Curriculum Design for Inclusive Practice Essay

This assignment will give me the opportunity to explore an area of curriclum I have delivered in detail and write a crictical and reflective commentary; with reference to issues related to the development and quality of the curriclum. In doing so, I shall first identify and analyse the range of contexts in which the education and training are offered in the lifelong learning sector (LLS); explore definitions of curriclum and justify which is most applicable in my area of the curriculum; examine the theories, principles and models of curriculum design and its implementation by evaluating their impact on teaching and learning; and evaluate the significance of equality and diversity to curriculum design and demonstrate the ability to promote equality within my own practice. Finally I will critically evaluate my own practice by making proposals for improvements with reference to a range of theories, principles and modles of curriculum development relevant to the curriculum. My subject sp ecialism in teaching within the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) is ESOL (English to Speakers of Other languages) and the area of curriclum i shall explore in detail withing this assignment is Skills for Life Level Entry 3. The context I teach in mainly comes under the community and adult education within the Lifelong learning; a sector which is very broad consisting of work based learning, distance learning, private training providers, voluntary and prison education which are some of many other contexts which delivers education to its learners aged 16 and above. (see appendix i) Leaning can occur throughout every person’s life and opportunities are there in UK to meet educational needs for learners of all different walks of life. Thus, the different context in which education sits contributes to the way how one defines currioculum and in which the curriculum is designed and facilitated to meet its purpose. A useful starting point would be to define ‘curriclum’. It is important to make note that there are many numerous definitions as ‘curruclum’ within the lifelong learning setor is very broad and complex; therefore it would not be appropriate to apply one single definition. ‘Curriculum’ is usually seen as  a set syllabus by an awarding body which provides the content to be learned and assessed. It is then up to the subject teacher, myself working collabratively with my mentor to plan the course and produce a scheme of work. (Scales 2008). However, in my opinion, ‘curriculum’ is something more which aligns more closely to the definition offered by Schubert (1987), ‘the contents of a subject, concepts and tasks to be acquired, planned activities, the desired learning outcomes and experiences, product of culture and an agenda to reform society ‘. This indicates that curriclum has a wider purpose that serves to meet the needs of the society. I would also add to this that ‘curriclum’ is incorporating the whole of the learners expereince, both formally and informally. (Pastance, 2003). This I could not agree more as ESOL curriculum delivered is not all formal learning and includes informal teachings such as social conventions reflected through the way I teach; heircahy reperesented through the teacher and leaners; and promoting and encouraging confidence and independence. This is done indirectly without setting tasks and planned activities and nor is it part of the lesson plan but is equally part of the curriclum. (Vallance, 1974) Prior to 1999, there was no centralised funding for ESOL and there was no standardised training or curriclum. Therefore, ESOL was taught by professionals who had the sole responsibiity of the content and delivery of the subject. ESOL had not progreesed and devloped as much as the other subjects areas and had not been the focus of the government. Therefore, teachers relied on knowldege produced by experts and reseachers of particular area such as second language aquasition to help develop learning in ESOL. (Dunkin and Briddle, 1974) However, since there has been many factors that has impacted on ESOL curriclum. Followed by a report from the Department of Education (2000) on ‘breaking the langauge barrier’; it led to skills for life strategy, ESOL Core Curriculum, and publication of related learning materials. This has been cricticed as this centralised control led to a heavy bearaucratic burden on teachers, for adutiting purposes and ecnomic motive related to global competitiveness instead of actually facilitating language learning or meeting the learners needs. (Callaghan, 2006) This ineterst by the government can be seen from a marxist view that educational organisations are used to maintain power and control within the soicety. This is done through conytroling what should be learnt and how it should be learnt. (Lye, 1999) Since, the currriclum has become prescribed and does not allow much room for creativity and flexibility. It is also not very inclusine as it does not take into individual account and makes assumptions that learenrs would already have understandig of certain Engliah language knowledge and skills. New technology has impacted significantly on the ESOL curriculum. With the use of of modern technology there seems to have been as shift from the traditional prescriptive approach used to teach English language towards more descriptive approach. Prescriptive represented the view that one variety of language holds a higher status and is more correct than others; thereforse this variety of language should be taught in ESOL curriculum. (Fromkin et. al., 2004) The descriptive approach, by contrast, celebrates the diverse usages of ESOL languages and does not condemn the use of standardised rules of language set by linguistics. (Crystal, 2006) The modern technology has a a lot to answer for this shift. The internet and short or instant messages had devebloped a langauge of its own which English speakeers have adopted and diverged from the standarddise english. This has put ESOL professionals under huge pressure to meet the demands of the social change and consider somehow to apply it in E SOL and look at short messages and various types of emails in the curriculum that uses informal language and acceptable slang. (Canaan, 2006) Prescriptist supports the classical humanists ideology as it does not want to break away from the standard English and grammatical rules and meet the demand of the social changing trend. It resembles academic atittude and standards with formality. This is still evident in writing skills as Esol professional adhere standard English (see appendix ii). However, in refernce to speaking skills, the shift has occurred and there is a dialect which resembles to more natural order of the socity and reflects liberal humanism. The modal relevant here is the Process Modal presented by Stenhouse () as it allows the teaher to facilitate learning and focus on learning that derives from experience. All leaners have some experience and knowledge of Eg;ish lanague which they bring into classroom with them as tey all have social and life skills. Therefore, it is important for the teacher to work with that by assessing continuously and correcting mistakes. It is very student focused and allows the teacher to develop the whole person by looking at the process of learning ones goes through and how to aid that learning. Thus, as professionals the lesson is planned around how the learning will take place through the learning activity chosen and what is to be learnt. (Neary, 2002) The danger with this modal is that although it allows me to be inclsive of all learners and differentiate, but it has no clear direction and neglects the importance of content. (Neary, 2002) New government policies have impacted on the curriclum. Since the race riots in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley, a review lead by Ted Cantle (2001) proposed that people living in immigrant communities would need to learn English in order to aid community cohesion. (Cantle, 2001) This community cohesion review led to The UK Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act of 2002, which required those from 2005 wishing to settle in the UK permanantly had to pass a certain level of English language and knowledge of ‘life in the UK’. This has been implmented in entry levels of ESOL curriclum with parts of unit focusing on citizenship. This has had a huge impact on the curriculum design by adding units on citizenship including subjects such as history of Brtitain, UK parliament, the royal family and Beatles etc. (see appendix iii) This part of the curriclum has come under a great scrutiny. It has been criticised as promoting assimilation instead of celebrating diversity. It has also been criticsied for not being inclusive as it forces immigrant communities to adopt the majority culture and not that of their own. (Han, Starkey, and Green, 2010) Also, adding citizenship which alone is a subject in its own right reduces the quality of an effective curriculum as citizenship does not faciitate language learning. This part of the curruclum reflects classical humanist whereby it promotes knowledge of the high culture and culture heritage. There also appears to be a sense of soicalisation process of ‘Cultural Hegemony’ presented by Gransci. (Lye, 1997) Gransci presented how the such culturally diverse society was dominated by the beliefs, explanantion, perception and values of the ruling class which was acceptred by the norm in the way that was percoeved as natural, beneficial and better. (Matheson and Limon, 1990) The content model is relevant in designing this part of the curriclum as it assumes that what we learn is facts and knowledge. It is non- vocational and heavily subject based where it employes the ESOL professional as a tecaher and not a facilitator. The social and economy changes has also impacted on the Esol curriclum. Since 2004, there has been a growth in Eeastern European (EU) immigrants into UK and due to langauge barrier has prevented some to find employment. Therefore, the Department of Work and Pension made it neccasry for those on jobseekers benefit with no English to make it a priority to learn English language as it would reduce unemployment and contribute towards the economy. This has effected the curriculum at the entry evel level as part of the currilcum involves focusing on looking at job adverts, fill in application forms, write CVs, and prepare for interviews. (see appendix iv) Role plays are also used in which the learners practise answering the phone at work, or asking for clarification of instructions; all of which can be considered as employability skills, rahter than work that develops learners’ literacy and English language skills. (Baynham and Roberts, 2007) Yet again, it is an area of the curriclu m which an ESOL profesional is not specialised in employability skills and therefore can hinder on both the langauge learning and emplyability skills. This part of the curriclum reflects an instrumentalist view espcially the emplyoment and skiils unit which are designed to develop the knowledge and skills required for employment. (Armitage et al, 1999) It seems to reflects states priority and why should it not when the state pays for the education. (Callaghan, 1976) There is a clear evidence that the purpose of  certain parts of the curriclum percived by the givernment is to serve the socirty and economy and as teacher our duty is to meet the government priortise by delivering for them. Thus, it has an impact on the deliver whereby knoweldege given to the learner is factual and very much much teacher led. With this knowledge the aim of the teacher is to prepare the leaners for the worksforce and their role in the society. (Armitage et al, 1999) The government ulitmaite aim is to produce a highly educated workforce as it is essential in meeting the needs of the ecnomy. However, the danger with this is that not all leaners on ESOL achieve at this level skills that can lead to emplyoement. Secondly, nor does the learners always progress to higher level of English which then can lead to further skilled qualifications and emplyment. This creates social exclusion and leaners remain in poverty. (Williams, 2008) Product model which was presented by Tyler (1949) and Taba () , is used to design this part ofteh curriclum as the focus is not what is to be learnt, but what the learners will end up being able to do. This allows the professionals to look at which has outcimes that can be measured and is particular useful apparoach in preparing people for working life. However, it is not inclsuive of learners who are creative and critical thinkers. Last of all, the context and the organisation one works in has an impact on the curriculum one delivers and it has been the most significant for me. Esol Entry 3 delivered in the community such as the Childrens Centre where it has its own ethics of work and learning aims, are very different to college where the focus will be on the syllabus and units of the curriclum. The childrens centre would work different to a college whereby the centre is not strict with puntuality, provides paper and stationary, no homework unless the learner would like some. Also, not all leaners are required to sit the summative assessement unless the learners chose to do so and more focus is on the formative assessment. These are the significant differences from teaching entry 3 esol in community and in Further education college Teaching at the Childrens Centre is very progressive and is the idelogy I  embrace and exercise the most as it belives that there is a need to create a democratic soceity by encouraging personal growth of each learner. It is very student centred and involves active learning where the student are able to set their own goals with the teacher and achoeve them. Dewy (1916) who developed this ideology belived that students were at the centre of the educational and learning process and the purpose of the education is to unlock the potential of the learner. (Neary, 2002) owver the crictics claim that this lacks discipline and had no direction. But it has ultimately shown to have increased learners confodence and independence which is vital at this level of studny and for the leaners of there situation in life. (Neary, 2002) This allowed me to adapt The situational model which is very relevant with my group of ESOL learners. Often coming from an unhappy backgrounds, lacking motivation and financial stability has an impact on their focus in the classroom. Therefore, this modal has allowed me to focus on the learner by adapting the curriculum to impact the learner as a whole by being able to look outside the written syllabus which will help the development of the leaner. (Skilbeck, 1984) As most adults are from vulnerable backgrounds and does not have Engish as a first langauge means that developing ones self-confidence is a priority through teamwork, giving good advice and guiding them towards financial competence, teaching about the education system and the accessibility of opportunities for work experience and work-based learning. This is not part of the written sylabus and is known as hidden curriclum which is equally important in developing the learner and move them to a higher levels of esteem and he lp them in process of self actaulaisation. It has come to my knowdge that I need to adopt a process model of curriculum and tie it to situational model to allow for inclusive learning. Balancing the course measurement system, which is geared towards the outcomes, and measure of success which I use equips my learners with the skills and confidence and interest to tackle other challenges in their life but does not alone gives a rounded learning experience. It would also be inclusive to tie situational modal with the product modal as it would also contribute  towtds a well rounded inclusive learning expereince and an effective curriculum design. Education should be all about the learner and his/her expereinces as a person which helps them develop themeslves as a person, as a means to ecnomic ends and as a citizen. (Petty, 2009) Therefore it is vital to designa currriculum that enables to fulful this purpose. Most of the Esol curriculum design is based on thematic approach as many areas of the curriculum are connected together and integrated within a theme. It allows learning to be more natural and less fragmented than being divided into different subject areas. It allows literacy to grow progressively, with vocabulary linked and with spelling and sentence writing being frequently, yet smoothly, reinforced and provides context for communication. (Drikx and Pranger, 1997) Esol on the other hand, also reflects a spiral apprach. The core idea of the spiral approach is that basic knowledge and concepts are revisited repeatedly as new material is introduced. In this way a student’s learning develops in a spiral fashion – ever increasing in sophistication as earlier knowledge and concepts are recircled and enriched. With a spiral approach students have repeated opportunities to grasp the way in which knowledge and concepts are interrelated. The concept of the spiral curriculum was introduced to curriculum design by educationalist Jerome Bruner which helps to internalise the learing. (Knight, 2001) I prefer both these appraches as it has singnificant on effective learning. However I should consider Linear approach to be inclusive as learners learn in different ways to have more effective curriculum. Effective curriculum design is so important for ESOL learners because they are not as adaptable as students who have progressed up the formal education system. For example, in the Higher Education system, it is possible to make assumptions about the learners in the classroom, they have greater self-control and discipline, and for this reason, it is fair to make a generalisation about your learners. Inclusive practice is so central to ESOL students because they come to the ‘classroom’ with so many emotional, social and practical barriers to learning. It is certainly not a ‘level playing field’. To conclude, different part of the currilcum stem from different ideoogies and thus different design modals shape them. However, whilst the modals might be the best for that particular curriclum does not mean it will work best with all the leaners. Therefore,to be inclusive, it is crucial to combine two modals together so that all learners are included within the curriclum and is the most effective. Curriculum design for inclusive practice is central to effective learning and teaching. I also feel the aim of curriculum design should be to focus it to fit the learner. However, effective teaching and learning is not just about the design of the formal curriculum, or syllabus but equally important is the design and delivery of the informal curriculum. Inclusive practice means understanding learners’ needs and then personalising both the content and process (or delivery) of the learning. At all times, inclusive practice needs to be continuously built into the curriculum and revise d every lesson to be made adaptable to meet the ever changing needs of the learner.

The Duties of an Agent to Principal

THE DUTIES OF THE AGENTS TO PRINCIPAL The duties of an agent depend primarily on the contract of agency if there is one. Subject to any such express terms, the agent owes a number of implied duties or obligations to his principal. It is the agency relationship as such that gives rise to these obligations so that, as a general rule, they fall as much on the gratuitous agent as on the paid agent. 1. Obey the Principal’s instructions Section 164 states, The agent must obey the instructions given to him by his principal even if he thinks the instructions are wrong.Sometimes of course the principal may expect the agent to advise him and indeed he may be employing an agent to use skill and care. The agent must not delegate his duty to another person unless such delegation has been agreed with the principal, or is the custom of the trade, or the delegation merely takes pace in relation to purely administrative matters. Case Example : In Turpin v. Bilton (1843), an insurance broker ag reed for consideration to obtain a contract of insurance on the plaintiff’s ship. But he failed to do so. The ship was lost and the broker was held liable to the plaintiff.In Fraser v. B. N. Furman (Production) Ltd (1967), insurance brokers agreed for consideration to effect an employer’s liability policy and failed to do so. The employer was held liable for $3000 damages in an action brought against him by an employee for breach of the Factories Act, and the Court of Appeal held that the brokers must indemnify the employer in that sum for breach of contract. Betram Armstrong & Co. V. Godefray (1830) 1 Knapp 381 Facts : The agent was a stockbroker. The principal told the agent to sell stock when the market price reached a certain figure per unit of stock.The agent did not heed these instructions and held on to the stock. When the market dropped the agent was forced to sell at a loss. Decision : The principal successfully sued the agent to recover the difference between the price at which he was instructed to sell the stock and the price at which the stock was eventually sold. 2. A duty to exercise reasonable skill and diligence Section 165 states, The degree of skill and diligence required of an agent depends on whether the person is a gratuitous agent or a non-gratuitous agent. A gratuitous agent is not paid for their services whereas a non-gratuitous agent is paid.A non-gratuitous agent is required to exercise a degree of skill equal to that which a reasonable person would expect an agent of that type to exercise. For example, a real estate agent is expected to display the qualities and expertise of a competent real estate agent. If the agent fails to meet this standard, the agent will be liable to the principle for any loss caused by this breach of duty. A gratuitous agent is not expected to exercise any special degree of skill. The agent must exercise the same degree of care and diligence as they would use in attending to their own affairs.If that person has some special knowledge, they are expected to use that knowledge. Case Example : In Keppel v. Wheeler (1927), agents were employed to sell a block of flats and received an offer from one party which was accepted â€Å"subject to contract†. The agents later received a higher offer but, instead of telling the owners, arranged a resale from the earlier party to the later after the original sale to the earlier party was effected. It was ruled that the agents had acted in breach of their duty to obtain the best price available, and that duty included passing on details of better offers until a binding contract was concluded. . To render proper accounts when required Section 166 states, An agents owes a duty to the principal to keep proper accounts and make them available for inspection. For example, travel agents and real estate agents are required by statute to keep accurate and proper accounts. This duty imposes an obligation on agents to keep their property and money separate from that of their principal. Case Example : In Harry Parker Ltd v Mason [1940] 2 KB 590, where the principal conspired ith agent to make shame bets on the course and bets with street bookmakers contrary to the existing law but agent had failed to apply, as agreed the money that the principal handed to him. The Court of Appeal held that the principal could not recover it from agent on the general principal that money paid under an illegal contract is irrecoverable. 4. To pay his principal alls sums received on his behalf Section 171 states, However, an agent may retain or deduct from such sums received, advances made / expenses incurred by him in carrying out his duty, his commission and other remuneration payable to him for acting as agent. . To communicate with the principal Section 167 states, In cases of difficulty, an agent must use all reasonable diligence in communicating with and in seeking to obtain instructions from the principal. However, in emergencies, th e agent may use his own discretion in adopting a course of action to safeguard the interest of the principal. 6. Not to let his interest conflict with his duty Section 168 states, An agent must not allow the possibility of personal interest to conflict with the interests of his or her principal without disclosing that possibility to the principal.Upon full disclosure, it is up to the principal to decide whether or not to proceed with the particular transaction. If there is a breach of his duty, the principal may set aside the contract so affected and claim any profit which might have been made by the agent. Case Example : In McPherson v Watt (1877), a solicitor used his brother as a nominee to purchase property which he was engaged to sell. It was held that, since the solicitor had allowed the conflict of interest to arise, the sale could be set aside. It was immaterial that a fair price was offered for the property.The corollary to the above case is that the agent must not sell his or her own property to the principal without fully disclosing the fact. This lead into the next duty. 7. Not to make any secret profit out of the performance of his duty In discharging the agents, an agent can’t take any secret profit as corruption in the form of commission payments on a confidential basis, coffee money or â€Å"kickback†, tips and so on. If the agent take the secret profit, the profit must be submitted to the principal. In other words, the agent can’t use the property of the principal to do something against the contract that agent for selfish motives.That means agents can create a profit, only the principal agents are prohibited from using the property for personal gain. Section 168 states, If the principal knows and agrees on a secret, the agent can save profit because the profit is not a secret anymore. It should be noted that the secret profit is the profit earned outside the knowledge of the principal. If the principal give consent, the a gent can take the profit. In situations where the principal does not agree with a secret profit, the principal has the option as follows: I. The agency contract may be terminated, if the contract is not to profit member.For example, A has ordered B to sell the estate belonging to A. B has reviewed the estate before sale, find some of the mines in the estate is not known to A. B tells A that he wanted to buy the estate for himself, but conceals the discovery of the mine. A, when knowing this, can either refuse to sell the estate or otherwise manage the sales out of choice. II. Principal may recover the secret profit from an agent For example, as happened in the case of Tan Kiong Hwa vs S. H Chong. Plaintiff has purchased a flat from a company in which the defendant was the managing director.Plaintiff has ordered the defendant as agent to sell the flat at RM45000 but the defendant has successfully sold at RM54000. The difference in price of RM9000 has been credited to the company acco unt. Soon the company is wound up. The court ruled the plaintiff entitled to recover from defendants for RM9000 has defaulted in carrying out his duties as an agent. III. Principal may refuse to pay a commission or other remuneration to the agent. Section 173: An agent was found guilty of misconduct in successful agency not entitled to receive any advice relating to the business he was one proceeds. In the case of Andrews vs Ramsay & Co. the principal was member instructions to agents to sell the property and agreed to pay a commission of ? 50. The agents have to find the buyers and was given a ? 100 deposit. Agents then have to pay around ? 50 to the principal and keep the rest of the ? 50 commission. In the transaction, the agents have to get ? 20 from buyers. The court ruled the principal right to demand a secret agent commissions earned from buyers. IV. Principal reserves the right to expel the agent for breach of duty. Principal reserves the right to expel the agent if the agen t was using the property for profit secrets principal from agency business.Principal has such rights as the agent had failed to discharge its duties entrusted. If the principal has suffered loss as a result of the actions of the agent, he is entitled to claim damages. Principal reserves the right to expel the agent because duties. V. Principal may sue the agent and the third party to recover damages corruption if it is a loss of the contract. What happens in the case Mahesan vs The Malaysian Government Officers Cooperative Housing Society, the plaintiff was its director defendants. Defendant had purchased a piece of land worth $ 944,000 from a landlord who has obtained the land at $ 456,000 only.Plaintiff to know the fact but did not inform the defendant. As a result, the plaintiff has obtained $ 122,000 in bribes from land owners for the sale and purchase agreement. The court ruled that the defendant is entitled to claim the amount of loss suffered by the crime. 8. A duty not to di vulge confidential information To maintain confidentially about any matters communicated to him as agent, and not to disclose them to prospective third parties or anyone else. The relationship between principal and agent is a fiduciary relationship, depending upon mutual trust. Case Example :In Robb v Green [1895] 2 QB 315, an injunction was obtained against a former manager of a business to prevent him using for his own purpose a list of customers of the business which he had copied out while he was the manager. Faccenda Chicken Ltd v Fowler [1986] 1 AER 617, the duty of good faith is broken if an employee makes or copies a list of his employer's customers for use after his employment ends or deliberately memorises such a list even though, except in special circumstances, there is no general restriction on an ex-employee canvassing or doing business with customers of his former employer. . A duty to act personally An agent is not permitted to delegate to another person the tasks th e agent has been appointed to perform. A principal has chosen an agent because of that person’s expertise. The rule with respect to delegation can be relaxed by express agreement between the parties. If an agent delegates authority without permission, then the agent will not be entitled to be paid commission for any delegated acts. However, the rule has no application in relation to minor clerical or administrative tasks.These tasks can be delegated. Case Example : De Bussche v Alt (1878) 8 Ch D 286 ,agent was appointed by the principal to sell a ship in China at an agreed price but the agent was unable to effect such a sale and obtained the principal's permission for the appointment by agent of a sub-agent to sell the ship in Japan. The Court held there was no breach of duty by agent in appointing a sub-agent as delegation was expressly agreed.

Patient And Tumor Characteristics Health And Social Care Essay

Between January 2004 and June 2010, 160 patients underwent computing machine imaging guided transdermal cryoablation for lung tumours at our establishment. Of these patients, histologically proved phase I lung malignant neoplastic disease patients with more than one twelvemonth of followup, were retrospectively reviewed. All of these patients were considered to be medically inoperable with Charlson comorbidity index of 3 or greater. Follow-up was based chiefly on computed imaging. There were 22 patients with 34 tumours who underwent 25 Sessionss of cryoablation intervention. Complications were pneumothoraces in 7 interventions ( 28 % , chest tubing required in one intervention ) , and pleural gushs in 8 interventions ( 31 % ) . The observation period ranged from 12-68 months, mean 29 ±19 months, average 23 months. Local tumour patterned advance was observed in one tumour ( 3 % ) . Mean local tumour progression-free interval was 69 ±2 months. One patient died of lung malignant neo plastic disease patterned advance at 68 months. Two patients died of acute aggravations of idiopathic pneumonic fibrosis which were non considered to be straight associated with cryoablation, at 12 and 18 months, severally. The overall 2- and 3-year endurances were 88 % and 88 % , severally. Mean overall endurance was 62 ±4 months. Median overall endurance was 68 months. The disease-free 2- and 3-year endurances were 78 % and 67 % , severally. Average disease-free endurance was 46 ±6 months. Pneumonic map trials were done in 16 patients ( 18 interventions ) before and after cryoablation. Percentage of predicted critical capacity, and per centum of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 2nd, did non differ significantly before and after cryoablation ( 93 ±23 versus 90 ±21, and 70 ±11 versus 70 ±12, severally ) .Conclusions/SignificanceAlthough farther accretion of informations is necessary sing efficaciousness, cryoablation may be a executable option in medically inopera ble phase I lung malignant neoplastic disease patients. Travel to:IntroductionSurgical resection is presently the criterion intervention for phase I non-small cell lung malignant neoplastic disease ( NSCLC ) . However, in patients who are medically inoperable due to important comorbidities, other intervention modes need to be considered. The non-surgical direction of early phase lung malignant neoplastic disease is presently an spread outing field. These include stereotactic organic structure radiation therapy ( SBRT ) and thermic ablative processs such as radiofrequency extirpation ( RFA ) and micro-cook extirpation [ 1 ] , [ 2 ] , [ 3 ] , [ 4 ] , [ 5 ] , [ 6 ] . Transdermal cryoablation is besides presently germinating as a minimally invasive, and potentially effectual, local intervention for lung tumours [ 7 ] , [ 8 ] , [ 9 ] , [ 10 ] . This process, largely used when surgical resection is contraindicated, is presently under rating as a possible complementary therapy for patients with primary lung malignant neoplastic diseases every bi t good as metastatic lung tumours. We have, to day of the month, treated more than 300 lung tumours in more than 200 patients with acceptable feasibleness and efficaciousness. Of these patients, in the present survey, we retrospectively analyzed the midterm results of phase I NSCLC patients treated with cryoablation. Travel to:Materials and MethodsEthical motivesThis survey protocol was approved by Keio University institutional reappraisal board ( blessing ID: 14-23 ) . Written informed consent was obtained from each participant in conformity with the Declaration of Helsinki.Choice of patientsBetween January 2004 and August 2010, 160 patients underwent cryoablation for lung tumours at our establishment. Of these patients, we retrospectively reviewed our experience with cryoablation for the primary intervention of phase I NSCLC in medically inoperable patients, with more than one twelvemonth of followup. The tumours which presented as multiple tumours in one patient, were clinically considered as synchronal or metachronous primary lung malignant neoplastic diseases to be eligible for this survey. Some of these patients have been reported antecedently [ 7 ] , [ 9 ] . Prior to sing cryoablation, patients with histologically diagnosed NSCLC were routinely staged with chest-to-pelvis computed imaging ( CT ) , encephalon magnetic resonance imagination ( MRI ) or CT, and most of the patients besides underwent a antielectron emanation tomographic ( PET ) scan. Bone scintigraphy was done if PET scan was non performed. Patients with hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes greater than 1 centimeter in the shortest axis, a positive PET scan consequence, or both, underwent endobronchial echography guided needle biopsy, or mediastinoscopy. The inclusion standard for this survey were patients who were considered medically inoperable because of hazards such as impaired cardiac map, hapless pneumonic map, and/or other comorbidities, i.e. , Charlson comorbidity index ( CCI ) [ 11 ] & A ; gt ; = 3. The patients ‘ desires to avoid surgery in association with their medical comorbidities were besides accounted for. The exclusion standards were as follows: ( 1 ) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ( ECOG ) mark of 2 or more. ( 2 ) Platelet count of less than 50,000/ µL. ( 3 ) Prothrombin clip international normalized ratio of more than 1.5. ( 4 ) No suited manner for the interpolation of investigations due to interference by major vasculatures, air passages or mediastinal constructions. ( 5 ) Incapable of cooperation during the cryoablation process. All patients were evaluated by representatives from pulmonologists, interventional radiotherapists, and pectoral sawboness to find inoperability and suitableness for cryoabla tion.Cryoablation processThe process of transdermal cryoablation was performed under local anaesthesia as antecedently described [ 7 ] . Under a multidetector-row CT scanner with multi-slice CT fluoroscopy maps ( Aquilion 64 ; Toshiba Med. Co. Ltd. , Tokyo, Japan ) , utilizing an outer interpolation sheath, a 1.7-mm-diameter cryoprobe ( CRYOcare Cryosurgical Unit ; Endocare, Irvine, CA ) was inserted into the targeted nodule under fluoroscopic CT counsel. Multiple investigations were at the same time inserted if the extirpation border was considered to be deficient with merely one investigation. The cryoprobe uses high-pressure Ar and He gases for stop deading and dissolving, severally, based on the Joule-Thompson rule. Cryoablation consisted of three rhythms of freeze, 5, 10, and 10 proceedingss each. The tip of the cryoprobe reaches about ?130 & A ; deg ; C during stop deading. This was followed by dissolving until the temperature of the cryoprobe reached 20 & A ; deg ; C, and so a 3rd rhythm of freeze ( 10 proceedingss ) followed by dissolving. Fibrin gum was infused into the outer sheath at the clip of cryoprobe remotion to cut down the hazards of hemothoraces and pneumothoraces. Whole lung CT scans were taken at the terminals of each of the processs. Chest radiogram were besides taken two hours after, the following twenty-four hours, and the twenty-four hours after each of the processs to look into for complications such as hemothoraces or pneumothoraces. The patients were discharged on the 2nd postoperative twenty-four hours if there were no complications.Follow-up after cryoablationFollow-up chest-to-pelvis CT scans with contrast sweetening were carried out at 1-month and so at 3 to 6 months intervals after cryoablation. We confirmed local patterned advance when there was a uninterrupted focal or diffuse expansion of the ablated lesion on CT. Furthermore, even when no expansion was seen, we regarded it as local patterned advance if the size of partial s weetening in the tumour continuously increased. As for the sensing of distant metastases, encephalon MRI or CT was done every 3 to 6 months. Favored scan or bone scintigraphy was done if considered to be necessary.Pneumonic map trialPneumonic map trial was done in patients who could adequately execute the trial, before, and 3 to 6 months after cryoablation.Statistical methodsLocal tumour progression-free intervals, and overall and disease-free endurances, were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Pneumonic map trials were compared with the mated t trial. The statistical package bundle SPSS 17.0 ( SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill ) was used for all analyses. P values smaller than 0.05 was considered to be statistically important. Travel to:ConsequencesDuring the survey period, 22 patients with 34 tumours underwent 25 Sessionss of lung cryoablation interventions for clinical phase I NSCLC. These patients were retrospectively reviewed. None of the patients had mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes greater than 1 centimeter in the shortest axis, or a positive PET scan consequence of the mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes. Fifteen patients had individual tumours, which were all treated in one session. Three patients had 2 tumours. The 2 tumours were found synchronously in all 3 patients, and were treated as one session per patient. Four patients had 3 tumours. In 2 of these patients, the 3 tumours were found synchronously, and were treated as one session per patient. In both of the staying 2 patients, 2 tumours were synchronal and one was metachronous. The 2 synchronal tumours were treated in one session in each of the patients. The metachronous tumours were treated as another session in both patients. One patient had 4 tumours. Two of these tumours were found synchronously and were treated in one session. Other 2 metachronous tumours were found at the same clip, and were treated in one session. The patient and tumour features are described in Table 1. The average maximum tumour diameter was 1.4 ±0.6 centimeter ( range 0.5-3.0 centimeter ) . More than half of the patients had a past history of resection for another lung malignant neoplastic disease. Majority of tumours were adenocarcinomas. Nine patients had more than one tumour, which were considered to be synchronal, or metachronous primary lung malignant neoplastic diseases. The figure of investigations used was 1 in 20 tumours, 2 in 13 tumours, and 3 in 1 tumour. Eight patients ( 36 % ) had important cardiac or vascular disease that put them at high hazard for surgical resection. Limited pneumonic map was the prevailing determiner of medical inoperability in 6 patients ( 27 % ) . Four of these patients were on O therapy. Other comorbidities included nephritic disfunction, liver disfunction, and attendant malignances. Average CCI was 5 ±3, scope 3 to 15. Table 1 Table 1Patient and tumour features.The most common complications of cryoablation were pneumothoraces, minor haemoptysiss, and pleural gushs. Pneumothoraces were seen in 7 interventions ( 28 % ) . Pleural gushs were seen in 8 interventions ( 31 % ) . Minor haemoptysiss were seen in 6 patients ( 24 % ) . Chest tubing interpolation was required in one patient with pneumothorax. All other complications resolved with observation merely. The observation period ranged from 12-68 months, mean 29 ±19 months, average 23 months. Local tumour patterned advance after cryoablation was observed in one tumour ( 3 % ) which was a squamous cell carcinoma 1.6 centimeter in size. Local failure was recognized as progressive expansion of the ablated part at 8 months after cryoablation. At this clip, no other metastases were observed. The local recurrent tumour was re-cryoablated. Four months after re-cryoablation, the patient developed an upper respiratory infection, which lead to an acute aggravation of the implicit in idiopathic pneumonic fibrosis ( IPF ) . The patient later died of the acute aggravation. At this point, local control was maintained. Overall, the average local tumour progression-free interval was 69 ±2 months. Median local tumour progression-free interval was non reached ( Figure 1A ) . Figure 1 Figure 1Kaplan-Meier estimation curves of ( A ) local progression-free interval after cryoablation, ( B ) overall endurance after cryoablation, and ( C ) disease-free endurance after cryoablation.So far 3 patients ( 14 % ) have died. One patient was the patient described above. Another patient died of lung malignant neoplastic disease 68 months after cryoablation. This patient developed multiple systemic metastases whereas local control was maintained. This patient received chemotherapy one twelvemonth after cryoablation because distant metastases were detected. The staying one patient died of acute aggravation of IPF 18 months after cryoablation. In this instance, the acute aggravation of IPF occurred instantly after chemotherapy for attendant liver malignant neoplastic disease, and was non considered to be straight associated with lung cryoablation. There are 2 patients who have received chemotherapy and are alive. One patient developed multiple lung metastasis 48 months after cryo ablation and have received systemic therapy with gefitinib. Local control was maintained in this patient. The other patient developed multiple systemic metastases 4 months after cryoablation. Local control was maintained. This patient received systemic chemotherapy after sensing of distant metastases. The overall 2- and 3-year endurances were 88 % and 88 % , severally. Mean overall endurance was 62 ±4 months. Median overall endurance was 68 months ( Figure 1B ) . Five patients are alive with lung malignant neoplastic disease. The disease-free 2- and 3-year endurances were 78 % and 67 % , severally. Average disease-free endurance was 46 ±6 months. Median disease-free endurance was non reached ( Figure 1C ) . The forms of returns other than local return were as follows: Recurrence merely in the ipsilateral thorax was seen in 1 patient, which was lung metastases. Needle-tract airings or pleural returns have non been detected so far in any of the patients. Distant metastases were seen in 5 patients. These included metastases to contralateral thoraces, lumbar vertebra, ribs, and encephalon. Treatments for these patients included chemotherapy, radiation, and gamma-knife. Pneumonic map was evaluated in 16 patients ( 18 interventions ) before and 3 to 6 months after cryoablation. There were no important differences before and after cryoablation in critical capacity ( 2.72 ±0.82 L versus 2.64 ±0.74 L, P = 0.19 ) , per centum of predicted critical capacity ( 93 ±23 % versus 90 ±21, P = 0.11 ) , forced expiratory volume in 1 2nd ( 1.81 ±0.53 L versus 1.77 ±0.50 L, P = 0.14 ) ( Figure 2 ) , and per centum of forced expiratory volume in 1 2nd ( 70 ±11 % versus 70 ±12 % , P = 0.95 ) . Figure 2 Figure 2Individual alterations in forced expiratory volume in 1 2nd, and the mean  ± standard divergences before and after cryoablation.Travel to:DiscussionThere is roll uping grounds that RFA is a safe and executable intervention option for the intervention of inoperable phase I NSCLC. There is one study in which the consequences of cryoablation for phase I lung malignant neoplastic disease is included among the consequences of RFA and sublobar resections [ 10 ] . But to our cognition, this is the first study which specifically focuses on cryoablation in patients with medically inoperable phase I NSCLC. In the present survey, cryoablation was done safely in all patients. Reduction in pneumonic map after cryoablation was besides minimum in this survey, although the pneumonic map trial was done largely in patients with comparatively good pneumonic maps who could adequately execute the trial. The incidences of the most common complications, which were pneumothoraces, and pleural gush s, were comparable to those antecedently reported for RFA [ 5 ] , [ 6 ] , [ 12 ] , [ 13 ] , [ 14 ] . The reported local control rates for RFA intervention of inoperable phase I NSCLC ranged from 58 to 69 % [ 5 ] , [ 6 ] , [ 12 ] , [ 13 ] , [ 14 ] . The local control rate was somewhat higher in the present survey ( 97 % ) , presumptively because in our survey the tumours were 3 centimeter or less, really largely 2 centimeter or less, whereas old RFA surveies included tumours which were 4 centimeter or less. As for the one patient with local return, we speculate that the primary cause of local patterned advance was deficient border of extirpation. Although 2 investigations were used in this instance, it was hard to define the relationship between the border of extirpation and the border of the tumour on CT because of the implicit in IPF. We consider that farther accretion of experience is necessary to better intervention outcomes in such instances. The overall and disease-free endurance at 3 old ages were better than that antecedently reported for RFA [ 5 ] , 88 % and 67 % versus 47 % and 39 % , severally. This was besides presumptively because in our survey the tumours were 3 centimeter or less, whereas the old RFA survey included tumours which were 3-4 centimeter. In our survey, there were 6 patients with disease patterned advance other than local return, but the figure of patients was excessively little to measure if there is any characteristic form of disease patterned advance after lung malignant neoplastic disease cryoablation. Determination of medical inoperability is critically of import and should be assessed by an interdisciplinary squad. A patient should non be judged as inoperable by one factor entirely, such as hapless pneumonic map. Therefore the appraisal of medical operability requires a comprehensive rating of multiple factors in the patient. To this terminal, the group of patients in the present survey all had important associated comorbidities, with CCIs of & A ; gt ; = 3. This mark has been validated in surgically resected patients with lung malignant neoplastic disease [ 15 ] , [ 16 ] . In these studies, multivariate analysis showed that a CCI & A ; gt ; = 3 was a important prognostic factor of increased hazard of major complications. In the current survey, the patients who underwent cryoablation were aged ( average age, 72 old ages ) , had important comorbidities ( average CCI, 5 ) , and hence, were considered to stand for a bad population for surgery. Although farther followup is needed, so far merely one patient in this survey has died of lung malignant neoplastic disease, and other 2 patients have died of their comorbidities. This consequence suggests that minimally invasive intervention options such as cryoablation may really be appropriate for patients with significant comorbidities. In footings of efficaciousness, there is grounds to propose that cryoablation may ensue in improved local control in comparing to RFA in nephritic tumours [ 17 ] , but to our cognition there are no surveies comparing the two modes in lung tumours. Since this is a retrospective, experimental survey with a comparatively short followup in a limited figure of extremely selected patients subjected to multiple prejudices, farther surveies are necessary to more suitably address the results of cryoablation in comparing to RFA for early phase lung malignant neoplastic disease. SBRT is besides germinating to be a promising intervention option for early phase lung malignant neoplastic disease, with singular betterments in efficaciousness and safety. The indicants for SBRT and ablative processs are expected to be really similar, and farther surveies are necessary to define the strengths and failings of each of these modes, which may be complementary instead than reciprocally sole. Travel to:FootnotesCompeting Interests: The writers have declared that no viing involvements exist. Support: No external support was received for this survey. Travel to:

Art Management ,Collector management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Management ,Collector management - Essay Example First of all, the site will incorporate smart points where consumers will get loyalty points from which they can redeem them. For example if a consumer buys a piece of art through the website then the more they spend the more they get loyalty points. For every 100 dollars a consumers spends through the site they will get one loyalty point hence the more a consumer uses the site to buy art the more the accumulate loyalty points. These loyalty points can be redeemed in order for a consumer to enjoy a discount, a gift hamper or specific fine art for free depending on the amount of points a consumer has. For instance, a twenty percent discount can be given by redeeming 10 points. For some fine arts one can get them at no cost at all by redeeming one hundred loyalty points. This is systems will encourage consumers to use the site since currently no online auctioning site for fine art offers loyalty points to its consumers. JFlora.com will use social networking to ensure that its customers are always up to date with any new work of art that is for sale. This is another aspect of the website that currently no online auctioning website for fine art is using. The use of social networking marketing has proved to be cheap, convenient, and reliable since it has worked for other companies in other industries. Social marketing will be incorporated into the website in that once a customer registers in the website then they will be able to get information about art galleries, art events, and art products on sale making it easy for them to know what and when to buy. For instance, if a painting has been posted to be on sale on the website, then customers do not have to wait until they log in into the website. They can simply place their bids using social networks such as twitter and face book then if they are the highest bidder they will be contacted by personnel from the website informing them on their successful bidding. This is when they will be prompted to log into their acc ount where they will choose the method of payment they see fit. Jflora.com will also be conspicuous from other online auctioning websites for fine art such as paddle8 and VIP Art in its wide list of payment option. Normally such auctioning sites usually offer a limited range of paying options which are credit and debit card. However, J Flora has come up with a system where a customer can pay for the items purchased using Bank transfer, Credit card, internet currencies, wire transfers, mobile money, and personal cheques. This wide variety of payment options will be made available by the website through a system where, instead of the customers paying directly to the owner of the painting, he/she will pay to the company where the company will release the item to the buyer once they have received proof of payment. This means even if the customer pays for a painting using a personal cheque, the company will release the item to the buyer as long as a copy of the personal cheque is receive d by the company meaning that the buyer does not have to wait until the cheque matures. The J Flora company will incorporate security measures not being used by other websites to ensure that customer information is treated with a lot of privacy ensuring that they do not lose their money to identity thieves or fraudsters which has been the case in online buying and selling. In fact, quite a number of consumers

Something relating to the history of the Holocaust Research Paper

Something relating to the history of the Holocaust - Research Paper Example The contrary will be shown. It will be shown that they had a class system. They had classified the types of citizens as early as 1936. The infrastructure had been created and the fascilities were built before the Germans even entered Dutch soil enabling the Germans to come in and murder over 100 000 people in less than 3 years. Three stages will be examined is this essay. From 1936-1939, when the national decree dictated who was a dutch citizen and the creation of refugee centers. From 1939 to 1940, when Westerbrok was voted into Parliament as a center for the "legal refugees". To conclude with the capitulation of the Netherlands government within 5 days in 1940 and the consequences it had on the Shoah. Please note that in the sources there is much conflicting information due to the age of the survivors and the difference in translations and countries methods of notations.. 1936-139 The Jewish population of Amsterdam represented approximately 10% of the population. The attitude was r ather avant garde, agnostic, assimilated and had benefited greatly from the WWI attitude of being a neutral state.(Hillesum 1999) There was a sense of safty of being Dutch before being Jewish. The general consensus was accepting the census as a natural govermental process. Upon registering in 1936, Jews were told that as citizens they would be protected. (Vanderwerff 2010)The atmosphere as explained by Etty Hillesum, in her Letters of Westerbork, was that she had no desire for organised religion. Life was absurd. God was helpless (12/07/1942) She was born into an agnostic family. Before 1941, she was lost in the different intellectual circles of Amsterdam. She had failed her exam to get into law school. She studied Slavic studies and then went on to tutor. This is an insight into the Jewish population of Amsterdam. The intellectual assimilation would eventually be the demise of the Jews of Amsterdam. The felt themeselves more protected and superior over the German Jews who were ofte n poorer and less educated then the Dutch Jews. They had jobs and lived in proper housing. They were not touched by the refugee housing or economic situation. As in other European nations, they considered themselves citizens of the nation of their birth. In 1936, by Royal Decree it was voted that a national census would require new identity cards in order to define who were Dutch citizens. Religion was required on the last line of the card. (Vanderwerff 2010) In 1939, Refugees were forced to register. Legal Refugee Jews (Stateless) were defined by having been born in a country that no longer existed because of World War I and having been born in Poland. Illegal Refugee Jews were those who came into the Netherlands without any visas. Illegal refugees were sent back to Germany. (Vanderwerff 2010) In World War I, The Netherlands had remained a neutral State. It was common knowledge that the Netherlands was a state that had had an open door policy. Because of the depression, lack of job s and overall anti-semitism, German Jews and Stateless Jews were considered secondary citizen to Dutch citizens. The geo-political economic situation of Europe has changed the map. Dutch citizens were given precedents over refugees in employment and housing. What had been refugee homes all over the country since 1936 had become internment camps in

Written communication and skills. Reflection Paper Essay

Written communication and skills. Reflection Paper - Essay Example I’ve always been inclined to read and have interest in reading a variety of novels, books and other literary pieces; however, due to some reason I could never write effectively. Whenever it came to writing even something as simple as my college admission essay, I would take hours to pen down my thoughts. Although I had consulted few books to learn how to write effectively, I could never be confident of my work. This course took me a step ahead in my endeavors to become an ardent writer. At first I would speedily begin writing without any outline or draft. This led me to skip a lot of important ideas that would come to mind later on. Fitting in these ideas on an ad hoc basis also disrupted the flow of my academic work so that later when I used to read it I found it nothing more than a haphazard summary of ideas. Upon taking this course, however, amongst the first things that my instructor taught was to prepare an initial draft of the prose and to proofread that draft before fin alizing it. This practice ensured that there were no dramatic leaps in my work and that all paragraphs were connected. The assignments I’ve worked on have developed in me the habit of proofreading all my work prior to submission. This has been a very effective strategy as it allows me to rectify any careless mistakes that I may have overlooked while speedily inking my thoughts. There have been cases where (during proofreading) I changed the sentence structure to break the monotony and replaced some words with their synonyms to increase the overall impact of the prose. This would be particularly useful for me when writing a cover letter for my job since any grammatical mistakes in this could put up a negative impression of me and cost me my job. It has inculcated in me the spirit of critically evaluating my work from all possible angles which allows me to explore various approaches to the same topic. This has overall improved the quality of my argumentative essays by equipping me with the skills to craft un-biased and convincing arguments by considering both sides of the topic. So, for instance, when putting up a project proposal to the Board of Directors as a manager in future, I would be able to analyze the feasibility of the project (including its pros and cons) in order to put up a strong argument and suggest strategies for overcoming the drawbacks. Surprisingly, these assignments did not require students to work in isolation (as one may expect from an ‘academic writing’ class). Instead, there were assignments which required students to reflect on the ideas of their peers which have provided us with the basis for producing peer-reviewed academic work. Not only has this led to an improvement in my written skills but also oral skills due to constant verbal communication and interaction during the assignments. In future, I see this as an important skill as I would be required to consult my boss/superior at work as well as my team prior to a rriving at a decision. Perhaps one of the most useful academic skills that I learnt in my assignments was that of referencing my work. In my initial assignments, my referencing was weak which would result in high plagiarism. However, with the use of electronic media I was able to provide all relevant referencing for ideas that I borrowed from other authors. Considering that plagiarism is a crime, the assignments taught me how to paraphrase ideas rather than merely quoting them. This has also contributed to my language skills as paraphrasing requires the use of synonyms and producing variations in sentence structure while sticking to the original idea. I find these skills very useful for preparing reports and documents at

The Main Functions and Responsibilities of the Manager Case Study - 1

The Main Functions and Responsibilities of the Manager - Case Study Example It seeks to find out the ethical questions that managers may have to ask themselves as they make decisions. This report seeks to draw insight on management theories and elaborate on how they work in the real world. The report will attempt to draw conclusions based on interviewee’s experiences. It will examine how working relationships affect the execution and coordination of an organisation’s activities. Responsibilities of A Manager The interviewer began by asking the manager his responsibilities at his current position. He asked the manager to describe his areas of accountability, responsibility, and delegation. The manager described his responsibilities as divided into three main categories (Tripathi & Reddy, 2005, pp. 12-35). The operational responsibilities are in line with the organisation’s mission. The manager also deals with financial and administrative issues, which mainly relate to the organisation’s resources and how they are allocated and util ised. These include the human resource element where the manager is responsible for the allocation and distribution of staff and the tasks they handle. The third category of responsibilities in matters of compliance. It is upon the manager to ensure all the organisation’s activities adhere to set laws, regulations, standards, and ethics. The manager has the responsibility of implementing established policies and procedures to ensure the smooth, fair, and lawful running of the organisation. A manager usually has staff reporting to them. The interviewer asked the manager if the manager had ever had to deal with an underperforming member of staff, how the manager dealt with the matter and the result. Was there an improvement in the employee’s performance? Where there was no improvement, the interviewer asked about the steps the manager took.

INDIVIDUAL INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW & PAPER Assignment

INDIVIDUAL INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW & PAPER - Assignment Example It lies within the latitudes 24 and 37 degree north and longitude 62 and 75 degree east. The country consists of five provinces - Baluchistan, Punjab, Sind, Khyber Pakhtun Khwa and Gilgit/Baltistan - and its capital is named Islamabad. Pakistan has one of the richest and most diverse cultures in the world. It is because this land had seen a number of invaders in the past including Whites, Persians, Turks and Mongols who had spread their own culture across this land. For this very reason we get to see diversity in culture throughout Pakistan with different ethnic groups having their own preferences when it comes to food, dressing, lifestyle etc. Increased globalization has brought further diversity to the country with Western culture increasingly being adopted by the people (â€Å"Pakistan Culture†, 2009). Ali himself comes from a Westernized background with many of his friends educated abroad, who love hanging out at international food chains and who openly drink. This defies my research since I found that alcohol was banned in Pakistan. But then there are so many things that are banned in the US too but still people do them. Religion shapes many of the Pakistan’s customs. ... Employment forms in Pakistan range from menial labor to jobs at multinational companies. The minimum wage per month of a Pakistani is Rs.10,000 (USD 100) and that is why many families live below the poverty line. Entrepreneurship has seen a rise in recent times and many people have switched to self created jobs. Induction of multinationals have brought good fortune to locals and created highly paid jobs. But people like Ali have moved out of the country for better job opportunities and better lifestyles. Since Pakistan is a developing country, the road network is not that of an international standard and is absent in much part of the country. Public transportation through buses is the most common means of traveling, with the slightly stable families using motor bikes and the ones economically sound use petrol and gas driven cars. Pakistan also has a sound air that connects cities and countries. Though a railway network is also present, the experience is not worth trying, says Ali. In frastructure within Pakistan varies from city to city. From mud houses to high rises, one can find it all. The metropolitan city homes a number of high rises and is a safe abode for businesses and other activities. Recently a sky-scraper by the name of Centaurus and designed by a British architectural company was officially inaugurated in the capital city. These developments hold a brighter future for the country’s growth and economy. Pakistan is one of the two countries of the world, made on religious lines of Islam and that is what is practiced by the majority of citizens. Almost 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim while the remaining 2% are either Hindu, Christians or other minority groups. My research led me to believe that Pakistanis were taken by religion in every aspects of life but

Price of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price of Healthcare - Essay Example In 2005, the average person spent close to $6,000. Medical bills were of little concern to families in the 1950’s but the medical technology seems archaic by today’s standards. Half a century ago, a person’s lifespan was approximately 68 where today, it is a decade longer. Those in their 40’s today can reasonably expect to see their 80th birthday. Most, presumably, would prefer to spend more money to live longer which is what has happened. From this perspective, healthcare could be considered a good return on an investment. The benefits and costs of healthcare are not unrelated yet many do not understand why they have to pay more than they did equivalent to the 1950’s or even to 1999. People generally consider healthcare costs to be a commodity in the same way they think of electricity or gasoline where price has little bearing on the quality of the product. The medical system of the U.S. does experience waste from sources such as bureaucratic expenses generated from insurance companies and unproven procedures that are expensive and are yet to be proven effective. The main reasons for the increasing medical cost increases, however, are visible and obvious. They can be readily observed in hospitals and in people’s home medicine cabinets as well. CAT Scan and MRI machines, specialized neonatal apparatus and defibrillators in addition to numerous other high-tech hospital gadgets such as artificial hearts are very expensive. Prescription prices have also risen which adds to the total costs related to healthcare (Leonhardt, 2006). The price of prescriptions are not determined by production costs or by monies allocated to researching new drugs. Competition, projected volume of sales as opposed to actual sales and estimates of revenue produced by the product are among other factors drive drug prices.

The environment and its problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The environment and its problems - Essay Example All the natural elements that surround us are very well linked one to another, making sure to establish an ecological balance between organisms. Ecosystems are the nature’s proof that we are present on earth with a predetermined biological purpose. Photosynthesis is the mechanism that enables plants to produce enough energy to live and to start the natural food chain, which supports numerous species in the food chain. Human beings are the ones who have a developed sense of knowledge and understanding. As such, they are the ones who control the balance of the food chain. For instance, human beings can make sure that their activities do not disrupt the balance within the ecosystem. On the contrary, we are too busy mining and pricing the crude barrels with a resultant loss of human life and use of guns in the Middle East. In addition, natural tropical rainforests such as the Amazon are continuously being chopped down in a bid to satisfy our ever rising demand for wood. Moreover, the Great Barrier Reef, located in Australia, received on 2010 the longest known grounding scar on it as a result of an oil spill. With regards to these damaging human activities, climate change is inevitable. What natural wonders are the future generations going to be allowed to appreciate? How better is this new world that we are creating where they ought to grow old? Just a taste of this makes us think a little bit about our natural environment and how to preserve it. Global warming evidence has brought together countries around the world, in a desperate effort to try and help in reducing the carbon dioxide and othe2r greenhouse gasses emission from the man-made activities. One of the ways that people and organizations around the world are reducing these emissions is through recycling campaigns. In addition, people are also promoting a healthier lifestyle (one thing that I totally approve) and as a result avoiding processed food while promoting

What are the advantages and disadvantages for society, when people Essay

What are the advantages and disadvantages for society, when people live longer lives - Essay Example This review will explicate the fact that when people live longer, it is both beneficial and detrimental to the societies in which they live. To start with, research has shown that contrary to the perception that when people live longer they are merely burden to society; there are actually some very significant benefits if people live longer. For instance, when people live longer lives, they are a valuable asset to society because of the vast amount of knowledge they have acquired about different issues throughout their lives. While old people may often be perceived as ancient and outdated, it is indisputable that the present-day advancements in most spheres of life were borne out of foundations that were set up when those who are in their old age today were younger (Johnson & De Souza, 2008, p. 24). As such, the opinions and expertise that can be attained from those who have lived long are invaluable to society. While the opinions of the elderly may not be given from a professional standpoint, the mere fact that they have spent more time alive makes their opinions worth seeking. For instance, in the current tough economic times, most people forget that there are people who have lived, and survived tougher economic times during the economic depressions that followed the two world wars. In this situation therefore, the opinion of someone who lived through both wars is clearly invaluable to society. Another advantage of people living longer is that they are able to pass on positive societal values to the younger generation. During recent decades, societies globally have been able to get rid of values that were detrimental to society. Such values include male chauvinism and racism. However, societies have also adopted some values that are of no benefit to them. In fact, the family unit which is the most basic unit of any society has been negatively affected by the current trend of doing away with any value that is considered ‘traditional’ irrespective of

The Things They Carried Discurse Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Discurse Essay â€Å"The Things They Carried† displays men in the heart of war trying maintain some sort of semblance of their normal lives.   The main character of the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, spends a good deal of his time thinking about his love interest back at home.   In fact, the story opens by saying that he â€Å"carried letters from a girl named Martha†¦They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack† (PAGE #). Immediately the reader is thrust into this world of war, and what is important to the men who live it.   There are countless different clichà ©s/sayings regarding how one can tell a lot about a man by X or Y (by the way he dresses, by the way he treats his mother, etc.); in this story, we can tell everything at the heart of a man by what he carries with him trekking through the jungles of Vietnam. Jimmy Cross is a dreamer; he spends his time fantasizing about building a life with a woman who hasn’t really expressed the same kind of interest in him, and who maintains a great deal of emotional distance from him.   But it is this idea of a â€Å"normal† life, a life in which he can focus on marriage and children and just life, a life he hopes to return to after the war.   The thought of Martha, as well as her letters, acts as a beacon of normalcy for him, and it is what he feels he must cling to for his own survival. Jimmy ultimately ends up shunning his own need of maintaining some sort of focus on life outside of the war because he feels his own incessant daydreaming was the cause of another soldier’s death; in a great symbolic gesture, he burns her letters and her pictures, turning his back on any hope he clung to of a normal life and vowing to be the solider he failed to be: â€Å"Henceforth, when he thought about Martha, it would only be to think that she belonged elsewhere.   He would shut down the daydreams.    This was not Mount Sebastian, it was another world†¦a place where men died because of carelessness and gross stupidity†¦He was not determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence† (PAGE #).   Jimmy is so shaken by the experience of witnessing one of his men’s death that it forces him to become a different person—in a sense, to adapt, and to become hard and cold.   As much as his daydreaming was for his own survival before, his hardened personality after the death of Ted Lavender is as well. The use of Ted Lavender’s name and story is the dominant theme throughout the story.   O’Brien uses Lavender’s tragic demise as a constant reminder of the horrors of war.   Throughout the whole story, in the middle of what might seem to be a casual description of various items being â€Å"humped† by the men, O’Brien drops Lavender’s name attached to a reminder of how he was shot.   This occurs towards the beginning, when the narrator is describing the different things the men carried: â€Å"Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April† (PAGE #). His name is brought up repeatedly throughout with this same kind of cryptic reminder of his death.   When referring to how everyone had to carry a poncho, it is noted that it â€Å"weighed almost two pounds, but it was worth every ounce.   In April, for instance, when Ted Lavender was shot, they used his poncho to wrap him up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (PAGE #). This name-dropping of Ted Lavender throughout the story is an effective tool that O’Brien utilizes the emphasize the point that this man died.   The deeper-lying message behind the use of Lavender’s demise as a running metaphor is that people die in war; it is terrifying; these men are children (with the Lieutenant being a mere 22 years old) and they’re scared and they want to go home, and these things they carry they keep because it makes them feel safe and reminds them a little of home. There is emphasis in the story about how their constant marching and their humping of endless items from village to village seemed pointless to them—as pointless as Ted Lavender’s life ending.   â€Å"By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost†¦They had no sense of strategy or mission.   They searched villages without knowing what to look for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (PAGE #). These men, who have to hump a great many number of items (of both the personal and the protective nature) from one place to the next to the next, are being shipped off to war without a clear sense of what it is they’re doing there and are sacrificing their lives without really understanding what their lives are being sacrificed for.    They do what they are told because they are told to do it, and because they are too afraid not to: â€Å"Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.   It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor.   They died so as not to die of embarrassment† (PAGE #).   These young men were dying for little other reason that they knew of besides that they felt that they had to. O’Brien’s message throughout this story is clear: war is terrifying.   O’Brien uses the lists of what they had to carry with them to illustrate the heavy burden each of them had to hump around everywhere they went, with the underlying theme that the things they carried physically were nothing in comparison to the things they each carried around with them emotionally.    All of them were scared for their lives; all of them wanted to go home.   Much of their personal belongings were things that would remind them of home, that would possibly allow them to escape for brief moments (like Jimmy Cross did with Martha’s letters) and fantasize about the lives they could and did have outside of this war, reminding them that there is still another world outside of Vietnam.   Many of the men carried with them the hope of a safe return; many more carried with them the fear that there wouldn’t be one for them. O’Brien is very careful to allow these characters’ lives (and one death) speak for themselves.   He uses their example of their experience in war to speak for a greater number of young men across the country who had been shipped off to Vietnam to die without understanding why.   Part of O’Brien’s message is that these experiences—the hopes, the fears, the daily terror and the struggle to combat it—are universal, and can universally be applied to anyone who has been through war.   The bottom line is that war is hell, it is terrifying, and no amount of pride or glory can change that, and whether or not the war was being fought for the â€Å"right† reasons (a big debate during the Vietnam conflict) couldn’t change that either. O’Brien is largely concerned with the pointlessness of all of it, and he succeeds in making his point effectively by using these very poignant lists of things the men carried and for what reasons to hammer his point home.   He is able to do so without being preachy or pedantic; the story is so simple that the message becomes just as simple.   Whether or not you support war, you cannot deny that the men fighting it are forced to live through things that the rest of us would rather not know about.   We would rather remain in our self-deluded bubble in which we understand war only as far as its being for freedom, for honor, for the greater good†¦we would rather be spared the knowledge of the blood loss and the body counts.   Not to mention the terror.   We would rather not hear the story of the Ted Lavenders, but O’Brien insists that we have to. Works Cited O’Brien, Tim.   â€Å"The Things They Carried.†Ã‚   (1986) [NAME OF ANTHOLOGY.] Ed. [NAME OF EDITOR(S) OF ANTHOLOGY.]   (DATE OF ANTHOLOGY’S PUBLICATION.)

Learning Organisations

Learning Organisations Moving towards a learning organization is something done BY people, not something done TO people or FOR people by someone else. So, the role of HR has to be in encouraging, facilitating, and supporting a move towards learning organizations. HR can never accomplish this themselves. Then, if executives want to move towards a learning organization, they should direct their operating units to do so, and direct HR to move into a supportive role. If its the other way around, where HR gets the responsibility, it never works. Knowledge management (KM) any practice or process of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing and using knowledge, wherever it resides, to enhance learning and performance in organisations (Scarborough 1999). Knowledge management involves converting knowledge sources by classifying related information then circulating to make the information to take place. Not all information is knowledge or all knowledge is important. According to Blackler (1995), knowledge is multifaceted and complex, implicit and explicit, physical and mental, verbal and encoded. He also categorises knowledge in four as: embedded (technological collective), enculturel (Values, beliefs collective), embodied (practical knowledge individual), and embraced (theoretical understanding individual). Contrast on Blackler, Nonaka (1991) proposes that knowledge could be either individual or collective, cannot be both. Yet another argument comes from Scarborough and Carter (2000). They believe that knowledge appears from the collective experience and it is shared by member of the group. Knowledge also is the key ingredient of products and services. Therefore the difference among the organisations totally depends on the level to which information can be obtained and converted into knowledge. When it is the subject of knowledge, people mainly consider documentation or codifying type of knowledge. Whilst that explicit knowledge is essential tacit knowledge is even more essential as it adds value for competitive advantage of organisations. Tacit knowledge is spontaneous, contextual, has a big connection with experience, documentation cannot be applied. It is believed that tacit knowledge represent big percentage of knowledge of an organisation. In other saying, Nonaka (1991) explained that the knowledge is either explicit or tacit. Explicit knowledge is available, recorded information. It is kept in databases, and it can be systematized, whereas tacit knowledge is in peoples minds. It is hard to articulate and it gains in personal experience. New knowledge starts with an individual Nonaka believes. Tacit knowledge needs to travel from one person to another. The main difficulty in the creation of new knowledge is that bringing the tacit knowledge on the surface and the diff iculty is that it requires experience to do so. Knowledge management is all about getting the valuable knowledge from people, who have it, to people, who need it to develop the organisational efficiency. As organisations are competing in information age, knowledge is the most important asset in the competition field more than physical and financial assets. Another issue is that culture of organisation may be slowing down the knowledge sharing. Open cultures will encouraged people to share their ideas and knowledge. Knowledge management is on the subject of people. It straight connects to peoples knowledge and monitors how the knowledge could support organizational goal. It also uses the most valuable information which is more focus and meaningful. There is not certain regulation which would be difficult to change. KM is often revises the knowledge and checks its practicality in order to see its usefulness. It is generally have motivating feature on managers to ensure that they are working together with the purpose of reaching the organizational objectives. The emphases on knowledge have brought new job lines; such as knowledge workers. There are workers who are called knowledge workers. Drucker (1993) describes them as individuals who have high level of education, skills and ability to apply, in order to solve problems. Knowledge workers create the knowledge and are key players in spreading it. Tampoe (1993) highlights four core motivators for knowledge workers. First one is personal growth; the opportunities for individuals to realise their potentials. Second one is occupational autonomy; a work environment in which knowledge workers can achieve the task given to them. Third one is task achievement that a sense of achievement from producing works that is of high quality and the last one is money reward. Income is just a reward for their contribution to corporate success. Human Research can make a great contribution to knowledge management as process of spreading and sharing knowledge start among people. The important role HR has here to make sure those organisations have the intellectual capital they need. The role of HR in knowledge management can be listed as; create open culture, importance of which will be sharing knowledge; create an atmosphere where trust is the matter; ensuring that activities where people can share knowledge person-to-person basis, such as workshops, seminars, etc; motivating people by rewarding them when there is knowledge sharing; look after the workers who contribute knowledge sharing by providing resources and finally it is important to senior managers should be appointed for the knowledge management to encourage them for encouraging their staff for knowledge sharing. HR has an important role on improvement of the knowledge based cooperation. The important aim of organisations is to achieve the competitive advantage by developing and successfully implementing the knowledge. HRs role here is to encourage management to develop purpose which will suit to organisational aim. HR has also contribution with KM by recommending on the design of process based organisations. These types of organisations are mainly networking, cross-functional, project teams or so where sharing knowledge is crucial. HR contribution on enhancing KM is also important. HR gives advice on how to keep the skilful and talented people who are too important knowledge sharing culture (Armstrong 2008). Several knowledge management models and frameworks have been done. From the above model it can be understood that there is big and important connection between knowledge management and organizational learning, system and technology, culture and strategy. Knowledge management cannot be performed without learning in organizations. There are many divisions in organisational learning, yet there is no single structure which has successfully summarised the variety of its offerings. Learning organisation has much wider and more mature than organisation learning as well as knowledge management. Learning organisation will be explained in detail in later on. A complex adaptive system (CAS) consists of a large number of agents, each of which behaves according to some set of rules. There rules require the agents to just their behaviour to that of other agents (Stacey, 2003). In other saying, agents work and adjust themselves according to each other. Several experts describe CAS as the next evolution further than learning organization. Most businesses are throughout history there are several examples for business which used several planning activities that none of them worked. To be able to escape from this bad destiny now businesses are searching of knowledge management, to make planning dynamic and approachable to the ongoing globalization. Yet this is not always enough to cope up with fast changing unstable world. Organizations must adjust themselves to ongoing change environment. This situation made organizations to learn more about complex adaptive systems and its suitability to organizations. Also in ongoing fast economy, nature is in the circle of change. These natural diversifications make confusion and chaos. Some chaos is accepted in order to make sure that systems are adaptive ensuring long-term survival. Business world is very much willing to adapt CAS. Everyday there are new stories about successful businesses and CAS. Wal-Mart is a very good example for it. Retailers of Wal-Mart now use smart tags to follow inventory items. These smart tags, which are called Radio Frequency Identification RFID) depend on satellites to capture the movement of inventory items anywhere anytime. What happens is that shopping carts display items and amount as customer put them into the cart. Feedback is very important for as it is for learning organizations. It is to manage the complex adaptive system. CAS requires two forms of feedback which are positive and negative feedback. Negative feedback is if change happens the reaction is to undo the direction of the change and maintain the general circumstance whereas positive feedback continuing changes. Organizations adapt CAS because it gives the discipline to follow up the work. Butterfly effect for example is to show that small changes can have big effects. Organizations need to adapt CAS in order to adapt themselves into the competitive world of business http://www.exinfm.com/board/complex_adaptive_systems.htm Chaos theory expresses the performance of certain dynamic systems. The systems develop with time and the dynamic could be very sensitive to first state which refers to butterfly effect. The single way to gather the benefits of chaos theory in organizational development is to adapt the edge of chaos. With edge of chaos, organizations have to find new and productive ways, adapt new marketing models to survive in the competition. For these learning organizations, airline industry is a good example, particularly Southwest Airlines. They not only did changes to survive but because well off too which they succeeded very well. On the other hand organizations which couldnt cope or catch up with changes struggle. Unless they hold on the element of chaos and become creativity, they will disappear by time. Although with edge of chaos organizations adapt change and they are best known with their creativeness, they do not constantly change. When they do changing, they do not change the core soul of the organization. After changing organization will still have the familiar identity. According to Shelton (2003) the safest way to use chaos theory in organizational development is not in the beginning of organizational change, but in the use of its principles in dealing with issues that arise within the organization. Complexity theory is not the same as chaos theory but chaos involves with complexity theory Senge (1990) brings the concept of the fifth discipline into the organisational learning. He adds that each of the disciplines does provide a very important dimension in structuring the organisations which are willing to learn and carry on enhancing their capability. However, he also observes learning takes place when individuals work in teamwork. The five disciplines Senge identifies can be listed as; systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, and team learning. Senge associates business and humans to a system in the systems thinking. It is an intangible structure and is a body for knowledge. Learning organisation wants its people to think in system. Personal mastery is the discipline of repeatedly illuminating and extending personal vision, focusing humans energies, developing patience, and seeing reality objectively. As such, it is an essential basis of the learning organisation. Mental models are assumption which specifies how people understand the world around them. It is internal picture of the world and he states that individuals can surface it by learning. Building shared vision involves skill of finding shared. Lastly team learning is essential as teams are the fundamental learning unit in modern organisations. Without team learning, organisation cannot learn. In Senges five disciplines, integrity is core because it is more difficult to integrate new tools than just using them separately. Fifth discipline is system thinking. Without system thinking no learning in organization would ever happen. The systems thinking leads to experiencing more and more of interconnectedness of life and seeing wholes rather than parts. Whenever there are problems in an organisation, according to systems thinking, the problems arise from underlying structures, not from individual mistakes. (Senge, 1990) The learning organisation is an expression which illustrates people gathering to success goals, big or small, in states where they all search for ways of doing things more effectively. Senge (1990), who created the term, explains a leaning organisation as one where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. In learning organisations, people are constantly watchful for signals which show whether they are reaching their goals. Therefore it can be said that learning organisations continuously look at the detail of actions. Also feedback is vital to the learning organisation because it needs to measure its success. Thus, it accounts, reports, spreadsheets, salespeoples views of customer opinion, shop floor perceptions of a new systems used by activity streams of people. Apple computing -Japan is a perfect example of success when organizational learning is done according five discipline. Although Apple Japan is world wide company, it had one percent of the market in Japan until 1989. Nonetheless with the new president the company succeeded one billion dollar in six years time. The company had some help from a consultant firm. The main plan was to increase the market share as well as efficiency of the company. Being able to gain the market share and improve sales, they come to a decision on increase the number of the distributors, customer management and launch the notion of learning organizations. The first step for Apple Japan was to undertake the Senges Five Discipline which is crucial to learning organizations. Following it, group meeting was made more profitable. More discussion and team education was the main part of the meetings. This approach stressed the importance of the team learning and allowed everyone to share vision towards the same objective. The second step taken was bringing individuals mental model together with the rest of the team which made the progress of learning more efficient. For Personal Mastery, managers support their workers to set up goals. Lastly, the most important discipline for the organizations was Systems Thinking, which was to bring all the other parts together. This approach allows every staff to make decision, and specifically teaches them to take the whole system into consideration, not just their own problems. Changing the way Apple-Japan worked before; paid back with the increase in sales as well as market share of the company (Market Share grew to 15% in 1995 from 1% in 1989. Annual sales soared to $1.3 billion in 1994, with the sale of 520 000 computers) Knowledge may exist within an organisation, but it may not be available to those who need it. Hayes (2007) draws the attentions to importance of distributing the information so that members of the organisation have access to new information which may lead to create new information. Organisational learning is one of the most significant subjects of corporations. The most obvious difference between organisational and an individual learning is that organisations dont have memories which are vital to learning. The main difference between a learning individual and learning organisation is the way they store the information. While individuals use their memories to store the information, organisations do it in their culture. In order for learning to occur, there need to be three circumstances. Firstly, new information must be inputted into the ideas. Secondly, the new information must be combined with the previous one and thirdly practice is essential to complete the learning. Not everyone agrees with the idea of learning organisations. For example, Harrison (1997), argues and criticized because the concept proposes that organisations have a life and ability to learn, which not the case is. Scarborough also disagrees with the dominant perspective of the concept as it suggests individual learning in organisations but does not indicate how or what to learn. Burgoyne (1999) also acknowledges that the concept sometimes creates confusion. Motorola University is one of the best examples for learning organizations. The company has 20000 links hired each year with great grow. Growing rapidly brings the need of training the people they hire. The organisation is aware that they cannot reach the point with the traditional methods of training. In order to create new connections, operates world wide, become productive. The CEO of the company highlights the core values of Motorola which are the techniques and tools they use. Motorolas aim is to find better ways to provide the knowledge and skills. To do so, the company adapts the multimedia training which intends to get training to all Motorolans globally, reduce the cost and time is spent on trainings, and increases the knowledge of the firm. Motorola University was established in 1981 and by 1990 it had extended in US, Eastern Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. Today, many mangers, supervisors and employees from all parts of Motorola have attended diversity training. This training helps participants to have more opportunities to develop and achieve their full potential Organisational learning does not just occur. There needs to be some conditions created which tolerate people to face the uncertainty and stay with it till it becomes something useful. According to Kline (1998) culture is the memory of organisations. The way people interconnect with each other and the way people think is the way their organisational culture is. Culture occurs when two or more people gathered together on a regular basis. If learning organisation is to be created, then firstly the culture of openness of thinking and communication need to be there. He also adds as long as the culture and the way of thinking encourage openness in many different appearances while providing tools which identify useful directions to take, the organisation will become learning organisation. The speed of building a learning organisation is depending on the speed of how individuals in the organizations can improve their learning process. Although author agrees with Senge that organisational lea rning enhances the creativity, he does not agree that building learning organisation does not need to be so slow (Senge, 1999) Schein (1996) highlights that in almost every organisation there are three cultures that a key impact on organisational ability to learn. These are operator culture, engineering culture, and executive culture. He also acknowledges that unless these three cultures realise and use the same language, organisational learning will fail. The values and norms are the basis of culture and formed in four ways. first, culture is shaped by leaders; secondly by critical incidents; third by value and expectation and lastly by organisational environment. (Schein, 1990),(Furnham, Gunter, 1993). According to Harrison (1972) culture is categorised around four ideas. Power orientated, people orientated, task orientated and role orientated. On the other hand Harrison/Handys (1981) four type of culture are; the power, role, task and person culture. Briefly; the power culture is that there is single source of power. Handy names it club or Zeus too; the role culture is bureaucracy, (Greek Temple); the task culture is giving the priority to getting the ob done. There is single source of power (Lattice) and lastly the person culture is that individuals decide on their own work part. The main concern is look after the individuals. According to Brown (1998) the relationship between culture and learning is one of the reciprocal interference. Not only is the rate at which organisations learn dependent on culture but the culture on an organisation will be profoundly influenced by the rate, and content of, organisational learning. Schein aggress with the explanation of Brown that the organisational culture develops through complex interactive learning process. Organisational culture plays a main role in knowledge management and organisational learning. Not every organisation can adapt the learning organisations. There are some barriers to at the individual and group levels. At the individual level, unawareness is an important limitation. They are failing to notice very clear and obvious information and understanding what they notice, having a limited short memory that valuable information can be forgotten easily. Cognitive limitation is more noticeable when there is a fast changing and complex environment which ove rload people and confused them. At the collective level is the important part of organisational learning. Organisational politics can be barrier for groups and individuals to learn, or organisational culture also can slow down the process of learning. Being able to apply the learning, organizations could change their culture to which could e a barrier to organization learning. Many models were introduced over the years concerning culture change by experts. They do not always have the same concept of culture in mind. Models of the culture change are different in the sense of scale. It could be large-scale or small scale. Change also occurs over time. In some cultures, knowledge is the most powerful concept which gives the competitive advantages to individuals. Therefore, Knowledge Management wants HR to focus on organization the culture change, approach of the people to support collaborative team working and knowledge sharing. Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (YPF) is a big petroleum company in Argentina. They wanted to become a professional private company and have international investors rather than maintaining their inefficient bureaucratic existing therefore willing to do some changes in culture and structure. Working with a consultant company, YPF was initiated with learning organization. With the new step, employees were able to assess and check the process and hence learning about the process and observing what is working what is not. Every person in the company knew the purpose of the company and working for the same goal together gave a significant result. At the end of two years YPF increased its profit from $579 million lost in 1990 to profits of $256 million in 1992 and $706 million in 1993. There is a belief that human resource management is able to play a crucial role in core elements of culture, including, norms, beliefs, symbols, behaviours, assumptions. In many organisations managing the cultural symbols is one of the HRMs duties. There is a belief that Human Resource Management (HRM) has essentially replaced the name of personnel management as both involve in managing people in organisations. According to Torrington (1989) HRM is re-labelling and re-packing of personnel management and Guess (1991) agrees with the explanation that HRM is simply elaboration of personnel management (www.humanresources.about.com). Storey (1989) considers HRM as a set of interconnected strategies with an ideological and philosophical underpinning, (Armstrong, 2006) while Torrington (1989) and Guess (1991) believe that HRM is re-labelling and re-packing of personnel management. Storey proposes four features that differentiate HRM. First element is believes and assumptions which give the competitive edge. Also it emphases that human capability and commitment which distinguishes successful organisations from the rest is important therefore the employees should be selected carefully; second element is strategic qualities. It suggests that top management involvement is important; third element is critical role of management. He highlights that HRM is too important to be left to personnel management. Also line management involvement is crucial; and fourth element the key levers. It stresses implementation of HRM and management of culture (Beardwell, Holden, 2004). Source: Storey (1992:38). Reproduced (Beardwell, Holden, 2004).p24 Storey (1989) suggests Hard and soft version of HRM which characterizes by the Michigan and Harvard models. The hard version of HRM highlights the importance of human as resources to achieve competitive advantages against other organisations. To be able to bring advantages, these resources are gained, developed and arranged in ways to do so. According to Storeys hard version of HRM, workers are commodities, and HR is like other resources as well as being calculative and inflexible whereas the soft version of HRM stresses human sides of HRM. The main topics are communication, motivation and leadership. It emphases that people are led rather than managed (http://www.hrmguide.co.uk). Also it is believed that HR is unique. Legge (1998) agrees with Storey on hard model of HRM that workforce are resources to be managed. In contrast of hard version of HRM, she considers the soft version of HRM that employee as value assets and as a source of competitive advantage through their commitment (A rmstrong, 2006). Yet she (1995) also points out that not every organisation has advantages by treating the workforce as a valuable asset, especially those competing on cost. Also Legge refers to this as Developmental Humanism (Legge, 1995, p.66-67). While stressing on the importance of putting together HR policies with business purposes, the soft model spotlights on treating workforce as valuable assets and a competitive advantage through their commitment skill and performance (Legge, 1995, pp 66-67). Employees practice hard and soft versions of HRM differentially as people are treated differently. Japanese management style can be given as a good example. In Japanese organisations men are core workers (SOFT) whereas women are secondary (HARD) workers (Lecture notes, 2008). Many organizations adopt the soft version of HRM that focuses on treating employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage. Employees practice hard and soft versions of HRM differentially as people are treated differently. Japanese management style can be given as a good example. In Japanese organisations men are core workers (SOFT) whereas women are secondary (HARD) workers (Lecture notes, 2008). Many organizations adopt the soft version of HRM that focuses on treating employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage. Apart from hard and soft models of HRM, Storey also classifies two other HRM named strong and weak. Strong refers to a distinctive package which covers strategic and operational aspects. Weak approach on the other hand assumes that HRM is just another term for personnel management.