Vulnerability of world countries to climate change

Current Events in Business Research Shari Bratcher RES351 April 28 201

Current Events in Business Research Shari Bratcher RES351 April 28 201 Current Events in Business Research RES351 April 28, 2014 Current Events in Business Research I have examined an article titled, Technology could ease textbook costs: Studies show students are slow to embrace new methods of learning by Christopher Magan, 2010. This article illustrates how the improvement of technology may not be as welcomed, as it should. In the examination of this article, we will determine the research and purpose of the article, as well as discuss the complications under examination, the used methods of inquiries, and the completion of the research. An association professor of communication at Wright State University, Lynn Disbrow, received an award recently by the Ohio Board of Regents (Magan, 2010). This award was in honor of her digitizing a public speaking courses materials, which in turn reduced the costs significantly from $90 to $35. What this does is offers students supplementary resources at a more affordable price. Possibly restructuring the textbook market in the decades to come, the introduction of new methods of learning, such as tablet computers, netbooks and handhelds, is no longer a vision but a reality. Several universities are gradually exchanging paper materials for digitized course material. Although students are committing to new technology ventures, such as social networking, studies show that students are slow to incorporate the use of new technologies into school studies. The Student Watch composed a study in 2010 that showed seventy-four percent of students would rather use printed textbooks. Sixty percent of students were unaware of digitized material made available to them at their school. Because students in secondary education were taught to read printed textbooks, it has set a mental standard for learning subsequently. Because materials need to be affordable to the students, digitalized resources are going to be a significant piece to future of education learning. McGraw-Hill publishes all of their textbooks in both print and digitally, many companies are eager to deliver the necessary materials in either way the demands of the market fall. The conversion from print to digital will come sooner than later with the immense uses of computers for education purposes. Colleges and universities are becoming paperless and are starting to provide students with online course materials, such as assignments, course syllabus and other requirements. The transition is just a matter of the adjustments people will have to make. We are now in the beginning of a digital age with the introduction of new technology. Whether students prefer printed materials as opposed to online materials is still a question that remains to be unanswered fully. Many students are embracing the idea of a paperless curriculum, while others are still comfortable to the more traditional learning methods of printed copies. Unfortunately, for now, this seems to be a less viable option in the market that has been created. References Magan, C. (2010, June 12). Technology could ease textbook costs; Studies show students are slow to embrace new methods of learning. Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/497337234?accountid=458

Business Article assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Article - Assignment Example A research conducted by professionals from the University of Cambridge in 2008 aimed to determine â€Å"the risky decision-making abilities of entrepreneurs and corporate managers with similar IQs and experience levels using a battery of neurocognitive tests† (Mehta, par. 4). The results of the study indicate that the greater preponderance for risk taking activities of entrepreneurs were both traced from behavioral and physiological factors that affect their decision making processes. As averred â€Å"the entrepreneurs not only scored higher on personality tests that measure impulsivity and flexibility; they also experienced a chemical response in the reward center of the brain that the managers did not† (Mehta, par. 4). Concurrently, Mehta stipulated guidelines for potential entrepreneurs in terms of socializing with other entrepreneurs, conditioning oneself for small successes, having faith and determination, and seeking a partner who would complement lacking skills, abilities, and knowledge that is not present in one’s personal arena. Relation of Topic to Discussion The topic is significantly related to the class discussion on small businesses and entrepreneurship. More and more global organizations have struggled to grow from roots that were identified as small business ventures or from sheer innovative vision and strategies implemented by entrepreneurs. The article is relevant in terms of accepting the risk taking characteristics of entrepreneurs to identify unique opportunities in the external environment, which could initially be posed as a threat, but would eventually be converted into a privilege to create jobs and provide financial success to the entrepreneur and to the stakeholders who would benefit from the venture. As shown in the power point presentation as Chapter 7: Small Business and Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs are a distinct breed of professionals who are predominantly risk takers and are willing to invest time, money and effort for potential ventures that could be successful or could ultimately fail. The thought provoking insight on famous entrepreneurs could inspire aspiring ones into trying their luck in diverse business opportunities. The experiences of Ray Kroc, McDonald’s founder and Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers, have attested that entrepreneurs’ drive and determination do not die with past failures. Further, the entrepreneurial spirit that highlight extraordinary skills, talents and abilities of these individuals stir innovation through technological breakthroughs, use of cross functional teams, employ strategies that enhance strengths and competitive advantage in their chosen fields of endeavor. Personal Comments One’s personal contention on the topic of small businesses and entrepreneurship is the focus on distinct characteristics of entrepreneurs as drivers of businesses and new ventures. Entrepreneurs have keen business acumen and are unique in terms of t he extremely high desire to achieve. People like Donald Trump, Bill Gates, aside from those mentioned in class, have been instrumental in revolutionizing their business niche through innate desire to uplift the welfare of mankind. From what one has learned through research and through observing entrepreneurial talent, the innate desire and drive to discover something new that could be of benefit to a greater number of people have been most instrumental to their success. As learned from the class module, small businesses

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic Management - Essay Example In addition to being the position of foremost retailer in United Kingdom, it also has the inimitable distinction of being the highest emergent Finance Company and also Internet food retailer business. To accomplish real success in worldwide market, pricing and product quality is necessary. Entry strategy of the product is also very significant for successful launching of business in other countries. The strategic preparation will facilitate every manufacture or service organization to do something that is exclusive and greatly appreciated by the customer. The strategic management is the composite, business extensive and the long terms connotation which deals with basic principles of execution and examination. So that effective strategic management helps the Tesco to increase overall profitability and productivity. â€Å"Supermarket Tesco put up for sales a wide variety of goods online, consisting of baby items and groceries, flowers, electrical commodities ,toddler things, music, vi deo, books, CDs, , DVDs, personal finance and vouchers† (Supermarkets, 2010). ... Tesco offer better environment for purchase goods and other material. Understand the clients to the quality, price and other related items of merchandise.   Tesco introduced new techniques and ideas for achieving the business objectives. Tesco illustrate that the entire retailers are one team.   Tesco also explained that clients enjoy shopping and catch the attention of various new customers by launching new items and to increase their marketplace share. The efforts taken by Tesco does serve as a pointer that the company does seem to have been taking steps for reducing carbon footprints and ensuring a more safer and healthier environmental friendly approach to business. Tesco’s business strategy: Tesco is the chief retailing business and it effectively achieved in the course of purchasing, introducing new things, developing their business in worldwide level. That time sales level raise at the level of 91%. Tesco pleased their customers’ requirements and wants.   C lients are increasing day by day and they are purchasing numerous products from there. They are selling more and maximize the earnings and income increased at the rate of 87%. Without United Kingdom Tesco established their industry in many other states and achieved lot of new clients. â€Å"Tesco supermarket has selected to practice strategic industry unit (SBU) crossways the entire of its business parts with the intention of make best use of the amount of competitiveness inside the individual marketplace regions\s. According to one of the famous author Mockler (2002: 49), says about the SBU. It would envelop†¦ the strategic basis; magnitude and range of the operation; tactical push; the types of goods or services sell and distributed; quality of service and

Contemporary World Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Contemporary World Cinema - Essay Example Before beginning the main part of the comparative study, it is important to generally assess the working of the two filmmakers. In regards of the Dardenne Brothers, it is widely accepted that most of their films follow a sort of realistic depiction that may eventually drift towards some political implication. In other words, their movies are prone to convey political message. The most important part of this phenomenon is that this message is not conveyed in a planned way. The cocktail of story telling and realism may lead the spectator to wider societal and political inferences. Haneke, on the other hand, is known for depicting stereotypical characters time and again. However, such tendencies do not mar his exclusive language of cinema that gives rise to robust flow of thoughts. In words of Grundmann, this is â€Å"cinema of glaciation†. Further, realism in Haneke’s cinema appears in a subtle form where the central character may be a very different kind of person, just the like we find in Benny’s Video. Such sort of realism mixed with a degree of uniqueness and horror adds special dimensions to our general perception.

Impact of Leadership Styles on Job Satisfaction of Nurses

Impact of Leadership Styles on Job Satisfaction of Nurses Every day nurses have the responsibility for the health as well as the well being of their patients and therefore to ensure a continuity of the patient care each every nurses on a unit work tougher to ensure that they achieve the shared goals. The cohesive team thus work diligently to promote then patent health, safety and recovery and to achieve such unity nursing manager coordinates and supervises all the interactions that go on between all the team members he is in charge of (Longerich, et al 2003).Nurse leaders may be nurses mangers who are responsible for one nursing unite or a nurse executive held responsible for all the in-patient nursing units. Nurse steam leaders achieve their roles by applying the various nursing leadership style which include: transformational, transactional as well as dynamic leadership. A combination of more than one leadership style is often considered more effective but a single type also serves the intended purpose depending on the situation that the leader is in (Mahoney, 2001). Background The nursing professionals faces one of the greatest challenges of developing future leaders as powerful leadership skills are required all nurses i.e. those responsible for providing direct acre to those in the top management position for example anyone looked upon as an authority ranging from a nurses taking care of a patient to those responsible for giving assistance to others. All of them are considered s leaders. Another difficult that faces leadership for health care professionals is that most of the leadership theories were not developed based on the healthcare context but rather with in the business context then applied to healthcare. A clinical nursing leader is involved in direct patient care as well as offers a continuous improvement of the care by influencing others. Leaders have skills, task which they utilize to as an attitude that inform behavior leading to consistent superior performance with long-term benefits to all those involved. Leader s not alloy control other but are more of visionaries who serve to helping employees to lead, plan, organize and control their activities (Jooste, 2004). In the past decade shelf life of leaders in the health service has halved and instead of working in environments that encourage creative thinking especially about the future of health care there is one that consists of vast paper trails that are characterized by motions masquerading as activity. Thus the luxuries of personal lives for the senior staff are tumbled upon especially in some of the healthcare organizations where 60- hours working in a week has become quite normal. This situation has made some health care staff to no longer work for patients but rather to be motivated by pronouncements from government representatives , media expose an even on the latest scandal regarding misuse of public money (Woolnough, 2002). Health care system has witnessed different parts of the health organization focus on different things which is often marred with poor coordination across the various departments with objectives being sandwiched between keeping costs down with efforts to increasing patient services. Such in-coordination as been felt by the hospital administrators especially at times when demands for administrative services increases and thus administrative jobs are cut. Making choices require certain amounts of freedom, thought, actions, time for weighing options, as well as time for reviews of such decision, unfortunately in health cares leaders lack such luxuries as the reliable, easily accessible and relevant information they require to make decision is often not unavailable. Further more resources and time that is essential for such responsibilities is missing and this affects much of the health care leaders who are driven by gut feeling which is linked to strong sense of personal values regarding what is right, just and reasonable(Outhwaite, 2003). Irrespective of the countries which healthcare leaders operate they are always expected to fulfill the following roles: being a diplomat, a visionary, politician, conflict resolver, coach, figure head as well as a human being failure to which no leader can claim to the title. as a matter of fact most leaders face the pressures of sharing a little pieces of themselves with anyone that ask for it, in addition to that healthcare leaders face real dilemmas regarding several issues like ways of radically changing their organizations without any guarantees of success despite the well planned changes and being able to accept the consequences of their actions, working with political agendas or legislations which they disagree with and also accept the consequences, apportioning of resources of the available as fairly as possible while also accepting the consequences, saying no when they want to say yes and also accept the consequences ,trying to act ethically yet sometimes leading to failures and knowing that despite their selfless effort someone some how cries foul. In addition to that healthcare leaders are faced with challenges of making decision like making choices regarding decisions on acting on absolute principle or creative several flexible responses, to keep particular services or to discard them, having a open organization and developing closer ties with the service users yet at same time having little or no control over the eventual outcomes, to continue to lead or not (Outhwaite, 2003). Failure to act in decisive manner by healthcare leaders may lead to general delay action for instance lack of medical and nursing action in the review of requested treatment in admission leads to inaction on the part of delivering the treatment. The pivotal role of the leader may be overshadowed by fear of unjust critism which result to delayed decision which its ultimate consequence of having to deal with sense of failure and guilt. Leadership Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing others, meeting goals by obtaining the co-operation from those around them and acquiring the resources to achieve their goal. To be a leader you must make a decision to act; doing so requires skill, knowledge, energy, vision and self-confidence (Tappen, 2001). On the other hand, leadership may not be obvious or visible process of influencing others, but the very leadership features within the individual may trigger other people to act according the leading person. Carney (1999) defines leadership as persuading others to pursue a common goal by setting aside individual concerns, while Marquis Huston (2000) states that leadership is made up of authority and accountability. They define authority as the power one has to direct the work of others and accountability as well as the moral responsibility that comes with the position of leadership. Majority of existent theories pays attention to leadership as a personal feature which is more or less helpful when achieving goals within the organization and not for individual goals. However, this paper work would focus on both parts as leadership in nursing field requires the same amount of attention to the work of organization and the individual as well. In other words, if adding all definitions together, we get the idea that leadership involve influence on others, authority, achievement of goals through command work and the leaders moral responsibility. The basic question is how the leader arranges his / her priorities, the job of staff, atmosphere, etc. Leadership theories Trait theory Much has been written about the differing leadership styles and theories over the last seventy years. Many leadership theories have evolved over the last century starting with Trait theory. It is based on the assumption that some people possess personality traits which single them out as natural leaders and those who possess such traits should be nurtured into leadership positions (Marquis Huston, 2000). However, this theory was abandoned by the 1940s as no set of consistent traits could be identified and thus research focused on the behavior and attitudes of managers based on the assumption that leadership styles are based on specific behavior. (Sellgren et al, 2006) Nowadays, many ideas of trait theory are rejected as psychology studies provided evidence that leadership though appears as every individuals feature is not that helpful when trying to nurture it so this theory now has only historical rather than practical importance. Behavioral theory Research on leadership has shifted focus from leadership traits to leadership behavior (Bass, 1981 cited in McNeese-Smith, 1996). Behavioral theories particularly focus on what a leader does (Whitehead et al, 2007). This approach was adopted from the 1950s onwards following two major studies by American universities. It looked at what a leader does and what he / she should do, what is leaders role when facing certain problems, the behavior exhibited by leaders and the influence of leadership style on a groups performance. Research into behavioral theory was based on the premise that each leader has a style based on their personality, they experience and education (Ekvall, 1992 cited in Sellgren et al, 2006). Also, the theory was interested on leaders interaction in group work, and how members of the group react to each other and especially, the leading figure. For further analysis, the leaders behavior can be separated into three main leadership styles Authoritarian, democratic and Laissez-faire (Tappen, 2001). Leadership style is related to the amount of control or freedom which the leader affords to the group (McCarthy, 1998). Authoritarian Authoritarian leaders keep most of the authority and make most of the decisions without much consultation with the group. Autocratic leadership style does not allow group participation and does not nurture creativity. This may have the effect of de-motivating the team members in the long term (Whitehead et al, 2007). In some cases it can even be said that autocratic leader does not even need a group work; all what matters is groups ability to follow the orders. Authoritarian style can however, be useful in situations where group participation would be counter-productive or where rapid decisions need to be made. Still, rapid decisions do not guarantee success, so this type of leadership in many cases is rarely acceptable. There are certain researchers nowadays who examine the leadership and leaders behavior of important historical figures. They draw a conclusion that many presidents, politicians and generals of the past were good authoritarian leaders as the very lifestyle back then were based on social status and the power within the society (Whitehead et al, 2007). Education also played an important role and the good leader was the one who could lead the whole nation to success by making decisions on his own. Fortunately or not, nowadays this type of leadership is often treated as unacceptable behavior rather than type of leadership. Democratic This style of leadership takes the opinions of the group into account. The decision making is shared with the group paying attention to every single critique and comment from other members of the group. This style encourages group participation and exercises general, rather than close supervision. (Carney, 1999) In other words, it is all seen in the very word democratic; the leader within the group is seen as more important figure than everyone else, but the leader himself / herself is responsible for creating a feeling of equality; work in such group usually would be followed by friendly and positive atmosphere as every individual in the group would be seen in many cases as more important figure than the very problem they are solving. Possible drawbacks may be that democratic leaders are only strong when every individual feels strong in the group, but some leaders are not capable of withstanding their opinion if it may damage the atmosphere within the group. Despite that, these case s are rarely discussed as after such incidents the authority of the leader may be diminished and the group would be searching for other leading figure. Laissez faire In this style the leader allows the group to determine their own way of working and does not provide much direction, feedback or decision making. This type of leader is passive and non-directive; he / she provide little support for the group and in fact may turn requests for help and support back to the group in general (Tappen, 2001). Some groups require passive leader, who in a way will took all responsibility, but actions and decisions would be made by other people in the group. It does not necessarily suggest that this kind of leadership is provoked by group members; the leader should be conscious about the situation and accept that. Some behavior researchers and psychologists even points out that this type of leadership requires more psychological knowledge and personal strength than others; not many people would allow such freedom for the group without being afraid to accept full responsibility of their actions (Tappen, 2001). In more recent times, research carried out by Kouzes Posner (1988) and Bass (1995) showed interesting results about leadership behaviors. They studied over 1,300 leaders and have identified five different leadership behaviors: Challenging the process: these are leaders who are innovative and experimental; their work should be a challenge. Inspiring a shared vision: Intuitive leaders who picture the future and enlist others to become involved; Enabling others to act: these are empowered and supportive leaders who build trust and team work; Modeling the way: Leaders who act as role models, setting a good example and practicing what they preach; Encouraging the heart: Leaders, who support their followers, recognize and reward their accomplishments, though some researchers nowadays questions methods of leading the group through rewards (especially material). These leadership behaviors are very useful and can be used as independent variables to measure both the managers opinion of their style of leadership and that which is perceived by those they manage. This in turn can be used as an indication of employees satisfaction with their managers style. Situational leadership theory This leadership theory is based on the premise that leadership style should be determined by the situation or the individuals involved (Marquis Huston, 2009). The differing leadership styles of situational leadership proposed by Hersey et al (1997) are based on the maturity or readiness of the follower. They set out four levels of readiness ranging from low (unable or unwilling) to high (able, willing and competent) and depending on the level of the follower the leaders style is directive, coaching, supportive or delegate in approach. There would be helpful to present an example which would illustrate this theory better. For example, the leader who is working with group of people which is known to him / her would follow absolutely different steps or provide different behavior when working with other group of people which he / she has not met before. That is because new people would consciously or not question presented leaders authority, their working methods may contradict the meth ods by which leader chooses to act, etc. In other words, this theory focuses on the new direction which was not discussed before the conflict between group members and leader when facing certain new issues, or anything at all what is innovative and not known how to deal with. Situational leadership stresses out the importance of leaders actions in new situations where group work has to be organized very carefully (Hersey, 1997). Charismatic Theory (Transactional and Transformational leadership styles) New leadership styles have developed in more recent times and that involves the transactional leadership and transformational leadership, both of which are part of Charismatic theory (Rafferty, 1993). In rapidly growing health sector, these kinds of leadership are especially notable up to the present day. Transactional leadership is characterized by bargaining, it emphasizes the organizations goals while recognizing the rewards that people value. Once goals have been achieved the leader rewards those who helped to achieve them (Lindholm et al 2000, Carney 1999). It seems as a very fair method to focus on goals rather than rewards; the sequence of actions is very strict, showing that efforts would be rewarded only if they were effective. Transformational leadership has charisma as its focus. The leader provides the vision, instilling a sense of pride in achievements, while gaining trust and respect from the group. Transformational leadership raises both leader and follower to a high level of motivation and morality as both shares a common value according to Burns (1978) who coined the term. In other words, both leader and the follower are on the same level, the main distinction is who leaded who to such level. To shortly sum up, this theory basically was called charismatic as leader must be able to build up the strategy consciously and think ways of how group can effectively be included into achievement of necessary goals. Servant leadership One of the more recent leadership concepts is Servant leadership. This style is very different to traditional views of management where the organizations needs take precedence. Servant leadership is concerned with service to the follower as opposed to engaging followers to support organizational goals (Stone et al, 2004). Servant leaders take into account their followers needs first and this in turn empowers them to achieve organizations goal. This also sometimes brings problem of inequality in light as the leaders needs and the followers would be of very different level. Thus, one side could feel in a way used but in many cases feelings would not be considered that important as many problems are solved in formal style and achievement of goals is the only satisfactory solution. This theory was called servant for various reasons very few literature provides the origin of such concept, as the fact that organizations word is always the last, is quite natural itself (Carney, 1999). To sum up these kinds of leadership theories, the short evolution of leadership studies it is seen that analysis provides numbers of exceptions, and ambiguities. Every theory and every type of leadership can be understood and interpreted differently considering every individual. Leadership is necessary in group work to achieve certain goals, but nothing can guarantee or provide an easy pattern to do so. However, after this discussion we now would be focusing on another part of this paper analysis; in what forms leadership appears in nursing field and how leadership styles can help to achieve personal or institutional goals and bring satisfaction for the job. Leadership styles in Nursing What is clear from the literature is that no one style of management and leadership is consciously used within nursing as a specific method to cope with certain issues that nurses and ward managers are facing. However, what emerges is that predominantly health care has moved away for the traditional autocratic style and towards a combination of transactional and transformational leadership. A study of 71 Irish Health Managers carried out by Armstrong (1999) found that over half used transactional and transformational leadership. The reasons are quite obvious. The period of time shows that the research is quite new and nowadays autocratic leadership is usually interpreted negatively. Transactional and transformational leadership, however are more effective in nursing field as such kind of leadership showed great success in institutional work (Avolio, 1988). Nurses in general, aims to helping people, and these two styles of leadership are emphasize the co-operation with other people; g roup work and care for others is extremely important to get successful results. Nowadays in nursing field other models are rarely seen as effective and though it can be said that democratic leadership is also very common, it usually appears in the group of nurses excluding their direct leader the employer. Democratic leadership often occurs where leader is not the one with higher status, but the one which is chosen by the group as the most reliable or so on (Bass, 1995). In a study carried out by Lindholm et al (2000) he found that more than half of managers interviewed exhibited a combination of both transactional and transformational leadership styles and these managers appeared to experience fewer management problems, less resistance to change and greater support from other professional groups within health care. What is not really acceptable is that these studies do not provide enough information about minorities, who are using different leadership styles. Although, it is only natural to state that leaders who uses different methods or have mixed qualities, often are said to be better than those who can be applied only to one pattern. The Hay group, an international management consultancy firm which carried out a study of leadership styles in seven NHS trusts in Brittan sets out six leadership styles which are prevalent in nursing (Kenmore, 2008): Directive: A leader who instructs staff on what to do without consultation, this often seems as autocratic style, though also can be the transactional or transformational leadership style leader; Visionary: The leader who provides long term guidance and vision for the future, the team work is important and especially the trust for a leader; Affiliative: This leader creates harmony within the team as other way the achievement of goals would be not as effective as needed; this style is especially good if the certain group is going to co-operate in the future, they would find ways to achieve goals effectively together as a team; Participative: A leader who generates ideas and develops staff commitment; it is an active leader who also works in a group though he / she clearly states who is the leader; Pace-setting: This leader promotes high standards and task accomplishments as he / she finds the reward as the best way to motivate his group; statistics show that money as motivation is not the most important part for job satisfactory, but still this kind of leaders are quite common; Coaching: A leader who promotes self-development and further education; it is a sort of investment in group for facing future tasks; also very effective if the team would work together for a long period of time. The Hay group found that the most effective ward managers are flexible in their approach and used a variety of these leadership styles in order to get the best performance from their staff (Kenmore, 2008). However there is no comparative study of leadership styles carried out within Irish nursing on this scale which identifies an opportunity for further research in order to gain better understanding in the Irish context. In Ireland the National Clinical Leadership Programme (2008) was set up by the Office of the Nursing Midwifery Services Directory (ONMSD) to assist nurse managers to develop leadership skills which support the new and expanded ways of delivering quality patient care. This programme was adopted from the Royal College of Nursings (RCN) Clinical Leadership Programme framework which aims to develop transformational leadership qualities in participants (Clinical Leadership Pilot Evaluation Report, 2008). The theoretical framework focuses on: Learning to self manage Developing effective relationships Patient focus Networking Political Awareness This leadership programme has since been developed further by the ONMSD to become the National Leadership Development Project. This project has developed competencies which promote clinical leaders. These, the ONMSD believe, are the key to providing better care and developing leadership within nursing. This pilot project commenced in March 2011 with the completion date set for 2012. (NLDP, 2010). So far, this project received positive reviews by many researchers of health care studies and the nurses themselves. Defining Job satisfaction history and current thoughts Job satisfaction is defined by Locke (1969) as: a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experience. It is described as a positive affective orientation towards employment by Muller McCloskey (1990). Job satisfactory is a crucial factor which influences individuals personal appearance in his / her work sphere which can result in increasing or decreasing effectiveness in job duties. As a formal area of research, job satisfaction did not really exist until the mid 1930s although there was a good deal of qualitative research and theorizing about the concept of job satisfaction. These included Freud (1922) who felt that morale acted to suppress negative tendencies, encouraging personal sacrifice and commitment to group goals. Janet (1907) theorized that repetitive work encouraged one to dwell on negative thoughts and cause obsessive thinking. Historically, researchers were interested in job satisfaction as a means of increasing productivity. Scientific management theory assumed that above all things, workers value economic incentives and would be willing to work harder for economic incentives. Taken these two opinions into account it is seen that the lack of personal or moral satisfaction still was not discussed widely. This led to the Hawthorne studies which were carried out by Professor Elton Mayo from the Harvard Business School between 1927 and 1932. This study began by examining the effect of physical conditions on productivity, however in the course of his investigations he became convinced that factors of a social nature were affecting job satisfaction and productivity. This study revealed that the feelings and attitudes of workers affected production rates and this led to him introducing an interview programme to assess the nature of the relationship between methods of supervision and workers attitudes. As a result of these interviews it became apparent that small changes in work conditions temporarily increase productivity but further investigations reveled that this increase resulted, not from the changes in conditions, but from the knowledge that workers were being observed. In other words when interest was shown in workers their productivity increased but when this interest was withdrawn , the productivity fell. This later became known as the Hawthorne effect. This research provided strong evidence that people work for other purposes than pay as well and sparked a wave in research into other factors which affect job satisfaction. After these studies and thoughts about job satisfactory, numbers of tools for measuring job satisfaction appear. One of the most commonly used is Maslows theory of human needs (1954). Maslow asserted that human needs emerge sequentially according to a hierarchy of five need levels: physiological, safety, affiliation, achievement and esteem and self-actualization. Maslow argued that the satisfied need was not a motivator of behavior and therefore the importance of higher needs increases as lower needs are satisfied. This was followed by Herzberg et al (1959) who went on to develop a theory of job satisfaction based on Maslows hierarchy and concluded that not all factors increase satisfaction. They conclude that there was a relationship between job satisfaction and certain work behaviors as well as between job dissatisfaction and other work behaviors. Hertzberg concluded that satisfaction and dissatisfaction were two totally different phenomena which develop from distinct sources and h ad differing initial and long term effects on behavior. Hertzberg also found that the factors related to good feelings towards ones job were achievement and recognition, the nature of the work itself, responsibility, advancement and salary. The bad feelings towards the job stemmed from company policy and administration, technical supervision, the question of payment, interpersonal relationships with supervisors and working conditions. Hertzbergs basic proposition is that workers are driven by two different factors; hygiene and motivation factors. Hygiene needs related to the physical and psychological environment in which the work is done while motivational factors relate to the nature and the challenge of the work itself. However, there has been severe criticism of Hertzbergs theory due to its lack of empirical support as well as the very idea of job satisfactory did not provide examples of fairly different job spheres. The job satisfaction of nurses There is a wealth of literature relating to job satisfaction in general management literature and to a lesser extent, in nursing literature. From the moment when job satisfaction became a field of psychological interest, numbers of considerable researches has been done on various aspects of job satisfaction. One of the most notable studies was carried out by the Hay group and it would be mentioned further. Job satisfaction is not easily defined mostly because it means different things to different people. Job satisfaction is multifaceted and can be affected by both internal and external factors. Atchison (2003) lists pay as the most important external factor but states that internal factors such as a good boss, professional development and a nurturing work environment are even more important. This is borne out by the extensive study carried out by the Hay group (1999) of over 500,000 employees in 300 locations where they found that employees rated pay and benefits in only 10th position in the reasons for employee satisfaction. According to Atchison (2003), pay checks are entitlements and not motivators. The only time a pay check is motivating is when there is a threat of loss of the pay check. Atchison (2003) states, that job satisfaction to nurses is unique as what motivates nurses is not so much pay and conditions but rather the well-being of the patient and a sense of a job well don e. What is more, not payment, but the patient is one of the most important figures in nurses job. Even when the patient outcome is not positive a nurse may feel a sense of satisfaction having met the patients needs spiritually, physically and psychologically. This is defined by the Hay group (1999) as Meaningful work, making a difference and is cited as the 3rd most common reason given by employees for wanting to stay with a company. Pay ranked at only 10th place as a reason for staying, though this may vary in other countries depending on nursing conditions, economy, etc. This research lists ten reasons overall (Hay group, 1999): Career growth, learning and development Exciting work, challenging Meaningful work, making a difference Great people Being part of a team Good boss Recognition for job well done Autonomy, sense of control over ones work Flexible work hours and dress code Fair pay and benefits This is re-iterated by Lebbin (2007) who says that many people who work in health care are motivated by improving the health and well-being of their patients. He goes on to state that staff dissatisfaction cannot be fixed by increasing pay and benefits but by the organization addressing its primary goal which is caring. Blegin (1993) found that factors affecting employee satisfaction were: employer commitment, communication with supervisors, autonomy, recognition, and peer communication. This study also found that stress and routinization negatively affected employees satisfaction. Basically, if an employee meets constant stress in work place or the job becomes as a routine, the changes are necessary, and the payment is rarely a sol

Prostitution :: essays papers

Prostitution Prostitution is an issue which has caused controversy cross-culturally and historically and which has many individuals reexamining the logistics of it. If prostitution is decriminalized it will become economically profitable and feasible for not only the prostitutes, but also western society as a whole. Without the 20th century western laws, which force prostitution underground, the profession of prostitution could become a clean and safe occupation. Prostitution laws are unconstitutional and deny the prostitutes what the American constitution allows them. Prostitution is an illegal act in Canada and large portions of the United States which, if legalized, would protect and benefit 20th century western society. If sanctioned, prostitution will become economically lucrative for the governments involved. The colossal amount of money spent each year on prostitute prevention could be spent on more urgent issues, which is exactly wha the San Francisco Task Force on Prostitution found. The total costs accounted for in this report amounts to $7,634,750.00. Given the many areas in which we found that information is not available, or there are hidden costs, the over all expense to the taxpayer exceeds $7.6 million annually.1 The San Francisco Task Force is a group of researchers, police officers, members of the San Francisco community, government officials and prostitutes, who frequently meet to discuss the issues of prostitution and to try to come to some solution. Although they may not always agree, two issues they are in agreement about are that the $7.6 million dollars would be better spent elsewhere and that prostitution should be legalized.. Robert Noce of Manitoba city council wants reform of the Canadian Justice System and he would like to see prostitution become worthwhile to Canadian taxpayers. Quite frankly, for anyone to suggest to me a dating or escort agency is just offering companionship is being quite naive. Let's not try to bury our heads in the sand and pretend nothing else is going on. Instead of pretending these establishments don't exist let's instead be logical about this and try to use the profits that we could be making, in a wise and useful manner. I think that the highest paying customers for prostitution is us Canadians, in the money we put into fighting this futile cause.2 Instead of putting millions of dollars into stopping this consensual act, the money saved and made from the legalization of prostitution can be spent on fighting child prostitution and coerced prostitution. These two crimes are becoming rampant across North America, but lack of funds prevents a serious effort from being made to fight against them. If brothels and prostitutes were to be taxed like any other place of

Fault lines in Canadian Society Essay

There are existing tensions or fault lines in Canada amongst different regions. Fault lines according to Bone (2012) are the geological phenomenon where there are cracks on the crust of earth due to the tectonic forces. In relation to Canada, fault lines are political, social and economic cracks that divide people and regions and they also threaten to destabilize the integrity of Canada as a nation. According to Bone (2012), the geography of Canada is characterized by four tensional fault lines, and they include; English and French Canadians, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, centrist and decentrist forces, and the immigration forces. These are the forces that have ensured Canada remain a nation of regions. There are six regions in Canada and they include Quebec, Atlantic Canada, Western Canada, Ontario, territorial north and British Columbia. The essay will majorly discuss the Aboriginal/ non- Aboriginal fault line by comparing and contrasting the circumstances of their current existence in certain physiographic regions in Canada. The Aboriginal/no-Aboriginal fault line The 1982 Constitutional Act referred to the indigenous people of Canada which includes Mà ©tis, Indians and the Inuit as Aboriginal peoples. This means that they are the Canadian people who trace their ancestry to the native inhabitants of Canada who came from North America before the Europeans came in 15th century. The non Aboriginal people have no ancestry or blood relations to the Aboriginals. Status (registered) Indians has certain rights according to 1985 Indian Act and registered and acknowledged by the federal government such as exemption from generated tax from reserves. The non-status Indians are not registered but have Indian ancestry hence has no rights according to the Indian act. Similarly, the Treaty Indians are registered Indians who can prove descent from the band that signed treaties and hence has legal rights of living in reserves. The Inuit are located mainly in Arctic, while the Mà ©tis are individuals of North American and European Indian ancestry. Harring & OSCLH (2013) pointed out that the Aboriginal/non Aboriginal front line in Canada is the most complex one. Its complexity is as a result of the historical relations tangled between the European settlers and the Aboriginal people. The first entanglement occurred between the Aboriginal peoples and the British crown and later Ottawa. According to Bone (2012), the class between the settlers and the natives for land, the federal governments’ forced assimilation policies added to the complexity and further solidified the distrust of the Aboriginal people to the crown and the Canadian state. The policies which failed to create a big difference between the Aboriginal people and the other parts of Canada. The consequence later was a disaster to the Aboriginal people who were pushed to the Canadians society’s margin, faced racism, ended up dependant on Ottawa and became ignored and invincible Canadian society members. An example of their isolation as observed by Harring & OSCLH (2013) are the treaty Indians got the vote participate in federal elections only in 1960 Circumstances of the current existence of Aboriginal people in Eastern Woodlands of south Ontario and Quebec in the Grand River Valley The Haldimand Grant In 1763, the British formed an alliance with Pontiac, the chief of Odawa as well as other Indian leaders with an aim of holding the Ohio valley lands. George III strategically issued a royal proclamation in 1763 which west of Appalachian Mountains as the lands for the Indians (Bone, 2012). However, after the American Revolution in which the Americans won, the proclaimed Indian lands in the Ohio valley ceased existing as many settlers hungry for land spread across the Appalachian Mountains. Moreover, the defeated Indians moved to Canada where they received the first major land grant termed as the â€Å"Haldimand Grant of 1784† (Harring & OSCLH, 2013). According to Bone (2012), the main purpose of the grant was to reward the Indian Iroquois who fought alongside the British during the American Revolution. Bone (2012) highlighted that lord Haldimand, the Governor of Quebec, in his proclamation prohibited the sale or lease of the land to anybody but only the government. The said tract of land extended from Grand River source in the present southwester Ontario to the river’s mouth at Lake Ontario. This explains the circumstances of the existence of the Aboriginal people and non existence of the non Aboriginal people around the area of the Grand River between la kes Huron, Erie and Ontario. Circumstances of the current existence of Aboriginal people in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Quebec ad Labrador Taking over of the Indian rights by Canada The 1867 British North America Act shifted the responsibility for the Aboriginal people from Great Britain to Canada (Harring & OSCLH, 2013). Subsequently, the government of Canada enacted the restrictive Indian act. The effect of the legislation was to isolate the Indian tribes from the rest of the Canadian society, in addition to stripping them governance powers. This was based on assumptions that the Indians cannot govern themselves or manage their affairs. Therefore, the federal government through the Department of Indian Affairs was entrusted with the duty to be their guardian until they were fully integrated into the Canadian society (Harring & OSCLH, 2013). This was in contrast to the Haldimand Grant which gave the aboriginal people land, allowed them to govern themselves and did not implement restrictive laws to the Indians. Bone (2012) indicated that the federal department consequently intervened in many issues including management of the Indian lands, band issues, money, and resources with the main aim of assimilating them into the Canadian society. This promoted dependency and left the affairs of the bands on the hands of the local agents who were Indians, hence suppressing the initiatives of the Indians (Bone, 2012). The isolation of the Indians in Canada was done by denying them citizenship rights including voting rights. In contrast, the British crown did not create dependency from the aboriginal people. Moreover, they did not manage the land on behalf of the Indians like the federal government of Canada does. As much as the Indians were being suppressed in reserves, the Mà ©tis and the Inuit were not included in the Act but they also had to live in the Canadian society where they were not fully accepted. Currently, the Inuit have homes in Nunavut, Quebec and even Labrador. Land claim treaties With almost the whole of the British Columbia province tied up in several land treaties, the relationship between the Aboriginal and the non Aboriginal communities are highly strained. According to Harring & OSCLH (2013), the Aboriginal rights are collective rights that originate from the occupation of land by the Aboriginal people before contact. These treaty rights apply mostly to the Inuit and the status Indians unlike the Mà ©tis who are less protected by the rights. When the governance of the federal government and the British crown are compared, there are similarities in that both embraced treaties with the aboriginal communities on land and settlement issues Mà ©tis Rights The less protection of the Mà ©tis by the Aboriginal rights stems back from 1870 when the Ottawa accepted that the Mà ©tis has Aboriginal rights because of the Indian ancestry (Bone, 2012). The government further gave individual members of the Mà ©tis community land grants in a three component agreement. The first component of the agreement indicated that the occupied land before 1870 by the Mà ©tis became private property, second the Mà ©tis children had eligibility of 140 acres, and lastly each Mà ©tis family head received in scrip 160 acres which could be sold or claimed in Manitoba. Furthermore, the federal government of the day set 1.4 million acres in Manitoba for the estimated 10,000 Mà ©tis children in 1871(Bone, 2012). However, the allocation was increased to 240 acres after census which found there only 5000 Mà ©tis children (Bone, 2012). However, Harring & OSCLH (2013) pointed out that few Mà ©tis people claimed their land allocated to them and majority sold leavi ng them landless. Compared to the Indians of the Grand River Valley, there is similarity because both Mà ©tis and Indians were given land by the authorities of the day As much it is a historic fact that many Mà ©tis dispersal from the Red River Valley, the reasons for their dispersal remains a controversy with two interpretations. According to Ottawa, the rights were distinguished in accordance to Manitoba Act of 1870 by giving the scrip to the Mà ©tis. This is supported by Harring & OSCLH (2013) who argued that the federal government of that time did not act in bad faith as much it was slow in settling the claims by the Mà ©tis. In contrast, Bone (2012) argued that the Mà ©tis communities were victims of federal government’s deliberate conspiracy to prevent the land of Mà ©tis community in Manitoba. However, the matter was settled by the Supreme Court in 2013, in a case filed by Manitoba Mà ©tis Foundation, which ruled in favor of the Mà ©tis. Treaty rights The treaties favored the Aboriginal people because they defined the reserve lands that were collectively held by the band in addition to negotiating other beneficial rights for the communities. Harring & OSCLH (2013) elaborated that there were different reasons for signing treaties and it depended on the historical contexts. For instance, late 19th century treaties were signed to remove others tribes for the settlers. To the Aboriginal people, any treaty to them was a land promise as well as a shift support from hunting and nomadism to more settled farming. Therefore, this was a protection from the influx of the settlers during that time and a guarantee of government protection. Bone (2012) pointed out that the conflicting ideas from the crown authorities and the first nation, on the treaties significance shaped the relations between non Aboriginal and Aboriginal people. For instance, during the crown authorities viewed the treaties as mechanisms for extinguishing the rights of the Aboriginals and the land titles and hence opening up the lands for the settlers to do agriculture. In contrast, the Aboriginal people understood the treaties as agreements between the authorities to share resources and land. With the diverse perceptions, it was inevitable to have disagreements between the Aboriginal and the non Aboriginal people. Modern treaties For many years the legal meaning of Aboriginal land title has changed until 1970, when Ottawa recognized two land rights forms, which are the reserve land and the crown land. The reserve land was a type of ownership or right where the government of Canada held land for the Indian people. In contrast, the Indians had limitless right to use the crown land for trappings and hunting. This implies that the Indians were allowed to freely enjoy and use the crown land the crown lands without making any claims on it in form of ownership. According to (Harring & OSCLH, 2013), the crown lands included the lands where there were no settlements in Canada. However, the Aboriginals, the Mà ©tis, Inuit and Indian families lived and used the crown lands to fish, trap and hunt. However, Bone (2012) pointed out that the provincial governments and the federal governments could sell the crown lands to corporations or individuals or even lease them for specific purposes such as logging or even mineral ex ploration without compensating the Aboriginal inhabitants and users of the land. As much as many groups among the Aboriginal people did not have treaties with the federal government and therefore no control over the lands, many events changed this situation radically. To begin, the emergence of the emergence of educated leaders who understood legal and political systems who used the courts to force the provincial and federal governments to address issues o the Aboriginals concerning land claims. For instance, the Nisga’a residing in northern British Columbia took their claim for land in court in a case known as the Calder case. As much as the Supreme Court in 1973 ruled against their favor narrowly, six out of the seven judges were in agreement that the title for Aboriginal on the land existed at the confederation time in brutish Columbia. Similarly, that same year, the federal government was in agreement that the Aboriginal people who had not signed a treaty may also have a claim on the crown lands (Bone, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, as Bone (2012) proposed, there exist fault lines in Canadian society. The current existence of the Aboriginal/ non Aboriginal fault line in Canada in some parts of Canada has been due to many circumstances. The Haldimand Grant occurrence saw the existence of the Aboriginal people around the Grand River valley. The taking over of the Indian rights by Canadian federal governments has seen suppression, restriction and confinement of the Aboriginal people in reserves and this also explains there existences in certain parts. Moreover, the treaties signed between the Aboriginals and the crown authorities and also with the cabadian federal governments in a bid to protect their land rights have seen the existence of the Aboriginals in certain parts of the country. References Bone, R. M. (2012). The Canadian north: Issues and challenges. Don Mills, Ont: Oxford University Press. Harring, S. L., & Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. (2013). White man’s law: Native people in nineteenth-century Canadian jurisprudence. Toronto, Ont: Published for the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History by University of Toronto Press. Source document

The Many Economic Applications of Shadow Price

The Many Economic Applications of Shadow Price In the strictest sense, a shadow price is any price that is not a market price. A price that is not based on actual market exchanges must then be calculated or mathematically derived from otherwise indirect data. Shadow prices can be derived for anything from a resource to a good or service. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. While economists tend to be committed to markets as a means of valuation, the lack of a market price is not necessarily a limitation of their research. In fact, economists recognize â€Å"goods† that carry societal value for which there are no markets to set a market price. Such goods might include the intangible like clean air. Conversely, economists also recognize that there exist goods that do have a market-traded value that is simply not a good representation of the good’s true societal value. For example, electricity produced from coal carries a market price that does not consider the impact or â€Å"social cost† of coal burning on the environment. It is in these scenarios that economists find it difficult to work, which is why the discipline relies on the calculation of shadow prices to give a â€Å"price-like† value to otherwise unpriced resources. The Many Definitions of Shadow Price While the most basic understanding of the term shadow price relates simply to the lack of a market price for some resource, good, or service, the meanings of the term as derived from its real-world uses relay a more complicated story. In the world of investments, shadow price can refer to the actual market values of a money market fund, which essentially refers to securities that are accounted for based on amortized cost rather than a value assigned by the market. This definition carries less weight in the world of economics. More relevant to the study of economics, another definition of shadow price denotes it as a proxy value of a good or intangible asset that is most often defined by what must be given up to gain an extra unit of the good or asset. Last, but not least, shadow prices can also be utilized to derive an inclusive value of the impact of a project, whether it be a benefit or costs, using stated preferences, making the process an extremely subjective one. In the study of economics, shadow prices are most often used in cost-benefit analyses in which some elements or variables cannot be otherwise quantified by a market price. In order to fully analyze the situation, each variable must be assigned a value, but it is important to note that the calculation of shadow prices in this context is an inexact science. Technical Explanations of Shadow Price in Economics In the context of a maximization problem with a constraint (or constrained optimization), the shadow price on the constraint is the amount that the objective function of the maximization would increase by if the constraint were relaxed by one unit. In other words, the shadow price is the marginal utility of relaxing the constant or conversely, the marginal cost of strengthening the constraint. In its most formal mathematical optimization setting, the shadow price is the value of a Lagrange multiplier at the optimal solution.

Weather for 2012 Essay

Weather for 2012 Essay Weather for 2012 Essay Weather Analysis Project This is my weather analysis project. Throughout this paper you will be informed on the weather results during the time period of August through April. Throughout my analysis you will be informed on how the precipitation, temperature and the median daylight hours have changed throughout the months and seasons. Precipitation is the measurement of the amount of rainfall. Everyone would think that spring is typically the season that would produce the most precipitations of all the flowers are growing along with the saying April shower brings May flowers. When you compare the months August and October on the graph they have the most consistent amount of rain fall. The rainfall ranges from 4.3 to 5.44 inches during those months. Though April did have a large amount of rainfall with 4.49 inches so that would support the assumption that spring brings more precipitation. Temperature is the measurement we use to quantify the sensations of hot and cold of the outside. In August the temperature was 71 degrees fahrenheit and in September the temperature started to decline all the way through the month of November. It wasn’t until December that the temperature began to rise .5 of a degree. During January and February the temperature declined back down. In March the temperature then b egan to increase once again and the temperature continued to incline into April. Median daylight hours calculate the times the sunrises and sunsets during the day. Have you ever heard of daylight savings time? If you haven’t, it is when we shift our time an hour behind in the fall and an hour ahead in the spring. The saying is fall

Bloomberg terminal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bloomberg terminal - Essay Example The case study will include an assessment of subsequent investment preferences and expected financial status upon completion of studies at the University of East London (UEL). Table of Contents Brache, A. (2008). Nine variables affect innovation within today's Enterprise Model. Tooling & Production. The Free Library. Nelson Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nine+variables+affect+innovation+within+today%27s+Enterprise+Model.-a0173644126 16 Value Click. (2013.) Book-To-Market Ratio. Investopedia US. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/booktomarketratio.asp#axzz2JE9l3c9G 17 1. Introduction Bloomberg provides the financial world with news, analytics, and financial data through several indices. After reviewing goldmines of financial data, investors must ultimately choose where to spend. Consistency during periods of recession is a string indicator of the health of most funds. Implementation of sustainability programs exist to ensure the long run succe ss of the operations. This is considered true by Fiksel in his study of the strategies employed by top international corporations to attain superior business performance (Fiksel, 1999). According to Alan Brache, 9 variables affect strategy: knowledge management, human capabilities, organizational structure, business processes, issue resolution, culture, leadership and progress (Brache, 2008). Since shareholders know only what is reported to them, concerns about how the business should operate are written. The shareholders assume the agency is operating according to the specifications of the business relationship. When this is not the case, agency costs arise. United States government regulation of stock trading by the SEC is a preventive measure in an industry plagued with fraud. Only the strong survive in the bull and bear markets. Investors must acknowledge the proper protocol of investing which consists of due diligence and research before making investments. In the context of in vesting, due diligence is defined as ‘the process by which a potential investor obtains a sufficient understanding of a business to enable him to take an informed decision on investing in that business’ (Business Week, 2012). Beyond the recession from 2007 to 2009, the saga of financial turmoil for agencies in the United Kingdom continued. On April 20, 2010, an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico released British Petroleum (BP) oil all over the Gulf of Mexico. The incident made history as the largest accidental oil spill (New York Times, 2012). Enterprise Risk Management Risk is a reality that exists in every aspect of business. Risk velocity is the rate of speed that the risk can appear and begin to develop (Steinberg, 2011). The risk appetite represents the amount of risk the company can afford to accept. Risk velocity must constantly be offset. Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) affect the speed with which risk management can control risk issues (Steinberg, 2010). The fundamenta l concepts of ERM work together to strategize against risk through objectives. Prevention is of major focus. Setting objectives and following through is the first strategy. The following lists key ERM fundamental concepts (Flaherty, 2004): An on-going process Effects every level of the organization Applied in strategy setting at every level of the organization. A portfolio view of risk Risk identification and management within risk appetite Provide assurance to management, stakeholders, and board of directors Meet

Guardian ad litem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Guardian ad litem - Assignment Example In this regard, the GAL must need to consider certain essential factors while investigating a child. A few of the major factors to be considered while asking questions to Cathy have been provided hereunder. Understanding the needs and ensure to defend the child from any type of physical and emotional harm Comprehending the views of the child and her relationship with each parent and/or other people Identifying possible changes on the child while being separated from the parents Considering practical problems of the child in terms of contacting his/her parents Considering and understanding of the child’s personal and psychological characteristics including cognitive and physical behaviors among others. Therefore, it can be affirmed that the aforementioned considerable factors would be more beneficial for both Cathy and the GAL to share along with understand the feelings while asking various types of questions (UC Davis School of Law, â€Å"In the Child’s Best Interest?à ¢â‚¬ ). DISCUSSION OF LEGAL TERMINOLOGIES With reference to the guiding principles that are often represented by the Federal and State Statutes, it can be viewed that certain essential policies ensure to protect and serve paramount interests of the child. A brief discussion about the legal terms or standards determining the best interests of the child i.e. Cathy have been provided hereunder. Ala. Code  § 12-15-101 (LexisNexis through 2012 1st Spec. Sess.). The Federal and/or State Constitution tends to protect the child from different emotional or physical harms and ensures to select appropriate individual amid the parents with whom the child is likely to be stayed (UC Davis School of Law, â€Å"In the Child’s Best Interest?†). In relation to the case scenario, the GAL should highly focus on justifying and understanding the emotional along with the physical characteristics of Cathy and making effective decisions of identifying appropriate parent. Moreover, the provi sions in this legal terminology also ensures the deliverance of fundamental rights and needs incorporating adequate care, food, appropriate medical care facilities, cloths along with other remedial elements of the child. D.C. Code Ann.  § 16-2353 (LexisNexis through 7-18-12). With reference to the sections of the Federal and State Statutes, the court is authorized to protect the child through applying standards concerning the rights and responsibilities of the parents. Moreover, the section also tends to ensure extent feasibility of the child’s opinions regarding his/her own personal interests (UC Davis School of Law, â€Å"In the Child’s Best Interest?†). Therefore, it can be stated that the primary roles of the parents generally include adequate care and welfare of the child along with proper arrangement of shared responsibilities to nourish the child as per her basic needs. Moreover, maintaining effective cooperation amid the parents has also been identifie d to ensure serving best interests of the child. Fla. Stat. Ann.  § 39.810 (LexisNexis through 2012 Sess.). In order to act with the purpose of serving paramount interests of Cathy, the guiding principles of the Federal and State constitution can also ensure keeping the child in a suitable custody with a relative or any close caregiver (UC Davis School