Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage ( Please see the assignment Coursework - 1

Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage ( Please see the assignment criteria ) - Coursework Example It is in this context that the tendency of homogeneity in the demand of products influences the industry players to concentrate on heterogeneity in a rapidly growing manner. This fuels up the essentiality of competitive advantage in the current market situation (Wiggins, 1997). Therefore, competitive advantage of a firm in the modern day context depends largely on the firm’s performance as steered by its leader. In the 21st century context, it is the organisational leaders who play the major role in directing the organisational performance towards the achievement of competitive advantage. The fact is considered to be quite significant as competitive advantage provides with numerous opportunities to the companies to sustain in the market. Thus, it can be stated that the achievement of success along with failure in terms of competitive advantage depend on the organisational leadership (Ireland & Hitt, 2005). Porter (1998) observed, â€Å"A firm in a very attractive industry may still not earn profits if it has chosen a poor competitive position. Conversely, a firm in an excellent competitive position may be in such a poor industry that it is not very profitable, and further efforts to enhance its position will be of little benefit† (pp. 2).

Smoking in public places Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoking in public places - Research Paper Example For instance, one may smoke to ease tension or pressure. On the other hand, many people believe that smoking in public or generally smoking should be banned. There are reasons as to why this has not yet happened, and it is not bound to happen soon. Governments throughout the world make lots of profits from taxes on tobacco and cigarettes. Second, income from taxes collected can be used to put up social amenities such as parks. Lastly, tobacco industry carries with it many employment opportunities and hence a source of livelihood for many citizens. This paper is an analysis of smoking in public places, and it will also help us understand its effects and how people view this practice and what majority feel should be done. Despite the few positive impacts that come with smoking, many are the adverse impacts and effects that accompany smoking. To start with, smoking has been ranked as the primary cause of health problems globally (Fong, 15-45). According to information from health offices, one cigarette contains more than 4000 chemical substances that are the cause of the many health problems whereby 70 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer. These chemicals have for a long time been associated with diseases such as lung cancer, heart diseases, asthma or bronchitis. Reports have indicated that approximately 3,000 adults die each year in the United States due to lung cancer. This is a huge number compared to other causes of deaths in the same country. Another report from Britain indicated that while 3,500 people are killed e ach year in road accidents, 12,000 people die each year out of exposure to tobacco smoking (Hudson, par. 2-6). This shows that smoking has potential to take away many live more than other forms of health risks and people should be aware of all the risks that come along with smoking. Other than active smokers being exposed to dangers of tobacco smoking, passive smokers share the same fate. This is because passive smokers

Czech Republic EU

Czech Republic EU Czech Republic is strategically located at the center of Europe. After the fall of Soviet Union and the end of communism in Czech republic after the velvet revolution there was a considerable growth in the field of economic and industrial area. When the Czech Republic joined into EU and CEC it attracted a lot of investments form the foreign investors. The Czech economic GPD has increased gradually from 3.5 in 2004 to 4.1 in 2005.Along with the countrys strategic location in central of Europe, its low-cost structure and skilled work force have also attracted strong inflows of foreign direct investment. This investment is rapidly modernizing its industrial base and increasing productivity. Before the liberalization of the Czech economy, majority of the companies were mostly run by the state government and had little investments from the outside world. The production level of Czech also reduced and compared with its neighbors. The Czech Republic boasts a flourishing consumer production sector. In the early 1990s most state-owned industries were privatized through a voucher privatization system. Every citizen was given the opportunity to buy, for a moderate price, a book of vouchers that he or she could exchange for shares in state-owned companies. State ownership of businesses was estimated to be about 97% under communism. The non-private sector is less than 20% today. With the liberation of economy and the nod form the government to FDI the Czech economy and its trade balance gradually increased to 3 billion Euros. The GDP and per capita increased staidly. In order to increase the FDI investments the government offered investment incentives in order to enhance the Czech Republics natural advantages, thereby attracting foreign partners and stimulating the economy. Shifting emphasis from the East to the West has necessitated adjustment of commercial laws and accounting practices to fit Western standards. Formerly state-owned banks have all been privatized into the hands of west European banks and oversight by the central bank has improved. The telecommunications infrastructure has been upgraded. The Czech Republic has made significant progress toward creating a stable and attractive climate for investment, although continuing reports of corruption are troubling to investors.(Czech Republic 2003) As Czech Republic has joined the EU in may 2004, most of the foreign investors and leading multinational companies invested huge amount of money into it. The companies like SAB Millers, Volkswagen, and Tesco acquired the companies of Czech Republic and were able to invest more amounts of money and technology into them. With higher competition among the local and foreign companies, the local companies were able to improve its qualities and have an opportunity to compete with them in the global market. When SAB miller acquired the local leading Czech brewing company Plzensky Prazdroj it brought along with it technology which helped it to generate more amount of quantity. As Czech Republic in centrally placed in Europe and it is a member of EU gave SAB miller a foothold in the European market. This also brought good revenues for the local producers and suppliers. There was a steady demand for the local products. Likewise when Czech automaker Skoda was acquired by the German automobile giant Volkswagen, it not only entered a new market but it also helped Skoda to invest more funds into its new technological researchs.The result was that the profits of Skoda gradually jumped from 209 Million dollars to 6.65 billion dollars in a span of time. The operational strategies are made on the day to day basic of the companies at local functional levels. Effective organizational strategies success will only occur depending on the performance of the company. Resources and workforce play a major role at the success of operational strategy. Even though Volkswagen completely owns Skoda it does not make the interference in the management style. With the help of Volkswagen Skoda was able to become a major brand, Skoda were able to position them selves to compete with major car brands. With the help of Volkswagen Skoda was able to use new technologies for better communication with its suppliers and distributors. As Volkswagen being a parent organization of Skoda it does has a major say in its marketing and operational strategies, in designs in order to keep the competitive advantage over its competitors. In the case of SAB millers which is the parent company of Plzensky Prazdroj the production and managerial strategies are held by the ch ild company where as the marketing and decision making strategies are done by the parent company. All the decisions about the production and buying of raw materials are held with Plzensky in order to continue with its old tradition and local heritage. As Kim and Mauborgne (2005) said the creation of a strategy is about providing value its buyers along with reducing the costs will help them have a competitive advantage over its competitors. With help of just in time strategy Skoda was able to have economic scale gains. Skoda was able to create a new market space in Czech and Europe through its cost efficient methods. As in the case of ZVVZ as which had a tough competition with Enven in its local market, they acquired it and were able to reduce the competition. ZVVZ was able to successfully able to create a market for its own in the environmental products. As it has no competitors they ensured that they give high perceived value to its customers at a lower prices, to make do this they reduced the cost by outsourcing the logistics. Kim and Maubroge (2005) point out that to have a competitive advantage over its competitors a firm has to successfully align with cost, utility and price potions. Pilsners rural locations enable them to brew and procure raw materials at a very cheap price. And in order to minimize the costs pilsners also utilized the water from theits local stream. Thus they are focused on customer satisfaction they have more customer base. By using proper value innovation companies try to have a competitive advantage over its competitors , Pilsner a brewing company did not use any value innovation in its strategies. Even in the case of Skoda until Volkswagen acquired them they had no proper value innovation. In case of ZVVZ it created new markets and new products lines by effectively utilizing value innovation technique. This ensured that ZVVZ has major competitive advantage over its competitors and ensured them to be a market leader. As the competition among the major companies is increasing, there has been a major impact on the organizational cultures with comparisons to local companies and its parents companies. The positive impacts can been seen at Skoda where the distance between employees and management is high and always ensured for the better performance of the company. Independent decisions are taken at managerial level to have positive results. How ever in some cases the employees were not comfortable this power distance, which lead them to have high risk and uncertainty and due to this there are more misunderstandings among the management and employees. In this case employees were not able to make decisions which lead to having confusion also led to the failures of the companies. In conclusion Czech economy had been able to transfer itself from being a centralized economy to a free economy. The foreign direct investment ensured that Czech economy jumped from a small to very big economy with the help of FDI the local companies were able to invest heavy money into its research departments, which resulted in huge gains for the company. Czech strategic location which is at the center of Europe ensured that major investments are poured into it. References David A. Grvin (1992) Operation strategy . Prentice Hall international England. Kim, C.W., and Mauborgne, R. (2004) Blue Ocean Strategy, Harvard Business Review [online]. pp 76-84, [cited on 30th April 2008]. Accessed via Ebscohost. Krajewski L, Ritzman L(1998) Operation managements 5th edition , Addison Wesley , England. Slack N, Chambers S, Johnston R (1995) , operations management 5th edition , Prentice hall, England.

The Kathmandu Valley and the Constant Terror of Earthquakes Essay

The Kathmandu Valley and the Constant Terror of Earthquakes One important climatic feature that plagues the South Asian region of the Kathmandu Valley is earthquakes. A few severe earthquakes have taken place in the country's history and caused many deaths and nearly irreparable damage to impoverished Nepal. The residents of the Kathmandu Valley experience small tremors nearly every day, whether they can feel them or not. The world and the nation is waiting for the 'next big one' to terrorize the small country. The Kingdom of Nepal is a landlocked nation that geographically lies between India and China. The narrow country also located at the boundary between the Indian and Tibetan tectonic plates and is thus extremely susceptible to earthquakes.[1] The entire kingdom falls into highly seismic zones, including the mountains. The Himalayan mountain range was even formed by the collision of the Asian and Indian plates that started about 50 million years ago, and ended with the subduction of the Indian plate underneath Tibet.[2] The Universities of Alaska and Colorado, in order to help these poor nations, have made precise measurements in both the Nepal Himalayan range and Tibetan Plateau since March of 1991.[3] The researchers have discovered that the Indian plate moves 53-63 millimeters closer to Asia at the same time as Tibet moves the same direction by 34-39 millimeters each year.[4] Therefore, Nepal is rowed about 19-24 millimeters per year.[5] As these steady movements have continued throughout the years, and slip events have also occurred causing great earthquakes on a north-sloping surface underneath the Himalayan mountains.[6] And as lakes long ago occupied the Kathmandu Valley,... ...ismological Centre. [9] GeoHazards International: A Nonprofit Working Towards Global Earthquake Safety. ÒA Nonprofit Organization Kathmandu Project.Ó http://www.geohaz.org/contents/projects/kathmandu.html. [10] GeoHazards International. [11] GeoHazards International. [12] National Seismological Centre. [13] National Seismological Centre. [14] Shakya, Naresh Man. [15] GeoHazards International. [16] GeoHazards International. [17] Shakya, Naresh Man. [18] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. ÒChapter 3: Nepal.Ó National Society for Earthquake Technology- Nepal (NSET). 2003. [19] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. [20] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. [21] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. [22] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. [23] Asian Disaster Reduction Center. [24] Asian Disaster Reduction Center.

Fingerprint Analysis

I chose two glasses for this project. I chose a tall, green stained glass and then a short clear glass. I washed my hands thoroughly before attempting the project, and scrubbed my sink. I then put my fingerprints all over both glasses. I filled my sink with cold water, and then submerged my two glasses into the water for 4 hours. I took the glasses out, and saw that the fingerprints were still on the glasses!! I was extremely shocked at this finding because, I surely though that the water would eliminate the fingerprints. Hot water- I filled up a sink full of hot clean water, and sat both glasses in the sink for 4 hours, I drained the water and checked the glasses. There was STILL fingerprints on the glasses!!! I am in shock, once again! I surely thought since the cold water didn’t remove the fingerprints, that the hot water would remove the fingerprints. Soapy Water- I filled up a sink full of soapy water, and placed the two glasses into the sink and left them over night. After cooking breakfast, I checked on the glasses. I drained the water and carefully took the glasses out by the bottom so I wouldn’t get fingerprints on the glass. I examined the stained glass first, I did not see any fingerprints visually! However, when I examined the small clear glass I saw two fingerprints left on the glass. But most of the others have disappeared. So now, I am leaving new fingerprints all over the glass to do the last activity. Salt Water- After placing the two glasses into the salt water for 5 hours I examined them, and they both still had fingerprints all over the glasses. Now, I would like to test this again with more salt in the future to see if I use more salt, would it eliminate the prints.

The Success or Failure of Baz Luhrmann’s Movie, The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby attempts to recreate the novel, but fails miserably. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is very different in meaning from Luhrmann’s filmic adaptation. The film, unlike the novel, makes Gatsby seem like a fool in love, and fails to show the idealism behind Gatsby’s dream. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby attempts to recreate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s themes, but ends up failing miserably. The film tried to juggle too many themes at once, rather than focusing a couple crucial ones throughout the movie. The film was unable to convey the failure of the â€Å"American Dream† that Fitzgerald so aptly analyzed throughout his novel. Fitzgerald, unlike Luhrmann, was able to make the reader see that Gatsby’s vision (all of his wealth and grandeur had a purpose: to win over Daisy), which parallels the â€Å"American Dream† that many people strive for. The impossibility of this dream is keyed in on through the dialogue between Nick and Gatsby during Luhrmann’s film, but it does not even come close to achieving the same effect that Fitzgerald did in his novel. Luhrmann focuses on how Gatsby’s hope and determination to repeat the past in this one scene, but fails to tie this in throughout the movie. This important theme is forgotten by the end of the film because of how gaudily the film is stylized. The film may have accurately portrayed the imagery of the extravagant parties that Fitzgerald vividly described, but the glitzy diversions detract from the central themes. The disjointedness of the film, as a result of these distractions, cause the viewer to forget the content of the film. Luhrmann’s attention to the visual and musical aspects of the film prevented the film from exploring the themes that Fitzgerald was able to do by ensuring that the imagery served a greater purpose (not just to become a box office success in Luhrmann’s case). Also, the changes to Nick’s character are significant as it shifts the focus from Gatsby to Nick. Fitzgerald purposefully leaves Nick’s life ambiguous, but Luhrmann attempts to give Nick’s departure from the East an edge by turning him into a drunkard. By doing this, Luhrmann emphasizes the excesses of the time, and ends up

How do Migration and Urbanization Bring About Urban Poverty in Developing Countries

How do Migration and Urbanization Bring About Urban Poverty in Developing Countries Introduction Urbanization is the increase in the urban share of the total population. A report given by The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) states that urbanization has rapidly increased in Africa and Asia since the year 2000 (UNFPA, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on How do Migration and Urbanization Bring About Urban Poverty in Developing Countries? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The report says this population will duplicate by the year 2030 and many of the new urbanites will be poor. Urbanization has been found to contribute to poverty while on the other hand being a solution to it. In addition, it has been found to create and solve environmental problems. The trick is in exploiting the possibilities and reaching a balance before the problem gets out of hand (UNFPA, 2007). Once the problem gets out of hand, the repercussions may adversely affect the economy of a country. This will hinder dev elopment, which is every country’s desire. The major cause of urbanization in developing countries is rural to urban migration. Migration refers to the movement of people from one area to another for different reasons. When there is a high rate of rural to urban migration, there is pressure on the limited resources in the urban centers. This eventually leads to high poverty cases in cities as the government tries to distribute its resources (Ibid). This research paper is going to analyze the relationship between migration, urbanization, and poverty. The research question is; how do migration and urbanization contribute to urban poverty in developing countries? Urbanization in developing countries In most developing countries, infrastructure is centralized such that the best amenities are at the urban centers. High and diversified populations characterize these. Urban centers offer the best education facilities, hospitals, industries and job opportunities.Advertising L ooking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cities have a wide market potential as they have several shopping malls owned by local and foreign investors. This offers comfort and convenience as all one needs are easily accessible. Urban centers are also able to provide a wide range of services to its residents in terms of sanitation, transportation, recreation, housing and cultural activities. Industries, factories, governmental and non-governmental companies are set up within cities. These offer employment opportunities that attract people from rural areas. There is rich cultural diversity in urban centers and therefore much exposure. Cities offer an informed comfortable life that is full of opportunities (Samers, 2010). The rural areas only capitalize in agriculture and this often with low returns due to the poor market prices in towns. Inability to find a suitable market for the farm produ cts leads to losses with adverse economic effects to the farmer. Poor and traditional farming methods result in low productivity leading to low quality harvests. With the competition from imported farm products, these do not stand a chance in the market. They have a sparse population with poor infrastructure in most cases. The quality of life is relatively low as compared to the urban life. Rural areas comprise of majorly one ethnic group and therefore lack exposure to other cultures. Life here is relatively less competitive and there are less development opportunities. The quality of education offered is low and may not match what employers look for. To realize a better life, these people move to urban areas in search of education and job opportunities leading to urbanization (Martin, 2008). Urbanization may boost a country’s economy as it shifts focus from agricultural production to other types of goods and services. These include services like banking, information technolo gy and electronics. These enlarge the opportunities for small scale and large-scale business ideas.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on How do Migration and Urbanization Bring About Urban Poverty in Developing Countries? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It also gives room to local and international investments, as there is need for development. Urbanization comes about because of massive movement of people from rural to urban areas within a country or across countries. It can also result from natural increases in population through a high birth rate and a low death rate. Initially, the population growth is an advantage for the local government (Mohanty, 1993). In an era of industrialization, this means availability of cheap labor as the demand is high. Increase in population means a better market for international and internal investors. The living standards of people rise as they get better paying jobs. There is rapid development of a town following urbanization. The government ensures the security of an urban center as it hosts several people. Better infrastructure and social amenities are set up to provide efficient and fast services. Urbanization is therefore a good step towards development (Martin, 2008). Overtime, though, urbanization can lead to adverse effects. For example, urbanization contributes to alterations in social and economic structures of a country. This is because it strains a city’s capacity to provide amenities like education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, housing and physical security. The urban poor find themselves in downtown areas where they reside in old, rundown buildings, substandard housing and empty stores. Some may even end up homeless due to the high living standards. Thus, slums are set up within cities to accommodate the urban poor. Poor hygiene, diseases, high productivity, crime, congestion and the utmost poverty characterize these (Bi lsborrow, 1996).Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Due to the strained resources, the urban poor end up in social problems like crime, vandalism and unemployment. Their children end up in the streets as beggars and if not curbed this brings about generational poverty. Massive sprawl arises in form of increases in traffic, crowded schools, increased expenses, air pollution and water pollution. This culminates in urban poverty. Many residents invest in the city’s suburbs in search of quite, safe and expansive neighborhoods leading to expansion of the cities. Adverse environmental changes accompany urbanization. This includes climate and global change due to the massive pollution from industries, factories, automotives and individuals (Martin, 2008). Migration in developing countries Urbanization and migration are related in that the latter brings about the former. Migration refers to the long-term relocation to a new region outside one’s original community. Migration can be internal or international. Internal migration i nvolves movement of people from rural to urban centers, or urban to rural areas within the country of origin. International migration involves long-term relocation to another country (Harris, 1970). Migration occurs due to two main factors categorized as push factors and pull factors. Push factors are those adverse conditions in the place of origin that force one to relocate. These could be adverse environmental conditions like famine, drought and floods. Insecurity in the place of origin due to ethnic clashes may force individuals to migrate. Such factors could lead to internally displaced people to take refuge in different communities within their countries. In cases where there is insecurity in a country, people take refuge in neighboring countries. Refugees flee from domestic and international conflicts based on race, nationality, religion and politics. Poor social amenities like hospitals, schools, transport and sanitation can influence people’s choice to relocate. High cases of unemployment and few social opportunities also lead to migration. Other push factors include primitive conditions, discrimination and loss of wealth, death threats and poor chances of marrying (Cohen, 1996). Pull factors are those positive conditions that draw people to new places. These include better environmental conditions, better infrastructure, exposure, and better income and employment opportunities. Family links and better chances of marrying have also act as pull factors. International migration involves labor migrations, refugees and undocumented migrants. There are rules governing international migration such that this migration can be legal or illegal. Migration can also be voluntary or involuntary depending on the prevailing circumstances. Individuals who migrate to live in another country are called immigrants while those leave their country to reside in a different country are called emigrants (Ibid). There are different theories of migration. An example of s uch theories is the neoclassical theory. According to this theory, wage differences in two geographical localities can contribute to labor migration. This depends on labor demand and supply. People move to areas of high demand and low supply as this offers higher wages (Cohen, 1996). Dual labor market theory suggests that pull factors are the major reasons for migration. This pull arises due to a need for intensive, low skill, well paying labor in developed regions. Another theory, the new economics of labor migration, involves social entities as a reason for migration. For example, a household may send a member to a developed region to upgrade their living standards by sending remittances. The relative deprivation theory gives importance to the awareness of in-come differences between neighboring regions (Cohen, 1996). Rural to urban migration leads to the demand of urban amenities exceeding the supply. Overcrowding and congestion is the natural result of this migration. There is a lot of pressure on social amenities as a result and increase in social vice. Poor housing leads to development of slums within the urban centers. The rural areas, on the other hand face brainwash as its best-educated members relocate. Young, energetic and well-educated rural members are more prone to job migration. Their migration implies an adverse impact on the development of rural areas as it slows down and stagnates over the years. Agricultural productivity decreases as the rural areas are neglected and the country as a whole suffers, as this is the main source of revenue in developing countries (Samers, 2010). Urban poverty in developing countries As discussed already, migration and urbanization lead to poverty in urban centers due to strained resources. The poor in urban centers find it difficult to secure decent living conditions. This is especially true for female rather than male residents due to gender disparity in developing countries. Women and children face more challe nges as they are more vulnerable and they have few casual job opportunities. Women also face social stigma due to their living standards as compared to men. They have inadequate shelter in insecure neighborhoods exposed to hazards. Accessibility to social amenities is limited and this exposes them to diseases and accidents (Urban Age, 2009). The urban poor are not represented well in governments with selfish political leaders who do not associate with the poor. This is because they have little time to air their grievances as each struggles to make ends meet. In search countries, there are two classes of people namely: the rich and the poor. The line between the two classes is so thick that neither can cross over. Reproduction rate is high among the poor, as they do not have money to spare in medical attention. Without family planning measures, they end up with many children which strains their resources further. The sources of income for the urban poor are not constant as most of th em are temporary casuals. This means it is hard to save enough for all the family needs. Children are likely to miss quality education and start working at a young age to help increase the family income (Urban Age, 2009). Migrants do not necessarily find work in line with their qualifications. They know few or no people and are likely to take a long time fitting into the urban setting. In cases of illegal migration, they also face the challenge of hiding from the authority. In cases of forced migration due, they may have little or no cash to help them settle. The desperation makes them choose any kind of work, probably menial, to sustain them. The situation may not change due to low income and they resort to slum life, as this is relatively cheaper. This way, the urban poverty cycle gets rolling (Samers, 2010). Recommendations Rapid urban growth exerts enormous pressure on local capacities and leads to characteristic urban poverty. To solve this challenge, it is necessary to secure land for the urban poor. This aims at using poverty as collateral for obtaining formal credit to invest in home improvements and business investments. This increases avenues for revenue to help fund public services and facilities. Further, it gives a good market to properties by reducing transaction costs. The government buys the products from farmers at a competitive price and markets them on their behalf. This program also gives farmers and residents tenure security for informal urban settlements (Payne, 2011). In an attempt to curb the challenges brought about by rural to urban migration and subsequent urbanization, the following policies seem to offer solution to the current problem. Provision of basic social amenities in rural areas enhances healthy living and exposure. Improved infrastructure makes remote areas accessible and increases chances of development. Improved quality of education gives both rural and urban children an equal opportunity to excel in academics and compet e in the job market. There seems to be a need in decentralizing agro –buissiness and industries from urban areas to rural areas. This will help curb rural-urban migration (Mohanty, 1993). Erection of government stores in rural areas that buy farm products at a competitive price from the farmers is a good move. It should also help to market the farmers’ products on their behalf. Embracing technological farming will increase productivity and subsequently offer good returns. In addition, empowering youths in rural areas with entrepreneurial skills will facilitates business growth. All these strategies are likely to improve their living standards. All these will create equal opportunities in rural areas and decrease the need for migration to urban centers (UNFPA, 2007). Information on reproductive health issues need to be readily accessible to the poor. This way, family planning measures will help curb natural population increases. The poor will give birth to children they are able to sufficiently support using their resources. Gender equity and equality measures empower both men and women to realize their goals with no fear. Cities need to be planned with a long term and broad vision to efficiently utilize its space and promote sustainability. Proper planning decongests cities, reduces traffic jams and avoids overcrowding. Environmental and ecosystem management is crucial in urban centers to avoid adverse environmental changes like global warming (Davis, 2007). Community participation in development is another factor. For example, the Kenya Water for Health Organization is a Kenyan Non-governmental organization that provides water, health and sanitation through community participation. Through these activities, it has been able to develop rural water, health and sanitation programmes. This in turn promotes gardening and other income generating activities for the residents (Mohanty, 1993). Development is therefore every person’s initiative. Im plementation of the right government policies coupled with public cooperation is a necessary tool for rural development. Conclusion Migration, urbanization and poverty are closely linked population aspects. Migration results in urbanization while urbanization results in poverty. The high rates of urbanization in developing countries lead to urban poverty. Urban poverty has adverse implications on the economy of a country. For this reason, measures need be taken to avoid increasing urban poverty in developing countries. Implementations of government policies to that end will go a long way towards ensuring good urban centers in the future in developing countries. This may take years but it is worth the effort. It also has the advantage of ensuring a country fully utilizes its human and material resources to better itself. Thus, the economy of such a country is sure to increase. References Bilsborrow, E. (1996). Migration, Urbanization, and Development: New Directions and Issues. New Y ork: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Cohen, R. (1996). Theories of Migration: A Two-Sector Analysis. Cheltenham: Elgar Publications. Davis, M. ( 2007). The Urban Climacteric. London: Verso. Harris, J. Todaro, M. (1970). Migration, Unemployment Development: A Two-Sector Analysis. New York: American Economic Review. 60(1): 126-42. Martin, G. McGranaham, G. Montgomery, M. (2008). The New Global Frontier: Urbanisation,Poverty, and Environment in the 21st Century. London: Eartscan Publishers. Mohanty, B. (1993). Urbanization in Developing Countries: Basic Service and Community Participation. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. Payne, R. (2011). Global Issues. New York: Pearsons Publishers. Samers, M. (2010). Migration. New York: Routledge Publishers. UNFPA. (2007). State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential for Urban Growth. Accessed from www.unfpa.org/public/publications/pid/408 Urban Age. (2009). Cities and Social Equity: Inequality, territory and urban form. London: LS E Publishers.

The Council of Nicea and the Arian Controversy

The Council of Nicea and the Arian Controversy The Arian controversy (not to be confused with the Indo-Europeans known as Aryans) was a discourse that occurred in the Christian church of the 4th century CE, that threatened to upend the meaning of the church itself. The Christian church, like the Judaic church before it, was committed to monotheism: all the Abrahamic religions say there is only one God. Arius (256–336 CE), a fairly obscure scholar and presbyter at Alexandria and originally from Libya, is said to have argued that the incarnation of Jesus Christ threatened that monotheistic status of the Christian church, because he was not of the same substance as God, instead a creature made by God and so capable of vice. The Council of Nicea was called, in part, to resolve this issue. The Council of Nicea The first council of Nicea (Nicaea) was the first ecumenical council of the Christian church, and it lasted between May and August, 325 CE. It was held in Nicea, Bithynia (in Anatolia, modern Turkey), and a total of 318 bishops attended, according to the records of the bishop at Nicea, Athanasius (bishop from 328–273). The number 318 is a symbolic number for the Abrahamic religions: basically, there would be one participant at Nicea to represent each of the members of the Biblical Abrahams household. The Nicean council had three goals: to resolve the Melitian controversy- which was over the readmission to the Church of lapsed Christians,to establish how to calculate the date of Easter each year, andto settle matters stirred up by Arius, the presbyter at Alexandria. Athanasius (296–373 CE) was an important fourth-century Christian theologian and one of the eight great Doctors of the Church. He was also the major, albeit polemical and biased, contemporary source we have on the beliefs of Arius and his followers. Athanasius interpretation was followed by the later Church historians Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret. Church Councils When Christianity took hold in the Roman Empire, the doctrine had yet to be fixed. A council is an assembly of theologians and church dignitaries called together to discuss the doctrine of the church. There have been 21 councils of what became the Catholic Church- 17 of them occurred before 1453). The problems of interpretation (part of the doctrinal issues), emerged when theologians tried to rationally explain the simultaneously divine and human aspects of Christ. This was especially difficult to do without resorting to pagan concepts, in particular having more than one divine being. Once the councils had determined such aspects of doctrine and heresy, as they did in the early councils, they moved on to church hierarchy and behavior. The Arians were not opponents of the orthodox position because orthodoxy had yet to be defined. Opposing Images of God At heart, the controversy in front of the church was how to fit Christ into the religion as a divine figure without disrupting the notion of monotheism. In the 4th century, there were several possible ideas that would account for that. The Sabellians (after the Libyan Sabellius) taught that there was a single entity, the prosÃ… pon, made up of God the Father and Christ the Son.The Trinitarian Church fathers, Bishop Alexander of Alexandria and his deacon, Athanasius, believed there were three persons in one god (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).The Monarchianists believed in only one indivisible being. These included Arius, who was presbyter in Alexandria under the Trinitarian bishop, and Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia (the man who coined the term oecumenical council and who had estimated participation at a substantially lower and more realistic attendance of 250 bishops). When Alexander accused Arius of denying the second and third person of the Godhead, Arius accused Alexander of Sabellian tendencies. Homo Ousion vs. Homoi Ousion The sticking point at the Nicene Council was a concept found nowhere in the Bible: homoousion. According to the concept of homo ousion, Christ the Son was consubstantial- the word is the Roman translation from the Greek, and it means that there was no difference between the Father and the Son. Arius and Eusebius disagreed. Arius thought the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were materially separate from each other, and that the Father created the Son as a separate entity: the argument hinged on the birth of Christ to a human mother. Here is a passage from a letter Arian wrote to Eusebius: (4.) We are not able to listen to these kinds of impieties, even if the heretics threaten us with ten thousand deaths. But what do we say and think and what have we previously taught and do we presently teach? - that the Son is not unbegotten, nor a part of an unbegotten entity in any way, nor from anything in existence, but that he is subsisting in will and intention before time and before the ages, full God, the only-begotten, unchangeable. (5.) Before he was begotten, or created, or defined, or established, he did not exist. For he was not unbegotten. But we are persecuted because we have said the Son has a beginning but God has no beginning. We are persecuted because of that and for saying he came from non-being. But we said this since he is not a portion of God nor of anything in existence. That is why we are persecuted; you know the rest. Arius and his followers, the Arians, believed if the Son were equal to the Father, there would be more than one God: but Christianity had to be a monotheistic religion, and Athanasius believed that by insisting Christ was a separate entity, Arius was taking the church into mythology or worse, polytheism. Further, opposing Trinitarians believed that making Christ a subordinate to God diminished the importance of the Son. Wavering Decision of Constantine At the Nicean council, the Trinitarian bishops prevailed, and the Trinity was established as the core of the Christian church. Emperor Constantine (280–337 CE), who may or may not have been a Christian at the time- Constantine was baptized shortly before he died, but had made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire by the time of the Nicean council- intervened. The decision of the Trinitarians made Ariuss questions heresy akin to revolt, so Constantine exiled the excommunicated Arius to Illyria (modern Albania). Constantines friend and Arian-sympathizer Eusebius, and a neighboring bishop, Theognis, were also exiled- to Gaul (modern France). In 328, however, Constantine reversed his opinion about the Arian heresy and had both exiled bishops reinstated. At the same time, Arius was recalled from exile. Eusebius eventually withdrew his objection, but still wouldnt sign the statement of faith. Constantines sister and Eusebius worked on the emperor to obtain reinstatement for Arius, and they would have succeeded, if Arius hadnt suddenly died- by poisoning, probably, or, as some prefer to believe, by divine intervention. After Nicea Arianism regained momentum and evolved (becoming popular with some of the tribes that were invading the Roman Empire, like the Visigoths) and survived in some form until the reigns of Gratian and Theodosius, at which time, St. Ambrose (c. 340–397) set to work stamping it out. But the debate by no means was over in the 4th century. Debate continued into the fifth century and beyond, with: ... confrontation between the Alexandrian school, with its allegorical interpretation of scripture and its emphasis on the one nature of the divine Logos made flesh, and the Antiochene school, which favoured a more literal reading of scripture and stressed the two natures in Christ after the union. (Pauline Allen, 2000) Anniversary of the Nicene Creed August 25, 2012, marked the 1687th anniversary of the creation of the upshot of the Council of Nicea, an initially controversial document cataloging the basic beliefs of Christians the Nicene Creed. Sources Allen, Pauline. The definition and enforcement of orthodoxy. Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, A.D. 425–600. Eds. Averil Cameron, Bryan Ward-Perkins, and Michael Whitby. Cambridge University Press, 2000.Barnes, T. D. Constantine and the Christians of Persia. The Journal of Roman Studies 75 (1985): 126–36. Print.. Constantines Prohibition of Pagan Sacrifice. The American Journal of Philology 105.1 (1984): 69–72. Print.Curran, John. Constantine and the Ancient Cults of Rome: The Legal Evidence. Greece and Rome 43.1 (1996): 68–80. Print.Edwards, Mark. The First Council of Nicaea. The Cambridge History of Christianity: Volume 1: Origins to Constantine. Eds. Young, Frances M. and Margaret M. Mitchell. Vol. 1. Cambridge History of Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 552–67. Print.Grant, Robert M. Religion and Politics at the Council at Nicaea. The Journal of Religion 55.1 (1975): 1–12. Print.Gwynn, David M. The Eusebians : The Polemic of Athanasius of Alexandria and the Construction of the Arian Controversy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. . Religious Diversity in Late Antiquity. Archaeology and the ‘Arian Controversy’ in the Fourth Century. Brill, 2010. 229. Print.Hanson, R.P.C. The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318–381. London: TT Clark.Jà ¶rg, Ulrich. Nicaea and the West. Vigiliae Christianae 51.1 (1997): 10–24. Print.

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It.

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It. This season of the Jewish New Year brings much reflection on the past year and how we want to live our lives in the future. Most of us know that gratitude is key to living a satisfied life, and this holiday season my rabbi in Madison, Laurie Zimmerman, focused on this subject in her sermon. She related a story by Mitchell Chefitz in which a newly graduated â€Å"Officer of the Law† encountered a man in rags.  He commanded the man three times to Come forward! to no effect.  Finally the man in rags said, â€Å"I dont know what Im going to do with you. Do with me? the Officer of the Law mocked.  Do with me?  You dont do with me! I do with you!  I am an Officer of the Law, and I command you to come forward. Now I know what to do with you, the man in rags said, and as he spoke, he drew his sword.  A swordfight followed in which, after putting up a good fight, the man in rags lowered his guard, and the Officer of the Law’s sword mistakenly ran through him.  As the man died, he said, I put upon you the Curse of Blessings. Every day you must say a new blessing, one you have never said before. And on the day you do not say a new blessing, you will die. The man in rags closed his eyes and then disappeared, and the Officer of the Law wondered whether his experience were real. But as the sun set, he felt life leaving him and in a panic uttered a blessing over the sunset. Life flowed back into him.  From that day on, he said a new blessing every day, blessing abilities, then concrete things, relationships, and more. Word spread throughout the land that this previously pompous Officer of the Law was a source of blessing. He kept blessing the miracles of the world and found more and more things to bless. Finally, he was about to turn 120 years old and decided on his birthday not to make a new blessing but to recount some of the blessings he had made before. As the sun set, he felt a chill coming into his body and did not utter a blessing. Then appeared the man in rags. You! the Officer of the Law exclaimed. I have thought about you every day for a hundred years!  I never meant to harm you.  Please, forgive me. You dont understand, said the man in rags.  You dont know who I am, do you? I am the angel who was sent a hundred years ago to harvest your soul, but when I looked at you, so pompous and proud, there was nothing there to harvest.  An empty uniform was all I saw.  So I put upon you the Curse of Blessings, and now look what youve become! The Officer of the Law could not help but say, I feel blessed, dear God, that You have kept me alive and sustained me so I could attain this moment of insight. Now look what youve done! the man in rags said in frustration. A new blessing! Life flowed back into the Officer of the Law, and he and the man in rags looked to each other, neither of them knowing quite what to do. (Paraphrased from â€Å"The Curse of Blessings† in The Curse of Blessings: Sometimes, the Right Story Can Change Your Life by Mitchell Chefitz, 2006.) The rabbi also recounted a tale of the crossing of the Red Sea. In the midst of this great miracle, two people, Reuven and Shimon, did not celebrate, but rather cursed the mud, saying it was just like Egypt. â€Å"Their eyes turned downwards, while the greatest of miracles was happening all around them.† So often, like the pre-swordfight Officer of the Law, and like Reuven and Shimon, we don’t notice the blessings in our lives. We focus on what’s missing, on the negative. We become self-absorbed. This way of life drains the life from us, making us heartless and cold. In contrast, waking up and saying a new blessing, showing gratitude consistently, brings us warmth and life, carries us into the present so we’re not living in the past or the future, and draws people closer to us. We become someone people appreciate and want to be around. Marge Piercy’s poem, â€Å"The Art of Blessing the Day,† encourages us to create a life full of blessings: â€Å"Bless whatever you can / with eyes and hands and tongue. If you / cant bless it, get ready to make it new.† At this time of reflection, I encourage you to find and express the blessings in your life, and to live as much as possible in the present. And, if you can’t bless it, change it. For me, that’s the way to create a life I want to live. A life that inspires me to jump out of bed in the morning excited to bless something new.

Science lab Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Science lab - Assignment Example Between 1900 and 2000 the world’s population increased by six billion and industrialization was at its peak (Wright & Boorse, 2010). Vast piece of land has been cleared to accommodate settlement and agriculture. All this contributed to 90% decline in ground water. The trend of environmental degradation came to limelight in 1962 when Rachael Carson wrote a book called silent spring. Later, in 1972 report named limit to growth and another known as our common future in 1987 by Brundtland commission were published (Wright & Boorse, 2010). It was due to these three major publications that influenced the adoption of the ideology knows as sustainable development. For clear evidence of the previous state of the environment, it was mandatory I review map and analyze them. The satellite vegetation maps showing the vegetation cover from 1800 to date and human settlements map over the same duration of time was a fundamental source of data for this study. Further, geological data on the trend of ground water was also influential in this study. Therefore, the major method of date collection was map reading and analysis. In 1900 through to 2000, the world population has increased by six billion. Because of the high population increase, there was the need to find means to fend for the need of this large number, which led to clearing of forest by 90% to create space for settlement and cultivation. It was also during this time that the European countries and America engaged in high industrial activities, which tremendously impacted on the environment. Forest cover, which plays a role in enhancing hydrological cycle had reduced, meaning that rain had also reduced (Wright & Boorse, 2010). In this line, the amount of water that percolated through the soil profile to recharge the ground water was reduced by half. Since the developments of environmental policies, there have been attempts to reverse the damage that happened in 1900. In this pursuit, forest

What will be the impact on business of the abandonment of th e penny Essay

What will be the impact on business of the abandonment of th e penny (Canadian one - cent piece) - Essay Example This will result to a low circulation of money and businesses all over the country will be affected, for the loss of value. This will go on for a while the business and the economy continues to deteriorate in value due to the reduced cash flow. The government will also have a lot of work and spend equally when it will be collecting the pennies for reuse in its financial institutions. The country’s federal budget will also change its states that will affect the government’s expectation to apply a new way of getting equivalent currency for cash transaction in a fair and a transparent manner. The mathematical rounding off of figures will be done in several items and hence transactions involving low value items will be complicated to perform. The penny has been found to be of great help and use in the business world which is changing rampantly as new methods crops out day by day. AUSTEN, I. (n.d.). In Canada, the Pennyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Time to Shine Is Over - NYTimes.com. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/business/global/in-canada-the-pennys-time-to-shine-is-over.html?_r=0 Canadas penny withdrawal: All you need to know - Business - CBC News. (n.d.). CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/03/30/f-penny-faq.html Penny C. Sansevieri: What the Plus! Whats Up With Google+? An Interview With Guy Kawasaki. (n.d.). Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from

Manifesto for the Eradication of Weapons of Lung Destruction Essay

Manifesto for the Eradication of Weapons of Lung Destruction - Essay Example The greatness of freedom is that we are free to commit atrocities upon ourselves, yet not many people would sign up for the freedom to harm or kill as many people around them as possible. Why then are smokers allowed to do so We hunt down terrorists because they take innocent lives; the US declared war not only on Al Qaeda who took under 3000 lives in the World Trade Center bombings on September 11, 2001, but also on terrorists in general, including Afghanistan and Iraq. So why do we allow environmental terrorists, viz. smokers to escape with using weapons of lung destruction to take the lives of 3000 non-smokers per year, and not to mention the 35000 who die from heart disease every year The environmental Chernobyl disaster engendered public outrage and instigated new laws, yet we hesitate to implement laws to ban the equally dangerous and insidious smoking in public places, which is associated with approximately 14000 new asthma cases in children and 230000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children under 18 months old.

Homeland security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homeland security - Essay Example The major Federal legislation on terrorist financing include; The Bank Secrecy Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, The Money Laundering Control Act, The Annunzio-Wylie Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Money Laundering Suppression Act, The Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Strategy Act, Title III of the USA Patriot Act, The Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism Convention Implementation Act and The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, (GAO, 2004). Federal Statutes The Bank Secrecy Act Passed in 1970, BSA has the major money laundering provisions focusing on financial institutions’ record keeping thereby enabling federal officials to apprehend criminals by tracing money trails. The legislation makes it mandatory for financial institutions to file reports for cash transactions that exceed the amount set by the Secretary of the Treasury which is $10,000, (GAO, 2004). The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Under the IEEP A enacted in 1977, the president has the powers to declare a national emergency in cases of threats to the US national security, economy or its foreign policy. These powers include; the ability to prohibit any transaction in foreign exchange, the ability to seize foreign assets under US jurisdiction, to prohibit the import or export of foreign currency and to prohibit transactions which involve foreign currency between financial institution, (GAO, 2004). The Money Laundering Control Act Passed by the Congress in 1986, the Money Laundering Control Act criminalizes any activities related to money laundering defined as carrying out financial transactions with property that is known to be derived from unlawful activities or attempts to conceal such activity. The legislation prescribes three specific types which include; domestic, international and attempted money laundering uncovered as a part of a larger sting operation, (GAO, 2004). The Annunzio-Wylie Anti-Money Laundering Act The leg islation passed in 1992 increased the penalties for depository institutions that are found to have violated any of the anti-money laundering laws. The legislation also authorizes the Secretary of the treasury to require filings of the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) from the financial institutions. It also gives the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) authority to terminate federal insurance for any banks and financial institutions found guilty, (GAO, 2004). The Money Laundering Suppression Act Passed in 1994, the legislation mandated certain exemption from reporting requirements in an effort to reduce the number of CTR filings by 30%. This was as a result of excess filings in the early 1990s when the number of currency transaction reports filed greatly surpassed the ability of regulators to analyze them. The statute provides for all money transmitting businesses to register with the treasury secretary, (GAO, 2004). The Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Strategy Act The legislation was initiated by Congress with the aim of developing a national strategy for combating money laundering. The legislation stipulates that the Treasury Secretary in consultation with the Attorney General must prioritize money laundering enforcement areas by identifying certain areas as high risk money laundering and related financial crime areas, (GAO, 2004). Title

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

Reflective - Essay Example Much of this confidence came from the level of cooperation that I had with the unit manager, under whom I was working. Taking permission to start such a project was not that difficult specially that the unit manger is very supportive and the ER consultants are very enthusiastic to do so. The very first of the processes for working on the project was to get a proposal ready. So on the 13th of December, 2012, I submitted my proposal to the manager about education for public about Triage process. Though I thought this was going to be a very useful area to research, the manager disagreed with it because one of the emergency consultants started that project and was almost done. I felt disappointed because I had to start searching for another topic and time get shorter. I went to my manager again and we had a discussion to find another topic. Using his experience at the workplace over the last seven years, the manager showed clearly that there were different goals that he had, which were m ore suitable to our working conditions than I had given. I was made to evaluate some of these goals and out of it, landed on one of them, which would later become the research topic. The research problem was based on a problem identified in the immediate environment of the hospital. It was observed from the emergency department that the number of pediatric attending A/E room is high so we decided to see why and then we started the project of education. Once I got the approval from the manager I was relaxed and I started to do my project. I started the actual action towards the project two days after I had received the final approval on the topic from my supervisor and this was on the 20th of December, 2012. The very first action taken by me was to start looking for secondary sources of information to prepare my research questions and themes for the literature review. First I started with the pamphlet which has information about fever management for children at home before attending accident emergency. After all necessary information was collected I went to the marketing department for an approval to start undertaking the education section for the patients. But yet again, I will receive a shock to the success and smooth progress of the project as I was informed when I went to marketing department and find out that I still needed approval from the pediatric consultant who was not available in the hospital by that time. This made me highly uneasy and upset because I started feeling bad about the success of the project again because I felt the time was delaying. It is for this reason that I say that actions depend on situations because whenever things went right, my actions were positive and joyful. On 25th of December, 2012 when I was informed that the paediatric consultant had travelled, I became very disturbed and thought that some people wanted to sabotage the progress of my project. But after the consultant returned in two weeks, I found that the situation wa s nothing like what I thought about her or the people in the department. After 2 weeks she came back and we discussed the project together and she welcomed the idea and supported me to do so. Once I got the approval I started the data collection over a period of 2 weeks. I some faced problems at first with data collection because most of the parent when they bring their children to the

Mod 3 Pre-trial and trial procedures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mod 3 Pre-trial and trial procedures - Assignment Example In December 7 1993, Colin Ferguson from Jamaica started shooting passengers on a commuter train at random killing six and injuries 16 people; after he stopped to reload, the passengers restrained him. When appearing in court, he self-represented himself but the eyewitnesses and the prosecutor managed to convince the magistrate to sentence him to more than 200 jail terms in New York Attica Prison. The critics of this case argue that he was not in his sane mind to stand trial hence the court was wrong to convict and sentence him (People v Ferguson248, N.Y App 1998). In the Poucell v Alabama, 287 U.S case, fourteen African youths were unfairly charged by the court for reportedly raping two white women, the case which was popularly known as the ‘Scottsboro case’ where within two weeks of arrest, they were convicted, tried and sentenced to death; the Supreme Court reversed this conviction. In Indiana a defendant was found competent to self-represent but the trial court did not allow him to, even though he was competent. An attorney was appointed to represent him, but he was sentenced, following a Foreta, a similar case wherein it was held by the Supreme Court that the accused was competent to self-represent. The disposal of petty offenses; these cases guarantee that either a fine or a short jail term is imposed. Cases such as common traffic laws and breaking of local regulations fall into this category. The Preliminary hearing is where the magistrate hears the state’s case and determines if it can appear before the grand jury or not. The functions of grand jury include: preventing baseless, discriminatory and overzealous charges by examining hearings and evidence presented before it. The grand jury also has power to order the witnesses to appear before it, issue immunity or hold the individuals in contempt. The jurisdiction and venue: before a court hears a case and rules, it

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

Reflective - Essay Example Much of this confidence came from the level of cooperation that I had with the unit manager, under whom I was working. Taking permission to start such a project was not that difficult specially that the unit manger is very supportive and the ER consultants are very enthusiastic to do so. The very first of the processes for working on the project was to get a proposal ready. So on the 13th of December, 2012, I submitted my proposal to the manager about education for public about Triage process. Though I thought this was going to be a very useful area to research, the manager disagreed with it because one of the emergency consultants started that project and was almost done. I felt disappointed because I had to start searching for another topic and time get shorter. I went to my manager again and we had a discussion to find another topic. Using his experience at the workplace over the last seven years, the manager showed clearly that there were different goals that he had, which were m ore suitable to our working conditions than I had given. I was made to evaluate some of these goals and out of it, landed on one of them, which would later become the research topic. The research problem was based on a problem identified in the immediate environment of the hospital. It was observed from the emergency department that the number of pediatric attending A/E room is high so we decided to see why and then we started the project of education. Once I got the approval from the manager I was relaxed and I started to do my project. I started the actual action towards the project two days after I had received the final approval on the topic from my supervisor and this was on the 20th of December, 2012. The very first action taken by me was to start looking for secondary sources of information to prepare my research questions and themes for the literature review. First I started with the pamphlet which has information about fever management for children at home before attending accident emergency. After all necessary information was collected I went to the marketing department for an approval to start undertaking the education section for the patients. But yet again, I will receive a shock to the success and smooth progress of the project as I was informed when I went to marketing department and find out that I still needed approval from the pediatric consultant who was not available in the hospital by that time. This made me highly uneasy and upset because I started feeling bad about the success of the project again because I felt the time was delaying. It is for this reason that I say that actions depend on situations because whenever things went right, my actions were positive and joyful. On 25th of December, 2012 when I was informed that the paediatric consultant had travelled, I became very disturbed and thought that some people wanted to sabotage the progress of my project. But after the consultant returned in two weeks, I found that the situation wa s nothing like what I thought about her or the people in the department. After 2 weeks she came back and we discussed the project together and she welcomed the idea and supported me to do so. Once I got the approval I started the data collection over a period of 2 weeks. I some faced problems at first with data collection because most of the parent when they bring their children to the

Early Marriage in South Asia Essay Example for Free

Early Marriage in South Asia Essay Early marriage affects millions of children through the world. It is widely practiced in the countries of South Asia where every year millions of girls-preteens and teens- become the wives of older men. Young girls are married when they are still children and as a result are denied fundamental human rights. Early marriage compromises their development and often results in early pregnancy and social isolation, with little education and poor vocational training reinforcing the gendered nature of poverty. Required to perform heavy amounts of domestic work, under pressure to demonstrate fertility, married girls and child mothers face constrained decision-making and reduced life choices. Both boys and girls are affected by child marriage but the issue impacts girls in far larger numbers, with more intensity—and is wide ranging.[1] Early marriage, better known as child marriage, is defined as marriage carried below the age of 18 years, â€Å"before the girl is physically, physiologically and psychologically ready to shoulder the responsibilities of marriage and child bearing†[2]. Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage. Parents encourage the marriage of their daughters while they are still children in hopes that the marriage will benefit them both financially and socially, while also relieving financial burdens on the family. Strong correlations between a woman’s age at marriage and the level of education she achieves, the age at which she gives birth to her first child and the age of her husband have been well documented. Early marriage means also the individual becomes sexually active early, raising children while children themselves. The marriage of a young girl affects not only her life but that of the children she will bear. Early marriage is by no means a new phenomenon.[3] It is a socially established practice that has been carried on from generation to generation. This is despite the existence of international and regional instruments that all the States in South Asia have ratified. Governments in the region also settled upon 18 as the minimum legal age at marriage. However, they are often either unable to enforce existing laws, or rectify discrepancies between national laws and customary and religious laws. Most often, child marriage is considered as a family matter and governed by religion and culture, which ensure its continuity. It remains therefore a widely ignored violation of the rights of girls and women and exposes them to multiple risks, including to sexual abuse and exploitation. Compiled from a study undertaken by Mira, B. AGHI, this paper examines early marriage in the region in order to offer information for analysis and discussion. The Prevalence Of Early Marriage In South Asia It is very difficult to get accurate data on the true extent of early marriages. This is because most marriages are not officially registered, and many parents resort to falsifying girls’ ages. Such acts are made easier in rural areas where birth certificates are often non-existent or not properly recorded. There is also very little data on girls married before the age of 15. Available data are often outdated and fail to provide adequate information. Although early marriage is said to be declining in many parts of the world, the total number of girls at risk or affected is very significant and cannot be ignored. It is estimated there are worldwide more than 51 million adolescent girls aged 15–19 who are married and bearing the burden of domestic responsibility and the risks associated with early sexual activity, including pregnancy.[4] In South Asia in 2005, 48% (nearly 10 million) of young women were married before the age of 18[5]. Figure 1 Child marriage, 1987 – 2006. (% of women 20-24 years of age that were married or in union before they were 18 years old) [pic] Despite a shift towards later marriages in many parts of the world, in the countries of South Asia a majority of girls still marry before age 18 (65% in Bangladesh, 57% in Nepal, 54% in Afghanistan, and almost 50% in India). One problem in assessing the prevalence of early marriages is that many are unregistered and unofficial and hence, are not a part of any data collection system. Very little data exists on marriages of children under the age of 10, even less on those below that age[6]. Some countries do have data. According to Bangladesh’s demographic and health survey of 1996-1997, there are 28 million adolescents in Bangladesh, 13.7% of these are girls, and the survey reported that more than half the girls below 19 were married and 5% of 10-14 year old girls were married. Another survey of women 25-29 years old reported that in Bangladesh 81% were married before the age of 18[8]. The lowest age at marriage is to be found in the western and southern parts of Bangladesh – specifically those adjoining India. In India, more than 57 per cent of girls are reported to get married before they turn 18. According to the Reproductive and Child Health District Level Household Survey, 28% girls overall, with 34.5% in rural and 13% in urban areas, are being married before they turned 18. According to a Rapid Household survey conducted across the country, 58.9% women in Bihar were married before the age of 18, 55.8% in Rajasthan, 54.9% in West Bengal, 53.8 % in Utter Pradesh, and 53.2% in Madhya Pradesh. National Family Health Survey data suggests that the median age for marriage in India is 16.4 years. This survey also found that 65% of the girls are married by the time they are 18.[9] There are additional surveys like one in 1993 which reported that in the Indian state of Rajasthan, on 5,000 women 56% had married before age 15, and of these, 17% were married before they were 10.[10] Another report indicated that nearly 14% of the girls in India’s largest state (Uttar Pradesh) are married between the ages of 10-14 years, whereas in the central province of Madhya Pradesh, 11% of urban and 16.4% of rural girls are married between the ages of 10-14 years.[11] In Nepal, the law has helped in increasing the age at marriage. However, the data which included female marriages at all ages showed that ethnicity is the major factor of age at marriage in Nepal. The ethnic groups are mostly concentrated in the Terai region, which borders India, and where the cultural norms and practices are highly influenced by the culture of north India. In contrast to other groups, especially in the mountain region, women belonging to the Terai groups are generally confined to farming; they exercise comparatively less control over the economic resources and decision-making. The most notable data from Nepal is 83.1% of girls of some ethnic groups marry before they are 15 years old. 79.6% Muslim girls marry before they are 15 years old. 69.7% girls in the mountainous and hilly regions marry at the age of 15 whereas 55.7% in rural Nepal marry before they turn 15.[12] Early marriage is more common in Surkhet district of mid-western Nepal.[13] One of the findings of the study is that higher caste girls do not feel the pressure to marry at a very young age and while they are in primary school. But when they reach 13 years, pressure is put on them especially if they fail their school exams. If they are doing well their parents will often let them continue with their studies. Lower caste girls have much higher pressure and less choice.[14] A survey of adults 25-29 years old revealed that in Pakistan 37% of the girls were married before the legal age, which at the time was16.[15] In Pakistan, as in other countries of South Asia, early marriage is more common in rural areas. Also people living in rural areas observe traditions more closely than those who live in urban areas. Causes Of Early Marriage Many reasons are given by parents and guardians to justify child marriage. Economic reasons often underpin these decisions which are directly linked to poverty and the lack of economic opportunities for girls in rural areas. Girls are either seen as an economic burden or valued as capital for their exchange value in terms of goods, money or livestock. A combination of cultural, traditional and religious arguments also justifies child marriage. The fear and stigma attached to premarital sex and bearing children outside marriage, and the associated family honor, are often seen as valid reasons for the actions that families take. Finally, many parents tend to curtail the education of their girls and marry them off, due to fear of exposure to sexual violence and abuse encountered. Early marriage as a strategy for economic reasons Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning early marriage. In many of the cases, the families are in poverty and one less daughter is one less mouth to feed. Poor families may regard young girls as an economic burden and the practice of early marriage, as an act of unburdening and a coping strategy. When poverty is acute, a young girl’s presence in the house is felt as unbearable and her marriage to a much older or even elderly man who can pay a very high price may be seen in her interest. Child marriage is valued as an economic coping strategy which reduces the costs of raising daughters. In this sense, poverty becomes a primary reason for child marriage because of perceived benefits to the family and the daughter. |Ethnicity/culture has emerged as the most complex reason for girls’ early | |marriages. In fact at some places like the Terai region in Nepal, where | |the cultural norms and practices are highly influenced by the culture of | |north India, it has emerged even stronger than the socio-economic | |factors.[16] It has been observed that ethnicity affects not only the age | |of marriage but the timing of family formation and entry into motherhood. | Marriage arrangements and requirements, such as dowry payments in parts of South Asia where parents of the young woman are obliged to give gifts to the spouse and his family, perpetuate child marriages. This is because the dowry requirement often increases with the age and the education level of the girl. Additionally, poor families tend to marry off girls at the same time to help reduce the burden of high marriage ceremony expenses[17]. However, child brides are often more likely to experience domestic violence and least likely to take action against this abuse. The majority of affected girls become condemned to a life of financial and social insecurity. This is a real paradox for many parents, given that they marry off their daughters at a young age in the belief that this will enhance the girl’s and the family’s security. Poverty ultimately fuels child marriage, which in turn perpetuates the feminization of poverty. In many villages that practice child marriage in Tamil Nadu State in India for example, girls are married off before they attain puberty because of the social stigma the community attaches to marriage after puberty. Many such marriages end in divorce. In case there is a large age’s difference, the girls become widows at a young age. Custom forbids divorced or widowed women to remarry, further impoverishing them. Entrenched community norms and myths clearly help to perpetuate the practice of child marriage and related poverty. Son preference is very strong in many communities in South Asia, which may not be unrelated to the expenses involved when marrying off a daughter. The rising costs of marriage ceremonies force many families to marry their daughters at the same time to reduce costs. Boys forced into marriage early may also suffer financially. Economic responsibilities can place heavy burdens on them and curtail their education sooner than they might want. However, while boys can leave their wives at their parents’ homes and seek employment opportunities elsewhere, this option is not available to the majority of young wives[18]. Marriage alliances and traditions Often marriage arrangements are made between families for dynastic, business, property or conflict resolutions. In Pakistan, India and Nepal, children may be betrothed or even married while toddlers or well below the age of 10. This custom is a means of consolidating powerful relations between families, making deals over land or other property, or settling disputes in the way routinely conducted between royal houses and aristocratic families throughout history. It may be a way of maintaining or fostering business ties with them. It may also be arranged as apart of the deal to settle a feud between two families.[19] Early marriage as a way to ensure the protection of girls Early marriage is also one way to ensure that a wife is â€Å"protected† or placed firmly under male control; that she is submissive to her husband and works hard for her in-laws’ household; that the children she bears are ‘legitimate’ and that bonds of affection between couples do not undermine the family unit.[20] It has been observed that in child marriages there is invariably a large gap between married women and their husbands—between 7-9 years.[21] The customary age difference helps to preserve the traditional cultural pattern of an older husband dominating a much younger wife. Social pressure appears to play a significant role in the girl getting married early. If girls remain unmarried by 15, neighbors, villagers and relatives begin to doubt her chastity and health. Parents are under huge pressure not to give a chance to the society to pass any aspersion on their girls. Early marriage is often a way of ensuring that the daughter is not at risk of losing her virginity in an irregular sexual encounter.[22] For many communities, the loss of virginity in girls before marriage is the worst shame that can be brought upon a family. The desire to protect a girl’s virginity drives many parents to force their daughters into marriage at an extremely young age. For this reason and to control girl’s sexuality, girls are married to prevent pre-marital sex or pregnancy. Once it is known in the village that a girl had pre-marital sexual relationship, it could be quite difficult to find a suitable boy who will be willing to marry her. Therefore parents willingly/unwillingly arrange early marriages to avoid such unpleasant situations. In rural communities, fetching water and firewood are usually chores undertaken by young girls. There is frequently a serious fear of their being raped.[23] The rape will be devastating with enormous implications for the girl. In many communities the rape is not considered to be a crime against a girl but against her father, husband, or brothers. Situations of insecurity and acute poverty, particularly during disasters such as war, famine or the HIV and AIDS epidemic, can prompt parents to resort to child marriage as a protective mechanism or survival strategy. Among some populations which have been disrupted by war (Afghanistan), marrying a young daughter to a warlord or someone who can look after her may be a strategy for physical security or family support. In the worst cases, girls are abducted or kidnapped by armed militia or rebels and forced into temporary marriages which amount to â€Å"a combination of child prostitution and pure slavery.† Displaced populations living in refugee camps may feel unable to protect their daughters from rape, and so marriage to a warlord or other authority figure may provide improved protection.[24] Consequences Of Early Marriage The consequences of child marriage are often far wider than just their impact on the individual children affected. The marriage of children has negative effects on families and communities. The practice thrives on poverty and impacts adversely on a country’s health and education sector. Young girls are forced to marry men they have never met before and who may be many years older than they are. Once married, they are responsible for looking after their husbands, the house, and the children they give birth to while still children themselves. This is one of the reasons that offspring born too early in their mothers’ lives are at increased risk of illness and death. These girls often have little knowledge about the responsibilities of being a wife and no information about sex and childbirth.[25] Early forced sex as a violation of rights where a girl is married has not been recognized as a form of sexual abuse except where warlords or traffickers have recruited girls as sexual slaves.[26] Early marriage is associated with a number of poor social and physical outcomes for young women and their offspring.[27] They attain lower schooling, lower social status in their husbands’ families, have less reproductive control, and suffer higher rates of maternal mortality and domestic violence. They are often forced out of school without an education, their health is affected because their bodies are too immature to give birth. |Child marriage impedes the Millennium Development Goals | |(agreed by governments and the international community in | |September 2000). | | | |Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. | |Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education. | |Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women. | |Goal 4: Reduce child mortality. | |Goal 5: Improve maternal health. | |Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. | Health and related outcomes The younger the boy or the girl is at the time of marriage, the worse is the abuse of child and human rights, both on grounds of lack of consent and on grounds of forced early sex. However, the implications for the females are much more severe. The younger the girl at the time of her first sexual relations – with early sex much more frequent and less likely to be consensual within marriage than outside marriage – the greater the chance of severe pain, physical damage, and of birthing complications and injury. Pregnancy and childbirth It is common sense to assume that girls who marry before 18 will usually have more children. Early child-bearing has long been seen as a risk to maternity, contributing significantly to large families. Since girls who are married young have a large number of child bearing years, they are more prone to miscarriage, infant death, malnutrition, cervical cancer, sterility, and maternal death. Even when girls are closer to the age of 18 but not yet that age, the risk remains. Girls between age 15 and 19 are twice as likely to die of pregnancy-related reasons as women between age 20 and 24. Child marriage is the leading cause of young women between the ages of 15 and 24 dying during pregnancy. Figure 4 Percentage of women age 15- 19 who have begun childbearing Selected countries in South Asia, 2004-2006 [pic] Not only the mothers but offspring born too early in their mothers’ lives are at increased risk of illness and death. The babies of child brides are sicker, weaker and many do not survive childhood. Evidence shows that infant mortality among children of very young mothers is almost two times higher than among those of older peers. The health problems linked to early marriage not only affect the pregnant mother but also continue after child birth. Complications are more likely during pregnancy and birth purely because of the mother’s young age. A large proportion of reproductive and sexual health concerns of adolescent girls and women root from early marriage and early pregnancy. In the context of reproductive health girl spouses face well-acknowledged risks. These include the problem of giving birth when the pelvis and birth canal are still under-developed which leads to an increased risk of complications during delivery including protracted labor.[28] Mothers aged less than 15 are especially vulnerable to fistulae – relentless pressure from baby’s skull can damage the birth canal causing breakages in the wall. A girl or a woman with this condition ─ irreversible without surgery ─ is not only in constant pain but will be socially ostracized and may well be divorced because of this.[29] The perils of child marriage are not limited to only health complications during pregnancy and delivery period but in many cases during post-natal period as well. Because of the prolapsed uterus, they suffer from backaches, experience difficulties while walking, working and sitting for a long time. At times they had to give birth even after prolapsed uterus and this made the situation worse for them. [30] Child brides cannot negotiate the terms of sex with husbands who are usually older and have had previous sexual partners.[31] They cannot insist on fidelity or condom use.[32] Research in India (Calcutta) revealed that almost half of the women patients in the hospital interviewed had been married at or below the age of 15 with the youngest being married at 7 years. This age group has one of the highest rates of vulnerability to sexual violence in marriage, second only to those whose dowry had not been paid. The women had forced sexual intercourse before menstruation had started. The sex was early and painful and many still continued to be forced into sexual activity by their husbands. Although young girls had made their husbands aware of their unwillingness to have sex or of pain during sex, in 80% of these cases, the rapes continued.[33] Increased risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV Early marriage threatens girls’ health and the health of their children and thwarts efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. Of substantial consequences, yet largely ignored, is the fact that the majority of the sexually active girls aged 15-19 in South Asia are married and these adolescent girls tend to have higher rates of HIV infection than their sexually active unmarried peers. Early sexual activity within marriage is even more likely to expose young people to sexually transmitted infections than sex outside marriage.[34] Crossing the threshold into marriage greatly intensifies sexual exposure via unprotected sex, often with an older partner, who by virtue of his age has an elevated risk of being HIV positive. This dramatic rise in the frequency of unprotected sex is driven by not only the implication of infidelity or distrust associated with certain forms of contraception such as condoms, but often also by a strong desire to become pregnant. Demographic and health survey data reveals that on an average 80% of unprotected sex encounters among adolescent girls occurred within marriage. Not only are married adolescents girls often isolated within their new households and from external public and private support but their needs have not been prioritized or sometimes even considered in current reproductive health initiatives. Moreover many of the most common HIV/AIDS policies and messages are not appropriate for them.[35] Denial of education It is believed that investment in a girl’s education is wasted when she simply going to be married and work in another household.[36] Girls reported that even if married girls are allowed to pursue their education, they cannot continue for too long because of the varied burdens imposed on her by early childbearing and the chores in the house. An important reason why girls in South Asia do not go to school or are withdrawn at puberty is for the assumption of domestic duties and confinement at home as prelude to marriage. Lack of exposure outside the immediate home environment means lower self-esteem, less sense of identity as an independent person with an independent mind, reduced socialization with peers and non-family adults, and considerably less knowledge of what early marriage entails.[37] There is a clear connection between early marriage and low educational attainment. Early marriage puts the young girl at a disadvantage by the loss of educational opportunity. Often girls are not allowed to go to school which diminishes her opportunity to acquire critical life skills. Children benefit as much as their families, since a school-going child has been observed to be an agent of change in rural societies.[38] A girl who is educated will most likely educate her daughter and thus establishes an inter-generational trend of educating girls. Besides, the correlation between the number of years of a girl’s schooling and the postponement of marriage is shown to be firmly established by demographic and fertility studies36. A one year postponement of marriage increases schooling by 0.32 years and literacy by 5-10%.[39]

Reflective Journal On Interpersonal Skills Nursing Essay

Reflective Journal On Interpersonal Skills Nursing Essay An effective management is about getting works or things done through people. It is the capability of a person to perform in the complexity of the organization as a restrained or subtle, insightful, incisive performer that determines the success as a manager. For a person to work in a group either as a member or a leader in order to achieve a common goal it is essential to be interdependent and interactive among the group. This interactive skill is also called as interpersonal skill, people skills, social skills which help to build the social competence level. Social competent people are those who possess these necessary skills to produce desired effects on other people in situations in terms of influencing someone to work harder, make a deal, make an effective negotiation, or support someone in a crisis situation. This is also a very important consideration in fields like management, social networking, education and relationships. It determines how we communicate with bosses, superi ors, subordinates, peers, family and everyone around us. Interpersonal skills can be learned; most people learn how to relate on the basis of experience, through unstructured and unintentional processes of trial and error. Sometimes this approach is successful but at times it can be ineffective and unreliable. This social skill set helps in influencing others which is very important when working in an organization at a managerial level and you need to influence your subordinates to work towards achieving a target or goal. Many people working in organizations experience problems when attempting to influence others. Sometimes the source of difficulty is perceived to be rooted in a particular relationship and sometimes it is experienced as a more general inability. People react to this perceived problem in different ways; some give up trying and accept the impossibility of introducing any significant change while some respond by trying harder and becoming aggressive. They devote more energy to influence others and achieving results but when t hings do not go their way it leads to frustrations. The most effective people however seem to be those who expect to experience resistance in their attempts to influence others, but still have a way around to get things done. I faced a similar situation when I started managing a team for the first time, which is described below. In my previous employment, I got promoted to a Managerial role and became the clearing In-charge handling a team of 8 members. This department handled high transaction volumes and cheque clearance on a daily basis. It was the first time that these staffs reported me directly on any clearing matter. Overall it was a very new experience for me to perform as a manager. First I allotted individual job roles to everyone so that each one of them could focus on the required part and complete it accurately within the given timeframe. It was very important that all of my team members including me worked cohesively to deliver the task efficiently. Despite of clear work allocation and proper supervision of work; we still strive hard to do fire fighting in meeting deadlines and there was huge pressure on the team. In due course, I realized that this was primarily because I had not considered the teams inputs when doing the work allocation, and as such many people in the team were unhappy with th eir work. Post realizing this I corrected this, got the teams feedback and did reallocation of work. Although not everyone was still happy, I built a reputation for being considerate and listening to the team, which increased the motivation levels and helped in improving our teams productivity This chapter taught me that self awareness is closely linked to the ability to read the behavior of others, construct course of action and deliver an effective performance. People who have a high level of self awareness understand how their own values, beliefs and subjective theories influence what they see and do. In order to raise the awareness of how theories in use influence the way interaction with others can be managed, it is essential to observe own self of action. This can be possibly done by reflecting on patterns of past behavior and monitoring it. It is also important to be open and responsive to others feedback. In my previous company where I worked as a bank officer, I faced many situations where it was important to have a strong interpersonal skill. As a front office executive I was supposed to directly deal with the customers, understand their needs, and give them quality service. Many a times, I came across very demanding people who are tough to please. There was an instance when a very high net worth customer holding a priority account with our bank wanted to close the account because of some transaction issues. Apart from that he was very disappointed by my colleagues behavior, so with an angry attitude he came to my desk and asked to close the account. At that time I had two options, one was to close his account or try to pacify the customer and retain the account. I handled the case very effectively; offered him a cup of coffee, listened to him properly, understood his requirements, and gave him the solution. He was so happy with my attitude that he changed his decision and continued banking with us. The concept of micro skill approach to develop interpersonal competency gave me a clear picture of the steps to be followed in building the interpersonal relationships like accenting, following, listening, helping and negotiating. Utilizing these ideas which I learned from this chapter, I can further develop on my skills to strengthen it and implement in future for building stronger interpersonal relationships and use it in face to face encounters to arrange my behavior so that it is in line with the objectives. Summary of critical incident During our first tutorial we were asked to select our team members and form a group. The tutorial had 30 students from different nationalities and is designed to give the students an opportunity to interact with classmates from different places, know their culture and exchange values. I was very keen to be in a mixed culture group so that I can utilize this opportunity and learn of different cultures. But unfortunately no one was willing to include me in their group. Everyone was comfortable in making a group with people from their own nationalities. I tried to do likewise and asked an Indian group to include me. They refused saying that they are already a big team of 5 members. I felt sad wondering why none of my team mate wanted to consider me in their group. Later three members joined the tutorial and I teamed up with them, but still kept wondering about what happened. I realized that maybe since I did not socialize with people, they did not know anything about me and hence prefer red to include known people. Thereafter I voluntarily stood up, introduced myself, and started socializing with my classmates. The ability to work effectively within a group either as a leader or member requires good interpersonal skill. As my other friends were speaking various languages, I found it difficult to fit into their discussion which is known as cross cultural communication barrier. Some of my classmates had difficulty communicating in English and therefore were shy in discussing with me. But I made them comfortable by listening to them for long hours, understanding them, helping them in clearing their doubts. I tried to determine my strengths and weaknesses from the competency tests that I have appeared previously. Reflecting the findings of my chosen self analysis toolkit The psychometric test results indicate that I have a very lively social manner which I can leverage to build a good working atmosphere and to support others in developing their own ideas. I can easily integrate into a team, both as a leader as well as a member. The Worlds personality test defines me as performer with ESPF style which means I am sociable, optimistic and open to others. However my personality trait is authoritative and indicates that I like to have autonomous-decision making. I am good at arguing rather than convincingly and prefer to actively influence my group members. This functioning style may not fit in all situations; in case of my tutorial groups, I should not try to dominate and have my own way of independent decision making. This would portray me as an arrogant person; rather I should try to have more interactive session which allows equal opportunities to all to participate in discussions. This will encourage team spirit and I can still continue to motivate t hem as and when required. Implications for future career or personal development Post completing MBA, I intend to rejoin the banking industry and hence it is important that I improve my interpersonal skills which will enable me have an effective communication. This will be required for both professional as well as my personal development. The test result emphasized my core strengths as confident, sociable, organized while my weaknesses is that I deliberately follow my own convictions therefore find problems in predefined objectives which contradicts my viewpoint. I realize I need to leverage my strengths and work on my weaknesses to build a better personality. Summary of critical incident II I would like to share another incident from my tutorial activity related to decision making skills. One of our tutorial activities required us to analyze a case study in which we had to put ourselves in the shoes of a train driver and had to decide on which rail track to choose in a difficult situation. There were two rail routes; a running track in working condition and an unused track closed for some unknown reasons. At a distance ahead there were 10 children playing around; 9 of them were playing in the used rail track and only 1 child was playing in the unused route. At that time the train approaches, and we as the driver of that train had to decide on which track to take. This was indeed a tough decision as the lives of small children were at stake. I analyzed from 2 different aspects; considering the emotional value perhaps it was better to divert the train in the unused route so that 9 children can be saved. But logically, it did not seem appropriate; taking the unused track m ay cause derailment, which in turn would put the lives of thousands of passenger in danger. Therefore as the driver my decision would have been to take the used track and not put the lives of all passengers at stake. We had some interesting discussions in the class; with few people sharing the same thoughts as mine, while others argued that it does not make sense for killing 9 children over 1, they believed our conscience would never allow that. Another classmate gave a very different opinion saying that it is better to run the train towards the 9 children so that they will learn a lesson and never repeat this again to which Frankie, our tutor laughed and said, Will they realize after their death that they shouldnt play in such dangerous place? Finally the correct decision should have been taking the used track as the 9 children would be used to trains approaching on that track and hence would move out on time. However this analysis helped us in determining the emotional intelligenc e factor and we realized that as future leaders we may have to decide between things which may have contrary emotional and logical values. Reflecting the findings of my chosen self analysis toolkit The Jungs typology test indicated that I am a logical and well organized person. But it also says that I decide more based on feeling rather than thinking. This indicates that I am an emotional person and mostly I take decisions based on how I perceive things. Decision making capabilities based on situations sometimes require us to see whether the judgment benefits a larger mass or not. In such cases emotional values have to be controlled. My weakness is my inability to control my emotions at times, especially in stressful situations. Further from the Johari Window test, I found that my friends perceive me as indecisive. I respect this feedback and believe that my emotional quotient many a times makes me indecisive. Therefore I need to improve decision making abilities in order to become a successful manager in future. Implications for future career or personal development As I intend to return to the banking Job and continue my career as a Manager, I realize I need to leverage my strengths and work on my weaknesses. As a manager, I would be required to take tough decisions on the spot. I need to learn to show more maturity in dealing such situations and therefore I need to develop my reasoning skills, control my emotions and thereby improve my decision making abilities.