Position Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Position Research Paper - Essay Example Schools can help children facing substantial obstacles of poverty and discrimination to learn to read, write, compute, solve and become the good contribution citizens? Karen Chenoweth and Kati Haycock try to answer this question in their book Its Being Done; Academic Success in Unexpected (2007). Looking at the history of the American education system the answer whether schools have the potential to deliver the pearls of wisdom and knowledge to the poor kids is ‘yes’. The schools have the potential to deliver. It is and not a mathematical question of judging the resources against the population. It is the undertaking of faith and commitment. Quality education does not only mean that one should put together a bunch of students from all races and ethnicities in the same class. It defeats the purpose because the competition will eradicate the less privileged students. Increased competition improves student performance (Marlow, 2000); however, the competition should be at the same level. The educators and the teachers need to design the courses and teaching methodologies according to the students’ needs. Does the Californian public schools have this acumen and the vision? The authors write in the book that standard suburban schools paint the perfect picture of this unjust education competition where wealthy white girls excel in education and the poor African-American and Latino children barely survive. The solution is not only confined to giving due attention. Interestingly, ethnic and racial discrimination also plagues the education system. It is a common observation that there are schools where all the kids are whites or from the upper middle class. Such segregation or accumulation of ethnicities reflects the test scores of the students. The elementary schools show high average state test scores and high schools show above average SAT scores. These schools also feel proud in sending dozens of kids to Ivy League colleges. But

Catholic Teachings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Catholic Teachings - Essay Example Catholic teaching teaches its followers that they should not be better off than the followers of other religions. However, the world is still filled with many poor and underprivileged people while very rich religious people and institutions continue to bask in their wealth. Catholics believe that they should work towards eradicating poverty and assist others in improving their living standards. Catholics basically follow the First Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says: freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people. the peoples of the United Nations havedetermined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:35-36 Every individual is both sacred and social. A person appreciates his or her dignity and rights in relationship with others in the community. The community must allow all individuals to grow and achieve fulfilment. The organization of society - in economics and politics, in law and policy - directly influences human dignity and the ability for individuals to develop in community. The compulsion to "love our neighbour" not only has an individual aspect, but it also involves a broader social obligation. Each person is responsible in contributing to the good of the whole society. This behaviour spread throughout all communities in every nation will lead to moral world development and encourages individuals to strive to attain better world economic development. Society is judged morally by the way it treats its poorest citizens as the plight of the poor demands a moral claim from the conscience of the community. Powerlessness and deprivation of the poor hurts the whole community.A community can be strengthened if its members give greater attention to the needy and those at society's fringes. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Workers have a right to productive work, to fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a right to

Key Objectives of an Organization Essay Example for Free

Key Objectives of an Organization Essay Task 1A. Identify the mission, values and key objectives of an organization of your choice and assess the influence of stakeholders The Body Shop is a public limited company they mainly specialize in beauty products, however they are very much different compared to regular make up brands such as DIOR, SHU UMERA and so on, they are different in a way that they use natural products and they are against animal cruelty. They use plants resources wisely. The body shop is different because of their values. Ms Dame Anita roddick, was a human rights activist and the founder of the body shop. AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundations focus is to assist those working to achieve progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. Let us move on to the various stakeholders in the organization. Primary Stakeholders Usually internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary Stakeholders Usually external stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. The influence of various stakeholders on the organization establishes a balance of priorities on the organization. Some examples of balances that various stakeholders bring to the organization are: Stockholders: The stockholders of the organization ensure that the organization is constantly looking for new means to improve operating net profits. The stockholders of the companies keep a keen eye on the performance of the organization through the quarterly reports of the organizations submitted to respective regulatory bodies in the world. This ensures that the organization keeps a fine balance between working for short-term profits while keeping a firm eye on the long-term business possibilities that may emerge. Positive performance by a company over a long  period of time is rewarded through improved prices. Customers: The most important to any business, customers of an organization keep the organization on their toes to offer best of services in comparison with the market. The organizations strive hard to meet the ever-growing customer expectations in terms of improved products and services and reduced cost for these improved services year on year. Improved performance of the organization to meet customer demands is rewarded through more business orders. Employees: The employees of the organization are the assets of the organization that keeps the organization nimble and agile to meet the customer expectations resulting in profits that meet the stockholders expectations. The employees are rewarded through promotions and merit increments based on their contributions to meet the organizations goals, vision and objectives. Task 2 Evaluate the extent to which the organization achieves the objectives of three stakeholders. As mentioned above there are two different types of stakeholders, there is primary and there is secondary. Primary stakeholders include Internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary includes External stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. Beginning with the internal stakeholders also known as primary stakeholders, the employees obviously work towards the goals and objectives that are set,  however in the body shop they are in for it in a different way as the people are passionate. They’re a customer-focused business that strives to create a fantastic experience for everyone who shops and works at The Body Shop. Aside from employees and customers they are also dedicated to their suppliers and creditors as well as stockholders. The body shop is dedicated to the planet and the people in simple words. The body shop is financial stable meeting their financial objectives as well as meeting the stock holders objectives which is keeping on-going improvements and new objectives which is what the body shop is already doing. Achievement of Customer Objectives: The organization is always talking about the natural way of beauty. In addition, the company also shares very positive information of the number of accounts where they have grown the relationships to multimillion dollar revenue generating business accounts through good performance in existing contracts and offering greater value to the customer though their foresight and operations management. This has resulted in good customer retention and repeats businesses for the company across various lines of businesses. Achievement of Employees objectives: Body shop has a large workforce employs over 100,000 employees across the globe and has become an employer of choice. This has provided many opportunities to the employees to grow professionally and vertically as well. Additionally, the body shop provides merit increments every year based on the performance of the employees, which keeps them engaged in their roles and glued on to the target objectives. Task 3. Explain the responsibilities of the organization and strategies employed to meet them. The body shop not only has responsibilities that they must keep to the company and their customers but also the environment, which is why they do the natural way. Nature is the key objective and responsibility to the Body Shop. Their responsibilities towards the environment can be seen on their website, the body shop focuses on cruelty free make up. More  responsibilities and strategies are shown below AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundations focus is to assist those working to achieve  progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. These are their values as well as responsibilities. The employees of Body shop and the suppliers all use environmental friendly products and packaging to support the living earth. Task 4. Explain how economic systems attempt to allocate and make effective use of resources Resource allocation is used to assign the available resources in an economic way across the economy. This may be done at a regional level, Social strata based or on priority basis. Resource allocation can be studies under two broad heads This includes majority of resources that is used in today’s economy except some specific natural resources that are allocated to ensure an Oligopolistic or Monopolistic market. The economic systems attempt to distribute the available resources in an even manner through the price elasticity model. The price elasticity model proposes that demand and supply in the market will drive the cost of the resource. This is typically seen as below |High Demand – low Supply |High Prices | |Low Demand – High Supply |Low Prices | In the above cases, both demand and supply are relative to each others volumes. In a competitive market scenario, the requirement of products and services and its availability guides the prices of these resources. Given that Money by itself is a limited resource available to market forces, high prices of resources ensure optimized consumption of high priced resources. Once the resource prices are above the price of an alternative resource, market forces will start using the alternate resource as a main resource until such time that the prices of the original resource is again affordable  due to slowdown of demand. This is typically seen in the oil and gas business wherein some manufacturing organizations shift to alternative fuels like BP oil and residue oil in lieu of diesel fuel price rise. This model ensures that resources are optimally used by the economy and any steep increase in consumption is controlled through increased prices resulting in optimized allocation and effective use. allocation of some natural resources may not always take the same route as marketed resources. This is typically done by the government’s authorities to ensure lower prices of producers that reaches the consumers at large and to ensure availability of certain products to all and sundry of the population. Some very good examples of such resources are Irrigation Water supplied at subsidy to farmers, Coal allocation to Thermal power stations to ensure low electricity prices for consumers etc An economic system is consist of the several processes of organizing and motivating labour, manufacturing, allocating, and circulating of the results of human labour, including goods and services, consumer products, machineries, equipment’s, and other technology used as inputs to future manufacturing and the infrastructure within and through which manufacturing, circulation, and distribution occurs. There are three types of economic system which are generally accepted by the different nations. They are: Free market, centrally planned, mixed market. 1. Free market economic system: The interference of government is reserved at a lowest point or mistreated in open market system and all the finances assets comes under the private sectors as well market. Price mechanism will decide the amount of goods or services to be provided with respect to the market demands. The majority judgments are on the basis of market mechanism. The supply, demand and capability play the very important function in market  judgment making. According to observing at the open market operations it lifts a variety of unexplained questions like who will generate the goods and services and infrastructures for the country to congregate the requirements of the public. 2. Centrally planned economy system: Centrally planned economic system explains that government assigns the financial possessions; government initiates all the arrangement concerning the financial actions. Private sectors are held in reserve in distant in participation of any monetary gathering. These types of finances were establish in the Asian, central Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin American nations but now a days these are set up in Cuba, Iraq, Iran, North Korea etc. In this structure fundamentally joblessness troubles will not be tackled because government organize all the monetary performances and possessions will be owed on the basis of requirements of its persons and dissimilar industries contribution. 3. Mixed economy system: This structure is a combination of all other structures. The organism where together capitalism and socialism monetary schemes are involved it is called as the mixed financial system. In this globalizing world largely the countries are acquiring this financial system. Mixed financial system divides the obtainable financial possessions accessible in the country to mutually private sectors and government. Task 5. Discuss the impact of social welfare and industrial policy initiatives on organizations and the wider community. The social welfare and industrial policy of a nation impacts not only the economy but also the larger community. |Social Welfare Policy |Health Policy | | |Housing Policy | | |Income maintenance Policy | | |Education Policy | | |Social Security | |Industrial Policy |Inflation control | | |Financial Market stability | | |Manufacturing boost for increase in employment rate | Health policy can be described as the judgment, plans, and measures that are commenced to attain specific health care goals within a society. There are many groupings of health guidelines, involving personal health care policy, pharmaceutical policy, and policies regarding health of public such as vaccination policy, tobacco control policy or breastfeeding promotion policy. They may envelop monetary subjects and liberation of health care, access to care, quality of care, and health equity. The contemporary theory of health care includes right of entry to medical professionals from different sections as well as medical technology, such as medications and surgical tools. It also includes easy access to the newest data and confirmation from research, comprising medical research and health services research. Public housing is a type of housing tenure in which the possession is hold by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing refers to leasing housing which may be possessed and controlled by the state, by non-profit firms, or by a mixture of the two, generally with the aspire of offering housing which could affordable. Education policy can be defined as the compilation of laws and regulations which manages and directs the functions of education systems. Education takes place in a lot of type for countless functions through several organizations. An example involves early childhood education, kindergarten from side to side to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or universities, graduate and professional education, adult education and job training. Consequently, education policy can straightly influence the educated persons involved of all ages. Income maintenance Policy is habitually functional due to several curriculums formulated to offer a residential with income at times when they are not able to take care of themselves. Income preservation is on the basis of a mixture of five major kinds of program: 1. Social insurance: 2. Means-tested benefits: 3. Non-contributory benefits:. 4. Discretionary benefits. 5. Universal or categorical benefits Social security a social insurance program given that social security or protection against socially renowned circumstances, involving scarcity, old age, disability, joblessness and others. Social security relates to a bunch of advantages obtainable (or not available) from the state, market, civil society and households, or through a grouping of these organizations, to the person/family to trim down multi-dimensional deprivation. The Industrial Policy plan of a country, from time to time condensed IP, is its official planned attempt to support the expansion and progress of the producing sector of the economy. A countrys infrastructure (transportation,  telecommunications and energy industry) is a main element of the industrialized sector that frequently has a main role in the Industrial Policy. Industrial strategies are division definite, unlike broader macroeconomic strategy. They are occasionally label as interventionist as conflicting to laissez-faire finances. Several kinds of industrial strategies comprise ordinary fundamentals with other kinds of interventionist exercises such as trade policy and fiscal policy. An example of a distinctive industrial policy is import-substitution-industrialization (ISI), where trade barriers are provisionally obligatory on a number of key sectors, such as manufacturing. By selectively securing some business, these business are provided moment in time to study (learning by doing) and improve. Task 6. Evaluate the impact of macro economic policy measures and the influence of the global economy on UK-based organizations and stakeholders. Macroeconomic policy instruments define the macroeconomic measures that can be straight away managed by an economic policy former. Instruments can be divided into two subsets: a) Monetary policy instruments and b) Fiscal policy instruments. Monetary policy is carried out by the Federal Reserve or the central bank of a country or supranational region. Fiscal policy is formulated by the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Government and contracts with supervising a nation’s Budget. 1) Monetary policy Monetary policy instruments comprise of directing short-term rates (Fed Funds and Discount rates in the U.S.), and altering reserve necessities for commercial banks. Monetary policy can be moreover extensive for the market (short-term rates low relative to inflation rate) or restraining for the  market (short-term rates high relative to inflation rate). Traditionally, the main purpose of monetary policy had been to direct or restrain domestic inflation. In recent times, central bankers have frequently paying attention on a second objective: running economic growth as both inflation and economic growth are highly interconnected. 2) Fiscal policy Fiscal policy comprises in supervision the national Budget and its investment so as to manipulate economic activity. This necessitates the growth or development of government expenses regarding particular government curriculum such as building roads or infrastructure, military expenditures and social welfare programs. It also involves the elevating of taxes to finance government expenses and the increase of debt (Treasuries in the U.S.) to meet both the ends (Budget deficit) between receipts (tax receipts) and expenses regarding the execution of government curriculum. Increasing taxes and lowering the Budget Deficit is considered to be a preventive fiscal policy, as it would decrease cumulative demand and slow down GDP growth. Reducing taxes and raising the Budget Deficit is measured as an outgoing fiscal policy that would enlarge collective demand and encourage the economy. The impact of macroeconomic policy measures On enlargement, there likely to be periods of strength follow by phase of weak or even negative growth (recessions), particularly known as the economic cycle. All governments have an objective of eradicating this cycle. They desire repeated, sensible expansion that never ignites price increments. Fresh governments have stimulated closer to this Goldilocks scenario. Become aware of that the growth rate has been over 2% without receiving out of hand for six years. Subsequent the bust/boom/bust of the early 80s/late 80s/early 90s, this is quite an accomplishment. Inflation has also been extraordinarily submissive by historical standards.  Subsequent the horribly inflationary 70s (peaked at 25%) and the near 10% figure ten years ago, RPIX has been growing at 3% pa or less for six years. The objective of full employment has efficiently been relegated to the history books. Unemployment reached one million in the 80s for the first time since the 30s, and then continued to reach 3 million (or 4 million, depending on the definition) within three years. Having said that, full employment does not mean that everyone has a job. It is a depressing reality of economic life that UK customers favor imported goods to those made in Britain. The degree of the current account deficit mainly depends, consequently, on how well we export our services. Unfortunately, services are not quite as exportable as goods, so the UK is constantly fighting a losing battle. Optimistically the modifications in technology, and our capability to utilize them, will permit us to enlarge our exports of services by sufficient in the future to permit for the deficit in goods. Some economists consider that there is no problem, since in a world of completely mobile capital; the UK no longer depends completely on their own pool of foreign reserves to compensate for its importation. These days, if you want something from overseas but you do not have the foreign currency, then immediately purchase it on the Foreign Exchange Markets. Due to the global characteristics of financial markets, the financial services industry is deeply prejudiced by worldwide monetary improvement. These financial connections to international markets are just one of the numerous conducts in which wider worldwide expansion influence the UK economy. Global economic developments For instance the current commotion in financial markets – also have a significant manner on the resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Similar to the UK, in an open economy worldwide forces can affect the prices to rise and vary about its aim or goal temporarily, and also insert  instability into the real economy. We have observed growing oil and product costs determined by tough universal demand push up price rises in the UK and further main economies over the earlier period and couple of years. By distinction the fresh modifications and alterations in international financial market circumstances could decline demand situations in the UK and globally put forth descending pressure on price rises. These are all aspects we require to take into consideration in our attention rate judgment. Ultimately it is domestic monetary policy Not the state of the international economy, which will conclude the UK inflation rate. The challenge for the MPC consequently is to regulate interest rates to make sure that worldwide pressure does not generate lengthened and important divergence in price rises from its aim. Global economy affects UK inflation There are a broad diversity of conducts in which international economic expansion influence the UK economy and therefore manipulate our rate of price rises. The entire procedure of globalization has structural influence on the UK economy, comprising the influence on labor relocation. The prices of trade in goods and services are the first one has an impact. Imports account for approximately 30% of the value of goods and services directly and indirectly sold by UK business at residence and overseas. On the other hand, the prices of trade in manufactured merchandise will also reproduce the resources and power utilized in their produce, forming a supplementary indirect influence from product markets. The second channel of impact from the international economy is through demand. Tough expansion of demand, whether it derives at residence or overseas, permits the profit margins to develop and is pushed at an upward pressure on expenses, mainly when the economy is operating close to its capacity limits. By the similar token, weak demand exercises a dampening  impact on cost and price augmentation. Manipulating demand situations with the help of interest rates is one of the major means due to which the Monetary Policy Committee controls UK price rises. International economic expansion influence demand circumstances in the UK both directly and indirectly. The direct influence comes in the course of alteration in the demand for UK exports of goods and services, which make up approximately a quarter of the production of UK businesses on average. The significance of abroad demand diverges significantly among diverse sectors of the UK economy. Some manufacturing sectors sell a huge percentage of their production abroad, and for manufacturing industry as a total exports are approximately half the worth of production. In calculation to this export channel, there are also indirect financial connections in the course of which international economic circumstances can affect UK demand. The UK business society is extremely intercontinental, depicting our custom as a trading nation and the honesty and friendliness of our financial markets to abroad investment. A lot of UK businesses are branch of bigger worldwide groupings, which is probable to strengthen the compassion of their investment and other trade judgments to worldwide demand and profitability. In accumulation to these price and demand factors, there is a third method in which worldwide economic situations might also influence UK price rises, which is in the course of their influence on the pricing conditions. As businesses turn out to be further skilled and global in edge, some economists have disagreed that international circumstances have turn out to be more and more significant in influencing pricing actions, relation to domestic issues. As per this vision, the worldwide equilibrium of demand and supply and spirited forces on international markets may appear to have an important influence on cost in economies which are release to global business, such as the UK. The role of monetary policy In a world in which worldwide progress has a significant manner on UK price rises, monetary course of action should react in subsequent way. One ending you might illustrate from my conversation so far is that UK price rises will be deeply subjective by international upgrading. And however, in spite of the modifications we have observed in the worldwide market more than the decade, UK price rises has been low down and extraordinarily steady. Three major traditions in which financial guidelines can act as a factor to manipulate the price rises when the UK economy is batter by worldwide shocks. The first of these is the affect the interest rates on the exchange rate. The exchange rate is not straightly managed by financial policy. But financial policy has a significant impact. The interest rate discrepancy among diverse currency and the aspects, which are anticipated to manipulate its influence in currency markets due to their influence on the possible income to investors. If financial policy is constrict comparative to other countries, or is estimated to be constrict, this will be likely to push up the exchange rate in the next to time. Such an increase in the exchange rate should have a dampening influence on import cost augmentations, and can consequently answer an increase in worldwide price rises pressures. It also affects how eye-catching abroad markets are to exporters and consequently has a supplementary influence through the state of demand. The second way in which financial policy can contradict worldwide monetary forces is due to its influence on domestic demand expenditure by customers and investment by the private sector, both of which are exaggerated by interest rate alteration. Customer expenditure is the biggest single constituent of demand in the UK, and accounts for concerning 60% of domestic expenditure. A contraction in policy such as we have observed over the past year should have an important influence on the expansion of utilization, and therefore domestic demand. A third steady aspect is the reliability of financial policy and its  influence on cost prospect. If price raises prospect stay fast at or shut to the price rises goal, turbulence to the price rises pathway should demonstrate momentary, and it will be simpler for financial policy to be carried out a provisional shift in price rises. The duty of the MPC is now made simple by the practice of a decade and a half of low and steady price rises, which has assisted to fasten UK, price rises prospects. The impact and pass-through of the identified unconventional policy shocks should help to learn more about the extraordinary policy measures taken by central banks as a response to the financial turmoil. Some caution is, however, required. A caveat of the analysis is that the estimations are based on a sample period that covers the turbulent period on financial markets, as well as normal times. An implicit assumption is hence that the parameters did not change dramatically as a consequence of the crisis. In addition, the analysis only captures unconventional monetary policy to the extent that the measures influence the banking sector. Hence, a useful extension would be to also include direct lending of central banks in private markets in the analysis.

Occupational Therapy Reflective Essay

Occupational Therapy Reflective Essay â€Å"I’m an occupational therapist, an obscure profession if there ever was one. We are few and far between, maybe because we have chosen toserve people with disabilities. All disabilities. Not a glamorous endeavour, nor a lucrative one. And I say serve because we deem that in helping we see weakness, while in servingwe see wholeness. We’ve opted for wholeness nearly a century ago and have been at odds with the system ever since. We don’t fix people, you see: with them, we simply try to find a way tomeaning,balance, andjustice. I chose occupational therapy because it blendsscienceandhumanism,intellectual rigourandcompassion.† — Rachel Thibeault (fromOccupational Therapists without Borders)1 Occupational Therapy First Year Portfolio Task A year ago, I was in my final year at high school and studying for finals. Now, I am a first year Occupational Therapy (OT) student at the University of Witwatersrand who is getting ready for her end of year exams, scary stuff! But I can’t complain when I think back on how much I’ve learned this past year and how it has impacted me when I think about my future. At the core of it, this year has taught me that OT is not what I thought it was. Yes, I had an idea of what an OT does in terms of activities but I was not aware of what it would take to get to the same point as the OT’s who I had observed during my time job shadowing in my matric year. I’ve learned a lot during this first year and I now have a deeper understanding of the career path that I am pursuing- what it will demand from me, how it will influence the lives of others through me, the scope of OT and what I need to know to not only be good as an OT, but to be a great OT. It has me anxious about the mountainous path looming ahead and passionate to reach the finish line all at the same time. In talking about the mountains that I see rising ahead of me, I thought that I would reflect on the mountains that I have already crossed and how they impacted my grasp of OT and how it helped me to link the theory to the clinical uses. The first mountain was Problem Based Learning (PBL) which actually grounded me in order to prepare me for the much larger mountain: Fieldwork. One of the first lectures that we had was on PBL’s, problem based learning. And to say that I took the concept for granted and wrote PBL’s off as time-wasters would be correct. So when I realised just how helpful and beneficial PBL groups could be, I was all in. PBL’s have taught me the importance of working as a group, time-management, designation of tasks, following certain steps in order to reach a set goal and understanding different concepts from a first-look evaluation and then comparing this to theory or researched constructs.6 This form of methodology can be defined as a teaching and learning strategy where students learn about a subject through the experience of problem solving.6 During this process students learn about thinking strategies and gain knowledge and insight into the topic. PBL teaches us to think critically rather than to draw superficial conclusions. Our first problem in PBL prepared me for what OT is, the background into OT and the profess ional environments of an OT. PBL taught me that occupations are daily activities that reflect cultural values, provide structure to living, make appropriate use of an individual’s time and give meaning to their lives.8 Occupation could also be said to be ‘ordinary and familiar’,4 thus it is the nature of the occupation that gives it purpose and meaning. 4 Even Occupational Therapy was better explained to me once I had combined my new knowledge with that of our textbook: Occupational Therapy can be accomplished through the teaching, facilitation and maintenance of skills, the encouragement of engagement in â€Å"purposeful activity† 2 and in â€Å"occupation† 2 so that a person can reach his/her optimal level of function†. 3 OT is both an art and a science which uses occupation as both a means and an end in therapy, both in individual and group therapies, to enable people, families and communities in a wide range of settings. 7 This is a lot more in-depth and complicated than I ever suspected it could be. I think that I was under the impression that occupation meant ‘work’ like so many others believe. And even in knowing and understanding this, I still battle to explain it to people. I even have a friend who calls OT’s glorified housewives who love to garden! One thing that has become clear to me, studying our Problems in PBL, sitting through our Psychology and Sociology classes and studying OT this past year- OT is very holistic. Never is a patient defined by their symptoms and OT’s tend to study every aspect of a person’s life before drawing conclusions or beginning therapy. The word ‘holistic’ has come to mean many things to me this year, but none more than that a person’s characteristics areâ€Å"intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole†.9 Once I had gained the theoretical knowledge about OT, I was more than ready to start with the fieldwork part of the year. I was placed at Thambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg for four mornings over three weeks. The patient that I was assigned to was diagnosed with deep partial thickness burns with an amputated lower left arm from the elbow. But aside from my patient I was able to observe my Fourth Year with her other patients, was able to ask her questions and even assist in certain assessments, treatments and activities. This was a completely different experience to the one that I had had when I job shadowed at the same hospital a year before. As an outsider and someone who is not aware of what OT truly meant, I merely saw the assessment of different patients at a superficial level and only really understood the treatment as games or activities that would keep the patient busy so that they did not notice that they were making use of the injured or problem area. Thankfully I now unde rstand OT better and can see certain aspects of therapy and theory coming out in the actions of the OT’s and their patients. Being able to see therapy performed from this view and being able to interact and speak with other OT’s on a more professional level has helped to cement my plan to become an OT. During my time at the hospital I was lucky enough to observe most of the steps in the OT process. The OT process is defined in the Practise Framework as the collaboration of the OT and the patient through the steps of evaluation, intervention and outcomes in order to achieve health and participation in life through the engagement in occupation .5 The evaluation step consists of the occupational profile and the analysis of occupational performance which help the OT determine what the patient hopes to gain during therapy, what they need to accomplish, what the patient can do and what are the barriers or supports to their health and participation in therapy. In this, I was able to speak with and fill out forms for two separate patients and also assist in the assessment of a third patient. With the occupational profile, the patient is very much the centre and all the questions are focused around them so that the appropriate goals for the end of therapy can be set. Intervention has three parts to it: intervention plan, intervention implementation and intervention review. The plan is developed by both the OT and the patient to guide the therapy with the use of theory. Outcomes or goals are also decided upon during this stage. Implementation is the actions of the OT which will revolve around therapy as well as the support and encouragement needed to see an improved occupational performance.7 Implementation is direct towards the goals set and the OT is required to monitor and develop the patient at all times5 so that the activities are appropriate and can be adapted if they are not performing in the intended way. Finally, review is simply reflecting on the implementation and assessing the progress towards the set goals. Outcome is the determination of success at reaching the desired goals. The results of this step will be used in planning further therapy if it is needed. This step is one of the hardest to observe in my opinion and is also very subjective. A patient may feel that he is fine and does not need any more therapy while the OT may see him as dysfunctional. To be dysfunctional is not saying that there is something socially wrong with a person or that they are overtly damaged, this is something that I have come to learn this year. Dysfunction, defined within an OT’s perspective is â€Å"when a person cannot do or is at risk for not being able to partake in occupational participation and performance†.10 In terms of my assigned patient I was unfortunately able to witness the barriers between her and my Fourth Year who was her OT which resulted in her unwillingness to participate in therapy, added to that was her de-motivation and also the selection of an inappropriate activity during therapy. My patient was French speaking and thus the OT could not effectively fill out her necessary forms, could not adequately communicate with her and had to get this information from the patient’s husband. And so the patient, who the OT thought, enjoyed cooking and cleaning chose an activity of making milkshakes. Once I spoke to the patient (since I know some French) it became clear that she does not enjoy milkshakes and only cooked and cleaned because it was culturally expected of her as a wife. This brings into play the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic alliance between the patient and the OT develops over time11 and requires the OT to be able to communicate in an effective way such that these details are made known. Because of what happened to my Fourth Year with her miscommunication with her patient, I now understand the importance of our Dictionary assignments- to be able to communicate with any patient, no matter how rudimentary it is. Also, the selection of activities is imperative, especially for patients who are de-motivated which often occurs with burns patients or amputees. The loss of a limb or partial limb is a huge thing to deal with both physically and emotionally and burns patients are often de-motivated due to the pain of movement. Choosing the correct activity during therapy of these patients can determine whether there will be any progress in that session or not and also whether the patient will continue to be de-motivated or could possibly start to find reasons/purposes to want the therapy to succeed. This can also be accomplished through the therapeutic use of self to be able to use yourself, as an OT professional, to read the situation and a dapt it, 11 whether it is during evaluation or during the intervention steps. Culture also needs to be considered when referring to patients. An OT need to take their patient’s culture into consideration and respect it. While culture may not define a person, it does indeed impact on their lives and ways of living. 12 Thus, my patient may only cook and clean because she is a wife but it is her responsibility in the home so she will need to rehabilitate to a point where she can continue with her tasks, but it may not be a good idea to use these tasks as activities since she sees them as work rather than leisure tasks. Overall, I would definitely say that this year has been a success. My knowledge of OT and the profession has increased and I am even more certain that I want to be doing this as a career. The importance of the OT process is further defined by role of an OT which is categorised through the use of self, the therapeutic relationship, proper communication and compounded with a firm foundation of knowledge and attained skills. To reiterate what Rachel Thibeault said, â€Å"we see wholeness We don’t fix people, you see: with them we simply try to find a way tomeaning,balance, andjustice.†1 Occupational Therapy is about the patient, it is not about us save for what we can do for others So the goal is to learn, make mistakes, learn from them, observe and experience as much as possible so that we can do everything possible to help them. From this end of the mountain range, I can only see the obstacles blocking the destination from my sight. And yet I am not feeling deterred. Rather, I am excited to see what the mountains will contain and what I can learn from them. The next mountain that I see is end of year exams So I think that I am going to do this one mountain at a time and never forget what I have learned and discovered on the way so that I am prepared for every challenge that approaches me. Works Cited 1 Gerber,AK. OT Without Borders. http://otwithoutborders.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/im-an-occupat/ (accessed 30 September 2014). 2 Hersch, G. I., Lamport, N. K., Coffey, M.S. Activity Analysis: Application to Occupation, 5th ed.: SLACK Incorporated; 2005 3 Thorner, S. The Essential Skills of an Occupational Therapist. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 1991; 6(64). 4 Curtin, M., Molineux, M., Supyk- Mellson, J. Occupational Therapy and Physical Dysfunction: Enabling Occupation, 6th ed.: Elsevier: Churchill Livingstone; 2010. 5 American Occupational Therapy Association. (2008). Occupational Therapy Practise Framework: Domain and Process (2nd Edition). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 625-683 6 Devan, D., Casteleijn, D.. Problem Based Learning 2014. Lecture presented at Khanya Building, Wits Education Campus; 2014. 7 Schell B., Gillen G. Scaffa M. .Willard and Spackmans Occupational Therapy. 12th ed. Baltimore MD. Lippincott, Williams Wilkins; 2013 8 Jay J. Occupation Activity. Lecture presented at Khanya Building, Wits Education Campus; 2014. 9 Oxforddictionaries.com. holistic: definition of holistic in Oxford dictionary (British World English) [Internet]. 2014 [cited 1 October 2014]. Available from: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/holistic 10 Smith R. Intro to Occupational Dysfunction. Lecture presented at Khanya Building, Wits Education Campus; 2014. 11 Devan D. Occupational Therapy Process: PBL Post Problem Tut. Lecture presented at Khanya Building, Wits Education Campus; 2014. 12 Smith R. Cultural Diversity. Lecture presented at Khanya Building, Wits Education Campus; 2014.

PHILOSOPHY Essay -- essays research papers

With such great minds and an awesome influence that seems boundless, how can there not be references to the works of Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant. The Fundamental Principles in the Metaphysics of Morality is used by the minority dissenting opinion to reiterate the concepts of the intrinsic dignity of man. While the majority uses the literary work the Leviathan to support their own opinions. Transforming and uplifting the case of Gregg v. Georgia into an arena for a debate of Hobbian and Kant philosophies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The majority claims that the death penalty serves two purposes, restitution and deterrence. Quoting the prior case of Fruman v. Georgia, that â€Å"The instinct for retribution is part of the nature of man and channeling that instinct in the administration of criminal justice serves an important purpose in promoting the stability of a society governed by laws. †¦ This is a classic statement that Hobbes himself could have possible uttered. For man is an awkward beast, driven by internal forces. The laws of nature. All men are equal and can perform equal acts of harm. Once harmed, he that who has been hurt will make attempts to revenge. Either in the name of just, duty, honor, or by any other word, it is an example of man conforming to his nature. To curb his nature by law is what the courts claim to be a stable society, Thomas Hobbes calls this a commonwealth under the Leviathan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deterrence, the power of the controlling entity to help guide and command those that its laws regulate against taking certain actions. Instilling fear within the hearts of man is a powerful and highly effective tool of leadership. As all men are equal this deterrence and creation of fear helps the Leviathan rule and have an edge over the citizens in the commonwealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hobbes wants an ordered and just society. Where its people depend on the Leviathan for justice and protection. That is his reason for creating such commonwealth. His formula gives birth to a structured and organized society. According tot he courts a penalty such as that as death is a needed and essential law in an organized society that’s its citizens rely on legal process rather then self-help to vindicate their wrongs.   Ã‚   ... ...requires approval of retribution as a general justification for that punishment. Justice Marshall states in his dissenting opinion. It is the question whether retribution can provide moral justification for punishment. It simply defies belief to suggest that the death penalty is necessary to prevent the American people from taking the law into their own hands. Just as Justice Brennan has before, Marshall here fights retribution as cause for validity in the penalty of death. Using the same logic and formulas derived by Kant. Different examples and opinion but sill same results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This case of Gregg v Georgia was an important trial to show us that we are forever redefining our standards and morals. Though our attitudes often changes they more often stay the same. This particular case holds this to some degree to be true. For may after their first publications, moral works here of Hobbes and Kant still help fuel some of the biggest debates in political, philosophical, and moral arenas. Each side, majority and the opposing dissent refer back to the mighty giants that with their little pens strokes brought down the mighty oaks.

Essay --

The Creeds of the church were key parts of the origins of the church. They lay the foundation for the first years of the church in order to accomplish the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus. Two of these creeds were the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Culture during that time period was key to the layout of these creeds and the messages they set. A creed was an early statement of Christian beliefs, and a symbol for others to follow by. There were numerous cultures and needs that led to the ultimate development and writing of the creeds, which are still used for their original purpose today. One of these needs was for the church to have a basic statement of beliefs, which was accomplished by the Apostles creed. Early Christians knew that people needed to have an understanding of what they believed in that wasn’t requiring a lot of research. Cultures of the people and the time period also had a great influence on the creation of these creeds. They needed a way to sprea d the word of Christ to all people, in a time period where we didn’t have the technology and communication options that we have today. A combination of the churches basic needs for success and the fact that the word needed to be spread were two of the leading causes in the creations of these creeds. One of the most important reasons that led to the creation of the church was the essential need of the early church to have a document which listed the basic beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. This was created by the authority of the church, the apostles appointed by Christ to lead the church. They had to find a way to spread the church of God, and these creeds provided a method to complete this task. None of the churches at the time had all books tha... ...hrist, along with making sure everyone in the Church understood the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church. The creeds provided both of these, as they clearly stated what things the Catholic Church supported and instructions for its followers. These were vitally important to the success of the Church. Now, there was a set list of things that every catholic person could look to if they began to lose sight of their faith in the Catholic beliefs. They also served as an effective method of communicating the ideas of God to all cultures, allowing the word of God to be communicated to people of many different cultures and beliefs. The languages they were written in were widely spoken in that time period; therefore many could understand it without needing a translator. This allowed the Creeds to spread the word to the entire world, just as Jesus instructed the apostles to.

How far do you agree that the death of Lennie is inevitable? Essay

There are many factors, throughout the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† that lead to the death of Lennie. These factors also lead to how the book is structured. The objective of John Steinbeck, who wrote this book, was to convey fragility of life in the 1930’s in the area of Salinas. The Scottish poet Robbie Burns wrote a poem including the line â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men / Gang aft a-gley†. This poem is about a mouse, whose home is ruined by a farmer ploughing a field. The mouse then dies over the winter, having no protection. This is a literary allusion, as Burn’s mouse parallels George and Lennie’s dream, which inevitably will never be achieved. This also reflects Lennie’s life, as inevitably, he will die, and this is also implied through details and events throughout the novella, such as through the death of Curley’s dog. There are also numerous factors that lead to Lennie’s death within the plot. The writer presents Lennie as a character in the novel who is colossal and is physically strong but as seen mentally he is totally opposite. In the novel, he appears to be immature and infantile; â€Å"He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry and wheeled about. ‘Blubberin’ like a baby?’ Lennie’s lip quivered and tears started in his eyes.† This quote suggests that Lennie holds a childish behaviour, which also contributes towards his immaturity. This also leads him to be substantially dependent on George. In fact George particularly appears to be an essential requirement for Lennie as a caretaker who can look after him and keep him out of trouble. This is evident in the text as George says, â€Å"You ain’t gonna get in no trouble now, Lennie. But if you do, hide in the brush till I come for you.† This quote highlights George’s responsibility towards Lennie as his best friend and his attitude of caring and preventing him from troubl e. Lennie is very affectionate towards petting soft things and enjoys having fun with it. The first, being Lennie’s nature. Lennie is an incredibly strong man, however, he seems to be a ‘child trapped in mans body’. This is because he is constantly petting, and stocking things that only a child would pet, as it says â€Å"Lennie reluctantly reached into his pocket†¦ ‘I don’t know why I can’t keep it†¦ I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ stroking it'†. He also causes trouble in weed where he wanted to touch the girl’s red dress, as he wanted to feel it, very similar to what small children like to do. In result, the girl accuses him of raping her and men on the ranch lynch him. George, being his best friend, takes him to Soledad to escape from the men. Another thing that Lennie does is that he used to kill the mice that Aunt Clara used to give him earlier and also kills a mouse and a pup by petting them so hard. These events also relate back to his capability of getting in trouble. In addition to that, Lennie also breaks Curley’s wrist, which highlights his physical strength and how can he potentially harm a person without even knowing about it. â€Å"Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. Curley sat down, looking at in wonder at his crushed hand.† This quote shows us that how Steinbeck chooses to introduce this event to foreshadow the forthcoming trouble by Lennie. In context to Lennie’s behaviour to other characters, he is presented as a very polite and soft person. He considers important enough to listen to and follow George and his instructions; â€Å"Of course, George, I can remember that. I am gonna hide in the brush till you come.† This quote reveals Lennie’s faith and dependence on George and tells us that he does not have the ability to keep him safe from trouble. Therefore his personal behaviour and characteristics contribute effectively towards the serious trouble, which Lennie will get in to later in the novel. The author tends to be keen while setting up Lennie and the ways in which he tries to make Lennie’s death unavoidable. Repetition of Lennie doing bad things one after another and increasing trouble from time to time represents the serious trouble, which Lennie might get in to very soon. Lennie killing mice and a pup shows his own ability of killing a living organism; â€Å"You always kill ’em. Lennie said, ‘They was so little.’ I’d’ pet’em, and pretty soon the bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and they were dead.† The quote highlights Lennie’s unawareness of his physical strength, which is the major reason for most of his own created troubles. Furthermore, Steinbeck tries to come across the following key point in the novel. Lennie prefers to panic when in case of trouble instead of using his mind to know what to do. His inability of using his mind in different situations shows that trouble is almost inevita ble for him. Another factor which could have lead to Lennie’s death is Curley’s wife, and her nature. This shows isolation, as she has no friends on the ranch, and even her husband â€Å"owns† her, as she is only known as â€Å"Curley’s wife†. She seeks attention, through appearing in the bunkhouse, as it says â€Å"Both men glanced up for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off†. Curley’s wife is attracted to Lennie’s petting tendencies, showing she is soft, and although jailbait, is also purity as it says â€Å"Curley’s wife laughed at him. ‘ You’re nuts,’ she said. But you’re a kinda nice fella.'† The structure of the novella is also very fateful for Lennie. The incident in Weed took place early on in the novella. This is because this was the reason for George and Lennie had to move to Salinas. The relationship with George highlights precarious position for Lennie – he has no place in society. From the very beginning in fact, the very title of the novella symbolises doom for Lennie. Burns’ poem, is about is about a mouse, whose home is ruined by a farmer ploughing a field. The mouse then dies over the winter, having no protection. All these previous events of Lennie foreshadows that his death is unavoidable as he could do anything for pleasure to get in trouble without even knowing about what he has done. All these things also give us a clue that all his activities would end him up in big trouble and probably lead him to his death. George always feared for Lennie as he thought that Lennie could end up in big trouble for himself and for him too. He also tries to prevent him from any possible trouble to his best. Despite of George’s protection from trouble, Lennie at last kills Curley’s wife by twisting her neck. This event secures Lennie’s destruction and promotes death for him, which he cannot choose to avoid. During this tragic event, Steinbeck shows that Lennie panics and breaks Curley’s wife’s neck accidentally instead of using his brain to know why is she screaming. â€Å"‘Don’t you go yellin’, he said, and shook her; and her body flopped like a fish, for Lennie had broken her neck.† This quote highlights how Lennie’s inability of using his mind and how using his physical strength, which he is not aware of, leads him to the serious trouble, which the author tries to present and emphasise in the novel. In conclusion, the main factor that led to Lennie’s was in fact Steinbeck’s fundamental message. Also, intolerance, and misunderstanding in society did not help Lennie, as he has been given no place, and people don’t know how to treat Lennie, as he is so misunderstood. The structure also leads to Lennie’s death. We see his death as inevitable, due to the main title of the novella, and also how it is organised. Lennie’s death was not unexpected, especially when we have read the last chapter, with Lennie’s visions. The giant rabbit tells us that Lennie has done wrong, and that he will be punished for it, by not having George and his dream ranch, and him tending the rabbits. Lennie’s innocence and his inability to use his mind, secures his inevitable destruction. These factors all point, very obviously throughout the novel; hence Lennie’s death was inevitable.