Complaint Letter Against Employer Essay

I am writing this email to inform you that the decision made to relieve me of my duties as office manager and remain on staff as â€Å"office support† has been done on unlawful grounds. Last week on April 21st I was informally given some vague feedback regarding comments from my co-worker Jane Doe. Her allegations caught me off guard so I requested an opportunity to review some of these concerns with the hope that I could also give a brief explanation from my perspective. I also requested time to review the job description so that we could confirm the nature of my role in the office for clarity’s sake. Dr. ——– asked that I be prepared to discuss what I enjoyed doing in the office as well as the job description, noting that I would continue doing the things I enjoyed doing and other tasks would be handled by current or future staff. This was to be addressed on the next work day which was April 25th. Today I addressed Dr. ——– at the end of the day to let her know I was ready to discuss these matters when she was available at which time she came to the back office. I was then told that our file clerk was going to be let go, that our reserve receptionist was promoted to full-time and that we would need someone to replace Jane who will have her last day in the office on April 29th of this week. After discussing a few of the responsibilities of the above mentioned positions we began reviewing the job description. Dr. ——– then crossed out 80% of the job description and divided it among a previous administrative employee, a contact who has agreed to begin working with Dr. Khan in June and yourself. This was not what was discussed on April 21st and is an unfair result of an unfair assessment for the primary reasons below: 1. The action taken by Dr. ——– does not fit the problem that occurred in that there was no verbal warning, no reprimand, and no opportunity to improve. 2. There was no standard or guideline of what my position as an Office Manager consisted of even on an introductory level – there was no job description. 3. I was not told I was being assessed and not given the specifics of the assessment itself and was therefore not afforded the courtesy of explaining my position adequately or even understanding where and how the errors/conflicts occurred. 4. The assessment was incomplete/unbalanced as one area of office development was assessed while others that are also critical to the function of the office were not addressed. Also, I am sorry to say that this issue now calls into question how things will be resolved based on the fact that you as the HR consultant are also the nephew of Dr.

Is Victor Frankenstein the Modern Prometheus?

Is Victor Frankenstein the modern Prometheus? Mary Shelley’s purpose in the subtitle of her book, Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus is to compare Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus, son of Zeus. By showing many similarities between the two, she has solid reasoning that Dr. Frankenstein is, in many ways, the â€Å"modern Prometheus. † Although both main characters create a problem they have no control over, they learn their lesson of tampering with the law of nature. It takes time, punishment, and tests for the both of them to understand their wrongdoings. Shelley’s book shows many similarities between Victor and Prometheus.In the beginning we are led to believe that Victor is a scientist who, through experiment and analysis, has the ability to re-create life. By using metamorphosis he uses old cadaver body parts to create an oversized and grotesque creature (Shelley, par. 91). Like Prometheus, Frankenstein created something he had no power or control over. Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, not only once but twice. In doing so, they both went against all laws of nature. While Victor Frankenstein created a nonhuman creature and Prometheus stole fire from the gods they were both punished very severely.After Dr. Frankenstein brought his creature to life, out of disgust, he ran away. â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? † (Shelley, par. 121). Frankenstein could not stand the sight of his creation. Looking at it made him queasy and ill. The monster’s oversized body and unsightly proportions brought Victor much agony. The creature, feeling abandoned, turned to rage and attacked Victor’s loved ones. His first victim was William Frankenstein, Victor’s beloved brother.Giving Victor little time to repair from his tragic loss, the creature attacked again. This time he lost his best friend, Henry Clerval. During these catastrophic events, Victor knew this was his fault. He created a monster who would continue hurting him by taking the life of the people he cared most about. The final death of Victor’s family was his darling wife, Elizabeth. The creature killed her out of revenge because Frankenstein would not finish the female companion he asked to be made. Frankenstein lost the people closest to him while Prometheus was punished in a very different yet, equal way.Prometheus felt that humans should be superior to the gods. Having more power and the ability to make tools and weapons, he gave them fire. Zeus was furious about this, seeing that he had taken fire away from them before. When Prometheus gave fire to man the first time, Zeus was enraged with anger and explained to Prometheus that fire was not a power man should hold. Defying Zeus, Prometheus gave it back to man anyways. This was not a gift Prometheus could bestow upon humans after it was taken away once. Later punished for his actions, he was sentenced to be chained to a rock with the company of an eagle, hungry for his liver.The eager bird picked at Prometheus’ liver each day as the sun would dissipate. Overnight his liver would grow back but he would endure this agonizing and excruciating pain all over again. Both men experienced brutal punishment. Prometheus was tortured physically, while Victor was hurt on an emotional level. After their punishment, both Dr. Frankenstein and Prometheus were given opportunities to prove themselves. The creature went to Victor and asked him to make a female companion. After seeing how compassionate the people he observed were, the creature wanted someone to share those feelings with. I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"National library of,† 1998). Dr. Frankenstein began assembling the body parts to build a female creature. It took him months, but before he finished he decided a gainst it. He thought about how he could not control the creature he already built. The thought of there being two of them out there in the world sickened him. Victor was tested by having the opportunity to craft a second monster. By refusing to do so, he finally learned that trying to play God is not a role to be taken lightly.After Dr. Frankenstein denied the creature a mate, he soon realized this was a good thing. Prometheus was tested in a similar manner. His father, Zeus, presented Prometheus with two options. As there was a prophecy that a child of Zeus would one day dethrone him, Prometheus, who had the gift of foresight, could tell Zeus the mother of the child who would do this to him. His second option was put into two parts, there had to be an immortal that was willing to die for him, as well as a human who could kill the eagle and break Prometheus’ chains.Chiron, the centaur who trained Hercules, was immortal and offered to give up his life for the sake of Promethe us. Hercules executed the eagle and broke the chains (â€Å"The creation of,†). Shelley used the resemblance between Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus in her book. By showing how these characters are alike in different aspects, she demonstrated how Dr. Frankenstein is indeed, the modern Prometheus. Both men took on the role of playing God by creating problems they could not manage. Even more so, they both attempted something only God could determine or have power over.While Victor Frankenstein created a monster out of cadaver parts, Prometheus disobeyed the Gods by giving man the power of fire. Each of them, being punished for doing so, learned their lesson. Shelley’s character of Victor shares similar traits as Prometheus. They were both very daring and audacious. Both men had the ambition to create; though it did not work in their favor it illustrated their likeness. Mary Shelley portrays Victor as a man who went against God and the law of nature. Similar to Prometh eus, Frankenstein was very head strong and unfortunately for both men it was too late to repair the damage they had committed.Dr. Victor Frankenstein is indefinitely, the modern Prometheus. Reference Page Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus. London, England: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones Publishing House. Retrieved from http://www. gutenberg. org/files/41445/41445-h/41445-h. htm The creation of man by prometheus. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. greekmythology. com/Myths/The_Myths/Creation_of_Man_by_Prometheus/creation_of_man_by_prometheus. html National library of medicine. (1998, February 13). Retrieved from http://www. nlm. nih. gov/frankenstein/preface. html

Educational Technology Essay

With the passage of time, the advances of technology are making their presence felt in every walk of life from space exploration to clean a room. The central though behind these technological advances is to make life more comfortable, efficient, and safe. As such technology is an integral part of daily workaday life. Newer forms of technology are being introduced with improved rates of efficiency, safety, and comfort. In this regard, inclusion of technology in education has also become the hard norm of the present educational system of such a country as the United States of America with the same focus as quoted above. Henceforth, all important areas of educational development have been hinged with the inclusion of technology. One such area of focus today, with regard to the inclusion of technology in education, is the educational development of the disabled and other disadvantage students’ enhanced learning. The present paper examines in detail the inclusion of technology in education with relation to the learning of disabled and disadvantaged students. The paper first of all discusses the present literature on the present state of educational technology and disabled learners; furthermore, the present paper specifically examines studies conducted in the same area to investigate the legitimacy on educational technology inclusion to teach the disabled students, say, English language, and see what difference the technology inclusion makes upon the learning of the students. Literature Review In the past several decades, changing perspectives on the use of technology inclusion in education for the disabled students has caused the curricular guidance to undergo changes that are significant on their own. It was in the time of the 1970s and the 1980s that parents and teachers came to realize the vision that graduating students with disabilities could now go on living and working in the general community environment with some support that differed according to individual. This vision, then, bypassed the shelters of workshops, centers for day treatment, and other massive settings for residential purposes which were indispensable for the previous students. This revolutionary vision then gave birth to â€Å"the development of curricula that were relevant to students’ functioning to everyday life† (Davern, et.al, 2001). In addition to the above, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997) also paved the way for the educators to look for technology inclusion that can boost up learning in the disabled students; hence the premise of this act is that: A free and appropriate public education will be provided for all children with special needs. IDEA 97 emphasizes the participation of students with disabilities in the general curriculum and requires that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams make many decisions that support and encourage student performance in the general curriculum and general education classroom (Robinson, et.al, 2002). However, when it comes to the participation of the disabled students in the learning of more complex cognitive content (say reading comprehension or learning vocabulary, and so on) with the mainstream education, with their peers, it is seen as an obstacle that these students show a difference of learning from their peers. Hence there are various involvements made by researchers. These interventions focus on overcoming these differences among the two types of learners. â€Å"Curriculum-based assessment†, â€Å"Direct instruction curriculum design†, and â€Å"learning strategies Deshier† are some of them (Carnine, 1989). Today, as such, technology is fast becoming the norm of the area of educating the learners with disabilities. The times of the twenty first century has given rapid rise to technology integration in education. Henceforward, as Dr. Frank B. Withrow, Director of Development Able Company Washington D.C. (2000) notes that â€Å"Technology predictions for the 21st century include sensory prosthetic devices for disabled people. This may be one of the most significant factors in providing all children an equal and appropriate education.† He further points out that â€Å"Cochlear implants are already providing many hard of hearing youngsters with functional hearing.† Moreover, â€Å"Speech synthesizers give voice to mute individuals. New developments in microelectronic lenses may enable a large number of visually disabled people to read printed books† (Frank, 2000) However, it is another thing to investigate the integration of technology and its feasibility with the production: effectiveness of technology with regard to the learning rate of the students with disabilities. In the later part of the paper I would examine the role of technology in relation to this very theme. I would discuss the role of the educational software for the special education. Educational Software and Special Students Today, like all other areas of education, special education is also influenced by the introduction of newer and newer software that provide the educators the opportunities to better teach the disabled students so that their learning can be worth it. Since commercial software for education usually shapes the center of instruction which is technology-based in special education (also for general classroom education), there is a very rapid race among the educational authorities to obtain the most effective and result-oriented software. However, with the advances made in this area, there are certain concerns raised by the educators and researchers about the feasibility of these software packages with regard to effective learning among the disabled students. In this connection, the most common practice found among the educators is that they â€Å"rely on experts in commercial businesses to produce quality educational software for classroom use, with the assumption that the software has been designed to meet the unique learning needs of the population of students for whom it is targeted† (Boone, et.al, 2000). In other words, the consumers of the software assume that the software was properly designed and developed with a population being the focus of that software, for example, students with disabilities, junior school students, students learning English as a second language, and so forth. The net result that these consumers anticipate from the software obtained, as such, is that it will help them improve the learning capabilities of their students – in our case students with learning disabilities and disadvantaged students. On the contrary, Boone et al. (p. 109, 2000) observe that though many of the software developers are aware of the fact that consulting educational experts and researchers is way important in order to develop a result-oriented, population-targeted software, â€Å"some companies still develop software without taking into account education factors that may affect learning† (Boone, et.al, 2000). They point out three major areas regarding such software development for the disabled students, which were major concerns of the educators: 1) The developed software did not have a theoretical base for its formation; 2) There is an overemphasis on such technical aspects of the software as high graphic designs and audio add-ons; and 3) The software development manifested an improper approach toward educational concerns. With these three major concerns, Boone et al. (2000) also list three major areas – investigated in a Delphi research study – which, according to educators, the educational software for the disabled students was proved to be lacking. These areas are: 1) The investigation revealed that software lacked an incorporation or association of higher-level of thinking; 2) The software also lacked a grounding in the educational research and pedagogical investigation of the related teaching content to the disabled students; 3) The last major area of lacking of the educational software for the disabled students was that the software lacked the inclusion of a number of different level skills which can be used to effectively meet an individual’s specific needs. Therefore, Forcier, 1999 (as cited in Boone et al. p. 01, 2000) notes that because of these so complex issues with regard to the educational software, it seems unclear as to which degree such educational improvisation is actually meeting the needs of the educators/teachers and their students. (Boone, et.al, 2000) Evaluation of Software Boone et al. (2000) point out the importance of the educational for the disabled students so that their feasibility can be put to a check. For the evaluation of an educational software, the authors state that many of the educational software developers and publishers are not providing enough information to the educators. This is a practical problem for the educators who opt for a specific software program available in the market suiting the needs of their educational context; however: (Boone, et.al, 2000) â€Å"Educators often find that software they have purchased is not adaptable, does not teach what it purports to teach, or does not support what is occurring in the classroom. For these reasons, educators must independently evaluate software by taking into consideration the following†. (Boone, et.al, 2000) 1) The educators must look for the software’s intended use by monitoring the help that the software lends to achieve their objectives; 2) Content which accompanies the software must be scrutinized; it is also seen whether or not the software has a teacher’s supplement for implementation; 3) â€Å"the instructional presentation and whether the software meets the principles of universal design (i.e., multiple representations of content, multiple means of expression and control, and multiple forms of engagement)† (Boone, et.al, 2000); 4) they should also go for software that is user-friendly: that is easy to use both by the teacher(s) and students; 5) the software should also provide considerable amount of documents and other support; 6) The software should also contain user inputs. With these areas in mind, the authors further come up with the evaluation criteria of the two kinds of evaluation of the software: formative and summative evaluation through the use of the software to make sure of its compatibility with the learning of the disabled students. I discuss both these steps of the evaluations separately so that a thorough understanding of the issue can be grasped. Formative Evaluation and Learning Software for Disabled Students To evaluate the efficiency of software for students with disabilities Boone et al (2000) state that the first and the foremost focus of the educators should be to take into account an area of the students’ learning and/ or other aspects of their life; this are can be the learning characteristics of those students; or their learning goals; or it can be the area of their social skills and goals, and so on. After this specification, the educators should put the software to test on a across-student level, that is to say: Software evaluation by students should involve a high-achieving student, a middle-achieving student, and a low-achieving student who all have a particular disability. This allows the educator to determine the software’s usability across students with a particular disability and, beforehand, to identify specific areas in the software with which particular students may need help (Boone, et.al, 2000). They also give a precaution to the educators that they should not count on the opinions of the parents of the students because it is possible that some software is not efficient to adults; however, the same is greatly enjoyed by the students.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Assignment Example There is always a kind of terror from being at the mercy of the whims of a person who may not always act rationally or for the best interests of those whose lives they have control over. Certainly in the case of Gilgamesh to the very notion of the existence of Enkidu has premised on Gilgamesh the flawed human and part god acted in ways that made his subjects suffer. It is in this kind of backdrop that the fears of Enkidu relating to death are founded. Thehas premise decreed that he must die, and there is no arguing with the gods once they have decided that he must die. This notwithstanding the fact that it was Gilgamesh after all who did the killings, and it was Enkidu who did warn Gilgamesh against going through with killing Humbaba. No, all these mitigating circumstances did not matter. What mattered to the gods was that someone should die and that in this case, they chose Enkidu to pay for the lives of the Bull of Heaven and of Humbaba (â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh†; Brown; SparkNotes; Annenberg Foundation; Hooker). This whimsical nature of the ways of the gods and of the way they arrived at Enkidu’s death sentence, however, is not the primary reason why Enkidu feared death. Sure he was bitter to the point of even regretting having crossed paths with the people who ultimately led him to his encounter and friendship with Gilgamesh, but this bitterness is something that is separate from what made him fearful about death. He was fearful of passing away primarily because of the visions that he had of death, grim and full of dark foreboding, and the opposite of the happiest days that he had known on earth. He feared death first and foremost because it was the end of all that he had lived for, and the beginning of what could be described as an eternal harrowing experience in a world that is bleak and devoid of sunshine, dark, a world of dust, as he described in the vision that he shared of life after death. The vision of death and what it was like cam e to him in a dream, that he shared to his friend Gilgamesh.

Native and European Women in the early colonial era Essay

Native and European Women in the early colonial era - Essay Example Women worked in groups especially in the farms, farms tending to the crops such as corn. Group work seemed to make work lighter for the women and many groups came from extended families. Women work was appreciated greatly as they did most of the household chores and mad sure that the family as well fed. Men were not offering much assistance and leisured around hunting animals, fishing, and building homes Women used to tend farmlands although it was a hard task during the pre-colonial times especially farming tobacco. Some of the families with enough resources could hire slaves to help in the farms. The slave women performed most of the household chores and in the farms. Women in England had a lot of authority over their women and at some time there were laws by the law-makers defined the roles for women. They came up with two distinct roles of women, the good wife free and white performed domestic chores around the house (Ulrich, 1991). The other one was the agricultural laborer mostly the blacks and slaves. White women later acquired a clear place to inherit land and another policy allowed widows and daughters to occupy the land. The native women most of them slaves serving as cooks, hairdressers, housekeepers, washerwomen, and tailors. The slaves worked in the farms as labourers and never got time for themselves. These women were to serve their masters and carry out all the housew ork without pay. Men were more than women, which created some imbalance; women became more valuable and appreciated in marriage. Women got more rights such as the right to keep any property that she brought in marriage as asserted by Ulrich (1991). A woman was supposed to be a loving wife, a mother, and a true housekeeper. Later women started owning lands and venturing in other areas such as businesses, managers of inns, and taverns. Men appreciated their women and allowed their

U.S. Foreign Policy and Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S. Foreign Policy and Trade - Essay Example Overview A country’s trade policy unavoidably implements a country’s foreign policy. This is because, at minimum, international trade reflects state recognition. This fact alone circumscribes foreign trade policy under a country’s overall foreign policy. In international trade, goods and services are exchanged. Conventional economic theories on international trade say that international trade promotes development and development in turn promotes equity consistent with Kuznets’s inverted U hypothesis (Todaro and Smith, 212). The choice of trade partners always implies a choice what countries the U.S. wants to have accelerated development. At the same time, trade has its own dynamics. The World Trade Organization, for example, was established precisely to depoliticize trade and make trade subject to multilateral rules rather than beholden to the unilateral rules of powerful nations. Although U.S. foreign trade policy will always be an extension of her overal l foreign policy, international trade has its own dynamics and can influence or even subvert U.S. foreign policy. This means, for example that US influence can decrease as multilateral trade organizations assert their collective decisions even if the original intent of U.S. foreign policy is for the U.S. to increase its influence through the promotion of the policy. U.S. Foreign Policy and Trade with Latin America Latin America is the â€Å"largest supplier of foreign oil to the United States and a strong partner in the development of alternative fuels† (Barshefsky et al., xi). The country is also â€Å"the biggest supplier of illegal drugs† into the United States (Barshefsky et al., xi). Moreover, â€Å"Latin America is also the largest source of U.S. immigrants, both documented and not† (Barshefsky et al., xi). Thirty percent of U.S. oil imports come from Latin America compared to only 20 percent from the Middle East (Barshefsky et al., 6). Latinos constitute about 15% of the U.S. population (Barshefsky et al. 6). For the said reasons, Latin America is extremely important for the U.S. as well as a significant source of problems. It is important for America to influence Latin America but Barshefsky and colleagues emphasized that â€Å"the era of the United States as the dominant influence in Latin America is over† (xi). Latin American regard for U.S. â€Å"global and hemispheric leadership is at its lowest level† (Barshefsky et al., 7). This is shown by data: Latin Americans who favor U.S. political ideas were only 29 percent in 2007 compared to a high 45 percent several years ago in 2002 (Barshefsky et al., 7). The Monroe Doctrine provided the guiding principle for U.S. policy on Latin America for more than 150 years (Barshefsky et al., 5). The Monroe Doctrine asserts U.S. power in Latin America but U.S. policy for Latin America can no longer work under that assumption in view of changes in the political situation, particul arly with regard to U.S. dominance over the region (Barshefsky et al., 5). Barshefsky and colleagues pointed out that â€Å"if there was an era of U.S. hegemony in Latin America, it is over† (5). During the years in which the U.S. enjoyed hegemony in Latin America, particularly from 1996 to 2006, â€Å"total merchandise trade in Latin America grew by 139 percent, compared to 96 percent for Asia and 95 percent for the European Union (EU)† (Barshefsky et al., 6). During the 1980s, as the Cold War started to subside, U.S. policy in Latin America moved from â€Å"

The 3 A's of Awesome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The 3 A's of Awesome - Essay Example An awesome life is considered to be one that contains three key aspects, that each person must seek to have if at all life is to be as enjoyable as the speaker, Neil Pasricha, terms it to be. An enjoyable life is one that focuses on attitude, awareness and authenticity as the central to come up with an awesome life. Attitude, being the first point on which the speaker supports his thesis states that with the right attitude, one can do anything. The key part is that â€Å"we are all gonna get lumps, and we are all gonna get bumps†, and from this, the outlook that one has on life depends on the attitude that he or she applies to the situation (Pasricha). This is because the future is highly unpredictable with only one predictable aspect, which is largely the fact that the future rarely goes as per our plans if at all it does. This is all factual and life is largely unpredictable meaning that whatever one decides to do, the perception to life and the situation as a whole is suppo sed to dictate how life proceeds or rather recedes in quality.

What implications, if any, do you draw about EMU as an OCA for these 4 Essay

What implications, if any, do you draw about EMU as an OCA for these 4 countries and why - Essay Example EMU can also be as optimal currency areas for the four countries such as France, Germany, Italy and UK and it has certain amount of implications for these four countries. A member state must comply and should be a part of the EMU stage to adopt Euro as a common currency in the member states for managing trade and exchange rate. This Union is essential for ensuring that the member states of the European nations are able to increase the efficiency of the economies of European Union (Melitz, 2011). After the crisis in the year 2009, the European nations are identified to face adequate challenges in terms of managing the value of Euro, which affected the economic conditions to a certain extent. In this regard, the member states of the European Union are needed to adopt Euro as the common currency. The monetary framework of European Union is also required to control the output as well as inflation of these four countries and help to stabilise the economy by preventing the politically encouraged interventions (Shambaugh, 2012; Angeloni & Dedola, 1999;). The individuals against the EMU noted that Euro will be in dangerous situation if the contributing countries do not fulfil the requirements of OCA. The endogenous OCA theory recommended that economic and monetary integration play a vital role in shaping the EMU (European Monetary Union). OCA offers support of educational services to the politicians to make a stronger integration level in the EMU. The properties of OCA have developed for most analysed countries, but the periphery of EMU has not been predicted by the endogenous theory. The theory of OCA also suggested that monetary union is useful for economies and it also involved in high labour price, mutual trade and flexibility in wages (Buiter, 2012; Vieira & Vieira, 2010). OCA has an impact on the decision to enter the EMU. The comparison value of index of EMU states that

The Stone Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Stone Age - Essay Example During this time, people made their tools and weapons mainly with the help of stones when metal working had not taken place yet. Geographically primeval culture has spread to all continents except Antarctica. The Stone Age is divided into three eras, which differ from each other with own peculiarities and conditions. The Stone Age brought humans to a totally new stage of their development. When climate drastically changed and glaciers melted, nomadic people reached the territory between Israel and Iraq, which hills were full of verdurous trees and wild animals. The Middle East became very attractive to humans who found favorable conditions for living here. Ancient people discovered that grain could give a lot of harvest, so eventually they found a way to gather crop with the help of appropriate stone tools. According to the archaeobotanist, George Willcox (2003), it had been noticed that during three-week period of time one person could gather enough grains for being able to feed fou r people for the entire year (Stories from the Stone Age). In additional, ancient people realized the efficiency of grain that could be stored for a long period of time without decay in case it was kept in a dry place. Consequently, discovering a very profitable place full of potential food, people at last found a reason to stop their nomadic life and settle down. Moreover, their decision to stay on chosen territory was also influenced with the fact that all tools made of stones and intended for gathering harvest were quite heavy, therefore people’s inability and lack of desire to carry their burdens eventually managed to change their lives irrevocably. Settling down in the Middle East made ancient people to face several challenges, one of which was finding ways to produce food out of plants. Also humans managed to develop and widen variety of tools for hunting realizing how precarious this activity was. Hence, people started to use stones connected by cords for catching wild animals and double-bladed sickles for cutting grass. In addition, people discovered usage of grains and began to produce so-called ancestor of bread. Gathering harvest and sharing tools helped people to unite their strength in a way when priority moved from individual prosperity to community’s wellbeing. People of that era had a special ritual for burial. They put dead person into the hole, placed a big stone on a chest and laid some personal possessions and various offerings. As archeologists found out, with the lapse of time this funeral rite faced some changes, like later n people started to took the scalp of the dead person out of a hole and bring it back into the world. Stones which had been found on the mentioned territories contained some scratches, which nowadays archeologists interpret as a first attempt to represent numbers. This fact has a great importance in a formation of ancient culture. Despite the fact that ancient people at last found an ideal place to stay on, they again were forced to return to their former nomadic lifestyle later on. Hence, the climate change brought draught which in its turn caused a dreadful shortage of food. So this was another challenge which ancient people were forced to overcome. All population split for small groups and began searching for food. One part of people finally settled down in Jordan near the

Explain, giving examples from the articles Essay Example for Free

Explain, giving examples from the articles Essay Explain, giving examples from the articles, what is meant by oxidation and show how oxidation reactions are used to cause explosions. Outline reasons why some explosive mixtures oxidise faster than others. [4] An element is oxidised if It gains oxygen. It loses electrons. Its oxidation state increases. Explosives such as gunpowder or black powder contain powdered carbon, sulphur and potassium nitrate. This can be ignited by a fuse where carbon and sulphur will be oxidised. Carbon will form into Carbon Dioxide and Sulphur will form into Sulphur Dioxide. This reaction shows when a pure sample of carbon burns in air. C(s) + O2(g) i CO2(g) This is an oxidation reaction where carbon has gained oxygen and its oxidation state has increased from 0 to +4 The potassium nitrate in the gunpowder acts as an oxidiser and provides oxygen for the reaction. All the oxygen required is available almost instantly; therefore carbon and sulphur burn in a fraction of a second. The reactants and products of this reaction are Reactants: KNO3(s) C(s) S(s) Products: CO2(g) SO2(g) N2(g) + Other solid products The volume of the reactants is very small. The products are mainly hot gases produced suddenly in a confined area. This rapid increase in pressure leads to an explosion. (132 Words) To maximise the force of the reaction, all solids involved are finely divided into powders and the proportions of reactants in the mixture are calculated very accurately. The power of the explosion is made greater by confining the reaction inside a restricted space e. g. Cannon. Fuels used in fireworks; Potassium Chloride (KClO3) and rockets; Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) are mixed with oxidisers to produce explosions. Some explosive mixtures oxidise faster than others if the reacting element(s) gains more oxygen and has a greater oxidation state.   Give an account of the development of chemical compounds for use in explosives. Describe the advantages of each new chemical explosive over its predecessors, and describe how the explosives were adapted to make them safer and more effective. [9] The very first discovery of an explosive chemical compound was unintended. In 1846 Dr Christian Schi nobein accidentally spilled concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids; he quickly cleaned the contaminated area with an apron made of cotton. Knowing that the apron would soon be destroyed by the acids, he rinsed it out with water and hung it up to dry in front of the fire. Moments later the cloth burst into flames. Dr Schi nobein was not aware that he had discovered gun cotton otherwise known as Cellulose Nitrate or Nitrocellulose. From 1860s onwards the military began investigating the possibilities of cellulose nitrate as a smoke-free gunpowder. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, black powder had been replaced as a propellant for military purposes by a smokeless powder based on cellulose nitrate. This substance catches fire very quickly and burns without lighting a fuse; produces very little smoke and creates an impulsive impact. Therefore, explosive shells were replaced by cannon balls and bullets replaced musket balls. This smokeless powder used by the British Army is called cordite and was invented in 1880s. It consists of Cellulose Trinitrate and Glycerol Trinitrate amongst other substances. This substance catches fire very easily and burns quickly. The powder was transformed into a jelly-like substance by adding an organic solvent propanone. This smokeless powder is now used worldwide as a military propellant. (253 Words) In 1847 an Italian scientist, Ascanio Sobrero was experimenting with concentrated acids. He combined together nitric, sulphuric acids with glycerine. The new substance formed was a yellowish oil. He had discovered Nitroglycerine. He experimented with a small sample and realised that was extremely unstable. Its behaviour was unpredictable. It could be detonated by the touch of a feather. Immanuel Nobel and his son Alfred Nobel from Sweden were responsible for controlling Nitroglycerine. Nobel made a deliberate explosion by mixing Nitroglycerine with (kieselguhr) which is a silica based mineral. He made a paste which could be shaped into rods. These would only explode when they are intentionally detonated. These are the very first safe high explosives. Nobel developed even safer ways to detonate these explosives. He found out that the most reliable and effective way to set off nitroglycerine was to use small quantities of gunpowder. He also invented the first percussion cap that gives out a small explosion when it is given a sharp impact. The caps were filled with a compound known as fulminate of mercury Hg(CNO)2. This substance is very sensitive that even a finger tap can cause it to detonate. This ignites the gunpowder or other explosives. In 1867 Nobel patented his dynamite. It was called Dynamite No 1. He soon realised that very effective mixtures could be made by replacing the inert kieselguhr by a substance that would itself burn or explode. He combined nitroglycerine with charcoal, barium nitrate and sulphur which led a new explosive product in 1869. It was called Dynamite No 2. This product was suitable for use in quarries and coal mines. Nobel patented another explosive product in 1875. He added 7 to 8 per cent of collodion (nitrated cellulose) to warm nitroglycerine forming a stiff jelly-like substance known as blasting gelatine. This product proved to be more powerful explosive than dynamite, because both nitroglycerine and collodion were explosive. During the Second World War, Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was developed. TNT contains nitro groups (NO2). It doesnt react with metals therefore can be used in metal containers to produce bombs. TNT causes headaches, anaemia and skin irritation. Subsequently, workers in factories often suffered health problems. (280 Words)   Discuss, with reference to high and low explosives, the ideal features of an explosive reaction, explaining, with examples, how chemical reactions produce energy and how they cause increase in pressure. [6] Nitroglycerine is acknowledged as a high explosive. It produces a large volume of hot gas. Its decomposition only takes microseconds at a pressure of 275 000 atmospheres. Black Powder and Cellulose Nitrate are considered as low explosives. They produce a large volume of hot gas. The decomposition takes millisecond at a pressure of 6000 atmospheres. An ideal explosive reaction must take place very quickly. It must be an exothermic reaction where heat is given out. The products formed must mainly be hot gases produced in a confined space. This leads to a big rise in pressure which is the main cause of the explosion. An equation for explosion of nitroglycerine C3H5N3O9 (l) 3CO2 (g) + 21/2H2O (g) +11/2N2 (g) + 1/4O2(g) 1 mol of liquid 7. 25 moles of gas No oxygen supply from air was needed for the reaction. The exact products are based on the actual explosion. In an oxidation reaction oxides of nitrogen such as (NO and NO2) may be produced. The amount of heat energy released from a nitroglycerine explosion is 6275 KJ kgi 1. The increase in pressure will produce greater energy from the explosion. Describe how UK methods of manufacture of propanone have changed since the beginning of the First World War. [3] Before the war propanone was manufactured by dry distillation of wood in a process that excluded air. This method was very inefficient. In 1914 a Russian chemist, Chaim Weizmann, developed a new process that produced propane by bacterial fermentation of starch in maize. This process was capable of producing 30 000 tonne. After the war propanone was manufactured from propan-2-ol by passing the vapour over a copper catalyst at 500i C and 400kPa. Propanone was produced from propene, a product of catalytic cracking of crude oil fractions. (230 Words)   Discuss how attitudes to health and safety in chemical research and industrial chemistry have changed over time. Use examples from the history of development and manufactures of explosives and medicines. [4] The discovery of cellulose nitrate was a hazard of health and safety. The discovery of nitroglycerine was another major hazard as it its behaviour was very unpredictable. Its discoverer Ascanio Sobrero was badly scarred as a result of an unexpected explosion that spattered glass fragments into his hands and face. He said victims killed during nitroglycerine explosions He was ashamed to be the inventor of such a deadly explosive. In Nobels nitroglycerine factory, there was an explosion that killed his young brother Emil and another chemist. However test on animals showed that nitroglycerine causes blood vessels of the brain and heart to flow with blood. Nitroglycerine was considered a possible treatment. Nitroglycerine is effective for treating angina pectoris; intense pain in heart. A medicine known as amyl nitrate similar to nitroglycerine are used as treatments to this day. (110 Words) OCR-AS Chemistry (Salters) Open-Book Paper (2005) 2852/01 1 Name: Mohammad Ahmed Candidate No. 9023 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

School Leadership Contributes To Student Achievement Education Essay

School Leadership Contributes To Student Achievement Education Essay This makes schools and their leaders under increasing pressure to make them more effective since there is compelling evidence that the school makes a difference in determining the achievement of the students and later, in life. The effort to make schools and educators who manage the education process more effective is a worthwhile goal. For many years now, researchers in the area of educational leadership have attempted to identify links between educational leadership and school effectiveness. This phenomenon is mainly due to the perception that educational leaders, especially school principals, increase school effectiveness. The notion of leadership is continually evolving, often moving simultaneously in numerous directions (e.g., leader, manager, and administrator). Goldring and Greenfield (2002) argue that the image of the school leader has changed from a position that was once ideologically grounded in philosophy and religion in the1800s, to a highly perspective manager concerned with efficiency and focused on functional administrative tasks in the mid 1900s, to a behavioral science perspective in the mid to late twentieth century . Having reviewed the long-standing debate about the principalship . Sergiovanni (1991) concludes While distinctions between management, leadership and administration debates may be useful for theorists, the key is the recognition that the principalship involves multiple responsibilities and duties . As predicted by Laffey (1980), principals are expected to be all things to all people. They are expected to be effective managers, and currently, with the focus on student achie vement, and instructional leaders effectiveness. However, according to Scott (1983), Principals and other significant groups who work with them have expectations regarding the principals managerial role but disagree significantly with the principal as an instructional leader. Reports have noted that principals have resisted changing their role from manager to that of an instructional leader (e.g. Philadelphia School Improvement Project, Kopple, 1985). Moreover, where principals role transition has been successful, extensive training (Newburg Glatthorn, 1983) and/or long-term training efforts (Kline, 1987) were necessary. (Cited from School leadership that works, p.23) Statement of Problem In the past 20 years, much attention has been given to education leadership and its impact on students outcome. Recently, at the beginning of the 21st century, school accountability and initiatives have come to the forefront of educational practices more evidently than in the past. Schools now, more than ever, are challenged to improve to the extent that every effort is made to ensure the success of all students. In UNRWA Association where this study was conducted, the department of education has held for a number of years many reform plans for enhancing the school performance. Action by the UNRWA in this study is defined as restructuring ; a process that begins by identifying schools that are not making adequate progress as measured by a series of assessments and attendance rates. Schools under local restructuring are given additional assistance from the UNRWA and are directed to develop annual school improvement plans. Then they are monitored by the UNRWA every two years to check o n progress made in each school. Placed at high risk, as a result of these actions, is the school principal. Efforts to improve education relate directly to the quality of leadership provided in the schools. A past research has focused on the relationship between effective principals and effective schools (Edmonds 1982).In current and future research, student achievement is the key factor in defining effective principals and schools.( No child left behind Act,2001). School leaderships are progressively responsible for education quality based on the belief that students success or failures are determined by the way a school run (Fullen 2000) .These beliefs for more effective leadership skills and practices are described as a change agent ,manager ,symbolic leader ,instinctual leader, disciplinarian, decision maker and policy maker (Cotton,2003,Morzano,Wale and Mcnully ) . One impact of the reform movement of the last decade is to involve as many people as possible in local school decision making. This shared decision making reflects a less centralized approach to school leadership and requires a great deal of collaboration and trust (Midgely Wood, 1993). Collaborative decision making means many things and takes many forms, depending on the people involved; therefore the role of the principal changes as situations and circumstances change. As a principal of a school under restructuring, he or she must reconcile the demands and initiatives of the UNRWA with those of the local system to bring about school improvement (School focus development in UNRWA). Therefore, principals in these schools are under pressure to follow up the reforming revolution seeking out a better academic achievement. For that, this study was anchored in perspectives on the principal ship and on factors that shape how principals define and respond to their roles with respect to school reform, and how principals respond to some of the changes and challenges of the position. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is first, to determine Bolman and Deal leadership and management styles of principals as perceived by themselves, and by their principals assistances and by teachers. Second, to compare the leadership and management styles of school principals at risk to the styles of school principals showed an adequate progress in official exams for Grade nine. Finally, to determine the set of leadership and management behaviors that best describe the degree of principals performance in their schools, and their effectiveness in school academic achievement. Significance of the Study As a teacher, a central question, which requires further analysis is how exactly principals leadership style influence the instructional working of their school and thereby increase students achievement. My conceptual frame work is done on a Bolman and Deals four frames of model leadership. I have been through many models, but I found that this model is one of the best models necessary for improving the leadership style of any principal, indirectly increasing the school effectiveness. They classified these tools as frames, which give leaders a clearer view of reality. These include the structural, human resources, political, and the symbolic frame. Moreover, Bolman and Deal (1997) assert that leaderseffectiveness emerge when leaders are able to respond to the needs of their organizations by viewing them through more than one frame. In this way they can reach a deeper and better understanding of organizations. As a graduate student in the field of educational administration and leader ship, the question of how to practice the educational leadership in our school and how this influence learning outcomes are applied. As I experienced the complexity and diversity of school life through my teaching experience, I realized how confusing and frustrating leadership experiences can be, especially when you lack the tools needed to face these experiences. On the other hand, my teaching experience, through which I felt the impact of Bolman and Deals leadership techniques on the effectiveness of leaders, had a stimulating effect in the selection of this model, among others, to guide and enrich my study on school leadership. In broader terms, these experiences came to support the belief that leadership is a complex (Hughes, Ginnett, Curphy, 2002) and multifaceted process (Northouse, 2004), and can be exercised in any situation that requires influencing others. Tannenbaum, Weschler, and Massarik (1961) introduced the idea that leadership is applicable to all interpersonal rela tionships in which influence attempts are involved. How to deal with the constantly increasing challenges facing organizational life, how to help organizations improve, grow, or survive, and how to understand and gain insight into leadership as a topic and/or as a process, are some of the questions that have kept researchers and practitioners of leadership engaged. A review of the enormous body of literature on this topic reveals a significant interest in understanding leadership and its leadership effectiveness. Researchers interest in leadership over the past one hundred and fifty years reveals itself in the vast number of theories, models, and practical guides that have been developed to gain deeper knowledge into this phenomenon, and to improve leadership practices. In summary, this study is significant in that, it proposes to address the need to document the extent to which leadership behaviors differ among principals in schools at risk and principals in schools that have made adequate progress. There was a need to clarify the daily behaviors and practices of the principal and to provide insight into how the principal makes leadership decisions and judgments about school improvement and how to get the job done (Bolman Deal, 1997).This study will be useful to all UNRWA organizations wishing to proficiently exploit the leadership styles practiced by the principals as designed by Bolman and Deal. It will provide these organizations with a substantial association between leadership practices and students achievements as well as it will insight to raise this association, in order to maintain a competitive edge within the other school in the reforming evolutions . Research Questions and Hypotheses To gather data for this study, questions were asked to the principal and teachers. The following questions are: To what extent the principals frame utilization (structural, human resource, political and symbolic orientations) in schools labeled at risk differ from that in schools making adequate progress? Does the leadership style designed by Bolman and Deal affect the students academic achievement? Research Objectives Examine the different definitions of leadership and styles Identify the parameters which determine principals leadership style, schools organizational culture, and classrooms learning cultures. Examine the effects of the principals leadership style on schools effectiveness. Identify of Bolman and Deals model of leadership and examine the effect of having more than one frame on the principals behavior and students achievement. List the characteristics of the effective principal activities and their influence on learning outcome. Definition of terms School Leadership: The influential behaviors applied by the school administration or principal that facilitate teachers and the wider school community working towards the achievement of the mutually agreed upon organizational goals of the school.( NWREL 1995) Instructional Leadership: This entails the communication of the schools mission and goals, and the effective management of the instructional program of the school. This is accomplished through the provision of direction, emphasis, and support to the schools central mission of teaching for the success of all children.(NWREL1995). School Climate: The existing learning environment. This environment can either facilitate effective teaching and be conducive to student learning, or affect the quality of the teaching and be an impediment to student academic progress (NWREL 1995) Effective Schools: Settings in which students display high levels of academic achievement, satisfaction, morale, and pride in their schools (NWREL 1995)  [1]  . In this research synthesis, for most of the studies, school effectiveness is measured in terms of student academic achievements indicated by scores on various statewide tests School effectiveness is defined as student engagement in school .Blank (1987) used, in addition to student academic performance, student attendance in determining school effectiveness. Frame Utilization: a process by which leaders order their experiences and make informed decisions; framing helps filter out some things and allow others to pass through. Frames represent a lens through which principals might view their leadership behavior. (Bolman Deal, 1995). Bolman and Deal Frames: Frames represent the manner in which leaders view and process their experiences. Bolman and Deal (2003) identify four frames: structural, human resource, political and symbolic. Each frame has its own specific perspective for viewing a situation. (Bolman Deal, 1995). Leadership by Bolman and Deal Frame:Leadership is thus a subtle process of mutual influence fusing thought, feeling, and action to produce cooperative effort in the service of purposes and values of both the leader and the led. Single-frame managers are unlikely to understand and attend to the intricacies of a holistic process. (Bolman Deal, 1995). CHAPTER TWO Literature Review Introduction In the contemporary world, improvements of student achievements are recognized as the foremost objective of school reforms and restructuring efforts. With this objective in mind, many different reform problems are being implemented while key focus of the reforms is more or less the same. They focus on improving students learning and increasing their achievement (William. G. Kean; 2002). Students achievement can be viewed from two perspectives: the first perspective is to view achievement in terms of enrollment, or a number of students who pass a course, and the second perspective examines student achievement in terms of whether they mastered or attained course learning objectives. Enrollment numbers include the number of students who have passed the course, the number of non-grads, and the final average grade of the class. These enrollment numbers may be used to identify the causes for non-graduation. These numbers may also be compared over time to locate possible problems prior to class convening, such as lack of prerequisite knowledge, student concerns, or overall course concerns. (William. G. Kean ; 2002) Although the final average grade of a class is recorded to look at overall student performance, the percent of students who mastered, or attained, the individual objectives (terminal objectives and enabling objectives) are also recorded to find which units and/or lessons are the most difficult for the them. The percentages for the individual objectives can provide information about areas in the lesson where students may need extra help and may require modification or extra instruction. Student enrollment and achievement data can help educators to identify problem areas in the subject and improve it. Nowadays improvement of student achievement has always been one of the main goals of education. (William. G. Kean ; 2002) There are many factors that influence students outcome. First, student background characteristics -especially social, economic and cultural background frequently emerge as the most important source of variation in student achievement. Such student background characteristics cannot be easily influenced by educational policy in the short term. Second, school-related factors, which are more open to policy influence, explain a smaller part of the variations in student learning than student characteristics (Hallinger and Heck, 1996; Leithwood et al., 2006; OECD, 2005b). Third, among school-level variables, the factors that are closest to student learning, such as teacher quality and classroom practices, tend to have the strongest impact on student achievement (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003; OECD, 2005b). These factors are categorized as following: External factor such as the gender, race, parents education background, social state and reinforcement. Internal factors concerning motivation and self reflection Social factor includes the students ability to connect with teachers and students. Curricular factor includes all the practices done in the school to improve students outcome as matching teaching style to learning style, engaging material, engaged teachers and learners, collaborative / cooperative learning, instructional strategies, classroom management and classroom curriculum design etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Administrative factor that includes all the practices that done by the school leaders to improve students outcome. Even through all these factors which are necessary for increasing the students outcomes, school leadership has become a priority in education policy agendas across countries because it plays a key role in improving classroom practice, school policies and connections between individual schools and the outside world. It can encompass people occupying various roles and functions such as principals, deputy and assistant principals, leadership teams, school governing boards and school-level staff involved in leadership tasks. The Concept of Leadership The concept of leadership dates back to antiquity. According to Bass (1981), the study of leadership is an ancient art. Discussions of leadership appear in the works of Plato, Caesar, and Plutarch. Additionally, leadership is a robust concept that occurs universally among all people regardless of culture, whether they are isolated Indian villagers, Eurasian steppe nomads, or Polynesian fisher folk. Theories of leadership abound. They include approaches such as the great man theory, which suggests that, for example, without Moses the Jewish nation would have remained in Egypt and without Churchill the British would have acquiesced to the Germans in 1940; trait theories, which contend that leaders are endowed with superior qualities that differentiate them from followers; and environmental theories, which assert that leaders emerge as a result of time, place, and circumstance. Regardless of the theory used to explain it, leadership has been intimately linked to the effective functioning of complex organizations throughout the centuries. The traditions and beliefs about leadership in schools are no different from those regarding leadership in other institutions. Leadership is considered to be vital to the successful functioning of many aspects of a school. Concerning on school leadership, many definitions involve the process of influence. As YuKI has phrased it most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a social influence process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person [or group] over other people [or groups] to structure the activities and relationships in a group or organization (Yukl, 2002). The term intentional is important, as leadership is based on articulated goals or outcomes to which the process of influence is expected to lead. Leadership is a broader concept where authority to lead does not reside only in one person, but can be distributed among different people within and beyond the school. Peter.G. Northouse also defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and identifies the central components of leadership: (a) Leadership is a process; (b) leadership involves influence, (c) leadership occurs within a group context, and (d) leadership involves goal attainment (Northouse, 2004, p. 3). For the purpose of this study, leadership will be defined, in Bolman and Deals terms, as a process of mutual influence fusing thought, feeling, and action to produce cooperative effort in the service of purposes and values of both the leader and the led(Bolman Deal, 1997, p. 296 ). Leadership and Management The study of leadership and management has a long history. The concept of effective leadership prompts the question: by whose standards? Historically, school leaders have been portrayed as people in charge of a school who have the sole responsibility for leading those who work for them to success. This kind of school leader has the expectation that when he/she leads, others will follow. More recent views of leadership involve persuading other people to set aside for a period of time their individual concerns and pursue a common goal that is important for the group (Hogan et al., 1999). They express that leadership is persuasion, not domination; persons who can require others to do their bidding because of their power are not leaders. Leadership only occurs when others willingly adopt, for a period of time, the goals of the group as their own. Research from the last two decades has also shown a strong link between effective leadership and effective organizations (Bolman Deal, 1994; Boyan, 1988; Griffiths, 1988; Lezotte, 1997; Sergiovanni, 1995). Hogan et al. (1999) assert that a growing body of evidence supports the common sense belief that leadership matters (p.34). Fullan (2002) expresses that schools need leaders who can change what people in the organization value and how they work together to accomplish it (p.34). Fullan (2002) continues by saying the schools need leaders who can create a fundamental transformation in the learning cultures of schools and of the teaching profession itself (p.18). Beach and Reinhartz (2000) note that leadership is essential to promoting student achievement and creating a vision of success for the total educational program (p.72). A causal and definitional link exists between leadership and team performance, Hybels and Hodges (1999), who also note that leadership is about serving and starts on the inside and moves outward to serve others. Such leadership has the interest of others in mind, nurtures growth and development in others, is willing to listen, and thinks less about self while held accountable for performance. Lambert (1998) suggests that leadership involves learning together and constructing meaning and knowledge collectively and collaboratively to reflect on and make sense of work in the light of shared beliefs and create actions that grow out of these new understandings (pp.5-6). One of the most influential calls for educational leaders is to develop a vision suitable with the standard of the district .The school leader develops a vision of learning from the culture of the organization and establishes a mission for the school community. The vision is the primary and major influence on both the mission and the culture. Vision can be defined as foresight and forethought. It is the dream of where the school principal wants the school to be in the future. If it is a shared vision, it exceeds what the principal wants; it is now what the staff, students, parents and community leaders want. Every vision should be followed by a mission. Deal and Peterson (1999) wrote that the mission is the focus of what people do (p.23). The culture in a school reflects the vision and the mission of the school. In defining culture, Deal and Peterson (1999) state that it consists of the stable, underlying social meanings that shape beliefs and behavior over time (p.3). The vision is the dream; the mission is how to achieve the dream; and the culture is impacted by the realization of the vision as the mission is accomplished. Culture involves values, beliefs, mores, tools for establishing goals, and the way in which people are valued or devalued. Smith and Andrews (1989) explain that communication of vision is perhaps the most important way for principals to exert effective leadership-to leave no doubt about school priorities These principals know what to expect for the school and students and are able to infect others with that dream, a positive and beneficial contagion. Perhaps these principals can do nothing more important for their teachers and staff than to create a process for forging and reworking the vision or mission of the school. Traditionally, schools have not been places where adults can easily share the collegial relationships that are essential to leadership, as distinct from management, and teacher empowerment. An effective school principal demonstrates a strong interest in promoting collegiality and shared leadership, an interest in shifting the norms of the schools culture from the traditional to more collaborative ways of working together (Owens, 2004, p. 274). Powell (2004), in her research on the behaviors and practices of successful principals working with at risk schools, found that the school vision, mission and culture are important to the success of the school. She found that it is difficult to separate the three because one supports and affects the others. She also found other research that supports this claim. For example, it is the vision of the school that leads the way to accomplishing the goals of the school (Uchiyama Wolf, 2002). Dufour and Eaker (1998) state that the shared vision motivates the staff to work together and gives a sense of direction for what they want to accomplish in the future. The vision of the school principal influences the mission of the school. Papalewis and Fortune (2002) also cited examples of successful schools in which the goals that reflect the mission statement are displayed in every classroom. In these schools everyone knew the direction of the school and the posted goals in the halls and classrooms reflected their knowledge and commitment. In successful schools, there is a culture that shows everyone focused on teaching and learning. Connell (1999) described these schools as a place where everyone is involved in the work of the school. During Connell(1999) study about high-performing and high-poverty schools, Connell(1999) found that a staff focused on engagement in the school is an important aspect of school success. Connell ( 1999) stated: Of primary importance is the principals engagement in a school. There is no high-achieving school where the staff is not serious about their work and where they are not focused. One can sense that people in a building are moving in the same direction. Everyone knows their job and why theyre there even the lunch-room aide. In low-achieving schools, everyone is an island unto themselves. Clearly from the research, the vision of the principal is the key element of school leadership. With a vision, the leader is then able to influence the mission of the school and create a culture of learning that will promote success for all students. Hughes (2004) further explains a schools culture. He states a schools culture is a representation of what its members collectively believe themselves to be: It is their self-concept. It reflects what they value and what they express to others as being important around here'. Culture is a shared reality constructed over time; cultures may be cohesive or fragmented, strong or weak, and functional or dysfunctional depending on the degree to which the same reality is shared by organizational members (Morgan, 1986; Sergiovanni, 1990). It is clear that schooling has reached a turning point and the need for cultivating creative cultures is at hand (Hughes, 2004). The principal has emerged as the energizer and facilitator of this process. Purposeful direction depends on the leaders ability to inspire the creative contribution of all members of the organization. Leadership must become reciprocal as leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of moral consciousness and improvement of social order. Creative leaders recognize that excellence is facilitated through a bonding of purposes and values rather than through imposed structures designed to streamline, predict and quantify set objectives. Blumberg (1989) explains that the successful principal applies the craft of administration by balancing the art of leadership and the science of management to improve curriculum, instruction, and other important elements of school. He adds that by purposefully adding elements of a specific school setting into the general model, a principal can categorize and assess important site-specific school improvement actions. School leadership has become increasingly more complicated and vital to ensuring school success and soliciting substantial participation from faculty, staff and students. In responding to higher standards of increased student progress, school leaders recognize that they alone cannot be the sole instructional leaders but must coach, mentor, and empower faculty and staff in the pursuit of reform and renewal. As school leaders continue to adapt to their changing roles, effective leadership skills will be essential and the real challenge is providing the type of leadership skills necessary to assist schools in expanding their traditional boundaries (Green, 2001). Lambert (2002) notes that for decades, educators have understood that they are all responsible for student learning, but more recently administrators have come to realize that they are responsible for their own learning and the learning of their colleagues as well. School Leadership Contributes To Student Achievement Since we are focusing on the extent to how the of principals leadership and management style and behaviors affect the school academic achievements. A number of studies have been conducted to develop effective schools towards the achievement of better student outcomes as well as to identify the relationship between school effectiveness and school improvement. There are two related lines of research demonstrating the influence of school leaders on school improvement. The first line of inquiry is what is known as school effectiveness research which identified the characteristics of effective schools that influence the high-achieving schools particularly students achievement. The second line of research is what is focused primarily on the principals role in developing instructional programs which have mainly contributed to create more high-achieving schools. Now, let us focus on the first line of inquiry which primarily emphasizes the features of effective schools movement, leading to increase students achievement. The Coleman Report (1966 ) demonstrated that the school had little or no effect on student achievements, concluding that family background was the key factor influencing the student achievements. Following this report, many researchers in the 1970s and early 1980s intensively conducted similar studies and reacted sharply to the report (Edmonds, 1979, Walberg Scott, 1979; Austin, 1979). In contrast to Coleman report, Edmonds (1979) argued that school leadership behavior is critical in determining the quality of education. Further, on the basis of his research on instructionally effective schools in Detroit and a review of previous studies involving effective schools in New York, California, and Michigan, he has concluded that school factors have predominantly contributed towards the creation of instructionally effective schools. These factors are: (1) strong administrative leadership; (2) high levels of expectations in student achievements; (3) an orderly but not oppressive school cl imate; (4) a focus on pupil acquisition of basic school skills; (5) conducive atmosphere to the instructional process; (6) means of student progress monitoring; and (7) resources that can be focused on the fundamental learning objectives of the school. In line with these findings, Austin (1979) suggests that an effective school which can promote student outcomes need to provide a climate that stimulates ideas and facilitates the exchange of ideas with colleagues. Purkey and Smith (1985) have identified school leadership as one of the major factors in improving academic performance. For the purposes of seeking the perceptions of school communities on factors which mostly help the schools to

A case study on Westmount Retirement Home

A case study on Westmount Retirement Home New information can be considered valuable in terms of decision making. From new information, the derivation of new and more applicable strategies can be utilized. In this paper, an analysis on how does new information becomes a valuable asset to transform Westmount Retirement home struggles with its current accounting system which affects its profitability to a more effective Activity-based costing system that can improve overall business operations. This paper outlined both the strengths and limitation of the current cost system by Westmount and at the same time provided new elements that support the proposed Activity-based costing system and its benefits. The study also showed calculated suggested new price rates on the room options for Westmounts current and potential residents together with its proposed new fees for additional services and medical needs. Introduction A 125 Unit retirement residence was established on the year 1997. It was called Westmount Retirement home. The core purpose of this retiring home is to cater to seniors of the community. Westmount Retirement home provides both assisted living and independent supportive living options to their clients. Their current clients are divided into two segments, one is the independent supportive residents which require no assistance with the tasks of daily living, the other are assisted living residents which basically requires additional assistance which varies depending with their medical needs and degree of frailties.There are thirty-one (31) employees on Westmount that is spread across all of the retirements home several departments. There is basically several staff employed on a department that specializes on recreational activities, housekeeping, management, building maintenance and nursing. With regard to prices offered to Westmounts residents, the pricing model is actually simple and uniform for all residents and the only variance or difference is fundamentally based on the size of each room. In this study, the author will dissect the case by providing a discussion on Westmounts poor financial results in 2005; this will be followed by analyzing the companys current costing model by highlighting its strengths and limitations. Next will be a computation of the new cost per patient using the data of the current pricing model to create a new costing system. And finally, a discussion on how valuable new information can assist Westmount into creating a more suitable pricing scheme on its residents. Statement of the Problem Westmount Retirement Home has been struggling due to low profitability of its business operations as well as its current accounting system (Shomair 2008). From the low profitability standpoint, Westmount has faced stiff competition, among other local key players on their industry. Westmount has currently three main competitors namely: Chelsea Park retirement, Central park lodge and Longworth Retirement residence. Heavy competition arose due to the increasing demand for assisted and supportive living options. Thus, due to the availability of several retirement homes, key industry trends shows that a lot of potential residents are basing their decisions on residence options on the factor of cost. Regarding Westmounts current pricing model and accounting system, the company offers a standard rate (price) on numerous services to various patients and at the same time attending to individuals specific needs. The issue here is that there is no system or a defined activity-based costing (Platt and Vaysman 2000) in place to account for those varying service needs required by different residents. The obvious result here is a low profitability which can be attributed to its high operating expense. Westmounts Current pricing model: Strengths and Limitations Strengths Based on industry trends, a lot of potential residents are focusing on the cost factor on deciding which retirement home they will get into. Westmount Retirement Homes offers a very attractive and competitive pricing package by having a basic and standard pricing scheme in which the only difference in prices are from room sizes and not other care services. This has attracted a number of residents to Westmount. Not only does Westmount have a uniform price rate across all their services, it also has the most affordable prices compared to its competitors. Westmounts Package or Deal Pricing or most commonly known as a Bundled Payment (Miller 2008) provides its target market a hassle free approach on understanding the total cost of being a resident. Limitations The current costing system of Westmount does not provide any valuable information more particularly on the cost of each their services, since the only method of differentiation with their costs are on room sizes. Potential variability in costs especially on specific services in relation to clients needs is disregarded, due to the limitation of the current costing model. Substantial revenue can be lost as well with this model. As an example, , resident couples can stay at their rooms with no additional cost and have the same care and services as long as they pay for the room rate only. The current costing system does not provide any avenue or room for improvement specifically on operating expenses. For example a lot of staff hours are still being paid even without services rendered. New Costing Model Design Activity-Based Costing This new cost model will definitely improve not only the current accounting system of Westmount but its overall profitability as well. The benefits of an Activity-based costing is that instead of costs assigned to fixed costs, are now can be utilized as variable costs depending numerous activity cost pools in Westmount (Weygandt, Kimmel, Kieso 2009).In essence, it controls the companys overhead costs and leads to a more effective decision making by the management on how to improve overall finances. Room Rates A new rate will be reflected on this new costing model. To acquire a more suitable and competitive rate for Westmount, New room rates will be the computed by getting the average cost per room of all the three main competitors (see Exhibit 1). The average cost per room will provide an essential perspective on how much does the competitors charge per room (studio, one bedroom and two bedroom models) in this type of industry. Also, it can be used as the new room rate for Westmount. The purpose of which is for the discerning buyer would not only look at the room prices but also other features: such as quality of services, facilities etc. This is possible since the difference between the New Westmount prices compared to its competitors are relatively insignificant, in fact the new rate on average is cheaper than the other two competitors (Central and Longworth). Except for Chelsea Park in which Westmount can compete via other methods: for e.g. Marketing high quality services and facilitie s. Price differences because of room size will still be applicable with the new rates. Regarding the current issue with having couples share the room and services, Westmount can utilize their two bedroom units. Only one competitor has this residential type (Chelsea Park). Westmount can have the option of selling those units to couples with the new room rate without an additional charge. This will provide Westmount the ability to attract more potential residents and have those clients focus on getting a two bedroom if they want to consider being with their spouses. With these new rates alone, Westmount can generate more revenue out of its projected client base of 160 residents and in effect will increase profitability. Identifying and Matching Residents Needs Each resident may have different or special needs, contrary to the previous system in which these differences are barely nonexistent. This can be done by Westmount using proper segmentation of all its current residents, more particularly to those residents require additional services or different levels of care. This can be segmented by using a three modelled option for service fees. First are the residents with no medical needs, then with moderate medical needs and lastly those with intense medical needs, for the last two groups, they could have the option to purchase nursing and medical support at an additional cost. This also follows the activity-based costing model proposed for this company. New Prices for Additional Services and Medical Needs For those living residents with no medical needs rates, the new room costs will be the base price to be applied. On the other hand, those on the other group which require added services and medical needs would pay additional costs for each service and medical need (see Exhibit 2 for Activity-Based costing) The price of each service will be determinant to its operating cost plus 15% mark-up, to ensure adequate return to Westmounts shareholders and enough funds for necessary capital requirements. Utilization of Labor Availability As in any organization, some employees are more productive than others (Platt, and Vaysman 2000:19). With this new model the author allocated cost of each staff members compensation-related costs among the several activities in which he or she is responsible. Since a lot of man-hours are consistently wasted with the current costing system, the new system approach would be almost the exact opposite. Each resident group will now have staff available to them only when they really need them. Examples of these are dieticians employed for those patients with serious medical conditions; their hours now will be spent entirely to this resident group, in effect decreasing their total work time. And since they will now be paid on an hourly basis it will drive down costs on this support service. These hourly basis of work schedules will be applied across the board to ensure that all time spent will be productive and useful. This is also a win-win suggestion especially the extra time given to these staff members will create a much more balance in their work-life relationship. As for Westmount, obviously this will help drive down operating costs, by eliminating its current fixed costs of labour and transforming it into a variable costs which can either be seasonal depending on the demand for staff availability. Value of New information In any facet of economics most particularly in enterprise, new information that can be used to apply new strategy and other development are all considered essential and valuable. Cohen and Leviathan stated that The ability to exploit external knowledge is thus a critical component of innovative capabilities (1990:122). In this case, Westmounts administrator Helen Roswell, have noticed the low profitability of the firm and analyze what could be the causes. She acknowledges external factors could contribute to it, but her main concern was on their pricing model and total operating expenditure. This realization made Roswell think of other alternatives apart from the current cost model, especially when this current model has a direct impact on the firms overall profitability. To continue to attract more clients and still remain profitable, a new pricing model was needed to reflect the level of medical care and service required by each individual patient. Roswell has also decided that she would need to assess the true cost of each Westmounts services, and then use this information to develop a new pricing model. The price schemed for room rates specifically as aforementioned in this study will be the monthly average price of all industry players. The added or special service or medical need will be on a case to case basis in which the price will be service operational cost plus 15% mark up. This new pricing scheme can definitely alleviate Westmounts overall profitability and decrease operational expenses. Calculations: As an example for Supportive Services: Number of Employees:17 Total Cost amounted to $548, 573. Total wages is at $538, 392 Total Supplies used cost $10,181 Two (2) dieticians is compensated $18.50/hour each. 37 hours/week 48 weeks Total costs for Dieticians Wages per year: $65, 712 Estimated. Number of residents with intense medical need for dieticians 50.The total cost of the two dieticians wages for this scenario will now be allocated on an hourly basis or 25% allocation example, in which the demand for their services ( in this case the 50 residents) will be applied.

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens Essay -- Nicholas Nickleby Charle

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens Chapter 13 effectively encourages the reader to resent Squeers and see him as the villain, whereas Nicholas is portrayed as the hero and Smike and the other bays are lavished with sympathetic feelings. The chapter starts with a depressing description of the boys sleeping conditions, Dickens uses words like: feeble, ragged, and dull, to describe it, this powerful description makes the reader feel-strengthening hatred toward Squeers. Squeers is the headmaster at the boarding school "Dotheboys Hall"where Nicholas was sent to work by his uncle after his father's death. His father had only a small amount of money so he left it to his brother, and trusted him to look after his family, consisting of Nicholas's mother and Sister Kate. Nicholas's uncle is a hard remorseless man and sends Nicholas and his sister to work to earn their keep. The family are moved into a small dirty flat and given little money to live on. During Nicholas's time at Dotheboys Hall, he meets one of the boys "Smike" and befriends him. Smike has no parents to speak of so he is kept on as a servant to the family. Nearing the end of the chapter Nicholas inspires Smike to run away, unfortunately he is caught, resulting in the chapters climax. Squeers is about to beat Smike but then Nicholas steps in and following a fight, they make off together. Throughout the chapter Dickens enhances the reader's negative feelings towards Squeers. Dickens use of verbs to describe Squeers's actions ads, a greater depth to his character, using words like retorted, bounced and feasted. These words show the rage in Squeers's character, and the way he goes about daily life, they give the reader a sense of his disrespect... ...can be hard going to read Dickens's work, his highly expressive and intricate style of writing, can become incredibly engaging to the reader, as it does to me. You become almost used to it after a while .This stile gives the reader a sense of emotional involvement with the characters in the book. It makes the reader more in touch with the characters moods and personalities, giving the book a better dramatic influence on the reader. A favourite quotation: "`Which no doubt you would have been devilish sorry to do,' said Squeers in a taunting fashion." This line sums up Squeers's character as, the conniving villain that he undoubtedly is, but when said out loud in the proper style, this quotation can start a passion to read more writing in this style and explore the character from whose lips those word were said, rejoined, retorted, demanded, or even sneered.

Patriotism and Its Meaning Essay -- Definition Patriot National Essays

Patriotism and Its Meaning In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States we are seeing many forms of Patriotism. I was suprised to find when I researched this word that it had a negative feeling associated with it. I believe that patriotism is actively showing your support for your country, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting for our individual free will and independence. I am proud of my country and I am not ashamed to fly the American Flag. Many men and women have died to give me the freedoms that I take for granted. I applaud their patriotism, and I thank them for giving me my way of life. I will support them in protecting my country. I will try to elect officials who believe in the issues I do, and who work for the better good o...

Decision-Making Process Mgt 230

Decision-Making Process Michelle Shadinger MGT 230 December 17, 2012 Robert Bloomfield Decision-Making Process We make multiple decisions every day. Some of these decisions are for our personal lives, and some are business decisions. Each decision we make has an outcome, whether favorable or not that we must live with. Some people like to make quick decisions based on their gut reactions and others prefer a methodical approach. Using a step based decision-making process results in better decisions that have a lasting impact . I recently made the decision to return to school after many years of working.I had obtained my Associate’s degree almost 20 years ago and started working for the company where I currently still work. I have wanted to go back to school for many years but as I got married and had children the timing never seemed right. I recently started looking for a new job and discovered a Bachelor’s degree is a requirement for the majority of the positions I want ed to apply for. The more resumes I sent out with no response, the more I knew I had to take action. I knew going to a traditional school was going to be too difficult with my hectic schedule.I started to research colleges that catered to adult learners and found University of Phoenix. I spoke with a counselor at University of Phoenix who answered my questions on the amount of time school takes and how I would pay the tuition. I looked at going to a campus versus online and ultimately decided online would afford me the most flexibility. I prepared for my first class by doing a few things. I discussed my decision with my husband because more of my time would be spent doing schoolwork and I needed his support.I also prepared by attending a free orientation workshop online and I became familiar with the online environment and how the classes worked. I continue to evaluate my decision and feel it was the correct decision. According to our text, the six steps of the decision making proce ss are identifying the problem, generating alternative solutions, evaluating the alternatives, making the choice, implementing the decision, and evaluating the decision (Bateman & Snell, 2011). After reviewing the steps, I realized I followed the steps when I made the decision to return to school.First, I recognized the gap in my education for the jobs I wanted to fill. After identifying the issue, I thought about solutions and how I would obtain my Bachelor’s degree. I evaluated the decision and looked for the best school to achieve my goal. Once I decided to go to University of Phoenix, I had to implement the decision by applying for school and getting myself ready for the first course. As I continue school I evaluate if the decision still makes sense and if the online version is the best way to achieve my educational goals.Generating alternative solutions is the step I could have spent some additional time in and done additional research on colleges and compared the school s. I heard about University of Phoenix and knew others who had attended so I did not do much research on what other schools had to offer. Overall, I am happy with my decision to go back to school and my choice of college. References Bateman, T. S. , & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Environmental Crisis and Global Warming Essay

The world and mankind are facing different critical issues and problems which we inevitably have to deal with. These concerns have great impact to our lives. Everyday people have to remind themselves of these various perils to their existence. The media together with different organizations help us to become more aware of the problems currently on our midst. People may not find it an alarming and serious issue since the danger at the present time is negligible but sooner or later we will come to realize that we really are into serious danger. Global issues are global concerns. It is felt around the world not just on a particular location. It is a world wide issue that needs to be address. There are many types and forms of current global issues that the world has to face. There is the economic crisis felt all over the world. Various health issues that came out as more people get vulnerable to cancer and other forms of illnesses. There is terrorism which is a crisis in peace and order and security. There is also issue on moral degradation of the society. Lastly is the global warming or global climatic change. Even though some believe global warming to be a hoax, severe weather repercussions and environmental crisis prove the opposite. This global warming is an alarming environmental problem on a global scale. Some people still have doubts if the global warming issue is real or is just an imaginary anxiety fabricated by scientist who has predicted it as a serious problem in the near future. There was hundreds of information released about the onset of global warming. Many people have made research and studies to investigate these phenomena. Documentaries are produce to open the minds and inform the public regarding the new findings regarding the problem. A personal observation on our environment and a closer study will help one to discover and learn more about the development regarding the current issue on global warming. Big Picture of the Environmental Crisis Global warming, what does it really mean? What causes global warming? What factors contribute to this problem? And what are the effects of global warming? All of these are the questions frequently asked regarding this global environmental issue. Global warming is commonly known as the warming of the planet cause by the greenhouse gases that trapped the heat. Global warming is also known as global climatic change or global climatic disruption. Global warming resulted from the increase in heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere that causes the amplified hydrological cycle resulting in increased precipitation and flooding in some regions and more severe aridity in other areas. (Woods Hole Research Center, 2008) The phrase â€Å"climatic change† is preferred recently to be use than global warming because it helps convey that there are other changes aside from rising temperatures. Global warming involves the average increase in temperature of the atmosphere near the earth’s surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute in global climate patterns. Global warming and climatic change can be caused by a variety of factors, both natural and human-induced. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Ozone layer depletion is oftentimes confused with global warming. Climate change and ozone depletion are different from one another but interrelated issues. Ozone depletion is not the principal cause of climate change and climate change is not the principal cause of ozone depletion. However, ozone depleting gases- such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and halons are greenhouse gases that do contribute to climate change. Ozone itself is a greenhouse gas that has effect on climate. In addition, certain changes in earth’s climate could affect the future condition of the ozone layer. For example, low temperature and strong polar winds both affect the extent and severity of winter polar ozone depletion. (EPA, 2008) The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that helps regulate the earth’s temperature. Greenhouse gases (e. g. , carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons) act like insulating blanket, trapping solar energy that would otherwise escape into space. Without this natural greenhouse effect temperatures would be about 60oF lower than they are now and life as we all know it today would not be possible. However human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forest and industrialization have enhance the natural greenhouse effect, causing the earth’s average temperature to rise. (EPA, 2008) The greenhouse effect was first describes in theoretical terms by a Swedish researcher, Svante Arrhenius, in the late 1800s. However it wasn’t until the following century that Arrhenius’ theory was observed. In the 1930s, scientist realized that parts of the globe had warmed during the previous half-century. Then in early 1960s scientist discovered that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was rising. Researchers began to take interest and found a strong relationship in between the increasing carbon dioxide and average global temperature. (EPA, 2008) Human-induced global climatic change is under way. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) concluded that global mean surface air temperature has increased between about 0. 5 and 1. 1 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100 years and anticipates a further continuing rise of 1. 8 to 6. 3 degrees Fahrenheit during the next century. Sea-level has risen on average 4-10 inches during the past 100 years and is expected to rise another 6 inches to 3 feet by 2100. (WHRC, 2008) Charts and graphs showed alarming trends. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has increase steadily over the past few years. The increase in the temperature is observed as well as the increase of the sea level. More disturbances in climate patterns have been greater in the previous years. These are environmental changes brought by this problem on global warming. Being Environmentally Conscious What are the ways to be conscious and aware of our impact on earth? People have to find ways or alternative energy resources. In the US for example the energy related activities account for over three quarters of human generated greenhouse emission, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. Enhanced energy efficiency is found to be one of the cheapest, most effective and safest ways to reduce global warming. Buildings should practice energy efficiency. Cutting the fuel cost on the road by effective gas mileage will also help. Making home appliances more energy efficient will significantly lessen energy consumption. (wecansolveit. org, 2008) Adoption of renewable resources will help break the addiction to fossil fuels like coal and oil by switching to renewable energy. These include wind power, solar thermal, solar photovoltaics and geothermal power. (wecansolveit. org, 2008) Campaigns like â€Å"Zero Waste for Zero Warming† should also be supported. Landfills were found to be the largest source of methane (CH4) in the US, a global warming gas 23 times more powerful than CO2. Toxic dumps, landfills and incinerators must not be tolerated. People should learn to recycle and avoid littering. We can also use cloth bags as shopping bags to minimize waste. We need to promote green homes and businesses therefore taking monitor of our own carbon footprint. (Global Day Action, 2007) The Outcome If We Don’t Change Things: Who and What Will Be Affected? Severe weather changes will be the outcome if global warming will not be resolve early. These includes climatic change that will contribute to more destructive hurricanes and floods like Katrina, Gustav and Ike that cost millions of damages to property and life. Severe droughts will be experience in other parts of the world, deadly heat waves, wildfires and ocean temperatures rising. It will also affect the precipitation by increasing about 5 percent in atmospheric water vapor over the oceans increasing the risk of heavy rain and snow events. Scientist also predicted that the global average sea level will rise by 7 to 24 inches by 2100 due to thermal expansion alone. Arctic’s average temperature increases are nearly twice that of the rest of the world. The arctic sea ice could virtually disappear during the summer of 2020. Melting of permafrost will continue. This permafrost is ice that has permanently frozen into the ground. The permafrost traps methane and when the melting continues it will release more of it into the atmosphere. Melting due to climate change is expected to reduce the size and extent of the polar ice caps, even taking to account the potential of more snow and ice accumulation atop the ice sheets due to increased precipitation. Temperature changes in the Arctic Circle also cause polar bears to die. Also temperatures below oceans caused destruction of coral reefs. Ecosystems will also be affected because of floods and drought could lead to the risk of extinction for some animals and plant species. Agriculture and farming will also be affected due to weather extremes. Human health will also be greatly affected which will result in increases cases of malaria and dengue outbreak. Heat-related illness and cold related illness will increase. (EPA, 2008). Sandra Steingraber the author of Living Downstream also mentioned that the increase in cancer cases is attributed to environmental influences. The US Climate Policy The United States Federal Government has established a comprehensive policy to address climate change. This policy has three basic objectives namely: slowing the growth of emissions, strengthening science, technology and institutions and enhancing international cooperation. The federal government is implementing this policy through voluntary and incentive based programs and has established major government-wide programs to advance climate technologies and improve climate science. (EPA, 2008) Some of these policies include the national goal to reduce emissions intensity, current and near tem greenhouse gas reduction initiatives, climate change technology program, climate change science program and international cooperation like the IPCC and the Asia Pacific Partnership on Ocean Development and Climate. Action on global warming by cities and local government includes building codes, zoning, transportation systems and electricity production campaigns. These include local regulation requiring newly constructed homes to be more energy efficient, a city or local subsidy to encourage homeowners to install electricity generating solar panels, local regulations requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources. , changing the city’s or town’s zoning rules to require neighborhoods have a mix of housing, offices, industry, schools and stores close together to encourage walking and decrease the need for using cars among other regulations or local climate change policies. (American Support for Local Action on Global Warming) Conclusion Global warming is a real problem of our times. Some are skeptics and believe it is just a kind of â€Å"hysteria† by some scientists. Even if Al Gore emphasized global warming in his documentary film â€Å"The Inconvenient Truth† many still have doubts if it is real. Nature or what we call â€Å"mother earth† like humans need to be taken care of. It is our responsibility to manage our earth’s natural resources and to preserve our planet making it a livable place. If people will continue to abuse the environment and become careless in throwing toxic waste and emitting toxic gases our planet will eventually come to destruction someday. The predictions may not be far from real for us at the moment but it doesn’t mean we should neglect our responsibility in protecting our environment. There is still time for people to reduce the outcome of this event. People should start thinking seriously on how they can contribute in solving and altering the increasing scenario of global warming. Reference â€Å"American Support for Local Action on Global Warming† (2008) Yale School of Forestry And Environmental Studies. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://environment. yale. edu â€Å"Citizens’ Groups Reject Dirty Waste Technologies, Call For â€Å"Zero Waste for Zero Warming† (2007) Global Day Action Against Waste and Incineration. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://gda. no-burn. org â€Å"Enhance Energy Efficiency† (2008) Solutions-wecansolveit. org. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://www. wecansolveit. org â€Å"Frequent Questions† (2008). Climate Change. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://www. epa. gov â€Å"Global Climatic Disruption- Scientists’ Statement† (1997) Wood Hole Research Center. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://www. whrc. org â€Å"U. S. Climate Policy and Actions† (2008) Climate Change-U. S. Policy. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from http://www. epa. gov