Walker Percy's, The Loss of the Creature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Walker Percy's, The Loss of the Creature - Essay Example There are several instances in school where having a preformed mind about certain issues can deny a student the real pleasure and joy of going through the experiences. As a student, I have desires to achieve several things through my learning. For instance, I want to get high grades, get a good job, and be an important member of the society. The desire to achieve these objectives often seems to override the real experience of going through the education system, thereby depriving the system of its joy and wonderful experience. I tend mostly to focus on what will happen after my education, or after my tests, at the expense of trying to focus on the education itself and the values of the tests. Before joining school, my school, I had heard a lot about the school from former students. I had also conducted an online search of the school before submitting my application. This process helped me to have a preconceived idea about the school even before I was enrolled. Surprisingly, this is what most of the students do before the join their dream schools. According to Percy, The curiosity and desire to know about something can derail one from enjoying the experience of discovering the process. Preconceived ideas create social biases and prejudices, which can hamper critical thinking and proper decision-making. For instance, I may have overlooked other schools, which may have been better than my current school, due to the prejudice I had from my preconceived ideas. Percy also argues that human beings do not often appreciate the full value of their lives because they unintentionally adopt passive roles. It is almost as if human beings have lost their sovereignty and control of their experiences unintentionally. The loss of sovereignty can be seen when people create symbolic complexes, which undermine an individual’s ability to actively engage in issues. One example in which Percy uses to illustrate this loss is his description of a tourist couple that goes

Dystopian Disaster Essay Example for Free

Dystopian Disaster Essay A Dystopian Masterpiece In his short story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. tells about a society, or America, in the future being ruled by a totalitarian government, whose number one law, is equality. Everyone is treated equally by law; no one is smarter, faster, stronger or more beautiful than another. The people of the society are forced to conform to handicaps by wearing weights around their neck or masks to hide a beautiful face. Vonnegut shows how far people are willing to go for equality and putting people in degrading situations just to make them equal. Is someone truly equal in a dystopian society, where being above average is not normal and being almost dumb is almost completely normal? In order to demonstrate Harrison Bergeron is living under dystopian society, the reader must examine a society were there are too many laws, in which is the public is being regulated by the state, everyone being forced to conform. One of the qualities of a dystopian society is being regulated by the state; every move made by the public is being watched, making sure that no one is above equality. Equality is taken very seriously, so serious that it became â€Å"the 211th, 212th and the 213th amendment to the Constitution† (1). This shows that at least a few centuries ago when the constitution was written there were just enough amendments but now in 2081 there is more then two hundred. So many amendments, each time a new amendment is added little of equality is taken away. Anyone who was of above average intelligence, beauty, or strength was required to wear a handicap, weights around their neck or an earpiece tuned to the government. Tampering with these weights would automatically give â€Å"two years in prison and a two thousand dollar fine† (2). These weights weighed over forty-five pounds, who would not want to rid that, but is that the price they must pay for equality. Vonnegut character Harrison Bergeron who was above average intelligence, physical strength and beauty was required to wear a handicap, by the state. Harrison wore scrap metal around his neck and â€Å"rubber nose† to hide his beauty. People weren’t allowed to do anything without the government being involved, not even a train of thought. They had to bare those heavy weights, all day for their rest of their lives. Vonnegut short story takes equality a step up from the stairs of equality, putting the public in dehumanized and degrading situation. Hazel being of average intelligence was considered normal although she â€Å"couldn’t think about anything but in short bursts† (1) which goes to show she is to dumb to pose a threat to the handicap generals. While Harrison on the other hand, was above average, had to wear heavy handicaps such as â€Å"tremendous pair of head phones and spectacles with thick lenses† (3 Vonnegut). This was all to weigh him down because he posed a threat with his above average intelligence and physical strength. The state was so afraid of people like him they made him wear those handicaps, now is that really fair. Someone is slightly larger slightly beautiful they have to hide it. Where does that put people, making them dumber rather then helping them, or keeping someone caged up to the point he will rebel. Then there’s the ballerina how had to wear a â€Å"hideous mask† (1 Vonnegut) to hide her above average beauty, had to apologize for her voice. When she spoke it was with â€Å"a very unfair voice for a woman† (3). If your voice is lovely or soothing you cannot use it, it is unfair and possibly punishable by law. Equality is taken a bit too extreme when someone has to apologize for tone of voice. In a utopian society there are not many laws, in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, there are too many laws with all those amendments. George Bergeron being above average intelligence is â€Å"required by law to wear it at all times† (1) to wear an ear piece, it is tuned to the government so they’d and goes off â€Å"every twenty seconds† (1) forbidding him to have a train of thought. George cant even remember his son or think about something without a noise going off in his ear. How can someone have a proper conversation with a noise going off in the ear every twenty seconds? This shows a dystopian quality, independent thought being limited or restricted. In this society breaking the law can even cause death. By the time Harrison removed his weights and escaped and took over a television broad cast to dance with a ballerina, at that point â€Å"Diana Glump Handicapper General came in to the studio with a double barrel gun and shot twice†(3). They dies instantly, a world with no jurisdiction or chances, the ballerina did not even have a say in it, it could have been handled differently. Instead, the situation is handled with violence, yet another dystopian quality. A dystopian society has laws, and is ruled by the government, Harrison Bergeron shows this, in no way is it utopian. This goes on to show that Harrison Bergeron is indeed a dystopian society. Its is controlled by a totalitarian government, and their behaviors are regulated by the state. Vonnegut wanted to show American in the future as a dystopia society, showing that America will go overboard for equality. Also by making people lead a dehumanized live by being handicapped forever. This short story contains all the qualities of a dystopian society, not being able to think or under watch of the state, but everyone is used to it. Vonnegut showed that people can let things get out of hand and be taken to extreme levels. One by one, tweak this hear tweak that there, when will it stop.

Background of the Catholic Church Essay -- Religion Papers

Background In the Western world, the schism within the Catholic Church has made its most significant impact due to rapid changes in social standards. Of greatest importance is the evolution of modern society and their response to the reverberated traditions of the Catholic Church as well as the evolving Protestant sects. In consequence of increases in technology and science, modern society has redefined its acceptable and moral behavioral standards within a social setting, whereas, the Catholic Church stands firm in its doctrines despite social and moral movements in the twentieth century. Except for the Second Vatican Council and the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church has not worked to revise its religious traditions in response to a changing society. As a consequence with this unparalleled development, many young adults and the population in general has swayed from the devout Catholic worship.1 From my personal experience I have found it difficult to accept the strict doctrines of the Catholic Church due to a social lifestyle that takes precedent. Secondly, I have appreciation for other religions, particularly Hinduism and sects within Christianity. My attitude does not necessarily correspond with that of the Catholic Church. Specifically, the Catholic Church perceives itself as the only divine route to Heaven. From my perspective, having been born and raised Catholic, I feel that Catholicism strongly disfavors any exploration of other religions or even tolerance of additional religions. I feel that this intolerance is subtly communicated to worshipers. Even if this intolerance it not communicated, there are not measures taken to inform worshipers about other religious practices. This stance is probably ... ...ery emotional responses such as tears. However, this should not be a discouragement because all Catholics are very sensitive to this dramatic difference in celebrating God and it does take time to get use to. Mainly it must be known that whether Protestant or Catholic we are worshipping to the same God. By taking a step back and analyzing the differences in religious celebration of this mystery, one can realize the true similarities between the too. In this realization Catholics will be able to fully appreciate and identify with Protestant religious ceremonies. References: 1 Momen, M. The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach. Oxford: 1999, 475. 2 DeBruyn, R. Today’s Missal: April 8-June 9, 2001. Oregon: 2000, 81. 3 DeBruyn, R. Today’s Missal: April 8-June 9, 2001. Oregon: 2000, 86. 4 St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. Boston: 2001, 2.

Mobey Dick Essays -- essays research papers

Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a book which can be read as a general metaphor for the battle between the evil powers of the Devil versus the divine powers of God and Jesus, both try to obtain the souls of mankind in order to assist in each other's destruction. In this metaphor, the Devil is shown through the person of Captain Ahab, God becomes nature, Jesus is seen as the White Whale, and the representation of mankind is the crew. The voyage of the Pequod, therefore, is a representation of a similar voyage of mankind on earth, until the death of Jesus, during the whole thing the influences of these three â€Å"supernatural forces† are connected. Thus, the basis of this idea is that in the plot of Melville's book, there are also peeks of the "plot" of the Bible. "As they narrated to each other their unholy adventures, their tales of terror told in words of mirth; as their uncivilized laughter forked upwards out of them, like the flames from the furnace; as to and from, in their front, the harpooners wildly gesticulated with their huge pronged forks and dippers; as the wind howled on, and the sea leaped, and the ship groaned and dived, and yet steadfastly shot her red hell further and further into the blackness of the sea and the night, and scornfully champed the white bone in her mouth, and viciously spat round her on all sides; then the rushing Pequod, freighted with savages, and laden with fire, and burning a corpse, and plunging into that blackness of darkness, seemed the material counterpart of her monomaniac commander's soul." (p.463) Based on the developed metaphor, the quote above can be seen as showing the role of Ahab as the sign of the Devil, within Moby Dick. The entire passage shows the effects of his manipulation with the crew. The words such as, "flames," "blackness," "howled," and of course, "huge pronged forks" turn the Pequod into a satanic representation of hell itself. Thus, the influence of the hellish commander can easily be seen upon the innocent men, whose only mistake was failing to see the true warning behind mad Ahab's mission. This notion of 'savageness' suggests not only a lack of religious morality, but also a dislike of it. Thus, the men are fully "unholy" as they stand on board a ship that is "la... ...Jesus. This manipulation is obvious in Ahab's spirited speeches, detailed mappings, and eagerness, all of which are methods to rush the detrimental encounter. The craziness of Ahab's mission of revenge can be compared to the same type of craziness in the Devil seeking out the death of the Son of God. The metaphor is also strengthened with the final battle of the Pequod and Moby Dick, which last for three days from the moment the â€Å"White Whale† is first harpooned. These facts repeat the crucifixion of Christ, where Christ died and went to hell for three days in order to defeat Satan before rising into heaven in glory. Because of this accomplishment, the few who are faithful to the Lord are saved into eternal life, while all those who are unfaithful, are damned. Therefore, the entire crew goes down with Ahab except for Ishmael, who was theoretically faithful. Thus proving the metaphor of the battle between the evil powers of the Devil versus the divine powers of God and Jesus, both try to obtain the souls of mankind in order to assist in each other's destruction. The Relationship between Moby Dick and The Bible, and the Symbolism Behind it 6404 GHE II Hour 3 11/30/00

Journal Critique By Harsha Sooka

The introduction of the article starts off with why the study was conducted, due to the discovery of causality amongst patients who had used gadolinium based contrast agents. Nephritic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) was the disease caused by the use of the gadolinium based contrast agent. Once again the introductions lacks literature on what this disease actually was or how the gadolinium based contrast agent caused it. The Introduction then goes Into the history of the different contrast agent and non-contrast agent magnetic assonance angiography methods.Then towards the end of the Introduction the alma of the research that was conducted was mentioned, which Is a good idea as It brings the reader, back in to understanding as to why the research was conducted. Moving on to the next part which is the methods which was explained by the authors in much detail as to what they exactly did to study the different patients, what ages and sexes of patients that took part in the research and how the research was in line with the ethics and law.Which is in fact a good start which to the methods, which shows the reader that the research was conducted ethically and according to law. The methods then go into how the study was compared with deferent sequences which are AD OTF and a TRANCE covering the kidney and pelvic vessels, a AD OTF, a AD PC and a AD B-SSP covering the aortic bifurcation and pelvic vessels. The authors also mentioned what was outcome that was to be compared and also one type MR.. Machine that was used In the whole study (Phelps 1.T Cochlea). The results contained the outcomes of the study, which were the quality of the image from the different sequences and also the factor of time taken for each of the sequence. Which was placed in tables and images and used to compare the discussion part of the article and towards the end of the result paragraph all the sequences were ranked according to all evaluated parameters. The end of discussion touched limitations and al so gave advantage of using non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.The conclusion finishes off with the explanation as to how the authors are positive that Non-contrast enhanced MR.. Offers a safe preoperative examination for assessment of pelvic vessel status before kidney trans- plantation without any risk of NSF, nonprescription or radiation. They also lastly touched as to which of the sequences were recommended and how Important It was do prevent such complications caused. This Is a nice short and simple paragraph that does have a strong effect on the reader as to how their aim was successfully achieved and how

Short Mothers Day Quotes for Emails or Cards

Short Mothers Day Quotes for Emails or Cards The mother-child bond is too strong to be dulled by distance. Even if you are miles away from your dear mother, reach out to her with a thoughtful message. If you have something more elaborate in mind, here are some ideas. Why Use Mothers Day Quotes Usually, it is not too difficult to pick a gift for mothers. Mothers are not fussy creatures. Youd hardly meet a mother who would tell her son, Honey, Id really like the exquisite silver cutlery I saw at Macys. On the contrary, she would mostly say something like, Oh, sweetie, dont bother with these expensive gifts. All I want is to spend time with you. So heres the hint: Your mother needs you. Your mother, though she deserves a lot more, needs just a little bit of your time. If you want to be thoughtful, scribble her a few Mothers Day quotes to make her feel special. Share some happy moments with her, reading these wonderful quotes about mothers. Talk about your beautiful childhood memories, and watch her eyes go misty with those memories. Thats how you can make your mother the happiest woman in the world. Jane SellmanThe phrase working mother is redundant.Spanish ProverbAn ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.Bill WattersonMothers are the necessity of invention.Harriet Beecher StoweMothers are instinctive philosophers.Jewish proverbA mother understands what a child does not say.James Russell LowellThat best academy, a mothers knee.D. W. WinnicottThe precursor of the mirror is the mothers face.Henry Ward BeecherThe mothers heart is the childs school-room.Jill ChurchillThere is no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.William Makepeace ThackerayMother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.George WashingtonAll I am I owe to my mother.Lisa AltherAny mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease.Ian NelsonMommy brain: when your grey matter turns into grey hair.Moorish ProverbEvery beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother.Abraham LincolnAll that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.The Gold en GirlsIts not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. J. D. SalingerMothers are all slightly insane.Ed AsnerRaising a kid is part joy and part guerilla warfare.Lin YutangOf all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.

Change Strategies Critical Review and Application

Change Strategies Critical Review and Application Introduction Change is a peculiar and elusive concept that has taken a lot of struggle to contend with and make the society understand. In spite the fact that change is inevitable, it is a paradox to realize that it results majorly from the acts of the ordinary stakeholders. The society struggles to embrace change yet an aspect in our nature works so hard to block it. The modern society tries restructuring the systems that is the social, political, economic and business systems preparing them to come to terms with the need for change (Bates, 2000).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Change Strategies: Critical Review and Application specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is despite the difficulty experienced in making people understand. To understand what change is and how change ought to be handled several questions come to mind that is what causes change, the change processes and the strategies to curb change, the effe cts of change (Bates, 2000). Change is therefore the process where individuals and groups in an organization shift from the current state of operations to a predetermined future state (Beerel, 2009). Organizational changes can be planned or unplanned, incremental or transformational change and therefore the form of management in place must be able to identify the type they are dealing with. This assists the stakeholders be in control of the scope and perspective most so during turbulent time during change. Through change management, the relevant stakeholders are made to come to terms with change and accept it. Through proper change management procedures mission, strategic, technological, operational and behavior the stakeholders can view changes as a positive aspect (Beerel, 2009). For change to happen successfully some functions must be handled conclusively; change has to be initiated, and then championed through agents with support from the sponsors and organizational leaders (Bro wn KaÃÅ'„tz, 2009). The leaders of an organization must integrate everybody if change and change management is expected to happen smoothly. There should never be an assumption that there are clicks in an organization that are responsible for change and hence others should only wait, the responsibility should be collective (Brown KaÃÅ'„tz, 2009). Overview of change strategy Besides the characteristics of change, change strategies remain vital components when it comes to the determination of the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization in dynamic times of change. Change strategies are therefore factors that need to be given due considerations in the change management process (Bates, 2000). For a change strategy to be effective the following tips have to be given due consideration. This will help when dealing with the issues when dealing and developing the right strategies; the formulated strategies must be made available to all the stakeholders, resistance shoul d be given room and appropriate means should be given, this is because resistance doesn’t mean that a trespass has occurred but means that some change process has been initiated.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The overall impact of the strategies to be implemented must be projected, how it will influence the organization’s Visions, Missions and objectives and the culture (Bates, 2000). Therefore, an option needs to be chosen from either a change-change situation, change of the culture situation or prospects of failing criteria. Change also demand for trust from all the relevant stakeholder, trust is needed most when there is no enough time to give an explanation on change being undertaken. Without trust what appears to be change may not be change in the end. The organizational leader’s commitment is of fundamental when it comes to implementing a change strategy (Cameron Green, 2009), commitment must therefore be solicited from them first in its well-communicated form so that a failure is not faced at all costs. Pain is the major driver of change and without a sacrifice, which drives people out of the comfort zone then, then change would remain a dream. This is the main reason that the leadership is needed to have a strong stand even in a situation when not all the other stakeholders are going to accept. All the necessary organizational resources need to be used to satisfactorily ensure that the actual change required is met; this could go to an extent of making rewards to allow room for change. It is therefore clear that various strategies depict open characteristics of the differences that in the underlying assumptions in organizations and change. For clear communications of the individuals involved in the change process to be made, the meaning of strategy has to be mentioned in its bold conceptual framework (Cameron Green, 2009). In addition, the strategy to be employed depends largely on the certainty or level of predictability of the change platform, alongside this is the creation of room for the stakeholders to deliberate and agree on how to handle the looming change process. Planning and control functions of any organization are normally affected by uncertainty; therefore, the appropriate change strategy in such a case is the interactive strategy where several aspects of the organization are brought together and an observation made on how they relate when slight changes are made. Questionnaires are used to find out on how the stakeholders feel about change strategies implemented (Brown KaÃÅ'„tz, 2009). Detailed description of the change strategies There are therefore five major strategies for change identified; power strategy, it employs the top down approach Change Strategies. (2004). In such a case the employees are kept at bay of the change process hence, they have a little input on idea generation for change since very little of their inputs is required. The managers believe that change can be undertaken effectively even without considering the opinions of the involved stakeholder; this is a harmful assumption hence making such a strategy unpopular. The second strategy is the systematic strategy; here the methodology approach to change is followed, goals, procedures and methods to realize change are put in place.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Change Strategies: Critical Review and Application specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Planning is then incorporated in the system; time limits are set since it would demand that certain objectives are met within some deadlines. Another strategy is the negotiation strategy, which involves the interactive approach; the employees’ ideas are given a great proportion in this process as opposed to the power strategies. Therefore, in the above approac h the change idea is developed together through sharing of ideas and opinions between the workers and the business leaders Change Strategies. (2004). The other change strategy is the programmatic change strategy; this procedure is done in stages Change Strategies. (2004). An analysis of the change approach and strategy is assessed and evaluated; the change is introduced in bits and the employees made familiar to the change through the learning objectives achieved together. The evaluation for change is done in a way that future adjustments can be made. Under negotiation strategy, all the wishes and interest of the workers are incorporated; conflicting interests are outlined and negotiated to clarify the problems identified. Negotiation is important in bringing a unified agreement about diverse opinions by different groups within an organization Change Strategies. (2004). Alternative change strategies The modern organizational environments do not call for the dogmatic change strategie s with vast bureaucracy, which may result in the derailment of change procedures and processes. There are therefore other patterns in the dynamic environments where changing dimensions are so frequent (Christensen, Horn Johnson, 2008). Alternative strategies therefore involve the perspectives that an organization can resort to incase there is a failure in the other identified strategies. The first is the change capacity; this strategy defines the extent to which an organization is able to navigate change through an organization, it navigates change in all the details and aspects that calls for its application. In any form of a formal organizational setting, capacity change is responsible for the expansion of the desired outcome and hence directs the influence that the change has on the right place hence safety (Cormier, Nurius Osborn, 2009). This is mainly achieved through constant application of leadership skill since this is the surest way to jump-start and implement change henc e facilitating its sustainability. With sustained change, the influence level of the organizations to the surrounding environment rises, this translates into an increased level of involvement by the stakeholders in the organizations even during times of fierce change and instability (Christensen, Horn Johnson, 2008). It is a hard nut to crack initiating change when this strategy is lacking since anyone approached for change will always be skeptical and there will be no one willing to act on the proposed changes. Therefore, this form of change agent is recommended for application throughout the process of change since it is quite prudent and it is the subjects of the change themselves that can always influence the change towards the desired direction by the organization in discussion (Cormier, Nurius Osborn, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, the leadership should always be on the watch to integrate all options and make several possibility outcomes at standby (Cummings Worley, 2009). This is an emergency measure that helps resolve the likely crisis in case a wrong change process is put in place. Sometimes leaders may be under pressure to implement a change strategy without enough time to consider the repercussions hence the need to put options in place in waiting for any unfortunate occurrence. This stage also involves the incorporation of the other employees to help in the formation of the alternatives since getting the necessary information is quite easy. The options developed should frequently be reviewed to ensure that they are up to date with the relevant technological standards. Environmental scanning is also vital to help in the SWOT analysis of the business (Cummings Worley, 2009). Practice application of theory to a specific change situation Good theories are the most practical tools of dealing with change that have ever been devised on the surface of the earth (Green, 2007). Change is also never instant and this is harmful since it blocks people from realizing the successes that are achieved because of the changes made. In the process of change as have been noted earlier, communication to the stakeholders if vital to make everyone aware of whatever should be accomplished, the progress at each stage should also be reported to the stakeholders and the challenges faced accompanied by how the challenges are to be addressed (Green, 2007). All the challenges are grouped together as received from all the partners and their viewpoints. The differences must also be identified and placed in their relevant groups. Thereafter, the right methods of mitigation and strategies to handle appropriately the identified and grouped challenges are consolidated (Cummings Worley, 2009). The above activities all narrow down to change strategy theories. Majority refers theory of change as paths toward s change or change engines. A theory of change sets on stage a representation that guides towards the path that directs change and makes sure that you are on the right track. Therefore, without a theory to manage change, it is as if a vehicle riding in the bush without any aims (Ndulo Grieco, 2009). This proves the practicality of change theory and its essentiality as part of doing transformation of a business or organization. Theories of change occurs in a diverse forms which depends on the subjects that are dealt with, their planning and control procedures. One of the most advocated for form of change theory is the outcome map, this is a diagram that can be observed as it shows how strategies and outcomes are related. The results integrate both short term and long-term results, which depicts changes and how they occur at each level of management in an organization. An outcome map is a theory that is easier to deal with since it has no defined procedure of forming it; each map has a unique way, which is highly dependent upon the unique needs of the organization. The most important and fundamental thing is to give every stakeholder space to give their views which must be accommodated in developing the theories (Patterson, 2008). It is also important to place to book all the assumptions for the formation of the theory. The initiatives, principles and philosophies are also integrated and ultimately inclined towards the direction of desired change not forgetting the efforts made. For the theory of change to work the outcome map has to be developed in time and a list of assumptions have to be instituted and clearly defined. The outcome map as a theory of change articulates all the assumptions applied by the workforce in their efforts to explaining a change process (Patterson, 2008). As a result, the above assumptions explain the interconnectivity of the change levels right from the preconditions running through the short-term and the long-term procedures. The out come map defined above is made up of the following elements; the directions that shows a variety of outcomes and how they are related as they are considered to be the before conditions of a future goal. The second element is the signs definition that is strong enough to give value to the measurement of success (Patterson, 2008); this is connected to the intervention measures that are applicable to the preconditions along the way in every step of the change intervention procedure. Lastly, the outcome map presents and explains al the assumption under each situation clearly showing how the whole theory is likely to bring sense. The major strength of the theory above is that it has an inherent common nature of sense (Ndulo Grieco, 2009). The main competitive advantage that it offers to its users is the fact that the other available theories are not that up to the task in directing change procedures. Finally, it is important to note that outcome maps are only a single approach among man y and mainly applicable in selected cases of change. It is though factual that outcome maps have been used severally and is a proof that it can be adopted for change management in majority of the situations available (Patterson, 2008). References Bates, T. (2000). Managing technological change strategies for college and university leaders. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. Beerel, A. C. (2009). Leadership and change management. Los Angeles: SAGE. Brown, T., KaÃÅ'„tz, B. (2009). Change by design: how design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation. New York: Harper Business. Cameron, E., Green, M. (2009). Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools techniques of organizational change (2nd ed.). London: Kogan Page. Change Strategies. (2004). Cambridge, Mass: Cambridge Scholars Pub. Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., Johnson, C. W. (2008). Disrupting class: how disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns. New York: McGraw-Hill. Cormier, L. S., Nurius, P., Osborn, C. J. (2009). Interviewing and change strategies for helpers: fundamental skills and cognitive behavioral interventions (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. G. (2009). Organization development change (9th ed.). Australia: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Green, M. (2007). Change management masterclass a step by step guide to successful change management. London: Kogan Page. Ndulo, M., Grieco, M. (2009). Power, gender, and social change in Africa. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Pub. Patterson, K. (2008). Influencer: the power to change anything. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Canadian-American Relations essays

Canadian-American Relations essays In 1900, many people still thought of Canada as a British dependency, not as an independent nation. As the twentieth century unfolded, however, there was a gradual shift from British to American influence. Throughout the century, Canada had something of a love-hate relationship with the United States. Since 1945, we have benefited from American investment, popular culture, and military protection. Nevertheless, many Canadians have felt uneasy about our closeness to the U.S. They have been concerned that our economy is dependent on the Americans; that American culture will swamp our own; that we might be drawn into military confrontations because of our relationship with the U.S. While our proximity to the United States is advantageous it also presents a danger on annexation. As Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once stated: living next to the United States is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, one is affected by each twitc h and grunt. The Alaska Boundary Dispute in 1898 between Canada and the U.S is reveal to be one of our greatest danger of our close relationship with the U.S. In 1867, as part of their expansion, the United States had bought Alaska from Russia. The purchase included the panhandle strip running down the Pacific coast and bordering on the colony of British Columbia. How far inland the Panhandle extended, however, was hot clear. In 1897, with the discovery of massive gold deposits in the Klondike region, the border issue became crucial. The Klondike was clearly in Canada, but the US flew its flag over the region. As a result, Canadian prospectors taking gold out of the Klondike had to pay American duties on their way home. The question of who owned the access route had to be resolved. Finally, in 1903, the United States and Britain agreed to set up a tribunal, or special panel, to make a decision on the boundary. The trib...

Answer question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Answer question - Coursework Example Moreover, his preference towards ‘Air Jordan’ sneakers may be biased given that the brand is associated with his name. This may be true. The appeal to authority is legitimate. Joe’s views regarding the movie are his own speculative views regarding the movie after watching it. Moreover, the opinion given is honest and non-biased given that there exists a level of trust between the two friends. This argument is fallacious. Even though the scientists have an expert authority regarding other planets, there has been no evidence to prove that life does exist on other planets. In this regard, this claim is rather speculative since the scientists are still hoping to find proof of existence of life on other planets. This is not true. The appeal to authority is fallacious given that the individual expressing this opinion does not have an expert authority regarding all beautiful women in America. Moreover, there is no proof that all women from America participated in the contest. In this regard, there is a possibility that there are far more beautiful women than Vanna in America. This claim may not be true. This argument is fallacious given that the appeal to authority, the opponents, may not be trustworthy and valid. In this regard, the opponents may have inflated the figures regarding the number of protestors at the rally. For each of the following arguments, indicate whether it is an appeal to popular opinion, an appeal to tradition, or an appeal to emotion. (The argument might fit into more than one of these categories. If so, explain why.) Then determine whether it is fallacious, and why. The statement is an appeal to popular opinion. The argument is fallacious given that the appeal to authority is biased in its own favor. In this regard, the residents of United States are biased in favoritism of their own country. Furthermore, the residents have not provided a basis for comparison on life in other countries to justify United

Biology Cuddlefish and Camouflage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biology Cuddlefish and Camouflage - Essay Example Cuttlefish have a short life span and a high growth rate. They are active swimmers with a predatory lifestyle, feeding largely on crabs, prawns, and fish. Cuttlefish possess eight forward-reaching arms specialized to grasp the prey after it has been captured using an additional pair of elongated tentacles (Chaddha, 2007) with a single suction cup at each tip. In the middle of the eight arms, there is a small beak, which cuttlefish use to break open the shells of mollusks, crabs, and other crustaceans (Animal Guide, www.pbs.org). According to Chaddha, â€Å"The arms are also important for a defensive display in which the cuttlefish sucks water into its mantle cavity and spreads its arms in order to appear larger to its potential opponent.† (2007). Like all cephalopods, cuttlefish possess a highly developed central nervous system with a well-defined brain. Their brain-to-body size ratios are the highest among all invertebrates. â€Å"The cuttlefish brain can handle input from a variety of senses, including sight, smell, and even ‘sound’ (in the form of pressure waves).† (Chaddha, 2007). 3. Cuttlebone. The internalization of the shell that occurred with evolution in the cuttlefish has helped them to become efficient swimmers. The internal shell of a cuttlefish, called the cuttlebone, retains air spaces and controls buoyancy making it functionally equivalent to swim bladders in fish (Chaddha, 2007). It also prevents them from colonizing the deep oceans since the pressure would cause a gas-filled shell to implode.

Theory and practice of managing people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Theory and practice of managing people - Essay Example FollyWood is a large, open-air theme park where the vast majority of the employees serve on a seasonal basis. It was recently acquired by a large leisure company, Leisure, Inc., but is still run as a separate entity. FollyWood pursues a â€Å"hard approach† and does not exert any effort to generate employee commitment among its seasonal staff. As a result, the firm experiences high turnover among its seasonal staff, which is assumed to cause the fall in profits and increase in customer complaints. In light of these antecedents, this report takes the position that FollyWood should assume a comprehensive approach towards reducing the turnover of seasonal staff and motivating its staff, both seasonal and permanent, towards more productive and fulfilling relations with the customers, the company and its leadership, their co-workers, and other parties they deal with at work. The report shall touch on: 1. Undertake a job analysis and restructuring program (Heron, 2005). It is likely that the number of seasonal workers may be reduced in favour of increasing the permanent staff. This will require creating positions that may combine seasonal functions with permanent ones, or realising economies of scale organisation-wide by integrating operations and sharing personnel with other units of Leisure, Inc. Activities that may be accomplished long this line include: 1.1. Perform a job description analysis of existing positions. This will clarify what actions are expected of individual employees in order to set fair compensation horizontally and vertically throughout the organisation. 1.2. Rationalise seasonal functions that may be combined to create more permanent or year-long regular jobs. The purpose of this task is to reduce the number of â€Å"seasonal† staff and instead increase the number of employees who would be able to dedicate their full-time efforts to the FollyWood. 1.4. Enhance job enrichment for currently existing positions. Job enrichment is

Analyzing the passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing the passage - Essay Example Her chief concern for delicate subjects on woman issue for which conventional history offers limited regard Pilar opts to explore in wider context, given the opportunity of being able to decide with keeping other things on record. By asking ‘Who chooses what we should know or what’s important? (Garcia, 28)’ enables Pilar to reiterate her significant understanding of a responsible initiative on knowing or learning by an individual’s will and sense of accountability. These lines which Cristina Garcia thought of constituting Pilar’s objective with a more sensible basis, is dealt with in several respects of taking action in ‘Dreaming in Cuban’ as the author directs the protagonist to adopt mobility and nostalgic means of arriving at the resolution for the fulfillment of her purpose (Goliath). On stressing ‘If it were up to me, I’d record other things (28)’ alludes that it is not Pilar’s sole discretion to carry out an extra-special undertaking that requires meeting and reconnecting with the early times of her original homeland through the tools of the present. With such tone as may be imagined to align with the theme of the radical statement, Pilar is likely found to have assessed equivalent worth at discerning matters beyond the realms of her Cuban foundation. Even while Celia, Pilar’s grandmother, creates the main influence behind her endeavor, the control does not entirely restrain Pilar from choosing how to act in convenience for herself. As she exemplifies options of discussing the Bombay prostitutes or the natural disaster in Congo, similarly she speaks out of an empowerment radiating between herself and the subject of interest under a common gender. In the process, Pilar figures she could only obtain too much of learning and appears to admit certain level of ignorance saying ‘Why don’t I know anything about them? (28)’ which signals how intricate her journey could get on accomplishing the task. Shifting physical as well as psychological settings by varying depths of imagination, Pilar attempts to gain access to real points of unknown origins in Cuba to fill in the gaps of ignorance as she allows pertinent experience of commodities that are Cuban in nature. Globalization, thus, imposes upon her ‘recapture progress’ the role of demonstrating the outcomes of ‘commodification’ or of modern mass production of pop culture in many forms of Cuban goods such as those in music, art, and fashion (Goliath). Without the knowledge of information and concerns not within her typical reach as indicated with ‘Why don’t I know anything bout them? (28)’ it would perhaps amount to improbability of leading the key of recollections to justify her momentary attachment to ‘commodified’ encounters though the latter barely imparts the much-needed aid to facilitate recovery of the crucial past for Pilar. A s a main female character in the novel who makes profoundly sentimental exclamation of the famous passage, Pilar naturally draws in the capability of distinguishing the priceless authenticity of the classic old world from the current truth of evolved styles and movement that all come with a market value. With ‘Like the time there was a freak hailstorm in the Congo and the women took it as a sign that they should rule; or life stories of prostitutes in Bombay (28)’

Marketing managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing managment - Essay Example Volkswagen also works in helping the consumers gain loan from leading banks along with delivering several insurance products in regards to the purchase of automobiles. The major brands of Volkswagen AG are like Audi, Skoda, Bentley and others through which the company endeavours to gain a global market. During 31st December 2009 the company through the operation of its premier brands was able to achieve a sales figure of around 4 million automobiles on a global scale. The company is also endeavouring to takeover premium brands like Scania AB and Porsche to help expand its business operation (Volkswagen AG, 2011). The company on a global scale reflects a significant position in the automobile industry by conducting sales of around 6.2 million automobiles during 2007. In regards to market share the company accounted for around 9.8 percent share in the global car market. The marketing strategy taken by Volkswagen endeavours to create a market niche for the major nine brands of the compa ny. Market for the cars for Volkswagen varies along a scale from low to higher value Sedans (Group Portrait, 2011). The micro environmental analysis of the company can be conducted based on specific strategic tools like Porter’s Five Forces Model. The Porter’s Five Forces Model helps in understanding the position of the company in the light of the potential of the consumer and supplier base. Further the tool also focuses on the competitive position of the company in the market. It endeavours to understand the policy framework of the company to counter the threats from the competitive world. Having focused on the different internal stakeholders like suppliers, consumers, the competitor base of the company and also on the internal policy system the analysis further proceeds to signify the threat of the existence of substitute products. Consumer Potential-In regards to meeting the demands of the consumers the company focuses on continuously evolving to usher in new models

Analyzing the passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing the passage - Essay Example Her chief concern for delicate subjects on woman issue for which conventional history offers limited regard Pilar opts to explore in wider context, given the opportunity of being able to decide with keeping other things on record. By asking ‘Who chooses what we should know or what’s important? (Garcia, 28)’ enables Pilar to reiterate her significant understanding of a responsible initiative on knowing or learning by an individual’s will and sense of accountability. These lines which Cristina Garcia thought of constituting Pilar’s objective with a more sensible basis, is dealt with in several respects of taking action in ‘Dreaming in Cuban’ as the author directs the protagonist to adopt mobility and nostalgic means of arriving at the resolution for the fulfillment of her purpose (Goliath). On stressing ‘If it were up to me, I’d record other things (28)’ alludes that it is not Pilar’s sole discretion to carry out an extra-special undertaking that requires meeting and reconnecting with the early times of her original homeland through the tools of the present. With such tone as may be imagined to align with the theme of the radical statement, Pilar is likely found to have assessed equivalent worth at discerning matters beyond the realms of her Cuban foundation. Even while Celia, Pilar’s grandmother, creates the main influence behind her endeavor, the control does not entirely restrain Pilar from choosing how to act in convenience for herself. As she exemplifies options of discussing the Bombay prostitutes or the natural disaster in Congo, similarly she speaks out of an empowerment radiating between herself and the subject of interest under a common gender. In the process, Pilar figures she could only obtain too much of learning and appears to admit certain level of ignorance saying ‘Why don’t I know anything about them? (28)’ which signals how intricate her journey could get on accomplishing the task. Shifting physical as well as psychological settings by varying depths of imagination, Pilar attempts to gain access to real points of unknown origins in Cuba to fill in the gaps of ignorance as she allows pertinent experience of commodities that are Cuban in nature. Globalization, thus, imposes upon her ‘recapture progress’ the role of demonstrating the outcomes of ‘commodification’ or of modern mass production of pop culture in many forms of Cuban goods such as those in music, art, and fashion (Goliath). Without the knowledge of information and concerns not within her typical reach as indicated with ‘Why don’t I know anything bout them? (28)’ it would perhaps amount to improbability of leading the key of recollections to justify her momentary attachment to ‘commodified’ encounters though the latter barely imparts the much-needed aid to facilitate recovery of the crucial past for Pilar. A s a main female character in the novel who makes profoundly sentimental exclamation of the famous passage, Pilar naturally draws in the capability of distinguishing the priceless authenticity of the classic old world from the current truth of evolved styles and movement that all come with a market value. With ‘Like the time there was a freak hailstorm in the Congo and the women took it as a sign that they should rule; or life stories of prostitutes in Bombay (28)’

Commodity Marketing and Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commodity Marketing and Risk Management - Essay Example Market risk. Of all the risk that deserves regular tracking by management, the market risk may be one of the most important. The market can change and no organization is immune to the ebbs and flows the marketplace. Market risk includes the risk of not having a viable market for the product or commodity. For example, if a producer grows his crop without a contract, he faces the risk of not having a market for the crop. Contract. Contract risk is the risk of contact default by the producer or the contractor. Several component contract risks are contract default, contract termination, not understanding contract terms, product contract violators and payment risk. If the contractor is unable to pay, it may leave the producer in the position of an unsecured creditor. Terminator of a contract can also generate serious losses. This is especially true when the producer has incurred high production expenses. Where bailment contracts or personal service contracts are used, the conditions for terminating by the contractor can be viewed as a risk factor. Investment. Investment risk is the risk associated with returns on a long-term asset. There are two main components of investment risk: variability in returns and loss of the asset. Variability in returns is the result of an annual change in the costs of revenue associated with the asset. Loss of the asset may be a result of the fire, or other peril, and is often covered by property insurance. Yield risk is simply the risk of lower than expected production. ... If the contractor is unable to pay, it may leave the producer in the position of unsecured creditor. Terminator of a contract can also generate serious losses. This is especially true when the producer has incurred high production expenses. Where bailment contracts or personal service contracts are used, the conditions for terminating by the contractor can be viewed as a risk factor. Financial Risk Investment. Investment risk is the risk associated with returns on a long-term asset. There are two main components of investment risk : variability in returns and loss of the asset. Variability in returns is the result of annual change in the costs of revenue associated with the asset. Loss of the asset may be a result of fire, or other peril, and is often covered by property insurance. Production Risk Yield risk is simply the risk of lower than expected production. For example, a farmer's produce is affected by factors such as weather, variety risk, unknown yield crop and pest pressure. Relationship Risk Relationship risk is the risk of adversely affecting relationship with buyers, supplies or other resource providers that are critical to the success of the operation several sources of relationship risk are: Landlord - access to land Lender - access to capital Supplier - access to critical supplies including genetics, production technology and knowledge. Buyer processor - access to markets, revenue opportunities, and market knowledge. Marketing Strategies to Avoid the Risk The best way to manage risk is by developing a strategic plan using the full range of risk management tools available. Some of the known risk management strategies are: Product Diversification One of the most important tasks a marketer

First year students’ challenges Essay Example for Free

First year students’ challenges Essay Entering a collage is like entering to a new different culture for high school student. Students are not just entering a school, but they are entering an academic environment. Many challenges will be ahead for them since it is the first year of transition. Some students might need one or two semesters to adopt the new environment. The most common challenges that students will face are not only the academic challenge, but also time management and responsibility challenges. Academic challenge is the first difficulty for the freshman students. The academic workload is a lot more that they can think of. Indeed, they are required to read and research more for their homework, assignments, or research papers. For example, students are required to finish one book in one or two week in order to do their do assignment, while other classes also have much homework. Students cannot complain that they have much other homework to do, but they need to finish it one time, instead. Be able to do so, students will need to face another challenge that is time management. Time management will be the second challenge for the first year student as well. As I mentioned above, there are many workload that students need to finish, so student need to have time management. In fact, they need to plan what to do, how much time they need to spend for each of their homework, or they will not be able to finish it one time. For instance, they need to classify their work from urgent and important to important but not urgent. Form my own experience, I managed my work by considering which homework is more urgent then I did it first, and less urgent, I did it later. In addition, students will face the challenge of responsibility. After entering the college, the students will need to be on their owns. They need to have responsible for every activity they do, and every decision they make. They cannot put blame on somebody or something else. To instructor or other people, they are the mature now. If they are wake up late for school, for example, it is their fault, they cannot say because of this or because of that. In conclusion, the first year of transition can be one of the most challenges that they will have in their lives. They need to be more mature, and deal with the challenges they face by themselves.

The Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs

The Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs INTRODUCTION At independence, most African countries had their economies rely heavily on the production of primary commodities especially agriculture. However due to a sharp increase of market prices of agricultural products such as cocoa, tea, coffee and many more in the global market in the 1970s. Many economies of African countries grew significantly for example the real GDP of Kenya grew by 6.5% a year, by about 15% in Zambia in 1964-73 (Adepoju, 1993). African governments responded to their newly acquired fortune by increasing government expenditures in their respective countries thus less government savings. As the world was plunged into the oil crisis of the 1970s, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increased world oil prices so as to generate more income which they invested in the banks of developed countries. As a result, these banks embarked on a mission to loan African countries so as to facilitate the purchase of products and services offered to African countries by developed industries. Therefore African countries were encouraged and manipulated into borrowing huge sums of money from western banks. However the money borrowed by African banks ended up in the pockets of corrupt government officials, unnecessary projects or on luxuries by leaders and very little was invested so as to attain sustainable economic growth (Toussaint and Comanne 1995: 15). Moreover, the loans given to African countries were accompanied with very low interest rates. However, the situation changed drastically as the United States of America and European states increased interest rates so as to stop inflation. Hence, African countries that had borrowed money from Western banks had to pay back their loans with huge amounts of interest. These culminated into inability to pay up the loans by African countries and therefore were forced to take up new loans to pay up the increased interests (George 1995: 21 cook). As a result of the need to take up new loans by developing countries, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank developed the structural adjustment programs, economic policies as condition for the provision of loans in the late 1970s. This paper will therefore aim to give a brief overview of the Structural Adjustment Programs, by putting into focus the key components and objectives of the programs. Furthermore, the paper will highlight on Structural Adjustment Programs in Kenya, the effects of the programs in Kenya and finally draw a conclusion of the overall effects of Structural Adjustment Programs in Africa. OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGAMS Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) according to leftwitch (1996) is defined as a set of institutional and economic measures intended to solve the macroeconomic problems facing developing countries by correcting a country’s borrowing deficit, reducing the intervention of governments in the economy and opening up the state’s economy to the world market. The SAPs designed by the Bretton woods institution, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and later embraced by other major international financial institutions, were believed to consist of policies that would bring about reduction of poverty and sustainable economic growth. As underlined in the World health Organization website (2014), Structural Adjustment Programs echoes the neo-liberal ideology which pushes for globalization; hence was aimed at realizing a long-term economic growth in poor countries by encouraging the restructure and reduction of government intervention in the economy. Therefore, the components Structural Adjustment Programs as advocated by the IMF and the World Bank include: the devaluation of local currency, balance of payments management, government reduction of social services through cutting of public spending, social spending and budget deficit, reduction of tax on high earners, reduction of inflation, suppression of wages, lowering of import tariffs, tightened monetary policy. Governments were also encouraged or sometimes forced to lessen their role in the economy, hence privatize state-run industries, deregulate businesses and open up their economies to foreign competition so as to increase free trade. The Structural Adjustment Programs was a financing mechanism of the international monetary fund to support macroeconomic policies and reforms in low-income countries through low interest subsidizations and loans. According to (Finch 1985 cook), Structural Adjustment Programs were intended to provide long-term solutions to economic problems facing developing countries around the world by facilitating the achievement of sustained growth and economic stability. They were also designed to eliminate unsustainable external and internal imbalances of a countries economy. Finch further argues that, the champions of SAPs, believe it was a forward-looking and long-term solution to underdevelopment in Africa and Latin America, as it seek to increase the elasticity of an economy to have the ability to respond to changes, stimulate efficiency utilization and allocation of resources, elimination of trade deficits and finally balance the expenditure and revenue of the government. Therefore the prog rams were created as a result of the failures of the Band-Aid projects and programs which mostly responded to crises instead of enchanting a pre-emptive stance which would look into preventing crises before they arise. STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS IN KENYA Kenya gained independence in 1963, a period when the global economy was expanding and stable. This was as a result of the high prices of primary commodities that Kenya exported for example tea and coffee, therefore the country acquired a huge sum of foreign exchange which it reserved and thus could afford to deal any instability in the economy. Consequently, it can be deduced that the first decade after Kenya gained independence was a period of high aspirations and economic prosperity (Swamy 1994). The economic sector of Kenya in the first 10 years after independence had made tremendous progress, this is depicted by the fact that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had grown by 6.6%. Hence investments and savings for its per capita income were relatively high, thus Kenya could provide a better life for its citizens. For instance there was a tremendous increase in the number of schools between 1963 and 1982. Health services were improved with an increase of hospitals leading to an increase of life expectancy from 44 years at independence to 68 years in the 1980s whereas infant mortality had dropped significantly from about 220 deaths per 1000 new born to 70 per 1000 new born. With the facts mentioned, it is evident that Kenya was actually doing better than most sub-Saharan countries (Swamy 1994:196). However, as the world went into recession in the 1970s with the inflating oil prices, Kenya economic problems started after an experiment in expansionary fiscal policies which brought about a severe rundown of reserves. Like other African countries, the 1973 oil crisis worsened the living conditions of Kenyans. The situation was worsened with the dropping of prices of Kenya’s main export products, poor technology, high population growth, drought, and collapse of East African Community. In a bid to cub to emerging economic problems, Kenya successfully applied for a structural adjustment loan from the World Bank in 1980. The loan was aimed at helping Kenya correct the economic imbalances of its economy; implement institutional reforms for a sustainable and balanced economic growth. As Mwega and Kabubo 1994 argue, the loan was meant to finance structural changes in the industrial sector, promote the efficient use of external assets and enhance effectiveness of public assets. Moreover, the loan was given with conditions which required Kenya to reduce budget deficit, promote exports, liberalize trade, reform interest rate regime and cut down its funding on social services. The first structural adjustment loan was followed by another loan in in 1982 which was intended to accomplish similar objectives as the first loan. In 1986, Kenya applied for its third structural adjustment loans was aimed at implementing reforms in the agriculture sector so as to improve production, provide finances for the importation of agricultural inputs, improve agricultural research institutes and support reforms of parastatals in the restructure of publics assets and expenditure programs (Rono, 2002). Another structural loan was signed in 1988 which introduced reforms in the social service sectors especially in health and education. The policy reforms agreed upon included the introduction of cost-sharing in the provision of social services. This is where beneficiaries of services such as education and health were to pay for them either partially or fully. The reforms forced the government to withdraw its funding from health and education. Furthermore the policies forced the g overnment to retrench many civil servants in a bid to cut down its expenditure on the salaries of civil servants (Rono, 2002). EFFECTS OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS IN KENYA Structural adjustment programs have encompassed withdrawal or reduction of government expenditures on social services and basic needs mainly in the health, agriculture and education sectors. Competition from subsidized imported goods has been a major challenge for local products in Kenya due to the competition they bring about. As a result of this, the poor are continuously being exposed to austere socio-economic risks for instance retrenchment and unemployment. The effects of structural adjustment products cut across a number of sectors in the Kenyan society, however this paper will focus on the effects of structural adjustment programs on education, health, agriculture, and politics Education After independence, Kenya had been making remarkable progress in the education sector. This being measured by the number of education institutions, the rate of enrollment in universities, secondary and primary school, in addition to this, is also the level of literacy rate in the country. Education, at the time of independence was an inspiration to the human capital ideology, therefore was regarded as an important tool for economic and socio-political transformations for post-colonial Kenya. Hence the government took the sole responsibility of financing, controlling and providing free education to the citizens (Obamba, 2009). Education being given its due importance by the government, its key feature was the rapid growth of enrollment at every level of education institutions, leading to an increase in educational expenditure. For example, recurrent expenditure on education amplified from 15% in 1960s to about 40% in 1980s (Rono, 2002). However in the 1980s, after the Kenyan government started taking structural adjustment loans, there was significant swing in government funding of higher education arose due to the emergence of neoliberal economic policies of the structural adjustment programs that played a major role in policy-making of higher education. The government was forced to withdraw funding on education and further introduced tuition cost-sharing tuition fees (Obamba, 2009). The introduction of school fees led to an increased number of school dropouts, low enrollment, underdevelopment and inequality in that only the children of well off Kenyans could afford education at the expense of the poor Kenyan families. The students who failed to complete their education, failed to get employed hence the continuous degradation of standard of living in Kenya (Rono, 2002). Health Health being an important aspect of the socio-economic development of a country, Kenya after its independence embarked to address the issues of inequality brought about by the colonial development and administration. Therefore, the provision of health to all the citizens was a priority of the government. This commitment was evident with the fact that, the government provided free health services to members of the public. Moreover the public was encouraged to take part in construction of clinics, hospitals and medical training. This increased health personnel and medical structures in the country. As a result, life expectancy increased from 44 years at independence to 68 years in the 1980s whereas infant mortality dropped significantly from about 220 deaths per 1000 new born to 70 per 1000 new born (Rono, 2002). However, the economic pressures brought about in the 1980s by the structural adjustment programs placed a lot of pressure on the government’s expenditure. Subsequently, the government responded by cutting down on social services especially in health. The government introduced cost sharing whereby the beneficiaries of health services were to pay some amount of money before receiving health services for the medication and the government catering the cost of medical personnel. Thereafter medical quality has been deteriorating, thus affecting Kenyans and especially the poor and the vulnerable groups. This has led to the reduction of life expectancy rate of 68 years in the 1970s to 61 years in 2012 (Data: Life expectancy at birth, total (years), 2014) . Agriculture The structural adjustment programs on agriculture were meant to introduce reforms that would provide incentives of increased production to farmers. Although, there were improved policy reforms on implementation, agriculture and food production has been declining. SAPs were meant to remove government control and monopoly in agricultural products marketing, pricing, imports and distribution. Decontrol of prices, trade liberalization and deregulation of market encouraged the participation of the private sector in the production and distribution of agricultural products. However trade liberalization worked out to be a disadvantage of local farmers as it allowed for cheaper imports of subsidized agricultural commodities from western countries. This culminated in the collapse of certain agricultural industries in Kenya for example cotton (Nyangito, 2003). Politics Structural adjustment programs have had a mixed impact on the political arena of Kenya. It would be unfair to overlook the positive effects the programs have had on politics in the country. It is true to say that the program enforced by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund ushered in of political pluralism, greater democracy, respect for human rights and accountability of the government to the citizens. However the positive effects came accompanied with a list of negative impacts too. The programs are accused of heightening tribal tensions, polarizing communities and further increased ferocious ethnic clashes that have resulted in the death of hundreds of people and a lot being displaced as well. Moreover, the programs are said to have lessened national leaders to tribal chiefs leading to the infusion of tribalism in all sectors of development thus being an obstacle to growth and development (Rono, 2002). CONCLUSION Within the African context, the impacts of the structural adjustment programs have been a controversial issue. Presently, just about 20 years after the programs were introduced in Africa, they continue to be detested by the people because they were conveyed by a number of conditions that have worsened the living conditions of Africans. Scholars have argued that these conditions are based on economic models that are not fit for the social structure and situation of Africa. The programs were intended to improve the economy in the long run but in the short run, the social aspect of human development especially in the provision of social services has been ignored and suffered tremendously. African scholars should therefore with solutions to counter the problem brought about by structural adjustment programs rather than letting western scholars experiment programs with no reference to the social-cultural background of Africans. BIBLIOGRAPHY Adepoju, A. (1993). The Impact of Structural Adjustment on the Population of Africa. In A. Adepoju, The Impact of Structural Adjustment on the Population of Africa (pp. 1-6). London: Villiers Publication. Data: Life expectancy at birth, total (years). (2014, November 21). Retrieved from The World Bank Group : http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN Leftwich, A. (1996). â€Å"Two Cheers for Democracy? Democracy and the Developmental State.† In Leftwich, A. (ed) Democracy and Development: Theory and Practice. Polity Press: Cambridge. Mwega, F.W. and Ndulu K. (1994). Economic Adjustment Policies. In Barkan, J.D. Beyond Capitalism verses Socialism in Kenya and Tanzania, Nairobi, East African Educational Publishers. Nyangito, H.O. (2003). Agricultural Trade Reforms in Kenya under the World Trade Organization Framework. KIPPRA PP No. 25 Obamba, M. O. (2009). Myth and ceremony: Contested Marketization and Internationalization Regimes in Kenyas Higher education. Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 7(3), 125–149. Programs:World Health Organisation. (2014, November 21). Retrieved from World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story084/en/ Rono, J. K. (2002). The Impact of the Structural Adjustment Programmes on Kenyan Society. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 17(1), 81-98. Swammy, G. (1994). Adjustment in Africa: Lessons from Country Case Studies, Washington, DC, the World Bank Toussaint, E. and Comanne, D. (1995): Globalization and Debt. Notebooks for Study and Research 24/25. 1

Blindness and Sight in Oedipus the King - Lack of Vision :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Blindness in Oedipus the King People can be â€Å"blinded† to the truth. The answer to their question or solution to their problem may have been obvious. Yet, they could not "see" the answer. They were blinded to the truth. Associations have been made between being blind and enlightened. A blind person is said to have powers to see invisible things. They "see" into the future. The blind may not have physical sight, but they have another kind of vision. In Sophocles' King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, presents the truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth his whole life. When he does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Because of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. Jocasta was blind to the true identity of Oedipus. Even when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision - the truth. Kind Oedipus started life with a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to avoid this fate, his parents, Laius and Jocasta, sent him into the mountains to die. However, a shepherd saved Oedipus. This shepherd gave Oedipus to Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus learned of his prophecy, he fled his home, thinking these people were his real parents. On his flight, he met Laius. He ended up killing Laius. He continued on, answered a riddle of the evil Sphinx, and ended up king of Thebes. With this kingdom, Oedipus married Jocasta. He had lived out the prophecy without even knowing he had. Thebes fell onto bad times, and a prophet put the blame on a polluter of the lands. Oedipus called on Teiresias, and Teiresias informed him that the polluter was the King. As Oedipus searched further and further, he discovered that he was the polluter and that the prophecy had come true. When Oedipus finally discovered the truth, he was so distressed that he ran pins int o his eyes, blinding himself. He had been blinded to the truth for so long. Oedipus was blind in more then one way. He was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea. Blindness and Sight in Oedipus the King - Lack of Vision :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex Blindness in Oedipus the King People can be â€Å"blinded† to the truth. The answer to their question or solution to their problem may have been obvious. Yet, they could not "see" the answer. They were blinded to the truth. Associations have been made between being blind and enlightened. A blind person is said to have powers to see invisible things. They "see" into the future. The blind may not have physical sight, but they have another kind of vision. In Sophocles' King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, presents the truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth his whole life. When he does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Because of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. Jocasta was blind to the true identity of Oedipus. Even when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision - the truth. Kind Oedipus started life with a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to avoid this fate, his parents, Laius and Jocasta, sent him into the mountains to die. However, a shepherd saved Oedipus. This shepherd gave Oedipus to Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus learned of his prophecy, he fled his home, thinking these people were his real parents. On his flight, he met Laius. He ended up killing Laius. He continued on, answered a riddle of the evil Sphinx, and ended up king of Thebes. With this kingdom, Oedipus married Jocasta. He had lived out the prophecy without even knowing he had. Thebes fell onto bad times, and a prophet put the blame on a polluter of the lands. Oedipus called on Teiresias, and Teiresias informed him that the polluter was the King. As Oedipus searched further and further, he discovered that he was the polluter and that the prophecy had come true. When Oedipus finally discovered the truth, he was so distressed that he ran pins int o his eyes, blinding himself. He had been blinded to the truth for so long. Oedipus was blind in more then one way. He was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea.

Super U Supply Chain Management :: Business Operations Management

Which activities are managed is significant for a company's success. Moreover, the supply chain management is crucial within a firm's processes since it incorporates activities in which intermediate goods and final products are given to consumers through a distribution system. It is important to analyse it and take into consideration that this subject matter has a great impact within business procedures. The main objective of our project is to study System U North West's supply chain management. This analysis could be made because of an interview with the Product Manager, Mr. Ledu. Also, it is intended to use the concepts and knowledge learned in Operations Management and apply them into real life. It is significant to note that we decided to choose this company since it is a major one in France. Moreover, its market chain (Marchà © U, Super U and Hyper U) is well recognized within the major French cities. The importance of our research will permit the reader to understand different elements that are crucial part of the supply chain of this business. In addition to this, the project is going to be divided in the following sections: general information, purchasing, logistic process, information system, barriers and conclusion. GENERAL INFORMATION System U is a purchasing center for the market chain (Hyper U, Super U, Marchà © U). The firm is an intermediary between suppliers and stores. Also, the company has an annual turnover of 13.79 billion of € what is equivalent to 8% of market shares. It has to provide all products that are sold in more than 800 stores. Furthermore, the main objective of System U is to satisfy their consumers through price and high quality service-products. Moreover, this firm is composed by 4 regional purchasing centres: Systà ¨me U Ouest, Systà ¨me U Sud, Sytà ¨me U Est and Systà ¨me U Nord Ouest. System U North West is the youngest of the 4 purchasing centers. It has to provide 120 stores in 19 departments. Also, it represents 1.1 billion € meaning that it has around 9% of the total turnover of the firm. In spite of its weak turnover, this purchasing center is the more dynamic with an annual increase of 10% since 2000. SYSTEM U NORTH WEST PURCHASING Choice of suppliers Salesmen are in charge of choosing the suppliers. However, since System U is a famous and recognized brand, most of the suppliers get in touch with the sales department because they want to offer it their products.

Britain And Australia, The Fall Of Singapore And The Great Betrayal In 1942 And Onwards

One of the important characteristics of international relationship is the ability of one country to trust the word of their partners that their partners would look after the best interest of their partners, especially after mutual action plan is being executed and undertaken. There is the proverbial thought about how political bed partners involved in global country alliances are expected scratch each other’s backs.The failure of a partner to look after and protect the interests of the other partner is a very strong incident that easily breaks the trust that binds countries together in friendship, cooperation and alliance. One of the significant setbacks of Australia during the Second World War was the fall of Singapore after the British forces, which Australia trusted to protect this Asian country from being overrun by the enemy. The prevailing feeling that surfaced after the incident was made public was the feeling of betrayal among Australians towards Britain and the Britis h army.Even disregarding the fact that Singapore is an important foothold in the Australian dominion, Australia felt betrayed because they were sent to fight in another location under Britain’s bidding to salvage an important British interest with the guarantee that British forces will look after Australian interests in the Asia-Pacific Region. It was something which they failed to do in a manner that did not provide the British with even a semblance of consolation, just mere indignation over what happened.Britain’s surrender at Singapore in February 1942 can be considered as tantamount to the Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire because many critics and historians believe that Britain simply betrayed Australia when the British forces surrendered at Singapore at during the Second World War, considering that the same level of justification of the idea of betrayal was attributed to the concept of the â€Å"Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire†.Karl H ack provided a scathing verdict on the Singapore 1942 issue between Australia and Britain, supporting the belief of political analysts and historians who believe that Britain’s action in Singapore in 1942 was indeed an act of betrayal towards its ally Australia. â€Å"In one sense the fall of Singapore had represented a betrayal of Australia, and so catapulted Australia into an American embrace . Hack’s position in this issue was that the British act of betrayal towards Australia’s dominion in 1942 is the contribution towards the loss of one of Australia’s important foothold in the Asian region. This is because the British poorly and inadequately attended to the military concerns involving the defense of Singapore, explaining that â€Å"Britain had encouraged Australia to commit forces to the Mediterranean, and then provided inadequate defences for Singapore . †Gerhard Weinberg made the same observation about the question of British betrayal of Au stralia, explaining that the betrayal is found in the inability of the British to come to the aid of the country which is its ally in its time of need, especially with the fact that there was an understanding between the two nations about the providing of support and assistance; Australia can help the British military strategy and at the same time provide ample and sufficient forces that can protect Australia as well as Australia’s other footholds and territories in the Asia-Pacific region. In both Australia and New Zealand, the war had somewhat similar repercussions.Both felt deserted by the home country in their hour of greatest danger; it may be an exaggeration, but not a completely unjustified one . † Singapore fell on February 1942, but as early as January, the Australian government has already impressed upon its British allies that they would consider the fall of Singapore, which was under their watch, as an â€Å"inexcusable betrayal. The telegram that travelled from Australia to London indicated how Australia was hoping that Britain would indeed hold true to its promises and â€Å"all the assurance we have been given ,† including an solid fortress that will wait for the arrival of the British fleet that will support land efforts to defend Singapore . This telegram was received by Winston Churchill, the contents of which something that Churchill was not very happy or appreciative to read or be the recipient of such note.The reported efforts of the British to save Singapore from falling (including the sending in of the 18th Division) was later regarded as a wrong move for the British, definitely unmindful and not caring anymore about the idea of betrayal that Australia might feel. â€Å"The phrase ‘inexcusable betrayal’ greatly annoyed Churchill, and he could not easily forget it.The minutes of the British War Cabinet’s meeting, which reviewed events the day after Singapore's surrender recorded that it now seemed a pity that Britain had sent the 18th Division to Singapore . † With this information, can it be now assumed that the British leaders during the war indeed betrayed Australia by showing very little consideration or little cause of concern for the interest of Australia and were just focused on winning their own goal?If this was true, then the Singapore debacle was similar to the Great Betrayal of Australia’s empire, since in both occasions, the similar idea was that Australia was abandoned by its ally Britain and left close to being helpless, defenseless and alone. This is because it trusted an ally that was not sincerely looking and protecting the interests of its allies which it relied for help during the height of the battles in the Asia Pacific Theater of Operation during the Second World War.Churchill’s oversight in what was poor defences set up in Singapore one month prior to the fall of Singapore and the planning to evacuate and not fortify the defences we re also pointing to the fact that the British was not planning on holding on to Singapore, not even for the sake of the country’s alliance with Australia, to which Singapore and its defense is important. â€Å"At this late stage, Churchill now gave urgent consideration to the evacuation of all the Allied troops at Singapore to prevent what could now be foreseen as widespread disaster†¦Any evacuation of Singapore would have appalled Australians; indeed it would be difficult to exaggerate the effect to national morale of such an apparent betrayal . † The idea of selfishness and being self centered by the British military operation in the Asia Pacific during World War II that resulted to the idea of Britain’s betrayal of Australia in Singapore and in the whole of the Asian WWII conflict was also supported by other instances that saw Britain manipulating Australia and its resources without any consideration to the Australian government, the Australian sovereign ty and the Australian interests.Hamill talked about the incident wherein the returning Australian divisions from the Middle East was redirected, without approval from Australia, to Rangoon where Britain was hoping to save its interests in Burma, which was foiled since Australian Prime Minister Curtin directed the troopship to head straight for Australia instead . The presence of the sense of betrayal by Britain of Australia as a consequence of the 1942 Singapore debacleThe justification of the feeling of betrayal of Australia by Britain can be found in how analysts try to put together actions of both countries in international organizations involving the two. Most of the time, analysts point to the reason that Australia cannot again fully trust Britain especially when concerns involve security and military owing to the presumed betrayal by the British of its Australian allies in Singapore in 1942. For Australia’s resort to the 1951 ANZUS Pact has sometimes been seen as a deci sive turning away from Britain, the result of British betrayal at Singapore . † Critics believe that actions particularly that of Australia was always towards the minimalization of dependency on other countries, or forging alliances with countries except Britain. â€Å"ANZUS symbolised Australia's new-found willingness to enter agreements which excluded Britain . †The feeling of betrayal by Britain of Australia has an effect that rippled all the way across towards the more contemporary times. While some believed that the memory of the betrayal of Britain of Australia and its territorial interests in the global stage, there are also those who used the idea and feeling of betrayal of Britain of Australia as a rallying point for Australia to justify the movements that it is making today, pointing to a decision making paradigm that highlights important historical notes as a guide towards future political actions.One of which is the lesson of the betrayal and what Australia seeks to gain, and lose, when it trusts Britain again. The betrayal somewhat became an important cornerstone towards the growth of Australian nationalism in the country, among its people and its political leaders. â€Å"Keating’s parliamentary speech accusing Britain of betraying Australia at Singapore in 1942 displayed with dramatic clarity the influence of Jack Lang's aggressive Australianism . Oddly, when the news of how the Australian prime minister poked at the British government fifty years later about the betrayal in 1942 during the visit of the Queen of Britain, the focus of the news content was about how the Queen was treated disrespectfully, the news hardly making effort to defend the country from the accusations and was merely outraged by the scandalous treatment of their Queen. â€Å"The London tabloids are in a frenzy over Mr.Keating's charge that Britain abandoned Australia during World War II ,† while others took the instance to make political appraisal of Paul Keating, saying that â€Å"In his seemingly off-hand remarks about the monarchy and his tilt at Britain’s alleged betrayal of Australia in 1942, Paul Keating is moving to place himself firmly in the tradition of the great Labor Party nationalists†¦ nor has he forgotten Britain’s alleged sins of 1942 . †While some historians do not actually support Britain when it comes to the issue of the Singapore debacle in 1942, these writers also try to put into consideration the contribution of Australian forces defending Singapore, particularly the aspect of Australian desertions at the height of the efforts to save Singapore from Japanese forces and the number of surrendering Australian soldiers who easily surrendered and gave up the defense of Singapore.â€Å"Some British historians questioned the performance of Australian troops in Singapore†¦ hether Singapore could have been saved as late as 15 February, and whether Australian desertions accelerated the final surrender . † But some historians believed that the emotional repercussion resulting from the collapse of Singapore, particularly the feeling of betrayal, was not a very important issue at all, since the most important concern of Australia was not really the fall of Singapore but the fact that the Japanese forces are inching closer and closer to Australia. â€Å"Though these incidents created great ill-feeling at the time, the lasting damage done to Anglo-Australian relations was small.The differing reactions of Australia and New Zealand to the collapse of the Singapore strategy stemmed in part from the more immediate danger which the Japanese line of advance appeared to present to the Australians . † CONCLUSION Was Britain’s action in Singapore an act of betrayal tantamount to the concept of Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire? It looks like this is just the one and only time that the Australian government felt they were betrayed by Britain th at resulted to the loss of their former empire.If such was the case, then it can be argued that the Singapore collapse by Britain was indeed tantamount to the Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire. But as what information from related literary sources reveal, historians and politicians chose to attack Britain solely for the Singapore oversight and misdeed. It was rarely pointed as the turning point for the crumbling of the empire, or was the action synonymous to such similar vein of thought or idea.But at some degree, the proposition of similarity in the aspect of betrayal can be accepted, and can also be argued against as well. The act of betrayal by one country towards another country especially in time of dire need, like in times of war, is something which maybe heavily discussed and analysed in many different history books. But this does not mean that it makes it easy to identify if there was indeed an act of betrayal and which country was guilty of such act of betrayal.Fo r one, the concept of betrayal is very subjective and is very difficult to objectify since it is difficult to define a socially accepted concept of betrayal, given the existing situation. The resources and options available and the considerations that decision makers have to make upon reaching the decision which was to be the root of the controversy on the act betrayal. Secondly, the aspect of ethnocentricity will often eclipse or seriously affect the objectivity of historians and book authors tackling about this particular World War II issue.There will be Australian writers and historians who will insist that their country was indeed betrayed at Singapore in 1942 and that the action was tantamount to the Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire. While on the other hand, there will be British historians and writers who will say otherwise, that the British military action in Singapore in 1942 happened as it is after careful consideration of important priorities that somehow superc eded whatever it is that other people felt was left high and dry during this particular episode in the relationship of Australia and Britain.There will also be comments, analysis, comments and discussions about Britain’s actions in Singapore in 1942 and the possible interpretation of such action and how it is similar and leading to the Great Betrayal of Australia’s Empire coming from historians and writers who are neither British nor Australian, attacking the issue from a neutral standpoint sans the impact and effect of the sense of national pride or indignity and social justification.These were reflected earlier in the paper, as the paper, in the effort to discuss the different important sides of this issue, provided several different ideas about the issue lifted from related and credible literature. In hindsight, what can be deduced is that there was no shared opinion about how this particular event would be assessed and remembered.The split in the opinion about the presence of the act of betrayal hinged largely on the fact that neither the British nor the Australians would yield with regards to this particular issue, each country standing firm about its position that it did everything that was necessary to preserve a much greater goal and to achieve a more important objective.

Children and adults Essay

The Effective Early Learning Project based at Worcester University highlights two ways in which adults can help children progress; The first is the way the adult encourages the child to be autonomous, to get on and try new things; The second, is the way the adult offers experiences which are stimulating, challenging and interesting. Adults need to be a supporting factor when the child is in a ‘risky’ environment. Children and adults alike enjoy climbing trees; adults know when they are too high as do children. This is a whole other debate in terms of nature or nurture debate. This is where we could explore the idea of children learning to be safe when risk taking or is it already ‘there’. Stephenson (2003) wrote about a child on a swing, ‘Swinging was very popular with these younger children, but more often than the older children their reactions indicated that they felt unsafe and wanted the swing slowed down’. Therefore the child has taken the risk, has agreed a boundary, enjoyed the activity and acknowledged the safety aspect. The adult was there to ensure the safety and also make the activity a positive one by being readily available. Children must face all different kinds of risks in order to support their development and learning. Stine (1997) wrote that to support their learning and development is a complex issue. There always has to be provision for a physical challenge. More and more educational settings are using outdoor play/activity to challenge the children. Although, what is an acceptable risk to one person, may be completely the opposite of another. Bruce and Meggitt (2002) write that ‘outdoor space needs to be available most of the time’; They continue that, safety is the only consideration for keeping children in doors. Children can feel safe in ‘risk taking’ environments and activities in many ways. Initially the adult to child ratio, with a high number of adults’ children can be supported and helped to achieve. Secondly by minimising, if possible, the risk aspect. This could be ensuring the activity is a positive and acceptable environment. Thirdly by giving the children all the opportunities available for physical risk taking, children need a stimulating and challenging environment. And finally, a well maintained balance between the child’s safety and the challenge of the activity. In an educational setting, an adult carer will go to the ‘risk area’ and carry out an assessment. They will check the route to be taken, dangers in the area and also any area that poses extreme concern. An adult carer should also think about the child to adult ratio. A local nursery allows children to climb trees. Due to the child to adult ratio, the nursery feels that the level of risk posed can be curtailed by having by having the children supervised and supported through the activity by adults. The children are therefore enjoying the activity of risk taking, as well as feeling safe in knowing an adult is available to help at any time. Another factor that the adult carer should be aware of is the idea of making a child’s environment completely hazard free. Therefore taking away any risk or danger. Walsh (1993) thought that children in an environment that is completely ‘safe’ could become bored and this could lead to self initiated risk taking that could be dangerous. Durberry (2001) felt that children who grow up in an ultra safe environment would ‘lack confidence in their own physical ability’. This would be due to the poor opportunities for the children to build and extend upon their exiting knowledge. He continued that children had to be both confident and competent physically in order to feel competent emotionally. The ideals on risk taking vary from culture to culture. Although the main aim remains the same. The child needs to remain safe, but feel they are being challenged and stimulated. To minimise hazards there needs to be a high adult to child ratio. Children need opportunities to explore and do so independently. Over the last decade, the child’s freedom of choice has been limited. Adult carers are sometimes over anxious about letting the child experiment with risk taking. The procedures and guidelines that are in place give the adult carer a frame work on which to base their activities upon. The adult carer should exploit and become fluent in the procedures and guidelines in place. This in turn will provide groundwork for safe risk taking. Bibliography Smith, P., Cowie, H. & Blades, M. (2003) Understanding Children’s Development, London: Blackwell Publishing.  Bruce, T. & Meggitt, C. (2002) Childcare & Education, London: Hodder & Stoughton.  DfEE (2003) Early Years (Volume 23, Number 1), London: Taylor & Francis