Adolescent Girls at Risk Essay -- Essays Papers

Adolescent Girls at Risk What risks are really in existence for adolescent girls growing up on the Arizona-Mexico border? Well, more then anyone in their right mind might be able to imagine. Adolescent girls growing up on the border or in a multicultural area are generally from lower income homes, which in itself introduces an entire set of risk factors. The main focus, but certainly not the only ones at risk, being that of minority groups, such as Hispanic and American Indian girls. In general, they are at a risk for teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, gang affiliation, and academic and social challenges at school. Now this might not seem entirely foreign or surprising to some people. In fact, almost all high school students are at risk for everything listed, but the degree to which the girls are vulnerable to these risks in a multicultural environment can be alarming. There are many factors that can affect an adolescent girl’s degree of risk, and these factors are generally characterized as â€Å"stressors.† Stressors can consist of many things, from family problems, to social problems, to problems with academics. In migrant children, the stressors can be from the actual act of moving. They can also develop from difficulties in adjusting to a new area where they are now the minority and are being discriminated against for the first time (Canino & Spurlock, 18). This can cause a marked decline in self-esteem, which leads to even more difficulties including metal health problems. Many risk factors affecting minority youth are enhanced by the fact that they are typically from poor, highly stressed families (Canino & Spurlock, 18). Among all of these stressors, there are remedies, including social support... ... Children for Success in the 21st Century. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Town Hall, 1994. Branch, Curtis W. Clinical Interventions with Gang Adolescents and Their Families. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997. Canino and Spurlock. Culturally Diverse Children and Adolescents: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment. New York, NY: Guilford Press, 1994. Finkelstein, Nadia Ehrlich. Children and Youth in Limbo: A Search for Connections. New York, NY: Praeger Publishers, 1991. Garza and Ockerman. Adolescent Mexican American Student Attitudes of Self-Concept, Locus of Control and Family Ideology in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Palo Alto, CA: R&E Research Associates, Inc., 1979. Marchant and Smith. Adolescent Girls at Risk. New York, NY: Pergamon Press, 1977. Social Work with Adolescents. Ed. Jones and Pritchard. Boston, MA: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980.

Discuss the Role of Endogenous Pacemakers

Discuss the role of endogenous pacemakers in the control of circadian rhythms [AO1 8 marks, AO2 16 marks] An endogenous pacemaker is an internal biological clock that controls the way in which many of our biological rhythms behave. Many of these rhythms run on a 24 hour basis, such as the sleep/wake cycle, bodily temperatures and some of our hormones. The main endogenous pacemaker in mammals is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is located in the hypothalamus. It receives information about lights from the eye through the optic nerve.This happens even when our eyes are shut, due to them being so thin, meaning that if our endogenous clocks are slow (e. g. because the sun rises earlier than the day before) morning light automatically shifts the clock ahead, putting the rhythm back in sync with the day. At night, when there is no light, the SCN then sends a message to the pineal gland, causing it to increase the production of melatonin, which induces sleep by preventing the brains mechanism to promote wakefulness.An example of the way endogenous pacemakers control our circadian rhythms is a case study on Michael Siffre. Siffre willingly spent a long period of time under ground, to find out what happens to the sleep/wake cycle when the biological rhythm is allowed to run freely without external cues. His findings showed that the free running cycle settled down to a regular rhythm which is little over 24 hours. This study shows that the circadian rhythm persists without the cues of natural light, which demonstrates the existence of an endogenous clock.However the study also shows that external cues are also important to the sleep/wake cycle, because the clock was not perfectly accurate, meaning that without the cues of natural light, it would become out of sync with day and night. This study was supported by Aschoff and Wever (1985) who placed participants in an underground bunker without any external cues , and found that many participants displayed circadian rhythms of between 24 and 25 hours. However some of the circadian rhythms of those in the bunker were as long as 29 hours, showing that individual differences can effect the results meaning this study and the case study of MichaelSiffre cannot be generalised to the wider population. Miles et al’s (1977) study of a man that had been blind since birth showed that the man had a circadian cycle of 24. 9 hours. The blind man was exposed to different exogenous zeitgebers such as clocks and social cues, but they found that none of these factors reduced his biological clock to 24 hours, and he had to take stimulants in the morning and sedatives at certain times at night to reduce his biological rhythm in time with the rest of the world.This research supports the idea that the sleep/wake cycle isa circadian rhythm controlled by an endogenous pacemaker as it did not adjust when influenced with any natural exogenous zeitgebers, and was only effected when certain drugs were used to chang e it. However this study can be criticized as it is only a case study of one man, meaning it lacks population validity and cannot be generalised to the wider population. Morgan et al (1995) also provided evidence for the effect of endogenous pacemakers of the circadian rhythms by breeding ‘mutant’ hamsters that had circadian rhythms of 20 hours instead of 24.He then cut the SCN’s out of the mutant hamsters and transplanted them into normal hamsters. The normal hamsters the began to display the 20 hour circadian rhythm of the mutant hamster. This proves that endogenous pacemakers play a large role in circadian rhythms, as it showed that the sleep cycle in the hamsters depended on biological factors from with in the brain. However this research may raise some ethical issues as it can be seen to breach the terms of animal cruelty, as it may cause the hamsters to become psychologically unhealthy.Also the research can be criticized as it only shows the effect of the S CN on hamsters sleeping cycles and cannot be generalised to humans as hamsters have much smaller brains and are also nocturnal animals meaning that light does not effect their circadian rhythms, the same way it does ours. In conclusion, I think that endogenous pacemakers do play a very large role in helping to maintain our circadian rhythms, however this is also with the help of various exogenous zeitgebers which help keep the rhythms precise.

Admission to the Masters of Accounting Program at the College

I have faced a number of knotty situations in life. On one occasion, I was working with the ADA or the American Diabetes Association. We worked as two groups and our principal task was to count and reconcile the checks, cash and credit card donations, which used to arrive in large quantities. One day an older man joined our team. Then our troubles started. Till that time we had worked without any mutual misgivings or bickering. With the advent of this person, our time schedules and procedures went haywire. I studied the situation and realized that all this was due to his reluctance to follow the established procedure.Every one, in both the groups, was compelled to go home late, due to this person’s obduracy. All felt that he should be suitably reprimanded, but no one was willing to undertake this unpleasant task. The question that was foremost on every one’s mind was ‘who would bell the cat?’ I jumped into the fray and gently but firmly convinced him that w hat he was doing was unacceptable. He was happy with this way of communication, because I had talked to him in private, so that his pride was not hurt. This had the desired effect and we were able to complete the work in time.In addition, I was also the secretary of the African Cultural Society. I was instrumental in planning and implementing the IREP Africa program at the College of William & Mary. This task entailed coordination between and interaction with a number of fellow students, faculty and departments. I emerged much stronger as a coordinator, facilitator and administrator after this novel experience. The professed objective of this program was to unite African student organizations in Virginia and to improve their relations with each other.   I actively participated in several campaigns to raise funds for the underprivileged in Africa and one of them was in respect of poverty stricken women of Uganda.A successful and efficient accountant is one who is reliable, thorough , ingenious, a seeker of solutions, well organized and performance oriented. Of these the most important is trustworthiness, because accountants, in addition to their usual work, have to offer reliable advice regarding the conduct of business in the present day economic and legal context. Moreover, if accounting standards are not adhered to, then the company stands the risk of having to close down. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was enacted in the year 2002, in order to deal with such eventualities.Another important trait of an accountant is attention to detail. I possess this in ample measure. This fact was disclosed in my tenure as the treasurer of the African Cultural Society, between the years 2006 to 2007; and as the Vice President of the Syndicate. In these tasks, I maintained authentic and comprehensive financial records. I reviewed the internal financial controls and ensured that the organization’s moneys were safe. This club has a number of advantages and I took up aggressiv e marketing to ensure that its membership increased.The lack of ethical and moral accounting practices in business organizations results in financial frauds. This was clearly established in the following cases.In the year 2001, Enron announced a net loss of $ 618 million for its third quarter and that it would reduce the shareholders’ equity by $ 1.2 billion. The SEC immediately stepped in and demanded financial information from Enron. The Enron team of Auditor’s lead by their leader Anderson systematically destroyed a large number of financial documents. Subsequently, the Enron officials and its auditors were charged and convicted of fraud.This company had engaged in malpractices relating to financial accounting, with the result that the company became bankrupt. To conceal its malafide practices, this company indulged in complicated accounting practices. This illustrates the fact that accounting has to be ethical, transparent and morally upright. The consequence of th e Enron case was that the law relating to accountancy was made more stringent. However, more than even legislation; personal attitude, morality and ethical behavior should have greater influence.WorldCom was another company, which also attempted to camouflage its fraudulent activities by resorting to fudging of figures and falsification of financial reports. The procedure adopted by its accountants was less sophisticated than that of the Enron team; nevertheless, it committed a much greater fraud than Enron. However, these cases were not isolated incidents and proved to be merely the tip of the iceberg. Several more such fraudulent corporations were investigated by the Federal and state regulators. The principal among these are Adelphia, HealthSouth and Tyco, to name a few.I have a flair for leadership and I often volunteer to lead in various academic projects. Recently, I took over the reins of project, involving the formulation of a business plan to be presented to the board of di rectors. This project emerged as a huge success, despite the difficulties encountered, due to having to lead a team of peers. The team comprised of persons with different temperaments and it required a lot of innovativeness and ingenuity to extract the best from them.I have tremendous patience, as can be attested to by the students of the second grade, whom I teach as a volunteer teacher in the Waller Mill Elementary school, in Williamsburg. The foregoing incidents from my life reveal that I possess a high level of integrity, reliability, planning and implementing capacity, motivational skills, inspiration, ability to work in a team and patience.What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc Program?  I will complete my Bachelor’s degree in accounting by the month of May, 2008. Subsequently, I intend to pursue the Masters of Accounting Program at the College of William and Mary's School of Business. This course is truly outstanding and the faculty is the thi rd best in the nation. Classes are typically small and informal. The emphasis is on acquiring expertise. The faculty is easily accessible, if one wants to clarify doubts. In conjunction with my considerable management and leadership skills, this knowledge in accountancy will render me highly suitable for obtaining the Certified Public Accountant license. My principal objective is to become a CPA.

A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson Essay

On June 20, 1675, Metacomet, also known as Philip by the early American colonist, led a series of attacks on colonial settlements that lasted for more than a year. These attacks became known as â€Å"King Philips War.† It was a desperate attempt by the Natives to retain their land as their culture and resources dwindled before them. Mary Rowlandson, a famous victim of these Indian attacks, recounts her eleven-week captivity in her published book, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. The book describes her experience as a captive of the Wampanoags in great detail, and combines high adventure, heroism, and exemplary piety, which made it a popular piece in the seventeenth century. Throughout the narrative Mary Rowlandson portrays her skills as a writer with the delineation of her character. In her captivity, Mary Rowland realizes that life is short and nothing is certain. The common theme of uncertainty teaches Rowlandson that she can take nothing for grated. In a single day the seeming stability of life disappears without warning as portrayed in the opening scene when the town of Lancaster is burned down and she is separated from her two elder children. Rowlandson transitions from a wife of a wealthy minister with three children to a captive prisoner with a single wounded daughter in one day. Another instance of uncertainty is between The Twelfth Remove, where she is approved by her master to be sold to her husband, but the next day in The Thirteenth Remove she writes, â€Å"instead of going toward the Bay, which was that I desired, I must go with them five or six miles down the river into the mighty thicket of brush; where we abode almost a fortnight (271).† In addition to the uncertainty nothing in her captivity was consistent either. One day the Indians treat her respectfully, while the next day they give her no food. This inconsistency can be seen between The Eighth Remove and The Ninth Remove. In The Eighth Remove, Rowlandson is asked to make various garments in return for a shilling and different types  foods; however, in The Ninth Remove, Rowland was asked to make a shirt, but receives nothing in return (267-268). The inconsistency stems from the uncertain future, which plants fear in Rowlandson’s character. The only light she can see in her dark captivity is the light of her God. As a Puritan, Rowlandson believes that God’s will shapes the events in her life, and that each event serves a purpose. The common Puritan belief that humans have no choice, but to accept God’s will and make sense of it is portrayed throughout her narrative. This belief in God produces values of fortitude and determination Rowlandson uses to survive the eleven-week captivity. This is can be seen in The Second Remove as she is about to collapse from fatigue and injury, â€Å"but the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me along, that I might see more of his power (260).† Rowlandson often creates parallels between her own situation and biblical verses about the Israelites because the Puritans thought they were the descendants of the Israelites in the new world. This is portrayed in the closing scene when Rowlandson is reunited with her family and she quotes Moses speaking to the Israelites, †stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (288).† Moses said this to the Israelites at their arrival to the promise land after forty days of wandering in the desert. Rowlandson compares her captivity to the forty days in the desert, and her reunion with her family to the arrival at the promise land. In Rowlandson’s captivity, her perspective of the Native Indians evolves from savagery to aspects of civility. The more time she spent with the Natives the more relations she made with them that culminate into respect and appreciation for their culture. Initially Rowlandson considered the Natives â€Å"barbarous creatures† who â€Å"made the place a lively resemblance of hell† after the burning of Lancaster (259). As a result she speculates the Natives as violent savages. She was also disgusted with the various foods they ate such as ground nuts, tree bark, and horse liver; nevertheless, after three weeks of starvation she acquired a taste for the irregular foods. This is depicted in The Fifth Remove, â€Å"but the third week†¦ I could starve and die before I could eat such things, yet they were sweet and savory to my taste (265).† This expresses a minor change of heart Rowlandson  has for the Natives as she finds herself eating the same foods and enjoying them. In addition to the acquired taste of the Native foods, more similarities become apparent such as â€Å"praying Indians† who claim to have converted to Christianity and some instances where the Natives are wearing colonists’ clothing (279). The once distinct difference in civility and savagery becomes blurred in the similarities Rowland notices between the colonist and the Natives. Rowlandson explores the fearful hesitation most colonists feel in the face of the new world. The new world is the unknown environments outside the colonies, mainly toward the west. This includes the forest and wooded areas that are associated with the Natives. It is where the Natives live, where they take their captives, and a place of unknown to the colonist, which made it fearful. Rowlandson described it as a place of â€Å"deep dungeon† and â€Å"high and steep hill (266).† In Rowlandson’s captivity, she is pushed into the forest where her experience brings her further away from civilization. Her and other captives, such as Robert Pepper, gain practical knowledge about the natural world during their time spent with the Indians. Although this knowledge is key to her survival, it brings her anxiety and guilt because she feels as though she is being pushed from civilization. The delineated characterization of Mary Rowlandson in her published book, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, depicts the way Puritans approached life with religious concepts and beliefs, but the influence of the Native culture is what separates her work as the first captivity narrative. In her captivity she loses her original physiological security through eleven weeks of uncertainty and inconsistency. This forces her to think outside her Puritan ideology into the new world of different environments and experiences. Her new experiences allow her to grow and appreciate the differences of the new world, and in her reflection Rowlandson closes the gap between the Natives and Puritans by identifying the similarities between the two cultures.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 112

Summary - Essay Example He believed in Jesus Christ of Nazareth but yet criticized the message of the apostles (PBS). Many people saw Jefferson as not being a Christian because he could not agree with them. In his opinion Christianity had been tarnished by kings who formed the base of Christianity. He was a Christian, only that his views and beliefs were different from the rest. The immigration Act was a measure to restrict the number of aliens entering the United States. The immigration Act only allowed three percent of the total population of a foreign nation to enter the US; they later changed it to 2 percent. This Act was later altered and only allowed immigrants whose families were of American origin. For example, visas were available for immigrants from Britain and Western Europe and not for those from Northern and Southern Europe or Asian countries. This was clear racism, since they only wanted Americans or those with American blood to settle in the US. The legislature termed a group of immigrants as non-quota who could enter the states freely. These were scholars, wives and children of US citizens and students below 15 years of age. Anybody who could not read and write was not given a visa. Congress wanted to increase labor availability in their industries but did not want people from any other race to enter America. The U.S entered into an agreement with South Vietnam to conquer the whole of Vietnam. When the war began it seemed as the best approach the U.S government had taken. But when young soldiers aged between 18 and 19 went to war and did not come back protests began. These protests were mostly ignited by students of Wisconsin University since most of these soldiers were from the Wisconsin area. Protests for the war to end escalated as students resorted to more violent measures, disrupting recruitment exercises leading to violent actions from the police. While the government was trying to ease the tension at home, they lost their Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18 Summary - Essay Example The author has deliberated at length on various aspects of Balanced Scorecard Model, initially presented by Kaplan and Norton (1996) and implementation in GTE Corporation in a varied form as HR Scorecard. The author has presented sufficient credentials to support his argument in favor of HR Scorecard. A sufficient theoretical support in the form of various charts, graphs and diagrams strengthens the author’s stance on HR Scorecard. However, there are not sufficient traces of extended research. The author explored various aspects of HR Scorecard implementation in GTE Corporation but results thus formulated are not comprehensively backed by research on the implementation of Balanced Scorecard Model in other organizational setups. The article has presented facts and figures in a logically manner to support the authors viewpoint. The article is centered on the importance and implementation of Balanced Scorecard Model. The methodical approach and logical development of the article creates a good constructive argument in the favor of the model which was the primary objective of the author. The author has thus succeeded in presenting his case in a convincing

To what extent employee satisfaction is an antecedent for customer Dissertation

To what extent employee satisfaction is an antecedent for customer satisfaction and loyalty among Small and medium Enterprises - Dissertation Example logy 30 3.1 Research Philosophy 32 3.1.1 Phenomenological Style or Interpretivism 33 3.1.2 Positivist Style 33 3.2 Justification for Positivism Philosophy 34 3.3 Research Approach 35 3.3.1 Deductive Research 35 3.3.2 Inductive Research 36 3.3 Characteristics of this Research 37 3.4 Research Strategy 39 3.4.1 Qualitative Methodology 41 3.4.2 Quantitative Method 42 44 3.4.3 Semi-Structured Interviews 44 3.5 Time Horizon 45 3.5.2 Cross Sectional Perspective 46 3. 6 Data Collection Method 47 3.6.1 Secondary Data Collection 47 3.6.2 Observation 48 3.6.3 Interview 48 3.6.4 Sampling 49 3.6.5 Questionnaire Survey 50 3.7 Validity Testing 50 3.7.1 Construct Validity 50 3.7.2 Internal Validity 51 3.7.3 External Validity 51 3.7.4 Reliability 52 3.8 Analysis Tools 52 3.8.1Chi Square Test 52 3.8.2Â  Weighted Average Method 53 3.8.3 Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation 53 3.8.4 Percentage Analysis 54 3.8.5 Graphs 54 3.9 Ethical Considerations 54 4.2.1 Analysis 1 63 4.2.2 Analysis 2 66 4.2.3 Analysis 3 68 4.2.4 Analysis 4 70 70 4.2.5 Analysis 5 71 4.2.6 Analysis 6 74 4.2.8 Analysis 8 81 4.2.9 Analysis 9 & 10 84 4.2.10 Summary 86 Chapter 5 Conclusion 87 5.1 SME Retail Sector-Ireland 89 5.1.1 Competitive Advantage for Retail Stores 90 5.1.2 Human Resource Challenges 90 5.1.3 Marketing Challenge 91 5.1.4 Competitive Advantage through People 92 Chapter 6 Recommendation 93 Chapter 7 Self Reflection 94 7.1 Genesis of the Research Problem 94 7.2 My Concern 95 7.3 Collecting and Analyzing Data 95 7.6 Cost Management 98 7.7 Significance of the Research 99 7.8 Understanding Knowledge of Journal and Books 100 101 Reference 102 Journals 102 Books 107 Appendices 110 Appendix 1- Interview Transcript 110 Appendix 2- Questionnaire 113 List of Figures Fig 1: Competitive Advantage 13 Fig 2: Competitive Advantage through People 16 Fig 3- Employee Satisfaction 20 Fig 4: Customer Satisfaction & Employee Satisfaction 28 Fig 5: Customer Satisfaction 29 Fig 6: Research Method 32 Fig 7: D eductive Research 36 Fig 8: Inductive Research 37 Fig 9: Research Strategy 39 Fig 10: Qualitative versus Quantitative Analysis 44Fig 11: Service Profit Matrix 63 Fig 12: Distribution for Satisfied Population in Retail Stores 64 Fig 13: Distribution of Motivated Population 69 Fig 14: Key Motivators for Satisfaction 70 Fig 15: Correlation between Employee Satisfaction and Employee Motivation 74 Fig 16: Distribution of Engaged Employees 75 Fig 17: Variation in Employee Engagement and Employee Satisfaction 78 Fig 18: Correlation between Employee Commitment and Employee Engagement 81 List of Tables Table 1: Distribution for Satisfied Population in Retail Stores 63 Table 2: Satisfaction booster most favoured by employees 66 Table 3: Weighted Average of Satisfaction Booster most favoured by Employees 67 Table 4: Distribution of Job Satisfaction Booster 68 Table 5: Key Motivators 70 Table 6: Relational Matrix for Employee Commitment and Satisfaction 73 Table 7: Distribution of Employee Enga gement 75 Table 8: Dispersion between Employee Satisfaction and Engagement 77 Table 9: Relational Matrix between Employee Engagement and Commitment 80 Table 10: Observed Value 82 Table 11: Expected Value 83 Table 12: Chi Square Analysis 84 Table 13: Impact of Customer Care Service on Customer Satisfaction (X) 85 Table 14: Impact of Employee Satisfac

Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Resource Management - Essay Example In the article "Motivational Management. Developing Leadership Skills" written by D. M. Eade, the author gives some recommendations as for employees motivation and change strategies, which can be successfully in health care practice. The purpose of the article is to single out the most important characteristics of effective leaders and evaluate the importance of leadership in health care. The author examines employees perception and understanding of the notion of a leader and the role of a leader in the process of management. Summarizing the main features of an ideal leader it is possible to say that being a leader is not a position, but a function. It requires getting the job done. In terms of leadership, the aim is to recruit and develop motivated managers who lead proactively. They are expected to be clear, to delegate and to get others to participate. A key aspect of leadership is that of aligning people with the goals and values of the company. In resource management effective leaders identify productive areas of confusion and uncertainty that exist in society, demonstrate that they do not have all the answers but are willing to learn, and is able to act differently, think differently, and seek inspiration from different sources, than leaders of the past. The obligations of leadership include effective training, deep insight into new tools and advancements and their impact on the future, strong corporate nurturing, and repeated practice could yield the best result, a well-rounded, skilled, and insti nctive leader. On the other hand, the author of the article does not include in her discussion such important features of good leaders as the ability to cope with complex technological change in their organizations. The author: "noted that solid strategies are necessary, but not sufficient in and of themselves, for good planning. Detailed action plans based on those strategies are critically important" (Eade , 1996). General leadership skills are not sufficient in enriched environments. It must directly relate to the tools, medium, strategies, and competencies found within this culture. Leader should possess the competencies to use and evaluate new tools, but he/she must also have the insight into the impact these tools will have on the future of organizations. The ability to develop a shared vision for new resources within an organization is an essential part of management, especially in health care. Employees prefer to have a leader who is a self-achiever and motivated to become a role model. Changes in resources often produce a "chaos situation" where change management in the use of instructional technology in teaching and learning becomes increasingly important. The leader must be ready to cope with difficult situations. Effective leaders recognize that what they know is very little in comparison to what they still need to learn. Leading others is not simply a matter of style, or following some how-to guides or recipes. Ineffectiveness of leaders seldom results from a lack of know-how or how-to, nor it is typically due to inadequate managerial skills. Leadership is even not about creating a great vision. It is about creating conditions under which all followers can perform