Murray Bookchin and the Integral Community Essay

Both Locke and Proudhon speak about integrity, integrity as a person with property and skills in a society that no longer recognizes the person. They speak about natural law: the right top freedom and work, the right to function in society as a full person, not as a machine. These rights (and the duties that come with them) are a part of nature, they exist as objective realities, and hence, moral integrity is reached in coming to grips with the reality of these rights and duties: but come to grips not as a part of a state system, but as a person, since these rights predate the state and the modern economic system. Hence, both are subject to natural law, and the repository of the natural law in practical terms is the whole body of the community. Murray Bookchin takes the concept of natural law even further than both Locke or Proudhon. His central concept is that the very existence of the natural whole, the dynamic world of non-human nature, can no longer exist as an â€Å"other,† some useless lump of matter that needs to be exploited for profit. In other words, it is the violation of the natural rights of man that has led to the environmental degradation and exploitation of the modern world. The rule of capital and the central state has destroyed any sense of the rights of man or nature in a real revolutionary sense as outlined above. Instead, they have created wants and needs, and based all of his on a vulgar, pleasure-seeking utilitarianism (Bookchin, 1993, 350). Hence, the crisis we are facing, both the specific crisis of debt and foreclosure in 2009, as well as the deeper crisis of values and rights that have existed since Locke’s time, can be based to systemic causes. This means that it is the system itself that is the problem, and the values crisis is also related to the methods the current system uses to justify itself. But the truth is that natural law functions because man is not essentially different from the natural world around him. Man and nature derive from the same source and are made of the same materials, it is only man that can use technology with substantial theoretical foresight and hence, becomes a very different creature from the non-human nature around him. But this is precisely the problem, since this distinction between human and non-human nature have led to a mentality, a mentality deriving from ancient magic, that the natural world is â€Å"broken† and demands to be fixed by human work. Of course, this is just a mystification for elite rule and domination (Bookchin, 1993, 367-368). The practical effect of all of this is the development of technology that has the creation of needs and wants as its end: the creation of markets and profits. Technology and markets, in other words, have taken on a life of their own over and above the real needs of the community as well as the natural world as a whole (human’s included). These institutions, the market and technology, have long since overstepped their bounds, the bounds that natural law has created for them: the meeting of relatively simple human needs and the creation of rational mechanisms for distribution. When the market and the technological elite broke these natural bounds, the irrational and unnatural ideas of limitless development and hence, limitless profits took over and provided these things with their own world and their own rationale far beyond the much older, rational limits. Hence, the question of moral integrity is a matter of limits, and a matter of the ideas of the market or technology creating a world of their own, alienated form the communities that they were originally meant to serve. Thus, moral integrity is about limits, and the rejoining of technology to the community: in this case, Bookchin and Proudhon are in agreement. While Bookchin stresses the idea of citizenship in an integral community, Proudhon stresses man as a producer, beyond the state and in no need fo it. For Bookchin, a citizen is an integral person by definition: the citizen is someone who can balance the needs to the market, the individual and the person within a integral whole; the community legislating for itself as to what it needs and what will work in specific circumstances.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 10

I woke to blackness. Blackness and suffocation. I was in a small room, a box really, crammed in so tightly that my arms wrapped around me and my knees were drawn to my chest. Weirdly, my limbs seemed too long. My whole body did, actually. My body changed all the time with shape-shifting, but this wasn't what I'd been wearing with Roman. This was different. For a moment, that horrible space seemed to close in around me. I couldn't breathe. With great effort, I tried to calm myself down. There was enough air. I could breathe. And even if I couldn't have, it wouldn't have mattered. The fear of suffocation was a human instinct. Where was I? I didn't remember anything after the bedroom. I recalled the light and the music and Roman bursting in too late. I'd felt his power build up, like he was about to take action, but I hadn't seen the conclusion. And now, here I was. Before my eyes, two identical luminescent forms suddenly appeared, like torches being lit in the darkness. They were tall and thin, with willowy, androgynous features. Black cloth wrapped around their bodies, seeming to glow with a light of its own, and long black hair flowed from their heads, blending in and losing itself in the cloth. Their eyes were a startling radioactive blue, too blue for any human, and seemed to bug out of those long, pale faces that were neither male nor female. It was weird too because it was like they stood before me in a large room, as though they were ten or so feet away from me. Yet, I was still crammed into the confines of my box and its unseen walls, barely able to move. Aside from them, everything else was pure, unfathomable blackness. I couldn't even see my own body or any other features of the room. My brain couldn't get a grip on this spatial hypocrisy. It was all too surreal. â€Å"Who are you?† I demanded. â€Å"What am I doing here?† I saw no point in wasting time. The duo didn't answer right away. Their eyes were cold and unreadable, but I saw a bit of smugness in their lips. â€Å"Our succubus,† one said. His – my brain decided to assign them a gender – voice was low and raspy, with a lisp that reminded me of a snake. â€Å"Our succubus at last.† â€Å"Harder to catch than we thought,† added the other, voice identical. â€Å"We thought you would have succumbed long ago.† â€Å"Who are you?† I repeated, anger kindling. I squirmed in a futile attempt at escape. My confines were so tight that I didn't even have the space to beat my fists against the nonexistent walls. â€Å"Mother will be pleased,† the first one said. â€Å"Very pleased,† confirmed the other. The way they alternated phrases reminded me of how Grace – Jerome's former lieutenant demoness – and Mei used to interact. That had had a charming, moderately creepy The Shining feel to it. This†¦this was something else. Something terrible and icy, burning my senses like nails on a chalkboard. â€Å"Mother will reward us,† the first said. I decided to call them One and Two for the ease of mental processing. â€Å"She will reward us when she is free, when she escapes the angels.† â€Å"Who's your mother?† I asked. A troubling suspicion was beginning to form. â€Å"We will avenge her until she can do it herself,† said Two. â€Å"You will suffer for betraying her.† â€Å"Nyx,† I murmured. â€Å"Nyx is your mother. And you're†¦you're Oneroi.† They said nothing, which I took as affirmation. My head reeled. Oneroi? How had this happened? Oneroi were a type of dream demon – but not demons like the ones I interacted with. Heaven and Hell were forces in the universe, but there were others, others that mingled with and often ran parallel to the system I existed in. Nyx was one such force, an entity of chaos from the beginning of time, when the world had been created from disorder. And the Oneroi were her children. I knew a few things about them but had never seen them – or ever expected to. They visited dreams, feeding on them. Nyx had done this too, but the manner had been a little different. She had manipulated people into seeing the future in their dreams – a twisted version that didn't unfold the way the dreamer expected. It had led to crazy actions that spawned chaos in the world, allowing her to grow stronger. She'd also fed on my energy directly, taking it in its purest form and distracting me with dreams of my own. But Oneroi fed on the dreams themselves, deriving their power from the emotions and realities fueled by the dreamer. My understanding was that they also had the power to manipulate dreams but rarely had reason to. Humans provided plenty of hopes, dreams, and fears on their own. They needed no outside help. That was the extent of my Oneroi knowledge, but it was enough. Feeling even a little informed about the situation empowered me. â€Å"That's what this is about? You took me because of Nyx? I wasn't the one who caught her. The angels did.† â€Å"You helped them,† said One. â€Å"Led them to her.† â€Å"And then refused to save her,† added Two. With a pang, I remembered that horrible night, when Carter and his cronies had recaptured Nyx after her devastating free-for-all in Seattle. An angel had died that night. Another had fallen. And Nyx had promised to show me a future and family with a man I could love, if only I would give her the rest of my energy and let her break free. â€Å"She was lying,† I said. â€Å"She was trying to make a deal when she had nothing to offer.† â€Å"Mother always shows the truth,† said One. â€Å"Dreams can be lies, but truth is truth.† I decided pointing out the redundancy of that statement was useless. â€Å"Well, I'm sure she'll appreciate the Mother's Day gift, but you're wasting your time. Jerome will come for me. My archdemon. He won't let me stay here.† â€Å"He won't find you,† said Two. This time, I could definitely see smugness. â€Å"He can't find you. You no longer exist for him.† â€Å"You're wrong,† I replied, with a bit of my own smugness. â€Å"There's no place in this world you can take me where he can't find me.† That was, of course, assuming they hadn't managed to hide my immortal aura. To my knowledge, only greater immortals could do that. I wasn't sure where Oneroi fell in. One actually smiled. It was not attractive. â€Å"You aren't in the world. Not the mortal world. This is the dream world.† â€Å"You're one of many dreams,† Two said. â€Å"One dream among all the dreams of humanity. Your essence is here. Your soul. Lost in a sea of countless others.† My fear stopped me from offering commentary on his sudden shift into metaphor. The metaphysics of the universe and its layers and creation were beyond me. Even if someone had explained them to me, it was something past the comprehension of a mortal, lesser immortal, or any other being who was made-not-born. I had enough understanding, though, to recognize some truth in their words. There was a world of dreams, a world without form with nearly as much power as the physical one I lived in. Was it possible to trap my essence in it and hide me from Jerome? I was unsure enough that I couldn't write it off. â€Å"So, what?† I asked, attempting haughtiness but mostly sounding as uneasy as I felt. â€Å"You'll just keep me in this mime box and feel better about yourselves?† â€Å"No,† said One. â€Å"You're in the world of dreams. You will dream.† The world dissolved again. It was my wedding day. I was fifteen years old, jailbait in the twenty-first century but more than old enough to be a wife in fourth-century Cyprus. And more than tall enough too. The Oneroi had sent me into a memory or a dream of a memory or something like that. It was a lot like the dreams Nyx had put me in. I was watching myself like a movie†¦yet at the same time, I was in myself, experiencing everything quite naturally. It was a disorienting feeling, made worse by the fact that I had never wanted to see my human self again. Selling my soul had come with obvious downsides, but there had been perks too: the ability to shape-shift and never again have to wear the body that had committed such grievous sins in my mortal life. Yet, there I was, and I was unable to look away. It was like being in A Clockwork Orange. My younger self had been about five feet ten inches tall by today's standards and a giant of a woman in an era where people had been shorter. When dancing, I'd been able to put that long body and all those limbs to good use, moving gracefully and effortlessly. In everyday life, though, I'd always been painfully conscious of my height, feeling awkward and unnatural. Watching my old self walk now, from the outside, I was astonished to see I didn't appear as clumsy as I'd always believed. That didn't negate the revulsion I felt at seeing the thick, waist-long black hair or passably pretty face. Still, it was kind of a surprise to watch reality (if this was reality) and memory meshed. It was just after dawn, and I was carrying a large amphora of oil out to a storage house beyond my family's home. My steps were light, careful not to spill any of it, and I again marveled at the way I moved. I set the vessel down beside others inside the shed and started to head back toward the house. I'd barely taken two steps outside when Kyriakos, my husband-to-be, appeared. There was a covert expression on his face, one that instantly told me he had sneaked over here to find me and knew perfectly well that he shouldn't have. It was an uncharacteristically bold move for him, and I chastised him for the indiscretion. â€Å"What are you doing? You're going to see me this afternoon†¦and then every day after that!† â€Å"I had to give you these before the wedding.† He held up a string of wooden beads, small and perfectly formed with tiny ankhs engraved on them. â€Å"They were my mother's. I want you to have them, to wear them today.† He leaned forward, placing the beads around my neck. As his fingers brushed my skin, I felt something warm and tingly run through my body. At the tender age of fifteen, I hadn't exactly understood such sensations, though I was eager to explore them. My wiser self today recognized them as the early stirrings of lust, and†¦well, there had been something else there too. Something else that I still didn't quite comprehend. An electric connection, a feeling that we were bound into something bigger than ourselves. That our being together was inevitable. â€Å"There,† he said, once the beads were secure and my hair brushed back into place. â€Å"Perfect.† He said nothing else after that. He didn't need to. His eyes told me all I needed to know, and I shivered. Until Kyriakos, no man had ever given me a second glance. I was Marthanes' too-tall daughter after all, the one with the sharp tongue who didn't think before speaking. But Kyriakos had always listened to me and watched me like I was someone more, someone tempting and desirable, like the beautiful priestesses of Aphrodite who still carried on their rituals away from the Christian priests. I wanted him to touch me then, not realizing just how much until I caught his hand suddenly and unexpectedly. Taking it, I placed it around my waist and pulled him to me. His eyes widened in surprise but he didn't pull back. We were almost the same height, making it easy for his mouth to seek mine out in a crushing kiss. I leaned against the warm stone wall behind me so that I was pressed between it and him. I could feel every part of his body against mine, but we still weren't close enough. Not nearly enough. Our kissing grew more ardent, as though our lips alone might close whatever aching distance lay between us. I moved his hand again, this time to push up my skirt along the side of one leg. His hand stroked the smooth flesh there and, without further urging, slid over to my inner thigh. I arched my lower body toward his, nearly writhing against him now, needing him to touch me everywhere. â€Å"Letha? Where are you at?† My sister's voice carried over the wind; she wasn't nearby but could no doubt show up if she sought me. Kyriakos and I broke apart, both gasping, pulses racing. He was looking at me like he'd never seen me before. Heat burned in his gaze. â€Å"Have you ever been with anyone before?† he asked wonderingly. I shook my head. â€Å"How did you†¦I never imagined you doing that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I learn fast.† We stood there, locked in time for a moment. Then, he pulled me back to him, his lips crushing mine once more. His hand returned to my dress, hiking it up over my waist. He held my bare hips firmly and pressed himself to my body. I felt him hard against me, felt my body respond to something that seemed both new and natural at the same time. The fingers of one hand slid over, feeling the wetness between my thighs. His touch felt like fire, and I moaned, wanting him to stroke me there more and more. Instead, he turned me around so that I faced the wall. With one hand, he kept the skirt of my dress up, and with his other, I had the vague impression of him fumbling with his clothes. Then, a moment later, he pushed himself into me. It was a shock, like nothing I'd experienced before. I'd meant what I'd said earlier: that I'd never been with another man. And even wet with desire, it still hurt to have him inside me that first time. He seemed too big and me too small. I cried out at the pain, an odd sort of pain that didn't diminish the fire that had been building within me. His thrusts were hard and urgent, no doubt fueled by feelings he'd long been holding back on. And after a while, the initial pain seemed irrelevant. Pleasure began to grow as he moved into me over and over, and I adjusted myself so that I bent over more and let him take me more deeply. He thrust more forcefully, and I again exclaimed in surprise and blissful pain. I heard a muffled groan, and then his body shuddered as he spent himself, his movements at last slowing down. When he was done, he pulled out and turned me around. It was the first time I'd seen him naked in all of this. There was blood and semen on both of us, which I tried to clean off my thighs before finally just letting my dress fall back over me. I'd be bathing before the wedding anyway. Kyriakos had just finished putting his clothes back on when we heard my name again. This time, it was my mother. He and I stared at each other in wonder, scarcely believing we'd just done what we had. I was aglow with love and the joy of sex and a whole host of new feelings I wanted to explore in more detail. Fear of my mother drove us apart. Stepping back, he grinned and pressed my hand to his lips. â€Å"Tonight,† he breathed. â€Å"Tonight we†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tonight,† I agreed. â€Å"We'll do it again. I love you.† He smiled at me, eyes smoldering, and then hurried off before we were caught. I watched him go, my heart filled with joy. The rest of the day went by in a dreamy haze, partially because of the flurry of wedding activity and partially because of what had happened with Kyriakos. I'd had a vague idea of what would occur on our wedding night, but my imaginings had never come close to the real thing. I practically danced my way through the rest of the day, impatient to truly be Kyriakos' wife and make love again and again. The wedding was taking place at our home, so there was enough work (along with my own preparation) to almost keep me distracted. As the ceremony time grew nearer, I was bathed and dressed in my wedding gown: an ivory tunic of fine material, wrapped with a flame-red veil. I had to kneel a little for my mother to adequately adjust the veil, earning a number of jokes about my height from my sister. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except me and Kyriakos being together forever. Soon, guests began arriving, and my heart rate increased. Anticipation and the day's heat made me sweat, and I fretted about ruining the dress. Someone called out that Kyriakos and his family were approaching. The excitement in the air grew palpable, shared by everyone now. Yet, when Kyriakos arrived, he barged right into the house, going against the traditional procession and stately ceremony that should have taken place. For half a second, some girlish part of me thought that Kyriakos – in his burning love for me – couldn't wait through the drawn out process of a ceremony. I was quickly enlightened. With a face flushed with fury, he marched up to my father. â€Å"Marthanes,† Kyriakos growled, finger in my father's face. â€Å"You insult me if you think I'm going through with this wedding.† My father was clearly taken aback – not an easy thing to accomplish. People chastised me for my sharp tongue, but that was largely because I was a woman. I wasn't half as bad as my father, and he'd intimidated a lot of men twice his size. (It was a sad irony that while I was tall for a woman, my father was short for a man.) A few moments later, my father recovered his usual bluster. â€Å"Of course you are!† he exclaimed. â€Å"We've made the betrothal. We paid the dowry.† Kyriakos' father was there, and judging from his fine clothes and surprised expression, this was all news to him too. He set a hand on his son's shoulder. â€Å"Kyriakos, what's this all about?† â€Å"Her,† said Kyriakos, pointing his finger at me. His gaze swung to my face, and I flinched from its force, as though I'd been slapped. â€Å"I will not marry Marthanes' whore of a daughter!† There were gasps and murmurs from those around us. My father's face turned bright red. â€Å"You're insulting me! All of my daughters are chaste. They're all virgins.† â€Å"Are they?† Kyriakos turned back to me. â€Å"Are you?† All eyes turned to me, and I blanched. My tongue felt dry. I couldn't muster any words. My father threw up his hands, clearly exasperated by this nonsense. â€Å"Tell them, Letha. Tell them so that we can end this and get our dowry back.† Kyriakos had a dangerous glint in his eyes as he studied me. â€Å"Yes, tell them so that we can end this. Are you a virgin?† â€Å"No, but – â€Å" Chaos erupted. Men shouted. My mother wailed. The guests were a mix of stunned shock and delight over a new scandal. Desperately, I tried to find my voice and shout above the din. â€Å"It was only with Kyriakos!† I cried. â€Å"Today was the first time!† Kyriakos turned away from where he'd been telling my father the dowry would not be returned. He glanced over at me. â€Å"It's true,† he said. â€Å"We did it today. She spread herself as easily and knowingly as any whore, begging me to take her. There's no telling how many men she's offered her body up to – or how many she would even when married.† â€Å"No!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It's not true!† But no one heard me. There was too much arguing now. Kyriakos' family was raging over the insult. My family was bristling against the name-calling, and my father was trying his best to do damage control, though he knew perfectly well that my own admission had damned us. Premarital sex was not so out of the ordinary for lower classes, but as a tradesman's family, we modeled a lot of our customs on our betters among the nobility – or pretended to. A girl's virtue was a sacred thing, one that reflected on her father and family as a whole. This disgraced all of them – and had serious repercussions for me. As Kyriakos well knew. He had moved toward me so that I could hear him through the noise. â€Å"Now they all know,† he said in a low voice. â€Å"They all know you for what you are.† â€Å"It's not true,† I said through my tears. â€Å"You know it isn't.† â€Å"No one will have you now,† he continued. â€Å"No one worth having. You'll spend the rest of your life on your back, spreading your legs for whoever comes along. And ultimately, you'll be alone. No one will have you.† I squeezed my eyes shut to try to stop the tears, and when I opened them again, I was surrounded in blackness. Well, not entirely in blackness. Before me, the Oneroi glowed more brightly than before, lit from within by that eerie light. â€Å"An interesting dream,† said Two, with what I think passed for a smile. â€Å"One that gave us much to feed on.† â€Å"It's not true,† I said. There were tears on my cheeks in waking, just as there had been in sleep. â€Å"That wasn't true. It was a lie. That wasn't how things happened.† The dream was muddling my brain, almost making me question myself, but my own memories soon won out. I remembered that day. I remembered kissing Kyriakos by the building and how we'd then gone separate ways, strengthened by the knowledge that we would soon be man and wife, making our wedding night that much sweeter. And it had been. It hadn't been rushed against a wall. We'd taken time to learn and explore each other's bodies. He'd been on top of me, staring into my eyes – not my back. He'd told me I was his life. He'd told me I was his world. â€Å"It was a lie,† I repeated more firmly, fixing the Oneroi with a glare. â€Å"That's not how it happened. That's not how it happened.† I knew I was right, yet I felt the need to keep repeating it, to make sure the words were true. One gave a small shrug, unconcerned. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I told you: Mother shows the truth. But dreams? Dreams are dreams. They can be truth or lies, and all provide food for us. And you?† He smiled a smile that was the mirror of his twin's. â€Å"You will dream†¦and dream†¦and dream†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Balance Scorecard

Balance Scorecard (BSC) is the focus of every company because of great belief that this is an approach for measuring performance with the combination of the so-called traditional measurement of financial aspect compared to the measurement of non-financial ones. BSC seeks the performance’s measurement of the business as a whole with the four (4) important perspectives listed as follows: a) Financial Perspective is one of the perspectives that the company needs to focus on because this is measuring the performance of financial part’s reflection.This has something to do with the return of investment or simply termed as ROI, the company’s cash flow including the number of debtors and economic value-added. b) Customer Perspective is the other measures to have the customers’ direct impact for the computation of the company’s market share or the percentage of market, the surveys made to customer that also includes the number of complaints. c) Internal Busi ness Processes Perspective is the measurement of reflection of the performance of business processes like the presentation of manufacturing efficiency cycle, the processing time information as well as the measures of productivity.d) Learning and Growth Perspective is the measures in order to describe the employees of the company in terms of the learning curve like the profile of staff education, the time of training and the survey made to the satisfaction of employees. The perspectives as stated above helped small and large companies to translate the strategy into action and even provide the metrical setting to track the progress of the of all companies. Balance Scorecard P 3 Analysis:As further analyzed, the measures are truly ‘customer centric’ because as proven the customer satisfaction was viewed due to increased in sales or the increase in income resulting from the acceptance of the product and the repeated customers’ generation. In addition, the product shi pment is related to the driving satisfaction of many customers that were met by the companies. The efforts of marketing are said to be measured by the data being tracked from the web portal which was then created for the partners’ distribution channel.The items that are tracked are the site usage, online ordering and the effects of direct mailing in the areas of marketing as well as advertisement on the leading generation and the activity in the portal level. The improved performance was truly due to the company’s viewing from the perspective of potential, prospective and present customers because Balance scorecard was exactly simplified to the four (4) key measures depicting the satisfaction among customers, hassle index of customers, the delivery that must be on-time and most importantly the lead times.Bridgeport Hospital is using the BSC for four (4) years and proven that the satisfaction of patients and customers increased. Many businesses considered to be small or large are continuously earning because the greater contributions are coming from customers whether old or new customers. A higher percentage is absolutely coming from the customers in order for many companies to grow and even learn to improve their products or services. BSC really contributes in achieving the success of most companies because at an early period, many companies may still improve the things that should be done in order to meet the needs of their customers.More issues from customers as well as their complaints may be resolved through the use of BSC. Balance Scorecard P 4 Conclusion: I think that the efforts of the companies to evaluate the business from the customers perspective was only one of the key contributions to improve performance, because this may give focus wherein the strategy described as competitive correspond to the success of most firms by means of targeting the attention of the segment specific to the market such as the niche in the market.This strateg y is very effective and done in order to survive wherein the companies may face the distress in financial areas. SGC and Futura are the companies using BSC, and they proved that the point of evaluating the business from the perspective of customer is a great help to the company as a whole and resulted to increase in sales and income. I should say that there should be equal reviews with regards to financial, internal business processes and the learning and growth perspectives aside from the customer perspectives that most companies should pay attention to.BSC is a tool in management providing the framework to translate the strategy into action and as mentioned this is a combination of the financial and non-financial measurement. This is seeking the measurement of performance of the business to financial, customer, internal business processes as well as learning and growth perspectives. In totality, this will provide a set of tracking metrics in order to track the progress of most com panies and against the objectives as well as the goals for meeting the initiatives strategically.The managers’ and employees’ motivation may also include their corresponding performance because these are the key enterprise’s challenges needed for more improvement of most companies. The said initiatives in strategic aspect may result to the departmental cascades and the objectives of individual corresponding to the strategy. Balance Scorecard P 5 References Ahn, H. (2001). `Applying the Balanced Scorecard Concept: An Experience Report,` Long Range Planning 34(4), 441-458. Atkinson, A. , and M. Epstein (2000). `Measure for Measure.` CMA Management 74 (September), 22-28. Denton, G. A. , and B. White (2000). `Implementing a Balanced-Scorecard Approach to Managing Hotel Operations,` Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(1), 94. Field, T. (2000). `Full Measure,` CIO 13(14), 140-145. Fisher, M. J. (2002). `Balanced Storecard Step-By-Step,` The CPA Jour nal 72(7), 17-18. Frigo, M. L. , and K. K. Krumviede (2000). `The Balanced Scorecard,` Strategic Finance 81 (January), 54. Green, M. , J. Garrity, A. Gumbus, and B. Lyons (2002). `Pitney Bowes Calls For New Metrics:The Company Used a Balanced Scorecard to Manage Performance and Increase the Bottom Line,` Strategic finance 83(11), 30-36. Gumbus, A. , and B. Lyons (2002). `The Balanced Scorecard at Philips F. lectronics,` Strategic Balance Scorecard P 6 References Finance 84(5) (November), 45-49. Gumbus, A. , D. Bellhouse, and B. Lyons (2003). `A Three-Year Journey to Organizational and Financial Health Using the Balanced Scorecard: A Case Study at a Yale New Haven Health System Hospital,` Journal of Business and Economic Studies 9(2), 54-65.

Intercultural film analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intercultural film analysis - Assignment Example In disappointment, Akeem leaves for America to look for a woman who â€Å"arouses my intellect as well as my loins.† The other part of the film is about the sojourn and the task of finding a suitable wife in a culturally different land. The use of verbal communication to shape individual perceptions and ultimately cultural views is notably portrayed in the film. For instance, Daryl, Akeem’s romantic rival, at one point disapproves of the prince’s African upbringing saying, â€Å"Wearing clothes must be a new experience for you.† (Wikipedia, 2013). In so saying, Daryl confirms what many Americans think of Africans. In the film, Akeem speaks fluent English thus defying the notion that foreigners can be recognized by how they speak. Further, the fact that he speaks with remarkably standard grammar and enunciation says a lot about the African American English as not being an African language. Akeem’s personality portrays the cultural distance between the United States and Africa without allowing for the expression of that distance as a contrast between the advanced West and the poor Africa. The film does not depict any language barriers resulting from the interplay of the interaction of cultures. In fact, all the characters in the film are portrayed as speaking the same language and communication is effective. However, despite this ‘standardization’ of language, the film is not free of stereotyping as shown in the treatment Akeem get from Daryl. Furthermore, the fact that Daryl is American makes him feel that his thoughts and ideas are much better than Akeem’s, who pretends to be a poor foreign student while in America. The use of language is particularly important as evidenced in the manner in which Akeem and his aide make new friends and acquire jobs at McDowell’s. The fact that Akeem could speak the American language did not necessarily incorporate him

GNSS VS Total Station) Base for Deformation Monitoring of Bridge Essay

GNSS VS Total Station) Base for Deformation Monitoring of Bridge - Essay Example To investigate the relationship between the surveying instruments GNSS and Total station and the difference in the effect of the deformation monitoring measurement of the dynamic Bridge. Additionally the aim is also to identify which instrument is more accurate and as it relate to deformation monitoring of the bridge Do a comparison of resultant data from both the GNSS and Total station as compared to GPS data and check for accuracy. To this end the dissertation will be divided into two parts. The first is a review of the importance of monitoring bridges for deformation, the problems that can occur with bridges over time, as well as the different categories of bridge contraction. This will set the background for the second part: comparing the use of GPS through GNSS and the use of total station monitoring for bridge deformation. While I was unable to meet with neither surveyors nor GPS operators, I will use other resources, such as online information, to compare these two instruments and present the results in an easy to understand

Marketing Metrics for UK-based SME Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Metrics for UK-based SME - Essay Example As the essay declares The metric can evaluate marketing effectiveness at a strategic level. It involves assessment on the key strategies that a company has adopted and measuring individual performances in achieving marketing objectives. An example is whether the company has adopted effective price strategy and effective distribution channels. This paper declares that the metric measurement assesses and evaluates the levels of customer’s perceptions on the goods and products of the company. This is determined by the quality of the service that a company offers to its clients and customers. Brand awareness will indicate how effective the marketing program in reaching out the larger mass audience in the long run. This metric provides the dominance and the market share that a company holds. This measure is vital in achieving the marketing objective goals therefore its assessment will enable the company to know if the applied approach can deliver the objective. Evoked set of model comprises of a pool of alternatives that consumer has when making decisions also known as consideration set. With the knowledge of available large number of products and brands consumers considers only a few to acquire at any given time. It is important for any marketing communication campaign to target determine the products and brands within evoked set before it is carried out. Consumers include brands in an evoked model through recognition in the marketing environment thus marketing communications can determine the evoked sets through brand awareness campaigns. Secondly is recalling of a product which is memory based which depend on consumer’s ability to recall brands marketing communication messages. The two can be summarized as stimulus-based attributed by brand recognition familiarity and in memory-based which is attributed by brand recall, all leading into inclusion in an evoked set model of a consumer where all are key important aspects in advertising and communication campaigns Brand familiarity and recognition Marketing communication campaigns mainly involves brand awareness and recognition to influence and induce consumers to purchase the brand. This implies that marketing communication campaign may influence a consumer in considering a brand in the evoked set. This depends on the marketing communicatio n encoded information thus resulting into a consumer discriminating on brand over the other. Brand recall This is important in considering a product in an evoked model where a marketing communication campaign conveys a promotional message which encodes in consumers mind. This is recalled during the consideration of brands to include in an evoked model.

D1213 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

D1213 - Assignment Example Production of bottled water is under strict regulations and monitoring prescribed by FDA which ensures cleanliness and purity of the water. In case of tap water most of the time water lines are affected due to contamination which can be avoided by using bottled water. As there are, both negative and positive aspects related with bottled water so according to me it is better to use bottled water from a reputed manufacturer (Azoulay, Garzon and Eisenberg). Before consume bottled water it is always recommended that to verify the content level and make sure that it is purified according to FDA regulations. Ergogenic aids are mainly the supplements, which has a quality to enhance performance for a certain time by increasing energy utilization. The external influence provided by ergogenic aids is associated with not only performance but also can remove certain restraints, which can limit capacity of an individual (Tokish, Kocher and Hawkins). International Olympic committee has an independent body of that is World anti drug doping agency (WADA) has a prescribed guidelines for ergogenic aids and there mode of legality. Blood doping is a kind of ergogenic aids, which is illegal as it cause severe side effects in human body. There are also some supplements also which are permissible according to the WADA. Supplements such as creatine, caffeine, amino acids are legal in a permissible range. There following questions can be asked to an athlete before taking this kind of supplement, Further research needs to be done on the effect on performance and side effects of the supplements. Athletes and their coaches who are using these kinds of supplements need proper counseling. Awareness program can be organized to give a proper picture of the side effects. Most importantly Legal action should be taken to the users of banned supplements. Tokish, John M, Mininder S Kocher, and Richard J Hawkins. â€Å"Ergogenic Aids: A Review Of Basic Science,

Introduction to British Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introduction to British Politics - Essay Example Conservatives have never been known to support universal health care. The reluctance of the Conservative party to support an efficient and public funded healthcare system remains one of its major criticisms. Conservatism in Britain is also associated with staunch nationalism and the concept of â€Å"one-nation†. The Tory party’s attempts to rejuvenate its electoral prospects have taken the form of party brochures and propaganda literature. The â€Å"Renewing One Nation† campaign under the leadership of Stanley Kalms may not have persuaded the electorate, but it nevertheless brought to light the other recurrent theme of Conservative ideology in Britain – that of its links with Christian organizations. Even if official Conservative rhetoric makes mention of the virtues of separating State and Church, it is one of the open secrets in British polity that the Conservative Party patronizes Christian faith and at elections expects a return favour. This explains w hy the Tories have failed to win the trust of the growing numbers of religious and ethnic minorities in the country (Coxall & Robins, 2003). Yet, in spite of the apparent rigidity in Conservative ideology, the party has shown some flexibility at crucial junctures in the nation’s history. While the â€Å"one nation† policy and its attendant policies of social reform and limited economic planning were significant factors in the Tories’ consistent electoral success for most part of the twentieth century, the party’s policy framework had also shown signs of malleability: â€Å"When Winston Churchill lost power in 1945, he quickly called on people such as Rab Butler to devise an inclusive, socially reformist postwar policy agenda. The result was a drastically reduced Labour majority in 1950 and a Tory election victory in 1951. In the two subsequent elections, the Conservatives, led by men who believed in the partys national

Comprehensive Classroom and Organization Plan Research Paper

Comprehensive Classroom and Organization Plan - Research Paper Example As such, one’s teaching philosophy also evolves as one attempts to improve in the profession. To a larger extent, one also strives to achieve personal growth. Peters (2009) quotes Stephen Brookfield (1990) on the two purposes of a teaching philosophy: personal purpose and pedagogical purpose. At a personal level, a teaching philosophy serves as a vision to remain grounded on the reasons behind what one has chosen to pursue as a career. The pedagogical purpose, on the other hand, defines the difference that one is making in a student’s life and his/her learning. A number of educational theorists have influenced my own teaching philosophy. Prominent among them are Howard Gardner, John Dewey, Paolo Freiri, and Kurt Hahn. I believe that teaching and learning have transformative powers, and for changes to happen within and without, content must always interact with the context. I make a strong point of allowing students to â€Å"learn by doing† and continuously provid ing opportunities to create a link between theory and daily situations. Furthermore, I believe learning happens in a social context and pedagogy must be inclusive with special attention to the diverse population inside the classroom. Towards implementing this philosophy, it is essential to provide careful attention to classroom management and organization. Classroom Management and Organization Plan The Rules. Dixie (2007) justifies the need for rules and routines stating that: â€Å"by providing our pupils with a system of well-defined rules, routines and sanctions you will be providing these youngsters with the security they need at this crucial stage of their lives, and in doing so, you will be providing a firm foundation for learning† (p. 19). I have adopted a less authoritative and more democratic system of establishing rules in the classroom. It stems from the desire to give students the right to feel safe, emotionally and physically, in the classroom. Furthermore, by in volving the students in the process of creating the rules, I hope to instill within them a sense of ownership of the rules established. First grade students are usually familiar with rules in school and the teacher’s role is to facilitate and ask probing questions to encourage important rules to be articulated. I find this a meaningful exercise because later in life, â€Å"they need to know how to participate in decision-making and obey with discretion so that they do not give the responsibility for their own behavior to someone else† (Lewis, 2008, p. 42). Some of the rules that students established are listed below. I facilitated to ensure that rules are stated in positive sentences [avoiding negative words, such as ‘no’, ‘not’, and ‘don’t]. (1) Always ask permission before taking someone else’s things. (2) Listen to the teacher and classmates, and wait for your chance to speak. (3) Treat others fairly and honestly. (4) Ke ep your work space clean and the whole classroom tidy. Procedures and Routines. Similar to rules, routines and procedures were created with participation from the students. It is essential to discuss the reasons behind these routines to the students. For instance, in transferring from one classroom to another during Art Class, they have to walk quietly and ensure that they have all the materials required for

Anti-immigration and anti-bilingual education Essay

Anti-immigration and anti-bilingual education - Essay Example From chapter 9, multicultural education refers to the philosophy and the way of looking at the world. This is not limited to the learners or students enrolled at a particular school. It also has a touch on everything like how students relate to teachers and how well and conducive is the environment for the students. However multicultural education doesn’t have a boundary like it can only happen in school since the community or society where the student resides is also considered as part of this philosophy in action. Considering that the product of a multicultural education is a multicultural person, he or she continues to be searching for knowledge and continues to use this process in order for him to participate in the country’s goal for progress. Multicultural education invites a student to not just to think for himself but also for the society where he is. This is the reason why educators, in order for them to help in this multicultural education must consider the im pact of their teachings, their decisions whether the decision is made cumulatively or individually. It should also be considered that with the multicultural education, one of the goals is the critical consciousness of the students which is the start of one’s good path as it leads him to a life with free decisions, meaning he doesn’t forever become a follower of the norms but a critic of it in order for change to occur not just for his own benefit but the benefit of the many. And since long-existing rules.... But with an additional rule of speaking in English because it is a directive only implies no just pressure for the student but also the school's failure and the government's misinterpretation of the real need of students. This also implies that the social structure has already embraced the idea of the "modern" age or the "future" as non-existent without the English language, the very obvious discrimination not just in education but in race as a whole. (2) What is multicultural education Why do we need multicultural education Answer: From chapter 9, multicultural education refers to the philosophy and the way of looking at the world. This is not limited to the learners or students enrolled at a particular school. It also has a touch on everything like how students relate to teachers and how well and conducive is the environment for the students. However multicultural education doesn't have a boundary like it can only happen in school since the community or society where the student resides is also considered as part of this philosophy in action. Considering that the product of a multicultural education is a multicultural person, he or she continues to be searching for knowledge and continues to use this process in order for him to participate in the country's goal for progress. Multicultural education invites a student to not just to think for himself but also for the society where he is. This is the reason why educators, in order for them to help in this multicultural education must consider the impact of their teachings, their decisions whether the decision is made cumulatively or individually. It should also be considered that with the multicultural education, one of the goals is the critical

Juvenile Courts Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Juvenile Courts - Coursework Example Some juveniles lacked the cognitive capacity to judge between the â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† calling for proper counselling and rehabilitation for a given duration. According to the article, the intent of juvenile court establishment has changed with time. Juvenile courts were not meant to punish juvenile offenders but to give guidance through rehabilitation and counselling programs (Soulier & Charles, 2010). Juveniles, as mentioned in the article, lack the cognitive capacity to commit an offense intentionally. This is because they are still in the developmental stage and through rehabilitation and counselling, they get to realise their mistakes or offenses. Today, some juvenile offenses are channelled to the adult courts and this is contrary to the initial juvenile court act as depicted by the article (Soulier & Charles, 2010). In the adult courts, criminals or offenders are subjected to harsh and weighty punishments that tend to be unbearable to the juvenile. A juvenile being in the developmental stage, should be advised and engaged in activities that boost their cognitive stamina or capacity. Many juveniles who have been incarcerated tend to repeat similar offenses due to lack of proper guidance. Some juveniles may also commit an offense due to psychological or mental problems. This makes it necessary to conduct medical examination on a juvenile and administer possible psychological or mental therapies. All these activities should be within the jurisdiction of a juvenile court. According to the author’s notion, abolishing juvenile courts is ideal and important to the society. Juveniles in the contemporary world are treated as adults and this makes it difficult to reduce juvenile delinquency. Jailing of juveniles destroy their future because of the stigma and lack of cognitive stamina growth to differentiate good and bad (Soulier & Charles, 2010). Counselling and rehabilitation creates both psychological and mental awareness of

The Awful Truth Essay Example for Free

The Awful Truth Essay The Awful truth much like the show cased song Dixie Belles My Dreams are Gone With the Wind depending on what point of view one uses when looking at it there can be a either positive or negative connotation but yet contains a constant that draw together and binds both artistic pieces. Thus, creating a form of simile between the two, the song however itself can be use to represent the movie do the fact the Lucy performance showcases to use what we truly need to understand, and perfectly highlight what the Awful Truth is. Lucys performance of Dixie Belles song My Dreams are Gone With the Wind is taken very differently, depending on which character is viewing the performance. In this case the view points are heavily influences by the identity in which the other characters recognizes Lucy as being. The dance and song are present as sensually and possess a sexually tone to them, this is the one consent throughout all the view points and is what ties Lucys plan together. As Cavell says Her solution is to create her identity so that the very thing that repels the proper Vances is what attracts Jerry (Cavell, PH, 251) In other words by performing a dance and song that had that sensually and sexually tone has negative connotation to the Vances who know Lucy has Jerry sister it may even take on incestuous tone. Where as to Jerry who view Lucy as a partner it seen in positive light as she giving herself solely to Jerry or as said by Cavell â€Å" Lucy is declaring herself, to Jerry alone of course, as the woman he strays from the house to keep company with. She proposes herself as a field on which he may weave passion and tenderness, so that he might desire where he loves; she reminds him of this possibility by reminding him of who she is. (Cavell, PH, 253). This duel view point based on ones understanding and views about Lucy but based on the same basic information are essentially blown up and magnified for the audience when one looks at the movie as a whole, creating a double edged sword of sorts in both the performance and the movie. However as stated above one only needs a bit of background and Lucy performance to truly grasp the message in the film. When looking through the two lenses in which people often us while watching films in order to understand them logic or emotion ones views can change based on the way they choose to identify with Lucy. All the while the movie still keeps the character features and personality the same thus the double edge sword that makes The Awful Truth so engaging is born. In the film Lucy demonstrates several admirable qualities; she is creative, witty and determined. These characteristics are showcased rather quit well in her performance of Dixie Belles song My Dreams are Gone With the Wind. Here she use both her wit and creative, all while being fueled by her determination to rather quit successful push the Vances away from Jerry while drawing him to her. She fact throughout the movie in constantly trying to in some way draw Jerry into her life or be a part of his, this can be seen in the fact that the Vances know her has Jerrys sister. What creates the double edge sword his is how people view her actions. Those who view it through the emotional lens are likely going Aw she still cares about him were as those using the logical lens are going He doesnt believe you his dating another woman grow up and use your talents for another purpose, like try focusing and your sing Those to different one positive the other negative opinions are born of both Lucy and to an extent the movie is given two; a womans drive to remain with the man she loves or a womans complete dependence on having a man in her life. Now the question is which is right love or dependence. In order to solve this question we look to the title The Awful Truth. The key word here is awful if the movies message was meant to positive why would they use a word with such a negative connotation like awful in the title. The answer is simple they would not, thus the entire message of the film is the negative side where Lucy is so dependent on having a man in her life, that she will go to any lengths to draw Jerry back in something which is also seen in her dating her neighbor Dan. So the truth about this movie is though it may upon first watch appear to have a double edge meaning once one look further in to the context of the film they fide it was just meant to shown case negative while using positive to keep the viewer entertained.

Realist and Constructivist Approaches to Social Problems

Realist and Constructivist Approaches to Social Problems Critically analyse the way social problems are constructed and prioritised for intervention. Distinguish between the realist and construction approaches to social problems and offer an assessment of their value. Apply the relevant social theory to a contemporary social problem such as prostitution. Outlined below is a critical analysis of the way in which social problems are constructed and prioritised for intervention. This critical analysis will aim to distinguish between the realist and the construction approaches to social problems, going on to assess the value of each approach in turn. Then the social theory deemed to be the most relevant would be applied to a contemporary social problem. The realist approach to social problems is an approach that stresses that there is usually underlying causes of issues or phenomena within modern societies. The realist approach to social problems assumes that such problems have short – term and also long – term causes that are actually found ingrained into the social structures of modern societies.[1] The starting point of the realist approach to social problems stress that the underlying social causes of such problems as crime, illegal drug taking, and prostitution are generally more important over the long – term rather than the sometimes more obvious short –term causes of the phenomena being examined.[2] Advocates of the realist approach to social problems frequently contend that sociologists should always delve deeper into the specific social problems that they are evaluating. The realist approach to social problems implies that sociologists delve deeper to find out the affects of factors such as deprivation, discrimination, prejudices, and also poverty.[3] According to the realist approach to social problems these factors whether own their own, or in various combinations with each other are the real underlying causes of social problems. Therefore in many respects the realist approach to social problems has a great deal in common with the Marxist approach to social problems and all related issues. The main difference being that the Marxist approach to social problems would always contend that class and economic conflicts or developments are the root causes of every social problem.[4] The Construction approach to social problems examines the causes of all such social problems from a different perspective than the realist approach to social problems does. Whereas the realist approach to social problems contends that there are nearly always underlying factors causing these social problems, the Construction approach to social problems does not automatically that to be the case. Thus in contrast to the realist approach to social problems the Construction approach assumes that social problems are specifically constructed and that they could actually have causes that are as straightforward as they appeared to be at first glance.[5] The Construction approach to social problems argues that these problems are often constructed at the same time as the societies that they are found inside, and sometimes constructed after the society in question has already become well established. In the Construction approach to social problems it also often implied that the issues that are deemed to be social problems are classified as such due to the prevailing social and moral values within any given society. What is regarded as a social problem in one society might be regarded as being partly or entirely acceptable in another society.[6] For instance different societies have different attitudes towards issues such as homosexuality and prostitution, with more liberal minded societies perhaps not regarding them as social problems at all. Under the Construction approach to social problems various social issues and whether or not they constitute social problems depends upon the subjective values of prevailing social and moral attitudes.[7] Societies are not always entirely agreed as to which social issues can be regarded as being social problems. The Construction approach to social problems therefore finds it useful to argue that it is the strongest or prevailing social and moral attitudes that construct and prioritise social problems and labels them as such.[8] The best of the approaches to social problems to be used to construct and also to prioritise the social problem or problems being examined would be the realist approach to social problems.[9] The strength of the realist approach to social problems is that it would offer the chance to gain an understanding of the underlying causes of social problems. The realist approach to social problems such as drug taking and prostitution gives more extensive explanations than those provided by the Construction approach to social problems does. [10] The realist approach to social problems offers a deeper insight into the underlying causes of problems like prostitution. To begin with the realist approach to social problems would make the sociologists examining the issue look into all the possible underlying causes of prostitution.[11] When following the realist approach to social problems like prostitution sociologists would evaluate the parts that addiction, alienation, desperation, discrimination, sexuality, and violence played in making the problem better or worse.[12] In other words the realist approach to social problems would contend that prostitution was a social problem that demonstrates the unfair, harsh, violent, and frequently hypocritical ways social problems are formed and also understood are actually common in contemporary modern societies.[13] The realist approach to social problems would contend that prostitution has been around for thousands of years in virtually every society that has ever existed, its most obvious cause being that people will pay for sex, and that other people will exchange sexual services for cash payments. According to the realist approach to social problems prostitution has more underlying causes such as prostitutes selling their bodies to make a living, to pay for drink or drug addictions, and more sinisterly they are physically forced into doing it. Whether or not prostitutes undertake their role freely or are forced into it the realist approach to social problems would nearly always argue that they are being e xploited for the financial gains of others. The realist approach to social problems or at least its advocates would contend that prostitution will probably never go away, and the main aim of society should be to protect prostitutes from exploitation, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases.[14] Therefore to conclude the realist approach to social problems is better than the Construction approach to social problems as it allows sociologists the chance to evaluate social issues and social problems in greater detail. The realist approach to social problems offers a better understanding of the constructing and the prioritising of prostitution as a social problem. Bibliography Abercrombie N, Hill S Turner B S, (2000) The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology 4th edition, Penguin Group, London Abercrombie N, (2004) Sociology, A Short Introduction, Polity, Cambridge Cavadino M Dignan J, (2002) The Penal System An Introduction, Sage Publications Lawson T Heaton T, (1999) Crime and Deviance, MacMillan, Basingstoke 1 Footnotes [1] Abercrombie, Hill Turner B, 2000 p. 326 [2] Abercrombie, 2004 p. 25 [3] Abercrombie, Hill Turner B, 2000 p. 312 [4] Abercrombie, 2004 p. 25 [5] Lawson Heaton, 1999 p. 58 [6] Abercrombie, 2004 p. 25 [7] Lawson Heaton, 1999 p. 58 [8] Abercrombie, Hill Turner B, 2000 p. 326 [9] Lawson Heaton, 1999 p. 176 [10] Cavadino Dignan, 2002 p.53 [11] Abercrombie, 2004 p. 25 [12] Abercrombie, Hill Turner B, 2000 p. 326 [13] Cavadino Dignan, 2002 p.53 [14] Lawson Heaton, 1999 p. 58

Theories Pertaining To Aggression

Theories Pertaining To Aggression Aggression has been defined variously by different schools of thought. Behaviourists define it as any action that delivers noxious stimuli to another organism (Buss, 1961 cited in Shaffer, 1999). This definition considers accidental harmdoing as aggressive (Shaffer, 1999), and does not cater for aggressive acts that fail to deliver the intended effects to the victim. Yet an act perceived as aggression, such as slapping a person on the back, could actually be an act of affection in some cultures (Woods, 1992). Hence the definition was modified to include the intent of the act. Therefore, aggression is any action intended to harm or injure another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment (Baron Richardson, 1994; cited in Shaffer, 1999). Categories of Aggression Aggressive acts are often divided into two categories, namely hostile aggression and instrumental aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Hostile aggression. This refers to aggressive acts for which the perpetrators major goal is to harm or injure a victim (Shaffer, 1999). Instrumental aggression. This refers to aggressive acts for which the perpetrators major goal is to gain access to objects, space or privileges (Shaffer, 1999). Types/forms of aggression According to Smith (1999), aggression occurs in four major forms. These are (a) physical aggression (e.g. punching/hitting the victim with a blow, (b) verbal aggression (e.g. calling the victim names), (c) active aggression (e.g. refusing to shake hands with the victim), and (d) passive aggression (e.g. avoiding to talk with the victim). These are broadly classified as overt aggression and covert aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Overt aggression is used to mean open and observable; not secret or hidden, acts of aggression expressed physical, verbal or active form (Lewis, 2007). Covert aggression is secret or hidden; not openly practised as shown by passive acts (Lewis, 2007), for example, a learner dodges lessons to hurt the teacher. Other forms of aggression according to Taylor, Peplau and Sears (2006) are: Antisocial aggression. This refers to aggressive acts that violate commonly accepted social norms. For instance it is not socially acceptable to attack the parents of a thief for larceny committed by their child. Prosocial aggression. These are aggressive acts that support commonly accepted social norms. For example, it is acceptable in many countries to excute a serial murderer by firing squad. Sanctioned aggression. This is aggression that is permissible according to the norms of the individuals social group. For example certain cliques of adolescents consider fighting back as an acceptable act against offence by others. Chronic aggression This term is used to mean habitual acts of aggression by a given offender, or habitual suffering of aggressive acts by the same victim. Kinds of aggressive children Proactive aggressors. These are highly aggressive children who find aggressive acts easy to perform and who rely heavily on aggression as a means of solving social problems or achieving other personal objectives (Shaffer, 1999). Reactive aggressors. These are children who display high levels of hostile, retaliatory aggression because they overattribute hostile intents to others and cant control their anger long enough to seek nonaggressive solutions to social problems (Shaffer, 1999). Theories of aggression The various acts of aggression and their causes have been ventured into by different psychologists. These have formulated their explanations into theories which include the innate/biological theories, drive theories and the learning theories. Innate/Biological/Instinct theories These view aggression as a result of instinctive drives within the organism; the organism under the influence of these drives acts in order to fulfill a survival demand. These theories include the psychoanalytic theory, the evolutionary theory, and the genetic theory (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). The Psychoanalytic theory. This was postulated by Sigmund Freud. He asserted that human behaviors are motivated by sexual and instinctive drives known as libido. He defined Libido as the energy derived from the Eros, or life instinct. The repression of libidinal urges is displayed as aggression. His work on childhood aggression, and the Oedipus Complex considered that a boy around age five begins to develop an intense sexual desire for his mother. He comes to regard her as the provider of food and love and thus wants to pursue an intimate, close relationship (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). The desire for his mother causes the boy to reject and display aggression toward his father. The father is viewed as a competitive rival and the goal they both try to attain is the mothers affection. Thus, an internal conflict arises in the young boy. On one hand, he loves his father, but on the other, he wants him to essentially disappear, so that he can form an intimate relationship with his mother. The boy will develop an immense feeling of guilt over this tumultuous conflict and come to recognize the superiority of his father because of his size. This evokes fear in the boy and he will believe that by pursuing his mothers affection his father will want to hurt him, essentially by castrating him. To resolve the conflict, the boy learns to reject his mother as a love object and will eventually identify with his father. Thus, he comes to understand that an intimate relationship with his mother is essentially inappropriate (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Freud also developed the Electra Complex for the childhood aggression of girls. A girl around the age of five develops penis envy in attempts to relate to her father and rejects her mother. An internal conflict arises in the young girl, which is resolved after regarding her father as an inappropriate love object and ultimately identifying with her mother (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Freuds psychoanalytic theory demonstrates the idea that aggression is an innate personality characteristic common to all humans, and that behavior is motivated by sexual drives. Aggression in children is instinctual and should be resolved by adulthood. Therefore, over the course of development, after the child has rejected the opposite sex parent, he or she will enter a period of latency in which they commonly reject all boys or all girls. Once puberty is reached, attention shifts to the genital region as an area of pleasure. Men and women search for an appropriate member of the opposite sex to fulfill sexual urges. In individuals where the childhood conflicts have been successfully resolved, all aggression has been removed by adulthood in the pattern of development (Shaffer, 1999; and Smith, 1999). Later, Freud added the concept of Thanatos, or death instinct. Thanatos energy encourages destruction and death. In the conflict between Eros and Thanatos, some of the negative energy of the Thanatos is directed toward others, to prevent the self-destruction of the individual. Thus, Freud claimed that the displacement of negative energy of the Thanatos onto others is the basis of aggression (Smith, 1999). Strengths of the psychoanalytic theory. It is a profound theory in the history of social psychology. It generated more debate on the subject, and on aggression in particular, thus other parallel theories were aptly developed. It holds some truth, for instance, it is true that adolescents are characterized by seeking mates of the opposite sex. Weaknesses of the psychoanalytic theory. it incessantly dwells on motivation of sexual desires. It is based on hypotheses. There is no existing empirical evidence to support the theory. Evolutionary/Ethological theory Postulated by Konrad Lorenz, he looked at instinctual aggressiveness as a product of evolution. He essentially combined Freuds theory of aggression with Charles Darwins natural selection theory. In his interpretation, aggressiveness is beneficial and allows for the survival and success of populations of aggressive species since the strongest animals would eliminate weaker ones, and over the course of evolution, the result would be an ultimate stronger, healthier population (Smith, 1999). Strengths of the evolutionary theory. It offers offer a lot of information about the physical and neurobiological causes of aggressive acts. It pinpoints the anatomical and neurochemical roots of behavior. It has accumulated empirical evidence for biological causes of aggression. Weakness of the evolutionary theory. There is limited scientific evidence as yet in this area. Genetic theory. Common to some of the other biological theories is the proposition that aggression is the manifestation of a genetic or chemical influence. Empirical evidence shows that cerebral electrical stimulation of certain locations can induce or inhibit aggression. Observational studies on certain animals show that some breeds are more aggressive while others are naturally passive. Proponents of the genetic theory explain the presence or absence of aggression in particular breeds in terms of a single gene or interaction of genes (Smith, 1999). Studies that are more complete have shown that the presence or absence of particular chemicals and hormones affects aggression. For example, high levels of the hormone testosterone and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin produce higher levels of aggression in animals. In addition, serotonin has been used pharmacologically as an effective treatment in combating erratic aggression. Strengths of the genetic theory. It is a vastly developing field being supported by a lot of scientific evidence such as the human genome. It pinpoints genetic sources of aggression, which is consistent with observed trends in aggression. Weakness of the genetic theory. There is limited evidence as yet in this area. Drive theories These attribute aggression to an impulse created by an innate need. In other words the organism is driven to act aggressively by some imminent lack. The drive theories are the Frustration-aggression hypothesis, and the Aggressive Cues Hypothesis or Negative affect theory (Smith, 1999). Frustration-aggression hypothesis This was proposed by a group of researchers at Yale University, led by John Dollard. In this theory, frustration and aggression are linked in a cause and effect relationship. Frustration is the cause of aggression and aggression is the result of frustration. The early empirical evidence for this theory involved the examination of prison populations. A variety of studies were conducted to determine age, economic status and intelligence of inmates and to relate these variables to the amount of frustration of each individual prisoner. The results showed that the higher the frustration level, the more prone the person was to act aggressively or commit crime. Strength of the frustration-aggression hypothesis. It is supported by empirical evidence which involved the examination of prison populations. Weaknesses. Frustration is only one source of aggression, other contributing factors such as tension do exist. Aggressive Cues Hypothesis/ Negative Affect Theory. Leonard Berkowitz refuted that all acts of aggression are instigated by some kind of frustration. He thus modified the Frustration-Aggression hypothesis:- The presence of stimuli previously associated with aggression can evoke aggressive responses from an angry individual, or negative feelings and experiences are the main cause of anger and angry aggression (Smith, 1999). Aggressive interactions in this context include: 1. Thematic aggression which refers to action that was appropriate in the context of earlier event/play e.g. challenging an enemy. In this case themes refer to cues that may evoke certain actions. Aggressive themes such as soldiers instigate aggression, while neutral themes such as farms do not). 2. Inappropriate aggression, which is action that was clearly outside the context of the previous session (Shaffer, 1999). Sources of anger that may elicit aggressive behaviour include pain, frustration, loud noise, foul odors, crowding, sadness, and depression. The likelihood that an angry person will act aggressively depends on his or her interpretation of the motives of the people involved (Smith, 1999). Strength of the aggressive cues hypothesis. It refutes frustration as the sole cause of aggression Weakness of the aggressive cues hypothesis. It does not explicitly explain the maintenance of aggressive tendencies. Learning theories These theories propose that individuals aggressive tendencies are acquired through learning. This may be through purely behavioural or cognitive means or a combination of the two. The learning theories of aggression include Operant Conditioning, Social-learning theory, and Social Information Processing Theory. Operant Conditioning. This theory was developed through the experimental work of B. F. Skinner. According to the theory, if an aggressive act is positively or negatively reiforced, the aggressor is likely to repeat the behaviour in order to gain more rewards. In this way, the aggressive act becomes positively associated with the reward, which encourages the further display of aggression (Shaffer, 1999; and Matlin, 1992). Strength of the operant conditioning theory. It has empirical proof since it was developed through experiments. Weakness of the operant conditioning theory. It is too simplistic and ignores the acquisition of aggressive behaviour through internal processes. Social-learning theory. This was developed by Albert Bandura. It depicts human beings as rational creatures who aggress in order to satisfy important personal objectives, rather than as reactive creatures who are driven to aggress by internal factors such as instincts, frustrations or anger. It proposes that aggressive responses are acquired through two ways: 1. social modeling or social referencing and 2. direct experience. In social modeling, small children look to a familiar face or model to see how to react to a particular person or situation. This could be in real life or on television (TV). TV violence contributes to increased aggression in viewers. This exemplifies the idea that people are easily influenced by others behavior. By modeling the behaviors of TV, movie or video game characters, acts of aggression become increasingly more frequent and violent (Shaffer, 1999; Matlin, 1992; and Taylor, Peplau, Sears, 2006). Direct experience entails that a child who is reinforced for aggression will resort to aggression in the future. For instance, a child who overpowers others to grab their things will always do so to satisfy his or her demands (Shaffer, 1999). The theory asserts that aggressive behaviours are maintained through (a) self-reinforcement, in which the aggressive individual is proud of his or her harmful action because it is valuable to him or her, (b) ease in terminating others noxious behaviour, (c) tangible and intangible rewards, such as money or a medal for injuring or harming another, and (d) cliques that encourage aggressive solutions to conflicts (Shaffer, 1999). Strengths of the social learning theory. It is well supported by experimental evidence. It has been well documented. It is widely applicable in explaining human learning. Its theorists have developed it over time, adding more and more evidence in support. It appreciates the contribution of Cognitive factors in the acquisition and maintenance of learning in general, and aggression in particular. Weakness. It overstated instrumental strategy to overcome aggression. Social information processing theory. The theory was postulated by Kenneth Dodge. Accordingly, a childs response to harm done to him or her will depend on the outcome of six cognitive steps or processes: Encoding social cues. Here the child may ask himself or herself, How exactly was the damage done? Interpreting social cues. Here the child interprets the harmdoers reaction during the action to determine whether he or she meant it. Formulating social goals. In this step the child formulates a goal to resolve the incident. Generating problem-solving strategies. In order to achieve his or her goal, the child generates certain problem-solving strategies. Evaluating the likely effectiveness of strategies and selecting a response. The child weighs the pros and cons of each strategy and zeros on the best. Enacting a response. Here the child puts in action the selected response. These steps are influenced by the childs mental state, that is, his or her past social experiences, social expectancies, and knowledge of social rules. It is noteworthy that they occur in a rapid concession (Shaffer, 1999). In following these processes, reactive aggressors will have many negative experiences with teachers and peers; they become disliked, thereby reinforcing their expectancy that others are hostile to them (Juvonen, 2006; Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006; Hoy and Davis, 2006, and Matlin, 1992). They develop hostile attributional bias, which is the tendency to view harm done under ambiguous circumstances as having stemmed from a hostile intent on the part of the harmdoer (Shaffer, 1999). For proactive aggressors, aggressive solutions to problems yield positive outcomes and they feel capable of dominating their targets (Shaffer, 1999). Strength of the social information processing theory. It gives appropriate explanation of aggression cycle. Weaknesses of the social information processing theory. it does not appropriately give the causes of aggression. It does not give reasons for the different information processing biases of proactive and reactive aggressors. Developmental Trends in Aggression Aggression varies over time as the child grows. This variation is exhibited in the category of aggressive act, form of aggression, and frequency of aggression. The age groups considered in this paper are preprimary school age, primary school age and adolescents. Preprimary School Years Instrumental aggression emerges by the end of the first year as infants begin to quarrel with siblings and peers over toys and other possessions. Over the course of childhood, aggression becomes less physical and increasingly verbal. It becomes less instrumental and increasingly hostile or retaliatory in nature (Shaffer, 1999). Primary School Years The primary school child expresses a lot more overt than covert aggression. As the years advance, physical aggression and other forms of antisocial conduct such as disobedience continue to decline. This is because the child becomes more proficient at settling disputes more amicably verbally, since his or her language ability has increased. However, hostile aggression tends to increase, especially among boys. This is because 1. the intent of harmdoing is detected and the offended boy retaliates in a hostile manner, and 2. fighting back is sanctioned as normal reaction to harmdoing (Shaffer, 1999). Adolescence Many research findings (e.g. Furnham Heaven, 1999; James, 1998; Coie Dodge, 1998; Vitaro, Gendreau, Tremblay, Oligny, 1998; all cited in Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006) posit that overt aggression continues to decline in adolescence. Highly aggressive individuals can become truly violent with increased tendency of juvenile delinquency (Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Most of these are undercontrolled children who are growing larger and stronger, and gaining greater access to weapons (Shaffer, 1999; and Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Many adolescents turn to covert or indirect methods of aggression with age. Girls tend to exhibit social ostracism while boys express aggression through theft, truancy, substance abuse, malicious destruction of property, sexual misconduct. Hence adolescents become less overtly aggressive and turn to other forms of antisocial conduct to express their discontents (Shaffer, 1999; Matlin, 1992; and Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). Presently, there are some cases of aggression which seem to be on the rise amng adolescents and even adults (Taylor, Peplau Sears, 2006). These include group conflict, rape, date rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and chronic aggression. Victims of chronic aggression often have peculiar characteristics. The passive victims are generally disliked by peers, have low self-esteem, are physically weak, highly anxious, have low social self-regard, are nonassertive in communication, socially withdrawn, do not resist aggressive approaches against them, have demanding, aloof and unresponsive parents who allow little autonomy, foster passive, and nonassertive social behaviour. The boys are likely to have had very close, overprotective relationship with their mother, who encouraged them to voice fears, anxieties, and self-doubts as a means of attracting attention (Shaffer, 1999). The provocative victims are often oppositional, restless, hot-tempered, and irritate their peers, fight back (though unsuccessfully), display hostile attributional bias, have been physically abused or otherwise victimised at home, blame themselves for their victimization, have no friends or regular associates, and are vulnerable to adjustment problems, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, drop out of school (Shaffer, 1999). Stability of Aggression Aggression is a reasonably stable trait. Hostile youngsters are likely to make hostile adults (Shaffer, 1999). Howerver, related findings reflect group trends and do not imply that all highly aggressive children will remain highly aggressive over time (Shaffer, 1999; Taylor, Peplau Sears, 2006; and Juvonen, 2006). Theres a great deal of variability at individual level. Limited duration type of individuals are highly aggressive early in life and eventually outgrow it, while Late-onset types become more aggressive and even violent during adolescence after a relatively tranquil childhood (Shaffer, 1999; and Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2006). The stability of aggression can be attributed to some home settings, and biological predispositions (Shaffer, 1999). Sex differences in aggression Boys and men are more overtly (i.e. physically and verbally) aggressive than girls and women are (Harris, 1992; Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974 both cited in Shaffer, 1999). Girls exhibit more relational or expressive aggression. Relational aggression refers to acts such as snubbing, exclusion, withdrawing acceptance, or spreading rumours that are aimed at damaging an adversarys self-esteem, friendships or social status (Shaffer, 1999). Reasons for Sex Difference in Aggression Three complementary viewpoints have been advanced to explain the differences in aggression between the sexes. These are 1. the biological viewpoint, 2. the social-learning viewpoint, and 3. the interactive viewpoint. The biological viewpoint. It has been observed that males are more aggressive than females in almost every society, and even among our near related species, such as the apses, the males are more aggressive than the females (Shaffer, 1999). Sex difference in aggression appears early (2-2.5 yrs). Male aggression is linked to male hormones e.g. testosterone. For example, Geen (1998) cited in Shaffer (1999) observed that participants who beat their opponents in a competition showed an increase in testosterone, while losers showed a decline. Hence higher concentrations of male sex hormones might be either a cause or an effect of oppositional (aggressive) behaviour. The social-learning viewpoint. Very young boys are not always more aggressive than girls (Shaffer, 1999). Groups dominated by boys are more likely than those dominated by girls to negotiate and share. This implies that there must be certain social influences that make boys more aggressive than girls. These include: The way parents play with their children. Parents tend to play rougher with boys than with girls. Differential parental reaction to childrens aggressive tendencies. Parents react more negatively to the aggressive behaviours of daughters than to those of boys. Nature of presents. Boys receive toys such as guns, tanks, soldiers, snakes, which are all cues of destruction as gifts. While girls are given babies, models and harmless implements as gifts. Preschool treatment of boys and girls. Aggression is considered a male trait, and an intolerable attribute among girls. Middle childhood treatment of boys and girls. Aggression provides boys with more tangible benefits and elicit less disapproval than among girls. Hence differences in aggression accrue from gender typing and gender differences in social learning (Juvonen, 2006; and Shaffer, 1999). The interactive viewpoint. Here, proponents believe that biological constitution of the individual interacts with social-environmental influences to promote sex differences in aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Female infants are observed to mature faster, talk sooner, be more sensitive to pain than male infants. On the other hand, male infants are larger, more muscular, sleep less, cry more, are more active, more irritable and harder to comfort. Hence a parent may readily play more vigorously with an active, muscular son than with a docile, less muscular daughter. Or the parents are impatient with irritable sons (Shaffer, 1999). This implies that a childs biological predispositions are likely to affect the behaviour of caregivers, which, in turn, will elicit certain reactions from the child and influence the activities and interests that the child is likely to display. Thus biological factors (genes) and social influences (societal norms and values, and family settings) are intertwined in complex ways and are both important contributors. Cultural and Subcultural Influences on Aggression Some societies and subcultures are more violent than others. Passive social orders that actively preach collectivist values, discourage fighting and other forms of interpersonal conflict, flee rather fight when invaded, are usually nonaggressive, for example, the Batwa of Uganda, Arapesh of New Guinea, Lepchas of Sikkim. Conversely those that emphasise individual survival, such as the Mundugumor (one time cannibals) of New Guinea, socialise both boys and girls to be aggressive (Shaffer, 1999). Children and adolescents from rural areas and lower socioeconomic strata exhibit more aggression and higher levels of delinquency than age-mates from higher socio economic strata. This can be explained thus: Parents of low socio economic status mainly rely on physical punishment, thus modelling aggression. They also resolve conflicts aggressively and encourage their children to do so. Their children may wish to satisfy certain needs which the parents cannot afford. Hence antisocial conduct becomes the only way of achieving their ends (Matlin, 1992; and Shaffer, 1999). Family Influences on Aggression Ones family and family setting might contribute to violent and aggressive behaviour through parental child-rearing practices, the childs behaviour, composition of the family, and the family climate. Parenting Style Authoritarian parents employ power assertion (especially physical punishment) to discipline children. This most likely raises aggressive children who will bully their playmates (Shaffer, 1999). Their common characteristics are being out-of-control children, having hostile attributional bias, defiance, lack of self-restraint, rejection by peers, criticism by teachers, founder academically, parents feel less invested, parents less inclined to monitor children, sexual misconduct, substance abuse, dropping out of school, running away from home (especially girls), engaging in prostitution (girls), pairing with antisocial partners, early marriage, and chronic aggression (Shaffer, 1999). Authoritative parents establish checks and balances, and yet give freedom for childs autonomy. Hence they raise well adjusted children (Shaffer, 1999). Permissive parents provide no control for aggressive urges. Undercontrolled children tend to score as aggressive and unconscientious in personality, and are more likely to be antisocial, delinquent and have antisocial personality disorder (Hoy, Davis, Pape, 2006). They are commonly characterized by fighting, sassing teachers, vandalism, drug and substance use, and general rule breaking. The Childs Behaviour The parenting style is somewhat influenced by the behaviour of the child. An aggressive child often elicits aggressive reactions from the parent, which in turn reinforces the childs aggressive tendencies (Shaffer, 1999). Composition of the Family In a single parent family, there is likelihood of disorganized gender roles. For example, a family headed by a mother alone is likely to raise children who are more aggressive than those raised in a family headed by both parents (Shaffer, 1999, Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem, 1993). On the other hand, parents have differential treatment of children under their care. Their biological children are often favoured, while other children may be scolded. Hence the biological children may become proactive aggressors, while the others may become reactive aggressors. Family Climate Parental conflict causes distress in children. They may thus develop hostile, aggressive interactions with peers. The un-abused children in a rioting family climate learn that aggression pays off for the victor. Hence they learn to become proactive aggressors. The victimised children become distrustful and suspicious of other people, hence making reactive aggressors (Shaffer, 1999; and Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem, 1993). Coercive home environments (a home in which family members often annoy one another and use aggressive or antisocial tactics as a method of coping with aversive experiences) raise children who are resistant to punishments. They fight coercion with countercoercion to command the attention of an adult who rarely offers praise or shows any signs of affection (Shaffer, 1999). These aggressive acts need to be controlled for effective functioning of society. Methods of Controlling Aggression and Other Antisocial Conducts The following methods advanced by Shaffer (1999), and Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem (1993) can be helpful when used in combination to control aggression in society. Family therapy Teaching parents effective child-management techniques Life skills training to children Academic remediation for deviant cliques of poor performers. Cathartic technique. Encourage children to vent their anger or frustrations on inanimate objects. (c/o backfire) Create nonaggressive environments. Provide: No aggress

Sacrifice of Values to Please Authority in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay

Sacrifice of Values to Please Authority in Shakespeare's Hamlet It seems that it is human nature to want to please others, but compromising ones values in order to do so can result in people getting hurt emotionally or physically. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the desire to please those in authority overweighs the judgment of many characters. These characters are more interested in pleasing those in power than doing what is in their best interest. This is seen in Polonious' eager attempt to use Ophelia, in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's being coerced into spying on a good friend, and finally in Laertes' all too easy manipulation by Claudius to take revenge on his fathers' death. In all these instances, the characters put their better judgment aside in order to do something to please a monarch. The bond between father and daughter is something that some consider sacred. Polonious uses this bond with Ophelia to please Claudius and Gertrude in finding our what is wrong with Hamlet. The King and Queen were very upset at Hamlet's seeming insanity. They tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that finding out what is wrong with Hamlet would be "the supply and profit of [their] hope (P.34)." They are obviously disenchanted at his behavior, and Polonious knows this, and tries to use his daughter to prove his theory. When Ophelia came and described to him her meeting with Hamlet in Act I, Polonious immediately took her to the King. Polonious, acting on his duty to "both [his] God and to [his] gracious king (P. 34)" took Ophelia to Claudius to see if he could be any help in trying to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. He quickly tells the king that he will ".loose [his] daughter to [Hamlet] (p. 38)" and concocts an elaborate plan t... ...how others perceived them, especially those in power, than doing what was really in the best interest for everyone. These characters were manipulated by brutal puppet-masters that toyed with their strings to get the response that they wanted, knowing full well that all would agree to anything in order to please them. This urge to do what was wanted by those in ascendancy was so great a weight, that values were pushed aside for a chance to glimmer in the light of attention from important figures in society. Works Cited and Consulted Long, Michael. A Study of Values in Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Methuen and Company, 1976. Mirrior, Ivor. "Hamlet." The Role of Authority in the Tragedies. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1972. 369-430. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Boston: St. Martin's, 1994.

Equality Essay -- essays research papers

A young man lives in a place where the word "I" does not have meaning. It is a society where there are no individuals. It is, however, a place where you strive to serve your brothers. Equality 7-2521 was taught from birth that the individual is not important. He is in a crazed society where the only form of government is collectivism. Equality, at age 21, has absolutely no freedom. He is a a strong, tall young man who stands about six feet. However, in this society, anyone who is six feet tall was considered to be evil. His dream of going to the House of Scholars is lost and he is sent to the Hose of Street Sweepers instead. Here the rules are very strict. He is not allowed to laugh or sing for any reason. These are a couple of hardships that Equality has to face so far in this mixed up society. His troubles get greater and greater until finally he does something about it. All through his life, Equality thinks he is not capable of accomplishing anything. Through time though, he discovers that he is capable of doing many things by himself and more importantly that he is an individual. When he is in the tunnel, he discovers a light. This provides him with the confidence that he is able to do things. Other experiences, such as falling in love with Liberty and seeing his reflection in the pond also help him to believe in himself as a strong individual. Equality later realizes that he has commited sins as he was growing up. He thinks by showing his invention to th...

Intro to medical technology Essay

This course will introduce students to the role, ethics, conduct, certification, education, employment, and fundamental knowledge and skills related to Clinical Laboratory Science. There will also be discussions on the more common laboratory tests associated with diseases of organ systems and how the results are utilized in diagnosis. Selected laboratory exercises from major disciplines in Clinical Laboratory Science will be performed. Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the course the student will be able to: 1. Appreciate the important role of the Medical Technologist in the saving of lives and relate that to the role of Jesus in the saving of souls. 2. Describe the different designations of laboratory professionals, the major job functions, and the education requirements for entry into the profession. 3. Discuss the various aspects related to proper techniques, safety and interpretation of procedures presented. 4. Perform laboratory procedures taught utilizing correct techniques. 5. Discuss proper specimen collection techniques. Possess an introductory knowledge of the scope of testing performed in each of the following sections of the Clinical Laboratory: a. Haematology e. Microbiology b. Immunology f. Coagulation c. Immunohaematology g. Mycology d. Clinical Chemistry 7. Contribute to the overall improvement of the healthcare system. Instructional Procedures There will be one 80 minute lecture and a three-hour laboratory session weekly for approximately fifteen weeks. A short devotion will be conducted at the beginning of each class period. There will be written tests, assignments, reading reports and one final comprehensive exam. In the case of absence, the University’s absence policy applies (See NCU Bulletin). Students with excused absences who have missed assignments or tests must make them up within one week of returning to class. The laboratory component of this course will carry a Pass/Fail designation. Failure of the laboratory component results in an automatic failure of the course which must be repeated. A failing laboratory grade will not be included in the calculation of the overall grade for this course. In this course, mastery is the goal, and the student is responsible for the information from assignments, text, manual, class discussion, other reading and laboratory procedures. No assignment should be placed beneath the office door unless otherwise specified by the instructor. In the case of absence, the University’s absence policy applies (See NCU Bulletin). Students with excused absences who have missed assignments or tests must make them up within one week of returning to class. Quizzes cannot be made up. Integration of Faith and Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate the fulfilment of God’s manifestation in our lives as the study the of Clinical Laboratory Science highlights the amazing design of the human machinery and the God given skills required to thoroughly investigate it. 2. Exhibit behaviours that reflect an appreciation of health and wellness as tokens from God to be cherished and a commitment to assist others experiencing ill health through by our skills. â€Å"Knowledge is power, but it is a power for good only when united with true piety. It must be vitalized by the Spirit of God, in order to serve the noblest purposes. CPT p. 38. NCU Values and Attitudes: Focus 1. Christlikeness 2. Integrity 3. Justice Christlikeness: I, Fabian Pitkin and all the students of MTCH: 106 Introduction to Medical Technology Laboratory class, commit to exercising the highest levels of Christlikeness in all actions during this semester in relation to the following: 1 Handling student issues in a fair and equitable manner 2 Displaying honesty with submitted work 3 Displaying kindness to each other 4 Displaying humility, compassion and unselfishness to each other 5 Showing confidence in all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Integrity: The facilitator and students will undertake learning experiences that exercise the highest levels of integrity such as: Honouring deadlines in submission of assignments Practising academic honesty with respect to the use of published works and other intellectual property Participating equally in group work and activities Good stewardship of tools, equipment and other resources in the teaching learning environment Give fair evaluation to student work Display proper deportment and conduct. Justice: The facilitator and all students will exercise the highest level of justice and fairness in all actions related to this course in the areas of: Fair grading for tasks submitted for evaluation Timely feedback and redress of inquiries, challenges, issues, grouses Impartial treatment of all students regardless of race, age, religious affiliation, nationality or ethnicity. Access to Computer and Internet Resources: Completing these course requirements necessitates regular access to computer technology and the Internet. If a student does not have a personal computer with Internet access, computers on the University’s Main Campus and Extension Sites are available for student use. Civility, Courtesy and Respect: As professionals, mutual respect is required; the instructor expects all class members to communicate in a professional and courteous manner. While everyone may feel passionate about a particular subject and is entitled to his/her opinions, classroom discourse must always be conducted in a respectful and civil tone. No disrespectful or disparaging comments about gender, ethnicity, religion, et cetera will be tolerated. Honour Code: Regulations on plagiarism and other forms of cheating are strictly enforced. Since engaging in either activity may result in very serious penalties, including failing grades, or dismissal from the University, you should endeavour to avoid such activities. Any assignment or work submitted for this course must not have been submitted for any other course. No written or digitally authored work may be submitted for academic credit more than once. If you have questions about how this may apply to an assignment you are considering for this course, please ask the facilitator for clarification. Students with a Disabling Condition: Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements, should communicate with the instructor in a timely manner, to seek such special considerations. Students should present appropriate verification from the relevant administrative office at the University. There is no guideline indicating that special considerations be given prior to completion of the existing university verification process. Course Content Lecture 1. Introduction to the Profession and Fundamentals of the Clinical Laboratory No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the evolution of Clinical Laboratory Science 2. Draw and describe the organizational structure of a healthcare organization 3. Name the departments of a clinical laboratory 4. Describe the various sites for laboratory testing 5. Describe the importance of regulations concerning the quality and reliability of laboratory work. 6. Describe the various categories of personnel in the clinical laboratory 7. Name and describe non-analytical and analytical factors in quality assessment. 8. Describe proficiency testing. 9. Name three medical-legal issues and discuss issues associated with each. 10. Discuss the future directions for laboratory medicine. Content: 1. Functions of the clinical laboratory 2. Organization with the clinical laboratory 3. Regulatory bodies (OSHA, CLIA, etc) 4. Introduction to speciality areas of the clinical laboratory 5. Credentialing 6. Professional organizations 7. Quality Assessment Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – What is Medical Technology? What does it entail? 2. Discussion – How important/ integral is this profession to the health care delivery system? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 4 -20 Lecture 2. Safety in the clinical laboratory, Specimen Collection, Transportation & Handling Laboratory No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the basic aspects of infection control policies, including how and when to use PPEs and the reasons for using Standard Precautions. 2. Describe the procedure for decontaminating a work area and the steps to be employed when cleaning up hazardous spills. 3. Describe the basic steps if first aid. 4. Identify seven factors that should be monitored by quality assessment methods. 5. Demonstrate and describe the skills needed to interact with patients in the collection of specimens 6. Describe the principles and applications of Standard Precautions 7. Discuss general specimen preparation guidelines 8. Identify unacceptable laboratory specimens 9. Explain the chain of custody in specimen handling 10. Describe relevant medical-legal issues related to specimen collection Content: 1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration Acts and Standards 2. Handwashing Immunization 4. Prophylaxis 5. Exposure control 6. Laboratory Hazards 7. General Infection control Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Why is it so important to be immunized prior to entering into the clinical laboratory? 2. Discussion – What is the value of proper sample collection and handling to the generation of quality patient results? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 21-72 Assessment # 1: This assesses knowledge, comprehension, and synthesis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- Matching, Short Answers and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 1 10 20 20 50 Lecture 2 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 Lecture 3. Systems of measurement, Laboratory Equipment, and Reagents; The Microscope; Measurement Techniques in the Clinical Laboratory No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Convert metric units of measurement for weight, volume, and temperature to English units and metric units or metric units to English units. 2. Convert temperature from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit or Kelvin. Describe the various types and uses of laboratory volumetric glassware, the techniques for their use, and the various types of glass used to manufacture them. 4. Describe types and uses of laboratory centrifuges. 5. Compare various forms and grades of water used in the laboratory and how each is each. 6. Demonstrate how to properly label a container used to store a laboratory reagent or solution. 7. Identify the parts of the microscope. 8. Explain the difference between magnification and resolution. 9. Define alignment, and describe the process of aligning a microscope. 10. Describe the procedure for correct light adjustment to obtain maximum resolution with sufficient contrast. 11. Identify the four basic measurement techniques. 12. Describe the principle of absorbance spectrophotometry. 13. Explain how the intensity of colour in a substance can be used to measure its concentration. 14. Define Beer’s Law. 15. Name the components of the spectrophotometer. Identify three quality control tests for the spectrophotometers. 17. Describe the principle of nephelometry. Content: 1. International Systems 2. Laboratory plasticware and glassware 3. Laboratory balances 4. Laboratory centrifuges 5. Laboratory reagent water 6. Reagents used in laboratory assays 7. Use of the microscope 8. Photometry 9. Absorbance spectrophotometry 10. Nephelometry 11. Electrochemical methods Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving; converting Fahrenheit to Celsius to Kelvin and finding unknown concentrations using the Beer’s law. Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 78 – 147 Lecture 4. Quality Assessment & Quality Control in the Clinical Laboratory, Central Laboratory Automation & Point-of-Care Testing, and Laboratory Information Systems No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Discuss how professional regulations require the implementation of quality assessment programs in the clinical laboratory. 2. Identify the components necessary to a laboratory’s quality assessment program, including its quality control program and the use of control specimens 3. Assess the diagnostic usefulness of results reported, which requires an understanding of accuracy and precision as well as specificity and sensitivity, for laboratory tests and methodologies. 4. Explain the sources of variance in a laboratory procedure 5. Explain the importance of a quality control program, including the use of control samples, the determination of the control range, and the use of quality control charts 6. Describe the use of reference values, including the use of the mean and the standard deviation in determination of the reference range. 7. Explain the major benefits of laboratory automation 8. Describe the five steps in automated analysis 9. Compare the major advantages and disadvantages of point-of-care testing 10. Identify the four categories of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88) test procedures 11. Provide examples of instrument-based point-of-care testing 12. Identify at least six characteristics to consider when selecting a point-of-care instrument. 13. Describe overall product and functions of laboratory information systems 14. List and describe components of a computer system 15. Define the abbreviations LAN and WAN 16. Define and give examples of preanalytical and postanalytical testing 17. Identify and describe five Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards for design, compatibility, and integration of automated clinical laboratory systems. Content: 1. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments 2. Accrediting Organizations 3. Quality assessment consideration 4. Quality assessment descriptors 5. Quality control statistics 6. Monitoring quality control Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving: Laboratory statistics and generation of Levy Jennings chart. 2. Discussion – Practical ways of ensuring quality in the clinical laboratory Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 161 -194 Lecture 5. Laboratory Mathematics and Introduction to Clinical Chemistry No. Of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Calculate proportions and ratios 2. Calculate the requirements for solutions of a given volume and molarity 3. Describe the procedures for making a single dilution and a serial dilution 4. Calculate the amount of one solution needed to make a solution of a lesser concentration from it. 5. Differentiate the expressions of solution concentration weight per unit weight and weight per unit volume. 6. Prepare a percent solution 7. Compare the pathophysiology of types I and II diabetes. 8. Describe the symptoms of diabetes. 9. Identify the four major electrolytes found in blood and body fluids. 10. Name and compare renal function assays. 11. List the major lipid fractions. 12. List the major cardiac markers. 13. Describe liver and pancreatic assays and their significance. 14. Compare the clinical significance of various types of tumours markers. 15. Describe therapeutic drug assays and identify drugs of abuse. Content: 1. Density and specific gravity 2. Expressions of solution concentration 3. Proportions and ratios 4. Concentration of solutions 5. Dilutions 6. Diabetes 7. Electrolytes Acid-base balance 9. Renal function and other organ markers 10. Lipids 11. Hormone assays 12. Tumour markers Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Problem solving in serial dilution, creatinine clearance determination. 2. Discussion – Does automation in the clinical chemistry department render the department the most relaxing environment? Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 151 -159; 200 – 232 Sectional # 2- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, and application of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools-Calculations, Matching, and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 3 10 10 10 30 Lecture 4 10 10 15 35 Lecture 5 10 10 15 35 Total 30 30 40 100 Lecture 6. Introduction to Haematology & Haemostasis; Introduction to Blood Banking No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Describe the composition of blood 2. Explain the proper processing and testing of haematological samples 3. Discuss the significance of a complete blood count 4. Describe and perform a differential blood count 5. Discuss the common laboratory tests used for coagulation and haemostasis. 6. Define the terms immunohaematology, blood banking, and transfusion medicine 7. Explain the role of antigens and antibodies in immunohaematology 8. Compare ABO red blood cell and serum typing procedures 9. List and explain the components of compatibility testing, including identification, ABO and Rh typing, screening for unexpected antibodies and cross matching 10. Identify and describe the various red blood cell components and derivatives used for transfusion including packed red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, and explain the reason for transfusion of each. Content: 1. Haemoglobin 2. Haematocrit 3. Red blood cell indices 4. Blood cell counts 5. Examination of the peripheral smear 6. Blood cell alterations 7. Haemostatic mechanism 8. Tests for haemostasis Activities: 1. Case study – Case review on anaemia Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 238 – 342; 543 – 565 Lecture 7. Renal physiology and urinalysis, Introduction to the examination of Body Fluids No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define routine urinalysis, and describe its three main components. 2. Explain the clinical usefulness of urinalysis. 3. Describe the basic anatomic components of the urinary system and the function of each. 4. Define cerebrospinal fluid and describe the components of the routine examination. 5. Define synovial fluid 6. Discus the clinical significance of tests for faecal occult blood. 7. Describe the component of a semen analysis. Content: 1. Renal anatomy and physiology 2. Composition of urine 3. Physical, chemical and microscopic examination of urine 4. Faecal occult blood Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Microscopic mapping the production of urine Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 351 – 414 Assessment # 3- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, application and basic analysis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- multiple choice, Short Answers and Short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 6 10 20 20 50 Lecture 7 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 Lecture 8. Introduction to Microbiology No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define the terms: microorganisms, normal and abnormal flora. 2. Discuss basic equipment and techniques used in Microbiology. 3. Discuss steps taken in bacterial identification. 4. Explain the process and purpose of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. 5. Describe the requirement for bacterial cultivation and the common types of media. Content: 1. Introduction to micro-organisms 2. Classification of micro-organisms 3. Basic equipment and techniques used in microbiology 4. Types of specimens 5. Culture and sensitivity 6. Fungi and parasite testing Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Media classification and identification Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 447 -500 Lecture 9. Introduction to Immunology& Serology No. of Hours: One hour Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lecture the students will be able to: 1. Define the term immunology. 2. Define the terms antigen and antibody. 3. Describe the general characteristics of antigens and antibodies. 4. Describe the characteristics of agglutination. 5. Compare the grading of agglutination reactions. 6. Name and compare the principles of latex agglutination, coagglutination, liposome-mediated agglutination, direct, bacterial agglutination, and haemagglutination. 7. Briefly describe the applications of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blot, Northern blot, Western blot and DNA chip technology. Content: 1. Overview immunology and serology 2. Antigens and antibodies 3. Specimens for serology and immunology 4. Common immunologic and serologic tests Activities: 1. Group work (Think/pair/share) – Confidentially and HIV reports 2. Group revision – Brief review of the lecture Primary resource: Turgeon, Mary Louise. Clinical Laboratory Science 5th Edition. Missouri: Mosby Elsevier 2007 pg. 505 – 530 Assessment # 4- This assesses knowledge, comprehension, application and basic analysis of facts and principles outline in the lecture. Assessment tools- multiple choice, matching and short essays. Content Knowledge Comprehension Synthesis Total Lecture 8 10 20 20 50 Lecture 9 10 20 20 50 Total 20 40 40 100 LECTURE SCHEDULE Modes of Teaching and Learning Student Evaluation A final grade will be assigned on the basis of the student’s performance on tests, assignments, reading reports, labs and the final comprehensive examination. B 70-74 B- 65-69 C+ 60-64 C 55-59 C- 50-54 D 0-49 F Grading system Grades are assigned numerical values as follows: GRADE Quality Points Definition A 4. 00 Superior A- 3. 67 Superior B+ 3. 33 Superior B 3. 00 Above Average B- 2. 67 Above Average C+ 2. 33 Above Average C 2. 00 Average C- 1. 67 Average D+ 1. 33 Below Average D 1. 00 Below Average F 0. 00 Below Average Expectations: 1. Attend all lectures, labs and tests. 2. Read assigned material before each lecture or lab session in order to participate meaningfully in class discussions and to better understand what is expected for the laboratory exercise. Present all labs and assignments on time and in a neat format. No late work will be accepted. No overdue assignment will be accepted at the end of the semester. 4. Submit a one-page (250-300 words) reading report on the last Thursday of each month. Reading reports should be done from journal articles pertaining to any discipline of Medical Technology. Source should have been published within the last two years and cited according to the CBE format. A copy of the article read should be attached to the report upon submission. Topics for each month are: September – Accreditation for Clinical Laboratories October – Quality Assessment in the Clinical Laboratory November– choose one of the major disciplines of Medical Technology (Clinical Microbiology, Haematology, Immunohaematology, Clinical Chemistry) and report on what was read from a scientific journal article. 5. Submit a written assignment specified Wednesdays following a lecture. Each assignment is gear towards cementing principles and facts as taught in lecture and as such evaluates knowledge, comprehension and synthesis of information. 6. Use the lab objectives as a study review guide for examinations. All cellular phones and any other electronic or mechanical gadgets should be turned off during class and laboratory sessions. Disturbance of the class session will result in suspension from the class. 8. Take responsibility for your tenure at Northern Caribbean University and display a professional attitude befitting that of the Medical Technology profession, always bearing in mind that patients’ lives are in your hands. 9. Give at least five (5) hours to the community in voluntary service within the discipline of Medical Technology. This may be organized or arranged by the teacher in the form of a health fair or it may be done through the students’ own initiative which may be reported to and reviewed by the teacher prior to initiation and or completion. REFERENCE MATERIAL Rubrics for Evaluating Oral Presentations ONLINE RULES/POLICIES: All papers and assignments submitted should include a certificate of authorship digitally signed by the student. Be aware that any submitted work for this course may be subjected to detection of plagiarism and breach of copyright. Participation – students are required to login at least twice per week to the course website where assignments and announcements will be posted and accepted. An audit/tracking feature embedded in the eLearning system – ? orion DL, will be utilized to monitor student activity. Conduct within the Online Learning Environment – the same guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the eLearning environment. Please use proper netiquette when interacting with class members and the course instructor. ONLINE COURSE ACCESS Students will use their ? orion user account credentials to login to the course through the ? Orion Learning Management System (? orion LMS): http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/. For assistance or further details regarding access to online courses please visit: https://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/corp/help. aspx For first time users or those requiring further familiarity with the eLearning system, please visit http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/ and click on the orientation link. University Information Systems Services (UNISS) provides technical support between the hours of 8:00AM and 10:00PM Mondays through Thursdays and 8:00AM to 1:30PM on Fridays. The help desk may be reached at (1-876-523-2064) or online chat for immediate assistance. Email service requests can be directed to: helpdesk@ncu. edu. jm POLICY ON SERVER UNAVAILABILITY OR OTHER TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES The university is committed to providing a reliable online course system to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor will provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately report any problems to the instructor and also contact the UNISS eLearning Help Desk: http://uniss. Ncu. edu. jm/elearninghelp , 1-876-523-2064. The instructor and the UNISS eLearning Help Desk will work with the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS In addition to a competent level of computer and Internet literacy, there are some minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Please review the important technical requirements and the web browser configuration information at http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/ to ensure that your personal computer meets the outlined requirements. This course has integrated communication tools that may be used to facilitate interaction and communication. Other communication mediasuch as email, instant messaging and web conferencing tools may also be utilized throughout the course. For more details please visit http://aeorionde. ncu. edu. jm/features . Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students primarily using the Announcements and Discussions tools. Students may send personal concerns or questions to the instructor via email or using the course messaging module. The instructor will as much as possible reply to student’s queries within a week. LIBRARY SERVICES Distance Learners will need an ? orion user account to access all of the library’s electronic resources (reserves, journal articles, ebooks and search online databases) from off campus. For NCU students living close to one of our extension campuses, a valid NCU ID card is required to check out materials from the Library. For more information on library resources go to http://www. ncu. edu. jm/library/ ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION Please use the Assignments link on the course menu or see the icon on the designated page to upload assignments. You may click on the link for each assignment and follow the on-screen instructions to upload and submit your file(s). Bear in mind that you may only submit each assignment once, after which you should receive an onscreen confirmation. Please refer to the Help menu for more information on using this tool. Please note: each assignment link will be deactivated after the assignment due time. Additionally, unless stated otherwise, assignments are typically due at 11:59 PM on the specified date. After your submission is graded, you may click each assignment’s â€Å"Graded† tab to check the results and feedback. If necessary drafts of work for mastery learning may be sent via email to the instructor for review prior to submission. For team project assignments, one group member will submit the assignment for the group and all group members will be able to view the results and feedback once it’s been graded. Assignment Submission Instructions using Turnitin: Assignment(s) will be submitted and inspected via Turnitin, which is an integrated eLearning tool for plagiarism detection. To submit your assignments, click on the Turnitin icon located on the assignment submission web page. Next, click the submit icon. After which you will need to upload your assignment file – please note that only one file may be submitted. To submit your assignment, click on â€Å"Browse† and locate your file then click the Submit button. You will be able to review before confirming your submission. You may return at a later time when the report is available, typically within 24 hours, to review the Originality Report which indicates the sources detected and how similar the assignment is to these sources. Please note it may take some time for Turnitin to generate the originality report. For further information on using Turnitin, please go to: http://www. Turnitin. com/static/training. html. COURSE EVALUATION You are required to complete an evaluation of the course at the end of the semester/module. These evaluations are used to garner valuable feedback that helps to improve the quality of instruction. Online course evaluations will be made accessible around the end of the semester/module and students will be informed via email or internal messages when they become available. NCU EMAIL Northern Caribbean University is aware of the efficiency, effectiveness and overall importance of communication between students and faculty/staff through electronic mail. At the same time, e-mail raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an e-mail exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence to be sent only to a student’s NCU e-mail address and that faculty or staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a NCU student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. NCU furnishes each student with a free e-m