Saturday, November 30, 2019

Motivation as a Manager Essay Sample free essay sample

Introduction In this ever-changing working environment. motive is basically of import to accomplish the aims of administrations. which are chiefly effectiveness and efficiency. So. what precisely is motive? Motivation refers to the psychological forces that determine a person’s behavior. and can be divided into two facets – intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motive refers to motive that is derived from one’s ain interest. while extrinsic motive is derived from behavior that is affected by external forces. such as stuff wagess or to avoid penalty ( Fang A ; Kant. 2011 ) . Motivation has been defined by many as: the psychological procedure that gives behaviour intent and way ( Kreitner. 1995 ) ; a sensitivity to act in a purposive mode to accomplish specific. unmet demands ( Buford. Bedeian A ; Lindner. 1995 ) . The simplest. possibly. would be that motive gets employees to work hard for the benefit of the administration. ( Sager. 1979 ) There has been extended research on the subject of motive. which has spawned several theories by legion writers. We will write a custom essay sample on Motivation as a Manager Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Harmonizing to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. employees have five degrees of demands which are: physiological. safety. societal. self-importance. and self- realization ( Maslow. 1943 ) . Knowing the demands that employees require. administrations can seek to carry through them in order to better their employees’ public presentation. However. while the demands of the employees are fulfilled by the administration as a whole. it is noted that the motive of employees are dependent on their direct directors every bit good. In a survey. employees place equal importance on the extent of how their administration and direct director fulfil their demands. ( Nohria ; Groysberg and Lee. 2008 ) Therefore. to guarantee organizational efficiency. directors play an of import function in understanding what motivates employees within the context of the functions they perform. ( Lindner. 1998 ) To understand more about direction in the existent universe. an interview was conducted with 3 different directors. With the purpose in head. Manager as a Motivator. we managed to obtain several points worthy of note. These points will be discussed at length in our analysis subdivision on how it corresponds with theories. every bit good as the grounds why if it does non. We will so be looking at the penetrations that we have discovered through these interview. followed by the decision. Background of Interviewee # 1 Adrian Chye is the General Manager of Mediafreaks Pte Ltd and Chief Operating Officer of Mediafreaks Cartoon Pte Ltd and Character Farm Pte Ltd. which is an award-winning new media and 3D life studio whose clients include large companies such as Energizer and Kraft. He has been closely involved in the development and planning of company schemes traveling frontward. ( Media-Freaks. com. 2010 ) Type of Motivational Methods Used Adrian Chye defines his direction manner as results-oriented. and will honor or penalize based on virtues and errors. He believes that the chief challenges and troubles a director face is acquiring employees to work smarter and harder. To accomplish this. he uses motive as a type of managerial accomplishments. along with others such as chiseled ends. and clear account of functions and duties for everyone His motivational methods include pecuniary inducements in the signifier of public presentation fillip. team-building activities to increase coherence and communicating between employees and directors. every bit good as working closely with employees so that he is able to supply self-generated feedbacks and be closely involved with the their preparation. To accommodate to the new concern clime brought approximately by globalization and technological invention. he believes that goal-setting contributes to effectiveness and efficiency in the company. and that it is best to affect employees in the decision-making procedure. as he feels that this can assist to actuate employees. and on-the-ground feedback means that he as a director can put ambitious ends for his employees. Having worked in abroad. he has seen cultural differences in footings of the methods used to pull off employees in different states. and believe that it is an of import point to see in footings of the attack used to actuate employees. Particularly with respects to the hiring of foreign endowments in Singapore. he believes that particular attention demands to be taken to guarantee that any clangs in civilization do non estrange these employees. Last. Chye notes that his company have non used any profiling trial to choose possible employees. and merely feels that there is no demand for it as a simple face-to-face interview would do. Background of Interviewee # 2 Mr Tan Chew Kwang is a Process Engineering Manager working for Beyonics Technology. Beyonics Technology has several workss around Asia. Beyonics Technology Limited is a taking supplier of advanced contract fabrication services to original equipment makers. Beyonics Technology Limited purposes to turn strategic fabricating partnerships with its portfolio of world-class. leading-edge clients. This will be achieved through its supply concatenation leading. vertically incorporate operations. strong client focal point every bit good as the synergisms of its dedicated and motivated direction squad. ( Beyonics. com. 2012 ) Type of Motivational Methods Used The key to Tan’s direction manner is two manner communicating as he mention that he would wish employee’s feedback and work together with them if they need help to work out issues. He besides mentioned that actuating employees is portion and package of a director occupation and the method used by him in actuating employee is that a director must foremost understand the single demand of an employee before make up ones minding a suited method to actuate them. In this manner. best consequences can be obtained. His two manner communicating method is one manner in which he can understand his employee by obtaining feedback. Due to occupation demands. Tan normally travel to China. Due to the cultural difference. he noticed that the people at that place need to be â€Å"pushed† in order to acquire the occupation done. This leads to the demand for him to utilize different pull offing methods as compared to what he used when working in Malaysia. There is a demand for the alteration in motive method to guarantee maximal efficiency and effectivity when pull offing the two different states. Another job faced by him is that the chief communicating media is in China is Mandarin. which leads to a small trouble in pass oning with them. Excess attempt is required to guarantee that the right message is pass down. Tan says that it is of import to put ends in an organisation as this will mensurate an employee part to the organisation. Rewarding will be based on their part as it serves as a measuring of their public presentation. Tan mentioned that his organisation make usage of profiling trial to choose possible employees. He says that it is an effectual manner to happen out the right employee for the right occupation. To him. profiling trial is a fast and effectual manner to acquire an employee to make full up a place that requires certain particular accomplishment. In decision. Tan feels that as a middle-line director. he is being sandwiched between the top direction and the staff coverage to him. There is a demand for him to take attention of both degrees. Given a opportunity to better. he would wish to better the manner his organisation work. Presently. his organisation is utilizing the carrot and cane method to honor the employee and he feels that this should be changed as it creates an unhealthy working environment. Background of Interviewee # 3 Mr Ong Wei Siang is an Authorized Military officer and besides a line director of the Union Bank of Switzerland ( UBS Singapore ) . which offers wealth direction. investing banking and plus direction services. Having being exposed to Investment Banking every bit good as Histories Management for old ages. he has brought the administration and his squad to a greater tallness as a director. UBS is a planetary house supplying fiscal services to private. corporate and institutional clients. They are present in all major fiscal Centres in more than 50 states. UBS was voted ‘Best Private Bank’ in Asia based on Asiamoney Private Banking Poll 2012. UBS was besides graded figure one in both Taiwan and China across all three plus classs ranked harmonizing to respondents’ assets under direction. and figure one in Hong Kong and Singapore in two of import client sections. ( Asiamoney Polls. 2012 ) Type of Motivational Methods Used Mr Ong defines his direction manner as holding a Democratic Style of Working whereby he accepts and actively welcomes the feedbacks of his employees. The demands and concerns are being taken into consideration with respects to certain work issues or occupation challenges. He is besides unfastened to different thoughts and suggestions on certain work procedures such that the efficiency of employees will be maximized. He mentioned that communications between higher direction and employees are important in decision-making procedures. Before any determination is being made. he will see the effects and reverberations that may happen at the disbursal of the public assistance of others. Ong mentioned that directors have to get strong human accomplishments to cover with the challenges at work every bit good as inter-personal relationships within the administration. Having good homo accomplishment will enable him to prosecute in certain human interactions with both his employees every bit good as the markets. This includes acquiring employees to be involved in end-of-year end scenes such that there will be a certain sense of belonging among the employees. Besides democratic manner of working. Ong besides uses motive as a signifier of managerial accomplishment to guarantee effectivity and efficiency of work procedures. His motivational methods include pecuniary every bit good as public assistance benefits which are surely necessary for employees to endeavor difficult and set in their best attempt for the company. For illustration. there is ‘Eat-with-your family-day’ . which entitles employees a half-day leave. to advance the significance of household adhering to employees. It will actuate the employees as a whole regardless of the hierarchy. This serves as a wages to mean employees’ attempts and parts. Furthermore. holding been exposed to different working environment in other states such as Hong Kong. Ong realises that there are differences in working and organisational civilizations. Ong mentioned that there is a demand to work out a common consensus on work procedures between the two locations. This will guarantee better work procedures. which enables employees to hold a standardized work flow. This will move as a motive with minimized incompatibility and disagreements. Therefore. employees can entirely concentrate on their occupation Scopess even with the presence of cultural differences. Analysis In the visible radiation of the three interviews that were made with the directors of different organisations. there are surely differences and similarities in their direction manners among them. There are bound to hold difference in working procedures since different organisations possess different civilizations or even aims. However. it is merely logical to presume that most of the organisations would wish to accomplish both efficiency and effectivity as their ultimate purpose. To get down with. all three directors use motive as one of their managerial accomplishments in the administrations. The methods of motive that were mentioned in the interview includes: pecuniary inducements ; squad edifice activities ; communications and engagement in end scenes. 1. Monetary inducements Extrinsic wagess such as money inducements by the higher direction will be given to employees as a signifier of wages for their public presentation. Such wagess act as motive to reenforce employees’ positive attitudes towards work. Most of such extrinsic wagess include fillips. clip off. publicities. wagess and many more. Fiscal wagess are an extrinsic motivation factor. and non-financial inducements represent the intrinsic 1. ( Singh. 2012 ) . Incentives act as a signifier of stimulation for greater action or in acknowledgment of accomplishments. to spur employees to work towards a end. In world. it has been recognized that money does non merely fulfill psychological demands but besides societal demands. Hence. money inducement does increase the efficiency and productiveness of the employees. guaranting a higher degree of end product and capablenesss. 2. Team-building activities As mentioned by Chye. team-building activities were seen to be an of import factor in bettering motive. Team-building activities such as coherence dinners and excursions serve to better the relationship of the employees amongst themselves every bit good as with the directors. When the employees are close with one another. it helps to carry through one of their demands – the demand for adhering. Carry throughing this demand is an of import facet of actuating employees. ( Nohria. Groysberg A ; Lee. 2008 ) When employees are nearer to their director. they will be more likely to give honest feedback sing state of affairss and events in the workplace. which will let directors to hold a more accurate appraisal of any jobs in the administration. so as to better organizational effectivity and efficiency by doing appropriate and intelligent determinations. However. it must be noted that directors should endeavor to do employees organize fond regard to the administration as a whole instead than the divisional group that the employee belongs to. This allows for more flexibleness in organizing undertaking groups and be aftering for employee’s occupation range. as employees may be attached to their closest cohort and found it difficult to suit any new alteration in work environment otherwise. ( Nohria. Groysberg A ; Lee. 2008 ) 3. Communication Communication plays an of import function to guarantee smooth work procedures. maximizing the capablenesss of employees. Particularly for a company with a combination of on-site and practical employees. regular. required communicating between direction and staff—and among peers—is indispensable. ( Zumas. 2012 ) . The different signifiers of communicating all have a common nonsubjective – eliminates barrier and decide jobs. Due to globalization. physical barriers in workplaces are now ineluctable. To extinguish the jobs caused. administrations are to guarantee that there are sufficient and effectual communications nowadays for the employees so as non to impede certain work procedures. For effectual communications to be possible. directors are to guarantee that the communicational tools are up-to-date such that such physical barriers will non impede employees’ work procedures. Therefore. the decrease of such possible communicating jobs originating from physi cal barriers will in turn motivate employees such that they recognize that there are solutions in topographic point for them in times of demand. Another signifier of communicating exists between higher direction such as directors or pull offing managers with the employees. Communications may come in the signifier of feedbacks or even sporadically discussion meetings. The presence of communicating will increase the morale of employees. in which they will experience involved and valued as an employee of the administration. By seting frontward feedbacks. suggestions or thoughts with respects to work procedures. employees will surely experience more engaged in the administration. Furthermore. merely through such active communications will so maximise the potency of administrations to make a greater tallness. Surely. it is apprehensible that merely motivated employees will be willing to prosecute in decision-making procedures. Therefore. by seeking participatory direction where employees’ sentiments and feedbacks are taken into consideration. will surely set up a healthy working environment for both the higher direction every bit good as employees. In the interview with Ong. he besides mentioned communicating is important in decision-making procedures. 4. Goal Puting All 3 directors that we have interviewed mentioned that their administration practises goal-setting on a regular footing. which they feel that is effectual in bettering public presentation. In add-on. end puting besides serves as a manner in which managers’ spells out what they expect from their employee. In the instance of Tan. he believes that a benefit of end scene is that it helps to mensurate an employee’s part to the administration. and he combines this with pecuniary inducement that are given based on their public presentation degree to guarantee optimum efficiency of his employees. Harmonizing to Latham and Locke ( 2006 ) . goal-setting is a discrepancy-creating procedure in which a end creates a constructive dissatisfaction with our current public presentation. which makes us strive harder to work to carry through the sensed difference between current and expected public presentation. In this logic. there exists a additive relationship between the trouble of the end and the resulting occupation public presentation. A hard but come-at-able end leads to a higher occupation public presentation than an easy and general end. ( Latham and Mitchell. 1978 ) Harmonizing to many motivational theories such McClelland’s Need for Achievement and self-actualisation. which is the highest degree of demand in Maslow’s Hierarchy of demand. ambitious ends are important for the development of an person every bit good as his occupation satisfaction and committedness to the administration. ( Fang A ; Kant. 2011 ) In the interview. Chye mentioned that he likes to affect his employees in the goal-setting procedure. as making so allows him to put ambitious but realistic ends as his employees are able to give direct feedback on the trouble and their competence. In theory. doing a determination in a group helps to better effectivity of the administration in footings of scheme and job resolution. This is because group-decision devising helps to cut down opportunities of prejudices. Besides. it promotes diverseness as different sentiments derived from assorted experience and accomplishments are valued. ( Fant A ; Kant. 2011 ) 5. Cross-cultural Managerial Style From the interview. an of import factor we observed that all three directors had mentioned was that there is a noticeable difference in footings of work environment and employees’ behavior between states. As Tan mentioned. he recognize that employees in China must be supervised and driven in order to execute their occupation. and that they require different methods of motive as compared to other states. Similarly. he notes that linguistic communication remains an issue in China even in today’s globalised universe. where the use of English is considered as the norm. In theory. the importance of cultural differences has been noted and as such has been studied extensively. An illustration of such a research would be the Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness research programme. an international group of research workers analyzing cross-cultural leading in more 60 states. Analyzing cultural differences have many benefits. such as to offer directors singular penetrations into the concern clime of other states. which makes it easier to collaborate with companies from states with differing civilizations. ( Browaeys A ; Price. 2008 ) Discussion From our analysis from the interviews of three different directors. we have noticed similarities and differences with respects to the organizational policies. direction manners and accomplishments. For illustration. Chye’s administration does non rehearse profiling trial while Tan’s administration actively uses this tool to place possible employees that have the accomplishments that the place requires. Such differences may be due to different constructions of the administrations. Chye’s administration. Mediafreaks Pte Ltd. is a little house which employs functional construction to bring forth its life services ( Media-Freaks. com. 2010 ) . Meanwhile. Tan’s administration. Beyonics Technology. have many production sites world-wide that provide advanced contract fabrication services to assorted states. and as such employs a divisional construction. With the big sum of employees needed in such a big administration. it is natural that Tan sees the demand for profiling as a mean to choose employees ( Beyonics. com. 2012 ) . Even though there are differences in policies and methods employed in the two administrations in inquiry. they should non be compared as both have different ends and are in different provinces of enlargement. Another interesting point that we wish to foreground from the consequences of the interview was that the on the job manner of directors varies from administration to administration. Chye’s direction manner is results-oriented. while Tan and Ong’s direction manner leans more towards communicating with employees. Therefore. sing the ends of the company. directors must use suited direction manner to better the work public presentations of their employees. To guarantee that employees put in their best attempt during work. there is a demand to see different attacks to actuate them. In world. there are certain ineluctable challenges and troubles that directors will confront in pull offing. Thus. human accomplishments do play an of import function in guaranting that the directors remain flexible in their direction manner. In order for directors to play the function as a incentive successfully. there is a demand for directors to place the personal qualities that employees possess. To guarantee that this is possible. directors will transport out the profiling trials among employees. An advantage of the profiling trial is to distinguish the different personalities of the employees in order to better apportion the occupation Scopess. This profiling trial will guarantee that the personalities are suited to their allotment of undertakings. As such. there will be minimum clangs and dissensions with respects to occupation procedures. For case. certain employees may possess better organisational accomplishments or even proficient accomplishments. In such instances. employees are able to work harmoniously and it acts as a signifier of motive for other employees of similar occupation Scopess. Such occupation planing attacks does non merely convey about higher productiveness in work. but besides provides employees with the motive to endeavor for better public presentations. As such. this will guarantee higher degree of productiveness and leads to effectiveness and efficiency. We have come to a consensus that motive is so necessary for directors to follow as one of their managerial accomplishments. It is extremely indispensable particularly in today’s on the job universe where alterations are inevitable. Hence. to retain employees. directors are therefore required to add values in footings of their managerial accomplishments such that employees will be willing to exhibit organizational citizenship behavior and accomplish extremum public presentations for the administration. As mentioned. motivated employees play a important function in making a company’s sustainable competitory advantage. To win. companies have to happen ways of fosterage and prolonging intrinsic motive. ( Frey A ; Osterloh. 2001 ) . To guarantee that employees possess motive and the right attitude towards work. directors therefore implement different attacks. harmonizing to single constructions. From the consequence of the interviews. it can be observed that directors differ in the manner they carry out their motive. Most administrations will follow the pecuniary inducement attack and improved communications. Even though there might be different attacks to actuate the employees. the chief aim of the attacks is to reenforce employees’ behaviors and supply acknowledgment for their good public presentations. Due to the different degrees of direction. there are bound to be differences in the attack of pull offing accomplishments. For case. the power of control may differ between front line directors and in-between directors or even top direction. Therefore. the differences will take to restraints in which the directors can change their attacks to convey about better motive. In add-on. the 3 interviewees are besides of different organizational civilizations in footings of their sizes of the companies and the strength of work force. Hence. all these differences may take to a difference in the effectivity of their attacks to convey about motive. For case. as mentioned by Chye. the General Manager of Mediafreaks Pte Ltd has merely 20 employees under his section. which is comparatively small compared to Ong’s section in UBS. As a consequence. there may be certain troubles in implementing attacks to spur motive due to limited resources. Furthermore. pecuniary inducements may non be needfully executable to smaller administrations. In add-on. the differences in organizational civilizations are inevitable in today’s working universe. The aims of each administration may change. and therefore. may ensue in motivational attacks to be deemed uneffective. As mentioned by Ong. there are differences in working civilizations particularly in cross-location administrations where certain attacks in administration may non work for the other. Therefore. there must be a demand to research the assortments of methods in footings of managerial manners. Recommendation Interviewee # 1 Something that Chye mentioned was that he practises merely a few motivational methods. such as pecuniary inducement and forming team-building activities. While these methods are no uncertainty happening success. we feel that it is best to hold more methods. as these two methods merely serve to carry through 2 out of the 5 demands in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We suggest that his administration can implement medical and old-age insurance so that his employees can experience a sense of security. every bit good as organizing undertakings groups to research on market tendencies and work out jobs so that his employees would be challenged on an rational degree. Interviewee # 2 One issue mentioned by Tan was that he frequently feels that he is in a hard place between the top direction and the employee under this attention. We feel that this is mostly due to the deficiency of proper communicating between the different degrees in the organisation. Most employees are afraid of what their foreman might believe or state or if they told them half of what they’re thought ( Wofford. 2012 ) . As such. there is a demand for Tan to better in the communicating within the organisation. We suggest that Tan can seek to organize occasional dinner assemblages. so that the top direction and employees have a opportunity to interact by speaking over repasts. therefore increasing the bonding between persons and giving employees a opportunity to supply feedback to the top direction. Interviewee # 3 One of the challenges faced by Ong is to place the differences in organisational civilizations with respects to cross-location work processes. This is ineluctable particularly in today’s every-changing universe where globalisation revolutionizes working procedures. Even though improved communicating does better ease work procedures. there will still be miscommunications and dissensions. In such instances. possibly the presence of Standard Operating Procedures ( SOP ) will supply a guideline for employees to adhere to. Such SOPs will help employees to break ease their work procedures. Hence. this will guarantee that the productiveness of employees will be maximised. therefore accomplishing efficiency and effectivity. Decision The consequences of the interview have shown that by and large. the 3 directors whom we have interviewed has made used of the different motive theories in pull offing their organisation. However. due to the different demands of the organisation. the direction methods do differ somewhat as the method they used is deemed as a more efficient method in their organisation. The interview with the directors has besides proved that the assorted motive theories work to a certain extent. Furthermore. the differences in organizational constructions surely make a difference in the type of motivational attack which will give rise to different degree of effectivity. In decision. for a director to be successful. he or she should do usage of the assorted motive theories and make little amendments to the theory to guarantee that the direction method suits the organisation as eventually. the chief purpose of a director is still to accomplish organisation ends. Directors will so hold to entree the effectivity and feasiblenesss of the attacks as applied to their administration to guarantee maximal degree of productiveness and therefore. holding a comparative advantage over their rival administration. MentionsBrowaeys. M. . A ; Price. R. ( 2008 ) . Understanding Cross-cultural Management.Pearson Sager. D. J. ( 1979 ) . Leadership and Employee Motivation. Graduate School of Library Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Buford. J. A. . Jr. . Bedeian. A. G. . A ; Lindner. J. R. ( 1995 ) . Management in Extension ( 3rd ed. ) . Columbus. Ohio: Ohio State University Extension. Fang. Y. . A ; Kant. K. ( 2011 ) . Fundamentalss of Management: Concept and Principles. Singapore: McGraw Hill Frey. B. S. . A ; Osterloh. M. ( 2001 ) . Successful Management by Motivation – Balancing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Incentives. Swiss Association for Organization and Management Herzberg. F. ( 1968 ) . One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? Harvard Business Review. Volume. Volume 46 No. 1. January-February. pp 53–62. Latham. G. P. . A ; Locke. E. A. ( 2006 ) . Enhancing the Benefits and Get the better ofing the Pitfalls of Goal Setting. Organizational Dynamics. Volume 35. No. 4. pp. 332–340. Latham. G. P. . A ; Mitchell. T. R. ( 1978 ) . Importance of Participative Goal Setting and Anticipated Rewards on Goal Difficulty and Job Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology ; Apr78. Vol. 63 Issue 2. p163-171 Lindner. J. R. ( 1998 ) . Understanding Employee Motivation. Journal of Extension ; June 98. Vol. 36. No. 3 Maslow. A. H. ( 1943 ) . A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review. July 1943. 370-396. Nohria. N. . Groysberg. B. . A ; Lee. E. ( 2008 ) . Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model. Harvard Business Review. Volume 86. No. 7-8. July-August pp 78-84 Rajita. S ( 2012 ) . What Motivates Your Employees? Is Pay the Sole Motivating Factor or make Non-Cash Incentives Drive Engagement? Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //articles. economictimes. indiatimes. com/2012-08-28/news/33450452_1_rewards-employee-effective-motivators Wofford. M. ( 2012 ) . 5 frights Employees Wish They Could Tell Their Bosses. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //linked2leadership. com/2012/02/28/5-fears-employees-wish/ Zumas. G. ( 2012 ) . Motivate Employees Through Better Communication. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. businessmanagementdaily. com/31404/motivate-employees-through-better-communication

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Fernandos character from a biophysical perspective

Fernandos character from a biophysical perspective Introduction The predicaments that defines the behaviors and characters of a sixteen year old Fernando is an aftermath of a legacy left behind by a father vague of human values. Fernando finds himself in an oasis of a community bred in a background of social evils intoxicating his mind from early childhood.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fernando’s character from a biophysical perspective specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his quest to break out from the ‘tradition’ that is so akin to his family make- up, his mindset and choices lead him to subconsciously live the same life his people lived from generations back. This is characterized by drugs and affiliation with gangs and a negative exposure to the authorities at a very tender age. Fernando hails from a family that is quickly disintegrating into the abyss that is the societal rote in their community of drug abusers. Their lives are unpredictab le since they are always at loggerheads with the local administration (like the police), as a result spending so much of their time serving jail terms rotting in jails. Others get embroiled in fights that are far too common in their community set-up; they are affiliated to gangs which normally sort out their differences brutally by killing the members of the factions working against them. These children hail from much disoriented backgrounds, Fernando’s father was a drug addict who had little time to guide and care for his children, he battered his wife even when he was drunk and was rather callous with his affairs. His mother, on the other hand, had to run away due to the battering and though they met on the streets, they hardly shared a lot. The result of all this is a child of Fernando’s behavior, whose attitude and perceptions about life was suicidal and the victim was himself. These children end up copying what they deem fit or ‘cool’ in the society, because they do not have a strong figure to guide them. Goldstein (1995) believes that such characters have very weak social foundations and their reaction towards people is rather cold. They have a tendency to always look for trouble and they feel good about it. They hardly think about the future, they live under the notion that today they are alive but tomorrow they will either be dead or in jail. Of all this, none of them is a big deal.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thought Fernando’s life, several factors have contributed to the persona he was when he was last interviewed. The social factors, cultural factors, the category they’re placed on in society by society itself and community factors play a major role. Fernando’s characters all the way from infantile have been borrowing traits from the people around him and as a result have grown solidly in to the extreme it is. His recognition of the self has diminished to the extent that he does not value his life anymore, though he has no weaknesses, his abilities are rarely used in other helpful activities like playing or learning. Berzoff and Hertz (2008) explains that Self recognition portrays to them an idea of what people see and when they look at them, in this case this stems from infancy whereby child neglect contributes to a high percentage the feeling of worthlessness. They eventually conclude that they are bad and do so little to change this perception. Self reflection is evident in all the age groups with the three to five year old’, center of attention being much of physical aspects like the picture he portrays on the outside, his belongings and his abilities. When this child grows towards attaining puberty, his sense of the self develops too, enabling him to communicate his thoughts more carefully through the word of mouth and easily from what he understands. The y combine their own feelings and individuality by means of re-combining their past experiences to the present and other new occurrences’ as they happen in their lives. This maybe in the form of new ethical values learnt their sexual direction, their political belief systems and their cultural identity. Family dynamics on the impact of behavior Fernando had an insecure relationship with the parents. The mother left him at a tender age and never bothered checking on them again. They only met in the streets and hardly shared anything. His father, being the alcoholic had no time for his children and family, and he never enforced the ideals he preached to his children like not taking alcohol. The children themselves acknowledge that had they been given direction in life, they would be different from what they had ended up like. The absentee parents, as a result of this ended up having children that could not even trust them, leave alone non family members. They are not emotive whe n separated from the parents and neither do they fancy interaction with their parents.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fernando’s character from a biophysical perspective specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They are cold towards them and this is how they are brought up from their tender ages. In the evolution of their mindsets, from the core consciousness to the secondary consciousness, the parents played a very minor role in bringing up their children. The children learnt for themselves the many aspects that they had to grapple with in their infancy. The environment the children are exposed to or grow within greatly affects the structure of the brain, defining the character of the individual that comes out eventually. Middle childhood put much focus on the components that make up the mind i.e. id, ego and superego. According to Erickson, Fernando is at a level of self identity as he struggles to break from the caucus of emotional dependency. He battles with identity diffusion trying to make his own decisions which he feels are genuine. The environment either stifles or promotes the structure and functionalities in an infant’s brain. The early relationship a child has with its parents goes a long to affect the level, depth and quality of his other relationships when he grows. This reasoning by Berzoff and Hertz (2008) is attributed to the fact that his connection to the parents has a direct influence on the maturity of his right brain and a set of connections that match data to the environment. The mothers touch to the baby at the tender age also shapes the child’s dendrite growth. Lack of these or exposure to long distressing states alters the organization exposing this child to susceptibility. The result is a child with a detached mental state who doesn’t feel guilty when on the wrong; a child who feels everything must go his way and is very irrational. This incident happened on Fernando’s life when he was very young, never exposed or had very little exposure to a mother’s love, he was given very little attention and as a result he ended up being rude even to his tutors. This strengthened his resolve about the street; nobody would tell him if anything was going awry on his part. Freudian theory sheds light to the woes bedeviling Fernando by trying to comprehend the developmental stages through his (Fernando) journey of life. From early childhood to the mid adolescent age Fernando’s life has been patchy embedded in an environment with uncouth behavior that portrays a community less sensitive to values.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Freud integrates the structure of the brain (Id, Ego, and Superego) and the surrounding environment through developmental stages to insight the persona in Fernando. There is a clear relationship between the behavior and the environment. Freud purports that a person’s character is a product of classical Freudian theory, object relations, ego psychology, self psychology and learning theory. Fernando’s behaviors are an aftermath of self psychology which stems from disintegrated family devoid of cohesiveness. He is exhibiting phallic stage according to Mehler portraying psychological self separation-individualization fearing loss of the object. Fernando, like any other child born from this environment is susceptible to behaving the way he does since the environment treats him cruelly prompting him to form defensive as well as survival tactics. Efforts to rehabilitate him are bound to be futile since the characters are embedded deep in his genes. The death of his grandmothe r dealt him a big blow too. She was among the people he was closest to and her passing away meant he had been snatched a companion, a friend. To the infants, passing away of somebody close to them has a big effect to their development; they take long to understand though they eventually do. They try to seek their own explanation of events on why things happened the way they did. They try to link their death to something big that happened around the time the funeral occurred. To the young infants mind that is what caused the ‘big sleep’, as they often call it. In Fernando’s case this is evident through the mourning process where he blames himself for hitting his grandmother. This happened sometime before she died when she was trying to defend her grandmother against his uncle and hit her accidentally. He believes he is the cause of her death and pleads vehemently for forgiveness from her. Fernando’s case highlights the plight of such children; they â€Å"a lways have one person they are really passionate about and when he or she passes on they have a tendency to blame themselves for all that happened to the deceased†(Lee, 2001). The effects of social, culture, class, ethnic and community factors Fernando has issues with his self esteem and his ego. He quickly dismisses education claiming he was a quick learner and school became boring to him. He compares his being in school to being out there in the complexity of the drug network ring making money. He admits that that is time he would be wasting and that time would be better spent making money out here. He could earn money, about $ 700 per week legitimately distributing bread around town but has resorted to selling drugs. The ego defenses at play in Fernando’s life whenever he is encountered show a person who is weak and is hiding from the reality. He lives in utter denial of his real state and is motivated by the gang to do whatever he does. They give him a sense of â₠¬Å"brotherliness making him feel at home even though he knows life being a member in the gang is as temporary as the gang itself. They fight against each other, injuring each other sometimes even killing each other in gang wars† (Aronson and Lesser, 2011). They have little regard for the law and have developed a carefree attitude toward life. All this happens despite the fact that he knows there’s a life outside this ring. He hides in the ideologies of the group, living a high life; stealing cars even police cars, handling illegal weapons and consuming drugs. He escaped prison after only serving four months in jail instead of the eighteen he had been sentenced to. Hogan (2005) believes that Fernando hides in the present, and does feel comfortable being questioned about what tomorrow holds. He is fully aware about the repercussions of his actions yet he doesn’t care. Fernando’s projection affects others, his idea about being naughty and awoke in him need to be photographed with drugs. This he had wished it be made public, but then it was meant to smear the image of the police’ department. Fernando’s characters have roots in the environment which encompasses the social and cultural practices as well as class and ethnicity. Fernando hails from a community that embraces domestic violence which is the norm of the society. This, together with the lower social status of the community propels the way men behave the way they do. They yearn for better life out of bondage of poverty by seeking solace in a seemingly lucrative trade of drug peddling. As a result, they find themselves in unfamiliar circumstances that abuses drugs. In the centre of shaping the behaviors of a person, which happens in the early childhood of brain development, are the genetic influences. This together with the environment refine, reorganize as well as form neural connections responsible for future behaviors of an individual. The structure of the brain is composed of sub-cortical and cortical limp systems. The former is responsible for instinctive reflexes while the later deliberates reflexes to the environment. Their responses are a consequence of genetic makeup and environment. Fernando’s dissociation from the real life repercussions of his actions depict a life of a child who would have grown up straight had he been given a chance to. For him to conduct his drug business, he has had to shove away the feelings of guilt that plague him. According to Simonsson (2004), his motivation is that somehow he needs to survive; he needs to live his life and achieve all that he ever dreamt and aspired to be in life. He is fully aware that what he does is wrong and says he will opt out only after fulfilling his dreams and ambitions. Conclusion Fernando is just one boy lost in the quest to discover his true abilities. He has been so caught up in the rotation that is life at a tender age. His personal history and that of his family do mak e matters even worse. He has no proud moment in his life unless it is derived from his many escapades in life which are dangerous. Woodhead, and Faulkner (2000) states that the family history dates back to generations of drugs and disoriented families, and whenever he flashes back the only thing he gets is the reminder that he will die like his father, in jail He shudders at the thought of killing himself but with the drugs he is consuming and the age he is at, the idea is not farfetched. He is so scared about the future that he rarely devotes time to think and plan about it. He assumes that in a span of five years ahead of him, he would be either dead or in jail. This is usually the street assumption of the people and children living this kind of life. They take corrections negatively and they react fast to issues, sometimes overreacting. Hatred and war defines their world, and because they rarely went to school, they do not attach so much emphasis on education. The result is a chi ld with misplaced priorities and wrong ideas about what life is composed of, a child who lives by the gun and doesn’t think twice before pulling the trigger. This is what society entails, though if handled well and given all the love and attention at infantry, the child grows up to be a responsible member of the society who values good ideals. These children would also grow up with the family mindset and would strive to bring up upright citizens by giving them proper education, catering for their health and being there to support them when they need them. Children are good at emulating what their parents do, and if anything parents should strive to bring out the best in their children by living a positive and healthy life. References Aronson, J. Lesser, P. (2011) Human behavior and the social environment theory practice. Washington. Washington press. Berzoff, J., Hertz, P. (2008). Inside out and outside in: Psychodynamic clinical theory and psychopathology in contemporary multicultural contexts (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: New York University Press. Goldstein, E. (1995). Ego psychology and social work practice. New York: The Free Press Hogan, D. (2005). Researching ‘the child’ in developmental psychology: Researching Children’s Experience. Approaches and Methods. London: Sage Publications. Lee, N. (2001). Childhood and Society. Growing up in an age of uncertainty Maidenhed: Open University Press. Simonsson, M. (2004). Picture Books in Preschool – an Interactional Perspective. Linkoping Studies in Arts and Science. New York, NY. Bartsford Printing press. Woodhead, M. Faulkner, D. (2000). ‘Subjects, objects or participants? Dilemmas of psychological research with children’.London: Falmer Press.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Everything You Need To Know About Feature Stories

Everything You Need To Know About Feature Stories Writing A Feature Story: What To Remember It is a well-known fact that students and even journalists find first feature stories one of the most difficult task throughout their educational or professional life. The writing process involves lots of data, honesty, tact and integrity. You need to depict a certain person to the audience, giving him or her enough credits and presenting in an unbiased way. That is why feature stories often ask the author to do something almost impossible: to get familiar with the person, appreciate personal treats of character, conduct an interview, hold a personal meeting and then write an article, which shouldn’t be all positive and nice. Remember, you are a subjective author and not a cheerleader of a described person. So how is it possible to balance everything? We have collected the six most important steps, which you will need in creating a feature story. With practice and devotion come great results, so take your time and you will surely succeed! Choose a subject, which will be interesting for the reader As you already know, choosing an interesting and timely topic for an assignment is the first and the most important step. However, everything is even more serious, when it comes to a feature story. You need to tell about a person, a certain group or a business, so picking a subject becomes a real challenge. Some of the subjects you may know personally, which is not the best subject for a story. Even if you know who you want to write about, some founders, directors and business owners simply won’t want to talk to you. Make sure you have enough time in advance in order to choose the subject without any hurry. Schedule an interview, suitable for both of you The next stage is when you dive deeper into the assignment. You should reach the chosen subject and ask for an in-person interview. This means a meeting, not a cell phone call or a Skype conference. If you are writing about a group, you will have to talk to several members and maybe at a different time. This makes the process even more challenging. In most of the cases, feature stories are not timely, so you don’t need to rush anything and should take some time to write a good story. Let the interviews take place when it is convenient for all of the participants. The only exception is when the story took place recently and hasn’t been covered in the media. In such a case, you need to rush and be the first one to publish it. Choosing quotes Once your interview is finished, you need to sit down and reread the material, listening to recordings and pulling quotes. The quotes you choose should be relevant to the topic and represent the chosen angle. Stick to a certain side of a personality and highlight it, omitting too many unnecessary details. This is the pillar, which will support your work and will make the story honest and clear. Write a draft Now you can start working on the first sample of your work. Usually, feature stories are built around the chosen quotes. Remember, the reader wants to hear the voice of the described person and not your own thoughts on the matter. This means that you can include as many quotes, as you want. Even if half of your feature story will consist % of quotes, it will be ok. Always try to remember that the discussed subject should be placed in the center of the work, so the more details you provide, the better. Get clarification and approval before publishing When your story is finished, it is necessary to send it to the editor or professor. In addition, you can send a copy to the chosen subject if he or she requires it. However, it doesn’t mean that the subject has a right to change the story or add any details. Make it clear that you won’t grant any changes because it is unprofessional. Simply send a copy and state that you want to make sure that all of the facts and quotes are correct. For the subject, it is another chance to be introduced to the audience. Majority of writers think that it is the reason why the subject shouldn’t interfere and has a right just to notify if some of the details or facts are conveyed in a wrong way. Submit the work Once your editor, professor or the subject don’t seem to have any remarks, you can submit the story.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Rent Seeking in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rent Seeking in Economics - Essay Example Upon analyzing the given case scenario, it is clear that rent seeking in economics happens because of the imperfection within the economic and political markets (Pasour, p. 124). It simply means that the presence of political and economic corruption promotes the strengthening of rent-seeking behavior among the local and international business people. On the contrary, the chances wherein the market will be dictated freely by the movements of supply and demand increases in case of the absence of lobbying, bribery, and political corruption. In a free market economy, movements in supply and demand dictate the market prices of goods and services. In the absence of a direct government regulation, sellers will have to encourage the buyers to purchase the products and services they offer to the public by making the market price more attractive. Because of the presence of political and economic corruption, it is not easy to control unfair business practices. It is difficult to abolish the pre sence of rent-seeking behavior because of self-interests among the government officials and the business people within a market economy. In line with this, government officials who have the political power to either grant tax protection or give monopoly right to a large corporation is often tempted to accept irresistible offers or bribes coming from the big-time players in the business world. As a way of earning more money, business people would always grab the chance of becoming protected by the government officials whenever possible. Since the general public is the one who votes for the members of the government officials, rent seeking behavior in economics terms does not always occur as a collective decision-making process but a larger context of public choice. This makes rent-seeking behavior a major public choice problem.  Looking back at the card game experiment our team had in class, the practice of rent seeking behavior is not possible since the experimental case study has dictated all the conditions behind the game. No matter how hard we try to manipulate the game, there is no other way our team could win the contract but luck. In case our team gets lucky enough to be randomly selected by the local government, we win the contract. If not, our team will always have to pay the paper work and legal fees even without winning the license.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Research Paper Lawsuits Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lawsuits - Research Paper Example Yet it would not be long before the Pinto was everything but amusing to Ford Motor Company. There had only been twenty-nine months between Iacocca’s decision to manufacture the car and its introduction for sale. That is a very short time in the design and manufacture of an automobile, as the average timeframe is usually between four and five years. Yet the race was on, and as a result, design flaws were no doubt inevitable. And there was a flaw on the Pinto: the gas tank was placed behind the rear axle, making it extremely vulnerable to rear collisions. Some would later call the car a rolling bomb. Thirteen year old Richard Grimshaw found this to be an all too painful fact. On May 28, 1972 in San Bernardino, California, the boy was a passenger in a 1972 Pinto that was hit in the rear by another car. The Ford burst into flames, the driver was killed, and Grimshaw suffered burns over ninety per cent of his body. His family and the driver’s heirs filed suit against Ford (C raig, â€Å"Grimshaw and Grays..†). In 1978, the jury awarded Grimshaw $2.8 million in compensatory damages, which is not shocking considering the by then the young man had suffered through over seventy surgeries. Yet the surprise of the verdict was the fact he was awarded $125 million in punitive damages, a record breaking award that based on 2012 dollars of $440 million would be astronomical even in today’s tort happy environment. The case was eventually settled for something over six million dollars (Dunn, 2000). II. Risk Management for Lawsuit Prevention It was not the fact that the Pinto was inherently dangerous in its design that inflamed the Grimshaw jury; it was Ford’s own greed. The Company knew about the flaw as early as the pre-production stage, yet had issued what was referred...Ford could have saved all of the headaches it wound up if it had only instituted the tiny eleven dollar modification to the car during the design process. Iacocca was never t old about the flaw and probably did not want to hear about it, insisting the car be 2,000 pounds and sell for $2,000. Yet later he said in his autobiography that â€Å"Honesty is the best technique I use†. He also said something that was chilling, that one should be willing to sacrifice to accomplish his goals. In the Grimshaw case, Ford would have been well-advised to try to settle the suit way before the trial. Perhaps they did, for a ludicrous sum. As far as the car itself, Ford kept it around for nine years, but shortly after the criminal case concluded, the Pinto slid into the history books with over two million units sold. Ford probably eventually made a profit with the car, but it is continually on everybody’s â€Å"worst cars ever† list. Yet it should also be noted that its chief competitor, the Chevy Vega, also appears on those lists, mainly for reliability issues.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Gibson Kente Essay Example for Free

Gibson Kente Essay Gibson Kente: Arguably the most popular playwright-director in South African Theatre history is â€Å"Bra Gib†, Gibson Kente. Born in 1932, Kente became the father of Black Theatre. He was a great patriot and founding father of Black Theatre in South ; an effective voice of the oppressed though the arts, he articulated the socio-economic imbalances created by the apartheid regime. Kente was not only an artist but also a vehicle for change. He conscientised the nation through music and theatre and gave a nation confidence in the midst of repression and brutality. Kente was largely unknown to the white theatre-going population of South Africa – however he produced 23 plays and many TV dramas from 1963-1992. Kente grew up in Duncan Village, a black village in the Eastern Cape. He was schooled at a Seventh-Day Adventist College in Butterworth. In 1956, he moved to Johannesburg and enrolled at the Jan Hofmeyer School of Social Work. He eventually abandoned his studies after he joined a black theatre group called the Union Artists. This is where he embarked on his career writing, producing and directing, where he created the unique genre referred to as the â€Å"township musical. Kente developed a style and pattern for his plays specifically to deal with the challenges and needs of his audiences. His plays were melodramas of township life, which were performed in an over-the-top, stylized manner using stock characters and a declamatory style of performance. His style of directing his actors to ‘overact’ was in order to compens ate for many of the townships venues which had poor acoustics. His use of music, movement, gesture, gimmicks, dance and acrobatics were directly related to his problem with township venues. These large halls were not complimentary to any type of method acting. The movements had to be unnaturalistic, the acting was vigorous and exaggerated well beyond reality, in order to have an impact on the eye and the ear. There was also a devaluing of dialogue – the dialogue is in English, however, most of it was inaudible because of audience noise and interaction, bad voice projection in the acoustically unsound halls, the musical band and unfamiliarity with words from the script. The audiences were not there to appreciate the subtlety of language through the use of puns or witticisms – they were there to be entertained through the stock characters antics – to recognize themselves on stage. Kente’s aim was to fill township venues and he did. The majority of his plays are stylistically similar: the acting style hardly varies, the story development is superficial, there is an absence of conflict other than the physical fights and the slanging matches between characters. The plots were simple – they were made up of occurrences which were happening in the townships and in daily township life. Ian Steadman writes in his article Alternative Politics, Alternative Performance: 1976 and Black South African Theatre that â€Å"while he [Kente] has been criticised by more radical Black Consciousness proponents for being a-political, Kentes theatre succeeds in creating social comment and criticism – sometimes by implication, at other times by direct proseltism† (1984: 219).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Placental Ruminants and Herbivorous Marsupials of Australia Essay

Placental Ruminants and Herbivorous Marsupials of Australia The marsupial animal species that have evolved on the isolated continent of Australia are unique compared to the rest of the animal kingdom in many ways due to the harsh and distinctive environment found on the continent. The major area of marsupial biology that distinguishes them from all other eutherian mammals is their mode of reproduction. However, it can be said that there are many other areas in which unique differences can be seen between marsupials and eutherian mammals; one such area of adaptation is in the anatomy and physiology of digestion, which distinguishes them from many other similar animals worldwide. The foregut fermenters, such as kangaroos and wallabies, evolved in regions of poor forage quality to be able to extract the most nutrients out of the poorest feeds. Fermentation in the foregut has many advantages over hindgut fermentation, which is seen in marsupials such as the koalas and wombats. The anatomy and physiology of the digestive tracts of both types of fermenters, however, are uniquely suited to their individual modes of nutrition. It can be suggested that the foregut fermenters of the marsupials are very similar to the eutherian ruminants, as both types of adaptations are designed to increase fiber digestibility and increase nutrient absorption. However, there are many major differences between the two groups. Ruminants have developed a four-chambered stomach system, which is not seen in the marsupials, as well as a rumination cycle which allows for the rechewing of previously ingested meals. While regurgitation may be evident in marsupials, it is, however, not analogous to rumination, and is instead called â€Å"merycism.†... .... 23 March 2004. Milewski, A.V. and R.E. Diamond. 2000. Why are very large herbivores absent from Australia? A new theory of micronutrients. Journal of Biogeography. 27(4): 957-978. Russell, J.B. 1988. â€Å"Ecology of Rumen Microorganisms: Energy Use.† In Dobson, Alan, and Marjorie J. Dobson, eds. Aspects of Digestive Physiology in Ruminants: Proceedings of a Satellite Symposium of the 30th International Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY, pg 74-98. Stevens, C.E. and I.D. Hume. 1995. Comparative Physiology of the Vertebrate Digestive System. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Strahan, Ronald, ed. 1995. The mammals of Australia. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC. Van Soest, Peter J. 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. Ithaca: Comstock Publishing. Placental Ruminants and Herbivorous Marsupials of Australia Essay Placental Ruminants and Herbivorous Marsupials of Australia The marsupial animal species that have evolved on the isolated continent of Australia are unique compared to the rest of the animal kingdom in many ways due to the harsh and distinctive environment found on the continent. The major area of marsupial biology that distinguishes them from all other eutherian mammals is their mode of reproduction. However, it can be said that there are many other areas in which unique differences can be seen between marsupials and eutherian mammals; one such area of adaptation is in the anatomy and physiology of digestion, which distinguishes them from many other similar animals worldwide. The foregut fermenters, such as kangaroos and wallabies, evolved in regions of poor forage quality to be able to extract the most nutrients out of the poorest feeds. Fermentation in the foregut has many advantages over hindgut fermentation, which is seen in marsupials such as the koalas and wombats. The anatomy and physiology of the digestive tracts of both types of fermenters, however, are uniquely suited to their individual modes of nutrition. It can be suggested that the foregut fermenters of the marsupials are very similar to the eutherian ruminants, as both types of adaptations are designed to increase fiber digestibility and increase nutrient absorption. However, there are many major differences between the two groups. Ruminants have developed a four-chambered stomach system, which is not seen in the marsupials, as well as a rumination cycle which allows for the rechewing of previously ingested meals. While regurgitation may be evident in marsupials, it is, however, not analogous to rumination, and is instead called â€Å"merycism.†... .... 23 March 2004. Milewski, A.V. and R.E. Diamond. 2000. Why are very large herbivores absent from Australia? A new theory of micronutrients. Journal of Biogeography. 27(4): 957-978. Russell, J.B. 1988. â€Å"Ecology of Rumen Microorganisms: Energy Use.† In Dobson, Alan, and Marjorie J. Dobson, eds. Aspects of Digestive Physiology in Ruminants: Proceedings of a Satellite Symposium of the 30th International Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY, pg 74-98. Stevens, C.E. and I.D. Hume. 1995. Comparative Physiology of the Vertebrate Digestive System. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Strahan, Ronald, ed. 1995. The mammals of Australia. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC. Van Soest, Peter J. 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. Ithaca: Comstock Publishing.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Isolation and Alienation in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar Essay

In Sylvia Plath’s modern novel, The Bell Jar, the main character Esther isolates and alienates herself throughout the book because she mentally ill. Because her descent into a deep depression is slow and she leads a productive life when the reader first meets her, this descent seems rational to the reader in the beginning. Esther has an artsy soul. She is a writer and dreamer. When she does not make it into the writing program she is hoping for, she feels as though her life starts to lose purpose and we see her unwind. Esther is lucky enough to be spending a month in the summer in New York as a scholarship winning junior editor/ intern for a ladies magazine but she does not enjoy this experience as much as she feels she should. Esther spends her evenings out and about in the glamorous city trying to forget about Buddy Willard, a boy she dated in college who developed tuberculosis. Esther’s feelings of depression begin on this trip as she loses interest in both her work and social life and only worsen with time. Esther begins to realize her feelings of deep discontent are not normal â€Å"I knew something was wrong with me that summer, because all I could think about was the Rosenbergs and how stupid I’d been to buy all those uncomfortable, expensive clothes†¦and how all the little successes I’d totted up so happily at college fizzled to nothing†¦ along Madison Avenue.† (Plath, 1-2) Although Esther understands there is something abnormal about her emotions, it takes her a while to realize how deeply mentally ill she really is. Her peers are all happy and excited to be in New York pursuing their future careers but Esther is unable to share their enthusiasm in any of it. Esther begins avoiding her friends and social situations and retreats further into her own thoughts and emotions. Esther’s depression steadily worsens once she returns home. She is devastated when she is informed she has been rejected from the writing program she planned on attending and is left unsure about what to do with her life. â€Å"But when I took up my pen, my hand made big, jerky letters like those of a child, and the lines sloped down the page from left to right almost diagonally, as if they were loops of string lying on the paper, and someone had come along and blown them askew.† (Plath, 106) Esther starts noticing many odd changes with herself, such as a loss of writing talent and constant thoughts of suicide. She feels she is losing her identity as a writer and therefore her grip on reality. Esther attempts suicide more than once and is dragged to several psychiatrists and mental institutions before landing in a private institution in the capable hands of Dr. Nolan who helps her slowly ascend from her suffocating â€Å"bell jar.† This book gives the reader a look inside what it is like to be severely mentally ill. Esther avoids everyone including those who used to be her best friends and attempts suicide more than once. That is why alienation is the most outstanding theme in this novel.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Leadership in Healthcare

Contents Introduction2 Interactive Model of Leadership3 Measure to Analyse Leadership Skills5 Introduction5 Critical Factors5 Identifying Leadership Gaps5 Closing the gaps6 Nature of Motivation, Satisfaction & Performance8 Task Orientation among Teams8 Nature of group & group development8 Leading Virtual teams8 Creating the Virtual Team9 Conclusion9 References10 Introduction The organization chosen for this assignment is Bupa Care Services, Leeds, UK. Founded in 1947, Bupa Care Services have believed in the motto that they should help people live longer, happier & healthier lives with provision of good quality healthcare.Bupa not being open to shareholders works purely for the benefits of its patients. Their various initiatives in terms of investment are aimed at better healthcare for their patients. The focus of this assignment is on the leadership programme conducted by Bupa in â€Å"Caring for elder people† Bupa, through its network of residential hospitals, retirement home s & nursing homes in the UK, Australia, Spain and New Zealand takes care of thousands of elder patients.Over a period of time with increase in experience they have identified lacunas in their processes and reached a maturity to excel in innovation and development of care facilities for the elderly. With collaborations with researchers, expert partners and academics they aim to find innovative ways to improve their services With the society at large being dominated by ageing individuals, it introduces the healthcare domain with new challenges to address. It is more prevalent in developed countries which have a strong healthcare system to support individuals during their more productive phase in life thus improving their life expectancy.Globally speaking, it is estimated in the next two decades that there would be about twice the percentage of elders in the UK as compared to today, while individuals who have completed their centenary would be 4 times as compared to today. In Australia , the numbers are expected to increase from the current 0. 2 million to an estimated 0. 5 million in the next two decades. A more similar trend is predicted in New Zealand whereby the current count is estimated to be doubled in the next three decades..The programme aims at trying to profile care home population, support initiatives to garner funds, target improvement of healthcare aspects and a aim at the greater good for improving the standard of living of the elderly. The programme was conducted under the able leadership of Mark Ellerby, Managing Director, Bupa Care Services and Dr. Clive Bowman, Medical Director, Bupa Care Services. Interactive Model of Leadership Response from people today in a corporate team based culture is largely influenced by the behaviour of their leaders.People like if their leaders are with them rather then above them, which gives them a feeling on belonging in the team and not a slave to the system. This calls for an innovative and lateral shift in the thinking behaviour on part of the leaders to be effective in their workplace. The interactive leadership development program helps leaders learn to effectively make that shift & excel as team players. The program offers a new lease of life and offers an opportunity for to be leaders to benchmark their skills against the best practises from around the world which is supported and well documented through a world class study of ore than three decades. The intent of the program is to make candidates test their inner skills and coach themselves against external actions. It provokes them to improve upon their competencies and be better leaders to achieve higher performance with results which have a long lasting impression. The research on interactive leadership has been conducted by founder David H. Burnham and Harvard psychologist Dr. David C. McClelland basis which they have observed the way leaders behave and most importantly how they think in the most critical of situations.The focus of the program is to inculcate a thought process to be able to engage with individuals and groups, improve the emotional intelligence and have a dedicated focus on results. Let’s now focus on applying the model to the leadership programme at Bupa Care Services. The primary premise on which the interactive leadership works is: Thoughts drive Actions to create Outcomes. Participants are given the opportunity to work through simulations, perform exercises and activities in each of the critical areas in order to: Experience and evaluate how their present thinking will help them drive outcomes in future ? Develop and invest in specific goals which would prepare them for any future change ? Identify the key areas that need development and have conscious thought process to achieve them ? Learn the nuances to make the change(s) happen. Measure to Analyse Leadership Skills 1 Introduction Leaders are aware of change and it is obvious to them that they need to adapt to the change as ind ividuals as well as a group and the industry at large.But considering today’s uncertain and complicated work culture, the importance lies in understanding the importance of leadership skills. The entire healthcare domain for years have been operating in a dynamic world with changes impacting everyone including insurance companies, healthcare providers, device firms and pharmaceutical to a great extent. The industry has been boosted by the advent of technology, newer & improved means of care, a more dynamic business model. Regulatory authority and ethical issues add to the existing woes of the healthcare industry.With such complexities, organisations find it cumbersome to identify the leadership talent which can help them set direction, gain commitment from employees as well as from partners and drive high quality care for the patients. With a volatile environment, the healthcare sector is looming large on drastic changes ahead in time and at the present moment; it is already amidst a phase of rapid change. This demands high levels of expertise in technology and thorough bred professionals with good leadership skills to be able to swim in the rough waters.The other problem for the healthcare domain is that it is extremely difficult for them to classify their challenges since these are multi dimensional and of a complex nature. In order to address these challenges, common strategies and processes have to be developed which would enable the organization to achieve high performance. It is the need of the hour and even a need for Bupa Care Services. 2 Critical Factors 1. Improve the ability to lead subordinates and work in groups. Leaders should be able to collaborate and should be capable of creating a culture to influence participation from all members in the group.It is also important for leaders to be able to deal with problem subordinates. 2. Create strategies to provide current and future leaders broad holistic view. In order to have a holistic view, l eaders are expected to have some critical qualities like self awareness, career management and functional know how. A majority of the leaders today have been found wanting in these critical areas. Such limitations are expected to be overcome through continuous training and development, feedback sharing, coaching and succession planning. 3. Leaders possess important strengths.They are well equipped to handle change and have the ability to achieve the end results. They possess some key additional qualities like cool composure, quick learning capability and clarity in thought process. Such qualities inherited by leaders provide enough proof that the healthcare leaders are a capable bunch of individuals who are assets to the industry. 3 Identifying Leadership Gaps Like in every exercise which involves comparison of two levels of attributes in any individual, there would always be some gaps in the expected level and actual level.With leadership this disparity can be arrived by the differ ence in current skills to expected skills. With this understanding, organizations can come up with powerful strategies to build a capable pool of able leaders. The process of identifying gaps leads us to the characterizing certain attributes which are important for leadership skills and certain factors that are termed as derailment factors. Important Factors 1. Resourcefulness. Possesses multiple qualities such as good decision making under pressure, setting up intricate systems, analytical thinking, flexible behaviour and problem solving skills.Gets along with seniors and has the capability to deal with higher management responsibilities. 2. Result Oriented. Has the capability to get things done by carefully investing in ideas and thrives to overcome hindrances with a dedicated focus. Can stand up and take responsibility to handle tasks individually and at the same time is open to learn from others to accomplish the task. 3. Quick Learner. Has the capability to quickly assimilate b usiness and technical know-how. 4. Decisive. Always looks for prompt and precise solutions to any of the management problems which otherwise would be slow and sluggish. . Leading Subordinates. Strong delegation powers and provides opportunities to budding subordinates to show case their talents. Always on the look out for fresh talent for hiring. Has an unbiased approach towards his subordinates. 6. Handling Problem Subordinates. Tries to understand the problem subordinate and only after proper evaluation decides to act upon a problem employee. Shows enough fairness and is unbiased with problem employees. 7. Encourages participation. Is a good listener and takes everyone’s opinion before arriving at a decision. 8. Handles change.Is always expecting changes and is ready to adapt. Also, takes efforts to overcome any resistance from his other subordinates with a view that the change has its benefits in the long run. 9. Build relationships. Capable of building and maintain good r elations with subordinates and external parties. Masters the skills of negotiation without hurting any of the subordinate sentiments. 10. Compassionate and Sensitive. Genuinely interested in solving others problems and is sensitivity to employees’ needs. 11. Composure. Does not get into blame game over a mistake committed by anyone in the team.Handles the problem calmly and looks at solving the same quickly. 12. Personal Life. Strikes a balance between his working commitment and personal life. Neither of them is ever side tracked. 13. Self-Awareness. Knows his strengths and weaknesses and has the willingness to improve. 14. Puts people at ease. Displays the right amount of warmth to people and has a good sense of humour. Having a good sense of humour is not at the expense of hurting subordinates sentiments. 15. Manages his career. Remains focussed towards building this career through continuous investing in training, coaching and feedback.Derailment Factors 1. Interpersonal R elationships. Finds it difficult to get along with subordinates which indirectly impact his work. 2. Building and Leading a Team. Finds it difficult to build and lead a team. 3. Manage change. He is not able to manage change. Finds it difficult to adapt to change and inherently shows resistance to change. 4. Fails to achieve goals. Finds it difficult to keep up with his commitments and fails to meet business objectives. 5. Narrow thinking. Does not get into details and fails to have a holistic view. 4 Closing the gapsTo close the leadership gap in the areas identified, organizations and individual leaders will need a solid understanding of the skills and behaviours required to be effective in each area. Here, is the starting point for understanding five areas that healthcare leaders and organizations should emphasize: 1. Leading employees. This requires a leader to be self aware and have strong interpersonal skills. They need to invest in creating and building a team. They provide a mple opportunities and challenges to their subordinates which is followed up with continuous guidance and coaching. They look at being mentors to future leaders. . Encourage participation. A leader should look at getting his teams involved, build a consensus and have a concurrent decision with everyone’s strong participation. Should be able to communicate well and also be a good listener in order to be able to get the best out of his team members. Looks at multiple perspectives before arriving at a decision. 3. Relationship Management. A leader should look at building relationships with his subordinates and also be fair in handling these relationships. He should be able to relate to all kinds of people and easily gain support and respect of peers, senior management and customers. . Self-Awareness. Be aware of ones strengths and weaknesses. Some one who is aware of his own being will always seek feedback from others and try to improve him continuously. He would be open enough to admit his mistakes and self correct himself. 5. Organizational perspective. A leader should have a broad and holistic organizational view. If the thinking is narrow then it would hurt the team was well as the organization in the long term. Should be capable enough to handle the tactical and technical points required to manage his work. Nature of Motivation, Satisfaction & PerformanceMotivation is something that makes people performs better. However, not everyone gets motivated by the same things: Someone who is motivated might be satisfied and would perform better by getting additional responsibilities, whereas someone would gets some flexibility in his working style might get motivated to perform better. It merely means that motivation to every individual might mean differently and his response to it would also differ. The various initiatives take at Bupa Care Services to contribute to the overall success of the leadership programme are listed below 1.Clinical Leadership: Direct or of mental and physical disability care, Dr Graham Stokes, is responsible for driving forward the quality and scope of care for people living with mental and physical disability in Bupa’s care homes in the UK, Australia, Spain and New Zealand. 2. Fund Raising: Bupa is continuing their successful partnership with Alzheimer’s Society in England and Wales, and Alzheimer Scotland for the Bupa Great Run Series. They managed to raise close to ? 1 million in 2009, which is evidence of the shared commitment to continue to raise awareness of mental and physical disability.Bupa has sponsored the Great Run Series for 17 years, making it one of the longest-running sporting partnerships in the UK. 3. Boosting Research: Alzheimer’s Society and the Bupa Foundation have formed a partnership to pioneer and boost research into physical & mental disability and its causes. They jointly launched a ? 1. 5 million fund to support research into the cause, cure, care, and prevention o f physical & mental disabilities. Task Orientation among Teams Every organization wants to have a well collaborated team which can provide results effectively.There are many factors which would define a team’s success but the key factor being a leader’s vision and control over his team. Leaders have to be a mix of task and team orientation. This capability to leverage on both orientations enhances the ability build trust, create stability, and bring effectiveness among the team. The various task orientation initiatives taken at Bupa Care Services are listed below. 1. Pioneering Champions: Alzheimer’s Society and Bupa have joined together to launch the first ever physical & mental disability Champions programme across 190 Bupa specialist care communities in the UK.The programme aims to develop in-house bred leaders to combat physical & mental disability care in their place of work and has been successfully piloted in Bupa care homes. By changing the culture, the physical & mental disabilities champions aim to further improve quality of care and quality of life for people with physical & mental disability. 2. Supporting careers in their own communities: Bupa’s partnership with the charity for physical & mental disability aims to build capacity by developing new Admiral Nurse Posts in communities not served by this specialist nursing discipline. Physical & mental disability Pioneers’ are appointed to selected areas to spearhead development plans. The work of the Admiral Nurse in helping families and those living with physical & mental disability is well proven. Admiral Nurses have a significant role in helping families cope with the difficulties faced through their journey with physical & mental disability. Nature of group & group development There are four distinct stages that a group passes through as it comes together and starts to operate. The process can be known to all, but an understanding of the stages can help everyone attain effectiveness more quickly. . Forming: Being humans, everyone thrives to be accepted in their groups and also looks to avoid getting into conflicts. Everyone has a part to play in the entire jigsaw puzzle and thus they avoid getting into issues and hurting others feeling. But they have to accomplice their task by being in touch with their sub ordinates in order to achieve the results. 2. Storming: Every group has Individuals with varied natures. Some have a high degree of patience while some just get annoyed at everything. Similarly there is a threshold to everyone’s patience which eventually might lead to minor disputes or confrontations.These might be related or totally unrelated to work. 3. Norming: As we progress from the storming stage, the group matures and starts understanding their roles and responsibilities. These become more clear and each one agrees to follow the same. They start understanding each other better having gone through the grind during the stormi ng stage. This eventually would lead to forming a cohesive unit which is capable of achieving the desired results. 4. Performing: Reaching this stage for any group is an achievement as not many groups reach this stage.Having attained this stage signifies that the group is highly collaborative and works as a cohesive unit. The group possesses high morale and has created a identity for itself which reflects through their loyalty for each of the members. Leading Virtual teams The last couple of decades have seen rapid globalisation which has also made an impact on the healthcare domain. Challenges have come up with leaders expected to manage teams which are geographically diverse in terms in distances and time zones and not being co located.The problems however with managing virtual teams especially in the healthcare domain has not received enough importance the world over. 1 Creating the Virtual Team With the above problem statement, leaders today have an inherent wish to be able to s elect team members based on their ability to work in virtual teams. However, in the healthcare domain, this is not an option which is readily available since there are very limited options available when it comes to having the right skill sets. The choices are therefore made as far as ossible; collate team members who have experience in virtual teamwork, rest of the parameters remaining same. 1. Discovering Commonalities: It is a difficult task to find commonalities within virtual teams as it is very much possible that the team leader has never met all members face to face and thus does not have enough data points to gauge them on a level scale. Extra efforts have to be taken by the leaders to Identify commonalities between people to actually arrive at trying to group similar minded or similar skilled team members together. . Creating Trust: Trust and respect cannot be commanded, it is almost always earned from the members of a team that trust each other and will go far in working t ogether as a team. It is important to make every member valued and appreciated. Everyone should be given the opportunity to voice their opinion and all opinions need to be heard. 3. Understanding team dynamics: Within virtual teams, there are no visual or physical cues and thus it makes it challenging for the leader to understand the team dynamics.The likes and dislikes of the team members are also difficult to assimilate since the communication most of the times would be on phone or emails. 4. Team member interaction: An important component of virtual teams else would be difficult to handle such diverse user groups. Working virtually sometimes has its limitations that some of the team members might get missed out in the communications and which would be harmful for the team as a whole. It is sometimes observed than one member gets invited to fewer and fewer meetings and suddenly one is a non-entity on the team.Now imagine this happening with multiple team members. 5. Communication: With virtual teams, there are various ways in which the communication happens – phone, phone conference, video conference, email, internet, chat rooms and IM. The leaders have to be well conversed with all these medias and should decide on the right channel when communicating with the members of the virtual team. Conclusion Hoping to get immediate results, healthcare organizations cannot be investing in too many leadership programmes especially in the uncertain times.Therefore, it is important for the team to be conservative when it comes to making such decisions. Yet, it should be noted that leadership talent and technical expertise are necessary to meet the population’s healthcare needs, manage operations and find innovative and effective solutions to complex challenges. Good leadership initiatives, then, are essential for success. To start with, healthcare organizations have the opportunity to re-assess their organizational leadership capabilities and begin focused efforts to develop leaders and create a culture of collaboration.References Ellerby, Mark and Dr. Bowman, Clive, Bupa Care Services, 2011, â€Å"Healthcare leadership in caring for older people† CCL Report Jun, 2010. â€Å"Addressing the Leadership Gap in Healthcare† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from â€Å"Group Dynamics: Basic Nature of Groups and How They Develop† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from < http://managementhelp. org/groups/dynamics-theories. htm > â€Å"Stages of Group Development† retrieved on 29th September 2012 from â€Å"InterActive Leadership†, Burnham Rosen Group retrieved on 29th September 2012 from

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Crazy Horse, A True American essays

Crazy Horse, A True American essays "A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky. I was hostile to the white man...we preferred hunting to a life of idleness on our reservations. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Soldiers came and destroyed our villages. Then Long Hair (Custer) came...They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape but we were so hemmed in we Crazy Horse, as Remembered by Ohiyesa I chose to write about Crazy Horse because he is a man who suffered for the cause of freedom from genocide and oppression. He was a warrior for justice. Crazy Horse did not have an equal as a warrior or a chief. He gave submissive allegiance to no man, white or Indian, and claimed his inalienable rights, as an Indian, to wander at will over the hunting grounds of his people. He never registered at any agency; never touched a pen; never signed a treaty and refused to allow any photographs to be taken of him. He wanted only peace and a way of living for his people without having to live on the white man's reservations. Crazy Horse (Tashunkewitko) was born on the Republican River about 1845. He was killed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, in 1877, so that he lived barely thirty-three years. He was an uncommonly handsome man. It is said that Crazy Horse was physically perfect, like an Apollo. He was modest and courteous, but was a born warrior. However, he was a gentle warrior, a true brave, who stood for the highest ideals of the Sioux. Biased historians have misconstrued facts surrounding Crazy Horse. It is only fair to judge a man by the estimate of his own people rather than that of his enemies. Crazy Horse earned his reputation among the Lakota not only by his skill and daring in battle but also by his fierce determination to preserv...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Battle of Chattanooga

With the situation worsening, President Lincoln made the Military Division of the Mississippi and placed Major General Ulysses S. Grant in command of all Union armies in the West. Moving quickly, Grant relieved Rosecrans, replacing him with Major General George H. Thomas, and engineer Major General William F. Smith to open a supply line to Chattanooga. After making a successful landing at Browns Landing, west of the city, Smith was able to link up with Thomas and open a supply route in October, which was known as the Cracker Line. On the night of October 28 and 29, Bragg ordered Lieutenant General James Longstreet to sever the Cracker Line. Attacking at Wauhatchie, the Confederate general was very mad. With a way into Chattanooga open, Grant began reinforcing the Union position by sending Major General Joseph Hooker with the XI and XII Corps and then an additional four divisions under Major General William T. Sherman. While Union forces were growing, Bragg reduced his army by sending Longstreets force to Knoxville to attack a Union force that was under Major General Ambrose Burnside. Having consolidated his position, Grant began offensive operations on November 23, by ordering Thomas to go on from the city and take a string of hills near the foot of Missionary Ridge. The next day, Hooker was ordered to take Lookout Mountain. Crossing the Tennessee River, Hookers men found that the Confederates had failed to defend a valley between the river and mountain. Attacking through this opening, Hookers men succeeded in pushing the Confederates off the mountain. As the fighting ended around 3:00 PM, a fog descended on the mountain, which gave the battle the name of The Battle Above the Clouds. To the north of the city, Grant ordered Sherman to attack the north end of Missionary Ridge. Moving across the river, Sherman took what he believed was the north end of the ridge, but was actually Billy Goat Hill. His advance was stopped by Confederates under Major General Patrick Cleburne at Tunnel Hill. He thought that a frontal assault on Missionary Ridge to be suicidal, Grant planned to envelop Braggs line with Hooker attacking the south and Sherman from the north. To defend his position, Bragg had wanted three rows of rifle pits to be dug on Missionary Ridge, with artillery on the very top. Moving out the next day, both attacks met with little success as Shermans men were unable to break Cleburnes line and Hooker was delayed by burned bridges over Chattanooga Creek. As reports of slow progress arrived, Grant began to believe that Bragg was weakening his center to reinforce his sides. To test this, he ordered Thomas to have his men advance and take the first line of Confederate rifle pits on Missionary Ridge. Attacking, the Army of the Cumberland, which for weeks had suffered taunts about the defeat at Chickamauga, succeeded in driving the Confederates from their position. Halting as ordered, the Army of the Cumberland soon found itself taking heavy fire from the other two lines of rifle pits above. Without orders, the men started to move up the hill in order to continue the battle. Though originally mad at what he perceived to be a neglect for his orders, Grant moved to have the attack supported. On the ridge, Thomas men advanced steadily, aided by the fact that Braggs engineers had accidentally placed the artillery on the actual crest of the ridge, rather than the military crest. This mistake stopped the guns from being brought to bear on the attackers. In one of the wars most dramatic events, the Union soldiers surged up the hill, broke Braggs center, and put the Army of Tennessee to rout. This battle finally ended in a Union win, which they were of course happy about, but even happier because of their loss at Chickamauga, so this win made them feel like it made up for their other loss. The victory at Chattanooga cost the Union 753 men that were killed, 4,7220 of the men in their troops were injured and 349 missing. The Confederate’s casualties were listed as 361 killed, 2,160 wounded, and 4,146 captured and missing. The Battle of Chattanooga opened the door for the invasion of the Deep South and the capture of Atlanta in 1864. In addition, the battle destroyed the Army of Tennessee and forced Confederate President Jefferson Davis to relieve Bragg and replace him General Joseph E. Johnston. Following the battle, Bragg’s men went back south to Dalton, GA. Hooker was sent out to pursue the broken army, but was defeated by Cleburne at the Battle of Riggold Gap on November 27, 1863. The Battle of Chattanooga was the last time Grant fought in the West as he moved East to deal with Confederate General Robert E. Lee the following spring. ? Bibliography †¢www. wikipedia. org †¢www. wiki. answers. com/ †¢http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Battle_Of_Chattanooga †¢http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Chattanooga †¢http://www. nps. gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn024. htm †¢http://www. battlesforchattanooga. com/