Social and Cultural Impact on the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro Essay

Social and Cultural Impact on the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro - Essay Example â€Å"Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil is home to the world's most famous carnival, and what many people consider to be the world's biggest and best party. The basis of Rio’s Carnival is the samba schools, which social clubs are named after the famous Brazilian samba dance† (Richard 2011). Samba schools are found in various places of Rio de Janeiro, and competition between them is fierce. Members work all through the year to make the best floats, themes, costumes, and dance performances. â€Å"Education and rehabilitation are among the primary responsibilities that these samba schools undertake† (About Rio Samba Schools: Understand Overview of Samba Schools 2011). During the four day carnival, schools parade and struggle against each other in the Sambadrome, a building that can hold nearly 60,000 spectators. Millions of people get involved in merry making all through the city, especially on Rio's famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema. â€Å"Rio de Janeiro and the carn ival the two attractions are inseparable. Although the carnival in Rio is very commercial nowadays, it still is the carnival in Brazil, even though there are more authentic celebrations held elsewhere. Five days of samba and partying make the event as famous over the world as the World Cup or Olympics. Rio de Janeiro is also an attraction worth of seeing† (Tourism in Brazil Essay 2012). Social Impact on the Carnival of Rio De Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro is remembered for its strange natural beauty and excitement of popular culture. â€Å"Carnival has a different effect on each person, but it was created just with one objective for everyone, and that is to have a lot of fun, to forget our routine life, worries, responsibilities and to adventure at least once in our lives, because this experience no one will ever forget† (Kathyvargas 2004). The city is also marked by tremendous differences, reflecting a high degree of social disparity. The gap between the poor and the rich an d their close geographic nearness, characterized Rio. â€Å"Rio de Janeiro has major social problems, in the same neighborhood, such as Gavea for example, there is a difference that has developed over 60 years. Opposing realities are seen within a few meters of each other. On one side we have the upper class, with its mansions and high levels of education, and on the other side groups who in poor conditions, living in shacks, without even a basic education† (Social Problems in Rio De Janeiro 2012). This chasm of disparity makes many other impacts in the day-to-day city life. Crime, violence, police corruption, drug trafficking, deficiencies in health, inefficient transportation systems defective and education form the crux of Rio’s daily routine. The city has high levels of crime, particularly homicides. â€Å"Between 1978 and 2000, almost 50,000† (The Top 10 Most Dangerous City Breaks 2012) citizens were killed in Rio, the majority of victims being affected by stray bullets, and drug trafficking. There is a huge burden of teenage homicides, the age for the majority at risk in the drug gangs for and those who endure most from police fighting. â€Å"In 2010, Rio received 800.000 visitors during carnival which represents an R$ 950 million industry for the city† (Carnival of Rio De Janeiro 2012). Urban violence is an increasing problem that that has influenced every

Degree in Economics, Finance and Management - Managerial Accounting Essay

Degree in Economics, Finance and Management - Managerial Accounting - Essay Example The roles they currently play have become increasingly huge and difficult. They are the center of the decision making in both business firms and organizations. They are currently solely responsible for setting up and keeping the financial policies as well as being responsible for management of information system. The support they provide is essential because they work together with other management colleagues to ensure that all matters financial are equitably managed. Basically the work of the management accountant is to forecast on the future by ensuring that the advice they give is for the interest of the future growth and stability of the enterprise. They look at how the business is progressing and offer an advice on how problems can be effectively managed and on how to adapt to modern changes in business trends in order to remain relevant in the market industry (Smith, 2005). To achieve this dreams the management accountant look at ways of reducing business costs both operational and production cost and how to set up more and implement more viable strategies. Their work is not limited to specific sections but it cuts across the organizations. Manager’s information need differ with regard to the nature of entities operations and their role within the organization. Much of information that touches on management accountancy is based on both qualitative and quantitative data. This emergence was first instigated by a perceived disconnect between the theory and the practice of management accounting, and more specific on the most common perception that the traditional wisdom of management accounting textbooks is not widely used in practice. However the belief was based on few published work. Yeshmin and Das, research that was carried out in 2009 in Bangladesh showed that managers of the financial institutions are more comfortable when they apply both variance and budgetary control analysis to measure their performance among the

Organizational Structure Essay Example for Free

Organizational Structure Essay In this paper, I will analyze the elements of a job analysis and discuss its significance to the hiring and employee development aspects of human resource management. I will describe the importance of a PAQ, proposing two ways the results can be used to redesign a customer service job for efficiency. I will develop two strategies that HR professionals can in the selection for a customer service position using a Fleishman Job Analysis System. I will examine the challenges for designing this job for efficiency and suggest two ways to redesign it. Finally, I will propose three ways a HR manager can use the information from a job analysis to measure the performance of customer service representatives. One of the most important aspects of human resources is recruiting. In order to recruit the best applicants, job recruiters have to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the position. The best source of information about a position comes from a job analysis. A job analysis is the process of getting detailed information about jobs. A job analysis helps recruiters to match job requirements with the best applicants. It is also essential in employee development, performance appraisals and compensation. A job analysis includes many steps but only three elements. Those elements are the sources of job information, the job specification and the job description. The first element of the job analysis is the source of information used. In doing the analysis, human resource professionals gather information about jobs through interviewing employees, observing performance of certain tasks, asking employees to fill out questionnaires and worksheets, and collecting information about a job from secondary sources. Other sources within the company include existing job descriptions and supervisors. Some of those  secondary sources include existing job analysis information from a competitor and O*NET. Next, the job specification includes the tasks that make up the job, the conditions under which the job is performed and what the job requires in terms of aptitude, knowledge, skills and abilities (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2014). This will provide a lot of data. It measures the amount of time the employee spends on major duties. It provides a description of the major duties in order of importance. It determines whether any licensures, certificates or security clearances are needed to perform the job, as well as the physical, environmental and mental demands of a position. This information is essential in creating a job description. The last element is the job description. â€Å"A job description is a list the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2014).† A well-written job description can sell jobs to perspective employees and develop training programs as a job position evolves. Sometimes the needs of business changes and therefore some duties may change within a position. â€Å"For the employer, the job description is often used as a recruiting tool and by supervisors to outline position expectations. The job description may be used to indicate salary or reporting structure and as a reference during performance evaluations (Richards, 2014).† Once all the information has been assembled for a job analysis, it can be further analyzed by using a position analysis questionnaire (PAQ). â€Å"A PAQ is a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 questions about work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2014).† The purpose of the questionnaire is to measure the job characteristics and its relation to the human characteristics. The PAQ can be used for a few different things. Common uses include developing a compensation model, selection criteria for a specific job and to study the nature of work (PAQ.com, 2014). A PAQ can be used to redesign a customer service job to be more efficient and improve quality. â€Å"Using the PAQ provides an organization with information that helps in comparing jobs, even when they are dissimilar (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2014).† In making those comparisons, analyzers might find ways to be more efficient. The collected data from this approach helps in developing or revising a job description. In the customer service business the needs of each customer can vary. Therefore, responsibilities of a customer service representative can vary to meet those needs. Those things might not be listed in the job description but will need to be added in order to keep the job description updated. Furthermore, information learned from the PAQ helps in evaluating the position for appropriate classification. A good source to use for worker requirements is the Fleishman Job Analysis system. The Fleishman Job Analysis system (F-JAS) is a job analysis technique that asks subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2014).† Because the results of a F-JAS, provides a picture of the ability requirements of a job, than recruiters know what abilities to scan for when reviewing resumes. Typing skills might be a skill that is important in a customer service position. The F-JAS can give us an idea of just how important typing is to a job so that we would be able to make reasonable accommodations for an applicant with disabilities. Human resource professionals can also use F-JAS to update job descriptions. As processes change the need for some abilities change as things may become automated, therefore job responsibilities change. â€Å"Kannisto adds, â€Å"With the compliance environment and legal implicati ons, the stakes are a lot higher for job descriptions to be crystal clear with essential responsibilities. If you have a measure of performance that doesn’t appear on the job description and you have a case brought against you, depending on the agency [involved], there could be punishment,† he explains (Tyler, 2013).† When considering the job of a customer service representative (CSR) who handles consumer inquiries for a company that sells items online and by catalog, a few challenges of designing this job for efficiency, come to  mind. The first challenge that comes to mind is monotony. Over time, employees will be bored of doing the same job over and over. Even more so if the job is divided into departments, such as sales, returns and customer service, employees will lose interest. A suggestion for redesigning the customer service representative position is job enlargement. Employees might find the job more engaging if all the calls came through on department. We could cross-train employees to be able to handle all the calls that come through the queue. Another suggestion is job rotation. Maybe every week, we could rotate the tasks. We could also make some customer services responses automated for customers. So if a customer wanted to check status on an order, we could generate a system automa ted response so that those calls don’t come into the call center. Another challenge for designing a customer service representative job is defining authority. Sometimes, customer service requires problem solving and quick decisions. Waiting to speak to a manager can be frustrating for the customer and it makes the employee look incompetent, because it increases hold time. The employee probably feels impotent having to get permission to make a decision, especially when they know what to do. A suggestion for redesigning the CSR’s position is job enrichment. CSR’s need a certain amount of authority when it comes to resolving customer service issues. This is a way to raise productivity levels and employee satisfaction from a sense of personal achievement in taking ownership of problems and meeting the challenge of increased responsibility. A human resource manager (HRM) can use the information obtained from job analysis to measure the performance of a customer service representative. Job analysis is a set of procedures or methods for determining what workers actually do on the job and for describing which aspects of worker knowledge, skill, ability, and other characteristics are needed for job performance. This process defines a productive employee and gives human resource managers a place to start for measuring performance. One way HRM can use this information is in making personnel decisions. This tool can help determine whether an employee should receive a promotion, transfer, pay increase or be fired. It can also be used for employee development. A performance  appraisal will determine the strengths and weaknesses of employees. This is key to helping our CSR’s grow, because we can create training programs to increase their skills levels. Taking the time to strengthen their weaknesses will make them perform better, which is great for the company. Finally, the performance appraisal can be used as documentation to protect a company from lawsuits, because it is used as the basis for personnel decisions. In conclusion, the job analysis is the foundation of most human resource functions. With its use, job descriptions are created and updated which standardizes recruiting. It is a perfect outline for measuring performance of new and existing employees. Job analysis provides training and employee growth opportunities. Personnel decisions are also validated by job analysis, because it creates a system of checks and balances for hiring, performance appraisals, promotion and demotion and/or firing. Works Cited Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, (2014). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. (5th ed., p. 103). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, (2014). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. (5th ed., p. 107). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, (2014). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. (5th ed., p. 108). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. PAQ.com. (2014). The paq program. Retrieved from http://www.paq.com/?FuseAction=Main.PAQProgram Richards, F. (2014). Key parts to job descriptions. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/key-parts-job-descriptions-12366.html Tyler, K. (2013, Jan. 01). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/2013/0113/pages/0113-job-descriptions.aspx

Working Across Boundaries: Advantages and Disadvantages

Working Across Boundaries: Advantages and Disadvantages This paper examines the perspective of working across boundaries from the lens of Hunan Resource Management. The paper is split into four main parts. The Introduction which provides the background to working across boundaries as it applies in HRM today. A definition section that examines the different aspects of working across boundaries i.e. social, physical, knowledge and mental. Further examination of some theoretical perspectives including the work of Heracleous. The reason that modern organisations need to work across boundaries together with consideration of strategy and leveraging capabilities. A section that looks at the advantages and disadvantages of working across boundaries with a focus on the public sector including healthcare organisations and local authorities. The conclusions summarise the key points. DEFINING WORKING ACROSS BOUNDARIES During the last decade, the concept of working across boundaries has become a popular concept. The basic premise is that individuals and organisation need to traverse boundaries if they are to achieve their goals. Essentially earlier concepts of fixed organisational demarcation lines no longer apply in modern day business concepts. Within the organisational framework the concept of boundaries can become a reasonably complex issue. There still remains an active debate as to whether the definitions of boundaries are realistic, objective or imagined. The concept has become more complex with the use of outsourcing and Public/Private partnerships in terms of lines of demarcation and authority. (Bishop, 2003) The concept of boundaries within organisations takes on different shapes and forms. Much of this has to do with social and knowledge boundaries. The explosion in technological and communication advances has simplified the concept of working across boundaries. Despite the fact that organizations still are challenged to collaborate and share information, nevertheless individuals seem much more liberated in this regard with advancement in social media. Russ Linden is one author who has investigated this, with particular focus on Public sector organisations. (Linden, 2003). The old fashioned concept of organizational design was the creation of silos or departments where functions, roles and responsibilities would be clearly defined within the context of a hierarchical matrix. For example Sales, Finance, Production would each be self-contained units within the organisation and clearly defined lines of demarcation within the business. The Heads of these Departments would be Senior Managers and expected to collaborate with one another but not trespass into the other domains. The holistic business strategy relied upon each unit to fulfil its role within the overall strategic plan. As organisations involved in size and complexity this model posed serious shortcomings and new thought processes were required. This required improved leadership thinking and more collaboration across boundaries. (Stevens, 2006). Working across boundaries remains an important part of Public Sector relationships and impose significant challenges to business operations but they create distinctive value sets and improved goals in the business relationships (Sullivan, 2007) Concepts of working across boundaries In management terms boundaries are often classified as lines of demarcation that often impose constraints. Those items that determine managerial effectiveness. For example: how a business works within the confines of a specific environment; the concept of specific leadership styles and the influence on organizational behaviour. It was Heracleous  [1]  who pointed out in 2004 that both organisations and the environments they function in are inter-related. They create structures and social orders that assist in the definition of the business and its purpose. (Heracleous, 2008) Understanding social boundaries This essentially relates to the relationships that are formed between groups of individuals within an organization. Heracleous maintained that boundaries have remained central to the thinking of social scientists in the establishment of social boundaries between groups and individuals. Particular reference made to that of transactions costs and how modern technology like sophisticated communications and the internet have had a profound impact here. It has directed whether the boundaries have either diminished or enlarged and the effect on production costs has influenced important decisions like that of outsourcing or internalisation of specific tasks. (Heracleous, 2004). Understanding social change can be studied by the adoption of Lewins Forecefield Analysis. There are numerous models that you can adopt to examine the impact of Change to the Organization. One common method approach is that of Lewins Forecefield Analysis. Fig 1 provides an example of the model. Figure Force field Analysis exampleThis enables you to examine both the driving and restraining forces that emerge as a result of the proposed changes. The model is particularly good for identifying forces that are considered to be polarized i.e. a change in one condition creates an equal and opposite effect in the other. The model was designed by Lewin to assist the Process Analyst to guide people through the unfreeze, move and refreeze stages of business process analysis. It is also an excellent means of demonstrating the dynamics that are in play. So by completion of the Force field Model you have acquired the data in order to complete Lewins Three Step Model. In the Unfreeze you examine the status quo and those driving forces for change. You can decrease the resisting forces against change. The move element involves taking actions and moving people. The freeze means make the changes permanent and establish new ways of doing things. Introduce concept of rewards for achieving the d esired outcomes. Understanding knowledge boundaries The sharing of knowledge has both an internal and external boundary. For example in the internal model it is desirous for information to be shared between the Sales and Marketing departments. This empowers both department to do a better job. Externally, there is the sharing and collaboration of knowledge and information between allies. For example a UK based company and its overseas subsidiary. In order for an organization to be successful it must manage its four pillars of knowledge. These being Leadership, Organization, Technology and Learning. Information Technology (Pillar 3) has achieved an amazing impact in the promotion and dissemination of knowledge in the business environment. Unfortunately Technology has had a greater influence on guiding the strategic planning of organizations, as opposed to the other way round. One example being that of Enterprise Planning Systems like SAP and J.D. Edwards One World system. Organizations have re-engineered their knowledge base and business processes in order to meet the integrated demands of the software application. (Bixler, 2002) Knowledge Managers need to understand that despite the many advantages Information Technology (IT) has to offer the workplace it is not a magic utopian panacea. Equally any Information Technology application that undervalues Knowledge Management will equally fail in the business place. (Mohammed). If Knowledge Management is to be considered effective with IT in business it must be treated as its equal partner. Knowledge Managers have criticised IT as being lacking in areas like tacit knowledge. Hence there is a need to incorporate items of behavioural consideration and cognitive function. (Bixler, 2002) There is an increasing demand and challenge being placed upon the CIOs of business organizations and as such Managers need to become more vocal about their expectations and use the four pillars as a framework in order to further improve the integration of knowledge in the organization. Understanding physical boundaries The concepts of boundaries are important because it is these that represent challenges which organisations must overcome. Although organisations are essentially construed as open systems and these providing a continued interface with their environment. Many academics still believe that it is management that defines the physical boundaries and how you differentiate between internal and external items. (Schnieder, 1987). In reality it is difficult for management to define these boundaries as organisations have multiple stakeholders; such only by the integration of the combined needs can you truly obtain an understanding of the organisational identity. AS such those members of the organisation are of a precarious nature and there are many different ways in which they may be depicted as being inside or outside of the organisational composition. (Lane, 2000). Understanding Mental boundaries Mental boundaries essentially relate to individual perception of what is considered to be internal or external to the organisation. This being what is considered to be acceptable and that which goes beyond this to the realm of external control. It is this form of cognitive schema that helps individuals to create and understand the different social boundaries within an organisation. These differentiations often create perceptions of attitudes related to us and them and the formation of symbolic boundaries that enable distinctions to be drawn. (Heracleous, 2004). The need to work across boundaries Essentially the need to work across boundaries relates to that of collaboration with other entities in order to help the development and growth of the organisation. This may range from that of strategic business alliances, creation of partnership arrangements, developing business networks and other forms of collaboration and communication in order to benefit the business. Further, the concept of business transformation and organisational change can promote the need to work across boundaries. Hence regardless of the barriers created, being real or imaginary, we are almost compelled to work across them. Advantages and Disadvantages of working across boundaries Advantages of working across boundaries There are numerous advantages to working across boundaries, particularly within the Public Sector environment. Briefly, these may be enumerated as follows: Increase in working collaboration Integration of partnerships with the Private Sector Reduction of costs and process improvements Expanding networks and building knowledge Response to complex public policies Leveraging strategy and operational capabilities Aligning organisations and cultures Improvement of leadership capabilities balancing risk and reward (Blackman, 2010). Increase in working collaboration Historically the concept of collaborative working was rarely recognised as having any strategic importance. Silos were created in both Public and Private sector organisations and many of these departments functioned self-autonomously. In modern day context this has all changed and it is recognised that collaborative working both inter and intra the organization has significant benefits. In particular the organisation is better equipped for: Dealing with business transformation and change Ability to provide better service levels and customer support Optimization of resources and cost reduction strategies Ability to innovate and create by improved knowledge acquisition Easier to transition to new change requirements Increased flexibility and ability to share successes and failures The concept of collaboration is an enabling function that allows you to bring people together with different views and opinions. This concept of diversity enriches the decision making process and improve the dynamics in business working relationships. This has been successfully introduced in the Health Sector in Wales. Here different local authorities were required to formulate med-long term strategic plans. Direct collaboration between the authorities enabled the sharing of knowledge and ideas which facilitated rationalization and a more improved overarching holistic result. (Sullivan, 2007). Another example of collaboration is the ability to bring key stakeholders together in a collaborative environment. This has been effective in both local and central government projects. Bringing the stakeholders together creates greater synergy and improved policy implementation with the organisational setting. Collaboration has extended into areas of joint policy making, as opposed to just sharing information. Geoff Delamare from Surrey County Council states there are some distinct learning points from collaborative working i.e. Creating the level of trust between partners, ensuring transparency in communications and sharing knowledge; admitting mistakes, creating a collaborative environment and not imposing a ruling regime. (McCann, 2012). Integration of partnerships with the private sector Partnership approaches have increased in popularity over the last decade. In the public sector they have obtained wide political support. This has been seen as a means of making process improvements whilst optimizing cost expenditures in order to provide improved value for money. The UK Audit Commission is an example of where they have crossed boundaries to embrace working relationships with counterparts in the European Union (EU). This has been effective in collaboration to help improve inter-governmental policy implementation. (McQuaid, 2000). Reduction of costs and process improvements In these difficult financial times both Central Government public sector bodies and local authorities have been faced with managing tight budgetary programmes and reducing costs. The latter meaning resource and cost optimization in order to show the best returns on investment for monies expended. This has focused attention on streamlining processes in order to create improved efficiencies and eliminate redundancies. In addition, concepts of outsourcing to reduce resource costs and capital expenditure. Local Authorities in the UK have been very active in this area. Barnet Council is implementing an outsourcing plan in order to save  £120m . Others like Cornwall Council have been examining strategic partnerships to outsource both front and back office functions. IT departments remain particularly vulnerable because they are capital intensive and expensive to both operate and maintain. (Terry, 2013). Expanding networks and building knowledge In order for an organization to be successful it must manage its four pillars of knowledge. These being Leadership, Organization, Technology and Learning. Information Technology (Pillar 3) has achieved an amazing impact in the promotion and dissemination of knowledge in the business environment. Unfortunately Technology has had a greater influence on guiding the strategic planning of organizations, as opposed to the other way round. One example being that of Enterprise Planning Systems like SAP and J.D. Edwards One World system. Organizations have re-engineered their knowledge base and business processes in order to meet the integrated demands of the software application. Knowledge Managers need to understand that despite the many advantages Information Technology (IT) has to offer the workplace it is not a magic utopian panacea. Equally any Information Technology application that undervalues Knowledge Management will equally fail in the business place. If Knowledge Management is to be considered effective with IT in business it must be treated as its equal partner. Disadvantages of working across boundaries The main disadvantages of working across boundaries are enumerated as follows: Complexity and Commonality People, Culture and Leadership Power and Politics Performance Accountability and Budgets Complexity and commonality The success to working across boundaries is where sufficient empathy exists to recognise shared goals and values in order to predicate a desired outcome. Where there is a lack of sufficient commonality this can be a serious barrier towards attaining a successful outcome. The importance of shared or common goals is therefore of paramount importance in any collaborative venture. Trying to force collaboration in the wrong environmental setting will most likely incur resistance and ultimately force of costs and resource effort providing little return on investment. One particular example in the Public sector relates to the large failure of IT projects that have often lacked sufficient commonality. In 2003 in the UK a poll stated that only one third of all IT projects were successful. Nearly 70% of all projects being severely challenged or failing in their entirety. (Post Report 200, 2003). People culture and leadership The people issue is extremely important when working across boundaries as it requires a structured but flexible work group that are able to collaborate over both hard and soft structure. In the public sector the staff need to develop cross-boundary skills in order to facilitate inter agency co-operation. These however can be highly influenced by both policy and political agenda. It has been argued that within the public sector the influence of Human Resource Management (HRM) groups have created significant barriers to cross-party working relationships. Lack of good leadership skills in the public sector provided the inability for many senior leaders to work across boundaries and manage complex business transformation programmes. This prevented optimum leveraging of resources between different organisations. Good leaders are important enablers as they are important for leveraging resources, motivating people and ensuring that the work gets done. As such poor leadership constitutes a serious barrier in order to enable working across boundaries. This results in what has often been referred to as silo management style, the inability to progress beyond your own defined domain. Power and Politics The concept of working across boundaries may have a serious influence on the reshaping of power and politics within an organisation. This can be particularly potent where an area is perceived to be under threat. In this sense both politics and power are intertwined and political endorsements have the ability to create tremendous barriers. Ministers set the signals for civil servants to work across boundaries but this is often towards the attainment of specific political agendas. These can be very fickle and subject to change, hence the civil service has to be articulate in how this is both managed and interpreted. Performance in accountability and budgets Improved performance targets have been very popular in recent years. This has meant working across boundaries to optimise business processes and resource effort. Failure in the reconfiguration of performance systems can create significant barriers and a great deal of disruption in provision of remedial action. Budget attainment has equally been criticised in terms of holding Managers responsible for achieving budget figures, despite the fact that cross border relationships have provided them with only limited control and influence over the finances. (Parton, 1998). CONCLUSION The concept of working across boundaries is not a new concept but one that has been with us for many decades. Technology has created more enablers in terms of making this more operationally efficient and the ability to share information and knowledge. The reality of globalisation, struggling financial markets, the need for cost cutting and austerity measures have increased the need for more collaborative working. The use of sharing information in a collaborative environment often results in better outcomes and an improved managed risk portfolio. Leadership skills have become of paramount importance and in particular the skills required to motivate and influence others in a collaborative teamwork environment. Local authorities have been particularly successful in working with private sector relationships in order to enhance service provision, increased efficiencies and implementation of cost reduction programmes.

The Ear And Hearing Loss Essay -- essays research papers

The Ear and Hearing Loss The ear is the organ of hearing and balance in vertebrates. The ear converts sound waves in the air, to nerve impulses which are sent to the brain, where the brain interprets them as sounds instead of vibrations. The innermost part of the ear maintains equilibrium or balance. The vestibular apparatus contains semicircular canals which in turn balance you. Any movement by the head, and this apparatus sends a signal to the brain so that your reflex action is to move your foot to balance you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ear in humans consist three parts: The outer, the middle, and the inner portions. The outer ear, or pinna, is the structure that we call the ear. It is the skin covered flap of elastic cartilage, that sticks out from the side of the head. It acts like a funnel catching sound and sending it to the middle portion of the ear. The middle portion contains the ear drum and the connection between the pharynx and the drum, the Eustachian tube. The inner ear contains the sensory receptors for hearing which are enclosed in a fluid filled chamber called the cochlea. The outer and middle ears purposes are only to receive and amplify sound. Those parts ofd the ear are only present in amphibians and mammals, but the inner ear is present in all vertebrates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ear can hear in several different ways. They are volume, pitch, and tone. Pitch is related to the frequency of the sound wave. The volume depends on the amplitude or intensity of the sound wave. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch. Humans can hear about 30 and 20,000 waves or cycles per second. High pitch sounds produce more of a trebly sound, while low pitch sounds produce a rumbling bass sound.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a person loses these abilities to comprehend sound, it is referred to as deafness. It can be caused by disease, toxic drugs, trauma, or an inherited disorder. Those causes can be classified as conductive, sensorineural, or both. A conductive hearing loss results from damage to those parts of the ear which transmit sound vibrations in the air to the fluids of the inner ear. This type of damage is usually to the eardrum or small bones known as ossicles. Ossicles conduct sound from the eardrum to the cochlea. They cannot perform such an action if the eardrum is perforated, if the middle ear cavity is fill... ...lly there may be a school in a hospital.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hearing devices are also available. Hearing Aids operate on battery. They amplify the sound waves that the ear would normally receive. They range from $500 to $6000. INTERVIEW Question: How did you become about this disability? Answer: I was born with a hearing disability Q: When we talk, what exactly do you hear? A: The sound volume is lower but no distortion Q: Would you consider yourself hard on hearing? A: No, and I say no because I can hear when I pay attention but when I am not paying attention, it is like I am in my own world. Also, sometimes, I can see their lips moving which signals me to listen closely. Q: Did you ever go for any treatment? A: No, I didn't feel that it was necessary since it was just a matter of paying attention. Q: Do you wear any hearing devices? A: No, (same reason as last question) Q: Was it hard at all to communicate either as a child or as an adult? A: All the time I face the problem of someone talking to me and I don't even know it. Once someone mistakenly accused me of ignoring them. Q: Do you know what your overall score was on an audiometer? A: No, I was never tested

Erwin Chargaff

My name is Erwin Chargaff and I discovered the structure of DNA. After reading Oswald Avery’s report, in 1944, about how genes were composed of DNA I become motivated to begin work on the chemistry of nucleic acids. I started researching with the belief that DNA from different species are different so I had to come up with an experiment to examine the DNA from different species. It was hard for me because I couldn’t get large amounts of DNA so it took awhile for my experimenting. After about 2 years I was able to come up with a solid procedure containing three steps.First, I had to separate the DNA mixture with chromatography paper. Then I converted the separated components into mercury salts and last but not least I was able to identify the purines and pyrimidines ( the building blocks of nucleic acids) by using their ultraviolet absorption spectra. I tested this method several times and was finally able to use it to examine the DNA of yeast and pancreatic cells. About a month later, I submitted two papers on my findings of the DNA of calf thymus and beef spleen and tubercle bacilli and yeast.My papers were rejected so I decided to improve my procedure and by doing that I was able to examine more species. I summarized what I found on nucleic acids in a review and finally in 1950, my experimenting lead to me discover important facts. I came up with three rules that I named as Chargaff’s rule. The first rule is that the number of Adenine always equals the number of thymine. The second is that the number of guanine always equals the number of cytosine and the last one is that the purines (adenine and guanine) always equal the number of pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine.I was also able to prove that the DNA of various species are different from one another. I did not collaborate with anyone for my experiment but two years later I explained my findings to Watson and Crick who were then later to come up the with DNA structure. I was a bit surpri sed that I wasn’t included in the Noble Prize since I did share my information with Watson and Crick and with that they were able to come up with the model. So, after Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize, I withdrew from left my lab and started to write essays and lectures.

1. Discuss Dr. Faustus as a tragedy Essay

Ans—Understanding of Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan tragedy, Dr. Faustus, can be framed in terms of the Renaissance philosophy and the Elizabethan tragedy, which takes a different turn on some points from the Aristotelian tragedy, for instance such as the Elizabethan tragedy’s requisite death of the tragic hero. Dr. Faustus demonstrates the Renaissance philosophy that pits the dichotomy of good, angelic humanity against evil, depraved humanity. Marlowe’s play also is a model of the Elizabethan tragedy. Marlowe constructed the character of Dr. Faustus to represent within himself both characteristics of the Renaissance view of humanity as divinely good and hellishly evil. First, Dr. Faustus is presented as a scholar of all things including divinity, the highest Renaissance scholarly discipline. Then, Faustus is shown as dissatisfied with the limitations of humanity and grasping for unlimited knowledge, which is a Biblical allusion to Adam and Eve who ate of the Tree of Knowledge. Throughout the play, Faustus descends to lower and lower planes of knowledge in his pursuit for the â€Å"power† and â€Å"omnipotence† that comes from knowledge. At the beginning, Mephistopheles answers all Faustus’ questions but draws the line on talk of the universe, which can be seen to stand for astronomical and cosmological studies–the very studies that science is deeply involved in today: CERN; Hubble; SoHo; etc). Faustus must be content with merely mapping the universe instead of understanding it. Marlowe ultimately shows in Dr. Faustus the futility of the quest for ultimate knowledge and the inevitable end result of abandoning moral integrity for omnipotent knowledge. Dr. Faustus also represents a Classic Elizabethan tragedy. First, the tragic hero has a flaw or makes an error in judgment that leads to his own doom. It’s hard to say whether Faustus had a fatal flaw in his character or whether he was doomed by a faulty understanding that lead to a fatally disastrous error in judgment. All along the way, Faustus has doubts and hesitations which speak for an integrity of his moral character. If he has a fatal flaw, it might be that he did not reckon the power of evil highly enough, that he thought that with omnipotent knowledge, he could free himself from the chains of evil he wrapped so blithely around himself. Adam and Eve also fell to the punishment from the lure of knowledge. Of course, quite often Faustus’ fatal flaw is said to be greed and irreverent disregard for goodness. One clue to forming a literary stance on the question lies in examining his hesitations and second thoughts. In addition to this, the questions addressed in Marlowe’s play are nobel universal questions pertaining to the highest order of considerations: the meaning of life and death, the quest for knowledge, the respective power of of good and evil. In further accord with elizabethan tragedy, the play Dr. Faustus employs comedic relief through the presence of clowns that also acts as a means of giving information about the characters and the action of the play. The clowns in Dr. Faustus are Rafe and Robin. In Elizabethan tragedy, the clowns (rural, country simpletons who misuse language accidentally) and fools (urban dwellers who play with language and â€Å"misuse† it intentionally for wit) generally replace the Greek Chorus that carried the task of moving the st ory along with information not performed on stage, but in Dr. Faustus, Marlowe employs both the Greek-style Chorus and Elizabethan clowns. Finally, in keeping with Elizabethan tragic form, Faustus gets himself in so deep, his tragic flaw or error in judgement is so aggregious that it leads ultimately and necessarily to his death, thus fulfilling the fate of an Elizabethan tragic hero. Since Faustus has overestimated what he can attain from an arrangement with Lucifer and since he underestimated the power of Lucifer’s evil, his ultimate end must be and is death even though he recognizes his mistakes and pleads for pardon.