Project management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project management - Research Paper Example In such cases there may be no time for iterations even if it means compromising on product quality. The adaptive model solves these problems and delivers solution according to the situation. This is an excellent model and would fail only if the project team is incompetent to adapt to the changing objectives. Extreme PMLC model has a high probability of failing at each step because the objectives are not known beforehand and are derived from previous phases. Thus, there is a high chance of going awry. The risks associated with this model can be mitigated by high level of client involvement (Wysocki & Rudd, 2003). Critical path chain method proves to be more efficient than critical path method for project management. Critical chain method helps in reducing the project duration by about 30% generally. It leads to better utilization of resources. The critical and non-critical tasks are both given equal attention in this method. Critical path chain method makes optimum use of buffers which is not done in case of critical path method. It also adds the best practices from PMBOK, Lean and Six Sigma to critical path method. For example, Critical path method if used by Navy would tell the critical path but would give misleading information because a number of days in between are safety days or lags which the navy cannot afford. The same are removed in critical path chain

Collective Action Problem Essay Example for Free

Collective Action Problem Essay Problem Statement: Competitors Coca- cola and Pepsi-cola have to decide whether or not to offer discount pricing. Matrix:-    Pepsi cola    Coca- cola Pricing Strategy Discount price Regular price Discount price $4b,   $2b $8b,   $1b Regular price $2b,   $5b $6b,   $4b * b means billion    Description: Both companies can choose one outcome by offering a discount price or a regular price. The payoff for each firm depends upon the pricing strategies of both firms.     For coca- cola the worst case scenario is $2 billion payoff when it offers regular prices while Pepsi-Cola charges discount prices. Similarly, for Pepsi- Cola the worst case scenario is $1 billion. Solution: A dilemma is involved because each party would like to have maximum benefits by offering the discount and hoping that the other doesn’t.   The only secure means both companies have of avoiding meager profits is to offer discount prices. The ideal scenario would have been when both were offering regular price as they would have earned $6 billion (Coca- cola) and $4 billion (Pepsi-Cola). But, it’s difficult to trust each other and thus, they both go for the conservative strategy and settle down for profits of $4 billion and $2 billion for Coca-cola and Pepsi-Cola respectively.

Greek Victory In The Persian Invasion

Greek Victory In The Persian Invasion The Greek history has been greatly influenced by the wars between Greece and Persia. These wars are considered to be the milestone in shaping up the history of Greece. For Greece, the war against Persia has been regarded as a significant feature by the Athenians as they remained politically and culturally dominant in this region and therefore understood the importance of fifth century, when most invasions occurred, effectively. An important feature that played significant role in making the Greeks to win Persian wars was that of their Unity against Persia. Another important reason includes the Ionian Revolt, and associated revolts. The dissatisfaction of the Greek cities were at the heart of the rebellion with the tyrants appointed by Persia to rule them, along with two Milesian tyrants, Histiaeus Aristagoras. Ionia had been conquered by Persia around 540 BC and was ruled by some of the native tyrants that were nominated by the Persian satrap present in Sardis. In 499 BC, the tyrant of Miletus and Aristagoras with the Persian Satrap Artaphernes launched an expedition with the Persian satrap to conquer Naxos. This was done in the attempt to bolster his position. The mission became a debacle and with the fear of removal as tyrant, Aristagoras decided to incite the whole of Ionia against the Persian king Darius, into rebellion (Anderson 1991: 20-26). The paper on Greek Unity enough for Persian invasion is an important topic that has been discussed in the historical literature thoroughly. The unity and disciplines are the important concepts in the current world that changes the world order and affect the nations motivation level for fighting back with their enemies. The Greeks were divided in several classes during the time when attacked by the Persian Empire. As the War of Persia was fought in fifth century, there was strong hold of Persia all over the world having number of states in their control, it was never thought that the unity of Greeks would bring downfall of the Persian Empire by merely gathering into a group. This new world order that came into existence after the downfall of Persian Empire not only affected the population of Greece but also the whole world thereby introducing new strategies of fighting and military commands along with several other changes (Nicole, 1986). The renowned battles of Persia were however fought on the land of Greece but they started taking place from the minor region of Asia. It was a time when the colonies of Greeks in Ionia rebelled against the lords of the Persia. This rebellion was later on known as the revolt of Ionia that lasted between 494 and 499 B.C. The revolt was mainly initiated when rebel controlled by the leaders of Aristagoras of Miletus, burned and sacked the local city of Sardis due to several reasons. However it was ended when there with retook of Miletus by the Persian Empire that crushed the stronghold of rebel that is after the battle of Lade (Armstrong 1990: 24-27). The war of Ionian Revolt for the first time was between 499 and 449 B.C. However the second war that was fought among the Persian wars was fought under the period of Darius that was the time of 490 B.C. Similarly, the third Persian invasion took place under the Xerxes that is the period between 481 and 479 B.C. From the period 479 till 450 B.C., the aftermath of the Persian war was concluded and each state had experienced particular observations about the battle. During all this time, the Unity among Greeks was the most important feature that was experienced by the warriors during the battle (Boardman, 1978). Since the end of the Persian Wars, the Greek city never ceased to compete, except during short truces during which they reconstitute the forces, after which hostilities resumed. It was during one of these truces that the Athenians had engaged in expeditions against the Persians. Its expansionist policy had crystallized Athens hatred of cities often already ill-disposed towards him, for his brutality she had alienated many allies. In these clashes, in his expeditions, she lost a lot of men, resources dwindled. In 446, at the end of the truce which was discussed above, the Peloponnesians invaded Attica, Pericles decided that the new leader of business, enter into an agreement with Sparta, after which the two cities pledged to refrain from using force to settle disputes (Anderson 1991: 20-26). . Fifteen years later began the Peloponnesian War with Athens went completely ruined. It is not our intention here to identify the immediate causes of the war and the events of this conflict of paramount importance in the history of Greece. We will retain events than those which are mixed Persians. They played a role in recent years, from 412. It is true that the war took place far away from home and their area of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹influence (Anderson 1991: 20-26). The Ionian revolt that took place during the period 493 and 499 B.C. was the reason that started the Persian War later on. The worth of the Greece and its warrior was proved when the city states of the Athens quarreled constantly and that the disgust of their first invasion shook the Persia however it was a period when the fear of Persian warriors was widespread. This whole situation improved the status of Greece and made its population to have advantage of it. Due to the first invasion of Greece that was the result of their unity, the confidence level of Athens was greatly boosted afterwards affecting the politics that was way different before the war (Camp, 2001). Another important change that occurs was the way war was fought as it was in a completely different manner and scale. The Greece unity was proved to be more effective in case of the Persian invasion because they planned an attack that was land based rather than attempting to have sea invasion that is naval invasion. The plan that was made by Xerxes proved to be successful for the war that was mainly executed by having land attacks however they fought with naval invasion from the Persian side. The army used by both sides that is Greece and Persia was based on large fleets however Greece had supremacy in terms of Naval fleet that was a direct result of the second attack (Cadogan, 1980). To highlight the unity of Greeks and explain its importance in the invasion of Persia, it is important to highlight the perspective of Persian war. In the year 499 B.C., the rule of Persia was rebelled by some of the cities of Greek. Darius, the Persian king, therefore fought back the revolution thereby invaded Greece and punished the Athens for supporting unsuccessful revolt in the Ionia region. The first Persian invasion gets failed due to the destruction of Mount Athos from storm. However the second invasion was successfully won by the Greeks where the Athenians and allies beaten the Persians in the Battle of Marathon in the 490 B.C. It is the only battle in history of Greece that proved to be crucial because if the Athenians would have lost this war, they would have come under the Persians control thereby missing the opportunity of accomplishing artistic designs in the Greece (Bridges, Hall, Rhodes: 2007 453). The war in Persia has been renowned due to several aspects that made the global world to realize the importance of unity in their work. For about two centuries (fifth and fourth BC. BC), the Persians to the Greeks represented the hereditary enemy, like the English and the Germans were successively for the French there not so long ago (Isocrates, Panegyric Lysias, Funeral Oration). Everyone more or less in mind the Persian wars initiated by Darius to subjugate the whole of Greece in 490 (Marathon), then by his successor Xerxes in 480 (Salamis), and the conquest and destruction of the Persian Empire (334-323) by Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, realizing the dream that had haunted so many minds since the victorious resistance to the invading barbarian avenge the evils that the Persians had done to Greece (Armstrong 1990: 24-27). It can be concluded at the end of the paper that the Greece unity is of particular importance in the Persian war that made the Greeks to win it. The war against Persia has presented historical lessons with respect to the importance of having unity among nations that give rise to the development and other positive changes. The Persian war is therefore considered to be a remarkable battle that presented the supremacy of the military techniques used by the Greeks during the battle. It can also be concluded at the end of the paper that the Persian war itself presented some of the important historical lessons to learn for the countries that unity was the crucial factor behind fighting back with Persians.

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus Essay -- Oedipus at Colonus Essays

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C.. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, â€Å"Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?† (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasant’s. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their sorrowful father like true sons and true men but instead they â€Å"tend the hearth like girls.†(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, his daughters Antigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it: â€Å"Antigone from the time she left her childhood behind and came into full strength, has volunteered for grief, wandering with me, leading the old misery, hungry†¦Hard labor, but you endured it all, never a second though for home, a decent life, so long as your father had some care and comfort. And you, child, in the early days, all unknown to Thebes you left the city, brought your father the oracles, and prophecy said to touch his life. You were my faithful guard, you took that part when I was an exile from the land†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (304). It would be hard to think of any suffering more overwhel... ...Hall, Inc. Englewood cliffs, New Jersey. 1968. Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English Library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958. Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus The King, Oedipus At Colonus. Penguin Books. New York, New York. 1982, 1984. Sophocles: A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward: Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966.    Outline I. Oedipus’ decency i. To daughters ii. To sons II. Appearance i. Characteristics ii. Clothing iii. Blinded iv. Confident III. Sufferings i. Murder of father/wed mother ii. Betrayed by sons iii. Exiled iv. Blinded/beggar IV. Divinity i. Prays to gods who are to punish him ii. Chooses place of death V. Effect i. On Theseus ii. On man   

Change Management in Nursing Essay

Leadership is defined as influencing people to achieve a purpose or set of goals, but differentiating it from management causes confusion in many instances (Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004; Senior and Fleming, 2006; Robbins, Judge and Sanghi, 2009). Leaders can be managers but not all managers can be effective leaders, making leadership an important aspect of effective management (Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004). Several attempts have been made over the years to explain the characteristics of an effective leader. Trait, behavioural/style, situational-contingency and transformational theories are some of the theories that have been proposed to explain these characteristics (Yoder-Wise, 2003; Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004; Senior and Fleming, 2006). Goleman (2000) also used competencies of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills) to explain these characteristics. Nevertheless, none of these theories seem to adequately explain the characteristics that make an individual an effective leader. Yoder-Wise (2003) recognises followership as attitudes exhibited by individuals that the leader comes into contact with and explains that followers collaborate and act with the leader. Mahoney (2001) states that all nurses must acquire leadership skills since nursing leadership ranges from the staff nurse caring for a patient to a nurse in charge of a hospital. Nurses in clinical leadership positions collaborate with other leaders in the healthcare system to promote positive change (Touati et al., 2006). However, Antrobus and Kitson (1999) criticise nursing leadership for its lack of external focus (socio-political impact on health policies). They recommend that, in addition to the knowledge on issues related to nursing practice, potential leaders of nursing should familiarise themselves with social and health policies, management and research. Sutherland and Dodd (2008) identify that a lot of changes are occurring within the healthcare system, driving the need for leadership development. As a clinical leader in the making, a sound understanding of strategies for change management would prepare me as an effective leader. This is a reflective essay on how I set up a personal development plan to gain much insight on strategies for change management. The reflection is guided by Gibbs’s reflective cycle (1988 cited by Jasper, 2003). Although Cotton (2001) sees reflective practice in nursing as a problem, Durgahee (1996) identifies that nurses are able to perfect their actions when they examine their experiences through reflection and, consequently, become conscious of how different elements of care inform total professional nursing practice. The essay begins with a brief introduction of my background, and a description of issues that led me to focus on change management strategies in my personal development plan. It, then, follows with a reflection on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that I have and how these would influence my career in the future. The plan is presented, beginning with my learning objective and actions that I hope to take to meet my learning objective. The literature is then reviewed, followed by an appraisal of my organisation and how I plan to implement change. The last section describes my progress. Professional Background I graduated with a BSc. Nursing degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana in 2008. I practised at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), also in Ghana, as a general nurse for one year before enrolling at the University of Nottingham for MSc. Advanced Nursing. My responsibilities, as stated by the Ghana Health Service (2005), are to: Assess care needs of patients, develop and implement plans of nursing care accordingly Formulate, initiate and revise patient care as condition warrants Participate in ward rounds Allocate tasks based on skill of staff Supervise staff and students in the ward Evaluate nursing care and ensure continuity of care In the third year of my undergraduate course, I was one of three students selected for a twelve-week exchange programme in the United States of America. The goal was for us to experience healthcare system and nursing practice in the USA and effect positive changes in nursing and healthcare at KATH. Generally, students who participate in such programs develop themselves, learn differences between cultures, and are able to compare healthcare systems and nursing in the respective countries (Scholes and Moore, 2000; Button, Green, Tengnah et al, 2005). Judging from the exposure I had in the USA, I felt I could make a major impact on my colleagues upon my return. Exchange students, whether short-term (1 – 4 weeks) or long-term (more than 4 weeks), expect to have a positive influence upon their return to their home countries (Button et al, 2005; Carty et al, 2002). I developed myself, to an extent, as a result of participating in the exchange programme. This was confirmed by some of my colleagues. I, also, learnt some of the similarities and differences in culture, nursing practice and healthcare between the USA and Ghana. Notwithstanding, the overall purpose of having positive impact on my colleagues was not realised. I believe that lack of a strategy to effect the proposed changes as well as failure to collaborate with the other exchange students were the major reasons for the failure. I expect to develop a teaching package to delay the progression of chronic kidney disease among patients with diabetes as my Advanced Nursing Practice module project and implement it at KATH. I, also, hope to gain new ideas on patient care while I am in the United Kingdom. Upon my return to Ghana, I aspire to assume a nurse-educator role. This job would give me some influence over the training of nurses at KNUST and KATH. All these have led me to focus on change management in my personal development plan so as to make positive changes in nursing at KATH. I should be able to reflect on my strengths, weaknesses, any opportunities and threats that may influence my aspiration to effect some changes at KATH and Pearce (2007) suggests that using SWOT framework is a good way to do this. Therefore, using the SWOT analysis framework, I identified the following: Strengths I am committed to what I do I am good at motivating others I have good interpersonal skills I have good presentation skills Weaknesses I attempt to please everybody I am too lenient Opportunities I am studying with colleagues from different parts of the world I have other experience from abroad I am likely to become a nurse-educator at KNUST Threat Majority of the staff may see me as young and inexperienced to lead them Pearce (2007) suggests that once threats have been identified, there should be a way to handle them. By confidently demonstrating the experience gained, developing good interpersonal relationships and clearly presenting shared visions, majority of the staff are likely to collaborate with me (Martin, 2006). THE PLAN Learning Objective Needs assessment assists individuals to set clear learning objectives for their personal development plan (Holloway, 2000). Reflection on the exchange program reveals that I lack ideas on strategies and skills required to lead change within an organisation. Therefore, it is my primary objective to use this personal development plan to learn and develop strategies to lead change in the institution that I work in. Actions to Meet the Objective The Management Standards Centre (2004a) suggests that leaders must possess three kinds of knowledge and understanding to be able to lead change successfully. These are general knowledge and understanding (example is knowledge on models and methods for leading organisational change, their strengths as well as their weaknesses), sector-specific knowledge and understanding (example is knowledge on emerging developments in the health sector) and context-specific knowledge and understanding (example is knowledge on areas within the organisation that need change, with reasons and priorities). To lead change successfully, leaders must, also, be able to describe the change process within the organisation and how it affects the people within (Mott, 1996). Considering these, actions that I consider as appropriate for me to meet my objective are as follows; Review literature on change management within organisations; Perform an appraisal of the organisation that I work in; and Plan the implementation of the change. Main resources that are needed to undertake these actions are time and literature on leadership and change management within organisations. I should be able to achieve my objective within seven months and the outcome measure for me would be my ability to identify change management strategies that would best fit my organisational context. LITERATURE REVIEW Change Management within Organisations Change in organisations is inevitable (reactive) and desirable but, usually, complex and difficult to bring about (Sturdy and Grey, 2003; Bellman, 2003; Boshoff, 2005; Dzik-Jurasz, 2006). Yet, there are many a time when change is proactive (planned) – organisations make changes due to opportunities that they have to improve the workplace or their output (Dzik-Jurasz, 2006), and is also described as innovation. Change is very vital for healthcare institutions that seek to deliver quality and patient-centred care to its clientele, and nursing leadership is regarded as a linchpin for such changes to be successful (Dzik-Jurasz, 2006; Sutherland and Dodd, 2008). As a nurse aspiring to be a clinical leader, understanding the processes of change is, therefore, indispensable. Pettigrew, McKee and Ferlie (1988) state that leaders of change should focus on the content, the process, the context of the change as well as the successful regulation of the relationship between the three. They explain content as the specific areas where the change is expected to occur, and processes as the activities, expected reactions and interactions between the groups that seek to bring about the change. Context, as they explain, refer to internal and external factors that have influence over activities within the organisation. Lewin (1951 cited by Senior and Fleming, 2006) identifies three stages; unfreezing, moving and refreezing. At the stage of unfreezing, problems, needs or opportunities for change are identified, and the stage where new strategies or ideas are implemented causes individuals within the organisation to experience the change (moving). Finally, the stage of refreezing is reached when the change has been well integrated into the organisation (Yoder-Wise, 2003; Boshoff, 2005). Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead (2004), also, identify that change process is in four phases; description of the change, planning the implementation of the change, implementing the change, and integrating the change. Change starts when awareness of the need for it is created and ends when a complete evaluation of its expected effects has been done after the implementation (ibid). Lewin (1951 cited by Baulcomb, 2003) states that change is associated with certain forces that either facilitate or resist it; success would result when the forces facilitating the change exceed those that are resisting it within the context. Personnel within the organisation may be one of such forces. People resist change on the grounds of their psychosocial needs, the appropriateness of the change and, also, how the change affects their position and power (Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004). Therefore, they should be taken into consideration and be actively involved in the change process (Boshoff, 2005). Bennis et al. (1985 cited by Bellman, 2003) identify three strategies of change and these are rational-empirical, power-coercive and normative-re-educative strategies. Rational-empirical and power-coercive strategies both use top-down approaches while normative-re-educative approach employs a bottom-up approach. Top-down approach involves senior management generating the idea, planning and directly implementing the change while the bottom-up approach directly indulges the employees in the change process (Ryan, 2008). However, Ryan (2008) adds that top-down strategy alone is not effective for managing change at all times although it is very common under transformational leadership. Other strategies are education and communication; participation and involvement; facilitation and support; negotiation and agreement; and manipulation, cooptation, and coercion; and, dependent on the situation, these strategies may be used alone or in combination (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1979 cited by Yoder-Wise, 2003). It appears that the kind of strategy used would influence how the content of the change would be communicated to the parties involved. Action research is another change strategy and the process is said to begin when change is considered necessary (Bellman, 2003). Relevant data is collected systematically and reported to individuals who must act on it, after which plans are collaboratively formulated and the necessary actions undertaken – research and action combined (Senior and Fleming, 2006). The process is in five stages (diagnosis, analysis, feedback, action and evaluation) and is described as problem-focussed, and able to reduce staff resistance because of their active involvement in the process (Robbins, Judge and Sanghi, 2009). Organisational Appraisal Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is the second largest teaching hospital in Ghana, training many doctors, nurses and other paramedics in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is an autonomous service delivery agent under the Ministry of Health of Ghana (MOH, 2009a). In addition to training many of the health personnel in the Ashanti Region, many people within and outside the Ashanti Region seek healthcare there. As a result, provision of quality healthcare has always been the focus. An organisation that recognises the need for change, weighs costs and benefits, and plans for the change when the benefits outweigh the costs is ready for a change (Dalton and Gottlieb, 2003). KATH is, therefore, ready for change because some of its employees are sent overseas or to other parts of the country, whenever there is the need for a new skill or knowledge to be gained, to bring about a positive change within the hospital. This may be a factor that would facilitate my agenda to implement lead change within the institution upon my return. However, Ghana, as a country is underdeveloped (CIA, 2008). Therefore, financial support, many a time, becomes a difficulty. Another challenge may be the fewer nursing staff. The Ministry of Health (2009b) estimates that there was a nurse-to-population ratio of 1:2024 in Ashanti Region and 1:1451 for the entire country in year 2007. Planning the Implementation of the Change This is the second stage of the change process, as was identified by Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead (2004), and it involves identifying possible resistant forces to the proposed change and identifying strategies to prevent or overcome them. The change strategies to adopt as well as how to communicate the need for change are considered at this stage (Management Standards Centre, 2004b). Bellman (2003) suggests that the normative-re-educative (bottom-up) strategy is suitable for changing practice within nursing. As it appears in my case, the need for change would be driven from bottom (an employee) to top (management) and is likely to be supported by the nurses since it is coming from their colleague. Nevertheless, others may resist the change because they might not see the need for it (Baulcomb, 2003). But Martin (2006) suggests that a clear presentation of the vision and need for change may cause a majority of the staff to support it. Flower and Guillaume (2002) suggest that unfreezing stakeholders of healthcare is a necessity to unfreezing the institution. Stakeholders at KATH for my project include the Director of Nursing Services (DNS), the Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS) for the medical directorate, and the head of the diabetic clinic. When these key people are made to recognise the need for a change, then hospital management is likely to support the proposed change. In times like these when evidence-based practice is being advocated for (McEwen, 2007), I should be able to use evidence to justify the need for a change. I, therefore, plan to undertake a study that would compare the teaching package that I hope to introduce with the current approach used at KATH. If the new teaching package proves to be relatively successful, then majority of the staff are likely to appreciate the need for it. Progress Reflecting on the exchange program, I realise that the idea of bringing about change in practice was not clearly communicated. None of the processes of change, as has been identified now, were known at that time neither was there a strategy or a plan for the change. Some changes are unsuccessful because they are not clearly defined (Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004) and that is exactly what happened. Although I am still working on developing the teaching package that may be different from what is already present at KATH, I now realise that its purpose and effectiveness should be well communicated to other colleagues and management before the idea would be supported. I have discussed my ideas with the Director of Nursing Service of KATH and the Deputy Director of Nursing Services for the medical directorate and both of them seem excited about my idea. However, I have come to understand that all kinds of change are likely to face some form of resistance from the people (Baulcomb, 2003; Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004). I therefore, hope to apply the normative-re-educative (bottom-up) strategy because it has been identified as suitable for changing practice within nursing (Bellman2003). I also believe that such a strategy would let my colleagues feel actively involved in the change process and, hence, support it. Moreover, I hope to gain new insights from my visits to some hospitals and my interactions with some specialist nurses while developing the project. I, therefore, hope to modify my plans and strategies, when the need arises, in order to become an effective change agent within my organisation. Conclusion Personal development plans assist individuals to focus on specific needs and steps to take to achieve their objectives (Floodgate and Nixon, 1994). This essay has assisted me to reflect on my practice and roles as a leader. Whenever there is reflection, there must be a change in perspective (Atkins and Murphy, 1993). Development of change management strategies was identified as my learning objective. Actions to meet this objective were identified and pursued. Gibbs’s reflective cycle (1988) was used as a guide. Consequently, I have become familiar with different strategies that could be employed to effect and lead change successfully, and plans to implement these in my institution have been proposed, although they are subject to change when new insights are gained.

Essay Sample on Political Socialization A Number of Factors

Essay Sample on Political Socialization A Number of Factors Political socialization takes place in every society but is done in a variety ways; from the so-called subtle way democratic societies provide information to the public to the highly monitored ways that a communist society provides information to its people. Political socialization is the process by which people are taught, exposed or conditioned to what the norms and values of their society are and what it takes to be a productive member of it. The most prominent agents of political socialization are, family, school, work, and the media. Family plays a very important role in politically socializing you, especially in learning how to conduct your social behavior on a day-to-day basis. From the time you are an infant your family is politically socializing you. One of the first steps of this is, potty training. When you are being potty trained you are taught that you can no longer use the washroom any where you want to, as you do when your wearing diapers. You are taught that the washroom is the socially acceptable place to conduct these activities. Family also provides you with practical lessons of fundamental principles that are practiced in societies outside of your own. For example washing your hands before you eat is a simple task and is done in most societies. Imagine if your family had not taught you to practice this and you were to go out to dinner with business associates and your hands were covered in mud. You would be considered an outcast and any dealings you had with them may be cut off. Your family also he lps you understand the theoretical concepts that are important when learning how to communicate with people. My mother would often say to me â€Å"Treat others, as you would like to be treated†. This gave taught me that if I treated people with respect that I would also receive it. Politics were rarely discussed in my family, but I was raised in a liberal fashion. I was allowed to make many of my own decisions and if there was a difference of opinion between my mother and I a compromise was usually made. School is your first step into the political world. It is the first place where you are part of a social group. You are introduced to competition, cooperation, compromise, and democracy. Within all schools there are diverse social groups with different values and beliefs, this diversity can be compared to that of political parties. Each group hangs out in different sections of the school and only interact with each other in the classroom (similar to the House of Commons) this is one of the few settings where each group learns about each others differences and similarities on first hand basis. Moreover competition is at the forefront of every school. As soon as you enter kindergarten you realize everyone is competing for the title of being the best, whether it is being the smartest in the class or the best athlete. Cooperation was introduced with having to work on assignments with other students regardless off whether you liked or disliked them, through this compromise was reached by having to accept what fellow classmates wanted along with what you wanted. Democracy in school was a regular occurrence in school whether it was voting for class president or school president both of these votes entitles you to have a say in who would be representing you and your opinions. The funny thing about school is that you learn the concept of â€Å"majority rules† before you‘ve even heard of democracy. The media plays a very important role in the political socialization of members of our society. The reason for this is that being part of a developed society we are exposed to the messages of the media on a daily basis whether it is from television, radio, or the newspaper. Television is the most influential of the three simply because it is the easiest avenue to transmit political ideas to people. For one a large amount of people owns a television, which makes it easy to have ideas transmitted on a large scale. Secondly, television caters to everyone regardless of age, race, or gender. Television has an influence on people’s socialization since they start to watch as a child. It is not rare for a parent to ask their child â€Å"Where did you learn from?† and the response is very commonly â€Å"From T.V.†. Children are not the only ones affected by television, teenagers and adults both have their opinions influenced by TV especially by the news where many issues are portrayed with a biased view. An example of this is after September 11,2001 any Muslim person who was an introvert was portrayed to be a possible terrorist. Television did have an influence on my political socialization and still does. The means I take to avoid acquiring biased opinions is by viewing with a critical eye. No one factor can determine a person’s political socialization because socialization depends on a number of factors and is an on going process through out a person’s life.

The Executive Office of the U.S. President essays

The Executive Office of the U.S. President essays Within the last decade, the Office of the President of the United States Federal Government, part of the triad of the Executive, Legislative (US Congress) and Judicial (the Supreme Court) branches, has come under fire, due to the views of some Americans who consider the Executive branch to be far less important than the other two. However, the Office of the President of the United States bears much responsibility for the ways things are decided related to American society and how the laws of the land are interpreted and acted upon in times of great prosperity and economic/political turmoil (McCague, 56). Generally, the Executive branch of the U.S. government is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land and was originally created during the Presidency of George Washington in the late 1700s. Much like other entities, this office could not function properly if not for the presence of other entities, such as the Vice President, department heads (i.e., those who run and operate cabinet departments) and a number of independent agencies. Unlike the powers of the President, the responsibilities of these adjunct bodies are not defined in the Constitution, yet each has special powers and functions (Executive Branch, Internet). Basically, the President is the unconditional leader and representative of the country and its citizens and also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of all military bodies, federal organizations and military-based operations, much like George Washington when he served as the Commander of the colonial forces during the Revolutionary War. The Vice President, usually appointed by the President, serves as the President of the U.S. Senate and if the President suddenly dies or resigns from office, the Vice President automatically becomes Commander-in-Chief. As to cabinet departments, these are almost always led by individuals appointed by the President during his (...

Language and Logical Positivism Essay Example

Language and Logical Positivism Essay Example Language and Logical Positivism Essay Language and Logical Positivism Essay If asked â€Å"What is language? † one would try to define it in his or her own words or possibly look the word up in the dictionary. Language, by definition, is â€Å"the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community† (Merriam-Webster). Though the association between this word and its simple definition is what would be widely accepted by our society, philosophers or more specifically logical positivists would argue against the simplicity of language. According to the man who pioneered the logical positivist movement, Ludwig Wittgenstein, â€Å"Language is a part of our organism and no less complicated than it† (Wittgenstein). But first, we must have an understanding of what logical positivism is and what this school of philosophy believes. Logical positivists’ view is solely based on something called verification and meaning. To understand what verification and meaning is, there are two other very vital elements in understanding logical positivism: tautologies and empirical statements. Tautologies are statements that are known to be true through logical analysis or the meaning of words. For instance, mathematics would be a tautology because it is a logical truth, as well as an existing statement that would say that water is H2O. On the other hand, an empirical statement is almost the exact opposite. Empirical statements are statements known to be true through observation only. An example of an empirical statement would be to say that a man is wearing a black coat. Surely, a person can observe the statement that that same man is indeed wearing a black coat if he or she actually saw the man. But even if our eyes tell us that it is a black coat, how do we really know if the coat is a black coat or not? Since there is no real way, scientifically nor mathematically, in proving that his coat is actually black, we must assume that the statement is an empirical statement. Now that tautologies and empirical statements are understood, what is the connection to verification and meaning? â€Å"Verificationism  is the idea that a statement or question only has meaning if there is some way to determine if the statement is true, or what the answer to the question is† (Wikipedia). According to logical positivists, a statement must be verifiable to have true meaning. If it cannot be verified, then therefore it must be meaningless. The two types of statements we learned before, tautologies and empirical statements, are forms of how we can determine verification. Now, how can we connect language and meaning to what we have learned about the basics of logical positivism? Since stating earlier that language is much more complicated than it seems, it is starting to prove obvious from how much information has just been said that it is indeed a very complex thing. Language is what gives us meaning; it gives us an understanding and sense of our own reality. Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality† (Edgar Allan Poe). A word would be meaningless if our sense of reality of the word was nonexistent. In every language, there is a list of words that create a vocabulary and the grammatical arrangement of those words into a sentence is the syntax. In what is socially understood and accepted by any society, each and every word has its own definition and that definition is true. Though each definition is true, the combinations of the word into the sentence may not be. If the syntax is incorrect, it will be nonsensical. From what was learned above about tautologies and empirical statements, one can determine whether a sentence is true or false by the rules of logical positivists. Logical positivists, like Rudolf Carnap, believe that it is possible for a sentence to have meaning but that same sentence can also prove to be either true or false. Only a meaningful statement will be able to be proven true or false. If a statement is meaningless, the arrangement and sequence of the words create a statement that will not make sense. There are some cases where the sequence of words can look like a sentence that has meaning at first glance, but it does not prove to be logical. Carnap and other positivists would call these types of statements a pseudo-statement. â€Å"Since the meaning of a word is determined by its criterion of application†¦, the stipulation of the criterion takes away ones freedom to decide what one wishes to mean by the word†¦The meaning is implicitly contained in the criterion; all that remains to be done is to make the meaning explicit† (Carnap). One can have an idea of a certain word through mental images or feelings, but he or she cannot acquire any meaning to the word from just a mental image or feeling. Furthermore, to understand the full meaning of a word, one must determine the word’s criterion of application â€Å"by the relations of deducibility entered into by its elementary sentence-form, by its truth-conditions, by the method of its verification†. This all, in opposition to metaphysicians, is only describing the significance of a word. Put it all together and imagine the significance of a sentence, still in terms of logical positivism. As said before, a sentence can only have meaning if its words are coherently organized in syntax. But positivists seem to argue somewhat against this. In each language, there is a possibility that a sentence can be arranged using perfect grammar and syntax, but not always will it make sense. For example, a person can say â€Å"Bob is make† and have it be perfectly, grammatically correct in syntax. But is it logical? Obviously not, because it does not make any sense. Since natural languages are able to form grammatically correct but illogical sentences, logical positivists believe that grammatical syntax is insufficient. It is suggested that to understand and make sense of a sentence, instead of focusing on the meaning of each individual word, to focus on the syntactical type of each word. Since we now know and understand the logical positivists view on the significance of words and how they are formed to understand the significance of a sentence, we know that the formation and use of words and sentences are what creates a language. But how does language explain our perceptions of reality? â€Å"The limits of my language are the limits of my reality† (Wittgenstein). Everyone’s perception of reality may be different, but how each is perceived, well, that is solely based upon language. It is true that we all have our own perception of reality, and it would be impossible to even experience reality without the understanding of our own language. Our language is what tells us who, what, where, when, why and how. We would not have a sense of self identity if we did not have a language to describe ourselves, for example, a first name or ethnicity. Anything we do would not have any meaning if it weren’t for language. Life would just simply be chaos to us; since, without it, we wouldn’t even know what we are doing. Without language, we wouldn’t even know where we are or how to even describe our locations. We’d be lost in space. Time, therefore, would not even exist without language; time is a key element in our sense of reality. If there is no language, then there is no time; therefore there is no reality, so would we even exist? Without a language to explain why, we would be lacking knowledge. Without knowledge, we would be useless, meaningless beings. Lastly, a natural language can always explain how. A language explains how things work, or how things exist, etc. If we do not have the knowledge of knowing all the how’s, we would probably question our own existence, which again would distort our perception of reality. So, â€Å"the limit can †¦ only be drawn in language and what lies on the other side of the limit will be simply nonsense† (Wittgenstein). â€Å"Philosophy is language idling† (Wittgenstein).

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Art - Essay Example He is a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet who spearheaded the principle of Surrealism which embraces unconventional art. One of his works that demonstrated surrealism would be â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, a painting of the hero in the Sophocles’ tragedy. Here one could see a picture of violence, seen through the depiction of the pierced fingers and walnut. The fingers are being speared by a bow-like device used to puncture the feet of birds so as to stop them from flying. However, the fingers do not bleed but the wound looks painful because of the penetration of the sharp object into the hand (Kuspit, D.). With all these said, the meaning of â€Å"Oedipus Rex† painting of Max Ernst is ambiguous, as opposed to the art of the 18th and 19th century. Looking at the painting, I would say that the person whose hand is being pierced is somewhat accepting the suffering he is undergoing despite the pain. Also, the fingers being pierced do not have any traces of bl ood which defies the concept of realism. All these sends contradicting messages that leave its audience wondering what the painter wanted to convey in the piece of art. Deducing Max Ernst’s â€Å"Oedipus Rex† painting and considering the transition of the changes from well-established principles of art to surrealism, I would say that this art attempted to veer away from realism, which is a principle which seeks to represent a subject matter truthfully. I would say so because though at first glance one would be able to immediately see suffering as a main subject in â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, one would start to see the irony of the scene when one looks closely on the details such as the pierced hand and fingers without any blood gushing out of it which is unrealistic. Aside from that, I strongly believe that Max Ernst tried to veer away from the confines of past artistic views of symbolism because he used strange symbols in his painting such as the walnut, birds in a box , bird with a horn, and a window which does not comprise of unified whole meaning. Also, Ernst’s bizarre painting resisted standards of rationality in such a way as the elements used in the painting could mean so many things because of its complexity. However, basing it in the predicament Oedipus was going through, the Sphinx actually refers to Oedipus himself giving the painting much depth as compared to works of art that embraces realism. On the other hand, the walnut refers to Hamlet’s statement, â€Å"O God, I could be bounded in a nut-shell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams" (Hamlet, II.2.247). The bird refers to Ernst pet cockatoo when he was a child which happened to die the same night his sister was born (Kuspit, D.). With all the complex symbolism Ernst used, one would only need to dig deeper into the elements of the painting in order to understand what he is trying to say. After studying Max Ernst’s â€Å" Oedipus Rex†, I would say that there is a huge change in his art as compared to the art in the 18th and 19th century wherein there are certain forms and styles being followed as opposed to the free flow of ideas and emotions being depicted in in â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. Though it is harder to understand, I would simply say that aside from it requiring a different kind of intellectual

UC Application - Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UC Application - - Personal Statement Example Because many businesses are operating in tough economic times, making proper use of financial resources of importance value. Managing financial resources thus interests me given the benefit of using capital in an effective way. In addition, I have an interest of running a successful business that will purchase and sell goods in the international market. This enormous task requires robust financial understanding that I can only earn by enrolling in a financial program. These reasons reinforce my interest in finance major that is offered in your esteemed university. My interest for a financial major is strengthened by experience in a number of positions. In the past, I have worked as a sales person for a trading company where I managed products being sold by the firm. In this position, I learnt various skills required by marketers. During the 2010 summer, I worked as an intern in a Chinese firm. As an intern, my immediate supervisor tasked me with the role of carrying out various finan cial calculations using Microsoft Excel. Further, I learnt how to carry out market research and to use data in making strategic decisions in business. Most important, I learnt how to enter data and analyze them based on certain parameters. Equally important, I had the opportunity of working for an insurance agency. In this firm, I plan and advise clients based on their business proposals. Moreover, my role is to persuade businesspersons to subscribe to our insurance policies to protect their business from various risks. From the above work experiences, I gained many significant experiences that will improve my performance as a financial planner. First, I learnt how to market goods to different businesses with a goal of winning. With a goal of starting an international business, I am now aware of how to win other businesses that may be some of my customers. In the same fashion, I learnt the value of making a sound decision based on data gained from research. Indeed, this critical gai n will improve my ability to operate in the international arena where business intelligence is paramount. Further, I also gained new concepts both in business and in finance that will increase my success in business. With an intention of working an iBank first, before starting my own business, I deem this experiences a great opportunity for me to appreciate the role of business. Given my application for consideration in your university, I intend to use this opportunity as a solid foundation to acquire other advanced financial concepts that will prepare me to excel in business as an astute financial planner. Questions two Being a leader is one of the attributes that defines me. Over years, I have had the opportunity to take on different leaders that have given me the opportunity to serve others, as well as develop myself. During my tenure in De Anza College, I was the president of the Japanese Cultural Club, which had a goal of disseminating Japanese culture, heritage, and value amon g members of the club. My acceptance as the president of the association was because of my cross-cultural ability and understanding of other cultures, as well. With this background, I am looked forward for an opportunity to use the skills I have learnt in contributing to the diversity of the university. Apart from being the president of the Japanese Cultural Club, I also served as chairperson of the Biology club. This is a position that I served because of

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for Research Proposal

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for the Design of University Education - Research Proposal Example In the last decade, higher education in Saudi Arabia has undergone a major transformation. There has been a three-fold increase in the number of universities in the last ten years. Consequentially, postgraduate students have increased in number. Along with this, improvement in the quality of education and making Saudi education come at par with the education of technologically advanced countries in terms of quality has been the major goal of Saudi universities in the 21st century. Several events have recently occurred that have reflected the increased interest of the students in Saudi Arabia in e-learning. In the year 2009, an international conference regarding cyberlearning and distance education was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in her entire history. This led to the establishment of the Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning. This center was developed in accordance with the plan prepared by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education that was directed at cultivating a ro bust infrastructure for the promotion of technology led education in the Universities of Saudi Arabia. Taking a look at the recent advancements that have been made in the field of education in Saudi Arabia, it becomes evident that this is a very crucial time for understanding how students’ own experiences of digital technology use in their personal lives influence their perceptions of ideal university education. Young people have conventionally been the primary users of innovation information technology (Rheingold, n.d. p. 97) â€Å"remaining at the top of Internet usage statistics and distinguishing themselves as early adopters of features such as instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, and social networking tools† (Xenos and Foot, n.d.). Thus, the matter fundamentally concerns the youth and hence the future of Saudi nationals. This research will generate this information so that educationalists may be facilitated in adjusting the university education according to the aspirations of students which is conducive to the students’ increased participation and better academic performance. Provision of digital media in Saudi universities will â€Å"enhance their civic engagement, which comprises political activism, deliberation, problem-solving, and participation in shaping a culture† (Levine, n.d., p. 119).

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

CASE STUDY - Essay Example In 1972 the company reported Net Income of $172.7 million that increased by more than hundred percent to $497.3 million. The financial performance of the company was characterized by steady and consistent growth and rising profitability. AHP increased revenues, earnings and shareholders’ dividends for straight 29 years. The company managed to retain the growth in the range of 10 percent and 15 percent in recent years. This growth was financed by the company through internal means even though it paid roughly 60 percent of the earnings as dividends. The earnings growth of the company boosted the share price of the company by nearly three times. The steady growth in sales and rising EPS made the shares of the company an attractive ‘buy’ among the institutional investors. The low debt exposure of AHP seemed to work in favor of the company as it gained wider acceptance from the institutional investors. To couple with this the steady rise in the return on equity of the company seemed to attract more number of buyers which can be the reason for the three fold rise in the share price of the company. The cash flow position of the company was also very strong as evident from the steady rise in the Cash position of the company. In 1976 the company had Cash of nearly $358.8 million that grew to $729.1 million. Even though the company declared a generous portion of the profits as dividend the cash reserves of the company kept rising steadily. In fact the growth in cash reserves even outpaced the growth rate in sales and profits. This ensured that the liquidity position of the company remained strong. A high liquidity, as measured by a high current ratio, is a good sign as it signifies that the company is capable of taking care of any financial emergency (Siegel, et al., 1997, pp80). Warner Lambert was the only company that was comparable to AHP. Like AHP the former also operated in roughly the same businesses and had a debt

Humane Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Humane Society - Essay Example Local groups handle the actual care giving process such as looking after animal housing, the animal adoption process and even euthanasia when it is required as an act of mercy (Wikipedia, 2008). 3. Relating to the audience: Even in our neighborhoods and cities, shelters are provided for animals and these shelters include municipal and private shelters which provide a wide variety of facilities. From life time care facilities for animals that are without homes to the temporary homes for animals. However, a municipal shelter is run by the government and it is funded by taxpayers such as you and me. The employees of such shelters are civil servants. Their basic function is defined in municipal codes, which means to pick up wandering and irritant animals and then reunite them with their owners. 5. Private shelters: work with funded from private donors and provide a safe home for lost and misplaced animals. Their basic task is to find homes for such animals. Employees of these shelters work as volunteers and may even be professional vets who go about caring for such animals. Many of the private shelters do wonderful work by placing animals in good homes. However, some may have to kill the animals that cannot be adopted since there is never enough room in such places. The animals that have to be euthanized often are those who have constant health situations e.g. diabetes, or a disability which makes them difficult to offer for adoption. 6. These are called â€Å"no kill† Shelters. No Kill is a widespread movement for animal shelter improvement. It is advocated by Winograd with a simple policy of not to euthanize animals. Such kinds of policies are known as â€Å"no kill.† The phrase No Kill is distinct by practices whereby an animal may be killed in order to ease the suffering of the animal or if the animal is unmanageable. However, animals are not killed just because there is not enough room in the shelter (Encyclopedia Britannica,

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) Essay

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) - Essay Example As the paper stresses Bogging as an ICT tool in the math classroom and other academic contexts, for that matter, has benefits as â€Å"a method of public discourse of the information society†.The â€Å"blog† as a tool of information and communication technology exhibits strengths in â€Å"the innovative possibilities for interactive relationships between learner and the ICT system†¦the blog is a method of discourse and discussion which opens up new possibilities for illustrating instructional learning tasks and facilitating the understanding and comprehension of mathematical phenomena† . According to the report findings participating in ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’ is an effective strength of blogging. The instructional method of ‘co-operative learning’ is often effectively demonstrated in the ICT learning environment. Blogging offers the opportunities for dialogue and discussion that are both motivational and social in educational context, including the mathematics classroom. Developmental and cognitive elaborations (from teachers and students) provide the opportunities and affordances of learning resources and support, i.e. The ICT collaborative learning camps. 'Collaborative constructions of knowledge’ are the learning outcomes of deductive/inductive logic, blogging of math theories, blogging on cognitive perspectives. ICT, with use of blogging techniques, â€Å"focuses on collaboration through the computer or computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), assisted by different network-based collaborative tools, wi thin the math classrooms†.

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

CASE STUDY - Essay Example In 1972 the company reported Net Income of $172.7 million that increased by more than hundred percent to $497.3 million. The financial performance of the company was characterized by steady and consistent growth and rising profitability. AHP increased revenues, earnings and shareholders’ dividends for straight 29 years. The company managed to retain the growth in the range of 10 percent and 15 percent in recent years. This growth was financed by the company through internal means even though it paid roughly 60 percent of the earnings as dividends. The earnings growth of the company boosted the share price of the company by nearly three times. The steady growth in sales and rising EPS made the shares of the company an attractive ‘buy’ among the institutional investors. The low debt exposure of AHP seemed to work in favor of the company as it gained wider acceptance from the institutional investors. To couple with this the steady rise in the return on equity of the company seemed to attract more number of buyers which can be the reason for the three fold rise in the share price of the company. The cash flow position of the company was also very strong as evident from the steady rise in the Cash position of the company. In 1976 the company had Cash of nearly $358.8 million that grew to $729.1 million. Even though the company declared a generous portion of the profits as dividend the cash reserves of the company kept rising steadily. In fact the growth in cash reserves even outpaced the growth rate in sales and profits. This ensured that the liquidity position of the company remained strong. A high liquidity, as measured by a high current ratio, is a good sign as it signifies that the company is capable of taking care of any financial emergency (Siegel, et al., 1997, pp80). Warner Lambert was the only company that was comparable to AHP. Like AHP the former also operated in roughly the same businesses and had a debt

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) Essay

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) - Essay Example As the paper stresses Bogging as an ICT tool in the math classroom and other academic contexts, for that matter, has benefits as â€Å"a method of public discourse of the information society†.The â€Å"blog† as a tool of information and communication technology exhibits strengths in â€Å"the innovative possibilities for interactive relationships between learner and the ICT system†¦the blog is a method of discourse and discussion which opens up new possibilities for illustrating instructional learning tasks and facilitating the understanding and comprehension of mathematical phenomena† . According to the report findings participating in ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’ is an effective strength of blogging. The instructional method of ‘co-operative learning’ is often effectively demonstrated in the ICT learning environment. Blogging offers the opportunities for dialogue and discussion that are both motivational and social in educational context, including the mathematics classroom. Developmental and cognitive elaborations (from teachers and students) provide the opportunities and affordances of learning resources and support, i.e. The ICT collaborative learning camps. 'Collaborative constructions of knowledge’ are the learning outcomes of deductive/inductive logic, blogging of math theories, blogging on cognitive perspectives. ICT, with use of blogging techniques, â€Å"focuses on collaboration through the computer or computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), assisted by different network-based collaborative tools, wi thin the math classrooms†.

ICT Coursework Essay Example for Free

ICT Coursework Essay Mellor Village is an area that only has three doctors who all work individually in the same community. I am their ICT system analyst to help them through the process of creating a better organised health centre. This medical centre will be named Mellor Village Health Centre and will have new logo and slogan and I will create a database too. The new medical centre will have a sufficient amount of staff which will include the following: * 3 doctors * 2 medical centre nurses * 2 district nurses * 1 health centre manager * 1 secretary * 3 receptionists * 1 counsellor * 1 health visitor * 1 midwife PROBLEMS * The first problem is that all the patient records are on a paper-based system, there are no computers . This is risky because papers and files can get misplaced. So loads of files in cabinets takes up a lot of space. Also tea could be spilt on it by accident and important patient information would be destroyed. * Another problem is that people make appointments and they dont turn up or forget they had one. This creates confusion and wastes the doctors time. Also minor appointments take up the time which could be needed for emergency appointments. * Staff need to be trained on how to use the computer whilst putting patient records on it and this is a major necessity. * Also there will be more staff so more money will be needed to give out wages to everyone and there wont be enough money to give out. SOLUTION * The solution to the first problem is that by creating a computer system the records of all the patients will be put on the computer and they wont take up any space because everything will be stored on the computer. Also they will stay safe on the computers, this means there will be as revolutionary paper-less office. * Staff will be the only ones to view patient information so this will reduce the risk of hackers hacking in the files. * Another solution is that creating a logo and a slogan will be very easy because it will be done using the computer. Which will be efficient and there will be a variety of choices for my logo and slogan. Plan For Relational Database I will create my relational database by going onto Microsoft access. There I will create one table in design view to store each patients main records of contact. This will be table 1 and it will have records such as; * Title * Surname, * Forename, * Address, * Medical No, * Telephone, * Medical history * Gender The medical number will be the primary key. Further I will put the patients information in and save this as table 1 and close it down. I will then create a second table in design view which will be called table 2. It will have fields such as: * Surname, * Medical number, * Doctors name, * Date of appointment * Time of appointment * Ailment. The medical number is the primary key because it is the unique key field for each record. I will put each individual persons information in detail in this table. I will then save this as table 2 and close it down. There will be two tables because one will just include identity and address of the patients. The second table has to be made because it is more in-depth information into each persons medical services and problems. I will go on tools -relationships and add table 1 and 2 and close it down. Thirdly Ill go on relationships edit relationships and go on create new and press ok. Furthermore, I will click on enforce referential integrity and Ill click create. This will be saved and closed. Furthermore by clicking on + on each record of table 1 that persons appointment time and table 2 information will come up. This is a relational database in which both tables relate to each other. The importance of a relational database is that all the data doesnt have to be stored in one large table and all the data is linked together by the key fields and the database management system. It is more better and beneficial than a flat-file database. Feasibility Study The computerised solution will reduce paperwork because all patient records will be stored on a computer system. All the data will be on a database. This will reduce the amount of files and filing cabinets. The solution speeds up the process considerably, because it takes less time to store data on a computer, and it doesnt waste the doctors time. So if the staff works for less hours they will be paid less wages, which will mean the centre will have to give out less money. It also creates fewer mistakes because the spellchecker corrects and identifies the errors in grammar with validation and verification. It provides better reports for the managers because they are clearer, neater and more presentable. These potential benefits outweigh the costs involved of introducing the new system. This is because the benefits are: * That time is used efficiently and not wasted. * It is also easier to make a back-up copy after typing something up. * There is ultimate accuracy because the spell checker identifies the mistakes. These are then verified and validated.Fewer mistakes are made and this is how the computerised solution will improve and increase accuracy. * The Data Protection Act will keep the patient details and data safe by password protection. This reduces the risks of hackers gaining access to confidential files. The costs are: * that the computer could be hacked in or files could be lost. * The computers take up a lot of space too. * Viruses could delete all the information. * There are more staff so more wages has to be given out. * The staff have to be trained on how to use the computer if they dont know. This will cost money and time. * There are health and safety risks because eyes will be strained and eyesight could get worse. * Also they could have back ache and hand ache with sitting in one position too long and holding the mouse for long periods.

The Marketing Audits Lo1 Marketing Essay

The Marketing Audits Lo1 Marketing Essay a. There are two components of marketing environment micro and macro components some of these are uncontrollable and some of them are controllable. Political, economic, Social, Technological, Legal forces, and indirect competitors are macro components of this environment. These are also uncontrollable forces. Customers, direct competitors, distributors, suppliers, sources of finance and the public are the micro components of the environment. The audit is the means by which a company can understand how it is related and integrated to the environment in which it operates. Audit divided into two parts, which are external and internal audit. Market is subject to continuous change so marketing techniques adopted by a company needs to be dynamic and open to changes. If a company is not ready to embrace the new challenges and opportunities that a changing, developing market has to offer it is doom to diminish its activities. Therefore, like financial auditing marketing auditing is essential before introducing a new marketing plan. For instance, McDonalds did not pay attention to the changing needs of customers and altering market. McDonalds eventually changed its longer-term strategic marketing plan after gaining a dull understanding of the market. There are number of techniques and tools to assess organizational capabilities such as Value chain analysis, SWOT Analysis, TOWS Analysis, Porters Five Forces, and BCG Matrix. Lets assume that Starbucks is using Value Chain Analysis. It will go through these points to fully analyze it. Inbound Logistics: To acquire one of the highest quality beans available Starbucks collaborated with a little town to buy the entire stock of beans available. Operations: the beans that are bought are roasted in Starbucks own roaster and if the sample is not in the same quality with the other samples it is being discarded. Therefore, it is a pretty complex operations system. Marketing and Sales: TV advertisements are not Starbucks priority. Instead, it is using the most powerful tool; word of mouth marketing and conduct some promotions. Because, it claims to offer more than coffee, which is Starbucks experience, company are not offering so many promotions and advertisement. Human Resource Management: Training of all employees is extremely important. Employees are valued and there is a really low turnover rate. Administration: Starbucks is avoiding becoming a traditional organization. Therefore, it doesnt have a formal organizational chart. Macintosh HD:Users:sara:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-06-25 at 5.04.08 PM.png As the above example shows, it is inevitable to say that even a quick analysis (internal/external) is a must when considering forming a marketing plan in this volatile market environment. b. For auditing the organization, we should look at the capabilities of a firm. Our goal is to identify the firms strengths as compared to requirements of the market. Following capabilities can be examined while auditing the organization. Corporate capabilities, Resource audit, Utilization of resources, financial measures, Comparative analysis There are number of techniques and tools to assess organizational capabilities such as Value chain analysis, SWOT Analysis and BCG Matrix. For Starbucks Ive chose to conduct SWOT Analysis. SWOT Analysis SWOT ANALYSIS is used for measuring the organizations internal assessment. Strengths: Starbucks offer quality coffee and an experience for customers, which increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. Starbucks has high brand equity. Starbucks is operating in 40 countries worldwide with offering same quality. Product diversification is high Very recognized logo and brand High visibility locations is a good way of attracting customers and staling share from the competitors Good relationship with suppliers Good working environment, happy employees lead to satisfied customers Weaknesses: Prices are higher compared to competitors. Operating costs are high. Profit of the business depends on coffee prices. Starbucks is so much focusing on expansion, internal focus is ignored Threats: Increasing number of competitors. Health conscious people decreasing the coffee consumption. US market saturation and increasing unemployment rate Coffee price extremely dependent on developing countries Opportunities: Entering India, Pakistan and other countries with high population Whole bean sales in supermarkets Adding new products Technological advances New distribution channels PEST Analysis PEST ANALYSIS is used for measuring the organizations goals against influences and demands of environment. It is a very efficient tool to assess external (uncontrollable) factors in the market. Political: Relationship between US and countries producing coffee beans The political stability of the countries in potential destinations The political stability of the countries, which provides raw materials to Starbucks Environmental regulations Industry-specific regulations Economic: Demand for food and beverages Customers purchasing power Exchange rate taxation Tariffs quotes Unemployment rates in potential destinations Social: Current trends in coffee shops around world Consumer Preferences Changes in lifestyle and occupation Education of employees and customers Technology: RD in manufacturing RD in biotech and agriculture RD in IT Following social media strategies Macintosh HD:Users:sara:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-06-25 at 12.37.59 AM.png Task 2- Barriers to Marketing Planning LO2: a. McDonald defines 5 areas in marketing planning that may have problems, which are cultural, behavioral, cognitive, systems procedures and resources. Cultural- lack of belief in planning or need for change Behavioral- lack of top management support, lack of team coherence Cognitive- lack of knowledge and skill Systems procedures- lack of data Resources- lack of time, people and money More in depth the barriers are, 1. Confusion between marketing tactics and strategy, 2. Isolating the marketing function from operations, 3. Confusion between the marketing function and the marketing concept. 4. Organizational barriers -the tribal mentality, for example the failure to define strategic business units (SBUs) correctly. 5. Lack of in-depth analysis, 6. Confusion between process and output. 7. Lack of knowledge and skills. 8. Lack of a systematic approach to marketing planning, 9. Failure to prioritize objectives, 10. Hostile corporate cultures b. Ten S Framework In order to overcome the above barriers McDonalds Ten S Framework can be used. If they follow this circle strategically Macintosh HD:Users:sara:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-06-25 at 2.43.09 AM.png According to Mc Donald, Principle I: Developing the strategic marketing plan. In this plan, the period should be between three and five years. Principle 2: Marketing function should be as close as possible to the consumers. Principle 3: Define clearly what is marketing. Principle 4: Company activities should be organized around customer groups and market segments. Principle 5: Scan the environment thoroughly (PEST analysis etc.) Principle 6: Scanning the internal environment (SWOT Analysis) Principle 7: Marketing personnel must have skills and technical knowledge for the job. Principle 8: Prepare written procedures, as it is a common and systematic format for marketing planning. Principle 9: Objectives should be prioritized according to allocation of resources, their urgency. Principle 10: Organization should make sure to have the active support and participation of culture leaders. Task 3- The Marketing Plan LO3: Starbucks needs to be innovative as the market is so harsh and it has lots of competitors. In addition to that, profit margins of Starbucks are low so it has to offer the same good quality. Also in order to keep and increase brand loyalty, Starbucks has to offer different ideas all the time. As people get bored easily of products and services offered. Starbucks is trying to find and embrace new ideas all the time, they have a website called My Starbucks Idea for people. Community shares their ideas in this platform and maybe Starbucks would apply some of them  [1]  . Developing meaningful products and services for long-term success. Innovative solutions are developed to improve peoples lives and to increase demand to the firm. Also, innovation makes businesses to think about why it wants to do something. It makes businesses to look ahead and think about the possible problems that could be solved. This can be achieved through thinking outside the box. New product development is an essential section of any company marketing strategy. There are some ways for new product development. For instance developing/creating products that are totally new to the world (Tablet computers), Product improvements (Panthene Shampoos with conditioner), product modifications (mobile phones), new brands. Starbucks can use these 4 ways to develop products. When we apply these techniques to Starbucks and its products; Products new to the world: Frozen Starbucks coffee cubes. Product improvements: Coffee mocha that makes you sleep better and tastes stronger. Product modifications: Coffee without any fat. Cappuccino with more skimming. New brands: Starbucks for juniors-Starkids. Pricing: There are several ways for pricing such as price making, price taking, niche marketing, cost-based pricing, market-oriented pricing, price skimming, and price penetration etc. Among these pricing techniques Starbucks can use price making for new products. Since, Starbucks is the market leader. It has the opportunity to dictate the market prices. Price makers can also manipulate the prices more easily to adjust market conditions. Therefore, the autonomy of control is much higher. Distribution: Manufacturers can sell directly to customers. Manufacturers can sell to retailers and then to customers or manufacturer can sell to wholesaler, wholesaler can sell to retailer and retailer can sell to customer. In this case, Starbucks is the manufacturer, wholesaler (selling to other retailers such as Krogers etc.) and the retailer. In addition to that, instead of traditional ways of distribution a company can use vertical marketing channel too. In this model, all three functions are integrated. Manufacturer is also in contact with the wholesaler and with the retailer. This includes sharing information, and know-how to ensure that the requirements of customers are always treated as the priority. This is an effective model for Starbucks as it is modern and suitable for Starbucks. In addition to distribution method, company also needs to decide on the distribution intensity of its products such as exclusive, selective and intensive distribution. When it comes to distribution intensity, intensive distribution method is appropriate for Starbucks. Macintosh HD:Users:sara:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-06-25 at 9.20.43 PM.png Communicating: The communication tools are advertising, radio, magazines, television channels, direct marketing, personal selling, promotions, exhibitions, telemarketing, events, public relations, sponsorship, and merchandising. Marketing communications (promotion) mix for Starbucks. Advertising: If Starbucks opens new location reminder advertising should be done. If Starbucks wants to inform and emphasize the guaranteed satisfaction for consumers persuasive advertising should be done. If Starbucks creates a new flavor for a beverage informative advertising should be done. Public relations: This is an important strategy for Starbucks as it is an essential strategy for community relationship. In addition to that, celebrity endorsement can be a vital strategy to target younger consumers. Social Media Marketing: In todays world consumers are very connected and social. Therefore, it is extremely important for companies to stay connected with potential consumers. d. The new product for Starbucks is create your own Frappuccino. Firstly, we need a review of the environment (PEST and SWOT). Then we need to conduct 7P Analysis then we need a review of the marketing system. The next thing to do is clarifying goals and objectives. If our objectives and strategies are feasible in terms of the market share, sales, costs and profits we can continue with our plan, if not we should revise our company goals. Finally, we can establish targets and standards. Analysis stage Marketing audit, environmental and organizational analysis (see task 1 for SWOT and PEST) Planning stage Setting objectives is in this part. Customize your Frappuccino will earn 20% of the market share within 2 years is our new goal for the new product. Implementation stage Promotion mix: Informative TV and magazine advertisings for the new product should be done. Also, through Facebook and Twitter social media campaigns will be started. Pricing: As the leader of the market, we make the price. For a limited time Customized Frappuccinos are for 4 $ (additional fees may occur due to seasonal changes and excessive amount of selections). Distribution: Same strategy vertical marketing channel applies here too. In addition to these, we target people around 15- 45 who enjoy trying new things and have an independent personality. Monitoring stage The last stage in the marketing planning process is where we monitor the plans performance. This diagram can be used in order to assess and monitor the achievement of the plan. One of our short-term goals might be increasing the awareness of this product 30% by the end of two months in Berlin. What is happening? Are we close to achieve it? Why or why not? Macintosh HD:Users:sara:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-06-26 at 1.19.05 AM.png Task 4- Ethical Issues LO4 : a. Some ethical issues in marketing are product recalls, product issues, product market research, pricing issues (price fixing, predatory pricing etc.). Considering these headings, Starbucks have couple of ethical issues, which are also taken into account by social media too. First of all, for years Starbucks claimed their cups are disposable/ green but consumers learnt that it wasnt recyclable. This is a product issue  [2]  . There is also another issue that Starbucks is making every other small coffee shops close their doors. Therefore, it is decreasing the competition by acquiring more and more places (to be more convenient), which can also be discussed whether it is ethical or not. Since, Starbucks is a very big company and has good relationship with the coffee beans suppliers, it is buying all of the premium coffee beans in a very small town, which is unfair to other competitors. b. Marketing Mix Ethical Issues: Because, Starbucks advertised its coffee cups as green it is false or misleading advertising. This may damage the reputation of the company and decrease brand loyalty. One of the major ethical problem and its implication on the distribution is the restrictions of supply. There is a small town, which produces high quality, premium coffee beans and their product is bought buy Starbucks only. Starbucks buy large quantities of coffee beans compared to its competitors throughout the world therefore it is inevitable to state that Starbucks both will have negative and positive image among consumers, competitors and media. Ethical issues will arise, the main success is diminishing and eliminating this ethical issues with sponsorship or good corporate relationships. Personal selling and counterfeiting (other ethical issues) dont apply to Starbucks case. c. Starbucks is the only coffee shop (comparing to Costa or Coffee Nero) that sells fair trade coffee. Fairtrade guarantees a minimum price that tracks slightly above market rates, the Rainforest Alliance label only guarantees that 30% of coffee beans in a product have been certified  [3]  . In my point of view, the main ethical issue Starbucks is their strategy of expanding. It ignores other smaller shops and other locally owned coffee shops go out of business and face bankruptcy. The Fairtrade Mark guarantees that Third World producers get a superior arrangement for the goods that they develop.

Fate In Oedipus Rex :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through Sophocles’ use of foreshadowing in the play Oedipus Rex, certain truths are revealed to the reader, such as the fact that a lack of respect for fate can eventually bring on a person’s downfall, by driving them to delusion. Oedipus is looked up to by all his kingdom at the opening of the play, only to be thwarted by his own lack of intelligence-- and more by his lack of faith than even that. Oedipus, once the sanguine, yet slightly overbearing ruler of the people, is reduced to less than a sliver of a human being. When confronted by the prophet Teiresius, Oedipus feels most perplexed and even exposed. And so he rejects any possibility of validity in Teiresius’ prognostication, and, in doing this, signs his own sentence. Because of Oedipus’ failure to respect the insight of a gifted seer, he is doomed to a blind and bloody end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I have said before, Oedipus was first revered by all his people. His earnest patriotism for his adoptive land and people are well received by all in his kingdom. After all, he is the most â€Å"glorious Oedipus† (p.13,ln.8). Oedipus perceives himself to be a flawless champion for those surrounding him. These blind expectations that the most exalted Oedipus has for himself are the very things that lead him to put little credence in others and nearly all his faith in himself. And once he decides he is stronger than prophecy, his mad, unseeing eyes are unable to pick up the warning signs lining his road to oblivion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At one point in the play, the blind, hermaphroditic Teiresius enters to bring Oedipus’ head out of the clouds and back to earth where things are a mite different. This is one point of the play in which Oedipus is unbelievably close to finally buying into the fact that some power higher than himself could be at work-- and yet his arrogance and pride hinder him from accepting the legitimacy of fate. Oedipus finds the idea that Teiresius could know more than he simply offensive. Teiresius, sensing Oedipus’ hostility toward him, warns the king that when Oedipus berates him that â€Å"such taunts will... cast the selfsame taunts on you,†(p.126,ln.73). One would assume that Oedipus, knowing Teiresius’ reputation as a most unfailing and precise prophet would take heed in his further dealings with fate. However, in a style most befitting his character, he ignores these insights. Only when Teiresius mentions Oedipus’ parents does Oedipus listen. His interest sparked, the king cautiously asks, â€Å" What mortals gave me birth?†(p.28,ln.437). Teiresius elaborates further by stating that the king shall â€Å" At once be revealed as brother

Henry Clay :: essays research papers

Clay was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia. He was born to John Clay, a minister. His mother Elizabeth Hudson was After studying for the bar with the eminent George Wythe, Clay, at the age of 20, moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he developed a thriving practice. He was blessed with a quick mind, a flair for oratory, and an ability to charm both sexes with his easy, attractive manner. That he loved to drink and gamble was no drawback in an age that admired both vices. Clay, ambitious for worldly success, married into a wealthy and socially prominent family and soon gained entry into Kentucky's most influential circles. While still in his 20s, he was elected to the state legislature, in which he served for six years, until 1809. Clay established his great reputation in the United States House of Representatives, where he served intermittently from 1811 to 1825. In his first term, he became one of the leading "War Hawks"—the young men whose clamor for hostilities with England helped bring about the War of 1812. Clay was selected as one of the commissioners who in 1814 negotiated the Treaty of Ghent, ending that war. In 1820-21 it was Clay above all who engineered the Missouri Compromise, quieting the harsh controversy that had erupted by maintaining an equal balance between free and slave states. Although he himself was a slave owner, Clay's views on slavery—as on most other issues—were moderate. He was thus able to command the support of men fearful of extremism.In the presidential election of 1824, after his own candidacy had failed, Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams, whom the House early in 1825 elected as the sixth president. When Adams named Clay secretary of state, his Jacksonian opponents charged "corrupt bargain!" The charge was unfair, but Clay was haunted by it throughout his subsequent career. Although Clay was a practical politician of flexible rather than rigid beliefs, he did emerge as the great champion of the "American System." He called for a protective tariff in support of home manufactures, internal improvements (federal aid to local road and canal projects), a strong national bank, and distribution of the proceeds of federal land sales to the states.Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1831, Clay served in that body until 1842 and again from 1849 until his death. In 1833 he devised a compromise tariff that resolved the crisis brought on by South Carolina's attempt to "nullify" the prevailing tariff set by Congress.

The Crucible Comparison

Katelyn Mittler 10/4/12 4th hour Hegemony through Terror Lost, terrified, and not in control of their own thoughts, Mary Warren and Shawn Hornbeck strive for the life they once lived. In 1692, The Crucible character, Mary Warren comes under the control of foil character, Abigail Williams. In a similar, more recent story, Shawn Hornbeck’s normal life of video games, hanging out with friends, and dirt biking, is ripped away from him with Michael Devlin forcefully kidnaps him with the intent of murder. Everyday coerced by their fear, constantly reminded death reigns imminent.In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, character Mary Warren, threatened by Abigail Williams not to release they are pretending, lives a lie; just as missing child, Shawn Hornbeck, manipulated by Michael Devlin, cannot release his true identity. Falling into great peer pressure while facing threats from Abigail, Mary makes the courageous decision to tell the truth, but Abigail strengthens her grip and the tr uth crumbles. Mary knows the girls are lying but struggles with the imminent threats from Abby in her rebuke to Proctor, â€Å"She’ll kill me for sayin’ that! (Miller 80). Mary gets this idea from the death threat imposed on her by Abby â€Å"and mark this. Let either of you breathe a word or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you† (20). Abigail scares not just Mary, but all the girls with threats. After trying to tell the truth, Mary succumbs to the torment of Abby. â€Å"Abby, Abby, I’ll never hurt you more† (119).The â€Å"pointy reckoning† that Abigail threatens Mary with does its justice and Mary morphs back into a powerless silenced girl. Similarly, from Shawn’s abduction on October 6th 2002 to his discovery on January 12th 2007, Devlin forces Shawn into living a lie. Shawn spares himself from the wrath of D evlin as he remains powerless in a glass case of emotions. â€Å"From day one he had the gun, he had the power. I was powerless and there was nothing I could physically do† (Kidnapped: Shawn Hornbeck). Devlin holds all of the power, leaving Shawn unable to even think clearly.According to Shawn’s stepdad, Craig Akers, â€Å"Devlin’s control over Shawn was complete and total† (Kidnapped: Craig Akers). Through Devlin’s â€Å"complete and total control,† Shawn makes what his parents call â€Å"A deal with the devil† to save his own life. â€Å"Shawn told the defendant that he would do whatever he wanted him to if he didn’t kill him† (Kidnapped: Akers). â€Å"Devlin agreed not to kill Shawn as long as he made what we called ‘a deal with the devil’. He could never contact anyone, never try to run. And if he did he would be killed† (Kidnapped: Akers).This â€Å"deal with the devil† results in Shawn li ving a lie. â€Å"Shawn became Shawn Devlin and for the next four and a half years the deal he made that day left him tied to his tormentor†(Kidnapped: Sheriff Gary Toelke). The haunting agreements made that day leaves Shawn trapped in a world of terror only known by few. Mary Warren and Shawn Hornbeck are under what psychologists call â€Å"control by terror†. Living a lie, both are coerced into deciding between saving themselves by staying in this lie or to reveal the truth and face the forever imminent death threats.Mary and Shawn fear if they release the truth, they will be killed. Through this fear, Shawn and Mary start to believe their fake stories. Mary believes the girls are doing God’s work, and Shawn starts accepting the harsh reality of being Shawn Devlin. Mary and Shawn predicaments are not predestined; they are, as Devlin says when he first grabs Shawn, â€Å"you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time†. Mary’s â€Å"wrong plac e† starts with her dancing in the woods. Shawn’s begins with taking the shortcut road to a friend’s house.Eventually, Mary gives up and gives in. she succumbs to Abby, becoming the person she never intended. On a brighter note, even though he accepts Shawn Devlin as his new identity, Shawn never gives up hope. Shawn knows his family is still seeking his safe return and makes some efforts to discreetly contact them. On the day the police find Shawn, a huge weight liftes off his shoulders. He says, â€Å"It was a new feeling to say who I really was. † Shawn starts slowly back into his old set of norms.Mary and Shawn lose their personal identities to save themselves, each take a different route in trying to rediscover them. Through further investigation, it is evident that Mary Warren and Shawn Hornbeck encounter the same feelings of terror but are also uniquely different from each other. They fear for their lives as they struggle internally with revealing th e truth or living with the guilt and constant terror behind the lies. Shawn and Mary both encounter numerous times when opportunities to tell the truth stands right in front of them; however, struck by fear they remain silent.Though Mary’s story does not result in a sugar-coated ending, Shawn’s story of torment and terror leads to triumph and a truly heart-warming story. Shawn teaches everyone to never give up hope and that you will always find your way back home, Mary’s story teaches a valuable life lesson to stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone. Though Shawn and Mary encountered horrific events, they are truly two people (fictional or not) who show evident and inspirational life lessons.