Formative assessment Essay

Formative Assessment: raising standards inside the classroom Black. , P. (1998), provides a brief overview of the evidence, both qualitative and quantitative about the quality of teacher’s classroom assessment practices, about the effectiveness of good formative assessment in promoting pupil’s learning and the features of classroom assessment that enhances students learning. Paul Black carried out two practical inquiries in various schools. The first experiment involved twelve classes of thirty pupils each in two schools. This experiment work was structured around pupil’s tools of systematic and reasoned inquiry and greatly emphasized on student’s communication skills and peer assessment. The students were required to carry out a science group project which involved experimentation. The results showed that the students who had the best assessment process achieved the highest scores. This was only possible where students were able to communicate effectively with each other and were able to evaluate their own understanding of the concept being taught. Thus, the author showed that self- and peer assessment can be achieved by giving pupil’s opportunities to reflect their learning. Similarly, the second experiment involved forty eight eleven year old Israeli pupils from twelve classes across four schools where half of those selected being in the top quartile of their class on tests of mathematics and language and other half being in the lower quartile. They were taught materials not directly related to their normal curriculum, and given written tasks to be tackled individually under supervision, with an oral introduction and supervision. Then the pupil’s were divided into three groups and feedbacks were provided. The first group was given comments only, the second group was given grades only and the third group was given comments with grades. The research showed that for ‘comments only’ showed an increase in the performance of the students while the other two groups showed a significant decline in the scores across the three sessions. Therefore, this research article tries to show that if feedback comments are in principle, it is operationally helpful for a pupil’s work, and literature also indicates that ‘task-involving’ feedback is more effective than ‘ego-involving’ feedback. Likewise, the reports studied by Paul Black and his colleagues showed that formative assessment helps to enhance feedback between the students and the teacher as it increases new modes of pedagogy and will cause a significant changes in the classroom practices. Similarly, formative assessment increases pupil participation in the classroom and can help affect motivation and self-esteem of pupils. Therefore, effective teaching must be carried out in a classroom that will enhance students learning. However, posing of questions is a natural and direct way of checking on learning, but is often unproductive. It becomes important for teachers to generate good questions and this can be obtained from outside sources such as internet and library sources. Thus, teachers should ask themselves that: Do I really know enough about the understanding of my pupils to be able to help each of them? Therefore, what seems both obvious and problematic is that the whole area is at the heart of pedagogy and may have been appraised and shaped further in terms of a theory of larger scope to encompass school learning comprehensively. One of the limitations of this article is that this has not been attempted, so that what is here needs the discipline of a broader context. Thus, a classroom must be implemented that focuses on the policy for raising standards that will help improve formative assessment. (Black. , P. 1998. Formative assessment: raising standards inside the classroom. School Science Review.

African Americans: Fighting for Their Rights Essay

During the mid 1950s to late 1960s African Americans started responding to the oppressive treatment shown to them by the majority of white people in the country. They responded to the segregation of blacks and whites during that time and the double standards the African Americans were held to. African Americans responded to their suppression by participating in boycotts, marches, sit-ins, and trying to get legislation passed so that they could overcome their degrading situation. They were successful in many of these actions and through them brought around more rights for African Americans. Boycotts were a major way that the African Americans got their voices and wants heard. The most famous boycott was probably the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, Martin Luther King Jr. , urged the people of Montgomery to boycott the bus system. African Americans didn’t want to be considered substandard to white people, and they didn’t want to be forced to be subservient to them on buses. They didn’t think it was fair that they had to sit in the back of buses and give up their seats to white people. As King put it, â€Å"[†¦] there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression† (King 347). Because African Americans were ready to do something to support their rights they followed King’s advice to â€Å" [†¦] work with grim and firm determination to gain justice on the buses in this city [through boycotting]† (King 348) The Montgomery bus boycott made the public transportation system realize how important African Americans were to the transportation system. The combined effect of loss of money and pressure from around the country created a victory for the African American Civil Rights movement. The boycott lasted 382 days, until the law allowing racial segregation on buses was lifted and white people and African-Americans were able to sit wherever they wished to on buses. There were also boycotts of businesses where the segregation of African Americans was still very prevalent. Many of these boycotts were successful. The boycotts caused enough financial difficulties that the segregated businesses either had to close or integrate. Diners where African Americans had to sit separate from white people or where African Americans weren’t served at all were boycotted against as well until that diner served African Americans and allowed them to sit wherever they wanted and with whomever they wanted. Diners also faced the difficulty of sit-ins if they refused to serve African Americans. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a black college student named Joseph McNeill was refused service at the counter of a restaurant. The next day he and three of his friends came and sat at the lunch counter waiting to be served. They weren’t served that day. The four of them returned to the lunch counter each day, but were never served. The students were aware each day that they came to the lunch counter that they would probably not be served, but â€Å"they were also aware that this form of nonviolent protest could be a powerful method in accomplishing the desegregation of lunch counters† (McElrath 1). Then, an article in the New York Times, brought notice to this sit-in and many other students joined in on the sit-in. This started a chain of sit-ins around the country to protest the ill-treatment of African-Americans. Despite many hardships, including being beaten and doused with Ammonia, more people kept showing up at these demonstrations. The sit-ins were effective in the fact that restaurants either served the African-Americans at the counter, or closed down. In one case a restaurant took out all of the chairs in the restaurant so that no one could be served anywhere, which ended up causing him to have to close down. In addition to sit-ins, there were also kneel-ins at churches where African-Americans were not allowed to worship due to race. Sit-ins and kneel-ins were very effective. As John F. Kennedy said, â€Å"[the protestors] have shown that the new way for Americans to stand up for their rights is to sit down† (Kennedy 1). Marches were also a prevalent way in which African Americans showed their discontent and fought out for their rights. Black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. led marches on major cities, trying to voice their support of the Civil Rights movement. One of the first marches in support of Civil Rights was the protest march led by three ministers, including Martin Luther King Jr. , in Birmingham, Alabama. The march was met by policemen and dogs and the three ministers were put into jail. This was where King wrote his inspiring, â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail,† which set forth the need for the non-violent protest against unjust laws. This call for non-violent protests was one of the major factors that induced people to take the path of non-violent protests in order to promote Civil Rights. Perhaps the most famous march in favor of Civil Rights was The March on Washington. Civil Rights leaders, Bayard Rustin and Philip Randolph, were the chief planners of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They wanted â€Å"to embody in one gesture civil rights as well as national economic demands. † (Randolph 1). The march was held on August 28, 1963, and more than 200,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Washington Memorial to protest against the ill treatment of minorities, primarily African Americans, and to listen to many speakers, including Martin Luther King Jr. , who gave his famous â€Å"I have a dream† speech. The march had six official goals, but the major one was the passage of the civil rights law that the Kennedy administration had proposed after the problems in Birmingham. The march gained its purpose, but not without much controversy and struggle. The African American voice could not be ignored though, and many advances for Civil Rights were gained through the March on Washington, a march that would â€Å"go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation† (King 1) Another very effective response to the degradation of African Americans was to try to get legislation passed. One of the landmark cases for Civil Rights was Brown v. Board of Education. This case over-turned the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson which said that schools could be segregated as long as they were equal in education and facilities. Brown v. Board of Education explicitly said that there is no way that separate can be equal and that by having â€Å"separate but equal† schools, the government was blatantly ignoring the 14th amendment which states, â€Å"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State [†¦]deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws† (Congress 1). This court case caused the schools to be integrated, which was one of the first steps to racial equality. Another important ruling in the fight for Civil Rights was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that, â€Å"All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation [†¦] without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origins† (Congress 350) This meant that. African Americans couldn’t be turned down from jobs due solely to race, their voting rights couldn’t be taken into question due to race, and they couldn’t be denied service in any public facilities. This piece of legislation had a far reaching impact, and furthered along the Civil Rights movement. Another very important piece of legislation was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This outlawed the use of literacy tests to determine the right to vote. This gave more African Americans the ability to vote and to have a say in the government that was ruling them. The ability to vote allowed African Americans to have a voice in government and to elect people that they thought would further their rights. The ability of African Americans to get legislation passed that supported their rights was a major step in the improvement of the treatment of African Americans and made it so that legally people could not discriminate against, segregate, or deny voting rights to them. The different responses of the African American Community, including boycotts, marches, sit-ins, and fighting for legislation, changed civil rights in the United States. The African Americans fought out against injustice, just as our founding fathers fought out against the injustice of the British. Their efforts helped create a more integrated and accepting society where race is not the only thing people see when looking at a person. Although the society today is not perfectly accepting of all races, society is much more accepting than it was half a century ago, and that is due largely to the African American movements in favor of Civil Rights. Works Cited â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education. † Wikipedia. Wikipedia. 2 Feb 2007 . â€Å"African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968). † Wikipedia. Wikipedia. 29 Jan 2007 . â€Å"Brief Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement (1954 – 1965). † Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement. 29 Jan 2007 . King, Martin Luther. â€Å"Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Defends Seamstress Rosa Parks, 1955. † Major Problems in American History Volume II. Edited. Edited. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. â€Å"The March on Washington. † The Civil Rights Movement. 2 Feb 2007 . McElrath, Jessica. â€Å"African American History. † Lunch Counter Sit-Ins. About. 2 Feb 2007 .

The Reign of Charles V

Charles V reigned over a vast empire in a tumultuous age. The New World was a relatively recent discovery, and several other factors point to the idea that Charles V's reign coincided with a global transition into the modern age. Although Charles V's focus was primarily domestic (in the sense of Europe and the surrounding territory), the meeting of traditional values and modern ideology was one of many issues Charles faced, independence was another. Consolidating and re-consolidating his power was a problem that sapped much of Charles V's, and by extension his empire's, time and resources. From the papacy to the fiercely independent German coalition of prince-states, Charles often to had to take extra measures to enforce his policy in an empire that varied greatly from one polity to the next. Religion was another obstacle faced by Charles. The Protestant Reformation (steeped in the last vestiges of a somewhat anti-clerical Renaissance movement) appealed to many not only as more pious faith, but as a tool to be used for political maneuvering and opposition against an emperor whose motto was â€Å"Further beyond† (in regards to spreading the Christian faith). These concerns coupled with the always-present threat of foreign invasion made ruling over his empire an incredibly demanding and difficult task. Add to that the largely impractical and complex political process of the time, the question of finance, and a peasantry discontent synonymous with the values of the modern age, and you have a long and arduous list of problems faced by Charles. Although Charles the V was focused primarily on reform and maintenance rather than expansion, his conquering of the Aztecs and Incas can be considered brutal success and added greatly to the territory of New Spain. Cultural, economic, and political disparity throughout the empire, the search for financial backing (as well as questionable fiscal habits), foreign threat, and the problem of enforcing his often conventional policy in an era of change make the reign of Charles the V one worth studying. The empire preceded over by Charles encompassed many different cultures and made the vision of one wholly unified political entity hugely unfeasible, â€Å"By tradition he ruled only with the consent of the Imperial Diet, whose sheer size and diversity of interests made agreement almost impossible† (Maltby 22). As heir to not only the Habsburg dynasty, but a host of other territories (some of which his authority was unrecognized), Charles had to undertake the task of administrating over unique polities that themselves had issues administrating. Peasant unhappiness had long been an issue in medieval Europe, and combined with the scarcity of labor (due to the Black Death) peasants took on a new feeling of self-worth and importance. This often culminated in open revolt and passive resistance when the peasant class's demands were discarded as usual. This caused issues in management for the individual polities and on a larger scale for Charles. Charles had to deal with a huge difference in political process between any given polity, from the loose organization of the German States to the Cortes. Charles dealt with this largely on a by-issue basis, choosing to solve one problem at a time. This was in line with Charles's cautious nature, for a decision made to solve one problem could not be considered without regard to how it would affect the others, such is the nature of the interconnected problems facing him. Even unifying factors such as the church had trouble bringing together polities that were more often concerned with individual well being and privilege then with the welfare of the empire. Charles had too many issues too deal with at once, so he employed viceroys (regional governors) as extensions of imperial will. Many of Charles' problems stem from the lack of a unifying force in the empire, as unrealistic as it would be to imagine one at that time. A constant and expensive threat faced by Charles was that of foreign invasion. Charles was faced with defense of a â€Å"Vast patchwork of principalities that were neither geographically contiguous nor similar†¦ in culture or tradition† (Maltby 8). The frequent clashes with France and it's monarch Francis the I mark the most prominent campaign in â€Å"terms of blood and money† (Maltby 32). Charles developed a personal rivalry with Francis as evidenced by his repeated offers to settle huge disputes with a duel. Sometimes called the Habsburg-Valois rivalry, France was located dead in the center of Charles's empire. And with France's resources and military ambition rivaling that of Charles, conflicts between the two were frequent and costly. France's interest in the Italian peninsula fueled it's military conquests and was a continuation of French interest in the area dating back to Charles VIII's invasion in 1494. The French were defeated in 1525 (culminating in Francis's capture and the treaty of Madrid), inconclusively in 1529 (leading to the Treaty of Cambrai), and again inconclusively in 1538 with a truce (although the conflict would later start up with a renewed Frankish-Ottoman alliance). Charles owed much of his military success to his elite corps the tercios, a cohesive combination of â€Å"pikes with shot.. that would dominate European battlefields until the Thirty Years War† (Maltby 40). Some of the war successes and failures during conflict were directly related to advance in technology such as the bastion. Another threat, and one that endangered his very values, was that of the Islamic Ottoman empire. Starting out as one of many Christian raiding advocates of Islam, the Ottoman empire made territorial acquisitions at an alarming rate, especially alarming to the heavily Christian population at the time. The Ottoman empire found an able leader in Suleyman â€Å"The Magnificent† whose campaigns ended twice at Vienna due to logistical reasons. Failure to conquer the entirety of Charles's empire did not stop the sultan from dominating the Mediterranean and also unleashing the pirates upon Charles, some of who caused serious issues for him (Barbarossa) via harassment and guerrilla techniques. Charles's conflict with religion can be seen in his dealings with the Protestant Reformation (and a general anti-clerical position) as well as his subjugation of the papacy. Holding the title of Holy Roman Emperor had personal meaning to Charles, and his actions were often motivated by his desire to advance and protect the Christian faith. He met with opposition by not only the Protestant Reformation, but by a rebellious papacy concerned first with its own survival and second with the Christian faith. Although the papacy under Clement VII was largely pacified by instilling the Medici in Florence, the Reformation was not so easily quieted. The values behind the reformation attracted opportunists, condemners of the church, and peasant revolts alike, but the movement found a special foothold in the Germanic provinces. Besides using the new religion as a means of resisting imperial control, the princes had a more practical motivation, that by breaking with the church they could â€Å"Increase their revenues, strengthen their reserves of patronage, and gain control of†¦ institutions†¦. without alienating their subjects. † (Maltby 49). Actual proponents of the movement believed that it â€Å"offered a truer interpretation of the Gospels than that provided by the traditions of the Old Church† (Maltby 49). Whatever their justification, Charles V adopted a number of different stances concerning the Protestant Reformation. Domestically, the Inquisition was still active, and destroyed Spanish Protestantism (what little there was), and they also persecuted effectively any other movement that strayed from the accepted doctrine of the time. Concerning his less secure territorial acquisitions, Charles's stance ranged from tolerance to viewing Luther's doctrine as â€Å"False† and â€Å"Evil†, but the conflict manifested itself in the struggle between the Protestant formed Schmalkaldic League and Charles. Formed to be a united Protestant front against the still majority Christian Orthodoxy, The League was allowed to exist only as long as Charles was busy with the Ottomans. Once that threat had been neutralized (via treaty), Charles turned his attention elsewhere, namely to what he viewed as religious rebellion, the Schmalkaldic League. Charles, backed by papal troops, eradicated the league (who was plagued by authoritative indecisiveness) in a fashion reminiscent of the crusades. However the ever-present problem of enforcing his policy appeared in Charles's victory over the league. Many of the prince-states that re-converted remained largely protestant in population, placed no constrictions on the spread or practice of the faith, and some outright reverted back to Protestantism. Charles's legacy is often tainted by his fiscal actions. The empire needed mass amounts of money not only to function, but to finance Charles's martial actions. Charles's often depended on the system of redress after compensation, expected donations, and random windfalls. But by far his most relied upon source for money, were the banks. Charles borrowed heavily from many banks to support his endeavors. Often Charles could not repay the loan by the deadline, which led to a slew of re-negotiations, raised interest rates, and fees instituted by the banks to ensure profit. The relationship between them was initially symbiotic. Charles needed money and the banks were happy to profit off of the high interest rates and continued to supply him even when his credit dropped in the later years of his reign. Later in Charles's reign however, the banks realized he was no longer a safe nor profitable investment, which often forced him to resort to coercion to get the necessary funds. The diverse nature of the problems meant that no one solution would encompass the broad spectrum of issues facing Charles and his empire. Ranging from financial troubles, to foreign threat, to having core values that conflict with the changing times of that age, Charles allowed caution and his deep Christian values to guide him through those troubled times until his abdication and retirement to a monastery. Charles' reign certainly had its share of successes and failures, and Charles has been described as â€Å"not quite a good man, and not quite a great man† (Maltby 129), but he is certainly one worth re-examining, even four centuries later.

Reproductive cycle of an HIV virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reproductive cycle of an HIV virus - Essay Example The second stage is the fusion phase. After attaching to the CD4 glycoprotein, the membrane of the virus fuses with the cell membrane. The fusion of the two membranes gives way for the virus to enter the host immune cell. Reverse transcription is the third stage. When the virus enters the cell, it releases an enzyme attributable to HIV called reverse transcriptase. The enzyme alters the genetic structure of CD4 thus changing the structure from HIV RNA to HIV DNA. This change produces an alteration that allows the virus to enter into the nucleus of the CD4 cell. The entry of the virus into the nucleus is precedes its combination with the cell DNA. Replication marks the fifth stage of the reproduction of the HIV virus. Immediately after integration, the HIV in the CD4 cell uses the cell’s mechanism to replicate itself by making long chains of HIV proteins. The long chains form a basis for the evolution of more HIV (Duzgunes 4). The sixth stage is assembly. After the formation of the HIV proteins, the HIV RNA and the proteins move to the superficial parts of the host cell. Once at the surface of the cell, the two assemble into mild form of the HIV virus. Lastly, the HIV virus enters the budding stage. This stage is characterized by the movement of the mild form of the virus out of the CD4 cell. The recently assembled virus then releases enzyme protease. The enzyme breaks up the long protein chains that constitute the mils and immature virus. The smaller pieces of the chain’s proteins combine and result into the formation of a mature and highly infectious HIV

Compare two ethical principles (Dawn) Assignment

Compare two ethical principles (Dawn) - Assignment Example As per (University of Washington,1998) â€Å"In the course of caring for patients, there are some situations in which some type of harm seems inevitable, and we are usually morally bound to choose the lesser of the two evils, although the lesser of evils may be determined by the circumstances†. When we think about the other ethical principle, it can be detailed as beneficence where in nurses are obliged to do good for their patients and have the duty not to do any harm to them during the course of treatment .As per (Pentilat,2008) â€Å"Beneficence is action that is done for the benefit of others. Beneficent actions can be taken to help prevent or remove harms or to simply improve the situation of others†. Interestingly enough, our duty to do good for our patients can also interfere with our duty to do no harm†. The application of these principles is to protect the patient and help them lead a comfortable life. As per (Runzheimer,2013) â€Å"All healthcare providers must strive to improve their patient’s health, to do the most good for the patient in every

Research part 2 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Part 2 - Research Paper Example On the other hand, wireless communication involves conversion of data into electromagnetic waves for transmission and it is converted back to its original form as it gets to the receiver. There has been a debate on the most superior communication medium between fiber optic cable and wireless communication. Various technological gadgets such as Blackberries and Smart phones are designed to connect to wireless mode of data transfer. This mode has also enabled stores, business enterprises and other organizations to provide free access to the internet without hooking wire to every computer or laptop. However, as Wright and Reynders, (42) explains, some wireless services do not work in some cities. This leads to the preference for the fiber optic cables which are also believed to higher maximum speeds especially when networks become congested. In most parts of the world, communication systems are increasingly adopting the use of both wireless and fiber optic cable transmissions. This rese arch paper will examine the similarities and differences between these modes of data transmission in order to determine how well or not each suits specific situations. In wireless communications, a radio channel may be used; however, it is susceptible to noise interference (Varaiya 315). These interferences include blockage and multi paths which change over time due to user movements. This affects the range, data rate and reliability of wireless links. Hence, the biggest challenge with wireless communication is that an environment is a factor in transmission. For instance, an indoor user may experience higher data rates which is reliable than an outside user who is exposed to certain environmental conditions like water vapor and oxygen. Tall building and other atmospheric absorption between the transmitting and receiving antennas may also affect wireless transmission. Wireless systems use atmosphere as their transmission medium which is enabled through radio signals. The received si gnal may also experience interference from other users in the same frequency band. Other components like path loss determine how the average received signal power decreases with distance between transmitter and receiver. Wireless medium is also prone to signal attenuation resulting from obstruction from trees and other tall objects. Wide area wireless data services provide low to high data rate services. This depends on the coverage of a few base stations mounted on towers, rooftops which are transmitting at high power to enable signal transmission and delivery from the sender to the intended receiver (Subramanian, Timothy and Rani 81). This is enabled by a link that carries data between two physical systems. Wireless transmission purely relies on transmitters, receivers, base stations or any medium depending on the technology that relays the IP data across the network. Currently, wireless networks can handle limited speed due to various factors involved in during transmission. Radi o signals running on frequencies up to 2 GHz other wireless networks can support 70 Mbps data speed. In addition, in wireless networks, transmission is via three or more routes, one of it being a line of sight transmission. Transmission is impaired by free space loss where wireless communication signal disperses with distance. Wireless networks utilize code division multiple access where several

NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSESSMENT ON BROUTYFERRY DUNDEE .SCOTLAND Essay

NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSESSMENT ON BROUTYFERRY DUNDEE .SCOTLAND - Essay Example Dundee also has numerous clubs and pubs that cater to the needs of its diverse student population as well as the local inhabitants (Day and Gentry 2012). The Dundee Repertory Theatre is Scotland’s only repertory theatre and is widely recognized for its exceptional productions. Other ordinary theatres in Dundee are the Gardyne Theatre, Whitehall Theatre, and The Little Theatre. The Scottish School of modern Dance is also located at Dundee College. The city regularly plays host to a various festivals such as the jazz, blues, flower, dance, and food festivals (Gifford 2012). However, this number gets boosted during learning seasons when students come to attend Dundee’s universities and college. Dundee is particularly famous for its celebrated universities that boast approximately 40,000 students (King 2011). The Dundee University, in particular, has been able to attract well known scientists to it faculty, who have contributed to world class research studies. In addition, the ‘Centre of Excellence’ which is located in the University of Abertay, is internationally considered as an authority in the education concerning computer games. Many young entrepreneurs have been attracted to Dundee by the reputations of its educational institutions, and thus there has been a lot of job creation in the sector concerned with computer games. Broughty Ferry actually sits on the northern shore of river Tay. Broughty Ferry is a leafy neighbourhood situated in Dundee, Scotland in Great Britain. Broughty Ferry has a population of approximately 13,155 persons (Hall 2003). This region’s population is mainly comprised of young families and the semi retired. Most of Broughty Ferry’s residents tend to reside in large semi-detached as well as detached homes located in the exclusive rural as well as suburban areas. Most of Broughty Ferry’s inhabitants have high disposable incomes because of their specialized skills in varied fields. Broughty F erry was once a precinct for the jute barons of Dundee, and it was believed to be the home of some of the richest men in Europe. The numerous Victorian mansions that still dot its landscape are a testimony of that past era. The most famous attraction in Broughty Ferry is the Broughty Castle. This structure was constructed in the 1490s. It has been the centre of many disagreements about its true ownership. Between 1547 and 1550, it was occupied exclusively by the British (Hall 2003). Broughty Ferry has also functioned as a fishing port for a long time. Broughty Ferry’s ferry service to Tayport has been a vital connection between the ports of the east coast in the last few centuries. This was prior to the creation of the Tay Rail Bridge. In the course of the 19th Century, there was swift development in this area as a result of the establishment of the railway running through Arbroath and Dundee in 1838. The short standard train service between the Ferry and Dundee inspired resi dents to travel away in order to avoid the persistent smog that was the result of industrialization. During this period, the men who had grown wealthy from Dundee’s thriving jute industry began to build mansions in Broughty Ferry. Today, Broughty Ferry is a beautiful city with a scenic seafront, a harbour and an esplanade, and white sandy beaches. It has become quite popular with tourists and a wonderful place for sight-seers and walking enthusiasts. Broughty Ferry boasts a wide selection of four and five star hotels

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses Essay

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses - Essay Example The special circumstances under which children may be interviewed such that their testimony yields credible, admissible evidence requires special support in recent legal reforms. For this reason, advances in legislation in many countries have greatly improved the manner in which children are interviewed in court.1 This is because young children above the age of 5 are highly susceptible to suggestive influences that may affect the credibility of their testimony in court. Suggestibility of very young children Bruck, Ceci, Francoeur & Barr 2 studied the influence of postevent suggestion on children’s accounts of their visit to the doctor. After their DPT shots, children were given one of three types of feedback: (1) that the shot hurt (pain affirming); (2) that it did not hurt (pain denying); and (3) that the shot is over (neutral). One year after, the children were again visited, and were again given either pain denying or neutral feedback in three separate visits. They were als o given either misleading or non-misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor. Children given pain denying feedback reported that they did not cry or hardly at all, and said the shot did not hurt, or at least hurt less than the children who received neutral feedback. Also, children who were given misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor made more false allegations about their actions than children not given misleading information. ... The study showed that timing of the misinformation affected the memories of single and repeated events, depending on the combination of event-misinformation and misinformation-test delays rather than overall retention interval. In the study by Milne and Bull,4 and that of Holliday,5 the objective was to examine if the cognitive interview would enhance the recall of events when used with children, and whether the cognitive interview increased children’s resistance to suggestive questions. (The cognitive interview focuses on the cognitive processes respondents use to answer survey questions, and the interview is held in some private location such as a laboratory environment.6) In the experiment, eight to ten year old children were shown a video recording of a magic show. The following day they were interviewed individually, some using cognitive interview and some using structured interview. A pre-set list of leading or suggestive questions was given to the children either before or after the interview. The findings were that the children who were interviewed using the cognitive interview had a better and more accurate recall of significantly more details. They were also more resistant to suggestive questions subsequently asked. The study established that the cognitive interview was found to comprise a reliable interviewing technique that enhance recall and enables children to be more resistant to the influence of misleading and suggestive questions. There were implications in other studies. For instance, it was found that both true and false memories tended to increase with age, but did not differ for children who were maltreated as against those who were not.7 Also, suggestibility effects were

Benjamin Franklin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Benjamin Franklin - Research Paper Example Life in Philadelphia was focused mainly on applying his expertise as a printer. It is here where he married Deborah Read in 1730 at the age of 24. The entrepreneurial skills of the spouses were enhanced through diverse businesses ranging from retail selling, bookstore, printing and contributing literary works in the Pennsylvania Gazette (US History, par. 14). One of the most famous works he published as Richard Saunders is the â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanac† where â€Å"years later the most striking of these sayings were collected and published in a book† (Bellis, 3). In 1749, Benjamin’s scientific pursuits were highlighted as he invented diverse gadgets, to wit: the Franklin stove, â€Å"swim fins, the glass harmonica (a musical instrument) and bifocals† (US History, par. 21). He was more famously known for having conducted various experiments leading to the discovery of electricity (Bellis, 2011). In another field of endeavor, Benjamin ventured into the political arena in the 1750s. He had vast accomplishments in Philadelphia, of which the following are noteworthy: â€Å"first circulating library in Philadelphia, an academy which grew into the University of Pennsylvania., the foundation of a hospital† among others (Bellis, 5). He was likewise civic minded and envisioned to provide a more beneficial society through â€Å"the paving and cleaning of the streets, better street lighting, the organization of a police force and of a fire company† (Bellis, 5). The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) revealed that more than being a man of diverse interests, Benjamin Franklin was considered a citizen of the world for having â€Å"negotiated treaties with Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Spain and helped secure Americas place in the world. As a respected scientist and scholar, he was granted honorary degrees in England, Scotland, and America. And as an Enlightenment thinker, he exchanged letters

Climate Change Impacts & Trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Climate Change Impacts & Trends - Essay Example According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, 2014), the main cause of global warming is greenhouse effects because of the trend of human expansion. NASA named three gases as the main component that traps radiation in the atmosphere; these are methane, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. Other gases listed are the nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons. Human activities like the burning of oil and coal play a significant role in increasing greenhouse gases (Withgott, and Brennan, 2010). Accumulation of the greenhouse gases in the space traps radiations and cause the increase in temperatures (Freedman 2012a). The increasing temperature leads to melting of the snows, which results in rising water sea levels. A rise in water sea level reduces the land for agriculture as well as changed ecosystem in the Arctic and Antarctica. Such changes in weather and climate patterns over years would lead to changes in the biodiversity, these have devastating effects on land and marine ecosystems because it affects the flora and fauna (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno, 2010; Van Aalst, 2006). The long-term effect is the emergence of diseases that are resistance to available drugs because they get adapted to the environment very fast hence uncontrolled diseases. Besides, the abnormal warm sea surface temperature, as well as the disappearance of Arctic sea ice, contributed significantly to these changes in weather patterns and the impact on property, land, and human life was massive especially in New Jersey, New York.

Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

Ernest Hemingway Essay Ernest Hemingway is a writer known for his characterizations of men and women. His men tend to be very macho and involved in using women for their own personal gain. His women tend to be somewhat naive and overwhelmed with the idea of being with men. As with many of Hemingway’s female characters, Liz in â€Å"Up in Michigan† has mistakenly taken infatuation for love. Liz is actually somewhat obsessed with Jim right from the beginning. Hemingway writes, â€Å"She liked it about how his teeth were when he smiled,†¦that his hair was black on his arms and how white they were above the tanned line when he washed up in the washbasin outside the house. Liking that made her feel funny. † Clearly, sentences like this demonstrate the girlish nature of Liz. She notices all the little things that women notice in infatuation with men. There is no mention of his character, of what kind of man he is, only of his physical characteristics. She feels â€Å"funny† inside thinking about his white skin where it disappears into his clothes. This is the equivalent of the pounding heartbeat of infatuation. In fact, â€Å"All the time Liz was thinking about Jim Gilmore. He didn’t seem to notice her much† (Hemingway 82). Clearly, the feelings are one-sided here. It is impossible for Liz to love him if he takes no notice of her. Real love is about reciprocity. As the story goes on, Jim goes away on a hunting trip. â€Å"She couldn’t sleep well from thinking about him but she discovered it was fun to think about him too† (Hemingway 82). She is thinking about him in the ways of a girl, fascinated with every move he makes. She knows nothing of substance about him. Clearly, he is not thinking of her at all. She even goes so far as to think that â€Å"everything would be all right when he came home† (Hemingway 83). Again, she is pinning her entire identity on this one man who doesn’t even give her the time of day. She has no understanding of real love and is actually setting herself up for someone like Jim to use her by being so needy. She has fallen into the female trap of believing in that fairy tale, romantic love that doesn’t exist in reality. She believes he will notice her and realize they were meant to be together. When Jim returns from hunting, he sits and drinks with the boys. Liz tells the reader that â€Å"She didn’t want to go to bed yet because she knew Jim would be coming out and she wanted to see him as he went out so she could take the way he looked up to bed with her† (Hemingway 84). Again, as a little girl, she wants to take his image to bed and fantasize about it. She needs one last glimpse of him to make her feel complete. Jim does come out and immediately makes advances toward her in his drunken state. She is scared but feels as though he is finally noticing her. She doesn’t want to ruin her chance. As he seduces her, there are phrases like, â€Å"it was cold but Liz was hot all over from being with Jim. † She tells him no but doesn’t really mean it, and he basically takes advantage of her. Afterwards, she is â€Å"cold and miserable† and tells the reader that â€Å"everything felt gone† (Hemingway 85). The story ends with her covering Jim and kissing his cheek as well as trying to talk to him, but realizing on the dock that â€Å"a cold mist is coming† (Hemingway 85). On the dock, with the â€Å"cold mist coming† (Hemingway 85), Liz has realized that like the barges that disappear earlier in the story, her idea of infatuation is gone. She understands that Jim was simply fulfilling his own physical need and that he has no feelings for her. She understands a basic truth that many men see love and sex completely differently than women do. She has, in effect, grown up. The cold mist coming is the way her life will change now that the illusion of romantic, fairy tale love is gone. Jim has not noticed her, and she has paid an extremely high price for misunderstanding his intentions. She will either learn to value herself more and not be â€Å"available† for every man she likes or she will attach herself to another man like Jim who will take advantage of her and treat her badly, but this time she will be realistic in the fact that that is what he will do. She will not wait for the happy ending anymore. Her illusions about infatuation (love) have been shattered, and in a world such as this, she may never learn what real love, mutual trust and respect, is.

Interest Group Report Essay Example for Free

Interest Group Report Essay John Muir made the incomparable Yosemite Valley the center of his experience. Soon his words reached the larger audience of the New York Tribune and other influential publications, and he was writing that the Sierra should be explored by everyone, and permanently protected as a recreational resource accessible to all. In 1889 Muir embarked on an excursion in northern Yosemite with Robert Underwood Johnson. The two planned a campaign for a Yosemite National Park, a campaign that succeeded the following year when Congress established the park. Sierra Club was founded on May 28 with 182 charter members in 1892 The Sierra Clubs charter members elected Muir president, an office he held until his death in 1914. In the first decade of the 1900s, the Sierra Club became embroiled in the famous Hetch Hetchy Reservoir controversy that divided preservationists from resource management conservationists. The Sierra Club served its members as a social and recreational society, conducting outings, improving trails and building huts and lodges in the Sierras, it had some 7,000 members in 1950. In September 2005, the Sierra Club held its first Sierra Summit in San Francisco. Approximately 1,000 volunteers from around the country, selected by their chapters and groups, were delegates; some nondelegate members also attended. In 2008, the Sierra Club endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President, citing his strong record of support for clean air, wetlands protection, and clean energy. The Sierra Club has several goals and creates campaigns to dedicate mainly on each goal they pursue. The Beyond Coal campaign’s main objective is to replace dirty coal with clean energy by mobilizing grassroots activists in local communities to advocate for the retirement of old and outdated coal plants and to prevent new coal plants from being built. The Resilient Habitats campaign’s main objective is to protect wildlife habitat from climate change. Youth and Diversity campaign is about how people of every age and background embrace the Sierra Clubs motto to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. The Beyond Oil campaign’s main goal is to block the most dangerous oil projects, eliminate the outsized influence of the oil industry, raise and defend strong fuel-efficiency and pollution standards, and accelerate the transition to cleaner cars and trucks. Sierra Club Water Sentinels work to protect, improve and restore our waters by fostering alliances to promote water quality monitoring, public education, and citizen action. Beyond Natural Gas campaign’s main goal is to close industry loopholes, clean up drilling, protect our parks, and stop liquefied natural gas exports. To become a member of The Sierra Club you have to sign up on the website and choose an amount of dollars to pay monthly and go to every event. The current president of The Sierra Club is Robin Mann Robin Mann grew up outside Wilmington, Delaware, near a pond and stream where the springtime nights were alive with spring peepers, small chorus frogs whose high-pitched calls made the air vibrate. After starting a family, she lived in rural Connecticut, and got active with the local Sierra Club as newsletter editor, pasting up copy at the local newspaper plant. She moved to Pennsylvania and started working with Chapter Director Jeff Schmidt on nutrient pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. There she found her niche in wetlands and water quality protection and developed the expertise to join and later lead the Clubs national campaign work in that area. The currently proposed legislation is called Sierra Club 2012 Legislative Priorities for Washington: This year the sierra club presents acute challenges to their efforts to advance an environmental agenda at the State Capitol. At the Sierra Club, they believe that environmental protections improve their quality of life and are essential to a long-term sustainable economy. Environmental programs and policies may have upfront costs, but will prevent staggering future costs. In 2012, their priorities in the Legislature are no rollbacks of environmental standards in a difficult budget situation; sustain I-937, the Renewable Energy voter-approved standards; ensure clean water and realistic, data-based management of limited water resources; sustainable transit funding in a transportation budget that emphasizes maintenance. There are also some legislations that’s been passed with The Sierra Club help like Priority Legislation to combat global warming, legislation limiting solar permit fees, The Capitol Watch legislation, 2011 Legislature, Sustainable and Equitable Transit Funding, The 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act, REAL ID Act was passed as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief. â€Å"The Sierra Club had taken money, gobs of it, from an industry that we in the grassroots have been in the fight of our lives to oppose. The largest, most venerable environmental organization in the United States secretly aligned with the very company that seeks to occupy our land, turn it inside out, blow it apart, fill it with poison. All for the goal of extracting a powerful heat-trapping gas, methane, that plays a significant role in climate change. National Sierra Club served as the political cover for the gas industry and for the politicians who take their money and do their bidding. It had a hand in setting in motion the wheels of environmental destruction and human suffering. It was complicit in bringing extreme fossil fuel extraction onshore, into our communities, farmlands, and forests, and in blowing up the bedrock of our nation. And I can’t get over it†. Sandra Steingraber My conclusions and thoughts about The Sierra Club is very positive, since what they do and aim for is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of earth, to practice and promote the use of the earths ecosystems and resources responsibly, to educate and recruit humanity to restore and protect the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out all these objectives. I think not every organization is perfect, sometimes they can fail in some other things like projects, campaigns, but it doesn’t mean that they are a bad organization since the impact they have made worldwide has been huge and successful. The founder of The Sierra had a purpose and a goal, he build the organization and through years people around the world has been joining The Sierra Club since is a positive and good cause to support and they have done several campaigns that have helped a lot like protecting rivers, the formation of Blue-Green Alliance that pursue a joint public policy agenda reconciling workers need for good jobs with mankinds need for a cleaner environment and safer world. It also has chapters across the country. Each chapter offers opportunities for hikes and other outings, activism on local and state issues. I think that the fact they don’t focus just in the environment but with thwarting industry and obstructing technological progress is a positive thing as well. Links: http://socialistworker.org/2004-1/494/494_06_SierraClub.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Club#Organization http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/194-sierra-club

Change In The Organization Weatherford International Ltd Management Essay

Change In The Organization Weatherford International Ltd Management Essay This study is focused on the topic management of change in organization. The basic learning outcome of this assignment is related to understand the change management process in organization. For this assignment the company chosen is Weatherford International Ltd. First of all the background of change that exists in todays economies and organisations is discussed. Then the key strengths and weaknesses of autocratic organisation are given in bullet points. After that the last part of first task, organisational development and its alternative forms are discussed in detail. Then the key stakeholders are identified from the Weatherford International and some of the tools and techniques to involve them in the change management process are suggested. Under the change management model topic, comparison of three major change management models is given, and then Kotters change management was suggested and discussed in detail for the implementation of on-going change in Weatherford Internationa l. The last section of this assignment is for the conclusion and some of the recommendations for chosen company. Background of change From the last decade, the world is changing dramatically than ever before. A chain of interrelated national trades in which businesses compete with each other on a really global basis. Maximum organizations are experiencing considerable changes in the manner they are managed do trading. These changes are influenced by many factors such as the degree of globalisation, changing technology, political, social economic changes at numerous different stages. These changes are happening speedily, unwillingly companies would never be the similar in structure or practice as a consequence. The continuous advancement in technology such as internet, communications technologies has made the world as a global village. Because of the several communication and collaboration tools, concept of virtual organization has emerged and physical presence is getting less important. The other influencing factor is the changing role of international bodies like world trade organization and international monet ary fund (IMF). The IMF has forced many countries to go through economic reforms. Because of the increasing globalization, many multinational companies are choosing the strategic business options of mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances which have changed the way of doing businesses. The chosen organization for this study Weatherford International has also been gone through many mergers and acquisitions activities over last two decades. Few other change factors are like change in the consumers lifestyles and taste, competitive pressure to cut costs through economies of scale, use of outsourcing strategies for operational activities to low cost countries etc. Bureaucratic Organisation Max Weber first used the word bureaucracy. According to him, bureaucratic organisation is an official business with standardized set of rules and procedures which everyone within the organisation should follow. Though Weber had advocated this form of organisation structure, there are some disadvantages as well. Some of the strengths and weaknesses of bureaucratic organisation are discussed below. Strengths Bureaucratic organisation has got more control and monitoring through centralization system of decision making. Decision making is easy process by top management As processes are standardized, everyone has to follow the procedures and rules. Defined hierarchy of organization structure and clear rules and norms Weaknesses Due to its rigid structure, lot of chance of inefficiencies. Lack of innovation and flexibility Lesser employee participation and involvement Poor channel of communication and it is time consuming Delaying change or adaption Organization Development Organization Development (OD) theoretically defined as the planned efforts to bring change in organization to control and manage processes and people more effectively. It is also defined by another theorist as the fundamental change to fix the problems or improving the process or procedure. This OD program is specific for organization such as one change which is more relevant for one company and it is totally irrelevant for the other. Thus, this OD program is specifically applicable for particular organization. These are few objectivise of OD programs which shows that these program vary according to specific situation, but the objective of OD program remain same consistent. The alternative forms of organisational development are discussed below Quality development The first form of organisational development is through continuous quality improvements. The quality development can be achieved through various quality management systems like Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Kizen, Quality Circles. This form focuses on four areas including customer, employee involvement, result based decision making, and integrated quality improvements. Now a day many of the organisations are adopting this form of organisational development. Technological development The increasing use of Internet, electronic mail Web conferencing tools have formed the capability of working together through time space within among the organizations. The technological development has renovated the organizational atmosphere and also the arena of Organization Development. At present there are 3 generally known technology application in organisational development: 1. Measurable, database valuation tools, like surveys feedback from members of staff. 2. Communications, collaborations and teamwork, which also include information sharing, document management. 3. Development of employees management through online training. OD specialists using technology more and more in their everyday work. Structural development This form of organizational development include variations in how the whole work of an organisation is distributed into different parts, reporting structure, means of control, the structure and arrangement of tools individuals, work flow measures etc. The structural development also includes removing or adding layer of hierarchy in the organization, restructuring through downsizing or redundancy, centralization or decentralization. This form redesigns the structures of organization and creates new relationships which results into improved performances. In order to cope with the changes in external environments, organization has to respond with making appropriate structural changes. The various organisational development interventions are as follows- Survey feedback: Through this activity, managers can get the important information and data about the various aspects related to employees. The data and information received through this form on employees attitude, their salary/wages level, working hours and conditions and also the relations with the employees is provided to the upper management. The top executives analyse the data and catch out the problems, assess the outcomes develop the alternatives to solve the problem. Process Consultation: Under this organizational development activity the process consultant meets various work teams and department members, interacts with them and detects the problem solving ways. The process consultant then provides the team with the data, information gathered via interactions, coaching, individual counselling and observations for shaping the behaviour of team members. Setting Goals Planning: Goals and plans are set by every department within an organization for productivity profitability. They send these goals and plans to the upper level. The top management then send them back to each division for further modification and after some amendments the goals for the whole organization are thus set. Managerial grid: The managerial grid classifies a variety of management conduct depending upon the various means that how operations oriented workforce oriented statuses interrelate with each other. These OD intervention emphases on the observations of behaviour in trainings explicitly associated with work. The training participants are motivated assisted to evaluate their own decision-making style. Team building- This organization development intervention consists of an application of several methods of Sensitivity training given on the job to the real working teams in different divisions within the organisation. This training is formulated to develop the skill of workers to work together as team. The organisational development activities discussed above helps in making the change happen smoothly through one of the three organisational development forms (Quality, Technological and structural). My Chosen Company- Weatherford International Ltd Weatherford International Ltd is the public listed company having products and services related to natural gas wells and crude oil processing. It is a multinational company having presence in above 100 countries and more than 43000 workers throughout the Globe. From last twenty years the company has been acquiring many companies. It also had couple of mergers such as Enterra in 1995 and Energy Ventures in 1998. External Drivers of change in Weatherford International Merger and acquisition of so many organizations in past few years forces the company to pursue a change in operations. To follow the financial regulations of SOX, this automation process will provide sufficient security to its information system. To have better customer management and supplier management system the change is needed. Internal drivers of change in Weatherford International Staff utilization is leading Weatherford to change its internal policies. The company was lacking a system for control and status updates. They required an automated solution implementation of an agreement procedure development initiative to back up business process re-engineering develop the working atmosphere. (The Corptax, 2008). Stakeholders The word stakeholder means anyone that has interest in the outcome of a programme/project. A legal, moral or economic stake/interest in an activity. Some stakeholders have more interest than others, but that is also changing. Major stakeholders in Weatherford International Top management- This includes the board of directors Employees: One of the key stakeholders of Weatherford International is employees. This includes the senior managers at corporate offices and the operating staff. Customers: The customers are the key stakeholder group in Weatherford who will affect with the change process. Suppliers: Suppliers are also one of the key stakeholders as they play major role in effective utilisation of resources. Governments- Local authorities and national, international governments Investors- Small and large shareholders General public Environmentalists Among these classified stakeholders the most powerful and influential stakeholder is employees. Among employees there are categories in which, Senior Management at corporate office are most powerful but less impacted by the change. On the other hand the employees of regional division are less powerful and highly impacted by the change. To build the good productive working relationships with the stakeholders, the company first needs to understand the degree of interests and powers of each stakeholder. This can be done by using a stakeholders mapping tool. Secondly to establish a simple and effective communication system by keeping the message and information as simple and short as possible to avoid overload. Show trust and faith in all stakeholder groups. Listen to all the stakeholders carefully. Consulting with the stakeholders is another method by which management can gather information from others by discussing with others about what action to take in particular circumstances. It means finding out their views and opinions before deciding what to do. Effective management of stakeholder relations during a change process calls for early, clear, and consistent communications. All the stakeholders must be properly informed of potential impacts and benefits of the developments and get their engagement in various projects. To the degree possible, try to provide information on the purpose, timing, and nature of the changes proposed; the anticipated environmental and socioeconomic consequences of relevance to specific stakeholder groups; and the ways in which different stakeholder groups can participate in planning, implementation, and monitoring. The actual decision-making process needs to be made more participatory to ensure that all decisions regarding the development are widely supported and understood. Consultation can help the management to identify the priorities which stakeholders have. This can benefit management as it can highlight the factors which are likely to be most important to the stakeholders and to which management should pay most attention. Change management models There are many change models researched and documented by different scholars. For this assignment three change models are discussed including Kanters model, Kotters 8 step transformation model and Lucckes change model. The following comparison of all three models is taken form the Todnem research study. Source: Todnem research study Kanter defines the first step as the analysis of organization and needs for change, Kotters defined as the developing the urgency for change and lastly Luccke defined the identification of business problems. While, these steps are common in among all these three theoretical models shown in above diagram such as creating vision for change, leadership and create policy. Also, According to the research of Todnem organizational change management process is basically divided into following major phase of plan, action, implementation and measure change performance. John Kotters 8 step change model According to Kotters model, the following steps describe the change implementation procedure. Kotters 8 step Change model, Source: www.Leadershiphub.com Business Process re-engineering- This change model was first invented by the duo Michael Hammer and James Champy in 1990. According to them business process re-engineering is not for the smaller changes, rather it is for the radical change. It helps to dramatically improve the different business processes within the organisation such as customer service, reduce operational costs. The role of information technology is vital in implementation of BPR change model. The other change models include- ADKAR model for change- This model depends upon awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. Kubler Ross change model On-going changes in Weatherford International Changes in the business process operations Automation and integration of different processes and workflows Changes in organisations structure due to on-going merger and acquisition activities Implementation of Change Model for on-going change in Weatherford International Ltd Weatherford International Ltd can use either business process re-engineering change model or the Kotters 8 step model to implement on-going changes in the organisation. My suggestion is to implement the Kotters change model which is discussed in detail as below. Step #1: Create the sense of Urgency The step of Kotters model suggests creating sense of urgency among the stakeholders. Unless there is a genuine concern, and the purpose well perceived, the implementation process may not have great implications and the outcome would not match the desired expectations. Primarily, the stakeholders who have greater influence on the business operations, for example, some key employee of Weatherford International Ltd , and in general the rest of them should be motivated, encouraged to participate. Step # 2: Form a Powerful Coalition by identifying key power points. Every organisation has a common culture and values which is shared by almost all the stakeholders including the outsiders such as suppliers and even customers in certain extent. Within this board organisational cultural frame work, there exists sub culture of group of same standing or position. For example: a team of 15 members with its line managers. The line manager can identify a key employee within the team who are influential and have a certain commanding. The line manager can include these members of team and form a strong coalition to influence the others team members. Naturally such a formation would compel others in the team to oblige. Step # 3: Creation of Vision for the Change implementation As much its a fact that plans well drawn help in proper and systematic execution of a project, so is the psychological factor involved in the execution. Every person requires a sense of purpose and share a vision for self- motivation. Change management would not be effective unless a clear vision is shared among the participants. The vision should be associated with better results, improvement in the present system and the benefits that can occur to the participants, and in general. The leaders should consistently engage in sharing the vision, reinstating it through various means. Training can be provided regularly, update ad sharing of vital information on new developments , all these have to be undertaken quite effectively to see desired results. Step # 4: Communicating the Vision through effective channels to the stakeholders Once the vision is identified, it should be clear communicated to the stakeholders of Weatherford International Ltd. The vision should be easily comprehendible even by ordinary person of understanding. It should be able to be broken down or give the clear direction for future action plan, the expectations of the outcome. Training can be provided regularly, update ad sharing of vital information on new developments , all these have to be undertaken quite effectively to see desired results. Ineffective communication channel or vague message would back fire the entire effort, and lead to huge wastage of resources. Step # 5: Remove Obstacles Obstacles are evident to emerge very often, no matter how well the change implementation process in designed to its core. Obstacles should always serve an opportunity to learn more about the challenges of the change process. It would that the organisation remain focused on the design, make appropriate changes to the action plans without losing the focus on the pre determined goals. A proper framework for addressing problems should be setup, each one participating in the system should clearly understand the hierarchy of authority , roles and responsibilities , so that , in the event of unexpected occurrence they should easily be able to resolve or approach the designated forum. Obstacles can be due to changes in the internal factors or external factors influencing the Weatherford International Ltds business operations and organisation. Step # 6: Create Short-term Wins In the change process management, there are objectives which are short term and long term. Weatherford International Ltd should indentify short term tasks, which can be achieved in a shorter duration. When undertaking a radical change process, it always advisable to create short term wins. The wins situation should be communicated with all the stakeholders the small victories would reinstate the faith of the stakeholders in the change system and motivate them in participating actively. This said the system should have a proper framework for to compensate and reward the participants who have actively got involved and have achieved the desired results to promote the change management in the direction. The change management along with proper implementation procedure would also require that employees are recognized within the organisation and accordingly rewarded. As a result, a good performance and sincere indulgence would be associated with personal benefits. Step # 6: Building on the Change Change is not a onetime process, but a continuous effort starting from the day the organisation mandates it until the environment surrounding the organisation is in a state of rest, which is impossible given the dynamics of the factors that influence Weatherford International Ltds business operations. Change process is a continuous effort, evaluate the short terms wins and leverage on it for the next level. Success got at the initial stage should not be considered as the final victory. Step # 6: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture In a long term, change management should be imbibed into the main stream organisational culture. In a long and continuous effort of change management, the process should eventually be observed into the main stream culture of the organisation. For changes to be a part and parcel of the organisational culture, the leaders should regularly alert and create awareness about the existence of the change management that is deeply rooted in every organisational activity. The perception of change management should become an inseparable part of the organisational culture in a long run; this in turn would create a platform and facilitate any major undertaking in the future. Expected Improvement after successful implementation of change If the Kotters change model is implemented successfully in the Weatherford International Ltd for the on-going change, there would be some long term benefits. The very first improvement would be in the overall business operations of Weatherford including operational efficiencies, service quality, supply chain management, reduction in wastages and cost of production and thus increase in profits. The other major improvement would be in changing companys strategic vision. The company would have clear long term vision and direction. This would boost the confidence of all stakeholders. The last but most important improvement after the change programme would be the cultural change within the organisation. Basic values and ethics in business operations shaped alongside throughout the change process would be absorbed into the organisational culture. It would serve as motivation and sense of purpose for the employees and other stakeholders to achieve and contribute to the organisational goals. Conclusion Because of the mergers, acquisitions, globalisation, revolutions in information technologies, the world is changing so rapidly. Hence in order to stay competitive, every organisation has to adapt some sort of on-going change programme. It can be concluded from this study that, because of the vibrant nature of todays businesses and world economies, it is imperative for every organisation to implement one of the change models discussed for on-going changes. If the Weatherford International, successfully implements the change programme through Kotters change model, company would receive far more long term benefits and competitive advantages over its competitors. There are some barriers to change such as resistance to change by the stakeholders, not having clear vision for change. So in order to make it happen, company needs to engage its stakeholders through stakeholder mapping process. Stakeholder engagement is a challenge and a complex and time consuming process. Working with and lear ning from other partners and stakeholders can only serve to maximise impact, reduce fatigue and reduce cost. The company would also use the various organisational development forms to make the change process even easier. Recommendations Leadership; Leadership style shows the way the organisation will be managed. The multinational corporation like Weatherford International Ltd, the company leadership should develop a strong vision and positive attitude and culture within the organisation. Empowerment and Delegation- This involves the giving of power to your team members. At Weatherford International teams needed to be empowered by letting them use their own initiatives at tackling tasks that have been awarded to them. This form an effective global structure as it causes all team members to feel very well a part of the decision making process. Effective communication As the company operations are spread over 100 countries, they should develop a strong communication system across whole organisation. Electronic communication and collaboration technology can affect both task and social dynamics positively and negatively. The company need to opt for the latest gadget on the market to enable its team and network perform to standard or above.

Strategic Manufacturing Management Questions and Answers :: Strategic Manufacturing Management Essays

Question 1: Hayes and Wheelright (1984) and Mintzberg (1987) spoke of strategy as a pattern of decisions. What do they mean by this? (5 Marks) Strategy is the pattern of decisions determining the organization’s objectives, purposes, or goals. It outlines the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and clearly defines the range of businesses the organization has to pursue. Strategy as a pattern of decisions also highlights the nature of human and economic organization it intends to be, and the nature of the economic and noneconomic contribution it intends to make towards its stakeholders, mainly, the shareholders, customers, employees, and communities[1]. Mintzberg (1987), characterizing ten ‘schools of thought’ in his consideration of strategy, has defined strategy as a pattern, a plan, a ploy, a position, and a perspective[2]. He has further classified different strategy making processes, specifying that a â€Å"realised strategy† is â€Å"emergent† and â€Å"deliberate† as shown in Figure 1-1. Moreover, Mintzberg discusses the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning, highlighting that planning involves analysis and thinking involves synthesis, and the outcome of strategic thinking is an integrated perspective[3]. For strategies to be ploys or plans, they need to follow a specific stream of actions. Plans or ploys are â€Å"intended strategy† which are realized through patterns, as pointed out by Mintzberg. Figure 1-1 "Deliberate" and "emergent" strategy forming "realized" strategy[2] According to Hayes and Wheelright (1984) an implementation of strategy requires a structured integrative pattern of mutually supported decisions made over a period of time. Five characteristics that make up strategy are time, concentration of effort, impact, pattern of decision, and pervasiveness as stated by Hayes and Wheelwright. They also point out that effective operation strategies need to be consistent and contribute to competitive advantage. Consistency should prevail between operations strategy and business strategy, between operations strategy and the other functional strategies, and within different decision areas of operations strategy. In order to be able to positively contribute towards competitive advantage, the strategy should enable operations to set priorities right to enhance competitive advantage, clearly state the operations strategy for the rest of the organization to easily comprehend, accentuate opportunities where operations can complement business strategy, a nd ensure operating capabilities that may be required in the future. Hayes and Wheelwright (1984) have categorized different types of organizations based on their attitude towards operations in a four stage model. The four stages, as shown in table below are, Internally Neutral, Externally Neutral, Internally Supportive, and Externally Supportive, in the order[2].

The Natural Essay example -- essays research papers

We have been created with a need for heroes. We yearn for them because we are born with the want and desire to believe in someone, to have faith in someone, to trust in someone, and to look up and strive to be like someone. This â€Å"someone† is how Roy Hobbs is portrayed in the movie version of The Natural. Roy in the movie version is utterly heroic. He struggles, after an almost fatal injury in his youth, to try to become the best that the game of baseball has ever seen. He is quietly confident, without an arrogance to him. Iris is his former teenage-love who reappears after Roy makes it into the majors and stands up and inspires him when he is in a slump. Their relationship in the movie appears pure and innocent. Iris reminds Roy of â€Å"home† and all that is good and true in his life. Roy also has a relationship with Memo, who is his manager Pop’s niece. She is a shady character who basically throws herself at Roy after he notices her beauty and wants to get to know her. Their relationship is dark and more sexual than Roy and Iris’ on-screen romance. Roy is respectful to his fans and in return they stand by him faithfully, in good-times and bad. He even goes as far to helping the batboy make a bat resembling Roy’s own bat, Wonderboy. Roy views Pop as a fa ther figure. Even after he is poisoned by Memo and blackmailed by Gus and the Judge, Roy decides to play in his last game to win Pop the pennant he had always wanted. By doing this he risks his life because of his stomach illne...

EL Medio Ambiente - Spanish Essay :: Papers

EL Medio Ambiente No deseo culpar a nadie, pero son los jÃÆ'Â ³venes que no se preocupan por el medio ambiente. ÂÂ ¡Supongo que se puede decir que no se preocupan de casi nada! Pero por la poluciÃÆ'Â ³n del aire; los adultos tienen la cupla - nunca andan sino llevar el coche todo el tiempo. En este ensayo prentendemos dar respuesta a una pregunta de importancia crucial - ÂÂ ¿Quien tiene la culpa?ÂÂ ¿Los jÃÆ'Â ³venes, los adultos, el gobierno, el ayuntamiento o toda la gente?ÂÂ ¿Y quÃÆ'Â © pasa si n hacemos nada? Para comenzar, hablaremos sobre el reciclaje. Mi punto de vista es que el reciclaje es mÃÆ'Â ¡s comÃÆ'Â ºn con los adultos; especialmente con las mujeres. El problema es que no hay muchas contenedores disponibles en Gran BretaÃÆ'Â ±a. En EspaÃÆ'Â ±a, son mÃÆ'Â ¡s populares y el hecho de que hay contenedores en casi cada pueblo, es mÃÆ'Â ¡s fÃÆ'Â ¡cil para la gente. Otro problemo es que no educamos a los niÃÆ'Â ±os sobre la importancia y las ventajas de reciclar. Debemos educar a los niÃÆ'Â ±os y a los jÃÆ'Â ³venes para crear una conciencia y necesiamos mÃÆ'Â ¡s informaciÃÆ'Â ³n y mÃÆ'Â ¡s publicidad que nos avisa de los problemas. Por ejemplo, en EspaÃÆ'Â ±a, hay las campaÃÆ'Â ±as reciclado en muchos lugares. AdemÃÆ'Â ¡s del reciclaje, hay el problema de la poluciÃÆ'Â ³n del aire. Eso es debido a los humos de los coches. Hay cada vez mÃÆ'Â ¡s coches en las calles. Debemos usar el transporte pÃÆ'Â ºblico , u investigar la posibilidad de fabricar coches que no abusan del medio ambiente, por ejemplo coches elÃÆ'Â ©ctricos. Gracias a los humos hay un aumento del nÃÆ'Â ºmero de niÃÆ'Â ±os que sufren asma. Tenemos que andar mÃÆ'Â ¡s - es bueno para la salud y tambiÃÆ'Â ©n, no causa daÃÆ'Â ±o a la capa de ozono. ÂÂ ¡El problema es que la gente es demasiada perezosa! Un problema muy grave es la energÃÆ'Â ­a nuclear. Pienso que es la peor amenaza para el futuro. Hay cada vez mÃÆ'Â ¡s centrales nucleares y hay un peligro con las armas nucleares. Una sola bomba nuclear puede ser el fin del mundo. TambiÃÆ'Â ©n, es un hecho que la energÃÆ'Â ­a nuclear dura para

Legal Defenses Checkpoint

Legal Defenses Checkpoint Elizabeth Stebbins 220 March 1, 2013 David McNees Legal Defenses Checkpoint Three legal defenses that could be used in court to excuse behavior are insanity, self-defense, and entrapment. Insanity is when the defendant did not know what he or she was doing at the time of the crime, or did not know that it was wrong. It is when the individual is not in their right mind because of mental illness or such.Usually they are sent to psychiatric facilities for treatment and if treated, they are transferred to prisons to complete their terms. Self-defense is when the victim of a potentially deadly attack kills another because it is the only reasonable thing to do to protect them from bodily harm and they are unable to get away. Those who use the self-defense plea are saying that they acted appropriately for the situation and not doing so would have resulted in their own death or serious injury. Entrapment is a situation in which the government takes actions that lead to or ‘create an opportunity’ for crime to happen† (Meyer & Grant, 2003, p. 41). For example, a government agent convincing someone to commit a crime, who would otherwise not commit a crime. Entrapment is rarely a successful defense and not valid unless it was a government agent persuading or planting the idea in an individual. Meyer & Grant (2003) state that, â€Å"to be a crime, an act requires three important elements: actus reus, mens rea, and concordance between the two† (p. 8). The act must be a guilty act or omission (actus reus), meaning voluntary and breaking an existing criminal statute, and have a guilty state of mind (mens rea). However, there is an exception, say when one is convicted of a crime like vehicular homicides with no intend to harm anyone. References Meyer, J. & Grant, D. (2003). The Courts in our Criminal Justice System. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Discuss the view that the Civil Service has too much influence over policy

The Civil service is the administrative branch of the UK government, set with dealing with the everyday running of the country, rather than a ministerial role, which focus on only some areas. It is they that carry out the more mundane roles, although some Civil Servants do have more exciting life styles with jobs such as testing weaponry that is to be bought by the Ministry of Defence. The Civil Service is to advise ministers on the decisions that need to be made, to brief ministers on the issues involved and to present options to make the minister's decision making easier. At no stage though should Civil Servants be responsible for decision making. There is a clear dividing line between the decision-making role of the minister and the supporting role of the Civil Servant. as Margaret Thatcher put it ‘Civil Servants advise; ministers decide'. Servants are not elected and because of this they should not have the power to make decisions. Decision making is the responsibility of the politicians and it is they who should take responsibility for the success or failures of departmental policy and they should not be held accountable for their advice or for departmental policy. In the case of policy errors or mistakes in implementation it is the minister who has to resign, not the Civil Servant – the Civil Servant should not be held responsible because they have no role in decision making. This can be seen through the resignation In April 2004 of Beverly Hughes. She forced to resign as minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter Terrorism when it was shown that she had been informed of procedural improprieties concerning the granting of visas to certain categories of workers from Eastern Europe. While this cannot wholly be seen as their fault, it was they, not the civil servants that advised them that had to resign over the events, due to the fact that they are responsible for the final decision. Ministers have a large workload and have limited time as is shown by the fact that the Core hours in the House of Commons are until 10pm on some evenings, and parliamentary debates sometimes continue into the night, with Ministers having added Committees to sit on and other government business to attend to, as a result, they rely heavily on their Civil Service advice and this puts the Civil Servants into a privileged and influential position. Any advisor should have some influence, if they don't there is not much point in them being there. However, if ministers lack the time to check Civil Servants' advice, the danger is that they will become a mouthpiece for Civil Service policies. Civil Servants also have the opportunity to ‘control' the minister by restricting the supply of information to him or by presenting it in such a way as to limit his options, as was shown by the limited information given to Beverly Hughes. It would be wrong to suggest that this happens often, it remains true that the Civil Service has considerable power. This is deemed as the Minister having gone native and in October 2010, claims were made that Jeremy Hunt had â€Å"gone native†. Also, when Alan Johnson took position of the Home Secretary, he had relatively little experience in the policy of governing the UK and was therefore more reliant on the Civil Service than he may have chosen to be. Manipulation of information may occur. Ministers, such as Alan Johnson, rely on officials to supply them with background facts upon which to base decisions. Skilful officials may be able to present statistics and research findings in a way as to influence final conclusions There is evidence to suggest that the civil service has been politicised due to the increase of special advisers with too much power. It can be argued that Special Advisers can work effectively with civil servants, and it is a relationship of mutual benefit, not a matter of regret. The role of the UK Civil Service is to help the Government of the day develop and carry out their policies and administer the public services for which they are responsible. Ministers have to be able to trust civil servants to be discreet otherwise politicians may feel the need to surround themselves with political appointees whose main virtue is their loyalty to that politician rather than having ability to formulate good policy and then have it implemented. A special advisor can give more biased opinions and can be there to help the Minister, rather than the department, policy or government. Spin doctors such as Alistair Campbell had great influence over policy on the basis of how it would appear to the public, and this can be seen in particular over the time Blair spent talking to him, rather than to the Civil Service over plans for the Millennium. There is also evidence to suggest that individual departments to develop long term policies of their own. When a new minister of government comes to power, the department will seek to impose its own ‘culture' upon them. The Treasury is most often suspected of such tactics, as it is notoriously opposed to increased public expenditure or any radical spending plans, caused by the fact that it has to keep the long term in mind, and the fact that a likely change in government will see most of the polices undone anyway, causing undue harm on the economy. If the senior Treasury officials can persuade each new Chancellor of the Exchequer of the virtues of keeping spending low, their influence automatically grows. An example of this was in 1999, when Chancellor Gordon Brown was resisting calls for extensive increases in spending on health and education, some critics suggested he had ‘gone native', suggesting that Brown had been influenced by the Civil Servants, adopting their norm of behaviour and so losing his enthusiasm for spending. Overall, the Civil Service do have more power over policy than their supposed political neutrality should let them, but it is to be expected in the modern world of political advisors, and the competitive world which seeks public recognition. While the senior civil servants, due to the permanence and long serving nature do have a great deal of power, the average civil servant has less power, and is more reliant upon presentation of the facts in a favourable way then anything else, something which is true with Ministers and Government as a whole.

Musical Influence on Drug Abuse

Musical Influence on Substance Abuse English 1302 Professor Young Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. This commonly used phrase sums it up pretty well. It seems as though anytime I hear anything about a rock band, especially from the 1970’s or 1980’s there is some sort of drug abuse somewhere along the line with at least one or more of the band members, and this will usually result in the break up of the band or the death of a member.Well I started getting sick of rock music getting a bad wrap when it comes to drugs and heavy drinking, so I want to know, does the music preference or type of music a band or person play have a direct link to the type of drug they prefer to use? Did that music cause the individual to use these certain drugs, or are people that already use these substances drawn to a certain type of music? There are any questions to be asked when looking at the different music genres and the people involved with its drug of choice.Is crack and cocaine a pro blem in the ghetto’s because of rap music, or are these drugs in rap music because they were already prevalent in the ghetto’s? Do people take hallucinogenic drugs because it enhances the repetitive music they listen to, or are people getting into these type of drugs and then being drawn to that type of music because it intensifies the feeling of the drug. There are many questions that need to be asked and answered when it comes to musical preference and drug preference.Some studies have been done, but I have yet to find anything conclusive, mostly just statistics about where people are going that do these drugs, not what they are listening to. I am to dig deeper into this issue and find out if there is something more than just the type of music or type of person. I feel as though some drugs are around certain types of music and people for a reason. Whether it is to intensify the listening pleasure of that individual, or if it has nothing to do with the music at all an d it is just the individual’s preference.I for one believe there is some sort of relationship between the two, I just don’t know what that is, yet. Rap music is one of the newest genres of music, but even rap has evolved to involve drug references in almost all of the most popular songs. A study done for addiction research and theory about changes in drug use being prevalent in rap songs showed that drugs were mentioned in 63% of rap songs, versus only about 10% of songs in other music genres.Rap music saw a large influx in the use of lyrics about drugs starting in the early 1990’s with marijuana being the most frequented drug mentioned. Some could argue that the crack cocaine epidemic that started in the ghetto’s in the early 1990’s had a big influence in this, but then why is marijuana the most mentioned? My outtake on this is that people started using harder and harder drugs, making marijuana less taboo as the years went on, so now it is just se cond nature to talk about marijuana, it’s not as bad as it was once thought to be.One example this article discussed was that rap artist Dr. Dre once said in a song â€Å"I don’t smoke weed or sinse, ‘cause it only gives a brother brain damage, and brain damage on the mike don’t manage. † Then, one of his very next album was named â€Å"The Chronic,† and hit triple platinum. Ironic? Maybe a bit, but was he doing this purely to sell records, or was marijuana something Dr. Dre enjoyed and wanted to pay it tribute? I am going with the latter explanation. Seeing as how he has had many more songs since the release of that album glorifying the use of marijuana.Next I wanted to take a look at the hard drugs and heavy drinking associated with the rock n’ roll lifestyle. If you take a look back at any great or largely influential band there is almost always traces of drug use and drinking. This has even proved to be the reason many of these ban ds do not still exist in today’s world. Try to find a picture of Slash, a guitarist for Guns n Roses, from the 1980’s, without him carrying around a bottle of Jack Daniels, it is nearly impossible. Most every rock n’ roll band from the 1980’s has a history of hard drug use and very heavy drinking.Because of the rock music? Or is it that these artist have always enjoyed hard drugs and drinking, but now that they are in a successful rock band they can afford more of it. Did the entertainment industry ruin these artist by turning them into drug addicts and alcoholics? In all my readings it seems to point in one direction, and that is usually these people have always had issues with drug use or alcohol, but now, with little to worry about and more money pouring in than they know what to do with, combined with the rowd they are now associating themselves with, they let these substances take over their life, and before they know it, the situation is no longer c ontrollable. The sad fact is that rock music is fast paced, fueled by drugs that keep people on the go and booze, because who doesn’t like a good stiff drink every once and a while. Rock n’ roll music has that â€Å"screw everything, lets have fun† mentality, when you mix that with a group of people that has a common interest in drugs or alcohol things tend to get a little out of hand.Binge drinking, cocaine and heroin are the most common issues with substances that I have found about the rock n’ roll crowd. When people drink, especially in large amounts, inhibitions become lost, that coupled with the screw it attitude of rock music may help push someone to do those harder drugs that they would not normally do. From everything I’ve read, it seems as though rock music doesn’t cause people to do these things, but rather helps fuel these individuals decision to party harder and go further with their drug use.Once alcohol, fast paced music and t he right crowd of people are thrown into the mix, it is relatively easy to see how someone could fall victim to drug abuse and make poor decisions. One of the other types of music genres I wanted to take a look at was all the repetitive music out there, including, techno, dubstep, trance and house. I have known many people throughout the last few years that enjoy these types of music, some of them drug users, some of them not.I have noticed that these people didn’t really have a drug of choice but rather did a little of everything, except for the hardcore fans. The people that go to big dance music parties or raves seem to like their hallucinogens more than any other drug. Where did this start though? This type of music is still relatively new in the grand scheme of things, so that tells me that maybe the music didn’t cause people to start using these drugs, but rather people that enjoyed using these types of drugs flocked to the repetitive music because of the way the drug enhanced it.Now, I know that most of the hallucinogenic drugs gained their popularity with the rock music of the 1960’s and 1970’s, but when did it switch from rock music to techno or the repetitive music genres? Did it switch because the rock stars of the 1980’s preferred the harder drugs like heroin? In every article and book that I looked in, it seems to me that alcohol is responsible for this change. Once rock stars started with the heavy drinking the hallucinogens were pretty much taken off the table, from what everyone has told me, alcohol and hallucinogens just do not mix well.So what is a person looking for a good time left to do? Go back to smoking marijuana, and that be it? Nope, it was time to move on to harder drugs and let the hallucinogens stay back with a different crowd. I know lsd and other hallucinogenics were around long before the popularization of repetitive music, so I can not put the blame on the music here, for this type of genre I believe that it is the drug that is responsible for the music. People are always looking for a way to intensify feelings, to go further than they did the last time they took a pill or snorted something.The way for this to happen was to look at the sense of sound, and use it to further the feeling of an acid trip. The use of repetitive beats, sounds and noises puts the drug user in a state of mind where nothing can bother them, it allows the drug to completely take over, thus intensifying the trip. After taking a look at many different music genres, these three seemed to be the most obvious ones that use drugs and or alcohol either in lyrics or as a way for the artist or listener to escape reality, if only briefly.Rap music did not become popular because of the crack cocaine problem in the ghetto’s, but one could easily argue that rap music helped crack become a nation wide epidemic because of the glorification in a lot of rap songs. Alcohol, cocaine, and heroin did not create rock n’ roll, sure it may have made it more interesting, but at the same time, it has ruined many artist’s lives that could have gone on to do great things for the music industry.Not everyone that attends a rave or a techno party is doing acid or ecstasy, but that music genre as a whole would not be in existence would it not have been for these drugs. While I don’t think music alone causes people to ruin their lives with drugs and alcohol, there is definitely a link between music and drug use. Whether it’s the type of drug, or how much of the drug that person prefers doesn’t matter, through all my readings one thing is certain, drugs and music have a past together and will have a future.