Technological Controversy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technological Controversy - Term Paper Example f task from the most ordinary to the very complicated, while the machine depends on human beings to achieve increasing levels of sophistication in make and operation. It has now come to a stage when the machine can not only outperform human beings in physical performance as it has been designed to so, but is also increasingly able to outperform man in many mental capabilities. It is when grandmasters of chess are beaten by Deep Blue (Reddy, 1996, pp. 88), it is when the machine starts participating in human conversations that human beings start to cast sidelong glances at it and begin to wonder whether artificial intelligence will ever replace human intelligence. Will machines ever be able to think? Or have machines, in whatever form, already achieved the faculty that human beings have long held to be their own exclusive preserve in this world? The question under consideration has however been floating around in one form or the other. It is as old, if not older, than the computer. The popular press has had a record of being rather lenient in equating human intelligence with artificial intelligence. As early as on January 15, 1941, the Des Moines Tribune carried an article on the development of the first prototype of the ABC computer at the Iowa State University by Professor John V Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry with the headline ‘Machine Remembers’. "The giant computing machine under construction at Iowa State College has a memory consisting of 45 vacuum tubes†¦", the article reported, and went on to define it as: "An electrical computing machine said here to operate more like the human brain than any other such machine known to exist is being built." (Martin, 1991, pp. 124). The early computers were more of calculating devices when compared to modern technology. Yet, machines that coul d solve mathematical problems, including algebraic problems involving many variables, and that too at speeds unthinkable by human beings, were bound to

Examine computer Forensics and Privacy Essay Example for Free

Examine computer Forensics and Privacy Essay Although the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects us from illegal searches and seizures, it left somewhat of a grey area when it came to electronic communications. With all the technological advances almost every person uses some kind of device to communicate electronically that goes out to the Internet. When using these devices to communicate information can be intercepted and even altered in some ways. Because of these advances in technology Congress has implemented laws to protect people from having information stolen or accessed illegally by individuals or even in some cases Law Enforcement. In the advent of Computer Forensics, certain guidelines must be met before obtaining any information either by intercepting the transmission, securing the device or acquiring the information by means of remotely connecting into the device. Several laws have been implemented to protect a person’s rights with regards to accessing their electronically stored data. The Wire Tap Act is one of these laws. This law prohibits any interception of a communication between two private parties without an order issued by a court. Any violation of this Act will result in criminal or civil liability, and a violation by governmental officials in a case could result in a suppression of that evidence. Both the Stored Wired and Electronic Communications Act, and the Pen Registers and Trap and Trace Devices Statute identify the need for protecting the privacy of individuals with regards to computers and the data within them. Initially this act was regarding phone numbers that an individual called, but since the implementation of the Patriot Act, I.P addresses can now be accessed along with emails ,communication ports, and what Web sites are being accessed from either your computer or cell phone. Investigators must obtain legal access to computers before obtaining any data from them. The case of Jamie Staley provided an example of how such an intrusion of computer privacy can in fact take place. This case involved the defendant Jamie Staley intercepting emails from members of her husband’s family with  information pertaining to a bitter divorce and child custody battle. Through computer forensic analysis it was determined that in fact Jamie had intercepted and in some cases altered electronic transmissions made by her ex husband’s grandparents and their attorney. This was clearly a violation of the Attorney Client privilege and also the Wire Tap Act, which clearly stated that electronic data being transmitted cannot be intercepted by a third party. An argument can also be made that the Stored Wired and Communications Act regarding accessing stored data had also been violated. When gathering evidence the individual who is responsible for the process has an obligation to obtain the data as accurately and responsibly as possible. Data must be collected both legally and proficiently, in order to protect the rights of the individuals being investigated. Both policies and procedures must be followed to protect the integrity, and reliability of the evidence being collected. Sources: 1. Stored Communications Act : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stored_Communications_Act 2. Pen Registers and Trap and Trace Devices https://ssd.eff.org/wire/govt/pen-registers 3. Computer Security and Forensics Law Checklist: By Josh Wepman http://www.ehow.com/list_6746948_computer-security-forensics-law-checklist.html

Dorothy Day- Short Biography :: essays research papers fc

Dorothy Day (1897-1980)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 8th, 1897 Dorthy Day was a very influential person in the catholic economic lifestyle. Her father, John Day was out of work when she was little, which gave her empathy for other then, and later on in life because she also knows what its like to be there. When she moved to Chicago her life turned for the better, Her father became sports editor of a major Chicago newspaper. In 1914 she recieved a scholarship for the university of Illinois in Urbana. She wasent very social in school, keeping mostly to herself. Two years later she dropped out to move to new yourk and become a newspaper reporter. In 1917 she was arrested for protesting womens exclusion from the electorate outside the capitol and was thrown into prison only to be released soon after. This was first of many arrests in Dorothys future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a child Dorothy went to an Episcopical Church from time to time. She also attended St.Josephs in New York sometimes, but definatley not regularly.She was really interested in the catholic church and what it had to offer but she really didnt know much about it. She had a few catholic friends who she hung out with and stuff during college and afterwards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When she had a kid named Tamar, she decided to make her a catholic. She had Tamar baptised and then she herself was baptised, deciding to devote her life to good things. She met Peter Maurin wheo was twenty years older and was an experienced forrmer catholic brother. They talked and listened, and Peter said Dorothy should start a paper to publish all her ideas and stuff. So she took his advice and went and bought a printing press and set it up in her kitchen. She charged a penny for a copy and called it The Catholic Worker. Everyone loved it, and after a while homeles people started to show up at the door. Because of the writings in the paper the wanted to stay with Dorothy and Peter and of course they let them stay. So many people came to stay they opened up these houses all around the country to provide

Consumer Behavior Literature Review Essay

INTRODUCTION: Profile of students: 2014 was the year, which saw an increasing number of students of XLRI batch, belonged to Generation Z. The current students are the ones who were born into a digital world and they find it difficult remembering a time without the Internet, laptops and most importantly mobile phones. Also, they are used to process huge amounts of information using high speed Internet. Since this generation has spend an increasing amount of time interacting on social media than rest others, large amount of information which they receive is through others, which at times is not without personal bias. Some of the other qualities attributable to them are listed in the picture below: Given the limited income (owing to zero or 1-2 years of work experience), price is a key factor when students select their prospective alternatives of phones. Therefore, mid-range handsets are more popular in this segment instead of the high end ones. Mobile market and Brands in India: Some of the important headline facts ands figures related to mobile phone market in India: Around 200 Million units of feature phones were sold in India during 2013 Smartphones registered the fastest retail volume growth of 172% during 2013, with sales reaching 44 Million phones. Launch of affordable smartphones has decreased the increase in sales of feature phones. Mobile phones are expected to register retail volume growth of CAGR 9% with sales reaching 39 million units by 2018 Growth in the category and market share and its variance in last five years is given in the table below: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH India is a booming market for mobile phone industry. As per the report from IPSOS Consulting, Mobile subscribers grew from 2 million in 2000 to 939 million in 2012. Due to plethora of options available in the market,  customers get to choose the right product for them as per their needs. In order to understand the factors considered by a potential customer while making the buying decision in depth interview was conducted with people who bought mobile phone recently and the people with prior work experience in mobile manufacturing companies as described in Annexure1 Variables Identification The variable of our study are reasons for purchasing, criteria of mobile purchase, major information source, Demographic and Psychographic characteristic of mobile buyer across brands, satisfaction of the mobile purchase across brands, barriers to buying mobiles students face, awareness about mobile models, money spent on mobile in a year by students. The following table presents the details of variables of our study. Variable Parameter Reason for purchasing Calling, feeling connected, convenience Criteria of mobile purchase Price, sim slots, gaming ease, camera, screen size, warranty, graphic, processor, RAM, OS,storage Source of information Friends, shopkeepers, blogs, e-commerce websites factors influencing the purchase discount offers, EMI,exchange offers, festivals, gifts, sales promotions Demographic and psychographic characteristics Of mobile buyers across brands Prior work experience, gender, specialization Satisfaction of mobile across brands Brand loyalty, recommendation to others Barriers to buying Availability, time, inconvenience Awareness about mobile models Based on gender, used source of information Money spent on mobile in a year Average expenditure, frequency of purchase, number of phones used at a time Annexure-A (Details of In-depth Interview) Objective of In-depth Interview Identify the reasons for a new purchase To understand the factors affecting the buying decision To understand the role of WOM and other sources of information in making the final decision Identify the essential features in the mobile phone bought Identify the desired features in the mobile phone Screening Questions Purchased a mobile phone after coming to XLRI Or worked for a mobile manufacturing firm before coming to XLRI Introduction of Awareness Name, Home town Sources of information Behavior Influence of various source of information Relevant Attitude and Value Activity Aspirational Value Conclusion What are the main reasons for buying a particular phone? Literature Review Studies on consumer behavior regard consumers as key determinants of organizational success and it has been found that the most successful organizations are those that are customer-centered (Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel, 2006). It is a study of decision-making process of buyers whether they are individuals or a group to understand their demand. For companies it is very important to understand consumer behavior so that they can identify their requirements and cater to their expectations from the product or service. It is only then they will be able to capture their target market and maintain their market share. Dorsch, Grove and Darden (2002) in their research on customer choice of mobile phone found that from the perspective of marketing consumer’s purchase process can be classified into a five step  problem solving process such as: need recognition, information search, given alternatives evaluation, purchase activity and post purchase evaluation When buying a product a lot o f interpersonal and social factors are involved and so is the case for mobile phones. A study by Karjaluoto et al. (2005) on analyzing factors affecting decision making process for buying mobile phones in Finland, classified the factors into seven categories: innovative services, multimedia, design, brand and basic properties, outside influence, price and reliability. The authors also found from the two studies that while technical problems were the basic reason to change mobile phone among students; price, brand, interface, and properties were the most influential factors affecting the actual choice between brands. Liu (2002) conducted a similar study focused on decisions regarding brand for the mobile phones in Asia, found that the choice of a mobile phone is characterized by two attitudes towards brands: attitudes towards the mobile phone brand and attitudes towards the network. Largely new features affect customers’ choice of mobile phone brand than its size. This trend of choosing is definitely towards phones with better capacity and larger screens. It can also be seen that the current trend is seeing a shift in the mobile phone industry from second-generation mobile phones to third generation. Factors like Internet access and MMS services etc are also impacting consumer-buying behavior. In another study, Riquelme (2001) studied the amount of self-knowledge consumers have when choosing between mobile phone brands. It was built upon six key attributes (telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile to mobile phone rates, call rates and free rates). The research showed that consumers with prior knowledge were able to predict their choices relatively well but customers tended to overestimate the importance of features, call rates and underestimate the importance of monthly access fee, mobile to mobile phones rate and connection fee. References: 1. Blackwell, R. J., Miniard, P. W., & Engel, J. F. (2006). Consumer behavior (10th Ed.) Cincinnati, Orlando: Harcourt College Publishers. South Western-Thomson Learning. 2. Karjaluoto, H., Karvonen, J., Kesti, M., Koivumaki, T., Manninen, M., Pakola, J., Ristola, A., & Salo, J. (2005). Factors Affecting Consumer Choice of Mobile Phones: Two Studies from Finland. Journal of Euromarketing, 14(3), 59–82. 3. Liu, CM (2002). The effects of promotional activities on brand decision in the cellular telephone industry, The Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 42-51. 4. Dorsch, MJ, Grove, SJ and Darden, WR (2000). Consumer intentions to use service category, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 92-118. 5. Riquelme, H. (2001). Do consumers know what they want? Journal of Consumer marketing 18(5), 437-448

The Wanting Seed

In Anthony Burgess’ The Wanting Seed, the story starts off, in what is known to the main character, Tristram, as the Pelphase. Tristram is a history teacher and knows mostly all there is to know about history. According to Tristram, governments go through three phases: the Pelphase, the Interphase, and the Gusphase. Tristram believes that like almost everything else, government is cyclical. The Pelphase is a time in the government and society where the people are working to better themselves, their surroundings and their country. The people don’t just work for themselves; they work together. Overpopulation has always been a problem in the futuristic London that Burgess portrays. God has become a myth even though some still practice their religion. God has turned into some sort of Santa Clause because everyone is working to better the problems that they and the government are having. The government suggests that homosexuality could help the population troubles, but they don’t enforce it or make it law. People have the choice to have children or be homosexual. The government hands out rations of food every week because the crops aren’t growing and overpopulation is so prevalent. The rations are just enough to keep the people full and content. When the government realizes that nothing is working out and the crops still wont grow and overpopulation is still a giant problem, they give up the current ways and move on to new ways of governing. This brings the Interphase along. The Interphase is black and white compared to the Pelphase. It is a transition phase where things must be broken in order to fix them. When the government realized that giving people the choice to have children or be homosexual isn’t working in everyone’s favor and the crops are still aren’t growing, they made it mandatory to either be gay or have only one child and in addition to that the food rations have gotten smaller. Police (Greyboys) walked the beat in large groups looking for people that were breaking laws or people that weren’t. Taking them to jail for nothing was fine with the Greyboys. Innocent people were thrown in jail and kept in jail just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. With all of the growing animosity towards the Greyboys and the government, people start to question and revolt. Nobody wants to go hungry; the straights don’t want to go gay; the families don’t want to break up. The Interphase didn’t last too long because of how badly the citizens felt about it. People were rising against the government and demanding their rights back. The government couldn’t take the pressure so they just ended up doing nothing. They literally did nothing. They left it up the people. With that decision came the Gusphase. The Gusphase was a wild and crazy time. People were going crazy in the streets, killing and looting. The government had no control over anything anymore. Hungry groups of people started attacking and cooking up Greyboys. They were creating exclusive cannibalistic dining clubs and taking part in intense orgies. The government lost so much of the control it once had, all of the prisons were emptied and the prisoners set free. With so much chaos going on, people were forced to fend for themselves and it became survival of the fittest. During all of the madness, priests and bishops were aloud to preach the word of their God again and that is what people held on to in this time of madness. The Gusphase, just like the Interphase, didn’t last long. The government eventually regained control of the population and things were back to the way they started, Pelphase. In the Pelphase after the horrible Gusphase, things were different than before. People were now aloud to have children and homosexuality wasn’t pressured upon the people. On the surface, it seemed as if the government has learned from their mistakes but under the surface things have taken a very deadly turn. The army had most of the control in the government now. The army went town to town tricking people into joining the army. After the people went through long and rigorous training they were sent off to the front lines in western Ireland. They weren’t fighting the Irish however; they were fighting other British men and women. The government set up elaborate shows to pretend that there was a war and when it came down to the actual battle the two sides of British would clash in a bloody death match. At the end of the fight, officers from the army, who were in on the whole scheme, executed the survivors so know one would find out about their evil idea of population control. Thanks to Tristram’s smarts and instincts, he was able to survive. He made his way back to the army headquarters and told them that he knew the whole plot. They didn’t pay him any mind, gave him his discharge check, and sent him on his way. He ended up going back to where he started before all of the crazy times London experienced in the past couple of years. He landed a job as a war history teacher and bought a new flat with his discharge money. After he was settled he found Beatrice-Joanna and his twin sons. Things finally came full circle for Tristram. In may ways, Tristram’s journey was a lot like the phases that the government went through. He had endured the brunt of each phase. He experienced the worst that each phase had to offer a human being. He survived and lived happily again.

The Counterculture essays

The Counterculture essays The history of United States of America starts relatively late when compared to other countries of West European civilization. However it inherited the background and experience of the old world and succeeded in becoming the worlds superpower. Today, the United States dominates the world in politics, economics and culture. The policies of the U.S. government directly affect every part of the world. In order to understand the motives of this superpowers policies, it is essential to understand historical events that shape American way of looking. This paper tries to examine how one of the major social movements, the counterculture movement in the sixties, changed the American perspective towards world issues. After the World War II, the structure of the society changed deeply in the United States. The gap between the government, and the public increased. Racial injustice was very common and people were afraid of foreign ideologies such as Communism (Hayden, 1962). Suburban communities, where women stayed at home, men went to work in his suits, and totally obedient children were the ideal (Mofford, 1998). The American dream components of the fifties were a car and a house with a garage in the suburban area. According to Hayden (1962), the characteristics of the ideal men in the fifties were impersonal and unemotional. The other prominent value of fifties was the sense of security emerged from sameness and conformity. I believe dedication to conformity in American society created a fear towards everything different than the ordinary. This fear was the main reason of the racial discrimination, fear from communism and anger towards the counterculture. In the sixties the young generation that did not accept to obey the existing social rules and tried to change the social conditions, formed a counterculture. Counterculture opposed the social structure of American culture by using literature, music, poetry, and a...

analysis of alica keys essays

analysis of alica keys essays In the summer of 2001 a young women by the name of Alicia Keys was introduced to the Soul and RThe Diary of Alicia Keys. It is tough to distinguish what genre to place Alicias music under because her music is a fusion of hip-hop, Rs music could also be classified to be classical, since she makes use of her talents as a classically trained pianist. Alicias music contains a variety of sounds which is influenced by the many classical composers and contemporary artists she has grown up to adore which represents how unique her style is compared to any other modern artist. Since Alicia was brought up in New York, it is easy to say that she has certainly been influenced by pop culture and thus her music would be as well; however, with her clever use of combining the classical and hip hop genre to popular songs, it is indeed without a doubt that her music is geared towards the pop culture society while preserving a portion of the classical genre. Popular culture is roughly defined as the displacement of religion due to the advancement of science and technology where the majority begins to focus on more measurable things such as ownership, values, and doings (Mills). In Alicia Keys, If I Aint Got You, the first stanza begins with the continual repetition of Some people..., and it is here that she catches the listeners attention. Here, she allows her audience to understand that in todays society many are living for the fortune, fame and power, and she then cries out, but that lifes a bore...so full of the superficial (Lyrics). This depicts that the majority of the people in popular culture are more individualistic and self-centered compared ...

A Sample Instructional Essay (Process Analysis)

A Sample Instructional Essay (Process Analysis) The purpose of an instructional essay is to instruct the reader as to how to perform some action or task. Its an important  rhetorical form which students must learn.  How successful do you think the writer has been in converting a set of instructions into a process analysis essay? How to Break in a New Baseball Glove Breaking in a new baseball glove is a time-honored spring ritual for pros and amateurs alike. A few weeks before the start of the season, the stiff leather of the glove needs to be treated and shaped so that the fingers are flexible and the pocket is snug.To prepare your new glove, you will need a few basic items: two clean rags; four ounces of neatsfoot oil, mink oil, or shaving cream; a baseball or softball (depending on your game); and three feet of heavy string. Professional ballplayers may insist on a particular brand of oil or shaving cream, but in truth, the brand doesnt matter.Because the process can be messy, you should work outdoors, in the garage, or even in your bathroom. Do not attempt this procedure anywhere near the carpet in your living room.Using a clean rag, begin by gently applying a thin layer of oil or shaving cream to the external parts of the glove. Be careful not to overdo it: too much oil will damage the leather. After letting the glove dry overnight, take th e ball and pound it several times into the palm of the glove to form a pocket. Next, wedge the ball into the palm, wrap the string around the glove with the ball inside, and tie it tightly. Let the glove sit for at least three or four days, and then remove the string, wipe the glove with a clean rag, and head out to the ball field. The end result should be a glove that is flexible, though not floppy, with a pocket snug enough to hold a ball caught on the run in​ the deep center field. During the season, be sure to clean the glove regularly to keep the leather from cracking. And never, no matter what else you do, never leave your glove out in the rain. Comment Observe how the writer of this essay has guided us from one step to the next using these terms: Begin by . . .After . . .Next . . .And then . . . The writer has used these transitional expressions to direct us clearly from one step to the next. These signal words and phrases take the place of numbers when turning a set of instructions into a process analysis essay. Questions for Discussion What was the focus of this instructional essay? Did the author succeed?Did the author include all necessary steps in their instruction?How could the author have improved this essay?

Amerigo Vespucci Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amerigo Vespucci - Research Paper Example This fact is proven by letters and other passages of text found attributed to Vespucci (Uzielli). He studied the sciences of physics, cosmography, astronomy, and geometry, contributing immensely to their progress (Uzielli). Therefore, it is fair to say that Vespucci was not just a gifted navigator, as is known of him more commonly, but also an eager student of science, who quickly mastered the existing sciences and was a learned man of his time. After the death of his father in 1483, Vespucci joined the household of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici as steward (Uzielli). Due to his loyalty and his skill, he was promoted in rank and position in the household till he was made a businessman with the family. It was through this business opportunity that Vespucci was able to acquire ships and join the expeditions of Columbus into the New World (Uzielli), this being described fully in the proceeding paragraphs of this paper. In 1491, Vespucci came to Spain and settled in Seville, a place that was to serve as his hometown for the rest of his life, and from where he would launch around four voyages to the New World (Amerigo Vespucci). At that time, it was felt in Europe, due to reasons beyond the scope of this paper, that the East and the Indies should be reached by way of the West, something that became more of a motto for the navigators of that time (Uzielli). Therefore, the voyages of Columbus and later of Vespucci were to become so significant, both economically and geographically. On the 10 of May, 1497, after acquiring three ships from the King of Castille, Vespucci set sail on his first voyage toward the West, through the Fortunate Islands towards either Guiana or Brazil (Uzielli). It is believed that he might have made his made into the Gulf of Mexico and then sailed along a great portion of the United States as far up as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, before returning to Spain on the 15 of October, 1498 (Uzielli). Vespucci sailed on his second voyage from Spain on the 16 of May, 1499 (Uzielli). He was accompanied by Alonzo de Ojeda and Joan de la Cosa (Uzielli). It was on this second voyage that he discovered Cape St. Augustine and the Amazon River (Uzielli). He traveled through Cape Verde and Equator until he landed on the coast of Brazil (Uzielli). Due to the exhaustion that he contracted owing to his long travels, he was taken ill when he returned to Spain in the September of 1500 (Uzielli). It was after he got well again that he wrote an account of his travels in his second voyage (Uzielli). The fourth and the fifth voyages of Vespucci commenced from Portugal instead of Spain (Uzielli). On 1 January, 1502, he named the Gulf of Bahia on his third voyage (Uzielli). In the same voyage, he discovered the Island of Georgia when he was traveling to the South America after he had discovered Bahia (Uzielli). During his fourth voyage in 1503, having found an area rich in brazil-wood, he established an agency in the Cape Frio (Uzielli). Ac cording to some sources, Vespucci made another voyage, a fifth one, in 1505, to the West, during which he found gold and pearls in the area (Uzielli). This was followed by a sixth voyage for the same purpose (Uzielli). However, not much evidence is found of these two last voyages, not even in Vespucci’s own writings (Uzielli). In 1505, Vespucci is believed to have married a lady by the name of Maria Cerezo (Uzielli). She bore him no children, and died either in 1523 or 1524 (Uzielli). However, Vespucci took his brother’

Older Adulthood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Older Adulthood - Essay Example This means that some diseases and health defects associated with old age can be prevented or at least reduced if proper care is taken. I will advocate for routine medical checkup for me and my friends so that these many complications are avoided in future. For example, it has come to my attention that avoiding exposure to environmental toxins and other hazards and also getting faster access to healthcare can avoid these complications. For a successful transition into old age, I will from now henceforth advice those with old age to accept the change, be sociable and also employ spiritual faith. Older adults require religious support and spiritual nourishment to enable them cope as I have just realized. Another way of coping is by keeping old and retired people busy by volunteering. This enable them overcome depression associated with old age, widowhood or caring for a sick partner. Having family members visit the old is refreshing to them (Kail and Cavanaugh 519). Old people are sometimes neglected or abused. This is not good as they require as minimum stress as possible. I have a changed opinion about old age, and will from now on emphasize on love and care for the old people. From this class, I have learnt of better ways of caring for and helping the older people. I have also gained an insight that can enable me advice old people into successful transition to old age. Plus, it has changed my view on old age. Old is

IKEAs Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Management Coursework

IKEAs Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Management - Coursework Example It is noted that since the year 2000, IKEA has worked actively towards meeting its set corporate social responsibility towards its business sustainability. The first area of CRS that IKEA started channeling its efforts was to meet the social requirement of its stakeholders by complying in its supply chain. In other words, IKEA created effective business relationship with investors and supplies towards sustainable business. Additionally, IKEA has made RCS its organizational culture that aims at enduring effective partnership with all stakeholders as it support social issues, protect the environment, and giving back to the society. Notably, IKEA is highly involved in the community development a responsibility that makes it in active interaction with its various stakeholders. IKEA has also set code of conduct within its operation to ensure that its employees interact among themselves and with other stakeholders in socially acceptable manners. IKEA started implementing its code of conduc t in the year 2000.

Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managing Diversity - Essay Example The history of transport in UK can be traced back to over 4000 years ago, when man was using stone tools and making the transition from a nomadic existence, living by hunting and gathering his food, to living in settlements and developing agricultural skills. Although, history of transport is very old, only during the 1930s, a few roads were upgraded to dual carriageways as a means of relieving unemployment but it was the motorway network that started to develop in the early 1960s that were the first major additions to the road network. (Reference: Shropshire Transport) Modern day today, this industry being the 5th largest employment sector in the country and over 2.3 million people being employed, the need to upgrade the employment process and policies and match the same with the other industries has risen. This is more so important to this industry as people of diverse background and cultures have taken this as a means of employment. This is where the organizational behavior comes into picture to manage diversity and aiming at "Equality" and "Equal Opportunities" for employees. As some of the greats put it, Diversity in an organization is defined as ""Diversity within organisations is about recognising the range of differences in people and valuing people as individuals, respecting their differences and their differing needs. It is also about accommodating differences wherever possible so that an individual can play a full part in the working environment" (Daniels and Macdonald, 2005, p.1). First and foremost, it has to be recognized that an individual alone is unable to fulfil all his needs and wishes and he lacks the ability, strength and time or endurance for achieving all these single handed. Therefore, he must rely on others for help to achieve these. As several people are involved, there is a need to co-ordinate and establish a chain of mutual help. It is a plain truth and fact that in order to achieve organizational goals, all involved in the system have to accommodated and looked after with the same level of interest. Respect for individuals, irres pective of caste, creed and culture is the key. This is the basic concept of managing diversity and bringing all involved, under the same umbrella with no discrimination and giving all an equal opportunity. There are many different ways of defining "equality". When looking at equality initiatives in employment, "Equal Opportunities" has become a common label. But there are many different definitions of "Equal Opportunities". The Collins Concise Dictionary defines "inequality" as "the state or quality of being unequal; disparity" (Collins Concise Dictionary, 1989, p.639). In determining inequality, a moral judgement has to be made about whether social difference is better or worse (Vincent, 1995, p.4). The focus (of EO) is on preventing unfair discrimination, so that when two people have the

Motivation and Job Satisfaction Among healthcar employees In Hospitals Research Paper

Motivation and Job Satisfaction Among healthcar employees In Hospitals In Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Therefore, it can be concluded that nurses are crucial to the success of any healthcare system, which in terms ensure high quality services are delivered to patients. Working is a requirement for most people and most people will spend the majority of their adult lives at work; therefore, employers should have a moral obligation to make the experience personally rewarding and be able to motivate employees to provide superior output and as a result gain competitive advantage (Kovach, 1987). JS as a topic concerns both those working in the organisation and those studying them. It is also important because of its effect on the physical and emotional well-being of employees i.e. JS has relevance for human health (Rose, 2005). Chopra (1991) stated that numerous studies at various medical centres have agreed on the fact that people live longer, healthier lives, if they are satisfied with their jobs.. A vast body of knowledge exists globally regarding the factors influencing nurses’ satisfaction. However, not many studies have been conducted about these factors in Saudi Arabia (S.A). Therefore, this study will address nurses’ JS in S.A. In this research the question to be answered is: What are the factors influencing JS of nurses in a university hospital in S.A.? After reviewing comprehensively the relevant literature for the purpose of this research, it has been revealed that several factors are associated with nurses’ JS. Although the factors influencing nurses JS have been extensively studied worldwide, limited evidence exists about the factors affecting nurses’ JS in S.A. In this research the question to be answered is: The purpose of the study must be clear in order to make it easy for the reader to understand; according to Locke et al (1987) the purpose statement should provide â€Å"a specific and accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the study†. The aim of this study is to measure nurses’ JS in S.A.

Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managing Diversity - Essay Example The history of transport in UK can be traced back to over 4000 years ago, when man was using stone tools and making the transition from a nomadic existence, living by hunting and gathering his food, to living in settlements and developing agricultural skills. Although, history of transport is very old, only during the 1930s, a few roads were upgraded to dual carriageways as a means of relieving unemployment but it was the motorway network that started to develop in the early 1960s that were the first major additions to the road network. (Reference: Shropshire Transport) Modern day today, this industry being the 5th largest employment sector in the country and over 2.3 million people being employed, the need to upgrade the employment process and policies and match the same with the other industries has risen. This is more so important to this industry as people of diverse background and cultures have taken this as a means of employment. This is where the organizational behavior comes into picture to manage diversity and aiming at "Equality" and "Equal Opportunities" for employees. As some of the greats put it, Diversity in an organization is defined as ""Diversity within organisations is about recognising the range of differences in people and valuing people as individuals, respecting their differences and their differing needs. It is also about accommodating differences wherever possible so that an individual can play a full part in the working environment" (Daniels and Macdonald, 2005, p.1). First and foremost, it has to be recognized that an individual alone is unable to fulfil all his needs and wishes and he lacks the ability, strength and time or endurance for achieving all these single handed. Therefore, he must rely on others for help to achieve these. As several people are involved, there is a need to co-ordinate and establish a chain of mutual help. It is a plain truth and fact that in order to achieve organizational goals, all involved in the system have to accommodated and looked after with the same level of interest. Respect for individuals, irres pective of caste, creed and culture is the key. This is the basic concept of managing diversity and bringing all involved, under the same umbrella with no discrimination and giving all an equal opportunity. There are many different ways of defining "equality". When looking at equality initiatives in employment, "Equal Opportunities" has become a common label. But there are many different definitions of "Equal Opportunities". The Collins Concise Dictionary defines "inequality" as "the state or quality of being unequal; disparity" (Collins Concise Dictionary, 1989, p.639). In determining inequality, a moral judgement has to be made about whether social difference is better or worse (Vincent, 1995, p.4). The focus (of EO) is on preventing unfair discrimination, so that when two people have the

The virtual project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The virtual project - Essay Example This essay analyzes some special problems virtual projects faces with. The process of teambuilding is common to any project. However the virtual project presents some serious problems in the areas of developing trust, developing group identity, sharing information, developing clear structures, formation of ‘cliques’ or informal subgroups and understanding information. If the problems of direct communication and new electronic technologies are not addressed, then they may become fatal. A virtual project is defined as being geographically dispersed so that the team members seldom if ever meet face to face. In this respect, the virtual project differs from the traditional project in that in a traditional team environment, the team members share a common work place so that they meet frequently. However the process of team building involves challenges that are common to all projects. The success of managing any project depends upon building an effective team. This is a commo n problem for any project manager. Effective team building depends upon building trust among the team members. If the team members do not trust each other, then their efforts cannot be directed towards a common goal. This is a problem faced by the project manager not only in the traditional bureaucratic setting, but also in the modern environment characterized by the virtual project. The basic definitions of team building that were implemented in the traditional project hold true for the virtual project as well. ... Creating good team work involves problems that are found in any project. Therefore the project manager, whether he is managing a traditional or a virtual project, must develop skills that can address the problems hindering good teamwork. Good teamwork requires clear structures and this is a problem common to both the virtual project and the bureaucratic setting. Unless the project manager can generate commitment to team objectives, project implementation will fail. These are problems that both the modern and the traditional project manager must consider. Virtual projects specifically face the problem of not being able to directly communicate. Because the team members are spread across several time zones, they cannot meet face-to-face. Therefore the difficulties of communicating and team building are much greater in a virtual project. Implementing virtual project teams requires the project manager to have skills in managing the latest communication technologies. The benefits that trad itional projects can gain from collocation are not attributable to the virtual project in which the team members are geographically dispersed. Therefore virtual projects face unique communication problems. For this reason, implementing virtual projects requires the use of the most advanced communication technologies. Distant team members also face the problem of information sharing. Because they are located in different locations, they have different perspectives on the same information. This problem creates inequities of information which is unique to the virtual project. The virtual project faces the unique problem of not having collocation. As a

Genetically modified (GM) foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified (GM) foods Essay What does a tomato, soybean, and McDonald’s French fry have in common? They are all some of the most commonly genetically modified foods sold on the market today. By using the genetic information from one organism, and inserting or modifying it into another organism, scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticides. Nevertheless, the technology to modify genes has surpassed its practicality. Genetically modified foods need to be removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on global economy. Genetically modified (GM) foods could produce new toxic substances, and/or allergens. A gene from the Brazil nut was inserted into the DNA of a soybean plant to increase the nutritional value of the soybean. However, this particular gene in the GM soybean also produced an allergen (a substance that causes allergic reactions in people). Fortunately, the plant was not put into production (McHughen 119). Another example is of a GM tomato called â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. The tomato is larger, tastier, and stays fresher longer than commercial tomatoes on the market. Combining conventional tomato genes with the genes of an arctic trout produces the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. Nevertheless, questions such as â€Å"Will people with sea food allergies be able to consume the tomato?† and â€Å"Will the trout genes in the tomato enable new bacteria growth, and thereby make the tomato hazardous to eat?† have still not been answered. This causes the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR† to be a potential hazard to human health (McHughen 14, 112). Since technology is new with regards to genetics, there is no real way of knowing whether genetically modified foods would take a negative impact on the body. An incident that occurred in 1989 concerning the nutritional supplement L- Tryptophan is one way of testing the long-term effects of a GM food (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The manufacturer had apparently altered its manufacturing process to speed up production, and had not realized the toxic side effects. However, it caused a potentially fatal illness called Eosinophilia Myolgia Syndrome in which 37 people died and 1500 more were permanently disabled (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Therefore, it was taken off the market shortly after the reports of widespread illness among consumers of the supplement. Another two examples of diseases that have been created by GM crops are glufosinate (Hart 21), which causes birth defects in mammals, and glyphosate (Hart 88), which is now linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Therefore, it is evident that the general public is the guinea pig for GM food, and today’s drugs may not be able to combat the diseases that may arise from eating the food. Superbugs are created when genes transfer from one species to another, and if an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant gene were to transfer from an organism into a disease creating bacteria, then an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant bug would be created (Miller 83). This applies to bacteria and viruses that are symbiotically related. Gene modification is indirectly making life resistant to diseases, and these bacteria and viruses will adapt to the new form of life and create new disorders. Furthermore, GM crops may make the â€Å"normal† biological pest spray obsolete. This is because pests will soon develop resistance to the spray because of the widespread planting of GM crops. Nevertheless, superbug pesticides have not yet been manufactured, nor have superbug antibiotics been created (Miller 92). Consequently, the health risks for humans through superbug infections or by eating GM food is very serious, and the consequences that may come about have the potent ial to be life threatening. Genetic engineering of food crops has the potential to affect the biodiversity of a region in effectively two ways. First, wild populations of weed may be replaced by GM crop/weed, due to the GM crop spreading outside the crop field and interacting with natural weed and slowly becoming GM weed. Since GM crops are produced to be resistant to pesticides and herbicides, there is the possibility that they could invade wild grasslands and other places and prosper because of these special characteristics. If this happened, the native grasses would be unable to compete and biodiversity would be lost in these regions. Also, many genetically engineered crops contain anti-viral genes and there is the potential that these genes could combine to form new and dangerous strains of viruses, which could destroy specific crops. Although, to date, there is no direct evidence of these occurring naturally, the potential is clearly increasing (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What is happening to Agricultural Biodiversity?). The second way in which the biodiversity of a region is potentially affected is by the decreasing crop varieties that are being planted. This is a problem already existing in agriculture today, and results in a loss of genetic variety within crop cultures. Farmers being forced to use only patented seeds are an example of a potential decrease in biodiversity. If traditional seed varieties are used, farmers will be at a financial disadvantage due to better tasting, better looking crops produced by farmers using GM seeds. In the U.S., and some other countries, laws have been passed and are currently in effect stating that the use of non-patented seeds is prohibited. This will restrict the crops to a few species, leaving them more at risk to new pests that may form (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What are the underlying causes of the Losses of Agricultural Biodiversity?). The European community is by far the most anti-GM, so to speak, when it comes to the retail of GM food in their supermarkets (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Consumer attitudes and decision-making with regard to genetically modified food products). Regulations are being imposed on the European Parliament, individual European nations, and some stores themselves have all imposed restrictions on GM foods. Manufacturers must label all foods that might have genetically altered ingredients. This includes food with genetically manufactured organisms, food with an intentionally modified molecular structure, and food that has been isolated for microorganisms, fungi, and algae. Furthermore, the genetically altered food must not mislead the consumer, present any danger to the consumer, or differ from the food that it is intended to replace so that the altered food is a nutritional disadvantage to the consumer (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Development of meth ods to identify foods produced by means of genetic engineering). This legislation has now created trade barriers for food coming into Europe – some imported food is genetically modified and creates a risk to the people’s health and safety. Nevertheless, because some supermarkets in Europe have decided to be non-GM only, this has created a competitive disadvantage for the â€Å"half†-GM supermarkets. This response to consumer pressure is also having an effect on some companies or countries that cannot meet the legislative needs, and are obliged to lose markets and/or market shares (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, European network safety assessment of genetically modified food crops). If the world finally agrees to the consumption of GM food, European countries will be the last to â€Å"give-in† to the more lenient regulations. If one is to ask a North American if the product he or she is eating contains GM food, he or she will most likely show a blank stare. This is because regulation of GM food in North America is relatively relaxed when compared to Europe (Borger, second paragraph). Since the manufacturer is not required to label their products, the consumer is oblivious to buying GM food at the supermarket. Agriculture and technology are both being heavily invested in the United States. Profit is an important driving force for the developed world, and agricultural exports make up a large portion of exports from the United States (Borger, third paragraph). Since the demand for food is always increasing, the demand to produce more food at a faster rate requires the need for better biotechnology to be put into practice. And because of the lax laws in effect for the United States, and Canada, North Americans are â€Å"in the dark† with regards to what they are eating during their meals. North Americans are not educated about the risks of GM food, nor are they aware of where to find information regarding how much GM food is in their groceries (Borger, 12th paragraph). This poses a serious threat to the potential health of North Americans, as they are nothing but â€Å"lab rats† waiting for their first abnormal â€Å"twitch†. Human health can be seen as the greatest factor when considering the manufacturing of GM food. This is because of the few diseases and viruses that have been discovered which formed through the use of GM food. Also, the potential for new diseases and/or viruses through the use of GM food is increasing, and people are not aware of the risks. Antibiotics or pesticides have not yet been created to combat the superbug, and this is a concern for humans, as it will infect people, and crops altogether. There is a potential for the biodiversity to decrease because of gene transfers from one species to another, creating more powerful crops, which may take over the natural populations of weeds and grasslands. An additional way for the biodiversity to decrease is by farmers planting only a single variety of crop, thus wiping out the varied species needed to keep the diversity within crop fields. Europeans are the most aware of GM food, and are taking the necessary precautions and legislative actions to protect themselves against the use of GM food. However, North Americans are the least aware of GM food, and their government has not yet educated their citizens on the risks of GM food. There are too many risks involved in the use of GM food, and its removal from the agricultural and biotechnological industries will benefit human health, the environment, and global economy.

Business For the Glory of God | Book Review

Business For the Glory of God | Book Review For this assignment we are to read the book by W. Grudem, Business for the Glory of God: The Bibles Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business. Mr. Grudem explores the Christian side of business which gives an elaborative explanation of what one might encounter. He clearly shows that in all the various aspects of business, which includes profit, ownership, money, lending, borrowing, and competition. Overall, the author clearly illustrates that people who work in the business world are generally made to feel guilty, because few people think instinctively of business as morally good in itself. (11). The main purpose of the book was to demonstrate that the various aspects of business activities are good and these good things will also bring glory to God. Book Review Business people are an imitation of Gods character by representing Him on earth through the approach of various business activities. Grudem reflects on each of the chapters categories, and clearly illustrates how each of the activities fall into these categories which represent a unique opportunity to bring Gods glory to the forefront: private ownership, productivity, employment, commercial transactions (selling and buying), profit, using money as means of exchange, producing inequalities in possessions, competition, borrowing and lending, and the reduction in the worlds poverty. In private ownership, this is where a person would imitate Gods sovereignty through the exercise of mankinds sovereignty over the creation. When a person cares for worldly possessions, Mr. Grudem makes an argument about people having the chance to imitate certain characteristics of God such as wisdom, knowledge, beauty, creativity, love for others, kindness, fairness, independence, freedom, exercise of will, blessedness (or joy), and so forth (20). When people have the desire to have their own things is not necessarily bad, but it is a representation of our overall desire to be ruler over things. The topic of private ownership also gives people the opportunity to do great things with their resources by sharing them with those who are in need so that others can see God in different ways. The word subdue in the book of Genesis implies to the greater good of human productivity. The main point to remember is that God expect for people to work hard at developing the world for Gods glory and for the sake of mankind. In reference to manufactured products, Mr. Grudem states, give us opportunity to praise God for anything we look at in the world around us (26). Typically, any item that is manufactured allows people to discover the wonders of Gods creation in the things that we have been able to make from the earth (27). When a person does productive work, this takes on the meaning of subduing the earth and it makes the resources of the earth useful for everyone. In reference to the rejections of Marxism, Mr. Grudem states, the Bible does not view it as evil for one person to hire another person and gain profit from that persons work (31). The Bible teaches us that employee to employer relationships are generally good and they are equally beneficial (Luke 3:14; 10:7; 1 Tim. 6:2). A relationship at the employment level can provide a context for mutual appreciation for the callings and pride of other people. The good of an employer can be easily seen by employees through hard work, and the opposite can be achieved from an employers perspective by issuing fair pay for a hard days work. Mr. Grudem made some observations about commercial transactions and he realized they has been a normal part of society since the very beginning (Lev. 25:14). The Bible teaches us that selling and buying are ethically right, because they both provided an opportunity for people to do great things for other people by providing the thing they need. People often imitat e God in places where they practice honesty, faithfulness to our commitments, fairness, and freedom of choice. (37). The use of money and profit are great, because they both entail that one has produced something beneficial to others who desire exchange. Not only is profit a clear indication that one is making efficient and great use of resources from God, but it also is encouraged in the teachings of Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:14-30). Money ultimately sets us apart from any animal kingdom, but in such a way as a tool, which makes voluntary exchanges more fair, less wasteful, and far more extensive (49). Money and profit can provide opportunities to glorify God by meeting our needs and those of others, providing charity, expanding our stewardship, and promoting the mission of the church throughout the world. Even though reading this book may seem as an unfamiliar language to most, Mr. Grudem illustrates how the inequality of possessions is fundamentally good and also pleasing to God. Passages in the Bible such as Luke 19:17, 19; 2 Corinthians 5:10 establish the fact of designed inequality, and many other passages from both the Old and the New Testaments. The author explains that inequalities are necessary in a world that requires a great variety of tasks to be done (52). In chapter 7, the author rejects arguments from a biblical perspective in favor of Christian communitarians, redistribution policies, and health and wealth teachings. The chapters about competition, borrowing and lending are basically a summary of the wealth producing topics. These chapters give an in-depth explanation about the good of competition, because it guides society in assigning jobs to those who are best suited for those jobs (62). In common business practices, competition can also decrease the prices of items over time, while in turn increasing the living standard for everyone. The author also notes that the Bible has no absolute prohibition on loans, but he also assumes them as a way of life. There have been many biblical discussions around loans, which focuses on the abuse and misuses of the process, not the actual establishment of the loan. There is a good rationale behind why charging interest is not only necessary for institutions jeopardizing the use of their money with others, but also how it can be reversed to help other people. Lastly, the goes on to discuss the necessity of moral goodness among the business people in an economy in order for things to operate more smoothly. This type of moral formation of a person would often lead to an overall greater respect for the dignity of mankind, and the increasing desire for their activities to bring not harm, but good to others while at the same time bringing glory to God. Mr. Grudem then goes on with an explanation at the very end of each chapter about how most business activities have great potential for misuse and wrongdoing because we live in a time occupied by entrepreneurs with a sinful nature. The sins of some people in business, however, should not make us assume all business activities are morally wrong. In my honest opinion, Mr. Grudem made great points about the abuses of business, and the ways in which we idolize success and money and become cordial by losing sight of the truth that everything belongs to God. The author continued to make comments throughout the course of the book on the concerns to balance the view, but the real wealth changing information comes from the fact that business practices can be glorifying to God. He also mentions in the text that we should not feel guilty about business, but we can take this as a stepping stone towards our common goals. The author explored the various topics that most business professionals have to deal with on a daily basis at work. He does an excellent explanation of the most common misconceptions about work and business, and then offers a way to look at everything from a different perspective. Mr. Grudem goes on to show how business is good and how it can be used to glorify God. Although this book was enjoyable and easy to read, this book was also very thought provoking and even life changing so to speak. I really could not find a bad point about the book and it was packed with plenty of insight about the moral nature of business. The thing I did not like was with his arguments, while most were very well written, are poorly supported with only a few bible verses and almost no logic whatsoever. In one section, he states that since Jesus gave laws on how employers should treat their employees, and God approves of hiring people and being an employer is good. On the other hand, he does not mention anything at all about the Sabbath, and this could cause someone to believe God also approves slavery. I honestly support keeping people gainfully employed, but some of the arguments in the book were lacking supporting facts. In conclusion, I truly enjoy reading this book and I would highly recommend it to any Christian who is working in the business world. I think the long term solution that the author proposes involves starting and maintaining a productive business organization. I think as these businesses are pursued to Gods glory, the positive effect of creating commerce and employment should also have a domino effect where the ability and the economic status of people should continue to prosper in ever-widening circles. Lastly, I feel this book does a great job of illustrating how everyday Christians can have a calling to business and in the midst of pursuing it; they can continue to glorify God, bless others and reflect His attributes. When it comes to money, work, finances and business, Ephesians 6:5-9 makes a great point when it states, Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ; Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Dont threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Analysis of Jonsons On My First Son Essay -- Jonson On My First Son

Analysis of Jonson's On My First Son    The poem entitled On My First Son   is a pouring out of a father's soul-a soul that pours out every last drop of pain, anguish, and love for his deceased son neatly into a beautiful poem.   Ben Jonson illustrates his love and loss with concreteness and passion.   Just as an artist creates a painting on paper with a pallet of colors and different types of brushes, Jonson uses thoughtful phrasing and strong diction to create a vivid word painting of his son.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The phrasing of this poem can be analyzed on many levels.   Holistically, the poem moves the father through three types of emotions.   More specifically, the first lines of the poem depict the father s deep sadness toward the death of his son.   The line   Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy   creates a mental picture in my mind (Line 1). I see the father standing over the coffin in his blackest of outfits with sunglasses shading his eyes from the sun because even the sun is too bright for his day of mourning.   The most beautiful scarlet rose from his garden is gripped tightly in his right hand as tears cascade down his face and strike the earth with a splash that echoes like a scream in a cave, piercing the ears of those gathered there to mourn the death of his son.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The second four lines also describe the father s emotions as they move from sadness to anger, and from anger he moves quickly into a realization that he had no control over the situation.   He is angry at the world, himself, and the situation that he is now in.   The line,   Exacted by thy fate, on the just day   seems to be his only form of solace in the midst of anger (Line 4).   He speaks of God and His plan and how it supercedes the plans o... ...ificed for all the sins of mankind. Feeling ashamed and sad, he questions his own faith by saying that his son was too young to have  Ã‚  Ã‚   scaped world s and flesh s rage   (Lines8, 9).   Finally, he uses a tender word like   peace   to signal that he has accepted his son s death, forgiven himself and God, and realizes that everything will be all right.      Ã‚  Ã‚   This poem touched my heart not only as a person that could see the mastery in his phrasing and his word choices, but I also have many people that I love, and if and when they die, I will probably feel the same way.   It is amazing how Jonson can tie all his feelings into such a short poem.   By doing so, I believe he was physically showing us that his son's death was an unlucky event.   The poem has thirteen lines, like the number of words in this sentence.   Was it lucky thirteen?   I think not-not for the father. Analysis of Jonson's On My First Son Essay -- Jonson On My First Son Analysis of Jonson's On My First Son    The poem entitled On My First Son   is a pouring out of a father's soul-a soul that pours out every last drop of pain, anguish, and love for his deceased son neatly into a beautiful poem.   Ben Jonson illustrates his love and loss with concreteness and passion.   Just as an artist creates a painting on paper with a pallet of colors and different types of brushes, Jonson uses thoughtful phrasing and strong diction to create a vivid word painting of his son.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The phrasing of this poem can be analyzed on many levels.   Holistically, the poem moves the father through three types of emotions.   More specifically, the first lines of the poem depict the father s deep sadness toward the death of his son.   The line   Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy   creates a mental picture in my mind (Line 1). I see the father standing over the coffin in his blackest of outfits with sunglasses shading his eyes from the sun because even the sun is too bright for his day of mourning.   The most beautiful scarlet rose from his garden is gripped tightly in his right hand as tears cascade down his face and strike the earth with a splash that echoes like a scream in a cave, piercing the ears of those gathered there to mourn the death of his son.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The second four lines also describe the father s emotions as they move from sadness to anger, and from anger he moves quickly into a realization that he had no control over the situation.   He is angry at the world, himself, and the situation that he is now in.   The line,   Exacted by thy fate, on the just day   seems to be his only form of solace in the midst of anger (Line 4).   He speaks of God and His plan and how it supercedes the plans o... ...ificed for all the sins of mankind. Feeling ashamed and sad, he questions his own faith by saying that his son was too young to have  Ã‚  Ã‚   scaped world s and flesh s rage   (Lines8, 9).   Finally, he uses a tender word like   peace   to signal that he has accepted his son s death, forgiven himself and God, and realizes that everything will be all right.      Ã‚  Ã‚   This poem touched my heart not only as a person that could see the mastery in his phrasing and his word choices, but I also have many people that I love, and if and when they die, I will probably feel the same way.   It is amazing how Jonson can tie all his feelings into such a short poem.   By doing so, I believe he was physically showing us that his son's death was an unlucky event.   The poem has thirteen lines, like the number of words in this sentence.   Was it lucky thirteen?   I think not-not for the father.

Rural-Urban Linkages, Their Role in Sustainable Development

Although policy makers and the development community have widely used the phrase â€Å"rural development. The concept of rural development has changed significantly during the last 3 decades. Until the 1970s, rural development was synonymous with agricultural development and, hence, focused on increasing agricultural production. This focus seems to have been driven primarily by the interests of industrialization to extract surpluses from the agriculture sector to reinforce industrialization. With the focus on increasing agricultural production, the stated objective of most countries was to promote smallholder agriculture. Over time, this smallholder agriculture-centric concept of rural development underwent changes. By the early 1980s, according to Harris, the World Bank defined it as â€Å"†¦a strategy designed to improve the economic and social life of a specific group of people—the rural poor. Four major factors appear to have influenced the change: increased concerns about the persistent and deepening of rural poverty; changing views on the meaning of the concept of development itself; emergence of a more diversified rural economy in which rural non-farm enterprises play an increasingly important role; and increased recognition of the importance of reducing the non-income dimensions of poverty to achieve sustainable improvements in the socio economic well-being of the poor. The establishment of the Millennium Development Goals has significantly reinforce d the concerns about non income poverty. With the paradigm shifts in economic development from growth to broadly defined â€Å"development,† the concept of rural development has begun to be used in a broader sense. It is also more specific, as Harris noted â€Å"in the sense that it focuses (in its rhetoric and in principle) particularly on poverty and inequality. † In more recent years, increased concerns on the environmental aspects of economic growth have also influenced the changes. Today’s concept of rural development is fundamentally different from that used about 3 or 4 decades ago. The concept now encompasses â€Å"concerns that go well beyond improvements in growth, income, and output. The concerns include an assessment of changes in the quality of life, broadly defined to include improvement in health and nutrition, education, environmentally safe living conditions, and reduction in gender and income inequalities. â€Å"Today there seems to be a universal consensus that the ultimate objective of rural development is to improve the quality of life of rural people. As the concept of rural development changed so has the focus and approach to tackling and planning for rural development also change. Thus as already explained, today rural development is an integrated concept that that requires an integrated approach to development . thus the focus now is on sustainable development; hence an integrated sustainable rural development strategy is used to plan for rural development. However in order to successively design a strategy for integrated sustainable rural development, one must take into consideration rural-urban linkages because of the significant role it plays in sustainable rural development. Before proceeding with a discussion about the role that rural-urban linkages play in integrated rural sustainable development strategy, it may be necessary to define rural-urban linkages. In general, â€Å"rural-urban linkages† refers to the flow of (public and private) capital, people (migration, commuting) and goods and services (trade) between rural and urban areas. It is important to add to these three economic flows, the flow of ideas, innovation and information. These rural urban linkages could be expanded as; * The movement of people between rural and urban households many of which are of circular nature. These include temporary migration(as in seasonal moves ) and labour migration including weekly commuting; * The more permanent migration of people from rural to urban areas and vice versa. * The movement of people operating from a single rural urban household as in daily commuting or school trips, shopping and short term visits. * The movement of resources such as money and remittances, commodities and services. * There is also the more permanent type of linkages found mostly in infrastructure such as roads railway lines water and electricity telecommunication etc. Over the past few years, interest in the linkages between urban and rural areas has increased considerably. This is clear, for instance, from the activities of the United Nations. The Habitat Agenda, adopted at the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul in 1996, states that â€Å"policies and programmes for the sustainable development of rural areas that integrate rural regions into the national economy require strong local and national institutions for the lanning and management of human settlements that place emphasis on rural-urban linkages and treat villages and cities as two ends of a human settlements continuum. † (UNCHS, 1997: 93-94). however, Studies of rural urban linkages indicate that the nature of the linkages differs from one place to another and differs for different sectors in the same place. It is equally necessary to identify successful practices that promote local rural and urban development and alleviate poverty, using rural-urban linkages, and to build the capacity of rural and urban local governments to review, adapt and replicate such practices. The growing understanding and the pool of good practices should form the basis for capacity building of local governments. Among the above linkages the ,focus would be on the point 1 and 4 that’s the migration and the economic exchange of goods and services and their implication on rural development . this is because they are among the important rural urban linkages necessary for integrated sustainable rural development. These would be dis cussed shortly. To begin with the economic exchange between urban and rural areas can be beneficial or detrimental to either or both areas . hus with economic links between rural and urban areas, the extent to which economic development in the one area benefits or obstructs economic development in the other area. For instance an exclusive focus on rural areas would result in an under-investment in urban areas and this would limit the growth of the urban sector and its ability to absorb the rural labour surplus. Likewise an exclusive focus on urban development would produce similar results, because it would accelerate rural-urban migration and reduce food production per capita (Richardson, 1987: 210). Reardon (n. d. : 8-9) distinguishes three stages in the development of rural non-farm sector and of rural-urban linkages: †¢ During the first stage, rural non-farm activity tends to have a production or expenditure linkage with agriculture while farming directly employs a large share of the rural population. Rural non-farm activity tends to centre on the countryside itself, with little dependence on rural-urban links. Rural non-farm activities are mainly home-based and small-scale production of goods, mainly sold locally. During the first stage, agriculture tends to depend on local supplies of farm inputs and services and on local processing and distribution of farm products, usually carried out by small to medium-scale firms. †¢ A greater mix of situations characterizes the second stage. The mix includes activities based on linkages with agriculture as well as on other, separate activities (e. g. tourism, mining and services), although the latter did grow out of a historical rural non-farm sector based on linkages with agriculture. The share of rural population dependent on farming is lower than during the first phase. Rural-urban links as the basis for rural non-farm employment have a greater weight than in first stage with nascent sub-contracting of rural companies by urban or foreign businesses and a rapid rise in the labour force commuting between the countryside and rural towns and intermediate cities. †¢ The third stage shows an intensification of the characteristics that differentiate the second stage from the first stage. There is a greater weight of urban-rural links manifested by the greater importance of more advanced forms of business linkages, such as subcontracting arrangements and labour commuting. A number of other tendencies also characterize this stage: the expansion of subcontracting beyond light durables to medium durables. The great heterogeneity of the non-farm sector in rural areas implies that there is little scope for general, broad, policy prescriptions. This observation may well provide an important lesson for our thinking about the process of policy formulation. A wide variety of interventions may be required to promote the non-farm sector, each tailored to specific local conditions. Decentralized decision-making may be necessary: mechanisms should be devised whereby local information flows upwards so that the localized bottlenecks are relieved and specific niches can be exploited (Lanjouw, 1999: 9). From the above it can be realised that, rural-urban linkages can play an important role in economic development and poverty alleviation in urban and rural areas. However,it is important to recognize that the nature of the rural-urban linkages differs from one place to another and from one function to another. As Douglas (1998) has pointed out, a particular urban centre may play a crucial economic role for the surrounding rural areas in one respect, while the rural area may completely bypass that same urban centre and link directly to more distant urban centres and cities in other respects. It is, therefore, dangerous to generalize about the nature of rural-urban linkages and to base policy interventions on such generalizations. What is necessary is the recognition of (a) the existence a regional economy as a reality, rrespective of administrative boundaries, and (b) the need to develop knowledge about such regional (i. e. sub-national) economies (World Bank, 2000). The development of this knowledge should be demand-driven, as urban and rural local governments come to recognize their shared interests and constraints. The political impetus for this process of knowledge development may be t decentralization. In order to distribute economic and social opportunities equitably, the Government s hould strengthen grassroots economies that can provide sustainable incomes for the rural population. The Government should establish economic clusters that link rural and urban areas, and the cluster-based economic development should be consistent with the economic potentials, preferences and functions of each area. Another important rural urban linkage that has immense implication for today’s rural development is the rural urban migration. Thus the movement of people between rural and urban households . these include temporary migration and labour migration. Rural-urban migration reduces population pressure in the rural areas and, thereby, should improve economic conditions and reduce rural poverty. However, disparities between urban and rural areas in terms of income and employment and the availability of basic infrastructure and services persist. Urban areas offer more and better opportunities for socio-economic mobility of the poor and rural-urban migration, therefore, will continue. Labour migration could result in shortage of labour force for productivity in the rural areas which would intend result in low productivity and underdevelopment in the rural areas. Whereas the urban areas may not also be able to absorb the all the labour from the rural areas ,resulting in unemployment and increase in sanitation costs and government expenditure. it also increase population pressure in urban areas resulting in pressure on the few social amenities in urban centres. in this case, rural urban migration has more adverse effect on rural development. In addition to the above, Circular and temporary migration is already a common pattern in many countries, but working and housing conditions in the urban areas may not always be conducive to this form of migration. Housing is often an acute problem for temporary migrants who prefer to rent rather than to own housing, because they feel that their home is in the rural areas. Temporary migrants are sometimes not entitled to urban services and this makes their life in the urban areas more difficult than necessary. Local governments and private employers in the urban areas should accept temporary rural-urban migration as inevitable and perhaps even as desirable, and they may consider measures to facilitate such forms of rural-urban migration. For instance, Remittances are a crucial component of rural households’ incomes and a key element of the continued links between migrants and their home areas across all wealth groups. In northern Mali, migrants’ remittances have become probably the most important source of family cash, and are used for consumption and for the purchase of consumer goods such as radios and bicycles, but also for the purchase of agricultural inputs or for investment in livestock. In southeast Nigeria, it would be socially unacceptable for migrants not to send remittances and gifts: financial support to their parental households has greatly contributed to making young women’s migration socially acceptable. Most importantly, remittances and gifts ensure that migrants can maintain a foothold in the home area, and that they will be welcome upon their return. Gaile (1992: 134) argues that the problem is not urbanization as such, because the urban areas need to absorb the additional rural labour. The problem is that migrants have only a limited choice when migrating, because most local economic development occurs in one or a few large cities. He points out that the problem is really â€Å"under-urbanization†, i. e. the underdevelopment of the urban system. The major impediment to the working of the general market and the consequent development of a labour market is the undersupply of centres of sufficient minimal size to provide sites for market development. The above implies that in developing a strategy for sustainable rural development projects that encourages the bridging of gab between rural and urban areas should be considered. This would help reduce rural urban migration. Besides, major effort is required to ensure that the urban areas can absorb the growing urban population and that urbanization will not result in an urbanization of poverty. Small and medium-sized towns can play an important role in the urbanization process by absorbing rural-urban migrants. For instance Economic development in small towns can have a positive impact on the economy of the surrounding rural areas, if the increase in purchasing power results in the purchase of agricultural and non-agricultural products from the surrounding rural areas. This will obviously depend on the types of products produced, their quality and cost and their competitiveness compared to products from other parts of the country (and elsewhere). The development of the local urban economy may also lead to a reduction in rural-urban migration to the larger urban centres and the city and redirect migration flows to smaller urban centres. This in the long run led to sustainable development in both the rural and urban areas. Conclusion and Recommendations From the above discusions, it can be observe that there is growing interdependence of urban and rural areas that reduces the significance of the rural-urban distinction. The flow of people, capital, goods, services and ideas between urban and rural areas, made possible by improvements and cost reductions in communication and transport, is reinforcing the existing rural-urban linkages and more than ever conditions and developments in the urban areas have an impact on the rural areas and vice versa. Rural residents adopt urban lifestyles and occupations; small settlements require urban infrastructure and services; residents of rural areas commute between rural and urban areas; industries move to rural areas; urban waste pollutes natural resources in the rural areas; and agriculture in urban areas is becoming important for both economic and environmental reasons. It is, therefore, an anachronism that governments still design policies and programmes that are focused either on urban or on rural areas, but rarely on both. Rural and urban communities need to have an interest in each other’s conditions, and policy-makers need to consider these when formulating policies and programmes for sustainable rural development. Coordination of decision-making and cooperation between authorities of urban areas and their surrounding rural areas are critical to ensure that the development of urban areas and rural areas support each other. However, the continuing integration of rural and urban areas requires more than simply coordination and cooperation, it requires planning that incorporates rural and urban development. Such regional planning should not be an urban-centred exercise as it often has been in the past. Rural and urban areas need each other and each can benefit when the other’s needs are met. Backward linkages and forward linkages between agricultural production and industry and services can foster positive rural-urban interactions and a virtuous circle of development. However, policies that encourage such mutually reinforcing linkages need to overcome the traditional separation between rural and urban planners. They also need to avoid generalizations and be grounded in the specifics of the regional context (Tacoli, 1998: 13).

Factors which may affect the Learning Process Essay

The nature of the learning process has been studied by psychologists and physiologists. Many experiments have been performed and the literature on the subject is voluminous. There has been continual process in exploring what is not known about learning. Each year sees new discoveries and new hypotheses. Some proposed hypotheses were proven wrong and some older discoveries were made eligible for major modification. Subjecting individuals and classes to scientific measurements has lifted certain phases of learning from the realm of speculation to the realm of science. At present, there is no comprehensive theory concerning all aspects of learning. There is considerable disagreement about the language to be used in describing learning. Different writers hold conflicting positions on the degree of specificity of generality appropriate in talking about learning. The science of psychology is of significance for the light that it throws upon the nature of the learning process and upon the conditions most favorable to learning. Many other sciences have contributed a great deal to an understanding of the nature of the learning process and to the principal issues involved in the education of boys and girls. For example, sociology, physiology, biology, and biochemistry have added much to the improvement of educational procedures. In order to understand the teaching process, the students or the teacher must first know something about the learning process concerns the teacher no less than the pupils. Although the teacher cannot do the actual learning for the pupil, he can facilitate learning through effective teaching. Effective teaching and learning demand mutual understanding between teacher and learner. Moreover, motivation of school learning is closely related to the law of readiness. Readiness does not connote the mere desire to learn, his self concept and self-confidence, his levels of aspiration, and his knowledge and appraisal of how well he is doing in relation to his goals. This paper intent to discuss factors which may affect the learning process. II. Discussion A. Factors which may affect the Learning Process It has been found that the pupil’s difficulty in leaning may be due to many factors within the child himself. Some of the important factors which may affect the learning process are as follows. Intellectual factor. The term refers to the individual mental level. Success in school is generally closely related to the level of the intellect. Pupils with low intelligence often encounter serious difficulty in mastering schoolwork. Sometimes pupils do not learn because of special intellectual disabilities. A low score in one subject and his scores in other subjects indicate the possible presence of a special deficiency. Psychology reveals to us that an individual possesses different kind of intelligence. Knowledge of the nature of the pupils’ intellect is of considerable value in the guidance and the diagnosis of disability. The native capacity of the individual is of prime importance in determining the effectiveness of the learning process. Learning factors. Factors owing to lack of mastery of what has been taught, faulty methods of work or study, and narrowness of experimental background may affect the leaning process of any pupil. If the school proceeds too rapidly and does not constantly check up on the extent to which the pupil is mastering what is being taught, the pupil accumulates a number of deficiencies that interfere with successful progress. In arithmetic, for instance, knowledge of basic addition is essential to successful work in multiplication. Weakness in addition will contribute directly to the deficiency in multiplication. Likewise, failure in history may be due to low reading ability or weakness in English. Similarly, because of faulty instruction, the pupil may have learned inefficient methods of study. Many other kinds of difficulty which are directly related to learning factors may interfere with progress. Physical factors. Under this group are included such factors as health, physical development, nutrition, visual and physical defects, and glandular abnormality. It is generally recognized that ill health retards physical and motor development, and malnutrition interfere with learning and physical growth. Children suffering from visual, auditory, and other physical defects are seriously handicapped in developing skills such as reading and spelling. It has been demonstrated that various glands of internal secretion, such as thyroid and pituitary glands, affect behavior. The health of the learner will likely affect his ability to learn and his power to concentrate. Mental factors. Attitude falls under mental factors. Attitudes are made up of organic and kinesthetic elements. They are not to be confused with emotions that are characterized by internal visceral disturbance. Attitudes are more or less of definite sort. They play a large part in the mental organization and general behavior of the individual. Attitudes are also important in the development of personality. Among these attitudes are interest, cheerfulness, affection, prejudice, open-mindedness, and loyalty. Attitudes exercise a stimulating effect upon the rate of learning and teaching and upon the progress in school. The efficiency of the work from day to day and the rapidity with which it is achieved are influenced by the attitude of the learner. A favorable mental attitude facilitates learning. The factor of interest is very closely related in nature to that symbolic drive and reward. Emotional and social factors. Personal factors, such as instincts and emotions, and social factors, such as cooperation and rivalry, are directly related to a complex psychology of motivation. It is a recognized fact that the various responses of the individual to various kinds of stimuli are determined by a wide variety of tendencies. Some of these innate tendencies are constructive and others are harmful. For some reason a pupil may have developed a dislike for some subject because he may fail to see its value, or may lack foundation. This dislike results in a bad emotional state. Some pupils are in continuing state of unhappiness because f their fear of being victims of the disapproval of their teachers and classmates. This is an unwholesome attitude and affects the learning process to a considerable degree. This is oftentimes the result of bad training. Social discontent springs from the knowledge or delusion that one is below others in welfare. Teacher’s personality. The teacher as an individual personality is an important element in the learning environment or in the failures and success of the learner. The way in which his personality interacts with the personalities of the pupils being taught helps to determine the kind of behavior which emerges from the learning situation. The supreme value of a teacher is not in the regular performance of routine duties, but in his power to lead and to inspire his pupils through the influence of his personality and example. Effective teaching and learning are the results of an integrated personality of the teacher. Generally speaking, pupils do not like a grouchy teacher who cannot control his temper before the class. It is impossible for a teacher with a temper to create enthusiasm and to radiate light and sunshine to those about him. Pupils love a happy, sympathetic, enthusiastic, and cheerful teacher. Environmental factor. Physical conditions needed for learning is under the environmental factor. One of the factors that affect the efficiency of learning is the condition in which learning takes place. This includes the classroom, textbooks, equipment, school supplies, and other instructional materials. In the school and at the home, the conditions for learning must be favorable and adequate if teaching is to produce the desired instructional materials and equipment play an important part in the instructional efficiency of the school. It is difficult to do a good job of teaching in poor type of building and without adequate and instructional materials. A school building or a classroom has no merit when built without due to regard to its educational objectives and functions. III. Conclusion In conclusion, our knowledge concerning learning and the teaching process has thus undergone profound development in the last twenty-five years. Once it seemed sufficient for the educational psychologist to formulate a set of principles of learning around fairly simple concepts of exercise and effect. The teacher applied these principles through the techniques of drill, reward, and punishment. But with the development of theory and research, the psychologist has found it necessary to expand and to refine his understanding of learning with consequent important implication for learning. Reference: 1. â€Å"The Learning Process. † (Nov. 11, 2003). http://www. dynamicflight. com/avcfibook/learning_process/

Crisis and Trauma Counseling Essay

Crisis and Trauma Counseling Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wright who is the author of this book begins by discussing his own individual dilemma where he had to make a decision. Wright narrates a life story which serves as a basis through which the human decision making subject is built. Wright uses this approach to relate to his reader whilst examining trauma counseling and also personal crisis. Wright defined the crisis nature where he depicted that there is no individual who can escape the crisis inevitability. In this regard the author stated that individuals should always be prepared on how to deal with crisis which is a critical issue. In this book focus eventually shifts to describe the biblical ways which can be used in helping individuals to pull through from the traumatic experiences. Through his book, Wright shows a strong understanding of emotions and feelings of the people (Wright, 2011). Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book depicts the Christian mission in assisting those who are in dire need in a manner that Jesus did. In the book, Wright provides valuable information that would serve as an asset for lay person or Christian counselors. He also discusses about the life of Jesus where he states that Jesus was and even now is a model to be emulated by all the Christian counselors. All the Christian counselors should lead by example and all their efforts should be directed in helping those individuals who are facing crisis and not hurting them. Wright provides some biblical principles including ways of applying scripture during a counseling session and understanding the trauma or crisis process. The biblical perspective of Wright can be of great importance to those individuals who are in helping profession and seek out in doing the work of God. Wright also emphasizes on listening, building rapport, having empathy, trust and giving hope to those experie ncing trauma and crisis. He also provides scriptures together with personal accounts purposed to form basis for inexperienced counselors in the profession in addition to those who want to improve their skills. He also provides a variety of techniques to the readers with an aim of guiding the Christian counselors through their journey in helping victims who are in crisis. The book also providers the readers with improved understanding ways of approaching topics like loss of loved ones or suicide; whether they are children, adolescence or adults (Wright, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wright recognizes the fears that ministers while walking into new situations which involves crisis or trauma. He states that learning on ways of handling these situations through practice and education will improve the skills of the minister in assisting the victims. The author also advises readers on using biblical principles to assist the person to develop courage to help him or her to persevere through the hard times. The author in his book a good counselor should have the ability to hold her or his tongue. In this regard Wright shows that a good counselor should practice active listening. In this regard they should listen with their body, eyes and also by affirming understanding as well as empathy. Wright gives a recommendation that counselors should scrutinize themselves prior to advising other individuals on situations. One recommendation of the boob is that ministers should use Jesus like an example to them of how to treat the traum a/ crisis victims. This is because Jesus portrayed his ability to accept those individuals who were hurting. In this regard, Jesus was able to help and love individuals through their grief through this acceptance. The author also advises about the counselors asking the questions from the clients so as to understand more about the situation of the client prior to giving counsel (Wright, 2011). Concrete Responses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I had a very traumatizing experience when I was only 9 years old. This was when I was kidnapped by unknown criminals as I was coming back home from school. They pretended that they were enquiring something from me and then they got hold me and I was forced to enter into an awaiting car and then sped off at high speed. They were four guys and I was threatened that in case I tried screaming they would shoot me to death and I was very terrified. One of the guys covered my eyes using a piece of cloth and I was taken to an unknown building. I was chained and I was tortured both physically and psychologically. I was beaten using a cane and even shocked with the electric cords where I went through untold suffering. The torturers threatened that they will eventually kill me and I will never see my family and friends again. Those evil torturers also tortured me by pouring boiling water to my legs. Eventually, I was rescued after two weeks of hell a nd I was rushed to a hospital where I was admitted for a month. All this time, many questions kept lingering in my mind regarding to why I had to go through this traumatizing experience at such a tender age. I developed hate and bitterness to every stranger and I had to be taken to counseling sessions to recover from the entire traumatizing event. My family and friends were equally disturbed by that traumatizing experience. I will never forget about that terrible experience in the rest of my life. Reflection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book has many positives and Wright who is the author is able to provide a valuable guide on how to deal with trauma and crisis. He is able to relate all this biblical principles through his biblical perspective which instills hope to those who are suffering. Through this biblical perspective the Christian counselors are able to understand the whole process of trauma or crisis thus they are able to apply scripture in their counseling sessions. Through the use of biblical principles those people who are undergoing hard times are able to gain courage to persevere. The author advises the counselors on how to become good counselors so as to be able to help individuals to pull through from traumatic events. The author also shows a great understanding of the feelings and emotions of the individuals. He also advised the counselors to emulate Jesus as a perfect example of how to treat the trauma/crisis victims (Wright, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are also some negatives about the book for instance; the author states that traumatic events were not common in the past as they are in the contemporary society. This is not necessarily so because in the past people did disclose their traumatic experiences that happened to them. Also in the past the media did not publicize violence heavily as it does today since in the past individuals were more private regarding such matters. Another negative thing concerning the book is the way Wright treated the subject concerning confrontation. Before he mentions confrontation Wright focuses more on counseling skills like empathy connecting these skills to the behaviors that Jesus portrayed. Wright went ahead to relate confrontation to showing empathy for a person in assisting them to make improved choices. Nevertheless, the book fails to point out the thought of biblical rebuke and also the ideal situation when this sort of confrontation should be used. This is because when confrontation is employed too early in a case of a relationship it can spoil the rapport of the minister with the client; however the kind of confrontation required is also a crucial subject which is supposed to be discussed. Therefore, the author provided limited information regarding how to confront the clients and also deciding the ideal timing for such confrontation (Wright, 2011). Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book will act as an important guide in my life so that I can be able to help those who are going through various traumatic experiences in their lives. Life is full of such events and therefore this will help me in preparing me to deal with such situations and gain courage to persevere such experiences. I will start basing all the experiences that I undergo and those that my friends are undergoing though a biblical perspective. I have learnt to be a good counselor by adopting active listening when helping the victims of trauma/crisis. I have learnt on how to treat the victims facing crisis/trauma through listening to them, building rapport, having empathy, trust and instilling hope to them. I have also learnt how to approach topics like loss of loved ones and suicide among others. I have also decided to take an action and emulate Jesus who was an exemplary figure in assisting people. I will also be referring to the book from time to ti me as a way of polishing my skills as a counselor. I have also learnt how and when to ask questions from the victims needing help so that I can be able to understand their situation so that I can be able to give them valuable counsel (Wright, 2011). References Wright, H. N., & Wright, H. N. (2011). The complete guide to crisis & trauma counseling: what to do and say when it matters most! (Updated & expanded. ed.). Ventura, Calif.: Regal/From Gospel Light. Source document