Reducing Violence in Schools :: School Violence Essays

On January 18, 1993, Scott Pennington, a seventeen year-old student from Kentucky, shot and killed his East Carter High School teacher Deanna McDavid and janitor Marvin Hicks, and then held his twenty-two classmates at gunpoint for about fifteen minutes. On September 15, 1995, Daniel Watson, eighteen, was charged with one count of kidnapping, two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, and fifteen counts of first degree endangerment after holding a fellow student at gunpoint at his high school. Watson had been in a fight before school, and then went home and returned with two handguns. In November of 1996, Drew Golden, 11, and Mitchell Johnson, 13, opened fire on their fellow students and teachers in Jonesboro, Arkansas, killing four students and an English teacher. Is this what should be happening in America’s schools? Should students have to be more concerned with their safety, rather than obtaining a good education? Incidences similar to the ones just described occur every year in school systems across the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, fifty-seven percent of public elementary and secondary school principals reported that one or more incidents of crime/violence occurred in their schools during the 1996-1997 school year. The center also reported that ten percent of all public schools experienced one or more serious violent crimes (defined as murder, rape, or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery) during the 1996-1997 school year. Physical attacks or fights led the list of reported crimes in public schools, with about 190,000 reported incidences in 1996-1997. Schools should be places where the objective is to give students the skills and knowledge to help them with their future; they should not be havens for violent acts. Something obviously needs to be done to decrease and hopefully one day eliminate violence in America’s school systems. There have been numerous proposals made to help the problem, but there still has not been a significant improvement in the problem nationwide. Several recent reports-one by the American Psychological Association and another by the National Education Association-show a dramatic increase in the incidence of school violence. It is going to take a team effort by the government, communities and the schools to help reduce violence in America’s school systems. The government has attempted to address the issue of school violence. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Gun-Free School Act, mandating a one-year expulsion for students who bring weapons to school.

Social Concerns in the Romantic Period :: essays research papers

In the Romantic period, many authors make references to different social concerns. This enabled the authors to hint towards different concerns in their writing, but not come directly out and state their concerns. Three great examples of authors like this include: William Blake, Robert Burns, and Anna Laetitia Barbauld. Each of these authors had unique concerns that they were able to get across in their own way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blake wrote two poems with entitled â€Å"Chimney Sweeper.† One version was found in his ‘Songs of Innocence’ and the other was found in ‘Songs of Experience.’ Although the first was told with a child almost in mind, and the second was told in a darker, colder point-of-view, they both contain the same concern. This concern is having very young children working as chimney sweepers. Blake talks about how you boys are almost forced into this career   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When my mother died I was very young,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And my father sold me while yet my tongue,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Could scarcely cry â€Å"’weep! ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So your chimney’s I sweep and in soot I sleep† This was a horrible was to live, yet hundreds and hundreds of little children do this work on a daily basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another author that alluded to social concerns in his writing is Robert Burns. His poem, â€Å"To a Mouse† makes references to different classes and the effects of social order on them. The poem tells a simple story of a mouse who builds a house to with-hold winter, only to have it knocked down by a man with his plow. Now although its house is gone, the mouse doesn’t seem horribly bothered by it. In the more complex story, the mouse represents the lower class, and the former with the plow represents the upper class. To the lower class material possessions do not surround their life as they do in the lives of the upper class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gong aft a-gley,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An’ lea’ us naught but grief an’ pain,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For promised Joy.† Burns starts out life in the lower class, but due to the high success of his poems he ends up more in the middle class. This poem is a way for him to show how he feels life was better when he was in the lower class, because he didn’t have to worry about the things he worries about in the upper middle class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barbauld tried to get across some of the responsibilities of women in the nineteenth century through her poem, ‘Washing-Day.

BOEING’s Strengths Analysis Essay

Strengths Implications 1. Highly Skilled Managers The operation of the company will run smoothly. The performance of the company will improve and would lead the company to be successful. 2. Provide global customer support It would serve the customers better and it would be very convenient to those customers in other countries to ask for help. This would help the company to gain a better image due to the provided services to help the customers. 3. Outsourcing It can save time for the company to manufacture or assembly its products. 4. Emphasizing the product quality The durability of the company could last long. It gives the company to have a durability image to the customers. Customers would likely be satisfied and the company could gain some customer loyalty. 5. Recognized market leader Customers would likely choose them first as their priority. 6. Strong brand name Customers would easily associate the product. The brand name is instilled in the mind of the customers. Then, customers would think that the product is of good quality and the product would be their major choice when purchasing. The company would be able to generate higher sales for having strong brand name. It also has more advantage than the competitors in many areas. 7. Joint ventures/ Alliances with other aircraft companies It would help the company lessen its burden on producing other parts of aircraft. It aids on making the production of aircraft faster with the service of another companies. It would make the aircraft production for two aircraft companies sharing ideas for the betterment of the aircraft. 8. Many Features This will give higher probability that the customer would buy the product because of the extra features. This is absolutely an advantage for the company. If passengers are satisfied by this aircraft most probably that the airline would buy again from the same company of aircraft gaining customer loyalty. Weaknesses Implications 1. Layoff technical workers It will consume lots of time to hire new workers and will spend lot of money to train them if there is a need to do so. In fact, hiring or choosing the right candidates is a critical operation of the company. This might threaten other workers for being the next candidate to be laid off. And this would lead to lower productivity. Mostly, new workers are to be oriented and supervised so it will take time. 2. Mismanagement of parts or raw materials When the parts are needed, they are mostly not available for the production process. Thus, while in process, a halt might happen. So, it is not efficient at all. 3. Conservative Company The company could not improve well on its system. It could not adapt to the changes in the environment that leads to failures. It believes that its system will work well when in fact there might be other effective ways. It might lose some opportunities that come its way. 4. High Production Cost It might lead to higher cost of product to be able to earn revenue. And it is not consistent to the goal of the customers. It might also lead to lower demand and lesser income. 5. Every 12 years of generating or launching a new aircraft design Competitors might be the first to launch new aircraft that threatens the company. And they might surpass the ability of the company in terms of generating sales. When the time the company launches the new aircraft, most airlines have already purchased the aircraft of its competitors so it would not need to purchase again. Opportunities Implications 1. Transferring technological know how to new products or business The company has lesser difficulties in operating the new acquired business for they are using the same method from their own company. This means that growth occur in the country. 2. Extend reputation to new geographic area The Boeing company not only would want their domestic country know them but also to other geographic areas. As of now, airlines are more familiar with Boeing than its competitors. 3. Acquisition of rival aircraft company It means that there would be fewer competitors. It would also strengthen the system of the company. Because of involvement of more employees. These employees would contribute knowledge and expertise to help the company grow. New way of running the business may supplement in the development of the company. I’m one way or another; it serves its purpose of improvement. 4. Expanding the company’s product line to meet a broader range of customer needs The company may gain advantage on investing in a different product line. Facing new competitors would be a challenge on the part of the company. There might be opportunities waiting for the company. It is also an additional income for the company if it becomes successful. And to meet the needs of the customers by providing new products would lead to an aggressive and healthy competition. It also helps build the economy of the country if there is new development in companies. And it also leads to high employment because there’s a need to hire more employees to implement the new business activities. Threats Implications 1. Competitor The competitor might out beat them and threat is higher for their market share. Lack of planning would have big impact to the company. They should anticipate for the rivalry between them. Timing and being competitive is important. If they are not met, this would incur loss in the  company. 2. Trade Barriers They may encounter difficulties in the regulation regarding aircraft imposed by the country to which they import their products to. They may also need documents before releasing or create an aircraft. 3. Deregulation of Airlines The regulation of the company for its customers would compromise in order to gain favor of the customers. This may affect the standard operation of the company and may also result to disorganized process of company operation. 4. Terrorist Attack The horrible incident of 9/11 may also be a cause of not buying another aircraft. People of that country would not want to travel because they are threat by the terrorist attack. It would results to decrease the people who are traveling and lead the airline customers freeze to buy aircraft, since the people who travel has been reduced. 5. Supply and demand for the aircraft The more people that are not traveling, the more chances that the airline industry won’t buy new airplanes. This may results to low demand.

Being an Outsider is Detrimental Essay

An outsider is a person who does not belong to a particular group, who is not accepted and is consequently isolated. However, to not belong can be detrimental as we all have an intrinsic need to belong. To belong implies an understanding of the needs of the individual and the group and negotiating a way towards acceptance of those needs. On the other hand, exclusion occurs when the individual and the group fails to understand one another, which can be detrimental. These ideas are demonstrated in Alex Buzo’s play â€Å"Norm and Ahmed† and in the poem â€Å"Kimberley† by Jackie Kay. Often we search for a sense of belonging to place and when we do not find it, we are not fulfilled. In the play, â€Å"Norm and Ahmed† Ahmed, an Indian, has little connection to Australian culture and therefore sees himself as an outsider. This is immediately evident in the way he dresses in his traditional Nehru style suit which is juxtaposed to Norm, an Australian, who wears typical male western style of clothing of â€Å"open-necked white shirt and grey trousers.† To remind Ahmed that he is an outsider, Norm repeats the phrase â€Å"a visitor to this country†, and he also assumes that all South Asian people are Indians, stereotyping India as an uncivilised country filled with dangerous â€Å"Bombay stranglers†. This metaphor shows that Norm makes sure that Ahmed is regarded as an outsider by talking in a superior tone and debasing India through juxtaposition and contrast of Sydney and Bombay as â€Å"this isn’t India mate, you’re in Sydney†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦you’re quite safe†. Furthermore, Norm is constantly reinforcing Ahmed’s ethnicity and feelings of being an outsider through derogatory terms such as â€Å"boong† and â€Å"chow† because he himself feels confident in being an insider of the Australian culture. Norm’s body language described in strong present participles as â€Å"prowling† â€Å"circling† and â€Å"grabbing† and stage directions reinforce Norm’s confidence and intimidation telling Ahmed that he is an outsider. Norm believes that Ahmed is not entitled to make judgements about Australia stating â€Å"I wouldn’t throw my weight around in someone else’s country.†This shows that a person of a different ethnic background will be made to feel an outsider and alienated if those of the main culture do not make an effort to include them.

Program Evaluation for Non-Profit Organization

An organization needs to put in place an evaluation process to ascertain whether it is accomplishing its goals or not. Such evaluation would then become a very important part of the ensuing planning process. There are two ways in which an organization conducts an evaluation. One is intended to proceed with the evaluation through the goals established by the organization. The other is to conduct the evaluation through the processes in place in the organization. With goal-based evaluation, the organization seeks to understand whether the avowed goals have been achieved or exceeded. It has an emphasis on outputs instead of processes. Even with limited resources and difficult situations, the goal-based evaluation looks at the outputs based on the inputs and other raw materials put into the process. It is usually useful for organizations that are beating deadlines, or seeking to meet targets given limited resources, time, and manpower. Results are given primacy in this kind of evaluation (Edvardsson & Hansson, 2003). Process-based evaluation focuses on efficiency and effectiveness. It is geared towards minimizing costs while ensuring that the goals are achieved. With this kind of evaluation, the goals to be achieved are given and are expected to be delivered. In doing so, the organization is freed from looking at the achievement of the goals because such is expected. What the organization is focusing on, however, is the way that the goals are being achieved. Are they effective and efficient? Are they contributing to the overall objectives of the organization? Is there a way that such processes could be improved and geared to help the organization achieve more? Are the policies of the organization sound and the different departments coordinating smoothly with each other? Through these questions, the organization is taking a look at the way in which it can achieve its goals by improving its processes. The goals are important but processes are more important in certain respects because of their systemic nature. Depending on the circumstances, however, a goal-based organization may be more important than a process-oriented one (Ott, 2001). In addition to this, process-based evaluation takes a look at the policies, programs, coordination systems, and other processes at work in the organization. It makes use of a systemic view of the organization and seeks to integrate every important aspect of the organization in the evaluation process. It is more comprehensive than goal-based evaluation as it may take more time to be completed (Ott, 2001). Application of Evaluation Styles Goal-based evaluation may be more appropriate in situations where the non-profit organization is evaluating together with their clientele. In the case of an organization dedicated to community development, a goal-based evaluation would be suitable for a discussion with the community regarding the achievements of the goals. Usually, if the goals are not accomplished or achieved, the people, together with the non-profit organization can brainstorm on the problems that are being faced by the community. In addition to this, it would be important to evaluate themselves about the hindrances that they face in accomplishing the goals identified during the planning phase. Goal-based evaluation also looks at the actual outputs of the organization’s project. If the project is about reducing the number of substance addicts in the neighborhood, then a goal-based evaluation would say that the program is successful if there is a significant decline in the number of offenders. On the other hand, process-based evaluation would take a look at the overall systemic performance of the organization. Even if the results are phenomenal if the processes are not firmly in place, then such an evaluation would be careful in proclaiming success. It would look at the coordination systems, the teamwork of the organization, as well as the ethical side of things. With such an evaluation, it becomes important to look at the overall strategy of the organization instead of simply focusing on achieved goals (Ott, 2001). Establishing the Framework of a New Nonprofit Organization As a new Executive Director of a nonprofit organization, there are several things I need to do in order to ensure that the organization is setup and would thrive in the process. Without the necessary legal and financial framework, the nonprofit organization is bound to fail. The following strategies outline what needs to be done for this organization. The first step, of course, would be to define what the organization is all about—the kinds of services to be offered and the way it will be structured. The vision, mission, and goals of the organization have to be defined. The structure, on the other hand, would enable the organization to achieve its goals. Registration and Legal Personality The nonprofit organization should acquire its legal personality by being registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or its equivalent. Through this, the nonprofit organization will be able to transact legally under the laws of the country and will be able to purchase property and open accounts under its own name. This also prevents unscrupulous persons to setup accounts and secure properties in their own names at the expense of the organization. With a legal personality, however, also comes responsibility. As such, the organization may sue persons and it can also be sued. It therefore needs to comply with legal requirements of organizations. Securing Advisers The nonprofit organization also needs legal and financial advisers so that it would not violate any law or ordinance even accidentally. A legal counsel would be needed. Although there are lawyers offering pro-bono services, it would also be a good idea to include the lawyer’s fee in the budget of the organization. Securing Funding As part of the strategy of the organization, the Executive director also needs to look for sources of funding from different organizations. Private corporations and even countries do fund initiatives for development. It takes a careful research of these organizations. Without a steady source of funding, the organization will not prosper and will only flounder if there is no steady funding. As part of the financial framework of the organization, there should also be a means to ensure transparency and accountability. This would be important in ensuring that the donors trust the organization and for the organization to adhere to governmental rules such as Sarbanes-Oxley. Although SOX, as Sarbanes-Oxley is called, was meant for companies for profit, it has provisions for non-profit organizations. Adhering to these accounting regulations can also help in enhancing the overall strategy, integrity, and transparency of the organization. Reference Edvardsson, K. & Hansson, S. O. (2003). When is a goal rational?. Social Choice and Welfare, 24 (2), 343-361. Ott, J. S. (2001). The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector. New York: Westview Press. Â   Â  

Desktop and Laptops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Desktop and Laptops - Essay Example Input devices include keyboards, mouse and camera etc. while output devices consist of a display, speakers and printer etc. Even the components inside laptops and the central processing unit (CPU) of desktops are similar; both make use of a motherboard, which is the main circuit board to which the other components for e.g. the processor, RAM (random-access memory) are connected. Apart from the above mentioned fact, laptops and desktops can run any program equally well provided that they both are using the same operating system. It is important to note here that the majority of the present day laptops and desktops are run on a select number of operating systems for e.g. 92.4% of desktops are run on Windows followed by Mac (6.5%) while the most commonly used operating system for mobile systems (which include tablets and mobiles too) is Mac (54.7%). This goes on to show that from a general perspective, majority of the computing systems used presently have a similar functional capacity i n respect of the programs available for use although the specific upgrades of these operating system (e.g. Windows 7 or Vista) and a processors ability (if it is 64-bit or 32-bit etc) to support these upgrades does stratify computers according to their capacity to run a program. Now despite the similar assembly of laptops and desktops, they both cater to different populations of computer users. This is because of many reasons the most obvious of which is that laptops are mobile. There are a variety of shapes and sizes that laptops come in but all of them are lighter than desktops thus making the former much more portable than the latter. This portability allows a lot of flexibility in usage which is evident in the case of Thomas Friedman who once quoted â€Å"Sometimes,  when my wife and I were going out to dinner, I would take my  laptop  with me and work in the car, so as to take advantage of the half hour going and coming.† Had Mr. Friedman owned a desktop instead of his laptop then he would certainly not be able to take advantage of his travel time, which underscores the fact that laptops have a huge advantage over desktops because they provide much much more mobility as compared to desktops, especially for a person living a fast-paced life. Along with this the small and thin size of laptops make them better looking too and provide the owner many more opportunities to show it off. Also in contrast to desktops, laptops run on battery too thus one can use a laptop even if there is no power. Despite all the above mentioned advantages laptops have their own downside when compared to a desktop. First of all although the size of laptops is very preferable one cannot ignore the fact that this makes it that much easier to be stolen or damaged when compared to a desktop. Secondly laptops are much more expensive than desktops and the latter gives the consumer more value for the money spent than laptops do. This can be appreciated when comparing an $1199 iMac and the same company’s MacBook Pro. Although both machines are of the same price, the iMac has much better specs (21.5 inch display, 2.7GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor and 1TB hard drive) than the MacBook Pro (13.3 inch screen, 2.7GHz dual-core intel i7 processor and 500GB hard drive). Keeping in line with the argument of cost, desktop are better for storage for e.g.

The Role of Emotionfocused Theory in Functional Assessment Essay

The Role of Emotionfocused Theory in Functional Assessment - Essay Example Johnson credits Fritz Perls with the experiential gestalt concept that is critical to EFT (Greenberg & Johnson, 2005; Johnson, 2003). In the experiential approaches, the goal of therapy is . . . to increase awareness of emotional experience so that it is available as orienting information in dealing with the environment, and to help clients become aware of and responsive to the action tendencies toward which feelings prompt them (Greenberg, 2006, p. 501). EFT involves the therapist's creative involvement with the clients in a manner in which the therapist moves the clients into a structure of therapy that progresses beyond simple construction. That is, although EFT initially very much outlines conflict struggles in the clients with simple terms and concepts to invite client acceptance of the problems, as therapy moves onward, painting pictures becomes more of the art of therapy (Johnson, 2003). Experiential theory incorporates the complete being of the client in the present here-and-now focus. Johnson observed that it is the exception rather than the rule to delve into deep unconscious experience or repressed memories, as there is plenty of substantial information right in front of the therapist's eyes (Johnson, 2003). The substance of EFT is the client, including what and how the client experienced communication in the client's senses, body, and expressions (Perls, 1969). The verbal communication is secondary to the therapist: Words can lie, but expression does not. EFT and Humanistic Theory After the first movement of psychodynamic psychology and the second movement of behaviorism, the third movement of humanistic psychology (later, Humanistic Existential) emphasizes in the client a potential capability toward "self-directed growth" (Corey, 2001, p. 205). . The therapist's belief that the client has both strength and desire to fulfil potentialities positively affects the client's progress: "Individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior; these resources can be tapped if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided" (Rogers, 2001, p. 115). Thus, EFT adopts a therapeutic act of honoring the client as a unique human being (Greenberg & Johnson, 2005; Johnson, 2003). This empathic interaction increases a client's congruence, a term Rogers used to describe the incorporation of self and experiences as they become more similar, unitary, and true. EFT and Existential Theory Existential theory concerns itself with core structures of the self, including meaning, being, crisis, anxiety, freedom, responsibility, guilt, and death. While Johnson summarized the "I-thou" relationship, an existential concept from Martin Buber (Greenberg & Johnson, 2005; Johnson, 2003), she presented presumptuously existential concepts within the EFT theoretical framework. Studying the client from a phenomenological perspective embraces the assumption that the client is the expert in his or her world. The job of the client is to assist the therapist to enter that client's experiential world. As such, this position of the client enhances the qualities necessary for the therapist to be as accepting, nonjudgmental, and genuine as