Leadership essence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leadership essence - Essay Example The trait theory postulates that leaders are born rather than made. It emphasizes nature over nurture. Most research on trait theory is coalesced around the qualities of distinguished leaders compared to non-leaders or followers. Trait approach focuses on the type of people that become leaders, and this process provides organizations with information on the qualities to look for when selecting leaders for different positions of leadership (Conger& Riggio, 2012, pp. 12). Style approach focuses on the behavior of leaders rather than personal traits of leaders. Style approach posits that since a leaders behavior can be changed, and; therefore, there is need to train leaders on the right leadership qualities. Stogdill et al worked on leadership style with a focus on consideration and initiating structure and define them two styles as follows: The consideration style is where leaders show concern for their subordinates so as to earn their trust and, as a result, improve response and promote camaraderie (Conger& Riggio, 2012, pp.14). Initiating structure is a style where leaders define closely and clearly their expectations of subordinates in accomplishment of designated schedules. Some researchers have suggested that a combination of both consideration and initiating structure was the best leadership style. Korman in his study observed that the two styles were plagued by inconsistent results. He suggested that the effectiveness of the two types of leadership behavior was situation wise contingent; that is, what worked well in some situations failed in others (Gill 2012, pp. 63). Proponents of the contingency approach emphasize on the situational factors when defining leadership. They tend to specify situational variables that moderate the effectiveness of different leadership approaches. The most prominent exemplar of the contingency approach is Fiedler’s

Barriers to Communication Essay Example for Free

Barriers to Communication Essay Organisational communication relates to the way organisations adapt themselves to changing environments, externally and internally. The focus is on interaction with stakeholders and within the organisation and with co-workers. In these interactions different perceptions (in meanings and interests) must be dealt with to create common ground. Barriers to communication refers to any kind or form of communication impediment within an organization such as noise, bureaucracy and semantic differences. The organisation that I used to work for is SIRDC and it is primarily involved in scientific research and innovation. It is located around 15kilometres away from town in the Hatcliffe Extension area. The barriers to communication in the organisation include the following: Semantic barriers Did you hear what I meant for you to hear? This has been a frequent statement in the boardrooms! With todays increasingly diverse workforce, it is easy to believe you have conveyed information to someone, but you are not aware that they interpreted you differently than you intended. Unfortunately, you wont be aware of this problem until a major problem or issue arises out of the confusion. This usually arises due to the interpretation of different words. Due to the diverse educational and cultural backgrounds [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=backgrounds%3Bv=56] in my organisation, semantics acts as a hindrance to effective communication as people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] would argue that we agreed to pursue another option in the last meeting when it was not the case. This is usually prevalent when the business [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=business%3Bv=56] people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] in the organisation are discussing issues with the scientists on the viability of their innovations. The organisation has chemists, engineers, marketing [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=marketing%3Bv=56] personnel, financial analysts, nutritionists, electricians, biotechnologists among many  others. Bureaucracy When organizations are just getting started, their leaders can often prize themselves on not being burdened with what seems as bureaucratic overhead, that is, as extensive written policies and procedures. Writing [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=Writing%3Bv=56] something down can be seen as a sign of bureaucracy and to be avoided. As the organization grows, it needs more communications and feedback to remain healthy, but this communication is not valued. As a result, increasing confusion ensues unless management [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=management%3Bv=56] matures and realizes the need for increased, reliable communications. This was the case when the department that I was under was at its infancy level and this was done to have confidence of other institutes within the organisation, since our department was mainly support in nature. Organisational Structure However, at the organizational level, authority tends to be centralised at the top and this usually results in information taking too long to reach all the employees. The Director-General has the final say in the all the organizational decision making process. The Public relations department is responsible for all the organizational communication even on technical aspects unless the technical people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] are given the authority to talk to the media. Assumed Knowledge If I know it, then everyone must know it. Perhaps the most common communications problem is managements (leaders and managers) assumption that because they are aware of some piece of information, than everyone else is, too. Usually staff are not aware unless management  [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=management%3Bv=56] makes a deliberate attempt to carefully convey information. This has been the case especially on the technical fields where the managers think that every employee is aware of the basics in the related field. Sometimes, employees will be scared to ask because the boss has already assumed that everyone knows the principles. The result is that the job [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=job%3Bv=56] is not done properly and incompetence is labeled to the subordinates. Information Ownership Some people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] within the organisation would not want to share information with others and this has been termed HITES Holding Information To Enhance Status. This is usually the case in fields such as information technology (IT) where a person is solely employed because of the knowledge of a particular program. If he is to teach others the he loses his expert power and negotiating power within the organisation. Such group of people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] can make the organisation be at ransom if their demands are not met. Ethnocentricity This is mainly to do with judging people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] according to ones culture and thinking. This is a result of diverse cultures and different levels of education [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=education%3Bv=56] within the organisation. Camps within an organization Camps are usually created based on political persuasion, religious beliefs, as well as on tribal grounds. Since my organization is a parastatal and it is in the Presidents Office  [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=Office%3Bv=56], it is expected that within the organization we should be pro-government. However, some people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] are known to support other parties, so communication tends to be hindered as one is not so sure how to respond to certain issues raised. Tribal issues tend to hinder communication in my organization as some people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people%3Bv=56] feel one tribe is getting the attention of the senior executive in the organization. This has been further worsened in the recruitment exercise for senior posts. Managers failure to recognize the efforts of subordinates If I need your opinion, I will tell it to you. Communications problems can arise when management [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=management%3Bv=56] simply sees no value whatsoever in communicating with subordinates, believing subordinates should shut up and do their jobs [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=jobs%3Bv=56] as assigned. This kind of attitude discourages the subordinates and might force them to just leave the mistakes that their superior has done which might be detrimental to the organizational objectives and goals. The attitude of I know everything has retarded the learning [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=learning%3Bv=56] process in the organization. Inexperienced managers are usually the culprits in this regard as they find no need to communicate with subordinates. So whats to talk about? Communications problems can arise when inexperienced management [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=management%3Bv=56] interprets its job [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=job%3Bv=56] to be solving problems and if they are no problems/crises, then there is nothing that needs to be communicated. Conclusion Effective internal communications start with effective skills in communications, including basic skills in listening, speaking, questioning  and sharing feedback These can developed with some concerted review and practice. Perhaps the most important outcome from these skills is conveying that you value hearing from others and their hearing from you. Sound meeting management [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=management%3Bv=56] skills go a long way toward ensuring effective communications, too. A key ingredient to developing effective communications in any organization is each person taking responsibility to assert when they dont understand a communication or to suggest when and how someone could communicate more effectively.

Letter :: essays research papers

Legislator Donald Trotta Dear Donald Trotta   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My name is Jeffrey Magloire and I am a current matriculating student at Sullivan County Community College I have a couple of issues that I wanted to bring forward to your attention. As you may or may not know Sullivan County Community College has just constructed a new dormitory for incoming students. This Dormitory has opened up doors to many students that could not handle the commute to and from school. Although the dormitory has been an advantage to students traveling; the students have been living in poor condition for the last five weeks. The first problem occurred the day we walked in. The students were put into rooms where the paint smell was still resident and was the cause of two asthma attacks. We still have not received camera’s which would have been no problem if they had more than two security guards for each shift in our 350 capacity student dorm. I have read the contract that was handed to me and the dormitory has violated many promises made on that contract. The first violation has made many students drop out of school and go home and miss one semester of school. The Dormitory Corporation promised us daily maintenance on all of our bathrooms but the maintenance workers come only three times a week which has raised hazardous fumes coming from the bathroom and also the bathroom utensils are not available to students frequently which has deferred the students from having proper hygiene. The roof fire alarm has not been turned off due to the shortness of security officers and the alarm goes off every night due to loitering. They also promised that we will have telephone service which has not been honored and most of students have no way of contacting their friends and family. The School has one phone line and that one phone line is occupied by resident assistant, resident managers, security and is also the phone that security uses to contact the fire department in case of emergency.

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson :: Emily Dickinson Essays

There are several important and interesting authors in the American Literature history to talk about in this paper. However, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson is one of the most fascinating authors that generates admiration by reading her life and poems. Even tough her poems were not completed and written on scraps of paper, she is considered one of the great geniuses of nineteenth-century American poetry. The main reason of this reputation is based on the fact that her poems are innovative. Her poetry is different because she uses different literacy aspects from her contemporary writers. Aspects such as her family, friends, social issues, love, death, education and, in general, her personality had a tremendous impact in her writing. Eventually, these aspects were visualized when her poetry was published, and editors took it upon themselves to group them into categories of Friends, Nature, Love and Death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in the quiet community of Amherst, Massachusetts. Emily Dickinson was raised in a quiet, reserved family. Her father was a very authoritative person and her mother was not emotionally accessible. Her parent’s personality was probably the main reason of Emily’s eccentricity. Emily was raised in the Christian tradition, and she was expected to take up their father’s religious beliefs and values without argument. However, later, her poems illustrate how Emily challenges these conventional religious points of view of her father and the church, and how this new perspective contributes in the way and strength of her poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowing that her family was well known in the area for its educational and political activity and before Emily started writing poetry, it is important to emphasize that Emily was a proper educated individual. She attended the Amherst Academy. After her time at the Academy, Emily left for the South Hadley Female Seminary but severe homesickness led her to return home after one year. This was basically the beginning of Dickinson’s life of solitude. This solitude could lead her to focus on her world and to start writing her first conventional style poems. Some years later, she started building her particular style in which she introduces different literacy characteristics to her poems making her a unique writer. Dickinson’s works have had considerable influence on contemporary and modern poetry. She used certain characteristics that made her style unique. Sporadic capitalization, dashes, unconventional metaphors, off-rhymes and broken meter are some of the most frequent aspects Dickinson used.

Wicked Angel by Taylor Caldwell

Wicked Angel by Taylor Caldwell is a suspenseful and intriguing magnum opus beginning from the very first page; there are no dull moments in the Saint household. Caldwell has a brilliant gift for the creation of characters, as all the characters were so full of life. Angelo Saint was described as the prototypical psychopath that is, â€Å"born without a soul†. An overindulged only child, Angelo has his devoted mother wrapped around his fingers while his more practical father Mark, looks with horrified wonder from the sidelines.Angelo intensely detests his maternal Aunt Alice, who recognizes his social disorder from the start. At the opening of the story, Angelo, then 4, expresses deep rage at Alice and this rage manifested in bouts of wetting accidents. He then attacks Alice by smashing the contents of her purse; he destroys her sunglasses; used her handkerchief as toilet paper and flush some of her money down the toilet. His loving, but foolish mother Katherine condones his a ctions by insisting it was just a childish prank.Mark, however, punishes Angelo. Over the years, Angelo’s cruelties become more subtle and clever. At 6, he discreetly kills a pet dog, which Alice discovers when she visits her sister’s family at their summer place in 1959; he frightens away the birds and woodland creatures, viewing them as â€Å"weak enemies†, and he nearly kills Alice by pushing her over a cliff. Luckily, she is saved, but does not testify against her nephew.Angelo is described as physically large for his age, stunning in appearance and mentally gifted. At 10, he nearly poisons a housekeeper because she senses he is not the â€Å"Angel Saint†, as Katherine calls him; he hounds a classmate out of his prestigious prep school; he pit people against one another and broke a teacher’s arm â€Å"accidentally† during a school football game. He uses charm to get out of every difficulty and has all, but these few, whom he has hurt, fo oled.When Katherine becomes pregnant with a second child in 1963, she senses it is wise not to tell Angelo. He pesters her for information about why she is going to the doctor and once he discovers the secret, kills the unborn child, Katherine, and later perishes. Even his death is bizarre – he trips down a flight of steps, only to land his head on the marble floor below. Katherine dies in the hospital, confiding to Alice that she really knew what an evil son she truly had.

A Change to Scared

A Change to Scared Introduction The rate at which criminal activities happen around the world is alarming. While majority associate these activities with adult men and women, it is surprising to realize the share of the crimes that are committed by children. In most instances, people assume that children are not involved criminal activities.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on A Change to Scared-Straight Programs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is therefore worth noting the depth of Schmalleger’s report on children and crime. In fact, Schemalleger’s report of 2008 revealed that about 10% of the 99,794 juvenile arrests were of children of 12 years and below (2011, p. 542). An approximately 17% of all the arrests made in the United States every year comprised juveniles. In addition, juveniles are responsible for about 16% aggressive felony acts and about 26% property crimes in the United States. Since children form less than a third of the population, their percentage involvement in crime is disproportional (542). This argument indicates that the prevalence of criminal activities resulting from juveniles has been assumed in the world. The percentages revealed by such studies like that of Schmalleger are enough to prove that children’s involvement in criminal acts is alarming. In fact, this trend has been increasing over the years especially in the United States. Therefore, the rising trends of criminal acts by children have made it necessary for advocates and law makers to develop ways of reducing incidences of crimes committed by juveniles. They introduced the scared-straight programs as mechanisms of fighting felony acts by children. Whether they are effective or not has been a subject of discussion. As the paper reveals, removing some aspects such as confrontation and maintaining contact and support to the offenders and their families over an extended period can make the programs effectiv e. However, the share that this strategy can have is insignificant in relation to the weight of the cons of the program, which make it ineffective. Sacred-straight Programs are not Effective Scared-straight programs cannot be effective by themselves alone because juvenile crimes continue to rise even after great efforts by the government of the United States to enact legislations to promote it over the years. For instance, in the United States, several acts promoted the establishment of juvenile courts in a bid to separate children in crimes from mature adults. A good example of such a move that has never born any fruits is the Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899. This Act initiated a system of juvenile courts in the state of Illinois. Through the same Act, all juveniles in crimes were to be regarded as delinquents. Because of this Act, judges of the juvenile courts were advised to keep focus on the interest of the children in crimes than on their criminal act (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 546). In fact, no juvenile offender would be regarded as a criminal in such courts. Judges were to regard them as delinquents. This strategy is one of the grounds that made scare-straight programs unsuccessful.Advertising Looking for proposal on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second effort by the program was to eliminate the guilt of crime from the delinquents in a bid to promote reformation. The move made many juvenile criminals feel pampered to continue with their criminal activities even after being taken through the court process. They would never be remorseful about their acts. In 1938, the federal government of the United States passed another law: the Juvenile Court Act. This Act had many attributes and incorporations of the previous Illinois Act (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 547), which was followed by concerted efforts by the federal government to ensure that, within the next eight years, the sta tes in America had established legislations on juvenile offenders and their treatment in courts of law (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 547). However, these efforts were not fruitful. There were certain principals that the juvenile courts were to follow as the guidelines. Such principles included the assumption that the state was the ultimate parent to every child. The state should use non punitive measures to save children since it was worthwhile to do so. Every state was to nurture children and protect them from formal judicial procedure’s effects by individualizing the process of justice to recognize that every child is different by aspirations, living conditions, and needs. In addition, states were to be guided by the principle of non criminal procedures when adjudicating juvenile cases (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 547). Each state had to consider these factors in handling juvenile cases. All these efforts flopped. In fact, by 1980s, the rate of juvenile crimes rose to a higher scale (Da mmer Albanese, 2011, p. 264: Nissen, 2011, Para. 3: Schembri, n.d, p. 1), which was an indication that the program was not as effective as it was meant to be. In fact, it had worked against the federal and the state judicial systems. These alarming trends in juvenile crimes caused another shift in the way legislators and legal advocate perceived juvenile crimes (264). The legal procedures that followed when dealing with juvenile offenders were to be tightened. It was also clear that the major cause of failure in the first efforts to minimize juvenile crimes failed because it was skewed towards the welfare of the child than the actual crime committed. This strategy would never deter future juvenile offenders. In fact, it promoted a second crime act by many offenders who had gone through the trial system. This issue made policy makers move to becoming tough in a bid to lower juvenile crimes and or to reduce the impact of violence on the juveniles (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 547).Advertisi ng We will write a custom proposal sample on A Change to Scared-Straight Programs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The major goal of implementing these legal principles was to ensure that all children offenders were rehabilitated using non-punitive measures. The general assumption was that reaching juvenile offenders when they are young enough in their criminal acts would deter their behavior (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 256) upon claiming that denial of reinforcement of behavior culminates in demonization. When behavior is not reinforced, it is likely not to be manifested in the future. Government officials shifted their attention from the legal process to prisons. The federal government focused attention to assist the juvenile offenders to awareness through prison visits. The major focus here was to deter criminals from committing criminal acts before the actual act was committed. The deterrence theory posits that strict det errence of a certain behavior at an early stage may prevent the repetition of such a behavior. In 1979, juvenile awareness programs gained publicity when Scare Straight documentary was aired after winning the Oscar awards (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 257). This documentary emphasized the real meaning of juvenile programs thereby earning both local and international interest from the public. This program achieved between 80% and 90% success in deterring crimes commitment especially in the future dates. For example, in this program, juveniles would be taken to Rahway maximum security prison. Here, the inmates of this prison would narrate to the juveniles some stories of sex abuse, violence, and body abuse that they went through in prison. This strategy would portray life behind bars as unbearable. With such encounters, the juveniles would fear and feel scared about life in prison hence deterring them from committing criminal offences. When other nations learnt about the success of straight scare program in New Jersey, they also adopted the program (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 257). Juveniles would therefore have routine visits to the prison. They would also be allowed to interact and watch what happens in prisons ranging from confrontations and fighting among inmates, life in a locked cell, and meal sessions. The scare-straight program was not successful as proven by reports that came from the program officials (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 258). For example, the reports revealed that the program was a flop since criminal acts committed by juveniles that had gone through the program increased by 30%. Juveniles who went through the full scare-straight program committed new crimes just six months from the date of finishing the program (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 258). Perhaps, the stories narrated to them by the inmates encouraged them to be hardy in their pursuit to perfect their criminal acts. For instance, 40% of the boys in the prog ram committed other criminal offences before the lapse of six months after the training. This was way above 10% crime rate manifested when other programs were used (Harvard Mental Health Letter). It can therefore be argued that straight scare programs are not successful in deterring juveniles from committing crimes.Advertising Looking for proposal on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other programs indicate better results hence they are definitely better. It was also proved through various studies that the Scare straight program was not successful. For instance, the Harvard Medical Health Letter made a move to prove this point by evaluating nine studies in eight states in the United States. This survey took about 25 years. Researchers in this study revisited follow-ups programs, which ranged from three months to two years. The study also revisited the issue of whether the juveniles were later on arrested, ever convicted, or had negative contact with the police since they left the program. According to the analysis of this report, the scare-straight program was not effective. In fact, the report indicated that there was no difference in the life of the juvenile offender. Other reports on scare-straight programs have indicated that the difference that could be realized favored the children who never undergone it. From these researches, a clear contradiction came o ut. For example, the government officials were for the idea that the only effective way to deter a criminal is by imprisonment and to get very tough. Use of scare-straight programs would just make worse the criminal acts rather than deterring them (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 255: Lockwood, Harris, Mengers, 2009, p.1). According to (Petrosino, 2003, p. 13), scare-straight programs enhanced juveniles and inmates’ appetite to commit crimes. Criminals believe that they are achievers on the negative side. They believe that they are the best gangsters, rapists, and top in other crimes. To them, that strategy defines how they made their name in their states. Juveniles will therefore learn tactics of committing crimes as the inmates narrate their stories to them. This case portrays the inmates as role models to the upcoming juveniles (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 255). The way the juveniles were treated in the camps also led to the failure of the scare-straight program . In most instances, the juveniles were treated like children: with respect, tenderness, and love, which made them even worse. It is also worth noting that, in most instances that the juveniles had to encounter the inmates, it could only take an hour or a few hours, which limited the amount of time that the juveniles were exposed to the inmates to have a notable impact at the end of the program (Klenowski, Bell, Dodson, 2010, p. 268). According to the meta-analysis, scared–straight program did not deter crimes: increased them from 60% to 70%. In addition, it is also worth noting that, before a juvenile is classified as a criminal, his or her behavior is at its peak. This argument means that simple acts of deterring it may not work. In the same way, efforts to use the scare-straight method may not help such a person. Opposing Views to Scare-Straight Program According to Kelnowski, Bell, and Dodson, the use of confrontational methods in deterring crimes may not yield positive results (2010, p. 255). In fact, they assert that the societal need to reduce crime by juvenile offenders can only come through the implementation of non-confrontational methods of deterrence. It is quite open now that methods that promote intimidation, confrontation, and fear do not work and have not worked in the past (Petrosino, 2003, p. 13). It is therefore clear that, if there will be a success in tackling the problem of juvenile crimes, it will have to be done through scare-straight programs. The society can also use educational programs, family programs, community-based programs, reentry programs, and youth recreation. These methods are likely to succeed because they offer ongoing oversight to rehabilitate delinquent behavior (Mulvey, 2011, p. 3). Researchers have shown that incarceration of the juvenile offenders does not offer any difference in doing the offence again in the future. Various research studies that follow the juvenile offenders after life in prison indicate th at the rate of committing another crime has been about 66% second arrest and 33% second convictions (Sells, Sullivan, DeVore, 2012, p. 40). Applying scare-straight program facilitates reformation of the offender so that he or she lives a crime-free life to become a respectable citizen (Sells, Sullivan, DeVore, 2012, p. 40) hence offering an opportunity to engage juvenile offenders into activities and relationships with good role models (Peters Myrick, 2010, p. 33). Scare-straight programs offer an opportunity for the delinquent offenders to work, go to school, or continue with other productive activities hence reducing their attraction to committing another crime (Mulvey, 2011, p. 2). This provision is very necessary because researches indicate that most of the children that become delinquent are brought up by uneducated parents and neighborhoods (Mathur and Schoenfeld, 2010, p. 21-22). This predisposes juvenile offenders to abuse, poor attitude to academics, and drug abuse. My O pinion In my opinion, the scare-straight program was a good program to use in deterring juvenile offenders. However, the implementation procedure was the cause of its failure. It is worth noting that the program has failed due to poor control and implementation strategies. One cannot expect that, when mature inmates are left to narrate a story on their criminal past and the atrocities of prison, they will do it in a positive light. In most instances, the criminals would want to involve juveniles into becoming people of their caliber. They would show them how to become famous through crimes by indicating that theirs was only an accident that led to their arrest. Such moves would not deter criminal activities by the juveniles: they would in fact promote them. The will of the inmates to guide and counsel the juveniles is also questionable since the juveniles that were exposed to the scare-straight programs became either worse or had no positive attributes. The use of involvement method s like discussions, open forums, and family therapy can be very effective because there is no exposure of the juvenile offender to criminals. In fact, using discussions helps the offender to understand that there are people who care about them. The program also ensures that the juvenile offender is not completely separated from his or her immediate family members and the environment. This provision will enable him or her to open up to those who are close to him or her. The understanding here is that the offender is still part of the society, and he or she cannot be neglected because of his or her past atrocities. It is also a positive message that the society is ready if the victims change their behavior. On the other hand, the use of scare–straight method may end up encouraging delinquency since the juvenile offender is put in a point where he or she can interact with other criminals like him and even the senior criminals in maximum prisons. This case exposes him or her to m ore dangerous role models as they continue narrating their ordeals. It is also worth noting that, when criminals interact, the juvenile offenders are made to view their crimes as the least that one can commit thus making them not remorseful about the crimes they commit since they have met other people who committed worse crimes. Therefore, the scare-straight method of deterring crime is not effective. In fact, it may lead to hardening of juveniles who would have been reformed if the appropriate alternative method was applied. Conclusion In conclusion, the scare-straight program of deterring juvenile offenders is not effective compared to other programs because, as it has been discussed above, various researches have indicated that the juveniles that undergo these programs remain the same, grow worse, or are worse than those juveniles who did not undergo the program. Instead of exposing the juveniles to hardened criminals in maximum prisons for guidance in the name of scaring them, i t would be better to use interactive methods. Such methods like family therapy and discussions may yield better results since the juveniles would be more ready to open up and share their worries. Such methods are also more involving. Juveniles feel that the society is still ready to accept them back when they reform. This provision may completely deter their will to commit a crime again. Reference List Dammer, R., Albanese, J. (2011). Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. Belmont: Wadsworth. Klenowski, M., Bell, K., Dodson, K. (2010). An Empirical Evaluation Of Juvenile Awareness Programs In The United States: Can Juveniles Be â€Å"Scare Straight†?  Journal Of Offender Rehabilitation, 49(4), 254-272. Lockwood, B., Harris, W., Mengers, L. (2009). A CJCA White paper: Defining and  Measuring Recidivism. London: Routledge. Mathur, R., Schoenfeld, N. (2010). Effective Instructional Practices In Juvenile Justice Facilities. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1), 20-27. Mulvey, E. (2 011). Highlights From Pathway to Desistance: A Longitudinal Study of  Serious Adolescent Offenders. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Nissen, L. (2011). Beyond Scare-Straight-Moving to Programs that Actually Work. Web. Peters, C., Myrick, S. (2010). Juvenile Recidivism-measuring success or Failure: Is there a difference? Corrections Today, 73(1), 32-43. Petrosino, A. (2002). Scared Straight and Other Juvenile Awareness Programs for  Preventing Juvenile Delinquency. Campbell: The Campbell Collaboration. Schembri, A. (n.d). Scared Straight Programs: Jail and Detention Tours. Web. Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for The 21st  Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Sells, S., Sullivan, I., DeVore, D. (2012). Stopping The Madness: A new Reentry System For Juvenile Corrections. Corrections Today, 74(2), 40-45.

10 Best Alternatives to Student Loans

10 Best Alternatives to Student Loans Getting into the college of your dreams is only the first hurdle many students need to overcome. By far the most difficult part of going to college is coming up with the money to pay for it. With student loan problems splashed across every newspaper, blog and financial website in the universe, many students are beginning to explore alternatives to traditional student financing. Weve rounded up the 10 most promising alternatives. 1. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending Peer-to-peer lending, often abbreviated to P2P, is a type of private loans which takes place between two individuals, or peers. Some characterize P2P lending as the corporate worlds spin on one friend loaning another some money†. While perhaps an oversimplification, thats essentially what it is. In peer-to-peer lending there are no credit checks, bank or government involvement in the loan itself. Private lenders offer loans for a set interest rate and its conducted as a private business. The largest lending platforms in the United States are Prosper and Lending Club. 2. Work Study Programs If youre already working part-time, you may qualify for the Federal Work Study (FWS) Program. This is a fund maintained by the government to help students who work part-time and go to school full time. Applications can be submitted through your schools Student Office as well as directly through the programs website. 3. Tuition Reimbursement Many companies offer a tuition reimbursement program. These program pay students back a portion of their school tuition, but does not include fees or textbook costs. This kind of program is typically offered in companies that traditionally promote from within and have various options for career growth. 4. Scholarships You dont always need to have the best grades or crazy athletic skills to land a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by schools, companies, organizations, clubs and churches. There are thousands of scholarships that range from a few hundred dollars and go up to $10,000 and more. Local scholarships can be found through community organizations, churches and private businesses. Check your local library, community swim team and the local businesses that support softball, baseball, football or other local teams. Have your parents ask at work – many companies offer special scholarships to the children on employees. National and international scholarships can be found easily online or with the help of a high school or college adviser. 5. Grants In contrast to scholarships, grants are typically need based and are offered through the Federal Government. These grants can be applied for directly through the student aid website of the US Government. Several grants are also available at the state level. Grants do not have to be repaid and can be applied for either once a year or, in some cases, during each quarter or semester. 7. The Military Every branch of the US Military offers a number of grants, scholarships and financial aid opportunities for active and former servicemen and women as well as the families of those soldiers. If youre willing to postpone college a few years and enlist yourself, you could easily get a free ride, no matter what your degree. As a bonus youll get plenty of hands on experience in your chosen field and a history of military service makes a great impression on resumes and in an interview. 8. AmeriCorps AmeriCorps is a program maintained by the US federal government. It aims to get people more involved with various non-profit charities, schools and other community centered organizations on both a state and national level. It could involve working with the homeless, teaching children how to read, working with at risk teens or any other kind of public service. A 12 month stint with AmeriCorps snags you a living allowance, help with housing and, once youre done, some nice Education Credits you can apply to your tuition and other education costs. 9. Cap in Hand Where do people turn to in times of trouble and need? The internet, of course! Hitting up people for small (or large) donations online is nothing new, but plenty of people never consider it when looking into ways to pay for college. From asking for financing on a specific university project through a website like Kickstarter to just taking up a page and using it to ask for donations, the internet can be a great way to raise funds. Alex Tew made history in 2005 when he set up the Million Dollar Homepage and sold ad space online for $1 per pixel in order to pay for his university education in Wiltshire, England. The ploy paid off and, in 2006, Tew grossed $1,037,000. 10. Rich Relatives or Winning the Lottery Perhaps a bit less pragmatic than our other options but, hey, if you havent seen Great Uncle Norbert for awhile, this might be a great time to catch up! Failing that, hit the Bingo haul with Grandma and dont forget to borrow one of her lucky troll dolls!

7 Social Media Checklists to Boost Your Efficiency - CoSchedule

7 Social Media Checklists to Boost Your Efficiency As a marketing manager, you have a ton of work to do. Between projects, reports and more, trying to manage social media (which is a lot of work in and of itself) can put on a lot of stress. You have to check in on your campaigns, approve graphics, pull analytics, and the list goes on. Having a checklist in place can help you ensure that you’re getting all your work done promptly and you’re not missing any critical steps. Since we’re such believers in checklists, we created seven social media checklist templates for you. There are printable and editable versions for each one, too, making it easy to manage everything you need to get done. So what are you waiting for? Start reading and using your free checklists now. 7 Simple Social Media Checklists to Boost Your EfficiencyDownload Your Social Media Checklist Bundle Your Social Media Checklist Bundle includes seven unique checklists: Daily Social Media Checklist General Management Social Media Checklist Social Media Campaign Checklist Social Media Audit Checklist Quarterly Social Media Analysis Checklist Social Media Crisis Communications Checklist Social Media Strategy Checklist Each checklist comes as a PDF and Word Document so you can edit and adjust each one to fit the specific tasks you need to complete.Why Are Checklists Important? Checklists are essential for any manager. Actually, that’s true for almost any position, which is why they are so critical to today’s work environment. In fact, Atul Gawande, author of â€Å"The Checklist Manifesto†Ã‚  talks about how to the world is so busy and complicated that we need a checklist to keep up with everything. He’s literally a surgeon, too. If he needs checklists, marketers probably do as well. Checklists help by: Keeping you on track and organized. Ensuring that you don’t forget something in the process. Help you maintain consistency. Help delegate tasks to the rest of your social media team and ensure that they are also getting their work done. Still don’t believe me? Take a look at a day in the life of social media manager  Mario Moreno (a global social media manager for a massive retailer): And that’s just one day! Not to mention, that’s just social media. You’re probably balancing other things on top of your social media management. In summary, get yourself a checklist, there’s too much going on with your day-to-day work not to. Create Checklists In With Task Templates You can move all of your checklists into one place with Task Templates  from . Getting them set up in your calendar is easy. Select the task template icon: Add in the tasks from your checklist and assign them to a person in your calendar with a due date: Title and save your template once it’s ready: Ready to try managing all your content + social media marketing on one calendar and build your own checklists with Task Templates? Start a free trial or schedule a demo now. 7  Social Media Marketing Checklists For Managers Okay, we’ll stop being a dead horse here. You can see that checklists are essential for social media managers.  So, let’s dive into each one we've included in this post. Table of Contents: Daily Social Media Checklist Social Media Management Checklist Social Media Campaign Checklist Social Media Audit Checklist Social Media Analysis Checklist Social Media Crisis Communication Checklist Social Media Strategy ChecklistA Daily Social Media Checklist First on our list is a daily social media checklist. It looks something like this: Get your free daily social media checklist from @here:Finish Any Outstanding Tasks The first part of any social media marketers day should be to finish any outstanding tasks from the day before. Check That Posts That Are Publishing Today Are Ready To Go This step in your daily checklist involves three parts: Ensure that any accounts tagged in your posts are correct. The last thing you want to do is send out a post that links to the wrong account. Make sure any links in your posts are working. Broken links are no good. Double-check for spelling errors. Simple mistakes can leave a lasting (and unfortunately, negative) impression. Review Any Meetings On Your Agenda For Today Meeting to discuss an upcoming campaign? Do yourself a favor and review your notes and research before you head in. Check The Status Of Upcoming Graphics and Videos If upcoming posts still don’t have the images, graphics, or videos they need, check in with the teams responsible for creating them. This is especially important because if you and need to make edits, you don’t want to be adding visual content at the last minute. Review Any VIsual Media That Needs To Be Approved For Your Social Channels If graphics or videos are waiting for approval, make your edit notes and get them back to their respective teams in a timely manner. Edit Upcoming Content For Each Social Media Channel If you have a writer crafting social copy, review every post before it’s published. Approve Any Content That Is Ready For Publish Once the graphics are uploaded, and the content is edited, you can approve your posts to publish to your channels. Ensure that your social media publishing tool has approval features to make sure everything that publishes is actually ready to go. Engage With Thought Leaders There are thought leaders in every industry. Set aside time each day to engage with them, and find new people to follow. Share advice, tactics, and more to help develop that relationship. You never know when they might call for a favor. Plus, engaging with thought leaders can help keep you on top of the latest trends in your industry and increase your authority. Reshare Content From Partners and Influencers If you are working with a partner or influencer, show their content a little love by sharing it to your channels. This can also help fill gaps in your social media schedule if you’re running out of content ideas. Update Your Social Media Calendar Your social media strategy lives and dies by your calendar. Which means that it should always be up to date. Check in every day to ensure projects, messages, reports, and meetings haven’t moved dates. Did You Know?: is the industry's leading marketing calendar, making it easy to plan and publish all your content and social media posts in one place. Engage With Potential New Customers Social media is all about engagement. With companies all over the social media sphere, it’s easier for customers to have their voice heard by the organizations they love (or hate). This is a task that would be easy to pass down to another team member if you don’t have time to respond to every request. Read Industry News Interacting with thought leaders in your industry is not going to be enough to keep you on top. Reading articles and the latest industry news can help you fill that gap though. Subscribe to blogs and follow social accounts that share relevant news about your industry. Use tools like Feedly  or Flipboard  to help find the latest news. Curate Content For Your Social Media Channels It can be tough to create enough content to keep your social channels full. Fortunately, content curation can help fill those gaps. Look for stories that your customers and fans would enjoy reading and add them to your publishing tool. Did You Know?: 's Chrome extension makes it easy to curate social media content on your marketing calendar. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Management Checklist Another checklist in your bundle is a general management checklist. These tasks are ones that usually fall to management alone and should always be a part of your list. It could look something like this: Get your free social media management checklist from @here:Check The Workload Of Your Team Check in with your co-workers periodically to make sure that they aren’t overwhelmed with their workload. (Or worse they don’t have enough to do). If they are overwhelmed, try shifting tasks so they can regain their balance and get caught up. Do This With : 's Team Performance Reports allow you to measure your team's productivity and adjust workloads accordingly. Monitor Upcoming Campaigns If you’ve got a big campaign on the horizon, you may want to make sure that everything is on track to be completed by the intended launch date. Make it easier on yourself and your co-workers and commit to having all the graphics, content and videos done before launch, so you have time to review and get edits completed before things start to publish. Do This With : You can schedule entire campaigns using Social Campaigns  in . Create posts, schedule posting times, and measure their performance, all in one place. Check Incoming Messages There are three reasons that as a manager you would want to check in on the incoming messages from your social media channels. Checking incoming messages may help you spot a crisis before one starts. If you can step in and help calm down an angry customer before calamity ensues, your whole organization will thank you. You can help manage customer engagement. You might even uncover some positive reviews of your product that you can reshare. Prepare For Upcoming Strategy Meetings As a manager it’s up to you to steer the social media ship, so preparing for those upcoming strategy meetings is going to fall on to your plate. One way to stay on top is continuous research to help you see what’s going on in the social media realm. Prepare Reports For Upper Management Or Clients Your reports are what show the success (or failure) of your work. Your reports should be easy to read by anyone in your company. They should include any metrics that show that you reached or missed your goals and a brief analysis on why something did or didn’t work. Do This With : offers robust social analytics and reporting features to measure every post and campaign. Monitor Competitor Channels The saying keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer comes to mind here, but having your competitors in the back of your mind can give you that extra drive to be better and do more. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Campaign Checklist Campaigns come up frequently in social media, so it’s vital that as a manager you have a process to follow that makes it easier to crank them out and get them published. The following checklist can help you do just that. Get your free social media campaign checklist from @here:Brainstorm A Theme With Your Team You have to create a lot of campaigns in a year, and as they say, two heads are better than one. Round up your social media team to help you brainstorm the theme for your next campaign. Recommended Reading:  This Is The Best 30-Minute Content Marketing Brainstorming Process Outline The Dates For Your Campaign Three major dates need to be outlined for any campaign: When you need to start working on creating content. When your campaign goes live. When your campaign ends. Determine Your Audience Depending on the theme of your campaign and the message you want to send, the audience you are targeting may shift a little bit. You also need to determine what message you need to share with them that would resonate and  grab their attention. Recommended Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience And Create The Best Content That Connects Set An Ad Budget (If Necessary) If you decide that you are going to add any paid ad promotion to your campaign you need to set a budget. Outline how much you are going to spend: In one day. On one post. On the total campaign. Recommended Reading: How To Make The Most of Facebook Advertising To Reach New Audiences With Rachel Wiinanen From [AMP063] Outline Necessary Image And Video Needs The next step is to outline any necessary image or video needs that you might want to add to your campaign. Include things like: Videos for each channel. Infographics. Photos for each channel. Cover photos. Profile photos. Anything else your team might need. Once you have those initial requests, send them to each team to determine how much time they would need to complete them. Recommended Reading: The Best Guide to Social Media Image Sizes Every Marketer Needs Assign Deadlines To Team Members For Projects Each member of your social media team, as well as your graphic designers and video production crew, needs a deadline that they need to have their work done. Set them early, so you have time for edits and changes before your campaign launches. Do This With : Task Templates  make it easy to build reusable checklists right inside your marketing calendar. Choose Your Hashtags Decide as a team if you are going to use any unique hashtags to identify your campaign on channels like Twitter and Instagram. If you decide to add your hashtag decide on spelling and spacing in advance. Write Post Copy Either you or your social media writers now need to write copy for your campaign. Use our Social Message Optimizer  to create the best content for every channel. Recommended Reading: How To Write The Best Social Media Posts [Backed By 6,399,322 Messages + 11 Studies] Shoot/Design Visual Content Once your message copy has been created direct your designers and video producers to create the necessary visual content for your campaign. Edit Content After your writers have created that initial message copy, go through each post and check for: Spelling errors. Grammar errors. Accounts are tagged correctly. Hashtags are spelled correctly and used on the right channels. Approve Graphics/Videos Once your designers and producers are done with any necessary images or videos, review each one to make sure that it is ready for publishing. Check Links Another thing to check off your list is to ensure the links in your posts are leading to the right places. You may need to check that each one of your posts has been run through a link shortener (if you use one). Upload Messages To Your Publishing Tool Once everything is approved, upload your messages into your social media publishing tool. Ensure that each message is paired with its appropriate visual counterpart. Do This With : Use Social Templates  in to easily recreate posting cadences and frequencies. Schedule Your Campaign Your next step is to schedule your campaigns. Once you have your posts uploaded, turn your campaign live. Do This With : You can schedule your social media messages to go out at the best times with our Best Time Scheduling Feature. Measure Your Results The last step in your process is to measure the results of your campaign. Remember, you can make it easy by using ’s Social Campaign Report, where we’ll do all the work for you. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Audit Checklist Once a year you’re going to run a social media audit. It’s tedious but necessary. A checklist will help you ensure that you don’t miss a step in your auditing process. [Tweet "Get your free social media audit checklist from @here:Review And Secure All Your Social Media Profiles Make sure that your profiles are up to date and all of your passwords are stored in a secure location like LastPass  or 1Password. Analyze The Performance Of Each Of Your Social Media Profiles Check your data to see if your social media profiles and their messages are connecting with your audience and producing engagement. If not, it may be time to ax them. Review Your Publishing Schedule Check your schedule and see if the amount of content you posted to each channel was enough to generate engagement. If not, consider adding or back off the number of times you post on a channel. Run An Audience Analysis Using the same resources you did to develop your first audience, review your demographic data to see if you are still attracting the same audience. Complete A Content Analysis Review what content types did and didn’t connect with your audience on each social media channel. Run A SWOT Analysis Determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that your organization currently faces on social media. Review Goals From Previous Year Determine if you and your social media team met the previous year’s goals. Recommended Reading: How To Complete A Social Media Audit In Nine Steps (+ Free Template) Back to Table of Contents Quarterly Social Media Analysis Checklist Each quarter you’re going to need to check in to see if your efforts are producing the results you want. In other words, you’re going to need to run a quarterly social media analysis. Here is the checklist you’ll need to make sure you get everything done. Get your free quarterly social media analysis checklist from @here:Decide Your Time Period For Analysis What dates are you going to gather your data from? If going quarter by quarter, you’d be looking at a three-month period for each one. Create Your Report Template Create a template with sections for every piece of data you need to gather. This can help ensure that you don’t forget to collect data for a specific section from one quarter to another. Recommended Reading: The Best Social Media Report Template to Show Your Results Gather Data Using your reporting tools, gather the data you need. Analyze Your Data Look for trends, patterns and other consistencies that can help you interpret what your audience wants to see from you. You should also be looking for data that shows that your team is (or isn’t) on track to meet their goals. Recommended Reading: How to Drill Into Data To Extract Powerful Social Media Insights Prepare Your Report Place data into your report and provide a summary of overall trends and patterns for upper management or your client. Recommended Reading: The Best Social Media Report Template to Show Your Results Send To Client Or Upper Management Send the report to whoever needs to see it. Prepare and respond to any questions that may come from your client or management based on your report. Decide If Your Strategy Needs Adjustment Based On Analysis Based on your report and the data you gathered, adjust your strategy to ensure your team meets the goals that were set for them. Back to Table of Contents Social Media Crisis Communication Checklist As a   manager, you need to be prepared at all times for a communication crisis. This could stem from your work or something that happens within your organization. Either way, you need to be ready. Here is the checklist you’ll need. Get your free social media crisis communication checklist from @here.Pause All Social Media Campaigns Immediately The minute a crisis happens, pause all of your social media campaigns immediately. No post should go out until you’ve spoken with upper management. Check In With Upper Management To Determine Next Steps Meet with the other managers to decide what steps the company needs to take. Determine What Kind Of Messaging Should Be Used Work with your public relation team to decide what type of language and messaging should be used to respond to the crisis. Respond Individually To People On Social Media If a flood of mentions and comments come in during a crisis, take the time to respond to them individually, but only after messaging and language has been determined by management. Issue An Apology From The Company The first social media message you send after the crisis has occurred should be an apology from the company. Edit Campaigns For Content That May Inflate Crisis Again Edit your campaigns to ensure they have no mention of anything related to the crisis, or why it occurred. Resume Campaigns Once the crisis has passed, resume your campaigns again. Recommended Reading: How To Build a Thorough Social Media Policy to Prevent Emergencies Back to Table of Contents A Social Media Strategy Checklist The last checklist on this massive list of checklists revolves around your social media strategy. Like your audit checklist, this list is used maybe once a year or once per quarter to review how things are going. Here is the list of things you’ll need to do. Get your free social media strategy checklist from @here.Review Last Year’s Strategy Determine what did and didn’t work from your strategy and why. Throw out what didn’t work and revamp or keep what did. Research New Trends And Ideas Keep your strategy fresh by researching the latest emerging trends and ideas that might work for your organization. Review Your Target Audience Decide if this is still the audience you want to be attracting to your organization. If it is, make sure that your audience profile is up to date. If it isn’t, decide who your new audience will be and create a new profile. Review Your Business Objectives Talk with your CMO to determine the new business objectives that have been set, so your team can create goals based on them. Set Goals Set your goals based on your business objectives. Recommended Reading: How To Set SMART Marketing Goals Establish Your Metrics And KPIs Determine the data points you need to track in order to prove that you are meeting your goals. Determine Tactics Decide which tactics your team is going to use on each social media channel to meet your goals. Map Out Seasonal Campaigns On Social Media Calendar Use recurring sales or seasonal campaigns and plan them out in your social media calendar in advance. Establish Your Reporting Schedule Determine how often and when you are going to report on the progress of your social media strategy and goals to upper management or a client. Back to Table of Contents See How Easy Checklists and Can Help Improve Your Efficiency You now have the tools you need to help get your work done even faster than you were before. Each one of these checklists can be edited to fit your schedule. Once you’re ready to increase your efficiency even more, try . Our state of the art marketing calendar will let you control every aspect of your social media all from one place. Plus, don't forget Task Templates make it easy to build reusable checklists for all your social media tasks.  Start a trial  or sign up for a demo  today.

The Founding Docs of the U.S. Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Founding Docs of the U.S. Government - Essay Example For instance, it is the right of the people to have the leaders they want and exercise their rights to choose these leaders through elections when they are of legal age, regardless of their color, status and gender. For this reason, the American experiment, or the experiment of representative republican governance, has been established for the nation, being called this way because the United States has long been under the leadership of Great Britain as a group of colonies. As it is even today, Great Britain had a monarchial form of government that the Founding Fathers did not like. In the Constitution that they drafted, they expressed their desire to have a ruler who is not put into power because of his/her familial ties but because a person has the ability to rule the people. However, because of the long dependence of the colonies on the British government, many states were reluctant to accept the idea of independence. When Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense, the other states courageously embraced the idea because of the bravery of one man who publicly expressed and explained in detail the ideas of independence. Apart from the First Amendment, there have been other amendments that particularly address life and liberty. For instance, the Fourth Amendment prohibits searches, arrests and seizures of property without probable cause. The Fifth Amendment gives an accused the popularly called Miranda Rights. The Sixth Amendment provides a speedy trial; the Third Amendment protects private homeowners from the use of their homes as military quarters during a time of peace. Other amendments protect the rights so that they can live safely. The first ten amendments of the Bill of Rights specify the extent of liberty that citizens must enjoy under the constitution. However, this has not been seen to be true in the lives of African-Americans. Many of them remained to be slaves and have been denied their rights to pursue happiness and

The Palliative Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Palliative Care - Essay Example Palliative care may be achieved by offering psychological, physical, and spiritual relief for the patient. In the United Kingdom, palliative care services are not only applied to the end of life patients but are also increasingly widely used in the management of incurable diseases alongside other medical procedures such as diagnosis and treatment. This is particularly attributed to the growing empirical evidence suggesting that the cost –efficacy of palliative care significantly outweighs attempts at disease cure, with regard to quality of life for both the patient and the family. The provision of palliative care is often affected by a number of external influences such as pathways, government policies and agendas and hospice availability as well as internal influences some of which may include psychological and physical aspects of the patients or their families. Other internal factors may also include the knowledge of the caregivers regarding the principles and practices of palliative care, attitudes of the caregiver on life and death and support from relatives and family members. This paper is based on a case study of Mrs. Janet, an end of life cancer patient who was admitted in a hospital in the United Kingdom 28 years after her initial diagnosis of cervical cancer (see Appendix A). The case study analysis attempts to highlight some of the potential external influences that may have directly influenced her end-of-life care, as well as the strategies applied by concerned practitioners in facilitating the delivery of palliative care services of the required quality. In addition, the present case analysis also seeks to critically evaluate the variable factors, including the social, physical, and psychological factors, together with their respective impacts on the experience of the client in relation to the provided palliative care. There exist a diverse number of factors that influence the end-of-life palliative care provided to patients with life-limiting health conditions. In the case study, Mrs. Janet’s end of life care is likely to be directly influenced by external factors such as such as cultural factors, care pathways, government policies and agendas and hospice availability.

SESSION 2 BLOOD GAS ANALYSIS AND OSMOMETRY Lab Report

SESSION 2 BLOOD GAS ANALYSIS AND OSMOMETRY - Lab Report Example rescent molecule, it has to travel through an optical isolator( black coating) to prevent interference by unspecific light with the light detection system. Osmolality measures the total number of osmotically active particles in a solution and is equal to the sum of the molalities of all the solutes present in that solution. The four colligative properties are changed by the dissolving of the solute in solvent. Osmolarity refers to osmoles per litre, whilst osmolality refers to osmoles per kg water( There is a slight difference between plasma molality and molarity because of the non-acqueous components present such as proteins and lipids that make up about 60% of the total volume. Thus serum is only 94% water and the molality of a substance in serum is about 6% higher than its molarity. Molality is preferred because it is independent of temperature). The osmolality of physiological fluids is mainly determined by small molecules that are present in high concentrations. For example in serum, sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, urea and glucose are the only components present in high enough concentrations to individually affect the osmolality. Together these make up over 95% of total osmolality of serum. Larger serum molecules contribute little to the overall osmolality. A useful estimate of the osmolality is calculated from: The difference between the measured and the calculated osmolality is known as the osmolar gap. If there are unmeasured osmotically active species present then these will increase the gap. The normal osmolar gap is up to 10mmol/L and values in excess of this usually indicate the presence of an exogenous agent. The most common is ethanol, but methanol, the ethylene glycol, acetone and isopropyl alcohol will also contribute if present. Different causes of hyponatraemia can be distinguished by serum osmolality measurement. It is increased in hyperosmolar hyronatraemia(eg: hyperglycaemia), normal in psuedohyponatraemia and decreased in

Define the medical model of health and describe the differences when Essay - 1

Define the medical model of health and describe the differences when compared to the social model of health - Essay Example The concept of social model of health is much advanced than the medical model and is currently being used in the field of medicine, nursing, sociology, health psychology, psychiatry, clinical social work and chiropractic medicine. According to the medical model of health, physical illness is caused by a particular "pathogen" or disease causing organism (Curtis, p.48). The pathogens cause the disease because of which some physical changes occur within the body. The causative factors are not only organisms but some chemical imbalances and genetic predisposition. According to the social model which is commonly known as the biopsychosocial model, illness is caused due to an interplay of a multitude of factors and that most of the times illness results from an interplay of biological factors like pathogens, psychological factors like beliefs and behaviors and social factors like economic status and employment. This model of health was developed by Engel in the 1970s. The psycho aspects of health which this model proposed were cognitions like expectations of health, certain emotions like fear of treatment and important health-related behaviors like consumption of alcohol, smoking, diet and exercise (Curtis, p.53). Emotional turmoil, lack of self-control and negative thinking have been incriminated in the development of disease. The social aspects of health which this model proposed were social drinking, peer group pressure and expectations, social values of health, ethnicity, parental pressure and expectations and social class. The social model of health is basically based on the social cognitive theory (Curtis, p.55). The medical model perceives illness as beyond the control of the individual and thus individuals are not responsible for the illness. Here patients are regarded as victims of external force that causes changes in the internal aspects of the patients. But the social model perceives illness as a combination of several

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Research - Essay Example The common characteristics of all social networks are the provision rather the requirement of making a profile that usually demands some personal information including contact information. A national survey conducted by the American Life Project in collaboration with the Pew research center (as cited in Lenhart & Madded, 2007), revealed that more than half of the teenagers, aged between 12 and 17 years of age regularly use online social networking. A technology being used at such a rate definitely would be having some effects on the lifestyle of its users. According to Pew Internet (cited in Chartier, 2009), a survey in 2008 revealed that the ratio of adult versus teen users of online social networks is 1:2. Teenagers form a group almost double in size to that of adults comprising social network users. Such findings lead to the speculation that adults and teenagers might have different opinions regarding the usability, security issues, productivity and impacts of social networking on one’s life. This study aims at identifying and presenting the differences in opinion that exist among adults and teenagers regarding the usage of online social networking. The main objective is to explore the areas of perceptions regarding online social networking in which the two age groups differ. Different surveys conducted by Pew Internet in 2007 and 2008 have revealed that teenagers use online social networking twice as much as adults do. Keeping in view these striking differences, it is speculated that opinion differences regarding the usage of online social networking might also be prevalent among the two groups. This study is an attempt to reveal such perceptional differences among the two age groups. It is hoped that it will contribute eventually in bridging these opinion gaps among the two groups. If the findings are utilized properly, the study can lead in spreading proper awareness about

Define the medical model of health and describe the differences when Essay - 1

Define the medical model of health and describe the differences when compared to the social model of health - Essay Example The concept of social model of health is much advanced than the medical model and is currently being used in the field of medicine, nursing, sociology, health psychology, psychiatry, clinical social work and chiropractic medicine. According to the medical model of health, physical illness is caused by a particular "pathogen" or disease causing organism (Curtis, p.48). The pathogens cause the disease because of which some physical changes occur within the body. The causative factors are not only organisms but some chemical imbalances and genetic predisposition. According to the social model which is commonly known as the biopsychosocial model, illness is caused due to an interplay of a multitude of factors and that most of the times illness results from an interplay of biological factors like pathogens, psychological factors like beliefs and behaviors and social factors like economic status and employment. This model of health was developed by Engel in the 1970s. The psycho aspects of health which this model proposed were cognitions like expectations of health, certain emotions like fear of treatment and important health-related behaviors like consumption of alcohol, smoking, diet and exercise (Curtis, p.53). Emotional turmoil, lack of self-control and negative thinking have been incriminated in the development of disease. The social aspects of health which this model proposed were social drinking, peer group pressure and expectations, social values of health, ethnicity, parental pressure and expectations and social class. The social model of health is basically based on the social cognitive theory (Curtis, p.55). The medical model perceives illness as beyond the control of the individual and thus individuals are not responsible for the illness. Here patients are regarded as victims of external force that causes changes in the internal aspects of the patients. But the social model perceives illness as a combination of several

The doctrine of Christ and Holy Spirit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The doctrine of Christ and Holy Spirit - Essay Example Throughout his explanation, he desires to reintroduce the ideologies that attempted to rationalize the principles of scripture and depict why they fell off the mark. His writings seeks to instruct the essentials of Christ's time and purpose on earth. He brings forth wisdom as well as understanding by dismantling the dogmas into rudimentary form. Core issues: One of the key fundamental issues that give Christendom its grandiose power and influence is the doctrinal divine mystery of Christ. Grudem illuminated that essential aspect one must know is that he was fully God and man. He addresses the cynics and teaches believers that the being of Christ had to fully manifest in both entities to be our atonement for our sins. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." (Luke 1: 35; cf. 3: 23) The Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, mother of Jesus, is didactic of illustrating that salvation can only come from God without the aid of human effort -other than utilizing Mary as human vessel. Furthermore, Grudem set out to promulgate that Christ is the fusion of God and man without original sin. Christ's holiness seems to bedazzle many sceptics as to Jesus' sinlessness. Many wonder how can Jesus be sinless if his mother was a descendent of the sinful Adam. The dogmas of Catholicism assert that Mary was also without sin and transferred that characteristic via womb to Jesus. Grudem, however, extirpates that assertion and instructs that the union of God and man prevented Jesus from sinning. (Pg. 538) Grudem hypothetically raised the question of the... Purpose of Book: His purpose throughout this book, especially through this section (The Doctrine of Christ and Holy Spirit) is instruct and explain the fundamental dogmas of Christianity. Throughout his explanation, he desires to reintroduce the ideologies that attempted to rationalize the principles of scripture and depict why they fell off the mark. His writings seeks to instruct the essentials of Christ's time and purpose on earth. He brings forth wisdom as well as understanding by dismantling the dogmas into rudimentary form. Grudem also illuminated the relevancy of Jesus ministry on earth through several points. Not only was he the atonement of sin but also a laymen's example of walking in the Christian faith, a mediator between God and men, the fulfilment of God's original purpose on earth, and a sympathetic high priest that can understand the struggles of man. Ultimately, Grudem claims, based on scripture, the Jesus was both fully God and fully man. After making that claim, he attempts to discredit other variations of the duality of Christ. Apollinarianism was a teaching deemed a heresy because it fell short of matching the description of Christ engendered in the bible. Apollinaris, who became bishop in Laodicea, France, taught that the entity of Christ was a mixture of flesh and spirit.

Audit Proposal Essay Example for Free

Audit Proposal Essay For more classes visit www.assignmentcloud.com Management at Kudler Fine Foods now wants to see the proposed audit schedules for the systems analyzed by the team in Week Two. †¢ Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word brief that: †¢ Distinguishes between the types of audits that could be used for each process. †¢ Recommends the audit most appropriate for each process. †¢ Explains how the audits will be conducted. †¢ Identifies events that could prevent reliance on auditing through the computer.

Does Alternative Medicine Really Work?

Does Alternative Medicine Really Work? Eduardo Gomez Mr. Thomas Corbet Alternative medicine range from herbal remedies to acupuncture and were typically used by people who are unable to use conventional medicine. However, today many people use alternative medicine because they fear big pharmaceutical drugs or cannot afford the rising cost of healthcare. People claim that alternative medicines work and heal them of illnesses but do alternative medicines really work when compared to conventional medicine? In a recent study, it was found that about 40 percent of United States adults use some of the following forms of alternative, medicine mind-body interventions, biologically based therapies, body-based methods, or energy methods. These methods of medicine became appealing to adults during the early or mid 19th century as they were markets as safe and natural methods. During this time alternative medicine actually competed with conventional medicine. However towards the end of the 19th century, alternative medicines were denounced as medical breakthroughs helped doctors understand the human body better. In todays society, alternative medicines have again gained popularity for two reasons, one is when they are marketed as safe because of the fear of vaccinations or super bugs that have developed because of some conventional practices(Ventola). Another reason is the gap between physicians and people today. In the United States, the cost of health care is incredibly high so many Americans resort to alternatives that are cheaper. Americans also have access to the internet, which allows people to spread false information about conventional medicine. For example, many people believe that vaccinations and antibiotics have links to cancer and therefore use alternative medicine instead of conventional methods. Alternative medicines range from an array of practices. Mind-body interventions include therapies such as hypnosis, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, and tai chi. According to a 2002 survey, 62% of adults in the United States use mind-body interventions. However, this practice is often only used on people with low physical and emotional risk whose condition is implemented by stress (Wahbeh). Therefore for physical conditions rather than emotional conditions, mind-body interventions loses to conventional medicine. Biologically based therapies include the consumption of herbs, foods, dietary supplements, and natural products (Ventola). The ideas behind the practice is to consume products that are rich in vitamins and minerals to help your body. Although over the years, many trials have been done on these therapies but only few have proven to be 100% effective. Some products such as herbal teas or cartilage of sharks are helpful by providing the body vitamins or minerals that you might be lacking. Thus, this type of alternative medicine could prove to beneficial over time. However for more immediate care to a health issue, conventional medicine would be more useful. Body-based methods which include massages, chiropractic, and osteopathic manipulation are proven to be as affected as conventional medicine. This practice focuses on allowing the body to heal itself by using force and massage therapies on bones, joints, and tissues. Patients of chiropractors and massage therapist have been completely satisfied when they are dealing with back pain or other issues. The problems with this practice is that many schools do not teach manual therapies for specific conditions and there lacks state of the art equipment for specific treatment (Rosenheck). Body-based therapies are very useful to patients around the world and sometimes are better than conventional medicines. Energy methods is most likely the alternative medicine that people find most skeptical.   The method in cludes Reiki, therapeutic touch and electromagnetic field exposure. Each of the therapies deals with a person either touching you or waving their hands over you body. The science behind the specific method of trying to heal someone body is questionable, however the therapies causes you to relax. Therefore the therapies may prove to be effective since relaxation can fix many health issues such as health disease. These practices of alternative methods are sometimes questionable but do prove to cause relaxation which is extremely beneficial to health issues. The effectiveness of alternative medicine is debatable. Many of its methods lack the science behind it when compared to conventional medicine. Therefore some people find it easier to use and believe in conventional medicine. The main reason behind the success of alternative medicine is the ability for a person to relax. Each method is easy to take part in and often involves the person being stationary. For example, some conventional methods are time consuming and difficult as alternative methods are usually easy and quick. Alternative medicine allows the person to relax which is extremely beneficial to the human body. However, in order to compare the effectiveness of alternative and conventional medicine in a person, we must look at that persons state of mind and their condition. If a person believes they can be cured using therapeutic touch then they will most likely be cured but if a person believes in doctors than any medication they are prescribed will most likely heal them. Hosp ital settings may also interfere with a persons ability to heal properly and therefore alternative medicines that can be done at home are often times better for the person. The patients desire to be healed and their beliefs play a crucial role when determining the effectiveness of each practice. The condition of the patient also plays a role because some conditions may require immediate attention which can only really be proved by conventional medicine. Serious conditions are better handled when using conventional practices when compared to alternative practices. The decisions ultimately comes down to the patient and how they want to be treated. Personally, I use and believe in both conventional and alternative medicines. I seek alternative medicines when they are appropriate because of the fear of superbugs or the side effects of conventional medicine. However, conventional medicine is also extremely useful and better suited for serious health issues. Therefore, people should take into account the situation, chose alternative or conventional medicine for what is better suited for them and be the own judge of the medicines effectiveness. References Ventola, C. Lee. Current Issues Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. MediMedia USA, Inc., 8 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2016. Wahbeh, Helanà ©, Siegward-M. Elsas, and Barry S. Oken. Mind-body Interventions: Applications in Neurology. Neurology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 June 2008. Web. 02 Jan. 2017. Rosenheck, Druss. Manipulative and Body-Based Practices: An Overview. Manipulative and Body-Based Practices: An Overview. WETA, 2009. Web. 02 Jan. 2017. Engel, Meredith. Does Energy Healing Really Work? NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 18 July 2014. Web. 02 Jan. 2017.

Erechtheion and Its Caryatids Essay -- Acropolis, Athens, ancient Greec

Located opposite the Parthenon, the Erechtheion is one of the most distinctive buildings standing on the Athenian Acropolis constructed between 421 and 406 BC. The Erechtheion replaced the Old Temple of Acropolis, which was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. The asymmetrical building was built of Pentelic marble, with friezes of black Elusinian limestone to take applied white marble relief sculpture. ( "Erechtheum (Erechtheion)" ) Since the complex temple sits on a slopping site, it has an irregular floor plan which consists of four chambers with multiple functions. It housed a great variety of ancient cults and many sacred objects, including the venerable image of Athena Polias in the east cella, a golden lamp made by Callimachus, a well containing sea water, which is known as the Erechtheian Sea, and the mark of Poseidon's trident, sacred shrines like the altar of Poseidon, and the altars of Boutes and Hephaestus. (Roberts, "ErechthÄ“um" ) To the south-west of the building sto od the olive tree, which is a gift of Athena to the city of Athens. The whole structure also consists of two porches, the north porch at the northwest corner is supported by six tall Ionic columns, stands at a lower level and gives access to the western cella, while below its floor it was believed to be the spot where Zeus killed the legendary King Erechteus with a thunderbolt. (theacropolismuseum.gr) In the south-west corner, there stands a uniquely projecting porch which is the most well-known part of the Erechtheion. It is supported by six massive female statues, and hence named the Porch of the Maidens, with the supporting figures known as caryatids. Below it stood the grave of Kekrops, another legendary King of Athens. (theacropolismuseum.gr) The se... ...ty Press, 2007. Oxford Reference. 2007. 3. â€Å"The Erechtheion.† The Acropolis Museum. http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/erechtheion/0 4. "Erechtheum." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5. Plommer, Hugh. â€Å"Vitruvius and the Origin of Caryatids.† The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 99 (1979), pp. 97-102. The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. 6. Shear, Ione Mylonas. â€Å"Maidens in Greek Architecture : The Origin of the  « Caryatids  ».† In: Bulletin de correspondance hellà ©nique. Volume 123, livraison 1, 1999. pp. 65-85. 7. Lesk, Alexandra L. â€Å"A Diachronic Examination of the Erechtheion and Its Reception†, PhD thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2005. 8. Edmondson, J. C., and MyiLibrary. â€Å"Augustus†. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 May 2014.

Experiencing Different Cultures Essays -- Personal Essays Papers

Experiencing Different Cultures Discussing different cultures with people of another country can help give you an idea of how different America is from other places. Sometimes Americans only think about America and not how other countries do things. Talking to someone of another country gave me more respect for them. You learn how different they live and it makes you appreciate their way of living. I spoke with a person I work with. He grew up in Mexico with his two brothers and his parents. He and his family moved to Ohio when he was fifteen, about eight years ago. He told me the biggest difference in the cultures was that his family lived a lower class life in Mexico. His parents had jobs, but they did not make enough to have a great life. The reason they came to the United States was for better job opportunities. "Coming to the U.S. let us live a better life." He told me that he is not rich, because he moved to the United States, but he lives a middle class life. He had never experienced a life like this before. He experienced culture shock when moving from Mexico to the U.S, because he did not speak English. He had begun high school not knowing any English. It took him several years to know the English language decently. It was still hard to have a conversation with him; I had to listen very carefully to understand everything. Discussing these thoughts with my group members helped me learn about new cultures and helped them out as well. One of the ladies in my group spoke about herself, because she was from Puerto Rico. She had a lot to say about the cultures. She also experienced culture shock due to the climate and the individualistic life in America. She said that the weather in Puerto Rico was tropical and i... ...I quit. I decided that people ask that question just to be nice and for a proper greeting. It is not a question to be truthfully answered. Imagine if everyone did that, we would not get anything done in our day. The experiences gained from each of these exercises helped me to have a better sociological view on things. I felt as if I experienced many cultures in just one exercise. I noticed that America's culture, values, and beliefs are not like any other. We live a totally different lifestyle than most people all over the world. I also noticed that American society does not make time to listen to one another. We ask questions to be polite, but not to listen. Overall, both of these exercises help me to understand cultures, one was not American culture and the other was. It was interesting to see if they related to each other at all, but I found that they did not.

Legitimacy Theory Essay

â€Å"Legitimacy is a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions† (Suchman, 1995, p. 574, emphasis in original) Legitimacy theory has become one of the most cited theories within the social and environmental accounting area. Yet there remains deep scepticism amongst many researchers that it offers any real insight into the voluntary disclosures of corporations. This brief paper outlines responses to two specific concerns identified in the literature. It will eventually form part of a much larger project addressing a range of issues associated with legitimacy theory. First, the paper brings some of the more recent developments in the management and ethical literature on legitimacy and corporations to the accounting table. Second, there are contributions to the theory that have already been made by accounting researchers that are yet to be fully recognised. The author believes that legitimacy theory does offer a powerful mechanism for understanding voluntary social and environmental disclosures made by corporations, and that this understanding would provide a vehicle for engaging in critical public debate. The problem for legitimacy theory in contributing to our understanding of accounting disclosure specifically, and as a theory in general, is that the term has on occasion been used fairly loosely. This is not a problem of the theory itself, and the observation could be equally applied to a range of theories in a range of disciplines (see for example Caudill (1997) on the abuse of Evolutionary Theory). Failure to adequately specify the theory has been identified by Suchman (1995, p. 572, emphasis in original), who observed that â€Å"Many researchers employ the term legitimacy, but few define it†. Hybels (1995, p. 241) comments that â€Å"As the tradesmen [sic] of social science have groped to build elaborate theoretical structures with which to shelter their careers and  disciplines, legitimation has been a blind man’s hammer.† This paper begins to address these issues. Not One Theory but Two (at least) An important issue which needs to be acknowledged is that there are in fact two major classes of legitimacy theory. These are graphically presented in Figure 1 below. The ‘macro-theory’ of legitimation, known as Institutional Legitimacy Theory, deals with how organisational structures as a whole (capitalism for example, or government) have gained acceptance from society at large. â€Å"Within this tradition, legitimacy and institutionalization are virtually synonymous. Both phenomena empower organizations primarily by making them seem natural and meaningful† (Suchman, 1995, p. 576, emphasis in original). In terms of accounting research, given the time frames involved and questions generally being considered, the current business environment, including the capitalist structure, democratic government, etc. are generally taken as a given, a static context within which the research is situated. This assumption would, however, need to be carefully considered for a longitudinal study of any significant length. Figure 1: Layers of Legitimacy Theory INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL GOVERNMENT RELIGION SOCIETY CAPITALISM ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL (IN THIS CASE: COMPANY LTD BY SHARE) Establishment Defence Extension Maintenance From the Moral to the Measurable One layer down from the Institutional Level is what in Figure 1 is called the â€Å"Organisational Level† (sometimes referred to as Strategic Legitimacy Theory). â€Å"Underlying organizational legitimacy is a process, legitimation, by which an organization seeks approval (or avoidance of sanction) from groups in society† (Kaplan and Ruland, 1991, p. 370). It is from this level  that most accounting research tends to draw its understanding of legitimacy. Mathews (1993, p. 350) provides a good definition of legitimacy at this level: Organisations seek to establish congruence between the social values associated with or implied by their activities and the norms of acceptable behaviour in the larger social system in which they are a part. In so far as these two value systems are congruent we can speak of organisational legitimacy. When an actual or potential disparity exists between the two value systems there will exist a threat to organisational legitimacy. At its simplest, within the Organisational view â€Å"legitimacy [is] an operational resource †¦ that organizations extract – often competitively – from their cultural environments and that they employ in pursuit of their goals† (Suchman, 1995, p. 575 6, emphasis in original). Legitimacy, just like money, is a resource a business requires in order to operate. Certain actions and events increase that legitimacy, and others decrease it. Low legitimacy will have particularly dire consequences for an organisation, which could ultimately lead to the forfeiture of their right to operate. Although we can describe a firm as being legitimate, and conceive of ‘amounts’ of legitimacy, it becomes a very subjective exercise to try and directly measure legitimacy. Although it has concrete consequences, legitimacy itself is an abstract concept, given reality by multiple actors in the social environment. For a researcher to try and directly establish, or even rank, the legitimacy of various organisations would seem to be a necessarily subjective undertaking, preferencing the researcher’s own views. As Hybels (1995, p. 243) argues, â€Å"I reject this view because it is based on a conflation of the roles of observer and participant in social science†. As an alternative, rather than trying to subjectively measure a firm’s legitimacy directly it can instead be inferred from the fact that being legitimate â€Å"enables organizations to attract resources necessary for survival (e.g., scarce materials, patronage, political approval)† (Hearit, 1995, p. 2). Hybels (1995, p. 243) develops this in some detail: Legitimacy often has been conceptualized as simply one of many resources that organizations must obtain from their environments. But rather than viewing legitimacy as something that is exchanged among institutions, legitimacy is better conceived as both part of the context for exchange and  a by-product of exchange. Legitimacy itself has no material form. It exists only as a symbolic representation of the collective evaluation of an institution, as evidenced to both observers and participants perhaps most convincingly by the flow of resources. †¦ resources must have symbolic import to function as value in social exchange. But legitimacy is a higher-order representation of that symbolism – a representation of representations. Hybels (1995, p. 243) argues that good models in legitimacy theory must examine the relevant stakeholders, and how â€Å"Each influences the flow of resources crucial to the organizations’ establishment, growth, and survival, either through direct control or by the communication of good will†. He identifies (p. 244) four critical organisational stakeholders, each of which control a number of resources. These are summarised in Table 1 below. Table 1: Critical Organisational Stakeholder STAKEHOLDER RESOURCES CONTROLLED Contracts, grants, legislation, regulation, tax (Note that the (1) The state last three of these could be either a ‘negative’ or ‘positive’ depending on the implementation) (2) The public (3) The financial community (4) The media Few ‘direct resources’; however, can substantially influence the decisions of stakeholders (2) & (3) (if not (1)) Patronage (as customer), support (as community interest), labour Investment The last of these has received considerable attention. The power of the media has been noted by a number of researchers, including Patten (2002, p. 153), who states â€Å"that while increased media attention can certainly lead to the potential for increased pressures from any of the three sources [dissatisfaction of public; new or proposed political action; increased regulatory oversight], increases in pressure can  also arise, particularly with respect to regulatory oversight.† See also Deegan et al. (2000, 2002). Companies try to manage their legitimacy because it â€Å"helps to ensure the continued inflow of capital, labour and customers necessary for viability†¦ It also forestalls regulatory activities by the state that might occur in the absence of legitimacy†¦ and pre-empts product boycotts or other disruptive actions by external parties†¦ By mitigating these potential problems, organizational legitimacy provides managers with a degree of autonomy to decide how and where business will be conducted† (Neu  et al., 1998, p. 265). Researchers need to move away from trying to directly assess legitimacy, and instead focus on measuring it in terms of the resources relevant stakeholders provide. â€Å"Rather than engage in the further development of entirely abstract constructions of the legitimation process†¦ researchers should investigate the flow of resources from organizational constituencies as well as the pattern and content of communications† (Hybels, 1995, p. 244). But Wait†¦ There’s More As shown in Figure 1 Organisational Legitimacy Theory suggests that a firm may be in one of four phases with regard to its legitimacy. These phases are outlined below, some examples of industries/firms that might be considered to be operating in each of these phases are included (further research needs to be undertaken in this area). Establishing Legitimacy. (E.g. Stem Cell based bio-tech). This first phase represents the early stages of a firm’s development and tends to revolve around issues of competence, particularly financial, but the organisation must be aware of â€Å"socially constructed standards of quality and desirability as well as perform in accordance with accepted standards of professionalism† (Hearit, 1995, p. 2). Maintaining Legitimacy. (The majority of organisations). This is the phase that most firms would generally expect to be operating in, where their â€Å"activities include: (1) ongoing role performance and symbolic assurances that all is well, and (2) attempts to anticipate and prevent or forestall potential challenges to legitimacy† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 183). However the maintenance of legitimacy is not as easy as it may at first appear. Legitimacy is a dynamic construct. â€Å"Community expectations are not considered static, but rather, change across time thereby requiring organisations to be responsive to the environment in which they operate. An organisation could, accepting this view, lose its legitimacy even if it has not changed its activities from activities which were previously deemed acceptable (legitimate)† (Deegan et al., 2002, p. 319 – 20). Extending Legitimacy. (E.g. Alternative Health Providers). There may come a point where an organisation enters new markets or changes the way it relates to its current market. This can give rise to a need to extend  legitimacy which is â€Å"apt to be intense and proactive as management attempts to win the confidence and support of wary potential constituents† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 180). Defending Legitimacy. (E.g. Uranium Mining). Legitimacy may be threatened by an incident (internal or external), and therefore require defence. â€Å"Legitimation activities tend to be intense and reactive as management attempts to counter the threat† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 183). Even barring a major incident it is likely in the Western Capitalist system that almost every corporation will regularly need to defend its legitimacy, by the mere fact that â€Å"corporations must fulfil both a competence and community requirement to realize legitimacy†¦ Satisfaction of stockholder interests often occurs at the expense of community concerns (e.g., the despoiling of the environment, the use of labour) while, conversely, responsibility to the larger community often occurs at the expense of the stockholder† (Hearit, 1995, p. 3). It is this last phase that has tended to be the main focus of accounting researchers. It also provides us with the clearest opportunity to examine the crucial link between legitimacy and resources. Lindblom (1994), a key paper cited by many Social and Environmental Accounting researchers, also seems relevant specifically to this phase only. An example of work in this area is Deegan et al.’s (2000) study of five major incidents (including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Bhopal Disaster) which provided a context to examine the annual reports of related (in industrial terms) Australian firms to see if there had been a significant change in their social or environmental reporting. They concluded: The results of this study are consistent with legitimacy theory and show that companies do appear to change their disclosure policies around the time of major company and industry related social events. †¦ These results highlight the strategic nature of voluntary social disclosures and are consistent with a view that management considers that annual report social disclosures are a useful device to reduce the effects upon a corporation of events that are perceived to be unfavourable to a corporation’s image (Deegan et al., 2000, p. 127). The Diagnosis Needs Refinement This is where the traditional legitimacy model stops. However my own  research, into the tobacco industry, Tilling (2004), and that of other researchers, including experimental research undertaken by O’Donovan (2002), suggest a further development of the Organisational Legitimacy Level, as depicted in Figure 2 below. Added to the model is the possibility that a firm may not successfully (or may be unable to) defend the threat to its legitimacy and actually start to lose legitimacy. Figure 2: Refinement of the Organisational Level of Legitimacy Theory Establishment Loss Defence Disestablishment Extension Maintenance In this model the defence phase is usually entered by an organisation after some form of one-off ‘incident’ or ‘accident’ which threatens its legitimacy. This phase could be characterised as being ‘acute’, it can be serious, some times even fatal, but usually, with proper management, the organisation can maintain, or at least recover, its legitimacy. However should there be an ongoing series of events, indicative of a systemic issue, e.g. the nuclear power industry, or a single event with permanent consequences which cannot be effectively managed, e.g. realisation that the organisation’s product is not safe such as the tobacco industry, an organisation is likely to have its legitimacy eroded over a period of time (the ‘loss’ phase), which can be characterised as ‘chronic’. The issue can be difficult to manage, and generally leads to declining legitimacy, however the loss may be managed and slowed over a long period of time, or significant change could lead to reestablishment of legitimacy. The ‘loss’ phase is most likely to be preceded by sustained media and NGO scrutiny, and accompanied by increasing government regulation, monitoring and possibly taxation. Within this phase there are likely to be periods where the company will increase its voluntary social and environmental disclosure in an effort to meet specific threats (such as to postpone or defeat proposed regulations) or to communicate systemic corporate change  (similar to the defence phase). However, with each new restriction average total disclosure can be expected to decrease. This idea is alluded to by O’Donovan (2002) who argues, based on experimental evidence, that the lower the perceived legitimacy of the organisation, the less likely it is to bother providing social and environmental disclosure. Watch This Space Legitimacy theory offers researchers, and the wider public, a way to critically unpack corporate disclosures. However the understanding and study of the theory must become more sophisticated, drawing on developments both within the accounting literature and beyond. Only then will the full potential of legitimacy theory for examining a wide range of disclosures be fully realised. Areas that would provide useful insights include at the moment the asbestos industry (as it goes through the disestablisment phase), brothels (as they become much more legitimate within the Australian context), and the forestry industry (as it tries to defend its legitimacy), to name but a few. The knowledge gained will then be used to provide better and more useful information to inform decision making by stakeholders. In this way society is empowered to have greater control and oversight over the way resources are allocated. References: Ashford, B. E. and B. W. Gibbs (1990) â€Å"The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation†, Organization Science, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 177 – 194. Caudill, E. (1997) Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misuses of a Theory, Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press. Deegan, C., M. Rankin and J. Tobin (2002) â€Å"An Examination of the Corporate Social and Environmental Disclosures of BHP from 1983-1997: A Test of Legitimacy Theory†, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 312 – 343. Deegan, C., M. Rankin and P. Voght (2000) â€Å"Firms’ Disclosure Reactions to Major Social Incidents: Australian Evidence†, Accounting Forum, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 101 – 130. Hearit, K. M. (1995) â€Å"‘Mistakes Were Made’: Organizations, Apologia, and Crises of Social Legitimacy†, Communication Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1-2, pp. 1 – 17. Hybels, R. C. (1995) â€Å"On Legitimacy, Legitimation, and Organizations: A Critical Review and Integrative Theoretical Model†, Academy of Management  Journal, Special Issue: Best Papers Proceedings, 1995, pp. 241 – 245. Kaplan, S. E. and R. G. Ruland (1991) â€Å"Positive Theory, Rationality and Accounting Regulation†, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 361 374. Lindblom, C. K. 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