Health and Safety Roles Essay

Prepare to discuss the differences in the roles and responsibilities of the manager, employer, employee and owner of an organisation of your choice in respect of health and safety. Note: it is essential that you identify the differences and similarities between these roles / titles) Suggested sources: HSE SUCCESSFUL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT HMSO HSE website Any Health and Safety Book http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain/2012/01/19/a-captains-responsibility-by-a-former-norwegian-cruise-lines-safety-manager-and-ship-master/ FORBES Cruise ships, as well as all vessels plying the Navigable waters of the world are subject to strict Maritime Rules and regulations including, Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations, Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping (STCW), The International Safety Management (ISM) rules, and most importantly, the Rule of the Sea whereby the Master and officers and crew never abandon the ship until all passengers and crew are accounted for, and everything possible has been done to save them. HSE.GOV HSE Executive Responsibilities The Executive: †¢ensures that a member of the Executive is available for out-of-hours notifications of major incidents †¢decides if the incident should be categorised as ‘major’ by consulting with relevant head(s) of Division/Directorate, the Chair of the HSC, the Commission and Ministers, as appropriate, on the nature of the incident and the proposed action When considering whether to declare a major incident, the Executive will consider the following points: †¢the significance of the event †¢any separate investigations by other regulatory bodies †¢the involvement of other regulatory bodies in the investigation †¢the  effect of the investigation on HSE as a whole and the Directorate’s/Division’s programme of work †¢the concerns of the Commission, ministers, other government departments, devolved administrations and regulatory bodies. Once a major incident is declared, the Executive: †¢agrees which of the major incident arrangements should be invoked for the investigation – in the case of a HSWA Section 14(2)(a) investigation, in conjunction with the HSC Chair †¢decides the scope of the investigation appropriate to the scale and complexity of the incident †¢determines whether a policy and procedure review should take place & its timing, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and sets the terms of reference – in the case of a HSWA Section 14(2)(a) investigation, in conjunction with the HSC Chair †¢ensures that contact with the Secretariat and all members of the Executive is maintained during the response to the major incident †¢monitors and as necessary approves briefing for the Commission Chair, the Commission and Ministers †¢oversees the investigation and any policy and procedure review process, altering the terms of reference of the investigation/review process if appropriate †¢approves publication of t he reportfollowing a major incident investigation and considers whether to publish interim technical reports if broader health and safety lessons emerge †¢agrees decisions on the timing of the release of information to the public. †¢considers the policy and procedure review report and ensures that any appropriate response to the recommendations is taken. The office safety company http://www.officesafety.co.uk/quick-guides/whos-responsible.html †¢The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 †¢Requires employers to be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers and for reducing risks to others affected by work activities. †¢Health and safety functions should be delegated and health and safety risk management legally requires the active participation of the company’s workers. However the legal responsibility for health and safety rests with the employer. †¢Employers need to prepare, and make sure their workers know about, a written statement of the health and safety policy and the  arrangements in place to put it into effect. †¢Where a ‘body corporate’ commits a health and safety offence, and the offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or was attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, then that person (as well as the body corporate) is liable to be proceeded against and punished. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 These regulations include requirements for employers to: †¢Assess the work-related risks faced by employees, and by people not in their employment †¢Have effective arrangements in place for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing preventive and protective measures †¢Appoint one or more competent persons to help in undertaking the measures needed to comply with health and safety law †¢Provide employees with comprehensible and relevant information on the risks they face and the preventive and protective measures that control those risks HSE.GOV http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf Most employers are required by the law to insure against liability for injury or disease to their employees arising out of their employment. This guide is intended to help you to understand what is required. It is not a legal interpretation of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act and it has no formal legal status. You should be aware that only the courts can authoritatively interpret the law. Compare safety officer and Captain Safety Officer In this role you delegate and oversee safety drills. The safety drills include abandon ship procedures, fire drills and maintenance of the ship’s tenders. In addition this role is responsible for instructing the crew on safety issues and drills. Responsibilities: †¢he Safety Officer is responsible for monitoring and assessing hazardous and unsafe situations and developing measures to assure personnel safety. †¢The Safety Officer will correct unsafe acts or conditions through the regular line of authority, although the †¢Safety Officer may exercise emergency authority to prevent or stop unsafe acts when immediateaction is required. †¢The Safety Officer maintains awareness of active and developing situations. †¢The Safety Officer ensures the Site Safety and Health Plan is prepared and implemented. †¢The Safety Officer ensures there are safety messages in each Incident Action Plan. Captain – must have liability insurance The Captain is the highest ranking officer on the ship with the most perks, it definitely pays to be Captain. However, this title comes with a lot of responsibility such as the care of all the crew and passengers aboard the ship. In cases of emergency the Captain makes all executive decisions. Additionally, the Captain is in charge of navigation and operations. Regulates company policies, environmental policies such as pollution effects as well as national and international maritime laws http://www.ehow.com/list_5977262_duties-ship-captain.html †¢The captain’s first duty is become the leader of their ship. They are trusted and respected among their peers because they are chosen as the leader of their ship. †¢On a ship, the captain is the highest rank you can get. Think of them as the President of their ship. They have to keep the crew safe and make life-or-death decisions that can affect everyone on the ship.

Raw rubber from Malaysia is delivered to the factory in ‘bales’

During the time the way squash balls manufactured has developed into a highly sophisticated process. Here is investigated how balls are made. To begin with, raw rubber from Malaysia is delivered to the factory in ‘bales’ of about 25kg – sufficient to make about 1,200 balls. In its natural state rubber is very stiff and difficult to work, so it is first ‘masticated’ to a softer consistency.A variety of natural and synthetic materials and powders are then mixed with the rubber to give it the required combination of strength, resilience, and colour as well as to enable it to cure (or ‘vulcanise’) later in the process. The manufacturer’s ‘recipe’ is a no less closely guarded secret than that of Coca Cola, and different combinations of ingredients (as many as 15 are used, including polymers, fillers, vulcanising agents, processing aids, and reinforcing materials) produce fast (blue dot), medium (red dot), slow (white dot), and super slow (yellow dot) balls.The current WSF Specification for the Standard Yellow Dot Championship Squash Ball determines the permitted diameter, weight, stiffness, seam strength and rebound resilience of the championship ball. No specifications are set for other types of ball, â€Å"which may be used by players of greater of lesser ability or in court conditions which are hotter or colder than those used to determine the yellow dot specification†. (http://www. squashplayer. co. uk) Thus, we don’t have any exact data (parameters) for red and blue balls.We only can use data available for yellow ball and modify the possible parameters that red and blue balls may have. Out of all specifications of a ball we are interested in its weight and rebound resilience. Rebound resilience is a measurement of the height a ball bounces off a hard surface. The data given in the table above mean that if one drops ball from a height of 100 centimetres (1 meter) onto a concrete floo r then at 23oC the yellow balls must rebound at 12 centimetres; at 45oC between 26 and 33 centimetres.At 23oC the red ball must rebounds at 15 centimetres; at 45oC between 33 and 36 centimetres. At 23oC the blue ball must rebound at 17 centimetres; at 45oC between 36 and 38 centimetres. For our study we will take that if one drops ball from a height of 1 meter, then at 23oC the red ball must rebound at 15 centimeters; at 45oC – at 34. 5 centimeters. at 23oC the blue ball must rebound at 17 centimeters; at 45oC – at 37 centimeters.

Applying Theories to Children’s Literature Essay

The Little Red Hen Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who lived on a farm. She was friends with a lazy dog, a sleepy cat, and a noisy yellow duck. One day the little red hen found some seeds on the ground. The little red hen had an idea. She would plant the seeds. The little red hen asked her friends, â€Å"Who will help me plant the seeds?† â€Å"Not I,† barked the lazy dog. â€Å"Not I,† purred the sleepy cat. â€Å"Not I,† quacked the noisy yellow duck. â€Å"Then I will,† said the little red hen. So the little red hen planted the seeds all by herself. When the seeds had grown, the little red hen asked her friends, â€Å"Who will help me cut the wheat?† â€Å"Not I,† barked the lazy dog. â€Å"Not I,† purred the sleepy cat. â€Å"Not I,† quacked the noisy yellow duck. â€Å"Then I will,† said the little red hen. So the little red hen cut the wheat all by herself. When all the wheat was cut, the little red hen asked her friends, â€Å"Who will help me take the wheat to the mill to be ground into flour?† â€Å"Not I,† barked the lazy dog . â€Å"Not I,† purred the sleepy cat. â€Å"Not I,† quacked the noisy yellow duck. â€Å"Then I will,† said the little red hen. So the little red hen brought the wheat to the mill all by herself, ground the wheat into flour, and carried the heavy sack of flour back to the farm. The tired little red hen asked her friends, â€Å"Who will help me bake the bread?† â€Å"Not I,† barked the lazy dog. â€Å"Not I,† purred the sleepy cat. â€Å"Not I,† quacked the noisy yellow duck. â€Å"Then I will,† said the little red hen. So the little red hen baked the bread all by herself. When the bread was finished, the tired little red hen asked her friends, â€Å"Who will help me eat the bread?† â€Å"I will,† barked the lazy dog. â€Å"I will,† purred the sleepy cat. â€Å"I will,† quacked the noisy yellow duck. â€Å"No!† said the little red hen. â€Å"I will.† And the little red hen ate the bread all by herself. Theoretical Model Application Theoretical models of childhood may be applied to children’s literature in finding the appropriate reading material for the age of the child and in order to bring growth, learning, and more understanding as the child’s mind develops and progresses. If I read the story above to a three year old child, they would like the story. If I explained the moral of the story to the child in the child’s own terms, they would enjoy and understand the meaning as well as the story. Theory of Social Development According to Russell, D. L. (2009), Lev Vygotsky believed that human development was a continuing and never-ending process and that we have no developmental â€Å"goals† to reach, only a series of lifelong metamorphoses largely brought about by our interactions with others. In fact, Vygotsky believed that human beings are essentially social creatures and that it is through our social interaction that we learn about ourselves and the world. Indeed, individuals, he believed, can accomplish tasks through social interaction (guidance from someone more experienced or peer collaboration) that they could never achieve on their own. Vygotsky argues that language is, in fact, a way of thinking about something—that our ability to formulate words, to put things into words, actually helps us to think and to understand. (Anyone who has talked through personal problems with a friend or therapist or used a diary or journal to help sort out personal conflicts will understand Vygotskyâ €™s point.) Chap. 2 Relation the Vygotsky’s Theory In the story of The Little Red Hen I relate it to Vygotsky’s theory in several ways. First, this story is capable of teaching the lesson that with hard work and determination there is always a payoff in the end. This lesson gives us the value of hard work and never giving up, having faith, and never letting others detract us from our goals. The story also gives us the lesson that the dog, cat, and duck were her (The Little Red Hen) friends and she never gave up or quit asking them for help, even up to the end of the story. She always gave them a choice at each level and she never got angry with their choices not to help, this shows the social interaction method of Vygotsky’s theory. The hen had a vision of what could be if she planted the seeds, she set her goal, and she reaped the benefits as well as followed through with her plan. The dog, cat, and the duck made their own choices in not helping, so they also got what they planned for which was nothing. Critical Approach to the Story Literary Criticism is a discussion of ideas about the story, any story. In the story of The Little Red Hen we have a believable and memorable character (the hen) in which we focus on. She is the protagonist and the other three characters are the antagonists. There are elements such is character motivation, a plot or series of events, and definitely conflict in this story. The character motivation is that the hen is responsible for her own acts as she works hard throughout the story and the dog, cat, and duck are made to be responsible for their own acts by receiving no bread. In what the hen does, completing each step of the process, her actions are the key to this story. The setting in this story is the farm and the lesson is that hard work pays off, while laziness does not. The narrator of this story, in my opinion, is the limited narrator because it is not a character in the story. The episodic plot shows not only a series of events but also how they are interconnected to each other. Reference: Russell, D. L. (2009). Literature for children: A short introduction (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Leadership dyad outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership dyad outline - Essay Example Bringing changes in the organizations is a basic need to expand the business activities by adopting new ways and strategies. An effective leader is also an innovative leader. Some researchers suggest that the Consideration structure of the leadership styles should be strong by comparing to the initiative structures. The consideration is strongly correlated to the job satisfaction criteria. Walter and Humphrey conducted a research on emotional intelligence and leadership styles to know the effective and performance based leaders’ emergence within the organizations. The result of the research shows that the emergence leadership style 100% effects on the emotional intelligence of the leaders. The effective behavior of the leaders influences 81% on the emotional intelligence. The effectiveness of the leadership influence 87.5% to the emotional intelligence. The research findings present a true picture of the emotional intelligent and its impacts on other variables. It is also included that the role of emotional competencies is important for leadership emergences to perform efficiently through effective strategies implementations. All the leaders are hardworking to perform efficiently. The leaders who have a few skills or not well educated, are called ineffective leaders. The qualities of decision-making choices differentiate the types of ineffective to effective leaders. The effective leaders are sensors, intuitivists, thinkers, feelers, extraverts, introverts, judgers, and the

Sexual Dysfunctions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sexual Dysfunctions - Research Paper Example Some of the very common sexual dysfunctions or disorders are: sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders, sexual pain disorders, paraphilias (in which the person experiences intense sexual urges toward non-human things, children, etc.), gender identity disorder (in which the person wishes to be of the opposite sex due to dissatisfaction of the gender roles assigned to his/her sex), and many more. Also, sexual dysfunctions may be classified as primary or secondary in nature. A primary sexual dysfunction is one which a person has always been experiencing. A secondary sexual dysfunction is one which a person has started experiencing after being normal all his life. A woman who has always experienced pain during intercourse has a primary sexual dysfunction; while, a woman who has started feeling pain with a current partner and did not experience it with any of the previous partners has a secondary sexual dysfunction. This paper intends to elaborate upon one spe cific kind of sexual arousal dysfunction in men: erectile dysfunction. Erectile Dysfunction Videbeck (2010) defines erectile dysfunction (ED) as â€Å"a persistent or recurrent inability to attain or maintain, until completion of the sexual activity, an adequate erection, which causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty† (p.156). ... The blood flow sustains in the penis for such a brief time period that is not enough for the man to achieve and maintain a firm erection. This also results in an inability to ejaculate. For a perfect erection, the nervous system must be healthy enough to conduct sexual impulses from the brain through the spinal cord to the penis. Also, the arteries located in the neighborhood of corpora cavernosa must also be functioning properly. A malfunctioning nervous system or imperfect arteries near corpora cavernosa may cause ED. Moreover, ED can also occur if the muscles and tissues that are located inside the corpora cavernosa are not smooth, or if there is an insufficient supply of nitric oxide inside the penis. Some of the most important risk factors that are likely to cause ED are: advanced age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, recreational drug use, depression, psychiatric disorders, and stress (MedicineNet Inc., 2011). Symptoms The symptom of ED is not being able to achieve and maintain an erection. Since, it has been described above, let’s jump onto the diagnosis section. Diagnosis Diagnosis requires that the patient and the physician share a good communicative relationship so that the cause of ED is identified and its severity is taken into account. During diagnosis, the physician brings into consideration questions like: is it really ED or the patient is confusing it with loss of libido or premature ejaculation? Are there any psychological factors involved? Is the patient being able to maintain involuntary erections in the morning or during sleep (which are usually maintained by men having psychogenic ED)? Are there any physical factors causing atherosclerosis resulting in ED? Is ED a result of any

Dysrhythmia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dysrhythmia - Research Paper Example Oxygenated blood from the lungs is pumped to the body cells, the blood returns to the heart devoid of oxygen and is pumped to the lungs for oxygenation. The process repeats itself several times without ever halting (Balachander & Rajagopal, 2011). Basic normal EKG waveform morphology The electrocardiogram (EKG) works as a voltmeter, using twelve leads (electrodes) placed on specific areas of the body. It basically records the electrical activity of the heart at the body surfaces. Ordinarily, the SA node depolarizes spontaneously, initiating an action impulse which swiftly propagates through the atria, leading to atria contraction, then proceeds to the AV node before getting to the Purkinje system to the ventricles (Stein, 2012). This leads to the ventricular contraction. The EKG consists of waves and complexes hence the wave form morphology. In a normal sinus rhythm, the waves and complexes include the P wave, PR segment, PR Interval, T wave, QRS Complex, QT Interval and the ST Segme nt. The waves and complexes work in a complex system that consequently measure electrical activity of the heart. At the onset is the P wave that lasts not more than 0.12 seconds, usually occasioned by the atria’s depolarization. The nature of the P wave is smooth and positive (Stein, 2012). The PR interval then picks and ends at the QRS complex which signifies the onset of ventricular depolarization. Connected to the PR interval is the PR segment which is the EKG wave portion that corresponds to the period between the atria depolarization conclusion to the onset of the ventricular depolarization. At this time the impulse in the heart travels from the AV node through the conducting tissue towards the ventricles. The segment is isoelectric in nature. During ventricular depolarization, the ventricles undergo depolarization and this is represented in the waveform by the QRS complex. It ordinarily ranges between 0.04 seconds to 0.12 seconds and is measured from the onset of the fi rst deflection to the conclusion of the last deflection. Another isoelectric segment occurs typically referred to as the ST segment. It represents ventricular muscle contraction time before any depolarization takes place. Isoelectric segments represents durations in which no electric activities occur. The period between the onset of the QRS segment and the end of the T wave is represented in the waveform by the QT interval. This represents the period of ventricular depolarization up to the ventricular depolarization. The T wave essentially represents ventricular repolarization. The EKG thus represents the entire electric activity of the heart through the waveform morphology (Stein, 2012). Types of dysrhythmia Dysrhythmia is a condition of the heart that causes variation in the regular beat of the heart. Ordinarily it manifests in slow heart beat, skipping a heart beat or sudden changes in heart beat. The common types of dysrhythmia include: Bradycardia which refers to a heart beat f ewer than sixty beats per minute in an adult. Tachycardia, a condition in which the heart beats more than one hundred times per minute in an adult. Sick sinus syndrome, the heart rate slows down, at times the rates varying between slow and fast. Atrial flutter, a condition in which the heart beats very fast at around three hundred and fifty beats per minute, but usually steady (Day, 2012). Features and treatment The conditions described in the previous paragraph best serve

The financial pro's and con's of outsourcing - how to judge wether an Essay

The financial pro's and con's of outsourcing - how to judge wether an activity should be outsourced - Essay Example Beneifer Irani states that outsourcing offers freedom to pass on non – core, yet important sectors of its administration on companies that specializ in those very individual aspects. (Beneifer Irani)2 The advantage of outsourcing lies in the fact that it helps companies to cut costs and stay ahead in the competition. Indeed Companies can save up on operational costs to half by outsourcing. They get access to cheaper and more efficient labour and save up on training costs. They can also access better technologies at lower cost. Outsourcing also helps to increase productivity as they pay to a third party purely on output. It allows the company to concentrate on its core competency. Companies today want to make use of the outsourcing advantage in order to progress and stay abreast of the competition. The main disadvantage of outsourcing is that the company can get into serious trouble if the service provider is unable to provide the business or service due to bankruptcy, lack of funds, labour troubles etc. There is also a loss of control over the process that is outsourced and there may be a loss of quality. Unless the outsourced service is exclusively provided to one company, there is chance of the service provider failing one or the other principal and this can cause disruption in smooth flow of work. Outsourcing jobs to offshore destinations, is causing some unemployment as both high and low-end jobs are moving out. There is often a conflict between companies, national economies and individuals and it is difficult to reconcile all the stakeholders. The company must consider outsourcing on the level of its core requirements. If an activity is considered a core activity then it should not outsource it to a third party as it is not likely to be handled by better people than the company has. The very fact that it is a core competency declares that the company is most competent to perform it. However core competency has separate meaning for

Major Depressive Disorder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Major Depressive Disorder - Case Study Example 2008). Major depressive disorder serves as a load on the economic as well as physical well being of the individuals. It serves to be the second most important clinical condition which hinders the normal life of the individuals and impairs them from leading a perfect life. Worldwide major depressive disorder accounts as the fourth most common pathology. This psychological condition is very dangerous because it accounts as a cause for 66 percent of all suicidal deaths and it also raises the risk of pathologies of the heart and associated vasculature (British Columbia Medical Association 2004). In the United States it majorly affects the people who are suffering from a medical condition since a very long time or those who migrate to the United States and females have a greater susceptibility of suffering from this condition (Paul et al 2007). Major depressive disorder patients present with a wide range of psychopathological conditions which differ from one person to another. It is characterized by a very low consideration regarding self existence. A person considers himself to be of no use and does not have a very high opinion of him. The patients have thoughts of remorse and do not consider their existence to hold any value. They have negative thoughts regarding everything. The patient feels low and distressed and has a bad temper along with a feeling of exhaustion and weariness. The patient cannot engage in activities which require him to remain focused and has a tendency to easily forget important things. Sleeplessness is also associated with major depressive disorder but an interesting fact is that some patients might also present somnolence. This contradicting pattern is also noted in the case of eating as some patients present with polyphagia whereas others may be anorexic. The patient complains of gastrointestinal tract

Leadership Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership Book Review - Essay Example Divided into three parts and eleven chapters, the book is not mere an expression of speculation or supposition; on the contrary, it is based on the in-depth analyses the authors found out after conducting a comprehensive research on the most dynamic leaders of the world. The researchers personally entered into conversation with these self-motivated and energetic personalities, and discussed various aspects of the nature and style of performing their duties and activities. The authors concentrate upon leadership success program and encourage the readers develop their own leadership development plan on the basis of the points highlighted by them. George & Sims (2003) describe their explored five points, on the basis of which, personal leadership development plan could be created in a successful manner. These five points include exploring of one’s authentic self, determining of one’s core values as well as leadership principles, comprehension of one’s impetus and motivation, preparation of an active and trustworthy team for the achievement of determined goals and incorporating of all strengths of one’s life on the concrete foundations of will power and unabated fortitude. In simple words, exploration of one’s self is the first and the most formidable step in the way to success on the one hand and climbing the steps of leadership plan on the other. Knowledge of self is extremely supportive in respect of deciding oneâ₠¬â„¢s way and in establishing and achieving the objectives of life as well. The genuine success stories of the tycoons including Donna Dubinsky, John Brennan, Carol Tome, Ann Moore and others infuse new spirit of knowing oneself in readers and they look ready for utilizing their gifted abilities in one way or the other. Consists of three chapters, the first part of the book declares leadership as a long journey towards success, where lack of passion and unawareness with one’s purpose serve as the hurdles on the way to success. If one

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches Coursework - 4

Most effective Leadership & Management Styles & approaches - Coursework Example Leadership and management styles take different forms depending on changes faced by an organization, demand of the people and the current business situation (Young, 2013, p. 52). Consequently, there is need for various dynamisms affecting their business and assurance of most effective leadership and managerial styles. There are various leadership skills applied by various leaders to enhance success of an organization. These includes visionary, pace setting, commanding, coaching, and democratic leadership styles (Jiang, 2014 p. 51). Steve Jobs is one of the cofounders of Apple Company together with Wozniak. Apple grew from a small electronic company to a worldwide giant company. Steve Job emerged as one of the world’s top CEOs through application of visionary leadership style. Job created ambitious objectives and planned for better future of the company (Mankiw, 2013, p, 21). He dedicated himself to the set objectives that spurred Apple Inc. to its current international state. H relied more on his innovative wits and entrepreneurial skills to realize his dreams for Apple Company. He envisioned and materialized products that suited best his current and prospective customers. Job is recognized as a team player since he organized skilful workforce into his team with a clear vision of the company. Subsequently, it resulted into workers motivation and enhanced innovation and productivity. Leadership requires effective management skills and good team organization that will ensure communication of set goals and generation of ideas from members. Good managing skills have several potential advantages for both the group and the manager. The affiliative style of management is considered more effective since it involves the whole team (Teepapal, 2013, p. 11). Through the style, members are allowed to contribute ideas and discuss issues at hand. Harmony is created amongst the team and diversity is never an issue. Training programmes are organized to help improve

Revelation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revelation - Essay Example The comprehension of Flannery O’Connor’s battle with lupus, as well as her belief in Roman Catholic ideologies, adds to the appreciation of her writing. This paper will use the biographical theory to critique O’Connor’s short story Revelation. O’Connor’s background influenced her writing of Revelation. The plot centers on O’Connor’s experiences and thoughts, for instance, a notable inspiration of her story is her Southern upbringing. In her lifetime, Southerners were prejudicial towards people on account of their races and lifestyles. Southerners believed that people less fortunate than them were inferior to them, thereby, labeling people as different things. Southerners offered O’Connor necessary images to construct the characters, for instance, in Revelation, character identification occurs on the basis of their physical features and race. For example, Mrs. Turpin makes racially prejudicial statements referring to chara cters such as a classy woman as â€Å"well-dressed and pleasant†, a teenager as â€Å"ugly†, a poor woman as â€Å"white trash† and her black workers as â€Å"niggers†. The characteristics that Mrs. Turpin uses to label characters exemplify O’Connor’s Southern lifestyle. ... However, the most substantial influence on Revelation is O’Connor’s religion. Religion is one of the most prominent themes of the story. O’Connor’s Catholic heritage is the main influencer of this theme. Similar to other authors, O’Connor appears fascinated by the subject of the actuality of sin, as well as its effects on humans. Through the story, O’Connor demonstrates reality and personal qualities as determinants of people’s destiny and fate, which ultimately uncovers social truths. This background, a plausible plot, convincing characterization and viable literary devices, enable O’Connor to develop themes such as religion and the essence appreciating people for their deeds rather than exterior. In order to develop these themes, O’Connor establishes a credible plot using social conflict, an unhappy ending and the element of surprise. Revelation has both minor and serious social conflicts, for instance; the minor confli ct is essentially between Mrs. Turpin and the woman dubbed white-trash. This conflict emanates from Mrs. Turpin’s belief that she is of a superior socioeconomic rank than the other woman. The story’s serious conflict is between the teenage girl and Mrs. Turpin, which accelerates in the story, particularly through Mrs. Turpin’s facial expressions and rude gestures and remarks towards the teenager. For instance, Mrs. Turpin considers the teenager’s face as the â€Å"ugliest face she has ever seen anyone make† (O’Connor 394). In order to develop the story’s themes further, O’Connor uses clear motivation, plausibility and unswerving behavior to fortify the story’s convincing characterizations. Mrs. Turpin is always curious and observant of those around and victimizes other characters. Mrs. Turpin gains her

Multiculturalism in Counseling Essay Example for Free

Multiculturalism in Counseling Essay ABSTRACT Stemming from the uprising in the 1960s, multiculturalism has presented serious challenges to the society, especially to the academic sector. Criticized by social groups, schools were inclined to adopt programs in recognition of the multicultural population, and later structured their systems to cater to the needs of the growing population. Today, multiculturalism has become an important consideration in designing school programs, facilities, and hiring policies. Particularly, school counseling was one area that went through a notable change. The introduction of this paper gives a brief historical background of multiculturalism in school counseling. It discusses how multiculturalism was incorporated into the school curriculum, and was adopted in school counseling. The main part of this paper discusses the competencies every school counselor must possess to address the needs of multicultural students. Anchoring on the three core competencies set by the AMCD, this paper presents ways on how one can be knowledgeable of clients’ worldviews in order to serve them best. In addition, it suggests other devices or strategies counselors may consider when dealing with multicultural students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conclusion of the paper summarizes the ideal characteristics of a counselor, and presents further considerations school administrators and counselors can make to ensure effective counseling strategies which adhere to the demands of multiculturalism. Introduction Multiculturalism as Rosado (1997) defines, is a system of values and behaviors which recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in society—their identities, values and socio-cultural differences. In addition, multiculturalism supports continued contribution of the culture in the society. Based on this definition, we can view multiculturalism as the harmonious coexistence of different cultures in the society. In the author’s view, culture is not limited to bases of origin. Culture may arise from similar beliefs, attitudes, or feelings of a certain group of people. Thus, it also encompasses those who have the same subcultures based on values, economic status, socio-political status, or gender. Particularly, those who have the same subculture based on gender include women, gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. In the same manner, people belonging to the same economic status or religion share a similar subculture that establishes their diversity from others. In this study, we refer to multicultural people as those who embody a different set of cultures and subcultures, other than the native culture or the majority. As such, we may define multiculturalism as an approach that recognizes diversity in culture among different ethnic, gender, economic, socio-political, and religious backgrounds. Multiculturalism has also become a prevalent topic in school counseling. It has prompted psychologists and educators around the world to review school practices that hamper culturally diverse students from performing well in school. Now that the growing population of multiculturally diverse students seems to be taking over the White population, the challenges that go with implementing multiculturalism in counseling would probably be more relevant in the next decades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multiculturalism in Counseling In the field of education, authors claim that multiculturalism rooted out from the social action of African Americans and other â€Å"people of color† back in the 1960s (Banks, Davidson Davidson, as cited in Gorski, 1999). The common feeling that schools had the most hostile and oppressive treatment of other cultures aroused them to protest and fight for reforms. In those days, African Americans and other cultures suffered from racism and discrimination from the White population who occupied professorship or management statuses. Colored people were treated as second class citizens, if not as outcasts. However, through the efforts of African American activists, schools were compelled to review their policies and hiring process in consideration of the non-Whites. In the 1970s, other groups such as the elderly, gays, lesbians, and people with disabilities also contested that institutions should pay equal respect to all peoples on matters of employment, educational opportunities, and work pay. Following this, a number of programs and policies emerged, including additional courses on prominent women or famous people of color. Despite this effort, social activists were not satisfied, for schools only celebrated women of greatness, and not women in general. For instance, James Banks (1981;1989), one of the pioneers of multicultural education argued that to adhere to the idea of â€Å"multicultural environment,† all aspects of the school had to be reviewed. According to him, policies, teacher’s attitude, assessment programs, and counseling should be transformed accordingly. This concept of multicultural education coincided with the idea of social equality among diverse cultures. By 1980s, following the path of Banks, K-12 teachers, namely, Carl Grant, Christine Sleeter, Geneva Gay, and Sonia Nieto exposed and criticized oppressive teaching approaches, standardized tests, classroom climate, and discriminatory hiring practices. Relevantly, this created in every academic professional the challenge to recognize diversity or as later coined, multiculturalism, and make it their mission to â€Å"manage† and â€Å"live diversity† (Rosado, 1997 ). Being multicultural does not only mean having a student population composed of various cultures, though this is often the contention of many schools. Rosado points out that for a school to claim they are multicultural, they must at least adhere to four standards. These include reflecting heterogeneity, demonstrating sensitivity, realigning the school’s mission, and creating an ambiance that empowers all groups in the school. With clear and careful intention, Rosado argues that schools should adopt change geared towards multiculturalism on individual as well as institutional levels. On the one hand, by saying individual level, we mean that schools should aim at urging administration, teachers and students to transcend beyond their own racial, gender, cultural and socio-political identity to recognize other identities. On the other hand, as Rosado contends, institutional level means focusing on empowering diversity. This goes beyond merely admitting people of color, but also taking into consideration in the school’s mission, vision, values, and structure how it can empower each individual. Although motivated by good intention, empowering people of diversity, as pointed out by Rosado may sometimes lead to a utilitarian view of giving a person his needs in exchange of what he can offer his society. We say that this is very utilitarian in that it sees the individual as a utility, more than an entity with values, attitudes, and affection. In contrast, we should be inclined to think that it is the school’s responsibility to provide the different needs of individuals in recognition of their diversity and nothing else. No conditions should apply as to whether the society can profit from his acts or not. Relevantly, whether the person is worthy of rewards of multiculturalism should not be an issue. Four intentions have motivated the adoption of multiculturalism in education. These include the â€Å"need to remedy ethnocentrism, rebuild understanding and appreciation of different cultures, defuse tension and conflicts among ethnic groups, and make the school curricula relevant to experiences and traditions† (Webb, 1990). In the next part, we will discuss how well these motivations relate to school counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many research works confirm the positive effects of multicultural education on students. For example, Hale (1986) shows that children in a preschool program achieved higher cognitive levels upon integrating African American culture in the curriculum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Zaslavsky (1988) demonstrates how elements of other cultures can help in teaching complex math concepts to students of an inner-city school. Fulton-Scott (1983) confirms benefits of integrating multicultural education in elementary programs for Hispanic students. The study reveals that students’ scores in Math, Reading, and Language were significantly superior over those of students enrolled in programs without multicultural integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benefits of multiculturalism are likewise recognized in the field of Psychology, particularly in school counseling. However, research in this area has focused more on counselors’ multicultural competence rather than on the effect of counseling founded on multiculturalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1991, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) identified the need and rationale for multicultural counseling. This led to the approval of 31 multicultural counseling competencies as proposed by Sue et al. (1992) in 1991. Following this, in 2002, the APA Council of Representatives approved the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organization Change, which was, in fact, based on the work of Sue et al.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The need to adopt multiculturalism in counseling, especially in schools, is truly urgent and necessary for ethical reasons. In relation to this, AMCD identifies three characteristics counselors must possess. First is counselor awareness of own assumptions, values, and biases. Second is understanding the worldview of the culturally different client; and third, developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primarily, culturally skilled counselors can be identified as those who have awareness of other people’s culture other than their own. They are aware of how their cultural background, experience, attitude, biases, and values influence the counseling process of a client. Moreover, these counselors recognize their limits when it comes to tolerating other values, behaviors, or norms. To add, culturally skilled counselors are also comfortable with differences between them and the clients in terms of race, gender identity, ethnicity, culture, and beliefs. To illustrate, the first measure of competency requires a counselor to mirror whether his own values and beliefs would personally or professionally affect the process of counseling. For example, a Christian counselor may have biases towards a Muslim student, for they have truly different belief systems. In this situation, if the counselor has no knowledge of ethical limitations, he might insist that his beliefs are better or are morally upright, and those of the student’s are the opposite. However, such case may be prevented if the counselor is fully aware of conflicting values he has with the student. In our own view, a school counselor should be open to all values of every student. This is different from the counselor in the private sector. In school counseling, the counselor who cannot accept views of some students is not fit for school counseling. A school counselor should have readiness to counsel every student, and there should be no instance when he would not accept a student for counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To ensure that the counselor meets the first requirement mentioned above, he should reflect on his values and find out if he has beliefs against any culture, including students with different gender identities, cultural or religious practices, and other moral practices that their culture has taught them. For instance, taking into consideration the case of students with gender identity problem, the counselor must be careful not to insist that the student sticks to his biological gender. Rather, he should exercise care in handling this case. After all, the whole life of the student may depend on the decision he makes at the time of counseling. Culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge and understanding about how gender stereotyping affects them personally and professionally. Considering the sensitivity of the issue of gender identity disorder, the school counselor must be careful not to affect the decision and values of the individual, for he is going to suffer later on should he take the wrong decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, as Sue et al. contend, culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge about their social impact on others. These include one’s awareness of own communication style, and how this style may hinder or facilitate the counseling process. Recognizing limits of their competencies, school counselors may confer with their colleagues how to overcome these weaknesses. Aside from this, they should seek further training or education on other cultures as a way to do away with biases. The process of balancing one’s view of other cultures may take a lifetime as new concepts may arise everyday. For example, the term transgender individuality appeared only in our modern times, but the concept of transforming from one gender to another has been known as early as the time of Sophocles or even earlier. In this regard, counselors should not grow tired of finding ways for self-actualization. Also, on the second characteristic, it is the responsibility of the culturally skilled counselor to gather resources to learn about the identity of other cultures. In the case of homosexuality among students, the counselor should know the different sides of the coin in being a homosexual. In particular, counselors who deal with this issue should have a good understanding of the process of being a homosexual (Adams, Boatwright, Gilbert, Forrest Ketzenberger, Cass, Chung Katayama, Croghan, Driscoll, Kelley Fassinger, Dunkle, and Pope, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). With this knowledge, he must let the student decide on his own whether to retain his gender identity or move to the phase of ‘coming out†. Coming out or in other words, admitting to the society that one belongs to a specific gender type is in itself a dilemma among teenagers with identity confusion. The specific role of the counselor in this situation is to help the youth consider advantages and disadvantages of coming out (Adams, Belz, Brown, Croteau Hedstrom, Elliott, Hetherington, Morgan Brown, Morrow, Pope, Rodriguez Chang, Pope Schecter, Savin-Williams, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). Additionally, the counselor should guide the student in the stage of coming-out by training him/her how to deal with people’s inquiry about his identity. For example, the counselor could give real-life scenarios, and ask the student to react on them in order to ensure that he would be prepared for particular instances when he would experience doubt. If the counselor feels affirmative or senses tolerance toward gays and lesbians but lacks the knowledge to handle cases of these individuals, he could improve his familiarity with them through a lot of ways. One source of invaluable information is reading literatures regarding gay/lesbian culture. At present, explorations on gender-specific cases are improving in terms of number and depth. These readings can guide a counselor to discover gay/lesbian cultural identity. Likewise, attending conferences or symposia, gathering insights from past clients and friends who belong to the same gender type will also contribute a lot (Sanabria, 2004). Also, as Sanabria expresses, if the counselor feels that he is not qualified to handle the case, it is only ethical to refer the student to someone who could offer him the right counseling. Furthermore, counselors who cannot be affirmative of gay and lesbian culture are probably misinformed and should look into themselves again if they are fit for being a school counselor. The issue regarding sexual minorities is only one of the issues a school counselor must be able to handle. If the counselor cannot help sexual minorities, he should reconsider if he should continue practicing in the academic setting. Suffice to mention, the National Career Development Association, American Counseling Association, and American Psychological Association have well-defined ethical codes that offer guidance for individuals who work with sexual orientation issues. Included in these ethical codes is the knowledge about students’ behavioral identity. Importantly, culturally skilled counselors should be aware of life experiences, cultural heritage, and historical background of their multicultural students. For instance, an Asian American student has different historical and cultural background from a Latino counterpart, or an African American. When counseling an Asian American, for example, a Chinese girl who cannot relate well with her classmates, a counselor must be informed of the conservative values Chinese families have. Actually, the attitude of keeping one’s silence may be in conformity with Confucian values. In this regard, the counselor cannot expect the girl to be as outgoing as he r classmates are, for the behavior she presents embodies a cultural heritage among the Chinese. Furthermore, culturally skilled counselors understand the consequences arising from one’s exercise of cultural traditions and rites. In some parts of Asia, for instance, there is still the custom of prearranged marriage. Thus, a counselor who encounters a high school student in this situation should suspend judgment of the custom, but rather honor it, and perhaps counsel the child to make her own choice, after laying down the consequences of abiding by the culture. In considering choices, the counselor may enumerate possible circumstances the child would face if she relents to her parents’ decision, or vice versa. Under no circumstances should the counselor dictate to the child what she should do as this may result in confusion or family conflict. Likewise, the counselor may also opt to explain the issue to the parents, but before doing so, the counselor must take precautions so as not to offend them. At all times, respect should form part of every counseling situation. Aside from obtaining a rich background of their students, a competent counselor, according to Sue et al. should also be kept updated with the latest trends and occurrences that concern his clients. In the case of a school counselor, it would be of great help if he engages in research and other activities to keep him updated with the students’ lingo, hobbies, behavioral patterns, etc. They should actively seek out opportunities—personal and professional experiences that enrich their knowledge, understanding, and cross-cultural skills. Moreover, as some schools implement nowadays, counselors can engage in outside school activities such as outreach programs, educational trips, camps, and other activities which would help gain a more vivid profile of the counselees. They should also be actively involved with minority individuals outside the school setting. Community events, celebrations, and other gatherings may help provide a wider perspective of minorities which relate with the academic scenario. Considering the dynamic role that the school counselor plays in society, the responsibility of ensuring that they possess the relevant qualities expected of a counselor should be borne by colleges offering the course or training. Based on the literature gathered, schools have positively become fully concerned about the issue of multiculturalism. Many schools and universities nowadays adhere to the demands of the culturally diverse society. However, the way to attaining competency of some school counselors may still be too far. In one study Holcom-McCo y (2000) conducted, the author identified five underlying factors influencing school counselors’ perception of themselves as competent professionals. These factors included understanding of racial identity development, ability to comprehend multicultural terminology, multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Among which, counselors perceived lack of knowledge of racial identity development as the problem that hindered them from being fully competent in multiculturalism. To address this problem, Schwallie-Giddis et al. (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) suggest that future school counselors should undergo multicultural training on racial identity development, and multicultural knowledge development. In a study conducted, school counselors assessed the effectiveness of a nine-month multicultural professional development program. The study involved 13 school counselors in a multicultural professional development program held from school year 2001-2002. Applying three dimensions of multicultural competencies, the participants assessed their own competencies. Resources included a videotape of a case study to which participants reacted, in order to discover assumptions, values and biases. To assess understanding of the clients’ worldviews, the study made use of case studies of linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students. The participants were asked to apply a framework to the cases to examine aspects school counselors should consider when handling diverse students. The participants had a lengthy discussion on the provided cases, and at the end of the session, they expressed the advantage of having discussions with peers. Another session comprised of a panel interview with three mothers of different cultures. Each of the women talked about her child’s experiences in school, all of which related to the inefficiency of the school officials to handle multicultural students. In all the issues raised, lack of communication surfaced as the most recurrent problem. In relation to this, participants commented that had there been proper communication between parents and school officials, issues would have been resolved more easily. Moreover, the study also included a session that dealt with developing appropriate interventions to cases of LCD students. Through this, participants were able to exchange views and experiences which could help build up a resource for interventions to cases of LCD students. Based on this session, counselors noted that most of them found it difficult to deal with LCD student mainly because of the language barrier. Furthermore, insecurities due to lack of knowledge of other cultures affected the competencies of the participants. In sum, the school counselors agreed that having enough facility to understand the student and overcoming language barriers is one major key to providing adequate help to students. Similarly, Chandras et al. (2006) suggest counseling strategies and techniques in handling multicultural students. One skill they emphasized to be critical in every counseling situation is effective listening. Effective listening, as Neuknug (2002) defines, includes allowing students to talk, concentrating on what is being said, giving minimal advice, empathizing, asking for clarifications, and limiting questions. When handling multicultural students, it is important for the counselor to be fully sensitive to verbal cues that relate to culture. For instance, a student who is often bullied in class may not admit why he is being bullied due to his insecurity. There are some students who would rather keep the truth to themselves or resolve their own conflicts instead of asking help from school officials. Despite this attitude, a good school counselor could still unlock verbal cues that could make the student open up. For example, a child who claims he is not interested in making friends with his classmates could likewise mean that his classmates are cruel to him and not totally uninteresting. As such, clarifying responses and not directly giving advice may help the child reflect on his own situation. To maintain effective counseling strategy, a constructive and emphatic relationship is very important (Chandras et al., 2006). In this respect, the counselor’s role is first to build up trust and optimism. On the one hand, gaining trust of a student is paramount to establishing a good relationship. Without trust, there can be no revelations, no life experiences told. On the other hand, developing optimism facilitates finding a solution to the problem. Also, when a student perceives that there is a solution to the dilemma, he becomes more willing to cooperate in the counseling process. Secondary to the abovementioned is discussing stages of the counseling process. It is important to inform the counselee how the counseling would go, what can be achieved during counseling stages, and how long they will take. Together with this, the counselor should set guidelines both he and the student will follow, such as time schedule, behavior rules, and limitations. Chakras et al. determine other responsibilities of a counselor. These include preparing the student for counseling session. As a counselor, one has to establish the reason why the student should undergo counseling. Asking the student what he feels is wrong, or eliciting experiences that seem difficult for him are ways to prepare the student. In addition, the counselor must assert that the problem can be worked out if the counselee cooperates in resolving it. Also, some situations that lead to the attention are considered for school counseling. These include breaking school rules, misbehaving, or underachievement. As such, the class adviser and the school counselor should work hand in hand regarding record of students’ behavior and progress. One of the misconceptions about counseling is that students are referred to it only for disciplinary purposes. Students tend to think that if they are called for counseling, they have been noted to misbehave in school. Thus, some students create a wrong view that counselors are disciplinarians. Importantly, this issue should be addressed during school orientation, letting the students know and feel that counseling is a helping process, and not a disciplinary one. Furthermore, what the counselor can do to avoid this misconception is to call each student one by one, get to know them, and allow a time for them to be acquainted with her and her work, so that fears regarding counseling could be avoided. Importantly, not only those who have reports of misbehavior should be called for counseling, but every student handled by each counselor. During counseling session, one good characteristic the counselor should exhibit is to remain focused on the specific problem. If the student’s problem concerns only his classmates, the counselor should identify ways to resolve it at the said level, and not delve on the students’ family background, as such may give the student an impression that his problem is huge. For example, if the student identifies that he is having problems with classmates bullying him, the counselor must call the attention of the said classmates and allow the said parties to explain the issue (i.e., tell them of the situation to find out if they are aware of the problem they cause their classmate). Furthermore, it is the counselor’s role to sustain interest of the counselee during the counseling process. To attain this, the counselor should ask questions relevant to the situation, and involve the counselee in arriving at the best workable solution. Asking irrelevant questions and monopolizing the discussion may distract the concentration of the counselee. In addition, the counselor may give assignments or home work so that the student would feel responsible and be prepared for the next counseling session. As regards developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques to help multicultural students, counselors should also be effectively involved in non-academic and out-of-school activities. As the core of the student’s personality, the counselor should focus first on building family relationships. Activities involving the students’ family would be an effective strategy to (1) know students well, (2) gain knowledge of family structure of students, whether parents are separated, and where students stay, (3) provide a venue for family bonding, and (4) inform parents of their children’s progress/problems. Parent involvement in counseling is inevitable. Some studies confirm student improvement in â€Å"academic performance, attitudes and behavior, attendance, school adjustment and engagement, and graduation rates† (Barnard, Epstein, Simons-Morton Crump, as cited in Sanabria). In Jevnes (as cited in Sanabria), a recent meta-analysis of 41 studies shows a significant relationship between parent’s involvement in school and academic achievement of urban students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parent involvement in school can include activities designed to inform them of their children’s progress, workshops or conferences to help them cope with the difficulties of parenting, marriage, etc. However, some parents lack the initiative to get involved in their child’s school affairs. As Lareau (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) posits, parents perceptions of racism and their own negative school experiences tend to create the distance between them and the schools. One study conducted by McKay, Atkins, Hawkins, Brown (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) found that the racism awareness of low-income African American parents was positively related to at-home parental involvement, and inversely related to at-school involvement. In this case, the counselor should coordinate closely with class advisers and other school officials to help convince these parents to give priority to their children. One source of motivation could be research dat a establishing correlation between children’s progress and parental involvement. One activity the counselor could organize is a â€Å"Day with Parents.† This could be a panel discussion involving model parents (probably of outstanding students) to act as the panel, and discuss relevant issues with students and co-parents. In this activity, the panel discusses ways on how they get involved with the affairs of their children, and how these measures create positive output to them. After the pane interview/discussion, the parents may exchange ideas in a forum to discuss proper ways to bring up children. Specifically, student problems, whether academic or personal, may also be brought up. Another activity the counselor could organize is a family day in which the whole family will come to the school to enjoy rides, games, or dining together. This event may be school-wide and would need the participation of every school personnel and students. Aside from organizing events for the family, the school counselor could also incorporate in the program field trips, camping, games, and other fun activities for the students. This will help students, especially with multicultural background, to get to know their classmates well. This way, they would also find time to have more friends. Aside from this, fun activities would also make them realize that school is not just for learning academics but also for having fun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, other activities school counselors could provide include workshops or performing arts activities. These activities are very ideal to cultivate the talents of students. Examples of which include art, theater arts, dance, and singing workshops. After the workshops, counselors could also have a culminating activity in which students show what they have learned from the workshop. For arts, students will have an art exhibit, for dance, theater arts, and singing, the counselor could propose to school administration to allow a concert or show, in which students will be the performers. This particular activity could also serve as a fund raising campaign aside from showcasing the talent of students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other activities to make students realize their potentials include sports activities/intramurals. This would allow sports-minded students to show their capabilities in their field. Also, this could serve as the school’s campaign against drug use among students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further to the given interventions, counselors could also conduct career orientation, especially for graduating students. In this activity, the counselor would invite some professionals to talk about their career to inspire students to follow a similar path. At the end of the session, the counselor would elicit from students, which career aroused their interest, and what made them interested to it. Importantly, students should be given many options to choose from, and career professionals to be invited should likewise have multicultural identity, so that students can easily relate with them. Evaluation sessions should also follow to allow room for improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Counselors also have a part in the school’s community outreach. By giving orientation to students regarding the activity and motivating them to help other people, students will realize that the helping profession is not limited within the four corners of the school. The participation of the counselor is very important as this will strengthen the role of the counseling profession and the school’s mission of helping other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other interventions the counselor could incorporate in the counseling program include achievement tests, personality tests, and other assessments to gauge the students’ academic and personal progress. These could help identify the needs of the students or their inclinations to serve as guide in choosing their future career. There are a lot of ways a school counselor can adopt to help in the holistic development of students. In adopting each intervention, what is important is to bear in mind its applicability to the multicultural students. As each student comes from a different background, it is imperative to learn about them individually, and not just by names or culture affiliation. As long been practiced by other counseling professionals, one strategy the counselor could employ is to do home visits. By visiting students in their home, the counselor will gain a clear and accurate picture of the students’ background. Similarly, this would also create for him a first-hand experience of the students’ cultural background.   Conclusion As we continue to live in the Information Age, we are driven to realize the many impacts of multiculturalism on people, educational institutions, and society in general. In particular, we see how it changed history in the 1960s with the civil protest of Black Americans, and how it restructured school policies on employment of faculty, and treatment of students. Similarly, we see how it inspired minority groups to express their views and contribute to the rich and modern culture. Moreover, we see the important role of multiculturalism in the counseling programs of schools and the community, not to mention the challenges it continues to bring counselors in providing care and assistance. Although discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, socio-political, and economic status are still evident in our society, the progress attained by forerunners and supporters of multiculturalism make us look forward to a better nation in the next decades. As time unfolds, we may take pride as we watch Americans embrace Africans, Asians, and other people of color. This view will continue to unveil as school administrators continue to uphold and cultivate the gifts of diversity in their orientation of students and communities. Much to the efforts made by school activists, we may look forward to more reforms in the counseling scene, either in schools or communities. The standards set by the AMCD or APA would continue to lead counselors to realize the importance of their roles in the society. The role played by counselors is not an easy task. However, by being conscious of their own tendency toward biases, counselors would avoid disserving their clients, and in the long run, the attitude of people especially schoolchildren toward counseling would further be affirmative. Moreover, adhering to the second characteristic, counselors would maintain a sensitive attitude toward cultures of other people. As such, they will feel the importance of bridging gaps among multicultural individuals, thus becoming proponents of unity and peace in the long run. Also part of the competency requirements of counselors is to devise or organize strategies to provide relevant counseling and helping services to the people. In this respect, their role is not limited to the school setting they serve, but it is likewise relevant to the community they work with. By fulfilling their part as community helpers, counselors would have a richer cultural experience which could help in their field. Recognizing the difficult task expected of counselors, we may develop the doubt regarding the capability of school counselors of today in taking on the said challenges. In this regard, counselors would need all the assistance it could get from school officials such as teachers, principal, and other staff. Through the collaboration between counselors and school officials, multicultural students will realize the important contribution they can make in the society, not only in their group but also in the lives of other people, in the fields of technology, manpower, innovation, and care for the environment. The nature of helping students does not end in counseling them or providing moral support. Rather, it extends to making them feel their importance as people, providing them choices in life, and cultivating their talents. The counseling program of every school should be the most active program among all, as it involves not only the students and counselors, but also other school officials, including the teachers, librarian, and support staff. If every one in the school system shares in the goal of achieving multicultural counseling, we can hope for the success of multicultural students. As such, everyone should his/her own part and responsibilities in promoting the welfare of the students—that is, giving respect to people of other cultures, helping them realize their life goals, and making them co-creators of society. Despite all the efforts exerted by counselors and other individuals to make up a better society, we can still note some people, even students who would resist multiculturalism. The harsh picture of some students exhibiting exclusivist attitude toward their peers should not be overlooked. Rather, it should be the concern of everyone in the school, especially its officials. In line with this, more studies should be conducted on how to incorporate multicultural views into the counseling program of every school, beginning from pre-schools to post-graduate schools. It would also help if psychological groups or associations would set standards particularly for multicultural school counseling. These rules would serve as guide for school administrators in choosing the right school counselor. While it is the role of school counselors to provide counseling to multicultural students, it would also help if schools would implement a procedure to evaluate if other aspects of the school adhere to promoting cultural diversity. Particularly, school administrators should realize that the issue of multiculturalism should not be addressed by the counseling program alone, but also by all aspects of the school, including the physical structure of the school. In this regard, future research in psychology could include ways on how the school’s physical structure could support counseling programs for multicultural students. References Chandras, Kan, David DeLambo, Sunil Chandras. (2006). Counseling strategies and techniques to sensitize school counselors to the life experiences of culturally different students. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.counselingoutfitters.com/Chandras.htm Constantine, Madonna. (2001). Universal-diverse orientation and general expectations about counseling: Their relation to college students multicultural counseling expectations. Journal of college student development. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3752/is_200111/ai_n8993131 Freedman, Kenneth. (1999). Multicultural counseling. Retrieved January 23, 2008, from http://www.alaska.net/~fken/Multiculture.htm Gorski, Paul. (1999). A Brief History of Multicultural Education. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/edchange_history.html Hanna, Fred. (2000). Asian shades of spirituality: implications for multicultural school counseling. Professional school counseling. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KOC/is_5_7/ai_n6121238 Harris, Anthony.   (2007). Philosophy and techniques of multicultural education. Journal of multidisciplinary research. Vol. 1 Issue 1. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1080.htm Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.getthetoolkit.com/publications/transgender%20students.pdf Patterson, C.H. (1996). Multicultural counseling: from diversity to universality. Journal of counseling and development. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.sageofasheville.com/pub_downloads/MULTICULTURAL_COUNSELING_FROM_DIVERSITY_TO_UNIVERSALITY.pdf Rosado, Caleb. (1997). Toward a definition of multiculturalism. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from http://www.rosado.net/pdf/Def_of_Multiculturalism.pdf Rosado, Caleb. (n.d.). What makes a school multicultural? January 24, 2008, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/caleb/multicultural.html Sanabria, Samuel. (2004). Culturally appropriate career counseling with gay and lesbian clients. Career development quarterly. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Culturally+appropriate+career+counseling+with+gay+and+lesbian+clients.-a0127052322 Sue, Derald Wing, Patricia Arredondo, and Roderick McDavis. (1992). Multicultural counseling competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from www.counseling.org/Files/FD.ashx?guid=e14f8c36-41e7-4af8-830d-69f6057986d7 – Van Velsor, Patricia Graciela Orozco. (2007). Involving low-income parents in the schools: Communitycentric strategies for school counselors. Professional school counseling. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Involving+low-income+parents+in+the+schools%3a+communitycentric-a0171018638 Webb, Michael. (1990). Multicultural education in elementary and secondary schools. Eric digest number 67.  Retrieved January 24, 2008, from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9218/secondary.htm

Challenges Of Human Resource Information System Information Technology Essay

Challenges Of Human Resource Information System Information Technology Essay In this technological world, a lot of things are run by the most advanced technology. Therefore, those managers are using the latest technology to operate the whole system in the company. By using these latest technology can help the company work more effective and can help keep their company information more safe and secure. It is same as for the Human Resource Information System (HRIS). Human Resource Information System (HRIS) could be count as the latest technology that can help analyze the data necessary for human resource department to do its jobs properly. So, William (2006) say the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is usually a part of the companys larger Management Information System (MIS) that to help the company to making recruiting, promoting, payroll, employee selection and placement, intake and training projections, career-pathing and productivity evaluation. These information systems help the administrative more effective and produce reports capable of improving decision making. But there are some challenges to make this useful Human Resource Information System cannot work well at all and will make Human Resource Information System work fail. The following are the challenges of Human Resource Information System: Training the users to use HRIS. Cost to purchase and implementation of HRIS. Time to adapt the HRIS. Lack functional expertise in designing. Improper vendor provide illegal copy of HRIS. 4.1 Training the users to use HRIS (by Choo Jun Cheng) The first challenge of company to implementation the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is ensuring that a HRIS for a company involve one key issue that is have the users that can use this HRIS as well as he/she can said by William (2006). The HRIS could be count as the latest technology to operate to human resource department, but there is not every manager and employees know to use this system well and some of them even do not know what this system is and what this system is for. For this case will make the company face the challenge to use this HRIS to help their human resource department to do its jobs perfectly. This will also cause the company cannot work efficiently, quick access to information and the information will be have risk to stole by other company easily. So, human resource department need to provide training to employee of a company in certain areas and the human resource department must make sure that the employees in the company are properly trained to use t he HRIS well. However, teaching the employees how to use system is not the only component needed and it is also critical to teach the employees know to use the HRIS to locate the answers to solve the human resource questions. This requires the employees who under this training program need to adopt the new mindset of self-service rather than turning the human resources questions to the answers by using the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and make employees become a part of HRIS. 4.2 Cost to purchase and implementation of HRIS (by Choo Jun Cheng) Next, the one of the most significant challenge facing by the company to run the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is the cost to purchase and implementation of a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) said by William (2006). If the company is looking the cost to justify a HRIS new system or upgrade one, they will much need new HRIS software. But for the company already have a policy to cost justifying any new technology for their produce and investment and this cause the company facing the lack capital problem to purchase and implementation of HRIS. Besides that, HRIS system represents a large investment decision for company of all sizes to purchase and implementation this HRIS and this will become the challenge that is the lack capital problem facing by the company. Therefore, some company does not want to upgrade their HRIS system to a new one, even some of the company still using the traditional way to operate their human resource department. This situation will lead the company cannot get the benefits from HRIS that is improved accuracy of information, the provision of timely and quick access to information and the saving the costs of human resource. So, having an HRIS system in the company are very important and it can also bring a lot of benefits to the company and help to reengineer the entire Human Resource (HR) function to work more effective and help the human resource department can use full of HRIS advantages and the company can operate properly too. 4.3 Time to adapt the HRIS (by Choo Jun Cheng) Besides that, the challenge facing by the company is the time that employees and managers need to take to adapt the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) said by K. Michele (2006). Although for the company have already send the employees and managers who in certain area of human resource department to training to use the HRIS, but the employees and the managers need to take times to adapt the new system. Even if the employees and managers know how to use the system, it will not serve the company if they cannot perceive any benefits from its use said by K. Michele (2006). Besides that, some employees are not good in using computer, they will take very long time to adapt this new system even they are trained employees. Not only that, by using the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) will help to reengineer the entire Human Resource (HR) function and this also need take time for employees and managers to adapt this system. Some of their companys HRIS system are lack flexibility w ill cause the employees and managers use more time to adapt the system. Even this HRIS need some time for employees and managers to adapt for it but HRIS still can bring a lot of convenient to human resource department and it can help the company can operate properly. 4.4 Lack of functional expertise in designing (by Choo Jun Cheng) The challenge facing by the company is lack of functional expertise in designing of Human Resource Information System (HRIS) said by K. Michele (2006). The HRIS could be count as the latest technology to operate to human resource department to do the job properly, but there are not yet become a flexibility system for operate the department and company need to hire the expert in this HRIS system keep maintain the system in perfect condition. The lack of flexibility of HRIS would have a risk hacking by theft of information, the companys information would easily know by other people. Besides that, the HRIS cannot solve the difficulty situation and sometime the system will solve wrong problem because of the lack of functional expertise in designing of HRIS. But if the company can keep upgrade the functional expertise in designing of HRIS and it can overcome this problem and it can help company operate the human resource department work efficiency. So, the company need to keep maintain th e HRIS system and always make sure the system are at the perfect situation. 4.5 Improper vendor provide illegal copy of HRIS (by Choo Jun Cheng) The last challenge that face by the company is the improper vendor that provide the illegal copy of HRIS said by Pamela (2006). It is because the HRIS is the latest technology for the company to operate the human resource department and implementation HRIS are expensive, so many of company willing to implementation the illegal copy of HRIS because the improper vendor cost the company cheaper than others. The illegal copy of HRIS possible have the virus that always make the system clash down then the company need to ask the improper vendor repair it and improper vendor can keep charge the company repair fees. Besides that, the illegal copy of HRIS possible have the spyware that let the improper vendor have the backdoor that allow the improper vendor can stole the information from the company. So, for every company need to avoid buy the illegal copy from improper vendor. 4.6 Conclusion (by Choo Jun Cheng) In the conclusion, Human Resource Information System (HRIS) plays an important role to operate the company, even the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) are facing many of challenges to use this system in the company. But if we can overcome those challenges and situation to make the HRIS can run perfect inside the company, we can gain a lot of advantages and by using this system can make sure our human resource department can work more effectively and more efficiently. This HRIS system can also help reduce errors, increase efficiency, and reduce costs for the company and this system are very useful and helpful to the company. 4.7 Reference William P. Anthony, K. Michele Kacmar, Pamela L. Perreve (2006) Human Resource Management (Fifth Edition) Thomson, the Star logo, and Custom Publishing, Chapter 4.

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Justice can also be looked upon as the judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments. Justice can also be the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity (Princeton Web 2010). Individuals may look at justice many different ways, but what factors play into deciding what truly is justice? Must you look at fairness in order to be just, must you look at rationality, or even equality and liberty? There will always be debates about how to achieve justice. But due to so many factors being involved, we may never understand what justice truly is. I believe that in order for one to be just, or even to make a just decision on a matter that factors such as rationality, fairness, human rights, and the well being of all parties involved must be taken into account. But this is just my opinion many of todays philosophers often argue what it mean s to be just or even to achieve a completely just state in our society, along with the decisions we make on a daily basis. To call attention to a specific philosopher, Amartya Sen undoubtedly makes a solid stance on what justice truly means. The Idea of Justice is Amartya Sens assessment of political philosophy. He explores what justice really means and has come up with alternatives to the existing model. Sens philosophic arguments are shown by an exceptional set of stories drawn from literature, history, and current events occurring in our society today. There are not many main thoughts of the book, but the thoughts presented are revisited throughout each chapter, to help the reader see the bigger picture. You must be able to examine each idea Sen presents in his text, as they all come together, when being able to achieve complete justice. Although justice may never fully be reached entirely in any society, Sen does an amazing job giving examples and putting each of his arguments in basic text, so that it is easy for the reader to understand what he is talking about. The specific philosophic arguments of the book are highly important when it comes to the ideas of justice. The Idea of Justice is divided into four main pa rts. Part one contains several of Sens most important thoughts throughout the book. They include, reason objectivity, institutions persons, voice social choice, impartiality objectivity, and closed open impartiality. In part two, forms of Reasoning, Sen discusses a number of themes including rationality, plurality of impartial reasons, and rationality other people. Part three contains information on the capabilities approach, lives, freedoms capabilities, and equality liberty. The final part of Sens text speaks to public reasoning democracy, including sections on justice the world, human rights global imperatives, the practice of democracy, and democracy as public reason. Throughout each of these main sections Sens argues very strong points, I will try to give you a summary of the main points throughout each chapter of Sens book along with where he stands on certain topics and how I can relate and feel about what he believes. To call your attention to the preface/introduction, Sen specifically states that what he is presenting here, is a theory of justice which aims to clarify how we can proceed to address questions of enhancing justice and removing injustice, rather than to offer resolutions of questions about the nature of perfect justice (Sen IX). The Introduction elaborates on two approaches to justice, which include the comparativist framework the social contract framework. The comparativist framework is presented using the realization comparison approach. The realization approach prioritizes the social understanding of advancing justice and removing injustice in real societies with their existing institutions. The social contract framework is presented using the transcendental institutionalism approach which was led by the works of Thomas Hobbes. The transcendental institutionalism approach concentrates on perfect justice and the institutions that would be recognized in such a perfectly just societ y. There are two distinct problems indentified here which Sen engages. First it concentrates its attention on what it identifies as perfect justice, rather than on relative comparisons of justice injustice (Sen 6). Sen goes on to explain that this approach tries to only identify social characteristics that cannot be transcended in terms of justice, and its focus is thus not on comparing feasible societies, all of which may fall short of the ideals of perfection. Also it is intended to identify the nature of the just, rather than finding an alternative being less unjust than another. The second major issue with this approach is described by Sen Saying that in searching for perfection, transcendental institutionalism concentrates primarily on getting the institutions right, and it is not directly focused on the actual societies that would ultimately emerge. We need to focus on how change within the actual society is going to be completed, not by getting institutions perfect to the point that they are just institutions. This would do nothing for emerging societies we need to look at society as whole in order to achieve perfect justice by not having only perfectly just institutions. People are sti ll going to act how they choose as well as behave how they choose, so we must focus on society as whole. The nature of the society that would result from any given set of institutions must, of course, depend also on non-institutional features, such as actual behaviors of people and their social interactions (Sen 6). I do agree with Sen in this theory of justice, it should first and foremost, serve as a basis for practical reasoning. Chapter one is to defend a notion of objectivity in our average thoughts of justice.   Sen argues for the idea that we should understand reason as the final judge of our ethical beliefs. One must be able to justify and understand his reasoning by critically evaluating reasoning for ethical beliefs. The necessity of relying heavily on reason is important as Sen describes in his work. Sen says, the case for reasoned scrutiny lies not in any sure-fire way of getting things exactly right (no such way may exist), but on being objective as we reasonably can (Sen 40). Sen believes that one must be able to rely on reason in order to fully justify and decide on our ethical beliefs. I must agree with Sen on this point, when he argues that this approach is not going to be one that will allow and individual to get things exactly right, but allow us to be as objective as we possibly can. By scrutinizing your own reasoning, it is highly probable that you will arrive at the best possible ethical decision. We should not get caught up in being overconfident in the decisions of our own reasoning, as this could add flaws to our decisions. The remedy for bad reasoning lies in better reasoning, and it is indeed the job of reasoned scrutiny to move from the former to the latter (Sen 49). This quote explains it all, it is imperative that one must critically scrutinize his/her own reasoning for a decision, and that without this scrutiny theres great chance for bad reasoning. To avoid this, one must critically scrutinize his/her reasoning of choice or decision. Moving to another argument from Sen, I share the following quote. Justice is rooted in fairness and fairness can be broadly be seen as a demand for impartiality (Sen 54). In order for one to be completely just, the decision must be rational and fair, if a decision is not looked upon as being fair for all parties, you arrive at issues of impartiality. Sens gives his example of three children and a flute, all children having a rational reason as to why they deserve the flute. But if there is not a common vested interest on one solid set of principals between all parties, we run into an issue of what the true just decision is. Institutionally, we cannot address such issues as these. Individuals still have their own morals and values and going to make their own decisions regardless of what is taught. One of the most difficult things is to change an individuals moral values and beliefs, institutionally this cannot be done. Values as these are usually learned at the home-base from parents and guardians and are instilled in us from a very young age. It i s imperative that we do not look at what truly is a just society in order to achieve a just society. As actions such as these will get our society nowhere Sen looks at the social choice theory as an approach to justice as well. Social choice theory is concerned with the relationships between people, their preferences social choice. For example a group of individuals such as a committee making a decision in a voting process, individuals in the group may have different preferences over options that are available to them. This approach deals with the principles of aggregations of preference. Aggregation of social choice may be impossible if the process of choice is to satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. With such reasonable conditions, this could alter the general consensus of a social choice being made by such a committee or group. Even some very mild conditions of reasonable sensitivity of social decision to what the members of society want cannot be simultaneously satisfied by any social choice procedure that can be described as rational and democratic (Sen 93). We can however, become more informally sensitive, if we choose to jus t try and do better rather than to meet the criteria of being fully rational or just. One may use social choice theory as a framework for reasoning, rather than to try and use it completely to achieve justice. Position of observation and knowledge is another important approach Sen discusses in his work. What we observe depends on our position by means of the things that we observe. What individuals decide to believe is based on what we view. How one decides to act relates to his/her beliefs on a particular subject. Observations, beliefs, and actions are vital to understanding and arriving at sensible reasoning. To Sen, Objectivity is a position-dependent phenomenon (Sen 157). This issue [positionality] is quite important for the formulation of a theory of justice and, more specifically, for exploring a theory that gives a special role to public reasoning in the understanding of the demands of justice (Sen 167). It is important here to understand that there is no single way to master a way of making sense of the world or our experience in it. No decision made could ever be rationalized in every single persons mind, something such as this is physically not possible. There are just too many d ifferent people in our society today for that to be able to happen. There will always be a flaw in certain reasoning in some persons view. There is just no way, that every single person in the world would be satisfied with a decision, because we all observe, understand, and put reason into different perspectives. Some placing more weight on rational choice, critical scrutiny, positional objectivity, reasonable behaviors sustainable reason when it comes to making a decision. There are just too many approaches for everyone to be able to agree. So we must take into account all perspectives of others when it comes to justice and just decision making, as Sen states, we must be sensitive to others (206). Respect of others views is exceedingly important here. To move forward, the capabilities approach is also a major theme within the work. The capabilities approach focuses on human lives, and not just on the resources people have, in the form of owning or having use of objects of convenience that a person may possess (Sen 253). The approach emphasizes purposeful capabilities substantive freedoms, such as the ability to engage in economic transactions, or participate in political activities. Poverty is understood as capability deficiency in Sens view. The emphasis is not only on how human beings actually operate but also on their having the capability to do so, which is a practical choice, to operate in important ways if thats what they choose to do. Someone could be stripped of such capabilities in many ways. Ignorance, government oppression, lack of financial resources, and false comprehension, are ways in which one may be stripped of such capabilities. Possession of capabilities strongly implies a responsibility for making use of the m to help others when possible, especially when it comes to the less fortunate. If someone has the power to make a difference that he or she can see will reduce injustice in the world, then there is a strong and reasoned argument for doing just that (Sen 271). If you can see that your capabilities go beyond that of the less fortunate by any means, and that they can be used in any positive manner weather be financial or emotional, I believe that there is no doubt that one should be obligated to reduce injustice in some way shape or form if at all possible. Again this only being an approach, this is not the end all-be all in deciding justice, but undoubtedly can make a difference, and I would have to agree. In basic terms, if you are capable, than you should do something to reduce injustice. I dont feel that you are obligated to do so, but any reduce in injustice, is a step in the right direction. Sen goes on to support the idea that democracy is a universal value, he differentiates between the institutional structure of the contemporary practice of democracy, which is largely the product of European and American experience over the last few centuries (Sen 322-323). In my opinion, one should not assume that because a particular type of institutional structure is up and running, such as elections, voting being counted properly, and etc, that a satisfactory level of democracy has been achieved. Sen believes that having too much institutional focus on democracy has caused particular trouble at the global level. Sen believes that, an uncont rolled media is important to the operation of democratic societies. Sen explains in the text that this contributes to human security by giving a voice to the defenseless and deprived by subjecting the government to criticism from such individuals. I believe this power is key I giving people courage, power, and the ability to express feelings towards actions that are being taken. We sort of put power in the hands of individuals who are not as capable as other, which I do agree with also, because this is a simple way in which we can empower individuals to voice opinions in a manner which may not fall on death ears as usual. We can place emphasis on individuals human rights here, which an important factor concerning human rights is to protect individuals freedoms, thus freedom of speech freedom of press being highly important. Sen says that human rights are moral rights, strong ethical pronouncements as to what should be done (357). According to Sen, reasoning concerning justice should not be restricted to one state or population, but rather be global. If the importance of public reasoning has been one of the major concerns of this book, so has been the need to accept the plurality of reasons that may be sensibly accommodated in an exercise of evaluation (Sen 394). We must look at every possible angle that the book discusses in order to find an answer to the idea of what justice truly is. If you cannot effectively rationalize all aspects of the idea of what justice is, it will be difficult for you to be able to ever understand what justice is. As Sen states the reasons may sometimes compete with each ot her in persuading us in one direction or another in a particular assessment, and when they yield conflicting judgments, there is an important challenge in determining what credible conclusions can be derived, after considering all argument (Sen 394). Which I most certainly agree with, it would in fact be a difficult task to determine a credible solution, but it is imperative that you must consider all of the arguments at hand.