Health Belief Model Essay

Health belief model is a framework for nurses to utilize for education in health promotion. It investigates the individual’s willingness to adapt, the individual’s recognition in expressing the necessity in adjusting, and comprehending the advantages of physical and mental wellness changes. Nurses can play a vital role in influencing an individual in making instantaneous and perhaps lasting behavioral health modification. Smoking is one of the most crucial life threatening issues that society face. Smoking cessation to improve one’s health is as an example on how to encourage individuals in making behavior changes. Initially, it is essential for a nurse to assess an individual normal or average smoking pattern in a day. It also important to know how long they have been smoking, to assess their willingness to learn. Long-time smokers may disregard or may be more non-compliant with teaching because of thinking that damage has already been done. (Porter, 2013). Information will be provided on disease processes related to this lifestyle, such as heart disease and multiple lung diseases. A nurse has to explore an individual’s knowledge resulting to continued tobacco use. Understanding of patient’s behavior and own knowledge of the chosen lifestyle gives a nurse a clear education plan on what needs to be included with health promotion. If a patient is not aware of his or her risk factors for a disease, teaching should be directed towards informing the individual about the personal risk factor. If the individual is aware of the risk, but feel that the behavior change is overwhelming, you can focus your teaching in helping the individual overcome the barriers. Comprehension of overall behavior and circumstances that influence a patient’s decision-making is important. It helps in effective planning of suitable interventions for an individual to promote health and wellness and an effective plan of care. References Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, Carole, Elizabeth, Carol. Health Promotion throughout the Life Span. 7th Edition. Mosby, 2010. VitalBook file. Retrieved from https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books Porter, A. (2013). The Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse in Promoting Smoking Cessation in the Adult Population.MEDSURG Nursing, 22(4), 264-268.

Conflict & Stress Management Essay

1.0 INTRODUCTION Stress and conflict are two major issues any organisation faces. They are inevitable in all facets of life, be individual or organisational. If not handled well they can be a hindrance for the company performance. Conflict and stress both varies according to the organisation and its culture. But both need to be managed well to avoid unnecessary problems. Conflict is a perception. Surveys show that employees spend as much as 42% of their time engaging in or attempting to resolve conflicts and 20% of managers’ time is taken up by conflict related issues (Gupta, Boyd, Kuzmits, 2011). This valuable time can be utilised in making the organisation a more efficient and an effective one. Organisations which fail to address conflict have the risk of losing their competitive advantage. Conflict can be viewed in many ways and there are different management styles which can deal with conflict. The leadership of the organisation must be involved in dealing with conflict as they would have to negotiate and bargain in order to overcome conflict. Stress is a major concern with today’s working people. This is because the world is developing in a faster pace which requires constant adaptation. Stress not only affects ones work-life balance, but also their personal life which creates chaos for individuals. According to some estimation, humankind losses 100 million workdays every year due to the aftermath of stress (Treven & Potocan, 2005). Work stress needs to be managed well so it can actually improve the well being of the individuals as well as the organisation. Both of these factors will be viewed in the context of Nippon Lanka and will be analysed thoroughly on how they overcome these issues to maintain a healthy relationship with employees. Improvements and recommendations for the current methods will also be discussed. 2.0 OVERVIEW Nippon Lanka Pvt Ltd (NPLK) is a joint venture (JV) between the Nippon PLC Japan (NPJ) and Silicone Coatings Pvt Ltd (SC) Sri Lanka where the NPJ brought over 60% of Silicone’s shares. This joint venture is advantageous to both parties where NPJ is able to use this as an entry method and SC as an opportunity to be a part of a global industry. Formation of this JV took almost a year where Nippon Lanka studied SC and the relevant industry as whole to get an idea of the present market conditions. It was found that there was no better time to enter the Sri Lankan market due to the post war era development. Therefore SC was considered due to their strong presence in the market. Today after about three months from successfully forming the JV the company is going through a transition period. There aren’t any major changes to positions in the hierarchy but there are role changes and employees are finding it difficult to adapt to their new roles. Example: – The Managing Director (MD) of the company who was the owner of the company still is the MD how ever to day the person is a salaried employee. – The General Manager who was reporting directly to MD today has to report to the Board of directors where MD is just one out of the five directors. When examining the company culture towards conflict, the company culture and the value system which has been there for 35 years from the date of the establishment is now being changed. SC was established in 1979, as a small scale manufacture and a distributer of paint related ancillaries. By the time Nippon approached SC it had grown into the largest local player in the market where it was second only to the global giant Akzonobal by a 3% margin. It is evident that SC has been a one man show up to the time of the JV, the full value system and the operational procedures were laid down by the founder himself and not most of the managers found it enticing to be part of. Therefore the HR turnover was such that on average about six key resources left the company. In this back ground let’s see how the conflict and stress management function takes place within the organization. 3.0 CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 3.1 Conflict Management Styles Conflict can be defined as the process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something the first party cares about (Robbins S., Judge T. & Vohra N., 2011:441). It is that point in an ongoing activity when an interaction crosses over to become an interparty conflict. Conflict can be seen as good and bad with corresponding positive and negative outcomes where this would all depend on how one views conflict. There are three basics views of conflict. These are the Traditional view, the Interactionist view and Managed conflict view. The traditional view sees conflict as bad and something that must be eliminated through the use of authority. Poor communication, lack of openness and failure to respond to employee needs could be seen as few of the causes. The interactionist view is that conflict is desirable, necessary for high performance teams and should be encouraged. The contemporary view is that conflict is inevitable and it may be positive or negative but it must be managed to be beneficial. Nippon Lanka follows a more interactionist view where conflict is encouraged and the company is of the view that a perfectly cooperative, harmonious group would hinder dynamism, creativity and innovation where a minimal level of conflict is needed to prevent a lacklustre, uninterested attitude among the group. As mentioned earlier, not all conflicts are good, and this view only supports functional conflict. Functional conflict is a constructive form of conflict that supports the goals of the group and improves performance. The type of conflict at hand would distinguish a functional conflict from a dysfunctional conflict. Although these are distinct types of conflict, the occurrence of one type of conflict can lead to a conflict of another type taking place. For example, the process of costing has been kept confidential, and this has led to the tension between the sales team and the costing team. 3.2TYPES OF CONFLICT PRESENT IN NIPPON LANKA 3.2.1Relationship conflict Conflicts between two people are known as relationship conflicts. These conflicts arise as a result of miscommunication, disagreements or misunderstandings between people. One such situation at Nippon Lanka arose between the Brand Manager and the Marketing Manager. The Brand manager has been with the company for 5 years and has previously worked with two Heads of marketing. Once the new marketing manager was appointed, it was found that the latter was less experienced and was not willing to corporate with the Marketing Head. This triggered huge problems for the new comer. The management was aware of this, but wasn’t able to remove him from the position due to the valuable connections the customers. However, the Marketing Manager understood this inferiority complex of the Brand Manager. Having gone through the initial hardships the new marketing manager somehow managed to win the trust of the Brand manager. Now they are working harmoniously, directing all their efforts towards the benefit of the company. 3.2.2.Data Conflict This occurs when decisions are made without adequate information. At Nippon Lanka, the costing department works in isolation. They do not consult the sales and marketing team when arriving at the costs, so more often than not, the cost of the product is either too high, depriving them of valuable orders and potential growth, or at times its too low depriving the opportunity for the company to charge a premium price on an innovative product or to achieve efficiency through specialisation. 3.2.3Interest Conflict Conflicts of interest mainly deal with psychological issues, where an individual or organisation behaves in a certain manner, with the aim of meeting a particular interest which is not shared by everyone else. The JV with the Japanese company was not disclosed or made public, even though doing so would have been acting in the best interests of the company. The MD did not like the idea of publicising the 60:40 JV that was taking place, as it would be viewed as a takeover. However, the rest of the company felt that some amount of public awareness would have positively impacted the company’s future performance. Another example would be when the HR department wanted to minimise the over time cost they imposed a rule where all sales vehicle needs to be back at the HO by 5 pm. As an example what the Sales representatives would do is when they need to deliver goods up to Negombo, covering Wattala, Ja-ela, Seeduwa and Negombo. They would turn back from Seeduwa at 3.30 pm in order to make it back to office by 5 pm, without covering their full distance to Negombo. What followed was a delay in the delivery and travelling additional mileage, having to revisit incomplete routes taking the same path. 3.2.4 Structural Conflict Structural conflict arises from unclear and undefined roles and reporting lines. The R&D and the production manger are directly reporting to the MD. The other managers report to the GM, where the GM reports to the MD. Currently when a sales representative needs to develop a sample for a particular customer, the sales representative will not have the adequate support since the request from the sales rep will not be taken seriously from the R&D manager and the GM cannot question them for not doing it right. Only 10 out of 1 samples are successful and yet the R&D manager has managed to survive, distracting the control and supervisory system of the top management since there is no clear reporting structure. 3.2.5 Value Conflict A value conflict comes about when two people or groups have dissenting views on morality–that basic understanding of what is naturally right or wrong. As mentioned earlier, the cost manager considered himself and his department superior than the other departments, with the notion that the information handled need not be disclosed to anyone else. At present, the cost manager is in prison, facing charges of fraud. Although the environment helped the person to carry out fraud, this is a clear example of conflicting values. 3.3 THE CONFLICT PROCESS Figure 1: The Conflict Process (Source: Robbins S., Judge T. & Vohra N., 2005:444) 3.3.1Stage I: Potential opposition or incompatibility The first stage talks about the conditions that are needed for conflict to arise. They may not directly lead to conflict, but they need to be present for conflict to surface. They can be referred to as the causes of conflict and can be condensed into three general categories, namely communications, structure and personal variables. Communication, either too much or too little information passed between members can result in potential opportunities for conflict to arise. At Nippon Lanka, the manner in which the costing of the products is carried out is not communicated to the members in the other dept and this has been the initiating factor for conflict to set in. Structure includes several variables such as size, degree of specialization in the tasks assigned to the group members, role clarity, member-goal compatibility, leadership styles, reward systems, and the degree of dependence among groups. The sales and promotions manager at Nippon Paints follow an aggressive, predator style of leadership where excuses were not tolerated and was only interested in the achievement of results and targets. An example would be, the samples taken from the production team that is used for sales and promotion does not meet the required standards of quality where 9 out of 10 samples would fail. Same time, the Sales and promotions manager would also be very demanding of the sales representatives in terms of getting the desired targets. In some cases, employees have resigned due this demanding nature. Personal variables are mainly due to differences in personal traits of individuals. Diverse issues such as prejudice and disagreements over one’s contribution to the group, as well as the rewards one deserves. For example, at Nippon Paints, the General Manager is prepared to hire new trainees at Rs. 15,000/=, whereas the Sales and Promotions Manager feels that the market rate of Rs. 30,000/= should be paid to them. The low salaries have deterred attracting the talented individuals and therefore not achieving the fullest potential. 3.3.2Stage II: Cognition and Personalization If the conditions mentioned in stage I negatively affect something one party cares about, then the potential for opposition or incompatibility surfaces in the second stage. One or both parties must be aware and perceive that these conditions exist. However, just because it is perceived does not make the conflict personalized. It may not have an effect on either or both parties. The conflict has to be felt, for individuals become emotionally involved, leading to anxiety, tension, frustration or hostility. 3.3.3Stage III: Intentions Intentions get in the way of people’s perceptions and emotions and act as decisions for them to react the way they do to the situation at hand. They are important, as one has to make inferences of the other party’s intentions to know and understand the reason behind that party’s behavior and to respond accordingly. Conflicts tend to escalate at this point merely because of the wrong inferences being made. Sometimes a behavior might erroneously reflect the person’s intentions. Two dimensions are used, namely cooperativeness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns) and assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempt to satisfy his or her own concerns) to identify five conflict handling intentions. This has been attached to Appendix 1 with the styles explained. 3.3.4Stage IV: Behavior This stage includes actions, statements and reactions made by the conflicting parties. Intentions of each party are implemented through these behaviors and can be seen as a dynamic process of interaction. Conflicts usually start slow; characterized by indirect rather subtle forms of tension and escalate as the tension builds. At this latter stage things could become highly destructive where such conflicts are almost always dysfunctional. 3.3.5Stage V: Outcomes Behavior would lead to outcomes, where some are functional in that the conflict results in an improvement in the group’s performance or it may also be dysfunctional in that it hinders group performance. Functional conflict can be beneficial for the company as it provides a medium through which problems can be aired and tensions released. This improves the quality of decisions, stimulates creativity and innovation, encourages interest and curiosity among group members and it forces and environment of self-evaluation and change. Some companies discourage conflict as they prefer â€Å"yes-men†, loyal to the higher ups to the point of never questioning company actions. As for dysfunctional conflict it would reduce group effectiveness and group cohesiveness. At the extreme, conflict can bring group functioning to a halt and potentially threaten the group’s survival. Refer Appendix II for the example of a conflict Process at Nippon paints. 3.3 NEGOTIATING AND BARGAINING Before the organisation starts negotiating they should be aware of the nature of the conflict. There is a certain process that needs to be followed in negotiation. Negotiation is by definition the management of crossed demands, where each one of us expresses requests hoping the other will try to fulfil them (Lempereur, A. 2012). As it is said â€Å"Everything is negotiation in life†, so every party involved in the process would like to take the best out of it. 3.3.1 Bargaining Strategies There are two bargaining strategies that could be discussed. Distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining. In the current context what is more obvious is integrative bargaining which makes both the parties involved satisfied creating a win-win situation. An example for this was when a sales representative requests for a personal vehicle they need to achieve a certain level of sales targets. If they maintain the sales targets for a sustainable period they will be given a personal vehicle. But by any chance if they do not keep up to the said targets their salaries will be reduced in accordance with the cost of maintaining the vehicle by the company. Through a situation like this, what is created is a long term positive relationship for the company. As a company, they increase the sales levels and the employees will also be satisfied as their needs are also met. 3.3.2 Negotiation Process Negotiation can happen in 5 steps; these are preparation and planning, definition and ground rules, clarification and justification, bargaining and problem solving and closure and implementation. Some do not have a positive ending or a closure. But negotiations that have an effect for the organisation will go through a process. An example of this would be when the company needs to host certain function in hotels they would negotiate with them for the best bargain. As they have cost constraints, there are certain limitations and getting the best bargain with the best outcome would be the perfect scenario. Before the start of the negotiation with the relevant hoteliers the in-charge person will prepare the list of things that need to be discussed. These would be the pricing, menu items, additional services that are required and assess what the other party goals and prepare well for them. In this instance a budget per person would be Rs. 3,000. But the relevant hotels cost was higher. Then the menus for these relevant amounts will be compared. In the Sri Lankan context rather than a 4 or 5 course meal, action stations with koththu and hoppers have a vibrant feeling and also cost less. So in the negotiation table the other alternatives will be put across. Since information is all gathered, the representative will develop a strategy. The person will also determine the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). So here the BATNA will be to get cost per person at Rs. 3,000 having action stations with cocktail menu. The person will determine when and where to have the appointment. The ideal place would be at hotel premises because then the ambiance where service capacity can also be viewed. The meeting would be planned in the best time where both parties are not strained with other commitments and can concentrate for a best outcome. Once the initial stance is made then there will be further clarifications and explanations. Then both parties will try to come up with concessions in order to make a decision. Once both parties are satisfied they will formalize the agreement. In this process Nippon Lanka representatives will stress on the fact that if one event is made a success; then the hotel is winning a long term corporate client. This enhances their business. 3.3.3 Third Party Negotiation This is crucial for Nippon Lanka as they deal with lot of suppliers and customers. Advertising is a crucial part for this organisation and dealing with media is important to get a good advertising deal. Earlier they were dealing with the television and radio stations by themselves and it was quite strenuous. Getting a good deal that is worth their money was tough and time consuming, having deal with different organisations, so they decided to obtain third party involvement. The outcome was to get a consultant to act on media buying for the organisation. A consultant is a skilled and impartial third party who attempts to facilitate problem solving through communication and analysis (Robbins S., Judge T. & Vohra N., 2011:457). They are there to improve the current status and to get a win-win solution for both parties. When Nippon started using a third party advertising firm to do media buying, they were able to get good deals from media as they have a high bargaining power. 4.0 WORK STRESS & STRESS MANAGEMENT Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand, or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important (Robbins, Judge & Vohrs, 554). Most of the time stress is discussed in the negative contest but this is not true at all times. Stress can be taken into the system as an advantage. In the current organisation stress factor is not talked openly even though people are put under stress levels it is not considered as value adding option for the organisation. In the organisation currently what is seen is the challenge stresses but sometimes these same factors do become hindrance stressors for the employees. 4.1 Sources of stress The main sources of stress in the organisation comes from environmental and organisation factors. When it comes to environmental factors; the three types of uncertainties are economic, political and technological. These play a minimal role compared to organisational and personal factors. In considering environment factors; the workers are stressed on the technological aspect. Research and development team is always under pressure in getting a new product development before their competitors. Organisation heads are concerned about the Political uncertainty. Whenever a new rule or regulation is passed by government with regard to the consumer protection or protecting environment this takes a toll in the organisation activities. They must be aware of the new laws and how to tackle them, this adds a lot of strain in the management as they need to alter or change certain decisions according to political scenarios. Change in economic policies and recessions or booms in the economic cycle create stress on the organisation. Current economic down turn have made a toll in the sales teams as consumers are spending less and government projects have considerably reduced. At the same time government is not paying their debt and collections have become harder. Organisational factors are the ones that are created by the organisation which creates stress on employees. Task demands such as collecting debts in 90 days have a strain on the employee. This increases the job pressure. Role demands relate to pressure that occurs due to the job role. Managers and above have high role related pressures compared to subordinates due to the heavy work load which needs to be performed in less time. Most employees complain that they are given more work than they can handle and it stresses them out a lot. At the same time many complain the targets given are not practical. There is a minimal level of interpersonal demands where other employees are not supportive. Personal factors which increase stress are different to every individual. But this does create a hindrance in the organisation performance. All or some of these factors create a high turnover or absenteeism, reduction in productivity and decrease in job satisfaction. Sadly Nippon Lanka has not recognised the importance of stress management in order to curb it or cure it. The main organisational stress come comes from the current management change, this is because the task and role demands have changed and employees need to adjust to the new roles. Personal factors too trigger stress level of the employees. 4.2 Managing Stress at Nippon Lanka Pvt Ltd Based on the study, it is visible that Nippon Lanka uses stress as a positive motivator, but at some points it goes out of hand where it depletes the collaboration and coordination amongst the teams and also inter department. Based on the job roles, the department heads can think of the stress levels which can be imposed on the team members to get results and to meet targets. However the stress levels should be correctly managed so that it motivates results and not deplete and impede the team building and performance drive within the teams. As it is observed, some amount of stress comes from the non-alignment of the reporting lines. Therefore the suggestion is to relook at the reporting lines so that stress does not occur due to incorrect alignment of the business structure which has a negative impact and which creates unnecessary types of stress within teams. Together with the Job role enrichment, reporting lines should also be re-aligned so that the company will only be left with stress which causes the company to perform and not to impede. 5.0 CONCLUSION In conclusion conflict, negotiation and stress are all visible in Nippon Paint. Conflict is unavoidable at the organisation due to the dealings they have among the departments and the third parties. To overcome conflict certain understanding among employees and stakeholders must be implemented. It can be seen that conflict, negotiation and stress are interlinked with each other on some level. Organisational conflict styles may shape an organisation’s social environment, affecting the level of ongoing conflict and thus the level of stress among employees. Nippon Lanka to a great extent follows an integrative style of conflict management which leads to lower task conflict, reducing relationship conflict, which reduces stress. However, there are many instances where the management has not come up with a solution to the conflict at hand, where they are not willing to step in and the employees are left to resolve the matter, which at most times remains unresolved. The recommended improvements with regard to this has been discussed in Section 3.4. It is important that with the JV taking place, the new management plays an active role in resolving these long running issues so that the organisation and its performance does not get affected. The current JV could also trigger new conflicts and stress levels within the organisation where it is crucial that these issues are identified and resolved. The new management must take this opportunity to place greater prominence of recognizing the on-going stress levels within the organisation and deal with them appropriately. Improved management of conflict, negotiations and stress would benefit the individuals and the organisation in terms of high performing, content, dedicated employees who deliver results.

One of them 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

One of them 4 - Essay Example This paper shall look at the different ways in which the internet has affected the lives of people at the level of the individual and larger collectives like the nation. Many thinkers are of the opinion that the influence of the internet on people who are rich enough to afford it is so immense that in the years to come, it would deepen the gulf between those who have it and those who don’t (Hermeking). Apart from increasing the distance between the haves and the have-nots, it has also redefined what it means to be a have in an ever-changing society. To take the case of how people spend their money on shopping, a lot of the shopping for clothes, electronic goods and books is done on the internet at this point of time. There are an immense number of websites that offer goods to be bought online. This has changed the culture of the supermarket and the department store in a massive way. These sites for socialization have undergone changes as far as their social roles are concerned. This argument may be refuted by the claim that most of the perishable items that are consumed by people are still bought in stores that people physically go to. This s till, however, means a reduction in the spaces that are available for the socialization of people. This brings one to a discussion of the virtuality of the internet space. Beginning from internet chatrooms to online dating and social networking sites, the space of the internet has changed to that of a virtual one where people meet and talk without being themselves or otherwise. They do not, however, meet each other physically and the contact remains at a virtual level. This has been the subject of many a study and people have often referred to how this has reduced actual human contact in today’s world. This has led to changes in the way in which people approach relationships and human emotions. Shawn P. Wilbur has talked about this phenomenon and

Impact of Recession on the UK Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Impact of Recession on the UK Economy - Essay Example It was around that time when the government realized the seriousness of the issue. There are indications that things might be looking up, as we move along with the range of stimulus packages. The unemployment rate in the UK experienced a dip of 0.1 percent and it stood at 7.8 percent in January 2010. But this figure is still 1.6 percent higher than that of last year, which makes thinks worrisome for the government (HRM Guide, 2010). Official figures indicate that the average earnings in the UK have certainly bounced back in the recent past.1 Fig-1 indicates that there are indeed some recovery signals in the economy, as the earning potential of an average Briton is coming back to the comfort zone. What could be of some concern however is, the falling graph of earnings in the latter part of 2009. Monk (2009) also cites the October 2009 figures from the Office for National Statistics to highlight the higher number of borrowings in the UK. The figure stood at 11.4bn in October, far higher than the forecast figure of 7.1bn. The consistent increase of net debt as a percentage of the GDP over the last couple of years has made UK economy more of a debt economy. OCED has also issued warnings to the effect that the UK needs to put in place its fiscal measures to unburden itself from the pile of debt. It was predicted by some analysts in 2008 when the initial signals of the recession started emerging that during the coming two years UK economy would be experiencing its weakest patch of the last 15 years (BBC, 2008). Well, if trace the journey of the recession, these concerns seem to have come true. Taking a historical perspective UK had a population of 38 million with GDP of just under 125 billion at constant 1995 market prices. By the end of the century, the population stood at 59 million with an increase of more than 50 percent while the GDP stood at 800 billion, registering a fivefold increase (Lindsay, 2003). The benefits of globalization seem to have percolated down to all sections of the society in good measure.

Personel management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Personel management - Research Proposal Example The preference of this model over the other contrasting school of thought, which is the hard or Michigan model is based on the flow of the conversation, and the more appropriate model from which the analysis can be made with an in-depth discussion. The part in where analysis of practices is reiterated provides various points to commend and points to evaluate in relation to Acme Engineering's Human Resource Management practices. The soft model from where the company patterns some of its policies provides the human part of the HRM practices-in line with its attention to 'the individual.' However, there are points that are raised by the hard model of HRM that are worthy to be considered as well. This can give a more critical analysis to Acme Engineering's HRM practices. In order to critically analyze the practices, let us look at some points to commend with the company's adoption of the Harvard model in its HRM function. While the counter-arguments are points to evaluate the practices, only a few of these are drawn from the hard model of HRM in order to critically analyze the practices and effect on the organization as a whole. Attention to individual.... he benefit of making employees' concerns heard by the company, the company makes the 'individual' the core foundation of the HRM principle the company adopts. This is what Acme Engineering notes as 'getting the benefit of a union' on the employees' viewpoint by giving them voices to air out their concerns and grievances to management, without having a real union and the disadvantages of it. In an interview with Martin Lawrence, an ACME Engineering employee, this is how he has coined it, "So the first principle was people were not that part of business that was going to be taken for granted or given little consideration. People really were critical to the business, so we had to pay a lot of attention to people. "The second principle was that we decided to work without a trade union. We were going to obviously operate in a team environment with groups of people working together. For that to be effective we wanted to maintain the visibility of individual. And that if anything that has permeated all our policies and steps we have taken to get people's side of the business right - giving the individual the visibility and voice within the company has been the strongest the thread." It is a point to commend, of the HR function also serving as the conscience to the organization, giving guidelines as well as a place where grievances of employees can be brought to and resolved. The company encourages individuals to express their concerns to the company-to be outspoken, to be able to speak their minds without being punished for their thoughts and liberty in thinking. This attention to individual is further reinforced by the company's culture as reflected in the values of management and the type of new hires the recruitment sees fit to contribute to this type of

Paintings by Georges-Pierre Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh Essay - 1

Paintings by Georges-Pierre Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh - Essay Example The essay "Paintings by Georges-Pierre Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh" analyzes The Starry Night’s intricate details while comparing it to the ‘Grandcamp, Evening’ painting by Georges-Pierre Seurat. Looking at the ‘The Starry Night’, one gets a feel of boldness in the painting. There is the use of dark shades of color to bring out a general feel of the painting. There is also the use of lines of different shapes and lengths. The clouds seem to be in motion as they are drawn in a continuous circular motion, while the stars and moon have unusual light around them. The focal point is a flame resemblance of a cypress tree that is a contrast from the village below. Vincent drew this piece while in bad mental shape and was in an asylum at the time. Some critics say that the scenery from his window could have afforded him the general idea with the rest of the features borrowed from memory. This is especially true with the illustration of the church spike that i ndicates Netherlands as his home land. There has been analysis of this painting showing that all the objects in the picture stand for various meanings. This is an iconography of Vincent’s world at the time. On the other hand, George’s work of art in ‘Grandcamp, Evening seems to give a different atmosphere. Here, the painter has incorporated various hues of color to create a sense of calm and isolation. The landscape in the background has been developed by the use of short strokes of lines to indicate a town in the far horizon, a grim sky.

Does Tragedy Invariably Conform to a Conservative Perspective On Essay

Does Tragedy Invariably Conform to a Conservative Perspective On Gender Relations, Or Can It Work to Bring These Into Question - Essay Example engnether (1996) discusses that in the play King Lear, the relinquishment of the father’s authority also caused the unveiling of the destructive dominance and impact of female power and chaos, as seen in the acts of the sisters Goneril and Regan. Both sisters were not provided treatment as good examples of tragic female heroes; still their characters as powerful women should be considered without focusing on the existing 16th century stereotypes (Callaghan, 1989). An assessment of Goneril indicates how she is viewed in relation to her sister with Shakespeare wanting to prepare the sisters to be one evil entity (Liu, 2010). This theory can easily be founded in Regan’s own words when she expresses that she is made up of the same qualities as her sister, with the same prize and weight attributed to them both. Regan was the second child and as such has a different role compared to Goneril; she also has to work towards protecting her position as a ‘loving’ daugh ter (Liu, 2010). There are differences in these two sisters as Goneril is more intelligent than her sister, and that she wants Regan to simply follow or fall behind her. Shakespeare often applies the style of creating double roles or dual identities for his characters, having them connected and also contrasting with each other. Their differences are also observed by Dusinberre (1989) with the initial interactions between the sisters supporting such difference. As Goneril is more inclined to act on something, Regan is still trying to think on something. In effect, Goneril is the more dominant character in King Lear. She is the one who plotted to relinquish their father of his power. Goneril is also telling her servant to inform their father that she does not desire to see him. Goneril also detests the fact the... This paper stresses that Shakespeare and Marlowe provide tragic plays which seem to portray differing perspectives on gender relations. In King Lear, Shakespeare presents strong women who take on masculine qualities in order to appear powerful. The perspective of Goneril is however very much unfavourable. She is presented in a very unfavourable, greedy, and evil light. It is interesting to note however that if she were a man showing such qualities on his way to power, he would actually be viewed with much respect. Based on Marlowe’s depiction of women and gender differences, women are considered in a more favourable perspective in terms of leadership and of being intelligent women, able to bring men to their knees. In relation to King Lear, tragedy seems to support a conservative perspective on gender relations, as the play shows how women seeking power are evil and are to be viewed in a negative light. This report makes a conclusion that tragedy can trigger different reactions from different people regardless of gender. In some ways though, the differences are observed in terms of whether tragedy matches the conservative expectations relating to gender relations. The central issue in this case is based on family relations. This point is however very much debatable.

Writing Consultation Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Consultation Assignment - Essay Example Because there are many ways to approach this topic, I had not completed an outline, and Jonny functioned as a sounding board off, of which to bounce my ideas for the paper as well as pointing me in the right direction to get more research about my topic (Bjork, 2003). The session was effective in unveiling to me possible points that could be included. There is a variety of bats on the market and one of my objectives for the session was to determine how this topic could be covered in a short, four-page paper. I was convinced on his well-versed knowledge on writing such research papers and more importantly his attention to details on how the paper should look like. This reshaped my perspective on the approach all together. This got me assured of a qualitative discussion once I embark on the actual writing. In the learning center, Jonny asked about my curiosity about the topic and what kinds of criteria would the best baseball bat have. I had not given much thought to the topic and I re alized that when it comes to choosing a baseball bat, so many things have to be in place. Jonny and I discussed those factors that ought to influence one’s choice. For instance, what material to choose, what size, what weight were some of the guiding question samples for my learning and consultation.

The Struggles of African Slaves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Struggles of African Slaves - Essay Example No one knows who that was until Nunu reveals a secret to the main character. She tells Shola that she was raped by a white man while being shipped for a trade. There is one more argument which proves that slaves were treated as objects and property. At the beginning of a film when Mona appears to be in the past, we see that white masters catch her and burn a brand on her skin with sizzling hot metal. Animals on farms also get such brands to show who they belong to. Such scenes help the viewers to understand how mistreated the African slaves were, and how desperate their lives were. Apart from sexual abuse, the enslaved people were subject to other types of discrimination. They suffered a lot from physical violence of their masters. Slaves were constantly brutally beaten for every fault and for each act of disobedience. There were special places where the slaves were tightened and severely whipped. The beating was conducted with such a strength that in many cases the victims did not s tand it and died. In one of the scenes from Sankofa, a pregnant woman Kuta is whipped to death, not having any more strength to stand the pain. To crown it all, the cruelty of white masters was sometimes aimed at innocent slaves. If there was some kind of a rebellion or disobedience, slave owners wanted to punish Africans. If they could not find guilty ones, they simply took a random group of innocent people and punished them severely. Poor slaves were locked up in small wooden cages, hung high on trees and left there until they died.

Critical care orientation and the importance of developing clinical Research Proposal

Critical care orientation and the importance of developing clinical reasoning - Research Proposal Example It is important not to distill the critical thought process as it pertains to clinical endeavors with simple, smart sounding labels, like wisdom or 'know-how'. II. DEFINITION OF CLINICAL REASONING Clinical reasoning must be more than a simple application of theory, because patients are individuals – and the therapist/nurse must adapt a treatment plan towards the individual, personal needs of each patient. Clinical reasoning under the perspective of certain researchers becomes a largely tacit phenomenon (Matingly, 1991). Our understanding of critical thinking as it pertains to the clinical setting has matured over the course of the decades. There are several key items for critical thinking for the professional to consider. The American Philosophical Association (APA) has defined critical thinking as: '...purposeful, self-regulatory judgment that uses cognitive tools such as interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, and explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodolo gical, criteriological, or contextual considerations on which judgment is based' (APA, 1990). But there are other professional bodies that have also required a critical thinking mandate be added to curriculum, in many fields – not just nursing. ... 1995). In the dimension of nursing and clinical responsibility, critical thinking is the foundation of quality care, as well as professional standards of accountability. The professional must consciously cultivate the characteristics of efficient clinical mindset. This includes the ability to place events within the proper overall context, self-confidence in the nurse's ability to perform the necessary job functions, as well as a certain flexibility. The nurse must also cultivate creativity when time, resources, or both are limited, as well as a certain intellectual curiosity, leading to a state of mind that is always willing to learn more and adapt novel technologies and clinical modalities when and where they will prove effective in the practice of the individual medical professional. This dovetails with the ability for critical reflection on one's self, and on one's job performance. The nurse must be analytical in regards to new information, and the requirements with a willingness to seek out and verify potentially useful discoveries; vetting innovations for their clinical utility, as well as, ultimately, a long-suffering perseverance against adversity. More recently a comprehensive definition was also provided by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission: The deliberate nonlinear process of collecting, interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information that is both factually and belief based. This is demonstrated in nursing by clinical judgment, which includes ethical, diagnostic, and therapeutic dimensions and research (NLNAC, 2007, p. 8). How then are we able to determine what thinking processes meet the critical thinking standard

Global Impact Essay Example for Free

Global Impact Essay One of the main attractions of Daylesford, Melbourne is its picturesque, Victorian feel, a legacy of its first settlers. Giving the region a European feel, tourists flock to the area to take in its atmosphere, especially when spas antique and crafts shops and natural therapy centers started to populate the area. A regional park as well as natural springs abounding the area is also an added bonus. Suffice to say, tourism is a main industry for Daylesford, Melbourne. Given this perspective, it is a fair assumption that the region only had to tap these existing resources without much capital, and voila, a thriving tourism industry. Others might argue that there are costs involved in running this kind of industry, but we are under the assumption that whoever coined the place as tourist destinations did not have to capitalize on molding nature according to their preference; it was already there in the first place. There is a need to look into the different aspects of tourism, particularly Daylesford, Melbourne to determine how tourism impacts its citizen’s way of life and standard of living, and see whether tourism is worth the cost on the environment as per benefit. Natural Advantages and Disadvantages Tourism is a two-edged sword. A well-known tourist destination such as Daylesford, Melbourne will benefit from the increase of tourist visiting the area through increase in employment relative to increase in infrastructure development. Other forms of employment will also be available, given that tourism caters to various needs of different people. Locals will experience easier access to livelihood opportunities, thus increasing their average standard of living. Yet, this increase in employment will attract people from other places, not for the sights being promoted by the place but because of employment opportunities. This could result, in an increase in the local population, not necessarily bad if it’s in moderation, but anything more, will congest the naturally quant villages. Not to mention that population increase also increases pollution as well as environmental damages. Employment Generated There are a number of job opportunities that opens when tourism is a big business. In this case, spas and natural therapy centers, means a big boom for the medical industry. People who comes into the area, expects good medical services as well as amenities. Vacation houses and bed and breakfasts also benefits from the influx of tourist visiting the area, providing more jobs for the locals, as well as employing the services of the food industry in area. According to a study conducted by Deloitte Touche, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Overseas Development Institute (ODI): Limited evidence suggests that domestic/regional tourism and independent travel can create proportionately more local economic opportunities than international packaged tourism†¦Within the tourism industry, the informal sector is often where the poor and women can maximize benefits. (p. 10-11) To expound on this conclusions, the study also mentioned that part of tourism advantages, as a product, it is consumed at the point of production, where other opportunities for enterprising souls are created. It is a labor intensive industry, where there is great opportunity for women in the workforce. Needing very little capital, as its main stock is nature-based; it is a diverse industry that can build upon a wide resource base, where participation of the informal sector is also widely accepted. Changes at the local level to accommodate visitor needs In the case of Daylesford, Melbourne, tourism is indeed an important factor in its economy as well as the rest of Victoria region. In a 2006 brief of the Liberal Party Plans and Policy for the Victoria General Election, tourism was identified as one of the major areas where there will be massive development should they win. Accordingly, Daylesford, Melbourne was identified as one of the areas that need to be focused on. Mentioned in the brief, was that a special attention will be given to recognize the special needs and individuality of rural economies such as Daylesford. (p. 7) According to an article from Media Release last September 27, 2007, the government of Victoria was releasing a considerable amount of money to produce to market tourism in Daylesford. As an offshoot of the tourism industry, the government would like to focus on promoting the area as a destination for gourmet food and wine. It certainly has the appeal and the atmosphere for it. Environmental issues including pollution, traffic and crowding Despite the mentioned beneficial effects of the tourism industry, there are drawbacks. Pollution for instance and it also takes its toll on nature if not managed properly. As mentioned before, the need for employment will draw people to a thriving industry, increasing population, thus, pollution. Offshoot industries can also cause much damage to the environment, where this also leads to pollution. As it is, the environment’s greatest enemy is people itself. People cause traffic, and their bad habits leads to more pollution. Also, the constant wear and tear on the environment, because it is a necessity to cater to tourist’s needs, leaves much to be desired. Many changes will have to occur. Sometimes these changes, causes the decline of what was once beautiful and awe-inspiring. Indeed, tourism is a two-edged sword. Both sides have their considerable argument. Although, there is a way for these arguments to meet half-way, by saying that sustainable development; even in tourism is important. There is a pressing need to preserve and maintain the environment, as well as create new opportunities for the economy to prosper. Sustainability is even more needed in this industry because, on all sides of the economy, the environment is where all industry anchors and depends. REFERENCES: Travelmate. Daylesford Victoria. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from http://www. travelmate. com. au/Places/Places. asp? TownName=Daylesford_\_VIC UK Department for International Development. Bennett, O. , Roe, D. , Ashley C. (1999). Sustainable Tourism andPoverty Elimination Study. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from http://www. propoortourism. org. uk/dfid_report. pdf Victoria Online. Daylesford and Macedonian Ranges Tourism Funding Boost. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from http://www. legislation. vic. gov. au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia. nsf Victoria Liberal. The Liberal Party’s Policy and Plans for Victoria for the 2006 State Election Building on Success: A Plan for Victoria’s Tourism Industry. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from http://www. vic. liberal. org. au/documents/Tourism_Policy. pdf. pdf

Structure Of Retail Sector In India

Structure Of Retail Sector In India Abstract Despite the ongoing wave of incessant liberalization and globalization, the Indian retail sector is still aloof from progressive and ostentatious development. This dismal situation of the retail sector undoubtedly stems from the absence of a Foreign Direct Investment (hereinafter referred as FDI) encouraging policy in the Indian retail sector. In this context, attempts have been made to study the strategic issues concerning the structure of Indian retail sector, current FDI policy and its limitation. Moreover, the latest move of the government to allow 51% FDI in multi-brand retail in India and increasing the FDI limit in single brand retail in India to 100% (from the existing 51%) is facing opposition which has raised significant hurdles for effective implementation of the reforms. FDI in retail has been opposed citing fears of loss of employment and that traditional retail may be affected. However, adherents of the same indicate easy access to capital for domestic retailers, increa sed transfer of technology, enhanced supply chain efficiencies, increased employment opportunities and curtailment of inflation as the perceived benefits. By analysis of the debate thats raging over opening the retail sector to FDI it is pointed out that opening up of FDI in retail in India could potentially be a mixed blessing for domestic players and negative impact if any is expected to be short-lived and to weaken over time. Also, the advantages of allowing unrestrained FDI in the retail sector evidently outweigh the disadvantages attached to it. Though its time for opening the door for FDI in retail the same should be treaded cautiously and the proliferation of foreign capital into retailing needs to be anchored in such a way that it results in a win-win situation for India. Introduction The retail industry comprising of organized and unorganized sectors is of late often being hailed as one of the fastest growing sectors in India. According to the Investment Commission of India, the retail sector is expected to grow almost three times its current levels to $660 billion by 2015. Though initially, the retail industry in India was mostly unorganized, however with the change of tastes and preferences of the consumers, the industry is getting more popular these days and getting organized as well. The Indian retail sector is ready to take on challenges from global retail players such as Wal-mart and Carrefour. Recently, to encourage the organized retailing in the country government decided to allow 51% FDI in multi brand retail and 100% in single brand retail in November, 2011.While this long awaited approval, come as a relief to many organised retailers and foreign players, oppositions from state government, political parties etc., raises significant hurdles for effective implementation of the reforms. Structure Of Retail Sector In India Before we go into the intricacies of the issue we must know what retail means and what the structure of retail sector in India is. Retailing can be said to be the interface between the producer and the individual consumer buying for personal consumption. This excludes direct interface between the manufacturer and institutional buyers such as the government and other bulk customers. Retailing is the last link that connects the individual consumer with the manufacturing and distribution chain. A retailer is involved in the act of selling goods to the individual consumer at a margin of profit.  [1]  Also, the High Court of Delhi  [2]  defined the term retail as a sale for final consumption in contrast to a sale for further sale or processing (i.e. wholesale). The retail industry in India is divided into organised and unorganised sectors. Organised retailing refers to trading activities undertaken by licensed retailers, that is, those who are registered for sales tax, income tax, etc. These include the corporate-backed hypermarkets and retail chains, and also the privately owned large retail businesses. Unorganised retailing, on the other hand, refers to the traditional formats of low-cost retailing, for example, the local kirana shops, owner manned general stores, paan/beedi shops, convenience stores, hand cart and pavement vendors, etc. Unorganized retailing is by far the prevalent form of trade in India.  [3]   Current Fdi Scenario With Respect To Retail In India The advent of FDI in India was witnessed during the end of 1990s when the Indian national government announced a number of reforms which aimed at helping in the process of liberalization and deregulation of the Indian economy.  [4]   FDI in Single- Brand Retailing was, permitted in 2006, to the extent of 51%. Since then, a total of 94 proposals have been received till May, 2010. Of this, 57 proposals were approved. The proposals received and approved related to retail trading of sportswear, luxury goods, apparel, fashion clothing, jewellery, hand bags, lifestyle products etc., covering high-end items. FDI in cash and carry wholesale trading was first permitted, to the extent of 100%, under the Government approval route, in 1997. It was brought under the automatic route in 2006. But, FDI in Multi-Brand retailing is prohibited.  [5]   Limitation Of Present Setup Limitation in the present scenario calls for relaxation of FDI norms. These limitations are as follows: Infrastructure There has been a lack of investment in the logistics of the retail chain, leading to an inefficient market mechanism. Though India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables (about 180 million MT), it has a very limited integrated cold-chain infrastructure, with only 5386 stand-alone cold storages, having a total capacity of 23.6 million MT. , 80% of this is used only for potatoes. The chain is highly fragmented and hence, perishable horticultural commodities find it difficult to link to distant markets, including overseas markets, round the year. Storage infrastructure is necessary for carrying over the agricultural produce from production periods to the rest of the year and to prevent distress sales.  [6]   Lack of adequate storage facilities cause heavy losses to farmers in terms of wastage in quality and quantity of produce in general.  [7]  Though FDI is permitted in cold-chain to the extent of 100%, through the automatic route, in the absence of FDI in reta iling; FDI flow to the sector has not been significant. Intermediaries dominate the value chain Intermediaries often flout mandi norms and their pricing lacks transparency. Wholesale regulated markets, governed by State APMC Acts, have developed a monopolistic and non-transparent character. According to some reports, Indian farmers realize only 1/3rd of the total price paid by the final consumer, as against 2/3rd by farmers in nations with a higher share of organized retail.  [8]   Improper Public Distribution System (PDS) There is a big question mark on the efficacy of the public procurement and PDS set-up and the bill on food subsidies is rising. In spite of such heavy subsidies, overall food based inflation has been a matter of great concern. The absence of a farm-to-fork retail supply system has led to the ultimate customers paying a premium for shortages and a charge for wastages.  [9]   No Global Reach The Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector has also suffered due to lack of branding and lack of avenues to reach out to the vast world markets. While India has continued to provide emphasis on the development of MSME sector, the share of unorganised sector in overall manufacturing has declined from 34.5% in 1999-2000 to 30.3% in 2007-08  [10]  .This has largely been due to the inability of this sector to access latest technology and improve its marketing interface. Prospected Changes In Fdi Policy For Retail Sector In India Recently in July 2010, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had put up a discussion paper proposing FDI in multi brand retail. In July 2011, a Committee of Secretaries (CoS) had cleared the proposal to allow upto 51% FDI in multi-brand retail and increasing the FDI limit in single brand retail to 100%, which has been approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2011, albeit with a few drivers  [11]  . These drivers in bill are as follows: For multi-brand retail- Minimum investment of US$ 100 million by the foreign investor is required and atleast 50% of the investment by the foreign company to be in back-end infrastructure. The proposal restricts the location of stores to cities with a population of one million or more (53 cities as per 2011 Census); given constraints around real estate, retailers are allowed to set up stores within 10 km of such cities. Also, at least 30% of manufactured items procured should be through domestic small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While the proposals on FDI will be sanctioned by the Centre, approvals from each State Government would be required. For single brand retail- While allowing FDI limit in single brand retail to 100% with government approval, some restriction is again laid down. The foreign investors are to be an owner of the brand and products to be sold should be of a single brand only. Also, in respect of proposals involving FDI beyond 51%, 30% sourcing would mandatorily have to be done from domestic SMEs and cottage industries artisans and craftsmen. Further, like in multi-brand retail state government approval is needed. But, the mounting opposition by several political parties and State Governments has prevented the effective implementation of the key reform measure. Challenges For Foreign Firms In Organized Retail In India The first challenge is competition from the unorganized sector. Traditional retailing has been established in India for many centuries, and is characterized by small, family-owned operations. Because of this, such businesses are usually very low-margin, are owner-operated, and have mostly negligible real estate and labor costs. Moreover, they also pay little by way of taxes. Consumer familiarity that runs from generation to generation is one big advantage for the traditional retailing sector. It is often said that the mom-and-pop store in India is more like a father-and-son enterprise. Such small shops develop strong networks with local neighbourhoods. The informal system of credit adds to their attractiveness, with many houses running up a tab with their neighbourhood kirana store, paying it off every fortnight or month. Moreover, low labor costs also allow shops to employ delivery boys, such that consumers may order their grocery list directly on the phone. These advantages are sig nificant, though hard to quantify. In contrast, players in the organized sector have to cover big fixed costs, and yet have to keep prices low enough to be able to compete with the traditional sector. Getting customers to switch their purchasing away from small neighbourhood shops and towards large-scale retailers may be a major challenge. The other major challenge for retailers in India, as opposed to the US, is the storage setup of households. For the large-scale retail model to work, consumers visit such large stores and return with supplies likely to last them for a few weeks. Having such easy access to neighbourhood stores with whom, as discussed above, it is possible to have a line of credit and easy delivery service, congested urban living conditions imply that few Indian households might be equipped with adequate storage facilities. Concerns Causing Roadblock In Implementation Of Relaxed Fdi Norms History has witnessed that the concern of allowing unrestrained FDI flows in the retail sector has never been free from controversies and simultaneously has been an issue for unsuccessful deliberation ever since the advent of FDI in India. The recent proposal for relaxation of FDI norm is also facing the same challenges and opposition creating roadblock for implementation of suggested reforms. The antagonists of FDI in retail sector oppose the same on various grounds which are as follows: Move will lead to large-scale job losses.  [12]  International experience shows supermarkets invariably displace small retailers. Small retail has virtually been wiped out in developed countries like the US and in Europe. South East Asian countries had to impose stringent zoning and licensing regulations to restrict growth of supermarkets after small retailers were getting displaced. India has the highest shopping density in the world with 11 shops per 1,000 people. It has 1.2 crore shops employing over 4 crore people; 95% of these are small shops run by self-employed people. Adverse impact on domestic small and unorganized retailers as the move would lead to unfair competition and ultimately result in large-scale exit of domestic retailers, especially the small family managed outlets.  [13]   Global retail giants will resort to predatory pricing to create monopoly/oligopoly. This can result in essentials, including food supplies, being controlled by foreign organizations.  [14]   Disintegration of established supply chains by establishment of monopolies of global retail chains, leading to their control on both ends of the supply chain.  [15]   Farmers to get affected on account of non-remunerative prices paid to them by these corporate giants.  [16]   Key Perceived Benefits In spite of the recent developments in retailing and its immense contribution to the economy, it still continues to be the least evolved industries and the growth of organised retailing in India has been much slower as compared to rest of the world. Over a period of 10 years, the share of organised retailing in total retailing has grown from 10 per cent to 40 percent in Brazil and 20 percent in China, while in India it is only 2 per cent (between 1995-2005).  [17]  One important reason for this is that retailing is one of the few sectors where foreign direct investment is not healthily and liberally allowed. Given this backdrop, it is widely acknowledged by the advocators of the reform that FDI can have some positive results on the economy, triggering a series of reactions that in the long run can lead to greater efficiency and improvement of living standards, apart from greater integration into the global economy.  [18]  Some of the benefits claimed by implementing FDI in re tail sector are as follows  [19]  : These would enable cash-starved domestic retailers to deleverage their overly stretched balance sheets by plugging the gap between capital required for growth and the ability of local players to raise capital. Local incumbents will be benefited from technical inputs, investments in supply chain, and investments in human capital. There could be a potential shift in bargaining power of these retailers with FMCG companies (at present, large FMCG players are better positioned vis-à  -vis retailers in discussing terms of trade) once these retailers become large and attain size and scale. Improvement of supply chain/ distribution efficiencies, coupled with capacity building and induction of modern technology, which will help arrest wastages (in the present scenario, lack of investment in logistics and inadequate storage facilities have been creating inefficiencies in the food supply chain, leading to significant wastages). Though FDI is permitted in cold chains to the extent of 100% through the automatic route, in the absence of FDI in front-end retail, investment flows into this sector have been insignificant. The move to open up retail sector to FDI will reduce inflationary pressures as : Farmers will be able to directly sell their produce to retailers, thereby reducing margins for middlemen. Investments in cold-storage and warehousing will ease supply-side pressures that have driven inflation close to a double-digit. Improved supply chain contributes to savings in food wastages which has been rampant on account of inadequate infrastructure. Further, consumers would also benefit from wider choices and better quality products.  [20]   Improvement in productivity and realizations for farmers through direct sales to these large organised players, thus eliminating the margins outflow to the middle-men who have been dominating the value chain, and whose pricing lacks transparency. The opening of the sector to FDI is expected to result in creation of over 10 million jobs (including 6 million jobs in the logistics sector alone) in three years, across agro-processing, sorting, marketing, logistic management and the front-end retail business. Expectations are that it would create jobs not only in the retail industry but also in related areas like real estate and construction. Consumer Benefit In the fierce battle between the advocators and antagonist of unrestrained FDI flows in the Indian retail sector, the interests of the consumers have been blatantly and utterly disregarded. Therefore, one of the arguments which inevitably needs to be considered and addressed while deliberating upon the captioned issue is the interests of consumers at large in relation to the interests of retailers.  [21]   In wake of relentless protests for the opening up of the Indian retail market for the reception of unrestrained FDI, the Investment Commission in July, 2006, opined that that foreign investment would help in improving the retail and supply chain infrastructure, and generate large-scale employment in the country. In addition, the Indian retailers could absorb some of the best operational practices of these international retailers and gain in experience. Ultimately, the consumers would benefit due to the availability of more product offerings, lower prices, and efficient service. The entry of large low-cost retailers and adoption of integrated supply chain management by them is likely to lower down the prices. Also, FDI in retailing can easily assure the quality of product, better shopping experience and customer services. They promote the linkage of local suppliers, farmers and manufacturers, no doubt only those who can meet the quality and safety standards, to global market and this will ensure a reliable and profitable market to these local players.  [22]   Also, from the stand point of consumers, organized retailing would help reduce the problem of adulteration, short weighing and substandard goods. FDI will not just provide access to larger financial resources for investment in the retail sector but simultaneously will rationally allow larger supermarkets, which tend to become regional and national chains to negotiate prices more aggressively with manufacturers of consumer goods and thus pass on the benefit to consumers and to lay down better and tighter quality standards and ensure that manufacturers adhere to them.  [23]   Authors View In principle, governments should not prevent anybody, Indian or foreign, from setting up any business unless there are very good reasons to do so. Hence, unless it can be shown that FDI in retail will do more harm than good for the economy, it should be allowed. Authors are of view that concern raised by opponents is exaggerated. Opening up of FDI as per reform in India could potentially be a mixed blessing for domestic players and negative impact if any is expected to be short-lived and to weaken over time. A major argument given by opponents of FDI in retail is that there will be major job losses. Frankly, the jury is out on whether this is the case or not, with different studies claiming different findings. Big retail chains are actually going to hire a lot of people. So, in the short run, there will be a spurt in jobs. Eventually, theres likely to be a redistribution of jobs with some drying up (like that of middlemen) and some new ones sprouting up. Infact, the government has added an element of social benefit to its latest plan for calibrated opening of the multi-brand retail sector to foreign direct investment (FDI). Only those foreign retailers who first invest in the back-end supply chain and infrastructure would be allowed to set up multi brand retail outlets in the country. The whole idea is that the firms must have already created jobs for rural India before they venture into multi-brand retailing. Also, fears of small shopkeepers getting displaced are vastly exaggerated. Whe n domestic majors were allowed to invest in retail, both supermarket chains and neighbourhood pop-and-mom stores coexisted. Its not going to be any different when FDI according to the reform is allowed. It is also pertinent to note here that that with the possible advent of unrestrained FDI flows in retail market, the interests of the retailers constituting the unorganized retail sector will not be gravely undermined  [24]  , since nobody can force a consumer to visit a mega shopping complex or a small retailer/sabji mandi. Consumers will shop in accordance with their utmost convenience, where ever they get the lowest price, max variety, and a good consumer experience. The argument that farmers will suffer once global retail has developed a virtual monopoly is also weak. To begin with, its very unlikely that global retail will ever become monopolies. Stores like Wal-Mart or Tesco are by definition few, on the outskirts of cities (to keep real estate costs low), and cant intrude into the territory of local kiranas. So, how will they gobble up the local stores. Mega retail chains will keep price points low and attractive thats the USP of their business. This is done by smart procurement and inventory management: Good practices from which Indian retail can also learn. The benefits of larger FDI in other sector has been tangibly felt in the domains pertaining to technological advancements, generation of export, production improvements, and hastening of manufacturing employment. Capital inflow into India has increased and so have the exports from the country. Allowing healthy FDI in the retail sector would not only lead to a substantial surge in the countrys GDP and overall economic development, but would inter alia also help in integrating the Indian retail market with that of the global retail market in addition to providing not just employment but a better paying employment, which the unorganized sector (kirana and other small time retailing shops) have undoubtedly failed to provide to the masses employed in them. Apart from this, by allowing FDI in retail trade, India will significantly flourish in terms of quality standards and consumer expectations, since the inflow of FDI in retail sector is bound to pull up the quality standards and cost-com petitiveness of Indian producers in all the segments. Further, with regard to the concern raised about limit of cap for FDI in multi- branding authors would like to highlight that Industrial organisations such as CII  [25]  , FICCI, US-India Business Council (USIBC), the American Chamber of Commerce in India, The Retail Association of India (RAI) and Shopping Centers Association of India (a 44 member association of Indian multi-brand retailers and shopping malls) favour a phased approach toward liberalising FDI in multi-brand retailing, and most of them agree with considering a cap of 49-51 per cent to start with. RECOMMENDATION FDI in multi-brand retailing must be dealt cautiously as it has direct impact on a large chunk of population.  [26]  Left alone foreign capital will seek ways through which it can only multiply itself, and unthinking application of capital for profit, given our peculiar socio-economic conditions, may spell doom and deepen the gap between the rich and the poor. Thus the proliferation of foreign capital into multi-brand retailing needs to be anchored in such a way that it results in a win-win situation for India. Therefore, apart from the drivers incorporated in the bill negative effect if any can be further diluted and given below are the recommendation for the same: Reconstituting the poverty stricken and stagnating rural sphere into a forward moving and prosperous rural sphere can be one of the justifications for introducing FDI in multi-brand retailing. To actualize this goal it can be stipulated that at least some percentage of the jobs in the retail outlet should be reserved for rural youth and that a certain amount of farm produce be procured from the poor farmers. Public Distribution System is still in many ways the life line of the people living below the poverty line. To ensure that the system is not weakened the government may reserve the right to procure a certain amount of food grains for replenishing the buffer. To protect the interest of small retailers the government may also put in place an exclusive regulatory framework. It will ensure that the retailing giants do resort to predatory pricing or acquire monopolistic tendencies. Besides, the government and RBI need to evolve suitable policies to enable the retailers in the unorganized sector to expand and improve their efficiencies.  [27]   A National Commission must be established to study the problems of the retail sector and to evolve policies that will enable it to cope with FDI- as and when it comes. The proposed National Commission should evolve a clear set of conditionalities on giant foreign retailers on the procurement of farm produce, domestically manufactured merchandise and imported goods. These conditionalities must be aimed at encouraging the purchase of goods in the domestic market, state the minimum space, size and specify details like, construction and storage standards, the ratio of floor space to parking space etc. Giant shopping centres must not add to our existing urban snarl.  [28]   In order to address the dislocation issue, it becomes imperative to develop and improve the manufacturing sector in India. There has been a substantial fall in employment by the manufacturing sector, to the extent of 4.06 lakhs over the period 1998 to 2001, while its contribution to the GDP has grown at an average rate of only 3.7%.  [29]   The government must actively encourage setting up of co-operative stores to procure and stock their consumer goods and commodities from small producers. This will address the dual problem of limited promotion and marketing ability, as well as market penetration for the retailer. The government can also facilitate the setting up of warehousing units and cold chains, thereby lowering the capital costs for the small retailers. Set up an Agricultural Perishable Produce Commission (APPC), to ensure that procurement prices for perishable commodities are fair to farmers and that they are not distorted with relation to market prices. Quality regulation, certification price administration bodies can be created at district and lower levels for upgrading the technical and human interface in the rural to urban supply chain. Credit availability for retail traders must be encouraged with a view to enhancing employment and higher utilization of fixed assets. This would lead to less wastage (India has currently the highest wastage in the world) of perishables, enhance nutritional status of producers and increase caloric availability. CONCLUSION Indias retail sector remains off-limits to large international chains especially in multi-brand retailing. A number of concerns have been raised about opening up the retail sector to FDI in India. But, after in depth study it can be safely contended that the advantages of allowing unrestrained FDI in the retail sector evidently outweigh the disadvantages attached to it. While initially the small indigenous retailers business would be impacted once modern retail enters the locality, this adverse impact is expected to be short-lived and to weaken over time. Indias experience between 1990-2010, particularly in the telecommunications and IT industries, showcases the various benefits of opening the door to large-scale investments in these sectors. Arguably, it is now the turn of retail. It is expected that organized retail could help tackle inflation, particularly with wholesale prices. It is also expected that technical know-how from foreign firms, such as warehousing technologies and distribution systems, for example, will lend itself to improving the supply chain in India, especially for agricultural produce. Creating better linkages between demand and supply also has the potential to improve the price signals that farmers receiv

Types of Cardiovascular Disease

Types of Cardiovascular Disease Jeanette Mullen Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects many people throughout their lives, there are some that are living with the disease and dont even know it because they dont go to the doctor, and even when they do, many dont adhere to the warnings. There are a lot of programs out there for families that take care of older adults with CVD, the problem with this is most people dont know how to access these programs. They dont know where to go or who to talk too, and because of this many people dont get the help that they need for their loved ones. The program that I would like to create is sort of like a workshop that is geared towards helping families that are caring for older adults, by providing them with a wealth of knowledge that will aid them in their journey of finding the help they need. I hope to show you through my research that many people can live longer, healthier lives if they knew more about CVD and how to protect themselves and their loved ones from getting it. Cardiovascular Disease: What You Should Know! It is important for people who have cardiovascular disease or families caring for someone with CVD to understand everything there is to know about the disease so they will be able to do what is necessary to combat the disease; my program will do just that. I would begin the workshop getting to know my audience and congratulating them on taking the first step towards a better life and by telling a true story to them in hopes that it will give them a better perspective of just how serious and real this disease is. Sometimes hearing what happened to someone else can shock a person into wanting to learn all they can so the same thing wont happen to them. Discussion Being told that your heart is only pumping at ten percent has got to be one of the hardest things to hear in your life. That was my brothers fate. He was offered a pacemaker and chose not to get it because he said since they told him its a 50/50 chance of survival, he said he would take his chances. Its sad to say that he lived another three years before suffering a massive heart attack and dying, he was 44. His fate could have been different had he listened to his doctor and changed his lifestyle. My father was in his late 50s when he was told that the only way he would live is if he received a heart transplant. He was suffering from congestive heart failure and already had three heart attacks. He had the transplant and has lived so far for 14 years. Goals My goal for this program is fairly simple. It would be free to the public, anyone regardless of gender; race or socioeconomic background would be able to attend if they choose to do so. At the end of the workshop there will be an answer and question session and there would be volunteers available to help anyone that is having a hard time understanding what do or what is being said. I would have a building that is centrally located so that it is easily accessible for people that dont have transportation and may be on the bus line. My target age for this workshop is from the young old to the oldest old but will be open to anyone interested in learning about cardiovascular disease. Types of Cardiovascular Disease Research The text by Hooyman Kiyak, states Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which include coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, are the leading cause of death among older adults (Hooyman Kiyak, 2011). There are many diseases of the cardiovascular system such as: Coronary heart disease is a condition in which blood to the heart is deficient because of narrowing or constricting of the cardiac vessels that supply it. Acute myocardial infarction results from blockage of an artery supplying blood to a portion of the heart muscle. Congestive heart failure indicates a set of symptoms related to the impaired pumping performance of the heart, so that one or more chambers of the heart do not empty adequately during the hearts contractions (Hooyman Kiyak, 2011). Risks of Cardiovascular Disease Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by changing your diet, becoming more active, and taking all medications that is prescribed to you. Once the group you are teaching know what types of cardiovascular diseases are out there and what they actually mean, you can then tell them what risks can cause the disease and how to possibly prevent it from happening. Take diet for instance, by changing the things you consume everyday you can decrease the risk of heart disease. One scholarly article I read suggested that eliminating saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat would most likely decrease the amount of deaths in Coronary heart disease (CHD), but according the dietary guidelines it is suggested that Americans cut back on both saturated and unsaturated fats from their diet; eating lots of red meat and eggs can also be problematic. But eating a diet high in vegetables, beans, fish and poultry could significantly lower your risks of CHD and stroke (Yu et al,, 2016). Changing from a sedentary lifestyle to a more physical lifestyle can lower your risk of developing heart disease, such as taking a brisk walk. Another risk factor is smoking, studies in the article showed that cutting out smoking decreases your risk of CHD, and suggested that smoking cessation is more favorable, even though it can cause weight gain. All of these risks are associated with cardiovascular disease but there are times when a person is leading a healthy lifestyle and can still suffer from CVD. Genetic factors and socioeconomic factors can play a big role leading in developing the disease (Yu et al., 2016). Another article I found very interesting did a study on how Living in poorer neighborhoods with low levels of social cohesion and high rates of crime, violence, and disorder have been found to be detrimental to health as they create environments that induce stress, elevate blood pressure, and may not be conducive to healthy behaviors such as physical activity (Barber et al., 2016). This article goes hand in hand with the previous one in saying that Low socioeconomic status (SES) has also consistently been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and people that are living in areas where it is heavily polluted have been known to be associated with the increased risk of CVD (Chi et al., 2016). Study There were a few studies done on the risk of cardiovascular disease. One study done by (Larsson and Wolk, 2016) was Potato consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease..., they stated that Potatoes is a starchy food that is something that people eat a lot of and they have a high-glycemic index and have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of that study showed no evidence that potatoes posed a risk in CVD. Another study was done by (Mu et al., 2016) on Dairy fat and risk of cardiovascular disease in 3 cohorts of US adults. It is stated in this scholarly article that Saturated fat intake increases LDL cholesterol and may induce chronic inflammation, and thus may increase risk of cardiovascular disease (Mu et al., 2016). But after studying 3 cohorts it was determined that compared with an equivalent amount of energy from carbohydrates (excluding fruits and vegetables), eating dairy fats was not associated with risk of CVD (Mu et al., 2016). Statistics Throughout our text (Hooyman Kiyak, 2011), discuss many statistics reported about heart disease such as White men age 70 and older are more likely to report heart disease than their Latino or African American counterparts (p. 123). Another article talks about how 1 in 3 women at risk for CVD dont consider themselves as being candidates of heart disease even though both men and women have died from the disease and the statistics also shows that heart disease and stroke are the first and third causes of death among women in the United States (Vaid, et al., 2011). As I mentioned earlier, cigarette smoking is one of the risks of cardiovascular disease. Statistics in an article written by (Shishani, Sohn, Okada, Froelicher, 2008), says Cigarette smokers are 2 to 3 times likely to die due to smoking related cardiovascular diseases and Patients with CVD experience as much as a 50% reduction in risk of reinfarction, sudden cardiac death, and total mortality if they quit smoking ( Shishani, et al., 2008). Conclusion Even though Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it is my hope that with the help of educating individuals dealing with the disease, they are reassured that if you change your lifestyle and the bad habits that you have, you will begin to see a change in your health and your life. My brother never changed his eating habits and he never stopped smoking, which resulted in his unfortunate death. But after three heart attacks, and after his heart transplant, my dad finally stopped smoking. As long as you have the desire to change and the tools to point you in the right direction, you too can live a healthier life. References Barber, S., Hickson, D. A., Xu, W., Sims, M., Nelson, C., Diez-Roux, A. V. (2016). Neighborhood Disadvantage, Poor Social Conditions, and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence Among African American Adults in the Jackson Heart Study. American Journal of Public Health, 106(12). 2219-2226, doi.10.2105/AJPH.2016.303471 Chi, G. C., Hajal, A., Bird, C. E., Cullen, M. R., Griffin, B. A., Miller, K. A., Kaufman, J. D. (2016). Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and the Association between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease. Environmental Health Perspectives. 124(12), 1840-1847. doi.10.1289/EHP199 Hooyman, N. R. Kiyak, H. A. (2011). Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. 9th ed. Pearson Education Larsson, S. C. Wolk, A. (2016). Potato Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: 2 Prospective Cohort Studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 104(5). 1245-1252, doi.10.3945/ajon.116.142422 Mu. C., Yanping, L., Qi, S., An, P., Manson, J. E., Rexrode, K. M. Hu, F. B. (2016). Dairy Fat and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in 3 Cohorts of U.S. Adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 104(5), 1209-1217. doi.10.3945/ajon. 116.134460 Shishani, K., Sohn. M., Okada, A. Froelicher, E. (2009). Nursing Interventions in Tobacco- dependent Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 27221-242.doi.10.1891/0739-6686.27.221 Vaid, L., Wiginton, C., Borbely, D., Ferry, P., Manheim, D. (2011). WISEWOMAN: Addressing the Needs of Women at High Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. Journal of Womens Health (15409996), 20(7), 997.doi.1089/jwh.2011.2850

Exploring Free Will and Decision Making in Albert Camus The Guest Essa

Exploring Free Will and Decision Making in Albert Camus' short story "The Guest," In Albert Camus' short story "The Guest," Camus raises numerous philosophical questions. These are: does man have free will?, are an individual's decisions affected by what society demands, expects, neither, or both?, and finally, how does moral and social obligation affect decision making? Balducci brings the Arab to Daru's door, informing Daru that "I have an order to deliver the prisoner and I'm doing so," (90) thus freeing Balducci of the responsibility over wherever the Arab ultimately ended up. Balducci didn't want the responsibility of the Arab possibly escaping, and by doing only as was expressly required of him (delivering the Arab to Daru's door and giving the orders of the Arab's destination to Daru), he was also setting the story so that any decision Daru later took was an act of Daru's alone and was not directly dependent on any other decision another man had made prior. Balducci avoids the social obligation he's supposed to feel. He should follow through on the prisoner's handling, but he doesn't have to. Balducci knows this, and decides to avoid the effort and instead justifies his leaving the Arab there by simply following his orders and not reading between the lines of the order. Daru ended up accepting the Arab, both because the prisoner was delivered to him, and because he had a sense of responsibility to the French government (or society) to at least accept him, if not deliver him to the police in Tinguit (social obligation to not let him go free, justice must be served because if it wasn't, society would turn to chaos). Daru's orders were escort the Arab there for he was "expected at police headquarters" ... ...ome men think about decisions and some just react to their environment like a glorified plant? Do all men know they have free will and understand what that means? Daru gave a choice to the Arab, was that fair for the Arab (and society) or was it an egotistical action based on what Daru thought was right, fair or just? Why did the Arab's ultimate choice depress Daru, and why did neither Balducci or Daru want to be responsible for another man? In the end the Arab really is 'the dog' of society. No decision was ever his (from the perspective of the reader and Daru), but still, how do we know if Daru is different? By answering some philosophical questions through use of characters in a vacuum, Camus raises many more questions, which is the modus opernadi of the philosopher: not to find answers, but to ask questions that will eventually have the answers inherent in them.

Suffering and Injustice in the Opening Chapters of Charlotte Brontë’s J

Suffering and Injustice in the Opening Chapters of Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre At the time the novel Jane Eyre was written, it was very difficult for women writers to have their books published. Charlotte Brontà « was very aware of the problem, and cleverly changed her name to Currer Bell so the book would be accepted. Luckily for Charlotte, her novel Jane Eyre was published in October 1847, and since writing this novel, Charlotte Brontà « has become very popular, and a classic author. The Victorian era was a time of great social division between the rich and the poor, and this is shown in the novel by the description of certain characters for example Bessie – the poorer class, and Mrs. Reed – the richer class. The poorer classes and working classes were made to work in very dangerous conditions and were paid very little. In contrast, many of the upper classes did not have to work, and some of them employed the poor to work for them. Many of the poorer families lived cramped together in very small houses, where as the rich lived in huge, very comfortable homes. This background of injustice is made clear in the book, as Charlotte Brontà « wanted to highlight what life was like for Jane Eyre, the Reed family and servants like her character Bessie who worked in the wealthy house in Victorian times. Charlotte Brontà «n seems as though she feels quite strongly about these issues - both of Charlotte’s elder sisters died in 1825 in circumstances that have great importance for the story Jane Eyre - and is trying to convey to the readers of her book the many injustices and extremes in Victorian society. Charlotte Brontà « wrote the book Jane Eyre in first person narrative so we can feel Jane’s outmost thoughts, opinion... ...e character of Jane Eyre, and if she had been the slightest bit different I would not have this opinion of her. At parts she has made me laugh, and other parts brought a tear to my eye. I feel for her, as she does not have any family, and because of this has suffered greatly. From the way Charlotte has evoked Jane’s feelings, the reader is able to understand what it is like, and the emotions you feel. Jane Eyre is a very determined ten-year-old girl with a great personality, and Charlotte Brontà « could not have used a better character on which to base the novel. She is definitely my favourite character in the book, mainly because of her determination and pride. The book of Jane Eyre has many life changing decisions, and I have sometimes wondered if it was me that had to make those choices, whether they would have been as successful as they were for Jane.

American Era Best Choice :: essays research papers

During the period from 1865 to 1929, I think that the most important person, event and technology were Abraham Lincoln, The Civil War, and the airplane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abraham Lincoln, the person I felt most important, was an incredible man. Not only for his charisma, and character, but for his actions and what he believed in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He was a man from the North, who was for the abolishment of slavery. He was a Republican. Although good to the North, the Southerners declares him as the greatest evil of the century. President Lincoln won the election with 180 electoral votes and 1,865,583 of the popular votes. Winning the South by a hundred electoral votes and thousands of popular votes in 1860.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Confederates broke off with the United States, the civil war became a fight to keep as a union. Lincoln declared himself as commander in chief, forced his troops to emancipate slaves, as well as protect them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lincoln grew up poor, taught himself all that he knew, his belief of all men being created equal is what set's him apart from so many other people. During this time he was revolutionary in changing the lives of slaves and the mind of a white man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He signed the 13th Amendment, freeing all slaves. He also gave one of the most inspirational speeches of his time at Gettysburg. And along with his words, the country held together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel that President Abraham Lincoln kept this country together, without his leadership, our country would not be one solid nation, rather broken into separate ruled states. Although being assassinated on April 15, 1865, to me he is still the most important man in American history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The events that I thought were very important ties up with President Lincoln, the Civil War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil War is what eventually kept the states together. It is said to be the war with the most loss of life on American soil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This war started on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter and ended on June 8, 1863 at Fort Hudson on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana. Although it is said, the last battle was at Gettysburg.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason I feel the Civil War was so important to United States history and all the eras are because it was one thing that kept us all under one democratized government. Without the war, we would be just another jumbled, out of government and troubled country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most important technological development I think would have to be the airplane.