Fuel Price Increase in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fuel Price Increase in US - Essay Example The thrust at accomplishing set goals in pursuing the 'green world' philosophy and theory much based on the need to curtail the towering global climate upheavals has seen the emphasised shift in policy in various industry and agriculture fronts. The soaring fuel prices owing to the volatility of the oil prices have spurred government and energy as well as food industry stakeholders to consider alternative means of curtailing the predicament of escalating fuel prices. President George W. Bush has had the production of corn-based ethanol as part of the core of his energy policy. Hayashi Fumio (2007) notes, "This has brought in some merits on board. The resonating perspective is based on that the emphasis on corn based ethanol production has acute implications on the success of the attempts at throwing a holistic approach to the whole global 'green world' initiative". The scholar further notes that the emphasis of green solution even to the fuel predicament has thus put America society back in the lead in the efforts of making the world a better place. Despite the impact on the entirety of the national and international agriculture sectors the production of corn-based ethanol which has also been the part of the roo... Hayashi, Fumio (2008) notes that, '"This is a welcome policy reorientation given that this year alone over a million jobs were lost. The move will precipitate in the expansion of employment base for the American society". It is notable that the pressure from escalating fuel prices has necessitated the invention of feasible means of striking the balance between demand and consumption for fuel. Fig. 1 Ethanol Production Projections Source: national Agricultural Statistical Service [http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Agricultural_Prices/pricecn.asp] Fig 2 Corn Price Trends Source: Shurson G.C. (2008) It is evident from the two direct-relationship graphs that the growth of the ethanol production industry has a direct impact on the price of corn. What is particularly notable from the statistics is that during the 2002-2005 periods when 4 billon gallons of corn-based ethanol were produced the price of corn was peaking from below $2 a bushel to about $3. Although the price took a lunge in the 2004-2006 phases the rise afterwards has been significant with corn price escalating from just about $2 a bushel to over $5. This is the period when corn-based ethanol production capacity was at an average over 5 billion gallons. Statistical interferences drawn from the trends and patterns illustrated on the graph show that holding everything equal, the production of corn-based ethanol will hit phenomenal figures of over 11 billion gallons by the end of the 2009 which may propel the price of corn way over $9 a bushel. "The growth of corn-based ethanol industry in tandem with demand in the US wil l lead to the expansion of the export GDP and thus help boost the strained US economy

Future of Physical Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Future of Physical Geography - Essay Example There are, also, other meteorological factors that make up the climate for a certain region and causes variations over a period of time. There are several different theories used to determine and study climate changes over short and long periods of time. The Thornthwaite system uses the study of temperature and precipitation as well as studying animal species, their diversity and how it impacts climate changes. The Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic system focuses mainly on the origin or air masses that make up the climate of a certain region. Paleoclimatology is the study of ancient climates. Since education and study of climates was not prevalent until the 19th century, this type of climate study uses non-biotic evidence such as sediments found in lakebeds, ice cores, tree rings and coral. Historical time spans show that there are a number of variables that determine climate which include, latitude, altitude, percent proportion of land to water, and the location to oceans and mountains. Another factor that plays a role and is more regional, are warming of the oceans and how the heat is distributed between land and water Also, density of vegetation and how it affects solar heat absorption, retention of water, and rainfall regionally. Alterations in atmospheric greenhouse gases determine the amount of solar energy retained by our planet. This, in turn, leads to global warming or cooling. There are many variables that determine our weather, and they all interact with each other in various regions to produce differing climates. In the next few paragraphs I will break down the different climates and show their characteristics. Differing climate range from the moist dampness of the rain forests to the dry air of the deserts, and others in between. The rain forests are typically characterized by high rainfall. This area averages between 69 inches and 79 inches of rain per year. The temperatures in this climate average also around 64 degrees during all the months of the y ear. A Monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind, which can last for months at the time. It usually is the onset of a regions’ rainy season. The areas known for this climate are North America, South America, the lower Saharan Africa, Australia and Eastern Asia. A Tropical Savanna is a grassland biome located in a semi-humid area of subtropical and tropical latitudes. The average temperatures in these areas are 64 degrees year round. The rainfall in this type of area averages 30 to 50 inches in a year. This type of climate is also found in India, Malaysia, Australia and some northern parts of South America. The Humid Subtropical climate zone is associated with large storms of winter snowfall and rainfall. However, most rainfall during the summer months consists of thunderstorms and a few tropical cyclones. These climatic areas are located roughly between latitudes 20 degrees and 40 degrees away from the equator and on the east side continents. A Humid Continental climate is charac terized by variable weather patterns and large variance in seasonal temperatures. These areas usually see temperatures averaging 50 degrees in the warm months and 26.6 degrees in the cooler months. An Oceanic Climate is most often found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of the entire world’s continents. This type of climate can be found also in Australia and characterized by heavy rainfall year round. Hot, dry summers and cool

The success of the novotel hotel chain

The success of the novotel hotel chain Novotel is one of the worlds major hotel chains, occupying a leading place in Europe and with locations globally. Started in 1967 by Paul Dubrule and Gerard Pelisson, they expanded their empire by building new hotels and buying other hotel chains. Novotel merger with Jacques Borel hotel and its restaurant groups in 1983 saw the group renamed Accor. Currently, Accor employs over 145,000 people and operates in 132 countries. Within hospitality industry Accor operates more than 2100 hotels with over 2 million rooms and more than 53,000 employees in this sector (Novotel: p3) This report analyses Novotels change management programme in the early 1990s which was outlined in three major parts:- Firstly, case study has the summary of the actions that managers took in terms of strategy and organisation. Secondly, the consideration of the sequence and timing of events, and how this resulted in rapid transformation in an organisation employing more than 30,000 people. Third, the emphasize in dialogue nature of the change processes, giving an inside stories from those who have taken part in the process. This gives a nice picture of what went right and what went wrong and the action to manage implementation of change. I have outlined the analysis in the following parts, ciritical evaluation of models of innovation and change management, the evaluations of key triggers of change and the likely sources of resistance to change, and then I have outlined a challenges which managers face during change management, and lastly, I have developed conclusions and recommendations to move Novotel forward, these recommendations based on my analysis. 2 Innovation and Change (Hotel business): _ [ evaluation of alterative models of innovation and change management ] Although much has been written about managing change in large private and public companies, very little has been written about managing change in an ever-changing hospitality and hotel industry in particular. The ability to effectively manage and embrace change is so of great benefit to todays hotelier. And, to successfully intact and overcome change, Hotels need to have specific attitudes and set of skills to go about change and planning for that inevitable change. In the case study, Novotel has adopted a competitive strategy that includes reducing costs of operations (Novotel: p.25). That is to say, their business strategy is cost leadership and persuading this business strategy requires being open to ideas and that it responds quickly and flexibly to the ideas that re-present opportunities for potential revenue growth (Blumentritt, 2004). Firms can compete on price or differentiation (Porter, 1980; 1985), Novotel can be non-price attributes include its brand, reputation and service. On the other hand, there are different types of innovations, the first type is Incremental innovation, this modestly improves a firms processes or services or it can be used in fine-tuning its business model, i.e. the way it creates value for its customers. Radical innovation significantly improves existing products and services or completely replaces them with new ones. Radical innovation occurs less frequently than incremental innovation partly because most organisations do not have the technical and human resources required for radical innovation, and because radical innovation happens so quickly organisations are not prepared for the risks and uncertainty which comes with this type of innovation. It should be noted that, Innovation is not a competitive strategy in itself, but it is used to enhance any competitive strategy once the strategy has been designed. If the strategy involves increasing the rate at which new products or services are introduced, then innovation can impact the firm in more than one or different ways. 2.1. The change process and methodologies Over the last 20 years the speed and scale of organisational change have accelerated and there has been a significant increase in the number of approached to change management. There are several forms of change in an organisation, some forces and others deliberate. The Strategic Change Initiative (organisational change process) Fig. 1 A Model of the change process, Boddy 2005 The first type if change is, systematic change is slower, less ruthless, more focused and more carefully constructed and timed. There are different approaches to systematic change such as: quality improvement, work reprogramming, benchmarking, and strategic planning. The nature of these approaches can be overly formalised and so stifle initiative in the organisation (Huy,Q. and Mintzberg, H.2003). Another type is, Organic change, this type of change is done internally in the organisation or other words it seems to ascend from the ranks without being formally managed. The problem with the organic approach is groups within organisation may begin to work at cross-purposes and this will result in scramble over resources, yet its outcome can be dramatic. Planned change is an iterative, recurring, process which involves analysis, action and evaluation, and further action and evaluation. It is an approach which maintains that once change has taken place, it must be self-sustaining to maint ain the momentum. This means that, all change agents or stakeholder i.e organisation, managers and recipients jointly diagnose the organisations problem and jointly plan and design the specific changes (Burnes, B. 2003). Another type is emergent change which is a continuous process of experiment and adaptation aimed at matching organisations capabilities to the needs and dictates of an energetic and uncertain environment. This type of change is achieved through a number of small to medium scale incremental changes. Another type is, dramatic change is frequently initiated in times of crisis or of great opportunity when power is concentrated and there is great stakes to be controlled. Mintzberg (2003) argues that unlike the phoenix of mythology, which could rise from its own ashes but once every 500 years, companies cannot continue to rely solely upon the mythical promise of dramatic re-emergence. 3. NOVOTEL: Change Management Programme From Kurt Lewins work (appendix 1) in the 1940s to the present day, organisational change, as a systematic process, has become the core and part of organisational life. Change in organisations does not have to be dramatic or far reaching, Stickland (1998) notes, sometimes change is incremental and hardly noticed: a new piece of equipment or software is introduced or a person leaves and somebody new joins the organisation. Sometimes change is large and dramatic: a complete re-organisation, a merger or a take-over, and no one and nothing in the organisation is unaffected (Stickland 1998:298). The recent economic crisis has provided a sense of urgency that helped organizations everywhere to successfully implement changes that would have been difficult if otherwise. Various cultural and structural factors have a direct effect on the very success of the organisation. These are highlighted when an organisation attempts to redefine itself, to change their image in an attempt to maintain or enhance their capabilities (Gratton, 1999). In Novotels case, they were forced because of plummeting annual profits and in response they adopted a competitive strategy that includes reducing their operational costs and also reduce service prices in the hope of increasing their hotels occupancy (Novotel: p.23). Being more innovative in this way also requires being open to ideas from previously untapped sources inside and outside of the company, and designing a firm that responds quickly and flexibly to the ideas that represent opportunities for potential revenue growth (Blumentritt, 2004). 3.1 Key triggers of change Reason which can trigger change can be listed as internal Triggers (i.e. New staff, Conflict, Sales /profit drops, De-motivation, Skills gap, Loss of key staff) and External Triggers (i.e. Economy, Supply, Government policies, Competitors, Funders, Customers, Shareholders, Media, Public and technology ) These triggers for change can be are analyzed using various managerial tools which are available in order to gain an essential understanding of the environment, both external and internal: A PESTEL analysis: this tool has five dimensions which are political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal. It is used to pick up factors in the local or micro, and national or macro contexts that managers need to take account of. Another tool is, STAKEHOLDER analysis this is a cultural or values audit that provides an understanding of some of the people factors over and beyond a resource audit. A Third tools, SWOT analysis this is a simple approach which measures strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. It provides a structure in which to lay out the need and the readiness of the organization for change. As previously mentioned, a change in competitive strategy is likely if the firm faces loss of customers, lack of pricing power or shrinking profit margins like in the case of Novotel (Novotel : p.12). Beckhard and Dyer (1983) point out that another important change trigger is simply strategic choice on the part of existing management team. Some ways this may occur through strategic planning, interaction with customers, competitors, etc., and gut instinct that a new market or product is worth pursuing. This type of trigger is much more generative and proactive than reacting to the environment or working to maintain alignment. Regardless of which of these many triggers initiate the change process, there are several key activities that can facilitate a successful change implementation (see appendix 4). Furthermore, I have put together a way to successful implement change from managers perspective in section 3.3. 3.2 Sources of resistance to change Initially after the change has been effected, there is resistance to change, these resistances can be grouped in different categories such as, Individual (i.e. fear of failure, ignorance, status loss, inertia, role loss) or Team (social loafing, pairing, lack of openness), can be organisational, (board members/top management, culture, structure, huge costs, limited resources, contracts or beliefs) or External factors such as (investors, suppliers, regulators, media, politics or collaborators.) As Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) emphasized, despite the risk of resistant behaviours have been acknowledged by many experienced managers, very few of them tend to take time to systematically analyze situations in terms of determining potential individuals who may resist change with different reasons. Firstly, one of the most obvious reasons for people to resist change initiatives has been the feeling that new circumstances will damage staff self interest. Also, , Employees can face increased levels of anxiety or fear from changes or proposed changes in the work environment. The term self interest entails a political meaning which refers to power relations with in the organization. In other words, new ideas about the way employees work usually impacts relations between different individual groups. Salaman (2000) argues that organisational employees actively strive to avoid and divert control; they seek to maximise their own interests which they may or may not see as coincident with the organisations, and they attempt to resist the domination of others while advancing or defending their own area of control and autonomy (Salaman, 2000, p.123). This means that, staff can resist change to maintain their social status in the organization Resistance can become overt i.e. in industrial a ction, including working to rule and strikes (Coram, R, and Burnes, B. 2001). Secondly, the aim of change efforts has been to create a new pattern of working which employees are expected to adopt themselves. From this point of view it is argued that employees do not resist to the idea of change but to its potential outcomes (Dent Galloway-Goldberg, 1999). As shown in the Novotel case study, the re-structuring made the reorganizing of personnel and management structure, roles were re-definite so is the reward systems and payment (Novotel: p14). Third, almost all prescriptions for a successful change implementation emphasize the necessity to make individuals understand meaning of change. Daft (2000), states that employees may tend to resist change when they are not informed about needs, purposes and outcomes of it. This is also vivid in the Novotel change programmes, a testimony from a receptionist in France, described that they didnt understand what the project was all about (Novotel : p.21) In addition to inadequate knowledge about change, if employees are suspicious about real intentions of change initiators, there is a high possibility of resistance. Fourth, change plans aim to move an organization from their existing position to ideal one and as Stapley (1996) states this transition period is kind of a journey that contains a lot of uncertainties. Curtis and White (2002) define uncertainty as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢lack of information about future events (Curtis White, 2002, p.17). When people lose their personal control, it becomes difficult to make rational decisions which would produce desirable outcomes. As a result, individual who experiences loss of control is likely to resist change because of apprehension brought by uncertainties about change (Novotel : p. 18) . Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) argue that difference in information that groups work often leads to differences in analyses, which in turn can lead to resistance (p.108). Fig 2. Framework for Managing Change 3.3. Managers Role: Overcoming Challenges In order to overcome change, managers face challenges when implementing strategies. The key element in implementing change or change management process is communication. Having effecting communication approach towards employees. Furthermore, employees attitude, perception of managers actions, employees motivation and continuous improvement of the working environment can be other elements a manager responsible for change should take. Below is the list of common challenges posed for managers tasked with implementing change management and they can mitigate any resistance:- Employees Communications: During the change process, take time to interact with employees as not all employees are outspoken or bound to hold their views to themselves and this could result in underground resistance to change. When this happens it could result in delays and will hinder understanding of staffs unfulfilled needs and expectations. This is on Lewins unfreezing stage (Levasser, 2001). Employees Co-operations and Collaborations: Managers in hotel industry ought to understand that different individuals do not the same views or opinions about change, most people tend to be worried about change. In other words, Managers needs to promote cooperation with staff before and during change process. Employees Motivation: This is critical especially during the change implementation stage, Manager ought to make sure that employees are stay motivated and be ready to listen to staffs opinions, and also take time to explain what is happening, this will help staffs morale. Employees Attitude: according to Levasseur (2001), this is also a focus during implementation stage (Lewins stage), a Manager should try his/her best to understand employees attitude. In addition, Conners (1998) lists stability, immobilisation and denial are factors in human cycle of negative response in hospitality, Manager as a leading person should be bare these 3 factors in mind. 4. Conclusion: In summary, resistance to change blocks the end results change was meant to produce, that means innovation is undermined, and whatever change is generated will be a reaction a reaction to the circumstances and part of the process by which those circumstances persist. On the other hand, responding or choosing to pursue change, promotes innovation and will do so naturally and consistently as a function of what is observe to be possible. Change based on this second view is likely to be an improvement on what already exists. It is also important to know how beneficial the change to be enacted is important to the organization and its staff. With high demand of staff in hospitality industry, it is good for leading managers in change management process to pay attention to the attitudes, motivation, cooperation and be receptive to views raised by staff as this will motivate employees and also it will create a conducive environment for and encourage staff. When staff are encouraged, they will be willing to accept change and sustain hotels competitiveness. To successfully meet and overcome change, Novotels Presidents need to have specific attitudes and skills for envisioning; anticipating and once they know the impending change, and planning for that inevitable change. And having known the impending change they need to know how to effectively communicate that change to co-workers, clients and external collaborators and future prospects to stay in charge of the competition. While change may not come easily, hotel operators can be sure that it will indeed come. 5. Recommendations Plan for Change: Because there are multiple countries which change is happening, Huy and Mintzberg (2003) highlights that, the realization that effective organizational change often emerges inadvertently or develops in a more orderly fashion. For the organisational change to succeed, all types of change should be considered (Huy, Q. and Mintzberg, H.2003:79). This means, there at Novotel needs to organise and formulate change management strategy that can look into inducing change from one country to another rather than focusing on their hotels but they should consider different customs in different countries. Eliminating this concern can reduce stresses caused by what is regarded as an unwanted interaction. Change Resistance Management: Change resistance is effectively reduced by decreasing resisting forces rather than increasing driving force. This driving force is the fear of punishment and forcing people to accept change can result in increased resistance. Success will only come by removing the resisting force. For further recommendation on strategies to decrease resistance. (see appendix 5) Keep Staff Updated: though out the change process, make sure to update staff and make it clear to them on what they should expect, also make sure the pass information is on as early as possible even if it is bad news. These updates and information reduces anxiety which is caused by uncertainty. According to Mullins (2005) he makes an emphasis that knowledge removes fear from an individual and gives them confidence to join the course of change. Communicate after change: this refers to the Lewins refreezing stage in Levasseur (2001) book. Manager as a leading person should continue to communicate with staff, about the change which is being implemented,. Through communication, Manager can discover to what extent change has had an impact to staff and take necessary steps to support them.

Lord of the Flies :: essays papers

Lord of the Flies Lord of the flies is an extremely psychologically involved novel that forces the reader to constantly think. It plays mind games and displays some frankly blunt ideas. It provokes thought by constantly alluding to the thematic side of the novel. Golding uses the island to show the evil in man, that society holds everyone together, and that man learns nothing from his mistakes. We are made to think about man himself. The boys that enter the island are perfectly normal, they are not evil or bad in any way. On the island all rules of society are removed and in many of the boys something starts to grow. Golding tries to portray the growth of evil within the boys and uses them to suggest that possibly this evil lies in all men. Perfectly normal boys become complete savages within weeks "Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!" There is no evil influence upon the island except for a "beastie" which is used by the boys as an excuse for everything, but is shown to the reader to be little more than the evil inside all of them ..."You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?". Society holds everyone together and without these conditions, ideals, and values, the basics of right and wrong are lost. Golding creates a society by using the boys to display the different characters within it. Each of the boys adopt certain characteristics and each begin to fill different roles. The society however is weak and as soon as cracks begin to appear it falls apart. He shows that if the thin 'veneer' of law and order in society is removed then the forces of evil become all too dominant. Ralph represents a sensible leader and when his influence diminishes, along with that of Piggy who represents the intelligent aspect of society, life on the island goes downhill. Without this influence of society the boys become mere savages. The boys represent the simple fact that man learns nothing from his mistakes. The boys enter an island of complete paradise "Fruit and flower grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the booming of a million bees at pasture." They came to be here by accident whilst fleeing a world destroyed by nuclear warfare, a world that man had destroyed.

My Bodyguard Essay

â€Å"The Bodyguard†, released in 1980, is a sensational movie that addresses the subject of bullying really well. This movie gives us a closer look at the life of bullies, and the ones going through the horrible nightmare. It shows how bullies make a name for themselves among their peers, and what the innocent people have to endure every day. The actors in this movie are very talented which makes the movie very engaging and entertaining. The Bodyguard also has a very strong moral that everyone can learn from and remember for the rest of their lives. A teacher could use this movie to teach a unit about bullying because it demonstrates the importance of friends when we are going through tough times in our lives. In My Bodyguard, when Clifford (main character) moves to Chicago, he has no friends so he becomes the main victim for bullies. Clifford doesn’t know anyone in his new school, therefore, he is scared to stand up for himself. The bullies make fun of him, steal his lunch money, and even hurt him sometimes. But, there is nothing he could do. Finally, when Clifford becomes friends with a guy named Linderman, he has someone to protect him from the evil bullies. When a friend steps in, the bullying will stop. My Bodyguard could also be helpful to a teacher because it gives us a better understanding of the bullies. This movie shows us that bullies are nothing but cowards. Some bullies are looking for attention. They might think bullying is a way to be popular or to get what they want. Most bullies are trying to make themselves feel more important. When they pick on someone else, it can make them feel big and powerful. The two main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. Bullies will only bully you if you look weak and you are scared of them. When you learn to stand up for yourself, the bullies will back off and eventually stop bugging you. People become bullies because they have many problems in their lives and they try to make themselves feel better by hurting others. If you show the bully you are brave and feel good about yourself, the bullying will stop automatically. My Bodyguard demonstrates that in the end, most bullies wind up in trouble. If they keep acting mean and hurtful, sooner or later they may have only a few friends left, usually other kids who are just like them. The power they wanted slips away fast. Other kids move on and leave bullies behind. Furthermore, My Bodyguard illustrates the life of the people going through bullying. A teacher could use this movie to show the students what it is like to be bullied. Bullying can take away the fun of being a teenager, and give you nightmares to remember. Being bullied can make kids feel really terrible. Bullying can make kids not want to play outside or go to school. It can even give people suicidal thoughts. It’s hard to keep your mind on schoolwork when you’re worried about dealing with bullies. Bullying can make school a place of fear and can lead to more violence and more stress for everyone. In conclusion, My Bodyguard is a great movie for everyone to see. It shows us the importance of friends, and gives us a closer look at the life of bullies and the ones getting bullied. The movie is very entertaining, and hopefully everyone can learn something from it. My Bodyguard is definitely one of the best movies that addresses the subject of bullying.

Modeling and Solving Inventory Control Problems Essay

Due to customer needs for stylish forms, new modern designs, special packaging or better product production, changes in the business environment influence engineering and logistic relations between companies and suppliers. IT technology plays a big part in solving issues concerning the process. Inventory control became today’s vital problem in management supplier demands. The aim of the article is to determine a supplier-stocking–producing policy that will make cost optimal stockpiling possible for an optimal length producing time horizon. The stochastic newsvendor model is a mathematical model in operations management and applied economics used to determine optimal inventory levels. A decision maker needs to decide how many units of limited-useful life products to order for a single selling period because the aim is to have an optimal-length producing time horizon. The optimal solution seen is characterized by a balance between the expected costs of shortage and surplu s. According to seasonality analysis, demands for products change greatly in a certain period, therefore run-out problem of nowadays has a great importance. By improving the models that is highly related in solving the problem, they optimized the cost function of the parameter, which does not remove the possibility of back-order and is applicable for an optimal time horizon. The handling of product run-out problems was solved by the developed model which arises from the seasonality of the real demand. By using the developed classical newsvendor model, the minimal number of required production cycles can be determined in a specific production time horizon as well as the optimal quantity that needs to be manufactured in the cycle. It is different with other models such as probabilistic model, economic batch quantity model, quantity discount model because it gets the optimal inventory level in its optimal length period.

Contrast Horses essays

Contrast Horses essays Horses have been an important and influential part of North American and European history. In his book, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, Alfred W. Crosby argues that horses helped to bring about European's successful colonization of a number of temperate regions such as North America, Australia, New Zealand, and some parts of South America. He argues that the profound success of horses in these regions resulted from the filling of an empty biological niche, and that the arrival of horses on the plains in North America resulted in profound changes in the lives of North American Indians. In his article, The Rise and Fall of Plains Indian Horse Cultures, Pekka Hmlinen argues that the common view that horses brought success to Native Americans is fundamentally oversimplified. He suggests that the common focus on only the successful incorporation of horses by the Lakota people has distorted modern understanding of plains history, and obscures the damaging impact of the arrival of horses on native American culture and ecology. In Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, Crosby argues biology played a large part in the fact that Europeans displaced the native people of many temperate zones in the world (including North America, New Zealand, temperate South America and Australia). While the success of European imperialism is commonly thought to stem from military might, and advanced technologies, it can be better explained by other factors, notes Crosby. Essentially, Crosby argues that the native biology of these conquered temperate places (including humans) was not equipped to deal with European invaders. European diseases like smallpox decimated native populations, and European weeds and agriculture brought large scale Overall, the animals, weeds, and diseases that Europeans brought to the New Wor...

World War I and Prime Minister Borden Essay

World War I and Prime Minister Borden Essay World War I and Prime Minister Borden Essay Explain how World War 1 affected Canada politically, economically and socially World War 1 one of the first war that Canada was involved in. the war has impacted Canada in many ways. For example, Canada’s politics, economy and society. How? In this essay I will discuss how the World War affected Canada politically, economically and socially. First of all, Canada’s politics was greatly affected. Starting with Prime Minister Borden introducing the War Measure Act in 1914. It gave the government the authority to do everything necessary â€Å"for the security, defence, peace, order and welfare of Canada.† Before the 1917 federal elections, Prime Minister Borden tried to ensure his victory by introducing two Acts, the Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections Act. Borden passed these two acts was because the Liberals leader Wilfrid Laurier would not support him. These two acts gave all Canadian women related to the war a time to vote. In addition, before the elections, Borden swayed some Liberals and independents who favoured the conscription and forming the first Canadian Union Government. As for the Liberals, Laurier lost much support outside Quebec because of his position on the conscription and lost the election. As the war ended, Canada and other countries attended the Paris Peace Conference. Prime Min ister Borden requested a seat in the Conference and was granted. Also, Borden were one of those leaders who signed the Treaty of Versailles and Canada gained international recognition as an independent nation. All and all, the world war helped Canada be a more well known nation. Secondly, economy in Canada was greatly affected as well. Canada was a main supplier for Europe during the war. Because of necessity in supplies for the war, Canada mass produced munitions, accessories and food for the soldiers. As a result, the country was using large amount of money, therefore the government had to tax people, wage reduction on workers, Victory Bonds, honour rationing and loans to pay off debts and to support the war. In addition, due to large exports of good to Europe, prices of goods in Canada rose and the workers aren’t happy about it because they can’t afford them. During that period some Canadian businesses made enormous profits from the inflated price. As a result workers’ demanding a better working conditions became a major issue after the war. All and all, because of the war, Canadian goods helped its economy boom during the war. Lastly, World War 1

12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement - CoSchedule Blog

12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement Blog In the social media world, every tiny detail matters for the overall big picture. Social media engagement is one of those things that cant be overlooked, especially on Facebook. Facebook is the highest used social media platform, so its no brainer that you want engagement there. Plus, with organic reach declining, you want to make sure every post counts. There are some commonly known tactics for  increasing Facebook engagement: Using  visuals Curating content Posting at the best times But what about the tactics we dont think about? The ones that arent so obvious? Lets take a look at some unique ways to boost your Facebook engagement. 12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook EngagementThe Facebook Engagement Tactics You Need To Try 1. Share videos for 135% more reach Visuals are eye-catching when your audience is  scrolling through their news feed. It's been proven time and time again that visuals help improve engagement, but what about videos? Research shows that videos have a 135% greater organic reach compared to photos. That's a crazy high number. Not only does adding videos into your social media strategy increase engagement, but it's also SUPER easy to upload videos. No really...it's as simple as 1, 2, 3: Click  Photo/Video at the top of your News Feed or Timeline Choose a video Click Post Facebook will process your video for you and let you know when it's ready to view. While it's processing, you can click Edit  to add a title and add tags. We've  also launched our new Social Video feature. You can schedule, share, and manage all of your social media videos directly in . Let us do all the work for you! 2. Post standalone graphics to share quick tips Most of the images you're posting on Facebook have a link relating to the image. At , we do this on our own Facebook page. We post a graphic and then add a link to a blog post. But then we had to stop and ask ourselves, "Are all these links benefitting our audience?"  We tested this theory by posting standalone graphics. We wanted test whether posts without links received better reach than posts with links and to mix up the kind of content we're creating and sharing. The results were impeccable. A standalone graphic is an image that gives useful information on its own without needing a link back to something. For our standalone graphics, we give tidbits of information and quotes from well-known marketers. We found that these graphics resonated higher with our audience and had an increased engagement rate compared to our link posts. Create standalone graphic using these awesome tools: Canva  (free, paid) Photoshop (paid subscription) Piktochart  (free, paid) Visage  (free, paid) 3. Show your brand's personality Every piece of content you post on Facebook should portray your company's personality. The best way to showcase this is by sharing  team pictures of your office shenanigans. Let your audience know that you aren't a social media robot you're a real person. We've tried this on our own Facebook and the results were outstanding. Wishpond's data  showed that  photo posts get 120% more engagement than the average post, so imagine the potential of personality photos. Don't spam your audience with information about your product or service all the time. Believe it or not, your audience wants to get to know the faces behind the logo. Share photos of all the awesome things that happen in your office. Update your header photo to display your team. Ask your audience to help you settle an office debate. When responding to comments, use names and include yours. Recommended Reading: 10 Fundamental Ways To Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach 4. Use  Facebook Live for 3x longer viewing As we know now, posting videos on Facebook does in fact increase engagement. Something even more powerful than Facebook videos is *drum roll please* Facebook Live. Studies show that people spend 3x longer watching video which is live compared to video that's been pre-recorded. Use Facebook Live to share tips, give demos, or just to thank your audience. To get started with Facebook Live get out your mobile phone and: Go to your Facebook business profile and open up the status bar. Tap the Live icon, which is a red button shaped like a person. Allow  Facebook to access your camera and microphone. Describe your live video (optional) Press the blue Go Live icon. There is a way to use Facebook Live on your laptop or desktop. Although this is not for creating live videos from your computer's webcam. This will create a live video, streamed directly from your professional video equipment or encoding software. Here's a walkthrough from Mashable: If you want to shoot Facebook Live from your laptop or desktop: Click on Publishing Tools at the top of your Facebook page. Then click on Videos on the left menu. Then click on the +Live  button on the top right. Then copy the stream key from your video software into the window that appears. (Most of the time it will already be filled in.) Click the blue Go Live icon. Facebook Live videos get 3x longer views than pre-shot video.Recommended Reading: How To Do Facebook Video Marketing The Right Way 5. Create a Facebook User group for maximum engagement Does your audience have questions often? Do you have super fans? If so, creating a Facebook user group for your business might be beneficial. Let your audience know that you've created a Facebook user group. This way your most dedicated fans can join and discuss your product with other users. Make sure you are checking this group page on a regular basis. You can even treat the user group like a VIP club, where members get exclusive info on  features before they launch. Some ways you can connect with these users are: Get feedback on new features.  With Facebook groups, you can create polls directly within the group. Ask these users how they feel about a new product or what they would like to see next. Share your company's  achievements.  Remember, these are your super fans, and they care about the progress you're company has made. If your business wins an award, share a quick post in the user group. Answer questions. One of the main reasons for a Facebook user group is so these members can interact and ask questions about your product. Don't let your fans do all the talking. Jump in and share your insights. Join our user group! 6. Pin posts for higher visibility According to SumoMe, pinning content onto Twitter brings 5x more engagement. The same goes for Facebook. Wait, what? Yes, you can pin on Facebook! Pinning posts on Facebook will bring that post to the top of your page for however long you want it there. This way, that specific post will receive high visibility when viewers visit your Facebook page. To pin on Facebook, simply: Select the post you want pinned on your Facebook page. Click the drop down arrow at the top right corner of the post. Select Pin To Top. Tada! You have a pinned post. To unpin a post from your profile page, follow the same steps except this time you will select Unpin From Top. Try it out! Recommended Reading: How To Increase Visibility With Social Media Optimization 7. Create Facebook Ads for quick engagement Here are some shocking stats to take away from Zephoria. At 1.49 billion, Facebook has more monthly active users than WhatsApp (500 million), Twitter (284 million) and Instagram (200 million)- combined. That's a lot of users to keep track of. The best way to target the right audience for your business, is through Facebook ads. You have to spend money in order to make money. Facebook ads are a guaranteed way to reach more people and bring engagement to your page. To create Facebook ads: Decide which type of ad you want.  Choose from promoting your page, promoting a post, or promoting your sign up button. Choose your audience.  You can select your audience by location, age, gender, interests and more. Set your budget and schedule. Set a daily or lifetime budget and schedule how long you want it to run. Set your ad live.  Once you've narrowed down what type of ad, your target audience, and your budget. For more info, Kissmetrics has an awesome guide on Facebook ads to help get you started. Recommended Reading: Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One (And How To Build It) 8. Drive traffic from other social media sites Is your business on Twitter? How about LinkedIn? Maybe even Instagram? Chances are, your business is on more than one social channel. Use these sites as a gateway to bring your audience to your Facebook company page. For example, when your Twitter followers mention your company, you can occasionally respond back by encouraging them to check out your Facebook page. Remember not to respond to every mention this way so you don't come across as spammy. Only encourage your followers to check out your Facebook page if you truly think they would. 9. Add a CTA button to boost promotion Want to promote your website? Or a new video? Facebook provides several different Call-to-Action buttons you can add directly into your cover photo including: Book Now Contact Us Use App Play Game Shop Now Sign Up Watch Video Bring your audience a step further by promoting your business in a different way; with the click of a button.  You'll also need an an awesome Facebook cover photo  for  your Call-to-Action button to  be  successful. To add a CTA button to your Facebook page: Go to your Page's cover photo and click + Add a Button. Choose your call-to-action, and enter the URL for your website. Click Create. Customizing a CTA button is a simple method to bring more traffic to where ever you need it. It also makes your Facebook page look more professional. Consider adding one to your business page. 10.  Create graphics for your profile that are branded + clear Your Facebook profile picture and cover photo show your audience what your company is all about. In order for you audience to engage with you, your Facebook page must be inviting. This means that you need to have a SUPER, AWESOME, FANTASTIC profile and cover photo. Okay...maybe not that extreme, but you should create graphics for your profile that are clearly unique to your brand. Post Planner  noticed your profile picture appears in: The news feed of your followers. Posts on your page's Timeline. Replies in comments. Comments posts you make on other pages while using your page. It's seen in many different places! So be sure to use your logo as your profile picture that is clear and sized correctly. For your cover photo choose a photo that: Showcases your personality. Promotes a new feature or product. Describes your product, like how the Kissmetrics cover photo does. Highlight upcoming events. Above all, have fun with your profile profile picture and cover photo! Be unique and stand out. On Facebook, be unique and stand out.11.  Participate in Facebook groups within your industry We've talked about creating a Facebook user group page for your own company, but what about participating in other groups? Participating in Facebook groups allows you provide helpful and informative advice or to start relevant discussions that can help generate interest in your brand. Search for other brands within your industry and see if they have a group page, then simply join it. Your primary reason to be in a group is to participate in other people’s discussions, not to start them. So answer, chime in and let the community guide the discussion. When participating, don’t shamelessly promote your content. Don’t just  share, but participate! Join several different groups that are relevant to your company or brand that you can participate in regularly. This will help get the word out about you from other members. 12. Create  an event via your Facebook page Creating and hosting events on Facebook is something that often gets forgotten about, but is great for engagement. Rather than just updating a post about an upcoming event, create a Facebook event for it. It's like being invited to an exclusive party, except everyone gets invited. Consider creating events that are hosted by your page, such as: A sale. An ongoing promotion. A special event. A new feature launch. Then, invite people who have liked your page to the event. The great thing about Facebook events is that, whether they are attending or just interested in the event, they will continue to receive information whenever you update the event page. BONUS: Their friends will be able to see if they are attending and may also be drawn to your page. Sprout Social  found  the 13 best ways to plan and organize a Facebook event:

Examine how a labor agreement is administered Essay

Examine how a labor agreement is administered - Essay Example The allotted time frame under step 2 is 10 workdays. After which, if the issues still remain unresolved, the matter is elevated to the chief steward (to represent the grievant) and the immediate supervisor elevates the concern to the department manager, who is the authorized personnel to review and evaluate the matter. The time allotted for step 3 is 15 days. Step 4 is being addressed by local union president and the vice president for industrial relations. A total of 30 workdays is allotted to mediate the matter. Finally, step 5 already calls for arbitration when the issues still have not been resolved (Chapter 14: The Dynamics of Labor Relations, 2012). â€Å"Thousands of Greeks walked off the job on Thursday in the third general strike of the year, this time called by labor unions to protest a surprise decision by the conservative-led government to close the state broadcaster and put about 2,900 employees out of work† (Kitsantonis, 2013); Personally, I strongly believe that unions are formed to serve the best interests of employees or members of the labor force, especially those whose voices could not be aptly heard and duly represented in an organization. Thus, unions’ effectiveness could be measured in terms of their ability to forge a congenial agreement with management (or authorized representatives of the organization) and with the employees (who are members of the union) regarding labor relations issues and concerns. When clear conditions and stipulations have been clearly set by both parties and have been properly evaluated and agreed upon, it would be an indication that the needs and concerns of the employees are effectively represented and served. Thus, unions’ success in serving the labor relations needs of these employees (and that which are acceptable to management) are the standards of measurement for their

Advances in asthma management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advances in asthma management - Research Paper Example Most of the patients develop symptoms in early childhood. 80-90 percent of them experience symptoms before 6 years of age (Morris, 2014). But, the clinical presentation can occur at any age. If left unattended and in the presence of severe symptoms, asthma can contribute to morbidity and mortality. Asthma is an incurable disease and individuals with this condition will need regular follow-up and monitoring of symptoms. In this essay, advances in asthma will be discussed with reference to a case scenario. The most common symptoms of asthma in an adult are are wheezing, cough, nocturnal or exercise-induced cough, breathlessness, tightness of chest and sputum production (Morris, 2014). The symptoms may be perennial or seasonal, continuous or intermittent, or during the day or night. Some of the precipitating or aggravating factors include viral infections, intense emotions, environmental irritants, exercise, pets or carpets at home, drugs like aspirin, additive foods, weather changes, stress and certain diseases like gastrointestinal reflux, sinusitis and rhinitis (Morris, 2014; Hamilos, 1995). Many patients have a family history of asthma or other allergy conditions. Based on the history of frequency and the severity of acute exacerbation, asthma is classified into four types. They are mild intermittent asthma, mild persistent asthma, moderate persistent asthma and severe persistent asthma. It is important to ascertain the severity of asthma in a patient because; treatment of asthma is based on the severity and frequency of symptoms. In mild intermittent asthma, the symptoms occur less than twice a week. The flare-ups are brief and the intensity vary. Night symptoms occur less than 2 times a month and no symptoms occur in between flare-ups. FEV1 is atleast 80% of normal values. The variability of peak flow is less than 20 % (SIGN, 2009). In mild persistent asthma, the

Research Methods - Dissertation Proposal (Balanced Scorecards - Why to Essay - 1

Research Methods - Dissertation Proposal (Balanced Scorecards - Why to go for it, how to develop and implement, how effective are they ) - Essay Example Norton in 1992, in an article that appeared in the Harvard Business Review titled: â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard: Measures that drive performance.† This management strategy was devised in response to the fact that while most financial measures were able to track the past performance of a business, they were unable to effectively assess the intangible factors that contributed towards ensuring that the business retained a competitive advantage in the marketplace (Rutan 1996). The Balanced Scorecard is therefore a strategic measure of performance, not only from the financial point of view but from a more broad based perspective that also enables accurate projection of future goals and the degree of adherence of the business to those goals. The concept of performance measures was earlier developed by Peter Drucker as Management by Objectives (Birnbaum 2000:43-52). Employees in every department were to set out short-term objectives, which were to be achieved within a certain deadlin e. Companies such as General Motors and RCA Foods adopted this method of management, but it was found to be ineffective due to the failure to take into account the unpredictable human factor in actual practice. There are two underlying principles that drive the Balanced Scorecard. The first one is that adhering to strictly financial measures hinders a company’s ability to formulate long term value. The second principle is that what gets measured is what actually gets done. (www.tqe.com). Therefore, while the Balanced Scorecard retains traditional financial measures, it also includes such factors as customers, suppliers, technology, process, employees and innovation. Therefore, this strategy identifies four distinct areas that need to be analyzed: Kaplan and Norton advocate the design of a comprehensive set of develop a scorecard, to evaluate the status of the business and what needs to be done to improve or enhance the scorecard to make it balanced in all the four fronts

Employee Retention in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employee Retention in UK - Essay Example Organizationally committed employees will usually have good attendance records, demonstrate a willing adherence to company policies, and have lower turnover rates. In particular, their broader base of job knowledge often translates into loyal customers and even pay premium price. Employee retention is an issue since the turnover levels from various industries are rising. Statistics show different percentages related to turnover rates as well as the reasons for the increasing turnover. "Turnover levels vary very considerably from industry to industry. The highest levels of turnover (22.6%) are found in private sector organisations. Successive surveys of labour turnover show that the highest levelsare found in retailing, hotels, cateringand leisure,and among other lower paid private sector services groups. The public sector has an average turnover rate of 13.7%." (Stone, 2007) Almost a quarterof employees in the UK have been in their current jobs forfive years.As a proportion of aggregate turnover, the percentage of people leaving organisations through redundancy remains small. There was a slight decreasefrom 28% to 24%of organisations making more than ten people redundant during 2006 and in those operating a recruitment freeze from 24% to 22%in the course of the year. The cost of high staff turnover can be substantial. ... irect financial costs of replacing staff but also other repercussions such as the potential loss of key skills, knowledge and experience, disruption to operations and the negative effect on workforce morale. In addition, high turnover represents a considerable burden both on HR and line managers as they are constantly recruiting and training new staff. When seeking to resolve the problems associated with high turnover, companies must first investigate the underlying causes. They need to have in mind an appropriate level of attrition by benchmarking against similar organisations and taking into account the real costs of turnover to the company. Different theories of employee retention People are vital components for the effective operation of the organisation; as a matter of fact, managers often say that people are their most important assets. The human assets are never shown on the balance sheets as a distinct category, although a big amount of money is invested in the recruitment, selection, training of personnel. Rensis Likert suggested maintaining accounts of the valuable human assets through human resource accounting. The importance of the employees cannot be over emphasized because it can determine the success or failure of the organisation. Make-You-Happy Action Teams (MAT) plays a critical role in managing employee retention. This is Z-Theory management. To briefly sate, Z-Theory management means everyone that is effected by a decision for the company gets a "say" or a "vote" in the decision (tons more on Z-Theory Management in another article). This means employees are directly involved in decision making that affects them. When then make decisions that directly affect them, they stay around longer. This theory can help in managing employee retention due

Case Study on Organisational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study on Organisational Change - Essay Example Case issues While analysing the given case scenario, it is clear that the takeover of the ‘Star’ by the ‘Iron Cage’ caused the Star to move from a highly profitable company to an underperforming company. The major identified issue is that the business acquisition raised severe challenges to the Star’s innovativeness as the resulted organisational change prevented the company from effectively dealing with experimentation. Undoubtedly, this adverse situation negatively affected the Star’s market competitiveness since thoughtful experimentation and frequent innovations are essential for the sustainability of a chemical company operating in a progressive niche-market. Declining employee loyalty was one of the main reasons for the Star’s failure. According to the author, the business takeover led to the formation of a coercive worksite environment and hence this excessive bureaucracy by Iron Cage top management persuaded Star employees to cha nge their view from â€Å"it is my company† to â€Å"it is just the company I work for† (Grieves, 2004, p.233). In addition, Star employees did not get extensive exposures to demonstrate their creativity due to the parent company’s over-involvement. ... Such a situation adversely affected the formed organisation’s managerial activities and ultimately operational efficiency. The most potential reason for Iron Cage’s break up is that the organisation failed to ensure the active involvement of Star employees. In short, it can be asserted that over-dominance of Iron Cage management over Star employees ended up in the Iron Cage’s break up and sell off. Case study analysis The company’s failure could have been avoided if the Iron Cage had efficiently dealt with the change management subsequent to the Star acquisition. The case study clearly indicates that the Ice Cage management was not thoughtful in integrating two entirely different organisational cultures. The Iron Cage tried to coordinate quality assurance systems and achieve cultural integration by installing a managing director from its own ranks. The organisation did not consider any of the Star’s top executives for this change management process. In addition, the parent company had done nothing proactive in preparing Star employees to adapt to a new organisational environment. The Ice Cage’s business integration strategy was against the business ethics of change. According to Audi (2012, pp.46-50), the idea of business ethics is of greater significance in ensuring an organisation’s sustainability as this concept is a key to tool to achieve employee loyalty and reputation. Similarly, the Iron Cage management did not give any importance to Star employees’ problems and opinions. In contrast, the parent company tried to suppress the ideas and suggestions of Star employees. The case study clearly indicates that Star’s managers were not satisfied with the language of the

Civil and Construction Engineering, Building Studies and Fire Essay

Civil and Construction Engineering, Building Studies and Fire Engineering - Essay Example National Academy for Professional Training I would like to acknowledge National Academy for Professional Training for providing consultants to assist me in the visit to The Torch Hotel. 1.0 Introduction The topic I have chosen for my final dissertation for Civil and Construction Engineering Building Studies and Fire Engineering is a review of The Torch Hotel in The State of Qatar against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards applicable and the standards implemented in The State of Qatar. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has been selected as the best practiced standard for my project due to The State of Qatar implementing NFPA as standard requirements for new buildings in The State of Qatar. The Civil Defence Department in The State of Qatar has recently adopted the NFPA standards and based on such my dissertation on The Torch Hotel will identify if the already completed and approved inspection from the Civil Defence meets the standards set forth by NFPA and any other relevant standards applied by the Civil Defence in The State of Qatar. It has been noted that although the local government Civil Defence has adopted NFPA standards for new building requirements, the equipment used by the Civil Defence is based on British Standards and European Standards. Further reviews shall take place during the dissertation on the differences for certain connection requirements on breeching inlets and hydrants. British Standard Connections are different to NFPA standard connections on hose lines. The Civil Defence Introduction The fire service in The State of Qatar is managed by the General Directorate for Civil Defence, a uniformed service organisation under the Ministry of Interior. The General Directorate for the Civil Defence was named as the â€Å"Extinguishing Police Section† during its creation in 1955. Its name was then changed to â€Å"Civil Defence Department† in 1991 and finally to its present name, General Directorate for Civil Defence in 2005. The General Directorate for Civil Defence is generally mandated by law to discharge the following: - Enforcement of Qatar Fire Safety Regulation through the conduct of review and evaluation of building plans and fire safety inspections on all buildings and/or structure prior to issuance of occupancy or renewal permits. - Respond to fire and emergency calls - Promote public fire safety awareness - Review, approval for certification of fire equipment or any other fire safety standards//requirements before they are installed or distributed in the market. 2.0 Background Code Enforcement and Inspection Procedures At present, Qatar has no Fire Code yet being enforced. The GDCD has adopted the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards to be its referenced Code/standards in the enforcement of fire safety regulations and practices in Qatar. GDCD on its part has a Fire Safety Standards to supplement the NFPA requirements. The local Fire Safety Sta ndard is somewhat generalized in its form and has deviations or modifications against some sections in the NFPA. These modifications are aimed for the purpose of making some enhancement to suit with the country’s special requirements and added safety as well. In cases where a conflict between the requirements under the NFPA Code/Standards and local fire safety standard occurs, the requirements from the latter must prevail and should be followed. Building Plan Review and Evaluation The

Case Study on Organisational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study on Organisational Change - Essay Example Case issues While analysing the given case scenario, it is clear that the takeover of the ‘Star’ by the ‘Iron Cage’ caused the Star to move from a highly profitable company to an underperforming company. The major identified issue is that the business acquisition raised severe challenges to the Star’s innovativeness as the resulted organisational change prevented the company from effectively dealing with experimentation. Undoubtedly, this adverse situation negatively affected the Star’s market competitiveness since thoughtful experimentation and frequent innovations are essential for the sustainability of a chemical company operating in a progressive niche-market. Declining employee loyalty was one of the main reasons for the Star’s failure. According to the author, the business takeover led to the formation of a coercive worksite environment and hence this excessive bureaucracy by Iron Cage top management persuaded Star employees to cha nge their view from â€Å"it is my company† to â€Å"it is just the company I work for† (Grieves, 2004, p.233). In addition, Star employees did not get extensive exposures to demonstrate their creativity due to the parent company’s over-involvement. ... Such a situation adversely affected the formed organisation’s managerial activities and ultimately operational efficiency. The most potential reason for Iron Cage’s break up is that the organisation failed to ensure the active involvement of Star employees. In short, it can be asserted that over-dominance of Iron Cage management over Star employees ended up in the Iron Cage’s break up and sell off. Case study analysis The company’s failure could have been avoided if the Iron Cage had efficiently dealt with the change management subsequent to the Star acquisition. The case study clearly indicates that the Ice Cage management was not thoughtful in integrating two entirely different organisational cultures. The Iron Cage tried to coordinate quality assurance systems and achieve cultural integration by installing a managing director from its own ranks. The organisation did not consider any of the Star’s top executives for this change management process. In addition, the parent company had done nothing proactive in preparing Star employees to adapt to a new organisational environment. The Ice Cage’s business integration strategy was against the business ethics of change. According to Audi (2012, pp.46-50), the idea of business ethics is of greater significance in ensuring an organisation’s sustainability as this concept is a key to tool to achieve employee loyalty and reputation. Similarly, the Iron Cage management did not give any importance to Star employees’ problems and opinions. In contrast, the parent company tried to suppress the ideas and suggestions of Star employees. The case study clearly indicates that Star’s managers were not satisfied with the language of the

Advanced Practice Nurse and United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Advanced Practice Nurse and United Kingdom Essay Introduction The roles of the APRN are continuously evolving. From the early 1960s to present day, advanced practice nurses continue to rise to meet the needs of our communities and abroad. As the number of nurse practitioner-advanced practice nurses (NP-APNs) on a steady incline, the various barriers in defining their roles in the US as well as internationally has limited their ability to function at their full potential. As discussed in An International Survey on Advanced Practice Nursing Education, Practice, and Regulation (Pulcini, Jelic, Gul Loke, 2009), NP-APN nomenclature, scope of practice and education are factors in the development of the roles of APRNs internationally. NP-APN Nomenclature The United States and United Kingdom both utilize the title of nurse practitioner; however, other countries, such as South Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland continue to use the title advanced practice nurse (Pulcini, Jelic, Gul Loke, 2009). This can lead to confusion on the part of the patient and family member who may not be familiar with the role of the advanced practice nurse in the clinical setting. Also, the authors’ state that the United Kingdom uses the terms specialist and NP interchangeably. According to Pulcini et al (2009), â€Å"This interchange of terms most often occurs when the nurse who has specialized knowledge in a certain area has a advanced practice title (p. 32).† Scope of Practice As mentioned by Joel (2009), â€Å"The degree of autonomy afforded to APNs varies from country to country, and even within the country (p.76)†. The NP-APN scope of practice includes advanced health assessment, diagnosis, disease management, health education and promotion, referral ability, prescribing diagnostic procedures, medications and treatment plans, admitting and discharging privileges, patient caseload management, collaborative practice, evaluation of healthcare services, and research (Pulcini, Jelic, Gul Loke, 2009). The United Kingdom and United States have similarities in their origins. Both were established to help meet the needs of the rural and underserved areas as well as the overall population. In the United Kingdom, NPs were utilized as the first level of care for patient triage and in primary care (Pulcini, Jelic, Gul Loke, 2009). Another similarity is their prescriptive rights in both the US and the UK. According to Joel, â€Å"The move, originating in England, to enable nurses to undergo a specified nonmedical prescribing program has resulted in over 10,000 nurses who are now classed as independent prescribers, and as a consequence, can prescribe almost everything from the British National Formulary (p.90)†. Educational Requirements As in many professions, education is the key element to being successful and productive. The standard educational requirement for NPs in the United States in a master’s level degree; however in the United Kingdom is still trying to adopt a master’s level program. According to Pulcini et al (2009), â€Å"While the Royal College of nursing in the United Kingdom has developed a master’s curriculum for NP education, universities are not obliged to adopt it (p.33).† Furthermore, NP courses are both offered at the baccalaureate and master’s level in the UK. Conclusion The United States and United Kingdom have numerous similarities and differences in the roles of the APRNs. In the future, these roles will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community.

Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting

Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting Introduction The focus of this assignment is on the delivery of mentoring and assessment within nursing practice. The author is a mental health nurse working within a home treatment team in East London. The identified learning need is that of administration of a depot injection, a common element of the nursing role with patients with mental illness. The target audience is a student mental health nurse. The team is a multidisciplinary one with students from different professions all placed within the team for specified learning experiences and time periods. Mentors are usually assigned a student for the duration of their clinical placement. They meet with the student at the beginning of the placement to agree learning outcomes and plan learning needs, and then work with the student for a minimum of 40% of their clinical placement (NMC), and then complete their assessment documentation towards the end of the placement. This usually involves passing the student for competence in identified clinical skills. Part Two – The Role of the Mentor The role of the mentor within the nursing context is complex, because it involves teaching, facilitation, support, guidance, assessment and feedback[1]. Assessment of a student nurse during their training is in relation to key clinical competencies, as defined by the NMC Standards of Proficiency for Pre-Registration Nursing Education[2]. These competencies are then translated into clinical assessment areas as defined by the students University, and assessed against their definitions. The NMC are clear about the expectations of the nursing role in clinical practice, in relation to competence and responsibility â€Å"the nursing role involves a capacity not only to participate actively in care provision but also to accept responsibility for the effective and efficient management of that care† [3]. Therefore, mentoring involves not only teaching discrete clinical skills but the more complex issues of demonstrating the management of care for individual clients according to their n eeds. Mentoring involves the consolidation of theoretical and practical learning acquired during the students academic experience within the University teaching and learning setting, and applying that knowledge to practice[4]. Therefore, it is important that mentors not only act in a way that is appropriate to their professional role and the expectations of their employer, but are also aware that theirs is the standard against which students will measure their own conduct and competence. The role of the mentor is to teach within the clinical setting, therefore, all formal teaching which takes place is clinically oriented and clearly relates to the performance of the professional role[5]. Research by Lloyd-Jones et al[6] seems to indicate that not only do students get the best out of their clinical placements through the student-mentor relationship, but that the quality of their learning and development is linked to the amount of time that they spend with their mentors. Therefore, mentors need to understand that their role involves a commitment to working with their named student and supporting their learning through this close working relationship[7][8]. The role of the mentor also involves assessing the student, against competency standards defined by the NMC and by the students educational institution. The NMC now requires that some mentors are sign-off mentors, which means that they sign-off the student as competent at the end of their training, and share equal responsibility with the awarding institution for that students competence to perform their professional role. In midwifery, all mentors must be sign off mentors. Regardless of this, it is a significant responsibility for any mentor to assess a student and confirm they are competent in key areas of clinical practice, and therefore mentors are educated and supported to understand the teaching and learning processes involved, especially in identifying how to assess competence. Some research shows that assessment can be carried out in a tripartite agreement between student, mentor and a member of the academic staff of the university (usually the students personal tutor)[9]. Thi s kind of close working relationship has many benefits, for the mentor, the student and the academic institution, and in relation to the assessment role of the mentor, provides valuable support[10]. This also shows that another role of the mentor is that of close liaison with academic staff in relation to student progress and assessment, student conduct and behaviour. While not all institutions have this three way set up per se, many use this kind of arrangement to address student problems in achieving the required levels of assessment. Despite there being examples of good practice such as this, however, the demands of the mentorship role mean that there is still a deficit between the theory and practice of mentoring, which needs more attention[11]. The challenges of mentorship from my perspective reflect these issues in the literature. The demands of meeting identified student needs are partly met by the training and support for mentors, but the realities of providing client-centred care whilst supporting student learning mean that the teaching and learning opportunities are not always maxmised. Developing a good relationship with students is also usually easily addressed, but there are times when it is not possible to develop a good relationship with some students and I have been aware in the past that this impacts on the quality of the learning experience. Another issue is managing students who are not achieving their designated competencies, and this process, while supported by the academic staff, is very stressful for all involved. It seems to me that the mentor role is not valued by the employer either, and in a busy workload, the required time for mentors to spend with students to provide the right kind of feedback is not factored in. However, I am also aware that this is an evolving area, and that practice is changing in line with the published standards for the preparation of mentors. Ultimately, as a mentor I have a strong commitment to ensuring the standards of the profession are maintained, and being a mentor allows me to make a valuable contribution to practice and to the profession in this way. Part Three – The Assessment Plan The author set out to assess the students ability to carry out a depot injection, and so set up a teaching plan and assessment plan accordingly (see Appendix). Carrying out this assessment plan involved reviewing the theories of education and learning which are most relevant to the type of assessment, some of which will be discussed here. This author is aware of the theories which underpin nurse education and learning, and will address some of these here, believing that these theories still help explain how student nurses come to develop the abilities, knowledge, skills and capabilities which allow them to fulfil the requirements of the nurses role. Therefore, the teaching plan and the assessment plan build on this theoretical knowledge in order to maximise the students opportunities to learn and become competent in the chosen skills[12]. Behaviourist theories suggest that learning takes place through stimulus response learning, and through operant conditioning, through which student s behaviours are changed through observing, and through reactions to their own behaviours[13]. In order to build on this, the nurse demonstrates the procedure and the kinds of behaviours that are associated with the procedure, including communications behaviours. This would need to be reinforced by discussion of these behaviours, and it is argued that basing learning only on behavioural principles is not adequate to meet the challenges of nursing learning. Cognitive theories are those which also underpin the authors approach to teaching and assessment. Within cognitivism, which is orientated towards scientific and positivist principles, the mind of the learner is equated with theories about computing and how computers work, and knowledge is viewed in terms of symbolic mental constructs, or schema; learning can be said to have taken place when there is a change in the learners internal cognitive schema. Therefore, learning is said to have taken place when the individuals behaviour ha s changed following acquisition of cognitive learning[14]. Within cognitive theories, learning is based around the acquisition of factual information, and while there is no requirement for learning to have been processed on a deeper level, it does mean that the relevant knowledge has been assimilated by the learner [15]. Both of these theories, however, underpin much of the assessment process, because the mentor is looking for behaviour change, based on the students demonstration of behaviours, both physical and more interactive, and also looking for the student to be able to demonstrate the acquired knowledge and facts associated with the skill[16][17]. However, having carried out the assessment plan, the author also learned that it is hard to assess students on their attitude and behaviour with clients. The mechanics of a procedure can be easily observed and evaluated, but the effect of being observed and assessed may affect the way the student nurse interacts with the client. The client is another factor which may affect this process as well, because the client/student relationship, particularly within a mental health setting, may not be well developed, and may be more difficult to establish. However, it is this authors experience that the mentors approach, manner and preparation of the client and student can ameliorate this kind of difficulty considerably. Part Four – The Teaching Plan The teaching plan (see Appendix B) is based on two different theories. The first are the constructivist theories of learning, which suggest that people learn in an active way, and through this process, construct for themselves subjective forms of reality, within which the pre-existing knowledge and reality assimilates any new learning[18]. The second theoretical basis for the learning plan is that of humanism, a theory which supports a more nursing-oriented approach to learning, focusing on self-development and on the individual becoming what they are capable of becoming through the learning process[19][20]. There is, however, some argument that all of the theories discussed so far are eminently applicable to nursing education, because the process is cognitive and behavioural, and combines the acquisition of facts with the competent performance of key nursing skills. Knowledge underpins practice, and helps to develop clinical reasoning, but experience helps students to reconfigure th eir internal schema and their deeper understanding of the world, albeit subjectively. The most important learning theory here which relates to nursing education and, in particular, to the learning which takes place in clinical practice, under the guidance of the clinica mentor, is Bandura fs Social Learning Theory[21], because it seems to be the theory which best describes how adults learn within this context[22]. Banduras social learning theory, suggests that people essentially learn from observing and imitating each other in social situations, and that through this learning process, people model themselves on others, and learn from them not only how to behave, but also acquire attitudes, and an awareness of the probable consequences of the observed behaviours[23]. What this theory offers in particular to understanding how learning takes place in the clinical nursing context is a model which incorporates other influences on learning, including cognitive processes, the ways in which behaviours are modelled on role models, the effect of the learners personality, and the effect of the learning environment [24]. This theory is helps mentors to understand the complexities of nursing competence and its development, which requires the combination of cognitive elements, some of which may be learned in a formal classroom setting, with the modelling of behaviours of student nurses on the mentors who ac t as their role models[25]. While it is clear that the clinical learning experiences of student nurses are key to development of a good knowledge base[26] and proper professional competence[27][28],[29], the quality of mentorship must be considered, because through social learning theory, students come to model themselves on what they are seeing practice[30],[31]. This can present its own challenges, particularly when the students are not being supervised or taught by their primary mentor but by a buddy mentor[32] [33]. There are those who argue that this is necessary, to expose students to different role models and behaviours, so that students can then develop their own critical thinking and judgement[34][35], through observing different forms of clinical reasoning[36]. The assessment processes built in to the mentoring relationship are a very important feature of learning and development, because student nurses must learn from any errors and omissions, and this continues on into their professional practice once qualified[37]. Learning to manage ones own learning and development, identify ways to learn from errors or difficult situations, within the practice setting, reflects the principles of social learning theory[38]. However, the author is also aware of the need for students to develop a realistic understanding of practice, and how the errors and challenges which can arise during their clinical work may be related to them not having the knowledge and skills needed to meet the needs of the clients[39], and thus learning is about identified how to develop to meet those needs nursing l[40]. Ulitmately, becoming a nurse means the ability to meet the standards of the profession, through knowledge,[41] skills, clinical reasoning, critical thinking and application of experiential and theoretical evidence to practice[42], which is quite demanding for all those involved in the training of students. Ultimately, student nurses are socialised into their profession as well as being trained how to perform their role, [43], and while this in itself may not always be an ideal, because the organisational culture may not always be positive[44], it is important for students to learn all aspects of the profession[45][46]. Although there is always the possibility that nurses may learn good as well as bad behaviours, [47], a good mentor would support such students to develop the critical awareness and reflective skill to be able to identify the positive models and reject the negative models as part of their learning journey[48]. Part Five Personal Development and Learning as a Mentor The process of learning to become a mentor has opened new vistas of experience and knowledge for me, as a nurse, as a mentor, and as a person. While it is challenging to hold up a mirror to oneself and appraise what kind of role model you are presenting to the students you are working with, this is a positive experience because it allows you to identify your own strengths, and celebrate them, whilst also identifying your weaknesses, and take steps to address these. In particular, for me it has demonstrated that while my practice is good, my understanding of some issues is not based on the latest evidence available, and working with students who ask about the evidence base for practice really motivates me to seek out that evidence. I have also become aware of my own tendency to make value judgements, labelling students good or bad, and I have examined the qualities which lead to these as well as overcoming this unconscious stereotyping. ~I learned that I wanted to empower students to take charge of their own learning[49], but learning how to do this was a longer process for my own development. Learning about learning is also a process of self-discovery which is then applied to mentorship practice. Understanding assessment principles and learning theories has changed the way that I teach students and really given me insight into how assessment can best be carried out. It has also helped me to understand the terminology used within the clinical assessment documents. The need to develop better working relationships with the academic staff has also emerged as a feature to be applied to my future practice. Overall, this experience has shown me that mentorship, which can be onerous and demanding in the current clinical situation, is also an investment, in the future of the profession and in the future wellbeing of clients. It can enhance my own capabilities, and provide me with more opportunities to reflect and to reconsider my professional personal and competence. Ultimately, I aim to be a good mentor, but in order to do this, I must be a competent nurse. Therefore, the process has been a form of reciprocal learning. References 212337 Andrews, G.J., Brodie, D.A., Andrews, J.P. et al (2006) Professional roles and communications in clinical placements: a qualitative study of nursing students’ perceptions and some models for practice. International Journal of Nursing Studies 43 (7) 861-874. Andrews, M. and Wallis, M. (1999) Mentorship in nursing: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 29 (1) 201-207. Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory New York: General Learning Press. Bankert, E.G. and Kozel, V.V. (2005) Transforming pedagogy in nursing education: a caring learning environment for adult students. Nursing Education Perspectives 26 (4) 227-229. Bauer, J. and Mulder, R.H. (2007) Modelling learning from errors in daily work. Learning in Health and Social Care 6 (2) 121-133. Brammer, J. (2006) A phenomenographic study of registered nurses f understanding of their role in student learning – An Australian perspective. International Journal of Nursing Studies 43 (8) 963-973. Chambers, D. (2007) Is the modern NHS fit for nursing students? British Journal of Nursing 16 (2) 74 75 Chenoweth, L. (1998) Facilitating the process of critical thinking for nursing. Nurse Education Today. 18(4):281-9 Collins, M. (1991). Adult education as vocation. London: Routledge. Cope, P., Cuthbertson, P. and Stoddard, B. (2000) Situated learning in the practice placement Journal of Advanced Nursing 31 (4) 850-856. DeCarvalho, R. (1991) The humanistic paradigm in education. The Humanistic Psychologist.19 (1) 88-104. Doughty, R., Harris, T., and McClean, M. (2007) Tripartite assessment of learners during practice placements in midwifery pre-registration programmes. Education + Training Evans, R.J. and Donnelly, G.W. (2006) A Model to Describe the Relationship Between Knowledge, Skill, and Judgment in Nursing Practice Nursing Forum 41 (4) , 150–157 Freeth, D. and Fry, H. (2005) Nursing students’ and tutors’ perceptions of learning and teaching in a clinical skills centre. Nurse Education today 25 272-282. Gonczi, A. (1993). Competence and competencies: A global perspective. Paper presented at the First National Conference on Competencies in Nursing Adelaide: Australian Nursing Federation (SA Branc Gray, M.A.,and Smith, L.N. (2000) The qualities of an effective mentor from the student nurses perspective: findings from a longitudinal qualitative study Journal of Advanced Nursing 32 (6) ,1542–1549. Hawks, J.H. (1992) Empowerment in nursing education: concept analysis and application to philosophy, learning and instruction. Journal of Advanced Nursing 17 (5) 609-618. Hutchings, A., Williamson, G.R., and Humphreys, A. (2005) Supporting learners in clinical practice: capacity issues. Journal of Clinical Nursing 14 (8) 945–955. Jones, M.L., Walters, S. and Akehurst, R. (2001) The implications of contact with the mentor for preregistration nursing and midwifery students Journal of Advanced Nursing 35 (2) , 151–160 Knight, P. (1995) Assessment for Learning in Higher Education London: Kogan Page Learning Theories Knowledge Base (2008) www.learning-theories.com Accessed 23-8-08. Letcher, D.C. and Yancey, N.R. (2004) Witnessing Change with Aspiring Nurses: A Human Becoming Teaching-Learning Process in Nursing Education Nursing Science Quarterly 17 (1) 36-41 . Lloyd-Jones, M., Walters, S. and Akehurst, R. (2001) The implications of contact with the mentor for preregistration nursing and midwifery students. Journal of Advanced Nursing 35 (2) 1510160. Mattila, L-R. and Eriksson, e. (2007) Nursing students learning to utilize nursing research in clinical practice. Nurse Education Today 27 568-576. McMillan, D.E., Bell, S., Benson, E.E. et al (2007) From anxiety to enthusiasm: facilitating graduate nursing students’ knowledge development in science and theory. Journal of Nurse Education 46 (2) 88-91. Mooney, M. (2007) Professional socialization: the key to survival as a newly qualified nurse. International Journal of Nursing Practice 13 75-80. Myall, M., Levett-Jones, T., Lathlean, J. (2008) Mentorship in contemporary practice: the experiences of nursing students and practice mentors. Journal of Clinical Nursing 17 (14) 1834-1842. Neary, M. (2000) Responsive assessment of clinical competence. Nursing Standard 15 (10) 35-40. Nehring, V. (1990) Nursing clinical teacher effectiveness inventory: a replication study of the characteristics of  ebest f and  eworst f clinical teachers as perceived by nursing faculty and students. Journal of Advanced Nursing 15 (8) 934-40. Nixon, M., Morgan, L., Forsyth, J. and Ellis, D. (1996). A comparative study of teacher directed and self directed methods of teaching clinical skills to undergraduate nursing students. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 2(2) 88-93 NMC (2004) Standards of Proficiency for Pre-Registration Nursing Education Available from:www.nmc.org.uk Accessed 23-8-08. Nolan, C.A. (1998) Learning on clinical placement: the experience of six Australian student nurses. Nurse Education Today 18(8) 622-9 NMC (2004) Standards of Proficiency for Pre-Registration Nursing Education Available from:www.nmc.org.uk Accessed 23-8-08. Phillips, R.M., Davies, W.B., and Neary, M. (2008) The practitioner-teacher: a study in the introduction of mentors in the preregistration nurse education programme in Wales: part 2. Journal of Advanced Nursing 23 (6) 1080-1088. Shin, K.R. (1998) Critical thinking ability and clinical decision-making skills among senior nursing students in associate and baccalaureate programmes in Korea. Journal of Advanced Nursing 27 (2) 414-418. Stuart, C.C. (2003) Assessment, Supervision and Support in Clinical Practice London: Churchill Livingstone. Tucker, K., Wakefield, A., Boggis, C. et al (2003) Learning together: clinical skills teaching for medical and nursing students. Medical Education 37 (7) 630-637 Welsh, I. and Lyons, C.M. (2001) Evidence-based care and the case for intuition and tacit knowledge in clinical assessment and decision making in mental health nursing practice: an empirical contribution to the debate. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 8 (4) , 299–305. Appendix A Assessment Plan Competence to be assessed: administration of depot injection Plan Check student knowledge and simulated technique prior to administration Prepare student and client for procedure. Observe student and assess stated assessment points. Provide feedback to student. Assessment Points Student has checked prescription is correct Student has checked prescription against client identity and care plan. Student has discussed procedure correctly and appropriately with client. Student has ensured client confidentiality and privacy during procedure. Student has discussed effects/side effects with client Student draws up correct dose, checks drug properly with qualified staff, and prepares to administer injection in correct site. Student performs injection with correct technique Student communicates with the client appropriately Student records procedure in appropriate records, correctly. Student ensures client is comfortable post-procedure. Student can discuss properties of medication, side effects, route, dose and any contra-indications Student can discuss holistic care of the client. Appendix B 11 Footnotes [1]Andrews, M. and Wallis, M. (1999) [2] Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) p 8. [3] Nursing and Midwifery Council (ibid) p 8. [4] Mattila, L-R. and Eriksson, E. (2007) p 569. [5] Phillips, R.M., Davies, W.B., and Neary, M. (2008) p 1080 [6] Lloyd-Jones, M., Walters, S. and Akehurst, R. (2001) p151. [7]Bankert, E.G. and Kozel, V.V. (2005) [8] Lloyd-Jones (Ibid) p 160. [9] Doughty, R., Harris, T., and McClean, M. (2007) [10]Doughty et al (ibid) [11] Myall, M., Levett-Jones, T., Lathlean, J. (2008) [12]Knight, P. (1995) [13] Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2008) [14] Learning Theories Knowledge base (ibid). [15] Learning Theories Knowledgebase (ibid)

An Analysis of Thomas Hardys The Mayor of Casterbridge Essay -- essay

An Analysis of The Mayor of Casterbridge The plot of The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy, can often be confusing and difficult to follow. The pages of this novel are filled with sex, scandal, and alcohol, but it provides for a very interesting and unique story. It all begins one day in the large Wessex village of Weydon-Priors. Michael Henchard, a young hay-trusser looking for work, enters the village with his wife and infant daughter. What follows next, is certainly a little out of the ordinary, and this book provides and interesting plot, that is sure to brighten up any boring day. Michael Henchard, looking for something to drink, enters into a tent where an old woman is selling furmity, a liquid pudding made of boiled wheat, eggs, sugar, and spices. Henchard consumes too many bowls of furmity spiked with rum. Feeling trapped by his marriage and under the influence, Henchard threatens to auction his family. The auction begins as a kind of cruel joke, but Susan Henchard in anger retaliates by leaving with a sailor who makes the highest bid. Henchard regrets his decision the next day, but he is unable to find his family. Exactly eighteen years pass. Susan and her daughter Elizabeth-Jane come back to the fair, seeking news about Henchard. The sailor has been lost at sea, and Susan is returning to her "rightful" husband. At the infamous furmity tent, they learn Henchard has moved to Casterbridge, where he has become a prosperous grain merchant and even mayor. When Henchard learns that his family has returned, he is determined to right his old wrong. He devises a plan for courting and marrying Susan again, and for adopting her daughter. A young Scotsman named Donald Farfrae enters Casterbridge on the same day as Susan and Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard takes an instant liking to the total stranger and convinces Farfrae to stay on in Casterbridge as his right-hand man. Henchard even tells Farfrae the two greatest secrets of his life: the sale of his wife and the affair he has had with a Jersey woman, Lucetta. Henchard is confused as to how to make good on his bad acts. Henchard remarries Susan, who dies soon afterward, leaving behind a letter to be opened on Elizabeth-Jane's wedding day. Henchard read... ... Henchard appears at Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae's wedding to deliver a present. Elizabeth-Jane spurns him, and Henchard sees that Newson has taken over as father of the bride--a role Henchard can never play. He leaves Casterbridge broken-hearted. A few days later, Elizabeth-Jane discovers Henchard's present, a bird in a cage. The unattended bird has died of starvation. Touched, she and Farfrae go in search of Henchard. Too late, they learn he has just died in the hovel where he had been living with the humblest of his former employees. The young couple read Henchard's pitiful will, in which Henchard asks that no one remember him. As one can see, to often scandal can end in tragedy, as in the case of poor Michael Henchard. He lived a risky life, and paid for his mistakes in the end. The Mayor of Casterbridge proves to be an interesting novel, that provides everything modern day critics hope to keep out of the hands of children. The book proved to be at times, quite exegesis, but the plot is presented well, and the settings described beautifully. Thomas Hardy creates a masterpiece in describing the rise and fall of one Michael Henchard.