Reflective Account Essay

On an occasion at work I was aware of a staff member communicating very negatively, for example sighing and tutting and general negativity. Supervision was due so it was brought into meeting that last had concerned had noticed a change in the person’s general attitude, I asked if there was a specific reason and was told there was not. Although they agreed that they were being negative. We discussed the workload and it was decided it was not that. It was mentioned by the staff member that they were feeling a little unsure of how to deal with a service user who had dementia and was unpredictable and seemed to have taken a dislike to the staff member .We discussed at length the way forward and I arranged for some training in challenging behaviour and dementia. The staff member realised she could not avoid the service user and that if she had mentioned her concerns sooner the problem would not have escalated. She tried to hide her feelings but they were shown in a different way. I agreed to mentor and support the staff member with the service user helping her to find an appropriate approach, the service user was feeding on the negative behaviour of the staff .In a few weeks the situation was improved undoubtedly and the staff member is more positive and no longer showing any sign of negativity. I recorded everything we had discussed and we both signed it. At the following supervision the staff had been on a training workshop and was awaiting further news of more. She mentioned previously that she felt it was a weakness in her that is why she had tried to cover it up but since our discussion and my ongoing support she would never hesitate to mention any concerns she had in the future. I felt that we needed to improve activity at the Centre; the service users are a mixed group (physically and mentally frail) so I needed to find something they could all do and enjoy. I signed myself onto three one day courses with another staff member. The courses were all different but aimed at dementia sufferers. The first one ‘Bringing stories to Life ‘, I thought was going to be about putting together a Life Story, I could not have been more wrong! The ice-breaker at the beginning of the workshop was letter bingo, it involved walking around so I have adapted this so that my service users are seated, we use sets of the 26 letters of the alphabet and the service user chooses a letter and then gives me a word beginning with that letter before answering a quiz question, which I write down and while they are playing two alike trying to match up. I take the words and make up a little story or poem. The feedback from that activity has been very positive. Also from the workshop which involved using props to tell a story I have been able to do this activity several times? Using the props seems to help the quietest of the service user to join in and the feedback discussion afterwards have become very enjoyable to all. The second workshop was about using pictures (not personal) to story tell. Again this activity has been very successful, there was one or two people who were unsure but has we progressed they too joined in. The picture is given to the service user and they are asked open ended questions about it and everything is validated. Before we start we decide who is going to scribe and afterwards that person will firstly read back what as been said and ask if the service users would like to add anything? When everybody is satisfied the scriber will type the ‘story ‘ up and each service user gets a copy , we keep a copy in a folder for all to look at and we also pin a copy too our notice board . The third workshop was along the same line but using senses to make a story/poem, again we have done this a couple of times. We used a bottle of water some soil in a bag, cotton wool, leaves and bubbles, we pass the items around the room one at a time and ask the service user to say the first word they thought of when looking / touching or smelling the item .one thing we came up against was that the service users said the same thing as the previous person, so we are trying to adapt this activity further. From all three workshops I and my staff member redeveloped our armchair exercise which we do daily. We had heard the service users discuss how they were bored with doing the same exercise week after week and listening to the same music disc. So we put together some more upbeat music and sat and compiled our version of seated exercise ,using the same safe exercise taking advice from one of our other services ‘Ageing Well’ who had spent several weeks showing us seated exercise . Of course before we started any of the new activities we had a meeting with all the staff who were going to be involved. We discussed what we had learnt from each workshop and asked for feedback from the staff, some of them felt unsure about using the props and pictures, so me and the staff member who came with me agreed to lead the first one, we arranged a date and agreed on a theme for it and it was decided we would use props for the first one .I was to lead and the staff member was going to scribe. Before we started we went to each service user and asked them to sign a consent form to allow us to take photographs. This would allow another staff to get a little involved with out feeling to unsure .the discussion /feedback with the service users was great ,they were still talking about how much they had enjoyed themselves when they were going home. They were excited when I told them that there would be photographs to look at the following week. I discussed with the staff the following day how they felt about the activity and was pleased they were all positive. I continued to share taking the lead with the staff member who attended the training with me for several sessions to enable the other staff to be able to learn from us. Although with all the activities there is no right or wrong way. That is why we validate everything that is said. The change in the majority of service users is a pleasure to see, even the quietest person as become much more vocal and willing to join in with most of the activities we do. One person in particular who is hard of hearing and registered blind joins in, when in the past he as chosen not to. He still talks about certain themes we have done the story telling to, for example at Halloween we took the opportunity to do this theme, we used pumpkins and plastic spiders, I passed these things around the room and we used ‘The Monster Mash’ song to do some light movement to music before using props to make up a story relevant to the theme. I asked the service user to describe the spider, for example what he thought it was felt like and he got really into it and even had a photograph taken. Since then I have heard him telling others about ‘the day we let him hold the Tarantula ‘and how he danced to ‘spooky music’. Changing what we do and the way we do it as had a very positive effect all the way round. We still do the other activities for example Bingo, dominoes etc.During our action plan meeting we discuss which service users are in the centre that day and adapt our activity to suit, of course what we plan for the day may change if we ask the service users they may want to do another thing so if we can we will accommodate the majority. Usually the day is spent doing group work but if needed we do offer one to one.

Numico

NUMICO The NUMICO’s strategy is translated by product development with nutritional products for hospital and by market development with sport nutrition. Research and development had been an important activity in NUMICO which took care of baby food and clinical nutrition. NUMICO made many acquisitions in many countries. His strategy was based on â€Å"Medical Platform Marketing† which is: High spend on both R&D and marketingNUMICO bought General Nutrition Companies (GNC) of Pittsburgh (USA) in 1999 which allows NUMICO to take advantage of the distribution network of GNC Acquiring GNC was a sensible move, it was reducing the competition and on the other hand it was enhancing the performance. As we saw it previously, NUMICO’s strategy is translated by product development with nutritional products for hospital and by market development with sport nutrition which led to the diversification with altogether new markets and new products.We can see on this plan initialâ⠂¬â„¢s NUMICO positioning and the new positioning of NUMICO when the purpose has been affected. To conclude, Numico diversified by buying European companies in the field of neutriceuticals and by going away from his principal activity. At first there is backward integration with raw materials manufacture which are food product for babies (milk, vegetables, meat, †¦) and nutrition solutions. The components manufacture are : plastic, packaging.Moreover, the R&D is interested by baby food and clinical nutrition. There is a lot of options for a manufacturer. The horizontal integration include the more competitive product which is baby food, and after nutritional products, sport nutrition with complementary capabilities like R&D and marketing. For forward integration, distribution outlets are supermarkets, hospitals, specialized stores, †¦ In 1999, NUMICO acquired a company bigger than them in terms of production and revenue.When NUMICO bought General Nutrition Companies (GNC) of Pittsburgh (USA) it was the largest manufacturer of nutritional product in the world with a stronghold in sports-nutrition market. Its characteristics show that GNC is a Star. NUMICO which is a cash cows becomes a Star thanks to this company. Moreover this acquisition allows a market penetration consolidation. Acquisition of new businesses far from NUMICO’s main business made NUMICO its own rival because NUMICO already had the presence in the market.There is a risk from the growth of the activities in the USA (change dollar euro) Moreover, sales of nutritional supplements were more sensitive to economic fluctuations. Besides, their major revenue generator was still infant formula That’s why NUMICO failed this diversification Numico’s star was infant product but due to lot of exposure in low birth rate countries their business was declining at an alarming rate. Numico should turn their infant product into cash cow by offering cost leadershipNBTY’s succe ss results: firstly, better strategy: high margin / growth business Secondly, vertically integrated organization: producer and distributor Lastly, Match between core competences NBTY’s and Rexall It has allowed Danone to strengthen in products for baby (Danone already detained Bledina) and to enter on the market of the medical nutrition. * With Numico the Group sharpened its health focus and becomes leadership of the baby and medical nutrition markets worldwide. * With Numico and Bledina combined, Danone is now Europe’s number one company for baby nutrition.Two specialities which play the role of shock absorber in times of crisis. The first one is solid because the parents don’t save up on the food of their babies, the second is promising because of the ageing of the population. In 2007, the acquisition of Numico made Danone a world leader in baby and medical nutrition. At a time when many companies have their eyes on the health sector and hope to stake out posi tions, Danone’s exclusive focus on healthy food sets it apart. â€Å" Numico was a natural choice, with its links to health, expansion and quickening international growth. † Danone

Leadership Style of John F. Kennedy

What were the leadership styles of John F. Kennedy? Kennedy was born in May 29th 1917 in Massachusetts and was a son to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and his mother was Rose Fitzgerald. He was a university graduate from Harvard where he graduated in 1940.   In 1946 being a democrat he became the president of USA. He was widely traveled and a strongly advocated for civil rights and improved social welfare. It is at this time as a president of USA that his leadership qualities were witnessed and developed. He was much admired by people because he knew how to present himself to the public. His leadership style was greatly influential and has been admired by many up to date. For now I’ll limit my scope to look at his leadership styles.His first leadership style was taking responsibility. Taking responsibility involves accepting that you are solely accountable for all of your actions. Most people when they do mistakes point a finger of accusation to others. They do not want to acknowled ge their involvement. People develop a strategy that is referred to as escapism. According to (Naegele T D. 2005) John F. Kennedy, when things in a country go wrong, people blame the president but he said that there is nothing wrong with people saying that as the head of state is paid to lead the state therefore for that reason he should be held accountable. For example when the military operation to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro in 1960s failed, he accepted that United States failed to accomplish its mission without blaming the war strategists, his advisors and the government that was before him. He said, â€Å"victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan.† He was simply referring to those who never accept their wrongs.Learning from mistakes as well as from failures was another tactic he used. This implies that you should revisit the history to know where others have erred or where yourself have gone wrong so that you can rectify your mistakes. This leade rship style was well portrayed on 16th October 1962 when the U-2 air plans captured photo acts of Khrushchev, the soviet leader placing nuclear bombs in Cuba. This was an open threat to the U.S and it was able to read between the lines to know that all was not well. (Barnes J. A. 2007). Kennedy did not want to engage his country in another war after the Second World War though there was no way he could let them to do whatever they wanted. He took the necessary measures by taking his navy to block soviet’s further plans. It was clear what Soviet Union wanted though they claimed they had no malice aforethought. They accepted to with draw their war weapons from Cuba and even accepted to dismantle the remaining ones.He was well aware of the damage that was caused by USA when it dropped a bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and therefore he did not want a repeat of the same. Thus, he capitalized on this situation to sign a pact to agree that they would never test nuclear weapons on the earth. He also acted first in installing a direct line from his white house to Kremlin to avoid future misconceptions like in this case. (Reeves T., 1997)Compassion Mr. John F. Kennedy was a very compassionate person. He was very concerned with the welfare of others. He strongly advocated for increase of the foreign aid to the third world countries. He also created a department of the Peace Corps. He was determined to assist the underdeveloped countries in as much as he could. His scheme of Peace Corps was geared towards promoting peace in the Latin America, Africa and Asia. This Peace Corps amounted to ten thousands. He asked his citizens not to be expecting good things always. He also urged them to be patriotic and that is why during his inauguration in 1961 he challenged people that â€Å" Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country†. He was pursuing his foreign policies just to build mutual trust among nations and to inculcate a c ulture of interdependency.Always be a team leader. Kennedy being the president of United States of America was like he was leading a team. He was able to bring people together to work as a team for their well being. He said that a leader should be able to bring people together and should be able to lead his people in the right direction for example he steered America clear of the racial injustices and lead his team in exploring the world. (Schlesinger A., Jr. 1998) Basically a team leader is somebody who guides, instructs and directs his people in the right direction. Many people admire a leader who lead by example and that is why john F. Kennedy became so popular in the whole world. He weighed all the decisions before they could be implemented. He always listened carefully to the needs of the citizens. A team leader must be a decisive person and that is how john Kennedy was. For example he led a meeting to discuss on the missiles in Cuba. He wanted to hear the views of his people b efore he could act. (Schlesinger A., Jr. 1998)Kennedy was articulate and spoke his mind openly. It takes a strong person to stand in front of the people to express your thoughts. This depends on the trust you build with your people if you do not have a good relationship with citizens then you cannot have the guts to stand in front of people to give your thoughts. If you are an effective leader then people will follow your footsteps. As Kennedy once said, â€Å"courage is not complacency†. He took it upon himself to argue for civil rights act in 1960 and was able to get seventy of the votes that were cast. He also tried to convince the congress to provide free health care to all those that were above 65 years old though his proposal was rejected. He never failed to say what was in his mind as he was aware that it was the only way he could express his thoughts to the people. Many people were influenced by his words and today he is severally quoted.He was challenging Americans n ot to just sit down and wish the status quo would remain but they should strain their every nerve to improve on what they have.To influence many people then you must learn to be a great communicator. People who speak fluently command a great following. Kennedy himself was not that good in speaking especially when he talked to the congress for the first time but later he improved on his communication skills and with time he was able to drop his regional accent, talking without pausing and also talking too fast. He did all this when he became the president of United States of America. He became the best orator ever who spoke with a lot of enthusiasm. His speech passed the intended message and created the impact he wanted for example when he was talking on the Vietnam War he said, â€Å"No other challenge is more deserving our effort and energy.Our security may be lost piece by piece, country by country†. Here he was condemning the communism that was spreading in Asia. He believ ed that if the South Vietnam were to become a communist state then countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Burma and others that were non-communists would follow soon. He strongly convinced Americans using this speech that America was ready to confront problems no matter what to support their allies and oppose their enemies in order for liberty and peace in the world would be realized. (Clark.D. 2005)This speech had profound effects on many because he knew how to play on worlds a young man became touched and decided to join the United States marines. This man said that he felt challenged by that speech by asking what the youth were doing for their country. He decided to join this department to show loyalty for his country.We can conclude this essay by saying that were it not for John Kennedy’s leadership skills he would not have gained popularity as he is today. He used various strategies to lead his people as the president of USA. He was decisive, confident and accountable for all his actions. He communicated fluently something that influenced Americans very much. He was a role model who led by an example, many people started behaving and dressing like him.Reference:Schlesinger A., Jr. 1998. John F Kennedy Revisited: A noted historian and Kennedy Administration insider refutes the revisionist version of JFK's legacy. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   00,0.html Clark.D. 2005. Leadership – Character and Traits http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html Schoenberg P. E., 2000. Kennedy on Leadership, http://www.presidentialexpert.com/leadership_john_f_kennedy.html Barnes J A. 2007. John F. Kennedy on Leadership: The Legacy and lessons of a president. New York Reeves T., 1997. A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy. Three RiverPress.Naegele T D. 2005.Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy: A  Question of character.http://www.naegele.com/documents/ReaganJFK.pdf.

Careless Driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Careless Driving - Research Paper Example The law in Texas for careless driving has the authority to impose heavy fines, sentenced to jail for 6 months or suspend the driving license for about two years. These laws should be strict enough so that drivers are cautious while driving, but despite these laws, the control can be invisibly seen. ‘Further, until he or she has produced to the appropriate licensing authority a certificate of competency or both a certificate of competency and a certificate of fitness, he or she shall not be entitled to a license’ (Butler 177). It is true that the best way to reduce the life taking accidents is to impose strict laws for those drivers who violate their duty of care. The common reasons why drivers drive carelessly are over speeding, disobeying traffic rules or drunk driving. If the drivers would understand the legal consequences of getting involved in such a conviction, they would drive safely for the rest of their lives. Because of the high number of cases coming to courts involving motor vehicle collisions or accidents of people, there is more awareness about the likely punishments to the driver. These cases are usually shown on news channels or newspapers and thus can act as awareness for many others. The law has enough power to control these actions and reduce the life taking accidents. Despite these laws being regulated in Texas and a number of traffic police officers catching careless drivers and imposing fines on them, there are many accidents taking place every year as a result of careless driving, why?

Gig City Harbor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gig City Harbor - Essay Example The selection of the potential suppliers shall be undertaken through the RFP. The selection committee shall list all the bidders and qualify them on a transparent criterion. All the eligible bidders shall be shortlisted. The selected bidders shall be the ones that have shown the ability to execute their duties in ways that meet the requirements of the project and also financially stable. The project team shall only use the RFP in selecting vendors. The RFP method allows the contractor to receive a variety of customized strategies in developing the project, thus, has a large pool from which to select a suitable vendor. Under the RFP method of vendor selection, the following procedure shall be strictly followed: The purchase orders and the relevant subcontracts shall only be awarded to the vendors and suppliers whose proposals have shown technical and commercial responsiveness to the bid documents following the criteria above. The budget planning for this project has been closely linked with Risk Management. Some of the risks, foreseen in the project include sign-off delays by the Gig Harbor City Council and the Tax Committee, a situation which may also delay the project take-off. This risk has been covered by the provision of extra working days. Other risks involve injury of the workers. The contingency budgetary allowances have been covered for this by providing medical services

Woman In The Dunes Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Woman In The Dunes - Movie Review Example As he set out for his expedition, he was late and thus missed the last bus back to the city. The villagers offer him a place to spend the night, guiding him down a rope ladder to a house that is under a sand quarry (Morris 1). This is the home of a young woman called Kyoko Kishida, who lives alone as her husband had died due to a sandstorm. She is employed to dig up sand for construction by the villagers, and prevent it from burying the house. On waking up the following morning, the ladder that he had climbed down on was gone. He realizes that it was a trap, as the villagers force him to stay there and help the woman in digging up the sand. Discovering that it was the villagers’ plan for him to stay there permanently, he makes several escape attempts, but they all fail (Crowther 1). Later, he learns that the woman is comfortable with the life that she lives since she knows no other life. His main task is trying to figure out how to escape from his trapped life, and at the same time, co-exist with the woman. The story later takes a turn in that, with time, Jumpei and Kyoko have a strong physical attraction for each other (Morris 1). They later adapt to each other and become lovers, despite their suffering in confinement. The producer has depicted how life can turn out to be what was not expected. The bad situation for Jumpei ends up getting him a woman to love. The tough situation for Kyoko also gets her a man to love. The two persevered for long, but they finally benefit from it. The paper describes some of the concepts, themes and characters derived from the film, after critical analysis, focusing on the main idea of the producer. Jumpei Nikki’s character The film describes an evolving character named Jumpei. At the beginning, Jumpei is portrayed as an entomologist on a field work expedition. Here, he appears as a humble, naive and curious scientist, who trusts that the villagers are friendly enough just to offer him a place to stay for the night (Morris 1). Later, when he discovers that the villagers tricked him, he clearly is furious. Reality hits and he focuses on escaping from a life of suffering. At this point, Jumpei is no longer a naive scientist, but a strong, confident man whose desperation ignites a character full of rage, focus and determination towards one goal (Crowther 1). Jumpei’s change of character, as a result of a stressful situation, is symbolic to the normal human life. It describes the human life as one defined in confinement and imprisonment. This shows how a tight situation can force the change in character of a person, whereby the survival instinct kicks (Morris 1). Kyoko Kishida’s character Suffering, lonely, toil, perseverance, are the qualities that come to mind, when considering Kyoko Kishida. She is a woman living alone in a dangerous environment, living on the edge, trying to ensure that the advancing sand does not consume her home. She is also a widow who lost her husband and so n to a sandstorm (Crowther 1). The young woman is faced with an endless task, to dig sand for the villagers’ use. However, surprisingly, this is her lifestyle; the only life she knows and is willing to die for. Having lived under such conditions for practically her whole life, she can guide Jumpei into acceptance. The symbolic significance of this is to show the coexistence between two people from different backgrounds. Jumpei is a rough, nervous man, while Kyoto is calm and composed (Morris 1). Attraction After Jumpei’s several failed attempts to escape, he begins to get absorbed into the new way of life. He realizes that the young woman, from her experience, is his best shot at survival (Crowther 1). Later, they find themselves having a sexual attraction towards each

Education as Ideological Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education as Ideological Management - Essay Example Succeeding minority groups had the same problem with inequality, wherein the pervading culture of white, Protestant and Anglo-Saxon continued to view Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and other minority groups a threat to the dominant ideology. While the past was characterized by blatant policies of racism and inequality, the current period is an era where the question of self-awareness and self-examination of where ideological biases could be examined. It is not as much as American education deliberately perpetuates racism but in the way ideology is carried unconsciously, spreading biases and prejudice even to those who are themselves considered minorities. For example, colored people may unconsciously imbibe the cultural and ideological biases of the dominant cultural group, thereby undermining their very sense of identity. Culture has a pervasive impact on the educational system, embedded not in just the way teachers teach, but in the systemic practices.

The Role of Duty in Morality in Kants Work Essay

The Role of Duty in Morality in Kants Work - Essay Example In fact, other philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes agreed with Kant on this perception of morality, especially his basing of morality on the CI standards of rationality. As mentioned, according to Kant, the fundamental of morality as contained in the CI is the law of an autonomous will and a self-governing reasoning in which people are viewed as possessing equal worth and as deserving equal respect. A rather useful work of Kant’s on morality is â€Å"The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals†. This work of his covered morality-related issues such as the aims and methods of moral philosophy, good will, moral worth and duty, and duty and respect for moral law among others (Kant, 1998). He would later refine, develop, modify, and enrich some of his views in this piece of work in later writings such as â€Å"The Critique of Practical Reason, The Metaphysics of Morals, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View and Religion.†Ã‚   In his discussion of good will, moral worth, and duty, Kant insists that describing and defining people as good hearted alone does not make their actions moral, insisting that only ‘good will’ qualifies as moral. Thus, good heartedness in the ordinary sense does not make people or their actions moral. Good will is thus closer to the notion of good person or a rational person. In the opinion of Kant, the possession of a good will is the cornerstone of what makes a person and his/her action moral. In addition, such a good will should make one to base decisions on the moral law.

Cost management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Cost management - Essay Example ent even the best marketing brains from boosting sales, the only option available to even the most adventurous management is to reduce costs to maintain the existing profit level. At a cursory glance it seems to be the only and might be the most prudent approach that any management might conceive. But ill conceived cost reduction triggered as a panic reaction to the gloomy market scenario might cause more harm to the company than any good as expenditures that are absolutely imperative for the company’s health might be sacrificed in this new avalanche of trimming down of expenses. The role of the management accountant as a custodian of entire database of the company has thus assumed a critical importance as the management accountant occupies a vantage position from where a critical and dispassionate evaluation of exiting cost structure and a prudent management of costs, as contrasted to cost reduction, can be implemented. There has thus been a phenomenal, and largely unnoticed, shift in the role of management accountant in managing a business. But this change can be properly appreciated only if one examines the basic nature of accounting and the inherent differences that exist between financial, management and cost accounting. This knowledge will equip an avid observer the wherewithal to adequately appreciate the subtle difference between cost and management accounting and cost management. The basic objective of accounting is interpretation of financial data to provide a sound basis for action by management, investors and other stockholders in the entire commercial venture. (Paton 1949) Thus, from a means-end perspective the end is an expected cache of sound and economically relevant information and the means adopted can best be referred to as descriptions. From a more practical aspect it can therefore be said that accounting provides information for two distinct but inextricably interlinked purposes; the first one quite obviously consists of reporting to

Allopatric Speciation Is The Only Mechanism By Which New Species Arise Essay

Allopatric Speciation Is The Only Mechanism By Which New Species Arise - Essay Example Species: is defined by Mayr (1942, 1963) as quoted in Cowlishaw; Dunbar (2000: p.13), as a population of individuals capable of interbreeding, that is producing fertile offspring. According to Magurran et al (1999: p.2), Species is considered to be groups of populations reproductively isolated from other such groups by â€Å"isolating mechanisms†- genetically based traits that prevent gene exchange. Speciation: Brigatti; Martins and Roditi (2007: p.378) define Speciation as the process of the generation of two reproductively isolated populations, after which gene flow between the different taxa is absent in any form. That is, new species which are not capable of reproduction with each other are created as a result of speciation. According to the view of Evolutionary Biology, the creation of a new species comes about primarily through variation, the creation of mutants. These mutants might replace the parent species or live in a separate landscape, either way enhancing the competitive environment through a variety of phenotypes. The key to speciation lies in the elimination of inviable or maladaptive phenotypes, mutants of companies that are less successful (Dekkers, 2005: p.144). All populations of a species share a unique common ancestor and a gene pool. They can interbreed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions. If and when gene flow between them stops, reproductive isolating mechanisms typically evolve. This is because, mutation, natural selection and genetic drift operate independently in each population. Such divergence may give rise to a new species (Starr; Evers, 2006: p.283). Mass extinctions, slow recoveries, and adaptive radiations are major macroevolutionary patterns. (Cowlishaw; Dunbar 2000: p.22) state that speciation in some groups has been dependent upon ecological release following the extinction of ecologically dominant species. Allopatric Speciation: Allopatric Speciation occurs when a geographical barrier cuts off

Finance for Strategic Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Finance for Strategic Managers - Essay Example The paper tells that with any business, the key objective rests with the need for profit making. This means that the determination of profitability of a business requires that proper and accurate accounting records become available. Without reasonable profit making in any business, the long-term success arises as an unseen possibility. The process of sourcing for finance proves to be a difficult task for most business firms. A key reason for this is the lack of valuable accounting data that would stimulate the interest of prospective investors. Obtaining finance serves a number of roles that allow for the sustenance of business activities while utilizing the available resources efficiently. In the financial markets, the availability of reliable information remains to be the greatest tool for concerned parties, mainly the investors. Lack of valuable information in these markets hampers the decision-making process for investors. This relates to the formulation of decisions directed tow ards the allocation of capital. Eventually, the incapability of business firms to attract investments acts as a limiting factor that hampers the overall growth of the business. As key elements in any business organization, various stakeholders require the availability of financial data in order to make valuable decisions. Shareholders or owners of a business will require assessing the financial performance of their investment. Without financial data, a company fails in meeting the needs and expectations of its stakeholders. Customers make the final decisions as pertains to the product or service offerings of a business firm. Thus, a creation of value remains an impossible feature with a business as the purchasing decisions divert to other business parties and competitors. A major objective of businesses is the determination and achievement of business goals. Financial information arises as the essential element necessary for setting targets.

Perception and Treatment of LGBT Essay Example for Free

Perception and Treatment of LGBT Essay This aggression can be sexual in nature or the effects can closely resemble those of sexual harassment and then can constitute sexual harassment. Middle and high school students are dealing with verbal and physical bullying in school to where these students are either dropping out or transferring schools or even becoming a home schooled student so that they can avoid being harassed about their sexual orientation. Bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional and it involves the imbalance of a persons power or strength Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender LGBT) youth, or those individuals that is perceived to be LGBT may be teased and bullied by their peers in schools as well out in public. Our educators, health professionals, parents, and any other concerned adult can make a difference in the lives of our LGBT youth. Often, bullying towards LGBT youth targets their non- conformity to gender norms. This type of bullying can be considered to be a form of sexual harassment and this harassment is covered under Title IX of the Education Amendments ot 1972. Research nas shown that our bullied L T youth are more likely to skip school, smoke cigarettes, use alcohol and drugs, or even engage in other risky behaviors (Ponton, 2001) The lesbian, gay or bisexual youth are more than twice as likely as other youths and children to be depressed and think about or will attempt suicide (Ponton, 2001). These risks are the same whether our youth are LGBT, are heterosexual but are wrongly perceived to be LGBT, or they will even choose to hide their sexual orientations. Our schools need to develop a clear policy on bullying of any form that can be onsidered by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their bullying policies (Office of Civil Rights, OCR, 2010). By applying these policies, it tells all students to treat everyone equally, regardless of their sexual orientation (Get Busy, Get Equal, 2006). Schools that already have an anti-bullying policy can consider to make it clear that bullying based on sexual orientation is against school policy (Get Busy, Get Equal. 2006). Like every human being, those individuals that are LGBT, they have parents and family that love them for who they are or what their sexual orientation ay be. When a person is rejected because of his or her own sexual orientation, everyone in the family can suffer the effects unnecessarily Just like those or are LGBT. For those individuals that are rejected, the consequences are often and can be very tragic. Regardless of their sexual preference, these individuals still need their families unconditional love and acceptance, and those who receive it have a greater chance of living a happy, healthy and fulfilling life. In fact, sexual orientation of all kinds, including heterosexuality, is an innate trait, not a lifestyle choice. But if you are straight, the question is, when did you decide to be attracted to the opposite sex? To be LGBT in orientation is a normal and natural human characteristic, and it is Just one of the many ways that people are different. Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have recognized that homosexuality is not a mental disease or an emotional disorder. Therefore, there is no cure for a persons sexual orientation. Most of the emotional disturbances that have been experienced by gay men and lesbians all around the world with their exual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation and to the unacceptance in todays environment.

Calibration and Preventive Maintenance Program

Calibration and Preventive Maintenance Program Regulations of the regulatory authorities like FDA and EU require that all the firms have program for calibration and preventive maintenance for test as well as measurement equipments. Preventive maintenance program is one of the most importance aspects for GMP inspection as it ensures the efficient GMP operations. Any equipments either it is automatic or manually operated will perform its functions properly and are used for manufacturing, processing, packaging, labeling or holding of drug products; it is mandatory that it will be timely calibrated, inspected and checked for errors according to the written program which is specially designed to assure the best performance of the equipments. This paper mainly discusses the importance of the calibration and Preventive Maintenance program for any industry because it is very important for any firm that the equipments produce the products having its predetermined specification. Introduction Definition of Calibration: It is a set of operation that performs under specific conditions to verify the values/data obtained by comparison of two instruments or measuring devices one of which is a standard of known accuracy (Traceable to national standards). It is used to detect, correlate, report or eliminate any of the discrepancy in accuracy of instruments or measuring devices when being compared to the standard. [1] Calibration is one type of comparison but it is not an adjustments. Definition of Preventive Maintenance: It is a care or service provided by personnel to maintain the equipment or facility in satisfactorily working conditions by providing inspections, detection and correction of failures before they occur. Basically they are conducted to keep the instrument in working conditions and to extend the life of the instrument.[2] Background Information Today lots of equipment and measuring systems are used in pharmaceutical industry. During pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, these equipments are used to control and record the GMP process parameters because these parameters are mandatory to fulfill the quality requirements of the particular process as well as product. As I earlier mentioned that calibration is just a comparison and to document the record of differences when calibration is performed between the actual equipment and the standard equipment. But it is mandatory to calibrate the equipments timely to get the best results and minimizations of errors. For PM, its one type of maintenance of measuring system or equipments before any error will occur. Basically PM is divided into two subparts. (1) Planned PM and (2) condition based. The key difference between these two subparts is time required for maintenance. The risks which are involved during performing PM are human errors and product failure. Preventive Maintenance is performed by repairing the equipments or by the replacing the defective part of the equipment before any error or product failure will occur. [1] Main advantages of PM are: improvement in the reliability of system, decrease in replacement cost and time, and inventory management system is also improved. Requirements of Regulatory Authorities Calibration program is required by the regulatory authority (FDA) under section 21 CFR part 211.68 and Preventive maintenance and calibration program is required by FDA under section 21 CFR part 211.67. Calibration requirements for Lab instruments under section 21 CFR part 211.67 are: specific directions, schedule, limit of accuracy and precision remedial action and system to prevent usage of instrument which are failed to calibrate. [2] Requirements for manufacturing area: FDA requires that each manufacturing area of the facility has written calibration and written preventive maintenance procedures. They must have qualified personnel to calibrate and maintain the equipments which are again rechecked by other qualified person. They must have one representative to monitor the calibration and PM program. And finally the whole process of calibration and PM is reviewed and approved in the terms of quality. Requirements for equipment master list: [1] In any manufacturing area or any laboratory, lots of instruments are used thats why FDA requires that there should be a system in facility that can identify the instruments which are related to GMP. For identification purpose it must have serial no. model no. and location but if the instruments are tracked by configuration then this information is not mandatory. And there should be a written procedure that area used to determine whether calibration and PM is required for particular instrumentation or not. Instrument Identification and calibration status[1] Initial step for the calibration PM program is to identify the instrument. Instruments are identified and characterize in the terms of criticality. Some instruments are critical and some are non critical. Some instruments have effects on environment so identified as environmental critical instrument. In the same way some has direct impact on product quality known as GMP critical instruments. Step by step process to identify an instrument and calibration status is: Each instrument is given unique identification number. Details for instrument (model no, serial no, location) are available and documented Every instrument is labeled with its unique identification number. Calibration history (calibration status, date of calibration, date for next calibration, details of person who is performing calibration) Use of calibration logs, calibration sticker and MAXIMO to document calibration status. There should be a system which prevent the use of non-qualified instruments, damaged instruments and non-calibrated and those who expired the calibration period to minimize the errors. Also some instruments do not require calibration or factory calibrated for certain period of time so there should be a system to identify those instruments. Traceability of standards and calibration tolerance Reference equipment or calibration equipment which is used as standard should be traceable to national standard. In the absence of recognized standards, an independent reproducible standard can be used. The tolerance of the reference standard is higher than the other equipment which is going to be calibrated. And there should be a system available to monitor the expiration date of reference standard and other re-certification requirements. Two types of tolerance level in calibration: (1) Alert level: Up to this level the instrument can be adjust to its required range. (2) Action level: Its known as out of tolerance limit. At this level investigation is required for because we cant make any adjustment at this level. If tolerance is between the Alert and Action level than thats fine and investigation is not required. [1.6] 7. Calibration and Maintenance Frequency After consideration of traceability of reference standard and calibration tolerance, the thing we need to know is frequency of calibration and maintenance because some instruments need frequent calibration. Basically the frequency of calibration depends on the type and nature of instruments. Some important criteria which we can take in the consideration during calculation of frequency of calibration and maintenance are listed below. Manufacturers recommendations and process requirements Environmental conditions like temp, pressure, humidity and vibration. History of calibration and history of repair. 8. Calibration and maintenance procedure (SOP) There should be a documented SOP for conducting the calibration and preventive maintenance for each type of instrumentation. Most of the time during calibration, measurement of errors is found exceeded to its limit by one or more designated point as it was shown in figure: 1 as As found and secondly calibration is carried out to verify its predetermined tolerance limit which is shown in the figure: 1 as As left. The SOP for calibration must includes accuracy and precision limits and what are the remedial actions should be taken if this limits do not meet with each other. There should be an authorized department to perform and monitor calibration and maintenance. The SOP must contain the step by step calibration instructions, instrumentation manual, proper calibration procedures, provisions for adjustments, provisions for record and document the actual measurement reading before and after doing adjustment. Record/Documentation for calibration and maintenance Documentation for calibration and PM is very important as from this historical data we are able to minimize errors for future perspective. Actual measurements and the data obtained after adjustment are recorded as shown in the Figure: 1. Documentation must includes the tolerance limit, full details of the reference standard used and complete details of the person who did the calibration. All these documentations are reviewed periodically by authorized person to make the adjustment in the frequency of calibration when recalibration of the instruments will be carried out in future. Today most of the pharmaceutical companies are using computerized calibration management system to plan and record the calibration activities in their firm. Computerized system is more convenient and efficient than the traditional paper work. You can save the data for longer time. At the beginning, the computerized system is not popular much but after the introduction of 21 CFR part 11 electronic records and electronic signature, most of the organizations adopted it. Out of tolerance (OOT) calibration result When we found that the particular instrument is outside of its predetermined calibration limits which is also known as Action limit or OOT. If we found OOT calibration result, first scenario is to take corrective actions as soon as possible. We can take corrective actions like repair, re-calibration, and replacement of defective part or permanent removal of instrument if the errors cannot be corrected by above actions. Firm can issue OOT notification to the vendor and the notification must includes current calibration data, severity of OOT error and full details of last successful calibration. It is mandatory that QA department immediately stop the production for a while till the issue is solved. Here the role of PM is important as it will stop the reoccurrence of the error. As OOT results highly impact on the quality of the product and also responsible for batch failure, it is mandatory to find out the root cause for the occurrence of these errors. At least it will help us to preven t the re-occurrence of particular error. Change control management and CAPA approach Under change control management program, we are able to make changes in calibration tolerance, frequency and procedure. Also we can add another new program to avoid errors or permanent removal of current program to avoid inconvenience. Change in the environment or change in the location is also solution suggested by this program. Each and every step should be documented properly. This program also suggests revalidation, re-execution and revision of IQ, OQ and PQ of the instruments. Timely revision, periodic review and approval by authorized person at every stage are the key points of this program. CAPA stands for corrective actions and Preventive actions. CAPA is an important analytical tool to solve lot of issues. CAPA is a concept of Good Manufacturing practice (GMP). CAPA mainly concentrate on the systematic investigation of the failures and deviations occurred during process to prevent their reoccurrence in the terms of corrective actions and also prevent from reoccurrence in terms of preventive action. [5] CAPA ensures that the corrective actions and Preventive actions that are under taken to prevent failure are highly effective and reliable. CAPA is an important tool of the overall Quality Management System (QMS). If any company wants to have best quality management system in their firm, they should implement CAPA to their firm. CAPA ensures the best quality products with the lower cost and less time. Software used for calibration and PM Lots of softwares are used for calibration and PM at industrial scale. This computerized system has more efficiency and guaranteed the best results. Calibration software Quality Calibration Management system (QCMS) is complete instrument and designed according to the requirements of 21 CFR part 11. This software ensures regulatory compliance and also traceability. It will help to improve the reliability of plant and optimize the administrative costs. It will help to increase in the productivity as well as efficiency. 12.2 Preventive maintenance software RCM turbo is very popular PM software. Traditional approach took years to complete just one PM but by using this RCM turbo, anyone can quickly go for PM. This software directs us through EMEA process. But the thing is it will go through quickly and efficiently. It is 100 % reliable and will allow you do risk assessment Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to say that calibration and preventive maintenance are very important aspects of any instrument. To get the best results with the instruments, it is mandatory to inspect and calibrate the instruments periodically as it is also required by regulatory authorities. Preventive maintenance definitely improves the life of the instruments but timely implementation of PM is very important. Non-calibrated instruments and lack of PM has directly impact on the product quality, so it required that every manufacturing area in the firm has proper program for validation and PM. We cant neglect the importance of PM because it will prevent the re-occurrence of errors. SOP for calibration and PM is also valuable aspect as it will help to record data, minimize the severity of risk and provides step by step procedure to follow. CAPA approach is one of the most important quality management tools as it will help to correct the errors and to prevent the re-occurrence of errors b y preventive actions. Implementation of CAPA tool in calibration will definitely good for instruments. Revision of 21CFR part 11 strongly suggests adopting computerized software system to every firm because of its convenience and efficiency. Softwares used for calibration and PM as I discussed in the paper like QCMS and QMS turbo etc. are 100 % reliable, so I would like to suggest every firm to adopt this computerized software system for their calibration and PM program.

Changes to the Role of a Quantity Surveyor

Changes to the Role of a Quantity Surveyor When trying to gather information on the origins of the quantity surveying profession it is not simple, several different authors have different theories on where the occupation arose from. Some feel that it is a 19th century creation, were others seem to think that the birth of quantity surveying stretches all the way back to ancient Egypt. However to attempt to obtain knowledge about quantity surveyings past I must assess all the theories to distinguish which seems the most viable. The Kenyan branch of the RICS opens the website speaking of quantity surveying being used in ancient Egypt, and also references a quote from the bible which was mentioned in Chapter 1; Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it. (Luke, 14:28). Seeing this as the start of the quantity surveying profession I feel is inaccurate but it can be seen as a basis from which it could have rose from. The act of planning ou t all you need has always been used in construction as well as other lines of work, for example a baker would not start baking until he has all the ingredients he needs. Nevertheless it may have been in such a case as the pyramids that some one person may have been assigned to ensure all materials where present and that every that was needed to construct them was there. If this were the case then it may very well have been the first use of quantity surveyors (QSs). The authors who have written about the subject of quantity surveying give little mention of this as their professions origin and choose to focus on more recent history to find their career roots rather than to early empires grand construction projects. Allan Ashworth and Keith Hogg are two well respected authors on the subject of quantity surveying and value in construction, so much so that they have taken over the mantle of writing the new versions of Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor, a book seen as one of the best in quantity surveying circles. In the 2000 book Added Value in Design and Construction Ashworth and Hogg speak of the possible beginnings of quantity surveying: According to Thompson (1968), the roots of quantity surveying go back to the seventeenth century and to the Great Fire of London. There is evidence to suggest that firms of QSs were in existence at the end of the eighteenth century. According to Seeley (1988), the earliest records of a quantity surveying firm were in Reading, Berkshire, in 1785. There is little doubt that other firms were also in existence at the same time. In 1802, a number of Scottish quantity surveying firms gathered to produce the first method of measurement of buildings. In St Lukes Gospel (14:28) a story is recorded of the importance of counting the cost before you build implying that some form of these practices existed even in biblical times! (P 12-13) These authors seem to have no direct opinion on the matter but they do offer up the opinion of others as well as the aforementioned biblical quote. Thompsons belief was that that after the Great Fire of London in 1666, there was such a vast amount of work needed done and that the usual way of paying tradesmen by daily rates was unfeasible due to the amount of labour used. So it was deemed that a measure and value system would be best to allocate payment. This job was entrusted to architects but since they were so busy designing all the new buildings they employed other men to do the job; these men became known as measurers. Seeley and Winfield (1999) state that this method of measure and value surveying was common practice up to the middle 19th century but vaguely describe the aftermath that resulted in the creation of bills of quantities and competitive tendering. The origins of quantity surveying and indeed all surveying are detailed heavily in F.M.L Thompsons 1968 book, Chartered Surveyors, the growth of a profession. The opinion shared by Thompson (1968) and Seeley and Winfield (1999) is a popular one among authors however this opinion is not shared by Colin Dent in his book Quantity Surveying a Fully Metricated Text. In his eyes the birth of quantity surveying came in coincidence with that of the bill of quantities. Dent puts it that the bill of quantities arose from costly nature that was involved in pricing jobs in the 19th century. General contractors in this era where becoming aggravated with spending money measuring, pricing and preparing a tender for a job only not to get and have to incur the costs of an unsuccessful bid. It then left the contractor having to price in the cost of unsuccessful bids into his successful ones; this did not sit well with clients who were disgruntled that they had to pay for a contractors previous losing bid. It was heavily thought at this time that the lowest bid was the best, but it was often the case that the lowest bid came from an omission in the contracto rs own bill of quantities. This would leave the contractor the task of attempting to make the money up from somewhere else in the project. Again clients were displeased with this so it was decided around 1850 that a universal bill of quantities would be made from the client and sent to the contractors to price. Ferry, Brandon Ferry, 2006, see it differently; they believe that it was contractors who first used surveyors to draw up bills of quantities for them to price. A group of contractors would perhaps employ one surveyor with the winning bid then paying his fee. Architects suspected foul play in these bids with excessive wastage allowed and the possibility that contractors would fix so that one bid would win before all would get a pay out from the contract sum. The architect then took over employing surveyors to draw up one bill of quantities for all to price. Either way the bill of quantities system was seen as fair competition between contractors and gained recognition by 1880, and after it was used in the building of the Houses of Parliament and was successful it was then accepted as the most efficient and economical way of building. It is probably most likely from this point of the evolution of the bill of quantities that surveyors shook off the term off measurers and gained the term QSs as their job title. Another contrasting view is that of Duncan Cartlidge the author of New Aspects of Quantity Surveying Practice 2nd edition. The basis of his opinion also comes from the 19th century and the formation of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1834. This move was made by architects to further them surveyors/contractors and their obnoxious commercial interest in construction. In his view the greater responsibility for the business side construction now given to surveyors/contractors created the need to have someone in charge of the managing of capital and quantities, thus the QS was born (Cartlidge, 2006). There are several views regarding the origin of the quantity surveying profession as I mentioned above. However when all views are looked at; an almost direct line events can be seen to occur where every stage seems to be a step in the evolution of quantity surveying. In this readers opinion the act of assessing material amounts for building and also the cost goes back to early civilisation. But it was not until after the Great Fire in 1666 that a full time job was created for someone to measure and value work done. Client and contractor dissatisfaction with payment of the final account and a fair method of tendering led to the birth of bills of quantities and it is the basis of measuring and value and the drawing up of bills of quantities that produced the traditional QS, which still exists today. This form of quantity surveying worked well in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century, so much so that in 1909 the RIBA incorporated the bills of quantities into its standard building contract, thus making it a legally binding document (Dent, 1970)(Ashworth Hogg, 2000). In 1922 the first edition of the British Standard Method of Measurement of Building Works (or SMM) was adopted into the contract as a means for which works were measured. Its introduction was to alleviate confusion about which quantities were measurable (Ashworth, 1981). The practice of quantity surveying remained very much unchanged for many years; in fact it was not until after that Second World War that the traditional techniques came into question. The government began its task of rebuilding the country after the war and gave heavy public spending during the 1950s and 1960s for rebuilding of houses, schools, hospitals, roads, etc. (Ashworth, 2004). This in turn saw work for QSs rise as the government had spend huge sums of money on the war and had incurred large international debt, so keeping buildings cost low was a top priority (Thompson, 1968). In order to plan this spending properly and achieve value for money in the various projects, something additional needed to be done other than simply to measure and value the works as was the traditional method. The then Ministry of Public Buildings and Works and the RICS began to develop systems of financial control and evaluation for new buildings. This laid the foundation for further exploration into cost control techniques (Ashworth, 2004). In 1957 the Ministry of Education issued a bulletin that was a milestone in the practice as it introduced new methods of working and new principles of cost analysis and cost planning (Building Bulletin No.4 Cost Study). The bulletin initiated the idea of cost planning which set about to compare the cost of different design solutions and also designing within an overall cost framework. This meant that QSs would for the first time have to manage costs all the way through a construction project, whereas a previously they simply a drew up quantities from architect drawings at the start and helped settle accounts at the end. QSs would now have to compare different designs and different elements of buildings in an attempt to obtain cost efficiency, and then manage the expenditure throughout to ensure that the project was not over budget. This was the first use of elemental cost planning or designing to a cost and formally introduced the QS into the design team (Ashworth Hogg, 2000). The 1970s saw a huge increase in the amount of universities offering quantity surveying as an undergraduate course, in 1970 alone 30 polytechnics formed (Willis, 1987). Not only were there more quantity surveying students but there were more quantity surveying lectures, this meant that more research was being done on the profession, finding more and more ways to better itself (Ashworth Hogg, 2000). It was in this research that the holes began to be exposed in the traditional procurement method. Studies showed that clients wee not always obtaining value for money in the procurement of their buildings (Ashworth, 2004). In 1970 -1974 the UK seen a property boom so developers were anxious to get building, this forced fast track methods of procurement to develop as the traditional method was seen as too slow. Management contracting and forms of design and build were introduced. These methods did not require a bill of quantities so QS involvement was left to cost plan and try and keep the budget. These were unchartered water for QSs and there was a lack of cost certainty but it was tolerated as property values were rising so quickly (Cartlidge, 2009). The 70s also seen the introduction of computers something which many believed over time would end QSs. Sir John Egan, author of the wide reaching report Rethinking Construction, once told a group of graduates in 1999 that the construction industry will no longer be needing them to count the cost of a project computer technology would be doing it instead (Carvill, 1999). Adrian .J Smith, author of Computers and the QS, puts it that: The QS and the computer have been partners in an intense love hate relationship for over 30 years; indeed, it would be difficult to find any other profession in which the relationship between man and machine has generated, by turns, so much discussion; hope and optimism; disappointment and disillusion, (Smith, 1989) Of course they were not very well advanced in this era however they did give insight into how projects may be calculated and determined and began to challenge the perceived wisdom of the traditional methods (Ashworth, 2004) During the 1980s the quantity surveying profession started to witness radical changes to their traditional ways of working, and much of the change stemming from new procurement methods which seemed to spell the end for the bills of quantities. Procurement, a term not used until the 1980s, became an important area of activity, largely because of the increasing array of options available (Ashworth Hogg, 2006). These options came about as clients became dissatisfied with amount of time taken to procure through traditional tendering methods (i.e. bills of quantities). So new forms of procurement arose to try and meet client requirements, the main forms that were on the increase were Design and Build (D B), Management Procurement. Clients seen these methods as more beneficial for time and also because it handed more risk to the contractor in D B and to a management contractor in management procurement (Cartlidge, 2009). (The benefits of these types of procurements are discussed for lat er in this chapter). Some quantity surveying companies were very respondent to the change that management procurement brought about and began to adapt their practices, as D B hadnt much use for professional QSs. However it did create an opening on the contractors side for more cost control as they needed to manage their own construction costs. The practice of cost modelling which was introduced in the previous decade had been studied further. While the profession was looking for new ways of estimating away from the bill of quantities, the cost modelling method was, and still is, seen as too radical and requiring too much practice from the security of a reasonably reliable yet imperfect system of the bill of quantities (Ashworth Hogg, 2000). The emphasis of building costs was high on the agenda and it was also during this time that attention shifted from initial construction costs alone to a more comprehensive overall view of the costs over the entire life cycle of the project. Who le life costing takes into consideration the initial procurement, design and construction costs as well as fees and charges. It also takes into account the operational costs such as maintenance, repairs and energy expenses, and the cost of disposal and recycling of the building is also included (Cartlidge 2009). Eventually all of these aspects would be considered within the emerging practice of facilities management. These considerations provided yet another shift towards adding value to the industry and its clients. This recognised that to examine the initial costs of construction within the context of whole costs that it might yield an overall better financial situation for the client (Ashworth Hogg, 2000). Two other new aspects of costing that came about in the 1980s were value management and facilities management. Value management or value engineering arrived in the UK in the 1980s but in some sense it already existed, as mentioned earlier the government wanted cheaper building s after the war, so cost planning in this era focused on acceptable products for the least cost which in essence is what value can be defined as (Kelly, Morledge, Wilkinson, 2002). Facilities management was also introduced as from of project management that went much further than just managing the construction. Aspects of the building such as its infrastructure, its environmental impact, its maintenance and its communication links all came under the role of a facilities manager (Ashworth 2004). Basically it was not just managing the buildings construction but managing the building as a whole. Value management was a natural progression for QSs as they were the experts on buildings product costs so they were able to inform the client on all options and help provide the selection which bore the most value. The RICS recognised this change when it published its report of a study of Value Engineering and Quantity Surveying Practice in 1987. Facilities management was further away from the traditional QSs way of working and closer to a profession which specialised in project management, however with many believing at this time that QSs were heading down that route this line of work was seen as a future possibility for QSs. During the 1990s several key reports were produced that assisted in the new directions of the QS profession, they helped to formulate a future direction and strategy, emphasising the changing nature of society in general and the construction industry and the profession within it (Ashworth Hogg, 2000). The first in 1991 was made by Davis, Langdon Everest, one of the largest QS firms in the world at present, wrote the report QS2000: The Future Role of the Quantity Surveyor which focused on the changes in the construction industry and how it was affecting the profession. The important point stressed in this report was that QSs needed to learn to manage more effectively the time and quality as well as the cost in an attempt to add value into a clients business and construction project. The report also identified widening markets and diversification for the quantity surveyor, suggesting three key areas of future activity: value management, procurement management, and facilities manageme nt. The idea of more research and development into better QS practices was promoted as it was as another way of adding value for the client (Davis, Langdon, Everest, 1991). The RICS The core skills and knowledge base of the quantity surveyor report released in 1992 affirmed a lot of the points raised in the 1991 Davis, Langdon and Everest report. It also raised point that QS may need to change the way they address clients and professionals to try and make clear to clients the services they offer (RICS, 1992). Constructing the team was a report written by Sir Michael Latham in 1994 which had far reaching consequences on the construction industry and those employed in it, including quantity surveyors. The report called for more standardisation of design and construction by establishing more functional and efficient supply chains. More transparency in costing between the professionals and clients was seen to be needed; this was of particular interest to QSs as target of reducing cost by 30% was set by the report. The report also encouraged more teamwork in all construction teams to produce a product that all, including the client, could be justifiably happy with. This point also highlighted QSs as they did at this time have a reputation as difficult to deal with professionals for the client (Cartlidge 2006). Sir John Egan, a keen advocate of Sir Michael Lathams report and known to be a person to be a person convinced of the need of change in the industry was appointed as head of the Construction Task Force (Cartlidge, 2006). It was Egans opinion; that while some of the construction industry learned from the Latham report, not enough was done to meet the targets set out within it. In 1998 Sir John Egan published his own report titled Rethinking Construction. This report was seen as the blueprint for the modernisation of the systems used in the construction industry to procure work. The Egan report revealed in a survey of major UK property clients that many still dissatisfied with the services performances offered by both contractors and consultants. These clients revealed that: More that a third of them thought that consultants were lacking in providing a speedy and reliable service They felt they were not receiving good value for money insofar as construction projects did not met their functional needs and had high whole life costs They felt that the design and construction should be integrated in order to deliver added value There was a failure to keep within agreed budgets and the completion schedules. (Rethinking Construction, Sir John Egan, 1998) These points were damaging to consultants and in particular quantity surveyors who a lot believe were one of the guiltiest of these failings in the industry. Responding to this report, in 1999 Building magazine published the article The QS: a profession on the brink. The magazine conducted its own survey of over 12,000 QSs and the overwhelming feeling was one of anxiety about their future. The survey shows that QSs are concerned about the rapid erosion of their traditional role, their inability to persuade clients that they can significantly contribute to their projects, and the threat posed by acquisitive rivals and by other professionals such as management consultants and accounts 75% of QSs asked believed at this stage that new software packages were replacing their traditional cost modelling role; in fact a senior partner of Davis, Langdon Everest is quoted as saying that traditional quantity surveying, especially the calculation of BoQs, is on the way out. Many senior QSs in large firms such as Cyril Sweet and Bucknall Austin believed the profession was heading into management consultancy that specialise in construction. The latter in fact now referring to themselves as construction economists. This article seemed to spell the end for the QS as it was followed by more articles that sang from the same hymn sheet (Building, 1999). Adapt or Die (2000) called on QSs to find a new niche in the industry as their traditional role of measuring and drawing up BoQS was fading fast. It referred to QSs as an endangered species and that it was a case of survival of the fittest, the fittest being the surveyor who adapts and diversifies to a changing industry. Many practices have already evolved, reinventing themselves as cost consultants or construction cost advisors, or diversifying to become project managers, construction managers or total service providers offering professional management services to the industry not a word about cost in there at all. (Building, 2000) A year later (2001) a further article entitled What is the use of QSs stated through a survey that the general public had little or no idea of what a QS does. The author suggesting that construction law was an appropriate landing spot for diversifying QSs citing that their cost expertise could be a valuable tool in dispute resolution. The article also followed the theme of others implying that the traditional role was dying (Building, 2001). A lot of the articles around this time were in response to the 1999 survey carried out by Building magazine, so in that respect their fear inducing titles seemed to be on the mark. But five years on the same magazine was speaking quite differently. From forecasting that the QS profession may be on the brink, they were now stating that not only were QSs in high demand, but that their services were on the rise all over the world. The 2004 article Rocking All Over the World tells of how some of the UKs largest QS firms were expanding into foreign markets such as the Middle East, China, North America, Europe and other Commonwealth Nations. Richard Steer, senior partner of Gleeds a large QS firm, commented Just as were trying to lose the name quantity surveyor we are getting requests for QS services. It should be highlighted from the article that while there was an increase in QS demand, it was not for the traditional QS services. The industry was interested in professionals with expertis e in sustainable construction, dispute resolution and adjudication, cost control techniques, procurement advice and also the need for an independent voice in the construction process (Building, 2004). It is not surprising that QSs were in high demand in this era. The world was on the forefront of building boom as property around the world went up at a dizzying pace in places like Dubai and Beijing (for the 2008 Olympic games) for example. What should be noted form this was the services they were offering. Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor 12th ed (2007) depicts how the role of a QS had evolved from the traditional in 1960 into the present (see Fig. 1.1) Single rate approximate estimates Cost planning Procurement advice Measurement and quantification Document preparation, especially bills of quantities Cost control during construction Interim valuations and payments Financial statements Final account preparation and agreement Settlement of contractual claims Fig. 1.1 Traditional quantity surveying activities 1960 Investment appraisal Advice on cost limits and budgets Whole life costing Value management Risk analysis Insolvency services Cost engineering services Subcontract administration Environmental services measurement and costing Technical auditing Planning and supervision Valuation for insurance purposes Project management Facilities management Administering maintenance programs Advice on contractual disputes Planning supervisor Employers agent N.B. some of traditional activities may still be part of a present day QSs role such as procurement advisor or cost planning. (Ashworth Hogg 2007) Williss book also gave insight into what the future may bring for the QS, all of which are spoken about today and are considered to be the most recent QS responsibilities to have developed. Activities such as: Environmental and sustainability analysis Supply chain management Facilities management Legal services Quality management Automated measurement and quantification Taxation and investment advice relating to projects (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) (Cartlidge, 2009) When looking at the list of traditional of activities for quantity surveyors compared to the present day role which the practice, it shows up a profession that has vastly evolved in the amount of services that it has the potential to offer to the construction industry. Yet still today QSs are challenging themselves to take on more as to stop other professions poaching their business. Stuart Earl of the RICS in this article in the Construction Journal speaks of the need to adapt to stop outside intrusion. His article New tools for the trade covers the topic of the rules of measurement issued by the RICS. The new rules of measurement: order of cost estimating and elemental cost planning is set of comprehensive rules for calculating the cost of the whole project, not just the building works which the Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) currently does. This initiative is a bid by the RICS to incorporate whole life costing into the framework of the QS role and to promote value for money thinking. Stuart Earl describes the rule as: our professions statement of the minimum technical standard required to carry out measurement at all stages in the life of a building. If we do not rise to the challenge, others may do it for us, or worse, we may find ourselves losing out to accountants. (RICS Construction Journal, Aug, 2009) Michael Sullivan, the chairman of the QS Construction Professional Group of the RICS, details a similar problem for QSs. His article from the Construction Journal, The vital link, he tells of QSs need to embrace sustainability in the industry so that it becomes a part of the quantity surveying framework for the future professionals to adopt rather than another profession. the next generation of QSs will want to know what you are doing about sustainability, expecting you to understand it more than others, like management consultants (RICS Construction Journal, Dec, 2009) Ever since quantity surveyings traditional practices were questioned in the wake of the Second World War, QSs have been faced with the challenge of diversifying and justifying their profession. Although on the small to medium scale the traditional practices are still alive (with some modern innovation, e.g. Information technology advancement), the large scale projects and firms are very much different (Cartlidge, 2009). And it is no surprise that the companies that have done the best are those that have adopted the Egan ethos of value for money and became more client focussed thus changed and added to the QS services they offer. It seems possibly that to succeed the QS industry hinges on the amount of services you can provide to fulfil a wide variety of client needs.

The Impact of Ophelia on Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Impact of Ophelia on Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚   Could the Bard of Avon have created a more innocent and obedient young lady in Hamlet than the victimized Ophelia? I think not. Let us discuss the ups and downs of her life in the play.    Michael Pennington in â€Å"Ophelia: Madness Her Only Safe Haven,† describes personality traits of the young lady: This is the woman she might have become – warm, tolerant and imaginative. Instead she becomes jagged, benighted and imaginative. . . .Ophelia is made mad not only by circumstance but by something in herself. A personality forced into such deep hiding that it has seemed almost vacant, has all the time been so painfully open to impressions that they now usurp her reflexes and take possession of her. She has loved, or been prepared to love, the wrong man; her father has brought disaster on himself, and she has no mother: she is terribly lonely. (73-74)    Helena Faucit (Lady Martin) in On Some of Shakespeare's Female Characters reveals the misunderstood character of Ophelia:    My views of Shakespeare's women have been wont to take their shape in the living portraiture of the stage, and not in words. I have, in imagination, lived their lives from the very beginning to the end; and Ophelia, as I have pictured her to myself, is so unlike what I hear and read about her, and have seen represented on the stage, that I can scarcely hope to make any one think of her as I do. It hurts me to hear her spoken of, as she often is, as a weak creature, wanting in truthfulness, in purpose, in force of character, and only interesting when she loses the little wits she had. And yet who can wonder that a character so delicately outlined, and shaded in with touches so fine, should be o... ...    Lehmann, Courtney and Lisa S. Starks. "Making Mother Matter: Repression, Revision, and the Stakes of 'Reading Psychoanalysis Into' Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet." Early Modern Literary Studies 6.1 (May, 2000): 2.1-24 <URL: http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-1/lehmhaml.htm>.    Pennington, Michael. â€Å"Ophelia: Madness Her Only Safe Haven.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet†: A User’s Guide. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint of Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Susan Smith :: essays research papers fc

Susan Smith In the blink of an eye, North America was informed of Susan Smith's tragic loss of her two young boys. No one would have guessed that such a violent crime could have occurred in a small town . Throughout the ordeal , police began to see the flaws in Susan Smith's story. This lead to suspicions, causing the police to make Susan Smith their prime suspect. Days later, Susan Smith confessed to the hideous crime she committed, leaving the nation in disgust. The actions of Susan Smith, which were based on her background and the events in question have left a profound social and legal impact on society's views of violent crimes. Susan Smith lived what most would consider a normal life up to the time before the event concerning the murder of her two children. The only exceptional incident in her past was the suicide of her father when she was eight years old. Susan met her future spouse David Smith, at the age of nine- teen. The couple later went on to have two children, Michael and Alex. She was described as "well-known and well-liked" by her friends, neighbours and relatives. None of her friends or neighbours could have expected Susan Smith to commit such a horrible crime. The event took place in a small town in Union, South Carolina. On October 25th Susan Smith explained that she was "heading east on Highway 49 when she stopped at a red light at Monarch Mills about 9:15 p.m., and a man jumped into the passenger seat." She described the man "as a black male in his late 20s to early 30s, wearing a plaid shirt, jeans and a toboggan-type hat." She said that the abductor held her at gun point and told her to drive. She drove northeast of Union for about 4 miles. Then the man suddenly told her to stop the car. Mrs. Smith said she asked if she should pull over, but the man said for her to stop in the middle of the road. She claimed that she begged for the release of her two children, who were still strapped in the back seat, but it was to no avail. The town sent out thousands of volunteers to search through "over five hundred square miles for the children." The story later went national but there was still no sign of the children or the attacker. The town Sheriff, John Wells, with the help of an FBI computer system went after every lead that came in from psychics, crackpots and well-meaning citizens.

Bristol & Treatment Centre in Bristol in February

Moreover, during this course, I have required her to log all her experiences in her diary which she has dutifully done. I see her conversing with patients prior to and following their treatments, inquiring about what their jobs entailed. She has also shown interest in learning about their exercise regimes, particularly those who have undergone hip replacement. I wish to write about her personal characteristics which she has exemplified during this period. I should begin with her exemplary work ethic.I have observed that she has been very thorough and enthusiastic in documenting all the learning she has yielded on her day-to-day interaction with me and the patients. The latter have just been through hip replacement and necessitate therapy. She is eager in engaging in conversation with therapists and patients; familiarizing herself with their roles and responsibilities. Her enthusiasm is what keeps her dedicated to her tasks even amidst difficult circumstances – a trait which I feel is indispensable in being a successful medical practitioner.I have had the opportunity, too, to learn more about her ambitions of becoming a successful oncologist in the future. This ambition is driven by the authentic passion to help others, as she has had the personal experience of nursing someone in her family who has been inflicted with cancer. I believe that this grassroots ambition and personal experience is sufficient to ‘fuel’ her into realizing her dream. In her brief stint with the Centre, I have seen her fortitude in accomplishing what she has set out to achieve.Perhaps, this is further attested to by the fact that she has graduated with a BSc (Hons) Human Biology degree from the University of Bristol. Apart from her strong academic background and good work ethic, I have also felt her ‘vocation’ – her calling – for the medical profession. She has quickly and effectively established rapport with the patients and therapists of th e Center with her easy, friendly manner.In a profession that is sometimes perceived as ‘detached’, it is important for practitioners to develop a personal relationship with their doctors – one that is firmly based on trust and esteem. I feel that _________ easily fits that bill. This trait will also help her blend in well with a multi-disciplinary team, for example, one in which both medical practitioner and medical counselor have critical roles to play. She is a team player and recognizes the power of synergy and collaboration within a medical team.She is also a very good listener and knows how to empathize with patients. I also wish to share her interest in serving marginalized communities, which she has expressed to me as her mentor. This deep sense of altruism is again critical in her desire to become a medical practitioner. She would be willing to go through great lengths just to be able to serve the underprivileged. In pursuit of her dream, she is seeking a learning institution which shares the same goals of altruism especially for marginalized communities; an authentic sense of service; integrity; and competence.She will surely be an asset to the institution who shall accept her as a medical student. I am thus strongly recommending her acceptance to your learning institution which most certainly upholds these values. She is intellectually capable to learn all the competencies of an exemplary medical practitioner, and has the willingness, drive, and heart that go with being one. I am certain that she would prove to be an asset to your program.

Post-Apocalyptic Essay

Philip K. Dick leads his readers into understanding the relationship between humanity and the environment and how changes when humanity is struck with adversity. It is asserted that the human condition will continue to place importance on material possessions, although society and the possession itself changes in â€Å"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?† by Philip K. Dick. In the novel â€Å"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?† by Philip K. Dick the only humans left living on earth are able to prove superior social status with the ownership of an authentic animal. The owners begin a relationship with animals because they symbolize what’s left of mother-nature in which heightens an individual’s rank. The protagonist in the novel is Rick Deckard who is known as a bounty hunter. Since there is little life on earth he owns an electric sheep, but his neighbor Bill Barbour owns a Percheron Colt. In the novel Deckard beliefs: Humans are able to radiate their s ocial status through living animals. In the novel owning an animal is essential because there rare and significant in comparison to modern times when we take animals for granted. One of the main themes in the novel is empathy and they seem to only have it towards animals. Since they have killed off possibly all living things they are trying to grasp the little life left on earth. Having the possession of a real animal is seen as an economic gain. Rick Deckard is not too fond of his electric sheep because it’s not real and he does not feel he could feel empathy for and electric sheep.: The aftermath of World War Terminius has made every character value the small things in life. Rick says he wants more than a domestic pet he says, â€Å"I want what I originally had, a large animal. A sheep, or if I can’t get the money, a cow or a steer or what have, a horse.† (14) He will not settle for less, he wants something he could be proud of and have to showcase just like his neighbor Barbour that owns a real s tallion. This aspect of the novel displays human relationship to the environment only exists due to the deterioration of animal life. If it were not for the limited living animal circumstances then perhaps humans would not have empathy for the animals. It is apparent that  they did not take precaution before the war since they did not realize the damage of the war would jeopardize the environment ecosystem. So much so that Rick states, â€Å"having two animals is more immoral than not having any.†(10) This shows how limited real living animals are in 2021 and that no one should have more than one. Some people are unable to at least have one and Rick’s neighbor was considering having two. Deckard is bothered by his neighbor’s greediness to want more than one real animal. Especially after the fact that Ricks expresses to how he wishes he could own a real animal. This also shows how people have become one for one. They seem to have lot the possibility to care for one another throughout the novel, what is important now is their social status. This novel tries to send a message early on about the importance of our priorities as humans. American values have shifted over the years. According to an article on PBS called The Rise of American Consumerism it states â€Å"After World War II, consumer spending no longer meant just satisfying an indulgent material desire. In fact, the American consumer was praised as a patriotic citizen in the 1950’s, contributing to the ultimate success of the American way of life.† Spending on material goods was more than just a want it was a way of life. Americans at this time were getting over the depression and so once the economy began to rise so did there spending habits. The problem was not that they were spending but they were over spending on everything and anything. Since then the way that Americans spend has only increased. In the novel Philip K Dick writes from the future and shows the horrid side to the ways of Americans, and the outcome of human’s values. Dick challenges our perception towards humanity and animal life and convinces to make animal existence a priority. Throughout the novel Rick Deckard is portrayed in different perspectives. Deckard is really motivated as a bounty hunter, so he retires androids for a living and he depends on his income in order to purchase an animal. This reflects that the novel is relevant to American consumerism and how we look forward for a better economic status. In the novel, Animal consumerism is key, but not to consume to nurture and protect. And Americans are so common to consumerism that they well purchase anything and eat anything. That being said, we as Americans tend to be careless about what arrives on our dinner plates without  realizing that it was once a living thing. Dick’s novel brings awareness to our mindset that we should acknowledge the value of things instead of making them secondary and neglecting them. Its main focus is to give importance to mother â€Å"nature†. Ideas that are claimed throughout this novel are very concurrent to present time. The idea of empathy and how humans must feel alive through other living things is very powerful. Owning a real live animal most certainly is a way to keep humans grounded. Phillip K. Dick gives a theoretical statement on how we as human beings should give more recognition towards life values, or prepare to pay consequences that will lead to animal shortage. Work Cited Ewe Robot: ‘Philip K. Dick and Philosophy’ Academia.edu. Anthology ‘Philip K. Dick and Philosophy’. 24 May 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. Dick, Philip K., and Philip K. Dick. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Ballantine, 1996. Print. WGBH. â€Å"General Article: The Rise of American Consumerism.† PBS by WGHB EducacationFoundation.Web.1996-2013.

Dance and Movement Teaspoon of Light Project

â€Å"Keep your eye on the arrow not on the target† (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011b) Dance is expressive movement with intent, purpose, and form. It exists in many forms and styles and is practised in all cultures, taking place in a range of contexts for various purposes. Drama is the expression of ideas, feelings and human experience through movement, sound, visual image and the realisation of role. Both Drama and Dance is essential in children’s education and has many benefits however also portrays challenges for teachers.In this essay I have explored three learning out comes linked to Drama and Dance that were evident in the ‘Teaspoon of Light’ project coordinated by Dr Peter O’Conner in Christchurch, New Zealand which was aimed to use drama and dance education to support children and teachers during the aftermath of the 2011 major earthquake. I have discussed benefits and challenges that may occur by incorporating the followi ng learning outcomes into the primary school curriculum; Imagining and Creating New Works, Using Skills, Techniques and Processes and Making Aesthetic Choices.The first learning outcome is Imagining and Creative New Works. It is a dimension of drama and dance that focuses on exploring and experimenting with movement to express ideas and feelings (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2007). It includes discovering and creating movement solutions that emerge from a range of starting points and stimuli. There are benefits and challenges the occur from Imagining and Creating New Works. A benefit to this learning outcome is that through stimuli for guidance, students can interpret their own ideas and this work encourages social sensitivity and group cooperation during collaborative work.The Tasmanian Curriculum (2007), states that the ultimate expression of movement is recognised in performance. During ‘A Teaspoon of Light’, O’Connor told the students of a stimulus; the first line o f a story: â€Å"There was a girl who, when she got out of bed, tripped, and tore her cloth of dreams. † (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). A discussion then emerged about the story. The seven- and eight- year-olds told O’Conner that if you tear a dream cloth, your dreams disappear.The students then solemnly said that it is the saddest thing that can happen to anyone. O’Conner asks the students to show him what the girl from the story might look like when she tore her cloth of dreams. Cornett (2011) states the dance is beneficial to the primary school curriculum as it develops creative problem solving. It is stated that power is put to use to solve problems in every subject matter, including the subject of life (Parrish, 2007 cited in Cornett, 2011).Through the learning outcome of Imagining and Creative New Works the student’s demonstrated key components such as representing ideas and making choices, reinforcing the benefit-stimulus en courages students to explore and experiment with movement to express their personal ideas and feelings. A challenge that Imagining and Creative New Works portrays is the planning component from Drama. This component suggests that the creators of a lesson need to be very immediate- working in the here and now (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2007). The challenge is for teachers to be flexible in their sessions.Teachers need to know how and when to change direction in a lesson when a new lead appears that is worth proceeding. During ‘A Teaspoon of Light’ the students involved were continuously participating in whole class imaginary worlds, i. e. dream makers, re-creating Sarah’s cloth of dreams, using magic rubbers and shaking the dreams with magic spells (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). O’Conner (2011) believes that the imaginary world that was created during the sessions was â€Å"the joy of the work† (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, b).He states that as teachers, the session ended up in different ‘places’ because they were prepared to let it. O’Conner mentions a quote from Dorothy Heathcote related to working on classrooms â€Å"keep your eye on the arrow not the target† (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011b). Wright (2003) describes this challenge in that teachers must be able to communicate expectations, needs and difficulties in a direct and sensitive manner and be able to accept the same level of directness from the children. The teacher needs to watch, listen and fell what the children need and want to express (Wright, 2003).O’Conner (2011) reflects on his session in ‘A Teaspoon of Light’ as constantly changing. He believed that deciding in the moment was an important challenge for the teachers and directors. The second learning outcome is Using Skills, Techniques and Processes in drama and dance. It is movement based as students mani pulate a medium by reorganising, reinterpreting and assimilating movement and design element in new contexts or for a new purpose. The process involves working collaboratively to experiment with dramatic techniques in constructing, rehearsing and refining the performance (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2007).There are benefits and challenges for the teachers and students when exploring this outcome. The Tasmanian Curriculum (2007) states that a benefit for Using Skills, Techniques and Processes is the developing of awareness, relationships and appropriate behaviours in dance and drama, leads to an increase in self-esteem and confidence. During ‘A Teaspoon of Light’ it was shown that the students gained confidence throughout the sessions. Ginny Thorner, a Christchurch artist showed the students a role-play, demonstrating practical dance skills and drama elements.The students observed Thorner’s demonstration first before shortly having the opportunity to create their own re sponse to create a whole class experience of ‘moving dreams’ (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011b). O’Conner stated that very few of the students had danced before, but through the use of teacher modelling it enabled them to develop their own short dance phrases, and therefore gaining huge amounts of confidence enhancing their opportunity to learn key concepts such as kinaesthetic awareness, performance skills, interaction and planning.It was evident in the clip that as the development of these skills increased, the students’ self-esteem and confidence increased also, hence being a benefit in the primary school curriculum A challenge that Using Skills, Techniques and Processes may reveal is the call for teacher’s awareness of and sensitivity to other people’s ideas, physical boundaries, background and experience. The Tasmanian Curriculum (2007), states in order to manipulate the medium successfully in the classroom context, th ere are a set of behaviours that should be expected and encouraged during the session, such as respect and empathy.In addition, Cornett (2011) writes that students value the surprising ways peers express ideas through movement; no one body shape or locomotor movement is right or wrong. In ‘A Teaspoon of Light’ activities were used where students created their own dance sequence based on what they felt were expressive movements. The students were also given the task to mirror a partners movement (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). There is evidence of the students working in their personal space, and developing awareness of what their body can do.The clip shows students dancing uniquely to how they felt dreams may be brought to life. Students come to delight in the artistry of fellow classmates as they witness the inventiveness of peers (Cornett, 2011). This is a time where teachers and students must be sensitive to other people’s designs. Oâ₠¬â„¢Conner believed this was a time during the sessions that delivered â€Å"rich, good theatre† (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011b). While exploring this learning outcome, teacher’s awareness of and sensitivity to other student’s perceptions is critical.The third learning outcome is Making Aesthetic Choices. A sense of aesthetics is deeply personal and students use their knowledge of aesthetic choice to make meaning and to critically appraise the works of others. In drama and dance, aesthetic choices are used to bring out the intention of the performance (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2007). There are both benefits and challenges that array from this learning outcome. A benefit to Making Aesthetic Choices in drama and dance is to deepen sensory awareness and learn to express themselves through the artistic use of pantomime, dialogue and improvisation (Cornett, 2011).Maslow places aesthetic understandings at the top of his motivation pyramid (Cited in Cornett, 2011). Aesthetic Choices are demonstrated in ‘A Tea Spoon of Light’ when the students wrote a recipe of the things they would use in order to repair the torn cloth of dreams (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). Initially the list consisted of their own wants, needs and likes; bed, to be asleep, pyjamas and lights off. The second list mentioned after some Aesthetic Choices were made, demonstrated a deeper understanding of the purpose.The second list consisted of 1 tsp of light in the darkest tunnel, 10 cups of love, 2 tsp of belief, 1/2 cup of adventure, 3/4 cup of hope. The list created by the students produced the rich Stendhal effect, the â€Å"ah† experience of being touched or moved (Lushington 2003, cited in Cornett, 2011). A challenge for successfully in cooperating Making Aesthetic Choices into the primary school curriculum is to be conscientious planning teachers who are knowledgeable about drama strategies and willing to adapt them for specific student needs (Cornett, 2011).In ‘The Teaspoon of Light’ one occasion demonstrating Aesthetic Choices was the ‘cloud bowl’ activity. The students decided that they needed an imaginary ‘cloud bowl’ to mix all the ingredients together to create the new ‘cloth of dreams’. The students were able to explore and experiment with different types of movement spontaneously and in response to O’Conner’s requests (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). The students chose what, how, who, when and even what colour when they were putting their ingredients into the cloud bowl. O’Conner asked questions to deepen their aesthetic understanding. Is 2 tsp. of belief light or heavy? What colour might it be? † And with each description, the element went into the bowl (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, 2011a). The lesson was successful, but due to the fact that O’Conner was kno wledgeable enough to create a safety net while guiding the students through the activity. He used strategies that enhance students’ ability to look, discuss, view, review, select, reflect and refine (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2007). Cornett (2011), states that the dance literacy level needed by teachers is contingent upon what their students are expected to know and do.Reason can answer questions but imagination has to ask them (Albert Einstein, cited in Cornett, 2011). Learning through drama and dance develops the ability to appreciate and value on dramatic works. Drama develops the courage and persistence to ‘have a go’. The ‘Teaspoon of Light’ project coordinated by Dr Peter O’Conner in Christchurch demonstrates the learning outcomes of Imagining and Creating New Works, Using Skills, Techniques and Processes and Making Aesthetic Choices which in turn, have both benefits and challenges whilst being in cooperated into the primary school curriculu m.References Cornett, C. (2011). Integrating dance and creative movement. In Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts (4th ed. ), pp. 255-281. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, USA Faculty of Education, University of Auckland [foedauck]. (2011a, April 14). Earthquake: a teaspoon of light. . Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=jznOhFrSvJY Faculty of Education, University of Auckland [foedauck]. (2011b, September 4). Earthquake: a teaspoon of light (2). .Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=ZoMpzIzJrFM The Tasmanian Curriculum. (2007). Dance. Retrieved from https://www. education. tas. gov. au/documentcentre/Documents/Tas-Curriculum-K-10-Arts-Syllabus-and-Support. pdf Wright, S. (2003). Dance. In The Arts, Young Children and Learning. (1st ed. ) pp. -230-255. Boston, USA: Allyn & Bacon. Wright, S. (2012). Dance-moving beyond steps to ideas. In Children meaning-Making in the Arts (2nd ed. ), pp. 85-114. Sydney Australia, Peason Education Australia.