Student Critique of The Jungle By Upton Sinclair :: Upton Sinclair

The book The Jungle was introduced as a novel by Upton Sinclair was financed and published with his own money. Upton Sinclair was a famous novelist and social crusader from California. He was born on 20 September 1878 in Baltimore Md. He was the only child of Priscilla Harden and Upton Beall Sinclair. Upton Sinclair’s childhood was lived in poverty, one where his father was an alcoholic, his job as an alcohol salesman most likely contributed to his disease. And although his own family was extremely poor, he spent periods of time living with his wealthy grandparents. By living from one end of the extreme to the other he argued that this is what turned him into a socialist.1 His family moved to New York and at fourteen he enrolled in the City College of New York. He wrote dime novels and stories for magazines and newpapers to pay for his college tuition. It was in New York where he became a fan of the Socialists Party’s politics. Later in life Upton Sinclair would run for the Governor of California where he would get 37% of the vote, and if it were not for his honesty at expressing his views Upton Sinclair would have won his bid for Governor. During the later course of his life he went on to write more muckraking novels. "The Jungle" was his groundbreaking novel, it was told as a fictional story of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant working in Packingtown. Jurgis sees his American dream of a decent life dissolve into nightmare as his job hauling steer carcasses in the stockyards leaves him so physically drained that he was unable to support his family. This was not the life this immigrant expected when arrived in America. He loses his job when he beats up his boss, angry about finding out he had raped his wife, then in a sense held her hostage as his mistress knowing that Jurgis wife is doing this to for the sake of her family. This character then loses the wife to disease and his son to drowning. Through this story telling Upton Sinclair had hoped the book would ignite a powerful socialist movement on behalf of America's workers. The public's attention was directed instead to his fewer than a dozen pages of supposed descriptions of unsanitary conditions in the meat packing plants. The Jungle hit upon more than his hatred of the meat packing industry.

Express Luxury Lines

Empress Luxury Lines Angela D. Davis Strayer University Management 500 Dr. Prakash Menon April 29, 2012 Abstract This critical analysis case of Empress Luxury Lines is based on circumstances of ethical dilemmas and challenges of top level managers and their employees faced with decisions on what anyone person or persons would do against making ethical decisions. In this case study, we note that the employee has to make choices for doing what he believes is right for him even though it may cause possible termination.Despite of the needed computer upgrade for the Empress Luxury Liner for Empress, top management issues was to find other ways to limit cost. The luxury liner had fallen on hard times due to numerous factors some of which was not controllable by this business. In this case analysis we will explore how right or wrong decision making can create ethical dilemmas for a business. Faced with such dilemmas, we will try to understand how in decision making for the employees, manage rs, CFO’s affects the business entity.Empress Luxury Lines ANALAYZE ANTONIO’S ETHICAL DILEMMA Antonio Melendez, a two year employee of Empress Luxury Lines was starting to feel as stated by Daft, â€Å"finally found a way to fund the computer system upgrade he’d been requesting ever since he’d taken the job two years ago† ( 2010, p. 150). Antonio, being that he was only on the job two years, and Kevin Pfeiffer, the new hire, the ethical decision dilemma for them was in facing the truth about the power surge damaged that struck the ship to its onboard computer system.Antonio knew that the risk in defrauding the insurance company of the true nature of what happened to the computer system onboard the ship could have dire consequences for him and Kevin. Kevin told the truth to his supervisor Phil Bailey, of the $15,000 computer damaged and was told to report back only to his boss Phil Bailey. Kevin did exactly what he believed would be great news of th e minimum fixable damage, but Phil was not happy. Instead, Kevin was instructed to remove and destroy all the wires and the cables and haul them elsewhere so that the insurance adjuster upon arrival would not know the difference in the damage.Kevin refused choosing to make the intelligent ethical decision to not due as instructed and to not become part of a fraud scheme or the culture of top management habitually submitting fraudulent claims. Antonio appreciated Kevin’s integrity of making the best decision to not do as he was asked to do for Empress and his boss Phil Bailey. Antonio knew of years before he was hired, Empress Luxury Lines in the 1990’s, were a healthy business. The cruise liner had unprecedented demand by consumers to sail on its luxury liner. Unfortunately, with external threats of unforeseen causes, such as the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. , the Hurricanes of 2005, and the Norwalk Virus outbreak, Empress’s volume of tourist booking travel by ship fell off drastically. Empress had to refund monies to its clients for cruises they could not use due to these uncertainties. In essence, contingency planning was enacted to respond to the unexpected conditions of weather, terrorism, and medical emergencies. The current rising demand of fuel cost to sail the cruse liner, slashed into the luxury liner’s profits. This is why Antonio could not or did not see his fervent request to have monies to upgrade the ships computer system was not accepted.Until the damage of the computer system was verbally reported to Bailey, then the accepted practices of Empress by top management of fraud which was readily the condone nature, the assurance of Kevin, or Antonio being protected under the Whistle-blower act was essentially an ignored, systemic practice and rooted in the business climate culture from top to bottom. CREATE AND DESCRIBE TWO STRATEGIES In this case analysis the strategies to best describe how to address Antonio’s ethica l dilemma would be by using two approaches in ethical decision making.The approaches that can best address Antonio’s in this case study are the Utilitarian Approach and the Individualism Approach. These approaches best describe how Antonio should handle the situation at hand. The utilitarian approach by definition Daft , â€Å" the ethical concept that moral behaviors produce the greatest good for the greatest number† (2010, p. 132). This approach Antonio is ethical decision maker and he understands the consequences of actions and plans to benefit for the greater good for Empress.If Antonio chooses to use this approach he has the pulse of the organizations systemic practices but he has to figure out how to lead by example while limiting potential dire results for Empress by reporting what really happened to the insurance adjuster and authorities. If Antonio decides to stay quiet and do nothing he knows the risk and the ethical investigation that could ensue by law. The decision to do nothing hurts but if this is his decision, to help defraud the insurance company, the upside is that Empress will have a upgraded and repaired computer system.I would equate the 2008 fraud case involving the SBA Program of widespread fraud with the HUBZone Empowerment Contracting program similar to how systemic practices of obvious fraud with rewarding contracts to business firms who were not eligible to receive such funding. Bruce Causseaux, a senior level specialist stated, â€Å"Three main factors worked to encourage the fraud, he says: the lure of several billion dollars of federal contracting, an SBA control process that largely relied on inadequately verified self-certified information and a clear message that, even if caught, the punishment would not match the crime† (Wilson, 2008 p. 0). This article exemplifies the seriousness that when it all goes wrong, in the utilitarian approach the benefit yielded still the lesser of a potentially disastrous resul t. The individualism approach’s by definition Daft, â€Å"the ethical concept that acts are moral when they promote the individual’s best long-term interest† (2010, p. 132). This approach helps Antonio because he believes in the fundamental rights of individuals in the ethical decision making process.If Antonio chooses to avoid the systemic behavior by Empress because it will impede on a persons right then he would be ethically deciding to go against the grain of behavior even though he knows he may lose his job by telling the truth. The issue with this approach who determines the legitimacy of what is ethical or not about the way the cruise liner decides to conduct its business. Antonio/s plan of action hangs on the real balancing act of being loyal only to himself, to the health of the company and or lastly, for the greatest good of Empress.Antonio has to really be comfortable in which ever decision ethically he will make. ASSESS THE PROS AND CONS The pros and cons of the utilitarian approach if Antonio so believes is the best approach he has the option to weigh the differences looking at how his decision will effect his fellow coworkers. For this case analysis, I believe the utilitarian is better suited for Antonio because this approach is not a selfish approach but more in line with having the thoughtfulness of care and concern for others and how his ethical decision could harm everyone.Antonio does not consider he is just a lone wolf in this decision process because he sees the dilemma as equal parts to be held by together by the belief of all. Antonio relies on the method of substance process quantitatively in his overall objective to be fair for the consideration of the whole in making a just, moral, and pro ethical decision. The utilitarian approach con is in understanding and recognizing the cost benefits of his decision. This approach does not allow for room to be appeasing to all of his coworkers and this approach can cause harm . The end does not always justify the means as this approach states.In the con of this approach, can Antonio assume the result of perhaps not being ethically honest could yield a positive result no matter of the facts presented to the insurance adjuster? This may happen and he is still left with the decision did he do his best in rising above the fray to do his ethical duty. The pros and con of the individualism approach on the pro side is Antonio will be respecting the rights of his coworkers and doing what is best for the common good of Empress. Antonio will also be protecting his rights as an individual which is a benefit for him.Antonio has to be careful in upholding for pro rights to not step over the rights of others. A con of the individual approach is could be the true meaning in defining a person’s fundamental rights. This is a con of this approach because in the U. S. we have included our U. S. Constitution the Bill of Rights. If Antonio thinks this is the best appr oach because the Empress sails in international waters Antonio has to have consideration for the international laws of other countries which the U. S. Constitution with the Bill of Rights won’t apply.Another con of this approach is that it is a selfish approach and can entice Antonio to consider only his needs and not the concerns of others. DECIDE ON WHICH STRATEGY TO TAKE Given the two approaches of utilitarian and individualism, I would choose the individualism approach for this case analysis if I was in Antonio’s position. I am not a selfish person by nature and in making business decisions I know that the ability to think in ethical decision making when a problem presents itself one has to be ready, willing and able to perform the task of airing on the side of fairness.I have had similar instances as Antonio in being the one who has to be concerned for his self but by being this way, you ultimately do decide for the good all in the process of ethically doing what is best for the future long term health of the company. Individualism by behavior alone can ensure fellow coworkers that action done ethically for the best business ethical decision outcome is in the best interest of the whole. This action inspires cohesiveness and conformity in our feelings of our behavior.In their book If Your Life were a Business, would you Invest in It? (2003), Eckblad and Kiel states, â€Å"When we acknowledge these feelings in ourselves and reflect on them, we often find their origin in one or more situations where we wish we had had the courage to have challenged someone or done something differently† and â€Å"businesslike thinking and planning are no guarantee that there will be â€Å"good† or courageous people in either jobs or our live† (Eckblad & Kiel, 2008, p. 37). The individualism approach has worked well for me in my business endeavors and personal life. My willingness to be fair, but yet knowing what ever decisions I make whethe r they are ethically based on a ethical dilemma or not, I firmly understand that not all decisions I chose to make was good for the whole and that you can not know the true value of the dilemma in your decision choice of how it will relate to other employees or coworkers. This is the dilemma for Antonio.I do think his best method of approach would be using the individualism approach for Empress Luxury Lines. He will not please all but he will be ethically making the best decision for the greater good of the company. References Daft, Richard L. (2010). Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Eckblad, John, & Keil, David (2003). If your Life Were a Business, Would You invest in It?. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Wilson, Sarah (2008, November), Fraud Rattles SBA Program. Entrepreneur, 30.

Assessment for Teacher Essay

The primary purpose of assessment is for the learner to provide evidence of learning by demonstrating the understanding of content and achievement of learning outcomes. This gives an insight of their strengths and areas of development. Whereas for teacher, it provides a moment to review their assessment strategies in terms of effectiveness and facilitate progression by giving constructive feedback. It also informs the curriculum board, managers, and relevant staff to evaluate learning programmes for any improvements. Learners are assessed through various stages of learning journey by using variety of methods and strategies. They are usually assessed formatively before or during the course and summatively near or the end of it. Formative assessment provides a continuous source of information about students’ progress, improvement and problems encountered in the learning process. It could be an â€Å"Initial Assessment† to determine prior knowledge or â€Å"Diagnostic Assessment† to find areas of development and strengths. Feedback is an integral part of it. (NCFOT, 1999) said it â€Å"occurs when teachers feed information back to the students in ways that enable the student to learn better, or when students can engage in a similar, self-reflective process†(Principle 4). It has also been supported by several educationists such as Scales (2008 p. 179), Black and William (1998: 17) and Reece and Walker (2007 p. 325). Formative assessments are not graded which allows flexibility to modify and adjust the teaching practices and reflect the needs and progress of learners as well as motivating them. However, formative assessment in its purist form is seldom used (Brookhart, 1999). I feel that teachers should be given training to as â€Å"how† and â€Å"when† to employ it successfully. There are variety of methods by which students are assessed formatively such as Accreditation of prior learning (APL), Observation, Oral Questioning, Discussion, Role play, Case study, Essays, Projects, Assignments, MCQs etc. which when used in combination has proven effective in measuring a variety of complex learning outcomes (Reece and Walker, 2007, p. 326) It is useful for development of â€Å"Cognitive†, â€Å"Psychomotor† and â€Å"Affective Domains† of learning as explained in Bloom’s Taxonomy and could assess higher order skills of these domains. Some teachers are predominantly concerned with cognitive learning with some use of psychomotor skills but affective learning can be a useful tool in changing attitudes i. e. gender, culture etc. even if it’s not a requirement of a course. Summative Assessment happens at the end of the course, unit etc. and is for grading and decision purpose. It is used for informing employers, institutions etc. about learner’s overall performance. It does not however, give information about detailed abilities of learner and there is no feedback so it is debated for its complete reliability and validity. (Scales, 2008 and Rust, 2002). Learners are assessed summatively mostly by Examination, Assignments, Portfolios, and Essays. They develop the skill levels of ‘cognitive and psychomotor domains’ depending on how effectively they are set out and the type of course. ‘MCQs’ and ‘Viva’ for instance can provide better coverage of syllabus as well as assessment of deeper knowledge whereas essays does not serve the same purpose but assess higher levels of cognitive domain i. e. synthesis and evaluation. Feedback is an important element of assessment and is directly related to motivation. In order to accelerate learning process it has to be timely, positive and constructive. â€Å"Maslow’s hierarchy makes us think about the total experience†¦.. From physiological factors†¦. to relationships (do we give positive regard and development feedback? ) to self-esteem needs (‘I’m no good †¦ ’), his hierarchy provides a useful device to help us understand learning and motivation(Scales, 2008 p. 72). We need to keep records to track and monitor the progress of our learners. They are many different types of internal, external and formal and informal records. Internal records include mark books, matrix, learner progress sheets/ reviews and results of mock tests. In ESOL, we keep records of Initial interview, Initial assessment, spiky profile, ILPs, Diagnostic assessment, Formative assessment, observation reports, feedback reports, peer/self assessments and Summative assessments to assess the progress of learners and efficacy of programme and teaching. The external records include all the evidence in form of written work or internal verification to sent to external bodies i. e. exam board, auditing bodies, other educational organisations, support staff, etc.

The Ancient Myths about Athena

The Ancient Myths about Athena In his mythology (The Age of Fable: Vols. I II: Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1913), Thomas Bulfinch uses the Roman name Minerva for the Greek goddess Athena. Chapters from Bulfinch that Feature Athena: Chapter 14Arachne and the Weaving Contest With AthenaThe beginning of this chapter details Athenas skills, her special connection with Athens, and her birth from the head of her father Zeus. The chapter goes on to describe a contest between a mortal woman, Arachne, and Athena. It follows with another challenge made by a mortal against a goddess, but the goddess is not Athena.Chapter 15MedusaBulfinch has already identified Athena in the previous chapter, so in this one, Athena is introduced as the goddess challenged by Medusa to a beauty contest. Regardless of who was more beautiful, Athena had to punish Medusa, which she did by turning her into a monster. Then, when the hero Perseus goes off to slay the monster, Athena comes to his assistance by lending him her shield the one he uses as a mirror so he can decapitate without being turned to stoneChapter 30Odysseus and AthenaIn this chapter, Bulfinch is describing the adventures of Odysseus. Odysseus has returned to Ithaca but doesnt recognize it until Athena in disguise tells him where he is. The chapter describes Odysseus return to his home where he finds and eventually slays the suitors who have been harassing his wife. Elsewhere in Bulfinch, Athena plays minor roles: Chapter 16Athena invents thunderbolts and deals with the winged horse Pegasus.Chapter 20Theseus blames Athena for abandoning Ariadne and sets up the Panathenaea to honor her.Chapter 2Here Athena helps Prometheus steal fire to give to mankind.Chapter 19Athena and Hermes accompany Hercules to the Underworld.Chapter 7In this chapter, Bulfinch invents a conversation between Aphrodite and her son in which she names Athena as one who defies her.

A pollack by any other name - Emphasis

A pollack by any other name A pollack by any other name We should all be eating more pollack, for cods sake. So say the environmentalists trying to save the perennial partner to chips from an early, non-watery grave: cod stocks in the North Sea are a mere fifth of what they were forty years ago. Sainsburys have given the humble pollack a makeover to boost its popularity as an alternative. Shoppers have apparently previously blushed to ask for this fish by name. We must now all practise our French accents to request colin (pronounced co-lan), which actually means hake across the water. Honourable motives? Mais oui. But will this prove to be a successful rebrand or just fishy jargon? And it brings to mind that age-old question: whats in a name? Quite a lot, it seems, in business. Finding just the right name for a brand is so important that its spawned its own industry to take care of the christening for you. It can be the difference between being noticed or passed over; remembered or forgotten if you will: between being reeled in or thrown back. To borrow from branding firm Hinges website: [a] name encapsulates all of the content intellectual and emotional that people associate with a product or service. The extent to which Colin the pollack will enter public consciousness and public house menus well, time will tell. If nothing else, people are certainly taking the bait for its comedy and pun potential: why not call it Jackson? What a load of pollacks, etc. It does seem to be catching on rather better than the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign to gain sympathy for all fish by renaming them sea kittens. Even comedy has its limits.

Non compliance in doing homework assignments between group therapy Dissertation

Non compliance in doing homework assignments between group therapy sessions for substance abuse and depression - Dissertation Example Ries et al. (2009, p.762) state that patients with substance abuse who comply with the group therapy sessions and complete their homework assignments experience positive treatment outcomes and thus are less likely to drop out of the treatment. They state that â€Å"integrated supportive group therapy in a randomized trial has shown a differential effect on treatment retention in subjects with severe mental disorders and substance use disorders†, and homework compliance is the adherence that comes as one positive outcome of group therapy sessions for such patients. Reinecke (2010, p.54) maintains the idea that clients with depression are less likely to adhere with the â€Å"in-session exposure† which makes them non-comply with homework completion. He states that the cause for this is that the in-session exposure of a depressive client or one suffering from anxiety involves others observing him doing homework, which he is already anxious about, thus enhancing his anxiety into social anxiety disorder. However, Reinecke affirms that homework compliance is an important bridge between the in-session activities and change of client’s attitude toward life, especially for patients with depression, anxiety and substance abuse. He suggests that the client’s behavior of homework non-compliance should be addressed very early in the therapy. Cruess et al. (2010) found that the patients reported that they non-comply with the between-session homework because of â€Å"lack of receptivity to details regarding their medical illness†. Lien et al. (2010) studied in their research the relationship between the substance abuse group therapy sessions and patient compliance. They found that what motivates the patients to comply with the completion of between-session homework is the clinical outcome which they want to see as their health benefits. According to them, â€Å"patients balance expected benefits and costs during a treatment episode when deci ding on compliance† and hence comply with the standards if they seem to be benefitting from the treatment since the Lien et al. observed that those patients who were progressing were less likely to not complete homework, not show at or drop out of the sessions. Similar conclusions have been approached by Guardiano, Weinstock and Miller (2011) who have found that patients of substance abuse are at high risk of non-compliance with homework completion or attendance at group therapy sessions due to which they have to suffer from negative consequences. They have proposed an adjunctive psychosocial intervention that will reduce noncompliance in substance abusers. According to them, â€Å"The intervention involves brief in-person sessions and follow-up phone contacts with the patient and a significant other/family member.† They state that this intervention will improve the effects of group therapy on substance abusers by helping enhance the relationship between them and the pr ovider thus motivating them to attend the group therapy sessions while adhering to the homework completion. Abramowitz et al. (2009, p.104) have suggested that patients can be motivated to comply with homework completion in group therapy sessions by encouraging â€Å"self-controlled exposure† so that patients are motivated â€Å"to perform more exposure exercises†. Mausbach et al. (2010) studied relationship between depressive clients’ homework compliance and group therapy outcomes and found

Summary and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Summary and response - Essay Example According to Doran’s article, the environment and the lifestyle in the affected regions play a critical role in advancing the risk for suicide. The specific risk factors identified include stressful life events, mental illness, and drug abuse. Usage of methamphetamine is highest in these regions. The most common barriers affecting mitigation of suicide include lack of reliable data on the issue, cultural barriers, funding constraints by the HIS, and the nature of the involved communities (Dorgan, 2010). Although funding by the U.S federal government must be increased, coordination of activities among several entities would help in improving this situation. Personally, I agree with the author’s argument especially with regard to how teen suicide may be eliminated in the U.S because it has reached an alarming rate. I also agree with the solutions proposed by the author because they are practical and applicable. I have had an Indian friend who attempted suicide because he was being discriminated for belonging to a minority group. This happened even though his parents had sought medical attention where they were told that his behavior was normal. This implies that the healthcare professionals are not taking this issue with the appropriate