Discussion Board 10 - Chapter 13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 10 - Chapter 13 - Essay Example I am able to resolve these conflicts because I use my leadership abilities in order to make them listen to each other and meet halfway whenever possible. I let them know that I respect everyones opinion and that I am empathic to their reasons. However, as I listen to their arguments, I make sure to take note relating to what I think will work for us and what will not. At the end of the bickering, I let them know that they actually have some common ground to work on that is sure to benefit the group and result in the outcome that we all expect to have for our project. Normally, after I ask them to reconcile their expectations based upon their common ground, the group members manage to see each others point of view quite differently from when they were talking at each other rather talking to each other. This results in a more cohesive group that can work together towards the completion of a common

Reading Fluency and Its Effect on Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Reading Fluency and Its Effect on Reading Comprehension Essay As an elementary teacher, I have often thought reading fluency plays a large role in a child’s reading development. Few reading programs give fluency the recognition it deserves. Reading fluency has been a prominent and reliable benchmark for me, even when students have comprehension difficulties. Once fluency is assessed, the results were used to place students in their reading ability group. Often times, the fluent readers were placed in the high ability reading groups. In the past, our district used a reading program that gave very little focus to reading fluency and few strategies for improvement. It assessed fluency based on rate and accuracy—not prosody. The previous reading series also failed to assess the students’ comprehension after they read independently. The non-fluent readers spent so much effort on word identification; it is difficult for them to enjoy reading the selection. I believe this is one reason they enjoy being read to. Students can comprehend a story when it is read aloud to them, but it is their lack of fluency that inhibits comprehension when it is their turn to read. A current goal in our school improvement plan is to improve reading fluency; therefore, in this review of literature, I will examine reading fluency by focusing on how it affects comprehension. Literature Review The attention given to reading fluency has fluctuated throughout the years in education. It is currently gaining recognition and once again becoming an advertised component in most reading programs. According to Avanchan (2010), fluency is a critical element of reading and should be taught in every school. This Literature Review will focus on the following research questions: 1. What is reading fluency? 2. What strategies can be used to improve reading fluency? 3. How does reading fluency affect reading comprehension? What is reading fluency? Reading fluency is defined as the ability to recognize words rapidly and accurately. Under the reading fluency umbrella, there are three main components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and prosody (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Reading accuracy is the ability to decode and recognize words correctly. Without reading accuracy, a young reader cannot interpret the author’s intent (Evanchan, 2010). To be considered an accurate reader a student has a strong knowledge of the alphabetic principle, ability to blend letters, and a significant bank of high frequency words (Hudson, Lane, Pullen, 2005). Reading rate refers to the speed one can read at with fluidity (Evanchan, 2010). This component of reading fluency is often described as a reader’s automaticity. With automaticity, a reader can effortlessly identify words in text (Evanchan, 2010; Hudson et al. , 2005); however, accurate word recognition alone is not a strong indicator of fluency. Speed also needs to be heavily considered. (Evanchan, 2005). Hudson et al. (2005) describe prosody as â€Å"the music of oral language† (p. 704). Prosody is what makes a reader enjoyable to listen to, because it includes appropriate phrasing, intonation, stress patterns, and duration (Hudson et al. , 2005). Prosodic reading suggests the reader has connected to the literature and understands what is being read (Hudson et al. , 2005). What strategies can be used to improve reading fluency? Numerous strategies can be used to improve reading fluency (Evanchan, 2010). One strategy that continues to hold valor is repeated reading, which is when students continuously read the same passage until they have reached a level of fluency (Mastropieri, Leinart, Scruggs, 1999). Once they have reached the predetermined level of fluency, they move to a more difficult passage. Hudson et al. (2005) suggested repeated reading is highly recommended for improving of fluency because it concentrates on all components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and prosody. Reader’s theater is another strategy where children practice repeated reading (Evanchan, 2010). Reader’s theater brings a new, more exciting approach to repeated practice. Like repeated reading, reader’s theater focuses on all three elements of reading fluency. Reader’s theater requires students to reread, memorize, and perform the text, which are key components to improving fluency. Adding dramatic performance to a student’s reading experience will positively affect the student’s expression, or prosody, a key component to reading fluency (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Modeling fluency is essential so students can better understand what reading fluency sounds like. Proper modeling focuses on accuracy, rate, phrasing, and prosody (Worthly Broaddus, 2001). Evanchan (2010) suggested proper modeling gives students exposure to vocabulary above their independent reading level. Modeling allows students to be engaged with text they may wrestle with independently, and comprehension is also enhanced (Worthly Broaddus, 2001). The student’s engagement and evidence of comprehension suggests students’ listening comprehension level is at a higher level than their independent reading levels (Evanchan, 2010). How does reading fluency affect reading comprehension? There are five essential components to reading. They are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Evanchan (2010), referred to the components as links in a chain, and comprehension is the link that secures the chain; however, if one of the four other components are missing, the ultimate goal of comprehension cannot be obtained. Before a higher level of reading can be obtained, a student must be able to decode the words in text (Nathan Stanovich, 2001). Without word recognition, a reader is likely to misinterpret the author’s intent. Misinterpreting the text can develop a barrier for comprehension (Hudson et al. , 2005). When looking at fluency on a larger scale, developing automaticity forms the bridge between reading fluency and comprehension. (Pikulski Chard, 2005). Although reading comprehension is not solely achieved through reading fluency, it certainly reflects upon it (2005). Automaticity and comprehension are intertwined and should not be separated during instructional modeling (2005). Doing so may affect the ultimate goal of developing meaningful responses to the text (Applegate, Applegate, Modla, 2009). Nathan and Stanovich (2001) and Hudson et al. (2005) agreed non-fluent readers have a difficult time focusing on comprehension because their cognitive capacity is limited, and they use all of their energy to decode words. Students who have efficient word identification and have achieved automaticity free up processing space so their cognitive resources can be used for comprehension and higher order thinking (Hudson et al. , 2005). Conclusion. There is a significant amount of information that acknowledges reading fluency’s effect on reading comprehension. Through automaticity and prosody, a bridge can be built between reading fluency and comprehension. Reading fluency needs to become an instructional focus in the classroom. While rate seems to get most of the focus, all three components of reading fluency need and deserve to be addressed equally. The earlier reading fluency strategies are administered, the greater chance the student has to becoming a reader who can respond to literature thoughtfully and with meaning, which is the ultimate goal. References Applegate, M. , Applegate, A. J. , Modla, V. B. (2009). Shes my best reader; She just cant comprehend: Studying the relationship between fluency and comprehension. Reading Teacher, 62(6), 512-521. doi:10. 1598/RT. 62. 6. 5 Evanchan, G. (2010). Fluency is a vital link in the comprehension chain. Ohio Reading Teacher, 40(1), 11-18. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/577071584? accountid=28680 Hudson, R. F. , Lane, H. B. , Pullen, P. C. (2005). Reading fluency assessment and instruction: What, why, and how?. Reading Teacher, 58(8), 702-714. doi:10. 1598/RT. 58. 8. 1 Nathan, R. G. , Stanovich, K. E. (1991). The causes and consequences of differences in reading fluency. Theory Into Practice, 30(3), 176. Pikulski, J. J. , Chard, D. J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. Reading Teacher, 58(6), 510-519. Worthy, J. , Broaddus, K. (2001). Fluency beyond the primary grades: From group performance to silent, independent reading. Reading Teacher, 55(4), 334.

Hobbes: Credited through Religion :: social issues

Hobbes: Credited through Religion Although the Catholic faith states that Baptism removes the penalty for past sins including the original sin, it doesn't remove the effects of original sin. It doesn't keep you from sinning. If one is a human being, they sin and thus they are considered â€Å"bad†. This is a fact and it is supported by Biblical texts. Three instances of such will be listed here along with the location of more. The first is Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NKJV) reading â€Å"For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.† The second is similar and is spoken by Jesus himself (Mark 10:18 NKJV) â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœWhy do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’ This statement is made in response to a man calling Jesus â€Å"good† or blameless or pure. The third is from I John 1:8 (NKJV). It states â€Å"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.† This means that it is untruthful to say that we, humans, may are without sin. More instances of this assertion may be found in I King 8:46, II Chronicles 6:36, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:12, Romans 3:10, and I John 1:10. By a Merriam-Webster dictionary, one antonym of the adjective, good, is evil. Through this, we may determine that all humans are evil because of their sinful nature. â€Å"†¦God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.† (1 John 3:20, NKJV) God is omniscient; He knows all that has been, is, and will be. One example of this is as such: Before God created Adam and Eve, He knew, in His infinite knowledge, of all that has been and will be, that Satan would tempt Eve and cause her to eat the forbidden fruit. Since He does not change free will, He did not change the out come. He made His divine plan around this happening. Whether you happen to believe this, the Mormon and a â€Å"heretical† view on Adam and Eve, this is a Biblical example of determination—a belief that everything that happens was predestined or that everything that happens was meant to happen. Another Biblical example of determination would be predestination—the belief that since God knew everything that would happen before it happened, He knew who was going to heaven before they lived. These are just two beliefs held by

Reflective Essay on Communication

I am a health care assistant (HCA) on an elderly care surgical ward and we nurse many different patients who have had elective surgery and corrective surgery after a trauma. I have a lot of contact with patients who suffer with dementia, ongoing confusion due to urinary tract infections and can often display challenging and aggressive behavior.I have found on a daily basis that patients become can frustrated when they cannot communicate what they want, and I was sure that with my strong accent I would come across as harsh. This left me feeling worried and sometimes inadequate because it is in my job and personal nature to want to help those in my care. As part of my Personal Assessment Document (PAD) my mentor and I decided that I would I would push myself to speak with patients more and see how they reacted to me. I would read the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s purple à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This is meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  folder to try and engage them on a more personal level.With this reflective ac count I will be discussing an experience that I had on my ward and how through reflection I have managed to gain more confidence in my ability to talk to my patients and convey my compassion in the way I communicate with the patients in my care.I will use the reflective framework devised by Atkin and Murphy (1994) to construct this account. It is the right model of reflection for me to look back and learn from my experiences.Personally, being a good student and health carer does not just come with reflection in the mind but also reflective practice which, according to the nursing standard à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“enables a student to develop their skills, increase their knowledge and deal with emotionally challenging situationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (RCN 2012). Reflection is something that should be engaged with on an everyday basis and from very early on in your health care career. It enables you to carry on caring about the patients you treat and how to improve yourself personally and professiona lly.I enjoy both the personal rewards and the challenges that go hand in hand with working with patients with dementia. I find that on the drive home I tend re-evaluate everything in my life and be grateful for the now. A patient whom will go by the pseudonym of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Pollyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  to maintain her confidentiality (The NMC Code of professional Conduct, 2004) was admitted to the ward with a fracture to the neck of her femur.I was advised that the patient was very confused, and would spit at staff and be both physically and verbally aggressive when approached but would constantly cry out that she needed help. She was in the early to middle stages of Alzheimerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s disease and had come from a care home for those suffering with dementia. Alzheimerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s disease is characterised à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“by the loss of short term memory, deterioration in both behaviour and intellectual performance and slowness of thoughtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Dictionary of Nurs ing 1998).In handover that morning I found that I would be working with her that day, and as she was post operative I would need to wash her and try to mobilise her to sit out in her chair so that the physiotherapists could help her to walk again and get her on the pathway to being discharged back to her care home. I found that I was nervous in approaching this patient as I did not want to upset her or get hurt. Personally I would always wake patients like Polly who require the attention of more than one member of staff last as it is better to leave the patient to sleep so that they are well rested. That, and from handover I had learned that Polly had experienced a rather active night.Before waking Polly I had read her personal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This is meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  purple file to find out if she had any preferred names, and how she liked to be spoken too. This is me was devised by the Alzheimerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s society and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“is intended to provide professionals w ith information about the person with dementia as an individual. This will enhance the care and support given while the person is in an unfamiliar environmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“(Alzheimerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s society 2011). With this information I could help maintain a similar routine for Polly and I would not confuse her by overloading her with too many questions and instructions.I woke Polly up gently, and sat myself down in the chair by her bed so that I was not standing over her. I spent almost thirty minutes with Polly getting her up and ready, the patient did not get upset or frustrated with me, and  she was able to do most of the washing and dressing herself with help from me. Once this was completed I handed over to physiotherapists that they too should take this approach with Polly.I spent twelve days in total with Polly. In this time she was aggressive with me, and she would spit at me when I approached her. Yet, once I used her preferred name and tailored my approach to what sh e needed from me, I found that Polly was a pleasant and wonderful lady, who could be the complete opposite to the patient that was first handed over to me that first morning.Morris and Morris state that the symptoms of dementia are experienced by each person in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“their own unique wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (2010) and this is reinforced by the publication of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“this is meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  leaflet. It enables staff to really look at each individual patient and assess what their needs are. In reflection, if I had not read this leaflet and just gone ahead and woke Polly up as I do each patient, the events of the day could have taken a very different path. I found that by talking to Polly as requested in her leaflet that she reacted in a calmer manner and did not get as anxious or frustrated as quickly as my colleagues had prepared me to think.Reflecting over my first day with Polly, I do not remember struggling to say my words more clearly than what I normally would have done. Polly was not deaf, nor was she a child and I kept it in my mind that this patient was still a scared lady who had broken a big part of her body and was in a large amount of pain. Furthermore, she might not be able to communicate this fact as clearly as someone without dementia.Hobson states that, the HCA will need to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“learn to adapt how they attempt to understand what the person is saying to themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and that this can only be achieved by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“entering the same world as the person with dementiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (2012, P337). At times Polly would pretend to cry like a child and repeat the words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oh Mummy, mum, mum. Oh Mummyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  but not be able to give an answer when questioned what was wrong and how could we help her. Taking this into consideration, Polly might not be actually asking for her Mum but actually trying to communicate a much deeper need.My understanding of how patients with dementia communicate lead me to point to Pollyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hip and ask her if she felt pain there when she moved, to which she replied yes she did. In reflection I found this was a much better approach rather than just asking if Polly wanted any pain relief. Elkins has stated that asking the patient with dementia a direct question is almost a waste of time, as the patient does not have the information to give you. Instead it is more beneficial for the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sense of self worth to ask them a question with an optional answer of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . It could also be said that a statement rather than a question is better because it leaves the patient feeling more in control (2011).From this experience, I suggested to the nurses that when doing their drug round that they should lower themselves down to Pollyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s eye level and ask her if her hip hurt her, rather than standing at the end of her bed or beside her asking if she wanted any pain relief. This suggestion meant that Polly had more regular pain relief, and as a team we knew when she was in pain.Furthermore, this information could be added to her file and become part of Pollyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s future care pathway. Elkins raised the very same argument that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“once an effective communication bridge had been achieved, the individual is much more like to remain calm and anxiety freeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  This would show that dialogue between patient and healthcare professional had been greatly improved and would continue to do so in the future (2011).In reflection, I have found that I was so focused on the need to be understood through my use of English that at times I under-estimated the importance of non-verbal communication. Now, having taken a step back I see that I am almost in the same boat as the patient suffering with dementia, we are both just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“an individual attempting to communicateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Hobson, 2012) a nd as a HCA the method of employing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“feelings and emotionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  should become more à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“significant than the spoken wordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Hobson, 2012).Although my confidence in speaking to patients is always growing, I am more appreciative of how much more effective my body language, and the tone of my voice can be when communicating with a patient with dementia. Yes, looking after these patients can be a challenge but getting past the dementia and working in ways that compliment the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mindset will be of more  benefit to the patient. By spending some time reading each patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s information leaflet I am able to help maintain a patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s well being and create a more anxiety free environment for our patients.

Allowance Essay

â€Å"Please Dad, Can I? † â€Å"No, you can’t. † That is the answer of most parents, when asked by their child if he can have an allowance. Parents believe that allowance makes a child unappreciated money. The truth however, is the opposite. Allowance helps the child turn into a financially secure adult by teaching him money management. Also, because it is their own money, children will feel independent and important. Finally, allowances teach kids that to earn money and succeed as an adult, one has to work hard and be responsible. Parents should give children allowances to help the child prepare for the future. Every parent wants their child to grow up, and become more successful than they were. To do this, the child has to learn to manage money properly, especially nowadays since swiping a card is all it takes to bankrupt oneself. Starting an allowance system will help a young person manage money better. If a child uses up their money for immediate gratification instead of saving it, they might regret it later because they cannot afford something. By learning to save up money the child will be learning to prepare for the future. Allowance help kids learn that spending your own money is different than spending someone else’s. For the same reason, children with allowances can grow up to be independent adults. Because it is their own money they are spending, children will not have to rely on their parents all the time. Instead of asking their parents – which is annoying and even degrading for the child, and irritating for the parents – they are able to use their own money. This makes the child feel important and helps increase their self esteem. When an adult, the child will not borrow too much money from banks or people and obtain a large debt. Instead, the person will learn responsibility and use the money he himself owns. Which leads us to our third reason: allowances teach responsibility and hard work. By earning ones allowance by doing chores and work around the house, a child understands that money does not grow on trees; instead one has to work for it. As an adult this person would work hard at his job to get money. Additionally, the money will not be wasted on unnecessary items because the child knows that there is a limited source. So as one can see, contrary to popular belief, allowances actually make kids appreciate money. For that reason, allowances help children become responsible, independent, and financially secure adults. Essay Topic: Allowances By: Tarim Shahab September 17, 2008 Mrs. de Mestral 7/8-3

Vibratory Rock Tumbler Instructions

Vibratory Rock Tumbler Instructions Vibrating or vibratory rock tumblers, such as those made by Raytech and Tagit, can polish rocks in a fraction of the time required by rotary tumblers. They also result in polished stones that retain the shape of the rough material, as opposed to the rounded shapes obtained by rotary tumbling. On the other hand, vibratory tumblers tend to be a bit more expensive than their rotary counterparts. However, if time is money and you want to retain more of the shape and size of the original material, then a vibratory tumbler may be just what you need. Vibratory Rock Tumbling Materials List A vibratory tumbler.Rocks. You will get better results with a mixed load that includes both small and large rocks.Filler. Plastic pellets are great, but you can use small rocks having the same or lesser hardness as your load.Silicon carbide grit, pre-polish and polish (e.g., tin oxide, cerium oxide, diamond).Soap flakes (not detergent). Ivory soap flakes are recommended. How To Use a Vibratory Rock Tumbler Fill the bowl of the tumbler about 3/4 full with your rock.If you do not have sufficient rock to fill the bowl to the 3/4 level, then add plastic pellets or other filler.Add the required amount of SiC (silicon carbide) grit and water. See the table below to get a sense of how much is needed. If you have the instruction manual that came with the tumbler, start out with those quantities. Keep records, so if you make changes you will know the effect the changes had on the polishing.Place the lid on the tumbler and run the vibrator. Let it run for a day or so and make certain that a slurry is forming. Evaporation will occur, especially if the external temperature is hot, so you may need to add water from time to time to maintain the slurry consistency.When the rock has achieved the desired smoothness and roundness, remove the load and rinse the bowl and the rocks thoroughly with water.Return the rock to the bowl, add a tablespoon of soap flakes, and fill the bowl with water to the top of the rocks. Vibrate the mixture for about half an hour. Rinse the rocks and the bowl. Repeat this step two more times. Return the rocks to the bowl and proceed to the next polishing step with the next grit (see the Table).After the final polish step, perform the washing/rinsing process and allow the stones to dry. Here are some conditions, intended for a 2.5 lb tumbler. You can adjust the quantities for your specific needs. The duration for each step is approximate - check your load and keep records to find the conditions that work best for you. Experiment with different polishing compounds to find the type that works best for your stones. Grit Type SiC SiC SiC SiC SnO2 CeO2 Diamond Diamond Mesh 220 400 600 1,000 - - 14,000 50,000 Grit Amount 8 tbls 4 tbls 4 tbls 3 tbls 4 tbls 4 tbls 1 cc 1 cc Water Cups 3/4 3/4 3/4 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 Soap Tbls 0 0 0 0 1/3 1/3 1 1 Speed fast fast fast fast slow slow slow slow Stones Hardness Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Sapphire 9 28 7 7 7 5 - - - EmeraldAquamarineMorganite 8 3 2-3 2-4 2 2-4 - - - TopazZircon 7.5 3-8 2-3 2 2 2 - - - AgateAmethystCitrineRock CrystalChrysoprase 7 0-7 3-4 2-3 2-3 0-3 3 - - Peridot 6.5 - 2 2 2 - - 2 2 Opal 6 - - 1 2 2 - - - Lapis Lazuli 5.5 - 4 3 3 2 - - - Apache TearsApatite 5 - 2-3 1-2 1 1 - -1 1 *Use a slow speed for all steps when polishing stones with Mohs hardness of 6.5 or lower (peridot, opal, lapis, obsidian, apatite, etc.). Helpful Tips for a Perfect Polish Make a balanced load that includes for large and small rocks. For a 2.5 lb bowl, sizes from 1/8 to 1 work well.A proper slurry is needed to get the best polish in the least time. If there is too little water, then the thickness of the mixture will prevent proper movement, thus slowing the polishing action. Too much water results in too thin of a slurry, which will result in a much longer time to achieve a polish. The grit may settle out of the mixture altogether.Never wash grit down the drain! While it doesnt typically present an environmental hazard, theres a good chance it will cause a clog that cant be removed using chemicals.Plastic pellets may be rinsed and reused, but you cannot reuse grit. Are you looking for information on using your tumbler to polish jewelry or metal components? Heres what you need to do.

Market failure, information asymmetry, the case for regulation Essays

Market failure, information asymmetry, the case for regulation Essays Bus 102 Sec 022 Market failure, information asymmetry, the case for regulation The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was approved by the Congress after some big events of corporate scandals. Many big name companies like Enron,WorldCom and Tyco were involved in unethical activities as a result of a market failure. SOX stands for Sarbanes-Oxley Action, is a United States federal law that set expanded requirements for all U.S. public company and public accounting firms. The idea of SOX are largely adopted by big companies. If fact, many large public companies were required to meet the standard conditions of the SOX or they will face severe penalties. Ethical corporate government plays an important role in the concept of market failure. The author uses the example from Aristotle and Adam Smith to address the historical and philosophical context of the market failure problem. He examine the issue and proves that the measures of SOX is largely attributed to corporate bad behavior. The article is intended to provide readers a better understanding of the connection between co rporation and our government. Sarbanes-Oxley proves to be an effective legislation that help to protect the investor from company fraud and help executives to improve ethical standards. Most importantly, it helps to reinforce the strength of the US market and make it a good place to work and invest. According to the author, people usually look for solutions from the market because market offers ownership of the factors of production. This ownership attracts capitalist to fulfill his independence and wealth maximization. Author uses an example of an life experience from Adam Smith to further support his idea that the institutions of commerce provides oversight on the stabilization for our modern market. In the section A framework for corporate bad behavior, many corporate executive let money and profitability obscure their ethical rules. In order to fully understand the nature of the problem of bad behavior and the idea of Sarbanes-Oxley, we have to examine the theoretical context of the problem. In economics, market failure is a situation where the allocation of goods and services in not efficient. There are many ways that can lead to market failure. One of the externalities is information deficits, it enable competitive failures and is categorized simply as lying,cheating and s tealing. Weimer and Vining thinks that information problem are the centerpiece for Sarbanes-Oxley. From the historical aspect of SOX, big companies usually have fraud cases where they have involved in biased media. SOX is a tax-like cost same as pollution control, serve to help the community by increasing investors confidence through transparency and also helps to discipline those executive from doing fraudulent behavior. SOX are compelled to innovate their systems and utilize their resources in order to cut costs. Some of the key component includes auditor independence, corporate responsibility, and enhance financial disclosures. In conclusion, the author uses methodological approaches to the question regarding how the concept of market failure is closely related to ethical corporate governance. The author also discuss the importance of information asymmetry by stating that sometimes in one transaction, one party has more or better information than the other party, this phenomenon creates an imbalance of power in transaction and lead to market failure. Based on authors finding and the examples he provides, we can conclude that SOX is a good legislation that helps to prevent bad corporate behavior. Moreover, SOX will most likely become part of the long term corporate culture and serve as the standard criteria for investors of American and global commerce.

The History of Video Recorders and Television

The History of Video Recorders and Television Charles Ginsburg led the research team at Ampex Corporation in developing one of the first practical videotape recorders or VTRs in 1951. It captured live images from television cameras by converting the information into electrical impulses and saving the information on magnetic tape. By 1956, VTR technology was perfected and in common use by the television industry. But Ginsburg wasn’t done yet. He led the Ampex research team in developing a new machine that could run the tape at a much slower rate because the recording heads rotated at high speed. This allowed the necessary high-frequency response. He became known as the father of the video cassette recorder.†Ã‚  Ampex sold the first VTR for $50,000 in 1956, and the first VCassetteRs or VCRs were sold by Sony in 1971. The Early Days of Video Recording Film was initially the only medium available for recording television programs magnetic tape was considered, and it was already being used for sound, but the greater quantity of information carried by the television signal demanded new studies. A number of American companies began investigating this problem during the 1950s.   Tape Recording Technology Audio and video magnetic recording have had a greater impact on broadcasting than any other development since the invention of radio/TV transmission itself. Videotape in a large cassette format was  introduced by both JVC and Panasonic around 1976. This was the most popular format for home use and for video store rentals for many years until it was replaced by CDs and DVDs. VHS stands for Video Home System. The First Television Cameras American engineer, scientist and inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth devised the television camera in the 1920s, although he would later declare that theres nothing on it worthwhile. It was an â€Å"image dissector† that converted a captured imagine into an electrical signal. Farnsworth was born in 1906 on Indian Creek in Beaver County, Utah.  His parents expected him to become a concert violinist but his interests drew him to experiments with electricity. He built an electric motor and produced the first electric washing machine his family ever owned at the age of 12. He then went on to attend Brigham Young University where he researched television picture transmission. Farnsworth had already conceived of his idea for television while in high school, and he cofounded Crocker Research Laboratories in 1926 which he later renamed Farnsworth Television, Inc. He then changed the name again to Farnsworth Radio and Television Corporation in 1938. Farnsworth was the first inventor to transmit a television image comprised of 60 horizontal lines in 1927. He was only 21 years old. The image was a dollar sign. One of the keys to his success was the development of the  dissector tube that essentially translated images into electrons that could be transmitted to a TV. He filed for his first television patent in 1927. He had already won an earlier patent for his image dissection tube, but he lost later patent battles to RCA, which owned the rights to many of inventor  Vladimir Zworkyin’s  TV patents. Farnsworth went on to invent over 165 different devices. He held over 300 patents by the end of his career, including a number of significant television patents although he was not a fan of what his discoveries had wrought. His final years were spent battling depression and alcohol. He died on March 11, 1971, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Digital Photography and Video Stills Digital camera technology is directly related to and evolved from the same technology that once recorded  television  images. Both television/video cameras and digital cameras use a CCD or charged coupled device to sense light color and intensity. A still video or digital camera called the Sony Mavica single-lens reflex was first demonstrated in 1981. It used a fast-rotating magnetic disc that was two inches in diameter and could record up to 50 images formed in a solid-state device inside the camera. The images were played back through a television receiver or monitor, or they could be printed out. Advancements in Digital Technology   NASA converted from using analog to digital signals with their space probes to map the surface of the moon in the 1960s, sending digital images back to earth. Computer technology was also advancing at this time and NASA used computers to enhance the images that the space probes were sending.  Digital imaging had another government use at the time – in spy satellites. Government use of digital technology helped advance the science of digital imaging, and the private sector also made significant contributions. Texas Instruments patented a filmless electronic camera in 1972, the first to do so. Sony released the Sony Mavica electronic still camera in August 1981, the first commercial electronic camera. Images were recorded onto a mini disc and placed into a video reader that was connected to a television monitor or color printer. The early Mavica cannot be considered a true digital camera, however, even though it started the digital camera revolution. It was a video camera that took video freeze-frames. The First Digital Cameras   Since the mid-1970s, Kodak has invented several solid-state image sensors that convert  light to digital pictures for professional and home consumer use. Kodak scientists invented the worlds first megapixel sensor in 1986, capable of recording 1.4 million pixels that could produce a 5 x 7-inch digital photo-quality print. Kodak released seven products for recording, storing, manipulating, transmitting and printing electronic still video images in 1987, and in 1990, the company developed the Photo CD system and proposed the first worldwide standard for defining color in the digital environment of computers and computer peripherals. Kodak released the first professional digital camera system (DCS), aimed at photojournalists in 1991, a Nikon F-3 camera equipped with a 1.3-megapixel sensor. The first digital cameras for the consumer  market that would work with a home computer via a serial cable were the Apple QuickTake camera in 1994, the Kodak DC40 camera in 1995, the Casio QV-11 also in 1995, and Sonys Cyber-Shot Digital Still Camera in 1996. Kodak entered into an aggressive co-marketing campaign to promote its DC40 and to help introduce the idea of digital photography to the public. Kinkos and Microsoft both collaborated with Kodak to create digital image-making software workstations and kiosks which allowed customers to produce photo CD discs and add digital images to documents. IBM collaborated with Kodak in making an Internet-based network image exchange. Hewlett-Packard was the first company to make color inkjet printers that complemented the new digital camera images. The marketing worked and now digital cameras are everywhere.

Packaging Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Packaging - Assignment Example For instance, take the caress soap box. The caress soap box comes in a variety of colors depending on the ingredients sought. The box itself can be yellow, pink or brown. The yellow represents the original version while pink offers more moisture. The latest edition, which is the brown box, offers the deep penetrating moisture that is in high demand. The caress box has become typical for the soap sector. The vast majority of soap companies now offer variety in selection and uses packaging to differentiate one box from another. Different icons, such as pictures of moisture yielding fruit like coconuts, or pictures of aloe are finding itself on the cover of many soap boxes from different manufacturers. These packages are thorough and offer good explanations as to their functions just from the color of the box. One way to enhance the packaging is to show samples of before and after photos. Demonstrating pictures of dry, scaly skin turning moisturized could improve the packaging. Or, the packages could be improved by changing the shape of the box to represent the function of the soap. For example, soap created to induce moisture may come in an oval

Extended definitions of love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Extended definitions of love - Essay Example In most cultures all over the world, love is seen to be first and foremost directed to one’s family. The family is considered the primary unit of society where every individual starts to be exposed to life’s experiences. Love in the family begins with love between spouses as husbands and wives decide to leave their respective nuclear families to unite and form a new one. As parents, they accord love and unrelentless support to the children. Mothers are revealed to express unconditional love to their offsprings. Fathers provide financial, physical and emotional support. Children return the love by just being there to provide happiness and assistance, as needed.   The power of love that surrounds family members transcends barriers of time, space and location and is therefore considered universal and continually existing and persisting since time immemorial up to today.  Love for a divine and Supreme Being reigns differently according to cultural orientation. The relig ious beliefs, traditions, values and practices encompass teachings of love and equal treatment for the lives and existence of others. In the Catholic religion, for instance, love for God is taught within the first four commandments, which were summed as: â€Å"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (All About Truth, par. 15). It comes before oneself, one’s family, and above all else. Regular attendance to masses and observing the sacraments attest to the love.... Love for God is manifested through following the commandments and teachings. Learning more about God is initially introduced by parents and slowly reinforced through subjects of religion and Christian values from primary education until the secondary level. Regular attendance to masses and observing the sacraments attest to the love and devotion expected of disciples to the Catholic faith. Love for Neighbors Concurrent with teachings of the faith and one the commandments of God are to love one’s neighbor as oneself. It is manifested as the Golden Rule (Teaching Values, 2009) or the ethics of reciprocity. Loving one’s neighbors require respect for human rights and their purpose for existence. However, a more admirable love for neighbors is exemplified by people such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta who showed love, compassion and offered her life and service to those in need. Her Missionaries of Charity was an organization created to â€Å"to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after. In 1965 the Society became an International Religious Family by a decree of Pope Paul VI† (The Nobel Foundation, par. 2). This love entails self-sacrifice and putting the needs of others above oneself. Mother Teresa was determined to seek for assistance in terms of providing for the physiological (food, clothing, shelter, medicines, health care) and spiritual love for the needy. Love of this kind is exemplary and challenging as one finds the means and ways beyond one’s capabilities to ensure that the needs of others, deemed to be more relevant, are taken cared of. Love of this nature sometimes defies explanation but is rooted from the Divine love for God – unselfish, unconditional love directed to others

Customer relationship management CRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer relationship management CRM - Essay Example In this study, the key marketing principles of Primark will be evaluated. Product: - Most of the company’s merchandise of the company is manufactured by the company itself. The company specializes in menswear, childrenswear, womenswear and home-decor products. Some of the bestselling products of the company are footwear, accessories & hosiery, lingerie, and cosmetics. Most of the brands sold by the company are their own brand. Some of renowned ones are Atmosphere, Denim Co., Secret Possessions, Ocean Club, Backswing, Early Days and Rebel among others (Primark, 2013). With wide range of products, the company caters to customers of different segment. Distribution: - Alongside the importance of developing a sound product strategy, the development of distribution strategy is equally important (Bose, 2010). Moreover, for a company involved in apparel retailing, the importance of distribution is more (Dent, 2011). The success of the company is greatly dependent upon the distribution strategy pursued by the firm. Knowing the importance of distribution, Primark have also developed distribution strategy that ensures delivery of the products at the right place and right time. The company has appointed stockiest at different place of the country, where the company stores their manufactured products. One of the interesting facts is that most of the stock points are extremely close to the retailing outlets. This has allowed the company to make wide variety products available within the store (Michaels, 2010). Apart from the physical distribution, the company also markets their products through online store (primarkonlinestore, 2013). As a result of that the company has been able to streamline their distribution method. Pricing: - Likewise, product and distribution, the pricing strategy adopted by a firm is critical towards the revenue generated by the company as well as the profit earned (Kotler, 2010). In this turbulent business environment, companies have no other option but to maintain a steady profitability in order to sustain for a longer period of time (Craven, 2012; Dransfield, 2004). The pricing strategy adopted by the firm is cost plus pricing method, in which the company fixes the product prices on the basis of the cost incurred for producing one unit of the product. However, at some cases the company also pursues competitive pricing strategy for the sole purpose of dealing effectively with the competitors in terms of price-war. On the other hand, when the company makes it presence in a new market, it usually follows penetration strategy. Despite, the presence of strong brands, the company has kept the prices affordable in order to ensure customers from every section of the society can afford their apparels. Segmentation: - Segmentation is a process by which companies divide the market into different segments. It involves division of the target market into small subsets by considering the common needs of the consumers (McDonald and Du nbar, 1995). A company segments its market on the basis of different factors such as geographic segmentation, behavioural segmentation, psychographic segmentation, segmentation by occasions and segmentation by benefits (Alshorbagy and Elsaman, 2011). In the similar way, Primark divides its overall market into distinct markets. The principal reason for undertaking segmentation strategy is

Risk management planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk management planning - Essay Example The whole process will take around one month which will include visiting people, distributing and collecting questionnaires, and conducting interviews. Before going into the details of proposal regarding identification of risk and implementation of an appropriate risk management plan, let’s get a better understanding of what risk management actually is and why is it important for any company or organization to implement a suitable risk management plan. Risk management means identification of the threat of risks anywhere in the organization’s activities and businesses and finding out the proper solution to the identified risks. This process of risks’ identification and planning is known as risk management process. Risk management is one of the most important tasks for any company, business, or organization. It is because without the implementation of an effective risk management plan, the chances of failure of business get increased. Risk management planning is not only important for the success and stability of the business operations but also it is very beneficial for the security and safety of the employees w orking in any specific company or organization. If we talk about risk management planning in the construction industry, we can say that the managers of the construction companies properly concentrate on balancing the eventuality of any risk, which their companies may face in near future, with their contractual, financial and operational necessities. In the process of achieving this balance between risk and company’s operational requirements, an effective and efficient mechanism is required which can identify and analyze any sort of risk to the companies. â€Å"Crisis can strike at any time, which is why it is important for organizations to have risk management plans in place† (Sheldon). The key steps involved in the risk management planning include defining the risks for the

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play - Essay Example The comedy play was a celebration of the art and actors performed with lot of conviction. The play was a cascade of jokes and made the audience happy from the beginning to the end, which is a sign of victory. 2.The performer â€Å"Kate Herell who acted as virginia† seems to not have delivered her lines completely at times so did not come up to the mark. The performance of â€Å"Craig as Ira† was well defined and the gestures were perfect indeed.He came up to the mark and left a remarkable impression on the audience. â€Å"Emma† was a star that performed utterly well and carried the play with ample spirit .She showed her full potential to the audience and was the shooting star of the play. Christopher who enacted â€Å"Peter† was looked slightly uncomfortable in his character and required more attentiveness and dedication from his side to make his character look wholesome and rich. Nick Dickert was distinct in his acting and did full justice to his characte r as â€Å"James† but his voice was trembling at certain points. 3. The performers who were disliked were Kate Herell, Christopher Lynch and Ryan Flint.Kate Was not impressive as she was not consistent with her dialogues. There was less of life in her voice and could not enter well in to the character of â€Å"Virginia† which she was potrayed.Whereas, Christopher Lynch was not feeling fully the character of â€Å" Peter† and some how looked less lively and vibrant. It is very essential for an actor to get in to the shoes of the character to bring about full life in to the play. On the other side Ryan Flint had a less powerful voice which made his character of â€Å"Frank† dull. Dialogues are an essential part of a play, so if it is not balanced with the acting skill can bring in chaos and incompleteness to the character as well as the play. 4. The play all in all was an average performance and did not fail to amaze the audience. But it was unfortunate to notice some actors not supporting others and making it a t time’s poor performance. In some areas â€Å"Christopher Lynch† was not interacting well with â€Å"Kate Herell† and was in a hurry to completer his part of the dialogue. And also Kate seems to rush through some parts showing that she had forgotten certain lines. Noah Mittman, at other times is displaying to be very overpowering, thus making all actors less confident and assertive. It is not good for one actor to stand out in a play because a good play is where all characters blend with each other to produce a smooth and sound theatrical show. Craig Ewing in some of the scenes was attempting to be the one man of the show by giving dialogues loud. DIRECTING 5. The unified idea of the director behind this play is to create a play which is a complete comedy in nature and which will keep the audience laugh all the while they are wathcing.The entire cast of the show was also doing the same by being extremely joyous and filled with humor sense. The director made a striking visual image with the cab driver who was played by Emma as she was costumed distinctly and apart from other actors of the play. Even Julia and Virginia played by â€Å"Ilasiea Gray†and Kate Herell respectively were dressed glamorously and colorfully which was a visual treat. The lighting of the play was striking and bright which added to the whole theme of the play. SCENERY 6. The whole background of the play was the room where all the characters were waiting for the review of their acting. The room had light colored wall and a

Reconstruction as Argued Upon by Booker T. Washington Essay

Reconstruction as Argued Upon by Booker T. Washington - Essay Example According to Washington, reconstruction had a serious challenge in its attempt to establish freedom. In the modern era, the procedures of putting an end to war involved a simple method whereby representatives from the warring parties would sit together in a round table and discuss measures to take in order to achieve peace. This depended on things like intensity and duration of war and reasons for fighting thereby, settlements regarding peace would range form harsh to generous. In case of a harsh resolution, the assumption was that these parties would again meet in the battlefield. Regarding America’s civil war, resolution of such kind were impossible as people regarded the warring parties that is, the Union and the Confederacy as unequal. This is because Unions accused Confederacy of their right to exist as a separate nation (57). Having ended the Confederacy’s political independence claim, the Unions perceived that, no any other party that they could negotiate with an ything regarding peace. Therefore, they left it to the federal government to decide on how to treat the defeated Confederates. Washington points out that President Lincoln had proposed an end to civil war in the midst of it. Nevertheless, it worth noting that reconstruction began sometimes prior the war in 1860 when Crittenden Committee attempted to sort for comprise that would reverse the secession course. The committee proposed Constitutional amendments that guaranteed continuum of slavery in areas where it already existed. However, all these attempts were bound to bear no fruits in response to the prevailing mood in the South. Following victories in Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, President Lincoln hoped that the Confederates would find it reasonable to join the Union if presented with generous terms. In December 1863, he presented an Amnesty and Reconstruction Proclamation stating that those states whose ten percent of their 1860 electorates would swear a loyalty oath to Union and accept to emancipation would get readmission. However, the Congress did not approve of Lincoln’s strategy and responded with a much harsher approach. As Washington puts across that, President Lincoln did not stop his idea of trying to treat the Southerners with generosity. In fact, his second Inaugural Address famously perceived for the inscription on Lincoln Memorial’s wall in Washington in which kind words without malice encouraged treatment with charity and firmness in the right. After Lee surrendered at Appomattox, he again, President Lincoln outlined his plan of generosity for reconstruction. Nonetheless, April 14, 1865 President Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth and died in the morning of the following day. Booth, an actor from Virginia blamed his action on egregious South’s defeat. With his assassination, hopes for a more lenient reconstruction suffered a fatal blow and brought a chilling effect on potential sympathy for the Sou th. With Lincoln dead, Vice President Andrew Johnson accessed the presidency seat according to the Constitution. Apparently, Johnson intended to carry forward generous reconstruction policies when he carried a distinct animus towards the Southern planting class who were rich. Johnson’

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play - Essay Example The comedy play was a celebration of the art and actors performed with lot of conviction. The play was a cascade of jokes and made the audience happy from the beginning to the end, which is a sign of victory. 2.The performer â€Å"Kate Herell who acted as virginia† seems to not have delivered her lines completely at times so did not come up to the mark. The performance of â€Å"Craig as Ira† was well defined and the gestures were perfect indeed.He came up to the mark and left a remarkable impression on the audience. â€Å"Emma† was a star that performed utterly well and carried the play with ample spirit .She showed her full potential to the audience and was the shooting star of the play. Christopher who enacted â€Å"Peter† was looked slightly uncomfortable in his character and required more attentiveness and dedication from his side to make his character look wholesome and rich. Nick Dickert was distinct in his acting and did full justice to his characte r as â€Å"James† but his voice was trembling at certain points. 3. The performers who were disliked were Kate Herell, Christopher Lynch and Ryan Flint.Kate Was not impressive as she was not consistent with her dialogues. There was less of life in her voice and could not enter well in to the character of â€Å"Virginia† which she was potrayed.Whereas, Christopher Lynch was not feeling fully the character of â€Å" Peter† and some how looked less lively and vibrant. It is very essential for an actor to get in to the shoes of the character to bring about full life in to the play. On the other side Ryan Flint had a less powerful voice which made his character of â€Å"Frank† dull. Dialogues are an essential part of a play, so if it is not balanced with the acting skill can bring in chaos and incompleteness to the character as well as the play. 4. The play all in all was an average performance and did not fail to amaze the audience. But it was unfortunate to notice some actors not supporting others and making it a t time’s poor performance. In some areas â€Å"Christopher Lynch† was not interacting well with â€Å"Kate Herell† and was in a hurry to completer his part of the dialogue. And also Kate seems to rush through some parts showing that she had forgotten certain lines. Noah Mittman, at other times is displaying to be very overpowering, thus making all actors less confident and assertive. It is not good for one actor to stand out in a play because a good play is where all characters blend with each other to produce a smooth and sound theatrical show. Craig Ewing in some of the scenes was attempting to be the one man of the show by giving dialogues loud. DIRECTING 5. The unified idea of the director behind this play is to create a play which is a complete comedy in nature and which will keep the audience laugh all the while they are wathcing.The entire cast of the show was also doing the same by being extremely joyous and filled with humor sense. The director made a striking visual image with the cab driver who was played by Emma as she was costumed distinctly and apart from other actors of the play. Even Julia and Virginia played by â€Å"Ilasiea Gray†and Kate Herell respectively were dressed glamorously and colorfully which was a visual treat. The lighting of the play was striking and bright which added to the whole theme of the play. SCENERY 6. The whole background of the play was the room where all the characters were waiting for the review of their acting. The room had light colored wall and a

Fianal paper paragraph Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Fianal paper paragraph - Thesis Example The film reveals how the Japanese people remained unemotional and focused to build their nation. The film is not political and gruesome. This study intends to dig deep into the cultural and social background of the Japanese people and how the pattern aid in fostering unity and harmony especially during and after a crisis. The second film Osaka Elegy is a representation of the real picture of Japanese aspects of responsibility and irresponsibility. This paper intends to examine the aspect of responsibility as well as the aftermath of irresponsibility as it is depicted in the film Osaka Elegy. The director Kenji Mizoguchi reveals how the young woman Asai tries to refuse the advances made by her boss at the pharmaceutical company. It emerges that the young woman represents the responsible Japanese women, who believes in moral actions. Asai’s father‘s drinking habits, which has put the family in a deplorable financial situations represents irresponsibility. It is notable that, the irresponsibility has compelled Asai to work and sustain her brother in school. In addition, Asai has tried to settle many of her father’s debts. However, Asai’s weakness and irresponsibility is indicated when she joins prostitution to sustain the family needs. She is finally arrested and

Job Fair Brochure Essay Example for Free

Job Fair Brochure Essay Company Information: Carolina Business Tax Service is an independently owned company that specializes in income tax and payroll services to all sized businesses and individuals in our community and local areas. We currently have 5 locations to cover the coastal counties in Northern South Carolina and are in the process of opening our newest location in southeast North Carolina. You simply supply the employee’s information and we compute the payroll. We can print your payroll checks on your checks or we can fax you the information so that you may hand write the checks. We also reconcile your bank statements to create the reports needed to file your companies’ income tax returns. We file all monthly, quarterly and yearly tax returns as required by the city, county, and federal laws. Our staff is fully trained and continuously updated with the most updated laws and regulations regarding local and federal tax laws that apply to your company or individual needs. We also have on staff a retired IRS agent that has the knowledge to handle any problems you may have had in the past regarding your personal or business income tax. We offer electronic filing of your personal income taxes so that you may receive the fastest possible return in our area. As an additional service at no charge, we will collect any taxes (personal, payroll or business) taxes that are due and submit them immediately to the appropriate agencies. Our offices have extended hours of operation during tax season including Saturdays to be able to serve your needs on your availability. If you are not able to come to us, we can come to you! Business Structure: The business structure for this company is casual but professional. As we all know, it is easy to be intimidated by a person in uniform. I feel  that if our attire policy is casual, then our clients will feel more at eased with us whether they have an easy question or a more complexed problem. Even though we will be dressed more casual then our competition, we will remain professional at all times including at company sponsored picnics or other affairs. Each office will have a comfortable waiting area complete with televisions, soft drinks and snacks. We will also offer a smoking area to our clients (some people get really nervous when dealing with their money!). In addition, each office will have one manager who will oversee all aspects of the office they are responsible for and will report directly to the business owner on a weekly basis or more often should a problem arise. Culture: The culture of this company focuses on being an honest, trustworthy, respectful, knowledgeable and useful employee. Employees who can demonstrate these qualities that we strive for will be rewarded on a quarterly basis through pay raises or other means that are suitable and agree with the company standards. Any employee who cannot meet these standards will be replaced with another who can. These qualities should be displayed at all time while dealing with clients along with co-workers, supervisors and the owner of the business. Above all, confidentiality is the utmost importance in this business due to the nature of the information that we handle. I choose the company structure, business model and culture based on the on-going need of these services for every individual and new small businesses that are starting almost daily. The tax laws are changing all the time and it is important to know the changes that affect every person and business. I have been to and have seen many businesses like this one that I have created where the employees have no knowledge of business or tax basics, never mind the changes that the government is constantly changing.

Examining the challenges of Clinical Leadership

Examining the challenges of Clinical Leadership A health care setting institution with advanced health technology and high calibers doesnt mean quality nursing care can be offered, unless accompanying with effective clinical leadership. This essay has a strong focus on all aspects of clinical leadership. A case will be used to find out how should effective leadership skill be. Both internal and external factors should be analysed. The latter factors can be found out by PESTEL. Change management is helpful to develop strategies for handling the issue. In recommendations, teamwork, power, communication and presentation skills, conflict management, emotional intelligence and autocratic leadership style all are crucial to solve the issue and a clinician should equip with them. Before concluding all the discussion, training myself as a reflective practitioner is helpful to develop my future practice. Clinical leadership- What is this? It has various definitions. Harper (1995, p.81) defines a clinical leader as one who possesses clinical expertise in specialty practice area and who uses interpersonal skills to enable nurses and other healthcare providers to deliver quality patient care. More elaborately, it also involves an environment where nurses are empowered and where there is a vision for the future. Clinical leadership requires leadership skills for team building, confidence and respect of others, as well as vision and empowerment. Equally important, clinical leaders must also be good communicators. Meanwhile, Stanley (2006) suggests not only the abovementioned elements clinical leaders have to demonstrate, but also the followings- approachable and role model. Approachable means a clinical leader should be friendly and openness rather than controlling and dictatorial (Stanley, 2006). Role model means clinical leader who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by other nurses (Stanley, 2006). To summ arise the above elements, clinical leadership is effective if clinical leaders are expert in their field, and because they are approachable, effective communicators and empowered, are able to become a role model, motivating other nurses by matching their values and beliefs about nursing and care to their practice (Stanley, 2006). Leadership is important in healthcare today. In Hong Kong, Hospital Authority emphasises any potential or experienced leaders should be educated and trained. Enhancing professional competencies and building up effective leadership is the top priority. In action, providing simulation skill-based training for nurses; developing new in-house specialty training programs for nurses; offering corporate scholarship for overseas training; creating full-time executive development positions; organising senior executive development program and other leadership development all are beneficial to nurture competent clinical leaders (Hospital Authority annual plan, 2010). Case scenario This short paragraph is going to describe a case I experienced at my area of practice. Having been a senior nurse at my workplace, I am mainly responsible for nursing administration, such as arranging vacation leave for my colleagues. One day, one of my subordinates requested annual leave during the Chinese Lunar New Year as she hasnt been a long vacation leave during the festival for a few years. Her request was simply rejected because of compelling reason- inadequate manpower. I think it was reasonable to reject her request. However, the colleague had seemed disappointed my decision and complained this incident to my senior. It is time for me to contemplate which aspect, for example, communication and interpersonal skills or poor decision making, which I was doing wrong in this leadership issue. In short, there might be conflict issues between the subordinate and senior. Analysis There are many external factors which affecting the leadership issue. It is important to reveal them so as to maximize the opportunities and minimize the threats to my work environment. PESTEL is an analytical tool to help decision-maker to consider what external factors are important. Political, economic, social, technological, ethical and legal factors or PESTEL factors in short should be discovered. The following grid shows the analysis: Grid 1: PESTEL analysis grid P E S T E L e.g. Any inequality legislation committed due to subordinates request being rejected A lot of alternative nursing employment may contribute staff submitted resignation Staff social life may be affected due to imbalance work and social time Outdated IT equipments impede work flow and efficiency Unfair to the subordinate or not, lack of respect as her wish is rejected Take precaution of any changes in employees holidays policy/protocol Having listed the key factor in each PESTEL area, elaboration will be given regarding to individual area. Political factor can be interpreted as what is happening politically in the environment in which a decision-maker operates (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should pay attention that any inequality ordinance may be committed, for subordinates request for holidays during public holidays is refused. Economic factor can be interpreted as what is happening within the economy (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should take notice on every decision. Careless decision may incur angry healthcare staff submitted resignation, for there are a lot of nursing vacancies offered by other clinics, hospitals and old age homes. Social factor can be interpreted as what is occurring socially in an environment in which a decision-maker operates (Mennen, 2007). Having vacation leave during special festival is a reasonable desire for all shift-based healthcare staff. A decision-maker may be in dilemma whos e staff can have vacation leave as manpower is so tight. Technological factor can be interpreted as what is happening in technology which can impact what a decision-maker does (Mennen, 2007). In this regard, outdated healthcare technology can affect the leadership issue also. Inefficacy may be caused by the outdated equipment results time-consuming in a simple procedure, such as preparing a roster for frontline staff. Ethical factor can be interpreted as what is right or wrong philosophically (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should underscore any decided judgment should be morally acceptable, such as frontline staffs request should be fairly arranged. Prejudice and bias should be avoided. Legal factor can be interpreted as what is happening with changes to legislation (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should update his/her understanding in any staff vacation leave protocol or policy in order to maintain the staff maximum benefit. To make a brief summary, PESTEL can enable an organiza tion to anticipate future threats and take action to escape from their impact. Change management The term-change management is coined by Lewin (1951).Change management model is known as unfreeze, change and refreeze (Mind Tools Ltd, 2010). Change is unavoidable of something is needed to be amended. This paragraph is going to explore how the change management model can be applied in the clinical issue. Before application, force field analysis should be performed. The analysis starts from the premise that any situation is held in a stable position by a series of equal and opposite forces. Change occurs about when the forces become out of balance. The analysis is useful when a decision-maker knows where he/she wants to go but is stuck. The following shows the analysis: Restraining forces forces Pushing forces Maintaining adequate manpower is the top priority Staff discontents the holiday during the Chinese New Year Poor mood and low work efficiency due to no holidays during the special festival Power and discipline are paramount to uphold better patient services/benefit Involved staff politicizes the issue (i.e. complaint the issue to management level) Frontline staff is an important asset in caring-demand work environment To execute change, pushing forces must be greater than restricting forces and the need for change has been recognized. In application of the Lewin (1951) model, the first step should prepare the organization to accept that change is necessary, which involves break down the existing status quo before building up a new way for the next stage (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, ensuring there is strong support from management team. Compelling message should be disseminated vacation leave during special festival is possible if manpower is enough. Maintaining stable manpower is essential to provide quality nursing care. At the same time, managerial staff should remain open to subordinates concerns and address in terms of the need to change. The second stage is where people begin to resolve their uncertainty and look for new ways to do things. People start to believe and act in ways that support the new direction (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, effective communication and empowerment are significant. More clearly, managerial staff should prepare every staff for what is happening if staff requests annual leave during special festival. Also, explanations exactly by the managerial staff how the changes will affect every staff. The third stage is when the change (i.e. no one is approval for vacation leave during special festival unless manpower is allowed) is taking shape and subordinates have embraced the new ways of protocol, the organization is ready to refreeze (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, the organisation should anchor the changes into the culture. Establishing feedback system is helpful to sustain the change. Having vacation leave immediately after special festival is encouraged. Recommendations There are six recommendations to solve the leadership issue. The concept of teamwork should be imparted into the ward practice. Nursing care is teamwork-based. The importance of teamwork should not be ignored. Teamwork in health care can be defined as a dynamic process involving two or more health care professionals with complementary backgrounds and skills, sharing common health goals and exercising collaborated physical and mental effort in assessing, planning, or evaluating client care (Agich, 1982). I have to explain her that the importance of teamwork. All colleagues need to understand how important it is for them to work smoothly together if they want to provide quality care. All colleagues must be dedicated to the whole nursing team and be willing to act unselfishly. In other words, sacrifice, in a certain extent, is necessary. To build up teamwork culture, making sure that the team goals are completely clear and understood and accepted by each frontline staff. In addition, I have to be careful with interpersonal issues. Early recognising them and dealing with them in full are highly recommended. Power There is a famous proverb-nothing can be done without power (Power, 1999). The appropriate use of power is important for clinical leadership, for a healthcare setting environment depends on social relationship based on power. Power (1999) defines power in terms of control or influence over the behaviour of other with or without their consent. Power can be classified as physical, position, resources, expert and intuitive. Position rather than other power should be used in the issue. Position power equals legitimate power. It means occupancy of a role entitles one to the rights of that role in the organization (Power, 1999). As a decision-maker, I have considerable right to determine something. Not approving staff with vacant leave during the special festival during the Chinese New Year is a logical and reasonable decision. Both parties interest (i.e. patient and ward) can be preserved. Presentation and communication skills Oral communication skills consistently rank near the top of competencies valued by clinical leaders. As a clinical leader, promoting positive workplace relations through conservation is highly recommended (Burnard, 1997).. In the leadership issue, I have to offer constructive criticism pertinent to the issue rather than directly rejecting her request. Think currently about what I want to say is the first step. Next, be specific in conveying core message during face-to-face communication. Clear rather than vague assertion is preferred. I do wish there is enough manpower during the special festival so you can have holiday us better than your request is banned due to inadequate manpower. On the one hand, I have to offer help and empathy her. More clearly, holiday after the special festival should be arranged immediately and understanding that the mood of no holiday during the festival. Conflict management Since different staff will have different viewpoints, ideas and desire, conflict is unavoidable in any group. The sources of conflict are disagreement on how things should be done, personal interest as well as tension and stress (Shortell Kaluzny, 1997). The outcomes of conflict include polarization, low morale and regrettable behaviours produced. Therefore, conflict should be well encouraged In this regard, understanding how conflicts arise is important. Obviously, the above mentioned conflict can be categorized as personal interest (i.e. requesting on holidays during the special festival). To handle the conflict due to personal interest, compromise or negotiation is effective to settle down the incident. I have to talk with her gently as manpower is too tense, your compromise is critical. At the same time, I have to manage the issue intelligently, banning her request straightforwardly seems provoking her emotion. Rather, I have to refuse her request euphemistically. For example, y our request must be approved if manpower is enough. Emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence is recognition of our own feelings and those of others (,). A clinical leader who accurately perceives others emotions can handle change better and build stronger social networks. To achieve so, three emotional intelligence skills a clinical leader should possess. The skills include social skills, motivation and self-awareness. Social skills are the ability to influence or persuade others (Pahl, 2008). Good communication skill is a typical example. Motivation is able to enjoy challenges and be passionate about work and initiate optimism (Pahl, 2008). Motivating all frontline staff to work at the special festival is a big challenge task. Self awareness is a deep understanding of ones emotions or self-assessment in short (Pahl, 2008). Understanding my own strengths and weaknesses is helpful to deal with emotional event. Authoritarian Autocratic rather than laissez-faire and democratic styles should be considered. Autocratic style is an autocratic leader who is directive and makes decisions for a group. Being autocratic does not mean the leader is a dictator. Instead, the leader usually provides direction and makes decisions (Northhouse, 2010). Meanwhile, laisser-faire style is noninterference in the affairs of others and democratic style is subordinates have an equal say in the decision-making process (Northhouse, 2010). In the leadership issue, if a lot of subordinates requests annual leave during the special festival, inadequate manpower is guaranteed. Therefore, laissez-faire and democratic styles mustnt be adopted because it is impossible for subordinates to freely choose the period of vacation leave. To prevent any chaos in holiday arrangement, autocratic style is the best style to be adopted. Development of future practice This experience should be in my heart because the experience I engaged is helpful to my future practice. Reflective practice is highly recommended. It is associated with learning from past experience, and is regarded as an important strategy for health professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Johns, 2009). Due to the ever changing context of healthcare, there is a high level of demand on healthcare professionals expertise. Healthcare professionals could benefit from reflective practice, since the act of reflection is seen as a way of promoting the development of autonomous and qualified professionals. Engaging in reflective practice is associated with the improvement of the quality of care and stimulating professional growth. In practical step, there are several frameworks for reflection, for instance, Gibbs reflective cycle. Gibbs (1998) developed the reflective cycle in order to provide structure for reflecting on a nursing situation. The cycle involves six phases. The first ph ase is to describe what happen (i.e. the case scenario). The second phase is to think and feel about the scenario (i.e. unwisely to handle the issue). The third phase is to evaluate what was good and bad about the experience (i.e. adequate manpower can be maintained but the involved subordinate become angry). The fourth phase is to analyse what sense can I make of the issue (i.e. managing conflict of personal interest intelligently). The fifth phase is to think what else could I have done (i.e. managing conflict tactically). The final phase is to prepare contingency plan (i.e. if it arose again, what would I do). Conclusion So far, all aspects of clinical leadership have been covered. To solve the issue due to personal interest, negotiation with involved staff, wisely-used conflict management skills, fully utilizing position power and compelling presentation skills all are constructive to the issue. Before settling down the issue, both PESTEL analysis and change management should be engaged. The strengths of the above are to discover any threats as soon as possible and implement related changes immediately. Successful settling down the issue doesnt mean a clinical leader demonstrates effective clinical leadership. As clinical leadership is a persistent phenomena performed by a clinical leader, reflective skill a clinical leader should have so as to enhance clinical leadership in an advanced level. (Words: 2711)

The Social Effects of Television Essay -- TV Media

The Social Effects of Television The social effects of television are numerous and definitely vary in positive and negative ways. Since television was first introduced it’s been a very large part of America’s society. Television started as a form of entertainment that would be watched by the family for an hour a night as a relaxing way of getting away from the stresses of real life. Television has now turned into one of the biggest industries in the world, and has more influence than anyone could have imagined. Many people view television as a very positive form of entertainment, as it is without a doubt the most popular kind in the world. There are also those people who say that television is going to be the downfall of our society and we are becoming much to dependent on it. Television allows the viewer to leave their everyday life and enter into a world full of fun, adventure, and even love. Television is now used by many children for educational purposes. Everyone has seen at least a little of Barney, a show that helps kids learn the alphabet and many life lessons as well. There are now tens if not hundreds of shows that are like Barney broadcast all over the world. These shows help a child develop the social skills that one needs at such a young age. Television can be argued to have brought families together. It may not be good that dinner is served in front of the television every so often, but at least the family is together. In this world of fast paced activity, it is hard to find a family that actually sits down to dinner more than once a week. Television is arguably the best form of media and current information that can be found. Everyday of the week, 24 hours a day a person can find current news b... ...their lives are nothing like the ones seen on television. Television is fast-paced, exciting, and very often a little overboard. A large drawback of television is that many people, women and men, perceive themselves as less of a person. Often, one is not as beautiful or as handsome as a person seen on television. Or one is not as smart, or as good at sports as people on television. Television can be seen as a very good thing to have come out of the 20th Century, and it can be seen as something that should never have been invented. There is no arguing though about the dependency and love many people have for television. Much of the world, especially America, depends on television for a great range of things from education, to information, to entertainment. Television has shaped and changed our society and our world in ways that can never be fully understood.

Cognitive Appraisal and/or Personality Traits

Suggested APA style reference: Li, M. (2009, March). Cognitive appraisal and/or personality traits: Enhancing active coping in two types of stressful situations. Paper based on a program presented at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference and Exposition, Charlotte, NC. Cognitive Appraisal and/or Personality Traits: Enhancing Active Coping in Two Types of Stressful Situations Paper based on a program presented at the 2009 American Counseling Association Annual Conference and Exposition, March 22, Charlotte, North Carolina Ming-hui Li Ming-hui Li, EdD, LPC, LMHC, is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Counseling at St. John’s University, Queens, NY. His areas of specialty include stress-coping and resilience development. College students frequently experience stressful situations (Dungan, 2002; Li, 2006). Some college students actively cope with stressful situations while others become victims of the situations. The researcher has been interested in exploring factors that lead college students to actively cope with stressful situations. Enhancing these factors may facilitate college students to employ active coping. The term active coping in the study refers to people’s coping responses that are characterized by solving problems, seeking social support, and non-avoidance. The purpose of this study was to explore effective predictors of active coping in two major types of stressful situations among college students: relation and work. Results of this study may provide information for counselors to help students adapt better to college life by enhancing specific factors in different stressful situations. Theoretical Framework Researchers have not reached an agreement on the nature of coping. For example, process-oriented researchers (e. g. , Albinson & Petrie, 2003; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Olff, Langeland & Gersons, 2005) proposed that cognitive appraisal determines the responses individuals adopt to cope with stressful situations. In contrast, diathesis-oriented researchers (e. g. , Abela & Skitch, 2007; Li & Yuan, 2003; Wagner, Chaney, Hommel, Andrews, & Jarvis, 2007) suggested that a match between personality traits and stress types decides coping responses. The present study explored the extent to which a combination of these two theoretical approaches can determine college students’ employment of active coping. Process-oriented researchers (e. g. , Albinson & Petrie, 2003; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Olff, Langeland & Gersons, 2005) proposed that coping is a process (instead of a mere trait) in which personal factors, such as beliefs, and environmental factors, such as novelty, work together to affect coping responses through cognitive appraisal. These researchers argued that personality traits and environment are insufficient to determine coping responses. Cognitive appraisal, they believe, is what determines individuals’ coping responses. From their perspective, coping responses can be decided only after individuals have cognitively considered (a) how their lives are influenced by the situation and (a) what they can do to deal with the situation. In contrast, diathesis-oriented researchers (e. g. , Abela & Skitch, 2007; Li & Yuan, 2003; Wagner, Chaney, Hommel, Andrews, & Jarvis, 2007) advocate that individuals’ personality traits influence coping responses in specific contexts. They argued that personality traits influence coping responses most in stressful situations that are closely related to those traits. For example, individuals’ self-efficacy (a task-related trait) has great influence on their coping responses to task-related stressful situations, such as looking for a part-time job. In contrast, individuals’ secure attachment (a relation-related trait) is powerful in influencing coping responses to relation-related stressful situations, such as getting along with new roommates. Both approaches have been supported by previous studies. However, little attention has been drawn to the possibility of combining the two approaches. The present study addressed this possibility. The study was aimed to explore the extent to which a combination of these two theoretical approaches influences people to actively cope with stressful situations. Cognitive appraisal and three traits (self-efficacy, secure attachment, and resilience) were included in the combined model. According to the process-oriented approach, cognitive appraisal was expected to predict active coping across the two stressful situations. Based on the diathesis-oriented approach, self-efficacy was expected to predict active coping in work-related stressful situations such as looking for a part-time job; and secure attachment was expected to predict active coping in relation-related situations such as getting along with new roommates. In addition, the researcher hypothesized that resilience can predict active coping in both relation-related and work-related stressful situations because this trait reflects individuals’ general ability to moderate the negative effects of stress (Benetti & Kambouropoulos, 2006). Cognitive appraisal, self-efficacy, secure attachment, and resilience were applied to predict active coping in two types of stressful situations (relation, work), in order to detect the effectiveness of the combined model. The two hypotheses tested in the study were: Hypothesis 1: In relation-related situations, secure attachment, cognitive appraisal, and resilience can effectively predict active coping. Hypothesis 2: In work-related situations, self-efficacy, cognitive appraisal, and resilience can effectively predict active coping. Methods Participants were 126 students recruited from a college in Taiwan. Their age ranged from 18 to 23 years old. The mean age of this sample was 19. 6. Participants were categorized into two groups—a relation group and a work group, based on their self-reported stressful situations. The numbers of participants in groups of relation and work were 76 and 50, respectively. The researcher administered a questionnaire to participants when they were waiting for a class. Participants signed informed consent forms before they responded to the questionnaire. Data was collected using a questionnaire containing the Resilience Scale (Wagnild & Young, 1993), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins, 1996), the Coping Strategy Indicator (Amirkhan, 1990), the Chinese Adaptation of General Self-Efficacy Scale (Zhang & Schwarzer, 1995), and category I (cognitive appraisal) of the Student-Life Stress Inventory (Gadzella, 1991). All of the instruments have been used to study college students and have demonstrated adequate validity (construct or concurrent validity) and reliability (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha range from . 6 to . 93). All of the instruments except the Chinese adaptation of General Self-Efficacy Scale were translated by the researcher from English into Chinese. Two bilingual Psychology professors and four bilingual doctoral students examined the translated instruments. A bilingual undergraduate student, who was blind to the original English instruments, back-translated the Chinese versions into English. The original instr uments and the back-translated instruments were very close in meaning, indicating correct language transference. Internal consistency estimates of reliability (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha) were computed for each of the instruments used in this study. The values for coefficient alpha were . 89, . 90, . 75, . 87, and . 81 for the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SSI), the Resilience Scale (RS), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (AAS-Revised), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSS), and the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI), respectively. The alpha values for the three sub-scales of the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) were . 86 (problem-solving), . 88 (seeking social-support), and . 68 (avoidance). In addition, the alpha value for the category I (cognitive appraisal) of the Student-Life Stress Inventory (Gadzella, 1991) was . 84. The research design of this study was a correlational design with four independent (predictor) variables and one dependent variable. The four independent variables were cognitive appraisal, resilience, secure attachment, and self-efficacy. The dependent variable was active coping. This research design consisted of two separate multiple regression procedures that were used to test the proposed model in two types of stressful situations. Data Analysis and Results The data were analyzed by using SPSS 14. 0. Two procedures of multiple regression were applied to test the two hypotheses. The step-wise method was used because the available literature does not provide direction as to how the variables in this study should be entered into a multiple regression equation. By using the step-wise method, the researcher allowed the computer to select the model with the best statistical â€Å"fit. † Correlations among predictor variables and between predictor variables and the dependent variable were examined in order to meet the requirements of multiple regression. The outlier was removed so it did not impact the accuracy of data analysis. The criterion used to screen outliers were (a) a Cook’s distance greater than 1, and (b) a standardized residual greater than 3. Hypothesis 1 was supported while Hypothesis 2 was not supported. Results showed that (a) cognitive appraisal and resilience can predict active coping in stressful situations associated with relation, and (b) secure attachment can predict active coping in work-related stressful situations. Tables I and II showed the results. Table I. Summary of Regression Analyses of Resilience, Secure Attachment, and Self-Efficacy Predicting Active Coping in Relation-Related Stressful Situations ____________________________________________________________ _____ Variable B ? R[pic]Change p ____________________________________________________________ ______ Resilience . 13 . 29 . 09 . 00 Cognition – 2. 56 – 4. . 18 . 001 ____________________________________________________________ ______ Table II. Summary of Regression Analyses of Resilience, Secure Attachment, and Self-Efficacy Predicting Active Coping in Work-Related Stressful Situations ____________________________________________________________ _____ Variable B ? R[pic]Change p ____________________________________________________________ ______ Secure Attachment . 50 . 1 . 17 . 003 ____________________________________________________________ ______ Discussion The study was aimed to test the effectiveness of the model combining two approaches to coping. Results i ndicated that this model is effective in stressful situations associated with relation. In stressful situations associated with relation, individuals who less engage in cognitive appraisal (i. e. , lower levels of cognitive appraisal) and are able to moderate the negative effects of stress (i. . , higher levels of trait resilience) tend to actively cope with the situations. This finding is consistent with Kulenovic and Busko’s (2006) finding that cognitive appraisal and personality trait simultaneously influence individuals’ coping responses to stressful situations. It seems that when people are in the initial stage of coping with a relation-related stressful situation, the less they evaluate the situation and the stronger their trait resilience becomes, the more likely they can cope with the situation actively. A possible explanation of the finding that cognitive appraisal and trait resilience simultaneously influence individual’s coping response to relational stressful situations is that cognitive appraisal leads people to respond to situational factors such as how the romantic relationship ended and who wanted to end the relationship (Bouchard, Guillemette, & Landry-Leger, 2004) while trait resilience directs people to respond to any situation that causes stress such as breaking-up with a boy/girl friend and losing a job (Li, 2008). In work-related situations, those who hold positive attitude toward social interactions (i. e. , high levels of secure attachment) tend to actively cope with work-related situations. It seems that when individuals are in the initial stage of coping with a work-related stressful situation, the more they believe they can get along well with people in the workplace, the more they become willing to take action to deal with the situation. Conclusion While re searchers have proposed different theoretical approaches to explain coping, no adequate efforts have been made to test the possibility of combining different approaches. This study addresses this issue by combining two existing approaches into one model and tests the effectiveness of the model. Results of the study not only expand our knowledge about coping but also provide useful information for counselors to help clients deal with stressful situations. When clients are in the initial stages of coping with relation-related stressful situations, counselors can help the clients by engaging them in reflection of their previous positive coping experiences rather than urging them to cognitively appraise the situations. When clients are in the initial stage of coping with work-related stressful situations, counselors can help the clients by enhancing their person skills. References Abela, J. R. Z. ; Skitch, S. A. (2007). Dysfunctional attitudes, self-esteem, and hassles: Cognitive vulnerability to depression in children of affectively ill parents. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 1127-1140. Albinson, C. B. , & Petrie, T. A. (2003). Cognitive appraisals, stress, and coping: preinjury and postinjury factors influencing psychological adjustment to sport injury. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 12, 306-322. Amirkhan, J. H. (1990). A factor analytically derived measure of coping: The coping Strategy indicator. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1066-1074. Benetti, C. , &; Kambouropoulos, N. (2006). Affect-regulated indirect effects of trait anxiety and trait resilience on self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 41, 341-352. Bouchard, G. , Guillemette, A. , & Landry-Leger, N. (2004). Situational and dispositional coping: An examination of theire relation to personality, cognitive appraisals, and psychological distress. European Journal of Personality, 18, 221-238. Collins, N. L. (1996). Working models of attachment: Implications for explanation, emotion, and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 810-832. Dungan, D. E. (2002). Five days of stress and coping in the lives of college students. (Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University, 2002). Dissertation Abstract International, 62 (10-B), 4827. Gadzella, B. M. (1991). Student-life Stress Inventory. Library of Congress, Copyright. Kulenovic, A. & Busko, V. (2006); Structural equation analyses of personality, appraisals, and coping relationships. Review of Psychology, 13, 103-112. Lazarus, R. S. , & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer. Li, M. H. (2006). Stress, traits of resilience, secure attachment, and self-efficacy as predictors of active coping among Taiwanese students (China). (Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University, 2006). Dissertation Abstracts International, 67(4-A),1233. Li, M. H. (2008). Relationships among stress coping, secure attachment, and the trait of resilience among Taiwanese college students. College Student Journal, 42, 312- 325. Li, X. , & Yuan (2003). The relationship between junior middle school students’ diathesis, and life stress with mental health. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 11, 287-288. Olff, M. , Langeland, W. , & Gersons, B. P. R. (2005). Effects of appraisal and coping on the neuroendocrine response to extreme stress. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 29, 457-467. Wagner, J. Chaney, J. , Hommel, K. , Andrews, N. , & Jarvis, J. (2007). A cognitive diathesis-stress model of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with juvenile rheumatic disease. Children's Health Care, 36, 45-62. Wagnild, G. M. , & Young, H. M. (1993). Development and psychometric evaluation of The resilience scale. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 1, 165-178. Zhang, J. X. , & Schwarzer, R. (1995). Measuring optimistic self-beliefs: A Chinese adaptatio n of the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Psychologia, 38 (3), 174-181.