The Development of Kingship in the Middle Ages

Before modern technology, and the advent of cars, there were castles, catapults, and horse drawn carts. There were also kingdoms, and with kingdoms came kings, and with kings came politics, conflict, war, and regicide. The King, throughout history, and in modern times, was believed to be the sole ruler of a country, having the final word on all that happened within the bounds of their kingdom. This has indeed been true since Cain was cast out of his home, and he established the city of Chanoch, all the way to the ancient rulers of Babylon.The rulers, emperors, and kings reigned with sovereignty, and their will was rarely questioned, even while some of them reigned fire and brimstone on their people, murdering them, and pillaging their homes. This was the power of a king, unquestioning loyalty from servants, guards, and massive amounts of infantrymen and calvary. Whether they ruled through terror, or did terrible things for the good of their country, was a matter of the personality be aring the crown.There have been times in history, as noted in numerous books, where those who are held to be honorable have been forced to perform a seemingly distasteful act for the greater good, even if the true motives aren't with the good of his people, such as Blancandrins, a knight as noted in the Song of Roland 2, who spoke these words: Stand honour bound, and do him fealty. Send hostages, should he demand surety, Ten or a score, our loyal oath to bind; Send him our sons, the first-born of our wives; — An he be slain, I'll surely furnish mine.Better by far they go, though doomed to die, Than that we lose honour and dignity, And be ourselves brought down to beggary. 3†³ In the previous paragraph, an excerpt from a major literary work written in the time, we see that in those times, the welfare of a nation outweighed the welfare of a few simple farmers or peasants, which lies in great contrast to the world of today. This is not an indicator of evil as evil today is defined by laws and morals that have been put in place by modern men, or better men as some would believe.However the morality in that time was a completely different story, and right or wrong simply cannot be applied. The general public would not mind such a sacrifice, as it is for the greater good, and a good king will do anything for his country, to ensure that everything and everyone manages to survive. A good king will maintain relations with foreign nations to bring in supplies, and trade. Such was demonstrated by Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, the king of France from the year 768, till he died in 814, and was widely regarded as The Father of Europe.Throughout his reign, with his diplomacy toward other nations, and his generous treatment of foreigners4. It is not uncommon for a king, should he care about his people, to build great structures, and to give to the poor, as St. Louis of France did, noted if the Life of St. Louis: â€Å"†¦ He began then to build and found hospitals or houses for poor people to lie in, edified minsters of religion, and gave yearly to other poor sufferers in divers places in the realm much money, pecunies or silver. He founded many convents of the order of friars preachers, and to many otherpoor religious builded churches, cloisters, dortoirs, and other edifices convenable, gave for God largely alms to the blind, beguines, daughters of God, and releved the minster of many a poor nunnery.. 5† The king of a nation will be highly educated, his language, and articulation will be high above that of a normal peasant, and as such he will be seen as an extremely intelligent person, worthy of ruling a kingdom, though if he is a good king, he will concern himself more with the people, giving them food, clothing, and shelter, the basic necessities above all else.He will also hold true to the religion of the land, ensuring that he follows the laws, and demands that others do as well. â€Å"†¦ Whereof it befell that a citizen of Paris who loathly swearing had blasphemed Jesus Christ, against the act or statute royal, which Saint Louis by the counsel of the prelates and princes had ordained and made for the swearers and blasphemers, at the commandment of the said saint he was marked or tokened, at the lips of him with a hotand burning iron, in sign of punition of his sin, and terror and dreadfulness to all others†¦ 7† The role of a king can change greatly over the years, in times of peace caring for the people would be as simple as building structures, proving clothing, and making sure all are fed. In times of war the job becomes dangerous, as the king must see to it that the country is defended, and that all are safe, even if that means making sacrifices.As fate would have it, the role of the king changed dramatically in France, around the time of Childeric III, of the Merovingian family among whom the French chose their kings for generations, when Childeric's position was taken over b y Pepin the Short, son of Charles Martel, who became Mayor of the Palace, making all the vital decisions of the king, who simply sat on the throne and made no real decisions, only saying what he was told to say, even to dignitaries and ambassadors who came from near and far to seek his counsel.This lasted until the Roman Pontiff, Stephen II deposed Childeric, and Pepin took over the matters of the palace, both home and abroad7. These are the events that led up to the era of Charlemagne, a golden era for the European continent. This is but one example of the extreme measures one must go to, in order to ensure the safety of a kingdom, even at the risk of one's own life. So what does all this mean? In short, the role of a king is more than being comfortable in the position, and simply ruling.A king, being solely in charge of a nation, in most cases, must not only care for the people, he must also watch his back, and ensure everything is being done properly, lest someone steal the thron e from him, and the title of â€Å"king† takes on an entirely new meaning. As new technology becomes available, in the areas of plumbing, food, aqua ducts, lighting, and especially architecture, the king should do his best, if possible, to make sure that it is available to his people in some form or another.New architecture could mean safer buildings, or more stable foundations, which translates into fewer structural collapses, and therefore fewer deaths. After all, while a king may resolve to sacrifice men for the sake of peace, a king shouldn't be eager to watch his citizens die needlessly! The role of the king is complicated, and our only means of understanding it, is the stories, and documents which have been passed down, to give us a glimpse into the past, but what we can ascertain, is that the role itself implied danger, and that the world survived such as it is now, is to be credited to those great men.

The 10,000 Hour Rule

The 10,000 hour rule by Malcolm Gladwell talks about Bill Joy and he has a very interesting life story. Bill Joy attends University of Michigan that only has time-sharing system for computers. He is able to develop the system and prepare himself for the computer revolution when it is not even ready to arise. In section 2 of this book, â€Å"In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours. † Bill Joy spends about 10,000 hours for the computer programs and people still use those programs in these days. In this story, Gladwell tell us that Joy is known as â€Å"Most Studious Student† back in high school. The definition of studious is hard-working and disposes. Bill Joy does not have an innate talent, but he is very dedicating to his works. He work very hard to improve that computer programming and very passionate about his work. Also, the computer center is open for 24 hours and this has nothing to do with Bill Joy’s innate ability. Bill Joy is just hard worker and that’s what makes him a genius. Gladwell is definitely not suggesting Blii Joy’s success because of his innate ability. He is actually trying to tell the reader about Bill Joy’s dedication of his work. â€Å"Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good,† states in section 2 from this story. Bill Joy never stops to develop the Oh 2 computer programs. Therefore, 10,000 hours are the amount of practice time for a person to become best at something or successful. Not everyone can do that because it is a very long time and a person need a lot of patience to reach that goal.

Green House Emission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Green House Emission - Essay Example He has connected rise in population with the exploitation of resources. This has been stated as the core reason in the deterioration in the quality of the commons. All the other agents which affect the common resources are resultants of population explosion. Taking this approach into account, the arguments of Garret Hardin are holistic in terms of suggesting solutions in the management of the commons. The core argument that the paper makes is that there is no technical solution possible towards the problem of population. There are limitations to bringing in regulations to the rights of people in terms of utilizing resources. According to the author, what is important is to have mutually agreed understandings so that the limits of exploitation are maintained. The author begins the article by citing various proofs to the argument that technical solutions never solve certain problems. The thesis of the article is that the population problem is a task without a technical solution. The pe ripheral solution sought to tackle this problem has been thoroughly criticized by the author. He has quoted innovations like high yielding varieties of crops and large scale fishing as examples of technologies which was intended to cater for the increasing population but failed to do so. The gradual process of boundaries being created on the use of farmland and other resources has been described. The author refers to pollution as the counter reaction of over population. The arguments posed by the author are convincing as the observations made by him are proving to be true after more than forty years. It must be noted here that the article was written in 1968. The aftermaths of overexploitation of resources were not evidently observable in that period. Thus, in the event of climate change and all the other impacts caused on the environment due to overexploitation of resources, it can be stated that the author could foresee all that. It has been reported that as a consequence of over exploitation of resources, many mountain glaciers will be gone by mid-century; Glacier National Park, for example, will be likely to lose its glaciers by 2030 (Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Part 2, 2011) The basic thesis of the article is that the problem of population has relations with the freedom of breeding. Thus, the choice of people to have control over the usage of resources is the most feasible solution towards the equitable sharing of resources. A sense of mutual coercion has been recommended by the author in order to define to breed or not to breed. The decision to breed lies in the context of utilization of resources, in other terms, the decision to set one’s own limit in utilizing the resources of the nature. According to the author, it is the self-control which would regulate people in judicious use of common resources. The author has cited the case of cattle grazing on a pasture to explain this. Ideally, this is the right mechanism possible to regulate a community to maintain ethical boundaries. However, in the diverse and complicated social and economic setup of today’s world this policy may not be easy to follow. The basic issue here is that ethical understanding of various communities and regions towards the nature and optimal exploration of resources differs largely. It must be interesting to quote here that there are communities in the world which take a divine approach towards nature and use its resources with utmost care and

Management Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management Ethics - Coursework Example This is because of the fact that he let the argument end thus according Willi an opportunity to survive. At the time when the boats had just sunk, Willi knew very well that he was headed to an enemy’s boat, his persistent plea and aggressiveness saved his life. He engaged the crew in the boated in an animated debate and he completely denied being an enemy, this portrays a clear evidence of an aggressive communication style. There is a strong evidence of compatibility of the styles used in this movie; the strong interconnectivity between fate of the characters and their communication prowess is highly defined. Willi used his communication aggressiveness to convince the crew at the time he boarding the boat, and also when he killed Gus when the rest of the crew in the boat was asleep. An interrelation is shown between aggressiveness and assertiveness, this is when Willi insisted that he was not an enemy while at the same time Garrett and Connie Porter took an advantage of the passiveness in Kovac’s communication style and made sure that Willi was not drowned. Several communication patterns are shown in different episodes in this movie, major patterns are either verbal or non verbal. The verbal patterns are accompanied with questioning as a pattern. That was used by Kovac when he interrogated more about Willi when he wanted to board the boat, however non verbal pattern is evident when Willi was ask ed about the whereabouts of Gus, his guilt in the drowning of Gus was evident when he started sweating unconsciously. Self concealing as a pattern was majorly used when Willi denied being an enemy knowing very well that he was not a Briton. The overall communication between the between the characters was highly effective as shown between Willi and the crew members at the time of boarding the boat, also it is evident when Connie Porter and Garret were

The Donahue Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Donahue Study - Research Paper Example These empowerment structures strengthen the individuals ability to accomplish things within an organization. This theory was originally meant to be applied to the business realm, but was applied in several studies to health care. Laschinger’s conceptual model is the theoretical framework applied to nursing which was based in Kanter’s theory serves as the theoretical framework for this study. The independent variable in the study is nurses empowerment and the dependent variable is patient satisfaction. These variables are both clearly defined. 5. The review of the literature is clear and relevant. The authors review Laschinger’s concept of empowerment as well as Chandler’s Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, and explain how the relate to the current study and research methods. Both of these studies have a clear relation to the current study, and a logical explanation for this is given. 7. The sample size used is adequate, but is only taken from a single populations. The results may not be indicative of the general population, because the sample is from only one community. The results only include nurses who chose to respond to the questionnaire, so the method itself introduces bias. 8. Instruments- The instruments used were defined by the authors as follows: Nurse empowerment was measured using the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II (CWEQ-II). The CWEQ-II is a shortened version of the CWEQ, which wasadapted by Chandler in 1986 for use in nursing populations. The CWEQ-II consists of 19 items that measure the six components of empowerment described by Kanter (pg. 3). 9. Ethics- Rights of study participants were clearly addressed in the article. The study involved only minimal risk to participants. They did not involve procedures which require written consent, and approvals from the review board were

The impact of biofuels on the future of (any industry except airlines) Essay

The impact of biofuels on the future of (any industry except airlines) - Essay Example On the other hand, the energy requirements of transportation are exponentially increasing. The world population growing by 1% every year, and it has been estimated the consumption of oil by transportation sector will rise by 30% until 2050. As a result, the world is aggressively looking out for alternative sources of fuel that can replace oil for and never get depleted. One such renewable source of energy for transport sector is bio-fuels. However, although they are a sustainable source of energy and cause less pollution than traditional sources of fuels, they have been accused for causing loss of fertile lands reserved for agriculture, increase in food prices due to redirecting food crops towards fuel production, and large scale deforestation This report examines the existing state of development of bio-fuels with vis-a-vis the transport sector’s aspiration of sourcing only 13% of its energy from petroleum by 2050, and assesses the impact of bio-fuels on the future of vehicular transport. The largest contributors to energy requirements of the world are fossil fuels. Of these, the transportation sector heavily relies on petroleum. Petroleum in turn consists of oil and natural gas, out of which oil provides over 95% of the total transportation energy requirements (Bredenberg, 2012). However, oil sources are limited, while consumption is exponentially increasing. As per market report, the petroleum companies of the world extracted about 85 million barrels of oil, which equal to 13.5 billion litres (Lamb, 2009; Metric Conversions, 2012). It had been estimated that oil production rate will become stagnant in 2018, after which it will start declining. Although advanced technology has resulted in reduced wastage from individual oil wells and extraction from reserves earlier deemed unrecoverable, the most important concern remains that oil is a non-renewable resource of energy and its production would

GSA Wants You Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GSA Wants You - Assignment Example (GSA) Schedules solicitation regarding various significant aspects that require to be taken into concern while conducting the above stated business i.e. producing small remote control aircrafts. These aspects have been discussed in detail in the following. In early days, mailing bunch of paper materials and letters were quite common. Nowadays, advanced technological advancements have certainly changed the perception of individuals and enabled them to keep pace with the changing world. In general, electronic submission is regarded as the process based on which documents are submitted through varied electronic means. The internet medium has certainly become one of the best electronic means through which one can easily transfer the document from one place to other with saving much amount of time (Rush University, n.d.). In the context of building model airplanes into a small business, which produces small remote control aircrafts that are capable of long sustained flights, the electronic submission process can be carried out through internet medium as an essential communication component. It will be vital to mention in this similar concern that the aforesaid mean of electronic submission process eventually contribute in preparing as well a submitting various essential documents electronically, resulting in simplifying the contract process between the two parties (Rush University, n.d.). Specially mentioning, the security measures present in the above discussed business approach are quite important to be taken into concern with the intention of effectively submitting a particular offer along with getting accepted the same. It is quite obvious that the submission of important documents over the internet or web always generate certain threats that might create greater complexities in the operational procedures. In this regard, the measures include following the solicitation instructions carefully and reviewing the same with utmost efficiency among others (Rush

APA PERSONAL INDIVIDUALFAMILY CRISIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

APA PERSONAL INDIVIDUALFAMILY CRISIS - Essay Example My family members consider it their sacred duty to protect me from all ends. As Meyer D. Glantz et al. (1999) rightly points out, â€Å"Protective factors against drug include characteristics such as strong family sanctions against drugs, religious identification, school success etc.†(103)Another important factor in the process of my counseling is resilience. He further states, â€Å"In order to contribute to the understanding of drug use, resilience has to be defined differently from risk and protective factors. Resilience, therefore, is defined here as the ability to tolerate, to adapt to, or to overcome life crisis.†(103) Students visiting drug joints has assumed serious proportions in educational institutions. Even my closest associate, my sister, doesn’t know certain things about me. Some of the bothersome issues are I have borrowed money from my friends. I have sold my gold bracelet to foot the drug bill. Drug addicts are difficult to deal with. Addicts feel worse about themselves as a result of their current actions, so they do it again to forget about it. Nothing else matters for them. I realize all these observations are true. I have been treading the same path but thank God, the Principal, Dad and Mom save me well in time â€Å"A new student took admission for the III year course. Our friendship was instant and he introduced me to smoking. Soon, he philosophized that only smoking won’t make a man perfect. Something more exciting is needed for a real kick! He told me about many types of drugs .He had samples in his pockets! After the college hours, one day he took me to his hostel room. I took a dose of drug and enjoyed the sensational feelings. Then my friend insisted that I must supplement it with drinking to carve out a complete personality of me. Soon I realized that I was on a perilous journey. He took money from me to bring the drug consignments†¦..thus Dad and Mom, I was ruined.†

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Accounting - Essay Example In order to consider this option, Reading therefore may need to assess as to whether the overall revenue and profitability of the division will increase if this transaction is carried out. The key influence of this on the attitude of Reading on intra-company business will therefore be reshaped by the way its profitability as well as the revenue is increased besides registering a substantial increase in the overall capacity. Another important aspect of this whole transaction may be based on the assumption that during the intra-company business, Reading may not have to incur any selling expenses therefore this may result into substantial savings for it in terms of cost reduction. If Reading adapts the second option of charging the standard full manufacturing cost plus 15%, as proposed by the Finance Manager, the overall loss will be approximately $1.68 per unit. The calculations are as under: The above option therefore suggest that adapting the option of standard manufacturing cost plus mark-up can certainly reduce the overall per unit loss when compared with the market price of the component. This option clearly reduces the loss per unit for Reading (if compared with the market price of the component) therefore adapting such option may offer more leverage to Reading in terms of its ability to further increase its profitability while at the same time reducing the costs. If this option is carried out, Reading will further be able to sell its variable selling expenses therefore this cost reduction may further allow to become more profitable. It is also important to note that the overall selling price of the component, as offered by Reading, is $13.00 therefore if compared with the original market selling price, the per unit loss will be $2.88. This will however, be lower than the loss which could be incurred under first option. Considering above, the suggestions proposed by the Finance Manager therefore may significantly increase the overall profitability

Relationships in Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

Relationships in Julius Caesar Essay In Julius Caesar, the relationships between Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, Mark Antony and Caius Cassius are very important. They show the motivations for the characters actions throughout the play. While some relationships may be sincere, others may be little more than one-sided political alliances. Brutus is manipulated by Cassius plot against Caesar. Brutus own naà ¯ve leads to the plot failing and ultimately his downfall. The relationship between Caesar and Brutus is a sincere friendship. While it isnt revealed how long they have known each other, they seem to be good friends. This friendship is the reason why, at first, Brutus is hesitant to join Cassius in his conspiracy. However, Brutus thinks that Caesar should not be in power because he will be corrupted by political power and look down on everyone else. When Brutus stabs Caesar, the latter asks et tu, Brute?, seemingly in shock at the fact that his friend could have betrayed him. Mark Antony and Caesar were close friends. Antony adored Caesar and followed his every command without question. They were even related, thus being family. Antony faithfully avenges Caesars death at the end of the play, amassing his army and defeating Cassius and Brutus forces. Antony addresses the Romans at Caesars funeral, acting as a powerful rhetorician and convincing the plebians that Cassius and the rest of the conspirators are wrong in killing Caesar. Cassius uses Brutus as the spearhead of his plan to kill Caesar. Since Brutus is well-respected, Cassius conspiracy gains respect among those who know about it. Brutus sees Cassius as a close friend and thus joins him in the plot. Brutus does not seem to realize that Cassius wants to topple Caesar out of envy. Brutus shows his naà ¯vetà © in believing that conspiracy is for the good of Rome rather than a political plot. The relationships between these characters in Julius Caesar ultimately lead to Brutus downfall. Antonys loyalty to Caesar, Brutus love for Caesar and his trust of Cassius all drive the plot in the play. While Brutus sees Cassius as a friend and colleague, Cassius sees Brutus as a political ally in his plot against Caesar. Antonys loyalty to Caesar leads him to avenge his friends death, resulting in both Cassius and Brutus deaths.

Film Analysis: Metropolis Women

Film Analysis: Metropolis Women Film History The first ever science fiction film, â€Å"Metropolis†, is a German Expressionism film released in 1927 that portrays women through femininity, technology, and sexuality. Science Fiction cinema, see it as a landmark film and a futuristic technological fantasy that mirrors both our fears and our fascination with technology. Even more remarkable is that the film connects the relationship among female sexuality, male-oriented vision, and technology. In this paper, I would like to examine the relationship between women, sexuality, and technology. Post World War I, German Expressionism had a strong influence on cinema. By the end of the eighteenth century filmmakers used cinema as a way to address issues relevant to culture and society by combining the arts and technology, which is seen in the architecture and techniques of film at this time (Deren). The idea of German Expressionism was that cinema was to heighten emotional and psychological states, filmmakers used exaggeration, violence, and distortion such as sharp angles, painted shadows, and twisted landscape to give films disturbing visual characteristics. Metropolis depicts a futuristic city in the year 2026 from the view of the 1920s. The wealthy ruling class lives in luxury in their skyscrapers while the working class is forced to sweat and slave in subhuman conditions under the city. The working class is a slave to the ruling class, and man is a slave to the machine. The film starts with images of massive machinery spewing smoke with their pistons churning in a continuous rhythm. The workers dressed in all black are marching in a very robotic form to the elevators that will take them down to the oppressive machines that run the city. There are then images of a shift siren sounding and very large clocks that only count to ten, which alert the workers of the beginning and the end of work shifts (Ruppert). Here is where the workers are reduced to robots in which their movements are dominated by the mechanical rhythm of the machine. Workers in this system, must adapt themselves to a functional, technological rationality; they must func tion like machines, in lockstep and geometric formation, their individual identities lost. Thus, the hands of Metropolis become, mechanical and replaceable (Rutsky). However, our first impression of the city where the elite live is that of a very modern and impressive urban landscape with the large architecture, planes, cars, and eden like gardens where the power of technology benefits human purpose (Ruppert). The story of Metropolis provides a unique view of the future. Freder is the son of the ruler or head of Metropolis, Jon Frederson who is considered of almost superhuman rationality and efficiency (Rutsky). One day, outside in the eden like gardens, Freder comes across a woman from the working class who has brought the children up to see how their brothers live. He immediately falls in love, and follows her to the depths of the city where he learns of the hard lifestyle the workers lead. It is here where Freder witnesses a violent explosion and he suddenly imagines one of the machines as a demonic beast â€Å"Moloch† to which the workers are sacrificed. Hoping to persuade his father into providing a better life and more promising future to the underground workers, Freder travels to see his father. When his father refuses, he goes and takes over the job of an overworked laborer. Upon completing the shift he learns that Maria is almost like a spiritual leader to the workers as he hears her teaching the workers about the Tower of Babel. At this point, Freder decides he wants to help Maria and he joins the underground community. Freders father finds out and was concerned about the influence Maria may have over the workers so he enlists in the help of an old rival Rotwang, to help keep the working class under control. From Jon Fredersons point of view, Maria has already cuased Freder to alienate from him and question his authority. This represents no only a potential rival to his power, but poses a threat to male domination, should the feminine values of the â€Å"heart† such as nurture, compassion, and feeling (emotions generally considered feminine) ever become dominant (Ruppert). Rotwang, an evil scientist, wants to undermine Marias leadership and create a plan to destroy the machines. He kidnaps Maria and creates a robot which he clones into her and uses it to confuse the workers. The plan works and the robot Maria leads workers to destroy machines, which causes their city to flood that almost drownes the workers children. It is up to Maria and Freder to rescue the children. Eventually the children are saved, which causes the workers to rebel against Maria who they believed caused all these problems. The workers end up burning the robot Maria at the stake. Through this, the workers and his Jon Frederson realize Freder is the connection from the brain to the hands, that Maria had always hoped for. Freder is the heart of the machine. It is evident, by the main context in the film that the images portraying femininity are threatening the male world of technology, domination, and control. â€Å"Control of the real Maria, represents a threat to the world of high technology, and its system of sexual repression; domination of the Robot Maria by Rotwang who orders her to perform certain tasks; control of the workers by the Frederson Master of Metropolis who plans to replace the underground workers with robots; and finally, control of the workers actions through Fredersons sneaky use of the machine, the robot Maria (Huyssen).† Marias threat to male dominance in Metropolis is made apparent in the sequence in which Rotwang and Fredersen observe her speaking to the workers. The two watch as she communicates her version of the legend of the Tower of Babel to the workers, emphasizing the division and destruction between the ruling classes and the workers, a situation that obviously corresponds to the conditions in Metropolis (Ruppert). She predicts eventual reconciliation and social harmony: between the brain that plans and the hands that build, she says, there must be a mediator. It is the heart, that must bring about an understanding between them. With the creation of robot Maria, came the ability for the viewer to clearly see how sexuality can be used to gain power and control. In this particular scene Rotwang presents her at an all male gathering in the upper city. Robot Maria emerges from steam and light to do a sequence of seductive belly dances stripping off more clothes at each glance. She became quite the spectacle and the object of male desire and vision, leaving all the men in â€Å"awe†. Femininity in this sequence, suggests, it is constructed by male vision and that female sexuality comes to life through male desire (Ruppert). By connecting technology and female sexuality, the film incites the viewer with polarities and opposition. â€Å"Viewing the film we are able to see doubled and mirroring patterns. These patterns link oppositions at the same time that they estrange or defamiliarize them. This is apparent in the opposition between the upper and lower worlds, linked and estranged by technology (Telotte). † However, according to Huyssen, the creation of Maria the robot, links technology and women directly. Huyssen argues that the robot Maria in Metropolis is the â€Å"embodiment of early twentieth century male fear of women and machines, both of which were perceived at threats to patriarchal control (Huyssen). In addition, technology was not always linked to sexuality in this way; the two were associated in the early nineteenth century, at the time when machines were beginning to be perceived as threatening. Huyssen also points out, that â€Å"women and machines are linked, equating male fears of powerful technologies with fears of female sexuality (Huyssen).† With the creation of robot Maria as a substitute for the human Maria, comes the division of what the film has implies to viewers to be the principles of femininity compassion, nurture, and empathy (Ruppert). And, while the robot Maria acts on her own, she also encourages aggression and destruction that eventually becomes a behavior which is self-destructing to the workers. However, there was something about robot Maria, that was able to rekindle spirit, repressed hopes, and encourage the workers to destroy the boundaries that limited their potential. Until this part in the film, women are hardly ever seen. It is in this scene, we are seeing women in numbers as they become a crowd of female hostility. In Donna Haraways reading, â€Å"The cyborg (robot Maria) should be celebrated as potentially liberating, even utopian idea- a metaphor for flexible identities, transgressed boundaries, gender obsolescence (Haraway).† In Haraways view, robots represent industrial machinery that excludes the human. However, with the creation of robot Maria comes incorporation of the human and elimination of the character distinctions, which were previously assumed to separate technology from humanity. Neither entirely human nor imitation, it is these boundaries that distinguish robot Maria. It is also Haraways view that â€Å"when the boundary between human and artificial subside, and when gender differences, for example, are no longer a question, women can then be unrestricted from their positions of inequality and equality can become possible (Haraway).† Some critics such as Telotte and Kracauer argue that the film send an anti-technology message. According to Telotte, for example, views the film as a â€Å"destruction of technology, something that makes us forget our social responsibilities (Telotte)†. And Kracauer criticizes the scene that displays the creation of the robot Maria as â€Å"unproductive to the flow of the narrative and dismisses the staging of her erotic dance as spectatorial excess (Kracauer)†. Kracauer goes on to say that the creation of the robot â€Å"is detailed with a technical exactitude that is not at all required to further the action† and he attributes the erotic dance as â€Å"Langs penchant for pompous ornamentation† and discounts the non-narrative value of Metropolis, its reflexivity and status as spectacle (Kracauer)†. On the other hand, Huyssen, sees it as pro- technology. He argues that the films threatening aspects can be eliminated and that the battle between the workers and the city dwellers could be solved by â€Å"technological progress† (Huyssen). As viewers see contradictions, viewers are also in awe of the spectacular developments in technology and see the human costs associated with that development. The severe conditions of the workers makes it more difficult for the viewer to embrace technology while resisting technology is nearly impossible because they are already shown being a part of everyones life. The fact that the film is viewed by critics both as pro-technology, and anti-technology suggests, that technology is not the final determining factor of social life in Metropolis. It is capitalism that turns the workers into machines and women into objects. Metropolis provides us with a view of Weimar culture by showing the viewer social conflicts and differences between labor and capital, feminist liberation, and the risk and the possibilities of technology. In addition, the relationship between technology and the human is made apparent in this film by Maria showing us liberating power of technology that can dissolve boundaries and the male fears of technology and the destruction of social boundaries. â€Å"If patriarchy depends on the kind of values we attribute to sexual difference, then technology, the film suggests, depends on what we do with machines, the cultural uses we make of them (Ruppert).† Works Cited Haraway, DonnaA Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist- Feminism in the Late Twentieth Centurey, in Sinians, Cyborgs and Women: The reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge (1991): 149-181 Rutsky, R.L.the Mediation of Technology and Gender: Metropolis, Nazism, Modernism. New German Critique, No. 60, Special Issue on German Film History. (Autumn, 1993), pp. 3-32 Deren, SecilCinema and film Industry in Weimar Republic, 1918-1933 Telotte, J.P.The Seductive Text of â€Å"Metropolis† Telotte, J.P. Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film Huyssen, Andreasâ€Å"The Vamp and the Machine: Technology and Sexuality in Fritz Langs Metropolis, â€Å"New German critique 24-25 (1981-1982): 221-237 Kracauer, Siegried. From Caligari to Hitler: A schological History of the German Film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1947 Ruppert, PeterTechnology and the Construction of Gender in Fritz Langs â€Å"Metropolis† Reflection: Application of Leadership Skills in Nursing Reflection: Application of Leadership Skills in Nursing 1. Introduction 1.1 This report looks at my existing leadership skills and how they have developed when implementing a postnatal group within my practice. Through developing this group, I will look at how the team responds to my leadership and how I approach situations. As part of my continuing professional development, I will identify changes needed in my approach to future practice in order to provide a quality working environment and improved development of service provision. This community health care project was chosen because Hall et al (2009) states that governments are increasingly interested in community healthcare programmes because, in partnership with other agencies, they can reduce social exclusion and the inequalities within and between local communities. Support groups can relieve feelings of isolation and loneliness in a study of women with post-natal depression, the support from others meant that mothers gained in self-esteem and felt empowered (Eastwood et al, 1995). 1.2 The Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) must follow performance standards in association with health enhancing activities (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004, p12). Part of these standards state that I am responsible for applying leadership skills and managing projects to improve health and well being. Promoting partnership working and leading public health interventions through innovative and visionary approaches is key to my role as a SCPHN. Historically much of health service provision has been service led rather than needs led, designed and developed at the convenience of the providers rather than the patients (Wilkinson Murray 1998). Healthy lives, brighter futures (DOH, 2009a) and Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (DoH, 1999) highlight the importance of there being partnership between services, children and parents which must be driven by strong leadership by SCPHNs. These improvements need to be achieved through an agreement between health practitioners and services and parents, children and young people. 2 . Aims 2.1 The aims of this report are to identify different leadership approaches and my own approach and evaluate positives and negatives of these approaches to improve my leadership skills. To explore the SCPHN role as a leader and the opportunities and obstacles that may impinge on effective leadership requirements in public health nursing through leading the development of a postnatal group. All SCPHNs interventions should operate on a partnership and empowerment model of delivery, which ensures acceptability of the service by both professionals and clients. Further aims will be to understand the principles of change management and conflict management, to enable effective resolution and promote a cohesive team environment. 3. Leadership in Practice 3.1 Through my experience as a SCPHN I believe that I hold transformational leadership traits, which include communication, motivation, decision making and conflict resolution. I believe my current skills lie in communication and motivation but areas where development is required are conflict within teams and on an individual basis. Two types of leaders have been identified transactional leaders set goals, give directions and use rewards to reinforce employee behaviours associated with meeting or exceeding established goals. Transformational leaders have the ability to motivate performance beyond expectations through their ability to influence attitudes (Mcguire Kennerly 2006, p.180). I endeavoured to follow Johnsons (2005) research, which suggested that highly effective leaders need both vision as well as a specific plan in order to carry out their plan if goals are to be achieved. I have demonstrated vision by creating this idea for a postnatal group. As a transformational leader I will try to share my vision with my followers, enthusing them with a high level of commitment (ChangingMinds, 2002-2006). In previous professional roles I was a follower and therefore I need to develop leadership skills. It is important as a practitioner to be aware and incorporate the qualities of both leadership styles in practice. 3.2 In my role as a leader I need to use interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal exerting influence by using a flexible approach of personal behaviours which is important in forging links, creating connections amongst organisations in order to promote high levels of performance and quality care (Sullivan Decker, 2009). I have approached a fellow SCPHN within the team and by recognising her individual expertise and praising her knowledge have encouraged her to contribute to the group by leading a session on womens health. As a leader I recognise Raffertys (1993) work by caring for the people I lead and I can see that by encouraging and praising my team I am able to promote high levels of performance, which therefore results in the delivery of high quality care. 3.3 In my leadership experience I have recognised the need to focus on the relationship between the people and the organisation this is described as Action Centred Leadership by Adair (1979) (Appendix 1). Adair highlighted the importance of a leader having the ability to meet three functions these where; to achieve the required task; to maintain the team and to meet the needs of individual team members. I have recognised the complexity of achieving successful leadership which requires the overlapping of these three functions in variable proportions to achieve the desired outcome. I have identified that both my team members and I have individual strengths and weaknesses and therefore task completion requires a multidisciplinary team approach, considering the organisational skill mix and resources available. Team members need to have an understanding of what is expected of them, and an understanding of how their individual contributions relate to the whole project. When developing the idea for the postnatal group we had a team meeting to share ideas and to ensure that everyone was aware of the aims of the project. Consideration of the needs of the team involved my considering training needs, communication systems and team development in order for my multi-professional team to function. Prior to commencement of the postnatal group a multidisciplinary team introduction meeting was held to ensure that every team member was familiar with their colleagues expertise and skills. As a leader it is important to recognise team members have individual skills, needs and problems, and to give praise and status to everyone. Again training and development is essential in order to maintain quality of care delivery as outlined in the benchmarks within the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006). When delegating work to others as a registered practitioner I have a legal responsibility to determine the knowledge and skill level required to perform delegated tasks. Like other public bodies, health service providers are accountable to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure that their activities conform to legal requirements. As a registered practitioner I am also accountable to regulatory and professional bodies in terms of standards of practice and patient care (RCN, 2006). If a focussed and effective group is to develop huge importance should be given to valuing all the skills and contributions of team members. As the team leader on this project I made myself available for one to one support for staff and held regular update sessions to see how their role was developing within the project and give them opportunity to raise concerns or highlight areas of improvement. 3.4 As a leader in Health Care it is my role to promote and develop partnerships between clients and other agencies, to empower and motivate individuals in order to develop services and service provision in communities. In 2006, the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006) outlined the importance of partnership working health promotion is undertaken in partnership with others using a variety of expertise and experiences. In many areas of the health service funding is limited but if individuals within my community can be motivated to take the lead on this project, they may be able to apply for extra funding (such as lottery grants) in order to be able to achieve future aims and targets. 3.5 An important aspect of leadership is having a good understanding of your team and an awareness of team relationships which includes how you view yourself as a leader and how your team view you. Having the ability to reflect on your own leadership style is essential in order to promote flexibility and the ability to change methods to suit different teams and individuals. I look to my manager to provide active displays of recognition, commitment and vision to ensure that my skills and those of other health professionals are utilised to improve the health and well being of communities, families and individuals (McMurray Cheater, 2004). I realise that vision is a key characteristic of effective leadership; it reflects the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, attractive picture of the future for individuals and organisations that grows out of and improves upon the present (Robbins, 2000). I agree with Barr Dowding (2010) who stated that you do not need to be a man ager to be a leader but you do need to be a good leader to be an effective manager. 4. Leadership styles applied to the complexity of delivery of care. 4.1I have encountered many different leadership styles in my work in the Health Care sector. Many theorists have discussed leadership styles; Lewin et al (1939) identified three main leadership styles. Laissez-faire can present as disorganised, team members not aware of what is required from them with feelings of panic and lack of time. I have worked with a Laissez-faire leader which led to stressful situations where the leader would shout and not warn team members of future roles and responsibilities. This led to a very disjointed team and high levels of absence with stress related conditions. Directive/Autocratic this mode of working generally focuses on task specific allocation which great emphasis on precision delivered in a military style. I see my own leadership style as being non confrontational and therefore an autocratic leadership technique is not my preferred choice. I aim to develop my leadership style to become a participatory leader with a quiet contributory presence, encourage a happy team spirit where each member of the group supports and values each other, and there is a sense of belonging. I aim to deliver quality patient care with effective monitoring of standards, by allocating task driven duties, which give my team feelings of achievement. To progress and develop the skills required to achieve this form of leadership style I need to be aware that different teams require flexible approaches and this style may not suit all. I will need to seek continuing professional development and take advantage of available training throughout my career to develop my leadership skills. I can continue to grow as a leader by maintaining evidenced based practice and keeping abreast of key research into healthcare leadership. I recognise that there are disadvantages to this participative style of leadership it can be time consuming when decisions need to be made quickly which can prove costly in terms of resources. 4.2 As a SCPHN I must be an effective leader, which means possessing the ability to communicate with others in such a way that they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that achieve desired outcomes (Daft, 2005). As a leader we must focus on our own strengths and use a reflective approach to access the willingness of each individual to take on board change (Barr Dowding, 2010). It is my aim to stimulate awareness of health needs and lead on such initiatives by delegating aspects of practice to other agencies and facilitating the work of relevant team members (NMC, 2004). This collaboration presents significant challenges to the success of the proposed intervention and requires me to make important professional considerations about the proper implementation of a change strategy. Effective leadership is required to ensure that various practitioners communicate with one another and provide a holistic, coordinated service tailored to local needs (DoH, 2009c). Communicating an understanding and awareness of workload, resource and time pressures for staff is important as a leader in order to delegate work appropriately to team members and to avoid further stress and aid motivational leadership. 4.3 More flexibility in service delivery has been highlighted in the NHS Plan (DoH, 2000) confirming the drive to blur professional boundaries. The resulting flexibility of approach in relation to who does what, at what time and in what setting, has changed the skill mix of teams. As a result of new flexible service delivery plans, every individual needs good leadership to be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to avoid confusion or potential conflict. To implement the postnatal group I need to introduce a careful change management program to ensure complete engagement of the whole team. I can use the structure of a framework to shape the change process. Lewin (1951) model of planned change breaks the change process down into three stages. These stages are: Unfreezing the existing organisational equilibrium, Moving to a new position, Refreezing a new equilibrium position. The unfreezing stage is commonly greeted with guilt and anxiety and it is important that as a lead er I provide psychological safety that helps these anxious individuals to convert their anxiety into motivation to change. This did cause friction and resistance with some team members who were unwilling to adapt to their new roles therefore a detailed rationale for changes was clearly explained through discussion groups. Demonstrating my leadership skills through effective communication was of paramount importance in order to try to avoid hostility towards any perceived threat (although not actual). The moving stage needs a new role model (within the partner organisations) to champion the proposed change and help others to follow and establish the new service. This may involve convincing senior management for the need for change and responding to any suggestions for modifications. Time may need to be negotiated in order to share information and update staff on the necessity for communication between professionals perhaps through workshops or focus groups. The refreezing stage invol ves integrating the new initiative into the organisation and consolidating significant relationships. The successful implementation of this change process is crucial to the success of the initiative; this can be aided by audit of results. Evaluation of my role is vital to validate the implementation and also to help diminish the risks against conflict as professionals can feel they own a project and have the ability to make changes and modifications. 4.5 By implementing a skill mix I have ensured staff ownership from the outset, utilising a bottom up approach. Barr Dowding (2010) state that the bottom up approach is encouraged within the humanistic technique, whereby the subordinates (followers) are encouraged to share ideas with their leaders and will be involved with the decision making process. As the leader I used a full and clearly defined evidence of staff members and their relevant skill mix in order to utilise them effectively. It is vital to utilise research and evidence of best practice in relation to postnatal groups in other areas of the UK. The current economic climate challenges our leadership skills and means that all practitioners need to scrutinize their practice to organise their work and be as innovative and productive as possible within the constraints of health service budgets (DoH, CPHVA, Unite, NHS, 2009b). 5. Leadership benefits to the quality of client care. 5.1 My role as a leader is to promote and implement concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda with a new way of thinking and methods to use in order to work dynamically (Cowley, 2008). These key concepts highlight the importance of this postnatal group being effectively led and supported by multi-agency organisations and community partnerships. As a registered practitioner and leader it is my responsibility to ensure that there is a supervision system in place within an organisation to protect the patient/client and maintain the highest possible standards of care. On-going supervision is used to assess team members abilities to perform delegated tasks and capability to take on additional roles and responsibilities. Supervision will be offered indirectly or directly at set points in time and team members will be given weekly opportunities to discuss any issues, concerns or worr ies they may have. 5.3 As the leader of this project it is important to be aware of the five areas of clinical governance identified by Crinson, 1999 clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, clinical risk management, quality assurance and staff development. It is important that within the leadership role I improve services based on complaints, evaluation and feedback by both professionals and clients, while accepting criticisms of my leadership skills. Any service must involve professional groups in multi professional audit. Proactively identifying clinical risks to patients/staff should make for a sound provision and aid myself as a health professional to be an effective leader. I aim to monitor my ability to measure the capacity and capability to deliver services by ensuring that there is effective clinical leadership as stated by the National Audit Office, 2007. 5.4 As a leader I believe setting high standards of quality care for clients is a key responsibility. This can be done by identifying key benchmarks set by the NMC (2004) where it is stated that the public have the right to expect that health care professionals will practice at a high standard. The use of benchmarks can assist in identifying the need for change. Within the Norfolk PCT I believe the value of the Nursery Nurse is recognised by SCPHNs with particular relevance to their skills being utilised. Using this as a benchmark it may therefore be suggested that integrating a Nursery Nurse into the postnatal group would compliment my role as a SCPHN in addressing the needs of the client in the most effective manner. Effective delivery of information at the postnatal group is dependent on the capacity of the workforce to implement it and having the appropriate resources to support the work force. This capacity relates to having sufficient staff in place, who have the requisite know ledge, skills and confidence to undertake assessments (DoH, DFEE Home Office, 2000c). The team that I am responsible and accountable for leading is multi-skilled and able to share relevant information in order to offer help and support to each other. 5.5 To be an effective leader I believe it is an essential requirement to undertake evaluation and analysis of any intervention on a regular basis to give the opportunity to implement change, which is supported by Summerbell et al (2005). They highlight that stakeholders (families, school environments, and others) be included in the decision making and I believe this allows for a broad range of ideas to be shared to provide quality care and services that are effective and appropriate for the target client group. Evaluation is key to quality assurance and an essential part of the leadership role is to ensure that followers are actively involved in the quality control process (Marquis Huston, 2009). 5.6 As a leader by utilising this service I am able to effectively share other agency resources and the skills of professionals with similar aims and objectives. The Department of Health (2000) promotes the collaboration of services and the ability to pool budgets and resources in order for services to be maintained and obtain sustainability. I believe that shared ownership of a strategy encourages partner agencies to incorporate targets into their individual plans and to work together to provide appropriate support for children and families this is supported by Hanson, 2010. The key to successful collaborative working and partnerships is to reach a common understanding of the priorities of the community and how to best tackle them (Mitcheson, 2008). Concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda all provide me as a SCPHN with new ways of thinking and methods to use in order to wo rk dynamically (Cowley, 2008). Once the group is more established, their own personal development aims will enable some of the clients to take a more prominent role in the leadership and development of the group as peer supporters. 5.7 Within the team I believe that the consequences of poor leadership to client care could be that staff members becoming unsettled and unhappy in their position and they may transfer these feeling towards the clients resulting in a lack of motivation on both sides. I feel that if staff are not behind their leader then this will reflect into the group through misinterpretation of the service Coe et al (2007) and Smith and Roberts (2009) found that barriers to attending groups include misinformation about the organisation. This evidence highlights the importance of my supportive leadership of health professionals to be clear, consistent and supportive in the information they are giving. 6. Dynamic and flexible approaches to leadership issues. 6.1 I have found through experience that awareness of conflict management is a key area of responsibility for an effective leader. To date I have found that in health there are a huge variety of professionals all with different knowledge and backgrounds and interacting with each other giving considerable potential for conflict. Conflict can arise through the competition of different groups vying scarce resources. An individuals personal objectives may also be a cause for potential conflict. As a leader it is vital that I do not ignore any potential conflict situations and if conflicts do arise, I will plan solutions before patient care is compromised. I intend as a leader to promote a positive working environment through my leadership skills, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2005) state that many professionals experience both positive and negative working environments and recommend a useful tool to explore relationships on an individual and team basis. I aim for my team members to view me as a leader who is able to collaborate and involve relevant parties to solve a situation rather than one who avoids conflict. Conflict can result in poor productivity (Barr Dowding, 2010) by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively I can ensure a continuing high quality of patient care. 6.2 If I had conflict within a team I am leading, I would use a tool created by Tuckman (1965) on stages of group development. The four stages of group development Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing can be used to break down a difficult situation into manageable elements. During the forming stage of team development and development of the group it was my aim to ensure that I explained all tasks and objectives in a clear manner and to emphasise and reassure team members that I was happy to listen to ideas but decisions would be made so that everyone had a good understanding of what they were required to do. To team then moved into the storming stage of development where the group were happy to discuss ideas but showed respect if there was disagreement and communication skills to come to amicable decisions. The next stage is the Norming stage were the group began to support each other in their roles. This stage can sometimes develop slowly currently the team has not reached t he consistent performing stage as partners and team members continue to develop and learn how to work effectively together. By maintaining and developing the group further I hope to achieve consistently high standards of performance within the group. This will require effective communication, shared labour, greater cooperation, lower absenteeism and increased resistance to frustrations. If I continue to perform as a leader to a high standard I believe I can achieve the delivery of high quality care and a motivated team. 6.3 In order to maintain professional development and practice based on evidenced-based research I believe health professionals need to access relevant training, and share knowledge and skills within the team environment. Reflection is essential in order to look back at achievements. Consideration of what has been successful and what would be done differently in future practice to make a service as beneficial and effective as possible for children and families is essential. I aim to promote partnership working as I feel it is key to the implementation of this intervention in order to sustain it and continue future development within the area. 6.4 At the end of the project I aim to collect data in order to evaluate and analyse the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and identify opportunities for cost savings, which is part of my professional responsibility identified by NICE, 2007. I aim to involve service users and engage them in a simple customer feedback questionnaire to establish how well the initiative meets their needs. 7. Conclusion 7.1 I feel that further and continuing research is required on what clients require within a service. It is my responsibility as a SCPHN and a leader of a team to maintain evidenced based practice and respond to the needs of professionals and clients. I aim to continue developing the key skills of reflecting upon experiences and improving practice at the beginning, during and after action, to ensure improvement of services. From the experiences and reflection I have undertaken I have identified my leadership style and conclude that I will try to respond to individuals within the context of their understanding and community. Consideration of ideas generated by members of the team and client group are key to effective leadership. 7.2 I endeavour to share and input values such as honesty, respect, integrity and emotional strength as I believe they are essential for working with team members and clients. Promotion of my values and constructive criticism need to be demonstrated within any team. Adaptability and flexibility of leadership styles must also be developed and used. I aim to continue and develop my participatory leadership approach with both colleagues and clients. This will enable me to evaluate, question and confirm all of my actions within my role as a SCPHN. 8. Recommendations 8.1 As a SCPHN I should lead change and encourage change in a flexible and appropriate manner to aid the development of healthcare services. 8.2 I acknowledge that I need to develop my skills in applying quality care frameworks in practice to improve my quality assurance. 8.3 I recognise that my conflict management skills should be developed through experience and used effectively to promote good leadership. 9. Appendix Appendix 1 Adair, 1997 interaction of needs within the group 11. References Adair, J (1979) Action Centred Leadership. Aldershot: Gower Press. Barr, J Dowding, L (2010) Leadership in Health Care. London: Sage. Changing Minds (2002-2006) Transformational Leadership. (Online) Available at: http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadershipstyles.htm (Accessed 24th June, 2010). Coe, C. Gibson, A. Spencer, N. Struttaford, M (2007) Sure Start: voices of the hard-to-reach. Child, care, health and development. 34, 4, 447-453. Cowley, S (2008) Community Public Health in Policy and Practice. 2nd Edition. London: Balliere Tindall. Crinson, I (1999) Clinical governance: the new NHS, new responsibilities. British Journal of Nursing. 8 (7): 449-453. Daft, R (2005) The Leadership experience. 3rd Edition. Canada: Thomson South-Western. Department for Education and Employment, department of Health Home Office (2000c) Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. London: HMSO. Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan. London: HMSO. Department of Health, CPHVA, Unite NHS (2009b) Getting it right for children and families. Maximising the contribution of the health visiting team. Ambition, Action, Achievement. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009c) Healthy Child Programme Pregnancy and the first five years of life. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009a) Healthy lives, brighter futures The strategy for children and young peoples health. (Online) Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/publications (Accessed 5th June, 2010). Department of Health (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. London: HMSO. Department of Health (1999) Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation. London: HM Stationery Office. Eastwood, P. Horrocks, E Jones, K (1995) Promoting peer group support with post-natally depressed women. Health Visitor, 68 (4): 148-150. Hall, D, Williams, J, Elliman, D (2009) The Child Surveillance Handbook. 3rd Edition. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing. Hanson, S (2010) Empowering change. Community Practitioner. 83, 36-37. Johnson, S (2005) Characteristics of effective health care managers. Health Care manager 24(2), 124-128). Lewin K (1951) Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper and Row. Lewin, K, Lippitt, R White R (1939) Patterns of aggressive behaviour in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology 10: 271-299. Marquis, B Huston, C (2009) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing Theory and Application. 6th Edition. London: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins. McGuire, E Kennerly, A (2006) Nurse managers as transformational and transactional leaders. Nursing Economics 24(4), 179-186. Mitcheson, J (2008) Expanding Nursing Health Care Practice Public Health Approaches to Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. National Audit Office (2007) Improving Quality and Safety Progress in Implementing Clinical Governance: Lessons for the Primary Care Trusts. London: NAO. National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2007) Behaviour Change. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Standards of proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. Norwich: The Stationery Office. Rafferty, A (1993) Leading questions: a discussion paper on the issues of nurse leadership. Kings Fund Centre. Robbins, s (2000) Organisational Behaviour. 9th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2005) Working with Care: Improving Working Relationships in Healthcare. London: RCN. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006) Supervision, accountability and delegation of activities to support workers A guide for registered practitioners and support workers. London: RCN. Smith, D Roberts, R (2009) Young parents perception of barriers to antenatal and postnatal care. British Journal of Midwifery, 17, 10. Sullivan, E Decker, P (2009) Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. 7th Edition. London: Pearson Education. Summerbell, C, Waters, E, Edmunds, L (2005) Interventions for preventing obesity in children. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Tuckman, B (1965) Development sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin 63: 384-99. Wilkinson, J and Murray, S (1998) Assessment in Primary Care: Practical Issues and Possible Approaches. British Medical Journal 316, 1524-8.< Community Development Plan: Hung Hom Community Development Plan: Hung Hom A Project Intervention Plan Hung Hom Li Ka Tik The following paper is going to suggest an intervention plan on the Hung Hom community of Hong Kong’s Kowloon District. It briefly introduces the situation of Hung Hom and identifies the issues about inequality between rich and poor residents. Also, an intervention strategies and empowerment plans are propose based on the social action approach. The roles of CD worker in those plan and the foreseen challenges are mentioned in the last part. About Hung Hom Hung Hom is belonged to Kowloon City Districtand bordered by Hung Hom Bay in the east, No. 12 Hill, Hok Yuen and the valley Lo Lung Hang in the north, Kings Park in the west,Victoria Harbour in the south. It is a well-resourced community with over 17 social service agencies (Social Welfare Department), 28 educational facilities, 52 health clinics (www.lifein.hk), communal facilities, recreational facilities and business activities. The location of the community is near the cross harbor tunnel and is well connected by minibuses, buses and MTR, including the link from Shatin to Central which will be constructed soon. Identifying Key Social Problems in Hung Hom The problem of inequality between upper/middle class and grassroots is one of obvious social problem in Hung Hom. According to Rawls (1971), social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Moreover, for the second principle of justice, all social goods including opportunity, income, wealth and the bases of self-respect should be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of thesegoods is to the advantages of the lease favored. Marshall (1963) indicated that equality not only mean the equality of income, but it also is a general enrichment of the concrete substance of civilized life, a general reduction of insecurity and risk as well as an equalization between the more and less fortunate at all levels so the equality of status is more important. Hung Hom includes both of public estates and wealthier neighborhoods, which imply there is a large poverty gap. The 2011 Population Census Statistics for Hung Hom indicated the level of income inequality or socioeconomic gap between the upper class and the middle and lower classes which was probably a potential source of inequality.Despite its wide range of resources in Hung Hom, the resources are unevenly distributed in various parts of estates. Therefore, there is a potential inequality between those without and with access to the enough resources and the most obvious examples arethe health clinics and the kindergartens which concentrated in the wealthier neighborhoods such as Whampoa estate. Moreover, the majority of them is privately operated and targets the middle and upper class residents. Eventually, lower income residents in KaWai and Hung Hom estate need to seek the affordable services in other nearby districts because those services charge very high fees which are beyond th e means of them. The equality of opportunity is also referring to ‘social mobility’. If there is an oppression of the education resources from the higher income residents, it is hard for the children from a grassroots family to elevate to a higher social status. Therefore, an intervention planshould be created for victims of inequality in Hung Hom, the residents with lower income, to fight for reasonable resources distribution. Rationales and objectives of using social action According to Rothman (1984), there are there models of community practice and social action is one of the intervention approaches. It is the practice of taking action and usually as part of an organized group or community. The objective is to shift the power relationships and resources, in order to create positive change and generally in the direction of greater equity of economic and social justice.Social action relies on forcing the government to change aiming at benefiting the poor, such as the lower income residents in Hung Hom, and disadvantaged the oppressed.Social action gets people moving and makes them feel strong that they less submit meekly those who oppressed them. It gives them responsibility for their own lives and actions as well as their leadership potential so it leads a long-term positive social change. Specific intervention strategies and empowerment plans In order to have an effective and impactful intervention, a confrontational organizing approach is used that a campaign is going to be organized for the social action(). The vision of the campaign is that everyone in Hung Hom can enjoy an equality community, and the goal is creating an appropriate distribution of resources, especially on the educational and medical resources. The objective is to empower the grassroots in Hung Hom to fight for resources for themselves; to make a dramatic statement that will focus public attention on the situation of them; to request the government taking action on the issue of inequality in Hung Hom. Moreover, a slogan of the campaign is â€Å"Growing in Hung Hom, studying in Hung Hom!! Living in Hung Hom, Medical consultation in Hung Hom†. Empowerment helps the populations that have traditionally been powerless or haven’t understood their potential to exercise their power. For example, grassroots residents in Hung Hom did not aware that they are oppressed to accept the limited medical and education resources and just thought that they are not rich enough to enjoy services so they should go to other nearby districts. In fact, they have the right to request the government to provide an enough public resources for them. Thus, the community education is very important, especially the Liberating education which is the most suitable method for social action, including a process of conscientization, a development of a critical thinking and an awareness of the hidden assumption of the policy. Moreover, empowerment motivates people to take other kinds of positive action, such as voicing out their collective opinions on other unequal resources allocation in their community. Therefore, at the beginning of the campaign, the focus is to gather grassroots residents in Hung Hom and promote the right which they originally have and aware them they have the choices. For instance, they and their children can enjoy affordable public medical and educational services in their own community. The second step is to encourage them to attend, as a group, a public meeting at which an issue of interest to their community is being discussed, in order to let them understand the policy related to their needs more, so that they can think more and propose the idea to the policy marker. A well communication channel and platform is very important to express the needs and requests. Thus, once they have built in the concept, communications, such as letters, phone calls, email, etc, with policy makers and others in authority (such as the Chief Executive, Secretary of Education) are organized. It is not enough to affect the policy marker if the voice is limited in the grassroots res idents in Hung Hom. Therefore, encouraging media reporting is the next step, which helps to find a support from the public for this social action, by persuading the media to cover events or to publish stories that highlight particular issues or embarrass politicians and others in power who refuse accept the reasonable suggestion advised by the grassroots residents in Hung Hom. In order to make a larger impact on public’s mind for the issues, a street theater will be held at the last part of the campaign, which is meant to ridicule the opposition and to convey profound message in a way that is easily understood and entertaining. Finally, if the social action gains an initial success, there will be aevaluation section including the effective of the empowerment, the assessment of the modified resources allocation and the situation of inequality in Hung Hom as well as the coming planning on the prospect of equality community in Hung Hom. Roles of CD worker in those intervention strategies As a CD worker, there are four roles including enhancing the social interactions and functions of individual and their groups and communities; educating public on economic and social injustice that may hinder community functioning; initiating an advocacy for policy changes in response to needs identified by the community and the society and help them to articulate their common concerns and needs to the public, the government; and formulating and implement social policies, services, and programs that support the development of human capacities. Foreseen challenges and difficulties The redistribution of resources in Hung Hom is obviously beneficial to the grassroots residents. On the contrary, the interest of residents with higher income is affected, so they will oppose the policy proposed by grassroot. Moreover, Hong Kong is a free-market society with a lower tax system that government is unwilling to spend too much money on education and medical services in Hung Hom avoiding the affecting of free-market system. In conclusion, there are lot of difficulties, created by upper class and government, on reaching an equality community. Therefore, based on confrontational organizing approach, the campaign with social action is the most suitable method and it help to empower the grassroots resident in Hung Hom and make an advocacy to ask for resources for them. References Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong. 2011 Population Census Fact Sheet for Kowloon City District Council Hung Hom (G14-G20). Accessed online from http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/district-profiles/ca/kowloon-city/g19.html on 24 Feb 2014. Chui E., Ho L., Law C.K., Lee K.M., Lee V. Wong Y.C.. (2010) Report of The Study of The Future Directions of Providing Social Work Services within the New Urban Renewal Strategy to be Formulated Cox, F. M., Erlich, J. L., Rothman, J., Tropman, J. E. (Eds). (1987). Strategies of community organisation. (4th ed). ITASCA, IL: PEACOCK Publishing, Inc. Marshall, T. H. (1963) ‘Citizenship and social class’, in T. H. Marshall (ed.), Sociology at the Crossroads (London: Heinemann), pp. 67–127. Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Websites http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/ www.lifein.hk

Persuasive Speech: Solar Power -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience that that solar power should become the main form of alternative energy in the Unites States. Introduction: Attention Getter: Let’s look ahead fifty years and see what the world is like. Imagine a world that is in total war with no end in sight. The cause behind this war is simple, oil. Everyone is fighting over those last few reserves of oil. How can this future be prevented? The answer is solar power. Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation. Significance: The United States must face the fact that the world is running out of oil and with today’s rising oil prices, economic and political instability in regions where the United States gets the majority of its oil, this country must begin looking into alternative means of energy to replace oil and end our dependence on foreign powers. Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy. Body: I. With the world’s supply of oil running dry the Unites States must begin looking into new sources of energy, and the most promising is solar power. A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that â€Å"world oil production o... ... must be universally adopted, and solar power is the key to unlocking that bright future. Works Cited Clayton, Mark. "The Cost of Solar Energy Will Soon Compare with the Cost of Coal." Coal (2011). Print. 18 November 2014. David, Leonard. "Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth." 6 April 2012. Space.com. Website. 18 November 2014. Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. EMISSIONS OF HAZERDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM COAL- FIRED POWER PLANTS. Environmental Report. Needham, 2011. Print. 18 November 2014. Hamer, Glenn. "Solar Power Can Help Fuel the Future." Energy Alternatives (2006). Print. 19 November 2014. Newbury, Umut. "How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil." Mother Earth News October 2004: 28. 18 November 2014. Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.

Womens Sports Fighting for Recognition in Boston :: Athletics Athletes Papers

Women's Sports Fighting for Recognition in Boston Competing in a city long sidled with a racist reputation, sports teams and organizations in Boston have long worked toward equality, or at least a perception of it. But in the past few decades, a new battlefield has emerged in the sports-mad city's culture war - women's sports. This fresh fight, taken up recently by a professional soccer organization and Title IX-backed activists at Boston's many colleges, isn't so much against anti-inclusive bigwigs - modern day Yawkeys - but against norms, financial constraints and fan interest. The women don't have to prove they have a right to play. They have to prove they can - and people will watch. WUSA: "Working to Reorganize" The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) started with big dreams, but thin pocketbooks. Around the time of the 1999 Women's World Cup, plans were being formulated to start the United States' first ever women's professional soccer league. When the U.S. won the Cup before record crowds and jaw-dropping television figures, it was final. There would be a league, with most of the U.S. Cup roster spread between eight teams, including squads based in Boston, Atlanta, Washingon D.C. and Philadelphia. The WUSA opened its doors in 2001 to much fanfare - and heavy attendance. Boston's entry, the Breakers, drew 8,101 fans a game, and Washington led the league with a 14,421 average. Emotionally, things were great. Financially, things weren't. Though investors had put nearly $100 million into startup costs, only Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson signed on as major corporate backers. Still, the league survived, but only for a while. A business plan that called for heavy corporate sponsorship didn't pan out, and by the September end of the 2003 season, the circumstances were so dire that WUSA executives announced the league was ceasing operation, effectively immediately. As if to complete its "ashes-to-ashes" flavor, announcement coincided with the start of the 2003 Women's World Cup. "We had some great sponsors," WUSA commissioner Tony DiCicco said. "The way our previous business plan worked, we had to reach a certain number for sponsorship. We knew that after tickets and licensing, we needed this much in sponsorship, and this much from investors. We weren't reaching the number in sponsors, therefore investors had to put in more money." In the league's three-year run, Boston showed it can support a major professional women's soccer team as well as any city.

Dirt bike # 10 :: essays research papers

1. Two possible fuel tank suppliers for Dirt Bike are J&P Cycles and Hot Rods USA. Both companies supply numerous designs of fuel tanks that can be used for motorcycles. J & P Cycles is a US company that ships within the US and their prices for a listed below for ground transportation: SHIPPING RATES WITHIN THE CONTINENTAL U.S. & TO APO/FPO ADDRESSES GROUND SHIPPING RATES Invoice Total   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rate 0-$49.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $6.99 $50-$99.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $7.99 $100-$149.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $12.99 $150-$199.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $16.99 $200-$299.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $18.99 Over $299.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FREE Bike Lifts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $25.00 Extra Wide Bike Ramp   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $50.00 Complete Motors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $100.00 Rolling Chassis Kits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $175.00 Trailers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $300.00 C.O.D.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Add $7.00 For this company however, if the package is 5 lbs and under $150 in value the package will be shipped Priority Mail. For Ground Transportation the predicted time is 7 – 10 days not including Saturday or Sunday. For Hot Rods USA is another US company so shipping within the US the shipping time is very similar to J & P Cycles. All of the shipping within the US is free for over $500. It will take between 7 -10 days. J & P Cycles would probably be the best out of the two. For them the price of shipping is free at a lower buying price. This way if Dirt Bike was to buy in a low bulk they would receive free shipping. The only problem that might arise would be when it come to just buying one. Dirt Bike would have to pay for the Priority mailing price because it is small and under a certain price. This almost focuses Dirt Bike to constantly buy in Bulk. Both will take the same amount of time when shipping. 2. There is great supply chain management software that Dirt Bike can use. Two software packages are Microsoft Business Solutions for Supply Chain Management and IFS Applications – Supply Chain Management. Both are delivered in package form of other CDs that are geared towards certain steps in the Supply Chain. Microsoft Business Solutions for Supply Chain Management This software can be used to optimize the supply chain cycles and warehouse management according to the company’s unique needs. The software packages contains stuff to better handle the supply chain management, purchasing, requisitioning and procurement, inventory management, and order entry and processing management. This software package allows Dirt Bike the ability to integrate all of their sales and purchasing systems to make the process go faster.

Children social and emotional development Essay

The advantage that day cares provide to children is, they help the child to socialize and improve any social skill. For example a kid who never go out and play with other children doesn’t know and doesn’t learn a different environment than the family atmosphere. Many cases as a result of it, children grow up shy and sometimes have difficulties to create social relationships with others. At daycares kids learn to see the differences between others kids, they might find people who speaks different languages or belong to a different ethnicity. So they start to see the world it’s different outside of home. Daycares help children to discover new things, improve social and emotional develop because children are around children and are not with the parents all the times, so it creates security and independence from parents, which it help in the future when this child becomes a teenager. Day care absolutely have a lot of influence in the language aspect. When a child stays home, this child just listen to how the mother or father speaks and sometimes mom has the bad habit to â€Å"talk little† or keep thinking the child is still a newborn confusing the toddler with small words.† The language used by the caregiver is the most important factor that predicted children’s cognitive and language outcome†. Children are like sponge, they absorb everything specially from the age 0 to 3, those ages are crucial for the cognitive social and emotional develop, and day cares help in a big part to increase and ensure the well develop of the child.

Economics of Transportation Essay

Transport is usually the movement of goods and people from one destination to another and transport economics is the study of the allocation of the resources used to move freight and passengers from destination to destination. The passengers and freight are moved all the way through a transport mode because a transport mode defined as the means of moving passengers and also freight. The largest parts of transport modes are rail, road, air, sea, and pipelines. Transport system normally helps in defeating the effects that arise as a result of distance. Transport system can also provide other benefits such as enhanced opportunities for intercontinental trade and the economic assimilation, enlarged volume of market by making sure that domestic goods are sold worldwide as well as promoting the Just in Time (JIT) production techniques. In the economics of transportation components are delivered when required thus reducing a firm’s stock level therefore saving the unit costs. There is an improved mobility of labor because workers can live many miles from work and commute (young 3-4). Transport infrastructure is defined as the social overhead capital that can be used to give support to the movement of freight and people. In any developed economy, a considerable sum of social capital is usually set aside to develop the transport infrastructure. Transport infrastructure generates both negative and positive externalities. Investments made in the local transport infrastructure are seen as the primary stimulus for the regional economic development. This is seen when roads unlock employment opportunities and market that can benefit the third parties which may include workers and local businesses. Any time there is a change in the infrastructure, there are changes in the cost of travel and as a result the producer and consumer behavior becomes influenced (young 6). Economics of transportation comprises of transport operations which are considered as the assessments that dictate the type of transport mode that has to be employed. Transport operations decisions falls into two most important categories and they include supply side and demand side. The demand side decisions helps in choosing what journey to make, using what mode, and at what time can it be taken by firms and consumers. In the other hand the supply side decisions deals with what transport mode to provide. Transport operators normally take an account of various types of elasticity in the arrangement of prices and predicting the output. This price elasticity of demand usually predicts the outcome of a change in charges on quantity demanded and also the effect of change in charges on total revenues and expenditure, the effect of change in indirect tax that may comprise road changing and the fuel duty on price and the quantity demanded as well as the effects of price unfairness (young 11). Does transport generate externalities that can cause market failure? Literature Review According to Rodrigue transport sector is an equally important component of the economy that can bring impact to the welfare and the development of populations (para. 1). He argues that when transport systems are well-organized they are in a position of providing economic opportunities and social opportunities as well as benefits that lead to positive multipliers effects that comprise of improved accessibility to market, additional investment and employment.

Misuse knowledge Essay

One of the notable books I have read is Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. It is a memorable and meaningful book that has a great impact on my personality. I was able to discover many things not only about life, society and history but also about mankind itself. One of the concepts satirized in the book is scientists and the scientific approach as a whole. The book shows science as a cold and inconsiderate entity, one that comes from man’s obsession for what Vonnegut argues is fruitless knowledge, as man will only misuse knowledge. It depicts many things and I was able to realize that the book is of great help in learning about science and its relation to people on earth. Aside from the fact that I read the book out of requirement of my English Grade Twelve class, I became personally touched by the story because it highlights how science can be misused against man and cause undesirable consequences. I became more aware of my actions and promised myself to put more importance to science once I become a professional. The book discusses pessimisms in an increase in man’s moral figure but still I view it very differently. For me, it is a precaution of sorts for men and women of science to not seek science for the sake of science itself, but rather for the betterment of man and society as a whole, and how engineers in particular must be responsible with their creations lest it be used against their common man.

Business law case study Essay

This essay will discuss the Case study by firstly identifying four elements of contract, then justifying duties of Mr. Martin with applying the principles of pre-existing contractual duties. Finally a discussion about part payment of debt and promissory estoppel will be explained. Likewise, this essay will evaluate the knowledge of common law and agency relationship. QUESTION 1 a) Four essential elements of a contract should be Offer, Acceptance, Intention to create legal relations and Consideration. Firstly, offer, according to Adams(2012), is a full and clear statement of the terms†(p79) send to a party(the offeree) by another party(the offeror). Otherwise there could be a misunderstanding of an invitation to treat or negotiation which are similar statements. If an offer intends to be legally binding, acceptance, by which the offerees can show their agreement of all the terms of the offer, is needed. Acceptance needs to be valid and informing the offeror, while the terms should as same as the previous ones. Another element, i.e. consideration, aims to make sure the promise made is of value. As defined by Jones (2011), the consideration needs to give benefits to the one, who is suffering a loss at the same time. Last but not least, while making an agreement to be legally enforceable, intention to create legal relations is important. While judging whether it is a binding contract or not, the situation to make this contract needs to be considered, in other words, according to Adams(2012), contract made in a domestic or social environment will not be legally bound. Otherwise, if parties are willing to do a commercial agreement, it will be regard as legally bound(Jones, 2011). b) Mr. Martin need to pay the  £750 due to two reasons, based on three cases existed as judicial precedents, which are Stilk v Myrick(1809), Hartley v Ponsonby(1857) and Williams v Roffey bros(1990)One perspective is that there is an additional value within the new contract, though Mr. Martin and Bob the builder were being under a pre-existing contract. Hold that the old contract is not over, due to the other aspect of reason, Mr. martin needs to pay the extra money in order to avoid the loss. These afore-mentioned two points will be justified by cases. Stilk v Myrick(1809) indicates that a  captain promised the seamen extra money if they did successfully return back home. The court finally hold that the captain is not duty to pay the extra money because the old contract is existed as there is not of additional value. While Harley v Ponsonby(1857) was held that the captain needs to pay the extra money, though the situation is similar, because the court consider there is extra value added to the new contract, whilst the old contract is discharged. There are some similarities among these two cases and Mr. Martin’ s case. Mr. Martin also have an existed contract as both parties are agreed to terms of the contract, but comparing to Stilk’s case, Bob the builder suggest a sub-contract with consider an additional value, which is the value of Martin’s seafood. Meantime, because of the bad weather and sick crews, Marin need to pay extra money to ensure this additional value is secured, however, this does not means the old contract is over because the contract can be fulfilled though it may probably be expiry, as Martin has to pay extra  £750 in spite of the payment of the previous contract. On the other hand, in Williams v Rpffey bros, the claimant consider the loss of defendant if the task is not finished on time, so the defendant do have to pay the claimant the extra money as promised. In this case, Bob the builder consider the benefit of Martin so that they suggest the sub-contractor. As Mr. Marin accepted Bob’s counter offer and Bob help him avoid the loss of an amount of seafood. According to the precedent of Williams’ case, since new value to considered, Mr. Martin should pay the extra  £750. To be concluded, by referring to pre-existing duties, Mr. Martin is obliged to pay the extra  £750. c) Mr. Martin needs to pay the full  £750, as he violates the rule of part payment of debts. When consider the part payment of debt, it is necessary to concern the rule in Pinnel’s Case(1602), by which illustrated that part payment is not a sufficient consideration. Because debtors obtains a benefit with giving nothing of value to the creditors. In Marin’s case, Bob agreed to accept a lower payment( £350) in full settlement despite of any excuse Mr. Marin has used. Obviously, Mr. Martin got a benefit of  £400, whereas Bob gained nothing. Therefore, Mr. Marin provided no consideration in this case, because being sympathizing Martin’s bankrupt cannot gain more value for Bob. Since two parties failed to achieve benefits of two sides, the promise of  Bob is not binding. As a result, Martin has to pay the full  £750 as a legal duty. Apart from that, with regard of the classical High Trees House Case(1947), the principle of promissory estoppel by held that the claimants can acquire the arrears after the end of the war because they have the capacity of claiming the recover the previous price before the war started. However, they are prevented to take back the amount of arrears failed to pay because of their previous promise. In High Tress House Case, the promise was make on a real situation where two parties would consider their benefits therefore achieve benefits of both sides. Specifically, the defendants get the right of lease whilst the claimants obtained a number of profits. While in Martin’s case, no matter whether Mr. Martin have difficulties in his financial situation or not, there is still no consideration for Bob the builder, although Mr. Martin do have a benefit of saving  £400. Since there is no consideration exist, Bob is not obliged to obey the rule of promissory estoppel. To be summarised, by discussing the part payment of debt and promissory estoppel, it is responsible for Mr. Martin to pay the full  £750. As Promissory estoppel is on the doctrine of equality. QUESTION 2 According to PPP(n.d.), the common law is the law comprises the custom and judicial precedents of the courts. First feature of common law is that it is not codified, making it is not coming from the comprehensive legislation which is created through Parliament. Apart from EU enforceable law, common law depends on the distributed courts, in where legislative decisions are made. In other words, common law is the certain law made by judges. The decisions have been made in similar cases would become precedents, which mainly compose the common law. These precedents will be collected and recorded as historical documents or files over time. When coming up a new case, these precedents would be applied in the decision, which means precedents make future decision legally bound. Hierarchy has to be referred to when talking about the precedent, whereas not every precedent will be used in judging a new case. The precedent made in a higher court can be applied in a lower court, otherwise it will not be applicable. For example, a judicial decision, i.e. precedent, already made in court of appeal should be applicable in high court or county court, but a decision made in county  court should not obliged to follow for high court. On the other hand, the courts can overturn the decisions of those in same level. Last but not least, the common law make contract more freedom, which means there are few regulations to restrict contracts. Basically, everything could be acceptable even if there is extremely forbidden by law(Adams, 2012 and Jones, 2011). QUESTION 3 According to Adams(2012) and Jones(2011), the relationships between agency and principal are fiduciary ones. Basically, agents do not have legal right to payment unless the principal authorise the right. Generally payment must not be due until the agent have fulfilled the expected result of principal, otherwise, payment can not be used among any certain process on the relationship. However, agent can be regularly paid when agreement express willingness of both sides. Another right of agent is to claim indemnity if there is any expenses incurred when agent conduct the authority, no matter the agent is gratuitous or not. On the other hand, agents do have duty to possess reasonable care and skill, moreover, an agent with professional or trade skill is expected to preserve the skills as conducting a trade or profession. Then, a contractual agent must carry out the agreed tasks and the whole process of achieving the result should follow the principal’s orders. Therefore, an agent needs to perform his duties himself. The performance of the duties cannot be delegated to any third party. Likewise, the agent is required to be accountable for any profits arising from the performance of the duties and to record the benefits of exercises of authority. Besides, an agent has duty to avoid the possibility of being conflict of interest without principal’s permit, though agent must not sell his own property or shares to principal. Last but not least, an agent not only cannot take any form of bribe, but also cannot make secret profit, whereby the principal can dismiss the agent and make the contract voidable for fraud. In conclusion, case study has been discussed by applying the related law knowledge in terms of consideration of contract particularly. Therefore, basic explanation of common law and, duties and rights within agency relationship are demonstrated. Bibliography Adams, A (2012), Law for business students(7th ed), London: Pearson Education Limited. Public private partnership(n.d.), Key features of common law or civil law systems, Available at: http://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-partnership/legislation-regulation/framework-assessment/legal-systems/common-vs-civil-law. (Assessed 22 February 2014) Jones, L (2011), Introduction to Business Law, New York: Oxford University Press. Central London Property Trust v High Trees House (1947) KB 130, 44, 53, 110, 119, 595 Hartley v Ponsonby(1875) 7 EL BL 872, 106 Pinnel’s Case (1602) 5 Co Rep 117, 108, 109, 117, 595 Stilk v Myrick (1809) 2 Camp 317, 106, 107, 589 Williams v Roffey Bros (1990) 1 ALL ER 512 CA, 107-109, 118, 119