that of the King of Spain. (Machiavelli et al. 15) According to the author, the changes that occur as aftermaths of acquisition involve a complex process. The members of the state desire changes for their betterment, and when that does not happen, they tend to revolt against the new rulers. A new prince (allegorically represented as the new ruler) must enforce stringent protocols and laws on his subjects to keep them under his authority. Now the dilemma of a new prince is beautifully described as he faces a catch 22 situation. When the prince conquers a new country, he makes enemies galore and at the same time, he is distanced from his friends in that he is not supposed to give them everything they expects of him. He has to maintain a balance in terms of his commitment. The example of Louis XII, the king of France, is given to explicate the ideas of difficulties in retaining the power. He captured Milan twice and lost twice. The subjects who assisted him in acquisition of the Italian state left his side when they felt that they got duped into false hopes by the king of France. Now when the king, after realizing the areas he needed to work on, occupied Milan for the second time, he did not make the same mistake of disappointing the rebels. Albeit he was hesitant, he inflicted punishment on the offenders to satisfy the rebels. Now, the irony of the entire policy lies in the fact that Louis XII, by provoking ire among the mass of Milan, made himself vulnerable to his throne, which led to his downfall for the second time in succession. From this historical lesson, Machiavelli infers three likely and effective governing strategies of principalities. Machiavelli thinks of three interrelated scenarios in terms of regulating the acquired principalities to the best possible interest of the ruler. These scenarios provide a foundation for the modern day politicians to keep a hold on subjugated territories. According to the author, it helps a great deal if the acquired state shares the same cultural and linguistic identity of the ruling body. If the customs and language are same, the prince finds it easier to keep the people of the state he acquires under control. On the contrary, when states conquered differ in language, laws and customs, it becomes a challenging job to restore peace. One of the feasible solutions for the ruler is to physically relocate himself to the acquired state so that he can perpetuate his command over it. Availability at hand helps enormously when it comes to settling disputes. In this regard, Machiavelli cites the example of the Turk in Greece, â€Å"†¦who, notwithstanding all the other measures taken by him for holding that state, if he had not settled there, would not have been able to keep it. Because, if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can quickly remedy them. † (Machiavelli et al. 18) The third possibility Machiavelli suggests is to build colonies of the acquired state in different places. The wily measures that are taken by the rulers are thoroughly exposed by the author here: â€Å"The other and better course is to send colonies to one or two places, which may be as keys to that state, for it necessary either to do this or else to keep there a great number of cavalry and infantry. A prince does not spend much on colonies, for with little or no expense he can send them out and keep them there, and he offends a minority only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them to the new inhabitants; and those whom he offends, remaining poor and scattered, are never able to injure him; whilst the rest being uninjured are easily kept quiet, and at the same time are anxious not to err for fear it should happen to them as it has to those who have been despoiled. † (Machiavelli et al. 19) As Machiavelli suggests in The Prince, theoretical as well as practical understanding of the ‘Mixed Principalities’ was best grasped by the Romans. They took a leaf out of the previous ruling kingdoms and made it a point to defend their territories tactfully. They sent minorities to colonies and maintained a friendly relation with them. They did not flaunt their power at wrong places at the wrong time. Instead, they preserved it to drive away any other foreign force trying to encroach upon the lands under their dominion. â€Å"The Romans, in the countries which they annexed, observed closely these measures; they sent colonies and maintained friendly relations with the minor powers, without increasing their strength; they kept down the greater, and did not allow any strong foreign powers to gain authority. † (Machiavelli et al. 20) Now these maneuvering techniques adapted by the Romans in Machiavelli’s times may not prove to be fruitful in the context of modern day politics. If we take into account the events in recent history of Afghanistan and Iraq, we will find that the strategy of the Bush administration did not work out as intended. The probable reasons may be the secular form of politics and society that Machiavelli recommended in The Prince is a mismatch in modern world. Besides, the author’s idea of the nature and temperament of citizens does not conform to the opinion of humanists. The idea of morality is completely shunned in The Prince, for the author felt that it acted as an obstacle for gaining supreme governance of a state. (The Prince as Foundation of Modern Day Politics 2006) Now this is highly improbable in modern society, because there are numerous human rights organizations to look after the humanistic aspects of warfare. Moreover, if we closely examine Hitler’s tenure in Nazi Germany, we will be able to find some resemblance between what Machiavelli proposed in The Prince and what Hitler did. According to Machiavelli, a prince must build an army comprising of his own countrymen. This helps gaining a sound control of the states he plans to acquire. The discipline of warfare and the single-mindedness of the prince to achieve what he wants to achieve hold the key to success. Tracing the history of Nazi Germany, one can find that Hitler built up his infamous Nazi party along with building a network of local party organizations to reinforce his administrative control over most of the German territories. (Compares Adolf Hitler to Machiavellis The Prince 1995-2008) The Prince allows the readers and critics alike to form opinions of their own. The relevance of the political ideologies propagated in the book remains to be an unsolved issue till date. Machiavelli deduced his viewpoints primarily from the turbulent socio-political situation of Italy in the beginning of the sixteenth century. But the world has changed a lot since those days. We have discussed both the success as well as failure of the policies advocated by The Prince in case of Nazi Germany and the United States of America respectively. References â€Å"Compares Adolf Hitler to Machiavellis The Prince†. Cheathouse. com. 1995-2008. 12 February 2009 http://www. cheathouse. com/essay/essay_view. php? p_essay_id=53138 Hooker, Richard. â€Å"The Way Princes Should Keep Their Word†. n. d. 12 February 2009 http://www. wsu. edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/machiavelli. html Machiavelli, Niccolo, Leo Paul S. De Alvarez, and Yves Levy. The Prince. South Carolina: Forgotten Books, 1980. â€Å"The Prince as Foundation of Modern Day Politics. † Azete. 2006. 12 February 2009 http://www. azete. com/view/3385

Collaborative Work in Social Care

Collaborative Work in Social Care Introduction The following essay proposes to consider the question of collaborative working in social care, looking in particular at the impact of collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines within the context of children and families. This represents an especially complex problem to attempt to tackle with the issues of both collaborative working and working with children families subject to an almost constant process of reform and change in the contemporary era. When, for instance, we pause to consider the way in which collaborative work has become such a central feature of contemporary social policy in western liberal democracies with the promulgation of the partnership approach to government dictating the pattern of a variety of social, cultural, economic and political initiatives, we can see that any discussion relating to multi-agency work must reside in some part within the realms of a constantly changing political ideology that seeks in the first instance to instil new parameters for social work practice (Quinney, 2006:5-21). Likewise, when we consider the changing nature of working with children and families in the contemporary era, we can see that a decidedly pervasive legislative and policy framework increasingly that seeks to infringe upon the practice of social work on both an individual and a collaborative level cannot help but impact upon our understanding of the nature and role of the social worker within the context of children and families (OLoughlin and Bywater, 2008:14-27). Thus, we need to observe from the outset the way in which the following essay constitutes an inherently subjective discussion where any conclusions garnered should be understood as open to further change and reinterpretation. For the purpose of perspective, we intend to adopt a dualistic approach to the problem at hand, looking firstly at the political, ideological and legal context in which social work with children and families currently takes place. In this way, we will be better able to demonstrate an effective understanding of the field of child and family work, the social work role and the multidiscipline system in relation to children in need and children in need of protection. Secondly, we will look at the implications of our own evidence-based research yielded from group dynamics involving a specific case study of children and families. In this way, we will be better able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice. Moreover, in this way, we will be better able to consider both the strengths and the weaknesses of the collaborative approach to social service provision at the dawn of the twenty first century. Before we can begin, though, we need to briefly consider the historical context in order to establish a conceptual framework in which the remainder of the discussion can take place. The political, ideological and legal context of working with children and families To understand the significance of the multi-agency, collaborative approaches to child protection we need to first mention some of the most profound cases of child cruelty, which have acted as a launch pad for reforms of social services. When, for instance, we pause to consider the case of Dennis ONeil who was starved and subsequently beaten to death by his foster father in 1945, we can see that instances of extreme abuse of looked after children directly contributed to reform of the child social services system. Maria Colwell was similarly abused and killed at the hands of her stepfather in spite of over fifty official visits to the family by social services, health visitors, police officers and housing officers before her death in 1973. As a result of the ensuing enquiry into Maria Colwells death, looked after children were assigned a guardian by the state. (Cocker and Allain, 2008:24) Likewise, public outrage, internal inquiries and institutional reform accompanied the murders of J asmine Beckford in 1984 and the uncovering of widespread sexual abuse amongst looked after children in Cleveland in 1987. In addition, the wrongful fostering of children on the Orkney Islands in 1991 after social workers mistakenly assumed that parents were part of a satanic cult triggered a reconfiguration of child protection policy, acting as a timely reminder as to the fallibility of decision making at an individual as well as an organisational level. Yet while it is true that childrens services have been influenced by individual historical cases of neglect, abuse and murder, it is also true that social work and childrens services are inherently tied to the dominant political ideology of the day. As we have already asserted, social work practice in the contemporary era is an inherently political issue with a pervasive neoliberal political ideology dictating the pattern of social policy and welfare reform over the course of the past two decades. Nowhere is this modernising neoliberal impetus more prominent than in the field of social work with children and families (Johns, 2009:39-54). Beginning with the Childrens Act of 1989 and continuing with the amended Childrens Act of 2004, the state has increasingly sought to make provisions for disadvantaged children and failing families in order to reduce the debilitating ill effects of marginalisation and social exclusion. These two Acts, in conjunction with a variety of other related social policies and statutory framework such as the Every Child Matters programme, constitute an ideological watershed with regards to the way in which the state legislatively copes with the numerous issues arising from children and families. Most obviously, these pieces of legislation and the broader emphasis upon social inclusion that they entail telegraph a new way of responding to issues arising from children and families by looking to target the causes (rather than the consequences) of neglect, exclusion, abuse and the ubiquitous problem of failing families. As a result, it is important to observe the way in which the reforms initiated over the closing decades of the twentieth century and the opening decade of the twenty first century represent a move away from the permissive social policies of the post-war years so as to incorporate a discernibly more preventative agenda for working with children and families (Morri s, Barnes and Mason, 2009:43-67). It is within this climate of preventative action that we must consider the genesis and subsequent evolution of collaborative social work practice with multi-agency work being intrinsically tied to the broader imperative of safeguarding children. The statutory framework of the Every Child Matters initiative, underpinned by the Childrens Act (2004) is, for instance, inherently tied to the partnership, collaborative approach to social service provision involving the active participation of professionals across all spectrums who work with children and young adults (Brammer, 2009:166). Understood in this way, the role of the social worker represents one part of a broader network of rights and responsibilities incorporating General Practitioners, psychologists, educational practitioners, housing association officers, National Health Service professionals, law enforcement agencies, government officials, local councillors, parents, family members and any number of related workers and associa tes who are able to help formulate an effective social agenda which places the child at the epicentre of all key decision-making. In this way, the social worker is better able to communicate with children who have suffered or are suffering from cases of neglect and abuse (Davies and Duckett, 2008:164-166). As a consequence, it is clear that partnership and collaboration should be understood as the ideological bedrock of the contemporary legal and political framework for dealing with children, families and young adults, constituting the single most important guiding principle for social workers operating in the highly complex, risk-orientated contemporary social sphere. Fuelled in some part by the high profile cases of internal failings contributing to childrens neglect where, most notably, the untimely death of Victoria Climbie in 2000 highlighted gross failures of the system (Laming, 2003:11-13), collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines is today understood as the most viable means of positively impacting upon the well being of both children and families (Brammer, 2009:182.) In response to the murder of Victoria Climbie and, more pertinently, as a result of the economic imperative to cut back on public sector spending, the New Labour government, followed by the present coalition government, has increasingly sought to further the multi-agency approach to social services. The Childrens Plan (2007), for example, constitutes an ideological extension of the collaborative methodology championed in the Every Child Matters campaign with the government, agencies and professionals all charged with improving childrens lives. (The Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:29) Safeguarding the well being of children is therefore no longer considered to be the sole responsibility of the state; rather, it is clear that promoting the welfare of children and families is increasingly dependent upon adopting an integrated approach with a variety of agencies, organisations and individuals sharing the responsibility for welfare while at the same time ensuring that the child remains the focus of proactive, preventative action (The Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:31-34). It is consequently important to underline the strengths of the multi-agency approach to social care provision, underscoring in particular the way in which focusing upon collaborative working with children and families offers a holistic approach to what is an essentially multi-faceted problem. However, while we are correct to acknowledge the modernising ideology that underpins modern social work practice, we also need to observe the way in which the day to day practice of social work with children and families has revealed a significant underlying chasm between, on the one hand, the preventative legal framework and, on the other hand, the deep-seated flaws in the multi-agency, inter-disciplinary approach to welfare provision in the modern day (Oko, 2008:16-39). In spite of the best efforts of policy makers and in spite of the preventative statutory framework enshrined in the Every Child Matters initiative, there remain deep-rooted structural and logistical problems pertaining to the multi-agency approach. For example, the horrific death of Baby P in 2007 which occurred after social services, National Health Service consultants, and police officers demonstrates that there remains a clear and identifiable problem with regards to communication between agencies, organisations and professions. Moreover, the harrowing case of Baby P serves to demonstrate that, even when extreme levels of abuse are being reported, there remains a problem regarding intervention. The multi-agency approach to social care provision in the contemporary should therefore be understood as being inherently flawed with the collaborative system beset by a variety of structural weaknesses and new ideological complexities (Milner and OByrne, 2009:19-23). Although we should not seek to overlook the strengths of multi-agency, collaborative working we must, as Eileen Munro attests, consider the way in which an exceedingly risk-orientated socio-political culture has created additional problems for social workers in the modern era with an increasingly bureaucratic, administrative understanding of social services hampering the attainment of a critical understanding of the underlying economic, cultural and political factors that create problems in the social sphere (Munro, 2008:58-76). An over-emphasis upon res earch and policy has not yet yielded a significant reduction in the chasm between theory and practice. Working in a Group: The Lessons for Working with Children and Families Hitherto, we have focused upon attempting to understand how the dominant political, ideological and legal framework looks to dictate the pattern of social services at the dawn of the twenty first century. We have also seen that while policies and frameworks seek to instil a fresh, collaborative approach to working with children and young families the practical reality of working in a multi-agency context still leads to significant problems pertaining to communication. This, in the final analysis, is an inevitable consequence of working with the dynamics of groups where there is little by way of direction and where, more importantly, different group members harbour different perspectives and different ambitions with regards to the nature, role and purpose of the project at hand. In the group that I worked in, there were six participants. Two were two white women one a young woman in her early twenties; the other a woman in her thirties who is the mother of two young children. There were also two black women in the group; both of these women were in their thirties and both had children. In addition, there were two black men present in the group. As soon as the group began to convene, it was immediately apparent that there was a significant problem with regards to when the group could meet. Family commitments, coupled with work placements, conspired to make agreeing on a time to meet extremely difficult. Furthermore, when work was assigned to particular individuals it was not completed on time. A lack of structure was therefore prevalent from the start. As time went by and the problems with communication within the group continued to grow, it became apparent that the two white women took it upon themselves to act as the leaders of the group, delegating work as if they had been assigned the role of the managers. The younger woman in her early twenties was observed to be especially aggressive and domineering. When confronted she failed to act in a professional manner, which placed further strain upon the dynamics of the group. Furthermore, as the two white women exerted increasing levels of managerial control, it became apparent that they were withholding important information from the rest of the group. This was either because they did not trust the other members of the group to work to their standards or because they wished to take sole responsibility for the project upon completion. Regardless of their true intentions, the lack of co-ordination and communication resulted in a disappointing final presentation that had been undermine d on account of a wholesale lack of rehearsal. The lack of cohesive, coordinated action within the group revealed a great deal about the inherent problems of inter-agency work with children and families. Most obviously, there was a clear and identifiable problem relating to a lack of leadership and direction in the group. Although there were only six members, every participant appeared to have their own specific agenda, which meant that the overall goal became lost in the resulting confusion of responsibilities. This, according to Michael Gasper, is a key problem in multi-agency working with children and young people where a convergence of interests creates fertile grounds for problems relating to management and leadership (Gasper, 2009:92-110). In such circumstances, it is often the agency or partner that adopts the most rigorously aggressive attitude which ends up assuming a leadership-type role largely against the best interests of the project in hand. This was certainly the case in the group we observed where the two white w omen assumed leadership roles although no such premise had been discussed and in spite of the fact that no such policy had been agreed. In this instance, of course, it is impossible to ignore the spectre of underlying race issues that may have consciously or subconsciously influenced the behaviour of the two white women within the group. Race issues are intrinsically tied to power issues; thus, the white women might have felt the need to assume control of a group dominated by black people. Again, the issue of power and the impact that this has upon inter-personal relationships within a multi-agency setting is an important factor for us to consider. As Damien Fitzgerald and Janet Kay underscore, power is an inexorably important factor that needs to be legislated for when teams come together in an interdisciplinary, multi-professional context. This is especially true during the early consultative stages of group work the storming stage where there may be fighting, power struggles, disputes and destructive criticism, which need to be managed effectively so as to minimise the impact upon the setting or the service. (Fi tzgerald and Kay, 2007:92) The relationships that emerge from the storming stage are subsequently normalised during the ensuing norming stage where the team starts to adopt its own identity. If, however, the relationships between the various agencies have not settled down into an egalitarian pattern by the norming stage of development, the power struggles and internal disputes will inevitably affect the performing stage of task management. Most notably, the creative process will be stifled and the focus that should be dedicated towards the completion of the task will be diverted towards the power struggles within the group (Cheminais, 2009:38-40). This was certainly the case in the group I worked in where problems in the storming stage were translated into more serious structural problems in the norming stage, both of which ultimately affected the final performing stage of the task. Thus, once more, we need to acknowledge the significant divide between theory and practice in collaborative working with children and families where, as Jayat suggests, policies can be well intentioned, yet are often poorly co-ordinated and, in practice, under-resourced. (Jayat, 2009:92) Furthermore, while acknowledging the problems that multi-agency, collaborative work entails, we also need to consider the way in which the infusion of children into the scenario creates further avenues for a lack of cohesive, co-ordinated action. If, as the evidence suggests, information sharing is negatively influenced by multi-agency, collaborative working with adults, then it stands to reason that there is bound to be much greater scope for withholding information when children and families are integrated into the procedure. If relationships at an agency level are strained then it stands to reason that, as Butler and Roberts attest, that social workers will find it even harder to maintain open and honest relationships with children and their parents in a social work context (Butler and Roberts, 2004:129-130). More importantly, it is clear that there is little time for power struggles and disputes when a childs welfare is at stake. In the final analysis, this kind of internal wrang ling runs contrary to the central tenet of the Every Child Matters and the Working to Safeguard Children campaigns, which look to make sure that the child remains the centre of task-centred, multi-agency focus (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:32). We should, of course, be careful not to assume that all group dynamics follow the pattern of the group we observed. While evidence suggests that there remains a significant scope for problems of power, communication, authority and direction within multi-agency settings it is also true that, if handled in the appropriate manner, collaborative practice allows differences in values to surface and, if effectively minded, to be aired and resolved over time (Glenny and Roaf, 2008:111) In such circumstances, multi-agency work with children and families can serve to positively influence the health and well being of service users. As a consequence, it is important not to assume that the structural weaknesses of collaboration mean that there are no strengths to the multi-agency process. Conclusion Understanding the strengths and the weaknesses of collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines is dependent upon first understanding the distance to be travelled between the theory of prevention and the practice of collaboration at a grass roots level. Looking to reduce the divide between theory and practice, between the political and ideological framework and the multi-agency, collaborative approach, consequently represents the most critical challenge facing social workers and social policy makers alike. This is especially true as far as childrens services are concerned. Ultimately, though, when looking to pass a judgement on the relative strengths and weakness of multi-agency working with children and families we need to recall that agencies involve individuals responding to crises in the social sphere. As Beckett attests, every individual participant in the child protection process, and every profession or agency, necessarily sees things from his, her or its own particular standpoint and has his, her or its own particular axes to grind. It is important to bear in mind that no one participant possesses the pure and unadulterated truth.' (Beckett, 2009:29) Social work is an inherently complex and subjective discipline where there is no right or wrong answer to the multitude of questions arising from the breakdown of interpersonal relationships. Collaborative work should consequently be understood as being inherently fallible. Only by concentrating upon improving the internal group dynamics of multi-agency functioning can the chasm between theory and practice begin to be reduced.

History of Alicia Bohol Philippines Essay

Those men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history. Aldous Huxley In the early part of the 19th century the town of Alicia, formerly known as Batuanan, was one of the three (3) biggest and oldest towns of Bohol along with Catigbian and Balilihan. It was a thriving trading center shortly after the Dagohoy Rebellion (1744 – 1829). The town of Batuanan, however, was formally established in June 1860 by virtue of a decree signed by the Spanish Governor General Livarez. There are two versions as to how the place came to be called Batuanan. One version stated that the place was a â€Å" Batuganan† meaning perch or lookout of the warriors of Dagohoy guarding against invading Spanish and pirates. From then on, the place was called Batuanan derived the word â€Å" Batuganan†. The second version is that Batuan trees bearing tomato-shaped fruits were abundant in the locality. This prompted the Spanish soldiers who were then conducting mopping-out operations against Dagohoy’s men to call the place Batuanan. Close to the end of Spanish regime in the country, two (2) high ranking officers were ambushed in the outskirts of the town. This incident prompted the Spanish officers to burn the whole Poblacion in retaliation. Again, in the early American regime, an American soldier was killed in another ambuscade, which brought about another scourge upon the town. This time the American soldiers burned all the structures to the ground, thus, resulting to the transfer of the seat of government to barrio Libas which is now the Poblacion of the Municipality of Mabini. This continued until 1903 when the Philippines Commission passed Commonwealth Act. No. 968 formally creating the Municipality of Mabini, wherein Batuanan became only a barrio thereof. However, after the span of few years, the people of Batuanan started agitating for the restoration of its status into a municipality. Towards  that end, they succeeded in having elected two (2) Mayors, namely: Dulcisimo Ayuban and Cipriano G. Aton. Also elected were two (2) Vice-Mayors, namely: Buenaventura Asas and Segunda Duetes and several councilors, among them were Victor Doydora, Dionisio Muring, Anastacio Curit, Pedro Huiso and Gaudencio Gumop-as. These officials paved the way for a concerted effort to secede from the town of mabini. It was not until 1949 when the real break came. Pedro Huiso and Cipriano Aton, together with some prominent leaders of Batuanan, through the help Governor Jacinto Borja sought an audience with President Elpidio Quirino, then seeking reelection, lobbying to create Batuanan into a municipality with a pledge that the people thereat will deliver a solid vote for the liberal Party candidates in the 1949 national elections. Thus, President Elpidio Quirino, during his stopover in Dumaguete from Tagbilaran, Bohol on September 16, 1949 issued Executive Order No. 265 creating Batuanan into an independent municipality to be known as Alicia, in honor of his wife, Doà ±a Alicia Syquia Quirino. On January 18, 1950 the municipality of Alicia, Bohol was formally inaugurated with its first appointed officials, namely: Mayor Pedro Huiso, Vice – Mayor Anastacio Curit, and Councilors Perpetua Talili, Gaudencio Gumop-as, Eladio Iyoy, Buenaventura Asas, Benito Licayan and Arsenio Ayuban. From then on, the town elected 9 mayors who succeded Pedro Huiso (1950-55), namely: Exequiel Madrià ±an Sr., Leoncio Garcia (1956- 59), Jesus Madrià ±an (1960-80), Dominador Molina (1980 – 1987), Exequiel Madrià ±an Jr.( 1988 – 1995), Basilio H. Balahay Jr. (1995 – 2001), Bienvenido C. Molina Jr., MD ( 2001 – 2007), Pedro B. Miasco ( 2007 – 2010), Marnilou S. Ayuban (2010 – present).

Inherent Fallacies Essay

We humans live in a world were illogical fallacies run rampant. In 12 Angry Men the author illustrates everyday illogical fallacies people have in the setting of a court jury. Jurors: 3, 4, 7 and 10 have their own fallacies that are unique to them in the play; but can be found in common people in everyday people. In 12 Angry Men the illogical fallacy for Juror Number 3 is a general fallacy. This fallacy is the result of an emotional prejudice by juror 3 has as he compares the defendant with his own child. Juror 3 says in the play, You’re right. It’s the kids.  The way they are—you know? They don’t listen. I’ve got a kid. When he was eight years old, he ran away from a fight. I saw him. I was so ashamed, I told him right out, â€Å"I’m gonna make a man out of you or I’m gonna bust you up into little pieces trying. † When he was fifteen he hit me in the face. He’s big, you know. I haven’t seen him in three years. Rotten kid! You work your heart out†¦. All right, let’s get on with it. (Reginald Rose 8) His emotional prejudice gets in the way of his critically thinking through the evidence because he has emotional conflict with his own son. He is grouping all teens together because of his altercation with his son, and Juror 3 is just punishing the young man on trial because he cannot come to turns with his own failings as a parent with his child. Towards the end of the play Juror 3 is all alone on the vote count; he â€Å"looks around at all of them for a long time. They sit silently, waiting for him to speak, and all of them despise him for his stubbornness. Then, suddenly, his face contorts as if he is about to cry, and he slams his fist down on the table† †¦ (thundering) All right† (30). Juror Number 4 and 10 each has prejudices about slum dwellers. This prejudice gives way to genetic fallacies in each juror’s thinking that at the beginning of the deliberations cause them to vote guilty in the initial preliminary vote. Juror 4, for example, says, We’re missing the point here. This boy—let’s say he’s a product of a filthy neighborhood and a broken home. We can’t help that. We’re not here to go into the reasons why slums are breeding grounds for criminals. They are. I know it. So do you. The children who come out of slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society. 23) The play says that he is a man of wealth and position. We can also determine this by his attitude about people from the ghetto from his previously mentioned statement. Juror 10 is prejudice for the fact that he came from the slums,I don’t mind telling you, mister. We don’t owe him a thing. He got a fair trial, didn’t he? You know what that trial cost? He’s lucky he got it. Look, we’re all grownups here. You’re not going to tell us that we’re supposed to believe him, knowing what he is. I’ve lived among ’em all my life. You can’t believe a word they say. You know that. 5) This line of thinking also can be seen when Juror 4 tells them, â€Å"Next, the boy claims that on the way home the knife must have fallen through a hole in his coat pocket, that he never saw it again. Now there’s a story, gentlemen. You know what actually happened. The boy took the knife home and a few hours later stabbed his father with it and even remembered to wipe off the fingerprints† (9). Juror Number Seven has no need to go over the facts again; he votes with whatever the majority of the vote is deciding. Juror 7 is in a hurry to get to the play he has tickets for as noted on page 3, â€Å"Right. This better be fast. I’ve got tickets to The Seven Year Itch tonight. I must be the only guy in the whole world who hasn’t seen it yet. (He laughs and sits down. ) Okay, your honor, start the show† (3). His prejudice that gets in the way of him critically thinking through the case is selfishness, which leads to a slippery slope illogical fallacy in the play. He says to the foreman,I don’t know, most of it’s been said already. We can talk all day about this thing, but I think we’re wasting our time. Look at the kid’s record. At fifteen he was in reform school. He stole a car. He’s been arrested for mugging. He was picked up for knife-fighting. I think they said he stabbed somebody in the arm. This is a very fine boy. (7) This statement highlights the laziness of juror 7 to mean for not necessarily do any of those things correlate with killing his father. The prejudices of all jurors are the basis of the story. These prejudices lead to many illogical fallacies that are shown and resolved throughout the play for each juror. They are attempts by the author to show how every day are riddled with fallacies of logic and how people’s personal conflicts cloud their critical thinking to reason. This play suggests that we all need to examine ourselves before we rush to any type of judgment.

8 Dream Jobs You Didn’t Know Existed

8 Dream Jobs You Didn’t Know Existed If you were to think of your total dream job- regardless of your field, experience, or financial considerations- what would it be? Wacky Wednesday has gone out and discovered that some of those ultimate jobs are reality for some lucky people around the world. Read and be jealous! Wine Tester and BloggerDo you subscribe to the old Jimmy Buffett motto, â€Å"It’s five o’clock somewhere?† Is â€Å"wine-o’clock† a daily occurrence in your home? If so, then wine testing might be your dream gig. It certainly was for one lucky vinophile, who was paid $10,000 per month to live rent-free in California’s Napa Valley and chronicle his â€Å"winestream† on social media.World of Warcraft TesterIf you already play World of Warcraft like it’s your job, know that Blizzard Entertainment (the software company behind the behemoth online role-playing game) hires people to do Quality Analysis (QA) testing on the game to check for bugs and other issu es. Living the dream, earning in-game gold, and paying your real-life bills too!Airplane Repo PersonIt’s kind of like an administrative James Bond gig: repossessing private aircraft once the owners can no longer make payments. This sounds glamorous (you’d be visiting airplane hangers in all sorts of exotic locales), but you’d also need Bond-level martial arts skills and cunning†¦ people do not part with their private jets lightly.Waterslide TesterGlobal resort company First Choice hired someone to test out their water slides for height, speed, water quantity, and safety at various resorts around the world. The most fun vacation activity in all sorts of exciting destinations? Sign us up!Candy TesterBritish sweets company Swizzles-Matlow hired a 12-year old to taste-test their top secret candy recipes. Looks like that young gentleman hit the golden-ticket jackpot!Professional ZombieDo you spend all year waiting for Halloween, when you can lurch around your ya rd, groaning, â€Å"Braaaaaaaaains† to scare unsuspecting trick-or-treaters? You might want to consider relocating to London, where the London Dungeons Experience hires professional zombie actors to mingle with visitors.Luxury Bed TesterAs part of a sleep study, a British luxury bedding company paid one woman a thousand pounds to sleep in different luxury beds for a month, and share her feedback on comfort, sleep quality, etc. It’s a tough job, but someone has to†¦zzzzzzzz.Paradise Island CaretakerAn Australia man beat out 35,000 other applicants to be the official caretaker of Hamilton Island (in the Great Barrier Reef) for six months. The rigorous final application tests included snorkeling, eating a luxurious island BBQ meal, and getting treatments at a spa. The lucky caretaker enjoys free rent in a 3-bedroom villa, and gets to have all his mail forwarded to paradise. What’s not to love?So maybe these jobs aren’t in the cards for you in the near f uture, but isn’t it comforting to know they’re out there, and that we live in a world out where we too could be top-secret candy testers?

Decubitis Ulcers essays

Decubitis Ulcers essays 1. Decubitis Ulcers are also known as bed sores.(Marsh 1) They are mostly seen in Geriatrics patients. They occur in people who are put on bed rest, or long periods of wheelchair use. A traumatic decubitis ulcer is precipitated by continuous pressure on the skin and deep tissue with ischemic necrosis (Plewig 369). These particular ulcers are mainly found on bony parts of the body. They develop when the cells die because there is a tremendous amount of pressure put on the skin and it is trapped between a mattress or chair and tiny blood vessels collapse. The parts of the body that are affected by these ulcers are the back of the head, ear, shoulders, elbows, hips, sacrum, knees, ankles, and heels. Decubitis ulcers can be classified into three grades. (1) Area is more reddened, skin is dry. (2) Area is more reddened, epidermal layer of the skin is broken, and blisters form. (3) Deeper layers of the skin are affected, blisters are broken open, and bone may be visible. (Hegner, Caldwell 421) 2. Before treating decubitis ulcers, viewing of the nurse or caregivers feelings about the care is important. Heshe should determine whether or not they agree with the patients wishes and is capable of completing that care. When making these decisions, consider the stage of the ulcer and the treatment needed, the benefits and the burdens of the treatment, and the anticipated treatment outcome (Darkovich 47). After these views are looked at, there are many treatments available. If the area is reddened, all that is needed is a gentle massage. If the skin is open, bacteriostatic agents, antiseptic sprays, and antibiotic ointments are used to reduce or prevent bacteria. The surgical process called grafting is practiced to treat these ulcers. This is when a patch of skin is removed from one part of the body, and is placed onto the infected area. Sheepskin pads, alternating air pressure mattresses, heel protector...

Has the Study of Gender Illuminated Men's Lives as Much as Women's Essay

Has the Study of Gender Illuminated Men's Lives as Much as Women's - Essay Example John Tosh1 chronicled how manliness and masculinity have thrived in the eyes of society in various times in history. He says that in the prudent Victorian era, gentlemen were expected to be more cerebral than physical. The times called for a â€Å"mingling of the ethical and the physiological†, however, manliness was heavily influenced by concience than by animal insticts that may sometimes overcome a man. Victorian code dictated manliness to emphasize self-control, hard work and independence. Tosh claims that boys were prepared for more competitive and demanding roles as husband, father and breadwinner. Men were expected to provide for their families a comfortable home and food on the table. Inability to do so earns him a lowly place in society. Women, on the other hand, had to struggle to be recognized as being contributory to society. A woman is romantically viewed as the heart of the home, the primary nurturer of the family, the source of emotional support, however, she ha s evolved into something much more than a homemaker. Traditionally, women have been assigned to care for her family and home while men were tasked to go out to seek livelihood for his family. The mother’s role in the family is a powerful one for women even if men insist that they are the heads of their households. Tosh explains that although fathers talk to their sons about the challenges of adult life and gives them advise accordingly, it is the mothers who had control over a large area of moral education, which, odd as it may seem, include the area of ‘manliness’. 2 The seemingly stronger influence of the woman over the raising of the family may be unsettling for men, hence such is underplayed. John Stuart Mill became intensely unpopular due to his statement divulged in conservative circles truths that people wittingly repress in polite society. He announced that â€Å"the generality of the male sex cannot yet tolerate the idea of living with an equal†3 and this statement was met with much fury, defensiveness, as well as quiet illumination. Tosh contends that middle class men in late Victorian Britain faced a difficult dilemma regarding their own masculinity. They realized that their own manliness has been filtered through the feminine sensibility of their own mothers.4 Joan Scott analyzes how gender studies explain the roles of men and women. She claims that gender is a way of denoting â€Å"cultural constructions† of subjective identities of men and women.5 Weisstein contends that gender is a most complex and intricate phenomenon, but at the interpersonal level, a good portion of the oppressiveness of gender arises from the fact that one person has enormous power over the other6. No other time has such conflict of power been more felt than during the previous world wars. Men felt power in being called out to defend their families and their country while the women they left behind felt empowered being given the responsibili ty for their families and home while the men were away. Historically, the trend of women joining the work force was felt more strongly during war time. Historians have differing views of the changes women have undergone in the two world wars. Arthur Marwick’s stand is that the wars brought about women’s realizations of their rights and innate potentials that were put to the test when they were called out of their home duties and into the workforce7. The

Please set up the topic for me 234 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Please set up the topic for me 234 - Essay Example It mainly lays emphasis on the people in an organisation. It is defined as a series of incorporated decisions which form the employment connection; their quality adds to the capability of the company as well as the employees to attain their objective. Human resource management is also referred as a collection of programmes, activities and functions designed as well as carried out to maximise the organisational as well as employee effectiveness (Aswathappa, 2005). Organisational behaviour explains people’s behaviour in an organisation. Organisations are the social systems encompassing different types of interconnected sub-systems such as social/human sub-system and another sub-system involves decision-making, production, administrative and technological sub-systems. The fundamental nature of social/human sub-system lays emphasis on the presentation of the employees of the company and the leadership and management required (Fox, 2006). Organisational behaviour drew its major inspiration from Hawthorn Studies, which was expressed by Elton Mayo in the late 1920s. These studies initially highlighted the complication of human nature in the organizational setting. This led to the identification of the significance of social context inside which work happens; as well as the means in which the groups’ turns into a considerable influence on the individual behaviour (Martin, 2005). Human Resource Management focuses on the people and human being’s behaviour. It is defined as an organizational tool that assists in efficient thinking and rationalization (Alvesson and Berg, 1992). It goes further than physical contributions in order to include cognitive, emotional, and creative aspects of workers. Employees communicate opinions, suggestions, feelings and complaints in order to boost production and satisfaction (Robbins and Judge, 2009). It is apprehensive with the workers both