Fate vs. Free

Fate vs. Free Will Essay What we do, where we walk, how we act and what decisions we take; are they guided by our free will or by the hand of fate? Even if we do have free will; are we one hundred percent, truly free or is free will just training wheels carrying us along different paths to our predestined location? If so, we are inherently limited from birth in the aspects of our intelligence, success, and true freedom depending on how binding the shackles of fate truly are. We cant control circumstances of our birth or generally life-altering things that are out of our control such as a random lightning strike or traffic accident, but perhaps we can control the broader course of our life through our actions. One who trains their body diligently and with supreme effort may become a famous MMA fighter with a body that the ancient Greeks would marvel at, but what if that persons profession and training were stamped into him at birth? At conception? At the beginning of time itself? Possible, but what if he just made a decision one day and earned it? There simply is no way to know, short of speaking with the divinity that has assigned us all our fates if such a being exists. Say we are all prisoners in an inescapable prison of destiny. Perhaps some of us are given the opportunity to control our fates. Perhaps some of us are afforded a choice between the blue pill or the red pill; the choice to be a living puppet or to break into our own universal order and control our own lives. We will never know. The one thing we may know however, is that we may be given this choice one day, and this rift in the balance of the universe will afford us enough free will in the situation simply to make the decision between the blue pill and the red pill. We can know in our hearts what our decisions will be when we are handed our destinies and told to take control and become the master of our own destinies or release them back into the cosmic wind, and become a simple puppet once more. I can speak for no one but myself, but I know my answer in my heart. The thought of my life being anything but my own up until this point sickens me. I will not be a puppet, I will not be led forcefully through my destiny by the imperceptible shackles of fate. I will take control of my destiny, steer my own ship; I will be the master of my own destiny if the expense is my life; because I know the life I led will have truly been mine.

Modernism and Postmodernism in Architecture

Modernism and Postmodernism in Architecture INTRODUCTION CONTEXT OF MODERNISM Modernism is a set of cultural or aesthetic styles which associates with the scientific and the artistic movement which started in the decade around the First World War and have dominated among several movement such as cubism, functionalism and surrealism. Sarup, M. (1993). However in architecture, modernism reacts to the dedication of addressing new buildings after the two World Wars such as mass housing of traditional forms and the potential for exploring new conditions of production such as new materials and technology. Le Corbusier and Mies van der Roche were the key influences of modern architecture; they took several cultures and tradition to formulate the notion of modern architecture. Curtis, W. J.R. (2001). Modernist have the idea that architecture should have a result as being functionalistic, positivistic, technocentric, and rationalistic with their building or urban planning. Harvey, D. (1990) page 35. In the World War II, Modernism became popular especially in the United State where it took on a new life by using different technologies such as steel frame and glass curtain walls for constructing skyscrapers and suburban office parks and shopping centers which were cost-effective. Ghirardo, D. (1996). CONTEXT OF POSTMODERNISM Postmodernism is very ambiguous to describe because it has certain elements that relates to modernism. The term originated within artists and critics in the United State in the 1960s and it was distributed in the European and other industrial nations in the 1970s. However postmodernism is an unstable concept of movement within an advance capitalist culture that argue the visual approaches in literary criticism of art, film, fashion and architecture within the political economic social conditions of the late 20th century. It also involves the new relationship between humankind and nature. Ghirardo, D. (1996). Postmodern notion of approaches to architecture derived from modernism ideology of architecture, and it even influences some postmodern architects, this is because of their knowledge from training and also their modern methods of constructions but they also add their new concept to their buildings. Jencks, C. (1988). There are three principles that Robert Sterns article portrays to describe the characteristics of postmodernism, the first characteristic is contextualism, this describes the individual building as always a fragment that represents its environment. The second is allusionism, which emphasise the building of its historical and cultural aspects, and the third is ornamentalism, and this suggests all the walls of the building to have an architectural meaning. (See the work of Robert Stern) Bertens, H. (1995) page 59. Postmodernism has also emerged the classical stage whereby it has influenced certain postmodern architects like Michael Graves, James Stirling, Norman Neuerburg and even Philip Johnsons ATT building (see figure 1). Jenks emphasise that the Free-Style Classicism determines some characteristics of postmodern architecture which started precisely from the 1980s. (See the work of Charles Jencks) Bertens, H. (1995) page 64. CRITICS OF POSTMODERNISM ON MODERNIST NOTION OF ARCHITECTURE David Harvey argues about if postmodernism, for example, represent a radical break with modernism, or is it simply a revolt within modernism against a form of high modernism. Harvey, D. (1990) page 42. This message is to question the architecture of the postmodern movement, Harvey then explains by emphasising that postmodernism has widely identify a break with the modernist conception that planning, designing and development should concentrate on the wide-scale, technologically rational and economically urban plan which should be strict on ideas of design with a functionalist perception of an international style. Harvey, D. (1990). The most influential critic on postmodernism and modernism is Charles Jenks, he portrayed architecture from a linguistic point of view as emphasises in his book The Language of Post-Modern Architecture. Jenks argues that postmodernism architecture is not a break of modernism but however its trying to overcome the ideology of its architecture not by dropping it but by extending the language to a different level into a vernacular and commercial but away from tradition. He listed all the old buildings as which had modern characteristics and named them as the ersatz, however he calls the new building as the social realism. Jencks, C. (1991) page 97. Furthermore he pinpoints the exact date for the death of modern architecture as he mention at 3:32 pm, July 15, 1972 when the Pruitt-Igoe housing project built in 1951 was demolished. Likewise Charles Jenks explores further the idea of the modernist idea within postmodernism architecture, he argues that postmodern architecture is double coded, this suggest that postmodernism is an eclectic mixture of traditional codes with modern ones this shows that modernism is always one of the codes that forms postmodernism so postmodern architecture has evolve from modernism but it must go beyond modern style. Therefore postmodernism is to break completely or drop modernist idea of architecture but has extended it into a different notion. Jenks explores Mies van de Roche who is a modern architect, he argues that the use of steel I- beams for buildings are nasty and brutal and has no purpose for its users or developers so therefore postmodernism has evolve to find solution of improving the upon modernism. Bertens, H. (1995). The indication that modernism architecture is rational and austere is because the restrictions and their influence on traditional forms and concepts which most postmodern architects see as passà ©, however when postmodern architect design they contravene to tradition also when they build their buildings they express it through a modern way by emphasising on a mixture of different styles. Likewise in the description of postmodern architecture Paolo Portoghesi who also criticise postmodernism argues that postmodern is any building that breaks modern constrains of historical styles with vernacular influences. Kolb, D. (1990) page 88. The restriction of modern architecture on historical influences is one of the main challenges of postmodernism. Jean-Francois Lyotard a postmodern critic explains that one characteristics of postmodernism is the transform nature understanding in scientific and computerised society, this has gave them advance knowledge and technology to overcoming and the rational and austere notion of modernism. Sarup, M. (1993). In favour of this, Joseph Fredrick who defended against the International Styles and his own idea of construction explains that modernism in architecture has various characters but its attack was on its style, which inevitably postmodernism has taking over. It is the austereness of modernisms traditional forms which postmodern took the advantage of scientific knowledge to break the historical influences and give freedom for architects to design their building. Larson, M, S. (1993). The division between modern and postmodern is that modern is restricted whereby postmodern has its freedom to design. Furthermore modernist notion of architecture as rational and austere to traditional restriction has not been negated by postmodern but it has interpreted and integrated modernist ideology. However Jencks argue that postmodernism has not become a break or dropped the idea of modernist architecture but it has evolve from modernism, and has notice the understanding of the development of its time so they change the direction and extended its characteristics to suit its era. Portoghesi, P. (1980). Therefore postmodernism is commonly known as the stylistic phenomenon. Ghirardo, D. (1996) page 8 Charles Jenks argues that postmodern buildings in general have made a positive impact in architecture, since the nineteenth century technological construction has made a vast improvement on buildings and has been overly-accurate as with the hand-crafted variety, this and other factors have become the main reason for its break from modernism. Likewise he argues that postmodernism has taking radically from the concept of how to knowledge building space where as modernist to see space as something to be shaped for social purposes, they interpret space as something independent, to be design according to creative aims but not to overreach its traditional influences. An example is Le Corbusiers Domino buildings (see figure 3) which started modernist development of space, however postmodernism reacted to this by looking for solutions to define place instead of abstract spaces and to establish the various ambiguity of spaces rather than the simple, predictable traditional building of moderni st architecture. Jenks, C. (1990). Le Corbusiers domino housing project There are certain features of modernism which have been developed by postmodernist architects, the spatial ideas such as layered and shallow simple spaces of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. Postmodernist have developed these aspects into a more new kind of ambiguous space with various complex elements. Jenks, C. (1988). Charles Jencks points out that postmodern architecture have two reasons into significant technological change; the first is the contemporary communications have broken the strong modernist interest of the rational and austere spaces based on function and of social interest. The second is the advance technologies for example computer modelling which has broken away from traditional restraints and permitted the flexibility of designing and constructing. Jenks, C. (1990). Postmodernism has not dropped modernist notion of architecture but it has taking certain elements of it such as space and even some traditional aspects of building and developed it into a more complex style. However it has set freedom from modernist conception that architecture should be austere and reasonable. The advances scientific technology has aided postmodernism to evolve from modernism. Jenks, C. (1988). Michael Graves as a postmodernism architect. Michael Graves was part of the late-modern movement before he left the abstract conception approach to the New York Five in 1977; this group consisted of Peter Eisenman, Richard Meier, Michael Graves, and Charles Gwathmey. They introduce an advance technique of designing with figural element, and this has influenced postmodern architects. Schulz, N. (1990) page 7-8. He then left to join other architects such as Venturi, Moore, and Stern who were involve with the prototype for postmodernism in America. Ghirardo, D. (1996). Graves has become one of most influential architects in postmodernism, his concept of fragments have become significant to postmodernist architects to design their building in a complex and ambiguous style which contradicts the notion of modernism. Graves has also adapted postmodern classicism in architecture such as the Portland Building and the Humana Building (see figure 4 and 5). Grave has taking the traditional forms and styles of classicism and extended into a postmodern approach by introducing classical skyscrapers. Jenks, C. (1988). THE PORTLAND PUBLIC SERVICES BUILDING The Portland building (see figure 4) was a very significant municipal building within its era, which was begun in 1980 in Portland Oregon, this project provoked modernist architects because it was one of the most inspirational building in postmodernism. Powell, K. (1995). The public building is located in the middle of the area whereby it had to have a quality of postmodern landmark, but however his way out was to bring back figural forms to the building to portray the public nature of the context and urban and the internal program. He used the classical style of organisation by dividing the building into three parts; which is the base, body and the top. Bibliography Bauman, Z., 2004. Identity conversation with Benedetto Vecchi. London: Polity Press. KING, D. A., 2004. Spaces of Global Cultures Architecture Urbanism Identity. New York: Routledge. POWELL, K., 1994. Lloyds Building Richard Rogers Partnership ARCHITECTURE IN DETAILS. London: Phaidon. POWELL, K., 1999. Richard Rogers Complete Works Volume One. London: Phaidon. POWELL, K., 2001. Richard Rogers Complete Works Volume Two. London: Phaidon. SIEBERT, H., 2007. The World Economy A global analysis. 3rd edition. New York: Routledge. SILVER, N., 1997. The Making of Beaubourg: A Building Biography of the Centre Pompidou, Paris. (s.n.): MIT Press. SIMAI, M., 1990. GLOBAL POWER STRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND WORLD ECONOMY IN THE LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY. London: Pinter publishers Limited. STRELITZ, Z., ed., 2005. Tall buildings a strategic design guide. London: RIBA Publishing. VALE, J. L., 2008. Architecture, Power, and National Identity. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge. WOODS, N., ed., 2000. The Political Economy of Globalisation. New York: Palgrave (ANON) Royal exchange luxury shopping and dining.

Factors for Motivation at Work in Nursing

Factors for Motivation at Work in Nursing Is motivation at work for nurses in two NHS hospitals dependant on job satisfaction or financial incentives? The National Health Service was described in a BBC News article in 2000 (BBC, 2000) as an organization in crisis as it analyzed various factors impacting the agency. The report indicated the new government mandate titled, â€Å"The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform† (NHS, 2000) consisting of billions committed to improving the services across a wide breathe of areas which included the following concerns as brought forth via consultation with NHS staff members and the public (NHS, 2000). The consultation consisted of interviews and surveys with 58,000 staff members and 152,000 members of the public, with the following ten areas the top concerns the public and staff members voiced: Table 1 – Top Ten Concerns Voiced by the Public and NHS Staff Members (NHS, 2000): Public Staff Members 1 More staff members with higher pay scales, the foregoing includes increased doctors, nurses, scientists and therapists, More staff, with the top concern mentioned as increases in this area and higher pay, 2 a reduction in waiting times for appointments as well as on trolleys and casualty, additional training along with an improvement in management shills across all staffing levels, 3 an improvement in the ways or working with â€Å"bring back the matron† (NHS, 2000) mentioned as one aspect of the foregoing an increase in what was termed as ‘jointed-up’ working with social services at the community as well as primary care levels, 4 focusing care that is centered on the patients with action to be taken on operations that have been canceled as well as providing more convenient services, reduced bureaucracy, consisting of less administration along with an improvement in funding systems, 5 a higher quality of care provided with cancer and heart disease mentioned prominently, more action and information on prevention to reduce the causes of ill health, 6 better medical facilities consisting of cleaner locations with a better quality of food and attention to getting the basics correct, improved working conditions along with increased aids for recruitment as well as staff retention, and more flexibility in working patterns, 7 an improvement in facilities for NHS staff, with rewards and recognition for the work done by staff members, a reduction in waiting times, 8 an improvement in location services along with improvements in local hospitals as well as surgical facilities, patient centered care, with staff frustration concerning the system being too focused on itself and its needs without meeting individual patient needs 9 an end to the postcode lottery and the assurance of higher quality in all locales, Increased performance as well as accountability systems to reduce variances in care in different locales 10 increased prevention along with better assistance on information and help on healthy living An increase in autonomy for local services to provide them with more control over their organization and a reduction in control from Whitehall The preceding indicates the similarity of views and concerns between the public and NHS staff in 2000 at the inception of the government’s â€Å"The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform† (NHS, 2000). In June of 2004 the Department of Health reported on the â€Å"NHS Improvement Plan† (Department of Health, 2004) which detailed the progress made in the NHS since the year 2000. The ‘Forward’ to this document by Prime Minister Tony Blair summarized the achievements and status of the NHS and the following calls attention to those areas as indicated in Table 1 Top Ten Concerns Voiced by the Public and NHS Staff Members: Under the ‘Plan’ thousands of additional doctors and nurses, representing a 22% rise in doctors, 21% increase in nurses and a 27% rise in scientific staff, new incentives for staff and pay contracts have been implemented, incentives have been created to reward staff for service commitments and improvements, dozens of new hospital facilities have been opened under the ‘Plan’, there has been a reduction in waiting times, from 18 months to under nine months, outpatient appointments have been reduced from 26 weeks to 17 weeks, cancer and heart disease death rates have been reduced, new services such as NHS Direct and Walk-in Centres have been implemented, patient care has been improved with faster diagnosis and treatment times clinical governance has aided in aiding in evaluation and overall service improvement as implemented under â€Å"The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform† (NHS, 2000) The preceding represent a summary of the status report on the improvements in the NHS since the adoption of â€Å"The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform† (NHS, 2000). The foregoing information is endemic to the examination of whether motivation at work for nurses is dependent upon job satisfaction or financial incentives as the NHS is a countrywide operation and the overall system impacts upon each hospital and staff member even in the best of situations. Thus, the overall climate and atmosphere of the NHS is an important factor in understanding the context of this examination. The underlying facts are that in terms of health care expenditures and other areas the United Kingdom spends just $1,813 per resident as compared to $2,387 for France, $2,780 for Germany, $2,580 for Canada and $4,500 for the United States (OECD, 2003). And the foregoing is further exacerbated by the fact that the United Kingdom has just 2 physicians for each 1,000 in population as compar ed against 2.8 in the United States and 3.3 in Germany and France (Stevens, 2004, pp. 37-44). And while the shortfall of physicians represents a major NHS problem, it is the nurses who see to the multitude of tasks and daily patient care which makes the hospitals run and the shortage of these professionals is a critical component in better health care. A BBC News article in 1999 pointed out that some of the reasons for the shortage of nurses in the NHS are due to poor pay as well as conditions that have affected retention as well as recruitment (BBC News, 1999). The sub-standard pay scale was illustrated through a survey that found that one fifth of all health workers had taken on a second job to enable them to meet expenses, and that one third worked an average of two weeks per year without pay as a result of extra overtime work (BBC News, 1999). The article (BBC News, 1999) added that pay was not the only factor in the nursing shortage problem, the nurses mentioned conditions and a lack of job satisfaction due to the long working hours, heavy pressure, under staffing and lack of recognition. This document shall examine the crisis confronting the NHS with respect to nurses from the standpoint of whether the motivational factor for these professionals is dependant upon job satisfaction or financial incentives. This examination shal l utilize secondary survey sources as well as a primary survey to equate these aspects along with theoretical research and opinions. Chapter 2 – Literature Review In examining the question of whether motivation for nurses in the NHS is dependant upon job satisfaction or financial incentives, an understanding of various motivational theories is critical to this review. A central subject in the study of psychology, motivation was equated by Sigmund Freud who thought that a good part of the behavior of human beings was based upon unconscious motives and or irrational instinctive urges (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006). Behavioral psychologists, however, stress that the importance of external goals plays a huge role in prompting action, and humanistic psychologists believe that it lies in felt needs (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006). A major study conducted by the Kings Fund (2002) pointed out that the government’s commitment to add an additional  £9.4 billion in funding to improve NHS services to bring the agency into closer proximity with the spending of other European countries, as well as the additional of more nurses, therapists and cons ultants in and of itself was not enough. The Report stressed that the problems of staff retention and recruitment have their roots in good morale and motivation, and that the foregoing is an essential component in order to have a healthy workforce as well as to aid in the attraction as well as retention of nurses (Kings Fund, 2002). The Report went on to state that the NHS needs to have a better understanding of both the positive and negative factors acting upon motivation and morale, as these aspects need to be addressed as part of improving the overall state of service delivery in the NHS (Kings Fund, 2002). The preceding implication has been borne out in an article by Margaret Callaghan (2003, pp. 82-89) who conducted a study on morale amongst fifty-eight nurses, 30 were females and 28 were male) regarding morale and career concerns. The study found that morale was extremely low among the respondents with a large number of the group surveyed seriously thinking of leaving the profession. More importantly, the feelings among the surveyed group were so strong regarding the negative aspects of nursing in the NHS that they indicated that the majority of those surveyed indicated they would discourage others from entering the profession, citing disillusionment, limited advancement opportunities, job insecurity, limited resources and the lack of support for furthered education, which equate to motivational issues, as well as low pay (Callaghan, 2003, pp. 82-89). Interestingly, the findings of the study indicated that recent increases in the pay scale had helped to improve staff morale however; this development only partly offset other factors (Callaghan, 2003, pp. 82-89). Additional information on the importance of nursing morale, motivational factors and job satisfaction are addressed in Chapter 2.1 the Broader Survey, which includes a number of surveys’s and studies. 2.1 The Broader Survey The annual RCN membership survey conducted in 2003 (Ball et al, 2003) found that the overall nursing population is getting older, with the media age increasing to 41 from 39 just five years ago. The respondent field consisted of a mailing of 15,917 RCN members with a 61% response rate, or 9,700 returned forms, thus the survey covered a broad number of members and it can be concluded that the sampling is an accurate cross section representing meaningful numbers that precludes bias. The significance of the foregoing with respect to the theme of this study is that the drop out rate for nursing students now stands at between 15% to 20%, with one out of ten of those surveyed indicating that they would not elect to work for the NHS (Ball et al, 2003). The findings indicated that the work hour demands placed on NHS nurses represents a real factor in dissatisfaction with their jobs in that 64% work full time averaging 44 hours per week as opposed to just 20% for GP nurses (Ball et al, 2003). The significance of the foregoing in the context of this examination is that nurses indicated that they want greater choice and control over their working hours and cited this as a major factor in moving into agency and bank work where they work for a lower rate of pay, and usually the same hours and the same settings as NHS nurses. This represents an interesting correlation in that nurses elect these options even though they complain about the lower rates of pay for the same work and grades, however, they are more positive about their experience in bank and agency work than their NHS counterparts (Ball et al, 2003). The foregoing is borne out by the fact that nurses in NHS hospitals are less satisfied with their choices over shift lengths, as noted by 40%, as compared to 26% of GP practice nurses and 22% of agency and bank nurses, thus representing a key job satisfaction issue. The preceding is further evidenced by NHS nurses working in excess of their 37.5 contracted hours, averagi ng 44 hours per week. 2.2 The Critical Review The RCN study uncovered that career prospects and the opportunity to progress are limited as three-fifths indicated that it was difficult to advance from their present grade, with E grade nurses as the most pessimistic (Ball et al, 2003). The lack of definitive job advancement opportunities represents a hurdle to motivating NHS nurses as well as recruitment, as do the survey findings regarding the following areas (Ball et al, 2003): Table 2 – NHS Views of Workload and Staffing (Ball et al, 2003) Disagree Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Do not spend too much time on non-nursing duties 17 37 23 2 There are sufficient Staff to provide a good standard of care 21 40 23 3 I am not under too much pressure at work 19 37 16 1 My workload is not too heavy 23 39 13 1 The RCN study indicated that in terms of nurse’s issues, pay scales were not the overriding issue as factors such as workloads and hours worked played a large part in their perceptions. The study found that the respondents rated good pay as an important aspect by 75% of those surveyed, and 90% of the respondents stated that staffing was an extremely important issue and was one of the most cited areas by nurses to improve job satisfaction (Ball et al, 2003). The findings strongly indicated that as a result of dissatisfaction with working conditions that nurses were prepared to leave NHS jobs for less pay to gain control over their personal lives indicating the importance of job satisfaction as a key area. The lack of adequate opportunities for advance also rated high on the list of concerns and complaints voiced by respondents as 47% indicated that they were not graded appropriately (Ball et al, 2003). Pay scales are the outgrowth of the preceding thus naturally the attitudes t owards compensation rated high on the list of replies. Table 3 – Views Regarding Pay (Ball et al, 2003) Disagree Strongly disagree Agree Strongly agree I could not be paid more for less effort if I left nursing 35 39 10 1 Nurses are not paid poorly in relation to other professional groups 54 36 3 2 Considering the work I do I am paid well 23 48 11 1 The replies in this area are consistent with the complaints regarding poor pay as voiced by NHS nurses as well as uncovered in numerous surveys and articles on this area, and nine of ten nurses feel that they are poorly paid in comparison with other professions (Ball et al, 2003). The importance of adequate pay was indicated by 75% of respondents, with 80% stating that receiving promotions based upon merit as equally important which represents a job satisfaction issue. Equating the factors representing motivation, job satisfaction and financial incentives in the nursing profession is an exceedingly complex task owing to the highly skilled nature of the work as well as the differing positions, grading and assignment variables involved. A significant measure of job satisfaction is the movement of staff in and out of the NHS. The study found that 25% of NHS nurses had changed jobs in the calendar year compared against 15% in the GP practice sector, and 17% involved in nursing and nurse education. Table 4 – NHS Nurse Turnover 1996 – 2002 (Ball et al, 2003) Year Percent 1996 23% 1997 21% 1998 18% 1999 19% 2000 20% 2001 23% 2002 24% 2003 25% It is important to note that in equating the preceding figures that a change of job does not always mean that one has left their current employer, as it could also mean a promotion, transfer or lateral move within the same organization. The survey revealed that 51% of the indicated changes in job represented a change in employer and that 13% of all nurses engaged in this practice during 2003 (Ball et al, 2003). The sheer overall size of the NHS means that most employment changes entailed jobs within the NHS system, with 96.5% of the nurses changing jobs who were in the NHS remaining in the NHS even though they switched or changed jobs (Ball et al, 2003), and these job changes can also entail the NHS bank. An important determinant of job satisfaction and motivation is what nurses plan to do in the future with regard to their employment. 29% of the surveyed nurses indicated their intention to leave their employer in the next two years, with NHS nurses indicated this intention at 27% (B all et al, 2003). Those nurses who indicated that they intend to stay at the present employment cited that they felt that their work was valued as the primary reason, 63% (Ball et al, 2003). Nurse’s views regarding motivation along with job satisfaction can be also equated via morale which describes their views as well as attitudes. The survey uncovered that 73% of respondents indicated that they did not desire to leave nursing as a profession, and of the 27% who expressed a desire to leave only 22% indicated that they would recommend nursing to others as a career (Ball et al, 2003). 74% indicated that the career prospects in the profession have increasingly become less attractive and a higher percentage would opt to leave the profession altogether if they could think of a suitable alternative after the years they invested in the career (Ball et al, 2003). Table 5 – Respondents Indicating They Would Leave Nursing If They Could (Ball et al, 2003) Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree Work is valued score 3.5 3.05 2.75 2.4 2.1 Table 6 – Respondents Indicating They Want to Leave Nursing Percentages (Ball et al, 2003) 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55 and over Would leave 14.7 23 31 32.5 27 33 30 26 Planning to leave 5 9 10.5 9 7 7 11 34 The survey uncovered that the respondents who indicated a desire to leave the profession if they could was correlated strongly with their perception of a lack of advancement and or promotion opportunities. And those who feel that their work is valued indicated that they would either stay or did not indicate an intention or consideration of leaving. The preceding seemingly points to job satisfaction as the more important factor among nurses, feeling appreciated and valued, rather than low pay, which is cited often as a problem as well as advancement opportunities. Morale as well as being or feeling rewarded thus tends to fall closely with feeling valued and or appreciated as a reason for motivating nurses. In terms of correlating the information and findings uncovered as a result of the RCN membership survey conducted in 2003 (Ball et al, 2003) the Kings Fund survey of ‘Morale and Motivation’ in the NHS represents a interesting manner in which to compare results to determine whether motivation for nurses is dependent on job satisfaction or financial incentives. The Kings Fund survey indicated that while it is difficult to measure the way in which individuals feel regarding their work, the survey indications pointed to morale as well as motivation in the NHS as being low. The Kings Fund survey identified three distinct factors that affect both moral and motivation (Kings Fund, 2002): whether of not the staff feel they are valued, the working environment, and resources and pay scales These same three aspects were correlations reached in the RCN membership survey conducted in 2003 (Ball et al, 2003) and thus provides a strong case for the fact that job satisfaction seemingly represents the key motivational factor for nurses in the NHS. The Kings Fund summary indicated that nurses as well as doctors have elected to leave their positions in the NHS as well as to retire early in large numbers (Ball et al, 2003). The preceding has been found to be in huge part that NHS staff members feeling that they are not valued by the government as well as the media, which has been critical of their performance and quality of service, which reflects in shaping public perceptions to a great degree. The Kings Fund (2002) survey points to the example of hospitals in the United States that have been successful in the attraction and retention of nurses which studies have attributed to their including staff in decision making aspects to increase their perception of value and worth as we ll as involvement and control. The Kings Fund study indicated that the major factors that affect morale as well as motivation are as follows (Kings Fund, 2002): Working Environment The study found that the quality of the working environment which respect primarily to the staffing levels, speed of reform and the depth of same are major factors affecting morale as well as motivation. It indicated that too much change as well as too much political control represent de-motivating factors and represent key reasons that individuals indicate as desiring to leave employ in the NHS. Feeling Valued The RCN membership survey (Ball et al, 2003) strongly indicated the importance of ‘feeling valued’ in the workplace representing an extremely strong factor in job satisfaction. The Kings Fund study stated that the value which nurses as well as other staff members perceived as a result of groups outside of the NHS such as politicians, the public as well as the media were highly important in this equation. The Kings Fund study indicated that like the American hospitals, those NHS facilities that involve nurses in decision making, planning and policy have a happier and higher motivated workforce with lower turnover rates. The Kings Fund study also included focus group discussions out of which ‘feeling valued’ emerged as the key determinant defining morale and motivation. The critical issues identified from these sessions where as follows: Perceived Worth The study uncovered that the general consensus among those in the focus group was that they did not feel valued as professionals by members of their own profession who had higher educational achievements or degrees, as well as the public. Levels of Support Staff members indicated that they feel that they are not supported by politicians as well as employers, citing that the public perception of the NHS had changed after the government blamed NHS staff for service quality. Importantly, those focus group members who reported and or felt they were listened to felt motivated. Recognition and Treatment The status of treatment, in terms of recognition and support was indicated as an important consideration by members of the focus group study with regard to their feelings concerning their job and satisfaction with it. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is a category that is in lock step with morale and motivation, according to the Kings Fund study, and represents reasons linked with the intention to leave or as to why they have left employment. The foregoing includes factors such as the nature of the work, if there are advancement opportunities and other factors linked to job satisfaction. Resources and Pay In this context, resources referred to how well the service segment of the hospital facility is resourced overall as well as the manner in which staff members are rewarded. The foregoing highly influences morale as well as motivation as reported by medical managers and doctors. While some of the preceding areas seemingly do not correlate as being endemic to the examination of motivation and whether job satisfaction or financial incentives are the key to involvement for nurses, it was deemed important to draw a larger picture of the context to thus magnify the areas of importance within this context. The foregoing approach enables the research findings to draw upon additional information from which to support the rationales as well as aid in the formulation of the conclusion that the data suggests and points to. The foregoing also aids in the analysis of the primary research survey which represented a sampling of just 22 individuals. Chapter 3 Methodology The methodology utilized in equating the examination as to whether motivation at work for nurses in the NHS is dependent upon job satisfaction or financial incentives was conducted utilizing primary research in the form of a small survey as well as secondary research surveys as conducted by the RCN, the Kings Fund, Margaret Callaghan (2003, pp. 82-89), and ‘The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform’ along with varied theories on job satisfaction and motivational factors. The utilization of five differing survey and studies on the subject were conducted to ensure that the conclusions drawn from this information was based upon having enough information from which to read into the examination. The secondary surveys and studies were both comprehensive as well as large and the topic field, while not specifically devoted to the examination as posed herein, did contain enough data, questions, elements and points to enable their use as viable information sources. Gr aph data was converted to tables herein to present the data in a more comprehensive and readable format. The utilization of various articles and news sources aided in identifying the past as well as the current temper of conditions, moods and attitudes in the NHS from the perspective of nurses as well as governmental actions and public opinions. The preceding enabled the establishment of an historical perspective, and the legislative actions undertaken by the United Kingdom government in the form of the â€Å"The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment: A Plan for Reform† (NHS, 2000) and the â€Å"NHS Improvement Plan† (Department of Health, 2004). The consensus of the overall effect of these plans is that the government has indeed made some progress in the hiring of additional nurses, doctors and technicians as well as introducing pay scale incentives, however, as stated by the BBC (2003) the NHS is still threatened with a shortfall of 50,000 nurses who are due to retire over the next five years despite the hiring of 40,000 extra nurses since 1997. The historical research utilize d as part of the methodology provided background information on the internal problems of the NHS which includes the fact that a large proportion of the 40,000 hired NHS nurses were obtained through foreign recruiting and that the pay incentive measures only reached 15,000 nurses in terms of the 12% pay raise (BBC News, 2003). Wheatcroft (2006) summarized the preceding in stating that all of the additional funds that have been provided to the N

Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus - An Insatiable Desire for Knowledge,

Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus - Corrupted by an Insatiable Desire for Knowledge, Wealth And Power The Renaissance period is characterized by a grand desire for acquisition of knowledge and a passion for emerging individuality.   "Scholars and educators   . . . began to emphasize the capacities of the human mind and the achievements of human culture, in contrast to the medieval emphasis on God and contempt for the things in this world" (Slights 129).   However, the whirlwind of change brought on by the budding ideas of Humanist thinkers was met with a cautious warning by one the greatest writers of the era.   Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus acts as mask, containing and disguising the dramatist's criticisms of Renaissance thinking.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus is, in many ways, reflective of humankind's struggle to balance new ideas with existing traditional thoughts as the world neared the 17th century.   At the time this play was written, "Elizabethans saw the world as a vast, unified, hierarchical order, or 'Great Chain of Being,' created by God" (139).   At the very depths of this hierarchy lay the innate objects and at the top sat God and the angels, with the plant and animal kingdoms falling somewhere in the middle.   Humans were believed to sit just above the animals, as they possessed souls and free will.   It is said that humans could develop and reside "a little lower than the angels" or degenerate and fall to the level of the animals (139).   Faustus is striving to rise towards the angels in his quest for human advancement, but ironically, he ends up plummeting to the depths of Hell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The drama Dr. Faustus illustrates Marlowe's two main concerns for the human mind at the turn of the 17th ... ...twines the vast differences with prolific language and a shocking storyline.   The play's tragic conclusion marks Marlowe's detachment from the morale plays of his generation.   Its tragic conclusion leaves the Renaissance audience with a sense of despair, but also with a resolve to avoid the wicked desires embodied by Faustus. Works Cited Barnett, Sylvan, ed. Doctor Faustus / Christopher Marowe: edited and with an introd. by Sylvan Barnett. New York: New American Library, 1969. Etienne, Gilson. Reasons and Revelations in the Middle Ages. New York: New York, 1938. Marlowe, Christopher.   "Doctor Faustus."   The Genius of the Early English Theatre.   Sylvan Barnet, Morton Berman & William Burto, eds.   New York:   Meridian, 1990. 95-161. Slights, William. New Ways of Looking at the Renaissance. Binghamton, New York: Renaissance English Text Society, 1993.

The Exploitative Colony of Virginia Essay -- American America History

The Exploitative Colony of Virginia I believe that the early settlers of the colony of Virginia made it into an exploitative and ignorant colony, due to the fact that it was set up primarily to make a small number of individuals wealthy while ignoring the rights of its other members. In the year 1607, a group of adventurers from the Virginia Company established the first English-American colony in the Chesapeake Bay area (Greene, 1988). They landed in Jamestown, and it became the first English settlement to survive in the New World. They named the colony Virginia. In its early history, Virginia was known for its drive to conquer the land and in some cases people, so that it would bring its main benefactors wealth and power (Morton, 1960). This is where the colony of Virginia became highly exploitative because of the greediness of so few people. The wealth and power that these benefactors were looking for mainly came from the growing of tobacco, a labor intensive crop, which was sold in the European market. In order to grow this crop they needed workers to maintain the fields, however, at this time Virginia was characterized as having a high mortality rate. Thus, they had to go out and find a source of laborers. They went out and at first got the labor they needed by recruiting indentured servants from England. These economically poor Europeans were used and abused by their own people, but not as much as the as the black African slaves. In the mid-seventeenth century, slaves became the main source of labor for the labor starved colony, so that the cultivation of the tobacco plantations would continue. The Europeans degraded these people and treated them in some cases, as bad as a dog treats a fire hydrant. One group ... ...4. Greene, Jack; Pursuits of Happiness; University of North Carolina Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1988. Kate, Stanley & Murrin, John; Colonial America, Essay in Politics and Social Development; U.N.C. Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1983. Morton, Richard; Colonial Virginia, volume one; U.N.C. Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1960. Sale, Kirkpatrick; The Conquest of Paradise; First Plumb Printing; New York, New York; 1991. Tate, Thad & Ammerman, David; The Chesapeake in the Seventeenth Century; U.N.C. Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1979. Todd, Lewis & Curti, Merle; Rise of the American Nation, volume one; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Press; New York, New York; 1968. Welty, Paul; Readings in World Cultures; Lippincott Company; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1970. Wilson, Samuel; Natural History, The Unmanned Wild Countrey

“Match Girl” by Anne Bishop Essay

Anne Bishop bases her story, â€Å"Match Girl, off of Hans Christian Andersen’s â€Å"Little Match Girl†, but she adds a disturbing twist. Bishop uses so much torture and violence that as a reader you want no more. â€Å"Little Match Girl† was a story based on an innocent little girl having to face the cold heart of society. On the other hand, â€Å"Match Girl† was a story based on a young girl that has to face a disgusting and cruel world. The misery and cruelty that Bishop adds to her story is too much for this story to gain credibility. The story starts off with Phoenix already having to suffer from her owner’s cruelty. Just like the little girl in Andersen’s story Phoenix is suffering from cold and torn boots, but in Bishop’s story we get to meet her owners. In this tale we have characters that we can hate. Thanks to all of the characters that Bishop’s uses we are able to get a background story, a setting, and are able to have other feelings besides sadness. To start off with her owners were too cruel. Da had no voice throughout the story and the only action he had that was seen was when he hit Moll. Moll is a cold-hearted woman that treats Phoenix badly probably because she is also living a miserable life. She is forced to live in a man’s world. The men in her life control her and at the first chance she gets to show power and control she takes it. At first it seems like she is the only cruel character but that title is removed once we meet the rest of the characters. Moll and Da’s son does not fall too far from the tree. William is a disgusting creature that should have never been given life. He is absolutely good for nothing and does nothing besides shove his penis into innocent and defenseless Phoenix. He gets away with so much and no one says or does anything, not even Phoenix. But William is only a fraction of all the disgusting males in this story. The worst scene in this story is the one when all the men take a turn on raping Phoenix. She has a spoon that is violently hurting her mouth, meanwhile she has men violently rape her one right after the other. These men are completely heartless and time and again Bishop includes scenes of other women being punished by the men when they don’t do what they are told. Bishop only shows the men in the story as being drunk, violent, and horny. It’s as if she is trying to make a greater argument besides the cruel society that Phoenix lives in. All the men in this story are completely useless and do not have any actions besides violence and sex. This violence and sex is what leads critics to say that the cruelty takes credibility away. It is just too much for one girl to stand. There is too much misery for one story too hold. Anne Bishop said, â€Å"While I embellished or modified details to fit the fictional place, I didn’t make up the instruments of torture. They all existed† (Pg 247). I seem to disagree with Bishop. These â€Å"modified details† did not fit this fictional place. It was too much torture for one story, for one specific character to endure. Although Phoenix saw other women being hurt in different ways, she still had to endure watching them suffer. Phoenix when through too much and although in real life humans also have to endure torture and cruelty, I don’t believe anyone will ever go through all that Phoenix went through. I understand that the methods of torture used are real and were used; I just wish Bishop had cut done a bit on all the horrible things that happened to Phoenix. Phoenix didn’t deserve anything that happened to her, but she continued to be kicked around in more misery until the end. This story was really hard to read and accept. The imm ense cruelty took away from the credibility of the tale.

Gap Years: Are They Worth The Risk? Essay

Every year, students fresh out of high school re locate to a new temporary home for college, ready to start the next chapter of life. While eager to do so, many students do not have a clue to what they want to pursue or pick majors that they are unsure of. A recent study released by ACT, College Choice Report Part 1: Preferences and Prospects, stated that nearly 80% of high school students taking the ACT selected a major they intended to select in college. However, 64% of those students choose a major that did not fit with their academic strengths and interests. This could have the possibility of increasing the number of students who change their majors which is never a bad thing, but time is money in the economy, and money is something that should not be wasted. Many students will not admit such a secret, but most are not ready to start college and are still slightly burned out from the work of high school. A solution to this problematic situation is an old trend, yet still commonly popular around the world, called a â€Å"Gap Year†. Taking time off may seem like a dangerous thought, but it is important to take time to dedicate yourself to finding out who you are, that’s why a gap year can help you save money in the long run, expand your knowledge of the world around you and even help your grades. One of the most difficult periods of life for a young adult, is college. Studying for classes, commuting, new expectations, and the list could go on for a long time, but one thing that tops it all is student debt. It is important to pick the right school and the right major, because if not, a lot of valuable time and money is wasted that could have gone into something that was a much better fit. This is where a â€Å"gap year† could be a helpful solution in the long run. It may not seem like a great idea at first and can even seem ludicrous that this idea could even save money, but if done correctly it can. The idea is that by taking a couple of months or a year off, the student should get a job, something that is new and can tech he or  she a new set of skills, volunteer for a charity or help around the community. â€Å"I’ve had parents tell me their child would probably have dropped out after first semester or year because they were so turned off by their classes in the academic experience, but a gap year helped them get excited and gave them a focus.† (Bull). Doing these activities can help one work through the process of finding their true calling and could possibly help them decide what major is right for them. Instead of diving head first off the highest cliff and into the cold, murky water below, the student has instead decided to take the scenic route and dip their feet into the clear water of the beaches. However, this can also be a bad idea for the irresponsible or lazy people who decide to take a year off. If instead of working they decide to slack off, they have wasted time and money that could be put towards their future and discovering more about the world and themselves. With so much around to explore, there is only a limited amount of time to do so while being young. While being young, our wallets are either empty from not working or full from working too much, and with school and curfews, these limits present a barricade to going far and exploring. College is a time to break these limits and explore, but there are still those barricades to a certain degree, which in life there will always be. But taking a gap year lessens the limits by extreme lengths, even promoting travelling and getting outside the usual comfort zone. By taking time off you learn a horizon of new things and get to explore uncharted areas of life that can be helpful to know for the future. Colleges, like Princeton and the University of North Carolina, are even supportive of this trend and even offer scholarships to scholars who decide to embark on such a journey (Hoder). There are a range of programs that offer to help youth during this time, and these organizations like the American Gap Association and USA Gap Fairs, are expanding very quickly to help young adults travel or with advice on how to tackle their own gap year. One issue with this however, is that there needs to be research and a plan before anything. Many students wait last minute and eagerly just don’t sign up for classes. They then realize that they have no clue what they want to do or that they may have chosen the wrong activity. Choosing the wrong program is similar to choosing the wrong major,  and while it may not be that expensive, it is still money going down the drain. That is why it is a good idea to brainstorm in advance what programs and places to travel may be a better fit and could possibly benefit the student’s future. Grades in high school are very important, but if there is one thing that makes that statement look like a soft teddy bear, it is grades in college, the flaming pits of hell. College is the key to anyone’s future and can make it or break it in certain cases. If pursuing a degree or major that the student is not interested in, there is a higher chance of that student letting their grade slip into turmoil. Robert Clagett, a senior admissions officer from Harvard has found that students who have taken a gap year, before rushing into college life, have GPAs that, on a 4.0 scale, are 0.15 to 0.2 higher than otherwise would be expected. In Randye Hoder’s article, â€Å"Why Your High School Senior Should Take a Gap Year†, she interviews A young woman, Corrine Monaco, who had gone to an academically rigorous school in New York, and by her second semester of her senior year, she was burned out from the hard work. She knew she couldn’t go diving back into school. She decided to then spend a few months traveling across the country. When she finally got to college, she was genuinely excited to be back in the classroom again. â€Å"Taking a gap year was the best decision I ever made.† Monaco said about her experience. It is common sense that someone who is overly worked will, overtime, begin to fatigue, which will show in their work academically or professionally. However, taking time off should be used to focus on the future or beneficial activities, and the main goal should be to return to school. If sight of that is lost, then a gap year could have been for nothing if wasted and nothing was learned. But not going to school doesn’t mean a gap year was also a waste. Some people could cross paths with a great opportunity that would not present itself again if they decided to stay on track and go to school. That is what a gap year is all about, finding ones path outside of the pressure from the world. A gap year can be the greatest experience or a complete waste of time, depending on how one looks at it. A negative stigma follows the trend, with many believing that once you take time off, you will not want to return.  Many people will deny this, but deep down, does anyone? When we take time off and spend it relaxing and exploring life, why would anyone want to return to the monotonous routine of school and work. But a gap year is supposed to solve that and help you find, not a job or something to make money, but a passion or a career that you want to do, not need to do. With society’s strong emphasis on money, which is a necessity of life in our time and era, many students zoom through their youth with their nose to the grindstone, missing out on life and lessons that may only present themselves once. It may not be for everyone, but a gap year is definitely something to consider if one is unsure of life and what direction they would like to take and can be very helpful if done right and with a positive outlook the journey and life itself. Sources 1. Blakmon, Olivia. â€Å"Just the Stats: Majority of College-Bound Students Select Wrong Majors.† – Higher Education. N.p., 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. 2. Driscoll, Emily. â€Å"Taking a Gap Year: What Students Should Consider.† Fox Business. N.p., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. 3. Hoder, Randye. â€Å"Why Your High School Senior Should Take a Gap Year.† Time. Time, 14 May 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014. 4. Strutner, Suzy. â€Å"10 Reasons You Should Take A Gap Year.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.