Reflection Paper for Philosophy of Religion Essay

Religion has been as part of society as far as its beginnings. All ancient human civilization had some sort of belief in a God or the transcendent. Beliefs have always been an issue within any human society. The belief of the transcendent gives humans a chance or hope for eternal happiness for people who abide their beliefs. But through out history, different religions and beliefs emerged which gives rise to the inconsistency. There are numerous differences between religions: one versus many gods, personal versus impersonal gods, personal survival of believers versus no survival of believers, moral codes, religious life, etc. As observable in human history, though religions often offer some sort heaven it often paradoxically entails conflicts and controversies. And despite the fact that religions supposedly gives people a sense of what’s right or wrong, atrocities have been committed in the name of religion; the hundred years war, the inquisition, jihad, ethnical cleansings etc†¦ And amidst the variety of beliefs that populate contemporary society, one cannot help to think how to take in hand the overabundance of truths that sometimes overlaps, dissent, and eventually oppose each other. There are three stances one can take. First is to (1) treat all religions as valid and true (pluralism). Another way is to (2) view beliefs in way that some are right and some are wrong (exclusivism). Finally, one can also (3) think about all religions as false (atheism). Let me take into consideration the third stance first. By arguing that all religious beliefs are false, it also means arguing that God or any form of the transcendent does not exist. And by arguing this, means rejecting all of the theistic theses that were formulated in the history of man. And this is the part where the catholic philosopher’s shear my head off, as countless theologians in history were also philosophers. With atheism in hand, the question God’s Being is also raised. Paul Tillich argues that God is Being, where â€Å"Being† represented the ultimate reality that underlies all existence, whether natural or supernatural. In fact, Being doesn’t necessarily pertain to a personal God at all. Tillich wanted  to make Being stand for the ultimate concern of all humans, conceived in the broadest sense. Furthermore, any attempt to define what Being is, by giving it the name of a particular God, fails to capture the true Being. Tillich thinks that all particular conceptions of Being that we are familiar with in the West constitute idolatry. When we give religious symbols too much importance, then we have fallen into mere idolatry. It might be plausibly argued that a religion must possess religious symbols and rituals to qualify as a religion-but, if this is true, then all religions must in a way be idolatrous. This is quite a strong and ridiculous thing to claim. But on the other hand it can also be claimed that atheism is really theism because it possesses infinite concern. The unknowable â€Å"God behind God† symbols mediate our relationship with God. God is beyond existence and non-existence. This leads us to the more theistic approach on the variety of human belief. First is the idea of pluralism which is spearheaded by John Hick. Hick’s theory holds that all religions are expressions of the same ultimate reality. However, how is it possible for all religions to be true images of the same ultimate reality? They can’t all be correct because this would be a violation of the law of non-contradiction (the thesis that something cannot possess a property and lack it at the same time and in the same way). For example, to argue that God is personal from my religion’s perspective and not personal from another religion’s perspective and thus avoid the violation of the law of non-contradiction is to say that God is not ultimately personal. Since it has just been accepted that some other religion has an equally valid view of God which contradicts my own religion’s view, this conclusion once again dents the justification for believing in the specifi c theories of God by my particular religion (in fact, many religions will reject this compromise for this very reason; namely, because the religion’s views are not really believed to be entirely true). At one point, Hick argues that the ultimate reality of God has no properties or attributes by itself, but only in relation to believers. So the properties we attribute to God are relational properties, which don’t exist or pertain to God if we don’t exist to assign those properties to God. Yet, this theory still implies that each religion’s view of that ultimate reality is not completely true since there exist other, contradictory and  equally correct relative views of God. And this undermines the importance of that particular religion’s beliefs. Also, a being that has no properties or attributes in itself seems incoherent, because, once again, the law of non-contradiction does not seem to apply to that being in the absence of any believers. Besides, a being that has no properties is almost identical to nothing. On the other hand, one can also take the path of an Exclusivist. Exclusivism states that one’s own religion is true, all the other are false. Which yet again sets it in conflict with every other thought out there: Which religion is the true religion? For the exclusivist, salvation comes from faith in that one true religion. But, there are exceptions that present several problems. Examples of these are people who didn’t hear the religion’s message. Also there are those virtuous and good people who did hear the religion’s message but rejected it. One way to solve these problems is to accept a view that still accepts that there is one true religion (and all the others are false), but who is included in that religion is increased to include all of the people covered in the aforementioned examples (â€Å"Inclusivism†). In addition, the same difficulty mentioned above, of determining which religion is the one true religion, this theory also suffers in that it seems to undermine the importance of being one of the people who essentially hears and follows the message of that one religion. Since merely being a virtuous person is enough to get into heaven, it no longer seems to be all that important to hear any religion’s message, and this weakens the motivation for following that religion. Another way is to deal with the variety of belief is to treat them as some are more right than others. Although all beliefs may hold some truth in them as what a pluralist might say, there is also the notion of some beliefs holding more sensible, plausible, and appealing aspects than others. Treating beliefs that some are more right than others will impose some sort of hierarchy among them. Being so, there is no sense to take what is less that the optimal path or any belief other than the belief on the top of the ladder. This might be attributed to a sense of rationality or a mental faculty for deciding what people should hold is true or a sense of epistemic  duty. Since belief holds such importance in a person’s personal and social life as was mentioned earlier, it cannot be helped to seek verification of what is true and what is not. Then again, an argument can arise from here asking what basis of rightness or wrongness of a certain belief is in the aforementioned hierarchy. Certainly, we cannot take an objective perspective here due to nature of the subject as argued in numerable articles about belief (belief cannot be grounded empirically). This then leaves me with no means to measure the rightness or wrongness of a certain belief. If this is so, it can be said then that the matter of belief can be left to the personal opinions and values of the believer, or simply put, belief is completely subjective. Just like understanding any other major term in philosophy of religion, completely understanding the existence of variety of human beliefs in this case would be as hard as pinning gelatin to a wall. Just as one thinks one has held the whole thing in one point, the rest of it slips away and falls apart. And in the end we are back to ground zero, stuck in a standstill conflict of being either an atheist, pluralist or an exclusivist; a sort of conflict between two extremes of anarchy and tyranny. Pluralism in its purest form can lead to anarchy of beliefs due to the equal treatments of all beliefs as in way true and valid. Exclusivism taken to the extreme may is tyranny in sense that only one or some beliefs are the plausible ones to take. And the supposedly safe answer of atheism which every other theistic argument rebukes. Alluding to the idea of the other that cannot be consumed by the I in Hegelian manner of the thesis and the anti-thesis having a compromise in the form of the synthesis, religions can neither be equalized by a common denominator nor taken separately and treated with bias. Hick, Plantinga, and Tillich tried nobly to create stable grounds by creating bases for beliefs by conceptualizing the whole idea of religions and beliefs. Yet with the contradictions to every argument presented, loose or dead ends appear due to the infinitely vast reality (and paradoxically ambiguous) of religious beliefs, thus one cannot firmly hold his belief in every ground. Therefore, it can be said that there is no safe answer. A risk then of making a mistake is not avoidable just as every evil is inevitable in the world. And just as uncertain the issue of human belief is as every  philosophical paradox goes, it is left in the riddle of choice.

Meanings of Intelligence and Adaptive Behavior Essay

Until several years ago, many students who were classified as having ID or assigned into an inclusion classroom were not expected to participate in standardized testing, however as late, everyone in public schools is expected to participate in standardized assessments. Some educators are happy with the change while others are concerned the assessments are not an accurate assessment of what students actually know. For many students with learning disabilities, standardized assessments often don’t accurately indicate what the student truly knows and where they have deficits. One problem with assessing students with ID is the identification and classification of ID is that they differ greatly between states and is often inconsistent. According to Kortez, students with specific learning disabilities are served under the IDEA, however we use the word â€Å"classification† when referring to the category of and indentified student’s specific disability or disabilities (K ortez). The major problem that arises is the fact that identification is being highly inconsistent which is raising the concern students being mislabeled. It seems as though some educators are either over identifying or under indentifying students. However, this is not just a problem on the educator’s level; it is also showing up on the state level. It seems as though when the combined across the nation, identification is inconsistent. More than half of all students being served are doing so under the IDEA part B umbrella, students with specific disabilities, while the number of students recognized as† learning disabled ranges from 3% to 9%† across the United States (Kortez). According to Kortez, not all states implement the same policies, guidelines, or criteria, therefore some states have a significant higher or lower number of students identified based on what they as a state deem legitimate. Because there is such a difference in policies, it is therefore difficult to d etermine an adequate way to assess students with disabilities. Inclusion needs to be implemented in a way that will not only boost the quality of performance generated by the assessment but also the constructive outcome of the education being provided. The difficulty therefore lies in being able to implement a sound assessment because of the significant essential factors. One factor that would have to be determined is how many special education students would qualify as ineligible to partake in the regular education assessments. Another factor that would be solved would be how the regular education assessment could be enhanced to better suit the needs of the special education students. Also, the decision would have to be made to determine the criteria for students who would qualify for accommodations and which accommodations would be appropriate. In order for all these decisions to be made, it is essential for all the characteristics as well as the needs of the indentified students be met, and it is almost impossible if the identification and cl assification of the students continue to be inconsistent. Another problem with assessing indentified students is the fact of accommodations. When a test is given to a student with disabilities, certain changes or â€Å"accommodations† are made. Some of these accommodations are simple as testing the student in a smaller group, allowing the frequent monitored breaks, allowing the student extra time to finish the assessment, or reading the directions or questions to the student. When small changes such as these mentioned are made, they are referred to as accommodations. However if changes such giving the student a different test, illuminating parts of the test, or change the test in any way it is referred to as a â€Å"modification† and the assessment is no longer considered a standard test and is referred to as a non-standard test. When it comes to the element of measuring the assessment, the main goal to implementing accommodations is to better validate the information regarding the students and their disabilities. Testing cons istency is implemented in order to increase the accuracy by getting rid of the immaterial variations for the testing between schools. For instance, if one school allows thirty minutes for a test and another allows an hour and a half, the longer test would be considered the bias between the two. When it comes to students and their disabilities it is only fair that accommodations be made in order to make the test fair for everyone. For example, if a student has a profound vision problem then it would only make sense to change the presentation of the test (larger print, recording), in order to show a more true result of what the student actually knows, instead of not doing well simply because they can’t see the text well enough. If accommodations aren’t standard then results will not be consistent and therefore we won’t have an accurate snapshot of what the students actually know. A third problem that may arise when testing students with disabilities is the design, construction, and evaluations of the test. One circumstance that needs to be considered where testing is concerned is the design of th e test. Some tests can be biased in one area where another assessment may be biased in another area. Some tests are designed to assess a certain group of students with similar backgrounds and therefore are biased against those students who don’t share a similar background. While there are methods for dealing with bias are implemented, not all the methods are not equipped to detect bias toward students with disabilities. Systems used for assessing bias often insist on students being paired on some criterion measure of the structure of relevance. For example, if a reasonable criterion could be settled on for fifth graders in math proficiency, then the students without disabilities and students with disabilities could be matched together and then determine if the two sets of students were similar or different in the same areas. The second area of design that needs to be considered is the difficulty of the assessment itself. Often, most students with disabilities do not perform well on assessments. Furthermore, most assessments are too complex for students with disabilities, therefore often rendering results that are intimidating for students with disabilities and may also cause unfavorable reactions from their teachers. Some students may be nonverbal students and may not be about to write or say their answers, making it impossible for them to par take in standardized tests. Many of the students with ID have a mixture of intelligence deficits and adaptive behavior that initiates their academic deficits. These deficits can’t be the effect of a sensory impairment, a specific learning disability, or a behavior disorder, and would have to start showing systems before the child reaches school age. If a student’s cognitive deficit seems to be mild, then their deficit would resemble a broad disability with no specific area. The students who have been diagnosed with a specific learning disability will have functioning highs and lows. Students with intelligence disabilities have a difficult time across the curriculum as well as adaptive behavior. As time goes on there are more and more students who have to take standardized tests. This can be difficult for teachers, especially when it is almost impossible to accurately assess them and their progress. Some of the problems that occur when assessing students with ID, is the classification and identification of students, deciding what accommodations or modifications should be used for each child, and if the test that is being administered is level appropriate for the students with disabilities. References 1. Kortez, Daniel. Center for the Study of Evaluation. Project 1.1 Comparative Analyses of Current Assessment and Accountability Systems/Strand 3 Daniel Koretz, Project Director, CRESST/Harvard Graduate School of Education http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/reports/TR587.pdf 2. Centra, J. A., (1986). Handicapped student performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 19, 324-327. 3. Clarizio, H. F., & Phillips, S. E. (1992). A comparison of severe discrepancy formulae: Implications for policy consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 3, 55-68.

Do Companies Have a Responsibility Not to Destroy the Environment or Should Profits Be Allowed at Any Environmental Cost Essay

We can see a change in every organizational activities, as in marketing, for example Mc Donald change their previous red logo, in green one, A new one, for a new eco-system protecting plan. In this research we are going to see many element, which will prove that companies have a responsibility to take care about the environment. In this research, a melting pot of arguments will be show, to understand if businesses and factories have to pollute instead of adapting their way to work in function of environment and sustainable development. Real fact will help to understand the point of view. Firm’s activities have big environmental impact, its take a major part of naturals resources and reject in the environment. Oil and chemicals industries are not the only companies, which polluted. Every single firm consumes raw material as water, energy and others. It’s also rejected some substances more or less harmful in the environment. More over the intensive consumption of raw material have big impact on the extinction many species, or animal can become endangered. Deforestation in some country appears because companies want to produce more and more, always more. If firms continue to take resources as now, there will be an exhaustion of raw material as oil and gas. Climate change is partly caused by every reject by firms, in terms of polluting gas, chemical stuff and pollution in the see. As â€Å"good planet† said in their article, a cellulose factory has been closed by the government because they notice that to much pollution as been providing by this factory. In fact, around this factory the Baikal lac was very pollute. The vice Prime Minister Arkadi Dvokovitch announces that the factory will be close as soon as possible: â€Å"We decided to close the plant cellulose Baikalsk†. As the government said, a care project is taking part in this area of Russia. The fact that firms do not respect the environment can be dangerous in different way. In this case, 1700 peoples became unemployed, because it shutting. Population becomes less and less happy because of the different ways of pollution of the country. That is why everyone losing something: government loses reputation, to let factories pollute in the country. Firms have to be shutdown because its disrespect the environment. The reputation is very important for a company; it is one of the most important things to maximize profit. People’s way to speak about a company makes it stronger, if its have a good reputation. More often companies can have a bad rap; When it is important to see what are peoples problems and what are the environmental problems, company are less fascinate. Furthermore, it is usually the bigger business, which pollute the most. It is possible to make profit, and make a maximizing profit not in spit of polluting. But head directors prefer giving money to government as fines, instead of polluting less and earn less money. Refers to the case of Pfizer industry, which is one of the biggest pharmaceutical firms from France. As Bschool wrote in an article, Pfizer has the most important record of polluting action in all categories: â€Å"Pfizer has a bad record on numerous fronts†. This big company has been fined many times by authorities, for environmental violations, in terms of air contamination, because rejected lots of hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. After many recommendations by government, Pfizer industry did not take care about it, and preferred continued to earned money and maximizing profit. This unconscious act proves that head manager who where at the top of the firm did not think about environmental and social problem, and did not feel concerned by security. According again to Bschool, In 2009, the company became more open minded and aware of what she did, and try to reconsolidated the public opinion with an offer to charity: â€Å"In 2009, Pfizer gave more than $60 million to charity, amounting to an astounding 24,2% of its total net profits for the year. † Thanks to regulation and authority to act in this different case, because we all know that is not the only to act in this way with people and environment. Nowadays, people become more and more involved about the protection of the environment. People, company and government try to find together some alternative to stay on the road in term of ecology. At the begging of the XIX century, the industrial revolution and the economy are based on the absolute search of gain. It is difficult to get back and primary think to the development instead of maximizing profit. Therefore company and government had to make some agreement for sustainable development. For example, according to Jonathan Maxwell, SDCL’s CEO: â€Å"Reducing demand for energy is potentially the most cost- effective and rational way of reducing emissions and improving the security of energy supply. The UK regulator, Ofgem, recently predicted in its first annual Electricity Capacity Assessment that the amount of spare capacity in the system could fall from 14% to 4% in the next 3 years, raising the specter of outages and price rises. This ground-breaking agreement between SDCL, Kingspan and Johnson Controls represents a major step forward towards a scalable and replicable solution, funded through energy savings achieved†. This kind of action is present nationally and internationally. Government want to reduce a lot Co2e emissions in the world; that is why big action concentrate many countries all around the world. States have to sign a convention, and adopt comportment after that. The majority of restriction are involved by the OMC (World Trade Organization). Refers to the professor Michael Porter, teacher in Harvard Business School, the â€Å"Porter hypothesis† (citation). Supporting his thesis from 1991, the main idea of environmental regulation is to institute programs firms reducing some externalities. Mr. Porter said also if companies are doing it by themselves it is considerably normal that business’s profits, by definition necessarily decrease. So the profit of factory can decrease if companies are adopting new rules for sustainable development. In different case, it is better making profit than take care about the environment and sustainable development. The first of a company is to make profit, and more precisely a maximization of profit. A lot of Head business managers prefer pollute and make profit, rather than adopts rules for ecology, and change the global way of the firm. A survey on the green economy post show that around 34% of executives polled preferred to stay on a good move with their company and prefer see the whole economy of the business on prosperity: â€Å"According to this Survey, 34% of executives polled said that their firm’s immediate financial goals were of more importance than practicing sustainability  Ã‚ ». There are lots of problems in changing methods to produce for a company, the management of the polluting rubbish, change machine that will be less dangerous for the environment. So that is why manager do not care about nature and public opinion. Even if there are many inconvenient, it is possible to see company which was able to accept this change in term of environment protection. As we see in the introduction, Mc Donald changes many things in the company. For example the logo, to be in coherence with sustainable development, the logo was red and now its green, the environment color. After that, it is not only a picture of a good company, which wants to have a good behavior with environment; there are some benefits that Mc Donald can catch benefits. Referring to Bob Langert, who is VP, Corporate social responsibility at Mc Donald’s corporation: â€Å"Energy is really our No. issue,† he said. â€Å"When you look at the dollars we spend, and the impact we have on the environment, and the progress we can make to do better, and use our size and influence to make a difference, it’s energy. † Bob Langert tell us this information in an interview, in a US TV channel called alternative channel To conclude , we saw different aspect from making profit instead of taking care about the environment. Along this research it is prove that it is better to contribute to sustainable development and be aware of consequences of pollution. Even if it is hard to renounce to earn lots of money and make a maximize profit for business. Help nature and it will reward you. Bibliography * â€Å"McDonald’s Golden Rules for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability | Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Causes: The Alternative Channel Blog. † McDonald’s Golden Rules for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability | Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Causes: The Alternative Channel Blog. Web. * â€Å"The 10 Most Socially Irresponsible Big Brands | BSchool. com Business Schools Directory. † BSchoolcom Business Schools Directory The 10 Most Socially Irresponsible Big Brands Comments. Web. * â€Å"Une Usine De Cellulose Qui Pollue Le Lac Baikal Va Fermer. † Une Usine De Cellulose Qui Pollue Le Lac Baikal Va Fermer. Web. * â€Å"Corporations and the Environment. † – Global Issues. N. p. , n. d. Web. * â€Å"Sustainable Development Capital LLP. † Sustainable Development Capital LLP. Print 2012 * Robert A. G. Monks and Nell Minow, Power and Accountability, 1991 an on-line book, originally written 1991 * Richard Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism (Allyn and Bacon, 1999), pp. 233-236 * â€Å"Resources for the Future – RFF. org. † Resources for the Future – RFF. org. N. p. , n. d. Web

Apple Inc Occupational Emergency Response Plan Research Paper

Apple Inc Occupational Emergency Response Plan - Research Paper Example Just as is the case within all other working environments, the ‘occupational emergency response plan’ is very relevant to the organization especially for such emergencies as injuries that would be sustained in the process of computer assembly as well as in operation of the machines during production. This paper therefore intends to develop an occupational emergency response plan for the Apple Inc organization as a mandatory and necessary tool within any working environment. The Apple Inc has a commitment to providing safe and secure working environment to its employees and as such takes any possible way to eliminate any hazard at work places in order to protect all people and in the process reduce the cases of illnesses or injuries at work place. For instance, within the suppliers ‘code of conduct’ of the organization, the organization’s commitment is to ensure all working conditions within the supply chain are safe and that employees are treated in a dignified manner as well as environmental safety is maintained for the well being of all (‘Apple Inc.’, 2009). The EPA as well as the OSHA has taken an active role in ensuring that organizations adopt an active role towards ensuring the safety of the working conditions within which their employees are. They require that organizations develop such occupational emergency response frameworks through which resources as well as specific responses towards particular situations are outlined and which often are refined regularly. Basic elements that are expected in a good response plan are up to date contacts of persons responsible for various duties within an organization in case of an emergency as well as ensuring that all departments as well as facilities work as stipulated within the plan to avoid confusion . Besides, it is as well necessary to stipulate resources to be used in case of such an emergency at work place (Hamel, 2012). The Apple Inc is obligated to have thoroughly trained response team personnel who would be set to offer immediate response in case of any emergency. The plan should sp ecifically outline the procedures and routes of escape in case of such an emergency as a fire, special assignments obligated on specific persons in response to any hazard and proper system through which employees will be accounted for after such a hazard. Besides, the plan should have a well stipulated mechanism of detection and communication of such a hazard as a fire within the working plant and immediate response procedures such as switching off the power mains. Therefore, the key elements that must be represented in an emergency plan within any organization are management structure, emergency responsibilities and assignments for emergencies as well as general procedures that employees should follow in cases of emergencies. This is because the main aim in developing the plan is to ensure that safety for employees within the organization is guaranteed against any hazard that faces the organization. Apple Inc occupational emergency response plan 1.0 Introduction: The following is a sample model of ‘Apple Inc occupational emergency response plan’ to a fire hazard. The organization’s activities in assembly and packaging of the computer systems occur within housing facilities, which are susceptible to fire outbreaks. Causes of such fires

PRESIDENCY OF THOMAS JEFFERSON Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PRESIDENCY OF THOMAS JEFFERSON - Essay Example er at the White House  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."(Wikipedia Jefferson.) This staunch advocate of liberty and religious freedom, was born on April 13 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia. A diligent student, he graduated with top honors from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in 1762, and then went on to study law, being admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767. He had a passion for learning languages and began studying Latin Greek and French very early. At college he was introduced to the writings of John Locke, Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton whom he referred to as the "three greatest men the world had ever produced."(Bernstein Jefferson pg 95). This â€Å"Man of the People† as he was fondly known, had numerous achievements to his credit, but he wanted to be remembered as the founder of the University of Virginia, the author of the Declaration of American Independence and the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom. His dream of founding a new institution of higher learning, where students could specialize in new areas; was realized in 1819, with the founding of the University of Virginia. When it opened in 1825, it was then the first university to offer elective courses to its students. Jefferson is widely recognized for his architectural planning of the University grounds, an innovative design whose center was the library which he considered to be the fountainhead of knowledge. His educational idea of creating specialized units of learning is physically expressed in the layout of his campus plan, which he called the "Academical Village†. Jefferson died on the Fourth of July, 1826, at the age of 83 on the 50 th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, that he had authored. The Jefferson presidency (1801 – 1809)was the first to start and end in the White House although at the time it was known as the Presidential Mansion. It was a turbulent time in American history. His first term

Jhonsan&jhonsan case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jhonsan&jhonsan - Case Study Example Johnson & Johnson has used the diversification strategy for international expansion and gaining more competitive advantage in the market. It has developed over 200 companies across the globe and deployed 120,000 employees in these companies (Award, 2010). The corporate strategy aims at improving the Johnson & Johnson’s structure through proper organizational design. The design has led to the formulation of a decentralized divisional structure which has encouraged the proper flow of information. It has also enhanced working relationships between activities and functional department. Furthermore, the decentralized divisional structure has allowed different stakeholders with different skills to bring together different technologies and products. This has led to satisfying the unmet needs of customers (Award, 2010). Synergy has assisted the Johnson & Johnson to acquire sustainable competitive advantage. The CEO Weldon has come up with a decentralized divisional structure to foster synergy. He has used the structure in assessing external environment to identify a number of forces. The first one is demographic that determine how population growth have affected demand of Johnson & Johnson’s products not only across New Brunswick, USA, and New Jersey but also in 60 countries in the globe. The second one is socio-cultural factor that examine social issues such as poverty that affect the purchasing power of Johnson & Johnson’s products by the people in the globe (Award, 2010). The third one is technological factor which determines the available healthcare technology such as Cougar Biotechnology and breast implant maker. The next factor is political which examines the requirement that local and national authorities expect Johnson & Johnson to meet in supplying and handling health care products. The last one is economic factors that reveal how currency fluctuates and how it may affect the costs of

Make up a topic for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Make up a topic for me - Essay Example Before the Han dynasty, there were very few sculptures and painting in China. Sculptures were introduced after the arrival of Buddhism in China. Decorations were mainly in two dimensions. At first, the curving of sculptures was restricted to animal figures. Sculptures of human were made after the 1 century and were at first limited to sculptures of Buddha and ceremonies related to Buddhism (Bushell, 154). This paper looks at how Buddhism influenced the development of art in China by using a few examples. There are several paintings that have been drawn by Chinese artists of Buddha and various monks. Moreover, there is painting that tells stories adopted from the Buddhist religion. An example is the drawing of Buddha on the wall of the temple meant for Jiankang by the famous Chinese artist of the Jin dynasty Gu Kaizhi (Williams & Barrow, 54). Buddhism led to the development of the painting of the human figure. The led to the development of a new genre called â€Å"Renwu†: the h uman figure genre which is one of the 4 disciplines in Chinese art. This led to the development of great painters of portrait who gained their fame status by painting Buddhist figure, Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Some of these great artists include Wie Xie of the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi (346-405 AD) and Sengyao (6th century AD) among other contemporary artists (Williams & Terence, 320). Painting of portraits wee guided by the 6 principles developed by Xie He  which he codified by following the Indian rules of painting. â€Å"Lohan seated in a tree† is an example of a painting from the Ming dynasty is an example of a painting that has been greatly influenced by Buddhism. It was painted by Ding Ynpeng and is one of the earliest Chinese paintings showing a Buddhist monk in a tree. This painting is different from other Chinese paintings of the 13th century as it is displayed in bright color showing vitality and liveliness. This is because Lohan means enlightened being and the painte r clearly shows this theme. An important thing to observe about these painting is that although the dead were originally from India, the Chinese artists have made their own modifications and innovations that make the images to be more authentic (Kieschnick, 140). From the 1st century to the 18th century, Chinese artists have continued to depart from the original Indian principles of painting to a new style that is unique to china. Studying of the Chinese sculpture of Liao dynasty (907-1125) is important because they are the type that is mostly found in international museums around the world such as America, British and Asian museums. The art from this era were predominantly Buddhist. In the western Capital of Liao, there are three monuments made of sculptures of the rules of this generation. Observing the sculpture closely one can observe that the artists borrowed a lot from the sculptures of Bodhisattvas who are people who endeavor to become Buddha (Williams & Terence, 378). For in stance, there is a halo surrounding the head of the sculptures. Moreover, the sculptures have other features that were common in the representation of the Buddhist deities and include jewelry, costumes and crowns. The 292 Dunhuang caves are the perfect representation of Buddhist influence on Chinese art. The first Dunhuang cave was developed by a Buddhist monk in the third century and it was called â€Å"

Organizations &behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Organizations &behavior - Essay Example As it has been witnessed that the number of employees in the organisation has increased overtime to around 400 employees, indicating a medium to large size of the organisation, a structured timetable for the employees would ensure a more coherent and coordinated operational functioning of organisational resources whether human or non-human. This would help the company in comparing the labour hours with the employee performance and determine factors that act as a barrier towards enhanced employee performance enhancement. However, implementing decentralisation strategies is also not without its disadvantages and challenges of perplexity in decision-making, coordinating operations and making time and cost effective utilisation of organisational resources (Malone, 2004). To overcome these challenges that might hinder chances of success of this initiative, Jill Thompson should emphasise framing new rules with the help of the managers, inclined towards enhancing the productivity as well as level coordination in the various segments of the company. Additionally, philosophy of the top-level management towards decentralising the company structure, company’s past growth trends, physical location of the company, quality of the managers and external environmental influences on the company’s business should also be considered when framing the rules to implement decentralisation successfully. As these factors have a direct relationship with the organisational structure and culture, the process of d ecentralisation will certainly have a direct implication on different levels of the organisation, further inducing changes to the overall business process. Likewise, through decentralisation, it has been viewed that the culture being followed by the employees in the company will change to a certain extent, as this approach will create more responsibility and power of decision making for the employees (Mosley & et. al., 2010). As argued

Poverty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Poverty in America - Essay Example These figures imply that there are about 37 million people well below the poverty threshold as at end-2004. In view of the above, steps on how to alleviate poverty in the country must be efficiently programmed. In order to address the heart of this matter, legislators and private sector should have an understanding of key issues regarding poverty and the poor people in the US. The lives of those people bordering or below the poverty line are controlled by myriad factors which should be taken into consideration. This paper provides an overview of the profile of poor people and discusses how economic and social factors such as availability of job opportunities, prevailing wage levels, single parenthood, level of education, housing, health, mental illness and substance abuse among others affect the poor in America. The poverty line is defined by the Census Bureau as a threshold level of total money income, which includes wages and salaries, self-employment income, interest income, social security and welfare benefits, alimony and unemployment compensation, received by all family members on an annual basis. The threshold set varies depending on the number of adults and children in the family. As at end-2004, a family with two parents and two children required $19,157 to be above poverty line. A family headed by a single parent with two children needed $15,219 to elude poverty. On the other hand, a single elderly person needed $9,060 to answer day-to-day needs. Those who fall within the said levels are deemed poor. (Cadena & Sallee) As mentioned, poverty rate rose to 12.7% in 2004 from 12.5% in 2003. The increase in poverty is attributed to the decrease in real earnings. This means that, although relatively more people who wanted to work had jobs in 2004 than in the previous year, many have earned less after their earnings are adjusted for inflation. (Cadena & Sallee) The median earnings fell by 1.0% and 2.3%, for women and men working full time, respectively. The increase in poverty level is also considered to be concentrated among native-born non-Hispanic white Americans between the ages of 18 and 64. (Cadena & Sallee) Job Opportunities One of the primary factors affecting poor people is the availability of suitable employment. This is vital since it is mainly from the earnings gained from working that people are able to meet their needs and required sustenance. It is observed though that limited job opportunities as well as the prevailing low wages contribute to the persistence of poverty in America ("Hunger and Poverty in the United States"). The minimal wage for unskilled workers and some employment barriers for poor job seekers are deemed to perpetuate poverty (Mangum, Mangum & Sum). Albeit as much as 50% of all those considered living in poverty are actually working, their jobs pay minimal wages barely enough to cover their basic needs and that do not keep up with the rising inflation. In this regard, these people still fall under the poverty line. These conditions are aggravated by the fact that the working people in poverty are not able to receive social welfare benefits from the government as their earnings make them ineligible for government assistance. (Giddens) In order to make ends meet, some people are forced to get an extra job. Given the rising cost of living, one job may not be

Observations of Realists Essay Example for Free

Observations of Realists Essay 1) Are the observations of Realists, such as Hans Morgenthau, accurate in respect to their assessment of the importance of international law in contemporary world politics? Realists such as Hans Morgenthau and more recently Lloyd Gruber, base their theories on the assumption individuals, and hence states, act rationally to protect their own interests, the national interest. They believe states exist in a world of anarchy without an over arching authority. While this may be the case and it certainly is for some states, it is a theory that requires review within the context of the modern world and international law. In the world of bi-polar power during the Cold War, Morgenthau’s views interpreted the global climate accurately, however it is now short sighted in our time of globalization. Multi-National Corporations (MNC), Inter-Governmental Organisations (IGO) and Non-Government Organisations (NGO) play a very large part on the world stage and influence countries, economies and conflicts. Meanwhile younger theories are tending to consider the state and the world’s political climate as a holistic, interactive entity. Increased access to communication, social media and increased global wealth serve to provide an environment for a better financed and informed NGO. Yet even the UN, it’s efficacy being constantly brought into doubt, plays a vital role in establishing norms and standards with the global stakeholders. These developing theories document our planet’s political interaction and development and as such are constantly in a state of change. Sometimes in-sync with current standards such as international law and other times, not. Taking into account realism is one of the more established theories of international relations, we have to also consider the global climate in which the theory was established and compare that to now. Hans Morgenthau was born in Coburg, Germany 1904 and experienced two world worlds. He and his predecessors experienced states as the only actors in world politics. The United Kingdom was exiting her great period of colonisation and was witnessing the unraveling of her empire. Meanwhile Germany was rebuilding and rising in global status. The world was experiencing a transition into industry and moving away from the traditional agriculturally driven economies. Throughout this time, the average person’s existence was more concerned with subsistence. Overseas phone calls and intercontinental travel were beyond the average person’s reach. The importance of setting the scene here is to understand globalisation was in its infancy. To understand this helps to shape the importance other actors in world politics play. Instant communications, the Internet and global travel have made the world a smaller place. Activists, such as Green Peace, can now influence states. So much so, the Rainbow Warrior, Green Peace’s flagship, was sunk by the French spy agency, Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), in July 1985, killing a photographer. This is an extreme example of NGO influence, yet it cannot be denied that to bomb a civilian ship highlights the pressure Green Peace was placing on the international stage. Realism does not take into account all variables acting upon the state in today’s day and age. When established, realism existed in a time of strong state actors. Today, with the ending of the Cold War that line has blurred, NGOs etc†¦ have filled that void. To understand the motivation behind the establishment of these organisations helps us to understand the influence they have. For instance, Oxfam, Amnesty International and the like have their basis within a moral social consciousness. Therefore, it’s easy to see why theories, such as Social Constructivism, focus on a world shaped by the influences of a nation’s shared beliefs, culture and values. As democracy extends further and nations adopt a capitalist model to fit into the global model, the demands to maintain a balanced, humane society increase. Governments feel this pressure and so, act accordingly. An argument by Social Constructionist such as Barnett and Finnemore is that IGOs have the real power. As I will show later using the US invasion of Iraq, governments still have the final say on their actions, although IGOs, NGOs and MNCs play a very large role in influencing them. Having stated this, one may counter argue this implies it is still a state verses state environment (Realism), however, the world has still evolved into government verses government verses IGOs, NGOs and MNCs, henceforth realism cannot not explain the actions of governments alone and must consider the external influences. Constructivism does so, but places the power into the hands of IGOs and the like. An alternative needs to be sought. Alternatives such as the European Union, which remains â€Å"†¦the most successful experiment in political institution-building since the Second World War. Andrew Moravcsik goes on to say the EU cannot replace or aspire to the democratic status of nation states, yet their role remains embedded in monitoring accountability and extensive checks and balances upon its member states. Emerging actors such as the EU again demonstrate the changing environment and clearly indicate realist theories, must by reconsidered. Focusing on the institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, we can cite several occasions in which their influence has shaped global politics, whether for selfish or selfless motivations. The concept of poverty alleviation was raised by the World Bank during the 1960’s and saw the World Bank â€Å"sell poverty alleviation to members through a mixture of persuasion and coercion. † The Ford Foundation established a report highlighting the successes of poverty alleviation and cited their own programs, many of which were to governmental organizations. The report also stated poverty alleviation programs were ineffectual and implied corruption. Albeit, this report was funded by the Ford Foundation to report on its own programs, yet I was under the impression they were given freedom to report accurately. Even though the Ford Foundation was established by Henry Ford’s son, and not the company itself, it still represents the power and influence a MNC can exert. These reports are not controversial, but it does go towards forming an image about governments and it is in this way influence is exerted. Furthermore, the actions of the Ford Foundation to fund relief programs, brings into question the effectiveness and validity of IGO programs. Probably the largest non-state actor is the United Nations (UN). It’s governance covers many areas of international concern, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), etc†¦. As a consequence, its membership is extensive. Whether the member states take their affiliation with the UN and it’s associated bodies seriously or whether they use them as a vehicle for their own means is irrelevant. In either case, the mere existence of this relationship affects the outcomes of global politics. While UN peace keeping missions and other security programs are a subject for debate into the validity of the UN, it cannot be argued that President Bush’s attempts to have the invasion of Iraq sanctioned in 2003 was an attempt to the have the US’s actions deemed as â€Å"right’ within the eyes of the global audience. The fact the US then ignored the UN’s recommendation is irrelevant, the mere attempt to legitimize the US’s actions implies the states are now not the only actors within global politics. This occurrence in itself indicates in itself realism is becoming outdated and the need to consider a more holistic approach. While it can be argued the UN is an Inter-Governmental Organisation (IGO) and is therefore a part or rather a stage for governments to act upon. It must be noted the sovereignty of states, upon which realism is based, does not exist within the UN. The UN is a global entity upon which sovereign states are members, the UN in itself has now physical bounds and by its title, implies the uniting of nations as a common theme. The Neorealist and Structural Realism models may be more applicable in that they balance of power among states is considered in the UN forum, however, true Realist theories, such as those proposed by Morgenthau, are becoming less relevant based upon the increase in non-governmental actors. The development of the Realist theory and subsequent â€Å"neo† theories show a development of thinking and a mark of the time in which they were contrived. These theories cannot be accurate moving into the future as the benchmarks upon which they are based change with the development of the world, it’s technology and it’s people. They can however, allow us to isolate specific elements of global relations, regardless of the time they were developed. I foresee a more holistic approach to global government and non-governmental relationships develop. This will allow us to consider all of the relevant stakeholders while incorporating the best of each perspective, whether it comes from a sociological, economic or political basis. Realist theories are accurate to a degree regarding world politics, however the influence they now hold on international law and global governance has become less. The role of non-state actors, facilitated by the expansion of communications and travel, namely globalization, has given rise to organisations, which previously were unable to exist. Their power varies greatly within the influence they have upon governments of the world, yet they do influence. In a world where the occupants are more aware and hold their respective governments to account for their actions, these nations cannot afford to ignore the influence of the new players in the game.

Nature and Architecture | Literature Review

Nature and Architecture | Literature Review The human race has reached the zenith of excellence in the paradigm of technology. With their advancement they have nestled an utter disregard for the only thing which has taken care of the human race since the beginning of time. When man was born, nature had already created an environment for the healthy and unhindered survival of humankind. Now that we have learnt so much about ourselves and the different elements of nature, we have an unreasoned intent to cut out nature from our dwellings. In the recent times, we hardly find any living element in our modern interiors. Bold usage of architectural elements like steel and glass has turned our houses into boxes and vaults which does not even allow natural ventilation. With the introduction of bio mimicry, we have settled for lifeless inanimate dummies which are inspired from nature, but we still could not take a bold step toward making our homes more penetrable yet secure, so as to cut down on resource consumption. It is obvious that natural ventilation and lighting reduces consumption drastically. I imagine what life would be like in the age when the human race came into existence. There were trees, which were abundant. Man must have found shelter under them. Then there were threats, the different species of wild animals. Man had to build a protective shelter to keep the wild threats away. Thus started the fight between nature and humans, trying to keep nature out of the house they lived in. with time, we learnt to tame many forces of nature. Now we almost feel invincible as a race that can control the weather that we experience inside. But now, we have come to a stage where we have started to eliminate the natural necessities for human survival. We see the effects of such acts in phenomena like global warming, ozone depletion etc. and also their aftereffects which are diseases that kill the human himself. I don’t intend to say that the first fight to keep the wild away from the home was not just, but at some point in time, the human progressive intent to dominate or pu t governance against natural forces should have been shunned or stopped totally so as to keep a balance in ecology of places. The broader term that incorporates both the human society and natural ecology is Landscape. Landscape is the term which incorporates a lot of subjects, along with nature and architecture. Now, the change from a green to an apparently morbid look of the cityscape is not just because of the people cutting down trees and building over them. There is a deep connection between the nature of contemporary landscape and the different aspects of human knowledge. The subjects like art, literature, geography, social sciences are vividly influential to dictate landscapes (Benson, John F and Roe, Maggie H, 2000). So a landscape (which captures nature and architecture and is a medium to link the two) is governed by the whole system which runs the universe. It is not the department of public health or the environment department of our country that is going to keep it balanced and save nature for us. Nobody can. To change the morbid landscape back to green, we need a paradigm shift of ideas throughout. According to the researches of Thomas Kuhn, the natural sciences are more of hypothesis, which answers to most of questions in its paradigm. For example, the Copernican theory on the movement of planets , even if it is presently proven to be true, was initially not accepted as Ptolemy’s deductions of the planetary motions seemed to answer more questions. But with advancement of physics and optical knowledge, new devices were made and new questions were raised. These questions seemed to be answered better by Copernican theories. This was a literal paradigm shift in the world of natural sciences. Books were rewritten, theories and corollaries redrawn (The structure of scientific revolutions, Thomas Kuhn, 1962).We need such a huge change in the outlook toward nature. Now, when we talk about such huge changes, there should be reasons enough to justify them, and there are. Firstly, the term ‘Global Warming’ has been dominating our media since many days now. From all the initiatives taken by our governments, we are all aware of the fact, that cutting down of trees are in some way connected to the heating up of our planet earth, but very few actually care about it or are actually taking steps to prevent the cutting down of trees. Secondly, there is increase in the ozone depletion and it is increasing daily. The ozone depletion does not only affect the humans, but also affect the natural ecology as it destroys the natural ecological systems by killing many organisms which cannot survive the dangerous ultra violet radiations. The list goes on and would definitely be a chapter in my dissertation. Significant Environmental Issues There are many options/issues and most of them so far suggested are varying degrees. These options/issues are as follows: Ozone Layer Depletion Global Warming Loss of Biodiversity Climate change Exploitation of natural resources Land degradation Nuclear issues Hazardous waste Water pollution Acid rain Over population Deforestation Desertification (Khan, MD. Zulfequar Ahmad, 2013) All these issues lead back to the root of all problems, humans trying to capture or tame nature. The inquisitive minds of the human race have deciphered the codes of nature and learnt a lot about it, and used and combined natural elements to invent ways of taming nature itself. Everything that is happening is all abiding the laws of nature. So if it is all going wrong, then there are two possibilities- one that we are not going in the right direction, or our knowledge of nature is flawed right at the foundation level of scientific studies. The latter is more unlikely to happen. Whereas the first is very possible, if we think that we have been walking the wrong path right from the beginning. Imagine, if the human who had built a house for the first time in history of human enlightenment, had not cut down a whole tree to build his house, and cut branches only enough to build his house, and had let the rest of the tree to live, we would be living in a very different landscape right now. Trees were abundant. If we suppose that a family generally has three members, and can fit into one house, and if we also suppose that to build a house one needs branches from ten trees ( to leave the trees alive even after building out of their woods), we can still have shelter for every person on this earth (considering the present population of earth is 7.5 billion extrapolating the data from 2012, and the number of trees on earth is 400 billion and at least 80 billion are trees from which houses can be built). It would be unjust to the people who are working to revive nature from the current disastrous state that it is in, if I say that people do not care at all about nature. There are various green rating systems these days like USGBC, IGBC, LEED, GRIHA, GREENECO etc. that rate buildings on the eco-friendly approaches in design. With the participation of the new generation of architects in achieving these ratings, people’s houses are becoming more sustainable and there are great reductions in resource consumption in proportion to the increase in number of buildings.(4) References: Benson, John F and Roe, Maggie H, 2000. Landscape And Sustainability, Page- 3. Kuhn, Thomas, 1962, The structure of scientific revolutions. Khan, MD. Zulfequar Ahmad, 2013. Global Environmental Issues and its Remedies, International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environment, Vol. 1, No. 8. (http://www.ijsee.com/IJSEE_Vol.%201,%20No.%208,%20September%202013/Global%20Environmental%20Issues.pdf) http://in.usgbc.org

Example Answers For Questions On Evidence Based Practice Nursing Essay

Example Answers For Questions On Evidence Based Practice Nursing Essay Introduction In this assignment I shall discuss the concepts of Evidence Based Practice (EBP), and briefly outline its importance to my professional practice. I shall select a relevant aspect of my practice in relation to my professional discipline. I will provide a rationale for selecting my aspect of professional discipline, which will be within the context of (EBP). I will discuss the extent to which my selected aspect of professional practice is informed by various types of evidence. In relation my chosen aspect of professional practice, I shall then identify factors that may facilitate and hinder the implementation of (EBP). Q1 Evidence based practice (EBP) is to demonstrate the best practice, which has been supported, with a clear rationale to back it up. Whilst using (EBP), this also acknowledges the patient/clients best interest. (EBP) is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patient/clients (Sackett et al, 1996). In this definition Sackett facilitates an understanding between (EBP) and decisions we make in everyday practice. This demonstrates the strong connection between both aspects. Here, Sackett emphasises the importance of decisions we make as healthcare professionals, and how clearly they should be stated. This shows that decisions are well thought-out, which demonstrates that the use of evidence is used sensibly and carefully, which means that any care or support we deliver must be evidence based. It shows that Sackett understands that if care or support we provide has a rationale, then this enables us to deliver it with a meaningful purpose. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) we as healthcare professionals must deliver care on the best evidence or best practice (2008). The code of conduct clearly states that any advice we give must be evidence based. If we fail to adhere to the code, then this may result in disciplinary action by the (NMC) (2008). As healthcare professionals I feel any care we deliver should have a rational to justify anything we carry out. I believe that as healthcare professionals we are expected to understand why we are caring for patient/clients, whereby a rationale is provided for the care that we provide. (EBP) helps us as healthcare professionals keep updated with policies and procedures (ref). It is fundamental that we keep our skills and knowledge current, which enables us to provide effective care. (EBP) in its earlier days of evidence based medicine, which provides a suitable way in producing efficient clinical decisions, avoiding routinely work practice, which increases clinical performance (Evidence Based Medicine Working Group 1992, Davidoff et al ,1995). In the above statement it demonstrates that (EBP) contributes to significant clinical decisions, which may subsequently develop It is important that we adhere to policies and procedures for the best practice available, which may prevent us from making any errors. As practitioners we are accountable for our actions. Justifying what we do is vital, which must have a rationale behind it. Failure to adhere to (NMC) may result in professional misconduct (2008). Q2 Here I shall formulate the question according the (PICO) method, which is population, intervention, comparison intervention, and outcome. This was devised by Sackett et al, which is a useful method in order to make questions more purposeful (1997). My selected aspect of professional practice is the Treatment of Depression and its Effectiveness in Adults with Cancer. I personally feel there is a high prevalence of depression in cancer patients. In my experience, I have found that there are many cancer patients, which may be suffering from depression. According to Barraclough (1994) states that depression is the most common psychiatric illness in patients with terminal cancer. The high prevalence of depression in cancer patient has influenced me carry out my own research, which will effectively enhance my knowledge. Personally, I feel that by developing my knowledge on my chosen topic will help enable me to have a greater understanding, t in my future practice. Hinton (1963) found that 24% of patients dying in an acute hospital were depressed. It has been found by Casey that patients suffering with depression may be assessed by asking them if they have symptoms such as ; loss of pleasure in activities, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, or thoughts of self harm, which may help in recognizing a diagnosis in depression (1994). Q3 The objective of a qualitative research is to describe, explore, and give explanation to the phenomenon what is being studied (Marshall Rossman, 2006. (Morse Richards 2002) established that there many techniques used in the collection of data involved in the production of a qualitative study, but the commonly used are observing and interviewing partakers. A meta-analysis is within a qualitative study, whereby the findings of qualitative are carefully examined, the methods and theories from different studies, to form an overview or conclusive ways of thinking about phenomena Thorne et al (2004). In my experience I have found that many patients whom have cancer have been low in mood, but often go left untreated. Maguire found that up to 80% of psychological and psychiatric morbidity, which develops in cancer patients often goes unrecognised and untreated (1985). It speaks about how patients are non-compliant in discussing symptoms unreservedly with nursing and medical staff. It mentions that in the United Kingdom (U.K) clinical nurse specialists play an important role in assessing the symptoms and providing advice to cancer patient with highly developed and metastatic cancer (Gray et al,1999). This qualitative study was purposely carried to deter how clinical nurse specialist manage, assess, and perceive depression in such patients, in both hospital and community settings. Atkin et al (1993) found that 43.4% of nurses reported that early recognition of, signs of anxiety and depression was part of their role. It shows the difficulty nurses are faced with in convincing medical staff to follow up assessment or prescribe antidepressant medication. I shall now critique the study. Firstly, none of the nurses had any form of mental health training. Therefore, I feel their lack of knowledge may have falsified the findings of the study. Lastly, the demographic area may have been expanded further afield, which subsequently makes the findings minimalistic. The view proposed by Long (1995, p94) that the most problematic characteristic of the hierarchy of evidence model, is that it completely lacks recognition of qualitative study methods. According to Sackett et al (1996) a qualitative is in the ranking of research evidence at the base. Here, it shows that a qualitative study has inadequate efficacy, whereby it lacks randomization, it also has scarce before and after studies. However, it does give emphasis to the fact that open ended question were asked in a qualitative study, which demonstrates its feasibility. An open ended question can have many answers, whereby it can be answered in many ways than one. If in depth answers are obtained, then this may enable the researchers to capture a greater insight of the situation. Nevertheless, it has been discovered that identifying the findings in a qualitative study can be complex, this may due the style of reports, or they may be perceived wrongly (Sandelowski Barroso 2004). Systematic reviews were first defined as concise of the best available evidence that address sharply defined clinical questions (Murlow et al 1997). Here, it states that a systematic review involves gathering quality information, which is then analysed, whereby it is then summarised. A systematic review is a vital source of evidence-informed policy and practice movement, which connects research in decision-making (Chalmers, 2003). Secondly, this systematic review provides us with evidence on cancer patients receiving interventions such as drug therapy, and their efficacy. In this systematic review it found that depression is the most common in cancer patients, which often goes undiscovered and untreated (Lloyd-Williams, (2000); Bailey et al,(2005). It also shows that cancer patients survival rate may be decline if their immune response is impaired. (Andersen et al, 1998; Newport and Nemeroff, 1998; Reiche et al, 2004) and poorer survival (Buccheri, 1998; Faller et al, 1999; Watson et al, 1999; Faller and Bulzebruck 2002; Herjl et al, 2003; Goodwin et al, 2004). It is known that in previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the effectiveness of interventions for cancer patients whom are suffering from depression have been unsuccessful in differentiating between depression/depressive symptoms. Dale and Williams (2005) refers to the findings from this review, which demonstrate that there little trial data on the effectiveness of antidepressants, which are prescribed to reduce major depression and depressive symptoms in those suffering with cancer. Nevertheless, previous reviews which have failed to identify the dissimilarity between both depression and depressive symptoms. It shows little data from clinical trials, which demonstrate psychotherapeutic interventions, which may effective in reducing depression in cancer patients. A number of small-scale trials showed that psychotherapeutic interventions, more so Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which may be effective in treating cancer patient whom have depressive symptoms. In conclusion, this review shows that there is a hard-pressed need for a more rigorous process in the examination of the effectiveness and consequences regarding approaches towards in managing depression in cancer patients, and providing them with appropriate healthcare services. In respect to the hierarchy of evidence chart Sackett (1996) states that systematic reviews are at the peak of the chart, which demonstrates this, a strong piece of evidence. The results of a systematic reviews are produced in such a way, whereby a thorough examination of evidence is processed (Murlow,1987; Cook et al.,1998). Sackett and Straus (1998) found that systematic reviews of (RCTs) are ranked as the best evidence in making clinical decisions in relation to a patients care. Within this study a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCT) of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic implementation for cancer patients with depression/depressive symptoms. This study had a specific criterion for the selection of (RCTs) of the pharmacology and psychotherapeutic interventions. Partakers were either adult cancer patients with depression, or depressive symptoms receiving interventions such as pharmacology and psychotherapeutic. This source of evidence fits into the hierarchy of evidence at the apex of the chart. It is known that a singular RCT or Several RCTs are well thought-out as the uppermost level of evidence, and anything below this is classed as a lower level of evidence, which may be classed as an inadequate source of information (Ellis 2000, Lake 2006, Morse 2006b, Rolfe Gardner 2006). Evidence shows that (RCTs) are considered highly effective sources of information (Muir Gray, 1997;Mulrow Oxman, 1997; Sackett et al.,1997). It would be highly unethical to use these findings as a prejudice against patients with cancer who wish receive treatment for depression and depressive symptoms, because of the limited data on effectiveness. However, traditional or unsystematic reviews can be apparent and suitable to attain, which can also be deceptive at times, above all they are scientific Murlow(1987). None of these studies make mention of persons centred planning (PCP), which is slightly concerning. Professionals may have four ways in which they can contribute towards (PCP): introducing, contributing, safeguarding, and implementing/integrating (PCP) (Kilbane and Sanderson ,2004). Q4. Although, there may be an accumulating body of knowledge about the efficacy of immeasurable nursing practises, which leaves gap between what is in fact known and what is actually practised (Grol and Grimshaw, 2003). People whom have been in the profession for a long time may not approve or wish to adhere to the implementation of (EBP). This may be due to a number of reasons such as; culture, age, learning ability, or even attitudes towards changes within an organisation. It is known that there may be barriers which may cause complications in applying (EBP) in nursing practise, this has been established in extensive literature reports (Estabrooks et al 2004). If a nurses workload is too big, then this may influence their ability to adapt to changes in practise. A significant source of implementing (EBP) is; student nurses or newly qualified nurse. I have found that student nurses and newly qualified nurses are an important source in the utilisation of (EBP). If for example; they have carried out research at university for an assignment, then they may be able to apply and demonstrate this in practise, and also influence fellow colleagues. Conclusion In writing this assignment I have found depression in cancer patients is significantly high. I am now able to say that on the completion of this I am now able to acknowledge the complexities of depression in cancer patient. This will enhance my future practice as a nurse, which will enable me to apply the knowledge I have gained from this assignment into practise. I am now able understand the importance of (EBP), and its relation to my future practise. This has helped assist me in developing my academic skills. On the completion of this assignment I have developed my analysis skills immensely, which will help assist me in my future practise. References Atkin K., Lunt N., Parker G. Hirst M. (1993) Nurses Count: A National Census of Practice Nurses. Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, York. Barraclough J, (1994), Cancer and emotion. Chichester UK:Wiley Casey P. Depression in the dying- disorder or distress. Progr Palliat Care 1994; 2: 1-3. Davidoff F, Haynes B, Sackett D Smith R, (1993) Evidence-based medicine: a new journal to help doctors identify the information they need. British Medical Journal 310, 1085-1085. Ellis J (2000) Sharing the evidence: clinical practice benchmarking to improve continuously the quality of care. Journal of Advanced Nursing 32, 215-225. Preston, Lancashire Estabrooks CA, Winther C, Derkson L. Mapping he feild: a bibliometric analysis of the research utilization literature in nursing. Nurs Res 2004; 53:293-303 EVANS D, Journal of Clinical Nursing 2003; 12: 77-84, Hierarchy of evidence: a framework for ranking evidence evaluating healthcare interventions Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group (1992) Evidence based medicine: a new approach to teaching the practice of medicine. JAMA 268,2420-2425. Gray R, Parr A, Plummer S, Sanford T, Ritter S, Mundtleach B, Goldberg D, Gournay K. A national survey of practice involvement in mental health interventions. J Adv Nurs 1999; 30: 901-906 Grol, R, Grimshaw J. From best evidence to best practice: effective implementation of change in patients care. Lancet 2003;362:1225-30 Hinton J, The physical and mental distress of dying. Q J Med (1963); 32: 1-21 Kilbane J Sanderson H (2004) What and how:understanding professional involvement in person centred planning styles and approaches. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Long, A.F.(1995) Health services research a radical approach to cross the research and development divide, in Baker, M, Kirk, S(ed.) Reasearch and development for the NHS, evidence, evaluation and effectiveness. Oxford: pp. 94 MANTZOUKAS S (2008) Journal of Clinical Nursing 17, 214-223 London, A review of evidence-based practice, nursing research and reflection: levelling the hierarchy Maguire P. Improving the detection of psychiatric problems in cancer patients. Soc Sci Med 1985; 20 :819-23 Morse JM, Richards L. READ ME FIRST for a users guide to Qualitative Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2002. Morse MJ (2006b) the politics of evidence. Qualitative Health Research 16, 395-404. Canada. Muir Gray J.A. (1997) Evidence-Based Healthcare. Churchill Livingstone, New York. Murlow CD, Cook DJ and Davidoff F (1997) Systematic Reviews. Critical links in the great chain of evidence. Annals of Internal Medicine 126(5):389-91 Mulrow C.D. Oxman A.D. (1997) Cochrane Collaboration Handbook (database on disk and CDROM). The Cochrane Library, The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, Updated Software. NMC REF 2008 Rolfe G Gardner L (2006) Towards a geology of evidence-based practice: a discussion paper. International Journal of Nursing Studies 43, 903-913. Swansea, Sackett D.L., Richardson W.S., Rosenberg W. Haynes R.B.(1997) Evidence Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM. Churchill Livingstone, New York. Sackett DL, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB, (1997) Evidence based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM, London: Churchill Livingstone Sackett DL, Rosenberg WMC, Muir GrayJ.A, Haynes R.B and Richardson WS (1996) Evidence based medicine. What it is and what isnt,British Medical Journal 312:71-2 Sackett DL, Straus S, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W and Haynes RB (2000) Evidence-Based Medicine: how to practice and teach EBM (2e). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh Sandelowski M, Barroso J: Finding the findings in qualitative studies. J Nurs Scholarsh 2002, 34:213-219. Open Access Silva, Carlos Nunes (2008). Review: Catherine Marshall Gretchen B. Rossman (2006). Designing Qualitative Research [20 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 9(3), Art. 13, Are you Ipad Lover If not Become One! http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fon.fb.me%2FdUg8mah=80efb Are you Ipad Lover If not Become One! http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fon.fb.me%2FdUg8mah=80efb S Williams1 and J Dale1 Br J Cancer. 2006 Coventry Cancer Research UK Thorne S, Jensen L, Kearney MH, Noblit G, Sandelowski M. Qualitative meta-synthesis: reflections on methodological orientation and ideological agenda .Qual Health Res 2004;14:1342-65

Going the Speedlimit Essay -- Speeding Driving Tickets Essays

Going the Speedlimit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many approaches that we humans use to weasel out of a speeding ticket. This is not an easy task, but it has been mastered by a select few. The very reasonable way of just not speeding is used quite often. The method of lying is frequently used. This is sometimes effective and usually safe. The flirtatious approach (which usually is used only by females) is tried numerous times on male officers. Finally, there is the method of "outrunning the cops". This method quite often ends in arrest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not speeding is probably the best bet of not getting a ticket. If you aren't speeding then you have removed yourself from the situation of ever getting a ticket. Although this is the most intelligent and safe way to avoid tickets, it is also the least enjoya...

Gullivers Travels :: essays research papers

He’s not Making Funnies is He?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gulliver’s Travels is swarmed with many different satires. In the movie Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift throws out a number of ideas and statements concerning his views of hatred for cruelty, injustice, pettiness, and also stupidity that he saw through his everyday life. I like the way that he conveys his satires among the audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first part of the video, a lot of his criticisms were going towards the higher people of the ladder. For example, the King of the ship and then all of the other rulers of the world were the main people that he put down. When the ship was going to crash due to the imbalance of the flight magnet, the King simply sat on his throne and told the men in the room that everything was going to be fine. While the many men on board were running around frantically, the King did not give any aid to the problem. The point here was that Kings of the time, were not fulfilling their roles, instead, they were laying back and letting problems settle for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, in the first section of the video, professors got the bashing of satire. While Lemuel was walking around the island, he was stopping randomly and asking for directions to the place. Almost all of the rooms he entered, there was a professor working on an experiment. After he asked the intelligent men for the path to his destiny, they would simply describe their project to him or respond with not knowing what he was talking about. With the actions of the man, I thought that the satire on the professors was superior. The professors were not worrying about anything else that went on around them, due to the fact that they were too into their projects. Lemuel describes them to be experiments with no end. The thought of how professors work so hard on making something that will come to be nothing was explained with great and detailed satire in the afterward part of the video clip.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second part of the movie, Lemuel Gulliver was on an island with some different kid of â€Å"creatures†. One of the animals was a horse, and they obtained the name of houyhnhnms. These were symbolizing the natives from another planet, country, land, or island. The horses were talking to Lemuel and he discussed his culture and in exchange, the houyhnhnm’s shared their thoughts and beliefs with Lemuel.

Leadership Challenges Of Today Essay

The role of leaders today has become increasingly easier and yet more challenging at the same time.   With the level of technology that is available today as opposed to what was previously available, a leader is able to communicate much faster with the other members of the team and coordinate the work within large teams more effectively and efficiently (Bennis, 2001).    With the advances in communication technologies and all the new gadgets designed to ease to work load and make people function for efficiently, there are more and more demands of a leader today.   Factor in the fact that there are an increasing number of multi-cultural working environments today and it becomes apparent just how much more different the leadership scene is today from previous years (Bennis, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the main challenges of a leader today that has been brought about by the development of technology is that a leader is now expected to do more.   A leader is always expected to make the most of whatever resources are available (Covey, 1999).   In previous years, the constraints of communication problems made the expectation much lower than it is today.   With the relative ease in communication and the devices that are currently available, more output is expected from a leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another challenge which was not present in the leadership scene in previous years is the existence of a growing number of multi-cultural teams in the work place.   The diverse environments in the work place today demand that a leader be able to cope with the different cultural background and communication skills of his team members (Bennis, 2001).   This creates a more challenging working environment as leaders must try to adjust to the needs of working in a multi-cultural environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, with the level of competition brought about by globalization, it is becoming increasingly difficult for leaders to cultivate a company culture that promotes job satisfaction and reduces the turnover rate of employees.   The relative ease of finding other jobs in other companies and markets and the level of competition demands that a leader must be able to play a critical role in keeping the team members happy as well as ensuring a certain level of productivity to remain competitive (Covey, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While it may be argued that these leadership challenges were already present in the workplace before, it must be pointed out that these challenges only existed to a minimal extent and were not a major factor until now.   It is expected that as the world markets expand and the level of competition increases, the role of a leader today will only become more challenging and stressful. References: Bennis, W., Spreitzer, G. and Cummings, T. (2001) The Future of Leadership: Today’s Top Leadership Thinkers Speak to Tomorrow’s Leaders Jossey-Bass Publishing Company Covey, S. (1999) Principle-centered Leadership Simon & Schuster Ltd

Architect Peter Behrens

The purpose of this analysis is to identify, define, and explain. It is a three part analysis that also has an Introduction and a Conclusion. The first section discusses the â€Å"Historical Background of the Architect†, Peter Behrens. Behrens was born in Germany where he made a significant contribution to the industry field. He brought the styles of Expressionistic, Industrial Classicism, Jugendstil, and International Modern Style to his masterpieces. In fact, these styles are explained in section two which is the â€Å"Critical Analysis†.Behrens’ buildings, Behrens House, A. E. G. High Tension Factory, I. G. Farben Offices, and New Ways are assigned particular styles based upon the way they were designed and the year in which they were built. The final section is the â€Å"Building Analysis†. Additional details are given for the Behrens House. These details are in terms of technicality, criticism, and building for the times. Based upon the findings of th is information, a Conclusion is drawn. Historical Background of the Architect Peter Behrens was originally from Hamburg, Germany. He was born in 1868.Behrens first profession was as a painter. However, graphic and applied arts appealed to Behrens more. Thus, he re-channeled his energy to those areas and steered away from painting. In 1899, an invitation to attend the Artists’ Colony in Darmstadt enabled Behrens to establish a leadership role there. Yet, he would not stay put for long. Behrens next venture was in Dusseldorf where he was employed as the Director of the Kunstgewerkeschule. It was an interim position that sparked Behrens’s interest in adding a unique geometric abstraction to his work (â€Å"Peter Behrens?† 2007). The 1890s was the time period when Behrens was located in Munich where he was employed as a painter and graphic artist. It is also when Behrens gained membership into the Jugendstil movement. However, it was not until 1893 that Behrens beca me one of the co-founders of the Munich Secession. Additionally, â€Å"He produced woodcuts, colored (sic) illustrations, designs for book bindings and crafts objects entirely shaped by the Jugendstil formal language† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n.d. ). Artists and architects such as Augst Endell, Bernhard Pankok, Bruno Paul, Hermann Obrist, and Richard Vereinigte united forces with Behrens in 1897 to find â€Å"†¦the Vereinigth Werkstatten fur Kunst und Handwerk in Munich to produce handmade utilitarian objects† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). These contributions to society were just as the word utilitarian means: functional, practical, and down-to-earth. Consequently, Behrens displayed humbleness in his work as well.This side may also have been evident when Behrens joined forces in 1898 to design â€Å"Pan†, a Berlin journal as well as when he fashioned the first of his furniture designs (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). At the same time that Behrens was creating unique architecture that stirred up a lot of talk and criticism, he was knee-deep in leadership roles. For example, â€Å"In 1899 Peter Behrens was appointed by Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt to the Mathildenhohe artists’ colony the Grand Duke had just established in Darmstadt† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ).Naturally, having a position of such this caliber bestowed upon him by such a high prestige, this meant that Peter Behrens had earned respect, in addition to this honor, in the eyes of the Grand Duke. This could have been the reason why Behrens felt it time to build his own home. â€Å"Designed as a total work of art, â€Å"Haus Behrens† caused quite a stir; Behrens himself designed the architecture and the interior with all its appointments and furnishings down to the last detail† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). Accordingly, Behrens was able to implemen t the Expressionistic style into his home.Perhaps this inner-creativeness is what caused the AEG to become interested in Behrens. The time between 1907 and 1914 led Behrens’ life to Berlin where he became an artistic advisor to the AEG. It was during this period in his professional career that Behrens became known as the person who â€Å"†¦created the world’s first corporate image† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 2). Remarkably, Behrens’ work with the AEG was when he displayed a keen interest for designing architectural pieces that utilized the form and material found in the industry field.Moreover, Behrens’ work helped pave a path for others to follow. Therefore, he â€Å"†¦can be considered a key figure in the transition from Jugendstil to Industrial Classicism. ’ ‘He [indeed] played a central role in the evolution of German Modernism’† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 3). During the time fr ame between 1922 and 1936, Behrens was headmaster to the Vienna Akademie der Bildenden Kunste which is an architecture department where he also taught (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). As a result, Behrens was able to play a significant part in the way Germans (and people, in general) perceive architecture.Furthermore, Behrens â€Å"†¦designed china, glass objects and patterned imoleum flooring for various companies. ’ ‘One of his last commissions, in 1938, was to plan a new AEG headquarters in Berlin’† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). This was, of course, all accomplished before Peter â€Å"†¦died in Berlin in 1940† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 4). Fortunately, Behrens was able to put many of his ideas into his architecture. In addition, he was able to demonstrate a high level of skill and technicality in his work. Critical Analysis One of Behrens’ first works was the Behrens House.It was designed in 1901 and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. The house is known for its fine dining rooms and music appeal. Its outline is one of the normal formats â€Å"†¦for a small burgeois house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007, par. 1). However, â€Å"†¦its internal and external expression was unusual, particularly for its combination of features drawn from the English Arts and Crafts movement†¦with elements such as the high-pitched roof drawn from the German Vernacular† (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007, par. 1). In this sense, the word vernacular gives a strong indication that the German culture was evident in Behrens’ works.Vernacular is just another term for the word language. Thus, the Behrens House is characteristic of the Expressionistic style (explained later) as well as of Industrial Classicism which is basically an ideology in which human beings and machines can coexist. In this case, the word â€Å"machine† refers to bu ildings. Another of Behrens’ works is â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† (2007). The building was designed in 1910 and is located in Berlin, Germany. It is an industrial plant made of glass and iron. When Behrens created the building, he was able to incorporate a very unique and different look to it.â€Å"Behrens achieved a plastic effect and a dynamic form of construction of the trusses, which were pulled towards the outside, as well as through the tapering iron trusses and the glass areas which were drawn towards the inside† (â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). This look aroused many other architects and caused them to criticize Behrens. In fact, â€Å"Luduig Hilberseimer wrote: ‘Peter Behrens is led astray by the imperialistic power consciousness of the prewar years and restrained by classical influences, and he thinks to add a facade to his turbine hall of the AEG at Moabit, an otherwise terse structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"A .E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). However, Behrens’ work really demonstrated Expressionistic, Jugendstil, and Industrial Classicism styles. Yet, it was also represented of the International Modern Style. Did knowing these things stop others from criticizing Behrens’ works? No. Another architect also had strong words to say about Behrens. In fact, â€Å"†¦Erich Mendelsohn criticized the building [A. E. G. High Tension Factory}; ‘He pastes over the expression of tension, which the hall creates, with the rigidity of a repeatedly broken temple tympanon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"A. E. G.High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). However, this meant the work was characteristic of the Expressionistic style. This style was â€Å"A movement in the arts during the early part of the 20th century that emphasized subjective expression of the artist’s inner expressions† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007). Of course, the expressionistic style o ccurred around the World War I era. Perhaps the strains of the war created a stir within the architects’ souls because Behrens was not the only artist to take up this style; other German architects did as well (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007).Consequently, maybe that is why some architects saw the beauty in Behrens’ masterpiece. â€Å"Le Corbusier†¦admired the structure as being a charged center, which represents the integral architectonic creations of our time—rooms with admirable moderation and cleanness, with magnificent machines, which set solemn and impressive accents, as the center of attraction† (â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). This means that Behrens’ architecture was both Jugendstil and Industrial Classicism. Jugendstil is a cross between Art Nouveau and other unique styles (â€Å"Jugendstil† 2007).Art Nouveau is defined as â€Å"†¦a new form, an original artistic and decorative movement ins pired by the idea of ‘total art’† (â€Å"Introduction to Art Nouveau† 2007, par. 4). Behrens also put Jugendstil and Industrial Classicism styles into his offices. The I. G. Farben Offices were designed between 1920 and 1925. In fact, these buildings are located in Frankfurt, Germany. Behrens used brick masonry as the construction system for these commercial offices. He followed the Dutch Expressionist Modern style as well.This type of architecture was symbolic of both â€Å"†¦the theatrical play of light†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as well as â€Å"†¦the systematic use of slanting rafters which serve to disrupt the overall rectilinearity† (â€Å"I. G. Farben Offices† 2007, par. 1). Consequently, this building was reminiscent of the Expressionistic style as well. Again, in this style the artist puts his heart into his work. One of Behrens’ later masterpieces was New Ways. â€Å"In 1926 Peter Behrens designed ‘New Ways’, a pri vate dwelling in Northampton, which is regarded as an early example of the International Modern style† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n.d. ). Carpenter (n. d. ) indicated, â€Å"Need and demand inspires Art. ’ ‘International Modern Style buildings appeared in the early post war in the form of many large industrial sized buildings’† (par. 1). During the years following the war, hospitals were needed for the injured and other buildings were needed to house soldiers after they were released from the hospital and before they could go home. Of course, this is mandatory when dealing with any war. However, back in the 1900s when World War I was occurring, people were not familiar with so many injuries.Thus, architects that were able to design establishments that would benefit the war contributed greatly to their countries. In fact, the German language was present in Behrens’ Behrens House, as indicated in previous sections. Building Analysis The Behrens House is unique in nature. It was built to become Peter Behrens habitat, where he could display his ideas into his work in detail. Moreover, the house was where Behrens thought of some of his greatest ideas. In fact, it was discussed at the Wikipedia website that, â€Å"†¦Behrens built his own house and fully conceived everything inside the house (furniture, towels, paintings, pottery, etc. ).’ ‘The building of this house is considered to be the turning point in his life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography? † 2007). It was the time period when Behrens went to the Expressionistic style and re-directed many of the thoughts he put into his architecture from the Jugendstil style. During this period, Behrens also steered away from the Munich artistic circles for which he had grown acquainted. Behrens became temperate and rigorous in his style of designs (â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography? † 2007). This was evident in the Behrens House. In fact, the construction system was made of brick and stucco facade, with a wood interior (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007).Thus, this gave the impression that Behrens had been serious when he built this home. It could have been the strain of involvement with so many different things or the toil that war can bring to even citizens of the war, whatever the case, Behrens House was amongst the first designs that took Peter Behrens in a totally different direction. This would be the Art Noueau style (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007). Of course, this style brings the total package of art designs to the home. So, what are the technicalities behind this design? Well, architecture itself is a technicality.Egan (1998) wrote, â€Å"In terms of architecture, before we decide how to build, we must decide what to build, and why† (par. 4). Peter Behrens decided that he wanted to construct a home and then he built Behrens House to be his home. At the same time, Behrens knew his safe-hav en would be the building ground for many of his ideas. This factor relates to Egan’s (1998) discussion in the fact that Egan said, â€Å"†¦the most challenging questions in architecture are not answered through laws of physics or engineering; they are questions of culture and psychology† (par. 4).Behrens became Expressionistic around the time of World War I. Since the details in his architecture were somber, one could say that Behrens had seen some horrors of the war that had found a place in his heart and came out in his designs. Even so, Behrens still portrayed the fact he was a German by having the German culture displayed in his work. This answers the question of culture. Psychology is answered by the fact that Behrens went from Jugendstil to an Expressionistic style of design. Do these attributes imply that technicalities existed in Behrens design? Yes. However, Egan (1998) mentioned,†¦the essence of architecture is not construction; instead it is the de sign of spaces for humans. It includes spaces for humans, for their activities, for their treasures, and for their aspirations. Architecture uses the physical world of construction to shape, order, structure, articulate, and embody our spaces and our beliefs. (par. 4) This statement, in itself, gives way to the fact that Industrial Classicism existed. Industrial Classicism was considered to be the style that connected man with machine. Thus, Behrens tied himself with his architecture by building his own home and then working out of it.What type of mentality did this suggest of Behrens? It could be noted that Behrens had a Cognitive pragmatics mentality. Tirassa (1999) pointed out, â€Å"Cognitive pragmatics is concerned with the mental process involved with intentional communication, that is, with the characteristics of the mind/brain that allow individuals belonging to the human (and possibly to other) species to intentionally communicate with each other† (1). If this is the case, then Behrens was able to communicate his thoughts and aspirations with the design of his home in 1901. Architecture does not rely on oral communication.Therefore, Behrens was able to effectively communicate his design style, which everyone did not approve of. In order to fully understand what this means, the assumptions behind cognitive pragmatics must be given. Tirassa (1999) wrote, â€Å"The first is that communication is best viewed as one form of social activity and that a theory of communication belongs therefore to the study of action and social action rather than of language or of the transmission of information. The second is that communication involves some form of active cooperation between participants. (1-2)In architecture, this may not be entirely true. For example, Behrens’ critics picked up on his rigid style by viewing his buildings and so did those who enjoyed Behrens’ work. Therefore, on social interaction had to take place for this to occur. Additinally, not everyone was in agreement that the Behrens House was one of the best pieces of architecture of that time. However, the design had people talking. Unfortunately, not all the communication was good—as criticism was evident amongst some of the discussions (discussed earlier). So, was Behrens House a building for the times?Yes and no. It is because Behrens designed the home to last. Not only that, Behrens House received a lot of talk and during a time when war rages, opening up some form of communication is better than keeping it all bottled in until it explodes on its own. The main reason is because when/if that tension explodes in a negative manner, no telling what type of additional problems it will cause. Behrens House was also a building of its time because it allowed Behrens to express himself in such a manner, that he helped others go on to achieve great things.This was evident due to the contributions of architectural teachings and creations of utilitaria n objects that Behrens brought to the world. On the other hand, Behrens design may not be the best building for all times. In the presence of war and ever-increasing technological advancements, Behrens House may not have been practical living quarters for a family on the move. In these times, houses can be built in a matter of days and those with a high degree of difficulty can be built in one week (as seen on ABC’s, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). Yet, back in those days, houses could be quickly assembled as well.An article about snail-like homes surfaced around 1943. It indicated that buildings, called Ratio Structures had been created and the buildings were being tested in The Bronx. The article also pointed out that these buildings were, Built on small concrete piers†¦[and] is unique having its framework, like a snail’s, on the outside. The Structure is composed of two practically independent parts: 1) an arch-shaped roof made of insulated panels and supporte d by posts; 2) rooms, formed of demountable inner & outer panels (sic) which can be shuffled around at will under the roof.Thus the structure has no weight-carrying walls. (â€Å"Houses Like Snails† 1943). Consequently, these buildings were good for housing the injured and supporting the war. In fact, it was written that the â€Å"Large unites could be changed to meet the requirements of homes, hospitals, recreation centers, storage, schools, etc. † (â€Å"Houses Like Snails† 1943). These factors, alone, make Ratio Structures both durable and convenient for today’s times as well. Moreover, this statement is relative to current war issues. This is because the article also mentioned,Under (sic) wartime restrictions the panels are made of celotex and wallboard. But they could be made of any material. Having no weight-carrying walls, the Wiener-Sert system uses only 50% of the structural lumber and 80% of the metal permitted by WFB. (â€Å"Houses Like Snails † 1943) What do all these things suggest about Behrens and his art? More than meets the eye. Conclusion Peter Behrens was able to listen to his heart and design the desires therein. That speaks volumes of the man. Not too many architectures, let alone, people are willing to do something new.Many professionals and individuals, in general, are more concerned with what others might do, think, or say than they are with being different. Of course, World War I had a lot to do with the fact that Behrens changed the way he designed from the Jugendstil style to the Expressionistic style. Yet, what should be noted is that those were not the only two design styles of the architect. Behrens also created works that displayed the style of Industrial Classicism and International Modern Style as well. Therefore, Behrens House should be considered as groundwork to other masterpieces in his time.References â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Behrens House. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens. † n. d. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Jugendstil. † Senses Art Nouveau sprl. 2007. 17 May 2007 Carpenter, Steve.International Modern Style. n. d. 17 May 2007 Egan, Christopher K. Ideas in Architecture. 1998. Egan/Martinez Design. 18 May 2007 â€Å"I. G. Farben Offices. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Introduction to Art Nouveau. † Senses Art Nouveau sprl. 2007. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens?. † Answers. com. 2007. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens?. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography?. † Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 April 2007. Berne Convention. 18 May 2007 Tirassa, M. Communicative competence and the architecture of the mind/brain. 1999. Acade mic Press. 18 May 2007 â€Å"House of Snails. † Time, Inc. 24 May 1943. 18 May 2007