Leadership in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Leadership in Nursing - Essay Example In this regard, one can found innumerable cases and examples where nurses have been caring and have brought changes in patients’ lives. For this reason, nursing (Peterson’s, 2010) is a respectable and a profession in demand, and will always remain respectable and in demand. At the same time, I believe that nursing though being a profession is an art that involves some personal touches from the individual, as one can acquire nursing-related education from the academic institution but to be a nurse, one should be caring, compassionate, considerate, etc that becomes an art and a self-thing rather than a job. Since my childhood until now, I went through different phases that brought me closer to the families living in my community. Our neighborhood was a tight-knit locality where celebration or even tragedy would become friends and even strangers come together to celebrate or share the moments jointly. In this regard, my decision to go in the nursing profession (Petersonâ⠂¬â„¢s, 2010) was an outcome of a moment of my life when I came across a tragedy, death of a loved one in our community. While recalling my memory, I remember the feelings of compassion and kindness that everybody in the community showed to each other, especially during final days of that loved one. I saw how each individual reduced the pain in a different way as everybody took the death in his or her own perspective. In specific, from that experience, I now relate and interact with patients and their family members as someone from my community that went through the same experience of losing a loved one and that enables me to reduce my anxiety, and at the same time, reduce their pain during taking care of the patients. In other words, nowadays, I put efforts to acquire a different perspective of life in an optimistic manner and employ my knowledge and learning of medical education as my contribution as a nurse. Besides the experiences that influenced me in becoming a registered nurs e, my connection with God has been another notion that has been facilitating me in appreciating people and their relationships, and this relation helps me in taking life as it happens. In this regard, I believe that service is not a thing of everyone and different events of my life and relationship with God has taught me that the major purpose of life is to live for others and very few have really the heart to do that. The learning I have acquired through being a Registered Nurse at the Fresenius Medical Center, as well as at Jefferson Hills Manor have influenced me to perform my best for the betterment of other people both on and off duty. Besides acquisition of Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from California University of Pennsylvania, experiences such as volunteering had been very constructive in making me an ambitious person that now ignites me to do everything in life for the sake of other people. In addition, working as dynamic organizations such as Fresenius Medical Cen ter and Jefferson Hills Manor as a registered nurse and patient care technician, I have been successful in developing calmness, character, and skills to be caring in the

The Spiritual Development Project

The Spiritual Development Project Personal development is a very broad topic and can encompass anything that involves your transformation as a person. It means becoming the best you can be and reaching towards your potential. When you become a better person than you were yesterday (this does not mean better than another person) your life and its circumstances improve. This is usually achieved by looking internally and then changing the way you act externally. Accomplishing such a challenging assignment requires growing in the understandment of what it means to be a Christian. Taking what I learn by expanding my personal knowledge of biblical truth and applying daily things that I learn. Through the presence of His indwelling Spirit, God enables me to know, obey, and serve Him. God expects His children to grow spiritually and His Word encourages personal examination as an element of growth. This Personal Development Project can help me complete an examination and carefully search within my spiritual growth. The projec t will help me carefully think about my spiritual development related to six specific spiritual disciplines; abiding in Christ, living in the Word, praying in faith, fellowshipping with believers, witnessing to the world, and ministering to others. This development will take course over a period of six days. Practicing the above one each day. Not only is this a school project but is also designed to help me reach important life goals and to live a life that honors God. This will be a cumalitive process that entails seeking Gods will for my life, setting life goals consistent with that will, developing a strategic plan to pursue those life goals, and habitually tracking my progress toward my goals. Much of this is straight forward and fun to do, but seldom do most people take the time to formally tackle these tasks because of our frenetic, over extended lives. Like other types of planning we do in life like planning a wedding, planning a vacation, financial planning, and so on. Creat ing a Personal Development Plan will maximize my chances of gaining the results I am seeking. (Fares) Abide in Christ 1) I practiced a regular quiet time and looked forward to that time with Christ 2) When making choices, I seek Christs guidance first. 3) My relationship with Christ is motivated more by love than duty or fear. 4) I experience life change as a result of my worship experiences 5) When God makes me aware of His specific will in an area of my life, I will follow His leading. 6) I believe Christ provides the only way for a relationship with God. 7) My actions demonstrate a desire to build Gods kingdom rather than my own. 8) Peace, contentment, and joy characterize my life rather than worry and anxiety. 9) I trust Christ to help me through any problem or crisis I face. 10) I remain confident of Gods love and provision during difficult times. Tuesday, March 8 Live in the Word 1) I regularly read and study my Bible. 2) I believe the Bible is Gods Word and provides His instructions for life. 3) I evaluated cultural ideas and lifestyles by biblical standards. 4) I try to answer questions about life and faith from a biblical perspective. 5) I replaced impure or inappropriate thoughts with Gods truth. 6) When the Bible exposes an area of my life needing change, I respond to make things right. 7) I use the Bible as the guide for the way I think and act. 8) I study the Bible for the purpose of discovering truth for daily living. Wednesday, March 9 Prayer in Faith 1) My prayers focus on discovering Gods will more than expressing my needs. 2) I trust God to answer when I pray and wait patiently on His timing. 3) My prayers include thanksgiving, praise, confession, and requests. 4) I expect to grow in my prayer life and intentionally seek help to improve. 5) I spend as much time listening to God as I do talking to Him. 6) I pray because I am aware of my complete dependence on God for everything in my life. 7) I maintain an attitude of prayer throughout each day. 8) I believe my prayers impact my life and the lives of others. 9) I engage in a daily prayer time. Thursday, March 10 Fellowship with believers 1) I forgive others when their actions harm me. 2) I admit my errors in relationships and humbly seek forgiveness from the one I have hurt. 3) I allow other Christians to hold me accountable for spiritual growth. 4) I seek to live in harmony with other members of my family. 5) I place the interest of others above my self interest. 6) I am gentle and kind in my interactions with others. 7) I encourage and listen to feedback from others to help me discover areas for relationship growth. 8) I show patience in my relationships with family and friends. 9) I encourage others by pointing out their strengths rather than their weaknesses. 10) My time commitments demonstrate that I value relationships over work, career, and hobbies. Friday, March 11 Witnessing to the world 1) I share my faith in Christ with non believers. 2) I regularly pray for non believers I know. 3) I make my faith known to my neighbors 4) I intentionally maintain relationships with non believers in order to share my testimony. 5) When confronted about my faith, I remain consistent and firm in my testimony. 6) I help others understand how to effectively share a personal testimony. 7) I make sure the people I witness to get the follow up and support needed to grow in Christ. 8) I encourage my church and friends to support mission efforts. Saturday, March 12 Minister to Others 1) I understand my spiritual gifts and use those gifts to serve others. 2) I serve others expecting nothing in return. 3) I sacrificed my finances to help others in my church and community. 4) I go out of my way to show love to people I meet. 5) I share biblical truth with those I serve as God gives opportunity. 6) I act as if others needs are as important as my own. 7) I contribute time to a ministry at Church. 8) I help others identify ministry gifts and become involved in ministry. At the end of the week, I reflected on the tasks I put forth. Some were easy while others were very challenging, but if everything was easy in life no one would ever learn anything. One of the hard tasks I encountered was forgiving people when they do harm to me. Emotions do fall into this category and at times I was very angry. Another challenge was sacrificing my own funds to help others in my church. This is hard for anyone, especially in this bad economy. The funny thing is; that the money was returned and with extra. By far, the hardest task is witnessing to others. Not everyone is going to accept the facts without giving some sort of a hard time. People have questions and if you can not answer them. It makes it very difficult to convert or even persuade a willing ear. The easy things like reading the Bible more and praying gave me more insightfulness and knowledge. I completed each one of the tasks written. I am very pleased that I did this Personal Development Project. I am mo re willing to talk more people and it is easier to share my testimony. I will continue to pray, read the Bible, and witness to others. As John and Patrice Robson put it, If we want something to change, we need to be clear about what we want. Then we need to make it happen.

Beardless Children :: Arthurian Legends English Literature Essays

Beardless Children Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered to be one of the finest Arthurian romances in English. Unfortunately, the 14th-century author of the epic remains unknown. The poem describes a common game at the time the "Beheading Game," which turns out to be a great physical as well as moral challenge to the main character, Sir Gawain. The passage (130-202) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the appearance of a strange knight in King Arthur's court. The anonymous author of the epic describes the rider in great detail, emphasizing the importance of this character. The passage is intended to arouse readers' curiosity, and at the same time, to introduce the mighty danger that the main character, Sir Gawain, will have to face. Furthermore, the strange knight is shown to be a test or trial for King Arthur and his knights. Finally, the passage presents the actual dynamics of Arthur's court as incompatible with the poet's initial praising of nobility, justice and chivalric ideals. The Green Knight is clearly a magical figure. This strange rider is of green hue, and he is riding a green horse. Physically, the knight is presented as strong and of a great size: From broad neck to buttocks so bulky and thick, And his loins and his legs so long and so great, Half a giant on earth I hold him to be...(138 - 140). The author gives these characteristics to the character for a reason. Possibly, the author aims to arouse interest of the readers or to emphasize the danger that Sir Gawain is about to face. However, at this point of the story, the reader is unaware of the true identity of the Green Knight, which makes it more exciting to read the poem. The passage describes the great festivities in King Arthur's court during the celebration of Christmas. And already Arthur is portrayed behaving childishly, when he refuses to eat unless he hears an entertaining story: But Arthur would not eat till all were served; So light was his lordly heart, and a little boyish; And also a point of pride pricked him in heart, For he nobly had willed, he would never eat.

Behavioral Management

Today most of the organizations are struggling to provide the employees a vivid and transparent way to achieve individual success, just because they avoid prospects to evaluate their behaviors. This situation raise different questions of what procedures to follow and what necessary measures have to be taken to be prominent and what parameters must be set to carry on with routine jobs in a smooth and efficient manner.For example, mutual discussions with the employees to find out their prospective and to know how they conceive given directions play key role to move ahead in any task professionally.In numerous organizations, employees face difficulty to make friendly relation with their superiors or managers. They could not explain their intentions, although most of them want to be an outstanding performer but either their job task does not match their capability or some times their performances can not be recognized by their bosses. Even though in some cases, if they would succeed to s how their performances and efficiency before their superiors, the management then, behaves like an ordinary manner, which causes depression among the workers eventually make them de-motivated.â€Å"It's easier to sell something to a group which has already invested in the product. Codes of conduct are an important first step to managing ethics in your workplace. † (Priest, 1999) Many employees even don’t have any knowledge about what management expects from them unless there are being told by their bosses to make them active and self-accountable. Most employees come to know about their performance appraisal with negative/worse seniors, when they are given a walking paper. Managers would move into fewer dilemmas, how to manage behaviors of their staff. Employee PerformanceConventional performance management approaches are followed by several organizations based on their nature of businesses and sizes. If employee X and employee Y do their jobs and both have different na ture and different ways in which they conceive their assignments. But management as a whole carries out similar rules and regulations for every employees and expects that every employee will behave monotonously. A little consideration of the issue enables us to get the conclusion that the execution is not preservative, and a amount of the factors that impress an individual’s behavior are not handled directly by case-by-case approach.We are commencing to comprehend that performance is appeared due to the result of work system, and all its components, not just every individual employee. Employees impress each other's capabilities to do their single job projects. One bad fish can spoil the environment of the whole pond; similarly a bad employee can actually affect on many others, whereas a nice employee may not only act his/her own work, but also make a helpful hand to the others. The success of work depends upon the attitude towards argument, disagreement or disliking regarding at one’s job premises or at home.When the rules of communication would be learnt that how should argue and fight fairly, the positive difference can be seen in the relationships and others recognize the same in a friendly manner. It is even more significant if there is an appropriate association between supervisor or manager and staff member to increase behavioral skills and develop teamwork. One way of imagining this is that as the staff member works for the boss, the boss also works for them.In realistic terms, that possibly mean creating and getting resources so the employee can be successful, driving out barriers, treating troubles directly handled by the boss but not influence-able by employee, etc. It is called bi-directional influence. Barriers In Behavioral Management There are some unintelligent things that Managers do and they often destroy individual-behavior-evaluation-system. Mostly they take help from Admin. or H. R. Department in preparing the appraisal of the employee, that situation destroys the worth of performance evaluation procedure. Some negative approach between management and employee as under: –Untrained Managers In The Course When a case for misbehavior or unethical attitude of employees is sent to the manager of concerned department, the concerned manager does not take such cases on a professional ground. Upon shouting of the evidences, the managers often take wrong decisions based on no deep research and just listening to other employees. â€Å"Although no â€Å"hard† data support allegations of malicious behavior by laid-off workers, we can speculate that having management personnel accompany laid-off workers to their workstations and then escort them off the premises may provide a certain degree of protection against reprisals.† (Lewis, 2004) This situation often creates an unhealthy behavioral environment and employees to not take assignments willingly. Managers require a thorough training about the a ppraisal and its importance within the organization. In absence of this awareness, one gets an empty paper pursue. â€Å"It seeks to guide managers as they try to behave ethically and socially responsibly, without jeopardizing their careers or companies. † (Schminke, 1998) Untrained Employees It is essential to train employees in their part of the assessment course because it only works when both employee and manager work jointly, in affiliation.Both employee and manager require grasping the same realizing bout the purpose of making appraisal, about its preparation and anticipations from them. â€Å"We have chosen to use face-to-face training because we can model behaviors and have our participants practice, review and practice again. † (Tyler, 2008) One cause managers delay in respect of preparation appraisals is that believe it as dissipate of time even don’t care to see the points, mentioned in the said forms. Unluckily, most organizations consider it’ s only an inquiry of dictating, screaming or supplicating managers to get them completed.If the managers sense the forms are beneficial, they must do them. There is only way to get them done is to make them beneficial. One-Sided approach Consider the problem for management if each and every manager employed a different form, or different procedure, how would it be kept on one track and organized the same. Problem is that the management anticipates managers to employ a single instrument for every one, frequently a rating form. This sort of rigidity deals with lodging problems. Unluckily, management gets trapped with the obligations of acquiring appraisals prepared by managers.Possibly it is not their liability but it is a firm sign that the prevailing system is unsuccessful. â€Å"Without a people-based information management system to acknowledge and support the interrelatedness of all areas of behavioral risk, the movement from internal to external models will continue. † (J ohnson, 2004) Every manager is evaluated on a number of things in an appropriately operating organism, one of that would be accomplishment of the functioning management and appraisal process. The obligation stands with the management.If the responsibility is not driven out by the manager, the concerned boss ought to be assessing the manager. Conclusion Whilst grading may appear to afford an accusative way of assessing, the grading themselves is only as better as the standards employed to enhance behaviors of employees. They could be misleading, seeming to appear that there is a purpose valid assessment process in progress, in real, it does not happen. The worth of an employee regarding equal standing with another in the group is immaterial to the progress of any organism.It doesn’t make any difference that whether a folk is the most excellent or the most horrible towards the job, the only matter is his/her complete involvement to the objectives of the organization. The gradin g system can ruin the morale and faith of an organization, with the reason it is too hard to grade objectively, and employees almost disagree with such kind of grading. The cause is that many of employees think that they are well above average in work efficiency. References Lewis, Gerald. (2004). A subtle form of workplace hostility. The Journal of Employee Assistance. April edition.Kalinoski, Glenn J. (2005). HR firm finds niche in leadership. Westchester County Business Journal. October edition. Johnson, Robert B. (2004). Behavioral risk: a systemic approach: The Journal of Employee Assistance. September edition. Priest, Jim T. (1999). Managing business ethics. The Journal Record. Oklahoma City. January 15th. Schminke, Marshall. (1998). Managerial Ethics: Moral Management of People and Processes. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Tyler, Kathryn. (2008). Generation gaps: millennials may be out of touch with the basics of workplace behavior. HR Magazine. January edition.

Compare Two Deontological Theories Essay

‘Deon’ means duty in ancient Greek and a deontological theory is concerned with the morality of an act rather than its consequences (or the ‘motive/intention’ behind the act). Kant’s theory of categorical imperatives (I ought to do X rather than a hypothetical; if I want to achieve X then I should do Y) consists of three main principles. The first of these is the universal law which states that you must only act on the maxim (principle) when you can at the same time will it to become a universal law. This means that you must be content that if everybody took the same action as you chose in similar situations, it would remain a moral action. The second of his principles asks you to act in a way that treats others as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end. This relates to Jesus’ teaching to ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12) and says humans should not use other humans to gain something for th emselves, as we would not like to be treated in this way. The final categorical imperative is the ‘Kingdom of Morals’ which says that we should always act as though we were the legislators for the kingdom of morals – we are in charge of what is fair and just. Kant placed great faith on human beings as being able to work rationally to such a conclusion and act according to principles. This contrasts with the Natural Moral Law theory which claims that we must find the purpose God has set for us and follow this path accordingly; our own personal beliefs are irrelevant. ‘Natural Moral Law’ was coined by Thomas Aquinas (influenced by Aristotle’s idea of the ‘final cause’) and the theory states that every action must work to fulfil its purpose; every action against it is immoral. According to the theory natural law is accessible through the natural order of the world and is unchanging. It is arguable that part of the theory is teleological as it is concerned with our ‘end’ by tryin g to fulfil our ‘God-given purpose’. Both Aquinas and Kant agree that our morals are absolute, a priori truths, however Kant believes that our reason will lead us to these truths whilst Aquinas has set primary and secondary precepts which he believes humans should follow. His primary precepts are to self-preserve and preserve the innocent, reproduce, learn, order society and worship God. These are absolutist as he believes all societies should share these values. He believes that these are universal and so he is fulfilling Kant’s first imperative. However the theories, when applied work very differently. An example of this is the case of abortion, a girl that is thirteen years old gets raped and becomes pregnant; she cannot care for the child and feels like she would be wrong in keeping it. According to Kant’s theory she would not be able to abort as she could not will every woman who became pregnant to abort their child, if they did then the human race would not survive, making this a contradiction of the ‘Laws of Nature’. Kant also argued that all humans have intrinsic worth and therefore by aborting so that she has an easier life the girl is treating the foetus as a means to an end. As for natural law, abortion goes against two of Aquinas’ primary precepts, largely the precept of ‘reproduction’. But also ‘preservation of the innocent’ suggests that issues such as euthanasia and abortion would not be permitted. The only acceptance to abortion in the natural law theory would be if the mother’s womb had to be removed to save her life – consequently aborting the foetus (this is the doctrine of the double effect). Both Aquinas and Kant assume God, Kant says that we must presuppose God, immortality and freedom in order for his theory to function whilst Aquinas believes that God gave us the ability to reason to find our morals – which God set. Whilst on surface level they appear similar theories, both being absolutist and deontological, when applied to ethical decisions they usually counteract each other with the viewpoint given. Assess the strengths & weaknesses of one of these theories (9 Marks) An obvious problem for the natural moral law theory is that it provides us with legalistic morality, because it is absolutist it means that it does not accommodate for individual circumstances. An example of this is a homosexual couple. According to the theory, the purpose of all sexual acts is to reproduce; any sexual act which does not fulfil this purpose is immoral. We can see that we are biologically ‘set up’ to reproduce in this way, and so Aquinas believes that masturbation, contraception and homosexual intercourse are all immoral because they do not perform the function that they are destined for. However the fact that it is an absolutist theory also has its advantages – it is a source of clear values and moral certainty, it would be very easy to follow, without considering the complexity of circumstances or consequences. Its focus on reason and universalism also helps the simplicity of the theory and can help it to transcend over a variety of cultures and religions. The only problem with it being a religious theory rather than a secular one is that the primary precept of ‘worshipping God’ will not come naturally to those who do not believe in the Christian God, or to atheists/agnostics. The fact that Aquinas maintains that the absolute laws come from God and that we ought to obey them may lead him into the trap of the naturalistic fallacy – obeying God is a value judgement and therefore he is turning and is into an ought. However an advantage is that the theory’s emphasis on the purpose of humanity gives people a structure and meaning in their lives, it is humanistic in its assertion that we all have intrinsic worth. Overall I believe that the weaknesses outweigh the strengths of this theory – it fails in its precepts which determine how people should live – people do not all hold the same values and therefore it is presumptuous to say that our morals were given by God and we all share them. It is also interesting that Aquinas himself went against his primary precept of ‘reproduction’ by being a celibate priest.

Knowledge management systems

Knowledge management systems Introduction With the rapid advancement in technology, managers have realised the essence of information technology in enhancing the performance of their organization (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 2005).. It is with regards to this that the concept of knowledge management systems, a paradigm of knowledge management (KM) has increased in popularity for the last several years (Stewart, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Knowledge management systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Knowledge management systems incorporates knowledge management (KM) and information technology (IT) to enhance the process of creation, development, utilization, transfer and storage of information within an organization. This paper therefore shall expound on literature in knowledge management systems and information technology to determine the theories and concepts that are present in the field. Literature Review Different scholars have develope d different systems that can be used to classify data, knowledge and information. Vance (1997) came up with a hierarchical system of classification that has been adopted by many scholars in the field of information technology. The importance of knowledge in an organization has been stressed with respect to this hierarchical classification of data, information and knowledge presented by Vance (1997). Thus, knowledge originates from personal information that has been stored in the minds of individuals. This information is useful in the process of generating facts, procedures and concepts and decisions to enhance the overall performance of an organization (Fahey and Prusak, 2008). Knowledge management has always been viewed as an integral component of the overall success of an organization. Managers usually integrate this concept to improve the level of operation of their organization to achieve a competitive edge over rivals within the industries in which their organizations operate i n. This is because, knowledge management is a tool that improves the innovation and responsiveness of an organization (Glazer, 1998). The operation of knowledge management systems is based on information technology (IT) (Machlup, 2010). The aim of these systems is to ensure that the process of information and knowledge creation within an organization is effective and efficient. IT plays a critical role in the development and support of knowledge management systems. As Alavi and Leidner (2001) asserted, the basis of knowledge management system is based on information technology. As such, IT supports the process of knowledge management in a number of ways. For instance, an organization can search for a specialist in a given field by utilizing information found on online directories and stored databases.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through IT, organizations can al so share information and enhance its operations through virtual teams, reviewing information from previous projects stored on a database. An organization can also have a clear understanding of the needs of its clients by critically analyzing and evaluating stored transactions data. With these examples, it will be difficult to clearly point out the role of IT in supporting knowledge management as its use is diversified. In addition to this, it is also impossible to develop a specific technology to support the process of knowledge management within an organization (Holtshouse, 2009). However, Alavi and Leidner (2001) narrowed down the application of IT in knowledge management to the following three areas: Coding and sharing of data Development of corporate directories Development of knowledge links and networks Coding and Sharing Of Data Coding and sharing of data that promote best practices within an organization has been one of the main areas in which IT has been used to enhance t he process of knowledge management (Spender, 2006). This process is mainly achieved through internal benchmarking. Here, information regarding the best practices that have been reported to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of operations are stored and shared among individuals and different departments within an organization. This ensures that the knowledge with regards to the best practices is made available to all hence boosting the performance of individuals and improving the overall performance of the firm. With this in place, the operations of a firm shall be conducted in an effective and efficient manner increasing level of profitability and the ease at which an organization can achieve its short term and long-term goals and objectives. Development of Corporate Directories IT also plays a critical role in supporting knowledge management by enhancing the process of developing corporate directories. Retrieving stored data is one of the main challenges that organizations fa ce prompting the development of knowledge management. This is because most of the information in organizations is not stored properly hence retrieving them become a problem. In addition to this, most of the data found in organizations is not coded. This makes the task of retrieving and actually utilizing such information to benefit an organization to be difficult. Therefore, with the help of IT, coding of information via internal mapping expertise has ensured that firms are now able to retrieve information at ease.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Knowledge management systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This has greatly reduced the level of repeated mistakes that came up as a result of the implementation of poor practices (Robertson et al, 2006). Instead, internal mapping has ensured that only best practices are retrieved and used to enhance the overall performance of an organization. Development of Knowledge Li nks and Knowledge Links Networks IT has also played a critical role in the development of knowledge networks via knowledge management systems. Knowledge networks are essential in sharing of information among individuals, departments and to a larger extent, different organizations. Chrysler is an example of an organization that greatly benefited from knowledge networks. According to Alavi and Leidner (2001), Chrysler faced a critical challenge after it modified its operations from functional to platform based organization units. In the process, the company realised that its operations would deteriorate unless suspension specialists would have an effective and reliable means of communication through which they will exchange and share ideas across various platforms (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). This led to the development of Tech Cul that enabled Chrysler to bring individuals together from different backgrounds. This system enabled virtual and face-to-face communications among professiona ls from different fields of expertise. It enabled people them to share ideas and come up with solutions to collective problems that they were facing. This ultimately improved the performance of the company by developing high quality products. From the discussions that have been presented in this paper, it is evident that information and knowledge are essential components of an organization. They play a critical role in enhancing the operations of an organization enabling it to achieve its short term and long-term goals and objectives. It is with regards to this that managers and scholars always emphasize on the importance of knowledge management. However, to ensure this practice is conducted in an effective and efficient manner, the process has incorporated IT through knowledge management systems to enhance the process of coding and sharing of data, development of corporate dictionaries and knowledge networks that improve the process of creating, developing, sharing and storing of k nowledge within an organization. Current Practice In the modern world, information technology has taken over all the aspects of our lives including the management of organizations. Most of the organizations in the world have adopted and incorporated the concept of information technology to improve their operations to meet the needs and desires of their customers and to stand at a competitive edge over their rivals. Knowledge management systems have been one of the facets of IT that firms have incorporated to manage the knowledge and information present in their systems.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Knowledge management has played an essential role in the process of storing and retrieving data. According to Spanbauer (2007), the operations of modern organizations are entirely based on the use of emails. Members of an organization use emails as the main form of communication and storage. However, Spanbauer (2007) goes ahead to state that the major problem with the use of emails it that it does not store data in a systematic way hence making it difficult to retrieve information whenever needed. It is with regards to this that organizations such as Garner have found it essential to use applications such as Customer Coversation System (CCS) and Illumo to enhance the process of data storage, sharing and retrieval within an organization. It is as a result of such data storage and retrieval systems that strategic and innovative discoveries have emerged from. Viagra, an erectile dysfunction drug was discovered through this process. During its early days, Viagra was used to suppress con ditions that led to heart failure. However, during its administration, nurses discovered that it had a side effect (erection on male patients). This side effect was recorded and stored. This information was later discovered by a doctor during a cross-data study and resulted in the development of a multi-billion dollar industry (Bushell, 2001). It is with regards to this that organizations in the modern word find it essential to systematically store and share information. Knowledge management systems are solutions to organizations that have to record, maintain, store, retrieve and share bulky datasets and information. Braue (2011) interviewed the lead construction engineer of Connect East, Barry King. Connect East had been contracted by the Victorian government to maintain Melbourne’s East Link toll road (Braue, 2011). To ensure that this process is conducted professionally in an effective and efficient manner, King and his team need to maintain the records of all assets to me et the requirements of enterprise asset management (EAM). This includes maintaining records for all the equipments, machineries, and spares that are used in the process of maintaining the road. Purchasing, depreciation and amortization records also need to be maintained. These records need to be presented to the Victorian government and other stakeholders in the company especially due to the fact that the project is almost nearing its completion. However, with the use of IBM’s Maximo, Connect East has been able to maintain systematic records. According to King, this tool has enabled the organization to achieve optimum performance with regards to effective record keeping thus reducing the operating costs (Braue, 2011). During its early years, social networks were viewed as platforms through which individuals can interact with their friends and family. However, with time, organizations have found it virtually impossible to operate without social network sites (Dancy et al, 2012 ). According to Dancy et al, organizations in the 21st century are using social media as a platform for developing, maintaining, retaining and sharing knowledge within the organization its self and with other stakeholders. Professionals in the field of information technology view social media as a means through which organizations can collaborate to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their services through knowledge retention and sharing (Amidon, 1997). Social media has enabled organizations to interact with people outside the domain of their operations and actually get first hand feedback on their operations and means through which they can enhance their services. It is with regards to this that most organizations have pages on social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and so on. These pages enable them to have direct contact with their stakeholders especially their customers enabling them to understand their needs and preferences. Additionally, thr ough knowledge sharing, social media acts as platforms through which ideas on service improvement can be shared. It is thus evident that organizations in the modern world have embraced the importance of knowledge management systems. This is because most organizations in the world are using varies applications, tools and technologies to enhance the process of keeping, retrieving and sharing their records through platforms such as social media. This has in turn improved the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations ensuring that organizations achieve their operational goals and objectives and at the same time, stand at a competitive edge in their respective industries. Comparison of Literature and Current Practice Knowledge and information has been regarded as a key asset in any organization. It is with regards to this that organizations that create, store, retrieve, utilize and share knowledge in an effective and efficient manner stand at a competitive edge. This has increased the importance and emphasis of the incorporation of knowledge management systems in the operations of organizations. In practice, it has been identified that organizations utilize knowledge management systems to achieve this goal. For instance, the operations of modern organizations are entirely based on emails. However, to enhance the process in which information contained in emails can be stored, retrieved and utilized in a systematic manner, Spanbauer (2007) stated that organization are using applications and technologies such as CCS and Illumo. On the other hand, an organization such as Connect East has utilized knowledge management systems to ensure that its information is stored in a manner that it can be easily retrieved and presented to the contacting government and other shareholders. Finally, modern organizations are now using social media as a platform of interacting with shareholders and sharing knowledge. This has enhanced the services and products provided by firms as a result of information sharing. Conclusion It is always the goal of any manager to ensure that his/her organization is experiencing an exponential growth in value. However, in the modern era, the value of an organization is not mainly based on its tangible assets but by its intangible assets. Therefore, the information within an organization plays a critical role in enhancing its operations and dictating the growth patterns that it exhibits. This has led to the incorporation of the concept of knowledge management (KM) in the running and management of organizations. Knowledge is an essential asset that plays a critical role in ensuring the success of an organization in the short run and in the long run. It is with regards to this realization that organizations have found it essential to develop systems through the incorporation of information technology to ensure that information is stored in a systematic manner hence enabling easy retrieval and utilization to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization. Therefore, for organizations to ensure that their operations are effective and efficient, they need to embrace the concept of knowledge management system to achieve their set goals and objectives. References Alavi, M and Leidner, D 2001, ‘Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: conceptual foundations and research issues’, MIS Quarterly, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 107-136. Amidon, D 1997, Innovation Strategy for the Knowledge Economy : The Ken Awakening, Heinemann, London. Braue, C 2011, The challenges of asset management: Part one. Web. Bushell, S 2001, In the know. Web. Dancy, C, Busch, B and Howard, K 2012, IT service management going social. Web. Fahey, L and Prusak, L 2008, ‘The Eleven Deadliest Sins of Knowledge Management’, California Management Review, vol. 40 no. 3, pp. 265-276. Glazer, R 1998, ‘Measuring the Knower: Towards a Theory of Knowledge Equity’, California Management Review, vol. 40 no. 3, pp. 175-194. Holtshouse, D 2009, ‘Knowledge Research Issues’, California Management Review vol. 40 no. 3, pp. 277-280. Machlup, F 2010, Knowledge: Its Creation, Distribution, and Economic Significance, Princeton University Press, Princeton. Nonaka, I and Takeuchi, H 2005, The Knowledge Creating Company, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Robertson, M, Swan, J, and Newell, S 2006, ‘The Role of Networks in the Diffusion of Technological Innovation’, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 33 no. 2, pp. 335-361. Spanbauer, C 2007, Knowledge management 2.0. Web. Spender, J 2006, ‘Organizational Knowledge, Learning, and Memory: Three Concepts in Search of a Theory’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 63-78. Stewart, T 2007, Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of Organizations, Nicholas Brealey, Chicago. Vance, D 1997, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom: The Epistemic Hierarchy and Computer Based Information System, Sa ge, New York.

Sohrab moving to America Essays

Sohrab moving to America Essays Sohrab moving to America Essay Sohrab moving to America Essay Five years have passed since Sohrab moved to America. Now he talks and lives happily with Soraya and I. He goes to school and loves running kits, just like his father did. Sohrabs relationship with me has improved a lot, we always remember all the moments I and Hassan spent together, our adventures, our fights against Assef, the kite tournament and winter time in Kabul. I love Sohrab as if he was my own son. I would always do my best to teach him what Baba had thought me once. We always talk about my childhood in Baba’s house and I use my experiences as an example to teach Sohrab. I tell him how Baba’s relationship changed over the years and I would also talk about the guilt I felt because of my mother’s death. I remember once when Baba was talking with Rahim Kahn and said, if I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he is my son. We also talk about the important role Rahim Kahn played in my life, unlike Baba, he would always give me his support and understand me. I always remember Baba saying this to Rahim Kahn about me, a boy who won’t stand up for himself is a boy who can’t stand up to anything. My father was worried because the neighbourhood boys pushed me and took my toys and I never fought back. Your father would step in and fend them off. You see Sohr ab? We got home, and Baba would ask, how did Hassan get the scrape on his face? And I would answer he fell down. That is not how things are supposed to happen, you know? This was a really useful way to teach Sohrab. I also decided to tell him about the day that Baba said no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft when you kill a man, you steal a life, you steal a wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to know the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. At this precise moment I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to steal Sohrab’s right to the truth, so I made the brave decision to tell him everything. I mentioned how jealous I was, I talked about Hassan being raped, I talked about the watch and the money, I talked about everything. I could see the confusion in Soharbs face. Actually, he was disappointed. He didn’t know what to say or to think. He was sad because he thought I was different. Sohrab started yelling and said he would have preferred to stay in Afghanistan. I felt so horrible. As he already did once, Sohrab stopped talking. He needed to think and reorder his thoughts in his mind. He wouldn’t eat or leave his room. He wouldn’t want to run kite. I just had to let him be alone, I didn’t bother or try to talk to him, I just wanted to give him space. Sohrab was really sad because he knew things could have been different. Hate started to grow in his heart. I just couldn’t understand how it could be possible that what happened so many years ago could heart him that much. He knew that if I had of reacted in a different way, now, his most beloved relatives would have been there with him, happy all together, being a family. It was almost a month and Sohrab is still continuing to lock himself in his room. He barely ate what Soraya jan made him. I couldn’t help myself but to be concerned about his health. I was terrified that he might try and kill himself again. The situation continued the same until one day Soraya went into the Sohrabs room to give him his dinner and she stood there longer than she usually does. When she went out she sat on the sofa, next to me and said to me don’t worry, he will be fine, we just need to give him some more time, don’t feel guilty he also understands you, he just told me that his problem is that he is too young, and it is very difficult for him to accept this. Soraya’s words were very important to me. Now I felt better, and calm know that he juts needs time. She made me feel this way†¦. she always does. I fell asleep and when I woke up, Soharb was sitting next to me. Soraya wasn’t there Sohrab was. At the moment, Sohrab started to c ry and gave me something he had in his hands. I opened it and saw a kite Sohrab had made for me. On it there were some photos of the five of us; Baba, Amir, Hassan, Sohrab and Rahim Kahn. I couldn’t help myself but to give Sohrab a hug and after a while he said when guilt leads to good, that’s what true redemption is. What astounded me was he remembered this from one of the stories I told him as Rahim Kahn once said this to me. It is hard to accept that things could have been different, and we could all be living together now, but this is my reality, this is my life and you are my family. Thanks a lot Amir agha and thank you for telling me the truth. At this exact moment Soraya came in the room again and on her face, there was a tear and in her eyes a strange but happy look. I’m pregnant! Soraya says. I’m going to have a brother! Sohrab answered while a bis smile invaded his face. And I myself couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Writing for a Cause Supplementing Income with Grant Writing

Writing for a Cause Supplementing Income with Grant Writing As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer in some capacity. In the 90s, when I graduated from college and before the internet of things, I had no idea how to make that happen. I became a social worker. Working for  Big Brothers Big Sisters  was very rewarding, but the pay was low and the hours were long. To supplement my income, I presented at seminars and wrote occasional grants. I had no formal grant writing experience, and I’m not even sure that we won any of the grants, but I made extra cash. Twenty years later, content writing comprises a little more than half my income. Although I was aware of  grants available to writers, I had not touched a grant since the 90s. One morning, I received a phone call. A one-year-old, local non-profit agency needed a grant writer, and a friend recommended me. Regardless of my limited experience with grant writing, I was hired. Apparently local grant writers are difficult to find, especially for a new agency. I believed in the organization and wanted to help, but I had no idea how lucrative it would become. How It Works Initially, I agreed to a â€Å"per project† fee, to ensure a good fit for everyone. We were awarded the very first grant I wrote, and my fee was $500. The grant took me about four hours to write, so I was very excited for the next proposal. After a month, the Board of Directors approved me as a permanent grant writer and the agreement looks like this: A retainer  of $500/month for one year, subject to an increase with a 50 percent award rate. Bonuses paid for awarded grants equal to five percent of the award amount. Researching and recommending grants each month is part of the job. Over the past few months, I have tracked hours spent researching and writing grants, as well as time spent on planning calls with the Executive Director. On average, I spend twelve hours per month on this job. My average monthly income to date is $1200, or $83/hour. This amount will increase, as I am on track to write nearly one million dollars in grants this year. My monthly hours will increase as I write larger, more complex grant proposals. If my award average is 50 percent or higher, my estimated income will be $37,000 for the year, equating to well over $100/hour, even with increased hours. A Few Words About Ethics Most  grantwriter associations  have determined that commissions based on percentages of awarded grants is unethical. And, more importantly, grants rarely allow funds to be used to pay a grantwriter. Agencies must fundraise to cover operations expenses, such as grantwriting. In my case, the agency budget includes my retainer, which compensates me for hours spent, even if a grant is not awarded. The budget also includes bonus money to be paid out for awarded grants. The percentage is used as a bonus guideline; however, my grantwriting fees are never paid directly from a grant. When I dreamed of being a writer, I did not dream of blog and grant proposal writing. Writing opportunities can pop up everywhere. Even though my writing career hasn’t included bestselling novels and coast to coast book tours, I am influencing the world with words. The income has been great and it feels good to know that my writing skills are helping to fund an important cause.

Hurricane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hurricane - Essay Example The federal government has placed several organizations that deal with the monitoring of surroundings to detect the possibility of a calamity happening. In light to this, the federal government has made some developments after Katrina. Organizations and disaster management bodies have been able to assist in the recovery and help rendering to the communities affected by the happening. Bodies like the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) is one of the spear heading body the federal government has deployed to the areas the hurricane hit to deliver assistance to the communities affected. Following hurricane Katrina’s occurrence, efforts were made to reflect past the instant response to the disaster. Long- term community recovery planning (LTCR) section was instigated initially in the recovery of the debris and assistance to the affected party. This evolving function of the government is determined to give the community a speedy recovery and enhances the community’s recovery on the lost property while looking into the future of sustainability of the community. The LTCR is a development the federal government put in place to assist the public and local governments in the recovery of the community housing and every economic stimulus infrastructure through engineers, architects, and other professionals of the disaster management. The LTCR made the plans for recovery in a swift succession where by the year 2006 the metropolitan plan of New Orleans was completed by spring. The function is doing the recovery in a fast pace alongside specific sustainability pr ojects. The implementations of the proposed plans have since been articulated. There were 17 recovery zones in the plan for the commercial development in New Orleans, which included the hard hit areas of the state. Recently, major developments have created the modern hurricane tracking technology that includes new computer technology models. The tropical waves that emanate from the west of Africa

Advanced Business Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advanced Business Structure - Essay Example e contained within a business model should address all functions of a company such as operating cost, revenues, operating strategies, corporate structure and sales and marketing measures. Twitter is finally stepping up and moving into the world where real businesses stride and this led to launch o the advertising model.Biz Stone the co founder of twitter posted a blog entry about unveiling the new promoted tweets advertising policy. Users will start seeing paid messages that will be labelled promoted. Ten percent or more will be able to see the promoted messages. Twitter will be in corroboration with bravo, red bull, Sony pictures, starbucks, best buy and virgin America which will initiate the first adverts. The founders of twitter believe that promoted tweets will not be rejected by twitter users because it will have built in quality features that reward tweets. Search business type, it acquired the search engine in the summer of 2008 which is common. It had the potential to subdue tweet’s servers, to such an extent that the first year, they did not set up a search box but hid the feature. This search is highly significant, as proven during the current Iran disruption when twitter was among few ways of getting words out (Siau, 74). E-commerce, many companies have used this method example Dell has sold millions of dollars worth of equipment through twitter. BTB customer support business model, best buy and Twitter began an experiment with @ TwelpForce. This enabled them to have thirteen thousand followers. This service ensures that all customer’s questions and enquires are answered. This is known to be the future of customer communications. Twitter 101, this is a sizeable lesson for companies to do business using twitter. This enables the company to find monetize their traffic. Verified accounts, twitter is known to be the first with verified accounts plan payment that verify clients are carrying out transactions with the company they are searching for and

Inside Job (2010) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inside Job (2010) - Movie Review Example The various traits that are in the film follow the story line that occurred from 2007 with the economic changes and associates this with the main ideologies of the economy and the government. The plot of the film is based on the financial meltdown that is a part of the current global crisis. The plot first looks at the financial crisis of 2008 and the outcomes which it caused, such as the loss of $20 trillion, loss of jobs, loss of homes and the eventual global collapse that was associated with this. The plot then moves into interviews and associations with the financial crisis to define what happened and occurred and how it became a major component of history. The attributes are incorporative of defining an industry that was always corrupt and rogue and which forced the financial meltdown. The main ideology that is given from the director is that the industry corruption led to a forced meltdown which could have been prevented otherwise. The setting is based on the interviews of thos e in the financial industry and is combined with the historical issues of the recent financial meltdown.

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management Term Paper

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management - Term Paper Example Following are the major sorts of instruments applied by organizations to manage the financial risks associated with business activity. Futures and Options In this type of instrument, one individual or business signs a contract with another one to purchase the commodity on some future date with an agreed-upon price. However, in futures both of the parties have to go through with the contract while in options both of the parties reserve the right to withdraw the contract upon paying in monetary terms. Agreements: This instrument is localized in nature, and governments do not interfere with its transactions. Nevertheless, the purpose of these agreements is the same as that of futures and options, which is to hedge against fluctuations in the market price of the commodity or an industrial product. It is also important to note that these kinds of agreements are more common in economically distressed nations. But, recently they are intensively deployed in order to ensure a supply of raw material in US, which is necessary because of the prevailing recession in the local market. So, it is safe to assume that businesses are preparing themselves for increasing adversities of the future by contracting with their suppliers on a long term basis, which also enables them to attain economies of scale as a result, driving their financial and operational costs down that allows them to lower their prices in order to increase their market share. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to acknowledge that various businesses are paying close attention towards managing financial risk through using statistical models in order to assess the current level of risk, which can disrupt the expected pattern of their cash flows (Benson & Oliver, 2004). However, they often lack the proper translation of this analysis into practical plans, so in this way they cannot benefit from the concept of derivatives effectively most of the times. On the other hand, manufacturing sector of Europe is using derivatives more extensively than American ones (SpricIc, 2007). The prime reason for this trend is prevailing and growing uncertainty of the European market as compared to that of America. Along with this, managers who deploy derivatives in order to evaluate the degree of risk in financial terms are viewed as trustworthy by stockholders because they consider it as the proper and desirable means of minimizing financial threats (Koonce, Lipe, & McAnally, 2008). However, managers are found to falter by not basing their business decisions on the results of derivative analysis, therefore portraying the image of rational business decision making when in reality it is not the case. At the same time, derivatives are not rated as an effective mean for minimizing the possibility of default (Yi, Lin, & Chen, 2008). Therefore, derivatives can only be utilized as the mean of predicting future financial position of a particular firm. However, it is important to note that firms that base their decisions on derivative analysis often outperform those that do not consider derivatives as an ideal method for predicting financial future (Lin, Pantzalis, & Park, 2009). Another advantage of successful risk management is contentment of stockholders (Berk, Peterlin, & Cok, 2009). Through effective management, risk managers can handle them and are

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation - Essay Example Needs are the basis for the drives which is in turn seeking the attainment of certain set of incentives. A physiological or a psychological imbalance in a human leads to the creation of need for something. For e.g. need for water when a person is thirsty. However, a psychological need can also arise without any known deficiency as well as imbalance. For e.g. a person having a strong need for progress may move from success to success. Similarly in the case, employees of the cafe had certain needs which make them derive to achieve an incentive. However, with no interactions from the owners and no further incentive employees are highly de-motivated. Drivers or motives prompt individuals to attain their goals and satisfy their needs. A physiological drive is a condition which causes a person to work in a particular direction. Both physiological and psychological drives push an individual towards achieving a certain goal or accomplishing a certain task. For e.g. need for food and water is transformed into the drives of hunger and thirst. Anything that can motivate a need and decrease the intensity of drive is called an incentive. When a person obtains the incentive, the strength of the drive is reduced and physiological or psychological balance is restored. The owners of the cafe do not understand individualized problem of their employees. This is the root cause of all the motivational problems at the cafe. For e.g. in the case study it can be seen that the owner Simon had employed his own younger sister Penny Philips in the cafe. She had just completed her French Degree and wants to travel for finding a job as a translator. Now even her problems are not addressed by the owners even though one of them is her brother. This is the level of negligence that had been given to the cafe by Simon and Karen. Another reason for de-motivation of employees in the cafe is that by working they are just fulfilling their Physiological needs and there any other need is not being ful filled. The theory of hierarchy of needs by Maslow is often displayed in the form of pyramid. The most basic needs are shown at the lowest level of the pyramid whereas comparatively complex needs have been located at the top of pyramid. Needs that are at the bottom of pyramid are classified as basic physical requirements which include the need of water, sleep, food and warmth. As long as the needs of lower level are not met, the hierarchy does not move to the higher level, and once there lower level needs are met, people tend to move towards the next level in the needs hierarchy, which are known for safety and security. Humans have the common need to be respected and having self-esteem as well as self respect. This need is also known as belonging need. The esteem of a human presents his normal human desire that needs to be accepted as well as valued by others. Different people have need of engaging themselves for gaining recognition and having an activity or set of activities that g ives the person a near sense of contribution, of feeling accepted as well as self-valued, both in a profession and hobby. Now in the cafe these needs of employees are not being fulfilled which is acting as a de-motivating factor for them. Part 2 The owners will have to motivate its employees to stay in the job including finding a replacement for Penny. Simon and Karen needs to make this cafe a learning organization for its employees. Organizations constantly endeavor to make

What are the effects of social network sites on the English teenagers Coursework

What are the effects of social network sites on the English teenagers - Coursework Example 172). Social networking has had diverse effects on English teenagers both positive and negative depending on the person examining the effects and on the angle viewed. SNS have led to improved social connections among the teens, which have been fundamental in affecting social skills among them, especially the ones who are shy in interacting in the real world. These sites build the confidence of the teens and affect the interaction skills through the platforms they provide where a person can express his or her opinions freely without any fear. This has been made possible by the options the sites present for self-expression through updating a status, commenting, liking or disliking, joining a relevant group on Facebook and tweeting on Twitter among others. The youngsters then apply the social skills gained from the social networking in the real world either consciously or unconsciously since the skills become part of their day-to-day social life. In addition, these internet sites have been o f great importance to the teens in making friendships with other teens across the globe and in maintaining their current friendships (Zheng, Burrow and Drew 2010, p.15). As a result, important friendships that have been critical in the teen’s adult life have been created which could not be possible if these social interaction tools did not exist. Social Network sites have enabled the English teenagers to have a cheap and readily available access to a wide range of information on various issues, which affect them in their various activities. This has been possible since the sites provide their users with access to millions of people from the different parts of the world that are well knowledgeable and specialized in different fields. The teens therefore depending on their interests, likes, ambitions and passion choose the kind of people whom they are interested in and start learning from them through the various tools the SNS present. Research shows that

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation - Essay Example Needs are the basis for the drives which is in turn seeking the attainment of certain set of incentives. A physiological or a psychological imbalance in a human leads to the creation of need for something. For e.g. need for water when a person is thirsty. However, a psychological need can also arise without any known deficiency as well as imbalance. For e.g. a person having a strong need for progress may move from success to success. Similarly in the case, employees of the cafe had certain needs which make them derive to achieve an incentive. However, with no interactions from the owners and no further incentive employees are highly de-motivated. Drivers or motives prompt individuals to attain their goals and satisfy their needs. A physiological drive is a condition which causes a person to work in a particular direction. Both physiological and psychological drives push an individual towards achieving a certain goal or accomplishing a certain task. For e.g. need for food and water is transformed into the drives of hunger and thirst. Anything that can motivate a need and decrease the intensity of drive is called an incentive. When a person obtains the incentive, the strength of the drive is reduced and physiological or psychological balance is restored. The owners of the cafe do not understand individualized problem of their employees. This is the root cause of all the motivational problems at the cafe. For e.g. in the case study it can be seen that the owner Simon had employed his own younger sister Penny Philips in the cafe. She had just completed her French Degree and wants to travel for finding a job as a translator. Now even her problems are not addressed by the owners even though one of them is her brother. This is the level of negligence that had been given to the cafe by Simon and Karen. Another reason for de-motivation of employees in the cafe is that by working they are just fulfilling their Physiological needs and there any other need is not being ful filled. The theory of hierarchy of needs by Maslow is often displayed in the form of pyramid. The most basic needs are shown at the lowest level of the pyramid whereas comparatively complex needs have been located at the top of pyramid. Needs that are at the bottom of pyramid are classified as basic physical requirements which include the need of water, sleep, food and warmth. As long as the needs of lower level are not met, the hierarchy does not move to the higher level, and once there lower level needs are met, people tend to move towards the next level in the needs hierarchy, which are known for safety and security. Humans have the common need to be respected and having self-esteem as well as self respect. This need is also known as belonging need. The esteem of a human presents his normal human desire that needs to be accepted as well as valued by others. Different people have need of engaging themselves for gaining recognition and having an activity or set of activities that g ives the person a near sense of contribution, of feeling accepted as well as self-valued, both in a profession and hobby. Now in the cafe these needs of employees are not being fulfilled which is acting as a de-motivating factor for them. Part 2 The owners will have to motivate its employees to stay in the job including finding a replacement for Penny. Simon and Karen needs to make this cafe a learning organization for its employees. Organizations constantly endeavor to make

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation - Case Study Example So what made them so different from the rest in the corporate jungle to bring about rather such exquisite products or service offerings that consumers lapped up them in time The answer well lies in the fact that these guys are not only great entrepreneurs, techno honchos, and brilliant chaps but rather they always understood that to stay ahead in the rat race of corporate tussle; you have to keep a tab on the pulse of the consumers. The key always lies among them. Again a different perspective can very well be that these guys were great practioners of marketing principles and understood the 4Ps' of Marketing very well enough to always come up with great products and services which mapped the consumer needs so well that today they are all in the list of Forbes 500. These people could create an idea which held the attention of millions together and then they had the brilliance to turn the attention into a long term association and loyal purchase. Apart from corporate and organizations, we also certainly can't ignore the everyday innovations we make in our daily lives, from mending a simple broken cigarette to finding ways how to make life simpler by implementing certain simple and unthought-of of innovative ideas and processes which actually makes life simpler and smoother. On the whole what I am trying to say is that innovation can be brought about by virtually anybody at any place and at any point of time, but to commercialize it one necessarily needs to take the corporate route. So let's see and understand how certain key players in our society have unraveled innovations to make life simpler and technologically progressive. To take a prime example we'll concentrate on Mr. Steve Jobs the CEO for Apple Inc. He along with Steve Wozniak started Apple Computers in their garage in 1976. From their onwards to revolutionizing the computer world with iMacs' and the music industry with his concepts in music download i.e iTunes' and iPod. We have seen a man change from being extremely bull headed to becoming one of the foremost leaders of the 21st century. From getting ousted from Apple to starting up NEXT and Pixar Animations, this is one person who has learnt from his own mistakes and has decided to take Apple to newer heights and as once envisioned as a youn g entrepreneur. When Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple Inc, it was pretty well known as to why he was removed from his post as Chairman. His overbearing and prejudiced management style and constant conflict with then CEO John Sculley (Steve Jobs Transforms Apple), as result by the time he left it was assumed that Apple was in good hands now. But the company may have had taken the decision in haste as it had removed one person from the organization whose core skills lay in product innovation. As a result when he joined back again in 1997 it was very well known that the organization needed some new product offerings apart from iMac Slim and its desktop variants. As a result by 2005 he had come

We see and understand things not as they are but as we are

We see and understand things not as they are but as we are We see and understand things not as they are but as we are. Discuss this claim in at least two ways of knowing. When the theory of knowledge teacher asked a student in the class to examine and describe a paper flower, he boldly described it as soft, weak and small. I also examined the same paper flower and came up with an understanding that the flower is small, weak and soft. This was because we both were observing the same thing. This observation leads to a hypothesis that the existence of knowledge without human minds is not possible. If in that instant of time one of us would unfold the paper flower and make a paper boat to run it on the water surface in a bucket, we both would have mentioned the differences. This assertion points out our ways of acquiring knowledge. Is it worth saying that human mind understands the world and its phenomenon according to the knowledge being saved in to it earlier. Does culture has impacts in the way humans see and understand? Do people of different religions experience the same reality? Through this essay I shall try to look at the above mentioned problems of knowing and come up with an argument that humans do see and understand things not as they (things) are but as we (humans) are. Famously quoted by N. R. Hanson Two third of what we see is behind our eyes. I myself agree with the title of the essay that I see and understand things not as they are but as I am. But why? We wouldnt have any knowledge of the outside world without our perception. For example a person from a different culture than ours would misunderstand the purpose of a finger bowl with a flower petal at a dining table and perceive it as a bowl of soup. The main issue here is that a same thing is perceived differently by different observers due to various aspects in their lives. These perceptions are often strongly influenced by our experiences and memories, religion, personality, culture and even gender. Plato defined knowledge as Justified True Belief. According to the definition, the more justification we can provide for a particular belief, the knowledge constructed from the fact will be easier to understand. Mostly the knowledge human value primarily is based on cultural backgrounds and past knowledge. For example dogs will always scare a man if he has been bitten by dog in the childhood while some people on the other hand have dogs as pets and loves them as their own children. One of the main issues of knowledge in this context would be to explore the question that states that do emotions affect the way we see and understand things? First of all, I must mention that the ways of getting knowledge from emotions are facial expressions, tone of voice or tears. For example if I drag literature into the essay and take a look at the Slumdog Millionaire. There comes a point in the story when the character Jamal witnesses his girlfriend getting rapped. Jamal finds this act of violence more hurtful to himself instead of finding it hurting to his friend. Jamal sees himself as the victim because of the pain he is getting just by hearing the voices and runs from the scene. But in reality his refusal to help his friend makes him as accused of the crime as the perpetrator. The point of interest in this example is that Jamal saw the situation through his mind and his emotions did not let him see the actual reality. So he saw the whole situation as he was, not as the reali ty was. Another example in this context could be a student who is very intelligent but is held down in the class because he is deemed to be selfish. In his point of view he is strong and independent and has great integrity that is why he never bows to altruism. But other students criticize him because of this attitude. Sacrifice of self is highly appreciated in some cultures but in others self reliance is honored the most. This also points me back to the question of the essay and concludes that culture plays a significant role in what we see and how we perceive it. Religion also plays a part in the perception of people. For example Muslims are not allowed to eat pork and they have religious justifications to prove their belief but for the rest of the world it is quite normal to eat pork and they serve it both at their national and holy events. Therefore a same event in time and space cannot be perceived by same point of view by particular group of people. These three examples led me to concl ude that perception is so strongly influenced by emotions, culture and religion that people see the reality as they are not as the reality is. Sometimes one comes across knowledge that seems authentic but that is not true. I will quote the 4th century BCconcept that the earth is flat. Lack of equipment and modern technology lead ancient scientists to claim this hypothesis. The scientists justified this hypothesis by saying that if earth was not flat; rather sphere then the things on the curved surface of the earth would slide and fall down. Moreover they also justified that the earth appears to be flat even viewed from a high altitude. Since their conclusion (justifications) made sense to the people of that era, so they considered this knowledge valuable. But with the passage of time, scientists realized that earth is spherical instead of flat. They justified this belief by showing the fact that if earth was flat then all the bodies in the sky should be visible at the same time for all parts of the surface. Also when a ship disappears in the horizon justifies that the earth is sphere. These justifications were not enough fo r old believers of flat earth. Advancement in science and technology made humans land on moon. When astronauts showed pictures of earth taken from the surface of moon, people started believing the new knowledge. Pictures served as proof for the belief. Even in the presence of these strong reasoning some old religious scientists deny the fact and are still proving their old knowledge. They believe that in such cases pictures can serve as propaganda. Knowledge based on photographs could be biased or subjective. Thus this example shows that the knowledge that people value the most is the one with their own concrete justifications based on the circumstances or the previous knowledge. But how can we know what could be close to reality? Photographs are a ladder to reach knowledge, they dont serve knowledge. They can be manipulated for various purposes as in this example; photographs taken from moon can be a source of propaganda for the country first reached at moon. There also exists knowledge that has similar outcomes yet people do not agree with it. I will take ghosts as example. Spiritual scholars have played a key role in showing existence of ghosts. They showed religious references, pictures, videos and people who can approve their existence but majority of the people do not believe this because they are not able to show their justification to the rest of the world. If I consider myself, I personally believe in ghosts because my religion has strong justifications for that. But those justifications are very weak for the non believers. So when I see a person screaming at night or walking in sleep I consider it as influence of some ghost because this is what my religion and culture taught me. On the other hand modern science has showed evidence to many sicknesses in which a sleeping person might walk and even go to graveyard to remember the dead ones. So a doctor will see this situation completely differently than anyone from old South Asian s ociety. This is also an example of different perception of the same event. The whole discussion in this essay leads me to conclude than more the justifications, more reliable the belief is. But sometimes even justifications and proofs fail to convince people. Forexample we see a toothpick is embedded in chocolate dipped strawberries. A person with good socio economic background knows the purpose of this toothpick that is lifting the strawberry without getting hands dirty. On the other hand a person with less social status might see the toothpick as a cleaning tool that is used right after one has eaten the strawberries. So this whole discussion can be concluded by saying that knowledge that is most valuable depends on person to person. The knowledge that satisfies ones belief, emotions and actions is valued to him. Thus for him that particular knowledge is most valuable. But if we think logically, then there is no doubt that strong justifications (as in science) make the argument more valuable. As said by David Hume (1711-76) Reason is always and everywhere the slave of the passions

The Scarlet Letter: The Use Of Hester :: essays research papers

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes Hester Prynne the central figure in the story much like Susanna Rowson does with Charlotte in Charlotte Temple. The plots of the books are centered on these women; the storylines occasionally move elsewhere to inform the reader of the happenings of other characters, but always returns to their respective female protagonist. The authors’ use of their leading ladies differs when providing a theme, however.Susanna Rowson uses Charlotte Temple as an example for the reader. By taking the reader on a journey through Charlotte’s life of perpetual misery, Rowson’s narrator is able to point out where Charlotte makes poor decisions. With the reader now aware of the misdirected choices of Charlotte, the narrator warns the reader that any young girl could end up in the same type of predicament. She then teaches the young female reader how she should react in a similar situation and the â€Å"sober matron† reader how to prevent such a dilemma from happening to her daughter. In summary, Charlotte Temple’s actions are used to directly teach the theme as Rowson wishes.Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his main character in a completely different way. It is common for a reader of The Scarlet Letter to determine that the theme of the story is that adultery is bad, but that is not the case. Hawthorne is not promoting adultery; that is true: As Darrel Abel states in his essay, â€Å"Hawthorne’s Hester,† â€Å"Although we are expected to love and pity Hester, we are not invited to condone her fault or to construe it as a virtue.†1 Hester Prynne and her lecherous sin are Hawthorne’s means of conveying a different message; Hawthorne is more interested in uncovering the flaws of puritan society and the hypocrisy of their reactions to Hester. The character of Hester Prynne is created as to exploit these flaws indirectly.The Puritan culture is one that recognizes Protestantism, a sect of Christianity. Though a staple of Christianity is forg iveness for one’s sins, this has long been forgotten amongst the women of Boston: â€Å"Morally, as well as materially, there was a coarser fibre in those wives and maidens of old English birth and breeding, than in their fair decendants.†2 When Hester is first brought out of her prison cell, the gossiping goodwives recommend much harsher punishments, from a brand on her forehead to death. Hester, who had done little wrong prior to this sin of adultery, is no longer seen as a human being, but merely as a symbol of evil and shame upon the town.

How the Mongol Empire has Affected the World Essay -- World History Es

Introduction Throughout history there have been great empires that have tried to basically take over the world. In western schools, these empires usually consist of empires such as Alexander the Great’s, the Roman Empire, and even the British Empire of the Victorian Age. These empires are all seen as major forces in the field of history, but there is often a great empire that has been overlooked. This overlooked empire once amassed about half of the world’s land. Its territories once included China, Persia, and even Eastern Europe. The empire is known as an empire that virtually had the world trembling in their boots. The empire is the Mongol Empire, and the question is how does an empire of nomads end up drastically changing the geography of the world and scaring the living daylights out of those who were in soon to be conquered areas. Explanation of the Applicable National Standards for Geography Many of the National Standards for Geography can be seen within the history and geography of the Mongol Empire. Starting with places and regions, the subject knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places, it knows and understands that people define regions and use them to interpret the world’s changing complexity, and it also knows and understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences. The subject, or the Mongol Empire, deals with these three standards in the fact that the empire once covered much terrain. Because of the extensive boundaries, cultures, ethnic groups, religions, and more interacted and changed. Human Systems are drastically affected by the Mongol Empire. The subject, or the Mongol Empire, deals with the characterist... .../sfasian.apple.com/Mongolia/Tour/TourA.htm (April 16, 1998) Edwards, Mike. "Genghis Khan." National Geographic. December 1996. pp. 1-37. Edwards, Mike. "The Great Khans." National Geographic. February 1997. pp. 2-35. Genghis Khan. The Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago. 1988. v.19, pp. 746-749. Hildinger, Erik. "Mongol Invasion of Europe." Military History. 1997. http://www.thehistorynet.com/MilitaryHistory/articles/1997/06972_side.htm (April 16, 1998) Lamb, Harold. Genghis Khan, The Emperor of All Men. 1927. Kublai Khan. The Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago. 1988. v.7, pp. 21-23. Olsenius, Richard. "The Land of Genghis Khan." National Geographic. Feb. 1997. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/genghis/index.html (April 16, 1998 Olsenius, Richard. "The Land of Genghis Khan." National Geographic

Bayfield Mud Company Essay

1. As Wet-Land Drilling, Inc. had filed a complaint that the bags it received from Bayfield were short-weight by about 5%, they had to determine the cause of the discrepancy. They discovered through checking 50 of the bags that they only had an average net weight of 47.51 pounds. In order to identify the errors that had occurred in the operation, and why the weight has become inconsistent, Bayfield’s quality managers may consider using Statistical Process Control (SPC). As mentioned, past shipments had bags that averaged at 50 pounds, which will be the desired mean, X=50, and that had an acceptable standard deviation of 1.2, which will be the desired = 1.2. x = ÏÆ'n=1.26=0.4899 At a confidence interval of 99.7%, z = 3 UCL= x+ 3ÏÆ'x=50+3 x 0.4899=51.4697 LCL= x – 3ÏÆ'x=50-3 x 0.4899=48.5303 Percentage of Bags with Average Weight within Control Limits (Per Shift) Day Shift = 23 bags/24 bags = 96% Afternoon/Evening Shift = 12 bags/24 bags = 50% Night Shift = 12 bags/ 24 bags = 50% 2. As Bayfield had decided to add new shifts due to increased demand, the abrupt decision had caused inefficiencies when it came to making sure that the weights of the bags be as close to 50 pounds as possible. While the most experienced foremen were assigned to supervise the new employees of the night shift, they failed to make sure that the double-checking of the weight of the bags be as accurate as possible, as they only occasionally reminded the employees of this procedure. The management of Bayfield must make sure that stricter supervising of the double-checking of the bag weight-feeder must be implemented, such as having  scheduled checks (e.g. before the morning shift every day). They also have to remind employees that lighter-weight bags cause more than just a weighing problem, as they might result in poor chemical control during the drilling operation and might adversely affect drilling efficiency. Also, among the 25 samples that are considered as above UCL and below LCL, 23 of these are light-weight bags; therefore, the weight-feeder must be adjusted as needed, to prevent its frequent production of lighter-weight bags. As it can clearly be seen that much of the inefficiencies occur during the afternoon/evening shift and the night shift, Bayfield’s managers must also consider conducting additional training, especially for the new employees.

Current Ethical Issues Essay

Organizations must deal with moral and ethical issues that can include dishonesty, theft, and employee drug use. However, companies that have ethical guidelines and train their employees in ethical behavior will have exceptional employees. Therefore, organizations that create ethical policies and provide ethical training will encourage ethical standards in the company. Therefore, I will profile the Taylor Ambulance Company, Inc located in Kelsey. The Taylor Ambulance company has serviced Kelsey for 10 years and they are responsible for transporting individuals who needs emergency medical care and transport them to local hospitals. The ambulance company will also transport non-emergency patients to rehabilitation centers. Taylor Ambulance is dispatched by the Kelsey’s Fire Department and the city’s emergency transport contractor. Currently the Taylor Ambulance company has 70 paramedics and emergency medical technicians and has a fleet of 26 ambulances. The company receives emergency calls through the 911 system of Kelsey. The Taylor Ambulance company’s mission statement is â€Å"We will provide the people of Kelsey with quick and professional emergency medical care†. Donna Taylor and Phillip Embry formed the Taylor Ambulance company in 2000. The company started out small; however, the company grew over the years and as of 2009 the company staffs 95 employees. Also in 2009 the Taylor Ambulance company provided 57,000 ambulance transports for the city of Kelsey. Moreover, in 2009 Taylor Ambulance had a profit of $870,668. Furthermore, the Taylor Ambulance company receives their revenue sources from emergency and non-emergency transports and government subsidies. Additionally, Taylor Ambulance Company has an 8 year contract with the city of Kelsey which runs from March 1, 2008 until February 28, 2016. The Taylor Ambulance company provides an excellent service to the community and the company is very profitable. However, most businesses will face moral and ethical issues with their staff and employees. Some of the moral or ethical issues faced by the Taylor Ambulance company can include; †¢Dishonesty †¢Lack of Confidentiality †¢Privacy issues †¢Drug or alcohol abuse †¢Lack of patient sensitivity or compassion †¢With holding medical care †¢Don’t honor patients medical directives such as, Do Not Resuscitate †¢Patient Neglect Therefore, it is very important that the Taylor Ambulance company has an overall ethics program. The Taylor Ambulance company’s human resource department will assume the responsibility in developing an ethics standard policy. The ethics policy will include all moral and ethical issues that could present itself in the medical field. Therefore, the Taylor Ambulance ethics policy guideline will include how to act ethically in; †¢Honesty †¢Patient confidentiality †¢Patient sensitivity and compassion †¢Patient privacy laws †¢Drug and alcohol training †¢Patient medical care †¢Respective patients medical directives †¢Patient neglect Additionally, when the ethics policy is completed by the human resource manager the manager will work with the training supervisor to set up ethical training for the employees and staff. The ethics training will be supervised by the training supervisor who will document and perform the training. The initial ethics training will coincide with an employee’s new hire orientation. Therefore, after the employees new hire orientation they will be required to complete 8 hour ethics training. Moreover, after the ethics training the new employee will be required to take a short quiz to make sure they understand the company’s ethical guidelines. Once the employee receives their ethics training they will receive a certificate of training. Furthermore, the employee will be required to sign for a copy of the ethics policy for insertion into their employee file. Whereas, it is important to receive ethics training it is also important to monitor employees for un-ethical behavior. Therefore, during employment with the Taylor Ambulance company the employees will be monitored by their organizations supervisor or manager for un-ethical behavior. However, ethical behavior should be enforced by the company. Therefore, if an employee of the Taylor Ambulance company is reported as being un-ethical the employee will be sent to the human resource department to speak with the human resource manager. If the human resource manager believes the employee was acting un-ethical per policy guidelines the employee may receive a disciplinary action. Finally, the Taylor Ambulance company will encourage ethical standards by creating written ethics policy and provide employee ethical training. Therefore, the Taylor Ambulance company will utilize their human resource department to create the ethics policy and the training supervisor will conduct and certify the ethics training. Also the employee supervisor or manager will monitor the ethical behavior of their employees. Moreover, if an employee is acting un-ethical the human resource manager will manage the disciplinary actions. Therefore, creating a written ethics policy is essential for creating an honest work environment for the staff and employees.

The End of the Road

â€Å"Hell, And How I Got Here† by Brenda Medina and â€Å"Puzzle Pieces† by Barbara Parsons Lane are two short stories from the book Couldn’t Keep It To Myself by Wally Lamb. Medina and Lane are two women who are serving time in a maximum security prison. Brenda Lane is serving time for homicide and Barbara Parsons Lane is serving time for manslaughter. Brenda was involved in a gang-related killing while Barbara was convicted of killing her abusive husband. Each of these women lived their lives being subjected to abuse, yet each woman portrayed themselves differently.Brenda was determined to gain power and not feel like an outsider in her own life. She was determined to take control and she was longer going to be the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). Barbara was living life as a victim and saw only one way to end the abuse. She was victimized in a way that made her feel as if she had no way of escaping her nightmare. Brenda found ways to empower herself in order to find a place in the world as Barbara was belittled to the point where she felt she was too weak to be able to walk away . In â€Å"Hell, And How I Got Here,† Brenda went through life finding ways to gain power.Brenda felt like an outsider for much of her childhood. She spent many unhappy years at a private school, feeling that she didn’t belong. It was not until her high school years, that she finally felt liberated. It was at this time of her life when Brenda started trying to find ways to empower herself and gain the status she was dreaming of. During high school, Brenda started dating Manny, a member of a local gang, The Unidad. Brenda recalled that from the age of fourteen until she went to prison at the age of seventeen, â€Å"Manny ran through my veins† (152).Even though her mother disapproved of Manny, Brenda dated Manny, the boy with the â€Å"outlaw aura. † Going against her mother’s wishes made Brenda feel powerful. She was going to r un her own life from now on. As a child, Barbara was a lost little girl, just like Brenda. Her life was full of disappointments. At the age of four, Barbara was molested by a man she trusted, her grandfather. Looking for support and comfort, Barbara was finally able to find the strength to confide in her mother about what her grandfather had done to her.Instead of comfort, Barbara was told by her mother to never mention the molestation to anyone. â€Å"Don’t you ever say a word† (218). So she didn’t. Barbara became a quiet but a very angry little girl. Barbara’s mother was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and later hospitalized. Barbara was left to tend to the house she still shared with her alcoholic father and her two siblings. She had no one to go to and no one to talk to. Barbara resented her mother’s illness. She said the â€Å"illness had freed her brother and sister and made me a slave† (220).Barbara was the one left after her brother and sister moved out. Many years later, Barbara’s mother committed suicide. While dealing with her mother’s death, Barbara confided in her Aunt Ruth about her grandfather molesting her at a young age. Aunt Ruth told Barbara was molested by the same man, her father. Barbara did not understand why her mother just stood and watched while Barbara walked away, hand in hand, with the man she knew all too well. Two years before her mother took her own life, Barbara got married for the second time. She married a younger man named Mark.The disease she resented earlier in life was about to resurface and, once again, make her feel trapped. During their relationship, Manny grew to become controlling and abusive towards Brenda. He began to dictate the people she was allowed to see and what she could wear. Screaming at her after he ripped the skirt off of her, Manny yelled, â€Å"No girl of mine’s gonna strut herself like a little slut! † (161) Manny also b ecame physically and started cheating on Brenda as well. Anytime Brenda threatened to break up with Manny, he begged and cried for her to stay.Brenda always stayed and she always forgave him. She loved to hear Manny tell her how much her loved and that he only wanted him for herself. Brenda loved the feeling she had by hearing Manny beg for to stay. She felt powerful. Feeling anything but powerful, Barbara was beginning to live a life of being controlled by an abusive husband. Mark became abusive emotionally and physically towards Barbara. The things he said to her were intended to make her feel insignificant and make her feel that she had no choice but to stay. â€Å"Some days he drinks from noon until late at night.If I challenge him or question him, I’m told I’m an ‘inconvenience’—his code for: watch out† (225). Being told she was an inconvenience by her husband happened on a regular basis. Mark was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, j ust like her mother. He drank alcohol in order to medicate himself and began having an affair with a fifteen year old girl. Mark openly talked about it to Barbara, adding to her feelings of inadequacy. She ended up having to quit her job because of the abuse and the unpredictability of her home life.Barbara was once again feeling imprisoned, just as she did as a hild. Brenda’s relationship with Manny was everything she was looking for. She had found her place in the world. However, Brenda was still feeling left out when it came to Manny, the gang, and their secrets. Brenda had never thought about joining a gang until she talked a â€Å"sister† of the gang. Erika persuaded Brenda to join because of the feeling of â€Å"family† the Unidad gave Erika. Brenda liked the idea and also knew she would no longer feel like an outsider. Brenda longed for the feeling of belonging and knew that her being a member of the gang would bring her and Manny closer.There would no lo nger be secrets between them. Barbara was living the life in which she was subjected to verbal and physical abuse from her husband. She had to listen to him talk about the affair he was having, being completely humiliated by it. Barbara even contemplated suicide at one point. Barbara lived her life feeling as if there was no way out. Mark’s belittling words were etched in her mind. Those words had the power of making Barbara believe she was destined to stay. If she chose to leave, he would kill her. Barbara felt as if she did not have any options at all.She felt completely powerless. Brenda was feeling anything but powerless. Manny, being a member of a gang, had power. Brenda felt that by being his girlfriend gave her power. Despite the fact that Manny was abusive, Brenda felt empowered knowing that she had found her place in this world with Manny. She believed that without her boyfriend, she would not have a place. The one thing Brenda always wanted was to belong. She longer felt like an outsider when she was with Manny. At the beginning of their relationship, Manny told her â€Å"I’m safe with you.And you are safe here† (156). That was precisely what Brenda was looking for. She was no longer the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). She was Manny’s girl. She was a member of the Unidad. She had power. What Brenda decided to do with the power she had obtained with the joining gang would be a life changing decision. The only way Barbara had the power to remove herself from the abuse was to file for divorce. Taking the step to file was a huge and terrifying decision for Barbara to make. It was so worrisome in fact that she tried to stop the process.After Mark was served the papers, he took Barbara to a secluded cabin in the woods, making sure she was fully aware that he had brought guns along on the trip. The trip that Mark planned had one purpose: he wanted to remind Barbara that her only option was to remain a devoted wife. If she tried leaving him, he would â€Å"terminate† her. Mark made it clear many times how easy it would be for him to do. During the trip to the cabin, after Barbara asked him if he went to cabin just to target shoot, Mark replied with, â€Å"No, I came all this way to show you how easy it would be to make you disappear† (230).Barbara knew divorce was out of the question. He would kill her before he granted her one. Although the trip put a divorce out of the question, it made Barbara realize there was only one option left. In order for her to free herself and to escape the trap of an abusive marriage, she would have to kill Mark before he killed her. Brenda and Barbara were both victims of abuse. That is where the similarities end. All Brenda wanted was to become someone other than the â€Å"outsider. † She was abused by her gang member boyfriend. She used that to threaten her boyfriend of leaving him.Brenda felt powerful when would hear Manny beg for her to stay. She fina lly felt like she was somebody. She was no longer an outsider of the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). Barbara was abused and belittled to the point where it made her think of herself as a weakling. She felt it was impossible to free herself from her nightmare. Brenda tried to escape but she always backed down because of how her husband made her think she was weak. Feeling empowered and feeling victimized are at the opposite end of the spectrum, yet they sometimes end up meeting at the end of the same road.