Saturday, August 31, 2019

Psychology Notes Essay

1) Four big ideas in psychology: a. Critical thinking is smart thinking b. Behavior is a bio psychosocial event c. We operate with a two-track mind (Dual processing) d. Psychology explores human strengths as well as challenges 2) Why do psychology? e. The limits of intuition and common sense i. Enough to bring forth answers regarding human nature. ii. May aid queries, but are not free of error. iii. Hindsight Bias: the â€Å"I-knew-it-all-along† phenomenon. 1. After learning the outcome of an event, many people believe they could have predicted that very outcome. iv. Overconfidence: thinking you know more than what you actually know. f. The scientific attitude v. Composed of curiosity, skepticism, and humility. vi. Curiosity: passion for exploration. vii. Skepticism: doubting and questioning. viii. Humility: ability to accept responsibility when wrong. g. The science of psychology helps make these examined conclusions, which leads to our understanding of how people feel, think, and act as they do. 3) How do psychologists ask and answer questions? h. The scientific method ix. Construct theories that organize, summarize and simplify observations. x. Theory: an explanation that integrates principles and organizes and predicts behavior or events. (Example: low self-esteem contributes to depression). xi. Hypothesis: a testable prediction, often promoted by a theory, to enable us to accept, reject or revise the theory. (Example: people with low self-esteem are apt to feel more depressed). xii. Research: to administer tests of self-esteem and depression. (Example: people who score low on a self-esteem test and high on a depression test would confirm the hypothesis). i. Description xiii. Basic purpose: to observe and record behavior. xiv. How conducted: do case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations. xv. Weaknesses: No control of variables; single cases may be misleading. xvi. Case Study: a technique in which one person is studied in depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles. xvii. Survey: a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people usually done by questioning a representative, random sample of people. xviii. Wording can change the results of a survey xix. Random Sampling: when each member of a population has an equal chance of inclusions into a sample (unbiased). 2. If the survey sample is biased, its results are not valid. xx. Naturalistic Observation: observing and recording the behavior of animals in the wild and recording self-seating patterns in a multiracial school lunchroom constitute naturalistic observation. j. Correlation xxi. Basic purpose: to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another. xxii. How conducted: compute statistical association, sometimes among survey responses. xxiii. Weaknesses: does not specify cause and effect. xxiv. When one trait or behavior accompanies another. xxv. Correlation Coefficient: a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables. 3. Example: R = + 0.37 a. R is the correlation coefficient b. + is the direction of relationship (either + or – ) c. 0.37 indicates the strength of relationship xxvi. Correlation DOES NOT mean causation. 4. Examples: d. Low self-esteem could cause depression e. Depression could cause low self-esteem f. Distressing events or biological predisposition could cause low self-esteem and depression. xxvii. Illusory Correlation: the perception of a relationship where no relationship actually exists. (Example: parents conceive children after adoption). xxviii. Order in Random Events: 5. Given random data, we look for order and meaningful patterns. 6. Given large numbers of random outcomes, a few are likely to express order. k. Experimentation xxix. Basic purpose: to explore cause and effect. xxx. How conducted: manipulate one or more factors; use random assignment. xxxi. What is manipulated: the independent variable(s). xxxii. Weaknesses: sometimes not feasible; results may not generalize to other contexts; not ethical to manipulate certain variables. xxxiii. The backbone of psychological research 7. Effects generated by manipulated factors isolate cause and effect relationships. xxxiv. Double-blind Procedure: in evaluating drug therapies, patients and experimenter’s assistants should remain unaware of which patients had the real treatment and which patients had the placebo treatment. xxxv. Random Assignment: assigning participants to experimental and control conditions, by random assignment, minimizes pre-existing differences between the two groups. xxxvi. Independent Variable: a factor manipulated by the experimenter. 8. The effect of the independent variable is the focus of the study 9. Example: when examining the effects of breast-feeding upon intelligence, breast-feeding is the independent variable. xxxvii. Dependent Variable: a factor that may change in response to an independent variable. 10. Usually a behavior or a mental process. 11. Example: in the study of the effect of breast-feeding upon intelligence, intelligence is the dependent variable. 4) Aristotle l. 384-322 B.C. m. Naturalist and philosopher n. Theorized about psychology’s concepts o. Suggested that the soul and body are not separate and that knowledge grows from experience. p. â€Å"The soul is not separable from the body, and the same holds good of particular parts of the soul.† -Aristotle 5) Wundt q. 1832-1920 r. Studied the â€Å"atoms of the mind† s. Experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, which is considered the birth of psychology. 6) William James t. 1842-1910 u. American philosopher v. Wrote psychology textbook in 1890 w. James’s student, Mary Calkins, became the APA’s first female president xxxviii. She was not able to attain her PhD from Harvard. 7) Sigmund Freud x. 1856-1939 y. Austrian physician z. Emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. 8) Psychology {. Originated in many disciplines and countries |. Defined as the science of mental life until the 1920s. }. 1920-1960: psychology was heavily oriented towards behaviorism. ~. Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. 9) Pavlov, Watson and Skinner . Watson: 1878-1958 . Skinner: 1904-1990 . Emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology instead of mind or mental thoughts. . â€Å"Anything seems commonplace, once explained.† -Watson 10) Maslow and Rogers . Maslow: 1908-1970 . Rogers: 1902-1987 . Emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. 11) The American Psychological Association (APA) . The largest organization of psychology . 160,000 members world-wide . Followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members. 12) Current perspectives . Neuroscience: how the body and brain enables emotions xxxix. How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? . Evolutionary: how the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation on one’s genes. xl. How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? . Behavior genetics: how much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences xli. To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment? . Psychodynamic: how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts. xlii. How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? . Behavioral: how we learn observable responses. xliii. How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking? . Cognitive: how we encode, process, store and retrieve information xliv. How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? . Social-cultural: how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. xlv. How are we- as Africans, Asians, Australians or north Americans- alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ? 13) Psychology’s subfields . Biological: explore the links between brain and mind. . Developmental: study-changing abilities from womb to tomb. . Cognitive: study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. . Personality: investigate our persistent traits. . Social: explore how we view and affect one another . Clinical: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. . Counseling: helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. . Educational: studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings. . Industrial/Organizational: studies and advises on behavior in the workplace. 14) Clinical vs. Psychiatry . Clinical Psychologist: (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. . Psychiatrists: (M.D.) medical professionals who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients. 15) Three main levels of analysis

Kant Categorical Imperative

Kant’s Categorical Imperative Kant’s Categorical Imperative is made up of two formulations, Formula of Universal Law and The Formula of the End in Itself. The first formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). What does this mean? A maxim is the fundamental rule of conduct or your moral belief upon which you chose to act. A universal law is a law that everyone must follow regardless of the outcome.How do we determine if the maxim can become universal? One of the first things to do is to ask yourself if it would be acceptable that everyone do the same thing that you are considering doing in that situation. We were given several examples in The Elements of Moral Philosophy and the one that made the most impact was â€Å"suppose a man needs money, but no one will lend it to him unless he promise s to pay it back-which he knows he won’t be able to do. Should he make a false promises to get the loan? † (Rachels, 2012).If this happened the maxim or universal rule would be anytime you need a loan tell a lie that you will repay it and you will get the loan. This is not something that everyone would be willing to do because you will no longer believe others when they tell you this statement and no one would be willing to make the loans. The second thing you should do to determine if the maxim can become universal is look at your answer to the first question. Did you say â€Å"yes, I think that everyone will do it? †. If so, then ask yourself if it makes rational sense to want everyone in the same situation to do what you are contemplating doing.If your answer was no to either question then your maxim cannot become universal law because it is not considered moral. Overall, based on Kant, an act is morally right only if the primary rule of behavior, which is how you decide to act morally, can constantly and universally relate to you and others. The second formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. (Kant, 1785, 1993). Basically, this means that morality consists of doing your duty to treat people, including yourself, and an end, never as a means to an end. Kant combined the second formulation with the first because we have a perfect duty to not use the humanity of ourselves or others merely as a means to some other end. Most ends are somewhat subjective because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particular hypothetical imperative that a person may choose to adopt. (Categorical Imperative Explained, 2012).The second formulation also leads to the imperfect duty to further the ends of ourselves and others. If any person desires p erfection in themselves or others, it would be their moral duty to pursue that end for all people equally, so long as that end does not contradict perfect duty. The question of whether or not Kant adequately addresses the problems evident in comparison of the two formulations cannot be summed up with a simple yes or no answer. He makes a good argument for both sides just as he opposes both sides.The difference is whether or not we have the right moral sense to determine why and how our decisions affect ourselves and others. Kant shows that you have struggles when rationality and practicality are conveyed to cover the same matter. So after all this we ask the question, â€Å"How plausible is the theory? † I think that it is a logical theory that clearly assists in making decisions. It provides a plausible account of morality because you can look at others and have a tendency to complete your actions based on those of others. Kantianism is a more consistent theory because it ca n be universally applied to all.It is more believable because even if the penalties of carrying out an action aren’t necessarily the best, the individual is still obligated to perform the action because it is their duty to do so. Kant’s theory focuses on the motivation of actions and has a clear and distinctive set of universal rules, and is morally sound. Consequently, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. Bibliography Categorical Imperative Explained. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from Everything Explained: http://everything. explained. at/categorical_imperative/ (1993). In J. W. Ellington, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (p. 30).Hackett. Kant, I. (1785, 1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed.. . In J. W. Wllington. Hackett. Rachels, J. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill. Reason – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason Chicago: Reason – Wiki pedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason (accessed April 17, 2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm Chicago: The Elements of Moral Philosophy, http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm (accessed April 17, 2012).

Friday, August 30, 2019

Legalization or Decriminalization of Drugs

The legalization or decriminalization of drugs would be beneficial to society through various ways. The government would collect taxes on them which could help with various expenses such as education expenses. Through different pharmaceutical companies it can be controlled as well as ensure quality which helps drug users from receiving bad product. It could free up space in prison or jails and allow more room for concentration of other important crimes that are taking place in society. On the other hand, the legalization of drugs could as well harm society. It could be used more by individuals and cause individuals to become less alert to the important things in society. This could also cause harm to kids. So we have to understand that there are pros and cons to the legalization as well as it could be beneficial as well as cause harm in many of ways. When this comes into consideration, the pros and cons should be weighed before a final decision is made. Yes I do consider alcohol a drug. It can become addictive as well. It causes a high just same as drugs. It most importantly causes a change in individuals behavior when to much alcohol is consumed. Certain alcohol levels can become very dangerous at times. It can be more dangerous than illegal drugs. I do believe that some alcohols are safer than others. An individual must also know their limits of how much alcohol to consume. This is sometimes hard in many situations which sometimes lead to various addictions and crime. Sometimes it can even lead to death when one has received too much of the wrong alcohol. This is known as alcohol poisoning. Without prohibiting alcohol, I believe that there is already a great control on alcohol already taking place. You will not be able to get rid of it. The only thing that you can do is maintain certain laws and standards that are to be abided by to keep it under control. The drug trade will always exist. There will be drug users as well as drug dealers. TV shows and films in my opinion act out what is already present in real life situations. The only difference is one is physical seen in everyday life versus the other shown on television. I do not believe that all images on TV of drugs and alcohol be banned. Theses situations should be shown. Sometimes by watching these shows and watching some of the out comes can help one turn or change to a more positive path in life. On the other hand it can help those who were considering it, maybe to not participate or become users. Just like everything else, individuals will always try to blame there problems on something or someone, but we have to remember that everyone makes that choice to do right or wrong. Television shows a lot of what is already happening in the streets in homes. Instead of looking at it causing more harm than good, it should be looked at it as a guide to help turn from those ways. Yes I believe prostitution is a crime. If two individuals would like to endeavor in mutual sex, than they can do that with out prostituting. Some are, not in their right state of mind as well as know the difference between right and wrong. If a man or woman would like to sell sexual favors, that should be there right just as long as it is mutual and not in the public view. Two adults that are capable of making decisions about their life should be allowed to make them as long as it does not cause harm to them or anyone else. Prostitution on the streets is nothing that should be exploited because of the dangers and harm that could follow if things are done as planned or expected. Children are alert to all of their surroundings and what goes on in society. Sexual transmitted diseases as well as AIDS is floating on and being passed from one individual to another uncontrollably. Here again without prohibiting it, I believe there is a great control of sexual explicit materials on the internet. It is on television, in magazines, as well as viewed on tapes and cds. So it will be showed one way or another. No I would ever approve of the online sale of sexually explicit photos of children even if they are artificial images created by computer animation. Children are sensitive and are still coming into the knowledge of growing into young mature productive adults in society. They are not learning how to become another statistics in society of crime. This would not be a positive aspect that would be beneficial to them in life. This as well would not lead nor guide them in how to have respect for their bodies as well as others. We should also understand that because there are predators out their in the world we should not help them cause harm to children. I believe that both statements are accurate. Although sexually aggressive men are drawn to pornography; a man who is not so sexually aggressive would reach that stage eventually as he continue to watch as well as read more and more pornography. Men sexual drives are strong at times. There excitement levels are different in many ways. When a manfinds something or sees something that excites him, he continues to want that as well as wanting to reach more exciting levels. Through pornography they are also able to full fill such levels as fantasies. When men become aggressive their focus is usually one thing and that is to reach their peek. Sometimes this means by any means necessary. Now some men needs more than pornography. Pornography is only satisfying for a while. After this point they actually try to turn and create those fantasies with someone else. Some women are faced with the same issues. I believe that there are various views on this issue. I due believe that in various ways there are objective standards of morality. Others believe that there are not any objective standards. Many believe and argue that mostly those individuals that have a relationship as well as an involvement in Christianity are the ones who believe that there are objective standards. They believe that these objectives were written back in the days that God created the Ten Commandments.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The role of motivation in management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The role of motivation in management - Essay Example Post WWII, the concepts of mass production, economy and scale, and uniform production methods brought businesses to leadership in their respective fields. During these years the labor pool was made up most significantly of men who learned to be successful by following orders and following through until they were told differently. This is a mindset which created an effective military machine, and brought economic success back to their home country. However, today's labor pool is significantly different. The workers are educated, and have been taught to think as well as work. Today's workers want to know, and to some extent feel connected to the 'why' behind their tasks as well as the 'what' of their daily tasks. To a great extent, these workers no longer hold to the ideals of the previous generation, and are no longer motivated to work for a secure paycheck, and a 30 year career path. Today's workers are looking for an emotional connection, or what researchers call a psychological contract (Clair et. al, 2001) between themselves and their employers in order to feel personally connected to their position. Hence, business a usual, expecting workers to be satisfied by following orders and completing tasks, is no longer a corporate culture which will build a successful organization. CF&F may not yet realize the problems for which it is headed. Surrounded by a corporate culture which has successfully built the organization, the CEO, board and other top executives may not yet be aware of the extent to which the employee dissatisfaction can undermine the organization. We could say that the organization must tame the unruly beast of employee unrest before it begins to negatively affect production, quality, and profits. The company needs to tame the problem before the organization begins to suffer profit decay due to increased costs associated with increased turnover. The following recommendations will use the acronym T.A.M.E. to form a recommendation for change. For the duration of this recommendation, T.A.M.E. stands for: Transformation of the company culture by training upper and middle management in transformational leadership. Authority disbursement from the hands of the upper management to the department heads and workers. Mentoring transformational leaders at every level. They will learn within a measured level of accountability how to lead and transform those under them Empowerment of each department to control their immediate environment and business variables in order to maximize efficiency, and employee moral. Basis for the recommendation Tom Peters and Robert Waterman published Mc Kinney's 7-S Model in their article "Structure Is Not Organization" (1980) and in "In Search of Excellence" (1982). The model starts on the premise that an organization is not just structure, but consists of seven elements: Those seven elements are differentiated into so called hard S's and soft S's. The hard elements (green circles) are feasible and easy to identify. They can typically be found in strategy statements, corporate plans, and organizational charts. The four soft S's however, are less

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Voter ID for Polling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Voter ID for Polling - Research Paper Example Largely, legislation guiding the voting process sets some requirements that a voter must meet. It is quite for a voter to show up at a voting station without these requirements. The legislation provides sanity in the election process thereby promoting transparency and accountability. America states have voting rules or laws, which define the election process. Each state has its laws, which it has enacted to guide the election process. The use of Voter ID in the voting process is a legal requirement by the laws of some states in America. Voters have the mandate of acquiring the Voter ID at the stipulated time before the electioneering period. Voter registration and verification is an important exercise that involves all those people who are willing to cast their votes (Schmidt, et. al. 307). Enacting legislation to guide the election process has met protest of equal magnitude from citizens who feel that the voter requirement would lock many people out of the voting process. It is true that the people locked out of the voting process would not find an opportunity to make a decision on what kind of leadership they would like to rule their society. Voting is a vital process for each citizen because the choice that a citizen makes today would define the life the citizen would lead tomorrow. This reason has led to the criticism of the Voter ID requirement. Restrictive voter identification policies, such as, state issued photo ID cards, threaten to exclude millions of eligible voters who include poor, minorities, elderly, handicap among others. State governors, led by Republican state governors promote the Voter ID policies. States in America have adopted new voter law, which aim at restricting voting procedures in the states. The law stipulates that voters must produce government ID photo, proof of citizens, and other related government documents. Many Americans do not have all or some of these documents, yet they need to vote in order to shape their destiny. Reaction by different wings in the political divide has led to filling of lawsuits, which would lead unraveling of stagnation of the voters’ right. Elderly people, students, women, people who are under the low-income bracket, people with disabilities, and the color may not vote. The law threatens the right of this group because of the strict conditions that it poses to them. The move adopted by many states in America to adopt strict voter laws has led to protest from civil right movements and the democrats. Many street protests indicate that many people feel that the laws are repugnant to the electioneering process sometimes in 2012. Electio n is the pillar of democracy in America and any thing that seems to tamper with the election process draws criticism from all the political wings (Griffith 227). Senior election analyst, Jennie Bowser comments that American people believe that election is the root of American democracy. Some Americans feel that the rights to vote in America are under attack following the new voter regulation policies. It is worth noting that the freedom that American enjoys is a result of voting freedom that they have. Voting has been a tool of changing and shaping leadership in the United States. The role of voting in the American society is clear to every American citizen. A society without laws does not respect the opinion of the society. The laws provide a framework that lays the procedures of handling things. In the like manner, the electoral laws provide a guide to the society in order to promote accountability and transparency. The fear that electorate have over the new laws have some grounds because some people are likely to remain out of the process because of the restrictive laws. Laws are useful in the society, but would be havoc if they lead to

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The nature of FDIs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The nature of FDIs - Essay Example The second commonality mentioned is usually taken to be the more important defining feature of the two. FDI denotes a degree of direct ownership whereas indirect investments are those gaining exposure to enterprises without investing directly such as listed securities, investment funds and derivatives. (Blomstrom and Globerman, 2001) Previously, FDIs referred only to physical investments made by a local company to a foreign setting. Building factories, providing machineries and equipment were considered as FDIs while portfolio investments were considered as an indirect investment. However, the rapid globalization of markets served as an impetus to broaden the definition of FDI to include the lasting ownership of shares of companies and enterprises. As such, joint ventures, alliances where a company provides technological support and licensing of intellectual property and direct acquisition of a firm are now considered to be FDIs. (Sullivan and Sheffrin, 2003) The current requirement is that an international business relationship must be formed between the local entity and the foreign affiliate. Foreign Direct Investors can either be a private or a public entity and may involve an incorporated or unincorporated organization or a lone individual. In any case, the foreign entity should provide the local entity a certain level of control in its management. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), control can come in the form of a 10% ownership as a minimum. In cases where this are not present, the investment made is known as portfolio investment. The ownership implies that the investor is afforded control in the management and decision-making of the enterprise. However, the data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Economic Development indicate that there are countries where the 10% ownership is treated in a flexible manner to accommodate local legal and business environment circumstances. There are cases where the o wnership is less than 10% but the investor is afforded an effective voice and there are cases where exercise of influence control is not given even if the investor exceeds 10% ownership. FDI Classification According to UNCTAD (2007), FDIs are classified according to certain defined factors. A classification based on the direction of FDI generates two broad types: outward-bound and inward-bound. Outward-bound FDIs are those investments provided by local entities to foreign partners while inward-bound FDIs have local entities as the beneficiary of investments from abroad. FDIs can also be classified according to the nature it is conducted. Vertical Foreign Direct Investments exist when a local entity owns some shares in a foreign enterprise and is using the business arrangement to either generate supplies or be the one supplying. Horizontal Foreign Direct Investment occurs when a local entity, usually a multinational company, establishes a similar business operation in foreign settings. FDIs can also be classified according to its motives. If the FDI was made to explore new opportunities in new markets or strengthen the existing market structure, we have a 'market-seeking FDI'. When the FDI was made because the foreign setting provides resources that are not locally available at the same degree,

Monday, August 26, 2019

Aircraft Performance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aircraft Performance - Case Study Example With this said, there are both challenges and opportunities that the industry have faced since the time, some of which are discussed in the case study. The problem is that high demand for innovation and diversity in the industry calls for enhanced designs, performance, materials, development, and production of new high-performance jet aircrafts which must be made available while taking advantage of industry opportunities whiles overcoming industry challenges. For there to be growth in the industry, there must be a clear balance between customer demand and specification, and manufacturing of jet aircrafts. It is only when there is this form of balance that consumers and customers can have a feel of value addition in the jet aircraft industry (Travis, Carleton & Lauritsen, 2002). By exploring the opportunities and challenges that are within the industry therefore, a chance is being created for manufacturers to take advantage of what awaits them in the industry while being enlightened on what to avoid through the challenges. Industry opportunity. Advancement in technology, which has aided in the areas of research and development, designing and creation, production, and evaluation of finished products (Frode & Christos, 2005). Advantages with opportunity . Heightened research in jet engine production due to advancement in technology was the direct result of the three design principles which have been used in the industry since 1965. The three principles are dual-spool layout, variable stators, and the turbofan (Curtis, Rhoades & Waguespack, 2013). Together, these principles have been the basis of achieving high performance. Future utilization of opportunity. The future utilization of the opportunity of technological advancement is expected to focus mainly on durability and portability. That is, jet aircrafts that are produced in the future are expected to last longer and function within a more spacious limit so that a lot more

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Local Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Local Lawsuit - Essay Example In addition, Bill Gates instructed Andy Grove to close Intel Architecture Laboratories (Liebowitz & Margolis, 2001). These labs maintained Intel’s internet software engineering. Gates wanted Intel to incorporate its internet sources in a web server linked to Microsoft’s Tiger program. This means the web server would have less effect on the market, produce low sales, and include Intel to Microsoft’s web server tools. Intel’s concerns went beyond Intel’s creation of Native Signal Processing technology. The Native Signal Processing technology was a component of software that combined with both the hardware and Windows OS so as to support 3D graphics, real time video, and real time audio. The main aim of this technology was to give clients audio-visual occurrence that was equal to television. Therefore, Microsoft attempted to stop Intel from developing the Native Signal Processing technology (Liebowitz & Margolis, 2001). These actions led to the lawsuit involving the United States and Microsoft. Microsoft Corporation management could have adopted a number of methods to evade the issues that led to the lawsuit. First, Microsoft management should have allowed Intel to continued utilizing Windows for developing their microprocessors (Liebowitz & Margolis, 2001). They could do this without requiring alignment with Intel’s communication and internet software programs. Nonetheless, the management could draft rights for a part of the developed microprocessors. This could give them a legal right to own a component of whatever Intel developed. Microsoft’s management could have shared the company’s application programming line with Intel or any other additional party. These third party corporations could gain full access to Microsoft’s source code, systems, and records (Abramson, 2005). Gates wanted Intel to incorporate its internet sources in a web server linked to Microsoft’s Tiger

Saturday, August 24, 2019

ETHICS, CONSUMERISM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Essay

ETHICS, CONSUMERISM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - Essay Example This can be achieved through regular regulation of the business approach to go well with the present market. This paper looks at how organizations can make use of management tools to manage their operations in a more efficient way taking the example of Franke Sessions. It also proposes a communication plan for Franke Sessions that can help the organization to develop awareness in all its stake holders. An environmental management system is a typical method for the incorporation of sustainable ecological management all through the business structure. EMS consists of the organization composition, development activities, properties and measures for implementation the environmental strategy as an essential part of the executive procedure. It is a functional instrument to put into practice in order to act in accordance with the legislation, deal with stakeholder demands, progress business representation and elevate alertness of environmental concerns. EMS is a good method for identifying problems and solving them, it is founded on the notion of repeated development. It can be put into practice in a business in numerous diverse ways, depending on the segment of action and the requirements alleged by management. As a matter of fact, principles for EMS have been built up by the ISO and by the European Commission Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) (Darnall, et al 2008). The requisites of the vibrant business environment have made many companies’ value chains unsteady, this means that businesses have more and more been required to formulate decisions regarding the management of the value chain into a further peripheral system of management. The vibrant commerce environment gives the impression of affecting both interior and exterior business procedures. Its latest transformation from in-house business procedures to peripheral business procedures has been extremely rapid because of the use of diverse IT-application. These

Friday, August 23, 2019

Quality Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality Model - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that for a business to succeed, it is necessary to have strategies to ensure optimal productivity to meet customers’ needs and attain company objectives. Quality management entails customer satisfaction, improving management, involvement of employees and reaching company goals. Total quality management involves every facet of a business together with sections like research marketing, and development, sales and human resources. The basic tenets of total quality management range from satisfying the customer, satisfying the supplier, and consistent improvement of the business. This essay explains the primary elements of the three spheres of quality model. It further describes the organizational activities that fall within each of these spheres. The first element of the three spheres of quality model is total quality management. According to Nguyen and Derstine, this is a crucial factor for businesses to prosper both internally and exter nally. Internal success in the company takes into account state of products and services to meet customer expectations. The organization also needs employees to be fully productive through keeping workers content. In terms of external success, company profitability can lead to market success. Companies that trade publicly and have higher standard of total quality management are more likely to succeed and end up having more profitable market shares. Traditional accounting systems have for a long time failed to consider measures.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Case Study--i've got rhythm Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

--i've got rhythm - Case Study Example This category is convoluted in the sale of medical devices. The experts in this sector offer patients the service of specific technical programming of various machines. They also give information on machines to the medical personnel in charge of hospital machines. The first option involved hiring a lot of direct sales force that would get to the market more deeply and market the products. This option would have a direct impact on the business since it would increase the market range. This action would foster better relationship between the company and its customers due to direct contact. However, this option is disadvantageous since it lowers the morale of existing sales personnel. The second option involved creating clear-cut job descriptions between the sales people and the technical representatives. The salespeople focused on selling the machines that the technical team handled machine operation. This option could lead to increase in sales since each group could add more effort on their area of specialty. However, creating a gap between these two groups would lead to dissatisfaction of customers. The third option involved focusing on the areas that had more probable customers. Concentrating on major market areas would result into high sales since the target was easy. However, this method left out the option of looking for new markets. The fourth option involved converting the sale force into a team that would work together to increase the sales. In this option, the sales specialist and a technical specialist would work together so that the rate of customer satisfaction would rise and consequently the number of sales would increase. However, a major disadvantage is that the operational cost would be very high and hence profit rates would reduce. I would recommend the fourth option since it provides more room for growth in the company. Coordination ensures that everyone in the team has the knowledge on all aspects of the business and

Research Change Models Essay Example for Free

Research Change Models Essay To make meaningful and long-term change in an organization, an organization needs to follow the guidelines of a change model, a diagnostic instrument, and change intervention. This paper will discuss two change models, two diagnostic instruments, and two change interventions. Change Models The two change models discussed in this paper are Lewin’s Change Model and the Action Research Model. Both of these models give a map on how to create change. Lewin’s model simplifies the process into three steps while the Action Research Model consists of eight steps. Both models three phases: Research phase, changing phase, and solidification phase (Luckett, 2003). Lewin’s Change Model Lewin developed one of the very first models for change management (Luckett, 2003). He stated there are two types of people in an organization; those who resist change and those who strive for change (Luckett, 2003; JPC, 1995; Spector, 2007). He stated the two groups need to be of equal measure to maintain homeostasis (Luckett, 2003; JPC, 1995; Pellettiere, 2006; Spector, 2007). When both groups of people are equal, a frozed state (freeze) is achieved. Lewin (as cited by JPC, 1995) states a driving force is needed to either â€Å"strengthen the driving forces or weaken the restraining forces† to achieve change (para 3). Spector (2007) states, â€Å"to break the social habits that support existing patterns of behaviors, effective implementation needs to start with dissatisfaction, disequilibrium, and discomfort† (p. 29). When one side is strengthened and/or one side is weakened then change (move) can be achieved. During this time, the organization goes through redesign, new roles and responsibilities, and new relationships are made (Spector, 2007). After the change, or movement, is completed, the organization then needs to go back to a state of homeostasis (refreeze). Bridges (2003) echoed Lewin’s three stages to organizational change in his naming of the stages: Ending, losing, letting go; neutral zone, and New Beginning (Bridges, 2003, p. 5 as cited by Stragalas, 2010, p. 31). Lewin’s model with its three steps may be too simplistic for many organizations to achieve change. Without a less ambiguous map, the organization may not be able to sustain change. Action Research Model The Action Research Model consists of eight steps: Problem identification, consultation with behavioral science expert, data gathering and preliminary diagnosis, feedback to key client or group, joint diagnosis of problem, joint action planning, action, and data gathering after collection (Boonstra, 2003; Luckett, 2003). The last five stages can be perpetual. After the last data gathering, the organization should return to â€Å"feedback to key client or group†. Once the feedback is given, the group may want to continue through the next steps. Whereas the diagnosis is completed through the â€Å"unfreeze† in Lewin’s model, in the Action Research model, diagnosis is completed during the â€Å"problem identification, consultation, and data gathering steps† (Luckett, 2003, p. 25). The changing phase for Lewin is the â€Å"move† step. In the Action Research model, the changing phase occurs during the â€Å"feedback, joint diagnosis, action planning, and action steps† (Luckett, 2003, p. 26). In Lewin’s model, the solidified phase takes place during the refreeze. In the Action Research model, solidification takes place during the â€Å"gathering after the action† (Luckett, 2003, p. 26). Moreover, â€Å"the continual process of feedback analysis solidifies the changes as the occur† (Luckett, 2003, p. 27). Unlike the Lewin model, Action Research allows for perpetual analysis that â€Å"facilitates adjustments in the organizations change plan† (Luckett, 2003, p. 28). Diagnostic Instruments Diagnostic instruments, or assessment instruments, are used for data collection and to analyze an organization. Without a proper diagnosis, change is very likely to fail (Pellettiere, 2006). Alderfer (1980) states â€Å"organizational diagnosis proceeds in there orderly phases: entry, data collection, and feedback† (p. 460). The entry phase consists of identifying who will participate in the assessment and if an agreement can be reached (Alderfer, 1980). The data collection phase consists of collecting the information and then analysis of the information (Alderfer, 1980). The feedback phase consists of sharing the results with the organization along with suggestions for the organization (Alderfer, 1980; Preziosi, 2012). The feedback should consist of strengths and weaknesses within the organization (Alderfer, 1980). Salem (2002) states there are three type of assessments: structural assessments, functional assessments, and process assessments. Structural assessments are a snapshot of a specific point in time, functional assessments relates antecedents with actions and outcomes, and process assessments consists of collecting data over an extended period of time (Alderfer, 1980). SWOT Analysis SWOT Anlysis is an acronym which stands for strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995; Boonstra, 2003; Hughes, 2007; Mind Tools, 2012; RapidBI, 2010; Renault, 2012). According to Balamuralikrishna Dugger (1995), a SWOT analysis should cover the internal environment and external environment. In regards to education, the internal environment consists of â€Å"faculty and staff, the learning environment, current students, operating budget, various committees, and research programs† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 13). External environment includes â€Å"propective employers of graduates, parents and families of students, competing schools, population demographics, and funding agencies† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 14). SWOT analysis would be very beneficial to school systems. Understanding an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats assists the organization and their leaders to develop a plan of change that will be meaningful, measurable, and achievable. Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995 give many drawbacks to the SWOT analysis. They warn against misusing information to â€Å"justify a previously decided course of action rather than used as a means to open up new possibilities† (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995, para. 19). They also warn against being too concerned about labels. For example, in many instances threats can also be considered opportunities depending upon the mindset of the leader and/or organization (Balamuralikrishna Dugger, 1995). Functional Assessment Functional assessments are another diagnostic tool useful to organizations. Functional assessments look at antecedents, behaviors, reasons for the behaviors, and outcomes (Salem, 2002). Antecedents describe what happened before the behavior. The behavior refers to how a person(s) or organization responded to the antecedent. The next question one must ask is â€Å"why did the person(s)/organization act this way?† There are several reasons a person or organization responds the way they do. However, there are only a few categories for any given behavior: attention, avoidance/escape, and control/tangible (McConnell, Cox, Thomas, Hilvitz, 2001). Finding the reasoning behind a behavior can be very important in overcoming a behavior/resistance to change or to repeat desirable behaviors to change. Problems associated with functional assessments often revolve around lack of direction. What does the organization do with this data? Functional assessments should be followed by goals. Goa ls are long-term change for an organization. To achieve their goals, organizations need to develop short-term wins, also called objectives. Change Interventions Change interventions are the â€Å"planned programmatic activities aimed at bringing changes in an organization† (Sadhu, 2009, para. 1). Interventions are detailed maps to help an organization achieve its long-term change. Aligning Reward Systems through Objectives Objectives are a road map to achieving an organizations long-term goal. Objectives need to be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (Morrison, 2010). As employees or other stakeholders meet objectives, a reward system should be set in place. The reward system needs to be appropriate and balanced with regard to the objective and motivate the organization to meet the objective(s) by the deadline. Problems with reward systems include over compensating, under compensating, and the reward not being meaningful to the recipient (Cole, Harris, Bernerth, 2006; Morrison, 2010; Nevis, Melnick, Nevis, 2008; Sadhu, 2009. Polarity Management Intervention Morrison (2010) states there are benefits of embracing resistance. He states embracing resistance can speed up the change process, help build strong relationships, help all stakeholders to meet some of their own personal goals, and keeping leaders from â€Å"taking untimely or foolish action† (Morrison, 2010, para. 22). Johnson (1992) developed a table with four quadrants to â€Å"depict change initiators and resisters† for both individuals and teams. Using this table helps organizations to see the whole picture, understanding where individuals and the organization as a whole is at this time and how to get it individuals and teams from polar opposites to common ground so change can be made (Morrison, 2010). Downsides to Polarity Management Intervention include loosing individual creativity and freedom as well as neglect of personal needs (Morrison, 2010). References Aderfer, C.P. (1980). The methodology of organizational diagnosis. Professional Psychology, 11(3), 459-468. doi:10.0033-0175/80/1103-0459. Balamuralikrishna, R., Dugger, J.C. (1995). SWOT analysis: A management tool for initiating new programs in vocational schools. Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, 12(1), 5 pages. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVTE/v12n1/Balamuralikrishna.htm. Boonstra, J. (2003). Dynamics of organizational change and learning. Chichester: Wiley. Cole, M.S., Harris, S.G., Bernerth, J.B. (2006). Exploring the implications of vision, appropriateness, and execution of organizational change. Leadership Organization Development Journal, 27(5), 352-367. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437730610677963. Holt, D.T. (2002). Readiness for change: The development of a scale. Ph.D. dissertation, Auburn University, Alabama. ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. (Publication No. AAT 3070767. Huges, M. (2007). The tools and techniques of cha nge management. Journal of change management, 7(1), 37-49. doi: 10.1080/14697010309435. JPC (1995). An ethical, means based, approach to organizational change. JPC Media LLC. Retrieved from www.jpcmediallc.com. Linkage (2012). Diagnostic instruments and assessments. Linkage. Retrieved from linkageasia.com/our-leadership-consulting-expertise/diagnostic-instruements-assessments/ Luckett, M.T. (2003). Organizational change and development. (Unpublished dissertation). Walden University, Minneapolis, MN. McConnell, M.E., Cox, C.J., Thomas, D.D., Hilvitz, P.B. (2001). Functional

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Why did the Reformation Matter to Ecclesiology?

Why did the Reformation Matter to Ecclesiology? By Carmel Gittens This presentation is to be delivered to our weekly Youth Group in our village hall. This is a group of young people aged 16-18. They have poor attention and love film especially Star Wars! So; the opening slide is to grab their attention, but there is no attempt to equate Star Wars with the Christian faith. The purpose of the presentation is to help them understand the significance of the Reformation and the impact it had on the Anglican church to which they belong. Also, to help them understand why the reformation is not a relic of the past but that the faith we share is dynamic, constantly reforming, and is as important today as it was then. There is often a misconception, especially amongst young people who have just studied Tudor history in school, that the reformation was all about Henry VIII wanting to divorce and remarry. They erroneously believe that he was responsible for the split of the Protestant movement from the Catholic church in Rome. As far back as the 5th century Augustine in his book The City Of God had declared that Mans commitment wasnt to Rome but to Jesus Christ. However the British monk Pelagius, while reading Augustines autobiography, was struck by this prayer: Grant what Thou commandest, and then command what Thou wilt. In other words, fallen man is utterly dependent upon Gods grace for salvation. No one, for example, can practice the self-control God commands unless God gives him grace to do so. These words made Pelagius uncomfortable. He believed human beings could be saved by their own efforts. This great theological controversy engulfed the church. To refute Pelagianism, Augustine turned to the great Pauline doctrines of grace, such as original sin, fallen mans total depravity and inability to save himself, the efficacy of the atoning death of Christ, and the necessity of faith in Him for salvation. The enormous biblical learning and perseverance of Augustine won the day against Pelagiuss teaching in the church. In the hundreds of years that followed, the Christian faith took many twists and turns, with Rome rising and falling in its domination, and Papal power being established. However the influence of the seventh century figure Pope Gregory who endeavoured to bring the whole world into the Christian faith and succeeded in bringing Kings and Rulers to the church, was weakened by the fact that the type of Christian faith that was produced was very superficial. A kind of faith that the church still struggles with today. The Synod of Whitby 648 was a gathering of bishops preoccupied with the significant issues of the day such as the shape and style of vestments worn by clergy and the date of Easter. This historical example showed how sometimes the church can completely forget its mission. Disagreements over the use of icons during the next century began to split east and west, coming to a great climax in 787 when the Iconoclastic controversy hit the second council of Nicaea. Although the church eventually allowed the use of icons, it was only under the insistence that they were not worshipped but used for instruction only. However, over the years this line again became blurred and images were given an even more important place in public worship. Whilst empires began to crumble, power was shifting towards the church, and this power was often achieved by corrupt means. Educational standards were falling; often the clergy were more ignorant of Gods word than those they were preaching to and standards of spiritual direction fell. The influence of Eastern traditions and beliefs isolated the Western church, and the popes of Rome were now able to take more power, unchallenged as they were by any degree of accountability to a higher power on earth. They began to acquire land and used the revenues from them to dominate the wider church with their corruptions. Many began to recognize the corruption between state and church and this led to disagreement over who should be able to elect clergy, the state or the church? More and more of the higher offices of clergy seeing the need to gain power began to raise funds with which to grow their dynasty and spiritual wellbeing gave way to fundraising and the selling of indulgences. It was in this climate that many began to voice their concerns, and the reformation movement really began to gather momentum. Whilst this is very important to the deeper understanding of the roots of the reformation, for the needs of the target group of my presentation, I have begun in the 14th century with the introduction of Wycliffe and his translation of the bible into English. Whilst a brief introduction that sets the scene is necessary, the amount of preceding information would be too much for the group to take in at one go, and may require a separate session. However, such in-depth detail may only be needed by those wishing to continue studying reformation history, rather than just a basic understanding of where this fits in to the development of the faith of the Anglican church. I decided by way of brief introduction to discuss the discontent with Rome and the political power wielded by the papacy, the use of Latin in both the Catholic Mass and the Bible as a way of controlling the information the populations were given, and the selling of indulgences by the clergy as a supposed way of gaining forgiveness and a sure way to enter heaven. To help the students understand just how early this discontent began, two slides about Wycliffe and Hus have been included, with the link to Luther coming from the slide about Hus prophecy regarding another man 100 years on, who would be proclaiming the same discontent and proposed reforms. Whilst I have maintained a little of the Star Wars theme, I did not wish this to become confused with the focus of the presentation and so after using a little picture to retain their interest I then left this until the last slide to finish the theme. Luther is introduced, with a brief history of his life and how he came to disagree with the traditional Catholic biblical teachings and the corruption of Rome. Then follows an explanation of his 95 theses and the controversy its publication caused. I believe that the importance of the printing press on the spread of the ideals of the reformers should not be underestimated. It is often debated that without it perhaps Luthers influence would not have been so far reaching. The students need to understand this and so the slide regarding this was introduced. The following information regarding the main concerns of Luther has been simplified as much as possible to aid students understanding of a very complex topic which contains a lot of historical information. It is important though that the main facts and chronology are established. Luthers theses that expressed his concerns about certain Church practices largely the sale of indulgences, and his deeper concerns with Church doctrine are explained. And how Luther could not reconcile this practice with his beliefs. When Pope Leo X began allowing indulgences to be sold it was to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Johann Tetzel, a monk began selling them not far from Wittenberg, where Luther was Professor of Theology. Luther could not find any scriptural evidence that this practice was of God. The students are now shown how Martin Luthers personal faith journey evolved from being a devout Catholic to hating the vengeful God he found in the bible. He concluded that no matter how good he tried to be, he could never earn his way to heaven. Luther re-read St. Paul, who wrote The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Luther had a eureka moment and began to understand that those who go to heaven will get there by faith alone not by doing good works. In other words, Gods grace is something freely given to human beings, not something we can earn. This belief was not shared by the Catholic Church. Luther and other reformers also disagreed regarding the transubstantiation of the Eucharist. Luther thereby challenged one of the central sacraments of the Catholic Church, one of its central miracles, and thereby one of the ways that human beings can achieve grace with God, or salvation. Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X when he refused to recant his theses and other works at the diet of Worms. There needs to be balance in any teaching session and it is important to look at the churchs response; which was called the Counter-Reformation. The slides include information about the 1545 Council of Trent and its discussions to deal with the issues raised by Luther. This is important as it shows that the Catholic church attempted reconciliation and although many of its former practices and traditions were upheld, there was some attempt to stamp out the corruption that had in many ways led to the reformation. This and the later values of the Oxford movement are discussed. It is only then that the involvement of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth are brought into the session. The influence of religion upon the political world and the wars and persecution that happened then; and is still happening today, are addressed. The Reformation was a very violent period in Europe. Each side, both Catholics and Protestants, were certain that they were in the right. Bibliography Ferguson, Sinclair B.; Beeke, Joel R.; Haykin, Michael A. G.. Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries. Reformation Heritage Books. Spencer, Stephen Anglicanism:SCM Studyguide. 1 Jun 2010 Reeves, M and Chester, T: Why the Reformation Still Matters, Inter-Varsity press 2016.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Relationship between the society and technology

Relationship between the society and technology Technology is very important aspect of human condition as it provides cloths, shelters, foods, transportations etc. Technological determinism is the theory that technology is an autonomous force that changes society and it is also the key force to our society. This provides explanations for many changes that can be observed in society, and it has a very simple cause/effect form. However, this theory is false, if you think you have an instance, it means you are looking at just one part of a much more complex situation, and ignoring the complex social network that supports the technology. However, technology is a major and really the main cause of social change as a lot of changes in the society is largely caused by technology but within human control. The computer and email technology has reduced the period it takes to transmit messages between two parties or more as emails sent electronically can be received immediately, thereby saving lots of man hours, and consequently even reducing human and vehicular traffic as people dont need to sometimes travel to send and receive documents. The computerization of the banking is not necessarily to reduce wage bills and increase profit as new technologies and this computerization brings new employment opportunities for a lot of IT professionals who will manage this technology. The new innovation in banking is to guarantee efficiency and productivity the same applies in the containerization of cargo. Like earlier specified these technologies were not only technologically determined, it did have its economic, social, cultural and political reasons. These technologies did give room for employment as more people gets employed to manage these technologies, the more income and more revenue for government and ultimately growth in economy, thereby causing political stability which has it cultural advantages as a peaceful society is a viable society. A society is an organized group of person associated together for purposes such as social, political and religious, while technology on the other hand is an application or even sometime seen as object. This report will help us to determine which of the above mention attempt that is best in relating both technology and society, their strength and weakness, merits and demerits and possible whether they have been able to really answer to the obvious question of whether the society is inflecting technology or its technology that is influencing the society. 2. TECHNOLOGICAL DETERMINISM Technological determinism is one of the three attempts that this report intends to use in determining the relationship between technology and the society. Before I analyze this attitude or theory, it is important to understand what I mean by technology and society. Technology determinism does explain the relationship between technology and the society, but it does not adequately explain the relationship technology and society. A lot of social changes are also independent as technology does not have any influence. Technology cannot be said to be autonomous as not all social changes and activities are dependent on technology examples are the computer and email technology where informations, messages and documents are sent electronically, not needing people to take mail from one location to another, but this technology is still largely not dependent as the computer cannot send mails on its own, which means its not out of mans control as people still get employment to receive, read and possibly reply mails, so does not cause any redundancy or unemployment. 2.1 Technological Determinism explains relationship between technology and society which asserts that. Technological Determinism is also a popular view about the relationship between technology and society. It is the same Technology Determinism that says new technologies develop the change in society. And the theory presumes that a societys technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values. Therefore the term technological determinism is an idea, a belief, a theory that human, individual and societal change are caused primarily by technology, that technology is the main agent of social change. However, there is still the debate whether technological determinism is a theory or an attitude. This refers to the belief that technology is the agent of social change. It is both popular attitude, reflected in such expressions as you cant stop progresses and a theoretical position. Looking at the relationship between technological determinism as a theory and as an attitude, determinism is a popular attitude to technology, but it cannot be used as a theory or basis for explaining the relationship between society and technology. 2.2 I believe that quotes B and D are examples of Technology determinism. 2.3 The reasons why I believe quotes B and D are examples of a Technology Determinism approach to technology and society. 3. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM Social Constructionism is an artefact in a social invention or construction by an individual in a particular society. Also theory that in addition to express the socially designed ways of our social life which can also be in connect with knowledge achieved and develop within society context, as opposed to realism. (Nilsen) Social Constructionism is a term used theories that express the socially originated way of our social life. (Marshall, 1994). Main feature of Social construction theory is viewing knowledge as socially distributed. Through origin relationship between knowledge and its social base knowledge becomes a social product and a factor in social change. Social distribution of knowledge has implications for social construction of identity, depending on which identity is appropriate or desired at a specific point in time. As a result, whatever the experts do, the pluralistic situation changes not only the social position of the traditional definitions of reality, but also the way in which these are held in the consciousness of individuals ( Berger Luckmann, p. 115). 3.1 The main features of this theory areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3.2 The quotes which I think best illustrate SCism are W and Y. 3.3 The reasons why I think W and Y are written from a SCist perspective areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4. SOCIAL SHAPING Social shaping is theory that addressed the outcomes or impacts of technological change, the design patterns and implementation of technology. In recent years, social shaping has increased and also gained its recognition. It thus goes beyond traditional approaches, concerned merely to assess the `social impacts of technology, to examine what shapes the technology which is having these impacts, and the way in which these impacts are achieved (MacKenzie and Wajcman 1985). Technological change is often seen as something that takes its own way. 4.1 This theory about the relationship between tech. and society can be explained as followsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4.2 identify quotes 4.3 state why you have chosen these quotes. 5. CONCLUSION 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alphabetical list of all books, websites, articles etc used in preparing report. FORMAT: Author/editors last name then initial, (date of publication), title in italics, place of publication: place of publication. Forester, T. (1987) High-Tech Society, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Monday, August 19, 2019

What Is Art :: essays research papers

Tolstoy wrote, in What is Art? â€Å" If a man is infected by the author’s condition of soul, if he feels this emotion and this union with others, then the object which has effected this is art: but if there be no such infection, if there be not this union with the same author and others who are moved by the same work-then it is not art?â€Å" â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† is art by this criteria. Tolstoy’s writing keeps my attention throughout â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† and awakens my soul. I have never read any literature of Leo Tolstoy, and I could not walk away from the story, I wondered what happened next. It makes me realize how important life is to be treated. This work of art expresses to me Tolstoy’s views on life and death. The short story gives examples of how a person can live life the wrong way. In reading the â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych†, many feelings stir up inside me because I can relate his experience with my grandfather that died of cirrhosis of the liver. Tolstoy reaches the soul because he describes Ivan’s life occurrence through his spiritual revelation. He observed a heartbreaking death of his brother. In reading, â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych† Tolstoy portrays Ivan as a thoughtless and selfish man. I see Ivan as a frightened individual; afraid of what life has to offer. â€Å"Ivan experienced happiness only in his childhood† (Tolstoy 1179). He decides to go to the School of Law. He marries because he feels it is right not because he is in love, and his peers approve. I feel for Ivan because everyone knows that a person cannot be happy if one marries for the reasons Ivan did. After all, should not the basis of a marriage be love? Love brings happiness to our lives. Ivan does not have the happiness that love could bring. I get the impression that Ivan does not receive much love throughout his life; which makes it very hard to show love for his wife. He is incapable of loving someone because he does not know how to love. Ivan does try to give these things to his family. However, He tries to impress his colleagues. Ivan decorates his house with antiques, carefully scrutinizing as a means to pretend to have money. Ivan begins to focus on his career because of his unhappiness at home.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Americas First Black President Essay -- Obama, racism, American Presi

For many years, American Presidents were viewed as being white and powerful leaders. Why were they only white? Is it because Americans felt Blacks were not smart enough to run a country on their own? African Americans were viewed as less dominate people and have been discriminated because of the color of their skin. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States making him the first black president ever. In this paper, I will discuss how Barack makes a change and if America can accept him as our first black president. Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu Hawaii. He is of mixed parentage: his father, a black African born in Kenya, while his mother, a white American that came from Kansas. When he was six years old his parents divorced and his mother married an Indonesian oil manager. They moved to Indonesia where Obama was educated in a Roman Catholic School. He then returned back to Hawaii to continue school while living with his grandparents. Barack struggled with his own racial identity in his late teens. (Funk & Wagnalls) Barack received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and then worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. This helped him gain a lot of confidence and responsibility. He had many plans and goals to make the community better. He achieved his goals and this was just the beginning of a successful path in his life. He decided to attend Harvard Law School, which helped him bring change for himself, his family, and especially to his community. Also in that school he also gained the knowledge and power of becoming a leader that he wanted to become. In 2008, Barack Obama was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. I... ..., infrastructure investments, and direct aid to hard, pressed states and cities. He says all of his goals to fix America would take just one term, it may take two terms, so change would slowly and done right. Today, Obama is handling all of what he is expected and promised to do. He’s our first African- American president that is very cool and down to earth. He had the same type of problems any American had and had some struggles while growing up to . Obama is also very educated and determined to do what is right as our leader. In conclusion, I do believe that America can accept its first black president because we have proof to show it. He has done so much to become who he is today and he showed us that he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him. America can accept him because he’s young , fresh, full of new brilliant ideas, down to earth and he’s all about change. America's First Black President Essay -- Obama, racism, American Presi For many years, American Presidents were viewed as being white and powerful leaders. Why were they only white? Is it because Americans felt Blacks were not smart enough to run a country on their own? African Americans were viewed as less dominate people and have been discriminated because of the color of their skin. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States making him the first black president ever. In this paper, I will discuss how Barack makes a change and if America can accept him as our first black president. Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu Hawaii. He is of mixed parentage: his father, a black African born in Kenya, while his mother, a white American that came from Kansas. When he was six years old his parents divorced and his mother married an Indonesian oil manager. They moved to Indonesia where Obama was educated in a Roman Catholic School. He then returned back to Hawaii to continue school while living with his grandparents. Barack struggled with his own racial identity in his late teens. (Funk & Wagnalls) Barack received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and then worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. This helped him gain a lot of confidence and responsibility. He had many plans and goals to make the community better. He achieved his goals and this was just the beginning of a successful path in his life. He decided to attend Harvard Law School, which helped him bring change for himself, his family, and especially to his community. Also in that school he also gained the knowledge and power of becoming a leader that he wanted to become. In 2008, Barack Obama was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. I... ..., infrastructure investments, and direct aid to hard, pressed states and cities. He says all of his goals to fix America would take just one term, it may take two terms, so change would slowly and done right. Today, Obama is handling all of what he is expected and promised to do. He’s our first African- American president that is very cool and down to earth. He had the same type of problems any American had and had some struggles while growing up to . Obama is also very educated and determined to do what is right as our leader. In conclusion, I do believe that America can accept its first black president because we have proof to show it. He has done so much to become who he is today and he showed us that he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him. America can accept him because he’s young , fresh, full of new brilliant ideas, down to earth and he’s all about change.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Anxiety, stress and burnout in nursing Essay

Anxiety, stress and burnout in nursing is a significant issue, which affects many nurses during their professional career (McVicar, 2003). Graduate nurses transitioning from university education to a hospital setting face additional causes of stress and new challenges at this time and require accommodating measures such as a supportive work environment (Chang & Hancock, 2003). At present the nation is experiencing a severe nursing shortage that is impacting greatly on the work conditions of nurses that remain (Chang & Hancock, 2003). In this critical appraisal stress and burnout will be defined, as will all major terms throughout this paper. The author will discuss the critical nursing shortage and describe the symptoms of stress and burnout. Causes of burnout and stress will be discussed in relation to the graduate and experienced nurse. The author will present and discuss stress and burnout prevention strategies. Throughout this essay empirical evidence will be used to demonstrate validity of concepts. A literature search was conducted using computerized databases that were searched over the time period 2003-2008 and included Academic Search Premier, psycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, EJS E-Journals Database, Professional Development Collection, Medline, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Health Source: Consumer Edition and Cinahl. Key words searched included burnout, nursing, anxiety, stress, shortage, graduate, and strategies. Stress is thought to be connected to an individual’s response to specific demands, if the individual assesses the demand as beyond their resources this generates a stress response (Clancy & McVicar, 2002, as cited in McVicar, 2003). Stress responses include variation in an individual’s biochemical, physiological and behavioural processes (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). According to McVicar (2003) the ability of the individual to handle the stress response is dependent on specific experiences, coping mechanisms and the environment where demands are produced. Stress is usually part of a larger problem and is noted as the first phase of a ‘chronic process’ (Gillespie & Melby, 2003). If severe stress and anxiety persist without interventions being implemented this may lead to burnout, which is typically characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach & Jackson, 1986 as cited in Chang &  Hancock, 2003). Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) suggests that stress from work reduces the quality of work environment, job satisfaction, psychological wellbeing and physical health on nurses. Since stress has been identified as prevalent in nursing there have been various research studies discussing the causes and impacts of stress (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). As well as the effects of work place stress on nurses, there is the larger issue of the consequences for the health care system, with many nurses finding the only way to cure burnout is leaving the workforce, this is further impacting the serious shortage of nurses world wide (Chang et al., 2005; Edwards and Burnard, 2003 as cited in Chang, Bidwell & Huntington, 2007). A literature review of stress in nursing by Chang, Hancock & Johnson et., 2005 commented that currently the severe shortage of nurses in Australia is the largest since World War II and reports that by 2010, there will be a shortage of approximately 40, 000 nurses (RMIT University, 2003 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005). A report by AIHW (2005), found that the nursing work force has persisted to age, with the average age of nurses increasing from 42.2 years old in 2001 to 45.1 years old in 2005 and the amount of working nurses aged over 50 years has increased from 24.4% to 35.8%. The older population of nurses will eventually be leaving the profession in years to come when the shortage of nurses is at its worst, this will further compound the issue (Janiszewski Goodin, 2003). The Australian government has responded to the issue of an aging workforce by encouraging older nurses to continue with further study and actively discouraging them from retiring (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). After many years of decline of enrolments to tertiary nursing courses there has been a considerable influx of applicants, this is thought to be created by the governments increasing media campaigns to generate interest in nursing as a career, however, the boost in enrolments does not necessarily solve the nursing shortage as the larger issues of why retention of nurses has not been successful have not been addressed and media campaigns could almost been seen as a ‘band-aid’ covering up the larger problems (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). The nursing shortage has seen many ‘unskilled’ workers entering the aged care sector as a ‘substitution’ of registered  nurses; currently the aged care system is overwhelmed with demand and †˜patient complexity’ (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). Duffield & O’Brien-Pallas (2002, as cited in Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003) suggest three main reasons for the growing nursing shortage, these include, personal issues that pertain to stress, burnout and an inadequacy of balance in their personal lives. Secondly Duffield & O’Brien-Pallas (2002, as cited in (Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003) cite organizational and management issues, which relate to workplace violence, either verbal or physical between patients or staff, as issues of concern in retention of nurses as well as professional issues with dissatisfaction stemming from the ability of the nurse to provide quality of care in circumstances of high demand (Chang, Hancock & Johnson, 2005; Wickett, McCutcheon & Long, 2003). These unresolved problems contributing to the nursing shortage emphasize the urgency of studying the nursing profession and environment so that the sustainability of the health care system can continue (Chang, Hancock & Johnson, 2005). There are multiple symptoms of anxiety and burnout, as noted, prolonged stress and anxiety can result in burnout. Physical effects of stress include persistently elevated arterial blood pressure, indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea and weight gain or loss (McVicar, 2003). In cases of severe prolonged stress physical effects can progress to clinical hypertension, gastric disorders, nausea, fatigue, headaches and exacerbated symptoms of asthma (McVicar, 2003; Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). The possible cause of fatigue in severe stress and anxiety is high levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that can be produced in excess when a person is stressed leading to cortisol affecting sleep patterns and resulting in sleep difficulties (Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005). According to Hugo (2002, as cited from Billter-Koponen & Freden, 2005) symptoms of stress in European countries are rising, in 2003 over 5,000 nurses in Sweden were sick for over 30 days with approximately 40% of the diagn osis for the long-term absence from work being emotional exhaustion (burnout), the 2003 statistics were reported to have increased by 20% from the previous year. Billter-Koponen & Freden (2005) suggests that the larger proportion of demands for nurses are psychologically related and in turn this creates more psychological  disturbances than physical symptoms. The three core elements of burnout; emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment can produce various psychological effects. Emotional exhaustion may occur when the nurse experiences the inability to function professionally at a psychological level, the symptoms may include depression, sleep disturbances and the inability to control emotions (Maslach et al., 1996 p.4 as cited in Gillespie & Melby, 2003; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). A nurse who develops depersonalization may have feelings of irritability, anger and a general negative attitude towards clients, according to Leiter (1993, as cited in Patrick & Lavery, 2007) depersonalization transpires from a need to create distance from the work that is emotionally draining (Maslach et al 1996 p.4. as cited in Pa trick & Lavery, 2007; Chang & Hancock, 2003). Reduced personal accomplishment can create feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, low self-esteem and the predisposition to view their level of skill and care negatively (Chang & Hancock, 2003; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). These symptoms are especially worrying as they can reduce quality of care and decrease patient satisfaction (Janssen et al ., 1999; Garrett & McDaniel, 2001 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). It is generally accepted that nurses who are excessively stressed or experiencing burnout typically have poor job satisfaction, high absenteeism rates and many nurses contemplate leaving the profession altogether (Larson, 1987; Callaghan & Field, 1991 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). A qualitative study by Billter-Koponen & Freden (2005) interviewed nurses about their own experiences regarding work place anxiety, stress and burnout, the nurses commented they felt ‘powerless’ to avoid burnout and had inadequate time or energy to take on patient demands. The nursing profession involves demands beyond clinical technical skills, teamwork and constant care of patients; the role of nursing requires a high level of ‘emotional labour’, which can lead to many complex causes of stress and burnout (Phillips, 1996 as cited in McVicar, 2003). Gillespie & Melby (2003) found that the length of shifts and shift patterns, which included night duty contributed to emotional exhaustion, personal relationship problems, difficulty concentrating and fatigue. Similarly, Efinger et al., (1995 as cited in McVicar, 2003) reported shift work as  having a negative influence on social and personal aspects of the nurses’ lives, it was also mentioned that night shift work was particularly draining in terms of physical health and disrupted family life. Furthermore a study by Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) consisting of 320 randomly selected Australian registered nurses who were listed on the New South Wales registration board database found that workload was the most common source of stress with indications that high workload negatively affected the mental health of nurses. Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) also comment on the legal requirements of providing a safe work place in which workers are not under excessive stress, which is affecting their mental health. However, a study by Patrick & Lavery ( 2007) based on a random sample of 574 division 1 Victorian Australian Nursing Federation members were surveyed on burnout in nursing stated that hours worked by nurses have a weak correlation with emotional exhaustion. Yet it could be argued that these results are not a true indication of full-time nurses feelings as 65.73% of the participants worked part-time or casual nursing roles with the average amount of hours that nurses worked in this study being 32.17 hours, which amounts to a ‘lower average’ than full time work (Patrick & Lavery, 2007). A cross-sectional study by Spooner-Lane & Patton (2007) found that nurses who worked full-time experienced higher levels of emotional exhaustion compared to part-time or casually working nurses. Increases in workload exist in other areas such as recent updating of technology, extra responsibilities, paper work and increasing staff shortages (Chang & Hancock, 2003). A study by Gillespie & Melby (2003) that consisted of a triangulated research design, which incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods as well as using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews found that staff shortages were cited numerous times as a significant cause of anxiety and stress. The nurses specifically identified the use of agency staff as a concern as many nurses expressed the issue of spending valuable time assisting agency staff in locating equipment and explaining the way that particular ward operated (Gillespie & Melby, 2003). A nurse that was interviewed in Billter-Koponen & Freden’s (2005) study reported trying to bridge the gap of time lost from extra demands by coming in early, working through meal breaks, and staying back to work longer. Nurses interviewed in  Gillespie & Melby’s (2003) study also stated that ‘junior nurses’ were forced to take on roles beyond their experience. A focus group by the Australian Governmen t further reports levels of growth in turnover and the increased amount of more acute patients as a source of stress due to staff levels remaining stagnant while demands escalate (Chang & Hancock, 2003). Considering levels of demand are high and staff levels are not increasing as well as substituting agency staff or pressuring junior staff to meet senior roles these pressures would certainly contribute to anxiety, stress and potentially, burnout. Role ambiguity can be described as insufficient information about specific responsibilities and roles that a nurse must undertake (Chang & Hancock, 2003). Role ambiguity can occur in the form of objective ambiguity, which arises from ‘lack’ of information for that particular role, and subjective ambiguity, which is associated with the ‘social’ and ‘psychological’ features of ‘role performance’ (Kahn et al., 1964, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). Chang & Hancock (2003) conducted a qualitative study of 110 tertiary nursing graduates from 13 institutions across New South Wales, Australia who work in one of four teaching hospitals about role stress in graduate nurses, the participants were surveyed during 2-3 months of working and then again between 10-11 months. Chang & Hancock (2003) reported the graduates experienced role ambiguity within the first few months of working and this continued throughout the 12 months as well as being a contributor to lower job satisfaction. However, Chang & Hancock’s (2003) study was limited due to the use of self-reporting by the graduates, which is subjective and not objective data. Patrick & Lavery (2007) suggests role ambiguity is an extra stressor as graduates endeavor to fulfill their expected roles whilst experiencing new challenges. Role overload typically occurs whilst graduates are learning time management skills and learning new roles (McVicar, 2003). Chang & Daly (2001, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) identify that role overload can intensify the effects of role ambiguity. Chang & Hancock (2003) found that role overload became a larger contributor to stress than role ambiguity in nursing graduates after 10-11 months of working. Gillespie & Melby (2003) notes a significant difficulty for graduate nurses  as they transition into a hospital environment as opposed to learning at university, this ‘gap’ between skills learned in theory within university education and the ability of realistic demands within the hospital environment could present additional stress on the graduate nurse. Madjar et al., (1997 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) describes this as the ‘theory-practice gap’, which causes a clash between personal standards and own values (Jasper, 1996; Reutter et al., 1997 as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003). Patrick & Lavery’s (2007) study supports this ‘theory-practice gap’ and goes on to further state that nurses who acquired their nursing degree at a university have higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than hospital-trained nurses. Graduate nurses also report low levels of confidence, lack of support, unrealistic expectations of other clinical staff, unexpected work situations, adjusting to shift work and the increase in responsibility as added sources of stress (Chang & Hancock, 2003; Kelly, 1998 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005; Patrick & Lavery, 2007). Allenach & Jennings (1990, as cited in Chang & Hancock, 2003) explain that stress from these new challenges includes anxiety. It could be assumed that normal stressors that affect all nurses regardless of age and experience affect graduate nurses as well as other specific experience- related stressors. Patrick & Lavery (2007) found that age and experience was negatively associated with burnout, suggesting that young and inexperienced nurses have a higher rate of burnout compared to older and more experienced workers. This finding is consistent with Spooner-Lane & Patton’s (2007) study of 273 nursing staff, which reported age as a signif icant indicator of burnout. Jackson et al., (2002, as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) suggest nurses are at risk of workplace violence in the forms of verbal or physical violence from their patients, relatives and staff. Participants from Chang, Daly & Hancock’s et al., (2006) study completed four different questionnaires regarding workplace stressors and findings suggested workplace conflict between nurses and physicians was a significant cause of stress. According to Ball et al., (2002, as cited in McVicar, 2003) conflict between staff has become a more important issue throughout the previous 10  years. Due to the nature of nurses’ work where patients’ emotions are highly sensitive, as they may be scared or have a higher expectation of required care than they are receiving, nurses can be venerable to violence and research by Carter (2000, as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) comments workplace assault is more common for nurses than any other health professi onals. The consequences of workplace violence are increased levels of anxiety, high levels of sick leave, lower levels of job satisfaction, burnout and lower retention rates (Jackson et al., 2002 as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005; RCN, 2000 as cited in Gelsema & Van Der Doef et al., 2006). The flexibility of working hours and shift patterns was a significant cause of stress for nurses, it would be safe to assume that greater flexibility in working hours could possibly reduce stress, assist nurses in achieving a more balanced life as they contend with family and other personal pressures. Strategies to achieve greater flexibility in working hours will require a concentrated effort by management and staff to achieve ‘equity’ when allocating shifts and empowering nursing staff to have preferences regarding overtime and in particular, night shift (McVicar, 2003). The workload of nursing is consistently reported to lead to an increase in anxiety, stress and burnout, therefore lowering workload would be a reasonable intervention, however workload is a complex issue which includes determinants that can be influenced by the individual or organization in which they work (Gelsema & Van Der Doef et al., 2006). The main issue that needs to be addressed is to ensure staffing levels are sufficient for that particular setting, this would greatly reduce pressures relating to patient care and reduce the incidence of staff working outside of their roles (McVicar, 2003). Other measures such as time management skills and delegation skills may further assist in reducing workload pressures. Hayhurst, Saylor & Stuenkel (2005) recommends further research into workload pressures that are associated with specific specialty areas so that programs can be implemented to target the needs of that specialty. In Chang & Hancock’s (2003) study of role stress and role ambiguity in  Australian nursing graduates it was noted that graduates experienced a high level of role ambiguity in their transition from university to the workplace. A study by Mrayyan & Acorn (2004) assessed nursing students to determine causes of burnout and invited students to suggest solutions to stressors affecting burnout. The nursing students highlighted role ambiguity as a contributor to stress and suggested a comprehensive update of job descriptions that included the scope of practice, skills and experience needed, explanation of knowledge required and a regular assessment if changes of the job expectations change. Greenwood (2000. as cited in Chang, Hancock & Johnson et al., 2005) reported that preceptor programs, orientation programs, ‘open communication’, and staff development considerably aids graduates transition and experience of role ambiguity throughout the year. Violence in the workplace in the form of verbal abuse from other colleagues is a negative experience for nurses and is the cause of significant amounts of anxiety and stress Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., 2006). McVicar (2003) suggests that conflict with staff is the responsibility of management, nurses and all other professionals. Tourangeau & Cranley (2006) advise that relationships with co-workers have a potential influence on the retention of nurses and suggests further strategies, which include praise and recognition of co-workers as well as team building strategies that increase social interaction. A qualitative study by Abuairub (2004) surveyed 303 nurses from various locations throughout the world on the effect of social support from co-workers in which, participants who ‘perceived’ having additional social support from co-workers reported lower levels of stress. Abuairub (2004) comments that extra social support from co-workers may assist in creating a more friendly and pleasurable working environment as well as nurses feeling they could call on co-workers for assistance. Graduate nurses would benefit from social support as they are constantly challenged and require guidance from all staff. Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) further support the notion of social support by reporting that a positive social climate can decrease levels of stress and ‘prevent’ burnout. The leaders of the work  environment need to foster a more socially supportive culture by demonstrating co-operation, encouraging teamwork, social equality, supportive attitudes and ed ucation about stress education and helpful coping mechanisms (Abuairub, 2004; Hayhurst, Saylor & Stuenkel, 2005). Coping strategies can be defined as psychological and ‘behavioural efforts’ to control demands that are considered as â€Å"exceeding the resources of the person† and are either problem focused which attempts to deal with or alter the problem that is the source of the stress or emotionally focused which attempts to ease ‘emotional distress’ (Lazarus and Folkman 1984, p. 141 as cited in Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., 2006). Chang, Daly & Hancock et al., (2006) comment that many studies suggest problem-focused coping to be more effective in preventing burnout than emotion-focused coping. It would be beneficial to address coping strategies with nursing staff to educate them about different methods and to assist them in recognizing coping methods that are unhelpful so that they may employ personal control to their responses of stress (Chang, Bidwell & Huntington, 2007). These strategies would greatly assist nurses in reducing stress and burnout as well as providing graduate nurses with a firm foundation of clear guidelines and support. In conclusion, the nursing profession is under high demand as our population is growing older and the acuity of patients is increasing. To ensure sustainability of the nursing profession it is essential that graduate nurses are supported in their transition from university to a hospital environment so they continue to remain in the profession. To retain more experienced nurses there must be change within nursing environments and organizations to create a more flexible and supportive workplace. The main causes of anxiety, stress and burnout have been well documented, and it is the implementation of strategies that is lacking. Further investigation into the effectiveness of prevention strategies for burnout should be explored, as better working environments will encourage more people and ex-nurses into the profession and therefore lessening the staff shortages that directly contribute to anxiety, stress and burnout.