Is there a difference between my perception of reality and reality Case Study

Is there a difference between my perception of reality and reality itself - Case Study Example Perception is the individual mind set of people who influences the manner in which they view life and make a decision when responding to life situations. For instance some people perceive war to be the only sure way to bring peace to people to warring groups while others view it as an evil act which is conducted by people who are against peace and with evil intentions. The way those two groups perceive war is totally different and thus it influences the manner in which they are going to make a judgement concerning that particular subject (Xlibris Corp, 2012). Despite perception varying from one individual to the next, one’s perception can be influenced or manipulated by situations that occur in the environment or by reality itself. Whenever someone has been exposed to reality he/she will tend to be influenced into changing his/her mind set thus, changing the perception. Perception is not always correct since it can be distorted from the general expectation of life (Xlibris Corp, 2012). Thus, reality plays an important role in influencing the cognition of a person and in influencing ones perception in the right way. However, it is not always right for one’s perception to be influenced since the manner in which one perceives things is the same way life unfolds. Thus, it is right to take life in your way as it will unfold, in the same way; hence one can lead an interesting life. If someone is so concerned in being influenced by the perception of others he/she will always fell inferior to the cognition of others thus leading to a miserable life as one cannot be content with his/her own self (Xlibris Corp, 2012). Some critics argue that there is nothing like reality as it all depends on how individuals perceive things and situations that determine on what can be regarded as real or not. Strong believers of individual perception do not find much sense in reality as they act in the manner in which their perception

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE EUTHANASIA by JAMES RACHELS (1941-2003) Essay

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE EUTHANASIA by JAMES RACHELS (1941-2003) - Essay Example Rachels also believed that the common arguments supporting passive euthanasia were invalid. Rachels uses several stories to illustrate his arguments, the most famous of which is the man murdering his six-year old cousin in the bathtub and letting him drown by doing nothing. I find that argument ridiculous because both examples are morally wrong—they are both murder, and the guy should be prosecuted in both situations. It is a very different situation than a doctor or family member allowing someone to die or participating in active euthanasia. I also find the Down’s syndrome examples unsatisfying. Rachels wrote his essay in the 1970s, and medical treatments for babies born with Down’s has greatly improved since then. My problem with Rachels’ arguments is that it is obvious that he does not believe in the sanctity of life. If he did, he might have felt differently about giving doctors the right and ability to euthanize their patients, although it is true that many doctors already do so, especially when patients are experiencing terrible pain. I do agree, however, that it is immoral for doctors to withdraw treatment when they decide that a patient should die, and that it is the same as active euthanasia. For these reasons, I do not find Rachels’ arguments compelling or

The Coach Essay Example for Free

The Coach Essay As a group coaches are often criticized for their overemphasis on winning and their overly serious attitude toward the league experience. Most studies, however, point out that in general Little League coaches get involved for the love of the game and for the love of their participating child. Coaches that angrily shout criticism from the sidelines are not appreciated or liked as are relaxed, supportive, and knowledgeable coaches who emphasize the improvement and learning of new skills. Coaches that develop close and personal relationships with the child and her/his parents are the most likely to contribute to a positive learning experience. Coaches are first and foremost role models and teachers. Good coaching is not about producing winning teams; its about asking every day before practice or a game: Is what were planning to do today in the best interest of the kids? The best lesson a coach can teach is that playing fairly makes everyone a winner, and that: Developing Coaching Philosophy A casual observer of any little league game site will notice the excessive seriousness and tension exhibited by coaches on the sidelines. Coaches and spectating parents get very involved with their childrens game. Some fail to realize the deleterious effects of their vocal protests regarding game referee decisions or disapproval of their childs performance. Several soccer leagues that I am familiar with have on record a very appropriate league philosophy statement. These statements emphasize learning, fair play, fun, equal opportunity, etc over winning. Ironically, the same leagues use trained referees and linesmen, for example, to officiate a game between two teams comprised of nine-year-old players. Players are often assigned to positions in which they are most productive or least destructive. And, coaches, parents and players exhibit excessive celebration when a goal is scored (even when the goal resulted from a clumsy goalie error) or when a game is won. Overly formal game control, early specialization, and excessive celebrations seem incompatible with a child-centered league philosophy. Should the league experience serve best only the most talented and promising individuals at the expense of the less skilled? A typical league reality of winning first, child second, seems to prevail over the same leagues beautifully crafted philosophy statement. The stress associated with coaching a losing team stems from the distorted view that winning equals good coaching and loosing equals poor coaching. The child that is allowed to play a variety of positions will learn and progress irrespectively of her or his teams winning or loosing record. In the soccer league that I joined as assistant coach during the Fall of 1999, the head coach knew which the two best teams on the league were several weeks before kickoff. Who gets the credit for coaching these kids? Four of the kids on our nine-year-old boys team never played the game. How are they going to learn and improve if we are not going to allow them to make mistakes? Sticking to a child-centered game plan can get very tricky and involve tough decisions. A Coaching Philosophy Some coaches get turned off by the word philosophy. They cannot see how any one philosophy can have an impact on their daily problems and work. Ones teaching or coaching philosophy, however, is actually a very practical matter. An analogy to ones philosophy may be equated to a pair of glasses that filter reality through ones personal experiences, opinions, values and beliefs. It has, therefore a direct influence on how we see and understand the world around us, what actions we take, and why we choose to behave in the ways we do. In fact, every coach, whether aware of it or not, is following certain principles or his philosophy while coaching. It may seem reasonable to assume that the philosophy that directs the coachs everyday life thinking and actions would be also applied by her/him to coaching. Yet, this often seems not to be the case. For example, most coaches would agree that a less skilled child with little or no self-confidence needs special attention and time investment. Yet, who are the kids that usually get the most attention, the most playing time, the most praise? Still, let’s assume, for example, that a businessman discovered that the firm he is negotiating with was dishonest. He decides to do his business with another group despite the fact that he may end up paying more for essentially the same product. This may not sound like good business, yet many a businessman I talked to expressed willingness to stick to their principles even if it meant higher expenses. How many coaches do you know that would stick to principles of sportsmanship or fair play rather than win a game? Obviously, we can readily see a gap between what a coach may think is the right thing to do in every day life situations, and the actions he/she ends up taking on the playing field. Developing an Alternative Coaching Philosophy Dr. Rainer Martens, a world renowned sport psychologist and publisher, explains that the development of a functional coaching philosophy involves two major tasks: †¢ become a student of your own feelings and who you are? †¢ prioritize and delineate your coaching objectives †¢ Developing Self-Awareness Children are great imitators. Therefore, you are more likely to shape them into your own image than into what you would actually like them to become. The coach is a very powerful role model. This is why it is important that the coach be honest as he/she evaluates her/himself and get in touch with here/his own feelings. The coach needs to discover whether he really likes who he/she is. A quick subjective self-awareness test would be to ask oneself When I was a child, would I have liked to have my current self as a parent? As a coach? If the answer is yes, explain to yourself why you think the way you do. What is it that makes you a good parent, teacher, coach? If you realize that you do not like everything about yourself, dont panic, nobodys perfect. The key factor is not for every coach to be a perfect individual. It is crucial, however, that the coach be honest with her/himself, and willing to take the appropriate steps to change for the better. Dr. Martens suggests that one such first step would be to form an open door policy and solicit feed back from the kids, assistant coaches and the parents. This, according to Dr. Martens means that the coach needs to learn to listento be attentive to both overt and covert communication patterns. Good listening skills ensure two way communications and thus decrease the filtering effect that often distorts the true message delivered by the other party. Prioritization and Delineation of Coaching Objectives It is an indisputable fact that children are their parents and nations most precious asset. It may seem natural to assume, therefore, that the majority of adults mean well for the kids. Yet, how often do we wish something for our child, and then step back and take the time to find out whether this is what the child really wants? More often than not, adults feel they know better, and thus, exclude children from the decision making process. Youth sport, unfortunately, is a prime example of this phenomenon. In 1987 the Athletic Footwear Association in America sponsored a study of 10,000 students ages 10-18 regarding their feelings about sport. The students reacted to questions such as why they participate, why they quit, and what changes they would make in order to get involved again in a sport they dropped. The most important finding of the study was that winning, which is the most publicized and pursued goal of sports never ranked higher than seventh even among the most competitive athletes. To have fun and to improve my skills were consistently the first two choices why the students chose to play sports. When asked why they dropped from sports three of the first five reasons were I was not having fun, coach was a poor teacher, and too much pressure. How many coaches you know would have predicted this outcome? (Rainer, 1987, 3-14) Dr. Martha E. Ewing and Dr. Vern Seefeld of the Youth Sports Institute of Michigan State University who conducted the study, and Dr. Steven J. Danish, chairman of the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University who added psychological and developmental interpretations proposed the following truths about children and sport: Fun is pivotal; if its not fun, young people wont play a sport (Rainer, 1987, 3-14). Skill development is a crucial aspect of fun; it is more important than winning even among the best athletes. The most rewarding challenges of sports are those that lead to self-knowledge. Intrinsic rewards (self-knowledge that grows out of self-competition) are more important in creating lifetime athletes than are extrinsic rewards (victory or attention from others). The American Youth and Sports Participation study authors proposed the following tips for coaches and parents who are willing to develop an alternative coaching philosophy: For Coaches Become a communicator (a listener and a giver of feedback). Recognize the needs of your kids and balance your needs with theirs. Develop perspective: remember what you were like at their age and what you could do then; dont judge the kids by what you can do now. Remember the truths and plan activities with them in mind. Seek out workshops and educational programs that teach not only sports-related skills but also communication and interpersonal skills that will help you work with parents and get the most out of your kids. Try to work with parents and make them part of the team rather than viewing them as critics to be avoided. Coach Development Education, as pedagogical theory so perceptively points out, is a two-way process, which means that both sides of the process have an opportunity to influence each other. Therefore, the coach can expect to be shaped by his team members’ characters and styles in a way that is no less decisive than his or her influence upon them. Realizing it may prove a challenge to many authoritative coaches, yet this impact is undeniable and should not be underestimated. However, in case of a younger team, the coach’s influence is going to exceed that of the children as they, as mentioned before, are great imitators and need a role model to follow. For this reason among others, the coach has to develop certain moral and professional qualities that will form the basis for practical application of one’s coaching philosophy. The tenets of coaching philosophy determine which exactly qualities one needs in order to develop one’s team and bring them to a victory earned in the spirit of fair play sportsmanship. In the first place, a coach has to be a superb organizer. This is the coach’s primary function in the team: to unite a disparate set of players into a coherent whole. Unity in the contest has to stem from psychological unity of the team, the much talked about team spirit. A coach in one’s philosophy has to define how important a place the team occupies in his/her activities and endeavors and what ways of achieving this unity are legitimate and effective. In team sports specifically, the value of team relationships cannot be overrated, since a victory is only a product of collective efforts and rarely a gift of luck.

Calcium Hydroxide in Simulated Lateral Canal Filling

Calcium Hydroxide in Simulated Lateral Canal Filling Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of calcium hydroxide dressing on the filling of simulated lateral canals by different obturation techniques. Materials and Methods: Sixty single root premolars were instrumented. Simulated lateral canals were drilled on each third of the roots. The teeth were divided into four groups: no dressing and obturation by lateral condensation technique (G1), dressing with calcium hydroxide and obturation by lateral condensation technique (G2), no dressing and obturation by hybrid technique (G3) and, dressing with calcium hydroxide and obturation by hybrid technique (G4). The teeth were maintained at 37oC in 100% humidity for seven days, and obturation techniques were performed. Radiographs were taken and lateral canals filled or unfilled were counted. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test (ÃŽ ±=5%). Results: The hybrid technique filled large number of lateral canals compared to lateral condensation technique , regardless the use of intracanal medication (PPPConclusion: Regardless the obturation technique, calcium hydroxide dressing reduced the penetration of filling material in simulated lateral canals. Clinical significance: The persistence of calcium hydroxide residues reduces the penetration of filling material in simulated lateral canals, possibly representing a potential cause of failure in the future. Keywords: Calcium hydroxide, Endodontics, root canal obturation, laboratory research Introduction The root canal system has a very complex anatomy, characterized mainly by the presence of curvatures, accessory and lateral canals.1-3 The lateral canals can be observed anywhere along the root length of an important percentage of teeth, although more commonly in the apical third.1 Actually, the presence of lateral canals represents a challenge, as they are difficult to reach, clean, disinfect and fill during endodontic treatment,4 representing a potential cause of diseases.3,5-8 Considering that persisting bacteria may be located in not accessed areas like lateral canals, the intracanal medication and three-dimensional obturation of the root system becomes extremely important.4 The intracanal medication has been used to complete the disinfection and to prevent reinfection by these microorganisms,9-11 and can act chemically by killing microorganisms or physically by preventing bacterial penetration.12 The obturation also could prevent reinfection13 as the sealer isolates microorganisms without access to space and nutrients.14 Calcium hydroxide has been widely used as an intracanal medication for its antibacterial effect on most of the microorganisms identified in the root canal system.12 The therapeutic properties of this medication are associated with their pH value and with the period that they remain within the root canals.9,15 It has been pointed out that calcium hydroxide dressing for seven days with subsequent instrumentation and irrigation with sodium hypochlorite, improve the debridement of the root canal system and efficiently eliminate persistent bacteria.16,17 However, it was found that a considerable amount of calcium hydroxide paste remains attached to the root canal after instrumentation and irrigation with various solutions.18-20 Also, it is known that when calcium hydroxide is incompletely removed from the root canal, the residue compromises the endodontic sealing.20,21 Thus, it is possible that residual calcium hydroxide could obliterate the openings of the lateral canals, blocking their filling.19,22 Additionally, the type of obturation technique is a crucial factor to be considered in such situations, since the capability to ensure the filling of lateral canals is an important clinical parameter and may represent a favorable aspect of the filling technique. In this context, the aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of calcium hydroxide dressing on the filling of simulated lateral canals by different obturation techniques. Materials and Methods The study has been approved by an ethical committee from Pontifà ­cia Universidade Catà ³lica do Paranà ¡, under number of register 326/2004. Only one researcher has done the experimental procedures. Sample preparation In this in vitro study, a total of sixty human single root mandibular premolars with medium length between 21 to 23 mm were selected. The teeth were autoclaved and stored in 0.5% thymol solution prior to the experimental assays. The coronal access was gained with a #2 round and a #3080 diamond bur (KG Sorensen, Barueri, SP, Brazil). Then, the coronal and middle thirds of the root canal were shaped using #1, #2, and #3 Gates-Glidden drills (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). The canal length was visually established by placing a #10 K-file (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) in each root canal until it was seen emerging through the apical foramen. The working length was determined by subtracting 1 mm from this measurement. The teeth were instrumented at the working length using a #35 K-File (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). Simulated lateral canals Three simulated lateral canals were drilled on the mesial and distal surfaces (one in each third: coronal, middle and apical) by using a device. This device consisted by a #10 K-File (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) with 4 mm from its tip sectioned, which was adapted in a low-speed contra-angle handpiece. The root canals were then instrumented using a #45 K-File (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) to the working length to create a smear layer. After every change of file size and at the completion of instrumentation, the canals were irrigated with 5 mL of a 1% sodium hypochlorite solution. Following this, the root canal was irrigated with 5 mL of 17% ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (Merck Brasil, Sà £o Paulo, SP, Brazil) followed by a final flush of distilled water. The root canals were dried with paper points (Tanariman Manufacturer, Amazonas, AM, Brazil). Experimental groups Afterwards, the sixty teeth were randomly divided into four equal groups of fifteen. The groups were separated according to the use or not of calcium hydroxide dressing, and the type of obturation technique, as follow: no dressing and obturation by lateral condensation technique (G1), dressing with calcium hydroxide and obturation by lateral condensation (G2), no dressing and obturation by Tagger’s hybrid technique (G3) and, dressing with calcium hydroxide and obturation by Tagger’s hybrid technique (G4). Dressing procedure In G2 and G4, the calcium hydroxide paste was prepared by mixing two parts of lab grade calcium hydroxide and 1 mL saline solution to obtain a creamy consistency. The paste was inserted using a #25 Lentulo drill (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), subtracting 2 mm from the working length. The access cavities were temporarily sealed with a cotton pellet and temporary seal (Coltosol, Coletene, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil). The samples were maintained at 37oC in 100% humidity for seven days. Afterwards, the temporary seal was removed and the calcium hydroxide was cleaned using a #35 K-File (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and irrigation with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution and 17% EDTA (Merck Brasil, Sà £o Paulo, SP, Brazil). The root canals were dried with paper points (Tanariman Manufacturer, Amazonas, AM, Brazil). Obturation techniques For obturation procedures, the AH Plus sealer (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) was used in all groups. The sealer was manipulated according with manufacturer’s instructions. The obturation technique was performed as follow. Lateral condensation For G1 and G2, it was used the lateral condensation technique. For this, a well-fitting master gutta-percha cone #35 (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) coated with sealer was taken up 1 mm from the working length. Then, the master cone was left seated and the lateral condensation was performed using a finger spreader B (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). This spreader was inserted with the sealer toward the canal’s wall and then counterclock wisely removed to create room for the insertion of the accessory gutta-percha cones (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). This procedure was repeated until the insertion of new accessory cones was not possible. After the obturation completion, the excess of filling material was removed and the cold vertical condensation was executed. Tagger’s hybrid technique For G3 and G4, it was used the Tagger’s hybrid technique. For this, a master cone was seated as described above. An initial lateral condensation was performed with the finger spreader B (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), and one accessory gutta-percha cone was inserted. Next, a McSpadden compactor #70 (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) was coupled to a low-speed contra-angle handpiece and introduced passively into the root canal. The penetration of the condenser inside root canal was obtained with the aid of a rubber marker 1 mm short of the working length. With the condenser inside the root canal, next to the gutta-percha cones, it was driven by forward and backward movements up to reach working length, staying in that position for about 1 second. The condenser was removed from root canal with the motor still driven with gentle pressure on one side of the canal’s wall. Following, the vertical condensation of the plasticized gutta-percha was perfo rmed through heat Paiva’s condensers in order to obtain a better adaptation of the filling material. Postoperative radiographs Immediately after filling, postoperative radiographs were taken and all of them were identically exposed, developed, and fixed. The radiographs were placed in slide mounts and projected in order to count the lateral canals filled or unfilled in each group. Only completely filled lateral canals were considered. Three calibrated examiners analyzed the images. Statistical analysis Data were statistically analyzed by the SAS/LAB package (SAS Software, version 9.0; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, USA). Firstly, Kappa’s test was performed to evaluate the examiner’s level of agreement. The assumptions of equality of variances and normal distribution of errors were checked and the data were transformed as suggested by the software. The simulated lateral canals were analyzed using three-way ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD test, considering the dressing, obturation technique and root thirds as study factors. The significance level was set at 5%. Results The value of the test of agreement between examiners was 0.89. In Figure 1, it is observed representative radiographs after obturation by different techniques. The Tagger’s hybrid technique filled large number of simulated lateral canals compared to the lateral condensation technique, regardless the use of intracanal medication (PP Although the coronal and apical thirds had a somewhat larger number of filled lateral canals than the middle third, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05) (Table 1). Significant differences were observed when comparing the number of filled and unfilled canals in the same root third of each group (PP>0.05). Discussion After shaping and cleaning the root canal, persisting bacteria may be located in not accessed areas like lateral canals, and this must be considered potentially pathogenic and a cause of future endodontic failure.3,5-8 For this reason, dressing and three-dimensional obturation of the root canal system becomes important steps.4 The use of calcium hydroxide dressing is established in the literature,23 however, persistence of this medication in the root canal walls could prevent the sealer penetration into the dentinal tubules,21 compromising the obturation procedure. Also, several techniques have been developed to achieve an adequate three-dimensional obturation of lateral canals.24 For this, we purposed to evaluate the influence of calcium hydroxide dressing on the filling of simulated lateral canals by different obturation techniques. The actual need to fill lateral canals has been a largely discussed in the current literature.2,4,19 However, it is important to point out that both lateral canals and apical ramifications have been implicated with treatment failure when they are sufà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ciently large to harbor signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cant numbers of bacteria and to provide these bacteria with access to the periradicular tissues.3,25 Therefore, disinfection, dressing and filling of lateral canals in cases of pulp necrosis and apical and/or lateral periodontitis should be considered important goals of the treatment, although difà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cult to achieve.3 Calcium hydroxide is widely used as an intracanal medication,12 and several techniques have been used to remove it from the root canal.18,21,26,27 The enlargement of the canal to the next file size and copious irrigation with sodium hypochlorite and/or EDTA, which are the procedures commonly used in clinical practice, seems to be unable in completely remove calcium hydroxide from root canal.21,26 There is a consensus that the residues of the medicament persists in the canal even with different techniques for removal.28,29 The results of our study demonstrated that residual calcium hydroxide blocked the openings of the lateral canals, reducing and/or preventing the penetration of sealer or gutta-percha into the lateral canals, corroborating with a previous study.19 Regardless the obturation technique, we demonstrated that when calcium hydroxide was applied as a dressing medication (G2 + G4), 99 of the 180 simulated lateral canals were obturated. On the other hand, when calcium hydroxide was not used (G1 + G3), 129 of the 180 simulated lateral canals were filled. Also, in our study, simulated lateral canals were created in each third of the canal root. We showed that no differences were found among the different root thirds in the same group. About the ability of different obturation techniques to fill simulated lateral canals the literature indicates that warm gutta-percha techniques are superior.2 According to our results, the Tagger’s hybrid technique resulted in large number of filled simulated lateral canals, although it was reduced with the dressing with calcium hydroxide. Also, the lateral condensation showed the worst ability in filling simulated lateral canals, particularly when calcium hydroxide dressing was employed. It is possible that the cold condensation of gutta-percha difficult the penetration of the filling material.30 Thermoplasticized techniques improve the expansion of the material against the dentinal walls.31 A recent study about the interference of calcium hydroxide previous to the filling revealed that the medication can difficult the hermetic filling of the root canal system because of its property of obliterates lateral canals.22 Overall, the persistence of calcium hydroxide residues should be considered as a side effect when selecting this medication as an interappointment dressing in root canal therapy,19,22 regardless the obturation technique to be employed. Conclusions Regardless the obturation technique, calcium hydroxide dressing reduced the penetration of filling material in simulated lateral canals. Clinical significance The persistence of calcium hydroxide residues reduces the penetration of filling material in simulated lateral canals, possibly representing a potential cause of failure in the future. 1

Sustainable Development Essay example -- Environment Ecology Essays Pa

Sustainable Development Sustainable development was defined in the Bruntland Report in 1983 as â€Å"development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.† (Dresner, 31) This is a satisfactory definition for most people, however, when it comes down to the policies of sustainable development, the definition given proves dangerously vague. Interpretations that stem from it can range from ‘do not touch any of the earth’s natural resources ever again’ to ‘use them up as quickly as possible.’ There are three main philosophies behind sustainability: weak, strong, and environmental. Weak sustainability states that the total capital of the earth must not decrease. That means that the natural capital (oil, coal, forests, etc.) can decrease as long as the sum of physical (produced means of production; technology) and human (people’s physical ability to do work) capital increase at the same rate or higher. Thus, this approach assumes that most, if not all, natural capital can be substituted by technology. Strong sustainability differs from this in that it assumes that very little natural capital can be substituted. It deems human-made capital and natural capital separate entities, thus the natural capital must not decline. Economists have trouble with this idea because it seems like it is hindering the current generation in order for future generations to become vastly more wealthy assuming that the physical capital will increase with time. While they might furrow their brow at this theory, any self-respecting economist gets short of breath at the thought of environmental sustainability. This approach calls for natural resources to be left alone. It says... .... â€Å"Education is the catalyst for helping everyone understand the dynamic nature of the interrelationship† of ecology/environment, economy/employment, and equity/equality. (Edwards, 23) The environment is to be preserved as much as possible while still strengthening the economy and achieving the sense of community that goes along with controlling population and energy use with equity. Works Cited Beckerman, Wilfred. A Poverty of Reason: Sustainable Development and Economic Growth. Oakland, CA: The Independent Institute, 2003. Dresner, Simon. The Principles of Sustainability. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2002. Edwards, Andres R. Sustianability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. Canada: New Society, 2005. Smith, Lee. "The Next Big Thing." Fortune 25 Dec. 2006: 24. Stronberg, Joel B. "More Than Solar." Solar Today Sept. 2005: 8.

Explication of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay -- Poems Poet

Explication of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Prufrock begins his â€Å"Love† song with a peculiar quote from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It reads: â€Å"If I believed that my answer were to a person who could ever return to the world, this flame would no longer quiver. But because no one ever returned from this depth, if what I hear is true, without fear of infamy, I answer you.† In the Divine Comedy these lines are spoken by a damned soul who had sought absolution before committing a crime. I think that Eliot chose this quote to show that Prufrock is also looking for absolution, but for what he is unsure. â€Å"Let us go then, you and I, (1).† We are being offered an invitation into Prufrock’s world. As you read on you see what Prufrock sees and how he perceives it. Take for example, line 3, where he says â€Å"Like a patient etherized upon a table;†. On the line before he is describing the evening sky. Prufrock is feeling oppressed by the night sky, or maybe the world in general. The word â€Å"etherized† makes me think he feels helpless. Then you pass by cheap hotels, and restaurants with sawdust floors. Prufrock seems to be getting annoyed when he says, â€Å"Streets that follow like a tedious argument/ Of insidious intent† (8-9). Will these streets never end? Is it their goal to annoy me? Are questions I can imagine him asking himself. Then the whimsy kicks in. Do these streets lead to one overwhelming question? â€Å"Oh, do not ask, ‘What is it?’† (11) Prufrock seems to be pleading. Whatever you do, don’t ask me that question. There is no choice, whatever the destination, we must accompany him and we must make our â€Å"visit†. â€Å"In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo† (13-14). We have arrived at o... ...t a bit obtuse;/At times, indeed, almost ridiculous-/ Almost, at times, the Fool† (112-119) Prufrock is describing himself as he sees himself. Honestly, and without glory. That is who HE is. In the next two lines we see his weariness with his current lifestyle. He just wants to sit back and relax. Not worry about what everyone else thinks. He has seen social bells sing to each other, but not to him. He has seen them come and go and grow old in style. That is not what he wants. â€Å"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/ By sea-girls wreathed in seaweed red and brown,/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown† (129-131). We live in the delusional social world. Surrounded by beauties of all kinds. Eventually, the beauty fades and we realize what is important in life, but usually by then we are â€Å"drowning† or dying and don’t have the time to enjoy it.

Leadership in Ford

Influence of organizational contexts on leadership in Ford in the US and Europe. Introduction Nowadays organizational context is very important, because leaders have to make decisions relying on big amounts of information, which changes every day. Moreover depending on various situations leadership theories work different, it makes hard to predict the consequences of decisions relying only on theory. Depending on organizational context different leadership style can be used.Throughout the history of Ford, company distinguished itself by iron control of Henry Ford the first and the second. Their â€Å"great man† approach brought success to Ford, but eventually this approach became ineffective due to globalization and changing environment. This resulted in the need for followers of Henry Ford the second to introduce the big change for company, change in leadership approach and organizational culture. In addition Ford opened branches almost all over the world, so new approaches, vision and leadership is needed.This essay will cover questions about different styles of leadership in Ford in the US and Europe, key contextual issues that impact on strategic leadership in Ford and will consider main contextual challenges for Ford leaders. Depending on the context effective leader must be able to adopt his style to the demands and changing environment (Northouse, 2010). Question one The contextual issues significantly impact on strategic leadership. Two main contextual issues that impact on strategic leadership in Ford organizational culture and national culture.Organisational culture is a set of moral precepts, values, norms of behaviour in particular company accepted by members (Besanko et al, 2010). National culture is a set of values, rules, customs, traditions shared by people speaking the same language and having similar mindsets and moral principles (Northouse, 2010). Globalization has created many challenges for organizations including effective selection of leaders, adaptation to many cultures, creation of different approaches to nationally various employees (Northouse, 2010).It became necessary for top managers to take into consideration peculiarities, mentality, values and characteristics of different cultures to develop business abroad, because many problems in relationships between people can occur due to variations in norms, habits and values (Needle, 2004). Ford was not an exception and needed to turn the company around. As a company that was operating not only in US, but also in Europe and still doing it, Ford had to create unique strategy and organizational culture for both areas, which differ from each other.To build a successful strategy it is necessary to know national features of countries where organization is going to operate. According to GLOBE researchers who identified 10 clusters of countries (depending on cultural data), US were set into Anglo cluster and Europe was divided into four clusters: Eastern Europe, Lat in Europe, Germanic Europe and Nordic Europe (House, et al, 2004). These clusters have their own characteristics affecting leadership in particular areas, so demands for leaders in these clusters are different. Two describe how different cultures view leadership behaviors in others GLOBE researchers identified six global leadership behaviors†(House & Javidan, 2004 in Northouse, 2010, p. 348). First is charismatic/value-based leadership that includes being decisive, self-denying and performance oriented, being a motivator and inspirer (Northouse, 2010). Second is team-oriented leadership that includes team building, establishing common goals and such characteristics as diplomacy, collaboration (Northhouse, 2010). Third is participative leadership that means degree to which leader involves employees in decision-making ( Northouse, 2010).Next is â€Å"humane-oriented leadership that emphasizes being supportive, considerate, compassionate, and generous (Northouse, 2010, p. 348). Last is self-protective management that puts on top leaders who are face saving, conflict, aware of their status (Northouse, 2010). In that way Anglo countries including US want leaders to be charismatic, humane-oriented, extremely motivating and visionary, democratic, moreover leaders have to focus on team and to be independent (Northouse, 2010). For this reason Don Petersen and Harold `Red’ Poling with their mindsets perfectly corresponded this requirements.Europe, divided into 4 clusters has its own characteristics, but they are more complex due to peculiarities of clusters. Ideally it is better to have a particular approach for each cluster, nevertheless there are some common requirements for leaders in Europe such as charismatic and value-based person (Norhouse, 2010). As Ford has its offices and plants in Germany, England, Romania, Russia, Belgium, Spain, France and Turkey, it is necessary to consider Latin Europe cluster, Eastern Europe cluster and Germanic Europe clus ter. There are three branches in Germanic cluster: two in Germany and one in Belgium.For this cluster ideal leader is expected to be charismatic, inspirational and autonomous, to have participative style, to focus on team (Northouse, 2010). Two branches are located in Latin Europe Cluster: one in Spain and one in France. In this cluster leader has to be team oriented as well, has to be participative and self-oriented (Northouse, 2010). Two more branches operate in Russia and Romania. For the Eastern European countries it is necessary for leader to have self-protective leadership style, to be team-oriented, to make decisions independently (Nothouse, 2010).All this factors and characteristics of clusters make it very complex to find perfect leadership style, nevertheless there are some points of contact between these clusters. Moreover GLOBE identified 22 leadership attributes that are universally desirable (House, et al, 2004, p. 39). As a result leader is a person who is honest, cha rismatic, value-based and team-oriented (Dorfman et al. , 2004, in Northouse, 2010). In addition Hofstede (2010, in Needle, 2004) identified 5 characteristics on which countries differ from each other. Power distance is the extent to which members of society accept that power is distributed unequally† (Needle, 2004, p. 148). It was found that in France for example power distance is large, on the contrary Germany and the USA, where power distance is small. Individualistic societies are the US and the UK, but Germany and France have also high rate of individualism (Needle, 2004). It means that these countries prefer more to look â€Å"after yourself or your immediate family group† (Needle, 2004, p. 149). â€Å"Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which members of society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty† (Needle, 2004, p. 49). According to Hofstede (1994, in Needle, 2004) France and Germany tend to be more anxious about the future than UK and US. Masculine soc ieties like USA, UK and Germany used to prefer material success and achievement, while France is more anxious about quality of life and equality between sexes (Needle, 2004). Long-term orientation is not common neither in Germany, or US and UK, so these countries more used to short-term strategies (Needle, 2004). Taking all this facts into consideration becomes clear it is not easy to find appropriate leader for multinational companies like Ford.Leadership style has to be very adaptable and leader has to be competent and skilful. Organizational cultures in Europe and US were different and impacted leadership style in particular way. In US reorganized organizational culture, which was based on employee involvement and participative management demanded leadership style, based on participation, team-orientation, humane-orientation, such qualities as visionary, motivation and inspiration were necessary for leader. In Europe organizational culture has to be perfectly balanced due to the difference in national cultures.In that way organizational culture context in Ford in Europe is closely linked with national culture context and it is very complex mission for leaders to create strong organizational culture in Europe. It is not good for company, if its organizational culture is weak, because it â€Å"sets the scene for the determination of strategy and hence the operational aspects of organizational life† (Needle, 2004, p. 238). Question two There were different contextual challenges for leaders in Ford in Europe and US as a result they managed with them in a different way.One of the most important challenges for leaders in Ford in the US and Europe was getting power in company and control over staff. Power in terms of leadership means â€Å"capacity or potential to influence† (Northouse, 2010, p. 8). They all had position power and it was necessary for them to strengthen their positions in company by getting more power. Petersen with his leadership st yle engaged people feelings, introduced participative management and managed to strengthen his position in company by this approach.This approach perfectly corresponded to main values of Ford, because Petersen obtained ideas and opinions of employees, integrated their suggestions into top decision-making (Northouse, 2010). As a result he got not only position power, but also a personal power. It made possible to influence followers as they saw him as knowledgeable and likable (Northouse, 2010). Moreover it helped him to bring control over employees, who were happy, because they could participate in top-decision making.From that moment he knew the ideas of his followers, and he was using them in the interests of Ford. While Don Petersen was using participative leadership and reshaping goals of employees through mission of Ford, Harold `Red’ Poling was controlling final goal setting. Petersen and Poling managed to brought to Ford’s top team an intuitive and feeling appro ach to decision-making, something which is rarely found at that level (Starkey, 1996, p. 379), because participative leadership and management helps employees learn what leads to what (House & Mitchell, 1974, p. 92, in Northouse, 2010).As Peterson and Poling received more power and control over their followers, there was no need to find new cadres, this resulted in formation of strong team, which was easy to lead. Billy Hayden, Europe’s Vice President of Manufacturing was in other situation. He had to get used to peculiarities of leading in Europe and to adopt his own leadership style. Moreover the situation was more complex than in the US due to high standards of the main rival Toyota. Billy Haeden was going to change behavioural patterns and mindsets in Ford in Europe, but nothing really changed.It caused many problems afterwards. As a result there was no strong team with an intuitive and feeling approach to decision-making which was needed even more than in the US, his lea dership style was backward looking, so the whole organization was not able to compete with Toyota. The only power he had was legitimate power, and without balance like in case with Harold `Red’ Poling and Don Petersen, he was using it in a wrong way. Billy Hayden did not managed to create strong team, because he has given a steady turnover of top cadres and nobody could be a counterbalance for him.Eventually the change in organization, which brought success to Ford in the US, was introduced in Europe, but it was too late. Moreover values, mindsets, norms, patterns that were introduced in the US should be adapted to Europe and leadership style of Billy Hayden did not match these approach. Conclusion Organizational context became very important to every leader, manager and company on the whole. Without taking into consideration organizational context it is very hard and risky for any leader to make important decisions and lead company to success.Organizational contexts influenc e on leadership style, and depending on different peculiarities of context, appropriate leadership style can be chosen. Due to globalization culture context has great impact on leadership style, it became necessary for leader to know main features of mentality of nation in country, where he operates. Ford as a company, which has its branches almost all over the world, faced challenges and it was crucial to find a leader with appropriate leadership style. Don Petersen and Harold `Red’ Poling with their tandem led Ford US to success mostly due to perfect balance of power and participative management.Their style perfectly matched need of Ford in visionary leadership with necessary control. Petersen and Poling also showed the importance of power context. They managed to use not only position power, but personal power as well. Billy Hayden was in different situation, he did not managed to get personal power, and as a result he did not create a strong team, he did not adopt to the national cultures and his leadership style was not able to bring success. These situation emphases on the importance of cultural context, if company operates worldwide.Reference list Besanko, D. , Dranove, D. , Shanley, M. , Schaefer, S. , (2010). Economics of strategy, John Wiley & Sons House, R. J. , Hanges, P. J. , Javidan, M. , Dorfman, P. W. , Gupta, V. , & Associates (Eds. ). (2004). Culture, leadeeship, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Needle, D. , (2004). Business in context, an introduction to business and its environment, Thomson Learning, London. Northouse, P. G. , (2010) Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage