Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Analyse and Discuss the Merits and Best Use

Analyse and discuss the merits and best use of management skills Throughout the essay I hope to be able to interpret the management skills that are essential in today’s working environment. I will also hope to explain my own positive and negative experiences I have come across throughout my working career. The main areas I will cover in this essay on management skills are Leadership, Teamwork, Partnership, Networking, Delegation and Negotiation. We all want to be the best manager we can be, whether it is for your business, small project or social event or to meet targets in your workplace.Unfortunately most people have experienced bad managers or at least bad management skills in your work or personal life. The benefits of being a very good manager is that you have a productive and happy workforce or team enabling you to achieve great results and for team members feel valued and feel they are making worthwhile contribution to the project and to themselves. Agha Hasan Abedi quo tes â€Å"The conventional definition of management is getting the work done through people, but real management is developing people through work† So how do you enable the people to achieve the best for your team?One way is to have excellent leadership skills, so a manager can lead a team to success, whether that would be one section of a project or being able to hit all the targets, to give the company financial benefits. An excellent leader would be a manager that could lead by example, showing their team that they can work hard, put the effort in, are not shunning the menial and difficult work and are willing to â€Å"get their hands dirty† with the team to create success. A leader also has to be the person viewing the team analytically. . e. looking in on the team so that they have the knowledge of their team’s positive and negative points, so they can utilise the person with the right skills for the right task and to train the staff to enable someone or ev eryone to achieve their goal and the teams overall accomplishment. I once worked for the Welsh Assembly in the data capture department for the farming subsidies; I had one main and three deputy managers and worked with between fifty and sixty temporary agency and assembly staff.The managers never once talked individually to their staff to see what their experience was or what their needs were to be able to give the right procedure or training to the right person. Everyone was grouped together and was told to get on with it. This meant that regularly we would have to go over work already done as there were so many mistakes and the quality of the project was put in jeopardy. The end result was that the farmers were often paid very late for land they did not own for farms that did not exist. The Welsh Assembly did pay one farmer over ? 40,000 for farm land that was situated in the North Sea!Just by talking and listening to their staff, working beside them and finding the right person f or the job, a lot of time and money and reputations could have been saved. Teamwork – no goals can be achieved or positive results gained for a project without co-workers, subordinates or friends working effectively together. For any group of people to work together effectively there must be someone who will stand as the manager of the team; so they can lead the team into working as a whole to achieve success; someone who can address any problems and help to find a solution ensuring everyone feels positive in their role in the team.As a manager of a team you need to be able to set the direction, provide guidance and support, co-ordinate the teams’ activities, ensure that each team member plays his or hers part, promote the learning and development of team members, consult the team on issues affecting its work and in conjunction with team members, monitor, and review team performance. If all this can be achieved a manager can lead their team to success time and time aga in.Striving to gain larger profits, market share or to outmanoeuvre business competitors requires capitalizing on highly effective partnerships either internally within a field or business or externally to start collaboration from an assisting field. Partnerships can also ensure the business or project has the capabilities to support it and can evolve initiatives. The strategy of connectivity to other people and entities is now crucial for innovation and overall success. â€Å"Businesses today must propagate connections that provide resources they don’t possess in house and enable them to move quickly to profit. states Mr Stephen Dent from Partnership Continuum. Smart partnerships win not only because of what they do but, even more importantly, from how they do it. They win from leveraging their connectedness and from valuing the building of relationship skills. Partnerships can produce astonishing results—but only when information flows freely, people trust each othe r, and are loyal to each other and their mutual success. Managers and people can get things done by networking.Networks are organized connections between people with shared interests when they exchange information, enlist support and create alliances getting agreement with others on a course of action and joining forces to make it happen. It is an essential way of getting things done in organizations – it ensures that the informal organization works. They exist to meet a need and can be dispersed if that need no longer exists, only to be reformed when it reappears. Networks may just consist of people with similar aims or interests who communicate with one another or get together as required.To start networking you have to identify people who may be able to help, seize any opportunity that presents itself to get to know people who may be useful, have a clear idea of why you want to network – to share knowledge, to persuade people to accept your proposal or point of view , or to form an alliance. You have also got to know what you can contribute – networking is not simply about enlisting support, it is just as much if not more concerned with developing knowledge and understanding and joining forces with like-minded people so that concerted effort can be deployed to get things done.Ask people if you can help them as well as asking people to help you. Operate informally but be prepared to call formal meetings when necessary to reach agreement and plan action. Make an effort to keep in touch with people. Networks are sometimes set up formally in organizations, for example the ‘communities of interest’ that are created to exchange and share knowledge and experience. Networks can also exist outside the business.Again, they may consist of like-minded individuals exchanging information and meeting informally, or they may be set up formally with regular meetings and newsletters. But however you make a network they are very useful, especi ally in these changing times. When I was working in the medical recruitment field for Lifeline locums I began networking when I realised that the business needed more market share of the Welsh NHS positions and to increase the amount Private/NHS general practitioners we could locum. I joined a lot f medical recruitment committees and medical business networks to try and get to the right people who could introduce me to persons who could help the company win business inside the confines of the NHS. I was also informed of a number of NHS tenders to provide locums for certain hospitals that I believe won through networking. This raised the company’s profits fourfold and ensured I had a healthy bonus for the years to come. Even 8 years on I am still in touch with many of the people I made connections with then.The art of delegation is a precise one that requires time and forethought, time to build a strategy, team member development and realism. Every manager is as good as their team around them and as a manager it is impossible to try and do everything yourself, whether it is because you are afraid of giving over some of the control or that you cannot trust other team members to do the work as well as you, sooner or later you will have to be able to delegate to someone.Delegation can feel like more work and more hassle than it's worth, however if you can delegate effectively, it is possible to hugely expand the amount of work that can be completed. When you arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments, everyone is happier. To delegate effectively, choose the right tasks to delegate, identify the right people to delegate to, and then be available if required.When I was working in America I used a template like this to be able to make a logical step before I made the decision about whom I could delegate to, this also helped study what t ypes of skills I would need. I could then try to find the best match I had within my team or what was needed to develop them to be able to complete it successfully. Although in my case this template, was normally scratched onto one of my paper food sacks from the fruit company I owned in Colorado. Delegation template| Skill/ Ability | Specific Task or Objective| Measures| Agreed(is it? | Realistic(is it? )| Timings(start/finishdates)| Actions | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Negotiating is the process of communicating back and forth, for the purpose of reaching a joint agreement about differing needs or ideas. It is a collection of behaviours that involves communication, sales, marketing, psychology, sociology, assertiveness and conflict resolution. A negotiator may be a buyer or seller, a customer or supplier, a boss or employee, a business partner.It is a process of interaction by which two or more parties who consider that they need to be jo intly involved in an outcome but who initially have different objectives, seek by the use of argument and persuasion to resolve their difference in order to achieve a mutually acceptable solution. Another important consideration is that negotiation implies acceptance by both parties that agreement between them is required before a decision can be implemented. In an ideal situation, you will find that the other person wants what you are prepared to trade, and that you are prepared to give what the other person wants.Depending on the scale of the disagreement, some preparation may be appropriate for conducting a successful negotiation. For small disagreements, excessive preparation can be counter-productive because it takes time that is better used elsewhere. It can also be seen as manipulative because, just as it strengthens your position, it can weaken the other person's. So, in conclusion to ensure that you become an effective manager and have the right skills to be able to steer y our team to success you will undoubtedly have to work hard, find out about the people who are working with you and develop a trusting relationship together.But that is not all; you will need to show you can work hard with them and for them, see what they can do with and without you. See what you could do to develop your team around you and every once in a while take a step back every now and then to see the bigger picture about you and your team. Even within these management skills you have to remember to look outside your team or company and see if there are benefits in creating a network from similar fields or departments that could help strengthen your abilities. Also look out for partnerships that could develop mutual benefits.I hope this has explained the benefits of management skills and this has helped you to understand the examples of my previous working life. But I hope above all, that you remember to always stand tall and proud and be happy in your work. If you believe in yourself, others will to. | | | References Armstrong, A (2008) How to manage people. London. Kogan page limited Buckingham, M (2007) Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance. London (for Agha Hasan Abedi quote) Cole, G. A. (2004) Management – theory and Practice – Sixth Edition. London, South Western CENAGE learning Chapman, A. 2006-2011) Delegation (online) Business Balls http://www. businessballs. com/delegation. htm [accessed 12th December 2012) Dent, S. M. (2006) Partnership Relationship Management- Implementing a Plan for Success (online) Partnership Continuum, www. partneringintelligence. com (accessed 2nd Jan 2012) â€Å"Myopendraft† (2009) Management Skills – Networking (online) www. myopendraft. blogspot. com/2009 (accessed 2nd Jan 2012) Shah, K & Prof. Shah, P. J Date unknown Negotiating Skills (online) Available from http://www. laynetworks. com/Negotiating-Skills. html [accessed 14th Jan 2012) | |

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

History of Minority Populations in the Child Welfare System of the United States Essay

Article 1 Love, C. (2005). Not in our country? A critique of the United States welfare system through the lens of China’s one child policy. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 14(2). 142-174. Retrieved May 21, 2010. The article mainly focuses on the Family Planning Law in China and the laws in the United States regarding society welfare. Both the countries aim to eliminate poverty from the societies and encourage development and growth. The author of the article believes that some child laws have been violated in achieving a level of success in implementing welfare laws. Despite the efforts of the government, the people living below the poverty line are increasing each day in both the countries. The children are punished for the decisions of their parents as they do not have a separate formal identification. The cap on the family size in the United States legislature does not allow a woman to bear as many children as she wishes. The government supports children in a family to a certain limit. However, after the reproductive cap has been crossed, the government does not provide any benefits to the child who has been born after the cap was crossed. These limitations on the reproductive choice of a woman demonstrate that the system if full of issues and inequalities. This is because the child who is born after the reproduction cap is not entitled to the support from the government that other children are enjoying. Article 2 Raghavan, R., Inoue, M., Ettner, S., Hamilton, B., & Landsverk, J. (2010). A Preliminary Analysis of the Receipt of Mental Health Services Consistent With National Standards Among Children in the Child Welfare System.  American Journal of Public Health,  100(4), 742-749. Retrieved May 21, 2010 from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection data. In this article, the authors perform a research to find out whether the children in the child welfare system of the United States receive mental health care as the others receive. Data from the past three years was used to conduct the research and study. This data was collected from the National Survey for Child and Adolescent well-being. The sample size consisted of 3,802 individuals. The results showed that only half of the total sample size received mental health care that was consistent with a single national standard. However, there were only 10% of the total sample were fortunate enough to get health care which was consistent with all of the national standards. It was also found out that the older children were more likely to attract mental health care which is consistent with the national standards. Therefore the article concludes with the fact that the child welfare system in the Unites States is not working fairly and those who need the support are not getting it. Article 3 Dettlaff, A., de Haymes, M., Velazquez, S., Mindell, R., & Bruce, L. (2009). Emerging Issues at the Intersection of Immigration and Child Welfare: Results from a Transnational Research and Policy Forum.  Child Welfare,  88(2), 47-67. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from Education Research Complete database. The authors of this article intend to reveal the issues related to child welfare system that an immigrant family has to face while moving to the United States. Child permanency, safety and well being have become the major concerns of a family moving to the United States. The increasing numbers of immigrants in the past few years suggest an increase in contact and interaction with the child welfare system, but the numbers of immigrant children involved with the welfare system have not been measured. The author of the article also believes that the immigrant children are more likely to live in poverty than the children of the natives. Moreover the authors reveal that the immigrant families in the United States are less likely to receive any financial benefits than the natives. The children that are related to the immigrant families are more likely to lack health insurance coverage than the native ones. These discrepancies in the child welfare system exist due to the fact that the parents of these immigrant children also do not have access to the benefits that a normal American would enjoy.

Egg Supply Chain

In a few weeks you will start seeing quite a few sales on eggs. Why? Eggs are one of the main staples in the Easter holiday tradition. Everyone gets together the night before Easter and colors their eggs a wide range of colors to put in their Easter baskets for the Easter Bunny to hide. An egg seems like such a simple food item, very few people ever wonder what all had to happen in order for them to be able to buy their eggs from the grocery store. If there were suddenly no eggs to color for Easter I am sure everyone would then want to know. If it even possible to think that the grocery stores would have no eggs? The answer is yes! In order for that carton of eggs to be on the shelf of the store it must travel the supply chain. A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. Egg would seem like such a simple product that there really couldn’t be that much to the supply chain given that the chicken lays the eggs, the farmers puts them in cartons and a truck delivers them to the store. Eggs don’t go through processing like most other food products but still there can be a lot to them depending on what type of eggs you buy and where from. Many people still get theirs from the grocery stores but a rising trend is to purchase them farmers markets or directly from the farmer. Going directly to the farmer for your eggs is becoming more popular because people want to know where their food is coming from and want to know that the animals are not being mistreated or given hormones. In order to discuss the supply chain for eggs one must first ask the questions,Which came first the egg or the chicken? When you attempt to do a supply chain for eggs this is without a doubt the first question you would need to ask. Did the farmer get the egg first and then hatch the chickens to lay more eggs to sell or did he get the chicken first who then laid the eggs? For this paper we are going to assume that the chicken came first. So the first step in the egg supply chain is the hatchery no matter where you get your eggs the process started in the hatchery. Due to the rising trend of going straight to farmer for goods, we are going to look at the supply chain for eggs purchased directly from the farmer. Also this is how I get my eggs so I thought it would be more interesting, of course the eggs I get come from my aunt so there is not much to them aside from the gas used to drive to her farm and pick them up. Her chicks came from a friend who raised chickens but for those farmers who do not have friends or neighbors who raise chickens they would go to a hatchery. Hatcheries are found all over. There are quite a few in Ohio alone, a major one is found in the Cincinnati area. Once the farmer gets his peeps from the hatchery they are placed in a chicken coup which has access to a pasture for the chickens to graze. Chickens eat a wide variety of things but mostly are fed corn or other vegetables already found on the farm. Chickens that are allowed to graze produce better quality eggs due to the fact that they get more nutrients from the ground than those chickens raised in cages. The next step in the supply chain once you have the chickens and they lay the eggs is to gather and package them for sale. Eggs are usually gathered on a plastic tray and then washed and sanitized then stored in a refrigerator. Many co-op farms that you buy from have you bring your own container for your eggs, this saves them money and also the environment if you reuse the same carton. Most people just bring a carton from store bought eggs. The egg carton was invented in 1911 to help keep a farmer’s eggs from breaking while delivering. Egg cartons come in a variety of forms from Styrofoam to molded pulp and paper. You can even buy plastic storage containers for eggs that can reused again and again. One of major suppliers of egg cartons to small farms is a company called Eggcartons. com. They do not produce the egg cartons themselves but rather buy them in large quantity then sell in smaller quantity to farmers. Once the eggs are packaged they are ready for sale whether to a local farmer market or directly to the customer who visits the farm. Farm raised eggs there seems to not be too much competition out there. Very few farms do this and the ones that do are spaced a good ways apart, also the fact that the small farms cannot produce as much as the bigger companies limits them on what they can sell anyhow. The only major issue that could impact the supply chain for a local farmer is to lose his chickens or for them to fall ill and not be able to produce enough eggs to meet demand. Some interesting facts on eggs are according to National Egg Producer Organization ( I am not making this up, the group exists) Ohio is the number 2 egg producer in the United States, second to only Iowa. In 2008, over 209. 1 million cases of eggs were produced in the United States and of that 209. 1 million 68 million cases (32. 2%) were further processed (for foodservice, manufacturing, retail and export); 121. 7 million cases (58. 2%) went on to retail; 18 million cases (9%) went for foodservices use; and 1. 4 million (0. 7%) were exported. (http://www. unitedegg. org/useggindustry_generalstats. aspx) The Supply Chain Diagram {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame}

Monday, July 29, 2019

ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT (ASD) AND VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECT (VSD) Assignment

ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT (ASD) AND VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECT (VSD) - Assignment Example Although most of the children with smaller ASDs appear healthy and grow normally, those with larger ASDs habitually exhibit reduced appetite and growth, frequent fatigue, shortness of breath and persistent lung infections. Additionally, such children are highly susceptible to conditions such as pneumonia. Treatment: Treatment of ASD in children similarly depends on the age of the child, size of the ASD and its location (Adler et al., 2014). Small ASD defects routinely close on their own as the child grows while there is always the need to perform open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization in order to rectify the condition in case the defect is large. Symptoms: Cardiovascular specialists are often able to detect VSD over the first few trips the infant makes to the hospital because of an irregular murmur within the heart (Penny et al., 2011). Apart from that, children who suffer from the condition often fail to thrive because they do not eat due to lack of appetite. Similarly, such children regularly tire quickly and suffer several instances of breathlessness due to faster breathing rates. Treatment: Treatment of VSD heavily relies on the size of the hole and, the age of the child and its location. Health experts routinely carry out open-heart surgeries to remedy the condition. The same applies to cardiac catheterization. Symptoms: In adults, the indicators of the condition are shortness of breath, notably when exercising and recurrent fatigue. The victims will similarly exhibit swelling of various body parts including the abdomen and legs, skipped heartbeats, frequent lung infections, and stroke. Treatment: Health providers recommend the use of anticoagulant drugs and medications that keep the heartbeat regular. For medium and large sized defects, doctors routinely recommend open-heart surgeries, for that ensures no future complications. Symptoms: Adults who suffer from VSDs experience

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Evaluate Project Risk Management in the construction of London Essay

Evaluate Project Risk Management in the construction of London Heathrow Airports Terminal 5 - Essay Example My thanks will be extended also to my family including Dad, Mom and -----, my youngest brother for their kind and invaluable support during the whole project. The London Heathrow Terminal 5 has emerged to be the largest airport and the most complex construction projects undertaken in the airline industry. The aim of the project was to augment the capacity by 50% along with offering the visitors an impressive gateway into the city and the United Kingdom. With a budget of over  £4.3bn, the airport facility includes a an airport terminus, a building housing a satellite, underground tunnels, diversions on the river and a road connecting the airport to M25 (Sharon, 2008).This paper attempts to study and evaluate the Risk Management strategy and theories involved in the construction of London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5, (Sharon, 2008) and critic these theories. The approach used to mitigate risks for the t5 of the Heathrow Airport was based on the principles of team construction and had to incorporate many changes until project completion, (Sharon, 2008). BAA had anticipated a high level of design progress and development at all stages of the ambitious project which could easily squeeze modern technical solutions and modifications in safety, space requirements or amenities. It would have been unrealistic to freeze the complete design solution of the project during the design phase (Latham, 1994). BAA decided absorb all risks. This helped BAA manage the activities with the help of partners who worked as integrated teams along with the contractors. This was implemented under the T5 Agreement, (Ferroussat, 2005). The procedure to try and identify risks that are present within a project is known as management of risks. The risks that are posing challenges during the implementation of a project are effectively managed, (Mind Tools, 2009). Risk Management activity is mainly concerned with a proper analysis of the different operations, identification

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Human trafficing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human trafficing - Essay Example This is similar to slavery. Traffickers tend to exploit such persons and limit their freedom and movement. They sell them in the traffic market so as to make a kill out of it (Thomas 2). The complex nature of human trafficking needs an advanced approach and cooperation by different people involved in this vice. Stakeholders involved include law enforcement agencies, agencies working with the government, religious and non-profit making organizations. This approach combats human trafficking of women in particular by preventing, prosecuting, and even providing direct assistance to the victims in question, not forgetting interventionary approaches (Thomas 6). Moreover, there is also the crucial issue of trafficking women for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This continues to be an old trade in the world. It can be estimated that a large portion of women get trafficked internationally across borders of different countries in the world. These figures can be obtained from the recent study of sex slavery in the world. Nevertheless, global initiatives are now in control to help curb such vices from destroying a country’s fabric of integrity. They help in preventing, punishing and suppressing human trafficking. Certain stringent policies are now in effect to help suppress this vice. Persons caught trafficking and smuggling human kind can be observed as having committed two offences. Hence, smuggling is the delivering persons into a country they are not legal citizens and leaving them to fend for themselves illegally without legal documents of operation in that country. It involves paying a bribe to provide entry into that country. Sm uggling and trafficking of human kind is a vice involving the use of force that can be considered to be illegal and involuntary to the will of such persons (Thomas 13). The law plays a crucial part in defining them. It explores the method in which women who can be trafficked, can be viewed by law. For instance, having a view at the

Friday, July 26, 2019

Influencing Individuals and Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Influencing Individuals and Groups - Essay Example Readers can be influenced and informed very powerfully by using different tools in written communication and generate the desired results. According to experts, by simply avoiding some common grammatical errors, written communication can be made highly effective (School Press H, 2006). Task sheets and employee bulletin boards are one of the common examples of the written communication which is used when the purpose is to inform the lower level employees about the goals and expectations. Emails are used by the employees of Wal-Mart and especially the managers for sharing information, and conveying their concerns. At Wal-Mart e mail is a frequently used medium and is preferred because of the low cost and eases of use (Jonathan Scott, 2005). In his book titled 21: Written Business Communication, Jonathan Scott a memo is a piece of written communication employed to convey information to the employees. The documentation evidence of memos serves in maintaining a record of communication as well (Jonathan Scott, 2005). An example of the use of memos in Wal-Mart was in 2005 when the executive vice president, Susan Chambers suggested used a memo to float a suggestion that health workers should be hired to keep employee costs low (John Hollon, 2005). This memo was used as evidence by the labor union and published in The New York Times when the company announced that it would adopt a new health plan for employees (Julie Appleby, 2005). Annual or monthly progress reports are prepared at Wal-Mart for example the 2009 Global Sustainability Report was issued and it stated that the company had been able to come close to its goals that it had established in 2005. These three goals were rely on renewable energy, no waste and selling sustainable products. The company also donated towards social causes as well (Mike Duke, 2009). In Wal-Mart, employees are also provided Instruction manuals that contain rules, policies and procedures for issues related to work (Gregory

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Safety in high rise buildings role of a project manager Essay

Safety in high rise buildings role of a project manager - Essay Example Fay (2007), Craighead (2008) and Adler (1993) generally define high-rise buildings as structures that extend higher than the maximum reach of available fire-fighting equipment. More specifically, these are the structures whose heights fall between 75 feet (23 meters) and 100 feet (30 meters) or approximately seven to ten stories, depending on the height between the floors (Fay, 2007). Security, on the other hand, coming from the Latin word securus, means freedom from danger or risk (Fay, 2007). This term has become relatively synonymous with safety, which also connotes one’s freedom from danger (Fay, 2007). Having recognized these terms then, the researcher then discusses the common problems being experienced by workers who participate in the construction of high rise buildings that often pose threats to their safety and security. The issue with regard to the safety and security of workers in high rise building construction sites has often been a subject of many researches. In fact, the construction industry has been considered to be one of the most dangerous sectors due to the number of accidents being experienced by the workers while they are working on their projects, most especially, the high rise buildings (Rowlinson 2004). The industry, because of the abovementioned has then also produced the worst safety record all over the world. One of the most common problems experienced by workers in the construction of high rise buildings that threaten their safety and security has something to do with the climate. Apparently, the current temperature in the area where a certain worker is employed tends to affect the building materials, especially those that is being handled or walked on (Oliver, 2005). It is then for this reason that Oliver (2005) deems it important that a worker or most importantly, the climate manager, be informed of the

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 29

Case Study Example Each of the hospitals has their own unique culture that can either help or prevent the coping ability of the employees with the stress of working in their demanding environments. As the individual in charge of socializing the new nurses, I would first communicate the desired behaviors through either written or verbal communication. I would ensure that I role model the required behaviors on daily basis. I would also develop a mentorship program for them to encourage them to engage in a two-way communication and build confidence in them in their early career. This will ensure that they remain motivated all the time. I would also create a time out for some few hours to give them a break from their works and make them feel rejuvenated. There are various challenges that hospitals face when creating a culture that helps in the reduction and management of stress among the employees. One of them is that they have to come up with a creative strategy of ensuring that they manage on the time spent on motivating employees. The reason is that the hospital has to continue with its normal operations while the supportive culture is still going on. Thus, they have to divide the employees into shifts to take them out in shifts for instance, and this can be costly in the long run. Secondly, some hospitals lack the required time to motivate their employees in the required levels. This is considering that hospital nurses, doctors and nurses are under pressure on time and they have to give their undivided attention to patients. If the hospital lacks enough number of nurses, doctors and staff, then coming up with an organizational culture to reduce and manage stress levels in the hospital might be difficult (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2013). There was a certain organization that I worked for that had inadequate employees. The few employees that worked there had high-stress levels and had to deal with a lot in the organization setting. Thus, the

Journal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Journal - Coursework Example Education today starts at a very young age, at the level of preschool and kindergarten classes. However, modern education seems to have taken a detour, as it had deviated from its primary purpose, which is to prepare kids for the larger things in life, to be productive adult citizens. In this regard, I find the list to be very clear; I had gone over each item and found everything to be clear enough for me. Each expectation on that list can be considered as very reasonable and logical. A particular skill that I want to develop this semester is engagement in the childrens play and along this line, in exploration of childrens skills through careful monitoring of childrens play. I am a very shy person and it is this one characteristic trait which I must overcome so I can be an effective teacher to kids. At first glance, it should not be too difficult because I am basically dealing with small children, and yet kids these days are very smart too and able to discern whether their teacher is correctly engaged with them or not. It is then necessary for me to deal with them in a natural and spontaneous way, to hide my shyness with intentional interactions in order to make a positive difference in these little childrens lives. Teachers today must also be researchers, to be more effective at their task of educating young minds, like choosing the right curriculum to use in their learning programs. The curriculum for children today has been commercialized and compartmentalized, to the extent that time spent on learning has been rigidly regimented, and the time is too short. This time-based approach is not conducive to a quality learning environment. The process of learning is harried; play for children is no longer fun for them and so learning suffers a lot. In childrens educational curriculum today, quality is ill-defined and so objectives are muddled or murk. The first strategy to help kids is to support play, provide support, and observe. Moreover, the emphasis on

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Homicide Law within England and Wales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homicide Law within England and Wales - Essay Example In July 2005, government ordered for a review of homicide law, especially connecting to manslaughter in England and Wales2. It is stated that there are many problems in the existing law like it has confusing structure and shaky foundations. It does not reflect the degree of fault or provide right scope. There are areas that need regularisation by legislation because some of these areas are not conducive with the modern society. Two general offences of murder and manslaughter sometimes have a blurred demarcation. No doubt wilful killing of another person is murder and the rest come under manslaughter. Here again, demarcation is not very clear between gross negligence manslaughter, reckless manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter and unlawful and dangerous act manslaughter. Current definitions of each of them could be termed as confusing and misleading at times. Current definitions of these offences are mainly based on judicial law connected with precedent individual cases and they are not products of legislation. Most of them are behind time and do not have much legal base other than societal approval. Difference in intention of only harming and not killing, but killing by mistake is a terribly confusing legal field that could be manoeuvred by a clever lawyer in whichever way he likes. In present law culpability is too wide a field and need to be specified properly. Many reckless killers who kill with abandon are getting lightly punished under manslaughter while they deserve more stringent sentences. Law fraternity3 and police watch helplessly when the defendant goes away with hardly any punishment due to loopholes in law. Especially the police, who are aware of the committed crime and have seen the atrocity and effect of it, feel totally deceived and disowned by law. Law of manslaughter needs narrowing down urgently. It cannot be allowed to become bigger and bigger almost with every case. Some of the partial defences like concealed partial defences or self defences are set in unclear fields and need more coherence. Provocation is not clearly stated and the whole area is a confusing mixture of judge made law and rather unconnected legislation. Role of provocation in murder and manslaughter both is extremely difficult to grasp even by

Monday, July 22, 2019

Shares and Joint Stock Companies in the New Economic Model Essay Example for Free

Shares and Joint Stock Companies in the New Economic Model Essay Introduction Good morning, dear colleagues. I’m glad to see everyone here. Thank you for your coming. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Elena Torlopova. I’m a freshman of the State University of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. I study at the department of the international economic relations. My aim for today’s presentation is to give you information about Shares and Joint Stock Companies in the New Economic Model I plan to be brief. My presentation will last only 5 minutes. As you can see, my presentation is divided into 3 main parts. At first I would like to give you the basic concepts and characteristics of joint-stock companies. Then I would like to take a look at benefits and lacks of joint stock companies. Lastly we are going to discuss the definition of blue chips and consider a situation where they are used. Please interrupt me if there is something which needs clarifying, otherwise there will be time for your questions at the end of my talk. The main information about joint stock companies Joint-stock company (JSC) is a company, the authorised capital of which is divided into a certain number of shares owned by shareholders. Shareholders bear no responsibility for its obligations and run the risk, within the value of shares belonging to them, of losses associated with the companys activity. A joint-stock company in which shares can be  traded freely and which may have unlimited number of shareholders is an open joint-stock company. A joint-stock company which shareholders have a pre-emptive right to buy shares sold by other shareholders is a closed joint-stock company. Such a company has no right to hold a public subscription to its shares or for that matter offer them for sale to the general public. Advantages and disadvantages of joint stock companies The company provides so many advantages that it is widely popular all over the world. The main advantages are: Huge resources A company can raise large amount of resources from the genera public by issuing shares. Limited liability The liability of the shareholders is limited to the extent of the face value of the shares held by them or guarantee given by them. Diffused risk The entire business risk of a company is distributed over a large number of shareholders. Thus, the risk is reduced for each shareholder. Despite the above advantages, the company form of organisation also suffers from certain demerits. Oligarchic management It is controlled by a small group of Board of Directors who hardly protect the interest of other shareholders. Lack of secrecy It is very difficult to maintain business secrecy in a company because of every business strategy is discussed in the meeting of the Board of Directors and the annual accounts are published and compliance to Government. Fraudulent management The directors and managers may function for their personal gain overlooking the interest of the company. â€Å"Blue chips† Blue chip stock constitute shares or securities of large reliable companies with stable indices derived from income and dividends paid. In essence, the term blue chip is employed in the stock markets by analogy to describe the actions of well-established entities. The term was coined by Oliver Gingold of Dow Jones Company in 1923. It is reported that  the term was born when Gingold was taking note of several businesses with shares priced at $ 200 per share or more. And went on to indicate intentions of writing an article about the blue chips. Thus the term was born. Typically, blue chips are indicators of the overall market. Blue chip shares are the most liquid securities market. The list of blue chip stock changes periodically, but there are always those that manage to stay on top for years. Examples of the western blue-chip companies are Apple, IBM, The Coca-Cola Company, Ford, Google, etc. In Russia blue chips occur mainly in the oil, gas, energy and telecommunications companies. In particular, the blue chips include such companies as Gazprom, Lukoil, Norilsk Nickel, Rosneft, Sberbank, Rostelecom, RusHydro, Polyus Gold, etc. These companies typically have leading positions in the RTS and MICEX. As you can see on the pie chart 15 percent of blue chips belong to Gazprom. It means that Gazprom shares are the most liquid in terms of sales and account for 15 percent of the total trading volume on the market. The second largest sales shares owned by Lukoil. They constitute 14, 02% of total trading in the market. Sberbank is the third after a Gazprom and Lukoil amounts to 13.88% of sales of its shares on the market. Norilsk Nickel and Rosneft makes 7.56% and 7% of sales in the market, respectively. And finally Surgutneftegas and VTB Bank constitute 4,82% and 4,28% of sales in the market. Thus the total weight of seven securities in the index is 67%, which implies that it is these securities provide direction and determine the dynamics of the Russian market as a whole. Conclusions We gave the definition of the concept of joint-stock company and it basic characteristics. Then we looked at the advantages and disadvantages of joint stock companies. And in the end we discussed the stock market, and specifically the blue chips and looked at the dynamics of the sales of seven major blue chips Russia. So, in conclusion I would like to say that joint-stock form of entrepreneurship plays an important role in the formation of normal conditions of operation of enterprises, allows shareholders to raise funds for its activities, and each worker can become the owner of the company, through acquisition of shares, each shareholder reduces the risk of losing a significant amount of money (each at risk only to the extent of its sum shares) allows you to work more efficiently, since  all are interested in making profits and dividends It should be emphasize once again that the joint stock company is a unique form of collective ownership of the implementation, where everybody i nterested in the results of its operations. Bibliography * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint-stock_company * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_chip_(stock_market) * http://www.bukisa.com/articles/444625_basic-overview-of-blue-chip-stock

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Mechanisms in the Cardiovascular System

Mechanisms in the Cardiovascular System The mechanism of the pumping action of the heart can be categorized in three phases- the generation of an action potential, conduction of the action potential and cardiac muscle contraction (action potential-contraction coupling). The action potential is generated the specialized autorythmic myocardial cells located at the Sino atria (SA) node. The potential spreads to the atria and enters the ventricles through the atria ventricular (AV) node from where it is conducted throughout the ventricles by the bundle of His and the purkinje fiber. The action potential triggers muscle contraction as it sweeps around the heart1. As the cardiac muscles contract and relax the heart beats repeatedly, in the process receiving and pumping blood, first to the lungs then to the rest of the body. As it leaves the heart, the blood carries with it oxygen and nutrients to the body and brings back metabolic wastes from the body cells 1, 2. However, much as it supplies blood to the rest of the body, the heart itself needs blood to support its metabolic activity. The heart is thus supplied by the coronary arteries which branch off from the aorta. Reduction in the volume of this coronary flow can greatly impair the pumping action of the heart and if not treated, can cause heart failure. A number of treatment options ranging from surgical to drugs are available2b. THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM The cardiovascular system is an organ system responsible for distribution of nutrients and oxygen to the bodys cells and removal of metabolic byproducts from the cells. It consists of the following: Blood which carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells and metabolic byproducts away from the cells The blood vessels which are the pathways through which blood flows The heart which receives and pumps blood. Embedded in the heart are valves that control blood flow and ensure that blood flows in a specified direction3,8. THE HEART In brief, the heart is a muscular organ enclosed in a double walled sack called the pericardium. It is about the size of a fist and weighs between 250 grams and 350 grams. It is located within the medial cavity of the thorax between the second and fifth intercostal space, just on the superior surface of the diaphragm, anterior to the vertebral column and posterior to the sternum7. The heart is divided in four chambers, the right and left atria, the right and left ventricle. The circulation process is such that the right atrium receives blood from the rest of the body through the venacavea and feeds it to the right ventricle which pumps it to the lungs through the pulmonary artery to be oxygenated. Blood from the lungs comes back to the left atrium through the pulmonary vein and finally to the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body though the aorta and arteries7,1. The Mechanism of Heart function The most important function of the heart is to pump blood. The mechanism by which the heart pumps blood can be understood by examining the events that lead to cardiac muscle contraction. The contraction process starts with the generation of an action potential from the sinoatrial (SA) node giving rise to a depolarization wave. The wave spreads through the atria, entering the ventricles through the atrioventricular (AV) node and is conducted throughout the ventricles by the bundle of His and the purkinje fibers1. Generation of action potential. The heart is composed of two kinds of cardiac muscle cells- the contractile and autorythmic cells. The contractile cells are responsible for the mechanical work of pumping and therefore form the bulk of the cardiac muscles. However, these cells need to be excited before they can contract. Highly specialized autorythmic cells are responsible for generation and conduction of the excitation signal-the action potential1,3. These autorythmic cells are found in specific regions of the heart that include: The SA node. This is a small region located at the upper wall of the right atrium. The AV node. This is a bundle of the autorythmic cells found at the lower wall of the right atrium, near the septum that separates the atria from the ventricles. The bundle of His. This is a bundle of specialized conductive cells that originate from the AV node and runs down the septum between the ventricles. It separates into the right and left bundles serving the respective ventricles. The purkinje fiber. These can be regarded as terminations of the bundle of His. They spread over the base of the ventricles.The locations of the autorythmic cells are the origin and pathways of the action potential3. The cardiac action potential The SA node is the pace maker of the heart. It sets the frequency at which the heart beats. Looking at the cardiac cell, the action potential starts by the reorganization of the intracellular and extracellular concentration of potassium, sodium, chloride and calcium ions due to changes in the cell membrane permeability. A graph showing a typical myocardial cell action potential is shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: Cardiac cell action potential. Source4: As in the graph, the different phases represent different stages of depolarization of the cardiac cell. Phase 4: In this phase, the cell is at rest. In the resting state, the cell membrane is more permeable to potassium and therefore the resting potential is more or less equal to the potassium equilibrium potential (-90mV). Phase 0: As the potential slowly rises, the voltage-gated sodium channels open leading to a rapid influx of potassium into the cell causing rapid depolarization. At the same time, the membrane permeability to potassium slowly reduces as the potassium channels close. This process takes the membrane potential to around +20Mv before the sodium channels suddenly close. Phase 1: On inactivation of the sodium channels, potassium continues to leak out of the cell and chloride ions go into the cell causing a small downward deflection of the action potential. Phase 2: At this stage, there is increased permeability of the membrane to calcium ions. The inward calcium movement is balanced by an outward movement of potassium ions accounting for the relatively flat phase 2. Phase 3: An increase in the permeability of potassium outweighs the inward calcium current and eventually tips the potential of the cell. This is the repolarization phase and the cell goes back to its resting potential, phase 43,4. Excitation-contraction coupling As described in muscle contraction, the action potential-contraction coupling is due to the release of calcium from the cells sarcoplasmic reticulum. The calcium combines with troponin which regulates the tropomyosin, removing it from the binding site. This allows myosin to bind to actin thus making the muscle to contract3. The cardiac cycle The depolarization and repolarization of the cardiac cell described above triggers the contraction and relaxation to the atria and ventricles of the cell. The cardiac cycle is divided in two main phases, diastole which is the period of relaxation and systole which is the period of contraction. Systole. During this phase, the depolarization wave starts from the SA node, spreading first through the atria and causing the atria to contact first. This forces blood from the atria to the ventricles. At this time, the atrioventricular valves are open while the pulmonary and aortic valves are closed. The depolarization wave then enters the ventricles through the AV node, spreading over all the ventricles via the specialized conductive bundle of His and the purkinje network. This causes the ventricles to contract forcing the blood to the lungs through the pulmonary vein and the rest of the body through the aorta. Here the atrioventricular valves close while the pulmonary and aortic valves open5,3. Diastole. After contraction of the atria, the cells are repolarized. This allows the atria to relax thus allowing blood to flow into them through the vena cavea. After the ventricular contraction, the ventricles also relax awaiting to be filled with blood from the atria5. THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM The circulatory system is part of the cardiovascular system and is divided into the pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. The pulmonary circulation transports deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs and returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart9. The systemic circulation transports oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body and brings back deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart9. Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium from the vena cava and flows through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. It is pumped from the right ventricle through the  pulmonary semilunar valve  into the pulmonary arteries which go to the lungs. Oxygenated blood returns via the pulmonary veins and enters the left ventricle through the mitral valve. It is the pumped through the aortic valve, to the aorta then through the arteries to the rest of the body. It is evident that oxygen is very important in metabolic activity of the body cells 3,9. Transport of oxygen by the cardiovascular system The red blood cells. One of the functions of the cardiovascular system is to distribute oxygen around the body. Oxygen is carried in blood by the red blood cells. Understanding the structure of the red blood cells will help us to understand how it is able to carry oxygen. The molecule of a red blood cell is composed of four polypeptide chains with each polypeptide chain having an iron-containing heme group. Each of the four iron atoms can combine reversibly with oxygen according to the equation: O2+Hbà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ HbO2. It is therefore possible that each molecule of hemoglobin can carry up to four molecules of oxygen1b,2b. Oxygen uptake Blood is pumped from the right ventricle to the lungs to be oxygenated. In the alveoli, the partial pressure of oxygen is higher than that in the blood and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the alveoli is lower than that in the blood. The pressure differences make it possible for oxygen to diffuse from the alveoli to the blood, thus binding to the iron in the hemoglobin. Carbon dioxide on the other hand diffuses from the blood to the lungs. Carrying oxygen, blood is returned to the left atria then to the left ventricle which pumps it to the rest of the body2c. Oxygen release: In the tissues and organs, the cells are undergoing metabolism, continually consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. This means that the intracellular partial pressure of oxygen is lower than that in the blood and the intracellular partial pressure of carbon dioxide is higher than that in the blood. Again the pressure differences make it possible for oxygen to diffuse from the blood to the cells and carbon dioxide from the cells to the blood, binding again with the iron in the hemoglobin. Therefore, as blood flows around the body, it continually distributes oxygen2c,6. BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE HEART Coronary flow In order to perform its functions, the heart an abundant supply of oxygen and nutrients and therefore needs a dedicated supply of blood. Coronary circulation is that part of the systemic circulation that provides blood supply to the heart. Just as the aorta leaves the left ventricle, it gives of the right and left coronary arteries9. The left coronary artery divides into smaller braches supplying blood to the apex and the posterior side of the heart, the ventricles and part of the anterior interventricular septum, the left atrium and posterior wall of the left ventricle. The right coronary artery supplies the lateral aspect of the right atrium and ventricle, the posterior wall of both ventricles and the SA node9,10. Effect of reduced coronary flow on cardiac function The energy demand of the cardiac muscle is so crucial that an interruption of blood supply to any part of the myocardium can cause necrosis within minutes9. A decrease in coronary flow to levels below normal is called myocardial ischemia. The ischemia can be caused by vascular spasms of the coronary arteries, atherosclerosis or increased activity of the heart beyond levels that the coronary arteries can supply10. Temporary or reversible obstruction of coronary blood flow can cause chest pain known as angina pectoris9. Chronic myocardial ischemia can lead to myocardial infarction where myocardial cells die and are replaced by scar tissue. Reduced coronary flow therefore can affect cardiac function in several ways. If the heart is not able to meet its metabolic demand, it can be understood that it will not be able to pump enough blood to the body. Reduced blood flow to the rest of the body can result in serious physiological and pathological conditions which are beyond the scope of this essay. With the death of some cardiac cells as in the case of chronic ischemia, several other life threatening conditions can arise which affect cardiac function. One of such dangerous conditions is ventricular fibrillation which is an abnormal pulse generation triggered by the damaged myocardial cells. The heart will not be able to pump blood but will just quiver around without any net output. Death can occur within minutes2b,6. Treatment of reduced coronary flow Other immediate effects like ventricular fibrillation caused by reduced coronary flow can be treated by defibrillation. However, the main cause of reduced coronary flow is coronary artery occlusion or restriction and the following treatment options are available: Coronary bypass: This is a surgical technique where the occluded coronary artery is cut and replaced by a new blood vessel, usually a vein taken from somewhere in the patients body2b. Coronary balloon angiography (cardiac catheterization): This is another surgical procedure where a catheter containing a balloon at its tip is passed into the occluded artery. The balloon is enlarged thus stretching the artery and opening it in the process2b. The use vasodilator drugs such as nitroglycerine: These drugs dilate the coronary artery thereby lowering the total peripheral resistance. This reduces the work the heart must do in ejecting blood. This is usually given to people who have already suffered myocardial infarction to reduce the risk of another occurance2b,10. A person at risk of myocardial infarction can be put a low cholesterol, low fat diet to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and takes aspirin to reduce the risk of blood clot formation. Conclusion The cardiovascular system is one of the most important systems of the body. All the other systems and organs of the body depend on it for supply of oxygen and nutrients and removal of metabolic wastes. The heart acts as a pump to make sure blood is circulated to all parts of the body through pulmonary and systemic circulations9. However, the heart itself needs supply of blood in order to perform its main function of pumping blood and the heart is supplied by the coronary circulation. Reduction in coronary flow means the heart will not be able to meet it metabolic needs and therefore cannot pump enough blood. This can adversely affect normal activity of the body and cause death10. References Sherwood L. Fundamentals of physiology a human perspective. St. Paul Minn: West publishing company; 1991.190-199 1b. Sherwood L. Fundamentals of physiology a human perspective. St. Paul Minn: West publishing company; 1991.263-266 Vander A, Sherman J, Luciano D. Human physiology, the mechanisms of body function, seventh edition. Boston: McGrow-Hill; 1998. 387-389. 2b. Vander A, Sherman J, Luciano D. Human physiology, the mechanisms of body function, seventh edition. Boston: McGrow-Hill; 1998. 374-377. 2c. Vander A, Sherman J, Luciano D. Human physiology, the mechanisms of body function, seventh edition. Boston: McGrow-Hill; 1998. 479-483. Koeppen M B, Stanton A B. Berne and Levy physiology, sixth edition. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby/Elsevier; 2008. 289-303 Serguei Semenov (2009): Lecture notes. Physiological measurements, ecg/pacemakers/defibrillators. Cohen J B, Wood L D. Structure and function of the human body, seventh edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2000. 195-204. Vandegriff K.D, Benazzi L, Ripamonti M, Perrella M, Tellier Le Y.C, Zegna A, Winslow R M. Determination of the rate and equilibrium constants for oxygen and carbon monoxide binding to R-state human Hemoglobin,199: The journal of Biological Chemistry ; 266 (26): 17049-17059 Elaine N M, Katja H. Human anatomy and physiology, seventh edition. Menlo Park: Benjamin Cummings; 2007.674-681 Sherwood L. Human physiology: from cells to systems, sixth edition. Belmont, CA: homson/Brooks/Cole; 2007.300-304 Saladin K S. Anatomy and physiology: The unity of form and function, fifth edition. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Higher Education; 2009.683-755 Stanfield C L, Germann W J, Niles J N, Cannon J G. Principles of human physiology, third edition. San Francisco: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings; 2009. 361-366 Skeletal Muscle Question: Describe the structure of skeletal muscle and how it contracts (90) and discuss a disease that may arise from this system (10) The structure of skeletal muscle and the mechanism of muscle contraction including muscle disease (1553 Words) 1.0 ABSTRACT Skeletal Muscle is a form of fibrous tissue with the fibers arranged parallel to each other. A muscle fiber (cell) is surrounded by the endomysium. A group of these cells is wrapped by fascicles. Bundles of fascicles are covered by the perimysium and bundles of the perimysium are wrapped by the epimysium to form a muscle. The muscle fibers have contractile properties which enable them to move bony levers in order to produce skeletal movement1. The functional unit of the muscle fiber is the sacomere which consists of most importantly, actin and myosin. The actin and myosin are arranged such that during contraction, they can slide over each other thus shortening the muscle2. Muscles suffer from many diseases, one of which is polymyositis. This is an inflammatory myopathy that affects mainly the muscles of the thorax and those around the torso. It affects all age groups but has been noticed mainly in late childhood and early adulthood. The sypmtomps are nonspecific but results in general muscle weakness and the cause, though believed to be an invasion by the white blood cells, is not very clear10. 2.0 The Structure of Skeletal Muscle. In daily life, structures and arrangements of designs are dictated, to a large extent by the purpose and function for which the design is meant for. Knowing that skeletal muscle is made up mainly of fibrous tissues, the arrangement of these tissues and how they are bound together to maintain a particular shape in order to accomplish different purposes (mainly to generate force and produce movement) may to a large extent, define the structure of the muscle4. At a macro level, the skeletal muscle is composed of bundles of individual muscle fibers, the supporting structure called the basal lamina, and the connective tissue sheaths as shown in figure 1. These connective tissues bind the cells together giving them strength and partly providing mechanical protection2. We can examine these connective tissues and their functions as follows: 2.1 The basal lamina. This is an extracellular matrix that acts as a scaffold on which a cell sits. It has been realized that apart from providing structural support, the basal lamina can orient and constrain cell during the process of regeneartion3. 2.2 The endomysium. This is a fine sheath of connective tissue that surrounds each individual muscle cell. The endomysium consist of loosely interlacing fibers composed mainly of collagen4. 2.3 The perimysium and fascilces. The individual muscle fibers wrapped by the endomysium, are grouped together in what is called fascicles. A layer of fibrous tissue called the perimysium wraps each fascicle4. 2.4 The epimysium. This is the outside layer that finally wraps the whole muscle. It is composed of dense irregular connective tissue4. Figure 1 Source: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Medicine/Physiology/Muscular/muscle_structure.jpg 3.0 The muscle cell Having described how individual muscle cells are organized into a muscle, it is imperative that we look at the structural composition of the cell itself. Just like many other cells in the body are specialized according to their functions, skeletal muscle cells are specialized to produce force and movement5. The skeletal muscle fiber is thus composed of mainly three structural elements:-the myofibrils, the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria, each contributing a unique aspect of muscle function. The entire function of the muscle can be attributed to the shifts in proportions of these three structures6. 3.1 The Myofibrills. These are cylindrical specialized sub-units within the muscle fiber. They consist of two types of contractile protein filaments-the thin filaments referred to as actin and the thick filaments referred to as myosin. The two most important parameters of the myofibrils are their diameter which determines its strength and the fiber length which determines it contraction velocity and distance over which the fiber can contract. The myofibril consist of two filaments-actin and myosin6,2. 3.1.1 Actin (thin filament). Actin filaments are responsible for regulation of contraction. The actin filament is formed by a helical arranged of actin monomers which is an ambiguous protein2 (figure 2). Because of the helical nature, a long grove is formed along the filament and the protein troponin is located at intervals along the length of the actin filament. It is troponin which is responsible for turning on contraction2,7. Figure 2.The actin molecule. Source: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/Muscleslidingfilament1.gif 3.1.2 The Myosin (thick filament). Myosin filament is about 150nm long. It has a tail and two heads. The tail is formed by two helical shaped fibers that coil around each other. A collection of several of these helical tails together form a myosin filament (figure 3)4b. Figure 3. The myosin molecule. Source: http://webanatomy.net/anatomy/myosin.jpg. 3.2 The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Groups of about 200 thick and thin filaments constitute a myofibril. Each myofibril is thus enclosed in a membrane called the sarcoplasmic reticulum8. The SR membrane stores and releases calcium during muscle contraction and relaxation. The SR can therefore be thought of as the functional unit of the myofibril9. 3.3 The mitochondria. Found within the cell cytoplasm, the mitochondria are responsible for generation of most of the cells energy by the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). There are several mitochondria distributed along the length of a myofibril4. 4.0 The mechanism of muscle contraction Muscle contraction can largely be attributed to the structure of actin and myosin, their arrangement within the SR and the interaction between them in order to produce force (Figure 4). This type of arrangement allows the thin actin filaments to slide in and out by the action pull of the myosin heads8b. Figure 4. Actin and myosin arrangement: Source: http://www.exrx.net/Images/ActinMyosin.gif Muscles are composed of a number of actin and myosin filaments arranged in series in a basic unit called the sacomere. The sacomere consists of a thick filament in the meddle and two thin filaments, one overlapping on each side. The heads of the thick filament attach to the thin filament at the overlap and these heads allow movement in only one direction. When activated, each thick filament head rachets repeatedly along the actin, pulling the two actins closer together. Since the actin are attached to the Z line (The distance between two Z lines form the sacomere), ends of the sacomere (Z lines) are pulled in and the sacomere shortens. The sacomeres are arranged in series so that when the muscle fiber contracts, all the sacomeres contract simultaneously transmitting the force to the end of the muscle. The whole process of contraction described above occurs when the muscle is electrically stimulated2b. 5.0 Muscle stimulation. Skeletal muscle cells are stimulated by the motor neurons of the somatic nervous system. The reception of the motor stimulus (action potential) opens the calcium channels allowing calcium which is stored in the SR to be released. The release of calcium causes the release of acetylcholine-Ach (neurotransmitter). The calcium binds to the troponin on the actin filament. Troponin then regulates the tropomyosin which obstructs binding sites for myosin. This allows the tropomyosin to move, unblocking the bonding site. Myosin then binds to the unblocked site on the actin and applies a pull. This will pull the Z bands towards each other thus shortening the sacomere, causing muscle contraction2b. However, as calcium is released, the ATP-dependent calcium pump is activated and it continuously pumps calcium back to the SR to be stored again. This leads to a drop in calcium level within the cytoplasm. When the calcium level is too low, the calcium binding action to troponin is terminated, releasing tropomyosin which again blocks the binding site. This stops the interaction between actin and myosin thus relaxing the muscle2b. 6.0 Muscle Diseases There are a number of muscular diseases and disorders ranging from acquired, familial to congenital. Limiting ourselves to one of the acquired disorders of the muscles, lets look at polymyositis. 6.1 Polymyositis (PM). PM is a type of muscle inflammatory myopathy. Just like the name suggests, this disease causes inflammation of the muscle fiber. Although the causes of the disease are not well understood, it is believed that PM begins when white blood cells, spontaneously invade muscles. This can result in severe muscle weakness. Polymyositis is a persistent disease characterized by periods of increased and reduced or no symptoms. PM affects mainly the muscles of the thorax and is more common in women than men. It is said to affect all age groups although is it commonly noted in early childhood or 20s10. Key pathologic and diagnostic features of the disease. Endomysial inflammation. This is the inflammation of the outer connective tissue that surrounds the muscle fiber. This is done by the white blood cells that leave the blood and enter the tissue, somehow confirming the earlier assertion that the PM begins when white blood cells invade muscles. Invasion of myofibers by autoaggressive lymphocytes. This is when the T lymphocytes begin to attack the intact myofibers. Unlike in muscle dystrophy where inflammation is associated with degenerating myofibers, the invasion of T lymphocytes causes inflammation of health myofibers in PM.This causes inflammation of healthy myofibers. Other diagnostic features that may not be exactly specific to PM include myofiber necrosis, myophagocytosis, myofiber atrophy and fibrosis, a feature of chronic PM10,11. 7.0 Conclusion Human movement is only possible because of the action of muscle contraction. Voluntary contraction of muscle is made possible by the somatic nervous system which sends out an action potential activating the contraction process. The process is accomplished by the sliding of myosin and actin over each other. Many diseases and disorders affect muscles, prominent among them is muscular polymyosis which causes inflammation of the muscles mainly around the torso. Its believed to be caused by the unwanted action of the white blood cells and the symptoms include muscle weakness.

Limitations of change management models

Limitations of change management models Using the case as a basis for analysis, discuss the potential limitations of current change management models and processes in organisations with which you are. This assignment is based on the case study organisations change. Change is an organizational reality. External forces for change include the marketplace, government laws and regulations, technology, labour markets, and economic changes. Internal forces of change include organizational strategy, equipment, the workforce, and employee attitudes. Change is generally a response to some significant threat or opportunity arising outside of the organisation. According to Pettigrew (1999) Changes within an organisation take place both in response to business and economic events and to processes of managerial perception, choice and actions. Managers in this sense see events taking place that, to them, signal the need for change. The change faced by Power Co at the start of the project was because of the fact that it did not had any related experience in the design and implementation of similar projects (which involves a processing technology). This state could have cause difficulties of changing from the status quo as transformational and disorientation etc. This change was caused by the unfamiliarity and alienation of the new technology to the investment delivery team and operations. As the case studies civil engineers; electrical engineers appear not to have enjoyed quite the same status had to have substantial amount of information to take the investment decision which was of strategic importance. Power Co tackled the above problem by recognizing the fact that the disorientation from the current technology can be eliminated by exploiting the knowledge base residing in the supply base Power Co developed a number of characteristics which eventually become its weakness. This was to have two tiers affect; firstly, it finds the solution of lack of prior knowledge of the change, secondly, it helps in making technologies were increasingly cost-competitive. According to Kellow (1996) described as a dam building organisation guilty of reverse adaptation, Power Co in a precarious in some work areas through loss of expertise and corporate knowledge the identification and the administration of knowledge within the Power Co business environment can be appropriately planned only if the characteristics and the needs of each particular firm are taken into consideration. In this context, the prior exploration of the business and the market environment is necessary in order to develop appropr iate plans of action regarding the retrieval, the process and the distribution of knowledge within any modern organization. At a first level, it is necessary to identify the type of knowledge required for a specific firm. Towards this direction, it was noticed by Anand (2003, p15) that the knowledge possessed by an organization and its members can be classified as explicit or tacit; explicit knowledge can be codified and communicated without much difficulty while tacit knowledge such as the manner of operating sensitive equipment or interpersonal skills-is not so easily articulated, as the case study power Co among the managerial class many were told that there was no position for them and they therefore elected to take a voluntary redundancy. Bunker (2005, p12) the reasons for the development of the above phenomenon have not been identified yet. It seems that firms managers do not have the necessary learning in order to. Moreover, the study of Bunker (2005, p12) showed that much of that failure stems from not understanding how to manage the structural side of change and the human dynamic of transition. On the other hand, Katzenbach (1996, p149) noticed that change efforts are often conceived as waves of initiatives that sweep through an organization from the top down, or the bottom up, or both, and flow across functions. In other words, change initiatives as most of the organizational plans are not accepted by employees at least for a specific period. The specific issue was also highlighted by Huy (2002, p31) who supported that fundamental change in personnel, strategy, organizational identity, or established work roles and interests often triggers intense emotions. For this reason, it is necessary that firms managers m ake the necessary preparations before attempt any change within the organizational environment (preparation in this case could include the organizational audit, the identification of the position and the advantages of the competitors and the choice of the most cost-effective plans identification of plans that are appropriate for the achievement of the various organizational targets but within a budget that will be set in advance by the firms managers. These problems stem from employee perceptions about how they are treated at work and the match between individual and organization needs and desires. Dissatisfaction is a symptom of an underlying employee problem that should be addressed. Unusual or high levels of absenteeism and turnover also represent forces for change. Power Co Management problem for those who genuinely embraced change and those who merely sought promotion and also there was a strategy of consultation and participation, individual examples emerged of staff feeling that, due to the end of building dams, a reduction in the workforce. Organizations might respond to these problems by using the various approaches to job design, by implementing realistic job previews, by reducing employees role conflict, overload, and ambiguity, and by removing the different stressors. Prospects for positive change stem from employee participation and suggestions. The results revealed through most of the relevant studies reveal that change is not welcomed by employees in most organizations internationally as the case study there is strong feeling by Power Co that the changes of commercialisation were forced on the organisation and that staff had few alternatives other than to accept their fate, whenever the attempted changes have the consent of the employees i.e. when they progress through the employees active participation, then their implementation is very likely to be successful. The specific issue was examined by Eoyang (2001,p5) who supported that many organization change initiatives start at the top and deal strongly with any resistance from system agents that blocks progress; common ways of responding to resistance include downsizing, restructuring, and re-engineering. Other methods for dealing with resistance developed within modern organizations regarding specific plans of change are also available to modern organizations. The choice of the method employed at each particular case belongs to the firms managers who will also identify the risks and the advantages related with the implementation of each relevant change. At was on the change to come, which omitted the historical context. The program was sophisticated, involving as it did newsletters, visits by the CEO, briefings for subordinate leaders and even a telephone hotline. Moreover, The change faced by Power Co at the start of the shifted from civil engineering projects of building dams and power stations, to that of a business entity charged with the responsibility of providing to the government, as nominal owner, a return on investment was because of the fact that it did not had any related experience in the design and in the implementation of similar projects (which involves a competition from other electricity suppliers). This state could have cause difficulties of changing from the status quo as barrier and disorientation etc. This change was caused by the unfamiliarity and alienation of the new technology to the investment delivery team and the operations. Power Co had to have substantial amount of the information to take the investment decision which was of strategic importance in terms of its volume. Even if the policies applied on various organizational activities are appropriate regarding the targets set by the firms managers, in practice man y of these policies have to be rejected as inappropriate if being evaluated regarding the resources required for their realization. It is for this reason that Greve (1998, p59) noticed that change initiatives could be characterized as an outcome jointly determined by motivation to change, opportunity to change, and capability to change. For this reason, before the implementation of any plan of change within a particular organization it is necessary that the entire organizational context is carefully reviewed taking into account the fact that the conditions in the market (as well as within the organization) can change at any time creating new terms regarding the success of any attempted change. The sector of organizational activities influenced by the specific plans cannot be precisely identified; it is very likely that different organizational sectors are targeted by each specific plan of change; the needs of the organization and the trends of the market are the main criteria for th e relevant choice (plan of change applied on a specific organization). Towards this direction, it is noticed by Poole (1998, p45) that when change is needed in an organization it is likely the learning or identity of the organization will be targeted for change; the transformed organization, whether it be minor (first-order change) or major (second-order change), will not be the same as its predecessor. In other words, one of the most important consequences of plans of organizational change is that their effects on the various aspects of the organizational activities are likely to be permanent and extensive. By the attempted change, a new organizational environment is created; new organizational plans are then very likely to be implemented in accordance with the firms culture and characteristics and the market trends. It should be noticed that the implementation of plans of change within modern organizations is a challenging task usually requiring an extensive net of reforms within the organizational body. Modern literature on organizational learning and change offers to the firms managers a series of theoretical models that can effectively support the relevant organizational initiatives. We could refer primarily to the models suggested by Fennell (1993, p90): a) The strategic choice model (which is the one based in the changes happened to particular variables like the board composition and structure), b) The population dynamics (which is influenced by the population level changes) and c) The change in technical and institutional environments (which are mainly refer to the regulatory change related with the operation of modern organizations). Another model is the Collison and Parcell have developed their own model of organizational learning through which the knowledge management method that can be used for change, Capturing, sharing and exploiting knowledge, experience and good practices. Also Lewins (1958) change model, a systems model of change, and organization development. Exhibited, positive reinforcement is used to reinforce the desired. Additional coaching and modelling also are used at this point to reinforce the stability of the change. Lewin`s model will be used in this paper in order to examine the organizational change. The identification of the potential weaknesses of the firms organizational change- using this model will help towards the development of an appropriate plan of change if considered as necessary regarding the various activities of the specific firm The change at this level could have been a lack of flow of information to the organizational high level officials. Another issue was the absence of other electricity suppliers. The absence of competition produced a surreal climate of merely preparing for a possibility rather than a reality in the organization. Still another was the identification of the integration issues between the other parts of the organization and the management e.g. changes in the company wide operating procedures, as the case study that restructuring was seen as necessary by both senior management various consultants the pre-existing structure were never Cleary identified or ar ticulated. The higher level management did not considered the project to be of strategic importance in the sense that it does not intend to operate similar projects in the future. So they decided only to be concerned with business level issues and operational problems were left to the ad-hoc local solution (e.g. the external environment dos not remain stationary during the period of implementing change and the internal re-configuration may impact upon the style and context of change being pursued by the organization itself ). Unfreezing The focus of this stage is to create the motivation to change. In so doing, individuals are encouraged to replace old behaviours and attitudes with those desired by management. Managers can begin the unfreezing process by disconfirming the usefulness or appropriateness of employees present behaviours or attitudes. Due to the nature of industry, in which Power Co is operating, the initial teething problems are very significant and change tends to have substantial inefficiencies in the start. The reason being obviously the complexity of the system this change can cause project failure economically if not managed properly and change is not improved as early as possible. Power Co made a less than successful attempt at this when senior management realised that there were some dysfunctional consequences of the commercialisation structure of 1992. The Solution adopted solution to this problem was the establishment of change teams were the focal point of commercialisation but enthusiasm faded as their work fell into disarray in some areas which was to facilitate a joint effort at change through identification of operational problems and developing solutions to them. Changing Because change involves learning, this stage entails providing employees with new information, new behavioural models, or new ways of looking at things. The purpose is to help employees learn new concepts or points of view. Role models, mentors, experts, benchmarking the company against worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœclass organizations, and training are useful mechanisms to facilitate change. Appointing a person called Project sponsor having knowledge about the operations to oversee the project from the feasibility to the implementation. They were treated operationally as separate mutterers. After dam construction ceased, the workfares was decimated, many were forced redundancies due to the winding-down of dam construction, but others left as a matter of choice. This makes the project more stable operationally in the long run as the operational aspects of the system are conveyed to the delivery team during change stage. Failure to perform organizational impact analysis the organizational impact analysis studies the way a proposed transformational change the organization will be dominated by its civil engineering and the electrical engineers appear not to have enjoyed quite the same statues. This was due to the fact that the engineering problems were civil rather than electrical would affect organization structure, attitudes, decision making and operations. The analysis ai ms to ensure the change best to ensure integration with the organization. Refreezing Change is stabilized during refreezing by helping employees integrate the changed behaviour or attitude into their normal way of doing things. This is accomplished by first giving employees the chance to exhibit the new behaviours or attitudes. This would have triggered the collaboration process. A flexible management approach was adopted to improve collaboration by giving the staff shifts, autonomy in their work practices. Afterwards staff rotation was made which motivated the employees to share their experiences. The resultant best practices were accumulated and formally documented after reasonable time by the operations managers Power Co moved through a damaging period of controversy over the natural environment and excessive reiteration of past problems could have had a negative impact on moral. Issues to relate to refreezing failed to arise because of the continuing state of flux after commercialisation and the rapid replacement of staff who left. The above directly fulfilled project objectives of being manageable in the long run (as issues being managed efficiently) and flexibility by providing the different views through joint learning. It also indirectly helped in achieving the project objective of being economic by reducing project risk. The above directly could have fulfilled project objectives of being safe and secure (by providing the staff the required help needed for the operations). It also indirectly helped in achieving the project objective of being economic (by increasing the staff efficiency). Conclusions The presentation of all the above issues proves that the knowledge management systems implemented by the particular organization have been carefully chosen in order to ensure the achievement of the organizational aims. The divorce of the business commitment to embracing the all issues of the project acted as a change for complete integration of technology into the organization. Commitment to the change must be universal including all involved. Senior management must demonstrate commitment in the allocation of resources required (people, money, time etc) to achieve change. The argument given was that the management did not intend to operate similar projects organizational impact analysis studies the way a proposed transformational change the organization will be dominated by its civil engineering and the electrical engineers appear not to have enjoyed quite the same statues other than this one in the future might not have sufficed as it could have render the change ineffective in term s of achieving its objectives of being economic and manageable over the planning. By doing so some issues might have come to the management attention so late that the project failure could have occurred This lack of commitment might have been caused by the inherent characteristics of the capital goods industry which view the knowledge management as hamstrung due to structural fragmentation inherent in the organization, the one-off nature of the projects, the presences of the culturally disparate professions and the low level of trust.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Poetic Techniques of Wilfred Owen Essay -- essays research papers

Wilfred Owen can be considered as one of the finest war poets of all times. His war poems, a collection of works composed between January 1917, when he was first sent to the Western Front, and November 1918, when he was killed in action, use a variety of poetic techniques to allow the reader to empathise with his world, situation, emotions and thoughts. The sonnet form, para-rhymes, ironic titles, voice, and various imagery used by Owen grasp the prominent central idea of the complete futility of war as well as explore underlying themes such as the massive waste of young lives, the horrors of war, the hopelessness of war and the loss of religion. These can be seen in the three poems, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Last Laugh’, in which this essay will look into. The sonnet form is commonly adopted by Owen to tersely present his numerous ideas and to evoke contemplation. The elegy, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, is written as a basic Shakespearean sonnet to mourn for the enormous loss of young soldiers from two distinct angles, the improper burials they obtained and the remembrance they deserve. The first two stanzas of ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ also adopt the sonnet form to explore two varying aspects of torment within war, the terrible conditions faced by all the men on a day-to-day basis and the sickening suffering of one particular youth. Owen uses this possible intertwining of contrasting thoughts within sonnets to emphasise that in every generation, there will always be different views with regard to the war. However, it is of key significance that the millions who died and suffered in this futility will be forever remembered. Their inconceivable experiences and horrifying statistics must be taken into... ... shells â€Å"wailing† their â€Å"shrill, demented† mourning. The last sounds these soldiers are forced to listen to are their killers’ ridiculing at their naà ¯ve decision to fight. Weapons in Owen’s poems are personified to mock the war and reinforce its futility. The poetic techniques used in Wilfred Owen’s war poetry sweep the reader from the surface of knowing to the essence of truly appreciating his ideas. Through sonnets, Para rhymes, ironic titles, voices and strong imagery, not only is the reader able to comprehend to the futility and the horrors of the Great War, but also they can almost physically and mentally empathise with those who fought. Through the three poems examined, it is evident that Owen goes to great effort to describe the conditions and thoughts of the First World War, thus his works are considered an invaluable asset to the modern literature.

Friday, July 19, 2019

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- William Shake

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s actions are rash throughout the play. For example, Romeo does not consider the consequences of his actions when he insists on marrying Juliet. Also, Romeo shows rashness when he kills Tybalt. Finally, Romeo is rash when he kills himself. Rashness is a quality that haunts Romeo throughout the play. One of Romeo’s acts that shows his rashness is his marrying Juliet. After Juliet says that she does not want to marry Romeo, he persists and says that he wants â€Å"Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine† (2.2.134). Romeo does not consider the consequences of their marriage. He simply wants his wish fulfilled. He is rash because he wants to rush into a marriage for which he is not ready. Romeo’s rashness persists throughout the play and leads to his downfall. Another example of Romeo’s rash personality is when he kills Tybalt. Romeo’s family is told that if they fight with the Capulet family, they will be killed. Tybalt of the Capulet family fights with Mercut...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Poems from the Kokinshu: A Literary Analysis Essay

Poems from the Kokinshu is an anthology of poems from the Japanese medieval times (Lawall. ed, 2002). The anthology is divided into different poems depicting human emotions as they vary season after season, or as people move into an entirely new environment. The principal theme of the poems revolve around the concept of love—the progression of feelings, the â€Å"entire course of the love affair, early yearnings, passionate meetings, sadness and regret† (Rodd and Henkenius, 1996). As each season, starting from spring, progresses, the emotions entailed in each poem also changes and develops. One of the principal stylistic features in the anthology is simile, wherein the author compares his feelings to his observation of what is happening in his environment. An example of simile is expressed in Poem II, 73: â€Å"like the world hollow as a cicada’s cast-off shell– oh cherry blossoms– you too will fade away just as we catch sight of your beauty† In this particular poem, the author compares his object of affection to a decaying shell of the cicada as the day turns into night. Simile occurs in several poems just like the said example. Another striking stylistic feature presented in the poem is antithesis, wherein the author expresses his emotions in contrast to his environment. In several poems wherein the prevailing emotion is grief, the author contrasts his feelings to the beauty of his environment. Here is an example from Poems 7 and 8 from the Spring Poems of the Kokinshu: â€Å"so longingly have I awaited the fresh flowers of spring, that they have dyed my soul and I see snow as clustered blooms on branches though I bask in the comforting warmth of spring’s light how melancholy to think that my hair now wears a crown of winter snow† Aside from the aforementioned poems being examples of antithesis, parts of them also suggest allegory. The phrases â€Å"they have dyed my soul† and â€Å"to think that my hair now wears a crown of winter snow† mean that the character in the poem is old and has white hair. The antithesis comes as he describes the warmth of spring in contrast to the cold winter which his body and soul are experiencing, i. e. , his old age. Given that the anthology was written and compiled in the Japanese medieval times, the concepts or theme presented in The Kokinshu are parallel to other literary works done in different parts of the world, such as the Medieval Lyrics of the English Literature. Though a significant number of these lyrics talk about Christianity and religion, most works are also written in the concept of love with a pretext of nature. An example of a Medieval Lyric similar to the theme of a Kokinshu poem is Westron Wind (Western Wind): â€Å"Westron wind, when will thou blow? The small rain down can rain. Christ, if my love were in my arms, And I in my bed again. † As said earlier, the prevailing concept tackled in the anthology is love and its accompanying emotions that were given color and described in comparison/contrast to nature and its seasons. The concept of love, though internationally recognized throughout the centuries and millennium, is somewhat a secondary concept in the 21st century. In this day and age, with all the prevailing issues such as technology, globalization and others, the concept of love is deemed unimportant to be tackled, although, it is indeed, as cliche dictates, the universal language. As Mario Vargas Llosa said, literature is â€Å"one of the common denominators of human experience through which human beings may recognize themselves and converse with each other, no matter how different their professions, their life plans, their geographical and cultural locations, their personal circumstances. † Although the concept of love is not deemed as important as business or political concepts nowadays, it still is a ruling emotion that affects each person. Any person who has loved or wanted to love, or even despised love, can relate to the verses of the Kokinshu, including myself. References Lawall, S. N. (Ed. ) (2002). The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: WW Norton & Co, Inc. Rodd, L. R. , & Henkenius, M. C. (Eds. ) (1996). Kokinshu: A Collection of Poems Ancient