Learning Team Deliverable Essay

The assignment for this week focuses on the team’s understanding of the goals and objectives of training program development and delivery. Team C summarizes the following highlights of this week’s discussions: determining organizational development theories and applications; differentiating between mentoring and executive coaching; identifying the major components of employee training; and comparing career development strategies. Organizational Development Theories and Applications Organizational development (OD) focuses on the research, theory, and practices committed to increasing the knowledge and effectiveness of individuals to achieve positive and successful organizational transformations. OD is the continuous process of planning, implementing, and evaluating the goals of the company by the way of â€Å"transferring knowledge and skills to organizations to improve their capacity for solving problems and managing future change† (Organizational development theory, n.d.). The beginning of OD came from studies from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s where the realization arisen about how the structure of the organization and its processes helped shape an employee’s performance and drive. In recent years, OD is helping companies align with the changes occurring in the new business environment. Key to organizational development theories and applications is the organization’s climate, culture, and strategies. The Difference between Mentoring and Executive Coaching Many companies are now beginning to grasp the significance of mentoring and coaching their employees. Although many entry-level jobs do require a college education and a few years’ experience, it is crucial to provide the necessary tools and training to those employees interested in climbing the corporate ladder into managerial or supervisory positions. Now more than ever, companies are realizing the need to provide leadership advancement opportunities to its employees so as to motivate them, stay competitive and productive, which in turn positively impacts the bottom line of the business. Mentoring and coaching programs are now habitually used in many organizations to improve leadership qualities (Watt, 2004). The Major Components of Employee Training Employee training is essential to the both individual and companywide success. Training improves productivity and profitability, promotes a safe and healthy work environment, ensures compliance with laws and regulations, and creates opportunities for career development. There are several major components that should be included in an effective training program, and those components include performing a job analysis and needs assessment, establishing training objectives, conducting a training program, and evaluating training outcomes. Performing a job analysis involves formatting a detailed study of necessary job requirements including skills needed to complete the job and required employee qualifications. A needs assessment identifies training activities that are required in order to achieve company objectives. Before training, an employer must determine what will be accomplished as a result of the training. Training objectives are terms that describe the intended outcome of a training program. The objectives allow for the measurement of success as there are predetermined skill levels and conditions that should be achieved. In order to meet company objectives, the employer must conduct a training program. Training can be carried out through on-the-job training, job rotation, apprenticeship training, classroom training, and many other methods. Regardless of the method(s) of training implemented meeting training objectives should be the focus. It may be necessary to use more than one method of training or revise training if results are not being achieved. In order to determine the effectiveness,  the training outcome must be evaluated. The evaluation of training consists of a reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Results determine how much the trainee liked the program. Learning outlines what facts and concepts were learned. Behavior determines if the program had an effect on the behavior(s) of the trainees. And results highlight what was accomplished as a result of the program, i.e. reduction of turnover or cost. Evaluating a training program allows for an employer to identify and correct areas in which improvement is needed. In order accomplish company goals employees must be trained effectively. Training cannot be an afterthought; it should be planned and implemented correctly. Career Development Strategies Career development is comprised of three main objectives. The first objective is to meet human resource needs in a timely manner throughout the life of the business. The second objective is to provide information about open positions and opportunity for growth to the organization’s employees. The last objective is to use existing programs to develop and manage employee careers to match organizational plans and goals. Three different parties are responsible for professional development within the organization: the employee, the employee’s manager, and the organization itself. Various strategies exist to succeed in the development process. One strategy human resources may use is career pathing. For example, an existing employee would like to apply for a higher position within the company. To acquire the required skills, the employee may work with management and the human resource department to develop a blueprint of the steps required to achieve the necessary skill set or certification. Some organizations offer specialized education or training classes to their employees. Another strategy tool in career development is career counseling. Through career counseling, human resource managers can communication with the employee and the organization’s managers, while â€Å"employees explore career goals and opportunities in the organization† (ExploreHR.org, 2014). Conclusion Organizational development is an essential component in the success of an organization. As discussed above there are various OD theories and  applications that can be utilize to improve the overall effectiveness of company processes and operation. Mentoring and executive coaching are similar methods both used to improve employee performance or correct damaging behaviors. Employee training includes a number of components including, performing a job analysis and needs assessment, establishing training objectives, conducting a training program, and evaluating training outcomes. The primary strategies for career development are meeting human resource needs, providing information about opportunity for growth, and developing and managing employee careers. The above mentioned strategies and methods can be used in conjunction to improve company success. References Elements of Career Planning Programs. (2014). Retrieved on November 30, 2014 from http://www.explorehr.org/articles/Career_Management/Elements_of_Career_Planning_Programs.html Organizational development theory. Retrieved from http://www.med.upenn.edu/hbhe4/part4-ch15-organizational-development-theory.shtml Watt, L. (2004). Mentoring and coaching in the workplace: an insight into two leading leadership development programs in organizations. Canadian Manager.

Graduate Teacher Programme Essay

My passion in teaching children and young adults with diversified culture is attuned with my oral and written skills in the following languages: German, French, Spanish, Latin, and English. Early in life, I discovered that I have an innate ability to learn foreign languages and a keen interest in being with people with diverse nationalities. Though I am often regarded as a polyglot, there is nothing more fulfilling in my life than to be an effective educator. My interest in the field of education was confirmed when I started tutoring a young Vietnamese girl and working as an education coordinator of OBI, a DIY company in Germany. Although I will earn my first year of teaching experience in July 2009, the love of being with children and explaining their lessons in simple and well-organized manner has made my teachings useful, fun and easy to understand. In addition, I always inject a sense of humour to encourage active participation and to make the learning atmosphere relaxing and conducive to the individual differences of the young learners. I am fully aware that teaching is a challenging job but the intrinsic reward of awakening students’ interest and transforming them into a person capable of productively applying the knowledge that they have gained outweighs the challenges of this profession. In spite of being armed with the language proficiency skills that gave me the ability to speak English and four European languages, my desire to teach my native German language to young adults in the United Kingdom will only be possible upon the completion of the Graduate Teacher Programme of CILT. I am determined to earn a teaching credential in UK so I can teach and provide students with insights into my country’s history, culture and people. I believe that with my language skills, dedication to my profession, and the experiences that I have gained from my travel exposures, I am eligible for admission in this Graduate programme.

Kennewick Man Controversy

An Exploration of the Kennewick Man ControversyThe Kennewick Man contention is one of the most good known federal tribunal instances covering with NAGPRA and Anthropological research. The instance is influential for Native Americans, Anthropologists, Archaeologists, and federal jurisprudence shapers likewise. Though it lasted many old ages and endured a really rough route, the Kennewick Man instance will function as a great illustration and larning tool to anthropologists of today, tomorrow, and old ages to come. Kennewick Man has a great significance to anthropology and archeology for assorted grounds. It is possibly the most influential illustration of how the NAGPRA Torahs affect anthropologists and the complications that can come with the deficiency of lucidity in those Torahs. Kennewick Man besides has influenced anthropology by being one of the oldest and most complete human skeletal remains found in North America, which led to new information on beginning due to his skull morphology. â€Å"As one of the best-preserved New World skeletons of the period, the Kennewick specimen has the possible to lend greatly to this treatment, but it may be reburied before scientists can analyze it further† ( Slayman, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.archaeology.org ) . The true significance of the Kennewick adult male can non yet be to the full explained because all of the scientific findings have yet to be concluded. We can merely trust that the hereafter research will ensue in the anthropolo gy detecting more replies that can take us to greater in-depth cognition of who we are, how we got here and how humanity originated. Kennewick adult male can decidedly be considered an ethical argument, when looking at the procedure from both a Native American ‘s spiritual and cultural position, every bit good as from an anthropological and scientific position. The ethical argument from the position of the Northwest Indian tribes to claim the remains is that harmonizing to their apprehension of NAGPRA jurisprudence they had â€Å"cultural affiliation† to the Kennewick Man, doing those folks responsible for the traditional religious and cultural attention of those remains – and moreover going their belongings. Vine Deloria, Jr. , a professor from the University of Colorado and Standing Rock Sioux native writes on the topic, siding with Native Americans saying that â€Å"Archaeology has ever been dominated by those who wave â€Å"science† in forepart of us like an unlimited recognition card, and we have deferred to them – believing that they represent the subject in an nonsubjective and indifferent mode. Yet the find of a skeleton in the Colombia River†¦ led to an overly baffled lawsuit..and a spade of claims by bookmans that this skeleton could rewrite the history of the Western Hemisphere.† ( Thomas, Page xviii ) . Because of their ethical standing, the scientific justification is non needfully an of import statement for US Anthropologists to maintain the remains. The whole logical thinking behind the NAGPRA Torahs should hold, in their sentiment, given them all rights to the remains – which would hold in bend prevented the remains from being studied further. When sing this as an ethical argument through an anthropological position, it comes down to the scientific importance of being able to analyze the remains. â€Å"Archaeologist Rob Bonnichsen was quoted as stating: ‘There ‘s a whole book of information [ in Kennewick Man ‘s castanetss ] . To set him back in the land is like firing a rare book so we ‘ll larn nil. . . .It seems to be the instance that there is a major attempt to barricade scientific enquiry into the survey of American beginnings ‘ ( O'Hagan, 1998: 8 ) .† ( Watkins, Page 13 ) The consequences of farther researching the Kennewick Man would do it possible to obtain replies that would profit non merely the Native Americans of North America, but humanity as a whole. Anthropology is in kernel the holistic survey of world, and utilizing the well preserved pieces of our yesteryear such as the Kennewick adult male, can most decidedly caducous new visible radiation on origin theories and lead to finds of our yesteryear. NAGPRA is the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, is a jurisprudence which was passed by the federal authorities in 1990 to supply â€Å"a procedure for museums and Federal bureaus to return certain Native American cultural points — human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony – to lineal posterities, culturally attached Indian folk, and Native Hawaiian organizations.† ( www.nps.gov/nagpra ) . NAGPRA states that these cultural points will be repatriated to the Native Americans if they can turn out cultural association to the points in inquiry. â€Å"Cultural association is established when the preponderance of the grounds — based on geographical, affinity, biological, archaeological, lingual, folklore, unwritten tradition, historical grounds, or other information or adept sentiment — moderately leads to such a conclusion.† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nps.gov/nagpra/TRAINING/Cul tural_Affiliation.pdf ) In order to try at clear uping the finding of cultural association, certain guidelines have been set in topographic point. â€Å"All of the undermentioned demands must be met to find cultural association between a contemporary Indian folk or Native Hawaiian organisation and the human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony of an earlier group: ( 1 ) Being of an identifiable contemporary Indian folk or Native Hawaiian organisation with standing under these ordinances and the Act ; and ( 2 ) Evidence of the being of an identifiable earlier group. Support for this demand may include, but is non needfully limited to grounds sufficient to: ( I ) Establish the individuality and cultural features of the earlier group, ( two ) Document distinguishable forms of material civilization industry and distribution methods for the earlier group, or ( three ) Establish the being of the earlier group as a biologically distinguishable population ; and ( 3 ) Evidence of the being of a shared group individuality that can be moderately traced between the contemporary Indian folk or Native Hawaiian organisation and the earlier group. Evidence to back up this demand must set up that a contemporary Indian folk or Native Hawaiian organisation has been identified from prehistoric or historic times to the present as falling from the earlier group.† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nps.gov/nagpra/TRAINING/Cultural_Affiliation.pdf ) In the Kennewick Man contention, The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the land on which the Kennewick Man was found, ab initio doing him the belongings of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. They had chosen to let anthropologists to analyze the remains to seek and bring out some replies in the enigma of the Kennewick Man. After through NAGPRA, the remains were ordered to be returned to the local Native Americans, the Scientists and Army Corps decided to seek and prosecute an entreaty with NAGPRA. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers where shortly after involved in a Federal tribunal instance to find to whom the remains should belong. Since the Kennewick Man was discovered on their belongings, the remains became that federal bureau ‘s duty. After the concluding opinion, it was ordered that the Kennewick adult male stay belongings of the Army Corps. The Kennewick argument involved a US Federal Court instance between the Northwest Native American folk ( the Umatilla, Yakama, Nez Perce, Wanapum and Colville ) who laid claim over the Kennewick Mans remains, and the US Army Corps of Engineers ‘ Scientists who were responsible for the remains because they were discovered on their belongings. The archeologists and physical anthropologists analyzing the remains argued that the significant significance of the remains could assist reply many inquiries of human in-migration into North America. These scientists were the complainant in the instance. After farther survey of the remains the Department of the Interior and National Park Service, in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers were able to happen concluding to confute exact cultural association with the Native America Tribes, saying that NAGPRA Torahs did non use to the Kennewick Man ‘s instance. The Anthropologists want to further analyze the remains because they are one of the oldest, most good preserved and complete homo remains of all time to be found in the Western Hemisphere. By analyzing the castanetss, we could happen replies to when and how worlds foremost entered North America, every bit good as information about the Kennewick Man ‘s decease, civilization and life style. The Native American folks did non desire him studied because if he were culturally affiliated with the folks, they would be responsible for guaranting the Kennewick Man ‘s proper entombment. Defacing or analyzing the remains would be against their spiritual, religious and cultural beliefs. The Plaintiff Scientists in the instance were comprised of eight anthropologists and archaeologists brought together for the right to analyze the remains and halt repatriation. â€Å"The eight complainants in Bonnichsen v. United States included five physical anthropologists ( C. Loring Brace, Richard Jantz, Douglas Owsley, George Gill, and D. Gentry Steele ) and three archaeologists ( Robson Bonnichsen, Dennis J. Stanford, and C. Vance Haynes Jr. ) . Owsley and Stanford were at the Smithsonian Institution and the others held university positions.â€Å" ( Oldham, www.historylink.org ) The suspect party consisted of the five Native American folks claiming cultural association to the remains and advancing the repatriation of the Kennewick adult male. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers were in charge of the remains, and along with the Department of the Interior and National Park Service furthered the surveies to find the beginning of the Kennewick Man ‘s lineage and line of descent for proper association. The Kennewick Man instance was eventually concluded, and the opinion was in favour of the complainant scientists. â€Å"The scientific community should be allowed to analyze the 9,000-year- old human castanetss known as Kennewick Man, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled †¦ rejecting an entreaty by several folks claiming affinity and seeking to rebury the remains†¦ The three-judge panel, with an sentiment written by Judge Ronald Gould, upheld a District Court determination that the folks have shown no direct affinity to the remains and have no such authority.† ( Paulson, www.Seattlepi.com ) Today the remains of the controversial Kennewick Man reside in the Burke Museum at the University of Washington, where scientists continue to analyze the remains. The opinion and scientific surveies proved that the line of descent of the Kennewick adult male was more Caucasic than Native American, hence dissociating him with Native American association and taking him from NAGPRA ordinances. In the controversial instance affecting the Kennewick Man, I am pleased with the result. I side with the scientists, admiting the significance of analyzing the Kennewick Man ‘s remains. Because the Kennewick Man was proven to be non of Native American line of descent, it seems inarguable that the instance be removed from under NAGPRA Torahs. The possible replies that can come from the future surveies of the Kennewick Man are so huge that I can merely wait with exhilaration for consequences to come from these surveies. With Archaeology and Anthropology technologically progressing more and more every twenty-four hours, it is a great unmeasurable triumph for scientific discipline to be able to dispute and win such an influential instance as this one.

You choose your favor topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

You choose your favor topic - Essay Example Having said this, Popper (2004) noted a disturbing development whereby most developed markets seem to be excessively choked with competition. In most of these developed markets, there are hardly any untapped market segments that new market positioning can take place. In the light of this, a number of companies have resorted to seeking marketing opportunities in emerging markets. Meanwhile, emerging markets have their own challenges and benefits that make it very important to have very good understanding of the particular market that a company seeks to enter (OSullivan and Sheffrin, 2003). Through the use of country of origin intelligence, it is possible to gather sufficient information about the best marketing entry strategy that will work well for a particular emerging market. It is in the light of this that the literature review is performed to outline ways in which The Royal Bank of Scotland can choose the right internationalisation models to enter Mexico as an emerging markets, based on the country of origin intelligence of that country. Most aspects of the review are however generalised for the themes of internationalisation model, emerging markets, and country of origin audit. The literature review is generally an opportunity to research into what has already been published in literature so as to debate on opposing arguments to find the best conceptua l framework that fits into the current research topic. The concept of emerging markets is one of the fastest developing concepts in international marketing. Oviatt and McDougall (2008) explained an emerging market to be a country or region that has economic activities which are stronger than a least developed country but generally weaker than a developed country. What this means is that the economic outlook of emerging markets comes slightly below that of developed

Hydrology; Cleanup Surfactant Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hydrology; Cleanup Surfactant - Research Paper Example The residual organic liquid facilitates for an aquifer contamination. This takes place as water dissolves in the soil to join the rest of the ground water (Brusseau et al., 2009). It is hence evident that the contaminants are stored in the soil. In other words soil is also contaminated. It had been long believed that pump and treat methods were helpful in cleaning up contaminated soil. However, it has been discovered that these methods are neither economical nor effective means of recuperating residual NAPL from the contaminated aquifers. The inefficiency is attributed to low aqueous solubility of most NAPL as well as large interracial tension that exist between NAPL and groundwater. These aspects prevent displacement of residual NAPL globules at realistic pumping velocities. Aqueous surfactant solutions have instead been approved as the best criteria of removing NAPL from the contaminated aquifers (McCray et al., 2001). BioSolve and PetroSolve are examples of the aqueous surfactant solutions used in cleaning up soil in the world today. Various aspects are linked to these products which imply why these products are recommendable in the clean-up process as the document discusses. There are two main reasons why aqueous surfactants are recommendable in soil clean-up process. One of the reasons is that they tend to increase the superficial solubility of NAPLs. Secondly, they reduce interracial tension available between organic and aqueous phases. These phases help in inducing the mobilization of the residual organic liquids. The BioSolve and PetroSolve surfactants cleanup facilitate the removal of deposited and sorbed polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the diesel fuels from the soil as well as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These techniques have succeeded as a result of critical micelle concentration. This aspect dramatically enhances the aqueous solubility of the hydrophobic organic compounds (Carroll & Brusseau, 2009). BioSolve can be

English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English Literature - Essay Example of the creative element inherent in it, but also because of the manifestation of the imagination that could be found within it in the sense that we create what we see, beginning to recognize how the representation of social issues might help to bring about change in these same social issues. The world was full of symbols and signs that would portend future events and actions which were knowable through their relationship to the myths and legends of antiquity. Many of the concepts that emerged as a part of Romanticism were reactions to the social upheaval that was taking place at this time coupled with a shifting economic structure. During the ‘Romantic Period’, the poets took part in a movement against the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment, where they protested (with their poetry) the ideals of those Europeans who sought to bring reason and ‘Enlightenment’ to the world. The Romantics expressed their defiance of the so-called ‘reason’ that both the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment brought to society. Throughout this period, women’s appearances in literature are characterized as dependent upon men for any outward action. Most of the principle female characters are white and invariably subservient to men. While this is often understood as a male-dominated and defined society in which women had no voice at all, the degree of truth in this idea is largely dependent upon the au thor and his background. It has been said of Romantic literature that ‘The tendency to portray women as binary opposites suggests a misogynistic perception of the inadequacy of female character’. While this may be true of much Romantic literature, Lord Byron’s poetry, such as his most famous work ‘The Corsair’, illustrates a more even-handed approach. The three cantos of â€Å"The Corsair† tell the story of a pirate chief named Conrad. The poem opens with Conrad on his pirate island, described in terms that convey the sort of haunted, lonely

International Trade Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Trade Theory - Essay Example 235). This novel trade theory has two significant implications. First, on account of the impact of trade on economies, it can enhance the choice of goods available to consumers, while reducing their cost. Second, if the production required for achieving economies of scale is of the order of the global demand, then only a few enterprises will obtain support (Hill & Jain, 2008, p. 235). Consequently, global trade in some commodities could possibly the preserve of the firms who had initially taken the initiative. There are a number of models that relate to international trade, and these models are dealt with in International Trade Theory. The principal objective of these theories is to explain the various ideas that pertain to the transfer of goods and services, across the world. Although, these theories have changed over time, the fundamental principle underlying international trade is more or less similar to the principle, on which domestic trade is founded (International Trade Theory and Policy). In essence, the chief purpose of trade is to maximize profits for the entities involved in the exchange of goods and services. A number of forms are assumed by the economic integration of countries. Some of these are preferential tariffs, customs unions, free – trade associations, common markets, economic unions and complete economic integration. Nations belonging to a specific system of preferential tariffs, levy a higher rate of duty on imports on countries that do not belong to their group. This was evident among the Commonwealth countries, which had established a system of common tariff preferences, subsequent to the year 1919 (Allais, Balassa, Bertrand, Robinson, & Wonnacott, 2011). Unique solutions to economic problems are not possible, as long as competition and trade occur in an environment that is imperfect from the economic perspective. The result of economic endeavors becomes dependent on the behavior of the

Financial system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial system - Assignment Example rough taxation of the various economic activities and in turn providing essential services such as health care, public mortgages affordable, education, and defense. The governments are always not taxing directly, but their presence if often felt through the regulatory concept that they execute in areas such as licensing, wage bill, foreign ownership, and safety of products. The concept of macroeconomics often focuses on the details in the market for particular goods and services instead of the economic principles such as unemployment, economic growth, total output, and inflation. The macroeconomic policy divides the economy into monetary policy and fiscal policy. Fiscal policy refers to the set of decisions that the government makes in consideration of spending, taxation, and spending. There are various dimensions for the government’s fiscal policy specifically at the central level because revenue can be earned through various kinds of taxes and it can occur on infinite products in separate geographic regions aiming at different beneficiaries (Fender, 2012). Monetary policy refers to the collection of decisions that a government make through the central bank of state concerning the issue of the amount of money that circulates within the economy. In Canada, the monetary policy is done through the adjustment of very short- term interest rates in order to achieve a rate of monetary expansion. This depends on the maintenance of a minimum and stable rate of inflation. The monetary policy is operated by the bank of Canada. A major corporation of crown is under the supervision of the government. Therefore, there is a considerable independence from the central government but not a major issue in the legislative context. Since the financial capital can flow easily and smoothly within the state of Canada, the interest rates on the same assets are constant across all different geographic regions in Canada. This has eventually made an outcome of one financial policy or

Epictetus Philosophy and Marion Jones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Epictetus Philosophy and Marion Jones - Essay Example It is impossible to change destiny or even environment according to one's wishes. By trying to fight against the tide of predestined conditions, one creates misery for himself. To be able to accept situations as they are, it is essential to be devoid of emotions. To be attached to sentiments is to be attached to worldly things that are temporary. If we do not involve ourselves emotionally with anything, and accept what nature has to offer us, we can live in accordance and harmony with nature. Two steps become important to keep ourselves in harmony with nature. The first step is to focus on our actions. Once we understand our actions, it becomes easier to respond appropriately. The second step is to understand the context in which the action occurred. The context helps us to comprehend why the actions happened. For both these factors to be useful, it is imperative that one detached from the situation and action and is able to clinically examine it. He implies this in his statement, "When you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what sort of action it is." (Handbook 4, trans. Hard). A human has no control over anything except himself. Epictetus believes that people need to maintain their prohairesis. This is known as a person's moral character. It essential to be self satisfied in order to maintain morality. Every problem that one faces in life should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen the prohairesis. Only then can humans achieve eudaimonia. His theory and Jones If we were to imagine a hypothetical situation of Epictetus meeting Jones before she took the performance enhancing drugs, we can safely assume that he would have been against the idea. Epictetus is very clear about his concept of Stoicism. Stoicism requires a pursuit of moral glorification. And it requires being true to one's nature. By using enhancers, Jones has strayed from the dictum of 'following nature'. One cannot act antagonistically to legal laws and remain true to herself. Epictetus would have advised Jones to understand and accept her shortcomings and not attempt to be 'contrary to nature.' He would have warned her that fame and success are material goals and she should not compromise her integrity and prohairesis for something so tangible. His reasoning might have compelled him to think that it was unacceptable on her part to try and outdo her capability. However, Jones realizes this only much later, when she states in an interview that "I think that I absolutely should have to accept responsibility for breaking the law." But she does adhere to Epictetus eventually. She admits to drug abuse and pleads guilty. She accepts that she had been in the wrong and that to make mistakes is human. Jones does accept to her limitations, but only after she has been discovered and not before. If she were in sync with her integrity earlier, she would not have had to face the public humiliation. This proves that the pursuit of happiness through moral means is the best possible achievement in life and everything else is transitory. Even then, she manages to come to terms with her failure as an athlete and an influential figure. She tries to figure out how she can help others by her own experience. In this way, she has in someway, adhered to Epictetus' theory of reviewing one's actions. Prison and realizations It is imperative

City Road Essay Example for Free

City Road Essay Another would be that pedestrians seem to be favoured more so than motorists. For instance the islands in the middle of the road, they are there to make crossing City Road safer and more convenient to those who travel by foot. The island isn’t just the concrete mound in the middle of the road, it also includes the paint on the ground around it which cars are not allowed to drive over. Again, the bollards that were erected along the pavements are there to favour pedestrians. The reason why they were put there is to stop vehicles parking on the curbs, which was a problem before the bollards were put in place as the cars and lorries would park right over the pavements making it difficult for people to walk past and leaving less space for people with prams or wheelchairs to go round. Some things favour different groups because they appeal to different groups. Take for example the Taste Buds Cafe; one thing that struck me straight away was that the majority of the customers in there were predominantly female and mostly the older generation. They like to go in there because it appeals to them, it appeals to them because; The price is reasonable- a lot of the customers will be drawing a pension so keeping costs down is important to them, They feel safe- because there are regulars who go there and they get familiar with one another and that gives the customers a sense of safety because they know what to expect and Mr Suarez the cafe owner aids in the feeling of safety through being consistent in the way in which he runs his business. Also the menu is all home cooked and this is important to his customers. Because of all these factors, Mr Suarez’s cafe is geared more towards the older generation than the younger ones so in a sense it is favouring, although that isn’t altogether a bad thing. Lastly I would mention the security cameras. They are positioned all over City Road and they are there for a number of reasons, one reason is that a crime is less likely to be committed in an area which has CCTV (which deters people from offending) and also it makes people in the area feel safer knowing that these things are in place to not only aid in the catching of the people who commit the crimes but also that it is part of crime prevention too. CCTV is important on City Road because it does make the residence feel that little bit safer, a lot of them feel that the road is a bit â€Å"rough† and not the sort of place you would like to walk down at night, even though the local policeman denies that there is a problem with crime in the area. People just perceive it to be a crime hotspot, despite having little to no experience of any serious crimes having taken place on the road. Most of the material things on City Road favour one group over another but some inadvertently and some deliberately, the issue with the busses for example is inadvertent. They are not purposely designed to be inconvenient to a certain

History Essays Americas Involvement in the Vietnam War

History Essays Americas Involvement in the Vietnam War How can we explain Americas involvement in the Vietnam War?To what extent did America get it wrong, terribly wrong? Americasofficial explanation for its involvement in the Vietnam War was the containmentof communism and the liberation of the Vietnamese people. As is usually thecase when nations involve themselves in war, the reasons for it are not assimple as are made out. In this essay I will argue that the allied victory inWorld War 2, the Cold War, and the national image, all played a part in Americasinvolvement in Vietnam. Robert McNamara, the then Secretary of Defence, wrotetwenty years after the war We were wrong, terribly wrong.So how did they get it wrong? The blanket answer is their failure to see thatvictory was highly unlikely and victory without massive cost was impossible.Repeated advice to that effect from their own military experts and others wentunheeded. The history of the Vietnamese response to centuries of attack byother nations, the extent of their desire for independence and justice, and thegrass-root support for the iconic Ho Chi Minh and his motivated resistancemovement were not taken into account. I will show that these factors togetherwith civil unrest at home and an unwillingness to lose face are why America gotit terribly wrong. World War 2ended in victory for allied forces with America emerging as a superpower. A newconfidence after pre-war recession found it extending its interests around theworld, with the aim of opening up global markets. At the same time, it wascommitted to protecting those interests against the spread of Communism,predominantly from Russia and China, which might threaten their Capitalistaspirations. Buzzanco (1999, p.16) summarises the U.S. post war agenda: TheUnited states had interests [I]n Europe, Americans hoped to rebuild Britain,Germany, France, Italy, and other countries along Capitalist lines while alsousing those areas to prevent the Soviet Union from spreading Communism beyondEastern Europe, and in Asia, the Japanese, with American direction andaid, were being transformed into the foundation for Capitalist expansion andanti-Communism in Asia. Asself-proclaimed liberators of nations from poverty, and leading protagonists inthe Cold War conflict between Capitalism and Communism, the stage was set forAmerican intervention that would see military action for many years to come.The inevitability of this was seen by certain observers, who realised that therewas but a short step between this containment policy and an indiscriminateglobalism that could compel the United States to intervene militarily on behalfof weak puppet states in remote areas of the world places, that is, likeVietnam. (Logevall, 1999, p.385). In the early1950s, the French occupation of Vietnamwas meeting fierce resistance from the Viet Minh,In response America began sending limited financial and military aid to theFrench occupying forces. By 1954, the occupation was virtually broken and theFrench hold on Vietnam was in dire straits. Conditions in Asia were seen ascritical by the U.S. leadership. France was requesting urgent Americanassistance, and the Chinese Communist Party was gaining increasing power inopposition to the U.S. friendly Chinese government of Jiang Jieshi. The Frenchsituation and the prospect of an independent Vietnam posed two major problemsfor America. Firstly, to withhold assistance from the French would be to risklosing a major ally in the Cold War. Secondly, an independent Vietnam left anopen door for the expansion of Chinese communism into Vietnam and a significantbarrier to U.S. economic development in Asia. In order to confront theseproblems, America began to increase financial aid to massive propo rtions, aswell as military hardware and advisors. At the same time an agreement inGenevaresulted in the partition of Vietnam into the North and South sectors, to becontrolled by the Viet Minh and a nominal moderate power, respectively. Thisarrangement was to exist pending a re-unification election for Vietnam withintwo years. By 1955, America,unhappy with the status quo in Vietnam had installed a pro-Americananti-communistas governor of the Southern sector. Diem subsequently proclaimed his sector asthe Republic of Vietnam. The South now became the central focus for the U.S.and with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as U.S. President in 1961, cameincreased involvement. Kennedy, reluctant to commit to all out war in Vietnamsaid: Wewill continue to assist [Diem regime] them, but I dont think that thewar can be won unless the people support the effort However, Kennedywas dealing with other problems, and his solutions often went against the grainof more hawkish elements in Washington, which led to pressure on him. Hisdealings with the Russians and Cubaresulted in critics strongly advising that a stand needed to be taken withwhich to assert the image of superpower and that the stand should be made inVietnam. Buzzanco (1999, p.65) writes: oneof his closest advisors, suggested that clean-cut success in Vietnam coulderase the stain of the Bay of Pigs. In Saigon General Lionel McGarr, likewisenoted the White Houses strong determination to stop the deterioration of USprestige By the time ofKennedys death in 1963, over 16,000 U.S. military advisors were deployed inSouth Vietnam, against increasing strikes by the Viet Minh from within SouthVietnam and from the North. Linden Johnson took over the presidency from Kennedy in1963, and vowed to continue the policy of involvement in Vietnam. In the sameyear resistance in South Vietnam increased significantly so that by 1964 thepossibility of the overthrow of the U.S. installed regime loomed large. Johnsonresponded with an escalation in U.S. involvement. By 1965, sustained, intensivebombing campaigns were being carried out on North Vietnam, and the number ofAmerican troops deployed in the South had risen to over 184,000, leavingthousands of American troops dead along with thousands of Vietnamese troops andcivilians. This was despite the misgivings of leading senators who were agreedthat: insofaras Vietnam is concerned we are deeply enmeshed in a place where we ought not tobe; that the situation is rapidly going out of control and every effort shouldbe made to extricate ourselves (Siff, 1999, p.40) The militaryalso were against escalation. The Commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, GeneralWestmoreland expressed strong reservations: Westmorelandwas likewise reluctant to fight in Vietnam. In September 1964, the commanderdid not contemplate putting US troops into combat; that would be amistake, because it is the Vietnameses wara purely military solution isnot possible (Buzzanco, p.74) By the end of1967, the number of U.S. troops deployed in Vietnam had reached half a million.Despite this, there was no sign of an American victory, and despite increasingconviction among the military, senators, financial institutions and largeportions of the American public, there was no movement by its leadership toextricate the nation from a seemingly losing battle. The fear of Communism andlosing face in the eyes of the world left America locked into a no-winnightmare. The VietnameseNationalist forces, although sustaining heavy casualties throughout the war,constantly gained the upper hand and were always able to replace their losses.A major figure behind the success of their campaign for independence was Ho ChiMinh. Minh was inspired by the historic resistance of the Vietnamese peoplethroughout centuries of invasion by other nations. The Mongols, Chinese andFrench had all encountered fanatical opposition to occupation. Even if it tookyears, the Vietnamese fought doggedly to victory, and when World War 2 broughtanother occupation, this time by the Japanese, Ho Chi Minh: Ledan underground, communist-led resistance movement called the Viet Minh (theLeague for Vietnamese Independence) against the Japanese invaders Well-organised but under-funded the Viet Minh carried out a campaign ofterrorism and intelligence-gathering (Elliot, 1996, p.22). The Japanesesurrendered to allied troops in 1944 and the prospect of an independent Vietnamlooked possible. It was not to be though. The French re-established controlwith the help of the British and once again the Vietnamese found themselvesfighting for freedom. Over the next thirty years the Viet Minh (came to beknown as the Viet Cong in the South) proved to consist of soldiers andsupporters with high discipline, motivation and confidence in their quest forliberation from first the French and then the U.S. and its puppet regime.Those qualities and the advantage of fighting in their own land and on theirown terrain were factors in their eventual ejection of America. In Ho Chi Minhand the Viet Minh, the Americans: Wouldface a leader and organisation that seemed dedicated to their defeat and whocarefully and effectively used the images of rebellion that resonated deep inthe Vietnamese past (Edmonds, 1998, p.33). The Americanforces contrasted sharply with that of their enemy. Apart from having to fighta guerrilla war, for which they were not trained or experienced, on unknownterrain, civil unrest at home impacted deeply on morale and discipline. At theheight of the Vietnam War, America was seeing violent protest and massdemonstrations on civil rights issues. Martin Luther King was openly condemningthe Vietnam War along with other civil rights campaigners. A member of the StudentNonviolent Coordinating Committee: Warnedblacks that when LBJ talks all that garbage about hes sending boys over thereto fight for the rights of coloured people, you ought to know thats a lie.Cause we live here with them, and they dont ever do a thing for us. Hewent on to describe the war as white people sending black people to makewar on yellow people to defend the land they stole from red people.(Buzzanco,p.206) The messageresonated with the thousands of black soldiers in Vietnam and contributed toracial division, often resulting in ghetto environments in which ethnic groupsswore allegiance only to themselves and rejected others. Further, a lack ofleadership conviction in the war caused by deep rifts in policy making and thedirection it should take, inevitably filtered down through the chain of commandto the white soldiers on the ground. Disillusionment in the cause for war, andexposure to the brutalities caused by it, hit morale hard, and drugs andalcohol use became rife among troops. Capps (1991, p.34) writes: Whatwas experienced was the harshness of war: brutality, death, and atrocitywithout a comprehensive rationale to seal over the reality. The Vietnam Warprovided no transcendent meaning by which the national purpose could beinterpreted American unwillingness to accept the prospect of defeatand loss of face continued after Johnson and throughout the Nixon presidency,keeping its troops in Vietnam until 1975. I have argued that the emergence of America from World War2, as a superpower with aspirations of global expansion and a dedication tooppose Communism wherever it deemed fit, led to its involvement in Vietnam. Arefusal to withdraw in the face of defeat, in order to maintain its image as asuperpower in the eyes of the world, and in fear of the Communist threat, meantan involvement that lasted over two decades. The last thirteen years of it cost58,000 American and at least 1.5 million Vietnamese lives, as well as thedestruction of millions of acres of land. By misjudging the resources of theVietnamese people, and disregarding the voice of its own people, the cost paidfailed to achieve the aims for Americas involvement and resulted in themgetting it Wrong, terribly wrong. Bibliography Buzzanco, R. (1999) Vietnam and the Transformation ofAmerican Life Oxford, Blackwell. Capps, W. (1991) The Vietnam Reader New York,Routledge. Edmonds, A. (1998) The War in Vietnam U.S.A.,Greenwood Press. Elliott, P. (1996) Vietnam Conflict and ControversyNew York, Arms Armour Press. Kissinger, H. (2003) Ending the Vietnam War NewYork, Simon Schuster. Logevall, F. (1999) Choosing WarCalifornia, University of California Press. Prados, J. (1995) The Hidden History of the Vietnam WarU.S.A., Ivan R. Dee. Siff, E. (1999) Why the Senate Slept U.S.A.,Praeger Publishers.