Article Review Essay

The article, School Counseling Outcome: A Meta-Analytic Explanation of Interventions, written by Whiston, S., Tai, W., Rahardja, D., and Eder, K. is research done to show if certain interventions and techniques used by school counselors are effective. The article discussed two types of studies, one with controlled comparisons and another involving pre and posttest differences. The article began with the history of counseling and the model counselors are using. Campbell and Dahir’s (as cited in Whiston, Tai, Rahardja, & Eder, 2011), â€Å"specified that school counselors should coordinate a program that facilitates academic, career, and personal social development†. Many schools and counselors have been following Gysber’s and Henderson’s model which has four program components supported by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). They include guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support. There has been limited research done on these components to conclude if the interventions are effective. â€Å"A major problem with the reviews of school counseling is that they are not able to indicate the degree to which school counseling interventions influence student outcome† (Whiston, Tai, Rahardja, & Eder (2011). In the article there were some major strengths and gains. There was evidence that specific interventions work with certain groups. The research also supports the need for school counselor to be more involved with all students, since there is a positive effect when students have been working with a guidance counselor. Yet, we still need more  research in the elementary level to see how we can support the younger students more effectively. There were also some major limitations noted about the study. This included not having enough supported information on how the interventions or treatments were conducted, missing valuable information, not having reliable standardized assessments, not following up to see how the interventions helped, and the study was done with only specific interventions. They also concluded that there were specific gains in certain areas, but could not identify how they got those results. The conclusions of the studies indicate that students who receive services from a counselor scored higher on standardized test. Counseling also helped with discipline, problem solving, and career knowledge compared to students not receiving any interventions. This shows the importance of having a school counselor and the role they play in making a difference in the lives they touch. Both studies indicated the â€Å"effectiveness of a balance approach to school counseling that provides a guidance curriculum to all students and responsive services that respond to students’ issues† (Whiston, Tai, Rahardja, & Eder, 2011). In this study we can see how important a school counselor is to students facing difficult issues. It is noted how some interventions can help a student be successful with academics, social interactions, and behavior. After reading this article I can see how effective counseling can be for all students. As an elementary teacher I will try to use a strategic comprehensive guidance program and data to guide my instruction. Using information from teachers, parents and administration I can plan my lessons to better meet the needs of students. Following up with students and keeping data on interventions will be a priority. References: Whiston, S. C., Tai, W., Rahardja, D., & Eder, K. (2011). School counseling outcome: A meta†analytic examination of interventions. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 89(1), 37-55. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2011.tb00059.x

Theory and Practice of Work with Young People

‘The group constituted an open air society, a communal gathering which had great importance socially, culturally and economically. ——— During each nightly meeting the young worker, once fully integrated, listened, questioned, argued and received unawares an informal education..' (Roberts in Smith, 1998:24). Describing his experience of street groups in the early part of the 20th century, Roberts uses the term ‘informal education' to describe the accidental learning that took place as a direct result of the interaction between young working men. But can what we call ‘informal education' in the 21st century be described as accidental? Mark Smith argues that whilst: ‘Learning may at first seem to be incidental it is not necessarily accidental; actions are taken with some purpose. The specific goal may not be clear at any one time – yet the process is deliberate.' (Smith, 1994:63). Throughout this assignment I shall be exploring the term ‘informal education', examining its origins and meanings, its purpose and practice. Using historical information to examine the early roots of present day youth work, I shall asking whether anything has really changed in the past 150 years by exploring the issues that I face in my day to day practice as a youth and community worker. In 1755 Jean Jacques Rousseau published his work ‘A Discourse on Inequality' and argued that as civilisations grew, they corrupted: ‘Mans natural happiness and freedom by creating artificial inequalities of wealth, power and social privilege' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm) In 1801 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi published How Gertrude Teaches Her Children. Like Rousseau, Pestalozzi was concerned with social justice and he sought to work with those he considered to be adversely affected by social conditions, seeing in education an opportunity for improvement. (Smith, 2001). In the first half of the 20th century John Dewey published three books that built on the earlier work of educationalists like Rousseau and Pestalozzi. These works heavily influenced the development of informal education as we know it today since they: ‘Included a concern with democracy and community; with cultivating reflection and thinking; with attending to experience and the environment.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-hist.htm#theory). In 1946 Josephine Macalister Brew's book Informal Education: Adventures and Reflections, brought informal education into the realm of youth work. This was followed in 1966 by The Social Education of the Adolescent by Bernard Davies and Alan Gibson. Since then there have been numerous works on the subject of informal education, most notably, in relation to youth work, those of Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. So what exactly is informal education? Like many terms in use today, it is widely used to describe an enormous variety of settings and activities. In 1960 the Albermarle Report used it to describe youth work provision as: ‘The continued social and informal education of young people in terms most likely to bring them to maturity'. (in Smith, 1988:124). Houle (1980) favoured the experiential definition of informal education describing it as ‘education that occurs as a result of direct participation in the events of life' (In Smith, 1988:130), whilst Mark Smith said ‘one way of thinking about informal education is as the informed use of the everyday in order to enable learning' (Smith, 1988:130). In 2001 Smith went further, describing informal education that: ‘* works through and is driven by conversation * involves exploring and enlarging experience * can take place in any setting' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) And of its purpose: ‘At one level, the purpose of informal education is no different to any other form of education. In one situation we may focus on, say, healthy eating, in another family relationships. However, running through all this is a concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). Whilst I would agree with Mark Smiths definition of informal education there is and has been an enormous diversity of opinions, theories and explanations of exactly what sort of community we need for people to be happy and fulfilled. Smith's assertion that the role of informal educators is to work towards all people being able to share a ‘common life' with an emphasis on: ‘Work for the well-being of all, respect the unique value and dignity of each human being, dialogue, equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) involves a commitment to anti-oppressive practice that is expounded in much of the literature surrounding the field of informal education. But this has not always been the case and can we hand on heart honestly lay claim to practicing liberating education in our work today? Whilst Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey all identified structural inequalities and believed that ‘education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform' (Dewey in Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/e-dew-pc.htm) the application of their theories were not always applied to the work of those who first began providing services for young people. Indeed early ventures into the field of youth work are often seen as controlling not liberating and as overtly oppressive instead of anti-oppressive. ‘The early youth service history in both England and Wales has been described – as a time when work with young people was characterised by both appalling social and employment conditions and by rapid social and political change caused by the development of an industrialised urban society' (Jones & Rose, 2001:27) It is within this context that intervention by middle class societies and organisations in the 1800's was seen to be necessary in order to rescue, control and/or rehabilitate young, working class people. Concern over the working conditions of children and young people brought into being an array of groups, clubs and educational services and policies designed to rescue and protect young people from the worst excesses of employment practices and the failure of working class parents to provide a suitable and controlled home life. ‘Working class adolescents were thought to be most likely to display delinquent and rebellious characteristics – because it was widely assumed that working class parents exercised inadequate control over brutal adolescent instincts' (Humphries 1981 in Smith, 1988:9) This moral underclass discourse lays the blame for social inequalities, poverty and disaffection solely on the shoulders of the working class themselves because: ‘The problems faced are then seen not so much as structural but as personal. The central deficit is often portrayed as emotional or moral' (Smith, 1988:56). And it also suggests that: ‘Their behaviour, without coercion and control, will mean that they will remain unable to join the included majority' (Payne, 2001: handout) By the end of the 19th century, compulsory education and a growing number of welfare statutes meant that youth workers focus shifted from welfare and rescue to a concern with the moral character of young people which was underpinned by the growing influence of Victorian family ideology. ‘The Victorian middle class had very definite ideas about the ideal family and the desirability of imposing such an ideal upon the whole of society.' (Finnegan, 1999:129) This was: ‘Not just a family ideology but also a gender ideology. It was a careful and deliberate attempt to reorganise the relations between the sexes according to middle-class ways and values and then define the outcome as somehow being natural' (Smith, 1988:4) Thompson says of this view: ‘To describe, for example, the traditional male role of breadwinner as ‘natural' adds a false, pseudo-biological air of legitimacy.' (Thomspon, 2001:28) This was at a time when the ‘discovery' of adolescence by Hall and Slaughter and a biologically determined explanation of human behaviour meant that: ‘Those who saw it as their duty or job to intervene in the lives of young people, now had a suitable vocabulary of scientific terms with which to carry forward their intentions' (Smith, 1988:9) The Biological determination of human behaviour further justified differentiated gender roles within the family as well as creating an: ‘Ideology of adolescence marked out (by) a biologically determined norm of youthful behaviour and appearance which was white/anglo, middle class, heterosexual, able bodied male' (Griffin, 1993:18) However, just as family ideology was a driving force in determining social relations at the beginning of the twentieth century; it is just as powerful here in the twenty-first. Roche & Tucker say that: ‘It is through the use of the representations (discursive messages and images) contained within ‘family ideology' that social policies and educational and welfare arrangements are constructed and maintained.' (Roche & Tucker 2001:94) Gittins agreed: ‘Family ideology has been a vital means – the vital means – of holding together and legitimising the existing social, economic, political and gender systems.' (Gittins in Roche & Tucker 2001:94) This is significant if Driver and Martell are correct in asserting that present day ‘Labour increasingly favours conditional, morally prescriptive, conservative and individual communitarianisms' (Driver & Martell, 1997:27) which Etzioni believed would right the social problems of today that are attributable to the ‘failure of people to exercise social and moral responsibility' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22). Etzioni emphasised the role of the traditional nuclear family in inculcating in children the right moral standards and he described communitarianism saying: ‘Communitarians – call for a peer marriage of two parents committed to one another and their children' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22) Like the Victorians, present day government can be seen as equally keen to legislate into being their ideology of the nuclear family through the use of stricter divorce laws and punitive measures imposed on single parents. The decision to cut lone parent premiums from income support and child benefit in 1998 are examples of a willingness to impose their ideology on society as a whole despite the fact that what they are proposing as ‘normal' or ‘natural' is not bourn out statistically. ‘The ideological norm of the nuclear family is often presented as if it were a statistical norm whereas, in fact, only 23% of households follow the nuclear family pattern of biological parents with their dependent children.' (Thompson, 2001:28) Michael Anderson also points out that despite the belief that the traditional family has only recently become fragmented, marital break up was a regular feature of 19th century Britain and is not peculiar to the 20th century. Comparing marital dissolution caused by death in 1826 and by death and divorce in 1980, Anderson concluded that: ‘The problem of marital break-up is not then new – (it) was clearly, statistically, an equally or even more serious problem' (Anderson in Drake, 1994:73) However, this desire and determination to bring about a particular kind of society influenced by a set of morals and ideals is reminiscent of Mark Smiths definition of the purpose of informal education as: ‘A concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). The only real difference lies in the definition of what makes for community fulfilment and happiness. Smith says that informal education: ‘Involves setting out with the intention of fostering learning. It entails influencing the environment and is based on a commitment to certain values..' (Smith, 1999:19). It would not be difficult to describe the efforts of the middle class in the 19th century in such a way although with our 21st century eyes we now believe we can read the intended control and oppression of working class communities behind their ideals. But in the 21st century are we actually doing much better? If our suspicions concerning the intentionality behind the actions of Victorian middle class youth workers are correct, can we say our own intentionality is any purer? If intentionality can be understood as power as defined by Bertrand Russell when he says that power is the ‘production of intended effects' (in Jeffs & Smith, 1990:5), we could be accused of wielding power in order to create the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm), according to our own philosophies, beliefs and current hegemonic principles, in much the same way that we accuse the middle class philanthropists of the 19th century. Is the ability to wield power to effect change in the lives of others conducive with a practice that has at its heart a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice which: ‘Means recognising power imbalances and working towards the promotion of change to redress the balance of power' (Dalrympole & Burke, 2000:15). As professional workers we can also be considered middle class? All of which begs the question, have we more in common with our predecessors than we like to think? It is certainly possible that they too thought they were operating with the same ‘moral authority' that Jeffs & Smith describe as part of an informal educators role in: ‘Being seen by others as people with integrity, wisdom and an understanding of right and wrong' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:85) Especially in their desire to provide a ‘strong guiding influence to lead them (young people) onward and upward socially and morally' (Sweatman, 1863 in Smith, 1988:12). No doubt they would also have agreed with Kerry Young's description of youth work as supporting ‘young people's moral deliberations and learning' (Young in Banks, 1999:89). But early youth workers cannot be described as concerned with equality and anti-oppressive practice. On the contrary, their work was: ‘Contained within particular class, gender, racial and age structures: a woman's place was in the home, to be British was to be best, betters were to be honoured and youth had to earn its advancement and wait its turn' (Smith, 1988:19) This made life extremely difficult for anyone who did not fit the stereotypical image of British youth. Tolerance and respect for other races and religious systems was not a feature of informal education and, for example, the estimated 100,000 Jewish immigrants that arrived in Britain between 1840 and 1914 had great difficulty: ‘Maintaining a distinctive culture in a climate of oppression and restriction – (coupled with) pressures – to acculturate to middle-class norms' (Pryce, 2001:82) So what of my practice, of my intentionality? Do I operate from a moral underclass ideology that blames homeless young people for their situation or do I work from a redistributive discourse that sees the issue of poverty as central to the exclusion these young people experience? Can what I do in my day to day practice be termed informal education? Am I concerned with oppression and anti-oppressive practice? Much of what I and Nightstop as an agency do in our work involves enabling young people to live within a system that is discriminatory, unfair and biased towards a particular form of family ideology that suggests that young people should remain dependent on their parents until financially independent or aged 25 which means that they are entitled to lower rates of benefit. Even those young people who work find themselves living on lower wages than their older colleagues. Christine Griffin argued that the discovery of adolescence: ‘Emerged primarily as a consequence of changes in class relations as expanding capitalist economies demanded a cheap and youthful labour force' (Griffin in Roche & Tucker, 2001:18) Even today the notion that young people deserve less pay than their elders finds voice in the policies of the minimum wage which offers no restriction on wages for 16/17 year olds and a lower rate for those aged 18-22. Our continued involvement in teaching them to budget their reduced incomes could easily be described as an expression of an ideology that believes that it is the lack of skills these young people have that cause them difficulties in surviving the benefit and pay systems rather than a belief in the failure of the systems to provide adequate means of survival. And if this was all that we do we could not be described as informal educators if part of the formulae for informal education involves: ‘Equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) However, whilst enabling young people to develop the skills necessary to live independently we also encourage them to question the inequalities they face and the ideologies underpinning them. By engaging young people in conversation, which Jeffs and Smith say is ‘central to our work as informal educators' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:21), and asking ‘is that fair' and ‘why do you think that is' we encourage them to question things they take for granted as normal and natural and involve them in what Freire described as ‘problem-posing' education which encourages people to critically examine the world so they may: ‘Perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform' (Freire, 1993:31). I do not believe the same can be said for the work of early youth workers and much of the work they undertook can be understood as designed to maintain the status quo, to silence the witnesses to oppressive regimes and to control the masses that were beginning to organise themselves via the emergence of trade unions. Emile Durkheim described this type of education as ‘simply the means by which society prepares, in its children, the essential conditions of its own existence' (Giddens, 1972:203), which can be understood as a form of social control. ` The process which enforces values and maintains order is termed social control` (Hoghughi, 1983 in Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) Again the question arises, as informal educators in the 21st century are we doing much better? Sean Hart believes we may not. Social control within a context of community work may be regarded as a process of continuity. Indeed much community work, especially that of those with right wing political ideology, involves self-help and making the best of what you have. Thus, it could be argued that this kind of work reinforces the current hegemony and deflects from attempts to challenge the oppression it creates. (Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) The difficulty in this for my work is that the young people with whom I work must learn to make the best of what they have and the daily grind of finding enough to eat means that they have little energy left for dismantling oppressive regimes. As Friere said: ‘One of the gravest obstacles to the achievement of liberation is that oppressive reality absorbs those within it and thereby acts to submerge human beings consciousness' (Freire, 1993:33). And as they struggle with meeting their most basic of needs I sometimes find it difficult to justify my continuing commitment to educate them about inequality when their overwhelming deprivation is viewed from my comfortable, middle class life style. The inescapable ethical dilemma is very clear since their need pays for and justifies my existence as the manager of Nightstop. As Mark Smith says the welfare professions: ‘Provide a rich source of desirable jobs – for members of elite and middle class groups where such groups can enjoy varying degrees of power, privilege and freedom in their work' (Smith, 1988:58). And I certainly do have power, not only within my own organisation but within local government departments who actively seek my input on the development of services for homeless young people. But in order to ensure that I do not ‘help to maintain the system which supports (me)' (Smith, 1988:58) I now encourage those systems to interact directly with the young people for whom services are being designed at the same time as encouraging young people themselves to play an active part in service development by helping them develop their social intelligence. This can be described as: ‘An understanding of social rules which govern our interactions and an ability to follow or manipulate these to achieve our ends.' (Graham in Hunter, 2001:75). and although this means that I favour David Clarks model of community ‘as a collection of social systems and of individuals in community as affected by different systems' (Hunter, 2001:20) and of community development as ‘opening systems up to each other' (Hunter, 2001:112) this does not fit with Freire's view that: ‘The solution is not to â€Å"integrate† them into the structure of oppression but to transform that structure so that they can become â€Å"beings for themselves' (Freire, 1996:55). However, I also believe that young people themselves have the ability to transform the structure by virtue of their active involvement within it since I do not see young people as incapable of making a vital and valuable contribution to their communities. In this I seek to avoid the accusation that I have a ‘lack of confidence in the people's ability to think, to want and to know' (Freire, 1996:42). The same cannot be said of the youth workers in the early 20th century who felt it necessary to improve young people but without the welfare and rescue focus found it necessary to have other ways of encouraging young people to attend. This was resolved in so far as young people were to be attracted by leisure opportunities whilst support from the ruling classes could be enlisted via the aims of moral improvement so close to their heart. Baden-Powell's identification of citizenship as an answer to problematic youth in 1907 enabled him to offer up scouting and its emphasis on: ‘Observation and deduction, chivalry, patriotism, self-sacrifice, personal hygiene, saving life, self-reliance, etc' (Jeal, 1995:382) Claiming this would produce a new generation of young people who would fit more closely the ideals sought. In other words he described his practice in terms likely to fit the dominant ideology of the day in order to secure the support he needed to continue the work. Again reminiscent of today since: ‘Attempts to attract changing sources of funding have usually been accompanied by promises to elicit from young people whatever behaviour was required by the particular funding body' (Young in Banks, 1999:78). I encounter the dilemma between the needs of my organisation for funding and the desire to end the stereotypical classification of homeless young people on a regular basis as I am frequently required to describe homeless young people in terms that are labelling and oppressive in order to meet the criteria and therefore the ideology of funders which suggests that young people should be capable of independent adult life but whose efforts are actually ‘ consistently thwarted by (their) relegation to the status of a dependent underclass' (Henderson & Salmon, 1988:30). The new youth service of 1900s found that: ‘While clubs have exploited the need for recreation among working class adolescents, and combined this with their being vehicles for a conservative ideology, they did not necessarily attract large numbers' (White early 1900's in Smith, 1988:14). Concern with the numbers of young people attending youth provision is no less today than it was then. The continued need of sponsors, whether statutory or voluntary, for statistical information concerning the use of facilities and opportunities, means that we are ever pushed towards quantifying our work for evaluation purposes instead of concentrating on the quality of provision. Mark Smith says that: ‘Part of the reason for the failure to attract working class young people lies in the tension between social provision and improving aims' (Smith, 1988:14) and although he was describing the dilemmas of early youth workers I believe this is also present today. If informal education has purpose then it cannot be anything other than improving, even Jeffs and Smith say that informal education works to the ‘betterment of individuals, groups and communities' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:83). And if we are not honest and open about our improving aims, can young people be said to be participating voluntarily from a position of informed consent? The need to ‘improve' and ‘socialise' young people has continued to be a recurring theme throughout the 20th century within government policy. The Education Act of 1918 gave Local Education Authorities the power to spend money on the ‘social training of young people' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1486, In the Service of Youth (Board of Education, 1939) which said that youth services should have ‘an equal status with other educational services' (Nicholls, 1997:8) talked of the disruption the '14-20 age group had suffered in its physical and social development' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1516, The Challenge of Youth said the aim of an LEA should be to ‘develop the whole personality of individual boys and girls to enable them to take their place as full members of a free community' (Nicholls, 1997:9) whilst Circular 1577 (Board of Education 1941) required young people to register with their LEA and ‘be interviewed and advised as to how they might spend their leisure time' (Smith, 1988:35). In 1960 the Albermarle Report portrayed ‘the main job of youth work as being to help young people to become ‘healthy' adults' (Smith, 1988:49) although Mark Smith argues that the ‘second element of Albemarles vision for the youth service (was) the containment and control of troublesome youth' (Smith, 1988:71). In 1966 the Home Office Children's Department began planning: ‘Community Development Projects – to aid work preventing family breakdown and juvenile delinquency' (Nicholls, 1997:20) which effectively takes us back 100 years. Informal education since then has taken on many guises, from concern about dwindling numbers of young people attending provision, to a growing awareness that there are young people who do not attend at all, the ‘unattached' youth. However it is the continuing response to a problematic discourse that has characterised the series of moral panics about young people that has in the past and continues today to shape youth work. Conclusion Although a growing political awareness of the needs of young people who have been marginalised and excluded by society because of their race, gender, disability, sexuality and class etc., led to targeted work that was and is ‘issue based', youth work has, throughout the past 150 years, maintained its associational character (Smith, 2001). However, recent work has begun to concentrate more on the individual than the ‘social groupwork' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Smith says is fundamental to informal education. The linking of the youth service to the Connexions Strategy with its emphasis on surveillance, control and containment, coupled with an individual, case work emphasis will mean that: ‘The concern with conversation, experience and democracy normally associated with informal education is pushed to the background' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Working to state led objectives and targets that are fed by a communitarianist ideology that focuses on the family mean that what informal educators do in the twenty-first century does not differ greatly from the work undertaken in the 19th and the assumption that adults have a right to intervene in the lives of young people, from a variety of hidden agendas and purposes continues unchallenged. In 1944 Paneth asked: ‘Have we been intruders, disturbing an otherwise happy community, or is it only the bourgeois in us, coming face to face with his opponents, who minds and wants to change them because he feels threatened? Or do they need help from outside? (Paneth, 1944 in Smith, 1988:37).

Leadership and Qualities Essay

As a company that wants to grow, SPAR s Applied System Group (ASG) faces a few external and internal pressures urging the company to change in order to adapt to the new business environment. SPAR’s Applied Systems’ client base primarily consists of government-based agency, from Canada’s Department of National Defense to U.S’s Navy and Coast Guard. However due to shrinking budgets in the defense department of government-based agency, SPARs Applied Systems faces the external pressures of less sales due to lower demanded from its major clients. Along with decrease demand ASG also faces the problem of its heritage programs nearing competition, 70% of its revenues will be gone once these projects are completed. ASG also have the policy of cost plus when working on government projects, which meant if the project was delayed or went over budget ASG would have to eat the cost. Another external pressure that is forcing ASG to change is the company is technology foc us rather than customer focus, with the increasing competitions in the market ASG is ill prepare for the external pressure of growing competitiveness in their field. A major internal pressure ASG is experiencing has to do with their employees, although ASG’s employees are the most skilled in their field, the company itself did not know how to best direct their energy. The employees were comfortable working in their current environment, which means costs are not effectively allocated. With declining revenue it is critical for management to change the culture in order for the company to be more profitable. Along with the contract of cost plus it becomes clear that ASG needs to allocate their cost efficiently in order to generate profit. In conclusion none of this can be achieved without Stephen Miller. What Makes Stephen great leaders, when Stephen faced numerous challenges when he took on the role as the General Manager at ASG.? The problems that he faced were quite difficult to solve with a single solution, rather there were multiple alternatives. The greatest challenge we believe that he faced was that ASG was competition in a decreasing market, which was Government aviation and defense industry. Majority of the company’s revenues came from government contracts that were soon to be ending. The entire government spending towards defense and space aviation was decreasing and ASG had to make the transition towards more consumer based. In regards to that single problem, Stephen faced a lot of internal and external pressures. Stephen had to change the corporate culture from focusing on being technology driven to customer based. There were two kind of leadership that we think Stephen used as the GM. First it was situational leadership because, that leadership is composed of both a directive and a supportive dimension, and each has to be applied appropriately in a given situation. He actively searched out the best and the most experienced candidates in their field of work or specialty. Stephen then would guide them with both the directive and supportive dimensions until they were truly good what they did for ASG. The second leadership was the Path goal theory, the reason I saw that is because theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals. The reason why I say that is because, the company was moving in a new direction, and Stephen was trying to foster a new corporate culture. He was trying fostering team work, opening communication channels and acknowledging great performance from individuals. Stephen motivated his colleagues to believe in the new path that was set by first focusing on the employees. In addition Stephen was a transformation leader he used the Inspirational Motivation technique which fostered team spirit, motivation and provide meaning and challenge to his colleagues. The challenge that ASG faced, Stephen made every believe that was their personal problem. Lastly how did he overcome the team leadership problem? Well what Stephen has singular responsibility for running a custom that will help the group accomplish efficacy. Well team leadership incorporates both internal and external situations. Stephen did that be choosing which methods would benefits his company the most. One of the best decision Stephen did was hire Ana Solari, but what were her challenges. â€Å"Anna Solari with an experience of 10-years, worked as Human Resources Consultant for two Different commercial high technology firms† (Rowe, 244). She is relatively new to Spar Applied system and her new job as a director is to create â€Å"departmental vision and strategy for 2000† (Rowe, 241). She began her work by gathering data from a population of 341 employees and named it â€Å"Baseline Audit†. She was excited with the challenge that well established company wants to focus more on commercially oriented aviation customers than government customers. The Baseline Audit introduces several challenges to Anna and these are as follow: Anna finds that ASG functional departments operates in isolation and â€Å"upper management wanteda structure organized by process that functioned in integrated teams created for specific contracts†(Rowe, 245), So ASG improves its market share by providing products on time. Furthermore, Anna describes the corporate culture as â€Å"When I walked into was a very traditional, hierarchical organization with four or five layers of management.† (Rowe, 245) that she believe major hurdle in communication between upper management and general workers. As a result, accountability cannot be managed properly because it rests with those who possessed the â€Å"manager† title. Anna was surprise to know that work place appearance was detrimental â€Å"such as the color of the paint on the walls, poor ventilation, and questions about health and safety standards from workers.† (Rowe, 245) she wondered how the company will eliminate the next attempt of unionization, if management couldn’t motivate employees. Recruitment and training is another area, where she feels ASG should look into so new ideas and performance can be improved. As she said â€Å"they broke out of the mold a little bit when they hired me.† (Rowe, 246) Since Applied System Group is technology base department, therefore, it prefers hiring from within because they believe experience is much better than new graduate. It also limits the involvement of Human Resource department that make sure whether the worker is fit for new role. Furthermore, if an employee needs critical training which is not available within the organization then ASG sends the worker outside to community college. This practice shows that department doesn’t have enough technical staff or expertise that trains employees. In regards to the new direction of ASG under Stephen Miller, what changes were needed? From our analysis, Stephen Miller determined that ASG was unable to compete in the commercial marketplace. ASG products were marketed for government and military client and failed the ability to meet the requirement of new customers. Under the direction of Stephen miller, the changes that were needed in the HR department were (1) dramatically change the ASG culture from technology driven to market driven, (2) make possible for the division to make more money for at least six months in a row, (3) Design a global long-term strategy rather than short-term strategy to help ASG to create a culture that will allow more teamwork and open communication to increase both the flexibility and performance of the organization Anna clearly best approached to lead her HR department smoothly is using the transformational change framework. It involves an entire rethinking of how the company is structured and managed, and emphasize at eliminating the poor management skills to prevent the next unionization. In such change, instead of conforming to procedures and practices, the company needs to restructure and redefines its practices and policies. Anna experienced culture at ASG was quite formal where major problem encountered in communication between upper management and general employees, equity, behavior shifts, overtime policies and sick leave, poor working condition and little face-to-face communication are the main hurdle for HR department run smoothly. Anna best approached to loosen up the company situation is by using the transformational change framework to restructure and redefines its practices and policies.

Antigon as a Leader Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Antigon as a Leader - Article Example This essay stresses that leaders do differ from managers, considering the convictions of most scholars who have studies the differences between leaders and managers. Leaders are involved in strategic management, just as the managers. However, leaders exhibit this aspect of strategic management in their behavior as well. Another difference between leaders and managers is evident in the way these relate with people and perceptions toward work. While managers exhibit high interaction with people, leaders are considered loners with great visions. Managers also use people to get goals and visions achieved. In addition, leaders are more charismatic and empathic than managers, since these will prioritize the needs of the people at their expense. This paper makes a conclusion that in the struggle for liberation from the Apartheid rule, Mandela’s party, the ANC, adopted an approach of violence, even though previously the party had advocated for a peaceful approach. Mandela admitted to his party adopting a violence approach from the previously held peaceful policy. In his view, the peaceful approach adopted by the ANC earlier on had failed, since it did not put an end to apartheid rule. This decision to adopt violence is justified. If the ANC had not turned to violence, the whites would have never addressed the concerns of the blacks through their peaceful approach. Secondly, violence was the only option left, since all other democratic options had been closed down in the country’s legislation by the whites.

Supply and Demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Supply and Demand - Essay Example As such, if the price change leads to an equal change in commodity demanded then that results to a uni elastic demand (Ferguson, 1972) Elastic demand refers to the demand for which the price elasticity is greater than 1. As such, if the demand elasticity is greater than 1 it means that the percent change in quantity is much higher than the percent change in price. Unit elastic demand occurs if the quantity demanded is directly proportional to the price change meaning the coefficient of elasticity is equal to 1. While inelastic demand, occurs when elasticity coefficient is less than 1. This implies that the percentage change in the amount of quantity is less than the price change. Cross price elasticity of demand is the rate of change the quantity required due to the price change of the other commodity (Gillespie, 2007). As such, when two good are substitutes, consumers tend to purchase more of one good due to increase in the other substitute. Similarly, for complementary commodities, price increase in a commodity causes a reduced demand for all goods. Moreover, cross elasticity of demand points out the sensitivity of a particular commodity to price change. For a normal good, increase in income results in an increase in the demand. This is seen as the coefficient of elasticity of N>0 (Ferguson, 1972).For an inferior, an increase in price leads to a decrease in demand. In this case, the coefficient of elasticity is N1. Notably, a superior good exhibits the same coefficient of elasticity similar to normal good. Demand

Queensland Principles of Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Queensland Principles of Criminal Law - Essay Example The law provides that under subsection (1) (a), it is immaterial whether the offender did not intend to hurt the particular person who is killed. In the case at bar, there is a clear showing that Brain had the intention to cause injury by physical attacking Jonas and later on pushing him to the river, which is aggravated by the fact that he had personal knowledge that Brian doesn’t know how to swim and that he will die from drowning. Therefore, Brian cannot interpose the defence that he had no intention to kill Brian because from the start, he already manifested his intention to hurt and injure the victim. In the case of R v Willmot (No 2) [1985], the Supreme Court held that the judge or jury will apply their own common sense understanding of human behavior before deriving at a conclusion with regard to the intention of the accused. In the given example, a conviction of wilful or intentional murder requires proof that the accused intended to cause the death of the victim. Whil e intention is a subjective element, its determination requires impartiality, neutrality and devoid of any biases. Intent is derived from what the accused was thinking at the time of commission of the offence. In the absence of any direct evidence which is in the form of an admission in a full-blown trial, the intention of the accused will be decided upon based on the attendant circumstances of the time the offence committed. Intention on the part of Brian to kill Jonas is established by the fact when Brian and Darren designed a plan to beat Jonas and Marko, the two geeks who went out with their girlfriends. There is evident pre-meditation on the part of Brian and Darren because a plan was created and they carried it out until its full accomplishment. Brian and Darren are motivated by feelings of jealousy, resentment and evil motive that caused them to inflict grievous bodily harm on the Jonas and Marko. The physical injury inflicted by Brian on Jonas is a clear indication that he h ad the intention to cause grievous bodily harm on Jonas, which later was the cause of the death of Jonas. Thereafter, the final act of Brian of pushing him to fall off the bridge and land in the river to drown, manifests intent to kill was present on the part of Brian. Jonas informed Brian before hitting the water that he did not know how to swim. Brian saw this as an advantage as he pushed Jonas to the river so that he won’t have means to save himself because nobody was there to help him get out of the river. This final act of Brian ensured that Jonas will die by drowning. Without a doubt, malice and the intention to kill Jonas was present on the part of Brian. The evidence of guilt is strong and shown by Brian’s act of inflicting grievous bodily harm and pushing towards the river to drown. The element of malice is present when Brian pushed Jonas to the river and ensured his death because he knew that no one was there to save Jonas. In the case of Woolmington [1935] A C 462, for one to be convicted guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of murder, two elements must be established: 1.) death as a result of a voluntary act of the accused; and 2.) malice on the part of the accused. Here, both of the elements are present on the part of Brian. Therefore, he should be convicted for the crime of intentional murder under Section 302(1) (a). 2. DPP should charge Darren for the crime of

Behavior Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Behavior - Case Study Example In general, Clawson begins by talking about insecurities about self and the world around that start to develop when individuals do not get what they expect and/or are used to (p.3). Childhood experiences have a deep impact on individuals’ behavior and expectations. When individuals do not get what they believe is their right, it affects them negatively. To understand people for the way they behave, this article explains that most of the times behavior is defined by the individual’s experiences of their childhood. The learning obtained from this aspect is that it is not required for one to feel offended or betrayed because of somebody’s behavior that was not as expected; instead, it would be better to understand why that person behaved the way he/she did. It is more often due to some problems or challenges the other person might be facing, which he/she is unable to express. These problems are being referred to as â€Å"holes† in personality by Clawson (p.3) . Clawson further adds that it is important to move on instead of clinging to the issues that left us dissatisfied. When we decide to move on, we free our mind of negative thoughts and feelings, which is important for our wellbeing. Clawson talks about memes, which can have significant impact on our beliefs. Memes are mental building blocks that determine our behavior as they shape our beliefs; however, these memes are temporary. So, it is important to identify memes and not allow these memes to affect relationships because of their impact on persons’ behavior. A very important learning in general is that our actions or reactions to the happenings around us are purely because of our choice and are not because of any external influence (p.9). So, if we choose to be happy we can, and if we choose to be negative affected by the circumstances, we can. So, all negative feelings are because of our own choice, which can be controlled through thoughtful approach to the difficult time s of life. Our personal set of Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations (VABE) determine our view of the world and circumstances rather than the reality of the circumstances. These VABEs vary with every individual, culture, country and religion. These VABEs determine the behavior of individuals (Clawson, p.14). In a family, it is important to learn that what we learn and experience as children, up to an age of 10, determine our values in later life even if the situations completely change. So, it becomes important as to what the parents, guardians, teachers etc instil in children through behavior and observation that would eventually determine their life values. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that our behavior is influenced by our actions, thoughts, feelings and physiology (p.10). Memes are also important because these memes will have a significant impact on children’s beliefs and behavior. Family is the first source of memes in an individual’s life and determine the lifestyle (Renshaw, p.11). Clawson’s article provides numerous points of learning for leaders. Firstly, leaders have the responsibility of influencing and motivating followers towards accomplishing a desired task (Pierce, p.257). In these contexts, for leaders, Clawson (p.5) justifies that it would be ideally impossible to effectively lead with expectations of being able to completely influence their followers. This is because all individuals’

Compare the differences and similarities in how stories are framed Assignment

Compare the differences and similarities in how stories are framed - Assignment Example There is a quote from the nuclear specialist who narrates his meeting after the disaster with his wife and children (MSNBC, 19 March 2011). By including this real life experience, the report gets more close to the human disaster rather than dwelling only on technical details. While reporting the radiation contamination of food items, Fox News has included crucial information that others have not- the tap water also has become contaminated with radiation (Fox News, 19 March 2011). This is important information and missing this does not go well with other news agencies. Fox News also has included the emotional account of the nuclear specialist about meeting his family (Fox News, 19 March 2011). Fox News has also given a brief history of the disaster by telling how it started and through which phases it developed (Fox News, 19 March 2011). It is a good practice to keep the viewers informed about the history of an event when it is a running story. CNBC has not made th food contamination a major headline and has given it as only a sub-heading to the main heading, ‘Japan Sees Some Stabilization in Nuclear Crisis’ (19 March 2011).

Thougt it Was Safer Than Starting His Own Business Case Study

Thougt it Was Safer Than Starting His Own Business - Case Study Example Secondly, since he rose through the ranks, having retired as a senior execute from the previous firm makes Fred highly skilled in terms of possessing the knowledge, abilities and skills needed to operate a franchise within the same industry. However, there is disparity in the specific service offered by the previous organization he was employed with (automotive parts) and that of his franchise (car repair). Therefore, in terms of having direct and previous experience on operating a car repair business, Fred seemed to start as a neophyte in this kind of business endeavor. 2. Evaluate Fred’s misconceptions about being a franchisee. Speculate how common these misconceptions may be for all new franchisees. As indicated in the case facts, Fred perceived that there were apparent misconceptions in terms of â€Å"being his own boss and running his own company† (The Franchise Handbook, 2000, par. 5). According to Gappa (2012), â€Å"there are many misconceptions about franchising, but probably the most widely held is that you as a franchisee are "buying a franchise." In reality you are investing your assets in a system to utilize the brand name, operating system and ongoing support. You and everyone in the system are licensed to use the brand name and operating system† (Gappa, 2012, par. 5). ... red’s assertion that one of the misconceptions of franchising is thinking that when one enters into a franchising agreement, the franchisee would be his own boss and would run his own company. As a franchise, all the terms of the franchisor would be followed and adhered to. Likewise, it was emphasized that â€Å"as a franchisee you own the assets of your company, which you have chosen to invest in someone else's brand and operating system and ongoing support. You own the assets of your company, but you are licensed to operate someone else's business system† (Gappa, 2012, par. 11). It could be therefore common for new franchisees to assume that by entering into a franchise agreement, the new venture would give one the opportunity to own a business and be one’s own boss – since one would invest considerable amount of funds that could be parallel with investing on establishing a practically new business venture. The only difference in franchising is that one opted to invest in a previously established business with previously established historical performance to gauge customer’s response to the product (or service) and therefore provide a plus factor in terms of image, core competence and competitive advantage. 3. Suggest what Fred could have done differently to be better informed and advise Fred on action he can or should take now knowing his situation. For new entrepreneurs and business practitioners who are thinking of starting a new business venture or opting to enter into a franchising agreement, to be better informed, there must have been a more comprehensive and extensive research undertaken on the alternative courses of action: to establish a new business venture or to enter into a franchising agreement. There are advantages and disadvantages to both

Cornish identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cornish identity - Essay Example In a society, an individual takes different roles, which is why his identity too changes with each context. An individual is identified as a person, as a part of a community, religion, culture, race, gender and so on. As today's societies are multicultural, people of different cultures co-exist and identities are being given more prominence. People follow diverse religions and come from different races. National identity in the contemporary world means a group of people following the social culture. Even people of different religions speak the same language, eat the same food, dress in a similar way, and follow a common lifestyle and social behavior. "Thus, culture determines national identity. Culture makes a nation's growth and evolution possible; culture is an ingrained aspect of society through its historical experience rather than a collection of codes or conventions that are imposed by theocratic or secular state systems." (Koushan 2008). A knowledge about their separate religi ons and races will not act as a barrier in being a part of the nation in which they live. This paper analyses the Cornish identity and its formation using examples.Benedict Anderson, in his article 'Imagined Communities' say that nation is just a concept created by the society. Individuals in a nation are not all familiar with each other. Still, there exists a kind of nationhood in them when someone represents their nation in international events. I propose the following "definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community - and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign." (Anderson 1999, p.6). Cornwall is a part of the British Isles, where a vast majority of its inhabitants consider themselves as Cornish and not as British or English. The Cornish people are proud of their Cornish identity and consider Cornwall as a different imagined community. Bernard Deacon in his book says, "Our names therefore define who we are in the present, who we were in the past and the imagined community to which we belong now and once belonged." (Deacon 2004, p.56). Presently, the inhabitants of Cornwall include a lot of immigrant people, reducing the percentage of population of Cornish birth to 50. However, studies show that it is not the number that matters, but their thoughts. Carrick District council did a private sector housing survey in 1996 and it was found that despite a low percentage of native Cornish people, more than 37 percent of the population called themselves Cornish and not their original ethnic group. "Again, this implies a considerable willingness to self-define as 'Cornish'. This is especially the case as the Cornish-born are more likely to be in public sector housing." (Perceptions). Cornishness is represented and evident in their language, sports, politics, geography and even commercial products. "Despite the communications and transport revolution, international media and the inward migration of the twentieth century, Cornwall remains nevertheless decidedly special." (Cornwall 2007). Among these, Cornish language is of great significance in their lives. In the sixteenth century, English was imposed on the Cornish people and this was opposed and resisted by many people. As a result, modern Cornish emerged in the eighteenth century. It was successfully revived in the twentieth century with slight changes and Cornish is a language which people commonly use to speak and write. This situation is the result of a conscious effort to revive the language. Now, it is taught in schools and colleges in order to popularize it even more. There are films made in Cornish. Cornwall has hosted the International Celtic Film Festival in which Cornish films are included. There are magazines in Cornish and many shops are named in Cornish. As a result, the UK government officially recognized Cornish language as a minority language, which is a real achievement for the Cornish people. Nick Raynsford, the Local government and Regions Minister said, "This is a positive step in acknowledging the symbolic

Complacency case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Complacency case - Essay Example Her immense reputation on handling any infant in the NICU should enable her to handle even the critically ill infants (Hamlin, 2011). Her failure to read professional journals and her argument and ignorance may make her responsible for any infant death associated with her career (Hamlin, 2011). By believing that her hand are more profession on experience than what a researchers article could ever be. She has no incentives to read articles and practice what she reads. Lack of this and her ignorance leads to a rapid infant mortality (Hamlin, 2011). Deborah’s suction and the employment of another nurse will lead to less infant death rates (Hamlin, 2011). This will be applicable because this new nurse will be handling all the cases unlike Deborah who handles only what she can hold on to she never makes the effort to try a read the ways of handling critically sick infants (Hamlin, 2011). The infants that are critically ill will benefit together with their families. Low mortality rates means that most of the critically ill infants will be facing intensive care from a widely learned nurse (Hamlin, 2011). Goals will only be achieved by the reduction of infant’s death rates (Hamlin, 2011). The employment of the new nurse will ensure that the critically ill infants are taken care of according to the clinical books journals and basic knowledge (Hamlin, 2011). Deborah applied only the knowledge she knew, and she had a false believe (Hamlin, 2011). By believing that her experience was enough for her job, yet she did not care for the critically ill infant was wrong. Every intellect in certain courses needs more additional knowledge in his or her area of specialization no matter how experienced a profession is with that certain case (Hamlin, 2011). The effectiveness of changing a nurse as soon as possible will lead to good health monitoring (Hamlin, 2011). The problem that Debora made was that she misused her handling for the rate

Interpretation of Matthew Passage Essay Example for Free

Interpretation of Matthew Passage Essay The book of Matthew is one of the four epistles. This in other words is to mean that the book, which is in New Testament, happens to be the first book that records the teachings of Jesus Christ, at the believed time when He was on the earth. In this paper, the interpretation will come from Matthew chapter 6 verses 25-34. These verses contain Christ Jesus teachings on how Christians should live here on earth independently but with the divine intervention of their God. This in other words is to mean that the verses emphasizes on God and Christians perceptions of possessions. Different strategies of argumentation will be used to discuss this chapter, that is, verse by verse interpretation will be one of the strategic ways of interpretation of the chapter. This will be in an endeavor to bring out the theme of divine providence that Christ Jesus teaches his believers while at the same time drawing a closer look at the theme of cynicism as portrayed by the tone of Christ Jesus in his teachings. In the process of interpretation, contemporary literature will be used together with various comparisons. This will in an effort to bring the text and its context to the conventions of thought and the characteristic way of life of its people at that particular time. The arguments depicted in this passage will be identified and commented on. This is especially on how the arguments form a persuasive tone as a whole. The contents of the verses in this chapter will also be compared with the discussions of divine providence by Epictectus and Dio. This will be help to analyze the verse which comes closer than the other. At the end of the discussion, the verses will also be related to chapter 5 verses 7 of the book of Matthew, where the context of the verse brings a personification of Jerusalem (Good New bible 809). In this chapter, Christ Jesus teaches Christians not to worry about their lives but instead, be trusting. This is to mean that Christians are obliged to trust their maker, their God, for their divine provision. Looking at the lives of the people at that particular time and even today, one can easily decipher the fact that our lives have gone past the worries implied in the text. This is because of the fact that many people get worried of the things that they do not even need. In verse 24, Christ Jesus talks of the two masters that a Christian can serve, either God or the material things. This is the verse that carries weight in the whole of this chapter. This is because; the others are based from it in the sense that Christ Jesus believes that Christians are more inclined into serving both or focusing mere on material things, where on the other hand, his teachings are centered on serving God, and seeking his righteousness first, and â€Å"the rest shall be added† (Good New bible 809) In verses 25: Christ Jesus is commenting on the worries that Christians or the disciples at that particular time needed. These include food, drink, and clothing, which are the basic necessities of life. At this particular moment, the disciples and the believers at this particular moment were worried about getting enough to get by (Good New bible 809). The principles of chreia (which is defined as a brief reminiscence aptly attributed to someone) are clearly illustrated on this verse. The chreia saying that Jesus made was: do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. The elaboration of Jesus chreia is quite admirable due to the aspect of sarcasm and rhetorical. It’s considered rhetoric to tell people not to worry about their own lives, the clothes, food and shelter, of which are the basic needs of human being. But to some extent, the chreia in the sentence can be appreciated from the fact that the believer live by the power of God and therefore he who is able to give life can also provide the rest that they need. In one way or another, the chreia is also expressed in other verses, for instance in verse 33: but seek first the kingdom of God and the rest shall be given unto you. The believers who desire the gifts from God must first seek his kingdom, irrespective of whether it’s a hard and a bitter process or not. this can be compared to such chreia sayings as ‘the roots of education are bitter but the fruits sweet’. This is to mean for one to enjoy the fruits of education, they must first taste the bitter roots of education. The same case with believers; for them to enjoy the gifts of God they must first seek the kingdom of God. Verses 25 to 34 as unit can be said to contain one teaching of Christians, in his admonition, and teachings. The verses are interlinked, in the sense, they indicate the conditions that believers should follow in order to acquire God’s blessings. The word ‘therefore’ links with verse 24 in the sense that for believers, they cannot serve two masters, that is, God and satan. The word believer in the context of Christianity originates from believe in one God as the creator and maker of heaven and the earth, and therefore having believed in God wholeheartedly, Christians or believers, ‘therefore’ should not worry about their lives. The word ‘therefore’ in this context is used to connect the two verses and subsequently introduce the other verses. While on the other hand, some of the believers were in the current generation worry about what to do with all the material possessions that we have. Jesus emphasizes on the fact that God is the provider and therefore believers should not be worried about what to eat or drink, but should be satisfied with the little they have. This in other words is to mean that Jesus raises the eyes of the believers above their worries by redirecting their thinking. He raises their sights above the worries of this world to faith and trust in God, who is their heavenly father and therefore will not forsake but provide for them. This is again to mean that Christ Jesus takes the Christians to the source of their blessings and where their help is guaranteed, that is, from their heavenly father (Good New bible 809). In verse 28, where Christ Jesus is talking about worries on clothing, He delivers his teaching by giving a comparison with the lilies of the field â€Å"how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these†. If God therefore is able to clothe the grass of the field today, which is alive today and gone the following day, who are Christians who are made in his own image not be clothed by Him even more. This is to mean that Christians should focus more on the things of the kingdom of God have a security. Christians should therefore stop the single minded pursuit of financial security but on the contrary should seek the things that last (Good New bible 809). He also brings a comparison in verse 26 where he emphasizes on the fact that Christians are more valued by God than any other creature. The birds of the air neither sole or reap, nor gather into barns, and yet they never go hungry from the fact that Heavenly father provides for them. This is to mean that Christians, who are better than the birds of the air, should focus their hope from God alone for divine provision. He therefore gives the second reason why Christians are not supposed to get worried. This is found in verse 32: â€Å"we have a heavenly father who knows what we need†. This is to mean that the heavenly father as portrayed by Christ Jesus is kind and loving and will therefore provide for their needs (Good New bible 809). Christians should therefore trust and believe in the heavenly father for his divine provisions. God has therefore given us strength and the ability to work to earn our living. He controls our minds and helps us make wise decisions. He also provides to believers through other people. This can be through our fathers and mothers, relatives, church, friends among other people. These are some of the divine channels that our father in heaven uses to provide for Christians here on earth (Good New bible 809). In verse 28, Christ Jesus gives the third reason why Christians should not worry about the things of this world. This is because there are more important things that Christians should be seeking after. Christ Jesus says that â€Å"therefore do not be anxious, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear, for the gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. Here the theme of cynicism is portrayed from the fact that Christ Jesus understands the fact that many Christians are pessimistic and anxious about their daily needs (Good New bible 809). Believers seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you†. Here Christ Jesus is trying to emphasize on the fact that Christians should understand that their heavenly father will always provide for them and therefore they should center their focus on the things of the kingdom of God, which will last forever. He is therefore teaching Christians to focus on their energy in seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This is to mean that it’s more seeking that the material things of this world. Christ Jesus came teaching about this fact; the paramount importance of seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. In this verse, the theme of divine providence is depicted in two ways (Good New bible 809). First, Christians are advised to seek the kingdom of God first. This is to mean that they should work and strive towards attaining the heavenly gifts which only God can give. This being the case therefore, their heavenly father, God, is portrayed as the provider. The only one who is in a position to provide the things of the kingdom, and his righteousness? The second point comes at the end of the verse whereby, Christ Jesus says that â€Å"and all things shall be added unto you†. This is to mean that after seeking the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, they shall or will receive a divine provision from their father, that is, all things they have desired shall be provided. This is a portrayal of the theme of divine providence (Good New bible 809). Looking at the way Christians had misused Jerusalem church; Christ Jesus drives them out claiming that â€Å"his house shall be a house of prayer†. The believers at that particular time were using the church to gain material possession; a place where they were supposed to seeking God and his righteousness. This also brings out the theme cynicism, from the fact that Christians had much doubt and even pessimistic about seeking God. They therefore opted to seek material possessions even his house own house, that is, the church, where they were supposed to seek God (Good New bible 809). The last verse in this chapter gives the ‘Christ Jesus conclusion’ on the whole issue. Christ concludes his teachings with the following; †¢ Christians should first seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness †¢ After seeking the kingdom of God, all other things shall be added unto them. †¢ They should therefore not get worried about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. †¢ He finally concludes that each day has its sufficient trouble and therefore Christians are not supposed to worry about their future. Although the above conclusions are true, there are other results are conspicuous throughout this chapter. These are based on the theme of divine providence and the theme of cynicism. The results indicate that for Christians to partake of the heavenly gifts, that is, the divine provision from their father, they must have; †¢ Have faith and trust in Him †¢ They must also believe in Him †¢ They must also seek his kingdom and righteousness first. †¢ Have no worry about their basic needs for their father cares and loves them to provide for them. †¢ The results also indicate that Jehovah God is the sole provider of both his righteousness and the daily needs that we need as Christians. It’s through the focus on the above results that the whole paper has been formatted. The central verse in the chapter that has been analyzed can was considered and identified to be verse 24. This is because it carries the starting and the concluding remarks of the verses studied. That is, Christians must choose one master to serve, either God or material possession (Good New bible 809). Works cited Good News bible. Early Christian Gospels: The book of Matthew 6: 24-34. USA: American Bible Society. 1994.

Creep Behaviour of Materials

Creep Behaviour of Materials Chen Yi Ling   Objectives The objectives of the experiment are: To measure the creep deformation in lead and polypropylene at room temperature To determine the effect of stress on the creep deformation of lead and polypropylene To appreciate the difference in creep behaviour between these two classes of materials To be aware of creep as a design consideration Theory 2.1. Introduction Deformation under a certain applied load over a period of time at a particular temperature is defined as creep, and it limits the load carrying capacity among structual materials. When subjected to a stress greater or equal to its yield stress, the material deforms plastically. Alternately, when the stress is less than its yield stress, the material will deform elastically. However, when the material has to withstand stress at high temperature, permanent deformation will occur even if the stress is below the yield stress obtained from a tensile test. Under a constant stress, the strain vary as a function of time as shown in Figure 2.1.1. [1] The different stages of creep are: Primary Creep/Transient Creep Strain rate decreases with time and deformation becomes difficult as strain increases. (i.e. Strain Hardening) Secondary Creep/Steady Creep Strain rate is constant The occurrence is due to the balance between strain hardening and strain softening (Structure Recovery) Tertiary Creep/Approaching Rupture Strain rate increases with time and the material is fractured. Increase in creep rate is due to the increasing number of damages such as cavities, cracks and necking. The damaging phenomena reduce the cross-sectional area, which increase the applied stress when placed under constant load. Viscoelastic materials such as polymers and metals are susceptible to creep. When subjected to a sudden force, the response of a polymeric material can be detected using the Kelvin-Voigt model (Figure 2.1.2) Viscoelastic materials experience an increase in strain with time when subjected to a constant stress, this is termed as viscoelastic creep. At t0 (Figure 2.1.3), viscoelastic material is able to maintain for a significant long period of time when loaded with a constant stress. The material eventually fails when it responds to the stress with an increasing strain. In contrast, when the stress is maintained for a shorter period of time, the material experience an initial strain until t1 in which the stress is relieved. The strain then immediately decrease gradually to a residual strain. [3] In this experiment, we will study the creep behaviour of a low-melting point metal (Lead, Pb) and a polymer (Polypropylene, PP) at room temperature. 2.2. Creep in Metals Creep can be observed in all metals if its operating temperature exceeds 0.3 to 0.5Tm [5] (Tm = Absolute Melting Temperature) (Figure 2.2.1) Creep strain (ÃŽ µ) depends on several variables, the most important variables are stress (ÏÆ') and temperature (T). Using stress and temperature, the creep rate () can be defined as: (Equation 2.2.1) Where, A = Constant n = Stress Exponent E = Activation energy for creep R = Universal gas constant Creep rate () increase as stress and temperature increase, hence Equation 2.2.1 can be redefined as: (Equation 2.2.2) Whereby n is the slope of vs lnA at constant temperature. 2.3. Creep in Polymers The creep in polymers is almost similar to the creep in metal as it is depends on stress and temperature, with a few exceptions. Comparing Figure 2.2.1 and Figure 2.3.1, the two graphs look similar except that Figure 2.3.1 has a recovery phase, which is termed as the reversal of creep. Possessing viscoelastic properties, the behavior of the material can be predicted using the Kelvin-Voigt model (Figure 2.1.2) as mentioned earlier, and hence, it will be used in this experiment. Equation 2.3.1 shows the relationship between the creep strain (ÃŽ µ) and time under constant stress: (Equation 2.3.1) Where and are the constant of the spring and dashpot respectively (Figure 2.1.2) On the other hand, Equation 2.3.2 shows the creep strain in relation to time: (Equation 2.3.2) Where is a constant. The data obtained can be plotted into an isochronous graph by taking the constant time section through the creep curves for a specific temperature. And the results obtained formed the isochronous graph. Experimental Procedures 3.1 Equipment for Creep Testing The load was applied steadily to the specimen using the lever principle shown in Figure 3.1.1. Steel pins were used to kept the specimen in place on one side of the lever and the weight hanger on the other. The weight hanger consist of 2 pinning position; the topmost hole was used when the hanger and loads were in rest position while the lower hole was used when the hanger was loaded. The following table shows the mass for the parts of the equipment which should be taken into consideration during the calculation of tensile force on the specimen If m was the mass of the load on the weight hanger, then the tensile force acting on the specimen can be defined by taking moment about pivot as shown in Figure 3.1.2. [(F+0.04) x 42] – [0.40 x 147] – [(0.16 + 0.04 +m) x 336] = 0 (Equation 3.1.1) Where, g is the acceleration due to gravity = 9.807m/s2 The extension of the specimen was measured using a dial gauge (DG). The DG was placed into a tube tightened using a nylon pinch screw to hold the DG in its place. It should be noted that the nylon pinch screw should only be tighten sufficiently to prevent the DG from moving when the loads were placed. The top of the DG was attached to the set up using a grooved plate which was bolted to the lever arm. This arrangement was to ensure the groove in this plate was two times the distance from the pivot to the centre of the specimen. Hence, the extension of the specimen detected by the DG was twice the actual extension of the specimen. And to counter for inaccuracy when zeroing the DG, an additional 3mm was taken into account before the start of the experiment. Thus, the actual extension of the specimen can be calculated by: (Equation 3.1.2) 3.2 Experiment Methods For the measurement of creep in lead, the load applied would be 0.9, 1.0 and 1.1kg. For the measurement of creep in polypropylene, the load applied would be 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9kg. Before conducting the experiment, the width, length, thickness and gauge length of the specimen was measured thrice using an electronic vernier caliper; the readings used for the calculation would be the average reading (highlighted in orange). 3.2.1 Experiment 1: Creep of Lead The lever arm was held in place using 2 pins; 1 of it to be inserted into the bearing block and the other onto the topmost hole of the weight hanger. Attached the specimen onto the set up using 2 pins. Place the Dial Gauge into the hole/tube but do not tighten the nylon screw yet. Attach the groove plate at the top of the Dial Gauge and lever arm and secure it using a thumb nut. Release the pin holding the weight hanger to take up any free movement. Make sure the specimen was placed vertically. Carefully adjust the Dial Gauge until the inner dial reads 3mm and the outer ring reads 0, then tighten the nylon screw. Load the required weight onto the hanger. Raise the loaded weight hanger to the lower hole (loading position) and insert the pin. Gently release the load and start stop watch. Record reading every 15 seconds for 30 minutes or till the specimen ruptures. In order to determine the secondary creep rate for each applied stress, 3 extension-time creep curves were required. The creep rate can be calculated using the following equation: (Equation 3.2.1.1) Where In this experiment, ln vs ln plot was required. Hence, the stress () on the specimen is given by: (Equation 3.2.1.2) Where, F is the load applied to the specimen (N) 3.2.2 Experiment 2: Creep of Polypropylene The test of creep of polypropylene is similar to that of lead, with a couple of exceptions. Before placing the specimen onto the set up, 2 ‘U’ brackets should be fitted over the 2 ends of the specimen. For polypropylene, elastic recovery was possible hence the specimen was not required to be tested until failure. Note that 15 minutes, 12 minutes and 7 minutes were the extension time required for 0.6kg, 0.7kg and 0.8kg respectively Place the required load onto the weight hanger. Record the extension for every 15 seconds for specific duration. After the extension period, remove the weights on the weight hanger and continue to record the reading (elastic recovery phase) every 15 seconds for 10 minutes or when the needle on the Dial Gauge stop moving for 1 minute. Repeat for other loads. Plot extension vs time curve to show the creep and recovery curve. In this experiment, strain vs stress plot was required. Hence, the strain rate () on the specimen is given by: (Equation 3.2.2.1) Where Results Results for Lead The increment of extension () was selected based on the results reflected on Figure 4.1.1. The creep rate (ÃŽÂ ­) of Lead was determine using Equation 3.2.1.1. The stress () applied onto the lead specimen was calculated using Equation 3.2.1.2. By adding ln to the values of and ÃŽÂ ­, Using the data from Table 4.1.1, we can plot a linear graph. Based on Figure 4.1.2, the stress exponent (n) from the straight line was 10.503. Results for Polypropylene A sudden drop was observed for 0.7kg, this was due to human error as results was not recorded promptly on specific time. Using Equation 3.2.1.2 3.2.2.1, the stress and strain rate is shown below: Based on Figure 4.2.1, when stress is constant, the strain increases as time increases, which tallies with the theory. 5. Discussion Usefulness of the Plot of lnÏÆ' vs lnÃŽÂ ­ By plotting lnÏÆ' against lnÃŽÂ ­, we can determine the gradient (n) or the stress exponent of the specimen, which correspond to the controlling mechanism of creep under testing conditions. Stress Exponent for Lead The stress exponent indicates the influence of deformation rate on the mechanical strength of the specimen.[7] At low stresses, n equals to 1, which indicates pure diffusion creep. At high stresses, n > 1, indicating other creeping mechanism besides pure diffusion. Factors affecting the stress exponent value The stress exponent for lead in this experiment was found out to be 10.503. And the factors which affects the value is the type of creeping mechanism behind the specimen. Some creeping mechanisms include Coble creep (Grain boundary diffusion) and Dislocation creep/climb (Power law creep).[8] Creep of Metals in Design Consideration The following are some methods to minimize creeping in metals: Employ materials with high Tm Reduce the effect of grain boundaries by using a single crystal with large grains or adding solid solutions to eliminate vacancies[9] Creep is an important consideration for when a component have to support a load at temperatures where Tabs/TM > 0.4.[10] For high temperature, creep is an important consideration in these three areas: Displacement-limited applications such as turbine rotors in jet engines Rupture-limited applications such as high pressure steam pipes Stress Relaxation limited applications such as tightened bolts and suspended cables [11] Viscoelastic Behaviour Materials which exhibits both viscous and elastic property during deformation is known as viscoelasticity.[12] In this experiment, both lead and polypropylene exhibits viscoelasticity to different extend. For lead, the time taken in which the specimen rupture decreases as the stress increases. However, its viscoelasticity is not high hence, its recovery phase is not as significant as polypropylene. Furthermore, the structure of lead is more crystalline than polypropylene, which means it is more brittle and more prone to rupture. For polypropylene, the extension increases as the stress increases. The extension and recovery rate of each load are as follow: Recovery rate is possible on polypropylene specimen because it has higher elasticity due to its amorphous structure. The amorphous structure untangles and lengthens out until it becomes crystalline. Conclusion In conclusion, the results obtained from the experiment is true to theory. Unfortunately, during the creep test for lead, some results are missing due to some human error resulting in an incomplete graph as depicted in Figure 4.2.1. For the creep in lead, load 1.0kg and 1.1kg rupture before 30 minutes. This shows that the heavier the load, the faster the creep rate. At even high temperature, t

What Are The Effects Of Acid Rain?

What Are The Effects Of Acid Rain? Part I What is Acid Rain? Acid rain is a general term that refers to the deposition of acidic materials from the atmosphere on the surface of the earth. Therefore it is more appropriately called acid deposition. There are two types of acid deposition, wet deposition and dry deposition. Wet deposition, or acid precipitation, refers to acidic rain, snow, hail or sleet. It occurs when pollutants such as Sulphur and Nitrogen oxides (SOx, NOx) are present in the atmosphere and react with water vapor to form acidic solutions such as Sulphurous Acid (H2SO3), Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4), Nitrous Acid (HNO2) and Nitric Acid (HNO3) that fall to Earths surface as precipitation. Dry deposition refers to the deposition of particles and gases of Sulphur and Nitrogen oxides (SOx, NOx) on Earths surface. These particles and gases become acids when they react with water on the surface of the Earth. Natural precipitation has a pH of about 5.6. It is slightly acidic due to dissolved Carbon dioxide (CO2). I n comparison, acid deposition usually has a pH of about 4.3 5.0. As stated above, acid deposition is caused by pollutants in the atmosphere. The majority of these pollutants are released in to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Fuels such as coal and oil contain Sulphur and when they are burned they elease it. When Sulphur is released into the atmosphere by combustion it reacts accordingly: S + O2 Æ’Â   SO2 Sulphur released by the burning of fuels such as oil and coal reacts with Oxygen in the air to yield Sulphur dioxide. 2SO2 + O2 2SO3 Sulphur dioxide reacts with the Oxygen in the air to yield Sulphur trioxide SO2 + H2O Æ’Â   H2SO3 SO3 + H2O Æ’Â   H2SO4 Sulphur dioxide and Sulphur trioxide react with water, either in the atmosphere or on the surface of the Earth, to yield Sulphurous Acid and Sulphuric Acid Combustion of fuels in cars releases another pollutant, Nitrogen gas. Once Nitrogen gas is released in to the atmosphere by combustion it reacts accordingly: N2 + O2 Æ’Â   2NO N2 + 2O2 Æ’Â   2NO2 Nitrogen gas reacts with Oxygen in the air to yield Nitric oxide and Nitrogen dioxide 2NO + O2 2NO2 Nitric oxide reacts with oxygen in the air to yield Nitrogen dioxide 2NO2 + H2O Æ’Â   HNO2 + HNO3 Nitrogen dioxide reacts with water, either in the atmosphere or on the surface of the Earth, to yield Nitrous Acid and Nitric Acid. Small amounts of these pollutants are also released into the atmosphere naturally. Decomposing vegetation releases gases that contribute to pollutants in the atmosphere. Lightning produces Nitric oxide (NO) and volcanic eruptions release Sulphur dioxide (SO2). Some atmospheric chemists such as Dr. Ronald Prinn believe that acid rain has been around for millions of years. Dr. Prinn believes that acid rain could be responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. However, the first known observation of acid rain did not take place until the 19th century, around the time of the Industrial Revolution. It was Robert Angus Smith, an English scientist, who came up with the term acid rain in 1872 when he observed that acidic precipitation was damaging plants. Acid rain was not considered a major environmental concern until the 1970s when scientists observed the effects of acid rain on ecosystems. When it was made clear that acid rain has negative impacts on ecosystems and that it is not only a regional issue but rather an international one, governments began to get involved. In 1991, Canada and the United States signed the Canada-US Air Quality Agreement and committed to reduce SOx and NOx emissions. Part II How does Acid Rain affect our Society? Acid rain has an extremely negative impact on our society. The most devastating consequence of acid rain is the affect that it has on terrestial as well as aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems, acid rain destroys plants. Acid rain causes toxic metals such as aluminum, copper, lead, manganese and zinc to leach out of rocks and soils. Additionally, nutrients present in topsoil leach down to the subsoil. Plant growth is significantly decreased in soils lacking nutrients and rich in poisonous alumnium. The other toxic metals released by acidic soil kill earthworms and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, both of which are essential to plant growth. Acid rain can also wears away the protective coating of leaves. These consequences also have an effect on the agriculture industry. Many crops cannot grow in soils that are lacking nutrients and contain aluminum. Furthermore, acid rain destroys many food crops such as radishes, tomatoes and apples. The effects of acid rain extends to aquatic eco systems. The toxic substances that are leached out of rocks and soil can be washed in to lakes and rivers. Fish are easily poisoned by these toxic substances. The acidic environment that acid rain creates in lakes and rivers is also harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms. The acidity kills many organisms that are usually at the bottom of a complex aquatic food chain. The food chain then collapses and the populations of many organisms significantly decrease. Acid rain also interrupts fish reproduction as it can destroy fish eggs. There are many more negative effects of acid rain. Fresh water supply can be contaminated by the acidity as well as by the metals that are leached from rocks and soil due to acid rain. Acid rain can also corrode water transportation pipes, allowing metal to enter the water supply. Another consequence of acid rain is the effect that it has on a cityscape. Acid rain can significantly damage metal and stone structures. Finally, acid rain can have an affect on human health. Contaminated water can cause health concerns. The SOx and NOx in dry deposition can cause numerous respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Furthermore, Nitrogen oxides (NOx) can react with volatile organic compounds in the air near the surface of the Earth to yield Ozone, which can be very detrimental to the respiratory system. Part III What should we do about Acid Rain? There are two methods that can be taken when approaching the issue of acid rain. We can either ignore the issue or we can do something about it and attempt to control the problem. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. If we ignore acid rain, nothing will be done to control or stop it and we will continue to suffer from its consequences. The advantage of this method is that no resources have to be expended. Governments, industries and citizens do not have to invest any money in to attempting to solve the problem. Governments do not have to invest in new energy sources. Industries can go on using current techniques without having to invest in new strategies in order to assist in solving the problem. Citizens can also go on without trying to conserve resources in order to attempt to stop acid rain. However, the disadvantage of this method is that acid rain will remain a threat to terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, the agriculture industry, cityscapes, fresh wate r supplies and human health. If acid rain continues the effects could be devastating. The second method is to do something about the problem and attempt to control acid rain. In order to do so pollutant emissions must be reduced, alternative sources of energy must be found and used, resources must be conserved, polices must be put in place in order to protect air quality and lakes and rivers must be neutralized. The advantage to this method is that it has the potential to control or even stop acid rain. By doing so we can save many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, increase yield of crops, prevent damage to cityscapes, keep supplies of fresh water clean and eliminate any risk of human health being put at risk due to acid rain. However, the disadvantage to this method is that it is very expensive. It also requires governments, industries and citizens to take action. To reduce pollutant emissions, companies have to invest in new cleaner technology. Such technology includes Sulphur s crubbers in factories and catalytic converters in cars. These technologies are expensive and require a large investment from industries. Furthermore, if policies are put in place in order to maintain air quality, many companies will have to invest in new technology in order to meet these new regulations. In order to find and use new energy sources industries as well as governments will have to invest a large amount of money into research and implementation. Additionally, neutralizing lakes and rivers that have been damaged by acid rain with limestone will also require the government to spend a large amount of money. All of these costs will eventually be passed down to the consumer as well as the citizen. In order to control acid rain we must also conserve our natural resources. This will be very hard for a society that is driven by exploitation. Revenues of many companies might go down if consumers begin to conserve. Revenues also may go down if companies begin consider the environm ent before they consider profit. After examining the advantages and disadvantages of ignoring the situation and controlling the situation, I think that we must control it. It would be wrong to ignore acid rain and the advantages of controlling it really outweigh its disadvantages. Controlling and trying to eliminate acid rain will be expensive and require governments, industries and citizens to take action but it is the right thing to do. We must save our ecosystems, our crops, our cities, our water and our health from the detrimental effects of acid rain. Ebola Virus: History, Causes and Effects Ebola Virus: History, Causes and Effects K.G Shayani Upulika Ebola Virus Outbreak: The deadline and incurable Hemorrhagic fever. Contents (Jump to) 1.1 Introduction to Ebola virus 1.2 History of Ebola virus. 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola virus 1.5 Diagnosis methods of Ebola virus. 1.6 Treatments for Ebola virus 1.7 Conclusion. References: 1.1 Introduction to Ebola virus Identification of natural reservoir for Ebola virus was not possible by researchers for decades but recently a scientist named Leroy presented most acceptable evidence that three species of fruit bats called Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata are wildlife reservoirs for Ebola virus (Biek et al, 2006). Ebola virus is associated with acute fatal hemorrhagic symptoms for human and non-human primates when they get escaped from their wildlife reservoir hosts, Ebola virus is consider as a filo virus and one of the most lethal viruses known the five species of Ebola virus have been identified as Ivory Coast Ebola virus, Sudan Ebola virus, Zaire virus, Reston Ebola virus Ebola and Bundibugyo Ebola virus (Yuan et al, 2012). In the present situation of Ebola virus has a 90% death rate and the main site of first immerging is the region of Guinea’s southeastern forest region and this spilled throughout the entire Africa and some regions of the world (Bausc h and Schwarz, 2014). 1.2 History of Ebola virus. Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in Congo of central Africa, It initially named as Zaire as it first found in town of Yambuku and after Yambuku outbreak the virus was vanished, but Ebola reappeared again in 1989 (Draper, 2002).The biomedical scientists first discovered the family of virus filoviridea when Marburg virus first appeared in 1967 and at that time commercial laboratory workers with sever and unusual disease symptoms were admitted to hospital in Marburg, Germany (peters and Ledue, 1999). After the discovery of Ebola it has re-appeared cyclically; most of the Ebola outbreaks are restricted to rural regions in central Africa and have never participated more than 500 cases, first Ebola case were noticed in February in wild areas of south Guinea and it has grown so strongly and spread so rapidly in terms of affected people and earthly spread those are Guinea, large parts of Liberia and Sierra, Lennon are disease ridden (Klenk, 2014). The virus has persisted in Africa and many fatal outbreaks in human and non-human primates have been reported and the History of Ebola virus is still unclear when doing researches Ebola virus strains with complete glycoprotein genes, including Zaire, sudan.reston, Tai forest, and bundibugya were analyzed (Li and Chen, 2013). After finding the way of coming the Ebola virus to south Africa scientists have found that the virus have always been there in the region but people just never noticed, therefor it has recently introduced then the first report and phylogenetic investigations on the Guinea outbreak proposed that the Ebola virus found in Guinea is a noticeable strain from that observed in central Africa, Therefore Ebola virus is not a newcomer to the region, it has been circulating for some time in Guinea,and have become a sudden threat to human beings (Schwarz, and Bausch, 2014). Figure 1.1 Map of the three countries involved in the 2013-2014 outbreak of Ebola virus as of June 20 2014(Schwarz and Bausch, 2014). 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus The family filoviridae with order Mononegavirales contains two generas, as Marburg virus and Ebola virus (EBOV) (Kuhn et al., 2012). Ebola virus is again divided in to many species such as Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) Sudan Ebola virus, Ta forest Ebola virus and Reston Ebola virus (REBOV) (Kuhn et al., 2012). VP40 is the major Ebola virus matrix protein and it plays a major role in virus assembly and budding. This virus have a diameter averagely 57 .58 nm and it differ slightly for VP40+VP35 at 63.64nm, VP40+VP35+NP at 66.75nm (Johnson, Bell and Harty, 2006).Ebola virus particle is uniform with uniform diameter of 80 nm but Ebola virus particles are greatly varying from their morphology including long up to about 14  µm, sometimes these particles are branched filaments or shorter filaments shaped like ‘6’, ‘u’ or a circle and the size of this viral genome considered as 19 kb (Cencciarelii et al, 2014). However this fever referred as a group of illness that ca used by viruses belongs to diverse range of families which includes Lassa fever, rift valley fever and so on and It may lead to overall vascular damage and usually accompanied by hemorrhage (Ratanshi et al, 2014). Filo virus outbreaks are specific because these viruses can intersperse by years or even decades without showing any disease activity and last new species of Ebola virus was found 14 years before in Ivory Coast (Towner et al., 2008). Ebola virus is characterized by secondary transmission and high case fatality and also by filamentous enveloped particles however treating Ebola virus was a challenged situation after infection because these virus consists recombinant human activated protein C(rhAPC) ,recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNCPc2), small interfering RNA(si RNA) ( Qui et al, 2014). 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola virus Ebola virus is an invasive pathogen that can cause a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in both human and non-human beings this virus runs its course within 14 to 21 days and the infection initially present with non-specific symptoms like fever, myalgia and malaise as infection proceeds patients starts to show large bleeding and coagulation deformities including gastrointestinal bleeding, rash and a wide varieties of hematological irregularities (Sullivan, Yang and Nabel, 2014).The initial symptoms of Ebola virus are non-specific, including fever, rash and vomiting, The most generally experienced symptoms were non-bloody diarrhea (81%) and asthenia (77%) and Seven patient reported were observed with hemorrhagic symptoms, and out of seven six of patient died(Roddy et al, 2012).The incubation period after exposure to virus is typically 8 to 10 days but it can be as short as 2 days and extended to 21 days and the net death rate is high as 90%.Most people with Ebola die within 2 weeks of di sease onset (Turner, 2014). 1.5 Diagnosis methods of Ebola virus. Numbers of newer technologies were applied for the diagnosis of Ebola virus infection some of them are antigen detection assay, utilized extensively in the Reston outbreak and its investigation, these methods allowed a fast and unique recognition of Ebola virus in the blood of severly ill individuals even in rural areas also nonspecific detection of antibodies by the unintended fluorescent antibody test in humans during Reston investigation led to the adaptation of the enzyme (Kaslow, Stanberry and Due, 2014). Ebola virus disease can proved with various lab tests depending on the on the stage of the disease, within a few days of infection immunosobent assay, antigen detection tests, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and virus location by cell culture is used (Plotkin, Oreanstein an Offit, 2008). after the patient get back to normal immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G can be found, after death immunohistochemistry, PCR and isolation of the virus can be done the exact diagnosis can be done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA antigen testing furthermore clarifications on viral replication inside cells can be done through measurements of IgM antibodies ( Plotkin, Oreanstein an Offit, 2008). Diagnosis of Ebola comes in to play when symptoms and signs of fever, illness, petechial rash and disseminated bleeding are observed and most of the accurate diagnosis is done by using a polymerase chain reaction detection assay and can be confirmed by detection of viral replication in Vero cells (Plotkin, Orenstein and Offit, 2008). Ebola is mainly diagnosed from the symptoms and blood test here mainly looks for the presence of antibodies in the virus at earlier days detecting a infected patient was not easy and once recognized the patient must be isolated and relevant authorities should notified (Horobin, 2008). 1.6 Treatments for Ebola virus No effective treatments for Ebola virus at this time. Anti-viral medications currently available have no effect on Ebola virus. Care for patients with Ebola virus infection consists maintaining fluid and electrolyte equilibrium via oral or I.V. hydration, supporting oxygenation and BP, Adjustments of coagulation and treating comorbidities such as a concurrent bacterial infection (Turner, 2014). However without recommended vaccines or treatments Ebola virus management has been limited and barrier methods and prevention methods also become limited but a combination of monoclonal antibodies (ZMapp), optimized from two previous antibody cocktails, is able to rescue 100% of rhesus macaques when treatments is only initiated up to 5 days, High fever, abnormalities in blood count and vireamia were some evidences in animals before ZMapp invention after that advanced disease as indicated by increased liver enzymes, mucosal hemorrhage and generalized petechial could be reversed leading to a ful l recovery (Qiu et al, 2014). There are no licensed vaccines currently available against Ebola virus but many applicable vaccine platforms have been tested for their efficiency against the virus and this treatment includes exposed or lipid encapsulated DNA, particles like virus arrangements, Vesicular stomatitis virus, strain Indiana, Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV-3) , vaccinia, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and replication-deficient human adenovirus serotype 5 (AdHu5) vectors(Richardson et al, 2011). Due to the absence of specific therapies, filo virus ward clinicians give infected patients with the supportive care regime consist of oral medication, oral fluid rehydration, nutritional additives and physiological aid (Roddy et al, 2012). 1.7 Conclusion. Ebola virus is considered as one of the most lethal virus found so far and it has extremely high mortality rate therefore according to the doctors and experts point of view anyone who has stayed in areas where Ebola outbreak have recently been reported should have knowledge about the symptoms of infection and seek medical advices at the first sign of illness. Many reasons are there for this highly lethal disease to be spread largely, the most important reason is hospitals lack medical equipment such as surgical gloves, masks and hypodermic syringes to inject medicines to patients and clean water and also the lack of high standard medical laboratories for the medical tests to done on the virus is also a major issue. The spread of knowledge about the Ebola virus is expected to solve another big part of the problem therefore prevention of a worldwide outbreak lies within the education of the virus, how Ebola victims can properly treated and by performing suitable action to isolate the v irus before it has spread and maintaining hygienic conditions as much as possible.   References: Biek, R., Walsh, P. D., Leroy, E.M. and Real, L. A. (2006) ‘Recent common ancestry of Ebola virus found in a bat reservoir’, Plos pathogens, 2(10) pp. 1-3. [Online] DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0020090 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Bausch, D. G. and Schwarz, L. (2014) ‘Outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea: where ecology meets Economy’, PLOS Neglected tropical diseases, 8(7) pp. 1-5. [Online] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003056 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Cenciarelii, O., Pietropaoli, S., Frusteri, L., Malizia, A., Carestia, M., Amico, F. D., Sassolini,A., Giovanii, D. D., Tamburrini, A., Palombi, L.,Bellecci, C. and Gaudi, P. (2014) ‘Biological Emergency Management: The Case of Ebola 2014 and the air transportation involvement’, Microbial and Biochemical Technology, 6(5) pp. 1-7. [Online] DOI: 10.4172/1948-5948.1000152 (Accessed: 22 October 2014). Draper, A. S. (2002)’ Epidemics, deadly disease throughout the history Ebola’ .Google Books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICpg=PA1focus=viewportdq=history+of+ebolaoutput=html_text. (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Horobin, W. (2008) Diseases and Disorders. Google books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=-HRJOElZch8Cpg=PA303dq=diagnosis+of+ebolahl=ensa=Xei=FB4-VNrvJ5fpoASNrIGwAgved=0CEwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=diagnosis of ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 25 October 2014). Johnson, R. F., Bell, P and Harty, R. N. (2006) ‘Effect of Ebola virus proteins GP,NP and VP35 on VP40 VLP morphology’, Springer, 9(11) pp.1-20.[Online] DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-3-31 (Accessed: 22 October 2014). 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