Project management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Project management plan - Essay Example After years of planning, effort and investment, a super cycle way route connecting Nottingham City to the Toton Rail station was conceptualized. This project will provide a safe, direct, paved, flat and continuous non-vehicular travel route between the station and the city. The route will feature several at-grade roads crossing in the entire length along an independent right-of-way in the road networks existing. The Greenway route surface will contrast according to suitability to the landscape, material availability and expected demand. A favored wearing course product currently promoted is a recycled material based on road planning and waste building aggregate. This forms an inert, grey material that rolls to provide a compact surfacing which seems to set if allowed to settle. It provides an even, all weather surfaces for cycles and wheelchairs or prams, whilst remaining softer than a bonded surface which can be stiff on walkers and horses joints. Where a route navigates an urban area it may be found desirable to arrange for a bitumen surface for maximum strength for high demand and to minimise maintenance. In this occurrence it might be considered necessary to provide an equivalent mown grass path for horse riders. Designs for the Greenway route construction will suggest for greater widths to accommodate varied options of shared use. Current specifications propose a 3metre wide path for a full multi-user path and a 2.5metre wide path where horse riders are barred. The path should sit, where space allows, in a wider corridor with a minimum 1 meter boundary either side or appropriate landscaping to the boundaries. The existing bridge is proposed to be redesigned and replaced with one that caters for both bicycle and pedestrian use. The new bridge will effectively connect the two locations without having to seek an alternative longer route. The new greenway route has

Blasphemous Movie on Prophet Muhammad Essay Example for Free

Blasphemous Movie on Prophet Muhammad Essay Abstract: Media is held responsible for the distorted and caricature image of Muslims and their most holy figure prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the West. The movie â€Å"innocence of Muslims† is the most recent stereotype demonstration of them. People’s thinking on a matter, which they don’t have much knowledge about, is largely formed by what media determines, following an agenda setting theory. Islam has always been such issue in the West and Muslims have always been shown as fanatics, extremists and violent killers thus giving negative connotations to Islam. According to semiotic theory of sighs, every image or sign has a coded message, which is always decoded by different people in the same way by a common cognitive system. When the messages in the carton images of Prophet Muhammad published by a Danish magazine Jyllands-Posten in 2006 were decoded, there was an outcry in the Muslim world, which later developed a carton controversy around the global politics. This blasphemous movie of prophet Muhammad, another genre of visual communication, created the same political conflict between East and West and upheaval in the politics of Muslim countries too. The first part of my paper which is a media plan for Pakistani government to deal with the issue, analyses how Muslim world reacted to this movie and how a troublesome situation in all the Muslim countries is affecting the relations of Muslims’ with the U.S. Second part examines how western media, in the name of freedom of speech, has been deconstructing the bodies of Muslims as violent treacherous men and their religion as a danger to West. This message has been continuously shot into the heads of masses since ages analyzing magic bullet theory of media. Media effects theory can easily elucidate the results of such efforts. The article advocates media should consider ethical boundaries while discussing religions and religious entities. Key words: Muslims, stereotypes, prophet Muhammad , cartons, movies, western media, protests, politics. Background of the problem. Just a 14 minute trailer of the blasphemous movie â€Å"innocence of Muslims† caused a great upheaval in the Muslim world .the holiest figure of Islam  prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been shown in this movie as a child molester, womanizer, drunk and a violent killer. This is not the first movie, there is a list of such movies against Muslims and Islam, e.g. Black Hawk Dawn, the kingdom, the Seige, fitna, which created havoc in Muslim world and we saw riots, violence, boycotts and deaths as a result of them. Later on, such trouble tic situations were always manipulated by politicians.(see links of movies trailers in references) This movie produced by Nakoula Basseley led Muslims protests in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia and in many other Muslim countries including the killing of US ambassador to Libya in a violent attack by extremists. Obama and Clinton condemned this movie like many other governments of the countries, even Cindy Lee Garcia told The Hollywood Reporter that she and many actors were duped by filmmaker. â€Å"He has a price to pay, this Mr.Bacile, maybe not here on Earth, but he’ll stand before God one day for what he has done†. These protests were going on and â€Å"meanwhile a French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published the controversial cartoons of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) further inflaming Muslims’ sentiments†.(the Dawn 30 sep) Such protests were started in earlier September in Pakistan where hundreds of thousands from all walks of life recorded their protest against this movie and publication of carton images again. Many marched towards US embassy in Islamabad and many were killed and wounded in clash with police there. There were rallies of protests nationwide having more than 45,000 people earlier in September, 21 were killed and 229 wounded, more than 200 protesters set fire to effigy of Barack Obama in the capital of Pakistani administered Kashmir.(Aljazeerah 21sep). Pakistanis are demanding from the government to stop missions with US If they don’t ban this movie altogether, though it was banned later in many Muslim countries on a request from Washington house to goggle. Problem for Pakistani Government: In Pakistan election campaigns are going on and the political parties are engaging mob in violent attacks to make unrest in the country. By highlighting the weaknesses of the government and the wrong dealings of the issue by the government, the other political parties are trying to take advantage of the situation. Many banners in the rallies led by other  political parties demand from government to shut US and French missions in Pakistan which is definitely not possible. So there is a great need to make a well developed strategy through media to handle the situation as president is loosing the popularity because of many stories of the corruption of government and this issue of blasphemy is very complex to handle as the demand to ban this movie cannot be accomplished at once like Pakistani are wishing. so is the case with their demands to shut the missions with US. Objectives of the media plan: 1) Stop the people from violent protests by giving references from Islamic values teaching peace and tolerance. 2) Gain trust and confidence of the people as a responsible government by focusing what government has done to deal with the issue. 3 minimize the nation’s hatred for US and shift their focus from their demands of not to assist US in the war going on in the region. 4) Present your nation’s viewpoint on international forums regarding the issue. Key messages of the plan: 1) By quoting from the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the people should be stopped from making violent protests and showing hatred to other countries as it is leaving a bad image of the nation and the Islam as well. Media should focus how prophet has taught Muslims to be tolerant and how he hated bloodshed and violence. So key message would be â€Å"Islam is a religion of tolerance not of violence†. 2) Key message to the west should be that we respect freedom of speech but reject freedom of hatred. This movie like other blasphemous movies and carton images of prophet Muhammad fall in the category of later. Such laws should be formulated to avoid these distasteful attempts leading to the unrest in the whole world. 3) Focus on requests of Obama’s government to goggle and you tube to ban the video and also tell your nation through the media the U.S effort to make the laws against such blasphemous acts in the future, so that their hatred towards America could be minimized as their demands to shut missions with America are not easy to be considered. Theoretical framework: Edward said’s famous work on the relations of east and west received much criticism that opens with a quotation by Karl Marx: ‘they cannot represent themselves, they must be represented’. So the west took as its responsibility to represent the east and civilize them by calling them uncivilized. Said unfolds the binary opposition as â€Å"self is familiar (Europe, the west, â€Å"us†) and the other is strange (the orient, the east, â€Å"them†) (said, 1978:43) Said asserts that European knowledge of the East goes arm in arm with expansionism, exploration and settlement. He argues that the Orient is constructed and represented in the binary opposition against the Occident, as the Other. In many respects, the Orient is seen by European values, assumptions, and cultural codes and as the Occidents other. He criticizes the way that the Occident views the Orient by her own culturally-determined and biased and limited historical perspectives.(Moosavinia, Niazi Ghaforian,2011) The universal declaration of Human Rights states â€Å"everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression† (United Nations 1948). Some people could argue that they have boundless rights to mock other people’s religious believes including their holy books and holy figures. In the name of freedom of speech, 12 cartoons of Muslims Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)were published by a Danish magazine. The one most debated showed prophet Muhammad as having a bomb in the cloth over his head. (Bond B, 2007) talks about Danish media landscape as â€Å"It is fair to say that the factual social vulnerability, the stereotyping, and the division between â€Å"them† and â€Å"us† in the news media, has created a very hostile rhetoric against visible foreigners and particularly Muslims.â €  He also talks about Danish media representations of Muslim women. â€Å"Appearing in the 1970s the stereotype of minority women as oppressed and battered was prominent from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The  stereotype of oppressed minority women was emphasized by televised pictures of veiled women illustrating many stories about refugees and other immigrants. Another stereotype since the 1970s was the image of immigrant men as hypersexual threats to women† (Green L, Aly A, 2011) state in their research that â€Å"there was some resentment voiced by Muslim respondents in interviews and focus groups that the media did not fully represent the diversity of Muslims and instead perpetuated stereotypes of Muslims: ‘the ugly Muslim male’ and ‘the oppressed Muslim female’. This mediated construction of Muslims was thought to provide an influential pathway for the broader community’s understanding of Muslims.† Reporting on Islam has been a mandatory part of western media agenda. A research about agenda of German media concludes as following. In summarizing the results, it can be said that in non-fictional formats such as magazines, talk shows, documentaries and reportages over 80% of the content reproduces an image of Islam that portrays this religion as a problem and a danger for politics and society. This image of Islam in the non-fictional formats of ARD and ZDF is an exaggerated image of violence and conflict, conveying the impression that Islam is less a religion than a political and social ideology that collides with the morality and values of the West. (Richter C, Hafez K, 2009) Talking about the publication of caricature images of Muslims’ holiest figure of Muslims prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), one can solemnly say that visuals have strong power of global communication. The analysis of one of the images is as following. The turban bomb could also be interpreted as a symbolic depiction of a globe and the Arabic inscription would thus be located in the Middle East. The ideological threat of Islam is translated into a fanaticized face, meant to depict the prophet of Islam, and also the non-communicative attitude of his followers, who are focused on destruction instead of dialogue. This was one of the most criticized of the 12 cartoons, presumably because of its hostile depiction of the prophet, and because of the implication that all Muslims are potentially dangerous suicide-bombers. (Mà ¼ller M Ãâ€"zcan E, Seizov O, 2009). The examination of over 900 Hollywood movies by Jack Shaheen (2001) may be regarded as a cornerstone in Orientalism canon where he argued how the Hollywood film genre has stereotyped the Arab society by representing them  as greedy precarious men and subjugated women. Such stereotyped presentation paves a way in justification of American foreign policy with the Middle East. The continued production and successes of such movies as Black Hawk Down, The Kingdom and The Siege cannot be overlooked in light of the power struggles resulting from the ‘War on Terror’ and hegemonic representations of Muslim men and women in a variety of Western Media. The visual narrative in The Kingdom—with its deployment of the only American female main character, Janet Mayes, whose body was scripted to represent essential differences between white and brown women—illuminates imperialist discourses, with Muslim bodies becoming the battleground upon which such discourses are both visually and literally being fought. It was argued that a critical engagement with Hollywood cinema is necessary to unveil the complex ways in which Muslim bodies are scripted as dangerous, pre-modern and uncivilized in U.S popular culture. (Michelle Aguayo, 2009) Discussion: The concept of binary opposition given by Edward said (1978) op,cit. as â€Å"us† and the â€Å"Others† is applicable to present scenario easily, western media has always presented the eastern countries specially Muslim countries as â€Å"others† uncivilized, savages, brutal, untamed and western countries as â€Å"us† civilized, educated, tamed and rational. Thinking of Agenda setting approach, I can easily relate how western media has set an agenda against Muslims by presenting them always as violent, precarious, killers and women as oppressed. While talking about Danish media landscape, there were riots, protests, boycotts, deaths in Islamic world including the burning of Danish embassies in Syria and Egypt in response to publication of caricature images of prophet Muhammad. But the western media proved so stubborn that 143 newspapers in 56 countries of West re –published the images again after sometime. To mock Muslims’ holy figure, their holy book and to show Muslims stereotype was included in the common agenda of western media. Semiotic theory helps understanding the process of carrying meanings by those images as semiotics refers to Modality, which is a specific way to encode the information for presentation to people and the meaning, is conceived by people as an effect of it. A list of sign types is considered in such presentations like writing, symbol, color, map, index, graph etc. The different people decode all the signs in the same way by a common cognitive  system according to psychology of perception; this concept elucidates how all people about prophet as a terrorist decoded negative messages in such images of prophet Muhammad. The movie â€Å"Innocence of Muslims† brought another catastrophe in the hearts of Muslims that presented prophet Muhammad as a womanizer, child abuser, homosexual and a violent killer. The purpose of this low quality picture is just to mock and insult Islam and prophet Muhammad and the producer gave as many negative attributes to Prophet Muhammad as he could. Agenda setting approach of media can be helpful in understanding the western agenda of presenting Muslims and Islam as dangerous men and violent religion respectively. Another anti-Islamic movie â€Å"fitna† made by a Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, where Quranic versus are shown alongside the scenes of terrorism. Those versus, in reality, are about the wars going on in that era of fourteen hundred years back but without giving the actual context those versus are misrepresented to show that Quran teaches Muslims to be violent killer. And this proved to be another extreme distortion of Islam. (See link in references). The production of such movies by Hollywood confirms common western agenda to present Muslims stereotypes. All these negative connotations continuously given to Islam and Muslims had a power to shape the thinking of people about Muslims as terrorists, that is also explained by Magic Bullet theory that messages by media are so powerful, and act as a bullet shot into the heads of people by shaping the thoughts of people in a magical way. So the people who don’t know much about Islam and Muslims mostly get Muslims as terrorists. Western media has cast a spell over the people by continuous shots of negativity into their heads. Media effects theory elucidates easily such stereotype representations of Muslims as we can see isolation of Muslims in the world and negative concepts of them in the eyes of common people in the west. People in the West always think of Muslims as extremists, the feelings of hatred and fear against Muslims is prevailing in the western society, which is the most visible effect of media’s stereotype presentations. Conclusion: Whenever media takes such blasphemous steps, they take to riots, protest and upheaval in Muslim countries, which may also lead to global political conflicts sometimes. The biased approach to one religion or to one  particular group of people is surely an attempt to divide the world population into the boundaries of pointless hatred. Media should take great care while talking about religion and religious entities. It should consider some ethical limits while talking negative about Islam as it hurts the feelings of almost 2 billion people in the world. references http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0Vj-8dqTMfeature=fvsr http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ET9qez-Kshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HLNawUg_ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUJ6cxWdZwA3s Pakistan hit by anti-Islamic video protests. (2012, September21). Aljazeerah Said,Edward W. (1978). Orientalism. New York. Penguin Moosavinia, S. R., Niazi, N. N., Ghaforian, A. (2011). Edward Saids Orientalism and the Study of the Self and the Other in Orwells Burmese Days. Studies In Literature Language, 2(1), 103-113. Bonde,B. (2007). How 12 Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed were brought to Trigger an International Conflict. NORDICOM Review, 28(1), 33-48 Green, L., Aly, A. (2011). How Australian Muslims Construct Western Fear of the Muslim Other. At The Interface / Probing The Boundaries, 7765-90 Richter C, Hafez K. The image of Islam in German public service television programmes. Journal Of Arab Muslim Media Research [serial on the Internet]. (2009, Dec), [cited October 23, 2012]; 2(3): 169-181. Available from: Communication Mass Media Complete. Mà ¼ller, M. G., Ãâ€"zcan, E., Seizov, O. (2009). Dangerous Depictions: A Visual Case Study of Contemporary Cartoon Controversies. Popular Communication, 7(1), 28-39. doi:10.1080/15405700802598361 Shaheen, Jack. (2001). Reel bad Arabs. New York: Olive Branch Press Aguayo, M. (2009). Representations of Muslim Bodies in The Kingdom: Deconstructing Discourses in Hollywood. Global Media Journal: Canadian Edition, 2(2), 41-56.

The Louis Armstrong Discography :: essays research papers

about the discography -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDEMAN 1923-25 HOT 5 & 7 1925-28 STARDOM 1929-32 THE 30'S 1932-42 WAR YEARS 1942-46 ALL-STARS 1942-56 PURE GOLD 1956-63 TWILIGHT 1963-71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Evolution of the All-Stars feedback credit where it's due other links to louis (c) 1999 scott johnson The Louis Armstrong Discography Most historians agree; when it comes to influential musicians in this century, one name stands above the rest. Not Gershwin or Porter, Lennon or Presley. It is, indeed, Louis Armstrong who blasted the music of the world out of a tired tradition of classic orchestra and mundane Tin Pan Alley pop into the exciting era of hot jazz and swing. Not single-handedly, admittedly; but Armstrong set standards of originality and spontaneity that are yet to be surpassed. Equal parts singer, soloist, and personality, Louis' recordings cover an astounding range of styles and trends. And at every single stage of his career, he produced work of such staggering quality that it was never possible to dismiss this musical icon. Born in 1900, his life paralleled many of the twists and turns of the middle century. In the twenties, he stunned his jazz peers with an instrumental originality they had never imagined. The thirties saw him rise to the top of the pop music echelon, as his peerless personality swept up admiring listeners of all colors. The forties brought both a sinking of fortunes, with a ban on recording during the war, and a bold resurgence at the end of the decade. By the fifties, Louis' voice mellowed into an evocative instrument of its own, capable of elevating a novelty like "Mack the Knife" or a ballad like "That Old Feeling" into timeless mementos. Even in his final years, though deprived of the facility to make his famous cornet produce the kind of stirring sound that first brought him recognition, Louis Armstrong had the clout to create his most famous hits.

Biblical Terms Used in Counseling Essay

Dr. William Roberts LaTonia Watkins Liberty University COUN 501 December 18, 2009 Abstract The topic of counseling has been up for discussion for sometime as it relates to the spiritual or biblical aspect versus the worldview or secular concept. There has been some disagreement in regards to whether or not one can be a Christian counselor who have a level of morals and ethics that will allow them to not let their own personal beliefs affect the level of service they provide, when faced with an issue that goes against their beliefs. Upon conducting a biblical word search for counsel or counseling related terms it becomes evident that the core principles and foundation of counseling is found throughout the bible. The information obtained will detail the usefulness of the Bible in engaging in a meaningful as well as effective counseling profession. Biblical Terms Used In Counseling There has been much dispute as to the usefulness and validity for using biblical concepts in counseling. The most common disagreement is found between counseling professionals and Christian counseling professionals. Pride (2006) states, â€Å"psychology approaches human behavior from a secular, humanistic perspective. † Accordingly, Biblical revelation is irrelevant to understanding or changing human behavior. Psychology seeks to describe and explain human behavior apart from what God has clearly revealed. Its premises are derived from man-made theories, human wisdom and research conducted without a corresponding search for truth as God defines truth. Clinton and Ohlschlager (2002) have a different opinion of counseling and prefer using the Bible stating â€Å"secular psychology begins with a study of man’s ideas; Biblical counseling begins with a study of the Word of God as it relates to human behavior and human need. Therefore it is dependent upon the revealed mind of God rather than the easily deceived mind of man. † However it does not begin with God, it follows a path that lines up with the Word of God and examines man’s problems in light of God’s responses. The two aforementioned viewpoints are clear cut examples of the differences in opinions and viewpoints for counseling from a secular perspective as well as the religious perspective. Another view of counseling attempts to integrate religion/biblical views or perspectives with psychological counseling which is known as the secular-humanist view. Some view counseling as a process of prayerfully and sensitively listening to another person (Proverbs 18:13, 17), helping discern soul needs and providing biblical advice towards changing the attitudes and behaviors towards modeling God. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the validity of the Bible as a source for counseling and to expand the overall view of counseling perspectives. By examining words and concepts in the Bible as they relate to counseling the relationship between the two will be discovered. Using Biblical concepts adds depth and enriches the counseling relationship (Pride, 2006). Also addressed in this paper will be the ways of Biblical terms and their relationship to modern counseling concepts. Biblical counseling terms can provide a useful tool for counseling as well as allows for an understanding of counseling concepts in the field of counseling. Biblical Words Related to Counseling Counsel The term counsel is found to be translated 80 times throughout the King James Version of the bible which includes 74 verses between the Old Testament and the New Testament combined. According to the word search the term counsel is used interchangeably with several terms in the bible such as advise (Qal), consult (Nipal) and conspire (Hithpael). Judges 18:5 â€Å"They said, ‘Oh, good- inquire of God for us. Find out whether our mission will be a success. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ In this passage they are seeking (consult) God for his guidance (advise) in regards to the outcome of their mission. I Kings 12:8-9 â€Å"But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he’d grown up with who were now currying his favor, ‘What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, give us a break from your father’s harsh ways- lighten up on us’? † This passage also shows an example of someone seeking advice in their situation. Mark 3:6 â€Å"The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him. † This scripture details how the Pharisees consulted together and decide that they would join forces with Herod’s followers and go against Jesus. John 18:14 â€Å"It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people. † In this scripture Caiaphas is advising (counseling) the people on Jesus dying for the people. Advise The word advise has 947 different translations in 873 versus in the King James Version of the Bible and is derived from the Hebrew word ya-ats, meaning to know, learn to know, to perceive, see and discern, to name a few. These translations were only referenced to the Old Testament according to Blue Letter Bible; however after cross referencing with Crosswalk, New Testament scriptures were listed as well. Exodus 18:19 â€Å"Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. † This scripture details Moses father in law advising him to be there for the people, however to allow God to handle everything and work things out for them. I Kings 12:6 â€Å"King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive. ‘What’s your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people? ’† In this scripture the King is seeking to be counseled and advised from the elders as to how he should treat the people. Acts 21:21 â€Å"They’ve been told that you advise believing Jews who live surrounded by Gentiles to go light on Moses, telling them that they don’t need to circumcise their children or keep up the old traditions. This isn’t sitting at all well with them. † In this scripture they are discussing getting advise as to whether they should follow the traditional teachings of Moses and allow their children to be circumcised or if they should go against tradition. Help The word help appears 126 times in 117 versus throughout the King James Version of the Bible the Old and New Testament according to Blue letter Bible. Help is listed as to help (Qal), succor (Niphal), or support (Hiphil) which is defined as to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; to contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; to cooperate effectively (Webster 2005). Genesis 2:18 â€Å"God said, ‘It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion. ’† In this scripture help is being used in the form of God giving Adam a companion in order for him to no longer be alone. Mark 9:24 â€Å"No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, ‘Then I believe. Help me with my doubts! ’† In this scripture the father of the demon possessed boy was seeking Jesus’ help with casting the demon out of his son. The father was acknowledging that he had a need of Jesus and that he knew that Jesus could help him, although a part of him had doubts, I would venture to say it was because the disciples had tried to cast the demon out of the boy and were unable to do so. Advice The word advice appears 9 times in 9 versus in the King James Version of the Bible and is derived from the Hebrew word dabar, meaning speech, word, speaking, thing. II Samuel 19:43 â€Å"And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said , We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. † In this scripture they are seeking advice as to why they were not sought out first as to the decision regarding bringing back the king. I Corinthians 1:10 â€Å"I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. † In this scripture Paul is giving the people advice on getting along with each other and learning to be considerate. Discussion After completing this assignment and getting the information and knowledge gained from this course I can say that my view of counseling has changed. Although I have read the bible many times, and I am taking up Professional Counseling, it did not occur to me until this assignment how the bible is definitely the foundation for any counseling practice. When you look at some of the terms used to describe Jesus in the text,( i. e. Master, Teacher, Counselor, etc. ) it puts things in to perspective as to where the foundation of counseling began. Jesus is the central focus of counseling and the exemplar of the Wonderful Counselor. The Bible is about counseling, giving both understanding of people and methods of ministering to people. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is the only worthy goal of counseling. (Carson, 2005). The Bible is authoritative, relevant and comprehensively sufficient for counseling. God has spoken to every issue that humans could possible face in the 66 Books of the Bible, which establishes the goal of counseling, how to change, what the role of the counselor is, counseling methods and so much more. The Bible’s view of counseling defines a distinctive ideal for how we as humans should live. The image of Christ is a familiar item in Christian profession, but its implications are often ignored when it comes to counseling. Much of the difficulty of counseling consists in sustaining suffers in hope through the comforts of the gospel. Counseling is simply the personalized ministry of the Bible, tailored to the particular situations and problems of individuals and small groups. In Genesis, God led the way when he was talking to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden regarding the decision they made to disobey his word and follow the serpent. Although this is a clear cut example of God counseling the two (advising, consulting, teaching, helping, etc. ), I don’t think we (society) really looks at this situation in regards to a counseling aspect. Models of spiritual counseling in the Bible can serve as important templates for counseling in the professional (secular) as well as the Christian aspects. The emphasis on communication and relationships implies the concept of involvement which is dependent on availability to council (Acts 20:31) and the importance of balance in the process of counseling, (Galatians 6:2 and 6:5). Conclusion There are so many more words that are found in the counseling sector that are used throughout the Bible this paper only included a few. Hathaway (2009) talks about Proverbs and Psalms being gold mines of wisdom and consolation relevant to counseling. The words from the Bible relating to counseling enhances counseling and are deemed appropriate as they relate to counseling outside the Christian realm. A concern that arose while doing the research is that the Biblical counseling aspect is non-subjective and refers to the counsel and the instructive power of God through the Holy Spirit. Biblical words in counseling are the foundation from where counseling stems, which reiterates that there is nothing new under the sun as it relates to what can be found in the Word of God. McMinn (1996 )states scripture and the counseling approach God enjoins, treats all of human life. The Bible’s counseling, on which we must seek to model our own counseling, speaks to the gamut of problems in living. Scripture comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable, turning people from foolishness to wisdom in every area: e. g. , learning to conciliate and to build constructive relationships in family, church, workplace, and neighborhood; attitudes and practices regarding finances and material possessions; responding to physical health or illness, to wealth or poverty, to success or failure, to acceptance or rejection; self-and other deception; addictive behaviors; the gamut of emotions, whether dysphoric (e. . , anger, depression, anxiety, fear, guilt) or euphoric (e. g. , love, happiness, joy, gratitude, confidence); decision-making; the response to suffering and bereavement; and so forth. In relation to using the Bible as a counseling tools it is best summed by Walker (2005) the Bible is sufficient to provide a systematic approach to counseling. The Bible pr ovides and models both counsel and counseling, teaching us to do likewise, with the intention of changing and sustaining people.

Oh captain my captain Essay

â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† is a poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865. The poem is classified as an elegy because it is a mourning poem that was written in the memory of someone. The poem was written to honor Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Walt Whitman was born in 1819 and died in 1892, so he lived through the American Civil War. Being born close to the founding of the country, he knew people that were a part of the American Revolution. Through this he experienced the unification and division of the United States. Walt Whitman was extremely patriotic and wrote many poems about the prominence of America. He also wrote poems about urging people to fight for what is right. The poem was known as one of the greatest poems written at the time of the Civil War. The main political and social issue during Whitman’s time was slavery and the rights of African Americans. Whitman was self-described as the poet of America and, during the Civil War, the Un ion. Whitman wanted to see the end of slavery; this was his hope for America. However, it broke his heart to see the nation fighting. He admired Abraham Lincoln immensely because of his political standpoint of universal equality as stated in the constitution. The captain in the poem refers to Abraham Lincoln who is the captain of the ship; this represents the United States of America. The first line establishes a happy mood as it addresses the captain. The phrase â€Å"our fearful trip is done† is talking about the end of the Civil War. The next line references the ship, America, and how it has â€Å"weathered every rack†, meaning America has braved the tough storm of the Civil War, and â€Å"the prize we sought†, the end of slavery, â€Å"is won†. The following line expresses a mood of jubilation of the Union winning the war as it says â€Å"the people all exulting†; however, the next line swiftly shifts the mood when it talks of the grimness of the ship, and the darker side of the war. Many lost their lives in the American Civil War, and although the prize that was sought was won, the hearts still ache amidst the exultation of the people. The repetition of heart in line five calls attention to the poet’s vast grief and heartache because the Captain has bled and lies still, cold, and dead (lines six through eight). This is no doubt referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Whitman’s sorrow for the death of his idol. In the second stanza the speaker again calls out to the Captain in a light-hearted manner and dictates to â€Å"rise up and hear the bells†, to join in on the celebration of the end of the war. The next three lines tell the  captain to â€Å"rise up† and join in on the revelries because it is for him. He is the reason for their merriment: â€Å"for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; for you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding; for you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning†. Everyone is celebrating what Lincoln accomplished; this is not only the abolishment of slavery but also the format ion of the Union and the coming together of people. Again the poet calls to the Captain as if he had never fallen. The poet does not wish to acknowledge the death of his beloved Captain, and he even asks if it is some dream (line 15) that the Captain has fallen â€Å"cold and dead†. The third stanza begins in a somber mood as the poet has finally accepted that the Captain is dead and gone. Here there is vivid and darker imagery such as â€Å"his lips are pale and still† and the reader can picture the dead Captain lying there still and motionless with â€Å"no pulse nor will†. In line 17, the poet calls out â€Å"My Captain,† and in line 18, the poet refers to the Captain as â€Å"My father†. This is referring to Lincoln as the father of the United States. Lines 19 and 20 are concluding statements that summarize the entire poem. The United States is â€Å"anchor’d safe and sound†. It is safe now from war with â€Å"its voyage closed and done, from fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won†. The country has accomplished its goal of the abolishment of slavery and the unification of people after a fearful war. In line 21, the examples of apostrophe, ordering â€Å"shores to exult,† and â€Å"bells to ring† are again referring to how the nation is celebrating while â€Å"I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead†. Throughout the paper there is a distinct rhyme scheme, which is unusual for Whitman. The rhyme scheme in â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† is AABCDEFE, GGHIJEKE, and LLMNOEPE for each stanza respectively. Two examples of alliteration are in line 10 â€Å"flag is flung†, as well as in line 19 â€Å"safe and sound†. Repetition occurs many times in this poem, for example â€Å"O Captain! My Captain†, and â€Å"fallen cold and dead†.

Gulliver essays

Gulliver essays The screen adaptation of Jonathan Swifts novel, Gullivers Travels, tells of what happened to Dr. Lemuel Gulliver, portrayed by Ted Danson, nine years after he set sail from England and returns home bedraggled and disoriented. His faithful wife, portrayed by Mary Steenburgen, is delighted to see him, but also troubled, for in Gulliver's absence the conniving Dr. Bates, portrayed by James Fox, has taken over Gulliver's home and practice and is also trying to force Gulliver's wife to marry him. During his recovery, Gulliver raves and acts out his fantastic adventures at sea wherein he encountered the diminutive but contentious Lilliputians, the gigantic Brobdingnag's and their egalitarian society, the Laputas, who live upon a flying island, and the Houyhnhnm land, intelligent talking horses living in a land populated by wild humans called yahoos. Scenes of his adventures are deftly interspersed with Gulliver's present predicament in which Dr. Bates, wanting Lemuel's wife and son, has pl aced the traveler in Bethlehem, London's famous insane asylum where he awaits a hearing to determine his sanity. During this trial, the doctors judging him believe him to be insane and question his stories as he states that a race of horses was superior over that of mans. Only when Gulliver's young son, Tom, shows up with proof of the existence of Lilliput do they believe him and Gulliver is then released. At first I was a little confused at the way the movie was unfolding because the scenes were shifting to the shipwreck of Gullivers boat and his voyage to Lilliput to that of his familys discovery of his return home in the stables. I then realized that the story was a flashback as Lemuel recounts his story to his son, his wife and the doctors holding him in the insane asylum. I was also a little confused with the storyline itself since I know that in the novel, Gulliver returns home after each voyage to these unknown lands...

What Are the Strength and Weakness of Classical School Essays

What Are the Strength and Weakness of Classical School Essays What Are the Strength and Weakness of Classical School Paper What Are the Strength and Weakness of Classical School Paper As Oliver Wendel Holmes quoted, â€Å"When we want to know what is going on today or want to make sure what will happen tomorrow, I will look back the past. † We can find out the process of development from this sphere to nowadays in a deep-going way by reviewing organizational behavior history which has gone through Classical School of Management, Behavioral School of Management and Human Relations School of Management. Organizations can be viewed as two or more people coordinate and combine in use of their knowledge as well as technique for the purpose of accomplishing common objectives that transform resources into goods and service which are needed by consumers. Organizational behavior refers to the systematic study that primarily access influence of individuals, groups and structure on interior organizational conducts in order that organizational effectiveness can be improved and perceived. The Classical School of Management was effectively the first coherent set of theoretical perspectives about organization and management covering Scientific Management, Administrative Management and structuralized Management. As we know, F W Taylor, Henri Faylor, and Max Weber are outstanding contributors of Classical School of management thought who made great contribution and laid a foundation for contemporary management. F W Taylor Taylor is the founding father of Classical School of management thought, who advocates scientific management and attached importance to heighten effectiveness of workers through greatly improving workers’ productivity leading to maximized benefit of workers and employers caused due to scientific management. His works named â€Å"The Principles of Scientific Management† was published in the early 1900s. In the initial stage, Taylor was being affected by some moral principles; therefore, he had a profound respect for the following principles, Brought up scientific working methods for basic formative section of each staff’s job Scientifically selected, trained, fostered and cultivated the workers. Cooperated with staffs enthusiastically so that ensuring jobs done are suitable to scientific theory which has been set forth. Basically actualized equal division of labor between jobs and responsibilities of the managements and the workers. All work processes should be systematically analyzed and broke down into specialized discrete tasks. Payment depended on piecework basis which taken as an incentive to maximize productivity and produce high wages for the workers. At the same time, his insufficient understanding towards organizational behavior gave rise to the following situations, Changed worker’s role into that was required to strictly abide by methods and procedures of affairs on which they had no discretions. Fragmentation of work due to its emphasis on the analysis and organization of individual tasks and operation,. His thought over payment that was mainly reliance on output performance rather than giving remuneration to workers in accordance with overall performance of the workers’. His inclination to consider planning and control of workforce activities which were only in the managements’ hands rather than allowing staffs to involve. Every job which was measured, timed, and rated. Occurrence of boredom stemmed from repetitive jobs and tight management control. Poor understanding between grass-roots workers and managements. Henri Fayol Fayol is the representative of Classical School of management thought. Administrative management is the managerial mode he stood for where it applied essential points to administrative management principles of controllers. His famous works, â€Å" Industrial management and common managementâ€Å", divided management into five segments. Therefore, it denoted controllers were to carry out the five segments, i. e. to forecast , to organize, to command, to coordinate, to control. By now, these five segments are still the functional basis and basic process by which controllers research into management. According to his thought over management, therefore, 14 â€Å"principles of organization† came into being. 4 universal principals of the organization Division of work Professionally increased output through improving effectiveness of the workers. Authority The managers were required to be good at giving commands as authority conferred them right to do so but responsibility were accompanying authority. Discipline The workers must adhere to and respect organizational rules and regulations. The managers and workers must have clear understanding towards organizational rules and regulations. Organization must enforce effective sanction upon those workers who broke organizational rules and regulations. Interests of the individual should subordinate to interests of the collective Interests of Any individuals or groups should not exceed organizational interest as the collective. Remuneration It was required to improve the workers’jobs and offer equal wages treatment. Concentration of power It refers the level of the workers’ involvement in decision-making. Scalar chain. The establishment of a â€Å" line of authority† by which communication must comply with the chain by levels of authority from the seniors to the subordinate. Order. The workers and substance should be on the corresponding position at appropriate time. Equality. Managers ought to keep kindness and equality for the workers. Stability of employees’ terms of office as high mobile labor would lead to low effectiveness and efficiency. Initiative When being allowed to participate in formulation and enforcement of planning, employees would complete works with their great efforts. Stability of employees’ terms of office. High mobile labor would lead to low effectiveness. The managers should formulate plans of human affairs in order as to find the right substitute as positions appeared vacant. Espirt de corps. It publicized that esprit de corps would be established and unified harmoniously. There is no doubt that Fayol did have misunderstanding towards the organizational behavior. This can be discerned from which he hypothesized universal principles that were applicable to all organizational situations; only acknowledged the formal organization and focused on the structure of organizations; took management as critical paternalistic; his ideas was stiff to desires and needs of both individuals and groups; his rational and deterministic approach lacked suitability towards structures and behaviors of people as individuals and groups; the 14 universal principles set forth by him were not will fit into an organic organization; Max Weber Weber, as a matter of fact, tended to be an academic with an interest in authority structure. His works, â€Å" Theory of Social and Economic Organization†, coined the term â€Å" bureaucracy†, which can be viewed as an attempt to build up a reasonable and legal basis for the authority and an arrangement for the purpose of selecting people and undertaking various sorts of activities. Bureaucratic type of organizational structure defined by Weber is be of the following characteristics, Works of specialization It decomposed works into different kinds of simple, daily, and detailed tasks. Hierarchy of authority. Responsibilities and positions were organized by hierarchy. Each low-grade position was monitored and controlled by the high-grade position. Formal selection. All organizational members were selected on the basis of qualification of technique, which certified by training, education, formal examinations. Impersonality When applying rules and regulations, it was required to avoid involvement of character and personal preference. Orientation of occupation. Managers were professional leaders. They worked for steady salary and developed their careers within the organization. However, Weber did not fully understand organization behavior as he inherited much common ground of Taylor’s scientific management and Fayol’s administrative management. Since it is so, his works is relatively regulated and prescribed leading to little sphere left for autonomy and originality; Individuals were constrained in the act of impersonal and rational ways after determining affairs demonstrated in the stressful world; He emphasized organizational efficiency but which would produce expense of flexibility at the request of rapid change; Impersonality might cause inequality of treatment and unfairness in the non-standard case, which reduces personal interaction; he allowed no mechanism for challenging the bureaucracy; rules became constraints to employees rather than an aid to organizational effectiveness and performance. Taylor, Fayol and Weber, anyhow, are considered to omit one point which insists on that people are core of organization. However, theories of Taylor, Fayol, and Weber had disseminated seeks for organizational behaviors. Their thought has great impact on development and demarcation of organizational behavior.

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995 At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a 5,000-pound bomb, hidden inside a rented Ryder truck, exploded just outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion caused massive damage to the building and killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children. Those responsible for what became known as the Oklahoma City Bombing were home-grown terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This deadly bombing was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack. Why Did McVeigh Plant the Bomb? On April 19, 1993, the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian cult (led by David Koresh) at the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ended in a fiery tragedy. When the FBI tried to end the standoff by gassing the complex, the entire compound went up in fire, claiming the lives of 75 followers, including many young children. The death toll was high and many people blamed the U.S. government for the tragedy. One such person was Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF. Preparing for the Attack Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas. On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bombs fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley. He then started to jog. The Explosion at the Murrah Federal Building On the morning of April 19, 1995, most employees of the Murrah Federal Building had already arrived at work and children had already been dropped off at the daycare center when the huge explosion tore through the building at 9:02 a.m. Nearly the entire north face of the nine-story building was pulverized into dust and rubble. It took weeks of sorting through debris to find the victims. In all, 168 people were killed in the explosion, which included 19 children. One nurse was also killed during the rescue operation. Capturing Those Responsible Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate. When the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, the officer arrested McVeigh on a firearms charge. Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed. Terry Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeighs plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998, Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma. He was found guilty of 161 counts of murder and sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences. A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998, for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion. A Memorial What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Negligent Tort Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negligent Tort - Research Paper Example Elements of a negligent tort To file a successful case of unintentional tort, it is the duty of the plaintiff to prove that the defendant owed a duty of care towards the plaintiff. Duty of care refers to an individual’s obligation towards another individual to minimize and remove all foreseeable and avoidable risks (Miller, 2007, 95). A negligent tort case can be filed against a person if the individual is inattentive, fails to foresee an avoidable risk and, therefore, is unable to eliminate that risk. For example: if an individual holds a party on his property, it becomes his duty to inform the guests of all the negative and positive effects of attending the party and it is his duty to ensure that all the potential and avoidable risks are eliminated. The second element of unintentional tort is the breach of duty of care by the defendant, whether the defendant has breached his duty of care depends on the factual evidence of the case. In a tort case, the defendant is compared t o a reasonable person, if the defendant has not acted as a reasonable person should have, he is considered to be liable. The law helps the plaintiff in identifying whether the defendant has breached his duty. ... If harm has been caused, then it is obligatory for the defendant to compensate for the loss. The fourth element is the proximate and actual cause and effect relationship between the loss faced by plaintiff and the unintentional harm caused by the defendant. Actual cause and effect relationship refers to the fact that the harm was actually caused by the defendant to the plaintiff. For example: a huge number of accidents take place every day, sometimes those not involved in the accident become victims due to bad luck or negligent behavior by the victim, in such cases, the defendant cannot be held responsible in the case of negligent tort. Proximate cause refers to whether the defendant should be held responsible for negligent behavior according to fairness, practicality, rule and common sense. Remedies According to the law, there are different kinds of remedies when the plaintiff is successful in proving a negligent tort case. Remedies include; compensatory remedy, according to compens atory remedy, the plaintiff is to be compensated for both emotional as well as monetary losses (Walston-Dunham, 2012, p.227). Emotional losses include pain and hurt and monetary losses include loss of wages or property. Emotional damages fall under the category of General losses and monetary losses fall in the category of compensatory damages. The defendant may even have to pay for the replacement of loss in case of compensatory damage. These remedies are used both in intentional as well as unintentional torts. In severe cases and mostly in cases of intentional tort, the defendant may even face punitive damages; punitive damages may include punishing the individual who has been held accountable for

Shopster Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Shopster - Case Study Example The retailers make this business to be what it is. They form the customer base, thus making the business to be vibrant. The customer base is the single most important entity in the business. Thus, retailers sustain the business by shopping for products online, hence boosting the capital base of the business. Retailers also help in reaching other customers who with time get to know this online business entity. The strength of this business entity is that it does not face a lot of competition from other businesses. This makes it capitalize on sales in the absence of other business entities. The business also uses less capital to operate, thus being able to maximize on profits. The business should be able to perfect their businesses through proper and serious marketing. Through marketing, the business becomes well known thus it does not struggle to have customers come on board. Branding should also be done to make the business more unique and versatile. This should not only be on the products, but also on the online

CAN COMPASSION BE TAUGHT An exploration of the concept of teaching Literature review

CAN COMPASSION BE TAUGHT An exploration of the concept of teaching compassion to nursing staff within the field of dementia - Literature review Example In this regard, a framework was developed using the guide for critiquing quantitative research suggested by Coughlan, Cronin and Ryan (2007) and the guide for critiquing qualitative research suggested by Ryan, Coughlan and Cronin (2007). Ten journal articles were selected using an exclusion and inclusion criteria based on relevance, appropriateness and the most recent research on the subject under investigation. A Fishbone analysis was conducted to determine the challenges for implementing and using compassion in the delivery of care to patients with dementia for determining the extent to which compassion can be taught as revealed in the literature. Results: The results of the study indicate that nursing staff delivering care to dementia patients and dealing with families and carers are at an increased risk of compassion fatigue. The results indicate that compassion can be taught directly and indirectly provided the welfare and wellbeing of nurses are safeguarded and promoted. Discus sion: Implications for practice and directions for further research are discussed. The limitations and strengths of the research are also discussed. Conclusion: It is concluded that in order to successfully teach and maintain compassion in the context of nursing staff in the field of dementia, three approaches have to be taken. ... dementia are at an increased risk of suffering compassion fatigue, efforts must be made to safeguard the welfare and well-being of nursing staff to ensure that they are retained and nurses do not become over-burdened with an imbalance in demand and supply. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Chapter One: Introduction and Background 4 1.1.Introduction 4 1.2.Background 5 1.3.Aim of the Study 7 1.3.1.Objectives of the Study 7 1.3. Research Methods 8 Chapter Two: A Critical Review of Literature 11 2.1. Compassion: Definition and Concepts 12 2.2. The Role of Compassion in the Care of Dementia Patients 15 2.3. Teaching Compassion to Nursing Staff in the Field of Dementia 20 Chapter Three: Findings and Conclusion 28 3.1. Findings and Conclusion 29 3.2. Implications for Practice 34 3.3. Suggestions for Further Research 36 3.4. Limitations of the Study 36 3.5. Strengths of the Study 37 Bibliography 37 Chapter One: Introduction and Background 1.1. Introduction Compassion is described as a significant quality in nursing that has an impact on the care delivered to patients (Kret, 2011). With respect to patients suffering from dementia, care science theorises that core competence and skills among nursing staff includes patience, consideration and compassion (Rundqvist & Severinsson, 1999). However, studies have shown that caregivers administering care to patients suffering from dementia are at a heightened risk of suffering from ‘compassion fatigue† (Day & Anderson, 2011, p. 2). Compassion fatigue is associated with a lack of nursing staff juxtaposed against increasing patient demands and the physical and mental burdens nursing staff confront in meeting increased patient care demands (Bush, 2009). Effective nursing care for patients with dementia is accomplished by the ability to look

Business Environment for IKEA UK Research Paper

Business Environment for IKEA UK - Research Paper Example The product is packed flat for easy assembly at home by the customer. IKEA began in 1943 in a small farming village in Sweden. Ingvar Kamprad started the business at age 17 and used his own initials plus the first letters of Elmtyrid and Agunnaryd, the farm and village where he grew up, to create the name IKEA. Although it didn't start out as a furniture company, furniture became the focus of the business in the 1950s when IKEA turned its problems into opportunities (About IKEA: Timeline) by: The IKEA group has 90,000 co-workers and operates in 44 countries, and the unique focus of IKEA UK continues to be on its customers, offering eye-appealing furniture design and keeping prices low by finding ways to shorten the route from manufacture to customer without detriment to the quality and ease of assembly for the buyer (About IKEA: in the world). A SWOT analysis of the organisation shows internal and external factors which affect its overall identity in the global marketplace. According to Wikipedia, Albert Humphrey developed the SWOT analysis in a research project for Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s. It evaluates strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in an organisation-the first two internal, the second two external. IKEA's major strengths are brand recognition, customer communication and staff satisfaction. One of the most difStrengths: Brand Recognition One of the most difficult selling points to establish in an organisation is positive brand recognition. Over time, IKEA UK has managed to do this by not compromising on its promise to its customers to maintain brand quality, easy construction and low prices. In addition, the packaging of the various components is personalised by simplifying instructions (the need for the customer to buy an electrical cord for a lighting product is shown by a simple sketch of the cord on the package) and creating a connection between the customer and the company by giving the product a unique name and printing the designer's name on the package. The personal touch establishes the brand and makes the customer feel a special bond. An additional benefit for the customer is the ability to design a complete room and to be given a copy of the plan if the purchase will be made at a later time. Strengths: Customer Communication Good leadership creates good business practices. Never has this been more evident than with the IKEA group. The organisation started its first store in the United Kingdom in 1987, and as it expanded, customer satisfaction was key. Convenient IKEA distribution centres in different sections of the UK offer customers the opportunity to go directly to the warehouse and centre and pick up materials after utilising the IKEA OnlineWeb site to design and order whole rooms of furniture (Investor). By encouraging the "IKEA Way," the company has established its unique methods-according to CEO Peter Hogsted, "we do 50-you do 50" (Lewis, par. 20). Another area of customer relations is recognizing concern for the environment, and IKEA was the first to suggest reuseable

Construction Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction Project Management - Essay Example literatures related to this research topic are: Google Search Engine, Emrald Library Database, Proquest Library Database, Glion Library Database, and EBSCO Library Database among others. The keywords and/or keyword phrases used in this search include: Culture and project management, Factors affecting project management, Organization culture and project management, politics and construction, construction projects jointly undertaken, and multinational construction projects. After the search engine displayed result, only relevant materials were selected since not all the materials from the search results were helpful. For example, only materials that integrated culture with project management were selected, and more emphasis was given to those materials relating culture with construction projects. It is important to note that Google search engine was used mainly to search for construction projects being undertaken or those that have been completed, and are being affected by culture or w ere affected by culture (including organization culture). The other search engines (in this case Library databases) were used to search for the connection between construction project management and culture. These were related to the identified construction projects in order to identify the how organization culture normally affect project management. Literature Review Justification of use of non-peer reviewed sources Before proceeding to the literature review it is important to mention that some sources used in this section are not peer reviewed. This due to the fact finding six projects jointly undertaken by two nations in peer reviewed articles is a great challenge. The non-peer reviewed sources used in this section of the paper are mainly web sources. Politics affects everything in all... This paper stresses that other than the typical constrains of managing construction projects such as time, cost and scope, there exist a number of factors that may inhibit successful completion of construction projects however how well a construction Manager may be. The problem may become worse while managing projects that are jointly undertaken by two nations. Some of these factors may include construction projects being undertaken by two nations are: politics between the involved nations, cultural differences, and national culture. A number of projects have been hampered by these factors while others have been completed. Completion of some of these projects has been after overcoming challenges while other projects have even failed to commence due to political interests and differences. This paper makes a conclusion that the success of these projects is a result of including and solving the various internal and external factors that may be associated with the projects in the designing and planning face. Therefore, in order that projects are completed successfully, it is important that the various aspects are integrated while planning for these projects. The author of the paper among the projects that have been hampered by politics are South-Sudan- Kenya oil pipeline project, the Mexico Fence Border project, and Channel Tunnel Project among others. Amongst the ones that have been completed with schedule, budget and scope are: Upgrading of Pacific Highway project and Oresund Bridge project among others.

Servant Leadership for Minorities Research Paper

Servant Leadership for Minorities - Research Paper Example Diversity has two dimensions that are primary and secondary. There are some aspects of an individual’s personality that cannot be changed. Besides, such aspects of the human personality are mostly obvious and known to the people because of their being visible and easily discernable. Such aspects of diversity are called primary dimensions and they include within their ambit, attributes like age, race, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities and disabilities and sexual orientation. A gross stereotyping of the people based on their primary dimensions can cause tremendous hurt and does have the potential to give way to a conflict. Secondary dimensions are the aspects of human personality over which individuals have some control. People mostly do have the power to alter the secondary dimensions of their existence. Besides, secondary dimensions are the aspects of human personality, which they can conceal or reveal as per their convenience. Secondary dimensions usually consist of attributes like work background, economic status, marital status, functional specialty, job level, religious beliefs, thinking style, geographic location, parental status, education, communication style etc. Diverse leadership teams always accrue multiple benefits to organizations. Recognition of and acceptance of diversity by the leadership in any organization improve organizational performance. Once people get assured that their diversity is acceptable and normal, they tend to spend less time in reacting to unlawful or perceived discrimination. ... Such aspects of diversity are called primary dimensions and they include within their ambit, attributes like age, race, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities and disabilities and sexual orientation. A gross stereotyping of the people based on their primary dimensions can cause tremendous hurt and does have the potential to give way to a conflict. Secondary dimensions are the aspects of human personality over which individuals have some control. People mostly do have the power to alter the secondary dimensions of their existence and are usually less sensitive about them. Besides, secondary dimensions are the aspects of human personality, which they can conceal or reveal as per their convenience. Secondary dimensions usually consist of attributes like work background, economic status, marital status, functional specialty, job level, religious beliefs, thinking style, geographic location, parental status, education, communication style etc. (Loden & Rosener 25).Diverse leadership teams always accrue multiple benefits to organizations. Recognition of and acceptance of diversity by the leadership in any organization improves organizational performance. Once people get assured that their diversity is acceptable and normal, they tend to spend less time in reacting to or worrying about unlawful or perceived discrimination and harass ment (Parrillo 27). Acceptance of diversity enhances people's self-esteem and leads to better work place relations. A leadership sensitive to the diversity of the employees serving in an organization encourages people to bring out the best in them. This leads to a positive and favorable self-image. Acceptance and proper management of diversity tremendously improves the problem solving abilities of

Construction Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction Project Management - Essay Example literatures related to this research topic are: Google Search Engine, Emrald Library Database, Proquest Library Database, Glion Library Database, and EBSCO Library Database among others. The keywords and/or keyword phrases used in this search include: Culture and project management, Factors affecting project management, Organization culture and project management, politics and construction, construction projects jointly undertaken, and multinational construction projects. After the search engine displayed result, only relevant materials were selected since not all the materials from the search results were helpful. For example, only materials that integrated culture with project management were selected, and more emphasis was given to those materials relating culture with construction projects. It is important to note that Google search engine was used mainly to search for construction projects being undertaken or those that have been completed, and are being affected by culture or w ere affected by culture (including organization culture). The other search engines (in this case Library databases) were used to search for the connection between construction project management and culture. These were related to the identified construction projects in order to identify the how organization culture normally affect project management. Literature Review Justification of use of non-peer reviewed sources Before proceeding to the literature review it is important to mention that some sources used in this section are not peer reviewed. This due to the fact finding six projects jointly undertaken by two nations in peer reviewed articles is a great challenge. The non-peer reviewed sources used in this section of the paper are mainly web sources. Politics affects everything in all... This paper stresses that other than the typical constrains of managing construction projects such as time, cost and scope, there exist a number of factors that may inhibit successful completion of construction projects however how well a construction Manager may be. The problem may become worse while managing projects that are jointly undertaken by two nations. Some of these factors may include construction projects being undertaken by two nations are: politics between the involved nations, cultural differences, and national culture. A number of projects have been hampered by these factors while others have been completed. Completion of some of these projects has been after overcoming challenges while other projects have even failed to commence due to political interests and differences. This paper makes a conclusion that the success of these projects is a result of including and solving the various internal and external factors that may be associated with the projects in the designing and planning face. Therefore, in order that projects are completed successfully, it is important that the various aspects are integrated while planning for these projects. The author of the paper among the projects that have been hampered by politics are South-Sudan- Kenya oil pipeline project, the Mexico Fence Border project, and Channel Tunnel Project among others. Amongst the ones that have been completed with schedule, budget and scope are: Upgrading of Pacific Highway project and Oresund Bridge project among others.

The Images of Women Used In Mass-Culture Advertising Assignment

The Images of Women Used In Mass-Culture Advertising - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that there is a global tendency that has been emphasized by researchers – a kind of â€Å"international† practice of mass-media that is aimed at promoting consumerism ideology. Different â€Å"know-how† in the sphere of media is used to make this promotion especially effective. Globalization process is thought to be interconnected with consumerism. Apart from satisfying certain needs of humans, goods and services are included into the social and cultural sphere of people’s lives and acquire social meaning. The research of consumer behavior showed that consumption is more than the act of satisfying needs – in fact, it is the production of symbols as well. For example, we buy luxurious flats, brand-new models of cars, or modern clothes so that to send the message to people around us: â€Å"I am up-to-date and with huge income†; therefore by the very act of buying (i.e. consuming) we aim at providing cer tain information about ourselves. As Domzal and Kernan have it: The way people dress and otherwise adorn their bodies identifies them. It tells observers who people are (a young person, an executive, a gang member, a preppy) and what they are (adventuresome, sophisticated, anarchic). Advertisements and commercials, and, as a result, images of people that they show are crucial for developing among the citizen's certain models of behavior and making people follow certain consumption models. Mostly the images of women used in mass-culture advertising are characterized by certain standards, and their ultimate goal is to make people consume more goods. Mass society cultivates money, material wealth and physical beauty as ideals of paramount importance, with personal interests and those of country becoming secondary.

Defence Mechanisms Essay Example for Free

Defence Mechanisms Essay Defence mechanisms are psychological actions brought in by the unconscious mind to change, deny or become a twisted reality. Defence mechanisms are usually referred to as ego defence mechanisms. A defence mechanism forms when anxiety occurs, this then means that the defence mechanisms will be triggered off. All defence mechanisms share two common properties they appear unconsciously and they tend to disfigure, transform a person’s reality. Defence mechanisms occur in some level in every person. Many play important roles in socialization and allowing the way in which people function in society. Others are seen as problems and they show signs of clients developing a dangerous psychological issue. For example regression, this means you return to a childlike state, this defence mechanism can get very dangerous as it can lead to clinical issues. There are many different defence mechanisms such as: Projection- Suggesting that others share the negative beliefs and thoughts you have, making yourself think that everyone thinks like that so it is okay to think like that as well. This can lead to very irrational thoughts. Such as when someone is depressed they then start to believe thoughts that their mind has made up maybe leading them to become suicidal. Displacement- Turning emotion into physical action (aggression) May tend to lash out to get rid of the emotion that have inside. This could lead to putting themselves and others into very serious danger as they could get progressively aggressive. This often occurs in mental health as they don’t know how to deal with certain emotions and situations. Rationalization- Illogical thoughts and explanations for your behaviour. Making up excuses just to get away with it. Making up things that don’t make sense. This could lead to them believing their own thoughts and starting to think they are real, sending them mentally ill. This could be when a doctor/surgeon makes a mistake during a procedure and they try to cover up their mistakes by using excuse and lies. Isolation- Removal of all emotional reactions so they are in emotional denial. Can’t cope with all of the emotion. In a hospital a nurse/doctor could not like a patient because of different beliefs and maybe ersonalities so provides them with different treatment. If someone is in denial then they will force themselves to not believe what they have been told to be true and not accept it. For example a person is diagnosed with a terminal disease, they will not believe it and just block it out so they don’t have to deal with it as they don’t know how to. They are refusing to accept the situation they are in. Eventually that person will have forced it out of their head so much that they generally think it hasn’t happened and it was all just a lie. Regression this is when you return to a childlike state acting immature, for example in a family when a new sibling arrives the other sibling gets jealous so therefore they may start to wet the bed as they want attention as they feel as if the other sibling is getting all of their parents attentions (feeling left out. ) Some people may go to therapy to identify the defence mechanisms that benefit them and work in a good way and also to identify the defence mechanisms that are really dangerous and that they shouldn’t be using.

Personal Development Plan Business Essay

Personal Development Plan Business Essay Finance is a career which imposes high requirements on the overall qualities of a person. In this report, I am choosing finance as my career field. First, we will describe a career planning methodology in my personal career planning. There are several steps to the career planning process. These steps are: occupational exploration (know the career opportunity), self exploration (know who you are and what you want), decision making, and plan of action. Second, we will identify several job families in the field of finance and the difference between the different possible career paths. These include hedge fund manager, sales and trading, finance analyst, and etc. Then, we will make a decision, giving my career map and career plan as a finance analyst. Six consecutive jobs will be presented to allow me to progress towards my dream job. We will also reveal the KSAs and personal qualities required at each job. Finally, a personal development plan is given with recommendations for future gra duates on the different career they could have in a given field after they graduate. 1. Introduction Finance is an attracting and challenging area for youngsters. For a new comer into this field, just financial knowledge is not enough. Other qualities, such as team spirits, communication skills, and business intuition are equally important for a successful career. With regard to my career goals, I am determined devote myself into financial area. I have great interest in finance because of its importance in corporate development and economic development. Currently, China is relatively weak in its financial sector. I regard it as a huge challenge as well as a huge opportunity for myself entering this field. 2. Career Planning Theory The career planning process is composed of several steps. First it is the self exploration, which answers the question of who you are and what you want. Second it is the occupational exploration, which deals with the job opportunities. Then it is decision making, in which you make up your mind of your career. Finally, it is the plan of action, in which you will set up your goals and put it into action ( Barbara et al 2003; Brian et al 1988; Robert et al 2009;;Samuel et al 1993). 2.1 Self-Exploration Before any career planning, people should have a clear idea about themselves and their expectations of a career. They should ask the questions, such as where do I like to work, indoors or outdoors? Am I good at dealing with the public? Do I prefer to work as a team or do I like to work alone? The thing is that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions, just personal preference. By rethinking of these questinos, they are able to know more about themselves and match themselves to the right occupation. 2.2 Occupational Exploration Having knowledge of the possible job families is equally important. Details about the work carried out in various occupations can be learnt through a large number of methods that can be used to gather occupational information. Some of the methods are listed below, such as online research, personal observation, interview with employees working in the field, books, posters, and TV programs. Usually people use a combination of methods. In this way, they can also get knowledge of the potential income, working conditions, and employment prospects. 2.3. Decision Making After you get the information about yourself and the occupations, it is time to make a decision. From your personal preferences, you should have a good idea of the things that you want in your life. From the job exploration, the occupatinoal requirement, such as the education as well as the work experience you need, will be clear. You can then choose the occupations that will give you what you want. 2.4. Plan of Action From the above steps, the particular career is determined. Now it is time to set up a plan to help you achieve that goal. First, you should consider the needs and insufficiency of yourself, such as what kind of education and training is necessary; What type of interim jobs are required; Second, you should foresee the obstacles which hinder you to get to your career. And hence you will be able to come up with a plan to overcome these obstacles. All these can be used to form your plan of action. 3. Possible Career Path for Finance 3.1 Hedge fund manager A hedge fund manager will decide how to place the assets in different classes of securities. These include cash, bonds, stocks (domestic versus foreign) and etc. 3.2 Finance Analysts This involves the processing and servicing of a variety of operational, personnel, and financial transactions. Involves developing, interpreting and implementing financial concepts for financial planning, resource planning, and control of organizational budget. May analyze and prepare recommendations for financial plans, including annual resource allocations, future requirements, and operating forecasts. 3.3 Mergers and Acquisitions People doing mergers and acquisitions are similar to finance analysts. Only that their focus is on synergies, cost savings, and coinsurance effects that may result from combing firms in similar or dissimilar industries. 3.4 Sales and Trading Sales and trading encompasses a broad spectrum of jobs within an investment bank. Salespeople generate new business by obtaining clients for the firm. Traders concentrate on developing systems and strategies for executing orders to buy and sell securities. Knowledge of the operations of markets is essential to a good trader. 4. My Career Map During my study as a business graduate, I have taken courses in various business subjects such as macro and micro economics, accounting and math. In my free time, I read publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and The Economist. I browse the financial websites everyday to get a update on the latest business markets. I am good at gathering information. I can understand the financial situation of a specific company from its balance sheet; I can read the economic situation of a country from its macropolicy. Moreover, I receive strict training in interpersonal relationships with others. I have skills in communication. Proposal writing and oral presentations is also my competence. Therefore, I consider myself to be fit for becoming a finance analyst. My career map is in Figure 1. Figure 1 Career Map 5. My Career Plan: Finance Analysts Job Title Assistant Finance Analyst Junior Finance Analyst Finance Analyst Level Entry Junior Experience General Description Entry-level professional; uses professional concepts to resolve problems of limited scope and complexity; works on assignments of limited variety and complexity, requiring limited judgment and decision making. Experienced-level professional who knows how to apply theory and put it into practice with full understanding of the professional field; Challenges Uses basic professional concepts. †¢ Applies campus policies and procedures to resolve routine issues. †¢ Works on problems of limited scope with moderate control and review. Follows standard practices and procedures in analyzing situations or data from which answers can be readily obtained. †¢ Cultivates internal and external contacts. †¢ Resolves a wide range of issues in imaginative as well as practical ways. Knowledge and Skills †¢ Basic knowledge of financial or accounting concepts, processes and procedures. †¢ Understanding of regulations and best practices concerning financial accounting and services. †¢ Familiar with department chart of accounts and related business processes. †¢ Effective written and verbal communication skills. †¢ Active listening, critical thinking, attention to detail, organizational skills, good interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task. Basic knowledge in data collection and analysis techniques. †¢ Service orientation †¢ Leadership skills to provide coaching and mentoring to support staff. †¢ Knowledge of core software programs and systems. †¢ Thorough knowledge of finance policies, practices and systems including campus, state and federal rules and regulations. †¢ Knowledge of financial data management and reporting systems. †¢ Active listening, critical thinking, attention to detail, organizational skills, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to multi-task in a high-volume environment. †¢ Able to independently gather, organize, and perform financial analysis assignments. †¢ Advanced knowledge of software programs and systems. Responsibilities †¢ Analyzes financial and/or resource data; prepares and summarizes information. †¢ With supervision, reconciles, researches and resolves discrepancies in financial data. Monitors workflow and productivity in areas such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Collections, Purchasing and/or Cashiering. †¢ Coordinates and monitors operations of assigned functional area(s). †¢ May act as central resource for support staff. †¢ Assists with monitoring productivity with the goal of meeting or exceeding standard expectations for timeliness and quality. Identify systematic problems and propose solutions. †¢ Assesses compliance with regulatory agencies and internal policies. †¢ Triages and addresses customer inquiries as appropriate †¢ Ensures the delivery of quality customer service to various constituencies. †¢ Applies professional concepts to resolve issues and to perform moderate to complex analysis. †¢ Gathers and analyzes, financial and resource plans. (Continue) Job Title Senior Finance Analyst portfolio manager CFO / Partner of Company Level Senior Expert Senior Expert General Description broad job knowledge; deals with problems of diverse scopes Recognized expert. Has significant impact and influence on company policy and program development. assigned high level analytical duties that involve in-depth knowledge and understanding of numerous variables and interrelationships. Regularly leads projects of critical importance which carry substantial consequences of success or failure. Challenges †¢Must have good sense of judgment and have proper techniques for obtaining solutions. †¢ Applies wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of campus objectives to resolve complex issues with campus-wide impact in creative and effective ways. †¢ Works on most complex issues with little or no campus precedent where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. †¢ May provide guidance to other personnel or supervise professional or clerical staff; may serve as team lead. †¢ May serve as subject matter expert or project manager. †¢ Internal and external contacts often pertain to broad-reaching plans and objectives. Knowledge and Skills †¢ Sophisticated written and verbal communication skills. †¢ Able to use good judgment and decisionmaking and to solve problems. †¢ Leadership skills to provide coaching and mentoring to professional and support staff. †¢ Expert knowledge of campus and systemwide financial processes, policies and procedures, as well as related accounting and regulatory compliance requirements. †¢ Analytical skills sufficient to assess, advise development, and implement financial data management and reporting systems. †¢ Able to communicate complex findings and recommendations †¢ Able to identify, analyze, and report on complex data. †¢ Sophisticated service orientation and ability to lead a team to deliver excellent customer service. †¢ Strong inter-personal skills and ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels. †¢ Skills in project management, leadership, and process re-design. †¢ Ability to multi-task effectively in a varied, high volume environment. †¢ Sound judgment, decision-making, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. †¢ Understands and anticipates different perspectives. †¢ Leadership ability both inside and outside of the department. †¢ Advanced knowledge of software programs and systems and the ability to use them strategically to achieve results. Responsibilities †¢ Ensures that financial processing functions are performed with accuracy and that daily operations run smoothly. †¢ May act as team leader for support and lower level professional staff. Train staff and create effective teamwork environment. †¢ May review, process, and approve financial data and transactions. Documents procedures for financial activities. †¢ Participates in internal audits and processes. †¢ Reads professional literature and attends seminars to keeps abreast of regulations and best practices. †¢ May serve as a project work leader, project manager or subject matter expert. †¢ Interprets policies and advises campus departments accordingly. †¢ Directs the initiation of and/or designs summary reports and background materials regarding a wide variety of internal and external policies and regulations to address a range of issues and the organized implementation of new services, procedures and/or policies. †¢ Coordinates the gathering of budgetary and resource information during planning stages. †¢ Independently performs highly complex financial or resource research and studies for both internal department and external constituents and makes recommendations to maximize financial or other resource outcomes †¢Analyzes and prepares recommendations for new services, systems or processes that have an impact outside of the school or department. †¢ Participates in audits of internal records and processes. †¢ Develops and implements financial transaction processes and procedures; may train campus staff on financial activities. †¢ Regularly leads analyses of industry approaches, trends and best practices. Develops and implements improvements and/or new approaches and services. †¢ Ensures timely and accurate financial activity capture and reporting. 6. My Personal Development Plan Following my career plan, I am going to present my personal development plan in order to prepare to the first job after graduation I need to begin with to reach my dream job. Floodgate and Nixon (1994) described a form of personal development plan with SMART goals. I will apply their format here. Focus Area Current State Desire State Activities Resource Timeline Language Skills English reading and listening is fair; weak in writing and speaking Sophisticated written and spoken skills Taking English courses; Practise English writing and speaking Online English Learning website; English mp3; English learning books 3 months Communication Skills Basic Communication Skills Active listening, critical thinking, organizational skills, good interpersonal skills Work with others; build up team spirit and team working Books on Communication and team work. 1 months Financial Knowledge Prepare for CFA Passing CFA Level 1 Taking CFA courses; CFA books and exercises 9 months Accounting Knowledge Prepare for ACCA Passing ACCA Part 1 Taking ACCA courses; ACCA books and exercises 6 months Data handling techniques elimentry knowledge in Excel Familiar with minitab, advanced Excel Practise data collecting and processing; Software(Excel/ Minitab); Online tutorial 1 month 7. Conclusion and Recommendation This report is about my personal development plan as a finance analyst. I follow the framework of career planning in developing my personal development plan. In career planning, we must identify our likes, dislikes, assets, and weaknesses. This helps us know what we want and who we are. Then we should identifying potential career opportunities. Finishing these steps, we will be able to choosing a career path. After making a decision, we should define targets and an action plan to achieve our goals. As new graduates, everyone wants to find his/ her perfect match job. Always remember, learning and building up your knowledge will provide you the opportunity to the dream job. On the other hand, youll need to develop the necessary knowledge to understand the working environment, tasks, and responsibilities. All these combined will prepare you for your career. But no matter what career path you are on, for your plan to work out, you must work hard and continuously learn more so that you can do more.

I Took the Road More Traveled :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

I Took the Road More Traveled The great oak table stood in the middle of the room, warped by heat from an old wood stove in the corner.   Its dark brown finish had boiled up in the center into little pockets of wax and cure, and that was its grand history--a hundred years or more of Christmas dinners and knives hammered thoughtlessly into the wood.   The leaves and edges drooped down, worn under the weight of rough, uncultured elbows and wood bundles for the stove.   Underneath, the modest planks gave way to the graceful arch of the leg, terminating in the vicious paw of a huge dog, polished claws gleaming on the drab floor. At night the legs tapped their way upstairs, past the rooms of sleeping adults, stopping at the unfamiliar bed in which I slept.   The moonlight illuminated every glistening nail slathered in dew and blood with fierce intensity.   That evil table, with hairy paws like a dog, a lion, a monster, came to devil with the shifting patterns of blue, playing on my coverlet and left again before the silvery, delicate cicadas pealed their morning mass. And I was afraid. At the table, my chin barely reached my cereal bowl and my legs dangled wildly above the floor.   I eyed the strange woman who stood at the kitchen counter and gazed out at the morning.  Ã‚   "Miz Edna," I said, "Where'd ya get this table?" "Well now child, I don't rightly recall.   It came from my grandmother, I reckon." I couldn't imagine Edna's grandmother.   My grandmother was already very old and very wrinkled.   She stooped when she walked, and shuffled along the floor with a cane.   Edna looked like that, and she said her heart hurt when she looked at pictures of her children.   That was an affliction which plagued old people; sometimes I had heard they died of it in a shocking and abrupt manner.   Edna's grandmother must have been very old, even older than mine. "How old is your grandma, Miz Edna?" "She's dead now, child.   She died afore I was born. You hurry up with your cereal and run outside and play." "Yes ma'am.   One thing I can't figure though," I said.  Ã‚   "What's that?" "How did you get this table if your grandmother was dead afore you were born?" "I tol' you, child, hurry up.   Your ma and I're going down to the store, and I've got to get these here dishes scrubbed.