Principles of Education

Theoretical and practical teaching and learning are the fundamental aspects of education. Since the early 20th century, education has been an essential part of nursing (Bastable 2008). Nurse educators encounter a diversity of learning styles and are challenged when needed to develop and adapt their teaching methods to accommodate students learning (Arthurs 2007). Mentors have a responsibility to assist the student within practice, building upon the students level of training (Kinnell and Hughes 2010). This essay will discuss the importance of the nurses role in relation to teaching both students and patients and will critically evaluate the literature used to build a lesson plan (Appendix 2) whilst discussing the process of learning and teaching. An important role of the nurse since the mid-1800s has been the responsibility of teaching. Educating other nurses for professional practice and promoting health were included. Florence Nightingale, the ultimate educator, influenced the nurse’s role to include educating families, patients and colleagues (Glanville 2000). Tilley et al (2006), states that by the 1900s the importance of the nurse as teacher was understood as preventing disease and promoting health. The National Midwifery Council (NMC) has for years put forth statements on the functions, standards, and qualifications for nursing practice. Patient teaching and the nurse’s role as educator to colleagues and student nurses are key elements (NMC 2002). Obtaining formal preparation in the principles of teaching and learning is an important part as there is much knowledge and skill to be acquired as educator with efficiency and effectiveness. A learner cannot be made to learn, but an effective approach in educating others is to actively involve learners in the education process. † (Bodenheimer et al. 2002 cited in Bastable 2008: 13). By working as a team a partnership philosophy should allow the nurse’s role as teacher of patients, families and students to be obtainable. A growing body of evidence suggests that effective education and learner participation go hand in hand. The nurse should act as a facilitator, creating an environment conducive to learning that motivates individuals to want to learn (Arthurs 007). Nurse educators encounter a variety of learning styles when faced with prospective nurses. Nursing students will have a variable age group with younger students possibly unaware of their learning styles as well as mature students who may be rooted in one way of learning (Arthurs 2007). Nursing education being primarily clinically focused results in limited knowledge of teaching strategies causing challenges for the nurse educator, this mix can lead to student and teacher frustration with poor academic performance among nursing students. Dunn and Griggs (2000) argue that teaching styles more closely aligned to a variety of adult learners will promote retention and application of new knowledge, these factors were taken into account when designing appendix 2. Blooms Taxonomy (1956 cited in Moseley et al. 2005: 102) is a system that describes, identifies and classifies three domains of learning – cognitive, affective and psychomotor. These domains are used for the development of instructional objectives and learning outcomes (Appendix 1), the first steps in the development of appendix 2. These steps identify what is expected as a result of the students learning experience (Connolly and DeYoung 2004). Airasian (2001) argues that objectives limit the learning experience and does not expose the student to further their knowledge. Gronlund (2000) explains that the need to clearly communicate the teacher’s expectations to the students, specifying what a student should know and be able to do at the end of the session is the most important part. These points guided the learning objectives of appendix 1 aiming to allow the student to strive to achieve their own personal best in order to enhance the learning experience. Reece and Walker (2000) believed that a lesson plan is designed to help teachers proceed with a lesson logically. Can every possibility be provided for? Surely a lesson plan has to be tentative and accommodating allowing substitute teachers to follow if necessary. Therefore it is only a step by step guide with estimation of time, questioning and probability, however needs to retain adequate content in order to be followed and understood. Fleming and Mill’s learning framework typology (Nilson 2003) reflects learning in a physical sense of visual, auditory, read/write and kinaesthetic preferences. Visual learners rely upon sight for their learning needs, such as presentations, diagrams and pictures with the use of colour to enhance knowledge retention (Susskind 2005). Nilson (2003) explains that the auditory learner prefers information to be explained and benefit from verbal presentations such as lectures and discussions. Students with preference of reading or writing benefit from well-structured textbooks in order to understand new information. In contrast to this type of learning the kinaesthetic learner usually has excellent eye-hand-mind coordination valuing practical information with active involvement (Nilson 2003). The lesson plan of Appendix 2 is structured to accommodate varied learning styles and planned towards delivering a variety of teaching strategies helping the student retain and learn. The wide range of learning styles represented in a large group of nursing students makes a single type teaching strategy ineffective for some of the class (Arthurs 2007). Appendix 2 allows for Visual learning through the use of diagrams and direct observation of role play, Auditory learning by a power point presentation and discussion on own experiences, Reading/Writing learners gain from the use of hand outs with limited information encouraging further reading as well as a textbook style informative diagram with rational. Kinesthetic learning is accommodated by the use of a practical section for the clinical skill. Nilson (2003) distinguished that individuals only retain 10-20% of what they hear, by including visual material to the presentation this can increase by 50%. Speaking involves active cognition as well as hearing and can increase recall to 80%, by combining speaking and applied methods retention increases to 90%. Producing a lesson plan to teach in auditory, visual and experimental modes is important, increasing the successfulness of a session by allowing individuals a variety of learning styles enhancing the storage of the material to 97% (Knowels, Holton III and Swanson 2008). Learning to accommodate a range of learning styles will improve retention of intricate information for both student and patient (Arthurs 2007). However this could be argued that this is time intensive to design. Time is a premium for the nurse, it may be unrealistic to have time to design lesson plans that accommodate all learning styles present in large classes, Appendix 2 is applicable to a small class of 10-12 students, and would not work in a large lecture theatre of over 100 due to the structure. Information may only be taught through lectures due to time constraints requiring the student to further the topic at home. It is therefore imperative that the environment, and number of students is assessed in onjunction with a lesson plan otherwise these variables could result in an unsuccessful teaching session. When teaching a patient, the approach will change, however styles will remain similar. A patient will always learn best from a one to one short session that is informative with use of written sources such leaflets allowing the information to be kept by the patient for further reference. Hands on or observation experi ence is also an excellent form to teach a patient (Quinn 2000). The success of a one to one session with a patient or family relative will rely deeply on interpersonal skills. The pace of the teaching has to be judged carefully to ensure that the patient is keeping up, and the atmosphere needs to be informal and relaxed. Factors that might affect patients or students' ability and readiness to learn could include physical issues, psychological or emotional issues, and difficulties with cognition or the environment. Appendix 3 identifies a range of common expectations that are appropriate to nurse education students and contrasts these with a patient. There will be variations within the two learners, however the information will be valid for both. It is designed to ensure that nurse educators clearly understand the importance of assumptions towards learners (Quinn 2000). In reference to Appendix 4 different teaching methods would be used to manage the learning styles required by the patient and that of the student. Mrs Helen would need a substantial about of teaching and guidance in order to continue with her oral care and understand the importance of oral hygiene (Rosdahl and Kowalski 2008). This information would need to be informal, sensitive, and professional, working at the level of knowledge the patient comprehends, allowing Mrs Helen to understand through Visual learning with the use of leaflets and diagrams, Auditory through the giving of information and Kinesthetic through demonstration. As a mentor the nurse would teach the student through direct observation, possible contribution to the teaching of skills, followed by questioning and further research to develop the students’ knowledge (Kinnell and Hughes 2010) allowing for Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic student learning. It is important to be able to consider and address your own learning needs in order to meet the needs of others in practice. Education is an important aspect of nursing, attaining the skills required for learning and teaching something new within the profession every day is vital as research and technology is always progressing. Key differences in the ways of approaching teaching within nursing include adoption of either a nurse focused approach or a patient focused approach (Forbes 2010). Without the correct understanding of learning styles the correct teaching strategy cannot be adopted which could result in poor education, misunderstood information retained by a student which could be passed onto a patient. Adopting patient focused approaches to nursing will allow the nurse educator to adapt to the teaching style necessary for the patient, ensuing exceptional guidance, support and education. Without this educating structure within the Nursing Programme, student nurses would not be prepared for the practice setting of communication, demonstration and most importantly continual education and teaching.

Describe a Place using Soapmaps

Several places exist in all over the world and probably you must have heard of many famous places within London itself like Tower Bridge or Buckingham Palace. However, I would not waste time explaining these places, which you might be already aware of. What I can usually describe well and might be to your interest is my lovely ‘House' – my home. Everyone possesses a home and what makes it special are the people who live in there. Impression of a house is developed from how much you care about it and how well you maintain or look after it. So, let us have a look on how does my house look like and what might be special about it. My house is situated in the South East of London. You might better know my place by the town, Edgware. The bright sunshine in the morning, from east sets my house on fire. The glittering windows from outside reflect my image to make me feel great about myself. The entrance of my house gives a heart welcome to all my guests and bestows good wishes to all my family members each time we trespass there. As you enter the main door, you will find a small lobby in which at the side, you will see a shoe rack lying in the corner and waiting for our footwears to go in there. You would probably consider this as strange but believe me, it is very useful especially in my house where you will find a polite notice reading â€Å"Please take off your shoes† in the lobby. I would myself regard this as ridiculous if I saw this notice at anyone's house but since I moved to this wooden floor house, I understand the importance of doing so. The big drawback of wooden flooring is that it gets dirty very quickly and this is the major factor enforcing us to put off our shoes at the entrance. Moving a few steps forward from the lobby, you will find the narrow stairs running upstairs to the bedrooms. I am not taking you to see my bedroom so early, so let us go a few steps forward instead of running in the stairs on the left. Continuing forward, you will find a glass door, which glistens and sparkles light from the beautiful chandelier inside. As you open the door, a nice room freshener smell fills your nose and you imagine yourself being in heaven. But when you open your eyes, you find yourself in my living room. As you move your eyes around, you see three posh black sofas lie on the corner of the three walls. They appear large enough and above that, they give you the superb comfort, as you would like to have after a hard working day. The centre table in the room displays several magazines and newspapers to read. My dad usually likes reading the newspapers and so do I but if talking about me, it would be sometimes only or you can simply call it occasionally. If you look around the walls, you will find my TV hung around on the corner of the fourth wall, which I would personally describe as the perfect place to put your TV. Firstly, it looks nice, saves space and lastly, it stands in level to your eyes. What else would you expect from this fantabulous TV? And this not the end to the ground floor of my house. There is also a two in one kitchen, which simply means kitchen to cook as well as dining room to eat your meal. The fitted kitchen with cupboards and shelves sometimes make me confuse as almost all shelves open in different direction and some are very strange to your normal expectations. But never mind; living in this house for a year has made me habitual to this everyday use of kitchen and its applications. This is the place I love the most in my house as my mum cooks me some really good food, which I would enjoy eating for days. You can smell this tasty food from the entrance of the house like me when I come to home from school and quickly rush to eat that nice food. Now, let us return back to the stairs, which I showed you at the beginning and I guess you probably wanted to climb up quickly at that time to look what is over there. So let me show you but be careful while climbing up the stairs. I would especially warn you, as the stairs are really narrow and you will probably end up slipping down if you have big feets. I have been through this experience several times and even my younger brother who likes to hang around has been a victim of this funny but painful thing. So, as you climb up those deep ocean blue stairs, you will find my parents' bedroom on the right that stays really neat and clean. You will find each and everything at its place, as my mum is really neat and organised and takes good care of the house as well as of myself. If you look over the red wall at front, you will find a big wallpaper of the ship sailing in the sea. My mum says that this is usually good to put in the house as it generates positive feelings and also represents and inspires your life as you imagine yourself being the ship and you are moving ahead in the world to gain those great heights and destinations. Well, I like my mum's understanding of things and admire her those precious thoughts, which you cannot just think of. So at last, I will show you my bedroom but do not be stunned and may be shocked to see it. As soon as you open the door, you will see large posters hung around on blue coloured walls. There are cartoon pictures and teddy bears, which will appear as sweet as me. On my bed you will find all clothes spread around and the room will appear totally diverse as compared to my parents' neat and clean bedroom. I have also got a computer system placed on the table at the corner of the room on which you will usually find me working. The big shiny mirror on the door of the cupboard reflects my image to appear as a shining star. The bright sunrays penetrate through three large windows just after my bed to reach my eyes and wake me up in the morning for school. I cover my face with my blanket to avoid the bright light but then the clock alarm goes off to wake me up. At last, I give up sleeping and get up to get ready for school in the morning. This is what my bedroom is like where you will find things different and alike. This is what my house offers and this is how my house is like. A great experience with a thrilling chill environment will fill you with freshness and make you cheerful to have a great day out. I hope you enjoyed this adventurous journey of my home and had a good idea of how a good home should be, like my one. Don't you think so?

LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) Essay

The LIMS system allows laboratories and other industries, to insert information in the electronic format that is required in order for it to function for it to function and generate the working system. This allows other users and participants to insert relevant data in mandatory fields, this could be things such as name, date of birth, ethnicity, medical history etc. this is placed in the system for organisation. LIMS is also known to be an electronic filing cabinet, data input done according to the given organisation. It can also store graphical data such as photos, CT scans of patients in their medical history; also text an example of this is hospital patients, regarding their identity photo and medical history. This image shows an example of patients DNA testing samples, this can be used in hospitals for patients. Another example is that samples from patients can be taken, a pathology form is raised by the clinician under the patient records. These are then barcoded to keep each and every ones records individual. The LIMS system can use data to produce relevant information such as investigation results. This can vary from different organisation. â€Å"DNA analysis is one of the main tools used in forensic science to identify individuals. Crime laboratories undertaking DNA typing are typically concerned with comparing DNA evidence with known standards. The evidence is DNA samples collected from a crime scene and these are cross-matched against DNA swabs taken from anyone connected to that scene, be that victims, defendants or elimination ‘knowns’. The elimination known can come from the victims’ relatives, for example, or, if it’s a shared house, from tenants. The comparisons are made, not only to generate and compile evidence against suspects, but also to exclude people from the investigation.† It is also used to monitor good laboratory practice by monitoring sample collection of tests, testing, and quality assurance. ‘Good laboratory practice or GLP specifically refers to a quality system of management controls for research laboratories and organizations to try to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and  integrity of chemical (including pharmaceuticals) non-clinical safety tests; from physio-chemical properties through acute to chronic toxicity tests.’ The LIMS system is easy and time efficient because it can automatically alert the system this can be for anything such as the next dentist appointment that is due for a patient or oncoming samples, this is a great advantage because they then can be bar coded. This allows systems and procedures to run through much quicker without a ny errors occurring. LIMS can also be used to monitor stock levels Reference & Bibliography http://www.scientific-computing.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=225 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_laboratory_practice

Main Stream Rap causes social problems in minority communities Essay - 1

Main Stream Rap causes social problems in minority communities - Essay Example Have the lessons of the historical struggles of the African Americans to tide over slavery and gain civil rights gone in vain as the current trends in hip-hop are out to promote drugs, sex, violence, disrespect to authority and crimes? The overall opinion is against the mainstream rap and it is making the African American youth directionless and destination-less, and instead of mitigating, it adds to their woes. I have tried to argue in this paper that in the initial stages, the protest of the African Americans was vocal that in due course evolved into a political struggle. Simultaneously they also protested through literature and religious platforms. The whites continued to dominate the African American community and were not willing to give any concession to them, until slavery was legally abolished. The problems of the African Americans did not end there. Issues like poverty, lack of education, integration with the mainstream society, fight against segregation, employment opportunities continued to confront them. In this paper I have made an attempt to make a passing reference to all such issues. Measures needed for reformation and rehabilitation of the African American youth have also been discussed. Another i mportant problem confronting the African American society is the issue of single mother households. Even with the legal abolition of slavery, racism still casts its evil influences overtly and covertly and creates hurdles in the path of progress for the African American youth. Undoubtedly, mainstream rap is the enemy of the youth viewed from many angles. It promotes unhealthy social values, though music itself cannot be singled out for spreading bad values. It holds the mirror of present societal values and presents what is going on in the American scene. Objectification, lewd music, immodest lyrics have become the characteristics of mainstream rap. It also encourages violence. Through

Persuasion paper on the church. Set forth your opion regarding the Essay

Persuasion paper on the church. Set forth your opion regarding the church idenentity(what the church isshouldbe)and purpose(what the church rolefinctionissho - Essay Example Based on principles like love and sacrifice, the Church is an institution that deals with the transcendent and the concept of salvation - salvation of the human soul, which can only be achieved by believing and growing spiritually. Church, as the only institution whose fundamental preoccupation is man's relationship with God, should constitute itself in a center of spirituality. The task of the church becomes, thus, very important. It has to get man close to God and make him aware of the fact that there is also another way of life besides the material one. In a continuously changing society, a society that develops in various directions, the individual has a large number of choices and is subject to a wide range of influences. And this makes it difficult for him to find the right path and to make the correct choice. Duality raises tensions in man. He is a god-like but also finite being, composed of eternal but also ephemeral elements. And in order to find equilibrium, he has to balance the antitheses within himself, to make peace and to find peace. It's here that the church should show its presence, in helping the individual find the source of the tensions within himself and in guiding him in their understanding. Church cannot show man what exactly he must do with or in his li... It's not by imposing that church can help man but by trying to explain and by opening man's mind. Church should be central to man's life but only as long as it is, indeed, a means of connecting man with the universal mystery, with God. Involving in man's life, establishing a connection with people, opening towards people, this is how Church will accomplish its mission, that of connecting man to the divine. Unfortunately, it's not always that the church accomplishes the goal of helping people have the revelation of the transcendental truth -because it doesn't have or use the proper methods. And man finds himself alone in a world of confusing alternatives. It's much harder to conceive or imagine a world you cannot see. The physical world is right here- you can perceive it - visually, auditory, you can feel it and smell it. But the beyond surpasses the laws that we follow here. You cannot really describe it and for a lot of people it's even difficult to believe in its existence. So we can realize how different and difficult the task of the Church is as compared to the task of other institutions. Church is more than a common institution. It doesn't have a perceivable object and it doesn't address man's mind or reason, it addresses the soul. It prepares man for the passage to a new life and teaches him about the essence which he won't be able to find in the material. Henri de Lubac expresses, in his book Catholicism: a Study of dogma in Relation to the Corporate Destiny of Mankind, the fact that the Church's mission is "to reveal to men that pristine unity that they have lost, to restore it and complete it."(19) It's a divine unity, all men, all souls, are one, are the Whole. The same author analyses other conceptions connected to the Church's

The function of design and how graphic design speaks to society and Essay

The function of design and how graphic design speaks to society and affects human experience in in a broad spectrum - Essay Example Paul Rand’s quote above illustrates the essential nature of communication as it relates to graphic design and the design process as it impacts numerous different forms of the public exchange of ideas. In â€Å"Declaration by Design: Rhetoric, Argument, and Demonstration in Design Practice† (1985), Richard Buchanan wrote, "If one idea could be found central to design studies, it most likely would be communication." (Buchanan, 1985)Thus, design affects the human experience by creating an expanded vocabulary of expression to relate the varying degrees of subjective experience to an audience, and further reflects the need of human beings to express themselves in ever more complex thoughts. Simplicity, in this aspect, can be seen as a design tool that cuts through conceptual elaboration to present an archetypal structure or form. The goal of design is to create new words that are not words but symbols, signs, and images which express a message to society through a language t hat both references and transcends common, everyday speech. In this regard, design can be seen as â€Å"stylized language† and speaks of the complexity of social communication while conveying the message or theme of the designer. Design ultimately is a form of art, yet it can be approached scientifically to determine the characteristics which define it and govern its operations culturally. Martin Buber’s theory of knowledge is based upon the analysis of social forms of communication, and in this theory the symbolic aspects of communication are distinguished from signs that merely describe or point directions as a function of communication by the nature of transcendence. Buber creates a number of social relationships as models showing the importance of communication referencing the subjectivity of the â€Å"other† in its means of taking the individual beyond the self into a transcendent state of understanding and shared experience. As this is the intimate, spirit ual nature of communication that we represent in art, it is rare in practice and the actual functional communication in society is often sign oriented in that it only seeks to inform or direct but not provoke a transcendent experience. As Maurice S. Friedman writes in his book â€Å"Martin Buber: the life of dialogue† (2002): "Subject-object, or I-It, knowledge is ultimately nothing other than the socially objectivized and elaborated product of the real meeting which takes place between man and his Thou in the realms of nature, social relationsm and art.† (Friedman, 2002) Buber’s theory of knowledge is important in understanding the social aspects of communication as they relate to design. For example, social communication that is directed or mediated by the sign can be expected to be functional, utilitarian, and descriptive, designed for the facilitation of personal operations in daily life but not particularly concerned with the transcendent as subject matter. Symbolic communication, in contrast, takes as its subject matter and intention the symbolic aspects of expression that relate to the communication of Truth and the communicator seeks to create a higher state of awareness or understanding in the other. Thus, the design and graphic art process should be evaluated first to determine whether the form of social communication is using a language based on signs, which point to other objects, or of symbols, which transcend themselves in shared subjectivity, when

The Battle of Yorktown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Battle of Yorktown - Essay Example At this point, as noted by Fuller, Cornwallis was waiting at Yorktown with 7,000 men. Lafayette, who was a French general, and part of the allies, was also at Yorktown with 5,000 men. Fuller states that, at this point, Cornwallis made the mistake of not attacking Lafayette and his 5,000 men, which would have been crucial for Cornwallis, as Washington and Rochambeau were on the move towards him at Yorktown, and defeating Lafayette before Washington and Rochambeau could get to him would have been beneficial to Cornwallis (363). The siege itself opened on September 30, 1781, according to Fuller. Puls gives a description of Yorktown itself during this time. Puls states that York town was a small village of about sixty houses, which sat on the south side of the York River, which flowed into the Chesapeake. Therefore, the American and the French armies set up below the town, and Cornwallis was pinned against the river. At this point, Puls states that Cornwallis made another potential mista ke, which is that he evacuated fortifications at Pigeon Quarter and three other redoubts, as he thought that he could escape by the sea (161). Urban states that there was a reason why Cornwallis would have given these up, and this was that he felt that these redoubts were too exposed to be defended. However, as Urban notes, this decision caused much consternation with the British, and gave hope to the French, who thought that giving these up gave them the best possible advantage (121). Urban states that the siege was getting underway, in earnest, on the morning of October 1, 1781. At this point, the French had their eye on the small fort on a cliff overlooking the York River, and they were also unloading their heavy guns and a landing point on the James River,... The Battle of Yorktown British ships ended up in flames, and Cornwallis was soon surrounded by trenches built by the French and American allies. This led to his eventual surrender. And, although it was not necessarily known at the time, this battle effectively ended the Revolutionary War. This is because, after Cornwallis’s unconditional surrender, there were only two posts that the British had – New York and Charleston, South Carolina. It was not long, only six months later that the British had agreed to American independence. Therefore, it is arguable that the Battle of Yorktown is the most important battle of the American Revolution, because it was the battle that literally decimated and demoralized the British forces. This paper will explain this battle, what happened during the battle, and will also explain, briefly, what happened after the battle, as the British agreed to give the Americans independence. Body The siege at Yorktown was the most important battle of the War for American In dependence, because it was the last battle, therefore was the decisive battle, and it led to the surrender of Cornwallis and his fleet, who were fortified at the base of the York River. Moten states the siege began with Washington marshalling his forces, which included both of his fleets, but also those of De Grasse, who was his French ally. While there were many battles during the American Revolutionary War, perhaps none were as important as the siege of Yorktown.

Financial Risk Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Risk Management - Assignment Example 141). In this paper, Deutsche Bank, AG will be the organization that will be analyzed for its risk management and risk types it confronts. The types of risks that Deutsche Bank faces include: Credit risk: Credit risks come up from all dealings where concrete, conditional or possible claims in opposition to any counterparty, debtor or obligor. Deutsche Bank jointly refers to these parties as counterparties, as well as those claims that the bank plans to allocate (Deutsche Bank, 2011, p. 13). The dealings done on this risk are normally part of our conventional non-traded loaning operations like advances and provisional liabilities, or the direct exchange activity with clients like OTC byproducts, FX advances and forward rate agreements. Market risk: Market risk can be described as the likelihood for adjustment in the market worth of the bank’s exchange and investing positions Deutsche Bank, 2011, p. 14). Risk could come up from contrary alterations in interest rates, credit spre ads, foreign exchange tolls, equity costs, prices of goods and other pertinent parameters like market instability and market indirect default possibilities. The bank distinguishes amid three considerably dissimilar sorts of market risks. Operational risk: Operational risk is the likelihood for failure, as well as authorized risk, with regard to workers, predetermined conditions and records, expertise, substructure failure and crises, powers from outside the bank and client relationships. Operational risks do not include business and reputational risk Deutsche Bank, 2011, p. 13). Liquidity risk: Liquidity risk is the risk coming from Deutsche Bank’s potential incapacity to meet every responsibility when they arise because of simply being able to meet these duties at excessive expenses Deutsche Bank, 2011, p. 14). Business risk: Business risk describes the risk that Deutsche Bank presumes because of potential adjustments in overall business necessities the bank’s market environment, clientele actions and technological development. This could have an impact on the results of the bank is they do not change rapidly to these adjusting circumstances. Additionally, Deutsche Bank also encounters some other sorts of risks under the business risk category. They include reputational risk, insurance-specific and concentration risk. These risks are considerable linked to one or more of the stated risk sorts Deutsche Bank, 2011, p. 13). Reputational risks: With Deutsche Bank’s risk management procedures, the bank is able to describe reputational risk that advertising regarding dealing, counterparty or business parties engaging a customer will destructively affect the community’s faith in Deutsche Bank. A number of strategies and guidelines create the outline of the bank’s reputational risk management. The main accountability for the recognition, escalation and solution of reputational risk problems are inherent with the trading sector Deuts che Bank, 2011, p. 15). The risk management departments help and recommend the business sectors in determining that reputational risk issues are properly recognized, intensified and handled. Insurance-specific risk: Deutsche Bank’s disclosure to insurance risk is associated with Abbey Life Assurance Company Limited and the described advantage pension obligations of Deutsche Bank Group. The risk management of Deutsche Bank considers insurance-associated threats

Change Management and Management Styles Research Paper

Change Management and Management Styles - Research Paper Example Managers, in these cases, adopt strategic changes in order to adapt to emergent set of management and operational issues (Stam and Andriessen, 2009, p. 136). Secondly, there is cultural change. It is the next logical step once a strategic change is adopted or when management decides to change the organizational goals and objectives. The rationale is that in order to achieve effective change in that direction, a gradual change in mentalities must be achieved as well (Hamalainen and Saarinen, 2004, p.143). This is crucial in changing the organizational behavior. A more specific change transpiring within organization would have to be the shortened organizational life cycle. Essentially, this is the life stages of an organization beginning with its birth, growth, maturity and its inevitable decline and potential revival (Nelson et al., p.258). These stages experience radical shifts today because of the advances in technology, project management and product design. For example, new comput ing solutions streamlines product development, radically shortening the operational process of the organizational subunit tasked with such responsibility. ... Change management theories provide effective frameworks in better understanding organizational change. For example Beer and Nohria (2000) posited two change management theories, which they merely labeled as Theory E and Theory 0. The first theory sees organizational change as critical in the way organizational economic value is changed. Initiatives, policies and strategies adopted to implement this model follow the so-called â€Å"hard† approach to change, emphasizing shareholder value and maintaining it as the only barometer of organizational success (p.134). On the other hand, Theory 0 approaches organizational change according to organizational capacity. Beer and Nohria calls this the â€Å"soft† approach to change in an effort to introduce organizational change through initiatives and policies that builds organizational culture on individual capability and learning. This is supposedly the strategy that Hewlett-Packard adopted amidst a flagging performance during the 1980s and involved â€Å"the process of changing, obtaining feedback, reflecting, and making further changes† (p.134). Finally, one could cite the Change Management Theory for a general framework explaining organizational change. Several authors have contributed to this theory such as Lakomski (2001) and Lewin (1951). Lakomski posited that organizations are in constant need to balance forces of change with the requirement for stability. Lewin explained that this constitutes a stalemate that is only broken once the force for change outweighs the resistance, paving the way for a change in the organizational equilibrium. The case of Lenovo is an excellent example of an organization grappling with change. In the process of addressing new change

Ip3 managing organizational change Research Paper

Ip3 managing organizational change - Research Paper Example be through team work in brainstorming and initiating new strategies and developing a plan that transforms the organization from current to preferred situation. Change agents i.e. firms executives should support the change process by offering transformative leadership, goal oriented approach to change, visionary leadership, interpersonal skills and good communication skills. According to Egan, he suggests that planning be at the forefront of any change so as to gain value and desired results thus the need for goal oriented planning. Organization executive may in the short term to build up the intended change, develop various mechanism to promote the change process among employees, such include creating short term wins to show change progress, communication of vision and mission statement and team building by creating cohesive, committed and productive work groups. Long term strategies involve process strategies such as quality circles, surveys and career training and structural strategies such as firm restructuring, management by objectives and job redesign. Organization change process is also determined by the resource mobilization capability of an organization; this can range from human resources, financial resources and physical resources. An organization should motivate the employees to derive the best output from their efforts; this can be through offering financial benefits and fringe benefits. Tools of performance are vital instruments to ensure progressive change process is within the firm. Executive should be at hand to ensure that all change components are committed to the change endeavor in order to realize maximum output from the

How to plan and provide environments and services support children Essay Example for Free

How to plan and provide environments and services support children Essay Describe the factors to take into account when planning healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environments and services: All staff has a duty of care for children and each other within the setting. It is important that everybody is aware of government legislation regarding the schools Health and Safety policy in regards to potential risks and hazards and what should happen if an incident occurs. As health and safety is primarily common sense it becomes second nature when working with children to abide by the Health and Safety policy. When working within a school staff should always make sure that areas are fit to purpose prior to any learning or play activities this could mean doing a risk assessment to ensure areas are safe and free from any potential risks. If a risk is spotted it should be reported immediately or logged for attention. The factors to take into account are: Every child is an individual and progresses at different rates and each child has different needs which depend on their age and ability. When we plan activities we should think about ways in which way we can keep all children active and the layout of the room and the needs of the child if you have a baby in the room you would not allow toddlers to be running round. Also if children wanted to ride bikes this should be done outside with more space and under supervision. Some children may have more specific needs than other children if they are have a sensory impairment provisions should be put in place so the child will enjoy mainstream school as much as the next child. An adult could also have specific needs where a risk assessment may need to be done at some time like if the person is pregnant or impaired in some way. Individual support may be offered to families/carers that have different needs to others. When working with children we should always be aware of our environment as we would not allow a child to run around the classroom with scissors, if this did happen we would explain or ask the child why this is a dangerous thing to do. In any school yard there should be separate sides of the yard were say football is played rather than all the children playing in line of the ball as this may cause injury. Explain how health and safety is monitored and maintained and how people in  the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely: Within school settings health and safety is monitored and maintained by the schools policies and procedures these are implemented by a governing body then must be carried out to the letter. Anybody running a place where members of public visit must have a duty of care and not let people be exposed to hazards that may cause illness or harm them. Visitors must follow the set guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of all children within the setting. Children who are being collected must be collected by a person known by the teacher unless prior information given, if a child requires medicine then this will be left in the office with a consent form received from the parents. Within school if a accident / incident happens then it is recorded and parents are informed of the child’s injury i.e. bumped head letter. W ithin schools there will always be a first aider available to deal with an injury. Confidentiality policy is always kept within school the only time confidentiality should be broken is when neglect or a form of abuse is suspected and the relevant authorities need to know. Risk assessments are carried out daily by teachers and all staff to ensure no potential risks or hazards. If anything is found it must be recorded and reported immediately relevant staff must be notified. Identify sources of current guidance for planning healthy and safe environments and services: All settings should have copies of the latest legislation as recorded in 1.4 they will also have their own policies and procedures. There is also a lot of information to be found on the internet: Health and safety executive Child accident prevention trust Department for education Explain how current health and safety legislation, policies and procedures are implemented in own work setting: When working with schools we have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all children and fellow colleagues as they are entrusted in our care listed below are the main policies: Policies and procedures regarding Health and Safety at Work are given to all staff including volunteers on the first day of employment  within the setting this is based on the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The main responsibilities of this act are that all buildings should be maintained to a high standard, designed with safety in mind. The environment should always be clean and tidy; all equipment should be stored away safely. As is good practice working practice should promote the health and safety of children. These acts also provides protection for employees by the workplace being a safe place and not pose a risk to employee’s health as stated in COSHH all hazardous substan ces and cleaning equipment stored away safely. Training should be provided for all employees on health and safety. PPE clothing should be provided free of charge. Certain injuries, diseases and incidents should be reported immediately to the Health and Safety Executive. First aid facilities and a first aider should be accessible at all times, within each setting there will be a safety representative who can be consulted regarding issues which may affect health and safety. Finally the legal duties of all employees must be responsible to take care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their actions. All employees must cooperate with the health and safety at work act. This will be kept in the office and available to all. Fire precaution act 1971 and regulations :The fire authority will issue a fire certificate when happy that all correct procedures are in place .They also check the fire equipment and correct fire escapes and routes of departure COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) this is monitored and maintained within schools by ensuring all chemicals and cleaning equipment is locked away in a cupboard away from all children. All chemicals must be clearly marked. RIDDOR 1995 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Da ngerous Occurrence Regulations )this is a legal duty to explain work related deaths, any major incidents or injuries, work related diseases and dangerous occurrence. When carrying children or equipment always promote good practice. The Childcare Act 2006 this sets out the statutory framework for health and safety within all settings including that of the EYFS their standards are monitored by Ofsted. Product safety marking these must be (PAT tested) regularly and they will hold the kite mark to say they have been tested. Toys must carry a CE showing that the product meets European standards. Motor vehicles regulations 2006 seat belts must be worn at all times and booster seats provided for children under a certain height (135cm). Smoking ban 2007 EYFS  this includes a legal requirement to ensure all children are in a smoke free zone. The manual handling operations regulation act 1992Employers must ensure that correct guidelines are followed when lifting pupils or equipment. Hygiene legislation 2006 This covers the safe preparation and storage of food .All kitchen staff must hold a current food hygiene certificate .There must be posters displayed within the kitchen reminding staff of good practice i.e. different coloured chopping boards and how food is stored correctly. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) Statutory framework for eyfs 2008 ensuring all aspects of welfare for children is covered ,this includes safeguarding ,suitable people ,suitable premises and equipment .There must be correct documentation within the organisation. Other procedures which are in place to safeguard children are: Safety fence and locked gates disallowing children to leave when in outdoors areas. All doors which provide entry and access are locked and door handles unobtainable to children. All visitors must sign in and wear a badge if there for a while must be notified about health and safety. Children must be picked up by the named person unless by prior arrangement. Confidentiality maintained at all times unless abuse is suspected. Admissions where no child can be looked on more favourably than another. Accident/incident must be recorded if a child has a bump or injury then this must be sent home to parents explaining what happened if a major incident must be forwarded to relevant people. Taking of medic ines they must be stored correctly parents must sign a consent form to say what the medicine is and how much and when their child is allowed it. Within the setting there will be a notice in the staff room of which child is asthmatic or allergic to food or other things so each staff member can see.

Multicultural Issues in Counseling Essay Example for Free

Multicultural Issues in Counseling Essay In the field of counseling and psychology, it is always necessary that the counselor understands the predicament that the patient is facing. This is because, this patient is coming for assistance because he or she is not in a position to do his activities right. Therefore in this case it is necessary that the supervisee and in this case Ann has all the attributes that are needed as this is the only way that she will be able to help Donald. As Barratt, E. et al, (1997) in their research found out, it calls for a good rapport between the counselor and the patient for the patient to receive meaningful treatment or help. This is not the case here as Donald is always complaining that Ann is not giving him enough attention. In real sense, it is the broken rapport that exists between them that is the problem. In the content of my informal assessment of Ann’s multicultural counseling skills, I would clearly indicate that Ann lacks the basic and crucial skills that are necessary for a counselor to execute his or her duties. I understand that the main reason for this is the background where Ann has grown. She has grown up in an area where there are no mixed races. This developed in her limited socialization skills when dealing with people. This is her new interaction with a person from a different race and due to this; it becomes very difficult for her to deal with the patient. As Gladwell, (2007) argues, it calls for a counselor to have good communication and socialization skills so that he or she can be able to assist a patient. In addition, the counselor should understand that the patient is not in the right frame of mind. The counselor should not give the comments that the patient gives the same weight as the way he or she would if the person was in the right frame of mind. These are some of the basic attributes, which Ann lacks, and I would include this in my informal assessment report. According to Dinn, W. et al, (2000), gauging the level of awareness has its basis on how well one executes the duties assigned to him or her. In this case, Donald is complaining that he is lacks appropriate attention and therefore he is contemplating on stopping treatment. On the other hand, Ann is claiming that she has done all that she could so to help the patient. This is a clear sign that Ann is giving up. The patient is already hopeless and the doctor or the counselor can only revive his hope. If the counselor loses hope, it means that there is no chance of recovering. It is also a clear indication of lack of commitment and objective by the counselor. The level of Ann’s self- awareness is therefore very low. The reason is that she is not fully aware that she is the counselor and that the patient really needs her assistance. She seems to forget her role in the whole process, which is to help the patient recover. In addition, Ann is complaining that Donald is over-dependent on her. She fully understands that Donald is suffering from Schizophrenia and dependency is expected. This is a clear indication that Ann happen to have very limited knowledge of the appropriate treatment interventions. For instance, it would be absurd for a surgeon to complain that he or she is encountering a lot of blood when he or she fully knows that this will be inevitable. If we receive such a complaint, it is a clear indication that the person has no or limited knowledge of what he is doing and what he is supposed to do. This is the case happening with Ann. At the same time, Ann is complaining of not having a good communication with the patient because he has difficulty expressing himself in English. As she was born and raised in only one region, there are chances that she did not have good socialization and communication skills and probably the problem is not the English but the access which she is having difficulty understanding. In conclusion, in my informal assessment, I would clearly indicate that the problem here is not the patient but Ann. She seems to lack the basic attributes of a counselor. A good counselor should be dynamic in all the activities that he or she is doing. He should not use a universal platform to treat his or her patients. He should take each patient individually, understand him or her and adopt a proper method in treatment. This is something that Ann needs to improve on. She also needs exposure as she has very little experience in dealing with people. For instance, she has very limited if any knowledge and experience with the African-American culture and all this is attributed to the way she was raised. ? References Barratt, E. et al. (1997). Neuropsychological Cognitive Psychophysiological Substrates of Impulsive Aggression. Biological Psychiatry , 1045-60. Dinn, W. et al. (2000). Neurocognitive Function in Antisocial Personality Disorder. Psychiatry Research , 173-92. Gladwell, M. (2007). Blink: Power of Thinking Without Thinking . Irwin: Back Bay Books .

Poverty Elimination by NGOs

Poverty Elimination by NGOs Assessing NGOs performance in poverty reduction is a difficult task. However, it is worth learning from other observations conducted on NGO performance in alleviating poverty NGOs have increased the scale on the type of roles they play. In this contemporary time, NGOs are tremendously working, and helping government, institutions, and the rural poor in the fight against poverty in Sub-Saharan African, which was their traditional role during the World Wars. Although NGOs are appraised for their tremendous work, other scholars have opined that they do not see their essence due to the fact that many have fallen below expectations. In this Chapter, however, researchers task is to review the literature of other scholarly works as it relate to NGOs roles in poverty alleviation. Desai (2005) has mentioned that NGOs have an important role to play in supporting women, men and households, community groups, civil society groups and expected that they can meet the welfare. She accounted some role and functions for NGOs, such as counseling and support service, awareness raising and advocacy, legal aid and microfinance. These services help the people to achieve their ability, skill and knowledge, and take control over their own lives and finally become empowered and self-reliance. I agree with the author, because if a project like microfinance is enforced, the living standard of people will be improved. This evidence will be seen in the next chapter. Strom quits (2002) has also noted three major functions for NGOs such as (service delivery (e.g. relief, welfare, basic skills); educational provision (e.g. basic skills and often critical analysis of social environments); and public policy advocacy as this is the case with NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Baccaro (2001), in his writing depicted how particular NGOs with a definite mission statements can promote the organization and empowerment of the poor, particularly poor women, through a combination of micro-credit, awareness-raising, training for group members which is capacity building and other social services, with an aim to reduce poverty among societies. NGOs general aim is to alleviate poverty through activities that promote capacity building and self-reliance. Langran (2002) has mentioned that NGOs through capacity building help to sustain community development assist government in the provision of basic social amenities. NGOs are often created in order to expand the capacities of people and government there by breaching the gap of poverty (Korten 1990). NGOs are praised for promoting community self-reliance and empowerment through supporting community-based groups and relying on participatory processes (Korten 1990; Clark 1991; Friedmann 1992; Fowler 1993; Edwards and Hulme 1994; Salamon 1994).In Sub-Saharan Africa for instance where survival for daily bread is a major hurdle, NGOs have been seen as liberators of human suffering the evidence is in Sierra Leone were sixty percent of citizens survival dependent upon donors. Sustainable development, on the other hand, has emerged over the past few decades as an important paradigm for poverty alleviation. As Bradshaw and Winn (2000) have noted, sustainability is rooted largely in an environmental approach, particularly in the industrialized countries. But, the goal of sustainable development is to find a balance between three pillars social, economic and environmental of communities (Sneddon 2000). Hibbard and Tang (2004) in their study in Vietnam have noted the importance of NGOs roles in sustainable community development. One of the roles was that NGOs balance the social, economic and environmental factors in promoting sustainable development. Another important role of NGO that they discovered was decentralization of the central government which helps the local communities to acquire more power in order to make their own decisions. As in the case of Sierra Leone where civil society groups and other NGOs like MERLIN, Caritas and CRS, have succeeded in winning bills for decentralization in the Health ministry. But, sometimes the local communities lack specialists to do professional work and resources that are important for the particular projects. In this situation, NGO assists local staff with drafting sustainable development plans that are functional under the umbrella of a central government policy. Finally, they concluded that poverty alleviation is process-oriented, and it requires extensive community participation and relies on network to share resources, knowledge and expertise. From the literatures, it could be summarized that NGOs play an important function in fighting poverty via promoting sustainable community development. Sustainable community development emphasizes on a balance between environmental concerns and development objectives, while simultaneously enhancing local social relationships. Sustainable communities meet the economic needs of their residents, enhance and protect the environment, and promote more human local societies (Bridger and Luloff 1997). Through the functions of providing microfinance, initiating capacity building and self -reliance, peace building projects, relief services during emergencies, NGOs could bridge the gap of poverty in Sub-Saharan African. Below are the reviews of NGOs roles, functions and strategies they used to fight poverty. 2.1- NGOs MICROFINANCE ROLE A STRATEGY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION Microfinance is another important sector that NGOs have fully ultilised in reaching out to the poor. Their roles in this sector, has immensely contributed to alleviating poverty among the poor. The purpose of using microfinance to alleviate poverty is as a result of what role microfinance can play and what impact it created on the beneficiaries. Microfinance has a very important role to play in development according to proponents of microfinance. In the 1990s, scholars have increasingly referred to microfinance as an effective means of poverty reduction (Rekha 1995; Cerven and Ghazanfar 1999; Pankhurst and Johnston 1999). The microfinance has long existed in Africa, but saw it decline when government established banking institutions took over Oxaal and Baden (1997). The World Bank found, in 1998, that the poorest 48% of Bangladeshi families with access to microcredit from Grameen Bank rose above the poverty line. In Peoples Republic of China (PRC), for instance, microfinance programs have helped lift 150 million people out of poverty since 1990 (UNHDR, 2005). Similarly in, in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, MkNelly and Dunford (1998) Mansaray (1998-99), found that microcredit beneficiaries increased their income by $36, compared with $18 for nonclients. Clients of microfinance generally shifted from irregular, low-paid daily jobs to more secured employment in India (Simanowitz, 2003) and Bangladesh (Zaman, 2000). Otero (1999, p.10) illustrates the various ways in which microfinance, at its core combats poverty. She states that microfinance creates access to productive capital for the poor, which together with human capital, addressed through education and training, and social capital, achieved through local organization building, enables people to move out of poverty (1999). By providing material capital to a poor person, their sense of dignity is strengthened and this can help to empower the person to participate in the economy and society (Otero, 1999). The aim of microfinance according to Otero (1999) is not just about providing capital to the poor to combat poverty on an individual level, it also has a role at an institutional level. It seeks to create institutions that deliver financial services to the poor, who are continuously ignored by the formal banking sector. Mayoux (2000) and Cheston and Khan (2002) have pointed out the importance of microfinance in empowerment, particularly women empowerment. Microfinance is defined as efforts to improve the access to loans and to saving services for poor people (Shreiner2001). UNCDF (2001) states that studies have shown that microfinance plays key roles in development. It is currently being promoted as a key development strategy for promoting poverty eradication and economic empowerment. It has the potential to effectively address material poverty, the physical deprivation of goods and services and the income to attain them by granting financial services to households who are not supported by the formal banking sector (Sheraton 2004). Microcredit programs provide small loans and savings opportunities to those who have traditionally been excluded from commercial financial services. As a development inclusion strategy, adopted by NGOs through the provision of funds to both locally established groups and government and private institutions, microfinance programs emphasize womens economic contribution as a way to increase overall financial efficiency within national economies. This is because in Sub-Saharan Africa, as whole women are said to be bread winners and care takers of their families. It should be noted that women are always at mercy regarding social misshapes .According to Cheston and Khan (2002), one of the most popular forms of economic empowerment for women is microfinance, which provides credit for poor women who are usually excluded from formal credit institutions. This issue of gender discrimination in the microfinance sector have been researched and debated by donor agencies, NGOs, feminists, and activists (Johnson and Rogaly 1997; Razavi 1997; Kabeer 1999; Mayoux 2001; Mahmud 2003). However, underneath these shared concerns lie three fundamentally different approaches to microfinance: financial sustainability, feminist empowerment, and poverty alleviation. All three microfinance approaches have different goals coupled with varied perspectives on how to incorporate gender into microfinance policy and programs (Mayoux 2000). The microfinance empowers women by putting capital in their hands and allowing them to earn an independent income and contribute financially to their households and communities. This economic empowerment is expected to generate increased self-esteem, respect, and other forms of empowerment for women beneficiaries. Some evidence show that microfinance would empower women in some domains such as increased participation in decision making, more equitable status of women in the family and community, increased political power and rights, and increased self-esteem (Cheston and Kuhn 2002). Well-being as an output of microfinance not only covers the economic indicators, but also other indicators such as community education, environment, recreation and accessibility to social services. It is related to the quality of life (Asnarulkhadi 2002). In order to gain economic sustainability, NGOs through microfinance help the communities to reduce poverty, create jobs, and promote income generation. In the developing countries, sustainability is linked more closely to issues of poverty and the gross inequalities of power and resources (Hamnett and Hassan 2003). This is due to the fact that in the Third World countries like sub-Saharan Africa, the ecological system, climate, sometimes conflicts with the socio-economic needs of local people who depend on a local ecosystem for their survival (Nygren 2000). In contrast, in the developed countries, as Bradshaw and Winn (2000) have noted, more priority is given on environmental aspect of sustainable development. Despite the importance attached to microfinance as an effective tool for poverty alleviation, yet it cannot be over ruled that this sector do have many problems. This has even led some scholars to doubt it usefulness, there by suggesting that NGOs still need to do more to reach out to the poor. Littlefield, Murduch and Hashemi (2003), Simanowitz and Brody (2004) and the IMF (2005) have commented on the critical role of microfinance in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Simanowitz and Brody (2004, p.1) state, Microfinance is a key strategy in reaching the MDGs and in building global financial systems that meet the needs of the most poor people. Littlefield, Murduch and Hashemi (2003) state microfinance is a critical contextual factor with strong impact on the achievements of the MDGsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦microfinance is unique among development interventions: it can deliver social benefits on an ongoing, permanent basis and on a large scale. Referring to various case studies, they show how microfinance has played a role in eradicating poverty, promoting education, improving health and empowering women (2003). However, other scholars are not enthusiastic about the role of microfinance in development because of it lapses, and it is important to realize that microfinance is not a all done strategy when it comes to fighting poverty. Hulme and Mosley (1996), while acknowledging the role microfinance can have in helping to reduce poverty, concluded from their research on microfinance that most contemporary schemes are less effective than they might be (1996, p.134). They state that microfinance is not a total solution for poverty-alleviation and that in some cases the poorest people have been made worse-off by microfinance. Wright (2000,p.6) states that much of the skepticism of MFIs stems from the argument that microfinance projects fail to reach the poorest, generally have a limited effect on incomeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦drive women into greater dependence on their husbands and fail to provide additional services desperately needed by the poor. In addition, Wright says that many development practitioners not only find microfinance inadequate, but that it actually diverts funding from more pressing or important interventions such as health and education (2000, p.6). As argued by Navajas et al (2000), there is a danger that microfinance may siphon funds from other projects that might help the poor more. They state that governments and donors should know whether the poor gain more from microfinance, than from more health care or food aid for example. Therefore, there is a need for all involved in microfinance and development to ascertain what exactly has been the impact of microfinance in combating poverty. Considerable debate remains about the effectiveness of microfinance as a tool for directly reducing poverty, and about the characteristics of the people it benefits (Chowdhury, Mosley and Simanowitz, 2004). Sinha (1998) argues that it is notoriously difficult to measure the impact of microfinance programmes on poverty. 2.2. NGOs CAPACITY BUILDING ROLE A STRATEGY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION Capacity building is another NGOs strategy and role that helps to bridge a gap between the haves and have not in society. Capacity building is an approach to development that builds independence. It can be: A means to an end, where the purpose is for others to take on programs. Is a process, where the capacity building strategies are routinely incorporated as an important element of effective practice (NSW Health 2001). Langran (2002) has defined capacity building as the ability of one group (NGOs) to strengthen the development abilities of another group (local communities) through education, skill training and organizational support. Capacity building is a strategy used to develop not a set of pre-determined activities. There is no single way to the build capacity of an individual or groups of individuals. Although experience tells us that there is a need to work across the key action areas, practitioners approach each situation separately to identify pre-existing capacities and develop strategies particular to a program or organization, in its time and place. Before beginning to build capacity within programs, practitioners need to identify pre-existing capacities such as skills, structures, partnerships and resources. Frankish (2003) has counted a number of dimensions for community capacity including financial capacity (resources, opportunities and knowledge), human resources (skills, motivations, confidence, and relational abilities and trust) and social resources (networks, participation structures, shared trust and bonding). UNDP (1997-2009) has introduced capacity building as the process by which individuals, groups, and organizations increase their abilities to first, perform core functions, solve problems, define and achieve objectives; and second, understand and deal with their development needs in a broad context and in a sustainable manner. NGOs, through the provision of education, skills and knowledge, develop the capacity of community towards achieving sustainable development. In fact, NGOs act as a capacity builder to help the communities to develop the resources, building awareness, motivating to participation in project and finally improving the quality of communitys lives. Inger Ulleberg (2009) has supported the view that NGOs play important role through the provision of skills for the rural poor. He has maintained that through capacity building, NGOs have been able to reach the poor, and has contributed to the development of the beneficiaries through skills training, the given of technical advice, exchange of experiences, research and policy advice which is key to todays development. Through the case study of Afghanistan NGOs, it suggested that these areas of interest have yielded fruit for the intended beneficiaries. The activities have usually strengthened the skills of individuals, as it was intended but have not always succeeded in improving the effectiveness of the ministries and other organizations where those individuals are working. This according to Kpaka (2007) considered it as a failure on the part of the implementers because of improper allocation of stratetigies and argues that they failed because of poor planning and poor implementation strategy. 2.3.NGOs ROLES OF SELF-RELIANCE AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT A STRATEGY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION Self-reliance is another strategy that affects sustainable community development. Effective community development sits on the foundation of self-reliance. The concept of self-reliance is strategically situated within the essence of community development and is related to other concepts like mutual-help, self-help, participation of the indigenous people and rural progress. Self-reliance encourages the necessity for people to use local initiatives, their abilities and their own possessions to improve their condition. Fonchingong and Fonjong (2002) have pointed out that self-reliance is increasingly being adopted as modus operandi for community development. Therefore, to attain self-reliance, NGOs and community groups must discover their own potential and look for ways to innovatively develop such discovered potential to use as sources of wealth for the development of the community (Ife and Tesoriero 2006). Motivating and mobilizing people to be self-reliant and to participate in development activities become an important objective of the NGOs. According to Kelly (1992), self-reliance means that the people rely on their own resources and are independent of funds sourced outside the community. Self-reliant strategy relies on the willingness and ability of the local people to depend on their own available resources and technology which they can control and manage. A self-reliant strategy requires the optional use of all available human, natural and technological resources (Agere 1982). Although dependence on the state maybe desirable in the short term, it should not be a long term objective, because the aim of the community development must ultimately be self-reliance. Mansaray (1982) has maintained that reliance on external resources will lead to the loss of autonomy and independence of the community, therefore communities should be bound to carry out autonomous programmes. This according to him, autonomous communities can flourish only in the absence of such external dependency. According to Korten (1990), the second strategy of the NGOs focuses on developing the capacities of the people to better meet their own needs through self-reliant local action. In the second generation strategy, Korten (1990) mentioned that the local inertia is the heart of problem in a village or community. There is a potential energy in a community but remains inactive because of the inertia of tradition, isolation and lack of education. But this unwillingness on the part of the local beneficiaries can be broken through the intervention of an outside change agent, who supposedly are to be NGOs, whose role is to who help the community realize its potentials through education, organization, consciousness raising, small loans and the introduction of simple new technologies. It is the stress on local self-reliance, with the intent that benefits will be sustained by community self-help action beyond the period of NGO assistance (Korten 1990). Therefore, NGOs, through the strategy of self-reliance, has facilitated sustainable development of the community through its participation in the community actives, project sponsorship, monitoring and evaluation processes. 2.4. NGOS PEACE BUILDING ROLE A STRATEGY FOR POVERTY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION NGOs roles are extended to peace building in Africa. The crucial role played by NGOs in the restoration of peace in war affected zones, is one seen as important. Many African countries have witnessed war and are still going through the trauma of war. Countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, Somalia and many are witnesses of NGOs intervention in peace building. From the evidence of the current conflict in Afghanistan, Richard Barajas, Rachel Howard, Andrew Miner Jeff Sartin, Karina Silver (2000), have maintained that NGOs can play peace building roles. The presence of NGOs in Afghanistan according to them have led to the restoration of fair peace as their propagation of the human rights law, and their involvement in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, is fostering cooperation among the warlords. I am in total agreement with them. The role of Peace Wing in Sierra Leone, for instance, justify the effectiveness of peace building NGOs through their organizat ional strategies which was able to bring the rebels out of the bush and negotiating between the government and war factions to negotiate a peace talk rather using guns and bullets to cease war. 2.5. NGOs HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE/RELIEF SERVICES ROLES FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION The provision of food and non-food items during emergency periods and war time and other disasters periods, often see NGOs functions as important one. The provision of these items is short run but very significance in alleviating poverty. According to Kpaka (2007), humanitarian assistance is a fastest means to fight poverty and ensure sustainability in todays society. During emergency period, governments are unable to settle their displaced and refugee population, because of inadequacies of resources. As a result of the shortcoming of the government, the issue of NGOs influx into a country becomes unquestionable Kpaka (2007). Conflict and other disasters that occurred in society always left a strong poverty bench mark. During these conflicting periods, lives, properties, and physical infrastructures, diseases, and other hazardous issues are left as strong legacy in our society. To remedy these legacies, Humanitarian NGOs have different strategies to implement their relief programmes. Generally, the roles of NGOs are still debatable as many sees their roles as positive and others sees these roles as not proper. It has been noted that, NGO contributions in poverty reduction are limited. Edwards Hulme (1995:6) stated that it is difficult to find general evidence that NGOs are close to the poor. There is growing evidence that in terms of poverty reduction, NGOs do not perform as effectively as had been usually assumed by many agencies. More specific evidence is provided by Riddell and Robinson (1995) who conducted a case study on sixteen NGOs undertaken in four countries in Asia and Africa. They found that while NGO projects reach the poor people, they tend not to reach down to the very poorest. NGO projects also tend to be small scale. The total numbers assisted are also small. Furthermore, it is also rare for NGO projects to be financially self sufficient. Finally, although NGOs execute a number of very imaginative projects, many of them appear to be unwilling to innovate in certain areas or activities. Therefore, because of these limitations, the roles of NGOs in alleviating poverty cannot be exaggerated. 2.6. CONCLUTION The literature established the important roles played by of NGOs in the fight against poverty through micro-finance, capacity building, self-reliance, peace building, sustainable community development, and empowerment especially womens empowerment all aiming at poverty alleviation. NGOs through the micro-finance help members of community to access jobs, income-generation and improve economic situation there by alleviating poverty from the poor. And then they would become empowered economically. NGOs developed the capacities of community such as skills, abilities, knowledge, assets and motivates the community to participate in the project to improve the quality of their lives. NGOs act as capacity builders that help the community to achieve the empowerment particularly individual empowerment. Since the philosophy of community development is independent from any outside agents, thus the community must rely on their own resources. NGOs do assist the community to discover their potentials and also mobilize community to be self-reliant. Therefore, the final outcome of community development is the independence of the community from external agents in formulating its agenda and managing its affairs. This process involves capacity building, where people get involved in human capital training, transferring of authority from donor to recipient and receive supports from stakeholders (World Bank group 1999). When people become fully empowered, they are able to contribute toward sustainable development (Lyons et al. 2001). Therefore, NGOs through some programs and functions, such as microfinance, capacity building and self-reliance help community to be empowered, and finally contribute towards sustainable community development. However, though many dont see a need for NGOs in the fight against poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa, I strongly believed that presence in black Africa is importance. Their strategies and approaches they use to fight this disease is one that should not be neglected. Having looked into all the literature NGOs, in the next chapter, researcher will be discussing the strategies adopted by some NGOs in the fight against poverty.

Destructive Stem Cell Research Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topic

Destructive Stem Cell Research       Nine states now ban all destructive embryo research, whether publicly or privately funded. The state of Virginia itself has banned the use of cloning to make human embryos for research, and is considering a response to the Jones Institute's project for making research embryos by in vitro fertilization.(36) And the Food and Drug Administration, without funding any part of in vitro fertilization, recently wrote to in vitro fertilization clinics engaged in new reproductive techniques to remind them that such technologies, albeit privately funded, are subject to federal regulation.    Like the argument that human embryos are not members of the human race, arguments that destroying them is necessary for medical progress or that funding such destruction is needed to prevent broader abuse cannot be sustained. With these arguments out of the way we can return to the real issue at stake: Should the federal government subsidize - and force millions of morally opposed taxpayers to subsidize - research that requires the destruction of innocent human life? We hope that Congress will answer that question in the negative, and will unite instead to support promising medical research that everybody can live with.    Most Christians have grave concerns on this critically important issue of embryonic stem cell research. In our view, conducting research that relies on deliberate destruction of human embryos for their stem cells is illegal, immoral and unnecessary.    It is illegal because it violates an appropriations rider (the Dickey amendment) passed every year since 1995 by Congress. That provision forbids funding "research in which" human embryos (whether initially created for resear... ...eficiency (SCID)-X1 Disease," 288 Science 669-72 (28 April 2000).    16. K. Foss, "Paraplegic regains movement after cell procedure," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 15, 2001 at A1.    17. E. Ryan et al., "Glycemic Outcome Post Islet Transplantation," Abstract #33-LB, Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, June 24, 2001. See: http://38.204.37.95/am01/AnnualMeeting/Abstracts/NumberResults.asp?idAbs=33-LB.    18. M. McCullough, "Islet transplants offer hope that diabetes can be cured," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 2001 at A1.    19. D. Woodbury et al., "Adult Rat and Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Differentiate Into Neurons," 61 J. of Neuroscience Research 364-70 (2000) at 364 (emphasis added).    20. D. Prockop, "Stem Cell Research Has Only Just Begun" (Letter), 293 Science 211-2 (13 July 2001)(citations omitted).

How a Researchers View on Children Can Influence the Outcome of Resear

Power relations among children and young people may have been neglected in previous research as adults have indeed claimed superiority Understandings of childhood during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries arise towards children and young people actively participate in the process of research. Ethical issues are relevant to all elements of the research process, up to and including dissemination. Research should be managed within an appropriate framework that includes an appropriate consideration of ethics, and when working with children and young people deliberation on their rights and viewpoints. Ethical issues are of the utmost important when researching to ensure the research is carried out in a morally correct way and should be based on values, beliefs and attitudes. The papers I shall be drawing upon are: ‘Negotiating Autonomy: Children’s Use of Time and Space in Rural Bolivia’ – Samantha Punch (2004) ‘Gender Play: Girls and Boys in Schoolà ¢â‚¬â„¢ – Barrie Thorne (2004) Throughout history and in all cultures adults exercise power over children, in all aspects of their lives from parental power, teacher/school regulation through to the passing of laws at national level that affect the lives of all children within that society. S. A. Taylor (2000) cited in Doing Research with Children and Young People Edited by Fraser et al, pointed out that it is adults and not children themselves who write about, debate and decide what rights children should have.. This can be seen as an indication of the power adults exercise over children which confines them to subordinate roles within society. Power means different things to different people, however, it is generally t... ...esearch is not always an easy choice. There is often a fine balance between respecting the information gained from a child which has been freely given on a confidential basis and ensuring adequate protection for the child. Similarly ensuring that informed consent is given may result in some children not taking part in the research, but it also protects children from covert research which may not show them in a true light. As we have seen ethical issues are not always easy to resolve, but it is important to identify potential ethical problems so that ways of addressing them can be determined. Whether or not a piece of research is required to be approved by an ethics committee or not, by raising ethical questions during the planning stage it helps to ensure protection for both children and researchers and ultimately leads to better, well thought out research.

Hypnosis and Weight Loss Essay -- Hypnotize Internet Health Papers

Hypnosis and Weight Loss Hypnosis has many practical uses, and these days it is becoming increasingly popular as a method of behavior modification. The Internet contains many advertisements for self-help programs that use hypnosis to reduce stress, quit smoking, or lose weight. In the area of hypnosis and weight loss, there are many web sites for both products and services for sale that promise to help anyone lose weight. Hypnosis uses suggestions to change a person's behavior and eating habits in order to facilitate weight loss. What are the expected outcomes? There are many different outcomes expected from this type of hypnotic treatment. Most vendors of hypnosis specify that it's purpose is not only lose weight but to also maintain that ideal weight. Some companies also promise that hypnosis will stop cravings for unhealthy foods, such as foods high in salt or fat and also fried foods. http://www.clauser.com/announce3.html Through hypnotic suggestion, the person will learn how to eat healthy and may also become physically fit. Basically, the person becomes subconsciously motivated to eat better food and to become physically active. http://www.biocentrix.com/hypnosis/wghtplan.htm How Does Hypnosis work? There are many different forms of hypnosis used to control weight. A very popular method is the use of hypnotizing tapes. DreamLab, a web site selling these tapes, describes the procedure, and advises customers to start the tape when they go to bed. They claim that the tape contains both music and instructions that "lull you into the right mood." http://www.dream-lab.com/noweight.html While a person is in this mood, they are open to changes in their attitudes about eating habits and exercise through the suggestion of dream i... ...thard-Morris. "Effectiveness of Hypnosis as an Adjunct to Behavioral Weight Management." Journal of Clinical Psychology 41.1 (1985): 35-41. Buckingham, Carol W. "Hypnotherapy and the Behavioral Aspects of Obesity." Occupational Health Nursing April 1980: 20-22. Cochrane, G. "Hypnosis and Weight Reduction: Which is the Cart and Which is the Horse?" American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 35.2 (1992): 109-118. Eldredge, K.L., et al. "The Effects of Extending Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder Among Initial Treatment Nonresponders." International Journal of Eating Disorders 21.4 (1997): 347-352. Vanderlinden, J. and W. Vandereycken. "The (Limited) Possibilities of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Obesity." American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 36.4 (1994): 248-257.

Ethnic Literature Essay

American literature is just that American literature. American literature is stories of people lives that are based on American standards. Early American standards where based around slavery and oppression but now they are based on freedoms like freedom of speech and press. America has been through many time periods that has shaped it into the wonderful nation that we have today. True American literature is about life in the United States. This paper will create an understanding about American ethnic literature. What is literary canon? How does literary canon relate to what is going on in society? Is traditional American literature multicultural? Literary canon is a classification of literature that is used to describe books or literature that is considered to be important of a time period or place. For writing to become canonized, it has to become widely respected by influential literary critics, scholars, teachers, and anyone that is respected in opinions and judgments regarding literary work. A canonized piece of literature becomes very popular and is studied by students in thousand of classrooms around the world (Casey, 2009) Canonized literature reflects the norms or standards that society follows for a certain time period and location. As society changes so does the type of literature that is canonized (Casey, 2009). For example the biggest topic that people are writing about now is the so called end of the world but about one hundred years ago it was about freedom and anti slavery. In my opinion traditional American Literature is multicultural because the American population is a mixture of so many other cultures. The United States is a melting pot of cultures of the world and that is what makes the US so interesting. Please define â€Å"ethnic literature† and then indicate what you think the value is in studying it, in your opinion? What special challenges do ethnic writers have within the American literary experience? Ethnic literature is piece of writing that is written by people from different cultures, languages, or religion. For example, Native American literature includes â€Å"memories of creation stories, the tragic wisdom of native ceremonies, trickster narratives, and the outcome of chance and other occurrences in the most diverse cultures in the world† (Vizenor, 1995, p. 1). People with the mix of Spanish, Native American, and African cultures have created Hispanic American literature (Kanellos, 1995). In my opinion, there are many reasons why ethnic literature should be studied. Reason One: When you read â€Å"true† literature writing from other religions, you can gain â€Å"true† understanding of what the religion is all about. For example I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The LDS or Mormon Church as known by many is a very misunderstood religion. A study of â€Å"true† ethnic literature in this case would eliminate any misunderstanding that people have about the LDS Church. Reason Two: There are certain cultures that we do not know anything about and when we read about them, we will be able to understand why they do certain things. I want to call this cultural understanding. We have all heard the saying, â€Å"You can’t judge a book by its cover. † then we shouldn’t judge a religion or a culture by the things they do until we understand why they do those things. How do ethnic writers define literature? How does that differ from the canon of traditional American literature? â€Å"Traditional† American literature and ethnic literature differ based on the back ground of the author. â€Å"Traditional† American literature is influenced by culture within the United States. Ethnic literature is influenced by culture outside of the United States. The author Mark Twain comes to mind first because he is a talented American author that wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and later Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Both of these novel get their story lines and settings from Twain life and growing up in Hannibal Missouri. Twain based these novels culturally in the United States and not in another country. If Twain would have based these novels in another country they would be considered ethnic literature is stead of â€Å"traditional† literature. These novels would have been totally different based in another culture. Life in the United States is far different then life in Africa or Nigeria. Parts of Africa are considered third world countries. Traditional America literature is based in the US. What historical, socio-political, and cultural topics might be covered by ethnic writers? How does this differ from the canon of traditional American literature? Slavery and Voting Rights are major topics covered by ethnic writers. How are the American literary themes of liberty, opportunity and equality addressed in ethnic literature? American history is full of stories about liberty, opportunity, and equality for other ethnic groups. For example Blacks had to fight for the same freedoms that where give to Whites in the early years of our wonderful nation. Many novels where written trying to Early American standards where based around slavery and oppression but now they are based on freedoms like freedom of speech and press. America has been through many time periods that has shaped it into the wonderful nation that we have today. True American literature is about life in the United States. References Casey, J. (2009). Canon Issues and Class Contexts: Teaching American Literature from a Market Perspective. Radical Teacher, (86), 18-27. Dickstein, M. (2007). Going Native: When American literature became good enough for Americans, what happened to the literary canon?. American Scholar, 76(1), 150-155. Kanellos, N. (1995). Hispanic American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley. Vizenor, G. (1995). Native American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley.

French Revolution, Cause and Effect 1789

The pivotal event of European history in the eighteenth century was the French Revolution. From its outbreak in 1789, the Revolution touched and transformed social values and political systems in France, in Europe, and eventually throughout the world. France's revolutionary regime conquered much of Western Europe with its arms and with its ideology. But not without considerable opposition at home and abroad. Its ideals defined the essential aspirations of modern liberal society, while its bloody conflicts posed the brutal dilemma of means versus ends. The revolutionaries advocated individual liberty, rejecting all forms of arbitrary constraint: monopolies on commerce, feudal charges laid upon the land, vestiges of servitude such as serfdom, and even (in 1794) black slavery overseas. They held that political legitimacy required constitutional government, elections, and legislative supremacy. They demanded civil equality for all, denying the claims of privileged groups, localities, or religions to special treatment and requiring the equality of all citizens before the law. A final revolutionary goal was expressed by the concept of fraternity, which meant that all citizens regardless of social class, region, or religion shared a common fate in society, and that the well-being of the nation sometimes superseded the interests of individuals. The resounding slogan of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity expressed social ideals to which most contemporary citizens of the Western world would still subscribe. I. Origins Those who made the Revolution believed they were rising against tyrannical government, in which the people had no voice, and against inequality in the way obligations such as taxes were imposed and benefits distributed. Yet the government of France at that time was no more tyrannical or unjust than it had been in the past. On the contrary, a gradual process of reform had long been underway. What, then, set off the revolutionary upheaval? What had changed? An easy answer would be to point to the incompetence of King Louis XVI 1774-1792) and his queen, Marie Antoinette. Good-natured but weak and indecisive, Louis was a man of limited intelligence who lacked self-confidence. Worse yet, his young queen, a Hapsburg princess, was frivolous, meddlesome, and tactless. But even the most capable ruler could not have escaped challenge and crisis in the late eighteenth century. The roots of that crisis, not its mismanagement, claim the principal interest of historians. The philosophes In eightee nth-century France, as we have seen, intellectual ferment preceded political revolt. For decades the philosophes had bombarded traditional beliefs, institutions, and prejudices with devastating salvos. They undermined the confidence that traditional ways were the best ways. Yet the philosophes were anything but revolutionaries. Nor did they question the fact that elites should rule society, but wished only that the elites should be more enlightened and more open. Indeed, the Enlightenment had become respectable by the 1780s, a kind of intellectual establishment. Diderot's Encyclopedia, banned in the 1750s, was reprinted in a less expensive format with government approval in the 1770s. Most of France's 30 provincial academies_learned societies of educated citizens in the larger towns had by that time been won over to the critical spirit and reformism of the Enlightenment, though not to its sometimes extreme secularism. Among the younger generation, the great cultural hero was Rousseau (see picture), whose Confessions (published posthumously in 1781) caused a sensation. Here Rousseau attacked the hypocrisy, conformity, cynicism, and corruption of high society's salons and aristocratic ways. Though he had not exemplified this in his personal life, Rousseau came across in his novels and autobiography as the apostle of a simple, wholesome family life; of conscience, purity, and virtue. As such, he was the great inspiration to the future generation of revolutionaries, but the word â€Å"revolution† never flowed from his pen. Underground literature More subversive perhaps than the writings of the â€Å"high enlightenment† was the underground literature that commanded a wide audience in France. The onarchy's censorship tried vainly to stop these â€Å"bad books,† which poured in across the border through networks of clandestine publishers, smugglers, and distributors. What was this fare that the reading public eagerly devoured? Alongside a few banned works by the philosophes, there was a mass of gossip sheets, pulp novels, libels, and pornography under such titles as Scandalous Chronicles and The Private Life of Louis XV. Much of this material focused on the supposed goings-on in the fashionable world of Paris and Versailles. Emphasizing scandal and character assassination, this literature had no specific political content or ideology. But indirectly, it portrayed the French aristocracy as decadent and the French monarchy as a ridiculous despotism. II. Fiscal Crisis When he took the throne in 1774, Louis XVI tried to conciliate elite opinion by recalling the Parlements or sovereign law courts that his father had abolished in 1770. This concession to France's traditional â€Å"unwritten constitution† backfired, however, since the Parlements resumed their defense of privilege in opposition to reforms proposed by Jacques Turgot, Louis, new controller general of finances. Turgot, a disciple of the philosophes and an experienced administrator, hoped to encourage economic growth by the policy of nonintervention or laissez-faire. When agitation against him mounted at Versailles and in the Paris Parlement, Louis took the easy way out and dismissed his troublesome minister. The king then turned to a Protestant banker from Geneva with a reputation for financial wizardry, Jacques Necker. A shrewd man with a strong sense of public relations, Necker gained wide popularity. To finance the heavy costs of France's aid to the rebellious British colonies in North America, Necker avoided new taxes and instead floated a series of large loans at exorbitant interest rates as high as 10 percent. Short of a complete overhaul of the tax system, little improvement in royal revenues could be expected, and the public would bitterly resist any additional tax burdens that the monarchy simply imposed. Facing bankruptcy and unable to float any new loans in this atmosphere, the king recalled the Parlements, reappointed Necker, after tarying several other ministers, and agreed to convene the Estates General in May 1789. III. Estates General to National Assembly The calling of the Estates General created extraordinary excitement across the land. When the king invited his subjects to express their opinions about this great event, hundreds did so in the form of pamphlets, and here the liberal or â€Å"patriot† ideology of 1789 first began to take shape. The Third Estate While the king accorded the Third Estate twice as many delegates as the two higher orders, he refused to promise that the delegates would vote together (â€Å"by head†) rather than separately in three chambers (â€Å"by order†). A vote by order meant that the two upper chambers would outweigh the Third Estate no matter how many deputies it had. It did not matter that the nobility had led the fight against absolutism. Even if they endorsed new, constitutional checks on absolutism and accepted equality in the allocation of taxes, nobles would hold vastly disproportionate powers if the Estates General voted by order. In the most influential of these pamphlets, Abbe Emmanuel Joseph Sieye posed the question, â€Å"What is the Third Estate? † and answered flatly, â€Å"Everything. † The enemy was no longer simply absolutism but privilege as well. Unlike reformers in England, or the Belgian rebels against Joseph II, or even the American revolutionaries of 1776, the French patriots did not look back to historical traditions of liberty that had been violated. Rather they contemplated a complete break with a discredited past. As a basis for reform, they would substitute reason for tradition. Cahiers For the moment, however, the patriots were far in advance of opinion at the grass roots. The king had invited citizens across the land to meet in their parishes to elect delegates to district electoral assemblies, and to draft grievance petitions (cahiers) setting forth their views. Highly traditional in tone, the great majority of rural cahiers complained only of particular local ills and expressed confidence that the king would redress them. Only a few cahiers from Iarger cities, including Paris, alluded to the concepts of natural rights or popular sovereignty that were appearing in patriot pamphlets. Very few demanded that France must have a written constitution, that sovereignty belonged to the nation, or that feudalism and regional privileges should be abolished. Elections Virtually every adult male taxpayer was eligible to vote for electors, who, in turn, chose deputies for the Third Estate. The electoral assemblies were a kind of political seminar, where articulate local leaders emerged to be sent by their fellow citizens as deputies to Versailles. These deputies were a remarkable collection of men, though scarcely representative of the mass of the Third Estate. Dominated by lawyers and officials, there was not a single worker or peasant among them. In the elections for the First Estate, meanwhile, democratic procedures assured that parish priests rather than Church notables would form a majority of the delegates. And in the elections to the Second Estate, about one third of the delegates could be described as liberal nobles or patriots. â€Å"National Assembly† Popular expectation that the monarchy would provide leadership in reform proved to be ill-founded. When the deputies met on May 5, Necker and Louis XVI spoke to them only in generalities, and left unsettled whether the estates would vote by order or by head. The upper two estates proceeded to organize their own chambers, but the deputies of the Third Estate balked. Inviting the others to join them, on June 17 the Third Estate took a decisive revolutionary step by proclaiming its conversion into a â€Å"National Assembly. † A few days later 150 clergymen from the First Estate joined them. The king, who finally decided to cast his lot with the nobility, locked the Third Estate out of its meeting hall until a session could be arranged in which he would state his will. But the deputies moved to an indoor tennis court, and there swore that they would not separate until they had given France a constitution. Ignoring this act of defiance, the king addressed the delegates of all three orders on June 23. He promised equality in taxation, civil liberties, and regular meetings of the Estates General at which, however, voting would be by order. France would be provided with a constitution, he pledged, â€Å"but the ancient distinction of the three orders will be conserved in its entirety. † He then ordered the three orders to retire to their individual meeting halls. This, the Third Estate refused. When the royal chamberlain repeated his monarch's demand, the deputies, spokesman dramatically responded: â€Å"The assembled nation cannot receive orders. Startled by the determination of the patriots, the king backed down. For the time being, he recognized the National Assembly and ordered deputies from all three estates to join it. Thus the French Revolution began as a nonviolent, â€Å"legal† Revolution. IV. The Convergence of Revolutions The political struggle at Versailles was not occurring in isolation. Simultaneously, the mass of French citizens, already aroused by elec tions to the Estates General, were mobilizing over subsistence issues. The winter and spring of 1788-1789 had brought severe economic difficulties, as crop failures and grain shortages almost doubled the price of flour and bread on which the population depended for subsistence. Unemployed vagrants and beggars filled the roads, grain convoys and marketplaces were stormed by angry consumers, and relations between town and country were strained. This anxiety merged with rage over the behavior of â€Å"aristocrats† in Versailles. Parisians believed that food shortages and royal troops would be used to intimidate the people into submission. They feared an â€Å"aristocratic plot† against the Third Estate and the patriot cause. Bastille When the king dismissed the still-popular Necker on July 11, Parisians correctly assumed that the counter-revolution was about to begin. Instead of submitting, they revolted. Protesting before royal troops (some of whom defected to the insurgents), burning the hated toll barriers that surrounded the capital, and seizing grain supplies, Parisian crowds then began a search for weapons. On the morning of July 14 they invaded the military hospital of the Invalides where they seized thousands of rifles without incident. Then they laid siege to the Bastille, an old fortress that had once been a major royal prison, where gunpowder was stored. There the small garrison did resist and a ferocious firefight erupted. Dozens of citizens were hit providing the first martyrs of the Revolution, but the garrison soon capitulated. As they left, several were massacred by the infuriated crowd. Meanwhile, patriot electors ousted royal officials of the Paris city government, replaced them with a revolutionary municipality, and organized a citizens militia or national guard to patrol the city. Similar municipal revolutions occurred in 26 of the 30 largest French cities, thus assuring that the capital's defiance would not be an isolated act. The Parisian insurrection of July 14 not only saved the National Assembly from annihilation but also altered the course of the Revolution by giving it a far more active, popular dimension. Again the king capitulated. Removing most of the troops around Paris, he traveled to the capital on July 17 and, to please the people, donned a cockade bearing the colors of white for the monarchy and blue and red for the city of Paris. This tricolor was to become the flag of the new France. The Great Fear These events did not pacify the anxious and hungry people of the countryside, however. The sources of peasant dissatisfaction were many and long standing. Population growth and the parceling of holdings were reducing the margin of subsistence for many families, while the purchase of land by rich townspeople exerted further pressure. Seigneurial dues and church tithes weighed heavily upon most peasants. Now, in addition, suspicions were rampant that nobles were hoarding grain in order to stymie the patriotic cause. In July peasants in several regions sacked the castles of the nobles and burned the documents that recorded their feudal obligations. This peasant insurgency eventually blended into a vast movement known as the Great Fear. Rumors abounded that the vagrants who swarmed through the countryside were actually â€Å"brigands† in the pay of nobles who were marching on villages to destroy the new harvest and cow the peasants into submission. The fear was baseless, but it stirred up hatred and suspicion of the nobles, prompted a mass recourse to arms in the villages, and set off new attacks on chEteaus and feudal documents. Peasant revolts and the Great Fear showed that the royal government was confronting a truly nationwide and popular revolution. The night of August 4 Peasant insurgency worried the deputies of the National Assembly, but they decided to appease the peasants rather than simply denounce their violence. On the night of August 4, representatives of the nobility and clergy vied with one another in renouncing their ancient privileges. This set the stage for the Assembly to decree â€Å"the abolition of feudalism† as well as the tithe, venality of office, regional privilege, and social privilege. Rights of Man and Citizen By sweeping away the old web of privileges, the August 4th decree permitted the Assembly to construct a new regime. Since it would take months to draft a constitution, the Assembly drew up a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen to indicate the outline of its intentions. A rallying point for the future, the Declaration also stood as the death certificate of the old regime. It began with a ringing affirmation of equality: â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be based only on common utility. The Declaration went on to proclaim the sovereignty of the nation as against the king or any other group, and the supreme authority of legitimate law. Most of its articles concerned liberty, defined as â€Å"the ability to do whatever does not harm another . . . whose limits can only be determined by law†; they specified freedom from arbitrary arrest; freedom of expression and of religion; and the need for represent ative government. The Declaration's concept of natural rights meant that the Revolution would be based on reason rather than history or tradition.