4222-305 Understand Positive Risk Taking for Individuals with Disabilities (Ld 305)

4222-305 Understand positive risk taking for individuals with disabilities (LD 305) 1. Understand that individuals with disabilities have the same right as everyone else to take risks 1. 2 Explain why, traditionally, people with disabilities have been discouraged or prevented from taking risks. In Social Care there is an accountability for the welfare of the individual, whether they are being cared for or enabled to be independent. The enabler has responsibility for the individual, and the Company that provides the service to the client has responsibility towards both the enabler and the individual.They are answerable to families, CQC, the local council, social care workers and the police. An individual, who has the mental capacity to know and understand what they are doing and the consequences, is bound by British Law. Risks are not just about accidents that may happen; they are also about behaviour and social awareness. When a person is not acting in a socially acceptable manner, m embers of the public may complain or at least interfere. They may get hurt, or their belongings damaged. There is a tension between the concept of â€Å"duty of care† and â€Å"empowerment and inclusion†.It is not legal under British Law to put vulnerable people into a place of risk. However, it is not legal to imprison them either. There has been, and still is confusion and tension between the concepts of safeguarding, responsibility, duty of care, inclusion, empowerment, and enablement. In past generations, there was less inclusion for people with learning disabilities, and if a person is not included in everyday life, then they are not included in the risks taken in everyday life. Thinking about my own life – I cook: I cut my finger with a knife by accident. I iron: I catch myself and endure a shallow burn.I cross the road: I take safety precautions, but a random car may speed up, or a motorbike turn without signalling. These are risks I take several times da ily. Why is a person with learning difficulties exempt? They are not exempt, but there is the understanding that their concept of risk could be quite different to mine. Because they have learning difficulties, they may not learn that the knives cut, the iron is hot, and vehicles kill. Therefore they are at greater risk if allowed to cut with sharp knives, iron with hot irons and cross roads alone, than I would be.Do we experience an over-bureaucratisation of care in the Western part of the world? Is there a blame culture, arising from an increasingly litigious society? One mistake and a company is sued. The temptation is to do nothing that incurs risk; with no risks taken there is no chance of an accident. There is no chance of investigation, court proceedings, compensation, increased insurance charges and negative reputation adhering to the company. Companies who deliver Social Care are accountable. They need to follow British Law.Risk assessments should be put in place for activit ies that incur reasonable risk, and these need to be followed. The individual with learning difficulties should be supported so that risks are minimal, documented, prepared for and no unnecessary risks take place through negligence. Andy Alaszewski et al (1999) Empowerment and Protection: a conclusion from this study was that organisations and agencies need to develop risk policies that embrace both protection and empowerment issues if individuals with a learning disability are to enjoy full lives in the community.Another aspect of risk in the community is the right of people who do not have diagnosed learning difficulties to live their life with minimum disruption. I have taken a person with learning disabilities to a cafe where he put his hand in a person’s salad, and tried to sit on their knee. Thankfully the salad had been left by the customer, but they did not want anyone sitting on their knee. I had put risk assessments in place, and thought it a positive place to enter the community, but I had no forewarning that the cafe was far more full than usual, and that there would be no room to sit down immediately.Here we have an example of risk that was assessed, taken, and culminated uncomfortably. The customer left the premises quickly. Do I take the individual again another time? Or should we abandon all attempts to visit the cafe? It would be easier with two enablers, so one could find out information when the individual arrived at the premises, whilst the other enabler supported the individual. But there is no funding for 2-1 care. This leaves a situation where risk will always be present, but the skills of the enablers will hopefully grow as they learn ways of promoting positive behaviour in the community. . 3 Describe the links between risk taking and responsibility, empowerment and social inclusion. Anybody who takes a full role in society takes risks: crossing the road, using a bus, driving a car, and talking to people they do not know. Risk ma y be physical (injury and accident), emotional (humiliation, sense of failure), or mental (stress). A person who is excluded from a group is disempowered. Inclusion is a strong and forceful need. Many people consider being part of a tribe, gang, clique or social group a necessary part of their life. Exclusion is disempowering.We are aware of bullying in schools, and the words still resound in my ears, â€Å"You can’t be part of our gang! † With inclusion and empowerment comes the responsibility and consequences of taking part in society in a socially acceptable way. This is laid out in British Law. A â€Å"gang† may not adhere to British Law, and so there are consequences including extra risk taking leading to injury, death and imprisonment. â€Å"The governing principle behind good approaches to risk is that people have the right to live their lives to the full as long as that does not stop others from doing the same. (Independence, choice and risk: a guide to best practice in supported decision making. Department of Health, May 2007) Duty of care requires everyone to â€Å"take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour. † (Donoghue (or M’Alister) v. Stevenson case, Lord Atkin 26th May 1932). The duty of care requires a person, with or without learning difficulties to consider the consequences of their acts and omissions and to ensure that these do not give rise to a foreseeable risk of injury to another person.The expectation is that a person is expected to act reasonably, not guarantee the safety of others at all times. Risk assessments should be put in place for those individuals who maybe cannot foresee the result of their acts, and would not understand the consequences. The duty of care rests with the social care providers. For a person with learning disabilities, they need social inclusion but are disempowered if they take part in social activi ties and yet do not behave in a socially responsible way. Therefore risk assessments are needed. I do a quick mental risk assessment when I cross the road.A person with learning disabilities may need that risk assessment doing on their behalf, due to lack of traffic awareness. The risk assessment may also identify their need to be fully supported as they cross the road. Once the risk assessment is in place, and adhered to by enablers, the individual can be taken into the community, guided across the road safely and positive consequences experienced. An example of social inclusion and empowerment can be seen in a Cake Bake sale where a group of individuals with learning disabilities baked for the Cake Bake sale, and advertised it around the village.It was held at the Church Hall and announced in the church service. Prior to the Cake Bake sale, two individuals had been regular members of the congregation and supported by enablers to take part in the service. The Cake Bake Sale was wel l attended by many members of the congregation, who also supported by bringing cakes and helping to wash up and put crockery away. There was a huge positive input from the local community. There were many risks involved – from cooking with hot ovens, to walking up the church hall and crossing busy roads to get there.There were risks that the Cake Bake sale may not attract local community members because it was known to be run by people with disabilities. There were also risks in the handling of money and safekeeping of money. But these risks were assessed, catered for, the individuals supported properly and the Cake Bake sale was a resounding success. It raised money for a compost heap and tools for a garden project. 2. 1 Explain the process of developing a positive person centred approach to risk assessment. UBU’s policy is that a risk assessment should be completed when a person is involved in undertaking an opportunity that may put him or her at risk.It does not sto p the person taking part in that activity, but it does show that the risk element has been carefully calculated, evaluating the probability of the risk against the severity of the risk. It is to be discussed with all the parties involved and so becomes a multi-disciplinary approach. The risk is shown to be reasonable and will enhance the individual’s quality of life, but at the same time, all precautions are being considered and put into action. Being a person-centred approach to risk assessment, the person (not the activity, and not the staff or the premises) is at the heart of the risk assessment.The person’s behaviour and (if applicable) condition are taken into consideration. It is considered if the risk will induce emotional harm. High risk areas may be highlighted. A risk is assessed, recorded and monitored to ensure consistency, good communication, and on-going assessment and review take place of any decision taken. This demonstrates that thorough discussions ha ve taken place. Risks are discussed at the three monthly quality review, and six monthly service evaluation. They will be taken into account at any other discussions held to assess a person’s well being and progress.People learn through being given or seeking out opportunities. This may involve different amounts of risk. The first time somebody does something may be more risky than the time they do the same activity six months later. Knowing the person and understanding them is crucial, and this is where risk assessment becomes positive. By knowing the person, their behaviour, medical condition, emotional welfare, habits, enjoyment, strengths as well as weaknesses, the risk assessment can be tailored to their individual needs. Sometimes expert advice from an external professional may also be needed to ensure the best risk assessment is created. . 2 Explain how to apply the principles and methods of a person centred approach to each of the different stages of the process of ri sk assessment. The first step in creating a risk assessment is to create a person centred Care Plan. This is called â€Å"Getting to Know Me† and is ideally created with the individual, keeping it as person-centred as possible. It documents practical information such as the name, address, date of birth, GP details, but also documents likes, dislikes, fears and other personal information. There are two small boxes for each relevant section that are ticked if necessary.One is for Support Plans where extra support is needed. The other is for Risk Assessment, where a formal risk is pin pointed. The Getting to Know Me is kept on Sharepoint, the confidential electronic (computer based) system of UBU. By ticking the box, a risk assessment document is created for the individual and is filled in by the individual and person doing the assessment. The person doing the assessment will have received training to enable them to do this correctly. They will be a Deputy Manager or Team Leader , or higher manager. At the centre of Getting to Know Me, the support plans and the risk assessment lies the individual.The documents allow for individuality, whilst presenting a consistent approach throughout UBU. A risk assessment is headed with the following sections: * Subject * Issue * What has happened in the past? * What could happen in the future and is there anything that could make it worse or make it more likely to happen? * Who would be at risk and how would they be affected? * What is already happening to reduce or remove this risk? Have any other management plans been used or been effective previously? (if not why not) * Based on all the information that has already been considered how likely is it that something will happen? A number is given scaled 1 – 5) * What makes you think this? * Based on all the information that has already been considered if something did happen then how serious could it be? (A number is given scaled 1 – 5) * What makes you thin k this? * A risk value is then produced by the document * What is the risk from this issue? * Are there any benefits to my quality of life from this issue? * What needs to be done to remove this risk or make it less serious * Is there anything else that needs to be done to reduce this risk? * How, when and by whom will this be monitored? * My comments about this assessment (I agree with this assessment, I disagree with this assessment because? ) (The individual is asked to fill this part in). * Where I disagree with any part of this assessment (The individual is asked to fill this part in). * The reason my enabling team feel that this should be included in my plans is†¦ * Does this present a specific risk to my enabling team? There is then room for planning a review. As it can be seen, the individual is part of the risk assessment process and consulted on their agreement or disagreement with it. 2. 3 Explain how a service focussed approach to risk assessment would differ from a person centred approach.Rather than focussing on the individual, their objectives, dreams and their life, the risk assessment is based on statistics. Instead of giving room for the individual and their team to comment on the risks, the assessment and the prevention of undue risk being undertaken leading to danger, tick boxes are provided which do not allow for comment. The focus is on what can go wrong, not what can go right. The person is seen as a problem to be managed instead of a person to be enabled, and an individual who can fulfil ambitions and offer a contribution to society.At worst the person becomes an â€Å"object† for assessment. 2. 4 Identify the consequences for the individual of a service focussed approach to risk assessment. Individuals being supported in social care environments may seem to have less power and status than those who enable them, support and care for them. If they want to take a risk, the question that is most pertinent might be that of, â₠¬Å"How does the risk affect the more powerful people who enable, support, care and manage the place where they are (live). If there is a risk involved that may affect the perceived â€Å"powerful† people, then it is more likely that the individual will be prevented from taking the risk. Sometimes the risk that is feared is more imagined than real. Unpredictable actions from individual can have an impact on the reputation of the service provided by the company. This has happened at Mayfield Court, where a complex individual was taken out into the community where he caused some disruption. An member of the community complained to head office about the treatment of the individual as he was â€Å"saved† from rushing into a road with oncoming traffic.They did not like the way the enabler dealt with the situation. The enable was acting within the boundaries of the Care Plan, Support Plan and Risk Assessments for that individual, but the member of the community was not used t o the complex and unsocial behaviour of the individual. Should he then not be allowed to go walking and bike riding around reasonably safe areas of the locality? As a result companies providing support and care risk assess everything quite intrusively and obsessively focus on every aspect of the lives, behaviours and potential behaviours of the people they support. Proceduralisation† is increased, defensive practices become the norm, and there is a culture of blame avoidance. The parties involved have very different interests from each other. Conflict can result. Cooperation, agreement and action is needed so that individuals do lead the lives they dream of. 3. Understand the legal and policy framework underpinning an individual with disabilities’ right to make decisions and take risks. The Human Rights Act 1998 states: * the right to life * freedom from torture and degrading treatment * freedom from  slavery and forced labour the right to liberty * the right to a fai r trial * the right not to be punished for something that wasn't a crime when you did it * the right to respect for private and family life * freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs * freedom of expression * freedom of assembly and association * the right to marry and to start a family * the right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms * the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property * the right to an education * the right to participate in free elections the right not to be subjected to the death penalty Many of these rights incur risk. Liberty means no imprisonment against the will. But taking part in freedom does incur risk. We all have the freedom to express our beliefs. Some people may express harsh or discriminatory beliefs. They will have to balance their responsibility to other people, their right to express their beliefs and the consequences that come of their expression. This is harder sometimes fo r a person with learning difficulties. Hence the risk assessments that may need to be in place. Everyone has the right to assembly and association.This leaves vulnerable people open to potential abuse (we all are – property theft, verbal abuse to name two). They also need to be aware that other people have rights and there may be consequences to their actions that are not comfortable or pleasant. If a person with learning difficulties hits a member of public they may end up being arrested, or hit back. These are just some examples of Human Rights, the risks associated and the necessity to make risk assessments for vulnerable people to safeguard them as they do enjoy their full Human Rights as set out in British Law. The Mental Capacity Act 2005, Code of Practice states: 1.Every adult has the right to make their own decisions if they have the capacity to do so. You must assume that a person has capacity unless it can be established otherwise. 2. Individuals should receive supp ort to help them make their own decisions and all possible steps should be taken to try to help him or her to reach a decision themselves. 3. Individuals have the right to make decisions that others might think are unwise. Making an unwise decision does not mean that a person lacks capacity. 4. A person’s capacity must not be judged simply on the basis of their age, appearance, condition or an aspect of their behaviour. 5.It is important to take all possible steps to try to help people make a decision for themselves. 6. Any act or decision should be the least restrictive in relation to its purpose. The Mental Capacity act promotes independence for people and also allows for the making of mistakes and learning through making mistakes. Without experiences people do not develop and learn. However, it also suggests that people are given the support needed, so that they do not come to harm whilst doing so. Risk assessments should not unreasonably restrict a person. They should saf eguard them, but should be relevant to the real risk, not feared and imagined risks.NHS and Community Care Act 1990 sets out how the NHS should assess and provide for patients based on their needs, requirements and circumstances. Each individual has different needs, requirements and circumstances and therefore the provision for each individual should be different. The Act introduced an internal market into the supply of health care, making the State an â€Å"enabler† of health and social care provision, not a provider. The duty for assessing people for social care and support rests on the local authorities, so people who need community care, get the services they are entitled to.People giving care follow a set of rules called â€Å"The Care Value Base. † The care value base is a set of rules and guidelines that every care practitioner has to follow in order to provide services to their clients. The seven principles are: 1. Promoting anti-discriminatory practice 2. Main taining confidentiality of information 3. Promoting and supporting individuals’ right to dignity, independence, choice and safety 4. Acknowledging people's personal beliefs and identities 5. Protecting individuals from abuse 6. Providing effective communication and relationships 7. Providing individualised careWhen all these principles are in balance individuals should receive the support needed to live full and interesting lives, make their own choices and decisions to the extent of their mental capacity and yet be protected from abuse if vulnerable. They have a right to safety, and this is why risk assessments are put in place. Equality Act 2010 requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.This ensures that people with learning disabilities should be able to make choices a nd decisions freely about seeking jobs and accessing all aspects of life. There should be no restrictions. Support should be given appropriately after assessment with support plans and risk assessments to ensure this can take place. General Social Care Council Code of Practice A social care worker must protect the rights and promote the interests of the service users and strive to maintain trust and confidence. The independence of the service users should be promoted, whilst protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm.This is where risk assessments and the adherence to such plays its part. A social care worker must respect the rights of the service user whilst seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. There are consequences to actions, and responsibility lies both with the individual (if they have the mental capacity) and the social care worker. Public trust and confidence from the public with regards to social care services must be upheld. Members of the public should be able to see people with learning difficulties out in the community, but in a safe and sensible way.A social care worker is accountable for the quality of their work. They have the responsibility for maintaining and improving their knowledge and skills. The managers and deputies have the overall responsibility for Care Plans, Support Plans and Risk Assessments, but the enablers also have the responsibility to read them, understand them and put them into practice. Also, when they are reviewed and change, to re-read them and understand the new documents. Valuing People, White Paper 2001 covers four key principles: civil rights, independence, choice and inclusion.It takes a life-long approach starting with an integrated approach to services for disabled children and their families, then, providing new opportunities for a full and purposeful adult life. The proposals should result in improvements in education, social services, health, employment, h ousing and support for people with learning disabilities and their families and carers. Valuing People underpins the individual’s right to make their own decisions, act independently and be included into society. A person with learning disabilities has the same civil rights as everyone else.They also share the same responsibilities, actions have the same consequences, and British Law applies. Whilst British Law strives to promote independence for people with disabilities, it does not protect them from the consequences of risk taking. This is where a balance is needed between duty of care (for both the individual and others), consequences of actions, learning from successes and mistakes, and ensuring an overall wellbeing for all concerned through risk assessment. 4. 1 Analyse why individuals with disabilities may be at risk of different forms of abuse, exploitation and harm in different areas of their lives.An individual who is in supported living is often a more vulnerable pe rson. The term vulnerable person refers to anyone over 18 who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age, illness, may be unable to take care of him or her, or is unable to protect him or her against significant harm or exploitation. Who Decides, Lord Chancellor’s Office 1997 Such people may be elderly, physically or mentally frail, suffer from a mental illness including dementia, have a physical or sensory disability, have learning disabilities, or have a severe illness.Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human rights by any other person or persons. It may consist of a single or a repeated act. It is the maltreatment, physical, emotional or financial, of a vulnerable adult. It may comprise threatening behaviour, neglect, sexual abuse, or the misappropriation of finances or material assets. Abuse can be physical, sexual, psychological, financial or material, neglect and acts of omission, and discriminatory abuse. At Mayfield Court different individuals have different risk assessments in place to safeguard them in situations where perceived abuse could take place.One individual has been risk assessed that he should never be allowed to go to the pub alone, and must always have support. Incidents have happened when clients of pubs use threatening behaviour towards him. Another individual has a risk assessment that he cannot go alone into the community because he stares at children, especially young boys. Parents perceive him to be a risk to their children, although there are no grounds for this. He would like to play with the children, as he never could do so as a child due to his medical condition. So he looks longingly at them, and becomes a perceived risk in the community.As a result he could be abused by those who take action to protect their children (quite understandably). Another individual has no competent money and financial awareness. He has been risk assessed so that he must be support ed in the community with regards to shopping. He would spend all his money on goods that were not necessary, often repeat purchases of a single item (one diary is good, several of the same diary is better! ) and would waste his money. This would lead to a situation where bills cannot be paid and the quality of his life would be compromised, so his risk assessments are in place to ensure it does not happen.Whilst this would be his choice, he could easily be abused financially by shopkeepers, or members of the public who take advantage of his good nature and vulnerability. It would also be abusive to pretend to provide support for him, whilst not safeguarding him to manage his money in a reasonable and sensible way. Stopping him buying items that he actually enjoys, would also be abuse. On supporting one individual with severe Down’s Syndrome through the streets of York, a school trip of children aged approximately 10 years old went by. Several of the children pointed their fin gers and shouted out, â€Å"Look at that little man! This could be construed as abuse (although they are children, and probably more interested than abusive). But highlighting a person’s differences negatively is discrimination and bullying. When managers consider the Care Plans for individuals, they need to consider such risks, and write risk assessments to safeguard individuals as they go about their normal, everyday life in community situations, because unfortunately there are risks in life by simply being out in the community for everybody and anybody. 4. 2 Explain how to support individuals to recognise and manage potential risk in different areas of their lives.The enabler is in a key position to support an individual to recognise potential risk in everyday living situations. Once the risk has been recognised the enabler can work with the individual, and possibly Deputy Managers and Team Leaders to manage the risk. It depends on the type of risk presented. Deputy Manag ers and Team Leaders at UBU write the risk assessments that are recorded in risk assessment documents on the Computer System Sharepoint. These may have been flagged up by enablers or keyworkers, but training is needed before the senior staff formally write them.The risk can be recognised by the individual, or by staff supporting them. Risk assessments are often written for an individual from their Care Plan (Getting to Know Me). The individual may be introduced to the perceived risks after the risk assessment has been created. It depends on their own awareness level. One individual thought she knew all about money and could not understand why she could not countersign her own finance records. She has been assessed as having no concept of the value of money, or any recognition of coins and notes.She does know money exists, it is in her purse, and it can be exchanged for goods, but the value is not understood. She has had a risk assessment put in place to state this, and Deputy Manage rs and Enabler Plus staff members sign and countersign the finance records. She has gently been taught to understand that although she loves to sign her name, and she wants to take on independence in this area of her life, it is too risky, and she has had to come to terms with the recognition of money usage and a potential area of abuse that has to be covered by risk assessments that must be adhered to by staff.Talking to individuals and explaining in ways they can understand is a way to help them recognise areas of risk. An individual wanted to use the Spa pool at a hotel near to his home. But he was nervous of the water and use of the pool, due to a perceived bad experience years previously. I took him to the spa pool where he could view the pool area and where he could created his own risk assessment of the facilities and activity. He talked me through his perceived risks, and I wrote them down.Sometimes I pointed out a risk to him, and he decided how to deal with the risk safely . Together we created a detailed risk assessment, that I typed up and put in his folder so all staff could see it. I also gave a copy to the Team Leader so she could type it up onto Sharepoint. (Ref. Swimming Risk Assessment Reflective Statement 205/305/306) I use a â€Å"Stop and Check† method of risk recognition, using open questioning techniques before doing an activity. I ask, â€Å"What shall we do? † â€Å"How shall we do this safely? † This gives the individual chance to come up with the answers.The recall of past experience ingrains the knowledge, it gives them practice in thinking through a situation and safety awareness, and empowerment because they were not told, and they came up with the answer themselves. Some individuals learn through habitual practice and learn by rote. Verbal communication is not a primary method of communication for these individuals. When crossing a road I always enable them to STOP and CHECK before crossing – whether or not there is traffic coming. We ALWAYS walk on the pavement. We ALWAYS use the â€Å"little green man† at the crossings.This way, they learn the habit of safely. I plan with a person in advance, and as we plan activities, we think about and discuss safety, accidents, the best way of doing something, and what the consequences might be if we did not do something. Going to a garden centre on Sunday becomes a risky business if an enabler does not have a bus timetable that is up to date, and shows the Sunday bus service. The consequence could be no transport home, and no money to pay for a taxi. I explain why to those who can understand the concept. An individual wants to iron, and seems very capable.He has cerebral palsy. I have explained to him that because of his mobility issues, and because an iron is hot and unwieldy, it is better that he lets me iron, whilst he puts away. I make sure he feels praised by his putting away skills, rather than undermined because I have not let him try ironing. At Pastimes (a day care centre) individuals have had access to Advocacy Meetings, where they learn about their rights, responsibilities and the consequences of their actions. Education (formal) be it at a college, evening or day class may supply teaching about risky situations.There are many ways to help an individual recognise the risks in their lives, and manage them. But tactfulness, support, and inclusion in the risk management activity is a way of enabling the individual to learn what risks are pertinent to themselves and how to circumvent difficult situations, accidents and injury, humiliation and stress. 4. 3 Explain the importance of balancing the choices of the individual with their own and others’ health and safety. When an individual makes choices, they take responsibility for their actions, and need to think ahead about the potential consequences.Thinking ahead does not always come naturally to everyone, including those who are not assessed as hav ing learning difficulties. An individual wanted to go upstairs at Mayfield Court, to visit a friend who lived on the upper floor. She has been assessed as being at high risk of falling down the stairs. She has had it written into a formal risk assessment that she should not go up stairs. The reasons given are that she may fall and hurt herself badly, she may fall and land on top of somebody else, and she may damage property.She may not be able to get down the stairs. This may lead to a hospital visit, and the unnecessary usage of NHS ambulance and paramedic time. When in hospital, she may use more than her allotted support hours and then have to do without support another day, or pay for the extra support hours. Alternatively, she may have to go to hospital unaccompanied. UBU are accountable for her safety to her parents. The individual does not have the right to chose activities or make decisions that put another person into danger. The worst case scenario is manslaughter.The perso n can be supported to lead a full life, but not one which puts others into unnecessary danger, or may lead to someone’s injury or death. UBU do not have the right to allow the individual to freely do whatever they want without any regard to their own and other’s safety. However, if an individual has the full capacity to make decisions and understand the decisions s/he is making, and chooses to do the activity knowing that they are putting themselves at risk, then there is nothing a UBU enabler can do to stop them.They can encourage them not to, point out the risks, point out the consequences and make very detailed records, but the enabler cannot lock the person up and refuse to allow them out. Thus it was that the individual, who was not allowed to access the upstairs floor, went up anyway, knowing full well she should not do this, having been asked not to, and having had the consequences fully explained to her. She did get up and down the stairs without accident but s he did also put herself into an area of potential risk.She did not have an enabler’s support at that point in the evening and made the decisions by herself. 4. 4 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect working practice when supporting individuals to take risks. I believe in freedom of choice, as long as it does not affect other people adversely, and as long as it is not obviously going to put the individual in a situation of danger or difficulty. I am a great believer in try it and see, and have a go. I have a very person-centred approach to life and try to include individuals in decisions and choices made.I support individuals to action and complete activities they have chosen to do. But I do adhere to risk assessments that are formally in place, and created risk assessments either formally (e. g. for a holiday proposal) or mentally as a situation of perceived risk arises (e. g. crossing the road/entering a cafe that seems quite full). I do not tak e unnecessary risks. I do think and plan ahead in great detail. This includes physical, mental and emotional risk assessment, as well as secondary concepts such as â€Å"getting tired† which may not seem to be a risk as such, but could lead to other dangers.A tired person, who has been walking more than normal, is more likely to suddenly refuse to go anywhere else, and they and their enabler may end up stuck in town, or far away from bus stops, without the ability to return home. My experiences have been mixed as I have learnt my job. The risk assessment completed for the swimming activity at the Spa pool was a very positive activity. This lead to the individual using the pool facilities and overcoming his nervousness of water. The risk assessments completed before tenants holidays proved detailed and more than adequate to keep the individuals safe.However, there are always ad hoc experiences that one cannot plan for, and risk assessments must be done at the time of the risk being presented. I supported an individual to go to a supermarket and use the bus as transport. As it was the first time she had ever been, and she was new to Mayfield Court, the Deputy Manager went with me (we risk assessed that it was safer to have two of us supporting her, as she can present volatile behaviour). We took enough money for a taxi home if necessary. We went there, shopped successfully and had a fun time as well.We got on the bus home, and as we approached our stop, the individual rang the bell. The bus driver shot straight past the bus stop and we were a long way down the road before he could stop at the next bus stop. We disembarked but the individual lost heart and decided she would not move. We risk assessed at that point that getting a taxi the seemingly (to us) short way home was better than forcing her to try to walk, or creating a great fuss about walking, as we thought it necessary to complete the trip positively. Fortunately a taxi pulled up at a nearby shop , and we asked the driver to take us back to the individual’s home.The risk of the bus over-shooting and missing the bus stop was not foreseeable, but because we had to make quick decisions with regards to the physical, mental and emotional welfare of the individual, and we risk assessed the situation immediately, the decision we did make turned out very positively. On an individual’s holiday the individual asked for the freedom of the hotel, to go round, talk to people she had met, and have a drink with them. I risk assessed the situation as safe as long as I stayed within view, although minding my own business. I could be called on if necessary.The hotel staff’s job was not to look after and support the individual’s on holiday, but the hotel was for people with disablement, and part of their job description is to liaise with enablers and carers, and communicate any needs to them. Therefore I decided that it was a reasonable situation for the individualà ¢â‚¬â„¢s development and although risk (of falling over, having a seizure, annoying staff or guests) was involved, because I was somewhere near and could be sought easily, the risk was minimal. I adhere very strictly to one individuals risk assessment with regards to road safety.He has no traffic sense and would walk in front of a vehicle. I ensure I position myself between him and the traffic. Another individual has no traffic sense, but has been taught to walk on pavements. He does this and only needs strict supervision when nearing road crossings. However, I still do remain mindful and vigilant when out in the community with him. One individual for the most part enjoys going into cafes, but if they are crowded or have the wrong sort of music on, he can display socially unacceptable behaviour. I plan a cafe trip, take the necessary equipment (his bowl, mat, wipes, cutlery, plastic beaker) with us.But when we arrive I make a judgement as to whether to proceed with the cafe activity dependent on his mood presentation, the circumstances within the cafe, and any other factors that need accommodating. The whole purpose of the cafe experience is for the individual to enjoy it, and the risk assessment highlights whether he is likely to enjoy the situation or not. If not, there is no point in doing it. Part of my risk assessment practice is to â€Å"tune into† the individual’s mood and analyse whether he is in the right mind-set to cope with a particular set of circumstances at that particular time.What is a positive experience on one day may be quite disruptive and negative the next day. 4. 5 Explain the importance of recording all discussions and decisions made. When I make decisions on behalf of an individual, especially ones that may have far reaching consequences, I need to evidence why I made them, and in what circumstances. I therefore record my support in a Daily Log, and if there are any incidents, these are recorded in a specific record for v iolent incidents or other incidents.The Daily Log is mostly used, and here we record what the individual chose to do, what they did, how they did it, what happened, and what the outcome was. When decisions are made, I evidence why that decision was made. The enabler is responsible for the welfare and the safety of the person they are supporting and this includes the physical, mental and emotional welfare and safety. UBU is also accountable, and hence have a full set of Policies and Procedures, Care Plans, Support Documents and Risk Assessments in place for each person.The nature of the job as an enabler is to support individuals so that accidents and injury, abuse and harmful decisions are not made. Risks are taken, but the Daily Log can show that the risk was reasonable, and assessment had taken place. The risk assessments can be referred to. The enabler is responsible for adhering to risk assessments, support plans and care plans. If the individual chooses and forces a decision to discount the risk assessment, or ignore it, it must be documented that reasonable persuasion took place. In some cases it can also be documented in the communication book and the individual can sign it.Two tenants decided to share support for the evening so they could go together to a pub for a drink. This meant that one tenant would have to forgo support, in the event of the other, more vulnerable tenant’s safety or health being compromised. I wrote out a contract in both their communication books which stated that they both understood what they were doing, what they were doing, what the consequences would be. They signed their own and each others’ books, and it was also fully recorded in the daily logs. They went out and had a good time.An individual whose risk assessment states he must be supported in the community at all times due to his lack of regard for traffic (after being run over by a car), ignored his risk assessment at a time when he was not supported, and went on a bus to a pub about 2 miles away. He then met another tenant who was there with his supporting enabler. He completed his journey in safety, but had put himself at considerable risk to do the journey. This was explained to him, but his attitude was that he wanted to socialise and have a drink, and he should not have to stay in all evening just because he did not have support.This is a difficult situation, but the individual did present the capacity to understand his decision, to know it went against his risk assessment, and that it may have had severe consequences. He did not show remorse. Some individuals have the mental capacity to choose to disregard their risk assessments knowing the consequences, and others have not. They cannot decide to disregard the risk assessments that have been put in place for their own welfare. They will act on what they think at the present moment. This capacity should also be risk assessed by professionals.A social care manager may have to be brought in to review and put support plans in place if a person repeatedly brought undue risk to them self or to others. A person who has the capacity to make a decision with understanding is accountable to British Law and the consequences of breaking it. UBU and I, as Enabler Plus, must evidence and record that all reasonable steps have been taken, policies and procedures followed, advice sought and followed, and authorities notified in accordance with UBU’s policies and procedures. Susanna Fox 4. 7. 12

Respiration in Plants and Animals

Temperature and Its Effects on Respiration in Plants and Animals Introduction Cellular respiration is the process of breaking down organic compounds to create usable energy for plants and animals. Energy that results from this metabolic process is stored in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) but carbon dioxide and water are also end products of this reaction. This makes it possible to study the amount of respiration of a plant or animal by measuring the rate at which carbon dioxide is released by the organism.In this experiment, crickets and germinating seeds will be tested at three different temperature ranges and the carbon dioxide output measured and compared. Method To prepare the test, insert the CO? (carbon dioxide) probe into an empty respiration chamber and allow 90 seconds for the probe to warm up. Next, calibrate the CO? probe and allow 30 seconds for the CO? reading to be calculated and record the base reading. After the base reading has been taken weigh an empty res piration chamber in grams and then place 5 to 10 adult crickets, or 5 to 10 germinating seeds into the respiration chamber.Record the weight once again with both the respiration chamber and the organisms combined. Now, subtract the weight of the empty respiration chamber from the weight of the organisms and the respiration chamber together to determine the mass of the crickets or seeds. Continue to prepare the test by placing the probe snugly onto the respiration chamber and ensure that all other holes are sealed. Begin to measure the CO? output in ppm (parts per million) at 10-15Â ° C (ice bath), 20-25Â ° C (room temperature) and 35-40Â ° C (heated water bath. Allow five minutes for the temperature to stabilize when beginning to test a new temperature range and then proceed to collect data with the CO? probe. After a 3 minute period of data collection record the temperature inside the respiration chamber. Find the most linear part of the graph created from the data collected and determine the slope of the line. Divide the slope of the line by the mass of the crickets or seeds to determine the units in ppm/sec/g. Each temperature should be tested 2 to 3 times to get an average respiration rate for each temperature range tested. HypothesisThe test performed at the highest temperature will increase the rate of respiration of an organism, while the test conducted at the lowest temperature will decrease the rate of respiration of an organism. Results Respiration Rates at Various Temperature Ranges Respiration of Germinating Beans in ppm/sec/gRespiration of Crickets In ppm/sec/g TemperatureGroup 1Group 2Group 1Group 2 10-15Â °C0. 0020. 9231. 1430. 10 0. 18 1. 1790. 3830. 24 20-25Â °C0. 0960. 8940. 9630. 41 0. 2261. 0911. 1180. 50 35-40Â °C0. 273. 2552. 4621. 14 0. 473. 8662. 4771. 94 The rate of respiration in the germinating beans gradually increased as the temperature rose.However, groups 1 and 2 studying the germinating beans collected some inconsistent da ta in the 20-25Â °C temperature range. The overall trend was similar in the data collected from the crickets’ respiration rates. They also respired at a greater rate when the temperature was elevated. Additionally, group 1 studying the crickets also recorded some erratic measurements in the 10-15Â °C temperature range. Conclusion The results of this test supported the hypothesis. It is clear that there is a direct relationship between temperature and respiration in plants and animals.The tendency among both the germinating seeds and the crickets was an increase in respiration as the temperature intensified. The few inconsistencies that occurred throughout the test could have been attributed to not allowing sufficient time for the temperature to stabilize between testing different temperature ranges. Also, the CO? probe could have not been tightly sealed allowing oxygen to enter the respiration chamber and affecting the readings of CO? concentrations. When repeating this tes t it would be important to ensure that these errors are more closely controlled or corrected so that accurate readings could be recorded and evaluated.

Family Variations and Implications to Children Essay

Family Variations and Implications to Children - Essay Example In contemporary communities such as in the U.K, racial variations, economic factors and family structures portray great influences on behaviors that are adopted by children in different backgrounds, which are also affected by social and economic status of families. Therefore, economic, social, and cultural background of a family has a great impact on the behaviors and the upbringing of a child in the community. Children from single parenting portray different characteristics from children with two parents, with the gender of the child being a factor in determining how the family structure and relationships affects children in particular families. Wright & Chrysalis (2007, 16) argue that the rapidly changing family dynamics result in varying characteristics and behaviors in children, indicating that the structure of a family has a direct impact on the upbringing of a child. Therefore, children adopt behaviors and characteristics that mirror the family cultural and economic backgrounds , and family structures in the society. In this report, the various effects of family structures and their effects on children influenced by the social, economic, and cultural factors will be investigated. Berthoud (2) further notes that in black families, the issue of extended family is more profound, and may include grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, among others. Generally, research in most U.K families portray most traditional family structures are more stable compared to the current marriage structures, which include single parenting and cohabitation forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Children in stable marriages portray healthy and stable development psychologically, mentally and are in most cases protected from vices experienced by children in the other two forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Such children are likely to be morally responsible according stable upbringing, or the favorable atmosphere in these families; they have to learn th eir cultural orientations and the expected code of behaviors in the society. These family structures lead to enhanced bonding among the family members that protect children from the effects and influence of cohabitation and single parenting marriages. Hollist & McBroom (2006) in a research study indicated that children from single parent households report poor academic performance, psychological, and social behaviors, which may include early school dropout, risky sexual behaviors, drug abuse, and juvenile delinquency, among others. However, when economic considerations are taken in place, families with two parents and in higher income bracket were found to fair the same with parents with single parenting (Berthoud, 2). This implies that family income in families makes a huge different in portraying variations in children upbringing. However, similar studies on variation of children brought up in different households and their academic performance portrayed no significant difference. Curtis (2007) argues that in U.K, children from low income families are half as likely to attain good grades in their GCSEs, compared to their counterparts in high income families. Curtis further elaborates that these children are more vulnerable in the community, and their probability to leave these schools with better qualifications compared to their counterparts in well off families, with this gap between children in the two social groups widening over time. Curtis further

Oaxaca Arts Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oaxaca Arts Analysis - Term Paper Example The Oaxacan art identifies itself with the mountainous region in southern Mexico. Art was made, in the form of ceramics, carvings from wood and in textiles. Examples of some of the iconic pieces include Frida, Kahlo and the famous Zapotec themes. Mexican art is related to their cultural functions. The art is also themed according famous days in the Mexican calendar, for example, the day of the dead and other important days, since in Mexico art goes correlates with culture (Giordano, 1994). Ceramics Ceramic art is an integral part of the Oaxacan Art. The region has a type of clay that is black in color. This is the reason why the ceramics in Oaxacan Art are black in color. The color of the clay made the ceramic the perfect canvas for an artist to use their imaginations on since the color makes it possible for the use of a wide range of colors on the ceramics. The distinguishing feature of Oaxaca art is the black pottery painted with vibrant colors. The ceramics included pottery and ce ramic figurines. Another form of pottery that was common was green pottery, which was created by glazing. The final product was pottery with a glaze that was green. This is an illustration of Spanish persuasion in Oaxacan art since the Spanish settlers favored this method. The green poetry was commonly used for cooking and as utensils. The figurines created by ceramics included figures of the Virgin Mary, Frida, Kahlo. Figurines were also created for celebrations like the Day of the Dead and Zapotec (Ward, E. S., Ward, W. E., and Cleveland Institute of Art, 1986). Woodcarvings Oaxacan art is also renowned for its woodcarvings. These carvings are known as Alebrijes a term coined by a great Oaxacan artist Pedro Linares to describe his work that involved Paper Mache art. In the Oaxacan carvings, the trees commonly used by artists include the cider tree and an indigenous tree the Tzompantli but the favorite wood for the artists is the Copalillo wood. The carvings are usually carved into animal figures and shapes.  Ã‚  

Cultural Event Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Cultural Event Report - Essay Example The museum was established in 1984 and was referred to as the Center of Fine Arts, but later on in 1996 its status was raised and was referred to as the Miami Art Museum. The dates of this event were from January 12th to the 16th of the year 2012. It was dubbed as the Miami International Art Fair. The event had several prominent guests, artists, musicians as well as some government officials. Some of the artists, Christopher Reilly and Richard Prince had attended the event to give full insight on their art work. The event was also where premiere galleries all across the globe, art collectors as well as curators meet yearly. The excitement could be felt while a person made his or her way into the museum. It was like going to a cinema to see a new Spiderman movie debut or having the chance to seat next to your favorite artist and consult with him or her. The Low Country by Elisabeth Condon and the Swimmers by Demi drawings were the two paintings that captured the eyes of the audience. Low Country is a new painting by Elisabeth Condon. The painting is light, balancing and opalescent. It is characterized by rubbings and markings as well as filled forms and emptiness. The painting was set on an acrylic canvas board of 36 by 60 inches in length (MAM, 2012). According to Elizabeth Condon, the painting portrays political resistance that followed after the literati customs. It portrays the Chinese intellectuals who preserved the cultural practice despite pressures by other powers to cease their practice. The second painting, Swimmers by Demi drawings, was painted in the year 2011. The painting was set on a color pencil canvas board. It has a dimension of 11 by 14 inches. This work is composed in an open and flexible way (MAM, 2012). In it, a person can see how painting turns into an escapade without tenets whose freedom and lyricism remind s people of the greatness of Paul Klee. In conclusion, the event could be summarized as a success from the lighting, to the

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 26

Personal Statement Example It was about abortion. I have to say that my friend was not married, and her boyfriend, quickly packed up and did not forget to turn off the phone, when he heard the glad tidings. However, my friend was worrying about him in last term. Much more struck to her was mother’s answer. By the way, her mother, though being rich women, is extremely overbearing and often rigid; she is also a fanatical opponent of relationships before marriage. Accordingly, my friend, relying for the support and understanding, alienated upon the stumbled recommendation of an abortion. She was not able to make this decision alone, so she asked to help her. I tried to ignore the personalities and analyse the situation regardless of the identity. The first thing I thought about was the financial side of the issue - not in term of operation, but in term of maintenance of the child. It could be a bit difficult, but possible. By myself I know that people rarely can not give up anything in their life, when it comes to higher-priority things. For example, my friend will have to forget for a while about a career and reduce her considerable demands, what in my opinion is not the most terrible tragedy. By the way, her mother, likely, was shocked by such a confession too, but, as the further story would show, it was not her final decision. In addition, if the issue of abortion is discussed, it emphasizes that my friend ranges between what she wants minutely (to solve all problems at one moment), and the voice of the woman’s instincts and heart. So, if she make the correct choice, the child would not be unnecessary. Here I should say that I am almost a principled opponent of abortion, but rarely prevent people from breaking their own lives, believing that everyone has to go through their own mistakes. Especially, if a particular person is sacred sure that his opinion is the only true one. I should say that both of

What can the trial of Socrates teach us about the ethics of democratic Essay

What can the trial of Socrates teach us about the ethics of democratic citizenship - Essay Example He defended his ideas against critics who tried to challenge him to prove them. Many people were surprised with amount of audacity and confidence he showed even at a time his was threatened. He never doubted his intellectual wit and his philosophical findings. He surprised many people in his country and across the world when he rather chose to die but not change his philosophical ideas he had invented (Hiley, 66). The life of Socrates and lesson people learned from his trial that led to his death is clearly discussed. The effects of his trial to the current ethics of democratic citizenship is discussed and broadly evaluated. The trial of Socrates is firmly written the books of history because it had a great impact on the modern and ancient history of philosophy. He was one of the best and popular philosophers during his time. The citizen of the Athens arrested Socrates and brought him to judgment after hearing his philosophical findings. A big number of the people did not agree with the way he reasoned about life and they felt that they were being offended with such sayings. They called him to council of about five hundred citizen to face charges that were against him. The person to record the proceedings of the court process was Plato, his former student whom he had taught. Athenian law required the suspect to gather his own defense and present them on the floor, and one was required to gather his/her family to come and give emotional support. Socrates never allowed his family to step to the courtroom arguing that they make him lose concentration. After several court sessions, the acting judges who included Meletus, Lycon and Anytus found and ruled that Socrates was guilty. They ruled that he was influencing and corrupting the minds of the youths. He faced death as punishment to his crime, and his friends watched helplessly as drunk hemlock that was prepared for him. The citizens of Athens were surprised by the way he strongly defended his philosophical ideas and courageously faced death. His death brought a great impact in the world of ancient philosophical history. The Socrates trial and death has many lessons that can be learned from the ethics of a democratic citizen. There are democratic virtues that Socrates had, and they include eternal skepticism, which a citizen is allowed to have a broad and open dialogue on views commented by other citizens. The other democratic virtues are ability to participate and demonstrate without being brought to judgment (Talisse). Historians remain puzzled on the trial, especially with the present freedom evidenced in the societal setting. It is indeed strange how one can be victimized for being a teacher, and such teachings result in demise. Further, it is indeed strange why one would be put to death when a natural death was eminent. This clearly demonstrated that Socrates was not a wanted individual in the society and there was no ethics displayed in the actions. Socrates significantly contributed i n awakening the societal standpoint on political and ethical dealings and the misconceptions that are often involved in the two. Through his actions, he successfully demonstrated that there existed several fallacies in democratic citizenship. "The unexamined life is not worth living" is among the quotes he presented to elucidate this fact. Further, what one considered virtuous may not be necessarily seen in a similar manner in another area or by another person. Therefore, egalitarian citizenship varied depending on the location; hence, the trial may have diverse teachings. Rather than rebutting his teachings and his beliefs on his teachings, Socrates chose to die. He thus evidenced his moral commitment, since he

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

3 - Assignment Example systematic consistency with the English Language style and presentation guidelines f) no unacknowledged use of the work of other people or sources (1) In preparation to this coursework, One of the things I did was to read a lot of books and articles so as to improve my language and linguistic skills. Another thing that I did in preparation to this courswork was to listen to several movies and songs with different accents and dialects so as to improve my understanding of phonetics and phonology. (2) i. Into The Flames’. Chapter 1 of: Sheehy, Gail. 1999. Hillary’s Choice. Random House, New York. (a) I choose the part where Bill Clinton fell in love with a divorced woman in Arkansas in the late 1980’s leading to Hillary contemplating divorcing him. In this part, the linguistic formulation gives rise to the effect of portraying Hillary as a strong woman. The syntax in this part of the book is that the words and the sentences are arranged to first of all show that Hil lary was not to blame for her husband falling in love with the other woman and hence makes it a sad ordeal for her and then brings the element of decision making and perseverance and hence portraying her as a very strong woman who is able to handle difficult situations and come out victorious. (b) This writing is a bibliography. It talks about the life of Hillary Clinton. One linguistic feature of the text which is associated with this kind of writing is writing in retrospect as it is an account of past events. (c) One inference I have made from reading the text is that women are very strong emotionally. (d) The evidence in the text which support my inference is the fact that Hillary, a woman, was able to stand the emotional stress of her husband falling in love with another woman who was the Arkansas divorcee and also allegedly cheating on her with Monica a state house intern. (e) Aspects of the language used in this text have led me to make this inference as they have portrayed Hi llary as having been subjected to a lot of emotional torture as a woman. She played her role as a wife perfectly but somehow all did not go well for her. The language used in this text makes one feel pity and compassion for Hillary. The fact that she comes over all the challenges that faced her indeed portrays her as very strong and as a typical woman, hence leading to my inference that women are very strong. (f) In order to make it less likely to make this inference, a relevant passage in the text would be one which describes Hillary as a special woman who is extremely different from all other woman and thus making it clear that all her actions and decisions are unique to her alone and no other woman on earth. (3) (ii) WRITING AND ANALYSIS: a) Produce a piece of writing of up to 1000 words which represents ONE of the following: a newspaper article commenting on a recent news story (you can decide what the story is and choose a real or invented one) Should the UK have invited Presid ent Kenyatta? The UK government plaid host to the newly elected President of the republic of

Law and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law and Morality - Essay Example Working in a group obviously has its advantages and its disadvantages the advantages that you gain from working in a group is that more and more ideas can be floated and worked upon and this was certainly the case with our group every one contributed to their fullest and the environment was a competitive one where every one wanted to show their knowledge and use it for the betterment of the team, apart from floating of ideas there was also a case of people having superior knowledge than those of the other members of the group and this was certainly put to good use and helped the whole unit. Since we had divided the group into sub groups so that we may work on different topics and perspectives each and every one had different responsibilities but every one felt a shared responsibility towards the group, this helped us immensely in putting forward our case because every one had a clear cut target to achieve and there were no ambiguities in any ones goals and hence there were no ambigui ties in the results that each and every member of this group achieved. Then there were definitely the problems that one had to face within the group as well because there could never be perfect coherence between people when they work in a group because every one has a different take on every notion or topic and every one has a different ways of inferring things from reading material, this obviously created some issues amongst the group initially but were tackled soon after we decided to divide the group into sub groups, one thing should be kept in mind here that although we had divided our selves into sub groups the group worked together, if a group member was to be picked up at random and asked about any part of the debate the member would definitely be able to answer because this whole debate was a well worked out team effort. The other problem that we faced initially was that members had to be convinced that the betterment of the group is in their own interest and hence any infor mation that they come up with should be shared with the group and not hoarded up for individual betterment. Then there was also the issue that some members were reluctant or they didn't have the right chemistry to communicate with each other and the division of the group into sub groups went a long way in removing this barrier in the flow of information flow. Over all the experience of working in a team was a good one because I personally enjoy socializing and getting to know different perspectives and also to interact with people who have a higher knowledge base than yours is an experience altogether where you learn a lot about various topics and how to deal with problems in difficult situations and different conditions. Debate The theories that we applied for the purpose of this debate were the theories of dworkin and specially the work where he criticized the work of hart on the moral implications of law and morality, dworkin states that the moral principles or the moralities that people hold so close to them are more often wrong and since the justice system makes use of these moral principles these laws are even some times incorrect based on the biased or prejudiced views of the society on the whole or a large chunk of the society, therefore if a society views prostitution as malicious then the law should not treat it as unlawful the law should be integral and should not look at it from the

Interview Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interview Report - Assignment Example To me, I view him as a perfect example and a living demonstration that age is just but a number (Neugarten, 2006). His case is interesting because the society perceives the old as people with no energy, should not work and probably should rest in care homes. However, he disapproves the stereotypes. Besides, Antony’s capacity at work is usually a preserve of the young and energetic people who can serve client’s demands with precision. Interestingly, he narrates to me that he is people’s favorite at the bar. He points out that most of his customers are young people, but he manages to mix his services with life advice. An attribute that makes him stands out from other workers. Antony points out that he felt the odd one out when he started the work. However, the kind nature of Americans and the equal opportunity that the American society provides to all the citizens and the foreigners motivated him. I find Antony to be an excellent person. His passion, vigor, and desire to achieve even in severe environments are attributes I value most in my life. Therefore, my interaction to change my perception about work. It also enabled learn the importance of knowing different peoples culture as a mechanism for promoting world

The Best Sports Day Ever Essay Example for Free

The Best Sports Day Ever Essay Our school, SMK Mohd Khalid, had an Annual Sports Day recently. The event took place at the school field on the 30th of June 2012. Parents and students arrived and settled down on chairs located under big yellow tents. Once they were all settled in, our beloved principal Tuan Hj Suleiman kicked things off with an opening speech. He welcomed the parents and gave words of encouragement for our spiritual athletes. Meanwhile, the students participating in the school sports house march had gathered in the school field for further preparation. All of the school sports house tents are adorned with big banners and flags. Mascots of each team appeared like cartoon characters such as Angry Birds, Minecraft Guy and even the feared Lord Megatron! Some mascots even had electrical gimmicks such as Megatron’s glowing fusion cannon and Angry Birds theme song. However. The weather was bad. It had rained but this did not stop them. They had trained long and hard for this day. By the time it was 8 in the morning the school sport houses such as red house, yellow house, green house, blue house and red house had started their march. They saluted past the parents’ tent and the juries’ table. It was slightly drizzling but they continued on around the field. Various events were held after. Events such as the 100 metre race, 4 times 100 metre race and tug of war had taken place on this heavenly day. After all of the athletes showed their skills in the games, there The sound of the marching band drowns all the cheering of the crowds. Our drum major, Amir Reza and his band of enthusiastic boys marched with military precision until the band resembles the U. S Navy Seal marching. Once everything had died down, they had a prize giving ceremony to all the winners for the events. Apparently the house with the highest medal tally was the red house. Also, our athlete Lim Jia Qing a. k. a the ‘Giant Panda’ had been nominated as the best 100m sprinter and would be competing in the coveted SUKMA Games. But above all is not about the medals, it is not about the achievements but it is about the competitive spirit of athletes and the sheer determination and teamwork that all our athletes had portrayed. We are now waiting eagerly and zippy about the next and upcoming sports week.

Johnson vetoed the first and second reconstruction acts Essay Example for Free

Johnson vetoed the first and second reconstruction acts Essay The impeachment of the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson was a key event in the history of Reconstruction as well as in the history of our nation. In the spring and summer of 1864, it seemed unlikely that Abraham Lincoln was going to be reelected. Not only had the war been going rather badly for the Union, but a president had not been reelected in the past thirty years and it was almost understood that Lincoln would follow that form. One of the ways in which Lincoln helped himself to get elected, as well as planning for the time in which the North and South would need to be reconciled to each other, Andrew Johnson, representative from the border state of Tennessee was selected. Johnson was a Southerner but he hated with a passion, his countrymen from the south who left the Union and despised them. However, despite his hatred for the Southern aristocrats, which Johnson had blamed for the Civil War, he certainly was no friend to the African American and this apathy towards their plight would be seen in one veto after another. Johnson also vetoed the Freedman’s Bill which sought to ensure that the newly freed African Americans would have land and a chance to make a new life for them and to ease the transition from a life of slavery to one of freedom. All of the above mentioned, led to the first impeachment of an American President. The radical Republicans became increasingly frustrated at the rate in which President Johnson was vetoing everything that they had worked so hard to form as it was their goal to make sure that the Civil War was not fought in vain. President Johnson, in the minds of the Radical Republicans and an increasing number of other representatives in both Houses of Congress, started to see Johnson as the enemy. When President Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, it was seen as the last straw and impeachment procedures begun. However, even though Johnson escaped formal impeachment by a single vote, his hopes for a second term, and his first full term, vanished as he was now seen in league with the Southerners whom he had previously professed to hate. When Andrew Johnson was selected by President Lincoln as his running mate in the 1864 election, many Republicans, especially radical Republicans like Thurlow Weed and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, were very suspicious of Johnson’s motives as he was from Tennessee. Their fear left when Johnson expressed his hatred towards the aristocratic land owners of the South, whom he had faulted for the start of the war in the first place. However, suspicion soon returned when Johnson made his feelings know concerning the need for Reconstruction in the first place: â€Å"Those states have not gone out of the Union. Therefore reconstruction is unnecessary. † This would be a theme that Johnson would keep through his formal responses concerning his multiple vetoes. Johnson was either hopelessly optimistic about the plight of the African Americans in the South, apathetic, or purposely took on a mission to help the white farmers against what he considered the legislation of the reformers to be in aid of the black farmer over the white. When Congress met in December of 1865, the first time that both Houses had met since the death of President Lincoln, only Mississippi had failed to adopt the lenient measures that both President Lincoln and Johnson had put in place in order to ease the transition of the South back into the Union. When it was realized that the Southern legislations had placed African Americans in a sort of quasi slavery through the restrictive black codes, Radical Republicans were enraged and sough to instill within the southern states, a series of laws which would ensure and forever protect the rights of the African American as it was their legal rights that were to be protected, the Union had the ability to ensure that these rights were enforced by their military presence in the area and to make sure that the Civil War was not fought in vain. These were the motivations of the Radical Republicans and it soon became clear, that such goals were in direct conflict with the motivations of President Johnson. The trouble between Congress and President Johnson began in February of 1866 with the veto of the Freedman Bill. The original bill had been passed in March of 1865 and it was up for its yearly renewal. The bill called for the redistribution of land to the freedmen, provided schools for their children and set up courts which were reinforced by the military which ensured that these laws would be carried out. President Johnson did not see the need for such expenditures and called it too expensive and unconstitutional. â€Å" I share with Congress the strongest desire to secure to the freedmen the full enjoyment of their freedom and property and their entire independence and equality in making contracts for their labor, but the bill before me contains provisions which in my opinion are not warranted by the Constitution and are not well suited to accomplish the end in view. † Since then, it has become clear by historians that this was not the true motivation of President Johnson. â€Å"President Johnson sought to return African Americans to a state of the oppressive and restrictive black codes. In being an enemy of the large land owners of the South, he still was no friend to the African American. † Also, there seemed to be a sense of ignorance concerning the condition of the African American in these southern states. Upon closing his formal reply in this veto, President Johnson said: â€Å"It is hardly necessary for me to inform Congress that in my own judgment most of these states, so far, at least, as depends upon their own action, have already been fully restored and are to be deemed as entitled to enjoy their constitutional rights as members of the Union†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This would mean, and it would be a common theme that would be seen in many of President Johnson’s responses to repeated measures by Congress to expand or protect the rights of the African America, that President Johnson would not be aiding in any legislation which helped to protect the rights of the African American, despite his aforementioned statements. The next measure which put President Johnson at odds with the Congress was his veto of the 1866 Civil Rights Bill. The Civil Rights Bill was put in place as a reaction the oppressive Black Codes which the South had implemented in order to return African Americans to as close to their previous slavery conditions as possible. Within these codes, African Americans were given a curfew, were not allowed to carry guns, serve on a jury or congregate with other African Americans in a group to name a few of the provisions. The Civil Rights Bill would later be used as a stepping stone for the 14th amendment which said that all persons born in the United States are therefore citizens and as a result, are entitled to equal protection under the law. In his veto of the 1866 Civil Rights Bill, President Johnson stated: â€Å"This provision of the bill seems to be unnecessary, as adequate judicial remedies could be adopted to secure the desired end without invading the immunities of legislators, always important to be preserved in the interest of public liberty; without assailing the independence of the judiciary, always essential to the preservation of individual rights†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was believed by the Radical Republicans that such beliefs were not only overly optimistic and ignorant of the current situation in the South, they were simply wrong. The Congress would override Johnson’s veto on the Freedman’s Bill and sought to do the same here. However, President Johnson continued to veto every bill that dealt with Reconstruction and further alienated himself from both Houses of Congress. 1867 would not be a kind year in the Johnson Administration. On March 2nd of that year, President Johnson vetoed the first of two Reconstruction Acts that would be presented to him. The Reconstruction Bill stated that in order for the previous laws to be enforced within the Southern States, the South would be divided up into military districts and put under a type of martial law, depending upon the severity of those who ignored the law. Again, President Johnson vetoed the bill as he saw it to be unnecessary. â€Å"This is a bill passed by Congress in time of peace. There is not in any one of the states brought under its operation either war or insurrection. The laws of the states and of the Federal government are all in undisturbed and harmonious operation. † This certainly was not the case but it would seem to be out of the character of President Johnson if he ever recognized the grave state that the African Americans were under within the South. President Johnson seemed to be oblivious towards this fact and his voting record surely did reinforce this notion. In March of 1867, President Johnson would veto his second Reconstruction Act which provided for military commanders to reconstruct the Southern states into states which would recognize the rights of the African American by force if necessary. In his veto, President Johnson again stated the lack of need for such pieces of legislation. â€Å"The existing Constitution of the ten States conforms to the acknowledged standards of loyalty and republicanism. Indeed, if there are degrees in republican forms of government, their constitutions are more republican now than when these States, four of which were members of the original thirteen, first became members of the Union. † President Johnson will always assert a sort of â€Å"lassie faire† notion towards the South; a notion that is in direct conflict with the Republican majority in both the House and the Senate and especially with regards to the very vocal Radical Republicans. Throughout 1867, The House Judiciary Committee, further irritated by Johnson’s repeated vetoes, sought to find some illegal activity in which to possibly impeach the President. However, upon their investigation, there was no evidence in which to do this. However, later that year, on August 12, 1867, President Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Stanton certainly was no friend of Johnson and there was no love loss between them. Stanton repeatedly undermined the President at every turn and President Johnson viewed Stanton as a hold over of the Lincoln Administration and not loyal to his administration. As a result of the firing, which was in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, eleven articles of impeachment were brought against the president. Ironically, it was this very law which President Johnson had vetoed earlier that year on March 2, 1867 in which he said: â€Å"The question, as Congress is well aware, is by no means a new one. That the power of removal is constitutionally vested in the President of the United States is a principle which has been not more distinctly declared by judicial authority and judicial commentators than it has been uniformly practiced upon by the legislative and executive departments of the Government. † President Johnson had overplayed his hand and formal articles of impeachment would be brought to him. On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Johnson. Congress. The formal reason was the firing of Stanton but in reality, President Johnson’s refusal to adhere to the political flow of Congress, which at that time, sought to regulate by force if necessary, the Southern states into submission on the issues of securing the rights of African Americans. However, a President could only be impeached if he was guilty of â€Å"high crimes and misdemeanors† as it states in the Constitution. Article I of the Impeachment document formally spelled out his charge of high crimes and misdemeanors: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his office, of his oath of office, and of the requirement of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully and in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States of America issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin Stanton from the office of Secretary for the Department of War†¦.. † The impeachment committee was made up of all Radical Republicans: Thaddeus Stevens, Benjamin Butler and James Wilson, the most notable of the cast. Johnson’s defense, as President Johnson was never present at the hearings, was Henry Stanberry, William Evarts and Benjamin Curtis as well as Jeremiah Black who would later resign from the hearings. On the first day of the trial Johnson’s defense team asked for a forty stay since they had not been given enough time to gather up their defense. The trial, which was processed over by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, a former member of President Lincoln’s cabinet, allowed a stay of only ten days. Another six day extension was voted upon by the Senate and granted. On March, 30, the trial began in which Benjamin Butler, former Union General, talked for three hours in which he lambasted the President for his violation of the Tenure of Office Act and the fact that even that the President had given orders to subordinates of General Grant before even allowing him to see and review them. The defense opened by stating that President Johnson had not violated the Tenure of Office Act with the firing of Secretary of War Stanton and that Stanton had tried everything in his power to undermined the President at every turn. Also, the fact that President Johnson had not reappointed Stanton meant that his office was not under the protection of the Tenure Act. The prosecution called other witnesses but in the end, proved unhelpful. The prosecution added further charges to the President. Article VIII stated: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, with intent unlawfully to control the disbursement of the moneys appropriated for the military service and for the Department of War, did unlawfully, and in violation of the Constitution of the United States of America, , and without the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States†¦ there being no vacancy in the office of Secretary for the Department of War, and with intent to violate and disregard the act aforesaid, then and there issue and deliver to one Lorenzo Thomas a letter of authority. The charges went further in order to prove that the firing of the Secretary of War was done with premedidation. Article IX states: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas, by force to seize, take, and possess the property of the United Sates in the Department of War, and then and there in the custody and charge of Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary for said Department, contrary to the provisions of an act entitled An act to define and punish certain conspiracies, approved July 31, 1861, and with intent to violate and disregard an act entitled An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices, passed March 2, 1867, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then and there commit a high crime in office. † It would also be the vocal opinions of the Radicals which helped the country to come to this stage in the first place. Charles Sumner stated that his objections with the President came from his many vetoes. † Andrew Johnson is the impersonation of the tyrannical Slave Power. In him it lives again. He is the lineal ancestor of John C. Calhoun and Jefferson Davis. And he gathers about him the same supporters. Original partisans of slavery North and South; habitual compromisers of great principles; maligners of the Declaration of Independence politicians without heart; lawyers, for whom a technicality is everything, and a promiscuous company who at every stage of the battle have set their faces against Equal Rights; these are his allies. It is the old troop of slavery, with a few recruits, ready as of old for violence cunning in device and heartless in quibble† Senator John Sherman voted to impeach the President because, he had abused his power and in his words: â€Å"Armed by the Constitution and the laws, with vast powers, he has neglected to protect loyal people in the rebel States, so that assassination is organized all over those States, as a political power to murder, banish and maltreat loyal people, and to destroy their property. All these he might have ascribed to alleged want of power, or to difference of opinion in questions of policy, and for these reasons no such charges were exhibited against him, though they affected the peace and safety of the nation. â€Å" However, there would be members of Congress which would come to his defense. One such member was William Fessenden who stated in his defense: â€Å"To the suggestion that popular opinion demands the conviction of the President o these charges, I reply that he is not now on trial before the people, but before the Senate. In the words of Lord Eldon, upon the trial of the Queen, I take no notice of what is passing out of doors, because I am supposed constitutionally not to be acquainted with it. And again, It is the duty of those on whom a judicial task is imposed to meet reproach and not court popularity. The people have not heard the evidence as we have heard it. † Lynman Trumble would also concur by stating in his formal decision: â€Å"What law does this record show the President to have violated? Is it the tenure of office act? I believe in the constitutionality of that act, and stand ready to punish its violators; but neither the removal of that faithful and efficient officer, Edwin M. Stanton, which I deeply regret, nor the ad interim designation of Lorenzo Thomas, were, as has been shown, forbidden by it. Is it the reconstruction acts? Whatever the facts may be, this record does not contain a particle of evidence of their violation. Is it the conspiracy act? No facts are shown to sustain such a charge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The trial had commenced and now a formal vote would be needed in order to either convict of acquit the President. In the end, senators who voted for his guilt numbered 35 and those for his innocence was 19 which was one shy of the necessary 2/3 vote needed from the senate. The Radical Republicans had gambled and lost and the zeal that the country had for Reconstruction, would eventually end with the Great Compromise of 1877. A quasi form of slavery would impede the African American from experiencing his equal treatment under the law and as a result, future laws which would be used. Jim Crow laws and grandfather clauses kept African Americans from the polls and placed their previous masters, as masters again. Also, the hopes that President Johnson had for reelection were gone and General Grant would follow him in two lackluster terms as President. It was a sad chapter for the President as well as the Presidency as a whole. Such events make historians wonder how the country would have been different had President Lincoln never been assassinated. Tempers among North and South might not have come to a head as they did and most accurately, African Americans would not have had to wait as long as they did for equal treatment under the law. The choice of Andrew Johnson for Vice President had consequences for the Union which could not have been seen when President Lincoln first appointed him as the Vice President in 1864. Only unhelpful speculation can possibly answer what the make up of this country and race relations for the forty years after the end of the Civil War would have looked like, had President Johnson, in the spirit of â€Å"malice towards none and charity for all. † Nobody will ever know. WORKS CITED Commanger, Henry Steele Documents of American History. New York: Century Press. 1947 Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals. New York: Simon Schuster 2006 Reconstruction and the Courts New York: PBS American Experience 2003 http://www. impeach-andrewjohnson. com/ Downloaded on June 5, 2007.

Analysis of Strategic Management at Hotel

Analysis of Strategic Management at Hotel INTRODUCTION Why are some companies successful, while so many other businesses fail? Some organizations may just be lucky. They may have the right mix of products and/or services at the right time. But even if luck leads to success, it probably will not last. Most companies that are highly successful over the long term effectively acquire, develop, and manage resources and capabilities that provide competitive advantages. For example, McDonalds enjoys outstanding brand recognition and a world class operating system. Marriott enjoys these same benefits in the lodging industry. Successful companies have also learned how to develop and manage relationships with a wide range of organizations, groups, and people that have a stake in their firms. The emergence of a fiercely competitive global economy means that firms have to expand their networks of relationships and cooperate with each other to remain competitive. McDonalds investment in Chipotle was a cooperative venture. As Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Chipotle noted, Weve enjoyed our relationship with McDonalds since the beginning and appreciate the support theyve shown in funding Chipotles growth over the last seven years. Still, weve always operated independently, and that wont change as McDonalds Continues to reduce its investment in Chipotle and focuses on its core business. Strategic management is a process through which organizations analyze and learn from their internal and external environments, establish strategic direction, create strategies that are intended to move the organization in that direction, and implement those strategies, all in an effort to satisfy key stakeholders. Stakeholders are groups or individuals who can significantly affect or are significantly affected by an organizations activities. An organization defines who its key stakeholders are, but they typically include customers, employees, and shareholders or owners, among others. Although larger companies tend to use the strategic management process, this process is also a vital part of decision making in smaller companies. Firms practicing strategic planning processes tend to outperform their counterparts that do not. In fact, executives have reported higher levels of satisfaction with strategic management tools and ideas than with most other management tools. Furthermore, 81 percent of companies worldwide reported doing strategic planning. In North America, the figure was even higher (89 percent). Hospitality firms also benefit from strategic planning, as suggested by a recent study of hotels in the United Kingdom, which found that business performance was positively associated with the thoroughness, sophistication, participation, and formality of strategic planning processes. An example of how strategic analysis can help guide business strategy is shown in Starwood Hotels Resorts efforts to launch a new product. This book also recognizes that there is a difference between the strategic planning process and strategic thinking, and that both are a part of effective strategic management. The strategic planning process tends to be a rather rigid and unimaginative process in many organizations. Strategic thinking, however, leads to creative solutions and new ideas like Starwood Hotels launch of the Heavenly Bed. As illustrated in the Heavenly Bed example, a firm that injects strategic thinking into the strategic planning process has the best of both worlds. THE ORIGIN OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT The increasing importance of strategic management may be a result of several trends. Increasing competition in most industries has made it difficult for some companies to compete. Modern and cheaper transportation and communication have led to increasing global trade and awareness. Technological development has led to accelerated changes in the global economy. Regardless of the reasons, the past two decades have seen a surge in interest in strategic management. STRATEGIC THINKING AT STARWOOD The Heavenly Bed, first launched by the Westin brand of Starwood Hotels Resorts, has transformed the bed, a basic feature of any hotel room, into a luxurious object of desire, enhancing the revenues of the chain and leaving many hotel operators to follow suit with copycat linens and custom bedding of their own. The strategic process at Starwood began with consumer analysis and product testing. First, Westin commissioned a study involving 600 business executives who travel frequently. The results showed that 84 percent said a luxurious bed would make a hotel room more attractive to them. What is more, 63 percent said a good night s sleep is the most important service a hotel can provide. Half of those surveyed said they sleep worse in hotels than at home. After testing 50 beds from 35 lodging chains, Westin developed its prototype all white Heavenly Bed with a custom designed pillow top mattress, goose down comforters, five pillows, and three crisp sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 250. Once the product was designed and tested, the fi rm introduced the bed with a carefully planned marketing strategy. USA Today ran a story on the front page of its business section. The same day, 20 pristine white Heavenly Beds lined Wall Street up to the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Inside the Stock Exchange, Barry Sternlicht, the then Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels Resorts rang the opening bell and threw out hats proclaiming, Work like the devil. Sleep like an angel. Meanwhile, at New York s Grand Central Station, 20 more beds graced one of the rotundas there, and commuters disembarking the trains were invited to try them out. Similar events were staged the same day at 38 locations across the United States, tailored to each city. Savannahs event featured a bed floating on a barge down the river with a landing skydiver. Seattles event took place atop the Space Needle. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Traditional Perspective As the field of strategic management began to emerge in the latter part of the 20th century, scholars borrowed heavily from the field of economics. For some time, economists had been actively studying topics associated with the competitiveness of industries. Industry concentration, diversification, product differentiation, and market power. However, much of the economics research at that time focused on industries as a whole, and some of it even assumed that individual firm differences did not matter. Other fields also influenced early strategic management thought, including marketing, finance, psychology, and management. Academic progress was slow in the beginning, and the large consulting firms began to develop their own models and theories to meet their clients needs. Scholars readily adopted many of these models into their own articles and books. Eventually, a consensus began to build regarding what is included in the strategic management process. The traditional process for developing strategy consists of analyzing the internal and external environments of the company to arrive at organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). The results from this situation analysis, as this process is sometimes called, are the basis for developing missions, goals, and strategies. In general, a company should select strategies that (1) take advantage of organizational strengths and environmental opportunities or (2) neutralize or overcome organizational weaknesses and environmental threats. 10 After strategies are formulated, plans for implementing them are established and carried out. Figure 1.1 presents the natural  flow of these activities. The first of these ideas was that the environment is the primary determinant of the best strategy. This is called environmental determinism. According to the deterministic view, good management is associated with determining which strategy will best fit environmental, technical, and human forces at a particular point in time, and then working to carry it out. The most successful organization best adapts to existing forces. Some evidence suggests that the ability to align the skills and other resources of the organization with the needs and demands of the environment can be a source of competitive advantage. 12 However, after a critical review of environmental determinism, a well known researcher once argued: There is a more fundamental conclusion to be drawn from the foregoing analysis: the strategy of a firm cannot be predicted, nor is it predestined; the strategic decisions made by managers cannot be assumed to be the product of deterministic forces in their environments. On the contrary, the very nature of the concept of strategy assumes a human agent who is able to take actions that attempt to distinguish one firm from the competitors. Basically, a large firm may decide not to compete in a given environment. Or, as an alternative, the firm may attempt to influence the environment to make it less hostile and more conducive to organizational success. This process is called enactment, which means that a firm can influence its environment. THE PRINCIPLE OF ENACTMENT The principle of enactment assumes that organizations do not have to submit to existing forces in the environment; they can, in part, create their environments through strategic alliances with stakeholders, investments in leading technologies, advertising, political lobbying, and a variety of other activities. 14 Of course, smaller organizations are somewhat limited in their ability to influence some components of their environments on their own. For example, a small restaurant firm may have a difficult time influencing national government agencies and administrators. However, smaller organizations often band together into trade groups, such as the National Restaurant Association, to influence government policy on pressing issues like minimum wage, immigration policy, and health care costs. Also, they may form alliances with other entities. The Global Hotel Alliance is one example, in which Omni Hotels, Kempinski Hotels Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Rydges Hotels Resorts, Marco Polo Group, Dusit Hotels Resorts and Landis Hotels Resorts have joined forces to compete against the mega chains. In addition, even a small firm may be able to exert a powerful influence on its local operating environment. The key to enactment is understanding that a firm does not necessarily have to adapt completely to the forces that exist in its operating environment. It can at least partly influence certain aspects of the environment in which it competes. DELIBERATE STRATEGY VERSUS EMERGENT STRATEGY The traditional school of thought concerning strategy formulation also supported the view that managers respond to the forces discussed thus far by making decisions that are consistent with a preconceived strategy. In other words, strategy is deliberate. Deliberate strategy implies that managers plan to pursue an intended strategic course. In some cases, however, strategy simply emerges from a stream of decisions. Managers learn as they go. An emergent strategy is one that was not planned or intended. According to this perspective, managers learn what will work through a process of trial and error. 16 Supporters of this view argue that organizations that limit themselves to acting on the basis of what is already known or understood will not be sufficiently innovative to create a sustainable competitive advantage. In the first week of launching the Westin Heavenly Bed, 32 guests called to ask where they could buy the bed. A light bulb went on. Westin executives put order cards with a toll free number in every room. Then they started placing catalogs by bedsides and desks and set up a web site. By June of 2004, Westin had sold 20,000 pillows $ 75 for the king sized version and 3,500 bed/bedding combos, at $ 2,965 each, enough to spread the idea throughout Starwood, with the Sheraton, St. Regis, and W lines all turning into retailers. The unanticipated success of the Heavenly Bed has spawned a new business companies that help hotels run their retail arms. Boxport, a spin off of San Francisco based hotel procurer Higgins Purchasing Group, operates web sites and catalogs for several chains that now sell Bedding of this example of emergent strategy, it is not a good idea to reject deliberate strategy either. One of the strongest advocates of learning and emergent strategy recently confessed, We shall get nowhere without emergent learning alongside deliberate planning.Both processes are necessary if an organization is to succeed. When Starwood first launched the concept of the Heavenly Bed in 1999, the strategy was a deliberate effort, but the opportunity to provide retail sales was an unintended outcome, and this unforeseen opportunity led to an emergent and highly successful retail strategy, as the above example shows. EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING In summary, scholars have determined that both adaptation and enactment are important to organizations. They should adapt to environmental forces when the costs of enacting (influencing) the environment exceed the benefits. However, they should be proactive in creating their own opportunities. In addition, organizations should engage in deliberate strategic planning processes, but they should also be willing to make mistakes and learn from them as they chart a strategic course. In other words, strategy should be both deliberate and emergent, and firms should both adapt to and enact their environments, with the situation determining which option to choose. Westin learned these lessons by paying attention to their customers. The Organization as a Bundle of Resources: The Resource Based View In recent years, another perspective on strategy development has gained wide acceptance. The resource based view of the firm has its roots in the work of the earliest strategic management theorists. 20 It grew out of the question, Why do some firms persistently outperform other firms? One of the first competencies identified was general management capability. This led to the proposition that firms with high quality general managers will outperform their rivals. Much research has examined this issue. Clearly, effective leadership is important to organizational performance, but it is diffi cult to specify what makes an effective leader. Also, although leaders are an important source of competence for an organization, they are not the only important resource that makes a difference. Economic thought also influenced development of the resource based view. Nearly two centuries ago, an economist named David Ricardo investigated the advantages of possessing superior resources, especially land. 22 One of Ricardos central propositions was that the farmer with the most fertile land had a sustained performance advantage over other farmers. More recently, another economist, Edith Penrose, expanded on Ricardo s view by noting that various skills and abilities possessed by firms could lead to superior performance. She viewed firms as an administrative framework that coordinated the activities of numerous groups and individuals, and also as a bundle of productive resources. 23 She studied the effects of various skills and abilities possessed by organizations, concluding that a wide range of skills and resources could influence competitive performance. A common thread of reasoning in the distinctive competency literature and the arguments of Ricardo and Penrose is that organizational success can be explained in terms of the resources and capabilities possessed by an organization. Many modern scholars have contributed to this perspective of the firm. According to this view, an organization is a bundle of resources, which fall into the general categories of: Financial resources, including all of the monetary resources from which a firm can draw. Physical resources, such as land, buildings, equipment, locations, and access  to raw materials. Human resources, which pertains to the skills, background, and training of managers and employees, as well as the way they are organized. Organizational knowledge and learning General organizational resources, including the firm s reputation, brand names, patents, contracts, and relationships with external stakeholders. Envisioning the firm as a bundle of resources has broad implications. For example, the most important role of a manager becomes that of acquiring, developing, managing, and discarding resources. Also, much of the research on the resource based perspective has demonstrated that firms can gain competitive advantage through possessing superior resources. Superior resources are those that have value in the market, are possessed by only a small number of firms, and are not easy to substitute. If a particular resource is also costly or impossible to imitate, then  the competitive advantage may be sustainable. A sustainable competitive advantage may lead to higher than average organizational performance over a long period.