Understanding the Management Role The WritePass Journal

Understanding the Management Role Introduction Understanding the Management Role , Accessed 5 June 2012 wdp-drugs.org.uk/pages/what-we-do.html)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Recently have WDP gained some prison based services in which we have a presence within some prisons offering advice and support to people with substance misuse problems. WDP’s is committed   to creating a society that is healthier and safer because it is well informed about drug and alcohol use, where people adversely affected can get effective help. Evidence of this can be seen in the services being provided to the community as a whole. The Finance Team The Finance team handles all aspect of the company’s finances. From the preparation of budgets for tendering purposes, to the raising   sales invoices, to the processing of both staff expenses and purchases invoice, also giving a breakdown of actual vs. budgeted spend to both internal and external stakeholder’s. The finance team ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. The team is made up of 4 staff we have the: Financial Controller who has the overall responsibility of leading and guiding the team and also handles the strategic aspect of the company’s finances and ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. Financial Accountant: dealing with the everyday running of the department and responsible for managing the finance administrators Finance Administrators: There are two people in this position. They deal with processing purchase invoices and other administrative tasks There is a strong emphasis upon teamwork within the department dealing with finance.   The ethos is one of understanding how decisions made by individuals form part of a much larger picture. This ethos of teamwork extends not just to our department, but is part of the overall organisational vision, which is predicated upon the notion that every one of us has a responsibility to society as a whole. The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles, in relation to its purpose WDP   has a broadly hierarchical structure, that is it consists of several levels with fewer people at the higher levels holding more power, both in terms of authority over others and in terms of swaying decisions about the organisation. At the top (see illustration) is the chair, working with the CEO and other directors. The CEO reports directly to the board, and in turn manages the Directors and Financial Controller of individual departments.   Ã‚  There is then a layer of middle management, consisting of the directors of various departments within WDP.   This layer is also known as the senior management team, and is made up of the HR director, Director of Operations and the Director of Development.   Below this layer are individual managers. There may be more than one manager within a department. Although lower levels are not shown on the diagram, they do exist, for example the administrative staff in the finance department.  Ã‚   The structure at WDP is not as hierarchi cal as some organisations, and there is an ethos of teamwork and cross-level communication, however some division of power between ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of the scale offers opportunities for progression within work, and allows WDP to deliver its objectives better.   Lower organisational levels can concern themselves with day-to-day tasks, while long-term perspectives and strategy are decided by the board (Dunnette et al 1994).  Ã‚   As well as a division into hierarchical levels, WDP divides into different functional levels (these are also shown in the diagram below): human resources (handling recruitment, discipline, grievance and other aspects concerned with people as a strategic company asset, such as training and education), finance (covering all aspects of finance), development (future planning and ensuring plans are carried out as decided), and operations (covering ongoing running of what we do as an organisation, smooth running of existing contracts and looking for new business opportunities). Things to do:- Investigate the organisational structure (hierarchical structure) Explain the role of the chair The organisations’ stakeholders and their objectives Ideas about stakeholders originate in attempts to introduce ethical practices into business, and move focus away from shareholders. The stakeholders of any organisation are the set of people who are affected by, or who have an effect on, the organisation as it carries out its purpose(s) (Visser et al 2010).  Ã‚   WDP has a number of stakeholders, with different perspectives. What one group holds as the interests most important to them is not always shared by other groups. The main stakeholders of WDP are: Our service users: people with drug and / or alcohol problems Their families People in their community who are affected by the problems of our clients (friends, people who are impacted by their behaviour) The wider local community WDP employees and directors Other community, local authority organisations and / or service providers, for example the police, the courts, prisons and others in the criminal justice system, healthcare providers The local authority commissioners who commission WDP to provide services in the boroughs we work in Each group of stakeholders has a different set of interests, each of which impact on the organisation in different ways. Within each group, there may also be conflicting interests. For example, our service users seek support and help overcoming their drug / alcohol problems overall, but some users might hope for more intensive interventions while others might attend as a consequence of family pressure or pressure from social workers.  Ã‚   Families’ main interests are helping their relative overcome their addiction, but often have unrealistic expectations of the degree and kind of intervention we can make.   The local community’s interest is also varied, from wanting us to make a visible drug / alcohol problem go away, to supporting what we do. Broadly, all employees and the board of WDP are committed to supporting people with addictions and helping them overcome them, but again there is a diversity of opinion here, with some employees wanting or expecting different things from WDP. Overall, WDP need to understand the differing viewpoints of stakeholders, and try to achieve a balance between them in addressing them.  Ã‚   In general, our service users are the priority, but it is also important to take the other positions into account.   Problems arise when stakeholder perspectives are incompatible, for example we have had demands from the community to be less visible, as it is perceived that our presence impacts upon house values in the neighbourhood. Clearly, this is incompatible with our objective of supporting users. In cases like this there is a need for someone to take an overall perspective and decide which need overrides the other, then be able to explain this decision in a diplomatic way. The role of management in achieving goals Management plays a big part at WDP in reaching organisational goals.  Ã‚   My own role has some managerial functions, however I should point out that my own role is not akin to that of middle managers in the organisation, although I do have responsibility for overseeing other people’s work, particularly in supervision, training and mentoring departmental administrators. I also take on some other managerial functions, for example honing office and organisational systems and feeding into board-level decisions, and helping people grow individually and as a team. It is possible to see an organisation in tiers: at the top are the highest levels of management. The concern at this level is the operation of the organisation overall. At the lowest level, different sections of the organisation carry out their function (for example, financial accounting and transactions for the finance department). Middle managers act as a buffer or co-ordinator between the two levels, managing entire departments and feeding into higher level decisions (Hewison 2004).   While I have some input into higher level decisions, I have a line manager, the Financial Manager, who performs the middle management function for my department. In our organisation, middle managers are responsible for the overall efficient and correct running of their department, and for having input into organisational decisions at board level. Because of the ethos of the organisation, there is a strong focus upon taking the views of all employees into account when planning at board level, so the middle manager is also responsible for ensuring that the views of the staff she or he manages is fairly and fully represented, and also that board decisions are clearly fed back to staff.  Ã‚   As well as making sure that lower levels of the organisation have a ‘voice’ at board level, middle managers at WDP need to translate the organisational strategy, developed in its most general form at board level to a workable version, cashing it out in terms of particular actions to be carried out by staff at lower levels.   Middle managers have to be particularly flexible, as they have to ‘translate’ between the everyday workin g role of grass roots level staff and the long-term focus of the board.  Ã‚   There are also issues of accountability. Middle managers are accountable for their entire department, to the CEO and board. Personally, I am accountable to the Finance Controller, and the two Finance Assistants are accountable to me.  Ã‚   I am responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of financial matters, and for feeding back to my line management other issues raised by the staff, for example working conditions, co-ordination of leave, training requirements and other issues.  Ã‚   As a manager, like managers higher in the organisation, I am expected to lead both through directing others but particularly by example. The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance Communication skills and interpersonal relationships play a particularly important part at WDP, perhaps because of the high emphasis placed upon teamwork and shared communication, but perhaps also because of the need to be particularly sensitive to our main client group, people with drug and alcohol problems.  Ã‚   Both areas can have negative and positive effects on managerial performance.  Ã‚   Good communication can make the manager’s job much easier. It has been estimated that managers can spend up to 80% of their days communicating with others (Daft and Marcic), and certainly communication plays a central role at WDP.   Personally, I have found that communication can be positively enhanced through careful listening to people, asking questions to draw out what they mean, rather than offering them one or two alternatives (‘open’ rather than ‘closed’ questions, to use a term from neuro-linguistic programming) (Linder-Pelz 2010).   It can als o be improved by paying attention to staff’s body language, for example being aware through non-verbal cues how people really feel. This skill has helped me read people during presentations, and tailor them to people’s boredom level. In both these ways, good communication can help the manager understand his or her staff better, and this is a first step to getting more out of staff, through building a relationship of mutual trust and respect (Templar 2011).  Ã‚   Interpersonal relationships can also have a positive impact on managerial performance. WDP places a large emphasis upon teamwork, because everyone needs to be committed to our goals to make them a success. Therefore, there is also a big emphasis on people working well together.   If the atmosphere in a division is positive, people are willing to help other colleagues out, for example covering for someone when they are ill, and being less resentful of others.   This impacts upon overall productivity. However, both communication and interpersonal relationships can have a negative impact upon managerial performance.   On occasion,   staff have become too close, for example entering into a romantic relationship which alienates other staff members, and creates a difficult atmosphere, particularly if one or both partners in the relationship are already in a formal relationship. This has made, in my experience, managing the situation extremely difficult, as the staff in question are reluctant to see the negative impact of their behaviour, and even more reluctant to end the work relationship.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poor communication can also have negative impacts upon productivity. Where channels of communication are blocked, for example where lower level staff feel unable to approach their line manager, this can lead to frustration and poorer in-work performance, as staff feel they lack the trust and support in which they work best.   I have also seen the effect of rumours about redundancy and the negative impact these can have on workplace performance.  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also what I see as a natural human tendency to keep information to oneself or share with one or two trusted others, which works against teamwork. Some employees are also more prone than others to gossip and manipulative behaviour. If such an individual is on the team, he or she needs careful management to mitigate the impact of these destructive behaviours. Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationship in WDP, strategies to overcome these I have identified a number of barriers to communication and interpersonal relationships: Poorly managed circulation of information: information is ‘leaked’ from higher managerial levels, so some staff know about it before others. This builds an atmosphere of mistrust and secrecy, and divides the workforce. Relatedly, information is often told to people on a ‘need to know’ basis, that is, in passing and not as part of an overall strategy. This has similar negative impacts as above, leading to division between staff and tension Lack of investment in team building: because we are so busy, important exercises which will build us as a team such as regular feedback meetings and ‘bonding’ sessions where we socialise together are either missing or mis-managed. Lack of listening skills on the part of some managers: everyone can improve their listening skills, but certain managers at WDP seem to lack the skills altogether. They seem bored to listen to anyone else but themselves, do not pick up on non-verbal cues, and don’t employ strategies to draw people out in conversation. On a positive note, I believe all these barriers can be overcome. The first and second could be eradicated by better managing the flow of information. It is easy to identify the source of leaks, and the person concerned should be reminded of the repercussions of what they are doing, and perhaps disciplined if the practice continues. There should be a clearer policy at board level about how information is to be circulated to others. I believe that if people saw the wider context of their ‘leaks’ and disclosures, the problem would be reduced if not eradicated.  Ã‚   In terms of the third barrier, I believe that team building needs to be built into the work schedule. All middle managers should be told they must arrange more regular meetings between staff and develop imaginative ideas for ‘bonding’ exercises. There also needs to be financial investment in these exercises. Finally, listening is a skill, and one which can be learned. The barrier caused by poor l istening skills can be addressed by a training programme in listening and communication, perhaps for all managers so the ones with poor skills do not feel singled out. Development opportunities I have used a process called reflective learning to work out which areas in my working life are problematic, and trying to work out how they can be opportunities for development. Reflective learning is   a process of looking at ones experiences in the workplace, particularly reflecting upon areas of concern, in order to isolate the elements of the experience, interpret them and possibly change the way one behaves in the future (Jasper 2007).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through identifying problematic areas and critically analysing them, I have found several areas which impact upon my managerial ability (see table 2) Area Knowledge Skills Personal Attributes Behaviour Impact on Managerial Ability ‘Can do’ attitude I believe I know everything I need to know I feel I can do everything well enough Control Refuse to allow staff to do things for themselves, hard to delegate Negative – staff become frustrated, can’t make decisions for themselves Independence N/A Accounting tends to be fairly autonomous: something one can do in isolation I am used to working on my own. Not used to having the responsibility of others I tend to let them manage themselves, even when they are struggling People do not function as a team. My staff struggle to cope.  Ã‚   I tend to resent advice from ‘above’. Staff don’t feel they ‘belong’ Not sure what role involves I haven’t been given the information about what my role involves N/A I am reluctant to ask what my role is, in case I look less than competent I struggle along, don’t ask for help or clarification, become bad tempered with staff Staff lose motivation, lack direction and sense of purpose Table 2: breakdown of problem areas Overall, I feel that I am struggling with a new role as a manager. I’m used to working in isolation from others, and see asking for help as a form of weakness. However, I can recognise that I need to be able to enthuse my team more, and build cohesiveness within it.  Ã‚   I feel I’ve not really been adequately trained for the role, and now realise it is not a question of simply teaching other people to do the financial things I do. Rather, there’s a lot more to the role of manager including team building. Although I feel I have good listening and communication skills, I feel I am lacking in other areas such as enthusing others about the organisation as a whole.  Ã‚   I also believe that leadership can be learnt, and is something I can get better at. Action Plan Based on your assessment, determine priorities for further development of your own managerial behaviour and plan activities to achieve these Priority Area to be addressed / developed or improved Precise action to be taken Date to be completed by Job role I need clarification of what role involves Ask line manager for job description, full details of role 1 week Management skills I lack experience in managing others, particularly communication and team building Ask for support / mentoring / formal training 1 week. Control I am used to doing everything by myself. I need to delegate more Break down daily / weekly / monthly tasks and start to delegate at least some of them 2 weeks Independence I am too independent, used to working on my own. Now I need to be able to support others and lead a team Ask for training in building a team / communication. Read around the subject Ask for training: 1 week. Reading ongoing References Daft, R L and Marcic, D (2012)   Understanding Management, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Dunnette, M D, Hough, L M and Charalambos, H (1994) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Consulting Psychologists Press, USA Hewison, A (2004) Management for Nurses and Health Professionals: Theory Into Practice, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ Jasper, M (2007) Professional Development, Reflection and Decision-Making, John Wiley Sons, USA Linder-Pelz, S (2010) NLP Coaching: An Evidence-Based Approach for Coaches, Leaders and Individuals, Kogan Page Publishers, London Templar, R (2011) The Rules of Management: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success, FT Press, London Visser, W, Matten, D, Pohl, M and Tolhurst,   The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ MARK SHEET: WORK BASED ASSIGNMENT (M4.01) Centre Number Centre Name Learner Registration No Learner named below confirms authenticity of submission NAME: Criteria WBA Strengths WBA Areas for Improvement Assr mark QA mark The organisation in relation to its purpose and its stakeholders  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s purpose and its stakeholders are described  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles are explained       / 24 marks (min 12) The role of management in achieving goals     ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The specific responsibilities of middle managers in enabling the organisation to achieve its goals is described       / 20 marks (min 10) The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effect of interpersonal relationships and communication on managerial performance is explained  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationships in the organisation are identified and strategies devised to overcome these          / 30 marks (min 15) Development opportunities  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Own knowledge, skills, personal attributes and behaviour and their effect on own managerial ability is critically assessed  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Areas for personal development to improve own managerial behaviour is identified  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Priorities for future development are planned and set       / 26 marks (min 13) (External) Assessor’s Decision Quality Assurance Use Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   PASS/REFERRAL Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   Ã‚   PASS/REFERRAL Section fail if applicable: Date of QA check: Name of Assessor Name of QA Assessor Signature and date QA Signature and date

Bringing a Story of Business and Ayahuasca to Life Reedsy

Bringing a Story of Business and Ayahuasca to Life Reedsy Making "Ayahuasca, An Executive's Enlightenment" Come To Life We love a good adventure story here at Reedsy, so we were delighted to help Michael Sanders bring his book,  Ayahuasca: An Executive’s Enlightenment, to life. Becoming worn down as the vice president of an advertising agency and the co-founder of a startup company, Michael made a life-changing decision to venture out into the Amazon jungle to discover his path to self-transcendence. Michael drinks the psychedelic plant medicine Ayahuasca in three shamanistic ceremonies and connects with the Mother of the Rainforest and creator of the universe. This remarkable story examines the very essence of human nature and how this experience gave Michael absolute clarity as to his purpose and path in life.Michael needed an editor and designer to help take his book to the next level. So he came to Reedsy and now decided to share his experience with us. Enjoy the interview!Hi Michael thanks for chatting to us, just to start with, tell us a little about your book and what brought you to wr ite it.Ayahuasca: An Executive’s Enlightenment is about my journey into the Amazon jungle to drink the sacred and psychedelic plant medicine known as Ayahuasca.At the start of 2013, I was experiencing extreme fatigue. I was working as the vice president of an advertising agency and as the co-founder of a startup in the gaming industry, and I was training athletically and intensely 10 to 14 times each week.I decided to consult with a naturopath who helped me develop a daily meditation and play practice. After a few months working with him, my friend Sid suggested we venture to the Amazon to drink Ayahuasca- something that had been on my radar for about 18 months.Sid, another friend Carl, and I ventured down to the Peruvian jungle on Boxing Day of 2013. We trekked through the Amazon for a week- encountering all sorts of incredible wildlife and adventure, and developing a bond with nature that transcended my previous notions of connecting with the Earth.On New Year’s Eve, we arrived at the ceremonial grounds of Nihue Rao where we had our first Ayahuasca ceremony. Drinking Ayahuasca shattered the paradigm of reality in which I formerly operated and showed me something beyond my wildest imagination. In a nutshell, all of my life’s existential contemplations were resolved during three Ayahuasca ceremonies over the course of four nights.One of my intentions for my ceremonies was to determine a clearer career path, and it was revealed to me that I need to hone my gift for storytelling and write a book. How did you hear about Reedsy and why did you think it was the right place to develop your book to the next stage?I heard about Reedsy while working with Publishizer. Publishizer is a crowdfunding platform for authors, and the company’s CEO Guy Vincent encouraged me to check out Reedsy for all of my editing and design needs.I checked out Reedsy’s website and loved the intuitive design. It was so easy for me to find skilled editors and designers, to communicate with them, and to receive quotes on how much their work would cost.Tell us how you came about choosing Maria D’Marco as your editorI was scrolling through editors and Maria's headline jumped out at me: â€Å"Empathetic, bespoke editor - collaborative partnerships - developmental specialist, copy editor, book marketing, front-to-back support.† Empathy is exactly what I was looking for in an editor, and I also saw that she had worked on a number of fantastic books. When Maria and I chatted, she really resonated with my story, so I knew she was the perfect editor for me.What did she bring that elevated the story the book in some way?Maria brought an objective perspective and a set of fresh eyes. I had worked with seven editors along the way- all of whom are friends of mine- and for the final edit, I wanted someone who hadn’t seen the work before.Maria’s goal wasn’t to infuse her own thinking into my story, but to instead allow me to best tell the story that I wanted to tell. She wasn’t afraid to challenge me: she was very direct and blunt with what needed to be done. My story was pretty polished by the time Maria had her first read, so I didn’t need to make a ton of changes, but the changes she did suggest elevated the narrative substantially.Specifically, Maria had me include more physical descriptions of the characters in my book, which was a really interesting process. Because the people I had traveled with were so familiar to my mind, I had f orgotten that the reader wouldn’t know what the characters looked like. So, adding the physical descriptions really brought the other characters to life.Additionally, Maria suggested I completely change my introduction. Maria explained that the introduction I first presented to her wouldn’t grip anyone who wasn’t familiar with Ayahuasca. I understood her point, and after some contemplation, we arrived at a much better introduction. I’m thrilled that I took Maria’s advice: So many people have told me that they were hooked right from the first page.Now let's talk about Peter, how did you choose him and how did you finalize on the design of the book cover with him?I already had a minimal cover concept in mind, and I was looking for someone to execute it. Searching through designers, Peter’s portfolio of work grabbed me- minimal and evocative. After chatting with Peter, he seemed like the right person for the job.Peter was a joy to communicate w ith, he worked quickly, and he was very responsive and accommodating. He did a fantastic job on the design- both the interior and exterior- and was very knowledgeable on formatting for both the print and electronic versions.Finally, is there any advice you would like to give people who are thinking of self-publishing?Do it.In terms of execution, I recommend writing the book first. Once you have had some friends and editors give you feedback and you have a solid manuscript, you might consider crowdfunding the publication. Crowdfunding only works if you think you can connect with a wide audience and you can offer your backers awesome incentives: it’s important to remember that other people don’t care as much about your dream as you do, so you really have to incentivize them to pay for a book before it’s published. If you’re willing to put in the work to connect with a wide audience and provide awesome incentives, then crowdfunding is an amazing way to gener ate momentum prior to the book’s release.In terms of editing and design, I fully recommend Reedsy. It’s a wonderful and intuitive platform.Lastly, enjoy the journey 🙂You can buy "Ayahuasca: An Executive’s Enlightenment" on Amazon  here.How did you go about publishing your book? Have you considered crowdfunding before? Tell us about your experiences, or ask Michael any question you want, in the comments below!

Strategic planning and control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic planning and control - Assignment Example In order to sell more in the beginning, the production capacity had also been increased, but the result demonstrated that the demand was only half of the production. So, I have learned that it is not necessary to utilize all the resources as inventory got larger and it is not good for the company. We need to observe the internal position of the organization which will enable us to determine how well the company can manage the competitive and external environment. I also came to know that a strategic planning and critical success factors need to be developed for the products and services. SWOT (strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats) analysis must be carried out, which will allow the company to evaluate their strategic situation. The product life-cycle model needs to be taken into consideration in order to discuss how the cost of product can vary over a product’s life cycle. I also discovered that key performance indicators of the company need to be analyzed, through which we can know what factors are leading to its success and competitive advantage. I also learnt that working in a group is more beneficial than working as an individual as it comprises the ideas of four to five people and involve more communication and consequently leads to an enhanced decision making process. Soft skills need to be developed in order to resolve the conflict which arises in the discussion process within the group. At the same time, time management is also important for successful completion of a project. Strategic planning is defined as the method of defining the plans of the companies for achieving their missions. The strategy of an organization is therefore a derived approach towards attaining that mission. Organizational level and divisional level planning should be directly related to the strategic plan of the organization (Gates, 2010). Through the module, I came to know the elements of strategic planning and why it is important

Essay (Visual Text of the girl) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

(Visual Text of the girl) - Essay Example The image of her on a greenish background draped in a tattered red scarf or burqa with her iconic green eyes directly starring at the camera became the symbol of the Afghan conflict and sufferings of the refugees. So, a visual analysis of the photograph will done focusing on how the colors and framing was effectively composed, and how it reflects her tough life but at the same time her strong resolve. It seems that McCurry has set up the shot of the girl with apt coloring and framing, starting with a green building in the background. This green building coincidently yet perfectly matches the green eyes of the girl. The tattered and soiled red scarf contrasts with that background thereby not only complimenting the girl’s green eyes but also making those eyes stand out, which entices viewers to the girl’s striking and piercing stare. In addition, McCurry uses the girl’s own torn out red scarf to frame her face, which provides more focus to her face and eyes. As McCurry has chosen to shoot the photograph in a low light area with soft overtones, it makes the girl’s eyes even more vibrant and brighter. At the same time, the burned and ragged scarf and importantly her dirty and slightly wrinkled face reflect her difficult life. Although, some form of pre-print photo retouching was done, extensive work was not possible because of the lack of advanced technolo gies at that time. So, it is obvious that photo was effectively composed, both in terms of color and framing, through natural means and mainly because of the skills of the photographer. Although the contrasting colors and framing has created a sort of illusion, when viewed deeply it provides disturbing but at the same time stunning perspectives about her emotional side. That is, when her dilapidated clothes and her haunting eyes are deeply focused, it seems her emotion at that time was a mixture of sullenness and courage. Although, the

Mavis Gallants Bernadette :: essays research papers

Mavis Gallant's Bernadette Fear, it has a way of controlling everything that it comes in contact with. As young children we are introduced to this intimidating desire with intrigue and suspicion. As we age, the thoughts of fears become more like realities, ideas of loneliness and death enter the picture as comprehensible thoughts and views of the future. These issues make up the foundation of the Mavis Gallant story "Bernadette". In this story we are presented with the image of a young French Canadian girl, who finds herself pregnant and without a husband. The context of the story explores the relationships between the members of the household in a fear associated manner. The relationship between the Knights and Bernadette is the base of the story. These three people relate to each other in an intimidating fashion and this is what makes Bernadette's predicament so difficult to overcome. As well, the family ties between Nora and Robbie are explored. Their family relationship is one based on dependence, and without this one factor the connection between the two results in fearfulness of being alone. Fear has a way of attacking our judgment and this is what makes associations between people an apprehensive and hard act. The story is set in Quebec during the 1940-1950, when what you were was the definition of who you were. As the story opens we are presented with the main character Bernadette, who is concluding that she is one hundred and twenty-six days pregnant. At this time in history it was quit common for young rural girls to bare children at a young age. However, Bernadette is a single French Canadian girl who is working and living in a urban community, where things like that do not take place. We are here introduced to the first fear presented in the story: --How will Bernadette tell the Knights that she is pregnant? -- The answer to the question is what haunts her, and the reaction of the Knights is the anxiety that builds up inside of her. These intimidating fears places Bernadette in a compromising situation, she is in a position of abandonment by her family and the shame she thinks she has brought on to the Knights. These fears have forced her to react in an unusual fashion. Bernadette is so fearful of what they might think that she tries to hide herself in her work so that she is not placed in the position where she will have to interact with the Knights. The fear of failure and disappointment took control over her mind. When around the Knights she worked as a robot in order not to arouse ideas of

Obesity and Gastric Bypass Surgery Essay

In this paper I will discuss an article from the Seattle Press written by Associated Press Medical Writer Lindsay Tanner. I will discuss the statistical procedures used in the study and provide an analysis of the conclusions both the researchers and the reporter drew from the study results to consider the statistical significance of the data presented. The article explains the research of Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin of the department of surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and his colleagues relating to bariatric surgery its potential role in glycemic control in type two diabetics. Irkamuddin states that at 12 months, â€Å"the primary goal was considered successful if patients achieved the composite of the triple endpoint: HbA1c of less than 7. 0%, an LDL cholesterol level of less than 100 mg/dL, and systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mmHg at the 12-month visit† (2013, p. 2242). The study was conducted at four sites, including New York, Minnesota, and two hospitals in Taiwan and lasted 12 months. Patients with mild to moderate obesity and adult-onset diabetes mellitus were offered a free intensive intervention and recruited using mass media advertisements, practice-based databases and contact with professional groups, leading to an unblinded randomized group after screening 2648 candidates. Body mass index in participants ranged from 30. 0 to 39. 9, with a mean of 34. 6. The study participants had been diagnosed with diabetes for a mean of 9. 0 years. The intensive intervention included lifestyle modification with daily caloric intake counts, increased physical activity, daily weights and counseling sessions, and intensive medical management including close monitoring and treatment from doctors with medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, and glycemic control. Sixty of these participants were randomly selected to receive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Two of the participants selected declined to have the surgery, and two others were randomly selected to undergo the procedure. These patients continued to receive the same intensive intervention during the entire 12 months. The frequency of sessions and monitoring decreased for both groups during the study period as planned, going from weekly to monthly over the course of the study. The author of the newspaper article summarizes the study’s results by stating, â€Å"The surgery group lost on average nearly 60 pounds and 75% lowered blood glucose levels to normal or near-normal levels. The non-surgery group lost on average 17 pounds and just 30% reached the blood-sugar goal. The surgery group also needed less medication after the operation† (Tanner, 2013, p. 2). The last portion of this statement is misleading as the study evaluates and considers only medications to manage blood glucose levels, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (Ikramuddin, 2013, p. 2245). The study reports, â€Å"Patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery experienced 50% more serious and 55% more nonserious adverse events than did those in the lifestyle-medical management group† (Ikramuddin et al. , 2013, p. 2248). It is important to consider the frequency and rate of adverse events, in addition to classification of such data. Researchers also state that the surgical group took 66% fewer medications than the nonsurgical group. The most common adverse event in the surgical group that was not considered peri- or late post-operative was nutritional deficiencies, especially iron and vitamin B levels, requiring treatment with medications and supplements. Nutritional deficiencies are often long-term and require frequent monitoring and dose adjustment. Because of the time limitations of the study and the relatively small sample size, long-term cardiovascular and nutritional effects of bariatric surgery in the mild to moderately obese population for glycemic control remains to be determined. Both the study and the newspaper article assert that there is no conclusive evidence on long-term effects when bariatric surgery is used in conjunction with lifestyle and medical management for glycemic control on mild to moderately obese patients. Other serious adverse events documented and considered by the authors of the study included motor vehicle accidents and pancreatic cancer, both of which occurred in the medical management group, decreasing the difference between the medical management group and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group. Pregnancy was considered as well. The total number of serious adverse events was 15 for the medical management group and 22 for the surgical group. The study does not discuss or measure in any way the adherence of participants to the intensive intervention in either group. Patients’ adherence to recommended regimen including decreased caloric intake, recommended physical activity, and medication compliance is a variable that was not assessed by Ikramuddin and his colleagues during the study, limiting its scope. In general, the newspaper article correctly interprets the statistics and draws conclusions from this study appropriately. The surgical group tended to have less hypertension and elevated LDL cholesterol levels, but this data lacks statistical significance. Tanner stated in the newspaper article â€Å"those between-group differences could have been due to chance† (2013, p. ). The study states a confidence interval of 95%, which correlates with a 0. 05 significance level. Many of the values representing these measures were marginally different. Many other studies have reported effects on these values as individual variables. There are many other factors involved in cholesterol and blood pressure management that must be identified an d considered before drawing conclusions on such data. This study was very detailed and presented a large amount of data. Despite this, the overall conclusions of the newspaper article were accurate in relation to the data. The newspaper article summarized the conclusions of the researchers appropriately. The statistics representing HbA1c as part of the composite endpoint are reliant on weight loss and can be primarily attributed to this factor (Ikramuddin et al. , 2013, p. 2240). The newspaper article states, â€Å"The researchers say the diabetes changes were likely due to the weight loss but that hormonal changes affecting blood sugar may have contributed† (Tanner, 2013, p 2). This was determined by using regressive analyses of the available data. The study suggests that altered gastrointestinal hormone secretion as well as differences in individual medication use during the study may have attributed to the results, but acknowledges that the study lacks the data to determine this. By going to the source of news-reported statistical studies, the reader can evaluate the statistical significance of the data and determine if the data were presented accurately and if the conclusions drawn are reliable. Research and comprehension of data and statistical significance is essential to best evidence-based practice in the field of nursing and beyond.

The Debate Over Stricter Gun Control - 929 Words

Gun Control in the United States The debate over stricter gun laws has been ongoing in the United States for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right for American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation on this (Hofstadter 10). They argue that the primary purpose of the amendment was to ensure that American Citizens had the capability to protect themselves against criminal activities and defend the country against external aggression. From a personal perspective, the recent surge in instances of gun violence in the United States of America indicates that stricter gun control laws are necessary for the safety of the American citizenry. Thus, this paper is going to focus on highlighting the benefits of more stringent gun control laws and why members of the public sho uld support it. To better comprehend its advantages an individual should understand that the concept of stricter gun control refers to policies and laws that are designed to help regulate the manufacture, sale, possession, transfer, modification or use of firearms (Braga and David 14). Through the institution of this laws governments/Law enforcement agencies will be able to control and reduce incidences of gun related violence within the U.S TheShow MoreRelatedThe Debate Over Stricter Gun Control Laws924 Words   |  4 PagesThe debate over stricter gun laws has been ongoing in the United States for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right of American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation of this (Hofstadter 10). They argue that the primary purpose of the amendme nt was to ensure that American CitizensRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Gun Control875 Words   |  4 Pagesissue of gun control laws has become a prevalent topic of debate throughout American society. This debate stems from two opposing arguments over gun control. Some feel gun control laws are fair and not the contributing factor to these mass shootings, whereas, others feel that there is an urgent need for strict laws in order to end the problem of mass shootings. There are numerous pros and cons to the enforcement of stricter gun control laws but we must note a few things: stricter gun control laws wouldRead MoreGun Control Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesA debate that has lasted since the beginning of the United States is the debate over guns. What started off as a debate over who should have guns in colonial times, ended up a debate over whether the government should impose stricter laws or leave gun rights alone. There are numerous reasons to have stricter laws, such as the prot ection of society, but there are still people who oppose strict gun laws. First, let me give a brief history of this public concern. The issue of gun control has beenRead MoreThe Modern Debate Concerning Gun Control1490 Words   |  6 PagesThe modern debate concerning gun control became a popular subject after a number of high profile assassinations that occurred in the 60s. Even more gun violence in the 1980’s and 90’s also brought up more debate, proving the desperate need for stricter gun laws in the United States. In 1999, there was a massacre at Columbine High School. This catastrophic school shooting made congress reconsider passing stronger gun control laws by making them realize how easy it was to get a hold of firearms. OneRead MoreGun Control1724 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 1302 5th march 2013 Sides of Crime Control Gun control laws have been surrounded by controversy since The Bill of Rights, including the Second amendment was passed in the congress. A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed, the founders wrote. Until recently there was considerable argument over just what the founders intended by their words. Did they mean to provide only for armedRead MoreThe Debate Over Gun Rights984 Words   |  4 Pagesstrengthen gun laws had been in place, many mass shootings, such as the one in Aurora Colorado, could have been prevented. The United States needs to implement stricter gun laws. The controversial debate over gun rights is as old as the history of the United States. It is time for lawmakers to create and enforce stronger restrictions on guns. There have been too many high profile/ mass shootings in the recent years for people to continue ignoring the problem of people’s easy access to guns. With a richRead MoreGuns, Ammunition And Its Negative Effects On Society944 Words   |  4 PagesIssue Question: can the availability of guns, ammunition and its negative effects on society be a thing of the past? Claim: An analysis of the United State gun culture reveals their negative effects on society. Thesis paragraph: In the wake of recent killings and mass shooting in sandy hook and other locations across the country and communities, there has been public cries for the need for stricter gun laws and regulations. Gun violence has become a major problem facing the country. Day inRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On The Gun Of The Teeth : The Worldwide Plague Of Small Arms1597 Words   |  7 Pagesis one gun for every ten people on earth today. The people who supports gun control believe that if we are trying to save the world, guns for wars should not be shipped around for individual uses. There have been around 400 million deaths due to small arms and conflicts since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Once a person owns a gun, it is very rare that they will be willing to give the gun up. In South Africa, guns have been melted down, blown up, and cut into pieces. If there were stricter gun controlRead MoreGun Control: Annotated Bibliography738 Words   |  3 Pages Frates, Chris. â€Å"The Gun Debate Isn’t Over Yet.† National Journal (2013): Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. In this article written by Chris Frates, the author talks about how democrats and republicans are going back, and forth on gun control laws. Both parties are finding it difficult to come to an agreement. While leaving republicans asking the question â€Å"How do you take away Americans 2nd Amendment?† It’s a tricky situation as republicans, and congress continue to tryRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1058 Words   |  5 Pagesthe United States currently than that of gun control. Advocates on either side of the issue are quick to voraciously fight for what they believe, as well as to tear down anyone who sees the issue differently. But unlike other issues, it seems that gun control advocacy does not rest on a spectrum; either you are pro-gun control or you are against it, and anyone caught in the middle is likely to get flak from both sides. But why is the issue of gun control such a hot topic? And why is it that there