From Colonialism to the New Humanity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

From Colonialism to the New Humanity - Essay Example As the study declares that the colonization precipitated the awakening of national consciousness of the colonized. One could state equally that it moderated the tempo of this awareness by keeping the colonized apart from the true conditions of contemporary citizenship. It is this quotation from the Albert Memmi’s work that he explains the formation of nationalism within the hearts of the colonized. Hence, the author implies that there is, indeed, a distinction in the existence between the colonizer and the colonized in a colonial context. He specifically reiterates that the colonized lives in a condition which is absolute – a condition dictated by the colonized. With such, the colonized will inevitably seek for a compromise in order to break the absolute condition imposed by their colonial masters. A rough sketch is then created out of the author’s narrative of how the colonial mentality dwells within the minds of those subjugated. It can be said that colonialism can bring about the deed for revolt, hence toppling the colonized society and its masters. He makes clear that it is through violence, pushed by the abstract force of nationalism, that change can be attained. It is clear that Memmi explains how the road to a post-colonial society functions – that the prerequisite of nationalism and revolution will overthrow the existing system to create a new society. The pretext of a colonial society is further expounded by Aime Cesaire. He explains that the initial purpose of colonization – which is to have contact with other civilizations – is not what it seemed to be. The author suggests that colonization bears no human contact; it only creates a relationship of domination and subjugation. In this case, the dominating force will be the colonizer and the subjugated force will be the colonized. To add to this, the author creates a sense of anachronism within the European’s notion of colonialism. He says that Europe is a hypocrite with its idea of bringing change to a savage society. He explains that the colonial masters were incapable of creating distinctions between the notion of reason and conscience. This study outlines that Europe utilizes its power to deceive and to create an inevitable hatred amongst other peoples and races. Both Memmi and Cesaire clearly create a definitive stand about colonization and the repercussions they bring unto a particular society. Both authors present that the stratifications of the colonizer and the colonized create conflict with one another. They narrate that subjugation is the primary notion that pushes the oppressed into a collective action which can change the existing system. Also, the concept of nationalism is presented as a tool of creating the sense of heroism within every subjugated individual. Nationalism and collective action will inevitably lead to violence which is directed to a purpose of social change.

INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY - Term Paper Example These behavior expectations according to Dovidio have their roots in individual differences, in both social and cultural experiences. Through personal experiences and learning though observation, people learn about their group values in their society. Therefore, norms are learned through observations, experiences, with immediate situations contributing to learning and understanding, where social norms are more applicable, or elaborate to a particular situation. Though social norms are expected codes of action by individuals, and dictate what people should do across a range of situations, having personal standards relate to the ideals of an individual, and feelings of moral obligation. In this investigation of norms, I chose to walk in a full lift and directly faced the occupants, instead of facing the door as the norm or expected code of action in such circumstances. In this demonstration, I went to an office building at eight o’clock in the morning, which is mostly a rush hour when people are rushing to their offices and work places. The life had 5 occupants; 3 ladies and 2 men, and I was the last occupant as the lift had a safe load of six individuals. All the occupants were in their early thirties, guessing from their looks. As people shoved and pushed in rush to catch the next lift, I waited patiently and counted up to five occupants before forcing myself in as the last occupant. As I entered the lift, all the other occupants we re directly facing the door; they all had their eyes fixed on me. With a serious expression and oblivious to the people in the lift, the lift door closed and instead of turning around to face the door, I stood there just staring the other occupants, and did not en hit the button indicating my destination. I faced the occupants directly and gathered all my courage not to smile or blink in the short dash as the lift rapidly accelerated

Creative Report On Strategic Change Management Business Essay

Creative Report On Strategic Change Management Business Essay Every organisation goes through change but the question lies; do they know the need for change. Why are they going through change. Have the employees understood the need for this change? Strategic change management is successful when there is participation from stakeholders, employees, the leader etc. According to Bevington (2012) Strategic change affects employees, who create resistance because they do not understand the need for change and how will it benefit them. Some will resist change because they like the way things are and dont want anything to change also known as the Status quo. Business organisations need to make sure that there are proper strategies in place to overcome this resistance and implement change. This change has to be constantly monitored to overcome any negative outcomes. According to McMillan (2008) Kurt Lewin developed a change management strategy known as the force field analysis. He demonstrated that there are forces driving for change, forces repelling change. There is a need to balance out both these forces and ensure that change takes place smoothly. Forces for change include: Lewin four forces of change Miner (2007). Organisational behaviour 4: from theory to practice. Burnes (1996) states that, there is the management on one end trying to implement change and employees on the other end who do not understand the need for change. They are affected by the sudden disruption in their smooth day to day work. Therefore, there exists forces that are for change and forces that resist change. These forces can be internal or external. Internal forces that drive change are cultural differences between employees, conflicts with other departments due to competition or performance, a want for increasing profitability. The External forces that drive change in an organisation would be new legislation and taxes, politics, competition, customers needs and expectations introduction of new technology. According to Beer (2000) Lewins 3 stage model Unfreeze- Change- Refreeze is a very important tool that can be used for change. The first stage involves unfreezing, that is to create the platform for change. The second stage is change by bringing about transition via communication explaining why this change is beneficial and why there is a need for to implement this change. The third phase involves refreezing by establishing stability and letting individuals reconnect to their familiar environment. Refreezing helps in changing the low productivity state to a higher one. In this report examples of CORUS and AEGON have been provided. Corus is one of the worlds leading steel companies, which produces heavy plates for construction, shop building, energy, semi finished products for re rolling and rod for wire drawing etc. AEGON is one of the worlds largest life insurance and pension companies. It has 27,000 employees and over 25 million customers worldwide. Q1 Learners need to show that they understand the background to organisational strategic change Discussing models of strategic change Evaluating the relevance of models of strategic change to organisations in the current economy Assessing the value of using strategic intervention techniques in organisations Ans) Discussing models of strategic change Change occurs due to different factors, it can be due to stakeholders, internal or external factors. The internal and external factors contribute to the force of change. The models that are used to implement change successfully are explained in detail. ADKAR, KOTTERS 8 Step model and Mckinseys 7s model are all used for strategic change. ADKAR According to Hiatt (2006) the ADKAR change management is a management model that assists with change. It concentrates on change at personal level, and how to go about making that individual accept the need for change and work for the organisation with full motivation and co-operation. ADKAR was developed by Jeff Hiatt. Originally it was used to determine if change strategies were bringing the required results. Now days it is used to identify gaps to support the change process. The Five Elements of ADKAR In order for successful change each step of ADKAR needs to be followed. Awareness Awareness is to create an understanding for the requirement for change That is, what are the benefits of change, why is it necessary, what happens if we dont implement change etc Hiatt (2009). Desire Desire is to create the need to take part in the change Leadership plays a very important role in desire. The leader has to motivate and influence the staff that they get encouraged for change Hiatt (2009). Knowledge To give knowledge so the employees know what needs to be changed and how to go about changing that, example- explaining new tasks, providing training, understanding new roles Hiatt (2009). Ability Ability to implement change this can be done by monitoring, providing involvement, performance measurement etc Hiatt (2009) Reinforcement- Reinforcement to strengthen the changes by rewards, recognition, feedback, performance measurement and audits. Hiatt (2009) The ADKAR model can be used to monitor progress, identify employee resistance, an instrument for coaching by managers etc. The ADKAR Model can be used to ensure that there are smooth operations and that cultural change is taking place effectively. It can be used to fill the gaps within the organisational change strategies. Prepare individuals for change and emphasise areas of improvement. Evaluating the relevance of models of strategic change to organisations in the current economy Strategic change is a field in strategic management. It is a very important study of strategic management. It is important to balance the changes that are associated with technological change, competition that can pose threats etc. The strategic change models help in assessing the situation and improving it. Thus models are very important in bringing about strategic change management. Assessing the value of using strategic intervention techniques in organisations Strategic planning is very important for strategic change to take place. Strategic intervention is all about creating plans, taking action and implementing strategies that would meet customers requirements. Intervention is to balance the process of change in the macro and micro environment. Mckinseys 7S model: According to Witcher (2010) the 7S model was developed by Mckinseys Consulting, it shows how to organise an organisation effectively and is based on seven key fundamentals. It is split into two groups that are hard elements and soft elements. The hard elements are tangible, whereas the soft are intangible. hard and soft elements of 7s model Framback (2001) Creating customer value through strategic marketing planning: a management approach The 7S Model Plant (2001) E-Commerce : formulacioÃÅ' n de una estrategia The 7S Model where all fundamentals are interrelated. Shared values are the most important in an organisation. It forms the basis for culture, performance and links the structure, system, strategy into the framework. Therefore it is highly important to have a proper culture. Structure: The structure the organisation operates on such as coordination, task allocation, supervision etc. To bring about smooth operations have daily meetings Witcher (2010). Strategy: Strategy is the plan created to succeed and have a competitive advantage. Eliminate waste and increase turnover by installing KAIZEN etc Witcher (2010). Systems: The system that supports the firms such as IT, accounting, resource allocation, financial reporting etc. Introduce a good pay structure for the new team Witcher (2010). Shared Values: The shared values are the core values of an organisation. The mission and vision of the organisation is very important to have a common shared value. Respecting their values and continuously striving for perfection Witcher (2010). Style: Style how the organisation is run, democratic, autocratic, lassie faire.etc. A leader that coaches and motivates can ensure smooth change. A leader who is trained in emotional intelligence can empower employees Witcher (2010). Staff: The employees are the number of people within the organisation the various departments and keeping in mind their cultural views Witcher (2010). Skills: The skills that individuals bring to an organisation. Allow employees to take decisions Witcher (2010). The 7s model is to analyse the situation, identify gaps, fill those gaps and use the fundamentals to achieve those goals. 7S Quadrants PLANT (2001) E-Commerce : formulacion de una estrategia EXAMPLE- The CORUS workforce understood the need for change and had a clear vision They wanted to achieve 15% return on assets by productive sales of products, solution and expertise to customers in the industrial markets and construction. Corus planned to achieve this by using the resources available and driving its cost down and increasing productivity. It also seeks out new skills and expertise. CORUS management may have used the KOTTERS 8 step model to bring in change. The Kotters 8 step model is explained in detail below, it illustrates the urgency of the change, the vision that exists, how to go about communicating that vision, empowering the employees and motivating them to work towards the change. CORUS personnel introduced new values in the organisation that helped it move forward. Kotters 8 Step Model- According to Sabri (1967) Kotters 8 step model is used to find elements that are important to organisational change. Kotter Sabri (2007). Purchase order management best practices process, technology, and change management. 1. Create a sense of urgency- Creating a sense of urgency by finding the weakness and strengths of an organisation, examining the markets and completion Sabri (1967). 2. Develop a powerful coalition- By bringing together a skilful team to implement change successfully and forming strategies to achieve the vision Sabri (1967). 3. Create a Vision- Developing a vision to direct the change attempt and forming strategies to achieve that vision Sabri (1967). 4. Convey the Vision- Communicating the vision by guiding and training, communication plays a vital role in implementing change Sabri (1967). 5. Empowering others to accomplish the vision- Empowering employees to accomplish the vision by encouragement of new ideas, removing obstacles in change and changing systems that weaken the vision Sabri (1967). 6. Planning for and producing short term wins- Planning short term wins by rewarding employees and implementing a strategy to improve performance Sabri (1967). 7. Consolidating improvements- Consolidating improvements by reinventing the process with new themes and projects, hiring employees who can implement the vision and using a proper system that is credible to change the systems, policies, and structures that dont fit the vision Sabri (1967). 8. Institutionalising new methods- Institutionalising new methods by implementing proper channels to ensure the vision and mission of the organisation and the leader are clear Sabri (1967). Q2 Learners will be expected to understand issues relating to strategic change in an organisation by; 1) Examining the need for strategic change in an organisation 2) Assessing the factors that are driving the need for strategic change in an organisation 3) Assessing the resource implications of the organisation not responding to strategic change Strategic change occurs due to economy, a change in markets, new technologies being introduced and new procedures such as TQM (Total Quality Management) being introduced. Strategic change management can be explained with the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) that is the internal changes that can occur inside and organisation and the PESTLE (Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) which is the external forces that bring about change in an organisation. The external environment consists of the customers needs and expectations, shareholders, changes in politics, product design, shareholders, and technology. To understand the external environment models such as the PESTLE can give an organisation an insight into the problems that can be faced externally by an organisation that may arise and how to deal with them. A SWOT can be carried to check the strength weaknesses opportunities and threats an organisation may face. A feasibility study and scanning the environment can assist in studying the external environment and eliminating weaknesses. Market research is done to analyse the current market situation. Customers feedback and complaints are taken to improve the quality of the product or a particular process. TQM (TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT)- TQM is about planning a structure to hold on to the market share. Customers look for quality, and they are ready to pay the price for better quality. Therefore quality has exchanged places with price. TQM is about identifying the customers want, to meet these needs economically. Checking the materials that are brought in is up to standard. Focusing on prevention rather that rectifying errors. Educating the employees and constantly training them for good output. Measuring the customer satisfaction and constantly reviewing the systems to ensure progress Oakland (2003). Therefore TQM is important factor in planning quality change. PESTLE- Green (2007) The P.E.S.T.L.E framework takes into consideration the Political, Economical, Socio Cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental Predicting the future circumstances the organisation could deal with. The PESTLE can forecast the events that will influence the organisation as well as the ability to deliver the product. http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/pestle-swot.png Henry (2008) Understanding strategic management. PILOT STUDY- A pilot study is a small panel or committee that is established by the organisation to have an overlook of the entire business or a particular process. The feasibility study is conducted to give a yes or no signal to a business project. A feasibility study can take hours to weeks to give an answer, it depends on the amount of investment that dictates how much amount of energy has to be put into it Dalcher (2000). ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING According to Kroon (1995) Environmental scanning takes into consideration the macro environment. The macro environment is the external forces that affect an organisation. The environmental analysis consists of environmental monitoring, assessment and forecasting. It is concerned with markets, companies, industries competitors and clients. On the other side there also exist the micro-level which is analysed within the industry. Customers, Suppliers and competitors signify the micro environment of a company. SWOT- The SWOT Analysis analyses the Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation. Threats and opportunities are considered external factors whereas strength and weakness are considered internal factors (Weihrich, 1982) cited by Leung et al (2000) http://www.marketingteacher.com/image/content/swot_new_1.gif Ferrell (1999) Marketing strategy. Strengths- The strength establishes the companys strong points Weaknesses- It determines the weakness of the organisation not only from its standpoint but from the customers vision. Opportunities- It predicts how an organisation can grow within a market place Threats- It analyses the threats that can crop up and thus establishing a plan of action to surpass them without getting affected. EXAMPLE- AEGON needed to change because although it was successful it was not known to many consumers. The reason being the government imposed price controls that reduced its profitability. In order to be better known in the market AEGON took an audit and changed their strategy. They simplified financial services, developed a workforce and focused on customer service. AEGON performed a brand audit. The company focused on itself internally and how was it positioned externally. During the audit they found out more about the organisation and made decisions how changes were to be brought in. The external audit helped AEGON to establish itself on the same level as its competitors. AEGON focused on the culture of the organisation to bring in smooth change. Q3 Learners will be able to lead stakeholders in developing a strategy for change by; 1) Developing systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change 2) Developing a change management strategy with stakeholders 3) Evaluating the systems used to involve stakeholders in the planning of change 4) Creating a strategy for managing resistance to change Ans) 1) Developing systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change Stakeholders are people that belong to a group, organisation or individuals that have a direct or indirect stake in the organisation. Stakeholders hold a vital role in the organisation. If there is any changes going to take place it is important for the stakeholders to be aware of such change. Stakeholders can be customers, unions, government internal or external. The vision and mission of an organisation is very important to send the right message to employees stakeholders etc and letting them know what is the business about and what it wants. Communication strategies are very important to implement this change. The Kubler Grief cycle illustrates the process of change. Overcoming the grief cycle and implementing change can be done with models such as Burke Litwins change model and Kotters 8 step model etc. VISION MISSION- Vision Statements and Mission Statements are motivational and inspirational words that are chosen by a leader to clearly and concisely convey the direction of the organisation. The vision and mission statement works better when the employees and employer sit together and decide on it rather than the employer making it alone, as the employees would feel valued and optimistic. The vision and mission of an organisation is a clear and concise statement that answers the Question what business are we in? A well devised mission statement has to answer five basic questions Ferrell (1999). Who are we? What customers are we serving to? What are our competitive advantages? What are our responsibilities? What is our operating philosophy (values, ethics, beliefs etc)? The Vision statement is used to communicate the end result. It is mostly written in the future. The vision and mission statement both have to be aligned with each other. The vision statement is important as the stakeholders will not understand the big picture of the organisation without it. 2) Developing a change management strategy with stakeholders Change management strategies with stakeholders can be done by brainstorming that is generating ideas together with the stakeholder group, by looking at old data that may help in showing the stakeholders interests and characteristics. Good presentations that will help deliver effective oral ideas and diagrams to make it easy for the stakeholders to understand. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGANISATIONS EXISTING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES. Carr et al. (2001) the level of job satisfaction that is associated within organisations is associated with communication strategies. Every business needs a unique selling point (USP) and for an organisation to succeed there has to be a communication strategy in place. Communication is an intangible input to an organisation that is very essential for its success. According to Carr et al. (2001) Management communication strategies have major job satisfaction. Clear communication of goals, job responsibilities have significant improvement in higher output quality. Communication within customers creates employer loyalty and quality production. Clark (1996) Leaders have to look inside the organization to ease tensions making sure quality does not fail in the corporation. Mills et al (2009) communication should be continuous and training should be supported to overcome the change, Resistance is bound to happen during change but leaders can overcome them with great ease if there is proper communication. KUBLER- Grief Model- According to Garcia (2009) the KUBLER grief cycle shows five phases the individuals face during change. Garcia (2009) The first phase being SHOCK- Shock is the first reaction when an individual is told that there are some changes going to be made. Sometimes there isnt any initial reaction until the change process starts taking place and slowly starts to disrupt their schedule and they resist the change. Garcia (2009) The second phase is DENIAL- The individuals deny anything is wrong and behave normal by saying everything is fine but emotionally they have been wounded. Garcia (2009) The third stage is ANGER- When the individual realises that they cannot maintain denial they get angry. The individual gets angry and there is little that can be done because of rage and envy that is within him. Example- During a merger, a manager loses his position from manager to supervisor. Garcia (2009) The fourth phase is BARGAINING- The individual starts bargaining with their thoughts as to what this change means to their future or what can they do next. Garcia (2009) The fifth phase is DEPRESSION- The individual becomes silent and refuses to talk and spend time with other employees. It has to be noted that grieving must be processed in order to get out of this phase otherwise the anger or depression may build in the individual. Garcia (2009) The sixth phase is ACCEPTANCE-The individual slowly and steadily starts understanding the need for change and accept it. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvtr3iklcm70mZNzPw0C9y63aUowJBCNWVUX5QQBIjJq7AqZuXad71CqRx85qw6VEohLkTs1RJFq9ivmGffdE8ESMxqklFMlpXTWPtoa3yKkRAQVIBuAtLA3iwzzIAQCKYZeflz-PdsEe/s400/gpg1.jpg Proctor (2007). Community service chaplaincy: doing Gods work in Gods world. Evaluating the systems used to involve stakeholders in the planning of change. Stakeholders must be involved right from the start of the project. Their constant support is required throughout the project. Clear objectives must be made to illustrate the budget, timetable, allocation of responsibilities etc. Information regarding the project must be readily accessible by stakeholders. Any affected stakeholders must be dealt with carefully and must be provided with assistance. The Burke Litwins change model describes the drivers for change. This model can be used to bring about change effectively. Burke-Litwin Change Model: Burke Litwins change model demonstrates the various reasons for change and ranks them. It demonstrates that all the important factors are on the top of the model but it also argues that even if a change takes place on one of the factors every element in this model gets affected. http://research-methodology.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/New-Picture-22.png Mumford (2010). Gower handbook of leadership and management development According to Hatlie (2004) burke-litwin considers the environmental factors as the most important reason for change. The reason being most of the change is found to be external. Elements such as leadership, culture, mission and strategy are influenced by changes that occur externally. The drivers for change 1. Hatlie (2004) External Environment- The external environment consists of markets, completion, legislations etc. All of these factors have an impact on an organisation. To watch out for external changes it is important to continuously scan the environment. 2. Mission and Strategy- The organisation has a mission for a reason. The mission sets the direction for an organisation. A strategy explains in detail the plan and objectives of how to achieve that target, goal. In order for successful change in strategy it is important to communicate the consequences to the employees Hatlie (2004). 3. Leadership- The leaders attitude and personality reflect on the organisation. If they are successful at presenting the change they can implement it just as easily. Their strength inspires employees Hatlie (2004). 4. Organisation Culture- The culture of an organisation is the way things are done. It consists of a set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviours etc. Cultural change takes time to change. It has to be noted of how the employer wants his employees to behave and what he expects from them. There has to be a constant watch over employees and make sure the organisation is headed in the direction planned Hatlie (2004). 5. Structure- The structure of an organisation can change with the changes in strategy. This has an effect on responsibilities, relationships and ways of working. It is important to see the effects of structural change and make sure the team members know of what is required from them Hatlie (2004). 6. Work Unit Climate- The work unit climate is the perceptions of employees. If the employees are satisfied in their jobs it influences the organisation vice versa. Any immediate changes need to my managed sensitively as the employees may get angered and thus result in poor performance or interference from the unions Hatlie (2004). 7. Task Requirements The skills of the employees will change from department to department. It is necessary to ensure if the skills are in the right place, if there is a need to bring someone new or if the skill can be developed Hatlie (2004). 8. Individual Needs and Values- The changes that occur in a team have to be looked at and carefully dealt with. It is impossible to get a perfect team in place therefore it is necessary to identify and potential risks and keep in mind the individual needs and values and treat them respectfully Hatlie (2004). 9. Employee Motivation- If employees are motivated there can be a successful change implemented. The challenge is to sustain motivation especially when there is resistance to change Hatlie (2004). 4) Creating a strategy for managing resistance to change Resistance is bound to happen because of many reasons; it can be due to the Status quo that is people used to ways of doing things. To manage resistance, it must be expected when implementing change, it must be formally addressed and the root causes must be removed. The root causes for resistance to change can be used by using the Fishbone Diagram that was introduced by Dr Ishikawa. FISHBONE DIAGRAM- According to Lighter (2004) the fishbone diagram provides an insight into the root causes of the problems instead of treating it from the top. The base line of the fishbone represents main problem and the branches that come from it gather information. The fishbone diagram relies on IQ, brainstorming, team work etc. The fishbone is an excellent tool in Quality improvement as it visually represents the root causes of the problem and is a great tool to implement strategic quality change. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xAl5bmwmaYg/T9IshvzJZGI/AAAAAAAAAUY/lc3YgudwZM8/s1600/ishikawa_diagram.gif Shelly (2001) Systems analysis and design. According to Beer (2000) Lewins 3 stage model Unfreeze- Change- Refreeze is a very important tool that can be used for change. The first stage involves unfreezing, that is to create the platform for change. The second stage is change by bringing about transition via communication explaining why this change is beneficial and why there is a need for to implement this change. The third phase involves refreezing by establishing stability and letting individuals reconnect to their familiar environment. Refreezing helps in changing the low productivity state to a higher one. Q4 Learners will be able to plan to implement models for ensuring ongoing change by; 1) Developing appropriate models for change 2) Planning to implement a model for change 3) Developing appropriate measures to monitor progress Change can be implemented using models such as Kaizen for continuous improvement, monitoring the system so there is always a constant watch over any side effects to the change. A gap analysis helps identify the gaps of an organisation. It looks to maintain the quality of an organisation. BPR (Business Process Reengineering) has to be constantly monitored during change. 5 GAP MODEL BUILD TO DEAL WITH THE SHORTFALL OF THE QUALITY SERVICE Nargundkar (2010). According to Grigoroudis (2010) the Servqual model is used to manage quality and measure quality in an organisation. http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/aw03/papers/deans/Fig1_Gaps_Model.jpg Kusluvan (2003). Managing employee attitudes and behaviors in the tourism and hospitality industry The gaps are as follows Gap 1. Between Customers Expectations Managements perceptions about these perceptions. GAP2. Between Managements Perceptions Customers expectations GAP3. Between Service quality specifications Service Delivery GAP4. Between Service Delivery External Communication to customers about service delivery GAP5. Between Customers expectations their perceptions on service quality The GAP model takes into account the tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy that is required in Quality Management. BPR- BPR is known as Business Process Reengineering can be used in operations management to manage quality to meet strategic objectives. According to Radhakrishnan (2008) BPR was introduced by Frederick Taylor when he printed principles of scientific management in 1900s. BPR is an analysis of the existing processes in an organisation and reengineering it for improvement in performances instead of a complete replacement of a process. BPR is used to bring about change in an organisation through focusing on employee responsibilities, organisational structures, incentive systems the use of information technology etc. It can reduce the time and cost of processes to do a certain job. MONITORING- While implementing change the organisations change has to be monitored constantly. According to Khandker (2010) a monitoring system consists of setting goals and targets. The results that are derived from it are used to evaluate the performance. Monitoring helps in promoting accountability and dialogue among the policy makers and stakeholders and also policy design and implementation. Evaluation is an assessment of the results that are achieved by the programme. The challenges in monitoring are too; Identify the goals that are supposed to be achieved. Identify key indicators that are used to monitor progress against these goals. Set targets that are supposed to be achieved by a given date. Set up a monitoring system to track progress to achieve specific targets. Therefore, encouraging better management and responsibility for projects and programmes. KAIZEN CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT- Kaizen is continuous improvement step by step involving everyone within the organisation. While implementing quality change Kaizen can be considered because kaizen means continuous improvement. It has to be n

Fight Club: A Narrative Analysis Essay -- Cinema

Barsam and Monahan define a narrative as, â€Å"A cinematic structure in which content is selected and arranged in a cause-and-effect sequence of events occurring over time† (553). David Fincher’s Fight Club uses a very unique narrative mode in that the whole film is self-narrated by the unnamed main character and has one of the best surprise endings in this writer’s opinion. This makes the film a prime specimen to be broken apart for further narrative analysis. The film starts out with the nameless narrator played by Edward Norton in a nameless city. The narrator, stuck in a dead-end white collar job, suffers from insomnia and is told he can’t receive medication. This paints Norton’s character as someone who is stuck, without any visible options to alleviate his pains. He then proceeds to visit support groups to see people worse off than himself. Eventually he finds relief from his insomnia in the emotional release he gets from these different support groups he pretends to be a part of. Then he meets the femme fatale of the film, Marla Singer. She too is feeding off the emotional release from the support groups which leads to the first conflict of the film. On a flight back from a business trip the narrator befriends Tyler Durden, a physically fit soap salesman played by Brad Pitt. This is the point where you realize that for the first thirty minutes of the film random flashes of a tall blonde man appear on the screen for le ss than a second. Foreshadowing his importance, if someone is quick enough to catch a good enough glance of these flashes they will recognize that it is Tyler Durden, and so the plot thickens. Tyler Durden is what some people would consider a muscle head, but he has much too many ideas for those stereotypes t... ...sumed he has gone through the required change most protagonists go through in narratives. With characters, plots and tones that throw the viewer through more loops than a roller coaster, Fight Club explores several of the narrative elements with many twists, turns, and plot devices that leave the mind pondering for days after viewing the film. Wrought with symbolism and the powerful themes of anti-consumerism and breaking down the walls we put around ourselves, there are several lessons to be taken from watching this film. Works Cited Barsam, Richard., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print. Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 1999. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2000. DVD. "Fight Club." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 05 May 2012. . Fight Club: A Narrative Analysis Essay -- Cinema Barsam and Monahan define a narrative as, â€Å"A cinematic structure in which content is selected and arranged in a cause-and-effect sequence of events occurring over time† (553). David Fincher’s Fight Club uses a very unique narrative mode in that the whole film is self-narrated by the unnamed main character and has one of the best surprise endings in this writer’s opinion. This makes the film a prime specimen to be broken apart for further narrative analysis. The film starts out with the nameless narrator played by Edward Norton in a nameless city. The narrator, stuck in a dead-end white collar job, suffers from insomnia and is told he can’t receive medication. This paints Norton’s character as someone who is stuck, without any visible options to alleviate his pains. He then proceeds to visit support groups to see people worse off than himself. Eventually he finds relief from his insomnia in the emotional release he gets from these different support groups he pretends to be a part of. Then he meets the femme fatale of the film, Marla Singer. She too is feeding off the emotional release from the support groups which leads to the first conflict of the film. On a flight back from a business trip the narrator befriends Tyler Durden, a physically fit soap salesman played by Brad Pitt. This is the point where you realize that for the first thirty minutes of the film random flashes of a tall blonde man appear on the screen for le ss than a second. Foreshadowing his importance, if someone is quick enough to catch a good enough glance of these flashes they will recognize that it is Tyler Durden, and so the plot thickens. Tyler Durden is what some people would consider a muscle head, but he has much too many ideas for those stereotypes t... ...sumed he has gone through the required change most protagonists go through in narratives. With characters, plots and tones that throw the viewer through more loops than a roller coaster, Fight Club explores several of the narrative elements with many twists, turns, and plot devices that leave the mind pondering for days after viewing the film. Wrought with symbolism and the powerful themes of anti-consumerism and breaking down the walls we put around ourselves, there are several lessons to be taken from watching this film. Works Cited Barsam, Richard., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print. Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 1999. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2000. DVD. "Fight Club." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 05 May 2012. .

Musical Analysis on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was directed by Gore Verbinski and the music was composed by Hans Zimmer. Hans Zimmer is one of the most sought after film composers. He does an amazing job creating the score for this swashbuckling adventure. The movie begins with the interrupted marriage of William Turner and Elizabeth Swann. The music’s first role in this movie is to reflect emotion. In the opening scene, Elizabeth is kneeling at the altar where her wedding should have taken place. Rain is falling all around her and she is alone. Violins are playing a sad, slow melody. The viewer realizes that something awful has happened. Deeper strings start to play a fast marching beat and a male choir begins to sing. This signifies that the Royal Navy is approaching to arrest Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Lord Cutler Beckett had ordered the couple to be arrested and sentenced to death for aiding in Captain Jack Sparrow’s escape in the previous movie. Lord Cutler Beckett will only lift the charges in exchange for Jack Sparrow’s compass. William Turner is sent off to find Jack Sparrow. He is reluctant to leave his future bride behind in prison, but it is his only chance to free her. Jack Sparrow is a cursed pirate. He has made a deal with Davy Jones, the captain of the Flying Dutchmen. If Davy Jones would raise the Black Pearl from the bottom of the ocean, Jack Sparrow had thirteen years to captain it. After thirteen years, Jack Sparrow must give Davy Jones his soul. It has been thirteen years, and Davy Jones wants to collect. Davy Jones can only go on land once every ten years, so Jack Sparrow knows that land is the place where he will be safest. He sails his ship to the nearest island. Jack Sparrow has a very comedic leitmotif. He is constantly drunk and his theme is a drunken theme. The music sways and staggers like someone who is intoxicated, and the music has a count of three. The music really adds to the comedy that Jack Sparrow brings to the movie. Strings and a cello are used for this score, and they mimic his actions. This is also referred to as mickey-mousing. A perfect example of mickey-mousing is when Jack Sparrow walks down a flight of stairs and the music goes down the musical scale as he descends. Will needs to find Jack so that he can save Elizabeth and himself from the death sentence. He investigates and follows clues to Jack’s whereabouts until he finally finds Jack Sparrow’s ship uninhabited on an island. Further investigation into the island leads to William being captured by a tribe of cannibals. The good news is that he has found Jack Sparrow. Jack Sparrow is serving as the leader of the cannibals. The bad news is that the cannibals are going to eventually sacrifice Jack Sparrow. After a few escape scenes involving a lot of running, William and Jack Sparrow manage to return to the Black Pearl. The scenes involving the cannibals has music that creates the atmosphere of a cannibal island. Drums are very prominent throughout these scenes, along with humans yelling tribal chants. One scene that does not fit into this trend is a scene where William and the other crew members are trying to escape from a cage that is suspended in the air. The music plays against the action by playing a song one would expect to hear at a carnival during the escape. The music plays against the action, creating comedy for a normally unpleasant situation. After escaping from the cannibals, Jack Sparrow convinces Will Turner to climb aboard the Flying Dutchmen to try and receive the key that he has been searching for. If Will can find the key, Jack will give him the compass. William does not know about the deal that Jack has with Davy, and he does not know what he is getting himself into by boarding the ship. Davy Jones has a crew filled with undead crewmen, and Will is captured. The good thing about Will Turner being captured is the fact that he meets his long lost father, Bill Turner. Bill just happens to be a member of the crew. The music on the Flying Dutchmen is very sinister. The pipe organ is prominent throughout the scenes that involve the ship. A male choir also sings frequently. The beat gives three counts, and it gives the viewer a very uneasy feeling. Random sustained notes are also played with the cello to create a sense of suspense and nervousness. The pipe organ is also sometimes source music while on the ship. Davy Jones frequently plays a menacing looking pipe organ while his crew is slaving on deck. Elizabeth is not the type of girl that will sit around and wait for William to come and save her. Her father breaks her out of prison, and Elizabeth begins searching for Jack Sparrow and his compass. Elizabeth Swann finds her way to a bar in Tortuga, where she meets up with Jack Sparrow. This scene involves implied source music. Although the source of the music being heard on the screen is not seen, the viewer realizes that the music is being played in the bar. The tune is a fast, crazy tune that is played with an accordion and a fiddle. Accordions and fiddles are typical instruments that one would see in this type of saloon. Elizabeth also runs into an old friend at the bar, Commodore Norrington. Norrington wants to kill Jack Sparrow for making him lose his job. This leads to a bar fight. The source music gets louder and crazier during the fight. The fight is very wild and a lot of things are going on at one time. The music helps to add to the outrageous chaos. The special thing about Jack Sparrow’s compass is that it points to the thing that the person holding it wants the most. Jack Sparrow uses it to find the chest that he needs the key to open, even though he does not have the key yet. He arrives on the island where the chest is located and digs it up. Most of the music in this scene involves a fast paced melody played with strings and then short bursts of music from the cello and drums. It is an exciting time in the movie because Jack Sparrow has found the chest, and the music plays off of the excitement. Will Turner shows up at the island with the key that he has stolen from Davy Jones. Inside the chest is Davy Jones’s heart. The pirate legend is that Davy Jones was once in love with a woman. She betrayed him, and he could not tolerate the pain. He cut out his heart and put it in a chest. The only way to kill Davy Jones is to find his heart and stab it. Davy Jones has his own leitmotif. The theme is first introduced when it is being played on a music box that Davy Jones is holding. It continues to play in other scenes where Davy Jones is present. The melody is wishful and sad. A pipe organ is used for the melody. There are three people standing around the chest with three different motives. Jack Sparrow wants to use the chest to bargain with Davy Jones. He will return the chest to Davy, if Davy will release Jack from his debt. William Turner wants the chest so that he can kill Davy Jones, thereby freeing his father from serving on the Flying Dutchmen. Norrington wants to steal the chest and take it back to Lord Cutler Beckett. Lord Cutler Beckett would then grant Norrington full clemency. The three begin sword fighting over the chest, and Davy Jones’s crew arrives to steal the chest for Davy Jones. Elizabeth, Jack Sparrow, and Commodore Norrington are forced to work together to fight off Davy Jones’s men. Elizabeth joins in the fight as well. There is a lot of mickey-mousing in these scenes. The music starts when Jack pulls out his sword and points it at Will. It then quiets down and plays faintly in the background. When Will pulls out Elizabeth’s sword on Jack, the music suddenly gets louder. A note is then held out as it fades. When Norrington pulls his sword out, the music suddenly gets louder again. Then all three of the guys have their swords pointed at each other. The music flows underneath the dialogue and adds to the suspense. When the pirates start their sword fight, the music picks up and gets louder. It has a very adventurous feel to it. There is a continuous melody with short bursts of music also playing. The instruments used are a full orchestra and drums. Elizabeth is angry that the three men are acting so childish and fighting each other. There is a short pause in the music when Will tells Elizabeth to guard the chest. This creates an unspoken thought for Elizabeth. She pauses because she is shocked and angry that the guys are acting so juvenile. The music quickly starts up again as Elizabeth starts her rant. The music plays off of her angry outburst. As she yells at the guys there are short bursts of music that go up the scale as she gets more and more frustrated. There is also a continuous melody playing with strings. Elizabeth is not getting the men’s attention by yelling at them. She decides to try a different approach by pretending to faint. When Elizabeth fakes passing out from the heat, the music mickey-mouses her falling. A note is held out and then runs down the musical scale as she falls, completely stopping when she hits the ground. After falling, she notices two other pirates running off with the chest. There is sudden note played with strings that helps convey what she is feeling. It is a sudden burst of realization that they are stealing the chest. She gets up off of the sand and runs after the two thieves. Commodore Norrington has stolen the chest, and everyone else is back on the Black Pearl. Davy Jones has just sent a giant octopus, known as the Kraken, after Jack Sparrow. The Kraken is going to take down the whole ship, and everyone in it, until he gets Jack Sparrow. While everyone is abandoning ship, Elizabeth Swann tricks Jack Sparrow into staying on the ship by kissing him and then handcuffing him to the ship. As he is being handcuffed, a cello plays a deep melody. The melody gives off the feeling of betrayal. A full orchestra then joins the cello and continues the melody as Elizabeth abandons Jack Sparrow. As Jack Sparrow wiggles out of the handcuffs, the Kraken appears behind him. The Kraken has his own leitmotif. Hans Zimmer uses pipe organs and heavy bass lines to give a shadowy, underwater feel. Jack Sparrow turns around and the two are now face to face. Jack Sparrow bravely faces the Kraken with his sword ready, but he is no match for the beast. Jack Sparrow is swallowed up into the mouth of the terrible monster. As Jack Sparrow is swallowed up, an orchestra plays and a male choir sings solemnly. The movie ends with Commodore Norrington making his deal with Lord Beckett. Elizabeth is filled with guilt for sending Jack Sparrow to his death. Elizabeth, Will, and the rest of the crew are ready to sail to the end of the world to find Jack Sparrow. This may be how the movie ends, but not the story. The story continues on in the third movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

Anti-doping Measures and Technology Advancement

Many athletes and sportsmen and women in the world have at one time or another toyed with the idea of using performance enhancing drugs in order to maximize their chances of winning in the competitions (Houlihan, 2002).The use of these drugs is often referred to as doping. It is unethical as it gives users advantages over other athletes who are not using the drugs thus lack of equality in the competition. Apart from this, they pose a serious threat to the health of the users.Examples include steroids, testosterone, strychnine, Benzedrine, erythropoietin among others. Adding to the list of doping are technology techniques such as gene modification and ionized shirts, tough these shirts have not yet been classified in the doping list. Performance enhancing drugs have for a long time been a major concern to sports organizers who have constantly tried to stop the habit. Doping has existed in the sports world for as long as possible.According to Dimeo (2007), the first performance enhanci ng substances were used as early as 1807. However most were herbs and liquids that were eaten or drunk. The first real use of performance enhancers were seen in 1904 in the Olympics.However formal doping tests only started in the late 1960s when sports organizations saw the need to place an equal platform for all athletes to ensure fair competition. Performance enhancers were banned from the Olympics in 1968 by the International Olympic committee (IOC).The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed in November 1991 led by IOC to promote the fight against use of drugs in sports. It aimed at promoting the fight through coordination from other stakeholders in the world. In 2004, the World Anti-Doping Code was implemented by various sports organizations making rules and regulations governing sports to be unified in many countries just before the Olympic game in Athens, Greece.Currently, over two hundred countries are signatories of the WADA Code. WADA communicates its rules about perfor mance enhancing drugs and penalties using the prohibited list which is updated every year to cater for any changes and new discoveries (David, 2008).DiscussionThe progress in technology and pharmacology has always caused a threat to these organizations' ability to cope with drugs in sports. Manufacturers have been so crafty when making performance enhancing drugs that methods and apparatus used to test for drugs among athletes seem to miss out on some drugs in the sportsmen.According to Tansey (2008) of the San Francisco Chronicle, sports doping detection is an ever ending science which has to keep on being updated. Traditionally, urine samples were used to detect illegal samples in sportsmen.Steroid dopers have always remained ahead of the anti-doping organizations as they keep inventing new designer steroids that are more difficult to detect using the current technologies available in WADA and other organizations. Use of synthetic growth hormones which are hard to differentiate fr om natural growth hormones has not helped in the anti-doping campaigns.The most recent technology in performance enhancing is the ionized shirts known as ionX developed in New Zealand. These shirts are made of fabrics containing negative ions which are believed to improve performance when ionization takes place after contact with the body. Ionized shirts have not been classified as doping and investigations are still being carried out to determine the chemistry behind them.The Speedo LZR racer swimsuits are said to be a form of technological doping. It came as a surprise when thirty eight world records were set within months of Speedo's introduction of their swimsuits. It was also said that remarkably average swimmers displayed higher speeds than would be expected.Gene doping is another technology where athletes and other sportsmen and women use genetic modification in order to enhance their performance.Also known as genetic engineering, this is a technique where genes are inserted into cells to produce certain defects such as correction of genetic errors. In athletics genes are modified to alter the functioning of the cells such that the genes inserted help the athlete perform better (Tamburrini and Tannsjo, 2005).This usually happens in terms of enhanced muscle developments. Gene modification was added to the list of prohibited methods and substances by the International Olympic Committee. However, technology required to perform tests of determining genetic modification in athletes are quite complex. WADA is still doing more research to fight this advanced doping method.

The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays

The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays Between the years of 1828 and 1840, American politics underwent rapid and drastic changes. Subsequent to the Era of Good Feelings, there were no two distinct political parties as the Federalist party had seen its demise and only the poorly defined Republican party remained. As Andrew Jackson began to take a leadership role in America, new styles of campaigning were taking hold, voter turnout was on the rise, and the newly formed Democratic party was seeing opposition in the conservative Whigs. Under his guidance in presidential office, the party took a firm stance in the American political atmosphere. Jackson was a very popular candidate in the 1824 election because of his wartime successes. He was running against John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William H. Crawford. Though Jackson won the popular vote, he failed to take the electoral majority. Henry Clay was out of the running, and as Speaker of the House, he led the decision to appoint Adams over Jackson. Adams had obtained only a small percentage of the vote to begin with, and he was very unpopular in office. Critics accused him of striking a corrupt bargain with Clay to receive the appointment. Surprisingly, Adams did not make vacancies in the cabinet for his supporters. His presidency what a reasonably successful yet highly unpopular one. Jackson had begun campaigning for the 1828 election on February 9, 1825, the day his loss to Adams was announced. He utilized all the modern campaign tactics: banners, badges, parades, barbecues, free drinks, baby kissing, and the like. Mudslinging between the two candidates reached an all-time low with accusations of gambling, adultery, and even serving as a pimp. Jackson attempted to appeal to the demographic that primarily made up his constituency; he portrayed himself as a simple farming man raised in the west, when in fact, he was at the time a wealthy plantation owner born ...

Iousa Solutions Essays

Iousa Solutions Essays Iousa Solutions Paper Iousa Solutions Paper The united States public debt is money that is borrowed by the federal government Of the United States. In September of 2008, the national debt was 9. 6 trillion dollars. In March of 2010, the national debt increased by which is 126 trillion dollars. The total unfunded promises and liabilities of the United States is over 62 trillion dollars. In order to pay for our major liabilities and promises, the United States needs that money invested today but of all that money they have zero of it. The federal debt includes money that the government owes to social security, Medicare, and debt owed to the public, By the end of 2010, the federal government will owe almost 9 trillion dollars to the public. Also, our gross domestic product is expected to reach 14. 6 trillion dollars by the end of 2010, The public debt to gross domestic product ratio is used to determine how much we borrowed relative to our national income, By the end of 2010, our public debt to gross domestic product will be around 62 percent. The federal government was formed in 1789 and the government has been having problems with the national debt since. Many factors lead to our national debt like war and the great depression but eve always managed to bring the dent down. In the early sass, the national debt began to grow quickly. In the late sis and early 20005 the government was running budget surpluses. As a result, our federal budget has been low and the national debt has been increasing rapidly. Sixty-eight percent Of the money borrowed by the United States government came from foreign sources. The foreign countries are becoming impatient with our deficit. If foreign countries were to Stop loaning us money, then Will have to raise interest rates dramatically, cut spending or, raise taxes. Estimated spending levels will be twice as large as revenues. Government spending includes all government consumption, investment but excludes transfer payments made by a state. Defense and other spending is the largest spending. Military spending is projected to be a very large cost for the Limited States. Since September of 2001, law makers provided 1. Trillion dollars for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war related activities. If we cut those spending, we can lower the potential future debt levels. Our nations mandatory spending policies are growing at a fast rate. By 2019, we will be spending 92 percent to all the revenues on entitlements and payments on the national debt, That will leave little money for all other expenditures, We ill have to cut discretionary spending or w e will continue to run large in growing our budget deficit. Some solutions can be to reform social security by increasing the retirement age, increase pay roll tax revenues, reduce growth in benefits for the better-off, and reduce COLA for benefits. I believe the national debt is too large to try and pay it off. There are many solutions that have been proposed yet we still have a very high debt Even though our generation does not want to pass this problem to future generations, believe they Will face the national debt problem and they might be living in worse economy than we are.

A Literature Review About Mecication Errors Essay Example for Free

A Literature Review About Mecication Errors Essay ? An error rate of 5% is acceptable in most industries, however, in the health care industry; one single error can result in death. (Berntsen, 2004, p5) This paper discusses medication errors in relation to pharmacology and drug treatment. It will summarize three academic peer reviewed journal articles, followed by general information in relation to medication errors, the impact of medication errors on client care, strategies to prevent medication errors  and conclude with the relationship to nursing. Summary of Articles Related to Medication Errors. The first article is by Karin Berntsen, 2004, and is entitled â€Å"How Far Has Health Care Come Since ‘To Err is Human’? Exploring Use of Medical Error Data†. This is a review of what changes have been made since a medication error report written by the Institute of Medicine was published in 1999. This article depicts how the health care system has changed since this 1999 report was written, and how the information was utilized for our benefit. They concluded that in the USA, medical errors were one of the top 8 leading causes of death. They reported the cost for these errors was between $17 Billion to $29 billion dollars. Until a new report is completed, health care providers will be unaware whether their goals in increasing patient safety were accomplished. The article finalizes that there has been progress in regards to prevention of medication errors and health care leaders feel passionate about increasing patient safety. (Berntsen 2004) The second article is by William N. Kelly, 2004, and is titled â€Å"Medication Errors: Lessons Learned and Actions Needed† and highlights the death of a one year old child who was diagnosed with cancer. She subsequently died, not from the cancer, but from receiving an incorrect dosage of a drug that she was being treated with. This report indicates that medications are systematically checked and balanced and errors are usually caught before a drug is administered to a patient. The article states that problems are not being solved in a timely manner since the industry has been â€Å"putting ‘band aids’ on problems that need ‘major surgery’.(Kelly 2004). In conclusion, the article questions whether or not they are taking the right approach in preventing errors. Many people are trying to fix this problem however; errors are still made too frequently. (Kelly 2004) The final article is by Rosemary M. Preston, 2004, and is titled â€Å"Drug Errors and Patient Safety: A Need for Change in Practice†. This article presents that errors continue to happen for many reasons. It concentrates upon calculations errors, lack of knowledge of drugs, over/under dosing drugs,  interactions with drugs and food, and legalities regarding drug administration. It also presents recommendations to minimize the risk of drug errors with good communication and honesty. The article closes by stating that â€Å"nurses should never estimate the skills needed for safe administration of medicines.† (Preston 2004) Key aspects: medication errors and their causes. To understand the impact that medication errors have on a patient, we have to understand what a medication error is. According to Health Canada online, a medication error is defined as: Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labelling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use.† [Developed for use by the National Coordinating Council on Medication Error Reporting and Prevention]( http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Medication errors occur for a variety of reasons. An error can affect all areas of a health care facility from health care management, staff, physicians, pharmacy and especially patients. Studies have indicated that errors will usually occur when the staff demonstrates signs of fatigue, stress, are over-worked or encounter frequent interruptions and distractions. When physicians display bad handwriting, ineffective communication with patients, and do not educate staff and patients effectively, a medication error is more likely to happen. Poor management can result in more medication errors when there is an emphasis on volume, over service quality. This results in inadequate staffing and disorganization. Medication errors affect all components of the health care environment. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) As disturbing as it sounds, one miniscule error can result in a patient’s injury or can even lead to their death. According to the American Journal of Medicine, statistics reveal that â€Å"more than two million American hospitalized patients suffered a serious adverse drug reaction in relation to injury within the 12-month period and, of these, over 100,000 died as a result.† http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news) Death and injury is a sad reality to any single error. The government established six rights of drug administration to prevent medication errors and ensure accuracy. These six rights include: Right drug, right dose, Right client, right route, right time and right documentation. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Injuries that result from a medication error are called adverse drug events. Usually, these unpleasant effects can be eliminated and injury can be avoided. However, every drug produces harmful side effects, but the severities of these effects vary from individual to individual. These side effects also depend on the drug and the dose given. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Health care professionals must report all errors and are accountable for their actions. No matter how insignificant, nurses are taught to document and report all mistakes. When statistics show what types of errors are made, an analysis can be done. This analysis can be used to plan ways to prevent them medication errors. (Berntsen, 2004)When a nurse does not report a mistake, the probability that it will happen again will increase. Medication errors have a huge impact on client care. They can result in death, injury, and result in unwanted effects of drugs. It is our responsibility as nurses to comply with the clients’ six rights of drug administration, to prevent errors from taking place. Strategies to prevent medication errors. There are many efficient ways to prevent nurses from making an error. To ensure patient safety in all aspects of client care, nurses are taught to think critically, and to problem solve. Nurses use critical thinking to ensure safe, knowledgeable, nursing performance and they must be able to keep up with updated health facts by constantly educating themselves with new information. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Critical thinking assists in the prevention of medication errors. The six rights in drug administration help prevent medication errors from occurring. It is important to maintain the highest standards of practice of these rights for a drug to be prepared properly. Failure to adhere to any one of these rights will definitely result in a medication error. (Clayton & Stock, 2004) Take your time when preparing medications and research any unknown drugs. Rushing should be avoided when preparing, administering and reading medication labels. Proper research must be done before an unfamiliar drug is administered it to a client. Even when in a rushed emergency situation, drugs should be looked at carefully to know the correct concentration and name of the drug, to prevent injury. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Labels should be read carefully and accurately. Before a drug is given to a patient, three checks should be done to ensure you are giving the proper drug and dose. In a situation where you are unsure of a drug order, you are expected to refuse the order and clarify it by law. If an individual is unfamiliar with a particular drug, the drug should not be given. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) When a label is unclear, do not try not to examine the drug order yourself. Do not ask an associate, or ask for anyone else’s interpretation of the drug. To get the correct information, contact the individual who ordered the drug to clarify the label. In order to decrease the chances of error, verify all unclear hand writing, abbreviations, decimal points, decimal places and dosages. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) Use of dosage abbreviations should not be used to avoid drug miscalculations. Dosage abbreviations are misinterpreted more often, than any other type of abbreviation. Using standardized abbreviations, would assist in preventing misinterpretation of abbreviations. (Preston 2004) A drug check should be done three times prior to the administration of a drug. The drug label should correspond with the physician’s orders. The three checks should be done; â€Å"Before removing the drug from the shelf or dosage cart, before preparing or measuring the actual prescribed dose, and before replacing the drug on the shelf or before opening a unit dose container, just before administering a dose to a patient.† (Clayton & Stock, 2004) Do not make assumptions regarding drugs. Physicians, pharmacists, make mistakes and other parts of the health system may be flawed. For example, when documentation shows the patient has no drug allergy, it is wrongful to assume the patient will have no adverse reaction to a new drug. This could result in detrimental results to a client’s health. Therefore no assumptions should ever me made. (http://www.ismp.org-/ToolsAllina-Orientation.html) A quiet environment for preparing medications will prevent prescription errors from occurring. Sometimes, nurses are repeatedly interrupted when preparing a medication. Distractions interfere with processing information and decision making. Errors will least likely occur when preparations are done when there are no distractions. (http://www.ismp.org-/ToolsAllina-Orientation.html) When preventing errors, staff must be certain all dosage calculations are correct and clarified. It may be beneficial to ask a colleague to assist you in checking doses, to minimize the chance of miscalculations. Other suggestions to minimize error include; â€Å"making pre-calculated conversion cards, always use a leading zero before a decimal, never use a zero after the decimal and include indications whenever possible. Miscalculations are preventable if proper methods of inspecting calculations are used.† (Preston  2004, p.72) Assess for the effects of drugs to avoid harming a client. A client must be assessed before and after a drug is given. For instance, before giving an oral medication, assess whether the client can swallow or feels nauseated. An appropriate follow up should be done after a medication is administered. It is important to check if the client experienced the desired effect of the drug. Significant abnormal responses to drug should be reported to the physician. (Kozier & Erb 2004) To finalize this assignment, medication errors are mistakes that can cause harm to patients and can even result in death. The articles that have been summarized illustrate situations where medication errors have occurred and review what the health care industry is doing to prevent errors. A medication error is preventable and errors can be caused by a variety of reasons. This paper has discussed the impact medication errors have on client care and strategies of how to prevent errors from occurring. As a nurse, this knowledge will assist me in keeping beneficence a priority for client care. Clayton, Bruce D., BS, RPh, PharmD, and Yvonne N. Stock, MS, BSN, RN. Basic Pharmacology for Nurses. 13th ed. United States of America: Mosby, 2004. Government of Canada Online. (2004, Summer). Retrieved July 18, 2004, from Health Canada Web site: (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Kelly, William N. â€Å"Medication Errors.† Professional Safety 49: 35. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Assiniboine Community College. 22 July 2004 . Government of Canada Online. (2004, Summer). Retrieved July 18, 2004, from Health Canada Web site: (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Kozier & Erb, Barbara, et al. Fundamentals of Nursing. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Minimizing Medication Errors. (n.d.). In NAPRA: National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities. Retrieved July 17, 2004, from NAPRA: National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities Web site: http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157/166.asp Preston, Rosemary M. â€Å"Drug errors and patients safety: the need for a change in practice.† British Journal of Nursing (BJN) 13: 72. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Assiniboine Community College. 22 July 2004 . A Literature Review About Mecication Errors. (2016, Jul 22).

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Criminal law - Essay Example However, if the child victim is older than 13 but younger than 16 a suspect can raise the defence that the child consented to the sexual activity and he or she reasonably believed that said child was at least 16 years of age.1 Critics of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 argue that the Act goes too far by criminalizing legitimate sexual activities of children closer to age 16 and is far too strict on those who are mistaken about the child’s age. This paper examines the reality of this position by dissecting the manner in which the criminal justice system approaches cases in which offences relating to children are interpreted and disposed of. The offences contained in Section 9-12 include sexual assault, inciting children to engage in any form of sexual activity or forcing a child to watch sexual activities. Alarmingly, sexual activity with a child is defined by Section 9 as the intentional touching of ‘another person’ and that other person is under the age of 16 and the person does not reasonably believe the other person to be over the age of 16.3 The act of touching might conceivably be interpreted as sexual in nature and is a matter of fact for a jury to decide.4 In an article published in BBC’s online magazine, Giles Wilson questioned the propriety of the laws role in the age of modern sexual activity among teens. By and large, Wilson argues, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 criminalizes teen age kissing.5 Angela Phillips refers to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as ‘the child trap’ adding that it is: When the House of Commons debated the Sexual Offences Bill a number of Representatives took issue with Section 13 as it stood, fearing that it had the impact of criminalizing what could only be described as normal activities between adolescents. In fact, Member of Parliament and Liberal Democrat Women’s Issues Spokesperson, Sandra Gidley said: Although I welcome the approach to

Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Crisis - Essay Example ese institutions have wrongly assessed the level of risk of their operations and exposed their business, as well as the other stakeholders to enormous losses. This behavior was encouraged by credit rating agencies, which due to some conflicts of interest, failed in correctly judging the level of risk of many of these institutions, and downgraded some of them when it was too late to make a difference. Other cause which leaded to the collapse of the financial system was a combination of excessive borrowing, higher risk taking, and lack of transparency. Major U.S. banks failed in their assessment of risk by taking too much leverage, by providing credit too easily, and by not disclosing correctly all the information of their operations to the public. The government played also a role in this financial crisis. By not taking the appropriate actions to stop this crisis, the government only created more panic and uncertainty in the financial markets. It also failed in ensuring that regulators are doing their job objectively, and in the best interest of all parties in the financial markets. Finally, the crisis can also be attributed to mortgage securitization and to over-the-counter derivatives (mostly to credit default swaps). The complexity of these instruments, and most of all the lack of regulation in this matter caused a chained failure of the entire financial

Managing at the Edge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing at the Edge - Research Paper Example This is an approach that underestimates the abilities of the employees to carry out tasks and to innovate and improvise as they go. In this kind of companies, each and every decision has to be taken at top level and the employees in the lower levels of hierarchy only have to mechanically obey what they are told. There will a fixed chain of command that will often be lengthy as well (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.23). The decision making will be highly â€Å"procedure-driven† (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.23). Lack of flexibility caused by stringent rules and stunning of the possibilities of creative contribution from employees, are two major drawbacks of 'how' companies. In contrast to this, a 'why' company is one which shares with its employees a single quest, namely, 'why we are doing what we are doing?' (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.16). Naturally, it is a common quest for the company and the employees. The only answer possible for this question is, â€Å" to keep the customers happyâ €  (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.17). Thus the 'why' company wants the employees to keep its customers happy and does not bother much about how it is attained (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.17-18). This is an approach that allows maximum contribution and participation from the employees. It gives freedom to the employees to innovate and improvise and through that, will enhance their motivation and self-esteem. In traditional 'how' companies, the strict control can help achieve good growth and profits (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). But this positive aspect will be counter-balanced by the detachment and stress that the employees feel in an environment where there is least freedom (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). This will get reflected in their output as well (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). References Carney, B.M. And Getz, I. (2009) Freedom, Inc., New York: Crown Business. 2. What are the characteristics of a Level 5 Leader? Level 5 leader is someone who has the capability to lead a company f rom â€Å"good to great†, according to Collins (2001). The term, level 5, is used to indicate â€Å"a five-level hierarchy† (Collins, 2001). Collins (2001) has explained these five levels as given below: Level 1 relates to individual capability, Level 2 to team skills, Level 3 to managerial competence, and Level 4 to leadership as traditionally conceived. Level 5 leaders possess the skills of levels 1 to 4 but also have an "extra dimension": a paradoxical blend of personal humility ("I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job") and professional will ("sell the mills"). People who inhabit the level 5 leadership category are not egocentric and dislike showing off (Collins, 2001). All the same, they have the strength and will power to take bold decisions when the hour needs so (Collins, 2001). It is the goals, the organization and the meaningfulness of the whole exercise that come first for them rather than their personal ego (Collins, 2001). They are highly a mbitious but not in the real sense the word, ambition is commonly used (Collins, 2001). Level 5 leaders are ambitious not towards their own narrow personal career goals but for greatness of the job involved and the organization (Collins, 2001). Level 5 leader will always be only partially satisfied by the results achieved and would constantly seek self-improvement (Collins, 2001). The greatest motivation of such a leader is to leave behind a real

The Lady with the Pet Dog by Anton Chekhov Essay

The Lady with the Pet Dog by Anton Chekhov - Essay Example The story attempts to bring about the argument that love and morality can be separated as one is not necessarily a virtue of the other. The story is based on two individuals who have different and separate lives but have not had the experience of true love until they meet one another while on vacation in Yalta. This puts them in a state where they are obligated to choose between continuing their lives as it was before they met once they separate or find a means of exploring their love further which leads to the development of an affair as both characters are married. The story thus brings out the aspect that true love cannot be ignored by those who are involved. The story brings to light the characteristic that true love is unexpected and cannot be planned ahead of time. This is seen in various parts of the story whereby neither Gurov nor Anna expect to fall so deeply for one another seen in statements such as â€Å"In another month, he fancied, the image of Anna Sergeyevna would be shrouded in a mist in his memory, and only from time to time would visit him in his dreams with a touching smile as others did.† (Chekhov) Gurov assumed that he would be able to easily forget the woman he met while on vacation once he got back to his normal routine but soon found out that this was not possible and to his surprise as time passed on he found he was still not able to stop thinking about Anna. This is seen in the statement, â€Å"But more than a month passed, real winter had come, and everything was still clear in his memory as though he had parted with Anna Sergeyevna only the day before.† (Chekhov) Both characters had gone to Yalta on vacation with no expectations of finding love but as a result of circumstantial meeting ended up finding an individual that they could see themselves spending their entire lives with. The correlation between love and morality also played a part in the story as well. Both Anna and Gustov married young and have been in a rela tionship for a number of years before they met but this fact does not stop them from falling in love. It is also seen that they are in fact not in love with their spouses when Chekhov states that Gustov â€Å"considered her unintelligent, narrow, inelegant, was afraid of her, and did not like to be at home† while Anna refers to her husband as a â€Å"flukery† (Chekhov). The story brings about the question whether one is able to find love in immorality as the two characters are involved in an affair, which is considered a moral taboo but at the same time, are in love with one another. The issue of the use of ambiguity is another topic brought to light through the author’s stylistic methods. This is seen in the fact that Gustov’s wife is not mentioned by name as Chekhov simply refers to her as â€Å"his wife†. The town which Anna lives in is also not mentioned and the letter S is used in its place giving the hint that this is the letter that the name starts with. The end of the story is ambiguous as well as no solution is reached by the two lovers on how they can stop living in secret and bring their love out to the light. The use of ambiguity can be said to be used by the author to keep the reader interested by instilling a sense of curiosity which leaves them guessing at the unanswered questions. It can also said to be used to allow the author to concentrate on the main aspects of the story such as the story of the two characters instead of focusing on peripheral matters. The realist style used by the

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance - Essay Example According to Sreedharan, Henry Plantagenet is claimed to promote Arthurian romance, which formed the fundamentals of the English imperialism. It involved having access to written material of the Roman policy such as the Tacitus histories. Celtic romance stories had a significant influence too which depicted the revival of classical learning. A group that had learned and studied the classical literature with time transformed the society from the twelfth century way of life where survival seemed to involve less thoughtful and bloody fights. Latin classics were never wholly lost and were masked during the Iron Age and their emergence in the twelfth century brought in the renaissance. Innovation and inspiration in this time are the revivals that were enhanced by chivalric literature, which was also inspired by Arthurian legends. These developments in conventions of vernacular poetry resulted to key textual sources that notable poets of the time were influential then and still to the hist orians of the modern world. During this time, philosophy and science were not separable with certainty and so science and knowledge happened to fall under philosophy as a branch. Similar methods were used between them as philosophical issues, and arguments were reached and proved by means of scientific reasoning. This led to the encouragement of the educated class not just to memorize and pass the knowledge to others but also to keep widening the range of knowledge.7 The presence of incomplete philosophies allowed for disagreement and contradictions that the integration of these pieces with twelfth century level of understanding tolerated the expansion of original philosophies.8 During this time, Gothic architecture whose thought intention was shortening the distance between heaven and earth, and university were born in Paris.9 These resulted from the need to manage the knowledge in a systematic manner. There were also crusades that promoted trade and new ideas, therefore, making towns attract those seeking opp ortunities from the learned society.10 Beginning from early eleventh century, â€Å"the towns in Europe, so long stagnant or semi-deserted, began a strong revival.†11 The urban complexities demanded the revival of literacy and every form of learning that was possible and so there was the emergence of Cathedral schools and universities to accommodate the learning masses.12 During this time, Rome’s influence was not restricted to only literature and language but also their law survived beyond the Roman population. Their law was revitalized and expanded to the population of Northern Europe and later through colonization to other parts of the world. The law stimulated neglected texts as well as jurisprudence. In the early twelfth century, Roman law revival is linked with Bologna to whom it resulted to Bologna’s law school foundation and legal science renewal. Rome, Ravenna and Pavia were legal study centers before Bologna.13 The need to support Christianity during t he twelfth century resulted from the Ottoman’s Empire threats as well as the desire to create self awareness and reforms. â€Å"In the tenth century, Otto, the Great, secured stability again, and in the eleventh, the leaven of new thinking and distinct emergence of historical consciousness could be detected.†14 Hamilton Louis and Riccioni Stefano argued that,

Managing at the Edge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing at the Edge - Research Paper Example This is an approach that underestimates the abilities of the employees to carry out tasks and to innovate and improvise as they go. In this kind of companies, each and every decision has to be taken at top level and the employees in the lower levels of hierarchy only have to mechanically obey what they are told. There will a fixed chain of command that will often be lengthy as well (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.23). The decision making will be highly â€Å"procedure-driven† (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.23). Lack of flexibility caused by stringent rules and stunning of the possibilities of creative contribution from employees, are two major drawbacks of 'how' companies. In contrast to this, a 'why' company is one which shares with its employees a single quest, namely, 'why we are doing what we are doing?' (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.16). Naturally, it is a common quest for the company and the employees. The only answer possible for this question is, â€Å" to keep the customers happyâ €  (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.17). Thus the 'why' company wants the employees to keep its customers happy and does not bother much about how it is attained (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.17-18). This is an approach that allows maximum contribution and participation from the employees. It gives freedom to the employees to innovate and improvise and through that, will enhance their motivation and self-esteem. In traditional 'how' companies, the strict control can help achieve good growth and profits (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). But this positive aspect will be counter-balanced by the detachment and stress that the employees feel in an environment where there is least freedom (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). This will get reflected in their output as well (Carney and Getz, 2009, p.43). References Carney, B.M. And Getz, I. (2009) Freedom, Inc., New York: Crown Business. 2. What are the characteristics of a Level 5 Leader? Level 5 leader is someone who has the capability to lead a company f rom â€Å"good to great†, according to Collins (2001). The term, level 5, is used to indicate â€Å"a five-level hierarchy† (Collins, 2001). Collins (2001) has explained these five levels as given below: Level 1 relates to individual capability, Level 2 to team skills, Level 3 to managerial competence, and Level 4 to leadership as traditionally conceived. Level 5 leaders possess the skills of levels 1 to 4 but also have an "extra dimension": a paradoxical blend of personal humility ("I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job") and professional will ("sell the mills"). People who inhabit the level 5 leadership category are not egocentric and dislike showing off (Collins, 2001). All the same, they have the strength and will power to take bold decisions when the hour needs so (Collins, 2001). It is the goals, the organization and the meaningfulness of the whole exercise that come first for them rather than their personal ego (Collins, 2001). They are highly a mbitious but not in the real sense the word, ambition is commonly used (Collins, 2001). Level 5 leaders are ambitious not towards their own narrow personal career goals but for greatness of the job involved and the organization (Collins, 2001). Level 5 leader will always be only partially satisfied by the results achieved and would constantly seek self-improvement (Collins, 2001). The greatest motivation of such a leader is to leave behind a real

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance - Essay Example According to Sreedharan, Henry Plantagenet is claimed to promote Arthurian romance, which formed the fundamentals of the English imperialism. It involved having access to written material of the Roman policy such as the Tacitus histories. Celtic romance stories had a significant influence too which depicted the revival of classical learning. A group that had learned and studied the classical literature with time transformed the society from the twelfth century way of life where survival seemed to involve less thoughtful and bloody fights. Latin classics were never wholly lost and were masked during the Iron Age and their emergence in the twelfth century brought in the renaissance. Innovation and inspiration in this time are the revivals that were enhanced by chivalric literature, which was also inspired by Arthurian legends. These developments in conventions of vernacular poetry resulted to key textual sources that notable poets of the time were influential then and still to the hist orians of the modern world. During this time, philosophy and science were not separable with certainty and so science and knowledge happened to fall under philosophy as a branch. Similar methods were used between them as philosophical issues, and arguments were reached and proved by means of scientific reasoning. This led to the encouragement of the educated class not just to memorize and pass the knowledge to others but also to keep widening the range of knowledge.7 The presence of incomplete philosophies allowed for disagreement and contradictions that the integration of these pieces with twelfth century level of understanding tolerated the expansion of original philosophies.8 During this time, Gothic architecture whose thought intention was shortening the distance between heaven and earth, and university were born in Paris.9 These resulted from the need to manage the knowledge in a systematic manner. There were also crusades that promoted trade and new ideas, therefore, making towns attract those seeking opp ortunities from the learned society.10 Beginning from early eleventh century, â€Å"the towns in Europe, so long stagnant or semi-deserted, began a strong revival.†11 The urban complexities demanded the revival of literacy and every form of learning that was possible and so there was the emergence of Cathedral schools and universities to accommodate the learning masses.12 During this time, Rome’s influence was not restricted to only literature and language but also their law survived beyond the Roman population. Their law was revitalized and expanded to the population of Northern Europe and later through colonization to other parts of the world. The law stimulated neglected texts as well as jurisprudence. In the early twelfth century, Roman law revival is linked with Bologna to whom it resulted to Bologna’s law school foundation and legal science renewal. Rome, Ravenna and Pavia were legal study centers before Bologna.13 The need to support Christianity during t he twelfth century resulted from the Ottoman’s Empire threats as well as the desire to create self awareness and reforms. â€Å"In the tenth century, Otto, the Great, secured stability again, and in the eleventh, the leaven of new thinking and distinct emergence of historical consciousness could be detected.†14 Hamilton Louis and Riccioni Stefano argued that,

Is Chinua Achebe Correct in Asserting That Heart of Darkness Is Essentially a Racist Novel Essay Example for Free

Is Chinua Achebe Correct in Asserting That Heart of Darkness Is Essentially a Racist Novel Essay Chinua Achebe’s’ expresses his view on Heart of Darkness as an essentially racist novel and he is correct in saying this. His essay focuses mainly on the portrayal of the Congo as an ‘other world’ in which Conrad describes it to be an antithesis of Europe and the European standards and overall of civilisation as a whole. The racism presented by Conrad in the novel is evident through his manipulation of perspective and dehumanisation of the native Africans as discussed in Achebe’s essay. Joseph Conrad manipulates the perspective of the reader and the attitude they have towards the natives and Europeans alike through the bestowal of human expression to Europeans and the withholding of it from the Africans, as Achebe explains. When comparing the description of the two women, the African woman and European woman, the reader is able to depict a subtle yet definite difference in the way each woman’s expression is characterised. The African woman, who is seen to be as a mistress to Mr Kurtz, is illustrated as a very mysterious figure ‘’with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose’’ making her character unidentifiable. Whereas the European woman is talked about more clearly and the reader can easily recognise her character because she is given emotions and feeling, ‘’she had a mature capacity for fidelity, for belief, for suffering’’. In Conrad characterising each woman in such different ways, the reader feels as though the European woman is more relatable as opposed to the native woman who is not expressed with feelings. This lack of human expression in the description of the African woman, as commented on by Achebe, created a noticeable barrier between the complexity of natives and Europeans. For the most part, the natives are not given any dialogue but instead their speech is replaced with ‘’a violent babble of uncouth sounds’’. Achebe however, refers to two significant parts of the novel when native Africans are given English dialogue. These are when the cannibals request the humans to eat, ‘’catch ‘im. Give ‘im to us. ’’. As well as the famous announcement, ‘’Mistah Kurtz—he dead’’. When first read, the reader thinks of these as high points for the natives because they appear to be at the same level as the Europeans in terms of getting dialogue ithin the novel. Chinua Achebe opposes this by stating that in reality they constitute some of his best assaults as these examples of dialogue in fact degrade the natives. This changes the reader’s perspective into assume that through the use of grunts and incoherent speech they are inferior and inarticulate in comparison t o the language used by the Europeans. This difference in amount and quality of dialogue between the Africans and colonising Europeans contributes to making Heart of Darkness an essentially a racist novel. The novel reveals the Africans being reduced to metaphorical expanse of dangerous and dark jungle of animals into which the European colonists venture. Chinua Achebe is correct in criticising Heart of Darkness as a racist novel, this is seen particularly through Conrad’s dehumanisation of the Congolese natives. Throughout the novel Conrad’s descriptions of the natives are used to create the idea of uncivilised, savage being whom cannot be of the same standards as the Europeans. Conrad’s most effective way of dehumanising the African people is through his use of imagery, ‘’a whirl of black limbs, as mass of hands’’. This does not give the impression that these are human beings but instead that they are just parts of humans, therefore making them seem incomplete and inferior in comparison the way Europeans are described. This imagery is also important when Conrad describes native workers as ‘’decaying machinery’’, this creates the image that the Congolese are not valued as humans, as Europeans are, but rather as disposable articles who can easily be replaced after they have done their work. The language choices in which Conrad has made also have a great impact on the way the natives are perceived. By using phrases such as ‘’the beaten nigger groaned somewhere’’, the Congolese natives are referred to in a very uncivilised manner. A way in which no European would ever be described leads the reader to believe that the Africans are in fact inferior to the Europeans, making them less of a human. These descriptions make it evident that Conrad’s writing involving the natives made them appear beast-like and savage therefore dehumanising them in a way that can only be seen as racist. Although these racial depictions may not be used to knowingly dehumanise and objectify the Congolese people, Chinua Achebe rightly criticises Heart of Darkness as a racist novel. The constant comparison between the two cultures, African and European, are simply explained as one being civilised whereas the other is portrayed as savage. The unavoidable reality that Conrad’s descriptions of the natives were accurate expressions of the European perspective justifies Achebe’s assertion that Heart of Darkness is essentially a racist novel.