Leadership Analysis Based on Shackleton

I. Introduction Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, a British explore, was born in Kilkee, County Kildare, Ireland on February 15th, 1874. His family moved to London when he was 10 years old. At the age of 16, he dropped out from school to join the Merchant Marines, the youngest age to join the service at time. In 1898, Shackleton became a qualified master and a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve in 1901. Yearning for adventure and fame, in 1901 he applied for a position in Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition to the Antarctic.Unfortunately, in 1904, he was sent back home due to his health problem. With the strong desire of adventure and reputation, Shackleton amended his failure by returning to Antarctica as a leader of Nimrod Expedition in 1907. His purposes were to explore the Ross Shelf Ice and the south magnetic pole. The journey was a success with his discovery of Beardmore Glacier on the Antarctic Plateau on January 09, 1909. On his comeback, Shackleton received many hon ors and awards for the successful expedition. Wikipedia) The â€Å"real† journey of Shackleton began on August 1st, 1914 where he went along with his 27 crew members, left London for South Georgia in the purpose to complete the trans-Antarctic expedition – the ship was called â€Å"The Endurance†. On 24th February, 1915, the Endurance got stuck in the ice park, crushed by the ice and was finally sunk under the ice in the same year on 21st November. Regardless to the shortage of foods, supplies, no communication equipments, plus the unbearable cold winter, Shackleton and his crew never gave up hope.On May 19th 1916, Shackleton and his two other crews – Worsley and Crean – crossed South Georgia in search of the whaling stations on the east-coast. They went on foot for 36 hours over the Glacier Mountains and at last arrived at Stromness whaling station. All the 27 men were amazingly able to return in good spirit after almost two years they were strand ed in the Antarctic. (Timeline) After World War I in 1921, Shackleton returned to the Antarctic and led another expedition with John Quiller Rowett to examine Enderby Land. However, Shackleton died from angina pectoris on January 5, 1922.Followed by the request from his wife, Emily Mary Dorman, Shackleton was buried at Grytviken, South Georgia, leaving 3 children at the time of his death. (Encyclopedia) This report shows various concepts related to Ernest Shackleton’s leadership style in the success accomplishment of the expedition including the traits, behaviors, the contingency and what it takes to make Shackleton become such a great leader. II. The Concepts * Chapter 1 – What does it means to be a leader? The concept of being a leader has been carried through times. With a capable leader comes great success.As this is one of many theories studied by numerous aspects, ranging from history, philosophy and the scientific perspective of approach. There are several disti nctive measures that we can use to define the complexity of leadership. Often confusing, people nowadays who are not extensively equipped with the knowledge may misunderstand the differences between being a manager and a leader. In the case of Ernest Shackleton and his ability he demonstrated, we can say that he is a great leader with essential manager’s skill set that had made him who he is known for today.If we are to look at Ernest Shackleton’s journey similarly to an organization, with reaching the North Pole as the company’s main objective, we can judge and evaluate his performance based on how far the goal has been completed. Shackleton was a great leader in such ways that he created a compelling image both for himself and his crews. This comes from main his passion and love for adventure that has thrived his goals all his life. While being such a leader, he is also a capable manager. A vision alone did not help Shackleton in reaching his goal.Through bein g prepared and equipped with great experiences that he devised from his earlier voyage, he was able to realistically planned out steps by steps what he expected to achieve. Of course, these plans would not come together effectively if not for Shackleton’s leadership skills. Back in the days, leadership was defined as heroism, where leaders before being considered as one had to possessed all the knowledge, skill sets and abilities to overcome any obstacles. While being such the case, the way in which Shackleton demonstrated his leadership skill were not entirely true to this theory.While being a very attractive role model, he also possessed numerous traits, even those that are relevant to businesses leaders we can find today. To promptly put it, his successes are all thanks to the following traits that he has reflected: * Out of all the possible traits he exhibited, the most important was inarguably the ability for him to remain optimistic under any circumstances and the self- confidence that he always express. This certainly affected the productivity of his crew and his success. He was open-minded to opportunities and the passion to willingly learn new skills relative to achieving his vision. Being able to draw out the big picture and actually do something about it has helped him reached his desire. * He was highly motivated. This comes from his unmovable passion for adventure that he innately possessed. * He was observant of his crew members. Being able to keep close attention to the needs and wants of the individuals has helped him to identify the strength and weaknesses that he can use to his advantage.From these brief points of views, all these traits are necessary components of making a great leadership, and it has become the keys to many booming leadership stories in the business worlds that exist today. * Chapter 2 – Traits, behavior and relationship As mentioned above in the previous section, Ernest Shackleton had a variety of leadership t raits that define his voyage to the North Pole. He was, many considered self-confidence, motivated, optimistic as well as being a leader with a great drive factor to influence his crews/employees. He was considered a great image, a true hero in his own time.However, like any leaders, he isn’t perfect. His success came with the price of lives from his crew members. Although his vision was accepted by many like him, he had made decisions that lead to the disastrous situation that would had likely otherwise, created another turn of event. But undoubtedly, his leadership had proven its wonder under extreme condition. He was passionate and considerate to his crew, but to certain extend, some might say he was a bit of a dare devil to risk his entire ship to bet against the intense condition that are unlikely to be anticipated.The life and time of Ernest Shackleton is perhaps one of many well known cases and a great example of the autocratic leadership style in conjunction with trai ts that belong to the democratic class. The style that Shackleton adopted was mainly due to several reasons that had proved to be more effective. During the voyage, Shackleton relies upon his personal judgments and close supervision to guide the crew members through the harsh punishment of mother nature.Having closely worked together with the crew mate, in which most of them looked up to Shackleton as a respectful leader with a burning passion that ignited their owns, the crew members were able to develop a sense of trust and heroism in his figure. Since he and the crew members have always been together directly under his influence and command, a sense of synchronization, rather than individualism was needed in order for things to flow fluently throughout his trip. This is especially true during those times where his ship, the Endurance got struck and stranded on ice.It was during this time that his autocratic style really shines. Put under the circumstances of such hardship and cra ziness, one could possibly go insane from fear, hunger, and desperation. It was crucial that each members of the party followed orders and did not revolt against their own will. Shackleton’s leadership style helped the entire crew to stay positive and motivated, and insisted on drawing out the survival factors in each member not to give up their lives so easily. For Ernest Shackleton, there was a time pressure and a needed for regulation within the group.Not only that his sense of responsibility, able to put his people first when he turned back after almost making it to the destination when one of his crew condition became fatal was important, his ability to think straight in these tough times had proved Shackleton to become a great example under the definition of leadership. In relation to the previous point, we can conclude that Shackleton’s leadership style is another representation of the consideration style since he cared about his men’s emotions and safety rather than his own success.According to the voyage, his crew enjoyed three full meals for the celebration of Leap Year Day and he also organized other fun activities for his crew such as dog racing, despite all the ruthless weather that were almost close to killing them everyday. When the Endurance got wrecked into the sea, instead of being all hopeless and upset, Shackleton told his crew that they are going home. This infamous quote marked his true spirit and show that he was one of the greatest leader of all. By reassuring the crew through focusing on the needs and desire that they currently uphold, he lightened up the hopes for his crew that they can o through this tough situation together, in which they did at the end. From business point of view, Shackleton applied an Employee Centered Style throughout the whole expedition. He led his crew (employees) in positive ways and cared about his followers both physically and emotionally. He considered himself as one of the follows, a s a part of the group, not just by calling himself a leader and only know how to announce decision or order others to get the works done. This can be summarize through the definition of â€Å"lead by example† leadership style.When the going got tough, the needs for harmonization and unification of each members’ will is very important for survival. Ernest Shackleton, while trying his best to individualize his leadership according to each subordinate, was more focused on trying to lead everyone towards the same path. Through the application of heroism, Shackleton was able to guide the crew and motivate them by targeting the respect and mutual feeling that the crews already feel toward him. This accentuated the spirits of all the members, unifying all their needs and centralized it as a whole.The turbulence that his group had to go through could had left a devastating effects, instead, they became stronger and stronger as each obstacles were overcome with joy and hope tha t Shackelton, with his leadership style represent. Much had changes since Shackleton became a living legend, but the principal and theory, as well as practical principle still remained the same. The business world that we live in today has much to apply. Leaders today need to adapt to changes, being able to quickly think on their feet and remain charismatic to the subordinates are the key ingredient to creating a great leader.As corporations are adapting more changes and restructure down to a heterachy level, we see a more decentralized structure in which employees are encouraged with power. But the needs for centralized authority remained the same under emergency, and that leads us to the next section of this report. * Chapter 3 – Contingency approaches to leadership One may believe that perhaps Ernest Shackleton and what he had to go through had shaped the way that his business style he adopted. In relation to the Fiedler’s Contingency Model, we start by examining Sh ackleton’s decision in relation to the situation that befell him.This model allows us a mode of evaluation for both the leadership styles and the organization situation, under two criteria, which are task and relationship. Shackleton had demonstrated a flexible style of leadership in numerous cases. He was not afraid to change and adjust his tactics to achieve his goals. This is especially true during the highlight of his voyage sailing on the Endurance. The Antarctica weather was harsh and unforgiving, putting a toll on Ernest to outperform the condition to survive. His goal upon setting sail was to set foot on the icy North Pole, but was later changed to endure the coldness and to get out of here alive.Such a drastic change in the situation asked for great demand in Shackleton to judge the situation as the lives of his crews are placed in his hands. A shift from a task-orientated style to a more relationship-orientated style challenged him mentally. As the result, he was ab le to accomplish his task of getting his crews out alive. Based on the three key elements of the situation, since he was able to develop such mutually agreement among the group and himself. They truly admire and had confidence in their leaders. Thus, this leads to a unification of the group towards achieving the goal.The task structure that Shackleton’s crew had to undergo was of immense difficulties. The unpredictable outcome caused the group to have a low task structure to enhance flexibility. Therefore, the responsibility that Shackleton had to shoulder was huge. This lead to the last element of position power. Since the group was striked with an unexpected turn of event, it was up to Shackleton to steer the crew back to following the objective, which he had done magnificently thorugh motivation and encouragement as a leader. The Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory can also be used to explain the leadership style of Ernest Shackleton.Since Shackleton’s crew were very well equipped mentally due to their leader’s constant motivation and the method that led them, together with the low task structure, Shackleton need to employed the Participating strategy, followed up with the Delegating strategy. At first when the Endurance was out of hope to be recovered, his crews were no doubt feeling desperate about the situation. But with Shackleton’s igh spirit, they were able to pick up from scratch. In other words, they were able but unwilling when faced with such a disastrous situation. They need guidance and irection as the objective of the voyage had completely changed. Shackleton had done so very effectively in inspiring the will to live, through his famous quote â€Å" We’re going home†. As the situation progress, Shackleton was able to slowly earn more trust and confidence in his crew, this slowly move the relationship behavior position down to the lower end, toward the Delegating strategy area. During his se arch out for Elephant Island, he had to make a decision to leave the crew behind as to find a way to contact the mainland and signal for help, he delegated Thomas Crean, his second-in-command crew to take charge after he was gone.This could not be done without a high level of trust and high level of abilities to achieve such task. It was remarkably assuring to the rest of crew that when he announced he would come back for them, which he did. ( Find more information about the other 2 thoeries ) The Path-goal theories also contribute to analyze the leadership style of Shackleton in a very definite way. According to the definition, Path-goal theory full reliable on the leader’s responsibility to lead and motivate in order to achieve organizational goal.The journey that Shackleton had to travel was filled with adversity. At first, he was determined to reach the North Pole as this is the set objective, and he communicated this objective very well to his groups of followers. This i n return affected the kind of motivation that the crews expected from the voyage. During that time, the glory and fame of being the first few men to set foot on the Artic ice was indeed very attractive, especially for the adventurous souls like Shackleton and his crews who were seeking intrinsic rewards as the mean to strive for the objective.Shackleton was a dedicated man, his passion not only reminded himself of the goal every day, but it was also the fuel that ignited the dedication of his crew members. He kept the rewards clear as they moved along, even when the Endurance crashed. Shackleton still managed to quickly adapt to the situation and influence his team through the change of â€Å"reward†, which was now to safely escape his hazard. This theory explained how he was able to keep the motivation of his â€Å"employee† high throughout the voyage even when there was a change of goal, especially when the change was so drastic.Ernest Shackleton’s leadership style is also applicable to the explanation of the Vroom Jago Contingency Model. Similarly to some of the models and theories above, this theory characterize the participative leadership degree and how it correlates with the results and accountability of the decision. At time when Shackleton first commenced the journey, he gathered groups of attuned people based on character as well as competence. He knew very well the danger and how the strength, both physically and mentally of his crews had to face. The selection process picked out crew members with a positive attitude.This helped Shackleton’s leadership style to take effects in the most successful way. He had also develop a strong sense of loyalty and trust towards his crew members. This significantly proved to be the decisive factor as the Endurance got stranded on ice when it really shined. To an extent during the voyage, his participation was at the facilitate degree as he understood the ability of each individuals well enough to let them take charge while presenting ideas and experience on equal terms. When the Endurance sunk, he became more delegating as the group faced extreme adversity, while keeping them motivated.One can interpret and use different model to define Ernest Shackleton’s leadership style. Based on the diagnostic questions, he was actively involved in the preparation process before they set sailed, showing high level of participation and consideration as the expedition was many adventures’ dream at that time. By sharing the vision, he was able to collect the most suitable group of people. Because the importance of commitment was very high, Shackleton would personally interview each member he chose for a mutual agreement on the objective of the journey.Since Shackleton had been on past trips to the North Pole, he used the experience to persuade people and forming a reliable trust conformity. This helped to increase the likelihood of commitment of his followers out of respect for passion and knowledge. Shackleton implied the motivation theories very well as he was able to convince the sailors of the goal that he wanted to achieve, turning it into the goals of the group as a whole. This increase in support for the goal helped them to overcome challenges together later on.Last but not least, his team was not only dedicated but high trained for such an expedition. Shackleton was able to trust them and delegate tasks effectively. Based on the style of leadership that Shackleton represent, we can use the Path Goal Theory to best explain his style, as motivation towards the same goal as a team was the critical factor. His team was put to the test in such a condition that will easily drained the lives out of anyone, but with high motivation and a clear goal that unified them, he successfully pulled through and survive the weather that everbody deemed impossible.Without the corporation of each members, perhaps he could not have made it and that is why t his theory is best imply to explain his leadership style. Chapter 4 – The leaders as an individual Throughout his lives on the expeditions, we have seen how great a leader he was through the team members that he motivated, but how about concerning Ernest Shackleton as a leader in his own definition? Chapter 4: 1. Big five personality that ES had: * Extroversion * Conscientiousness * Emotional stability * Agreeableness 2. I would say ES had an internal Locus of Control.He was self-motivated and was likely to influence others. 3. ES was authoritarian. He relied on position power. 4. Shackleton’s End Values were to lead an adventurous life, explore the trans-Antarctic. His Instrumental Values were being responsible to his crew, being honest, being helpful. 5. I think ES was a Theory Y Leader. He valued his crew and understood what his followers wanted or needed so that they have the strengths to keep struggling throughout the hardship they had. Notes: * When he died, Shac kleton left debts of ? 0,000, over ? 700,000 in today's terms. That money, however, came from people who could afford it. Works Cited â€Å"Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. † Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia. com. 2 Jun. 2012 . â€Å"Shackleton† Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2 June 2012. Web. 02 Jun. 2012. ( I don’t think we should use Wikipedia as a reliable source ) â€Å"Nova Online† Shackleton’s Voyage of Endurance.Feb 2002 Web. 02 Jun 2012. http://personnel. ky. gov/nr/rdonlyres/6c98ae12-6df1-4476-acd3-ff1c9b2770f4/0/someshackletonleadershiplessons. pdf http://leadership. wharton. upenn. edu/l_change/Interviews/Shackleton. pdf http://www. nytimes. com/2011/12/25/business/leadership-lessons-from-the-shackleton-expedition. html? pagewanted=all http://artofmanliness. com/2011/08/02/leadership-lessons-from-ernest-shackleton/

Discussion on the Civil Rights Movement

1. How were black people prevented from voting despite the provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment?The 15th amendment was intended to prohibit discrimination against voters on the basis of race or prior situations entailing servitude. Preceding the implementation of the amendment, each individual state had full authority to govern voter qualifications, and hence prohibited African Americans from voting. The primary objectives behind the 15th amendment were to establish Republican authority over the North and South, which would be accomplished with the votes of African Americans. The proposition passed in 1869, and was approved by the majority of states in 1870. In a sense, the amendment was both successful and ineffective. Despite the fact that African Americans had the freedom to vote, resistance from those who opposed the amendment was strong. Opposition fought in many ways from violent voter intimidation to the establishment of grandfather clauses and poll taxes. This discouragement puts Africans Americans desiring to vote at a disadvantage, and the intimidation often kept them out of the polling booths.2. Describe the process by which the separation between white and black Americans developed and was institutionalized throughout the South in the late 19th century.Following the thirteenth amendment which abolished slavery in the United States, discrimination on the basis of race became a common occurrence by means of the establishment of the Jim Crow laws. These laws required the severe segregation of individuals based on racial background. To be specific, the Jim Crow laws led to the segregation of the military, public schools, public transportation, restrooms and restaurants for Africans Americans and whites, and were enacted from 1876 to 1965.These were not to be confused with the Black Codes from 1800 to 1866, which limited the civil rights and liberties of African Americans. By 1954, segregated educational institutions sponsored by the state were deemed u nconstitutional. By 1968, segregation was deemed unconstitutional, and it was disbanded by 1970. Racial discrimination in schools, businesses, the military, and the government became unlawful. Furthermore, separate bathrooms, drinking fountains and schools have vanished altogether in part due to the civil rights movement.3. Assess the impact of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs on African Americans and the role of African Americans in his administrations. Be sure to comment on positive and negative impacts on African Americans.Roosevelt’s New Deal has three primary objectives. The first was to aid the millions of Americans in financial suffering. The second was to boost the economy, and the third was to pass new laws in order to reduce the number of poor. The New Deal was also known as the three R’s: relief, recovery and reform. Many relief measures were established in a great effort to provide jobs to thousands of men, as well as agencies that gave money to the states to assist the very poor. Two laws were also implemented in an attempt to aid economic recovery. The first founded the National Recovery Administration, which would bring together businesses, employees, and the government in an effort to control competition amid businesses and protect workers seeking to organize unions. This particular goal, however, proved to be unsuccessful, as it favored only large businesses, most of which failed to follow the codes.4. Of the many African-American heroes and heroines in the 1940s and 1950s, which of them had the greatest impact on American society and why?In my personal belief, Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) had the greatest impact on American Society. From 1957 to 1968, King traveled more than six million miles and spoke more than twenty five hundred times wherever he felt there existed injustice, riots and activity. King was the author of five books, and published several articles. â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† w as one particular work which caught the attention of many across the globe.He directed many â€Å"peaceful† protests (marches), one of which brought 250,000 people to Washington D.C. where he gave his infamous speech, â€Å"I Have a Dream†. King was arrested more than twenty times, but was nevertheless awarded five honorary degrees and named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963. At the mere age of 35, King was the youngest man to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Assassinated in 1968, King will always remain a leader among African Americans for his relentless efforts in fighting for the civil rights and liberties of blacks in his time.5. What role did â€Å"ordinary† or local people play in the civil rights movement? How did children contribute to the overall struggle for social change?Many children contributed to the struggle for equality among blacks and whites in America. For instance, students participated in a sit-in on February 1st of 1960. The inciden t took place at Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina, where four students (originally from an all-black college) sat at the segregated lunch counter to protest the policy of excluding blacks. The sit-in inspired many more of its kind throughout various other states such as Georgia and Tennessee. Furthermore, many â€Å"ordinary† locals played a role in the civil rights movement.Freedom rides in 1961 for example were a means of protesting the segregation on interstate buses in the south. Eventually, these activists succeeded at ending segregation for passengers participating in inter-sate travel. Black voter registration organizing was another means by which local citizens could participate in the civil rights movement. This involved an organization that would assist black voters with registering, and to build organizations within the community. Clearly, without the participation from locals, these plans would have never been successful.6. Why do to white Ame ricans tend to live longer than black Americans? How has the black community dealt with the problems of AIDs/HIV?The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that 48% of African American women and 39% of African American men in the United States were infected with genital herpes in comparison with the general U.S. figures of 21% and 11.5%.The AIDS epidemic has spread swiftly amid the African American population. By 1988, half of all AIDS cases identified in females in the United States were of African Americans.One of the first groups to assist in gaining awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African Americans was the group, BWMT (Black and White Men Together), a gay community group based in San Francisco. The group also gave rise to America’s first black AIDS organization, the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention. There are many social and economic factors that have led to higher levels of sexual HIV transmission amid African Americans. Higher levels of ST Ds among blacks for instance, ease sexual transmission of HIV.

Targeted Killings: The Case of Anwar al-Awlaki

The killing of al-Awlaki was a violation of U.S. due process procedures. Anwar al-Awlaki had US and Yemen nationality. Since the American Civil War, this has seemed to be the first time the US government has deliberately killed a US citizen as a wartime enemy without trial. The president's power is not examined. This approach raises the question about who the next target during the president's execution will be and whether the authorities will take similar actions in the United States in the future. There may be a situation where no one knows the evidence and then the government tells everyone evidence what they want to tell. Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said: â€Å"If the existence of the Constitution is valuable, it certainly means that the President has no power to be unexamined and cannot rashly execute any American citizen who he considers to be a public enemy of the country.† The manslaughter occurred in this killing and violated in International Humanitarian Law. In the process of facing anti-terrorism, misjudgment and missed judgment are problems that cannot be solved in the forecast. The number of people killed in Pakistan due to drone attacks since 2004 has been between 2,500 and 4,000, and most of them have been classified as â€Å"extremists† by the US government. In the years that followed, thousands of innocent people in Pakistan could lead to premature death because of the misjudgment of the drone. â€Å"Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan were killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen on September 30, 2011. Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki, a 16-year-old boy born in Denver, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen on October 14, 2011, while he was eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant with his teenage cousin.† 90% of the deceased are not the target of the US military, but they are all labeled by the US as â€Å"the enemy that has been killed in action.† Anyone who appears to be near the established attack site is considered â€Å"accomplice† and there is no conclusive evidence that they should be killed. However, when the US military implemented the drone assassination plan, the assassination target was not necessarily a serious threat to the United States. Most of the casualties caused by drone strikes were innocent people, which caused the US government and the Pentagon to be blamed by the outside world. Before the fight against terrorism, the United States did not prove that there were no other non-military ways to choose from. It was more like an after-the-fact retaliation. In the process, the United States over-emphasized its own interests by slogans against terrorism, or the value is imposed on people, and the drone attacking terrorist crimes violates the sovereignty of other countries, making the contradictions even more intensified. Secondly, the U.S. attack on drones does not conform to the principle of proportionality, and it has harmed many innocent civilians while attacking terrorism. The US military still carried out bombing missions while knowing that there were civilian houses in the area where it was attacked. When the target cannot be clearly identified, the US military will call these innocent people â€Å"the enemy of death.† Therefore, the United States' dispatch of drones to the territory of other countries for military strikes against terrorism does not meet the constitutional elements of â€Å"pre-self-defense rights† and cannot be recognized as legitimate. On November 25, 2013, in San Francisco, the demonstrators put on a drone model against Obama's use of drone to counter-terrorism policies. The use of drones had put a lot of pressure on the US government. The use of drones needed to become more rigorous in the future. The US military is trying to improve the technology of this drone. On May 2013, the White House announced a new guide to counter-terrorism operations, placing more restrictions on drone attack plans. In a speech, Obama announced that drone operations will be strictly targeted at those who â€Å"form a sustained and powerful threat to the American people.† Obama also stressed that â€Å"only when the target of the attack poses a threat to US security, the assassination can only be initiated, and it must be ensured that the assassination will not harm civilians.† This incident created a new precedent in how the U.S. propagates its war on terror. The US military is making more efforts on drones to resist terrorism. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the use of drones to combat individuals has become a frequent means of US counter-terrorism operations. These targeted killings are effective in many ways. Military priority policies are expected to bring greater transparency to drone strikes and better coordinate these actions in accordance with the spirit of certain aspects of international law. Since the beginning of the 21st century, drones have rapidly developed into a new type of air power and have shown an increasingly important role in modern warfare. The United States is the world's number one military power. It is currently at the forefront of military drone technology. However, the US military has never relaxed its exploration and development of drone technology. The research institute headed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the United States. The industry has jointly launched a series of technical projects involving cognitive electronic countermeasures, precision fire support, coordinated navigation and bee colony-enabled operations, etc., providing technical upgrades for the US military's future military drones. Drones have made great contributions to the US military in the war on terror. UAVs are playing an increasingly important role. Being able to fight 24 hours a day, delivering real-time activity videos to control personnel and pinpointing targets, makes drones indispensable in war. Finally, the use of drones in traditional wars, armed conflicts, or counter-terrorism operations with modern characteristics should be applied to international humanitarian law. From the perspective of international law, it is necessary to incorporate drone attacks into the normative system, giving them clear definitions and reasonable regulations, and prevent some countries from exploiting the loopholes and contradictions of international law to undermine the world order. In international law, whether the acts involving drones against terrorists violate the relevant rules of international humanitarian law. Clearing prohibitions should be made to solve the problem of defining too general and vague. Furthermore, peace and stability in the world situation are of paramount importance. As more and more countries use drones, they can hold international conferences about drone attacks and call on relevant countries to sign international treaties.

Leadership and managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Leadership and managment - Assignment Example Being prepared to deal with conflicting staff allows management to implement several strategic tactics to dissolve conflict resolution and restore solace to the workplace. Diversity has emerged in the hiring practices of the work place in the areas of race, age, gender, religion and most recently culture. The globalization of the business world has jolted corporations to embrace diversity in order to maximize competitiveness and optimize human resources. However, the array of differences can lead to misunderstandings and unfortunately workplace contention. Supervision has to be well prepared to counteract confusion. Both authors Craig E. Runde and Tim A. Flanagan (2008: 92), authors of the book Effective Leadership Stems from Ability to Handle Conflict, believe that â€Å"most effective leaders are extraordinarily competent at handling conflict.† An example of such an experience is the feel-good movie Glory Road. The movie is based on The Texas Westerns college basketball team in 1966 who won the NCAA championship while promoting diversity. The coach of the team, Don Haskins, pioneered diversity by recruiting players deemed best for the positions and sidestepping traditional hiring practices. The hiring of the new folks in nontraditional roles is an exemplary example of effective leadership. These are attributes of a true leader as the attainment of the desired result outweighs skepticism and cynicism. Peter F. Drucker (1994: 100) article â€Å"The Theory of the Business† reveals that a valid theory of business suggests that the assumptions about environment, mission and core competencies must fit reality. The example of coach Haskin has to be the pinnacle of addressing conflict. Throughout the movie, strong interpersonal attitudes clashed among team members. Fights erupted and tempers boiled. In one particular scene, teammates squared off and the season

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Module 5 - Case Gang Violence (CASE) - Essay Example Narcotic trade is termed as one of the main attributes of the dramatic increase in these illegal gangs which recruits even minors. According to the report that was released by the Review of Homicide Crime Statistics Criminal Justice Center in the year 2005, about 43% of all the homicides committed in Los Angeles County were accounted for by gangs (US Department of Justice, 2007). Getting imprisoned is one of the prime risks that children who join these gangs are subjected to. Children who are members of gangs commit various types of crimes such as homicide, robbery, assaults, and rapes as well as drug trafficking of which all these crimes are considered as capital criminalities. Such practices can make them spend much of their lives behind bars if not lifetime imprisonment. Other risks include making children become victims of their rival gangs, a factor that poses them to assaults or even getting murdered. The inherent violence associated with gang graffiti (body drawings gangs use as a symbol of marking their territory) is of great concern because when a neighborhood is marked with graffiti indicating territorial dominance, the entire area and its inhabitants become targets for violence. Everybody irrespective of where they are be it the streets or in their homes is fair game for drive-by attacks by rival gang members because rival gangs identifies everyone in a neighborhood as a potential threat. Adults and parents have a crucial role of learning about gangs so that they can remain aware of what is going on around with their children. This enables parents to easily identify early warning signs in the kids their children associate with and also helps them teach their kids correct information when the opportunity is presented. Having information about those gangs on various aspects such as reasons why children join then, type of people their children associate with, characteristics of children who are members of these sects, and the type of practices

LEGAL SKILLS CASE ANALYSIS COURSEWORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

LEGAL SKILLS CASE ANALYSIS COURSEWORK - Essay Example 18 14 Question 19 15 Question 20 16 References 18 Question 1 The filed case of Manslaughter (Unlawful Act Resulting in Death) was conducted in a petrol filling station. The situation led to the death of the attendant of the petrol filling station, who was being robbed by three masked men. Among the three men, two robbers, who were carrying deadly weapons, threatened the 60 year old attendant, being completely unaware that he was a patient of heart disease. In order to defend himself, the 60 year old attendant had no other choice but to press the alarm button. The alarm did manage to make the masked robbers run away from the spot, but the shock later caused the death of the attendant after the police arrived due to heart attack. After 11 months, the three masked robbers confessed that they had attempted to rob the attendant. Correspondingly, the original trial took place on June 20, 1983 in the Crown Court of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 2 The actu al trial began in the year 1983 at Crown Court at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the trial judge was Glidewell J. (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 3 In the original trial, Nolan was convicted for offences, which encompassed robbery, attempted robbery and manslaughter among the prime. Accordingly, it was learnt that Nolan was sentenced to a six year imprisonment for offence of robbery, seven years for attempted robbery and nine years custody for manslaughter. Also, his sentence versed that all these penalties would be executed congruent to each other. Thus, altogether, Nolan was sent to nine years of imprisonment (University of South Pacific, 2006). Question 4 In this case, there were three appellants and all of them were sent to imprisonment for more than one felony. The appellants included Brian Dawson, Stephen Thomas Nolan and Ian Walmsley. On the other hand, it has been observed that Dr. Hasan, who was the consultant doctor of Mr. Black, was aware of his patient†™s health condition. Moreover, on the day when the incident actually took place, Dr. Hasan, after a through check-up, affirmed that the heart condition of Mr. Black to be stable. Hence owing to these aspects, he was a prime individual in this case and can be considered as the main respondent in the court of appeal (University of South Pacific, 2006). Question 5 As per the instances of the event, on 20th of June1983, the court of Appeal handed down its final decision, wherein the three convicts were penalised according to their contribution in the crime. Dawson was penalized with 9? years of imprisonment; Nolan was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment; and Walmsley was sent to 7? years of imprisonment (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 6 As per the case, it was identified that F. J. Muller, Q. C., Helen Paling and J. Evans acted as counsel for the appellants since he had all the evidences of the actual medical condition of Mr. Black, who died because of heart attack. Accordingly, Lord Justice

E-commerce Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-commerce Operations Management - Essay Example Since the first trimester of 2001 when the US e-commerce sales were $7931 million the overall sales increase by 242% six years later for a total $27,092 million online sales in the 1st quarter of 2007 (Plunkett Research, 2007). The largest retail firm in the world, Wal-Mart, caught on to this trend early and set up an internal and external ecommerce business infrastructure. This paper discusses e-commerce solution for customers and for internal business transaction by showcasing the capabilities of the multinational firm Wal-Mart Corporation. An electronic platform that allows business to interact with each other is a business to business network (B2B). A business to business application or e-biz is the exchange of products, information and services among business entities through electronic medium to achieve ecommerce transactions (Searchcio, 2001). The early emphasis of e-commerce was targeting business to customer transaction which has grown tremendously, but B2B have surprisingly become on the biggest forces driving the world ecommerce growth. B2B is a way to achieve significant savings in supply chain activities such as purchases and sales of product and services to other business partners. One of the simplest ways for other businesses to gain entrance into B2B networks is by utilizing the company home page as a portal for users to access a secured system to perform B2B transactions. Walt-Mart decided five years ago to convert their information system into a full B2B network to achieve greater efficiency in their relationships with suppliers and other vendors. The move was rapidly accepted by the business who are involve in business with Wal-Mart which enabled Wal-Mart to perform B2B transaction within a one year time span with 98% of its vendors (Zimmerman, 2003). Wal-Mart created its B2B application with the assistance of a software company called Coty. This firm provided the retail giant with the assistance

Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Activities --Savannah, GA Essay

Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Activities --Savannah, GA - Essay Example The organization is undoubtedly one of the best charitable organizations in the area. The chapter is highly effective considering most of the activities the organization offers here. Its impact is widely felt through the contribution it has made to the children of this area. Firstly, volunteers are deployed through a highly rigorous process. This is done by thoroughly screening everyone coming in to offer services. This is done through interviews as well as background investigations. This way the organization is able to provide top-notch level of services to the children. In addition, most of the reports from the officials indicate that there is a notable positive effect among youth (Stone, 2009). Looking at the programs offered by the organization, I would more likely classify them as prevention measures than diversion. This is so because, the services provided by the volunteers are focused in making the young people gain good values that are generally acceptable in the society. The y are keen in coaching the youth on how to keep away from harmful behavior such as using illegal drugs and criminal activities. Although there are other programs that aims at helping this generation of kids become more diverse as far as their careers is concerned, the main goal is to bring up children of high morals (Jano, 2008). Another reported outcome of the program is bringing up self-confident young people who can easily mingle with other people. BBBS Chapter Programs / Competition The local chapter offers a variety of programs that have become so successful in achieving positive results. The mentoring programs are set up based on the needs of the children. The mentors in different programs come from all walks of life and the organization matches these experts with the requirements of the young people seeking guidance. One of the most common programs is the academic mentoring. Here, an experienced college professor participates in mentoring a student through a particular projec t. Secondly, there is the career mentoring that aims at guiding youth through career choices and along the path of career chosen. Lastly, there is the personal development mentoring that provides counseling to young people when they are experiencing personal crisis (To’angutu, 2005). This also helps children with less privileged lives. The activities of the programs mostly leave other social service organization with less to offer, due to their wide support in terms of funds and staff, the BBBS has the competitive edge. The organization has reduced expenses since they do not incur staff expenses; they also have so many experts at their disposal who mostly volunteer their services to the program (Stone, 2009). The other organizations should try to specialize with offering social services that are not covered by BBBS. This will decrease the level of competitions that would otherwise arise from offering the same services as BBBS. BBBS versus Juvenile Justice System BBBS goals di ffer from those of the juvenile justice system. The latter is determined in rehabilitation of children accused of committing criminal offences. This is very different from the goals and the role of BBBS, which is guidance and counseling. The juvenile justice system only focuses with helping the children who are on the wrong whilst the BBBS focus on every child. Another difference is that the Juvenile justice system has the interest of the community at large where they aim at

Evidence Based Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Evidence Based Medicine - Essay Example They point out that the journals have a scholarly rather than practical approach to solving clinical matters at hand, (Department of Medical Sociology, 1998). With the aim of exploring the barriers that GPs face in the implementation of EBM in routine clinical work and identifying possible strategies in its integration in daily work; studies have been carried out to explore this phenomenon in various parts of the world. One such study was carried out by Kenneth S Yew (MD) and Alfred Reid (MA) from the Uniformed Services University and The University of North Carolina respectively, (Physicians for the twenty-first century, 1984). They held focus group discussions with 10 General Practitioners (GPs) in public and private practice in the randomly selected from Charlotte and its environs. The aim was to find out the long term effects of teaching Critical Appraisal and Evidence Based Medicine on practicing physicians. Their goal was to explore ways in which the long-term outcomes of an integrated CA/EMB curriculum could be evaluated using a qualitative analysis of self-reported use of the two skills in everyday medical practice. Their secondary goal was to find out barriers to CA/EMB application. Reinhold Wentz has estimated that 50,000 physicians, students and health care workers receive training each year, Wentz R. (2001). P Participants mentioned that they had found the approach they used in residency was still helpful to them in situations that they faced as full time GPs, but only in circumstances that allowed them to search and reflect. However, where they immediately had patients to deal with, they preferred to rely on their own intuition and experience. A good number of them expressed guilt that they were not applying the EBM methods even though they were fully aware of how useful these were. Consequently, when it came to the question of barriers, almost all those interviewed were unanimous that time was the main culprit. Some pointed out that where they had to choose between attending to patients and making references, they often found themselves opting for the former. About 30% of the respondents said that they applied the EBM methods regularly but not when resolving an immediate clinical question. Conversely, all the participants were also unanimous on the importance of attending CME courses and as a matter of fact they did attend them. They were sure that they valued keeping up to date as it gave them immense satisfaction. 2% of the participants identified CME as their primary self-learning method. All reported that they regularly read journals while 5% read their specialty society journal regularly. About half also identified teaching and questions arising from patients as their main incentive for learning. Apart from luck of time, the participants also mentioned that the nature of their work kept them constantly under pressure to produce clinically. The majority expressed frustration at this constant pressure to perform, a common sentiment among GPs. Barnett SH et al (2000). Unfortunately, none of them associated performing in their duties with applying EBM since they mostly regarded this as a drawback on quick efficiency. Yet they all felt that they could do their work muc h better if they found the space in their punishing schedules to make references a little more and keep up to date. They figured

Merger,Acquisition,and International Strageties Assignment

Merger,Acquisition,and International Strageties - Assignment Example It has been clarified that the merger of the two companies was enhanced by the fact that AMR corporation had previously encountered numerous loses. Therefore, it was within the best interest to file a case to declare the status of bankruptcy. Therefore, the engagement into a merger concept was seen as one of the best ways that would restore the organizational, financial status back to normalcy. Initially, American airways were recognized as one of the lucrative companies in the airline industry with up to 3100 flights departing from the United States and other different parts of the world on a daily basis. An airline company with integrated customer’s carriers employed over 32,000 aviation personnel. Having played an active role in human rights network, the organization was rewarded 100 percent by the human right corporation because of the quality index and campaign for the transgender employees. By the beginning of 2012, the airline corporation started feeling the effect of financial turbulence. As such, it was declared bankrupt by the united stain the department of justice to forge ahead for the merger by the United States airways and form American Airline Inc (Bryer & Simensky, 2002). It was considered a vital step towards reviving the organizational level of competitiveness. Therefore, AMR Corporation applied to Dallas/Fort worth court and requested for bankrupt cy approval permitting merger to a United States airways group. At first the application was not very successful, but after court judge Sean Lane intervened the procedure was allowed to continue. Although the two American airline companies were given go ahead to form a merger, coming up with a single certificate took some time while the newly formed organization had already started enjoying numerous benefits. For instance, the merger was perceived to as a wise decision because it has created an open way

Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Managed Care - Essay Example If the outcome is a positive one, then resources should be devoted to treating that diagnosis based on the outcome. Arnold Birenbaum explains this in terms the lay person can easily understand, but it can be summed up this way: the outcome dictates, justifies, the expense of the intervention (Birenbaum, 13-14). This is a process that actually allocates a financial value to the DRG, and, today, insurance companies will not exceed the value in reimbursement that is dictated by the DRG. Further, the care of each patient is assigned to a case manager to oversee the rendering of the care, and to ensure that neither the services nor the days allocated to the intervention exceed the allocated DRG. Patient care has essentially been wrested away from the physician, and the physician is no longer alone in deciding the best course of care and treatment for his/her patient’s condition. Managed care has adversely impacted the doctor/patient relationship, because a patient’s care is no longer a response to the patient’s condition decided upon and agreed upon between the patient and the physician. Also, the definition of managed care suggests that a physician is no longer free to allocate resources and services to a patient’s care in order to maintain and improve the quality of life regardless of the projected or predicted outcome. Rebecca M. Bolen and J. Camille Hall (2007) say that the arm of managed care which put a stronghold on physician’s decision making processes on behalf of their patients has now reached other healthcare disciplines; nursing, social work, and psychiatric services and clinical providers (Bolen and Hall, 463). It is referred to as evidence based practice (EBP). If the evidence, as with the DRGs, points to a positive outcome, then the intervention shall reflect the extent of the outcome; otherwise, there is no approved intervention for negative outcomes based on the evidence (Bolen and Hall, 463). Physicians long

The Tragedy of Self-Awareness in Native Son Essay Example for Free

The Tragedy of Self-Awareness in Native Son Essay Richard Wright’s Native Son is about the cost of suffering and sacrifices which one man, defined as the Other from the mainstream of society, must pay in order to live as a full human being in a world that denies him the right to live with dignity. As a social being, Bigger Thomas is completely deprived himself because he is unable to find his social and self-esteemed values both in the stunted ghetto life and in the oppression of racist society. Therefore, the only way Bigger can express himself is through violence and rebellion: Wright views Bigger’s tragic destiny as the evidence which directly reflects the violence of a racist society. Eventually, in Native Son, Wight’s accusation is directed toward the systematized oppression applied by the white people, designed to keep the blacks from advancing and attaining their fullest potentialities. Wright’s major purpose in Native Son is to show how tyrannical racist society oppresses the external and internal condition of Bigger Thomas, and how Bigger’s existence is distorted in that oppressive condition. Under the external oppression, black people come to inevitably go through an inner refraction, extremely internalizing the external oppression into the self, at the same time. On that account, self-hatred, shame and impotence are produced. Bigger’s existence, also, is perverted from not only his harsh reality but his own stunted inner-self. Under this dehumanizing condition, he has to be â€Å"a dispossessed and disinherited man,† and has to struggle for his existence even by means of radical violent actions (Wright 466). The deep-rooted discordance induces an inner-refraction, and promotes the fundamental fear of self. That concretely appears in the phase of Bigger who has to observe his family’s suffering, and suffers from confirming his powerlessness. As for Bigger or other black people, fear means poor, incapable and furious. At the same time, fear is an anxious state of mind that he/she is afraid that him/herself is really such a person. This is the heart of the fear that blacks, including Bigger, feel, and that Wright wants to warn of. Similarly, in the case of Bigger, being confronted with the problematic condition, he is unwilling to confirm in his mind that he is valueless: â€Å"Each time he asked himself that question his mind hit a blank wall and he stopped thinking† (Wright 12). In order not to directly see his reality, Bigger suspends his thinking from the unbearable and repetitious everyday-life. Therefore, wastefully he just spends most of time in the trivial matters such as deciding to â€Å"buy a ten-cent magazine, or go to a movie, or go to the poolroom and talk with the gang, or just loaf around† (Wright 13). The following description well shows Bigger’s unconscious desire to look away from a grim reality. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned; his eyes moistened. The sharp precision of the world of steel and stone dissolved into blurred waves. He blinked and the world grew hard again, mechanical, distinct (Wright 16). What Bigger wants is an escape from the â€Å"mechanical† and â€Å"distinct† society (Wright 16). Thus, he wants to see the distinct boundary of society to be blurred even in the short moment of yawning. He feels comfort in the instant moment that sharp distinction of reality is blunt. The comfort, however, offered by temporary optical illusion, vanishes even simply by a blink. This kind of escapist-inclination is also revealed in the cases of Mrs. Thomas or Bigger’s girlfriend, Bessie. Mrs. Thomas retreats into conventional religion because she is unable to handle the harsh reality. Likewise, Bessie is frequently anesthetized by alcohol, swing music, and sex because she is afraid to realize herself, completely trapped by white-centered society. In relation to Bigger, he is momentarily satisfied with constructing his own fantasy: indulging in movies, dreaming of robbing a white-owned store, and playing white, â€Å"referring to a game of play-acting in which he and his friends imitated the ways and manners of white folks† (Wright 17). Everyone in the novel is described literally or figuratively as blind people, from the state’s attorney, Buckley, whose sight is prejudiced by virulent racism, to Mrs. Dalton, whose blindness is actual as well as symbolic. As Brignano states, the world of Native Son is essentially â€Å"a world divided by a color curtain† (38), and no one ever really sees Bigger. Instead, they see what they believe because the blind people are â€Å"seduced by social stereotypes into seeing myth rather than the individual† (Felgar 100). Before Bigger kills Bessie, he rapes her. He is not conscious that he is raping her because the meaning of rape for him is much different from its general notion. When Bessie said to him that â€Å"they’ll say you raped her,† Bigger effaces a physical part from the concept of rape, and he replaces it with a psychological part: Had he raped her? Yes, he had raped her. Every time he felt as he had felt that night, he raped. But rape was not what one did to women. Rape was what one felt when one’s back was against a wall and one had to strike out, whether one wanted to or not, to keep the pack from killing one. He committed rape every time he looked into a white face. He was a long, taut piece of rubber which a thousand white hands had stretched to the snapping point, and when he snapped it was rape. But it was rape when he cried out in hate deep in his heart as he felt the strain of living day by day. That, too, was rape (Wright 227-228). Bigger has no regard to Bessie’s continuous rejection because, for him, rape means both an irresolvable fury toward white people and the ineffaceable humiliation of black life. In addition, because he is completely immersed in his desire to do and to fulfill something, Bessie’s protests are utterly ignored in his consciousness: â€Å"Her voice came to him now from out of a deep, faraway silence and he paid her no heed. The loud demand of the tensity of his own body was a voice that drowned out hers† (Wright 233). Contrary to Bigger’s elated state. Social reality is growing ever more hostile to black people because of his crime. Five thousand policemen are thrown about Black Belt, many windows in the Negro section are smashed, all white schools are scheduled to be closed until the black murderer is captured, and several hundred black employees throughout the city are dismissed from jobs. Especially, Bigger realizes again the blind, inhuman and white-centered attitudes of society after being captured by policemen. At a court room in the Cook Country Morgue, what Bigger comes to feel is not a sense of guilt but rebellion, which arises against the fact that he has to be degraded into the sport for whites even in the moment of confronting death. Bigger think white people have no right to watch and use him for whatever they want: He sensed that in their attitude toward him they had gone beyond hate. He was their eyes gazing at him with calm conviction. Though he could not have put it into wo rds, he felt that not only had they resolved to put him to death, but that they were determined to make his death mean more than a mere punishment; that they regarded him as a figment of that black world which they feared and were anxious to keep under control. The atmosphere of the crowd told him that they were going to use his death as a bloody symbol of fear to wave before the eyes of that black world (Wright 276). Especially, Bigger seriously contemplates himself and the meaning of his life through the conversation with Max. The dialogue makes Bigger perceive relationships between himself and other people that he has never thought of: If that white looming mountain of hate were not a mountain at all, but people, people like himself, and like Jan—then he was faced with a high hope the like of which he had never thought could be, and a despair the full depths of which he knew he could not stand to feel (Wright 361). Faced with impending death, Bigger is aware of why he had to kill other people, and of what he did not know: But really I never wanted to hurt nobody†¦ They was crowding me too close; they wouldn’t give me no room†¦ I was always wanting something and I was feeling that nobody would let me have it†¦ I’ll be feeling and thinking that they didn’t see me and I didn’t see them (Wright 425). â€Å"I didn’t want to kill!† Bigger shouted. â€Å"But what I keeled for, I am!†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"What I killed for must’ve been good! When a man kills, it’s for something†¦. I didn’t know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for’em†¦. It’s the truth† (Wright 429). Bigger’s statement, â€Å"What I killed for I am!,† shows the awareness of his whole personality (Wright 429). It is not an irresponsible excuse but a painful acknowledgement of himself. Bigger does not assert his violent act of murder is good because he has regretted such violence by realizing, in guilt and horror, how it has hurt many innocent people. Ultimately, Bigger himself comprehends that he has been distorted, alienated and blinded his whole life. Equally, he realizes too much suffering and sacrifices have been paid in order to achieve his self. Apparently, Bigger’s tragedy lies in that he fails to grasp the proper moment of life, recognizing himself as a full human being, and he only comes to grasp that moment on the day of his execution. His awareness is too late. In addition, the total awareness was possible in the condition that all the other opportunities were deprived by confinement in prison except death: Waiting to die, Bigger discards all hopes for living, because he does not have to resist being oppressed by a racist society and to fear being cornered by a harsh environment. What Bigger achieves is not the splendid thing that all the people would try to gladly attain and assimilate. However, Bigger’s desperate struggle to achieve the meaning of his existence cannot be simply considered as a trivial and monstrous thing, even though the achievement has originated from violence and rebellion. Bigger’s self-awareness is important in both personal an social respects. For, in the personal dimension, Bigger continuously attempts to realize his existence, resists not to be a mere environmental victim, and he torturously achieves his inward life that makes him understand other people as well as himself until the last moment of his life. And in the social dimension, the problems of Bigger transcend the limit of race, and present with reconsiderations to think about other oppressed people in society. In the end, the tragedy of Bigger Thomas clearly shows the painful process of self-awareness of one human being who suffers from the oppression of social prejudice, and struggles to find his human value. In Native Son, violence of whites and blacks is directed toward each other. The society, stained with hostility and discrimination, prevents people from realizing their full potential as human beings and excludes them from full and equal participation in society. In such condition, like in the case of Bigger Thomas, self-realization can only come through violence. Finally, the destruction from such violence is mutual: What becomes the tragedy of an individual ultimately leads to the tragedy of society.

Recycling Behavior Among University Students

Recycling Behavior Among University Students The purpose of our study is to find the factors affecting multimedia students to recycle. We have four independent variables which are health consciousness, health consciousness, rewards convenience, and one dependent variable which is students recycling behavior. What appears unavailable is documentation on critical issues involved and how to address them. This paper, therefore, examines the attitudes portrayed by students towards recycling. We used survey questionnaire to collect data from 100 respondents. The government and the community can use our findings to find ways to make people recycling more and save energy. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter Overview This chapter clearly provides much insight into the importance of the current research. It begins with a quick study on the background of the research. It includes the question in detail and how to get to the answer or solution. There will be an interpretation of what this study is all about and also the scope of the study. This chapter will finally conclude with a brief overview of the research. Background of the research Recycling is a much needed thing in order to keep this planet from turning into a trash dump. A lot of people feel that recycling is a waste of time and insignificant, but it takes less than a minute to throw a paper in a recycle bin just like it take a minute to open a wrap and eat a sweet. But they should know that whatever recycling they do can make a difference for instance one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a T.V for 3 hours, a single glass jar saves enough energy to light a light bulb for 4 hours.    So for everything you recycle it does save energy.   In Malaysia tones of waste are produced, 19000, and all them end up in landfills and there are 230 landfills in Malaysia. And 80 percent of this landfills will be filled in two years, which is really bad because if the landfills reach that capacity in only two years, what capacity would they be in another two years to come?(David Gutierrez, December 2010) What people believe is that not many things can be recycled; maybe years ago it could be believed to be true but not today. Nowadays anything can be recycled; paper can be bound into newspapers, manuals, school books and paper boxes, metals like aluminum, sauce cans and tins, plastics, glass, beverage cartons etc. And there are companies in Malaysia that encourage recycling and they provide recycling machines SMIC (M) Sdn Bhd which provide recycling services of waste, Nikkhsin Sdn. Bhd. Which recycles Aluminum Claddings Automotive Engines : Export Automotive Parts Accessories : Export Disposal Services Garbage Disposal Service, Lian Hong Trading, Kent Soon Recycle Centre Sdn. Bhd, Ganapathy Metals, GMS Purna Impex and Edar Bagus. Mentioned above are the recycle centers that could be found in Malaysia. Recycling is a lesson that one should be taught in a young age, but I shows that most people know about recycling when they are old enough to understand and able to make their decisions. MMU would find ways in which to get through to the students and how the students respond to the information is up to them, thats what our research would be mostly looking, how Multimedia students respond to the education given about recycling. Recycling  does not cost anything, it takes only a little extra time, and one can make an amazing difference to the world. In many regions  recycling boxes  are not provided which people can use to collect recyclable materials for collection at the same time as their domestic waste. 1.3  Objective The research question and also the objectives are established in order to provide a sense of direction on the topic that is being investigated. The research question of this study is to find out: What are the factors affecting MMU students to recycle? The main objective or the reason why we are doing this research is for us to examine the To determine problems faced by students in recycling? To identify factors affecting students to recycle 1.4 Scope of study In accordance of the topic we are studying which is recycling; since this topic is wide we have to narrow it down to the students studying in Multimedia University. The main focus of this study is to find out the effects of recycling, as in the positive of recycling and also the negative of recycling among the students. This study is limited to students only. The geographic scope is limited to the country of Malaysia. These limits nevertheless offer a reasonable base and rationale for the scope of study. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey which was completed by students with the intention of measuring the effects of recycling among students in MMU. Organization Research This part is going to make more factual information by using the following chapter that are given by the textbook and also an order from our perspective lecturer/tutor. Chapter 1: The research is lead by studying the effects ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which are related to the research objectives and justifications. And it may lead us to a conclusion why recycling is important to our environment and also to our health. Chapter 2: This chapter is going to present a review of the definition of recycling and ways to increase education relating to reuse reduce and recycle, basically programs adopted by MMU to encourage its students to recycle. Chapter 3: This chapter will present the research methodology that was employed in the research, it clarifies how we get the data, and analysis this raw data to organize it into a useful and easy way to make others fully understand it. Chapter 4: The major findings and insights that are emphasized by us in this research which are to discover the basic reasons why some students recycle while others do not recycle at all, and the effectiveness of the programs that were offered by the university in encouraging recycling. Chapter 5: This is the final chapter, conclusion from the research findings and discussions. And also it highlights the limitations associated with the research and a proper recommendation for future research in the specific area, because nowadays everything can be recycled therefore there wont be any excuse students will give for not recycling and many programs provided to learn about recycle and how to do it. 1.6 Justification for Research Looking at the fact that not so many people do not recycle, and thats because the majority do not know anything about recycling , it could that some of them do not know the importance of recycling and finally some will want to recycle and because of lack of resources that will be hindered. That is why we do this study to find the answer to all those questions and to put the 3R perspective .into use. This 3 concept are the main purpose of the recycling which is 3R. From this perspective, we intend to study the recycling behavior among the MMU students. Nowadays, almost all universities is applying environmental friendly concept. Due to this concept, we are looking deeply into these experiences, to learn from the MMU undergraduates and start revealing how the students can inform us to move into the realm of wide-spread institutional transformation. The reason we agreed together to have recycling as our project is mainly because nowadays almost all universities in the world had organize several campaigns about the recycling. MMU also joined in organizing campaign relating to environmental friendly. For example, MMU Convocation 2010s ConvoFests theme is green. Hence, our objective is to know how actively MMU undergraduates feel towards environmental-friendly concept. Apart from it, we will use survey method to gather information that needed by collecting raw data from MMU undergraduates. For the importance, recycling no doubt is really vital nowadays. This is because this will affect the industry future and the environment. At current, we are mainly focused on the undergraduates in the university. If we found out that undergraduates are actively involved in this field, shows that in future there would be more people involved in recycling. This will contribute to environmental-friendly. Our study will benefit a lot of people mostly the government and the community in the vicinity will be benefited. The government will be benefited in terms of the fact that now the environment will be less polluted thus more industries will be built,   The more materials recycled, the less energy is expended to create new materials, the more resources conserved and the more trash and pollutants are kept from entering the environment. Recycling helps to keep water and air clean, saves the wildlife and keeps trash off the streets.   Recycling also helps to control Municipal Services Fees by reducing the total amount of trash to be taken to landfills. And the community will be benefited in terms of clean air to breath and less trash in their streets, good health will also be a benefit to the community because the trash now is recycled rather than being thrown all over. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 definition of recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution by reducing the need for conventional waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Or plainly it is returning an item back to its original condition so that it can be reused. Recycling behavior includes environmental consciousness, health consciousness, rewards and convenience. Some of these attributes can be measured objectively while others, in our case, are measured according to students perception. Recycling is so important to the welfare of our community.Majority students already know that recycling helps conserve natural resources, and also know that recycling saves space in our landfills. On the other hand, few know that recycling waste products conserves water, energy, trees, and helps reduce pollution in our drink ing water and air. But for some products its crucial to conserve them example conserving energy by way of recycling is a crucial environmental benefit because it takes far less energy to make new products and put them into working order using recycled waste than it does to make them from entirely new material. In dealing with students more reinforcement should be taken into consideration, like ways to encourage them to recycle, and research shows that rewards work for students. Nevertheless, it seems hard to match the evidence that the reward reinforcement is one of the most effective promotion techniques (Geller et al., 1975; Witmer and Geller, 1976; Luyben and Bailey, 1979; Hamad et al., 1980; Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Needleman and Geller, 1992. 2.2 Definition of students recycling behavior From todays perspective, modern recycling behavior would appear to have commenced in the seventies, when households were exhorted to save paper, cardboard, metals and other materials in an attempt to combat the energy crisis (Ackerman, 1997). The recycling drive involved not only a general urge to take action and reduce wastefulness, but also more specific reactions to the spread of litter, and to the threat of pollution from landfills. Hence, it seemed logical to assume that recycling was not only a high involvement form of behavior but also that there would be many differences between recyclers and non-recyclers (Lansana, 1992). The recycling behavior of students differs with every student, some recycling because they fill it is important in their lives and some of them do not recycle because they see no need to recycle. Recycling behavior is considered as a high commitment since it is considered a environment conduct and in addition the predominant environmental literature emphasizes the idea that individuals who are reluctant to recycle, or who neither recognize the importance of, nor express interest in, recycling waste are the same individuals who are most interested in extrinsic stimuli such as prizes, gifts and financial rewards (Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Oskamp et al., 1991; Dahle and Neumayer, 2001) the study explains that some students recycling behavior is encouraged by rewards or extrinsic value rather than recycling because it is the right thing to do. Study shows that students who behave (focus on external reinforcement) that way have less information about recycling. To be more specific, the response to the reward technique is explained by pointing out that consumers have not assimilated good enough knowledge and evaluations, such as ecological conscience (Bohlen et al., 1993); beliefs ab out recycling (Scholder, 1994); ecological concern (Dunlap and Van Liere; 1984; Bohlen et al., 1993); a favorable attitude toward recycling (Biswas et al., 2000) and recycling involvement (McGuiness et al., 1977; Black et al., 1985. 2.3 factors affecting students to recycle There are lots of factors that affect students to recycle; some factors can be controlled while others cannot be controlled, these factors include collection method (segregated or mixed materials) ,space for collection and storage of reusables and recyclables ,geographical location, particularly in relation to markets for reprocessing materials ,size of institution and volume of recyclable material ,other important factors include local authority facilities, charging structure and support  only to name a few. In fact, consumers learning requirements regarding recycling are easily satisfied since beliefs about recycling have already been acquired by the average citizen and the waste-collection system has reached a high standard of convenience which reduces its perceived cost (Ackerman, 1997). Study shows that educating students about recycling could help also, the factors given above could all exist but when students do not know anything about recycling then everything becomes vague. Education on recycling in fact is one of the major factors affecting recycling, the knowledge gained by students through that education can help them choose whether they want to recycle or not. The question is whether or not recycling continues to be of the high involvement category, and if it is not, whether to assume that responders and no responders to the reward technique display significant differences in terms of knowledge and evaluations. To understand this seemingly paradoxical framework it must be appreciated that nowadays recycling is often not high involvement behavior, since recycling has long since become part of contemporary culture and is no longer regarded as a novelty (Rogers, 1995). 2.4 Relationship between recycling and students behavior Nevertheless, according to recent research, the high involvement decisions model is not the only one which is valid for explaining both ecological (Hartmann et al., 2002) and recycling behaviors (Ratneshwar et al., 2003) and it therefore seems possible to represent recycling behaviors by using other hierarchies of effect (Diaz and Beerli, 2004). Such approaches are based on the fact that (1) much previous evidence points to the existence of associations or correlations, and not of cause and effect relationships, in recycling adoption models (Schlegelmilch et al., 1996) and (2) no works have been found that contradict the protocol of classic effects. Basically the above writers explain that there is a difference between recycling and the behavior of students or their attitude. Some students or in this case majority feel there is an importance in recycling and they want to learn more about recycling because they will like to recycling in the future. But because of less education given about it they Havre no choice but not to recycle. Another group is those students with negative attitude; they feel there is no need to recycle because is none of their business to recycle but some of them need a nudge or a push for them to recycle. And to push students to recycle is through extrinsic benefits or rewards, they need that for them to change their attitude towards recycling, and research shows that rewards are a good way to make students recycle and they respond to that more than anything else involved. According to Petty and Cacioppos elaboration likelihood model, the individual is not motivated to think about recycling but about the promised reward. Therefore, responders engage in recycling via the so called peripheral route and thus show little interest in recycling itself (Young, 1984; Katzev and Pardini, 1987; Vining and Ebreo, 1989).The predominant environmental literature emphasizes the idea that individuals who are reluctant to recycle, or who neither recognize the importance of, nor express interest in, recycling waste are the same individuals who are most interested in extrinsic stimuli such as prizes, gifts and financial rewards (Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Oskamp et al., 1991; Dahle and Neumayer,2001). CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter explains about the design and research method. Firstly, research question has been identifying by the review, hypotheses and theoretical framework. The dependent variable of the research is recycle behavior while the independent variables are; environmental consciousness, health consciousness, rewards/ incentives, nearness or convenience. Second part of this chapter, it will discuss the hypothesis development. 3.2 Research Framework Environmental consciousness STUDENTS RECYCLING BEHAVIOUR Nearness/convenience Rewards/incentives Health consciousness Based on the theoretical framework, it have total of 4 independent variables which will be analyzed towards one dependent variable in this study. The dependent variable which is, Recycle Behavior would be affected in a positive or negative manner based on the independent variables influences. 3.3 Hypothesis Development Hypothesis 1: H0= Environmental Consciousness does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Environmental influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 2: H0= Health Consciousness does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Health Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 3: H0= Rewards/ Incentives does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Rewards/ Incentives influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 4: H0= Nearness or Convenience does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Nearness or Convenience influences Recycle Behavior. Dependent Variable Dependent Variable is a variable that can be change by the Independent variables or the variable that is being measured in an experiment. Recycle Behavior is our study dependent variable. A habit had by the people to process used material into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful material. It saves a lot of sources. (Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009). Independent Variable Independent and dependent variables are related to one another. The Independent part is what you, the experimenter, changes or enacts in order to do your experiment. The dependent variable is what changes when the independent variable changes. The dependent variable  depends on the outcome of the independent variable. From the study we have 4 Independent variable; Environmental Consciousness, Health Consciousness, Rewards/ Incentives, and Nearness or Convenience. Environmental Consciousness: mean that there is no better measure of environmental responsibility than direct observation of young people, over a significant period where people are minimizing their environmental impact, reducing consumption and reusing and recycling materials. (Bill Hampel and Roger Holdsworth, 1996). H1= Environmental Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Health Consciousness: recycle behavior relationship for health consciousnesses is for good health. (Debasmita Chanda, 2006) Example: To have a better life environmental with less pollution problem. H1= Health Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Rewards/ Incentives: the expectation of reward when you to do the recycle. Example: Jenny take the 1kg of the tin to recycle, there have a return of RM 3 for the 1kg tin as the reward. H1= Rewards/ Incentives influences Recycle Behavior. Nearness or Convenience: Convenience was determining when students will recycle or not. (Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009) H1= Nearness or Convenience influences Recycle Behavior 3.4 Data Sources We are collecting our study data sources through the internet. Variable Name Description Sources Recycle Behavior A habit had by the people to process used material into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful material Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009 Environmental Consciousness there is no better measure of environmental responsibility than direct observation of young people, over a significant period who are minimizing their environmental impact, reducing consumption and reusing and recycling materials Bill Hampel and Roger Holdsworth, 1996 Health Consciousness recycle behavior relationship between the health consciousness for good health Debasmita Chanda, 2006 Rewards/ Incentives the expectation of reward when you to do the recycle Nearness or Convenience Convenience was determining when students will recycle or not Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009 3.5 Data Collection Method Data collection is simply how information is gathered. There are various methods of data collection such as personal interviewing, telephone, mail and the Internet. There are several data collection methods, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Data was gathered through questionnaires. The items for the questionnaire have formulated according to the questionnaire design. A questionnaire is a set of the question which to record the respond of the answers. According to this research, we decide to use questionnaires that we personally administer to suit the topic of our study. Through the knowledge, we know that questionnaires are popular means of collecting data, but difficult to design and often require many rewrites before an acceptable questionnaire is produced. A questionnaire is composed of questions or statements. A way to learn how to write questionnaires is to look at other samples of questionnaires. Questionnaires may be designed to gather either qualitative or quantitative data. Quantitative questions are more exact then qualitative. Any question must be carefully crafted, but in particular questions that assess a qualitative measure must be phrased to avoid ambiguity. Qualitative questions may also require more thought on the part of the participant and may cause them to become bored with the questionnaire sooner. In general, we can say that questionnaires can measure both qualitative and quantitative data well, but that qualitative questions require more care in design, administration, and interpretation (Schmidt, H. J., 2000) Our study is finding out the recycle behavior among the student, therefore we have formulated the questions to the student in MMU. 3.6 Questionnaire Design Our questionnaire has been distributed to the student in MMU. The questionnaire has been divided into three parts: Part A, B, and C. As Part A of the questionnaire is focus on the personal detail of the student, however the second part is look on the student frequency of recycle. Part C is the independent variables of the study. 3.7 Sampling Method Sampling is the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample, or a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population. From the study, we decide to use convenient sample as our sampling method. A convenience sample results when the more convenient elementary units are chosen from a population for observation. 3.8 Sample Size We are selecting our study sample size is 100 of MMU student. We felt it was the best and was suitable for the population this is so because in research it has been stated that a sample size between the range larger than 30 and less than 500 is appropriate. The smaller the group size, the harder it is to be certain that the normal curve assumptions have not been violated (Todman and Dugard, 2001). Sample size is one of the four inter-related features of a study design that can influence the detection of significant differences, relationships or interactions (Peers, 1996). 3.9 Unit of Analysis In our study we are interested and gather the information of MMU students. In case of our research we will be focusing to collect the data from the MMU student. Unit of analysis of our research is an individual. 3.10 Pilot study This study is conducted among 4 random students to find out whether it is easily understand by the respondents. The study also knows the recycle behaviour of the respondent. It helps the young generation to create a better future and save the resource to re-use. This study was very successful, because all students understand the questionnaire without confusing when the respondent questioning. The only issue through the study is some of the questions are quite like similar, but meanings of the questions are difference. 3.11 Data analysis Techniques Once the questionnaire is completing gather, the data is done according to the dissertation. We are using SPSS software through the computer to do the data analysis. Regression and correlation analysis was applied to analyze data. The data after the analysis we show it in the table in the next chapter of this. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Introduction We have distributed 100 copies of questionnaires for our survey. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Frequencies for each demographic variable were computed. We are using Cronbachs Alpha to assess our reliability (Cronbach, 1951; Hayes, 1998). Higher Alpha coefficients indicate higher scale reliability (Santos, 1999). In addition, Nunnally (1978) suggests that scales with 0.70 Alpha coefficients and above are considered acceptable. Demographic Profile of Respondents Respondents for this study are typically undergraduates of Multimedia University (MMU). As described in Table 4.1.1, majority of the respondents are male (54%), their age is between 21-30 years old (65%). Apart from that, they are taking undergraduate program in MMU (94%), and their income is below RM1000 (59%).Most of them are Malaysian (85%). Besides the race of Chinese (31%), from the Faculty of Business and Laws (79%), are single (99%). From the Table 4.1.2, generally, Majority of the MMU student are recycling (80%). Most of them recycles every month (45%), recycles for years (50%). In Addition, mainly for them to recycle is to save the environment (90%). Most of them recycle plastics (72.5%). For MMU students, they often (29%) recycle in campus. For those who are not recycling, (85%) of them will start to recycle. TABLE 4.1.1 GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE SAMPLES DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Variable Frequency Percent (%) Gender Male 54 54.0 Female 46 46.0 Age Below 21 years old 35 35.0 21-30 years old 65 65.0 Education SPM / STPM / equivalent 5 5.0 Diploma / Degree / equivalent 94 94.0 Master / Doctorate / equivalent 1 1.0 Income RM1000 and below 59 59.0 RM1001-RM2000 30 30.0 RM2001-RM3000 9 9.0 RM3001 and above 2 2.0 Nationality Malaysian 85 85.0 Non-Malaysian 15 15.0 Ethnicity Malay 37 37.0 Chinese 31 31.0 Indian 19 19.0 Others 13 13.0 Marital Single 99 99.0 Married 1 1.0 Faculty FOSEE 1 1.0 FBL 79 79.0 FIST 10 10.0 FET 8 8.0 Others 2 2.0 Table 4.1.2 PORTRAYS AN OVERVIEW OF THE SAMPLES DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Variables Frequency Percent (%) Do you recycle? Yes 80 80 No 20 20 If yes, How often do you recycle? Every day 9 11.3 Every week 23 28.8 Every month 36 45 Every year 12 15 How long have you been recycling? Days 3 3.8 Weeks 7 8.8 Months 30 37.5 Years 40 50 Why do you recycle? To save the environment 72 90 For fun 4 5 For tradition (my family does it) 4 5 Others 0 0 What do you recycle? Plastic 58 72.5 Paper 5 6.3 Cardboard 8 10 Cans 6 7.5 Bottles 3 3.8 Others 0 0 If you dont recycle, will you start? Yes 17 85 No 3 15 If you ever lived on campus before(i.e. dorms), how often did you recycle when you live campus? Never 12 12 Rarely 19 19 Often 29 29 Always 23 23 I have never lived on campus or recycling was not available 17 17 4.2 profile of respondents Figure 4.2.1 shows the gender of respondents, and according to the pie chart the most respondents are males with 54% secondly is females with 46%.Reason being that the study way conducted inside the university and Multimedia University is dominated by males than females. Figure 4.2.2 shows the age of respondents, and according to the pie chart the most respondents are those who age from 21-30 . The second largest age of respondents are those whose age is below 21 . Basically all of the respondents age from 21-30 the reason being that all of the respondents are students as the research was conduted in MMU. Figure 4.2.3 illustrates the Educational level of the respondents; most of the respondents of the questionnaire survey are doing degree the reason being most of the students in Multimedia University are from Secondary school and they are not at that satge of doing masters or doctorate yet. is shown by the pie chart just a few number of respondents are doing SPM or they already did their them. F

The grief over a lost pet

The grief over a lost pet This grief may be so difficult that the person may feel more upset over a pet than a human loved one; there are many feelings, and stages that are involved in losing a pet. Five stages that are included in losing a pet are denial, bargaining, anger, depression, and resolution. Pam Brown once said, If there is a heaven, its certain our animals are to be there. Their lives become so interwoven with our own, it would take more than an archangel to detangle them (Brown, n.d.). I awoke to a fresh spring breeze gusting through my window, the sounds of newly born birds chirping, and the smell of blooming flowers. Yet, for some reason something inside me begged and pleaded for me not get out of bed. Something shouted inside me, shouted inside this little twelve-year-old girl that this world was full of anger, hate, and unconscious drones moving around like people, people that were not living but just existing. Against my bodies, wishes and my horrible thoughts I heaved myself up and began to start my morning. I remember it was about 9:00 AM and I had a chiropractor appointment at about noon. I wandered around the house as if I had never been there before, feeling lost, in an unfamiliar body but with no reason for this feeling just pushed myself on. Assuming the feeling would go away eventually, I stumbled into the kitchen in my pajamas. Only to be greeted by the only thing in the world that filled the void inside me, my dog Shiloh. A flash of memory came to me and I lived in that memory standing in my kitchen remember the memory of the struggles it took me to convince my mom that getting a dog was the best possible therapy and telling her that it would heal everything. I began to chuckle to myself, I was not sure if I was laughing because she believed me and let me get him or because I had strung a line of BS to her in hopes of a yes answer and here it turned out that my BS was right. I got Shiloh from our local pet store. Every Saturday this pet store would have one cat and one dog up for adoption. Once I had convinced my mom this was the answer to everything, we got ready and went to look for my psychologist in a dogs body. The drive to the pet store was exhausting I could hardly contain myself. I remember watching the lines on the side of the road stream by the car; I thought that maybe if I concentrated on something, that it might put me in some sort of hypnosis and before I knew it that, we would be there. That did not work, actually it made me quite ill and when I looked up, we had driven maybe about a mile so much for that brilliant idea. I began to imagine what my dog would look like black, white, or spotted. Maybe with long hair and those enticing puppy eyes every dog owner knows. I thought up thousands of names, only stressing myself out more, what collar I would pick, would I get a boy or a girl dog. The most overplayed question in my head was if my lin e of BS was going to come true, would it fill that feeling of hatred, loneliness, and worthlessness. Then I found myself asking would he or she like me? That to me was one of the most apparent reason I needed help, I was worried if a dog was going to like me. We pulled into the parking lot of the pet store, the sounds of the tires rolling across the pavement and the screeching halt awoke me from my hypnosis. There was that last question ringing in my ear, would he or she like me? I realized we were there and felt this tension in my chest, hands, and me as a whole. This is what I had been waiting for and all of a sudden I felt scared what if I picked the wrong dog what if that feeling that everyone talks about, the feeling of knowing its the right choice is not there. I gathered my thoughts and pushed my stomach from my throat back to where it belonged and left what I hoped would be the last of those feelings in the car. As my hand grasped the handle and opened the door the sound of the one dog reverberated in my ear. At that moment nothing else mattered, I was for once in my life numb to those awful feelings. The nervousness, fear, and anxiety must have latched on to someone else that was in close range. There was a line in front of the two cages all of a sudden a thought came into my head what if someone in front of me adopts the dog first. I quickly tried to grab the thought and throw it away I did this so vividly that I thought perhaps I had acted it out in the middle of the store, luckily, I was not that crazy. That is when I heard the little boy in front of me say EW, mommy, I dont want this dog. A sense of relief flew threw me. As the people in front of me moved aside I saw him, sitting in the cage alone completely aware of his feeling of being unwanted not feeling good enough to go home with a little boy. His dark brown eyes glazed over almost like tears, his color almost like the grainy sand , and little spots almost like God had peppered him just on his feet before he sent him on his way. My attention focused on why in the world this little boy did not want him. That is when I noticed his back right leg was limp. The woman informed us that he did not utilize this leg he was born with it but had more want of love and loyalty then I had ever felt. I realized he was just like me but just did not have the capability to say it. I imagined him screaming out as I had done multiple times to my father I am here! Love me, want me, and give me the chance to show you how wonderful I am. I needed him, I wanted him, and there was without a doubt in my mind that I wanted to be that person to give him what I so longed for. In that instance, I looked at my mom and said, He is the only thing I want in life right now, and he is mine. We brought Shiloh home, the whole ride home I glared into his walnut eyes and noticed that that glaze was gone. In my eyes, I had given him what I longed for and for that moment, I felt peace of mind, a feeling that everything was going to be okay. That day he became my everything, my world. I signed on to a silent pact that day, a pact of friendship, loyalty and love that would be unmatched by anyone. A dog that loves unconditionally, without judging and does not need anything explained or asked he just knows. I loved him and he loved me, my question was answered he did love me. There was nothing in the world that would take him away from me, we were invincible together, or so I thought. A year had passed by and it was the best year of my life, he was perfect. He amazed me his leg never bothered him it was as if his hardest struggle in life had floated away. He ran on three legs and pounced around in the yard as if he were a gazelle roaming the plains of Africa. I recall thinking to myself that a person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life. I came back to my senses standing in my kitchen the morning of my chiropractic appointment wondering why this day is so different from any other day, Why I thought about all of this so in depth. I stared at those same walnut eyes thanking God for letting me own such a courageous, loyal dog. I went into the bathroom only to notice I still was not dressed, my hair was disheveled, pointing in all directions, much like roadways on a map. I decided that since it was only 9:00 in the morning that I had time to take Shiloh outside and play for awhile, knowing that he would not judge me on how I looked I stayed in my pajamas. Opening the door I felt the crisp breeze glide over my face, my bare feet on the sun bathed porch, noticing the great warmth under my toes. I stretched as far as I could reach, staring at the sun as if I were grasping it in my hands, Shiloh did the same. As I opened my eyes, I realized the cows across the street were intently focusing on us as if they wanted to engage i n a staring match. We sat in the front for awhile, just listening to the rustling leaves, the crackling of pine trees branches as if they were all stretching in unison enjoying the same things we were. I sat there, admiring how simple life could be when you had what you needed right by your side. The smell of freshly baled hay filled the air and the sound of the baby calves across the street calling to each other to play. A day like any other day, the smells and sounds of a normal day, but something was still lingering, something that was unknown, which I think, is why I was so sensitive to this incognito feeling. I walked through the dampened dew grass, reached down, grabbed the felt covered toy, and began to toss it around for Shiloh. My mom had woken up and come outside to look for me. She stood on the porch and told me that I should probably start to get ready for my appointment seeing as to how I was still in my pajamas and frankly a mess. My mom turned and went inside to get ready. Little did I know that the feeling I had been having all morning would soon show itself in true form. It was almost as if the next seven minutes were stuck in a time warp. As I turned around for Shiloh I noticed he had went across the road to the barn. Worried and frantic I did the first thing I thought of and last thing that he would consciously hear, I called his name, SHILOH come here! He then did what he did best, listened to me. Shiloh came running across the pavement of the road; I remember hearing his toenails clipping on the pavement. A sudden sense of relief came over me, followed by complete and utter trauma. I could smell the diesel, hear the sound of the roaring engine, I ran for my life and let out a horror-filled shrie k that took a part of me with it. I saw I was too late, I saw my everything, my world take the impact that I raced so hard to take for him. I fell to my knees, feeling the cold mud mush around my knees. I felt nothing, not a heartbeat. I heard nothing, no birds, no wind, the trees that were just stretching in the wind had stopped as if they knew the severity of the situation. A part of me died that day that I have never gotten back. My mom rushed outside, I had not moved, not blinked, not conscious. I came back to reality, and I came back with such anger, anger I had never experienced. I cursed every word that seeped through my body and directed it at the driver. As quick as the cursing began, it stopped I went into the house in silence and stared at my reflection telling myself it was a dream, to wake up damn it! I closed my eyes and counted to ten, nothing changed. This was reality. I sat in the house, in silence. My mom ran in the house told me she was going to the vet, I said nothing. My sister stayed with me while my mom did what I was not able to do, and I blame myself every day. I sat there for hours while my mom was gone and repeated please let him be okay God, please let him be okay. I received a phone call from my mom that he needed to be euthanized, and asked what I wanted to happen with his body. I said, He needs to come home, bring him back to me. A little while passed by and then I heard the crunching of the gravel, the squeaks of the brakes, and the car door shut. A sense of relief came over me he was home, but not home with me, home in heaven. I told myself I would not look at him. I found myself busting through the door like a horse on the racetrack. My baby, my Shiloh was in a sky blue bag tied shut, and alone. The day we got him came to my mind and I realized I could not save him from his loneliness again. The unbearable anger came over me, I briskly opened the bag as if maybe they made a mistake and he was alive or maybe if I opened it quickly enou gh he would breathe again, just for me. I ever so slightly touched his face, and quickly pulled back he was cold. I grabbed him from the bag and immediately cradled him, rocking him back and forth. I do not know how long I sat there holding him, but I do know that at twelve years old I learned what it felt like to lose a child. The sound of the shovel hitting the dirt was deafening. I wondered how I was going to be able to put him in this hole, my hand began to tighten around the bag like a vice grip. It dawned on me that someone was going to have to break both my hands before I would toss him away. The sick feeling came to me that if I could just keep him maybe it would not be so hard. The thought of letting go became harder to do than anything. I was angry at Mother Nature, the birds were still chirping, people laughing, cars zooming by. I expected the earth to stop turning and everyone to grieve with me. Shiloh was not just a dog he was my world, I wanted to die with him, lay next to him for eternity. The shovel stopped, it was time I had to let him go. As my fingers started to release from the bag the crackling of the bag unstuck itself from my hands as if Shiloh himself were clinging to me, begging me not to let him go. I sat in the cold dirt next to the hole, the grass creeping up my knees; I lowered my arms, hesitantly, not to let him go to quick in fear that I might hurt him. He was dead, he felt nothing, not the whistling wind, the warmth in my hands, or my pounding drum beat that my heart was letting out. So loud that the angels that were watching could hear it, perhaps it made some angelic sound that drew them to me. As I let go, I felt like I was letting go of everything I knew about myself, all the esteem, every fiber of my being was being buried in the hole with him. I stood there the guilt overwhelming me I should have went to the vets office with him, that cold sterile place, without his mom, how could I abandon him in his most precious time of need. If I could have been there maybe they would have saved him, maybe my need for him to live would have been enough if I had been there. That day will forever be a part of me. If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness (Garber, 2011). After the death of Shiloh I became extremely depressed and cried daily, I could not get over it. I waited for a year and hoped it would get better and now almost ten years later I have for the most part had resolution. It was not until I took the course Vet 123 that I learned why it was so difficult. There are different stages in what we call the grieving process. These stages are not linear, meaning that a grieving person can move in and out of stages in any order. These stages include: Denial, Bargaining, Anger, Depression, and resolution (Mccurnin, 2010). The denial stage is a defense mechanism that helps to ease the humans from any unbearable news or reality. This is shown in the way that the client will act; they will often want the veterinary staff to repeat diagnoses, prognoses, and treatment plans (Mccurnin, 2010). The stage of bargaining is when the grieving person acts out helpless attempts to control and change the reality of the situation. They will often try and find miracle cures or even attempt to treat it at home with home remedies. The client may also get second opinions and even replace a pet too soon. In hopes that this new dog will ease the pain and suffering they may get a dog that is the exact same breed, color, and even name the dog the same name (Mccurnin, 2010). The sad thing is that most will try this and then when the new dog does not fill that position, the owners will often become mad. The next stage is Anger. Anger is very difficult to work through and work with. This is when they will feel overwhelmingly guilty. Guilt is the hardest for people to relinquish. This stage is usually directed at the veterinary staff, they feel that perhaps it was the clinics fault that their pet did not survive. Once they are able to let go of the guilt and anger the process continues (Mccurnin, 2010). The Depression stage consists of feelings of extreme sadness, worthlessness, and the grieving person may not function normally. You become irritable, sleep depravated, and very restless. This stage must be worked through and should not be avoided (Mccurnin, 2010). The final stage of the grieving process is resolution or acceptance. Once the grieving person reaches this stage things balanced themselves out, they feel okay, and are able to function no rmally. The pet has not been forgotten and new attachments can be made without hesitation or guilt. (Mcurnin, 2010). Usually the grieving process is easier for children than it is for adults. There are some factors that change how a person grieves such as: multiple losses, a loss that was associated with a special person or event, traumatic death of a pet, loss on an important day, inability to be able to afford treatment, and guilt about the death (Mccurnin,2010). Many people deal with grief very differently, for a lot of people their pets are their children. 50% of people consider their relationship with their pets as extremely strong (Mcurnin, 2010). So in knowing this people may react and act in very odd or even absurd ways sometimes due to how they grieve. Some other instances that make the grief process more difficult is a disappearance of a pet, witness a violent and unnecessary death of a pet, sudden illness or trauma, and not being present when the pet dies or not being able to say goodbye. The loss of a pet is difficult for everyone involved, including the veterinary staff. Euthanasia of a pet is the number one cause for burnout in the clinic (Mccurnin, 2010). Some reasons that the death may be more difficult for the veterinary staff is that the pet could not fight the disease and died after much time and medical effort. The staff also becomes attached to these pets. Often in euthanasia the client may be present during the euthanasia which makes the situation more stressful. Due to problems arising during the procedure and the clients witness this (Mccurnin, 2010). It is never uncommon for a veterinary technician or any member of the staff to cry with the clients, this can often help in some situations. However over time in the practice you will acquire the skill to read situations and now how to respond (Mccurnin, 2010). Dogs dont know about beginnings, and they dont speculate on matters that occurred before their time. Dogs also dont know or at least dont accept the concept of death. With no concept of beginnings or endings dogs probably dont know that for people having a dog as a life companion provides a streak of light between two eternities of darkness .For those who love dogs, it would be the worst form of a lie to call any place where dogs were banned Paradise. Certainly no loving God would separate people from their canine friends for eternity (Coren, n.d.). In conclusion the death of a pet is one of the hardest things you could face. The feelings that you get when losing a pet can come in many forms, and may take a few weeks to months to years. It all depends on how you grieve. The day I lost Shiloh I remember wondering if I was ever to get over it or if I would ever be able to own another animal knowing the unavoidable reality in the end. I pondered if it was really worth it in the end worth the pain, unhappiness, and the worthlessness. The same things I had wished away with getting Shiloh in the first place. It was all worth it in the end for it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved in the first place. I have learned so much from this tragedy, because I feel that that was a turning point in my life and that is one of the reasons I am where I am today. I want to help and save animals to the best of my ability to be able to send that dog back home to his or her little girl. Until one has loved an animal, a part of ones soul remains un awakened (France, n.d.).