Design of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems Essay

Storage Tanks are the tanks in which flammable and combustible liquids are stored. The storage tanks should be constructed of steel in case they are constructed above grounds. The non-combustible substance can be used for the construction if it is used to store a combustible liquid. The material used for the construction must be that helps the tank to be protected against the fire. In one of the storage tank fires broke out at the island of Palau Merimau, Singapore and the fire started catching tankage containing petroleum, motor gasoline and diesel product. Despite the size of fire and adverse logistics, fire fighting efforts were successful in controlling the fire. This require operational and design engineering considerations, proper fire fighting strategy, prefire and emergency response plans, fire water management and fixed/semifixed system. A permanent water supply, of sufficient volume, duration, pressure, required to properly operate the fire fighting equipment shall be made available as soon as combustible materials accumulate and in the same way underground waters are to be provided, installed and made available for use as early as possible at the place of fire. In case were fixed water protection system is not installed with the tank with flammable or combustible liquids the floating roof to cover on liquid which helps to protect the fire to be broke out. Most fires in this design of tank burn only at the seal and are usually easily extinguished. Tanks with floating roofs are not likely to be involved in serious fires. This is because there is far less liquid surface is exposed to the fire. When storage tanks are not equipped with fixed fire protection then it must contain a stable liquid storage at a pressure 17kPa (gauge). The tanks containing flammable liquids should be normally kept closed for protection of unless the tank is venting. Where drainage facilities are provided to drain water from dike areas, efforts should be made to prevent flammable liquids from entering into any natural resources as it constitute fire hazard. REFERENCE Referred to sites:1. http://www. ofm. gov. on. ca/english/Publications/Guidelines/part4/4commen5. asp SECTION 4. 3 TANK STORAGE Subsection 4. 3. 1. – Design, Construction and Use of Storage Tanks 2. http://www. osha. gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/subpartf. html Fire Protection and Prevention DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO THIS SUBPART – Â §1926. 155 3. http://www. ofm. gov. on. ca/english/Publications/Guidelines/part4/4commen5. asp SECTION 4. 3 TANK STORAGE Dated 4th August 2007

How Nothing’s Changed and Two Scavengers deal with social injustices Essay

Both â€Å"Nothing’s Changed† and â€Å"Two Scavengers† deal with social injustices, however, there are some big differences between them. â€Å"Nothing’s Changed† is set in Cape Town, Africa and focuses on the segregation of black and white people, after an apartheid was made. It is an autobiographical poem by Tatumkhulu Afrika. The poem is about how District Six used to be a place for blacks and whites to live together. But when that changed, Tatumkhulu left in anger (and prison). Now he has returned to his old home after many years and has discovered that the segregation has gotten wider and worse. The social injustice in the poem is the black and white segregation. On the other hand, â€Å"Two Scavengers† deals with the social segregation between the classes in America. At a set of traffic lights, early in the morning (9am), a garbage truck has stopped next to a couple in a Mercedes. The garbage men then ponder on the class system and how they are less respected by people like this couple. They wonder if they’d ever be seen as equals as they wonder if the democracy of America really works. The social injustice in the poem is the way the different classes are each treated differently. The first stanza of â€Å"Nothing’s Changed† is setting the scene as the writer walks towards his old home. We can tell that the area is now a wasteland by what the writer treads over (like the cans and weeds) on his walk back home. We can tell he’s angry from how his old home has turned out from when he says, â€Å"The hot, white, inwards turning anger of my eyes†, as he knows he has returned home. Although all of the stanzas use commas a lot, the second stanza uses â€Å"and† after each comma. I feel that the commas are used to in order to add more expression as you read, and as you pause at each comma, you wonder what’s coming next, thus creating suspense even though, in my opinion, the poem is not that exciting or interesting enough for it to have any use. On the other hand, the â€Å"ands† that are used throughout the second stanza, instead picks up the pace as we experience what he is going through at the same time that he is going through his feeling, since the poem is wrote in first person, as if he is actually reliving these memories, making us feel more emotional and connected to the writer. In the fourth stanza, there is only one line, but one that I feel is a very important line for comparing the poems.†No sign says it is: but we know where we belong†.This line shows us that although no one is saying that whites are treated better (new restaurant) than blacks (working man’s cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½), this line shows us that the blacks know that the segregation is still there. The writer says of how his, â€Å"Hands burn for a stone, a bomb, to shiver down the glass† of the whites only restaurant. We know that this is the same reason why the writer was sent. to prison all those years ago, but we are unsure whether this is that memory he is â€Å"reliving† or if he is speaking of the present day.The next and final sentence of the poem has the writer commenting that, â€Å"Nothing’s Changed†. This, I’d like to believe, tells us that, either way, the writer is willing to risk prison (or worse?) in order to vent his anger at the segregation. The first stanza of â€Å"Two Scavengers† sets the scene by introducing us to the characters and telling us what they are doing.The garbage truck is described as â€Å"bright yellow† while the garbage men are described wearing â€Å"red plastic blazers†, both of which would stand out anywhere in San Francisco at nine in the morning. I feel that this tells us that no matter how hard the government might try to â€Å"hide† the garbage men, they are going to get noticed at some point. The writer says of the garbage men, â€Å"one on each side hanging on†, in reference to where they are on the garbage truck (back stoop).This makes me think that the writer is trying to make out that the men are struggling to hold on to this job, even though it is such a looked down upon job. The writer then says that the two garbage men are â€Å"looking down into an elegant open Mercedes with an elegant couple in it†. In that section, the writer has took the literal meaning of â€Å"looking down† but we also think of the figurative meaning and then are meant to wonder if the garbage men are in fact better people than the couple and so their position should be swapped. From the fact we know that the couple are heading to his architect’s office while the garbage men are on their journey home, shows us that the couple and garbage men are like night and day, both there, but never at the same time. This emphasizes the segregation between the different classes. In the second stanza, the writer describes the older of the two garbage men as some â€Å"gargoyle Quasimodo†, Quasimodo being the title character of â€Å"The Hunchback of Notre Dame†, the main theme of the book being the cruelty of social injustice.Quasimodo led a tragic life, being kind and loving despite his ugliness. However, he dies of a broken heart. Quasimodo means â€Å"almost finished† or â€Å"half made†.From this, I believe that the writer is backing up my point about the garbage men perhaps being better people than the couple and that what we are seeing of the garbage men is only the tip (no pun intended) of the iceberg. In the second stanza, the writer describes the older of the two garbage men as some â€Å"gargoyle Quasimodo†, Quasimodo being the title character of â€Å"The Hunchback of Notre Dame†, the main theme of the book being the cruelty of social injustice.Quasimodo led a tragic life, being kind and loving despite his ugliness. However, he dies of a broken heart. Quasimodo means â€Å"almost finished† or â€Å"half made†.From this, I believe that the writer is backing up my point about the garbage men perhaps being better people than the couple and that what we are seeing of the garbage men is only the tip (no pun intended) of the iceberg. The last stanza is made almost entirely of a metaphor, one part of which grabs my attention because it is an oxymoron, the part being â€Å"small gulf†.The metaphor describes how even though there is not much of a gap between the two vehicles, making it easy for one person to climb into the other vehicle, they’ll never be able to do so because of the class system and how, because of it, they are always going to be looked down upon. Of course, the two poems are similar in the way that they both deal with social injustices (Class system and Segregation), but, in the same way, different because the two place settings (San Francisco and Cape Town) are so far apart. In â€Å"Nothing’s Changed†, as previously mentioned, the writer uses a lot of commas to slow down the pace in order, I believe, to add suspense.On the other hand, the writer of â€Å"Two Scavengers† doesn’t use any punctuation, instead stopping the line whenever he wants the reader to stop and let what they’ve just read sink in. Because of the punctuation, the structure of â€Å"Nothing’s Changed† looks less pre-prepared and more â€Å"straight from the heart†, as the plot would suggest.However, â€Å"Two Scavengers† is neater in it’s construction, despite the lack of punctuation, thus giving off the opposite feel to â€Å"Nothing’s Changed†. After studying both poems, although I feel that I wouldn’t need to, it’s obvious to me that â€Å"Nothing’s Changed† shows far more anger, raw as it might be, than â€Å"Two Scavengers†.The reasons for this being that in â€Å"Nothing’s Changed†, there is a constant reminder of how angry the writer is as he walks around his old home, in the end, of course, wishing he had a bomb to blow up a white’s only restaurant.But, in â€Å"Two Scavengers†, the two garbage men look at the social injustice in hope rather than anger, as seen by when they wonder if they’d ever be able to reach in to the Mercedes and start a normal conversation with the couple, like old friends.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 17

Chapter 17 I've settled into some sort of droning routine here at the hotel, and in that way it reminds me of those times in China. My waking hours are filled with writing these pages, watching television, trying to irritate the angel, and sneaking off to the bathroom to read the Gospels. And I think it's the latter that's sent my sleeping hours into a landscape of nightmare that leaves me spent even when I wake. I've finished Mark, and again this fellow talks of a resurrection, of acts beyond the time of my and Joshua's death. It's a similar story to that told by the Matthew fellow, the events jumbled somewhat, but basically the story of Joshua's ministry, but it's the telling of the events of that last week of Passover that chills me. The angel hasn't been able to keep the secret that Joshua's teachings survived and grew to vast popularity. (He's stopped even changing the channel at the mention of Joshua on television, as he did when we first arrived.) But is this the book from which Joshua's teachings are drawn? I dream of blood, and suffering, and loneliness so empty that an echo can't survive, and I wake up screaming, soaked in my own sweat, and even after I'm awake the loneliness remains for a while. Last night when I awoke I thought I saw a woman standing at the end of my bed, and beside her, the angel, his black wings spread and touching the walls of the room on either side. Then, before I could get my wits about me, the angel wrapped his wings around the woman and she disappeared in the darkness of them and was gone. I think I really woke up then, because the angel was lying there on the other bed, staring into the dark, his eyes like black pearls, catching the red blinking aircraft lights that shone dimly through the window from the tops of the buildings across the street. No wings, no black robe, no woman. Just Raziel, staring. â€Å"Nightmare?† the angel asked. â€Å"Memory,† I said. Had I been asleep? I remember that same red blinking light, ever so dim, playing on the cheekbone and the bridge of the nose of the woman in my nightmare. (It was all I could see of her face.) And those elegant contours fit into the recesses of my memory like a key in the tumblers of a lock, releasing cinnamon and sandalwood and a laugh sweeter than the best day of childhood. Two days after I had walked away, I rang the gong outside the monastery and the little hatch opened to reveal the face of a newly shaven monk, the skin of his bald scalp still a dozen shades lighter in color than that of his face. â€Å"What?† he said. â€Å"The villagers ate our camels,† I said. â€Å"Go away. Your nostrils flare in an unpleasant manner and your soul is somewhat lumpy.† â€Å"Joshua, let me in. I don't have anywhere to go.† â€Å"I can't just let you in,† Josh whispered. â€Å"You have to wait three days like everyone else.† Then loudly, and obviously for someone inside's benefit, he said, â€Å"You appear to be infested by Bedouins! Now go away!† And he slammed the hatch. I stood there. And waited. In a few minutes he opened the hatch. â€Å"Infested by Bedouins?† I said. â€Å"Give me a break. I'm new. Did you bring food and water to last you?† â€Å"Yes, the toothless woman sold me some dried camel meat. There was a special.† â€Å"That's got to be unclean,† said Josh. â€Å"Bacon, Joshua, remember?† â€Å"Oh yeah. Sorry. I'll try to sneak some tea and a blanket out to you, but it won't be right away.† â€Å"Then Gaspar will let me back in?† â€Å"He was perplexed why you left in the first place. He said if anyone needed to learn some discipline, well, you know. There'll be punishment, I think.† â€Å"Sorry I left you.† â€Å"You didn't.† He grinned, looking sillier than normal with his two-toned head. â€Å"I'll tell you one thing I've learned here already.† â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"When I'm in charge, if someone knocks, they will be able to come in. Making someone who is seeking comfort stand out in the cold is a crock of rancid yak butter.† â€Å"Amen,† I said. Josh slammed the little hatch, obviously the prescribed way of closing it. I stood and wondered how Joshua, when he finally learned how to be the Messiah, would work the phrase â€Å"crock of rancid yak butter† into a sermon. Just what we Jews needed, I thought, more dietary restrictions. The monks stripped me naked and poured cold water over my head, then brushed me vigorously with brushes made from boar's hair, then poured hot water on me, then scrubbed, then cold water, until I screamed for them to stop. At that point they shaved my head, taking generous nicks out of my scalp as they did so, rinsed away the hair that stuck to my body, and handed me a fresh orange robe, a blanket, and a wooden rice bowl. Later I was given a pair of slippers, woven from some sort of grass, and I made myself some socks from woven yak hair, but this was the measure of my wealth for six years: a robe, a blanket, a bowl, some slippers, and some socks. As Monk Number Eight led me to meet with Gaspar, I thought of my old friend Bartholomew, and how much he would have loved the idea of my newfound austerity. He often told of how his Cynic patriarch Diogenes carried a bowl with him for years, but one day saw a man drinking from his cupped palm and declared, â€Å"I have been a fool, burdened all these years by the weight of a bowl when a perfectly good vessel lay at the end of my wrist.† Yeah, well, that's all well and good for Diogenes, but when it was all I had, if anyone had tried to take my bowl they would have lost the vessel at the end of their wrist. Gaspar sat on the floor in the same small room, eyes closed, hands folded on his knees before him. Joshua sat facing him in the same position. Number Eight Monk bowed out of the room and Gaspar opened his eyes. â€Å"Sit.† I did. â€Å"These are the four rules for which you may be expelled from the monastery: one, a monk will have no sexual intercourse with anyone, even down to an animal.† Joshua looked at me and cringed, as if he expected me to say something that would anger Gaspar. I said, â€Å"Right, no intercourse.† â€Å"Two: a monk, whether in the monastery or in the village, shall take no thing that is not given. Three: if a monk should intentionally take the life of a human or one like a human, either by his hand or by weapon, he will be expelled.† â€Å"One like a human?† I asked. â€Å"You shall see,† said Gaspar. â€Å"Four, a monk who claims to have reached superhuman states, or claims to have attained the wisdom of the saints, having not done so, will be expelled. Do you understand these four rules?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. Joshua nodded. â€Å"Understand that there are no mitigating circumstances. If you commit any of these offenses as judged by the other monks, you must leave the monastery.† Again I said yes and then Gaspar went into the thirteen rules for which a monk could be suspended from the monastery for a fortnight (the first of these was the heartbreaker, â€Å"no emission of semen except in a dream†) and then the ninety offenses for which one would receive an unfavorable rebirth if the sins were not repented (these ranged from destroying any kind of vegetation or deliberately depriving an animal of life to sitting in the open with a woman or claiming to a layman to have superhuman powers, even if you had them). Overall, there was an extraordinary number of rules, over a hundred on decorum, dozens for settling disputes, but remember, we were Jews, raised under the influence of the Pharisees, who judged virtually every event of day-to-day life against the Law of Moses. And with Balthasar we had studied Confucius, whose philosophy was little more than an extensive system of etiquette. I had no doubt Joshua could do this, and there was a chance I could handle it too, if Gaspar didn't use that bamboo rod too liberally and if I could conjure enough wet dreams. (Hey, I was eighteen years old and had just lived five years in a fortress full of available concubines, I had a habit, okay?) â€Å"Monk Number Twenty-two,† Gaspar said to Joshua, â€Å"you shall begin by learning how to sit.† â€Å"I can sit,† I said. â€Å"And you, Number Twenty-one, will shave the yak.† â€Å"That's just an expression, right?† It wasn't. A yak is an extremely large, extremely hairy, buffalolike animal with dangerous-looking black horns. If you've ever seen a water buffalo, imagine it wearing a full-body wig that drags the ground. Now sprinkle it with musk, manure, and sour milk: you've got yourself a yak. In a cavelike stable, the monks kept one female yak, which they let out during the day to wander the mountain paths to graze. On what, I don't know. There didn't seem to be enough living plant life to support an animal of that size (the yak's shoulder was higher than my head), but there didn't seem to be enough plant life in all of Judea for a herd of goats, either, and herding was one of the main occupations. What did I know? The yak provided just enough milk and cheese to remind the monks that they didn't get enough milk and cheese from one yak for twenty-two monks. The animal also provided a long, coarse wool which needed to be harvested twice a year. This venerated duty, along with combing the crap and grass and burrs out of the wool, fell to me. There's not much to know about yaks beyond that, except for one important fact that Gaspar felt I needed to learn through practice: yaks hate to be shaved. It fell to Monks Eight and Seven to bandage me, set my broken legs and arm, and clean off the yak dung that had been so thoroughly stomped into my body. I would tell you the distinction of those two solemn students if I could think of any, but I can't. The goal of all of the monks was to let go of the ego, the self, and but for a few more lines on the faces of the older men, they looked alike, dressed alike, and behaved alike. I, on the other hand, was quite distinct from the others, despite my shaved head and saffron robe, as I had bandages over half of my body and three out of four limbs splinted with bamboo. After the yak disaster, Joshua waited until the middle of the night to crawl down the hall to my cell. The soft snores of monks filled the halls, and the soft turbulence of the bats that entered their cave through the monastery echoed off the stone walls like the death panting of epileptic shadows. â€Å"Does it hurt?† Joshua said. Sweat streamed from my face despite the chilly temperature. â€Å"I can hardly breathe.† Seven and Eight had wrapped my broken ribs, but every breath was a knife in the side. Joshua put his hand on my forehead. â€Å"I'll be all right, Josh, you don't have to do that.† â€Å"Why wouldn't I?† he said. â€Å"Keep your voice down.† In seconds my pain was gone and I could breathe again. Then I fell asleep or passed out from gratitude, I don't know which. When I awoke with the dawn Joshua was still kneeling beside me, his hand still pressed against my forehead. He had fallen asleep there. I carried the combed yak wool to Gaspar, who was chanting in the great cavern temple. It amounted to a fairly large bundle and I set it on the floor behind the monk and backed away. â€Å"Wait,† Gaspar said, holding a single finger in the air. He finished his chant, then turned to me. â€Å"Tea,† he said. He led and I followed to the room where he had received Joshua and me when we had first arrived. â€Å"Sit,† he said. â€Å"Sit, don't wait.† I sat and watched him make a charcoal fire in a small stone brazier, using a bow and fire drill to start the flames first in some dried moss, then blowing it onto the charcoal. â€Å"I invented a stick that makes fire instantly,† I said. â€Å"I could teach – â€Å" Gaspar glared at me and held up the finger again to poke my words out of the air. â€Å"Sit,† he said. â€Å"Don't talk. Don't wait.† He heated water in a copper pot until it boiled, then poured it over some tea leaves in an earthenware bowl. He set two small cups on the table, then proceeded to pour tea from the bowl. â€Å"Hey, doofus!† I yelled. â€Å"You're spilling the fucking tea!† Gaspar smiled and set the bowl down on the table. â€Å"How can I give you tea if your cup is already full?† â€Å"Huh?† I said eloquently. Parables were never my strong suit. If you want to say something, say it. So, of course, Joshua and Buddhists were the perfect people to hang out with, straight talkers that they were. Gaspar poured himself some tea, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After perhaps a whole minute passed, he opened them again. â€Å"If you already know everything, then how will I be able to teach you? You must empty your cup before I can give you tea.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† I grabbed my cup, tossed the tea out the same window I'd tossed Gaspar's stick, then plopped the cup back on the table. â€Å"I'm ready,† I said. â€Å"Go to the temple and sit,† Gaspar said. No tea? He was obviously still not happy about my almost-threat on his life. I backed out of the door bowing (a courtesy Joy had taught me). â€Å"One more thing,† Gaspar said. I stopped and waited. â€Å"Number Seven said that you would not live through the night. Number Eight agreed. How is it that you are not only alive, but unhurt?† I thought about it for a second before I answered, something I seldom do, then I said, â€Å"Perhaps those monks value their own opinions too highly. I can only hope that they have not corrupted anyone else's thinking.† â€Å"Go sit,† Gaspar said. Sitting was what we did. To learn to sit, to be still and hear the music of the universe, was why we had come halfway around the world, evidently. To let go of ego, not individuality, but that which distinguishes us from all other beings. â€Å"When you sit, sit. When you breathe, breathe. When you eat, eat,† Gaspar would say, meaning that every bit of our being was to be in the moment, completely aware of the now, no past, no future, nothing dividing us from everything that is. It's hard for me, a Jew, to stay in the moment. Without the past, where is the guilt? And without the future, where is the dread? And without guilt and dread, who am I? â€Å"See your skin as what connects you to the universe, not what separates you from it,† Gaspar told me, trying to teach me the essence of what enlightenment meant, while admitting that it was not something that could be taught. Method he could teach. Gaspar could sit. The legend went (I pieced it together from bits dropped by the master and his monks) that Gaspar had built the monastery as a place to sit. Many years ago he had come to China from India, where he had been born a prince, to teach the emperor and his court the true meaning of Buddhism, which had been lost in years of dogma and overinterpretation of scripture. Upon arriving, the emperor asked Gaspar, â€Å"What have I attained for all of my good deeds?† â€Å"Nothing,† said Gaspar. The emperor was aghast, thinking now that he had been generous to his people all these years for nothing. He said, â€Å"Well then, what is the essence of Buddhism?† â€Å"Vast amphibians,† said Gaspar. The emperor had Gaspar thrown from the temple, at which time the young monk decided two things; one, that he would have a better answer the next time he was asked the question, and two, that he'd better learn to speak better Chinese before he talked to anyone of importance. He'd meant to say, â€Å"Vast emptiness,† but he'd gotten the words wrong. The legend went on to say that Gaspar then came to the cave where the monastery was now built and sat down to meditate, determined to stay there until enlightenment came to him. Nine years later, he came down from the mountain, and the people of the village were waiting for him with food and gifts. â€Å"Master, we seek your most holy guidance, what can you tell us?† they cried. â€Å"I really have to pee,† said the monk. And with that all of the villagers knew that he had indeed achieved the mind of all Buddhas, or â€Å"no mind,† as we called it. The villagers begged Gaspar to stay with them, and they helped him build the monastery at the site of the very cave where he had achieved his enlightenment. During the construction, the villagers were attacked many times by vicious bandits, and although he believed that no being should be killed, he also felt that these people should have a way to defend themselves, so he meditated on the subject until he devised a method of self-defense based on various movements he learned from the yogis in his native India, which he taught to the villagers, then to each of the monks as they joined the monastery. He called this discipline kung fu, which translates, â€Å"method by which short bald guys may kick the bejeezus out of you.† Our training in kung fu began with the hopping posts. After breakfast and morning meditation, Number Three Monk, who seemed to be the oldest of the monks, led us to the monastery courtyard where we found a stack of posts, perhaps two feet long and about a span's width in diameter. He had us set the posts on end in a straight line, about a half a stride away from each other. Then he told us to hop up on one of the posts and balance there. After both of us spent most of the morning picking ourselves up off the rough stone paving, we each found ourselves standing on one foot on the end of a pole. â€Å"Now what?† I asked. â€Å"Now nothing,† Number Three said. â€Å"Just stand.† So we stood. For hours. The sun crossed the sky and my legs and back began to ache and we fell again and again only to have Number Three bark at us and tell us to jump back up on the post. When darkness began to fall and we both had stood for several hours without falling, Number Three said, â€Å"Now hop to the next post.† I heard Joshua sigh heavily. I looked at the line of posts and could see the pain that lay ahead if we were going to have to hop this whole gauntlet. Joshua was next to me at the end of the line, so he would have to hop to the post I was standing on. Not only would I have to jump to the next post and land without falling, but I would have to make sure that my take-off didn't knock over the post I was leaving. â€Å"Now!† said Number Three. I leapt and missed the landing. The post tipped out from under me and I hit the stone headfirst, sending a white flash before my eyes and a bolt of fire down my neck. Before I could gather my wits Joshua tumbled over on top of me. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, grateful to have landed on a soft Jew rather than hard flagstone. â€Å"Back up,† Number Three said. We set up our posts again, then hopped up on them again. This time both of us made it on the first try. Then we waited for the command to take the next leap. The moon rose high and full and we both stared down the row of poles, wondering how long it would take us before we could hop the whole row, wondering how long Number Three would make us stay there, thinking about the story of how Gaspar had sat for nine years. I couldn't remember ever having felt so much pain, which is saying something if you've been yak-stomped. I was trying to imagine just how much fatigue and thirst I could bear before I fell when Number Three said, â€Å"Enough. Go sleep.† â€Å"That's it?† Joshua asked, as he hopped off his post and winced upon landing. â€Å"Why did we set up twenty posts if we were only going to use three?† â€Å"Why were you thinking of twenty when you can only stand on one?† answered Three. â€Å"I have to pee,† I said. â€Å"Exactly,† said the monk. So there you have it: Buddhism. Each day we went to the courtyard and arranged the posts differently, randomly. Number Three added posts of different heights and diameters. Sometimes we had to hop from one post to the other as quickly as possible, other times we stood in one place for hours, ready to move in an instant, should Number Three command it. The point, it seemed, was that we could not anticipate anything, nor could we develop a rhythm to the exercise. We were forced to be ready to move in any direction, without forethought. Number Three called this controlled spontaneity, and for the first six months in the monastery we spent as much time atop the posts as we did in sitting meditation. Joshua took to the kung fu training immediately, as he did to the meditation. I was, as the Buddhists say, more dense. In addition to the normal duties of tending the monastery, our gardens, and milking the yak (mercifully, a task I was never assigned), every ten days or so a group of six monks would go to the village with their bowls and collect alms from the villagers, usually rice and tea, sometimes dark sauces, yak butter, or cheese, and on rare occasions cotton fabric, from which new robes would be made. For the first year Joshua and I were not allowed to leave the monastery at all, but I started to notice a pattern of strange behavior. After each trip to the village for alms, four or five monks would disappear into the mountains for several days. Nothing was ever said of it, either when they left or when they returned, but it seemed that there was some sort of rotation, with each monk only leaving every third or fourth time, with the exception of Gaspar, who left more often. Finally I worked up the courage to ask Gaspar what was going on and he said, â€Å"It is a special meditation. You are not ready. Go sit.† Gaspar's answer to most of my questions was â€Å"Go sit,† and my resentment meant that I wasn't losing the attachment to my ego, and therefore I wasn't going anywhere in my meditation. Joshua, on the other hand, seemed completely at peace with what we were doing. He could sit for hours, not moving, and then perform the exercise on the posts as if he'd spent an hour limbering up. â€Å"How do you do it?† I asked him. â€Å"How do you think of nothing and not fall asleep?† That had been one of the major barriers to my enlightenment. If I sat still for too long, I fell asleep, and evidently, the sound of snoring echoing through the temple disturbed the meditations of the other monks. The recommended cure for this condition was to drink huge quantities of green tea, which did, indeed, keep me alert, but also replaced my â€Å"no mind† state with constant thoughts of my bladder. In fact, in less than a year, I attained total bladder conciousness. Joshua, on the other hand, was able to completely let go of his ego, as he had been instructed. It was in our ninth month at the monastery, in the midst of the most bitter winter I can even imagine, when Joshua, having let go of all constructions of self and vanity, became invisible.

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment Essay

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment - Essay Example Strategic management is essential in necessitating business both short term and long-term development and expansion. However, business professionals have asserted that the formulation and implementation of a working business strategy is an extremely complex process that requires an all-inclusive mechanism. Moreover, consistent evaluation of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities have as well proved to be very productive and instrumental in the entire process of formulating a workable strategic management plan. This essay will therefore create an environmental scan for the Panera bread company indicating the most significant environmental threats. Panera Bread is a chain of cafe and restaurants in Canada and United States of America. The company’s headquarters are situated in Sunset Hills, Missouri. The Panera Bread also has a bakery for producing fresh breads and other bakery products. Apart from selling breads and other bakery products, Panera B read sell other products including cold sandwiches, muffins, bagels, soups and salads. Moreover, restaurant businesses in modern markets have proved to be very complicated and competitive. Over the years, the industry has encountered a consistent flow of new entrants that result in increased struggle for any company to make profit. Therefore, the Panera Bread Company has received consistent competition at all levels including specialty foods as well as fast casual dining. The main competitors of Panera Bread are Subways, Starbucks and McDonald’s. Despite the three main competitors, Panera Bread also encounters lively competition from other competitors at local, regional and national level. Increased competition has a negative impact on the company’s market share and revenue. As a result, to sustain its profitability, Panera Bread ought to frequently revisit and amend its menu to attract and sustain new and regular customers, fulfil the ever-changing customer demands an d preferences, as well as reacting and responding to various seasons of the year. By consistently changing its menu, Panera Bread would have an advantage over their competitors such as subways and McDonald who do not always change their menu forcing customers to loss interests in their products and services. In addition, in restaurant industry, there is no perfect substitute for food and drinks. Therefore, there is a relatively limited threat on food preparation. However, due to the existence of different operational and cultural background, Panera Bread Company is sometimes compelled to change their coffee selection to meet customers’ needs and cultural demands. Consistent change of coffee selection has emerged to be a very expensive and complicated process for Panera Bread restaurant (Panera Bread Company, 2012). Moreover, the company has created an atmosphere that encourages consistent interaction and consultation among all players in the organisation including the company ’s customers. To advance the competence of its employees, the company’s management is as well known for holding consistent strategic meetings with their employees and loyal customers. However, to counter the emerging alternative such as working from home, the company should offer an accommodating atmosphere to its employees in order to facilitate effective and uninterrupted working environment. Moreover, the limited barriers to new entry in restaurant markets have significantly increased in the market. It is

NURSING RESEARCH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NURSING RESEARCH - Essay Example process is concerned with gathering of scientific data, analysis, and compilation of nursing information (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, n.d. The process takes a theoretical perspective and uses new and existing information to compile alternative or new methods in practice. Implementation of the research process requires resources and time. Nursing process is different in that it is specific and concrete. It deals with offering unique services to individual patients. Another difference is that the main objective of a research process is to gather information and increase the knowledge of existing and emerging ailments. However, nursing process focuses on delivery of care to patients. The measure of success in the nursing process is health outcomes. A nursing process that ensures maintenance or improvement of health of patients is deemed to be efficient. The above discussion proves that both research process and nursing process are essential in nursing. The processes are similar in that they seek to maximize the health benefits of patients. However, the nursing process is more practical and patient-centered. It is thus imperative to ensure that both elements are present in nursing to enhance creativity, new information, and quality health care

Strategic Financial Management - Coursework one

Strategic Financial Management - one - Coursework Example The shareholder and the stakeholder are two important people in the organization. The shareholder is the owner and financier of the organization. It is therefore a noble objective, that any policy initiated by the organization, should aim at benefiting the shareholder. This is always depicted through a rise in their share prices, and periodic payment of dividends. This is the concept which is referred to as maximization of the wealth of the shareholder (Roe and Law, 2001). Another important constituency that contributes to the value of a company is the stakeholder. This is an individual who has the capability of affecting or being affected by the policies of an organization. These people include customers, the community where the company is operating, the government, suppliers, creditors, etc. This paper provides a discussion on whether maximization of shareholders wealth is a realistic objective by the company. After the financial crisis of the late 2000, and the emergence of the Enron scandal, there has been a critique of shareholder wealth maximization by experts of business and management. In as much as focusing on the value of the shareholder has the capability of benefiting the owners of a corporation, it is unable to provide a clear guidance that can be used for purposes of measuring social issues such as environmental, employment and ethical business practices (Kolb, 2008). For instance, the management can be involved in the maximization of the value of a shareholder, consequently lowering the welfare programs of third parties. For instance, in a bid to maximize the wealth of shareholders, the company may be forced to pay low salaries to its employees. A company such as Wal-Mart is constantly accused of underpaying its employees, for purposes of generating more profits to its owners. In fact, as of the year 2014, Wal-Mart is the company that had

Nuclear Energy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear Energy - Research Paper Example The most alarming factor concerning the rapid population growth around the world is their need to access to the resources which they use to make a living out of (Sovacool). Despite the growth and the increased demand on the natural resources by the increasing human population, these natural resources have not been appreciating in value but have been depreciating instead as the pressure is exerted on them due to increased human demands. Besides industrialization has been on the increase as well as many countries try to fight out for their survival within their niches with regard to the diminishing natural resources. The main driving force for economic development and the running of various industries around the globe is energy. This actually means that as the world’s industrial growth continues to expand, a lot of energy is required to run the industries as well as other sectors of economic productivity. It is however an amazing discovery made by the scientists concerning the p rovision of energy requirements for the increasing world populations with the diminishing trend in the natural resource endowments which is in contrary with the world population growth. This paper will look at the process of nuclear energy development around the globe and its implications for the global population. The aspect of increasing energy requirements and the need to plan adequately for the future generations with the diminishing natural resource base lead to the coining of the term sustainable development which cropped up during the earth summit in Rio De Jenairo in 1992 which aimed at striking a balance between the increasing human populations and the energy demands and call for the use of these natural resources in a sustainable manner (Wiberg). The summit, commonly known as the Rio Summit/the Rio declaration defined sustainable development as the type of development which caters for the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of the future gener ations to meet their own needs. This therefore meant that the present generation had to use her energy and other natural resources in such a way that they wouldn’t compromise the ability of the future generations to use the same resources to meet their own needs. The declaration made several countries to decide otherwise with regard to their protection of the natural resources hence the development of the nuclear energy as an alternative form to supplement and help sustain the non- renewable forms of energy such as hydro- electric energy, wood energy as well as the petroleum energy which is currently in high demand and widely used in the industrial sector but which is diminishing at a very high rate since it is non- renewable. Nuclear energy as Wiberg notes is that type of energy which is obtained by splitting the nucleus of certain radioactive atoms such as uranium, a process referred to as nuclear fission or nuclear tracking (Wiberg). The increasing demands on the requireme nts in the world has led to the overuse of the carbon related energy such as petroleum and coal energy which have only increased the extent of carbon gas emission in the atmosphere. Carbonic gas, which is known as a common and the most dangerous greenhouse gas resulting from emissions emanating from the extensive use of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal, has immensely contributed to extensive global warming

An event that happened during my childhood that changed my life Essay

An event that happened during my childhood that changed my life - Essay Example On arrival, we found mum had prepared the most delicious roasted chicken I had eaten in a long time. Over dinner, the usual question regarding plans for the holiday popped up. My father had planned for us to visit our grandma all the way in Spain. Grandma Louis was our favourite grandparent and our visits there were always filled with much exhilaration. Not only this but also my father planned for us to travel by road!! The joy I felt in my heart was immeasurable. We had always begged our father to let us travel to Spain by road since the sights along the way were breath taking. He always refused because the trip was too dangerous especially because his own father had died through a road accident. To date we are yet to know what he had changed his mind. The night before our journey sleep evaded me. I packed and repacked my belongings carefully counterchecking it against my list. As was custom we said pour prayers before setting off for what would be a journey to change my life. As my father drove our brand new Cadillac, we sang songs to keep him company. Story telling happened to be my sister’s favourite past time and in no time we were engrossed in one of her stories. â€Å"Watch your language young lady!!† my father repeatedly warned my sister. The pain in my ribs was nerve wrecking, almost as if someone was pushing a dagger into my ribs. I blinked severally before opening my eyes to see my dad’s limp body around me. â€Å"Dad! Dad! Wake up!!† My mother and sister were also unconscious in the back seat with blood all over their bodies. It was then that the cold harsh reality hit me. We had fallen in a gorge fifty metres below the road. What am I to do? I wondered. Painfully, I got myself from below the wreckage, and went over to the back. My mother and sister still had a pulse albeit a weak one and showed no signs of regaining consciousness. My knowledge of first aid was sparse owing to the fact that I had slept throughout much of the class sessions. It was then that I realised that without doing something drastic, I would watch their lives slip right through my fingers. I decided to walk to the nearest police station. With broken ribs and a fractured leg I pulled myself together and started the journey. It seemed like hours before I found elderly couple and explained my predicament. They called an ambulance who on arrival pronounced my father dead while my mother, sister and I were rushed to the nearest hospital. I healed quickly and took on the responsibility of nursing my sister and mother back to health. It was very difficult for me to break the sad news of my dad’s demise to them but when I did we found comfort in each others’ sorrow. The harrowing experience particularly the loss of my loving dad changed our lives forever. The most invaluable lesson that I learnt is resilience and that everything happens for a reason. I am much stronger than before and well prepared to face life’s c hallenges with a smile (Mallenby, 2007: 123). Additionally, I learnt that friendship is one of the best gifts one can have. My best friend was there for me through the whole experience and encouraged me to get my life back and that not all was lost. My religious stand point also changed since I was an atheist before the accident, now I am a staunch Christian who believes in the power of prayer. I have learnt to respect my mother more as she took up the responsibility of taking care of us since our father’s untimely demise. Although the experience of losing

Organization analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organization analysis - Assignment Example Along with increasing revenues the company also maintains its responsibilities towards society. The company works towards improving the community’s life and upgrading its technology to meet the requirements of the world (Tata Motors, n.d.). The areas which have been analyzed in the project are the organizational structural and behavioral issues which evolved in Tata Motors due to the acquisition. Firstly a number of cultural barriers emerged in the organization. The merging of two cultures was a challenge confronting the company. The organization required restructuring to align with that of Daewoo. Certain modifications were required to reorganize the divisions, streamlining operations and working on the costs. The organization had to handle the psychological issues of people arising out of their apprehensions about their future in the organization. Human resource issues like the compensation structures and grading systems were also required to be brought to a common platform. The important learning point is that the successful handling of the human resource issues is most critical for the success of an acquisition process. Employees of the acquired company are bound to have apprehensions about their future in the company. They could suffer from low motivation and morale. The acquirer should focus on introducing such strategies which would reduce the cultural barriers and enhance their performance. One way would be implement a fair and justified compensation stricture for all employees. At times the organization might also plan to give extra remuneration to the employees of the acquired company. This would boost their confidence level. The organization should also define the future organization roles of employees. It should be absolutely clear about its future expectation from the employees. If there is any change in the responsibilities and activities of employees then it should be communicated to the employees. Employees should not be

How do affect and emotions influence decision making processes and how Essay

How do affect and emotions influence decision making processes and how might this in turn influence the design of a specified in - Essay Example If the situation is dangerous or bad, the brain induces a negative action to counter the bad feeling. Visceral level of the brain is captured by high arousal or increased adrenaline rush that is associated with danger. To most people visceral levels dominates reflective level of the brain. A behavioral level of the brain is concerned with daily behavior of an individual and is often unconscious. It is associated with effectiveness and pleasure of doing or using something. This level of the brain can be enhanced or inhibited by the reflective layer of the brain but it can influence the visceral level. The third level of the brain is reflective level. Reflective level is contemplative and concerns itself with rationalization and intellectualization. It does not control the behavior directly because it does not have direct access to sensory input. It controls behavior indirectly by influencing the behavioral level of the brain and competes with visceral level. Affect and emotions are cr itical in decision making. This is because they influence decision making process in various ways. People make decision based on both immediate and expected emotions. First, immediate emotions affect decision on the basis of good or bad experiences at that particular time when decisions are made. Immediate emotions are affective and affect decision making directly or indirectly. Decision making can be influenced directly as they are made. For example, if a person feel fearful at a time when he or she makes decision concerning his treatment approach, he or she is likely to choose a less risky treatment approach even if the most risky option has better results. Emotions can also affect decision made indirectly by changing desirability or probability expectations of an anticipated future result. For example when a patient is feeling happy, he or she is likely to choose a riskier treatment option that has better future outcome as compared with the less risky outcome with poor future out come (Kattan and Cowen, 2009). Immediate emotions are considered affect program emotions. They disrupt current actions and cognitive inputs making a person to alter his or her actions. Immediate emotions that influence decision making are categorized into negative and positive emotions. Negative emotions include anger, hate, anxiety, fear, worry and stress. Negative emotions make a person feel out of control. If a person has negative emotions, he or she is likely to make pessimistic, radical and aggressive decisions. Positive emotions include happiness, love, kindness and security. A person with positive emotions is more likely to make optimistic, cooperative and mild decisions. Immediate emotions change outcome or probability perceptions as well as the quantity and quality of processing relevant facts and signs for decisions. Secondly, expected emotions influence decision making. The emotional outcomes associated with a given decision affect decision making process. Often, people s elect actions that minimize negative emotions and maximize positive emotions. For example, a patient suffering from prostrate cancer may choose radiation treatment over surgical treatment because surgical treatment is likely to make him impotent. How it influence the design of specified interactive media production First, knowledge is embedded on human emotion, motivation and cognition space. As a result, the knowledge that is embedded in human emotion dictates persons’

Biblical Writings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biblical Writings - Essay Example "Torah" is a Hebrew term meaning 'teaching' or 'instruction', which is used to refer to the Five Books of Moses, otherwise known as Pentateuch, which include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, the term is also used to refer to the entire Jewish bible and to the entire Jewish law and teachings, in its broadest sense. The Talmud may be realized as one of the central texts of conventional Judaism which incorporates the rabbinic teachings concerning Jewish law, ethics, customs and history, and it has two components: Mishnah and Gemara. The Hebrew term Mishnah (or Mishna), which means 'repetition', can be comprehended as the earliest written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions and it can refer to the entire tradition of the Oral Torah. The second component of the Talmud, known as the Gemara, is a collection of rabbinical commentaries and studies of the Mishnah. The terms such as Hebrew Bible, Jewish scripture, Old Testament, and First Testament are closely c onnected, because all these refer to the same scripture in different traditions. Thus, the Hebrew Bible refers to the books of the Jewish Bible (also known as Tanakh), which is known as the Old Testament in Christian Biblical canon. Similarly, First Testament is another term used for the familiar term Old Testament, referring to the first section of the Christian Biblical canon. Therefore, Tanakh, Torah, Mishnah, Gemara, Talmud, Hebrew Bible, Jewish scripture, Old Testament, and First Testament are important terms used to refer to the various Scriptures, books, traditions etc in the Jewish and Christian religion. A profound source criticism of the Bible refers to significant designations such as J (Jahwist), E (Elohist), P (Priestly), D (Deutoronomist), and Q (Quelle) and these terms denotes the major sources of the Old Testament and the New Testament. One of the major developments in source criticism of the Bible has been the "documentary hypothesis", according to which the first five books of the Old Testament ((known as the Pentateuch) were comprised of four major sources such as J (Jahwist), E (Elohist), P (Priestly), and D (Deutoronomist). The Jahwist (J), one of the four major sources of the Torah, is the oldest source according to the "documentary hypothesis" and it refers to God as Yahweh. The second source of the Torah, known as the Elohist (E), refers to God as Elohim and presents God as less anthropomorphic to Yahweh of the earlier Jahwist source. The most recent of the four chief sources of the Torah is the Priestly Source (P) emphasizes the laws of Moses and priestly duties. The fourth source of the Torah, i.e. the Deuteronomist (D), considers the texts of Scripture as products of human intellect. Therefore, the Jahwist, the Elohist, the Priestly, and the Deutoronomist are the four major sources of the Torah, according to the "documentary hypothesis". It is also important to recognize these four sources were in the long run combined into the Pentateuch to organize the first five books of the Old Testament. Source criticism of the New Testament introduces one to the term Q (Quelle), which refers to an earlier, lost source of the Gospels. Significantly, the German word 'Quelle' means 'source' and this lost textual source was central to the origin of the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Part

Vector Graphics Essay Example for Free

Vector Graphics Essay Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon(s), which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics. Vector, in this context, implies more than a straight line. Vector graphics are based on images made up of vectors (also called paths, or strokes) which lead through locations called control points. Each of these points has a definite position on the x and y axes of the work plan. Each point, as well, is a variety of database, including the location of the point in the work space and the direction of the vector (which is what defines the direction of the track). Each track can be assigned a color, a shape, a thickness and also a fill. This does not affect the size of the files in a substantial way because all information resides in the structure; it describes how to draw the vector. Same as object-oriented graphics, refers to software and hardware that use geometrical formulas to represent images. The other method for representing graphical images is through bit maps, in which the image is composed of a pattern of dots. This is sometimes called raster graphics. Programs that enable you to create and manipulate vector graphics are called draw programs, whereas programs that manipulated bit-mapped images are called paint programs. Vector-oriented images are more flexible than bit maps because they can be resized and stretched. In addition, images stored as vectors look better ondevices (monitors and printers) with higher resolution, whereas bit-mapped images always appear the same regardless of a devices resolution. Another advantage of vector graphics is that representations of images often require less memory than bit-mapped images do. Almost all sophisticated graphics systems, including CADD systems andanimation software, use vector graphics. In addition, many printers (PostScriptprinters, for example) use vector graphics. Fonts represented as vectors are called vector fonts, scalable fonts, object-oriented fonts, and outline fonts. Note that most output devices, including dot-matrix printers, laser printers, and display monitors, are raster devices (plotters are the notable exception). This means that all objects, even vector objects, must be translated into bit maps before being output. The difference between vector graphics and raster graphics, therefore, is that vector graphics are not translated into bit maps until the last possible moment, after all sizes and resolutions have been specified. PostScript printers, for example, have a raster image processor (RIP) that performs the translation within the printer. In their vector form, therefore, graphics representations can potentially be output on any device, with any resolution, and at any size. Raster Graphics In computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a dot matrix data structure representing a generallyrectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. Raster images are stored in image files with varying formats A bitmap corresponds bit-for-bit with an image displayed on a screen, generally in the same format used for storage in the displays video memory, or maybe as a device-independent bitmap. A bitmap is technically characterized by the width and height of the image in pixels and by the number of bits per pixel (a color depth, which determines the number of colors it can represent). The printing and prepress industries know raster graphics as contones (from continuous tones). The opposite to contones is line work, usually implemented as vector graphics in digital systems. What is the difference between vector and raster graphics? Answer: The difference between vector and raster graphics is that raster graphics are composed of pixels, while vector graphics are composed of paths. A raster graphic, such as a gif or jpeg, is an array of pixels of various colors, which together form an image. A vector graphic, such as an . eps file or Adobe Illustrator? file, is composed of paths, or lines, that are either straight or curved. The data file for a vector image contains the points where the paths start and end, how much the paths curve, and the colors that either border or fill the paths. Because vector graphics are not made of pixels, the images can be scaled to be very large without losing quality. Raster graphics, on the other hand, become blocky, since each pixel increases in size as the image is made larger. This is why logos and other designs are typically created in vector format the quality will look the same on a business card as it will on a billboard. Vector Graphics typically are generated using drawing or illustration programs (e. g. , Adobe Illustrator) and are composed of mathematically-defined geometric shapes—lines, objects and fills. Since vectors entail both magnitude and direction, vector elements thus are comprised of line segments whose length represents magnitude and whose orientation in space represents direction. Vector graphics usually are easily modified within the creating application and generally are not affected detrimentally by scaling (enlarging or reducing their size). Because vector elements are mathematically-defined, scaling simply requires modification of their mathematical locations. However, vector files do not support photographic imagery well and often can be problematic for cross-platform exchange. Vector graphics typically are saved as EPS format. This makes vector graphics ideal for logo design. Creating a vector logo is more difficult but the effort pays for itself when the vector logo file is sent to printers or sign makers etc. The vector logo can be scaled up or down with out losing quality and would enable smooth transition between various media. Raster Graphic Images are produced by digital image capture devices: digital scanners or digital cameras, or by pixel editing programs (e. g. , Adobe Photoshop). Raster images are composed of a matrix (grid) or bitmap of digital picture elements (pixels). Pixels are squares or rectangles described as black, white, gray or color. Raster images typically are saved as TIFF format, but can be saved as EPS as well. Whereas conversion from vector to raster is easily accomplished, raster conversion to vector is much more difficult (and often is not possible). Raster images typically are easily shared across various platforms, but can be more difficult than vector graphics to modify. As well, raster graphics are impacted by scaling. Creating a raster logo design using Adobe Photoshop might be ideal for web only usage but if you are serious about branding, then the resulting raster PSD logo file will be of limited use. When sent to a printer or sign maker and when they try to scale the raster logo, the quality deteriorates and pixellation occurs. Yes, agreed, creating the raster logo design in Photoshop would enable a designer to pile on stunning effects (such as drop shadows, beveling, blurring etc). But the final deliverable will have limited uses.

Importance Of Teacher Motivation Education Essay

Importance Of Teacher Motivation Education Essay A study of teachers motivation consists of two main themes. The first one identifies the different factors affecting teachers motivation, while the second aspect analyses how the school heads can impact on teachers motivation through their leadership. This chapter explains the importance of teacher motivation. The motivational factors for teachers, applying literature findings are reviewed. 2.2: Importance of teacher motivation Schools exist, primarily to educate children. It is for this purpose that teachers are employed in schools (Fiddler Atton, 1997). Teachers are, thus, the most important professionals for any nations future. However, without adequate support and resources, teachers will not be motivated although they may be highly qualified. It is sad to note that teachers, the most valuable human resource, are often neglected (Abdo, 2001). One should bear in mind that a nations strength depends on the high quality of its education system and the strength of such a system, in turn, relies on qualified and motivated teachers. Inspired and motivated are essential in providing quality education. Schools would definitely not survive without motivated and dedicated teachers. 2.3: Factors affecting teachers motivation Research (Eimers, 1997) has shown that teachers are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Further studies on motivation for teaching distinguished between intrinsic, extrinsic and altruistic reasons for choosing the profession (Kyriacou Coulthard, 2000; Moran, Kilpatrick, Abbott, Dallat, McClune, 2001). Intrinsically motivated teachers are focused on teaching and the activity related to the job itself. The inherent satisfaction or the joy of teaching is viewed as the driving force. The extrinsically motivated teachers focus on the benefits of teaching, such as salary, vacations or other external rewards connected to the job. Finally, the altruistically motivated teacher views teaching as a socially worthwhile and important job, and has a desire to be part of young peoples growth and development. Barmby (2006, p. 253) extrapolated these findings and points out that teachers motivation is influenced less by externally initiated factors such as salary, educational policy and reform and conditions of service, than by those emanating from the intrinsic context within which they work. According to Hallinger and Heck (1998), school leaders can play a critical role in the success of educational institutions. To the extent that school leaders can control the outcomes of teachers efforts, they can influence the levels of motivation teachers experience (Silver, 1982). This can be through their influence on teachers morale and motivation. Studies have lent proof (Hallinger and Heck, 1998; Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005; Leithwood and Mascall, 2008) that School leadership affects the way teachers teach, and hence, impact directly on student performance. Since school leaders can, in one way or the other, affect the intrinsic factors listed, they, thus, play an extremely role in motivating teachers. Indeed, in an attempt to study teachers motivation, Pitre (2003) found significant relationship between school leadership and teacher motivation. A school head should not only be an effective leader, manager and counselor, but also an effective motivator. Motivated teachers are productive teachers (Osterloh, Bruno and Frost, 2001) as they have job satisfaction. School leaders should bear in mind that without these, educational programmes may be deeply weakened (Snowden and Gorton, 2002). This is supported by Browns study (2005), which found significant link between political, local and organisational factors and the use of incentives to motivate teachers in charter schools. Motivation was higher where more external incentives were provided. In fact, School leadership and Teacher Motivation are two things that are inextricably linked. 2.4 Importance of leadership in schools For much of the twentieth century, the role of the school head was that of manager, where he/she was expected to manage personnel and budget, while handling other operational issues (Usdan, McCloud, Podmostko, 2000). Studies on the topic suggest that in the past, principals were able to succeed, at least partially, by simply carrying out the directives of central administrators (Perez et al. 1999). Today, in a rapidly changing era of standards-based reform, as education moved into a new era of accountability, a different concept has emerged. According to Dussault and Barnett (1996), educational organisations are facing many challenges and this shift brings with it dramatic changes in what public education needs from principals. School principals must, therefore, enhance the quality of their services; they can no longer function simply as building managers, tasked with adhering to district rules, carrying out regulations and avoiding mistakes. Management by principals is no longer en ough to meet todays educational challenges (Mulford, 2003). Researchers (Dussault and Barnett, 1996) claim that the actual situations in schools call for improvement and educational leadership. As Cawelti (1984, p.3) stated: Continuing research on effective schools has verified the common sense observation that schools are rarely effective, in any sense of the word, unless the principal is a good leader . 2.4.1 School leadership and effective schools School leadership (Huber, 2004), indeed, has a pivotal role in contributing to effective schools. Gurr, Drysdale, and Mulford (2005) found in their case study research on Australian principals that the principal remains an important and significant figure in determining the success of a school (p. 548). Extensive empirical efforts have shown that leadership is a central factor for the quality and effectiveness of a school (Reynolds, 1976; Harris, 2005). The research results show that each and every successful school possesses a competent and sound school leadership. Research (Barber, 1995; Mortimore, Sammons, Stoll, Lewis and Ecob, 1988; Stoll and Fink, 1996) has shown that leadership, in fact, defines the success of a school. According to Leithwood, Day, Sammons, Hopkins and Harris (2006, p. 14-15), there is not a single documented case of a school successfully turning around its pupil achievement trajectory in the absence of talented leadership. In this line of thought, Leithwood, Louis, Anderson Wahlstrom (2004) claimed that while classroom instruction has the greatest impact on student achievement, leadership has the second greatest effect. The role of the school leader has to be seen in relationship to the context in which the school is operating. Schools are embedded in the education system and their local communities; leaders, therefore, have to react to, cope with and support the development of the community served by their respective schools. Huber (1997) firmly believes that school leaders matter, they are educationally-significant, school leaders do make a difference. Given the manifold tasks and responsibilities of school leadership, as well as the competencies required, school leaders may be regarded as superheroes. Their complex role can hardly be filled with traditional leadership concepts (Huber, 2004). Educational leaders are now confronted with an altogether new range of demands and challenges. They should bear in mind that their organisations have been set up to accomplish a specific social aim, shaping the society. The quality of education provided at school, therefore, determines the future society. Moreover, school leadership proved to be important for the learning environment for teachers in schools (James McCormick, 2009; Louis, Dretzke, Wahlstrom, 2010). 2.4.2 Successful and effective School leadership 2.4.2.1 Firm and purposeful leadership It has been proven that all aspects of the school rely on a proper School Leader (Stoll and Fink, 1996; Huber, 2004; Mortimore et al., 1988). However, both the School Leader and individual teachers are of utmost importance. Leithwood, in concert with others (Leithwood et al., 2004; Leithwood and Riehl, 2003; Leithwood et al., 2006), identified four broad categories of educational leadership, or core practices: setting directions; developing people; redesigning the organization; and managing the instructional program. At the same time, effective leaders know that the ability to lead and manage organisational change is critical for survival since the school environment is a dynamic one. School Leaders should incorporate the ability to deal with changes occurring in school system structure, especially when more responsibilities are being thrusted upon the shoulders of the School Leader by the educational system. According to Calabrese (2002) the prototype school leader in the 21st century is a change agent. They have a responsibility to lead change that results in more effective and efficient educational practices, in an environment that is increasingly political. Therefore, outstanding school heads should be proactive. They must make the change happen without alienating the teaching staffs. They should act as mediators between those resisting changes (Levine and Lezotte, 1990) and the change agents. Leaders, thus, got a key role in inducing others to adopt change in order to improve the organisational effectiveness. Hence, school leaders, are key to initiate and maintaining the school improvement process (Sammons et al., 1994c). Schools, expected to fulfill multi-dimensional functions, are affected by both internal and external environmental factors (Eres, 2011). School leaders can eliminate the negative effects of such factors. Thus, they need to be proactive, anticipating problems and should be prepared to counteract these efficiently and effectively. The role of the School Leader is not always clearly defined since leading and managing are two intermingling responsibilities. 2.4.3 School leadership and teachers motivation Leadership can be defined as the ability to enlist, mobilize and motivate others to apply their abilities and resources to a given cause (Eyal and Roth, 2010). This capacity is fundamental in the educational sphere. Very often, educators think in terms of motivating students to learn. Equally important, though, with respect to educational leadership is the motivation of teachers (Silver, 1982). According to Kocabas and Karakose (2002), teachers are responsible to their schools and the principals are in turn responsible for the proper administration of the school. Therefore, the main responsibility for motivating teachers falls to the school head. Along this line, Barker (2001) studied poor performers and effective principals and suggested that effective leaders indeed motivate the staff. He claimed that the latter should be there to enthuse and invigorate teachers rather than to shape them. Good leadership improves both teacher motivation and work settings. Further research by Kiziltepe (2006) found that the primary source of teachers de-motivation was the administration Though, the relationship between School leadership and Teacher Motivation have not directly been subject to much research, Brown and Hughes (2008) highlight the importance of exploring the different factors that motivate teachers, as society increasingly holds them accountable for student achievement. The relationship between school leadership and teacher motivation is related in the research literature to the attempt to better understand principals impact on school performance (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005; Leithwood and Mascall, 2008; Supovitz, Sirinides and May, 2010). Thus teachers engagement and their motivation have been studied mostly as a mediating factor between school leadership and students learning (Hallinger and Heck, 1998). According to Sharpe, Klockow Martin (2002), the factors motivating teachers can vary from classroom to classroom, school to school, or district to district. If teachers are not motivated to teach, then the search for educational excellence will be ava il (Richardson, Short Prickett, 2003). 2.4.3.1: How can School leaders affect teachers motivation Several studies suggest that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on student learning (Leithwood, Harris, Hopkins, 2008; Leithwood Jantzi, 2008) and that key to optimizing student learning is the influence exerted by school leaders on teacher motivation and commitment (Day, Stobart, Sammons, Kington, Gu, 2006; Leithwood Mascall, 2008). According to studies (Hallinger and Heck, 1996), school leadership affects students outcomes indirectly, by creating the conditions that support teachers ability to teach and students learning. Teachers motivation includes the expenditure of effort to achieve a goal (Martin, 2000). It is also about creating forces that power and drive their respective behaviours (Bursalioglu, 2002). Dull (1981) believes that school leaders could motivate teachers by improving a situation perceived to be difficult by an individual, thereby meeting needs. In addition, the school leader can also motivate teachers by providing adequate d riving forces to urge one into action (Genc, 1987). The human factor should not be ignored, the educational leader should strive in developing a physiological and psychological process which takes into account individual desires, goals, tendencies, behaviour, self-interest, preference, will-power and drive. He/she should be considerate, that is, consider both intrinsic and extrinsic forces that actuate, direct and maintain staff behaviours (Gursel, 1997). Motivating teachers also implies increasing the latters willingness to work and making them believe that they will satisfy their personal needs if they work efficiently in the school (Yuksel, 1998), by providing the appropriate conditions. Porter, Polikoff, Goldring, Murphy, Elliot and May (2010) claims that these conditions include high standards for student learning, rigorous curricula, quality instruction, a culture of learning and above all- professional behaviour. Indeed, scholarly writings have linked the above mentioned conditions with increased teacher motivation to exert extra effort in teaching (Geisel, Sleegers, Leithwood and Jantzi, 2003). They added that school leadership has a key role in ensuring these conditions at school. Geisel et al. (2003) also mentioned that schools are effective only when the whole school community work as a whole and not as fragmented units. Thus, the school leaders should not only occupy the authority position but should also be visible (Dinham, Cariney, Craigie and Wilson, 1995) in the institution, so as to be able to motivate their staffs. 2.4.3.1.1: Visible leadership Indeed, Dinham et al. (1995) found that secondary school principals responsibilities include being visible, maintaining contact with student groups, keeping open lines of communication with stakeholders, promoting a positive school climate, being aware and in control of all school issues, influencing the school tone, and fostering school pride. According to further studies (Huber, 1997), teachers recognize it is highly motivating when their school head is involved in the daily routine. The school leader, showing dedicated interest in what happens in the class itself, is much appreciated. Teachers have a high esteem for leaders knowing about the curriculum and who are actively involved in monitoring students progress. Robinson (2006) points out that school leaders who have subject specific knowledge will be more confident and successful in supporting improvement in teachers practice. No doubt, teachers find it highly motivating when the principal provides a variety of support, includi ng practical assistance and encouragement (Murphy, 1989). This involves frequent movement through the school, class visits as well as some informal exchange with the teaching staff (Teddlie et al., 1989). According to Scheerens (1992), this is one of the pillars of school leadership and such regular interactions could also help in assessing the ways teachers work. 2.4.1 Relationship between school leader and teachers Davis et al. (2002) argue that the relationship between school leaders and teachers is very important: the school leaders regard for others is, key, to motivating teachers. Being in charge of the school administration, school leaders have the greatest share in motivating teachers. According to Griffin (2010), relationships with administrators were rated as a highly motivating factor. This is supported by Asbill and Gonzalez (2000) who found a relationship between positive principal-teacher interactions and teacher job satisfaction. Egley (2003) found similar results and emphasized the importance of a supportive principal-teacher relationship. School leaders (Barnett and McCormick, 2003) must be able to create an environment conducive to the building of positivity, providing the platform for the staff to maintain good relations, so as to create a healthy environment, where all can grow adequately. Wallace (2010) further claimed that school leadership should also include some emotional dimension. She posited that school leaders who understand the emotional context in which they work will provide a more satisfying and effective work context for teachers. They highlighted that working in a classroom environment where there is administrative support enhances the element of respect. Indeed, interviews by Sederberg and Clark (1990) showed that teachers perceive respect as the most important incentive, followed by trust, optimism and intentionality. Further research (Geisel et al., 2003) has shown that certain methods adopted by the School leadership indeed impact on the level of teacher motivation, for instance, defining a clear vision and objectives. Shared vision and goals Scholars (Eyal and Roth, 2010; Barnett and McCormick, 2002) posited that vision potentially offers the greatest capacity to influence teachers motivation. Lashway (2000) added that school principals should ensure that this vision is relevant to the school context. The leaders vision must also be related to the existing needs and culture of the school (Keedy, 1991). In addition, it must be focused, consistent, at the same time, including short term as well as long term objectives (Geisel et al., 2003). These help define and promote high expectations; and they connect directly with teachers and the classroom. Barnett and McCormicks (2003) findings echoed the above researchers ideas and even extrapolated those- they concluded that teachers should, at all cost, share the schools vision. This is because vision provides personal goals for the teacher, a desire to see a change in the future. The staff should be able to connect to the vision when it is clearly defined, so that, their own personal objectives may sprout out from it. Their studies have shown that teachers are highly motivated when they build consensus on the aims and values of the school. In such cases, teachers can put these into practice through collaborative and consistent of working. Empirical evidence (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003; Ylimaki, 2006) proved that vision creates a sense of purpose that binds teachers together and propels them to fulfill their deepest aspirations and to reach ambitious goals. Indeed, Brewers rese arch (1993) showed that student achievement levels were higher in schools where the principal had hired like-minded teachers who shared the principals goals and who were able to implement effectively the principals vision. Other researchers (Lee and Smith, 1994) analyzed performance from 820 secondary schools and found that coherent, sustained, and focused reforms resulted in the best outcomes for students. Therefore, effective professional principals (Huber, 1997, 2004) should relentlessly work to improve achievement by focusing on defining SMART goals. However, scholars (Gagne and Deci, 2005; Sheldon, Turban, Brown, Barrick and Judge, 2003) claimed that presenting followers with a value-laden vision is not enough. Leading professional No doubt, implementing a vision is not instantaneous; it requires repeated cycles of reflection, evaluation, and response, and only the principal can sustain it (Lashway, 1997). Sheldon et al. (2003) posited that the leadership role played by the school principal is critical in ensuring the vision and mission is attained. Thus, principals need to wear many different hats during the school day. But, the most effective school principals are not only managers and disciplinarians but also instructional leaders for the school (Leithwood and Mascall, 2008). Their studies showed that an effective school leader is not merely a good administrator or manager, but also a leading professional- a transformational leader. According to Burns (1978) transformational leadership is the process in which leaders and their followers bring each other to a higher level of ethic and motivation. Todays schools, therefore, want not only visionary and professional leaders (Lashway, 2000), but transformational ones. Transformational Leadership and motivation Leithwood (1992) claimed that transformational leadership is, actually, the restructuring of the system in order for the mission and vision of people to be redefined. It also ensures that the staff identifies themselves with the goals of the organisation, together with enlisting the participation of the staffs by taking into consideration their opinion greatly provide the scope for motivation. Bass (1990) suggested that motivation is, in fact, a sub-dimension of transformational leadership. Other scholars (Simola, Barling and Turner, 2010; Park and Rainey, 2008) also concluded that motivation has been shown to be an inspiring component of such kind of leadership and these have shown a positive relationship between transformational leadership and motivation. Indeed, Bass and Avolio (1997) have argued that transformational leadership can produce extraordinary outcomes in terms of increased commitment to achieving group or organisational goals. Coupled with the above, Shamir, House and Arthur (1993), maintained that transformational leaders also foster intrinsic motivations related to self concept. Their theory of leadership asserted that charismatic leaders promote followers intrinsic motivation to act beyond their self-esteem, self value and social identification. Research has shown a positive relationship between transformational leadership and motivation. It has been proved that in an organisation with transformational leaders, there is higher productivity and that the employees are happier and there are fewer negative incidents (Robbins, 1996). Indeed, transformational Leadership plays an important role in developing self-motivation. Leaders increase their workers motivation through their behaviour (Bass, 1990, Greenberg and Baron, 2000). As the human relations and communicative skills of a transformational leader are developed, they are effective in persuading and directing their followers (Glad and Blanton, 1997). They also motivate followers to transcend their own immediate self-interest for the sake of the mission and vision of the organisation. The leader motivates followers to work for transcendental goals instead of immediate self-interest, for achievement and self-actualisation rather than safety and security (Murray Feitler, 1989, p. 3), and creates within followers a capacity to develop higher levels of commitment to organisational goals (Leithwood Jantzi, 2000). Followers confidence levels are raised and their needs broadened by the leader to support development to higher potential. Such total engagement (emotional, intellectual and moral) encourages followers to develop and perform beyond expectations (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978). 2.3.5.1 Transformational and Transactional School leadership Basss model (1998) of transformational and transactional leadership has a number of important implications for the current reform movement in education. According to Bass and Avolio (1997), the transformational/transactional approach builds trust, respect, and a wish on the part of followers to work collectively toward the same desired future goals. This not only allows the transformational leader to operate effectively within the available context, but to change it, to make it more receptive to her or his own leadership orientation. Indeed, a positive relationship has been found (Howell and Hall- Merenda, 1999) between transformational leadership and a good rapport between the leader and follower. Applying this to schools, Avolio and Bass (1988) argue that although transactional and transformational leadership can represent two discrete forms of leadership, effective school principals exhibit characteristics of both by maintaining short-term endeavors through transactional leadership and by inciting change as a transformational leader. A number of studies emphasize the importance of transformative leadership for school principals (Fullan 1996; Hord 1992; Leithwood, Tomlinson Genge 1996; Wood 1998; Sergiovanni 1992; Conley 1997; Perez et al. 1999; Reed and Roberts 1998). Transformational school leadership and teacher motivation Contemporary middle school leaders have a vast array of responsibilities and are often characterized as those who should be transformational leaders (Sanzo et al., 2010). The challenges brought to schools by restructuring have been cited as reasons for advocating transformational leadership in schools. Such leadership embraces a postmodern way of thinking. It is argued that transformational leadership is well suited to the challenges of current school restructuring. It has the potential for building high levels of commitment (in teachers) to the complex and uncertain nature of the school reform agenda and for fostering growth in the capacities teachers must develop to respond positively to this agenda (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1997). Transformational leadership is seen to be sensitive to organisation building, developing shared vision, distributing leadership and building school culture necessary to current restructuring efforts in schools (Leithwood, Jantzi and Stainbach, 1999). Transformational School leadership: the four Is and teacher motivation Leithwood and Jantzi (1990) have defined transformational leadership based on schools. Transformational leadership dimensions, namely, idealized influence, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation, were found to directly influence teachers amount of motivation (Geisel et al., 2003; Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005). These, in turn, had an indirect impact on students achievements and learning (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005). Individualised attention-Teachers needs and expectations Individualised attention (Blasà © and Kirby, 2000) given to the staff, greatly adds up to teacher motivation. According to Blasà © and Kirby (2000), it is of upmost importance for leaders to identify teachers needs- the social needs should not be neglected (Bursalioglu, 2002), and their feelings about their jobs. School leaders have to be conscious of the fact that each person has different needs and, therefore, should be motivated accordingly. Weller (1982) added that the school principal should be sympathetic to the needs of their teachers. The leaders should be able to cater for the needs of each and every one. According to Adair (2002), a leader, who is not aware of these, and who does not display effort to fulfill these, will definitely face difficulties in motivating teachers. He added that only a well-informed leader can devise and implement effective strategies to assist teachers in their development, ensuring they perform their respective duties in an effective, enthusiast ic and motivated manner. Blasà ©, Derick and Stahth (1986) reported that principals initiating structure and displaying consideration were associated with more satisfying work conditions, higher job satisfaction, and less job stress. Staffs experience of job stress was seen as principals lack of consideration and was related to teacher dissatisfaction. It was found that teachers (Blasà © et al., 1986) are less likely to share their views and opinions, or trying to improve the conditions if they feel that their school heads are not enough caring. Blasà © (1986) put forward that the latter should strive to develop fruitful relationships with the teaching staff, fostering positive communication with and among teachers. It is only through these relationships that they can establish leader legitimacy and encouraged commitment. Teachers should feel that they form part of the school community and not simply as employees working in the school. The motivation for working with the subject matter in which teachers have their academic degree and the wish to teach it to others are important motivators for teachers both before and upon completion of the PGCE course (Roness Smith, 2009, 2010). Still, we find that the subject-matter interest is a salient and stable motivator among these Norwegian teachers, a finding which aligns with other international research (Kyriacou et al., 1999; Manuel Brindley, 2005; Manuel Hughes, 2006). A plausible reason for these results can be that when starting teacher education, the students regard themselves as subject-matter specialists. Idealised influence Idealised influence is the charismatic element of transformational leadership, in which leaders, become role models, who are admired, respected and emulated by their followers (Avolio and Bass, 2002; Bass, 1998; Bass and Avolio, 1994). As a result, followers demonstrate a high degree of trust in such leaders (Jung and Avolio, 2000). Researchers (Jung and Avolio, 2000) added that shared vision, is, an integral component of this idealized transformational role, inspiring acceptance through the alignment of goals. Principals must, therefore, be good role models supporting best practice (Colley, 2002). Inspirational motivation Leaders behave in ways that motivate and inspire those around them by providing meaning and challenge to their followers work (Avolio and Bass, 2002). According to Bass (1998), team spirit is aroused and followers show much enthusiasm. The transformational school leader (Barnett and McCormick, 2003) builds and sustains interactive communications with the teachers. For instance, inspirational talks and acting in ways that encourage enthusiasm. Principals inspire teachers to see an attractive future, while communicating expectations and demonstrating a commitment to goals and the shared vision. Research (Eyal and Roth, 2010) also proved that transformational school leaders can stimulate their teachers efforts to be innovative and creative. According to Tracey and Hinkin (1998), such influence motivates followers to show integrity in the form of ethical and moral conduct. This includes values and beliefs which emphasise the schools mission and embracing high morality. Another point to be noted is that teachers want to be fairly treated. Any discriminatory actions (Wevers, 2000) against them are negatively perceived and these impact heavily on their motivation level. Awamleh and Gardiner (1999) believe that school leaders should avoid the misuse of power for personal gains. School leaders should be seen trustworthy and competent by followers (Cheemers, 2001). So, it is important to have ethical school leaders. Intellectual Stimulation Studies (Reynolds, 1976; Mortimore et al., 1988;, Stoll and Fink, 1996) of Effective schools showed that, principals, considered innovation to be an integral part of the school. They encourage teachers to question existing assumptions and to reframe problems. They invite the teaching staff to approach old situations in new ways. Int

Human Development and Behaviour Case Study

Human Development and Behaviour Case Study Kaitlyn Elliot In this essay I will look at the different stages of some of the care service users in the case study and identify their aspects of development and their influences. I will also look at their life experiences and how a care worker could understand the behaviour of a care service user in the case study. Seamus who is at his older adulthood stage has multiple sclerosis and has been very ill for some time. It is important to find meaning of life instead of not wanting to do anything because you are old and feel like you should not be doing certain things. Physically Seamus reaction time is slowing down because of the loss of brain connections that break down as he gets older. He will find a gradual loss in muscle strength and mobility. Having strong muscles is important as they provide the force and strength to move the body so this will affect his posture and walk, and lead to slower movement. Having Multiple sclerosis also influences his physical development such as his vision, balance and can cause dizziness. This will make it harder for him to do the things he normally does in life or he maybe has to ask Marie to do it for him. Emotionally Seamus will be feeling more dependent on others and this could be making him upset or even depressed. He will be feeling worthless and helpless . These emotions could be influenced by the psychological reaction to MS or the side effects of the drugs he is having to take. He just wants to be treated the same way he was when he wasnt in the older adulthood stage. Stress is a normal part of life for most people and Seamus might be feeling stressed and upset about his daughter be depressed and trying to take her own life, but in addition people with MS have to deal with the pressure the condition itself causes. Seamus grandchildren visiting often would be a great pleasure for him and make him happy however they have been moved to residential units so he wont get to see them. Socialising in the older adulthood stage is important for the stimulation and motivation and may be more confident and experience a social life since he has more free time. However, he might struggle to go out because of his condition. Contact with his own children is important however his daughter is in hospital so he might find this hard to keep in contac t with her. Cognitive development is also important in the older adulthood as they dont want to feel useless. However, Seamus might take in new information slower than he used to. MS can also cause memory and thinking problems. He might also be unable to find the right word that he is thinking about. Celebrating familiar culture traditions can be comforting for Seamus and maybe make him happier. Having a sense of belonging to a community is important for him and may help him feel useful in a way and also wanted. John is at his adolescence stage in life and is going through a lot of development stages. Physically he is rapidly increasing in growth and weight and he is just starting to hit puberty this means his voice is deepening and has a large increase in muscle strength. Peers are very important at this stage and they might be influencing him at school to not be doing his homework as they dont think its cool enough for them. However because John is staying with his grandparents due to changes in family circumstances they do not allow him to have any friends over to socialize with, so this could be effecting his social development in a way that he feels lonely. John is having a lot of conflict with his grandparents as they do not like loud music and are becoming intolerant of having the children living with them. Emotionally John will be feeling upset and not knowing how to cope with the death of his father or the way his mum is. We can also see he is angry when his sister is put in a diffe rent residential unit 50 miles away from the one he is at and that she starts to make new friends and he has already absconded twice. Johns cognitive development is strongly noticed when he questions the views of his grandfather and starts to argue with him when he is trying to help him do his homework. Johns father Fred wanted his children to be doctors but John questions this when his grandfather is pushing him to be one when all he cares about is footballs. Being a part of peer culture is important for john at his age however with his grandparents being strict and not allowing him to do so is affecting his cultural development. Ola has had a few life experiences in her time one of these being the road accident where she lost her husband and had to give up working because of her injuries and depression from the accident. The Kubler Ross Grief cycle is a theory which allows us to understand how grief can impact on Olas life. Ola is currently in the denial and depression stage of the cycle as she is refusing to accept the facts and reality of the crash and she is also avoiding her own children and family as she may be feeling overwhelmed and helplessness after being admitted to hospital after trying to take her own life. A care worker could understand Johns behaviour by looking at the Carol Rodgers theory, as he believes that people can only fulfil their potential for growth if they have a positive view about their self and this can only happen if they are valued and respected by those around them. We can see that John doesnt feel valued or respected by his grandparents as they are not allowing him to have any friends over or even have a social life and just want him to do homework so he does well at school as his dad wanted his kids to be doctors when all John really cares about is football so this shows us he is not able to fulfil his potential for growth. Another theory the care worker could use is Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. This theory is similar to Rodgers as they both believe that all humans are motivated towards achieving their full potential. Maslow stated that People are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical s urvival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour. Frustrated and unmet needs can lead to dysfunctional behaviour. John isnt achieving the belongingness and love needs as he has lost his dad, his mum is refusing to see him and his grandparents are struggling to cope with him and his sister so moved them to residential units which has angered john and caused him to lash out. So this could be another way a care user could try to understand why johns behaviour is the way it is and help support him through his difficulties. References: SFEU (2007) National Qualifications Phycology for Care Intermediate 2 www.simplypyschology.org