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Trip to Oakland Museum

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Trip to Oakland Museum

The Oakland Museum is a famous interdisciplinary museum, which is dedicated to the natural science, history and art, of the state of California. It is estimated that there are as many as 1.8 million objects in the museum and they seek to let people know about California. It is during the middle of the 1960’s that the museum was created after a merger involving three different museums. This can be dated back to the beginning of the 20th century, and the museum opened its doors in the year 1969. The trip to the Oakland museum was extremely interesting as I got to see the works of various artists. These include; ‘Aristotle’s Cage’ by Michael McMillans, ‘Road Map with Helicopter’ by Enrique Chagoya, ‘Yosemite Valley’ by Albert Bierstadt, among others.

Enrique Chagoya’s ‘Roadmap’ has effectively arranged a cast of political, religious and mythical figures in an open-ended and ambiguous form of poetry. It has depicted the existing conflict between the imagination force and the various forms of fundamentalism. The artist has sufficiently raised the question concerning rigid beliefs and borders that are meant to be left unanswered intentionally. Tension exists in Chagoya’s tapestry as it is subtle in its various internal relationships. However, it is not clear as to who has the power despite the fact that energy is being exchanged (Leeuwen & Jewitt 105). Also, the source of power cannot be known because the result and nature can only be interpreted by the viewer.

The logic in ‘Roadmap’ is clearly unfettered by culture and ideology, as well as gravity. This means that there is a constant shift in the air because of the many circles that exist. The iconography of the tapestry is mirrored by the perpetual flight because of the flamingo, dodo, UFO’s and the military helicopters. Furthermore, the Arabic script used was an inspiration from Mir Ali Tabrizi. Therefore, Chagoya has opted to use many concepts that have been animated by the unknown. The work is thus a play zone that allows the interactions of historic and mythic converse for humans to translate.

The ‘Yosemite Valley’ by Albert Bierstadt is another work of art found at the Oakland Museum. Bierstadt has an exception work that gives a beautiful illustration of the Yosemite mountain landscape. The canvas used is quite large (eight by five feet) and it shows a panoramic view of the valley. The picture is quite enjoyable and it captures the attention of all its viewers (Leeuwen & Jewitt 155). It seems that Bierstadt wanted to show Americans who lived during his time that the western frontier had a lot of resources. It can be said that the Yosemite Valley was a Garden of Eden. It had the promise of a new beginning because it had not been touched by the Civil War. Bierstadt wanted to show that hope existed and the wounds of Americans would be healed.

Lastly, there was the art work ‘Aristotle’s Cage’ by Michael McMillan found at the museum. It is quite an intriguing work of art as it dictates that the viewer has an open mind while focusing on it. ‘Aristotle’s Cage’ depicts conflict as seen from the various elements that exist, such as the trailer and the sign. McMillan wanted people to be aware of the challenges that face American s(Leeuwen & Jewitt 189). There are people who try and mind their own business, but others will find ways of disrupting them. It is evident that the three works of art have all provided information concerning the post modern world.

Work Cited

Leeuwen, Theo. & Jewitt, Carey. Handbook of Visual Analysis. New York: Sage Publications, 2001.Print.

Soliloquies used by Iago in Othello

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Soliloquies used by Iago in Othello

Iago is a well known character in the play Othello, and he is a character that attracts a lot of attention. He has a deep hate for Othello and is often heard talking about what he intends to do to him. His motives and intentions for the evil and malicious acts he regularly performs are realized through his soliloquies. The audience is able to fully understand what Iago thinks about, in a clear manner (Shakespeare 1032). This paper seeks to give a critical analysis of how the soliloquies used by Iago are a representation of his real character.

The first soliloquy takes place upon the departure of Othello from Cyprus. It is here that Iago says that “And it is thought abroad, that ‘txit my sheets/ He has done my office” (1.3.388-389). From the statement it is evident that ‘abroad’ refers to everywhere. Also, the term ‘my office’, which is a function refers to the fact that Othello had sex with Iago’s wife in between his sheets. According to Iago, no one can deny the fact that everyone is right when they are talking about the scandal that is going on. People are claiming that Othello is sleeping around with Iago’s wife. However, when the play continues, the truth is revealed and there is no relationship between his wife and Othello (Zender 323). The two have no interest in each other, but Iago continues to lie because of his own selfish reasons. The truth does not matter to him because he does not change the attitude he has towards Othello.

Iago is a complex character to the point whereby, the audience cannot understand him well. The other characters believe that he is a trustworthy and honest character. However, after the soliloquy, his true character is revealed. Iago says that “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse, For I mine own gained knowledge should profane, if I would time expend with such snipe, but for my sport and profit” (1.3.386). The lines clearly prove that he does not intend to waste his time with a character such as Roderigo whom he considers to be a fool. The only reason why he associates with Roderigo is because of his own profit and gain (Shakespeare 1049). He is lucky enough to gain from the relationship because he takes advantage of others without caring about them.

The audience becomes aware of Iago’s nature and even refers to him as ‘Honest Iago’. On the other hand, the other characters in the play have no idea about his evil side. This can be seen in another soliloquy in Act I Scene 3 when Iago claims that “I hate Moor” (1.3.386). He keeps on repeating the sentence during the initial acts of the play. He has the vast hatred because he might be a racist. Iago keeps on using terms that are derogative when referring to Othello with words such as ‘old black rum’, ‘devil’ and ‘Barbary Horse’. Also, the fact that Cassio was given a better position than him by Othello is another reason for him using the word. In reality, the Moors are known to be honest and good people who do nothing but good (Zender 325). It is thus evident that Iago’s nature, as well as his words are those of an evil person pretending to be good natured.

Work Cited

Bevington, David. The Necessary Shakespeare. New York: Pearson Education, Inc, 2004.Print.

Zender, Karl. “The Humiliation of Iago”. Studies in English Literature 34 (1994):323-330.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello. Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006. 1012-1095.

Name an aspect of your life that is directly influenced by a public organization and identify whether this influence is a res

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Political Science

Name an aspect of your life that is directly influenced by a public organization and identify whether this influence is a responsibility of the federal government or a provincial/territorial, local/ band level of government.

Answer: There are many activities that take place where I live in the Nova Scotia area. In fact, at times I fall sick and I have to obtain the services of a doctor. Since the cost of health is extremely high in private health institutions, I have to find ways of obtaining cheap treatment and medication. Therefore, I go to one the many public hospitals in Nova Scotia where the services offered are affordable. The hospitals are funded by the federal government as part of its plan to ensure that Canadian citizens have access to health care (Francis 34). The nurses, doctors and all the other people working in the hospitals are paid by the federal government. Also, the drugs at the hospital are sometimes given by other countries that have relations with Canada. However, not everyone in Nova Scotia can afford to go to the public hospitals. Since my health is a priority in my life, I am aware that I have to invest in a good healthcare provider. At the moment, it is only a public hospital that can do that for me. The federal government should find ways of ensuring that its hospitals provide high quality and affordable services to everyone. The public is a concern of the government in every way possible (Francis 75). For example, the homeless often do not have the privilege of acquiring services from the hospitals. This is despite the fact that the hospitals are cheap and accessible. This is a problem that is affecting the public health system and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Therefore, the federal government should put more funds aside to be used to improve the health care system in Canada and especially in Nova Scotia.

What kinds of input should senior public servants be allowed in the development of public policy choices?

Answer: There is a lot that is being done to ensure that the senior public servants in Nova Scotia engage in developing public policy choices. Seniors serve in various public organizations, as well as in the community and the government. They have a right to participate in making public policy decisions just like any other citizen. The government should ensure that senior public servants become well informed about the various policies that exist. Furthermore, they should ensure that the come up with polices that will serve the interests of all the community members. Seniors should be given research and information that is up to date (Miljan 52). This means that they will be able to make informed decisions that will influence policy. Seniors serving in public office should be allowed to build partnerships and coalitions with likeminded champions, allies and groups. Also, they should be provided with a forum whereby they can connect on a regular basis with the media and local politicians. Therefore, workshops can be established for them so that they can give their opinions and ideas concerning public policy issues. Senior public servants have a lot to contribute in matters that concern public policy (Miljan 60). They have served in various capacities while working and thus have knowledge on issues that need to be addressed. Their input as has been mentioned is highly valuable and should be taken into consideration.

Work Cited

Miljan, Lydia. Public Policy in Canada: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.Print.

Francis, Daniel. Discovering Canada’s Government. Oxford: Oxford Press, 2001.Print.

US involvement in Afghanistan in 80’s

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Outline

Why the US involved/trained/supported the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan in the 80’s

Introduction

There is evidence that proves that in the middle of the 1970’s at approximately the same time troops were deployed to Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, the United States started pursuing its interest in this country. America gave millions of dollars in the form of aid to the Afghan insurgents known as Mujahedeen to help them fight their enemies. They were the Soviet Army in an operation known as Cyclone and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghan Arabs who were popular and known Muslim volunteers assisted the Afghan Mujahedeen. In fact, Osama Bin Laden was one of the Afghan Arabs, he was a pious and wealthy Saudi that used his money as well raised money from people in the rich Gulf States. It is even claimed that the CIA helped train Osama Bin Laden in an effort to ensure that the mujahedeen succeeded in their quest (Miniter 1).

Thesis Statement

This paper will seek to give a critical analysis of why the United States supported the Mujahedeen in different ways during the 1980’s in Afghanistan.

Body Paragraph with bullet points

How the Afghanistan War started

It is during the end of the year 1978 that an uprising that was against the communist government of Khalq started. The deeply religious and conservative country did not want the Soviet-style socialism to be imposed on them. After a year, it became clear that Afghanistan could not control this type of government. In turn, the USSR applied their Brezhnev Doctrine that sort to have a Limited Contingent in Afghanistan (Giplin 32). This is what led to the start of the war as well as the rise of the Mujahedeen. The countries that wanted to support Afghanistan were some Arab and European states, China, Iran, Pakistan and most especially the United States. However, at first the Mujahedeen were not successful because of the following reasons;

Afghan village and tribal leaders were undermined by the various religious leaders of the existing factions.

There were constant conflicts among the various factions.

A centralized leadership did not exist.

A chain of command was not followed.

The KGB impersonated the CIA and was able to provoke fighting and flash out rebel groups.

Reasons why the United States choose to support the Afghan Mujahedeen

A Mujahedeen warrior always fought for his religion, tribe and family. He did this because they were volunteers who were not paid, had a sense of duty and loved freedom. The fighters had various family responsibilities were from local tribes. They were part timers and were untrained, and often engaged in uncouth practices (Lester 68). For example, they would sell some of their weapons in Pakistani markets. Later on after some years in the war, the Mujahedeen fighters were a new and improved kind and the Americans decided to invest in them because of the following reasons.

They had a high social status and were educated.

They were committed to their religion and had leadership abilities.

They were led by the force of achieving consensus, moral persuasion and personality.

Some of them who were ex-fighters had exceptional planning and military technical skills.

It was quite easy for the Americans to teach the Mujahedeen on war tactics.

Two theories that relate to the reason as to why the Mujahedeen were supported by the United States.

There are a number of theories that can be used in explaining why the United States involved itself with the Afghans who were fighting the Soviets. In this case the theories that will be referenced to are national value and offensive realism. The United States has been the world’s leading super power and thus often sees the need to engage in the affairs of other countries.

Offensive Realism- This theory seeks to give an explanation as to why the international system is archaic and in turn, this leads to aggressive behavior being expressed in the arena of international politics. Furthermore, great powers most times tend to be the key actors in the international system. In this case, the United States engaged in offensive realism because it believed that it could solve the Soviet and Afghanistan issues based upon its strengths. It is no wonder that it supplied the Mujahedeen with a lot of money, as well as providing them with the required military strength. The CIA was aware that they could easily manipulate the afghan Mujahedeen because they had resources and thus used this to have an influence over them. In fact, according to Robert Gates, a former CIA director, the intelligence services had already started supporting the Mujahedeen as early as six months before the soviet intervention begun. The United States knew that if the soviets defeated the Mujahedeen, they would have a lot of power and thus threaten the power of America. Furthermore, the United States was trying to eliminate any challenges that it would face in the future even if it meant having new rivals (Toft 392).

National Value- This theory claims that nations will always want to ensure that their power as well as value is maintained in order to benefit. America is a country known for its military strength and technology, and thus during the 1980’s it ensured that the world was aware of this issue. The fact that Afghans did not have patriotism or nationhood, which in turn led to political instability, inspired the United States to try and resolve the existing problems (Roy 66). The Mujahedeen needed help in fighting their enemies and could not be able to resist the assistance they were being offered. They were provided with high-tech equipment such as satellites, anti-missile tankers and rifles, among others. The Americans event as far as providing Afghan children with books that had illustrations of how America would help them fight the Soviets (Bergen 90). Schools were built by the Americans so that they offer the Mujahedeen extensive training on how to use weapons so that they could succeed in war. The Americans were only interested in improving their national value as they had to means to do so. It is evident that the United States interests in the Afghanistan and Mujahedeen was hypocritical.

Conclusion

The United States wanted to ensure that it maintained its position as a super power, and by assisting the Mujahedeen it could achieve this goal.

The Soviet Union was fast becoming a powerful nation and if it spread its doctrines to Afghanistan it would undermine the strength of the United States.

Afghanistan has many valuable resources, which would benefit America and through helping and befriending the Mujahedeen it would be possible to benefit.

Work Cited

Lester, W. “The Bear went Over the Mountain”. Washington DC: National Defense University, 1996. Print.

Giplin, Robert. War and Change in World Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Print.

Toft, Peter. “John J. Mearsheimer: an offensive realist between geopolitics and power.” Journal of International Relations and Development 8 (2005): 381-408.

, Olivier. Globalized Islam: the Search for a New Ummah. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. Print.

Miniter, Richard. “Dispelling the CIA-Bin Laden Myth”. International Fox News. 23 Sep. 2003. Web. 12 Nov 2013.

Bergen, Peter. Holy War Inc. New York: Free Press, 2001. Print.

User interface design needs to follow usability and efficiency guidelines

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25th August, 2013

User interface design needs to follow usability and efficiency guidelines which should target large user base. CSS contains rules which determine how controls and elements are being formatted on the web page. It is the most flexible language as it can be designed outside web page and then applied to it. Therefore a single HTML page can be directed to be presented in different ways, perhaps under different situations. For e.g., CSS can direct the webpage to format itself for a mobile screen or a large widescreen desktop. So instead of coding different HTML pages with its own unique designs and presentation formats, the CSS eliminates that need and instead contains all that information in a single or a few CSS files.

This saves a lot of time for the developers and also reduces the burden on the web server overall optimizing the website as the overall code is lighter which enables faster download times. Also there is a consistency in design, if the designer has to design each page individually for different situations, and then there might be some discrepancies. Such discrepancies are also eliminated as the designs are originating from a single source. Since these designs are centralized, it is also easier to maintain and update.

The book puts light on the fact that CSS can be executed across browsers i.e. both old and new. In addition to this, whenever a new version of CSS is introduced, it gives an easy-to-understand platform to developers. This is so because most of the components remain same and hence there is little learning curve. CSS is a set of rules. But this does not mean that they are difficult to construct or implement. CSS provides a simple rule construct which can be used even with little understanding of its components.

This let designers to focus on the desired presentation of content rather than on learning the tedious syntax and then implement it. CSS allows designers to define rules in any order i.e. it does not matter whether heading rule is defined after a paragraph rule. It is a huge benefit as designers need not to remember the order of tags used in the html. Web designers do not have put write rules in html file. They can very well define them in a separate file and then call the file in html. This feature of CSS adheres to separation of concern property of development world.

Social Media Obituaries

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Date of submission.

Social Media Obituaries

A facebook post about an occasion that happened some time ago triggered my interest in taking up this topic for study. In the said post, the lady was lamenting about how she learnt of her brother’s death. The story was that the brother was a worker with a multinational company. During the cause of duty in Asia, there was a fatal accident and the brother was one of the victims. Immediately after the accident, R.I.P messages started appearing on the brother’s wall; incidentally, the lady was checking out her brother’s profile, and she was shocked by what she was seeing. The company had not even finalized the process of informing the family since it was only thirty minutes from the accident. Her weighty question was, ‘Has facebook introduced dying in real time’. During my use of social media, I have always found status updates from friends on facebook that are either announcing the passing on of the friends’ parents, children, siblings, friends or relatives. I almost always wonder the motivation behind sharing such personal information was. The question that always lingers on the mind is what will one feel when they learn of the demise of their loved ones through facebook or twitter? Are social networks making us so inhuman as not to consider the feelings of others? Are we in a race to establish who breaks news of an event without considering the humane and ethics side of our actions?

For the research, I choose to look for respondents who had either reported a death on social media or one who had learnt of the demise of a loved one from the media. I requested my friends to try to remember if anybody in their connections had ever posted anything close to that. From my friends, I got a list of eleven possible candidates. I then visited these candidates’ profiles to try and pull up these updates and found that three of them had already deleted the posts or ‘unfollowed’ them. The first consideration I made was the time elapsed since the post was made. This was necessary since I did not want my interviewees to be people who were recently bereaved on such a sensitive subject. Next I narrowed down by geographical location since I preferred to do a face to face interview. At the end, I settled on two candidates, one a college student and the other a married man who only gave his age as ‘in the mid thirties’ For the purposes of this write up, I will only use alliances of Joe and Mary for the man and the college lady respectively.

Both candidates had been using facebook for upwards of four years and as thus were well versed in uses and limitations. The college student was on a camping trip when one of her friends drowned. Immediately most of her friends went online to announce the incident with some mentioning the name of the victim in their posts or through the auto name link function of facebook. Mary insisted that she was not among the first to post this but on reflection she felt that the only reason might have been because she had been too much shocked and had to be taken to the hospital. Asked how it would have been had she been the relative and learnt of the occasion on facebook, she said she would be extremely troubled and actually termed it ‘disgusting’. Joe lost his young son after a short illness. Being a Muslim, the young boy’s body had to be interred the same day. His wife was in shock and all planning was left to Joe. With family to be notified and logistics to be handled, it was all too much for him. Then an idea hit him, why not just it on facebook? He did exactly that, and he says he has no regrets. The post acts as his condolence book and most of his friends and family even those who live in faraway places were able to condole with him. Ilana Gershon uses the term Idioms of practice to describe the situation where people decide communally how to use various media and their appropriateness in certain situations. (2010, p.6). This implies that a majority of the users of social sites subscribe to certain ways of thinking about and understanding of the use of facebook.

It can thus be said most users were in agreement that: first, posting about others catastrophes without a pause to think of the repercussions was insensitive. Second, that as a means of conveying grave information it was not the right channel and that thirdly, the facebook wall is a fitting condolence book. From the last observation, there arose the argument that in no way can it replace the personal touch and image of concern that is portrayed by the traditional handwritten condolence or card.

Works CitedTop of Form

Andrews, Lori B. I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy. New York: Free Press, 2012. Print.

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Bradburn, Norman M, Seymour Sudman, and Edward Blair. Improving Interview Method and Questionnaire Design. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1979. Print.

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Carroll, Evan, and John Romano. Your Digital Afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter Are Your Estate, What’s Your Legacy? Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2011. Print.

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Gershon, Ilana. The Breakup 2.0: Disconnecting Over New Media. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press, 2010. Print.

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Stannard, David E. The Puritan Way of Death: A Study in Religion, Culture, and Social Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977. Print.

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Appendix 1: Questionnaire

Name

Age

Marital Status

Career

Are you on facebook?

If yes, how regularly do you use it?

How many facebook friends do you have?

Sorry for your loss, after how long did you post anything to do with it on Facebook?

Do you feel that posting about the event helped in any way?

Do you feel that people posting about the loss of others on facebook infringes in private affairs that should be left to those closely concerned to deal with?

How different would your reaction have been for you if you had learnt of the loss on facebook?

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

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Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

The book is about war, and one of the main characters is Joe Bonham. He awakens in a hospital bed after he gets hit by a shell at war; he is a young man who serves in the 2nd world war. After he awakens, he is hit by realities of war. His condition is pitiful as he has lost his limbs including his legs and arms. He does not even have teeth, eyes, tongue or even ears. However, he later realizes that his mind is fine, and that puts him in an extremely difficult position. The first thing that comes to Joe’s mind is death. He cannot bear to live like this and he attempts to suffocate himself to death something he fails at because he has a tracheotomy which he does not have control over. His first desire to die quickly evaporates and he decides to serve as a true example of how war can be torturous. He asks to be put in a glass box and be carried around his society to show how horrible war is. He also finds a way to communicate with his doctors. Joe constantly drifts between fantasy and reality, and his thoughts carry the readers to different scenes in his old life and in his life at war. This book is one of the greatest books of war that almost reflects clearly the horrors of war. This paper will review this book for the purposes of analyzing a number of these horrors so that the audience can realize that war can almost never result to desirable outcomes, and if it does, many soldiers pay heavily the price of desirable outcomes.

This is an extremely powerful novel. The story is narrated in the view point of one soldier who participated in war, Joe. The soldier is horrifically injured at war and completely disabled. The only functional thing left in him is his brain. As he tries to understand and cope with his current situation, he wanders back and forth between his old life and life at war, and his current situation. As a result of this, we are able to fully understand and get a complete picture of all of his life. One of the most notable things about the author’s prose is that it lives an unforgettable picture in the minds of the readers. The author is extremely direct and at times blunt when he describes the experiences soldiers like Joe had in the war. However, one later realizes that the way the author tells his story is a way to show the terrible human cost and horrible injuries associated with war. It is clear from the way the author describes these events that he is against war; but who would not. After reading these experiences one cannot help but feel that there really are no benefits of war because no matter the outcomes, numerous lives are going to lost and others are going to be horribly interrupted.

There are various things associated with war and the readers of this novel were no exception. There were times when war was considered noble, and veterans were treated as kings for their participation; they were referred as the American heroes. During these times in history, wars ended with parades that were extravagant with lovers being united. The novel by Trumbo is nothing like this, there are no heroes and there is no triumph at the end of the war. While the book is about the same eras there are evidently no heroes associated with this particular war, neither are there triumphs or reunions; the book is simply chilling and to the point about the most horrible experiences anyone can ever witness in a war. The story does not involve any romantic homecomings either as the readers would expect. The book is simply about horrific reality of war usually covered by the glitzy Hollywood renditions of warfare. The man in Trumbo’s book is fatally injured and disabled. He comes to know such isolation and loneliness no man has ever known. He is technically a living dead man who has not limbs like arms, face, legs or even a tongue. The despair in him is tremendous as he describes his past, and his present. There are notably no commas in the book. This gives the reader the impression that the thoughts emanating from Joe are never ending; they just flow and flow.

Though the war is supposed to make the world a better place by establishing democracy, one cannot help but wonder whether the outcome is worth the loss of human life and functionality among numerous soldiers who participate in the war. Through its horrible, disturbing, graphic, brutal and gruesome descriptions of how horrible a war can get, the reader is convinced that war is really not that good. One can also identify with the later argument by the author about rising against those who would want to send young people to war for any reason.

The book made a highly commendable impression on me. I enjoyed the book extremely. The author in his descriptions was clever, insightful, and told and narrated experiences and events that were gripping. The book was impressive in its stand against the war. It was noted that the book made its point without necessarily having to describe the war overly much. Actually, much of the anecdotes describing times at or near the war were almost whimsical and at times amusing in a dark way. The horror of the war described in the novel, therefore, was not in the war or the battlefields themselves, but in the results and the outcomes of the war that were isolated and terrible. The horror of the war was also implied in the fact that young people were send to war even after such terrors had been witnessed. At the end of the novel, one is left with the impression that Joe is extremely desperate to be heard or to talk to someone.

This book is an amazing piece of work for its amazing descriptions of the thoughts of a mind locked in a cruel prison- its owners dead body, tortured by the most horrible thought and mental tortures one can ever imagine- without any output or input and movement; and having been put in this condition by the most prolific dispenser of punishment and torture that is unjust- warfare. It is obvious to conclude that the book will have a great influence on the ideas many readers have on war. with the kind of horror the book associates with war, much of it which is true, I am positive that war, to the eyes of most readers of the book, will be looked at with disgust and disdain.

References

Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. New York:  Citadel Press, 2000. Print

JKL Case Study

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JKL Case Study

1 Explain the goals and objectives of the new JKL PMS in the context of JKL’s broader organizational objectives for the next 5 years.

The goals of a company are where it wants to be positioned in the future, its aims. It is a purpose statement. Business objectives on the other hand are the measurable, stated targets of how a business intents to achieve its goals. The goals of a company sets out its values and visions that makes it possible for managers, employees and customers to comprehend the underlying foundations for the actions a company takes. Business objectives that are most effective are the ones that are specific, measurable, agreed by all, realistic, and time specified. Most businesses establish objectives so as to maximize their profits, satisfy in profits, to increase sales and to expand business. JKL has established a number of objectives for some of the above reasons. For example, it intends to withdraw from the rental market so as to focus on the new business and making profits from it, it intends to expand its existing branches to increase sales, the company will continue to sell forklifts so as to expand its market, sales and profits, it also plans to open new branches and a branch office to increase its sales and improve organization for the purposes of increasing profitability and satisfaction in profits (Locke and Ladham 29- 60).

2 Explain the performance management cycle, and the role and responsibility of all JKL employees in the successful implementation of the PMS.

Utilizing a performance management cycle is advantageous in that it adds a process and structure to the efforts of a manager to aid other in achieving their full potential. The performance management cycle is composed of a number of stages; planning developing, reviewing and performing. The first phase is planning, and it the performance management process that can be achieved by clearly communicating with the workers the goals of the stage. The second stage is the development or the execution stage which requires the manager to encourage workers to perform to the required expectations. The third stage is reviewing and it involves the estimation and evaluation of the routine of the employees. The fourth stage requires the manager to continually seek improvements to the standards of performance. The employees of JKL have a responsibility to make the performance management cycle of their company work. They can, for example, be attentive, corporative, help establish measurable performance standards, objectives, learn the required skills, seek mentoring or coaching, and learn several competencies that can be useful in the performance management cycle of their company (Cokins 42- 65).

3 Develop a tool that assists line managers to develop key performance indicators for positions reporting to them.

Key performance indicators are snapshots of a company or business that are build based on measures that are specifically predefined. They generally consist of combinations of spreadsheets, reports, or charts. They might also include regional or global sales trends and figures over a period of time, personnel and staff trends and stats, supply chain information, and anything else that might work for the success of the organization. Any application of KPI like an executive portal can give a manager a view of how the business is performing by displaying essential statistical information about that organization. In coming up with a KPI, a developer or user must define the performance levels the company is targeting and then come up with ways of representing variance or deviation from target, an example is a bar chart showing sales. KPI may show in different colors areas that are under quota, and those over quota in another color. This helps the manager easily identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company (Rummler and Brache 78- 98).

4 Develop guidelines/ policies/ procedures to ensure that line managers are monitoring performance regularly and that timely interventions occur which address unsatisfactory performance and recognize excellent performance.

In organizations that are effective, projects, and assignments are continually monitored. Excellent monitoring involves continuous measuring performance and providing consistent feedback to work groups and employees on their progress towards achieving their aims and goals. Monitoring performance in JKI should include a number of things; carrying out progress reviews in association with employees where their performance is contrasted against their standards and elements. This can help the managers identify areas that are unsatisfactory and correct them, and identify areas that have been performed satisfactory and maintain them. Continuous monitoring gives managers a chance to check how the workers are meeting standards and gives them an opportunity to change problematic and unrealistic standards. By monitoring continuously, performance that is unacceptable can be pointed out during the appraisal and assistance can be given to address any shortcomings in the performance (Gilbert 70-87).

5 Develop a disciplinary process for managing unsatisfactory performance. this process will need to conform to the existing organizational and current legal requirements

When the goals and the standards of the organization are not met, the managers must ensure that the performance of the organization is not compromised by taking actions against employees who are performing unsatisfactorily. This can be done by applying disciplinary actions against such employees. One way is to set targets and goals for the worker and let them know that they have to achieve those targets or else severe disciplinary actions will be taken. Workers can also be paid according to the work they perform (Vroom 23-42). This can make them work harder and attain goals. The manager can also send the nonperforming workers for mandatory training so that they sharpen their skills.

6. Provide advice and assistance to line managers in the administration of the new disciplinary procedure.

Line managers have to handle the disciplinary actions with care because misunderstandings can develop from this process leading to legal cases and other undesirable occurrences. As it follows, the line managers should first talk to the employees about the expectations of the company and the need for them to attain certain targets failure to which actions might be take. The managers should also avoid discrimination and personal grudges while delivering disciplinary actions. They should also ensure that the disciplinary actions they decide to take are sensitive to issues related to discrimination, ethics, and morals. Workers should never feel discriminated against or belittled during disciplinary actions and it is the responsibility of the managers to ensure this (LGMB 12- 45).

7 Provide support to line managers when they have to counsel / discipline employees who continue to perform below standards.

When dispensing the disciplinary actions the managers should realize that the company has set goals and targets that must be attained for the company to increase its sales, and profits. The manager should also be aware that without these goals and targets, and without satisfactorily achieving them, the company would be running at a loss or at profits that are unsatisfactory. As it follows, they should not hesitate to discipline any employee who does not attain the set targets and standards. The manger should see the disciplinary process as an advantage for both the company and the employee. The company will get to attain its goals and targets and the employee will get to enjoy the fact that they have a job, if the company does not run a t a profit, then it might need to lay off some workers, therefore, the employee should realize that the managers discipline unsatisfactory workers for their benefit (Gilbert 70-87).

8 Provide support for the managers when they are left with no option other than to terminate employees who fail to respond to interventions.

Most organizations depend on the increase of sales and profits to keep the processes of the company running. If the company is unable to attain the required profits and increase its sales volume, then it does not have enough capital to keep all the processes of the company running. In most cases when this happens, the company has to cut costs of productions so as to keep afloat. When this happens, some employees also have to be cut. It would only be fair to the hard working employees that the workers who perform below average are terminated. Workers who do not reach their targets are the ones who have to go to cut costs and not the workers who achieve standards and targets (LGMB 12- 45).

9 Recognize excellences in accordance with the organizational policy.

For the organization to be said to have achieved excellence in its processes, it has to have achieved and implemented certain policies. These have to do with trade practices, sex discrimination, rehabilitation, safety and compensation act, privacy act, occupational safety and health, freedom of information, employment opportunities that are equal for all sexes, disability discrimination and employment opportunities that are equal for all. For the company to be said to have achieved its goals excellently, it has to attain its goals with the context of the above policies (Otley 363- 82).

10 Provide assistance to the manager/ team involved in the conduct of performance appraisal interviews.

For the manager to find out whether the performance of the company is on track he has to conduct a number of surveys, including appraisal interviews. When conducting these interviews, the manager should assure the interviewee that what they have to say is private, they have to be sensitive to issues related to disability, gender, and ethnicity when conducting interviews as inappropriate questions could lead to issues related to discrimination, managers should also ensure that employees are treated with respect during the interviews, they should create enough time for interviews, they should not threaten or intimidate workers and they should keep the information safe and private (Palmer 31- 6).

11 Develop policies and procedures to ensure that the documented outcomes of performance management sessions are accessible and are stored in accordance with the organizational policy.

While come information concerning the employees should be kept private, other information including the information of training and improvement programs should be made available so that employees can constantly review it whenever necessary. Such information should be kept in a storage system that all employees have access to. Information concerning personal information of the employees and outcomes of certain interviews, however, should only be accessible by certain individuals. The company should observe the privacy act when it comes to certain information. Any other information that can be useful in improving the performance of the company, however, should be made accessible to all concerned parties (Otley 363- 82).

12 Develop a process to deal with any problems or grievances which arise from the performance feedback

Manager should always be attentive and sensitive to the grievances and complains of the employees. The managers should first listen and find out whether the grievances or complains are valid, and whether they can be solved before dismissing them. If such complains or concerns are significant, then the manager should find out how such concerns can be addressed, concerns of the employees should never be ignores (Locke 157- 89).

13 Explain how HR will support the PMS be providing specialist advise on all aspects of the implementation of the PMS, including career development, to all participants on the process

HR can be extremely useful in this case because it can arrange for training programs that can help in enhancing the skills of the employees and developing new skills and competencies to improve the performance of the employees. The HR can plan these training programs so that they take place continuously and often so that employees get a chance to improve on their skills, competencies and career (Daniels 49- 67).

Works cited

Cokins, Gary. Performance Management – Integrating Strategy Execution, Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics. Osborne: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print

Daniels, Aubrey C. Bringing out the Best in People. Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 1999.Print.

Gilbert, Thomas F. Human Competence: Engineering worthy Performance. Sydney: Pfeiffer. 1996.

LGMB. People and performance: the LGMB guide to performance management. Sydney: Local Government Management Board. 1993. Print

Locke, E.A. ‘Towards a theory of task motivation and incentives.’ Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 14. 2 (1968):157-89.

Locke, E.A. and Ladham, G.P. A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Australia: Prentice-Hall, 1990. Print

Otley, D. ‘Performance management: a framework for management control systems research.’ Management Accounting Research 10 (1999): 363-82. Print

Palmer, A. ‘Performance measurement in local government.’ Public Money and Management, October-December (1993): 31-6.

Rummler, Geary A. and Alan P. Brache. Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart. Sydney: Jossey-Bass. 1995. Print

Vroom, V.H. Work and Motivation. Osborne: John Wiley. 1964. Print

Learning is where people gain, change or improve on their skills, ideas, knowledge or even their behavior (Holt&

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

Introduction

Learning is where people gain, change or improve on their skills, ideas, knowledge or even their behavior (Holt&John,1983). Verbal learning also called linguistic intelligence is a style of learning where the learner will learn through spoken words or from listening from others. The purpose of this paper is to show the skills of verbal learners and how they are different from other learners.

Verbal learning is widely used in school curricula all over the world and is seen as the most straightforward way of learning. It has also been used in different areas such as in politics It contains features such as rhymes and phrases. Learners who have this type of learning style could also have other types of learning styles (Honey&mumford,1982).

A verbal learner can use the certain techniques to perfect his/her learning. They should always practice speaking and writing techniques. This will ensure that they are able to practice on the technique. Another way is to make sure the key words are scripted for easier remembrance.

The learner could also use try to read aloud making the content varied. The learner can try varied tones to read the content this will wholly help in remembering. Doing the learning with others will also make the learning exciting and challenging, therefore, the urge to do fast so as not to be left behind by others (Holt&John,1983).

Another technique that can be used is by use of acronyms for easy remembering or where the words used are difficult for you to remember. By putting the content in one’s word, it will be easier for learning and remembrance.

A verbal learner needs sit in a position where he/she is comfortable to listen from that point. If not, it will cause discomfort which will make the learner not to concentrate, and this undeniably leads to him/her not learning unlike a kinesthetic learner who will be comfortable around any environment where he/she is put.

A verbal learner can also try another technique of writing out explanations in his or her own words if presented with any pictures or diagrams for him to recall the information. This will be a polite way to interpret the pictures and diagrams (Honey&Mumford,1982).

A verbal learner will poses key skill of reading and writing in schools for instance a verbal learner will be of help to other students in areas such as writing reports, in debates, in drama presentations also in poetry. These learners after school will tend to end up in careers such as journalism, politics, in acting and even as public speakers due to their intelligence in reading and writing.

A verbal learner will easily be disturbed by noise. That type of a learner will always stay away and avoid noise as it will interfere with their concentration. This person will try to talk to others, walk around, sing, when he/she is bored to try to relax and put his/her mind together before any further learning can take place (Holt&John,1983).

For a verbal learner, it is necessary to make vocabulary words these are essential for easy remembrance. In a school, before an exams a verbal learner will need to remember all the information that is learned through the period of learning.

References

Honey, P & Mumford, A, (1982). The Manual of Learning Styles. Maidenhead, UK: Peter Honey Publications

Holt, John (1983). How Children Learn. UK: Penguin Books

Losing any function of one’s body creates a sense of loss and vulnerability,

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

Interview Assignment

Losing any function of one’s body creates a sense of loss and vulnerability, as Proust once said, ‘since the soul is the body and body is the soul, to lose a part of one’s body is to lose a part of one’s soul…’ (Proust 14). Losing one’s vulnerability, therefore, creates senses that most of us never want to experience or even see someone else, especially those we love, experience. To view someone you care about in pain every day, and not have the ability or the resources to create some sort of relief that would subdue the pain and suffering, or moreover, eliminate the pain, lives one feeling helpless and tortured. I have watched my grandmother live with arthritis for more than ten years now. At first, it was unbearable to watch her in pain, but with time, we started viewing it as a part of life. This paper is an interview with Dr. Canaan who is a specialist with arthritis. The interview will aim to understand more about arthritis and how individuals can cope with the condition.

Dr. Canaan is a doctor at the local hospital, and he mainly deals with problems concerning arthritis and other related conditions. I sought an interview with him because I saw the need to educate myself and others of the facts about this painful condition, and some of the ways that the affected individuals can deal with the condition. The doctor said that I could meet him for an interview at the hospital in the afternoon. When I arrived at the hospital, I was apprehensive mainly because I was not sure about the kind of person doctor Canaan was. However, once I got in the office, I got the impression that he was a kind, patient and humorous person, and I relaxed. His office was full of numerous awards, diplomas and degrees from recognized medical institutions, something that imposed on me the idea that I was in the right place for the interview.

I had prepared a set of questions most of which had to do with an explanation of what arthritis is, what causes it, treatment and management plans for the disease, and what current studies are saying about the condition.

The doctor explained to me that arthritis is some kind of inflammation that affects different joints in the body. The doctor added that there are more than hundred types of arthritis adding that, ‘I know that when most people hear of arthritis they only think of contorted fingers and pain, but there is more to this disease. There are the primary types of arthritis, and then there are those forms of arthritis that only result, as a result, of other diseases’ (Dr. Canaan). According to the doctor, the most common forms of arthritis he had come across in his career included the degenerative form of arthritis, which results from infection or trauma to the joint. Other kinds of common forms of arthritis according to research include psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of related autoimmune diseases (Chan, Felson, Yood & Walker 814- 20).

Though I was familiar with this fact, Canaan pointed out that one of the major symptoms of arthritis, and one of the major complaints he receives from patients is the uncontrollable joint pain. I had seen my grandmother writhe with pain because of her arthritis, so I was aware of this. According to the doctor, ‘…pain is usually constant, and, at many times, it is localized to the affected or injured joint’ (Dr. Canaan).The pain is, as a result, of the inflammation that occurs in or around the joint. It can also result from tearing of the joint, from disease and even from strains on the muscles resulting from forceful and sudden movements against painful, stiff joints.

According to recent studies, arthritis is the number one cause of disability in aged individuals, in the United States, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1261- 5). The doctor agreed with this indicating that he had seen patients whose joints and limbs were so disfigured by the condition such that they were completely limited from engaging in daily activities, like taking showers, walking and even feeding themselves. Other symptoms of arthritis were also realized during the interview like loss of flexibility, tenderness and weakness of muscles, weight loss, inability to walk or use hands and fever. According to the doctor, if one experiences one or more of these symptoms they should visit their doctors for a physical examination, or to diagnose the problem, ‘…which only a professional can do…’ (Dr. Canaan).

On the question of treatment and management of arthritis, the doctors pointed out that scientists have not found a cure for the most common forms of arthritis yet. However, he argued that there were some management plans that doctors use on different patients according to their arthritis. These management plans range from physical therapy to medication to lifestyle changes to orthopedic bracing to joint replacement surgery. A doctor can make use of these management plans individually or in combination with another to manage the pain of the patients. According to the doctor, these treatment plans have been increasingly useful in helping slow the rate of arthritis and in reducing pain. Though scientists have not come up with concrete answers concerning the treatment of arthritis (Chan, Felson, Yood & Walker 814- 20), the doctor argued that more and more scientists are struggling to come up with new treatment and management options, and that they will soon come with better answers.

The interview was extremely enlightening as I learned more about my grandmother’s condition and I got to understand the disease better. The doctor was extremely helpful in answering all of my questions, and I was able to realize that there are more than one forms of arthritis and that each one of these forms have a specific treatment and management plan that doctors use on patients to slow down their inflammation, and, therefore, the arthritis, as well as, to reduce the pain of the patients. I also realized that thousands of individuals are suffering from the condition and that millions of families are going through the same pain as ours. However, the doctor gave me hope by indicating that scientists were working extremely hard to come up with better treatment and management plans for patient like my grandmother.

Work cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘Prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation – United States, 2007–2009.’ MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 59. 39 (2010): 1261–5. Print.

Chan, K, Felson, D., Yood, R. & Walker, A. ‘The lag time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.’ Arthritis and rheumatism 37.6 (1994): 814–820. Print.

Dr. Canaan. Interview with Doctor Canaan on arthritis, 2011.

Lehrer, Jonah. Proust was a Neuroscientist. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.print.