Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy Essay

Abstract This is a case conceptualization of a client referred to a Residential Treatment Facility by Family Court for treatment and evaluation of intellectual, academic, and behavioral performance. The client presents with several issues. In the client interview, the counselor hypothesizes that client has difficulty with anger, aggression, and low frustration tolerance. The client’s current behaviors are affecting his home and educational environments. The client’s early experiences will be explored only as it relates to current behavior and beliefs. During the therapeutic process, the client and the counselor will explore his inability to respond appropriately when frustrations occur. Exploration would include disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs, and exercising more appropriate positive replacement behaviors. This case conceptualization will create a hypothesis of the client’s aggressive behavior. Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy framework, the counselor will explore the client’s issues and create a treatment plan with goals that pertain to the client’s presenting issues. This conceptualization will also include support that will show the benefits the client should gain with application of this theory. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Case Conceptualization of Michael Michael is a 14-year-old African American male. He has been referred to a Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) for an evaluation of intellectual, academic, and behavioral assessment. While in the treatment facility, Michael must undergo therapy to address his presenting problems. Michael presents himself as a very well dressed and engaged young man. Despite the fact that he is court-ordered to be in a treatment facility for an undetermined length of time, he was cooperative during the interview. During the interview, the counselor speaks with Michael and his adoptive family about the details of the court documents, the responsibility of the client (Michael) and the facility. The counselor, Michael, and the adoptive parents have completed the intake process and the time was scheduled for his first session. Biological and Environmental Factors Michael’s biological parents are reported to have been heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol. His mother reportedly abused multiple prescription drugs and cocaine during her pregnancies. It is also reported that the mother was Schizophrenic. Both parents have lengthy criminal records. Michael did not experience a nurturing environment. At age four, Michael and his younger brother were removed from the biological parents by child protective services. The brothers were placed in separate foster homes. Michael has had four foster care placements in two years prior to going to his adoptive parents. During his placements, it is suspected that Michael experienced neglect and sexual abuse. His maternal aunt and her husband adopted Michael. They also adopted his younger brother. They have two biological children. Michael did not adjust well to the new environment. He became more aggressive and exhibited hoarding behaviors. By age seven, he had been placed in a psychiatric hospital and other RTFs to receive treatment. Michael and his adoptive parents have sought counseling services through their church and local mental health agencies. Michael had been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, ADHD, and ODD. He has poor sleep patterns and is on several medications that have little effect. Michael has self-harmed for attention, but denied suicidal thoughts. Michael has a history of violent and aggressive behaviors in school and home. Michael has very weak and superficial relationships with peers. Case Conceptualization Michael’s presenting issues and previous history is suitable for Rational Emotive Behavior (REBT). REBT focuses on environmental and biological factors that affect rational thought and emotional behavior (Murdock, 2009). Michael’s early history will offer insight in evaluating his current behavior, but otherwise have no relevant bearing on Michael’s treatment plan. Michael often experiences events that cause him to react in a negative manner toward his peers and relatives. The counselor theorizes that Michael’s early exposure to violence, unstable home environment, and inconsistent relationships may have contributed to his inability to rationalize his experiences. These outbursts have increasingly become more violent. One incident resulted in Michael choking another resident at a previous RTF placement. Michael states that he often felt agitated prior to his outburst. Later, he would be confused, sad, and even angrier that he lost control (secondary disturbance). In session, the counselor listens for the ABCs of the REBT therapy framework. Michael rehearses several events that occur prior to his outbursts and violent attacks (Consequence) (2009), the counselor notes that Michael often feels that â€Å"people are trying to get over on him† or â€Å"messin’ with him† (Antecedent behavior, irrational thought, faulty thinking) (2009). Michael voiced that people should just leave him alone† (faulty belief) (2009). Michael perceives his peers think he is â€Å"stupid† (irrational thought) (2009). When asked why he thinks this, Michael responds, â€Å"Maybe I am. I always get the questions wrong in class when the teacher calls on me† (faulty belief) (2009). Michael’s demands: self-demandingness, others demandingness and world demandingness (2009) are not being met, therefore creating a psychological and emotional disturbance for Michael (2010). The counselor also hypothesizes that Michael has low frust ration tolerance (LFT) (2010) with peers who he perceives do not treat him fairly or give in to his demands (other demandingness) (2009). Michael rehearsed that in the classroom the teacher never listens to him. She always tries to embarrass him in front of the class. Michael often stated that the teacher frequently called on him to prove he was â€Å"dumb† (awfulizing) (2009). Michael perceived the classroom environment was unfair and intolerable and hated going to school (maladaptive thought) (2009) because all the teachers hate him. Michael felt that he should be left alone, especially when he was not â€Å"bothering† anyone (world demandingness) (2009). The result was to defend himself through acting out, aggression, or defiance. Michael believed that he needed to be aggressive to prove his peers, teachers, and family members wrong, which led to further frustration. Michael explained that behavior made him feel like he was not â€Å"good enough† for people (self-demandingness) (2009). The counselor hypothesized that Michael is relying on irrational thinking to draw irrational conclusions (2009) which lead to irrational behavior. Michael’s negative thinking and behaviors influenced his home life. Michael describes that he upsets his adoptive mother when he fights (antecedent) (2009) and that he will never be able to make her happy (irrational thinking) (2009). Michael believes this makes him a bad person on the inside (faulty belief) (2009). This belief makes him angry and irritated (secondary disturbance) (2009), which causes him to become violent toward his younger siblings (consequence) (2009). Treatment Goals and Plan Michael’s goals toward survival and happiness (2009) are thwarted by his irrational thoughts and absolutions (Harrington, 2007) that life should be easy and painless (2007). Michael becomes frustrated with events at school and home frequently when he does not get what he wants. The counselor understands that frustration with particular events in itself is not the cause of the violent outburst, but is the result of wrong views of the event (2007). Michael has an additional belief: his reality must conform to his wishes. When this fails to occur, intolaration results (faulty belief). Hence, this creates the violent outburst (consequence). In other words, frustration intolerance arises, because the wish for a different reality collided with the demand for it (Harrington, 2011). Michael’s therapeutic goals will include teaching him the three unconditionals of acceptance (Barry, 2009): 1. Unconditional self-acceptance-I am not a bad person. I can make good choices, even if it does not always turn out right. 2. Unconditional acceptance of others- Everyone does not have to like my ideas or me, they can have each have our own opinion. People will not always treat me the way I want to be treated. This does not mean they want to harm me or do not care for me. 3. Unconditional life acceptance-Life is not fair. I can take the good with the bad. I can choose to enjoy the moment. I cannot control every circumstance, but I can control my reaction and thoughts toward it. Michael will also be taught to do a behavioral assessment (2009) of his thoughts and beliefs during the course of his treatment. This will include the use of a journal (between session homework) (2009) to track antecedent events, his emotional state prior to the event (calm, engaged) and immediately following (irritated, angry, and sad), and his beliefs toward the given circumstance. The counselor will actively model appropriate behaviors when frustrating moments occur in counseling. The counselor will use exaggerated behavior (2009) to demonstrate Michael’s behavior (sudden outbursts/aggression) when frustrating events occur. It is the hope of the counselor that Michael will see that his behavior can be considered extreme. Michael may even see some humor in the extremity of his outbursts in minor occurrences. The counselor will be direct with Michael in modeling (2009), an â€Å"it’s-not-about-you/me† stance in session. Michael will be consistently confronted during sessions with questions that will challenge him to consider when this attitude begins to surface (Shanahan, et. al. 2010). The counselor will model humor (2009) when appropriate to demonstrate when Michael’s irrational thoughts grow beyond reason. The use of coping skills can dispute irrational thoughts (self-talk, humor, relaxation techniques) (Harrington, 2011) and create a self-monitoring tool for Michael between sessions. The counselor will actively dispute irrational thoughts during the session using philosophical interpretation—demonstrating this is interrupting his goal to be happy, empirical evidence—asking for evidence that supports his belief or offering evidence that counteracts his belief, logic, and functional—helping him evaluate â€Å"always and never† statement (2009) relationships between the perceived disturbance and the reality of the unconditional. Behavior strategies can also be implemented. Michael should learn behavior (violence and outbursts) management through: 1. Reward (engaging in a pleasurable activity after enduring an uncomfortable/frustrating circumstance), and penalty (restriction of pleasurable activity) (2009). 2. The use of imagery of frustrating or uncomfortable situations, and unhealthy negative emotions (and behaviors) to reframe and rehearse rational beliefs and responses (Harrington, 2011). The counselor will use multiple resources (music, TV, and movies) and actual events for scenarios (Harrington, 2011). 3. Coping mechanisms (2011) will also be implemented when frustration arises. This will include relaxation techniques (2009) and removing Michael from the frustrating situation until he is able to respond appropriately. Eventually, Michael should be able to endure an uncomfortable circumstance (2011) without having to leave to regain composure. In summation, throughout the course of Michael’s sessions, he should be able to recognize irrational thoughts and dispute them immediately. Even when challenged with frustration, Michael should be able to evaluate the reality (reframing) (2009) of the circumstance and respond appropriately. Conclusion The counselor concluded that REBT is appropriate to use in this counseling scenario. REBT addresses thoughts and beliefs of an individual. These thoughts and beliefs create the behavior response. When an individual has irrational thoughts motivated by faulty beliefs, it is typically followed by a negative response. The counselor’s goal is to teach the client to evaluate irrational thoughts and faulty beliefs concerning the antecedent event in order to create a more appropriate consequence (response). Michael’s core faulty beliefs are found in the three unconditionals. Michael feels he is entitled (Fives, et al. 2010) to fair treatment and getting his way. Michael believed that when this entitlement was not fulfilled, it was appropriate to respond with aggression (2010). This response (consequence) created a cyclical event: antecedent event (fight/defiance)—irrational thought (my teacher is trying to embarrass me or he’s trying to intimidate me) — faulty belief (that teacher should leave me alone/ I will not be intimidated). After the fight/defiance, Michael often feels guilty, sad, or more frustrated (secondary disturbance) because he is a failure and cannot get it right (which disappoints his adoptive mother). As a result, Michael experiences more frustration and anger. Using REBT, the counselor hopes to effectively teach Michael to dispute his negative/irrational thoughts and faulty beliefs. Therefore, this will reduce frustration intolerance and create a more appropriate consequence to the antecedent event. REBT is logical, workable, and teaches the client realistic skills to cope with life’s circumstances (Minor, 2007). In cases like Michael’s, REBT is effective with including the family in the framework of the therapy (Bernard and DiGiuseppe, 2006). Michael’s adoptive parents will be taught to identify his (and even their own) irrational thoughts and faulty beliefs and the behavioral relationship. This equips them with knowledge needed to address the behavior. Most importantly, it helps with the long-term success of the child client in identification and appropriate response of frustrating circumstances (Fives, et al., 2010). REBT does not focus on the person, but the behaviors the person demonstrates (Levinson, 2006). This approach will be beneficial to Michael because his faulty thinking and irrational thoughts have been attached to his personhood. He perceives himself as â€Å"bad† and â€Å"inadequate† (Jones, et al, 2011). REBT should teach Michael it is not he or â€Å"the event, but the thoughts about the event† (Ellis) that cause his issues. This should encourage Michael to evaluate his thought and belief patterns frequently. REBT utilizes psychology, examining how thoughts cause emotional disturbance. Philosophically, REBT suggests that life views influence emotions. Lastly, REBT incorporates education that should provide Michael with the necessary tools to manage his thoughts, beliefs, and responses to frustrating events (Banks and Zionts, 2008). This will be an on-going process for Michael. Michael will experience success and failure throughout the application of REBT. The counselor will be diligent in explaining this reality to Michael. The counselor will reiterate this is a part of the three unconditionals. Michael will experience the reward of recognizing the ABCDE’s of REBT. Michael should understand the final stage of REBT is effectively (the â€Å"E†) (2010) disputing (the â€Å"D†) irrational thoughts toward the event, therefore, causing an appropriate response. Michael will learn when he is not successful, he can accept it and the consequences without becoming aggressive. References Banks, T., & Zionts, P. (2009). REBT Used with Children and Adolescents who have Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Educational Settings: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Rational Emotive Cognitive-Behavior Therapy , 51-65. Bernard, M. E., & Diguiseppe, R. (2006). REBT assesstment and treatment with children. Rational Emotive Behaviors approaches to childhood disorders, theory, and practice , 85-113. Fives, C. J., Kong, G., Fuller, J. R., & DiGuiseppe, R. (2010). Anger, Aggression, and Irrational Beliefs in Adolescents. Cognitive Theory Research , 199-208. Harrington, ,. N. (2007). Frustration intolerance as a multidimentional concept. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy , 191-211. Levinson, M. (2006). Anger management and violence prevention: A holistic solution. et Cetera 187-199. Minor, J. (2007). Why I use REBT in my private practice and personal life. et Cetera , 320-323. Murdock, N. (2009). Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Shanahan, S., Jones, J., & Thomas-Peter, B. (2010). Are you looking at me, or am I? Anger, aggression, shame and self-worth in violent individuals. Journal of Rational Emotive Cognitive Behavior Therapy , 77-91.

Ethics: Who Am I

Who am I? Well to answer this question you have to answer these questions first. What are my shortcomings, do I have any vices I’d like to eliminate, why is it hard and what’s stopping me, what are my favorite activities, and a few others. But the one I’m going to focus on is â€Å"What are my qualities and strengths? † because this question helped me figure out what I’m going to do for a living. What are my qualities and strengths? I have many strengths like the ability to work on cars, carpentry, art, and mathematics. But my biggest strength is in mathematics. I’ve always been at the top of my math class throughout my schooling career. Every time m teacher would put a problem on the board, I’d have it done in a split second. I never felt I was challenged until the middle of my junior year of high school. I was taking Algebra 2 and we were starting to go more in-depth into x and y-intercepts. This concept boggled my mind for a lot longer than it had taken to go over and to tell you the truth I still don’t get all of it but I knew enough of it to get by. There was always one thing that I’ve wondered about my strength in mathematics, though. Where did I get this skill from? Nobody in my family is or ever was this good at math like I am. To this day I don’t where it came from but I guess that’s one of my own wonders of the world. Why am I? This question would be difficult for someone to answer if all they thought about was there profession in the future and not what they want to achieve in there life. To answer this question you have to have thought about what you want to achieve in life then you can’t answer this question. A lot of people think about what they want to achieve in life but most of everyone always ponder it in the sense of there career. That’s a good way to think about it but that doesn’t give you purpose in life. I’m not going to lie a lot of the things I ant to achieve in life are career related, but there are a few things that are personal goals I’m going to strive to achieve. One of these achievements is to have a great family and raise children that will have a love of learning, not just in schooling because not all kids like school but in whatever they love to do, a hunger for success, be great citizens of the United States, and know how to be a respectful adult, which is one thing I think a lot of the youth in my generation lack. I think these traits are extremely important for young people to have because these traits are what I think make up a great person and this world definitely needs more people that are respectful, knowledgeable, well-mannered; just an all around good person. Well this is just a little on â€Å"Who I am† in the sense of my strengths and qualities and â€Å"Why I am† in the sense of my purpose in life.

Mr Taha Uppal

Strategies towards betterment for team management The research will be based on the following questions: How can we eliminate the harmful factors of staff management I. E performance appraisal? How can the employee's play an important part for the organizational success? What are the feedbacks usually received by the employer? 1. 1 INTRODUCTION TO MARKS AND SPENCER: Marks and Spencer also popularly known as M is British based clothing and food retailer headquartered in the city of Westminster, London, United Kingdom.It has more than 700 outlets located all over the United Kingdom while 300+ stores are coated all over the world. Most of them are located in the European countries, like Hungary, Greece, Czech Republic and Romania etc. Marks & Spencer is also trying to expand in the Asian markets with quite a few stores opening in India and China recently. Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer founded M in the year 1884 in a city of England, Leeds.According to BBC news, Marks and Spencer is d oing better in their food department as compared to their general merchandise as the turnover is split in 54% and 46% respectively. Marks and Spencer aims to provide a very high quality DOD to their customers, that is why, it is one of the most successful food retailers in the United Kingdom. The well known brands, which sell their products with the brand name M are Autograph, Indigo collection, Classic collection, Collection and lastly blue harbor. 1. INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Performance appraisal or performance review is an analysis of an employee's work habits undertaken at a fixed point in time to determine the degree to which stated objectives and expectations have been reached. Performance appraisal or review is very beneficial and important for the evaluation of the staff and of course for the effective management. Appraisals are of great help regarding organization's employee and also play a vital role in improving organizational performances.Formal performance appraisals are conducted every year normally in the last half of the year to review how the organization is performing and what strategies should be undertaken to improve the organizations performance. It is a straight line process for example the staff is appraised by their managers, the managers are appraised by the directors, and the directors are appraised by the Coo's who are generally appraised by the founder or the chairman of the company. 2. 1 TYPES OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: The different types of performance appraisals are formal annual performance appraisals, handwriting analysis, skill or Job related tests, informal one to one review discussions, probationary reviews, survey of opinion of others who have been dealing with the staff, counseling meetings, observation on the Job and assessment centers including observed group exercises and test presentations. 1. 2. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL PROCESS: Performance appraisal is a process which takes place quarterly or yearly and is the process of interaction between the employees and their managers. In this process the performance of the employee is assessed, with the manager telling or describing the employees their weaknesses and strengths and also identifying the opportunities that how can the employee improve their performance within the organization. Performance appraisal is the least liked responsibility any manager has to perform.The first step which comes in performance appraisal is review preparation. In this process the manager makes the objectives that the organization wants to meet in the future. An analysis of the employees is then taken out because employees or individuals must know what the organization is expecting from them and how they can work to achieve the objectives stated by the firm. Step two in performance appraisal is the assessment. This step is all about giving the timely feedback as it has proved to be very beneficial for the organization.For instance if an employee works well to achieve an objective, the positive feedback should be given to them as soon as possible rather than waiting for weeks to let them know as it might have a negative effect on their confidence as well as performance level. Step three is reviewing communication. This is all about reviewing the past and the current performance of the employee and if the performance is not up to the mark the manager should politely explain them that what should be done to improve their performance. Step four in the process is appropriate setting.Make sure that the atmosphere where the manager is going to deliver the appraisal is very friendly and welcoming. No threats should be given to the employee as this might De-motivate them and as a result they may not be able to perform 100%. Step five in the process is delivering, for instance it Leary explains the appraisal in simple language as the usage of the code words or difficult words might make it difficult for them (staff or employee) to understand it pr operly and they may have confusion which might proved to be harmful for the employee and also for the organization.The final step in this process is encouragement. At the end of the process the manager's responsibility is to encourage the employee and boost their confidence by adding words like we have faith in you or we trust your abilities or you are capable. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 0 INTRODUCTION In this chapter the past and the current strategies of Marks & Spencer will be discussed and in the end of this chapter we will also give a brief explanation about how employer can improve their Performance appraisal (PA) process.There will also be discussions on the employees and the manager roles that how can they contribute for a better service and reputation of the organization. First of all we will talk about the staff management strategies of Marks & Spencer for instance, how they benefited from those strategies, what were the drawbacks of those strategies and what did Mark s & Spencer did to solve those issues or problems arising by implementing those strategies.Performance appraisal helps in evaluating the employee's performance as it gives a clear light on how an employee can improve their performance and skills. However, performance appraisal in depth will be discussed this chapter. 2. 1 THE EVOLUTION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Sometime near World War 1, (WAD Scott) has the credit to present the world with what performance appraisal is. However, performance appraisal was known by the mid asses and became very popular in the organization or companies.McGregor (1957) also played a vital role in discussing about performance appraisal in sass's and ass's. It's a process by which the individual tries to look in the future with some valuable assumptions and to plan what should be done in the future to meet their goals. Performance appraisal helps in goal setting. In the year 1970, this process of performance appraisal became more widespread and many of th e firms started using this process in order to gain success however, by practicing this process a large number of legal cases were brought.In the years sass's and sass's the process of performance appraisal became very popular and according to Williams (1998) it improved the performance up to a certain extent and also generated motivation which is very useful for an organization. According to Fletcher (2008), performance appraisal is conducted differently in the Western and the Asian cultures however; both of these cultures use this process and are benefiting from it despite the fact that around 90% or more staff doesn't like this process. 2. 2 WHY IS PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SO NECESSARY?Questions like why performance appraisal is used in companies when it did not exist in the past and the companies were still doing great? Why is it so important to use performance appraisal? Can't an organization run efficiently and effectively without the performance appraisal system? Weiss and Buckl ey (1998) tried to give an answer for this by stating that performance appraisal is very useful because it gives an idea to the employees how can they improve their performance and also this process helps in rising their commitment towards their organization.There is great importance of performance appraisal within the firm. The organization whether small or big, private or government or any other type of firm should be exempt from having a formal performance appraisal (PA) program. PA process has benefits like improved immunization within the firm, addressing the problem and tries to resolve them through this process of PA and gives the employee confidence and boosts their morale.However, while planning performance appraisal process the employer should bear in mind that it is a slow and time consuming process and there might be some obstacles during the process which for some time may make this process even slower than expected. We can see the companies who have introduced this pro cess of performance appraisal are the ones who do the most business in their respected fields such as Ezra, Louis Button, Marks & Spencer, Gucci, Hugo Boss etc.When employees know that they are an important part of an organization and all their suggestions or ideas are valuable they even work harder so that they can get promotions or there may be an increase in their salaries and this can only be done by performance appraisal process. PA process not only identifies the training needs within an organization or firm but also identifies the hidden talent which may have a very positive effect on the firm's reputation.For instance if the staff is highly trained they are in a better position to deal with all their customers which plays a very positive role towards the success of an organization. . 3 PURPOSE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: The most effective purpose to use performance appraisal is to improve the performance of the employees who are working for an organization. There are two most important purposes for which the performance appraisal is used one of which is maintenance of organization control and secondly to measure the efficiency with which the company's human resources are being used. Cummings 1973) however, there are other purposes of performance appraisal as well for instance it helps in improving the morale of the employees working for the organization, more importantly also identifying when does the staff or employees need training, communication improvements, counseling and setting targets which the organization aims to meet (Britton and Gold 2003-04). As discussed above performance appraisal is used to determine the strengths and weaknesses off the employees and providing them with the best training in order for them to give their best at work.However, by conducting the performance appraisal process both the organizations and the employees have advantages for example McGregor (1972) in his paper ‘An uneasy look at performance appraisal' stated that performance appraisal meets the needs of OTOH the employees and the organization however, the difference is it meets three needs in total one for which is organization and the other two for the employees or the individual. Bowels and Coats (1993) conducted a survey which was sent to 250 West midland companies in the year 1992, where the organization were asked the question on the effectiveness of performance appraisal in the organization.However, in the results they found out that the performance appraisal plays an effective role to improve the communication skills of the employees and also improves the communication between the employees and the employer which has many benefits costly in favor of the organization. On the other hand it was very useful for when and how the training is needed for a number of employees to improve their skills. However, around 90% of the employees did not favor the performance appraisal process and commented it has certainly no use and is time was ting.Many organizations want to become the best in productivity or simply want to produce more and quality products so in order to achieve all of these objectives organizations choose and introduce performance appraisal process within the organization as this is the most successful way of achieving goals such as higher productivity or lean reduction. This process of performance appraisal gives a clear direction that where the organization is heading towards or what are the goals the organization or the firm.As discussed before, it not only measures a firm's employee's performance but also gives a clear picture of an organization's performance. The example to illustrate this is performance appraisal measures the work done by the employees and also the organization on a weekly or quarterly basis. An organization can have all the information of their employees and their productivity by using this process. Another useful purpose of performance appraisal is that it gives a clear picture to the employees that where do they stand and what are they supposed to do in order to improve their skills and position within the organization.This way the organization can have a full advantage of their work force because if their employees need training, they train them and as a result the work force becomes very useful and experienced which in the long run is very beneficial for the organization as well as the employees. 2. 4 BEHAVIOR MAINTENANCE MODEL (CUMMINGS AND SWABS): The IBM model which was presented by Cummings and Swabs attempts to show owe the employees are motivated and opt to perform well within the organization.In their model they tried to explain the IBM model in four different steps. The first step in this model is goal aspirations which lead to goal attainment. When the goal attainment is achieved by the employee it gives them a sense of Job satisfaction and they become more focused on their Job and try to work even more hard. However, when the employee is satis fied with their Job they become automatically motivated towards their work which is very effective for the organization. 2. A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL IN MARKS AND SPENCER: performance appraisal give Marks & Spencer all the required information about their employees as it helps M&S to help improve their skills through training and making sure that they are capable enough for the Job they are being trained for. As most of the big companies or retailers conduct performance appraisal once or twice every year, Marks & Spencer is also one of the British companies known for conducting performance appraisal twice every year.In this process the employees get feedback from their managers about their performance and if the performance of the employees is not up to the mark they are suggested with different strategies to adopt n order to improve their performance as it is believed that the employees play the most important part in an organization's success and thus are the mo st important and effective assets of any organization like Marks & Spencer. The performance records are encouraged to use by the employees as it plays an important factor in setting up the personal objectives that support their continued development.Whenever an appraisal system is carried out at Marks & Spencer (normally takes every 12 months to conduct an appraisal) discussions are being made about the current progress of the company as well as the employees and a lot of new ideas are narrated about how to improve the concerned areas within the organization. These meetings are always done by the managers who work in M regarding their employees and are kept confidential. If any of the employees or workers at M do not perform well they are given more training and make sure that they understand how the organization works and operates.Rewards are given to the employees who prove that they are working best and the organization is benefiting from their efforts which are being put in. For instance in Marks and Spencer if the sales exceed the expected number or are higher than expected all the employees are given a bonus and also receive a bonus gift voucher of 20% which in fact plays a vital role in staff motivation. Also according to the research on motivation conducted by Frederic Taylor money is the only motivator and the only reason due to which the employees work hard to achieve their and the organization's objectives they work for.According to Taylor â€Å"If the workers were paved per item made, they would want to make more and work harder. † Marks and Spencer uses Tailor's theory by providing their employees or staff with handsome salaries as they think to keep the staff motivated paying them with bonuses and retreating them with some discount cards would be beneficial for the organization and as the staff will put in their efforts to make M a success by providing their customers a better service and by creating a friendly atmosphere in the stores whi ch obviously every customer likes.On the other hand, M also uses Herbage's two factor theory by paying them with handsome salaries but more important to note according to Herbage's theory is that M make their employees feel special and important in the business as the upper management ask for suggestion from all the employees and also providing them with the best working environment to motivate hem.As seen in the table below Marks and Spencer has got the highest reputation in the recent years as compared to their rivals such as Sad, tests, Morison, Ginsburg and Waitress and that's only done with the fair and proper selection of the employees for the Jobs through interviews and as well as the tests. By going through the process M&S makes sure that the right candidate is selected for the Job and the organization can benefit from them. 2. STRATEGIES THAT MARKS AND SPENCER USED IN THE PAST: Marks and Spencer in the past have tried a lot of strategies to improve their staff performance. The strategy which Marks and Spencer used in the past was to sell its products on discounted prices or higher sales which at one point gave rise to the sales but on the other hand when people realized the clothes designs are the same and not changing their sales fell dramatically. M&S did not emphasize on innovation but they tried to grab shopper's attention by advertising and give them great deals and high discounts on their products.Another strategy that M favored was expansion overseas as the top management thought it's the biggest opportunity to expand abroad because in that way M&S will see a rise in their sales. The main focus f M&S was to target the European markets specially Germany because in the recent years the population of Germany increased from 65 million to 80 million and also is the biggest exporter after USA with a lot of potential and industrial strength.However, firstly M&S planned to expand in Germany in the asses but later dropped this strategy because the prope rty costs were too high at that time but the main reason to drop this strategy was the recession of the German economy in asses. However in the late in asses the market position of Germany looked attractive and impressive which therefore forced M&S to expand in to the German market. Marks and Spencer also played a vital role regarding waste as an estimate states that the waste all over the United Kingdom is around 400 tones which comes from different parts of the industry such as construction, households or discharged packaging.The waste that comes out is not recycled properly and the result is landfill sites which takes many years to decompose and is also very harmful for the human health. However, the strategy that Marks and Spencer put emphasis on is that in the recent years 2010-2011 they have tried to achieve a recycle rate around 90% and also they have tried and achieved the reduction in waste by around 20%. Marks and Spencer in the year 2006-7 had 133 million clothes hangers and instead of throwing or recycling them the company used around 80% of the hangers again. 2. . 1 OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN THE GERMAN MARKET: M&S focused on expanding in the German market because the GAP of Germany is about three times higher than the United Kingdom with a staggering El 5000 billion. German consumer has a 50% higher expenditure than the Auk's market also 22% higher than France which is the second biggest market in the Europe. Inflation rate is under 2% in the Germany which attracted the Marks and Spencer management the cost to expand in the German market with expectation of higher sales which M was lacking in the United Kingdom.According to the research conducted by the well known news channels CNN and BBC M had examined the customers need in Germany for instance what exactly did the customer want and catered accordingly. 2. 7 MARKS & SPENCER CURRENT STRATEGIES: The current aim of M is to become the world's most sustainable brand by the year 201 5 and for that they are following a plan called plan A. The plan A consist about many things about how to make world a better place to live with a few things which ops the list in plan A are cut carbon emissions, reduce waste and importance on health and well being.As the world is getting more educated day by day which means people are aware of what should be done to make this planet a better place to live in and also become very conscious about environmental and also for the natural issues. This is the reason for which M&S launched plan A in the year 2010. The primary focus in this plan is to change the climate and also reducing the waste. 2. 8 EVALUATION: As discussed in this chapter that Performance appraisal is very useful for any type of organization but there are always some exceptions.For example, if the managers fail to grade their staff according to their performance there are quite high chances that the company or the organization could land in hot water. So it is very important that the manager s should not grade their employees on personal assessment but should only grade them according to their performance which would only help the firm to achieve success in the future. CHAPTER 3- METHODOLOGY 3. 0 INTRODUCTION: Methodology is a set of practice to regain information about something. In other rods it is a choice about what data and information to gather.The information that will be obtained will also be used in the outcome and also be compared to the literature review In order to have an appropriate evaluation. One should keep in mind some factors when developing a successful methodology. I tried to contact the Marks and Spence's business and management analyst but it was too difficult to have a decent reply from them. Developing a methodology is not at all an easy task and requires different types of techniques and hard work in order to gather some useful information. 3. 1 TYPES OF DATA COLLECTION:

What is Sociology and Why We Study it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is Sociology and Why We Study it - Essay Example But, little is understood by many about the significance of studying and understanding of society and its elements. To keep informed and influence the people for a better and socially conscious life, a new branch of knowledge has evolved over the years known as Sociology, which is a part of Social Science. "The term 'sociology' was first coined by Canadian sociologist Talcott Parsons in the late seventeenth century to refer to any study into the systematic behavior of humans, animals or plants. The discipline became established in academic departments in the late 1950s, beginning at the University of New Orleans" (Fundamentals of Sociology). The Study of Sociology is important to understand social structures, social systems and social issues, which are peculiar to each society and country. Further, the need for a proper understanding is compounded since individual behavior is largely influenced and shaped by social elements and its interaction with him/her. The present essay is an at tempt to review the fundamentals of sociology and to stress how relevant the study of sociology is in the practical life of individuals. Meaning and Definition In simple terms sociology refers to the study of human society. It involves the examination of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociology as a body of knowledge provides a critical and systematic understanding of the processes that structure the society in which we live. A sociologist looks an individual as a part of the group and the study of individual is always done in that perspective. Therefore, the study of sociology enables individuals to understand the nature of patterns in groups and collective life in which individuals are a part of, for example families, youth cultures, workplaces, ethnic communities or society as a whole. As a discipline, it tries to address questions like how society is made possible, how it functions, and what sustains it. To understand how society operates, one must study social elements such as the family, education, work, religion, and the state. The term 'sociology' has been defined by many authors in different ways, some of which are discussed below: 1. Anthony Giddens (Defining Sociology) defines "Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes". 2. In "The Complete A-Z Sociology Handbook" (1996) Tony Lawson and Joan Garrod - define sociology "is the study of individuals in groups and social formations in a systematic way, which grew out of the search for understanding associated with the industrial and scientific revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is now an established discipline in post-16 education and has offered generations of students' insights into the social world they inhabit. Often accused by the right of being left-wing, it includes individuals of every political opinion who are united by a commitment to search for knowledge and understanding through providing evidence for the theories and insights they offer". 3. American Sociological Association (Defining Sociology) defines Sociology "is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Since all human behaviour is social, the subject matter of sociology

Californias Cultural Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Californias Cultural Evolution - Essay Example There are many literatures romanticizing the richness of its civilization but the fact remains that these social groups were hunters and gatherers with some already having some semblance of agricultural knowledge. When the Spaniards came with their swords and their cross, the bow and arrow wielding natives were forced to become 'civilized' which stood for adapting and tailoring their customs and habits according to European culture. The Native Americans who were conquered soon became mini Spaniards because they shifted their beliefs and customs to mimic those of the colonizers and most importantly, they traded their native tongue for Spanish words. Although many native groups which were left alone resumed their hunting and gathering orientation, most of the inhabitants of California have become agriculturally oriented especially with the establishment of Ranchos. These areas were the land where cattle and sheep were raised. It was granted by the Spanish and Mexican regimes to encourage settlement. The domestic animals soon became important exports such as cow hides and fat used to make candles and soaps. Not only were they affected in language and way of subsistence, they also experienced the religious transformation that had become the mark of Spanish colonies. This was due to the California Missions which saw the construction religious outposts of major sects of Christian religion such as the Dominicans and the Jesuits. These missions were also the avenue thru which European livestock, fruits, vegetables and industry entered the California region. From their old set of animistic beliefs, which others in the past would call as pagan, the Native Americans became Christian primarily because they had no choice but to wield to the interests of the colonizers who had superior arms. The Gold Rush Mexicans broke the Spanish rule only to be replaced by Americans during the Mexican-American War in 1846. American domination paved the way for the occurrence of events which would radically transform the society of California. Two years after the American conquest of California, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The discovery led to a remarkable event in California's history and is aptly termed as the Gold Rush. With the discovery came an exodus of miners, merchants and bankers into the region. It was estimated that in 1855, about 300,000 Forty-Niners or those hoping to get a piece of gold arrived in the region. California saw a precipitous rise in settlements especially along San Francisco Bay. The significance of the Gold Rush was that it transformed the formerly agricultural region to a mining and profit oriented society though agriculture was still an integral part. This had the effect of bringing in capital to the region thereby sponsoring a boom in infrastructures and developments in housing and education. The immigrants were by no means illiterate and untrained. In fact, they were highly skilled and trained in their profession. The immigrants had knowledge as teamsters, draymen, lighter men, riggers, stevedores, bakers,

The Economic and Financial implication of Globalization on the UK Essay

The Economic and Financial implication of Globalization on the UK Economy - Essay Example Qualitative research generates data that is based on the participants’ own categories of meaning, it is useful for studying a limited number of cases in detail, and tends to collect data in realistic settings (Creswell, 2001).  However, quantitative research method has been adopted for this current study mainly because of the reason that it is the most suitable. The term â€Å"globalization† gained prominence in the 1960s and it began to be extensively applied by economists and other social scientists. The current study has taken into account the output generated in the GDP, rate of unemployment and inflation for instance for a period from 1997-2001. A Chow Test will be performed to check the structural break over the years. The study will specifically deal with time series data in order to check whether there is structural change (parametric instability) in the relationship between the regressand (output and import-export in UK) and the regressor (GDP, technology, Consumer’s Price Index, Producer’s Price Index, rate of unemployment for instance). By structural change, it mean that the value of the parameters do not remain the same for the entire time period (UK Economic Indicators, n.d.). Globalisation is loosely defined as the economic activity taking place across the national boundaries (Buckman 2004).  In essence, globalization sought to liberalize trade as well as deregulate the economy and this particular study seeks to investigate the extent to which deregulation has impacted on the economy of UK. Quantitative methods will be used to collect data in order to ascertain the impact of deregulation on UK economy. During the contemporary era, the concept of globalisation has liberalised trade among nations and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has substantially changed the ways of doing business. ICT has made dramatic changes in the contemporary society and economy at large and has impacted on almost all businesses

The Responsibilities of Nursing Practitioner to Society Essay

The Responsibilities of Nursing Practitioner to Society - Essay Example While there is no uniformity as to the roles of students in particular institutions, there are roles that students in higher education would be under an obligation to play not only in their respective institutions but also in the society. These include but are not limited to the following. a. Dedicating all their efforts to furthering and attaining the highest levels of excellence for the better of the institution and society at large. As much as students in every other institution are expected to play this role, the responsibility is more pronounced for students in higher education. This is because they have more freedom which definitely comes with more responsibility as to their affairs. In this case, furthering their knowledge and academic excellence in particular fields is their ultimate responsibility all in an effort to make the institution and society better. b. Orienting other or new coming students to the system in the particular higher education institution they are in- more often than not, there will be new students or at least some individuals who are not conversant with the system of the institutions. While it would be possible for such individuals to be oriented to these systems with time, the students play a critical role in fastening the orientation process. This has the effect of stabilizing the institution and ensuring that all processes run smoothly. This also ensures quick implementation of the policies and other fundamental frameworks that exist to guide the smooth running of the institution. c. Contributing to improving the systems and structures of the institution in order to enhance efficiency- in many institutions, students play a very minute role in determining the systems within which they will be operating. However, this would be a bit farfetched as far as students in higher institutions are concerned.  

Author Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Author Study - Essay Example That’s what it does best. I write for the emotional experience of it, for me as the writer and for the reader† (Toffoli, 2010). It’s a well-known fact that Udall’s works are greatly influenced by R.Bass, B.Hannah and M.Twain, which is to say, by representatives of both Eastern and Western schools of writing. It has already been a tradition that Udall is frequently compared to John Winslow Irwing for the reason of some curious common writing peculiarities. That is exactly the fact which contributes to the striking singularity of his works. Udall’s last world-renowned novel â€Å"The Lonely Polygamist† is beyond no doubt a completely unorthodox one. He tells us a story that is constantly unsettling our expectations, heightening both emotions, having the sour and the sweet simultaneously, being written in extremely unconventional naturalistic style, a truly fascinating and thrilling formula. Another rate unorthodox method Udall tends to use is animal reflection. In all he writes, Udall tends to use animals in some way or another. This is how animals appear in Udall’s works; there may be a protagonist with a pet vulture, for instance. This might appear either in symbolic way, or, typical of Udall’ style, in a funny one. Udall just tends not to look at animals in the same way the reader looks at humans. â€Å"They can accept and absorb our hopes and fears in a way that humans cant† (Owens, 2010). As known, Brady Udall attended the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. He spent two years there before writing his very first collection of short stories. Udall himself thinks that only two conditions must be provided in order for anyone to become a good writer: the time and the means to write. Interesting to admit: while talking about advices for aspiring writers he notes â€Å"Don’t worry what your mother, your classmate, your neighbor, your spouse, or anyone else thinks about what you write†, which sounds rather funny compared to what he

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Paper Term - 2

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts - Term Paper Example This created a positive vibe in everyone since the company believed that employees work hard for their family’s future. Because of this culture, employees were more open, honest, caring and committed to the company. Indeed, culture is one good motivator that a company must acknowledge so that management can design programs which would reflect a company’s culture. Case ( 1996 ) argues that culture plays an important role in influencing the behavior of employees, so much that it is given much attention in the workplace. Is this true? In my own experience, the culture of Family Day in my former workplace created a shared meaning that provides positive reinforcement to the employees in a non-monetary way. The employees cherish and nurture their working experience which tremendously manifested in terms of productivity. Once an employee finds his work and organization meaningful, he goes for the extra mile as a token of appreciation to the company. This rubs down on the customer service exemplified by the crew which customers can’t help notice. If an organization would look closely and find ways to boost employee’s morale without spending so much, it only needs to create a good and positive culture. Diversity, on the other hand, is comprised of â€Å"new ideas from variety of sources (that) likewise ensure that all the best ideas and practical knowledge is applied for corporate and organizational unit survival and growth. This is particularly relevant for companies now with the call for both incremental and revolutionary change to enliven the vision and mission† Segal (2001).Coupled with diversity, these individual personal expressions—creativity—can bring about innovative results that would be beneficial to organizations where they are utilized.Let us take again my workplace as an example. The company hired people from different ethnic backgrounds for very good reasons. The recent years saw the

Chronic Diseases Essay Example for Free

Chronic Diseases Essay Finding out that you have any type of cancer will change your life and wonder how and why it happens to them. Even after many years and billions of dollars of research, we still dont know exactly what causes cancer. But we do know how to identify people who are at higher risk of developing specific cancers. A well-known cancer that majority women get but also men can get as well is breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. Everyone has a risk factor; a risk factor is anything that affects your chances of getting a particular disease. They are risk factors that you cannot change and those are: age, gender, family history of breast cancer, genes, and menstrual cycle. Your risks of developing breast cancer increases as you get older; most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, but men have their chances as well. You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast cancer or other cancers such as: uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. Women who got their periods early, before age 12 or went through menopause late, after age 55 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Other risk factors are if you drink two or more glasses a day you can increase your chance of getting breast cancer. Also, being overweight is a risk factor of developing breast cancer. Many risk factors, such as your genes and family history, cannot be controlled. However, eating a healthy diet and making a few lifestyle changes may reduce your overall chance of getting cancer. Maintained a physical activity that will allow you to be at a healthy weight can help you reduce of getting cancer. Watch what you eat and how much you consume, it is said that if you reduce your intake of red meat will help you reduce your risk of getting breast cancer or any other cancer. Eating vegetables and eating more whole grain should be added or be a good portion in your daily diet. Also if you are aware of your risk factors you are already doing something to help you prevent getting cancer. Getting a screening test is also important to do even if your risk isn’t that high. A screening test looks for signs of cancer in people who have no symptoms. Also if you feel that you have symptoms, going to your doctor to check and do the screening test is important. Also when you have your daily check up at the doctors allowing them to do a simple regular breast examine. Your doctor will check if you have any abnormal lump in your breast. They are things you can do to help you prevent getting cancer but even so there is that small chance of you getting cancer. Talking to your doctor and being informed in what you can do is a very good option.

Global Corporate Governance Standards: Pros and Cons

Global Corporate Governance Standards: Pros and Cons 1.0 Background and history Increasing numbers of public companies and shareholders base lead to shareholders of the companies not involved in management and control their own company. Thus, they employed professional managers to running their business as a result some of the managers are not working on the behalf of shareholders and caused companies collapsed through financial statement fraud and money laundering. The case Watergate scandal due to break-in to Watergate building complex in the United States at 1970s had lead to arising of Corporate Governance. Besides, UK had experienced increasing numbers corruption by senior executives or director in late 1980s and early 1990 as well. Corporate such as Enron scandal in US caused by conflict in interest of Arthur Andersen which was as an auditor and consultant at the same times lead the Enron Corporations and one of the five biggest accountancy and audit firms in the world collapsed. Besides, Lehman Brothers and several UK and European Banking Groups were coll apsed in recent year at September 2008 due to poor corporate governance. Thus, Corporate Governance is the system by which companies is directed and controlled (Cadbury Committee, 1992) in order to avoid fraud happened. It is the responsible of Board of Directors to governance their companies and work on the behalf on stakeholders in their companies. Due to control failure at several major corporations, USA and UK had introduced numbers of guidance reports and laws in individual country in order to have an effectiveness internal control, independent audit committees, and directors remuneration packages results in increase the reliability of financial statements. For instance, there was Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and Treadway Report published in 1987 at US while there was Cadbury, Rutteman, Hampel and Turnbull reports available at UK since 1992 2.0 Advantages and disadvantages of global corporate governance standards Since we are moving toward globalization of business and growth of global capital market, there are quite a numbers of advantages of implemented global corporate governance standards as a basis to replace national basis of corporate governance. Meanwhile, organizations all over the world are adopting same principles of corporate governance which it can reduce cost of organizations compare to national basic of corporate governance. It is expensive to cost organizations when they adopting additional set of rules imposed by local government. Stanwick (2008) claimed that in direct response to the corporate scandals of Enron and WorldCom, the Unites States Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002.When it passed in 2002, many corporations were vocally opposed to it and claimed that is was just an additional set of government regulations that would cost additional time and money which they could not afford in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Additionally, it can e nsure foreign investor no need to facing multi-codes when they are investing at overseas. For instance, Combined Code at UK based organizations and SOX at US based organizations would be removed. By the way, all organizations implemented global corporate governance able to stimulate performance of top-level management. Since institutes clear accountability and effective link between reward and performance, top-level management will on the behalf of stakeholders and adherence to the standards. Moreover, investors investing their capitals in others countries would get better protected and would be more safety compares to every countries implementing different set of corporate governance standards. Roussey (1997, pg207) stated that once a business entity lists its shares outside of it national borders, it should be subject to a set of global corporate governance rules. It can effectively decrease the chance of top level management using investors capital for self-interest as well as it required companies to disclose all relevant information while implemented global corporate governance standards. Thus, high quality financial reporting and credible accounting provides the transparency than enables investors to make informed evaluation of investment opportunities (Sutton, 1997). Besides, it can attract more foreign investors to invest in the capital market since risk of investors invest in foreign country has reduced and capital markets has becomes more stability. Consequently , there is more and more investors invest in capital market results in organizations getting abundant funds to running their business as well as shareholders getting more dividends in return. Next, global in business move toward to use of global shares. As it enable investors to access home country capitals market and non home country capitals market by using same form of shares. In November 1999, for example, Daimler-Chrysler listed on the New York Stock exchange the same shares listed in its home market (Roussey, 2000). Despite of this, it is needed to implement global corporate governance standard to effectively protect shareholders capital. Furthermore, implemented global corporate governance standards can effectively counter financial statement fraud and money laundering by top management which led to corporate collapse. Otherwise it will back to the situation of severe misstatement of financial statement happened in 2002 such as Enron, Tyco, Global Crossing, and Worldcom. All of these are due to nation poor corporate governance exists at those companies and has introduced new corporate governance standards like Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002 to replace previous standards. Under International Standard on Auditing (ISA), auditor has to communicate audit matters with those charged with governance of an entity in all audit situations, and not just in audits of publicly traded entities (Roussey, 2000). It claimed that auditor must informed and discussed with the people who accept the responsible for companies once they discovered organizations have poor corporate governance such as poor internal control system and missta tement of financial statement. Therefore, they can establish appropriate strategies to address those matters through the knowledge and experience of auditor. By the way, auditor and people who accept the governance responsibilities would be appointed by International Auditing Practices Committees to make sure they are independent enough. Thus, employees at top management level are work accordance with the standards of global corporate governance and move towards credibility of financial statement which prepared by them. Nevertheless, it is possible for top management not to comply with the standards of global corporate governance after long periods of implementation it. As it is developed from convergence of corporate best practice and global legal system, top management likely to take legal loopholes once they familiar with the standards of corporate governance in order to satisfies their needs. Additionally, it just only and only one standard that all the organizations need to comply with. Political will is absolutely crucial to the developing of means and methods to integrate domestic corporate practices with the best standards followed internationally. Only then can integrity of a countrys economic system get reflected properly and foreign investment in domestic business increase (Bhasa, 2004). Implementation of global corporate governance standards is hard to satisfy the needs of shareholders and stakeholders from all over the world because everyone has different demand. However, diverse in cultural and organization structure lead to people accept the responsibilities of governance find it difficult to adapt since the organization members are in different value and belief results in they are using different kind of behavior to achieve organization objectives. For example, the problems of corporate governance arise when the rights of the stakeholders are violated. However, what may be considered stakeholder rights violation in one country might not necessarily be considered so in some other country. This diversity may be particularly because of the different legal structures and cultural settings adopted by different nations (Bhasa, 2004). Cross-cultural psychological, sociological, and anthropological research shows that many cultures do not shares the same assumptions underlying leader behavior and style (Den Hartog et al, 1999). Thus, global corporate governance standards must devise appropriately according to every countries culture dimension and condition. Otherwise it is so hard to monitor the provision of strategic direction performance by top-level of managers in different country are align with companies objectives. Besides, globalization of business lead sociopolitical dynamic and the relation between business, stakeholders, and government will change. According to International Capital Markets Group studied international corporate governance in 1994-1995 (ICMG, 1995), it concluded that it was not appropriate, given the need to respect diverse cultures and legal structures, to prescribe an international standard for corporate governance (Roussey, 2000). 3.0 How the situation might develop or be resolved with the next year or so Based on the articles, there is a need to for global corporate governance standards for all corporations because it can add another extent of protect foreign as well as local shareholders and stakeholders. It encourage the internal securities commissions to consider development and implementation of a set of global corporate governance rules applicable, at a minimum, to business entities listing shares or obtaining financing in the public capital markets outside of their national borders (Roussey, 2000). Additionally, it can enhance the transparency relationship between shareholders and companies since the resources in every organization are use appropriately as well as top-level managers are not abuse their responsibilities on their own interest. Other than that, global corporate governance provides everyone to rely on the organizations financial statement and take it as a reference when investing as well as reporting to shareholders during annual general meeting. N-nitrosamines in Food: Effects and Legislation N-nitrosamines in Food: Effects and Legislation Effects and response The safety of exposure of humans to inorganic nitrite and nitrate received increased scrutiny in 1960s. Cases of infantile methemoglobinemia associated with high nitrate in drinking water were documented. Besides, the formation of N-nitrosamines in certain foods, which had been shown to be carcinogenic, raised awareness regarding potential human health concern. A plausible biological mechanism which explains carcinogenicity of ingested nitrate and nitrite is endogenous N-nitrosation reactions (Bryan et al., 2012). Normal intakes are not proven to have carcinogenic effects. On the other hand, it is the excessive nitrate or nitrite intake which can generate N-nitroso compounds which are carcinogenic and mutagenic by causing DNA alkylation. N-nitrosamines are also genotoxic, which interacts with DNA directly or indirectly, inducing permanent genetic changes in cells, and causing cancer. For this group, as there is no dose which does not result in a possible effect of the genotoxic carcinogens, thus a no observable effect level (NOEL) cannot be estimated (Ravnum et al., 2014). In addition, exposure to nitrosamine affects the immune response strongly. Nitrosamine-induced response towards the immune system is much stronger than nitrosamide-induced response, in a same exposure period. Nitrosamine induces a higher percentage of modulated genes, and involves more pathways. This immunosuppressive effect in turn influences the innate immune response of cells. This plays an important role in the promotion phase of carcinogenic processes, indicating an additional way for nitrosamines to cancer risk (Hebels et al., 2011). Animal toxicology research serves as an important area for investigation which provides us with safety data. About 90% of the 300 nitrosamines tested showed carcinogenic effects in laboratory animals and bioassays. Nevertheless, the usage of animal models requires understanding of the difference between human and animal systems. Rodents used for this purposes have fore-stomachs and Hardarian glands, which is not analogous as in humans (Bryan et al., 2012).. Acute toxic effects of nitrate intake had been encountered only at very high doses. On the other hand, nitrite causes acute toxicity in much smaller doses. In laboratory animals, the LD50 of inorganic nitrite is approximately 2.6 mmol/kg. Some early studies may have shown methaemoglobinaemia when exposed to lower doses of nitrate due to contamination with nitrite (Gilchrist, Shore and Benjamin, 2010). A follow-up study of the Swedish Mamography Cohort found that there is a two-fold elevated risk of stomach cancer with intake of dietary nitrosamines (Larsson, Bergkvist and Wolk, 2006). On the other hand, Loh et al. (2009) suggested that there is a positive association between N-nitrosamine intake and gastrointestinal cancer, especially rectal cancer (Loh et al. 2009). N-nitrosodiphenylamine has shown carcinogenic effects at levels of 1000 parts per million (ppm) to 4000 ppm in both sexes of rats, and there is induced transitional cell carcninoma of the urinary bladder of male and female mice. Dimethylamines and diethylamines are two of the most potent carcinogens among nitrosamines. 50 ppm of dimethylamines in the diet was found to produce malignant liver tumours in rats in 26 to 40 weeks. Meanwhile, higher doses were shown to cause kidney tumours. For diethylamines, a lag period between dosing and onset of tumours increases with dosage below 0.5 mg/kg, with the total tumour yield remaining roughly the same. There is not yet a clear threshold dose for carcinogenicity of nitrosamines in diet established (Shibamoto and Bjeldanes, 2009). According to the Netherlands Cohort study, nitrate and nitrite exposure based on food intake and drinking water show no significant elevation in stomach cancer occurrences, and shows no apparent trend (Larsson, Bergkvist and Wolk, 2006). On the other hand, there is evidence that long-tern consumption of drinking water which contains more than 4 mg/L nitrosamine has been positively associated with risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Although nitrates are absorbed quickly in mostly excreted within the next few hours, the internal dose or nitrosamine cannot be measured as a 24-hour urinary excretion. A study done by Levallios et al., (2000) showed that there is a stronger correlation between urinary nitrate excretions with dietary nitrate as compared to urinary nitrate excretion with water nitrate intake. Nevertheless, there is no relation found between nitrosamine excretions with nitrate intake. This might be due to low nitrate concentrations in water, thus causing it to be harder to observe for immediate effects. Further studies are required to determine if the use of urinary nitrosamine excretion as a biomarker of exposure is useful (Levallois et al., 2000). Food laws (limits) EU legislation allows nitrite and nitrate addition of 150 mg/kg respectively for each additive in meat products. On the other hand, Denmark only permits the use of 60 mg/kg of nitrites in meat preservation for Danish products (Herrmann, Duedahl-Olesen and Granby, 2015). Further studies are required to determine if the addition of 150 mg/kg or 60 mg/kg of nitrite added would cause an increase in average nitrosamine levels. On the other hand, there are no maximum limits established by EU for nitrosamine content in processed meat products. The United States had set a limit of 10  µg/kg of total volatile N-nitrosamine content for cured meat products (Crews, 2010). The highest amount of a contaminant allowed in drinking water is known as maximum contaminant level (MCL). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a (MCL) for N-nitrosodiphenylamine of 7  µg/L (micrograms/Liter) or 7 ppb (parts per billion) based on a lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 1 000 000 (ATSDR, 2010). The EPA established a cancer risk if 0.7ng/kg body weight of N-nitrosodimethylamine is consumed daily. In drinking water, the maximum allowed concentration of N-nitrosodimethylamine in Canada is 40 ng/L and 10 ng/L in Germany (Mestankova et al., 2014). Although the EPA has not established a limit for maximum contaminant level in water, the California Department of Health Services has established 10 ng/L as notification level for action to be taken (Mestankova et al., 2014). The amounts of N-nitrosodiphenylamine in some commonly eaten foods are 0.023  µg/100g in buns, muffins and bagels, 0.149 µg/100g in ham, and even 0.109 µg/100g in oysters (Stuff et al., 2009). Current issues (worldwide) Apples from America have recently encountered some export issues to other countries due to its toxicity. In America, apples which are to be exported are treated with diphenylamine (DPA), which is a preservative added to prevent the apples from turning brown for as long as a few months. This is to prevent cold injury during cold storage, since apples are usually harvested once a year. By itself, DPA isn’t harmful, but it breaks down into carcinogenic elements, namely nitrosamines. The European Union has banned the use of DPA in 2012. They set the maximum allowable limit of DPA on apples to 0.1 parts per million (ppm). Nonetheless, DPA residues with an average reading of 0.42 ppm have been found on over 80 apple samples imported from America, which is well over the maximum allowed limit. Thus, the EU is banning apples from America, until the readings are found to be in accordance with the regulation (Lunder, 2014). Although the US EPA and World Health Organisation (WHO) found that long-tern exposure to DPA is unlikely to cause a public health concern, the EU maintains that absence of evidence of harm is not a strong enough indicator. The EU claims that there is insufficient testing regarding DPA to prove that their products as well as chemicals formed are safe to be consumed when broken down. The main source of concern is the presence of nitrosamines. As DPA is the most common chemical used for apples preservation, the presence of cancer-causing nitrosamines should present a great concern. References Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2010. Addendum to the  Toxicological Profile for N-nitrosodiphenylamine. Atlanta : ATSDR- Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine   Lunder, S. 2014. Behind Europe’s Apple Chemical Ban.  http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2014/04/apples. Retrieved 21 October 2014. Bryan, N.S., Alexander, D.D., Coughlin, J.R., Milkowski, A.L. and Boffeta, P. 2012. Ingested  Nitrate and Nitrite and Stomach Cancer Risk: An Updated Review. Food and Chemical Toxicology 50: 3646-3665 Crews, C. 2010. The Determination of N-nitrosamines in Food. Quality Assurance and Safety  of Crops Foods 2(1): 2-12 Gilchrist, M., Shore, A.C., and Benjamin, N. 2010. Inorganic Nitrate and Nitrite and Control  of Blood Pressure. Cardiovascular Research: 1-7 Hebels, D.G.A.J., Brauers, K.J.J., van Herwijnen, M.H.M., Georgiadis, P.A., Kyrtopoulos, S.A., Kleinjans, J.C.S., and de Kok, T.M.C.M. 2011 Time-Series Analysis of Gene Expression Profiles Induced by Nitrosamides and Nitrosamines Elucidates Modes of Action Underlying their Genotoxicity in Human Colon Cells. Toxicology Letters 207: 232-241. Herrmann, S.S., Duedahl-Olesen, L. and Granby, K. 2015. Occurrence of Volatile and Non-Volatile N-nitrosamines in Processed Meat Products and the Role of Heat Treatment. Food Control 48: 163-169 Larsson, S.C., Bergkvist, L., and Wolk, A. 2006. Processed Meat Consumption, Dietary  Nitrosamines and Stomach Cancer Risk in a Cohort of Swedish Women. International Journal of Cancer 119: 915–919. Levallois, P., Ayotte, P., Van Maanen, J.M.S., Desrosiers, T., Gingras, S., Dallinga, J.W., Vermeer, I.T.M., Zee, J., and Poirier, G. 2000. Excretion of Volatile Nitrosamines in a Rural Population in Relation to Food and Drinking Water Consumption. Food and Chemical Toxicology 38: 1013-1019. Loh, Y.H., Jakszyn, P., Luben, R.N., Mulligan, A.A., Mitrou, P.N. and Khaw, K.T. 2009. N-nitroso Compounds and Cancer Incidence: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nitrition (EPIC) – Norfolk Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 93: 1053-1061 Mestankova, H., Schirmer, K., Canonica, S. and von Gunten, U. 2014. Development of  Mutagenicity During Degradation of N-nitrosamines by Advanced Oxidation Processes. Water Research 66: 399-410. Ravnum, S., Runden-Pran, E., Fjellsbo, L.M., and Dusinska, M. 2014. Human Health Risk Assessment of Nitrosamines and Nitramines for Potential Application in CO2 Capture. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 69: 250 – 255. Shibamoto, T. and Bjeldanes, L. Introduction to Food Toxicology, Second Edition. UK:  Academic Press: 267 Stuff, J.E., Goh, E.T., Barrera, S.L., Bondy, M.L., and Forman, M.R. 2009. Construction of an  N-nitroso database for assessing dietary intake. Journal of Food Composition Anal 225: 542-577

Superoxide Anion Radical Scavenging Activity Biology Essay

Superoxide Anion Radical Scavenging Activity Biology Essay Where A518 control is the absorbance of DPPH radical+ methanol; A518 sample is the absorbance of DPPH radical + extract or compound / standard. Superoxide anion radical scavenging activity Superoxide radical (O2-) was generated from the photoreduction of riboflavin and was deducted by nitro blue tetrazolium dye (NBT) reduction method. Measurement of superoxide anion scavenging activity was performed based on the method described by Winterbourne et al 186. The assay mixture contained sample with 0.1ml of Nitro blue tetrazolium (1.5 mM NBT) solution, 0.2 ml of EDTA (0.1M EDTA), 0.05 ml riboflavin (0.12 mM) and 2.55 ml of phosphate buffer (0.067 M phosphate buffer). The control tubes were also set up where in DMSO was added instead of sample. The reaction mixture was illuminated for 30 min and the absorbance at 560 nm was measured against the control samples. Quercetin was used as the reference compound. All the tests were performed in triplicate and the results averaged. The percentage inhibition was calculated by comparing the results of control and test samples. Total antioxidant activity (Phosphomolybdic acid method)187 The antioxidant activity of the sample was evaluated by the transformation of Mo (VI) to Mo (V) to form phosphomolybdenum complex. An aliquot of 0.4 ml of sample solution was combined in a vial with 4 ml of reagent solution (0.6 M sulfuric acid, 28 mM sodium phosphate and 4 mM ammonium molybdate). The vials were capped and incubated in a water bath at 950C for 90 min. After the samples had cooled to room temperature, the absorbance of the mixture was measured at 695 nm against a blank. The antioxidant activity was expresses relative to that of ascorbic acid. Determination of Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity This was assayed as described by Elizabeth and Rao.188 The assay is based on quantification of degradation product of 2-deoxy ribose by condensation with TBA. Hydroxyl radical was generated by the Fe3+ -Ascorbate -EDTA -H2O2 system (Fenton reaction). The reaction mixture contained 0.1 ml deoxyribose (2.8mM),0.1 ml EDTA (0.1 mM), 0.1 ml H2O2 (1mM), 0.1 ml Ascorbate (0.1mM), 0.1 ml KH2PO4-KOH buffer, pH 7.4 (20mM) and various concentrations of plant extract in a final volume of 1 ml. The reaction mixture was incubated for 1 hour at 370 C. Deoxyribose degradation was measured as TBARS and the percentage inhibition was calculated. Determination of Nitric oxide radical scavenging activity Nitric oxide generated from sodium nitroprusside in aqueous solution at physiological pH interacts with oxygen to produce nitrite ions, which were measured by the method of Garrat.189 The reaction mixture (3ml) containing 2 ml of sodium nitroprusside (10mM), 0.5 ml of phosphate buffer saline (1M) were incubated at 250C for 150 mins. After incubation, 0.5 ml of the reaction mixture containing nitrite was pipetted and mixed with 1 ml of sulphanilic acid reagent (0.33%) and allowed to stand for 5 min for completing diazotization. Then 1 ml of naphthylethylene diamine dihydrochloride (1% NEDA) was added, mixed and allowed to stand for 30 mins. Sodium nitroprusside in aqueous solution at physiological pH spontaneously generates nitric oxide, which interacts with oxygen to produce nitrite ions which can be estimated by the use of Griess Illosvery reaction at 540 nm. FRAP assay A modified method of Benzie and Strain 190 was adopted for the FRAP assay. The stock solutions included 300 mM acetate buffer, pH 3.6, 10 mM TPTZ (2, 4, 6-tripyridyl-S-triazine) solution in 40 mMHCl and 20 mMFecl3. 6H2O. The fresh working solution was prepared by mixing 25 ml acetate buffer, 2.5 ml TPTZ and 2.5 ml Fecl3 .6H2O. The temperature of the solution was raised to 370 C before using. Plant extracts (0.15 ml) were allowed to react with 2.85 ml of FRAP solution for 30 min in the dark condition. Readings of the colored product (Ferrous tripyridyltriazine complex) were taken at 593 nm. The standard curve was linear between 200 and 1000  µM Feso4. Results are expressed in  µM (Fe (II) /g dry mass and compared with that of ascorbic acid. Iron chelating activity The method of Benzie and strain190 was adopted for the assay. The principle is based on the formation of O-Phenanthroline-Fe2+ complex and its disruption in the presence of chelating agents. The reaction mixture containing 1 ml of 0.05% O-Phenanthroline in methanol, 2 ml ferric chloride (200 µM) and 2 ml of various concentrations ranging from 10 to 1000 µg was incubated at room temperature for 10 min and the absorbance of the same was measured at 510 nm. EDTA was used as a classical metal chelator. The experiment was performed in triplicates. Estimation of total phenol The measurement of total phenol is based on Mallick and Singh.191 To 0.25g of sample, added 2.5 ml of ethanol and centrifuged at 2oC for 10 mins. The supernatant was preserved. Then, the sample was re-extracted with 2.5 ml of 80% ethanol and centrifuged. The pooled supernatant was evaporated to dryness. Then, added 3 ml of water to the dried supernatant. To which added 0.5 ml of Folins phenol reagent and 2 ml of sodium carbonate (20%). The reaction mixture was kept in boiling water bath for 1 min. the absorbance was measured at 650 nm in a spectrophotometer. Estimation of total flavonoids 192 0.2g of the plant material was ground with ethanol-water in 2 different ratios namely 9:1 and 1:1 respectively. The homogenate was filtered and these 2 ratios were combined. This was evaporated to dryness until most of the ethanol has removed. The resultant aqueous extract was extracted in a separating funnel with hexane or chloroform. The solvent extracted aqueous layer was concentrated 0.5 ml of aliquot of extract was pipette-out in a test tube. 4 ml of the vanillin reagent (1% vanillin in 70% conc. H2SO4) was added and kept in a boiling water bath for 15 mins. The absorbance was read at 360 nm. A standard was run by using catechol (110  µg/ml).

Comparison of Shall I Compare Thee? and My Mistress Eyes are Essay

1 Shall compare thee to a summer's day? ======================================= Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of maie, And summers lease hath all to short a date: 5 Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, ============================================= And often is his gold complexion dim'd, --------------------------------------- And every faire from faire sometime declines, --------------------------------------------- By chance, or natures changing course untrim'd: ----------------------------------------------- But thy eternal summer shall not fade, -------------------------------------- 10 Nor loose possession of that faire thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, So long as men can breath or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee. In this sonnet, Shakespeare is creating a mental picture of spring and summer to compare against his loved one. He uses the fact that fine and beautiful days are the creation of nature, and nature is constantly changing all the time. Fine days never stay the same: 'rough winds' or the sun obscured by clouds, 'and often is his gold complexion dim'd', can easily mar a fine day. He talks about these negative factors of change in the first eight lines, and Shakespeare then uses these ideas to claim that his loved one will always remain untarnished, speaking of how 'thy eternal summer shall not fade' and how his loved one has lasting qualities that will outshine death: 'Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade' These thoughts come to a confident, final... ... Compared to the first few lines in the second sonnet: "My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun coral is far more red than her lips red" And this shocking feeling of offense and harshness continues through to line twelve in the second sonnet. However, there are some dark points in the first sonnet as well, as death is mentioned in line eleven "Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade" And "rough winds" in line three. However, how harsh and sincere these sonnets may be, both have the conclusions with the similar idea that Shakespeare loves his woman so much that he doesn't need to give her false comparisons to do with beautiful items or beautiful things that don't last forever - his love lasts for eternity in the sonnet: "So long as men can breath, and eyes can see So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

James Earl Jones: A Voice In The Crowd :: essays research papers fc

James Earl Jones: A Voice in the Crowd March 19, 1996   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People all around the world know the voice of James Earl Jones. From Star Wars fans listening to the voice of Darth Vader to news junkies who hear a voice that dramatically intones AThis is CNN@ just before all the cable network= s station breaks to children who hear the stately voice of the majestic Mufasa, the king of the jungle in Walt Disney Pictures= animated The Lion King - people know this deep harmonious voice belongs to this consummate actor of stage and screen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Earl Jones was born January 17th, 1931, in Arkabutala Township, Mississippi. His natural parents, Ruth and Robert Earl, moved away to the Mississippi Delta when he was an infant. Raised for the rest of his young life by his maternal grandparents, James Earl developed a close relationship with the Connollys. AMaggie and John Henry were always there, day by day, and they became for me, once and for all, my mama and my papa@ (18) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Less than three years later, the Connollys moved to Dublin Michigan where James Earl and his >brother= Randy grew up in a remodelled chicken barn. His early school life had a great impact on his style of speech and diction. AOn my first day at school, I could not believe my ears,@ recalls Jones, AThey called me James Earrrrl instead of James Uhl, as it had sounded in the South@(40).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the initial shock of hearing Northern dialect, Jones Aquickly absorbed this different rhythm and style@ and embarked on the first half of a long vocal journey leading to his distinctive speaking style. Until he was 14 years old, James Earl Jones rarely spoke mostly due to shyness, preferring silence to the sound of his own voice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around the age of 10, James Earl Jones witnessed his brother, Randy, having an epileptic seizure. His grandmother applied the only remedy she knew - a thimbleful of bluing dye - and told James Earl to run for help. After travelling a mile through a Michigan blizzard and recalling the sight of his brother on the floor with Ablue liquid spilled out of his mouth,@ Jones= epic battle with stuttering began. At a local store, Jones panicked and couldn=t speak. After a time, he Afinally calmed down and the words came. The doctor was called. Randy recovered. But the stuttering - that stayed.@(42)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The same year his brother almost died, Jones was sexually assaulted by the minister of a church he attended. The incident scarred him for life. Jones recalls, AI was afraid and very confused.