Home school vs Public school Essay

More parents are choosing to home school their child or children rather than enrolling their children in a public school system. The parent’s make their decision based upon the school district that they live in. Some public schools do not have up to date materials. There are certain public schools that have a more difficult curriculum, which challenges students academically. Parents want what is best for their children’s education, public or homeschooled. Public-schools give children a chance to make lifelong friends and homeschooling is more hands on learning.  One of the most important things to a parent is their child’s learning environment. Homeschooling his or her child or children will give the parent the opportunity to control his or her learning environment. By doing so parents are ensuring that nothing tragic would happen. Homeschooling is a parent who teaches his or her child or children. The parent is going to give positive feed back to their child or children. There are fewer home schooled students in a classroom than there are in a public classroom. Homeschooling has more positive influences. They do not have bullies or feel pressure from trying to fit in certain groups in school or the clothes and shoes they wear. By not acquiring those things homeschooled students have a relaxed learning environment that has the advantage o f the teacher’s attention. There are many negative influences in a public-school system. A student who attends public-school can be harassed or bullied because of the clothes or shoes a student wears. Also, students can be harassed because of by their nationality, features or their grades. In public school there is always that one student that is very popular and dresses in the new fashions, but has the worst grades and makes jokes about student’s shoes or the way they  dress. There are students who are have seen and done things that a normal child has not, which makes these students a product of their environment. These are students who have a different childhood than most children. The things they see daily like fighting, hearing gun shots, and murders daily. These students will take things into their own hands if they are confronted by a person. The learning environment in public school is unsafe. In the past decade there has been a school shooting because students were teased, bullied, students ju st did not like them. Those shootings have had a major impact on parents who choose to have their child or children in public school. It is very important for a student to develop socially in fact, students who attend public school develop better socially than home schooled students. Public-schools have interaction with different levels of students or faculty each day of the school year. By learning how to talk to different levels of students or faculty will help students choose friends. In public schools you have a variety of friends like students that have attended the same schools through their child hood. There are new students that find his or her niche, which makes the transition to a new school easy for them. Having friends that are coworkers is something a public-school student would achieve before a homeschooled student. Homeschooled students do not have any interaction with other students during school unless they have siblings who are being home schooled. The only person a homeschooled student has to interact with is their siblings and their teacher, which is their parent. Being homeschooled a student would have to find kids in their neighborhood to be friends with. That is a hard thing to do because of the fact the other kids in their neighborhood attend public school, and have friends with the same interest that they play with five days a week that builds loyalty between the friends. Nevertheless, the teaching curriculum in public school is accredited meaning the school meets the states requirements. When a student attends and accredited school it is easier for the student to transfer credits. Teaching in a public-school where everyone has to learn at the same pace sometimes hurts students. However, it also helps some students pass a test because of the test scores the teacher would grade on curve. This allows some students to achieve a passing grade. Public school students will  not have a problem with the transition from high school to college. When attending public school all students learn at the same pace. Since public school students interact with different levels of students and faculty, they feel more comfortable when attending college. Home schooling is not and accredited curriculum meaning that the curriculum that the parent is teaching was not approved by the state where they live. Furthermore, a parent cannot teach a subject better than a licensed teacher unless the parent is a licensed teacher. Employment plays a vital role for single parents sending their child or children to public school allows him or her to obtain a job and provide for their family. Single parents would not be able to home school their child or children. Simply, because they would question how will the bills get paid and get the materials needed for homeschooling. A duel parent home may choose to have their child or children attend public schools so both parents can have jobs to his or her financial needs. It also allows the student to make their own decisions while they are away from their parent or parents. They have more responsibility and pressure on them to do their school work, get help if needed, and turn in assignments in by the due date. In order to home school a child or children there must be two parents in the household. One parent must obtain a job and the other teaches their child or children. Certain rooms in the house may become the classroom. Someone would lose their room or the kitchen table would become covered with piles of paper and books. Home schooling will allow the parent to be around their child or children 24 hours a day. They will not get a break from each other and this can cause trust issues between the child or children and parent. As the child or children gets older they are going to want some type of freedom. Suffocating them can push them away from the parent or it can make the child or children be socially challenged not being able to control his or her selves when they are not around their parents. Home school students would struggle in the real world because their parent or parents have controlled everything around his or her child or children. In conclusion public school students have a responsibility to do their work and make their own decisions, by doing so it will prepare them for real life  situations. For example, attending college the instructor is not going to spoon feed the students. It will be up to the students to get help if needed and complete assignments by the due date. Public schooled students will adapt to their environment easily. Also there are more free programs, school memories like prom, sporting events, and having childhood friends from different neighborhoods through you school years. All these things are something a home schooled student will not have the chance to achieve.

School Prayer

Amy Hua English 1A TTh 1:45-3:10 Professor Marvin School Prayer Annie Laurie Gaylor argues against school prayer in her article â€Å"The Case against School Prayer† (Elements of Arguments, 679). When religion is included in daily school routines, it divides students into different beliefs. Public schools are meant to be open for all people to get an education, but not to influence them into a new religion. Requiring students to practice prayer in public schools is a violation of Freedom of Religion.Public schools should not practice prayer because there is a diversity of religions in the United States and the Constitution of the First Amendment. Students in public schools get distracted from judgment of religion, but that is why there are places where schools may freely practice religion, such as private schools. Due to the diversity of religions, along with dissimilar practices, schools should continue their public structure leaving religion entirely out. Public schools educ ate the belief of God, which might (for example) be the religion of Catholicism.High schools, Middle schools, and maybe even Elementary schools that practice a certain religion might offend or hurt other religions. â€Å"When religion has invaded our public school system, it has singled out the lone Jewish student, the class Unitarian or agnostic, the children in the minority† (Gaylor 679-680). The United States has a vast variety of religions that include Buddhist, Christian, Catholic, Hinduism, Islam, etc. There are also those Atheists who do not believe in any God. Each belief practices different events that may contrast.For instance, Christians rejoice to the Lord on Christmas day as a result of the birth of Jesus Christ, whereas, Buddhists pay their respects to the dead. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. (First Amendment, Bill of Rights, U. S. Constitution)† The First Amendment is th e Freedom of Religion, press, and expression. Praying at schools not only excludes the students who do not believe in God, but also disrespects them by not allowing freedom of other religions.Forced into prayer does not verbally influence the student to believe in God, but it still implies that you cannot or should not practice a different religion. Most of the rules in public schools are useful: do not use profanity, attend school, and do your best at anything you set your mind to. No matter what the religion, these rules are useful to everyone and are universal to all countries because each one agrees with them. Teaching students about religion would be equivalent to converting them towards the American Republican Party or Democratic-Republican Party.For schools today, it is dishonest for teachers to promote subject during class period. Instructors cannot force what is not universal because of the different beliefs each religion practices. There will be disagreements among singula r religions because there is not only one type of prayer system. There is a place for religion in schools. Private schools were made to eliminate the government from its system, so they are independent. Although students in public schools should be allowed to have personal prayers, there are also private schools and universities that focus on certain viewpoints on religion.If required, some private schools are given permission to freely practice their own religion. For example, Messiah College and John Brown University concentrate on Bible studies as much as other electives. It is more of an option to attend private schools, like Messiah College, so the student should know what he or she is signing up for. However, public schools are for all students to learn gender education. Therefore, no assumption of religion should be taught as a part of general education.As a child, I was enrolled into private Christian school by my parents. My parents and I were aware of the education I was b eing taught by the teachers and the sharing of general education and Bible studies. In â€Å"The Case against School Prayer†, Gaylor says â€Å"People should be judged by their actions, not by what religion they believe in or how publicly or loudly they pray† (82). Not only do people get distracted from judgment, but also from their studies from far most important subjects.With religion being in the same studies as Math and Science, students are unable to concentrate in studies that will mainly shape their future. Prayer can be harmful in many ways, depending on how much the school interoperates it daily. When I attended a Christian school during Kindergarten through fifth grade, I was required to announce the Pledge of Allegiance. But when my parents decided to take me out of Christian school and enroll me into public school, the Pledge of Allegiance was still mandatory to say.My parents, who converted into Buddhism, were offended that I still had to intentionally wor ship God. Annie Gaylor and, not to mention, Jesus had the same opinion for not allowing public schools to teach religion. â€Å"†¦when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret† (Bible, Matt. 6:5-6). School prayers add conflict to education in many ways. As a result of the vast amount of religions in the United States, there are conflicts caused my disagreements of religion. Japan, where no one prays at school, had the lowest crime rate of any developed nation† (Gaylor, 683). Religion should only be taught in private schools or organizations. The First Amendment was made for Freedom of religion, press, and expression, meaning that everyone has a right to pray, but not for public schools to convert the students into believe a certain religion. I strongly agree on Gaylor’s viewpoints of school prayers because I was felt in the same situation in the past. Public schools should stay open to diffe rent religions.

Poem Analysis: Mid-term Break Essay

Seamus Heaney himself is the narrator in the poem, Mid-term Break, a sad story from his childhood. It depicts the reactions of everyone around him and of himself to a death in the family. It does this through the poem’s three parts: the waiting at school, the behaviour of everyone at home, and his solitary viewing of the body. This poem is unsentimental but full of emotions. The first stanza introduces Seamus sitting alone at school, in the â€Å"sick bay†. He is waiting, and time passes slowly as he counts â€Å"bells knelling classes to a close†. This tells the reader that the mid-term break is not a school holiday, as classes are still taking place. The boy is eventually picked up by his neighbours, which shows the reader that his parents are too busy to pick up their son, so it must be an important occasion. The next stanza starts with Seamus arriving home, and in the porch meeting his father, who is crying. This stanza tells us that we are witnessing a funeral. The reader still does not know who has died, but we know that it is a family member, perhaps a sibling or even the boy’s mother. In the third stanza, the baby â€Å"cooed and laughed†; this shows the baby’s innocence and lack of awareness of what is happening. At this point the only emotion that the narrator expresses is embarrassment by the way older men are treating him; like an adult. The fourth stanza describes the way the guests at the funeral react to the boy. He is conscious of the way he is being observed and talked about; this reinforces the idea of the boy having to grow up for this event. The last line in the stanza introduces the boy’s mother; so another family member is eliminated from the mystery of who has died. The next stanza begins with his mother expressing her emotion: â€Å"angry tearless sighs†, a contrast to both the boy’s stated emotion and his father’s reaction. In this stanza, the ambulance arrives, and the â€Å"corpse† is taken into the house. The sixth and seventh stanzas depict the next morning and the boy visiting the room where the body is laid. Everything he observes is understated, and we find out that the funeral was that of someone who had been hit by a car and killed. In the last stanza we learn that it was a young child who has died, and come to realise that it was in fact Heaney’s brother. This makes the stanza brutal, hard, shocking and unforgettable, as a child has lost his life before it has truly begun. The words are nearly all emphasised, so the reader must take in the line’s message and the shock and deep grief that the family must have felt. The shock for the reader is that as we find out who died, we also find out that the boy was a mere four years old. There are eight stanzas in the poem. The first seven consist of three lines, and the last comprises only one. The rhyming in the poem is not strict: for example â€Å"close† and â€Å"home† both have the ‘o’ sound but are not total rhymes, and â€Å"crying† and â€Å"stride† both have the â€Å"i† sound. This very loose rhyming scheme is present throughout most of the poem and creates the impression of story telling. The exception to this is the last two lines, which form a rhyming couplet to make an impact: â€Å"no gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. /A four foot box, a foot for every year†. The poem contains eight sentences, which run through the lines and the stanzas, making the poem less like a poem and more like a story. The sentences are a mixture of lengths, which makes some of them very simple, for example â€Å"Next morning I went up to the room.† Others, in particular the sentence which starts with the third stanza and runs through into the fifth, are very descriptive and show that he is taking everything in at once. The mood in the poem is sombre and sad. The tone of the poem is one of sorrow, grief, hurt and distress. The father is crying, the mother is so distraught she cannot cry. Heaney does not state his own emotions, but it is clear that he is hurting and however much he hides it, the reader can sense it through the poem’s tone. The language in the poem is vernacular or every-day, simple, sparse and clear. This almost â€Å"un-poetic† language reduces the poem to its bare essentials and this makes the impact of the awful event stronger and more effective. Just as the body has no â€Å"gaudy scars† the poem has no flowery, overblown descriptions. Onomatopoeia, such as â€Å"cooed† and â€Å"whispers† are used to reinforce the quietness of the poem and of death. Others, such as â€Å"coughed† and â€Å"knocked† break the silence and show the horror of what has happened. When the body first arrives, Heaney distances himself from it by calling it a â€Å"corpse†; he is reluctant to admit that it is a person. However, as soon as he sees the body, he admits to himself that his sibling is dead, and uses personal pronouns such as â€Å"him†, â€Å"his† and â€Å"he†. The title of the poem can have lots of meanings. At first the reader might think of a holiday, the normal meaning of a mid-term break, but after reading the poem, we know that this was not the case. Instead, the title can be associated with the boy who has died; mid-term, as in mid-life, in other words the untimely and unexpected death. Another meaning can be that the family has been broken in the middle of every-day life. The reader himself can decide which of these Heaney meant the title to be. The alliteration in the poem brings out sounds to aid the images. The hard ‘c’ sounds at the start and the end, â€Å"Counting bells knelling classes to a close† and â€Å"knocked him clear†. The harsh sound is suggestive of his way of dealing with grief, letting his locked up emotions come out in his words. Those hard sounds contrast with the soft â€Å"s† sounds in the seventh stanza: â€Å"Snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside†. These soft sounds show that Heaney is literally soothed by the c andles and flowers. There are very strong images in the poem, the first of which is in the second line: â€Å"bells knelling† are associated with death and â€Å"to a close† also suggests the finality of death. One of the more striking images is the image of the â€Å"snowdrops and candles†. Snowdrops are white and pure, which suggests innocence. Snowdrops grow up through frost and they represent a symbol of new life after death. The candles have a symbol of remembrance, and give a hint of religious significance. There is one main metaphor in the poem: the dead child is â€Å"wearing a poppy bruise†. The idea that he is wearing the bruise gives the idea that it can almost be wiped off, or that it is not really part of the boy. This shows the reluctance of Heaney to admit that his younger brother is dead. This is echoed in the simile of â€Å"He lay in the four foot box as in a cot†; he would rather that his little brother is sleeping, not dead. In twenty-two lines of simple language, almost prose; Seamus Heaney has created a striking and shocking picture of the tragic death of a child. The poem is deceptive in its simplicity because it is full of imagery and has a deep impact. Without allowing himself any sentimentality, Heaney leaves us with a deep impression of the effect of the boy’s death on the whole family. The last line in the poem, â€Å"A four foot box, a foot for every year†, is one that is very famous. This is because it stays with the reader long after they have read the poem.

Reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reply - Assignment Example In the same way, a company benefits a lot by undertaking procurement appropriately. Appropriate procurement reduces a company’s expenditure and increases profits (Meredith & Shafer 2013). Procurement facilitates the acquisition of goods and services in both private and public organizations. An effective procurement process is executed on the grounds of ethical sourcing and purchasing. I must, however, mention that procurement and supply chain management has given rise to unethical practices that violate rules and the set codes of conduct. For example, when rendering processes are not conducted in the right way, suppliers can solicit for consideration by offering bribes and other incentives (Mathenge 2012). The issue of bribes coincides with your interpretation of the Bible. In your essay, you stated â€Å"Proverbs 22:16 tells us not to do this for the sole reason of increasing the money in our own pockets.† The issue of giving and taking bribes in the procurement process is unethical because it is done for monetary gain only. I support your view that when procuring services, the personnel involved should work for the benefit of the company and not to enrich in dividuals. Kashap, S. (2004). PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AS A SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POLICY. 3. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.unpcdc.org/media/6082/public procurement as a social, economic and political policy.pdf Mathenge, G. (2012). Responsible Purchasing and Supply Chain Management in Kenya: A Critical Analysis of the Ethical Considerations in Procurement Management. European Journal of Business and Management, 4(3), 2222-2839. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from

Crime Prevention in Criminal Justice System Research Paper

Crime Prevention in Criminal Justice System - Research Paper Example There are a variety of methods that authorities use to deal with and prevent crime, the common one being incarceration of criminals in jails and other rehabilitation centers, which has not proved effective in Springfield. Therefore, to deal with crime on the long term, a risk-focused approach offers better results in that the method deals with possible factors that would lead to crime. Crime rates in Springfield, IL Springfield is one of the areas that lead in crime rates across US and has been ranked as the third most dangerous area in the entire country (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012). Springfield has a population of 206, 601 residents, one of the less populated metropolitan areas that have surpassed many areas in the level of reported crimes. In 2010, there were reported 855 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in Springfield IL, which made the metropolitan the third highest dangerous city in the US after Detroit and Memphis. Giuoffo noted that Springfield has an unemploym ent rate of less than the country’s average of 7% as of July 2011, implying that unlike other areas, economy in the city may not be blamed for the high crime rate as the city is above average compared to many other cities. The metropolitan has a young population, that 66% of all residents are 44 years old or younger, which has been perceived as a contributing factor to the high crime rate (Giuffo, 2011). In addition, the city has high usage of methamphetamine, a prevalent drug across the area. All the same, a law was passed in the last few years that made it difficult to buy the drugs, which according to FBI has considerably reduced the crime rates (FBI, 2012). In addition to drug use, Springfield has a much poorer neighborhood in the city’s suburbs that has been blamed for the high rate of crime in the metropolitan. Consequently, indications are that crime rates in Springfield have soared due to a young population, use of hard drugs and a poor neighborhood. Generally, Springfield, IL in 2011 had a total population of 210,802 residents with a crime rate of 711.6 per 100, 000 residents. The city had a lower murder rate at 4.3, with property crime rates, burglary and larceny theft recorded at 4,290.8, 1,118.1 and 3,034.1 per 100,000 residents respectively (FBI, 2012 Abilene in Texas has a population of 168,729 slightly less than Springfield with the rate of violent crimes recorded at 297.5 per 100,000 residents. Property crime in this area is highest at 3,029.7 per 100,000 residents with murder being the lowest at 3.0 per 100,000 residents (FBI, 2012). On the contrary, Alexandria, LA has a population of 155,330 residents with a crime rate of 662 per 100,000 residents. The highest crime in this area is property crimes at 4.050.7 and the lowest crime being murder at 5.0 per 100,000 residents. On the same note, Appleton in Wisconsin has a total population of 226,649 residents with the crime rate being 509.5 per 100,000 residents. The highest crime in the area is property crime at 4,271.3 with the lowest crime being murder at a relatively higher rate of 11.8 per 100,000 residents. Comparing this data to the national statistics, the national violent crime rate was at 386.3 per

Ryan air case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ryan air case study - Essay Example The Ryanair, founded in 1985 by the Ryan Family, is an airline which provides airline services that cover routes between Ireland and the United Kingdom. This airline industry served first as a second choice for passengers because the main airline that time was Aer Lingus. During its first years of operations, Ryanair was a "full service conventional airline", with two different seat classes and renting three varied types of aircraft. (O'Higgins 2004) In the early 1990's, Ryanair encountered problems in terms of management and profit gains. The lack of a stable management led by a good CEO resulted to losses amounting to 20 million Irish pounds. Before the appointment of Michael O'Leary as chief executive, five people have already held that same position in a short span of time. (O'Higgins 2004) With the leadership of the newly appointed CEO Michael O'Higgins, Ryanair underwent reforms in order to recover the losses the airline had in the early years. The new formula includes setting-up cheap fares, having no frills or decorations, and adopting the Southwest Airlines model. These reforms started the big turnaround in the airline company in the latter years of the decade. In 1997, Ryanair was a company "floated in an IPO1 on the Dublin Stock Exchange and on Nasdaq- 1002 but the following year, it registered 9.1 million shares on the London Stock Exchange." By the year 2002, the company was included in the Nasdaq- 100. (O'Higgins 2004 p. 834) III. STRATEGIC INTENT Low Cost Airfares The main goal of Ryanair is to keep the company as the leader of low fare airlines which operates "point-to-point short-haul flights" out of regional or secondary airports in Europe. (O'Higgins 2004, p.835) All the other strategies revolve around the primary objective of providing "no-frills service with low fares". This approach tries to target the budget conscious leisure and business travelers, as well as people who are never used to travel by air instead used other means of travel like land and water. (O'Higgins 2004) The air company provided the cheapest way possible to travel by air. It distributed most of the seat inventories to the lowest fare class. The no frills services made the company focus more on other services that are essential to the customers like: (1) frequent departures, (2) advance reservations, (3) baggage handling, and (4) consistent on-time services. It also removed the "non-essential extras (advance seat assignments, free in-flight meals, multi class seating, and access to a frequent flyer program, complimentary drinks, and other amenities) that interfered with the reliable, low cost delivery of its basic flights." (O'Higgins 2004, p. 835) Impacts The strategies of Ryanair which are centered to providing the cheapest air travelling services contributed to very good results. The company surpassed the Aer Lingus as the number one airline covering travels between Ireland and United Kingdom. This fantastic result is due to increased number of passengers (4 million) availing the low cost airline services. The increase of the company's market share to 37 percent enabled them to expand from Irish-UK route to 133 routes, with 86 destinations from 16 countries around the world. (O'Higgins 2004) By the end of 2003, the company had achieved the following: Ryanair became

Public law questoion on the Human Rights Act 1998 Essay

Public law questoion on the Human Rights Act 1998 - Essay Example erning child safety to governmental laws on local health services and global warming by political parties as well as voluntary charity organizations alike have been rampant in the U.K. This form of voicing one’s opinion for opposing a certain law and demonstrating disagreements on the governmental decisions is increasing and rapidly gaining momentum. Although such protests might be perceived as an inevitable means of sustaining democratic governance of the country on the other hand laws prohibiting such public demonstrations as a form of protests such as Sections 11 to 14 of the Public Order Act, 1986 which deals with prohibiting public processions and imposing restrictions on public assemblies might hamper the very fabric of a liberal and efficient democratic system of the United Kingdom. It has been largely observed that public demonstrations for socio – political causes are increasingly being targeted with such legislations aimed at restricting such vivid expressions of public disapproval. The U.K law, through the Public Order Act has inadvertently laid prohibitions on the right to hold demonstrations in public which subsequently suggests that campaigning for causes that concerns the general public / citizens might lead to breach of law of the nation further leading to strict legal action. The blurring divide between freedom of expression and the legal consequences – civil as well as criminal, on account of voicing one’s opinions, under the legislation, is emerging as a highly inadequate means in sustaining civil society thus pressing for an urgent need to introspect the legal framework and advocate policies for much needed change. The strict laws that more or less, seeks to prohibit public assemblies campaigning against causes political or otherwise, and the rather strict repercussions which might lead to registration of criminal offenses against the campaigners prevents the lawful right of the campaigners – as well as members of the general public

Landscape Artists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Landscape Artists - Essay Example This pattern seems to mirror his conservative attitude towards nature: that introducing another life form may no longer be necessary, or even appear destructive, which probably explains why he rarely juxtaposes humans with trees. Inness, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to mind. His own definition of nature is broad enough to even include houses. In fact, in his â€Å"Albanersee, Italien,† he painted what seems to be a recreational area with humans strolling around who are, like him, enjoying nature’s splendor. He seems to suggest that animals, including humans, go hand in hand with nature towards a harmonious coexistence. We could tell from their works that both painters admire nature so much that they want it captured in their paintings in meticulous detail. Otherwise, they would not stay that long in the landscape and realism genre. Rousseau’s works, however, are mostly gloomy, evoking a sense of romantic melancholy to the beholder. Solitude, his favorite theme, is expressed by painting trees standing alone or unusually taller than the other accessory figures so that anyone staring at his canvass would immediately notice such isolation. Darkness usually dominates his works, depicting either sunset or cloudy skies, seemingly to warn danger looming ahead. But Inness is just the opposite, painting clear skies suggesting a fine weather, which also evokes feelings opposite to the kind Rousseau attempts to bring. Inness’s paintings are mostly bright and sunny, with animals and humans that seem to be enjoying nature’s hospitality. In this sense, his paintings look more inviting to the human eye, provoking viewers to look further into the minute details. But in fairness to Rousseau, his masterpieces are successful in bringing intense emotion to the viewers. I admire him for that, as it takes a grea t deal of creativity to express beauty while attempting to elicit a

Differential Treatment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Differential Treatment - Assignment Example One major way racial profiling prevail is during traffic stops and searches. In an argument by Pickerill, Mosher & Pratt (2009) racial and ethnic minority groups are stopped by traffic police more than other social groups. In instances where they are stopped, a police is likely to insist on searching the vehicle regardless of the safety of the situation (Pickerill, Mosher & Pratt, 2009). In addition, minority groups have the greatest number of traffic offenders. Pickerill, Mosher & Pratt (2009) assert that a person from a minority group is likely to serve a sentence of be fined for a criminal offence more than a person from a majority group. Frieburger, Marcum & Pierce (2010) point out that pretrial decisions in the justice systems are significantly influenced by differential treatment. The authors further point out that an African American is very unlikely to be favored for release by the pretrial judge (Frieburger, Marcum & Pierce, 2010). The setting of the bail for minority groups is significantly high thus minimizing their chances of being released. Most judges seem to conclude that a person from a minority group is guilty even before their trial. For people from majority groups, pretrial is more lenient and they are only considered as convicts after their trial (Frieburger, Marcum & Pierce, 2010). Over the years, guilty sentences have been passed on African Americans and Hispanics than any other social group (Hurwitz & Peffley, 2010). On some occasions, the sentencing may be just, but the trend creates an assumption that the influence of race is still significant in the justice system (Kamalu, Coulson-Clark & Kamalu, 2010). Members of the jury and the judge always have the misconception that a person from a minority group are guilty when presented for a legal process. To justify the argument, Ward, Farrell & Rousseau (2009) point out that increased representation of minority groups in the justice system

Double negative gravitational renderer Research Paper

Double negative gravitational renderer - Research Paper Example The simulation was done as part of the making of Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning movie Interstellar. The images were a result of the spinning black hole which was dragging bits of the universe along with it and causing the caustics around it to be stretched severally around the spinning black hole: These multiple images are caused by the black hole dragging space into a whirling motion and stretching the caustics around itself many times. It is the first time that the effects of caustics have been computed for a camera near a black hole, and the resulting images give some idea of what a person would see if they were orbiting around a hole. To create the simulation of the spinning black hole, DNGR maps the paths of millions of light beams along their respective cross-sections (that are evolving in real time) as they come into the black holes warped space-time continuum. DNGR created clear and very smooth images of a wormhole and with a glowing accretion disk that had parts th at swung over and under the wormhole’s shadow and even infront of the shadow’s equator thus resulting to an image of a split shadow. This phenomena was a result of gravitational lensing, which is a process where light beams from several locations on the disk or even from distant stars are bent before arrival at the simulated camera; thus resulting to the mind-blowing surreal images of the celestial body.

Gorn Chapter Essay Example for Free

Gorn Chapter Essay What powers awarded to congress in the Constitution of 1787 would an Anti- Federalist be most likely to oppose? Anti- Federalist were against the Constitution all together but most of all, I think the Anti-Federalist were against the fact that the state government’s would no longer have as much power like it did with the Articles of Confederation. The constitution supported the idea of a powerful and strong central government. The congress had the power to tax people, and make rules and regulations as it says in document two. With liberty being the Anti-Federalist’s biggest argument, the federalist got the idea that with all the power congress had, their freedom and rights would be threatened or even taken away and that’s what they feared most. 2. According to the Constitution of 1787, what are the eligibility prerequisites and selection processes for a) members of the House of Representatives Members of the House of Representatives are chosen every two years by the people and the number of representatives each state gets is proportional to the population. The members has to be twenty-five years of age or older, has been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years and shall not be, when elected, an Inhabitant of the State in which he is representing. b) members of the Senate, and Each state has two senators serving a six year term. In the Constitution of 1787, the senate was appointed by the Legislature and must have at least one vote. Members of the Senate must be 30 years of age, been a citizen of the U. S. for nine years, and should not be an Inhabitant of that State. ) the president and vice president? Both the President and Vice president serve in the same term of four years. The person running for president and vice president had to be a citizen of the United States for 14 years and naturally born in the U. S. and they had to be at least 35 years of age. The president had to have a majority vote for a guarantee to be president if not the House of Representatives chose in other situations. 3. Critique the provisions co ntained in the Constitution of 1787 from the point of view of each of the following groups: I think all together the only people who felt they would benefit from the Constitution was the smaller populated states and the African Americans. The smaller States would gain more of a say then being overlooked by the larger States, although in the Constitution they would only have a few representatives for their state, it still was a good outcome because they would at least have some sort of say and opinion in what laws were passed due to the power of their representative’s votes. The Constitution’s main goal was to make sure all states were equal and with that being said, it led up to the African American’s being free and gave a sense of something they had never felt, which was equality. The Anglos and Native American’s had to have a sense of anger because not only did they feel like their territory was being taken away, they also now had to have treaties with America if they were beyond the boundaries of the States, in order to trade or do any business with the U. S. The larger states were probably not as approving of the Constitution because with the greater amount of population in their states’, their governments got to do whatever and all the people had to follow their rules they set for themselves. In the Constitution, Congress is given the power over the whole Country, if a state wanted to make something a law or tax people, they had to get the approval of congress. 4. In which of the six objectives designated in the preamble has the Constitution of 1787 lived up to its promises? In what areas has it not fully achieved its goals? The Constitution was truly meant to be looked upon as a good thing, it was not suppose to cause any harm or uneasiness in the States. I think out of the preamble, the Constitution did eventually achieve success in all six objectives but the biggest issure that most Anti-Federalist had was the constitution not establishing justice or secure the blessings of liberty. If you really think about how the Constitution was made, it was illegal. The writers were only allowed to fix the Articles of Confederation, not make a whole new Government. I think that’s why Anti-Federalist were not convinced about the Constitution because it was done out of secrecy and the writers did not allow for the Anti-Federalist to make a common ground and make the Constitution mutual on both sides, that alone made it seem like the writers were just trying to take over America and make rules that seemed to take away the rights that were important to them. In the Constitution there were specific laws for people’s safety, different forces were to be formed in case of any attack or just to promote general welfare. Although, the army had not been figured out yet on how each state’s army would form together, the idea of the forces coming together for safety was in tact. 5. If you were a delegate to a state ratifying convention, would you have voted for or against the Constitution of 1787? Explain the reasons for your vote. If I was a delegate to a state ratifying convention, I would have voted for the constitution of 1787. The United States were at the point of time were reformation was needed. Although many people at the time were against the Constitution, I think overall it put the United States in a more successful path compared to the problems they were already facing as a nation. At the time prior to the Constitution, State’s had set there own laws that were to be abided by which made the outlook on the country as a whole, unorganized. The United State’s needed a more stable government, with the Articles of Confederation, it was basically like there was no government or any uniformed army in place in case of any attacks from other countries. The Constitution made the United States come together in the long run and a good authority with a fair amount of power was needed in order to get America straightened out. 6. Did the writers of the Constitution of 1787 desire to create a democracy or aristocracy? According to what I read, I think the Constriction of 1787 was desired to be a aristocracy government. It was not until the Bill of Rights came into Constitution that made the United States a democracy. The constriction was first made with no checks and balance system which made the strong central government, have more power than it has today. The government in the Constitution had the power to do many things that the Anti-Federalist felt shouldn’t have the right to have. Many of the people living in the state’s felt their unalienable rights were being taken away slowly so many Anti-Federalist decided to push and continue to get the Bill of Rights passed so the government wouldn’t gain too much power, that everyone felt they wanted.

Tax Planning Essay Example for Free

Tax Planning Essay It was the responsibility of the Satrap to collect the due amount and to send it to the emperor, after deducting his expenses (the expenses and the power of deciding precisely how and from whom to raise the money in the province, offer maximum opportunity for rich pickings). The quantities demanded from the various provinces gave a vivid picture of their economic potential. For instance,  Babylon  was assessed for the highest amount and for a startling mixture of commodities; 1,000  silver talents  and four months supply of food for the army. India, a province fabled for its gold, was to supply gold dust equal in value to the very large amount of 4,680 silver talents. Egypt was known for the wealth of its crops; it was to be the granary of the Persian Empire (and, later, of the  Roman Empire) and was required to provide 120,000 measures of grain in addition to 700 talents of silver. This was exclusively a tax levied on subject peoples. Persians  and  Medes  paid no tax, but, they were liable at any time to serve in the  army. [12] In India, Islamic rulers imposed  jizya  (a  poll tax  on non-Muslims) starting in the 11th century. It was abolished by  Akbar. Numerous records of government tax collection in Europe since at least the 17th century are still available today. But taxation levels are hard to compare to the size and flow of the economy since  production  numbers are not as readily available, however. Government expenditures and revenue in France during the 17th century went from about 24. 30 million  livres  in 1600-10 to about 126. 86 million  livers  in 1650-59 to about 117. 99 million  livres  in 1700-10 when  government debt  had reached 1. 6 billion  livres. In 1780–89, it reached 421. 50 millionaires. Taxation as a percentage of production of final goods may have reached 15%–20% during the 17th century in places such as  France, the  Netherlands, and  Scandinavia. During the war-filled years of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, tax rates in Europe increased dramatically as war became more expensive and governments became more centralized and adept at gathering taxes.

Future Advancements of Hyperspectral Imaging

Future Advancements of Hyperspectral Imaging Liam Zarebski Preserving forensic traces at a crime scene is a crucial part of collecting evidence It is important that these traces are detected and identified in a way that is as non-destructive as possible. One technology that has great potential to serve as a future analytical tool in forensics is Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI). Due to its non-contact method of analysis, the speed at which it can gather and process information, and the ease with which the results can be interpreted, HSI proves itself to be an excellent alternative to many forensic techniques used today. Hyperspectral Imaging combines conventional digital imaging and spectroscopy to gather and process information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. Every object in the world will reflect and absorb various wavelengths of radiation differently. These interactions can be measured and used to identify different chemical and material properties. This can be thought of as every object having their own unique spectral fingerprint. HSI is particularly useful as it could also be used to analyse chemical changes that have occurred within the sample, which can help with estimating age. Currently, HSI is mainly used for analysing fingerprints. Producing a multispectral image allows one to see details that would otherwise be invisible, even after dusting for prints. This creates a more detailed image than standard photography could produce and reveals elements which would otherwise have gone unnoticed. As HSI can identify the chemical composition of a sample, it could also be used to rapidl y identify the residue that created the print. It is also used in questioned document analysis to identify whether handwritten or printed documents have been altered by analysing the ink used. In Fire Investigation, HSI can detect flammable liquid residues in quantities as small as a microliter that have soaked into surfaces. While HSI technology has existed for around 20 years and is used in forensics today, it is becoming increasingly more relevant due to the rapid decrease in size of hyperspectral sensors, the decrease in the cost, and the increase in image processing power. In the future, it is possible that all the power of hyperspectral imaging will be integrated in regular digital cameras or even smartphones. This would open up a world of new possibilities within forensic science. Crime scene investigators could go into a crime scene and gather information about the size, age, density, and chemical composition of a sample as easily as they could take a photograph of it. This would mean that the chance of a sample being destroyed or contaminated would be drastically reduced as CSI would not even have to come into contact or move the traces to get an accurate analysis of what those traces are. If there are particular crime scenes where events have occurred that pose dangers to investigators, (eg. Cri me scenes involving explosives), a remote controlled robot could be equipped with a HSI system so that investigators can take the samples they require in a non-destructive matter without stepping foot in the crime scene. By using HSI instead of traditional methods, the process of identifying and analysing forensic traces would be drastically sped up. In addition, HSI requires little to no sample preparation, further increasing the speed at which progress can be made and thus improving the chances of the case being solved successfully. Another advantage of Hyperspectral Imaging is that the results are easy to interpret even if you dont come from a scientific background. Consequently, when the results are presented to a jury in court, they will quickly be able to understand the data and make an informed decision. If need be, additional processing steps can be taken when analysing the HSI data without having to re-examine the physical evidence. The main problem for Hyperspectral Imaging in forensics is that crime scenes tend to be very complex which can make image analysis difficult. Sunlight, external light sources, reflections from surfaces and shadows are all variables that can cause inaccuracies in readings. To combat this, specialized algorithms are required during the processing of information in order to distinguish which variables have been caused by non-uniform illumination. With image processing technology as a whole becoming more advanced, and several forensic science applications of HSI recently being explored successfully, it is easy to imagine HSI replacing some old techniques and becoming an integral part of crime scene investigation in the not too distant future. Despite the challenges that will be faced with interference and unknown variables, it is likely that the technology will be refined and the techniques will be modified so to maximize the effectiveness of the technology, and allow future investigators to analyse useful traces non-destructively. Hyperspectral imaging has many uses in forensics but it also has a vast number of uses in a wide variety of fields: in agriculture, where HSI can be used to detect animal proteins in cattle feed to avoid mad cow disease; in medicine, for early diagnosis of diseases; in mineralogy, to rapidly identify minerals in geological samples; and in astrology, to identify materials and chemicals present on distant planets. There are many examples of HSI being used in professional environments however it is also a possibility that it will end up becoming integrated with the technology used by the general public on a daily basis. Roughly two billion people on earth use smartphones, most of which come equipped with built in digital cameras. In the future, it is possible that these cameras will be built with components that can be used to detect other electromagnetic waves than just visual light. Using cloud computing, a library of different spectral signatures could be created and made available to the public and used for reference. Access to such a technology could prove to be particularly useful when it comes to monitoring ones own health. People would be able to use their phones to scan fruit and find out whether or not it is fresh depending on its sugar content and moisture levels; people could also use it to check if perishable foods are still safe to eat or to check whether or not their milk has gone off. Many smartphones nowadays can measure how many steps you walk a day and your heart rate, but a phone equipped with hyperspectral imaging technology would be able to detect biochemical changes due to dis ease development like cancer cell metabolism. A non-intrusive retina scan could be performed in the comfort of your own phone merely by taking a photo of your eye, or a suspicious looking mole could be checked out and diagnosed all within an application. Sources: http://www.hyspex.no/hyperspectral_imaging/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S03790738http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1230/phys1230_fa01/topic7.html12004495http://www.chemimage.com/webinars/HSI-Basics-6-14-11/CI_Intro_HSI_Webinar0614.pdf http://arrow.dit.ie/schfsehart/97/

Diet Pills: The Miraculous Weight Loss Formula? :: Persuasive Research Essays

Below is part of the sample persuasive research essay. Please note: †¢ how the introduction introduces the topic and offers a clear forecast of the essay's thesis (the author's position and stated reasons) †¢ how the conclusion restates the thesis and ends with a call to action †¢ how each character’s speech is fully developed: each speech has the three "E"s of paragraph organization and development: Exposition, Examples, and Explanation. To illustrate these components, in the paragraph below I've placed the exposition (claim and stated reason and background) in blue, the examples in green, the explanation in purple, and the concluding statement in orange. Note: While Jeanne offers one extended example and explanation in this paragraph, I would encourage you to have at least two examples for each stated reason. †¢ how secondary sources are integrated into Jeanne's own prose, how they are "tagged" for the reader and to increase Jeanne's credibility with her audience, and how they are cited. Diet Pills: The Miraculous Weight Loss Formula? If you have ever considered losing weight, you have probably heard of the various kinds of diet pills available. Diet pills claim to "melt away the fat." They sound like the perfect solution to shed a few pounds, but research tells a different story. Diet pills became popular in 1996. The most common ingredients were Redux and fenfluramin/phentermine, which posed as appetite suppressants. The pills seemed to suck up the fat, and people were losing anywhere between 25-50 pounds in months. The FDA no longer approves the use of Redux or fen/phen, but new ingredients have made diet pills just as popular. An herb called ephedra is currently the most common substance in diet pills. Ephedra is still available for over the counter distribution, but the FDA is researching the side effects. Many cases of heart diseases and strokes have been linked to the herb. The use of diet pills is not recommended, but the advice does not stop many Americans. Diet pills are dangerous and should not be taken. The pills should be avoided because they do not provide a safe or effective way to lose weight, cause heart valve disease and other complications, and are used as a replacement for physical activity. [Jeanne next offers a paragraph with evidence and explanation for her first stated reason. Within this paragraph, after providing a topic sentence and further exposition, she introduces and tags her evidence by identifying the profession and source of the quotation, increasing her own credibility as an author on this subject: Diet Pills: The Miraculous Weight Loss Formula? :: Persuasive Research Essays Below is part of the sample persuasive research essay. Please note: †¢ how the introduction introduces the topic and offers a clear forecast of the essay's thesis (the author's position and stated reasons) †¢ how the conclusion restates the thesis and ends with a call to action †¢ how each character’s speech is fully developed: each speech has the three "E"s of paragraph organization and development: Exposition, Examples, and Explanation. To illustrate these components, in the paragraph below I've placed the exposition (claim and stated reason and background) in blue, the examples in green, the explanation in purple, and the concluding statement in orange. Note: While Jeanne offers one extended example and explanation in this paragraph, I would encourage you to have at least two examples for each stated reason. †¢ how secondary sources are integrated into Jeanne's own prose, how they are "tagged" for the reader and to increase Jeanne's credibility with her audience, and how they are cited. Diet Pills: The Miraculous Weight Loss Formula? If you have ever considered losing weight, you have probably heard of the various kinds of diet pills available. Diet pills claim to "melt away the fat." They sound like the perfect solution to shed a few pounds, but research tells a different story. Diet pills became popular in 1996. The most common ingredients were Redux and fenfluramin/phentermine, which posed as appetite suppressants. The pills seemed to suck up the fat, and people were losing anywhere between 25-50 pounds in months. The FDA no longer approves the use of Redux or fen/phen, but new ingredients have made diet pills just as popular. An herb called ephedra is currently the most common substance in diet pills. Ephedra is still available for over the counter distribution, but the FDA is researching the side effects. Many cases of heart diseases and strokes have been linked to the herb. The use of diet pills is not recommended, but the advice does not stop many Americans. Diet pills are dangerous and should not be taken. The pills should be avoided because they do not provide a safe or effective way to lose weight, cause heart valve disease and other complications, and are used as a replacement for physical activity. [Jeanne next offers a paragraph with evidence and explanation for her first stated reason. Within this paragraph, after providing a topic sentence and further exposition, she introduces and tags her evidence by identifying the profession and source of the quotation, increasing her own credibility as an author on this subject:

Palm Essay -- essays research papers

Hawkins is an inventor, and he walked away from PDA’s because he saw cell phones were everywhere and wanted to invent the best voice based application. He new there was a need for an application that could combine all the features of the mobile communication and organization tools in the market today. I believe he was not only creative, but very smart about the market place, because, he foresaw that PDA’s were becoming commodities. The price, at which PDA’s were being sold, would severely cramped margins of any company expecting large returns from these devices. Every person on the block could now knock off a version of a Palm Handheld, Hawkins found a complimentary market, and handspring was nimble enough to beat all the big players to that market. The Treo is the hottest device on the market because it was first to market, and has very little competition. It appears that the advance features of the Treo blows away the competition when it comes to providing a small convenient tool that replaces all the other gadgets. I believe the main competitive advantage is that the Treo wasn’t tied to one specific carrier by contract, so they were able to build a network of sales through their affiliation with different cellular carriers. Another competitive advantage of the Treo is the fact that it’s not a phone masquerading as a PDA or even a PDA trying to be a cell phone. The Treo was designed from the ground up to be more than a phone, while I believe the phone makers are trying to... Palm Essay -- essays research papers Hawkins is an inventor, and he walked away from PDA’s because he saw cell phones were everywhere and wanted to invent the best voice based application. He new there was a need for an application that could combine all the features of the mobile communication and organization tools in the market today. I believe he was not only creative, but very smart about the market place, because, he foresaw that PDA’s were becoming commodities. The price, at which PDA’s were being sold, would severely cramped margins of any company expecting large returns from these devices. Every person on the block could now knock off a version of a Palm Handheld, Hawkins found a complimentary market, and handspring was nimble enough to beat all the big players to that market. The Treo is the hottest device on the market because it was first to market, and has very little competition. It appears that the advance features of the Treo blows away the competition when it comes to providing a small convenient tool that replaces all the other gadgets. I believe the main competitive advantage is that the Treo wasn’t tied to one specific carrier by contract, so they were able to build a network of sales through their affiliation with different cellular carriers. Another competitive advantage of the Treo is the fact that it’s not a phone masquerading as a PDA or even a PDA trying to be a cell phone. The Treo was designed from the ground up to be more than a phone, while I believe the phone makers are trying to...

Essay --

From 1820-1920 approximately 34 million persons immigrated to America and about three-fourthsof them stayed. They came for many different reasons, to escape violence, to find new hope, or to chase the "America Dream." This caused many things to develop and change throughout America. This mass immigration was possible because of the "endless" western territory but now in 2011 the "endless" territory has run out. Government should work to limit immigration to an extent. Although immigrants strengthen American society by creating different cultures and increasing the work force but it must be limited because America cannot afford to be a nation of mostly immigrants. If left unchecked there would be overcrowding, an insufficient amount of jobs, and many racial conflicts but if stopped completely there would be a loss in culture, there would be an increase in illegal immigration, and it wouldn't be moral. There needs to be a balance in between the two with some guidelines. If we left immigration unchecked we would be overcrowding because there would be so many people trying to get jobs in... Essay -- From 1820-1920 approximately 34 million persons immigrated to America and about three-fourthsof them stayed. They came for many different reasons, to escape violence, to find new hope, or to chase the "America Dream." This caused many things to develop and change throughout America. This mass immigration was possible because of the "endless" western territory but now in 2011 the "endless" territory has run out. Government should work to limit immigration to an extent. Although immigrants strengthen American society by creating different cultures and increasing the work force but it must be limited because America cannot afford to be a nation of mostly immigrants. If left unchecked there would be overcrowding, an insufficient amount of jobs, and many racial conflicts but if stopped completely there would be a loss in culture, there would be an increase in illegal immigration, and it wouldn't be moral. There needs to be a balance in between the two with some guidelines. If we left immigration unchecked we would be overcrowding because there would be so many people trying to get jobs in...

Basic Manufacturing Cost Categories Essay

The term direct labor is reserved for those labor costs that can be essentially traced to individual units of products. Direct labor is sometime called touch labor, since direct labor workers typically touch the product while it is being made. Manufacturing Overhead Cost: Manufacturing overhead, the third element of manufacturing cost, includes all costs of manufacturing except direct material and direct labor. Enumerate and define the different classifications of costs On the basis of Nature or Elements: One of the important classification cost is on the basis of nature or elements. Based on elements, it is classified into Material Cost, Labour Cost and Other Expenses. They can be further subdivided into Direct and Indirect Material Cost, Direct and Indirect Labour Cost and Direct and Indirect Other Expenses. 2) On the basis of Function: The classification of costs on the basis of the various functions of a concern is known as function-wise classification. Here, there are four important functional divisions in the business organization. Viz. (a) Production Cost (b) Administration Cost (c) Selling Cost and (d) Distribution Cost. 3) On the basis of Variability: On the basis of variability with the volume of production cost is classified into Fixed Cost, Variable Cost and Semi Variable Cost. Fixed Costs are those costs which remain constant with the volume of production. Rent and rates of office and factory building are some example of fixed cost. Variable costs are those costs incurred directly with the volume of output. For example, cost of materials and wages to workers are the expenses chargeable with direct proportion to the volume of production. Semi-Variable Costs are those costs incurred partly fixed and partly variable, with the volume of production. Accordingly, it has both fixed and variable features. For example, depreciations and maintenance cost of plant and machinery. 4) On the basis of Normality: Costs are classified into normal costs and abnormal costs on the basis of normality features. Normal costs are those incurred normally within the target output or fixed plan. 5) On the basis of Controllability and Decision Making: Based on the managerial decision making and controllability the classifications are as follows: (a) Controllable Cost, (b) Uncontrollable Cost, (c) Sunk Cost, (d) Opportunity Cost, (e) Replacement Cost, (f) Conversion Cost. a) Controllable Costs: Controllable Costs are the costs which can be influenced by the action of a specified number of an undertaking. Controllable Costs incurred in a particular responsibility centre which is influenced by the action of the executive heading. For example, direct materials and indirect materials. b) Uncontrollable Costs: Uncontrollable Costs are those costs which cannot be influenced by the action of a specified number of an undertaking. In fact, no cost is controllable; it is only in relation to a particular individual that may specify a particular cost to either controllable or non-controllable. For example, rent and rates. c) Sunk cost: These are historical costs which were incurred in the past and are not relevant to the particular decision making problem being considered. While considering the replacement of a plant, the depreciated book-value of the old asset is irrelevant as the amount is a sunk cost which is to be written-off at the time of replacement. Unlike incremental or decremental costs, sunk costs are not affected by increase or decrease of volume. Examples of sunk cost include dedicated fixed assets, development cost already incurred. d) Opportunity Cost: Opportunity cost means the cost of forgoing or giving up an opportunity. It is the notional value of going without the next best use of time, effort and money. These indicate the income or potential benefits sacrificed because a certain course of action has been taken. An example of opportunity costs is the market value forgone or sacrificed when an old machine is being used. e) Replacement Cost: Such expenses may be incurred due to factors like change in method of production, an addition or alteration in the factory building, change in flow of production etc. All such expenses are treated as production overheads; when amount of such expenses is large, it may be spread over a period of time. f) Conversion Cost: Conversion costs are those costs which are incurred while converting materials into semi-finished or finished goods. It is the aggregate of direct wages, direct expenses and overhead costs of converting raw materials into finished products. Differentiate variable and fixed cost Fixed costs are costs which remain constant within a certain level of output or sales. This certain limit where fixed costs remain constant regardless of the level of activity is called relevant range. Variable costs are costs which change with a change in the level of activity. Examples include direct materials, direct labor, etc.

Preparation for professional practice.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this essay is to critically analyse the professional roles of qualified nurses, their accountability, collaboration and their responsibilities when taking leadership and managerial roles at all points in their career. This essay will be structured in two parts;Part 1 will focus on the process of the service improvement plan during one of the author’s practice placements in an acute ward and refers to the recommended â€Å"change† which the author intends to implement. The plan for change is based on protecting patients’ mealtimes. First, brief definitions will be given and an exploration of the concepts of management and leadership will be undertaken. Part 2 of this easy will focus on the professional development of the author upon qualification as a staff nurse within a few months which will be discussed under the section on â€Å"delegation†. SMARTER theory has been identified in this easy as learning needs. In accordance with the Nursing an d Midwifery Council Code of Professional Conduct (NMC, 2008) all names and places in this essay will be replaced with pseudonyms. PART 1 DEFINITION OF MANAGEMENT According to Huber (2010) management in the context of nursing has been identified as involving the use of delegated authority within formal organisational, settings, to co-ordinate, organise, direct and control responsible subordinates. In the same context, Mckimm and Held (2009) described management as the process of bringing together or working with individuals, groups and other resources to accomplish organisational goals. Scott and Caress (2005) view management as directing and controlling a group of individuals for the purpose of co-ordinating and harmonising those groups towards achieving goals. Tormey (2009) illustrated the distinguishing characteristics of management and leadership. (Cheery and Jacobs, 2005) state that a manager is one who is appointed to formal positions of organisational authority and uses legitimatised power to command, reward or punish the workforce. On the other hand, a leader is one who will be able to communicate, gain commitment, facilitate change an d achieve results through efficient and creative means, with his/her followers despite the absence of the formal position of power (Huber, 2010). Leaders seek the active involvement of those around them to achieve mutually agreed goals; leaders also seek the collective will of all involved, establishing contact with leading other clinicians (Hersey et al., 2001). Crevani et al. (2010) suggest that leadership is an adventure requiring a pioneering spirit and leadership skills and interpersonal skill which differs from person to person; Yoder-Wise (2011) states that the work of nurses is based on management; therefore, nurses require better leadership skills and management skills which are considered to be a major factor in improving direct person-centred interventions, achieve goals, objectives and decision making for quality care provision. In order to achieve the goals and objectives, managers of the organisation must be involved in the activities which include being able to analyse matters, establish objectives, formulate goals, plan strategies, communicate effectively, efficiently handle change, conflict, as well as evalua te the ever-changing situation situation (McCrimmon, 2011) . Rosener (1990) cited in Barker, 2009) identified two types of leadership which include transactional and transformational leadership. Bass (2008) suggests that transactional leader focuses on management tasks and will not identify the shared values of the team; however, the transactional approach is orientated and can be effective when meeting deadlines or in an emergency. Cummings et al. (2008) concluded that the transformational leader recognises her/his followers’ potential and takes active interest in them and their development. The transformational leader inspires, promotes excellence beyond mere task, encourages employees to become autonomous and solution focused, stimulates interest among followers to view work from a fresh perspective, generates an awareness of vision towards which the team is headed, develops followers to higher levels of ability and potential ((Rolfe, 2011). LEADERSHIP STYLES Hersey et al. (2001) on the other hand identified different leadership styles; however, for the purpose of this easy the author here will focus on three styles which include autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire. Hersey et al. further state that some people are able to combine the three styles of leadership and adopt a style to match the situation at hand. The autocratic leader is likely to make decisions on his or her own and give orders; this style can create antagonism and reliance which might hold back originality and advancement (Bass, 2008). Democratic leaders are more drawn towards relationships; they encourage group discussions and seek consensus where every decision made is agreed by the whole group (Hersey et al., 2001). This style of leadership may be slow because of every member of the group being considered; however, it is a favourite leadership style among the nursing profession (Grint, 2005). According to Hersey et al. (2001) the laissez-faire leadership style promo tes complete freedom and is known to allow events to take their own course; this is because there may never be a clear decision. Again Hersey et al. further state that there is no one style which is better than the others as they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. As specified previously, the situation will determine the styles to be used to achieve the goals (Hersey et al., 2001). IMPROVEMENT PLAN The improvement plan was formulated during the author’s recent practice placement in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) which provides intensive care management service for individuals who are disturbed and exhibiting extremely violent and aggressive behaviour. According to Allan (1988), any patient brought to this unit must be on section of the Mental Health Act (MHA, 1983), apart from the severity of an individual’s illness, in order to qualify for admission to the ward. During this placement, the author of this essay discovered that there had numerous and ongoing interruptions and arguments between some patients and staff during mealtimes. In addition, staff members who were supposed to assist during mealtimes frequently claimed to be â€Å"very busy†. This untenable situation prompted the author to suggest introducing â€Å"Protected Mealtimes† to the team. The rationale for choosing this improvement plan was because some of the patients on t hat ward were not encouraged or supported by staff member during mealtimes, mainly those elderly patients who were finding it very difficult to eat and drink unassisted. Many patients were on medication that was causing them serious side-effects such as dehydration and constipation, so they needed to be encouraged to have adequate and healthy dietary intake. The author therefore had a discussion with their mentor and other multidisciplinary team members regarding this issue and they all supported the need for a meeting to resolve the above issue. Initially, the author felt very nervous about introducing this new approach to the team members, due to lack of confidence and knowledge. The key point of the change was explained to all the patients. A proposal was put forward after the meeting regarding and defining the topic, namely â€Å"Protected Mealtimes† and the patients on the ward were given the opportunity to voice their own opinions on what they thought about the new proposal. The patients gave a positive verdict on the proposal. The National Catering and Nutrition Specification (2008) defined protected mealtimes as a period when all non-imperative activities and treatments must stop, in order to allow patients to eat and enjoy meals without being interrupted by any other activity on the ward. It should be a period during which staff members need to encourage the adequate consumption of dietary intake and provide an environment which is very conducive to eating and is friendly and hygienic. It is also a time when s taff members need to ensure that mealtimes are a pleasant and relaxing social experience for all patients (Royal College of Nursing, 2007). The author took on the role of a democratic leader which according to Hersey et al. (2001) looks more towards relationships which encourage group discussion, consensus and group decisions, rather than the leader alone making the decision when introducing change. According to Greenhalgh and Heath, 2010) therapeutic relationship, engagement, listening skills and effective communication skills played an important role during the meeting detailed above, because the team members, as well as the patients were all equally convinced that the issues raised by the author were pertinent and essential, in terms of the patients’ satisfaction. It was agreed in the meeting that, during mealtimes, there would be no drug round, no activities by occupational therapy staff, no visitors allowed on the ward during mealtimes, and no domestic work carried out. All the televisions would be switched off, dormitories, day rooms, shower rooms and activity rooms should be locked. All the staff members and patients on the ward must be present in the dinning area during mealtimes, in order to avoid distraction as advised by (RCN, 2007). The change was implemented within a few days of the meeting. Initially, it was not easy, but within a few days everybody on the ward adjusted. Moreover, some patients who normally isolated themselves from group activities on the ward now began to interact and engage well in conversation during mealtimes. Staff members were supporting/encouraging and showing compassion to all the patients, mainly some of the elderly patients, with good dietary intake which showed appropriate care for patients. Such change s had a significant effect on the provision of ward services. According to Age UK (2010), appropriate nutritional care for patients in the hospital is very important, because it decreases the risk of malnutrition, obesity and its associated complications. CHANGE MANAGEMENT According to Christie and Robinson (2009), it is essential to have a plan for how things will be accomplished when implementing a change in any clinical setting. Change management in a nursing setting means observing things that happen or are done differently for the benefit of the patients. Braine (2006) stressed that for a change to be implemented successfully, there must be an awareness of the need to change, a desire to support and participate in the change, the knowledge to change, the ability to implement the change and the resources to maintain the change. O’Connell et al. (2008) advised that as a change management model for protected mealtimes, simple implementation would focus on the need for nurses to engage, motivate and participate in the change. Allan (2007) identified three stages for the change process which include unfreeze, change and refreeze. Allan emphasised that during the unfreeze stage, a proposed change needs a clear aim, so that the individuals pl anning it will have no doubt why, know the rationale and the benefit will be explained to others. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (2007b) has identified some barriers that hinder change management within the multidisciplinary team, many of which were evident in this particular example. These include the financial and political environment which can affect a professional’s ability and motivation to change. Garon (2012) concluded that a lack of awareness and understanding in an organisation’s nursing management theories have shown that the way in which an organisation is managed can affect nurses’ confidence to communicate the need for change. Maddock (2002) argued that the approaches to change and the proposal thereof may be ineffective unless individuals’ management strategies are put in place to develop leaders. ACCOUNTABILITY/ RESPONSIBILITY According to Marquis et al. (2009) one of the legal requirements of a registered nurse is accountability. Scrivener et al. (2011) identified that accountability involves the ability of the nurse to define every action he/she carries out. The (NMC, 2008) emphasised that accountability is seen as being of great importance and a qualified nurse is accountable for his/her own actions such as supervision, delegation, creative acts, intervention, assessing a situation or follow-up concerns. NMC (2008) further explained that the entire health care professionals are accountable and responsible for any action, error or omission made in practice. Huber (2006) states that as members of a multidisciplinary team, nurses must maintain their professional accountability. Nurses should also be able to use their communication skills to make complicated information understandable, explain choices, offer reassurance, look out for side-effects and liaise with medical colleagues about the subsequent prog ress of individuals with mental health problems (Garon, 2012). This was seen as a critical aspect of the operation here with regular reviews being planned to evaluate the success of the change and to amend the program where appropriate. Furthermore, if a nurse is meant to delegate care to another professional or support worker, she/he must delegate effectively and should be accountable for the appropriateness of the delegation. During one of the author’s practice placements in the acute ward, a newly qualified nurse delegated the task of security nurse to an agency staff who was very new on the ward. This agency staff let one of the patients out of the ward, not knowing that the patient was on level 1 observation restricted to the ward and the patient absconded from the unit. This resulted in an investigation which revealed that the newly qualified nurse did not delegate the task properly and did not communicate effectively. This raised the question of accountability and responsibility. The specifics of the nurse’s role are identified as being responsible for assessment, planning, the delivery of care and the evaluation of nursing care for their patients (NMC, 2008). According to RCN, 2011), nurses are accountable and responsible, on a daily basis, carrying out patient care most of the time and acting as care provider. Nurses have the responsibility for communicating the relevant information necessary for the patient to receive their full nursing care provision (NMC, 2008).(RCN, 1992) also states that with an increase in the level of responsibility and accountability, nurses need adequate training and competence to develop these changes. It is the responsibility of the nurses to make sure that patients are suitably dressed and eat their meals, while also managing their welfare rights and dealing with individuals’ psychological distresses; theses roles have to be carried out in conjunction with running organisational demands (RCN, 2011). INTER-PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION Orchard et al. (2005) described inter-professional collaboration as a combination of different professionals working together in a partnership in order to achieve common goals, establish a therapeutic relationship, showing respect for others and the skilled therapeutic use of self. On the other hand, inter-professional collaboration means the adoption of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working as the most effective route towards comprehensive mental healthcare (Audrey, 2003). However, Garon (2012) states that when talking about change in inter-professional collaborative team work, it is important to consider how staff members would need to be motivated to accept and welcome this change. It is also very important to select the right leader, which was a key advantage of this approach, to implement the change and involve all team members in the change process, as well as considering the safety of the patients, their comprehensive care and the stress the change might cause (NICE, 200 7b). CONCLUSION During this implementation of â€Å"Protected Mealtimes†, all the team members on the ward worked collaboratively, demonstrated excellent communication skills, showed motivation and were very enthusiastic and committed to the plan. Word count: 2,200.PART 2THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP) The purpose of writing this professional development plan is to think and reflect on a facet of the professional development experienced by the author during their three-year course. It will also enable the author to work efficiently and effectively in their areas of weakness and help to sustain areas of strength, as well as developing delegation skills in the nursing environment, upon qualification. In order to accomplish these goals, a plan utilising SMARTER theory (Specific, Measurable, Realistic, Timely, Ethical and Recorded/ Reflective (Appendix 1) is proposed. During the three years of nursing training, the author of this essay has utilised Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988), as a framework for reflection on day-to-day actions, strengths and weaknesses. According to Brechin (2000), reflection means not only thinking about a situation, but also using it as a form of systematic appraisal of the events that have occurred and as an examination of an individual’s ability to learn from the experience and influence future practice. During this placement in the acute ward, the author discovered that delegating duties to staff when co-ordinating shifts was a far more complex issue than originally anticipated. The RCN (2006) described delegation in nursing as a process of entrusting or allocating responsibility to another person who is seen as being able to carry out such a task. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) states that a nurse’s job cannot be completed or carried out without delegating some part of the care functions to others, as it is highly impossible to deliver total care for different patients with different care needs. Barr and Dowding (2008) in their research emphasised that delegation is a critical leadership skill that must be learned. This became evident when considering a situation which emerged when dealing with a violent patient in a ward environment. In order to delegate tasks relating to this individual it was necessary to use confidence, communication, courate, compassion, competence and care. On the whole this was doen relatively well by myself however it was found that the newly qualified staff nurse is more likely to be unfamiliar with the procedure delegated to him and this made communication a more vital so that guidance could be obtained. Having identified a weakness in the authors ability to delegate, this communication between the two parties in the case mentioned above was used as a clear example of how greater comfort from the process of delegation could be obtained. This would in turn improve confidence. By watching delegations within the ward environment it became apparent to the author that there were greater difficulties when the manager used the autocratic style and this often created hostility amongst other staff and may hinder creativity and improvement. This brought the manager’s delegation skills into question. There was also an increased danger that the more junior member of staff would find themselves unsupervised in an inappropriate and unacceptable way according to RCN (2011). This leadership style as described by Bass 2008 as creating difficulties. Where better delegation communication were used the author was much more comfortable with the delegation process as they were aware that the process would be used appropriately and would be successful. With this in mind the PDP going forward would focus on risk management and controlling the process without following an autocratic style which would lead to loss of control when delegating. CONCLUSION The author of this essay has learned from undertaking this assignment that delegation not only saves time, but is also an essential skill which a registered nurse must posses; it is also requires good leadership and is an important role for every nurse involved in health care delivery. Through this Personal Development Plan (PDP), personal areas of weakness have been identified which the author is currently striving very hard to correct. REFERENCE LISTS Allan, E., 2007. Change management for school nurse in Scotland. Nursing Standard. 21, (42) 35-39. Allan, E., 1988. Planning a psychiatric intensive care unit. Intensive Care for people with serious mental illness. Hospital and Community Psychiatric, Vol- 39. Bass, B.M., 2008. The Bass Handbook of leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial Applications. 4th ed. New York: Free Press. Bass, B.M., and Avolio, B.J., 1994. Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. London: Sage. Braine, M., 2006. Clinical governance: applying theory to practice. Nursing Standard. 20, (20) 56-65. Brechin, A., 2000. Introducing critical practice. In Brechin, A., Brown, H. Eby, M., eds. Clinical practice in Health and Social Care. London: Sage Cummings, J., 2012. Developing a Vision and Strategy for Nursing, Midwifery and Care- Givers, tinyurl. Com/c89xe4x [Last accessed: May 2 2012]. Cherry, B., and Jacobs, S., 2995. Contemporary Nursing: Issues trends and management. 3rd ed. Elsevier: Health Science. Christie, P., and Robinson, H., 2009. Using a communication framework at handover to boost patient outcomes. Nursing Times, 105,(47) 13-15. Crevani, L.,Lindgren, M., Packendororff, J., 2010. Leadership, not leaders: on the study of leadership as practices and interactions. Scadinavavian Journal of Management. 26 (1)77-86. Cummings, G., Lee, H., Macgregor, T., 2008. Factors contributing to nursing leadership: a systematic review. Journal of Health Services. Research and Policy. 13(4) 240-248. Department of Health, 2008. Code of Practice: Mental Health Act 1983. London: DoH. Doran, G.T., 1981. There’s SMART way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review. 70, (11) 35-36. Food in Hospitals National Catering and Nutrition Specification, 2008. [Last accessed on 30 May 2013]. Garon, M., 2012. Speaking up, being heard: registered nurse’ perceptions of workplace communication. Journal of Nursing Management. 56, (2) 35-39. Green, T., Heath, I., 2010. Measuring Relationship. London: The King’s Fund. Gibbs, G., 1988. Learning by doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford Further Education: Oxford. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H., and Johnson, D.E., 2001. Management of organizational behaviours: leading human resources. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Huber, D.L., 2010. Leadership and nursing care management.4th ed. Maryland Heights: Saunders Elsevier. Huber, D.L., 2006. Leadership and Nursing Care Management. 3rd ed. Lowa. The University of Lowa: The University of Lowa. Maddock, S., 2002. Making modernisation work: new narratives change strategies and people management in the public sector. International Journal of public Sector Management. 15, (1) 13-43. Marquis, B.L., and Huston, C.J., 2009. Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and applications. 6th ed. London: Wolters Kluwer Health/ Lippincott William and Wilkins. McConnell, C.R., 2007. The effective Health care Supervisor. 6th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlet Publishers. McKimm, J., and Held, S., 2009. The Emergency of Leadership Theory: From the Twentieth to the Twentieth-First Century. In: McKimm, J., and Phillips, K., eds. 2009. Leadership and Management in Integrated Services. Exeter: Learning Matters. Ch1. National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2007b. How to change practice. London: NICE. National Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2013. NHS Change Model: Our Shared Purpose. Tinyurl, com/bwefn79 [Last accessed: May 2 2013]. National Patient Safety Agency 2007.Protected Mealtimes review – Findings and Recommendations Report. Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008. The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nursing and Midwives. London: NMC. O’Connell, B., Macdonald, K., and Kelly, C., 2008.Nursing handover: time change. Contemporary Nurse. 30 (1) 2-11 Creating a Culture for Interdisciplinary. Orchard, C.A., Curran, V., Kabene, S., 2005. Creating a Culture for Interdisciplinary. Collaborative Professional Practice. Medical Education. Rolfe, P., 2011. Transformational leadership theory: What every leader needs to know. Nurse Leader. 9, (2) 54-57 Royal College of Nursing. 2012b Health and Social Care Act 2012. Tinyurl.com/HealthSocialCareAct2012 [Last accessed May 9 2013]. Royal College of Nursing, 2011. Accountability and Delegation: What you need to know. Royal Collage of Nursing. London: RNC. Rosener, J.B., 1990. Ways women lead. Harvard Business Review. In Barker, P., 2009. Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. The Craft of Caring. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Arnold. Scrivener, R., 2011. Accountability and Responsibility: Principles of Nursing Practice. Nursing Standard, 25, (29) 35-36. Scott, L., and Caress, A.L., 2005. Shared governance and shared leadership: meeting the challenges of implementation. Journal of Nursing Management, 13(1) 4-12. Tomey, A.M., 2009. Guide to nursing management and leadership. 8th ed. St Louis, MO: Mosby/ Elsevier. Yoder-Wise, P., 2011. Leading and Managing in Nursing. 5th ed. St Louis: Elsevier Mosby. APPENDIX- 1 S.M A.R.T.E.R PLAN SPECIFICSWithin six months of the preceptor-ship course, there will be a need to build better confidence that will improve communication skills which will support the author in their nursing career. MEASURABLEHow can one ascertain that the intended outcomes have been achievedThe learning outcomes will be gained via the professionals consultants, occupational therapist, staff nurses and preceptor-ship mentor involved. The author is confident that these professionals have the necessary assertive skills that will help achieve the desired learning outcomes. AchievableThe intention is to attend training courses, discuss any difficulties experienced with the preceptor-ship mentor or manager of the ward or any member of staff, and integrate the proposal as advice. REALISTICWithin three months of completion of the nursing course, it is anticipated that the author will be able to demonstrate effective leadership, delegating tasks properly, and entrusting responsibility to a person who is perc eived as being able to carry out these tasks by utilising one’s newly gained assertiveness skills. TIMELY Within three months of registration, an evaluation of achievements will be carried out and competencies will be examined frequently by the preceptor-ship mentor. The aim is to be constantly monitored by members of the team and to reflect upon performance and the impact of these actions. If there are any obstacles to achieving these goals or any concern from the team about the author’s approach, these issues will be discussed with the preceptor-ship mentor or ward manager, as this will facilitate the development of ongoing skills. ETHICALBeing knowledgeable about ethical issues such as social and cultural, rights, confidentiality and being aware of how this might impact on one’s practice. As a nurse there is a need to ensure that the patient’s autonomy is respected. RECORDED/REFLECTIVEReflection on personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), on a regular basis. Appendix 2 – SWOT Analysis MY STRENGTHS The SWOT analysis has helped me to develop, maintain a learning environment in which both education and lifelong learning are seen as integral to clinical setting, to work and focus on the goals and strategies, enable me to grab the opportunities I would love to achieve and work very hard to reduce my weakness and increase my strength. With the aid of SWOT analysis, I have been able to identify my strength as being a good team player, good listener, a good communicator and interacting well with my colleagues and patients. Showing compassion to my patients and having the ability to work under pressure. I like taking the lead and I am always happy when people appreciate me, it makes me happy and also motivates me. MY WEAKNESS I identify my weakness as being easily distracted, tending to carry out many tasks at a time and I am always fearful of making mistakes. I also felt that there are some areas I lack leadership skills such as being a good delegator because Barr and Dowding (2008) in their research emphasised that delegation is a critical leadership skill that must be learned. I find it complex to delegate duties when coordinating shifts. OPPORTUNITIES My opportunities are to update my knowledge in relation to the new pre-registration courses which include existing educational, personal and professional career development within the establishment. During this my practice placement I also had the opportunity to learn and share ideas with my colleagues, had the opportunity for questioning and giving feedback. THREATS My threatsare whilst on this practice placement, I found some areas very stressful. I discovered that some of the mentors were unfamiliar with the new- pre registration programme and unaware of the needs of the nursing students in relation to the learning opportunities or activities . Appendix 3 Service Improvement Activity – Notification Form Student Details Student SID Number: 0820968 Details of student pledge on which the proposed improvement is based. I must treat individuals kindly and considerately. I will provide a high standard of practice and care at all times. I will respect individuals’ confidentiality. I must show compassion and unconditional positive regard to my clients. I must disclose information, if I believe some one may be at risk of harming him/her self in line with the law of the country in which I am practising. I must listen to individual in my care and respond to their concerns and preferences. Details of proposed service improvement project/activity: The service improvement initiative is to facilitate Protecting Patient Meal Time in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The purpose of this service improvement is to help and manage mealtimes without unnecessary and avoidable interruptions. Mealtimes are not only a vehicle to provide patients with adequate nutrition, but also provide an opportunity to support social interaction amongst patients. Reason for development: During my practice placement in the PICU. I discovered that there have been a lot of interruptions and argument between some patients and staff during meal time and also staff members who supposed to assist during meal time always claimed to be very busy. This made me choose to introduce to the team about â€Å"Protected Mealtimes†. This development is to support those patients who were finding it very difficult to eat or drink. Time spent on the project/activity: The service improvement lasted for the period four weeks because I first and foremost had the meeting with the multidisciplinary team members before introducing the change to the patients. Resources used: National Health Service (NHS boarder) Evidence on topic relating Protecting Meal Time Information from in the internet. Policy and regulation from the trust Text book Some information from dietician. Who will be involved? The ward consultant My mentor as a nursing staff, Occupational therapist staff Support worker The ward manager The dietician Myself( a student nurse) Future plans: The future plans are for me to distribute leaflets to the other professionals for them to read it in the internet and be awareness of the protecting meal time. Date discussed with clinical staff in placement area: Preparation for Professional Practice.? Introduction Whilst on the unit I became concerned when I noticed some service users were being discharged without proper education on how to manage their self-medication regime. This concerned me as it appeared to be a vicious cycle as I witnessed some service users being discharged without having a proper follow-up education on self-medication – which in certain cases led to non-adherence to their medication which consequently sometimes led to their relapse. For this cycle to be broken, I have realised that a proper education system, which would entail simple terminologies or understandable statements for service users to understand and learn how to manage their self-medication regime, should be put in place. Accordingly, this assignment will explain management and leadership styles related to a service improvement in the clinical area where I commenced my management placement. Applying management and leadership theory to practice, I will explain the reasons for my actions and will identify my strengths and weaknesses in terms of my leadership and management skills used whilst on placement. Adhering to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Professional Conduct (2008) and general good confidentiality prudence, all names and places mentioned in this assignment have been changed to a pseudonym. ?Leadership Styles & Management? In the mental health nursing profession, the management role cannot be averted, whether it is in managing a unit or improving services. Management is widely considered to be concerned with controlling, organising, planning, and problem-solving (Kotter, 1996 cited in King’s Fund, 2011). Yoder-Wise (2007) goes further on this point and states that management is concerned with the work of any individual who guides others through a series of routines, procedures or predefined practice guidelines. Moreover, leadership like management, has become a pivotal component of National Health Service (NHS) policy. This policy has on the most part been driven by the rising expectations of citizens who are now demanding to see an improvement in the quality of the services given to the service users and their families. Although management and leadership are somewhat different, both actions tend to overlap each other in terms of governing employees and organisation. Foster (2001) points out that management depends solely on the manager’s understanding of working with people of different backgrounds, having a good perception of situations and being able to aspire. On the other hand, leadership is an even more critical requirement within the NHS setting; this enables clinicians to demonstrate their leadership skills at all stages in health care provision and in new changes of services. Barker (2003), identifies leadership is a role of importance, emphasing that the role of a leader is dependent on his orher effective interpersonal skills. Oliver (2006) elucidates further by providing a list of qualities that are generally considered to define leadership, asserting that leaders must be capable of exploring personal and team motives and beliefs that can bring about change or perceived vision of success. Ellis and Hartley (2005) in agreement with Oliver (2006), state that leaders carry out this process by being ethical, respecting values, educate, motivate and direct the followers towards their objectives and goals. Consequently, leadership is required to be much more than just mere management skills that require â€Å"getting the job done† (King’s Fund, 2011 what page?). Over time, it has been posited that individuals are born either natural leaders or that they learn the qualities that are necessary for effective leadership roles (Hawkins &Thornton, 2002; Austin et al., 2003). There are a number of leadership styles but I will now focus on the main types. Autocratic leadership styles can range from benevolent to very rigid (Likert, 1967). In extremis, the use of authoritarian leadership, communications and activities can occur in a closed system. Autocratic leaders are considered to make all the decisions themselves and allow subordinates no influence in the decision-making processes (Grohar-Murray & Dicroce 1997). They will exercise their power, sometimes coupled with coercion, and are indifferent to personal needs of their subordinates’. Failure to meet such leaders’ goals can result in punishment. Autocratic leaders are known to be insistent, firm, self-assured and dominating, be it with or without actual intent.Such leaders feel little confidence or trust in their workers and as such, workers will fear theses leaders, whom they will feel have little in common. McGregor (1960) has produced what is perhaps considered the most famous description of such attitudes assumed by autocratic leaders; stating thatsuch a style of leadership excludes subordinates from the process of decision making and will assign work without consulting subordinates or knowing their inclinations and desires. The leader is in complete control and gives no room for subordinates to participate or offer opinions no matter how it may benefit (Daniels, 2004). Contrary to the autocratic style, democratic leadership involves the leader allowing employees to participate in decision making and at the same time provides guidance and direction (Anne, 1992). The most important finding arising from this work is that this leadership behaviour directly influences the climate and productivity of employees (Anna, 1992). A second important theme is that overall, the democratic leadership style has been known to be one of the most successful approaches because as initially stated, it allows employees to participate in decision making while at the same time supports, guides and counsels the followership (Anna, 1992.) However, critics have stated that on the basis of production, things move at a slower pace and this may lead to frustration amongst employees, especially those who tend to work faster in decision making process (Marquis, 2000). Notwithstanding, this democratic leadership still produces a high quality input from employees. This leadership builds trust amongst leaders and employees which then produces a cooperative team working relationship and builds high morale in the work environment. Accordingly, the democratic leadership approach should therefore not be used enough when urgent decision making matters arise, for example; decisions on issues of staffing, budgeting etc. In this situation it is more effective if a senior management makes the decision as this would be swift and the cost would be less as the business of any organisation cannot afford to make mistakes. Here, it is demonstrated how different leadership styles are required for different tasks and how in some positions certain leadership styles are more appropriate. The laissez-faire leadership is at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from autocratic styles of leadership. Under a laissez-faire style of leadership the attitude is one of both permissiveness or ultra-liberalism in which there is a lack of control or centeral direction. . Thus, in different situations the same leader avertedly can use leadership of different styles. If a leader manages to combines all the leadership styles that have been mentioned than it is known as a situational leadership style. A situational leader adjusts styles of functioning depending on a particular position at that point of time and this is said to be another effective leadership style (Murthy 2005). This can be attributed to the Path-Goal theory approach. The Path-Goal theory supports the situational theory as it gives emphasises on the same leader using different types of leadership approach (Murthy, 2005). This theory was developed to examine the method in which leaders encourage their employees to achieve set goals (Murthy, 2005). It is important for leaders to have a sense of maturity to their staff as this approach builds a less task focused approach and into a relationship focused orientated (Forster, 2001). According to McGuire & Kennerly (2006) transactional leadership is a technique of leading an organisation through routine transactions such as rewards and discipline that are applied to the task after getting accomplished. Thus, it is almost completely based on the transactions that are conducted between the leader and the subordinate staff members because it is grounded on a theory that such workers can be and are motivated by rewards and discipline. A transactional leader will generally not look ahead whilst strategically guiding an organisation to a position of market leadership; instead such leaders are exclusively concerned with making sure everything flows smoothly (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006). The attributes of transactional leadership is that the nurse leader has authority over the employee by following organisation policies and regulation. Employees comply and follow directives and rewards are given in form of salary. This style of leadership essentially identifies itself repe atedly with the autocratic approach of the leader often responsible for creating staff commitment and building staff morale, as well as utilising intellectual stimulation and consideration of others. For this leadership approach to be effective, the leader depends on the loyalty of the employees (Marriner-Tomey, 2004). With all these styles of leadership and management now considered. I will now utilise these to analyse and explain my self-medication observations and theory. ?Self-medication Information? As discussed this assignment is focussed on improving the method in which self-medication information is carried out with service users. The reason for this decision is to promote self-medication management and help reduce the rate of non-compliance in medication and relapse. This approach will support service users as well as improve their knowledge of medication and it will prepare them for a healthy discharge. Information on self-administration of medicines is incredibly useful as it enables service users to manage their intake and promote their adherence to medication. The NMC Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines (2002a) states that the NMC supports self-administration of medicines and medicine administration carried out by carers, whenever appropriate. However, the safety and storage arrangements must be considered when necessary procedure is put in place. The nurse in charge therefore must carry out a decision on the basis of professional conduct that adheres with the NMC Code of Proffesional Conduct (2008), as the nurse would be accountable for their informed decision and omissions. When administering medication or supporting servicesto users who oversee their own self-medication regime the nurse must exercise their professional judgement and use effective skills and follow trust policy and regulations. Self-medication, where appropriate, is supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the document ‘Standards for Medicines Management’ (2007). It is apparent that the process of self-medication has made clear that it can help make service users become more familiar, confident and have better self-esteem by managing their own medication regime. The opportunity for service users to learn about medication through health education will ultimately improve their medication concordance before and after discharge. According to Nicklos (2010), change management is a methodical way of dealing with a change, both from the view of the organisation and on to the individual. Although an ambiguous term, change management has at least three different aspects, including bu; adapting to change to an area of professional practice, controlling change, and effecting change. A proactive approach to dealing with such change is undeniably at the core of all three of these aspects. Fred (2010), goes even further to state that change does not always come from within organisations but could be from legislation or current national guidelines which have been passed as a law and become enforced making it mandatory.. Changes to services and organisation may impact on the position, role and even the status of individuals and therefore can test levels of self-confidence as well as confidence in others. Change requires new clinical responsibilities, time for training and development and require openness to different ways of doing things and as such requires letting go of a previous practice. Such challenges make the planning of the change process a prerequisite for success (Michele, 2010). Accordingly, it is vital to comprehend the importance of change management as it gives a both positive and negative picture of what a change can bring. When I was thinking of my service user initiatives I had to consider some things such as time, as this allowed me to see if my change was realistic. My placement was on a rehabilitation unit where the recovery star tool was used to support service users in identifying their needs. Using the recovery ladder of change, a course of action was set in place to support service users care plan. The purpose of the rehabilitation unit was based on a form of rehabilitation that focused on helping service users to recover lost skills in coping with the demands of everyday lives. In the management of their medication in the rehabilitation unit, the nurses in charge are there to support and guide the service users in knowing what they are taking and when they should take their medication. By supporting and guiding service users to self-manage their medication improves both independence and helps them for forthcoming discharge. Before self-administration starts for service users, qualified nursing staff, or preferably pharmacist, should educate when, how and what is needed to be done. There are three stages at which service users can come to managing their medication. Stage 1 involves medications being stored in the medicine cabinet and at the right time the nurse in charge opening the cabinet and prompting service user to take their medication.At stage 2 the nurse in charge is accountable and responsible for the safe storage of the medication cupboard. During administration of medication the service user will ask the nurse in charge to open medication cupboard without prompting. The service user would then administer the medication under the supervision of the nurse in charge. Stage 3 would then be when the service user accepts full responsibility for managing the storage and administration of their medications. The nurse in charge then assesses and observes the service user’s verbal response and medication compliance. Once there is full clarity and positive observations of the service user’s self-medication management, they can get discharged back into the community. A problem I faced was how I would actually communicate this change to staff in the unit. To communicate is a transactional action where is sharing of ideas, beliefs and knowledge (Sen, 2007). Effective communication is an important skill all leaders should have because in a way of introducing something new and if done properly, it can allow staff to accept and receive change. Communication also gives room for staff for feedback and criticism (Sen, 2007). Another essential practice in a care setting is collaborative working. This allows professional to share their decisions and opinions (David et al, 1996). Within a team their views and shared ideas are important in an event of proposing change. In this assignment I have come to understand that the roles of leaders and managers is not merely just about giving orders but requires vital skills in communication, behaviour and approach to produce positive result. I requires telling people what to do but also making sure that it is within their competency level and realistic, is necessary for an effective working environment NMC (2008). My identified weakness was in the area of delegation as I needed to be more assertive. This is a skill that I hope to improve in my career as qualified mental health nurse. Professional Development Plan In this assignment, I will reflect on my weakness in terms of delegation which was an area in which I had to develop. Delegation has been defined as â€Å"the process by which responsibility and authority for promoting a task (function, activity, or decision is transferred to another individual who accepts that authority† (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p135). However, Marquis & Huston (2009) have also defined it simply as getting work done through others. Regardless, it is worth noting that responsibility and accountability are not and do not mean the same thing. Whilst a delegator is entirely accountable to the task, the delegate will also be accountable to the delegator for the responsibilities assumed (American Nurses Association (ANA) and National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) (2005), cited in Gopee & Galloway, 2009; Sullivan & Decker, 2009). The Nursing and Midwifery Council expects all nurses to â€Å"acknowledge any limits of personal knowledge and skill and take steps to remedy any relevant deficits in order effectively and appropriately to meet the needs to service users and clients† (NMC, 2005). Yoder-Wise (2011) notes thatif delegation is to occur, there should be mutual acceptance between both the delegator, who has the accountability, and delegate, who assumes the responsibility for performing the tasks and is consequently empowered (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). However, Sullivan & Decker have clarified that while responsibility is an obligation to successfully completing a task, accountability also means accepting the overall outcome – whether it be failure or success – of the task. Further, illustrating this, Yoder-Wise (2011) explains that when two registered nurses work are to work together sharing a task, then delegation does not occur. It is also important to explain that tasks can only delegate tasks for which we are responsible (Sullivan & Decker, 2009; Yoder-Wise, 2011). Sullivan & Decker have also noted that, once a delegate gains confidence, they become motivated and as such will begin to see their morale boosted to actively take on new challenges. They also expand add that although delegation can be learned, it essentially promotes teamwork and improves efficiency. Applying this to nursing, it is stressed that appropriate level of supervision has to be put in place to the delegate to ensure that tasks that have been delegated are completed effectively and safely (NMC, 2008b). The best interest of the patient should always be the overriding consideration when delegating tasks rather than saving time or money (Royal College of Nursing, 2011). Delegation has increasingly become an essential aspect of nursing in the United Kingdom because of staff shortages and high turnover in the face of ever-mounting demand for a variety of skills in health care (Curtis & Nicholl, 2004). With regard to my clinical management placement experience, I found I was less assertive when instructed by my mentor to delegate tasks as part of my learning. I freely admit that my timidity stemmed from being raised in a foreign country and as such the I felt intimated when delegating. As English is not my native language there have been occasions when some of my colleagues, and even fellow students at university, have informed me that they are indeed unable to understand my accent. I realise that this is unacceptable because I am expected – and will be required – to be clear, concise and detailed when describing the objective, limits, expectations and outcome of the tasks to my delegates (Currie, 2008; Sullivan & Decker, 2009). Moreover, as a student nurse, I have often felt intimidated when delegating tasks to other staff who I considered to be better informed, better qualified and more experienced in nursing than me. Indeed, such fears were confirmed when, during one shift recently, whereI attempted to delegate a task (see Appendix 2). This is an area that I intend to improve upon. Reference Barker, M.A. 1992. Transformational Nursing Leadership: A vision for the future. Thompson Publisher. London. Currie, P. (2008) â€Å"Ask the experts: Delegation considerations for nursing practice†, in Critical Care Nurse, 28(5), (pp27-28) Curtis, E. & Nicholl, H. (2004) â€Å"Delegation: A key function of nursing†, in Nursing Management, 11(8), (pp26-31) Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment. A Plan for Reform, London: The Stationery Office Department of Health (2001) NHS Leadership Qualities Framework, Available [online] at: http://www.dhleadershipqualities.nhs.uk [Accessed March 20 2013] Department of Health (2008) High Quality Care for All – NHS Next Stage, Available [online] at:http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liverconsultations/DH_085812[Accessed 20 March 2013] Ellis, J.R and Hartley, C.L., 2004. Nursing in today’s world trends, issues & management 8th edition: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Faugier, J. & Woolnough, H. (2002) â€Å"National nursing leadership programme†, in Mental Health Practice, 6 (3): (pp28-34) Gopee, N. & Galloway, J. (2009) Leadership and Management in Healthcare, London: Sage Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H. & Johnson, D.E. (2001) Management of Organisational Behaviours: Leading Human Resources, (8th edn), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Huston, C., 2006. Professional Issues in Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. USA. Huber, D.L. (2006) Leadership and Nursing Care Management, (4th edn), Maryland Heights: Saunders Elsevier King’s Fund (2011) â€Å"The future of leadership and management in the NHS: No more heroes† Report from The King’s Fund Commission on Leadership and Management in the NHS Lambert, R. & Githens-Mazer, J. (2010) Islamophobia and the Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: UK Case Studies 2010, Exeter: University of Exeter Marquis, B.L. & Houston, C.J., 2000. Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing. 3rd edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins publishers. USA. Norman, I. &, Ryrie, I., 2009 Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing: A Textbook of Principles, Berkshire: Open University Press/McGraw-hill Education Nursing and Midwifery Council. 2002a. The Code of Professional Conduct. London: NMC. Nursing and Midwifery Council. 2008. The Code of Professional Conduct: Standards for conduct, performance and ethics- Protecting the public through professional standards. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council; 2009. http://www.nmc-uk.org. Oliver, S. (2006) â€Å"Leadership in health care†, in Musculoskelet Care 4(1), (pp38-47) Royal College of Nursing (2011) â€Å"Accountability and delegation: What you need to know†, Available [online] at: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/361907/Accountability_HCA_leaflet_A5_final.pdf [Accessed November 15 3012] Sullivan, E.J. & Decker, P.J. (2009) Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing, (7th edn.), London: Pearson International Edition Yoder-Wise, P.S., 2007. Leading and Managing in Nursing 4th edition. USA. Mosby Inc. Yoder-Wise, P.S. (2011) Leading and Managing in Nursing, (5th edn), St. Louis: Elsevier Mosby. http://education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm Use this link to learn how to Harvard reference properly. Your referencing is inconsistent and you need to list pages when quoting or referring to a specific point. As a general rule though, the main trick with referencing is continuity, so make sure your references and bibliography are consistent. Appendix 1: SMART Goal Delegation skills development Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time To prioritise all my tasks and manage time effectively and efficiently in all shifts.Commuting between London and the university has taught me the value of time management. Time management will enable me to carry out other tasks and achieve goals. More to the point, time management will provide me with personal organisation and self-discipline, as recommended by Yoder-Wise (2011) Time management will be measurable as I will be able to identify whether the tasks set out on a specific shift have been successfully completed on time whenever I’m taking over handover from night shift team members.Prioritisation is achievable by use of my diary which will contain all the tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day. Furthermore, prioritising will help me schedule tasks in the order of urgency. This will leave me room to tackle emergency situations that arise during the shift.Prioritisation is realistic because I realise that as a newly-qualified my responsibility will be to ensure that the shift runs smoothly. My diary will also be helpful as it will keep me reminded of the tasks I have to carry out and those which are still pending. In the case of pending tasks, being organised will give me sufficient time to involve staff who will be doing the next shift staff to complete them.Prioritising is an ongoing skill that I will have to keep learning during the first six months of qualifying and for the rest of my nursing career. Confidence and assertiveness while delegating tasks to other members of staff.Once a delegated task has been successfully completed and goals achieved confidence in allocating tasks to members of staff will have worked for me. By receiving feedback and constructive criticism from members of staff once they have successfully accomplished the delegated tasks. Being organised and maintaining a therapeutic relationship with fellow members of staff will increase my feelings of certainty that the shift will run smoothly relationship with staff.At the start of every shift I will allocate tasks to members of staff who have the competence, knowledge, time and willingness to carry them out and complete them. This is realistic because it will be my responsibility to manage shifts on the ward once I qualify. It will also be my duty to allocate or delegate tasks to members of staff. Likewise, during handover, I will ensure that I brief incoming staff on how the shift went and what remains to be done when they will be on shift.Based on my experience, so far, I’m very hopeful that I will achieve this goal within six months after I qualify. Appendix 2. Service Improvement Activity- Notification Form Contact Details Student SID Number: 0914451 Details of service improvement project/activity Service user Rehabilitation unit managing self medication. Reason for development To improve independent skills in managing medication for patients in rehabilitation centre so as to reduce the risk of relapse and to provide person centred care as well as empowering the service users. Time spent on project activity The time spent on self medication informative project was about six weeks. Resources used The Trust policy, The risk assessment form, The patient consent form, The patient withdrawal form, self- administration monitoring form (stages), self- administration patient record chart. Who was involved Nursing staff, doctors (MDT), Pharmacist , student (myself) and the service users. Future plans To review the self- administration if it is effective at a set time. Nurses involved in supervision of the programme must be registered nurses. Date discussed with clinical staff in placement area: (seen and agreed by my mentor Lorna Newton). And discussed with my IBL Facilitator Justin Nathan.