Moral and Ethical Issues of Euthanasia Essay -- Euthanasia Physician A

Moral and Ethical Issues of Euthanasia    As we all know, medical treatment can help save lives. But is there a medical treatment that would actually help end life? Although it's often debated upon, the procedure is still used to help the aid of a patient's death. Usually dubbed as mercy killing, euthanasia is the "practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering" (Encarta). My argument over this topic is that euthanasia should have strict criteria over the use of it. There are different cases of euthanasia that should be looked at and different point of views that should be considered. I will be looking into VE (Voluntary Euthanasia), which involves a request by the dying patient or that person's legal representative. These different procedures are as follows: passive or negative euthanasia, which involves not doing something to prevent death or allowing someone to die and active or positive euthanasia which involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. I have reasons to believe that passive or negative euthanasia can be a humane way of end suffering, while active or positive euthanasia is not. According Richard Gula, active euthanasia is legally considered homicide (5). Another intervention and approach to euthanasia could be through the use of analgesic means. The use of morphine or other anesthetic medication could be used to allow the patient to die or hasten their dying process. I consider the latter procedure to be more humane than that of the other because it is morally wrong to kill a person, rather it's humane for someone to die naturally. Before I discuss the rights and wrongs of euthanasia, I will define death or a person, when is it safe to say... ...Jack D. "Euthanasia." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. Frederick, Calvin J. "Death and Dying." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. Gula, Richard M. What Are They Saying About Euthanasia?. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1986. McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 98 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM. President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Defining Death: A Report on the Medical, Legal and Ethical Issues in the Determination of Death. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981. Robert Matz; Daniel P. Sudmasy; Edward D. Pallegrino. "Euthanasia: Morals and Ethics." Archives of Internal Medicine 1999: p1815 Aug. 9, 1999 .

America’s Change in Industry and Technology in the Early 1800s Essay

America’s ideas and beliefs have been changing over centuries of mistakes and experiments. This is the way that we formed our own government, made the right choices in subsequent decisions, and how we exhibit what kind of country we are to the rest of the world. Our nation evolved more quickly following several inventions that may seem simple or obvious in retrospect. One of America’s biggest eras of change was in the early 1800s. Jobs were moving from farms to factories. Transportation was turning certain cities into hubs of industry. The dependence on slaves was increasing on the Southern plantations. During the early 1800s, new technology and industrial methods changed the way people in America made a living. Key inventions that impacted American industry included factory production and Eli Whitney’s concept of interchangeable parts. These innovations led to mass production of manufactured items. Machine-made components, unlike parts that had been crafted individually, could replace each other in a product. Even unskilled workers could make these parts. Because of this, products became more plentiful, less expensive, and easier to repair. Cloth also became a mass-produced commodity. The thread-spinning water frame and the cloth-weaving power loom were invented at a time that people were giving up on farming the poor soil of the Northeast. In addition, steam engines and water mills increased production and decreased cost of the factories that employed townsfolk and financed cities. All of these beneficial results made manufacturing more lucrative than working on a farm. The abundance of products being made during this era called for a more efficient method of distribution. American cities developed as centers for manufacture and trade. New roads and a system of canals were built to carry the products to distant markets. Steam engine locomotives also became an important means of transportation for goods and people. Industry and housing for its workers were built around the ports and train stops. America’s expansion of transit helped cities develop as economic centers. Once the factory system became the successful business model, city life became the norm. People started to work in the artificial environment dictated by their tasks. Most people no longer woke up to the sound of the rooster signaling them to milk the cow and collect the eggs. Instead, they worked set hours in a factory, earning a regular income. However, large factories and shipping companies needed more than just manual labor. They also employed foremen, supervisors, and watchmen to keep the business secure. As a result of this division of labor, people could work more efficiently. Not every innovation was benign. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin (short for engine), which prepared cotton faster and more efficiently than by manual means, made selling cotton to the textile factories in New England even more profitable, but at a cost. Unfortunately, the increased demand for cotton by Northern factories escalated the need for slaves in the South to pick and supply larger quantities of raw materials. A negative result of the invention of the cotton gin and its role in the Industrial Revolution was that in just twenty years, the slave population rose from 697,897 to 1.2 million. Slaves and their sympathizers were hurt and upset by this growing injustice. From the start of the Industrial Revolution, new methods of production changed the jobs, income, and environment of the average American worker. Interchangeable parts, steam power, and the factory system increased production, decreased cost, and stimulated the growth of cities and transportation. America developed cities full of workers and transportation routes loaded with products. Manufacturing supported the Northern economy, while the South was still reliant on slave labor. Life in America changed greatly in the early 1800s with the country’s advancement from farming and simple trade to a modern, consumer-based economy.

Hydraulics and Hydrology Lec

48362 – HYDRAULICS and HYDROLOGY James E Ball – Hydrology Component SUBJECT DETAILS 1 CONTACTS ? Assoc Prof James Ball ? ? ? james. [email  protected] edu. au ph – 9514 2623 Office Hours ? ? Monday 2:00 – 4:00pm Contact by email for appointment SUBJECT CONCEPT The objective of this component of the subject is: ? Introduce engineering hydrology; ? Introduce hydrological processes; ? Introduce flood estimation; and ? Introduce engineering hydrology applications in water resources management. 2 SUBJECT CONCEPT This introduction is aimed at: ? Providing an ability to apply commonly used methods in hydrology; and ?Provide an understanding of the theory behind these methods. REFERENCES Three references that may be useful are ? Applied Hydrology – Chow, Maidment & Mays, McGraw-Hill Book Co. ? Hydrology An Australian Introduction – Ladson, Oxford University Press ? Australian Rainfall & Runoff – A Guide to Flood Estimation – Engineers Australia No published Course Notes are available for this subject. 3 SUBJECT DOCUMENTS UTS-Online will be used for distribution of ? Copies of lecture slides; ? Reading material; and ? Tutorial problems. Students should note that additional reference books may be noted in the lecture slides.LECTURE STRUCTURE Each Hydrology lecture period will comprise: ? 2 hour lecture; and ? 1 hour tutorial. It is expected that students will have accessed the lecture slides, reading material and tutorials prior to the lecture period. 4 SUBJECT TIMETABLE Date Topic 27 February Hydrology and Water Resources 5 March Meteorology 12 March Hydrologic Data 19 March Surface Water 27 March Storm Runoff 2 April Hydrologic Design 9 April Design Rainfall 1 May Peak Flow Estimation 7 May Hydrograph Estimation – Part 1 13 May Hydrograph Estimation – Part 2 14 May Environmental Flows 21 May Water Sensitive Urban Design 4 JuneCourse Review HYDROLOGIC CYCLE Lecture 1 5 CONTENT ? Introduction to Hydr ology ? Development of Hydrology ? Hydrologic Cycle ? Australian Hydrology INTRODUCTION 6 DEFINITION OF HYDROLOGY Greek word: Hydor => water & ology => study of Hydraulics comes from Greek word hydraulikos which in turn comes from hydor (Greek for water) and aulos (meaning pipe). DEFINITION OF HYDROLOGY UNESCO (1979)1 defines hydrology as â€Å"the physical science which treats the waters of the Earth, their Occurrence, Circulation and Distribution, their Chemical and Physical Properties, and their Reaction with the Environment†. UNESCO, (1979), Impact of urbanisation and industrialisation on water resources planning and management, Studies and Reports in Hydrology, UNESCO, UNESCO, Paris. 7 WATER Water is essential for maintenance of life. Early civilisations were concentrated on rivers ? ? establishment of settlements near rivers analogous to looking for signs of water on Mars Management of water is multi-disciplinary; many professions are involved. WATER Variety of problems encountered include ? Flood mitigation ? Sanitary sewer systems ? Land drainage ? Water Supply ? Culvert and bridge design ? Environmental Flows ? Erosion ?Mine tailings ? Drought ? Adaptation to climate change ? Irrigation systems ? Hydro-electric and power generation ? Stormwater systems 8 RURAL FLOODING URBAN FLOODS 9 STORMWATER STRUCTURES STORMWATER DRAINS 10 WATER SUPPLY HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER 11 IRRIGATION SCHEMES DROUGHT 12 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Ancient civilisations were integrated with their river valleys. Examples are ? ? ? ? ? Egyptian Civilisations and the Nile Valley Mesopotamian Civilisations and the TigrisEuphrates Indian Civilisations and the Indus Valley Ancient China and the Yellow River Andean Civilisations and Coastal Peru DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGYMany of structures from early civilisations are still in operation. Large scale irrigation and drainage works were associated with these civilisations. Earliest recorded dam is about 2900BC (the Sadd Al-Kafara at Wadi Al-Garawi, 25km south of Cairo) Used for both flood protection and irrigation. Also site of earliest known dam failure. 13 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Oldest surviving dam in the world is the Grand Anicut Dam on the Kaveri River in Southern India. This structue dates back to 2nd Century AD. DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Water supply to Ancient Rome has been estimated as being approx 500L/c/d.Current water supply requirements are ? ? ? Australian cities, design – approx. 430L/c/d Australian cities, actual – approx. 230L/c/d US cities, design – approx 600L/c/d Drainage structures (such as the Cloaca Maxima) from Ancient Rome are still being used today. 14 ANCIENT ROMANS Cloaca maxima Bath, UK AQUEDUCTS Pont du Gard, France c19 BC Hampi, India 1st century AD 15 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Flood protection has been practiced for thousands of years along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. It remains an issue of concern in these areas to the current day. DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Wat er has been of interest for many years.Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers speculated on a hydrologic cycle – Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Seneca, Pliny. This cycle was developed from their observations of water in their environment. Use of observations remains a fundamental component of current hydrologic applications and research. 16 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Chinese recorded observations of rain ? ? ? An-yang oracle bones as early as 1200BC; Used rain gauges around 1000BC; and Established systematic records about 200BC. Indian records date back to 400BC. DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Scientific development of hydrology occurred uring the Renaissance period. Examples are ? ? ? Leonardo da Vinci – velocity distributions in streams. Bernard Palissy – springs originated from rainfall. Pierre Perrault – runoff is a fraction of rainfall. 17 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Other contributions during this period were made by ? ? ? ? ? Galileo Newton Bernoulli Euler Lagrange DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY Significant scientific development occurred in the 19th Century when ? ? ? ? ? Dalton proposed the principle of evaporation. Hagen-Poiseuille described capillary flow. Mulvaney developed the Rational method. Darcy described mathematically porous media low. Rippl developed methods for determining storage requirements. 18 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROLOGY 20th Century saw rapid development of quantitative hydrology. Biggest influence during this period was the development of the digital computer and the development of catchment modelling systems. Limitation now is data availability rather than calculation capacity. HYDROLOGIC CYCLE 19 HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE One of the fundamental cycles of nature. Basis for the science of hydrology. Important points ? ? ? ? Cycle has no start and no end. Cycle is continuous. Flow of water in the cycle is not continuous.Water moves erratically through the cycle. HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE 20 HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE 21 HYDROL OGICAL CYCLE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE General components of the cycle are ? Atmospheric Water ? Surface Water ? Ground Water In analysis of water resource problems, these components are treated with a systems approach. 22 SYSTEMS CONCEPT A systems concept is applied when considering the hydrological cycle or some component thereof. This is consistent with the reductionist concept used in many engineering problems. SYSTEMS CONCEPT The reductionist philosophy is based on reducing the system to a number of smaller omponents. The response of the system then is determined from summation of the responses of the individual components. 23 SYSTEMS CONCEPT WATER BALANCE 24 WATER BALANCE Amount of water does not change. Where it may be found does change. Water maybe found in the seas and oceans, in the atmosphere, on the surface, below the surface, and in biological systems. WATER BALANCE ITEM Oceans Polar Ice Groundwater Lakes Soil Moisture Atmospheric Water Rivers Biological Water ?Water VOLUME (k m3) % TOTAL WATER 1. 338 x 109 96. 5 24. 0 x 106 1. 7 23. 4 x 106 1. 69 187. 9 x 103 0. 0138 16. 5 x 103 0. 0012 12. 9 x 103 . 001 2. 1 x 103 0. 0002 1. 1 x 103 0. 0001 1. 386 x 109 100. 0 UNESCO, 1978 – ref 11, ladson ch1 25 WATER BALANCE Not all water is freshwater. Only approx 2. 5% of the water is fresh water – water in the oceans and some lake water and ground water is saline. Considering only fresh water, the values in the previous table are modified to WATER BALANCE UNESCO, 1978 ITEM VOLUME (km3) % TOTAL WATER Polar Ice 24. 0 x 106 68. 6 Groundwater 23. 4 x 106 30. 1 103 0. 26 Soil Moisture 16. 5 x 103 0. 05 Atmospheric Water 103 0. 04 Rivers 2. 1 x 103 0. 006 Biological Water 1. 1 x 103 0. 003 Fresh Water 35. 0 x 106 00. 0 Lakes 187. 9 x 12. 9 x 26 WATER BALANCE Basis of any volume based problem is a water balance. This is a usage of the concept of continuity. In general, application of continuity gives in volume terms Inflow – Outflow = Change in Stora ge (? S) And in flux terms Qi – Qo = ? S / ? t WATER BALANCE Components of inflow for a water body such as a lake or reservoir are ? Precipitation (P) ? Inflow from rivers or groundwater (I) 27 WATER BALANCE Components of outflow for a water body such as a lake or reservoir are ? Evapo-transpiration (ET); ? Outflows – Extractions, Downstream flows, (O); and ? Seepage (G)WATER BALANCE Hence the water balance for a water body is P + I – O – ET – G = ? S 28 WATER FLOWS While the volume of water in a source is important, the flux of water through a component is important also. An indication of the flux can be obtained from the diagram of the hydrological cycle. WATER FLOWS The Global Annual Water Balance is shown on in units relative to the annual volume of precipitation on land masses. Note that this is a flow rate (km3/yr). 29 WATER FLOWS ? Precipitation ? ? ? ? Land – 119,000 km3/yr (800mm/yr) Ocean – 458,000 km3/yr (1270mm/yr) Total à ¢â‚¬â€œ 577,000 km3/yr Evaporation ? ? ?Land – 72,000 km3/yr (484mm/yr) Ocean – 505,000 km3/yr (1400mm/yr) Total – 577,000 km3/yr WATER FLOWS ? Runoff to Oceans ? ? ? Rivers – 44,700 km3/yr Groundwater – 2,200 km3/yr Total Runoff – 47,000 km3/yr (316mm/yr) 30 WATER FLOWS Considering the volume and flux gives the mean residence times in a particular source. The mean residence time for atmospheric water is obtained by dividing the volume (S) of water in the atmosphere by the flux (Q), ie TR ? S 12,900 ? ? 0. 022 yr ? 8. 2days Q 577,000 WATER FLOWS ITEM Oceans Polar Ice & Glaciers Groundwater Lakes Soil Moisture Rivers Atmosphere Biological WaterTR 2600 years 1100 years 700 years 13 years 155 days 13 days 8. 2 days 3. 4 days 31 AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE â€Å"†¦of droughts and flooding rains† 32 RIVER RUNOFF Australia has low runoff per unit area (average depth of surface runoff). Also, Australian runoff has greater vari ability due to lack of snow melt period. RAINFALL COMPARISON Variability of Annual rainfall 20 18 Coefficient (%) 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 A ustralia S. A frica Germany France NZ India UK Canada China USA Russia Country 33 AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE CLIMATE CLASSIFICATIONS Marked wet summer and dry winter of northern Australia.Wet summer and low winter rainfall of southeast QLD and northeast NSW. Uniform rainfall in southeast Australia. Wet winter and dry summer of southwest WA and parts of the southeast. Arid area comprising about half of the continent More on BoM website 34 AUSTRALIAN RAINFALL Pluviometer Network Daily Read Network PRECIPITATION 35 AUSTRALIAN RAINFALL City Average Annual Rainfall (mm) Average Number of Rain Days Darwin 1714 111 Sydney 1217 138 Brisbane 1149 122 Perth 786 114 Melbourne 653 147 Canberra 623 105 Hobart 569 135 Adelaide 530 121 Alice Springs 279 31 After Ladson, 2008 AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONSAustralian rainfall is influenced by general circulation patterns. Most of Australia is around 30o latitude which tend to be areas of descending air. Note – that the solar equator moves during the year. 36 AUST. CLIMATE VARIABILITY Known major causes Approximate time scale Effect Synoptic weather patterns Day / week â€Å"Weather† Southern Annular Mode Weeks +ve phase => winter rainfall deficiencies in southern Australia; summer increases in MDB El Nino / La Nina (Southern Oscillation Index) Inter-annual El nino => lower rainfalls La nina => higher rainfalls Indian Ocean Dipole Inter-annual ve phase => increased rainfall +ve phase => decreased rainfall Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation Inter-decadal Flip flops between drier and wetter periods e. g. 1st half of 20th century wetter than 2nd half The Australian climate – influences http://www. bom. gov. au/watl/about-weather-and-climate/australian-climate-influences. html 37 The Australian climate – influences The Australian climate – topography 38 Seasonal rainfall variatio n across the country Seasonal rainfall variation across the country Mean rainfall – Katherine mm Mean rainfall – Dubbo mm 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 0 0 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 J F M A M J J A S O N J D F Mean rainfall – Alice Springs mm M A M J A S O N D Mean rainfall – Sydney mm 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 J 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O S O N N D Mean rainfall – Perth mm Mean rainfall – Strahan mm 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Perth wind rose February J F M A M J J A D Rainfall variability – a comparison Annual rainfall – Birdsville mm 600 400 200 2000 1980 1960Annual rainfall – Bourke mm Annual rainfall – Perth 1940 1920 1900 0 mm 1000 1400 1200 800 1000 600 800 600 400 400 200 200 1980 1960 1940 1920 1900 1980 19 60 1940 1920 1900 1880 1880 0 0 39 NSW annual rainfall time-series New South Wales Annual Rainfall 1000 900 Dry Period: 1900 – 1946 Average Rainfall: 477. 7mm *Dry conditions commenced 1890 Standard Deviation: 90. 4 Wet Period: 1947 – 2000 Average Rainfall: 573. 9mm 20. 1% increase Standard Deviation: 127. 0 800 New Dry 2001/06 439. 5mm 23. 4% decline Rainfall (mm) 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Year 40

Addiction: Effects of Playing on-Line Computer Games Essay

Introduction In present times , computer gaming has been popular mostly within the students’ societies worldwide. Like a virus , excessive gaming has also been contagious within the society , creating an indestructible and unstoppable problem concerning its effects. In local concept , students and non-students here in the Philippines has been massively influenced with the habit of computer gaming even it sometimes affects their daily productive activities such as work , studies or even family relations. Same as in other countries , computer gaming can only be declared as a problem , if and only if it is in excess. And this problem has been uncured until now , and this also affecting mostly the student society’s educative and productive activities. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Related Studies: Title:The Effects of playing on-line computer games in academic performance of students? Background of the study: The aim of this paper is to investigate a comparatively untouched area of research into games and education: whether or not there is a link between the frequency with which computer and video games are played, and academic achievement, as measured by traditional examination results, of those who play them. An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems. The expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the growth of Internet access itself. Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games. The rising popularity of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed component of IE, the Internet began to shift from a data/information spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved the way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Some online multiplayer games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme. Many other sites relied on advertising revenues from on-site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, or Tibia let people play for free while leaving the players the option of paying, unlocking new content for the members REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Most of our youth and students today are fond of going into internet shop to use computer, without knowledge of their parents what they are up to. They will ask money from their parents telling that they have something to search in the internet for their project or assignments, although others do so, but there are some who just make it as an alibi so that they can compete skills with their peers through playing games online like for example war craft, battle realms, DOTA etc. Related Literature Foreign Since Time named the microcomputer their â€Å"Man of the Year† in 1983 there has been a continued drive for public school teachers to become computer literate. A nationwide study concluded that although teachers have increased computer availability in their classrooms, they are not integrating computers into the standard curricula. The present study examined â€Å"technophobia† as an explanation for low levels of computer utilization. Elementary teachers (N = 171), secondary science teachers (N – 117), and secondary humanities teachers (N = 200) in 54 schools across five urban school districts completed three measures of technophobia and a measure of demographic characteristics, computer/technology experience, computer availability, and current computer use. Results indicated that: (1) computers are available at all schools, but are not being used by many teachers; (2) many teachers are technophobic, particularly elementary teachers and secondary humanities teachers; (3) teachers are most worried about dealing with the actual computer machinery in their classroom, about computer errors, and about learning to use computers; and (4) predictive models showed that although computer experience is the most prominent predictor of technophobia, it is not the only predictor — age, gender, teaching experience, computer availability, ethnicity, and school socioeconomic status also play an important role in predicting technophobia.

Human Resources Strategic Plan Essay

The Human Resources Department (HR) developed a strategic plan that tackles strategies to support the overall goals and objectives of The ABC Services Agency (ABC). In this report, the strategic HR planning process along with the mission, vision and goals of ABC will be discussed. The proposed HR strategy, which is named Diversity Program, will be explored by looking into elements including costs, benefits and outcomes. The main focus of this report is on attracting and retaining qualified direct care staff. Executive Summary ABC, founded in 1961, is a volunteer parent support group that provides support services to children and adults with disabilities. Furthermore, it provides them and their families with assistance and support from birth to senior years. ABC is committed to support people with disabilities through job placements, residential support, respite care, social activities and vocational training. ABC also tries to incorporate disabled people into the community through education and by working with many volunteers and donors. ABC’s 20-year vision is full acceptance and inclusion by the community. In addition, ABC aims to improve its services, support systems and technology. The mission is all about â€Å"achieving full community life for children and adults with disability, one person at the time.† The goals are divided into two dimensions—achieving and full community life. â€Å"Achieving† refers to ensuring individuals are given opportunities to experience their own potential. â€Å"Full community life† focuses on families, friends, colleagues and other valued relationships to create a joyful and fulfilled life. To accomplish this mission, ABC operates according to essential values that complete the heart of the organisation. Some of these values include a caring attitude, responsiveness, respectfulness, partnership, financial sustainability and diversity. ABC also has a strong belief that all people have equal rights, strengths and assets. Other beliefs include positive  difference, the same opportunities for people with disability, the difference that valuable member and motivated staff could make and the importance of family role. In the next five years, ABC will approach a leadership role in working with a broader array of community resources. It will also explore the feasibility of actively engaging volunteers. Moreover, ABC has set up goals that are based on important issues found by the previous strategic planning process. These goals are relevant to work week opportunities (e.g. employment and day supports), recreation and leisure activities, residential support (e.g. community living and participation) and family support and education. Strategic Human Resources Planning To convey ABC’s mission, HR developed the following main objectives: ABC improves its capacity to attract and retain qualified direct care staff; All staff thoroughly understands the meaning of the mission and how their job contributes to achieving it; A professional development program is implemented to strengthen and expand the supervisory and management capacity and opportunities among mid-level managers; and A professional development program is implemented to strengthen and expand the capacity of direct support staff to be community liaisons and successfully integrate the consumer they support into the community (Managance Consulting, 2015). This report focuses on the first objective, which is to attract and retain qualified direct care staff. Through a strategic planning process, HR was able to set three sub-objectives to achieve the four main objectives relative to the organisation’s mission. Firstly, HR aims to increase the organisation’s visibility in the community by updating the communication plan and utilising strategic communication to attract potential employees and volunteers and facilitate their recruitment. Secondly, HR intends to increase the number of volunteers by 50% through volunteer programs, training, leadership development and recognition. Lastly, HR plans to increase the amount of contributions that support the operating budget even  more. This will be done through fundraising, which is ultimately essential for any non-profit organisation (Managance Consulting, 2015). Strategic Human Resources Planning Process HR aims to develop a stable, highly qualified and motivated workforce that actively advocates ABC’s mission. While it remains positive about the outcomes of the plan, HR is aware of the gaps that lie between ABC’s current and future state. These gaps include significant growth that led to challenges to human resources, difficulty with supervision, lack of structure for coordination among departments and inconsistent administrative and clerical support as shown in the image below. Figure 1. Gaps between ABC’s current and future state. To address these current issues for a better future, HR is going to implement new practices. A diversity program in the forms of interest groups will be established. These interest groups include the following: Cooking Club Singing & Dancing Club Moms Club LGBTF Club Figure 2. Diversity program’s interest groups. Each of these interest groups will be discussed in the latter part of the report. PESTEL Analysis To develop a well-informed, strategic plan, the external environment that ABC operates in was analysed. With this PESTEL analysis, various external environmental factors that can impact ABC were identified and understood. Hence, HR is equipped to monitor any changes that may influence ABC’s performance. Political Analysis ABC’s day-to-day operations and future decisions can be affected by different government policies such as taxation policy and delivering community service policy. In that regard, ABC, like all other organisations, must comply with certain rules and regulations to ensure survival. While strict compliance with the law is required, government initiatives and political infrastructures also need to be taken into consideration. Government initiatives may have an effect on ABC’s performance relative to employment and unemployment rates. Some of the political ambitions of the government may provide ABC with employment opportunities, while others may lead to retrenchment or attrition. This is something that ABC needs to be fully prepared for. The same concept applies to existing and forthcoming political infrastructures in the forms of transportation systems and skyscrapers. All these political factors must be taken into account to avoid negative publicity and potential fines (Business Case Studies LLP, 2015). Economic Analysis Like other organisations, ABC aims for profit maximisation. To strive toward this particular goal, economic elements such as economic growth, banking, employment, income, general price level, interest rate, inflation and recession need to be analysed. Among all these elements, economic growth, which leads to development, is the most important one as it dictates the volume of finances that the society as a whole is earning and investing. To keep up with the demands of a diverse economy, ABC must be as proactive as possible (K, 2013). Being proactive extends toward being aware of the other economic factors. Banking, which is interconnected with money, can affect ABC in terms of borrowing capacity and purchasing power. Banking policies and facilities can  influence the borrowing capacity of both ABC and the people. Furthermore, money and its circulation can dictate the purchasing power of the customers (K, 2013). Employment density and income rate can also impact ABC’s operations. During an economic surge, the number of employment opportunities, which generate income, increases. This upturn provides people with a stronger purchasing power. On the other hand, as the economy goes downward, the purchasing power of the people also shrinks (K, 2013). General Price level is another economic factor that can influence the growth of ABC. Cost of resources, cost of production, cost of labour and cost of transportation are some of the components that dictate the general price level. An increase in the cost of any of these components will reduce the total amount of money ABC generates for products sold or services provided. Similar to general price level, the rate of interest can impact the development of ABC. Interest rates can have a direct effect on the loans that ABC takes to drive its performance improvement strategies forward (K, 2013). The Agency needs to establish strategies and contingencies to cope with the above-mentioned economic elements, along with inflation and recession. Socio-Cultural Analysis As the society evolves, there is a need for organisations like ABC to adapt to stay ahead of the game. By being aware of the societal and cultural changes, ABC will continue to operate smoothly toward success. Changing customer preferences is a socio-cultural factor that can impact ABC’s operations, especially its business decisions. In that regard, it is of utmost importance that ABC examines the lifestyles, attitudes, styles and priorities of its customers. Relative to the changes in preferences is the changes in demographics. Changes in demographics can significantly affect ABC’s operations because population rates increase, people age and gender  roles change. As the morals, values and tastes of people change, ABC needs to keep up especially in terms of advertising techniques (Richards & Media, 2015). Other socio-cultural factors that need to be considered include population health, education, social mobility, employment patterns, press attitude, public opinion and social taboos (Public Health Action Support Team, 2011). Technological Analysis The constant evolution of technology impacts organisations as it provides them with opportunities to improve. ABC must be aware of the emerging technologies to be a frontrunner in the market. Monitoring the advances in technological processes is vital to sustain any organisation. These technological innovations can be used to improve productivity, quality and efficiency. Some of the technological advances that can help improve ABC’s daily operations include online databases, shared drives, e-mails, blogs and mobile applications (Education Portal, 2015). The development of the internet can also affect ABC’s marketing strategies and activities in a positive way. By utilising the internet, ABC can reach a wider audience as youngsters nowadays are much more eager and confident to experiment with advanced technologies. Additionally, ABC can also utilise today’s technology to enhance the way it communicates with its internal and external customers. Aside from e-mails and smart phones, online meetings, web conferencing and videoconferencing can also be used for effective and efficient communication (Business Case Studies LLP, 2015). Technological advances offer a variety of advantages. However, it can also transform an organisation into a failure when it is abused or used improperly. In that regard, ABC needs to take note of its responsibilities when posting something online. Environmental Analysis ABC, like other organisations, must abide by certain environmental rules and regulations in all developmental stages. ABC’s equipment, procedures and even building expansions must conform to environmental regulations and meet regulatory requirements (Jeanty & Media, 2015). ABC also needs to be aware of its local competition. Market research can be used to create awareness relative to the day-to-day operations of the competitors. The information gathered can be used for process improvements. Other environmental factors that need to be considered include geographical location, climate and weather (Blurtit Ltd., 2015). Legal Analysis Legal changes that can impact ABC are tied up with some political changes. The key to survival is to not only anticipate but also prepare to come across future legal changes. ABC needs to ensure all the legal requirements are met. Some of the legislations that ABC needs to comply with include Equal Opportunity Act 1984, Anti-Discrimination Law, Anti-Bullying Law and Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (Business Case Studies LLP, 2015). SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation is important to achieve success. In this report, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of HR’s proposed diversity program was analysed. Strengths The diversity program will be an ongoing program. This will give all participants a sense of belongingness for a long period of time. Although the program is innovative, it does not require a large amount of money for it to be implemented. Its implementation will be supported by different fundraising activities like garage sales. The program will advocate workplace diversity inside and outside the organisation. The diversity  advocacy will emphasise not only age and culture but also sexual orientation and physical ability. Furthermore, this diversity program will provide future participants with a variety of interest group options that will enable them to express themselves through food or music. Weaknesses The greatest weakness of the diversity program is the ageing employees. The program will depend on the existing staff to facilitate the interest groups efficiently. As some of the existing younger staff can perform the tasks well, the old staff can become a liability. This weakness leads to another weakness which has something to do with technology. The program will be facilitated by old people and this people are not technology savvy. This unfamiliarity with advanced technologies can impact the implementation of the program. Because ABC is a non-profit organisation, it has limited function rooms. This room insufficiency can create conflicts among the different interest groups in terms of meeting or activity schedules. Opportunities This diversity program offers various opportunities such as motivated workforce, wider audience, awareness, visibility, recognition and more volunteers. The sense of belongingness that the staff will get out of the program will motivate them to deliver a high performance. HR plans to update ABC’s official website by adding a page that talks about workplace diversity in general. The proposed diversity program as well as the interest groups will also be posted. This update will give ABC an opportunity to reach a wider audience. In addition, it will create awareness on workplace diversity. This will provide ABC with an opportunity to expand its visibility in the community, which may also lead to several recognitions. An increase in the number of volunteers is another great opportunity. Threats Since the program will be open to people with different backgrounds and even  to those whose first language is not English, a communication gap due to language barrier is a possible threat. There is also a possibility of the workforce not willing to work extra hours. This is a threat because if there is an issue with the number of facilitators, the program will be unsuccessful. In relation to that, potential volunteers may only be involved in the program for a short period of time. Lastly, ABC’s team managers who will be the facilitators of the interest groups may get overwhelmed with all the duties and responsibilities that will be given to them. Selected Human Resources Strategy Diversity Every organisation consists of individuals and each of these individuals is unique. This individuality calls for workplace diversity. Workplace diversity refers to the differences among people in an organisation. These differences can include age, gender, race, sexual orientation, family status, religion, physical ability and experience. In totality, diversity encircles acceptance, understanding and respect (Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 2015). Workplace diversity is important as it is increasingly being considered an asset to organisations. Establishing a positive, diverse work environment will lead to motivated workforce and improved services for the customers. Moreover, research states that the most engaged employees are those working in a diverse environment (Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 2015). Diversity Program This diversity program aims to attract and retain qualified direct care staff by providing them with a welcoming, inclusive and supportive workplace. The program consists of different interest groups namely the cooking club, the singing and dancing club, the moms club and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender employees and straight Friends (LGBTF) club. Basically, these interest groups will be formed to support identified groups such as people with disability, indigenous Australians, aged people, people with caring,  family or relationship responsibilities, people from other countries and cultures and people whose first language is not English (Australian Public Service Commission, 2012). This diversity program was inspired by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The AFP is an organisation that provides its employees with equal opportunities while complying with relevant government legislations. It acknowledges that workplace diversity does not only encompass language and culture but also age, gender, sexual orientation and attitude (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). The AFP advocates diversity in the workplace through the following ways: the Employee Assistance Program which provides external support for members and their families the Malunggang Indigenous Officers Network which supports the recruitment and career development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people support for community events and celebrations such as Harmony Day, Disability Day and NAIDOC Week Gay and Lesbian Officer Network which provides support to its members and advises management on strategies and initiatives relevant to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) communities the Women’s Network which aims to support, encourage and network by providing leadership to women in the organisation and developing and implementing strategies to meet a wide range of interests and needs the internal network of Harassment Contact Officers and Confidantes which provides support to anyone who may need it the Workforce Diversity Plan, which aims to encourage managers and employees to value diversity the Employee Management Pla n through which managers are accountable for work/home/life balance strategies for themselves and their team the appointment of staff with key roles in building relationships within the AFP and the broader community, including GLBTI and Indigenous community officers (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015) Human Resources Plan Interest Groups The cooking club will be open for food enthusiasts. While people who love to cook will be highly encouraged to join the club, people who do not cook but want to learn how to cook will also be welcomed as cooking classes will be provided once in a while. The singing and dancing club will be open for music aficionados. People who are interested to join this club will be given an option to become a member of either a choir or a dance group or both. The moms club will be open for all the mothers who like to mingle with other mothers. This club will be beneficial for the new mothers as they will learn a lot of things relative to being both a good mother and a good wife. LGBTF Club Gender and sexual preference impact not only organisations but also laws and attitudes in different ways. The treatment of people toward this issue varies from country to country and culture to culture. The positive thing about the modernised societies all over the world is they now provide the LGBTF community with a favourable treatment (University of Michigan, 2015). Because of the acceptance, understanding and respect the society is currently demonstrating, HR intends to form the LGBTF club not only to celebrate diversity but also to create a workplace culture that is welcoming and accommodating (Australian Public Service Commission, 2012). Through this club, HR aims to achieve the following: Treat all employees and volunteers with dignity and respect Take advantage of diverse backgrounds, ideas, beliefs, circumstances and needs relative to operational methods, work systems and leadership styles Include all employees and volunteers in business decisions Utilise available resources in making reasonable, objective decisions (Australian Public Service Commission, 2012) Aside from the AFP, Thomson Reuters, a multinational organisation that provides businesses and professionals with intelligent information, also  supports the LGBTF community. As a matter of fact, Jan-Coos Geesink, the Managing Director of Thomson Reuters UK and a straight guy, is backing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace. He believes in these people and their power to create a better place to work. â€Å"But one global aspiration that Pride At Work has is for people to be able to celebrate who they are at work, regardless of their sexuality or gender-alignment, and for them to be accepted,† he added (Geesink, 2015). Other places around the globe that support the LGBTF community include Africa, the United States of America, Asia, Europe and Middle East (University of Michigan, 2015). Plan Implementation Fundraising The diversity program will be backed up by different fundraising activities such as food selling, clothes selling and garage sales. The proceeds together with the 25% increase in the amount of money acquired from donations will be used to support the interest groups. The fundraising activities will be conducted by ABC’s volunteers along with the existing staff and those people with disability. The interested individuals will be asked to bake cookies, cupcakes and the likes and produce crocheted clothes and accessories. The goods will be sold inside and outside the organisation. This initiative will be implemented once or twice a month. The volunteers will not only be able to frequent any of the interest group activities but also get a chance to be part of the organisation. Figure 3. Fund raising methodology. Website The existing official website of ABC will be updated by adding a new page that tackles workplace diversity. The update will also include information  about the proposed diversity program as well as a detailed description of each interest group. Procedures on how to join the clubs will also be posted. In addition, the page will allow visitors to post testimonials about people with disability from all over the world. The write-up can be based on their own experience or someone else’s. There will also be a section on the page for announcements or updates regarding the interest groups. The update will be done by the previous web designer for free. This project will be completed within a month. However, the website will have to be updated regularly. Figure 4. Updated website methodology. Mothers as Volunteers With the help of the updated website, HR anticipates to attract volunteers, potentially the mothers of children with disability, to help facilitate the diversity program. A series of training sessions every Saturday morning in a span of two months will be given to the volunteers. The volunteers will be encouraged to take their kids to ABC to participate in any of the activities. One of the existing team managers will conduct the training sessions. While available resources will be utilised, the cost of additional resources will come from the budget provided by the government. Figure 5. ‘Mothers as volunteers’ methodology. Outcomes The expected main outcome of this entire program is ABC’s improved capacity that leads to attracting and retaining qualified direct care staff. Other expected outcomes include motivated workforce and patients, wider audience, diversity awareness, greater visibility in the community, more volunteers, recreation and leisure activities and family support. Through this diversity program and all the social activities that come along with it, ABC’s staff will be motivated to perform their responsibilities. The interest groups will allow them to do the things they are passionate  about. It will also give them an opportunity to express who and what they are through food, music and so many other things. Not only that, even the people with disability will also be motivated to do the things they are good at despite their physical condition. Because of the sense of belongingness they will get out of the interest groups, these people will be more willing and enthusiastic to participate in the fundraising activities. One of the expected outcomes of the updated website is awareness on workplace diversity. This awareness is expected to reach a wider audience which can possibly lead to more volunteers and donations. An increased visibility in and a full acceptance by the community are also expected to happen after updating the official website and implementing the program. The other positive outcomes of this diversity program are new recreation and leisure activities and family support for both the ABC’s direct care staff and patients with disability. Barriers There are several issues that may hinder the success of HR’s strategy, which is the diversity program. These barriers include insufficient function rooms, insufficient funds and work overload. Since the program will offer four interest groups, ABC needs more rooms to facilitate every activity that will be conducted. Furthermore, additional budget to sustain all the interest groups will be necessary. Another important issue that may exist is work overload. The staff may get overwhelmed with the extra tasks that they will need to perform to implement the program. Action Plans To avoid the above-mentioned potential barriers, HR came up with several action plans. A systematic way of reserving meeting or function rooms will be implemented to address the issue about insufficient rooms. To ensure the budget is enough to sustain the interest groups, a selection of fundraising activities will be conducted. To prevent the staff from getting overwhelmed with additional tasks, more volunteers will be acquired. Bibliography Australian Public Service Commission. (2012). Australian Government Australian Public Service Commission. Retrieved 2015, from APSC Workplace Diversity Program: http://www.apsc.gov.au/about-the-apsc/the-commission/including-you Blurtit Ltd. (2015). Blurtit. Retrieved 2015, from What Are The Environmental Factors That Affect Business?: http://business-finance.blurtit.com/325745/what-are-the-environmental-factors-that-affect-business Business Case Studies LLP. (2015). Business Case Studies. Retrieved 2015, from Responding to Changes in the Market Environment: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jessops/responding-to-changes-in-the-market-environment/political-factors.html#axzz3STTKCKMw Business Case Studies LLP. (2015). Business Case Studies. Retrieved 2015, from Responding to Changes in the Market Environment: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jessops/responding-to-changes-in-the-market-environment/technological-factors.html#axzz3Skbz74Cw Business Case Studies LLP. (2015). Business Case S tudies. Retrieved 2015, from Managing external influences: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/first-group/managing-external-influences/environmental-and-legal-factors.html#axzz3Skbz74Cw Commonwealth Bank of Australia. (2015). Retrieved from Diversity Policy: https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/PDS_PDF/CBT638-Diversity-Policy.pdf Commonwealth of Australia. (2015). Australian Federal Police. Retrieved 2015, from Diversity and Opportunity: http://www.afp.gov.au/jobs/diversity.aspx Education Portal. (2015). Education Portal. Retrieved 2015, from Technological Factors in Business: Definition, Lesson & Quiz: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/technological-factors-in-business-definition-lesson-quiz.html Geesink, J.-C. (2015, 2 13). Thomson Reuters The Knowledge Effect. Retrieved 2015, from Why I support LGBT rights at Thomson Reuters: http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/index.php/im-straight-guy-supporting-lgbt-rights-thomson-reuters/ Jeanty, J., & Media, D. (2015). Chron. Retrieved 201 5,

Letter from a Birmingham Jail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Letter from a Birmingham Jail - Essay Example He also supports his argument morally and politically. Morally, he believes that just laws are God’s laws while unjust laws ruin God’s law. Politically, he believes that just laws are not applied to everyone while unjust laws are applied which is unfair. In both arguments, King defined segregation as an unjust law. â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.† This is how King expresses his anger and disappointment. He wanted the Black Americans to stand up for their rights, to speak for their rights, equality, and harsh treatment. He criticizes the perception White people have about his thoughts and actions, how his peaceful non-violent movement becomes a violent movement according to them. King seems to throw light on the fact that most of the times the silence of good people leads to one’s repenting in future because if one might not speak for his/her own rights then no one is going to notice their grief and their emotions, He says ‘We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people†. This quote also seems to highlight the present conditions of King’s times when he got arrested for his parade without a permit during his non- violent protests against ‘unjust’ laws. He seems to be in favor of standing up for oneself and speaking for one’s rights. The quote also highlights the fact that if a person is silent and bears every ‘unjust’ act then it is the fault of the silence of those people that they allow such people to do injustice to them.

Critically analyse the extent to which the militarisation of Essay

Critically analyse the extent to which the militarisation of humanitarian assistance has affected the way in which humanitarian agencies carry out their role in conflict affected countries - Essay Example crisis with humanitarian action in most parts increasingly being used as a selective tool for the powerful hence failing to live up to its principles as well as â€Å"protection and restoration of the dignity of human life† (pp. 1). This, he attributes to the militarisation and politicisation of humanitarian assistance which has grossly impacted the effectiveness of such humanitarian efforts and increasingly put the life of the aid workers at risk. A recent example of military involvement in humanitarian efforts is the Haiti experience where in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the first humanitarian response was the deployment of the United States and Canadian military troops in the region to distribute foreign aid and help in disaster relief efforts. Mennonite Central Committee (2011) in Haiti were particularly concerned as to the mission of foreign troops in the land taking account that the military may not be as effective as professional relief agencies in delivering aid to areas most needed (pp. 1). Other areas where militarisation of humanitarian assistance has been noted in the recent past include Kosovo, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. With such trends rising, this paper investigates the impact that militarisation of Humanitarian Assistance has on the way in which humanitarian agencies carry out their role in conflict affected countries. The paper first defines what militarisation of humanitarian assistance is all about, clearly evaluating how humanitarian space is being invaded by the military force. It will then engage the key debates and concepts concerning militarisation of humanitarian assistance both from those who support it and those who do not. These debates are mainly from an ethical and moral view point as humanitarian assistance is inherently guided by moral values. Finally, the paper analyses the role of humanitarian agencies in conflict affected countries linking theory and practice, taking into account militarisation of