Academic writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic writing - Essay Example Its crystal that shock to the head from sports like boxing, rugby, American football and ice hockey have caused long term brain injuries to the associated players. The latest game coming into the light about brain injuries sustained from head collisions is soccer. According to the Legendary Pele, Ball heading resulting from play is supposed to be done using the forehead with clenched fists. It can also be done using the tensed neck muscle and failure to that resulted in misdirected play and a greater impact on the brain. This is because a header caused one’s mind to shake in the skull. When it came to children they either failed to follow the necessary steps while heading or are not strong enough. Considering that they are still growing, their neck muscles even though tensed are not adequately strong to protect their skulls from absorption of the elevated G-force. Since their heads are big and wobble in proportion to the whole body than adults, the brain is likely to shake ins ide the skull on impact. In comparison to a 6-year-old non-developmentally ready to pass the ball, 12-year-old should not be allowed to head. Studies have also established that children take longer to heal mental children as compared to adults. They are also more susceptible to injuries because their skull is not well developed to sustain external forces (Cantu and Hayman, 2014). Since children aren’t able to decide and prepare how appropriately to head the ball, they are more susceptible to head injuries. Such injuries may be attributed to the inadequacy in strength to head, awareness in the best heading way or not well-coordinated to head. Furthermore, the neck muscles are not well developed to hold the head steadily and deal with the impact from heading. While watching a children’s game, it won’t take long notice that heading is useless. It’s always a result of guesswork and done randomly with closed eyes and the ball non-directional. The ball in most cases makes contact

Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Response - Essay Example However, a society can be racist even if only a very small number (or even none!) of its members hold racist beliefs. Racism in a society gets often influenced by ignorance, legal system, family settings, economic scramble, among other factors. When a society where by a small number of its members exists, there stands a danger of infection of the small group to infect the larger non racist group. The racist group of people may also bring up their children under the racism grounds hence transmitting the social problem to their generations to come. If the racist group practices racism against their no racist counterparts, they may induce or stimulate counter racism in return. This may worsen or amplify the racism situation in the society (Shah). On the other hand, in a situation where no racist individuals exist in a society (which many scholars believe is hard), new emergences may arise due to various reasons. The first and the most obvious are the emergence of new racist members in the society. In his article, Shar argues that social settings are dynamic and liable to continuous change forever (Shah). These changes get influenced by the arrival of new members as one of the factors. The devastating thing is that this ethical society cannot stop people from coming to their society. Social grouping of one or particular group without considering racial participation equality may induce racism. Starting up a social group of a particular race may not even start up racism believes among them toward other races, but also induce the same believes among the other group that stands not included in this racial group (Shah). Therefore, a careful consideration should be taken when making social groups, institutions and employment to make sure that racial equality stands fair. Some government policies may also be effective in curbing racism while others promote it. The old Immigration Law in the US and apartheid system in South Africa, have promoted

Market Research proposal report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Market Research proposal report - Essay Example The industry gives transport services for freight and also passengers. Businesses within the industry aim at making it very interesting to woo customers to desire to use services provided by the industry. The study of the industry reveals that there are political, economic, socio-cultural and legal factors that affect it. The Pest analysis should be used to analyze the environment in which the industry operates in. This simple analysis involves understanding the industry's political, economic, social, and technological environment with references to the various companies within the industry. (Massingham, et al. 1988) Political factors have a direct and indirect effect on the performance of the various companies within the airline industry. There are some decisions which have been made by the federal government of the United Kingdom which has really had a negative effect on the performance of the industry. For instance, in 2001, the federal government brought legal suits and made decisions to minimize the production and marketing of high performance to countries believed to be a threat to the security of U.K. This move impacted negatively to the general operations of companies within the industry. (Michael, 1985) The industry has also been affected by economic factors. These include: Currency exchange rate, interest rate policy, consumer factors, and fiscal policy rates. The industry has to adhere to the fluctuations in the market depending with how a consumer perceives the offered products. In the times of economic recession, less people use air transport because of the low affordability of this kind of transport. Hence the industry has continually suffered for lack of customers. Therefore, the industry makes minimal profits because of the few customers it is able to acquire at such times. (Jan, 2002) The market has also been affected by social factors. Forces within the society such as media, family and friends have affected the operations of companies within the industry. The media has played a role in influencing customers to believe that the services offered by the industry are of high quality. Social factors have affected the opinions, interests, and attitudes of the industry's potential customers. The industry's success can be greatly attributed to social factors. (Scholes, 1993) Technological factors have also played a role in affecting the industry's performance. The internet for example has assisted the industry to extend its global out reach. Most of the marketing mix strategies which the airline has used have kept in touch with changing technology and modernization in the ever changing world. E-commerce and Radio Frequency identification-RFID are some of the modern technological aspects embraced by the industry. The industry has tried to always keep abreast with technology. The modern technology present in the industry has given it a competitive edge over other related industries. The technology has also greatly increased the effectiveness of the services offered by the industry. (Schlesinger, 1991) Some of the services that can be introduced in to the industry include postal services. Here, letters and mails will be transported via planes to where they are needed. This enhances the speed of postal services in the world as a whole. The targeted customers will include rich business people who need to deliver mail to business people based in other parts of the world urgently. The cost of this service will

U.S. energy policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. energy policy - Research Paper Example According to Bazerman, climatic changes and diminishing energy resources became a concern and various government offices were supposed to give a detailed explanation which was later termed as â€Å"a predictable surprise, or a failure to act in time.† This explanation is what formed the need for government to have control on future occurrences. In addition, other needs for energy and climatic control developed over the years. To begin with, climate change characterized by long warm periods necessitated implementation of Energy Policy in order to contain the situation. Bazerman notes that scientists and politicians had to come up with solutions to address the climatic changes and â€Å"other energy issues including oil, transportation, and electricity policies† (1). These were the initial concerns when the technological advancements were few and human population was little. Another reason for formulation of U.S Energy Policy was need for energy independence. Grossman (1) acknowledges the U.S government effort under the tenure of President Carter, whereby there was increased government funding to stimulate new technologies for alternative energy. In addition, the country also wanted to reduce the over dependence on fossil fuels such as cove reasons coal and oil whose amounts diminish with time. In addition to the above, other reasons include formation of sustainable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, creation of jobs, reduction of air pollution and energy cost (ACEE E 1). Many benefits are accrued from efficient energy sources and can be spread in various sectors of the economy and even at personal level. For example, efficient energy systems promote investments, which in turn provide employment opportunities to the citizens. For actualization of the above objectives, the government had to setup various institutions to oversee the implementation of various legislations passed through Acts of parliament. To

Road to Independence Notes Essay Example for Free

Road to Independence Notes Essay People are reconsidering the policy of colonialism. 1. After WWII, people questioned whether dictatorship was a good idea. 2. â€Å"All nations should be free from the power of other nations. † 3. Keeping colonies had a high cost. It wasn’t worth it. 4. Colonized people pressed harder for freedom. Ex: British-held India II. A Movement Toward Independence A. The Indian’s strive to freedom intensifies. 1. British had power over India for 2 centuries. 2. Britain drafted Indians into WWII in 1939 without the consent of the the colony’s representatives. . Gandhi launched civil disobedience and many who followed were arrested. 4. To gain favor of the Indians, Britain promised government changes after WWII, but didn’t offer freedom. Besides colonialism, India struggles with internal conflict. 1. They have religious disagreements. 350 million Hindus 100 million Muslims 2. The Congress Party (aka Indian National Congress: India’s national political party) was made up mostly of Hindus, and a few Muslims. C. The Muslim League is created. 1. The Muslim League (1906) is the organization against the mostly Hindu Congress Party, aimed to protect Muslim interest. . (The leader) Muhammad Ali Jinnah asked all Muslims to leave the Congress party. He would not accept independence from Britain if it meant staying under Hindu rule. III. Freedom Brings Turmoil A. The decision of who receives power is being made. 1. The British lost much wealth after WWII, and was ready to turn over their power, since keeping up with colonies was costly. 2. The power will either be given to Hindus or Muslims. B. Muslims resisted Hindu domination. 1. Rioting broke out and in 1946, there were 20,000 casualties in a 4 day clash in Calcutta. C. Pakistan was created. 1. To maintain peace, Britain decided to partition (division of Indian religions into separate nations; idea first brought up by Muslims) India. 2. North western and eastern part of India became Pakistan which was dominated by Muslims. D. Everything in India was being divided. 1. British granted India and Pakistan a month of independence in July 16, 1947. 2. Princes had to decide which nation they’d join. 3. The civil service (courts, military, railways, police) was divided. 4. The differing religions had to decide where to go. E. One million people died during the move to their new nation. 1. Muslims killed Sikhs moving to India. 2. Sikhs and Hindus killed Muslims going to Pakistan. 3. Gandhi went to the Indian capital (Delhi) to ask for mercy, but was killed by a hindu extremist in January 30, 1948. F. Hindus and Muslims fight for Kashmir. 1. Kashmir is at the northern point of India next to Pakistan. 2. It had a Hindu ruler, but the majority of people living there was Muslim. 3. Fighting continued until UN arranged cease-fire in 1949. 4. One-third went to Pakistan (Muslims) and the rest to India (Hindus). IV. Modern India A. India has become the world’s largest democracy. 1. India gained independence in August 15, 1947. 2. Jawaharlal Nehru (the independent nation’s first prime minister) addressed India’s freedom. B. Nehru is the leader. 1. He served the first 17 years of India’s independence as leader. 2. He was a devoted follower of Gandhi. 3. He emphasized democracy, unity, and economic modernization, and became very popular with all Indian groups. C. Nehru pushed India forward. 1. He led newly independent nations into making alliances with other non aligned nations. 2. He reorganized the states by language and pushed for industrialization and social reform. 3. He raised the status of those in lower class (lower castes and women). D. A new leader came. 1. Nehru died in 1964. 2. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister in 1966, left office, and was re elected in 1980. E. Challenges set on Indira caused more violent acts and death. 1. Sikh extremists wanted an independent state. 2. The Golden Temple was the Sikh’s religious center. 3. The Sikhs attacked symbols of Indian authority, so Indians troops overran the Golden Temple, killing 500 Sikhs and destroying sacred property. 4. Indira was gunned down by Sikh bodyguards and another murder spree occurred, killing thousands of Sikhs. . Indira’s son, Rajiv, became prime minister, but lost power because of corruption. He was then killed. F. Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced problems. 1. The leader of the nationalist party of India, Vajpayee, faced challenges of overpopulation and strife among religions. 2. The struggle between India and Pakistan was bad, now that they became nuclear powers. India exploded a nuclear device in 1974. For 24 years, India improved nuclear capability in private. In 1998, 5 nuclear tests were conducted. Pakistanis also showed they had nuclear capabilities. The nuclear weapons of both rival groups became an international concern, especially because of Hindus and Muslims continuous struggle over Kashmir. V. Pakistan Copes with Freedom A. Pakistan was already very turbulent and had differences between West Pakistan and East Pakistan. B. The two regions of Pakistan struggled with each other. 1. A tidal wave hit East Pakistan and killed 266,000 residents in 1970, calling for international aid that West Pakistan was not eager in giving. 2. East Pakistan protested and called to end all ties with West Pakistan. C. Pakistan undergoes its own partition. 1. On March 26, 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. 2. Civil war broke out. Indians sided with Bangladesh and Pakistan surrendered. 3. 1 million people died. 4. One-seventh of area and one-half of the population in Pakistan was lost. D. Pakistan is instable. 1. After the death of the first governor general of India, the nation had no strong leader and went through many military coups. First in 1958 by Ali Bhutto Second in 1977 by General Zia Third Benazir Bhutto, Ali’s daughter, became prime minister. Fourth, Sharif in 1997. VI. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Struggle A. Bangladesh faces many problems. 1. War brought economic and communication issues in Bangladesh. 2. Sheik Mujibur Rahman became the first prime minister of Bangladesh. Interested more in power than making reparations 3. Bangladesh tries to become democratic and fraud and corruption was common. Recently, it has been more stable and Begum Khaleda Zia became prime minister in 2001. 4. Natural disasters were troublesome. Bangladesh (low-lying) is subject to cyclones, tidal waves, massive storms which floods lands, ruins crops, takes lives, and homes. 5. Rapid growth in population put stress on the economy. There is civil strife in Sri Lanka. . Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamil Hindus make up the two main groups in Sri Lanka. 2. Tamils wanted to become a separate Tamil nation and violence occurred in order to do so. Rajiv Gandhi and the president on Sri Lanka made an agreement that called Indian troops to disarm Tamil rebels. A civil war between Tamils and Sri Lankans still exists. New Nations in Africa: Chapter 34 Section 3 I. Setting the Stage A. Africa was also a nation victim to colonization. B. Like India, they were unwilling to return to colonization after WWII, so they also won their independence and went on to creating new African nations. II. Achieving Independence A. A movement is made for Black Heritage. 1. The French-speaking Africans and West Indians grew pride for traditional Africa. 2. The Negritude movement (movement to celebrate African culture, heritage, and values) was formed. B. WWII changed the views of colonies and colonizers, which helped Africa gain independence from 1950s-1960s. 1. The African joined Europeans in WWII to defend freedom, and were unwilling to return to colonization. 2. The European colonizers developed morale and wondered whether it was a good idea to still hold colonies. In addition to morale, maintaining colonies was costly and wasn’t viewed as something worth losing money for. C. Africa achieved independence in a unique way. 1. Unlike other colonized areas that pushed for independence, Africa was colonized indirectly and directly. Those who were ruled indirectly were able to enjoy limited self-rule and were ruled by local officials. They achieved independence more easily. Those ruled directly were governed at all levels by foreigners and did not have any self rule. To get independence, they had to fight wars. D. Africa struggled even after they gained their independence. . They had to start from scratch: creating a new gov. , and establishing postcolonial economy. 2. Internal conflicts made it hard create stable nations. When colonized by Europeans, Africa was separated by random and many tribes who shared the same culture were divided and enclosed with rival groups, causing violence. III. Ghana Leads the Way A. The Gold Coast, a British colony, achieves full independence. 1. The Gold Coast (South of the Sahara) achieved independence, so British allowed for Africans to be nominated for legislative council. 2. However, they wanted full freedom and created a group. . Kwame Nkrumah (leader of the nonviolent group) organized strikes and boycotts, and was also imprisoned many times, (starting in 1947) eventually being able to liberate the Gold Coast from the British government. B. Good intentions called for opposition against Nkrumah. 1. The Gold Coast became Ghana (from the Ghana Kingdom of Africa) after it received its independence in 1957. 2. Nkrumah, th e first prime-minister and president for life, pushed for industrialization by building new roads, schools, and health facilities. 3. His programs were too costly, and people began to oppose him. C. Ghana still continues to struggle. 1. Nkrumah was criticized for neglecting economic issues. 2. When in China (1966) he was replaced by the police and army in Ghana. 3. The power shifts between civilian and military rule, and Ghana struggles economically. 4. 2000 marks the first open election in Ghana. IV. Fighting for Freedom A. The British is forced to allow Kenyan self-government. 1. The British were unwilling to give Kenyans independence because they’ve taken over prized farmland in the northern highlands of Kenya. 2. The Kenyans had 2 developments which forced British to surrender. Jomo Kenyatta’s (Kenyan nationalist) strong leadership. The Mau Mau, a secret society of mostly native Kenyan farmers forced out of the highlands by British people. B. The Mau Mau fight for independence. 1. Guerilla tactics were used to push out the British from the highlands. 2. Kenyatta had no connection to the Mau Mau but did not stop them from fighting for their freedom. 3. Kenyatta was imprisoned for about a decade. 4. Kenya was granted independence in 1963, however, 10,00 Africans and 100 settlers died. C. After gaining independence, Kenya still faced some struggles from poor leadership. 1. Kenyatta became the president and worked to reunite various groups in his nation, but he died in 1978. 2. He was succeeded by a weak leader, Daniel arap Moi. 3. Under Moi’s leadership was opposition to his one-party rule, corruption, and conflicts between ethnicities killing hundreds and making thousands homeless. 4. He left office in 2002, and a new party gained power through elections. D. Algeria wins independence through battle. 1. Algeria had a population of 1 million French and 9 million Arabs and Berber Muslims. 2. French did not want to share political power with the natives even after WWII. . The FLN (Algerian National Liberation Front) would fight for freedom, and upon hearing this, the French sent half a million troops to fight the FLN. 4. The FLN won and gained independence in July 1962. E. Uncertainty within Algeria calls for civil war. 1. The FLN leader, Ahmed Ben Bella, becomes president and attempts to make Algeria follow socialism, but is overthrown. 2. From 19 65-1988, Algeria tried to modernize, but failed. Religious fundamentalists wanted to make Algeria an Islamic state because they were dissatisfied with the current government and high unemployment rates. 3. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won elections in 1990 and 1991, but the government and army refused the results. 4. Civil war broke out between Islamic militants and the government, and goes on and off until this day. V. Civil War in Congo and Angola A. The people of Congo were unprepared for independence, and it led to turmoil. 1. Belgians colonized and plundered Congo taking all its riches and resources such as rubber and copper. 2. They gave no social services to the natives of Congo, and did not prepare them for independence. 3. They granted Congo (aka Zaire from 1971-1997) independence in 1960, which cause upheaval, and civil war. B. Congo goes through two leaders. 1. Years of civil war sprung up, and Mobutu Sese Seko (aka Colonel Joseph Mobutu) seized power in 1965. He renamed Congo to Zaire and ruled it for 32 years. He held control over Zaire with force, one-party rule, and bribing supporters with gifts. He withstood rebellions. 2. In 1997, he was overthrown by Laurent Kabila (rebel leader). Zaire was renamed The Democratic Republic of Congo. C. Kabila wasn’t the leader people hoped for, and a new leader rises. 1. He became president and promised a democracy, but never delivered it. 2. Civil war broke out again, and rebel groups wanted to overthrow Kabila. . He was assassinated by a bodyguard in 2001. 4. Joseph Kabila, his son, took power and pushed for peace. 5. Rebels stopped rebelling in 2002 in hope that the peace may come. D. Angola (South West of Congo) fought for independence. 1. Angola was ruled by the Portuguese who were unwilling to let go of their colony. 2. An independence movement broke out and Portugal sent 50,000 troops to end it, which wiped out half of Portugal’s budget. 3. The cost of war and the war’s opposition in Portugal called for them to withdraw from Angola in 1975. E. Civil war broke out in Angola. 1. Angola became a new nation, and the MPLA (Communist leaning â€Å"Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola†) declared itself as the government. 2. Rebel groups fought against the government for power. 3. 50,000 Cuban troops and Soviet Union supported the MPLA. 4. South Africa and the U. S. supported the UNITA (the major opposition to the MPLA; â€Å"National Union for the Total Independence of Angola†) 5. The MPLA and UNITA abandoned many cease-fire agreements, but in 2002, a peace accord was agreed to and the civil war ended. Conflicts in the Middle East: Chapter 34 Section 4 I. Setting the Stage A. By the end of WWII, Jewish finally gained its own state, which proved to have bad consequences. 1. The Jewish gained a state that was located by the Mediterranean Sea. 2. It consisted of mostly Arabs who rejected the creation of a Jewish state. 3. Palestinians claimed Jewish states to be theirs, therefore opposing Jewish states. 4. Wars were fought between Jews and Arabs, and Jews and Palestinians. II. Israel Becomes a State A. Palestinians, Jews, and Arabs all claim the same lands (Israel, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in modern day Palestine). 1. Jews’ reason: 3,000 before, Jewish Kings ruled the lands from Jerusalem. . Palestinians’ reason: land was theirs since Jewish exile on A. D. 135. 3. Arabs’ reason: their conquest of the lands in the 7th century (600s). B. The Jews wanted to return to Palestine and gain a Jewish state centuries after their exile. 1. The Jewish were unable to gain their own state after their exile, and dispersed around the world (Diaspor a). 2. Zionists (people who favored a Jewish state in Palestine) started returning to their homeland during the 19th and 20th centuries (1800s-1900s). C. A British idea of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine cause sparks between the Jews and Palestinians. 1. The British directed Palestine (League of Nations’ commands) as a result of the loss of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in WWI. 2. Many Jews were in Palestine, and pressed for their own nation. 3. Palestinians opposed the idea, so when Secretary Sir Arthur Balfour of Britain proposed creating a Jewish state while keeping the rights of non-Jewish communities (Balfour Declaration) and the plan failed, tensions rose between Palestinians and Jews. D. The U. S. and many European nations felt sympathy towards the Jews, who were targeted in the Holocaust, so they devised a plan that would give Jews what they desired. 1. The UN General Assembly voted for partition in Palestine, one part being a Palestinian state, the other being a Jewish state, and Jerusalem being an international city owned by no one. 2. The Jews made up 34% of the population but gained 55% of the land. E. The partition was set, although Muslims and Palestines rejected it. 1. â€Å"The UN has no right to make such a proposal without first consulting the majority who will be affected by it. †- Muslims and Palestinians. 2. David Ben Gurion (leader of Jews in Palestine) announced that the independent nation of Israel was formed on May 14, 1948. III. Israel and Arab States in Conflict A. War broke out between Israeli and Arab states. 1. The first one (won by Israel) was a day before Israel became a nation, where Islamic states (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi, Arabia, and Syria invaded Israel. B. The partition wasn’t fully effective because of fighting. 1. Israel seized half of Palestine in 1948-1949. 2. 600,000 Palestinians left to nearby UN sponsored refugee camps. 3. Arabs also seized Palestinian lands. C. War broke out in 1956 during the Suez Crisis. 1. Egypt seized the Suez Canal. 2. Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egyptian president) sent troops to seized the canal controlled by British because he was angry that the U. S. and British stopped financially supporting Egypt’s Aswan Dam. 3. Britain formed an alliance with France and israel to regain the Suez canal. 4. Israel defeated the Egyptians using air support of their European allies. 5. The war ended when the U. S. and Soviets forced Israel and Europeans out of Egypt, ultimately giving Egypt the Suez Canal by the end of the Suez Crisis. D. Another war broke out in 1967, called the Six-Day War. 1. Nasser and Arab allies, equipped with Soviet tanks and aircraft were ready to confront Israel and close off Israel’s outlet to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba. 2. Israelis knew Arabs would attack, so the struck airfields in Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and Syria, and ground forces defeated Arab states in this Six-Day War. 4. Israelis gained the lands around them (Jerusalem, Sinai Peninsula, The Golden Heights, and the West Bank). 5. They served as buffers for future attacks. 6. Palestinians living in Jerusalem chose Jordanian citizenship, and others not living in Jerusalem went other Jewish control. E. A fourth War broke out in October 1973, called the Yom Kippur War. 1. Anwar Sadat,(Egyptian president who succeeded Nasser) planned an Arab attack on Israel during Yom Kippur. . Sadat was able to reconquer land lost in the Six-Day War. 3. Golda Meir (prime minister of Israel during the Yom Kippur War) counterattacked and regained most the land. 4. After weeks of fighting, a truce was declared. F. Palestinians pushed for recognition and its own state. 1. The UN had given Palestinians its own state during the partition, but the land given was seized by Is raelis during their vast amount of wars. 2. The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) was organized by Palestinian officials in 1964, and initially consisted mostly of social workers, like teachers, lawyers.

Historical Development of Continental Philosophy’s Existentialism Essay Example for Free

Historical Development of Continental Philosophy’s Existentialism Essay Absolute Idealism left distinct marks on many facets of Western culture. True, science was indifferent to it, and common sense was perhaps stupefied by it, but the greatest political movement of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries— Marxism—was to a significant degree an outgrowth of Absolute Idealism. (Bertrand Russell remarked someplace that Marx was nothing more than Hegel mixed with British economic theory. ) Nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, theology, and even art felt an influence. The Romantic composers of the nineteenth century, for example, with their fondness for expanded form, vast orchestras, complex scores and soaring melodies, searched for the all-encompassing musical statement. In doing so, they mirrored the efforts of the metaphysicians; whose vast and imposing systems were sources of inspiration to many artists and composers. As we have said, much of what happened in philosophy after Hegel was in response to Hegel. This response took different forms in English-speaking countries and on the European continent—so different that philosophy in the twentieth century was split into two traditions or, as we might say nowadays, two â€Å"conversations. † So-called analytic philosophy and its offshoots became the predominant tradition of philosophy in England and eventually in the United States. The response to Hegelian idealism on the European continent was quite different however; and is known (at least in English-speaking countries) as Continental philosophy. Mean while, the United States developed its own brand of philosophy—called pragmatism—but ultimately analytic philosophy became firmly entrenched in the United States as well. Within Continental philosophy may be found various identifiable schools of philosophical thought: existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, and critical theory. Two influential schools were existentialism and phenomenology, and we will begin this chapter with them. Both existentialism and phenomenology have their roots in the nineteenth century, and many of their themes can be traced back to Socrates and even to the pre- Socratics. Each school of thought has influenced the other to such an extent that two of the most famous and influential Continental philosophers of this century, Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 –1980), are important figures in both movements, although Heidegger is primarily a phenomenologist and Sartre primarily an existentialist. Some of the main themes of existentialism are traditional and academic philosophy is sterile and remote from the concerns of real life. Philosophy must focus on the individual in her or his confrontation with the world. The world is irrational (or, in any event, beyond total comprehending or accurate conceptualizing through philosophy). The world is absurd, in the sense that no ultimate explanation can be given for why it is the way it is. Senselessness, emptiness, triviality, separation, and inability to communicate pervade human existence. Giving birth to anxiety, dread, self-doubt, and despair as well as the individual confronts as the most important fact of human existence, the necessity to choose how he or she is to live within this absurd and irrational world. Now, many of these themes had already been introduced by those brooding thinkers of the nineteenth century, Arthur Schopenhauer (see previous chapter), Soren Kierkegaard, and Friedrich Nietzsche. All three had a strong distaste for the optimistic idealism of Hegel—and for metaphysical systems in general. Such philosophy, they thought, ignored the human predicament. For all three the universe, including its human inhabitants, is seldom rational, and philosophical systems that seek to make everything seem rational are just futile attempts to overcome pessimism and despair. This impressive-sounding word denotes the philosophy that grew out of the work of Edmund Husserl (1859–1938). In brief, phenomenology interests itself in the essential structures found within the stream of conscious experience—the stream of phenomena—as these structures manifest themselves independently of the assumptions and presuppositions of science. Phenomenology, much more than existentialism, has been a product of philosophers rather than of artists and writers. But like existentialism, phenomenology has had enormous impact outside philosophical circles. It has been especially influential in theology, the social and political sciences, and psychology and psychoanalysis. Phenomenology is a movement of thinkers who have a variety of interests and points of view; phenomenology itself finds its antecedents in Kant and Hegel (though the movement regarded itself as anything but Hegelian). Kant, in the Critique of Pure Reason, argued that all objective knowledge is based on phenomena, the data received in sensory experience. In Hegel’s Phenomenology of Mind, beings are treated as phenomena or objects for a consciousness. The world beyond experience, the â€Å"real† world assumed by natural science, is a world concerning which much is unknown and doubtful. But the world-in-experience, the world of pure phenomena, can be explored without the same limitations or uncertainties.

Human Resource Management in Health

Human Resource Management in Health Human Resource Management in Health Assessment 1 Managing Bullying and Harassment Background Bullying and harassment is not only unacceptable, it is unlawful under both the Commonwealth of Australia and the state legislations. There are many acts which prohibit bullying and harassment and discrimination like the Affirmative Action (Equal Opportunity for Women) Act 1986, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1996, Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act 1994, Privacy Act 1988, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, Racial Hatred Act 1995 and Sex Discrimination Act 1984 at the federal level (Comcare, 2010) and the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977, Disability Services Act 2006 and Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 at the state (NSW) level. Harassment and bullying is not just unlawful during working hours or in the workplace itself. It is also unlawful in any work-related context, including conferences, business or field trips, work functions and work end of year p arties. Harassing and/or bullying behaviour may be by a supervisor or manager, a co-worker, a contractor, an advisor or others associated with the organisation. Anti-bullying or anti-harassment policies at workplace should provide safe and productive environment where the dignity of every individual should be equally respected. The workplace should ensure to provide fair and equitable treatment to all the employees regardless of their protected characteristics such as sex, age, race, disability, sexual orientation, physical characteristics marital status, religious or political belief, parental or carer status, pregnancy, gender identity, family responsibilities or any other personal attribute under law. Harassment at workplace can include unwanted physical contact, verbal abuse and threat, offensive gestures, unwelcome and offensive remarks, jokes or innuendos, unwanted sexual propositions or demands, practical jokes that cause awkwardness, embarrassment or distress, unwelcome personal contact outside the workplace, unwelcome invitations or requests, intimidation, suggestive behaviour, the display of offensive notices or posters, mocking co mments about a persons appearance or manner of speech etc. Workplace bullying can involve humiliation, domination, intimidation, victimisation and all forms of harassment including that based on sex, race, disability, homosexuality or transgender. Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved including bystanders. Bullying behaviour can be verbal (e.g. name calling, teasing, abuse, putdowns, sarcasm, insults, threats), physical (e.g. hitting, punching, kicking, scratching, tripping, spitting), social ( e.g. ignoring, excluding, ostracising, alienating, making inappropriate gestures) or psychological (e.g. spreading rumours, dirty looks, hiding or damaging possessions, malicious SMS and email messages, inappropriate use of camera phones). Literature review of the anti-bullying and anti-harassment measures In Australia, the workplaces identify bullying by the three criteria mentioned in most of the anti-bullying, anti-harassment and anti- discrimination policies (Comcare,2010; NT WorkSafe, 2012; SafeWork South Australia, 2010; WorkCover NSW, 2009; Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, 2004; WorkSafe Victoria, 2009; WorkSafe Western Australia, 2010). The criteria are, they are repeated rather than singular, unreasonable and pose a risk to cause health and safety issues. Bullying and harassment not only have an effect on the health of the individuals being bullied (Einarsen et al, 2011) but also have significant financial implications on the organisations that do not take measures to prevent them (Australian Productivity Commission, 2010; Einarsen et al, 2011). Therefore preventing bullying/harassment by providing safe work environment in order to avoid psychological impact on the worker’s health are the organisation’s responsibility (Lyon Livermore, 2007). There is considerable literature around the causes of the work place aggression/bullying which are placed into three classes ‘internal’ and ‘external’ factors and their ‘interaction’. For example, internal influences are related to the personality or the severity of illness of the patients whereas external influences focus on factors like shortage of staff or noisy stressful work environment. The interactional approach acknowledges the interplay of the internal and external factors in triggering maintaining and exacerbation workplace aggression which is manifested through harassment or bullying of the staff. The workplace should not tolerate harassment, bullying or discriminative behaviour of any kind, whether it is by the managers, staff, contractors, advisors or others associated with the organisation in the course of its operations. All staff should be informed and trained at the time of employment, the organisations stance on harassment, bullying and discrimination. Increased awareness will persuade staff to have ‘zero tolerance’ for bullying and will encourage workers to combat it either by refusing to take part in it or by not keeping silent and reporting the incident on time. Furthermore early intervention is important. Regular workplace surveys and informal and formal discussions with the workers will help secure early intervention (Moore, Lynch Smith, 2006). Workplace bullying and harassment in the health sector affects not only the professional but also the personal lives of the staff. They have an impact on the patients they care for and on the organisations reputations and the fiscal health. For example it was evident from one of the studies that nurses feel less safe at work primarily because of their colleagues bullying and harassment than from the patients or their relatives. Poor staff relations and negative organisational environments were identified as the main reasons for the workplace bullying (Farrell Shafiei, 2012). Hence positive organisational environments including support from the supervisors, managers and colleagues can help buffer the negative influences of the workplace bullying and harassment as well as enhancing the staff’s perception to cope with the situation when it arises (Parzefall Salin, 2010). Moreover where there is support from the colleagues and the managers, and where training and information to deal with the workplace bullying is available to the staff, it is observed that these can help buffer some of the negative health consequences of the bullying and violence (Schat Kelloway, 2003). In order to reduce the incidence of bullying in the public health organisations in Australia, research suggests that the focus should be on four areas of the people management practices which include the quality and frequency of the performance feedback, level of supportive leadership, building an engaging work team environment and establishing managers have accountability for people management (Cotton et al, 2008).These four areas of people management practices can be achieved by taking a proactive approach to bullying through promoting a positive workplace culture, senior management commitment, developing a bullying policy and related procedures, communication and consultation, monitoring of the work climate by surveys and other methods and informing training and instructing the employees (Comcare, 2010) In the health service organisations, management and staff are equally responsible to prevent the bullying and harassment at the workplace. Management has the responsibility to monitor the working environment to ensure that acceptable standards of conduct are observed at all times, model appropriate behaviour themselves, promote organisations anti-harassment policy within their work area, treat all complaints seriously and take immediate action to investigate and resolve the matter. Staff has the responsibility to comply with the organisations anti-harassment policy, offer support to anyone who is harassed and advise them where they can get help and advice, maintain complete confidentiality during the investigation of a harassment complaint, report bullying, harassment and offensive behaviour, even if not involved, to management. Over the past few years Victoria State has strictly implemented a number of anti-harassment and anti-bullying initiatives in their public health system inclu ding workplace redesign, provision of personal duress alarms, employment of specially trained security staff and so forth. However their translation to practice is left to individual health organisations as a result of which they were rarely followed up to know if the above initiatives were successful. This lack of evaluation measures reflects the situation that is prevalent across the Australia in respect to workplace bullying, where there is no agreed national approach and little in the way of the systematic program appraisal (Farrell Cubit, 2005). Conclusion There was some concerns in the past that the anti- bullying preventive measures mentioned in the literature and the polices adopted by the health service organisations were not in tandem with each other as a result of which the services failed to prevent and intervene in bullying. However recent studies has provided evidence that not only the Australian health care organisations are starting to make active efforts to prevent harassment and bullying, but also their efforts agree fairly with the recommendations emanating from the research world. Furthermore the Human Resources departments in the health care organisations seem to recognise the importance of dealing with the bullying and hence go beyond just formulating the policies or training the staff. The active involvement of the Human Resource personnel also negates the popular belief in the past that it is the role of the managers and the immediate supervisors and not the HR department to intervene in preventing the bullying at th e workplace. There is a need to implement the HR practices like attitude and training surveys, formal appraisal discussions and performance based pay etc. in the health care organisations. The other key factor that needs to be changed in the health care organisations is that the anti- bullying action is rather undertaken for the problems reported and not as a preventive measure. In other words many health organisations adopt anti-bullying measures as part of a reactive rather than a proactive strategy. Also there is an urgent need to recognise that the anti-bullying polices in the health services should be framed based on the needs and requirements of the local organisation and not copy pasting from other sources or merely imitating other organisations. Thus, a policy that does not address the local organisation needs is less likely to be adapted, less likely to be implemented and less likely to be applied when the bullying actually occurs. Furthermore, it is observed that there is severe lack of evaluations and surveys to identify the effectiveness of the currently practised anti-bullying measures in the health organisations. As health services are becoming increasingly complex in terms of staff, resources, communications and so forth, they should have clear expectations regarding the transparency of the employer’s interpersonal interactions to avoid the occurrence of the complex or troublesome interpersonal dynamics. The health organisations should take all complaints of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination seriously and deal with them promptly in a spirit of compassion and justice. They should ensure that the privacy is maintained and the complainants and witnesses are not victimised in any way either by the management or the employees. References: Australian Productivity Commission 2010, Performance benchmarking of Australian business regulation: Occupational health and safety, Canberra, viewed 25 March 2014, http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/96163/ohs-report.pdf. Comcare. 2010. Preventing and managing bullying at work – A guide for employers (OHS65), Canberra, viewed 25 March 2014, http://www.comcare.gov.au/forms__and__publications/publications/safety_and_prevention/?a=40108 Cotton P, Hart P, Palmer R, Armstrong K, Schembri C 2008, Working well: An organisational approach to preventing psychological injury, a guide for corporate, HR and OHS managers. 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Workplace Health and Safety Queensland 2004, Prevention of workplace harassment – Code of practice 2004, (PN11183), Brisbane, viewed 26 March 2014, http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/prevention-workplace-harassment-cop-2004.pdf. WorkSafe Victoria 2009, Preventing and responding to bullying at work, Melbourne, viewed 26 March 2014, http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/f61387004071f2b98ca4dee1fb554c40/WSV585_05_04.10WEBsmall.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. WorkSafe Western Australia 2010, Code of practice – Violence, aggression and bullying at work, Perth, viewed 26 March 2014, http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/PDF/Codes_of_Practice/Code_violence.pdf.