The Problem Of Prescription Drug Addiction - 944 Words

Katie is an everyday 35 year old woman; she has a wonderful husband and 2 small girls, a great job and looking up the ladder of success. Over the past few years, she has dedicated herself to having success at work and success with having a loving family. Anyone would meet Katie and her husband, Lewis, would think they have everything anyone could ever want. Even with her seemingly perfect life, Katie hides a secret. Katie has succumbed to a life of prescription drug addiction. About 10 years ago, Katie was involved in a car accident which caused her a great deal of lower back pain. The doctors prescribed her painkillers to help with the pain, she started taking them according to the doctor’s directions and not only did they help but she came to realize that it also provided her a sense of psychological bliss. In the following years, Katie started to realize that the more she complained about pain, there or not, her doctors would continue to prescribe her the prescription drugs . She then discovered that her family and friends felt sorry for her and thought they would help by giving her some of their prescription drugs. Prescription drug addiction is a global epidemic. Prescription drugs claim the 3rd most frequently abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana but ahead of the harder drugs, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Overall, an estimated 48 million people have abused prescription drugs, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. population (NCADD.gov, 2015).Show MoreRelatedPrescription Drug Abuse1298 Words   |  5 Pagessick. Prescription drugs are being taken for reasons other than the ones they are being prescribed for, fueling an addiction that impacts as many as 48 million Americans (Prescription Drug Abuse WebMD). According to MedLinePlus, an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. While a considerable amount of time, resources, and atte ntion are focused on the problems associated with illicit drugs, prescriptionRead MorePrescription Pain Medications Are Supposed To Improve The1225 Words   |  5 PagesPrescription pain medications are supposed to improve the health and well-being of an individual. Oxycontin, an opioid drug, is meant to help people manage their pain symptoms; however, many people are unaware that there is a danger of abuse of receiving drugs prescribed by their physicians. The essays â€Å"How to Create an Addiction† and â€Å"Erin Daly: OxyWatchdog† by Cynthia Andrzejczyk explore the problem of prescription drugs in the United States. Since 1999, prescription drug epidemic in the UnitedRead Moreprescription drug abuse1523 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Prescription Drug Abuse Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even deathRead MoreDrug Profile1262 Words   |  6 PagesDrug Profile Drug Profile * * Addiction is an escape of experiencing control it is an illusion and a mood altering experience. A pathological relationship with life-threatening or negative consequences, it is the experience that is addicting. People can become addicted to anything that alters our mood or consciousness. Addiction can be about self-harm and when done repeatedly it will stop or ease emotional pain that a person may be going through. An individual’s addiction can showRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse And Prescription Drugs1487 Words   |  6 PagesPrescription Drug Abuse Prescription Drug Abuse has increased in an alarming rate over recent years! Prescription drug related deaths now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined. The abuse in prescription drugs in America goes back more than a hundred years ago. Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. Although prescription medications are intended to help individuals, they canRead MoreEssay on Prescription Drug Abuse1318 Words   |  6 Pages Prescription drug abuse has become increasingly prevalent among teens in the county. There has been an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs for a number of reasons. Some individuals who misuse prescription drugs believe they are safer than other illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and dispensed by a pharmacist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified this prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. More and more teens are becoming addictedRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse990 Words   |  4 PagesPrescription drug abuse is not a new problem within our society. Prescription drug abuse has in fact been an ongoing problem that is currently spinning out of control. There are many people within our society that are currently dealing with prescription drug addiction. Prescription drug abuse is the intentional use of a medication without a prescription; in a way other than as prescribed; or for the experience or feeling it causes (The Science of Drug Abuse Addiction, 2014). Prescription drugsRead MoreDrug Addiction1074 Words   |  5 PagesDrug Addiction Drug abuse is an increasing epidemic in today’s society. There are so many types of drugs being abused today, both legal and illegal. These drugs affect the human body in many different ways. Drug abuse can lead to addiction. â€Å"Drug addiction involves the repeated and excessive use of a drug to produce pleasure or escape reality despite its destructive effects† (â€Å"Environmental Health Perspectives,† 2005). Drug addicts believe that drugs are necessary for them to have a feelingRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Opioid Addiction1678 Words   |  7 Pagescurrently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current probl em differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominantRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse Is A Serious Problem1547 Words   |  7 PagesLandgrebe Advanced Composition/4 21 December 2014 Research Paper Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem in today’s society. Prescription drug abuse is taking medicine prescribed for someone else, for another purpose, a larger dose than prescribed, in a different way than one is specifically prescribed. (â€Å"Prescription Medline† par. 1). This includes using a prescription to get high by crushing, snorting, or injecting them (â€Å"Prescription Medline† par. 4 and 5). By using these methods to put them into

Why We Should Put Prayer - 871 Words

Why we should put Prayer in Schools America is land based on freedoms; one of those is freedom of religion. However, in today’s school system that freedom is not allowed, because prayer is banned from schools. This is an injustice to American people who prefer to patriciate in prayer before a decision is made, tests are taken, games are played, or any other major event that warrants prayer. Though prayer should not be mandatory it should be available to those who wish to pray. Since 1963 the government has taken religion out of schools, this includes prayer. â€Å"On June 25, 1962, the United States Supreme Court decided in Engel v. Vitale that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment because it represented establishment of religion. In 1963, in Abington School District v. Schempp, the court decided against Bible readings in public schools along the same lines.† (Starr, Education Expert: Removing Bible, Prayer from Public Schools Has Caused Decline) Since government involvement in taking prayer out of schools, it has caused those who actively participate in it to lose their jobs, a decrease of behavior and academia. â€Å"Since 1963, Jeynes said there have been five negative developments in the nation’s public schools: †¢ Academic achievement has plummeted, including SAT scores. †¢ Increased rate of out-of-wedlock births †¢ Increase in illegal drug use †¢ Increase in juvenile crime †¢ Deterioration of school behavior† (Starr,Show MoreRelatedThe Prayer Should Be Allowed At Public Universities, Organized Team Prayer Before And After Game? Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesI am writing to you in response to your article that stated â€Å"at public universities, organized team prayer before and after game violates the separation of church and state and should not be allowed, although private and devotionals are permissible.† I think it is important to go back to the history of the law and how it relates to today’s society before we distinguish whether or not prayer should be allowed in sport. Before the 1980’s athletes rarely ever discussed their beliefs or prayed duringRead More Prayer At Sporting Events Essay535 Words   |  3 Pages Prayer in Sporting Events nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Government is too preoccupied with pleasing a select few by removing prayer from sporting events than they are with running the country. This is a problem that can be fixed and should be. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The reason for student led prayers at sporting events is for a God they believe in to grant the safety of the players on the field and the fans going home. After all, Christians are in the majority. It’s a thirty secondRead MorePraying from the Heart Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesPrayers are not recipes or formulae, they are love poems. They need not be factual, but they must be true. I originally came across ‘Beginner’s Grace’ while working as a chaplain intern at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City. I had found myself at a loss as to how to best pray with my Christian patients. It was a confusing experience for me, as I’d considered myself to be very comfortable with the prayer practices of my own Buddhist tradition. Consequently, I began to search for resources thatRead MorePersuasive Speech On Pray In Schools1066 Words   |  5 Pageshave a choice in your religion? Should praying be in Schools? The 1st Amendment states, â€Å"Prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.† If we have freedom of speech then why can’t we chose to pray where we want. II. Specific PurposeRead MoreSeven Keys And Effective Prayer1014 Words   |  5 Pagesto Effective Prayer By Ada Porat | Submitted On August 04, 2006 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook 2 Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Ada Porat If prayer is so powerful, then why does it seem like the more we pray, the worseRead MoreJesus Creed Response Paper1013 Words   |  5 Pagesthey had failed to grasp the message that God had called them to partake in His redemptive mission. Just as the Israelites got tangled up with the letter of the Law and missed their calling, are we as the Church today also failing to answer the same call? I believe it’s far too easy to make a case that we are, especially in America. Jesus redefines what it means to love God, instead of showing love to God by observing the Torah, Jesus calls people to follow Him, and in doing so He equates lovingRead MorePros and Cons of Teaching Creationism in School1197 Words   |  5 PagesFor this research paper I am going to discuss the pros and the cons about Creationism in school and why I feel that it should be left out of the public school system. Even though I am writing about both sides of the issue, I feel, for most part, that religion sho uld be kept out of schools. I will present both sides of my topic and make a stand on why I feel that religion does not belong in public schools. Some of the pros of Creationism are that students have to think beyond the box. CreationismRead MorePrayer and Fasting: Traditions That Cross the Barriar of Religions1441 Words   |  6 Pagesfaith, canonical prayer, charity, observance of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Christianity is founded on Jesus Christ and the faith of the apostles, but both have teachings on prayer, and fasting. These two religions are very distinct and sacred in their own practice, but virtues are universal and not restricted to any particular religion. Prayer is important for all religions. It is one of the few things which all of the religions of the world have in common. Though prayer is a common factorRead MoreThe Inner Life Of The Christian Leader1361 Words   |  6 PagesTHE INNER LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN LEADER Introduction We serve an awesome God. For those of us studying ministry however we quickly learn that there is more to Christian leadership than just loving God with all of our heart, mind and strength. It also requires a lot of discipline, hard work and perseverance. Unfortunately, we must learn that being called into Christian leadership does not promise us a trouble free life. One only has to turn on the television to see Satan’s attack on the churchRead MoreReligious Speech And Symbolism Should Be Permissible On Public Property1236 Words   |  5 Pagesone who created us, the one who sustains us and the one who allowed us to wake up each day. They are fighting against our first Amendment Law. Many claim that by praying, we are forcing religion on students, but that’s not the case. Many parents that are religious will never understand why our kids are not participating in prayer activities in our public schools. Let’s stop overlooking our First Amendment Law as individuals. The First Amendment Law clearly states that â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting

Summary and Reflection Free Essays

The article contains a piece of history because in a way, it talks about how the Cold War started based on the point of view of an editor named Charles L. Mee. As can be readily ascertained from the title, the author is merely presenting his educated opinion pertaining to the contribution of different countries like the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries , their hidden conflict, how they acted and reacted, and how they each played their role in the beginning and ending of the Cold War. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary and Reflection or any similar topic only for you Order Now The author also discussed some of the so-called behind -the-scenes strategies that came into play which involved famous political figures, and he is leaning to the possibility that what these authorities did may have mitigated or aggravated the circumstances that further ignited the beginning of the Cold War (Mee, 2009). The author opens the article by painting a picture of two scenarios: The first one focuses on how President Truman expressed his uncensored sentiments about the Russians to Foreign Minister Molotov who only arrived to pay his respects to the remains of President Roosevelt, and the second one talks about how Winston Churchill kept thousand of captured German troops and prepare them against Russia (Mee, 2009). In both of these pictures, the author is trying to illustrate sarcastically that the behavior of these people was a sure fire way to start a conflict. It is not unknown to many that the Cold War began after the World War II. Sensitivity should be exercised at all cost during these trying times when talking about matter relevant to national security and diplomatic relations and the author is trying to say that these political figures showed the exact opposite of being sensitive. The author goes on to discuss how the different countries picked the strategy that would work best for their country economic- and military- wise, and they also picked on the countries which they would deem as allies. The Cold War resulted in a battle between the strongest of countries, the east against the west. This view of the author is strengthen when he mentions that the Big Three does not care about what happens to other countries as long as they did their part right and make sure that they can have everything going in their direction. He further extends his argument when he said that these contenders were just using the weak ones as pawns because during these times, the power is up for grabs and they need all the help they can get. The Big Three that the author is referring to are Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill (Mee, 2009). How to cite Summary and Reflection, Papers

Discoveries of Scientists of the Age of Reason Essay Example For Students

Discoveries of Scientists of the Age of Reason Essay Discoveries of Scientists of the Age of ReasonThe discoveries of many scientist and great thinkers of the Age ofReason have all contributed to the entire scope of how we view astronomytoday. The shift was of a less secular thesis to one based on humanism andthe Scientific Method. There were several great thinkers that led to thisdiscovery on the scientific level, which chiefly began and ended with theastronomers/scientists Copernicus and Isaac Newton. Copernicus was a mathematician as well as a scientist whom found thestars fascinating. He did, however, find a great flaw with themathematical results of the universe being a Earth- centered one. He thensaw that if the universe was to revolve around the sun (an error onCopernicuss part only our solar system revolves around the Earth notthe universe!) then all of his mathematical formulas would become moreaesthetic. Thus, he composed the theory, which led to great controversialbook On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres in which the church wasgreatly angered. While Copernicuss book was not a revolutionary book, itwas, however, a catalyst to make other minds ponder the new Heliocentrictheory. After Copernicuss death there were three other scientists whichhelped credit the Heliocentric theory. Tycho Brahe was the first, heplayed with the idea that the planets all revolved around the sun, but thesun instead revolved around the Earth(still Geocentric). After Brahesdeath Johannes Kepler took the notes and data that Brahe had taken. Keplercame up with the idea the it would be even more mathematically plausiblethat the orbits of the planets around the sun (Heliocentric) wereelliptical, instead of circular and published the book On the motion ofMars the problem was unfortunately that this could not be proved. Themost important of these three scientists was Galileo Galilei, whom lookedout his telescope one night and saw something very dangerous to the church. He saw the Jupiter had a moon which orbited it. This meant big troublebecause it proved that everything did not revolve around the Earth contradicting the church. Galileo was attacked and pressured to deny thisevidence the rest of his life. The final great thinker of the time was Isaac Newton, whom ended upsolving all the problems of the astronomers previously. Newton (Thanks toan apple falling on his head just kidding!) developed the theory ofGravity and several laws of science and Physics which now serve as thebasis of all we study today. Newton theories intelligently explained theideas and why the planets in our solar system revolve around the sun, andalso why there were elliptical orbits. The great achievements of the scientists whom disproved the Geocentrictheory of the universe, contradicting the churchs strong scholastism, aveproved to be one of the greatest examples of courage and truly usingscientific method. The entire structure of our humanism and therelationship with the universe changed forever. Hopefully now that we knowour place in the universe, we can work on fixing some of the problems backhere on Earth!

Balancing Creativity and Discipline free essay sample

One issue, or strength, that I identified in my analysis of â€Å"Inside Microsoft: Balancing Creativity and Discipline† was Microsoft’s ability to recognize that it needed outside help. The company recognized that it needed outside help with operational discipline to control their freewheeling business environment. The company knew that the person to be hired needed a strong background in standardized business practices, so Microsoft hired Robert J. Herbold from Procter Gamble to take the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer. Microsoft, the world’s leader in computer software, was also able to recognize the need to go to outside vendors for packaged software for the new financial reporting system and the new purchasing order systems (MSMarket and MSInvoice) that the company implemented (thanks to Herbold). Microsoft found another company that had the best software for their current need and customized where needed. No need to reinvent the wheel, right? Another issue, or strength, that I identified in my analysis involves the new systems put in place. We will write a custom essay sample on Balancing Creativity and Discipline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These systems gave managers instant access to a variety of data. Within seconds, management could see up-to-date information for any geographical or business unit. They were able to look at the strengths and weaknesses in financials, operations, personnel, purchasing, etc. Having instant access to data helped keep Microsoft a world profit leader, allowing it to continue its world leading research and development programs, which in turn fueled growth. â€Å"Turn on a dime† flexibility, which is mentioned as one of Microsoft’s hallmarks, is only as good as the company’s vision for direction. I would recommend that Microsoft continue on the course they are down. Herbold brought innovation in management to the company, like the company brought innovation to the market through software. Microsoft has continued to bring new products to the market and it will be challenged to do the same internally, because that is what market leaders do.

How to Use the French Preposition Entre

How to Use the French Preposition Entre The French preposition entre means between, both literally and figuratively, or among and is used in many expressions.  Learn how to say briefly, tipsy, at dusk, and more with some  of the expressions  below using entre. Be careful not to confuse the preposition  entre  with the verb  entrer,  which means to enter; the two words  are unrelated.   Common Uses of Entre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mettez une espace entre ces mots.Put a space between these words.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cela devrait à ªtre entre parenthà ¨ses.That should be in parentheses.   Ã‚  entre deux portesbriefly   Ã‚  Ã‚  entre chien et loupat twilight/dusk   Ã‚  Ã‚  Entre toi et moi..., Entre nous...Between you and me..., Between us...   Ã‚  Le livre est entre ses mains.The book is in his hands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Entre le 2 et le 5 mai...Between 2nd and 5th of May...   Ã‚  La và ©rità © est entre les deux. (saying)The truth is somewhere in between.   Ã‚  sentendre entre euxto have a mutual understanding/agreement   Ã‚  Ãƒ ªtre entre deux vinsto be tipsy When Entre  means among   Ã‚  Ãƒ ªtre entre nousto be among friends, between us  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Jai trouvà © une jolie bague entre le bricbrac.I found a pretty ring among the bric-a-brac.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mes à ©tudiants, entre autres, vont...My students, among others, are going...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Beaucoup dentre vous...Many among you...   Ã‚  Les loups ne se mangent pas entre eux.There is honor among thieves.

Some commentators have argued that the credit crunch has resulted in a Essay

Some commentators have argued that the credit crunch has resulted in a shortage of funds being made available to small firms - Essay Example It entails changing ones course towards new things that are considered more creative in generating ones desires. Growth of medium and small businesses encompasses an increment from a low level of business to an advanced level, covering operations over a large scope. There is a wide variety of business forms depending on their size, management, as well as proprietorship; and ranging from public corporations, private companies to the smallest businesses that are singly owned. The operations of each form of a corporation may take several courses where some come together to operate as a group, while others remain singly operated (Smallbone, 2008). For successful enterprises operations, valuers and policy makers or even the proprietors always find it necessary to value companies according to the prevailing operations. Valuation is crucial for it assists the concerned parties in making appropriate decisions as well as laying the corporations on a scale, a factor that helps predict the futu re direction of the companies. More so, different techniques and approaches are employed in the companies’ valuations, which are carried out depending on the form of the company at hand. Private company valuations are thus deemed very important in the day-to-day running of the corporations. There is a need for employment of different techniques in the valuation processes to enhance a comprehensive cover, since each technique yields distinct Results. This paper is aimed at investigating into the valuation of private companies and several valuation techniques in details. Additionally, it will be crucial to establish the advantages and disadvantages of the several methods herein discussed as well as the other alternative methods that could as well be used in the valuation processes in regard to private companies (Bridge, et al., 2003). Valuation of private companies Company valuation is a process that entails the utilization of a sequence of procedures in estimating its value. T his process is mainly carried out by valuators, who come up with a comprehensive report concerning the company’s assets and liabilities. Financial participants in the market mainly use the valuation as a basis for price discussions when the company is on sale. Earlier research has not established a professional method or approach that provides an actual value of a particular company, but numerous approaches and techniques are considered important in determining the value of a company. The current available used techniques only provide an estimate of what the company is worth. Various factors are always considered when valuing a company depending on whether the company is privately owned or publicly owned. Valuation processes are carried out with a lot of caution, considering the company’s assets quality, the nature of its liabilities as well as the intangible assets. It is beneficial to value a company’s assets since it helps the investors in making sound decisi ons concerning their company. Additionally, it is often important in giving prospective buyers some confidence due to the full awareness of the

IP 5 - Macro Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IP 5 - Macro - Term Paper Example The feasibility of any policy is essential, as it will determine the number of adjustments to be put in place to ensure maximum benefit. The World Bank applies policies based on sustainability. The advice given to new industrialized countries are based on economic growth and utilizing on the local potential. In Singapore, the balance is found between the social and economic spaces. The government polices are aimed at maintaining the balance between growth and social priorities. The steady economic growth measured based on GDP indicate the positive local models and the World Bank aims at ensuring financial and consultative aid is provided the country boast of economic stability (Page, 1994). However the local population required a sustainable model that balance between economic growth and social require are met. Social demands in this case imply the educational system and the healthcare provision. The country has been advised to focus on the educational system. The current curriculum should focus on productivity and evaluated based on quality rather than accessibility. In this case investment opportunities are introduced in the learning institution. The model is aimed at securing the future of investments and ensures continuous growth across the nation. Through education the country is a ble to plan for the future having secured the employment demand. The current educational system focuses on innovation and independent investments (Page, 1994). The educational system ensures continuous supply of labor while at the same time creating room for entrepreneurs. In Hong Kong, the focus is on the social policy is utilized to create a balance between the market demand and supply of labor. The aim is to empower local population hence reducing the rate of employment. High wages are to be triggered by the supply of skilled labor to the market. This implies increasing the local population purchasing

Critic of A Family Finds Entertainment by Ryan Trecartin Essay

Critic of A Family Finds Entertainment by Ryan Trecartin - Essay Example The genius of the film is not in the plot. The story is generally reflective of a teenager’s life in a highly urbanized environment whose sense of self is driven by consumerism and mass media. It is about a suicidal teenage character named Skippy whose gender is quite difficult to define but easily recognized to be Trecatin (being such, Skippy will be addressed as a boy) being clod in an outlandish costume who started in the film hidden in the second floor bathroom of their home. Skippy was asked and pleaded to come out by family and friends but instead of coming out, indulged in a surreal self assessment in the character of Kafka that drove him to cut himself. The irony was presented with the partying and singing downstairs while Skippy is in a self-mortification mood ready to cut himself/herself up. Strangely, a seashell told him to stop and stop he did. He left home and met a filmmaker but later hit by a car. A band played in electric frenzy followed by fireworks and festiv ity. The idea of the movie was not to conform but rather to challenge which is the genius of the film. ... recatin playing a role of female makes a statement that narration should be gender neutral and characterization should depend on the personality of the characters. This explains the over emphasized dialogues of the characters with Trecatin playing as Skippy and another female character. The construction of the character is not based on physiology but rather on the articulation of its mind. The way it investigate the circumstances and progression of the life of Skippy demonstrates that narration and story-telling can be done in non linear and even unrealistic way. The speech also does not have to taken literally just like Skippy’s seeming existentialist articulation when he was contemplating of suicide. There, it requires the consideration of not just the dialogue of the character but also the accompanying juxtaposition of the character’s body and its facial expression to finally get what the character is saying. This explains why the characters are outlandish because th ey complement the seemingly curt verbiages to complete a full dialogue. To illustrate, one can feel the gravity of the proposition that confounds Skippy when he was attempting to kill himself. Yet, the narration was only a serious of short talk, with series of impressions that were cut short by editing, but we are able to get it when we factored in the facial expression, the altered speech, the unorthodox lingo and body language of Skippy. The message that was delivered by shell or snail for Skippy not to take his life seems Kafkaesque in surrealism, but we get the message clear. Taking the whole context and narration of the film, Trecatin only illustrates that there are other ways of investigating certain phenomena whose story-telling is more contemporary albeit absurd in its presentation but the

Chemical Hazards In The Working Environment Environmental Sciences Essay

Chemical Hazards In The Working Environment Environmental Sciences Essay Chemical Engineering is defined as the branch of engineering which is involved in the application of physical science and mathematics to processing and converting raw materials and chemicals into more useful forms. The outputs and methods of these processes are not always safe and chemical hazards need to be overcome to make the working environment a satisfactorily hospitable for everyone that the process affects. This includes the general public and the environment as well as the workers involved. Chemical Engineers need to ensure that the safety measures which they devise regarding certain processes are adequate enough not to pose hazards and to meet the regulations of the law. This term paper will outline some of the hazards which Chemical Engineers and other workers in the industry need to neutralise to ensure that the working environment is safe for those involved. A hazard is defined as anything which could result in an accident. Such hazards include those caused by the release of noxious chemicals which can prove damaging to the health of people and the environment. Chemical hazards can be especially dangerous due to the toxic nature of the substances used in the industry. Plant Safety The health and safety of plant workers is a major concern to the chemical industry. Accidents which result in loss of life or injuries are especially damaging due to the high costs they inflict. Costs in retraining personnel, repairing equipment damaged in have huge costs, as well as the interruption in business that ensues after an accident. The trends have shown that over the years fatalities have decreased but property costs have increased. This trend is due to the increased automated systems used in plants. These systems have increased complexity and productivity to older designs. In earlier designs the workers were more exposed to the chemical processes taking place in the plant, and were in turn exposed to more hazards. This however poses another problem because if workers are more isolated from a process, even if this greatly reduces health and safety hazards then if a malfunction occurs in the plant it is much more difficult to have experienced personnel available to fix a process problem. Due to this action compensation must be made in the case of higher property costs as opposed to loss of life and injury to workers. As of the early 1990s, annual worker fatalities ran about 9 per 100,000 employees; annual lost time disabling injuries ran about 4,000 per 100,000 employees. Property Losses increased fourfold from the 1970s. Safety assessments are now undergone on chemical plants to ensure that they adhere to safety levels proposed by regulation standards. Quantification of hazards such as overpressure potential and flammability were done by measurements of vapour pressure and of flash points and flammability limits. The process designers need to make use of data that gives information pertaining to the hazards of a process such as information of reaction rates and the energies involved in exothermic reactions in which heat is given out, that of unstable chemicals, of temperature limits in which explosive decomposition can occur, rates of generation of gas and vapour and emergency fail-safes such as pressure releases for high pressure systems. Citing Wikipedia, Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a failure analysis in which an undesired state of a system is analyzed using Boolean logic to combine a series of lower-level events. This is used to quantitatively combine the characteristics of human and component failure rates to obtain a safety assessment for that process. Many changes arose in the 1980s and 1990s regarding safety requirements in the petrochemical and chemical industry. These were presented by industrial groups such as Chemical Manufacturers Association as and the American Petroleum Institute as consensus guidelines. The objective of these changes was to make sure that all members of these industries were designed, maintained and controlled in the safest way that would be economically viable. Kirk Othmer (1991-1998). Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment Hazards associated with in facilities can be in the order of hundreds or thousands if the facility is large enough. These hazards occur as a result of factors such as the type of physical materials being used, the processes that are designed to make a product, the operating conditions and the design of a plant to name but a few. If hazards arent controlled a sequence of events can occur which will result in an accident. A hazard can result in an accident which is an unplanned sequence of events which can result in the loss of life, damage to the environment, damage to products and inventory and damage to equipment. Risk involves probability and consequence of something undesirable occurring. It is impossible to completely define a risk without taking both of these components into consideration. For example a hazard could involve a large consequence but also could have a very low probability of causing an accident or vice versa. In both these cases it would be classed as a moderate risk. The purpose of hazard analysis and risk assessment is therefore to characterise hazards, determine the probability of them occurring and then to consider and evaluate the consequences if an accident did occur. This procedure can be summed up by this flow chart in Figure 1. Flow chart describing the full hazard analysis and risk assessment procedure Fig. 1 Kirk Othmer (1991-1998) Flow Chart Explanation A committee is required to perform hazard analysis and risk assessment. Each member of the committee must have adequate experience to the chemical process that is being considered. The first step is to consider a detailed account of the process which describes it completely. This has to include the physical properties of the materials being used, instrument diagrams of processes, operating temperatures and pressures, materials for the construction of the equipment being used and any other detailed design specifications. The more detailed and updated this is, the more effective the analysis will be. The next step involves identifying the hazards involved in the process. This is done by a certain number of established procedures. In this step it is not uncommon to find hundreds of hazards for complex processes. The next step involves identifying all the scenarios which could result in the loss of control of the system, therefore resulting in an accident. This can be seen to be the most difficult step in the analysis. Most accidents occur due to improper accident scenario characterisation. Many complex chemical processes can have hundreds of different accident scenarios for each hazard but the most important part of this analysis is to pick the scenarios which are most dire but at the same time credible. Risk assessment is the next part of the procedure. This involves determining accident probability and the consequences involved. This procedure is performed for all the accident scenarios that were identified in the last step. Statistical models used to represent failures are the method preferred for determining the probability of each accident. Source models are used to provide information about how material would be ejected from equipment, along with dispersion and explosion models, a good estimate can be made to the cost of the damage to the affected areas. Thus the consequence is now determined. The final part of this procedure is to decide whether the risks involved are acceptable. If they are not then changes must be made and the process must be restarted to ensure that they are subsequently neutralised. If the risk is an acceptable one then the process can go ahead and be implemented. Hazard analysis or risk assessment can be undergone at any time during the course of a process life. It is however, must more cost effective to perform this procedure at the initial stages where changes would be less costly to implement. Process Safety Management Several incidents which occurred in the late twentieth century indicated that there needed a significant improvement in the management of process hazards. There are three incidents that have produced the greatest legislative response. These incidents are as follows The Flixborough disaster, U.K. 1st June 1974 in which a temporary bypass pipe ruptured causing 40 tonnes of cyclohexane to form a vapour cloud 100-200 metres in diameter. The cloud came in contact with an ignition source and exploded causing 1,800 buildings within a mile radius of the site were damaged. 28 dead. 89 serious injuries. Wikipedia, Flixborough Disaster (2010) The Bhopal disaster, India. 3rd December 1984 in which a runaway reaction caused by water entering tank 610 containing 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate vented to the surrounding areas forming a toxic cloud. ca. 3,000 dead. ca. 200,000 serious injuries. Wikipedia, Bhopal Disaster (2010) Polyethylene Plant Explosion, Pasadena, Texas. 23rd October 1989 in which a valve failure caused a large amount of flammable gas to be released which subsequently exploded. 23 dead. 130-300 serious injury. (www.cholarisk.com//Philips%20PE%20Pasadona%20Explosion.ppt). Standards and guidelines have been developed to ensure that these types of accidents do not occur again by improving management of process safety. The Health and Safety at Work Act developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was devised following the Flixborough disaster this meant that the HSE would require that the type or quantity of chemical used or produced was to be registered and also the HSE submitted recommendations for maintenance functions plant design and methods for evaluating process hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Act devised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which was enacted in 1970 established standards for occupational hazards such as toxicity, equipment guarding and protection against falling, noise and electrical shock. The New Jersey Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act was developed after the Bhopal disaster and several other incidents such as that of Institute, West Virginia in 1985 and several chemical release incidents in New Jersey in 1986. This required for each of the 109 materials listed in regulations to be registered based on attainment of a material that can cause acute toxicity at a distance of 100m from a source of 1 hour release. Kirk Othmer (1991-1998). Safety and Hazard symbols A hazard symbol is defined as a recognised symbol that is designed to warn about dangerous locations or materials. NFPA 704- National Fire Protection Association NFPA 704 or the fire diamond is a standard maintained by the National Fire Protection Agency in the US. This standard is used by emergency personnel to easily and quickly identify the types of nearby hazards and to help determine what sort of equipment, precautions or procedures would need to be adhered to following an emergency response. There are symbols attached to the fire diamond which each signify a particular type of hazard. They are colour coded. Red signifies a flammability hazard, blue signifies a health hazard, yellow signifies an instability or reactivity hazard and white signifies a specific hazard such as a material that reacts unusually with water such as sodium or certain alkali metals, a specific hazard can be anything from a biological hazard to a corrosive hazard. Each of these hazards is ranked according to the level of risk they pose to personnel. It is ranked with 5 gradations, 4 being the highest and 0 being the lowest; this would pose no hazard at all. For each of the different types of hazards this high level of risk has a different definition. For a flammability hazard of 4 this would mean that the material has a flash point below that of room temperature and will burn readily at regular pressures and temperatures. Propane is an example of such a hazardous substance. For a health hazard of 4 this would signify that if one were exposed to the material for a short amount of time that it could cause death. An example of this would be hydrogen cyanide or phosphine. For an instability or reactivity hazard of 4 this would signify a substance that would be readily capable of detonation or decomposition at normal temperatures and pressure, such an example of this would be nitroglycerine. On the other end of the scale, a flammability hazard of 0 would be a substance that would not burn under any conditions such as water. A health hazard of 0 would be a substance that would pose no health hazard at all such as that of lanolin ointment. An instability/reactivity hazard of 0 would be a substance that is normally stable, even if it is exposed to fire, such as helium or any inert gas. These are some examples of the fire diamonds for various substances nfpa_diamond.png fire diamond for ethanol.jpg caffeine fire diamond.jpg Fig 2.1 Nitroglycerine Fig 2.2 Ethanol Fig 2.3. Caffeine Another method by which hazards can be averted is by specifying the types of precautions needed in handling potentially dangerous chemicals. The Hazardous Materials Identification Guide (HMIG) and Hazardous Materials Information System (HMIS) use a different system which signifies what type of protective equipment is needed when handling a certain chemical. This method is similar to the NFPA 704 (fire diamond). The differences lie in the white bar. In this system the white bar holds letters corresponding to different types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which are needed. The letters used are A-K and X and mean the same for both the HMIG and HMIS. They are also augmented with pictures of what icons are pictures showing the types of PPE that would be needed. HMIG.gif Fig 2.4 (HMIG) Safety Glasses Safety Glasses, Gloves Safety Glasses, Gloves, Apron Face Shield, Gloves, Apron Safety Glasses, Gloves, Dust Respirator Safety Glasses, Gloves, Apron, Dust Respirator Safety Glasses, Gloves, Vapour Respirator Splash Goggles, Gloves, Apron Vapour Respirator Safety Glasses, Gloves, Dust and Vapour Respirator Splash Goggles, Gloves, Apron, Dust and Vapour Respirator Air Line Hood or Mask, Gloves, Full suit, Boots X- Ask Supervisor or Safety Specialist for handling instructions Hazardous Materials Regulations In an operation where chemicals are manufactured and distributed the role of packaging these chemicals safely is an important priority to the chemical industry. Careful consideration must be made to ensure that the packaging used provides adequate containment of any hazards that may be held in the packaging so as to ensure that it can be transported safely from the place of manufacture to where it is being used. Not only that, but the product must be packaged as to contain the product adequately to ensure that it does not become contaminated by the surroundings, to provide vital information about product identity, handling information and any potential hazards to shippers and users. Due to environmental concerns packaging practises have undergone scrutiny by governments, regulatory agencies, consumer groups and environmentalists. It is becoming increasingly important that packaging is produced in a reasonable manner, is recycled when economically feasible and permitted by regulation, and is used in an efficient manner so as to ensure no wastage occurs where possible and to minimise usage of materials. Most products can be stored and transported by most means of packaging; the choice of the type of packaging is taken usually by the manufacturer for economic or marketing reasons. For a chemical however the choice of packaging is mainly dictated by safety priorities and chemical compatibility factors. In this case, for physical distribution the cost of the packaging can be comparable to the manufacturing costs of the product and this in turn will have a knock-on effect for the cost of the product for the consumer. Regulations regarding how a chemical product is packaged and shipped depend on whether the chemical is classified as hazardous or nonhazardous. Nonhazardous chemical substances are shipped and packaged subject to the rules of the carrier. The most common rules are those published in National Motor Freight Classification for trucks and Uniform Freight Classification for railroads. If items are not packaged according to the classification requirements then the carriers have a right to collect a surcharge and refuse paying handling or damage claims on such items. The regulations controlling packaging for hazardous materials are different. The primary document The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) devised in the Code of Federal Regulations was changed in order to bring it to par with international rules and to enhance safety through better classification and packaging. The primary change was to replace specific containers with performance oriented packaging. This means that as long a s a packaging system passes test requirements it can be used. Certification of a package is now the responsibility of the shipper. Tests on packaging must be approved by a test laboratory and in turn this laboratory must be approved by the Department of Transport (DOT). Hazardous materials are regulated according to how they are classified. The HMR provides a table classifying the types of hazardous materials. There are 9 classes some with subdivisions. HMR Classification Class Subdivision Explosives 1.1 Mass Explosion Hazard 1.2 Projection Hazard; no mass explosion hazard 1.3 Fire hazard and minor projection or blast 1.4 No significant blast hazard 1.5 Very insensitive mass explosion hazard 1.6 Extremely insensitive detonating substances Compressed Gases 2.1 Flammable Gas 2.2 Non-flammable Gas 2.3 Poison Gas Flammable Liquids Flammable Solids 4.1 Flammable Solid 4.2 Spontaneously Combustible 4.3 Dangerous When Wet Oxidising Substances and Organic Peroxides 5.1 Oxidizer 5.2 Organic Peroxide Poisonous and infectious Substances 6.1 Poisonous Substances 6.2 Infectious Substances Radioactive Materials Corrosives Miscellaneous dangerous Substances Fig 3. Kirk Othmer (1991-1998) Packaging requirements for hazardous materials are determined by finding them listed in Hazardous Materials table of 49 CFR, section 172. From this the hazard class, packaging group, identification number, label requirements, packaging authorisations and special provisions can be ascertained from this. All types of designed packaging must be tested before approval. If approved, it must be marked with the UN packaging marking which specify any details pertaining to the packaged material such as the type of material, relative density of the material and maximum gross weight for which the packaging has been tested, the packaging group for which the package has been approved, whether the material is solid or under pressure, the state or country of origin, the year of manufacture and the testing facility. When the package is ready for shipment it must be labelled with the identification number and shipping name in the top left corner, the hazardous materials label in the centre of the pan el, and the package marking in the bottom left corner. Shipping documents must also show the hazardous materials identification, the hazard class and an emergency telephone number. Improper packaging procedures including improper shipping documents, marking or handling can result in civil and/or criminal liabilities against the carrier, shipper or the packaging manufacturer. Hazardous Pollutants The chemical process industry is one of the most highly regulated industries in the world. It is regulated regarding areas of environmental protection, health and safety. Everything is affected by the chemical industry, the siting of a new location for a facility, the transportation of raw materials and finished products, working conditions for employees, packaging of finished materials and interactions with the community. The chemical industry also develops additional regulations alongside the regulatory agencies to ensure the proper protection of the community, the environment and the employees. For example, The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) brought out the Responsible Care Initiative. This initiative, initially started in Canada, is a commitment on behalf of the chemical industry to continuously improve health, safety and environmental standards and to respond to public concerns. The initiative is implemented by 6 codes of management practices which cover Community Awar eness and Emergency Response (CAER), Employee Health and Safety, Distribution, Process Safety, Pollution Prevention and Product Stewardship. More than 35 countries in the world have taken on responsible care and are developing their own means of implementation. Uniformity to environmental standards was attempted by the International Standard Organisation (ISO) by following up the ISO 9000 series of quality standards with the ISO 14000 environmental management standards. For example ISO 14001, Environmental Management Systems, is a statement of environmental policy which includes the commitment to comply with environmental legislation and a commitment to ensure continual improvement; it also ensures that environmental objectives within the plant are identified, management representatives that ensure that the companies plans are implemented and procedures that might detect any noncompliance to such standards by means of periodic environmental management system audits are carried out. Any company wishing to do business in the international market will need ISO 14001 certification. Environmental Protection Water For a long time in the US water pollution control were taken on a basis of water quality standards for bodies of water such as streams, lakes and rivers, receiving bodies of water. There was no effective, national legal authority which limited the discharge of pollutants into bodies of water and was regulated more so on a state-by-state basis. In the late 1960s the US revived the 1899 Refuse Act which prohibited discharging anything into navigable water unless certain permits were obtained. This provided a new control over discharges of materials by industry. Along with this, legislation from the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments (FWPCA) was put forward with an objective to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nations waters. Kirk Othmer (1991-1998). New water quality standards were introduced by means of stream use classification. This gave control to states to decide what they would use their water for. The EPA defined 4 categori es. Class A Primary water contact recreation Class B Propagation of desirable aquatic life Class C Public water supplies prior to treatment and Class D Agricultural and industrial uses After this, water quality criteria were to be developed. This means that for each designated water use there were going to be limits to the allowed concentration of pollutants. Limits of discharged effluent were controlled by means of regulating the unit weight of pollutant discharged per mass of product manufactured, rather than measuring the overall concentration of pollutant in a discharge stream. In this way chemical industries would be unable to dilute chemical pollutants to avoid surpassing concentration limits. Air 2500 years ago lead pollution produced by silver smelters in Rome and Greece were a major cause of concern. Analysis of lake sediments has shown that this lead pollution has spread across the northern hemisphere. Air pollution caused in the modern working environment is usually due to burning of fossil fuels and as early as the 13th century this has been attributed to the burning of coal. The main cause for concern with coal burning was the unpleasant sulfurous odour released and the soot produced but the health effects caused by this has not been made clear until recently. National Ambient Air Quality Standards 6 pollutants that cause major concern have been classed by the EPA under The Clean Air Act 1970. These are Sulfur Oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), lead, particulates i.e. (subdivisions of solid or liquid matter suspended in a gas), and photochemical oxidants (ozone).The EPA developed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to combat levels of air pollution based on the level of highest concentration that would have no adverse effects on the environment or on human health. These standards are expressed by ground level concentrations where the concentrations of pollutants are measured at ground level in measurements of parts per million or micrograms per cubic metre. Solid and hazardous waste Implementation of laws concerning the control of pollution due to solid waste disposal was formulated much slower than for those were for water and air. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1976 (RCRA) was the first act passed where newer substantial controls were authorised. The objective of the RCRA was to conserve public health, the environment and natural resources. It was implemented to ensure that practices regarding the production, storage, transportation and disposal of waste would minimise or completely eradicate the hazard to human health and the environment. The section of the RCRA that caused the most concern to the Chemical Industry was subtitle C. This was the hazardous waste management regulations. The objective of this was to monitor and regulate hazardous waste from the time of production to its disposal. Facilities which would work in the transportation, storage, treatment or generation of hazardous waste are covered by these regulations. The definition of a s olid waste to the RCRA covers a broad category of substances including solids, semisolids or liquids or any contained gaseous materials. A hazardous waste is a substance that must be either listed by the EPA or have a hazardous characteristic Kirk Othmer (1991-1998). Certain types of solid wastes are excluded from the hazardous materials regulations specifically for the large volume by which they are produced or other reasons. These would include household wastes, fossil fuel combustion, exploration wastes and some agricultural and mining wastes. A solid waste is considered hazardous if it is listed in the EPA or has a specific characteristic hazard. There are four characteristics of hazardous wastes: reactivity, corrosivity, ignitability and toxicity. Toxicity refers to how leachable the waste is and the toxicity in the groundwater that would result using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, an analytical method. Some examples of hazards included in TCLP are listed in the ta ble below. Maximum Concentration of Contaminants for Toxicity Characteristic Contaminant Regulatory Level (mg/L) Arsenic 5.0 Benzene 0.5 Silver 5.0 Lead 5.0 Mercury 0.2 Chloroform 6.0 Chromium 5.0 Selenium 1.0 Fig 4. Kirk Othmer (1991-1998) It is the responsibility of the producer of the substance to determine whether it is hazardous. They are required to hold records; label substances correctly, inform transporters and report to the EPA periodically. Groundwater and air quality are monitored for any facility that could potentially produce emissions. Any regulations concerning nonhazardous waste are controlled by the local and state authorities. Due to increased pressure on landfill sites these regulations are getting more stringent for nonhazardous solid waste. Better management of nonhazardous waste is encouraged through recycling, reduction and reuse. Industrial Hygiene Industrial hygiene is a profession devoted to anticipating, evaluating and recognising any environmental factors or stresses arising in the workplace which could cause impaired health and wellbeing, sickness, inefficiency and significant discomfort between workers and those of the local community. In the U.S., industrial hygienists are usually members of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) or other groups such as the American Academy of Industrial Hygiene (AAIH). Industrial Hygienists work with other professions concerning health in the workplace such as safety engineers and occupational health nursing. All these groups work in implementing the laws regarding the regulation of health and safety in the workplace. The principal laws are the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in the U.S. but similar laws are put into place all over the world which are proposed by International Organisations such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Health Or ganisation (WHO). Hazards arising from the workplace which industrial hygienists are interested in would include the following categories. Chemical Carcinogens, Reproductive Hazards, Acute Poisons, Irritants, Corrosives, Neurotoxins Ergonomic Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Back injury, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Human-Machine interaction Physical Noise, Cold, Heat, Ionising Radiation, Extremely Low Frequency Radiation (ELF), Ultraviolet Radiation, Laser Radiation, Infra Red Radiation Industrial Hygienists must be able to detect what potential hazards might result from workplace materials, to evaluate hazards and determine how much risk is posed by it, and to recognise hazards as they occur. The best and cheapest way to approach workplace hazards is to anticipate them and if possible to completely prevent them from happening. When a new chemical process is conceived an industrial hygienist must check the toxicology of the substance produced, either by animal testing or by human epidemiology. Some substances are self limiting, others are potent and carcinogenic but most chemicals lie somewhere in between. Wherever possible it is encouraged to abstain from using potentially dangerous chemicals. Also potentially damaging physical hazards which arise from certain processes such as excessive heat, noise or pressures must also be anticipated and avoided where possible. Usually industrial hygienists are capable in devising methods of using hazardous chemical substances safely. To recognise potential hazards industrial hygienists must have an extensive knowledge of the kind of hazards that may occur in types of industry. Recognising hazards is done by looking for sources of harmful chemical or physical agents that would cause damage if exposed to workers. Fugitive emissions are an example of an industrial hazard, and occur when there is a break in the barrier which provides containment for the chemical process. The main source of loss can be attributed to seal and flange leaks where material could escape. Even though the emissions can be incredibly small so that they are undetectable by a material balance, they can however build up in the work area which could lead to overexposure to harmful chemicals. Valve stem leaks are one example. These can worsen over time if not corrected. Pump seal leaks which are usually quite small can become large if there is total seal fail

Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe :: Medical Chemistry Chemical Papers

Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe The temporal lobe has several functions. Among these functions are auditory, memory, and emotional tone to sensory input. In these ways temporal lobes allow us to not only hear, but to comprehend what we hear and put it in to the proper context to effectively remember. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) Because of the functions of the temporal lobe, someone who suffers from damage to this area due to either a lesion or tumor can also suffer from a major change in personality. Drastic personality changes are one of the primary reasons it can be difficult to live with a family member who is experiencing temporal damage. One important role a family member of a person who suffers from temporal lobe lesions or tumors plays is helping the person recognize that there is a problem. Recognizing that there is a problem can be achieved through understanding the various symptoms associate with temporal lobe damage. One major area of symptoms deals with the drastic personality changes. The predominate symptom associated with personality changes experienced as a result of temporal damage is an extreme increase in aggression. Other symptoms of personality changes deal primarily with personal behavior, such as a change in sexual behavior, and a major shift in general personality as well as affective behavior. A second major group of symptoms associated with temporal damage is in the area of sensation and perception. These symptoms include different disorders of visual perception, difficulty perceiving auditory stimuli, and difficulty paying attention to visual and auditory stimuli. A final group of temporal lobe damage symptoms includes difficulty with long term memory, as well as problems with language comprehension and organization and categorization of verbal material. (â€Å"The Temporal Lobe,† 2005) Once symptoms have been recognized, a family member can assist in testing for damage. Personality Changes As mentioned above, personality changes, particularly aggressiveness, are a major side effect of damage to the temporal lobes. Aggression can be described as â€Å"a form of behavior characterized by physical or verbal attack.† (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) This aggressiveness can be expressed either externally or internally. In other words, some patients with temporal lobe damage acts out physically towards other people, while some patients aggressiveness is directed at themselves, through harsh and violent thoughts or physically hurting themselves. (Amens, 2005) Family members of those who suffer from temporal lobe damage due to lesions or tumors are primarily affected by the

Frankenstein vs Planet of the Apes

Frankenstein VS Planet of the Apes: A Frightful Showdown Humans as a species like to experiment with the world around them and push the limits of any known law. As a result, the human race is constantly toying with the everlasting puzzle: What is life and how can it be manipulated? Through many realistic fiction stories—such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Rise of the Planet of the Apes—the general public is able to take a look into how far the human mind wants to go.Both stories use technology as a vehicle to enhancing human life and end up with horrible endings. Though these tales share a common theme, they diverge in plot lines by exploring different ways that technology can affect life as usual. By examining these tales one will notice the difference of experiments, consequences, and relationships. The first major difference is the means of experimentation between the two protagonists. In Frankenstein, Victor uses a mysterious â€Å"spark of life† t o bring his creation alive in order to fulfill his own ambitions.In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the protagonist’s motivation for experimenting on life is for the greater good from the get go. By these plots being different, the audience can see how even though scientists can have totally separate ideas and reasoning the end game is usually the same. However, this was not the only difference between the cautionary narratives. The other key thing that made these stories different was the endings. In the film, the experiments wreak havoc on the city just so that they could get to safety.In the novel, the creation causes destruction for the sole purpose of tormenting its creator. The apes reach their destination and though they leave a wake of terror in their path are generally safe and complacent, while the protagonist quietly mourns losing his friend. On the other hand, Victor loses his life in the hunt for the creation and the monster commits suicide leaving no trace of an y the events that took place. These two differences are what make each tale unique. The film and novel have one commonality: they warn humans of the dangers that can be self-inflicted.Each story results in suffering, loss, and destruction caused by the creations. They try and convey the message that manipulating life can be a volatile process and should be handled with the utmost care. Though one lead character lives while the other main character dies, they both reach a point where they realize the power and seriousness of their actions therefore teaching the reader/ viewer. Watching/ reading these interesting narratives can leave a person more cautious of their actions and decisions.Overall, the book and film differed in a variety of ways, ways such as plot line and end results. However the overall theme of the power of technology in human lives remained dominant in both tales. One is a film with wonderful visual effects and the other is an aged book that still retains the vividne ss of its day. They are both striking entertainment and could be interchangeable for instilling a sense of power and responsibly in reckless youth. There were few things that could be tweaked and more informative tales should be made revolving around this universal subject.

French Past Imperative - Impératif passé

French Past Imperative - Impà ©ratif passà © The French past imperative is very rare  because its usage is restricted to a single situation: it gives a command for something that must be done before a certain time.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aie à ©crit ce rapport demain.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have this report written by tomorrow.If you obey the instructions in the above example, when tomorrow comes the report will already be written, so the writing of it will be in the past, ergo, the past imperative. If you use the regular imperative, Écris ce rapport demain, the report wont yet be written when tomorrow rolls around: in accordance with the command, you will be writing it tomorrow. On the other hand, the careful use of a preposition can make all the difference - you could just say Écris ce rapport avant demain and avoid the past imperative altogether - probably another reason that it is so rare.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soyez partis midi.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leave / Be gone by noon.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ayons fini les devoirs 7h00.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lets have our homework done by 7:00.The past imperative is kind of similar in nuance to the past infinitive, except that it indicates a command rather than a statement of fact. Because the past imperative is so rare, theres really no need to learn how to use it, but you should be able to recognize it. How to Conjugate the Past Imperative The past imperative is a  compound conjugation, which means it has two parts: imperative  of the  auxiliary verb  (either  avoir  or  Ãƒ ªtre)past participle  of the main verb Note:  Like all French compound conjugations, the past imperative may be subject to  grammatical  agreement: When the auxiliary verb is  Ãƒ ªtre, the past participle must agree with the subjectWhen the auxiliary verb is  avoir, the past participle may have to agree with its direct object As with the present imperative, the past imperative has conjugations for only three grammatical persons:  tu,  nous, and  vous. Pronoun parler choisir avoir tre (tu) aie parl aie choisi aie eu aie t (nous) ayons parl ayons choisi ayons eu ayons t (vous) ayez parl ayez choisi ayez eu ayez t Pronoun sortir descendre aller venir (tu) sois sorti(e) sois descendu(e) sois all(e) sois venu(e) (nous) soyons sorti(e)s soyons descendu(e)s soyons all(e)s soyons venu(e)s (vous) soyez sorti(e)(s) soyez descendu(e)(s) soyez all(e)(s) soyez venu(e)(s)

14 Classic Gift Ideas for College Graduation

14 Classic Gift Ideas for College Graduation Graduating from college is often one of the most important milestones in someones life. Finding the perfect college graduation gift to match such a momentous occasion, however, can be a bit tricky. These 14 graduation gift ideas are classic, affordable, and practically guaranteed to work for any situation. Classic College Graduate Gifts Diploma frame from the graduates school: whether your graduate is going to run her own company or have a small office in a mega-company somewhere, theyll most likely want to display their diploma proudly for all to see- and for years to come. Many campus bookstores offer diploma frames with college or university logos that will add that extra pop to your graduates official degree.Shadow box: many craft and frame stores offer shadow boxes: a box that has one side made of glass (made to look like a frame) that you can hang on a wall. Create a special one tailored just for your graduate- with mementos, college insignia, and even sports paraphernalia, if appropriate. As a bonus, shadow boxes work well in an office or your graduates new apartment.Digital frame: your graduate undoubtedly has quite a few digital photos from their time in college; a digital frame can quickly turn into a great photo album of sorts that documents their time in school. Dont forget to add a few photos beforehand to get things started! College memorabilia: this can include anything that best fits your graduates personality and interests: a sweatshirt, a workout outfit, a duffel/travel bag, an alumni bumper sticker, a portfolio, or even a clock. Many campus bookstores stock up on these kinds of items around graduation day, so there should be plenty to choose from.Gift for a new apartment: is your new graduate moving out from the residence halls  and into a new place? Consider getting something that will work in a new apartment, like a portable toolkit, a gift certificate to a store like IKEA or Home Depot, or even a traditional item like bread and salt (or other culturally appropriate gifts).A classic book: your graduate spent the last several years reading hundreds of things to earn their degree, but books that help reinforce the basics are always a smart gift idea. Oh, the Places Youll Go! by Dr. Seuss and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein are timeless graduation presents.Your favorite cookbo ok: your graduate may have eaten on-campus food, fast food, and overall-just-not-so-great food over the past several years. Why not buy a new copy of your favorite cookbook to help get them started as they learn to cook for themselves? Or, better yet, pass along your own cookbook, complete with notes you write in, for an even more personal touch. A recipe box or binder full of family recipes: this may take some time to put together, but its definitely worth the extra effort. Put together a recipe box or binder full of your favorite recipes, your family recipes, or even recipes from friends. This personalized collection can help your graduate learn how to cook meals that are familiar and delicious.Things to use in their new city or at graduate school: is your graduate moving to Boston, Washington, D.C. or New York City?  Consider buying them subway fare cards or even a monthly pass. Other locale-specific gifts, like a Zagat book or Thomas Guide, can be incredibly helpful- and appreciated!- as your graduate starts their new life in a new city.Business card holder: your graduate might be working for a non-profit or for corporate America. Either way, theyll probably have business cards theyll want to hand out at conferences, meetings, and other business events. Consider buying a small, nice, classic business card holder- some c an even be personalized- as an inexpensive but highly useful graduation present. Briefcase or a nice bag: While a briefcase is a traditional gift for a law school graduate, it can also be a great gift for any college graduate. Dont worry about needing to buy the nicest, brand-name, all-leather bag you can find, either; messenger bags and other options might work, too, depending on your graduates career field and geographic location.Engraved pen: This is one gift that never goes out of fashion. Many companies offer very nice, classic-looking pens that can also be engraved. (Some college bookstores, too, offer similar pens with tiny college logos somewhere on them.) These pens work well for business- and, of course, your graduates first day of work.Classic piece of jewelry: A pearl necklace, diamond earrings or bracelet, or even a ring with gemstones that match your graduates school colors are practically guaranteed to be a hit. Your graduate will have something to remember their special day with- and a piece of new jewelry to boot!A family memento or heirloom: Col lege graduation day is a big day for both your graduate and their family. Consider gifting something that has been passed along in the family- a piece of jewelry, an old book or diary, a photo album, or a piece of military memorabilia, for example- to mark your graduates transition from dependent student to independent, college-educated adult.

Commercial Analysis and Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Commercial Analysis and Planning - Essay Example When aircrafts were invented, continuous monitoring and hands-on by pilots was mandatory if the flight had to be flown successively (Bruseberg, & Johnson, 4). However, with the advancement it aircraft technology, planes that could facilitate long hours of flight were made. As a result, pilots suffered from fatigue and therefore a mechanism had to be invented to minimize this, autopilot: the first step to cockpit automation. In 1912, a corporation by the name Sperry, became the first to develop aircraft with autopilot feature. It was composed of a gyroscopic heading and attitude indicators which were connected to elevators and rudder that were operated by hydraulics. This enable the plane to follow the compass bearing and fly straight without negotiating corners (Damos, 11). Many were inspired by the invention and in the year 1930, Royal Aircraft Establishment, a corporation of England came up with their own autopilot which was referred to as pilots’ assister. It was built from , pneumatically-spun gyroscope, an advancement from the initial hydraulically operated ones. The development grew with the invention and inclusion of instruments that would allow the plane to be flown during the night. Autopilot has undergone computerization in modern planes. Modern level of autopilot are one-axis, two-axis and three-axis. Complex plane uses the three-axial autopilot. The purpose of autopilot is to control the plane when it takes off, during climbing, the smooth level air flight and during landing respectively (Billings, 23). Finally, current autopilot relies heavily on computers rather than the physical compass that was used by earlier aircrafts. Another phase of cockpit automation is in auto-throttle. In initial aircrafts, the pilot used to manually control the flow of fuel to the engine. However, auto-throttle has replaced this thus reducing pilots’

Analysis on a marketing news story which has appeared in 2013 Essay

Analysis on a marketing news story which has appeared in 2013 - Essay Example The review of the article reveals that the company wants to introduce digital marketing as a means of targeting its customer base in the United States. Analysis P & G, like its other competitors, has been following a combination of traditional and innovative marketing strategy for its products. However, keeping in view the market data and research findings of changing trends in consumers’ lifestyle, the management has decided to adjust its strategies accordingly (Serena & Vranica, 2013). After reading the article, it is inferred that the company is planning to spend more on online marketing activities of its products, owing to the fact that a vast number of Americans are expected to prefer spending more time on the internet rather than watching television. This shift in the consumers’ behaviour has in turn influenced P & G’s marketing experts to focus more on digital marketing concept (Serena & Vranica, 2013). The digital marketing concept, which involves the use of internet and mobile as a marketing channel, has been considered by the company as a replacement of its marketing campaigns on television (Ryan & Jones, 2012; Hoffman & Novak, 1996; Egan, 2007). The fact that digital marketing is cheaper and, with consumers spending more time on the internet, is more targeted, the company has aimed at spending one third of its total budget for marketing on the online advertisement and marketing campaigns in the United States (Serena & Vranica, 2013). The decision to switch from television and other traditional marketing channels to internet and mobile can be viewed as an intelligent one, since the marketing mix for the company can be developed in a more prudent manner (Ryan & Jones, 2012). As for instance, by marketing its products online, the company will be able to target its customers and inform them about products in a much more convincing and effective manner. Moreover, it will be possible for the customers to obtain information as per their respective needs, because the review of literature pertaining to digital marketing suggests that internet is an interactive marketing medium and is considered as a many-to-many model, in comparison with traditional one-to-many marketing channels (Silva & Vassiljev, 2011; Ryan & Jones, 2012). According to Hoffman and Novak (1996), internet as a marketing medium is a proficient means of communicating and advertising a product to target customers. Keeping in view the concept of â€Å"flow† which is defined as a process of optimal flow by Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Hoffman and Novak (1996) state that â€Å"when in flow in a particular Web site, a consumer will be more likely to remember the brand name, feel good about the brand, and be more likely to return on a subsequent occasion.† (p.2) These attributes of internet as a marketing medium have been taken into consideration by P & G’s marketing team, and in this regard the Chief Executive of the company has stated th at, â€Å"digital is incredibly effective, and we're doing more† (Serena & Vranica, 2013). The fact that there are some brands of the company, such as Tide and Pantene (Serena & Vranica, 2013), which have lost their respective market shares, and as a consequence the company has decided to introduce innovative strategies that may lead to capturing a significant market share in the United States. In addition to this, it is also pertinent to mention here that the company’s Chief Executive regards this strategic move of the

Divorce Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Divorce Problem - Essay Example It is known that government regulates almost all aspects of intimate relations instead of paying more attention to increasing costs of welfare. (Nocks et al. 1999) The authors think that covenant marriages are able to make relations stronger and "not just harder to get out of it". As far as marriage may be a prison to a woman, covenant marriage guarantees more freedom and leaves woman a way to escape from it. According to authors the covenant marriage is able to provide marginally stronger promises than common marriage. Furthermore, women will be more financially secure, because according to statistics women suffer more from divorce, especially in terms of finance. (Nocks et al. 1999) Actually, a covenant marriage gives couple more choices. The authors' point of view is that covenant marriages are more stable, longer in duration and significantly healthier. What is more important is that covenant marriages protects from being emotionally, verbally and physically abused. It is concluded that this type of marriage promotes more democracy in traditional patterns of family interactions. (Nocks et al. 1999) Despite the provided advantages it is difficult to agree that covenant marriages are better, because nowadays it is not socially accepted.

Creating the Guiding Coalition Essay Example for Free

Creating the Guiding Coalition Essay Major transformations are often associated with one highly visible individual. Consider Chryslers come back from near bankruptcy in the early 1980s, and we think of Lee Iacocca. Mention Wal-Marts ascension from small-fry to in ­dustry leader and Sam Walton comes to mind. Read about IBMs efforts to renew itself, and the story centers around Lou Gerstner. After a while, one might easily conclude that the kind of leadership that is so critical to any change can come only from a single larger than life person. This is a very dangerous belief. Because major change is so difficult to accomplish, a powerful force is required to sustain the process. No one individual, even a monarch-like CEO, is ever able to develop the right vision, communicate it to large numbers of people, eliminate all the key obstacles, generate short-term wins, lead and manage dozens of change projects, and anchor new approaches deep in the organizations culture. Weak committees are even worse. A strong guiding coalition is always needed-one with the right composition, level of trust, and shared objective. Building such a team is always an essential part of the early stages of any effort to restructure, reengineer, or retool a set of strategies. 1. Going It Alone: The Isolated CEO The food company in this case had an economic track record between 1975 and 1990 that was extraordinary. Then the industry changed, and the firm stumbled badly. The CEO was a remarkable individual. Being 20 percent leader, 40 percent manager, and the rest financial genius, he had guided his company successfully by making shrewd acquisitions and running a tight ship. When his industry changed in the late 1980s, he tried to transform the firm to cope with the new conditions. And he did so with the same style he had been using for fifteen years that of a monarch, with advisors. King Henry had an executive committee, but it was an information-gathering/dispensing group, not a decision-making body. The real work was done outside the meetings. Henry would think about an issue alone in his office. He would then share an idea with Charlotte and listen to her comments. He would have lunch with Frank and ask him a few questions. He would play golf with Ari and note his reaction to an idea. Eventually, the CEO would make a decision by himself. Then, depending on the nature of the decision, he would announce it at an executive committee meeting or, if the matter was somehow sensitive, tell his staff one at a time in his office. They in turn would pass the information on to others as needed. This process worked remarkably well between 1975 and 1990 for at least four reasons: (1) the pace of change in Henrys markets was not very fast, (2) he knew the industry well; (3) his company had such a strong position that being late or wrong on anyone decision was not that risky, and (4) Henry was one smart fellow. And then the industry changed. For four years, until his retirement in 1994, Henry tried to lead a transformation effort using the same process that had served him so well for so long. But this time the approach did not work because both the number and the nature of the decisions being made were different in some important ways. Prior to 1990, the issues were on average smaller, less complex, less emotionally charged, and less numerous. A smart person, using the one-on-one discussion format, could make good decisions and have them implemented. With the industry in flux and the need for major change inside the firm, the issues suddenly came faster and bigger. One person, even an exceptionally capable individual, could no longer handle this decision stream well. Choices were made and communicated too slowly. Choices were made without a full understanding of the issues. Employees were asked to make sacrifices without a clear sense of why they should do so. After two years, objective evidence suggested that Henrys approach wasnt working. Instead of changing, he became more isolated and pushed harder. One questionable acquisition and a bitter layoff later, he reluctantly retired (with more than a small push from his board). 2. Running on Empty: The Low-Credibility Committee This second scenario I have probably seen two dozen times. The biggest champion of change is the human resource executive, the quality officer, or the head of strategic planning. Someone talks the boss into putting this staff officer in charge of a task force that includes people from a number of departments and an outside consultant or two. The group may include an up-and-coming leader in the organization, but it does not have the top three or four individuals in the executive pecking order. And out of the top fifteen officers, only two to four are members. Because the group has an enthusiastic head, the task force makes progress for a while. But all of the political animals both on and off this committee figure out quickly that it has little chance of long-term success, and thus limit their assistance, involvement, and commitment. Because everyone on the task force is busy, and because some are not convinced this is the best use of their time, scheduling enough meetings to create a shared diagnosis of the firms problems and to build trust among the groups members becomes impossible. Nevertheless, the leader of the committee refuses to give up and struggles to make visible progress, of ­ten because of an enormous sense of dedication to the firm or its employees. After a while, the work is done by a subgroup of three or four mostly the chair, a consultant, and a Young Turk. The rest of the members rubber-stamp the ideas this small group produces, but they neither contribute much nor feel any commitment to the process. Sooner or later the problem becomes visible: when the group cant get a consensus on key recommendations, when its committee recommendations fall on deaf ears, or when it tries to implement an idea and runs into a wall of passive resistance. With much hard work, the committee does make a few contributions, but they come only slowly and incrementally. A post-mortem of the affair shows that the task force never had a chance of becoming a functioning team of powerful people who shared a sense of problems, opportunities, and commitment to change. From the outset, the group never had the credibility necessary to provide strong leadership. Without that credibility, you have the equivalent of an eighteen-wheeler truck being propelled by a lawn mower engine. Meanwhile, as this approach fails, the companys competitive position gets a little weaker and the industry leader gets a little farther ahead. 3. Keeping Pace with Change: The Team The central issue in both of these scenarios is that neither firm is taking into account the speed of market and technological change. In a less competitive and slower-moving world, weak committees can help organizations adapt at an acceptable rate. A committee makes recommendations. Key line managers reject most of the ideas. The group offers additional suggestions. The line moves another inch. The committee tries again. When both competition and technological change are limited, this approach can work. But in a faster-moving world, the weak committee always fails. In a slow-moving world, a lone-ranger boss can make needed changes by talking to Charlotte, then Frank, then Ari and reflecting on what they say. He can go back to each of them for more information. After making a decision, he can communicate it to Charlotte, Frank, and Ari. Information processing is sequential and orderly. As long as the boss is capable and time is available, the process can work well. In a faster- moving world, this ponderous linear activity breaks down. It is too slow. It is not well enough informed with real time information. And it makes implementation more difficult. Todays business environment clearly demands a new process of decision making (see figure 4-1). In a rapidly moving world, individuals and weak committees rarely have all the information needed to make good non routine decisions. Nor do they seem to have the credibility or the time required to convince others to make the personal sacrifices called for in implementing changes. Only teams with the right composition and sufficient trust among members can be highly effective under these new circumstances. Decision making in todays business environment This new truism applies equally well to a guiding change coalition on the factory floor, in the new-product development process, or at the very top of an organization during a major transformation effort. A guiding coalition that operates as an effective team can process more information, more quickly. It can also speed the implementation of new approaches because powerful people are truly informed and committed to key decisions. So why dont managers use teams more often to help produce change? To some degree, a conflict of interest is involved. Teams arent promoted, individuals are, and individuals need unambiguous track records to advance their careers. The argument I was on a team that doesnt sell well in most places today. But to an even greater degree, the problem is related to history. Most senior-level executives were raised managerially in an era when teamwork was not essential. They may have talked team and used sports metaphors, but the reality was hierarchical-typically, a boss and his eight direct reports. Having seen many examples of poorly functioning committees, where everything moves slower instead of faster, they are often much more comfortable in sticking with the old format, even if it is working less and less well over time. The net result: In a lot of reengineering and re strategizing efforts, people simply skip this step or give it minimum attention. Then they race ahead to try to create the vision, or to downsize the organization, or whatever. But sooner or later, the lack of a strong team to guide the effort proves fatal. 4. Putting Together the Guiding Coalition The first step in putting together the kind of team that can direct a change effort is to find the right membership. Four key characteristics seem to be essential to effective guiding coalitions. They are: I. POSITION POWER: Are enough key players on board, especially the main line managers, so that those left out cannot easily block progress? II. EXPERTISE: Are the various points of view-in terms of discipline, work experience, nationality, etc.-relevant to the task at hand adequately represented so that informed, intelligent decisions will be made? III. CREDIBILITY: Does the group have enough people with good reputations in the firm so that its pronouncements will be taken seriously by other employees? IV. LEADERSHIP: Does the group include enough proven lead ­ers to be able to drive the change process? This last concern, about leadership, is particularly important. You need both management and leadership skills on the guiding coalition, and they must work in tandem, teamwork style. The former keeps the whole process under control, while the latter drives the change. (The grids in figure 4- 2 depict various combinations of leadership and management that may or may not work.) Profiles of four different guiding coalitions A guiding coalition with good managers but poor leaders will not succeed. A managerial mind-set will develop plans, not vision; it will vastly under communicate the need for and direction of change; and it will control rather than empower people. Yet companies with much historical success are often left with corporate cultures that create just that mind-set that rejects both leaders and leadership. Ironically, great success creates a momentum that demands more and more managers to keep the growing enterprise under control while requiring little if any leadership. In such firms, much care needs to be exercised or the guiding coalition will lack this critical element. Missing leadership is generally addressed in three ways: (1) people are brought in from outside the firm, (2) employees who know how to lead are promoted from within, or (3) employees who hold positions requiring leadership, but who rarely lead, are encouraged to accept the challenge. Whatever the method chosen to get there, the end result-a team with leadership skills-must be the same. Never forget: A guiding coalition made up only of managers ­ even superb managers who are wonderful people-will cause major change efforts to fail. The size of an effective coalition seems to be related to the size of the organization. Change often starts with just two or three people. The group in successful transformations then grows to half a dozen in relatively small firms or in small units of larger firms. In bigger enterprises, twenty to fifty may eventually need to be signed up. 5. Qualities to Avoid-or Manage Carefully Two types of individuals should be avoided at all costs when putting together a guiding coalition. The first have egos that fill up a room, leaving no space for anybody else. The second are what I call snakes, people who create enough mistrust to kill teamwork. At senior levels in most organizations, people have large egos. But unless they also have a realistic sense of their weaknesses and limitations, unless they can appreciate complementary strengths in others, and unless they can subjugate their immediate interests to some greater goal, they will probably contribute about as much to a guiding coalition as does nuclear waste. If such a person is the central player in the coalition, you can usually kiss teamwork and a dramatic transformation good bye. Snakes are equally disastrous, although in a different way. They damage the trust that is always an essential ingredient in team ­work. A snake is an expert at telling Sally something about Fred and Fred something about Sally that undermines Sally and Freds relationship. Snakes and big egos can be extremely intelligent, motivated, and productive in certain ways. As such, they can get promoted to senior management positions and be logical candidates for a guiding coalition. Smart change agents seem to be skilled at spotting these people and keeping them off the team. If thats impossible, capable leaders watch and manage these folks very carefully. Another type of individual to at least be wary of is the reluctant player. In organizations with extremely high urgency rates, getting people to sign on to a change coalition is easy. But since high urgency is rare, more effort is often required, especially for a few key people who have no interest in signing on. Jerry is an overworked division-level CFO in a major oil company. Conservative by nature, he is more manager than leader and is naturally suspicious of calls for significant change because of the potential disruption and risk. But after having performed well at his corporation for thirty-five years, Jerry is too powerful and too respected to be ignored. Consequently, his division head has devoted hours over a period of two months attempting to convince him that major change is necessary and that Jerrys active involvement is essential. Halfway through the courtship, the CFO still makes excuses, citing his lack of both time and qualifications to help. But persistence pays off, and Jerry eventually signs up. It can be tempting to write off people like Jerry and try to work around them. But if such individuals are central players with a lot of authority or credibility, this tactic rarely works well. Very of ­ten the problem with signing up a Jerry goes back to urgency. He doesnt see the problems and opportunities very clearly, and the same holds for the people with whom he interacts on a daily basis. With complacency high, youll never convince him to give the time and effort needed to create a winning coalition. When people like Jerry have the qualities of a snake or big ego, a negotiated resignation or retirement is often the only sensible option. You dont want them on the guiding coalition, but you also cant afford to have them outside the meeting room causing prob ­lems. Organizations are often reluctant to confront this issue, usu ­ally because these people have either special skills or political sup ­port. But the alternative is usually worse-having them undermine a new strategy or a cultural renewal effort. Afraid to confront the problem, we convince ourselves that Jerry isnt so bad or that we can manoeuvre around him. So we move on, only to curse ourselves later for not dealing with the issue. In this kind of situation, remember the following: Personnel problems that can be ignored during easy times can cause serious trouble in a tougher faster-moving, globalizing economy. 6. Building an Effective Team Based on Trust and a Common Goal Teamwork on a guiding change coalition can be created in many different ways. But regardless of the process used, one component is necessary: trust. When trust is present, you will usually be able to create teamwork. When it is missing, you wont. Trust is absent in many organizations. People who have spent their careers in a single department or division are often taught loyalty to their immediate group and distrust of the motives of others, even if they are in the same firm. Lack of communication and many other factors heighten misplaced rivalry. So the engineers view the salespeople with great suspicion, the German subsidiary looks at the American parent with disdain, and so on. When employees promoted up from these groups are asked to work together on a guiding coalition during a change effort, teamwork rarely comes easily because of the residual lack of trust. The resulting parochial game playing can prevent a needed transformation from taking place. This single insight about trust can be most helpful in judging whether a particular set of activities will produce the kind of team that is needed. If the activities create the mutual understanding, respect, and caring associated with trust, then youre on the right road. If they dont, youre not. Forty years ago, firms that tried to build teams used mostly in ­formal social activity. All the executives met one anothers families. Over golf, Christmas parties, and dinners, they developed relationships based on mutual understanding and trust. Family-oriented social activity is still used to build teams, but it has a number of serious drawbacks today. First, it is a slow process. Occasional activity that is not aimed primarily at team building can take a decade or more. Second, it works best in families with only one working spouse. In the world of dual careers, few of us have enough time for frequent social obligations in two different organizations. Third, this kind of group development process tends to exert strong pressures to conform. Political ideas, lifestyles, and hobbies are all pushed toward the mean. Someone who is different has to conform or leave. Groupthink, in the negative sense of the term, can be a consequence. Team building today usually has to move faster, allow for more diversity, and do without at-home spouses. To accommodate this reality, by far the most common vehicle used now is some form of carefully planned off-site set of meetings. A group of eight or twelve or twenty-four go somewhere for two to five days with the explicit objective of becoming more of a team. They talk, analyse, climb mountains, and play games, all for the purpose of increasing mutual understanding and trust. The first attempts at this sort of activity, about thirty years ago, were so much like a kind of quick-and-dirty group therapy that they often did not work. More recently, the emphasis has shifted to both more intellectual tasks aimed at the head and bonding activities aimed at the heart. People look long and hard at some data about the industry and then go sailing together. A typical off-site retreat involves ten to fifty people for three to six days. Internal staff or external consultants help plan the meeting. Much of the time is spent encouraging honest discussions about how individuals think and feel with regard to the organization, its problems and opportunities. Communication channels between people are opened or strengthened. Mutual understanding is enlarged. Intellectual and social activities are designed to encourage the growth of trust. Such team building outings much too often still fail to achieve results. Expectations are sometimes set too high for a single three day event, or the meeting is not planned with enough care or expertise. But the trend is clear. We are getting better at this sort of activity. For example: Division president Sam Johnson is trying to pull together a group of ten people into an effective change coalition for his consumer electronics business. They include his seven direct reports, the head of the one department in the division that will probably be at the center of the change effort, the executive VP at headquarters, and himself. With great difficulty, he schedules a Week-long meeting for all ten of them , start with a two-day Outward Bound type of activity, in which the group lives together outdoors for forty-eight hours and undertakes strenuous physical tasks like sailing and mountain climbing. During these two days, they get to know one another better and are reminded why team ­work is important. On days three to five, they check into a hotel, are given a great deal of data about the divisions competitors and customers, and are asked to produce a series of discussion papers on a tight time schedule. They work from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., mostly in ever-shifting, but not randomly chosen, subgroups. From 7:00 to 9:30 each evening they have dinner and talk about their careers, their aspirations, and other more personal topics. In the process, they get to know one another even better and begin to develop shared perspectives on their industry. The increased understanding, the relationships built on actual task achievement and the common perspectives all foster trust. Recognizing that this successful week-long activity is just the beginning of a process, Sam hosts another three-day event for the group a few months later. Two years after that, with turnover and promotions changing the makeup of his group, he puts together yet another carefully planned retreat. Just as important, in between these very visible activities, he takes dozens of actions designed to help build the trust necessary for teamwork. Rumours that might erode goodwill are confronted with lightning speed and accurate information. People who know each other least well are put together on other task forces. All ten are included as often as is prac ­tical in social activities. Q: Was this easy to do? A: Hardly. Two of the ten in this case were very independent individuals who couldnt fathom why they should all go climb mountains together. One was so busy that scheduling group activities seemed at times impossibility. One had a borderline big ego problem. Because of past events, two didnt get along well. Yet Sam managed to overcome all of this and develop an effective guiding coalition. I think he succeeded because he wanted very much for the division to do well, because he was convinced that major change was necessary to make the business a winner, and because he believed that that change couldnt happen without an effective guiding coalition. So in a sense, Sam felt he had no choice. He had to create the trust and teamwork. And he did. When people fail to develop the coalition needed to guide change, the most common reason is that down deep they really dont think a transformation is necessary or they dont think a strong team is needed to direct the change. Skill at team building is rarely the central problem. When executives truly believe they must create a team oriented guiding coalition, they always seem to find competent advisors who have the skills. Without that belief, even if they have the ability or good counsel, they dont take needed actions. Beyond trust, the element crucial to teamwork seems to be a common goal. Only when all the members of a guiding coalition deeply want to achieve the same objective does real teamwork become feasible. The typical goal that binds individuals together on guiding change coalitions is a commitment to excellence, a real desire to make their organizations perform to the very highest levels possible. Reengineering, acquisitions, and cultural change efforts often fail because that desire is missing. Instead, one finds people committed to their own departments, divisions, friends, or careers. Trust helps enormously in creating a shared objective. One of the main reasons people are not committed to overall excellence is that they dont really trust other departments, divisions, or even fellow executives. They fear, sometimes quite rationally, that if they obsessively focus their actions on improving customer satisfaction or reducing expenses, other departments wont do their fair share and the personal costs will skyrocket. When trust is raised, creating a common goal becomes much easier. Leadership also helps. Leaders know how to encourage people to transcend short-term parochial interests.