Challenging and Demanding Work Environments

Question: Discuss about the Challenging and Demanding Work Environments. Answer: Introduction I would like to discuss bout Dominos Pizza in this report, which is my working place. Dominos Pizza is a privately held organization which delivers pizza and is the largest company in the world. It was founded in the year 1960. Across the United states and other countries, it is operating more than 5700 units. The concepts of Dominos are very simple which offers only delivery and has only a limited menu. For 3o years and more its been offering only tow pizza sizes and 11 toppings and till 1990 only cola as a beverage. Later it added salads, bread sticks and additional courses other than pizzas to its menu for running the business as a key personnels. As a role of an employee my focus was to provide the quality pizzas and also the timely based service to the customers. Leadership Team Their leadership style is found to be a lot more way to a democratic style. They are trying to build a trust in their system so that it can be moved ahead faster. But according to me people have looked it in another way (Armstrong, 2013). The autocratic leaders of the company were trying to make the decisions and announce then and then make a move forward so that it would be well-organized. The type of leadership style they follow has resulted in giving them the following strengths and weaknesses. Strengths: They hold a very strong brand image The quality of food and service is maintained high Ordering food online is supported The service of home delivery is effective The customer can design the pizza of their choice Weaknesses: The price of the product is high The menu they offer is similar to other pizza points The food contains high calories The coverage area is limited to, delivery Work Structure The work strategy of Dominos pizza has been design is such a way that their intention is to achieve growth further by strengthening the competitive position with the implementation of their business strategy continuously. They wanted to be the best pizza delivery company in the world by having exceptional franchises and team members (Ahmad, 2013). The roles and responsibilities of manager are to provide assistance to the entire crew and continuous monitoring of the quality of food and service they provide to the customers. Their main aim is to check whether they adhere to the standards and maintaining the customer relations. All the policies and the procedures are to be followed and make the crew follow (Fisher Gonzalez, 2013). Decision Making The management is involved in developing franchises and the stores owned by the company is involved in putting all their efforts and making the right decisions. According to me the management style so making decision for the growth of the business is appropriate so that it wont be biased (Marcano et al., 2013). The decisions are made according to the situations, but if they would take the suggestions from the other level employees before making final decisions would be appreciable so that the situations can be analyzed properly. Teams and Team building The efforts made by the teamwork would often result in producing the outcomes at a greater level than what we get from the individual work (Marcano et al., 2013). The following measures have to be implemented for building the teamwork in the workplace include: Team work has to be encouraged by implementing the recognition programs Social activities are to be encouraged The role each member in a team has to be outlined clearly Any problems that are bothering the should be identified and assessed The members of the team should be empowered by instructing them how to solve their disputes Motivation The manager and the team lead would be the appropriate motivators for the team since they can offer opportunities for the individual persons for their self development and encourage them from their abilities (Roberts, Lowry Sayer, 2014). The individual staff has to be motivated so that they are informed by the goals set for them and how it reflects the company and it would lead to their development. Conflict Conflicts would be there in every company which arises when there is an exchange of the ideas and the creativity of others. The conflict was found to be dysfunctional as some cultural conflicts was involved when there was some suggestion shared for the benefit of the company (Sainsbury, 2014). The following measures are taken by the manager for resolving the dysfunctional conflicts: The ideas from the multiple people are integrated by collaborating their work The conflicts are compromised between team either by agreeing or disagreeing to the solution finally As the strategy of the conflict management, competing is chosen The things that are benefited by functional conflicts are: Clear expectations are set by the manger Employees are given freedom to speak and share their opinions The business strategies that are used are all the members who are in the conflict and affected by that are involved and cohesiveness is built between the team members Work Forecast The work is calculated according to the members of the teams and is distributed based on their abilities it is planned and carried further. Safety and healthy workplace system are generated by the company (Ulrich, Smallwood Sweetman, 2013). They give protection to the employees from burns and other workplace injuries. They should be designed as per the safety standards to make it more effective. Time Management Prioritize the projects and the initial targets that has to be me met and the tasks to be performed for the day. Doing work on time without procrastinating things Being punctual Quality Assurance The quality is maintained at the desired level in delivering the product and services to the customers (Marcano et al., 2013). The quality is best managed at our workplace by implementing the strategy of paying the special attention at each and every stage of processing the products. The ingredients are stored in temperature required by the product. Legislative Context Equal employment opportunity: At our workplace all individuals from different castes, race and disabilities are employed without any bias. Diversity: Workplace is very diversified by encouraging different cultures Anti-Discrimination: all people are treated equally in the workplace Unfair dismissal: without any prior intimation there is no unfair justice done to the employees Short term work organization: individulas who require work for short period are encouraged. References Armstrong, M., 2013.How to manage people(Vol. 29). Kogan Page Publishers. Ahmad, K.Z.B., 2013. Speed Lead. Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies.Leadership Organization Development Journal. Fisher, E.J.P. and Gonzalez, Y.S., 2013. The ABC Manager-How to Manage People more Effectively in Today's Challenging and Demanding Work Environments.Engineering Management Research,2(1), p.67. Marcano Belisario, J.S., Tudor, K.I., Sumalinog, A.R.N., Middleton, L.T. and Car, J., 2013. Educational interventions for improving the skills of medical practitioners to detect, diagnose, and manage people with cognitive impairment and dementia.The Cochrane Library. Peterson, D.R., Barrett, J.D., Hester, K.S., Robledo, I.C., Hougen, D.F., Day, E.A. and Mumford, M.D., 2013. Teaching people to manage constraints: Effects on creative problem-solving.Creativity Research Journal,25(3), pp.335-347. Roberts, H., Lowry, A. and Sayer, A., 2014. Assessment and management of older people with sarcopenia: Helen Roberts and colleagues explain the risk factors for loss of muscle mass and what nurses can do to manage and reduce its effects in patients.Nursing older people,26(5), pp.18-22. Sainsbury, K., 2014. Online program to help people with coeliac disease manage the gluten free diet.Australian Coeliac, The, (Mar 2014), p.20. Ulrich, D., Smallwood, N. and Sweetman, K., 2013.The leadership code: five rules to lead by. Harvard Business Press.

The Movie Django free essay sample

Willis AFRS 55T (Tamp;[emailprotected]:30) Dr. T. Hasan Johnson 02. 23. 13 Extra Credit The Movie â€Å"Django Unchained† The objective of this paper is to review some of the results of the discussion-panel’s analysis of certain aspects of this movie that relate to the Hip-Hop culture. On Thursday, February 21, 2013, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Africana Studies Department of Fresno State University. It was conducted at the African American Museum, Fresno California. Its purpose was to evaluate this movie’s effect on us (basically Black-Americans), by analyzing elements of this movie. This movie presents Black masculinity and femininity during the 1860s slavery era of America using characters that portray slaves as childish and stupid (the Betina or DArtagnan), violent (the Mandingo or Django), hypersexual (Sheba) and cowardly (all the black male slaves). These slavery created representations of Black masculinity (the Buck) and femininity (the Jezebel/Mulattoe) are relevant to Hip-Hop because they are the predominate characters being proffered as entertainment in the overwhelming majority of Hip-Hop videos. We will write a custom essay sample on The Movie Django or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The stereotypical persona of â€Å"The Buck† in the videos is the Gangsta/Thug and â€Å"The Jezebel/Mulattoe† is the Bitch/Ho— both are slavery created stereotypes. The Jezebel/Mulatto (Bitch/Ho) The Buck (Gangsta/Thug) Another aspect of this movie relevant to Hip-hop culture is the word â€Å"nigger†, used incessantly in the movie, just as, its morphed version, â€Å"Nigga† is used incessantly by Hip-Hoppers, in conversation and in their videos. Since language is one of the seven essential element of all cultures, the usage of the word â€Å"nigger† was discussed by the panel and audience and as a result of this discussion, we agreed that—without the use of the word â€Å"nigger†, â€Å"Django Unchained† would not be authentic; because, in this movie, â€Å"nigger† is a descriptive term, used to describe property, e. g. a slave or slaves—with no malice intended. Here are two examples, horse or horses and house or houses—ergo, nigger or niggers. The only character that uses â€Å"nigger† other than as a description of property is Stephen (the â€Å"Uncle Tom† played by Samuel L. Jackson). He used the word â€Å"nigger† to degrade his fellow black slaves. As with the movies use of â€Å"nigger†, the same can be said about Hip-Hop videos, they would lose its authenticity without the use of the word â€Å"Nigga† because â€Å"Nigga† in Hip-hop is a descriptive turn, but unlike â€Å"nigger† it versatility. For example, it can be used describe a relationship and its meaning changes depending on who is saying it and to whom. For example, in the movie when a Slave-master says â€Å"My nigger†, it does not have the same meaning as a Gangsta/thug or Jezebel/Mulattoe in a Hip-Hop video saying, â€Å"My Nigga†. The Slave-masters are describing their property, while the Hip-Hoppers are describing their relationships. During the audience participation portion of this discussion, a young black- man in the audience (Christopher Jackson) described how much the movie upset him. He also shared with us, the extent to which it made him realize how horrible slavery was; and how much suffering his ancestors had to endure; so that he can enjoy the civil rights he has today. He said, â€Å"Now I truly appreciate my ancestors and men like Martin and Malcolm, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that I can enjoy the freedom I have today. † Personal Reflections If the motives for making â€Å"Django Unchained† are to make us aware of how much our ancestors suffered under the yoke of slavery and to make us cherish our freedom; then, Christopher Jackson’s words are a testament to this movie’s success in both endeavors! In conclusion—I, along with many participants in this discussion, enjoyed â€Å"Django Unchained† and hope that there will be more movies made that expose the horrors of slavery, and that, also promote positive images of black men and women. [ 1 ]. This paper was submitted as extra credit for AFRS 27, 55T and 144 [ 2 ]. Heretofore, us, we, and our refers to Black-Americans [ 3 ]. Donald Bogle, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies Bucks

The Role of Stakeholders in Community Development free essay sample

Introduction Development, be it social, economic and/or environmental, has to be understood as an inherently political process of people claiming basic rights to manage the resources their lives depend on. In principle, everyone should be involved. Managing the inherent complexity requires a process of comprehensive engagement and negotiation with a broad range of stakeholders and the conscious and strategic acknowledgement of their divergent values and interests, needs and expectations. This paper emphasizes that dialogue and negotiation among stakeholders are the vehicles through which sustainable community development projects are established, implemented and monitored. Bottom-up CD programs which emanate from the grassroots level and closely involve community members are more successful than those that are developed top-down. Who is a stakeholder? There is not much disagreement on what kind of entity a stakeholder can be. The CD process consists of donors, target beneficiaries, partner agencies, government and non-governmental organizations. Bryson (1999) defines a stakeholder as ‘any person, group or organisation that can place a claim on an organization’s attention, resources or output, or is affected by that output’, which concurs with Freemans definition that: A stakeholder in an organization is (by definition) any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organizations objectives (1984). We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Stakeholders in Community Development or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thus, stakeholders are individuals or groups that may be positively or negatively affected by the project and those that can bring expertise or resources, each is of equal importance. How important are they? The importance of attending to stakeholders is emphasized in several literatures (Freeman 1984; Eade Williams, 1995; Hoff, 1998; Bryson 1999 etc. ). The authors explain that stakeholder support is needed to create and sustain winning coalitions and to ensure the long-term viability of organizations, policies, plans, and programs. Key stakeholders must be satisfied at least minimally, or public policies, organizations, communities, or even countries will fail. Stakeholder expectations and their satisfaction represent the basis against which CD efforts and activities are judged (Sautter, 1999). Satisfaction is achieved by being responsive to the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. These expectations are diverse and sometimes in conflict with each other, yet overlooking them could severely restrict CD work. Thus, the role of the stakeholder in the CD process presents obvious problems as each stakeholder carries an element of self-interest in the project, with different expectations and views on priorities. It is important to include stakeholders who represent the true diversity of the community; as Sautter (1999) states, if a project is not meeting the expectations of several interest groups, it probably should not exist at all. Stakeholder Engagement Any management activity is fundamentally a negotiation process between stakeholders that should be initiated from the start and maintained not only during the project/initiative but in the long term through appropriate organizational and institutional arrangements (Sanderson Kindon, 2004). CD projects engage people, organizations, NGOs and government and it is recognized that they have increased success if they promote stakeholder participation, coordination and cooperation and reflect consensus opinion (Kleemeier, 2000; Eguren, 2008). Newman (2008) and Eguren (2008) appreciate the fact that similar issues affect stakeholders differently. As such, managers need to constantly assess stakeholder significance in the light of individual issues, in order to guide the amount of time and resources allocated to them. Effective CD demands synchronous attention to the genuine interests of all appropriate stakeholders. Sautter (1999) emphasizes this premise and cautions that failure to retain participation of even a single primary stakeholder group could result in the failure. The idea of comprehensively identifying and accommodating stakeholder values and interests with the ultimate aim of agreeing on a common agenda toward sustainability is a complex process and requires consensus building (Weisbord Janoff, 2000). This does not simply mean realizing that multiple stakeholders have different needs and values, but to sincerely try to understand and respect their differences. Therefore, as Simpson et al. , (2003) state, successful intervention of projects depends not only on genuine stakeholder participation but strong and effective management, as well as skilled and committed staff. CD project workers need to have the ability to recognize and respond effectively to a disparate set of entities. Consulting with, educating and assessing stakeholder motivation is important so that their influence doesn’t potentially conflict with and undermine the project’s goals. Weisbord and Janoff (2000) emphasize that subjects involved in CD, particularly the CD organizations, must thus develop and use skills and capacities for productive multi-stakeholder collaboration. These should include: systematic thinking, cultural sensitivity, trust building and mutual understanding and developing process to build social capital and strong multi-stakeholder networks. Planners need to adapt to diverse communication styles, changing priorities and different values in a non-judgmental, non-threatening and non-defensive manner and recognize that there is more than one way, one theory, and one solution (Newman, 2008). Stakeholder Strategies: the Bottom-up Approach The ‘bottom-up’ approach posits a broad range of stakeholders actively engaged in development action: each stakeholder is different, with its own interests, missions, procedures, and ways of deploying power in development action. Recognizing the multiplicity of the subjects of development is, as many authors believe, especially crucial for improving bottom-up practice (Kleemeier, 2000; Sanderson Kindon, 2004; Newman, 2008). CD projects planned ‘top-down’ do not allow for participation of all stakeholders, namely community members. For example, Simpson et al. (2003) reports on their project: ‘the nature of the community’s participation was regulated by the government’s agenda for the project, rather than by the community’s own needs, and individuals outside the immediate steering committee consequently felt isolated from decision-making and ownership of the project. The failure of traditional top-down development approaches was attributed to the lack of involvement of most of the potential beneficiaries and led observers of, and participants in, CD to advocate for an approach that included as many stakeholders as possible. A shift in the approach to community developmen t (CD) has afforded more local communities the opportunity to participate in processes to articulate their expectations and to prioritize their needs (Ife, 1995). The premise behind this approach is that local people need to fully participate and contribute towards addressing their own problems in their own communities. It is only out of the community’s own efforts that a change can be realized, because they are better informed of their needs and are the best sources of the answers to these needs. This creates an enabling atmosphere for them and enables participation in the implementation and the monitoring of the development. The aim of community participation is the empowerment and capacity building of people, which allows beneficiaries of projects to choose their alternatives. Community participation in development initiatives leads to self-transformation and self-reliance, thereby ensuring sustainability of programs and projects. It is easy to conclude that supporting local bottom-up processes brings greater and faster impact regarding the development of marginalized communities compared with highly politicized and abstract top-down approaches. The relevance of bottom-up participatory approaches has increased as organisations work to scale up their impact by undertaking projects which aim to build capacity or have an emphasis on developing local advocacy (Kotaval; 2005; Sautter, 1999) . Participatory aspects that enhance CD projects have been identified by several authors. Laverack (2001) provides a useful overview of the ‘operational domains’ of community empowerment, which he states is central to CD. He highlights that without participation, community empowerment and thus development would not occur. Diamond (2004) refers to participatory development as the co-operation, mobilization of communities or involving communities in the execution of development plans. Moreover, this approach emphasizes the importance of the inclusion of people, partnerships, the sharing of power and responsibility and empowerment. It views the communities as people with potential as well as capacity to manage their own development and above all encourages involvement of all stakeholders relevant to the development process (Simpson et al, 2003). Healthy, self-reliant communities are, as Weisbord and Janoff (2000) assert, built on connections stimulated by the empowering of individuals and groups. The participatory, bottom-up approach allows: Understanding the context If all stakeholders are consulted, a thorough understanding of the context of the CD project is gained. Resources acquired through CD do not benefit all segments of the community equally, depending on gender, age etc. , and it is imperative that CD planners take into account the interplay of the society and local community gender dynamics, culture, and power structures to accommodate for this (Ward et al. , 2008). Creativity Diversity of stakeholders groups and demographics allows for more creativity to problem solving and focuses on the strengths of the group. They often contain the seeds for new solutions. Placing value on local knowledge and the context in which it has been produced provides an avenue for establishing the trust relations and collaboration that are the basis for a successful development partnership and process (Sanderson Kindon, 2004). Through designing a process which draws on the strengths of multiple approaches, each bringing with them their own advantages and constraints in these ways, the final result is likely to be much richer. Relationship and Trust Building Involving all stakeholders allows them to communicate and build beneficial relationships and trust. Social capital theory suggests that people achieve more by cooperating, thus stakeholder engagement is a major catalyst for the creation of social capacity and capital. Putnam (1993) suggests that social capital is built through the trust we develop by working together and Cox (1995) talks about the necessity of trust in order for collaboration to occur as â€Å"trust leads to cooperation†. These relationships create a learning space, particularly for polarized dialogue, and exposes and challenges the discourses and mindsets of many participants. Empowerment and Capacity Building Bottom-up approaches are more socially inclusive, build on local strengths, and promote leadership, as well as ownership and accountability, of both problems and solutions (Simpson et al. , 2003). This leads to empowerment and builds capacity which enables the community to carry out the plan in the absence of the consultant, ensuring sustainability (Laverack, 2001). Stakeholders in contest – Limitations to the Bottom-up Approach The relationship between CD projects and providers, namely NGO’s, and their donors, illustrates the way in which stakeholder’s interests can conflict and jeopardise the bottom-up process. The structures and major players operating within the development arena were traditionally formed as a top-down system. However, the transformed focus of development toward a bottom-up approach has come into tension with this top-down structure; participation from the bottom-up is difficult when projects are planned at higher levels (Simpson et al. , 2003). As the general structure of development actions has historically been established as top-down, it is no surprise that top-down notions continue to be reflected in practice. CD providers usually come under pressure to achieve the goals of their donors (who usually work according to Western business principles) and are required to maintain appropriate upward accountability. However, as Simpson et al. (2003) point out, the recipient organisations and communities may not necessarily have the same goals as the donors. Thus, those projects heavily dependent on meeting the requirements of their donors probably won’t develop good relationships with, or meet the requirements of, the communities involved, which will undermine the CD process itself. The power imbalance between â€Å"funders† and â€Å"providers† of CD projects has been identified as a significant problem as it is likely that CD planners will be pressured to implement programs out of step with local needs (Davies, 1997). More consultation with and education of donors by their recipients is required to allow donors to better understand the nature of their project and their relationships with communities (Davies, 1997). CD providers must develop the capacity and professionalism to be able to challenge their donors to construct their CD project in such a way that the interests of the recipient communities are at the forefront and have a more active role in defining their own concepts of civil society (Weisbord and Janoff, 2000). Flexibility within the project that allows incorporation of feedback from participatory evaluation needs to complement ongoing work, linking its aims nd methods to that of the original project, including deep consideration of the power relations of all those involved in the project. It is only through this openness, and an ability to challenge a program of work and integrate learning directly into practice, that stakeholder interests will be balanced effectively over the long-term. Conclusion CD is a mediation process between real and perceived conflicts of interest among stakeholders in a community. Tensions among development stakeholders exist inherently alongside the commo n desire to improve the well-being of disadvantaged people. There is a broad range of stakeholders actively engaged in development action: each stakeholder is different, with its own interests, missions, procedures, and ways of deploying power in development action, their values, interests, participation and power dynamics are critical factors in determining the outcome of CD. It is therefore vital to consider them, not just in the planning phases of projects, but through its entire course, to ensure projects remain relevant and coherent to the context in which they are being implemented (Simpson et al. 2003). However, connections and interactions among stakeholders are dynamic and inherently problematic, and must be recognized and negotiated to enable existing understandings and ways of working to be challenged and new ways to be trialed and adopted (Quarles van Ufford ,1993). Accommodating collective action through participative, bottom-up approaches acknowledges the complexity of stakeholder interactions and creates a platform for communities to develop. References Bryson, J. M. (1999). A Strategic Planning Process for Public and Non-Profit Organisations. in J. M.

The Ethereal Plane Essays

The Ethereal Plane Essays The Ethereal Plane Paper The Ethereal Plane Paper Without Time on your side I cannot be stoped. My Daemon forces will soon pour onto the Ethereal Planes, and this fool he pointed his finger towards the semi concious Sirch who was attempting to clamber up to a standing position has sent a large majority of your Solar forces to defend the City Of Knights. You are doomed mohahahhhahahah. And with a swish of his cloak he was gone, the Dark Lord had left. His laugh still echoed through the minds of the stupidfied Ethereal beings. All but Rezarf looked to stunned to move, he helped Sirch to his feet and then spoke. Gather all the Solar and Angelic forces you can. he decreed And move with great haste to the Gates of Hell, we must fight him. Sir! Our forward scouts report the seals on the Gate have been broken, but it has yet to be opened. Good work Colonel, gather your forces and prepare to march on the Gate. We cannot let the creatures of the Nine Hells lose on the Ethereal Plane. Very Good, Rezarf my liege. And so it was.. The combined Solar and Angleic forces of the Gods of Good marched towards the Gates of Hell. Each God defending the Ethereal Planes was armoured and battle ready, for Ethereal Powers alone could not stop other immortals. Rezarf was dorned in glittering white plate mail, and held in his hand the legendary great sword Mikil; Sirch marhced alongside side him in golden mail crafted for him by Deah Neequ (the Elvish God of Craftsmen) and carried with him a long sword of Lighting; Amme was suited in light chain mail of heavy crimson and brandished two Rapiers of solid light; and the fearless Semloh (the God of Battle) lead the legions of Ethereal light adorned in his armour forged from the skin of Daemons, carrying his huge two handed battle-axe over his shoulder. Their forces numbered light, with only 200 Solar warriors and 300 Angelic fighters (as Sirch had sent 2000 Ethereal Guardsmen to the Prime Material from whence the could not be reclaimed in time). The did however know their Godly forces outnumbered those of the Dark Lords. 15 Human Gods marched alongside Rezarf, aswell as 5 Elvish, 4 Dwarfish, and 2 of the Halfling race, but they all knew only Rezarf alone could face up to the Dark Lord Iekkob. The marched forward with vigour and purpose, covering the ground very quickly. Whilst the heavenly light shined down upon them from the ever clear skies of the Ethereal Plane. Their shields, swords, and armour glinted and shimmered in the light. Their brightly coloured helms clinked, and their boots ruslted as they marched. The holy sound of the immortal troops marching to become mortal filled the canyons and hills as they passed. And as the grew ever closer to this possible doom the expressions on the faces of the Ethereal dwellers began to change, their brows grew furrowed and their eyes slender, they knew what was awaiting them was eternal nothingness if they failed. though for a lot they knew the void called for them even if they were victorious. Rezarfs expression, however, never changed; his face radiated steely deterimation and unquestionable belief, and this seemed to lift the downheartend soldiers of good. HALT ! Semloh gave a great cry and raised his hand, and the legions behind him began to stop. He moved to Rezarfs side, and they both stood deathly still. They gazed ahead for what seemed like an eternity for the forces of good, they all could sense the great evil emiting from the Gate but were not sure why they had halted so close to their journeys end. Ummm. Rezarf for once Sirch did not sound sure of himself Why have you and Semloh halted our army? Neither of the two answered him, so he joined them staring waiting. A loud hissing filled the air, the troops readyed themselves for battle. Shields were swung from backs, swords drawn from sheaths, and helms repositioned. Only Rezarf and Semloh did not move, the only apparent change was that they now seemed to b consetrating hard staring forwards with a purpose. Suddenly, very quickly, the unmistakable figure of the Dark Lord appeared. He was wearing no armour, only a robe of pure red and orange that seemed to be alight, and he carried no weapon, save for the staff of fire. He walked forward a few paces, bowed to Rezarf and Semloh, and started clapping. Bravo my dear friends. It seems there are some Stayers of the Light less gormless than your friend Sirch. I am proud of you Rezarf, you have done well to sense my concealed army. But I am afraid I must say NOW MY FIENDS KILL THE HARVANGERS OF LIGHT AND GOOD !!!!! He gave his arm a dramatic spin and pointed towards the bemused Ethereal Gods. They were looking from side to side, and some even took a shifty look behind them. Then out of no where a huge army of Daemons and other foul beasts of Hell appeared from behind Iekkob, charging forward. At the front of their lines where the Gods of Evil, and High Daemon Beast of Hell. The legions of light held their ground, drawing their swords and staying their shields. Crunch. The oncoming wave of Darkness had hit the barrier of light. The Solar, Angels, and Ethereal Beings held firm. Daemon after Daemon fell against the Solar Warriors. The Gods of Light and Evil were locked in combat, fighting to put each other into the void that awaited. Iekkob however slowly walked forwards towards Rezarf and Semloh, who stood together as Sirch had flinched at the oncoming wave and retreated to the lines of light. The occasionaly Daemon ran at Rezarf and Semloh, but with a blood curldling thud they fell as the Battle God swung his great axe. And likewise for Iekkob, though it was his glare that seemed to fell the majority of Solars and Angels approaching him. He approached the two leaders of light and spoke clearly heavenly through the choas. Come my friend Semloh, you are the God of Battle, are you afraid to face me in combat. Semloh growled a heavy growl, and bellowed as he charged towards the Dark Lord. I AM AFRAID OF NO FIEND !!!! Semloh swung his great axe as soon as he was in ranged of Iekkob. It was swung with great power, great strength, and incredible speed. For a fraction of a second it seemed to be a clean swing, looking to take the Dark Lords neck, but with timing and uncanny speed the calm, almost complacent, Iekkob raised his staff and defelected the blow. He then thurst his hand outwards and the invisible force pushed Semloh to the ground, about a metre away. He jumped to his feet, but the Dark Lord was their, and he was knocked down by a heavy blow from the staff. The Battle Gods forehead burned and blead as he lie gasping for air on the hard floor. As he looked up he saw the staff decsending towards his chest, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate. The Dark Lord smiled and withdrew his staff from the Gods chest, feeling Semlohs power draining into him. He looked at Rezarf and continued towrds him. Rezarf turned his gaze from Iekkob, and moved it across the battlefield. His eyes feel upon the figure of Yug diving in front of Amme, and taking the spear of Ydrof through the chest. Sirch was battling against Liwl valiantly his sword moving with speed to deflect the two lighting quick daggers of Liwl, but in vain as he was sliced with blood gussing accuracy by Elags from behind. Elechim had drawn her katana and buckler and was slicing through the ranks of the Daemon High Lords, only to be beheaded by a Harkul King, and lost to the void. Yadand, thanks to his great strength, was holding his own and Xela lay dead at his feet, the Drowish Gods entrails spilling along the floor as her summoned Drow Kings fought to protect her body; but even he fell to the skillful spear of Ydrof. Amme shrieked with anger and launched herself at Rehcturc, her beautiful hair billowing as she ran. The God of Orcs, and so forth, lunged without skill his great two handed sword thrusting forward. Amme deflected the thrust with her first Rapier and dislogded Rehcturc head with the second. Iemaj was quick on the action, he disimbowled a Solar Warrior, and thrust his short sword into the Ammes back her squeal covered the battlefield curdling the blood of the Ethereal Troops. Rezarf turned his gaze back towards Iekkob, who had stopped only 2 metres away from him waiting for his attention. Do you see now Rezarf, your cause is noble but pointless. My hordes of Daemons are slaughtering your Ethereal forces. The Gods who fought beside you are fallen deities. Where as my allies are strong, enhanced by the inheritance of the powers of your Gods of Good. I see nothing you wish me to Iekkob, you are evil. That is all I wish to know. And understand me good shall outlive evil. Look around you, my friend. Your army is all but routed and once your powers are mine I shall rule supreme on the Ethereal Plane. No. you wont. I shall stop you Iekkob, your were once my friend and for that reason I am truly sorry. Rezarf sighed heavily and thurst his hand forward, attempting use the unearthly force to throw Iekkob down. But he did not move, the Dark Lord simply laughed. You should know better Rezarf ! Neither of us can use our Godly powers this shall be a mortal fight. And with those words he leaped the remaining distance between them. Rezarfs sword flashed upwards, thrusting towards the Dark Lords chest, but was swiped away by the staff of fire. The had engage in a battle, where upon one would become supreme and the other would enter the void to be forgotten. You shall not be victorious Iekkob ! Rezarf shouted as he fought, warnings of his un-utterable belief in the power of good bellowed from him. The light shall prevail over the darkness. The glorious sword glinted and shone as its Ethereal owner used it to perfection. It hummed in the air, slash after thrust, after stab. Each was timing and speed to perfection. But the Dark Lords staff deflected every blow, with a sudden blaze of fire and embers as the two weapons smashed against each other. The Dark Lord fought his equal opposite, as did Mikil (the sword of Heavenly Light) as it was pitted against the staff of Hells Fury. Each as evil and righteous as their owner, the weapons blazed with their owners hatred for each other. The two most powerful immortals on the Ethereal Plane fought and fought, even as the battle drew to a close. Daemon forces were hunting and slaughtering the last of the Solar warriors and Angelic Fighters. Good and light shone only from its last carrier, Rezarf. He fought valiantly, though the Dark Lord fought supremely. Rezarf slashed downwards at the Dark Lords chest, but the staff caught the blow and deflected the sword. With speed yet unseen in the battle, Iekkob swung the staff of evil around and thrust hard. Rezarf fell to the floor, gasping for air, blood pouring from the open wound in his chest where the blow had landed. Mikil slipping from his grasp had fallen away. I have won my old friend. Goodbye. You have beaten me but you have not won Iekkob. I have seen your path and you shall lead the way to the void before me. The Dark Lord raised his staff and plunged it downwards, towards the Ethereal heart of Rezarf.   The shout echoed around the battlefield, Daemons cringed, Solars weapt, and the whole Plane shook with the sound of death. Storms crashed through the mortal Planes, as the powers gathered by this one of the most powerful immortals transended into a new host. The Dark Lord looked down, and through his chest stuck Mikil thrust from behind. The sword of Light radiated as the blood of evil itself ran down its glimmering blade. It was withdrawn and its wielder watched as the lifeless body of the Dark Lord fell to the ground, blood gushing from the weeping wound in his chest. His entrails slithered along the beaten grass and his eyes stared in fear as the void engulfed him. Thank You gasped Rezarf Light has prevailed because of youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu !!!!!! Rezarfs head rolled away across the battlefield, severed from his body, by the sword of Good. His corpe twitched as his Godly essence raced from it and into its knew host, and then it lay still dead. Rezarfs head had come to rest on the body of the Dark Lord, his eyes looking eeriely into the Iekkobs, his mouth parted into a smile his profecy had become truth. Hahahahahahah A Dark laugh filled the battlefield. Its owner stood proud and tall above the fallen bodies of the two most powerful Gods. As the dust cleared the Daemon forces turned their watchful gaze, and saw the figure of a Drowish King his enormous weapon held in front of him. The Daemons, Gods of Evil, and remaining Ethereal troops bowed and chanted.

Holistic - Concept Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Holistic - Concept Analysis - Essay Example The American Holistic Nurses’ Association (AHNA), 1994, explains health as â€Å"the maintenance of harmony and balance among body, mind, and spirit† (White, 2005, p.32). Through a process of continuous adaptation, the body endeavors to achieve balance or stability termed as ‘homeostasis’ among these factors. Internal physiological homeostasis is a balance of the body’s fluids. It is crucial for nurses to understand how the combining of all aspects of a person’s life help clients through healing processes. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper to undertake a concept analysis of the term ‘holistic’ through an integrated literature review, by identifying the attributes of the concept, and by illustrating the concept through a model case with supporting rationale. The Concept of ‘Holistic’ The holistic approach involves the whole picture. The Merriam-Webster (2011) dictionary defines holistic as concerned with whol es or complete systems rather than with the analysis, treatment, or separation into parts. Thus, holistic medicine relates to the treatment of both mind and body, while holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system. Further, the complete wholeness of something is much greater than the total sum of its component parts, and cannot be explained by examining each of its separate parts (Encyclo, 2011). The use of a holistic approach to treatment is gradually being used in combination with mainstream methods of patient care. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to examine holistic modalities of treatment and patient care. According to the National Institutes of Health, holistic care takes into consideration the whole person â€Å"including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects† (White, 2005, p.32). The main purpose of examining holistic care is to facilitate the integration of validated therapies into general patient care. The nurse using the holistic approach enables the patient to attain the optimal state for healing to take place. Further, as an instrument of healing, the holistic nurse healer facilitates the patient’s growth towards wholeness of mind, body and spirit. Holistic nursing calls for â€Å"deeper levels of commitment, compassion, love, and caring† (Dossey & Keegan, 2009, p.xv). According to Guzzetta (1998), holistic nursing is composed of caring, spiritualit, synchronicity, expanded consciousness, culture, environment and several other factors. Holistic care aims to heal the whole person using art and science to activate the innate healing potential within individuals, thus empowering the patient (Dunning, 2009). The Attributes that Define the Concept of ‘Holistic’ The holistic means of patient care that are used in nursing include biofeedback, exercise and movement, goal-setting, humor and laughte r, imagery, journaling, massage, play therapy, prayer, and therapeutic touch (White, 2005). The holistic model of nursing also has other attributes including a search for patterns and causes instead of treatment of symptoms of any disease; patient care is integrated and related to the entire patient, rather than specialized care. The emphasis is on human values rather than on efficiency (Dossey, 1997). Further, the nurse’s caring forms an essential component of healing; pain and disease are considered to be valuable signals of

VOTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

VOTING - Essay Example According Lijphart (1999, p69), Cleisthenes introduced one of the earliest recorded systems of democracy in Greece back in 508 BC. This system of democracy required voters to select the least preferred politician who was then exiled for ten years in a distant country. The minimum number of votes that were required to have a politician exiled was 6000.However, if more than one politician received more than the set threshold votes, the candidate with the higher number of votes was exiled instead( Lijphart, 1999,p72). In the thirteenth century, the Venetian state created one of the most developed electoral systems at the time. The Venetian system nominated forty members in ‘Great Council’ and in the mid 13 century, the number of council members elected was increased to sixty (Grofman, & Merrill, 1999, p53) Though Venetians applied different electoral systems, approval-voting system was the most popular. The approval system required voters to cast a single vote for every can didate vying for a position in the council. Eventually, the candidate who garnered the highest number of votes was declared the winner to represent the state in the council (Grofman, & Merrill, 1999, p38). ... Equally important all candidates should be treated equally, without favoring a particular person over another. By treating the candidates equally, Schofield (2001, p584) notes that the voters are presented with a favorable opportunity of electing a person of their choice without bias and prejudice of any sort. Fair elections should also ensure that the victory goes to the candidate with the highest number of votes. Different governments and organizations apply various methods of ensuring effectiveness of the participants’ votes. According to Lijphart (1999, p102), votes become ineffective in electoral processes that lack fairness and transparency to both voters and the candidates. These malpractices include allowing particular voters to cast more than one vote, discriminating voters based on their gender, social and economic status, tribe, or ethnicity. In such cases, the votes become ineffective because people are not given an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice ( Lijphart, 1999, p105). In United states for instance, debate on whether setting the minimum voting age amounts to discrimination of young voters still persist. Candidates should be given an equal platform for presenting their candidature to the electorate. However, Schofield (2001, p587) notes that many electoral systems in the world contain elements of unfairness that favor a particular candidate over another or others. In such cases, the preferred candidate receives preferential treatment in form of positive media coverage, favorable popularity ratings among other practices at the expense of the other candidates. These practices make the vote to be ineffective because the

Should illicit drugs be legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Should illicit drugs be legalized - Essay Example When one first hears that question, the mind immediately jumps to little packets of drugs like heroin and cocaine stacked on supermarket shelves where at most one would have to present id and thereby be in possession of them. However that might not exactly be the scenario the question itself is aiming at. No doubt drugs like heroin and cocaine should not be legalized. That is a matter so obvious that it is likely not to be the matter under debate and discussion anyway. The gray area arises when many of those illicit drugs are illustrated to have great medicinal benefit and seem no more capable of harm that cigarettes or alcohol. To answer the question, one must first explain what illicit drugs mean and how they may be further divided. Illicit drugs are any drugs that are illegal to trade, grow or possess. The word 'drugs', as mentioned, immediately gives rise to a negative stimulus in even the most educated of minds. But drugs do not necessarily have to be negative substances, or sub stances that harm a person. Medicines are also drugs, and many medicines also have the potential of being abusive substances, when administered incorrectly. Why then are they never sought to be made illegal? The answer to that is simple: because their benefits far outweigh any possible side effects that they may have. Certain illicit drugs such as Marijuana have been medically proven to have positive medicinal effects on patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or even AIDS. Granted, it is more popular as a recreational drug than a medicinal one, but perhaps the question should be over how to reduce the recreational appeal and enhance it more medicinally, and the laws against it should be not on the basis of sale or possession, but rather on stricter guidelines for its distribution. To say that all illicit drugs should be legalized is wrong, but to say that none of them should be is equally wrong. Drugs that are capable of being beneficial if correctly use d, such as the aforementioned marijuana should be further studied so that their harmful effects can be minimized and they should then be sold as medicines, but under the supervision of a doctor and only in the possession of a prescription. Antidepressants and relaxants are one of the most popularly used substances for abuse, yet they continue to be sold in pharmacies across the world, in likely every city of the world. Even cough syrup and laxatives have been recorded as abuse substances. Humans are capable of extracting negative benefit from almost any kind of substance or object imaginable. To make the substance illegal is counter-productive, as humans are also capable of find ways around the restrictions imposed upon them. Furthermore, it makes no sense to have substances like cigarettes and alcohol, which are shown to have almost no medicinal or health benefits at all, are freely sold, served and used, but others such as the aforementioned marijuana are not. Indeed, the reason t he latter is used might perhaps be the only reason the former are used: mental relaxation. Adults that consume alcohol or some generally do it to achieve a certain sense of calm or relaxation. When marijuana aims to serve the same purpose, why is the matter considered taboo? Those that argue over its being multiply more harmful do not consider how certain forms of tobacco, such as cigars, might be even more harmful than marijuana, yet they too are freely and legally sold. Perhaps the main fear over legalization of these drugs is that they tend to appeal to the younger generation, who unlike the adults that consume alcohol or smoke, might not be able to control their dependence on