Police Corruption

Drug-Related Police Corruption: An Increasing Problem Throughout Law Enforcement Agencies In The United States In the United States, drug-related police corruption is becoming an increasingly, unjustifiable problem throughout the ranks of law enforcement agencies. Many variables exist to explain the reason for their actions, but ultimately, what makes them do it? Knowing how to recognize a corrupted officer or one exhibiting signs of traveling down the wrong path is essential in order to mitigate the problem.Law enforcement leadership also plays a vital role in the identity and prevention of drug-related corruption. Drug-related police corruption is any act by a sworn police officer that is the sale, manufacture, distribution or supporting of drug activities for the personal gain of the officer. Why is this corruption a problem? Many law enforcement officers who are sworn in to protect the lives of our citizens, to abide and uphold the law, are doing the exact opposite, and this is a problem. The purpose of the study is to provide empirical data on cases of drug-related police corruption.It identifies and describes incidents in which police officers are arrested for criminal offenses associated with drug-related corruption. Data was analyzed on 221 drug-related arrest cases of officers employed by police agencies throughout the USA. Findings show that drug-related corruption involves a wide range of criminal offenses and that cocaine is the most prevalent drug. Older officers and those used by large companies are less likely than others to lose their jobs after a drug-related arrest (Philip Stinson, 2013). Drug-related police corruption is a problem that will not go away on its own which is evident by the statistics.The first step in preventing corruption would be to recognize the signs of a corrupted officer. Learn what puts an officer at risk of becoming corrupted, and what makes them defy the law they swore to uphold, protect and defend. Drug corruption is b orn out of police attitudes because if an officer is lacking the right attitude then corruption can become a mainstay for that officer (Cheurprakobkit, 1998). For example, if any officers believe that the enforcement of drug laws is a waste of their time and that they are underpaid, they may accept a bribe from a drug trafficker to allow the trade.This places a little more money in their pocket and allows them not to worry about enforcing a law they may not agree with. Knowing how to identify the signs of a corrupted officer is a necessary step to decreasing the amount of drug-related corruption, and may one day lead to mitigating the issue. What leads law enforcement to corruption? After looking at yearly sales of different drugs in the United States, it was found that weed brings in about $3 billion dollars, heroin $10 billion, and cocaine, a whopping $38 billion dollars annually (Stevens, 1999).If you pay attention to these numbers, you can clearly see how easy it would be for a low paid, frustrated police officer to turn corrupt and help with the sale, transport, or manufacturing of illegal substances. To reduce police corruption, the commissions recommend creating external oversight over the police with a unique focus on integrity, improving recruitment and training, guidance from supervisors of all ranks about integrity, holding all commanders responsible for the misbehavior of subordinates, and changing the organization’s culture to tolerate misbehavior less (Perito, 2011).While drug-related police corruption continues to pose a threat at some level in every law enforcement agency, it does not necessarily mean there is a high percentage of corrupt law enforcement officials. While it is a problem, it could be prevented with proactive steps – observing the actions and lifestyles of these police officers. There is an opportunity for corruption wherever there are drugs present, and no law enforcement official should be above suspicion. Corrupt ion has been identified at the lowest and highest levels. Police Corruption Police corruption is the misuse of police authority for personal gain. Examples include extortion (for example, demanding money for not writing traffic tickets) and bribery (for example, accepting money in exchange for not enforcing the law).The costs of police corruptionPolice corruption carries high costs. First, a corrupt act is a crime. Second, police corruption detracts from the integrity of the police and tarnishes the public image of law enforcement. Third, corruption protects other criminal activity such as drug dealing and prostitution. Protected criminal activities are often lucrative sources of income for organized crime. The causes of police corruptionAccording to the rotten apple theory, corruption is the work of a few, dishonest, immoral police officers. Experts dismiss this theory because it fails to explain why so many corrupt officers become concentrated in some police organizations but not others. Another explanation pinpoints U.S. society's use of the criminal law to enforce morality.Unenforceable laws governing moral standards promote corruption because they provide criminal organizations with a financial interest in undermining law enforcement. Narcotic corruption, for example, is an inevitable consequence of drug enforcement. Providers of these illegal goods and service use part of their profits to bribe the police in order to ensure the continuation of criminal enterprises. Rooting out police corruptionWhen police controls break down and a scandal occurs, special investigating commissions can mobilize public opinion and rally public support for anticorruption and antiviolence reforms. Commissions get information from the police department, pinpoint where the internal controls of the police have failed, and recommend changes in policy. The problem with these commissions is that they usually disappear after finishing their reports. Paul Chevigny asserts that continuing independent auditors would be more effective than commissions. He envisi ons the function of such auditors as investigating a range of police problems, including corruption and  brutality. Prosecuting corrupt police officersSince corruption involves criminal behavior, prosecution of corrupt police officers is possible. Since prosecutors depend on the police to gather evidence and develop cases, however, they often don't want to â€Å"bite the hand that feeds them.† Legislative controlLegislators could reevaluate laws that create the potential for corruption. Such a reassessment would be based on the recognition that a major portion of police corruption is an outgrowth of laws that criminalize drug use, prostitution, and gambling. Any serious attempt to fight police corruption must wrestle with the decriminalization issue. Decriminalization involves removing the criminal label from victimless crimes by legalizing and regulating them. Decriminalization would contribute significantly to improving the police corruption problem. It is doubtful, howev er, that Congress or any state legislature will seriously consider legalizing drugs or any other prohibited goods and services in the near future.

Beach water

The beaches are considered as important recreational resources. The recreational activities performed at beaches involve a physical contact with water, such as sail-boarding and swimming. There is always a risk of having an accidental injury but apart from that people also face major health problems because of the contamination the beach water. The biggest concern is the microbial contamination by microorganisms such as protozoa viruses and bacteria. The extremely dangerous sewage that comes from urban areas has a number of disease causing organisms in it.Storm drains also contribute to microbial contamination because they sometimes bring the pet waste with them and deposit it into the beaches. Humans are exposed to bacteria and dangerous viruses through the ingestion of the contaminated water which occurs through the entry of water from nose, eyes or ears. Some types of illnesses that are associated with the contamination of the water are some respiratory illnesses that are caused b y the entry of contaminated water into the lungs and Gastro-intestinal disorders; caused by the entry of contaminated water into stomach.There are also some infection associated with the beach water contamination which are minor and are caused through the contact of contaminated water with eyes, nose and ears. Fecal Coli-form bacteria are found in the intestinal tracts of animals and are passed out of the body through fecal waste. Fecal waste is present in the sewage and when that poorly treated sewage is drained into the beaches, it contaminates the water. Swimming in the water in which coli-form bacteria is already present, increases the chances for human to develop certain illnesses such as nausea, stomach cramps, hepatitis and typhoid fever.One way to fight with the fecal coli-form bacteria is to wash with soap after swimming in the contaminated water. In order to save people from the contaminated water there was a treaty signed by the United States and Canada, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. It argues that â€Å"recreational waters should be substantially free from bacteria, fungi, and viruses that may produce enteric disorders or eye, ear, nose, throat and skin infections or other human diseases and infections† (EPA, Para. 5). To prevent the recreational water from being contaminated, there are many water quality control programs conducted in every state.Microbial standard exceedances are used to measure the risks associated with the contaminated recreational water but â€Å"due to the limitations in frequency comparison of exceedances it’s been a challenge to evaluate the recreational water quality† (EPA, Para. 9). (NRDC) National Resources Defense Council’s watch dog monitors the quality of beach water and warns the authorities to take actions. â€Å"NRDC identified 131 beaches in 23 states that violated public health standards† (NRDC, Para. 4). The most important challenge that we face is that the water quality standards recommended by EPA are said to be 20 years old.They do not meet today’s health standards because there are many other diseases identified now. There is an annual report by NRDC's annual watchdog, â€Å"Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches,† which has called for several improvements in monitoring beach water† (NRDC, Para. 3). Improvement in the treatment of sewage also will help in avoiding the health risks. Environmental Protection Agency, retrieved on 08/22/08 from http://www. great-lakes. net/humanhealth/other/bacteria. html National Resources Defense Council, retrieved on 08/22/08 from http://www. nrdc. org/water/oceans/nttw. asp? gclid=CIer1c-KpJUCFROA1QodGBoJjw

Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class Essay

Look again at the extract on page 24 starting with â€Å"Do you want to come and play?† and ending with â€Å"now you say after me: ‘I will always defend my brother’.† With reference to the ways Russell presents the theme of social class in the extract and elsewhere in the novel in act one, show how far you agree that there is no escape from the effects of social class for the characters in the play. Willy Russell successfully expresses the unfair treatment and inequality of social class by using the families in â€Å"Blood Brothers† as a microcosm of the 1980’s British working class. Russell uses a variety of linguistic techniques and dramatic devices such as: dramatic irony, Greek chorus, the foreshadowing of events and much more to establish social conflict. A very radical method used in â€Å"Blood Brothers† is the use of a narrator who distinguishes the juxtapositions of scenes helping us to identify mirroring and parallels in the play, allowing the audience to diagnose the immorality of social classes. The narrator is also very vital in this play as he enables the audience to be involved which therefore allows the audience to judge the series of events in this play with social class and how money can buy power. â€Å"Blood Brothers† has a collection of themes which follow along the terms on injustice and prejudice, themes such as, â€Å"Fate Vs. Free Will, Friendship, Tragedy/Comedy, Social Injustice, Family Relations And Social Class. â€Å" Much like social class, this play has a cyclical structure. This highlights the inevitability of social class. Russell expresses that your social class and your placement in society is preordained, for example when Mickey questions Edward, â€Å"In the what† referring to the dictionary. This provides us with a simple display of how Mickey’s upbringing and social division marginalises him from certain aspects of middle upper class and other features. What is shocking but not surprising is that Mickey does not know what a dictionary is; this is also because we have a prejudice state of mind. Mrs.Johnstone is not well educated or wealthy, so unfortunately this passes onto Mickey giving us the same impression of him. We as an audience automatically categorise Mickey as â€Å"trouble†, even the Policeman defines Mickey as â€Å" one of† clustering him into lower class, and the tragic thing about this is that there is no escape for Mickey or the rest of the John stone children. On page 24 the use of profanity attracts Edward as such colloquialism is seen as â€Å"smashing† and â€Å"Fantastic†. When Edward â€Å"awed† towards Mickey it expressed the difference of their social classes and contrasted upbringings. In this case it appeared backwards, as the hierarchy of the society should make Mickey feel inferior to Edward but due to their ages this is absent. There is an innate honesty about children, but there is also a mind free of division. The older we get the more we close off from society and others, we seem to visualise ‘our kind’ and follow such people whom we find interests in common and equal intelligence. However in children they believe is no reason to outcast someone unless they have done something bad to them. As Mickey and Edward get older they soon find reasons such as social class to individuate each other but this cannot be helped as there is no escape from this. Their social class unfairly forces them to exclude those who are not their â€Å"own kind†. The theme of social class is consistent throughout the play, Russell presents that there is a level of discomfort between those of different social class. This can be seen when Sammy labels Edward as a â€Å"friggin’ poshy†, this strong use of vindictive language against Edward is not entirely Sammy’s true opinion but what he has been raised to think due to social class. It is not Mrs.Johnstone’s fault but possibly her attitude to those in higher classes than her own makes her children feel angry or annoyed as they see their mother being walked over and treated incorrectly. Through this play it is presented that those of lower class cannot escape their â€Å"debts†, we can identify those of lower class by their use of liverpudian slang. Mickey refers to his mother as â€Å"me mam† whereas Edward refers to â€Å"mummy†, even though these words do not have a great difference we can still see that use of â€Å"me mam† is very slang like and is indicative of a poor vocabulary and suggests difficulty of self-expression. Throughout this play there are many events when Mrs.Johnstone loses her voice. When talking to the policeman on page 42, Mrs.Johnstone loses her voice suggesting that metaphorically in the ranking of social class her class has no voice in society and their judgement is unwelcome and this is also shown when she â€Å"nods†. This is almost dehumanising those of lower class and classifying them as inferior to those above them. With this is mind Mrs. Lyons is able to dominate Mrs.Johnstone whether it is money or her use of power. In act one Mrs. Lyons repeats the word â€Å"please† whilst using a cajoling tone forcing Mrs.Johnstone to capitulate to her wishes reinforces the fact that Mrs. Lyons could ‘buy’ anything she wanted in a sense shows her power, but the mere fact she can buy â€Å"a baby† presents her as Mephistopheles like character. Mrs.Johnstone is emblematic of Faust; therefore we can allude to the fact that their â€Å"pack† is a Faustian pack. The use of biblical references such as â€Å"the bible† denotes to the day of reckoning and how â€Å"a debt is a debt†. In the scene where all the children are playing, they sing about how â€Å"the whole thing is just a game†. The extended metaphor of debt is an allusion to the Faustian pact once again and this continues to embed itself within the play as the song â€Å"easy terms† mirrors the characteristics of the â€Å"binding agreement†. The tension and suspense is heightened by the non-diegetic sound of a heart beat which is abruptly cut off. For money to signify power sets the lower classes within the debt abyss foreordaining that there is no escape. In act one Willy Russell suggests a level of discomfort between classes as the policeman uses dialogue such as â€Å"Um†¦Err†. The policeman has no class in the play he is neither middle nor lower class but he more likely represents the attitude of society although he is not important as a character. In this scene the policeman’s jocular tone with Mr. Lyons contrasts with his contemptuous tone with Mrs.Johnstone. This is symbolic of how each class is treated differently and also how their only escape would be money. Mr. Lyons gives the policeman whiskey when entering his house; this immediately makes the policeman owe Mr. Lyons. As you cannot accept something and do nothing in return, once you accept a gift or item essentially you belong to the giver. This is just a simple example of how the Lyons and their situation is a microcosm of the power imbalance between the working class and the middle class in society as a whole. Unfortunately for Mrs. Johnstone she cannot do the same as her debt is what prevents her level of social class and level of dignity and respect increasing meaning she hasn’t any escape from the effects of social class as she cannot escape her debt. In â€Å"blood brothers† Russell suggests that women only have one of two priorities: He attempts to express that in the 1980’s a woman’s place is in a family. For example Mrs. Lyons does not work and she does not seem concerned about any other factor apart from a child and raising a family. Possibly alluding to the fact that she has nothing else to fill her void or her need for independence; however a child can fix that. Although if we look at Mrs.Johnstone’s situation is seems that her main focus is her income and trying to provide for her family. Russell is suggesting that in the 1980’s women had to chose between work and family. Even though Mrs.Johnstone is optimistic as she exclaims, â€Å"next week I’ll be earning†, the mantra of this sentence heightens our level of empathy and sympathy for her as we now that it will never be next week, as she has no escape from her debt or her working class life style. The different levels of so cial rankings determine which lifestyle they women can obtain in the play. Russell equates class with destiny, as Mrs.Johnstone’s low expectation for her children influences the fate of her children. The scene where she sings about how â€Å"He wouldn’t get into fights, he’d leave matches alone† is one of the first signs of how Russell presents the effects of social classing. The next sign is when Mickey looks up to Sammy as a role model, this is a poor role model but to Mickey and his working class family Sammy is a prime product of his class. The signs forebode the destiny of Mickey’s life, as from his mediocre education to his unemployment and the tragic murder of Edward it exploits that it was inevitable. In fact Mickey laments that he â€Å"could have been† referencing to his brother Edward, his sense of grief and dissatisfaction later in his life results in his revenge against Edward. Mickey was never given as a break from the effects of social difference therefore he continued the path he was destined as there was simply no escape for him. Overall Russell successfully presents the effects of social conflict through the effective use of a narrator and his use of foreboding not to mention his use of dramatic irony. Russell has a true concept of what it was like in the 1980’s working class, he expresses the heart wrenching difficulties for those of different classes and how power can be used as a weapon.

IFRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IFRS - Essay Example U.S. GAAP consist the accounting standards whose history date back since 1930s. The standards were put in place by the American Institute of Accountants following the stock market crash in 1929. Between 1938 and 1939, U.S. GAAP was established under the pressure of the chief accountant of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The chief accountant required AIA to provide substantial standards to be observed when performing accounting practices. A special committee was formed thereby recommending several accounting and reporting standards as well as introduced the concept of â€Å"financial statements.† This paper summarizes the difference between IFRS and US GAAP as well as gives you an understanding of what these two set of standards are. 1. Under US GAAP Inventory is carried at the lower of cost or market, where market is current replacement cost. LIFO permitted. Under IFRS Inventory is carried at a lower of cost or realized value. Realizable value is the best estimate of the amount expected to be realized considering the business purpose. LIFO is prohibited 2. Under US GAAP Inventory write downs are write down to lower of cost or market creates a new cost basis. Reversal of previously written down amounts are prohibited. Under IFRS previously written down amounts can be reversed up to the original impairment loss if the reason for impairment no longer exists. 3. When determining a method for long lived asset impairment under US GAAP you must use the two step approach. Must perform the recovery test and if not met you must then perform the impairment test. Under IFRS you can use a one-step approach. 4. Under financial documents, US GAAP required financial statements to incorporate a balance sheet, income and cash flow statements, changes in equity and footnotes. Also, US GAAP required that current and non-current assets be separated while interests are incorporated in liabilities on a separate entry

Official Statistics as a Methodological Resource Essay

Official Statistics as a Methodological Resource - Essay Example The most interesting aspect of this phenomenon is not just the volume of data being collected and amassed, however the broad range of aspects of the ‘crime problem’ that are now being vigilantly ‘measured’. A study of these provides a useful illustration of the two-way relationship between developments in the information field and changes in thinking about crime and justice. Yet, the more organized kinds of data directly inform policy-making and ‘seep through’ into the public consciousness through political debate and media reports, where they are used to support or counter claims based on more unreliable evidence. In the 1940s and 1950s, almost the only sources of significant and organized information about crime in England and Wales were the annually published Criminal Statistics, and the results of research by the small number of criminologists working in academic or clinical environments. Criminal Statistics, as now, presented national compilations of records produced at local level by the police and the courts: most significantly, the totals of notifiable offences recorded by the police, and of criminals found culpable of or warned for criminal offences. Research data were more varied; nevertheless most frequently were based upon meticulous records of the personal characteristics and social backgrounds of imprisoned criminals (see, for example, Bowlby 1944; 1953; Burt 1944).

Twitter & Navigation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Twitter & Navigation - Coursework Example The following is the formula used to translate the coordinates: Decimal Degrees = Degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600 After configuring the degrees of the points the group must plot these positions on the paper map. The lack of identifying local landmarks or road signs in any case would cause issues with accuracy on pinpointing location. In order to avoid lack of accuracy a group should use some form of tracking device. For this project the iPhone is issued as a viable tracking device to be used secondary to the laptop. In reference to the project, a group encountered a problem when uploading data. The group had covered the laptop tracking device and could not retrieve a track record. The issued was solved by enabling the tracking system on the iPhone. The understanding that can be developed in this case is that the use of the paper map without assistance from electronics could be crippling. Utilizing a GPS as the main source for navigation and finding places has different outcome po ssibilities. Naturally coordinates have to be enabled on the system. This can be done by entering the same decimal degrees as map groups. The GPS will calculate and pinpoint these locations automatically. The tracking system within the GPS will develop a path for the group. However, the issue here can be based solely on the accuracy of the device. Should the pseudorandom code and the local copy of the coordinates be flawed by heavy error there will be destinations that do not match up. In the case of groups there should be a second record to show how accurate the findings are. In this case the use of a local map is implemented to show the right destination of the course. What can be picked up using the GPS method is that the accuracy of the device is hardly incapable of being disrupted. For that reason, individuals should not depend on one GPS result or test. A more accurate reading could be done if more than three devices are used. In general the use of a GPS system in combination with a map could be a suitable match. Though the project requires the use of paper maps and devices separately, they were typically used together to confirm information. The laptops were tracking as GPS devices would and the local area maps were a considerable replica of those paper maps. Twitter Twitter has an entire system is based on an Open System Environment. Currently, the users are implementing a Geo-tagging API to allow themselves to create TwitterVision, #UKSnow, and Trendsmaps in connection with Google Maps. With Geo-tagging one basically uses an iPhone (with viable signal) to deliver a corresponding coordinate to the system that transfers the iPhone signal into a location tag. Focusing more on the use of open systems can qualify the Twitter system to implement forums for educational environments and a larger scale of customer to business purchases as used in Second Life. The only major improvement that could be linked to the mapping system at present could be a location t o location open video attachment blog in real time to create a video conferencing concept. There is a current possibility of geo-tagging a video to a map using a camcorder that is GPS enabled. The basic concept is to utilize the available system the same as one would to geotag a photo (Catt 1). Should the concept of open software be generated to act as a system such as CISCO Webex there would be a live feed to connect universal Geo-taggers. This way individuals that use Geo-tagging for mapping could also enable real time video messaging

Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - Essay Example Nevertheless, he tried as much as possible to stick to his initial outline. Franklin spent about 12 years compiling his work and this had an effect on his overall autobiography. This essay will therefore analyze factors in Franklin’s autobiography that makes his work unified. The essay will also, analyze the effect of time in development of the autobiography particularly to its effectiveness and themes development. The most interesting aspect of the autobiography is that it describes Franklin’s development process. Precisely, the autobiography starts with an unprofessional Franklin and ends with a political leader. The book therefore gives a systematic description of franklin’s development. For instance, he stood out among other boys of his age. He claimed, â€Å"I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions I was generally a leader among the boys and sometimes led them into scrapes† (Welliot, 1909, p. 9). Franklin begins by identifying temperance, order resolution, sincerity, industry, and tranquility as some of the important qualities that he needed to develop. This infers that he had long-term goals and plans to achieve. By coming up with the stated factors, Franklin aimed at identifying his weaknesses and those of the entire American society. Franklin also proved that the American dream is achievable through his devised systematic development process. The identification process took place in his early twenties. This infers that the objectives outlined at the beginning of the autobiography could have been lifelong achievements. Although Franklin did not develop an explicit period for his objectives, his book gives a systematic approach to his initial problems. This proves that the book had a relatively high degree of organization despite the long time he took to write it. The systematic development of the author as shown in the book proves the book to be a highly unified book. Fra nklin’s autobiography therefore begins by presenting a problem and ends with a systematic solution to the problem. The systematic development of a solution proves without a doubt that Franklin’s book is a highly unified book. Although Franklin wrote his book in parts, the autobiography has a unified structure, which combined the four basic parts into a whole manuscript. This aspect proves that its author had a plan that enabled him develop the book. The book describes Franklin through his development in a systematic format. He continually gave an encounter of his commitment to development throughout the biography. For instance while he was living in London, he claimed, â€Å"most part of the time I worked hard at my business, and spent but little upon myself except in seeing plays and in books† (Welliot, 1909, p. 47). He tried to maintain his focus on a unified biography but at times, it was not possible due to the realities of life. Therefore, some of the disco ntinuities correspond with realities in the author’s life. In fact, presenting the realities of the author’s life contributes to the development of the major theme of development in the biography. Theme development is the second factor that proves the organization standards or the unification level in the book. Acquisition of wealth, moral excellence, and improvement of communication skills are the central themes of the book. To realize a full development of these themes, the autobiograp

Sumary and responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sumary and responses - Essay Example Nevertheless, Amitai asserts that fast food chain jobs create working robots and are highly uneducational. Indeed, he reckons that such chains pay little attention on how teens acquire skills and the significance of such skills. Amitai notes that research derives that teens that begin as part-time employees McDonalds drop out of high school and are gobbled up in the world of low-skill jobs since they were actually not learning beneficial skills at the food chain (Axelrod and Charles 282). He also asserts that such jobs are not suited for college-bound, white, and middle-class youngsters but for the lower class, illiterate, and minority youngsters. McDonalds disadvantage the minority and offer no career ladders and few marketable skills (Axelrod and Charles 282). The food chains compel teens to work for long hours beyond how they work at school. More so, the supervision at McDonald’s seemingly seeks to teach the teens some wrong kinds of compliance, which is detrimental to the teen’s career (Axelrod and Charles 282). ... This makes the teens to value money or part-time jobs more than their education. The teens tend to think that all they need to live in the society is to earn money and not to concentrate on their studies. He observes that the consumerist aspects of adult life that the fast food chains promote enhance an escape from school and responsibilities (Axelrod and Charles 283). As a result, Amitai recommends that parents have a mandate to ensure that their youngsters seek job opportunities at places with proper work settings that will encourage the development of the student’s careers. Furthermore, the fast food chains must change their strategy or desist from employing the teens. Additionally, he advocates for an agreement with the teen so that a substantial amount of the teen earnings should be beneficial to their families or for their well-being (Axelrod and Charles 283). Ultimately, Amitai Etzioni reckons that the teens should establish a balance between their quest for earnings an d the need to develop their careers. Works Cited Axelrod, Rise B, and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010.

Batch Distillation Column Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Batch Distillation Column - Assignment Example A single batch column is able to separate a multi-component mixture in a single operation, to its various components. During the start-up period, the column is adjusted in a way that ensures the distillate produced will be of desired purity (Jana, 2008, 145). The production period is, in contrast, the part of the process during which the product is withdrawn from the column. Operation of the batch distillation column takes place in four ways. Constant reflux ratio, total reflux, optimal ratio, and constant distillate composition are the methods used in operating batch distillation column. The method of operation of the batch distillation column is dependent on the type of mixture that is being separated. In the separation of the methanol/water mixture for instance, total reflux method could be appropriately used. In total reflux, the batch process is left alone to approach steady state before the withdrawal of the distillate product is allowed to start. In order to now achieve steady state, overhead vapours are condensed and collected in the condenser-reflux drum system (Diwekar, 2011, 5). All the liquid that has been condensed is directed to return to the column. When this happens, the liquid is further taken through the distillation process several times until there is no more distillate product to be removed. This continuous process of reflux and subsequent distillation ensures that the maximum possible purity is obtained, since no more distillate product is left unremoved. The process that goes on in the batch distillation column is a complex one. Liquid mixture is put in a vessel that is known as the still spot. The vessel is then heated to such a time as vapour is produced, and the vapour is directed to a rectifying column. As the vapours rise in the column, they become enriched in the component of the mixture that is more volatile. In the initial start-up period, all the vapour collected from the top section of the column is

STOCK EVALUATION Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

STOCK EVALUATION - Assignment Example The company’s stocks are traded at New York Stock Exchange and it also forms one of the companies in Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the S&P 500. The company’s total revenue for the year 2011 was over USD 67.41 billon with a net operating income and net income of USD 12.75 billion and USD 11 billion respectively. Its total asset and equity for the year 2011 was USD 189 billion and USD 81.19 billion respectively. Between the year 2000 and 2011, the company has regularly paid dividends to its shareholders, quarterly, with Average dividend of 0.19, Maximum dividend of 0.32, and Minimum dividend of 0.09. Economic Analysis The State of Overall Economy The economic analysis of a business comprises of analyzing not only the fundamentals of the business, but the overall Macro-economic as well as Micro-economic factors. It is also known as the top down approach because a stock analyst observes the macro and micro economic variable like, GDP, inflation rate, Repo rates, Interes t rates, consumer spending, various indices, political and economic stability, government policies, competitors, industry performance, etc. to judge the overall state of business, by analyzing first the Macro factors and then the micro factors – industry and competitors and then the company. ... It has direct impact on the consumer borrowing and lending. So, the lower rates encourages more borrowing and consequently creating more jobs and leading to economic growth. Consumer spending – It depends on the fiscal budget prepared by the government every year. The budget allocated to each sector of economy determines the retail prices, which is higher than wholesale prices. Thus, consumers will be encouraged to spend more when retail prices for the goods and services are lower. Higher spending will create more demand and more jobs that will expand the growth of economy and increase the GDP. Inflation – It is condition when the overall prices goods and services increases due to various reasons including demand-supply mismatch, increased government spending, etc. High inflation rates reduce the real value of money and hence low inflation rates are favorable for economic prosperity. Industry Analysis Nature of Industry The nature of the pharmaceutical industry is that this industry develops or produces and markets generic or branded drugs with the license for the use in various medicines. The most important part of this industry is the Drug License Authority that clears drug licenses of the companies belonging to the industry and the drug patenting. The regulations regarding testing, efficiency, patents, marketing of drugs is guided by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. Major Competitors Some of the major players in the industry are GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, and Eli Lilly. According to a study conducted in 2008, Pfizer topped the list of pharmaceutical companies all over the world and emerged as the market leader. It was followed by Novartis from Switzerland and

International management and change Essay Example for Free

International management and change Essay When Pascal made this statement, globalization had yet to take place. People lived in different societies remaining cut-off from each other. Each society had its own perception of truth and reality. Then came along the advancement in technology bringing along inventions such as computer, internet and telecommunications making the world a global village. Perceptions started changing as information flow across the globe happened at the speed of light. People from all across the globe started sharing their experiences with each other thus reducing the differences in various cultures. However, the act of globalization has yet to reach its peak. Cultural differences still exist within different societies and the level of information and technology is still heterogeneous around the globe. I would now highlight some distinguishing features of the management styles of various regions. We observe that the beliefs and values of people vary across various cultures. The Japanese work as a group and organizational system is based on community work. The reward system is based on the level of seniority and is also group based. The organizational structure is cooperation based whereas American organizations often are based on competitive style where individuals are rewarded based on their performance levels. Similarly the management style of French is also very different from that of US. French follow a more creative thinking pattern and do not like to adhere to strict rules and regulations. The European management style has some key points that distinguish it from the American management style. The European management style even differs within the European countries and two countries deserve a special focus France and Germany because, among other reasons, the bureaucrats in those countries have long been regarded as mandarins by the field of public administration (Dogan 1976). European management style can be classified into different clusters based upon Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s cultural variables (Goliath, 2004) according to which European management style can be sub-divided into: Anglo-Saxon culture (Ireland, UK, and USA), Nordic culture (Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland), Germanic culture (Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland), Frankophile culture (France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain) and Italian culture. These cultures also differ greatly from the US and Japanese styles of management thus requiring different management practices. The pay for performance system can work with the European management style as employees in Europe are mostly achievement oriented and perform good work for better rewards. The cultural beliefs and values of Europeans are pretty much different from the people of US and hence the marketing techniques used in Europe should be different from those applied in US. For example, Europeans are very much reluctant to providing personal information as compared to US customers; also the credit card usage in Europe is considerably lower than in US (Heilbrunn, 1998). The introduction of new logo and implementation of matrix structure allowing a flatter organizational structure can work relatively better in the European business environment The company operations in South America demand a completely different approach as Latin American culture significantly differs from US culture in terms of communication process. The US culture emphasizes on completion of task and sentences are interpreted in their direct meaning. However Latin American society focuses on relationships and context of the communication may involve more than just the spoken words (Wederspahn, 2001). So the marketing and sales efforts in South American cannot be standardized with the US practices since the Latin American customers tend to perceive communication messages in a very different way from their US counterparts. The new logo can be introduced, however introduction of a flatter organization with matrix structure may not be feasible in South America as the type of culture prevalent in this society is not conducive to the working of non-hierarchical organizations. If we study the culture of Middle Eastern countries, it is found that the business practices again differ significantly from those of US. The business is mostly chaotic and based upon word of mouth rather than written agreements, the cultural values are mostly Islamic and respect for relationships is held supreme; also the marketing regulations in Middle Eastern countries are very strict as compared to US or rest of the world (Kwintessential Ltd). The middle eastern management style is mostly authoritarian and based upon Douglas McGregor’s Theory X motivational leadership style (Daniel Workman , 2008). Thus employees have little or no motivation to work on their own and will perform only when directed by the superiors. Thus bright managers from US and other Western states often try to avoid working in Middle East and so they must first be provided proper cultural training in authoritative styles thus enabling them to adapt to the management practices of the Middle East. The Australian business is more similar to that of US as compared to the rest of regions as described above. The language and dress code is pretty much similar. However, Australian society is strictly based upon egalitarian principle where nobody like being bossed around. People don’t like to consider others as superiors and there is almost no hierarchical system (Slideshare, 2009). So authoritarian style of management will not be welcomed in the Australian business. The meeting and negotiation styles as well as the general beliefs of the Australian society are pretty close to the American beliefs. However according to a study on behavior of 35,000 managers from Australia and New Zealand, the Australian managers consistently try to avoid responsibilities and do not take initiatives (Gettler, 2002). Thus FES should provide cultural and leadership training to Australian manager before implementing any kind of central strategy. Discrimination issues also prevail in Australia that can make life for foreign managers very difficult. However, recently steps have been taken to strongly implement anti-discrimination laws. The roles of front line managers are also changing in Australia as they are provided more and more freedom and responsibility (James Saville, Mark Higgins, 1994). The sales and marketing strategy in Australia can be aligned with the US strategies relatively easily because of the similarity in both societies. So the dilemma of FES is choosing between centralized and decentralized approach. Centralization can be defined as, the degree to which decision-making authority is kept at top levels of management. while Decentralization can be defined as, the degree to which decision making authority is pushed down to lower levels of the firm (Schilling 2008). Both approaches have their own pros and cons. FES has seen tremendous growth over the years and has been expanding into new regions at a very quick rate. Thus the organization requires a large amount of flexibility in its decision making that can be provided by a decentralized approach. However, due to rapid expansion, the organization requires tighter control of finances and close monitoring of all its operations to reduce costs and maintain quality. These measures can be achieved through a more centralized approach. So what approach suits FES bests can be determined by a cost benefit analysis where each advantage and disadvantage of delegation authority has to be carefully analyzed in light of the company objectives. Thus aligning the decision making process with the vision of the organization. A centralized approach can benefit the organization by significantly reducing the administrative cost related to employee management. Infrastructure handling will also be more efficient and it will be easier for the headquarter to align organizational goals with the functional and departmental goals ( Dezaree Seeds, Alan S. Khade , 2008). Centralized approach will also make reporting procedure simple resulting in standardized organizational policies. Thus in this way it will further help the organizational objective of flattening the organizational structure and in creation of a matrix organizational setup. A decentralized approach on the other hand can benefit the organization by providing flexibility and empowering employees at the divisional and functional level. As explained above, different regions in which FES is operating have different working environments and the condition of energy industry in Europe, Australia, Middle East, US and South East Asian regions are very different from each other. Thus decentralization of HR and marketing policies will allow the organization to cater to the customer needs in the ways most suited to specific regions. It will also allow greater local control and the ability to act quickly to gain local resources ( Dezaree Seeds, Alan S. Khade , 2008). Decentralization will also allow the organization to better deal with the cultural diversity and provide training to the employees as and when the need arises. One thing that business, institutions, governments and key individuals will have to realize is spiders and starfish may look alike, but starfish have a miraculous quality to them. Cut off the leg of a spider, and you have a seven-legged creature on your hands; cut off its head and you have a dead spider. But cut off the arm of a starfish and it will grow a new one. Not only that, but the severed arm can grow an entirely new body. Starfish can achieve this feat because, unlike spiders, they are decentralized; every major organ is replicated across each arm (Beckstrom and Brafman 2008). The type of approach taken by FES depends upon the nature and present condition of the global energy industry. The energy industry around the world is in a continuous state of flux. As more and more energy companies around the world become private and become free from the control of state, the nature of competition is changing (ExxonMobil, 2004). Demand for power is increasing at an exponential rate and the competition from private as well as government owned companies is fierce. In the power generation sector, each country has established different laws and tariff rates for multinational organizations. Thus on a whole it seems wiser to maintain a decentralized organizational setup which is flexible enough to quickly respond to the changing conditions of the industry. FES should maintain its present functional structure by keeping the finance, production and HR departments centralized. However using the same marketing and sales techniques all across the globe has a lot of negative implications. Thus allowing the regional marketing departments to work according to their specific environment is the best possible option. So in order to maintain decentralization in the marketing and sales department, the top management has to establish strong ties with all of its regional departments. A strong organizational culture based upon a clear vision and mission of the company should be communicated to all of its employees. Perhaps FES can create a hybrid model which allows centralization of decision making with respect to financial and important managerial decisions and at the same time, the marketing campaign is allowed flexibility according to the specific needs of the region. A key concern for FES is to harmonize its rapid global growth. Power and gas generation has to be taken in new countries and new plants need to be setup. The international operations have expanded a lot and efforts must be made to consolidate the existing business while growing in new regions of the world. As part of the consolidation effort FES must conduct extensive employee training program instilling in each employee the vision and objective of the organization. The company should consolidate its major decision making power in the Headquarter thereby allowing Headquarter to maintain a close monitory system on all of its subsidiaries. By centralizing its finance and management activities, the company can also approve marketing budgets for different regions from its Headquarter, thus building coherence in the finance and marketing goals. However the marketing and sales strategies for each region should be decentralized thus instilling greater flexibility and freedom among marketing departments to cater to their local markets. The pay for performance system can work smoothly in few of the regions but as explained earlier, some regions such as Middle East and some parts of South East Asian cultures demonstrate a more hierarchical structure and it will be extremely difficult to introduce pay for performance system in these regions. Also the parameters should be clearly defined before introducing the pay for performance system in different regions. Because same results usually do not show same amount of performance in different regions. What kind of performance and what kind of pay should be decided and communicated to all regional offices. The parameters for monitoring performance should be based upon different standards for different regions. Similarly some of the major HR policies should be centralized but mostly HR of each region should be independent in choosing the who, what, when and where about its employees. For example, Middle Eastern region is very warm in summers as compared to the European region and the work habits and optimum level of work during different seasons is different for both these regions. Thus separate working policies should be established for each of the region. The RD department should remain centralized at the American Head Office. As a centralized RD approach is more beneficial for a company like FES which has not expanded business into a variety of categories (AB, 2001). However taking technological inputs from all across the globe may help the RD department in improving its efficiency and effectiveness. Thus technological integration should be built where all global units of FES are directly integrated with its Head Office and the information flow between Head Office and different regions should be quick and efficient. The production department should carry out its role from the center, managing the manufacturing process across the globe from the Head Office. So it can be seen that different aspects of FES operations require different level of centralization and decentralization. Also different regions require different level of authority delegation based upon their internal environment and national cultures. It is relatively easier to introduce standard policies in Europe and Australia as both of these cultures are very similar to that of US. However, standardizing procedures across Middle East and South America is not a feasible option. The regional business units should remain decentralized as there should be some form of flexibility to make the decision making process quicker. The regional heads should be sent directly from the Head Office, however if some regions in Middle East are not being managed effectively by American managers, then leadership services of local managers should be availed after providing them extensive cultural training programs at the Head Office. The regional units should be linked to the Head Office through the fastest technology available so that there is no or little information gap between the center and regional units. Thus in light of the cultural differences prevailing in various regions of the world, the best suited approach should be to take a hybrid approach while showing some restrain in application of a centralized approach and making some variations in the standards for implementation in different regions. The integration of overall business can be achieved by proper use of technology and defining proper hierarchical system for flow of information between Head Office and various regional units.

Dementia in the world Essay Example for Free

Dementia in the world Essay Alongside traditional A Levels in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, QMC offers an A Level in Applied Science. This is an ideal course for pupils who have studied the GCSE Applied Science and who are interested in a science based career. COURSE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS General entry requirements are 5/6 GCSEs at C or above to include Double Science, English and Mathematics. WHAT KIND OF JOB/DEGREE CAN THIS SUBJECT LEAD TO? Success in the A Level will enable you to apply for work in science based companies, the NHS or apply for Foundation degrees at university such as: FdSc Applied Medical Technology FdSc Medical Imaging (Radiography Technician) FdSc Medicines Management (Pharmacy Technician) FdSc Oncological Therapies (Oncology and Radiography Technician) FdSc Paramedic Science, currently available at Portsmouth DURING THE AS COURSE YOU WILL STUDY THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: In the AS year you will be studying 3 units which cover all 3 sciences. Two of the units are assessed by portfolio with the third unit being assessed by examination. This course is therefore best suited to students who find producing a steady flow of written reports preferable to sitting several exams at the end of the year. The portfolio units look at how science is put to use in the workplace. You will visit a range of local organisations and see science in action. Back at College you will learn how to carry out some of the techniques that scientists use at work and write reports about issues relevant to the use of science. As you go you will build up a portfolio of evidence of your growing skills. The examined unit focuses on the use of science in healthcare. You will look at how the body’s circulatory and respiratory systems work, and how they can be monitored and investigated. This will include considering the ethical issues involved when diagnosing and treating illnesses. DURING THE A2 COURSE YOU WILL STUDY THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: In the second year you will be learning how to carry out an extended investigation and then choose one you would like to study in depth. This investigation, and a unit on the techniques involved in genetic engineering and biotechnology, are both assessed by portfolio. A final examined unit brings together all the skills you have developed during the course on working as a scientist, including collecting samples, developing methods for carrying out tests, working safely, analysing data, and ensuring accuracy and reliability in all you do. HOW IS THIS COURSE ASSESSED? AS Level A2 Level 3 Units. 2 units portfolio evidence, 1 unit examination 3 Units. 2 units portfolio evidence, 1 unit examination IF YOU REQUIRE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION †¦ Please contact the Head of Department, Dr Eddie Grimble, on (01256) 417500

Mill And Taylor On Equality And Marriage Philosophy Essay

Mill And Taylor On Equality And Marriage Philosophy Essay John Stuart Mills The Subjection of Women is an argument in favor of political equality between the sexes. He claims that no society could hope to approach justice so long as half its people were in subjection and laments that women were deprived of freedom and dignity. In this paper we argue that the perfect equality between the sexes, which Mill calls for in the first paragraph of The Subjection, is vitiated by his views on the position of women in marriage and family. In section I, we show that perfect equality is consonant with his liberal philosophy in On Liberty. In section II, we show that his views on marriage and family make his equality imperfect. If Mills position on perfect equality is correct, and his liberal political philosophy argues that it is, then he drew the wrong consequences for marriage and family. In section III, we show that Harriet Taylor, in The Enfranchisement of Women, drew more egalitarian consequences for family life. I According to Mill happiness is the center of the moral life, the most desirable goal of human conduct. His utilitarian goal, the greatest happiness for the greatest number, cannot be realized apart from the greatest possible moral and intellectual advancement of the human race. Consequently, one of the principal purposes of social and political institutions is to develop human potential to the highest possible stage. Laws and social arrangements should connect the happiness of every individual with the common good. Education and public opinion, which form human character, should be used to establish individual happiness and thereby the good of all. In On Liberty, Mill presents a theory of human nature which stresses individuality and self-development as characteristic traits of a progressive individual, which is what a good society should foster. Individuals ought to derive their views from experience and develop them with reason; they should seek truth, not follow dogma. Only human beings can strive for truth and attain dignity, the ideal and mark of the progressive individual, who epitomizes the dignity of a thinking being, who seeks truth rationally and exercises conscious choice among alternatives, rather then blindly following custom or prejudice. It is such an autonomous individual who expresses individuality, creativity, originality, and self-developmentanything less than truth seeking makes one less than a human person. Machines can reproduce good copies, but this is not true of humans. An individual would not have personal worth if forced to copy a good model, for the notion of conscious choice between alternatives wou ld be lost. This is central to Mill: our ideas and our characters are the products of our own choice. Mills argument for civil and social liberty is firmly based on the notion of utility in the largest sense, grounded on the permanent interests of man as a progressive being. (1) Mill uses man in the generic sense and is concerned throughout with the individual-the person, the human being, the citizen-irrespective of gender. In Chapter 3, he cites Wilhelm von Humbolts view that the end of manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is the highest and most harmonious development of his powers to a complete and consistent whole. (2) and for this, freedom and variety of situation are necessary. Early in The Subjection Mill makes it clear that the existing relations between the sexes violate principles of freedom and justice. The principle of subordination of one sex to the other is wrong in itself, (3) and should be replaced by a principle of perfect equality. In Happiness, Freedom, and Justice Fred Berger claims that Mill does not advocate strict equality but rather that there is no basis for differential treatment. Instead, rewards and punishments should be apportioned according to desert. There may be areas where some will exercise power over others, but policy requires that competence be the basis for higher status. What this means is that the system of male domination over females violates a basic principle of justice because regard and advantage are based on birth, not merit or personal exertion. (4) Mill denounces the injustice of denying to women the equal moral right to choose their occupations: Would it be consistent with justice to refuse them their fair Share of honor and distinction, or to deny them the equal Moral right of all human beings to choose their own occupations (short of injury to others) according to their own preference, at their own risks? (5) His expanded utilitarianism stresses that the importance of the change toward sexual equality would benefit individuals and society. By implementing sexual equality, there would be a doubling of mental faculties available for the higher service of humanity. He puts the argument in terms of the waste involved in a society that refuses to use one half of the talent it possesses. It is not only freedom but also the opportunity to do something useful that is required for the development of individuals. Mills conception of the nature and needs of the individual human being emerges clearly: If there is anything vitally important to the happiness of human beings, it is that they should relish their habitual pursuitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Few persons are aware of the great amount of unhappiness producedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by the feeling of wasted lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Every restraint on the freedom of conduct of any of their fellow human creaturesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦dries upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the principal fountain of human happiness, and leaves the species less richà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in all that makes life valuable to the individual human being. (6) It is this idealistic conception of the nature and needs of the individual human being, and its integral relation to happiness, that is the ultimate justification of Mills argument against the unjust and arbitrary situation of the subjection of women. His conception of the individual is thus the ultimate justification of Mills case for sexual equality. This presupposes that women, as well as men, given better education and more opportunities, will flourish and be happy living a life in which they can freely and usefully exercise their talents. II Subjection is being under the power and control of another in a state of obedience and submissiveness. Mill argues that patriarchy, the subjection of women to men, is a theory unsupported by experience because no other principle has ever been tried. Patriarchy is not the result of fair experiment, trial, and refutation. (7) The adoption of a system of inequality was not the result of any deliberation or forethought but arose from the physical power of men over women. Mill contends that womens smaller degree of muscular strength renders them subject to the principle of force: in less advanced societies it is expressed as might makes right, (8) and in civilized cultures as paternalism. Paternalism is subtler since control by men is based on chivalry and generosity. Bribery and intimidation are used instead of brutality to secure obedience; deference and gratitude for protection render women economically and morally dependent on men. The law completes the intimidation with discriminatory statutes. Like other forms of slavery and domination, patriarchy serves the interests of the dominant. Only one could be king and only a few owned slaves, but every man could dominate women. Power is nice, especially over those closely tied to ones interests, and it is also gratifying when one has so little power over larg er social matters. (We may be powerless over the environment, the economy, or nuclear war, but at least we have some power-over women.) Women are in a peculiarly bad position since, unlike slaves and workers, they are more dispersed and isolated, which makes them more difficult to organize. Further, men want more than mere obedience; they want women to be happy in the process. (9) Not only is the superiority of patriarchy unsupported by experience, but the entire course of human progress provides evidence against a principle of inequality. In past societies people were born to roles, positions, and stations. The salient feature of modern societies is the idea that people should be free to employ their faculties and to choose their roles, positions, and stations. It is not that all processes are supposed to be equally good, or all persons to be equally qualified for everything; but that freedom of individual choice is now known to be the only thing which procures the adoption of the best processes, and throws each operation into the hands of those who are best qualified for it. (10) Even if women are, as a group, less strong than men, there are many exceptional and overlapping cases. Any sex-biased social policy that excluded women is an injustice to those who can perform the task. The subordination of women stands out as a glaring injustice in modern society, a breach of what has become a fundamental rule, a relic of an old-world of thought and practice. Since we have tried only the principle of domination, we cannot argue for it from comparative experience. For the same reason, that we have tried only domination, we cannot argue for it by appealing to the nature of women. Since we have not seen women in different social arrangements, we do not know what their nature is. What is now called the nature of women is an eminently artificial thing-the result of forced repression in some direction, unnatural stimulation in others. (11) Mill insists that nobody is in a position to know anything about womens nature because so far we have not seen anything that we could call natural; all we have seen is manifestations of the altogether understandable desire to conform to a stereotype. We do know a great deal more about psychology today but nowhere near enough to answer with certainty the questions of human nature. However, what we do know suggests that the differences that relate to political equality are largely socially conditioned. But suppose we discover the contrary, that women are fitted by nature for subordinate social roles. Could this be used as an argument to support social policies of domination? Such arguments, although surprisingly common, are incoherent. If women are fitted for those roles by nature, restrictive social policies are unnecessary. This is Mills coup de grace. What he argues for is a society without such restrictions, a society of perfect equality where every individual, regardless of sex, is free to choose his or her own role on the basis of individual talents and exertion. III Though Mill was overtly arguing for womens right to self-development and the assertion of their human capacities, their functions in the household remained unrevised in his thought: he advocates freedom of choice but favors the traditional division of labor within the family. It cannot be casually dismissed as an acceptable tension between advocacy of sexual equality in the area of civil rights for women, and simultaneously an implicit acceptance of traditional sex roles. Mill believes that women ought to have a choice of career or marriage but assumes that the majority of women are likely to continue to prefer marriage and that this choice is the equivalent of choosing a career. Unless equality extends to the family, however, Mills perfect equality between the sexes is limited. Although Mill urges that the shackles of custom be lifted from unmarried women and from women whose children have grown up and left home, he complacently relies on such custom to keep married women in their place. (12) The sex-based division of labor within marriage can be safely trusted to social opinion, which rightly directed will support it; women will by and large continue to prefer the one vocation to which there is no competition; and thus continue to perform those tasks which cannot be filled by others, orà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[which] others do not think worthy of acceptance. (13) If it is customary for women to be child-rearers, and if, on the basis of their nature, society assigns this role to women, then it seems that being born female does affect their opportunities and prescribes choices throughout a considerable part of their lives. Their education, for example, will be affected by this customary destiny. Hence, demands for sexual equality become problematic. Mill falls prey to the same argument from nature that he criticizes. Mill argues in favor of equal property rights for married women, rights to property inherited or earned by the woman herself, not rights to equal shares in family income. According to Mill, The rule is simple; whatever would be the husbands or wifes if they were not married, should be under their exclusive control during marriage. (14) Hence, the income of the male earner is his, as much after marriage as before; Mill does not seem to recognize that since womens work in the home is unpaid labor, their freedom of choice is severely restricted and equality becomes a sham. (15) Harriet Taylors Enfranchisement of Women takes a stronger stand: women must earn a living because if they do, their position in society and the family would improve significantly. (16) Mill agrees that married women must be able to support themselves, but he explicitly rejects the idea that they should actually do so because it is liable to lead to the neglect of the household and children. Consequently, Taylors view is more attuned to present day feminism than Mills. She recognizes, as he does not, the importance to women of continuous economic independence, both within the marriage and in case of its disintegration. The Enfranchisement is more radical and speaks more strongly than the Subjection in favor of the married womens need to have a life and career of their own and be more than a mere appendage of a man, attached to him for the purpose of bringing up his children and making his home pleasant. Liberals such as Mill proposed that each individual should be able to rise in society just as far as her or his talents permit, unhindered by restraints of law or custom. What qualities should count as talents and how they should be regarded is to be determined by the support of and demand for those talents within the market economy. In order to guarantee that the most genuinely talented individuals are identified, it is necessary to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to develop his or her talents. Women discover self-respect and equality of standing with men only if they earn an income. This seems much more important to a sound relationship between the sexes than mere economic improvement in the family. Mills timid assertion that women should draw self-respect from an ability to earn, of which in fact they make no use, when married is sentimental; Taylor is more aware of the realities of power. If women as wives will largely be confined to the small circle of family, they will find it hard to use their vote to protect their interests. Women will not be able to learn what their interests are without experience outside domestic life. For Mill it is unthinkable that men would want to manage their households and care for their children. Yet the jobs need doing. Since women who bear children and live in the household will have a natural interest in doing the job well, they will do a better job than uninterested hired hands. The solution, according to Mill, is to keep up the public opinion that teaches women that if they marry, they are freely choosing the duties of the family mistress. Mills defense of traditional sex roles within the family amounts to a denial of freedom of opportunity and individual expression of talents to the majority of women who he assumes would always choose to marry. Mill is aware that care of a household is an incessantly preoccupying duty, and that this is a major reason why, comparatively, women lack achievement in the arts and sciences; in fact, he condones the continuance of this barrier for most women. Mill refuses to concede that the tiresome details of domestic life should be shared by both sexes, and his failure to question the social institutions that make such sharing practically impossible is interesting because he recognizes that the principal means by which the world recognizes equals is by success in fields monopolized by men. The only way of dispelling prejudicial beliefs about womens inferiority is proof by examples. If a majority of women are going to remain practically, if not legally barred from such achievements, how wi ll deep-seated prejudices change? The Enfranchisement is both frank and clear about the claim that liberation will lead to greater happiness for women. Even if women in general do not experience frustration or feel that their position is intolerable, this cannot be used to argue for the status quo. Taylor claims, for example, that Asian women do not mind being in purdah and that they find the thought of going about freely shocking. However, this does not mean that they should not be liberated from seclusion, or that they would not appreciate freedom once they had it. Custom hardens people: it prompts them to adhere to situations by deadening that part of their nature that would resist it. How does the objector know that women do not desire equality and freedom? (17) It would be overly simple to suppose that if they do desire it, they would say so. Taylor claims their position is like that of the tenants or labourers who vote against their own political interests to please their landlords or employers; with the unique addition, that submission [for women] is inculcated in them from childhood, as the peculiar grace and attraction of their character. (18) Taylor is not committing the brutal political fallacy of discounting peoples expressed desires in favor of those they would have if their natural selves (according to the privileged ideology) had not been corrupted. (19) She is not suggesting that any restrictions be imposed; she is arguing that restrictions be lifted so that people can pursue and satisfy their desires. It is because of his assumptions and convictions about the family and its traditional role that Mills feminism falls short of advocating true equality and freedom for married women. Although he does reject the legalized inequalities of its patriarchal form, he regards the family itself as essential for humanity and assures his readers that the family has nothing to lose, but much to gain, from the complete political and civil equality of the sexes. Mill attempts to apply the principle of liberalism to women. He eschews patriarchy within the family and views the legal and political subordination of women as anachronisms in the modern age, a gross violations of liberty and justice. However, although Mill is a forward-looking feminist in many ways, he fails to perceive the injustice involved in situations and practices which allow a man to have a career and economic independence, and a home life and children, but which force women to choose between the two. It is Mills failure to questi on the traditional family and its demands on women which limits his liberal feminism. Mill thought equalizing access to the vote, to property, to education, and to public occupations was enough, but he underestimated the importance of economic power, as well as revisions of the roles in the family. Merely providing more equal opportunities for women outside the family would not suffice, without revision of the underlying structures-both private and public-that reinforced and perpetuated the very subjection of women that the essay was denouncing. In the Subjection Mill is genuinely concerned about the harm caused by men to women behind the closed doors of the family home. The government could act, not to restrict the behavior of individuals, but to promote the development of progressive individuality. If one takes liberty seriously, however, state intervention may well be required to secure its conditions. This would be a matter of justice, for it would be wrong to deprive women of the necessary conditions of freedom, of independence, of equal opportunity. Genuine equality of opportunity requires radical change in the way women are raised and educated and in social opinion about their proper place. If women are to have equal freedom of opportunity, they cannot be channeled by education, public opinion, and the economic structure into the belief that they have but one useful vocation in life-dutiful mother and obedient wife. We must instead restructure our social institutions for the free development of originality in women as well as in men. It may seem a bit unfair to criticize Mill. He wrote the Subjection over a hundred years ago and his views and personal behavior were far in advance of his time. He also made it poignantly clear in his Autobiography that his intellectual debt to both his wife and daughter was great. But in the Enfranchisement Taylor shows that she was aware of the shortcomings: with respect to the place of women in marriage and the family Mill held views far less liberal than what follows from his general political position. Feminists have ranged far into biology and psychology, history and anthropology, religion and literature. They have offered a myriad of alternative lifestyles and social systems. But with the exception of his discussion on marriage and the family, no one has articulated the fundamental feminist case as clearly or argued it as well as John Stuart Mill: The object of this Essay is to explain as clearly as I am able, the grounds of an opinion which I have held from the very earliest period when I formed any opinions at all on social or political matters, and which, instead of being weakened or modified, had been constantly growing stronger by the progress of reflection and the experience of life: That the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes-the legal subordination of one sex to the other-is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other. (20) [Emphasis added.] Lynn Gordon and David Louzecky University of Wisconsin Colleges NOTES Mill. On Liberty, 70. In On Rawls On Mill On Liberty and so on, Marcus Singer claims that the views presented in On Liberty are so strongly influenced by Harriet Taylor that they are fundamentally different from Mills own views in Utilitarianism. This is an interesting idea that we would like to pursue at another time. In the Subjection, also influenced by Taylor, Mill often appeals to justice in ways that seem to be uncharacteristic of utilitarianism. Fred Berger also discussed this point at some length in Happiness, Freedom, and Justice. Nevertheless, Mill moved some distance from Bentham and, in Chapter V of Utilitarianism, did account for justice in terms of utility. As he says, he is appealing to utility in the largest sense. Still, the question remains whether utilitarianism can justify absolute equality between the sexes in all circumstances-which is what justice would require. Mill, On Liberty, 121. Mill, Subjection, 1. Berger, 197. Mill, Subjection, 77. Mill, Subjection, 186. Mill, Subjection, 8. Mill, Subjection, 10-17; Taylor, 12-13. Mill, Subjection, 26. Mill, Subjection, 32. Mill, Subjection, 38. For Mill, the actual position of married women in his day resembled that of slaves in several ways: the economic and social system gave women little alternative to marriage; once married, the legal personality of women was subsumed in that of their husbands and the abuses of human dignity permitted by custom and law within the marriage were egregious. Mill, Subjection, 172. Mill, Subjection, 86. Goldstein, 319-34. We have referred to Harriet Taylor as the author of Enfranchisement of Women, although it was first published anonymously (see page iii, New Introduction in Mills Subjection, Virago Press). Although there is some uncertainty about who the author is, in the introduction to the Subjection Mill says it is Harriet Taylors work. However, we do not wish here to engage in a complicated debate about the extent of Taylors contribution of Mills work. Taylor, 19. Taylor, 39. Taylor, 40. Mill, Subjection, 1.

Free Essays on A Dolls House: Money Matters :: Dolls House essays

A Doll's House Essay: Money Matters Henrik Ibsen was born in 1828 to a wealthy family, however, when he was just eight years old his family went bankrupt, and they lost their status in society. Ibsen knew how the issue of money could destroy a person’s reputation in no time at all. Perhaps that is how he makes the characters in his play, A Doll's House , so believable. Nora and Mrs. Linde, the two main female characters in the play, have had the issues of money and forgery ruin their lives. Nora forged her dead father’s signature to get a loan. The play revolves around her struggle with her fear of being found out. Both women’s values change as the story moves along. At first, it appears that Nora values money and the status that it brings. Mrs. Linde values her own happiness, and eventually Nora realizes that the only way she will be able to live with what she has done is to do the same. From the start of the play, we see that Nora’s entire focus is on money. â€Å"Won’t it be lovely to have stacks of money and not a care in the world† (703), Nora asks Mrs. Linde. Almost every conversation she has in the play is related to money in some way or another. When Torvald, her husband, asks her what she wants for Christmas, she tells him, â€Å"You could give me money, Torvald. . . . Then I could hang the bills in pretty glit paper on the Christmas tree. Wouldn’t that be fun† (699)? Her carefree way of handling money exasperates her husband. He wants to make her happy, but he isn’t able to give her what he doesn’t have. He doesn’t know about the loan, at first, and, to him and the audience, it appears that she is just throwing her money away hopelessly. Mrs. Linde, on the other hand, knows what it is like to not have money to spare. She values money, but for an entire different purpose. The looks at it for what it is worth, and how it can help her survive. Her entire life she has had to work hard for anything that she wanted or needed. â€Å"Well, anyway,† she responded to Nora’s remark on having stacks of money, â€Å"it would be lovely enough to have enough for necessities† (703). To survive, she â€Å"had to scrape up living with a little shop and a little teaching and whatever else [she] could find† (704). Free Essays on A Doll's House: Money Matters :: Dolls House essays A Doll's House Essay: Money Matters Henrik Ibsen was born in 1828 to a wealthy family, however, when he was just eight years old his family went bankrupt, and they lost their status in society. Ibsen knew how the issue of money could destroy a person’s reputation in no time at all. Perhaps that is how he makes the characters in his play, A Doll's House , so believable. Nora and Mrs. Linde, the two main female characters in the play, have had the issues of money and forgery ruin their lives. Nora forged her dead father’s signature to get a loan. The play revolves around her struggle with her fear of being found out. Both women’s values change as the story moves along. At first, it appears that Nora values money and the status that it brings. Mrs. Linde values her own happiness, and eventually Nora realizes that the only way she will be able to live with what she has done is to do the same. From the start of the play, we see that Nora’s entire focus is on money. â€Å"Won’t it be lovely to have stacks of money and not a care in the world† (703), Nora asks Mrs. Linde. Almost every conversation she has in the play is related to money in some way or another. When Torvald, her husband, asks her what she wants for Christmas, she tells him, â€Å"You could give me money, Torvald. . . . Then I could hang the bills in pretty glit paper on the Christmas tree. Wouldn’t that be fun† (699)? Her carefree way of handling money exasperates her husband. He wants to make her happy, but he isn’t able to give her what he doesn’t have. He doesn’t know about the loan, at first, and, to him and the audience, it appears that she is just throwing her money away hopelessly. Mrs. Linde, on the other hand, knows what it is like to not have money to spare. She values money, but for an entire different purpose. The looks at it for what it is worth, and how it can help her survive. Her entire life she has had to work hard for anything that she wanted or needed. â€Å"Well, anyway,† she responded to Nora’s remark on having stacks of money, â€Å"it would be lovely enough to have enough for necessities† (703). To survive, she â€Å"had to scrape up living with a little shop and a little teaching and whatever else [she] could find† (704).

Ursula LeGuins The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Essay -- LeGuin One

Ursula LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Utopia is any state, condition, or place of ideal perfection. In Ursula LeGuin's short story "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" the city of Omelas is described as a utopia. "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" presents a challenge of conscience for anyone who chooses to live in Omelas. Omelas is described by the narrator as the story begins. The city appears to be very likable. At times the narrator does not know the truth and therefore guesses what could be, presenting these guesses as often essential detail. The narrator also lets the reader mold the city. The narrator states the technology Omelas could have and then says "or they could have none of that: it doesn't matter. As you like it"(877). The method of letting the reader make the city the way he choose makes the city more desirable by him" Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I cannot suit you all"(LeGuin 876). Now the reader might feel that the city is fictious. The narrator also asks the readers "Now do you believe in them?"(879) Asking if the reader believes what the narrator says about the festival, city, and joy of the people of Omelas implies that the reader should have doubts. Can the narrator be trusted by a re ader who is being asked to approve the details of the story? Such questions raise doubts in the reader's mind about what the narrator is conveying. With the help of the reader, the narrator makes Omelas appealing to everyone. "Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time"(LeGuin 876). Omelas does sound too good to be true. While the narrator is saying all that Omelas has and does not have, she says "One thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt"(877). The reader later finds out that all Omelas' happiness and joy depend on a child who is locked in a cellar. If the child were rescued from its cell, the whole city of Omelas would falter. The city's great happiness, is splendors and health, its architectural, music, and science, all are dependent upon the misery of this one child. The Omelas people know that if the child were released, then the possible happiness of the degraded child would be set against the sure failure of the happiness of many. The people have been taugh... ...opefully the guilt for the child's suffering will go away, just like the people did. This helps the conscience of the ones who could not stay if the child remained incarcerated, but does nothing for the child. Another way LeGuin's story reflects theology is by the way the child must suffer for others happiness. Collins compares this to the way Jesus suffered and died, only to rise again to a transformed, glorious life. Leaving bright Omelas and walking into the darkness is like going from life into death. If leaving Omelas is like going from life to death, that death leads to a new transformed life in a place beyond the mountains, a life so different from the present life that is unimaginable. It is all right for one person to suffer for the benefit of another, because even the sufferer will end up benefiting – his or her final transformed state will be vastly better than his or her first state. It is the precisely resurrection that gives the suffering – servant its final justification. So when LeGuin makes sense of a utopian gesture (leaving Omelas) in the imagery of renewed life beyond death, she indirectly buttresses the very scapegoat theodicy she hopes to undermine.

hangover helpers :: essays research papers

Hangover Helpers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article gives advice of remedies for a hangover. It explains what you can do before you drink; what to do while drinking; as well as suggestions for after you drink. Hangover symptoms may include headaches, nausea, diarrhea, tremors, and fatigue. Hangovers are generally more severe if you haven’t been getting enough water or sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before drinking, the advice that they listed was that you eat fatty foods, eat high- fiber foods, take vitamin C, and try hangover prevention formulas. Foods that are fatty or high in fiber help breakdown alcohol and absorb it, which keeps it from reaching the blood stream quickly. One of the hangover prevention formulas that were included suggested that you take an over - the- counter mixture of B vitamins and prickly pear extract. These help to fight stress and inflammation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While drinking, there are a number of things that were suggested. The first tip was that you avoid congeners. Congeners are compounds that give liquor it’s flavor and color. To avoid these compounds, one should buy lighter- colored, highly filtered alcohol. They may tend to be more expensive, but they can reduce your causes of getting a hangover. Other precautions to be aware of while consuming alcohol is to stick to one kind of drink, avoid carbonation, alternate with water, and to order onion soup gratinee. The reason behind this is that onions are high in sugar, which speeds the body’s metabolism and burns alcohol. Also, the cheese is dairy, which slows alcohol’s entry into the bloodstream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you are finished drinking, you should drink lots of water because it cleans out your system. You should also drink fruit juices due to the fact that the fructose will restore a person’s blood sugar level. Other tips that were included was that one should: drink pedialyte, not drink bloody Mary's, eat bland carbohydrates, eat eggs, eat honey, try activated charcoal, try liver care, try milk thistle, try alka- seltzer morning relief, take anti inflammatory, and take Pepto- Bismol.

America’s educational system Essay

Introduction As America’s educational system continues to strengthen and develop, a focus on individualized instruction and intervention within the regular education classroom has been brought forth in an attempt to keep struggling students from falling behind. This specific additional instruction and intervention, known as Response to Intervention in most states (RtI), is not only viewed as a push towards the improvement of education for all students, but is also being used as the means by which decisions regarding a student’s special education eligibility is based upon. However, for such a program to ultimately be beneficial, it will be up to the schools to ensure that the education professionals are putting forth significant effort in using the most appropriate type of intervention for that specific student. It will be the RtI team’s duty to define the student’s problem, plan an intervention, implement the intervention, and regularly evaluate the student’s progress (Martinez & Young, 2011, p. 44). Various interventions should be attempted if the scheduled improvement is not initially apparent. Statement of the Problem The groundbreaking passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, the long overdue act which provided official protection of the rights and individual needs of those with disabilities within the educational system, sparked the remarkable increase of students being quickly diagnosed with a learning disability in whatever subject the specific student was struggling in (Brady, Bucholz, Duffy, Goodman, & Hazelkorn, 2011, p. 18). It was also noted that the majority of this increase in special education was found to be packed with minority students due to the deficient amount of teacher cultural awareness within the classroom. The special education identification method of Response to Intervention came about as education personnel searched for appropriate ways to identify students who genuinely required special education and attempted to remove the subjectivity from the identification process that had caused the previous increase (Brady, Bucholz, Duffy, Goodman, & Hazelkorn, 2011, p. 18). Instead of instinctively assuming that a struggling student has an LD, therefore immediately referring him or her for special education, educators need to attempt to reach this student by using other methods of instruction  that are research-based and proven to be highly-effective. Purpose of the Study This paper is designed to inform the readers about the core principals of Response to Intervention, the roles of school personnel, effective implementation, how educators are reacting to the process, and how RtI is filtering into the behavioral domains of the classroom. Both positive and negative aspects of Response to Intervention will be presented. The research is current and needs to be added to the available body of knowledge. Significance of the Problem Providing quality education to the children of this nation will hopefully always be unquestionably significant to society. The growth and development of society essentially relies on such provision. Considering this reality, the actual effort an educator makes in order to guarantee that each individual child is presented with the opportunity to reach his or her full potential academically will not only affect this individual child’s future, but the future of all of America. With the proper implementation of the Response to Intervention framework within the nation’s educational system, the appropriate exertion of effort from educators can be ensured. Limitations This article’s content was taken from database research using scholarly sources. It was researched and written in a period of 15 weeks with the required minimum of 15 pages but limited to 20. Response to Intervention is the structured process implemented by education personnel in which individualized instruction and intervention is provided for students who are struggling either academically or behaviorally (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.44). RtI’s purpose is also to serve in the early identification and preventative intervention process with hopes of ultimately reducing the amount of inappropriate special education referrals that are issued due to poor instruction. In order to construct a sound Response to Intervention framework within a school, the core principles of RtI need to be efficiently developed. Attention to each of Rudebusch’s principles from The Source for RTI: Response to Intervention will help to  ensure a more successful intervention process and should be used as a guide for educators. These principles include: We can effectively teach all children Intervene early Use a multi-tier model of service delivery Use a problem-solving method to make decisions Use research based, scientifically validated instruction and intervention Monitor student progress to shape instruction Make decisions by using student performance data Use assessment for a variety of purposes (Rudebusch, 2008, p.20). As the general educator develops and constructs his or her own plan within the classroom, it is important that he or she fully understand that effectively teaching all kinds of children is possible. Thanks to No Child Left Behind (2001), teachers are now expected to deliver high-quality instruction to their students at all times as well as be held accountable for their student’s achievement (Osborne & Russo, 2008, p.17). To push for student achievement, and for high-quality instruction to occur, teachers need to implement both explicit and systematic instruction. This explicit instruction is especially important in the beginning stages of the widely-followed model of teaching provided within the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model. Rudebusch states; â€Å"The instructional sequence gradually moves each student from teacher-dependence to learning-independence. The teacher focuses the lesson with explicit instruction, uses guided instruction and student teamwork to practice the skills, and finally, allows students to demonstrate independent mastery of the skill.† Teacher responsibility decreases as student responsibility increases. This process also helps children in developing crucial self-regulated learning skills. Self-regulation can be defined as â€Å"the child’s capacity to plan, guide, and monitor his or her behavior from within and flexibly according to changing circumstances,† (Bramer, 2011, p.41). The development of this proficiency is critical as it will push the child to take control of his or her own learning helping to bring about a sense of independence which is the main focus of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model. High-quality instruction has been filtered through the  self-regulated learner’s education. The second core principle of RtI provided by Rudebusch establishes the significance of early intervention. As soon as a child reveals any signs or symptoms regarding academic or behavioral difficulties to come, the educator is to intervene in order to attempt to keep the student on a similar pace compared to others in his or her same grade (Rudebusch, 2008, p.22). Students who receive such assistance early have been known to need fewer special education services as well as fewer rehabilitative services throughout the entirety of their education. The U.S. Department of Education states that intervening during preschool years can â€Å"enhance the child’s development, provide support and assistance to the family, and maximize the child’s and family’s benefit to society† (Rudebusch, 2008, p.22). If the child is identified at an early age then there is a greater possibility that they will benefit from the intervention strategies that are designed to meet their personal needs. Early intervention is also supported legislatively as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) addresses the guidelines. Part C of IDEA â€Å"addresses services for children from birth to age 3 and their families, and section 619 of Part B†¦covers services for children ages 3 to 5,† (Bruder, 2010, p.339). Using a multi-tier model of service delivery allows struggling students to be provided with increasing levels of support in regards to their specific areas of difficulty. Each level varies in time consumption, intensity, and the amount of students receiving intervention. Whether they are receiving intervention in small structured groups using specific organized programs, or more intensive, individualized intervention that is provided for longer periods of time, this model of service delivery has been constructed to ultimately prevent future academic and/or behavioral problems, as well as assist in identifying students who actually posses specific learning disabilities (Rudebusch, 2008, p.23). RtI models are typically created with at least three tiers. From the description provided by Amy Detgen, Mika Yamashita, Brittany Davis, and Sara Wraight, in State Policies and Procedures on Response to Intervention in the Midwest Region, we are provided with a brief description and purpose of e ach tier: Tier 1:  Evidence-based instruction provided to all students in the general education classroom. Student progress is continually monitored. Tier 2: Small-group supplemental instruction provided to students who fail to make adequate progress in the general classroom. Programs and strategies are designed to supplement tier 1 instruction. Tier 3: Specialized and individualized instruction provided to students who are not responding to tier 2 interventions. Throughout each of these tiers, the progress of each individual student is monitored as data is collected and evaluated. This process is completed in order to ensure that the constructed intervention is proving to be effective for the targeted student. If the student continues to underachieve and show no progress, despite the various â€Å"high-quality instruction and targeted interventions† that have been provided, than this student may possess a specific learning disability (Brady, Bucholz, Duffy, Goodman, & Hazelkorn, 2011, p. 18). All remaining RtI related decisions have been left up to the schools, such as â€Å"†¦how many tiers are needed; movement from one tier to the next and duration, frequency, and timing of the interventions; and how screening for secondary intervention should occur†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Brady, Bucholz, Duffy, Goodman, & Hazelkorn, 2011, p. 19). Rudebusch’s fourth RtI core principle consists of using an appropriate problem-solving method when making decisions within this multi-tiered model. This will aid in determining the specific student’s needs, as well as continue to develop and help evaluate student responsiveness to the actual intervention being provided. An efficient problem-solving process that should be used within the RtI framework should involve a variety of professionals’ skills and opinions in order to create the most appropriate intervention for the child in question. This process should involve: using measurable terms when defining the problem; effectively analyzing the problem and its variables; constructing a plan that will appropriately address the problem; putting the plan into action; evaluating the ultimate effectiveness of the plan (Rudebusch, 2008, p.24). Such a problem-solving process will contribute to the validity of a child’s individual plan as each step will help to ensure that appropriate decisions  are being made. Being able to effectively and efficiently solve RtI problems when they arise is of great importance as the child’s first constructed plan will not always be successful. In order for Response to Intervention to bring forth the amount of efficiency that it is capable of, it is essential that educators use â€Å"research-based, scientifically validated instruction and intervention† (Rudebusch, 2008, p.24). In No Child Left Behind (2001), scientifically-based researched is defined as â€Å"†¦research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs† (Zucker, 2004). Using this type of instruction for your students will be critical for their ultimate academic success. Another important quality to the highly-effective teacher’s style of instruction is differentiation. As the student population continues to expand and diversify, and as it is now known that not all students learn in the same manner or are at the same level in regards to their intelligence, differentiated instruction is crucial so that all types of lear ners can be met. Joan Van Bramer (2011) declares in Teacher Talk and Assistance and Self-Regulated Learning within the Context of RtI and Explicit and Systematic Teaching, that, â€Å"In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin where students are, not the front of the curriculum guide†¦In differentiated classrooms, teachers provide specific ways for each individual to learn as deeply as possible and as quickly as possible, without assuming one’s student’s road map for learning is identical to anyone else’s†¦Differentiated classrooms feel right to students who learn in different ways and at different rates and who bring to school different talents and interests†¦Differentiated instruction is the heart and soul of Tier 1, a teaching model necessitated by the wide reading range represented in each classroom.† Providing research-based instruction as well as differentiation on all three tiers can set in motion positive progress from each and every student. In the sixth, seventh, and eighth RtI core principles, Rudebusch highlights the importance of monitoring student progress in order to effectively shape instruction. Decisions made should be based on the student performance data that has been consistently collected from this progress monitoring. Rudebusch also stresses the usefulness of  assessments when checking progress. This progress-monitoring is the most suitable way in which an educator can determine whether or not the specific intervention being provided to the child is actually effective. By monitoring student progress, educators can understand and genuinely witness which types of instruction the child has positively responded to as improvement in their targeted area has been documented. This monitoring can also point out ineffective instruction as a child’s lack of improvement would be noticed. This is equally important as unproductive intervention should be put to an end or altered in a way which will hopefully meet the student’s previously denied needs. Using the collected performance data to identify the most appropriate methods of intervention, as well as using a variety of specialized judgment from the professionals involved, and using â€Å"scientifically validated evidence and information about a student,† are the foundations of the previously mentioned RtI problem-solving process (Rudebusch, 2008, p.25). To continue making the most efficient decisions in regards to student academic and behavioral intervention needs, the schools systems need to: continually collect student data; be able to pull valuable information from the data concerning student needs; use this data to â€Å"make informed instructional decisions at every level of the RtI framework,† (Rudebusch, 2008, p.25). Determining student needs from the data collected from progress monitoring is a reliable way to ensure that the selected intervention for said child is actually helping the child to improve in their targeted area of struggle. Using assessments within this progress monitoring is also another effective way to measure improvement. Assessments are also initially used to screen those children who are believed to not be making appropriate academic or behavior progress before intervention has even begun. Effective implementation of the Response to Intervention program within schools is key if success is to be witnessed among those struggling students who are participating within the program. In order for effective implementation to occur, the foundation of the RtI framework needs to not  only be based upon its eight core principles, but also needs the appropriate amount of dedication and commitment from the school personnel who are involved in the process. There are seven essential skills and competencies identified by Rita Bean and Jennifer Lillenstein in Response to Intervention and the Changing Roles of Schoolwide Personnel that education related professionals need to possess to help ensure the success of RtI within the schools. These seven proficiencies are: in-depth knowledge of literacy development and instruction; an understanding of how to collect and interpret data for instructional decision making; being able to differentiate one’s instruction; a willingness to collaborate and work successfully with others; a commitment to Lifelong Learning; possessing leadership skills; a facility to work with technology (Bean & Lellenstein, 2012, p.493-497). With the workings of RtI within the schools, it is now being found important for all school personnel to understand the â€Å"components of reading acquisition† and to be able to effectively provide evidence-based literacy instruction (Bean & Lellenstein, 2012, p.494). Principals viewed this knowledge as a way to better understand their educator’s struggles and concerns, while specialized personnel, such as special educators and psychologists, who formally did not need to possess such knowledge, now find the understanding of the literacy curriculum to be of great significance. All RtI school personnel involved and knowledgeable in reading and literacy education have a better chance of helping those students who are struggling with language arts eventually reach their full potential. As well as understanding the importance of effective literacy instruction, school personnel also need to be able to collect, interpret, and use the data they pull together from monitoring student progress to construct further instruction and intervention. Teachers need to understand that certain assessments might not be the most appropriate choice for one child while it could be the most effective for another. A wide variety of ways to assess students needs to be used, such as teacher observations and collaboration, rubrics, and student work samples, in order to truly grasp  what the student is struggling with. â€Å"To use data effectively, there is a need for shared expertise, with reading specialists, principals, and psychologists offering their expertise in psychometrics, instruction, and so on,† (Bean & Lellenstein, 2012, p.495). With school personnel interpreting data effectively and using such information to construct the most appropriate instruction and intervention for the targeted student, the likelihood that the student will benefit from the RtI process is much greater. The ability to differentiate instruction, as mentioned previously, is extremely significant to the implementation of RtI, and yet is one of the most difficult factors to achieve. However, successful differentiation is possible when educators take the time to seek out the most effective way to reach the child, understanding that all children learn differently. The support of differentiated instruction can be carried out by principals who help to develop staff schedules that will ultimately increase the availability and numbers of personnel available to aid in the classroom. These professionals can include special educators, reading specialists, or English language learning teachers. Using such professionals within the RtI process will only benefit those struggling students and help to differentiate the kind of instruction they will receive. This will aid in discovering the best way to reach each child academically. Another important ability school personnel needs to posses in order to carry out RtI effectively is the ability to collaborate positively with one another. Being able to work with others toward a common goal is extremely important, and regardless of the situation, this common goal should always be to discover the most efficient way to educate the child in question. Jennifer Lillenstein and Rita Bean (2012) state, in regards to collaboration within the classroom, that â€Å"there was consensus that to collaborate effectively, there must be a sharing of and value for diverse perspectives and preparation to attain the larger goal of enhanced instructional decision making and improved student outcomes.† By effectively working with one another in an attempt to make the best decisions in regards to what the targeted student needs, the educators establish joint responsibility for the  student. From this joint responsibility, the educators will be able to discuss the student’s strengths and weaknesses when making decisions concerning instruction (Bean & Lillenstein, 2012, p.495). Efficient collaboration between those who are a part of the RtI process is critical if what is best for the targeted student is truly in question. This consistent collaboration also provides opportunities for education professionals to learn from one another as they maintain and inspire their commitment to lifelong learning. Educators can always learn from the strategies, thought processes, and experiences of their co-workers. The final two skills and/or competencies mentioned by Rita Bean and Jennifer Lillenstein (2012) are leadership qualities and competency within the field of educational technology. Leadership qualities can involve a variety of skills, such as interpersonal skills, communication skills (such as assertive communication), skills related to the principle of trust, and skills involving active listening and problem solving. Other important aspects of leadership qualities an educational professional should possess include being able to successfully collaborate with a team, and leading and participating in conversations with individuals or groups concerning pressing matters. During these times of discussion, a leader should be able to not only provide positive feedback to his or her fellow co-workers, but must also be able to provide critical feedback if necessary. When critical feedback is taking place, a leader needs to treat his or her other co-workers with respect, be able to back up his or her claims with data and evidence, and should always keep the student’s best interests in mind. In regards to school technology, educators need to possess facility concerning these kinds of classroom advancements. Collecting data, monitoring the process of students, finding ideas for differentiated instruction, and learning more on one’s own are merely a few of the ways technology is now being used in the classroom. The collection, reviewing, and monitoring of student data and performance is critical to the success of their individualized RtI plan (Bean & Lillenstein, 2012, p.496). To find out how schools are implementing the entire Response to Intervention process within the classroom, as well as how educators are responding to the  process, a specific example is provided. In South Eastern Texas, an online survey in both rural and urban schools was completed. In Response to Intervention: How is it Practiced and Perceived?, by Rachel Martinez and Andria Young, the various aspects of RtI, as well as the results of the survey are examined. Ninety-nine educators completed this online survey in rural and urban schools in South Eastern Texas answering questions regarding the RtI process and their opinions about the procedure. The questions related to the RtI initiation practice, documentation of the student’s goals, data collection, intervention procedures, the resulting follow up decision process, and the educators’ overall opinions regarding the entire implementation. In reviewing the results, it was discovered that 87% of the respondents stated that it is the general education teacher who initiates the RtI process for the struggling student (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.47). Seventy seven percent of the respondents indicated that this course of action is most often initiated after a student scores poorly on a school-wide screening test. Now that this student has been identified as one who will participate in the RtI process, an RtI Team is formed. This team usually consists primarily of the general education teacher, special education teacher, administrator, and a reading specialist. Only 34% of the respondents stated that the child’s parent was a part of the team (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.46). In order for a child to be properly monitored, school personnel are to write specific academic goals concerning the student’s targeted areas and the amount of progress he or she is to make before a certain time period. These areas are to be operationally defined so that they can be continually examined (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.47). This is extremely significant to the RtI process as student progress needs to actually be seen in data form in order for the specific intervention to continue. Yet the comments left by the respondents concerning writing these measurable goals indicate that this is an area of weakness for educators and needs improvement. Concerning the follow-up process, results indicate that a follow up meeting was usually held by the RtI Team in order to appropriately monitor a student’s progress.  Seventy six percent of the respondents’ answers points towards the fact that at least half of the time students are making some sort of progress (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.49). Seventy one percent also indicated that students actually met their goals at least half of the time (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.49). If a student does not reach their goals, it is indicated that a new type of intervention is started and if progress is still not made, a special education referral is conducted. Yet the majority of the respondents, 74%, indicated that this eligibility is determined using a combination of RTI results and standardized testing data instead of just relying on RTI data alone (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.49). This specific example has provided evidence of the positive results of RtI and that the greater part of the respondents involved in this study felt that such a process ultimately benefited students. Yet comments concerning how the process is perceived by educators in this area were not all entirely positive. Some educators indicated that the same students who were being put through this process were actually already being provided extra help by their teachers. There was also an overwhelming amount of complaints in regards to the time RtI paperwork and documentation takes (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.50). In Special Education Teacher’s Perceptions and Instructional practices in Response to Intervention Implementation, by Elizabeth Swanson, Michael Solis, Stephen Ciullo, and John W. McKenna, some similar complaints involving RtI are stated. These negative aspects include scheduling challenges—as it is sometimes difficult to set aside a time in which all those who are required in the RtI process are available, the increased amount of paperwork necessary for each student, and the probability that additional staff may be needed. Despite these challenges, teachers find the early intervention opportunities, meeting the unique needs of each student, and the positive collaboration with other staff members to outweigh the previously mentioned negative features. The results of the specific study completed in the South Eastern Texas area indicate that the school personnel are consistently tending to the important components of the RTI process, despite such challenges, as they attempt to help each individual student reach their full potential academically. As Response to Intervention continues to show success in regards to aiding students academically, the use of RtI to help students who struggle with the social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of school is now an option. Since this type of negative behavior can be associated with poor school-related outcomes, the use of RtI behavioral interventions may prevent further dire behavior as well as prevent the need for special education services. A specific example where such intervention took place is provided in Response to Intervention (RtI) in the Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Domains: Current Challenges and Emerging Possibilities, by Elina Saeki, Shane R. Jimerson, James Earhart, Tyler Renshaw, Renee D. Singh, and Kaitlyn Stewert. This study uses RtI as a constructive approach for preventing and remedying emotional, social, and behavioral problems in students. The study took place at a public elementary school in a midsized city in Southern California by a collaborative problem-solving team consisting of the school psychologist, the principal, university faculty supervisors, and school psychologist interns. The participants included 55 third-grade students from three separate classrooms who all participated in Universal Intervention (Tier I). During Tier I, the two school psychologist interns conducted impulse control lessons for the students and administered a specific assessment both before and after the intervention. At the conclusion of Tier 1, the teachers nominated nine students who would possibly benefit from further behavioral intervention within Tier II. One student was chosen from this group by the school psychologist to receive intensive intervention (Tier III) targeted to his specific emotional areas of difficulty (Saeki, Jimerson, Earhart, Hart, Renshaw, Singh, & Stewart, 2011 p.48). In regards to the implemented Tier I Universal Intervention, 81% of the students improved their score on the assessment provided. For those receiving intervention at Tier II, four scores increased, one decreased, and two showed no change. The remaining two students were not present for either the pre- or post-assessment (Saeki, Jimerson, Earhart, Hart, Renshaw, Singh, & Stewart, 2011, p.50). However it must be stated that in this particular study the type of lessons provided to these children at this level were based on teacher recommendation and not on their actual testing scores. In regards to the child identified for targeted intervention, no pre- or  post-test measures were actually conducted and the school psychologist’s clinical judgment was used. Yet the results were stated to be favorable concerning the child’s progress. Bringing the RtI framework into the area of social, emotional, and behavioral issues among students, instead of only issuing such intervention in regards to their academic insufficiencies, is a way school personnel can provide additional support for those students who are at-risk but are not eligible for special education services. However, it is of great importance that educators use a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data and that the interpretation of both must be objective. In the previous example, teacher input was used as the main source concerning the identification of students who would be receiving Tier II and Tier III intervention (Saeki, Jimerson, Earhart, Hart, Renshaw, Singh, & Stewart, 2011 p.50). This specific example of how behavioral issues are being tended to by RtI is shown to have overall positive results. Yet every school who implements such a structure for behavioral purposes must use a multifaceted evaluation process to avoid strong subjectivity in the decision making procedures. The implementation of the Response to Intervention program within classrooms, schools, and the entire educational system can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on those students who are struggling, either academically or behaviorally, when the process is executed in the proper manner. For this to occur, the eight core principles of RtI need to be apparent among educators and flourishing throughout the schools. These core principles include the understanding that all children can be taught effectively, the necessity of early intervention when possible, using a multi-tiered model of service delivery, using an effective problem-solving method to make decisions, using research based, scientifically validated instruction and intervention, monitoring student progress in order to shape instruction, making decisions involving implementation and instruction by using student performance data, and using the appropriate assessments for a variety of purposes when necessary (Rudebusch, 2008, p .20). Each of these Response to Intervention aspects are critical to RtI’s strategic implementation and crucial to the ultimate success of the program. Behind the eight Response to Intervention core principles are the educational  professionals who are following such guidelines and putting them into action. As RtI continues to grow and expand within the educational system, the various roles and tasks of school personnel also continue to develop. There are a mixture of skills and competencies that each educator should possess in order to carry out the RtI core principles effectively. These proficiencies include an in-depth knowledge of literacy development and instruction, an understanding of how to collect and interpret data for instructional decision making, the ability to differentiate one’s instruction, a willingness to collaborate and work successfully with others, a strong commitment to Lifelong Learning, various leadership qualities, and the ability to work with educa tional technology (Bean & Lellenstein, 2012, p.493-497). RtI implementation will have a greater chance of success for its students if the educators involved grew to be knowledgeable and comfortable in each of the previously mentioned areas. A study conducted in South Eastern Texas provided an amount of insight in regards to how schools are implementing the Response to Intervention process. This study also presented the manner in which school personnel responded to the program. RtI initiation within the schools, documentation of student goals, collection of data, intervention procedures, follow up decisions, and the educators’ overall opinion concerning the entire process is reviewed (Martinez & Young, 2011, p.47). Although the study ultimately praises RtI for its effectiveness, complaints regarding the amount of paperwork, time, and documentation procedures were noted. South Eastern Texas is not the only area in which these complaints have been made. Another source complains about the RtI scheduling challenges, the increased amount of paperwork, and the need for additional staff. Negative aspects aside, educators praised the early intervention opportunities, meeting the individual needs of each student, and the overall positive and informative collaboration with other co-workers. Since Response to Intervention has proven effective in aiding its participants academically, the use of RtI within the social and behavioral domains of the classroom is now an option. This behavior-driven intervention is used as a preventative measure as well as a remedy for those students who are already struggling with poor behavior. A study conducted in Southern California used this type of multi-tiered intervention to address some of the behavior issues taking place within the school as well as  appropriately aiding those children who were struggling both emotionally and socially (Saeki, Jimerson, Earhart, Hart, Renshaw, Singh, & Stewart, 2011 p.50 ). Although the results were deemed positive, the subjectivity of the educators in charge was questioned. Objectivity is a must if behavior-driven RtI is to truly address those who require the program. In conclusion, the Response to Intervention process is one that can benefit scores of struggling students if the structured program is adequately conducted by the professionals involved. In order for RtI success to occur, these professionals will need to consistently work together in discovering the most efficient way to sufficiently educate the students in question. Although the appropriate materials, specialists, and other intervention tools can be extremely significant to the RtI process, it is the distinguishing quality of effort that will ultimately hold the entire program together. If educators and other related school personnel do not exert the proper amount of effort in carrying out this process, then Response to Intervention will eventually be deemed worthless. It is up to the ed ucators and school personnel involved in this program to help RtI genuinely reach its valuable potential.