Compensation: Limousine Business Operators

Market Evaluation Limousines are an elegant and comfortable means of transport, and are far more preferred than plain rent-a-car arrangements. The car rental business, however, has diversified from the classic black stretch limo to a more diversified and modern vehicle fleet ranging from sedans, limo buses, and even stretch SUV's with huge seating capacities. According to latest data, some 400 million Americans make limousine reservations from car rental firms each year for a variety of reasons: among them airport pick ups and transfers, entertaining business and corporate clients, as well momentous occasions such as weddings, proms and other social gatherings. The huge traffic and short wait for a return on investment has caused more than a few hundred new limousine businesses to emerge every year.Although competition in the limo market is currently stiff, there will always be room for limousine business operators whose aim is to provide top-notch service that give clients value for their money. The average salary for a limousine driver in Austin, Texas, for 2012 was $23,550 or $11.33 per hour. The 50th percentile of pay for a limousine driver in Austin, Texas, was $22,140 or $10.64 per hour. The average limousine company allocates 25% of its budget for salary and benefits.The recent economic recovery and increased consumer demand for limousine service resulted in 61% of limousine services increasing revenue in 2012. Business and professional clients comprise 61% of the customer base for limousine services and should be the target customer base for the company.Compensation Structure Mr. Stonefield compensation structure should reflect the company business plan and goals by placing a priority on customer service, repeat business,  new client referrals, and safety. What the company can afford to pay and implementing programs to reward performance that align employee compensation with the success of the company should be the basis of the compensation structure The compensation structure should keep fixed labor costs low and place emphasis on benefits, incentives, and merit based-pay.

Eharmnoy Case Study

Introduction eHarmony is an online personal site targeted marriage-minded individuals and offered a unique product, which combined an extensive relationship questionnaire, a patented matching system and a guided communication system. â€Å"eHarmony made its mark in the online dating landscape by establishing its brand as the site for the serious relationship seeker, particularly women†(Gabby). eHarmony is a well established company that â€Å"launched in August 2000 with $3 million in funding and grew into a rumored $100 Million, highly profitable company in less than 5 years†(Gabby). Harmony is one of the first dating sites to succeed in providing good matches. Situational Analysis eHarmony’s existing customers are online users are both men and women that range from the age groups of 18 all the way up to 87, but the fastest growing group right now is men and women ages 35-55. Another fact of Internet data is that regardless of gender, age, or race the majority o f serious Internet daters earn at least 50K per year†(Profilehelper. com). eHarmony is a safe and easy way to date without having to go out. Harmony is an excellent way to explore ones options with an unlimited amount of choices. eHarmony’s competitors are the do yourself site which are, Yahoo! the personals and Match. com. Other competitors consist of Match. com, Chemistry, heterosexual sites, African American sites, faith-based sites and online social networks that are a threat to eHarmony such as Facebook, and MySpace. Consumers of eHarmony look for a site that bases upon personality rather than how an individual looks. eHarmony chooses the perfect match based upon personality traits, which is why consumers truly enjoy this site.The economic conditions that eHarmony faces during these hard economic times is that consumers have to pay a fee to become a member. The fee makes it harder for consumers who are not doing very well during the recession. SWOT |Strengths: |Opp ortunities: | |Memberships |Gay and Lesbian market | |Patent ompatibility test |Divorce | |Advertising formulas |Casual daters | |Guided communications |Global Expansion | | | | | | | | | | |Weaknesses: |Threats: | |Doesn’t offer gay and lesbian services |Online social networks | |eHarmony only operates in the US |Competition | |Lengthy Questionnaire |Free dating services | | | | | | | Strengths Harmony has much strength in its business that are necessary for its success. eHarmony charges a fee to become a member because of their success rate of achieving long-term relationships. There has been an increase in the number of paying members, because eHarmony is confident in recommending matches that result in a high level of marital satisfaction. The compatibilities test, is used to match individuals, based on their personality types. The questionnaire has 250 questions, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. Even though the questionnaire is a lengthy process more tha n 14 million people have completed it in the first seven years of eHarmony’s existence. Harmony’s advertising formula was successful because eHarmony was one for the few companies that made off line marketing work and pay for itself. Guided communication is the questionnaire that is done before the matches can communicate directly. This is a strength because it determines if the individuals are a true match for one another. Weaknesses EHarmony’s weaknesses are that it does not offer its single matching services to women seeking women or men seeking men. Giving eHarmony limited resources and the small size of the same sex market the company did not believe it was necessary to enter the market place. Another weakness that eHarmony has is that it does not market in other countries but the US.If eHarmony does not expand to new geographic areas, it could find that its competitors would already take its target segment. Lastly, the personality profile has been abbrevia te from 450 to 250 questions, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. It has been stated in the case study, that men are less likely to complete the questionnaire after starting. This is a weakness because they are ultimately losing costumers from the time consuming questionnaire. Opportunities eHarmony's opportunities are that they have the ability to enter into the gay and lesbian market which is one of the largest niche markets. This market attracts about one tenth  of the Internet traffic of the heterosexual personal sites.With the divorce rate being extremely high, this has led to the older individuals searching for a new soul mate. eHarmony makes it easier for singles to find dates, by saving time since eHarmony does the picking for  the  consumers. eHarmony could create a competitive advantage, by broaden their customer base, and including more casual daters. There are many people interested in casual dating who could benefit from eHarmony’s matching compatibil ities. Even though global expansion has been stated as a weakness we also believe it is an opportunity. Threats Large online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter attract customers though the process of friends encouraging friends to join.This website provide personal information, which persuaded other to talk to one another and potentially date. Online social networks are also attractive to people who are in a long term relationship, and could not join a dating site without jeopardizing their current relationships. With Match being its biggest competitor customer have, a difficult time differentiating between the two. Chemistry one of Match’s sister companies is another competitor that companies that it does not know why eHarmony rejects people. The free dating service has, become an enormous threat to eHarmony because consumers claim that making people pay to join a dating site served as a serious barrier  that  separates  individuals.Assumptions The missing in formation that we believe is not in the case is the following, 1. If the lesbian and gay market where in eHarmony would it affect its current customers. 2. What is the main reason why they don’t have same sex pairing 3. What is holding eHarmony back from expanding overseas. Statement of the Problem The main problem that eHarmony faces is that they only focus on matching men with women and do not focus on same sex paring. According to the Independent Gay Forum, â€Å" A team at the Harvard school of public health reported that 6. 2 percent of men and 3. 6 percent of women reported same sex-partner in the pervious five years.These statistics are extremely high, and it would be in the best interest of eHarmony to focus on this market as well as straight individuals. Alternatives/ Recommendation The statement of problem that could have been avoided by eHarmony is to have a gay and lesbian section. This would attract this market to their website, but they will also still focus on promoting to matching women and men. This website will guarantee a compatible partner whom shares similar backgrounds, goals, values and beliefs among many other valuable characteristic. Implementation eHarmony will implement a gay and lesbian section to their website that guarantees a long lasting relationship. It will use the same format of questionnaires and personality test that eHarmony uses now. This site will lso implement success stories, privacy policy and safety tips to ensure that this is what they truly are looking for. This site will focus on this market segment with out gays and lesbians feeling as if they are being segregated. Control/Evaluation To ensure that eHarmony is achieving what they set out to accomplish they will establish actions to support their goals. eHarmony’s goal is to create a marketing strategy by launching a campaign that focuses on gay and lesbians, to attract them towards the new and upcoming website of eHarmony. By creating awareness tow ards this market, this would increase positive word of mouth, as well new memberships for eHarmony. Harmony will also create a strong bond with these customers to understand their wants and needs. Works Cited Gabby, Nisan. â€Å" » EHarmony Case Study: Offline Advertising the Key to Scale – Startup Review Blog. † Startup Review Blog – Analyzing Web Success. 07 Dec. 2006. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Online Dating Profile Writing Help | Online Dating Profile Experts | Profile Helper. com. 2 Jan. 2006. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Varnell, Paul. â€Å"More Gays than Lesbians — IGF Culture Watch. † IGF Culture Watch — Forging a Gay Mainstream. 30 Nov. 1999. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Warren, Neil C. EHarmony #1 Trusted Singles Online Dating Site – More than Personals. 28 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. .

Chaucer's General Prologue

Chaucers General Prologue Essay Compare and contrast the presentation of three pilgrims from Chaucers General Prologue and show how their descriptions add to our understanding of his society  The Canterbury Tales is a group of tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer in about 1387. Chaucer planned to write 24 tales but died before he could complete them, so, The Canterbury Tales consist of 22 verse tales and two long prose tales. The General Prologue gives a brief but vivid description of each pilgrim journeying to Canterbury before the pilgrims actually begin telling their tales. Most literature written in the medieval period was written in either French or Latin, especially poems or Holy Scriptures, so when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in Middle English he was making a statement. Chaucer wanted to promote the vernacular language of England and so wrote The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. Three of the best portraits of the pilgrims in the General Prologue are of the Knight, the Wife of Bath and the Monk who all tell us a great deal about Chaucers society. The Knight is a verray, parfit, gentil knyght, who earns his living by fighting for his faith and his king. He has high status in the feudal system and Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre. He is as meeke as a mayde, and he is also worthy and humble.  The way in which Chaucer writes The Knight and the language he uses reinforces the point that the Knight is virtuous. The alliteration in he were worthy, he was wys draws attention to the praise that Chaucer is giving him. Also triple negatives are used to reinforce the point that he has no vices; he nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde. The Knight is humble and not materialistic where the text reads;  His hors were goode, but he was nat gay  Of fustian he wered a gypon  Al bismotered with his habergeon  There is also an ironic simile in the verse about the Knight where the text says, as meeke as a mayde this describes him as calm and gentle whereas we expect a Knight to be violent and proud of himself. Finally, the rhyming couplets at the end of each line draw even more attention to his good qualities for example  . prys  . wys  He does not care what people think of him, he uses his horse for its function, and he does not decorate it elaborately but just uses it for fighting. The clothes that he wears also tell the reader that he is not materialistic because he, wered a gypon/Al bismotered with his habergeon. The Wife of Bath lives biside Bathe and likes to weave, she has been married five times and gives advice to people in love. Thries hadde she been at Jerusalem, which suggests that she is a holy woman who has been on a lot of pilgrimages. However she only wants to be seen as religious and holy person. Chaucer only pretends to give evidence of her devotion whereas he is really saying that she is not concerned about religion, but that she is more concerned with her reputation and how she looks to other people; Nobody to the offrynge before hire sholde goon. Although she had been on a number of pilgrimages, especially to Jerusalem, Chaucer writes that she is often found wandrynge by the weye on them, passing many a strange strem. The alliteration here draws our attention to these details. Chaucers ambiguity towards some pilgrims motives for being on the pilgrimage is shown in this verse as he could be implying that the Wife of Bath strayed from the religious purpose of the trip.  Chaucer uses euphemisms to hint at the Wife of Baths promiscuity; gat-tothed, reed stockings, five husbands and oother compaigne in her youth are all quotes to support this point. The five husbands could suggest that the Wife of Bath was an early feminist because she uses men to her own advantage and in her tale she claims womens superiority over men. READ: First Confession Analysis EssayChaucer gently mocks the gregarious Wife of Bath by telling the reader in an exaggerated manner that on Sunday at Church the wimple that she wore weyeden ten pound, this also hints at her materialistic and vain nature, which is completely opposite to the Knight. The Wife of Bath had clothes such as;  hosen of fyn scarlet reed  Ful streite yteyd and shoes ful moyste and new  That show that she is vain and materialistic because she has bought new shoes for a pilgrimage and red stockings which would be very expensive because to dye clothes bright colours was very expensive in those days.  The Knight, however, Of fustian he wered a gypon/Al bismotered with his habergeon which is completely the opposite. The Monk is a lord ful fat and in good poynt; he is indulgent; the fact that The Monk likes to eat swan also suggests that he is indulgent, not what a monk should be. The sleves purfiled at the hond /with grys, and that the fyneste of a lond. This suggests that he is extravagant and doesnt really care about religious vows. The simile that says the Monks head shoon as any glas, could also suggest that he is vain. Like The Pardoner, The Monk is not a true clergyman; The Pardoner sells fake relics such as white sheets and says they are the Virgin Marys veil and The Monk goes on pilgrimages to get out of the monastery. The Knight has many pastimes, but most are associated with war, such as training the Squire, his son, taking part in jousts, defending the faith, travelling abroad to battles. This suggests that in Chaucers society there were many wars and that in the feudal system; knights were expected to fight to defend their faith and country.  The Wife of Bath, however, enjoys weaving which would be expected because Bath was famous for fine cloths. Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce, this means she helps people with love, which is ironic considering that she Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve. She went on a lot of pilgrimages like the Knight, but she koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye, which could mean that she diverted from the religious purpose of the trip. Apart from this, though she has a lot of leisure time to enjoy her other pastimes. But unlike the Knight, the Wife of Bath enjoys things that will fulfil her needs and wants, whereas the Knights interests and pastimes dire ctly benefit other people such as the Squire, his country or his King The Monk enjoys hunting, which could imply that he doesnt care about Gods creatures as a Monk should. The Monk and The Pardoner are both corrupt, which reinforces the popular view that the Church at the time was rich and corrupt; The Parson is the only good clergyman on the pilgrimage. The Friar knew a lot of the taverns in the country which suggests he has a lot of time for social time which a monk should not have.  Christians go to Canterbury to worship the shrine of St Thomas Beckett who was murdered at Canterbury. In the General Prologue, the characters met up at the Tabard Inn and decided to tell their stories. The supposed reason these pilgrims are going to Canterbury is to seek St. Thomas, holy martyr blessed, but some have other ulterior motives for going there. The Knight, I think, is on the pilgrimage to give thanks to God and St. Thomas Beckett for bringing him back alive and well from battle. The Wife of Bath likes to show off about being holy since nobody to the offrynge before hire sholde goon. She could be going to Canterbury for a holiday, to travel more, to find another husband, to show off how rich she is; compared with The Knight she is on the pilgrimage for materialistic reasons whereas the Knight, like the Parson, is on the pilgrimage for authentic religious reasons. The Monk could be on the pilgrimage to socialise or it could be a reason to get out of the cloistered of the monastery; neither of which are holy reasons. READ: Play It Again Rita EssayIn conclusion I believe that the Knight is the only person, along with the Parson, who is on the pilgrimage for the right reasons. The Knight is on the pilgrimage to give thanks to God and he dedicates his time to those who are in need. On the other hand The Monk is on the pilgrimage for one of two reasons, either to socialise with other people or just to get out of the monastery. This reflects the view at the time that the Church was corrupt and rich. The Wife of Bath is on the pilgrimage for vain and materialistic reasons the most likely reasons are either to show off her wealth or to find another husband. This reflects the position of women because could not go out and live on their own they needed the support of a husband or a father.

Federal Rules of Evidence Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Federal Rules of Evidence - Article Example The two police handcuffs and the gun were illegally in the accused hands; there was no other explanation behind such possession of such items other than to cause malice and harm. Therefore, by the mere position of the police assortment, the accused had the intent to commit a crime, which could most likely be explained to be a kidnap. Moreover, the cruel treatment of the victim at the hands of the defendant could be reliable evidence to portray the accused to have had no other intention other than to kill Ms. Woodward. Wallace (2013) explains that circumstantial evidence does not need to prove anything by itself, but has the power to point to the right direction, by proving something related to the question at hand. Consequently, the ill-treatment of Ms. Woodward in the case points to the direction of intention to commit murder or grievous harm to the victim. The accused had handcuffed the victim, placed her at the back of the vehicle in an inhuman treatment. Moreover, when the victim inquired the intention behind the defendant’s actions after realizing he was not a police and tried to escape, the accused rained blows on her head several times and covered her face. The victim was dizzy from the received blows. After opening the door finally, the defendant did not stop driving but continued while the victim tumbled on the ground heavily. These incidents lead to the conclusion that the defendant was indeed preparing to commit murder or grievous harm, similar to the case of the 24-year-old Imette st. Guillen.

Has the Recession Changed the way UK banks measure performance Dissertation

Has the Recession Changed the way UK banks measure performance - Dissertation Example When the business cycle is reduced and cut back, this is often referred to as a recession which generally slows down the economic activity during a particular period of time .When recessions occur, it has been believed that there is a general drop in spending, and governments normally address this financial matter by implementing macroeconomic policies which deal with the economy’s performance and behaviour to be able to understand how the whole economy functions (Strupczewski 2004). Furthermore, governments also increase the supply of money as well as government spending, and decreases taxation. According to the NBER or the National Bureau of Economic Research, an economic recession normally lasts for more than a few months which will be evident in the GDP growth as well as in personal incomes, employment rates, production, business profits and sales which all fall and drop during this critical slump. The latest economic recession in 2008 first began in December of 2007 in the United States and was greatly intensified in September of 2008 (Gullapalli and Anand 2008). This particular financial crisis had been described by numerous imbalances and had been associated with hasty and unstable lending practises which resulted from the interference of the United States government regarding real estate mortgages. The US securities which were backed by mortgages were sold around the world despite the fact that it had risks which were hard to evaluate.

Should Parents Know of Increased Alzheimer's risk Essay

Should Parents Know of Increased Alzheimer's risk - Essay Example The answer is quite clear that awareness is very important about this disease in the present time. Psychotic symptoms such as delusions and aberrations have been observed in large percentage of patients suffering from this disease. In fact, it is the presence of these symptoms which can lead to early regimentation. (Tappen R. M. 1998) â€Å"You know, people get frustrated because their loved ones who have Alzheimer's, oh, he doesn't recognize me anymore, how can I recognize this person, if they don't recognize me? They're not the same person.   Well, they are the same person, but they've got a brain disease. And it's not their fault they've got this disease.† --Ron Reagan In the present age, only a negligible number of ordinary people have proper awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease. In general, the people know merely two things about this disease. Firstly, they know that it is an attenuating disease which is incurable. And secondly they know that memory loss is it s common symptom. That is enough information to produce lot of depression among the aging population but a little more awareness would definitely bring some needed relief. Another misconception among the people is that they think that Alzheimer’s disease can only occur in old age. ... However, children and young adults can also experience this disease as a result of number of rare diseases and conditions. For example, in Batten Disease, unfortunately, Alzheimer’ disease can be observed in many facets, many age ranges and in many different aberrations. The intensity ranges from mild to almost extreme of the worst possible. This disease seems very difficult to treat in the world. (Taylor, Richard 2007) Some of the reasons as to why awareness is important for parents about this disease are related to different aspects of the world. If a parent does not know much about Alzheimer’s disease and has it in his genes then it is possible that his/her child would also suffer from this disorder. The possibility of the disease increases further when both the parents are susceptible to the disease. The parents should be aware about the disease so that they would not opt for a child as it would ruin his whole life. Moreover the child may cause increased medical cos ts if he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Awareness of the parents would help them to treat their children or at least get a check up at an early age so that the deteriorative processes do not end up in the last stage. Timely intervention can be counted as one of the most important factors which can help in the treatment of the disease. Awareness of parents can help to increase this timely intervention and can thus enhance the treatment process of the children suffering from the disease. Awareness of the issue can further help in lowering down the incidence of the disease as it is being prevailing in the world. All these points strongly support the point that parents and other

Compare and Contrast Buddhism and Daoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Compare and Contrast Buddhism and Daoism - Essay Example ine being; it does not have worship, praying to, or praising of a divine being (although some sects do.) It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, no heavenly hope, or a final judgment to those practicing its system. Buddhism is a moral philosophy, an ethical way to live for the here and now of this world to gain the ultimate state. It has more in common with humanism and atheism than its original religion Hinduism it separated from. But Buddhism is not atheism just because they don’t believe in a personal God. It is more like pantheism, there is an impersonal force the void which is the ultimate. For centuries, Buddhism has been the dominant religion of the Eastern world and still remains the predominant religion in China, Japan, Korea, as well as Southeast Asia. In Japan alone there are approximately 200 sects. This makes it difficult to address this religion as a whole since it can be so diversified.1 Gautama, whose personal name according to later sources was Siddhartha, was born in ancient India. It is believed that he was born in the city of Lumbini and raised in Kapilavastu, near the modern town of Taulihawa, Nepal. The traditional story of his life is as follows; little of this can be regarded as established historical fact. Born a prince, his father, King Suddhodana, was supposedly visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha was born and told that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu). Determined to make Siddhartha a king, the father tried to shield his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Despite his fathers efforts, at the age of 29, he discovered the suffering of his people, first through an encounter with an elderly man. On subsequent trips outside the palace, he encountered various sufferings such as a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These are often termed The Four Sights.† After abandoning asceticism and concentrating instead upon meditation and Anapanasati

Illustrations for Children-The Visual Perceptual development at an Research Paper

Illustrations for Children-The Visual Perceptual development at an early age - Research Paper Example The objectives of teaching in the visual literacy field include enhancing the visual perception development of children. Basically, identification of differences in visual aspects would be carried out. These aspects consist of color, shape, lime, movement, texture, and other characteristics. The field of visual literacy particularly concerns a child’s worldview; how s/he responds to the things s/he sees; how s/he views, senses, and understands feelings induced; and how s/he makes opinions about visual media. This essay discusses the impact of illustrations and pictures on children’s visual perceptual development, as well as on the reading and comprehension learning processes of emergent readers. Development of visual perception is thought to be helpful in enhancing children’s creative, writing, reading, and cognitive abilities. Stieglitz (2008) emphasizes that seeing is the most essential and fundamental source of information about the world (as cited in Machado, 2012, 154). Seeing does not only include the eyes, but the brain as well. Components of the process of visual perception are eye receptors, the visual stimulus, light, the person’s previous experiences, past belief and knowledge, and the person’s emotions and motives at a given time. Some experts propose that the visual literacy domain must be incorporated with speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They also propose teaching that is genuine, is natural, and engages children in brainstorming or problem-solving activities. Teaching, they argue, should be orderly, clear, and direct. Storytelling activities using illustrations or photos, stimulating the children’s interpretation of what the story is all about after seeing a cover of a children’s book, and talking about children’s creative work and the specifics within or their feelings provide teachers ideas into the children’s thoughts. Such exercises also expose children’s capacity to read and interpret visual

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

Technology - Assignment Example This material has been transformed to create electronic displays and these displays are being used for e-readers. This technology is helping the society as it reduces its consumption of trees for paper and even provides them with a solution that consumes lower amount of battery of their e-readers. The RFID Chips are even recognized as radio frequency identification chips are wireless in nature and are used in replacement of bar codes as well as magnetic strips and are attached to different elements and helps in identifying those elements. These chips are being used by super stores and marts in place of barcodes and due to these chips there has been a decrease in the amount of time people spend at point of sales. Programmable Matter is a term used to refer to those elements that has the ability to alter their physical outlook in a Programmable way and this matter is said to have the ability of processing huge amount of information (Fan, 2013, p.152). The concept of programmable matter is being used to create items such as robots that can change their shape and perform various functions. These robots can help in making lives of human beings easier by performing different

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century Essay

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring Use examples and details in your answer - Essay Example While many people consider technological devices to make our lives easier, they can also have a detrimental effect on our well-being. It’s getting to the stage now where almost no one sends anything by post because it takes too long to reach its destination. This next century could see our virtual lives becoming just as significant as our real lives. Another change that the next century will bring is global wars. Although there have been global conflicts in the previous century, modern technology will result in the types of wars that we have never seen before. Long gone are the days where two armies came together and fought it out on the battlefield. Another element that will make world wars interesting over the next 100 years is the use of nuclear weapons. Countries such as Iran and North Korea have, or will have, the technology and desire to attack nations that they consider to be their enemies. Perhaps the most exciting change of this century will be the advances in medicines. Global sicknesses that were once thought of as deadly will be consigned to the history books. This will result in humans being able to live longer, which may be either a good or bad thing depending on who gains access to these advanced types of medicines. What we do know is that the standard of living will improve for most

Piri Thomas Alien House Essay Example for Free

Piri Thomas Alien House Essay Throughout the short story Alien Turf, Piri, a little Puerto Rican boy who just moved to an all-Italian neighborhood encounters many obstacles. Piri will face rejection and inadequacy. He gets teased, and beaten up, but still, he stays strong and acts older than he really is. At the end of the story, Piri is encountered with a strong sense of compassion from Rocky, an Italian boy who had previously beaten him up. The boys realized that racism is only skin deep, but each person may be a kind, caring human being. In the beginning of the story, all Rocky saw was a Puerto Rican invading his Italian neighborhood. According to him, only Italians belonged in the neighborhood, and Puerto Ricans, like Piri and his family, should be ultimately banned. Racism is a belief that one race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities. Racial differences may produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Rocky fully lived by this in the beginning, and even throughout most of the story. What is compassion? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, compassion is sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Some other people may see compassion as being sympathetic toward someone or something when they are struggling or having some sort of problem. If this is what compassion means, then Rocky truly showed compassion for Piri at the end of the story. During the last fight that the Italian boys got into with Piri was when everything changed. One of the boys screamed to Piri from down the street, You even buying from us paisans, you must wantta be an Italians. Usually, he would just run away from them, but this day was different. Piri, sticking up for himself, screamed back to them, I wouldnt be a guinea on a motherfucking bet! Rocky and his gang were shocked that he said this. The boys started fist fighting and Piri hit Tony in the stomach as hard as he could, watching him fall to the ground. Tony grabbed a handful of asphalt and threw it in Piris face. Rocky hit Tony in the face, knowing that his friend had crossed the line. Rocky showed compassion by sticking up for Piri. He took Piris hand saying,  Comon kind, lemme take you home. Rocky recognized that yes, Piri was a little bit different because he was Puerto Rican, but he was also a human being. He realized that racism is only skin deep, and everybody has feelings. Piri was also touched in this instant. He never would have thought that any of the boys, especially Rocky, the leader of the gang, would ever stick up for him. To his amazement, not only did Rocky yell at his friend, but he also threw a couple of punches at him. Compassion was displayed in this because Rocky new that even though he really didnt like the fact that there was a little Puerto Rican boy that moved into his neighborhood, he could not dismiss the fact that what his friend did was wrong. He was going to help this little boy out. Rocky experienced a true epiphany during this part of the story. His views about everything were disregarded in that instant when his friend threw the asphalt in Piris face. He knew that if they really wanted to, they could have beaten Piri up real bad since he couldnt see, but Rocky knew that it would not be a fair fight. Rocky also recognized the fact that Piri needed his compassion and care in that instant, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Mass Media Promoting Copycat Mass Murders Media Essay

Mass Media Promoting Copycat Mass Murders Media Essay This research paper highlights on the ways that the mass media has encouraged the copycat murders. The copycat effect is used in reference to the situation for which a sensational publicity about the violent acts of murders or suicides causes the tendency to result in more of similar effects through imitation. The Media influence or media effects are terms used in media studies, in psychology, communication theory and in sociology in reference to the theories concerning the ways in which the mass media affect the way in which the audiences think or behave. The critiques of the influences of media suggested that media can weaken or delimit an individuals capacity in acting autonomously by connecting the world to the individuals and reproducing of self-images of the society, this characteristic of media is ascribed as an influence which is reminiscent of the telescreens, These Include all the kinds of media namely; the newspapers, TV, Radio, Internet and the Books. . The media generates information in a networked setup, it then publishes the information using the articles, videos, and the photos to the consumers, this influences the individuals ability to interpret the delivered information while at the same time it potentially influences the unrelated cultural and the personal beliefs, basing on the propaganda model. The Mass media content which is created for the newsworthy events and the untold stories have consequences on the consumers and culture can also be influenced. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon the society. This is due to its ability to reach a wider audience with strong and influential messages. The Television broadcasts have a lot of control over the content delivered to the society depending on the number watching and the times in which the same content is viewed. The internet creates the space for diverse political opinions, social and the cultural viewpoints and a higher level of consumer participation. The process of agenda-setting is almost the unavoidable section of news gathering in the large organizations which are stakeholders of the mass media. The media is not a crude agent of propaganda, but it organizes the public understandings by providing the overall interpretations that are preferred by, and in most cases it is least challenging especially to those with the economic power. News coverage of violent crimes serves the public interest, depending on how much coverage is necessary if it is necessary to cover every violent crime and the level of detail. (McCombs Shaw, 1972) The coverage of crimes in the society can be a valuable tool in decision making. If the Individuals are properly informed, they can make rational decisions basing on their personal safety. In case the population has been misled, may it be intentionally or not, depending on the nature of the crimes, and the rarity or commonality of the said crimes. When the coverage is an endless repetition of the apparently meaningless tragedies, then it causes a numbing effect on the population. The public interest may be the justification for the coverage of the mass murders, but in reality profit is the real motivation, since the mass media are in the business of making money and therefore the mass media cannot ignore mass murders. The allegations the mass media unintentionally promotes the mass murder is a serious one. Hence the mass media determine the appropriate level of coverage and it is necessary to cover every such crime. There is need for the media to devise the methods for discouraging the shoot your way to temporary fame which encourages copycat murders. It is evident that this problem has not been adequately addressed in the existing works on the media ethics. Literature Review A review on a number of the recent works in this field have suggested a trend the general problems of psychological and economic harm caused by inaccurate or unethical mass media reporting has been considered in great depths, However the very severe form of harm which is the unintentional encouragement of copycat murders has not been specifically discussed. A Noted author and the cultural behaviorist Loren Coleman explores how the medias over-saturated the coverage of the murders, suicides, and the deadly tragedies made an impact on the society. This is The Copycat Effect-the phenomenon in which violent events spawn violence of the same type. He recognizes the emerging patterns of the Copycat Effect, how to deal with and counteract the associated consequences as individuals and as the culture. Loren Coleman translates the academic research on the copycat effects an understandable form in which He brings the imitation of violence to reality through the detailed case studies and the pe rson-centered examples, such as the sensationalized reporting on suicide, sniper sprees, suicide via the airplane, suicidal cults, the post-office killings, and the teenage suicide. The media is largely in a state of denial on how its coverage on the death incidents contributes to the violence and destruction of lives in the society. Loren Colemans in The Copycat Effect examined the major news events, which were encouraged and promoted by the mass media, and those which get repeated in lesser-known incidents which were covered primarily by the local news. Klaidman Beauchamp (1987, pp. 93-123, pp. 201-7)) discussed the issues on journalistic-induced harm, but only with respect to the damaged reputations and the business losses. Pointed to the problems of the news organizations which created the news events, including the problems international terrorism, they did examine the possibility that the journalists efforts can play a part in causing a specific murder. Lambeth (1986) provides a thorough theoretical model in addressing the ethical issues on journalism, However, he fails to address the problem of media-induced harm. Hulteng (1981, pp. 71-86) sampled out the ethical codes of a number of the American newspapers; he reprinted the complete text of codes of the ethics for the Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Society of the Newspaper Editors, and the Society of the Professional Journalists. All these ethical codes address the issue of harm and balance in a very general way but do not directly discuss how the coverage of a particular criminal act can lead to the copycat crimes. The news media is supposed to satisfy both the obligation of accurately informing the public about the nature of the societys murder problems, and the obligation of the stockholders to keep the circulation up. The inevitable public boredom with the coverage of the meaningless little murders makes this an impossible act to balance. The media coverage on some murders in the sensational manner has been customized in many events. The editors justify this time-honored tradition basing on the economic considerations and in light of the major roles. The editors need to figure out the many innocent lives that will be sacrificed in order to boost the circulation, or promote the political agendas. These mass media studies suggest that that there is need for standardized means in which a kind of crime violence should be given the attention proportionate to its size, in relation to the its magnitude, and base on the importance of its victims. The Violent crimes of all types should be highlighted, in a relative way to other causes of suffering, which are proportionate to the social costs. Meyer (1987, pp. 155-156) points to the problem of the unbalanced reporting of the health and safety issues in the mass media causes the wild and inaccurate notions on the relative risks of various causes of death. He gives an example where a surveyed group of the greatly underestimated deaths caused by the emphysema, relates to the deaths by homicide. Meyer described one of the studies carried out by researchers at the University of Oregon, in which it was found that the pictures formed inside the heads of the people who were interviewed tended to be influenced by the spooky, violent world of the newspaper content as compared to the real world. It is important that the studies recognizes how the misleading portrayal of the real world can become an artifact of the popular morbid curiosity, that the newspapers must satisfy or lose in their circulation, this reflects what Meyer terms as, The Distorting Effects of the Perceptual Models. In brief, the journalists through the mass media enhance certain assumptions in their work. They make use of the facts which do not fit into the journalists perceptual model that tends to be downgraded in its importance or ignored. This study bases on the facts which include the statistical analysis, even at the most basic level, but the primary liberal arts orientation given to the journalists comes to the forefront takes the precedence. (Meyer, 1987, pp. 48-50) David Lesters (1989) study titled, Media Violence and Suicide and Homicide Rates. He summarized the two reports extracted from the National Coalition on the TV Violence. The first report asserts that there exists a negative correlation between the suicides and violent, media related issues, and a positive correlation in relation to the homicide at the same time. The second report asserts somehow similar, which does not statistically signify the relationships between the best-attended films, suicide and the homicide. Lesters shows that the National Coalition on the TV violence is not an objective source, Lester did not attempt to analyze the methods used, or critically evaluate the significance of these reports. There are serious problems that prove or disprove the causal relationships that exist between the television entertainment and the violent behavior; therefore there is no reason to assume that the television news provides the easier opportunity for such research. Methodology This research employed a web based survey in gathering data on the Media influences and promotion of the copycat murders. I analyzed news coverage of the mass murders in Time and the Newsweek for the period ranging 1984-91 for the evidence of the disproportionate, coverage of certain categories of mass murder in a manner that influenced the occurrence of the subsequent incidents. I used this design in order to trace the root of copycat murders and at the same time justify the hypothesis which assumes that copycat murders are accelerated by media influences.. The instrument was divided into two parts; The Descriptive Analysis, which describes the influences of media in the individuals ability to commit a crime as a result of the interests developed from the media highlights.. The Critical Analysis, which assesses the extent to which the American based print media, perpetuates the copycat murders. This involved the analysis of two main Newspapers, the Times and the Newsweek based on their modes of reporting the violent criminal incidences. Sample description and selection the copycat murder cases In this research work the random sampling procedure was used in the process of data collection on the copycat murders, this was due to the nature of the topic which required many sources of information concerning the influences of mass media on copycat murders. The contexts for the study were based on the distinctive nature of the internet. Data was collected in the process of evaluation of the influences of the mass media and the mode in which the copycat crimes. Results Table 1 shows the data gathered on the different types of murde , it is clear that the arson mass murderers and the knife mass murderers received relatively very little attention from the Time and the Newsweek. The data shows that, there is a very large discrepancy between the amount of coverage that given to the arson mass murders, and the mass murderers involving the guns exclusively. The fire arms leads with a factor of almost nine times as much coverage as seen from the comparison between the coverage given to the exclusive firearms mass murderers and to the arson mass murderers. Murderer Month/Year Dead Newsweek sq. in. Newsweek Sq. Inches/Dead James Huberty Jul-84 22 157.50 7.16 Sylvia Seegrist Nov-85 2 0.00 0.00 William Bryan Cruse Apr-87 6 0.00 0.00 David Burke Dec-87 43 57.75 1.34 Robert Dreesman Dec-87 7 0.00 0.00 Ronald Gene Simmons Dec-87 16 78.75 4.92 Richard Wade Farley Feb-88 7 0.00 0.00 Laurie Wasserman Dann May-88 2 54.00 27.00 Patrick Purdy Jan-89 6 370.34 61.72 Joseph T. Wesbecker Sep-89 8 52.50 6.56 James E. Pough Jun-90 9 0.00 0.00 George Hennard Oct-91 24 78.75 3.28 Firearms Murders 152 849.59 5.59 There is a large discrepancy that exists; however, this is because of the many articles which mentioned Patrick Purdys crime. But even with the exclusion of all coverage of Patrick Purdys crimes (there is still a very charitable assumption on the data by the Time and Newsweek, in consideration of the centrality to the Wesbeckers actions of the Times coverage), the square inches per dead body for the firearms mass murderers is still more than 5 times the coverage when it comes to the arson mass murderers. This dramatic difference was shown by Plotting the square inches per dead body mass media coverage on the selected murderers incidents as shown below. Plotting of the firearms mass murder coverage against time also showed some interesting results, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the mass murder coverage rose dramatically with the crimes committed by Laurie Wasserman Dann and Patrick Purdy There is a sudden dived back from high to very low levels especially during the pre-Dann levels with the Wesbecker incident. The Time newspaper which is more prone to the coverage of the firearms mass murders before Dann and Purdy, was the noticeably restrained of the two magazines as seen in its coverage of the mass murders from Wesbecker and onwards. There is a unique relationship pertaining the Time seen from the connection between their coverage of the Purdy, and the Wesbeckers bloody rampage? Discussion The cases analyzed included the following; On January 17, 1989, a homosexual prostitute who was also a drug addict with a very long history of the criminal offenses and mental disturbance, Patrick Purdy, directly to the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. He firebombed his car, entered a playground during the recess time carrying a Chinese gun, a semiautomatic version of the full automatic AK-47), he shot to death five children, wounded 29 other children and the teacher, then shot himself in the head using a 9mm handgun. The Initial coverage of the Purdys crime was relatively restrained, where only the essential details were reported. The Time paper gave Purdy just part of a page in the first issue after the crime titled (Slaughter in a School Yard, 1989). The Newsweek gave a single page titled Death on the Playground, and pointed to the four prior attacks on the school children, it started with the Laurie Dann. The Newsweek included Purdys photograph in its article. Newsweeks article (Baker, Joseph, and Cerio, 1989) quoted the authors of a book with the content on mass murder: Theres a copycat element that cannot be denied. A week later, Patrick Purdys name had received a lot of attention, and consequently his fame increased. At one point the front cover of the Time openly showed the AK-47 and the AR-15 which were crossed, beneath the outline of the U.S. which was stylized into a jawless skull, and titled, Armed America. Inside, the George Churchs The Other Arms Race, (1989) this occupied almost 6Â ½ pages, opening with Patrick Purdys name. Consequently the articles referencing Purdy or his criminal act continued to appear in Newsweek and Time for several months. Within the same year, On September 14, 1989, Joseph Wesbecker who was a disabled employee of the Standard Gravure Co. in the Kentucky entered into the printing plant similarly carrying the AKS and a 9mm handgun. A reminiscence of Purdys scenario, the Wesbeckers actions were shortly detailed by the UPI wire service stories, particularly the William H. Inmans which was titled Wesbeckers rampage is boon to gun dealers (1989a): The most important fact is how the news coverage of the Purdys crime influenced Wesbeckers actions, and eve the identification of the weapon of choice for such an act of savagery. ( Inman, 1989) The police investigated this incident and at Wesbeckers residence, they found the manuals on weapons and an article published on February 6 issue of Time magazine devoted to the mass killers, including the one on Robert Sherrill, who slaughtered 14 people in the Oklahoma post office three years ago, and another one on Patrick Purdy, who killed five children with the AK-47 assault rifle in the Stockton, Calif, in January 1989. The same AK-47 was the main weapon used by Wesbecker. It is obvious that Joseph Wesbecker was not a healthy and well-adjusted person driven to commit his crime as a result of the sensational news coverage. The Time newspaper might have been responsible for having indirectly caused the horrible crime; this temptation could have been avoided. The editors of the Time might have foreseen the high probability for this kind of coverage promoting the copycat crimes. In analyzing of the data, this research paper based on two related issues: The level of the coverage that was given by the print media, the Time and Newsweek where certain crimes appeared to encourage the unbalanced people, who were seeking a lasting fame, by copying these crimes as we seen in Joseph Wesbeckers 1989 homicidal rampage. The analysis of the quantity of the press coverage which was given to the mass murder as in the case of the Newsweek and especially the Time which gave the undue attention to the particular type of mass murder, hence to the detriment of the public safety. Conclusion There are some positive effects from the mass media portrayals of the violence murders, according to a study the print and television have significant effects on the copycat murders some news reports have the major effects of promoting the copy cat violence and the killings. Therefore study conclude that the reporters are in need of some kind of guide on how the violence murder should be reported so as to avoid the potential negative effects that emanates from the mode of reporting to the public. There is the need to develop a journalistic style guide to determine the type of information which is recommended due to the potential positive or the negative effects. (Cairns, 1990, Price, Merrill, Clause, 1992, Wood, Wong, Chachere, 1991) The mode coverage of crime incidences in the society forms a very valuable tool in an individual decision making. The properly informed Individuals, can make rational decisions basing on their personal safety. If the population has been misled, be it intentional or not, it depends on the nature of the crimes, and the rarity or commonality of the said crimes. If the coverage involves an endless repetition of the apparently meaningless tragedies, it can cause a numbing effect on the population. The mass media generates information in a network, then the collected information is published using the articles, videos, and the photos to the consumers, this has the influences the individuals ability to digest the delivered information while at the same time it potentially influences the unrelated cultural and the personal beliefs, basing on the propaganda models. The Mass media content is created from the events and the untold stories which have effects on the consumers and their cultural orientation.

Resistance As A Positive Tool

Resistance As A Positive Tool 1.1 Introduction Organizational change is an inevitable challenge for organizations which exist in this competitive world and ever changing environment. Therefore, it is important for all organizations (public or private) to effectively manage change. In the issue of change management, the resistance to change is acknowledged as being a basic block to change, and a major reason that change does not succeed or get implemented (Mabin, Forgeson and Green, 2001). Any change, no matter how obvious beneficial to workers and the organization, will be met with and often be sabotaged by resistance. In reality, many people concur that resistance is the last thing management wants during change process. In many instances, resistance has caused dramatic chaos and uncertainties which may bring the change into a disaster or worse collapsing the whole organization. That resistance to change is negatively related to change outcome seems to be definitely confirmed. However, the almost generally accepted axiom that people resist change has recently come under challenge (Jansen, 2000). Though, many theorists are now trying to respond to those resistances more objectively, many still believe resistant are everything but helpful. In developing countries, resistance to change is inevitable phenomena, as long as it is acknowledged there is need for change i.e. reforms and restructuring the sectors and institutions, Local government reform of 2000, Public sector reform 2001 due to that this research is interested in seeing how the governments and institutions in Tanzania can be assisted to change their view concern with resistance from negative perspective to positive one. And how Malaysia as the one among developing countries passed through different stages of development since their independence can be used as a model and learning centre of the researcher in her research. 1.2 Statement of the problem Although it is a very frequently repeated discourse that change is unavoidable and organizations must change, the failures or low rate of success in change programs discloses the necessity of additional work on the subject of change management. According to statistics reported by leading corporate reengineering practitioners, success rate of change management, in Fortune 1000 companies are quite below 50% (Strebel, 1996). One may list various causes for failures in change initiative but in many studies, resistance has been one of the most salient elements of those unsuccessful attempts. Resistance to change is the most complex and intractable problems that face an organization today, in many developing countries ( Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria) this phenomenon became widely practice in different forms such as reduction of outputs, absenteeism, transfers requests, chronics quarrels, hostility and even strikes which made managers and administrators in organizations to view resistance as an obstacle to successful implementation of organizational change and even governmental projects and program . It has been observed that immediately after independence many developing countries particular Tanzania started reforms and restructuring their government by adopting different concept such as development administration with the objectives of strengthen their economic, increase administrative capability and eradicate social and economical problems. It is almost 45 years now since independence but changes have slowly taken place and most of the reforms are well good in papers but implementation of the reforms Local government reform of Zanzibar which is the part of Tanzania is still in papers are very slow due to the resistance to change from employees. 1.3 Research Objectives To find out positive role of resistance as being part of change process. To assess to what extent employees accepting resistance to change as a productive aspect and rewarding point to the change itself. To examine how managers will gain utility from resistance to change of their employees. To help managers to find techniques that will encourages them to utilize resistance to change rather than overcome it. 1.4 Research questions Parallel to the diversity of arguments existed in the literature, researcher preferred to approach resistance by taking its both negative and positive aspects into consideration. In doing so, researcher want to emphasize the constructive aspect of resistance which managers, employees and organizations in general can benefit during change processes. Under the light of this general purpose, guiding questions of the research are constructed as follows; What is the positive role of resistance to the change process? How far employees can recognize resistance as productive aspects to the change itself? How managers will gain utility from resistance to change? What role does resistance play to the organizational performance? What will be the techniques that will encourage the managers to utilize resistance rather than overcome it? 1.5 Significance The purpose of this study is to understand the role of resistance in the process of change management. The study will provide deeper understanding of key factors in implementing change programs. By referring to resistance, the researcher does not see resistance as a barrier that needs to be eliminated; instead, she aim to understand the concept of resistance in a wider scope and to identify crucial issues that can influence process of change in a positive way. In that way the study can be influential in terms of minimizing failures or dissatisfactions in change programs. By studying the research objectives and research questions, the researcher hopes to bring a new perspective about resistant behaviors of employees during the change process. Understanding, describing and analyzing roots and symptoms of resistance can enable us to construct a framework to implement change programs more successfully. Emphasis on resistance also brings the opportunity to use it as a constructive tool from this perspective research believe that by highlighting the importance of these activities, this research will be able to portray a comprehensive picture explaining the impact of leaders/managers in resistance management. Apart from above purposes the study will be capable of contributing to community by presenting logical arguments and providing new spaces for further research. Additionally, considering the implications of the research, it would also be a valuable source for government and institutions to locate different problems related to resistance and to take appr opriate actions to handle them. 1.6 Methodology and Data Collection The ability to prefer a convenient method to research on a social reality possesses great importance in terms of determining the adequacy and reliability of result. For this reason, the methodology which research will employ in this proposal has been chosen carefully to meet the requirements of an advanced study which is capable of achieving the study goal in conducting this research. In this section, the study will explain general features of the methodology that researcher will use in answering the necessary question of the study. Selecting the methodology to study a social reality is wrought by the nature of problem that has been under question. Considering the various elements inherited in the concept of resistance and its complexity, research found it much more convenient to employ qualitative design rather than quantitative. Therefore, researcher will initially intend to reach first hand empirical data through investigating the issue on the field by conducting interview, distributing questionnaires and observation for the collections of data. The researcher will review the secondary sources such as books, journals, websites, and documents to collect data that will substantially provide the necessary information. Qualitative methodology is a very broad discipline and basically refers to the research processes in which findings are obtained through non numerical or statistical techniques (Strauss Corbin, 1990). Its purpose is to reach an in-depth understanding about social realities and patterns create them. Three basic elements were identified in the qualitative methodology (Strauss Corbin, 1990, p.161) First data will be obtained through interviews, observations, analysis of documents and materials, second is procedures which are employed by the researcher to evaluate collected data and third is the final reports, in written form or verbal, which states the findings and implications of a study. Parallel to the essential aim of qualitative approach, in terms of understanding why and how of social realities, conducting a qualitative research usually necessitates small but focused samples to search deeply a given social phenomenon. Having considered the nature of our research question and the available of information in the literature, the research has decided to use grounded approach in developing final theory for the management of resistance. 1.7 Literature Review Even though the concept of resistance to change is not a new one, no consensus about its content and the ways it is experienced has existed among the scholars who have studied it. The concept of resistance to change from the perspectives of some influential scholars in this field by starting to define the concept of resistance, describe factors contributing to resistance, managing resistance and different perspectives of resistance to change. According to Zander (1950), resistance is a behavior which is intended to protect an individual from the effects of real or imagined change (cited in Dent Goldberg, 1999, p. 34). On the other hand, Ansoff (1988, p. 207) defines it as a multifaceted phenomenon, which introduces unanticipated delays, costs and instabilities into the process of a strategic change. However, Piderit (2000) has classified the existing definitions in the literature by considering three main dimensions. Firstly she looks at descriptions which see resistance as a behavior, similar to definitions made by Zander (1950). It is imperative to say that different authors have different definitions of resistances. But no matter how they organized their words, they commonly linked resistances with negative employee attitudes or with counter-productive behaviors (Waddell Sohal, 1998). Resistance is caused by a number of factors. For example, individual factors, such as narrow-minded self-interest, fear of uncertainty, lack of confidence, habit and personality and organizational factors such as, lack of shared value and vision, lack of coordination and cooperation, and different assessments and goals (Daft Noe, 2001; Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001). For different reasons, employee would use either overt ways or covert ways to resist change (Recardo, 1995). Overt ways of resisting include sabotage, vocal opposition and agitating others. And covert ways includes reducing output, withholding information, asking for more data or studies and appointing task forces and committees. Employees can also resist the change either aware or unaware, which refer to the motivation of sensitive (OConnor, 1993). When the resistances are unaware, employees usually do not realize that their behavior undermines the change. As a result, such unawareness resistances are more difficult to deal with. In Koopmans (1991) words, employees will resist any change at all cost. At the level of organization, resistance to change will not only block the implementation of organizational change plan, but also cause financial loss. Finally, organization cannot survive in this changing environment. At the level of individual, resistance can cause great stress and bad feeling (OConnor, 1993). As a result, resistance is understood as the enemy of change, the opponent which causes a change effort to be drawn out by factional dissent and in-fighting (Waddell Sobal, 1998). Resistance has also been regarded as one of the causes of the conflicts that are undesirable and detrimental to organizational health (Waddell Sobal, 1998). Even though some scholars did not oppose the positive aspect of resistance, they consist to argue and claimed that resistance in general is a roadblock that must be removed (e.g. Umiker, 1997). Under this perspective of change, a successful change is defined as a change that is met with little resistance (Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001). Resistance is viewed to be problematic, which should be managed and overcome to ensure the success of change. And the inability of employers and managers to cope with employee resistance can destroy organizations and careers (Umiker, 1997). Maurer (1996) pointed out that people with negative perspective of resistance usually employee win-lose thinking and assume that their way is the right way. Their mind is blocked by such assumptions and they believe resistors must be persuaded or forced to go along. So the way managers often used is to resist the resistance by using power, applying force of reason, ignoring the resistance or making deals with resistors. The results of resisting the resistances are disappointing. Such approach is unable to eliminate the resistance but causes more problems. Finally, the chance of the failure of organizational change effort can be increased. When the word resistance is mentioned, one tends to ascribe negative connotations to it. This is a misconcepti on. (Hultman, 1979, p. 54). Resistance is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that is caused by a variety of factors, and people do not resist change per se, rather they resist the uncertainties and potential outcomes that change can cause (Waddell Sohal, 1998). However, some scholars started to considerd that resistances also have a number of advantages and suggested treating resistance as a useful tool in an organizational change effort. When resistances are managed carefully, these advantages can be utilized to support the change. (Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001; Maurer, 1996; Waddell Sohal, 1998). In order to justify this claimed, Waddell and Sohal (1998) listed several advantages of resistance that can be utilized. (1) They believe that resistance could be seen as feedbacks to the change and points out the fallacy. (2) Resistance can also be a force to balance the pressure from external and internal environments against the need for constancy and stability and influences the organization to greater stability. (3) An influx of energy is another contribution of resistance because individual could gain sufficient motivation when they feel dissatisfaction with status quo or future states. (4) Resistance encourages or forces the search for a lternative methods and outcomes, which keeps the organization changing. Therefore, in general, it important to argue that resistance can be useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process if it is considered as a source of information (Pardo del Val Fuentes, 2003). These advantages overturn the traditional definition of successful change and urge a re-evaluating the classical understanding of resistance. Notwithstanding what kind of attitudes these authors hold toward the resistance, most of them took a modernist perspective (Ford, Ford, McNamara, 2001; Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996). Scholars with modernist perspective believe that individual rationality is the major source of human conducts. If we want to gain dominion over the future well-being of the organization, we need to unlock the secrets of individual rationality (Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996, pp.142). Within this perspective, there is only a concrete organizational reality, an objective world, capable of empirical study (Eastman Bailey, 1994, cited in Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996). And the responsibility of the organization scientist is to isolate variables, standardize measures, and assess causal relations with the organizational sphere (Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996, pp.187). Assumption of empirical knowledge cause most scholars believe that every person attached with the organization share the same objective and homogeneous reality, and assumption of rational agency drives the scholars to the research direction of seeking the sources of resistance accurately and finding the appropriate strategies to deal with that source (Ford, Ford, McNamara, 2001). Traditionally, one can argue that researchers study the resistance based on the assumption that individuals treat the change as a threat. But studies done by Hoag, Ritschard, and Cooper (2002) have shown that staffs often see the need for change and are concerned to just do it. They conducted interviews with some employees in a public institutions and found similar phenomena. However, the intended change of that public organization still proved ineffective. This study suggests that due to different realities in the eyes of different employees the probability of resistance can be higher. 1.8 Chapters and sections of the research The research expected to have five chapters and different subsections as follows: Chapter One: Introduction of research Introduction of the problem Statement of the problem Research objectives Research questions Significance of the study Chapter two: Literature Review Definition of resistance to change Factors contributing to resistance to change Managing resistance to change Previous research on resistance to change Positive approach of resistance Discussion of literature review Chapter Three: Methodology and Data Collection Research design Area of the study Population and sample Sample techniques Data collections instruments ( interview, questionnaires and observation) Data analysis techniques Chapter Four Conceptual frame work Chapter Five: data analysis, findings and interpretation Data analysis Data finding and presentation Discussion of data Chapter Six: Conclusion and Recommendation Conclusion Recommendation Bibliography Appendix 1.9 Proposed schedule of activities Activity Date Duration Initial data collection and preparation of research proposal 21st November 2010 27 March 2011 16 weeks Presentation proposal and defense 10TH APRIL 2011-15TH MAY 2011 5 weeks Submission of chapter one and amendments 5th June 2011- 26th June 2011 4 weeks Data collection and initial fieldwork in Zanzibar 10th July 2011-9th October 2011 13 weeks Submission of chapter two and amendments 30TH November2011- 15 January 2012 7 weeks Submission of chapter three and amendments 5th February 2012- 25th March 2012 7weeks Interview an field work in Malaysia 8TH April 2012- 6TH May 2012 4 weeks Interview and field work in Zanzibar 27TH May 12TH August 2012 12 weeks Data computation and analysis 2nd September 30th September 5 weeks Submission of chapter four and amendments 21october 2012- 9th December 2012 8 weeks Submission of chapter five and amendment Submission of chapter six and amendments 30th December 2012-17 February 2013 10 March 2013- 5TH May 2013 8weeks 8weeks Formatting and proof reading and final editing 26th May 2013- 21 July 2013 8weeks Submission of thesis 4th August 1 day

Essay on John Milton’s Paradise Lost and the War in Heaven

Paradise Lost and the War in Heaven  Ã‚  Ã‚      From the beginning of book 1 the war in heaven seems more than a simple, finished event. In reality, we have the authorized formal side presented: the war was ambitious, impious, proud, vain, and resulting in ruin. Satan’s first speech implies that there was another side-even after we have partly discounted the personal tones of the defeated leader who speaks of the good old lost cause, â€Å"hazard in the Glorious Enterprise.† That too is a formal side, presented by the losing actor in the drama. Then Satan goes on, to reveal, before he can pull himself together in defiance, something more:    Into what Pit thou seest From what highth fal’n, so much the stronger provd He with his thunder: and then who knew The force of these dire Arms? (I, 91, ff)    A little later the surprise has been bolstered with a kind of indignation:    But still his strength conceal’d Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall. (I, 641 f.)    We soon learn that we cannot get answers in hell, but we begin to see certain questions, and the possibility that their answers may appear when we see the actual dramatic presentation of the rebellion. For one thing, Satan’s â€Å"innumerable force† receives a definite tally later- it is only one third of the angels. And this fact will look different when we learn that God opposes the enemy force with an equal number only, and then puts a fixed limit on the individual strength of the contestants, and then sends only the Son against the rebels, and with His strength limited too. Satan puts so much concentration on having shaken the throne of god, against â€Å"His utmost power†-â€Å"Who from the terrour of this Arm so late/... ...s; and then the gigantic niceness of the detail that pictures the mountains, pulled up by the tops, coming bottom side up toward them. In between we are forced to look away, to separate ourselves from the action, and see it as a spectator, not as a participator. In the grand finale of physical ridicule the rebels are again left exposed to laughter by the interrupted point of view. Never do they appear so ridiculous, not even as a timorous flock, as when they are caught isolated between the before and the behind.    This is to be understood metaphorically, as the climax of their physical humiliation. It does not last, any more than their later mass metamorphosis into serpents, with which this is parallel. But it is a punishment, on the material level, for the material nature of their sin. If they regain their form in hell, that is because they regain free will.

Ethical Issues in e-Commerce Essay -- Business Ethics

Introduction The Internet has received a great deal of attention in the media lately due to its tremendous growth in usage by both consumers and businesses. The unique capabilities of the Internet has captured the attention of the marketing community. While a growing number of companies have or are interested in developing an Internet presence, there is still a great deal of uncertainty about it and the potential ethical issues associated with its use as a marketing medium. Although many businesses are acknowledging the importance of a Web site, but the potential ethical issues related to marketing on the Internet still having an uncertainty in this situation. Much less attention has been given to the business community's perceptions of the ethicalness of this new medium. The unique interactivity of the Internet has captured the marketing community's interest as a way to develop and enhance customer relationships and establish greater brand identity. Thus, many commercial services have become available on the Internet that allow consumers and organizations to interact electronically. Thes e services include booking airline tickets online, buying books and compact discs, and receiving stock market information. Although the number of consumer users and commercial organizations navigating on this "information superhighway" is growing almost exponentially, the benefits of the Internet are not without drawbacks. Ethical Issues Privacy Privacy is the condition where someone personal information can not be documented and be used by others (Parent, 1983). Privacy has been and continues to be a significant issue of concern for both current and prospective electronic commerce customers. The foll... ...try to ensure Internet security. More practically, marketers must try to target consumer groups more accurately. Minimizing unwanted consumer contacts may reduce the intensity and visibility of some dimensions of privacy issues. Last, marketing researchers must attempt to define privacy operationally. Much has been said and written about consumer privacy, but we still have little understanding of what information consumers consider private, why they consider it private, and whether this set of information changes situationally or in response to other factors. Works Cited Stead, B. A., & Gilbert, J. (2001). Ethical issues in electronic commerce. Journal of Business Ethics, 34, 75-85. Foxman, E. R., & Kilcoyne, P. (n.d.). Information technology, marketing practice, and consumer privacy: ethical issues. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 12(1), 106-119.

Essay --

Red Eye Our senses are very important because they allow us to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. The most important sensory organ is the eye. It is the organ of vision, and it is very sensitive. Due to that, we should protect our eyes from diseases; such as, macular edema, cataract, macular dry enteration, and red eye. We have all experienced red eye from time to time, affecting one or both eyes. Red eye is cardinal sign of ocular information. It accrues when the vessels in the eye become swollen or irritated. Red eye accrues as a consequence of eye allergies, dry eye syndrome, or conjunctivitis. Â   Â   Â  First, Red eye accrue due to conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis, which is commonly called pink eye, is an infection or swelling in the eye area. The effect of viruses, bacteria's, and allergies, is pink eye disease. Viral conjunctivitis is contagious, and it is the result of infection from herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), or human immune deficiency virus (HIV). Bacterial conjunctivitis has common causes including taphylococci, streptococci, gonococci, and Chl...

Alternative Scenarios/Future Analysis & Delphi Technique

The way word ‘dynamic’ has qualified itself, to describe current affairs, implies that future is getting more uncertain now. Radical changes in the past have made present more autonomous; and future more unpredictable. Need to understand and define the future have made it more demanding for the analysts to outline different trends curtailing to specific events, wonder what might happen next, and make strategies to control the future. Before stepping into the world ‘about to come’, it is important to understand that future is not prediction, there’s nothing rationale known about future, and tomorrow would not be like today.Studying future needs a systematic approach that involves identification of past trends, study of current scenarios, and exploring possible alternatives, given possible scenarios. Alternative Future Alternative future analysis is critically an assessment approach that provides large scale long term perspective of a problem that could be divided into different alternative, each curtailing to any one sub-perspective. It helps translate different visions and goals into alternatives, which could be assessed by the experts/analysts. It provides the policy makers with a ‘vision’ to follow, in case any scenario/alternative is realized.As all these alternatives are critically evaluated socio-economically, ecologically and rationally, chances of their sustenance is far better than many other future predicting techniques. There are two main ways the alternative future analysis process operates (Steinitz 2003 and Theobald & Hobbs 2002). Firstly, it is the formation of numerous alternative plans, assessing their consequences, and then following the most desirable one. It involves geometrical, pre-dominant and political interests of people. This approach is simple, but, simplicity is also a limitation (Steinitz 2003).Secondly, it is the identification of ‘most’ important issues, pertaining to polic y and decision making. Concluded scenario reflects the inputs of different people, reflected from the choices made for it (Steinitz 2003). Scenario Analysis Scenario analysis is a strategic tool, designed impeccably to design strategies, based on multiple outcomes or complex competitive situations (Sandmore, 2005). Selection of scenarios/outcomes is based upon the probabilities assigned to them, in response to values attained from different related factors. These responses help analysts develop contingency plan that covers many different possibilities.Moreover, they can identify potential threats, and can evaluate current strategy, working under the similar model. The analysis starts with the assumption that some future state has been achieved; now the work starts backwards. It helps identify all those factors and their probable affect, until a ‘base case’ is prepared. Now those variables are altered to consider the changes in the output. So it gives analysts more contr ol over the variables, and helps decision makers identify different variables, with respect to their impact and urgency. It is important to understand that it does not predict future, it just gives a possibility.Its success is very much dependent upon the level of details or factors involved are identified by the analysts, and how correctly they have related those factors to the scenario. Those factors could be political, technological, economical or social in nature. It also helps analysts understand different scenarios, and make best use of it by controlling most effective variable. Consequently, it increases the decision making time, that could result in change of some factors or scenarios over time. Moreover, external impacts could not be controlled, and their happening is not easily predictable.It also increases the chances of errors, and questions the dependability of analysis. Delphi Technique Derived from a Greek’s oracle, Delphi is the best known qualitative, structu red and indirect future prediction method in use today (Woudenberg, 1991). It consists of a sequence of steps adopted for provoking and refining opinions of different experts (Brown, 1968). This technique was adopted by multiple disciplines and each altered it to its use; hence we have three different techniques in use today. Conventional Delphi is used for forecasting and estimating unknown parameters up to a level of consensus.Policy Delphi is used to generate most opposite ideas or opinions to identify the two extremes (Bjil, 1992). Decision Delphi, on the other hand, is utilized to reach decisions amongst experts, with all contributing in the solution. While following Delphi approach, firstly, all the participants are informed, informally, about issues to be discussed. Secondly, a questionnaire regarding issue is distributed. This part includes great involvement of monitoring team, as this must elicit convergent and divergent points. Thirdly, more questionnaires are distributed, each with the knowledge about the previous one.This helps them refine their opinions, and could mold the respondents’ answers to a particular direction. It is repeated, until and unless a final consensus is achieved. Finally, the coordinating team pulls together all the responses and consensus into a final report (Masini, 1993). The most unfortunate development in the end of nineteenth century was the formation of Al-Qaida that has threatened most of the developed economies, especially United States of America and United Kingdom. In 1998, Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaida, announced that his league will be in pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).Since then, many American and European countries have put hands together to fight against the increasing influence of these terrorists. After the most drastic terrorist attack of 9/11, US forces, in support of many European forces, attacked Afghanistan, the biggest suspect of Al-Qaida home-base. Later, in 2003, US force s invaded Iraq. Here the culprit was Saddam Hussein, who was declared an agent of Al-Qaida. Since then, North Korea, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan have been the targets of US in its war against terrorism. This war, one way or the other, is weakening both Al-Qaida and US economy.In retaliation to US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, Al-Qaida’s race to get hold of WMD have intensified. What this war has in stored for our future is a big question mark for us. To understand what different experts have to say about it, a project is initiated, in which diplomats, critics, politicians, journalists and policy makers will be surveyed, using Delphi technique. First of all, through emails, letters and visitors, all these participants will be selected, based upon their availability, level of involvement in current affairs, especially war against terrorism, critical insight and reputation amongst the colleagues.Once their participation will be confirmed, all of them will be officially communic ated about the issue to be discussed, which is the sensitivity of WMD, and possible targets of Al-Qaida attacks in US. Major research will carry around: the importance of WMD; whether or not Al-Qaida has one of it; possible target of Al-Qaida’s attacks in US; security levels in US; and response of US nation towards US policy of war against terrorism. Major assumptions will be taken based on the trend analysis, by monitoring team.Major targets will be nominated based upon following factors: Location (geographically and strategically); Importance (economic and defense); Security (national and nominal); Population (distribution and class); Impact (economically and socially); and Urgency. These factors will further be classified based upon the response from the experts. All the participants will be allowed to make any assumptions, which should be communicated before the submission of questionnaire. Major questions for the first round will be: 1. Is Al-Qaida a threat to US, or a t icket to failing states?2. Are Weapons of Mass Destruction in safe hands? 3. Does Al-Qaida have Weapons of Mass Destruction? 4. Are Al-Qaida attacks consequences of US policies? 5. What could be the purpose of Al-Qaida’s attack in US? 6. Can US sustain Al-Qaida’s attacks? 7. What could be the possible target of Al-Qaida? 8. Is US national strong enough to stop Al-Qaida’s attack? 9. How concern is US nation about terrorism? 10. Is Al-Qaida making its roots in Americans? References Bjil R (1992). â€Å"Delphi in a future scenario study on mental health and mental health care† in Futures Vol 24, No 3, pp 232-250Brown B (1968). Delphi Process: A Methodology Used for the Elicitation of Opinions of Experts Santa Monica: The RAND Corporation Foreign Policy (2010, January 25th). Al-Qaida’s pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction. August 9, 2010, from http://www. foreignpolicy. com/articles/2010/01/25/al_qaedas_pursuit_of_weapons_of_mass_destruction Masini, E (1993). Why Futures Studies? London: Grey Seal Steinitz, Carl (2003) Alternative futures for changing landscapes. USA: Island Press Woudenberg F (1991). â€Å"An Evaluation of Delphi† in Technological Forecasting and Social Change Vol 40, pp 131-150

Full Inclusion Ministry Paper

Albert attends the Brownsville Church of Christ children's ministry and has given the hurt a new insight to a full inclusion children's ministry program. The church within one year and five years will be implementing different ways in which to make full inclusion possible for the children's ministry as well as for the church. This paper will further discuss Cerebral Palsy and the affects that it has on Albert and his family, as well as detail about the church and their children's ministry.Overview of the Brownsville Chi arch of Christ The full inclusion ministry that I am proposing is at the Brownsville Church of Christ is a local church in my hometown of Brownsville, New York. The Brownsville Church was built in the late sass's, and was one of the first churches built in the area until the early sass's. The church was established by a group of Christians who came together as a small group of believers, which served the LORD through community worship. The group of believers whom esta blished the church worshipped together in a small barn that is right next to the church they had built.Brownsville is a small community, therefore, the church today consists of believers of all ages, while a great deal of attendees are elderly, their children, and grandchildren. Overall, the hurt is in a fragile state appearance wise; however, the church is a close knit family who welcomes everyone to attend and join their church family, to serve the LORD together. The Church is organized and ran by Minister Leon, and has been running it for the past 30 years with his wife Helena. Throughout the years, the church has acquired two assistance that help Minister Leon run the church, they are, Chris and Jill.The church services are convened often for those who are time restricted, they include Wednesday mornings at am, Thursday evenings at 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and Sundays from 1 0:10-1 1 am, and pm. Holiday church services are 2 hours, Good Friday from pm, Easter service is am, Christmas Ev e service pm, and Christmas Service from 9:00 am-9:45 am. The services encourage those to come together and celebrate the birth and life of our savior, Jesus Christ. All new members are always welcome, as well as for the holiday services.The purpose for which the church was established was in order for members to meet in a civilized place, and come together to serve the LORD, and honor the values that we as Christians are to uphold. Through coming together as a community, we are honoring God's ideas of uniting as group to worship, we re in turn worshiping and uniting as a community, a sense of family serving and honoring the LORD. Summary' of the Current Children's Ministry The Brownsville Church of Christ children's ministry is directed by Richard, who has been the director of the Children's Ministry and Sunday school program for 17 faithful years.There are currently meetings on Sunday mornings, with one evening meeting on Thursday's that is specifically for older children, and it provides them with a period where they can thoroughly discuss biblical readings and religion more effectively. The Sunday school has our lead teachers, with an assistant in the toddler and infant classroom. Miss Claire is the lead Sunday school teacher in the infant and toddler classroom, Miss Rebecca is the preschool teacher, Mr.. Joseph is the lead adolescent program teacher, and finally Mr.. Brad is the lead teacher for the teen program.There are also volunteers that assist on the weekend, and they are in the classrooms to provide assistance to lead teachers in the children's ministry. The lead teachers all work together to coordinate a primary theme for their lesson plans, this provides siblings the same educational discussions t the same time, while meeting the appropriate age level for each. This promotes comradely throughout the chi arch and families within the church, developing a closeness be;en all that attend, meeting the ideas brought upon society by God himself.Througho ut the Early Childhood Center, the children meet for the children's ministry, there are 4 large classrooms for teens, adolescence, preschool, and infant/toddlers. All Of the classrooms are all handicap accessible if needed, and also provide plenty of room for the children to run and play. The classrooms have been remodeled in recent years, and are bright and hurtful, with a great deal of colors to promote learning. Each classroom is decorated in religious sayings, and art work produced by the students themselves that promote religious worship.The educational opportunities that are taught are in regards to the LORD our savior, and promotes Christian values and encourages godly behavior to all students. The children all learn in a fun, meaningful, learning environment that provides children with a fun experience while learning about the bible. In the infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms they listen to a lot of religious songs on Cad's including Kids Praise and Veggie Tales. In th e young children classrooms, they do a lot of children's bible readings to ensure comprehension, and fun activities that are educational and have biblical meanings.While the young adolescence and teenagers do biblical readings, discussions, and reenact scenes in plays that are often acted out in front of the elders of the church. The overall ideal of the children's ministry is to teach children about the LORD, and encourage Christianity through fun activities, and interaction. Necessary Key Elements Volunteers The use of volunteers is critical to the success of the children's ministry, essentially, these volunteers provide a great deal of assistance to the lead teacher.While the lead teacher provide the important information and knowledge to encourage the learning process, the assistance can walk around and help the children who need help or are not doing well, essentially allowing more of the students to have a meaningful learning experience. This will provide all students with use ful knowledge that will be beneficial to them as they get older and closer to Christ. Volunteers are useful in the church in a variety of ways, including in the children's ministry.The ministry requests for volunteers that will help assist the program through putting out a list every weekend that is for upcoming volunteers for the following week, which helps to ensure there will be enough providers to care for students. The volunteers do a variety of things in the classroom, including assisting students who need help with an activity or with general care for children while they are in the classroom, to include: diaper changing, assisting to the bathroom, assist with hand washing, handing out snacks, and getting materials ready for the lead teacher.Overall the goal of paving volunteers as assistance in the children's ministry is to have extra hands and eyes in the classroom, and to allow the lead teacher to maintain focus on the classroom as a whole. Having the assistance also provid es more individualized attention, while also providing more eyes and ears in the classroom, which to ensure overall safety for all children. Training In order for volunteers or other people to become teachers at our children's ministry, everyone must undergo proper training in order ensure the safety to all children within the ministry; which includes training on proper care for hillier with special needs.The training for lead teachers include: a background check, Healthcare CPRM certification from the American Red Cross, and a basic health and safety training program. All lead teachers and volunteers will also be required to watch a video in regards to caring for children with special needs, and lead teachers will be required to get certification in teaching children with special health, physical, and/or educational needs. This training ensures that if a situation arises, the students will be taken care of appropriately and precautionary measures are met to ensure their overall hea lth and wellness, as well as the safety of others.For volunteers, the training is different, since they are on a voluntary basis; and because the lead teacher will always be in the classroom, the volunteers don't need as extensive of training. Therefore, the primary training for a volunteer is that they are certified with CPRM through the American Red Cross and verified that they are not a registered sex offender, and upon volunteering will provided a short introductory training course on children's health and safety.Generally, volunteers will be repeat volunteers, and Hereford, the training will ensure the volunteer is truly interested in the opportunity of working with children and promoting the word of God. Materials Albert is a boy within the children's ministry who is confined to a wheel chair and there are only steps currently at the building, and therefore, there should be wheel chair ramps at entrances to the building for Albert to enter. Along with these ramps there should also be an automatic door button for Albert to press in order for him to be able to open the door to the church and into the classrooms as well.Within the church it-self there should be ramps or even elevators for those who may not be able to use the stairs, such as Albert or other children and adults that may have difficulties walking up and down stairs. Within the classrooms themselves, the walk areas should be wide enough so that Albert and others can maneuver their wheel chairs though, and it is important to ensure that the aisles and pathways are kept clear of toys and any other objects.Located in the corner of the room is a spot for children who may have difficulties with balance or other limited difficulties with soft patted mats where they have the opportunity to interact with teachers or oleanders one on one. The table at which everyone is seated should be able to accommodate the needs of Albertan wheelchair, or have a chair in which there is capability for Albert to transi tion to from his wheelchair if he feels comfortable with. The playground itself should be handicap accessible, and have a few areas in which a child with disabilities are able to play with others without feeling separated from their peers.By ensuring the Albertan overall needs are met as a whole, the environment will be an overall positive experience for everyone involved, including Albert and Other children that ay have disadvantages in a typical environment. Albert and Information on his Disability Albert is an 8 year old boy who has been attending the Brownsville Church of Christ children's ministry for a little over 4 and a half years now with his family on a weekly basis. Albert is a very caring and sweet boy who always seems to have a smile on his face when someone speaks to him.Albert is a special little boy, who has special needs that require some assistance on a day to day basis due to his diagnosis of Cerebral palsy. When Albert was 2 years old he was diagnosed with cerebr al palsy due to having a severe case of induce as an infant that was left untreated, and caused severe hardship. His parents first noticed his delays in rolling over, sitting up, and crawling all being significantly delayed. Unfortunately, Albert was never able to walk and was provided a wheelchair to get around.Through severe physical therapy, Albert can take few steps on his own, however, because of his limited physical movement in his lower portion of his body, is confined to a wheel chair majority of his days. Another medical complication brought on by Cerebral Palsy is Albertan seizures, and can often come out of nowhere. However, Albert has taken daily medications for years, multiple times a day, and they are taken to control and/or cut back the seizures, and decrease the severity.The severity of Albertan Cerebral Palsy is classified as severe, as he has lost mobility and has severe seizures, as well as other internal damage that is due to the Cerebral Palsy. Although Albert i s confined to a wheel chair, he makes every attempt to be involved in activities that he typical peers are involved in. When play time arises there are always children who like to sit at the table with Albert and do guzzles, color, or simply read a book with him.Alberta communication skills aren't that of his typical peers, due to his developmental delays that are associated with his diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy; however, he makes great attempt to socialize with his peers, and communicate with those around him with verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. Albert doesn't allow his disability stop him from having a life, and living a life like his typical peers; he is very interested in being like others, and works hard every day of his life to meet his highest potential. Research of Cerebral PalsyEtiology Cerebral palsy was first discovered and brought about by an English orthopedic surgeon named â€Å"William Little in 1861† (Italic, A. & Lurch, H. , 2010). Since the disco very of cerebral palsy by Doctor Little, there have been many people who have been interested in studying this disease further to truly understand it. The International Journal of Nursing Studies states that â€Å"cerebral palsy is a non-progressive, neurological condition, resulting primarily from damage to or malformation of the developing brain† (McCullough, N. Parker,J Kerr, C. & McDowell, B. , 2013). The disease does to progress over the years, and will present with Symptoms that do not decline over the years, and is often diagnosed at an early age, typically before the age of 3. The disease can occur for a variety of reasons, to include: random mutations, maternal infections, prenatal complications, alcohol and drug use during pregnancy, fetal stroke, and lack of oxygen, infant infections, and traumatic head/brain injury such as shaken baby syndrome (Mayo Clinic).There is no way to prevent Cerebral Palsy, however, there are precautions that can be taken to decrease the risk of an infant developing Cerebral Palsy, o include: don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or do drugs during pregnancy, report domestic violence or child abuse, and/or see a doctor if you see signs of medical complications during pregnancy or infancy. According to Mayo Clinic, one Of the leading healthcare facilities in the country, the signs to watch for â€Å"during infancy or preschool years†.By taking precautions and monitoring your child at a young age, it would be more beneficial to have an early diagnosis, so that they can begin treatment to ensure a positive outcome. Prevalence In today's society, it is fairly common to meet an individual adult, child, or arena of a child with Cerebral Palsy. The prevalence has increased over the years, and now affect a great deal of children that are born today. It is common for one to know someone with or who has children with Cerebral Palsy, because of how common the disease is.According to The Gale Encyclopedia, it states tha t â€Å"approximately 8,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with the condition each year† (Poplin, S. , Caret, F. , Lour, L. , & Labeler, M. 2011). Cerebral palsy can have many different symptoms in which parents need to kick for in order for their children to be diagnosed with this disorder. Although Cerebral palsy can be mild for most children there can be more severe forms in which can lead to more serious complications.Characteristics Characteristics of Cerebral Palsy can present itself in a variety of ways, and some like most diseases, the characteristics of Cerebral palsy can often be more severe for one patient, than it can be with another. While there are some characteristics that are definite between each patient, the overall symptoms depend upon the severity of the disease present. Cerebral palsy can impact the body in many different ways, including it can cause delays or impairment of a person's health and wellness, physical ability, intellectual abilities, commun ication, vision, and hearing.Cerebral Palsy can affect the entire body in a variety of ways, and the symptoms may become more apparent over time, as a child gets older. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with exaggerated reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteadiness of walking, or some combination of these† ( mayo clinic). The characteristics can dramatically affect a child's overall ability to function at a appellatively appropriate age level, and can often require intense therapies and treatment to live a generally normal lifestyle.According to Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, † other impairments are associated with cerebral palsy which are hip dislocation, displacement and spine deformities, sleep disorders, excessive drooling, bladder and bowel control complaints, and behavior difficulties† (McIntyre, S. , Morgan, C. , Walker, K. , & Novak, 1. , 2011). Altho ugh cerebral palsy can cause a variety of impairments on different areas throughout the body, not everyone experiences all of these symptoms.These symptoms can be mild to severe and may not occur at all in some cases, and present themselves significantly different in each person. Prognosis Because of growing technology, the prognosis for Cerebral Palsy is good. In recent years, there was a great deal of studies conducted helped to understand the disease and ultimately find a means of treatment that provides a better quality of life. The quality of life is overall better and a decreased death rate because of medications and treatments, however, a life with cerebral palsy will still require various appointments, therapy, testing, dedications, and treatments.Although cerebral palsy is a Nan-progressive disease, it can feel as though it worsens as a child ages, because the necessary requirements increase in order to stay as healthy as possible. However, the overall prognosis of a child with cerebral palsy depends upon the severity of the case. While the overall prognosis for mild Cerebral Palsy is good, with severe progression of the disease, there is a chance of the prognosis to become fatal. Generally though, with treatment of the symptoms, the patient has a great chance Of survival.According to The Lancet, â€Å"if all impairment domains re not severe, survival is only marginally less than that of individuals without cerebral palsy. If severe impairments are present, then life expectancy is reduced approximately in proportion to the number and severity of associated impairments† (Solver, A. , Farthest, C. , & Pharaoh, P. , 2014). Current Research One research was done to see if the health of children with cerebral palsy changes within a long period of time or whether it stays the same.In this study there were 156 children who had participated within this study. Within this study the parents of the children are asked to answer 50 questions which re based upon different areas of their children functioning areas. The results had shown that there are numerous reasons why health can change over time. It states that â€Å"in this study we relied on parent report of health status, and it may be that children would have reported a different view of their health status than that of their parents. Relation to monitoring the health of children with ambulant cerebral palsy, nurses need to be aware that several factors – motor function, age and communication abilities are associated with changes in health status over time† (McCullough, N. , Parker, J. , Kerr, C. & McDowell, B. , 2013). Although parents had answered questions about different areas of their children's overall areas of growth there are also other areas of development that can affect the way in which can affect health as well. It would be impossible to determine a child has Cerebral Palsy just by looking at them, therefore, it is essential to conducting testing.Social Dynamics Social dynamics is truly a significantly important part of any child's overall growth and development. Through maintaining positive healthy relationships, it helps create a healthy balance in a child's life. Colonization is something hat should be valued in a child's life and children should be encouraged often to socially interact with other children, in order to develop healthy social skills. Disorders of Childhood: Development and Psychopathology believe that peer relationships â€Å"serve as rich settings for constitutional learning (Parity, R. , & Troy, M. P. 22, 2014). However, quite often, children with cerebral palsy may have communication or other impairments that may often make their social dynamics more difficult than their typical peers. It is vital to healthy development, to promote social growth and development; therefore, through he encouragement, the child will more likely develop better social skills through parental and educators guidance. One common mea ns for encouraging social dynamics is to provide students with group activities or class discussions that requires social interaction amongst one another.As an educator or volunteer in the classroom, the primary goal is to ensure that students are interacting with one another and that not one child is being treated poorly or left out; therefore, as a teacher you are able to foster social relationships in the classroom and to intervene if necessary. Partnership Of Church, Family & School PIE/IFS Goal 1: Although Albert is confined to his wheel chair most of his days, Albert will work with his volunteer for 10 minutes per day. For most of Albertan life he has been confined to a wheel chair and has been going to physical therapy week for 5 years.Recently he has made huge strides and is now able to stand up to 10 minutes; and through continuing the work that is done at therapy, he will be able to make big endeavors in the future. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide Albert the o pportunity to work with his volunteer on his ability to stand with assistance. PIE/IFS Goal 2: Due to Albertan limited abilities to communicate because of his disability he tends to have frequent outburst of screaming because he is not able to communicate with others.Albert will focus on communicating more with teachers and peers at least 50% of the time within the classroom. Due to Albert having cerebral palsy this has left him with limited abilities to communicate with others around him. Albert tries to very hard both verbally and non-verbally to communicate with everyone although at times he becomes frustrated and upset. This causes Albert to have outburst and begin o scream due to not being able to communicate with others. This PIE goal will help Albert to work on his communication skill with his teachers and peers in order to have more positive outcomes.Everyone will work together in order to ensure that the number of outbursts that Albert is having because of frustration will be reduced. PIE/IFS Goal 3: Albert is currently delayed in his writing abilities due to his disability. Albert will continue to work with his teacher and parents to achieve a 60% increase in his writing abilities at the end of the year. This goal of encouraging Albert to improve his writing will help him to intention progressing at the rate of his peers. Currently, Albert is severely delayed and has complications with his writing abilities at school, and is in the second grade with first grade writing abilities.The delay is due to his fine motor skills impaired from the disease Cerebral Palsy; therefore, to improve his writing abilities, it would be imperative to work on his pencil grip and coordination and encourage writing in and outside of his classrooms and therapies often. PIE/IFS Goal 4: Albert will be able understand more about his religion and eventually have a personal relationship with God. Albert wants to have a deep connection to God, but sometimes ask why God would make him born with an illness like Cerebral palsy.He has the faith and wants to understand, therefore, by providing him with the knowledge he needs in regards to God and the creation of illnesses being separate would be beneficial to his growing religious beliefs. The goal is to educate Albert on the LORD's ability to cure illness, and how if this was possible, it would be done. It is important to provide Albert with the knowledge that we are all created beautiful unique individuals, and we are all beautiful in our own individual says. 2 Corinthians 5†³7 â€Å"For we walk by faith, not by sight† (ESP.).We must have faith and hope in our savior, and recognize that we cannot see all the work he does for us. Plan for Growth of the Ministry One Year In one year in the children's ministry, it would be beneficial to add in a wheel chair ramp in the front of the church to help those with disabilities enter the building without possibility of injury. The second goal for the church i n order to grow the children's ministry would be to ensure the playground is handicap friendly and accessible, as it is currently is not completely handicap accessible, there are areas with mulch that can impair the wheelchairs ability to maneuver appropriately.The last goal for the first year in order to grow the church ministry would be to widen all the doorways throughout the building, to ensure that wheelchairs can get through the doors without struggle. In order to fulfill the needs of the church the first year, the church would be required to get volunteers to do work and to have fundraisers for the equipment that is needed in order to improve the overall church and the children's ministry. Five Year Five year goals to achieve would be to create a summer camp for all hillier to attend, including children with special educational, physical, or medical needs.This would encourage full inclusion, while allowing children who are often not able to attend camps with typical peers, th e ability to be in a full inclusion setting. The church also would benefit from adding an evening support group for parents of children with special needs that would allow families to support one another through their difficult times. Another goal for future changes for the church would be to add a full inclusion Christian based preschool for children to attend from 0-5 years old, and would teach children n education that is centered on religion and the early childhood education standards.Conclusion The children's min sister that is being proposed at the Brownsville Church of Christ, and is a church that is in a small town in New York. The goal is to provide a children's ministry that is handicap capable and is able to meet the needs of special needs students. The church currently doesn't have handicap accessibility to enter the building, and could easily scare off a person or family with someone with physical disabilities. In order to promote a well-rounded program that encourages children or adults with disabilities to get involved in heir community and to do work for the LORD.