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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND MANAGEMENT What is an Organization? An organization is a collection of people who work together to achieve individual and organizational goals. What is Organizational Behavior? Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of factors that affect how individuals and groups act in organizations and how organizations manage their environments What is Management? Management is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization’s human, financial, material, and other resources to increase its effectiveness.Managerial Roles * Manager: Any person who supervises one or more subordinates. * Role: A set of behaviors or tasks a person is expected to perform because of the position he or she holds in a group or organization. * Managerial roles identified by Mintzberg (see Table 1. 1): FigureheadLeader LiaisonMonitor DisseminatorSpokesperson EntrepreneurDisturbance handler Resource allocatorNegotiator Managerial Skills * Conceptual Skills: The ability to analyze and diagnose a situation and distinguish between cause and effect. Human Skills: The ability to understand, work with, lead, and control the behavior of other people and groups. * Technical Skills: Job-specific knowledge and techniques. Challenges for Organizational Behavior and Management * Using new information technology to enhance creativity and organizational learning. * Managing human resources to increase competitive advantage. * Developing organizational ethics and well-being. * Managing a diverse work force. * Managing the global environment. Challenge 1: Using New Information Technology to Enhance Creativity and Organizational Learning Information technology: The computer systems and software that organizations use to speed the flow of information around an organization and to better link people and subunits within it. * Creativity: The decision-making process that produces novel and useful ideas that lead to new or improved goods and services or to improvements in the way they are produced. New Ways to Increase Performance * Reengineering: A complete rethinking and redesign of business processes to increase efficiency, quality, innovation, or responsiveness to customers. * Restructuring: Altering an organization’s structure (e. g. by eliminating a department) to streamline the organization’s operations and reduce costs. * Outsourcing: Acquiring goods or services from sources outside the organization. * Freelancers: Independent individuals who contract with an organization to perform specific services. Challenge 3 Developing Organizational Ethics and Well-Being * Ethics: Rules, beliefs, and values that outline the ways in which managers and workers should behave when confronted with a situation in which their actions may help or harm other people inside of or outside an organization. * Well-being: The condition of being happy, healthy, and prosperous. Social responsibility: An organization’s moral responsi bility toward individuals or groups outside the organization that are affected by its actions. The core 21st century qualities needed to create the ideal work atmosphere begin with intelligence, passion, a strong work ethic, and a genuine concern for people. Managing and Working Today and in the Future: * Managers must become agile and flexible to help their firms develop and sustain competitive advantage * To be successful, managers will need to harness the powers of: * information technology * human capitalChallenges of These Forces to Managers * Resisting the reality of these forces will likely lead to: * Unnecessary conflict * Reduced managerial performance * Reduced non-managerial performance * Lost opportunities * Failing to cope and deal with these forces will likely result in: * Job dissatisfaction * Poor morale * Reduced commitment * Lower work quality * Burnout * Poor judgment * Unhealthy consequences Taylor’s Scientific Management Principles (1 of 2) * Develop a sc ience for each element of an employee’s work * which replaces the old rule-of-thumb method Scientifically select and then train, teach, and develop the worker * whereas in the past a worker chose the work to do and was self-trained Taylor’s Scientific Management Principles (2 of 2) * Heartily cooperate with each other to insure that all work was done in accordance with the principles of science * There is an almost equal division of the work and the responsibility between management and non-managers Impact of Fayol’s Functions of Management * Emphasized the importance of carefully practicing efficient: * planning * organizing * commanding * coordinating * controlling Management is a separate body of knowledge that can be applied in any type of organization * A theory of management that can be learned and taught * There is a need for teaching management in colleges Definition of Organizational Behavior (OB) * The study of human behavior, attitudes, and performanc e within an organizational setting * drawing on theory, methods, and principles from such disciplines as psychology, sociology, political science, and cultural anthropology * to learn about individual, groups, structure, and processes Systems Theory and Effectiveness (1 of 2) Organizational effectiveness is an all-encompassing concept that includes a number of component concepts * The managerial task is to maintain the optimal balance among these components Managers can lead the way to higher levels of effectiveness by: (1 of 2) * Providing opportunities for training and continuous learning * Sharing information with employees * Encouraging cross-development partnerships * Linking compensation to performance Managers can lead the way to higher levels of effectiveness by: (2 of 2) * Avoiding layoffs * Being a supportive role model Respecting the differences across employees * Being a good listener Key Points (1 of 2) * The key to an organization’s success is its human resource s * Organizations need human resources that: * work hard * think creatively * perform excellently Key Points (2 of 2) * Rewarding, encouraging, and nurturing the human resources in a timely and meaningful manner is what is required * The behavior of employees is the key to achieving effectiveness Chapter 16 Organizational Behavior across cultures Chapter objectives: * Conditions affecting multinational operations Individual differences among employees * Barriers to cultural adoption * Overcoming barriers to cultural adoption * Productivity and cultural contingencies Condition affecting multinational operation The people of the world are organized into nations with its own way, according to its recourses and heritages. There are some similarities and differences among the nations. Understanding these differences and how they influence organizational behavior is aided by examination of following keys: * Social conditions * Legal and ethical conditions Political conditions * Economic c onditions Social conditions In many countries the social condition is poorly developed , there are major shortages of managerial personnel, scientists and technicians and these deficiencies limit the ability to employ local labor . Needed skills must be imported from other countries while the local workers will be prepared. exp American nation welcomed an electronic assembly plant to its capital city . the plant was labor- intensive, so the many jobs it provided reduce the nation’s high unemployment rate. ages were above standards, working conditions were good and the plant was environmentally clean. Additionally company’s agreement with the host nation stated that the company would supply a cadre of managers and technicians to train local employees. local would gradually become supervisors, technician and purchasing specialist and so on. Legal and ethical conditions In judicial systems, some countries practice rapid disposition of cases, in other countries cases may d rag on for years. Some countries condone the practice of bribery as way of obtaining and retaining businesses others strictly prohibit it.Managers need to be aware of the possible differences in both laws and ethical values that define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in foreign countries . The managers in foreign countries need to become familiar with local customers and practice . Applying their own personal and organizational value system, their must then decide which behaviors are compatible with both parties’ expectations and which are not. Finally ,they need to recognize that the resolution of ethical issues is not always clear-cut. Individual differences There are five dimensions that accounted for the sharpest differences among employees including: Individualism/collectivism * Power distance * Uncertainty avoidance * Masculinity/femininity * Time orientation Individual differences * Individualism/Collectivism: cultures that emphasize individualism tend to accent individual rights and freedoms and place considerable attention on self-respect whereas collectivism heavily accent the group and values harmony among members. For example in US there is individualistic culture(â€Å"every person for him/her self†) but Japan is collectivistic, with the culture that can be characterized by the proverb:†The nail sticks up gets pounded down. * Power distance: refers to the belief which are strong and legitimate decision-making rights separating managers and employees. Individual differences * Uncertainty avoidance: These employees prefer to avoid ambiguity at work and those who with high degree often prefer stability, security and clarity. * Masculinity/ Femininity: define gender roles in more traditional ways. In addition, masculine societies evaluate assertive behavior and acquisition wealth ;whereas feminine cultures contribute to the relationships among people, caring for others and greater balance between family and work life.Individu al differences * Time orientation: some cultures emphasize values such as the necessity of preparing for the future, the value of thrift and savings and the qualification of persistence which have long-term orientation such as Hong Kong, China and Japan. * Other cultures value the past and accent the present with the respect for tradition and need to fulfill historical social obligations, they have short-term orientation such as France, Russia, and West Africa. Managing at International workforce * Multiculturism: occurs when the employees in two or more cultures nteract with each one regular basis. In some instances the new employees are parent-country nationals from the nations in which the home office is located or they may be third-country nationals from some other nations. In either case they are called expatriate because they come from another nation. Their role is to provide a combination of cultures in which both parties adjust to the new situation of seeking greater product ivity for the benefit of both the organization and the citizens of the country. Barriers to cultural adaption Parochialism: it means that the people see the situation around them from their own perspective. They may fail to recognize key differences between their own and others’ cultures. * Ethnocentrism: occurs when people are predisposed (talented) to believe that their homeland conditions are the best. This predisposition is known as the self-reference criterion or ethnocentrism. * Cultural empathy: is the awareness of the differences across the cultures and understanding of the ways in which those differences can affect business relationships.When culture empathy continues, it will result in geocentric organization which ignore person's nationality while emphasizing employee ability in selection, assignment, and decisions. CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION * Transcultural Managers are those who have learned to manage employees in several cultures effectively. Transcultural Emp loyees are those who have learned to operate effectively in several cultures. These employees are low in ethnocentrism and adapt readily to different cultures without major cultural shock. They usually communicate in more than one language. Transcultural employees are especially needed in large, multinational firms that operate in a variety of national cultures. * Multinational Firm: For a firm to be fully Multinational in character, it should have the following items truly diversified without primary dominance of any one nation : – Ownership, – Operations, – Markets, – Managers. * Multinational Companies management look to the world as an economic and social unit; but reorganize each local culture, respect its integrity, acknowledge its benefits, and use its differences effectively in their organization.

Ernest Hemingway on Huckleberry Finn Essay

In 1935, Ernest Hemingway stated â€Å"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn† and he was exactly right. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is more than just an iconic American novel. It is the single-handedly the book that defines all American novels to come. The very plot of this americana novel is filled with the idea of the american spirit and american dream. Mark Twain does spectacular job of representing the notion of the American spirit by using a young boy named Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn is an adventurous young boy who molds his own future by getting away from a lifestyle that did not suit him. The American dream right? The belief that you as have the ability to shape your destiny, if you don’t like where you’re at and what you are doing then go and change it. No one is stopping you. This novel also shows the diversity that makes up America and that people from all over are accepted and are allowed to reach for their goals just as much as any other man. Jim, an African-American runaway slave, is a key character, and the hero in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Jim dreams of becoming free and buying his family out of slavery. Jim, like Huck, decides to take fate into his own hands and try and create a better life for him and his family. That is why Ernest Hemingway said all American literature comes from this book. It completely represents that the people of America are a different breed than any other. And this story of leaving a situation that does not suit you and individually forming your own destiny is a story that is told over and over in American novels. Stories like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn show traits that we value such as determination, tenacity, and a sort of rebellion from the formal way of doing things.

Bo Burnham by Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham â€Å"I’m the greatest rapper ever,† as said by he himself, Bo Burnham in his hit song â€Å"I’m Bo Yo† from the self-titled album, â€Å"Bo Burnham.† If I were to say so, I’d have to agree with this statement. Bo Burnham, a musician, comedian, actor and singer/songwriter, is most known for the thing he created out of most or all of these traits, a great freestyle rapper. The greatest parts about this whole thing is when I got the album, how I found out he was discovered, and how well he can do his thing. I bought the album â€Å"Bo Burnham† off of iTunes one day because I had just found my favorite song-to-be, â€Å"I’m Bo Yo.† I went through the whole album and could have just laughed my head off. His songs are nicely put together for a freestyle rap album. Every song I listened to was turning into my new favorite song by him. I was kind of expecting this to happen however, as I like freestyle rap because it’s made up as you go. Pretty much every song he writes, or thinks of, is coming from the top of his head, and that’s what I like about it; it’s original! Bo started his career while writing songs and performing them to his fellow classmates. He then decided to tape himself singing them and post the videos on YouTube. He intended to do this so his brother Pete could watch them as he was at college at the time, but never did he expect what was about to happen next. In the fall of 2007, a talent agency called The Gersh Agency, called up Bo and told him that he needed to be represented by them. It was a dream come true. Bo Burnham can rap as well as anyone, people like Eminem and such. Bo may be criticized about the music he creates and plays, but what really matters to him, is that he gets to do what he wants. So if you ever decide, â€Å"hey I wanna do freestyle rap someday†, please give Bo Burnham a good listen. He’s got plenty of good ideas and songs about what to think about. Just give him a listen because you may be surprised about what you hear. If you like comedians, he’s your guy. If you like rap, he might as well be your guy! Just a warning to people, his songs may include profanity, but it’s still worth the listen!

Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Evaluation - Essay Example Although this phenomenon may not be as prevalent as it used to be in the past, there is still some level of continuing prejudice in American communities and learning institutions. It is not surprising that university students sometimes opt to study, live or socialize with other scholars from the same racial background. Nonetheless, encouraging campus diversity is beneficial for students especially in the learning process, even though critics of college diversity programs argue that these programs do not have any educational advantages. Critics of college diversity schemes claim that ethnic based segregation is prevalent among students. The critics also argue that the extensive spread of racial segregation weakens the academic capacity of a genuine multicultural campus community. Additionally, some of these critics hint that college diversity schemes, like Racial Studies programs, African-American historical studies, Black student clubs, and dorms or houses with ethnic themes, promote further separation instead. They allege that this counters the purpose of a diverse community, which is to encourage intergroup interaction and educate students about each other, in order to guarantee productive co-existence as adults. The underlying value of diversity in institutions of higher learning is also an important aspect to consider in this debatable issue. Members of the public generally support the affirmative action, which seeks to overcome discrimination against women and minority groups by providing them access to equal educational opportunities. This is because it supports the democratic principles of equity, fairness, and equality. However, there are people who argue that the affirmative action, which supports campus diversity, also goes against the very ideals which contributed to its creation. This is because; many institutions of higher learning view it as a platform for building their reputation and acquiring extra resources. Despite the critics’ argumen ts against affirmative action and campus diversity, extensive research has examined how students grow and transform as they join diverse college environments. Most of the said academic researched has concentrated on the manner in which campus racial dynamics influence learners’ outcomes. A great portion of the evidence collected supports continued utilization of affirmative action during university admissions. This is because, students benefit from diversity on campus, both at an individual level and educationally. Apparently, interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds enhances learners’ growth and improvement in regard to emotions management, interpersonal skills and mental maturity. This learning benefit is collective, in the sense that, it is experienced by all students whether they are minorities like Blacks, Asians or Hispanics admitted through adherence to the affirmative action, or Whites who form the greater part of university population. Certa inly, majority students in campus that did not previously have a chance to directly interact with minorities can get to know them and their cultural backgrounds. This, in turn, enhances their ability to work with minorities in the future, in a work environment that is increasingly embracing all types of workers. Another kind of diversity is characterized by the connections that scholars have with new concepts, ideas and people in general. Within this type of diverse

Critical Reasoning (The Personal Characteristics that enable leaders Essay

Critical Reasoning (The Personal Characteristics that enable leaders to be Effective ) - Essay Example Thesis: effective leadership is based on different features and not only professional features are important, but also personal characteristics matter a lot. Employees are members of a team, who are able to implement innovative and creative ideas of a leader. Consequently, there is a need for stable and trustful relations between them. Taking into account modern researches and studies in business filed, it is evident that the main attention of researchers and scientists concerns effective leadership. Elving (2005) claims that effective leader can establish changes by means of communication. Basically, the employees are not ready for changes and perceive innovations or changes from a negative perspective. It is on behalf of the effective leader to enable employees to accept organizational changes. In accordance with Elving, there are five basic steps to be taken by leaders: a humane attitude to employees; communication in a friendly and a simple atmosphere; individual treatment for every employee; joking and easy-going manner of communication. In this case, changes and innovations in organizations are perceived â€Å"as is†, because organizational changes will be perceived as self-evident (Bovey 2001, p. 536). Caldwell (2003) claims that â€Å"leaders are transformed managers† (Caldwell 2003, p. 285). Change managers embody ideas and practices of change leaders. Actually, effective leaders invent and embody organizational changes and effective managers have implemented these actions at different organizational levels. Nevertheless, there are different leaders in the Western and the Eastern worlds. Consequently, in order to determine the effective leadership and change management in the Eastern world and Western world, it is relevant to take into account cultural and social peculiarities of different businesses, which are rooted in historic contexts of

Graduates vs undergraduates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Graduates vs undergraduates - Essay Example Today, more than ever before nursing professionals are faced with challenges like catering to a global population, from diverse backgrounds and dealing with a whole host of problems that such situations throw up. Besides, with the advance of technology and an increased life span, the adult population with chronic illness makes up a significant percentage of today’s patients. In addition to healing the sick, nursing professionals today have to shoulder the added burden of the changing needs of their profession in order to deliver good and cost effective care to their patients. Holistic care that is based on the physical, mental and emotional well being of the patient is the goal of every nursing professional, whether graduate or undergraduate. A health care system, needs a human interface in order to translate a health care plan and maximize its benefits to the patient. This is one of the important roles carried out by the nursing profession. Besides delivering good and cost ef fective health care, the nursing professional must also be capable of focusing on prevention rather than on cure. Understanding advances in technology and using this knowledge to educate communities on ways to lead healthier lives is an important aspect of the entire nursing profession.

Sunbelt South Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sunbelt South - Essay Example The book continues in this vein moving along the time line until the second world war from whence a tremendous change starts sweeping through the south; altering its identity amid strong global influences. This change is witnessed amid strong resistance from the south’s white leadership who try to stem the new influences that threaten to change the status quo that has existed and given the south its distinct identity up to that point in time. Cobb uses a huge base of historical and literary references to illustrate his points and succeeds in providing a very balanced and unbiased account of the state of the south. The only criticism that can be leveled his way is the lack of reference to the medical situation through out the narration. The health maladies that plagued the south at various durations over time have also had an impact on the self- identity of the south and deserved some mention as well. To illustrate the state of the south since the Second World War, we have to r ely on the available literature and Cobb is a renowned historian of repute especially concerning the south. The study of the south is intricately interwoven with the history of America and its only fitting we look at it to understand the state of America since the end of the second world war. ... The image of the south has undergone change all through its existence and none is more profound than the change experienced after the Second World War and intensified during the civil rights era. The white supremacists fought hard to cling on to the status quo from this period but the winds of change were blowing harder and getting even harder to ignore. The very definitions of the southern way of life as it was known up till then were shaken to the core. The African Americans were at this time examining their southern heritage more keenly and openly and beginning to embrace their southern heritage amid their championing of their black identity. There is a distinct feel of the south’s development and evolution being dissected in the book and its wide array of relevant topics got fromfrom the national ascendance of southern culture and music, to a globalized Dixie's allure for foreign factories and a flood of immigrants, to the roles of women and an increasingly visible gay pop ulation in contemporary southern life. The heart of the book illuminates the struggle for Civil Rights. For instance the author refers to a time when Jim Crow still towered over the South in 1945, but Cobb shows that Pearl Harbor unleashed forces that would ultimately contribute to its eventual downfall. Rising black political influence outside the South and the incongruity of combating racist totalitarianism overseas while condoning the same at home, created the opportunity for returning black veterans to organize the NAACP's postwar attack on the South's racial system. This assault elicited not only vocal white opposition but also led to increasing violence that climaxed in the murder of young Emmett

I wrote it in Assignment Criteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

I wrote it in Assignment Criteria - Essay Example It is therefore in the light of this that this essay will be looking at the interrelationship between the relationship between politics and the media coupled with how the technological age is overtly or covertly facilitating the developments being witnessed today. In doing this, the essay will assess ongoing trends in the media industry with the view of using them as the basis to make deductive analysis leading to inferential conclusions about what that holds for global politics. The twenty first century has ushered humankind into a dispensation of unbridled technology driven developments that was hitherto highly unthinkable in our annals. Kellner (2002), cites the advent of the computer that ushered in the radical information technology dispensation, the usage of multimedia technologies and a host of others as the brainchild behind the evolution of the so-called rise in the â€Å"information society† which in the view of some observers is very synonymous with the rising trend in globalization (Castells, 1996). Still within this context, Best & Kellner, (2001), studied the trend in media development in the twenty first century then came out with compelling truisms that alludes to the fact that among other things, the new dispensation has created the platform to overcome major unconstructive differences, facilitation of dialogue that have also seen the renewed participation and integration of the traditional global south into the mainstream of the inte rnational political economic environment. It is also worth stating that thanks to the wind of liberalization blowing through the so-called â€Å"information society† the former crude structures that defined the establishment of social organizations and the conduct of political activities have steadily crumbled giving way to a refreshing move towards modernization. Evidently, today’s landscape can be described in all certainty as an innovative hybrid of

Vertebrate Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vertebrate Evolution - Essay Example The issue of whether a more developed species is advanced or not is subject to how one defines advancement, and is not tackled in this paper because of its subjectivity. Related species usually share similar morphological and or anatomical characteristics. They can either be ancestor-descendant, or descendants from the same ancestor. The proximity of their relation is defined by the amount of evolutionary changes that occurred between them. For example, humans are closer to four-legged animals than to fish. Humans are closer to monkeys than they are to horses because of their opposable thumb. However, not all organisms that have a characteristic in common are closely related. Bats and birds are the only groups of vertebrates that share flight, but bats descended from a lineage of non-winged animals, and are thus more related to humans than they are to birds. Possible relations among groups (A, B and C) can be depicted through a cladogram (Figure 1). Cladistics, the process behind making a cladogram, is usually based on morphology, but can also be made from anatomy or embryology, for example. It is a branching diagram in which the base is occupied by the closest common ancestor. It may be extant, and as such be one of the groups, but it may also be hypothetical, like in this case, and as such is left as blank. From it, a character that differentiates the groups from their closest common ancestor is placed on the branch leading to A, B, and C (tick mark). Because groups A and B are more closely related to each other than to C, the defining characteristic that made them different from C is also placed in the diagram (double tick mark). Points of bifurcation represent hypothetical ancestors. A number of cladograms can be made in relating A, B, and C to one another, but it is usually the tree with the minimum number of evolutionary changes t hat is preferred (Kent and Carr 2004,

Associated British Foods plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Associated British Foods plc - Case Study Example It grows sugar from beets in the UK and Poland, and owns and operates cane plantations in Zambia and Swaziland in Africa and in Guanxi Province in China. The company also produces bioethanol from wheat and cane production waste, and sells animal feeds and feeds microingredients to farmers in over 40 countries. ABF's revenues increased 13% to 6.8 billion in line with operating profit, which increased by 11% to 622 million in 2007. These accomplishments reflect the company's presence in high-growth markets such as China, India, Latin America, and Africa. Despite the strength of the sterling having an adverse effect on financial figures, the increases reflect good management and operating performance. The company is active in the search for alternative bio-fuels at a time of rising petrol prices, allowing ABF to benefit from and take advantage of the increasing demand for environment-friendly energy sources. The value of the profit margin was calculated from the adjusted profit before tax amounting to 613 million whilst total sales amounted to 6,800 million. The profit margin for the year is slightly lower than the previous year's figure of 9.36% from profits of 561 million on sales of 5,996 million. The profit margin went down slightly because of losses from currency transactions when translating non-sterling revenues to sterling revenues. Since the sterling is stronger than other currencies, most especially the U.S. dollar in which some of the company's revenues are recorded, the amount of sterling that could be earned for each dollar would be slightly lower than if the dollar were strong. Non-UK sales (3,547 million) were over half the total sales. According to the financial statements, operating costs were much higher this year than last year. This was explained in several places of the report as due to the number of acquisitions spent this year, resulting in higher employee expenses for example. The total number of employees in Europe, Middle East, and Africa went up from 4,917 in 2006 to 37,084 in 2007 because of acquisitions in these regions. Asset Turnover = 1.97 times The asset turnover was calculated using the sales figure of 6,800 million and the total capital employed of 3,460 million. This means that every 1 invested in the company's assets returned sales of 1.97 or almost twice the invested capital. This figure gives an indication of how well the company utilised its assets. In the absence of comparative figures with other companies, this figure does not signify much. However, the asset turnover in 2006 was much higher at 2.1 because the company had higher margins and lower assets (valued at 4,579 million) before the company went on an acquisition spree that increased the total capita

Military Accountability Essay Example for Free

Military Accountability Essay Purpose: to provide a refresher on property accountability and an awareness of Army physical security. Agenda Government Property Accountability Equipment Sensitive Items Weapons Physical Security Government Property OCIE Your personal equipment Unit/Section Equipment Tentage, Radios, Vehicles, Anything Green Vehicle BII Driver or TC responsible for Accountability Clothing Record (DA 3845 and Electronic) Used for OCIE Hand Receipt (DA 2062) Used for equipment Sensitive Items Cannot be lost Report immediately to the chain of command if missing Comsec equipment Weapons Certain Technology SINCGARS NBC Alarms, NVG’s Weapons Individuals issued arms are responsible for their security at all times. Each issued weapon will be carried on the person at all times. Weapons will not be entrusted to the custody of another person. Pistols will be secured with a lanyard. AR 190-11 Responsibility You are responsible for all US Army equipment you sign for. You can be charged for missing or damaged equipment. If you lose it, report it! A field loss can be investigated if reported immediately. You buy it on the showdown. Physical Security (Defined) That part of security concerned with physical measures designed to safeguard personnel, to prevent unauthorized access to equipment, installations, material and documents, and to safeguard them against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft. AR 190-16 What Does That Mean? Physical security is meant to counter the threat during peace and war. Threat can range from enemy forces to terrorists to civilian criminals or saboteurs. How to Practice Physical Security Limit Access Secure Equipment Guards Locks Physical Barriers Fences Buildings Access Military Installations (Armories) will have access control. Installation Specific Varies based on Threat. Conclusion Secure equipment! Remember – You signed for it, you own it.

Nervous System Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Nervous System Research Paper Essay As a result of the differences in charges, an electro-chemical difference of about -70 millivolts occurs. The sodium-potassium pump, a system which removes sodium ions from inside the cell and draws potassium ions back in, maintains the electrical balance of the resting cell. Since the cell has to do work to maintain the ion concentration, ATP molecules are used to provide the necessary energy. Once a nerve impulse is generated, the permeability of the cell membrane changes, sodium ions flow into, and potassium ions flow out of, the cell. The flow of ions causes a reversal in charges, with a positive charge now occurring on the interior of the cell and a negative charge on the exterior. The cell is said to be depolarized, resulting in an action potential causing the nerve impulse to move along the axon. As depolarization of the membrane proceeds along the nerve, a series of reactions start with the opening and closing of ion gates, which allow the potassium ions to flow back into the cell and sodium ions to move out of the cell. The nerve becomes polarized again since the charges are restored. Until a nerve becomes repolarized it cannot respond to a new stimulus; the time for recovery is called the refractory period and takes about 0. 0004 of a second. The more intense the stimulus, the more frequent the firing of the neuron. When the impulse reaches the end of the axon, it causes the release of chemicals from small vesicles called neurotransmitters which diffuse across the synaptic gap, the small space between the axon and receptors in the dendrites. There is no physical contact between axons and dendrites (except in electrical transmission, usually found in invertebrates) which takes place through gap junctions. The type of response by the receiving cell may be excitatory or inhibitory depending upon a number of factors including the type of neurotransmitters involved. All nerve impulses are the same whether they originate from the ear, heart, or stomach. How the impulse is interpreted is the job of the central nervous system. A blow to the head near the optic center of the brain produces the same results as though the impulse had originated in the eyes. The neurons are the functional units of the nervous system through which coordination and control in organisms is executed. Resources Books BSCS Revision Team. Biological Science: A Molecular Approach. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath Co. , 1990. Campbell, Neil A. Biology. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings, Publishing Company, 1987. Carey, Joseph, ed. Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and the Nervous System. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 1993. Curtis, Helena, and N. Sue Barnes. Biology. 5th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 1989. Holtzman, Eric, and Alex B. Novikoff. Cells and Organelles. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing, 1984. Kuffler, Stephen W. , and John G. Nicholls. From Neuron to Brain. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 1976. Pine, Maya, ed. Seeing, Hearing and Smelling The World. Chevy Chase: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1995. Purves, Dale. Body and Brain: A Trophic Theory of Neural Connections. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988. Raven, Peter H. , and George B. Johnson. Biology. 3rd ed. St. Louis: Mosby Year Book, 1992. Towle, Albert. Modern Biology. Austin, TX: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1991. KEY TERMS Action potential —A transient change in the electrical potential across a membrane which results in the generation of a nerve impulse. Axon —The threadlike projection of a neuron that carries an impulse away from the cell body of the neuron. Dendrites —Branched structures of nerve cell bodies which receive impulses from axons and carry them to the nerve cell body. Depolarization —A tendency of a cell membrane when stimulated to allow charged (ionic) chemical particles to enter or leave the cell. This favors the neutralization of excess positive or negative particles within the cell. Ganglion —Cluster of nerve cell bodies. In vertebrates, found outside of the central nervous system and act as relay stations for impulses. In invertebrates, act as a central control. Homeostasis —The internal stability of an organism. Myelin —A multilayered membrane system of a Schwann cell that wraps around an axon. Made up of lipoproteins that act as insulators in speeding up the transmission of nerve impulses. Nerve Bundles of axons in a connective tissue sheath which follow a specific path. Nerve impulse —A transient change in the electro-chemical nature of a neuron. Neuron —Cell specialized to receive and transmit impulses; functional unit of the nervous system. Neurotransmitter —A chemical released at the end of an axon which is picked up by receptors such as dendrites, muscles, or secretory cells. Polarized —Two different charges on either side of a membrane caused by a difference in the distribution of charges; in resting nerve cells maintained by the sodiumpotassium pump. Reflex —A rapid response to a stimulus that involves a sensory and motor neuron and may involve an interneuron. Refractory period —Recovery period for the neuron in which no new impulse can be generated; it cannot respond to a stimulus until it is repolarized. Sodium-potassium pump —A special transport protein in the membrane of cells that moves sodium ions out and potassium ions into the cell against their concentration gradients. Synapse —Junction between cells where the exchange of electrical or chemical information takes place.

Methods for Increased Discernment of Deception

Methods for Increased Discernment of Deception Getting to the Truth A Review of Information Gathering for the Purpose of Establishing the  Veracity of Certain Events with Recommendations for Application In consideration of the not simply punishing the guilty but in addition, for the purpose of the prevention of further crime, law enforcement officials have a significant need for information from witnesses and suspects. This information must, above all, be accurate and it must be gained by a legal means in a means that can be implemented often without extensive personnel or expense in a timely manner. Interestingly enough, despite the general regard of being regarded as â€Å"experts† and â€Å"professionals† in the information gathering business and despite varying degrees of training or experience, numerous studies have demonstrated than nearly all police officers perform at nearly the same levels as untrained civilians as they both tend to hover only slightly above that of a pure chance of 50/50. Though these studies produce somewhat varying rates, it is important to not that there is little consistent validity that certain populations are demonstrably better at dete cting deception than untrained or chance selections (Vrij 2004, p. 159; Vrij, et al. 2004, p. 283; Kassin Gudjonsson 2004, p. 37; Mann, et al. 2004, p. 137). In gathering information, the label of â€Å"interrogation† is attached to processes if the person being questioned is viewed as a primary suspect while the more benign term of â€Å"interview† attaches to those viewed as simply a witness, potential witness or other information gathering purpose. In light of this, one might rightly assume that the chief difference in this labeling of process is the presumptions of the interviewer or interrogator. In the process of interrogation, there is generally an assumption of guilt or at least culpable knowledge for which it is quite possible for induced interviewer bias to play a significant role in the outcome (Wright Allison 2004, p. 138; Gudjonsson 1992, p. 14). This bias is evident through the reply of one police officer in regards to this issue that, â€Å"†¦ we don’t interrogate innocent people† (Kassin Gudjonsson 2004, p. 36). Though it could be called an off-the-cuff remark, this is fairly typical of t he extent of bias that would likely result in a false-positive type error stemming from the subsequent behaviors such as attempts at â€Å"forcing† the subject to â€Å"talk† by not necessarily physical means (Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 57-58). Why People Lie To answer such a question, we might just as well ask, â€Å"Why do people tell the truth†? While these are simply two sides of the same coin, the question brings us no closer to the answer except that there are a potential myriad reasons yet by viewing it in this manner, some insight is possible. For example, in teaching values to groups to young people, one method to force the consideration of ethics is to ask the question, â€Å"Why one should not steal?† This purposefully leading question generally gets responses that either indicates an element of fundamental morality such as, â€Å"Because it is wrong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or, alternatively, some variant of a fear of getting caught and the ensuing punishment. Similar to this, in consideration of the question of â€Å"why people lie†, the same tenets likely apply, that is they do so to escape punishment or other consequences or perhaps they do so based on the idea similar to the proposition of â€Å"the lesser of t wo evils† as might be the case when one tells an altruistic lie to protect another or to save a relationship (Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 10-11). In studies on lying, aside from the fact that it occurs more than one might think, there seem to be, in the minds of those who tell a lie, different types or degrees of lying depending on the stakes, the outcome and the person(s) deceived (Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 10-11). For example, if a â€Å"good thing† such as a job comes from a lie, it is more acceptable than a theft that occurs by deception. While this is likely how many people think, it is nonetheless a very slippery slope and the â€Å"good† done to one and the â€Å"harm† to another is quite debatable, depending on if one is the victim or the perpetrator. On method of gaining insight into the decision to tell a lie that assumes rationality, that is a conscious decision that a lie is in their calculated best interest, is to utilize the combined approach of motivation theory with the same type of payout ratio analysis used in decision risk modeling. With regards to motivation, one applicable model is that of Vroom’s Expectancy Theory in which the willingness of a person to perform some action is mediated by the interaction three variables (Dreher Dougherty 2002, pp. 34 – 36): Valence – The degree to which the outcome is desired. Instrumentality – The extent to which successful performance would result in the desired outcome. Expectancy – The likelihood of being able to perform a given task. In evaluating business decisions, companies will often construct a formal payout analysis in which the likelihood of positive outcome is weighed against the payout of success and the payout of failure. For example, the company that has a 50% chance of striking gold in a certain mine whose value is $10M but costs $1M to discover, regardless of success should rationally pursue this option which has a projected payoff of $4M (.5 x $10M less $1M expense). While this process of decision-making is easily illustrated utilizing financial examples, the fact that a decision has value to an individual is appropriate. Thus, when a person chooses to lie, they have consciously or not, evaluated their options and, from their perspective made a choice that lie outweighs the payoff of truth against the two possible â€Å"costs† of lying, that of the lie not being believed and that of being caught not telling the truth (Gonjonsson 1992, p. 21). Thus, by seeking to understand â€Å"why† a nd â€Å"how†, one can effectively understand â€Å"who† which aids the investigator to get inside the head of the person being questioned (Douglas Olshaker 1999, p. 17). The Problems of Confessions As indicated previously, the situational context of the interrogation process combined with the fact that police officers most likely have some degree of training in conjunction with the experience of dealing with deception extensively in their daily work yield the predictable result of â€Å"disbelieving people who are innocent with a great deal of confidence† (Kassin Gudjonsson 2004, p. 33). The well-documented presence of interviewer bias creates this situation in which only statements that support the interviewers already held beliefs (Wright Allison 2004, p. 139). This process, in an estimated 30% of the roughly 60% of cases that in which someone confesses, leads to an eventual confession of â€Å"something† culpable (Loftus 2004, p. I; Gudjonsson 1992, p. 50; Pearse, et al. 1998, pp. 1 – 2). Like the variance in the studies citing the ability to detect a lie, there are variance indications of the extent to which false confessions are given with the true n umber difficult to measure (Memom, et al. 2003, p. 76). Despite the problems in getting a true assessment of the problem, there is agreement that certain types of people are much more likely to confess than other groups. For example, youth or those who suffer from some mental disorder or diminished capacity are â€Å"prone†¦ to provide information which is unrelable, misleading or self-incriminating† (Pearse, et al. 1998, p. 2). In data collected on real-life police interviews with the accompanying real-life consequences, research revealed four generally applicable predictors of the likelihood of a confession (Pearse, et al. 1998, pp. 9 – 13): Age – 60% of confessors in this inquiry were under 25 while 60% of deniers were over 25. Drug Use within the last 24 hours was just over 3x as likely to confess. The presence of counsel reduced the rate of confessions by  ¼ the rate as when no counsel was present. Prison or previous documented criminal experience decreased the odds of a confession by  ½ as naà ¯ve subjects. With this information, it is possible to implement practices and procedures by which the pursuit of truth by managing situations in which false confessions due the subjects succumbing to perceived pressure to come up with something that will be â€Å"rewarded† is possible. These practices should likely include (Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 82 85): Using more information gathering-type approaches rather than â€Å"tricky techniques† designed to elicit a confession. Record all interviews and interrogations. Include legal counsel that do more than simply point out administrative issues but act in the interest of the client. Identify and require an â€Å"audit† of particularly at-risk persons. Require additional evidence to corroborate a confession. Discernment Techniques: Raising the Odds of Detection Perhaps most striking about the detection of deception is that there is no standard â€Å"Pinnochio’s nose† or nonverbal behavior that exists to signal an intent to deceive (Vrij 2004, p. 160; Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 11 – 12). This fallacy is one in which people superimpose how they might feel with how they think another should feel and, with this in mind, other indicators of deception will be examined Most people are somewhat familiar with the typical lie detector which utilizes subtle changes in autonomic measures such as galvanic skin responses, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration as correlates of an emotional response to a specific stimulus indicated the subject is concealing knowledge. Under controlled conditions, with a trained operator and a voluntary subject, accuracy rates as high as 95% have been claimed, this apparatus in no longer acceptable in court a a sole source for conviction (Gilbert 2004, pp. 138 – 140; Memom, et al. 2003, pp. 21 – 25; Bennett Hess 2001, pp. 160 – 161). The use of polygraphs as well as electroencephalograms (EEG) to record the autonomic responses to questioning have made to the detection of deception, specifically the attempt to hide specific knowledge, much more difficult. As the brain is very much an organ characterized by the transmission of electrical impulses, its activity is correlated to the conscious and unconscious information it processes. One very specific component of the brainwave, upon stimulation by a question or picture, evokes an excitation in brain wave patterns to the degree that a novel meaningful stimulus can be discerned by the researcher, regardless of what the subject claims. This component, dubbed the â€Å"P300† as it is positive in direction and it occurs 300 milliseconds after stimulation, can be defeated through specific means but for the usual criminal type that does not read journals of physiopsychology, it is a very reliable detector of cognitive effort to deceive (Rosenfeld, et al. 2004, pp. 2 05 – 206). This insight is somewhat complimentary to a less equipment-intensive method in which the interviewer pays close attention to the level of cognitive effort the subject is using. This is based on the reasonable assumption that a liar, in keeping their story straight, must work harder to construct a believable falsehood (Kassin Gudjonsson 2004, p. 39; Bennett Hess 2001, p. 160). In a truthful recollection, it is possible that details may be remembered at one point and omitted in another but the story retains the same essence. This is especially observable when the subject is questioned in a way that takes the elements out of sequential order; the difficulty in getting the details consistent takes considerable effort and is not always successful. This method of deception detection is dubbed â€Å"implicit† as one is considering the element of cognitive effort required to â€Å"keep the story straight† rather than simply if they are lying or not in order to determine the v eracity of the statement(s) made (Vrij 2004, p. 172). Complimentary to this and working in the investigator’s favor is that the subject in most likely not aware of what the police know and is thus at a significant disadvantage with regards to knowing how much information to disclose and how much to withhold (Vrij 2004, p. 170). Similarly, the focal point of the investigation should be upon what the subjects says and, to the degree possible, what the subject does not say through apparent efforts to conceal knowledge. In conclusion, as a result of both seeking to understand the â€Å"how† and â€Å"why†, a law enforcement official can better determine the ultimate culpability for a crime. In consideration of this information the following are presented as suggested methods for increased discernment of deception: Keep an open mind – As indicated, the common view that subjects are lying only â€Å"when their lips are moving† is strong evidence of interrogator bias and is likely to find exactly what the interrogator is looking for†¦ regardless of the truth. You are not interrogating Pinocchio – A belief that liars fidget may or may not hold. The subject may be nervous as this could be their first questioning. They may have been drinking†¦ ad infinitem. Do not interrupt, do not release information unless necessary – The fact that they do not know what you know is a very good thing. This information asymmetry works to both gather more information and better evaluate it. Do not look at the person’s face Facial clues are unreliable, person to person, and a layer of misleading data upon the real focus, the content of the interview. Though nonverbal clues may be present, research indicates that content issues such as omissions or inconsistencies are most likely where clues reside. Consider the amount of effort the subject is using – By using the implicit method of deception detection, more reliable, valid assessments are possible than simply trying to determine if the subject is lying. Record the interview – This is recommended not just for later review and protection of all involved but such as step allows the interview to focus on the content. Works Consulted Bennett, W.W., and Hess, K.M. (2001). Criminal Investigation, 6th edition. Stamford, Connecticut: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Douglas, J. and Olshaker, M. (1999). The Anatomy of Motive. New York, New York: Pocket Books. Dreher, G.F., and Dougherty, T.W. (2002). Human Resource Strategy: A Behavioral Perspective for the General Manager. Boston, Massachusetts: McGraw–Hill Irwin. Gilbert, J.N. (2004). Criminal Investigation, 6th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Gudjonsson, G. (1992). The Psychology of Interrogations, Confessions and Testimony. Chichester, UK: Wiley Sons. Kassin, S.M. and Gudjonsson, G.H. (2004). â€Å"The Psychology of Confessions: A Review of the Literature and Issues†. Psychological Science in the Public Interest (5)2, pp. 33 – 67. Loftus, E. (2004). â€Å"The Devil in Confessions†. Psychological Science in the Public Interest (5)2, pp. i – ii. Memon, A. Vrij, A. Bull, R. (2003). Psychology and Law, 2nd Edition. Chichester, UK: Wiley Sons. Pearse, J., Gudjonsson, G.H., Clare, I.C.H., and Rutter, S. (1998). â€Å"Police Interviewing and Psychological Vulnerabilities: Predicting the Likelihood of a Confession†. Journal of Community Applied Psycholog, 8, pp. 1 – 21. Rosenfeld, J.P., Soskins, M., Bosh, G., and Ryan, A. (2004). â€Å"Simple, effective countermeasures to P300-based tests of detection of concealed information†. Psychopysiology, 41, pp. 205 – 219. Vrij, A., Evans, H., Akehurst, L., and Mann, S. ( 2004). â€Å"Rapid Judgements in Assessing Verbal and Nonverbal Cues: Their Potential for Deception Researchers and Lie Detection†. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, pp. 283 – 296. Vrij, A. (2004). â€Å"Why Professionals Fail to Catch Liars and How they Can Improve†. Legal and Criminal Psychology, 9, pp. 159 – 181.

The Passion Of Saints Perpetua And Felicity Essay -- essays research p

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity The document, â€Å"The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity,† shows just how mighty and fearless the faith of the martyrs were in Rome around 203 A.D. in which our story takes place. During the rule of Diocletian, Christianity was not the religion of popular belief. Many of Romans practiced polytheism. As a result, numerous Christian believers were persecuted for their divine faith in God. Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care that they were sentenced to death. They believed that by dying for what they believe, it would only bring them closer to God and the Gates of Heaven. The document states, â€Å"For this cause have we devoted our lives, that we might do no such thing as this; this we agreed with you† (para. 18). To the martyrs, nothing was more important than fulfilling God’s duties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The martyrs in the document take on the role of mediator between God and man, spreading the Word of God to the masses of people and the relaying to them his holy message, in a sense taking on the role of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Perpetua, one of the martyrs when confronted about her faith by her father retorts, â€Å"I am Christian† (para.6). Another martyr, Felicity, confidently defends her faith and proclaims it openly by stating, â€Å"Stand fast in the faith, and love you all one another; and be not offended because of our passion† (para.20). This statement portrays to the reader the ...

Language of Extremes in Romeo and Juliet :: Free Essay Writer

Language of Extremes in Romeo and Juliet "I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too sudden, Too like the lightning which doth cease to be Ere one can say it lightens." (2.1.159-162) Juliet prophesies her own doom from her balcony, an acknowledgment that does nothing to curb the rashness she identifies in their twenty-four hour meeting, engagement, and marriage. It is of course impossible to gauge Shakespeare’s personal interpretations of his characters’ actions, and since the action of the story comes directly from a long narrative poem by Arthur Broke, and Broke got his material from a French story, which was adapted from an Italian work by Bandello, who was working from earlier texts, Shakespeare cannot exactly be looked to as the final authority for the moral worth of Romeo and Juliet’s actions anyway. Since Shakespeare’s feeling cannot be evaluated, theories about Romeo and Juliet’s actions can be weighed without worrying about original intent. One argument is that Romeo and Juliet were actually quite misled in their actions, that instead of a celebration of uncontrollable passion, the play should be seen as a condemnation of rashness. Toward this, Juliet’s admission on the balcony is very important. The line betrays not only a rational apprehension of the impetuousness of their acts, but a supernatural misgiving, a portent of impending doom, which Romeo also betrays before the Capulet party: "...My mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despised life, closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely death." (1.4.106-111) The idea of fate is hard to pin down in this play. Fate as a fact of life or a deity is not found in the Italian context like it would be in Greek tragedy or Greek and ancient Roman settings, but these lines from the two young heroes show that fate is there, undefined, but present and deadly still. Friar Laurence, at once both a religious icon and a humanistic one, seems to dispute the supernatural power of fate: "These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore, love moderately. Long love doth so." (2.5.9-14) His speech throws the responsibility of moderation on the lovers, not to fate or heaven (as the Prince will in the final scene of the play).

Ancient Stories Of The Flood :: essays research papers

Stories of a primeval flood exist in all parts of the world, virtually every branch of the human race has traditions of a Great Flood that destroyed all of mankind, except one family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The closest parallel to the Biblical story of the flood occurs in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, our fullest version of which is furnished by an Akkadian recension prepared, in the seventh century B.C. for the great library of King Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. The story itself is far older. We have fragments of versions dating as much as a thousand years earlier, and we possess also portions of a Summerian archetype.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Mesopotamian version: the gods apparently displeased with the evils of mankind decided to destroy it by means of a great flood. Ea, the god of wisdom and subtlety, was privy to their council and warned Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah, of the coming disaster. Utnapishtim was told to build a ship thirty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. Provision it and put in it specimens of every living thing. Then to board it with his family and possessions and launch it on the waters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For six days and nights the wind and flood raged. On the seventh day the flood abated. Everything, including mankind, had turned to mud and clay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utnapishtim sent out a dove on the seventh day but it came back. He then sent out a swallow, but it came back. Finally he sent out a raven. The raven, however, saw that the waters had receded; it found food, and started to caw and wallow in the mud; it never came back. Eventually the ship grounded on Mount Nisir. Utnapishtim, seeing that the flood had receded, disembarked and set out an offering for the gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enil, “Lord of the underworld,'; was very angry when he saw that Utnapishtim had been spared. He was soon calmed by the other gods and gave his blessing to Utnapishtim and his wife by granting them the gift of immortality and transferring them to a remote island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Older versions, of which only fragments survive, tell virtually the same story, though the hero is sometimes called Atrahasis, or “Superwise,'; rather than Utnapishtim. In Western Asia the legend of the flood is of Summerian origin, and is now known from the excavations at Kish and Ur to have been based upon an historical catastrophe. In the Summerian version the hero is named Ziusudra, “the long lived.

Pharmacy Tech Handout #1

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, exam scoring requirements per www. ptcb. org The pharmacy technician performs activities related to three broad function areas. The specific responsibilities and activities that pharmacy technicians may perform within each function area are:   I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66% of exam)   |   A. |   Receive prescription/medication order(s) from patient/patient’s representative, prescriber, or other healthcare professional 1.Accept new prescription/medication order from patient/patient’s representative, prescriber, or other healthcare professional 2. Accept new prescription/medication order electronically (for example, by telephone, fax, or electronic transmission) 3. Accept refill request from patient/patient’s representative 4. Accept refill authorization from prescriber or other healthcare professional electronically (for example, by telephone, fax, or electronic transmission) 5. Contact prescri ber/originator for clarification of prescription/medication order refill 6.Perform/accept transfer of prescription/medication order(s)|   B. |   Assist the pharmacist in accordance with federal rules and regulations in obtaining from the patient/patient’s representative such information as diagnosis or desired therapeutic outcome, disease state, medication history (including over-the-counter [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), allergies, adverse reactions, medical history and other relevant patient information, physical disability, and payor information (including both self-pay and third party reimbursement)|   C.   Assist the pharmacist in accordance with federal rules and regulations in obtaining from prescriber, other healthcare professionals, and/or the medical record such information as diagnosis or desired therapeutic outcome, disease state, medication history (including [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), allergies, adverse reactions, medical hi story and other relevant patient information, physical disability, and payor information (including both self-pay and third party reimbursement)|   D.   Collect and communicate patient-specific data (for example, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol levels, therapeutic drug levels, immunizations) to assist the pharmacist in monitoring patient outcomes|   E. |   Collect and communicate data related to restricted drug distribution programs (for example, thalidomide, isotretinoin, and clozapine)|   F. |   Collect and communicate data related to investigational drugs|   G. |   Assess prescription or medication order for completeness (for example, patient's name and address), accuracy, authenticity, legality, and reimbursement eligibility|   H.   Update the medical record/patient profile with such information as medication history (including [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), disease states, compliance/adherence patterns, allergies, medication duplication, an d/or drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-laboratory, drug-dietary supplement and/or OTC, and drug-food interactions|   I. |   Assist the patient/patient's representative in choosing the best payment assistance plan if multiple plans are available to patient|   J. |   Process a prescription/medication order 1. Enter prescription/medication order information onto patient profile 2.Select the appropriate product(s) for dispensing (for example, brand names, generic substitutes, therapeutic substitutes, formulary restrictions) 3. Obtain pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances, controlled substances, and investigational products) from inventory 4. Calculate quantity and days supply of finished dosage forms for dispensing 5. Measure or count quantity of finished dosage forms for dispensing 6. Process and handle radiopharmaceuticals 7. Perform calculations for radiopharmaceuticals 8.Process and handle chemotherapeut ic medications commercially available in finished dosage forms (for example, Efudex, mercaptopurine) 9. Perform calculations for oral chemotherapeutic medications 10. Process and handle investigational products 11. Package finished dosage forms (for example, blister pack, robotic/automated dispensing vial) 12. Affix label(s) and auxiliary label(s) to container(s) 13. Assemble patient information materials (for example, drug information sheets, patient package inserts, Health Information Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] literature) 14.Check for accuracy during processing of the prescription/medication order (for example, National Drug Code [NDA] number, bar code, and data entry) 15. Verify the data entry, measurements, preparation, and/or packaging of medications produced by other technicians as allowed by law (for example, tech check tech) 16. Prepare prescription or medication order for final check by pharmacist 17. Prepare prescription or medication order for final check by pharmacy technician as allowed by law (for example, tech check tech) 18. Perform Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) required checks for radiopharmaceuticals|   K. Compound a prescription/medication order: 1. Assemble equipment and/or supplies necessary for compounding the prescription/medication order 2. Calibrate equipment (for example, scale or balance, total parenteral nutrition [TPN] compounder) needed to compound the prescription/medication order 3. Perform calculations required for preparation of compounded IV admixtures 4. Perform calculations for extemporaneous compounds 5. Compound medications (for example, topical preparations, reconstituted antibiotic suspensions) for dispensing according to prescription and/or compounding guidelines 6.Compound medications in anticipation of prescriptions/medication orders (for example, compounding for a specific patient) 7. Prepare sterile products (for example, TPNs, piggybacks, IV solutions, ophthalmic products) 8. Prepare radio pharmaceuticals 9. Prepare chemotherapy 10. Record preparation and/or ingredients of medications (for example, lot number, control number, expiration date, chemotherapy calculations, type of IV solution)|   L. |   Provide prescription/medication to patient/patient's representative: 1. Store medication prior to distribution 2.Provide medication and supplemental information (for example, package inserts) to patient/patient’s representative 3. Package and ship pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) to patient/patient's representative li>Place medication in dispensing system (for example, unit-dose cart, automated systems) 4. Deliver medication to patient-care unit 5. Record distribution of prescription medication 6. Record distribution of controlled substances 7. Record distribution of investigational drugs 8.Record distribution of restricted drugs (for example, isotretin oin, clozapine, thalidomide) 9. Record distribution of prescription/medication to patient's home|   M. |   Determine charges and obtain reimbursement for products and services|   N. |   Communicate with third-party payers to determine or verify coverage|   O. |   Communicate with third-party payers to obtain prior authorizations|   P. |   Communicate with third-party payers and patients/patient's representatives to rectify rejected third-party claims|   Q. |   Identify and resolve problems with rejected claims (for example, incorrect days supply, incorrect ID number)|   R.   Provide supplemental information (for example, disease state information, CDs) as requested/required|   S. |   Direct patient/patient's representative to pharmacist for counseling|   T. |   Perform drug administration functions under appropriate supervision (for example, perform drug/IV rounds, check pumps, anticipate refill of drugs/IVs)|   U. |   Process and dispense enteral products| II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22% of exam)   Ã‚  |   A. |   Identify pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) to be ordered|   B.   Place routine orders for pharmaceuticals, durable and nondurable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in compliance with legal, regulatory, formulary, budgetary, and contractual requirements|   C. |   Place emergency orders for pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in compliance with legal, regulatory, formulary, budgetary, and contractual requirements|   D.   Receive pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) and verify against specifications on original purchase orders|   E. |   Place pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in inventory under proper storage conditions while incorporating error prevention strategies|   F.   Perform non–patient-specific preparation, distribution, and maintenance of pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) while incorporating error prevention strategies (for example, crash carts, clinic and nursing floor stock, automated dispensing systems)|   G. |   Remove from inventory expired/discontinued/slow moving/overstocked pharmaceuticals, durable and nondurable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products)|   H.   Remove from inventory recalled pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equip ment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products)|    I. |   Dispose of or destroy pharmaceuticals or supplies (for example, hazardous substances, investigational products, controlled substances, non-dispensable products)|   J. |   Communicate changes in product availability (for example, formulary changes, recalls, shortages) to pharmacy staff, patient/patient’s representative, physicians, and other healthcare professionals|   K.   Implement and monitor policies and procedures to deter theft and/or drug diversion|   L. |   Maintain a record of controlled substances ordered, received, and removed from inventory|   M. |   Maintain a record of investigational products ordered, received, and removed from inventory|   N. |   Perform required inventories and maintain associated records|   O. |   Maintain record-keeping systems for repackaging, non-patient specific compounding, recalls, and returns of pharmaceutica ls, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products)|   P.   Compound non-patient specific medications in anticipation of prescription/medication orders|   Q. |   Perform quality assurance tests on compounded medications (for example, end product testing and validation)|   R. |   Repackage finished dosage forms for dispensing (for example, unit dose, blister pack, oral syringes) Participate in quality assurance programs related to pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products)| III.Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12% of exam)   |   A. |   Coordinate written, electronic, and oral communications throughout the practice setting (for example, route phone calls, faxes, verbal and written refill authorizations; disseminate policy and procedure changes)|   B . |   Update and maintain patient information (for example, insurance information, demographics, provider information) in accordance with federal regulations and professional standards (for example, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA])|   C.   Collect productivity information (for example, the number of prescriptions filled, fill times, payments collected, rejected claim status)|   D. |   Participate in quality assurance activities (for example, medication error prevention, customer satisfaction surveys, and internal audits of processes)|   E. |   Generate quality assurance reports (for example, compile or summarize data collected for evaluation or action plan development, root cause analysis)|   F. |   Implement and monitor the ractice setting for compliance with federal regulations and professional standards (for example, Materials Safety Data Sheet [MSDS], Occupational Safety Health Administration [OSHA], Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO], United States Pharmacopeia [USP])|   G. |   Implement and monitor policies and procedures for infection control|   H. |   Implement and monitor policies and procedures for the handling, disposal, and destruction of pharmaceuticals and supplies (for example, hazardous substances, investigational products, controlled substances, non-dispensable products, radiopharmaceuticals)|   I.   Perform and record routine sanitation, maintenance, and calibration of equipment (for example, automated dispensing equipment, balances, TPN compounders, and refrigerator/freezer temperatures)|   J. |   Update, maintain, and use manual or electronic information systems (for example, patient profiles, prescription records, inventory logs, reference materials) in order to perform job related activities|   K. |   Use and maintain automated and point-of-care dispensing technology|   L. Perform billing and accounting functions for products and service s (for example, self-pay, third-party adjudication, pharmaceutical discount cards, medication reimbursement)|   M. | Communicate with third-party payers to determine or verify coverage for products and services|   N. | Coordinate and/or participate in staff training and continuing education|   O. | Perform and/or contribute to employee evaluations and competency assessments|   P. | Participate in the establishment, implementation, and monitoring of the practice setting’s policies and procedures  |

Perception of Depression amongst North American and African Cultures Essay

number unity or unipolar embossment is an a nonher(prenominal) name for try out Depressive disorder. It is a mood disorder characterized by demoralize mood, it a good plenteousness manifests in wish of interest in family, school and naked as a jaybird vivification, changes in eating and sleeping habits, unrestrained and checkup disregard for the self, difficulty in concentrating, and loss of interest in life (Rush, 2007). Just like whatsoever new(prenominal) pathological sickness, it has risk accompanimentors, signs and symptoms, and a rude(a) course. Like any(prenominal) other unhealthiness it can be divvy uped with tight-laced health check and psychological th geological erapy. Yet it is non descryd as such by the corpo dimensionn. There is remarkable lack of sensation or so low gear in the communities, in spite of the staggering statistics around the disorder. unipolar f solelyoff affects 7-18% of the American population at least once before the g row of 40 (Kassler, McGonagle & Zhao, 1994). In the coupled States al whizz, the act of females are declareed to be low from clinical f tout ensembleing off (Murray, 1997). It has also been discover that 2.5 percent of children and 8.3 percent of adolescents are depressed at any given(p) time. These order are considerably higher than the run into of the past decades ( slack Statistics In constituteation, Internet). Yet, it has been channelize that only 20 percent of depressed people entirelyow medical exam intercession (Depression Statistics selective information).This is caused by legion(predicate) reasons with ignorance or lack of foreboding and sentiency most the disorder considered as the biggest suspect. In fact, a unify States surgeon planetary report in the Hispanic partnership states that less than 10 percent of the noeticly ill people go outing ever so approach a mental clinic (U.S. discussion section of wellness, 2000). This is possibly the res ult of lack of concern on their part, or due to the fact that in the Hispanic communitys, non-medical methods of treatment for the depressed. It is imperative that we make out whether other communities also show a kindred of lack of advisedness and concern more or less first. Social intuition & medicine attempts to get word cultural differences in the conceptual models of picture by an inter involveed with North American immigrants and African Americans (Karasz, 2005) . His study demonstrated that Americans were to a greater extent of the prognosis that depression was a pathological malady of the body just like any other sickness and postulated medical therapy. accord to the author, the people from the African community were more likely to explain depression in edges of a fond and moral line of forges and conformed to the belief that self focussing was the right way to deal with the rejoinder of depression. Different communities realise different scholarships near the disease, people of certain agricultures prefer pass to spiritual healers rather than essay medical attention (Nayem, 2005). Some cultures prefer to treat this ailment with alternative therapies to allopathic one(a)s. Depression, though a salutary and debilitating disease, does not command the same attention as other medical disorders like touchwood disease, Parkinsons disease, or even obesity.According to Pasacreta (2008) in that location has been little attention given to depression and its consequences when we compare it with other diseases. For specimen obesity has been associated with diabetes many times. Even though depression also has a similar association with type II diabetes, not many people are aware of this fact. Since public concern is lacking in communities, many depressed people cash in ones chips to come forward, and receive proper treatment. If this gallery runs prevalence of depression will continue to rise. Though the attitudes of different cu ltures may spay toward the disease, it does not change the fact that depression poses enormous appeals for individual, family, and the caller (Nayem F, 2005). Depression is a everlasting(a) disease with pass onmost reaching effects, starting from the patient, who may call self harm, spending to a family life, which cannot agency in the same way as before (Scott, 2003). There has been re assay demonstrating depression as a burrden to people, communities, and health serve as the treatment is eagle-eyed term and the patient has little or no productivity to society (Nayem, 2005). This enquiry further highlights the aim to conduct a wad to assess the perception of depression across several(a) cultures. People are unsuspecting of the magnitude of the problem and its economic implications. In certain cultures, inability to diagnose the disease or disregard of its salutaryness lead to delayed medical opinion and treatment. through this study, we will try to substantiate th e various aims of awareness that different cultures consent approximately the disease.The severity of depression usually gets change if it is not treated promptly afterward diagnosis. This leads to a greater burden on the country. Scott (2003) echoed this sentiment when he stated In the National Health Service the cost of treating depression (887 million) exceeds the cost of treating both high blood pressure (439 million) and diabetes (300 million). However, here, the direct health find out for costs are dwarfed by the collateral costs (i.e. days lost from flow owing to depression exceed all other disorders and the economic burden on family members and society is considerable). North American and African cultures both differ in there perceptions about depression as a disease. Different cultures may feel that depression is a problem exclusively westbound cultures are more likely to view it as a disease which need medical therapy just like any other, whereas the people fr om the non Hesperian culture will perceive depression as more of a social and moral problem which requires self-management. There will generally be a lack of knowledge about depression as a disease in the non Hesperian community. The false beliefs and stigmas will be more present in non western cultures as compared to their western counterparts. How widespread is serious depression? According to Dr. Nathan S. Kline of the natural York State division of Mental Hygiene, it has been estimated that 15 per cent of the adult population of the United States has some degree of depression which is serious enough to be in need of treatment. This amounts to about 20 million people, which makes it not only the most frequent psychological disorder but also one of the most common of all serious medical conditions. Depression is so widespread that it has been called the common cold of mental disturbances. Studies report that women outstrip men in trauma from depression by a ratio of about 2 to 1, though some claim that this is because women are more will to admit that they are depressed. Depression afflicts all races and every social and economic level. season the malady is most common mingled with the ages of sixty and seventy, it strikes all age groups and has been arise among persons in their twenties. Why do so many millions of persons suffer from depression? practically study has gone into uncovering the spreadeagle causes of mental depression. Flaws in human society constitute one main stemma of the problem. Illustrating an aspect of this are comments by Dr. can buoy Schwab, of the University of Florida College of Medicine Were in an era of change right now. Old determine such as the old written report ethic are being rejected and people are caught in an ideological vacuum. Kids see that the fruits of four hundred days of scientific progress may be more bitter than sweetbut they dont know what to vest in its place, and consequently there is a sense o f futility. Because of this, many disillusioned youngsters seek escape through drugs and other means. The search for highs among the young, observes Dr. Schwab, is often only a flight of steps from the lows. Also contributing to the rise in depression is supermobility. Families that keep changing their places of residence, hopping about from house to house and city to city, do not stay in one place long enough to framing solid relationships with other people. A shrink at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center wrote Psychiatrists around Boston tolerate been aware for some time of what is called the roadway 128 syndrome or in Florida the Cape Kennedy syndrome. It is found in young families who have move too much, and its components are a conserve too centered in his career, a depressed wife and troubled children. sometimes depression results when a person reaches a plateau in his life after many years of painstaking labor. A hard-driving business executive may lastly achieve the top position in his company, only to realize that he no longer has a goal in life. Housewives in their forties and fifties often suffer from what psychiatrists call empty draw near syndrome. By this time their children usually have grown up, their husbands are at work for most of each day and they must(prenominal) face lonely hours in houses desolate of people. What about the feelings of inferiority that often play along depression? Here too the responsibleness may rest with human society. How so? Because it is often at a tender age that children are made to feel unattractive. Their peers may ridicule them if they are inefficient to do what the majority consider the in thing. If a youngster tends to be incapable and uncoordinated, schoolmates and playmates can influence the child to entrust that he cant do anything right. Children of this type often combine the trigger I am weak, with the value public opinion Its disgusting to be weak. such(prenominal) youths are likely ca ndidates for depression.MethodParticipants almost 40 students (20 western, 20 international) students from a middle west liberal arts college will participate in this study. All of them would be selected use randomized sampling. Participants will be offered glass over for the completion of the wad.Materials The survey questionnaire will harp of questions associate to assessment of knowledge and attitudes towards depression and a demographic data form. The survey forms will contain shut stop questions only. It will consist of 3 parts. The first section will consist of demographic questions to gather information about the participants How long have they lived here. Have they adopted the western culture of living or not. The mo part will consist of closed questions. The participants will have to choose from the given options in the questionnaires. There will be questions that ask whether they consider depression to be a serious disease.Whether they debate it is a disease of t he mind, body, or mind and body. Questions related to stigma would also be include for example do they believe mentally ill people are more aggressive than others? Do they believe mental illnesses are not as severe as physical ones? Do they believe depressed people can be cured with drugs only, or do they require social and community help? Moreover, to sustain the validation of the results of the survey, the review of literature to be utilized within the seek shall show a specific scale of bar that is used by psychologists to identify the look of humans with regards to depression from different cultures all over the world.Procedure It is imperative to find out exactly how different cultures perceive depression as a disease. The detective plans on conducting this research. This research will deal with the perception of depression as a disease amongst western and non western cultures. The research will also look into the level of awareness in different cultures about the prevalen ce of disease in their societies. This research will try to substantiate if the perception of depression varies with different cultures. To complete the express aim, the research will be conducted on campus. Participants will be debriefed on the study being researched. The researcher would thus have the participants sign a consent form before they participate in the study. subsequently which, a survey kit would then be handed out to them and they would be given three days to turn in them back.Data analysisA one way ANOVA would be conducted to dissect the data. Since we have two independent examine populations and more than two variables. This will bequeath for the comparison of attitudes about depression for members of westward and non-Western cultures. Using the ANOVA we can front whether the stated answers have associations with either the western or non western societies. ReferencesDepression Information and Fact Statistics (2008), Depression statistics and information, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http//www.add-adhd-help-center.com/Depression/statistics.htmHaasen C, Levit O, Gelbert A, Foroutan N, Norovjav A, Sinaa M, et.al, (2007), Relationshipbetween mental harm and acculturation among migrants, psychrische praxis, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from the NCBI database on http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrezKarasz, A. (2005), ethnic differences in conceptual models of depression, Social Science& medicine, 60, 1625-35, retrieved on February 13, 2008, fromhttp//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15652693?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctnKessler, R., McGonagle K,, & Zhao S, et al. (1994) life sentence and 12-month prevalence ofDSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry518-19.Murray, C., Lopez, A.D. (1997). Alternative projections of mortality and disability bycause 1990-2020 orbicular Burden of unsoundness Study. Lancet 349Neem F, Ayub M., Izhar N, Javed Z, et al (2005). Stigma and knowledge of depression,Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 21(2) 155-158.Pasacreta. J, (2008), Depression Is society taking the price approach? , retrieved onFebruary 13, 2008, from http//www.helium.com/tm/646939/novel-approach-managing-depressionScott, J. (2003), Global burden of depression the intersection of culture and medicine, TheBritish Journal of Psychiatry, 183 92-94, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http//bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/ sate/full/183/2/92U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the sawbones General. Mental Health Culture, Race, Ethnicity Supplement, A base of the Surgeon General 1999.from http//mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cre/default.asp.

The Portrait of Medieval Social Classes as Presented in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Canterbury Tales

The communalplace Prologue fulfils two functions it tells the story of how the tales came to be told, and it introduces the tellers. There argon approximately thirty pilgrims travelling to Canterbury to pray to the blessed blissful martyr- St. Thomas of Becket. These fictitious characters sack be considered the enactment of the whole eye English society. All the pilgrims wad be divided into particular hierarchic body structure of sort outes. The simplest division of society was into three estates those who fight, those who pray, and those who labour, typified by the sawbuck, the minister and the plower.Women were often delicacyed as an estate to themselves. The prefatory tripartite division of society, for instance, is reflected in Chaucers do his knight, subgenus Pastor and Plowman the three exalted characters on the pilgr realize- along with the Clerk to stand for those who learn and t each(prenominal). However, I have to admit that this division is non so obvious , which I explained below. Chaucer starts the introduction of pilgrims with the highest-ranking layman, the Knight, with his entourage, and continues with the highest-ranking ecclesiastics, the Prioress and the monk.The merchant, Clerk, police sergeant of justice, and Franklin who decipher were regarded much than or less as hearty equals, and various opposite containatives of the middle kines, about of them deplore to push themselves up the mixed bag ladder, follow in roundwhat haphazard order. The Summ unrivaledr and Pard wizr ar affectionate and moral misfits in al well-nigh solely(prenominal) nose out, with no obvious place either in a sieve hierarchy or in the common weal, society as a brass of mutual support (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). gibe to Helen Cooper, the basic organization and because is by rank, solely with around telling exceptions and some haphazardness society is non an order ed hierarchy, not least because the lot who compose it ar averse(p) to stay in their places. The Knight and beau represent real different types, and functions, of valour. The monastic is described in terms that withstand him a different kind of antitype to the Knight, and the attri exclusivelyes that might be expected of each argon exchanged it is the Monk who hunts and beds good food and clothes, spot the Knight is ascetic who has wedded his a stayness to go of Christ (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). If at that place is a certain logical system in the order of the pilgrims, however, the content of the individual de noteations shows a constant variation. The stress can nail down on come out of the closetance, past liveness, the pilgrims admit voice or self-image, moral probity, or tastes and priorities. The estates structure suggest that the pilgrims have out be de finelyd by their lend, but piece numerous of the depictions adopt an appropriate language, besides a couple of(prenominal) show their subject doing what his or her office requires.In my work I will describe and submit ein truth character and then nubmary the portrait of the level as a whole, and fin exclusivelyy, in the summary I will pull forward the whole portrait of society as a whole by summing up the features of each genial company. valiantness Chivalry was undoubtedly the most important of neighborly classes in middle ages. They fought for the king, his kingdom and the religion. Chivalry is as well directly considered as a pattern of conduct of pattern man he has to be brave, gentle for la croaks and ethical he exchangeablewise has to be ready to die for his beliefs.There atomic number 18 three characters representing this class in The universal Prologue. These ar the Knight, the Squire, and the yeoman of the guard of the guard. The Knight is described by Chaucer with remark and honour. Chaucer does not use any mockery or satire in the commentary of the Knight the irony is re shell outd to those who f in all shortsighted of the measurement of god he sets. The function of the Knight was to fight but throughout Christian history, and increa vicegly in the young fourteenth century, there was a profound inquietude at the thought of Christian fighting Christian.The wars that were held in the highest esteem were those fought in the cause of God, against the infidel. The knight is not only a fighter he is that most honoured of warriors, a Crusader (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). He participated in many wars against Muslims in Spain, northwestern Africa, and the Near East and pagans just about the Baltic. The Knights portrait differs from those of most of the other pilgrims in several value. He is described sort of a in terms of moral attributes than physical appearance.It reinforces the sense of his asceticism, his devotion more than to God than to things of the world. He is also described in terms of what other plenty think of him he is evere honoured for his honourablenesse, set supran alle nacions at the board of honour, everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys (op. cit. The General Prologue, The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer lines 50, 53, 67). It is a portrait of ideal Christian knighthood. Almost e rattling pilgrim has some particular object of desire, that the Knights should be Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisie (op. it. line 46). The Knight is considered perfect by Chaucer. He is modest as a maid, he is devoted to God more than any of the characters representing clergy. He some clock fought on the side of Muslims, but only if they fought against other Muslims he had never fought against Christians. Despite of his valorous deeds, the knight never boasted of his actions, nor bored his listeners. The Squire would be a candidate for knighthood. He is young, probably in his twenties. He is a son of the Knight. When not in battle, he thinks of himself as a quite a peeresss man.He takes meticulous charge of his appearance. He could also sing lusty songs, compose melodies, bring through poetry, and ride a horse with distinction. He also has all the other proper attributes to go with his be a young lover a fine figure, a dashing military career, and all the ur eschewe accomplishments considered those times as being appropriate for gentle ones lady. According to Helen Cooper, the Squire is the iconographic image of young love and its month of May (op. cit. line 92), for the month was often presented as fashionable and gaily dressed youth on horseback.Chaucer does not quite offer us the Squire at his own valuation- a total failure to sleep on account of love has an affectionate touch of the goofy about it, as well as the hyperbolic, but the fresshe floures embroidered on his clothes, and his associations with the quail with sleepless birds make Squi re a courtly version of the lifetime of spring (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). The Squire is not only young, strong, and in love he is courteous, eager to server, and in all respects perfect of his type, however different from his fathers type.The beefeater was a servant of the Knight and Squire. He was known as an expert woodsman and an clear archer. A knight held a position in society that had to be visibly maintained, by the mien of at least a minimal retinue. The Yeoman is the servant he brings apart from the Squire, a coldness of display that Chaucer comments in lines 100-101 (op. cit. ). One would expect a Yeoman in the company of such(prenominal) a Knight to be a military figure, a longbowman by the addition of green clothes and the hunting-horn, Chaucer defines him more closely, as a forester.A forester could be anything from a senior administrative official to a gamekeeper the Yeomans intimacy of wodecraft shows him to be one of the more practical kind. The Yeoman is not a standard figure in estates literature, but Chaucer creates and iconography for him as effectively as he recreates the conventional images of the Squire. Whether the Yeoman really needs his bow, peacock, arrows, and horn on a transit is less important than the way they serve to define him.His excellence as a yeoman is summed up in the neologism Chaucer creates for him, yemanly (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). To summarize, the politesse cordial class representatives are shown as brave men, secure in battle, famous for their deeds, ready to die for their beliefs servants of their lords and masters. The politesse participates in wars and is appreciated by the rest of partnership for its strength, honour, fame, and modesty. Priesthood The priesthood is in the middle class of medieval friendly hierarchy.Chaucer uses a lot of satire and irony as he describes membe rs of this estate in The General Prologue. Members of this amicable class who participate in the pilgrimage are the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, the Summoner, the parson, and the Pardoner. Descriptions of these characters are much more abundant in satire and irony than any other. The Prioress was a head of monastery. She was rather well educated, even though her French was not the accepted Parisian French. She was precise coy and delicate. When she ate, she took great care for her table tact. She was very courteous and amiable and tried to imitate the manners of the court.She had three small hounds with her which she treated very gently and tenderly. Her dress was very neat and tidy and she wore a gold brooch with the inscription amor vincit omnia. Chaucers translation of the Prioress is filled with gentle and subtle irony. present is a picture of a lady who happens to be a nun, but she never forgets that she is a lady prototypical. Her oath, by Sainte Loy implies that she has chosen the most fashionable and liberal saint who was also famous for his great manners (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). She emphasis on her appearance.The Monks interpretation simply seems to had been swapped with the stereotypical verbal definition of a knight. The Knight is described as the man who devoted his life to God, and the Monk is called a manly man by Chaucer, which means his portrait is that of a country gentleman. The Monk is interested in women (on the way which he should not be, regarding to his transaction), wearing expensive clothes and jewellery, he comparables hunting. He is not modest. He does all these things although his monastic orders ban him to behave this way. He is supposed to be a beggar and own no goods.In description of the Monk, According to Helen Cooper, Chaucer introduces the materials of antimonastic satire the good living, his failure to keep indoors the cloister, his approval of secular offices for religi ous (op. cit. line 187), and his hunting. only if it is he himself, not a satirist, who relays all the standard texts and aphorisms on the ills of such life and he then dismisses them by reference to those items of food- oysters (a cheap dish), plucked hens- that fall well below his favourite diet of bang swan (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996).The Monk clearly breaks his vows of poverty, obedience to his recipe and stability, staying within his monastery. The Friar, like the Prioress, is described by Chaucer with a set of epithets and attributes that in other bunch might be complimentary he is worthy like the Knight, and curteis and lowely of servyse like the Squire (op. cit. lines 99, 250). only if his purity shows itself in his refusal to fulfil the basic function of his calling, the succor of the diseased and the outcast. The Friar was hobnobbing with the local franklins and surpassing the Monk in being not just like a prela at but like a pontiff (op. it. line 261). The Friar is the prime(prenominal) of the pilgrims who explicitly sets the flatware above God. Destitute widows are the objects not of his almsgiving but of his greed. Over twenty lines of his portrait are devoted to his skill in extracting money cardinal more go to his dubious relationships with young women, routine wives, and the barmaids. (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales) Yet there is no doubt that all such things make the Friar friendlyly cute the whole emphasis of the portrait falls on the busyness of his fond life, on taverns and love- twenty-four hour periods, on all the concourse with whom he is on good terms.The Summoner was a man paid to summon sinners for a outpouring before a church court. He had a fire-red complexion, pimples and boils, a scaly infection around the eyebrows, and a moth-eaten beard. He treats his sores as leprosy. To make matters worse, he loved to eat garlic, onions, le eks, and drink strong wine-colored. He could quote a few lines of Latin which he was using to imprint large number. Chaucer calls him a gentil harlot and implies it would be difficult to find a better fellow, because for a bottle of wine, the Summoner would often turn his back and allow sinner to continue living in sin. He was also well acquainted with ladies of questionable temper (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). According to Bruce Nicoll, the Summoners physical appearance fits to his profession well. He is so ugly and gruesome facial expression that a summons from him is in itself a terrific experience. Thus, Chaucer ironically implies that he is a good fellow. But furthermore, he is a good fellow because sinners could comfortably bribe him (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992).The Parson is the only one of the churchmen shown by Chaucer that we can call competent and fair. Although he was very poor, he would rather give his own scarcely money to his poor parishioners than demand tithes from them. His principle was to live the perfect life first, and then to teach it. His life was a perfect case of true Christian priest, and by his good example, he taught but first followed it himself. Among the other churchmen described in The General Prologue, the Parson stands out as the ideal portrait of what parish priest should be. He is the ideal Christian man.The Pardoner was a church official who had authority from Rome to tell on pardons and indulgences to those charged with sins. He had just returned from Rome with traveling bag of pardons which he planned to sell to the ignorant at great profit to himself. He had a loud, squeaking voice, yellow, flowing hair. He was beardless. There was no one so good at his profession as was this Pardoner (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). The pardoner seems to be the most alter of the churchmen. In the prologue to his tale, he confesse s to his hypocrisy.The Priesthood class is widely criticised by Chaucer. The Prioress pays more attention to her manners than to the center of her calling. The Monk cares nothing for the rules of his order, the Friar sets money above God. The Summoner and the Pardoner are corrupted. There is only the Parson to fulfil his duties well. He is that good shepherd to care for his sheep. He is the ideal set in the nonage of the clergy. The other churchmen described by Chaucer are pore more on their own business than on their mission given by the Catholic church.These characters (excluding the Parson) whitethorn be called hypocrites. Higher bourgeoisie Higher bourgeoisie is the class of affluent and/or well-educated townsmen and unloadlords who are not noblemen. The representatives of this class are, as follows the Merchant, the Clerk, the Sergeant of Law, the Franklin, the twist of Physic, and the reeve. The Merchant is anonymous, I noot how men hym calle (op. cit. line 284). He has a forked beard and a high hat hat that reveals his wealth. He talks about his business and the risks connected with functional as a merchant.According to Helen Cooper, the merchant, like the Knight and Squire, has his own areas of contemporary campaign (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). Chaucer has mentioned something about the debt of the Merchant in his description, but we are not sure whether the debt is still unpaid or the Merchant had dealt with it before. The Clerk is a student of what would nowadays be considered philosophy or theology. He is introduced as a diligent person who has a wide familiarity of books.He is depicted as a perfect example of a scholar. He has a bachelor microscope stage and is totally devoted to logic. As a subtext to this portrait, there is an opposite description of less ideal clerks those who would treat education as a pathway to well-paid office, who would favor expensive clothes and music-maki ng to the books for which the Clerk longs. The Sergeant of Law is a lawyer whose main focus is to make money. His legal knowledge and skill in purchasying land is apparently used primarily for himself as a purchaser.Chaucer uses a lot of law terms in his description of the Sergeant of Law, but no such word as justice appears. The Franklin is the only pilgrim to be involved in running the society. He and the Sergeant of Law are partners in graft. He is a landowner, however he is not a noble. He did not inherit his wealth and he is not a nouveau riche. The Franklin accepts all the duties and responsibilities that go with his position he has held the office of knight of the shire, sheriff, auditor, and justice of the tranquility.There is no a exclusive word from Chaucer that would criticise the way that the Franklin fulfils his duties. The Franklin has a white beard. As Helen Cooper noticed, his love differs from the Knights chivalry or the Squires ladies, the Franklin loves his morn ing snack of bread in wine thus the vocabulary used in his description is gastronomic (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). Moreover, the Franklin also shares his food with other people. That makes him a perfect landlord.The convolute of Physic is trained in medicine, astronomy and astrology. He could quote all the health check authorities, but he knew nothing of the Bible. He had do a lot of money during the plague. He has a special love for gold, since he prescribes this metal for cures. The Reeve managed a large estate. He was skinny and severe-tempered. He had a close cut beard and short haircut. His subordinates were afraid of him because of his unrelenting preservance. Similarly to the mentioned later Manciple, he had reaped profits for himself by being clever at buying.The higher bourgeoisie class representatives are shown by Chaucer as people who are greedy (the Manciple, the Doctor of Physic, the Reeve, the Sergeant of Law, the Merchant, the imperfect clerks described in the description of the ideal Clerk), filled with temptation ( the Franklin) and devoted to their hotness (the Clerk, the Reeve). This cordial class is not criticised so sharply as the clergy. Most of them are fair in their work, some of them are simply perfect (the Clerk, the Franklin), on the other hand some of them cheat (the Reeve).They all want to gain something that make other people consider them upper class. bourgeoisie Bourgeoisie are simply the townsmen who are neither that rich nor that well-educated as the people from the class I named higher bourgeoisie. They are simple people who live and work in town. They are ordinary people and second most numerous class of the middle ages in Europe. The representatives of this class are, as follows the Guildsmen, the married woman of privy, the Manciple, the Cook, the Shipman, the Miller, and the Host.The Guildsmen are five craftsmen (four clothworkers and the Carpenter) who belon g to a single parish guild. The portrait of the Guildsmen is largely devoted to their anxiety to impress others by climbing on the social class hierarchy ladder their knives are decorated with silver chasing, which is inappropriate for their social class, because such ornament was close for gentry (lower nobility class members). The Guildsmen sit on dais in a guildhall and fulfil their master copy obligations. They want to be aldermen and they are improving their qualifications day by day. They work fairly and hard.Unfortunately, the Guildsmen are being corrupted by their wives, who want them to get promoted and advance in social hierarchy, or at least pretend so. They wish to be accorded the superior deed of conveyance of madame. Wives of the Guildsmen want to behave roialliche and be treated as higher class members and force them to participate in some kind of what nowadays would refer to as a rat race. The Wife of Bath was an excellent seamstress and weaver. She has been marr ied five times and been on many outland pilgrimages to Rome, to Bologna, to Jerusalem, to Galice, and to Cologne.Her special talent was her knowledge of all the remedies of love. She was deaf a itty-bitty. She ever so was first at the altar or offering in church. The Manciple was a steward for a law schooling in London. His duty was to buy the food. He was not as learned as the lawyers, but he was smart enough that he had been able to put aside a little sum for himself from all(prenominal) transaction. The Cook in The General Prologue is only defined by his professional skill. He works for the Guildsmen. He has a notorious running sore on his leg.We do not know much more about him from the description in the prologue. The Shipman was the master of watercraft and an expert of navigation who knew all the ports from the Atlantic to the North Sea. He was a huge and uncouth man. He could not ride horse well, but no one was a better sailor. Nevertheless, according to Jill Mann, the Sh ipman had bad habits of thievery, piracy, and mass murder (Chaucer and Medieval Estates Satire The belles-lettres of Social Classes and The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Cambridge, 1973). The Miller was a resolved and strong man.His strength would let him outwrestle any man. He had red beard and a wart on his nose. He played the bagpipes as the pilgrims left the town. He had a tendency for thievery. The Host was the engineerer of the pilgrimage party and the host of the Tabard Inn. His name is Harry Bailey. He was loud, large and merry, although he possesses a quick temper. He was liked by the pilgrims. Members of the bourgeoisie want to get socially promoted and try to do all the things indispensable to achieve this promotion (the best example of this is the behaviour of the Wife of Bath).They focus on making money. or so of them, as the Guildsmen, work hard to improve their social and material status, others, as the Miller and the Manciple, prefer continuous small acts of thievery to enrich. Some of them commit more serious crimes, as does the Shipman. All of them are working hard in their profession and are set to achieve their destination, one way or another. Peasants Peasants are the lowest social class of middle ages. They are hard-working and poor. Their professions are connected with agriculture. There is only ne representative of this social class appearing in The General Prologue- the Plowman. The Plowman is a small live farmer who lives in a perfect peace and charity. He loves God with all his heart. He is always honest with his neighbours. He regularly pays his tithes to the church. He is a brother of the Parson, and so, they are equally good-hearted. The Plowman, unlike most of the pilgrims, is happy with his position in society. He wears his secondary tabard which is appropriate for his rank and never tries to be individual else than he really is.The portrait of the only character of peasant class introduced to us by Chaucer l ead us to conclusion that peasants are the poorest and the lowest social class of middle ages, but also the most hard-working and morally good people. In my opinion, the Plowman in his morality can be compared to the Knight, although their material and social statuses completely differ. Summary The division of society portrayed by Chaucer is not obvious. In this work I have introduced the division into social classes by the social position, profession and, wealth and education level of each character.I think that Chaucer demonstrates his audience that class order and moral order are two different things. Members of the chivalry and the peasant class are on whirligig and the bottom of the hierarchy. Despite of this fact, in some aspects the knighthood characters and the Plowman are equal. They are all modest, hard-working, truly devoted to god, fair to other people and proud of their position. If we rise these two classes from the hierarchy, there appears the conclusion that the hi gher social class character belongs to, the richer, the more educated, and the morally worse it is.The social class portrayed by Chaucer as the most corrupted is clergy. Those who should prevent people from sin appear to be the biggest sinners. We can see that the more powerful and richer people become, the bigger sinners they are. The classes described as these of best morality are chivalry and peasants. all(prenominal) class has its exceptional ideal representative chivalry- the Knight, clergy- the Parson, bourgeoisie (as one class with higher bourgeoisie)- the Clerk. These characters are patterns of ideal behaviour for all the members of their classes.By this phenomena, Chaucer shows that there is no class that is totally corrupted- there is always someone who fulfils his duties perfectly. To sum up, the clergy is shown as a class of people who detestation their position for private profits the bourgeoisie members are only wishing to make more and more money and advance their s ocial status the chivalry and peasants are happy with their position, neither the Knight, nor the Plowman can be promoted to upper class. The difference is- the Knight, unlike the Plowman, is socially appreciated and respected.Those days your origin and social class membership was the most important part of social life. So, there is no wonder why people from middle classes wanted to be promoted and were ready to do anything to achieve that, on fair or partial way. Although the portrait of medieval social classes is a little ironical and satirical (and still may appear a literary fiction), I think that it is very likely that it is possibly a complete description of the actual English community in Middle Ages.