Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Poetry and Stylistic Features

I'll upload one later, I'm on my phone Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)* Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features .Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*qElizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry?Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry?Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry?Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry?Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style.Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied. *Good Luck ;)*Elizabeth Bishop poses interesting questions delivered by means of a unique style. Do u agree with this assesment of her poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features . Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Appropriate Use of Transparency Essay

Transparency in management circles is considered a competitive advantage. It involves sharing all information that one is ready to share including uncomfortable one. Transparency implies communication, openness and accountability. Last year I worked in a Non Governmental organization where I found out that they were require being transparent by donors and other stakeholders for them to continue receiving funds and support. That time the organization was experiencing a high labor turnover because management felt that they knew what subordinate staff wanted. They thought they needed a salary increase while in real sense they needed better working conditions (Stever, 2012). When they start involving in decision making and transparency, trust and loyalty increased. Opponents of transparency argue that it is a bad idea to use transparency strategy where information may be misrepresented, distorted or misunderstood. Being transparent may take a lot of resources and more time hence slowing the organization process. It is argued that organizations that practice full transparency are easy target of attacks and are vulnerable to groups that feel alienated or underrepresented (Stever, 2012). It also a bad strategy where the company wants to keep trade secrets and other information that is unique. Another example is in management of international negotiation and agreements. Diplomats believe that a certain degree of ambiguity is necessary in successful negotiations. It is also a bad strategy to use in international politics and economic stability (Stever, 2012). It is believed that collapse of Briton wood exchange rate regime was to a large extent caused by inability to accommodate ambiguity. For leader to exert influence they must be transparent in order to make authoritative decisions, creating means of putting them into actions and creating support or them. Leaders who are transparent are trusted by their follower and build loyalty. This gives them a lot of influence. Reference Stever, E. W. (2012). Transparency. Rocky Point, N.Y.: Writers Ink Press. Source document

Monday, July 29, 2019

Is the World Flat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is the World Flat - Essay Example Friedman further enunciated that flattening of world took place just at the dawn of twenty first century. Globalization is an imperative feature of political and economic discourse as it has paved the way to spread thoughts as wild fire, leaping borders and now information is not confined to industrial world. According to Friedman (2005), globalization has its success and discontents and thus improvise one think that The World Is Flat! However, such views find little support from authors like Ghemawat (2007), Florida (2005, October) and Christopherson et al. (2008). The World Isn’t Flat! According to Ghemawat, one cannot consider the world to be flat, in fact, only 10-25 percent of all economic activities is international or global while remaining are regional, further he affirms the failure of globalization theories in terms of geographical and cultural factors, if there is 1 percent raise in geographic distance the trade between the two locations will diminish by 1 percent. Further, Ghemawat enunciated that countries with a common language share42 percent more trade compared to dissimilar culture while common currency potentially enhances the trade by 114 percent (Shermer, 2011; Ghemawat, 2007). Considering the views of Ghemawat, it is true in real sense if an analysis is carried out the globalization has actually created peaks and valleys in every aspect of life, not only globalization is confined to peaks as depicted by Florida (2005), but the work force, facilities, infrastructure, development, access to fast track of development it is all confined to peaks while the valleys are still deprived of all the latest avenues (Fox, 2014). Migration of mass is towards developed and better prospects which resulted in clustering of resources, progress, amenities and opportunities at particular provinces. Florida (2005) has categorized these peaks in terms of population (the talent or skill), light emission (the economic activity), patents (the innovations) and

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Customer Relationship Management in Youi Company Essay

Customer Relationship Management in Youi Company - Essay Example This strategy involves division of the market base using diverse variables, which include age, education, culture, occupation, location and socio-economic status among others. Youi insurance stormed the Australian market and launched its products with the aim of reaching every segment of the customer base. The company personalized insurance and defined the risks more accurately. This strategy allowed Youi insurance company to reach the new but low risk customer segments, which were not previously targeted by other insurers (Carr, 14). These segments included the white-collar commuters who commuted by public service transport to the city for work. Customized media approach was used to reach diverse groups accordingly. For instance, the company targeted the bus and train stations and quenched the traveler’s thirst during the summer mornings with customized bottles of water. Similarly, weekday and daytime TV media advertisements reached the customer segment in homes. This strateg y reached and attracted numerous customers (Carr, 14). A vigorously integrated information and technology system has reached the customer market. This has eased provision of insurance products and communicating with the customers more easily. This study establishes that, Youi uses its integrated information and technology system to transact. This implies that most of the customer requests are done online.According to this study, provision of personalized and cheap insurance retained the customer segments acquired.... Similarly, weekday and daytime TV media advertisements reached the customer segment in homes. This strategy reached and attracted numerous customers (Carr, 14). A vigorously integrated information and technology system has reached the customer market. This has eased provision of insurance products and communicating with the customers more easily. This study establishes that, Youi uses its integrated information and technology system to transact. This implies that most of the customer requests are done online. Retention of the Acquired customer base According to this study, provision of personalized and cheap insurance retained the customer segments acquired through the campaigns and media advertisement (Carr, 14). The Youi Company ensured that the customers understand the finer details of the insurance products provided. Correspondingly, the prices offered remained affordable. Notably, the Youi insurance has gone a notch higher in market orientation. This implies that, the company is focused upon the desires of the customers (Insurance in Australia, 6). The needs of the clients are addressed in a three-level of a product, which include the tangible product, core product and associated benefits and the augmented product (customer service). This trend retained and expanded the customer market. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) NMRA is one of the oldest insurance companies in Australia with over 150 branches across the globe. NMRA enjoys a hearty customer relationship management (CRM) system. NMRA uses the aspect of information technology in reaching and retaining its customer base. The database interconnects all the branches across

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Sociology - Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology - Wal-Mart - Essay Example Eventually, the only thing that is left is Wal-Mart, and the people have no choice left but to shop there. This can cause an effect similar to a monopoly in a small town. People may have no stores for miles except for Wal-Mart because ever place has had to close because it couldn't compete with Wal-Mart. This then leaves people with no choice BUT to shop at Wal-Mart, and this only continues the vicious cycle elsewhere in other small towns. This can cause devastation effects on a town's economy. Wal-Mart then becomes the ONLY major player still in the economy of a town. This not only puts small stores out of jobs, but gets rid of the basis for all business, competition. This can then lead to Wal-Mart business policies becoming lax, as they no longer have to compete and now are the only game in town. The entire point of business is to have competition, but Wal-Mart makes sure to destroy all competition it can have early on. Wal-Mart also has many problems that go deeper than just the problems after the store comes in. If everybody who shopped at Wal-Mart sat down and watched this movie about how bad Wal-Mart treats its employees, and the poor wages that the corporation tries to pass by. Examples are given of major sexism against women, and how unfairly the Wal-Mart Corporation treats women.

Happy employees are more productive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Happy employees are more productive - Essay Example According to Brickly, Smith and Zimmerman, past studies have shown that happy employees are more interested in meeting organizational objectives (65). Contented workers are usually better-equipped to handle incidences of work-related stress which may arise. They also tend to be fully invested in helping an organization to meet its objectives. Many employees will not commit to remaining for long periods of time with one particular organization. Instead, they seek to learn about the working conditions in different firms so that they may relocate to those which offer the best terms. However, if an employee fully believes that a company is challenging him or her to fully develop his or her potential, it is unlikely that the employee will walk away from such a company even when it experiences hardships, because the worker is emotionally invested in it. This kind of devotion is highly priced in all industries, because it saves the costs of training and hiring additional workers once the mo re experienced ones are attracted to better-performing companies. According to a research that was documented by Brickly, Smith, and Zimmerman, happier workers will invest more of their time and energy in ensuring that they do their best in their allotted tasks (53). The study, which was carried out by Dr Eugenio Proto, Professor Andrew Oswald, and Dr Daniel Sgroi in the University of Warwick, revealed that happier workers are typically 12% more industrious than workers who may be discontented, or even apathetic where their work responsibilities are concerned. In any company, executives have to cultivate a culture of happiness if they wish to benefit from the full focus of the efforts of their workers. In many cases, senior executives imagine that monetary incentives are the only way in which they can truly motivate their workers. However, the reality is that there are many other things that can

Friday, July 26, 2019

Object-Oriented Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Object-Oriented Technologies - Essay Example A vivid example of these technologies is human-machine interface simulator. The human-machine interface simulator has a kind of on-line object-oriented database model that describes the hierarchical structure of man-machine interface equipment. The dynamic changes of various sensors and actuators in the man-machine interface system can be simulated by rewriting the corresponding attributes of the instrumentation and controls equipment in the object-oriented database in accordance with the dynamic changes of both the plant simulator and the human model simulator. The on-line object-oriented database of the man-machine interface can be constructed easily by using a special graphic editor with icons. The object-oriented technologies are based on analysis of the data. In this case, †the information or object model contains the definition of objects in the system, which includes: the object name, the object attributes, and object relationships to other objects† (Object-Oriente d Analysis 2007). Some other devices move or deform to simulate the shapes of virtual objects. Users can physically contact the surface of the virtual object. The new interface devices are also based on object-oriented technologies. Deformation of the screen converts the two-dimensional image from the projector into a solid image. The main factors of object-oriented programming include â€Å"correctness, robustness, extendibility and reusability† (Meyer 557). In sum, a goal of object-oriented technologies is to guide technological design to optimize interactions between human operators and the systems they use

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Five Stages of International Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Five Stages of International Development - Essay Example Phase number one is usually called Domestic Company. A business is regarded as a domestic company if its business operations are solely carried out in the nation where it originates. Its commodities are set for domestic market and the sourcing of factors of production is also domestic. A typical domestic company, thus, makes no dealings beyond its nation of origin’s boundaries. It, therefore, follows that such a business’ management is the easiest and domestically emanating challenges would also be resolvable with minimal effort. (Dlabay, et al, 2010 p263) Anaren Company befitted this description in year 2006. (forbes.com, 2006) The second phase of international development is Exporting Company. This business type has dependence upon the home-market merits like reputation as it opens wings to the external markets. Its major focus is on sales of its familiar commodities in a small number of foreign markets. Exporting businesses rely on their independent agents in the man agement of their operations in the foreign or even utilize distributors to do the same work. This is due to the fact that agents and distributors alike know the abroad based market places and thus success can be achieved through them with more probability. An example of a business in this stage is the Goscinski Enterprises which exports food commodities in three nations.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

SD# 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SD# 3 - Essay Example Consequently, the monetary value of the firm, as expressed through the financial statement, incorporates these factors to ensure that the company is responsible and maintains a healthy relationship with the environment for a future success. When a firm fails to provide better services or pollutes the environment, the resulting outcome will affect its reputation and operations, thus threatening its existence. The purpose of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) is to provide a holistic model that gives a comprehensive view of the firm operations and business strategies. Specifically, the program uses both the financial and nonfinancial information to establish the effectiveness of the business in maintaining a viable and sustainable business environment (IIRC n.p.). As expressed in its vision, the IIRC intends to embed integrated thinking in the business practices to make it a corporate reporting norm that leads to efficient and productive capital allocation. Consequently, this will lead the company to financial stability and sustainability in its operations. Therefore, the purpose of the IIRC is to improve business reporting to restore public trust in businesses, enhance investor’s confidence, and ensure efficient capital allocation in the economy for a sustainable and stable business environment (IIRC n.p.). The stock exchange market is a dynamic industry that changes drastically due to various factors such as public perception of the company or a negative assessment of the firm by an external entity. Therefore, for the NASDAQ exchange market to value a business, it must have holistic and comprehensive information about the company. Specifically, that does not only mean its financial performance but also its nonfinancial activities that are crucial in determining its future performance in the stock exchange. The profitability of a business depends on strategic management and social

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Technology Does Wonderful Things For People But It Also Enables Them Research Paper

Technology Does Wonderful Things For People But It Also Enables Them to Isolate Themselves - Research Paper Example Although technology has helped in the development of the world, the recent arguments accused technology to impose certain ill-effects by isolating people restricting them to socialize. The arguments have mostly been concentrated on the grounds that people get socially isolated owing to their favoritism of game consoles or their experiences of internet bullying (â€Å"How Technology Affects Us†). Thesis Statement The discussion would emphasize on the development of technology and correspondingly on its role in causing social isolation. Stating precisely, the objective of the essay would be to evaluate the reality behind accusing technology to cause isolation among individuals in the current day context. Thus, the discussion henceforth will attempt to analyze the various advantages and limitations of technology which especially concentrates on its functions as a means of communication and a driver of globalization. Discussion Social isolation is referred to the act of developing a gap or distance between an individual and their belonging community which further results in lessened interaction of people with their surroundings. In the modern phenomenon, one frequently attributed reason for social isolation, especially among teenagers has been indicated towards the ill-effects of rapidly increasing influence of technology on modern lifestyles. It has been thus argued that people are getting immensely attached to game consoles as well as social networking sites which cause a negative impact on the society in terms of isolating individuals by limiting their reasons to interact with the outer world (Biordi & Nicholson 68-115). Conversely, from a generalized perspective, the advancement of technology has been signified to facilitate better interaction of communities throughout the world involving web services as well as mobile phones. For instance, the numerous social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Linkedin, MySpace and Spoke are immense ly popular among people today. These sites are mainly used with the purpose of interacting with people anywhere in the world which apparently presents an opposing perspective towards the criticism of technology acting as a causing factor of social isolation (â€Å"Social Networking Sites; More Harm than Good?†). However, stating for or in favor of the argued statement, human beings are revealed to get immensely attached to televisions and game consoles which restricts them from socializing within the community and their surroundings. Today, people are getting hugely immersed with technological gadgets which cause a negative impact on the socializing activities of individuals. For instance, technology advancements as video games have immensely affected the young generation as well as adults being increasingly preferred as relaxation activities by people. It is in this context that recent researches reveal playing video games continuously as well as deciphering excessive depend ence on it may cause an individual to minimize interaction with their surroundings. Hence, in a way, playing excessive video games may isolate an individual from the society. It may also develop an unfavorable affect on the behavior of an individual as many games may be designed with the inclusion of violent contents. Apart from isolating

Monday, July 22, 2019

Unicef Events Essay Example for Free

Unicef Events Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On May 21, 2008 at 4pm in Yellowstone National Park, there will be a fundraising project to promote and support children’s education in the country. It will be a walkathon named The UNICEF Walkathon which aims to raise 21,000 dollars to be able to provide schools all over the world with basic school supplies and facilities.   We will be inviting families, students, celebrities and athletes from all over the Metro to walk for a cause giving $10 per kilometer completed.   Last May 21, 2008, they walked the talk. Converging at the Yellowstone National Park, they all took part in UNICEF’s â€Å"Take a Walk on the Child’s Side† Walkathon. Individual walkers, groups of friends, whole companies – even pets – were given the choice to walk any of the 2.5-, 5-, or 7.5-kilometer segments of the walkathon. And their donations, ranging from $5 to $10 and more, poured in in support of children’s education. This will be organized by the 2nd batch of Volunteer Interns from UNICEF; the half-day event aims to raise more than $20,000 to aid UNICEF’s efforts around the world, focusing primarily on improving the quality of education especially in the rural areas(What we do).   INTRODUCTION and EVENT BACKGROUND VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT The vision of UNICEF is for all children around the world enjoy their rights and have a bright future within caring and protective families and communities (wwww.unicef.org). This vision can be attained through: Advocating that all children around the world have the optimal conditions necessary for growth, development and security (Help the Homeless). Widen the community of actors engaged in securing the maximum level of care for children and fulfillment of children’s rights. Demonstrate principles of transparency, effectiveness and accountability as managers of resources for all children. UNICEF work with various governments at the national, regional, and local levels (how to help the children in need). Through this system of cooperation, UNICEF seeks also the support and cooperation of NGOs and the private sector. This conglomerate encourages governors, mayors, and local leaders to build child-friendly communities. Effective communication is implemented with parents and community leaders about the rights of their children. Training of daycare workers, teachers, and health workers is conducted. Legislative actions and policy making directed towards the empowerment of children is encouraged by influencing the police, lawyers, and judges to set up a justice system sensitive to the needs of children (Brown, N., Bayer, E. 2000). UNICEF aids in developing infrastructure such as build daycare centers, child-friendly schools, and health centers. We construct sanitary toilets and water systems. With the help of UNICEF, organizations are able to reach out to children living in the streets, working in hazardous conditions, broken the law, abused and neglected, and those caught in armed conflict and affected by strife and disasters. We offer children the chance to speak out and be heard (What is Unicef?). PURPOSE/GOAL/ OBJECTIVE Unicef Walkathon (walk on the child’s side) To generate $20,000 for the â€Å"Promise for children’s dreams† Project, through: Walkathon participation Ticket sales from different Activities Concessionaires/Food Booths Bazaars in the event area To increase active participation in advocating for children’s rights To increase awareness about UNICEF and its goals That all children have dreams Children’s rights Variety Show Youth for the Youth – UNICEF invited different young amateur and professional performers to grace the event and showcase their talents. As successful and goal-driven members of the youth, they will be performing for the benefit of the less-fortunate youth in order to help them achieve their dreams and live a happy and contented childhood. They will be giving messages of hope and dreams, and ultimately become role models. OVERVIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE EVENT Variety Show Mass Opening Ceremonies Variety Program Variety Program Features Song Numbers Amateur: Michelle Ferriols BLD Music Ministry Trivent Splitcide Professional/Main Performer: AKAfellas Dance Numbers Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Company of Ateneo Dancers Into the Woods Play Excerpt: Blue Repertory Raffle Prizes Awards Ceremony Host and Performers Host: Bianca Gonzalez OVERVIEW STATEMENT OF WORK REQUIRED WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (Stuckenbruck, L. C., 1981) Participant’s mechanics Walkathon participants Cost of entrance for pre-registered participants Cost of entrance for walk-in participants Nature and kind of freebies to be given to participants Walkathon Walkathon slogan Route Number of rounds for the route Management system Prizes for the winners Walkathon Activities Concessionaires for activities Food concessionaires Food Booths Big Sponsors’ Booths Simple Booths: (Taho, Dirty Ice Cream) Organizations’ Stalls Volunteers and Logistics Registration system Location System of registration for participants Sound System and Stage Floor Plan and Wattage Volunteers’ and operators’ food Promotions strategy (Special Event Publicity) Pre-event advertisement News Release : Unicef Invites Public to Walk on the Child’s side Announce the event and its significance. Invite participants, supporters and sponsors (if needed). Explain the mechanics and what’s in it for joiners. For: sports pages, 9 dailies + selected tabloids Timing: 1st week April News Feature : Unicef Mounts Walkathon for XYZ Focus on the reason behind the walkathon. Expound on UNICEF projects for children that need support and the public’s understanding. Invite more support and participation. For: Lifestyle pages, dailies Timing: second week April Feature: Try The Walkathon – It’s New, Healthy and Fun! Try to arouse more interest for the sport by explaining the mechanics of the sport. Why do both feet always have to touch the ground in this sport? What are the health benefits? Include trivia about walkathons past that would arouse interest. Underscore the significance of the project and introduce the beneficiary – why it needs support. For: Lifestyle or Sports pages, dailies + weeklies Timing: 3rd week April News Releases / Photo Releases : Updates on the   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‚   Walkathon Event Give final call for registrants; announce venue, time, prizes, mechanics, special guests, celebrities, etc. (there will be a series of straightforward news announcements about these details of the Race before the actual event. For: sports sections of dailies and weeklies Timing: From 3rd week April to just the day before the   Ã‚   Race Event advertisement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Provide: TV Coverage Print Media Coverage Photo Coverage Invite: Key government officials or civic personalities to attend Celebrities with their child actors and actresses to attend Sports Media to cover the event Conduct: A Walkathon Clinic or clinics in strategic areas before the event to familiarize the mall-going public with the sport and the event. On-the-spot â€Å"lectures† or tip-giving by sports experts about Walkathon racing just before the event on the day itself. Set up Registration Centers for the Walkathon before the event in malls and other crowd-heavy places (including schools; i.e. summer schools, cooking schools) where interested participants may sign up. Prepare token rewards (a sticker? E.g. â€Å"I Walked My Talk with UNICEF†) to give to all participants who show up at Yellowstone National Park on event day. (Optional) Stage: A Program with some entertainment numbers before the announcement of winners and the awarding of medals (To be discussed separately)    Post-event advertisement    TV News Footages of the Project in Selected TV News Programs Short Features of the Project in Selected TV Sports/ Magazine Programs PRINT News Stories with Photo : Winners of Unicef   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‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walkathon Photo Spreads : Montage of Walkathon Scenes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And Personalities, UNICEF   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Officials, people Personality Features: Choose one or several key personalities who joined or watched the Walkathon and write feature articles about them. Place the articles in lifestyle sections, sports magazines, women’s magazines. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE       TIMELINES Gantt Chart (Badiru, 1993) April 11-16 Finalize marketing letter to sponsors (packages) Finalize operations Finalize registration form/flyer Finalize letters to companies for pledges Finalize letters to celebrities Finalize the logistics requirements Send out letters to companies (for pledges and sponsorship) Send out letters to celebrities Start distribution of flyers/registration forms Coordinate with PR and promo Ocular (mapping) List target companies for sponsors April 18-22 Start promotions of the program Ongoing roll out of letters Follow-up with companies we sent proposals to Set up meetings with interested companies. Coordinate in getting volunteers Contact City officials â€Å"Logistic hunting† (i.e. sound system, tents) Finalize mapping and placement (log) Food Flow       Day 20-May       Meal allotment Lunch Dinner SUM UNICEF VOLUNTEERS       65    Technical crew 20 20       Marshals group             Traffic Management             Programs 15          Special Events 10          Secretariat          LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS             Traffic Enforcers             First aid             Swat             Police             Fire brigade          ORGANIZERS             Genesis 5 5    PERFORMERS                   Total 75             Day 21-May       Meal allotment Breakfast Lunch SUM UNICEF VOLUNTEERS       170    Technical crew 20 20       Marshals group 15 15       Traffic Management 10 10       Programs 15 15       Special Events 10 10       Secretariat 15 15    LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS       78    Traffic Enforcers 13 13       First aid 8 8       Swat 7 7       Police 7 7       Fire brigade 4 4    ORGANIZERS             Genesis 5 5    PERFORMERS 50                   Total 308                GRAND TOTAL 383    RUNNING SHEET (running sheet) Running Sheet       Day Time Activity 19-May Whole day Ingress/Delivery to Yellowstone National Park    Borrowed tents    Drinks from corporate partners    Collaterals from UNICEF    Collaterals from marketing agency    Collaterals from Corporate Partners    Borrowed tables and chairs SET-UP    Holding Area    20-May Whole day Ingress/Delivery to Yellowstone National Park    Hardcopies of the Walkathon database    Cash boxes    Borrowed tents    Drinks from corporate partners    Collaterals from UNICEF    Collaterals from marketing agency    Collaterals from Corporate Partners    Borrowed tables and chairs    9:00am onwards ARRIVAL OF THE VOLUNTEERS SET-UP    Tents for the booth area    Tents for the concessionaires    Tents for the water stations    Tents for the registration area    Tents for the breakfast area    Lounge area (tables and chairs, and tents)    Main stage (set-up and design)    Volunteers food booth    Headquarters    VIP Area    UNICEF advocacy banners around the route    UNICEF advocacy materials in Yellowstone National Park    Collaterals of Corporate partners    12:00nn LUNCH    3:00pm onwards TECHNICAL DRY RUN    Booth area    Concessionaire area    Water Stations    Registration area    Lounge Area    Headquarters    Main stage    7:00pm DINNER of skeleton crew    21-May 12:01am onwards Ingress/Set-up    Sounds system    Portalets Arrival of Volunteers/ volunteers briefing    1:00am onwards Ingress/Set-up    Food concessionaires    Special events teams    2:00am Ingress/Set-up    Registration equipment (Laptops) SOUND CHECK FINAL TESTING    Registration Area    Walkathon route    Water stations    Lounge Area    Concessionaires Area    3:30am Set-up of the directional signage along the road    6:00am-1:00pm EVENT    1:00pm LUNCH    2:00pm-onwards EGRESS    Food concessionaires    Exhibitors    Special events team    Local government Units    Money from the donation/pledges Pack up    Registration area    Tables and chairs    Tents    Sounds system    Water stations    Advocacy Banners Removal    Event directional materials    4:00pm (or earlier)-onwards EGRESS of all materials MANAGEMENT PLAN Event Area Traffic management plan (traffic management – venues and events) DROP OFF POINTS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS EVALUATION, CONTROL AND MONITORING SYSTEMS Garbage disposal system (waste management plan) Baggage Counter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two small tables will be put up at the entrance of the Administration Building; one â€Å"in† and one â€Å"out†.   The participants who wish to have their bags put in the baggage counter/claim their bags from the baggage counter should fall in line outside the building   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ten long tables, which will serve as storage area, will be put up inside the Administration Building.   Each table is assigned twenty bags—ten on either side.   The same also follows for the area below the table. [400 baggage]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A minimum of four volunteers is required of this system.   One would be assigned to each of the tables at the entrance while two would be the â€Å"claimers†, one for incoming bags and the other for the outgoing bags.    Garbage Disposal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Garbage cans will be placed near the water stations: 5 stations * 2 cans = 10 cans.   Also the water station volunteers per station should each take turns to make rounds (0.5km stretch only) at 30-minute intervals to check for trash as well as to remind people to dispose their trash properly. BUDGET Walkathon expenditures (Funding the budget) Supplies Expense (Office Line Enterprises) $ 43.65 Representation (from meetings) $ 38.88 Towels (for walkers) $ 183.67 Food expense (for volunteers) $ 204.08 Walkers bib $ 122.45 Portalets $ 126.53 Tables and chairs $ 122.14 Ice $ 24.49 Walkathon forms $ 61.22 Pre-event promo materials $ 172.20 Tarpaulin expense $ 240.76 $ 0.00 Volunteer IDs $ 137.14 TOTAL $ 1,477.22 Promotions strategy (Guide to Special Events) Regular Representation $ 1,020.00 Event Media-Related Expenses $ 1,632.00 TV Coverage ($612.00) Print Media Coverage ($816) Photo/Video Coverage ($204) Photography (for Pre-Event/Post-Event) $ 204.00 (Service Fee + Copies) Operational Costs $ 409.00 (Covers Transportation Expenses, Press kit, TV Monitoring and Dubbing Fees, Scanning Fees, Media Delivery Costs, Photocopying, Coordination expenses, Materials, Publications) Professional Fees $ 1,224.00 (Covers Conceptualization of PR/Media Strategies, Writing/Editing of Materials, Media Contacts and Liaison, Media Invitations and Coordination, Clipping/ Monitoring, Coordination with Invited VIPs/ Celebrities, TOTAL $ 4,489.00 Conclusion: Projects as critical as the Unicef fund raising project for their projects and programs has truly benefited from the utilization and effective implementation of events management theories and methods. By using the prescribed guidelines in effective events management, most if not all of the elements needed to effectively implement the project were identified and addressed (Sargeant 2004). As proper events management would entail, it is important to clearly identify the project’s purpose and objectives for making the event. By being able to define the objectives of the fundraising project of Unicef, the events group is able to identify necessary and unnecessary items needed for the event. This greatly narrows down the needed work to be done and makes sure that all the elements of the events being implemented are value-adding activities that help in achieving the project’s objectives and goals. After by being able clearly identify the objectives of the project, the group can then move on to events planning and effective implementation. As prescribed in effective events management, there is a need for a clear creation of an organizational structure. A clear organizational structure makes sure for an effective and efficient implementation group and would imply effective communication within affected groups of people. As would conventional events and project management would demand, it is important for effective communication. IN addition, by having a clear structure, there is a systematic approach to the implementation of the event; there is a clear identification of duties and responsibilities and what he/she is supposed to deliver. In the Unicef event, the group was able to clearly plan as well the promotional strategy for this event. As fund raising events clearly need publicity, it was important for the group to identify and to plan out an effective means of how to strategize the effective utilization of publicity in order to attract more and more participants. Other parts of planning prescribed in events management is the use of a running sheet. With this the group was able to clearly identify the time lines on pre-event, event and post-event days and address as much as possible all areas that were needed to be addressed. Everything in the running sheet was needed to be checked and to be verified in order to assure that everything will run smoothly on the event day. Food was also one of the issues addressed in planning stage by creating a food flow for all volunteers involved as it would be important to provide food to the hundreds of volunteers supporting the event. A key point also addressed in effective business management is managing potentials areas for risk and how to alleviate it. For instance, in the Unicef event, this was done by creating an effective traffic management plan and a clear garbage disposal program. Lastly, one of key points of effective events management is effective budget planning. This is ever so critical as it is important to be prudent in spending as this project is a fundraising event, therefore it is important for the event to earn money as it is implemented. If there is no earnings, then there would be no use for the project. Effective events management has truly aided in the implementation of this project. Without effectively managing this event this event would not be able to amass funds for the projects of Unicef and at the same time would be negative publicity for the organization. However, due to effective events management there is a large possibility that the Unicef walkathon would amass much needed funds for the projects of Unicef and at the same time publicity for Unicef’s advocacies and programs. References: A running sheet in relation to project management? Available at http://www.faqs.org/qa/qa-20485.html Badiru, A. B. 1993, Quantitative Models for Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Brown, N., Bayer, E. 2000, Advocacy in Action: Perspectives from UNICEF. Childhood Education, 76(5), 316-. Business Knowledge Center. Gantt Chart. Available at http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/gantt/ Funding the budget. Available at http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/planning/organising/funding.asp h f. traffic management – venues and events. Available at http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Transport_and_Streets/Roads_highways_and_pavements/Traffic_management_-_venues_and_events/54909_Traffic_management_venues_and_events.asp Help the Homeless. Available at http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/ Running sheet of breakout session (draft 1). Available at http://www.nihs.go.jp/dig/ich/apec/BRS1Program.htm Running sheet. Available at www.hollows.org/upload/3372.pdf Sargeant, A., Jay, E. 2004, Fundraising Management. New York: Routledge. Stuckenbruck, L. C. (Ed.). 1981, The Implementation of Project Management: The Professionals Handbook. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Traffic Management. Available at http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/planning/organising/traffic.asp S. Department of Transportation. Traffic Management System. Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tfhrc/safety/tms.htm Unicef HK. How to help the children in need. Available at http://www.unicef.org.hk/docs/new/frame.php?lang=epage=help_corp.htm Unicef, What we do. Available at www.unicef.org University Communications and marketing. Guide to Special Events. Available at http://www.kent.edu/ucm/PoliciesStandards/Events.cfm University Communications and marketing. Special Event Publicity. Available at http://www.kent.edu/ucm/PoliciesStandards/SEpublicity.cfm Walk on the Child’s side. Available at http://www.unicef.org/philippines/support/sup_14.html Waste Management plan. Available at http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/planning/organising/wastemgmt.asp What is Unicef? Available at http://www.sil.org/linguaLinks/literacy/ ReferenceMaterials/GlossaryOfLiteracyTerms/WhatIsUNICEF.htm

Of Mice and Men and Oliver Twist Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men and Oliver Twist Essay Of mice and men written by John Steinbeck is set in 1930 during the economic depression caused by the stock market crash of 1929. Unlike Oliver Twist, Of mice and men is set in USA, near the Salinas River, in the hot and beautiful state of California. On the other hand, Charles Dickens Oliver Twist is set in the powerful and the majestic city of London, over-ruled with darkness and murky pollution brought about by what was the industrial revolution in 1870, when the novel was set. The Industrial revolution really puts the whole evil and darkness of London into a shadow which adds to the sinister acts that unveil themselves as the novel progresses. The two main characters of of mice and men are two migrant agricultural labourers, George Milton and Lennie Smalls. George, Small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features. Every part of him defined : small, strong hands, slender arms and a thin bony face. The second part of an unlikely relationship between these two friends is Lennie, who is a large man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders. George is Lennies guardian, because of his mental immaturity he is totally reliant on Georges leadership and commanding power, over of which he follows. In my opinion, without George, Lennie would either be dead or locked up in jail, as a result of him doing stupid acts. It is ironic that Lennies surname is Small, because of his huge size, Bear like as the author describes. In the time of which of mice and men is set, there is lots of tension. Social classes, women, people who suffer from racism all suffer at the same expense during this period. Crooks is the only black man In this novel, and it is through him that we can see the position of blacks in America. Crooks, is crippled because he got kicked by a horse, he has his own little room, away from the rest of the hands. The other hands openly refer to Crooks as Nigger, this example directly amplifies the life and times of the Black Americans at this time. Women are also represented through Curleys wife. Curleys wife is one quarter of an unhappy marriage. The other three quarters of the marriage is Curley, the bosses sun, who has full power of his wife and tells her what to do constantly. Steinbeck deliberately doesnt give Curleys wife a name, this representing the insignificance and illustrates ownership over women at this time. Curleys Wife doesnt really love Curley, and didnt really marry him because of love. She married him to prove a point to her mother, who destroyed the relationship she did have with the one she did love. She admitted, that marrying him was a Way Out. Curleys wife is an ambitious, flirtatious, good looking, young women, who the ranch hands try to ignore and avoid. She is trapped in loneliness, in Curleys wrath, she is where she isnt loved, and her only alternative is to make the most out of what she has got. Aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? Youre a nice guy. I dont know why I cant talk to you I aint doin no harm to you. Previous to the murder, in the barn. There, in my opinion, is a hierarchy at the ranch, and at the bottom lies Curleys wife and Crooks, two characters treated insignificantly and are discriminated due to their social classes, a women and a black. In California, the setting for this novel, the atmosphere and the surroundings is very harsh and tough for the workers. The attitude and behaviour of the workers in the novel reflect this well. For the workers, there was no cash benefit for the workers, so If they lose their job then they have to do without and mainly starve. The law, I learned is enforced well, but strangely enough, without any force as we never see any police during the novel. California is described extremely well, it is very interestingly described too, this appeals to the reader and gives the novel a very bright and happy start. The first few pages focus on the setting and commentate on all the happenings that go on, this builds a sense of reality. Steinbeck was born and raised in California, near Salinas, so he had an advantage when attempting to describe it as he can relate to it very well. Oliver Twist is almost exactly the opposite in comparison. It is a very dark novel. London at this time set the scene for the monstrosities that happened and the events that took place. You could almost guess what was to expect when reading the first few pages of Oliver Twist, but to do the same with Of mice and men would be completely different. Of Mice and Men starts on a high, very bright and colourful, but it changes contrasts and horrible happenings crowd the last few chapters of the novel. The two main characters in Oliver Twist are Oliver and Fagin. Oliver is a young orphan, brought into the then cruel world by an unknown mother. Fagin, is an Un-human man, whose features are aged and ugly. He is a ring leader of a gang of thieves that rob the city of London of valuable possessions, such as money, watches and gold. The Artful Dodger is Fagins keen apprentice, willing to learn, who knows all the tricks of the trade, a master of theft and scams. Bill Sikes, Fagins second man, is a ruthless cut throat man, whose large size and aggressive attributes add to the murder later on in the novel. The two murderers, Lennie and Sikes have many similarities. Firstly Sikes and Lennie are two large and intimidating men, whos leader is considerably smaller than them. Secondly, they both receive orders and are followers to their two leaders. Although Sikes doesnt receive commands off Fagin to an extent where he cannot survive without him, like Lennie, one part of the story he does. This is the main event that leads up to the murder of Nancy. In the early hours of the morning, when all the human and civilised world is asleep, London is awake. Fagin is awake in his chair. Waiting. Sikes enters with the loot that he has stolen from peoples houses. Fagin starts to talk about Nancy, Sikes girlfriend. He goes on and explains that Nancy could be a leak and could tell on them to the police. Fagin, knowing that Sikes has the mordacity and the capability of murder, begins to perform reverse psychology. He knows that if he pulls the right strings that Sikes could do anything for him. Sikes quite easily falls into Fagins mastermind trap, as if he had been brainwashed or hypnotised, he is now going to commit Fagins murder for him. Sikes goes to where Nancy is sleeping and severely shouts and screams at her. This traumatises her, to the extent where she doesnt know what is going on. This makes Nancy vulnerable, and this is where Sikes commits his brutal and sick attack on her. We can tell, just by reading these several lines of the story, the evil and cunningness of Sikes. He continuously beats Nancy to death with a wooden stick. Leaning up top the murder of Curleys wife, which was by far not as hellacious and as horrific as this, Lennie was minding his own business and was in the barn, calmly stroking one of Slims pups. Not knowing his own strength Lennie accidentally killed the pup. Lennie began to become sad and at the same time, angry. He repeatedly thought about George not letting him tend the rabbits, at the home of which the whole is dream is based around. An hell say : Now just for that you aint gunna tend no rabbits. Lennie put the pup in the straw, and began to talk to himself, moaning the death of the pup. Curleys wife enters and begins to flirt with Lennie, who confesses to her liking for stroking nice things. She invites him to stroke her long soft hair, but as the stroking becomes harder, she panics; the harder he strokes the more she panics and then Lennie accidentally breaks her neck. He half-buries the body in the hay and runs off to the brush. As you can tell, both the two murders are of a totally different nature. In of mice and men, the murder was unexpected, and didnt really fit into the surrounding story, On the other hand, In Oliver Twist, a murder was almost inevitable. Sikes was a premeditated murder, as he had thought it out and planned the whereabouts etc. Lennies was out of the blue, an accident neither him or anyone else could of prevented. The setting of the two murders, also are totally different. The murder of Curleys wife was in the barn, in the sunny and hot state of California. The murder of Nancy was in the grimy claustrophobic city of London. The descriptions in the stories of the murders, are again totally opposite. In Oliver Twist, Dickens almost runs a post-mortem on the body, and describes Sikes moves in detail after the murderer. In of mice and men, however, Steinbeck runs a bleak vague synopsis on the happenings.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Research Proposal for Patient Satisfaction Survey

Research Proposal for Patient Satisfaction Survey Introduction Background of the study I am working for Intermediate Care Services. My team has been collecting patient’s view of the services they received from our team, through the use of ‘patient satisfaction survey form’ since 2005. My intention is to find out if we are providing satisfactory service to our client by analyzing the data collected with the forms. Measuring patient satisfaction is important because satisfaction of clients with health care services that they received has been linked to their compliance and their wiliness to seek medical advice by Ware et al (1983). Satisfaction is a complex concept and it’s determined by various factors which includes life style, past experience, future expectations, individual and societal values (Carr-Hill 1992). As an intermediate care service provider, my team works within the Department of Health National Service Framework (Department of Health, 2001). Intermediate care services were established with the mandate to maximize people’s physical functioning, build their confidence and to re-equip them with necessary skills to live safely and independently at home, as well as provision of ongoing support. The department of health recommended the use of multidisciplinary single assessment process in national service framework for the older people. Using the single assessment process for patients help the team to work together because it makes communication easy and it prevents duplication of each others assessment and plan. Therefore the process of rehabilitation begins with comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment using single assessment process (DH, 2001). The process of rehabilitation includes identifying problems and needs, relating problems to limiting factors, outline target probl ems, selecting appropriate measures, follow by planning, implementing and coordination of intervention, and finally reviewing effects of intervention (Davis 2006). Our team comprises of Physiotherapists, Occupational therapist, Social worker, and Therapy Technicians in same office. Intermediate care services were mandated to provide person-centre and holistic care to the older people and their carers, respecting them as Individuals and that they should be enabled to make choice about their own care (DH 2001). The department of health introduced these guidelines so that quality and improved services can be provided to service users. If the guidelines are followed, satisfactory services are likely to be provided to the clients. How can we know that we are following these guidelines? Although as a team, our operational guideline revolves round delivering the services in line with department of health’s guideline, however an objective assessment of the service will give us the clear picture of how good the services that we are providing is. Not only that, it will also help us to identify the areas that we need to improve on. Service user’s level of satisfaction with the service that we are rendering may be used as a yard stick in measuring our perform ance. This can be in the form of patient satisfaction survey. ‘A patient satisfaction survey can be a rich source of information for continuous quality improvement’ (Lin and Kelly 1995). Further more a number of researchers have linked patient satisfaction to patients’ clinical outcomes. O’Holleran et al (2005), George and Hirsh (2005), and Hurwitz and Morgenstern (2005) reported that clinical outcome is a predictor of patient satisfaction. It will therefore be useful to investigate if we are providing satisfactory services to our client and if the findings indicate otherwise in some aspects, recommendations will be made to improve our services in those areas. I will therefore investigate our performance from the service user’s perspective by analyzing the data that we have been collating with the ‘patient satisfaction survey forms’. 1.2 Research questions There are some questions that needed to be answered to be able to determine if our service is satisfactory to our clients or not. Therefore the purpose of this study is to find out the answers to these questions: i. Are we providing satisfactory service to our client? ii. Are we providing quality services to the client? iii. Are we meeting the needs of the patients? iv. Are we providing client centered services? v. Are we respecting the service users? vi. Are we providing information about how the service users can make complains? vii. Are we giving information about other service available to our service users? viii. What are the users feeling about the service? ix. Do we need to amend the way we are providing the service? Aims/ objectives of the study To answer the questions above, the questionnaire needs to be able to collect information from our client on how they feel about the services they get from our facility. Therefore, the objectives of the study are to: determine whether we are providing satisfactory services to our clients determine whether we are providing quality services to our service users find out if we are meeting the needs of our clients establish whether we are providing client-centered services to our clients investigate whether we are treating our clients with respect ascertain whether we are providing information about how the service users can complain about our services. clarify whether we giving information about other service available to our service users explore what our service users feel about our services determine whether we need to amend the way we are providing the service 1.4 Significance of the study . This study will give our team the opportunity to demonstrate whether we are providing quality service or not. It will also be highlighted whether we are providing client desire outcome or not because outcome determines satisfaction as demonstrated by O’Holleran et al (2005). Findings from this study will also form a basis for further research in the study setting and similar studies in health care facilities with similar mandate. 1.6 Delimitations of the study The study will be delimited to Luton Primary Care Trust. Operational definition of terms Client satisfaction: A measure of the extent to which client’s expectations of therapeutic intervention are met. Service users:All clients/ patients registered with Luton Primary Care Trust and who received therapeutic intervention from the team during January 2006 and December 2007. Community Assessment and Rehabilitation team: This comprises of Physiotherapists, Occupational therapist, Social worker, and Therapy Technicians working in the same office in Luton Primary Care Trust. 2.0 Literature Review Measuring patient satisfaction is important because it pushes towards accountability among health care providers (Guadagnion 2003). O’Holleran et al (2005) shed more light on the importance of patient satisfaction survey following their cohort study of patients that underwent rotator cuff surgery, they concluded that there is a relationship between patient satisfaction and outcome of the intervention. How do we measure satisfaction? What are the indicators for patient satisfaction? Satisfaction from consumer perspective is determined by comparison of consumer experience of service received by them and their expectation (Tam 2005). The main indicators for quality service from patient perspective includes: interpersonal skills, accessibility and convenience of service, respect, technical ability of doctor (care provider in our case) , the physical environment (Baker 2001,Di Paula et al 2002). Satisfaction is determined by the way patients are treated by practitioners and it determined by technical and interpersonal elements (Donebedia 1988). The technical aspects were identified as to consist of Practitioners knowledge and strategies employed to arrive at appropriate intervention, whereas the interpersonal aspect consist of; communication skill, friendliness, kindness, attention, receptiveness, empathy, among other things (Donebedia 1988). Looking at the questionnaire (see appendix 1), it seems to be measuring almost all the identified indicators. (Full appraiser of the questionnaire will be carried out as part of the research) 2.1 Theoretical Perspective Research Paradigm: Paradigm is defined by Titchhen (1993) as ‘a description of a scientific model within which a community of scientists generate knowledge’ This research will be carried out from positivism and phenomenology point of view. This means that the research will be mixture of quantative and qualitative methods. According to Guba (1990), positivism is a belief system that is rooted in realist ontology. This means that Positivism approach is based on the fact that concept must be made observable. Measurability of concept is central to quantitative research (Devers 1999). However, ‘Phenomenological approach provides a deep understanding of the phenomenon as experience by several individual’ Geswell (1998). Qualitative research was classified as phenomenological of it’s theory building, holistic, case-based, subjective and process-oriented nature while On the other hand Quantitative research was classified as Positivism approach because it is deductive, hypothesis driven, particularistic, variable based, objective and outcome oriented (Devers 1999). Reichardt and Cook (1978) proposed that focus should be placed on debate to accept both Qualitative and Quantitative methods instead of Qualitative versus Quantitative debate, because each of them has their strengths and weakness es, using both approaches will compliment each other by drawing from the strengths and minimise the weakness of both approaches. I will be using mixture of qualitative and quantitative method in this research. I will tap from the strengths of both them and use the two methods to compliment each other. Methodology 3.1 Study design Personal interviews, telephone interview, and mailed questionnaires are the most common ways of carrying out survey research. Each of the ways has its merits and demerits. Personal interview is a method of collecting data from individual by using face-to-face method, the dept and the quality of information they are capable of yielding makes them the most useful method however they are very costly (Polit and Hungler 1989). In my opinion it will be time consuming, considering the fact that this research has time limit because of the school calendar, it will not be a method of choice for this research. Another way of gathering information is by telephone interview, if the interview is short, specific and too personal, it may be a good way for collecting a lot of information quickly and it’s less costly compare with personal interview however it can be less effective way of gathering information when sensitive information is required (Polit and Hungler 1989). Mailed questionnaires will be my choice, I choice this because of it advantages over personal interviews and telephone interview. It differs from others because it’s self administered, the respondent read the question on the form and give an answer in writing format, the question is distributed through post, compare to other form of surveys, the cost is low especially when there is large geographical area to be covered (Polit and Hungler 1989). I choose Mailed questionnaire over other methods because of its advantages over other method. Total anonymity is possible using questionnaire; this may reduce bias in the responses of the participants. Study setting The study will take place in the Community Assessment Rehabilitation Team’s office. Sample and Sampling Technique All clients receiving or that had received therapeutic input from the community assessment and rehabilitation team from January 2006 to December 2007 and who were willing to participate (by returning a filled questionnaire that was given to them when they received care/ services from the team) will be surveyed. Instrument development The instrument for this study will be â€Å"client satisfaction survey questionnaire†. This had been developed by the management of the study setting and had being in use in the setting since 2005. The client satisfaction survey consisted of eleven issues. Ten of the eleven issues sought information on clients’ perception of some issues bothering on services delivered by the community assessment and rehabilitation team, while the eleventh issues asked the study participants to generally comment freely about their views regarding the services and the team. Data gathering procedure ‘Clients satisfaction survey questionnaire’ which represented the instrument for this study will be given to everyone that received therapeutic input from the team. The form is always included with the service users discharge summaries. To encourage replying, a self-addressed reply-paid envelope is always enclosed. Each returned questionnaire shall be entered into a database and the data from the database will be retrieved with the permission of the unit manager and the trust local ethic committee. 3.6 Data Analysis and Results The quantitative data will be analyzed using combination of descriptive and statistical inference techniques. While the results will be presented in the form of graphs and chart as appropriate. I will calculate P-values for each of the satisfaction indicators using appropriate non-parametric test (Chi Square). Although I specifically took statistic module this semester to be able to solve this problem, I will also seek advice from statistic expert to complement my knowledge. In this research, P value greater than 0.05 will not be accepted as the confidence interval shall be set at 95%. The qualitative aspect of the data will be analyzed by read and re-reading the response and then categorizing them into themes. This may involve assigning abbreviated codes to the points as they emerge from the data. Then the connection between the categories will be traced. The number of respondents that touch on each theme will be noted. All effort to eliminate bias will be made by making sure every stage of the analysis is objective as much as possible in interpretation. This is likely to be a laborious exercise; I will therefore seek advice from my supervisor regarding the analysis and interpretation of the data. If possible, computer software may be used in analysis of the qualitative data; however this will be discussed with my supervisor. Reliability of the instrument The reliability of the instrument shall be determined through a test-retest method. This questionnaire will be administered to 10 clients within the study setting but not within the study participants. After a span of 2 weeks, the same instrument will be re-administered on the same set of 10 people and the results will be analyzed. Correlation of the responses will be determined using Pearson’s correlation co-efficient. 3.8 Ethical issues As stated earlier in this proposal, the team has been collecting patient perception of the services we are providing using questionnaire since 2005. Prior to the commencement of using the questionnaire on the entire client that received therapeutic intervention from our team, ethical permission will be sought from the trust research ethical committee as well as from the line manager. To make sure that participant autonomy was respected, all questionnaires were accompanied by letter informing them that we do not need to know their name and that all the information provided by them will be treated anonymously; they were also informed in the letter that taking part in the survey is on voluntary basis and will not affect the services provided to them in anyway. Although there is a space for their contact information at the back of the questionnaire, this is incase the client would like someone to contact them regarding their concern. The decision to participate in the survey is left to patient by not giving them any follow up phone call regarding the questionnaire, which may lead to coercion. Also their anonymity is maintained by not recording their contact information on the database, the information they provided were recorded anonymously. This is why we may be unable to follow up patients that did not respond, because it is impossible to know who responded or who did not responded. Unless they decided to reveal their identity if there is an issue they wanted to be resolved regarding the questionnaire. Even if they choose to reveal their identity, their personal details are not stored on the survey database to maintain their confidentiality and anonymity. Although the team has been give approval by the trust local ethic committee before commencing the survey, however prior to pulling out the data form the database for the purpose of this research. I will still have to seek approval from my line manager and the trust research ethical committee, because the earlier approval was given to the team and not to me as individual for the purpose of this research. Although I was informed that for this type of research, it would not be necessary to seek approval from the institution ethic committee, however I will also seek advice from my research supervisor regarding the position of the school ethic committee on this type of research. 3.9 Rigor ‘A patient satisfaction survey can be a rich source of information for continuous quality improvement but only if it is examined carefully and used within a consistent framework’ (Lin and Kelly 1995). Non-response is a problem in survey (Lin and Kelly 1995), this problem was solved by including a self addressed reply-paid envelope and a covering letter encouraging the client to complete the survey without coharsing them. Other factors that may influence response rate identified through the search of literature were length of the questionnaire, Pre-notification, Post-notification, and monetary incentives. The length of a questionnaire can have negative impact on response rate (Yammorino, skinner, Childers (1991), this was one of the reasons why the team made sure that the questions were not more than ten when the questionnaire was designed. A lot of literature suggested that respondent pre-notification could have positive effect on response rate. Among the supporter of respondent pre-notification are Haggett and Michell (1994), they found that response to postal mail survey increases with pre-notification. In contrast, Herberlin and Baumgarther (1978) reported that pre-notification has little or no effect on response rate to mail survey. However, we feel that informing them in advance may increase the response rate, and therefore we tend to inform our client that we will be sending questionnaire to them with their discharge letter. We always inform them that filling-in the questionnaire will help us to know if we are meeting their needs or not. Although some researchers like Paul, Walsh and Tzelepls (2005) suggested that monetary incentives can increase response rate, however, I personally feel that monetary incentive may influence the feedback, because the respondent may feel oblige to give positive feedback because of the incentive paid. Yammarino, Skinner and Childer (1991) were of the opinion that the response rate can be increased with follow-up calls, however there is no way to know who is not responding unless the questionnaire is coded, so that the respondents may be identifiable, this will brake their anonymity, therefore we have choose not to be following up, because it will be inappropriate. It is be essential to establish the reliability of the instrument. Although the reliability and validity were evaluated before we commence using it for data collection, however, to be sure that the questionnaire is reliable and valid, I will carry out reliability and validity evaluation as part of this research. Reliability will be assessed using test re-test technique while the validity will be tested using content and face value technique.. Colleagues (2 or 3) from other teams ( for example District Nurses, Rapid Response Team) as well as service users (2 or 3) will be asked to comment on the adequacy of the questionnaire in evaluating patient satisfaction with the services they received from our team. 3.10 Limitations Although frantic effort will be made to reduce bias and errors in the research however there are some limitations that will always be there despite all the effort. Some of the limitation of this type of research includes non-response by some of the participants, in this research; most of the respondents are elderly people. Some of them may not be able to respond because of their medical condition, fragility, eyesight problem, cognitive deficit, and general weakness among others. Language barrier may be another limitation that may lead to non-response considering the fact that Luton is multi-ethnic town. This is in line with the findings of Ehinfors and Smedby (1993). Apart from non-response, another limitation is that some participants may misinterpret the questions, and this may influence their response and subsequently the result. However subjecting the questionnaire to reliability and validity test can minimize this. 3.11 Time frame The research involves getting permission from the local ethics committee, pulling out the data from the data base, transferring the data into the SPSS software, analysis of the data, drawing conclusion and recommendation. The task involved will take about three months approximately for the research to be completed including the writing up. 3.12 Dissemination The research will be submitted to the School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University as part of academic requirement for my MSc Rehabilitation. The research will also be presented to my team manager and team members. If manager and team are happy after appraising the research critically, my manager in agreement with the trust management may place the findings on the trust website so that it can be accessible to the public. References: Baker, R. (2001). A Method for Surveying Patient Satisfaction: Manual for Users, Clinical Governance Research and Development Unit, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Leicester. Carr-Hill, R. (1992). The measurement of patient satisfaction. Journal of Public Health Medicine,14(3):236-249. Davies, S. (2006). Rehabilitation, the use of theories and models in practice. Elserver limited. First edition. Department of Health (HoD), (2001). National service framework for older people, HSMO, Norwich. Devers K, J. (1999). How Will We Know Good Qualitative Research When We See It? Beginning the Dialogue in Health Services Research. Health Services Research 34, 5. Di Paula, A., Long, R., Wiener, D. (2002). Are your patients satisfied?, Marketing Health Services, 2 (3) p.28-32. Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? Journal of American Medical Association, 260, 12, 1743-1748 Ehinfors, M. and Smedby, B. (1993). Patient Satisfaction Surveys Subsequent to Hospital Care: Problems of Sampling, Non-response and Other Losses International Society for Quality in Health 5, 19-32. George, S. Z. and Hirsh, A. T. (2005). Distinguishing patient satisfaction with treatment delivery from treatment effect: a preliminary investigation of patient satisfaction with symptoms after physical therapy treatment of low back pain. American Journal of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation. 86(7): 1338-44. Geswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design 2nd Edition Sage Califonia. Guadagnino, C. (2003). Role of patient satisfaction http://physiciansnews.com/cover/1203.html accessed on 24/12/07 Guba, E. C. (1990). The Alternative Approach to Paradigm. The Paradigm Dialog eds, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, Califonia. Haggett, S., and Mitchell, V. (1994). Effects of industrial pre-notification on response rate, speed, quality, bias and cost. Industrial Marketing Management, 23, 101-110 Heberlein, T. A., and Baumgartner, R. (1978). Factors affecting response rates to mailed surveys: A quantitative analysis of the published literature. American Sociological Review, 43, 447-462 Hurwitz, E. L., and Morgenstern, H. Y. F. (2005). Satisfaction as a predictor of clinical outcomes among chiropractic and medical patients enrolled in the UCLA low back pain study. Spine. 1;30(19):2121-8 Lin, B., and Kelly, E. (1995), Methodological issues in patient satisfaction surveys, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 8( 6) p.32-7 OHolleran, J. D., Kocher, M. S., Horan, M. P., Briggs, K. K., and Hawkins, R. J. (2005); Determinants of patient satisfaction with outcome after rotator cuff surgery. Journal of bone and joint surgery (America) 87(1):121-6.. Paul, C. L., Walsh, R. A., and Tzelepis, F. (2005). A monetary incentive increases postal survey response rates for pharmacists. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,59, 1099-1101. Polit, F.D., and Hungler B.P., (1989). Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal, and Utilization, Second edition. Reichardt, C. S., and T. D. Cook. (1978). Beyond Qualitative Versus Quantitative Methods. In Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Evaluation Research, pp. 7-32. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Shepard, K. F., Jensen, G. M., Schmll, B. J., Hack, L. M., and Gwyer, J. (1993). Alternative approaches to research in physical therapy: positivism and phenomenology. Physical Therapy ; 73:88-101 Tam, J.L.M. (2005), Examining the dynamics of consumer expectations in a Chinese context, Journal of Business Research, 58 p.777-86. Ware, J. E., Synder, M, K., Wright, W. R., and Davies, A. R,.(1983) Defining and measuring patient satisfaction with medical care. Evaluation and Program Planning. 6: 247 Yammarino, F. J., Skinner, S., Childers, T. L. (1991). Understanding mail survey response behavior. Public Opinion Quarterly, 55, 613-639. Appendices 1- Patient Satisfaction Questionaire

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Thomas Batemans Ten Years Diggings :: Archaeology Archaeological Essays

Thomas Bateman's Ten Years' Diggings Thomas Bateman at Calver Low, Derbyshire in 1860 Having been informed, on the 30th of August, that some skeletons had been discovered the day before, by men baring the rock preparatory to quarrying it, at the verge of the cliff overlooking the limekilns at Calver Low, I immediately went to the place and found that there had been five skeletons buried in a line side by side, a few feet apart, in graves sunk down to the rock which is there about two feet below the turf. The bodies were all extended at length with the heads to the west, so as not merely to admit of the corpses facing the east, as is the Christian custom of burial yet observed, but in this case also to face the village, and the pleasant valley extending towards Baslow--either motive may have prompted the arrangement, as there is reason to believe the interments to be of the Anglo-Saxon period, although it was suggested at the time, in one of the local papers, that they were remains of some who perished during the ravages of the plague at Eyam in 1666. In returning to the narrative, it will be best to describe the several skeletons, numbering from the north, premising that the legs of all had been cut away, owing to their being so near the border of a cliff, which descends for a considerable distance almost perpendicularly, having long been quarried for lime burning. 1.-A young person with very slender bones, the femur 17 1/2 inches long, undisturbed with the exception of the skull, which had been broken and robbed of the teeth previous to our visit; a small bit of coarse red pottery was picked up amongst the earth near the bones. 2.-Removed before our arrival, but from the few bones preserved, it appears that the person was older than the first, although the femur measures 16 1/2 inches only-the skull thin, a good deal decayed and very imperfect. 3.-Removed-the skull very perfect when found, since despoiled of the whole of the facial bones. The calvarium and lower jaw have been recovered. The former presents, when viewed from above, an oval outline with a very full occipital protuberance; the latter is well formed, and the state of the teeth indicates an early adult age. Imperfection in the thigh bones prevents measurement, they do not however appear to have been very long.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Preserving Our Earth :: essays research papers

Preserving Our Earth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America's endangered areas are deplinishing daily. Natural disasters are a major factor in their disappearance, but the most prominent factor is mankind. Even though procedures are conducted daily to preserve our home, these areas slowly crumble within our grasps. Protection of these areas is essential, as our whole race depends upon resources derived from these lands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the lush greenery to the sparkling blue waters, all is majestic in its fullest. This is why I believe almost all of these wonderful places should be preserved. Mankind has come too far to throw it all away for his greedy purposes. Many believe that our secluded wildlife areas should be available for the public. But what is to be offered through this? Many recreational activities I presume, but what about our biggest environmental concern - pollution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pollution is so widespread throughout our world that it is overwhelming. Drinking water supplies are contaminated with runoff from nearby factories and even with pollutants from our own backyards. Demands of skyscrapers and condominiums wipe out our decreasing rainforests. This drudges wildlife from its natural home and into the havoc that is ours. Millions of acres of beautiful land are destroyed daily to satisfy the needs of mankind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But has anyone contemplated the needs of our wildlife? When their homes are incinerated, where do they run for shelter? Where will wildlife obtain its food and oxygen if the sources are gone? Not much is done about our destructive ways, we sit back and let money and greed take power. The solution is just a whisper away. The preserved areas should remain untouched. Hunting should be outlawed in these protected lands. If a family is starving and has to resort to this brutal deed, then restricted areas should be permitted.

Marriage in A Doll House and A Streetcar Named Desire Essay -- compare

A couple’s marriage along with their struggles and problems can tell us a lot about their individual morals and what type of people they are. How someone handles themselves when they are in a battle or argument with their spouse can show the reader the person they are, their strengths, weaknesses and even their outlook on life. In these plays we are shown Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi’s ways of controlling their wives, their strengths, weaknesses and outlooks on life, or morals just by their actions. In A Doll House written in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen and in A Streetcar Named Desire written in 1947 by Tennessee Williams we are shown two different husbands, Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi that have an issue with having to be in control of their wives and their lives. In A Doll House we see a marriage between Torvald and Nora Helmer. Torvald is a major character in the play because he is the person that helps make the conflict of his wife Nora not wanting to tell him about the loan she took out and that she forged her father’s name in order to do it. Ibsen brings the issue of power in this marriage by always having Torvald in charge or the marriage. Torvald is a man that looks at his wife as an object and something that benefits him. He doesn’t really have a deep love for her, but instead is married to her because she is young and beautiful and society accepts and likes married men better than single men. He is very protective of his image and he always wants to look perfect and be perceived as perfect from other people, and Nora helps him achieve this. Torvald takes the role of the ruler, the spouse in charge by treating Nora like a child or a play toy, calling her names like â€Å"pet†, â€Å"squirrel†, or â€Å"Ca pri girl†. He also t... ...y made himself look out of hand himself and he also showed his lack of respect for Stella. In A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams we are shown two different husbands, Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi that have an issue with having to be in control of their wives and their lives. Torvald has to be in charge of everything in his life including his wife and in his job so that society will look at him as a â€Å"well off† man and he will always be looked at as stable and in control of every situation. Stanley is somewhat the same, needing to be in charge of his wife and how she acts so that his friends will look at him as â€Å"the tough guy that keeps his wife in line†. In both of these plays we are shown the husband’s strengths and the wives weaknesses and how their conflicts and the husband’s actions affect their marriages.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

To what extent was the Crimean War (1853 †1856) ‘disastrously planned and poorly executed’ (Economist 2014)

Introduction This essay examines the claim that the Crimean War (1853-1856) was ‘disastrously planned and poorly executed’ (Economist 2014). The first section looks at the circumstances out of which the war arose, providing some background to the conflict while suggesting that from its inception the war was characterised by errors in judgment and miscommunication. The next section proceeds to discuss the many naval blunders that took place during the war, looking both at the Crimea as well as the less commonly discussed Far East. This is followed by a consideration of the land operations of the conflict, paying particular attention to actions of the British. The analysis then turns to the provisioning of the Allied and Russian forces, as well as the quality of services such as medical care. Finally, the last section briefly considers the consequences of the war for the parties involved. It is concluded that the Crimean War was characterised by an unusually large number of errors in t erms of planning and execution. Poor planning and organisation can arguably be seen from the outbreak of war. The desire to access the Mediterranean had been a long-standing ambition of Russia’s by the mid-19th century (Economist 2014; Lambert 2011). Thus the weakness of the Ottoman Empire in the period was seized upon, partially concealed, of course, by excuses about the persecution of Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire. The backdrop to this was a broader dispute about who should rule the Holy Land: Orthodox Russia or Catholic France (Clough 1964). The Turkish-Russian dispute included several lacklustre, abortive attempts at peaceful resolution through diplomacy, after which the Russian Army invaded Moldavia and Wallachia (parts of modern-day Moldova and Romania) on 2 July 1853, sinking the Turkish fleet at Sinope in 1853. This was followed by a Turkish declaration of war on 5 October of the same year (Economist 2014). However, the actions of Russia were to an extent the result of a miscalculation. In spite of a caustic public reaction in Britain and France, the Allied response to the invasion was a cautious one to begin with, characterised by dithering, uncertain diplomacy (Economist 2014). This ‘misled Russia into believing that it could continue its aggression against the Ottomans without consequences’, and Britain and France unexpectedly declared war in March 1854 (Economist 2014). The conflict then escalated when the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont joined the war against Russia the following year. A degree of poor coordination and misunderstanding can therefore be seen from the outset. For Britain and France, this took the form of confused, uncertain policy; for Russia, it was a misinterpretation of the likelihood that other parties would join the war (Lambert 2011). Clough (1964: 917) makes this point succinctly, arguing that war arose from ‘Napoleon’s search for presti ge; Nicholas’s quest for control over the Straits; his naive miscalculation of the probable reaction of the European powers; the failure of those powers to make their position and the pressure of public opinion in Britain and Constantinople at crucial moments’. For Clough (1964), therefore, the war was a disorganised, poorly planned shambles from the very beginning. It was the product not only of confusion but also of the hubris and inflated ambitions of the leaders of Europe at the time. It seems probable that the war arose out of somewhat chaotic circumstances and was therefore tainted from the start, but the question of whether this pattern continued remains. The actual combat side of the war appears to have been shambolic in many cases. This is suggested by the first events of the war. Despite being unyielding in the face of Russian aggression, it seems that Turkey was not prepared for the eventuality of conflict (Economist 2014; Bloy 2002a). When the Russian fleet arrived off Sinope on the southern coast of the Black Sea, the Turkish Admiral was unprepared for battle. His squadron was relatively weak, consisting of only 6 frigates, 3 corvettes, and two small paddle steamers. Additionally, his largest guns were only 24-pounders, and his troops were poorly trained and unready for war. By comparison, the Russian fleet under Admiral Nakhimov was ‘vastly superior in numbers, size and gunpower’ (Brown 1989). The full extent of the imbalance is revealed by the fact that with the exception of one ship the entire Turkish fleet, including 3000 sailors, was destroyed, with the Russians suffering negligible losses. The Turks were not prepared to defend their territories, and probably did not have the ability to do so in any case (Brown 1989). The dramatic outcome of this conflict was a great shock. Few in the navy or elsewhere had anticipated the devastating effect of shells on wooden ships, and as Brown (1989) notes, ‘Naval and public opinion showed surprise, shock and horror at the casualties’. Therefore, even at this early there is evidence of poor preparation and a lack of understanding of how the war would be conducted on the part of the Turks if not the Russians. The same cannot quite be said of the British and French. While many critics expressed shock at the event of Sinope, preparations had been made. The British had tested shells against the Prince George and the French had done likewise at Garve. Moreover, in response to the success of the Russian navy the French began the construction of heavily fortified armament batteries for coastal attack. That this was prior to the declaration of war suggests a degree of naval preparation on the part of the Allies (Lambert 2011). Nevertheless, there were serious shortcomings with the British fleet in particular that suggest both poor execution and planning. In the first place, it was wrongly believed that the Russian Baltic fleet might invade the United Kingdom, which turned out to be unjustified and stalled operations for over a year (Brown 1989). This was a strategic error and what it suggests about execution and planning can be debated. Additionally, when the British fleet went into the conflict it had problems with manpower. For example, admirals were promoted by seniority, which meant they tended to be older than was desirable. More importantly, many vessels were undermanned due to the poor pay and conditions on ships. When Britain declared war these problems had yet to be resolved, which indicates a distinct lack of preparedness (Brown 1989). In recent decades it has been argued by historians that Britain was guilty of extremely poor naval strategy, which would amount to a poor execution of the war on their part. Lambert (1990, cited in Fuller 2014) is among the most famous to put forward this thesis. He argued that ‘the real war could have been decided†¦in the Baltic, and won by the full might of a modern maritime power against a continental one’ (Fuller 2014: 2). When the strength of the British navy at this time, in terms of size and technology, is considered, this argument seems like a strong one. The British navy was notably ahead of its counterparts insofar as it included large numbers mortar vessels and ironclad batteries. Lambert believed that Cronstadt would definitely have fallen to the heavily armed British flotilla, and that the Russian realisation of this fact what forced peace in the end (Fuller 2014). Perhaps, then, the failure of the British to fully utilise its navy’s potential in the Baltic amounts to a strategic blunder. It is doubtful, however, that this part of the war was as poorly executed as Lambert argued. As Fuller (2014) notes, unilateral action (the so-called ‘Great Armament’) against Cronstadt might have alienated the French, who were on poor terms with the British. It might also have driven up the cost of the war to unsustainable levels, stretching the economy to breaking point. This much is suggested by a review in 1856 of the ‘Great Armament’, which noted that Britain could not provide any ‘proof of unabated strength and unexhausted resources’ (Fuller 2014: 38). This warning was echoed by Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Palmerston’s ministry, who expressed concern that ‘our financial prospect is very bad, a declining revenue, rising prices, a large loan wanted which will be got on bad terms, and more money lent to Sardinia and Turkey’ (Fuller 2014: 38). The so-called missed opportunities in the Baltic, therefore, do not suggest poor planning and execution. Nevertheless, one might make the case that the poor financial prospect of Britain by the end of the war suggests a lack of preparation. Another line of argument, directed once again at the British, focuses on naval operations in the Pacific. Stephan (1969: 257), for example, describes the ‘tragi-comic nature of tactical operations in the Far East’. He notes that despite the overwhelming superiority of the Allied naval forces in around China and the Pacific, almost no headway was made in that sphere. Indeed, the Allies had twenty five ships of war, including six steamers, while the Russians could muster only six which were later reduced to four (Stephan 1969). Poor execution and planning in this case manifested in two ways. In the first place, there was little coordination between the China and Pacific squadrons and the British and French fleets in the area. As Stephan (1969: 258) notes, ‘at the outbreak of war†¦the British Commander-in-Chief of the China Squadron, Rear Admiral Sir James Stirling, was sailing from Singapore to Hong Kong. The rest of the squadron lay scattered among the Chinese treaty ports such as Shanghai, Amoy, and Canton.’ This arose from the folly of dividing command of the fleet, as well as a lack of information about the location of both friend and foe. Indeed, Stephan (1969) suggests that Stirling (who rather tellingly was only appointed Commander-in-Chief on 4 March), probably did not even know the location of Russian warships. There is relatively clear evidence that naval operations were fairly shambolic on the part of both the British and the French. The same is true of events on land. The Battle of the River Alma on 20 Sept 1984, for example, saw the British forces charge headlong against a fortified Russian position, the result of a ‘lack of information and lack of reconnoitre’ which meant that a number of easier routes went undiscovered. The British forces only triumphed because such an imprudent move was considered too unlikely to prepare against. The aftermath, moreover, saw poor execution insofar as the cavalry did not pursue the routing Russians, allowing them instead to fortify Sevastopol and thus draw out the war. This was further compounded when disagreements between the French and British commanders delayed the march to Sevastopol by several weeks, after which the city was heavily defended. The most famous of the blunders was, of course, the Charge of Light Brigade during the Battl e of Balaclava on 25 Oct 1854, in which a brigade of 670 cavalry under Lord Cardigan attacked an extremely heavily fortified Russian redoubt. The now famous calamity during which much of the Light Brigade was destroyed was the product of a simple miscommunication but reflects deeper issues with the British forces related to internal divisions, inexperience, and the unwillingness to question absurd orders. All of this translates to poor execution in warfare. In examining the conduct and organisation of the war more generally it is obvious that there was little sophisticated coordination or planning (Sweetman 2001). At every level of the Allied war effort this was true. Within the British army, for example, the artillery and engineers were commanded by the Master-General of Ordinance while the infantry and cavalry were commanded by the Commander-in-Chief at the Horse Guards, Lord Raglan, which made coordinated planning difficult (Sweetman 2001). Then, of course, the Royal Navy was a separate branch of the military, answerable only to the Lords of the Admiralty. This chaotic set-up hindered the Allied offensive at Sevastopol, as Raglan could not coordinate the British forces on land and sea without undertaking time-consuming and inefficient communications (Sweetman 2001). This is not to mention the fact that there was no overall commander with the authority to coordinate the various national armies of each Allied nation, as had been the ca se during the Peninsula War with the Duke of Wellington. Thus, ‘the entire ramshackle structure palpably lacked coordination’, and it is important to appreciate ‘the constraints that this put on drawing up strategic plans or executing tactical operations’ (Sweetman 2001: 16). The Russians were less culpable in these terms, although there were many shortcomings in their preparations. Urry (1989) has noted how the Russian land forces suffered severely from poor provisioning, something which became particularly damaging in the summer of 1854. By September, there were 50, 000 Russian troops in the Crimean Peninsula, but the Provisions’ Commission was comparatively small and badly managed. Place this in the geographical context and it appears even more serious. Most of the Crimea was barren and sparsely populated, which meant that the troops and animals in the region were more reliant on their supply chain than usual (Urry 1989). The infrastructure necessary to support the Russian war effort was also inadequate in many cases. Roads were of poor quality and transport networks were badly run and unreliable, which contributed to the problem of supplying the troops. Even those supplies that did arrive had often spoiled because of the excessive time it took to transport goods. This situation was improved somewhat when the new Russian Commander, General Prince M. D. Gorchakov, saw the reorganisation of the supply system, but much of the damage was already done (Urry 1989; Curtiss 1979). This is a clear example of poor preparation on the part of the Russians. Poor planning in terms of supplies was also a major problem for the Allies. The most striking example of this occurred on 14 November 1854 when a ‘Great Storm’ sunk 30 ships in Balaclava harbour and destroyed ?3 million worth of supplies, coinciding with the onset of the harsh winter. The Allies, however, had only prepared for a summer campaign, and the results were catastrophic. As Bloy (2002a) put it: ‘The Allies†¦had to make do with summer equipment: tents, light clothes and so on. It took months to re-supply them. Men died of exposure, disease, starvation.’ The situation was compounded by poor organisation and management in the aftermath, as well as the natural barriers of substandard roads and communication networks (Bloy 2002a). As poor as the organisational side of the war was for all sides, the Russian war effort was comparatively impressive. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the Russian were operating under very difficult conditions. Firstly, the defence of Sevastopol was an inherently problematic affair. The size of Russia required a wide distribution of troops, especially in the Baltic to prevent the Allies landing there (Urry 1989). Then there was uncertainty regarding the neutrality of Prussia, and especially Austria, which meant that troops had to be stationed along Russia’s lengthy western border. The barren nature of much of the Russian territory, moreover, especially in the south, was an unfortunate barrier that hampered supply, communication, and the movement of troops (Urry 1989). As Urry (1989) argues, these factors contributed to difficulties experienced by the Russians, and in many cases even good preparation and execution would have made it difficult to overcome such facto rs. On the other, one might argue that the decision to start a war in the face of so many natural barriers should be regarded as a major strategic failure (Jones 2013; Bloy 2002a). One area in which all parties lacked planning was medical provision. The low quality of care afforded to wounded soldiers in British hospitals has become notorious primarily because of Florence Nightingale’s work as Scutari. The quality of French medical care was supposedly slightly better, as is attested by William Howard Russell: ‘Here the French are greatly our superiors. Their medical arrangements are extremely good†¦ and they have the help of the Sisters of Charity†¦. These devoted women are excellent nurses.’ Nevertheless, even this relied on volunteers (Curtiss 1966: 98). The Russians likewise had to rely on volunteers, who operated under the aegis of the Exaltation of the Cross (Curtiss 1966). Testimony from the brace medical volunteers in the Russians forces reveals the shoddy set-up in place, especially with regard to the convoy system designed to transport wounded soldiers. This was supposedly poorly supplied with blankets, had few good driver s, and little in the way of food and water (Curtiss 1979; Curtiss 1966). The Crimean War was concluded peacefully at the Treaty of Paris on 30 March 1856 after the fall of Sevastopol, probably to the advantage of all parties. The conflict itself was of little obvious benefit to any nation, with the possible exception of Turkey, which had captured possessions restored to it by Russia (Bloy 2002a; Seton-Watson 1988). In turn, regions captured by the Allies, such as Sevastopol and Balaclava, were restored. Territories were thus redistributed to the participants in much the same way as before the war had begun. One of the most important effects of war was that it prohibited both Turkey and Russia from establishing a naval or military arsenal on the Black Sea, which weakened the Russian position. However, this turned out to be unenforceable and a few decades later Russia had violated the agreement (Gorizontov 2012; Seton-Watson 1988). The conflict did have important long-term implication insofar as it permanently weakened the position of Tsarist Russia, and sa w the ascendency of the France as the preeminent power in Europe. It therefore saw the end of the Concert of Europe, the balance of power that had existed since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (Bloy 2002a, 2002b). In conclusion, the Crimean War was both poorly planned and poorly executed. This essay has outlined the numerous strategic, tactical, and logistical failures perpetrated by all sides, but especially by the Allies and Britain in particular. However, as important as these moments were in defining the nature of the conflict and solidifying its reputation, it was problematic from the outset. As Clough (1964: 917) puts it: ‘it was not the result of a calculated plan, nor even of hasty last-minute decisions made under stress. It was the consequence of more than two years of fatal blundering in slow-motion by inept statesmen who had months to reflect upon the actions they took.’ Ultimately, while there are many mitigating factors, moments of triumph, and cases of heroism and coordination – especially in the medical sphere – this is a reputation well-deserved. References Bloy, M. (2002a) The Crimean War: ‘Britain in Blunderland’, The Victorian Web http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/blunder2.html [Retrieved 10/06/2014] Bloy, M. (2002b) The Crimean War: comment on attitudes in Britain, The Victorian Web http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/attitude.html [Retrieved 10/06/2014] Brown, D. K. (1989) The Royal Navy in the Crimean War: Technological Advances http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14517 [Retrieved 04/06/2014] Clough, S. B., ed. (1964) A History of the Western World. Boston, Heath: University of Michigan Press Curtiss, J. S. (1979) Russia’s Crimean War, Durham, N.C: Duke University Press Curtiss, J. S. (1966) Russian Sisters of Mercy in the Crimea, 1854-1855, Slavic Review, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 84-100 Fuller, H. J. (2014) Could Have, Would Have, Should HaveEngland’s ‘Great Armament’ during the Crimean War, the proposed naval assault upon Cronstadt’s defences and the Peace of 1856: Re-examining the evidence, University of Wolverhampton Gorizontov, L. E. (2012) ‘The Crimean War as a Test of Russia’s Imperial Durability’, Russian Studies in History 51 (1), pp. 65–94 Jones, H. P. (2012) Southern Military Interests in the Crimean War, Journal of Slavic Military Studies, 25, pp. 35–52 Lambert, A. (2011) The Crimean War: British Grand Strategy against Russia, 1853–56, Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Seton-Watson, H. (1988) The Russian Empire 1801–1917. Oxford: Clarendon Press Stephan, J. J. (1969) The Crimean War in the Far East, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 257-277 Sweetman, J. (2001) The Crimean War: 1854-1856, Oxford: Osprey Publishing The Economist (May 2014) What the original Crimean war was all about, Economist http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/03/economist-explains-5 [Retrieved 11/06/2014] Urry, J. (1989) Mennonites and the Crimean War, 1854 – 1856, Journal of Mennonite Studies, Vol. 7, pp.10-32