Mary Kay Ashs Essay Example for Free

Mary Kay Ashs Essay Story By phoebe Mary Kay Ash was a famous American businesswoman and the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. She started her business with a small investment of $5000 in 1963, and soon became one of the most successful business women of her time. Mary Kay Ash was born on 12th May, 1918 in Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas. Her childhood experiences shaped the future of this visionary woman, and with a significant impact to the American history. Due to the illness of her father, her mother worked for 14 hours a day at a local food restaurant to take care of the family, while Mary Kay looked after her father along since she was young. Her mother always put the â€Å"you can do it† spirit in the young Mary’s mind. One time, Mary Kay’s mother went to work and she needed to take care of the illness father at home alone, she had to decoct medicine herbs for her father but she didn’t how to do it. So she called her mother to teach her step by step on the phone, but little Mary Kay was afraid, but her mother said to her gently †you can do it † . Finally, she did it. Since then, this sentence has inspired her when she encountered difficulties. When she was only seventeen years old, she married Ben Rogers then soon had three children, while her husband went to serve in World War II; she took the job of direct selling of books. Due to her amazing marketing skills, she earned an amazing $25,000 in just six months. While Mary Kay was enjoying her professional success, things at the personal front weren’t that smooth. Her husband was killed on the battlefield, and left her with three children. After her divorce, Mary Kay took up a job with Stanley Home Products, a direct sales firm. She became very successful in selling home care products but didn’t get enough recognition for her work. Her supervisors not only didn’t appreciate her work but also never raise her salaries. However, if a man did what she has done, somehow he can get an award. The inequality between men and women are very obvious in her workplace. So finally she resigned after worked very hard for 25 years in the firm, at the same time she learned a very important lesson of her life that men could not believe that a woman can be successful in business. Mary Kay turned her attention to writing a book, which eventually changed the course of her life and became a plan for her dream company that had innovative marketing plan for women. But her accountant said that she will close down if you start to open it. It’s impossible, She has seen many of these cases that many people went bankrupt within six month. But Mary Kay never heard of it, she believed that she can do it well. In 1963, with an investment of $5000, only a 500 sq. feet store in Dallas, Texas, Mary Kay and her nine zealous beauty consultant started the Mary Kay Cosmetics Company; it was a direct cosmetic products selling company. In the first year of operation, they made a staggering profit of $200,000. In the two years time, Mary Kay Company was selling products worth one million dollars. By this time, the company she created had become a worldwide enterprise with representatives in more than 30 markets. She applied the strategy of giving incentives over good work and started by giving pink Cadillac to the top salespersons of the year. The other incentives included diamond jewelry, bumblebee pins, and 5-star vacations. This strategy really worked and became one of the reasons for company’s success over the years. If you want, do it, you can, this is her famous wisdom and realized the dream for women and a better life of abundance with heart. She also published three best-selling books during her lifetime. Her book, â€Å"Mary Kay on People Management†, another best seller was included in the business courses at Harvard Business School. Mary Kay received many honors and awards during and after her lifetime. In 1976, she received the Hall of fame Award from Direct Selling Association. Two years after that, in 1978, she got the Cosmetic Career Woman of the Year Award from the Cosmetics Career Women, Inc. The same year she received the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Citizen Award from Horatio Alger Association and so on. Mary Kay Ash passed away on 22nd Nov, 2001. She was buried in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. She is the greatest women I paid my full respect to her. She gives women the courage to fulfill our dream not only in Mary Kay Company but also another business sectors and proved that not only men can be successful in business but also women can be. Yes, she did it. It’s a very good piece of work, the detail information are very clear. But it will be a good idea to give one or two more examples on how she relate idea of â€Å"you can do it† in her later successful business life.

Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Assurance Operating Functions

Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Assurance Operating Functions The assurance line of service in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) deals fundamentally with the audit of financial statements for both statutory and regulatory purposes, as well as, accountants reports for legal purposes. It encompasses of five operating units. The Operating Unit One and Two focus on insurance, real estate, pharmaceutical and life sciences. Operating Unit Three focuses on transportation, logistics, Government, Energy, Utilities and Mining. Operating Unit Four focuses on technology, and specialised fields such as financial services Practice, whereas the fifth operating unit (OU5), in which I was attached to, deals mainly with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore, 2010). Structure and manpower of the Department The structure of the department was designed in a way that the staff from the lower ranks report to their seniors or managers of the next rank. With the increase in portfolios from the previous year, the company has been expanding their intake of high calibre candidates to join the profession. As of Dec 2010, the strength of the department was 132, being assisted by 5 administrative staff. The organisation chart of the department is laid out in Appendix A. Systems software used in carrying out the department functions The applications used in the department were both general and specialised for its functions. For example, the email application used for communication is Lotus Notes. In our department, the manager would select the team members for their engagements via an online booking system. Upon confirmation of the bookings, the administrator would proceed to update the scheduler Retain application and it will be used by the staff to keep track of their engagements. In addition, PwC uses Aura and MyClient to document the audit work done for every engagement. MyClient was the precedent of Aura which was introduced around two years ago. The implementation of Aura improves the documentation of the clients profile, work done, controls, risks assessments simultaneously as well as allowing the easy coaching and feedback from the engagement leader and manager to the team members. During the engagement, the team members carry out fieldwork at the clients place. These team members will then document the work done and their respective findings in Aura. Once they are done, they can mark the work as prepared and replicate with the server, so that the engagement manager can carry out review of the work and attach any coaching notes if needed. Lastly, the claims for expenses such as taxi fares and charging of hours worked would be done using the iPower application. iPower allows the staff to submit their claims and get approval from the manager in a standard format as the forms were generated electronically. Performance Indicator of the Department The department ended the calendar year 2010 with a blast. The performance exceeded its expectations as set previously. In 2010, the department has achieved the following performance: Diagram 1: Assurance OU5 Financial Report (Year ended June 30) Performance Indicators July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 Monthly Actual Revenue ($000) 1,083 949 847 839 988 960 Billable hours per month 12,158 9,868 9,198 10,246 9,456 10,977 Key challenges facing the industry Ability to maintain a consistent professional image globally One key challenge facing the assurance industry would be the ability to maintain a consistent professional image globally. Because of globalisation, it enables information to be transmitted at a faster rate, and the resulting impact will be multiplied. The discoveries about fraud in Lehman Brothers, as well as in the organisations locally, namely Singapore Land Authority, Singapore Red Cross Society, and M1 Limited, have casted doubts on the auditors credibility in signing the true and fair of these accounts The rising cases of these scandals, in light of ever-changing business conditions, high turnover rate and pressures to improve profitability and operations, have caused worries in stakeholders and many expect that the accounting and assurance personnel to be the watchdog to ensure the true and fair of the accounts. Similarly, organisations look to them to establish sound internal controls with proper organisation structures, so as to boost stakeholders confidence in them and to m aximise shareholders wealth. A common misconception would be that auditors are responsible for the discovery of fraud, which is incorrect. The management, as explained in the auditors report, is the responsible party. Furthermore, auditors do not perform audit on the 100 percent of the population as it would be cost-ineffective and time-consuming, they select samples that they considered as higher risks. Therefore, the auditors would only be able to provide a reasonable assurance based on the work done that the financial statements provide a true and fair view of the affairs of the company. If the auditors do not manage the risks well, the public would scrutinise the auditors and this would result in reputation loss. To remain ethical and independence at all times Another key challenge facing the industry would be to remain ethical and independence at all times. Professional services practitioners such as lawyers, accountants, auditors and doctors, are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the code of Professional Conduct Ethics of their respective boards. Unlike doctors and lawyers, an unique principle guiding the auditors would be independence, where they are expected to act with integrity and adopt an objective approach to professional work. This is because the client would pay the firm to audit their accounts, in which, the resulting opinion would be used by the other stakeholders, such as shareholders, investors and banks for decision-making. However, in my opinion, it is challenging to maintain independence and ethical. The managers bonuses are partially tied to the recoverability of their portfolio. As a result, they would succumb to raising the audit fees and controlling the time charged to the engagements. When faced with tight deadlines, the engagement teams would decide to reduce their coverage and sample sizes, increasing risk of exposure of detecting misstatements and control deficiencies. Recent developments in the sector No internal controls system in this world is perfect. Furthermore, it would be difficult to implement a sound system as each organisation operates in an environment that taps heavily on technology, and has different reporting structure and policies. To attain efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the agencies employed the use of information technology, wide span of control and have resulted in the concentration of duties in the hands of a few highly qualified technical personnel. As a result, segregation of duties, an essential element in internal controls, might be ignored. In June 2010, a fraud involving Singapore Land Authority (SLA)s experienced staff has been uncovered. Senior staff with SLA, Mr Koh Seah Wee was faced with 249 charges for a S$12 million fraud case. It was found that Mr Koh awarded and approved the payments for the contracts through the GeBiz system to fictitious firms. Fake invoices and fictitious services were said to be provided. As reported, each of the contract amounting from $2,600 to as much as $60,000. With these gains, Mr Koh purchased luxurious cars as well as private properties and investments in unit trusts. If fraud cases could occur in government agencies which the public held in high regards, there will be higher expectation on auditors to be alert during their fieldwork. Although our department do not deal with government agencies, there are still implications and learning points for us. The agencies and the SME firms have a lean organisation structure and very often, the staff strength is just sufficient for its operations. As such, one of our key concerns would be the controls over segregation of duties. During the engagements, we paid attention to the approval of the authorised personnel especially expenses incurred by top management, and vouched to ensure that these controls were actually carried out. Secondly, for one of the engagements, I vouched to the supporting documents for proof of authorisation, and found out that that the logistics manager did not sign on the delivery documents to indicate that she has matched the details in purchase order, delivery order and invoice. The reason given was that she was on maternity leave and there was no other available staff that was trained to cover her duties during that period. She was even asked to shorten her maternity leave to resume her work earlier. Furthermore, I observed that that logistics assistant actually signed for the manager, with the signature similar to her superior. From these, I have learnt that there if the client has the intention to hide information from the auditors, it becomes harder for us to detect any misstatem ents. In such situation, we must perform alternative testing, observe and make logical deductions in order to uncover the truth. Hence, we conduct a stock-take observation, which was required by their internal auditors. True enough, there was $20,000 worth of stock discrepancies because the differences were not rectified immediately when there were errors on the delivery documents. Recommendations For the recommendations for PwC, I suggested that the vocation trainees to be involved in the training sessions. During the internship, the trainees would follow the scheduled engagements and assist their seniors at work. However, the trainees do not receive any updates or attend any lessons, which were compulsory for their seniors. Without the updates such as incentives introduced the latest budget, the knowledge that we have would be restricted to what we have learnt in school. Hence, this might result in improper application of concepts. Furthermore, regular trainings would provide more opportunities for the trainees to familiarise themselves with the various templates, audit methodology, testing methods etc. Hence, it would also reduce the time spent for the seniors to explain the procedures during engagements. The company may have thought that it might not be cost-effective to spend time coaching the trainees as the internship would only be 6 months. However, I felt that if we a ttend the same events as our seniors, such as trainings and workshops, it would allow us to have a better view of the work environment in the company and appreciate the emphasis and efforts to promote continuous learning. After all, to achieve competitive advantage, trainings would be instrumental to develop and bring out individuals abilities. To have competitive advantage in the professional services industry, the professionals, which are the most valuable assets, must be able to increase their knowledge and develop skills at a faster rate than the competitors. As discussed with my senior, she agreed with my suggestion as she experienced difficulties and delays due to time taken to explain the concepts to her juniors. Secondly, the company should consider streamlining its expense claims process. Currently, for all staff, they would submit the expense claims on the portal iexpense. The expense claims would be processed via GIRO to the claimants accounts two weeks later. However, for vacation trainees and temporary staff, their expense claims can be converted to cash and be claimed upon approval from the manager. Because of this, we were approached by managers to claim the expenses under our names, so that they could receive the cash earlier. We were caught in an ethical dilemma and the expense claims for each of us were exceptionally high. In addition, I noticed that there is lack of segregation of duties, where there are cases that the managers incur expenses because they took taxis to the clients place for field review and they are also the one who approved their own taxi claims. Since they are also the approver, they could approve the taxi claims which were not used for business purposes. To de ter this happening in the future, I am proposing that the expense claims for vacation trainees and temporary staff to be processed via GIRO too. This move will reduce the cases where the trainees be asked to claim on behalf of the permanent staff, as we would also require the two weeks processing period. Furthermore, it would be cost and time-saving as the trainees do not need to proceed to finance department personally when we are always out on engagements and the GIRO application is swift and easy. For the expense claims incurred by the managers, they must be approved by the directors and partners of the engagement. While I understand that the lack of segregation of duties could easily be override by managers, by simply passing the receipts to their support and asking them to claim under their names. Random checks could be conducted with the knowledge that the managers would proceed to the clients place for field review at least once for each engagement, hence, logically, we would expect at least one claim relating to the particular client. There could be also a whistleblower avenue for the claimant to report to the finance department where their identity would be kept confidential. As discussed with my senior, she agreed with my suggestion and encouraged me to propose this to the finance management as she was also asked to do when she was a junior. As for the school, I would suggest that we remove elluminate chat session. The purpose of the chat session, in my opinion, was to provide a platform for the students to share their experiences and reflection with their liaison officers online. However, I felt that it was not as effective as the internet connection may lag or some students were working over-time and could not rush back in time. Also, when the liaison officers post a question, we did not have much time to think through. The chat session was in a hurry and we could not catch what our friends were saying before commenting. I would suggest that we adopt the use of online collaboration tools such as Stixy. It is a personal online notice board where each of us could input reflection, add photos, links and even share with other peers (Stixy, 2010). Please refer to Appendix C for screenshots of its functions.The assessment could be set in a way where the deadline could be stretched over a period of time rather than a 30-minut es chat session. Each student will be asked to decorate and update their notice board, with certain minimum requirements such as not more than 3 pictures allowed and reflection should have a minimum word requirement. After the deadline, the notice board will be shared to the rest of the students who are on the same internship to comment on. This collaboration tool is free, hence it reduces the cost of implementation. Secondly, it gives students the flexibility to carry out this assessment over a period of time. Furthermore, it encourages students to be creative in their presentation, ability to express themselves other than in words, which we usually do in discussion board. Secondly, I would like that the internship programme be much more structured in terms of preparing students, the activities, expectations and goal setting, so as to achieve an enriching experience for the interns. During the internship, I noticed that some of the interns felt lost, or even felt unjustified because they were asked to do administrative work. It is therefore important to put in place an integrated internship programme where in the companys perspective, the conversion of these interns to permanent staff and to in the students perspective, to eliminate the mentality of just an intern. To prepare them mentally and emotionally, I believe that these have been subsequently enhanced from the previous semesters, by the Dress to Impress! Workshop organised by BA Plus (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 2010) and the compulsory year 1 module, CQ at Work conducted by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 2010). The school could discuss with the Human Resources Departme nt to come out with a list of activities that balances the on-the-job trainings with networking opportunities and community services. I also felt that the internship would be fruitful if the learning goals set at the commencement were achieved or if not achieved, be valuable learning experiences for all. The briefing given was not sufficient because it was a one-way communication from the module leader to the students. At the beginning, the interns should be asked to fill up a form on their expectations for this internship to allow the LOs and supervisors to better understand what they were expecting to achieve during this period. During the internship, the supervisors would spend time following up with the interns with their expectations set previously and keep track of their learning process. I understood that this form of goal-setting has been implemented in PwC. A sample of expectations questionnaire is attached in Appendix D. These expectations would then be followed up with the competencies chart, as attached in Appendix E, to allow the liaison officers and students to keep track of their learning process on a regular basis. I understand these additional processes would take up time and may not be well-received by students. However, going back to the objectives of the internship, it would be to provide practical experience for students and to effectively measure their learning process, it would be useful to guide them through their goal and expectation setting, so that they enter the work force with a fresh attitude and direction, rather than just learning from what they have been tasked. For example, if they are interested in financial services audit, even though they have not been given a chance to be involved in one, they should note down what are the different resources that they have seek from. The companies have rich databases sources and definitely, seniors would be willing to share their experiences with them. Key takeaway personal achievement As I reflect, I felt that the key takeaway for me is to maintain a positive attitude and zest in the tasks I do. Positive attitude that I am referring to, are the eagerness to learn, initiative to ask, taking ownership, the courage to make mistakes, the perseverance in getting the right solutions, the flexibility to try other suggestions, along with the energy and support to complete the engagement. These may sound a mouthful, but it does stem from having a positive outlook to things in life. Attitude is especially significant to me because I have seen how I was shaped from the start to the end of this internship. At the beginning, I was disappointed with myself as I was slow in understanding the concepts and in carrying out vouching. Moreover, my team in-charge told me on a personal note that I was not suitable for auditing. From then on, I was afraid to clarify my doubts and tried to avoid all troubles if possible. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak to my engagements manager during a casual chat. She told me that the evaluation that I got was reasonable and encouraged me to continue with my internship. I thought to myself that maybe this could be an isolated incident. I should not allow other peoples opinions to affect my aspirations. I should have been more sensitive with my seniors workloads by researching in the databases before approaching them with questions. For the next few engagements, I proceeded with a changed attitude. With enthusiasm, I approached my team in-charges to ask if there was anything that I could help with. Normally, they would ask me to map the trial balance and read last years documentation. When there are any documentation that I am unsure of, I will read the audit programme and find out the rationale for the testing methods. Sometimes, I am unable to complete the mapping of the trial balance, I will discuss with my senior and update them on what I have done and which are the areas that they need to clarify with the previous audit teams. I took my seniors feedback seriously and in order to expedite my work, I would read up the walkthrough documentation and familiarise myself with the key management personnel and the filling system. During the weekends, I would also read up the audit guide, and would check with my seniors if they are available before I clarify my doubts. The brand new attitude was like the key that opens the doors of opportunities. If I did not walk out from the setbacks, I would have resigned myself to merely vouching and not be able to be in-charge of sections. There are bound to be challenges ahead, but I believe that the attitude will see me through. Conclusion As interns, the challenges that I have mentioned above may not be affect us directly as we do not sign the accounts. However, this does not necessary mean that we play a small part in the audit of the financial statements. From assisting with planning, fieldwork and all the way to its completion as mentioned in my interim report, these six months was never easy. As I reflect, I was once affected by the seniors feedback and was even demoralised for not being appreciated for the efforts that I have put in. I was surprised that I have the perseverance and commitment that go through thick stacks of documents, worked till midnight and on weekends too. It was then a chance to discover my interests and strengths. The internship programme has definitely given me a broad view of the rigorous corporate world which demands a lot of efforts from one self. It has allowed me to apply what I have learnt in school as I felt that we learn continuously in life and witness what I have sow, is not so much about the results, but to see that these skills have been put to proper use in the future. Speaking of which, I have utilised these skills and learnt some, especially soft skills like communication skills, the courage to speak, people-management skills that will stay with me for life. This internship was especially significant because the information that I obtained from the clients and source documents went under my hands, something lifeless and raw were eventually translated into audit documentation to test the reasonableness and to achieve the audit objectives. It was even more satisfying when the whole team saw the work that worked so hard during many late nights were eventually drafted into the financial statements. While skills are important, I felt that the people that have came into my life weighs more. The bonds that I have formed with my colleagues and clients were priceless. They were the ones that you could pull a chair and chat with them for an hour, took initiative to ask if they could help you. I felt the support and comfort from them as work was particularly enjoyable. To sum it up, this internship programme has given the exposure that I needed and created the environment that I could explore and learn. Appendices Appendix A Organisation Structure of Department OU5 (As of Dec 2010) Reporting to 132 Appendix B Newspaper Article It could have started earlier than thought ; Ex-SLA executives alleged involvement in fraud may have begun in 2005 Leong Wee Keat Leong Wee Keat 20 November 2010 TODAY (Singapore) (c) 2010. MediaCorp Press Ltd. SINGAPORE In a further twist to the largest suspected fraud in the civil service, investigators now believe that one of the accused began cheating the State years before he joined the Singapore Land Authority, where his alleged crimes were first discovered. On Friday, former SLA deputy director Koh Seah Wee (picture) was charged with cheating the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos) when he was assistant director of its Information Technology Department from July 2004 to March 2007. Koh, 40, purportedly conspired with Chartered Systems Services to enable the business to win IT contracts from Ipos. The company would submit payment invoices for fictitious goods and services, which Koh would certify even though nothing was delivered. Eight fraudulent transactions, amounting to about $286,000, are thought to have occurred between December 2005 and March 2007. Investigations against Kohs activities in Ipos are continuing, according to a joint statement from Ipos and the Law Ministry. While a previous cheating scam involving former Trade Development Board chief executive officer Yeo Seng Teck had gone on for a longer period for five years, between June 1988 and July 1993 -investigations into Koh have turned to his time at the Supreme Court, where he was deployed before July 2004. Koh now faces a total of 302 charges, while former SLA manager Christopher Lim Chai Meng, 37, faces 309. Both men bought luxury cars from the alleged $12.1 million they siphoned from SLA between November 2007 and March this year. Ipos conducted its internal investigation after the purported SLA fraud came to light in June. An independent review panel was convened and it recommended improvements to Ipos internal controls, systems and processes, which have since been implemented. These included strengthening internal audit structures and processes, centralising the procurement process and ensuring the purchasing officer and the receiving officer are different individuals, read the joint statement. Ipos said its financial statements and accounts were audited externally, not by the Auditor-Generals Office, during the time the alleged offences took place. This was done in accordance with the Auditor- Generals requirements. The audits conducted were statutory audits of financial statements and compliance audits designed to ensure compliance with finance procedures and processes. These types of audit may not always be able to pick up such fraudulent activities, Ipos said. Disciplinary investigations of officers whose lapses in supervision may have contributed to the fraud going undetected are in progress. Action will be taken, if found appropriate, said Ipos. Kohs case will be mentioned again on Dec 3. Appendix C Stixy Appendix D Setting of expectations Internship Programme Expectations Company: ______________________ Supervisors name: ______________ Liaison Officers name: ___________ Student Name: __________________ What are some of expectations that you have for this internship programme? What are some of the activities that you hope to attend during the internship programme? What are some of the learning goals that you hope to achieve by the end of the internship programme? How do you think the company can help to enrich your internship experience and your career aspirations? Appendix E Competency Chart

Essay --

Introduction There are two types of bacteria that cause Typhus, Rickettsia Typhi and Rickettsia Prowazekii. The form of Typhus depends on which type of bacteria has entered the body and caused the infection. Rickettsia Typhi causes Murine or Endemic Typhus. Endemic Typhus is unusual in the United States. When it is found, its usually seen in areas with poor hygiene and where the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine Typhus typically occurs in the southeastern United States, often during the summer and fall. Risk factors for Murine Typhus include exposure to rat fleas or rat feces. Rickettsia Prowazekii causes both Epidemic Typhus and Brill-Zinsser disease. Brill-Zinsser disease is a far more mild form of Epidemic Typhus. It occurs when the disease re-activates in a person who was previously infected. It is more common in the elderly. Lice and fleas of flying squirrels spread the bacteria. There is no commercially available vaccine against either Endemic or E pidemic typhus. The name given the disease comes from the ancient Greek Typhus meaning smoky or hazy, denoting the condition of mind into which the victim soon lapses after developing his or her first symptoms. Symptoms of Murine or Endemic Typhus may include abdominal pain, backache, raging red rashes, an extremely high fever, hacking followed by a dry cough, headaches, nausea, vomiting and/or joint and muscle pain. Symptoms of Epidemic Typhus may include chills, confusion, Low blood pressure, stupor and/or sensitivity to light. Blood tests may show a low white blood cell count, anemia and low platelets. They may also show a high level of Typhus antibodies, low levels of albumin, low sodium levels and high liver enzymes. Typhus is often c... ...s of Typhus are limited, but the disease has the potential to re-emerge. For example, in Burundi, Africa refugee camps were afflicted in 1997-1998, when about half a million people received the illness. In China in 1999, more than five thousand six hundred people were afflicted following an earthquake. They were forced to live in poor, cold conditions making it the ideal place for a new breakout. In my opinion the United States should entirely rid itself of this disease, including all of the samples held in government labs to preserve as deadly war weapons. The government should also take necessary precaution all over the United States especially in shelters, habitually running tests and routinely ensuring the sanitization of shelters during a natural disaster. These preventive measures will almost guarantee the extermination of the disease in America all together.

Helen as Angel and Rebel in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Essay -- Tenan

Helen as Angel and Rebel in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall In nineteenth century England, the lives of men and women were completely different. The women had very few - or no - rights and the man had absolute power over his wife and children. He even had the rights to his wife's income or heritage! The only acceptable way for a woman to lead her life was to be a social character, a supporting wife and loving mother, so to speak an "angel in the house". The term "the angel in the house" refers to Coventry Patmore's poem with the same name. The poem depicts the ideal of a loving, unselfish, (sexually) passive and sensitive woman, who was religious and devoted to please her husband: "Man must be please; but him to please, is woman's pleasure --- And if he once, by shame oppress'd [sic!], a comfortable word confers, she leans and weeps against his breast, and seems to think the sin was hers --- she loves with love that cannot tire...". This was the only acceptable way of life for a woman and in this essay I discuss whether Helen Graham should be described as an angel or a rebel, and to what extent she fulfils the criteria for a woman's mission in nineteenth century England. What exactly was women's mission during the nineteenth century? The answer to this question can be found in the many so-called conduct books, which were written by women for women during the nineteenth century. These books were written for the middle-class and stated how a woman should act and behave. The conclusion we can draw from these books is that a woman's duty and mission in life was to be the religious and moral part of the household, to be a good mother and a supporting and caring wife. One author who wrote on the subject of woman's mission and dut... ...tions in order to save her offspring from growing up under his father's influence. She would probably have stood by her husband even longer if it had not been for their son. By later returning to her sick husband, she once again takes on the role of a "good wife", but shows no remorse to what she has done. When he dies, Helen is finally rewarded by knowing that she has fulfilled her duty as his wife and her mission as a woman and can go on with her life and the happiness that awaits her. In my opinion, she is a true heroine and an angel-like rebel.    Bibliography: Brontà «, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Ellis, Sarah Stickney: The women of England Patmore, Coventry: "The Angel in the House" from Representations of women in Whitman and his culture. http://www.wam.umd.edu/~heidkamp/women.html (Internet). Oct 15, 2000. Perkin, Joan: Victorian women

Eulogy for Grandmother :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Grandmother I looked at myself in the mirror. I noticed the lines of my face and the curve of my neck. I looked down at my hands remembering the moment I first realized that they looked like hers. Long, thin, delicate hands perfect for playing the piano or braiding cornrows. All my life I had not noticed until the day I sat at her bedside holding her hand in mine. She had told me that she was not afraid to die. We sat in silence for a long time, sometimes sharing a stare and a smile. I don't know how long I sat there, looking at her, realizing for the first time who I looked so much like. As I stood in front of the mirror, I remembered that day as I prepared for her funeral. Sarah Smith, my grandmother's going home day. My father asked me to do her eulogy. I had thought and thought of what to say. The words didn't come until the morning of her funeral. That morning I went to the lake where me, my brothers, and my sister would go swimming in the summer on weekend visits to my grandmother's. As I soaked in the sun and watched its rays dance on the waters a memory came. As a child there were only two people that I would let touch my hair, my mother and my grandmother. Cornrowing my hair was an event when my grandmother did it. She would take me out on the stoop, bringing a chair for herself, and I would sit in front of her with my head between her knees. Moving my head in reaction to the slightest direction from her hands became natural. Other women and children would come and sit while she picked out my hair and greased my scalp. I would listen to the women talk. I don't remember anything that was said but I do remember the comfort of the stoop and my grandmother's fingers doing magic in my hair. Sitting on the dock I realized that I had never known my grandmother's life story. I don't know the struggles she must have had as a black woman in the South raising two sons alone because her husband beat her, and she had told him enough was enough. I don't know what it was that kept her going through poverty. I do know that her trust and love in God was deeply rooted in her heart. Eulogy for Grandmother :: Eulogies Eulogy Eulogy for Grandmother I looked at myself in the mirror. I noticed the lines of my face and the curve of my neck. I looked down at my hands remembering the moment I first realized that they looked like hers. Long, thin, delicate hands perfect for playing the piano or braiding cornrows. All my life I had not noticed until the day I sat at her bedside holding her hand in mine. She had told me that she was not afraid to die. We sat in silence for a long time, sometimes sharing a stare and a smile. I don't know how long I sat there, looking at her, realizing for the first time who I looked so much like. As I stood in front of the mirror, I remembered that day as I prepared for her funeral. Sarah Smith, my grandmother's going home day. My father asked me to do her eulogy. I had thought and thought of what to say. The words didn't come until the morning of her funeral. That morning I went to the lake where me, my brothers, and my sister would go swimming in the summer on weekend visits to my grandmother's. As I soaked in the sun and watched its rays dance on the waters a memory came. As a child there were only two people that I would let touch my hair, my mother and my grandmother. Cornrowing my hair was an event when my grandmother did it. She would take me out on the stoop, bringing a chair for herself, and I would sit in front of her with my head between her knees. Moving my head in reaction to the slightest direction from her hands became natural. Other women and children would come and sit while she picked out my hair and greased my scalp. I would listen to the women talk. I don't remember anything that was said but I do remember the comfort of the stoop and my grandmother's fingers doing magic in my hair. Sitting on the dock I realized that I had never known my grandmother's life story. I don't know the struggles she must have had as a black woman in the South raising two sons alone because her husband beat her, and she had told him enough was enough. I don't know what it was that kept her going through poverty. I do know that her trust and love in God was deeply rooted in her heart.

How Assumptions Influence Our Behavior Essay

Assumption analysis describes the activity adults engage in to bring to awareness beliefs, values, cultural practices, and social structures regulating behavior and to assess their impact on daily activities. Assumptions may be paradigmatic, prescriptive, or causal (Brookfield 1995). Assumptions structure our way of seeing reality, govern our behavior, and describe how relationships should be ordered. Assumption analysis as a first step in the critical reflection process makes explicit our taken-for-granted notions of reality. Contextual awareness is achieved when adult learners come to realize that their assumptions are socially and personally created in a specific historical and cultural context. Imaginative speculation provides an opportunity for adults to challenge prevailing ways of knowing and acting by imagining alternative ways of thinking about phenomena (Cranton 1996). The outcome of assumption analysis, contextual awareness, and imaginative speculation is reflective skepticism-the questioning of any universal truth claims or unexamined patterns of interaction. Former president Ronald Reagan simply assumed that everyone he encountered would like him; this belief was part of the fabric of his personality. The results were intriguing, in that even his enemies were attracted to him socially. His arch-nemesis in Congress, Democratic leader Thomas â€Å"Tip† O’Neil, commented that while he hated Reagan’s policies, on the personal level, â€Å"I find it impossible to dislike the guy.† At the other extreme, premature cognitive commitments too often work against us. A childhood friend, whom I considered brilliant when we were kids, in his mid-forties confessed to me that he had lived beneath his potential for much of his life. In sixth grade, he explained, his teacher belittled his work in such a way that it left him convinced he was incapable of academic learning. That conviction, which he carried throughout his teenage years and into adulthood, caused him to avoid challenging courses in junior high and high school, to stay away from college, and to settle for a job that didn’t tap his capabilities well. Only now was he beginning to revisit that assumption, and to realize just how greatly it had restricted his choices (Smith 2004). Becoming fully aware of our default assumptions can take work, reflection and determination, and the help of a counselor or trusted friend can be invaluable in the process. Yet the task is typically not Herculean either. If our negative expectations spring from a traumatic past experience, to be sure, the task of uncovering repressed memories may be painful, and may require special help. This is the extreme case, though. References Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass, Cranton, P, (1996) Professional Development as Transformative Learning: New Perspectives for Teachers of Adults. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Smith, Blaine M (2004) Reshaping Assumptions That Shape Our Life: Damascus, MD

Attitude, Legislation and Litigation towards Students with Disabilities Essay

Understanding of children and adults with learning disabilities has come full circle but has a long way to do to fully reach every individual. In the 4th century the great philosopher Aristotle wrote,† As to the exposure and rearing of children, let there be a law that no deformed child shall live†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) While this seems brutal, for the times it was quite common. Even modern era societal groups like the Nazis in the 1940s had â€Å"cleansing programs,† were thousands of people with various disabilities were deemed useless and simply put to death like dogs and cats. Today we as a society try to better understand the trials of people with disabilites and help them to succeed in schools. Federal groups like Individuals with disabilities Education Act(IDEA) and the Americans with Disablilites Act(ADA) have pushed our thinking and laws to the future. Although there is a lot more that needs to be done we are moving in the right direction. A Sad Beginning As mentioned above there was not just a prejudice and fear but a man hunt for people who suffered any kind of discernible disability. In ancient Rome and Greece children with disabilities were viewed as signs of weakness and shame. These children were put to death or abandoned, considered a burden on society and humanity. There were ancient societies that did not believe in this process but they were not the majority. The 20th century saw an increase in help for students with disabilities but there was a contradiction in the approach to this help. There was blame placed on the parents for breeding a genetically inferior human and putting the financial burden on the government for their mistake. Fear of these deficiencies spreading lead to a restriction on who could marry and even the sterilization of persons with retardations. In an ease of the sterilization idea people were being put into â€Å"hospitals† to isolate them from the general public by placing them â€Å"with their own kind. † In the 1950s more than a million persons in the US had been committed to mental hospitals and institutions. (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) The First Groups to Fight In the movement of Civil Rights in the 1950s parents of children with disabilities began to push for rights also. In 1949 the United Cerebral Palsy Organization (UCP) and in 1950 the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) groups were formed to help get accurate information to the public. These organizations wanted to get equal rights for medical treatment, social services and education for persons with disabilities. It was not until President Kennedy stepped in and became an advocate for these groups that the government began to take these groups serious. He had person investment in these rights with his sister Rosemary suffering from intellectual disabilities. Kennedy said in a speech in 1961,†This neglect must end†¦We must act†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The subheading above would be used if there are several sections (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) Legal Cases that Pushed reform I n1972 the Wyatt case in Alabama argued that the facilities people with mental retardation were being put into did nothing to prepare them for a place in society and called these places â€Å"Human Warehouses†. These were a series of lawsuits that followed with the moral encouragement of Brown vs. The Board of Education civil rights law. Halderman vs. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, Youngberg vs. Romeo and Homeward Bound vs. Hissom Memorial Center were all influential court cases that brought civil and moral rights of persons with disabilities to the public forum. It was the parental involvement that pushed the government to form groups as advocates for these groups. In 1971 the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizen (PARC) vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania put into light that these children were being denied the right to free and appropriate public education. It was these groups that allow the education for students with any disability to now get the help they need and deserve. Modern Advocacy Groups The main groups that come to mind when Disability advocates are mentioned within the educational system are Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). IDEA is officially known as Public Law 94-142 which lays out the standards and rules for students from ages 3-21 in public schools. This was originally known as Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act but in 1990 was changed to IDEA. There is restriction for what qualifies as a disability and these are in constant adjustment based on what happens in the education system. Without this ability to add or take away ideas it would become stagnant and useless. The ADA lays out what these disabilities are and what they legally and morally have a right to. Challenges facing Educators The main challenge facing educators is a combination for the push of standardized testing, common core standards and federal assistance being based on those scores. The inclusion of students with disabilities in no different than having a bully or an extreme introvert in your class and the amount of help that is given has risen drastically over the last 40 years. The focus in high school is to prepare students to go into the world and succeed as adults and this applies to students with disabilities also. The main fear I have is that in a push to â€Å"include† these students we are not helping them to succeed just following legal options. We have come full circle from the days of Aristotle and the Greeks but have a long way to go to get to a point where we are doing what is best for every student in our delusional system. There is and will probably always be prejudice in society to one group or another but as teachers we need to step forward and praise differences not separate them. Laws like IDEA and the ADA help parents, schools and teachers have a foundation to build on but it will take more that theory to implement the right actions. The success of these groups and laws are yet to be fully recognized but the potential is there.