Loyalty Card Scheme Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Loyalty Card Scheme - Coursework Example When the buyer joins the loyalty scheme they may be asked to complete a form which asks for details such as their name and address; these are subsequently entered into a database. Once a buyer has an entry in the database, further records of buyer buys can be added, so that eventually it is possible to build a profile of person buyer purchasing behaviour. This record of buyer purchase report can then be used to segment the retailer's buyer base, for reason of direct advertising and tailoring other marketing interactions and special offers to buyer desires. In exchange for registration, the buyer receives points that can be used in full or part payment for products or services. There has been considerable debate about the value of loyalty cards for both the consumer and the scheme's sponsor. Criticism can be grouped into those that cast doubt on whether what might merely be viewed as a modest discount arrangement, akin to electronic green shield stamps can generate buyer loyalty, and those who comment on the difficulties associated with the analysis of the buyer purchase data that retailers can collect through loyalty schemes. This article undertakes a case study based analysis of the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme. This loyalty scheme extends beyond the traditional model of a loyalty scheme in which buyers exchange modest rewards for buyer data and information, to the creation of a affiliation or brand web. Buyers are invited to engage with this web at a number of different levels. After a review of some of the earlier work on loyalty schemes, this article first describes elements of the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme, in terms of rewards, deals, and integrating channels. Finally, the article poses a number of research questions that extend beyond the more parochial assessments of the impact on loyalty scheme membership loyal behaviours, buyer value, and business performance, to the potential of loyalty schemes in building brand perceptions and experience. LITERATURE REVIEW Affiliation marketing shifts the focus of the marketing exchange from transactions to affiliations (Foss and Stone, 2001; Peck et al., 1999; Christopher et al., 1991; Buttle, 1996). Affiliation marketing recognizes that a stable buyer base is a core business asset. The essence and nature of affiliations and their business vale is summarizing in the concept of buyer loyalty, and its associated literature. The benefits of buyer loyalty to a provider of either services or products include: - lower buyer price sensitivity; - reduced expenditure on attracting new buyers; and - improved organisational profitability. Buyers may demonstrate their loyalty in any one of a number of ways; they may choose to stay with a provider, whether this continuance is defined as a affiliation or not, or they may increase the number of purchases or the frequency of their purchases or even both. They may also become advocates of the organisation concerned by playing a powerful role in the decision-making of others (Hallowell, 1996; Birgelen et al., 1997; Reichheld et al., 2000; Bolton et al., 2000). Loyalty schemes have become widespread in recent years. Byrom et al. (2001) recommend that there is over 150 such idea in the UK, resulting in the

Biography of Prof. Joseph Kahamba

Biography of Prof. Joseph Kahamba BIOGRAPHY OF Prof. JOSEPH KAHAMBA Dr. Joseph Kahamba is an Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) in Dar es Salaam, a Consultant Neurosurgeon and acting Head of the Neurosurgical department at Muhimbili Orthopedics and Neurosurgical Institute. He holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) of the University of Timisoara-Romania, a Master of Medicine (MMed) in General Surgery of the University of Dar es Salaam, a Master of Science (MSc) in Neurosurgery of the Universities of Zurich, Ulm and Dar es Salaam (a sandwich program), and FCS-ECSA (Fellow of the College of Surgeons of East, Central Southern Africa) and MBA (Master of Business Administration) program of the University of Dar es Salaam. CHILDWOOD Born September 1 1964 in Bukoba, Tanzania, Prof. Joseph Kahamba was raised in a hard working middle class family with Ten siblings–four brothers and six sister. His mother was a farmer and father a Secondary teacher. He grew up mainly in three kind of environment, Gangster, Quiet, Energetic and loud .During his childhood years his family lived first in Katoke and then shifted to Ishozi, Bukoba. When they were living in Katoke he had many friends. He liked making friends. He was with them all the time. They went to many places and parties together, and they even went to the Disco or play soccer together and he really enjoyed this these moments. His best friends ware Stanley, Mjuni, Peter, Ester and Salma. He really enjoy be with them, because they were so nice that sometimes talk about all in his life, and when he had a problem they always help him. Childhood influences: The first book He remember reading for fun was called ‘Maisha Yetu’. He probably read it three times a day. He also liked Greek mythology since he was in middle school. He used to read mostly fantasy and science fiction in high school, and then got interested in mysteries when He got to Universities. Since his father was a teacher. He grew up in a very artistic family. His Dad was an inspiration professionally and his Mum was always there to talk to. His Dad taught him many values that define who he is now — the values of honesty, integrity and sincerity. They were teachers to him and his mother was always scout him to school when he was very young. She used to read for him stories every night that he can remember many of the stories and have even got quite a few of the books she read to him. Her Mum had a sing-song voice that he once told her but she thought he was criticising her and she got a bit humpy with him. His dad read to them when we were older but he helped them a lot with writing and studying. When sitting together with his father, they spent long hours talking about the world, politics, books and football. His father was also very funny, very good at jokes and could speak several languages. All this influenced his carrier. EDUCATION PRIMARY SCHOOL He received his primary education at Katoke Primary School between 1970 and 1973; his middle school education at Kanyigo School from 1974 up to 1978. Durring his Primary education his favorite subject were Science (especially biology and chemistry!), He loved them and he was never horrible at any subject, but he definitely hated History because he never liked writing essays since he didnt find it interesting. His favorite teacher was his Math’s teacher Ms.Salome, when he was in the fifth grade. As he described her as being very loving, caring, inspiring and almost like a mother to them. SECONDARY AND A-LEVEL After graduating at Kanyigo School in (1978) he was selected among 50 best students and been transferred to a Seminary government Secondary School (Kashasha Seminary) which it was 56 Kilometers’ away from his virrage. In 1978, Prof.Kahamba enrolled to Kahororo Seminary Secondary School for (O A-level) education between 1978 to 1984. While there much had happened routinely in the Seminary, each day had its own rhythm and he also noted that the seminarians had a varied schedule. They used to begin each day in the chapel, with either Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours at 7:30 a.m. After breakfast,Which sometimes made him to sleep in class .But in class He was often knowing how to do complex math problems before the concept had even been introduced to his class. In his second year the young Prof.Kahamba participated in student body government as Sports Minister in my second year. In this time, He worked for 2 years as the Scout President at a School camp. He liked most about school were the after-school athletic activities and least were Mandatory attendance and Learning superfluous subjects. Also he often knew how to do complex math problems before the concept had even been introduced to his class. He also did some extracurricular activities by Participating in Gym, Sports and Society clubs. He engage in the social life with other students mostly in parties. In 1984 his family returned to Ishozi, and Prof.Kahamba within a short time graduated from high school in the first division. UNIVERSITY In 1984, He enrolled at the University of Timisoara-Romania for his undergraduate study in Medicine (MD).In his first year in medical school he had been participating in new types of medical research. Since arriving in April he was been able to participate in two different research projects – one qualitative and one quantitative. In University, He was also involved in few outside activities. While there, and to enhance his meager income, He organized a Helping Hand Club and even served as its Vice president. After a handful of jobs , He finally went for different Projects to work for a large investment films. There He continued the trend of just meeting his potential, only taking on new challenges when enything was brought to his attention that it could be perfect opportunity for him. After graduating and reserved the certificate in Doctor of Medicine (MD) of the University of Timisoara-Romania, He then went back to his hometown and worked as Pharmacist assistance for the village local Institute Dispensary and a few Pharmacies in and around his hometown. In the meantime, He spent 1 year before Master school as a Soldier at Kanyigo Military, Bukoba serving for his county. During his time there, they moved into different largest military in the county for training. They also moved into the new country military base of Lugalo. One of thing he learned was simple. It doesnt matter if you can [do something] or not, you will. Just get it done. Going Master school had always been in the back of his mind, and he finally headed again across the Ocean to enroll in a Master of Science (MSc) in Neurosurgery at the Universities of Zurich in (1990). Early in 1992, he was transferred as a medical student to Zurich Medical cumpus to gain greater clinical experience, were he become Senior Laboratory Assistance at the University. He began his career as an ICU fellow at the Katoke Hospital Center where he worked in a variety of critical care settings before coming to the Clinical Center in 1999. At the Clinical Center he began his career as a Senior Clinical Researcher in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. His clinical research specializations included health behavior and health disparities research with special emphasis on methodology and measurement in end-of-life care, integrative health and vulnerable populations. After that, His wife and him moved to Bugando, Mwanza. Were they lived there for two years and managed to teach Bugando Medical University for almost 1 year. Then they had two daughters, Eunice and Nelly, and we moved back home to Dar es salaam. were he enrolled for MBA (Master of Business Administration) program at the University of Dar es Salaam.While there he used his extra time to teach at Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (Neurosurgery). Professional Recognition In November 2003, Prof. Kahamba was recognized by the Tanzanian Society of Orthopedics with the Dedicated Service Award. This award honors dedicated volunteer service to the Society marked by his outstanding performance. Between 2000 and 2006,He served as President of the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) at Muhimbili Orthopedics and Neurosurgical Institute. The Association that aimed to compliment the government efforts in reaching its desired objective of promoting the health and wellbeing of all Tanzanians. Marking the 45th Anniversary Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) in 2008.Professor Joseph.F. Kahamba was presented with MAT Fellowship certificates for their distinguished contributions to the promotion of the medical profession and nurturing of the Medical Association of Tanzania. FAMILY In 1990, He met a pretty woman at a Staff Board meeting. He could feel that she was the right one for his eternal life. In 1991, He married Dr. Godelive Kagashe,Lecture in College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) in Dar es Salaam when he was 27.The wedding took place in Church, one month from his 28th birthday, Gogelive was 25, who spent her childhood in Morogoro, Tanzania. They have four childrens,One boy, Innocent 21 and three Daughters, Eunice 23, Nelly 22 and Karen 17. Eunice lives in the Mikocheni area. Shee works for a Clothing business company. Whenever they visit each other, they have a great time and many laughs. She also guides, teaches , and has been a great role model.Nelly is a Postgraduate in Medicine at Bugando Hospital,Mwanza.While Innocent is undergraduate in Civil engineering at Arthi University. When he was young, He sometimes did something very horrible that he then regret doing. One at which he would get other children to laugh at someone. He made fun of that person and got others to join in. In the rare hours when he’s not at Work, He enjoy running, reading, watching news. He’s very excited about moving back to his village in next year’s. About his Haya and Christianity background he said â€Å"its important because its how and why my parents behaved in the way they did. If I try to break that down into exactly what, all I come up with is things like the particular way in which they told stories about their family and their childhoods. At age of 50, He honestly think that reading has been one of the pleasant constants in my life. Reading truly feeds his soul. Looking ahead 20-30 years, He will fear losing his eyesight more than any other senior ailment. What the heck, he could enjoy reading The Adventures. Among of the worst or most embarrassing experience of his career as had been to identify his younger brothers body at a local municipal morgue. Employment and Professional Activities 1986-1987 Research Laboratory , University of Timisoara-Romania. 1988-1990 Postdoctoral fellowship, Institute for Advanced Study, Mwanza. 1991-1992 Senior Laboratory Assistance, University of Zurich. 1996-1997 Assistant Professor, Bugando University, Mwanza. 1997-1998 Associate Professor, University of Dar-es-salaam. 1998- Professor, University of Muhimbili, Dar-es-salaam. 1997-1998 Staff of Katoke Hospital Laboratory,Bukoba. 1998-2000 Director of MOI Physical Laboratory 2002-2004 Head of the Neurosurgical department at Muhimbili Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Institute. 2000-2006 President of the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT). 2007- Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS),Dar-es-salaam

Lucid Dreaming Essays -- Reserach Dreaming Dreams Essays

Lucid Dreaming Austin based filmmaker Richard Linklater recently released a movie that is a dream. By that I mean both that it is about a dream, and that it is dreamlike. "Waking Life" received mixed reviews, but it also sparked new interest in an idea that has actually been around a long time: lucid dreaming. In this paper I intend to explore the concept of lucidity in dreams, and to concentrate on the research of Stanford University's Stephen LaBerge, who has used lucid dreaming as a tool to better understand the biological phenomena of sleep and dreams. Basically, "lucid dreaming" is being aware that you are dreaming(1). In the late 19th century, Frederik van Eeden published his observations about his own lucid dreams. He reported the sensation of "being able to freely remember the circumstances of waking life, to think clearly, and to act deliberately upon reflection, all while experiencing a dream world that seems vividly real(2) (3)." Lucid dreams are not reported often, although a 1988 study by Snyder and Gackenbach indicated that as many as 58 % of people report having had at least one lucid dream in their life time, with 21 % having them as regularly as once a month(2). LaBerge was the among first scientists to provide scientific evidence supporting the phenomena in the early 1980s(4). His research has shown several techniques to be successful tools to help an individual learn how to become lucid in a dream. Lucid Dreaming: Fact or Fiction? Scientific debate regarding the validity of lucid dreams has existed for some time. Some believed that so-called lucid dreams were not dreams at all, but brief arousals from the sleeping state analogous to day dreaming. As recently as 1985 David Foulkes ... ...ry, dream lucidity appears to be a valid phenomena and one many people hope to achieve for themselves. Whatever your interest in the topic, you are sure to find an outlet for it in the plethora of internet resources available on the topic. Internet Sources: 1)Lucidity For All http://www.ld4all.com/index.html 2)The Lucidity Institute Site: "Lucid Dreaming: Psychophysiological Studies of Consciousness during REM Sleep, by Stephen LaBerge, Ph. D. http://www.lucidity.com/SleepAndCognition.html 3) The Lucidity Institute: "A Study of Dreams" , by Frederik van Eeden http://www.lucidity.com/vanEeden.html 4) "Waking the Dreamer", Levity.com http://www.levity.com/mavericks/lab-int.htm 5) "Dreaming: Lucid and Non Lucid" , by David Foulkes http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/dreaming.htm 6) The Lucid Dreaming Guild http://www.geocities.com/lucidguild/

Plato Essay

Socrates gets Laches to agree to a new definition of courage by arguing that not all cases of courage are a sort of endurance. He asks Laches if he would consider courage to be noble to which Laches replies he would. Socrates then asks him would he consider foolish endurance to be seen as hurtful,to which Laches also agrees. With this in mind Laches agrees to a new definition of courage to include only wise endurance. 2/5 2. They conclude that knowledge of a virtue such as courage isn’t seen as being normal in the way hat it is,but being the kind of thing that is known consciously and spoken. Somebody who can talk about the subject of courage but don’t do well in battle,would have no real insight into what most people would consider courage. 0/5 3. Socrates argues for this conclusion by saying there could be some objection to the claim that courage is both foolish and wise. Firstly,wise courage gives you the belief that you are doing the right thing,but don’t hav e to,but by believing you have wise courage,it is the best thing to stay and fight. However,knowing you havn’t the resources for battle,but are considered brave enough to stay and fight anyway,surely this can be seen as both foolish and wise courage. 2/5 4. Socrates asks Laches if he knows the nature of virtue and would they tell others of it. Laches agrees to both questions allowing Socrates to test Laches own knowledge of virtue. He asks him about the part of virtue that is relevant to the art of fighting in armour – courage. Socrates then asks Laches to take into account the actions of the Sythian cavalry who fought bravely whilst running way. These examples are of a courageous nature but do not fit Laches example of courage. Socrates then asks Laches about the nature of courage of the soldiers who man there posts,but adds also about the courage of people in general,wether in battle,politics. poverty or fear. He reinforces his argument by using the example of â€Å"quickness which may be found in running, speaking or playing the lyre. In this case Socrates states that the definition as the quality that does a lot in very little time. Laches has to come up with an idea of courage that takes into account all ideas in which a person might be courageous. One objection that might be made to one of Socrates arguments is that it may only seem like he wants to impress upon Laches that it is possible to have any sort of knowledge of courage at all because Socrates says that the only genuine piece of knowledge he can have is that he knows nothing in the first place. But,as there isn’t anybody that knows enough about courage to speak f it,maybe we should take into account Laches continuing courageous behaviour as a kind of knowledge,rather than it being known concsiously and spoken,courage may be the only thing to be considered as an example. Someone who speaks for hours about courage but is cowardly during battle,would have little knowledge of courage. This example is about spoken knowledge and is amplified again by Socrates when he asks Laches to try and embody the very courage and endurance he is looking for in hi s quest. 18/35

Family diversity in today’s society Essay

Examine the extend,of and the reasons for family diversity in today’s society. Many sociologists argue that the nuclear family is a universal and dominate institution however there has been an increase in diverse family types for various reasons. Examples of these diverse families are lone parents, reconstitutions and cohabitation families. Although most people experience life in a nuclear family, it represents only a stage in their life cycle. Social and demographic changes have meant that an increasing part of many people’s lives are spent in households that are not based on conventional nuclear families. Firstly the increase of single parents (lone parents) has tripled since 1970s in the UK. About 25% of all families with dependent children are single-parent families. There are various reasons which contribute to the increase of single parenthood but one main one is the demographical changes in the UK, is divorce. Divorce was legalised in the early 1970s and as a con sequences it is cheaper and easier to get a divorce and this one of the explanations for the growth in lone-parent families since the early 1970’s. Whereas in the past it would take years to get a divorce and even then the outcome was not always fair. Feminist argue that diversity is valued and liberal as it gives women a choice. They also argue that this not only benefits women but en as well as they can have more time with the child and care for their children, then in the past that was only seen as the women job. However these traditional values are stilled established by ethnic groups not so much. Another reason for the increase in single parent families is due to greater acceptance in society. There is no longer as stigma that you have conceives a child with in marriage. This is interlinked with secularisation, which means the decline in religious practice and thinking. Therefore religion has very little influence over people lives hence they have a wider option in regards to the type of family they chose. The media also contributes the greater acceptance of single-parents as it depicts them in a positive light today, whereas in the past were it was seen as ‘sinful’. The increase is in single parent families is also due to help of the welfare state. The welfare state provides the single pare nt finical support hence taking the position or the role of the father. As a result women no longer need to rely on men or marriage for support. The increase in never married single mother now accounts for about 40% of all lone parents. Although Britain has become more diverse single  parenthood is still not accepted by everyone. The new right thinker Charles Murray (1984) argues that the increase in lone-parents is due to the over generosity of the welfare state as they have provide for both the parent and their children. Murray argue that this creates ‘perverse incentive’, that is rewarding irresponsible behaviour hence creating a ‘dependency culture’ in which people assume that the state will support them. One of the consequences of the lone parent family is step families (often called reconstituted families) which accounts to about 10% of families with the dependent children in the UK. A reconstituted family is made up of an adult couple, living with at least one child from a previous relationship of one of the partners. However although there is an increase in diverse family types the stepfamily are more at risk of poverty because the stepfather would have to provide for his current step children and his children form a previous relationship. In addition a difference in sexuality has contributed to the increase in family diversity. Gay and lesbian households have become more common and more acceptable in society than in the past. As Jeffrey Weeks, Donovan and Heaphey did their study in 1999 they argue, ‘During the past generation the possibilities of living an openly lesbian and gay have been transformed’. According to Weeks et al (1999) the same sex families look upon their household and friendship network as a chosen family. Same sex families have more option than the conventional heterosexual family and others see these families and an alternative and continuous devolving. Weeks et al argues that this part of a wider social change which can be based on culture and ethnic difference. Another sociologist called Roseneil (2005) develops the idea of chosen your own family. She uses the term hetronorm to refer to the intimate relationship between a heterosexual couple is seen as normal. Cheal (2002) notes that many gays and lesbians are legally allowed to adopt nevertheless many want to retain status of difference because they may feel that by adopting a child they are being shaped or moulded to portray a heterosexual family. Another main reason in why same- sex families increase is the decline in secularisation because some religions condemn homosexuality and now less people are religious in the UK they are more acceptant of homosexuals. Another type of family is singletons; this means that when someone lives by themselves. About 3 in 10 household contains one person. The reasons for  these changes are the increase in separation and divorce has created more 1 person households especially with men under 65 because children are more likely to live with their mother. Also the decline in marriage and the trend in marrying later because people are living longer hence there are more people that are single. Stein (1976) argues the growing number of people choosing to be single is a deliberate choice. However, while many of these choose to remain single some are alone because e there are few partners available in their age group. Furthermore, another type of household is living apart together. It is often assumed that those living alone do not have a partner. However the researcher by Duncan and Phillips (2208) found that 1 in 10 adults are ‘living apart together’ and has become increasingly common. Living apart together is a significant relationship, but not married or cohabiting. Duncan and Phillips found that some couple cannot live together for finical reason and the minority actively chose to live apart may be because they want to keep their home as a security because if the relationship does not work then at least they have a home to go to. Nonetheless although there are various other families it does demolish the existence of the nuclear family as they are still common but it has changed hence becoming more modern. Perspectives like the functionalist and new right as described to be ‘modernist’ because they see modern society. The nuclear family has shaped and changed to fit society which helps maintain it by performing some essential functions. According to Chester (1985), there was little evidence that people were choosing to live on a long-term basis in alternatives to the nuclear family. However, he did accept that some changes were taking place in family life. In particular, many families were no longer ‘conventional’ in the sense that the husband was the sole breadwinner. He accepted more women are out working to finical support their family. He called this new family form, in which wives have got jobs, the neo-conventional family. Although many people are not part of the nuclear family at one time in the life is largely due to the life-cycle. Many people who are currently living alone i.e. widows, singleton or those who are yet to get married, were either part o f a nuclear family in the past or will be in the future. Chester argues that the statistics is misleading and does not portray that most people will spend a major part of their life in a nuclear family. The extended family is another type of family which is three  generations living together. The extended family was strongest in working-class families. It is less important today because of geographical mobility, but research by Finch and Mason (1993) shows that kinship ties are still important for most. They also receive finical help from extended family and they also found that the women are more actively involved with extended family. Wilmot (1988) did his study on the dispersed extended family and the beanpole family. Wilmot (1988) argues that there are four main types of extended family; extended family of residence where the members live in the same household, the local extended family – where 2 or 3 nuclear families live separately but in close proximity and see each other often, the dispersed extended family – nuclear families who see each other frequently but live further apart and do not see each other as regularly and the attenuated extended family – similar to the dispersed extended family but the contact is even less frequent. Brannen (2003) argues that there is a strong intergenerational links between generations mainly because people are living longer. However the links between the intragenerational links between siblings, cousins etc. were somewhat weaker. Therefore Brannen characteristic contemporary family structure as being long and thin and she compares it to the beanpole. A beanpole family is a nuclear family with one or two children who maintain regular contact with grandparents. Furthermore another concept which has contributed to the increase in diverse families is culture diversity. There’s is an increase of people with different ethnic background hence this means there alternative family forms and living arrangements. Ghazala Bhatti carries out her study in 1999 on Asian families living in the southern England. She found that the conflict between generations has created a new family type as the children may not marry someone with the same background. However Bhatti stresses that these families were not the norm. Within black families there is high rate of female-headed houses, lone-parent black families has someti mes been seen as evidence of disorganisation which link back to slavery. This is because under slavery when people were taken the children would stay with their mothers. Also due to high rate of unemployment among black men has meant that they cannot provide for their family which as a consequence lead to high rates of desertion or marital breakdown. Also among Asian families their household do contain three generation but most are in fact nuclear  rather than extended families. Larger Asian households also to some extent reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian cultures. These differences are likely to have resulted from the fact that many Asian immigrants have come from a traditional agricultural economy where family patterns are more like pre-industrial Britain. Thus, minority ethnic families have not just contributed to family diversity through each group having its own distinctive family pattern. They have also contributed to it through developing diverse family patterns within each ethnic group.

Collateral Learning Essay Example

Collateral Learning Essay Example Collateral Learning Paper Collateral Learning Paper When it came to Neil Postman who talked about how television and movies can also double as being educational, I would have to agree with him. There are many shows on television that prove to be a good way to learn about different aspects of life that one may not have known about before. For example, the food network is where one would turn in order to learn more about a certain food dish, while a channel like the history channel would be used to learn about past times and other countries. Then, there are childrens shows Like Dora the Explorer, that help children learn Spanish Just by watching television for a mere thirty minutes. Postman made It clear that the television was not the only answer to educating people. There skull needs to be a classroom environment In order to ask questions and socialize with other people. On the other hand, Bell Hooks talked about how many television shows and movies portrayed poorer people as sort of lazy and not really wanting to better their lives for themselves and their families. She did not like this because she herself came from a poorer background which she got herself out of by going to Stanford. Even though she had to take out many loans in order to attend the school and often could not go home for holidays, the people she ended up spending the holidays with taught her that she did need to be there In order to improve her life and move up in the world. The television show the Fresh Prince of Bell-Alarm, was a good example to me that Postmans concept of learning from watching something Is extremely true, and also Hooks concept of someone wanting to better their life Is also true. During episodes of this television show, you see a young man who came from almost nothing, make his way into becoming a well-educated and independent man. When it came to what Bell Hooks had to say about representing the poor, I believe that this show did a good job of that. The main character Will Smith, was a lower class citizen from West Philadelphia where he would get into trouble often and have a bad life for himself. But once he moved to Bell-Air to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle, e learned that there was a different life out there that he wanted. Will finished high school and ended up going to a college in California called LILA. Here, is where he knew that what he was doing would make him have the life he wanted, as long as he worked hard for It. Watching him proved that nothing comes easy and everyone must work hard for what they want In order to better their life. Collectively, between Postman and Hooks, what many can learn Is that It Is k to watch television and movies because although they are there for entertainment they are also there for earning purposes. Although sometimes television snows may portray something In a way that does not always shine the best light on it, people need to look past that and see that there is something better out there than what those people are currently in. Everything one sees whether it be in television, movies, or even plays, proves to be a teaching experience, even if it does not seem like it is at the moment. In the end, Postman and Hooks points both prove to make sense and have reasoning behind them that many people will be able to understand.

Natural Environment and Nbb Essay

Natural Environment and Nbb Essay Natural Environment and Nbb Essay CASE STUDY Executive Summary The main purpose of this case study is to analyses how the brewery company makes their products different from other brewery company without damaging any environmental or natural resource. NBB was the first company which produces one galloon of beer with the ratio amount of 3.8; 10 which is just half while other company use 5 gallons of water to make one gallon of beer. They change their core value that using more of cans instead of bottles because the cost of bottles is more than the cans while transporting from one to another. Introduction The new Belgium Company was invented by Jeff lebesh and his wife name Kim Jordan. Their main aim is to expand their home beer business to commercial production. However they both believed that they could produce world class beer while maintain all social environment. After sometime the new Belgium Company had become the third most popular largest craft company in overall industry. Their mission of the business is just to provide fine beer to the public without harming any natural environment and maintain the sustainability of the bsiness.in 1989 when Jeff was returned their home from Colorado from her bike trip he was set an quest that he want to serve the different taste of beer to the American’s beer drinkers i.e. essence which he was found in her bike trip in the Belgium countryside. By using their own home experience they both invented a new taste of beer and started to sell in their local market i.e. to their neighbor, friends, local pubs etc. Having a parallel to sometim e in 1991 the company produce only two types of beer name as fat tire amber ale and the darker dubbel.Furthermore,Today now NBB produce more than 18 different style of beer having having all have different taste. The NBB is the first brewery company which done their business while maintaining all business corporate social responsibility toward the without dame environment and the public also. Literature Review The review of previous research accomplishes several purposes. It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the Study being reported, it relates the study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature about the topic, and it provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study. It can serve as a benchmark for comparing the results of the study with other findings. Methodology This section specifies the type of research design utilized in the paper, such as the approach to data collection, analysis, and report writing. It should detail the context of the research, e.g. type of organization, jurisdiction, indicate how subjects were selected, e.g. random, key informants, discuss techniques for data collection, e.g. interviews, questionnaire, document review, study of case files, and explain the underlying rationale for these decisions. It may be useful to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen design. Study A case study is the study of the particularity and complexity of a single case. Relevant cases will include public and not-for-profit administrators and their programs. Most often, these cases will be embedded in a political system in which actors exercise power and influence over processes and decisions. We are interested in cases for both their uniqueness and commonality. Cases are "bounded, integrated systems;" hence, we observe working parts that connect people with programs in some sort of purposive fashion. Some cases are so important in themselves that we focus on studying their intrinsic qualities. Other cases are applicable to important public administration and public policy questions. Hence, they are considered instrumental to understanding larger issues Analysis 1. What is the ethical issue in this case? The NBB always do a commitment in the starting when they starting to expand their business. If and Kim developed a set of core values that

Cold War Essay Topics, Questions, and Ideas with BestEssay.education

Cold War Essay Topics, Questions, and Ideas with Cold War Essay The cold war was a long period of extreme political tensions between Russia and its Warsaw Pact Allies, and the United States and its Nato Allies. Historians disagree about the exact years of the Cold war, but most agree that it started shortly after the end of World War II and Ended around 1991. It is referred to as the Cold War because there were never any direct military conflicts between the United States and Russia. There were however, wars and other military actions that occurred during the cold war period that were a direct result of these political and military tensions. Because The Cold War went on for so long, and because so many events happened during this time period, there are literally hundreds of potential essay topics. However, this doesn’t mean that choosing a topic for your cold war essay is going to be easy. For example, do you want to focus on the events leading up to the cold war (causes of the cold war), events that occurred during the cold war, or the ev ents that happened after the cold war was over. In order to help you decide, we have compiled a list of potential essay ideas for you to use. Please feel free to use any of the following topics. Sample Cold War Essay Questions and Prompts What role did the Soviet Union Play in causing tensions between the USSR and the United States What role did the United States play in causing tensions between the United States and Russia How did the Cold War cause the Vietnam War? How did the Cold War cause the Korean War? Describe the lasting impact that Cold War on North Koreans How did the Cuban Revolution impact the development of the Cold War? Explain the Domino Theory What was the cultural impact of the reunification of Germany How did the Cold War impact pop culture in the 1980s What were the causes and effects of the Red Scare How did the Cold War impact the space race? Explain Containment Does Ronald Reagan receive too much credit for the end of the Cold War? Write an analysis of the Cold War and the arming of Middle East extremists today Who started the Cold War? Detail the influence of the Cold War on the nuclear arms race Were there any nations that were negatively impacted by the end of the cold war? These are only a small portion of the potential essay topics that one could explore when writing about The Cold War. However, we do believe that these are some excellent ideas that will serve most students very well. As always, has many writers on our staff who are experts in history and foreign policy. In the event that you need help with your essay, please feel free to contact us for help. We can get your Cold War essay finished quickly and you can review and download your essay online.

Follow PDF insturtion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Follow PDF insturtion - Essay Example Genetic adaptations to the local conditions differentiate these species. Ecosystem Diversity This speaks about the variety of habitats in a region. Example is San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem constituted of wetlands, estuaries, grasslands, fresh and salt water, rivers". Methods to Measure Biodiversity and Relative Strengths and Weaknesses Ecologists measure diversity in three different scales. Alpha diversity is measured by counting the number of species within the ecosystem. Beta diversity measures diversity between two ecosystems – comparing species that are unique for each ecosystem. Gamma diversity measures overall diversity for several ecosystems within a specific region. Various methods have been created to measure biodiversity empirically. Whittaker (1972) specified three metrics to measure biodiversity that encompasses species richness. Species Richness It is simply a count of species; however, it does not take into account its abundance and their relative distributio ns. Against this, species diversity will count on species richness and its evenness. Simpson Index This is a good statistical method used quantify the biodiversity of a specie. It measures number of species and abundance of each species. It also measures total numbers in each species. Species diversity is derived from the mathematical formulae that give highest values to ecosystems. It requires huge number of workers, skill and resources. Shannon-Wiener Index This method quantifies the uncertainty associated with the prediction. The index gives how the species is distributed in an ecosystem. This is the most widely used index as far as community ecology is concerned. The average uncertainty goes up as the number of species increases and the distribution becomes even. Answer 2. Insects have their body structure made of head, thorax and abdomen. The head part consists of eyes, that could be simple or compound, and antennae to provide smell sense. The thorax is made of fused segments w ith a pair of legs. The two other fused segments have a pair of wings with variations as per the groups. The abdomen part contains digestion, production and excretion organs. The primary adaptation to life on land was possible through the development of internal tubes for breathing. The internal tubes are connected to the trachea delivering air to the tissues. The tubes get open to the outer area through spiracles to allow air to enter through the trachea and tracheoles. The ends of tracheoles penetrate cells to provide oxygen and eschew carbon dioxide. Each of the three thoracic parts in all insects consists of a pair of legs and the hind legs possess a pair of wings. That is how six legs and four wings are found in most of the insects. Paleoptera is defined as most primitive winged insects. That means all paleopterans will have a specific physical characteristics or wings as a common feature. This does not mean that it includes all winged insects; it just includes primitive ones. Paleoptera and Neoptera differ to each other in their wing articulation. The subclass Pterygota has two further divisions called the Exopterygota and the Endopterygota. Exopterygota insects have life cycles that pass through three stages – egg, nymph and adult. A larger number of insects such as Roaches and Mantids; Dragonflies and Damselflies; Crickets, Grasshoppers and Locusts; True Bugs are part of Exopterygota division. In contrast, Endopterygota have life cycles

Post-Communist Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Post-Communist Countries - Essay Example According to the essay "Post-Communist Countries" findings, the United States could not intervene knowing how aggressive Russia was and could end up turning on to America. But the U.S president in 2005, George W. Bush, encouraged Mr. Saakashvili to continue with his plans and take heart. Georgian and Russian relations had been on the rocks from the time Russia assisted Ossetia to break away from Georgian rule. This relationship could not be mended since Russia saw Georgia as a threat because Georgia was the only former soviet state willing to stand against Russia in the face of war. The war between these two countries contributed the good relationship that Russia and Georgia have now. Both countries have also experienced good economic balancing due to their ability to produce oil which is an import resource which attracts the west. Countries like the US have also reaped from this peaceful conditions leading to prosperity. Moreover, Poland and the US have also shared good political re lations. In 2007, the US had plans to construct an anti-ballistic missile defense in Poland. However, Russia perceived this as a threat and reacted by testing intercontinental ballistic missile. Irrespective of these countries size, Poland had the highest population density followed by Bulgaria. Ironically, Russia had the least population density something that can be traced to its economic power. From this data, it is evident that countries with the highest population densities suffered economically.

Child Behavior Checklist Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Child Behavior Checklist - Assignment Example It serves as the younger counterpart of adult research study approaches, which mostly deals with adult-focused psychological conditions. Thus, it tends to focus on the conditions more specific to children and young adults, and the foreseen status are acted upon in accordance with outcomes of the assessment.The improvements made were important in addressing several factors. The revised version of CBCL, as explained by Hersen (2004), has been part of an extensive screening program and included the teaching rating (TRF) and self-report (YSR). These were devised to accomplish more understanding of the mental conditions of children. In turn, it gives emphasis to the roles played by parents and other environmental influences in determining possibilities of mental conflicts in children. Despite concerns about the consistency of the discussed screening tool, several adaptations yielded affirmative results. Currently, newer versions were introduced in 2001, with modifications on age divisions for specific scales. New specifications have been added, which replaced subjects that either have been overlooked or neglected by previous design. Furthermore, the empirical-based assessment is combined with Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM)-oriented measurements—ensuring a wide support from professional behavioral scientists and experts. In retrospect, Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) is a 15-20 minute child administered measurement based on parent’s account.

AeroMedical Education Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AeroMedical Education Plan - Essay Example As the research declares Bloom’s taxonomy of learning recognizes that there are three major domains that are fundamental in the promotion of higher forms of thinking in the learning process. According to Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill and Krathwohl, the three domains of educational training are 1) cognitive domain that deals with mental skills, 2) affective domain that involves growth in feelings or emotional areas, and 3) psychomotor domain that deals with physical or manual skills. Atherton argues that each of the domains is sub-divided into various levels in a hierarchical model starting with the most basic process to the most complex one as shown below. According to the paper findings Bloom’s taxonomy helps education planners contextualize teaching programs that enable learners attain a holistic study and understanding of knowledge in terms of its foundations, scope and validity. This brings about the desired effectiveness in educational and training programs among learners. The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport System (CAMTS) is charged with the responsibility of developing standards for the aero-medical environment. According to CAMTS, the requirements for the orientation, training and continuing education programs for the aero-medical personnel are premised on the transport program’s the purpose of the service, mode(s) of transport provided and its constituents contained in the mission statement, scope of care and patient population.

All My Sons by Arthur Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

All My Sons by Arthur Miller - Essay Example This essay will describe how issues of morality and politics affected the main characters, how Miller employed the fundamental elements of drama to create a modern play on par with older Greek tragedies, and some personal observations. As an initial matter, it is important to note that competing political and moral belief systems were instrumental in the development of the main characters. An examination of the father and sons is useful. The father, Joe Keller, was by all accounts a family-oriented man. He loved and provided for his sons. Indeed, as the play demonstrates, Joe believed it to be his highest moral responsibility to take care of and provide material support for his family. Money was important according to his realistic view of the world and of his own role in the world. His sons, Chris and Larry, provide a sharp contrast to the father's philosophical underpinnings. Both are of an idealistic bent. Family, to be sure, is important, but both have deeply ingrained notions of a deeper social obligation to their country and to other individuals in their country. In this case, involving the sale of damaged airplane parts to the United States government, the play was set from the beginning to elicit different and competing responses from the main characters. Joe, as the practical family ma... His sons were Chris and Larry. Other fathers had to worry about their own sons. Chris and Larry, on the other hand, because of their different notions of social obligation and honor, could never accept such a narrowly tailored and self-serving justification. For them, both veterans of WW II, social obligation was a more comprehensive duty which transcended temporary financial windfalls or the isolated survival of an individual family. Sons, from their point of view, might have been defined as American soldiers, as American citizens, or as allies more generally around the world. Because of these broader beliefs in social duty, both were unable to accept their father's complicity in the sale of the damaged parts. Larry committed suicide by crashing his airplane and Chris threatened to abandon his heritage by leaving the factory and his father. In the final analysis, these characters were defined by their views of the world. Their actions and their decisions adhered to these philosophical characterizations and the reader cannot imagine that they could have behaved much differently than Miller scripted them to act. These three are philosophies as much as they are people. 1.2 How Miller Used the Elements of Drama to Effectively Emphasize his Themes This play is nothing if not a tragedy. It is tragic because well-intentioned people suffered tragic fates. Miller highlighted this feeling of tragedy by creating and adhering to a dramatic structure which created both a feeling of empathy and a feeling of disgust. There was empathy for individuals and disgust for certain actions; more particularly, the dramatic structure employed by Miller vested the main characters with believable motivations and their consequent actions with realistic results. The

REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNAL AND THE COURSE part 2 Coursework

REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNAL AND THE COURSE part 2 - Coursework Example Discrimination is another problem facing American working citizens. Workers in USA undergo discriminations based on age, gender and physical status. Employees from the global societies of today suffer the same problem of discriminations depicted lowering the quality of performance at the workplace. The government should enact strict policies to protect the working citizens from such exploitation that reduces the quality of service delivery leading to under exploitation of human labor. According to Barboza’s report, Apple Corporation is one company that exposes its workers to hostile working environment. My thinking about exposure to hostile working conditions as a contributing factor to unemployment remains the same after witnessing a reputable corporation like Apple exposing employees to the same conditions. The future of the American citizens is not promising despite the formation of various trade unions and retirement acts. Corrupt government officials embezzle pension scheme funds rendering the systems unreliable for the American

All My Sons by Arthur Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

All My Sons by Arthur Miller - Essay Example This essay will describe how issues of morality and politics affected the main characters, how Miller employed the fundamental elements of drama to create a modern play on par with older Greek tragedies, and some personal observations. As an initial matter, it is important to note that competing political and moral belief systems were instrumental in the development of the main characters. An examination of the father and sons is useful. The father, Joe Keller, was by all accounts a family-oriented man. He loved and provided for his sons. Indeed, as the play demonstrates, Joe believed it to be his highest moral responsibility to take care of and provide material support for his family. Money was important according to his realistic view of the world and of his own role in the world. His sons, Chris and Larry, provide a sharp contrast to the father's philosophical underpinnings. Both are of an idealistic bent. Family, to be sure, is important, but both have deeply ingrained notions of a deeper social obligation to their country and to other individuals in their country. In this case, involving the sale of damaged airplane parts to the United States government, the play was set from the beginning to elicit different and competing responses from the main characters. Joe, as the practical family ma... His sons were Chris and Larry. Other fathers had to worry about their own sons. Chris and Larry, on the other hand, because of their different notions of social obligation and honor, could never accept such a narrowly tailored and self-serving justification. For them, both veterans of WW II, social obligation was a more comprehensive duty which transcended temporary financial windfalls or the isolated survival of an individual family. Sons, from their point of view, might have been defined as American soldiers, as American citizens, or as allies more generally around the world. Because of these broader beliefs in social duty, both were unable to accept their father's complicity in the sale of the damaged parts. Larry committed suicide by crashing his airplane and Chris threatened to abandon his heritage by leaving the factory and his father. In the final analysis, these characters were defined by their views of the world. Their actions and their decisions adhered to these philosophical characterizations and the reader cannot imagine that they could have behaved much differently than Miller scripted them to act. These three are philosophies as much as they are people. 1.2 How Miller Used the Elements of Drama to Effectively Emphasize his Themes This play is nothing if not a tragedy. It is tragic because well-intentioned people suffered tragic fates. Miller highlighted this feeling of tragedy by creating and adhering to a dramatic structure which created both a feeling of empathy and a feeling of disgust. There was empathy for individuals and disgust for certain actions; more particularly, the dramatic structure employed by Miller vested the main characters with believable motivations and their consequent actions with realistic results. The

Ideas of Nietzsche on Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ideas of Nietzsche on Religion - Essay Example Why did Nietzsche have a lunatic say the words? How does it affect modern society? Doubtless, Nietzsche sought to find another source of human values, some source deeper than the Christian faiths. He saw Christianity as having no philosophical system on which to base our lives. Thus, he believed that Christianity has a tendency to limit the creativity of man. Nietzsche’s statement about God’s death did not quickly change the course of history. The Christian churches still exist, just as he prophesied they would, at least for a few hundred years. Nietzsche said, â€Å"God is dead; but given the way of men, though there still may be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.† (Section 108) Perhaps he had a madman elicit the words because he believes that we humans destroyed God ourselves by our life styles. (Nietzsche Section 125) Any value system based on Christianity or other metaphysical element will become protective of its teachings and consider nonbelievers to be unworthy of being listened to. Yet, Nietzsche, himself, said the same words himself later, in the same book.

Interprofessional Practice Social Work

Interprofessional Practice Social Work This essay will outline and explain why inter professional collaborative practice in social work is important. It will also examine key factors that help or hinder effective inter professional collaborative practice. It will explain why it is important that professionals work together and effectively as a team and the consequences that can occur when professionals fail to collaborate successfully. There has been a great deal of political and professional pressures for the development of inter professional collaborative practice. From the late 1990s onwards there were vast amounts of official documents to promote the importance of collaborative working within the health and social care sector. The 1998 social services White Paper Modernising Social Services (DoH, 1998) and The NHS Plan (2000) devoted entire chapters to the subject. It has been argued that inter professional working has advanced further in relation to services for older people than it has in relation to children and families. The Green Paper Every Child Matters (DfES 2003) recognised this and one of the main elements of this paper focused that improved collaboration was required so as not to repeat the tragic events of the Victoria Climbie case (this case will be discussed in further detail later in the essay). Government recognition suggests that many social problems cannot be effectively addressed by any given organisation acting in isolation from others. That is, when professionals work together effectively they provide a better service to the complex needs of the most vulnerable people in society. Inter professional collaborative practice involves complex interactions between a range of different professionals and is when professionals work together as a team to reach mutually negotiated goals through agreed plans. It is a partnership that can be defined as a formal agreement between the different professions who agree to work together in pursuit of common goals. Collaborative is defined as putting that partnership into operation or into practice. It involves the different professions working together and using their own individual skills instead of working in opposite directions to meet the needs of particular service users. It is suggested that when social workers and other professions work collaboratively the service user gets a better deal. Willing participation (Henneman et al, 19 95, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.19) and a high level of motivation (Molyneux, 2001, cited in Barrett et al, p.19) have been stated as vital aspects of effective inter professional collaboration. Social workers have certain ethical obligations to society that they must follow and this comes in the form of The British Association of Social Work (BASW) Code of Ethics and the National Occupational Standards for social workers. The Code of Ethics follow five basic values, Human Dignity and Worth, Social Justice, Service to Humanity, Integrity and Competence whilst the National Occupational Standards outline the standards of conduct and practice to which all social workers should adhere to. Whilst working in collaboration with other professionals, social workers should follow these Codes and Standards to ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved for the service user. In the past inter professional collaborative practice has been difficult with many disadvantages and that this has caused problems between the different professions involved. This has in the past led to catastrophic tragedies as in the case of Victoria Climbie. Shared accountability is important for effective collaboration and all professionals should be accountable. Each profession should support one another, not be seen as self interested and that no one profession is higher than another. Some of the problems that can occur are when there is not a logical distribution of power. Unequal power distribution can be oppressive (Payne, 2000, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.23) and can limit participation for some group members. Struggles for power are rooted in professional tradition and social difference. It is believed by some critics of social work that social workers have often been located in settings where they were considered as subordinate to other more established professional g roups (Brewer and Lait, 1980, cited in Wilson et al, 2008, p.401). Traditionally there have been difficulties within the medical profession and Cooke et al, (2001, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.23) suggests that general practitioners felt threatened by a redistribution of power and had problems letting go of their traditionally held power base. Social work in the past has been described as a semi profession and similar to nursing and teaching and not comparable to the learned profession of medicine or law as it does not have the required features of those professions (Freidson 1994). Payne (2000 cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.23) identifies this as peoples capacity to get what they want. Power in inter professional collaborative practice should be shared and distributed and no hierarchy of power should exist. If some professionals see themselves as more powerful than another they are not meeting the needs of the service user. Being territorial and not sharing information and know ledge has long been a problem in inter professional collaborative practice. Molyneux (2001, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p20) found that professionals who were confident in their own role were able to work flexibly across professional boundaries without feeling jealous or threatened. Professional adulthood was an expression used by Laidler (1991, cited in Barratt et al, 2005, p.20) to describe professionals who were confident in their own role to share information and communicate effectively with other professionals. These professionals do not feel territorial about relinquishing their knowledge and understanding to further enhance good inter professional collaborative practice. Stapleton (1998, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.20) suggests that a combination of personal and professional confidence enables individuals to assert their own perspectives and challenge the viewpoints of others. Open and honest communication is a vital and probably one of the most important aspects of inter professional collaborative practice. It requires professionals to take into account each others views, be respectful, dignified and to listen to each other without being highly critical of one another. Constructive criticism needs to be undertaken alongside constructive suggestions and encouragement and should take place at a time when other professionals are receptive. Active listening is an important skill. To be able to recognise and respond to what is being communicated is a fundamental skill. Professionals working collaboratively should demonstrate this verbally and non-verbally to each other. This is greatly helped if all concerned put aside the typical stereotyping of each others professions in order to hear and listen to what the speaker is saying. Keeping good eye contact and having good body language is just as important. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of communic ation is non-verbal, i.e. something is communicated through body language by a body movement, a posture, an inflection in the voice (Birdwhistell, 1970, cited in Wilson, 2008, p.297). A breakdown in communication and the lack of sharing of information between the professions in the past have been major failings in inter professional collaborative practice for example in high profile child protection inquiries and this has led to tragic consequences. Effective systems of communication and knowing what information should be shared are essential not just between the professions but also between the service users. Trust, mutual respect and support are key features to inter professional collaborative practice. Trust was highlighted by many professionals as one of the most important factors in successful collaboration. When trust is absent professionals may feel uncomfortable and insecure in their role and this in turn can lead to defensive behaviour to counteract their insecurities. Stapleton (1998, cited in Barratt et al, 2005, p.22) suggests that trust develops through repeated positive inter professional experience and develops gradually over a period of time. Trust cannot be gained overnight so it is important for professionals working collaboratively to give one another time for trust to develop. When professionals feel valued, they feel respected. This can be achieved by actively listening to each other and having an insight into one anothers professions. Conflict between the professions can have a huge impact on the different professionals and service users. Loxley (1997, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.24) suggests that conflict is interwoven with collaborative practice. To counteract some of the problems associated with conflict it may be beneficial to all concerned to form ground rules. These ground rules could go some way to prevent and help the management of conflict and could include; open discussion and the obligation to be able to give each other honest feedback. Most importantly these ground rules need to benefit all parties involved. A great deal of emphasis is placed on social workers to critically reflect their practice. It literally means that social workers reflect on their practice before, during and after, thinking through tasks carefully. Other professionals may not do this in line with social workers beliefs of critical reflection or in the same way or see that reflection on their own practice is an important aspect of successful inter professional collaborative practice. To illustrate the above points a practice example will now be explained. The inquiry into the death of ten year old Victoria Climbie highlights the disastrous consequences when communication in inter professional collaborative practice fails. This child death case was fraught with communication breakdowns across the range of professionals associated with the case. In Lord Lamings report (2003) he draws attention to and illustrates lack of communication as one of the key issues. Victoria Climbie was failed by a system that was put into place to protect her. Professionals failed in this protection by not communicating with each other or with Victoria herself. One of the criticisms in the Laming Report (2003) was that none of the professionals involved in the case spoke to Victoria about her life or how she was feeling and suggests that even basic service user involvement was absent. There was an opportunity which is highlighted in his report that a social worker missed an opportunity t o communicate with Victoria by deciding not to see or speak to her while she was in hospital. It could be argued that if basic levels of communication with Victoria herself had been implemented, then more could have been achieved to protect her. It was not only a lack of communication with Victoria herself but a lack of communication between the professions that were investigated in the Laming Report (2003). Communication is equally important between the service user and the different professional bodies. Professionals are less effective on their clients behalf if they cannot communicate precisely and persuasively. (Clark, 2000, cited in Trevithick, 2009, p.117). For successful inter professional collaborative practice to work a combination of personal and professional skills are required, together with competent communications skills to enable the different professions to challenge the views of others. Recommendation 37 of the Laming Report (2003) states The training of social work ers must equip them with the confidence to question the opinion of professionals in other agencies when conducting their own assessment of the needs of the child. On at least one occasion, this did not happen when a social worker did not challenge a medical statement which turned out to be professionally incorrect which in turn led to the tragic eventual death of Victoria. Had the social worker challenged the medical opinion in this instance then it could be argued that more efficient communication and less confusion in the case may have saved Victoria. Alan Milburn (Hansard 28 January 2003, column 740, cited in Wilson et al, 2008, p.474), the then Secretary of State commented when introducing the Children Bill in the Commons that Victoria needs services that worked together and that down the years inquiry after inquiry has called for better communication and better co-ordination. Communication lies at the heart of high quality and successful inter professional practice and Victoria is just one case of when there is a lack of communication between the professionals and the devastating consequences that can arise. In conclusion, successful inter professional collaborative practice has many elements and all these different elements require that the different professions adopt them. Although inter professional working practice has been around for many years and is not new, it still needs to be continued, developed and incorporated into the daily work of all professions. When health and social care professionals from different disciplines truly understand each others roles, responsibilities and challenges, the potential of inter professional collaborative practice could be fully realised and many of the barriers alleviated, giving a more successful outcome to the service user.

A Child Called It Essay -- Dave Pelzer

A Child Called ‘It’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Child Called ‘It’ is the story of a young boy who, in order to survive, must triumph over the physical, emotional, and medical abuse created by his mother. The exploitation of alcohol plays an important role in the abuse by the mother and the neglect to see and the courage to intervene the problems by Dave’s father. Dave considered the abuse he endured by his mother, ‘games’. But he always tried to be one small step ahead of her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Like Death From Child Abuse . . . And No One Heard, the outside world does nothing to help out a small child suffering from various forms of abuse. The few people who took notice were David’s teachers and the school nurse. Yet it took them a considerable amount of time to finally build up suspicion and finally report Dave’s problems to the proper authorities. I find the unreported instances observed by the public to be just as substantial a crime as the child abusers themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the things I enjoyed and always found myself grinning about was the spunk that Dave had. He was crafty enough to stall his mother’s efforts of physical and emotional cruelty just long enough for his dad to arrive, and he would not receive the most severe option of the abuse. When his mother attempted to make him eat his brother’s stool, he held his head away just long enough to get it taken away at the last second as his father drove up from work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The games that his mother would make him play would turn deadly. He ha...

Nicks Self-Discovery in Hemingways In Our Time Essays -- In Our Time

Nick's Self-Discovery in Hemingway's In Our Time The focus of this essay will be to analyze Nick's transition as he moves from mental isolation, to physical isolation, to maturation and self-discovery. If Nick's life were to be chronologically ordered and analyzed, the stories Indian Camp and The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife would definitely come first. It is these two stories that give us the first insight to what kind of character that Nick really is as a child. Because Nick is only mentioned briefly in the latter story, I think that Indian Camp is more significant in analyzing the portrayal of his character. I suppose the one passage that truly gives insight about the innocence (and ignorance) of Nick at the time was "in the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die" (19). I believe that the passage was essentially a reaction to the pregnant woman's husband's suicide. Because that was the topic that arose during the story, I believe that Nick interpreted the situation that "death" was equal to "suicide" and, in believing that he would never commit suicide, ultimately believes that he will, thus, never die. Because of the way that his father explained death, Nick's interpretation of the situation would lead him to believe that he would never die. Thus, this story essentially shows Nick's youthful innocence. The next two stories, The End of Something and The Three-Day Blow, become very significant in analyzing Nick's character is that they essentially show the maturation of thought and philosophy that has taken place since Indian Cam... ...ficance is that they accurately portray the desensitization to life that is experienced by soldiers. The last three stories to deal with Nick's character, Cross Country Snow and Big Two-Hearted River (I and II), essentially portray the aftermath of the war and the toll that it had taken on Nick by changing the way that he both lived and thought. The former depicted Nick's reluctance to leave his newfound life of adventure that he had begun to experience during the war. Big Two-Hearted River essentially is the story about the way that Nick tries to recapture this freedom of lifestyle and exploration. Their significance is that they represent the final path that Nick has taken in his life. He went from mental isolation, to physical isolation, but, in the process, seemed to have found himself. Nick's Self-Discovery in Hemingway's In Our Time Essays -- In Our Time Nick's Self-Discovery in Hemingway's In Our Time The focus of this essay will be to analyze Nick's transition as he moves from mental isolation, to physical isolation, to maturation and self-discovery. If Nick's life were to be chronologically ordered and analyzed, the stories Indian Camp and The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife would definitely come first. It is these two stories that give us the first insight to what kind of character that Nick really is as a child. Because Nick is only mentioned briefly in the latter story, I think that Indian Camp is more significant in analyzing the portrayal of his character. I suppose the one passage that truly gives insight about the innocence (and ignorance) of Nick at the time was "in the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die" (19). I believe that the passage was essentially a reaction to the pregnant woman's husband's suicide. Because that was the topic that arose during the story, I believe that Nick interpreted the situation that "death" was equal to "suicide" and, in believing that he would never commit suicide, ultimately believes that he will, thus, never die. Because of the way that his father explained death, Nick's interpretation of the situation would lead him to believe that he would never die. Thus, this story essentially shows Nick's youthful innocence. The next two stories, The End of Something and The Three-Day Blow, become very significant in analyzing Nick's character is that they essentially show the maturation of thought and philosophy that has taken place since Indian Cam... ...ficance is that they accurately portray the desensitization to life that is experienced by soldiers. The last three stories to deal with Nick's character, Cross Country Snow and Big Two-Hearted River (I and II), essentially portray the aftermath of the war and the toll that it had taken on Nick by changing the way that he both lived and thought. The former depicted Nick's reluctance to leave his newfound life of adventure that he had begun to experience during the war. Big Two-Hearted River essentially is the story about the way that Nick tries to recapture this freedom of lifestyle and exploration. Their significance is that they represent the final path that Nick has taken in his life. He went from mental isolation, to physical isolation, but, in the process, seemed to have found himself.

Immune System and New York Essay

HIV And Its Effects Elizabeth Grundy Psychology 102 Dr Peggy Peach October 10, 2001 HIV And Its Effects 2 HIV AND Its Effects The effects HIV has on a person, symptoms, risks, history and prevention will be explained. HIV is on a rise among sexually active people. According to Packer (1998), HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is a member of a family of viruses. The first member HTLV-I and related to STLV-I researchers believe they both have a common ancestor in Africa. (P.13). This will be explained in the following questions: 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? 3. What is the history of HIV? 4. What is the treatment for HIV? This research paper on HIV will be focused on these four questions. 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? According to Nash (1997), when a person infected with HIV has symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and lymphadenopathy (persistent, unexplained swelling of the lymph nodes), but no opportunistic infections (illnesses that healthy immune systems fight off) or Kaposi’s sarcoma, he is said to have AIDS-related complex (ARC). The acronym ARC is not used as frequently as it was in the early years of the epidemic. AIDS is now thought of in term of a HIV continuum. It begins with HIV-positive diagnosis in a person who is not experiencing any symptoms. It continues to a symptomatic stage in which the person has opportunistic infections, HIV and Its Effects 3 andKaposi’s sarcoma, or any of the conditions previously used to define Arc, and the HIV-positive continuum ends with full-blown AIDS diagnosis (p.22). 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? According to Nash (1997) No one is safe if his or her behavior is not safe. You do not get HIV because of a group you belong to; you get HIV from exposure to the virus. HIV can be contracted through unprotected sex with an infected person, by sharing needles when using drugs, or by tattooing or piercing body parts with a needle that has been used on an infected person. (P 24). According to Draimin (1995) the four common most ways HIV can get into the  body, Dirty needles used to inject drugs, unprotected sexual intercourse, mother to fetus or new-born baby, and blood transfusion. (P.11) HIV is transferable through any kind of sexual contact: heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. The means of transferring the virus is unprotected sex. The safe guards against contracting HIV are to have sex only when you are ready, to know your partner, and to protect yourself from possible infection every time you have sex by using a condom. The HIV virus, like some other viruses cannot live outside the body. It is killed by air. HIV requires a warm, wet place to live and be carried only in blood, sexual fluids, and possibly saliva. Sexual transmission of HIV means that the virus goes from fluid to fluid (semen, vaginal, and blood). The virus has to pass from fluid to fluids to stay alive. (Pp25-26) 3. What is the History of HIV? HIV and Its Effects 4 Hyde and Forsyth (1 996) In 1981, when the first mysterious cases of an unusual type of pneumonia began to appear, scientists have accumulated a large body of knowledge about HIV. The first alarm sounded before aids even had a name, when doctors realized that some formerly rare diseases were becoming common among homosexual men in the United States. The first well-documented cases of what was later called AIDS were found in San Francisco and New York in 1981. A young gay man in San Francisco was found to be suffering from severe fungal infection to which he had little immune reaction. In fact, his immune system did not respond to any disease. Then he developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a type of pneumonia that is caused by a parasite. This disease is usually found only in severely malnourished individuals or people who’s immune have been impaired by drugs such as those used in treatment of cancer. (p.56) According to Nash (1997) In 1982, three non-drug -injecting heterosexual men with hemophilia A developed AIDS and were reported to CDC. Hemophilia A, a blood -clotting defect, requires transfusions of blood-clotting factors derived from whol e blood. (p.29) In June 1981 the first report of what AIDS, published by CDC described the new disease as a collection of characteristics symptoms among various population groups. It was a narrow definition, involving the presence of one or more opportunistic infections or cancers, and signs that general failure of immune system had occurred. (Nash, 1997) 4 What is the treatment for HIV HIV and Its Effects 5 According to Nash (1997) AIDS symptoms typically takes years to develop after the initial infection.  Scientists are researching what they call immunotherapy. Vaccines to prevent or stop a disease from taking hold; immunotherapy intervenes before symptoms arise and rids the body of infection. Management drugs have come out such as; Azidothymidine (AZT), this is the first of its kind. It interferes with HIV reproduction inside the cell; it slows the process of AIDS down. An HIV- positive person who takes AZT before AIDS symptoms appear lives longer than those who did not. Dideoxycytidine (ddC) and dideoxyinosine (ddI) offer another approach to combine therapy. Death rates are lowered when ddC and ddI were taken in combination of ddC and AZT or ddI and AZT then those patients who took AZT alone. Ampligen-, which did not help the patients when administered, alone-used in combination with AZT increase the effectiveness of both drugs. Epivir (3TC) became the first new initial therapy since AZT. The combination therapy of 3TC and AZT lowered the amount of HIV in patients and boosted their immune system. Invirase (protease inhibitor) is designed to cripple an enzyme vital in late stages of HIV reproduction, which is used in combination of other anti-HIV drugs. They reduce the levels of the virus in some people and increase the number of immune cells in some patients previously depleted by the virus. In 1996 Ritonavir, another protease inhibitor was also approved. HIV and its effects on those we know and love are about learning to manage the illness. People need to practice safe sex and to and to pay attention to safe behavior. HIV and treatment have come along way. Medical science has along time to go before a cure. HIV and Its Effects 6 References Packer, K. (1998). HIV Infection The Facts You Need To Know. New York: Venture. Draimin, B. (1ed)(1995). Working Together Against AIDS. New York: The Rosen Publishing group. Nash, C. (1997). AIDSs Choice for life. Springfield, NJ: Enslow. : Hyde, M., & Forsyth, E. (1996). AIDS What Does It Mean To You? New York: Walker.

The Beautiful Country

Most people who live in the country dream of someday moving to the city and living a different life. Upon weighing the options, one may find that although sometimes boring, country life has much more to offer than city life such as better opportunities, better environment, and fresher food. The first advantage the country has over the city is greater oppurtunity. Although the city is filled with opportunities such as better education. The Country offers more of hands on experience while learning.The city is highly Populated, which makes it a lot harder to have any teacher to student bonding. However, in the country, less students are in each classroom, so it is easier for the teacher and student to interact. The jobs in the city are considered to be more mental than physical, which can cause mental strain on a person's mind. Although, in the country the jobs are more physical than mental. Physical work can cause pain in the long run, but mental strain has a higher risk to cause life threatening issues.When it comes down to making friends in the city a person has a low chance. The city has enough people to make friends, but most of the people in the city are too busy to take time out of their lifr to even introduce theirselves to one another. However, the country is filled with nice, friendly people that are looking forward to making new friends daily. A better environment is a huge benefit to living in the country. Living in the city, the view is usually the same no matter where you go. The buildings in the city seem never ending.The tallness of the buildings and the graffiti that usually cover them eliminate any chance of a good view outside your window. Because the city is lit up twenty-four hours a day, the chance of catching a glimpse of the stars is also very rare. The constant sound of sirens and car horns eliminate any possibility of a good night’s sleep as well. Pollution is also greater in the city than in the country. Because there are a lot mo re people in the city, there are many more cars on the road. There are also more factories for these people to work which also aids in the pollution in the city.In the country, there are hardly any tall buildings. Residents of the country can usually step outside of their home and see a long stretch of green grass. The stars are almost always shining at night and the only sounds one may here while trying to go to sleep are the crickets chirping. Pollution is a lesser issue in the country as well. There are fewer people in the country which means fewer cars on the road. Because many people have their own farmland and make money that way, the need for factories for jobs is not as great in the country.

Problems and Prospects of Bangladesh Essay

Despite its poor-country status, increasing numbers of tourists have visited Bangladesh, a new but minor source of foreign exchange earning. Tourism in the early 1980s amounted to some 49,000 visitors per year, but by 1986 more than 129,000 tourists–mostly from India, the United States, Britain, and Japan–visited Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Parjaton Corporation (Bangladesh Tourism Corporation), some Tk44.6 million in foreign exchange was earned in 1986 from the tourism industry. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS The Bangladesh government and the Bangladesh Aid Group have taken seriously the idea that Bangladesh is the test case for development. In the late 1980s, it was possible to say, in the somewhat patronizing tone sometimes adopted by representatives of donor organizations, that Bangladesh had generally been a â€Å"good performer.† Even in straitened times for the industrialized countries, Bangladesh remained a favored country for substantial commitments of new aid resources from a strikingly broad range of donors. The total estimated disbursement for FY 1988 was estimated at US$1.7 billion, an impressive total but just US$16 per capita. Half of that total was for food aid and other commodities of limited significance for economic growth. Even with the greatest imaginable efficiency in planning and administration, resource-poor and overpopulated Bangladesh cannot achieve significant economic improvements on the basis of that level of assistance. In examining the economy of Bangladesh, wherever one turns the problems crowd in and threaten to overwhelm the analysis. Underlying problems that have threatened the young nation remain unsolved. These problems include overpopulation and inadequate nutrition, health, and education resources; a low standard of living, land scarcity, and vulnerability to natural disaster; virtual absence of valuable metals; and inadequate government and bureaucratic structures. Yet the brief history of independent Bangladesh offers much that is encouraging and satisfying. The World Bank, leader of the Bangladesh Aid Group, described the country in 1987 as a success story for economic development and expressed optimism that the goals of the Third Five-Year Plan, and longer term development goals as well, could be attained. Government policies had been effective in stimulating the economy. The private sector had benefited from an environment of greater economic freedom and had improved performance in banking and production of jute, fertilizer, ready-made garments, and frozen seafood. The average growth rate of economy had been a steady, if unspectacular, 4 percent since the beginning of the 1980s, close to the world average for developing countries. The picture of day-to-day and even year-to-year performance of the economy of Bangladesh is a mixture of accomplishment and failure, not significantly different from that of the majority of poor Third World countries. The government and people of Bangladesh are entitled to take some pride in the degree of success they have achieved since independence, especially when one contrasts their success with the gloomy forecasts of economists and international experts. The international donor community, led by the World Bank, similarly can be proud of the role it has played in assisting this â€Å"largest poorest† nation to become a respected member of the family of nations. * * * Works that are useful for gaining a basic understanding of the Bangladesh economy include Bangladesh: Emergence of a Nation by A.M.A. Muhith and The Political Economy of Development by Just Faaland and J.R. Parkinson. Rehman Sobhan’s The Crisis of External Dependence provides an insightful critique of the foreign aid sector. Kirsten Westergaard’s State and Rural Society in Bangladesh provides information on agricultural development in the context of the relationship between the state and rural society. Articles by Abu Muhammad Shajaat Ali and Akhter Hameed Khan provide agricultural case studies on the village of Shyampur and the Comilla Model, respectively. The Far Eastern Economic Review and Economist both carry timely reports on the state of the economy. Among the most important sources of information on the economy, however, is the documentation provided by various agencies of the governments of Bangladesh and the United States and the World Bank. Important among these is the annual Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh published by the Ministry of Planning. The Bibliography of Asian Studies each year carries numerous reports on the macroeconomy of Bangladesh and should be consulted for details. (For further information and complete citations, see Bibliography.)

Marketing Communications Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Communications Plan - Essay Example - introduce new ways and new experiences of eating chocolates, given the technological advances in the manufacturing process, i.e. sugar-free chocolates, chocolates with fruits and nuts, chocolates with cereals, etc. - While there is common notion that chocolate purchases decline during economic recession, there are reports that suggest portion of the consumer budget is being used for personal indulgence, as indicated by the decline in savings ratio during economic downturn. Strategic communications must be able to target this market that will spend on chocolates for indulgence in spite of economic downturn - Strategies should include campaigns that will highlight the lingering good feelings resulting from eating chocolates at a time when negative sentiments brought about by economic recession dominate the general mood of the public Given the above objectives, the marketing communication efforts should be able to contribute to the overall target of the chocolate confectionary industry to grow by as much as 17 percent in the next five years, or an increase of two percent in real terms. Message 3 – Chocolates are produced by corporate citizens who give back to society what it has received from the public. It practices social responsibility and looks after the welfare of the community where it operates. To communicate effectively, the promotional mix efforts will have to hire advertising agencies to develop effective sales ads; sales promotion specialists to design targeted sales promotion programs; direct-marketing specialists to build database and interact with customers and prospects by mail and telephone; web developers/graphics design artists/IT experts to develop and maintain the marketing campaign online, and public relations firms to supply product publicity and develop positive image for chocolate products and the chocolate-eating habits. What is important in the marketing

Environment and corporate culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environment and corporate culture - Essay Example Proactive thinking and adaptive strategy buildings is core concepts which can help organizations implement a culture within an organization to cope up with the fast moving developments. Organization facing a turbulent environment must have an adaptive culture in order to keep pace with the changing conditions of market. It is essential for every organization to trace the changing condition and come up with back strategies if they wish to survive in the industry. There are number of products and services available in market, the one who comes up with innovative and adaptive strategies can survive the competition. Nowadays, there are number of consulting agencies, which are providing their services to organization. These agencies help organization in developing appropriate strategies and culture of themselves. Some of them include Toffler Associates, Bloom Institute Inc etc. Toffler Associates have prepared a benchmark criterion for companies so that they can initiate Adaptive Culture in their organization. This criterion emphasize primarily on five major areas. In order to make an organization adaptive, an organization needs to make changes in the following five areas: i. People ii. Process iii. Strategy iv. Structure v. Technology Any organization can tap these five areas in order to pursue the Adaptive Culture. The status at which a company needs to stand in order portray as an Adaptive Cultured organization has been clearly mentioned in the reports of Toffler Associates. In order to meet the global challenges of 21st century, every company has to possess some degree of adaption. In this paper, that company is going to be discussed which has now become very prominent due to its technological innovation and instant adaption. The name of this company is â€Å"Apple Inc.† Apple Inc has surpassed almost all the major technological oriented company when it comes to adaption and innovation. A detailed description of the adaption of Apple Inc has been mentione d in the subsequent sections of this paper. Adaptive Culture at Apple Inc Corporate culture defines the particular set of norms and values shared by people and groups of every organization. Every organization defines the goals that are to be achieved as well as the standards of behavior for accomplishing these goals. It is the responsibility of the management to define and communicate these goals organization-wide. By taking an example of Apple Inc, it can be stated that despite of number of changes in the chief executive level of the company, Apple Inc has maintained its corporate culture, which had been introduced when the company was founded in 1970s. By looking at the historical performance of the company, it can be said that the company has managed to keep a mix of two of the most important cultures: i. Innovative Culture ii. Adaptive Culture At the beginning, to certain extent, the culture of the company was Individualistic, which means that it put emphasis on the personal emp owerment and creativity of individuals. Concerning to the challenges and situations of 21st century, the top management of the company has revised their strategies. Therefore, the initial rebellious, riotous and individualistic culture has been converted into emerging, innovative and adaptive culture. However, the core values of the company have stayed

Paul's First Missionary Journey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Paul's First Missionary Journey - Essay Example Table of Contents Introduction 2 Dating Issues 5 Bringing God’s Message to the Gentiles 9 Implications for the Church 19 Conclusion 20 Bibliography 21 Introduction Paul was born in Tarsus as Saul1, into a devout Jewish family that brought him up â€Å"a member of the people of Israel, a Hebrew...; as to the law, a Pharisee†23. By that time, Tarsus was the metropolis of Cilicia, which had been administered by the governor of the Roman province of Syria4. There is a little mention of the city of Tarsus in the scriptures5; however, having been written about the time of Paul, Strabo’s Geography presents a more detailed account of the issue, stating that the city of Tarsus possessed a flourishing and powerful population, and all kinds of schools of rhetoric6. Another description of Tarsus is given by Flavius Philostratus in his Life of Apollonius, where the city is considered â€Å"harsh and strange and little conductive to the philosophic life†, and its citize ns nowhere else more addicted to luxury7. From looking at these accounts of Paul’s place of birth, one would envisage an important city, whose self-confident inhabitants lived more or less a comfortable life, in a â€Å"proud and virile atmosphere of mental and physical achievement†8. According to Paul’s own words, not only could his family trace their line of descent back to â€Å"the tribe of Benjamin†9 – they also adhered very strictly to the way of life regulated by the stipulations of the Jewish law – â€Å"circumcised on the eighth day†10 – and maintained close ties with the Jewish community in Palestine11. Some scholars point out that the traditional concept of Paul’s personality could be traced back to the second-century apocryphal Acts of Paul –â€Å"Small of stature, balding, bow legs, large eyes, eyebrows meeting, nose slightly hooked†, with appearance â€Å"full of grace†, sometimes looki ng â€Å"more like an angel than a man†12. On the other hand, his writings imply a sign of specific weakness – â€Å"a thorn was given to me in the flesh†13, which has been variously interpreted in terms of a physical defect, whether epilepsy, leprosy, or even stigmata14. Compelling evidence of Paul’s education is provided throughout his letters, insofar as some of his ideas, theological assertions, and terminology could be paralleled in rabbinic Judaism15; however, an explicit account of the issue is found in Acts of the Apostles – â€Å"brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law†16. On the other hand, the style of Paul’s letters, e.g. literary patterns, hint other educational influences, namely Roman, Hellenistic stoic philosophy, etc.17 The turning point in Paul’s life – from a persecutor of the Church of God to the apostolic commission to preach the word of God t o the Gentiles – is widely believed to have taken place during the Damascus episode18. Nevertheless, Paul’s own account in his letter to the Galatians speaks of the continuity of divine action19, which had actually began before his birth – â€Å"†¦God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so