Domestic Violence among African Americans Essay Example for Free

Domestic Violence among African Americans Essay Domestic violence is abuse that occurs within a personal relationship. It can occur between former or current spouses or significant others. Domestic violence doesn’t have a name it affects both men and women of any race, religion; gay or straight; upper class or low class; adolescents, adults, or seniors. But most of its victims are women rather men. While domestic violence is present in all races, the existence among African Americans is significantly higher in the United States. There are many elements that have been shown to stimulate a person to engage in domestic violence examples are failing relationships, lack of employment, poor school systems, violent communities, drug use and the multitude of nearby accessible liquor stores. Experiencing any these situations can lead to strong emotions that can ultimately result in domestic violence. People who experience domestic violence are deeply affected and often live in fear. This plague has broken down and destroyed many African American communities. There are serious physical and mental health risks involved in domestic Violence. Abortion, stress, unconsented sexual encounters, possible suicides, complicated pregnancies and murder are few possible physical results from domestic violence. (Bent-Goodley, 2004) Abuse, control and violence are components of domestic violence. Neither the abuser nor the person being abused are winners in these type of situations. The abuser actions shows characteristics of controlling, anger, oppressor, possessiveness, power and liar. The abusers victims are usually people that can be manipulated, scared and shielded by the abuser. Although the abuser may be an adult most often their mental capacity displays child like behavior. A child will typically throw fits and become angry when things don’t go their way or they didn’t get what they wanted. This anger that possess is shown through mental and physical abuse . Abuser are usually not very open people and they believe that are right in every situation. However, they never take the blame for their actions and tend to blame others, most often their spouse. The victims  of abuse tend to show characteristics of having low self-esteem, sadness and being unconfident about themselves. Often the victim believes that this type of physical and verbal abuse should be inflicted upon them. (Agazie, 2011) Generally, a victim or spouse show signs of previously experiencing an unstable and hostile childhood, and possibly being abused as a child. As a result, they feel like an unwanted and scared child who is weak, instead of like an adult. African Americans who survive domestic violence, child abuse and community violence consistently engage in various types substance abuse at higher rates. (Hill, et al, 2012) African American abusers who has previously used a weapon or threatened their spouse with one during arguments, will more than likely kill them by lethal violence. It is stated that 80% of African American women who have murdered their partners had a history of abuse. Violence and nonviolence have been proven behaviors that are learned. Social and cultural beliefs, outlooks on life, examples, role models influences on whether a person decides to engage in volatile or nonvolatile behavior. It is very key to know how a person elects to use violence or nonviolence. (Wimberly, 2000) Statistics have shown that African American women are more prone to leave an abusive relationship and then return to it compared to white women. (Agazie, 2011) African American women suffer mistreatment over a long period of time and have a tendencies fight back. Close to 50% of victims that attempt to leave their abusive relationship are killed by their partners. (Williams, et al, 2008) African American women are brought up as younger girls under strong religious belief and family values. They are taught at a young age that once you get married you do what it takes not to become a victim of divorce. They are told that it may not be easy but you are married for life once you have made that commitment. With this type of upbringing African American women tend to procrastinate and often hesitate leaving an unhealthy marriage due to their beliefs. Most people don’t not understand the reasoning behind women staying in this form of relationship. While the reasons for their reluctances to leave an abusive relationship are uncertain, some likely justifications would be (1) when searching for a spouse African American women have a smaller amount of choices than White women; (2) African American women’s income is normally lower than of most  White women; (3) Black women are reluctant to call the police due to the trust that African American in the justice system. Unfortunately, most battered and abused Black women find no other way out of the relationship and resort to killing their partners. Losing financial means may also contribute to the reason why African American women of lower class are reluctant to report abuse. The abusing spouse may take care of the victim financially by providing a place to stay, clothes and food and, in order to keep their current living status so they remain quiet about the abuse. Reputation may play a part in why African American women of higher class hesitate to report abuse because they don’t want to put their reputation at risk. Another reason why abused victims remain quiet is because they may not be taken serious by law enforcement. It has been confirmed that domestic violence is treated more like a private family matter rather than serious matter. Typically when law enforcement is called to a domestic violence scene, no arrest is usually made and if they are ever prosecuted the case is usually dismissed. (Hampton, et al, 2008) In many cases I have found that the African American community seems to accept, if not encourage, the domestic violence that exists within it. While it is easy to blame education or social rank for a couple’s behavior or society’s reaction to it, these factors are often not as important as one might expect. A woman with multiple degrees or at the highest level of social strata is as vulnerable to domestic violence as the woman who did not graduate form high school. It equally as likely for a man who is born to an upper middle class family and a man born to a family tha t lives in poverty to participate in an abusive relationship. The Black church has always and continues to be a pillar of strength to Black families and communities. The Black church has been a powerful force in the Black community. Domestic violence is a tough situation to endure, so many African Americans turn to prayer to cope with the difficulties in their lives. (Watlington Murphy, 2006) The Black church has been unreliable and, at times, inadequate in reacting to domestic violence situations. (Bent- Goodley, et al, 2012) For instance on August 22, 2007, Bishop Thomas Weeks, pastor of an independent ministry that worked out of the Global Destiny Church (Haines, 2007) assaulted his wife, Juanita Bynum. This assault is significant not only for the positions held by the participant, but also for the actions taken by the African American  community itself. According to Haines (2007) the community did not speak out against the pastor after the beating. Rather, some members of the community spoke in support for the pastor. Haines quotes one individual as posting a message to Weeks’ MySpace page that read, Bishop Weeks, dont be discouraged, but be encouraged. Stand firm and know that the Lord is mighty in battle†. Haines reports that another community member asked her own pastor about the Weeks domestic abuse case, only to find that â€Å"he had no reaction to the abuse and only provided him with scriptures.† making her wonder what he could offer her if she were a victim of domestic abuse (Haines, 2007). While this situation may be distressing, it is not unusual. According to Jordan (2005) â€Å"When African American men act as bullies toward African American women they tend to engage in active-passive renunciation†, which leaves abused women the choice of speaking out or being ostracized. What kind of message does this send? As a young girl I watched my mother be abused countless times by my very own father. She endured this abuse for many years and it appeared as though she would never leave him. It was as if she was accepting of it or had merely gotten used to it. Then one day after 13 years she left and didn’t look back. Although she didn’t speak out about it, she removed herself from the situation. Most of my family knew about the situation but never brought it up. Years later my father eventually changed for the better. I believe that change has to come from within. You can acquire help and assistance but until you want to change no one can help you. It is difficult to create successful programs and mediation approaches that are geared towards domestic violence without fully understanding how African Americans grasp and distinguish this disease. (Bent-Goodley, 2013) Domestic abuse is not distinctive to the African American community. As it stands, whether an African American woman is rich or poor, educated or not, she is at grave risk of being abused by her partner. As it stands, that woman is also at grave risk of being rejected by her community and even her family, if she speaks up about her abuse. Domestic abuse is not limited to only woman but the percentages are outstandingly high compared to an abused make victim. This violence must come to an end. Through education from within, it might be possible to initiate change. References Williams, Oliver J.; Oliver, William; Pope, Marcus. (2008). Domestic Violence in the African American Community. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment Trauma, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p229-237. 9p. Agazie, Maxine. (2011). Cultural Considerations Impacting Domestic Violence Among African American Women: Implications for Social Work. Conflict Resolution Negotiation Journal, Issue 1, p138-141. 4p. Watlington, Christina G.; Murphy, Christopher M. (2006). The roles of religion and spirituality among African American survivors of domestic violence. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 62 Issue 7, p837-857. 21p. Bent-Goodley, TB. (2013). Domestic Violence Fatality Reviews and the African American Community. HOMICIDE STUDIES, Vol. 17, Issue 4; p375-p390. Bent-Goodley, Tricia B. (2004). Perceptions of Domestic Violence: Health Social Work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p307-316. 10p. Hill, Nicholle; Woodson, Kamilah; Ferguson, Angela; Parks, Carlton. (2012). Intimate Partner Abuse among African American Lesbians : Prevalence, Risk Factors, Theory, and Resilience. Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 27 Issue 5, p401-413. 13p. Campbell, Jacquelyn; Campbell, Doris W.; Gary, Faye; Nedd, Daphne; Price-Lea, Patricia; Sharps, Phyllis W.; Smith, Cheryl. (2008). African American Womens Responses to Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Cultural Context. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment Trauma, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p277-295. 19p Bent-Goodley, Tricia; St. Vil, Noelle; Hubbert, Paulette. (2012). A Spirit Unbroken: The Black Churchs Evolving Response to Domestic Violence. Social Work Christianity. 2012, Vol. 39 Issue 1, p52-65. 14p. Wimberly, Edward P. (2000). The Civil Rights Movement as a Potential Mentoring Model for Ending Domestic Abuse. Journal of Religion Abuse, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p33. 16p. Hampton, Robert L. LaTaillade, Jaslean J.; Dacey, Alicia; Marghi, J. R. (2008). Evaluating Domestic Violence Interventions for Black Women. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment Trauma, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p330 -353. 23p. Haines, E. (2007). Charges against husband put new focus on televangelist. USA Today.com. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-09-01-ynum_N.htm Jordan, L. M. (2005). Domestic violence in the African American community. Retrieved from http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/RoleoftheBlackChurch.pdf

Ensuring Health And Safety At Workplaces

Ensuring Health And Safety At Workplaces Introduction In our day to day lives, accidents tend to occur under different circumstances some of which can be avoided. Most accidents are attributed to carelessness of which it is believed just a little carefulness could avoid and in the process reduce the many serious injuries incurred and even at times death or decapitation. Accidents are unplanned and unfortunate events that results in damage, injuries or upsets of some kind. This is the same even at workplaces. Most accidents at work places are sometimes as a result of carelessness. These accidents can be avoided if the following measures can be taken at the places of work. Management is committed to safety in the work place, employees are informed about accident prevention, consultation between the employer and employee takes place on a regular basis, there is a trusting relationship between the employer and staff and employees have actual input into the decision-making process. Employers and employees attitude towards accidents also contribute greatly towards preventing them from occurring. If both the employer and the employee approach safety at places of work with diligence, then these cases of accidents will be greatly reduced and inefficiency due to lose of time from work by employees will be avoided. The best method to achieve this is through cooperation of the two main partners (employer and employee who may be represented by unions), an approach known as the shared responsibility model. Workplace and Injury Hazards Accidents at work are sometimes caused by a complex combination of unsafe employee behavior and unsafe working conditions. Several factors contribute to the complexity of managing safety in the workplaces. These factors include effects of some industrial diseases dont show up for years, employers may cover up a health or safety problem before the inspector arrives, employers may fail to monitor or disclose health risks and employees may fail to follow safety practices at the workplaces or engage in dangerous behavior while at work. It is also critical that organizations consider the safety of members of the public who enter the company property. Awareness of health hazards is very important. Employers should give thought to preparing for emergency health hazards. While the number of workplace injuries may level off, the direct cost of injuries does not. Moreover, workplace injuries result in several indirect costs such as damages, recruitment, inefficiency and reduced production. Men are more than twice as likely as women to have a time loss injury while with reference to age, younger workers are most likely to be injured. Logging and forestry, construction, manufacturing and transportation are among the most dangerous industries and the most common types of injuries are strains and sprains followed by contusions, crushing or bruises. The most likely body parts to be injured are in order back followed by fingers then legs. Health Hazards Health hazards can be classified into four categories. Physical agents exposure to physical elements. Biological agents (Biohazards) exposure to natural organisms. Chemical agents exposure to chemical compounds or harmful toxic substances. Ergonomically related injuries work environment related including stress, strain, fatigue and back injuries. Across the country there is growing emphasis on the health of younger workers who are the most injured. The most common injuries affecting them include electrocution and machine injuries yet a number of them are not aware of their health and safety rights and responsibilities at the workplace. Safety Regulations Every employee has fundamental rights which are:- The right to know about hazards in the workplace. The right to participate in correcting the hazards. The right to refuse dangerous work. A key element of health and safety laws is joint occupational health and safety committee which is required in every workplace. Responsibilities of these committees include to meet at least once a month, to ensure adequate records are kept regarding accidents and health hazards, to investigate and resolve complaints by employees, to participate in investigations of health and safety-related injuries, to regularly monitor health and safety programs, to monitor records of injuries and illnesses, to cooperate with safety officers investigating a complaint or accident, to develop, establish and promote health and safety programs and procedures and to obtain information from the employer and government agencies concerning existing potential hazards in the workplace. Some other federal laws are:- The hazardous product act whose primary objective is protecting consumers by regulating the sale of dangerous products. Its an important part of the Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS), which requires that suppliers label all hazardous products and provide a material safety data sheet (MSDS), on each of them which contains hazard symbol, information on the properties and composition of the product, nature of the potential hazard that may result from misuse of the product and suggested emergency treatment procedure the employer must provide training to enable employees recognize the WHMIS hazard symbols. The transportation of dangerous goods act which makes transport Canada a federal government agency responsible for handling and transporting dangerous materials by federally regulated shipping and transportation companies. It requires that the carriers should be informed of dangerous goods which should be classified according to a coding system. The Canadian center for occupational health and safety act whose objectives are to promote health and safety in the workplace and the physical and mental health of the working populace in Canada, to facilitate consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdiction and to participate by labour and management in the relevant to the Canadian circles, to aid in the progress and maintenance of policies as well as programs tailored towards the elimination of occupational hazards and finally to serve as a national center for statistics and other information relating to occupational health and safety. The center is supervised by a board of governors made up of the federal government representatives, labor and employers. Organizations are now connected electronically with the center and have access to relevant information. Safety Enforcement In the federal jurisdiction all industrial units are inspected at least once a year to confirm their safe operation. The numbers of visits depend on units accidental records and its size. During these visits, the safety may at any time enter any property of business and are given a wide range of powers as stipulated in section 14 of the Canada labour code (part 2). No law by itself can make a workplace safe. It is far more effective not to mention less costly if the responsibility for safety becomes a concern for everyone starting with top managers going down to the supervisors and lastly the employees. The top managers must set policies and make concern for health and safety of the organizations culture and strategy while the supervisors must become proficient in maintaining safety which means knowing about health and safety laws and regulations and learning communications skills in order to convey the necessary information to employees. Employees are responsible for working safely. It is imperative to train the employees so that they comprehend safety rules on how to safely operate equipment. Good safety performances should be recognized and rewarded while unsatisfactory practices be documented and corrected. Human resource professionals should ensure consistent enforcement of all safety and health rules. This is achieved through creating a safety climate in the organization and conducting health and safety audits voluntarily or as a result of being targeted by government health and safety officials. Safety climates are becoming an important factor affecting safety knowledge and motivation. Workplace Stress Workplace stress occurs where there is pressure or unrealistic job demands than the worker can deliver within the required time. It is often the conflict between the employees ability and the job demands. Senior management officials are also recognizing the importance of health issues on employee performance. Stress symptoms involve both mental health and physical health. People who are stressed may become nervous, easily provoked to anger and chronically worried about things. Exposure to stressful working conditions called job stressors which can directly influence the health and safety of employees and this is what causes workplace stress. Frequently occurring stress is known as acute stress. The general and widely recognized cause of stress is change because it requires adaptation. A substantial and prolonged stress can bring about a condition of mental, emotional and sometimes physical exhaustion known as burnout. Slight stress improves performance due to the challenge until reac hes a plateau after which it becomes too great and performance starts to decline because the employee loses the ability to cope, becomes unable to make decisions and is erratic inn behavior. Solutions to workplace stress can be curative which correct the outcome of stress or preventive which attempt to change the cause of stress. In managing stress at work, the human resource department can come up with a stress audit to evaluate the extent of dysfunctional stress hence identify the cause of stress. Organizations can also introduce fitness and employee wellness programs. These programs have a positive impact on reducing stress and absenteeism and increasing productivity. Other contemporary workplace safety issues include workplace security, sick building syndrome, workplace violence and ergonomics. The human resource managers face challenges when they have an AIDS infected employee. Its a breach of human rights laws to discriminate against AIDS infected people but just in case the other employees refuse to work with that person the employer should establish a policy and have an action plan in place before such a case arises among employees or their dependant. It must be continually stressed that top managements involvement in setting a health and safety Policies are essential and if it does not assume the leadership role, it sets example by its inaction and middle managers, first line supervisors and employees will behave accordingly. It is important to have a control process in place. Causes of accidents should be identified and eliminated, an effective training exercise should be carried out, the human resource department should use its information system to monitor for patterns of accidents or health problems and finally management should continually encourage safety awareness on the part of super visors and employees. Conclusion Occupational health and safety continues to be an imperative part of the organizations operation. It is taking the centre stage in the priorities of the human resources management. Most of the occupational health and safety acts created by the federal and provincial governments now require the establishment of safety committees in companies. The prevention of accidents is therefore key to the human resource managers, who should also focus. AIDS at the workplace is an important issue and the human resource department needs to take measures to curb severe friction among work groups or irrational actions from frightened employees that may arise as a result of HIV and AIDS cases.

Types of Assessment and Evaluation

Types of Assessment and Evaluation Assessment and evaluation has become critical issues especially in the field of teaching and learning; it requires watchful consideration by every teaching practitioner in any educational institution. This is also the area where many teachers sink into the pool of confusion. But it has its key function, which is to collect information on the achievement of every individual student and judge their everyday progress. In other words, it serve vital role in the process of effective teaching and learning. Therefore, this essay will explain my understanding of assessment and evaluation from the perspectives of development, formal, informal, special needs, and standards in brief. However, to do this, we first need to define assessment and evaluation. The word assessment is derived from the Latin word assidere meaning to sit beside. It is obvious that simple tone of this phrase is soothing, and it suggests mutual confidence and understanding. So, it indirectly tells that existence of positive association between assessment and the process of teaching and learning in schools is necessary. By and large, assessment is a process of collecting information relative to some identified aims and objectives involved with students progress and achievement in the process of teaching and learning. More specifically, classroom assessment refers to the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about their progress and achievement during the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes. According to Lloyd-Jones and Bray (1986) assessment is referred to the process in which certain quality of a students education is measured, by the teacher, an examiner or the student.   It is means to measure worthiness of students performance.   Assessment, therefore, involves much more than testing. It is an ongoing process that encompasses many formal and informal activities intended to examine and improve teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum. On the other hand, evaluation  is more or less defined as the process of judging relative merit, value, or worthiness of educational programs, or techniques by using realistic information generated through assessment. It helps in updating the nature and degree of learning; plays pivotal role in curricular decision making; and it favour better links between learning, and the aims and objectives of teaching. Moreover, it creates strong bond between learning and the environments in which learning takes place. Therefore, in educational setting, assessment and evaluation seeks evidence that the learning activities designed for students are effective. Assessment and Evaluation from the perspective of development Why do we assess and evaluate? This is the first question that knocks in my mind whenever I look assessment and evaluation from an angle of development. Generally, teachers plays vital role in developmental assessment and evaluation of students learning and programs for many reasons: Firstly, assessment and evaluation help teachers and student affair administrators to enhance their understanding of the needs of a persistently varying student population. In addition, it will help in identifying developmental delays in students and to develop strategies for intervention. For that, I would prefer to use the concept of integrated model of child development. It is because the model covers up all developmental areas such as sensory, behavioural, language, motor, perceptual, social cognitive and emotional skills. So it can also be used to improve holistic development of students as a student, self, and valuable citizen of the nation as it reflects their personality as well as their degree of achievement in the field of learning. Secondly, assessment is also meant to develop efficient educational institutional plans and policies to meet students developmental needs and learning styles. They are crucial for advancing the quality and easy accessibility of programs and services. Thirdly, we cannot avoid its greatest contribution in curriculum development. Through assessment and evaluation, we will be able to help curriculum developers for deciding how we might improve courses and programmes. At the same time, as a teacher we can contribute in doing revision on curriculum, course materials, teaching methodologies, etc. It is because assessment results can specially provide a potent rational for securing scaffold for curriculum changes, development and review. Formal and Informal Assessment and Evaluation A formal assessment is also sometimes known as summative assessment. And it is generally assessed in the form of quiz, test, or paper and is graded based on how well student is able to perform. A summative assessment is normally carried out at the end of unit or module. Furthermore, formal assessments are categorized into criterion-referenced tests and norm-referenced tests. Criterion-referencing is assessment based on certain criterion or principle, and norm-referencing is graded assessment based on the comparisons of learners achievement against one another from time to time. I prefer more of criterion referencing method than norm-referencing because it can be used to judge students achievement and progress on a series of key criteria set based on reasonably expected learning outcomes and objectives. Whereas, norm-referencing is based on the hypothesis, that a more or less similar range of human performance can be anticipated for any student group. On the other hand, Informal assessment is referred as formative test, and it is a continuous process of assessment and evaluation. Feedback plays vital role here as it allows both learners and teachers to evaluate learning and spot out the areas for improvement. But which one could be the best form of assessment, formal or informal? In my opinion, the use of informal assessments is best for the overall learning. It facilitate teachers to assess students through a range of classroom-based activities, identify students weakness then and there and start work for the improvement, rather than waiting at the last minute like informal assessment. Assessment and Evaluation for special needs students Students having problems such as: motor, linguistic, cognitive, behavioural, organizational, speech and physical disabilities are usually referred as special needs students, and it also includes gifted students. They should not be left out without normal education. Special arrangements or special needs accommodations should be offered to them in order to pursue their academic goals and achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency. Similarly they also need to be evaluated and identified their strengths, weaknesses and give guiding principles to make effective progress in attaining their academic goals. Other than teachers and peers, students family should involve in it. So, I feel that, by building an alliance with their parents; obtaining students developmental history and current family experience; and discussing issues with them would help greatly for addressing challenges in guiding special needs students to succeed like other normal students. Moreover, evaluation will be holistic and addresses all aspects of functioning. For that we should not forget to take students individual learning styles into account as all students do not have same learning capability and ways. Sometimes students with special needs are integrated in regular classrooms because the main idea of assessment and evaluation in this field itself is to see whether a student is able to adapt, make progress and met objectives in normal class like normal students. Assessment indicates whether the student learned the materials intended and what are some of the drawbacks areas to be improved. So schools and teacher must give all students an equal opportunity to education. Infect, they should provide counteractive assistance to special needs students. Never the less, we as a teacher, in order to select education program and activities suitable for our students, we must carefully evaluate our options and consider the specific needs of our disabled students. Standards based Assessment and Evaluation Here, it includes two types of educational standards, a content standard and a performance standard. A content standard defines the knowledge, concepts, and skills acquire at each grade level, while performance standard state the level of performance that is considered acceptable aligning to the benchmark set by the teachers. Standards-based assessment and evaluation is meant to identify students with different pace and capabilities in learning, so that we can design strategies to help them and make all of them achieve and master to the level that they are required to retain certain benchmark in learning. Understanding Standardized Test and its characteristics is necessary when we discuss about assessment and evaluation from the perspective of standard as it is one of the instrument required in standard assessment and evaluation process. Range of knowledge and understanding in specific subject is being assessed through standardized testing on students. And it is a snapshot in time where assessments are administered and scored in the same way for all students. For example, multiple-choice questions and written responses to be answered within a given time frame are examples of standard test. That means students are not allowed to use outer resources or references in order to complete the test. Their performance on these tests decides whether they will be promoted or not from one grade to the next. And this is what almost every school district now administers it. However, it is important for us not to get confused of Standardized tests with the standards movement, which approve definite grade-level content and performance standards in main subject sphere. Frequently, regulated uniform tests are not associated with state and district content standards, and these causes noticeably lose of connection between what is being taught and what is being tested. So as a teacher we have to process our teaching according to the curriculum. The standard evaluation will enable other school improvement plan and projects, and to bring advance changes in curriculum and pedagogy, and incorporation of new assessments. So standardized assessment and evaluation is uniformly regulated test which it refers to when every student at a particular grade level has to undergo the same test with same question, at same time frame in same year throughout the country. In the nutshell, we would find that the descriptions given in above paragraphs are all views from different perspectives constructed by hypothesizing the both special needs students and normal student as an active in structuring their own learning in the context of social interaction; role of educational institutions and teachers in establishing the childs stage of development in any aspect of learning, and that information collected through various assessment and evaluation methods will then be used to scaffold the next learning and curriculum development.

The Hardy Boys :: essays research papers

The story I read is from the series of books â€Å" The Hardy Boys †. The story’s name is â€Å" The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge † and it was written by Franklin W. Dixon. I have been reading books about the Hardy Boys since I was in primary and I have been enjoying them all this time because I like adventures and because the main characters are boys like me. Some types of curious boys like adventures. In the series of the Hardy Boys there are over 80 different mystery books full of adventures one can enjoy reading. It all started when they saw their father being transported to the hospital after landing with his private plane. Their father became mad after he was kidnapped and tortured by a gang of ex-convicts and then he was set free by a mysterious person. Searching for clues to their father’s kidnappers, Frank and Joe join a construction crew – a gang of ex-convicts who will stop at nothing to prevent them from learning the secret of the Spiral Bridge. They had had several attempts on their lives from different people in different places during their investigation. They became to know about mysterious people whom worked in the construction crew. They tried to kill them during a run by some of the workers as they ran for their lives through the tangled undergrowth. Three of the workers while running with revolvers were shouting â€Å" Stop, or we’ll shoot †. For their fortune one of them had found a waterfall. Seconds later they burst through the thundering cascade. Sucking in lungfuls of air, the boys sank beneath the surface. How long could they hold out†¦? This all finishes in a sort of cave made by the kidnappers, in which they hid their father and tortured him. The characters I enjoyed most were Joe and his brother Frank. They were very keen detectives who tried to do everything to find the mystery of their father’s kidnapping.

The Main Outcomes of the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Industrial Rev

The Main Outcomes of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on society. The major effects were socially and economically. It is rather difficult to date the start of the industrial revolution but history books of today suggest the onset during the 18th century. The change from agriculture to industry was vast and it must be remembered that England was the first country to undergo this profound change. The initial effect on engineering industries arising at the start of the Industrial Revolution were due partly to the geographical location of the resources i.e. coal iron and water. The inventiveness of our ancestors in these as well as other industries such as textiles chemical electrical and transportation contributed greatly to the Industrial Revolution. The first two of these coal and iron provided the capital infrastructure and options for future development, whilst textiles supported and encouraged developments. Coal was originally mined by small group’s even families, using the long wall system. * SEE DIA 1. This technique was changed dramatically with the invention of the Commen engine. * SEE DIA 2. (named after its inventor THOMAS NEWCOMMEN) This was a pump that pumped the water out of coalmines allowing deeper more productive mines to be worked by more people. [This in turn had effects on the production of iron] In the early 1700s iron was produced by burning vast quantities of wood. The production techniques were crude. Technology had already provided machines like the newcommen engine; this pumping device allowed ABRAHAM DARBY II to fill a millpond to power a water wheel for a blast furnace. This enabled the production of better quality pig iron. This technique provided the iron for the manufacture of one of the major symbols of the industrial revolution the Ironbridge over the river seven. * SEE DIA 3. A water wheel also played a major part in one of the first inventions within the textile industry. RICHARD ARKWRIGHT invented the water frame for spinning (1769) this device was used by local man JEDEDIAH STRUTT in a mill at Cromford. The changes within the textile industry from wool to cotton called for more and more mechanisation. The mechanisation of the industry also led the setting up of the first factories; some of the first major mechanical devices were to be used in these factories. Such as JOH... ...820 employers organisations registered, they mainly dealt with wage bargaining and labour questioning in general. A forum was created for the exchange of technical ideas and development. Pressure groups encouraged favourable legislation. In today’s industry, employers’ organisations fall into two categories: 1. Those concerned with the common interest of a particular trade or technology. The engineering employers federation in London co-ordinates the engineering employers association, this operates at local level and is largely concerned with wage bargaining and representing engineering employers interests locally and nationally. 2. General groups of employers, for example, the confederation of British industry, this balances the role of the TUC this also acts as a pressure group encouraging favourable government response to the requirements of British industry at home and abroad. There are also technical development associations, providing a forum for technical exchange, carrying out fundamental research on behalf of their member companies, one of these being the copper development association (C.D.A.). and the motor industry research association (M.I.R.A.).

Look at the role of the manager in motivating staff in the care setting that I work for, which is a residential children’s home Essay

This essay will look at the role of the manager in motivating staff in the care setting that I work for, which is a residential children’s home. It will look at different methods of motivation that the manager can use and also the way the manager uses it. The way that they use it will depend on the type of manager they are as they could be either a theory x or y type, as defined by D Mcgregor 1960. For the purpose of this essay we will look at the line managers as they have most contact with staff. In order to run an effective home the manager needs to not only ensure that they have a sound structure in place to deal with the day to day running of the home but to also ensure that the staff are motivated to do the job. In respect of the day to day running of the home there will be set procedures in place, that will have to be adhered to by all of the residential homes within RCT in regards to budgets, the manner in which children are admitted, contact with other agencies and so on. Within the home there will be an officer in charge and then seniors. The seniors are your line managers and have the most contact with staff it is their responsibility to ensure that staff are happy in their work and to ensure that there are no problems. The officer in charge will be responsible overall for staff along with the rest of the procedures mentioned earlier. The way that the manager motivates their staff will vary depending on the type of manager in a particular home. If you have a line manager who is a theory x manager this can have an effect on staff as they may not feel able to talk to the manager about things and discussing things is vital in this particular job, as being able to talk about things that affect the children and yourself within the environment you work contributes enormously to the happiness of the children. And the ultimate aim in the home is to provide a stable home for the children. A theory X manager will believe that as individuals you need to be told what to do. This does not then allow for confidence within yourself in regards to your development within the job to develop, as you will worry about what they will think about your work .It would also result in you needing to check everything through with them before you make a decision. This can have long reaching affects as the manager is not always available and as staff you have to make daily decisions in regards to the children and their welfare. On the other hand a theory Y manager will believe that as individuals and as staff that you are capable of making decision for yourself this can lead to them passing on more responsibility to the staff for various tasks within the home. This is something that is dome successfully in beddau with staff having taken responsibility for a number of different things such as doing the weekly menu, ensuring that the training file is up to date, ensuring that the accident, missper and sanction books are updated regularly these along with a number of other tasks done by the staff singularly might not look much but as a whole they contribute greatly to the homes effectiveness. This also show staff that their capabilities are noted it also allows for staff development as you are gaining experience in a number of different aspects of the work done at the home which in itself is good for motivation. This is supported by Fredrick Hertzberg who says if you want someone to do a good job, â€Å"then give then a good job to do† it does not matter the size of the job but that the staff feel appreciated and valued and that you have belief in their abilities. Although financial and physical resources play a big part in the running of a home the greatest contribution is made by the human resources, i.e. staff this includes all members from the domestic to the officer in charge. If the staff are de-motivated for whatever reason then this has an effect on the smooth running of the home. The human relations school of management 1960/70’s support this as they say that workers take along with then a number of different things, ideas, knowledge, intelligence, experience, skills humour, expectations and beliefs. In order for these to be utilized effectively then the manager has to be aware of staffs strengths as well as their weaknesses. This can be achieved through supervision. If supervision is used correctly it can be a good motivator for staff. If done incorrectly it can result in further de-motivation. The way in which it is done will again depend on the type of manager. Supervision in itself is not a motivator but a hygiene factor get it right and it will stop your staff becoming ill. I.e. de- motivated. Get it wrong then you have problems as staff will become de-motivated which will result in then doing things wrong or not at all and this will have a detrimental effect on the home. Other hygiene factors that can have an effect on staff are the working conditions salary, interpersonal relations and company policies .As with the above they will not motivate the staff but help to improve the conditions that they work in. this will then lead to their lower needs being met, as defined by A marslow, in his pyramid of needs. He says that in order for a person to reach self-fulfillment they have to meet the different needs in their life as set out in the pyramid. Within the work situation the needs will be met through a number of different way as illustrated appendix1. Steers and porter 1991 suggest that the various organizational factors illustrated can be used to satisfy the different needs. Obviously outside of the jobs the needs will be met in a different way, to a certain degree. The aim of the supervision is to get the work done well, support staff and to encourage staff development .The three strands of supervision are inter wound if you are able to help staff develop by offering then support then this will lead to better work. If one strand of the supervision is weak then the rope is weak. Which could then lead to de- motivation instead of motivation as already mentioned. A good line manager during supervision will not only point out where you are going wrong but will look at what you have achieved in relation to your job no matter how small it might be, it could be something as simple as having picked up a mistake in one of the books which if not rectified could have had an effect on the children or it might be that you have handled a situation with one of the children that resulted in then not harming themselves. A theory X manager would not tell you that you had done well in that instance, as they would say it was your job to deal with such an incident. And even though that is the case, if you just thought like that when dealing with the incident the you would not be giving your all to the job. So for a line manager not only to recognize what you have done but also to make you aware that they recognize it is a huge motivator. The second strand which is support can be met in a number of ways during supervision and on a daily basis. Support can be something that needs to be given when an incident has occurred at the home as above or when something personal is affecting your work .The member of staff receiving support must be able to trust in their supervisor as this will make it easier for them to talk about what is affecting them will then lighten the burden. This trust and also friendship to a certain degree will again depend on the type of manager you have. A good supervisor will also recognize when they are not able to support you and be able to refer you to someone who can, be that another member of staff or possibly a counselling service. The third strand of supervision is staff development. This involves looking at not only the training needed by the member of staff but also at what training they have already achieved and how best to use that to the advantage of the home. In respect of training that is needed it is important to ensure that the member of staff understands why they need that training so that they do not feel inadequate. As if they are not told appropriately why they need it they may feel that the manager thinks of them as being inadequate in a certain area rather that looking at it as a way of developing and progressing within the job. The one that comes to mind for this is NVQ training many staff look on it as something that they have to do or they will lose their job, rather than something that will not only benefit then in the job they do now, but could also lead to job progression for them. If the manager is able to recognize a member of staff’s strengths due to training they have received in the past they need to capitalize on this by ensuring that the member of staff is able to use that training in the work place. It could be that they have training and an interest in a particular area which would not possibly have been an area that staff have been able to work in with the children before, such as outdoor pursuits. As before recognizing what someone is good at in its self is a motivator as is recognizing potential within that member of staff. If the manager is not able to recognize these strengths and weaknesses to a certain degree then they are not able to provide the member of staff with appropriate training to help them develop within the job. The member of staff will then start to question their abilities which in turn will have an effect on their work and motivation. In conclusion it has to be said that in order for the home to run effectively and smoothly to give the children a stable home as well as ensuring that their needs are met the staff and their needs are as important. The staff being happy at work comes down to how motivated they are if you have a staff that are well supported by the management and that they get training appropriate for them along with recognition than you will generally have a reasonably effective work force. The managers role in all of this is vital as they need to be looking at and addressing the issues around the above. How they will look at the above and deal with them will vary depending on the type of manager you have. John Harvey Jones said 1988. â€Å"Management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is an art not a science. Each of us approaches the problem from a different background, and each of us is dealing with a situation, and a different culture, and from a different starting point† For me this statement sums it up in that different people will deal with things in different ways because of different factors. Ultimately a manager or team leader who is able to listen to and appreciate their staff will have a much more motivated team than one who does not listen to consult with or appreciate their team. As a member of such a team I believe that as a staff that we respond to situations and changes that we face better due to the way in which our team leaders deal with things like supervision, which is in the mode of theory Y management. This then creates an effective home for the children to live at some where they can call home and some where those staff are happy to be.

Terry Scholarship Applicant

Terry Scholarship Applicants: Use this essay to discuss an experience demonstrating your leadership outside the classroom. ) Describe a significant setback, challenge or opportunity in your life and the impact that it has had on you. Dance has always been my passion. When I was undergoing some difficult problems in my life, I always turned back to dancing. For nine years I had been going to the same dance studio, Pointe & Plie, however, a couple of years ago the owner of the company had closed her dance studio and relocated to another city.I was devasted because I had grown to love the instructors and build a strong friendship with the girls there. After that I knew dance would never be the same. It wasn’t until a couple years later, that a opportunitity opened up at my church. One of my friends, Tess, had been wanting to start a Praise & Worship Dance Team. She was barely going to start the team, and she asked me if I could help her recruit more people and make routines.I was a bit hestiate because I hadn’t danced in a while, but she convinced me that through my years of experience, I could do it. I ended up adding five more girls to the team, and were able to perform numerous of times at our church. The dance team was doing magnificent, and with more experience, we started performing outside of our church, such as youth rallies, musicals, local events, and different churches. The girls had grown to love dance.The year was coming to an end, and we could not wait for what exciting performances and activites we could do the upcoming year. However, Tess, the captain of the dance team, was leaving to college. Some of the girls had gotten discouraged because they thought dancing was over, however, I was not going to repeat the same mistake. I took the iniative to pick the team up and continue the performances even after she left. We continued to practice, and each day we got better; we even were blessed to have more members to the dance team.And to th is day, we are still performing a different routine every month at our local church. We also have added a young dance team that run ages 9-14, they also perform with us to routines taught my myself and some of my friends. Through this experience, I learned to be a leader and to not loose faith in what your passion is. Dancing will never end for me. Eventhough, I have had some setbacks, I will continue doing what I love. I hope to one day inspire the people around me to not loose sight in your dream, even if things do not go as planned.