International Exams for English Learners Research Paper

International Exams for English Learners - Research Paper Example Despite the numerous changes it has undergone, today, the test is accepted, alongside popular tests like International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Oral Proficiency Interview - computer (OPI-c) (Harper 91). However, it is currently not supposed to be taken by the foreign students who are nationals of the Commonwealth of the Nations. They are exempted because of being Anglophones-having English as their official language. First, the test covers listening skills. Since listening is one of the core skills in English language, students taking the test have to answer questions about it. To test the learners’ listening abilities, the test is designed with six passages in which the students have to listen to a series of conversations between an instructor and students. After keenly listening to these conversations, the students are given a chance to respond to questions. Sure ly, this is one of the ways through which the test effectively prepares students for higher education within the country. As English students, they need to have a sound knowledge of listening. Through it, they can be well ‘equipped with important skills like interpretation and understanding of main ideas, arguments, speaker’s attitudes, the relationship between opinions and organization of information’ (Sharpe 73). In fact, these are just basic skills that a university graduate should possess.

Did the idea of Manifest Destiny simply mean acquring more terrtory Essay

Did the idea of Manifest Destiny simply mean acquring more terrtory for the United States Why or why not - Essay Example Many Americans began to believe that it was the nation's "Manifest Destiny" to expand westward. Manifest Destiny refers to a concept often used to explain or justify American expansion, especially in the decades preceding the Civil War (1861-65) and again in the late 19th century. While debate over expansion goes back to the beginnings of American expansion in the late 18th century, the phrase "Manifest Destiny" did not come into vogue until the 1840s. In 1845, John O'Sullivan, a democrat leader and editor of the New York newspaper 'The Morning Post, wrote: "Our manifest destiny to over spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty". (O'Sullivan, John L. "Annexation", The United States Democratic Review) To many it seemed inevitable that lands to the west of the Mississippi, once claimed by Mexico, England, and a host of American Indian tribes, should eventually be settled by Americans. John O'Sullivan the editor of the influential 'Democratic Review' and the 'The Morning Post' had coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny" to describe this vision of a United States stretching from Atlantic to Pacific.

In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem

In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem Royal Hospital [1984] 1 ALL ER 1018 Dunn LJ stated in the Court of Appeal that 'the concept of informed consent plays no part in English law' (per Dunn LJ at 1030). Is this still an accurate reflection of the law? In Sidaway, the plaintiff brought an action against the hospital and surgeon who performed an operation on her back. The operation she had undergone carried an inherent risk to her spinal column and nerve roots. Even if it was performed perfectly, there was still about a two per cent chance that she would suffer injury to her spinal column. As it turned out, the operation was performed correctly, but nevertheless, the plaintiff suffered injury to her spinal column. She brought an action for negligence based solely on the ground that she had not been warned of the inherent risks of the procedure and that she would not have consented to the operation had she been so informed. It was found in fact at the trial that the surgeon failed to inform the plaintiff that the operation was not necessary and was actually optional. It was also found that while she had been warned of the risk of damage to the nerve roots, she had not been warned of the less likely, but potentially more serious, ris k to the spinal column. It was also accepted that had the plaintiff been aware of these facts she would not have undergone the surgery. However, the trial judge also found that the course the surgeon had taken was backed by a ‘responsible body of medical opinion’ and therefore, applying the test formulated in Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582, the standard of care that the surgeon owed the patient had been discharged. This ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal and made its way to the House of Lords, where Dunn LJ’s quotation in the title is taken from. The House of Lords, by applying the Bolam test, also upheld the judgment on the ground that if a responsible body of medical opinion supported a course of action, this was sufficient to discharge the duty of care owed to a patient by a doctor. However, the reasoning in the case on the issue of informed consent is very enlightening. The first point to note is that Lord Scarman was the sole dissenting opinion in the case. Lord Scarman was of the opinion that, ‘the doctor’s duty arises from his patient’s rights. If one considers the scope of the doctor’s duty by beginning with the right of the patient to make his own decision whether he will or will not undergo the treatment proposed, the right to be informed of significant risk and the doctor’s corresponding duty are easy to understand: for the proper implementation of the right requires that the doctor be under a duty to inform his patient of the material risks inherent in the treatment.’(p. 888) Lord Scarman’s conclusion therefore was that the law ‘recognizes a right of a patient of sound understanding to be warned of material risks save in [exceptional circumstances]. This was not however the view of the other judges. Lord Bridge of Harwich for example, gave three reasons why the imposition of such a duty on patients would not be practical under English law. The first is that it would fail to take into account the reality of the doctor patient relationship in many situations. The doctor bases his decision to follow a certain course of treatment on a variety of factors and it would be impractical to expect him to educate the patient of the full implications of all of these factors. In fact, doing so may increase the trauma and stress of some patients. Secondly, the question of whether disclosure of information should have been made in any case would be best answered by reference to expert medical opinion on a case by case basis and not as a general rule applicable to all cases. Thirdly, Lord Bridge thought it would be impossible in practice for a court to apply a subjective test to the question of what was a ‘material risk’ that a pati ent should have been informed of, and what was an immaterial risk that would not require disclosure. This subjective test being one put forward in the American case of Canterbury v Spence (1972) 464 F. 2d 772. The statement of Dunn LJ quoted above was firmly upheld in the House of Lords. Sidaway however, was a case decided in 1984 and 1985. Massive advancements have been made both in the standard of medical care provided by doctors, and the requirements of the law in this field, in the intervening years. Therefore, it falls to be discussed, does the principal in Sidaway still apply? Perhaps the best starting place for such a discussion would be to follow Lord Scarman’s approach, quoted above, of looking at the right of the patient. The first right that all of us have, dating back to the early sources of the common law, is the right to bodily integrity. This right is so ingrained in our law that it can rarely be violated, even with the victim’s consent. As Swift J stated in the case of R v Donovan [1934] 2 KB 498 at 507, when it comes to violation of the principle of bodily integrity, ‘consent is immaterial.’ Furthermore, for the most part, the motive of the violator is often irrelevant and even the good intentions of a doctor will not excuse a violation of the principle. In the American case of Schloendorff v Society of New York Hospital 105 NE 92 (NY, 1914) Cardozo J put it clearly when he said that ‘a surgeon who performs an operation without the patient’s consent commits an assault,’ This position has been affirm ed in England in A-G’s Reference (No 6 of 1980) [1981] QB 715 where it was clearly asserted that it is the patient’s consent alone, and not the good motives of the doctor or any other public interest that make a doctor’s interference with the patient lawful. However, absolute as the twin principles of bodily integrity and patient consent appear, there are a number of exceptions in practice. The law distinguishes involuntary treatment, that is treatment that the patient does not consent to, from non-voluntary treatment, that is treatment that the patient is unable to consent to because he is for example unconscious or otherwise unable to provide valid consent. One justification for non-voluntary treatment is that the patient is presumed to consent, as it is highly likely that he would have done so had he been conscious. This approach however, does not have universal academic support (Mitchell, 1995). The more favoured justification comes from the law of necessity, which recognizes the need to act in an emergency, despite the fact that the necessary consent has not been obtained (Skegg, 1974). The requirements for this exception to apply are that the patient is unable to consent, that there is no one capable of consenting on his behalf, th at there is genuine urgency and that there are no known objections to treatment from the patient (In re Boyd, 403 A2d 744 (DC 1979)). The basic approach has been summed up succinctly by Lord Devlin (1962: p. 90) where he said ‘The Good Samaritan is a character unesteemed in English law.’ The principle has been developed further by the Canadian Supreme Court which has developed a distinction between procedures which are necessary and procedures which are convenient. While a doctor may be justified in performing a necessary procedure without consent, to perform a merely convenient one would be beyond what he is authorized to do. Two colourful Canadian cases illustrate the distinction well. The first, Marhsall v Curry [1933] 3 DLR 260, concerns a case where a doctor removed a testicle during the course of a hernia operation. While the patient was naturally dismayed to wake up to the discovery, the court held that the doctor had been justified in acting as he had because of the nature of the patient’s condition and the fact that the operation could not have been regarded as successful but for the doctor’s decision. This case is contrasted with that of Murray v McMurchy [1949] 2 DLR 442 in which the doctor tied a defective fallopian tube during the course of a caesarian section. This was held to have been convenient as the woman would have been at risk, had she undergone another pregnancy, and a separate operation to tie the tube could be avoided by performing the procedure now. However, the court found that the operation was not necessary in the legal sense and therefore a breach of the patientà ¢â‚¬â„¢s right. The relevance of these cases to English law was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Devi v West Midland Regional Health Authority [1981] CA 491 which followed the Canadian courts reasoning. It should also be clearly noted that the consent of the patient, and the principle of patient autonomy takes precedence over any arguments of medical paternalism. This fact was stated in the two highly publicized and controversial cases of Re T (adult: refusal of medical treatment) [1992] 4 All ER 649 and Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993] 1 All ER 821. Also, where a doctor acts without any consent at all, law sees this situation as appropriate for a charge of battery. This will be the case where a doctor proceeds to act on a patient, despite the fact that the patient has expressly refused the treatment (Molloy v Hop Sang [1935] 1 WWR 714). It is also the case where the doctor proceeds to provide a patient with treatment that is materially different from the treatment that the patient consented to. This was the case in Schweizer v Central Hospital (1974) 53 DLR (3D) 494 where a patient consented to a toe operation, and the surgeon subsequently operated on the patient’s back. This is therefore. The starting position that led Lord Scarman to dissent from his colleagues in the Sidaway judgment. It is clear that the principle of bodily integrity is given the highest level of respect and protection under English law. Lord Scarman was saying that in order for a patient to exercise and enforce this right, he had to be informed of the details, risks and nature of a medical procedure. Further to this, Lord Scarman also was of the opinion that if a patient gave his consent without being properly informed of the risks and nature of the procedure he was consenting to, then this consent was in an important sense defective. This is the nature of the principle of informed consent, and requires that in order for a patient’s consent to be effective, and in order for a doctor to be able to properly act on it, the patient must have understood what he was consenting to. Sidaway was clearly a decision that rejected the concept of informed consent. This was recognized in Canada where the courts expressly refused to follow the decision and instead opted for upholding the informed consent requirement. One example of many is that of Haughian v Paine [1987] 4 WWR 97 in which the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decided not to follow Sidaway and instead ruled that a doctor had been negligent in performing an operation for which the patient had not been told the consequences of undergoing no treatment at all. This case followed quickly on the heals of Sidaway. However, as late as 1997, academics in England were still confidently asserting that â€Å"English law does not recognize the doctrine of informed consent† (Grundy, 1997: p. 211). However, by this time, the attention had shifted to another principle in English law that was providing patient’s with a choice. This principle can also be traced to the Sidaway decision, the very case that rejected the application of informed consent in England. In his dissenting judgment, Lord Scarman said (at p. 884), ‘Unless statute has intervened to restrict the range of judge-made law, the common law enables the judges, when faced with a situation where a right recognized by the law is not adequately protected, either to extend existing principles to cover the situation or to apply an existing remedy to redress the injustice.’ It is this principle of the law that has been leading to significant inroads being created into the Bolam test in the context of the information given to a patient to enable him or her to make a decision. The view of Lord Bridge that it would be impractical to expect the doctor to explain absolutely everything to the patient, has in fact been flipped on its head, and the prevailing sentiment now seems to be that it would be unreasonable for the patient to explain the entire circumstances of his life, medical, social, economic and otherwise, that would be necessary to make a truly informed decision and that therefore, it is the patient who is in a far better position to make the best decision based on the information available. Even in Sidaway a pure Bolam approach was being compromised. Both Lord Bridge and Lord Keith were of the opinion that, ‘When questioned specifically by a patient of apparently sound mind about risks involved in a particular treatment proposed, the doctor’s duty must, in my opinion, be to answer both truthfully and as fully as the question requires’ (per Lord Bridge at 898). If one was to think about this statement in practice, it is in fact a lot more significant a compromise than it may seem. In reality, it is extremely likely that the vast majority of patients would ask their doctor a large number of questions concerning the risks and relative benefits of different courses. It would be a rare patient these days who would see a doctor, hear of a course of recommended treatment, and then accept it unquestioningly. The easy availability of medical information, and access to education and awareness of relevant issues has been promoted in the last couple of decades to the standard where patients are likely to be highly informed on their conditions and the options available to them, and they will certainly expect to engage in a frank discussion with their doctor on the courses of treatment available. It could almost be assumed, that in cases where a patient did not ask about the risks of a procedure of his doctor, either he had sufficient knowledge and cons ented to the doctor’s approach, or abrogated his right to further information in favour of accepting the doctor’s assessment. The second inroad contained in Sidaway itself was asserted by Lords Bridge, Templeman and Keith to the effect that (per Lord Bridge at 900), ‘Even in a case where, as here, no expert witness in the relevant medical field contends the non-disclosure as being in conflict with accepted and responsible medical practice, I am of the opinion that the Judge might in certain circumstances come to the conclusion that disclosure of a particular risk was so obviously necessary to an informed choice on the part of the patient that no reasonably prudent medical man would fail to make it.’ Combined with the previously mentioned inroad, the two conditions together provide significant safeguards to the patient’s right to meaningfully consent. Even if the patient fails to touch on serious issues and risks in his own research, or conversation with the doctor, the doctor is also under an obligation to raise of his own initiative, particular risk that are obviously necessary for ‘an informed choice on the part of the patient.’ Without actually using the phrase, the standard that the court was setting out in Sidaway was in fact starting to sound quite close to the concept of informed consent, at least for the vast majority of cases, in practice. As identified by Gurndy (1997: p. 213) the approach adopted in Sidaway is in fact a limited form of informed consent, ‘for it acknowledges that: a patient’s right of decision should be recognized and respected; where the patient undergoes an operation involving a substantial risk of grave adverse consequences a doctor failing to disclose such risk would be negligent save for circumstances where there was some cogent clinical reason why the patient should not be informed.’ Since Sidaway therefore, there have been a number of cases highlighting the importance of the patient’s right to know, and putting the Bolam test into a subsidiary role as merely one of a number of factors that should be taken into account. In Blyth v Bloomsbury Health Authority [1993] 4 Med LR 151 (per Kerr LJ at 157) it was said, ‘The question of what a plaintiff should be told in answer to a general enquiry cannot be divorced from the Bolam test any more than when no such enquiry is made. In both cases the answer must depend upon the circumstances, the nature of the enquiry, the nature of the information which is available, its reliability, relevance, the condition of the patient and so forth.’ Without creating an express right to all information that is available, the court was saying that Bolam is just one of the factors that are relevant in questions of this type. In Smith v Turnbirdge Wells Health Authority [1994] 5 Med LR 334 (per Mr. Justice Morland at 399) the court went against Bolam when it said, ‘By 1988 although some surgeons may still not have been warning patients similar in situation to the plaintiff of the risk of impotence, that omission was neither reasonable nor responsible.’ Therefore, despite passing the Bolam test, the defendants failed on the grounds of a reasonable and responsible test. In Moyes v Lothian Health Board [1990] 1 Med LR 463 the court found that the overarching test was ‘whether the doctor has shown reasonable care for the safety of his patient.’ In Abbas v Kenney [1996] 7 Med LR 47 the court stated that ‘A doctor has a duty to explain what he intends to do and the implications of what he is going to do. It must be explained in such a way that the patient can understand.’ Therefore, to conclude, it is possible to say that while the courts purport to be applying the Bolam test, as set out in Sidaway, the fact of the matter is that they are actually operating on principles much closer to a practical understanding of a modified form of informed consent. There are numerous cases that show that the mere fact that a body of professional opinion would not have disclosed certain information will not be enough for a doctor to avoid a finding of negligence. At the same time, there are numerous judicial statements to the effect that doctors must inform their patients of the basic information necessary in order for them to exercise their right to consent. Therefore, while in theory there is no doctrine of informed consent in English law, the practical approach, stemming from Sidaway and subsequent practice, is that a modified doctrine of informed consent does prevail in English law, and any doctors who ignored this fact would be standing on very shaky legal groun d. Reference List Texts and Articles Beauchamp Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 3rd ed. 1990, Cambridge Buchanan Brock, Deciding for Others, 1989, London Campbell, Moral Dilemmas in Medicine, 3rd ed. 1984, Oxford University Press Castiglioni, A history of Medicine, trans and ed E B Krunghaar, 2nd ed. 1947 Fulford, Moral Theory and Medical Practice, 1989, Oxford Grundy, P., Bolam, Sidaway and the Unrecognised Doctrine of Informed Consent: A Fresh Approach, (1997) JPIL, Dec. 211 Lord Devlin, Samples in Law Making, (1962) Oxford University Press, Oxford Mason McCall Smith, Law and Medical Ethics, 4th ed. 1994, Butterowrths, London Mitchell, J., A Fundamental Problem of Consent (1995) 310 BMJ 43 Skegg, A., A Justification for Medical Procedures Performed without Consent, (19740 90 LQR 512 Cases Abbas v Kenney [1996] 7 Med LR 47 A-G’s Reference (No 6 of 1980) [1981] QB 715 Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993] 1 All ER 821 Blyth v Bloomsbury Health Authority [1993] 4 Med LR 151 Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582 Canterbury v Spence (1972) 464 F. 2d 772 Devi v West Midland Regional Health Authority [1981] CA 491 Haughian v Paine [1987] 4 WWR 97 In re Boyd, 403 A2d 744 (DC 1979) Marhsall v Curry [1933] 3 DLR 260 Molloy v Hop Sang [1935] 1 WWR 714 Moyes v Lothian Health Board [1990] 1 Med LR 463 Murray v McMurchy [1949] 2 DLR 442 R v Donovan [1934] 2 KB 498 Re T (adult: refusal of medical treatment) [1992] 4 All ER 649 Schloendorff v Society of New York Hospital 105 NE 92 (NY, 1914) Schweizer v Central Hospital (1974) 53 DLR (3D) 494 Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem Royal Hospital [1984] 1 ALL ER 1018 Smith v Turnbirdge Wells Health Authority [1994] 5 Med LR 334

Dantes Inferno - A Religious and Morally Challenging Experience :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Dante's Inferno - A Religious and Morally Challenging Experience      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages, was born in Florence, Italy on June 5, 1265.   He was born to a middle-class Florentine family.   At an early age he began to write poetry and became fascinated with lyrics.   During his adolescence, Dante fell inlove with a beautiful girl named Beatrice Portinari.   He saw her only twice but she provided much inspiration for his literary masterpieces. Her death at a young age left him grief-stricken.   His first book, La Vita Nuova, was written about her. Sometime before 1294, Dante married Gemma Donati.   They had four children.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dante was active in the political and military life of Florence. He entered the army as a youth and held several important positions in the Florence government during the 1290's.   During his life, Florence was divided politically between Guelphs and Ghibellines.   The Guelphs supported the church and liked to keep things as they were, unlike the Ghibellines. The Ghibellines were mostly supporters of the German emperor and at the time Dante was born, were relieved of their power. When this change took place, the Guelphs for whom Dante's family was associated took power. Although born into a Guelph family, Dante became more neutral later in life realizing that the church was corrupt, believing it should only be involved in spiritual affairs.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the turn of the century, Dante rose from city councilman to ambassador of Florence.   His career ended in 1301 when the Black Guelph and their French allies seized control of the city.   They took Dante's possessions and sentenced him to be permanently banished from Florence, threatening the death penalty upon him if he returned.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dante spent most of his time in exile writing new pieces of literature.   It is believed that around 1307 he interrupts his unfinished work, Convivio, a reflection of his love poetry philosophy of the Roman tradition, to begin The Comedy (later known as The Divine Comedy).   He writes a book called De Vulgari Eloquentia explaining his idea to combine a number of Italian dialects to create a new national language.   In 1310 he writes De Monarchia presenting Dante's case for a one-ruler world order.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Among his works, his reputation rests on his last work, The Divine

Knowing Your Audience and Communication Release Essay

On August 5, 2010, The Chilean Copper mine collapse with 33 workers confined in a 2,257 feet hole, which was the size of a mini studio apartment (msnbc.com news services, 2010). Their families, friends, and co-workers were worried frantically about their safety, and not being able to reach the miners left everyone at unease. The Rescuers and the Chilean Copper president’s came together to find a resolution as to the cause of this situation and how to rescue their employees. Families and co-workers of these miners have questions that wanted immediate answers, and it is the companies responsibly to provide answers. The company should have a plan of emergency action for these types of incident and be implemented in training programs when hired or promoted. There should be reputable spokesperson on hand to communicate with families, co-workers, and the media. The first action to take place is to immediately control the situation, and prevent any rumors from uprising through the wo rkplace or the media. Have somebody Reputable from the company to hold a face to face verbal meeting explaining what emergency incident just occurred and what the companies’ plan of action is going to be. It is important to present only facts to this meeting so that there are no assumptions as to what is really taking place. Be honest, open, clear and concise in these meeting so the audience can listen and decode the message the spokesperson is conveying. The spokesperson should be able to answer all questions presented to the room, as long as the spokesperson has evidence to back it up. Otherwise, being honest and saying, â€Å"we are looking into that,† is the best option for this type of situation. If the company has a morning and evening shift, then having the meeting write when both shifts are about to cross would be an effective way to control any rumors, explain the situation, and answer any questions. This will save time so the company can delegate the situation currently on hand. The second action is to have another reputable spokesperson to notify the minors’ families of the incident. The first step to communicating to the miners loved ones is by phone and then a face-to-face verbal communication should take place. It is important to be sympathetic and compassionate when relaying this type of information to the families. Calling each miners emergency contact would be the start but should not provide too much information over the phone, but just ask the family or friend to come down to the job site immediately. Providing information over the phone can create media attention rapidly and cause panic to the person. Hold a meeting as soon as the miner’s family and friends have arrived and provide information that the company has facts on. Do not delude the people in thinking, the situation is worse or better than what the facts actually say, but be honest and clear about the situation. It is a good idea to have a mediator around if the company decides to have a verbally conversation that is one on one with a family member, and this will prevent any rumors as well. Inform the employees and families that it is in the best interest for the company and the families of the miners to avoid answering questions to the media. When speaking to the media without knowing all the facts or going based on what you heard without fully researching the situation can lead to panic and discomfort for the families and loved ones. For instance, in the situation the media publicly announced on August 26, 2010 that it would take the rescuer’s four months to rescue the miners. However, According to msnbc.com news services (2010), Health Minister Jaime Manalich said, â€Å"they would not be rescued before the Fiestas Patrai’s,† and Fiestas Patrai’s is Chile’s Independence Day celebration, held on September 18. That is only forty-four days, and a big differ ence from 120 days. Preventing the media from misleading reports can be achieved by avoiding the media. The company should offer counseling to the families and co-workers to help deal with this situation, and provide any assistance to make this incident go smoother for them. After the company has all the facts and knows what they are facing then have a reputable spokesperson address the media, family, friends, and co-workers with all the facts at hand. This will help all parties understand what they are in for and to start dealing with the situation at hand. Keeping the all parties informed throughout the rescue process though meetings or the media is important. Having somebody from the company to go to the miners loved ones face to face or calling them to ensure that they are well, is a great way to provide answer to the individual parties. This situation affects everyone, families, friends, co-workers, and global. It is never easy to try to control and sustain a crisis like this but avoiding rumors, which are usually just opinions from others around, can help everybody. The miners loved ones just have one care in the world, that is getting them out safe and healthy, and that is all that should matter, but sometimes the media likes to turn embellish the truth. The important thing in this type of situation is too continual to provide information to all parties so they are properly informed. It is better to hear from the people who are actually in the rescue process rather than an outside source. This will provide all parties some ease to their pain even if it is not good information; at least they understand the situation. Reference msnbc.com news services. (2010). Drill breaks through to trapped Chilean miners. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39558833/ns/world_news-americas/t/drill-breaks-through-trapped-chilean-miners/

Comparing and Contrasting Views of Emotion Regulation

Everyone regulates their emotions and some better than others. A majority of the time we do not even realize we are doing so because of a very powerful unconscious. Emotion regulation is a relatively new section of psychology because it has yet to be extensively researched. Such unexplored areas tend to be even a little fuzzy to even the most understanding of researchers. James J. Gross of Stanford University is one of the comparatively few researchers in this field and has written many psychologically recognized papers on different aspects of emotion regulation. A significant article about the ideas of emotion regulation that also states many conducted experiments is titled â€Å"Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. † Many of his articles and ideas closely relate to the ideas contained within Benedict Carey’s New York Times article entitled â€Å"Mind-Polishing Tools for Your Fuse Box of Emotions. †While these two articles by Gross and Carey both narrowly focus on a small portion of today’s psychological knowledge, there is a sharp contrast in their views of the topic. Perhaps by preferences of the author or what may be lack of knowledge on the author’s behalf, it is more than pure scientific evidence that produced such similar articles that differ on so many levels at the same time. Both written materials of course have an audience, but the audiences to which they appeal are entire opposites. Both authors tend to also have slightly differing views it seems but it is apparent in what they have written that they both coincide on the idea that poor emotion suppression plays its largest role in the social environment. However, even though suppression is a main focus for both, Carey’s article tends to drift towards seeing suppression in a mostly negative light. The New York Times, the source of Carey’s popular press article, is more directly aimed toward the general public with the intent of informing. Therefore, the emotion regulation article doesn’t assume the reader knows anything about the subject and so starts off by introducing the topic and slowly works its way further into topic while never really going too far into scientific depth. Instead of using made-up examples as Gross does which may not be relative to the general public, Carey chooses real-life examples that tend to be more connected to the everyday life of U. S. citizens as goes his opening sentence: â€Å"The longing for President Obama to vent some fury at oil executives or bankers may run deeper than politics† (Carey, 2010, para. 1). Such statements appear to be just an example, yet they also hold the author’s view of the situation, especially in an opening sentence. Such views usually set the tone or attitude for the rest of the article. This is not so, however, in one of Gross’s first statements where his example in one that has no depth: â€Å"Sometimes, emotions are triggered virtually automatically, such as when we recoil fearfully from a snake† (Gross, 2002). The example he uses, as previously stated, is not one that every person reading his article may know or have experienced but it also effective and contradicts the popular press article because it is an example which holds no emotional value. By not using emotion to shape his example, it is evident that Gross is not trying to persuade the reader to one view in any way, but rather just tells the facts. These forms of expressions are typical of a scholarly or peer reviewed article but that doesn’t mean that Carey couldn’t use this form of fact telling to get his point across. Content with emotional backup is favored by a reader just wanting a general picture because it makes for a more interesting read which is obviously Carey’s type of audience and not Gross’s. As far as content of the articles is concerned, it seems that the social consequences of emotion suppression are the bigger picture and focus of them both. Research in the past few years has found that people develop a variety of psychological tools to manage what they express in social situations, and those techniques often become subconscious, affecting interactions in unintended ways† (Carey, 2010, para. 6). Obviously what emotions we portray in interactions with others will affect the reactions of the partner and your own. Letting these emotions flow, whether positive or negative, seems to be a great way to release weight off your shoulders, so to speak. On the other hand, how we let emotions flow and to what extent has a major impact on our relationships with others. Positive portrayal of emotions is always the key to keeping healthy interactions. Even if it is anger that you are showing, sometimes letting the other person know why you are angry allows both of you to work on a solution which in turn is a positive consequence. Suppression is found to also lessen the psychological experience of a situation and also negatively decrease memory abilities during that period of time (Gross, 2002). Introverts therefore, keeping their personal feelings secret, would not mentally feel as strongly about an exciting event as someone who would greatly express their joy or excitement. So it seems that in this case, the more you show you’re excited, the more excited you become. Suppression then can be seen as a downward spiral to levels of low satisfaction, also known as the snowball effect. Although biases in published articles are regularly avoided, sometimes an author will include their beliefs about the topic more than they intend to. Biases generally are not an in-your-face way of illustrating an author’s view but rather a hidden and underlying focus that not only shows the author’s preference but unknowingly slightly persuades a reader to agree with the writer. One way of biasing toward one train of thought is to only state that one opinion that the author has and not the opposing view. Thus it can be seen that Gross is not biased toward suppression only being a negative social consequence through sentences like: â€Å"Compared to reappraisal, suppression leads individuals to share less of their positive and negative emotions, resulting in weakened social support, and even being less liked† (Gross, 2002). Being an author of a mainly research based article, Gross makes it clear that there is evidence that not only are there other forms of emotion regulation but different forms of suppression as well. In opposition to using other types of emotion regulation to further support evidence of suppressions consequences, Carey continues to use only examples of poor regulation to back up his conclusions. By mentioning that useful emotions are beneficial in certain settings, he veers away from going in depth about reappraisal because of how it might tone down his argument of how suppression is the main way that emotion regulation goes awry. Because Carey wrote this article in response to research and experiments about a scientific topic and not about social issues themselves, his bias is not a strong one or clearly apparent unless really evaluated as such. Largely due to less strict guidelines, popular press articles almost without fail are not just a write-up of facts but contain a viewpoint of some sort. This viewpoint not only shows the writers perspective but also generally allows the reader to decide for themselves what it is they choose to believe. Whether in light of the facts or in common beliefs, we can be sure that without a doubt emotion regulation controls all of our social interactions sometimes without us even noticing. However, Carey states that â€Å"people may choose the emotions they feel far more often than they are aware – and those choices, too, can trip up social interactions† (Carey, 2010, para. 17). Emotions may clearly show our feelings but the correct way to do so remains quite imperfect. With new studies like those discussed in Gross’s ending address to researchers there is still much to be learned about how we as humans can positively impact our own lives in how we regulate our emotions. If we can learn as developing youngsters how to affect our social habits we may very well see a decline in mental and social disorders in society. There are valuable strategies for different situations, the only trouble is deciding which one is right (Carey, 2010, para. 26). Mastering our own actions and portrayal of emotions will not ever reach perfection. These actions and feelings are often dealt with unconsciously so it is impossible to completely control them yet if we do control all that we can the world may very well be a more accepting environment and impact our own and other’s interactions for the better. Such hopes are more than likely the motivation for each of these authors to learn and write about the subject. Carey and Gross alike wrote for the greater good of informing about emotion regulation but their two articles were also not alike in so many ways. The context in which each author writes is ever so different for whom they are writing. More importantly though, the content the authors include paints a much bigger picture. Both articles focus on how poor emotion regulation has a huge consequence on our social lives. Their focuses differ however, because Carey focuses his article on how suppression is almost always a bad technique while Gross gives insight as to how there are different approaches of suppression and emotion regulation in general. To say the least, these two articles are comparatively alike in topic but contrast the divided views of the topic in whole, shedding new light on the future of emotion regulation.

Whenever vs. When Ever

Whenever vs. When Ever Whenever vs. When Ever Whenever vs. When Ever By Maeve Maddox It’s interesting that two-word phrases like â€Å"any place,† â€Å"a lot,† and â€Å"all right† are often squeezed into nonstandard one-word forms like anyplace, alot, and alright, but one-word wherever is often written incorrectly as â€Å"when ever.† As a relative conjunction introducing a conditional clause, whenever means â€Å"at whatever time, no matter when.† Here are some examples in which whenever is used correctly: Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.- Mark Twain Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.- Oscar Wilde. Whenever I turn on my computer, the screen says â€Å"Monitor going to sleep.† Here are examples of whenever incorrectly written as two words: Incorrect: Journalists are like dogs, when ever anything moves they begin to bark. Correct : Journalists are like dogs, whenever anything moves they begin to bark. Incorrect: She smiles at me when ever I see her. Correct : She smiles at me whenever I see her. Incorrect: The computer crashes when ever I try to game. Correct : The computer crashes whenever I try to game. The words when and ever are written separately when the sense is â€Å"when, if ever?† Here are some examples of when ever used correctly: When ever will you  get over your fear of cats? When ever will you  have this chance again?   When ever will they learn  to not put stuff up there? When  ever  did these feelings start?   When ever are you going to clean the house? When, Ever, Is a Murderer Anything but a Murderer? If your intended meaning is â€Å"every time that,† write whenever. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:8 Types of Parenthetical Phrases10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing

Report Card Comments for Elementary Teachers

Report Card Comments for Elementary Teachers When writing report card comments, focus on the students existing strengths and look for ways to motivate the student to improve in areas of weakness by providing advice. The following phrases and statements can help you tailor your comments for each specific student. Writing report card comments designed to instill ambition within students can empower them to make positive changes. Try to provide specific examples whenever you can to make your report card comments more personal. Key Takeaways: Report Card Comments Stress positive attributesUse words such as requires, struggles, or seldom to show when a child needs extra helpIntroduce areas in need of work in a way that wont make parents feel like youre criticizing the student unnecessarily, for example, list negative comments under a comments section titled goals to work on Supportive and detailed comments can provide parents with ways to partner with you to make students feel empowered to do better Attitude and Personality Phrases should present information n a straightforward manner about the students classroom temperament, giving suggestions for improvements when possible: Has a good attitude toward school.Is an enthusiastic learner who seems to enjoy school.Strives to reach his full potential.Shows initiative and thinks things through for herself.Exhibits a positive outlook and attitude in the classroom.Is a sweet and cooperative child.Is self-confident and has excellent manners.Is honest and trustworthy in dealings with others.Is developing a better attitude toward schoolwork this year.Needs to improve classroom attitude by learning to better collaborate with classmates.Needs to work on sharing more with others and being a better friend. Comments should be both celebratory and constructive when appropriate. Give examples of what works well for students, recognize areas in which they truly excel, and provide information not only on what needs to be improved but how the student can improve in those areas. Continues to make nice progress this year concerning...As we discussed in our last parent-teacher conference, [your childs] attitude toward the basic skills is...I will continue to need your help and support in order for [your child] to overcome his attitude and social difficulties. He will find school a much more pleasant place if he/she can make a positive effort in this area.[Your childs] attitude has continued to improve. Thank you for your support and cooperation.[Your child] has shown a good attitude about trying to improve in [this subject]. I am hoping this recent interest and improvement will continue throughout the school year. Participation and Behavior Spend time reflecting not just on grades but also the students actions in class. Participation is often a significant portion of the grading model, and your comments should address the level of a students participation, such as remains an active learner throughout the school day and is enthusiastic about participating. Comments should also address a students behavior, both positive and negative. Takes an active role in discussions.Needs to actively participate in classroom discussion.Listens attentively to the responses of others.Is courteous and shows good manners in the classroom.Consistently cooperates with the teacher and other students.Is kind and helpful to everyone in the classroom.Caring, kind, and eager to please.Needs to listen to directions.Needs to work on staying focused and on task.Needs to work on not distracting others during class. Time Management and Work Habits Students who are always well-prepared for class and have strong organization study habits can benefit from being reminded that this simple, yet important, skill is recognized and appreciated. Similarly, students who arent prepared, rush their work, or need to stay on task more need to know that this behavior is noticed and is not condoned. Your comments can provide clear recognition of skills and give parents insight into areas in which students need to improve. Is well-prepared for class each day.Rushes through work or does not work at an appropriate pace.Never completes assignments in the allotted time.Comprehends well, but needs to work more quickly.Puts her best effort into homework assignments.Stays on task with little supervision.Is a self-motivated student.Sacrifices accuracy for unnecessary speed in his written work.Completes assignments in the time allotted.Avoids careless errors through attention to detail.Uses class time wisely.Needs to keep her cubby and desk better organized. General Learning and Social Skills How a student works with peers and makes friends can be reflective of their personalities, and what they need in order to succeed in life. Your comments should reflect the students abilities to work in groups, individually, and if they are good citizens. Pay attention to how students interact with each other not just in the classroom, but also on the field and at recess, where they often dont feel like the teachers are directly supervising. Needs to be accepting and willing to make new friends.Responds well to positive praise and clear expectations.Is learning to be careful, cooperative, and fair.Works well in groups, planning and carrying out activities.Works democratically with peers.Makes little effort when not under direct supervision.Needs a lot of repetition and practice in order to retain the information given.Shows self-confidence in...Uses a variety of learning strategies to help with...Applies knowledge of...Needs more opportunities to ...Writes clearly and with purpose.Seeks responsibilities and follows through. Helpful Words Here are some helpful words to include in your report card comment section: aggressive, ambitious, anxious, confident, cooperative, dependable, determined, developing, energetic, emerging, friendly, generous, happy, helpful, imaginative, improving, neat, observant, pleasant, polite, prompt, quiet, receptive, reliant, resourceful. Stress the positive attributes and list goals to work on to notify the parents about the negatives. Use words such as requires, struggles, or seldom to show when a child needs extra help. Introduce areas in need of work in a way that wont make parents feel like youre criticizing the student unnecessarily. Addressing Areas in Need of Improvement You can tweak any of the phrases above to indicate an area of improvement by adding the word Needs to. For a more positive spin on a negative comment, list it under a comments section titled goals to work on. For example, for a student who rushes through the work, you might say something like, Needs to focus on trying to do his best work without rushing and having to be the first one finished. Supportive and detailed comments can provide parents with ways to partner with you to make students feel empowered to do better.

Aztecs And Incas Essay Research Paper The

Aztecs And Incas Essay, Research Paper The Inca and the Aztec were likewise in some ways but besides had really big differences. The Inca lived on the northeasterly seashore of South America from 1450 AD to 1535 AD. The Aztecs lived in cardinal Mexico from 1325 AD to 1523 AD. Let # 8217 ; s expression at the agribusiness. The Inca had an advanced agribusiness system, which allowed them to turn more nutrient and specialize. They would carve stairss out of a hill and so would works veggies such as maize, beans, and squash. These were called patios. They besides had an advanced irrigation system that consisted of canals and watercourses to assist H2O the patios. The Aztecs besides had an advanced agricultural system. They used drifting gardens called chinampas which were tonss made of reeds which dirt was put onto and so seeds were planted in it. This manner they could hold more land for farming. Let # 8217 ; s expression at warfare. The Inca were non really aggressive people and seldom fought wars. Normally they fought merely to suppress more lands or if they were threatened. You will read subsequently how a civil war brought the Inca empire down. The Aztecs were a really militant civilisation and were really aggressive. They fought frequently so they could take prisoners for forfeit. All Aztec work forces were required to contend at the male monarch # 8217 ; s order. When they could non happen a alibi for war they played a ball game called tlatchli in which the also-rans of the game would be sacrificed. Now let # 8217 ; s expression at faith. The Incas faith was complex and focused around the Sun. The Inca believed in blood forfeit and graven images. Besides they sacrificed black llamas as offe rings to the Sun. Like the Inca, the Aztec faith focused around the Sun. They believed in human forfeit and that the Sun would decease if they did non do a forfeit. Aztec priests made the forfeits and were ranked high in the Aztec civilisation. Now let # 8217 ; s talk about authorities. The Inca authorities was a rigorous monarchy. The chief swayers were the male monarch and his Lords. The people # 8217 ; s lives were wholly controlled by the male monarch and his Lords. Without the male monarch and his Lords, the imperium would fall. The Aztec authorities consisted of an emperor who ruled the people. The following most of import individual to the emperor was the snake adult female ( who was a adult male ) , who advised the emperor in of import determinations. The last of import group in the authorities were the Lords, knights, and the priests. Let # 8217 ; s talk about the ruin of the civilisations. The terminal of the Incas imperium was in 1531 at the custodies of the Spanish. They were conquered by a Spanish soldier named Francisco Pizzaro. The Incas imperium fell when the male monarch and all the Lords were murdered by Pizzaro when they came out to recognize him. With no swayers to steer the people, the Incas imperium was subdued easy. The Aztec were conquered in 1521 by the Spanish. They were conquered by Hernando Cortes. He had taken over them with a little ground forces in 1519, but was driven out of Mexico. Cortes came back with a larger ground forces in 1521 and eventually conquered the Aztecs. These are some of the large differences between the Inca and Aztec civilisations. But they besides had some similarities like in agriculture and faith. Its interesting how some different civilizations can be likewise.

Essay Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review - Essay Example According to Kenneth, China, in-spite of making advancements in science was unable to emerge as a strong economy. It was troubled due to its non-integrated political framework that prevented free trade and exchange of goods between different regions (Kenneth, 12-15) Weak political structure not allowed much of innovations to be carried forward to the next level of production. However, Europe attempted for excellence in its work, brought new styles of production that reduced time and energy and facilitated greater efficiency. Another factor that greatly influenced capitalism was the geographical set up. North Western Europe has vast coalmines. When North America became the largest importer of coal then Europe started specializing in the production of energy rather than agriculture. An influenced of trade and commerce came at hand, which in turn gave phenomenal increase to entrepreneurship in Europe. Individual enterprise, easy availability of credit and huge profits were the motivations for the people of Europe. The capitalists in Europe emerged from monasteries as these religious places amassed wealth. Materialistic tendencies gave rise to individualist approach towards trade practices. This need to increase wealth gave rise to capitalism that fueled one of the most important revolutions of the modern world i.e. The Industrial

Wars and Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wars and Religion - Research Paper Example We have also used religion to explain certain things in the past that we as a people could not explain, understand or accept, such as the ancient Greeks using their gods to explain how the sun rises and sets, or how Zeus used lightning. Not everyone believes in the same deity, in fact not all religions and beliefs have only one deity. Some have many gods, like Hinduism or Ancient Greek and Roman beliefs. Other beliefs do not have deities but instead, are about worshiping ancestors or objects. And for some reason, weather it is because of a lack of understanding, conflict of belief, and other factors, wars have been fought over religion. Religious wars have been part of man’s history almost as long as religion its self, and our history books are filled with conflicts, persecutions, wars that have been waged in the name of religion. This paper’s purpose is to take a look at some of these religious struggles and discuss happened in the events and provide some feedback abou t them. This paper will focus on certain wars and struggles throughout history that have had significant effects on our civilization as a whole. There will be some key points about these conflicts that will be stressed in this paper namely; how the conflict began, who were included in the conflict, some main points about the conflict such as political effects and justifications, and finally, how it ended. This paper will focus mainly on known and historical wars and conflicts and break them down with the key points mentioned above. It will attempt to make brief, concise and objective comments and analysis of these wars. The wars and conflicts that will be discussed and analyzed in this paper are as follows: †¢ The persecution of Christians in the Ancient Roman empire †¢ The crusades †¢ The Islam – Hindu conflict in India †¢ The Jewish state of Israel and its conflicts †¢ The attacks of September 11 on the United states †¢ Conclusion The persecuti on of Christians in the Ancient Roman Empire. For those who are not very familiar with history, it may be hard to understand that there was a persecution of Christians in Rome, since we now know of the religion known as â€Å"Roman Catholic† but despite the confusion, there was a mass persecution of Christians in ancient Rome. Before Rome became a Christian symbol, it first was a place of pagan religion. An article by mariamilani.com provides us with a bit if insight as to what happened during this time. The growth of the Christian church during this time meant that the Christians were also Roman citizens and because of the speed at which they multiplied, they were, as the article says â€Å"more than a religion amongst many but rather like a state within a state†. Now at first, the people of Ancient Rome were liberal and fine about the idea of worshiping different deities depending on their needs, and Rome its self was alright with its citizens worshiping whichever de ity they please as long as they do not go against the state. As for the treatment of Christians, it was not at all that bad at first. Some places were very neutral of Christians while other places even celebrated it. The problem came when the emperors of Rome began to follow a more oriental style of rule being that they were to be considered living gods that ruled over Ancient Rome and in order to pay respect to the state, a citizen would have to worship the Roman emperor. This now, was very much against the Christian belief since they have a monotheistic belief. Added to this is that fact that, according to the article, â€Å"they were following a law which had a point of reference which was not

Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Memo - Essay Example She needs exhaustive information that will enable her influence formulation of an appropriate public relations campaign. The audience requires utmost formality in this context. The memo is an official document that will influence successive undertakings at the company. She will file the memo for future references a feature that requires formality. The audience values exhaustive and objective communication. She requires an extensive analysis of the effects that the detour will have on the local Indonesian communities. Key among the benefits of the audience is the fact that she is a professional in the sector. This implies that she will readily understand the concepts I will address. Furthermore, she understands the project and will easily transform the ideas I will present into appropriate public relations campaigns. While the planned detour is inevitable, it will present a number of adverse ramifications on the rural Indonesian community. The planned diversion traverses large plantations of chili, coffee and team among other crops. The terrain is rugged but has a clean and quiet atmosphere. As such, the diversion that seeks to make large trucks move through the rural villages will cause immense disruptions on the community’s way of life. Key among the social and cultural features of the community are: With such an overview and basic understanding of the community, the research team will investigate the effects that the diversion will have on each of the above features among many others thereby creating an appropriate campaign message. The team members will undertake their duties as follows: The team will carry out an extensive analysis of the nature of the detour on its effects on the local community thereby developing an effective public relations campaign that will inform the locals thereby safeguarding the reputation of the

Inventory Management for EMC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Inventory Management for EMC - Research Paper Example Figure 1 indicates that most of the goods are work-in-progress. At the beginning of the year work-in-progress (WIP) represented approximately 39% of the goods in stock, finished goods 25, raw materials 21% and purchased parts 15%. At the end of the period they represent 36%, 28%, 19% and 17% respectively. According to Wong (2006) the first step in determining an inventory situation can be facilitated through the use of ABC analysis. This analysis determines the importance of items and the level of controls placed on them. Using the relative proportions of cost of goods sold for the company’s product line the relative proportions of the different inventory types are shown in Table 1 below. The actual raw material and purchased parts that are used to make the different products in each product line has not been identified but it shows that 37.48% are decorative hardware, 27.25% construction hardware, 25.85% Cabinet Hardware and 9.42% Fasteners. In order to improve the inventory situation at EMC the company should first apply ABC analysis. ABC analysis places emphasis on the value of inventory (Wong n.d.). Focusing on inventory with the highest value can allow companies to assign the necessary resources to achieve the optimum inventory levels and in so doing reduce inventory cost while ensuring that customers needs are met (Wong n.d.). ABC analysis when applied to EMC’s inventory situation will help the company determine the importance of items and the level of controls that should be placed on them. The majority of EMC’s inventory relates to items used in the production of decorative and construction hardware. These could be described as the A items because they are of higher value while those used in the production of cabinet hardware would be the B items, and fasteners - C items. The A items (a combination of decorative and construction hardware

Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel Research Paper

Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel have to manage water crucially needed or the Palestinian people - Research Paper Example rael has recently reconfirmed its intention to implement the decision of the Local Israeli Assembly for Organization and Building to give a piece of land from the Hadera area to build a desalination plant for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority†¦The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) [...] states that the Palestinian side is unwilling to purchase water at such a high cost from sources that are on the Mediterranean Coast and Jordan River, knowing that this water in fact partially belongs to the Palestinians but is inaccessible for them. (EMIS) If the Palestinians do not want water, what is their agenda? The agenda is Palestinians want to expel Jews from Israel. They believe that Israel should be Palestine, despite the military victories giving Israel more land. The Gaza Strip is a very small area of land with a total area of only 360 square kilometers (roughly 150 square miles — ed.). It is underlain by a shallow aquifer, which is contiguous with the Israeli Coastal Aquifer to the north. Gaza is the â€Å"downstream user† of the Coastal Aquifer system, and hence water abstraction in Gaza does not affect Israeli water supplies†¦In addition, missile strikes and ground incursions have repeatedly damaged and destroyed pipelines, and maintenance personnel have been arrested, shot at, or even killed whilst trying to carry out repairs†¦Inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure and damage to wastewater and drinking water pipelines has allowed sewage water to contaminate drinking water supplies, leading to sharp increases in water borne diseases in many areas†¦Failure to control over-pumping has led to sea-water intrusion into the aquifer to the extent that, in 2003, only 10 % of the wells produced water of World Healt h Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. (Gray) For another, Israel has never â€Å"helped itself† to water â€Å"beneath Palestinian lands.† Israel obtains roughly 50 percent of its water from the Sea of Galilee and the Coastal Aquifer, both

Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Memo - Essay Example She needs exhaustive information that will enable her influence formulation of an appropriate public relations campaign. The audience requires utmost formality in this context. The memo is an official document that will influence successive undertakings at the company. She will file the memo for future references a feature that requires formality. The audience values exhaustive and objective communication. She requires an extensive analysis of the effects that the detour will have on the local Indonesian communities. Key among the benefits of the audience is the fact that she is a professional in the sector. This implies that she will readily understand the concepts I will address. Furthermore, she understands the project and will easily transform the ideas I will present into appropriate public relations campaigns. While the planned detour is inevitable, it will present a number of adverse ramifications on the rural Indonesian community. The planned diversion traverses large plantations of chili, coffee and team among other crops. The terrain is rugged but has a clean and quiet atmosphere. As such, the diversion that seeks to make large trucks move through the rural villages will cause immense disruptions on the community’s way of life. Key among the social and cultural features of the community are: With such an overview and basic understanding of the community, the research team will investigate the effects that the diversion will have on each of the above features among many others thereby creating an appropriate campaign message. The team members will undertake their duties as follows: The team will carry out an extensive analysis of the nature of the detour on its effects on the local community thereby developing an effective public relations campaign that will inform the locals thereby safeguarding the reputation of the

Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel Research Paper

Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel have to manage water crucially needed or the Palestinian people - Research Paper Example rael has recently reconfirmed its intention to implement the decision of the Local Israeli Assembly for Organization and Building to give a piece of land from the Hadera area to build a desalination plant for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority†¦The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) [...] states that the Palestinian side is unwilling to purchase water at such a high cost from sources that are on the Mediterranean Coast and Jordan River, knowing that this water in fact partially belongs to the Palestinians but is inaccessible for them. (EMIS) If the Palestinians do not want water, what is their agenda? The agenda is Palestinians want to expel Jews from Israel. They believe that Israel should be Palestine, despite the military victories giving Israel more land. The Gaza Strip is a very small area of land with a total area of only 360 square kilometers (roughly 150 square miles — ed.). It is underlain by a shallow aquifer, which is contiguous with the Israeli Coastal Aquifer to the north. Gaza is the â€Å"downstream user† of the Coastal Aquifer system, and hence water abstraction in Gaza does not affect Israeli water supplies†¦In addition, missile strikes and ground incursions have repeatedly damaged and destroyed pipelines, and maintenance personnel have been arrested, shot at, or even killed whilst trying to carry out repairs†¦Inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure and damage to wastewater and drinking water pipelines has allowed sewage water to contaminate drinking water supplies, leading to sharp increases in water borne diseases in many areas†¦Failure to control over-pumping has led to sea-water intrusion into the aquifer to the extent that, in 2003, only 10 % of the wells produced water of World Healt h Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. (Gray) For another, Israel has never â€Å"helped itself† to water â€Å"beneath Palestinian lands.† Israel obtains roughly 50 percent of its water from the Sea of Galilee and the Coastal Aquifer, both

Anthem and Farenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Anthem and Farenheit 451 Essay Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem Comparison Essay When a person is entrapped within a society that dictates their behaviour, thoughts, and opinions they are unable to grasp the realization of their societies corrupt nature. However, there is always the odd individual who willing and capable of uncovering the truth of their society. In the novels Anthem by Ayn Rand, and Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury the main characters of the novels were able to find truth by, forming friendships that are banned by their societies, rebelling against the grain of society to gain knowledge or form ideas, and finding flaws within their societies. Thus proving that, when one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling society it leads to self-discovery because they find the courage to escape. When one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling society by forming friendships that are banned it leads to self-discovery, because they find the courage to escape. For instance, Montag a character form the novel Fahrenheit 451. In the society that he lived in, any types of reading material was considered forbidden. Those who took it upon themselves to embrace the reading material were considered to be just as harmful as the material itself, because it lead people to believe â€Å"all the false promises, all the second-hand notions and time worn philosophies† that people had (Bradbury, 76). However, Montag intentially befriended an elderly man named Faber, who in his younger days, before the revolution, was an English professor. Montag know that Faber was knowledgeable in literature, but he became his friend regardless of this fact because he was curious of the forbidden treasures that his society kept from him. On the other hand Faber was aware of the glorious preachings, concepts, and ideas that literature held, and he was also aware of the error his society was making when it decided to eliminate reading material during its transformation. Although he was conscious of the valuable information that would be lost Faber did not speak out or fight against this decision, in turn he lost one of the most valuable things in his life: â€Å"I’m one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no would listen to the ‘guilty,’ but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself†¦ Now it’s too late† (Bradbury, 82). Faber’s misfortune friendship and his non-existent initiative to fight for literature inspired Montag to discover his true self, and his own beliefs that lead him to flee form his society in order to end up regretting the fact that he did not protest for his right to knowledge. Thus showing that by Montag forming a friendship that was not excepted by his society he found the courage to escape. A second example of one finding enough courage to escape a controlling society, because of a banned friendship is Equality 7-2521 of the novel Anthem. In the society in which Equality 7-2521 lives feelings and emotions that one may have towards another are forbidden, because it makes that individual different and unique from others within a society where everyone is to be considered equal. Although this is a main law Equality finds himself being drawn to a young girl by the name of Liberty 7-2000. With his new found attraction Equality 7-2521 reaches out to the girl in hopes of grasping a relationship, and this is exactly what he achieves. The relationship between Equaulity 7-2521 and Liberty 7-2000 helped him discover his true self. It made him realize that he was able to have love for someone else and that there was nothing wrong or improper about the feelings that he was experiencing and that this was not curse but an advantage, one that have him an individual. Equality’s self discovery, gave him the gallantry to escape form his society, because it made him recognize how corrupt and controlling his society was and it also made him realize that the only way he would ever truly be happy is if he were free. Both characters with in the novels Anthem, and Fahrenheit 451 discovered themselves by forming friendships that were not excepted in their society, an din both cases they gained enough courage to escape. Montag’s friendship with Faber inspired Montag to escape and realize his true self only because he was afraid to become what Faber was; a coward, not willing to fight for his beliefs. In contrast, the friendship that Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 7-2000 shared inspired Equality to discover his self, and escape, because he was different and enjoyed being unique from the rest of his society. This shows that although both characters were inspired by friendships, the reasons for their actions, and their self-discovery were different. Thus proving that, when one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling society it leads to self-discovery, because they find the courage to escape. A second factor that must be accounted for is the fact that when one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling by rebelling against the grain of society to form ideas or gain knowledge it leads to self revelation and it gives them the courage to escape. A good example of this is Equality 7-2521. In the novel Anthem Equality seeks and finds truth in his society by discovering a source of energy. The process of Equality’s discovery was very long and strenuous and it consisted of disobeying the rules that were set, on many given nights in order to sneak away and work in his secretive tunnel on his invention. Because of what his society preached, he instilled in his thoughts that he was, â€Å"born with a curse† (Rand, 13). Equality 7-2521 believed this because he was curious about the nature of things and broke rules to explore the world in which he lived. However, when he discovered that he was able to produce a light from a source other than a candle his thoughts and opinions towards himself and his society changed. His society did not want to recognize or accept the new energy that he discovered. The society’s ignorant towards Equality 7-2521’s discovery, that could have changed the way that the society lived and worked angered him. In result it made him discover that he was a unique individual that had thoughts that were far more indepth and surpassed the thoughts of others he was surrounded by. Equality 7-2521’s search to gain knowledge helped him build the strength to escape the controlling society that he lived in because he realized that it and the individuals that it contained were just holding him back form discovering his true self and environment further. Equality 7-2521 sought truth within his society by rebelling against it and forming a new idea and that gave him the strength to escape. In addition, Montag from the novel Fahrenheit 451 was also in search of truth and did so by rebelling against his society and gaining knowledge that resulted in courage to brake free. In the society of this novel people were restrained form reading literature, and to ensure that this law was not broken. It was the job of firefighters to burn and destroy all reading materials. Montag was a perfect example of a firefighter he ignighted books to ensure that the evil teachings that they held would never by absorbed by people of his society, until his curiosity overtook him: â€Å"there must be something in books, things we can’t imagine,†¦ there must be something there† (Bradbury, 51). This interest Montag had in hat his society withheld from it’s people soon overwhelmed him and he found himself rebelling by secretly recovering and protecting book form homes that were being destroyed because of the literature that they contained; â€Å"Montag felt the hidden book pound like a heart against his chest’’ (Bradbury, 39). Not only did Montag rebel by stealing books, but he embraced the knowledge inside. The wisdom that he acquired f rom these sources of knowledge lead him to self-discovery, because he realized the corrupt nature of his society. His society was so corrupt that he no longer wanted to take part and inhibit people form opening and expanding their minds. Montag’s self discovery is evident when â€Å"suddenly the odor of kerosene made him vomit,† although it was once such a great smell that only a true firefighter could love, and he could no longer fulfill his job as a firefighter and be happy (Bradbury, 49). Montag’s new found knowledge gave him the courage to escape because he recognized that if he stayed and continued to be controlled by his society that he would never be able to spread the knowledge and wisdom that he had gained. Both Equality 7-2521 and Montag rebelled within their society’s and in result formed ideas or captured some form of wisdom. Furthermore, both discovered themselves and recognized from their discovery that they needed to break free form their society in order to have freedom and the will to share their advanced knowledge and ideas. Montag and Equality 7-2521 both made discoveries that could have and would have changed the way their society’s functioned and thought. Although, what Montag realized had been recognized by individuals in his society before in contrast to Equality’s newly discovered light source that was unknown to his society. Therefore proving that when one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling society, it leads to self-discovery, because it gives them the courage to escape. The last factor that must be accounted for is the fact that when one presues truth within the confines of a manipulating society by finding flaws within, it leads to self-discovery, because they find the courage to escape. An example of this is Equality 7-2521. The society that he lived in is very narrow minded and believes that conformity is essential in order for all to be content. Their Motto: â€Å"We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, one, indivisible and forever,† is the basis of their ethics, and suppresses them form leading a typical lifestyle. No one within the society of the novel Anthem was permitted to have thoughts, pinions, or ideas of their own. Equality 7-2521 was silenced by the conformity that his society had. Finally he came to the realization that his society’s flaw was depriving him and others of their individuality. This realization gave Equality 7-2521 a better understanding of himself. Him recognizing his society’s flaw gave him the bravery to escape, because he realized that his society would never learn from it mistakes and frailties, and that he needed to take action in order to provide a better and more fulfilling life for himself and others. Therefore, Equality 7-2521 investigation for truth within his society led him to the realization of flaws that it contained, and gave him the courage to escape. In comparison, in the novel Fahrenheit 451 Montag uncovers imperfections within his society, that directed him to discover himself, because it gave him the courage to retreat. The society that Montag lives in confines the population by restraining them from any sort of reading material, in fear that the material will cause people to become unhappy, depressed, or angry, with the information that it consists of: â€Å"We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought†¦ Don’t let the torrent of melancholy and drear philosophy drown our world† (Bradbury, 62). This quotation proves that this society believes that it is truly making people happy by holding back, and not allowing them to have opinions and thoughts of their own, basically controlling them. Not only does the society of the novel control people by making it known that they can not enjoy the pleasure, and benefits of reading, but they also control them with parlor walls, which are giant televisions that take up an entire living room wall. These walls â€Å"tell you what to think and blasts it in. It must be right. It seems so right. It rushes you on so quickly to its own conclusions your mind hasn’t time to protest† (Bradbury, 84). Montag realizes that this is his society’s major fault, and the reason that they are in desperate attempts of controlling everyone is because they believe and want everyone to be alike: â€Å"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitutions says, but everyone made equal† (Bradbury, 58). Montag’s recognition of his society’s flaw leads him to self-discovery ecause he realizes exactly what his society is doing, and knows that it is not mentally healthy for any individual. Montag breaks free of his society by escaping, because he yearns for the knowledge and independency that his society refuses to provide and except. Both characters apprehend that their society’s have major obstacles that they have to overcome before it could ever become a well functioning and productive society with well functioning individuals. They also escape the societies, because they realize that nothing will ever be done about the blunders that they hold. Furthermore, both Montag, and Equality 7-2521 conceive when free from their past societies that they want to take action, and establish a society of their own. Both societies in the two novels Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem find ways of controlling the humanity that it with hold by molding them into what them want them to be. Thus and thus proving that when one seeks truth within the confines of a controlling society it leads to self-discovery, because they find the courage to escape.

Principle-agent Problem in Shareholders and Managers

Principle-agent Problem in Shareholders and Managers This essay identifies the principle-agent problem between shareholders and managers. It also overlooks UKs corporate governance compared to Germany and Japan. Furthermore effectiveness of UKs system will be analyzed amid recommendations to reduce the vulnerability. Economic theory speculates that a firms goal is to capitalize on shareholders wealth; achievable with entrepreneurial firm since owners are managers. However, ownership nowadays is significantly diluted, with companies owned by large shareholder groups. This causes the separation of ownership and management which hinders the relationship between shareholders and managers; where managers replace shareholders interest with their own. This may be due to information asymmetry  [1]  where managers have the power to act in accordance to shareholder needs. This is known as the agency problem and is common in modern corporate. Under this theory the relationship is formed through a binding contract whereby principals (shareholders) appoint the agents (managers) to execute services with authority to make decisions. However such contracts are imperfect as the impracticality to include every action of the agent whose decisions has an impact on their and the principals benefits. Thus, self interested behaviour arises in organisations as the interest of both parties diverges, i.e. principals interest regards maximisation of shareholders wealth (profit maximisation) whereas agents interest lies in own utility maximisation (bonuses/promotion). Shareholders permit managers to run the firms assets; resulting in a conflict of interest. The fundamental problem therefore is to align the interests of both parties. Furthermore, principals expect board of directors to base their decisions on maximising equity value. However the board of directors expect managers to follow strategies that support their goals. This situation illustrates that shareholders have no direct input into the operation and therefore have no power to tell managers what to do. This issue arises because of the separation of ownership and control and therefore managers are able to pursue goals beneficial to them and unfavourable to shareholders. Overall, detachment between the two parties increases lack of goal congruence. The question arises as to why shareholders do not monitor management? There are three reasons why taking control causes difficulties. (1) Expensive to monitor managerial activities as obtaining information is difficult (2) disgruntled shareholders are unable to pose threats in order to reduce undesirable managerial behaviour i.e. hiring an outside member and (3) dispersed shareholders have an incentive to free ride. Keasy et al 1997 regards the above as economic costs to monitoring. These limitations pose problems for shareholder wealth since undesirable managerial actions takes place in the absence of control. Shareholders may introduce incentive packages which include profit related bonuses, performance, promotion incentives and encourage employees to buy shares which increase their wages, to encourage agents to make optimal effort. Due to the above problems, nations have developed systems which carry out independent monitoring and control of the firm in order to align the overall goal. OECD 1999 stated that corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance. In UK capital markets play a vital role where share prices advocates performance levels. Managements focus is to maximize shareholders wealth through the use of independent board of directors. The fear of takeover bids forces management to undergo effective actions. Approximately 50% of shares are held by institutional investors indicating dominant ownership. Cadbury Report 1992 states large proportion of shareholder ownership influence companys actions. In 2008 the Financial Reporting council developed the Combined Code i.e. various reports/codes pertaining good corporate governance. The most influential is Cadbury Report 1992  [2]  , was produced as the lack of monitoring management activities caused several scandals whereby executives acted in their interest. Initially, Polly Peck  [3]  went into liquidation after years of false accounting leading to scrutinizing of the financial aspects and accountability. However after the scams of BCCI and Robert Maxwell, they revised the relationship between boards, auditors and shareholders. The final report states CEOs and Chairmans of companies should be separated. Jenson 1993  [4]  states that if roles were mutual, conflict of interest would arise. Furthermore, 3 non-executive directors, two of whom should be independent  [5]  and an audit committee involving non-executives should be included. Companies were encouraged to follow these practises alongside the code of best practise which outlines other areas of concern. However the one size fits all problem was recognised by Cadbury causing all companies registered in UK to follow the comply or explain system. Companies should comply with corporate best practise or have legitimate reasons for non-compliance. Furthermore, the board must offer a full explanation to shareholders and explicate how their practises are consistent with shareholders. Its acceptable only when shareholders believe good governance has been achieved. Greenbury committee, formed to evaluate directors remuneration packages and the lack of disclosure of payments in the annual reports, commenced over publics anger regarding increases in executive pay. The report added to the Cadbury Code and advised (1) each board include a remuneration committee involving independent non-executives briefing shareholders annually and (2) directors should have LT  [6]  performance related pay, all disclosed in the annual accounts. Moreover, progress should be reviewed every 3 years to ensure companies are operating effectively. The Hampel committee  [7]  formed in 1998 suggested all previous principles should be collaborated into a Combined Code. Furthermore, the chairman of the boards should act as the leader, investors should consider voting the share and all remunerations information including pensions should be disclosed. The Turnbull Committee, created the next year, advised that directors should be held accountable for internal financial and auditing controls. Several reports have contributed to the Combined Code namely the Higgs review outlining the actions of non-executives. More recently, after the collapse of Northern Rock and the financial crisis that followed, the Walker Review formed a report concerning banking sectors. The Financial Reporting Council produced a new Stewardship Code in 2010. Germanys corporate system is mainly stakeholder oriented and diffuses away from shareholders interests. The objective is maximising stakeholder value thereby revealing several distinctive differences. Firstly, the banking sector is a major stakeholder. Charkham (1994) stated that banks hold a dominate position in financing and supervising companies for numerous reasons. (1) During 1870 companies were heavily reliant on credit. Banks began offering LT loans to LT clients who tied the companies, obtaining ownership and acting as shareholders within industrial firms. (2) Banks hold 25% of voting capital in large corporations and 28% of seats on the supervisory boards. (3) Banks are shareholder representatives, authorised to vote for their shares plus proxy shares  [8]  , giving further control. Consequently companies are unlikely to face takeovers, since banks will support them through financial hardships unlike in the UK. Secondly, co-operative culture is articulated under the Co-determination Act 1976 whereby workers obtain significant roles in the management process; known as work councils. Work council staff influence business actions and partake in decision making processes. Employees (elected by work councils) sit on the supervisory board when a firm has more than 2000 employees alongside shareholder representatives. This system reduces workforce conflicts by improving communication channels, increase bargaining power of workers through legislations and finally correct market failures. Overall productivity levels increase, with low levels of strikes as better pay and conditions entailing good industrial relations. Finally, Germany involves a two tier board compared to UKs one tier board. It includes a management board (Vorstand) where managers monitor daily operation and conduct of the firm. Plus a supervisory board (Aufsichtsrat) involving only non-executives  [9]  who monitor the management board responsibilities and approving decisions. Separation of the two increases the awareness of individual responsibilities and helps prevent management abuse. The downfall is having worker representatives on the supervisory board as they will opt for decisions beneficial for employees rather than company. For example closing down a factory may deem good for the company however problematic for redundant employees, making it is difficult to work in the best interest of the company. Germanys corporate system lies heavily on good industrial relations which considers its company, employees and public. It shows corporations are a social institution rather than an economic one as it does not put financial value for shareholders at the top of the list of policy objectives  [10]  . Shareholders are seen as one of many stakeholders and not just a privileged constituency. The Japanese corporate governance revolves around banking relations like Germany along with life time employment. There are prominent features including the intervention of government and close alliances between government and companies. Business and industrial activities are monitored by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, involving them in the management and decision process. Japanese corporate rely on main banks  [11]  which are all interlinked with firms, forming a concentrated ownership (shareholders). Prowse 1992 states that individuals hold 26.7% of a firms equity while corporations hold 67.3%. Unlike western countries, Japanese banks can hold equities up to 5%. The argument is by acting as lenders and shareholders, conflict of interests of debt providers and equity will be eradicated. Moreover banks hold these equities for long periods, building a LT banking relationship unlike UKs transactional banking. Furthermore, they are involved with the internal management by obtaining seats on the board of directors. They actively contribute in the decision process and act as insurers for companies entering financial difficulties i.e. bankruptcy or takeovers. Like Germany, banks form LT contracts with companies based on financial services and supervision and act as representatives for other shareholders through proxy votes. One major distinction in Japan is the Keiretsu system. Companies form close alliances mainly between banks, businesses and the government, by working towards each other success. The role of the government became important when they intervened in 1990s as Japan suffered a recession. The government wanted to restore the economy through its policies and regulations by improving the corporate governance to stimulate growth and investment. Germany and Japan both work toward the interest of the company and workers as a collective. However Japans board structure is different as all members consist of former employees excluding outside directors apart from bank officials. The boards have more members than UK and Germany as some companies have over 60 directors. This proves very effective as no domination of directors occur. According to Allen and Gale (2000), focusing on stakeholders rather than solely on shareholders, societies resources are being used efficiently as employees, suppliers and customers are taken into account. This enhances productivity, thus generating higher profits, benefiting the firm and shareholders. Since 1990 the UK have implemented many policies reforming the management and governance of companies. These range from codes, reports, regulation and legislations; but how effective are they? To ensure company interests are aligned with shareholders, UK has imposed various committees to monitor the effectiveness. For example, audit committees review audits annually and overlook financial relationships between companies and auditors. Nomination committees administer human resources and plans future directors. Compensation committees examine management actions and daily operations. Moreover the existence of institutional investors has its advantages as investing in firms they have incentive and motivation to monitor them. This leads to high performance levels which reduces agency costs. However, companies practise ST  [12]  profit maximisation without LT planning making companies underperform, therefore investors sell their shares and exit rather than voice their discontent (occurs mainly in Germany). Overall UKs approach in monitoring company interest is effective as companies have majority of existing shareholders through the need of committees. The Code of best practice gives shareholders confidence that companies are operating with high levels of transparency during decision making processes. From this, the comply or explain system was created, whereby some freedom is left for companies to make effective decisions. The gains from this is that (1) managers and shareholders follow the LT interest of both the company and owners (2) distinguishes the culture barrier individual firms face since there are different levels, size and ownership of companies, whereas code of best practice instils one size fits all rule. Moreover, codes are more effective than regulations as companies can grow whereas enforcing strict internal controls companies are limited to procedures. Furthermore, codes tackle more softer problems relating to best practise compared to regulations i.e. training and supporting directors in their role. The Cadbury Report reflects the above whereby The effectiveness with which boards discharge their responsibilities determines Britains competitiveness position. They must be free to drive their companies forward, but exercise that freedom within a framework of effective accountability. This is the essence of any system of good corporate governance. For this system to work effectively shareholders require full disclosure to facilitate them in their decisions and having rights when dissatisfied. Consequently companies must disclose information in their annual reports stating how they have applied the combined code and giving shareholders voting rights to discharge directors. All these requirements are set out under the company law making the system successful since it was adopted in EC  [13]  and included in the EUD  [14]  in 2006; outlining same principles. Empirical evidence show that UK has drawn close to the concept of good corporate governance. According to the FTSE ISS Corporate Governance Index and Governance Metrics International Reports, the UK has the highest average governance score out of all the countries. Moreover 94%  [15]  of UK pension Funds considered corporate standards in the UK has developed exceptionally. The following reforms revolve around two primary issues (1) lack of separation of management and control and (2) dilemma faced by non-executive directors in terms of monitoring. Accordingly UKs current reforms indicated the need for independent non-executive directors to minimise conflicts otherwise present. However, the disadvantage regarding this independence is, there is less incentive to spend a sufficient amount of time controlling company issues because they have no direct relationship with the company. In addition, doubts on how much knowledge they acquire also poses a problem. One possible pivotal solution that could be incorporated into UK governance is increasing the frequency and duration of board meetings. Company information is very broad and complex especially relating to LT financial performances, competitive position and organisational structure. Therefore it is vital that directors assign more time to assess the information and deem upon past decisions and events. It is recommended that directors meet on a monthly basis for continual supervision and allow directors to address all areas and ask specific questions that affect the future of the company. There are issues surrounding this proposal for example, preparation, however the more frequent the meetings the less time needed to prepare as oppose to the time needed for meetings held every quarter. Moreover, meetings should not be limited to a time schedule but rather should last until all aspects are covered. This method is very flexible for example meetings could last more than one day when a co mpany is in a difficult situation. The advantage is that opinions will be shared more openly and allows non-executive directors to be more involved; this should be carried when discussing the long term corporate strategy. Another solution is altering the composition of the board. In the Combined Code section A.3.2 it pronounces that at least half the board, excluding the Chairman, should comprise non-executive directors determined by the board to be independent. This does not specify the maximum number of seats in total. Therefore it is advisable that the fewer directors, the more likely that each director can play a dynamic and imperative role. The recommended number should consist of eight to ten directors in total. This is so that there is enough variety and sufficient array of viewpoints. When there are more than ten or twelve members on the board, there will be a free rider problem where some directors will stop preparing for meetings and rely on the work of others resulting in topics not being discussed in depth. Finally UK should consider adding a supervisory board like Germany and Japan as this will allow wider diversity among the decision making processes. Moreover it will reduce abuses from dominate directors since there is constant revision of management performance. Overall UK should cease to improve existing polices and the challenge lies in keeping UKs corporate governance an asset rather than a liability for companies.