Symbolic paper 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Symbolic paper 3 - Essay Example However, symbolic interaction becomes more realistic when humans are able to interpret the actions of others by applying a meaning to the actions. George Herbert Mead discusses the notion of significant other (pg. 127) and the generalized other (pg. 128) as examples of symbols with which we interact. The individual self comes out of the experiences a person has had as a result of symbolic interactions and gestures presented by society. However, more central to his argument is the idea of the I and the me which are slightly different aspects of the self. The me is a production of the environment in which the person lives. It is created when the person acquires knowledge about society and the ways in which s/he relates to it. Things such as gender, age, socioeconomic position all become parts of the me and this created by how other individual respond to him/her. The I on the other hand, is the active persona of the individual which works within the parameters set by the me to interact with society. As a part of the formation of the self, the ideas of Cooley have to be considered important since his position on the looking glass self (pg. 129) is quite useful in many cases. According to Cooley, the looking glass self is created when a person judges him/herself unconsciously or consciously to be a certain way in terms of traits and personality. Then the person observes and views the reactions of others to understand how much of their own concept is true which in turn creates as well as evaluates a personal concept of the self. Of course a person can use disclaimers to present a different image of him/herself as discussed by Goffman (pg. 132), but his ideas on symbolic interaction are important not because of the idea of disclaimers but because of the idea that we may be called upon to play different roles in different situations. The idea of having a front stage where we interact with society or other

Developing service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing service - Assignment Example Focusing on this aspect, the report describes about how the various features of services can have an impact on the design and delivery of the proposed services. Besides, the report also analyses the proposed services on the basis of different service models and extended marketing mix strategies. The objective is thereby to understand that various aspects which needs to be considered in designing and developing the services at Derby Museum. How Would the Features of Services Affect the Design and Delivery of the Service and What Could Managers Do to Limit the Effects of These? The services provided by organisations are diverse in nature. They can determine the performance of organisations. However, designing and delivering of services relies on the features of services provided by an organisation (Pride & Ferrell, 2012). Since services are not physical, they are termed as intangible. Services cannot be touched and hence evaluating the quality of services becomes quite challenging to b e measured. The other feature of services is its perishable nature. It denotes that unlike goods, services cannot be warehoused for future purposes. Therefore, this feature of services can also be observed to have a deep impact on the overall performance of organisation. To be precise, as services are not perishable, it is hard for organisations to balance its supply and demand. Variability is the other vital feature of services (Wild, 2007). It is also known by heterogeneity which denotes that services provided by organisations are dependent on great variability being delivered by individual entities. The behaviour of people is quite challenging to control as it has been observed to fluctuate on a regular basis. Aspects such as work pressure, experience, knowledge and skills among other factors can further lead to variability of the services. Inseparability is the fourth feature of services. The creation of services is often observed as related with the consumption, unlike products and goods where production and consumptions occur at separate instances (Wild, 2007). As a result, in order to make intangible services more tangible for the customers, managers need to determine the way for effective service deliveries which can help to create a high degree of confidence among customers about the value of services. The tangibility of services arrives from profound personal interactions, clear communications and physical atmospheres where the business operates. Hence, maintaining a positive customer relationship, setting proper potentials and representing the organisation in acceptable manner by appropriate advent, approach and facilities can enhance the service quality for the proposed services of Derby museum (Fisk et al., 2008). Besides, managers of Derby museum can enhance customer satisfaction facilitating the involvement of consumers in the service delivery procedure. Regular communication with customers and frequent meetings can further help to establish ass urance towards providing quality assured and customer convenient services. In order to enhance customer satisfaction towards the offered services, the managers of Derby museum can focus on recognising the degree of personalisation required

Benefits of the Great Wall of China

Benefits of the Great Wall of China The Great Wall The text The Great Wall, by John Man, is about the worlds longest man made structure. Ranging from eastern to western China the length of the great wall remains unknown because the wall does not form a single continues line. There are several gaps and its been destroyed and rebuilt during different dynasties. Measurements vary between 2,694 and 6,000 kilometers from the western desert to the sea (Man, 5). The section that was built in the Ming Dynasty is about 25 feet tall and 16 feet wide. In Chinese, the symbol for wall is ambiguous; it can mean both Long City, and Long Walls. Construction of the Great Wall began around 214 BC and it was maintained until the 16th century. The Wall that was built in the Qin Dynasty is the most famous one because it was the first and oldest section that still remains today. The latest or the most current segment was built in the Ming Dynasty. There is much more to it than just a barrier; the wall itself contains fortresses, barracks, guard towers and beacon towers (Man, 5). Though the Great Wall is a national symbol of identity for the Chinese, the reason for its construction is commonly unknown. Most people believe that the wall was built to create protection from the barbarous nomads in northern China who were attacking them, but this was not the case. John Man in The Great Wall argues that the nomad attacks were a justification for the destruction of the tribes. The nomads were not the ones to initiate violence; it was the Chinese that provoked and attacked the nomads for land. The Wall was never the barrier it seemed or was claimed to be because nomads could still easily go over or through it while the Chinese empire ruled and influenced both side of the wall (Man, 8). So it was useless against the Mongols in the north. It was Chinese expansionism that eventually forced the evolution of pastoral nomadism and Chinese expansionism that created the threat (Man, 21). The construction of the wall served mutliple purposes. One, it defined spheres of interest, marking a frontier and confining the unruly nomad populations where they could eventually be turned into workers (Man, 8). Two, it was a way for ambitious leaders to flaunt their power and warn alien threats. The wall was first created when China was divided into three different states: the Zhou in the northern borderlands, the Qin in south and west, and the Yen in north and east. These rulers each built walls for protection from each other and to show that they were serious about ruling (Man, 23). In 221 B.C. Qin Huang conquered and unified all the states and symbolically demolished the inter-state walls. He then extended the remaining wall into the northern frontier for protection from an Xiongnu invasion (Great Wall). The wall eventually became Chinas main civic project, comparable in scope to the pyramids in Egypt, and construction continued until the last dynasty in the 16th century. One of the biggest advantages of the Great Wall was that it created a sense of identity for the Chinese. It portrayed their endurance and their economical and political power. Although it was functionally useless and took hundreds of years to complete, it worked as a symbol of authority and power in the eyes of Chinas opponents and enemies. It also isolated the nomadic tribes that lived in the northern side of the wall, forcing them to participate in barter and trade. One of the advantages of the great wall was this forced increase in commercial and trade. Scholar Jia Yi states, our markets beneath the Great Wall will surely swarm with the Xiongnuà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦When the Xiognu have developed craving for our rice, stew, barbecues and wine, this will have become their fatal weakness. Border Markets Thrived(60). The Wall also helped protect traders and administrators, which encouraged a merchant middle class in the western kingdoms, leading China to be richer than ever. While the empire was split in three different states, it was the nobles who were responsible for organizing a workforce for the construction of the walls. Peasants were forced to work on the wall by their nobles (Man, 23). People suffered from the forced labor it took to build the Great Wall, (Man, 123). It was estimated that during the construction of the wall, from 5th to 16th century, about 2-3 millions Chinese workers lost their lives (Great Wall). They didnt have a formal burial, the workers that died were sealed inside the wall as if they were born to support in weight both in life and in death. The workforce was divided into three different groups: soldiers, criminals, and ordinary people. Millions were called to work on the Wall, leaving their families and loved ones behind; even children had to join the workforce (Labor Force of Great Wall). The wall led to a large numbers of deaths and injuries during the years of its construction. It split up families and widowed many women. Not only did the wall have a negative effect on the citizens of the empire but it also had a negative impact on the nomads that lived on the northern side of the wall. It restricted their area of stay and the resources they had, limiting their amount of space for animals and restricting their travel to alternative trade or lands. This eventually led nomads to unify under the Mongolian Empire. The Mongolian Empire was led by emperor Genghis Khan, who organized raids and attacks on the Chinese Empire. The wall might have been a great authoritative representation, but it had an equally strong negative effect on the communities surrounding it. The wall that was built by the first emperor Qin was not sustainable; it was made of earth rather than stones, causing the wall to vanish over the years. Later dynasties would then rebuild it using earth, wood, or stones. Originally, the earth wall was made from was a mix of mud and local grass straws. The wall in north of Guyuan and in Yinchuan is the oldest original earth section. Later, lacking any efficient form of transportation for the materials, the workers would just adapt local resources. They would use rocks from nearby mountains or rammed earth from the plains. It wasnt until the later dynasties started expanding the walls to Hohhot and Beijing that carved stone began to be formally and universally used. Because of this patchwork of materials, some parts of the wall were made of chunks of flat, slate-like rock and ran along a hillside while others used bricks (Man, 8). During the Ming dynasties the walls were constructed using tiles, lime, and stone, which managed to last longer and be more effective (The Wall). Because the bricks were easier to carry compared to stones and earth, they made it easier for the workers to build the walls (The Wall). The stones were still used for the foundations since they could hold the walls weight better under different conditions. As years passed, people continued to acquire better resources and methods to construct the walls. The time and the location of the structure help determine the reasons behind the creation of the walls. It was built at a time where competition and power among the different states and regions was at its peak, different Emperors wanted to intimidate their respective enemies by showing them that they had the economic and political power necessary for this huge civic project. It was more of a symbol of their power rather than functionally protective as there was no real exterior threat to the dynasties. Even if there was, the nomads had no problem climbing or going through the wall. To them, the wall was not an obstacle. The Great Wall was built at a time where emperors wanted to flaunt their dominance to intimidate any potential enemy attacks. The great wall was am intimidating structure, a series of safe-houses for traders, a hugely extended barracks, a road for the transport of goods-and thus, as the second meaning of the symbol for great wall in Chinese implies, a very long city. Today the great wall is a representation of peace. A Tibetan said The Great Wall is a masterpiece containing the wisdom and diligence of all the peoples and nationalities of China. As the years passed, the wall became more redundant. Today the wall is a representation and symbol of China. The wall is no longer a barrier or a border but a pure symbol of a Chinese heritage. It attracts millions of people from all over the world who come to see the worlds largest structure. Useful in its time, today construction of the wall would create a dispute among United Nations. It would be even less functionally protective as a wall would not stop the intentions of any outside threat with the technology and weapons we have today. The Great Wall by John Man isnt the best literature Ive read, especially for this assignment. The most useful information I received for this assignment was in the introduction. The rest of the book focused more on the broader history of China and its dynasties. Even though it was interesting to learn about the different dynasties, it wasnt really related to our assignment and wasnt engagingly written. I felt like there was too much factual information for a reader to keep focused on the main idea. The author didnt have clear specific information about the wall. It was scattered all over different chapters without a clear organizing structure. It wouldve been better if he included more information on and of the people who built the walls, their lifestyle, and the conditions in which they worked in. He could have also included more information on the lifestyles of nomads and how the wall changed their traditional cultures.

Internal Co-op vs. External Co-op: Is There a Difference? :: Journalism Journalistic Essays

Internal Co-op vs. External Co-op: Is There a Difference? Paul Ethier, a 20-year-old middler entrepreneurship major at Northeastern University, stands at the Information Center in the Curry Student Center on a busy Friday afternoon. In freshly pressed khakis and a slate blue button down shirt, he smiles as he chats casually with one of his employees. Two floors above, Frank Grajales, a middler entrepreneurship and MIS major, sits at the scheduling desk, beside his employees, booking reservations for the student center meeting rooms. Besides the obvious, what do these students have in common? They both are co-op students employed by Northeastern University. The co-op department places students in co-ops with outside companies as well as in positions within Northeastern. According to Doreen Hodgkin, Senior Associate Dean for Administration in the Division of Cooperative Education, the university offers a variety of co-op jobs in most on campus departments. They range from jobs in the Registrar’s Office to the Admissions Office and Public Relations Department. There are also jobs in the Career Services Department as well as managerial positions and a co-op at WRBB, the campus radio station. There are only a few locations on campus, such as Lane Health Center, who do not hire co-op students for confidentiality purposes, Hodgkin said. Ethier manages the Information Center and Game Room in the student center. He oversees 26 work-study employees and his tasks range from hiring and scheduling employees to running staff meetings to managing game room revenues and organizing tournaments. He makes decisions on what games and programs to provide in the game room. Ethier said he was first attracted to the job because he enjoys arcade games and was looking for a managerial position. He thought the job would be a great way to combine his interests and to build his resume and did not think he could find a similar experience anywhere else. Grajales manages the scheduling desk in the Curry Student Center, which is a busy hub responsible for all activities going on in the student center. Grajales’ tasks include managing a work-study staff of 11, hiring and scheduling new employees, taking reservations for rooms and database entry. He also deals with and resolves conflicts with room reservations. â€Å"To some people, I’m sort of a figurehead,† said Grajales. Grajales first interviewed for a different position within the student center, but was offered the scheduling desk job instead. After speaking with his future manager he thought it seemed like a fun environment to work in, which proved true when he began working there.

Government Merit Systems

Elimination of Merit Systems For many reasons, merit based civil service systems have come under assault and yet at the same time have been hailed. Merit systems do however attempt and achieve many important objectives including ensuring that an effective workforce is attracted and maintained by providing protections against arbitrary termination and by attempting to avert politically influenced hiring and promotions. Notwithstanding, the way merit systems go about attracting a workforce and the varied protections against termination are the cause of antipathy. Many would agree that a better civil service system is needed. This better civil service system should reward good service and punish bad or mediocre service with dismissal or no promotion. Equally important, this new system has to have a process to hire quality employees quickly. However, this better system needs to have all the mechanisms that are in the current merit systems to protect against corruption. This paper argues in favor of eliminating both merit system protections and merit in hiring and promotions, while at the same time evaluating the various arguments against merit systems. In public administration literature, it is argued that in order for the bureaucracy to be both efficient and effective, it has to be staffed by tenured bureaucrats who feel relatively secure in their positions and receive adequate compensation. The bureaucracy attains its power from the experience of its workforce. Indeed, the bureaucracy is made up of â€Å"seasoned and knowledgeable ‘old hands'† who have molded relations with organizations and government itself (Kaufman 2001, 8-42). Therefore, if returning to a spoils system results in arbitrary terminations the bureaucracy would be robbed of the most experienced administrators who bestow effectiveness within an agency. An important point regarding the removal of protections against arbitrary terminations is made by Charles T. Goodsell who argues that removing protections causes an â€Å"Am I Next? † mindset to occur where employees agonize over the threat of termination and which in itself can result in diminished effectiveness (1998, 653-660). In a related way to the â€Å"Am I Next? † syndrome is a breakdown of the â€Å"politics administration dichotomy† where administrators fearing termination would only perform those duties to please the administration (Durant 1998, 643-653). Accordingly, a break down in the â€Å"politics administration dichotomy† would seem to some to signal an increase in corruption and overall unethical behavior. Corruption is one of the big factors for the creation and continuance of a merit system. Those opposed to removing merit factors cite the abuses that occurred in the nineteenth century prior to the Pendleton Act. Also, tenured civil servants are necessary to assure that political appointees obey the law† (Maranto 1998, 623-643). Speaking about this was a Washington journalist, who argued that it was tenured civil servants of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who blew the whistle during the Watergate scandal and for this purpose tenured civil servant are needed to serve alongside appointees (Maranto 1998, 623-643). However, Robert Maranto who is a proponent of a alternative systems, points out several occurrences where tenured civil servants and political appointees worked together, such as in the Department of Housing and Urban Development scandals during the Regan administration. Specifically, Maranto argues that when any organization, private or public is under investigation â€Å"it reacts by closing ranks to outsiders and shunning suspected whistle-blowers† (1998, 623-643). Using this rationale, it could appear that having no tenure protections is the same as having tenure protections with regard to whistle-blowing. Maranto furthers the argument of corruption stating that â€Å"regular rotation of some political officials as ‘in-and-outers' helps uncover scandals because incoming appointees are not tied to existing corrupt practices, can claim credit for ending them, are not as protective of organization reputation, and have sufficient political pull outside the organization to weather attacks of those within† (1998, 623-643). Indeed, as pointed out by Maranto, the scandals of Andrew Jackson's administration had actually begun under the previous administration and were uncovered by Jackson appointees. Another argument offered by Murray was that to cite the difficulties presidents Clinton, Bush (1st), Regan and Carter had in filling executive branch positions that required presidential appointments. His argument is that if an administration is unable to fill important political positions than it is doubtful an administration â€Å"will put much urgency in finding a nominee for positions currently filled by career bureaucrats† (1998, 70-677). His argument was meant to conclude that if there is a weak administration many positions will go unfilled and result in diminished effectiveness. Nonetheless, his argument against a spoils system citing a weak presidency is apt in arguing that there will not be a massive partisan termination following elections. Moreover, there have been several Supreme Court rul ings which prohibit hiring, promotion, termination and even the awarding of contracts based on politics. Eisenhart distinguishes between five categories of public sector employees: 1)full-time permanent employees protected by some form of civil service system; 2) at-will employees who can be fired at anytime for any reason so long as the reason is not illegal; 3) contractual employees; 4) temporary employees; and 5) independent contractors (Eisenhart 1998, 58-69). These five categories of employees within the public sector are covered by Supreme Court rulings. In 1976, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in Elrod v. Bums (427 U. S. 347) that it was unconstitutional for the newly elected Democratic Sheriff of Cook County to dismiss all employees who were hired under the previous Republican administration whose positions were not in policymaking areas where political loyalty would be required. Another ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court was in 1990, Rutan v. The Republican Party of Illinois (497 U. S. 62). The U. S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the Republican governor of Illinois to require applicants for hire, promotion, transfer and recall from layoff to obtain recognition from the Republican Party of Illinois prior to service. In 1996, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Rutan decision applied to temporary employees as well. For several reasons it is unlikely an administration would commence large scale terminations after each new election. Even with a return to a spoils system an administration would not introduce massive terminations of productive workers for several reasons. First, as Kernell and McDonald argue, â€Å"the new breed of office-holding politicians who entered Congress at the end of the nineteenth century saw greater electoral payoffs from providing direct services to their constituencies than from subsidizing local party organizations. Thus they eschewed patronage for the merit system† (Ruhil and Camoes 2003, 27-43). This reflects twenty-first century American society more than it did in the nineteenth century. Also, the expensiveness of mass terminations would prevent government from mass terminations of productive employees. As argued by Kellough and Osuna â€Å"turnover also holds the potential for enormous organizational costs, including the direct costs of hiring and training new employees as well as significant in direct costs associated with lower productivity levels from newer employees and opportunity costs from situations requiring more experienced workers to provide task assistance to new colleagues (Kellough and Osuna 1995, 58-68). Indeed, research by the Saratoga Institute proposed that the replacement cost of an employee is between one and two times the individual’s salary. In another study by the Keener-Tregoe Business Issues Research Group it was estimated that it costs approximately $134,000 to replace a human resource manager in the automotive industry (Selden & Moynihan 2000, 63-74). For this reason it is just unlikely that government would commence with large scale terminations as those who are against the spoils systems contend. Equally important it is extremely expensive to run a merit system and as a result a lot of poorer states and local governments just cannot continue with the expansive hiring, promotion and discharge protocols. For instance, in a local government in the state of Michigan written test were administered to six hundred applicants for just a few vacancies, and followed up with oral examinations for all those found qualified by the written exam. It is argued that such a process is â€Å"neither practical nor an efficient use of limited government resources† (Leidlein 1993, 391-392). As a result a lot of states and local governments have tweaked their own merit systems resulting in abandonment of some merit principles or abandoning the principles all together. This situation is exemplified by Jay M. Shafritz, who argues that there is a â€Å"nether world of public personnel administration† which often exists to circumvent the maze of merit systems (1974, 486-492). For instance, in both the city of New Haven, Connecticut and the state of Idaho the personnel systems there were so time consuming they begun hiring temporaries in an effort to speed the process (Jorgensen et al. 1996, 5-20). Moreover, in Florida, Georgia and Virginia merit principles have been removed and have resulted in efficient government activities. For example, in the state of Georgia, merit protections have been removed entirely for state civil servants hired after June 30, 1996; employees hired prior to July 1, 1996 are still covered by the traditional merit system protections. In the state of Florida, merit protections were removed for all state civil servants on May 14, 2001. The result is in both Georgia and Florida, â€Å"civil servants can be hired, promoted, disciplined and fired quickly and with relative impunity; they [civil servants] accrue no seniority and therefore have no bumping rights whatsoever† (Walters 2003, 34-80). Nonetheless, in regards to Florida’s new civil service system, Mark Neimeiser, from Council 79 for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees which represents most of the state’s rank-and-file employees states that: It [Florida’s new system] exposes state workers who enforce regulations and license businesses and professionals to the risk of retribution for pursuing cases against politically well-connected Floridians. Second, it leaves higher-salaried senior staff exposed to the whims of departmental budget cutters who, like a sports-team owner trying to meet a salary cap, might be tempted to off-load more senior, high-paid staff just to save money, regardless of what it means by way of institutional brain drain or employee morale (Walters 2003, 34-80). However, according to Walters it seems that their concerns are valid. He details how there are several former employees who blew the whistle and were terminated for political reasons, either because they took regulatory action against an ally of the governor or because they were Democrats. Notwithstanding, Walters does point out that â€Å"Depending on one's view of the spoils system and what it ought to deliver to whom, such stories are either shocking or just par for the political course and no different than stories that filter out of Albany, Springfield or Sacramento whenever there's a change of party, regardless of the civil service rules† (Walters 2003, 34-80). Nevertheless, Walters does point out that there is ample evidence showing that there was widespread removal of long time employees in various Florida agencies. Yet, he does note that most of the laid-off employees were given the option of taking other jobs in government. According to AFSCME, the jobs offered typically represented demotions in both rank and pay. For example, a group of employees in the Department of Business and Professional Regulation were terminated, then allowed to reapply for jobs paying 25 percent less (Walters 2003, 34-80). As pointed out previously, one of the necessary factors for retaining workers is relative job security. And as such if termination protections are removed, it is believed a large turnover in the bureaucracy would occur (Godsell 1998, 653-660). However, a study on turnover in state government which specifically studied the environmental, organizational, and individual factors for turnover found that one determinant that prevented large turnovers was pay increases and promotions (Selden & Moynihan 2000, 63-74). Charles W. Gossett conducted a survey in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice testing hypotheses on organizational loyalty, job mobility, and performance responsiveness between the workers covered by those hired after June 30, 1996 who has no civil service protections and those hired prior to July 1, 1996 whom still are covered by civil service protections (2003, 267-278). Some of Gossett's findings were that there were no substantial differences between the protected and un-protected civil servants in voluntary turnover and concern for the agency. However, Gossett's research did determine that un-protected workers are more willing to seek promotion within the agency and view themselves as needing to be more responsive to management because they feel they can be disciplined for any minor infractions (2003, 277). The purpose of this essay was to argue against and examine the arguments against eliminating merit systems. Given the importance of achieving an efficient and effective public workforce, it is essential to know whether eliminating merit protections and procedures will result into a more efficient and effective workforce. From the literature, it appears that the elimination of merit systems pose no horrific menace. Most of the arguments against removing merit factors, center on effectiveness and efficiency. The opponents argue that the removal of merit factors will result in hiring, promotion and termination based on political considerations. However, there are numerous federal laws, state laws and court decisions to protect every possible category of employee employed by government. Also, as evidenced in Georgia, non-protected workers tend to be more responsive to management which is good because it increases the effectiveness of executive leadership. For this purpose, chief executives are able to deliver on their promises. Getting rid of merit principles also allows government to hire qualified individuals quickly and cost effectively. Works Cited Durant, Robert F. 1998. Rethinking the unthinkable: A cautionary note. Administration & Society 29 (January): 643-653. Gossett, Charles W. 2003. The changing face of Georgia's merit system: results from an employee attitude survey in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Public Personnel Management 32 (Summer): 267-278. Hamilton, David K. 1999. The continuing judicial assault on patronage. Public Administration Review 59. (January): 54-62. Jorgensen, Lorna, Kelli Patton and W. David. 1996. Underground merit systems and the balance between service and compliance. Review of Public Personnel Administration 16 (Spring): 5-20. Kaufman, Herbert. 2001. Major players: Bureaucracies in American government. Public Administration Review 61. (January/February): 18-42. Leidlein, James E. 1993. In search of merit. Public Administration review 53 (July/August): 391-392. Maranto, Robert. 1998. Thinking the unthinkable in public administration: A case for spoils in the federal bureaucracy. Administration & Society 29 (January): 623-633. Ruhil, Anirudh V. S. and Pedro J. Camoes. 2003. What lies beneath: The political roots of state merit systems. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 13. (January): 27-43. Selden, Sally Coleman and Donald P. Moynihan. 2003. A model of voluntary turnover in state government. Review of Public Personnel 20 (Spring) 63-74. Walters, Jonathan. 2003. Civil service tsunami. Governing 16 (May): 34-40. ________. 1997a. Who needs civil service. Governing 10 (August): 17-21. West, William E. and Robert F. Durant. 2000. Merit, management, and neutral competence: Lessons from the U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, FY 1988-FY 1997. Public Administration Review 60 (March/April): 111-122. Cross-agency comparisons of quit rates in the Federal Service: Another look at the evidence Author: Kellough, J Edward; Osuna, Will Source: Review of Public Personnel Administration v15n4, (Fall 1995): p. 58-68 (Length: 11 pages) ISSN: 0734-371X Number: 01152472 Copyright: Copyright Institute of Public Affairs 1995 Shafritz, J. (1974). â€Å"The Cancer Eroding Public Personnel Professionalism. † Public Personnel Management 3, 3 : 486-492

Deviant Behaviour in the Civil Services Essay

The concern laid out a viable extraction of information that focuses on several nations outside the Commonwealth Caribbean and their history of administration together with the leading factors of deviance in the civil services. Criterion used to assess the intricacies of Public Maladministration and Bureaucratic Corruption includes: injustice, unreasonable delay, abuse of discretion, negligence, arrogance, disregarding morality, employing deception and justifying criminality, nepotism, bribes, fraud, and waste and abuse in government. Public Administration is â€Å"centrally concerned with the organization of government policies and programmes as well as the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct†. The field is complex in nature due to the various sub-fields such as organizational theory, statistics, policy analysis, human resources, ethics, and budgeting. Woodrow Wilson – 1887, defined Public Administration as â€Å"the detailed and systematic execution of public law†. Therefore, it is the government’s responsibility to take rational action and manage human and capital resources to attain its goals. Wilson is known to be the father of Public Administration. He wrote an article entitled â€Å"The Study of Administration†, and stated that â€Å"it is the object of administrative study to discover, first, what government can properly and successfully do, and, secondly, how it can do these proper things with the utmost possible efficiency and at the least possible cost either of money or of energy†. He also wrote in 1887 four concepts in which he believed: * â€Å"Separation of politics and administration * Comparative analysis of political and private organizations * Improving efficiency with business-like practices and attitudes toward daily operations * Improving the effectiveness of public service through management and by training civil servants, merit-based assessment† Deviance, when looked at sociologically, describes actions or behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules. (eg crime. Norms are rules and expectations by which members of society are guided. When there is a failure to conform to these norms and they are defied, it can be considered to be deviant behaviour. This is quite common in administrative systems around the globe. The political term maladministration however, is linked to the actions of government bodies that cause injustice. Comparative Public Administration lecturer Maukesh Basdeo, stated that â€Å" Public Maladmini stration can be interpreted as a perversion of power, extortion, discrimination, intentional misperformance or neglect of a recognized duty. He goes on affirming that â€Å" public maladministration is a term derived from a purely post-French Revolution Western notion of public office based on the theory of the administrative state, the bureaucratization of government, the separation of political and bureaucratic career structures, the professionalization of public service, and the idea of public servants as trustees of the common good†. The government according to lecture notes is a public trust that must be used in the general interest and not for the benefit of particular sectional interests. Since public officials are â€Å"servants of the people and not vice versa†, it is a necessity that such officials be dedicated, obedient, hardworking, loyal, honest, patient, respectful and must have the ability to represent the people. They must also be highly productive and efficient and should be appointed based on merit not ascription. â€Å"The Western World has accepted this public service ideology and has, with varying degrees of success, exported it to the rest of the world.

Record Contracts essays

Record Contracts essays I know everyone has heard the horror story of how TLC, once a supergroup at the pinnacle of their career, was heartbroken and astonished to learn that in the midst of their success they were broke. It is so easy to become so engrossed with the idea of fame, riches and superstardom that you neglect to ensure the most important part of you career is handled appropriately. Contracts, on any level, are extremely important as it relates to stipulating the specifics of a partnership. Reading contracts and understanding the language implied therein can be a tedious and migraine inducing experience. This is why it is so easy for record company executives to continually rob artists blind without them realizing whats transpiring. Nowadays it is important that artists educate themselves on the intricacies of the music business and understanding record contract basics prior to diving head first into shark infested waters. I hear artists say all the time that they dont care about the business side; all theyre concerned about is developing their talent and maintaining their artistic integrity. Artists get so caught up in the hype of making it that they lose sight of the fact that this is a business first. Record companies squander so much money on artists that never lived up to their initial billing that they strive each year to make a profit off of a few of the many gambles they make. Knowing this and also taking full advantage of the fact that artists are green to the inordinate amount of covert deception involved, they create an elaborate perception that the artist is rich and making a profit, when in reality they are in perpetually in debt to the label. When you take an artist that has been struggling to make ends meet, it is easy to exploit them by throwing around huge advances that have to be recouped by the label. Everything that is done for you by the label has to be recouped: wardrobe, ...

Free Essays on A King And His Queen

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21-23). The bond between a man and a woman represents something special, even dating back to the book of Genesis. The statues of King Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty radiate the strength and unity of this bond that is shared between a man and woman, husband and wife, and in this case, the king and queen. This statue seems to tell a very interesting story of devotion and affection the queen has for her king. He stands proudly before his audience ready to defend and protect her and his people in their life, as well as their after lives. The way that king Menkaure is standing with such presence shows that he was very confident in who he was. His fist and his hands are in the position of a strong warrior. The Queen is right beside him and very proud to be in the position of his lifelong partner and companion. The way Queen Khamerernebty is holding on to him portrays a lasting image. In some way she believes that it is humanly possible to pull from his strength and somehow become one with his power and spirit. The strong connection in their unity is a trait that even men and women today yearn and hope for. It seems as though the materials that they are carved from depict strength, stability, and durability. We know this from the fact that they have lasted from century to century with limited corrosion or heavy damage. Side by side the two of them stand, ready to take on whatever the world or the Dynasty for that matter has to throw at them. Together they stand tall, knowing that without the other, they are ultimately nothing. Fearing deep down that one day they will suffer a great loss, if by some chance one of their lives is terminated and the King and Queen’s physical union ... Free Essays on A King And His Queen Free Essays on A King And His Queen So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21-23). The bond between a man and a woman represents something special, even dating back to the book of Genesis. The statues of King Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty radiate the strength and unity of this bond that is shared between a man and woman, husband and wife, and in this case, the king and queen. This statue seems to tell a very interesting story of devotion and affection the queen has for her king. He stands proudly before his audience ready to defend and protect her and his people in their life, as well as their after lives. The way that king Menkaure is standing with such presence shows that he was very confident in who he was. His fist and his hands are in the position of a strong warrior. The Queen is right beside him and very proud to be in the position of his lifelong partner and companion. The way Queen Khamerernebty is holding on to him portrays a lasting image. In some way she believes that it is humanly possible to pull from his strength and somehow become one with his power and spirit. The strong connection in their unity is a trait that even men and women today yearn and hope for. It seems as though the materials that they are carved from depict strength, stability, and durability. We know this from the fact that they have lasted from century to century with limited corrosion or heavy damage. Side by side the two of them stand, ready to take on whatever the world or the Dynasty for that matter has to throw at them. Together they stand tall, knowing that without the other, they are ultimately nothing. Fearing deep down that one day they will suffer a great loss, if by some chance one of their lives is terminated and the King and Queen’s physical union ...

Story vs. Plot Definitive Differences Between Them - Freewrite Store

Story vs. Plot Definitive Differences Between Them - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Jackie Dever, associate editor at  Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California.    One afternoon a few years back, as I was rowing merrily down my stream of consciousness, a big ol’ rock appeared through the mist, rearing up so fast there wasn’t time to navigate around. My paper boat crashed and crumpled, leaving the SS Plotin a disintegrating, broken mess on the Great Story River. In this personal test of story vs plot, the latter came out a wreck. Even as the events leading to the story’s conclusion continued to flow past that damned rock, my unstable craft just couldn’t get around the monolith. Reckoning with the nature of imagination can be intimidating. But half the battle is understanding the elements. Aren’t story and plot synonymous, though? Can’t we count on those items for automatic symbiosis, happily married in a thrilling rush of prose? Well†¦nope. What’s the Difference Between Story and Plot? A story is the requisite timeline of events present in any narrative. No story? No novel. Because any novel, however abstract must report events of some kind. A plot expresses rationale and informs the reader why a specific list of events belongs together, what the timeline is ultimately meant to communicate. The classic example by E. M. Forster in his collected lectures, Aspects of the Novel, still says it best: â€Å"‘The king died and then the queen died’ is a story. ‘The king died, and then the queen died of grief’ is a plot.† When reading a story, Forster explains, we wonder â€Å"and then?† When evaluating a plot, we ask â€Å"why?† (PaweÅ‚ Furman) These questions sometimes fire up in the same breath, so understanding their separate sources is tricky. But as naturally as the components may appear to support each other, it’s really an author’s skill that makes them seem that way. Which means that whenever I or you or Stephen King sit down to write, we’ve got to manage both. We’ve got to keep readers engrossed in a pattern of wonderful wondering about what next? and why? for as long as we want their attention. How Plot Supports Story Nobody wants to keep asking infinitely â€Å"and then? And then? Annnnd thennn?† We’re nosy creatures; we need to know why. Unfortunately, when plot is missing from or accidentally discordant to story, the real question on a reader’s mind is â€Å"huh?† Plot delivers the nifty tricks that reassure us there’s a point to storytelling. Plot sets up the cause and effect that gives readers a sense of rightness in the story’s conclusion. The same story can be plotted in multiple ways: The king died, and then the queen died avenging him in battle. The king died, and then the queen died from the communicable disease he had spread to her when he spoke his final words close to her face. The king died, and then the queen, eager to free the lover whom the king had jealously locked in the dungeon, slipped on an icy cobblestone and died.    How Where You Begin Helps Determine Where You’ll End Up On each new fiction project, I draw broad inspiration from either a story-focused or a plot-focused angle. Both starting points have their benefits and their challenges. Starting with Story When a story inspires me, I formulate a series of events that leads to a fixed conclusion. I may not know precisely my characters’ motivations or the logic in their decisions, but I can envision the stops they’ll make along their trip. In other words, I’ll know that the queen’s death follows the king’s. The relationship between the events? To be determined. It can be a big relief to sort story out first. When I have the comfort of parameters, I can train myself to a tangible goal. And I enjoy the intellectual exercise of connecting events in a believable sequence. Still, there’s always a catch.   Even with an endpoint clear to me, I need strong supporting evidence (i.e., an effective plot) to justify my events. A few years ago, I decided to write a story about a man who sells a cottage on the beach for the sum of one penny. I savored each of the scenes I created, but in the end, I had only a weakly conceived fairy tale. The imaginative verve delighted me, but no matter how I maneuvered, I was unable to match the plot to the currents of the story. Wipeout. Starting with Plot When a plot stirs my creative juices, I know characters’ feelings and intentions. I take on my writing like a righteous but undirected college kid- searching, motivated, assured of core values and reasons, but clueless as to where the hell I’m going to end up. I’m less concerned, in fact, with where I end up than with why I end up there, so the itinerary is subject to change. Not all who wander are lost. I enjoy making narrative progress along such an organic route. Plotting my way into a story lets me be guided by emotional responses, not by a sightseer’s list of stops. I careen over waterfalls on the strength of my anger, hilarity, or wild joy. And when that passionate feeling is synchronized with the story, I praise my muses and trust the currents. But when I let emotional connections alone be my guide, I begin to wish I’d made some reservations or at least studied the map before heading out. It always sounds noble to speed off for adventure, rely on instincts to take me where I need to be. The reality hits only once I’m shivering in the rain and have no idea where I can pull ashore for the evening. Although too much predictability is stifling, it’s frustrating to lose my mental compass entirely. There’s No Wrong Way to Start It’s hard to classify any real-life creative burst quite as strictly as I’ve done above. Flashes of  both elements are usually blended in that aha! moment. But understanding the elements of each- and how they affect the writing process- is always what prepares me for the excursion ahead. Will I need to focus extensively on my characters’ whys and wherefores to guide my plot? Or will I do better to ensure that their motivations can be satisfied by the events I allow them to experience? We all write differently. As we commit to our writing practice, patterns emerge in our process and style. I happen to be a story-focused writer. Moving the plot from one moment to the next, validating my story with a logical core, is my primary struggle. (Toa Heftiba) Whatever our personal tendencies, though, recognizing  the connected-yet-distinctive elements reminds us all that we can, if necessary, experiment. You may attempt to match several stories with an intriguing plot before everything falls in place. Or you may decide to remain patient with a great story whose plot lacks the sturdiness to carry you through, search the banks of the river for a new entry point, a more fitting course. It’s okay to take apart and rearrange, to radically transplant ideas. That constant reconfiguration is the source of diverse and sparkling literature, even as the same themes repeat themselves through the ages. The love and the death, the surprise, the resignation, the magic. None of these will ever grow trite when there’s such a big world to experience and so many ways to communicate the timeless ideas. I’ll approach the many crisscrossed rivers of my fiction from a thousand angles, strapping on mechanical wings for an aerial perspective or poking down a parallel back road in a coughing Model T. Wherever (and however) we roam, may we all learn to appreciate the view.    We'd love to hear your  thoughts of the differences in the comments!      Jackie Dever is an editor and writer in Southern California. She has edited blogs, corporate materials, academic texts, novels, and biographies. She is an associate editor at  Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California. She recently finished proofreading the 2017 San Diego Book Award–winning memoir  A Few Minor Adjustments  (September 2017) by Cherie Kephart. She blogs about writing and publishing, millennial lifestyle trends, and outdoor sports.

Personal aspect management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal aspect management - Essay Example In the organizational context, influencing implies commitment to the desired result enough to spend needed energy to achieve it. The concept of influencing is connected with commitment defined as a state of being in which employees become bound to a particular actions by a belief system that sustains those actions and their own involvement. In many situations (conflicts, disputes and decision-making) influencing is important as an instrument to achieve some preconceived state or desire (Fabian 54). It arises out of a felt need (important enough to cause use of energy) and a mechanism (the control over resources needed by others) that allows for possible improvement of that need. According to Beardwell et al (2001) the power sources include legitimate, expert, reward, coercive, referent. These sources of power are intentional and instrumental in its use. Leaders and managers activate them only as they value the possible outcome sufficiently to expend needed energy in power action. The process of persuading employees is based on argumentation and reasoning. Persuading process can be explained as a relationship in which an employee independently weighs reasons another person. Armstrong (2001) underlines that persuading is central to man's continuing concern for administration and organization. How people organize and relate to each other to get planned goals accomplished is central to organization and administrative theory. The overreaching problem of organization life is securing follower compliance. This compliance comes without losing the long-term amicable relationship between the person desiring compliance and the person whose behavior change we seek. And this must be done with an eye on conserving scarce resources. Influencing and persuading allows management to guide employees and customers, their actions and preferences (Austin, Pinkleton 38). Influence and persuasion are commonly exhibited through orders the managers issue to someone subordinate to them. They can be seen as coercive resource employees get by virtue of authority grants from those above and below us in the social structure. It is often logical, reasoned, legitimate, and systematic in its application and use (Barham, Conway 45). A number of studies have demonstrated that situational factors moderate the attitude-behavior relationship. Individuals differ profoundly in their use of persuasive message strategies. Certain people consistently employ manipulation and deceit, whereas others eschew these tactics. Some people use emotional appeals, whereas others resort to threat. Research has examined individual differences in compliance-gaining attempts to determine the impact that personality and demographic factors exert on message strategy selection. First, participants in the various studies are probably more mindful and self-conscious about their message strategy selections than are communicators in the real world By asking respondents to respond to a series of hypothetical scenarios or to construct a persuasive message, researchers found that respondents reflected on their persuasion behavior (Hannagan 49-52). In the workplace, supervisors who clearly identify the performance expectations of their subordinates and inform them of their degree of conformance to the stated requirements may be providing their subordinates with feelings of control and reducing their feelings of uncertainty. Employees who know that they are acting

SmartTool Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SmartTool Inc - Essay Example Doug has been taking high risks in business especially in bagging orders that cannot be delivered readily using the core competencies of the organization. Such orders would either require structured R&D mechanisms, or else uncontrolled costs in trial & errors. The findings of Elwood pertaining to a loss of $190000 on seven projects pertaining to 3D dies present the objective evidence against this conclusion. Also, the company took the route to ISO 9000 certification while the processes in a mess and were not automated. In this scenario, the certification doesn’t qualify the organization to have an efficient QMS system. Overall, Doug is competent to start a business and run it till enough cash is generated but his money management skills were not adequate. From the gravy stamping job, SmartTools achieved financial flexibility which means there was surplus cash for self-funding of the working capital. Doug could have made the company debt free but instead preferred to expand int o areas that were lesser known to SmartTools thus increasing risk of uncertainty in order processing.Doug was technology savvy person and he wanted to expand the technology horizon and competency of the organization. He did not value the value of self-reliance thus ensuring operating profitability. Moreover, he was poor in handling working capitals efficiently for the growth of the organization. He kept on realizing more and more working capital loans from the Bank and losing profits and cash in the backend. He along with Janet tried to cover up the slumping profitability by inducing the accounting discrepancies detailed below and in this process risked the wealth of the shareholders as well as serious legal issues that could have put both Doug and Eb behind bars. Accounting Issues Operationally, Doug and Eb didn’t manage the accounting system properly. Given the requirements of section 404 of Sarbanes Oxley, spreadsheets with macros cannot

Discuss the definition and Sources of Christain Theology and how is Essay

Discuss the definition and Sources of Christain Theology and how is Systematic Theology related to Christain Ethics - Essay Example 578). The word theology is made up of two words that have a Greek origin: theosthat means God whereas logos means study. In brief, theology is the study that is aiming at knowing more about God. Systematic has a Greek origin; synistemimeaning to comprehend or in other word to organize. Therefore, systematic theology is the organization of the information about God (Webster, Tanner & Torrance 2007, p. 648). Systematic theology integrates many aspects of historical, biblical and philosophical theology. The aim of the systematic theology is to get clear knowledge of the Biblical teachings towards particular doctrines (McGrath 2001, p. 115). The theological disciplines that are in relation to the systematic theology are historical theology, apologetic theory, practical theology, exegetical theology, biblical theology and practical theology. Apologetical Theology deals with the questions arising from the Christian faith. The many questions that arise from the apologetics one being, how can they know if Christianity is right? Through a clear understanding of Christian apologetics, one can defend Christianity. The fact that the years use Before Christ (BC) and After Christ (AC) is a hint to show that Christ existed. It makes the Christian faith real (Grenz & Placher 2003, p. 283). The main agenda of the apologetics is to build a foundation that has the facts of theism. Through the systematic theology, one can gather the facts and organize them as evidence towards defending the Christian faith. It is a discipline that is focusing mainly on what the text says. It is an extensive subject that has several sub-disciplines. These are biblical languages, canonic, Biblical history and archaeology, textual criticism, exegesis proper and hermeneutics. Canonic discipline focuses on the 66 books of the Holy Bible where the New Testament has 27 books, and the Old Testament has

Sir Edward Lutyens Background and analysis of the work of this 20th Essay

Sir Edward Lutyens Background and analysis of the work of this 20th Century Architect - Essay Example Lutyens was responsible for many notable buildings. He designed the Art Gallery in Johannesburg, the British Embassy in Washington, both Oxford and Cambridge University buildings and the Irish National War Memorial in Dublin, among many others. He quickly demonstrated a mastery of Baroque architecture, often embracing classical styles of design as well as the design of New Delhi. Many of his works can still be visited today. The 19th and 20th centuries were a part of a very important era in architecture. One of the great architects of today use the works that were created during this era as inspiration for their own work. Many of the buildings that are seen through out America as well as other countries comes from the influence that this era has had on architecture as a whole. One of these very influential architects that are so often used for inspiration today is Sir Edwin Lutyens. He is often noted for this his contribution to building design for his and other eras to come. Sir Edwin Lutyens was a prominent architect of the late 19th and early 20th century. In fact, he may have been one of the most important English architects of the early twentieth century. He was influenced greatly by traditional styles and building methods. Sir Edward Lutyens was brought up by bohemian parents in the village of Thursley, West Surrey. As a child, Lutyens was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and was not able to attend school or to play with the other children. It could be argued that this is one reason for his fascination with children. At the age of 16, in 1885, Lutyens was enrolled at the Royal College of Art to study architecture. He later studied Architecture at South Kensington School of Art, London from 1885 to 1887. After college he joined the Ernest George and Harold Ainsworth Peto architectural practice. In 1889, at the age of 20, he set up an independent practice in London. He initially built his practice designing houses for the villagers who couldn't afford estate homes. His first commission was a private house at Crooksbury, Farnham, Surrey. Lutyens was often described as a whimsical person who was often very playful, even on solemn occasions. He was also seen as a passionate advocate for the state of "childhood". In dedication to this passion, as one of his 20th century works, Lutyens proposed a circular nursery for a client's home because he felt that only such a shape could ensure that no child would ever be made to stand in the corner. He often used circular shapes in his architecture as a sign of equality in society. In addition to his own works, Lutyens contributed to another childhood icon by creating the fairy-tale characters Nana, the governess dog and the ticking crocodile in the Peter Pan tale. Lutyens' talent was publicly recognized with his election as Associate of the Royal Academy in 1913. Five years later, on New Years Day 1918, he was knighted in recognition of his work in Delhi and for his free services to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. In 1921, Lutyens was awarded

The crime control methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The crime control methods - Research Paper Example According to the research findings since police initiated computerized crime analysis, identification of crime trends in the cities is significantly easy. Police use accuracy of computers to focus patrol resources on times and places that crime do take place. As Lawrence portrays in his work, if there is more patrol on at â€Å"hot spots† and â€Å"hot times† of criminal commotions, there would be less occurrence of crime at those places. When police have an idea of where certain criminals hood and engage in illegal drug, it would be more effective than just wandering about looking for criminals. This introduces the emergence of hot spots policing traced from improvement of computerized mapping and database technologies that deals with criminals who illegally possess guns and those involved in illegal drug business as Weisburd and Braga found. Directed patrol reduces gun crime. Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) tried out this method and results were welcoming. They a pplied directed patrol method in two police districts, which had occurrences of violent crime. These crimes included illegal possession of guns and drugs trafficking amongst many others as indicated in report done by Edmund, Steven and Alexander. Deferred sentencing refers to a sentence postponed for a certain period as a guilty drug offender undergoes probation. Shouse Law Group observes that nonviolent drug offenders benefit a lot from treatment and education as compared to jail and criminal record. This method is effective in rehabilitating the offenders. While on probation, the drug offenders undergo regular treatment and this makes them show health improvement. Instead of subjecting drug offenders to harsh treatment in jail, deferred sentencing is an alternative that proves to be more effective. Chemical Castration for Sex offenders as a Crime Control Method There are many sex offenders that exist all over the world. They include among other rapists, pedophiles and exhibitionis ts. Other offenders are individuals that molest children. Such people commit a shameful sex offence and surprisingly, the number of these individuals is enormously large. Their crime inflict fear into the general public and a real threat to them those who live in the neighborhood. Chemical castration is all about administering Depo-Provera that reduces the level of the hormone testosterone. As a result, recidivism rate falls. It is an alternative punishment to pedophiles rather than taking them to prison where they might sneak out and go scot free. Considering sex crimes that men impose on women and children, chemical castration is an ideal form of punishment even though some may complain it is a cruel mode of punishment. Student Behavior Modification Program as a Crime Control Method It is a clear fact that students involve themselves in criminal offenses of different categories. The crimes they commit portray an appalling picture of them to the general public. They become a proble m to police and a threat to vulnerable individuals who cannot tolerate any kinds of mischievous behavior. However, existence of schools where these students study is an

Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Christianity - Essay Example 2. Why were the Romans initially threatened by Christianity? The Romans were initially threatened by Christianity because leaders who stood and believed in the status quo did not encourage any shift of power from one social group to another. In fact, a shift in power would amount to quite big problems; it all boiled down to money. Without enough people to make sacrifices at the temple, people who worked in temples and made money as money changers in the temples did not make money off to Christians, who refused to participate due to the new wave of thinking brought in by Christianity. Christians were viewed as overly exclusive and hence, dangerous to the society in general and public order. Christians had no respect for other gods and they therefore refrained from public festivals that were meant to honor public deities. In fact, they never worshiped state gods and the imperial cult. They neither worshipped nor recognized the emperor as the leader of religion. This turned out to be un fortunate for the Romans, who wanted to stay powerful. Therefore, they were treated with suspicion and regarded as stubborn and somewhat subversive to the State solidarity. 3. What do the world-views of Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism have in common? How are they different? Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism share many common elements. ... This means that both Christianity and Greco-Roman humanism had several things in common and maintained differences at the same too. 4. Explain the importance of these individuals: 1- Saint Paul: Saint Paul was important because he was one of the Apostles of Christ. Initially, Paul was a persecutor of Christians who got converted while on his way to Damascus (the Lord converted him from Saul to a Roman name Paul) thus becoming one of the greatest Christian missionaries. He traveled far and wide within Greece and other places in order to spread the Gospel, ultimately shaping the way we understand the Bible today. 2- The Bishop of Rome: The Bishop of Rome was very important because he made important decisions regarding Christianity-before Christianity in Europe was split into the warring factions of Protestantism with Martin Luther and Rome’s Catholicism. The Bishop of Rome rose to a position of preeminence in the hierarchical structure of the church to be identified as the leade r of the church. 3- Saint Augustine: Saint Augustine was the first archbishop of the church of Canterbury. He was also a writer, rhetorician, and devout Christian whose writings upon several topics regarding faith were highly-regarded in the Christian faith. St. Augustine’s works are respected by both Protestants and Catholics alike. 5. What was monasticism and why was it important to the people of this period and to Western Civilization in general? Do monastic communities still exist? Explain. Monasticism was a form of asceticism practiced by Protestant, Christian, and Orthodox monks (men) and nuns (women). In a gender-neutral term they are known as â€Å"monastics†. The Monastics lived alone in the

The crime control methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The crime control methods - Research Paper Example According to the research findings since police initiated computerized crime analysis, identification of crime trends in the cities is significantly easy. Police use accuracy of computers to focus patrol resources on times and places that crime do take place. As Lawrence portrays in his work, if there is more patrol on at â€Å"hot spots† and â€Å"hot times† of criminal commotions, there would be less occurrence of crime at those places. When police have an idea of where certain criminals hood and engage in illegal drug, it would be more effective than just wandering about looking for criminals. This introduces the emergence of hot spots policing traced from improvement of computerized mapping and database technologies that deals with criminals who illegally possess guns and those involved in illegal drug business as Weisburd and Braga found. Directed patrol reduces gun crime. Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) tried out this method and results were welcoming. They a pplied directed patrol method in two police districts, which had occurrences of violent crime. These crimes included illegal possession of guns and drugs trafficking amongst many others as indicated in report done by Edmund, Steven and Alexander. Deferred sentencing refers to a sentence postponed for a certain period as a guilty drug offender undergoes probation. Shouse Law Group observes that nonviolent drug offenders benefit a lot from treatment and education as compared to jail and criminal record. This method is effective in rehabilitating the offenders. While on probation, the drug offenders undergo regular treatment and this makes them show health improvement. Instead of subjecting drug offenders to harsh treatment in jail, deferred sentencing is an alternative that proves to be more effective. Chemical Castration for Sex offenders as a Crime Control Method There are many sex offenders that exist all over the world. They include among other rapists, pedophiles and exhibitionis ts. Other offenders are individuals that molest children. Such people commit a shameful sex offence and surprisingly, the number of these individuals is enormously large. Their crime inflict fear into the general public and a real threat to them those who live in the neighborhood. Chemical castration is all about administering Depo-Provera that reduces the level of the hormone testosterone. As a result, recidivism rate falls. It is an alternative punishment to pedophiles rather than taking them to prison where they might sneak out and go scot free. Considering sex crimes that men impose on women and children, chemical castration is an ideal form of punishment even though some may complain it is a cruel mode of punishment. Student Behavior Modification Program as a Crime Control Method It is a clear fact that students involve themselves in criminal offenses of different categories. The crimes they commit portray an appalling picture of them to the general public. They become a proble m to police and a threat to vulnerable individuals who cannot tolerate any kinds of mischievous behavior. However, existence of schools where these students study is an

The Impossible Budget Deficit Essay Example for Free

The Impossible Budget Deficit Essay In his article, â€Å"Trouble, Trouble, Debt, and Bubble,† Tabb (2006) writes that the United States is importing far more than it is exporting.   The high consumption of the United States is due mainly to the reason that the rich people of the country must maintain their upper class status and high standards of living.   But the country is not earning enough to support its expenditure.   At one time or another, the United States would also become unable to pay the interest on the foreign debt that it is using today to maintain its high consumption.    The country may become bankrupt at such time, and the rest of the world would suffer because it would not have the United States to buy its goods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the author’s analysis makes sense, I would not blame the upper class consumer in particular for maintaining high consumption.   I believe that the capitalist or the industry of the United States is equally responsible.   The author also mentions the relation of the U.S. dollar’s value to the global economy.   A decrease in the demand for U.S. dollars can lead to a depreciation of the value of the currency with respect to another country’s currency.   Indeed, the fall of the U.S. dollar would turn out to be a curse for the global economy, although it may benefit the U.S. economy for some time (Tabb).    By making U.S. exports cheaper to other countries, it would increase the aggregate demand for U.S. goods which would in turn give the United States the income that it needs to fuel high consumption.   The United States can hope to reduce its current account deficit and trade deficit through the decline of the dollar, for it is obvious that making U.S. goods and services cheaper to foreign importers may very well increase the aggregate demand of U.S. goods and services, thereby fueling the growth of the U.S. economy.   Still, the benefits to the U.S. economy may eventually be offset by a fall in the aggregate supply of foreign goods into the U.S. market, seeing as foreign nations would stand to lose by selling to the U.S. consumer market and facing a reduced dollar value in return.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tabb does not offer real solutions to the problem that the U.S. economy is facing at present.   All the same, it is obvious that the entire global economy is in danger because of the troubles facing the United States economy.   Thus, Tabb’s article offers food for serious thought.   It is mind-boggling, yet essential to reflect on. References Tabb, W. T. (2006). â€Å"Trouble, Trouble, Debt, and Bubble.† Monthly Review, Vol. 58, Number 1. Retrieved Nov 25, 2007 from http://www.monthlyreview.org/0506tabb.htm.

Looking At The Ethical Issues Raised In Research Social Work Essay

Looking At The Ethical Issues Raised In Research Social Work Essay Political and ethical values have great impact on Social Sciences. While conducting research, the researcher should always be aware of those issues that may arise during time of the research process. Ethics in social research means linking individual responsibility to broader moral principles and to professional codes of conduct. Research ethics helps: to maintain the profession integrity, maintain the standards that have been set already; protects the reputation of good research; acknowledges research context; seeks funding and approval for ethical research (Z, Oleary, 2004 p42). Thus, power, politics and ethics should be analysed thoroughly by the researchers during the research process. Harm to participants: social researchers should try to minimize disturbances to both subjects and subjects relationship with their environment. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality of the participants are vital things in the research process. Researchers should be fully aware of data protection act 1998 and be recorded accordingly. Informed consent: individuals should be powered to make free decisions and be given all the information needed to make good decisions. Researchers should explain about the research including who is undertaking and financing, and why it is being undertaken and how it is to be promoted. Invasion of privacy: the anonymity and privacy of those who participates in the research process should be respected. Deception: The involvement of research participants must be entirely voluntary. If the participants do not understand fully or remember, they might not do what is expected or withdraw due to misunderstandings. Thus, participants should be empowered by full information along with the nature of the research. Indeed, it protects participants as well as researchers.(Bryman, A, 2008, p118-129) Similarly, professional practice and ethical standards should be maintained during the process of research by choosing relevant research methodology. Likewise, reporting should be accurate, fabrication and falsification of data are considered as misconduct and interpretation of the data should be according to the general methodological standards. Furthermore, the researcher- researcher relationship should be maintained by not misusing the authority or role given and researchers should not list authors in their report without their permission. The research in fact should be guided by the accepted ethical standards(S, Sarantakos, 1998, p20-25). Meanwhile, the political dimensions of the research should also be maintained during the research process in order to avoid biasness. Likewise, the political consideration of research includes the issues of outsider pressures, researchers own political position, the applicability of research findings and use of them by those who are in power, choice of research topic and research procedures, sponsors influence, funding bodies and governmental policy towards social science research (Bryman A, 2008, p131), as well as credibility of findings all should be considered throughout the research process.(S, Sarantakos,1998, p27-29) Two empirical research studies have been selected and analysed from political and ethical point of view .Those studies are : (1) Factors That Predicts How women Label Their Own Childhood Sexual Abuse, and (2)Family Environment in Hispanic College Females with a history of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Both journals are derived from the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, vol 15(2) 2006 and; vol 16 (3) 2007 respectively. In both studies, all participants are females. Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a private crime, enshrouded in the Syndrome of secrecy (Furnish, 1991, p22). Ones personal appraisal of sexual abuse may depend on societal definitions that recognize extreme behaviours as abusive, but leave other behaviours. Although centuries of novels and autobiographies have dealt with the subject of child abuse in all its forms, society has been slow in term of recognizing the frequency with this committed assault. Since the last 20 years, research has understood the importance of CSA as a public health problem, yet the actual extent of CSA remains unknown. It is because of the efforts of a small number of researchers. The issues involved have been ignored, and there is correspondingly little mention of them in historical and anthropological studies (The political Consequences of Child Abuse, Alice Miller, The journal of psychiatry 26 (2) Fall 1998). For example, in May 2008 the world woke to the shocking news that a 71 years old Austrian man had imprisoned his own daughter in a small soundproofed windowless cellar of his family home for 24 years. During this time he raped her repeatedly and fathered seven children with her. Although around 100 people live on and off that house, none reported their c oncern to the authorities, preferring to turn a blind eye to what was going on. Moreover, most of the available information about CSAs distribution and determinants has not been based on methodologically valid and reliable measures. The lack of accurate estimates inhibits the development of effective preventive and treatment interventions. Similarly, S, Sarantakos (1998) illustrates further that data and materials already collected can only become available to researchers if the government allows it. The political bias may arises when government and funding bodies set priorities on issues they wish to be studied, promoting only what they consider as important and suppressing research in areas which they do not wish to see explored. Priorities are often biased, and certain minority groups and problems are neglected and certainly disadvantaged. The government appoints assessors of research grant applications to select the proposals that deserved support. But who are the assessors and who determined the parameter of choice? (S, Sarantakos, 1998). For example, Child abuse, that is actually neglected. Empirical sociological research studies based on data collected from children themselves are relatively few (Amit-Talai and Wuff, 1995; Mayball 1994a). The method used in the first journal How Women Label their Own CSA was cross-sectional followed by structured interviews. The study was supported by a grant from the Texas Academy of Family Physician foundation. The main objectives of the studies were: to compare victims of CSA who labelled their experiences as abusive with victims who did not, examining differences in abusive experiences, victim characteristics, perpetrator characteristics, and family relationships. Interestingly, it illustrates that despite the psychological impact of sexual abuse, many victims do not acknowledge that their experience were abuse. Abuse whether acknowledge or unacknowledged, is associated with more psychological and sociological adjustment problems (Varia et al, 1996). Layman et .al (1996) found that acknowledged victims of rape reported more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than unacknowledged victims, who had more symptoms than non-victims. Although CSA is widely prevalent in the United Sta tes, an estimated 16% of males and 27% of females report some experiences with unwanted sexual experiences during childhood (Finkelhor, 1994). Likewise, Stander, Olson, and Merrill (2002) discovered that self-identification as a victim of CSA was associated with threats-force, incest and younger age of onset. In addition to the characteristics of the abuse, other factors may affect how an individual defines the experience: victim characteristics (for example, gender, cultural background and education) and family environment. The study is a secondary analysis of the Childhood Experience and Adult Stress (CEAS) database conducted in the Family Health Centre of the University Health Centre-Downtown in San Antonio, Texas. In the study, 100 women were assessed for major depressive episode(MDE), panic disorder, agoraphobia, substance abuse, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder(BPD), bulimia and suicidal where only 68 women met criteria for at least one ad ult disorder; several had multiple co-morbidities. Re-using the qualitative data has several ethical and legal concerns. These include the use of whether and, if so, when researchers should seek consent to re-use data in secondary studies (Alderson, 1998). This could be done at the time when data are collected. However, information on exactly how data will be reused, by whom and for what purpose, is likely to be scant at this time. Alternatively, consent could be sought retrospectively, when particular secondary studies are planned. But this requires that participants identity and contact details are known and can be used for this purpose. Re-contacting participants also presents researchers with logistical and ethical difficulties where people might have changed address or may have died; being re-contacted may also be unwelcome to some former participants. In addition, whether or not researchers decide to seek fresh consent for a secondary study may depend on the data collection and the type of planned qualitative secondary analysis (Sage, social research methods, 2008). Moreover, in the study, researchers didnt do any attempt to re-contacting and taking fresh consent for the studies; which are relatively difficult task. Doing research under such situation brings conflict for future policy and practice. Likewise, the original study sought to identify predictors of mental health and mental disorders in women with a history of CSA whereas the second analytic research on the same data was to identify factors that predict how women label their own experience of CSA. Such research findings might not be reliable and replicable. Similarly, it has been observed that several women in the sample had not labelled their childhood sexual experiences as abuse. Therefore, this analysis was conducted by using dependent variable acknowledgement of abuse, in an attempt to understand how women subjected to sexual abuse as children come to define their experiences as abuse. A variable is a concept that can take two or more values where dependent variable is affected or explained by another variable (S, Sarantakos, social research methods, 1998, p73). Measurement relates to variables. In the study, several variables were associated with labelling in the bivriate comparisons, but did not reach significance in the logistic regression: (1) racial/ethnic background, (2) use of force/threats, and (3) duration of abuse. Hispanic was less likely than non-Hispanic whites to acknowledge the sexual activities as abuse. In the sample, only English speaking females aged 18-40 were approached where 65% of the women were from Hispanic family. Thus, these responses may have uniquely reflected local culture and values in a young adult cohort. The population of Sant Antonio has majority of Hispanic ethnicity and other dominant groups include non-Hispanic and African Americans. Those groups represented in the clinic population and in the sample were low income, which reflected the entire community. It is not appropriate to generalize whole population on the basis of findings of such limited study criteria. Furthermore, the sample included only those who were willing to tell and describe the childhood experiences of abusive activity in a face-to-face interview. One third of those who met the criteria were not willing to disclose and participate in the research. This is the fact that they may not have differed in the nature of their experiences because they did not differ demographically from the 100 partici pants. The CSA screening consisted of three main questions about their childhood sexual patterns. Women saying yes to any of the question were asked to complete a structured interview concerning the sexual abuse experience and their childhood environment and taken informed consent as well. The family-of-origin questionnaire describes the household environment throughout childhood. The 25-item parental bonding instrument assessed the quality of the parent-child relationship during the subjects childhood. The demographic questionnaire collected information on subjects gender, age, marital status, household size, educational attainment, occupation, income, and racial /ethnic background. The study has several limitations. Firstly, the outcome variable, acknowledgement of abuse had a single question and therefore may lack reliability. Secondly, the use of multiple comparisons may have inflation alpha level. Thirdly, the sample was small and unique, limiting statistical power and generalizability . In fact, the sample differed from other studies demographically. Finally, researching about traumatic childhood experiences biased politically because of the unattainable objectives. Furthermore, interviewing adult can result in data biased by poor recollection, re-interpretation of events, and failure to disclose. The study was funded by the private sponsor of the same study, so the applicability of the findings are surely related to political factors and it will totally depend on the sponsor to apply findings. The second journal family Environment in Hispanic College Females with a History of CSA sought to examine the family environments of a sample of Hispanic college women who reported childhood sexual abuse. The qualitative method with individual interview was used in the study. The main objective was to explore the relation of child maltreatment in ethnic diversity associated with cultural factors and prevalence through the study of Hispanic female college students .In the study, eighteen women, ranging from 20 to 49 years , were taken from a larger college sample. Those women were individually interviewed and administered the Family Environment Scale (FES, Moos and Moos, 1994). The qualitative methodology was employed to the study. The larger the sample size, the grater the precision (Bryman, A, 2008, p180). The sample size in the study were relatively small, in such circumstances, the scope of the findings of qualitative investigation is restrictive. On the other hand, the findings c an not be generalized to other settings because of its subjective nature and small sample size. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to conduct a true replication. The study illustrates that ethnic diversity and cultural factors which may affect the prevalence of such abuse, so, the victims emotional and behavioural response, as well as the disclosure of the sexual abuse should be ignored (Kenny and McEachern, 2000). Existing research that has examined Hispanic victims compared with victims from other ethnic group have found that Hispanic victims were more likely to have been abused by extended family members (Arroyo et al.1997) because of the given cultural value to the family with strict rules. However, good relationship among family members, caring each other, sense of obligation, loyalty and duty; because of those values placed in the family, they would not like to reveal the CSA, which would be marked as shame and guilt in the society. Furthermore, the participants were evenly distributed across all socioeconomic levels. However, it was impossible to analyze the data separately by Hispanic group because of small sample size. The project received approval from the University Research review Board and committee for human Subjects. Since the beginning of the research project, frequent announcement were made in a number of educational classes during the year. Potential participants were instructed to call the author and take an appointment for the participation. The participants who were participated in the research process were granted extra credit to their academic career. It implicated that they are just attracting and motivating the participants to participate and their motive was just to finish the research. In such circumstances, the research findings will be politically biased due to motives of the research funding. It does not actually seem to produce knowledge and generate theory. Such research would definitely have negative influence to future researchers. (May, T, 1997) Furthermore, the following questions can be asked in any piece of research: who funded it? How was it conducted and by whom? What were the problems associated with the design and execution and how were the results interpreted and used? This enables to understand the context in which research takes place and the influences upon it as well as countering the tendency to see the production and design of the research as a technical issue uncontaminated by political and ethical questions (May, T, 1997 p45-46) .For example, in the study, even after several announcement and with incentives (credit) there were only eighteen participants. During the process, informed consent was taken assuring confidentiality prior to the interview. Individual interviews were chosen owing to the sensitive nature of the material .The interview consisted of open-ended and closed questions about the demographic information including the participants potential history of sexual abuse. Following the use of a closed question, such as what age were you when the abuse began? further questions were elicited for more information during the interview. Furthermore, after interview, Family Environment scale (FES) was provided to the participants and allowed as much time as they like to complete. It is unstructured and often reliant upon the researchers ingenuity where conducting a true replication is almost impossible. Furthermore, there are hardly any standard procedures to be followed (Bryman, A, 2008 p391). Not only that, the researcher him or herself is the main instrument of data collection, so that what is observed and heard and also what re searcher decides to concentrate upon is very much a product of his or her predictions. For example, some researchers are likely to empathize with other issues; while others choose to focus upon what strikes them as significant. Similarly, the responses of participants to such a qualitative research are likely to be affected by the characteristics of the researcher (personality, age, gender, and so on). Because of the unstructured nature of qualitative data, interpretation will be influenced by the subjective leaning of a researcher (A, Bryman, 2008, p391). Because of those factors, it is difficult, not to say impossible-to replicate such qualitative findings. The goal of the study was to learn more about the family experiences of the women who reported CSA to generate future directions for future research and contribute to the understanding of Hispanic womens experiences with CSA. The FES measure consisting of 9-item subscale was used to measure the respondents perceptions of the topic. The results highlighted some important areas for future inquiry. Some of the hypothesis was confirmed. The first hypothesis, that this sample would report elevated scores on the EFS of family conflict and decreased scores on Organization, was not supported. They did not demonstrated elevated scores on the conflict subscale of EFS because of focus on general conflict among family members. The second hypothesis, the organization of these families found some support, but the study showed a rather hierarchical structure with the father or parents at the top in most families; for example; male authority 50% and 39% of mothers made decisions. The third hypothesi s was regarding the issue of sexuality; these women would report repressed sexual attitudes in their homes seems to have been confirmed for example, majority of them reported that their parents did not discuss issue related to sexuality. In the study, all women were from a voluntary college population that is not representative of the greater Hispanic population; hence, making generalization to other groups is difficult. Similarly, the study used non-contact sexual experiences, so, careful examination of definitions of sexual abuse used in other studies should be made before comparisons are conducted. Future studies should focus on disclosure process including family reactions and level of parental support following disclosure. Likewise, comparing the responses of these participants to those who are not college students would be helpful for future comparisons. In conclusion, both studies used relatively small sample that contained especially Hispanic female individuals from varying subgroups. Making generalization to others is difficult. Both studies are retrospective in nature, which required women to recall past incidents of child abuse as well as other dimensions of their families, poses limitation. Re-evaluation of past experiences and error in recall may affect responding in unknown ways (Clemmons et al, 2003; Rafaelli and Ontai, 2004); some claims that retrospective studies probably underreport abuse (Bolen, 1998). Furthermore, interviewing adult about past experiences of childhood sexual abuse can result in data bias. In addition, it is difficult to measure validity and reliability of the research. To a large extent, both studies lack transparency from research process to findings. The power that exercised in the research and sponsors influences over procedures are highly remarkable in both studies.

Essay --

I am certainly in no means becoming a scientist but I do like keeping up with what is happening in the world science wise as well as other things. I’ve seen how the media and politics have blurred the lines between what information is backed up by evidence and what is not. In Sagan’s essay I found that some of his tools to detecting ‘baloney’ are tools that I see myself use on a day to day basis without thinking or in school when I’m writing papers that are using logos, pathos, or ethos. I think everyone should try and practice Carl Sagan’s tools in baloney detection, as it would benefit you as a person to have substantial information with solid evidence. I agree that it is important to have independent confirmation of the ‘facts’ as Sagan said. I use this method most of the time at work; I work in health care and deal a lot with sending documentation to doctors. I have come across multiple times that a doctor’s office will say they never received a document and when I’m questioned about it, I always show the confirmation sheet that shows that the fax went through to the doctor’s office. If I only had my word that I sent it, I don’t have the evidence to back up my calm and it becomes a he said she said situation. Another good example having independent confirmation is say you’re having an argument with someone and they are just denouncing the evidence you found from performing a test, look into getting another set of results done from the same test by another person to show that not only have you come up with the same results but another person has also found the same evidence of your claims in their results. Another tool Sagan mentions that I believe is very good to practice is encouraging substantive debates. I don’t kn... ...ts that show that Greece is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. Be it having an argument in politics, science, or simple reasoning; these tools for detecting baloney are very useful and important. You don’t want to be that moron at a party just spewing ignorant nonsense just because it was what you read in a tabloid magazine that states that the world is going to end in the next few days by a massive asteroid hitting the Earth; you also don’t want to be the person caught believing what that moron is saying to be true without having good facts. I don’t always know when I use these tools but I know that how I think most of the time falls along the guidelines of these tools. I rather be properly informed of what I am learning or I rather be persuaded in a different view of something as long as it has substantial evidence to back up its claim. Essay -- I am certainly in no means becoming a scientist but I do like keeping up with what is happening in the world science wise as well as other things. I’ve seen how the media and politics have blurred the lines between what information is backed up by evidence and what is not. In Sagan’s essay I found that some of his tools to detecting ‘baloney’ are tools that I see myself use on a day to day basis without thinking or in school when I’m writing papers that are using logos, pathos, or ethos. I think everyone should try and practice Carl Sagan’s tools in baloney detection, as it would benefit you as a person to have substantial information with solid evidence. I agree that it is important to have independent confirmation of the ‘facts’ as Sagan said. I use this method most of the time at work; I work in health care and deal a lot with sending documentation to doctors. I have come across multiple times that a doctor’s office will say they never received a document and when I’m questioned about it, I always show the confirmation sheet that shows that the fax went through to the doctor’s office. If I only had my word that I sent it, I don’t have the evidence to back up my calm and it becomes a he said she said situation. Another good example having independent confirmation is say you’re having an argument with someone and they are just denouncing the evidence you found from performing a test, look into getting another set of results done from the same test by another person to show that not only have you come up with the same results but another person has also found the same evidence of your claims in their results. Another tool Sagan mentions that I believe is very good to practice is encouraging substantive debates. I don’t kn... ...ts that show that Greece is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. Be it having an argument in politics, science, or simple reasoning; these tools for detecting baloney are very useful and important. You don’t want to be that moron at a party just spewing ignorant nonsense just because it was what you read in a tabloid magazine that states that the world is going to end in the next few days by a massive asteroid hitting the Earth; you also don’t want to be the person caught believing what that moron is saying to be true without having good facts. I don’t always know when I use these tools but I know that how I think most of the time falls along the guidelines of these tools. I rather be properly informed of what I am learning or I rather be persuaded in a different view of something as long as it has substantial evidence to back up its claim.