Cultures Research Assignment Essay

As requested, here is the research assignment describing the culture of Mexico, Japan, and Kenya. This assignment will help guide you in understanding the basic communication styles, business etiquettes, and conflict management styles within their corresponding countries. Sincerely, Christian, Candace, and Fabiola Mexico As you travel to Mexico, there are a few tips you should consider to ensure a smooth visit. The communication styles, business etiquette, and conflict management styles vary differently with whoever you are dealing with. Mexicans place great value upon personal relationships. You should always properly address the appropriate Mexican within the organization. If they do not retain a professional title, then always address them with a courteous Mr. Mrs. or Miss (Senor, Senora, or Senorita, respectively). Business attire resembles that of the rest of North America. Men will usually shake hands during greetings, whereas Women will often pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder. Mexican men may exchange a hug, called an â€Å"abrazo†. Usually used among closer acquaintances; it is a sign of good will. To avoid being pushy or rude, never use a direct â€Å"no† for a response. Disguise the â€Å"no† within a â€Å"maybe† or â€Å"we’ll see†. If a conversation topic is outside the purpose of the business meeting, refrain from such topics as Mexican Politics, the Mexican-American war, and comparing Mexico unfavourably to the United States. You may, however, cover such topics as the City and its people, culture and history, and Mexican landmarks. It is not unusual for Mexican business meetings to take place during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In Mexico, lunch is the biggest meal of the day and it can last for several hours. Dinner is usually served around 9 pm and is usually a light meal. The conflict resolution style used most frequently in Mexico is either by accommodating or by compromising. Japan Today, working in this fast-paced business environment, allows individuals living in different cultures to have business interactions with new clients and build a network of international colleagues. In Japan, they value business people that represent themselves as trustworthy and humble. Japanese primarily use the collaborating conflict management styles in the business environment. Collaboration generates new ideas, and allows both parties to effectively cooperate to on focuses on building a team. In the Japanese culture it is common for business people to ask direct questions with a new person business partner in order to familiarize themselves with one another. At the beginning of a meeting, when business cards are exchanged, a person must bow slightly when handing out their card, and they should place the Japanese translation facing up and toward their business partners. In Japan, business meetings have seating arrangements which is always determined by the status of the participants. Therefore, as a guest you will be directed to the appropriate seat. Always remember, to wait for the head executive to take his/her seat before you will be seated, also when the meeting is finished wait until the head executive leaves his seat before you can exit the room. Japan has similarities and differences in compared to North Americans; however by becoming aware of Japan’s cultural norms it will be easier to understand Japan’s business etiquettes. Kenya Kenya has different business interactions than what we have in North America. The most common greeting in Kenya is by handshake. When greeting an elder or someone with a higher status, lower your eyes and grasp their right wrist with your left hand while shaking hands to demonstrate respect. Right after the hand shake they typically greet you with â€Å"Jambo?† which means â€Å"How are you?† It is mandatory to ask about family, health, and business right after the handshake, rushing or skipping questions will be seen as poor manners and rude. Unless specified by the person, greet them with their professional title followed by their last name. Kenyans mostly have a compromiser, and avoider conflict management style. Kenyans often use stories, metaphors or analogies to get their points across. Direct statements make them really uncomfortable. Kenyans will say what they think it is expected to be said or agree with someone, even if it is the complete opposite in order to not embarrass the other person. Showing anger during a conversation in Kenya it is seemed as a sign for mental instability. When exchanging business cards present and give them with two hands. Following these rules of etiquette when conducting business will result in achieving a successful meeting.

In What Ways do Gender Relations Affect Work Organization and Management? Essay

With the influx of women into the workforce during the last 20 years, there has been increased attention to comparisons between men and women on a number of work-related attributes and behaviors. With this increased attention, there has also been some confusion about whether women and men differ to a significant degree, how much they differ, and whether these differences truly are meaningful regarding behavior at work. The principal goal of this work is to consider gender issues that affect work organisation and management. The discussion of gender and work which is included in this paper is selective in focusing mainly on recent research, in which the topic has been considered explicitly. The cases considered provide useful examples of the role of gender in work. The discussion uses definition of gender as ‘a system of culturally constructed identities, expressed in ideologies of masculinity and femininity, interacting with socially structured relationships in divisions of labour and leisure, sexuality and power between women and men’ (Nicolson, 1996. p. 54). Although women and men have always engaged in purposeful activity, the set of activities that many people consider work or employment is not always clear. Historically, men and women worked side by side together in the fields. Today, however, a distinction is made between paid, public work external to the family and unpaid, private work in the home. Each of these spheres of work has come to be sex-typed, with paid work being viewed by many as the domain of males and unpaid work in the home the domain of females. These perceptions are changing but are still deep-seated in many respects (Nicolson, 1996). Stereotyping involves generalizing beliefs about groups as a whole to members of those groups. For example, if you believe that older people are more likely to resist change than younger people, you may infer that an older person you have just met is likely to be rigid and to have a hard time adapting to changes. Through stereotyping, we can categorize people into groups on numerous demographic bases, including gender, race, age, religion, social class, and so forth, and our perceptions of specific individuals will be influenced by what we know or think we know about the group as a whole. Gender stereotypes are socially shared beliefs about the characteristics or attributes of men and women in general that influence our perceptions of individual men and women (Nicolson, 1996). The stereotype literature suggests that our general beliefs about groups of people can affect our assessments of individual group members (Biernat, 1991). Stereotypes can contribute to shared misperceptions of coworkers, job candidates, performance, and credentials (Haworth 90). Stereotypes not only affect the decisions we make about men and women but also affect self-perceptions, decisions, and choices made by those men and women. Furthermore, gender stereotypes can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, in the sense that both men and women may feel pressure to behave in ways that correspond to gender stereotypes. Thus, stereotypes can affect both how men and women behave in the workplace and how their behavior is perceived. In recent years, the influx of women into the workforce in general, and into nontraditional occupations in particular, has led to increased attention in the popular media. One result of the recent profusion of books, magazine articles, and newspaper stories dealing with these topics is an increasing level of confusion about whether there are, in fact, sex or gender differences between women and men; or if there are such differences, in what ways (i.e., personality, skills, leadership, intelligence, etc.) men and women differ, how much they differ, and whether the differences really mean anything (Nicolson, 1996). Given our social expectations of men and women based on gender stereotypes, it is not surprising to observe some differences between men and women in numerous domains at work. For example, men and women differ in their expectations for success on specific tasks, and these expectations are related to achievement motivation on the task. This finding has been interpreted as meaning that women have lower expectations for success than men, and that is why they do not attempt new tasks or perform as well as men on subsequent tasks. However, an equally plausible explanation is that women face more barriers than men on the job, especially sex discrimination, and are less likely to be successful due in part to biased evaluations. Furthermore, women may take this into account when forming their expectations about occupations that do not require lengthy training programs or extensive time commitment. That is, success expectations for a woman may include an implicit assessment of the sexism within her current environment as well as an assessment of her ability to perform a given task (Haworth, 2004). There is evidence (from studies conducted in the 1970s and again in the 1990s) suggesting a small but consistent impact of gender stereotypes on work-related decisions and on men’s and women’s self-perceptions of their behavior, performance, and worth (including expectations for pay).However, the observed differences must be interpreted with much caution. One conclusion drawn from these differences is that women are deficient in some ways compared to men. It is easy to attribute the cause of such differences to internal, skill, personality, or biological explanations. The reliance on internal or person-based explanations inhibit and often precludes the search for equally compelling external, situation-based explanations for gender differences. Most behaviors that reflect gender differences are learned behaviors, and by labeling them as masculine and feminine, scientists may reinforce the association of that behavior with gender (Haworth, 2004). The positive expectations associated with physical attractiveness generalize beyond interpersonal relationships such as dating and marriage into the work setting. Perceptions of attractiveness have a moderate effect on perceptions of the person’s intellectual competence. The link between attractiveness and perceptions of intelligence appears to be similar for both men and women. However, attractiveness appears to have a stronger effect for women than for men on perceptions of job performance (Lewis & Bierlys, 1990). Applicants and employees with higher physical attractiveness are expected to do better work. Once completed, their work is evaluated more positively than identical work by less attractive individuals. In one study, highly attractive authors were evaluated as having better ideas, demonstrating better style, being more creative, and generally producing higher quality work. In the interviewing setting, if an interviewer believes that physical attractiveness is an important job attribute, then being attractive is an advantage. There is extensive research evidence that attractiveness positively influences entry-level employment decisions. Other research has shown few significant effects. Although there is some evidence to the contrary, physical attractiveness appears to interact with the sex-type of the job to influence work evaluations (Crompton, 1996. p. 8). Physical attractiveness is a positive feature for women when applying to lower level positions (e.g., clerical) but not for higher level positions (e.g., management), whereas physical attractiveness is advantageous for men in a wider range of positions. These advantages and disadvantages are similar for such work decisions as evaluations of applicant qualifications, hiring recommendations, starting salary, and rankings of hiring preferences (Nicolson, 1996. p. 68). At work, physical attractiveness is usually an advantage for women and men, but for women, there are limits to these positive consequences. Attractiveness is most beneficial for women working in traditional feminine areas or just entering an organization. However, when women enter more traditionally masculine work, physical attractiveness can be a liability (Biernat & Wortman, 1991. p. 4). One interpretation of these findings is that because women who are physically attractive are also perceived as more feminine (Aaltio, 2002, p. 55), the negative female stereotype of being less intelligent or competent may be activated or salient. Especially in masculine occupations where competence is of great perceived importance, attractive women may face discrimination. Workplace romance can influence organizational effectiveness in a number of ways, including the breakdown of the legitimacy of organizational promotions and structure, excessive transfers, and more terminations (Pierce et al., 1996). Especially when a romantic relationship involves a supervisor and a subordinate, it is likely to result in perceptions of favoritism and inequity concerning promotions among coworkers. When coworkers perceive such favoritism they can become both alienated from the work group (Pugh, 1997) and envious which can result in an imbalance of power within the organization (Grint, 2005). Furthermore, when the power structure within an organization breaks down, channels for advancement become closed off and promotion and raise decisions become distorted and unpredictable. When one investigates the basis for promotions and who is promoted, it is important to examine the values, informal guidelines, and norms surrounding such decisions. Therefore, the relationship between workplace romance and promotion decisions may depend, in part, on the culture of the organization. Should employees participating in a workplace romance be transferred or relocated? Managers appear to perceive job relocation as a reasonable intervention to workplace romance (Pierce, Byrne & Aguinis, 1996. p.7) especially when employees engage in such behavior against formal organizational policy. Furthermore, employees might expect such transfers as a consequence. Some experts (Andrews & Knoke, 1999) suggest that management should offer relocation as one option for couples to consider. However, female participants are more frequently relocated than males, and fewer of these women occupy top-level management or higher status positions. Therefore, organizational relocation decisions in situations of workplace romance may be discriminatory based on the employees’ gender or organizational positions. The decision to terminate or dismiss an employee because of his or her involvement in a workplace romance may also be viewed as a detrimental managerial action, one representing a punitive form of organizational intervention. Yet employees are often dismissed for participating in a workplace romance. Furthermore, a female participant is more likely to be terminated than a male participant, the participant who is lower in status or less â€Å"valuable† to the organization is more often terminated, and extramarital affairs are more likely to result in employee termination as compared to other types of affairs. However, there is a need to identify managerial prejudices and inequitable decisions based on gender, so that if terminations are made within the context of workplace romance, an employee is terminated based on poor performance rather than gender or organizational status (Haworth, 2004). Our personal physical attractiveness plays a tremendous role in our interactions with others in our work lives. There is evidence that attractiveness influences what people expect from us, how people respond to us, and what decisions we make are made about us. Yet many organizational texts do not address this topic. We believe that physical attractiveness is a pivotal factor in the development of relationships, friendships, and romances in the workplace. Furthermore, these relationships greatly shape men’s and women’s experiences of work (Haworth, 2004). The physical attractiveness stereotype is generally, â€Å"What is beautiful is good.† This view appears to hold for younger and older persons and for men and women. Yet the stereotype is subtle, and often we deny its influence on our behavior. Attractiveness appears to influence the expectations we have about each other including intelligence, interpersonal skills, honesty, and guilt or innocence of a crime. Furthermore, attractiveness appears to influence a number of work-related decisions including hiring decisions, work evaluations, interview ratings, and salaries (Pierce, Byrne & Aguinis, 1996). Physical attractiveness is a key factor in interpersonal attraction and liking as well as in the development of romantic relationships at work. Although such factors as propinquity, familiarity, attitude similarity, and reciprocity of liking are important, an attractive individual is more likely to engage in interpersonal relationships than a less attractive individual. Furthermore, interpersonal attraction is one antecedent of sexually intimate relationships including romantic relationships at work. Workplace romances appear to be increasing among American workers. The rise seems to be associated with greater acceptance of office dating, especially among coworkers (less so between a manager and subordinate), and organizational cultures that convey more liberal attitudes about the appropriateness of such behavior. There are numerous outcomes or consequences of workplace romances, and such outcomes may depend, in part, on the type of romance occurring: true love, the fling, or a utilitarian relationship. More negative coworker and organizational reactions occur with utilitarian relationships, followed by flings and true love. Although workplace romances can promote perceptions of inequity among coworkers and increased legal liability for the organization, these reactions are usually is associated with manager-subordinate romances and perceptions of sexual harassment (Pierce, Byrne & Aguinis, 1996). The central argument of this paper is that gender relations are constitutive of the structure and practices of organizations and that this is key to understanding how men define and dominate organizations. These gendered processes operate on many levels, from the explicit and institutional to the more subtle, cultural forms that are submerged in organizational decisions, even those that appear to have nothing to do with gender (Crompton, 1996. p. 60). They include the way men’s influence is embedded in rules and procedures, formal job definitions and functional roles. For example, the structure of a management career, based on men’s experiences, needs and life-cycle patterns, assumes a history of continuous, full-time employment. Or the way in which gender is mapped onto organizational authority resulting in a sexual division of labor whereby it is prescribed that women are better suited to personnel management than other management functions. References Aaltio, Iiris. (2002). Gender, Identity and the Culture of Organizations. Routledge: London. Andrews, S.B. & Knoke, D. (eds) (1999). Networks in and around Organizations, Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press. Biernat M., & Wortman C. B. (1991). â€Å"Sharing of home responsibilities between professionally employed women and their husbands.† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61. Crompton, Rosemary. (1996). Changing Forms of Employment: Organisations, Skills, and Gender. Routledge: New York. Grint, K. (2005). The Sociology of Work, 3rd edn, Cambridge: Polity Press. Haworth, John T. (2004). Work and Leisure. Routledge: New York. Lewis K. E., & Bierly M. (1990). â€Å"Toward a profile of the female voter: Sex differences in perceived physical attractiveness and competence of political candidates†. Sex Roles, 22. Nicolson, Paula. (1996). Gender, Power, and Organization: A Psychological Perspective. Routledge: New York. Pierce C. A., Byrne D., & Aguinis H. (1996). â€Å"Attraction in organizations: A model of workplace romance†. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17. Pugh, D.S. (1997). Organization Theory: Selected Readings, 4 edn, thLondon: Penguin.

Communication with children Essay

There are many reasons why people communicate these are as follows: Building relationship, it is very important to build a relationship with the children, young people, colleagues and people around us. For instance in the setting I work, the nursery, we communicate all the time to the parents and children to have positive relationship so that we can work together in providing the children’s needs. Simple greetings to the parents will be the start of harmonious relationship and we can develop a partnership in working together towards the development of every child. In our setting we often ask the parents if their child has been ok at home, if any concern such as the child not feeling well or a bit upset, the parents will tell us and that we can understand or have any idea how to deal with the child. We communicate to build a secure, trusting and good relationship with colleagues. Read more:  Identify different reasons why people communicate  essay Every day we talk about our experiences and our lives just to build a bridge of friendship to all staff I work with. We communicate to solve issues or if any problems we experience along the way, we communicate to learn from each other sharing ideas etc. With the children as their carer in school we communicate to know get to know the child. And if the child knows us they feel secure and develop a trusting relationship. We communicate daily to the children to help them learn and enjoy their time in the nursery. Maintaining relationships, it happens to us every day with the people around us by just simply smiling or asking how they are doing, it maintains a good friendship and trust among staff and with the people we work with. In the nursery we communicate with the parents and the children everyday asking how they are feeling, how they are doing to know and understand their needs and that maintain a good relationship and trust. I work with 3-4 year old pupils, for them to stay on task and enjoy what we planned to do with them, a trusting relationship and respect should be establish, we start this as soon as the child starts nursery by communicating with them asking them about their likes and dislikes, then this will carry on everyday so the child will feel comfortable and at ease with you, and with that relationship it is easy for me to have some activities with them such as math game to teach them about playing fairly and the learning objectives. If there’s a problem or concern with the parents, children or colleagues a good communication will work it  out, resolve some issues to maintain a positive environment Gaining and Sharing Information, We need to gain information in the work settings not only with children, young peoples and their families but also with colleagues and other professionals. The information that we gain and share will help us in a way that we work. In the nursery, there was a child with asthma, the teacher and parents give me information about his condition and what to do during emergency, with that it helps me how to deal with the child and provide his needs. If a child has special needs a professional will come and asses the child, your information about the daily routine and behaviour of the child will be needed. Example of this was in the nursery there was a child with a statement for speech and language therapy, the chid sees his speech therapist and got some key words to practice every day, the speech therapist will provide us with a copy of the Childs keywords so that in the nursery we ask the child to practice those words every day. We gain information from the speech therapist about the words the child needs to practice and we share the feedback on how the Childs getting on with it. If a child has allergy, medications will be needed to be shared between parents and nursery staffs. In planning activities and making a child’s learning journey the teacher would like to know your observations , assessments with some children, any good work, likes and dislikes etc. In the end of the day ,nursery staff shares information to the parents regarding how their child has been, example when the teacher has given an activity, an information will be shared regarding how the child coping with the activities and the outcome of it. Gaining reassurance and acknowledgement With working with children and young people, we praise them if they have done good work good behaviour, this will make them proud of what they’re doing and continue the good work or behaviour. When talking to children , parents or colleagues, providing them eye contact or taking interest of what they say would give them reassurance and acknowledgement. We communicate to give reward to good work. A child who has been kind and sharing to his friends will have a smile and sticker from us, this acknowledge that what the child did was really good. Expressing needs and feelings As human beings we all need to express our needs and feelings without doing these it leads to frustration and isolation. A baby knows how to express their needs and feelings by crying or pointing to the object. A child in the nursery will tell a teacher or support staff if he is hungry thirsty, sad, frustrated, happy etc with this we can give their needs. Every day we communicate with children, they tell us if they are upset or if somebody has upset them we solve these issues with proper communication. We talk about our feelings as young children they still are developing to control their emotions, if a child is angry and hurting other children we give the child a timeout and after the time out we talk to them pointing out that its ok to be angry but it’s not ok to hurt other children and if next time he feels angry again, encourage the child to tall a teacher rather than acting out of the Childs anger. We express our needs and expectation to a child, if a child did a good work or behaviour we praise the child, â€Å"what you did today made me very happy†. We express our feeling and needs not only to a child but to other adults around as example children’s parents and our colleagues. Open communication within working environment is essential to maintain relationship. We communicate to understand and to be understood. Sharing Ideas and thoughts Humans have ideas that needs to be shared and thoughts that needs to be heard, example when we are doing Christmas party in our nursery, as a member of staff we put in our ideas and thoughts to this activity , having our ideas put in together we can come up with a brilliant fun party. In planning activities, communication is important to share your brilliant ideas, and if you got some expertise you can share them among other staff, and if you got some weakness other staff can help you. Parents ideas are welcome we welcome then by means of verbal communication or written communication example of this is a suggestion box we provide for parents . CYP 3.5-1.1,2.2 Children- Positive relationship with children is important so that the children will feel safe secure, happy, relax and will have trust in their carer in nursery. Positive relationship is the main ingredient for you to work with children, young people and their families. A relax , comfortable  and happy child can learn more effectively .We can built and maintain it by setting some rules and boundaries with the children, resolve issues with the children and parents if there’s any. Positive relationship with children can be built by asking how the child feeling, what play interest them, listening to them also by showing them good example as they learn through example, be a role model. Young people – Positive relationship with teenager is important for them to give their trust and with that you can work with them effectively. You can maintain and build it by listening and respecting their opinions, know their interest. Deal with issues with sensitivity, honesty and openness and make sure you give feedback. For instance if a young people shared an important information about themselves, show that you are interested by giving eye contact when they speak , body gestures, facial expression so that felt that they have been acknowledge and their ideas being valued. If a young people had shared some problems deal with it with an appropriate manner and made sure you give them appropriate feedback without judging them. Don’t pressure them to do things they don’t want to do, respect the young people’s opinion even if it contradicts your opinion. Parents/carers- Positive relationship with parents and carers is important so that we can build a trust and open relationship with them and with that partnership both school and home can work effectively and support the child’s development. In a nursery setting communication between parents and staff is important every day, so if there are any issues it could be resolve with open and honest communication. We can maintain positive relationship by being welcoming to the parent’s warm and friendly ready to listen to their concern. If a parent had opinions respects it and include parent’s ideas in planning their child’s learning journey. Good relationship with parents means a lot of support they give to our settings example parents voluntarily help during field trip, donation money for more books or anything for the children’s activity. Staff can also learn from parent’s expertise such as baking, etc. Agencies and Professionals –Positive relationship with agencies and professionals important as we work alongside with them as some children needs them. For example a speech therapist will work together with the teacher and staff in providing and giving the child information on how to help his speech development. In my work setting one child has keys words from his speech therapist and he needs to practice those key words every  day, so we communicate with the speech therapist about what the child needs what words he needs to practice. If a child has behavioural issues we can ask for help to the agencies and professionals as they are expert in that field. In the nursery we invited the community police officer to give the children an overview of what they do and how they can help. The children learn many interesting things about a community police officer and they even met a police dog which made the children very happy. SHC 31-1.2 Explain verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication Verbal communication is simply the communication that is expressed through words. What you say is verbal communication. What you don’t say is nonverbal communication, example on nonverbal communications are physical gestures, facial expression, body language. Verbal communication example When a child comes to me and say â€Å" can i please go to the toilet†- the child using words and sound that’s verbal communication while non verbal communication is when a child needs a toilet , comes to me a, and just pointed the door of the toilet. The child using body language to say he wants to go to the toilet. I didn’t hear anything no sound produced but still sending the message. How to deal professionally with differences and disagreements As we work with our colleagues we may have different opinions and personality that may cause differences and disagreements to deal with it as a member of a team we should learn how to compromise, accept, listen and respect to other ideas, be diplomatic in everything you say and do, respect each other’s opinion and be discretional. If the there have been misunderstanding or have not used appropriate tone or style or communication a prompt and sincere apology can diffuse situations. When there is disagreements it is best to talk about it in a calm manner, in appropriate place and having a mediator will help. If there are any disagreements with my colleagues or children parents, I will diplomatically discuss and talk the issues with the person I had disagreements with in a proper place and time with sensitivity, tact and with open mindless. I will ask if there anything I did that made somebody upset, and I will apologise if there’s  any. If after trying to reconcile with the person I had disagreements with and there’s still an issue, I will forward it to our deputy head teacher, he the one dealing with issues among staff. Dealing with people with speech difficulties In dealing with people with speech difficulties we can use visual aids; this means we can use pictures to point things out. We can use strong body language facial expression, and hand gestures or learn sign language. The best way to help a child with speech problems is to give them constant support. Support alone can be tremendous in boosting their confidence, which will in turn help their speech. There was a child I was working with that stutters, so when that child speaks to me I listen and give that child time to finish what he/she saying without interrupting. We Avoid corrections or criticisms such as â€Å"slow down,† â€Å"take your time,† or â€Å"take a deep breath.† These comments, however well-intentioned, will only make the child feel more self-conscious. We make talking fun for that child let that child express and talk in his own time and pace. Different language Different language can be dealt with by body language, facial expression and good eye contact. We can use translation and interpreting services. In my working setting I am dealing with a child who cannot speak English as she was from other country, I dealt with it by providing pictures of our daily routines and a strong body language, and facial expressions. Working alongside with translation and interpreting service I had documents to the basic words of the child language, example, hello, good morning. In my work setting we have a child that comes from different country and don’t even speak English, I support that child during dinner time; I use pictures and strong body language to let her understand the rules during dinner time. I asked other child to be a model a good example to her, I reminded the children â€Å"this is how we line up properly, and we need to show our new friend how to stay in line†. During library times I let her choose a book and she was pointing at the pictures of the book telling me the story using her own language. I acknowledge the child and gave her smile and a sticker for sharing the book in her language. A strong facial expression that I am happy . SHC 31-2.2 Environment/Location, it is important to think about location to communicate effectively, it is easier to exchange personal communication when the location is quite and calm. Example of this is when you are talking to a parent about their child’s school performance, you find a quite room, away from the other children, usually the meeting room provided in school and discuss about the matter. When working with children, like reading stories you have to be in a familiar place provided a book area in the nursery, a calm and quiet place and cosy so they could listen effectively. You can’t effectively read stories to a child if you are in a noisy area or a place with lots of distraction. In circle time we gather all the children in the carpet big enough for them to sit down, then before talking we made sure the children sat still and quite. Appropriate place is needed when sharing private information; other people might only want to share the information to you. Exchange information – when changing information, appropriate place is needed, when communicating you should have good eye contact appropriate body gestures/ facial expression and be clear and concise so the information you are sharing is well understood by the receiver. Allow the receiver to clarify your information like asking questions and giving feedback. A good example of this is when the teacher will ask you to do some task with the children. You as a receiver will ask questions to clarify what the teacher ask you to do and how many children involve and the learning objectives. As a parent if you ask the nursery provider to continue your child’s medication, you tell the staff what medicine, what time and how much your child needs to give a clear instruction you can write it one piece of paper. Body language as a communicator is it important to be sensitive to the body language between you and the person you’re communicating with. A child who sucks their thumb may be indicating he is nervous or tired while the adult who are tapping their fingers on the desk sends out â€Å"I’m bored† or â€Å"I’m frustrated† signal. Crossed arms are usually interpreted as meaning you are irritated or unsure whereas open body language-hands on the side, for example-may signal that someone is feeling relaxed. We should avoid crossing our arms when talking to everyone as it may make the atmosphere tense. Facial expression is a strong element of communication and we can show how  we feel through our faces. If a child has done something good we show we are happy by showing a smile, we can’t say â€Å"very good† with a sad face. With working with young children it is important to show high level of facial expression so they can interpret what we are saying of to help them maintain interest. With adults it is important to show that we are taking in what they are saying and we are interested or trying to convey. When communicating to a parent, keeping body language open and relax is a good way to show professionalism and when a challenging situation it helps eases the tension. Smiling is important to show warmth and peace. Smiling when you first meet the parents and children is important to make them feel relax and secure and this will start a positive relationship. SHC 31-3.2 Environment – it can be a barrier to effective communication when the location is noisy, very warm room or not the appropriate place to share information. Example if you are trying to talk to a friend about your problems, you need an appropriate place so others can’t listen, with a conversation to be flowing you need to have a quite noise level, with too much noise you won’t be able to hear each other. If you are telling a story to a group of children you have to make sure the room not too cold or too warm, the children are comfortable and no distractions such as noise so they will listen, they are more likely to be distracted if they aren’t comfortable. Culture and family background-it can be a barrier to effective communication because different culture and family background affects the way people use the methods of communication. Example in different countries eye contact may not be as common in some cultures or may be interpreted differently. People in different countries has different language, with this barrier we have translation and interpreting service. In the Philippines, communicating with the elders has a different way to show respect and politeness example of this is adding â€Å"po† and â€Å"opo† to the end of every sentence. Family background makes a difference and every family has its own way of communication. Some children will have to hear swearing at home others may be hearing more than language. Some children may be vibrant and noisy. Disabilities is a barrier to effective communication, some people cannot speak, hear or some don’t have mental ability to understand but this barrier have lots of ways to deal with, lots of communication methods such as Makaton. Makaton uses signs, symbols and speech to help people communicate. Signs are used, with speech, in spoken word order. This helps provide extra clues about what someone is saying. Using signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear. Using symbols can help people who have limited speech and those who cannot, or prefer not to sign. Today over 100,000 children and adults, use Makaton symbols and signs. Most people start using Makaton as children then naturally stop using the signs and symbols as they no longer need them. However, some people will need to use Makaton for their whole lives.( http://www.makaton.org/aboutMakaton/) Babies and children’s communication are still limited, visual images including pictures and photographs can help them communicate but also understand what we are saying. Example of this is in our classroom setting everything has signs and labels with pictures on it, they have pictures of their daily routine and pictures of their pegs etc. We have speech and language services to help us find ways in communicating with children and young people. Blind or visually impaired people can access written communication by using Braille. Confidence and self-esteem is a barrier to effective communication when a person is not confident to speak out or express his feelings and thoughts and is not confident to share his ideas or give feedback. Some people shy away from direct face to face contact .Being unable to adequately express your emotions or ideas causes a lowered sense of self-esteem because you keep your feelings trapped inside. This can be extremely frustrating and can cause feelings of depression and isolation. People with low self-esteem generally have less satisfying relationships and more social difficulties than people with a healthy level of self-esteem. Working with children in the nursery, we always encounter shy children specially when it’s their first day in nursery, we deal with this by approaching (being warm and friendly)a child not pressuring the child to speak , and being attentive to a child’s body language so we can give what he needs or what he’s feeling. In circle time some children like to speak out some are shy and would rather share his ideas privately, we can encourage every child to speak and listen by passing a toy around giving them instruction that if they are holding the toy it’s their time to share their ideas. Children that are shy and refuse  to speak will be encouraged but he won’t be pressured to do it, in time he is ready and comfortable to speak out he will do it on his own time. Lack of literacy and ICT knowledge is a barrier to effective communication because some people can’t read or write, some people don’t have access to computers, some doesn’t know how to use computers. We should not make assumptions that all people can access their emails, text or can read English or find it easy to write. We deal with it by asking somebody how you’d like to receive information, such as newsletters in the nursery. With this we know who send emails with. With those people who can’t read and write we can ask extra support how to transfer the message to them or might be some prefer to receive message by phone calls. Use appropriate language when communicating with a person we should know who we are communicating with so we can use appropriate language. When communicating with children we should use simple and clear language. We should be a role model; we should speak clearly and use appropriate facial expression and body language to avoid misunderstanding. As a role model we should avoid swearing in front of children as they can easily pick up these things. We should talk to children with respect as we expect them to respect us. When communicating with parents we should always be tact polite and professional even in a difficult situation. Misunderstanding can happened easily if we don’t use appropriate language, if this happens an apology will do. SHC 31-41, 4.3 Confidentiality is a set of rules keeping certain information secret or private in order to respect people’s rights. Example of confidentially are as follows,  Before taking photographs of children in the nursery, there should be a parent consent usually signed by parents, some parents doesn’t want photographs of their children displayed for safety reasons. Working with children at work, should not be discussed with a close friend or any person who has nothing to do with a child. All written information that relates to a child should be kept securely, example of this children’s work. Information should not be shared to other person if somebody who is not the parent of the child asking for it always check with the parent and ask for consent. Data protection act 1998 the keeping of records, storing of data and passing of information is actually strictly regulated by the data protection act 1998. The act covers both paper-based and electronic records. The act is designed to prevent confidential and personal information from being passed on without a person’s consent. This act originally applied only to information that was stored on computers but it has been updated to include any personal information that is stored, whether paper or electronically. Example of this are the information such as name , address, date of birth, telephone number or any relevant information to our setting should not be shared to other people, it should be stored in a proper place where it’s safe , this act applies as well to computer data. If some random person ask for the child’s address, as the data protection act we are not allowed to give this information to that person. The Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask any public sector organisation for all the recorded information they have on any subject. Anyone can make a request for information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live. If you ask for information about yourself, then your request will be handled under the Data Protection Act. Organisations you can request information from You can request information from publicly funded organisations that work for the welfare of the whole population, eg: †¢government departments †¢local councils †¢schools, colleges and universities †¢health trusts, hospitals and doctors’ surgeries †¢publicly funded museums †¢the police †¢non-departmental public bodies, committees and advisory bodies Government departments post responses to freedom of information requests online. You can search through previous responses. View the full list of public authorities covered by the Freedom of Information Act. You can contact an organisation directly by letter or email to make a freedom of information (FOI) request. When making your request, you should include: †¢your name †¢an address where you can be contacted †¢a detailed description of the recorded information you want You have certain rights to environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations. For example, you can request information about air or water quality, noise and waste as well as any policies, decisions or activities that could affect them. (https://www.gov.uk) Paper based information are stored in a file cabinet, a room usually next to the reception office, it is usually lock and you ask the secretary or the head teacher if you want to access them. SHC 31- 41,4.3 Atmosphere in the setting would create a tension and this would impact the relationship and the development of children Concerns regarding child’s welfare, tensions arise when a parent doesn’t feel secure or lack of trust to the people looking after their child or the other way around such as abuse. To deal with this tension, it’s important to build a good relationship, respect and open communication between parent and carer and must work together for the best care of a child. As a staff, if a parent has problems or concerns about her child it it’s important to deal with it with calmness and follow the procedures laid down in the setting regarding such situations. Pass information directly and quickly to the person in another organisation that has responsibility for dealing such concern. Confidentially should be retained, other staff, parents etc will not necessarily know anything about the concerns that have been raised. Where a child or young person is suspected of committing abuse, example of this is in form of bullying, biting or hitting. This tension could affect children involved and the parents and carer. To deal with this is to refer the schools, or the settings policy with regard to bullying or any abuse committed by the young person. Follow the schools or nurseries Behavioural management, explain to the children what acceptable behaviour and deal with it calmly, or report it to your manager or head teacher. For instance of a child in our nursery scratched another child’s face, we deal with it by giving the child who scratched another child face a time out, usually 3 mins for their age 3-4 years old, after that we talk to the child, explain that  what he done is not acceptable behaviour and let the child understand why, and let him apologise to the child he hurt. Later on we inform the child’s parent about their child action. With the child who has been hurt we deal with it by comforting the child, if there’s a mark we let somebody who is a first aid have a look, then file an accident form. We inform the parent about the incident but not revealing the identity of the child who hurt their child. We ensure that parents that the incident has been dealt with and will investigate further so it won’t happen again. Staff member witnessing another abusing a child or young person, when this happens this will create tension in the setting it is important to report it to the safeguarding officer directly. If ever I witness another staff member abusing a child or a young person I will report it immediately to the safeguarding officer so the case will be look into. To maintain confidentially I won’t spread what I witness to other staff or any person who has nothing to do with the situation. Where a crime has been committed we have partnership with other organisations to safe guard children and young people. Example scenario of this when a child confides in you that he/she is being abuse; you can deal with it by telling your safeguarding officer about it or your line manager and maintain confidentiality. Disclose something if you think the child in danger, you will be doing the best for the child if you disclose such information of a sensitive nature even if you feel you are breaking a confidence. Follow your setting’s regarding disclosure of abuse. Parents should have seen your settings child protection policy which will state that information will be disclose if it is deemed that a child is in any danger.

What would be the effects of banning the use of plastic bags Essay

What would be the effects of banning the use of plastic bags - Essay Example However, because many plastic bags are discarded causally, plastic bags also bring us side effects. Take China as an example, In China, it is an interesting and â€Å"colorful landscapes† to see several of plastic bags flying in the sky when the strong wind passes. Not only in China also the many places we can see the plastic bags are discarded in street, lake and ocean. This is due to some people throwaway plastic bags casually. What is the important, this cause the â€Å"white pollution† to environment, which is harmful to human because plastic bags cannot vanish by natural decomposition. At this stage, the main processing methods are incineration and  landfill. Nevertheless, the burning will produce toxic fumes, a lot of air pollution and acid rain. As for landfill, it is buried 100 years and still intact. It cannot be naturally absorbed and has a great harm on the land. Although the plastic bags are ubiquitous and convenient, in contemporary society the â€Å"whi te pollution† is becoming a more and more serious environment issue. Some people say that government should ban the use of the plastic but some people argue that it is unnecessary to ban it. Without the authorized conclusion now, this tough issue should continue to be analyzed to determine how excessive use and careless disposal of plastic bags affects society. Jerry Jonson discusses the myriad environmental issues that result from poor plastic disposal technique such as the fact that it fills numerous landfills and when it is disposed by incineration, adds volumes of toxins in the air (Jonson). Plastic bags portend a serious environmental threat in the long term and if they are not controlled they will continue to endanger the environment and by extension society. In his discussion of Lynn offers several facts about, he offers numerous statistics about plastic that bring out the enormity of the situation. Apparently, over 50 percent of the plastic used in the US is simply thrown away to contribute

Ishmael Beah, how he shaped his destiny Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ishmael Beah, how he shaped his destiny - Essay Example Fortunately, UNICEF came to his aid at the age of thirteen as they put an end to his involvement in the war. They put him in a reformation centre in the nation’s capital Freetown. He successfully completed his reformation process in 1996 after which he represented his country as a delegate to attend a UN conference on the effects of civil war and unrest. Contrary to the expectation of many, Ishmael went back to his country to speak on his life experience as a child soldier to encourage others not to choose the same path. It is true that we make our own destiny and that what life throws at people can be a stepping stone to successful. This paper will base its focus on this argument by considering his life and times as portrayed in his book, the battles that he faced that made him inspirational to many. Additionally, it will show how he took charge of his life therefore shaping his destiny. It will also examine the fact that individuals are in charge of their destiny and that fa te and Karma are in significant in one’s life. Battle with drug addiction and the choices he made As a boy soldier, Beah witnessed violence first hand by knowing to handle a gun and deplore a human being of his life (Beah 1). His watching of his brother die right before his eyes also made him become ruthless and thirsty for revenge. The number of deaths captured in his head for the two years he was a soldier remained permanently embedded in his mind, which made him emotionally scarred. He saw the plight of the children whom he trained with, the nature of the training curricula was not favorable for the young as it was physically draining. Many children could not endure the suffering therefore lost their lives because they were not productive to the army. Child soldiers at that time were easy to manipulate and therefore were easy to brainwash unlike male adults (Finley 45). They also provided cheap labor to the army, as they did not know their rights. This proved effective, as the only thing they had to learn was how to cock a gun and firing it. Deep down, Ishmael knew that he was destined for greatness as when opportunity to better his life presented itself he took it and ran away with. For him, life is what one makes of it and that one’s experiences do not dictate their future. The life of Ishmael after rehabilitation After rehabilitation, Ishmael lived a positive life. According to his book, personal responsibility is the taking charge of one’s life and spearheading it into a positive direction. This is shown by his willingness to fight the drug abuse vice instilled in him while at the army when he joined the rehabilitation institution. He chose to stay sober and focus not allowing his past death experiences are a reason to stay hooked to drugs. Evidently, his strong will kept him going all through his rehabilitation period (Beah 76). Ideally, he shaped his destiny by choosing the sobriety choice. Had he not chosen to fight his addiction , he would have wasted his life, as UNICEF would have never noticed his potential. In his book, the choices we make are not necessarily determined by our age therefore children should choose their paths wisely, as life is not a rehearsal for a next life. While at the center, he learnt to heal his emotional wounds by forgiving himself and accepting that he could not change the past but was able to plan for his future (Beah 237). He partly blames the adults of his country for not standing up and fighting for what was just for children since they watched helplessly as they joined the child army. The accomplishments he has made in his life Ishmael made a number of accomplishments in his life. His life took a better turn

Education - Cultural Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education - Cultural Awareness - Essay Example The graphic organizer How to enhance the cultural respect and avoid cultural bias in the classroom Instructors should acknowledge the students’ cultural differences along with their commonalities Next, it is necessary to validate the student’s identity through the utilization of reading materials that reflect such diversities. This allows students to see the importance of their cultures. It is also significant to educate the students that the world is becoming diverse each day. This would help them gain appreciation for each other thus the reduced conflicts in the classroom. Teachers also need to advocate for some behaviors, as well as communication styles in the classroom, which are devoid of discrimination thus the increased respect. It would also be appropriate if the relationship existing among the students, teachers, families, as well as the community should be fostered thus the respect. The current literature has defined culture as a universal programming of an in dividual’s way of thinking. Culture is stalwartly important as it aids in the process of distinguishing the diverse human categories. The core factor distinguishing the diverse cultural groups is values, which such groups holds close in their daily lives. Sources further designate that these cultures have different norms, as well as institutions resulting from such norms (Wagner, 2009). A number of different authentic and current sources have provided several definitions for multicultural education. Although authors of such sources have utilized dissimilar wording in providing the definition of this phrase, they portray a common understanding of it. Therefore, regarding multicultural education as an inclusive reforming procedure in the education sector championing the existence of equal treatment for students from dissimilar cultures would be the most appropriate definition (Grant, 2011). The 21st century has been coupled by a myriad challenges as students from dissimilar cul tural and social groups populate the same schools. However, the adoption of multicultural education concept has highly facilitated the process of addressing such cultural differences, as well as the biases. Foremost, it is evident that multicultural education promotes the application of a culturally receptive pedagogy. This concept is vastly imperative since it aims at enhancing a successful learning process. This concept works by identifying the strong points brought by such a diversity thus utilizing it to enhance education (Nwachukwu, 2010). Moreover, the pedagogy is a combination of three diverse dimensions. These dimensions are the instructional, institutional, as well as the personal dimensions. The institutional dimension has helped design a learning environment that enhances efficacy, when dealing with culturally diverse students. Therefore, multicultural education could address cultural differences by ensuring that school’s policies, as well as their procedures addre ss with efficiency, all the tribulations resulting from the diversity. The personal dimension part of the cultural pedagogy addresses some of the essential activities for teachers to be involved in thus the cultural bias diminution. Through the application of this concept, teachers could fully acquaint themselves with all the available useful knowledge. Multicultural education persuades teachers to nurture values that disfavor negative feelings towards an individual from a different cultural setting.

Creation Myth Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creation Myth Project - Essay Example The matter and energy did not exist as separate entities, but rather there existed a vastness filled by senseless, meaningless, formless, nebulous space that pervaded every inch of a universe that was without any dimensions, forms or meanings. The universe was thirsty for a sense of form, dimensions and meaning. Then at the very center of this formless, dimensionless and shapeless world, there emerged a scintillating, shimmering, and incessantly vibrating substance element. In a world that was hitherto substance less, it was the first thing that could be called to be a substance, if it was a substance. This substance atom, this substance particle achieved enhanced sense of shimmering, vibration and scintillation, indicative of some infinite energy that was poised to both pervade and envelope the disturbing zero all around. The vibration soon increased to enhanced levels of humming and void, and the nooks and corners of this pervasive null were filled with an incessant and disturbing, humming. Fear gripped the hearts and minds of the entire creation that was yet to be. A sense of urgency, a sense of apprehension, and fear imbued the entire, pervasive nothingness. And then this substance element lost form and started to emit vast rays of energy, just a millisecond before it burst into flames and water. The flames scattered all around the surrounding vacuum and emptiness, finally cooled by its chillness and silence, to yield land masses or what the generations were to call planets. The water emanating from this bursting of the substance particle filled the cracks and crevices of these land masses. There emerged to be oceans, rivers and lakes full of water. The atomic content emanating from this elemental burst gave way to a chemical soup, which eventually shaped by the heat of this burst evolved to form organic molecules. The incessant cycle of life had been initiated in which the molecular organic creations further evolved

Denver Museum of Nature & Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Denver Museum of Nature & Science - Essay Example The museum is a source of science education for the Rocky Mountain region in Colorado. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is one of the four largest museums in the country. The museum is currently popular for its â€Å"Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed† exhibition. This is the biggest exhibition on the prehistoric Mayan culture ever displayed in the United States. It includes artifacts from the Maya Culture and other interactive activities that are meant to show the visitors the rise and fall of the Maya. According to dmns.org, other popular exhibitions include the Discovery zone which is best suited for kids, the Egyptian mummies, expedition health which shows visitors the ever changing human body, North American Indian culture, prehistoric journey , space odyssey which is about the universe and wildlife exhibits which show the day to day life of wild animals. According to dmns.org, In November, The Denver Museum of nature and science will have the â€Å"travelling silk road† exhibition so that people can understand the Silk Road as it was 1000 years

Developing a business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developing a business plan - Assignment Example The other way is to increase labor and expertise in handling the needs of our clients better. The product logistics and quality controls will be essential in defining the way these products take place. A vertical retail presence in crucial catalogues and e-commerce avenues will be pursued. Advertisement by creating a buzz about this new brand will be made especially amongst opinion leaders based on a combination of product placement and public relations. To achieve this, the needed abilities are good technological backgrounds. The goal is to have a system that enhances customer experiences through the acknowledgement of feedback from the users. The company is also leveraging on its current technology that ensures it can use its services to benefits its clients and provide a solution to their needs. The capabilities lacking are in mass production, which could hinder the number of outlets served. The current number requires an adjustment (Rumelt, 2011). The products are ladies’ creams for both day and night. They will be produced at our manufacturing plant and sold by representatives across the board in both retail and wholesale shops. The goal is to create a wide supply chain team to ensure the products reach out to the largest audience. The sellers will be getting a commission when dealing directly with the company, while those in retail will get lower prices to ensure they profit from stocking our products. The development processes are unique in that they encompass the utility of the ideals of modern technology combine with appropriate understanding of biological attributes of the human body. The production takes place at a facility that follows the required criterion that assures the client of a quality product. The marketing aspect takes place on both new and traditional media, with the new media taking the highest form. This is because most of the targeted clients use these forms of media for communication and information. Products are

Operation Managerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operation Managerment - Essay Example Customer analyze employer in detail and hope that they build up excellent organizers at the entire levels, constantly engender confidence by open, sincere and apparent behavior, genuinely engross workers in decision-making and offer continuous advice, allow for collective exchanges in the place of occupation as long as intentions are conveyed, provide resourceful HR methods, willing to accept sundry and varying conditions and confer first choice to figure out and congregate customer needs (Cho and Park, 2003). I might prefer to be employed in Marketing Research field as it offers broad range of information used to classify and describe marketing issues; engender, treat, and appraise marketing events; supervise marketing performance; and advance understanding of marketing trends and methods. Due to the assimilation and alignment of the methods the organizations now meet their user needs splendidly.

Hamlet is a self-obsessed Essay Example for Free

Hamlet is a self-obsessed Essay Throughout the course of the play, the character of Hamlet undergoes major upheaval, so a transition in his psyche is to be expected. One interpretation behind the reason for this transition is the one stated in the title (i. e. that he is a self-obsessed, miserable typical teenager); another may be that he is simply the victim of exceptional circumstances (namely his fathers death and his mothers marriage to his uncle) either way, it is clear that Hamlet is acting under severe emotional stress during the play. That Hamlet is a very obsessive young man is easy enough to tell the list of things he obsesses about is extensive: the afterlife, his fathers murder, his new misogynistic feelings, suicide and general worldly dissatisfaction, to list the main bulk of his obsessions. Some of his soliloquies (which are the passages where Shakespeare allows Hamlet to reveal his complete emotions to the audience) are testament to this obsession, especially concerning suicide (O that this too too solid flesh would melt, To be or not to be). This self-obsession may be thought of as somewhat surprising when it is noted that Hamlet is meant to be heir to the Dane throne, as it portrays Hamlet as someone in a role of great social responsibility who only has the scope to think about his personal problems. Hamlet is by now old enough to attend university (although his age is unspecified), showing that he has reached an age where he can think independently and fully comprehend his duty to society, adding to the sense that he is being selfish in that he does not think of the well-being of his country, despite the numerous references to problems in Denmark (Something is rotten in the state of Denmark). It is this personal fixation and irresponsibility on Hamlets part that ends up bringing the ultimately Danish monarchy into ruin, with Fortinbras of Norway ascending to the throne. The claim that Hamlet is also miserable is also a valid one: the audience usually finds Hamlet in a highly melancholic state of mind (whether it is mere sullen impetuousness or full-blown suicidal depression). Hamlet seems dissatisfied with everything: his family, his nation, the world, his very existence. Part of the reason for this depressed nature is Hamlets tendency to philosophise and contemplate complex aspects of existence, such as the afterlife, which contrasts with the straight-forward action men that surround him, and is more typical of the modern moody teenager. For all of these reasons, it can be argued that Hamlet is indeed a self-obsessed, miserable typical teenager. However, a different interpretation of Hamlet is that he is the victim of exceptionally harrowing circumstances. His age is indeterminate, although the reader is sure that he is a young man. Already with the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders, his father dies, only for his mother to wed with wicked speed to his fathers brother: such a combination in such a short space of time for one as young as Hamlet is bound to have a detrimental effect on his outlook. Add to this the plainly insensitive handling of this shocking series of events by Claudius which serves only to exacerbate Hamlets sorrow and confusion (but to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness, tis unmanly grief,) and it becomes evident that Hamlet cannot be compared to a moody teenager, because the events that usually make teenagers stroppy cannot be compared in any way to the mental anguish that Hamlet is probably suffering. Such a comparison would be callous and thoughtless. Hamlets apparent descent into a self-crafted madness is indicative of the huge pressure placed upon him by the ghost of his father, who seems only interested in revenge rather than helping his son (Remember me. ). This emphasises the feeling that Hamlet is alone, with no-one truly understanding his situation (with the possible exception of Horatio). Teenagers nowadays have a vast array of methods in which they can seek help (i. e. relatives, hotlines, the police), again stressing the vast chasm between the situation of a moody teenager and the agonising plight which Hamlet finds himself in. The sheer exceptional scale of tragedy that occurs during the play and the profound effect they have on Hamlet are enough to ensure that he should not be compared to a moody teenager: to do so would be highly inconsiderate. Hence the interpretation that Hamlet is self-obsessed is a highly unfair one, as the world he knew previously has been shattered, and the one he finds himself in now is so intolerable to him that he ponders suicide, meaning that the affairs of Denmark do not find such a high priority in his mind because his personal life is in disarray. Even through the catastrophes in the play, as Hamlet lies on the ground dying, he names Fortinbras as the next ruler of Denmark this shows that, after he has resolved all of his issues, he starts to once again think of his nation, even as he is dying; the claim that he is miserable is a fair one, but he is justifiably miserable. He is not miserable because his parents will not let him attend a party: he is miserable because his father is dead and his mother has begun an incestuous relationship with his uncle. This is a legitimate reason for misery, and so Hamlet should be treated with a fitting level of compassion at least certainly not compared to typical teenagers. It is for the reasons above that the statement Hamlet is a self-obsessed, miserable typical teenager does not resonate well with the reader: the very fact that he is able to be sullen and even jocular initially (A little more than kin, and less than kind. Not so much, my lord, I am too much in the son. ) is a testament to his strong personality his true feelings are revealed in the following soliloquy. The character of Hamlet is far more complex than a comparatively simple teenager; the circumstances far more tragic; the pressure upon him far greater.

Group Progression in Society Essay Example for Free

Group Progression in Society Essay The pressures of society force humans into groups, whether to change something, unite, or to feel a sense of belonging. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to find what groups you may fit into and these groups can change as you transform into a more critical thinker. Studs Terkel tells the story a of Ku Klux Klan member turned school board activist, C.P. Ellis, in his essay, â€Å"C.P. Ellis.† Ellis’ struggles and realizations prove what critical thinking and self-examination can do. Mike Rose’s essay, â€Å"I Just Wanna Be Average† also displays the importance of growing through groups and how changing mental habits can help transform one into a more efficient critical thinker, therefore allowing one to surpass the cultural myths placed upon them. Gary Colombo enlightens readers by defining and giving advice on how to transform oneself into a critical thinker in his essay, â€Å"Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths†. Colombo argues that by thinking critically and challenging the norms of our society we can fight to be the people we truly want to be. Humans form into groups subconsciously as well as consciously. Consequently, these groups we cast ourselves into are the very things that can hold us back from becoming true individuals. By reexamining old ways and becoming active critical thinkers, members of society can participate in groups in a manner which will allow them to grow intellectually and outlast the cultural myths that is society has placed upon them. Groups have a large impact on society since they are constructed to allow humans to do more than they would be able to as mere individuals. However, groups can often hinder the thought process of individuals and may cause people to settle for less than what they are actually capable of. The â€Å"cultural myth† of belonging in society can cause individuals to become immersed in a group’s ideas wholly instead of blending them with their own beliefs. Ellis recalls when his former Klansmen called him after he started working for integration on the school board with Ann Atwater, African American women. â€Å"My old friends would call me at night: ‘C.P, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re selling out the white race.’ This begin to make me have guilt feelin’s. [. . .] My mind was beginnin’ to open up. I was beginnin’ to see what was right and what was wrong. I don’t want the kids to fight forever† (405). Had Ellis remained a narrow-minded member of the Ku Klux Klan his judgments and perceptions would have continued to be overly influenced by the Klan’s extremist beliefs. By expanding his mind Ellis was able to work on non-Klan related issues and overcome his racist tendencies thus transforming him into a more independent thinker. Critical thinking such as this is essential in being able to think independently opposed to being over powered by a group’s point of view and opinions. Colombo defines critical thinking as â€Å"a matter of dialogue and debate – discovering relationships between apparently unrelated ideas, finding parallels between your own experiences and the ideas you read about, exploring points of agreement and conflict between yourself and other people† (9). By applying these skills Ellis talked through the issues on the school board and reexamined his relationship with Ms. Atwater which in turn matured his critical thinking abilities. These critical mental skills will enable one to choose which groups they truly belong to instead of merely becoming a drone in order to fulfill their own senses of belonging. However, not all group enrollment and involvement is by the choice of its members. Some are pieced together by members whose superiors have placed them in said groups. In some cases, placement into these groups can impede on the development of critical and independent thinking. Mike Rose’s unjust placement into his school’s vocational is a prime example of this forced-group hindrance. Colombo states that â€Å"[c]ultural myths become so closely identified with our personal beliefs that rereading them means rereading ourselves, rethinking the way we see the world. Questioning long-held assumptions can be an exhilarating experience, but it can be distressing too† (8). By rethinking the groups’ society places us in we can gain a better understanding of ourselves as well as a better perception of the cultural myths that hold our true identities down. Rose tells about that the defenses mechanisms that he and his classmates built up to deal with the below average, self-image that the vocational track gave them, â€Å"[they] to twist the knife in [their] own grey matter† in order to stand up to the mental wear-and-tear of the vocational schooling process. Rose delves further into this process: You’ll have to shut down, have to reject intellectual stimuli or diffuse them with sarcasm, have to cultivate stupidity, have to convert boredom from a malady into a way of confronting the world. Keep your vocabulary simple, act stoned when you’re not or act more stoned than you are, flaunt ignorance, materialize your dreams. It is a powerful and effective defense – it neutralizes the insult and the frustration of being a vocati onal kid. (Rose 162) Defenses like the ones used in Rose’s essay cause individuals to do the bare minimum and do not allow individuals to grow within the group but rather the opposite; it stunts their identities and makes them complacent rather than questioning the world around causing a lack of internal expansion. By questioning the cultural myths of society and expanding the mind to think more critically individuals will be able to broaden their intellectual and social horizons. Ellis reminiscences at the end of the essay about his person growth by saying that â€Å"our troubles are over with. They say the older you get, the harder it is for you to change. Since I changed, I’ve set down and listened to tapes of Martin Luther King. I listen to it and tears come to my eyes’ cause I know what he’s sayin’ now. I know what’s happenin’† (408). By progressing through groups (the Ku Klux Klan and school board) Ellis was able to become a critical thinker and overcome the many cultural myths of his life. Similarly, Rose progressed to become a critical thinker. By going from vocational track to college prep, Rose was forced to reassess his self in order to become the type of student and person he wanted to be upon entering college prep. â€Å"I’d been mediocre for too long and enjoyed a public redefinition. And I suppose the inner workings of my mind, such as they were, had been private for too long† says Rose on regards to his switch and achievement in college prep (166). Both of these experiences show that by reevaluating the cultural myths in society and growing through different groups individuals can become critical thinkers and redefine themselves as the people they want to be. Society is filled with cultural myths and pre-assigned groups for its members. Only by overcoming these myths and growing intellectually can individuals become who they want to be rather than what society decrees them to. The experiences of Rose and Terkel show what critical thinking and group progression can do to one’s true self. Since Colombo defines critical thinking in his essay, the two experiences of Rose and Terkel allow the idea to be brought to life and put his work into context. Upon building critical thinking skills and experiencing group progression throughout life, individuals will be able to gain a multifaceted understanding of their true selves. This understanding will allow individuals to delve into the critical thinking and lead them to constantly challenge the world and groups around them. Works Citied Colombo, Gary. â€Å"Thinking Challenging Critically, Cultural Myths.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s, 2010. 1-15. Print. Rose, Mike. â€Å"I Just Wanna Be Average.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s, 2010. 157-169. Print. Terkel, Studs. â€Å"â€Å"C.P. Ellis.†.† Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Eds. Colombo, G., Cullen, R., and Lisle, B. Boston: Bedfortd/St. Martin’s,

Medical Aspects Of Disaster Management Health And Social Care Essay

Medical Aspects Of Disaster Management Health And Social Care Essay On December 26, 2004, a violent earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale struck off the western coast of northern Sumatra. It initiated several tsunamis (tidal waves) that took more than 200,000 lives. It was the deadliest natural disaster in the past quarter of a century. But as horrible as it was, it was but a ripple compared to some quakes in recorded history. In 1556, an earthquake in China took the lives of 830,000 people. In India, an earthquake in 1737 killed 300,000. Almost thirty years ago (1976), a massive quake in China left 655,000 dead. The Sumatra quake, which scientists have measured with modern instruments, was so powerful that it is believed to have moved some islands about 50 feet. In addition, seismologists think that it wobbled the earth on its axis, accelerating the rotation speed, thus shortening the length of our day by fractions of a second which is remarkable in view of the planets precision movements. The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of TÃ…Â hoku (TÃ…Â hoku-chihÃ…Â  TaiheiyÃ…Â  Oki Jishin), often referred to in Japan as Higashi nihon daishin-sai was one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900.The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres. The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) 2.4 m east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm and 25 cm. This earthquake claimed 15,878 lives, left 6,126 injured, and 2,713 people missing . The earthquake and tsunami also caused extensive and severe structural damage in north-eastern Japan . Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan. Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water. The tsunami caused nuclear accidents, p rimarily the level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. The World Banks estimated economic cost was US$235 billion, making it the most costly natural disaster in world history. Besides these, there have been the super cyclone in Orissa, earthquakes in Latur and Gujarat all of which have caused massive loss of life, distress, discomfort, disease and disability. Inspite of all this, we still await the so called Diego Maradonnas Hand of God to bail us out of each natural crisis causing incident. DISASTER STATISTICS In the past fifty years more than 10000 natural disasters have been reported, more than five billion people have been affected, more than twelve million persons have been killed and the economic costs have been greater than US dollars four trillion. In India during the period 1990 to 2006 more than 23000 lives have been lost in six major earthquakes(Uttarkasi, 1991;Latur,1993;Jabalpur,1997; Chamoli,1999;Bhuj,2001;JK ,2005.) Enormous damage has been caused to property and public infrastructure. The twin super-cyclones that hit Orissa in Oct 1999 affected 24 Districts, 219 blocks and 18790 villages resulting in loss of 8495human lives, 450,000 lives of cattle and damaging two million homes and 23000 schools. The Bhuj earthquake was a terrible human tragedy in which13,805 lives were lost that included 1031 school children and around 167,000 persons suffered multiple injuries This was in the wake of two consecutive years of drought. Disaster defined At the cost of repetition in the text it is important for us to understand and comprehend the term disaster. Disaster is a term very often figuratively used in day to day parlance. For instance, if, as professionals, you are making a presentation on some of your work which you highly value and the response of the audience is not exactly as per your expectations despite your utilizing all available resources, you would generally refer to such a presentation as being a disaster. Thus disaster is an unexpected event in which there is a sudden and massive disproportion between the hostile elements of any kind and the survival resources that are available to counterbalance these in the shortest period of time. There is no generally accepted definition of disasters. A study by Debacker found greater than 100 definitions of disaster. The variations occurred with professional role. The commonalities in all definitions are that disaster is a sudden and an extraordinary event wherein the deman d for health care resources is greater than those that can be supplied, where outside help and resources are needed and which causes disruption of infrastructure, loss of life, material damage and distress. In short disaster is an event where the response needed is greater than the response available. One of the more professional definitions of disaster (Humberside County Council UK) would read as under:- Disaster is a major incident arising with little or no warning causing or threatening death or serious injury to or rendering homeless, such numbers of persons in excess of those which can be dealt with by the public services operating under normal procedures and which calls for the special mobilization and organization of these services. Natural Disasters As we are deliberating on natural disasters, it may be worthwhile bringing out the fact that the Indian subcontinent is amongst the worlds most disaster prone areas with approximately 60 % of land mass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to high intensity, 8% of land vulnerable to cyclones, 12% of land mass is vulnerable to floods and 68% of cultivable area is prone to drought. The hilly areas are constantly at risk from landslides and avalanches and flash floods. With its vast territory, large population and unique geoclimatic conditions, the Indian subcontinent is exposed to natural calamities and catastrophies. While the vulnerability varies from region to region, a large part of the country is exposed to natural hazards which often turn into disasters causing significant disruption of socio-economic life of communities and to loss of life and property. For the ease of understanding Natural disasters could be classified as depicted in the Figure. Classification of Natural Disasters (a) Natural phenomenon beneath the earths surface  Ã‚ ¬Earthquakes including Tsunamis  Ã‚ ¬Volcanic Eruptions (b) Natural phenomenon at the earths surface  Ã‚ ¬Landslides  Ã‚ ¬Avalanche (c) Meteorological/hydrological phenomenon  Ã‚ ¬Cyclones  Ã‚ ¬Typhoons  Ã‚ ¬Hurricanes  Ã‚ ¬Tornados  Ã‚ ¬Hailstorms  Ã‚ ¬Sandstorms  Ã‚ ¬Floods  Ã‚ ¬Sea-surge  Ã‚ ¬Droughts Characteristics of Disasters Before we proceed any further let us briefly enumerate the characteristic features of a disaster since these will help us subsequently in formulating an appropriate disaster management strategy. The overwhelming characteristic features of a natural or any other type of disaster are:- (a) Suddenness of Occurrence. (b) Vastness of Damage. (c) Loss of Life and Property. (d) Disruption of Communication. (e) Panic and Anxiety. First Day First Person Ground Zero Report From Military Hospital Bhuj GS Sandhu Masses of humanity, crushed and mutilated limbs dangling, heads split open, shattered bones, and people coming in endless streams, tugging at the doctors sleeves to leave the patients they were attending to come and see their near and dear ones, crying, sobbing, screaming. This is the lasting impression of 26th January 2001 which I will carry with me for the rest of my life.- Extract of authors interview in Indian Express dated 8th February 2001. 1. Though the Kutch district of Gujarat is located in Seismic zone V, there was a general lack of awareness of the seismic risk and its implications among all sections of the society. The earthquake struck without warning at 0846 hrs on 26 Jan 2001. The epicenter was located 30 km north-east of Bhuj and measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. The impact was sudden and devastating. The local community was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster and its resources rendered non-functional. 2. Military Hospital Bhuj is a small peripheral hospital, providing medical cover in the basic specialties. In the aftermath of the earthquake, this hospital acted as the first and sole responder, despite having suffered severe structural damage and its personnel and their families also being victims of the natural calamity. The principal task was to ensure operational readiness of the hospital for mass casualty management. A number of concurrent activities were initiated. Multiple reception, triage and resuscitation stations were set up. Indoor patients were moved out because of recurring aftershocks. Salvage of equipment and stores from collapsed buildings was commenced. An improvised surgical zone with makeshift operation tables was set up on hard standing. Pre and post operative areas were marked adjacent to this zone. Patient holding and evacuation areas were demarcated. Doctors from the town came to help in looking after the sea of injured humanity pouring into this sole medica l facility functioning in the disaster zone. The local army formation provided generator sets, water tankers, tents and personnel for crowd control. 3. A simple standardized patient management protocol adapted to the locally available resources and skills was devised. The aim of this protocol was to standardize treatment, save lives, prevent major secondary complications and prepare casualties to withstand evacuation to hospitals outside the disaster zone. Graded assessment was carried out, to cope with the sudden massive influx of casualties. Paramedical personnel did the initial assessment by grading the casualties into major and minor injuries. All patients with major injuries were resuscitated with IV fluids and exhibited antibiotics and parenteral Diclofenac analgesia. The physician and medical officers carried out airway management. The gynaecologist, who was also the administrative leader of the team, triaged the patients into those whose injuries could be handled locally and those who would require definitive management at specialized facilities. The final decision as to the salvage of limbs was performed by the surgeons at the operating table itself. 4. An idea of the difficult circumstances in which this emergency humanitarian action was executed can be gauged by the following situation in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake a) Collapse of the civil command and control structure in face of the magnitude of the disaster b) Structural damage to Military Hospital Bhuj c) Suboptimal / Inadequate surgical conditions d) Lack of communications e) Lack of water and electricity supply 5. Despite these constraints approximately 3000 casualties were handled at MH Bhuj before the first relief teams arrived around 2300 hrs on 26 Jan 2001. The problems encountered in handling casualties in these large numbers related to a) Crowd control b) Documentation c) Shortages of essential supplies d) Biomedical waste disposal e) Monitoring of the seriously injured f) Disposal of dead bodies g) Evacuation to specialized facilities 6. No country or community can be fully prepared to deal with sudden impact disasters. During the first few hours or even days, the affected community is isolated and must cope up the best it can. In a disaster situation the functions of the armed forces closely parallel those of the emergency services. The armed forces are trained to develop quick response capabilities. Their management and administrative systems function in a self contained, self sufficient and coordinated manner. The armed forces medical services have contingency plans and training to cater to mass casualty management. These capabilities allowed a small peripheral hospital to act as a sole responder to a disaster of overwhelming magnitude. The author was commanding the military hospital at Bhuj, Gujarat on 26th January 2001 Medical Role and Organization As we can see the management of natural disasters involves a host of disciplines working together to combat the ills and adverse effects of the disaster incident .This text will, however, be restricted to the medical role and organization during disaster incidences. This, however, in no way, is meant to malign the importance of other public services and agencies which are equally essential and play a vital role in the management of natural disasters. In fact these agencies contribute immensely towards successful and effective implementation of any disaster management strategy and are complementary to the efforts of the medical organization. The medical role will depend upon :- (a) Nature of the Disaster (b) Medical organisation set up for combating the natural disaster (c) The degree of involvement of the elements of the medical organisation in the Disaster incidence ie whether a hospital providing relief and rescue assistance is involved or not involved in the disaster situation The primary element of any health care delivery system that comes into operation during a natural disaster is the hospital. The role of a hospital will vary, depending upon the prevailing scenario :- (a) The hospital itself is not involved in the disaster. (b) The hospital is directly involved in the disaster. (c) The hospital is indirectly involved in the disaster. (d) The disaster affects the hospital only. In case the hospital is not itself involved in the disaster situation it can be geared up fully to meet the demands of such an eventuality. In case the hospital is directly affected by the disaster situation it will then be affected in the same manner as the general population and will then have to reorganize itself to provide medical aid not only to the community but also its own inmates and staff. In situations where the hospital is indirectly affected by disruption in some of its facilities and services like water and electricity supply, communication facility it will have to appropriately modify its own plan of action. These aspects have to be built into the disaster plan of the hospital. Aims and Objectives of Medical Role and Organisation During Natural Disasters The aim of any medical organisation during a natural disaster is to provide prompt and effective medical care to the largest number of people needing that care in order to bring about early recovery and reduce the death and disability associated with the disaster incident. A paradigm shift is needed from traditional approach to a casualty under normal circumstances. The approach has to shift from the traditional ALL FOR ONE to ONE FOR ALL. The primary objectives of the medical organisation during natural disasters are :- (a) To prepare the staff and institutional resources for optimal performance in an emergency situation of certain magnitude. (b) To make the community and other counter disaster agencies aware of the capabilities, execution and benefits of the medical disaster plans. (c) To establish security, traffic control and public information arrangements. The medical role during a disaster incident includes (a) Sending Mobile Medical Teams / Quick Reaction Medical Teams / First aid teams to the site of the disaster. (b) Providing First Aid and Basic Life Support at the site of the incidence (Pre hospital stabilization) (c) Sorting out the afflicted victims into priorities for evacuation (Triage) (d) Safe and Speedy transportation from the site of incidence to the location of providing definitive care. (e) Providing Advance Life Support and definitive care at the hospitals (f) Provisioning of Rehabilitation Services to the affected individuals (g) Care of the dead and moribund individuals. (h) Prevention of Epidemics and other related health hazards (Environmental health management). (j) Epidemiological and Health-surveillance efforts (k) Setting up Communication Centres for providing relevant information to the public, community and other agencies. To carry out the above roles to perfection at the time of a disaster event it is mandatory that all concerned in the medical organization must be aware of their roles and responsibilities. Thus arises the necessity of having a well designed and integrated Disaster Plan. Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail when the event actually happens. Planning provides the opportunity to network and engage all participants prior to the event. It provides the opportunity to resolve issues outside of the heat of the battle. Experience tells us that thinking about and planning for disasters is not as painful as having to explain why we didnt. Principles of Natural Disaster Plan of a Medical Organisation The basic principles which form the template of a Natural Disaster Plan are :- (a) Simplicity It should be simple and operationally functional (b) Flexibility It should be executable for various forms and dimensions of different disasters (c) Clarity It should lay down a clear definition of authority and responsibilities and not use too many technical jargons (d) Concise It should be suitable for the type of hospital and not be so voluminous that nobody will read it (e) Adaptability Although the plan is intended to provide standardized procedures, it should have an inherent scope for adaptability to different situations that can emerge during disasters (f) Extension of normal hospital working It should be made in such a way that the plan merges with the normal functioning of the hospital (g) Practiced Regularly to make it work and to recognize and reduce and eliminate the shortcomings. (h) Permanent and periodically updated based upon the experiences gained from rehearsals and disaster situations faced (j) A part of a Regional Disaster Plan. The key issues involved in any disaster plan are Preplanning, Communications, Co-ordination, Training and Regular practice. Without these elements no amount of technical skills and modern technology can mitigate the sufferings of disaster victims. Pre-requisites for Disaster Planning There are certain pre -requisites that require to be deliberated before planning for and managing disaster events. These are briefly described as under :- (a) Hazard / Vulnerability Analysis: This is based on past experiences and the vulnerability status of the localities that are within the ambit of the administrative and clinical jurisdiction of the health care facility. For example if an area is prone to earthquakes it is important that the hospital building is earthquake proof and the Disaster Plan of the hospital is able to cater to the rescue and relief of the victims of the earthquake. It is also important to remember that Earthquakes, Accidents dont come with prior notice but Floods, Cyclones do. Pre disaster preparedness in later case can prove to be very useful. (b) The Role, Responsibilities and Work relationships amongst all the staff of the health care institution must be clarified. (c) Hospital Capability Analysis: It is also essential to be familiar with the hospital treatment capacity should mass casualties suddenly arrive without adequate prior notice. Generally as a thumb rule the Hospital Treatment Capacity is 3% of total Hospital Beds whereas the Hospital Surgical Capacity in an eight hourly shift can roughly be calculated as under:- No. of operating rooms x 7 x 0.25 (d) Hospital Community cooperation in Disaster Planning: This is also an essential precondition and the outside support must be kept on alert and must be signalled to move at appropriate time to be in position in affected area immediately before the arrival of the casualties. Who Should Make the Hospital Disaster Plan? This is the next obvious question as to who should be responsible for making a hospital disaster plan. More often than not it is felt that this is the responsibility of the Hospital Administrators only. Well, the hospital administrators do play a major role in framing, coordinating, rehearsing and implementing the disaster plan but no single individual can effectively make the disaster plan of any health care set up since making the plan is a multidisciplinary affair and all disciplines should be involved in framing a plan for the implementation and success of which they are ultimately responsible. Herein lies the importance of constituting the Hospital Disaster Management Committee (HDMC). The Suggested Membership of this committee is as under :- (a) Director/Executive Head of the Hospital. (b) Departmental Heads. (c) Nursing Supdt./CNO/SNO (d) Hospital Administrator (e) O I/C Casualty Services. (f) Maintenance and Engineering Staff. (g) Staff Representative. (h) Representatives from other support services and utility services as required. Functions of HDMC It has been commonly said that sitting on a committee is like sitting on a WC. One makes a lot of noise and ultimately drops the entire matter. Well, the function of HDMC goes much beyond this saying. For this committee to function effectively, its role and responsibilities and terms of reference must be clearly laid down. Broadly the role of HDMC is :- (a) To develop the Hospital Disaster Plan. (b) To develop Departmental Plans in support of the Hospital Plan. (c) To plan Allocation of Resources. (d) To allocate duties to Hospital Staff. (e) To establish standards for emergency care. (f) To conduct and supervise Training Programme. (g) To supervise Drill to Test the Hospital Plan. (h) To review and revise the Disaster Plan at regular intervals. Components of Hospital Disaster Plan The various components of a well thought out disaster plan are enumerated below. These components will vary from one health care institution to other depending upon the capability and capacity as well as the hazard and vulnerability analysis. Notwithstanding this, the components should focus on the following aspects (a) Efficient system of Alert and Staff assignments. (b) Unified Medical Command. (c) Mobilisation of Resources (i) Medical Nursing, Administrative Staff. (ii) Medical Stores Supply and Equipment. (iii) Conversion of useable space into clearly defined areas for Reception, Triage observations and immediate care. (d) Procedure for prompt movement of patients within the hospital. (e) Procedures for discharge/referral/transfer of patients including transportation. (f) Prior establishment of Public Information Centre. (g) Security arrangements for inpatients, casualties, property of patients and the hospital etc. (h) Evaluation of Hospital Autonomy in terms of water, electricity, food and medical supplies including gases. (j) OT utilization planning. (k) Planning for X-ray, Lab and Blood Bank. The HDMC is required to prepare a disaster manual which should be crisp, easily understood by all and should contain the details of the mode of execution of the Disaster Plan. The hospital disaster manual is a written statement of the disaster plan which is required to be activated during any type of disaster and is divided into five sections which though not sacrosanct and can be modified according to the needs and requirements but they form the template on which the hospital disaster plan can be prepared and executed. A prototype of the template is given below Section I :- Introduction (a) Disaster Alert Code. (b) General Principles of conduct. (c) Brief synopsis of total plan. Section-II :- Distribution of Responsibilities (a) Requirement and responsibilities of individuals and departments. (b) Action cards. Section-III :- Chronological Action Plan (a) Initial Alert. (b) Activate hospital Disaster Plan. (i) Notify key personnel. (ii) Activate key Depts. (iii) Give details of Resource Mobilisation. (iv) Pre-arranged wards/areas for casualties. (c) Formation of a command nucleus (i) Preferably near the casualty reception. (ii) Define roles of hospital controller. (iii) Senior Nursing Officer, Hospital Admin (iv) Clinical Principles of Management of Casualties. (v) Reception. (vi) Triage (vii) Admission of Patients. (viii) Utilization of supportive services. (ix) Principles of treatment of casualties.  Ã‚ ¬Basic Life Support  Ã‚ ¬Advance Life Support  Ã‚ ¬Definitive Treatment (d) Specific problems of Disaster Management. (i) Clinical Problems.  Ã‚ ¬Less, serious patients report first.  Ã‚ ¬Contaminated casualties. (ii) Administrative Problems.  Ã‚ ¬Documentation.  Ã‚ ¬Police Documentation Team.  Ã‚ ¬Communication.  Ã‚ ¬Friends and Relatives.  Ã‚ ¬Crowd control  ® Convergence   Ã‚  effect.  Ã‚ ¬Voluntary workers.  Ã‚ ¬Patients Property.  Ã‚ ¬Press and Media.  Ã‚ ¬Disposal of Dead. Section IV :- Check List Of Personnel And Items. (a) Designation of overall medical authority. (b) Establishment of communication network. (c) Notification rosters. (d) Triage centre with Triage Officer. (e) Personnel Assignments. (f) Designation of medical teams areas of operations. (g) Routes of disposal. (h) Criteria for patient categorization. (i) Rapid documentation cards (j) Security arrangements. (k) Plans for logistics and supplies. (l) Records. (m)Evacuation system. (n) Information booth / Help desk Section V :- Repeated Rehearsals. (a) To train (b) To test performance (c) To correct weaknesses and deviations. A brief explanation of the aforementioned template is given in the subsequent paragraphs for the ease of understanding Introduction The introduction should include disaster alert code, general principles of conduct and brief synopsis of total plan. When the alert is given all personnel must report to duty and takeover their assigned jobs. A sample synopsis is placed at the end of this chapter. Distribution of Responsibilities (a) Authority and Command Nucleus : A small disaster management committee consisting of (i) Executive Head of the hospital (ii) District Health Officer/Civil Surgeon (iii) Professor of Medicine/Surgery/Officer In Charge Accident and Emergency Services (iv) Matron (b) Action Cards : The duties of each individual and dept are clearly indicated on a Action Card. These cards describe in details the responsibilities and the actions to be taken by each and every member of hospital staff starting from hospital administration to stretcher bearers and ward boys. Action card can be carried at all times and/or kept at command centre. If the designated individual proceeds on leave / out of station, then it should be the responsibility of the stand in individual to be aware of his role as per the action card. Chronological Action Plan For efficient and effective implementation during a disaster episode the action plan must be listed in chronological order. The salient features of the Action Plan are briefly explained below (a) Initial Alert : (i) Source of Alert (aa) Accident and Emergency department itself (ab) Through telephones or (ac) Through authorities like police etc. (ii) Action to be undertaken. On receipt of information, the concerned person must gather information regarding the place, time and type of disaster incident , the estimated number and type of casualties and the source of communication. He should also have a callback number if possible to remain in constant contact with the reporting personnel. This would help in determining the time available to prepare (response time) for the emergency and the necessary reorganization of hospital services to cope up with the same. (b) Activate Hospital Action Plan : The designated hospital staff activates the disaster plan. All the departments and people involved get into readiness to attend to casualties and depending upon the nature and number of casualties, crisis expansion of hospital beds is undertaken, utilizing additional space, by discharge of minor /cold cases and transfer of cases to other hospitals/ health care centres. (c) Formulation of Command Nucleus : The command nucleus should be formed immediately and located either in or close to the Accident and Emergency department. (d) Management of Casualties : This deals with (i) Admission of patients (ii) Triage and (iii) Organization of clinical services. (iv) Further treatment (v) Collection of information for management and for relatives and media (e) Hospital Management ; Once a disaster call is made and the hospital control unit established, the mobilization of the hospital services may proceed at the speed required with the minimum loss of time. Usually a number of designated areas will need to be created. (i) Reception An initial reception area acts as the first point of triage in the hospital and distributes patients to appropriate treatment zones. In addition, the initial reception will involve the documentation for casualties. The most experienced surgeons available should be responsible for triage. If staffing permits, assign specific members to care of each patient needing urgent attention. Ambulatory patients and those needing less urgent care should go to a separate area to await treatment at a convenient time. (ii) Resuscitation A large well lit open space is needed for effective resuscitation. Patients are prepared for surgery if required or sent to the wards as soon as their condition stabilizes. A senior anaesthetist is the best choice to supervise resuscitation and to prepare, with surgical advice, the theatre schedules. (iii) Operation Theatres Strict sorting is necessary to avoid blocking theatre space with patients with trivial injuries and who happen to arrive first. They may be treated in a separate theatre (Minor O.T) or at convenient times when other major problems are dealt with. Treatment in wards or Intensive Care units will need to be organized to follow initial care in accident department and the theatres. (iv) Radiology Proper radiology assessment is needed for the correct management of many casualties. Strict triage for radiology should be practiced by staff to avoid bottleneck in radiology department and over use and failure of X-ray machines or shortage of X-ray films. Portable X-ray machines will be preferred in orthopedic O.T. and image intensifiers sh