The Dimension of Inter-Professional Practice

Introduction This aim of this assignment is to analyse the unique role and contribution of nursing practices within inter-professional jobs and consider how inter-professional practices influence the way we manage the people in our care, using evidence based commentary. Mental illnesses are complex conditions and therefore cannot be managed by one professional. Holistic treatment of mental health patients requires a cohort of clinical professionals (Barker, 2008). For this assignment I chose Gibbs Reflective framework (1988) to enable my personal reflection and to improve my future nursing practice. In accordance with the NMC Code of Practice (2008) names have been changed to comply with confidentiality regulations; Grace will be my client’s name. Inter-Professional Team Working Pollard (2005), defined inter-professional working, as the process whereby members of different professions and/or agencies work together to provide integrated health and social care. Leathard (2003) states inter-professional working implies a group of professionals from different professions engaging in interdependent collaborations with mutual respect to provide integrated health and social care for the client’s benefit., Housley (2003) argues the multidisciplinary team is a group of people of different professions who meet regularly to discuss individual clients. Successful teamwork can have direct consequences for patient care and the inter-collaboration model of healthcare delivery is one of the most important modernisations of the healthcare system in recent years (Humphris and Hean, 2004). Effective team-working produces positive patient outcomes, while ineffectual team-working contributes to negative incidents in patient care (Grumbach and Bodenheimer, 2004). Client background Grace, a 21 year old female, was formally admitted via community mental health nurse due to non-concordance of medication. Grace suffers severe mental illness and personality disorder with a high level of self-harming, poor personal hygiene and inability to perform activities of daily living ADL’s. The Roper, Logan and Tierney model (Bellman 1996) states that 12 ADL’s produce a picture of the person’s lifestyle and these can be used to highlight problems which require nursing intervention. Inter-disciplinary team working and my role in Grace’s care The multidisciplinary review meeting for Grace’s care comprised a consultant psychiatrist,; a psychologist who assessed Grace’s behaviours and gave counselling sessions; social workers who assessed social wellbeing; an occupational therapist who assessed ADL; a dietician and the care-coordinator who was the key-worker involved in Grace’s care when she was in the community. The registered mental health nurse assigned to Grace was my mentor, and I was given the task of shadowing my mentor to assess Grace’s mental state on the ward and monitor any physical changes. The inter-professional team at the review placed Grace on level 3 observation due to her self-harming. Feelings I felt challenged and nervous about shadowing and handling the nursing report during the multidisciplinary team review. However, I realised this is a key role of the nursing professional in an inter-professional team, Davies & Priestly (2006) views nursing handover as vital information about clients under the care of nurses, allowing nurses to improve both the handover process and improve patient care delivery. I felt empathy for Grace, especially her anxiety over the (in her eyes) large number of people (the care team) caring for and deciding her ‘fate’. She shared in her one-to-one sessions that she was nervous of not doing the right things in front of the team and I remember thinking ‘we are both nervous for similar reasons’,, as I was also nervous about what the team thought about me and my practice. I reassured Grace that we were here to help her, using my communication skills to listen and ally her fears. Hamilton et al. (2010) stated listening is an essential skill for a mental health nurse. I felt frustrated within the team, feeling that some members worked toward their own goals rather than collectively aiming to ensure the best holistic care for Grace, which made working within the team challenging. An example of this was the doctor’s decision to exclude Grace from participating in ward activities without assessment from the occupational therapist. This is at odds with the traditional nursing role, which seeks to include the patient both physically and psychologically. I felt that this decision was not in Grace’s best interest, and could prolong her discharge. Evaluation In evaluating my empathy with Grace and her anxiety, I felt there was an understandable connection as we were both in new situations, while too much empathy can lead to difficulties in nursing (Mercer and Reynolds 2002), empathy is an important aspect in nursing. Whitehead (2000) states that one angle of team work that is often neglected is the ‘relationship’ between client and nurse, which she argues is important to ensure positive care outcomes and therefore should not be disregarded within a collaborative framework. After talking to my peers I found that we all felt some anxiety about working within a multi-disciplinary team. In evaluating my time as an inter-disciplinary team member and my anxiety, I realised this eased when roles were defined and responsibilities shared. Ovretveit et al. (1997) asserted that understanding and clarification of roles from the onset is necessary for good team-working and failure to define roles correctly can lead to confusion. My frustrations within the team were in part due to my anxiety of performing poorly in front of my mentor, and my inexperience of working within an interdisciplinary-team. I had little understanding of how the different roles and philosophies of other professionals would need to be compromised to ensure both safety of and good care for Grace and perhaps I placed too much importance on the nursing role without understanding what other professionals brought to the team. Analysis While my empathy can be a positive aspect to my nursing, on reflection, it may have clouded my judgement and my ability to follow the right course of action, given that Grace was known to self-harm. The decisions made by the doctor complied with Local Trust Policy (2010) on self-harming. Furthermore, NICE guidelines (2004) states that staff develop preventative strategies to ensure patient safety in cases of self-harming, by reducing opportunities to self-harm. The inter-disciplinary team decided Grace should not be allowed to participate in ward activities due to risk of self-harm. Through analysis of the team-work shown within this case, I believe that the team showed effective communication, as each professional had a good knowledge of the role they were expected to play in supporting Grace’s care and effective communication is vital in team-working (Ovretveit et al. 1997). My frustrations within the team can be explained by Whitehead (2001) who identified that collaboration work, while beneficial, did have a variety of barriers that could hinder development of close collaborative relationships within the different service provider’s professions, one being that the different professions may have different ideas on patient treatments that are at odds with other professionals within the multi-disciplinary team. While at first I did not understand the challenges that inter-professional working brings and thus did not feel that every member had Grace’s care foremost, after analysing my time within the team, I feel that every member was supportive of each other’s efforts to facilitate Grace’s recovery. Many opportunities were available to discuss concerns over the care-plan such as debriefing, one to one interactions, and supervision, highlighted by Freeth (2007) as vital to ensure good inter-professional development. Barriers to good inter-professional collaborations include poor communication, lack of understanding of other team members’ roles, work priorities and professional hierarchy (Whitehead, 2000), where such issues are apparent, it can be helpful to identify shared goals and voice concerns. Inter-professionals should use clinical judgment that encompasses the best of all team members’ professions in care provision to improve client wellbeing, aid th em to cope with health problems and achieve the best quality of life with their illness (RCN 2003; DoH, 2008). Conclusion In retrospect, I feel the strength of the team was its ability to develop and manage excellent patient-focussed care, resulting from the variety of disciplines, personalities and expertises. I have gained an in-depth insight into the roles and responsibilities nurses have in the development of client-centred care and a better understanding for the other team members professions, which I feel now that I was lacking. This reflective process has helped me gain an understanding of the importance of inter-professional team collaboration in managing clients with self-harm issues using positive practice guidance as stated in the NHS guidelines. Action plan This experience has taught me that inter-professional practices involve effective communication between team members and respect for other professional’s knowledge of client needs. I will seek to gain greater understanding of other clinical roles and what they represent and bring to the inter-disciplinary team. I will undertake personal development and learning by keeping up-to-date with changes in practice, embracing and promoting interpersonal working. This reflective commentary has enhanced my knowledge of inter-professional working, the challenges involved and the importance of communication and compromise, which will contribute to my personal development as a mental health nurse. In respect to my patient centred empathy, I believe this is an important trait in nursing; however, in the future I will temper my empathy with professionalism that focuses on patient safety first. I plan to improve my knowledge and expertise of the roles of other professionals. I will begin by focussing on the respect and value I have of other professionals’ expertise. With respect to my lack of confidence, I shall endeavour to develop confidence in sharing my knowledge in group forums. The placement amplified the importance of identifying and understanding patients’ needs and sharing this understanding with the inter-professional team members in order to facilitate effective healthcare interventions. References Barker. P., (2009). Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: The Craft of Caring. 2nd ed. London. Hodder Arnold. Bellman, LM. (1996) Changing nursing practice through reflection on the Roper, Logan and Tierney model: the enhancement approach to action research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 24(1): 129–138. Davies S., Priestley MJ., (2006). A reflective evaluation of patient handover practices. Nurs Stand. 20(21):49-52. Day, J., (2006). Interprofessional working an essential guide for health and social care professionals. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Freeth, D., (2007). International learning Association for the Study of Medical Education: Edinburgh. Gibbs, G., (1998). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University. Grumbach K, Bodenheimer T. (2004) Can health care teams improve primary care practiceJAMA. Mar 10;291(10):1246-51. Hamilton S., (2010). Rethink, Research and Innovation Teams Report for Nursing and Midwifery Council on nursing skills for working with people with a mental health diagnosis, London Housley, W., (2003). Interaction in Multidisciplinary Teams. Ashgate Publishing Limited: England. Humphris D, Hean S. (2004) Educating the future workforce: building the evidence about interprofessional learning. J Health Serv Res Policy. Jan;9 Suppl 1:24-7. Kozier, B., Erb G., Berman A., Snyder S., Lake R., Harvey S. (2008). Fundamentals of nursing: concept, process and practice. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Leathard, A., (2003). Inter-professional Collaboration: from policy to practice in health and social care. Philadelphia: Brunner – Routledge. Local Trust Policy (2010b). Assessment and Management of Service Users Who Self-Harm Policy, Local Trust Mercer, SW and Reynolds, WJ (2002) Empathy and quality of care. Br J Gen Pract. 52(Suppl): S9–12. NHS Choice (2011) NICE (2004), Self-Harm, Clinical Guidelines 16, cited from:http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG16FullGuideline.pdf (Accessed 11/11 2012) NMC (2008), Code of Conduct, Nursing and Midwifery Council, London Ovretveit, J., Mathias, F., Thomoson, T. eds., (1997). Interprofessional working for health and social care. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Limited. Pollard, K., (2005). Interprofessional Working: an Essential Guide for Health and Social-Care Professionals; England, Nelson Thrones Limited. Roper, Logan and Tierney (1996), Whithead (2000) Education, behavioural change and social psychology: Nursing’s contribution to health promotion. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34(6), 822-832 Whitehead D, (2001) Applying collaborative practice to health promotion. Nursing Standards. 15(20):33-7. Bibliography General Social Care Council, (2006). Code of Practice For Social Workers and Employers. London: GSCC. Golightley, M., (2008). Social Work and Mental Health People. Learning Matters. Barker. P., (2009). Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: The Craft of Caring. 2nd ed. London. Hodder Arnold. Taylor. C., Lillis. C., Lemone. P., (2001). Fundamentals of Nursing: The art and Science of Nursing Care, 4th edn, Lippincott, Philadelphia. Thompson I., Melia K., & Boyd K., (2000). Nursing Ethics, London, Churchill Livingstone

Ecotourism in Malaysia

G. DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM IN MALAYSIA -Mohd Director, Nawayai Zoo Park Yasak Melaka Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National 1. Historical Background Until the 1970s, tourism was not regarded as an important economic activity in Malaysia. The Tourism Development Corporation of Malaysia (TDC) was set up in 1972, with the responsibility to act as a development authority, but the sector was given a low priority. Dut partly to limited financial allocations, TDC faced constraints in the effective performance of its catalytic role. As a result, Malaysia remained a relatively unknown destination, while other countries in the region such asSingapore, Thailand and Indonesia built on their established reputations as mass tourism destinations. During the 1980s, tourism became an increasingly important industry worldwide. Investment in new facilities and capital equipment reached around $US 350 million per year, representing 7. 3 per cent of total worldwide capital investments. Almost 6. 5 per cent of the world's workforce were employed by the industry. Among the main reasons for this growth were increased personal income and leisure time, improvement in international transportation systems and greater public awareness of other parts of the world due to improved communications. These developments were felt by Malaysia as well as other countries. Recognizing that tourism can playa role in economic and social development, as well as in fostering national integration and unity, the Malaysian government undertook a series of positive initiatives to stimulate the development of the tourism sector. These included the following: (a) The government established the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (which became the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism in 1990). This provided an institutional framework for the planning, coordination, and regulation of tourism, and for the first time tourism was accounted for within the framework of recognized economic activities; By virtue of the Tourism Industry Act of 1992 and the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Act of 1992, the new Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism took over from TOC the function of formulation and implementation of policies, licensing and enforcement aspects of the tourism industry. TOC thereafter became known as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (or Tourism Malaysia for short), with a role concentrated on marketing and promotion; The Investment Incentives Act was revised in 1986 to include the tourism sector, thereby giving additional stimulus to tourism investment, such as the Pioneer Status Investment Tax Allowance, Industrial Building Allowances, and tax exemption for large foreign group tours; In 1990, the federal government set up a Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 120 million special fund for tourism to stimulate its development, including small and medium scale enterprise. b) (c) (d) During the Fourth and Fifth Malaysia Plans (1981-1985 and 1986-1990) significant attention was given to the tourism sector, with increased public allocations for marketing and promotional activities, infrastructure and product development. Expenditure was RM 125. 5 million under the Fourth Plan and RM 132. 1 million under Fifth Plan. The Fifth Plan period culminated in Visit Malaysi a Year 1990, which generated a high international profile for Malaysia and attracted 7. 4 million tourists as well as revenues of RM 4. 5 billion. Under the Sixth Malaysia Plan (1991-1995), the government therefore increased the public allocation for tourism development to RM 533. 9 million. This allocation has been used to provide and expand the physical and social infrastructure, facilities and services required to support the future growth of the tourism sector. (See Table 1. ) Visitors have come to Malaysia for many years to see wildlife, scenery, forests and beaches. The numbers are very difficult to assess, except at a few sites such as Taman Negara and Kinabalu Park. There, the numbers have climbed steadily over the past 30 years. The well-known sites are mainly large with multiple attractions, but they also include one or two places with a single major attraction, notably Rantan Abang in Terengganu with its turtles, or Rafflesia sites in Sabah. Some smaller sites have attracted fewer visitors, but are known internationally among a sector of the potential market. Examples include Fraser's Hill and Kuala Selangor, both of which are of particular interest for birdwatchers and are now on the regular itineraries of some specialist and general tour companies. 84 1. Development allocation for tourism under the Fifth and Sixth Malaysia Plans (AM million. ) Fifth Plan (1986-1990) Sixth Plan (1991-1995) Allocation Preservation Beautification of national/historical and environmental heritage protection Tourist accommodation Cultural product development Facilities and infrastructure OtherTotal 1. 5 2. 0 2. 5 2. 5 79. 2 52. 8140. 5 0. 7 0. 0 2. 5 2. 5 76. 7 49. 7 132. 1 *$US = AM 2. 5 4. 1 171. 7 43. 6 112. 9 157. 4 7. 2 533. 9 The market in specialist adventure activities (four-wheel drive, microlight, whitewater rafting, etc. is more recent but is rapidly expanding. Most of these activities only marginally qualify as ecotourism when practiced in parucularly careful ways, and some are harmful to the environment. They are indicative of the conflicts that can arise between adventure tourism, nature-based tourism and ecotourism, both in objectives and practice. Despite the fact that some tourists have pursued activities that could be defined as ecotouri sm for manyyears, attention to this market component from the tourism sector itself has been slight. Only a few tour operators have long and consistent records in ecotourism. Many others have sporadically explored this sector with varyingsuccess, low investment, and low expertise. Various reasons could be cited for their lack of success. Among the tour operators leading groups to Taman Negara are several very big companies, but as this is only a tiny part of theirtotal business and income, client dissatisfaction may have little influence upon the companies. Many ecotourism businesses remain small, or face difficulties in obtaining clientele and close down. The sit~ation for ecotourism in Malaysia is, therefore, very similar to the experience in many other countries. One difficulty in assessing progress in ecotourism is the shortage of reliable data. Tourist numbers as a whole are not easy to analyse and not much effort has yet been made to look at the ecotourism or nature-based tourism sector in particular. In 1994/95, for the first time Tourism Malaysia questionnaires included questions about whether tourist had visited Taman Negara, Bako National Park, Gunung Mulu National Park, the Niah Caves r Kinabalu Park. No statistics exist on how many visitors like to go fishing, mountain climbing or walking in the forest, nor are there detailed visitor profiles of different nationalities in relation to nature. Nevertheless, the number of tour operators interested in ecotourism or nature tourism and the number of individuals hoping to be ecotour or nature tour guides are increasing. Interest is also expressed through a number of workshop and s eminars relating to ecotourism. Recent examples are the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) Seminar on Nature Tourism as a Tool for Development and Conservation (Sabah, Malaysia, March 1994), the Seventh PATA Adventure Travel and Ecotourism Conference (Balikpapan, Indonesia, January 1995) the ESCAP Expert Group Meeting on Ecotourism and Development in Asia and the Pacific (Bali, Indonesia, March 1995) and the PATA Heritage Conference on Tourism: A Force for Conservation of Nature and Culture (Phuket, Thailand, September 1995). Two public exhibitions on nature-based and adventure tourism have been held in Kuala Lumpur. A pilot training course for nature guides has been established, and the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council has arranged a tour guide refresher course with components on ecotourism and agrotourism. If as has been suggested, 7 per cent of travel worldwide is nature-related, then in 1994 Malaysia probably attracted 505,000 ecotourists from overseas. If, however, half of all non-ASEAN visitors to Sabah and Sarawak carry out some nature- or culture-related activity, there may have been as many as 571,000 ecotourist visiting Malaysia in 1994. Revenue would have been about RM 655 million. Current Situation The main thrust of governmental policy on tourism is contained in the Tourism Policy Study by Peat Marwick(1992), together with materials in the Sixth Malaysia Plan, Mid-Term Review and the forthcoming Seventh MalaysiaPlan. Sarawak has a Second State Tourism Master Plan (1993) and the Sabah State Tourism Master Plan was completed in early 1996. 85 2. Expenditure Allocation Programme Table There are about 2,000 registered tour and travel agencies in Malaysia, and it is estimated that about 800 take bookings for travel to nature-related destinations. However, many of these act only as intermediaries and pass on these bookings to a relatively small number of companies which deal with particular destinations. There are thought to be about 30 companies specialising in nature and ecotourism. There are about 3,500 registered tour guides, of whom the majority have full (general) guiding licences. A smaller number are specialized in specific skills. There is no detailed breakdown of the number of guides with guiding skills for each ecotourism activity, but a basic pool of resources is available in most fields. Some Malaysian specialist guides are of international repute. Participation by non-government organisations in ecotourism is limited but increasing. There are a number of state, regional and national trade organisations and tourist guides' associations which are beginning to investigate ecotourism and to provide training. So far, training courses have not been formalised. About 20 sites in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak account for the vast majority of ecotourism by overseas tourists. The same sites are visited by many Malaysian tourists. Recreation by Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia takes place in a network of Recreational (Amenity) Forests and a number of sites elsewhere in the forests. It is estimated that about 7 to 10 per cent of all overseas tourists are involved in ecotourism activities, while up to 14 per cent express an interest in walking, hiking and trekking. This amounts to about 512,000 to 1,024,000 overseas tourists per year. The number of Malaysians visiting the same sites is close to or exceeds the number of overseas tourists. The involvement of individuals from local communities is uneven. At some sites (for example, Kinabalu Park) local residents are closely involved in guiding, staffing and gaining financial benefits from the park's operation. Sites exist in which the local community forms a passive component of the tourism product. Sites also exist in which the local community has, in effect, been excluded from tourism development, but these are none of ecotourism developments. Where local residents are involved in ecotourism, there tends to be a shortage of training and management opportunities for them. National Ecotourism Policy The National Ecotourism Plan was developed to provide a more integrated approach to achieve specific national objectives, such as those contained in the Five Year Plans and other documents, within the field of ecotourism. It should contribute towards producing a more distinctive Malaysian tourism image and identity and contribute towards direct involvement of local populations, enhanced training, interagency and inter-sectoral cooperationand, most importantly, fostering environmental protection and preservation. This plan is in the process of adoption by the federal government. The National Ecotourism Plan will include the following elements of implementation: (a) adopt and promote a clear definition of ecotourism; (b) adopt and promote a clear policy on developing ecotourism; (c) strengthen the Ecoand Agro-Tourism Implementation Committee; (d) implement legal changes to support implementation of the Plan; and (e) establish a monitoring and evaluation programme. The National Ecotourism Plan will include site planning and management. This includes actions to: (a) (b) (c) Establish Establish planning procedures application for ecotourism developments; development; system of ecotourism areas; areas; rocedures management for ecotourism Expand and improve Elaborate Implement Establish Establish Establish of a nationwide (d) (e) (f) (9) (h) (i) development guidelines and management for ecotourism; plans for ecotourism a series of pilot ecotourism additional ecotourism projects; products at Taman Negara and other sites; and promote a consistent marketing strategy; and ecotourism. Identify and promote fiscal measures to encourage Actions to strengthen institutions and build capacity under the National Ecotourism Plan include: (a) (b) Establish a Human Resources Development Plan; Ensure local community participation in ecotourism; 6 3. (c) (d) (e) (f) Investigate Establish the feasibility of an accreditation scheme for ecotourism; and promote ecotourism product development; for ecotourism guides; and Establish training and promote certification Upgrade standards of tourist literature. REFERENCES Economic Planning Unit for the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Sustainable Development, 1993. Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia. Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia. Malaysian Malaysian National ConselVation Strategy: Towards Tourism Policy Study; 1991. Plan, Malaysia, 1996. National Ecotourism 87

Does Trainspotting Glorify Heroin and Drug Taking?

DOES TRAINSPOTTING GLORIFY HEROIN AND DRUG TAKING? Danny Boyle’s outstanding adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s stunning novel â€Å"Trainspotting† has managed to stir some trouble since its release in 1996. Most reviews call it shocking but no matter how shocking it still ranks as one of the best Scottish movies. The film caused debates about drug use, specifically heroin, as it neither condones the use of heroin nor shuns those who have become addicted to the drug. There are many valid arguments stating that the movie glorifies heroin and other drug usage.Take, for example, during the opening scenes of the movie, Renton (the main character) tells the audience that he wouldn’t choose life, and that he has no reason for this and continues – â€Å"who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin? †. He’s telling the audience that life is nothing compared to heroin, he’d rather choose to rot his life away and throw his money away on an i llegal, life destroying drug and that he can’t justify it. He’s glorifying heroin by stating that heroin negates any reason for choosing a responsible and safe life.It is clear how people believe that the movie glorifies heroin as this is not the only point in the movie that heroin is said to be better than life. Later on in the opening scenes, Renton lists some of the things you worry about in life (bills, food, football and relationships) but finishes by saying – â€Å"all the things that really don’t matter when you have a sincere and truthful junk habit. † This list includes things that are relatively essential to a healthy life – food for the obvious reasons, football or other hobbies so that life isn’t all work and relationships that make people happy and sane.Apparently, however, a junk habit is worth so much more than things that can make humans happy. â€Å"Junk†, a word used to describe filth or garbage, is better for your life than food or relationships. This clearly glorifies heroin as it’s taking human needs and saying that heroin is much better and more important. On the contrary however, the film is not biased. It does not just glorify heroin and other drugs, in fact, at some points the film even shows the extreme damage that drugs can do.Take the scene where Renton is going cold turkey for instance. In this scene, Renton has a frantic dream in which he is threatened by Begbie, he visualises Spud in a prison outfit and Tommy is shown to look sick and weak. He also visualises baby Dawn, the infant that died earlier in the movie, crawling along the ceiling before twisting her head and dropping on his face. This sort of dream can cause great psychological damage, Renton could suffer from recurring nightmares due to his hallucinations and end up mentally ill.Not only does Trainspotting show the psychological effects of drugs but also the dangers of heroin use. Later in the film, Tommy co ntracts HIV from a dirty needle. This isn’t the end of Tommy’s sicknesses. He buys a kitten for his ex who declines it and Tommy has to keep it. He takes terrible care of it as he is drugged up most of the time and the cat begins to defecate all over his flat. This causes Tommy to get toxoplasmosis which causes him to have a stroke and he dies in his flat. His lack of sobriety was the problem.If he hadn’t have been using heroin, he could have got his girlfriend back, avoiding the kitten issue and not getting toxoplasmosis but unfortunately he was using heroin which shows how heroin can swiftly destroy a life. In conclusion, Trainspotting finds the perfect balance and neither glorifies nor condemns those that use heroin or any drug. The arguments on one side are negated by arguments on the other so it is not possible to say that Trainspotting is biased when it comes to the glorification of heroin and drugs.

SWOT Analysis and Balanced Scorecard for Community Coffee Research Paper

SWOT Analysis and Balanced Scorecard for Community Coffee - Research Paper Example There is also a growing preference among Americans for independent cafes compared to national franchises Increased demand for coffee blends in rural areas of the United States Threats The recent economic recession and subsequent uncertainty have reduced consumption Recent health results that have shown coffee to have some negative side effects, despite others showing it is good for you. This acts to confuse the wary customer. Rising costs of dairy and coffee products that cannot be foreseen but could have a serious impact on the coffee industry Strategic Objectives Community Coffee is geared more to a business strategy, especially since it concerns competition within a specific market (Nair, 2010), i.e. coffee shops. It follows that they will have to establish a competitive advantage over its rivals. In order to achieve this, Community Coffee needs to build their strategy on differentiation of products. This will contribute to a competitive advantage and shield the business from pric e wars in the industry. It is also important for Community Coffee to think about expanding nationally, which will be incorporated into the financial aspect of the scorecard. Finally, the diversity of the locations that Community Coffee seeks to operate in might make it difficult to grab a significant market share. They need to incorporate a faster service pace to compliment an on-the-go customer base; in addition, adjusting to a slower pace for the rural coffee shops that require a friendlier and slower pace since everyone there is community (Nair, 2010). Community Coffee will need to incorporate the two elements in its overall strategy. Balanced Score Card Financial Perspective On the objective concerning revenue growth, Community Coffee needs to concentrate on market diversification... Community Coffee is geared more to a business strategy, especially since it concerns competition within a specific market (Nair, 2010), i.e. coffee shops. It follows that they will have to establish a competitive advantage over its rivals. In order to achieve this, Community Coffee needs to build their strategy on differentiation of products. This will contribute to a competitive advantage and shield the business from price wars in the industry. It is also important for Community Coffee to think about expanding nationally, which will be incorporated into the financial aspect of the scorecard. Finally, the diversity of the locations that Community Coffee seeks to operate in might make it difficult to grab a significant market share. They need to incorporate a faster service pace to compliment an on-the-go customer base; in addition, adjusting to a slower pace for the rural coffee shops that require a friendlier and slower pace since everyone there is community (Nair, 2010). Community Coffee will need to incorporate the two elements in its overall strategy. On the objective concerning revenue growth, Community Coffee needs to concentrate on market diversification (Nair, 2010). Community Coffee intends to cater to both urban and urban rural clientele with their aim being to have at least 6% market share in the rural areas and 3% market share, in the urban areas, by 2014. The key indicator of performance will aid in measuring this objective with the major similar measure being percentage revenue increase.

The fall of the aztec empire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The fall of the aztec empire - Research Paper Example At first, there was an earthquake in the city of Tenochtitlan, which was later followed by a flood in Lake Texcoco nearby. Both these events caused considerable damage to the Empire. Lives were lost, and resources were used up that could not be replenished quickly. What is more, there was an effect on the morale of the Aztecs as well. They held the belief that these natural disasters, along with some paranormal phenomena supposedly observed by some, foretold the fall of their empire. The Aztec Empire employed, as written before, a combination of trade and military tactics to expand their territory. This entailed that they were constantly involved in military conflicts. These military conflicts took their toll, not only on the resources of the Empire, but also on the Aztec warriors. These warriors, or soldiers, had constant warring on their hand, as they had to keep the rebellious tribes in check. Another factor that took its toll on the Aztec population was their practice of human sa crifice. Although it was not a unique phenomenon, however, the Aztec Empire was accustomed to sacrificing humans on a very large scale. They sacrificed thousands of their own people at the altars of their gods under one pretext or another. This not only decreased their population, thus decreasing the number of possible young men to be recruited as warriors or soldiers, but it also caused a deep resentment and hatred in the hearts and minds of non-Aztec against the Empire. This caused many a war (as above discussed) and, moreover, it was one of the reasons why the Tlaxcalans sided with the Conquistadores against the Empire. Moreover the Conquistadores decided to conquer the Empire, perhaps, because of the latter’s human sacrifice and end the evil practice. Coming to the Tlaxcalans, they consisted of people occupying more than 150 towns. They were constantly under threat of the Aztec Empire, with the Empire blockade a constant reality that had left the people poor and hungry. T he Empire already having conquered most of the land around their main city of Tlaxcala, also used Tlaxcalans as sacrifices to their gods. The rulers, therefore, welcomed Cortes’ expedition and saw in him their way of getting rid of the dangers posed by the Aztec Empire once and for all. Though it is uncertain whether they embraced Christianity, as was Cortes’ main mission, however, the chieftains did agree to form an alliance with Cortes and his Conquistadores. Furthermore, the Spaniards brought with them, as Europeans in other parts of America brought with them, diseases that were new to the indigenous population of the Americas. In the case of the Aztecs it was smallpox. Transmitted by someone in the Spanish army, smallpox spread quickly in the Aztec Empire. The Aztec casualty rate was high, with some historians saying that around 40 percent of the population fell victim to the disease. Though more conservative estimates put the number close to 20 to 25 percent, howe ver, a large portion of the population died after contracting smallpox. However, there is debate among the historians regarding this. Some surmise that it was actually a disease known as Cocolitzili in the local language that caused the population to diminish in such large numbers. Carried by the rodents, the virus, which was similar to the modern day Birdflu or Swineflu

Going to Extremes Case Application Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Going to Extremes Application - Case Study Example He illustrates the core values that define the culture of the employees in an organization. In Zappos, the organizational culture tends to be more than the written values. This is evident in the complex web of human interactions created by the company. The company employs the use of a social web, to link the employees with one another and to enhance the interaction of employees with the customers. The company also evaluates its health, by questioning the employees as to whether the company has a higher purpose than the profits. The employees are also questioned if their role has meaning to the company, and if they enjoy working in that environment. The company believes that, with the right culture and the right values, a company is likely to obtain the best performance from the employees. The corporate values possessed by this organization include; commitment to excellence, commitment to innovation, promoting the organization’s culture, proper training of the employees, increased profits, enhanced human interactions, defining the purpose of the company other than the profits, enhanced cooperation among the workers, increased efficiency and quality. Commitment to excellence as a corporate value ensures the employees understand their role in the organization to enhance the success of the organization. This ensures the employees are not only trained on technical skills, but also other skills necessary for a company to succeed in business. Commitment to innovation ensures the employees always know what is required of them in terms of any new technology that is to be employed in the organization. The organizational culture in Zappos is more than the written values. The culture tends to be extremely high through the complex web of human interactions created by the company. The use of a social web, to link the employees with one another and to enhance the interaction of employees with customers is also a culture that

Court visits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Court visits - Essay Example The young girl kept her head bent down all throughout the cross-examination and seemed to avoid eye-contact. She looked so nervous and helpless, as if she was not ready for the lawyer’s cross examination. Her appearance is pathetic, as if she could not defend herself. The judge seemed to take pity on her. The case hearing was later adjourned to another date. While I observed the whole scenario, I cannot help but feel for the young girl because she seemed to be having difficulty as she answered the questions of the lawyer. Her posture was bent, manifesting a low self-confidence and perhaps, embarrassment at having to be cross-examined by a knowledgeable adult. I did not have enough information about the case. I only knew she was being accused of the murder of a young man. As I listened, I felt I needed to see the whole picture so that I can fully understand her situation. I see that she is a teenager. She’s just a child, and too young to be convicted of murder. I wanted to know her story and the details of the case. I tried to empathize with her and put myself in her shoes. If she was guilty, what could have driven her to commit such a beastly act? If she was innocent, then the whole process of the court hearing becomes useless. In any case, this was a situation that is very stressful for her and may wound her for life. In case that happens, I wonder what kind of interventions could be given to her so that she recovers from the pain, trauma and embarrassment she has experienced. I am aware that the girl on trial is not yet an adult but a child. The United Nations established the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 and had several nations ratify it to ensure that children all over the world are not deprived of their rights. Article 2.2 of the UNCRC declares that "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as

Jpurnal free writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jpurnal free writing - Essay Example But of course, for them it was. This was obviously a text for the super elite. But the thing is, over the centuries has reached every common day individual. I think that’s where The Prince’s implications become significant. Other than that, it can be considered even comic if you read it in modern day context, neglecting the way ordinary ‘subjects’ would react to constantly being treated this way. In modern times, and in modern politics, I see a lot of this happening. There are too many people who are involved in some sort of a power struggle rather than carrying out their duties. Policies don’t seem to be made keeping majority interest in mind; rather, it feels as though self preservation is the rule. And that is a concept which is obviously not new. Machiavelli pointed it out centuries ago. I find it interesting to note how when reading it I feel like I am reading a witty political blog.

Find a good website containing information about Louis XIV, the Sun Essay

Find a good website containing information about Louis XIV, the Sun King as a Dancer. (Middle Ages and Renaissance) - Essay Example also started and sponsored many schools and academies during his reign, to teach court dancers, who practiced this dance form under the tutelage of some of the best dancers and composers of those time. One particular thing about court ballet was that they were danced solely by men, without any participation of women dancers. This webpage is published by Maxine Mahon, the Director of California Ballet. California Ballet is a San Diego based ballet company, that promotes performances affiliated to the classical ballet art form. Thereby, the information given on this web page is credible and authentic. The intended purpose of the information given on this web page is to introduce the ballet lovers to the history of ballet art form. This web page being published on 24 May 2010, the information given on it could be deemed to be up to date. All the information regarding the role played by Louis XIV in popularizing court ballet is presented in an illustrative and objective manner. Overall, this webpage makes an interesting

Military Industrial Complex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Military Industrial Complex - Essay Example Eisenhower was worried about the costs of an arms race that was taking shape between the United States and Soviet Union (Pavelec 95). He wanted to caution the American citizens and the incoming administration about concentrating militarization of the country, which he claimed, would deny other areas of the economy the necessary resources. According to Eisenhower, overspending in the military sectors will divert finances aimed for sectors like building of hospitals and schools. Further, increase in military spending resulted in large budgets that were not sustainable by the country; therefore, Eisenhower wanted the country to budget for what it can afford (Pavelec 95). Eisenhower was also worried the union between defense contractors, and the armed forces would change the way the country handles international relations and disputes. This union, Eisenhower thought would increase the chances of war as a means of solving conflicts instead of depending on peaceful negotiations. As a milit ary veteran, Eisenhower had seen the horror and lingering sadness that result from war. According to Eisenhower, his successors should balance between a strong national defense and diplomacy when dealing with the Soviet Union threat during the cold war. Therefore, he encourages those that were coming after him to settle differences with other countries not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose (Pavelec 96). Another concern that stimulated the warning was that as the military and the arms industry accumulated power; they posed a threat to the country’s democracy. Eisenhower thought that the massive power of the military and the arms industry and resultant lose democracy would lead to the loss of citizen control over the military-industrial complex (Pavelec 96). The threat posed by military-industrial complex as envisioned by Eisenhower has become true the years following his speech. Concerning endless conflict with hostile ideology, the former president was right gi ven that the United States has continued to engage in never ending wars with different groups or countries. After the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, the country went on to fight in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. War has become a permanent engagement given the recent declaration by the United States’ political leadership that there is no foreseeable end to the war against terror. Even after the killing of the Al-Qaeda leader, the country still faces a threat from the terrorist group, which implies its ability to survive the death of its targeted leadership (Eisenhower 7). The United States has become a country of unending war where the end of one signals the chance for the military-industrial complex to find a new enemy that must be neutralized therefore perpetuating the complex’s appetite for war (Eisenhower 8). The Military-Industrial Complex now dictates a large part of the United States foreign policy. The sale of military equipment to foreign governments h as now become a source of major revenue for American arms industry (Pavelec 96). On the permanent military industry, the former president’s warning has come true. Since the end of nineteenth century, the United States military has grown to become a major industry in the country’s defense system. As with any other industry, the arms industry has an ambition to grow, which means

Critical Analyis of John Locke, Hegel, and and John Stuart Mill Essay Example for Free

Critical Analyis of John Locke, Hegel, and and John Stuart Mill Essay Question 1:How does Locke prove that human beings have a natural right to private property? Answer (Book II chap V section 27): Humans have the right to private property because they are using their own labor in conjunction to take property from the state of nature and thus making it his own. By mixing his labor or his hands, which is an extent of himself, he is relating that property to him and no one else. When every we pour water into a glass, by using labor and our hands, we have the sole entitlement to the water. Question 2:How does human nature limit this right to property? Answer (Book II chap V section 31-32) Man has the right to use as much property as possible just as long as he finds away that is supports his life. Once he no longer finds ways to use his property for life, he has to give it up. To add to the limitations of property, Man can use as much property unless it is wasted and not good for the use of others. By wasting property, that persons is violating other peoples rights because human nature states that everyone has the an equal Question 3:How does Hegels abstract right define the relation between freedom, reason, and property? Answer: Question 4:How does Hegel prove that the abstract right to property necessarily involves relation to other persons? Answer: Question 5:Using your answer to the proceeding questions, identify exactly what distinguishes Lockes position on freedom and property from the way Hegels account of abstract right understands the same issue? Answer: Question 6:How does Hegels account of abstract right prove that right embodied in property necessarily violates the same right in other persons? Answer: Question 7:Using your answer to #6, explain why Locke is in no position to draw the same conclusion. Answer: Question 8:State in your own words Mills utility principle. Identify precisely how this principle introduces a tension between independent individuality and communal solidarity. Explain how this same tension appears in Locke and in Hegels abstract right. Answer:

Egyptian Civilization and Classical Greek Essay Example for Free

Egyptian Civilization and Classical Greek Essay Egyptian Civilization and Classical Greek Introduction            Civilization has been dated to be as old and human kind whereby it’s an advanced state of human activity signified by high levels of cultural, science, industry and government development. Over time, there has been civilization all the word with different regions undergoing the civilization at different times. One of the most influential civilization processes globally is the ‘Egyptian civilizations’ (Freeman, 2004).            Egypt is a country found in the North of Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea. The country is referred as one of the earliest to experience civilization on earth. The country (Egypt) thrived for thousands of years whose culture was famous and influential for its great culture cultural advances in every area of human knowledge such as science, technology and religion. One of the most and still remains important in the Egyptians history is the great monuments which reflects the depth of Egyptian culture which in turn is believed to have influenced many of the ancient civilizations such as the cases of Rome and Greece (Freeman, 2004).            As I figured out, there are numerous feature and aspects that defined Egyptian civilization but one of the prominent aspect as the architectures. Ancient Egyptians were built their pyramids; temples and tombs remains of Egypts monumental architectural achievements are visible across the land, a tribute to the greatness of this civilization. As I visited the country, I could not fail to identify the numerous mysteries in terms of civilizations. In addition, there is no any other civilization that has captured the eyes of civilization over time like that of ancient Egypt. Mysteries like its origin, religion and even how they came up with the monumental architecture such as pyramids has been a real mystery (Talbert, 2012).            The architectural breakthrough in Egypt has been one of the sources of civilization into the entire world. The pyramids’ has made the country one of the famous, as the constructions are the remaining ones among the initial Seven Wonders of the World. One of the reasons behind the prominence of the pyramid is the fact that the Egyptians never showed how actually the pyramids were made. The art form in the focus in Egypt civilization is the architectural knowledge in the country and the role it played in the civilization process. The purpose of the architectural knowledge that resulted to the building of the pyramid in the ancient Egypt, the purpose of the piece is the fact the Egyptians were believed to be among the first to elect buildings, and as I can see here, Ancient Egyptians are the ones who have taught humanity how to erect and design buildings. Of the seven famous structures in the seven wonders list, in the ancient world as the Great Pyramid of Giza (Talbert, 2012).            This architectural structure is the most recognizable in the country (Egypt), and not only is the structure among the oldest, but it is still the one that remains as the proof of the civilization in the region as it is still the structure that remains. During my visit in the region, I also found that, The Great Giza Pyramid was recorded as the tallest artificial construction in the globe for 3800 Yrs which is not only an evidence to its stability but to its score as one of the largely exceptional structures built. According to the information obtained, the ‘Giza Pyramid’ was not the initial pyramid to be constructed; ‘however’ this pyramid became one of the largely famous structures in the globe. Why did Giza Pyramid get all the celebrity and splendour? The Pyramid though not much big than nearly every pyramid, is in reality the biggest pyramid ever built. This pyramid represents the improvements and accomplishments of structural design in Egypt. The pyramid is precise, large and required an irresistible amount of organization. It is not the pyramid that is so captivating but it is the method and process used to create it. Even today, Egyptologists are not entirely certain how The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed (Duchesne, 2012).            In conclusion, the architectural prowess of the Egyptian architectures is found to be influential to the architectural civilization in the rest parts of the world. I also found that, Ancient Egyptian architects were also known as Chiefs of Construction, as they skilled in their designing of great religious, funerary, and public buildings, where one of their constructions is the Great Giza Pyramid (Duchesne, 2012). In addition to the magnificent structures, there also exists the sketch plans for the various building and structure that were elected during the ancient times. In addition, during my visit, I also managed to find the preserved two sketch plans on papyrus and flakes of stones, which showed the accuracy of the architects work. To the mentioned inventions in the ancient Egypt, many more can be traced to have its origin back to the Egyptians. For example, rule of law, use of spreadsheets, temples and columns and women liberation. Hence, it is clear that, the modern world civilization owes much of its development and achievements to the ancient Egyptians knowledge (Spielvogel, 2012). Classical Greek or Hellenistic Civilizations            Classical Greece is referred as a period of 200 years in the Greek culture which run between the 5th and the 4th centuries BC. The period is credited for its powerful influence to the Roman Empire as well as greatly influencing the basis of western civilization. There are numerous aspects of the modern culture such as the politics, architecture, scientific, literature and philosophies that were derived from the classical Greece period. This classical Greece period is also known as Hellenic period. The civilization in the classical Greece times had a tremendous impact to the civilization of the other parts of the words in different aspects such as the art of war, religion, culture among many other aspects. The period referred as classical Greece is denoted by cultural and military achievements. The Classical Period produced remarkable cultural and scientific achievements (Freeman, 2014).            Just is the case of the Egyptian civilization, the architectural development in the Classical Greek time, was also very vital in the civilization of the region. For centuries, ancient Greece gained control of many universal architectural designs and movements. Most of the breathtaking masterpieces that are present around the world derive their inspiration from ancient Greece. Greece as a country is highly famous for its rich diversity of architectural designs and it is for this reason that the latter is divided into different timeline along centuries and civilization eras (Spielvogel, 2012). For instance, a tourist visiting the city of Athens in Greece is likely to come across architecture classified according to either Minoan civilization, Mycenaean civilization or many others. In an exclusive guide to architecture based on historical periods, one can have a walk from ancient times to present day. To begin with, Minoan architecture prospered during the 15th to the 27th century BC. It was during this period that that one of the most famous architectural designs was invented. This building was the palace of Knossos that is located on a small hill that is enclosed by a thick forest of pine trees (Freeman, 2014). This palace is divided into two wings where the first wing, known as the west wing, hosts religious and official staterooms. The second wing is known as the east wing that is normally used for workshop, meetings and other domestic purposes. At the time, archeologists who examined and studied the palace of Knossos found marvelous stones called frescoes beneath the layers of ash. This made them to believe that the ruin and destruction of the town of Minoa and Knossos was directly related to the eruption of the Santorini volcano. These frescoes have crystal clear colors and mimic happy scenarios from daily life occasions and festivities. The combination of these frescoes with the fact that the town of Minoa lacked security walls is enough evidence that peaceful relationships existed with other cultures. Furthermore, other less famous sites existed in Minoa and included the palace of Phaestos and Zakros (Freeman, 2014).            In conclusion, the architectural knowledge possessed by the Greek contributed greatly to the development of the structures. The outstanding thing about the materialization of Hellenic civilization is its sharp departure from the norm, rising as it did from a dark age in which a small number of poor, isolated and illiterate people developed their own kind of society. Political control was shared by a relatively large portion of the people and participation in political life was highly valued. Most states imposed no regular taxation; there was no separate caste of priests and little concern for life after death. Speculative natural philosophy based on observation and reason arose in this varied, dynamic, secular and remarkably free context (Spielvogel, 2012). This was an era of unparalleled achievement (Benton DiYanni, 2012). While the rest of the world continued to be characterized by monarchical, hierarchical command societies, Athenian democracy was carried as fa r as it would go before modern times. Democracy disappeared with the end of Greek autonomy late in the fourth century B.C.E. When it returned in the modern world more than two millennia later, it was broader but shallower, without the emphasis on active direct participation of every citizen in the government. In addition, many of the literary genres and forms that are ritual in the modern world arose and were developed during this time. The Greek emphasis on naturalistic art that idealized the human forms also diverged from previous and contemporary art in the rest of the world. To a great extent, these developments sprang from the independence and unique political experience of the Greeks (Spielvogel, 2012). Impact of Diversity on the Future Art            There has been vast diversity between the arts presented by the different arts and eras of civilization. Diversity has affected America’s ethnicity ever since its commencement. The different immigrant groups that have come to America has brought along with them their different individual, beliefs, religious practices, architectural developments, and other numerous civilization aspects associated with each group. The different groups helped to generate the colonies and finally the US as one country. In modern America, diversity of traditions has taken on a diverse implication (Benton DiYanni, 2012). The theory has extended from cultural and ethnic custom to the interlinking of gay rights and marriage as well as social ethics. Additionally, there is currently the concept that America must accept and acclimatize to foreign traditions and make legal the use of numerous languages on government documents, street signs and in the unrestricted classrooms all over A merica rather than the incomers adjusting themselves to America’s rich language and culture. The various civilizations undergone from the different parts of the globe have directly affected the Americans way of life, and in turn diversity existence in United States (Benton DiYanni, 2012).            The numerous architectural development and civilization from the two regions has greatly diversified the architectural aspect of United States. There have been numerous civilizations undertaken in the regions discussed which have greatly influenced major political, social and economic factors which have in turn changed American life in the 1960s and 1970s (Benton DiYanni, 2012). The architectural and arts civilization in the Egyptian and Greece has greatly diversified the American culture and architecture developments over time. The  architecture  of the  United States  demonstrates a broad variety of  architectural styles  and built forms over the countrys  history  of over four centuries of independence and former  British rule. Architecture in the United States is as diverse as its multicultural society and has been shaped by many internal and external factors and regional distinctions. As a whole it represents a rich eclectic and innovative t radition (Benton DiYanni, 2012).            The future impact of the art is greatly impacted by the diversity in the American community and culture. For example, Australian Aboriginal painting is analyzed as a case study of the transition from ritual art to commercial art. The arts and cultural aspects are a reinforcing and celebrating different communities’ character (Benton DiYanni, 2012). Arts and culture strategies help to reveal and enhance the underlying identity the unique meaning, value, and character of the physical and social form of a community. This identity is reflected through the communitys character or sense of place. A communitys sense of place is not a static concept; rather, it evolves and develops over time, reflecting the spectrum of social values within and around the community. In this way, the community character of a city, county, town, or neighbourhood can be seen as a story or narrative of a place (Benton DiYanni, 2012). References Benton, J. R., DiYanni, R. (2012).  Arts and culture: An introduction to the humanities: combined volume. Boston: Prentice Hall. Duchesne, R. (2012). A Civilization of Explorers.  Academic Questions,  25(1), 65-93. doi:10.1007/s12129-012-9276-9 Freeman, C. (2014).  Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Freeman, C. (2004).  Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Oxford: Oxford University Press. OConnor, D. B., Reid, A., University College, London. (2003).  Ancient Egypt in Africa. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Talbert, R. J. A. (2012).  Ancient perspectives: Maps and their place in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece Rome. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Spielvogel, J. J. (2012).  Western civilization. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Source document

The Marginalized Groups of Immigrants in Canada

The Marginalized Groups of Immigrants in Canada Imoghena Usman   Immigration to Canada may seem like a dream for many foreigners, since it arguably provides many opportunities. However, immigration causes difficulties in regards to settlement and integration into the country. Certain groups of immigrants face particular struggles when they arrive in Canada and try to navigate new and different social systems. They face obstacles in that institutions such as the government do not fully support them with the potential issues they face. This essay will argue that the experiences of illegal immigrants, migrant women and the school-aged immigrant children are full of hardships in which the Canadian government has created problems that have prevented them from fully integrating into the country. In the chapter, Illegalized Migrants, Charity-Ann Hannan examines the particular struggles that illegal immigrants have had to face. It can be argued that illegal immigrants face an increased set of challenges than legal immigrants. In Canada, the majority of illegal immigrants obtain this status when they overstay their visa or permit (Hannan 144-145). Without legal documentation, this leads to a number of issues they cannot escape. They are not able to fend for themselves from other institutions that try to hurt them. They are marginalized, as they are able to be exploited by their employers and cannot access government services (Hanson, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 145). Immigration becomes a hardship since illegal immigrants are used for their work and no one wants does not help them. In fact, it seems that they are being punished for being illegal, when they could be trying to live better lives for themselves. The chapter gives a history of the migration of illegalized migrants whic h highlighted cases of Canadas hesitance of bringing immigrants into the country. For example, in 1869, Canada passed its Immigration Act that did not allow criminals in the country (Makarenko, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 146), and employers hired immigrants to work for cheap with no chance for unionization (Avery, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 146-147). Without any way to come together and protect themselves, illegal immigrants arguably could not live good lives nor defend themselves from being exploited for their work. Immigration consisted of hard work without interests being fulfilled. The Chinese were specifically targeted as well. In 1885, the Chinese Immigration Act required them to pay an entrance fee, but British Columbia pushed the provincial government to deny entry, so the 1923 Immigration Act was passed to officially bar entry (Avery, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 147-148). By barring the Chinese from entering the country, the Canadian government demonstrated that it was opposed to immigration by certain groups of foreigners. By going after a specific ethnic community, this policy proves that immigration had a bad image because it was based on discriminatory practices. In 1967, Canada shifted the Immigration Acts focus onto skills (Hannan 148), and the 1976 version created classes for immigrants to enter through (Avery 1995; Immigration Act 1976-1977, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 148), which was to create the image that Canada was making a more fair and equitable immigration system, (Hannan 150). However, the government also implemented the TFW program, where if they stay past their visas, they become illegal immigrants (Hennerbry, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 150). The Canadian government may have tried to improve their image in creating these legislations that encouraged immigration, but they also created legislation that could be believed to have continued their legacy of discrimination against immigrants. This has continued into recent times as well; the 2002 Immi gration and Refugee Act restricted immigrant investors and sponsorship of family (Hannan 150). Immigrants continue to be restricted from being allowed into Canada, and this legislation portrays how the government is still prejudiced against immigration from specific categories. Temporary foreign workers of low skill work for four years and are forced back to their country of origin, but when the first period ended in 2015, it was predicted that there would be more illegal immigrants (Alboim and Kohl, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 150). This arguably caused the Canadian governments efforts to restrict entry to the country to be undermined by having temporary migrants becoming illegal immigrants, since the text indicated there will be an increase of illegal immigrants due to policy (Hannan 156). Canada illustrates a negative attitude towards certain groups of immigrants, in which their policies demonstrate that they are not wanted. This image is also seen through the work of migrants. In t he labour market, there is a secondary segment of work that has low wages, few benefits, poor working conditions, high labour turnover, and little chance of advancement, (Doeringer and Piore, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 153), which is where many migrants work in to address labour demand (Piore, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 153). This is seen with illegal immigrants, as they earn less then legalized migrants (Davila and Pagan; Mehta, Theodore, Mora and Wade; Phillips and Massey; Rivera-Batiz; Youn, Woods, Zhou and Hardigree, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 154). Illegal immigrants are in risk because they are put in a financially difficult position and do not have the resources to get out of it. They basically serve to work without any benefits, showing that Canadian immigration for this particular group possibly does not lead to any good outcomes. There are also other factors that divides them even more. Men earn higher wages than women (Cobb-Clark and Koussoduji 1999; Mehta et al. 2002; Rivera-B atiz 1999, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 154), as well as those who were employed in the manufacturing industry (Mehta et al. 2002, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 154). According to these examples, illegal immigration is based on division in which they have to fight for survival and rights. However, employers are the ones who benefit as illegal immigrants do not have protection so they cannot unionize (Morales, cited in Hannan 2015, p. 156), demonstrating that many illegal immigrants are to fend for themselves. In Chapter 10, Leslie Nichols and Vappu Tyyskà ¤ write about the experiences of migrant women. In Canadas colonized history, white female immigrants were portrayed as co-settlers with their male counterparts, (Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 250). There was number of cases in Canadian history where women of colour were targeted in racialized discrimination. One case was black Caribbean women, who worked as domestics after British and Finnish domestics came between 1900-1930 (Das Gupta, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 251). They only had temporary contracts, and had to go back home, the opposite experience of European women (Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 251). The blatant racism showed how non-white females never got a chance to prove their worth and to live a better life in a new country. The temporary contracts prove that there was a negative bias towards immigrant women because they did not want women of colour around for a long period of time; they were unwanted. In terms of economics, imm igrant women continue to struggle. This can be seen through the way they entered into Canada as, during 201257.6% of women entered through the family class, (Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2012, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 253). It can be inferred from the statistics that many women do not have the financial resources to provide for themselves. This is also demonstrated with the facts that less than half of immigrant women were employed (Statistics Canada 2011, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 254), and the most recent arrivals earned a median income of $15, 590 (Statistics Canada 2013, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 255). Women could be financially struggling because there are no jobs that are stable for them, so they need to be reliant on others. For example, men are the breadwinners of the family (Nichols and Tyyskà ¤, 255). They are also unable to learn necessary skills in order to live fully, such as not being able to attend language classes th rough the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada because childcare is limited to very young children (Pothier, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 256). It demonstrates that female immigrants are unable to get the skills needed because the government do not provide better alternatives/programs for them. They will remain financially dependent on others. Women also face challenges from within their families as well. With their spouses, if a woman becomes employed, the males would lose their breadwinner status and lose confidence (Ali and Kilbride, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 257), which causes them to become violent towards the family (Tyyskà ¤ 2005, 2008, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 257). When immigrant women do get jobs, it causes conflict with their spouses that can lead to a dangerous experience. This further causes them to become marginalized, and may deter them from finding work. Younger women face pressure to conform into cultural norms in ter ms of sex which they must pass on to their children (Handa; Tyyskà ¤, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 261), and are encouraged into practices such as arranged marriage (Ghimire and Axinn, cited in Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 2015, p. 261). Immigrant women are being suppressed by their families because they cannot integrate into Canadian norms, even if they want to, and lack the choice to make their own decisions. This may be due to patriarchal hierarchies in cultural groups (Nichols and Tyyskà ¤ 257). If males are dominant, then women lack the leadership to grow into their own person. This portrays an image of Canadian immigration where women are pushed into sexist roles, and cannot work to make better lives for themselves because the government and other factors continue to stop them. In Chapter 11, Mehrunnisa Ahmad Ali examines child immigrants and their schooling. A variety of immigrant children of colour experienced challenges in terms of race when entering into Canada in its history. One example is when black migrants moved from the United States to Canada (Joshee and Johnson, cited in Ali 2015, p. 275), black children were segregated from their white peers in legislated separate schools due to parental fear of their influence (Ali 275). It shows that black children would not be able to settle into the country without being ostracized by their communities. Since the schools were legislated (Ali 275), this proves that the government did not consider the wellbeing of immigrant children of colour; they were presumably left to fend for themselves. Another example was when a law was passed forcing Aboriginals to attend school, leading to forcible removal to residential schools where their culture was taken away from them (Ali 276). Immigration for children would be tough and not welcome by many. It proves that the discrimination of immigrants in Canada was not limited by age. This segregation has continued on into present day, where immigrants move to areas with a common culture and/or affordable, and those in low-income areas send their children to schools where there are many immigrant children (Ali 277). Immigrants are separated from permanent residents due to their situations and lack of similarities. This portrays a divide between the two groups. Immigrant children tend to struggle more in school; since they do not have the grasp of English, they fall behind in class and are put into non-academic streams which lead to lower status jobs then post-secondary education (Ali 278). Immigrant children will grow up to struggle into their adulthood, showing that they will most likely end up in difficult situations. It shows that Canadian immigration for children will pose more challenges for their futures. The government does not help them as wel l, as there is a lack of funding for English as a Second Language Programs and provincial benefits that only last for a short period of time (Ali 278-279). The significance of this is that the government has not fully learned from history by not providing the resources necessary to help them settle into their new lives. Immigrant children stand to suffer from the lack of services and the government does not seem to support them. The schools do not seem to look at their experiences and lifestyles as well; for example, the curriculum focuses on Canadian heroes and not how they were immigrants (Ali 2009, cited in Ali 2015, p. 281). Immigrant children are also segregated between themselves. Those who live in areas with poverty and high crime go to schools that focus more on dropout rates then academic achievement, while those who come into the country fluent in English or French can enter school more easily, but can face bullying if they have an accent (Ali 285-286). Depending on the ch ilds circumstances, there is always a chance of failure. Immigration, according to those three groups experiences, is basically a hardship. From past to present, there have been numerous examples where migrants of those categories struggle to make it into their new lives. From the evidence, it can be determined that there needs to be more done in order to make immigrants more comfortable in Canada. If they cannot feel like they are part of a community and have access to resources that can help them know the country more, then it would be difficult for them to feel like they are at home. In Immigration Policy, Settlement Service, and Immigrant Mothers in Neoliberal Canada: A Feminist Analysis, Yidan Zhu describes that not so many immigration settlement organizations provide parenting or mothering courses/workshops for mothers, (148). Zhu proves that if certain resources are not provided, then one would infer that immigrants would never be able to learn important information that could help them live better. In all three cases, there has bee n a division between immigrants and Canadians in which it could almost be categorized as a segregation. This division has cause conflicts between the two groups. For example, Canadian teachers want immigrant parents to raise their children with Canadian values (Ali 2012, cited in Ali 2015, p. 283). There should be a push to immigrants and permanent residents to work together, such as a call for global citizen education (Richardson, cited in Ali 2015, p. 280). If not, these issues will continue, such as how immigrant children face alienation and no sense of belonging in Canada due to discrimination (Omidvar Richmond, cited in Oxman-Martinez et al, p. 377). Immigrants should be able to feel like they are at home where they feel safe, instead of being separated from the rest of Canadians for being who they are. Finally, the Canadian government should be pushed in making more of an active effort in assuring immigrants of these groups are not marginalized. In all three cases, the govern ment contributed in the mistreatment and/or obstacles they have faced. Both individuals and communities must push to make them realize that immigrants need help instead of constant battles that they do not have the power to face. For example, Zhu explains that while the state provides immigration resources for women, their own experiences of mothering are considered unimportant and the state is made to look responsible for them as the parents (152). There needs to be more communication between the government and immigrants with push from the numerous immigrant communities and other resources because if not, then there will continue to be misguided actions that hurt the community. In conclusion, immigrants are blocked from reaching their full potential when they arrive in Canada. Illegal immigrants face exploitation, women are devalued and placed under sexist norms and children struggle to integrate into a school system that is not always welcoming. Meanwhile, the government continues to block any chance they have in succeeding in their new country, while outliers also affect their newfound status. Overall, there needs to be more change in order to allow these groups of immigrants to thrive in an unfamiliar world. Works Cited Ali, Mehrunnisa Ahmad. The Schooling of Children of Immigrants. Immigrant Experiences in North America: Understanding Settlement and Intergration, edited by Harald Bauder and John Shields, Canadian Scholars Press Inc., 2015, pp. 273-291. Hannan, Charity-Ann. Illegalized Migrants. Immigrant Experiences in North America: Understanding Settlement and Intergration, edited by Harald Bauder and John Shields, Canadian Scholars Press Inc., 2015, pp. 144-163. Nichols, Leslie and Tyyskà ¤, Vappu. Immigrant Women in Canada and the United States. Immigrant Experiences in North America: Understanding Settlement and Intergration, edited by Harald Bauder and John Shields, Canadian Scholars Press Inc., 2015, pp. 248-272. Oxman-Martinez, Jacqueline, et al. Perceived Ethnic Discrimination and Social Exclusion: Newcomer Immigrant Children in Canada. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 82.3 (2012): 376-88. Web. 26 Mar. 2017. Zhu, Yidan. Immigration Policy, Settlement Service, and Immigrant Mothers in Neoliberal Canada: A Feminist Analysis. Canadian Ethnic Studies, vol. 48, no. 2, 2016, pp. 143-156, Canadian Business Current Affairs Database; Political Science Database; ProQuest Sociology Collection, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1815479346?accountid=13631.

Easter Vigil :: essays research papers

The Easter Vigil is mass in which we commemorate Jesus for his great sufferings. He was crucified on the cross so that we may one day spend all eternity with He and God. Most of the time the service begins around seven o’clock and held inside the Church structure with its people. For symbolic purposes, there is no Holy water; we are instead blessed during the ritual itself in order to memorialize our vows, taken at baptism. When mass initiates all lights have already been turned off, everyone has instead been given a candle. This is then lit when the Pascal candle has been lit. In the beginning, the congregation of the church comes to the altar; they have the candle held sometimes upon there shoulder, and bring it around the church. This is done in my parish where my pastor usually desires to attain the largest candles, and according to the administrator, it is the largest candle in America. While they haul this massive candle throughout the church, the congregation resonate c hants; these are used to praise God and Jesus for his great love for us. When finishing its circumvention, it is brought before the altar. When having reached the altar the candle is placed on a pedestal and ignited. The flames from this candle are then shared with the whole community, first given to the alter servers, which are then shared with everyone else. Afterwards, the ordained read a story from the bible. Then the lights are lit up and we are asked to extinguish the flames of our candles. The priests rise once again and welcome us to the Easter vigil. We confess our sins like every other mass and then recite the litany. The fore mass ends with the opening prayer, or first oration. The liturgy comprises of several readings, most of the time, three. They consist of a medley from the Old Testament, and sometimes from the New Testament usually from the Epistle, which are followed by a chant for the Gospel procession. The gospel is usually from Luke, which has the most complete Resurrection story. In my opinion, I think that readings from Luke’s Gospel of Jesus’ resurrection affect me most. I believe that they are more significant because they enable us to recap what Jesus, and his followers had gone through. It also emphasizes how we can rise just like Christ did.

Frankenstein Essay -- English Literature

Frankenstein In the novel ‘Frankenstein’ Mary Shelley Portrays a Monster. The view of the monster is hideous. In the beginning he was childlike, kind and helpful but with the time he gains knowledge he becomes miserable. Mary Shelley writes about the monster to express her views about knowledge and the changes it can bring. In the 19th century with the industrial revolution there were negative effects. At the time there was a lot of development in Science and technology causing people unsettled. The people died because diseases spread. When people felt unsettled they wanted to know why are these changes happening so, they turned towards religion or the supernatural. That’s why stories about supernatural became popular. ‘Frankenstein’ is one of the typical examples of that time which portrays the effects of these changes. As we read more we get to know that Victor Frankenstein described the monster when he first came alive. The monster was ‘hideous’ with his ‘yellow eyes’, ‘pearly white teeth’ and ‘scarcely skin’. Here Shelley wants us, as readers, to be repulsed by what we see. She wants us to know that knowledge is dangerous: the monster is a symbol of Victor’s knowledge to the monster by running away. This Quote â€Å"I rushed of the room, and continued a long time transversing my bedchamber†, shows that Victor is distressed by his creation. As we readed more we observed that the monster is described as Childlike, for example, when he came across the fire and was excited by it’s ‘warmth’. Here Shelley is telling us that the monster has started to feel his senses. He is naà ¯ve and we feel sorry for him. Mary Shelley then introduces the monster as a narrator because she wanted us to know the truth, in ... ... the girl’s friend injured him because he thought that the monster is hearting her. The monster remained in Switzerland with his pain and agony for a couple of days. Then he reached Geneva after all. We feel that the knowledge has turned the monster into an Evil. Mary Shelley wants us to know that knowledge can be dangerous and can lead to the lowest dejection; if somebody knows a lot about everything he can become unsatisfied. In my conclusion I would say that the monster changes as he gains knowledge. In the beginning he was kind and helpful, but became dangerous and horrible as he gained knowledge. Mary Shelley describes about the monster to create an image of those circumstance in our head. She also tells us that knowledge can be dangerous. We feel that the monster was innocent and Victor Frankenstein is responsible for everything that has happened.

Affluenza: An American Epidemic Essay -- essays research papers fc

Affluenza is an epidemic which effects millions of people in the United States. â€Å"Until this century [20th], to consume was considered a bad thing† says Jeremy Rifkin an expert on affluenza ( Gross ). The victims of affluenza are consumers who work long hours at a job they hate so they can buy things which they don’t need ( Fight Club ). Like AIDS, affluenza has spread quickly throughout the United States showing no prejudice of race, sex or color. However, unlike AIDS, affluenza is a compulsive addiction to shopping, which can be cured by spending less time consuming and more time enjoying life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the majority of parents work longer hours then other parents did in the past to support their families, children are left at home under the supervision of a television set. The television set constantly teaches children how to be good consumers. Advertisements which appear on television are designed to make children feel unloved by their mothers and fathers if they don’t buy them the newest toy, or take them to the most exciting amusement park. Before the age affluenza a child would be considered fortunate if he or she had a bike to ride or a doll to play with. Today, children expect their parents to buy them expensive toys because advertising companies give children the idea that deserve it. Cote Page 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As children grow into teenagers, they begin to consume more and more and refuse to accept any boundaries on material or physical things ( Gabrels ). Through advertising, Corporations dictate what type of clothing teens should wear, what type of music teens should listen to, and how teens should act. The desire to buy products which are advertised to them is so strong that some teenagers become depressed and disturbed when they don’t have money to buy as many material possessions as their peers. Many other teens sacrifice their education by getting a part-time so they can spend more money on their growing addiction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenagers optimistically look forward to their adult years with ambitious dreams. To their surprise, the dreams of being rich and famous which were offered to them on every commercial break come crashing down as they become adults. If the gap between ... ...ts and consumerism will change the family ideals forever. Cote Page 4 Works Cited Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 20th Century Fox,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1999. Gabrels, Sara Terry. â€Å"The Hard Questions Multiply†. Christian Science Monitor 12 Sept.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1997: Electronic Source, Ebscohost 27 June 2000. Gerlat, Allan. â€Å"A Bad Case Of ‘Affluenza’†. Waste News 22 Sept. 1997: Electronic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Source, Ebscohost 28 June 2000. Gross, Linda. â€Å"Videos†. rev. of Affluenza by Scott Simon. Sierra Nov/Dec 1997:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electronic Source, Ebscohost 27 June 2000. â€Å"The ‘Affluenza’ Epidemic†. World Press Review. April 1999: Electronic Source,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ebscohost 27 June 2000. Willis, Monica Michael. â€Å"Material Boys & Girls†. Country Living. April 2000: Electronic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Source, Ebscohost 28 June 2000.

What are the scope, breath and units of ethics according to the following theorist: Plato’s Euthypro and Republic

Plato. Scope: The freedom of choice of a man is very dangerous and harmful phenomenon. The man can not choose what is holy and unholy and so the only thing directing the person in life if fear. The fear of the gods would have saved you from the danger of acting wrongly, and you’d have been cursed in front of human beings. Breath: since the essence of every phenomenon, including life of breathing creatures is to fulfill a certain function. In these measures men should fulfill their function – to live proper life for the good of the city-state. But life is not a function of a soul, but its proper quality. Units of ethic: just man is not wise or good, and just man is not supposed to live a long and happy life, while unjust miserable and unhappy? The difference between two is that the man who practices justice does so unwillingly, since he lacks the power to violate it. And in life in general he will walk the only possible road he knows – the just one, while the unjust man will yearn for more, and it doesn’t matter for what exactly, since he has options. Republic. Scope: the freedom of choice or deliberate decision is a punishment for human beings given by gods. And free choice depends on the essence of our soul. Breath: Can evasion or violence be succeeded with the gods? Well, if they don’t exist or don’t involve themselves with human affairs then what’s the point to consider their observation in our deeds? But if they exist, we shall pay a just penalty for our crimes in the place called Hades. The choice is of men or of his destiny†¦ Units of ethic: two people just and unjust given the same opportunities would act the same – temptation would be too strong. And this is the evidence that none are just willingly, but only by compulsion. And they act the very way because everyone thinks that in personal case injustice is much more profitable than justice. If anyone having this licence to refuse to do any injustice, or to posses the property of others, all who were aware of it would consider him a most contradictive and irrational creature, though they would praise him before each other faces, deluding one another through their fear of injustice influence. Euthyphro. Scope: everyone has the choice, and the only difference of a choice is what we should pay for the results of it. Whoever has unjustly killed another should be punished by all means. Breath: Holy is all gods love and people are meant to worship them and follow their will. What is holy and just have to do with the gods, and the rest (unlawful and pious) of it has to do with ministering of human beings. Units of ethic: we shouldn’t get nervous about people laughing at our predictions, the public recognition is of a soon. One must not tolerate a profane man, no matter who he may seem to be (even if it’s your own father).

Personal case study reflection Essay

1. Introduction The aim of this report is in order to analyze a personal decision making and the issues in the process of decision in a workplace with critical reflection which includes academic theories and some models. Also some reflections will be given to deal with the problems. I worked as an accountant in a technical company which produces various Laser Cutting Machines. The machines are used in car-making, ship-building, and these kinds of markets are very potential in China. Therefore, the financial situation was great in the company. However, for expanding more markets, the company planned to produce Plasma Cutting Machines which are used in industrial machine making such as electrical cabinet production, metal manufacturing and diggers. The company established a work team which was consisted by nine staffs from different departments and spend three months to analyze whether the new plan should be implemented, and the boss made the final decision according to the advices from the team. I was appointed as one of the members in the work team, and I took part in the team to collect the information of Plasma Cutting Machines market. The analysis showed that the new plan is valuable, and if the company produces the new machines, this would bring more increase of sales. At last, the boss decided to produce Plasma Cutting Machines to enlarge wider market. However, because of the Engineering equipment manufacturing market downturn, the sales of new machines decreased year by year. After five years, this new plan brought a large number of losses. 2. The Normative approaches of decision making As we know that there are two kinds of decisions which are programmed decisions and nonprogrammed decisions (Simon, 1984). It is clear that in this case, the decision is belong to nonprogrammed decisions because the decision maker must choose whether the company should produce the new machine, and it was not routine. For the decision maker, it contained high risk and uncertain factors. Before the boss made the decision, he must consider a lot of factors. According to the normative models (Anthony Hopwood, 1974), it is noticed that the boss realized that the company should not only sell the Laser Cutting Machines, and it needs to develop better. Then in order to earn more money, decision maker suggested investing to product new machines which are Plasma Cutting Machines. Meanwhile he established a team to evaluate the plan. The team collected the information which included the structure and functions, cost and market value about the new machine. According to the team’s evaluation, the boss thought this investment has very high market value. Therefore, he decided to add a new product line to produce Plasma Cutting Machines. Next, according to the customer requirements, new machines were produced. 3. Outcome The team spent three months to do the research about the Plasma Cutting Machines, and they thought the new machine would bring the benefits to the company. As a result they advised the boss to implement the new plan, and the boss accepted the suggestion. After that the company invested to the new project with a large number of funds. Even though the decision maker prepared a lot of things before he decided to add a new line to produce Plasma Cutting Machines, the new plan seemed not as successful as he expected. The sales of the new machine decreased year by year, and this led to a large number of losses five years later which even influenced the financial situation of the Laser Cutting Machines. 4. The issues and analysis 4.1. Team work In the process of decision making, team work was crucial to the decision maker, and this way brought some benefits such as promoting the employee’s work efficiency; using more opportunities which are provided by advanced science and technology; making work become more effective through the range of abilities and knowledge distributed from team members (Schein, 1965). However, because of the benefits, the boss relied on the team too much and ignored the disadvantages of the team. This was the one of the most important reasons why he made an unsuccessful decision. The team was a research and development team which is usually used in highly technical company (Ashleigh, 2010). Our work team needed to collect a large number of information about the new machine. First, the members must research the structures and functions about Plasma Cutting Machines. Moreover, the members also need to survey the sales situation of the new machines in the market. Furthermore, the cost of every machine needs to be confirmed, and  according to the sales and cost, the members needed to calculate the profit. Meanwhile, they must survey if other related companies which need to use Plasma Cutting Machines and may become the customers have potential in the future. It is clear that this team helped to develop and test new products, and this work not only needed members’ professional knowledge but also members’ innovation and experience in this field (Ashleigh, 2010). Whereas, the members ignored some important factors when they analyzed the new products. First, the cost of the Plasma Cutting Machines are very expensive, and each machine needs more than hundreds of thousands dollars. As a result, most customers preferred renting the machines to buying them, and this contributed to the decreasing sales. Second, the depreciation of the new machines increased fast, and the components of the new machine are very expensive and can be broken easily. Therefore, the company needed to cost high price to fix the machines. In addition to this, there were some other disadvantages. In the process of the analysis, the conflict usually arises among the members because of various sources such as individual differences, incompatible goals, different values and beliefs (Hinds and Bailey, 2003). In this case, the members of the team all came from different department such as Production Department (PD), General Accounting Department (GAD), Marketing Department (MD), and Purchasing Department (PD). Every department focused on different parts of the new plan. PD concentrated more on quality of the machines; GAD paid attention to the economic return; MD focused on market value and customers; Purchasing Department paid more attention to the cost of every machine, as a result when they have relational problems, they may have different perspectives. This situation contributed to negative conflict (McShane and Travaglione, 2003). Consequently, the conflict caused the result of the team work was not to be objective. 4.2 Uncertainty and Risk in the market In the process of decision-making, there are often some uncertain outcomes we cannot see previously, and it means it has risks. Furthermore, if the risks do not be solved in time, they may become a crisis to the company (Davies and Walters, 1999), and the crisis can lead to undesirable consequences. According to the team’s analysis about the Plasma Cutting Machines, the boss thought the new machines had very high market value because they are used in  the Engineering equipment manufacturing market such as electrical cabinet production, metal manufacturing and diggers, and they were very popular industry in China. However, the market is changeable, and the Engineering equipment manufacturing market was stuck in a dilemma from 2011. Contraction of the current engineering machinery market is mainly due to the downturn of the construction of high-speed rail, and the infrastructure construction was completed gradually. This, in turn, led to the decreasing sales of the Plasma Cutting Machines. Obviously, the decision maker did not realize the uncertain factors before he made the final decision. 5. Reflection As a decision maker in the company, first, he relied on the work team too much. According to the Big Five Personality Model, it is clear that he was not creative enough which means he gets low scores on openness to experience (Digman, 1990). The purpose of the work team is for providing some professional advices to the decision maker, so the boss should improve the professional knowledge about the Plasma Cutting Machines. Second, the boss should give more time to the team, but he just gave three months to the team to collect the information and analyze the new plan. It is obvious that three-month time was not enough to analyze this complicated plan clearly because the team needed to do a lot of work. Also the decision maker should invite more employees into the team because more members can give more specialized knowledge and suggestions. This can help to collect more information and contribute to a more effective decision. Another reflection is when the negative conflict exists, the members should solve it effectively. According to the Nelson’s (1995) taxonomy, they can use the direct approach to deal with the conflict which means when there are some conflicts among the members, the team leader helps to solve the problems directly. They can also use bargaining approach to solve the conflict. For example, In this case, if the members from General Accounting Department hold the different ideas about buying the components of the Plasma Cutting Machines with Purchasing Department, other members should be the mediators and objectively analyze the two different points. This approach can help the team give more suitable advices to the decision maker. Moreover, before the decision making, the boss should do the survey about the situation of the Engineering equipment manufacturing market because this industry is  associated with the new plan. If the Engineering equipment manufacturing market has great financial situation, that means more companies need to buy or rent our new machines. Meanwhile, he also needs to know about the country policy because it plays an important role in economic market. Sometimes if a company has a good financial situation depends on the country policy. The last reflection is the decision maker should do a risk assessment to decrease the risk of the new plan (Teale, Dispenza, Flynn, Currie, 2003) before he made the final decision because the technology of producing was not mature at that time. At same time, he can study the experience from other Plasma Cutting Machines companies, or he can implement the new plan until this technology becomes mature. 6. Conclusion This report illustrated the decision making about whether the new machines should be produced in a technical company. In the process of the decision, some issues arose and led to the failing result. The one of the main problem is the team did not give the suitable suggestions, but the boss still relied on the team’s analysis too much. Another issue is the uncertainty and risk of the economic market, and the boss did not realize the risk of the Plasma Cutting Machines. Contraposing the issues, some reflections were be given, and these reflections may help the company to solve some problems. If the decision maker can think about the new plan more specifically, the outcome may be not so disappointing. Reference Hopwood, A. (1974). Accounting and Human Behaviour, London: Accountancy Age Books. Schein, E. H. (1965). Organizational psychology (p. 25). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Simon, H. (1984). ‘Decision-making and organizational design’, in Pugh, D.S. (ed.), Organization Theory: Selected Readings, Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin. Ashleigh, M. & Mansi, A. (2010).Working in teams and groups. In The Psychology of People in Organisations(pp.236-65). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Nelson,M.(1995), ‘Interpersonal team leadership skills,’ Hospital Material Management Quarterly, 16(4), 53-63. Hinds, P. J., and Bailey, D. E. (2003). ‘Out of sight; out of sync: understanding conflict in distributed teams’, Organization Science, 14(6), 615-32. McShane, S., and Travagline, T.(2003). Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill Australia. J. M. Digman(1990). â€Å"Personality Structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model,† in M. R. Rosenzweig and L. W. Porter(eds.). Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 41 (Palo Alto CA: Annual review, 1990). PP 417-440; Teale, M, Dispenza, V., Flynn, J. &Currie. D.(2003). Management decision-making in context. In Mnagement Decision-Making: Towards an Integrative Approach (pp.3-22). Harlow: Pearson Education.