Quantifying systemic risk in the European banking sector. A Research Paper

Quantifying systemic risk in the European banking sector. A multidimensional approach - Research Paper Example Systemic risk is the ultimate threat, its sources are varied and the propagation mechanisms involve major imbalances. The financial banking domain supports the present research, a choice motivated by the imperative of identifying potential risk-carrying factors in order to deeply analyse their impact and raise mechanisms for an efficient calibration of financial exposure levels. A major breakup within the banking sector, initially designed to serve the real economy generates severe imbalances with long-term implications for the whole financial industry and potential destructive nature for the economic environment. The preference for this topic is justified by its actuality and utmost importance for the European banking, financial community and the entire economic arena. Banks’ policies and strategies, new products, technologies and services, competition policies and the competitive environment provide space for risk’s rise. In addition, the increased level of financial integration and the globalization ties facilitate the appearance of new contagion channels, as previous banking experiences and worldwide tensions show. Mapping the current needs of the global economy means to identify risks and quantify their effects. A major challenge is to restore and strengthen the financial and economic stability and the prerequisite for achieving this goal is the understanding of systemic risk nature, its sources in terms of structures and sizes. The rich existing academic literature focused on theoretical models and empirical evidences around the systemic risk notion and the effects on the entire financial-banking industry support the importance of the addressed subject. The new global realities and the features of the regulatory and supervisory activities underline the need for a more powerful, solid crises management and European solutions for managing systemic risk. I. Literature review The first theoretical approaches on systemic risk can be traced back t o the period 1929-1933, during the Great Depression; as a distinctive figure, history invokes John Maynard Keynes1, who describes the economy marked by a shock in the financial system - a sequence of events generically called contagion. Broadly speaking, systemic risk is related to complex negative events simultaneously affecting institutions, markets and networks. In a narrow sense, the core element of the term is the contagion from one market structure to another. Explaining the notion of systemic risk requires a clarification of concepts proceeding and succeeding its rise: the systemic event, and respectively, the systemic crisis. A systemic event occurs when negative information about an institution spreads in the system and adversely impacts the participants. Allen and Gale (2000) and Freixas, Parigi and Rochet (2000) examine the risk of contagion in the shape of a domino effect, as an essential element of the systemic risk architecture. High-impact systemic events (for example , a bank collapse result of an initial shock) translate into contagion; if the shock doesn’t lead to failure, the event can be narrowed. A systemic event has two components: the shocks (idiosyncratic, systematic) and the propagation mechanisms. If idiosyncratic shocks affect individual financial institutions, systematic shocks spread across the whole economy and imbalance all financial structures in the same time. Systematic shocks are reflected in

Using Energy Drinks Essay Example for Free

Using Energy Drinks Essay Introduction In this essay I will be talking about the cons of using energy drinks. I will give examples from articles, in which energy drinks caused people to go to the hospital. I will explain how energy drinks boosts you up and brings you down. In this essay I will be talking about a few energy drinks specifically. Using Energy Drinks According to the Colorado Gazette, Redline drink and others have been linked to health complications. Like heart problems, hypertension, and others. In Colorado, a school banned these kind of drinks and recommended a 7-11 store to stop selling these. A 15 year old girl, an athlete, was drinking the REDLINE POWER RUSH energy drink, and passed violently shaking and extreme salivitation, she died. several others have been reporting going to the er for chest tightness, shortness of breath, severe heart palpitations, increased heart rate, fixed and dilated pupils and hypertension. Recent reviews of this drink conclude a contributing factor not only an OD on caffeine, but drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach can lead to the stomach absorbing the drink, thus causing symptoms of nausea, salivating, sweating, headaches, neck pain and so on. This drink is supposed to be a dieting and energy drink. Usually people who work out a lot or diet, are eating nutritiously, mind you, that may be why some people are not affected by the ingredients in the drink. Those are: -Caffeine Citrate, Caffeine Anhydrous, Evoburnâ„ ¢ (Pure Evodiamine), N-acetyl-tyrosine, Yerbe Mate, Green Tea, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, CAMP (adenosine cyclic 3? ,5? -monophosphate), Vinpocetine, Yohimbine HCL. -also the amount of caffeine in one 2 ounce bottle of this stuff is about 250 mg. that is like nearly 3x the amount recommended on a daily basis. So if you are one who drinks the energy drinks there are some warnings, so incase you are not aware of them they follow: -if you are under the age of 16 this is not recommended. if you have any medical condition especially with the heart DO NOT DRINK THIS. if you have any type of sleeping disorder this is not for you. if you are on any type of blood thinner, bod pressure med, or anti depressants, do not drink this drink -do not take this drink with ANY other type of diet aide, this can cause a problem.. and when drinking this drink, if you have never had this please don’t drink more than 3 capfuls (. 63 fl. oz. ), dont consume more than 1/2 of the bottle, and don’t consume more than one bottle a day. Conclusion. In closing, I think using energy drinks is bad for you. Energy drinks boosts you up and when you come of that energy burst you feel drained. I am against using any form of energy drink. In Maryland, a 21 year old woman died using the energy drink four loko, an energy drink with alcohol. I wouldn’t use energy drinks, I’m one of those people who, if I know something important is coming up, I make sure I am well rested. References www. gazette. com/ www. nydailynews. com/ /2010-11-12_marylanders_want_four_loko_off_shelves_after_controversia l_cocktail_blamed_for_w. html.

Review Essay on Amr Moussa :: Essays Papers

Review Essay on Amr Moussa Amr Moussa is quite possibly the most influential person in Egypt. Since his opinion is regarded higher among the public than the president, his beliefs play a large role in the Arab League of States. On behalf of his personal and business achievements, I give him respect where respect is due. Since it is vital that the U.S. does not attack Iraq, it is the opinion of Amr Moussa, and the United Arab League of States that any attack on any Arab country is simply not good politics. I personally respect the opinion of Amr Moussa because he is only looking out for the well-being of the Arab community that he represents so well. Amr Moussa’s tactics are not the standard of everyone else. His tactics are viewed as very aggressive and forward which may come across as being too assertive to the general public. In statements to the press he has stated, â€Å"an attack on Iraq will open the gates of hell in the Middle East.† (On-line Pravda, 2002; 1) I respect the fact that he is not afraid of being bullied around by, the publicly view powerhouse, America. He speaks the truth of what will occur as a result of any attack on Iraq. The fact remains that in spit of the ongoing talks in the Middles East, no war has resulted yet. If this remains in the same state th at they are in now, Middle East will survive without a war. If the U.S. does in fact attack, only negatives will come as a result. Amr Moussa has viewed that an attack on Iraq is an attack on every Arab country; even those supporting the U.S. in their potential attacks. His weapons are his words, and he is not afraid to speak loud enough for all to hear. In regards to most political leaders, not everyone is willing enough, or believes strong enough in their cause to risk damage to one self-image, country, or cause to speak loud enough for all to hear. I agree that attacking Iraq will only result in negatives all around the board. The U.S. will suffer in gaining oil from Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, which they have relied upon for so long in the past. If attacked, Iraq could and quite possible would respond back by attacking the U.

Business Decision Making Assiment Essay

You should sign this sheet to show that you comply with these regulations. Student’s Signature Date Acknowledgement I take this chance to thank Miss. M. PriyanthimalaWho helped me to improve and developed this particular project. She explained well about the project and sacrificed her most of the time to explain and also made sure that all the students understood. She was ready to help out in any time and gave her full support for this particular project. I finally would like to thank my parents, friends and others for helping to do this project. Thank you TASKS| PAGE NO| Task 01| 04| Task 02| 09| Task 03| 14| Task 04| 16| Task 05| 24| Task 06| 27| Task 07| 31| Task 08| 32| Task 09| 34| Task 10| 35| Task 11| 38| Task 12| 43| Task 13| 44| Task 14| 47| Task 15| 49| Reference | 51| Task 1 T 1. 1 Difference between a sample and a population Population| Sample| * Population is the area in which you are trying to get information from. * This meaning of population is also used in survey research, but this is only one of many possible definitions of population. Examples: Cedar Crest students; trees in North America; automobiles with four wheels; people who consume olive oil. | * Sample is a section of your population that you are actually going to survey. It is important to have a sample that will represent your entire population in order to minimize biases. Survey research is based on sampling, which involves getting information from only some members of the population. * Samples can be drawn in several different ways, such as probability samples, quota samples, purposive samples, and volunteer samples. Examples assuming the populations stated above: 47 Cedar Crest students chosen randomly; 8463 trees randomly selected in North America; 20 sample autos from each make (e. g. , GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc. ); 1% of the oil consuming population per country| T 1. 2 Describe the advantages of sampling * Sampling  saves money  as it is much cheaper to  collect  the desired information from a small  sample  than from the whole population. * Sampling  saves a lot of time and energy as the needed data are collected and processed much faster than census information. And this is a very important consideration in all types of investigations or surveys. * Sampling  provides information that is almost as accurate as that obtained from a complete census; rather a properly designed and carefully executed  sample  survey will provide more accurate results. Moreover, owing to the reduced volume of work, persons of higher caliber and properly trained can be employed to analyze the data. * Sampling  makes it possible to obtain more detailed information from each unit of the  sample  as collecting data from a few units of the population (i. e. ample) can be more complete and thorough. * Sampling  is essential to obtaining the data when the measurement process  physically  damages or destroys the  sampling  unit under  investigation. For example, in order to measure the average lifetime of  light bulbs, the measurement process destroys the  sampling  units, i. e. the bulbs, as they are used until they burn out. A manufacturer will therefore use only a  sample  of  light bulbs  for this purpose and will not burn out all the bulbs produced. Similarly, the whole pot of soup cannot be tasted to determine if it has an acceptable flavor. Sampling  may be the only means available for obtaining the needed information when the population appears to be infinite or is inaccessible such as the population of mountainous or thickly forested areas. In such cases, taking $ complete census to  collect  data would neither be  physically  possible nor practically feasible. * Sampling  has much smaller â€Å"non-response†, following up of which is much easier. The term non-response means the no availability of information from some  sampling  units included in the  sample  for any reason such as failure to locate or measure some of the units, refusals, not-at-home, etc. Sampling  is extensively used to obtain some of the census information. * The most important advantage of   sampling  is that it provides a valid measure of reliability for the  sample  estimates  and this is one of the two basic purposes of  sampling. * Reliability: If we collect the information about all the units of population, the collected information may be true. But we are never sure about it. We do not know whether the information is true or is completely false. Thus we cannot say anything with confidence about the quality of information. We say that the reliability is not possible. This is a very important advantage of sampling. The inference about the population parameters is possible only when the sample data is collected from the selected sample. * Sometimes the experiments are done on sample basis. The fertilizers, the seeds and the medicines are initially tested on samples and if found useful, then they are applied on large scale. Most of the research work is done on the samples. * Sample data is also used to check the accuracy of the census data. T 1. 3 Difference between primary data and secondary data T1. 4 Difference between a statistic and a parameter Parameter is any characteristic of the population. Statistic on the other hand is a characteristic of the sample. Statistic is used to estimate the value of the parameter. Note that the value of statistic changes from one sample to the next which leads to a study of the sampling distribution of statistic. When we draw a sample from a population, it is just one of many samples that might have been drawn and, therefore, observations made on any one sample are likely to be different from the ‘true value’ in the population (although some will be the same). Imagine we were to draw an infinite (or very large) number of samples of individuals and calculate a statistic, say the arithmetic mean, on each one of these samples and that we then plotted the mean value obtained from each sample on a histogram (a chart using bars to represent the number of times a particular value occurred). This would represent the sampling distribution of the arithmetic mean. T1. 5 Define sampling errors with example? Sampling error is an error that occurs when using samples to make inferences about the populations from which they are drawn. There are two kinds of sampling error: random error and bias. Random error is a pattern of errors that tend to cancel one another out so that the overall result still accurately reflects the true value. Every sample design will generate a certain amount of random error. Bias, on the other hand, is more serious because the pattern of errors is loaded in one direction or another and therefore do not balance each other out, producing a true distortion. These are the errors which occur due to the nature of  sampling. The  sample  selected from the population is one of all possible samples. Any value calculated from the  sample  is based on the sample  data and is called  sample  statistic. Task 2 T2. 1 Advantages and disadvantages of arithmetic mean. Advantages * Fast and easy to calculate- As the most basic measure in statistics,  arithmetic average is very easy to calculate. For a small data set, you can calculate the arithmetic mean quickly in your head or on a piece of paper. In  computer programs  like Excel, the arithmetic average is always one of the most basic and best known functions. Here you can see the  basics of arithmetic average calculation. * Easy to work with and use in further analysis- Because its calculation is straightforward and its meaning known to everybody,  arithmetic average  is also more comfortable to  use as input to further analyses and calculations. When you work in a team of more people, the others will much more likely be familiar with  arithmetic average  than  geometric average  or  mode. Disadvantages * Sensitive to extreme values- Arithmetic average is extremely sensitive to extreme values. Therefore,  arithmetic average  is not the best measure to use with data sets containing a few extreme values  or with more  dispersed (volatile) data sets  in general. Median  can be a better alternative in such cases. * Not suitable for time series type of data- Arithmetic average  is perfect for measuring central tendency when you’re working with data sets of independent values taken at one point of time. There was an example of this in one of the previous articles, when we were  year. However, in finance you often work with percentage returns over a series of multiple time periods. For  calculating average percentage return over multiple periods of time,  arithmetic average is useless; as it fails to take the different basis in every year into consideration (100% equals a different price or portfolio value at the beginning of each year). The more volatile the returns are, the more significant this weakness of arithmetic average is. Here you can see the example and reason why  arithmetic average fails when measuring average percentage returns over time. * Works only when all values are equally important- Arithmetic average treats all the individual observations equally. In finance and investing, you often need to work with unequal weights. For example, you have a portfolio of stocks and it is highly unlikely that all stocks will have the same weight and therefore the same impact on the total performance of the portfolio. Calculating the average performance of the total portfolio or a basket of stocks is a typical case when  arithmetic average is not suitable  and it is better to use weighted average instead. You can find more details and an example here:  Why you need weighted average for calculating total portfolio return. T2. 2 Comparative picture of median, mode, mean The Median The Median is the ‘middle value’ in your list. When the totals of the list are odd, the median is the middle entry in the list after sorting the list into increasing order. When the totals of the list are even, the median is equal to the sum of the two middle (after sorting the list into increasing order) numbers divided by two. Thus, remember to line up your values, the middle number is the median! Be sure to remember the odd and even rule. That is, if the data is in meters, the standard deviation is in meters as well. The variance is in meters2, which is more difficult to interpret. Neither the standard deviation nor the variance is robust to outliers. A data value that is separate from the body of the data can increase the value of the statistics by an arbitrarily large amount. The mean  absolute deviation (MAD) is also sensitive to outliers. But the MAD does not move quite as much as the standard deviation or variance in response to bad data. The  interquartile range (IQR) is the difference between the 75th and 25th percentile of the data. Since only the middle 50% of the data affects this measure, it is robust to outliers. T3. 2 What are the different characteristics of the following measures of dispersion. The  range  is the simplest measure of  dispersion. The range can be thought of in two ways. 1. As a quantity: the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. 2. As an interval; the lowest and highest scores may be reported as the range. By far the most commonly used measures of dispersion in the social sciences are  variance  and  standard deviation. Variance  is the average squared difference of scores from the mean score of a distribution.

Death Cap mushroom Essay

If you took RNA polymerase out of the equation? Human cells use RNA polymerase to make a template of a cell’s DNA. It is one of the first steps in the process of eventual protein production. RNA is the enzyme that makes RNA chains using genes found in DNA as a pattern. These specific genetic codes are  expressed on mRNA. When the toxin blocks the action of RNA  polymerase, it by default, stops the production of mRNA in the transcription phase. mRNA, if available, goes on to the translation phase and is read by tRNA. In the reading of the mRNA pattern, tRNA matches the correct amino acid to that specific pattern. The amino acids are read and placed three at a time to match the mRNA codon. From these codon of amino acids, polypeptides are formed with the help of the cell’s ribosome. In turn, these polypeptides form to make proteins. (Hudon-Miller, 2012) What’s the big deal about protein? Proteins, the performers of the cell, cause action at all levels of cellular functioning. At the cellular level protein is needed to reproduce that cell, for cell structure and functioning. Proteins are also used as enzymes to begin other biochemical functions that affect everything from immunity to electrolyte balance. The liver’s function has decreased because the proteins needed to make it’s cells work have been blocked by alpha-amanitin’s ability to stop protein production simply by blocking the function of RNA polymerase. These proteins are so important that without them you die as they destroy first your body’s filters, the liver and the kidneys. (Hudon-Miller, 2012; Santi, et al., 2012) References Luca Santi, Caterina Maggioli, Marianna Mastroroberto, Manuel Tufoni, Lucia Napoli, and Paolo Caraceni, â€Å"Acute liver failure caused by amanita phalloides poisoning.† International Journal of Hepatology, vol. 2012, Article ID 487480, 6 pages, 2012. doi:10.1155/2012/487480 Hudon-Miller, S. (2012) Death cap mushrooms. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vXONgeDC31A&feature=youtu.be

Frederick Douglas Comparative Essay Essays

Malcolm X/ Frederick Douglas Comparative Essay Essays Malcolm X/ Frederick Douglas Comparative Essay Essay Malcolm X/ Frederick Douglas Comparative Essay Essay Basil Al Bader 99629 English Composition I Contras/Comparative Essay Final Draft Malcolm X / Frederick Douglas Malcolm X and Frederick Douglas were two main figures of the black community in the United States. Both of them were self-educated. Both of them faced challenges to achieve their education and both of them had impacted by the growth of their knowledge. We will see in this essay how they learned, the challenges they faced while trying to learn and what impact learning had on them. For both Malcolm X and Frederick Douglas, learning to read was a whole process that took time. The first point that we will state is the environment in which they learned to read and write. In 1946,Malcolm X was sentenced eight to ten years in prison. This is where his interest for reading and writing took birth. It is alone in prison that Malcolm opened his first book, which for a matter was a dictionary. In his biography, Malcolm explains the frustration he constantly felt while trying to express his feelings in letter that he wrote. It is this frustration that led him to request a dictionary. At that point, Malcolm did not realize so many words existed â€Å"I spent two days just riffling ncertainly through the dictionary pages. I’d never realized so many words existed! † (211) It is at that point that he started to copy the dictionary. After copying the first page, he’d read his notes out loud over and over. By this process, Malcolm created for himself a great way to learn â€Å" I woke up next morning, thinking about those words †¦ I could also remember what many of those words meant† (211). At that point Malcolm was launched â€Å"I was so fascinated that I went on †¦ I copied the dictionary’s next page†. Frederick Douglas process to learn was different. The first point that we will state is that Frederick was a slave. : He wasn’t initially allowed to learn to read and write. However, he had the chance to be introduced to that valuable knowledge by his mistress â€Å"Very soon after I went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C† (Page given in class). Unfortunately, this situation didn’t last. Once his master realized what was going on, the mistress’s attitude changed. She actually stopped teaching him and for a matter of fact became an obstacle to his learning. From now on Frederick had to find an other way to learn. One way that he describes as being the most successful was to convert every sing id that he met into a teacher â€Å" The plan, which I adopted, and the one by which I was the most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street† (130). This is the main reason of his success to learn reading â€Å"With their kindly aid †¦ I finally succeeded in learning to rea d†. The main difference that we can find between the ways they learned is that Malcolm X learned on his own, with no help while Frederick Douglas used the knowledge of his peers. Learning to read was a long process but it is important to say that it was a hard process. Both of them faced challenges while learning. Life in prison is ruled by very strict rules. Malcolm X had, in a certain way, to fight with theses rules. One of them was the light extinction. Every night, at ten P. M. , lights were turned of and night guards passes in front of every room every hour. Malcolm X describes this situation â€Å" †¦ every night at about ten P. M. I would be outraged with the ‘’lights out’’†¦ At one-hour interval at night guards paced past every room† (213). Determined to read Malcolm always founded a way to overcome theses challenges â€Å" Fortunately, right outside my door was a orridor light that cast a glow into my room. The glow was enough to read by †¦ each time I heard the approaching footsteps, I jumped into bed and feigned sleep†. Frederick Douglas had to face an other type of challenge. The first one was the mean behavior of his masters. As said previously, Frederick’s mistress’ s attitude changes. This changes is a major obstacle to his learning as he describes in his biography how violent her opposition was â€Å"The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me †¦ She became even more violent in her opposition than her husband himself â€Å". Frederick had also the feeling of being watched, under surveillance, which he describes in his book â€Å" From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room †¦ I was sure to be suspected of having a book† (130). One thing that we can notice on both Malcolm X and Frederick Douglas is the impact that learning to read and write had on them. Both of them realized and understood more about the Black history, the injustice they had to face and the sadness of this situation. It also impacted on their self-esteem and self confidence. In â€Å"Learning to Read†, Malcolm X makes us understand how learning to read as positive for him and helped him to support his imprisonment as he says â€Å"Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life† (212). The passion he developed for reading made time timeless. Reading allowed him to understand the history of black people, which became the main subject of his readings â€Å"I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery’s total horror †¦ Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black†¦peoples every variety of the suffering of exploitation† (214-215). For Malcolm X reading is the lement that will change his life forever as he says â€Å" reading opened to me †¦ reading had changed forever the course of my life† (217). We can definitely say that reading had a positive impact on Malcolm X. It opened his eyes and allowed him to gain confidence in himself and to become the great activist that we know. Frederick Douglas, in the contrary, makes us feel that he did not appreciate the consequences of that learning as much as Malcolm. Actually, reading and more specifically learning about the black history arouses in him a deep anger, as he says â€Å"The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslav ers† (132). Frederick also describes the very deep sufferance he had by reading, â€Å"read had already come, to torment and sting my soul† (132). It is obvious that it is not much reading that hurt him but the knowledge he gets out of it. The impact was so negative; he really gives us the feeling that at some point he was going threw a real depression, â€Å"I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity †¦ I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead† (132). After comparing Malcolm X and Frederick Douglas, we can notice that both of them learned to read and write in their own way, that both of them had to face hallenges but the most important thing to notice is that both of them became very important figures of the black community in America and both of them played an important role in the evolution of the conditions of the black community. It is important to say that in both cases, reading opened doors for them. It allowed them to be more conscio us of their history and of course gives them more knowledge to understand it. I really think that the overall message that we should get from these two stories is the importance to educate ourselves, that this education that now a days, a lot of people still can’t access is one of the keys to freedom.

Free Essays on The Idea Of China Town

â€Å"THE IDEA OF CHINATOWN†-A CRITIQUE To examine this chapter, I will give an overview of the major themes presented. Then I will attempt to analyze the chapter and present my reaction to it. The Chapter â€Å"The Idea of Chinatown†, provides a clear overview of the process of integration and treatment of Chinese immigrants when they first entered Canada. It also paints a portrait of negativity imposed on Chinese immigrants in the early 1900’s. Although there were Chinese pioneers in other parts of Canada at this time, Anderson specifically writes about the large Chinese population in Vancouver, British Columbia. My general assessment of his chapter is that these people were treated very badly. They were considered second class citizens and were subject to many prejudices. When reading Anderson’s chapter, it is clear to see that discrimination was very prevalent in Vancouver, and the process of integration was very difficult for the Chinese. Anderson shows that prejudices were very apparent at many levels through practices by the governing agencies and through widespread public opinion. The idea of a â€Å"Chinatown† was a new and derogato ry term meant to classify and segregate Chinese immigrants. A â€Å"Chinatown† was basically a low class area where the Chinese engaged in their customs, heritage and daily life, that was as close to the life they would have in China, except for prejudices against jobs, pay and housing that many Chinese had to face. The â€Å"Chinatown† and Chinese were looked upon in a very negative sense by westerners who didn’t take into consideration the hardships that these people had to face and were intimidated by the mysterious life of these people. In order to examine the chapter, one has to examine the conditions that the new Chinese immigrants lived in. I will give an over view of the content of the chapter and the main themes discussed. This overview will include a summation o... Free Essays on The Idea Of China Town Free Essays on The Idea Of China Town â€Å"THE IDEA OF CHINATOWN†-A CRITIQUE To examine this chapter, I will give an overview of the major themes presented. Then I will attempt to analyze the chapter and present my reaction to it. The Chapter â€Å"The Idea of Chinatown†, provides a clear overview of the process of integration and treatment of Chinese immigrants when they first entered Canada. It also paints a portrait of negativity imposed on Chinese immigrants in the early 1900’s. Although there were Chinese pioneers in other parts of Canada at this time, Anderson specifically writes about the large Chinese population in Vancouver, British Columbia. My general assessment of his chapter is that these people were treated very badly. They were considered second class citizens and were subject to many prejudices. When reading Anderson’s chapter, it is clear to see that discrimination was very prevalent in Vancouver, and the process of integration was very difficult for the Chinese. Anderson shows that prejudices were very apparent at many levels through practices by the governing agencies and through widespread public opinion. The idea of a â€Å"Chinatown† was a new and derogato ry term meant to classify and segregate Chinese immigrants. A â€Å"Chinatown† was basically a low class area where the Chinese engaged in their customs, heritage and daily life, that was as close to the life they would have in China, except for prejudices against jobs, pay and housing that many Chinese had to face. The â€Å"Chinatown† and Chinese were looked upon in a very negative sense by westerners who didn’t take into consideration the hardships that these people had to face and were intimidated by the mysterious life of these people. In order to examine the chapter, one has to examine the conditions that the new Chinese immigrants lived in. I will give an over view of the content of the chapter and the main themes discussed. This overview will include a summation o...

Barbourofelis - Facts and Figures

Barbourofelis - Facts and Figures Name: Barbourofelis (Greek for Barbours cat); pronounced BAR-bore-oh-FEE-liss Habitat: Plains of North America Historical Epoch: Late Miocene (10-8 million years ago) Size and Weight: Up to six feet long and 250 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long canine teeth; plantigrade posture About Barbourofelis The most notable of the barbourofelidsa family of prehistoric cats perched midway between the nimravids, or false saber-toothed cats, and the true saber-tooths of the felidae familyBarbourofelis was the only member of its breed to colonize late Miocene North America. This sleek, muscular predator possessed some of the largest canines of any saber-toothed cat, true or false, and it was correspondingly hefty, the largest species weighing in at about the size of a modern lion (though more heavily muscled). Intriguingly, Barbourofelis seems to have walked in a plantigrade fashion (that is, with its feet flat on the ground) rather than in a digitigrade fashion (on its toes), in this respect making it seem more like a bear than a cat! (Oddly enough, one of the contemporary animals that competed with Barbourofelis for prey was Amphicyon, the bear dog). Given its odd gait and enormous canines, how did Barbourofelis hunt? As far as we can tell, its strategy was similar to that of its later, heavier cousin Smilodon, aka the Saber-Toothed Tiger, which lived in Pleistocene North America. Like Smilodon, Barbourofelis whiled away its time in the low branches of trees, pouncing suddenly when a tasty bit of prey (like the prehistoric rhino Teleoceras and the prehistoric elephant Gomphotherium) approached. As it landed, it dug its sabers deep into the hide of its unfortunate victim, which (if it didnt die immediately) gradually bled to death as its assassin stalked close behind. (As with Smilodon, the sabers of Barbourfelis may occasionally have broken off in combat, which would have deadly consequences for both predator and prey.) Although there are four separate species of Barbourofelis, two are better known than the others. The slightly smaller B. loveorum (about 150 pounds) has been discovered as far afield as California, Oklahoma and especially Florida, while B. fricki, discovered in Nebraska and Nevada, was about 100 pounds heavier. One odd thing about B. loveorum, which is especially well represented in the fossil record, is that the juveniles apparently lacked fully functional saber teeth, which may (or may not) imply that newborns received a few years of tender parental care before venturing out alone into the wild. Telling against this parental-care hypothesis, though, is that Barbourofelis had a much smaller brain, relative to its body size, than modern big cats, and so may not have been capable of this kind of sophisticated social behavior.

Strategic Business Analysis of Nike Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Strategic Business Analysis of Nike - Term Paper Example ences 17 Executive summary The world of the 21st century is progressing at a rapid pace, on the line of fast change and tremendous development. It is important to highlight that the fast change of the current centuryare being powered on the lines of highly connected telecommunications technology that has advanced in a tremendous way in the recent past. It needs to be mentioned that throughout the previous decade. There was a tremendous surge in the penetration of internet - based connectivity in various parts of the world. As a result of a fact acceptance of the single mode of connectivity which has developed on the lines of internet powered virtual platform in various corners of the world, it needs to be mentioned that the world has transformed into a single connected global entity. This has increasingly paved the way for easy synchronization of various trends related to globalization that are emerging from the different corners of the world. (International, 2011, p. 32) ... 158). With the growing entrance of new companies in the markets of the emerging as well as the developed economies, there is a rise in the number of substitute products as well as the number of alternatives that exist in the market. The rising number of substitute products and services is automatically providing more power to the consumers (Hirschey, 2009, p. 504). This is naturally leading a strong hand in regards to increasing the level of competition in various markets around the world. Talking in this regards, it needs to be highlighted that in order to create a factor of distinction as well as develop an arena of unique strengths in the face of extreme competition in the marketplace, it is very important for an organization to engage in the process of conducting a strategic analysis on a periodic as well as regular manner. Talking in regards to the project, it can be said that this particular research based assignment focuses on the process of providing an in-depth analysis of N ike Inc, which is considered one of the most popular multinational brands of the division related to athletic footwear and apparel in the recent times. Strategic Analysis of a company and its importance Strategic analysis of a company forms a very important part of the strategic management of a company. From the academic point of view, strategic management is the process of identifying, evaluating as well as implementation of strategies so as to meet organizational objectives. From the importance point of view, it can be said that the strategic management is highly critical as it provides a well planned process related to analyzing as well as usage of tools and frameworks for studying the internal and external environment

Health sciences and medicine Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health sciences and medicine - Case Study Example The initial lab evaluation entails the testing of the BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen). The test determines the volume of nitrogen in the blood that results from the by-product of urea (Desch & Motto 2007).   It establishes functioning of the kidney in the elimination urea from the blood. In a situation where the kidney is not functioning well, the blood urea nitrogen level increases. The test is beneficial since it enables the use of creatinine test to enable the finding of the Blood Urea Nitrogen to Creatinine ratio (BUN: creatinine) allowing the identification of dehydration problems in the patient. The laboratory result showed that the Blood Urea Nitrogen of the patient was 9.3 mmol/L. The result falls within the normal range that is recommended for children who are between 5 to18 mg/dL (Lehman, 2008).Haemoglobin Test      The test is usually to investigate blood conditions including anemia together with the hematocrit or complete blood count. The test is beneficial in the screeni ng, monitoring and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that impact on the red blood cells and the volume of hemoglobin in the blood. Conditions that lead to the loss or destruction of the red blood cells dues to bleeding makes the bone marrow unable to secrete new ones quickly hence leading to hemoglobin reduction and thus leading to anemia.The hemoglobin test on the patient arrived at a result of 82g/L that is low than the normal level that is between 120 to 140 g/L, hence suggesting that the patient is anemic.

International Business - Bella Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International Business - Bella Healthcare - Essay Example ccess to market information in the Indian and US markets, qualified workforce who understands the needs of the market thereby, enabling the company to make the necessary changes, and modern technology which has been instrumental in lowering the cost of production of the company (Leon & Yong, 2012). Project Baton failed because there was a poor coordination between the US and Indian teams. The two teams focused their attention on two different parts of the new products. However, the level of communication between them was poor. The situation was worsened by time difference, variance in styles of communication, and different working styles, an aspect that increased distrust between the teams (Leon & Yong, 2012). The production unit caused the project to fail. For instance, the cost-cutting measures were very hard to implement. In addition, although the team that was assigned to develop the product had adequate experience in EKG production, it lacked the same knowledge in stress test systems (Leon & Yong, 2012). Management issues made the product to fail. For instance, the abrupt departure of the top manager bought chaos, an aspect that led to delays. Furthermore, the initial goals that were set by the company were too ambitious for the team to achieve. Furthermore, lack of guidance from top-level manager made the overall project to fail (Leon & Yong, 2012). Bella India should go on and develop the product for the local market because India has manufacturing advantages when compared to other countries. Therefore, it has a well trained and highly motivated workforce that can serve the Indian market. India has a high population that offers the company with an opportunity to expand its market share. Furthermore, the country is known globally for its health tourism (Leon & Yong, 2012). Therefore, more people are likely to come to India to seek health related services. This will increase the demand for the

Social and Behavioural Sciences for Nursing Essay

Social and Behavioural Sciences for Nursing - Essay Example Various appropriate secondary sources will be used to interpret these experiences from social and behavioural science point of view. At age 18, John had been admitted into a psychiatric hospital thrice. Initially, he experienced lack of sleep and was confused holding paranoid beliefs and some grandiose. He saw familiar faces in the faces of strangers causing espionage traits. This made John believe that he was in danger of losing his free and spontaneous thinking ability. According to the mother, John exhibited poor concentration but was high in tension, fear and vigilance which Mueser and Jeste (2008), just as his psychiatrist, attribute to psychosomatic chest pains. Because of the history of psychosis in the family, the psychiatrist easily diagnosed schizophrenia in John. John’s mother recalled how the news was broken to them with the indication that their son would be under medication for the rest of his life traumatising them. These were John’s unique symptoms of a psychological disorder as each patient experiences unique symptoms and as such have unique ways of coping with the same (ed. Steel 2013). In the UK, Weinberger and Harrison (eds. 2011) document between 0.2% and 1% of people experiencing similar problems associated with schizophrenia at any particular time. These people occupy 8% of the hospital beds in Canada. The US has an even higher prevalence of the disorder standing at 1.2% of the total population, with the global data being even higher. Interestingly, one out of a hundred persons would be diagnosed with schizophrenia in their lifetime with diagnosis common in early adulthood at ages 18 to 25 for males and 25 to 30 and again at about 40 for females. The significance of prevalence of this disorder points out at the importance of understanding the perspective of the patient so as to be able to give a more client focussed approach in delivering health care to the community. In this case, John’s life journey informs an appro priate narrative to understand his illness from psychological, sociological and cultural perspectives. Social Perspective John was born into a poor family living in the inner city with the mother having four children each with different unknown fathers. This economic consideration provides a relationship between poverty and schizophrenia because ideally, schizophrenia, just as many other mental illnesses, affects people from poor backgrounds more than those from the more affluent areas. Clinard and Meier (2008) use the isolation theory to explain this phenomenon noting that poverty combined with social isolation would likely trigger psychosis among vulnerable individuals. Supporting this theory is Aneshensel and Phelan (eds. 2006) who postulate that social processes and arrangements form the basis of understanding the causes and consequences of mental illness. In fact, the tag of being mentally ill qualifies as a social transformation in itself. John being a child from a poor family thus explains his condition; an economic condition which was worsened by the expenses that arose from the care that John needed. After spending considerable time in the psychiatric hospital, John was integrated back to the society so as to assist him lead a normal life. This community care policy has benefitted John a great deal as it helped him appreciate himself as any other human. Even so, the community could not really embrace John back normally. Their perspective of the

The Crusader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Crusader - Essay Example ians but as the time passed, popes and Christian kings used it for their own political benefit2 and this benefit was based on blood shedding of thousands of Christians and Muslims. Modern exploration of crusades is commenced by Erdmann’s work, Die Entstehung des Kreuzzugsgedankens3 in the year 1935. According to him crusades were the product of the eleventh century. They were a means of transmitting the active military towards another place. They can be regarded as products of the reform movement which were used to purify the church and the Christian society as a whole. In Erdmann’s opinion the apparent aim of the crusades was Jerusalem. The rescue of the Holy City was the motivation that made Pope call the First Crusade or it was according to Erdmann’s view, in the defense of Eastern Christians. The actual words of Urban II are still unknown but according to Cowdrey, the pope was worried about the holy city i.e. Jerusalem and that was when the first crusade was given birth. There is little criticism received to Erdmann’s work but Cowdrey criticized it. In his opinion, the crusades are linked to the Cluniac reform4. George VII (1073-85), Victor III (1086-7) and Urban II (1088-99) are examples in this context. Historians also believed that the medieval men could not take up the religious words uttered by them. They believed that the post Enlightenment era was full of people who talked about profiting the world hereafter but actually they were into profiting the existing world for themselves. The modern investigations led by Jonathan Riley Smith have proved it to the world that the number of men and women who participated in the crusades is larger than known to history. The crusade army was a mix of rich, poor, saints, sinners and all of them had some kind of motivation to do so. Pope Urban’s preaching motivated the people for the First Crusade which was successful for them as well because the drive for it was â€Å"spiritual†5. Muslims were not

Social and Behavioural Sciences for Nursing Essay

Social and Behavioural Sciences for Nursing - Essay Example Various appropriate secondary sources will be used to interpret these experiences from social and behavioural science point of view. At age 18, John had been admitted into a psychiatric hospital thrice. Initially, he experienced lack of sleep and was confused holding paranoid beliefs and some grandiose. He saw familiar faces in the faces of strangers causing espionage traits. This made John believe that he was in danger of losing his free and spontaneous thinking ability. According to the mother, John exhibited poor concentration but was high in tension, fear and vigilance which Mueser and Jeste (2008), just as his psychiatrist, attribute to psychosomatic chest pains. Because of the history of psychosis in the family, the psychiatrist easily diagnosed schizophrenia in John. John’s mother recalled how the news was broken to them with the indication that their son would be under medication for the rest of his life traumatising them. These were John’s unique symptoms of a psychological disorder as each patient experiences unique symptoms and as such have unique ways of coping with the same (ed. Steel 2013). In the UK, Weinberger and Harrison (eds. 2011) document between 0.2% and 1% of people experiencing similar problems associated with schizophrenia at any particular time. These people occupy 8% of the hospital beds in Canada. The US has an even higher prevalence of the disorder standing at 1.2% of the total population, with the global data being even higher. Interestingly, one out of a hundred persons would be diagnosed with schizophrenia in their lifetime with diagnosis common in early adulthood at ages 18 to 25 for males and 25 to 30 and again at about 40 for females. The significance of prevalence of this disorder points out at the importance of understanding the perspective of the patient so as to be able to give a more client focussed approach in delivering health care to the community. In this case, John’s life journey informs an appro priate narrative to understand his illness from psychological, sociological and cultural perspectives. Social Perspective John was born into a poor family living in the inner city with the mother having four children each with different unknown fathers. This economic consideration provides a relationship between poverty and schizophrenia because ideally, schizophrenia, just as many other mental illnesses, affects people from poor backgrounds more than those from the more affluent areas. Clinard and Meier (2008) use the isolation theory to explain this phenomenon noting that poverty combined with social isolation would likely trigger psychosis among vulnerable individuals. Supporting this theory is Aneshensel and Phelan (eds. 2006) who postulate that social processes and arrangements form the basis of understanding the causes and consequences of mental illness. In fact, the tag of being mentally ill qualifies as a social transformation in itself. John being a child from a poor family thus explains his condition; an economic condition which was worsened by the expenses that arose from the care that John needed. After spending considerable time in the psychiatric hospital, John was integrated back to the society so as to assist him lead a normal life. This community care policy has benefitted John a great deal as it helped him appreciate himself as any other human. Even so, the community could not really embrace John back normally. Their perspective of the

Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics - Essay Example According to Immanuel Kant, justice virtue is included in his famous methaphysics of morals. The justice virtue ethics can be applied to each sweatshop operation. Kant’s morals include the individuals’ compulsory obedience to the established laws. Even if the government orders the individuals to violate the laws, the individuals should implement all tenets of the laws, without exception. The failure to implement the nation’s approved law provisions should be meted the corresponding penalties. The penalties include fines, incarceration, or even death. Kant insists that the people must implement their ethical duty to obey approved statutes, ordinances, policies, and other established standards. The penalties are meant to deter future repetitions of the immoral acts or non-acts (Hill, 2012). Second, another virtue is fairness. Fairness virtue includes refusing implement any act or non-act that will unduly create unfair disadvantage to other individuals. Fairness can be likened to the golden rule. The golden rule reiterates that one should not do any act or non-act on another person that one does not want replicated by the other person. For example, the individual should not kick an innocent third person if the individual does not want to be kicked in the same way (Fischer, 2012). Third, Mattel implements compliance generosity virtue. The generosity virtue includes generating abundance resources. The abundant resources are used to accomplish the company’s established goals and objectives. The goals and objectives are presumed to be complying with virtue ethics’ morality doctrines. The goals and objectives are designed to make most of the people feel happy. Mattel can small children. However, the company allocates the scarce resources to ensuring that the company’s sales targets, production targets, and other benchmarks are achieved with the allocated time period. Generosity does not equate to spending unwisely. Generosity d oes not include cutting down expenses on certain avoidable acts or non-acts. For example, the company should purchase nontoxic paint (Russell, 2009). The generosity virtue includes allocated more than enough funds for accomplish Mattel’s organizational goals and objectives. Application of virtues to Mattel Toys Of the virtues, one virtue is justice. Justice includes improving the sweatshop production environment in some outsourcing environments. The company implemented compliance with the virtue ethics for some time. However, the financial constraints of continuing the policy were draining the company’s profits. Several Mattel field officers reduced and even postponed the required virtue ethics policies. Consequently, the company was forced to stop prioritizing implementing the virtue ethics’ emphasis on improving the sweatshop production facilities’ work environment. Second, another virtue is fairness. Fairness includes avoiding or stopping business comm itments and partnerships with erring business partners found violating Mattel’s virtue ethics policies. The company will stop engaging in the buying the erring suppliers’ products. The erring suppliers include those that implement substandard work conditions. The erring suppliers include current and future suppliers’ polluting their production environments, water, air, land, and other natural resources. On the other hand, Mattel will buy products suppliers who comply with Mattel’s established virtue ethics standards. Mattel will not deal with suppliers that pay their employees

Research Paper on Plato Essay Example for Free

Research Paper on Plato Essay Abstract Many Philosophers made a difference in society but Plato is perhaps recognized as the most famous. His writings have had a profound effect on people, politics, and the philosophy throughout the centuries. He was a public figure and he made major contributions to society. Plato helped to lay the philosophical foundations of modern culture through his ideas and writings. One of the most philosophical thinkers of Western civilization, Plato is the only author from ancient Greek times whose writings survive intact. His collection consists of thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters, though the authorship of some is contested. Plato was born in Athens, into a prosperous aristocratic family. His Father’s name was Ariston and his Mother’s name was Perictione. His relative named Glaucon was one of the best-known members of the Athenian nobility. Platos name was Aristocles, his nickname Plato originates from wrestling circles, Plato means broad, and it probably refers either to his physical appearance or his wrestling style. â€Å"Plato is, by any reckoning, one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy,† (Kraut, 2009). Plato was born during the Golden Age of Athens’s which saw the birth of classical architecture, drama, arts and politics. However, as he was growing up he observed the decline of Athens as a cultural center. He witnessed instances of cruelty, disloyalty, and dishonesty and it was in clear violation of his values. It was also during this time that Plato fell under the influence of Socrates, who engaged the people of Athens in philosophical discussions. â€Å"It was into this bright, sly, worldly atmosphere that Socrates appeared, moving questioningly about the streets of Athens†. (Plato 1984). In 339 Socrates was brought to trial and charged with having false Gods and corrupting the youth. Socrates was found guilty on the charge and was sentenced to death. The execution of Socrates weighed heavily on Plato and he turned away from politics, he thought the behavior of the courts was unjust. He decided not to get involved in political life, instead he decided to leave Athens with other friends of Socrates to travel and study. During his travels he met with all kinds of people and studied not only philosophy but geometry, astronomy, and religious teachings. Socrates was extremely influential to Plato and he was the main character in numerous writings, he was also influenced by Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Pythagoreans. One of the most important goals Plato set for himself was to keep the memory of Socrates alive by recording and bringing about the kind of impact that Socrates had on people. Nearly all of Plato’s work takes the structure of dialogues in which Socrates is usually the main character. One of the goals of a Plato’s dialogue is to engross the reader in philosophical questions related to the ideas being discussed. The Socrates of the Platonic dialogues is modeled after the real Socrates but it is in part an imaginary character used to impart Platonic themes. Plato’s dialogues are divided into three groups, the early or Socratic dialogues; the dialogues of middle age; and the dialogues of old age. In the early dialogues, Socrates is the main character, but it is generally believed that Plato is expressing his own views. These are the only remaining dialogues of Socrates teachings hence; they are referred to as the Socratic dialogues. In The Apology Socrates was accused of having false gods and corrupting the youth. While on trial Socrates claimed that he was innocent and was not at all wise, â€Å"Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy Understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times. † (Plato 1984). Middle Dialogues During Platos middle period he wrote the following, Meno, Republic, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Cratylus, Phaedrus, Symposium and Phaedo. The most important difference between these writings and his earlier works is that he is establishing his own voice in philosophy. In the Meno Plato introduces us to the Socratic idea that no one knowingly does wrong, â€Å"Virtue is the desire of things honourable and the power of attaining them. † Plato (1984). In the Phaedo we become familiar with the platonic doctrine of the Forms; this is where Plato makes a claim as to the immortality of the soul. Platos most influential work, The Republic, is part of the middle dialogues. It is a discussion of the virtues of justice, courage and wisdom. It addresses the question of how do humans approach living a good life. The dialogue finishes by looking at various forms of government and describing the ideal state. The allegory of the â€Å"Myth of the Cave† is also in The Republic it is an important writing because it contains the main points of his philosophy. It is intended to be a metaphor for education and it explains issues regarding the theory of knowledge. Plato believed one must explore the belief that a greater reality exists. It is through this belief that a person can gain greater insight into true reality and become enlightened. Without it we are like the prisoners of a cave who only see the shadows of objects and live in complete darkness. â€Å"And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened, behold! Human beings living in an underground den† (Plato 1927). It is only through philosophy that we can come out of the cave into the true world. â€Å"Who is best suited to rule the state – lovers of opinion or true philosophers? (Plato 1927) His final years at the Academy he wrote the later dialogues which included the Parmenides, Theatetus, Sophist, Statesmas, Timaeus, Critias, Philebus, and Laws. It should be noted that Socrates has a minor role in these writings. Plato examines his metaphysical theories through these dialogues. He discusses art, dance, music, poetry, drama, and ethics in connection to immortality and the mind. He also dedicates himself to the philosophy of mathematics, politics and religion. Plato argued that women were qualified to play a role in politics and philosophy. In The Republic, Socrates argued that women were as capable as men in pursuit of accomplishments. There is a suggestion that women should be educated for their roles in the class of guardians and possibly work next to men. A woman’s role could be significant in society, but different from a man’s role. Even though Plato believed that women were necessary in a working society, he did not mean he thought women were equals of men. Plato thought that women lacked the strength of men and that women were more suited for other responsibilities in life. â€Å"If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things. † (Plato 1927) The impact of Plato’s work cannot be measured or calculated. His writings had great influence on the entire intellectual development of Western civilization. Despite the fact that Plato did not leave a well-formed, rigid philosophical system he is considered the father for all forms of philosophical idealism and dualism. â€Å"The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful. † (Plato 1984). After he died the Academy continued until AD 529, when it was closed due to its pagan teachings. Neo-Platonism, founded by the 3rd-century philosopher Plotinus, was an important development of Platonism. It was a philosophical system which was as a combination of Platonic, Pythagorean, and Aristotelian elements. Originally it was opposed to Christianity but later on it integrated it. It dominated European thought until the 13th century and re-emerged during the Renaissance. The most important Renaissance Neo-Platonist was â€Å"Marsilio Ficino† who developed significant ideas from Plato and Neo-Platonism. Ficino founded of the Academy in Firenze and was responsible for the circulation of Neo-Platonic ideas. Ficino is credited with translating all of Platos’ dialogues into Latin and produced a great work called Platonic Theology, in which he outlines Neo-Platonism. His philosophy is based on the doctrine that the human soul is the center of the cosmos. It is the only thing that sits between the world of ideas and the world is the soul. Neo-Platonism was revived in the 17th century by the Cambridge Platonists such as Cudworth and Smith. The school stressed the importance of reason, maintaining that faith and reason are not that different. Rene Descartes an 18th century philosopher and Neo-Platonist developed a method to achieve truths. If something is not recognized by the intellect or reason can be classified as knowledge. According to Descartes. These truths are gained without any sensory experience (Descartes). He argued that as a result of his method, reason alone determined knowledge and that this could be done independently of the senses. â€Å"Cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I exist† (Descartes) Plato developed an absolutist ethical theory which is that there is a greater good toward which to aspire. He developed this theory to respond to the skepticism and the beliefs of the Sophists who Plato felt did not preach wisdom, but rather their opinions. Plato tried to protect the part of reasoning in human life though he had resistance from the ancient Greek preachers know as the Sophists. They came from different cities and proclaimed that they were able to impart knowledge to young men how to live prosperous lives. Even though the Sophists did not belong to a school and did not have a common creed, some opinions were typical of them as a group and were absolutely conflicting to the views of Plato. The Sophists were great communicators and skilled public speakers. Plato felt that the Sophists were more likely to appeal to emotions rather than to reason. According to Plato philosophers influence people’s souls not their bodies and Plato agreed with Socrates in thinking that the nurturing of the soul is more vital than the nurturing of the body. Furthermore, he also believed that true leaders need to have wisdom, and knowledge. Platos influence has been monumental as one philosopher said the history of philosophy is simply a series of footnotes to Plato. (Whitehead) Platos has been criticized down through the centuries for his philosophy of the forms. His ideas of the just life and an ideal state are complex. Plato tended to specifically ignores much of human nature. Plato did not think in the realm of the physical world, he was always looking to a different one where things exist only if he can prove there existence. References Kraut, R. (2009, Sept) Plato Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/plato; Plato. (1984) Great dialogues of Plato New York: Mentor Books trans. by Benjamin Jowett Blackburn, S. (1945) The republic of Plato. (45 ed. ). London: Oxford University Press, USA. trans. By Desmond Lee Descartes. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/descartes-works; Alfred North Whitehead. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/whitehead/

Leadership In A Changing Environment Nhs Management Essay

Leadership In A Changing Environment Nhs Management Essay Spending on the NHS has risen from  £447m a year to  £96bn over the last 60 years (Ham 1997), nearly a 10-fold increase after adjustment for inflation (Hawe 2008). In 2000 the Labour government initiated a programme of investment of 7% budget increases for 7 years that was unprecedented for any healthcare system (Department of Health 2000). However, Andrew Lansley the new health secretary, recently announced that the NHS budget would continue to rise above inflation in the coming years, but signalled that the NHS may need to make more savings than the previously announced  £20bn in efficiency cuts, a move health experts described as extremely ambitious and unions warned could have a devastating impact on hospitals (The Guardian, 2010). The government say it is necessary to make savings on such a scale because of the squeeze in public spending. So the NHS, with a budget of  £100bn amounting to a fifth of total public spending will have to do more with less. The individuals charged with steering the NHS through this period of relative famine will no doubt be required to display all the qualities of good leadership in order to meet the demanding financial and strategic challenges that face the organisation. But what are those qualities? How are they being developed within the NHS, and are they even the right qualities needed to produce effective leadership in an organisation as complex and demanding as the NHS? This paper firstly takes a critical look at what might constitute good healthcare leadership with reference to the current NHS Leadership Qualities Framework (NHS Institute of Innovation and Improvement, 2005) and presents an alternative to the individualistic approach of seeing leadership as a set of distinct personal qualities, capabilities and/or behaviours. Some of the theoretical and methodological weaknesses of the individualistic approach are exposed in an attempt to challenge the established formula for good leadership, and argue that in the increasingly tough economic climate that the NHS has to operate in, a new style of leadership is required to meet the challenge of delivering high quality healthcare whilst balancing the books. Secondly we look at the role of organisational change in facilitating this new approach to leadership. Established models of culture change are summarised and analysed to see if they might fit within this new approach to leadership. Finally the author discusses his own personal style of leadership in light of the findings and attempts to apply theory to practice within his own working environment. Leadership in the context of the NHS The NHS employs more than 1.3 million  people spread across hundreds of organisations.  Leaders of NHS organisations need to provide strong, strategic leadership for their organisation while being held to account by local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and other regulatory bodies for nationally and locally set objectives.  The performance of these organisations is dependant on the performance of clinicians who are often leaders in their own right, and due to the nature of their profession are expected to work under a great deal of autonomy. This is a problem that the NHS has been struggling with over its entire history. In 1983 the Conservative government of the time commissioned the Griffiths Report, which was a key trigger to the development of management and leadership in the NHS.  In the report, Roy Griffiths famously said, If Florence Nightingale were carrying her lamp through the NHS today she would be searching for the people in charge.  (Griffiths, 1983). The report is best known for recommending that general managers be introduced into the NHS. During the 1980s, hospitals began to integrate the medical profession into the management structure. In the early 1990s, however, with the introduction of the internal market, managers and leaders were tasked very clearly with balancing the books.  This resulted in managers becoming stereotyped as bean counters, a popular viewpoint still held by many (Kings fund, 2009). It was important then that the publication of Lord Darzis NHS Next Stage Review in 2008 (Doh, 2008) shifted the focus from general management onto the need for more clinical leadership.  Clinicians are being asked to have increasing involvement with the management agenda and take responsibility for the delivery of services locally. As a result of this increased recognition of a need for high quality leadership to deliver the NHS Plan (Doh, 2000) in 2009 the Chief Executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, established, and currently chairs the National Leadership Council (NLC). The Council has five main work streams: Top Leaders, Emerging Leaders, Board Development, Inclusion, and Clinical Leadership. This development represents a switch from where people were left to work out their career options for themselves, to a more nurturing environment, with a greater focus on support to both individuals and organisations. The Leadership Qualities Framework The document that underpins the development of leaders through the (NLC) is the Leadership Qualities Framework which has a number of applications and builds on the increasing emphasis in management recruitment, development and education on nurturing individual character traits in leaders, with the sole purpose of producing a set of abilities and transferable skills that can be applied in a variety of situations and contexts. Through this approach, NHS organisations hope to produce adaptable leaders, able to work across a multitude of complex environments and systems typical of a healthcare organisation. The term leadership is applied then to those who seemingly possess the abilities deemed necessary to lead, such as communication, people management, decision making and problem-solving. This dominant approach focuses on individual personal qualities for leadership development and is the latest in a long line of competency frameworks that have emerged in the last 50 years. The history of competency frameworks Leadership thinking has developed substantially over the last 50 years. The idea of individual character traits that started with Stogdill (1950) soon expanded into other schools of thought with McGregor pioneering the behavioural approach (1960) and Fiedler the contingency school (1967). These ideas were added to by Hersey Blanchard (1977) with situational leadership and Burns with transformational leadership (1978). All these approaches focus on leadership as a set of qualities embedded in the individual and can be thought of as competency approaches. There focus is on leaders who impress others; inspire people; push through transformations; get the job done; have compelling, even gripping visions; stir enthusiasm; and have personal magnetism (Maccoby, 2000). The NHS Leadership Qualities Framework is the latest such tool that adopts the individualistic approach with a focus on 15 core personal characteristics such as self-belief, empowering others, intellectual flexibility, political astuteness and integrity. These personal qualities are undoubtedly important but do not probably tell the whole story of what makes a good leader. Sanderson (2002) makes the point that management is more likely a consequence of complex contextually-situated interrelations, thoughts reiterated by Mintzberg in 2004 who suggests that our view of leadership is more likely to be an over-simplification of a vast pool of environmental data compressed into a few key people. So what are the major criticisms of competency models such as the LQF, and how might such a model have to adapt to ensure that the National Leadership Council produces the right kind of leaders needed for the future? Weaknesses of competency approaches to leadership There are at least five areas where the competency approach could be seen to be flawed (Bolden et al, 2006). Firstly it can be seen to be reductionist in the sense that it reduces the management role to its constituent parts rather than seeing it as a whole (Lester, 1994 Ecclestone, 1997). Secondly, the competencies that are listed as prerequisites for good leadership are often generic with no accounting of the nature of the task or situation (Swales Roodhouse, 2003). Thirdly, that focusing on personal traits may reinforce stereotypes about leadership rather than challenge them (Cullen, 1992). Fourthly, that not enough attention is given to the subtle qualities such as the moral and emotional elements of leadership that are difficult to quantify and measure (Bell et al. 2002). The fifth and final main criticism of competency frameworks is that their content forms part of an approach to education that aims to train individuals to improve their performance at work rather than develop more general cognitive abilities (Grugulis, 1997). If we accept the above weakness as legitimate, then it does cast doubt over the validity of competency frameworks such as the LQF to actually select and develop leaders. Salaman (2004) suggests that these frameworks may actually be confusing the issue when he states that The problems it promised to resolve are not capable of resolution and its promise consisted largely of a sleight of hand whereby organizational problems were simply restated as management responsibilities Weaknesses specific to the LQF include the fact that the initial research on which it was built was taken from interviews with Directors and Chief Executives rather than observation of good leadership in practice (NHS Leadership centre 2005). Also the qualities being promoted such as awareness, self-belief and integrity may be admiral in their own right but do not necessarily automatically lead to effective leadership. Bolden et al (2006) lists the characteristics as (a) a somewhat persecutory list of oughts, and (b) suggest that the characteristics still do little to get effective leadership done. One may be visionary, communicative and honest and still find leadership to be elusive. This then is the great paradox found within the competency approaches; that while they aim to highlight the skills that may be needed in certain situations, it is highly unlikely that people will encounter the exact same set of circumstances in their own practice because of the inherent complex nature of working life. Also, that while providing prescriptive solutions to problems may increase consistency, they may stifle any original though in the leader wanting to apply their own reasoning to the problem. The characteristics of the LQF seem then to be then a description of the qualities found in people in the top jobs rather than the prerequisites for leadership. The difference in viewing these traits as descriptive rather than prescriptive cannot be underestimated. Such descriptions however tend to oversimplify and may prove to be of limited, practical value within the climate of complexity, interdependence and fragmentation that arguably characterizes multi-disciplinary organizations such as the NHS (Blackler et al., 1999). Additionally, individuals are likely to try and define themselves according to the corporate language found within competency frameworks to legitimise their role rather than seek new ways of working and improving their practice (Holman Hall, 1997). Going back to Sandersons earlier point that management is more likely a consequence of complex contextually-situated interrelations, we can see how in a medical setting such as in a busy outpatient department the desired outcomes can only be achieved as a consequence of multiple staffing/patient/organisational/medical factors working in synergy. Successful leadership in this sort of environment is not likely to be the result of any one individual, but a result of all the characters competently playing their respective parts. Marx (1973) suggests that we should not focus on a few key individuals when trying to explain leadership in an organisation, because if we do so there is the danger that individuals become pigeonholed as either leader/follower and the nuances of the group interactions as a whole become lost. He ultimately describes the leadership focus on a few key people as an illusion. Using the earlier example of a trip to the outpatient department there is no point looking fo r a leader throughout the care process, as responsibility passes between various individuals, especially if you include the initial referral from the GP and follow up staff such as home help after the visit. Beyond individual competencies So if traditional competency frameworks, including the Qualities Leadership Framework are flawed, how can a view of leadership based on contextual factors better steer the future of leadership development within the NHS? Building on the initial thoughts of Marx in 1973, Bolden et al (2006) develop the argument that leadership is an organic process that is an ongoing, ever developing situation that individuals find themselves in whilst interacting with others. Leadership can come and go depending on the relationships that people have with each other and is inextricably linked to the particular environment of the time. Like power, leadership is an internal relation, constantly in-tension and subject to a myriad of meanings, values, ideals and discourse processes (Alvesson, 1996). One of the implications of reclassifying leadership in this way is that good and effective leadership cannot now be taught, only experienced by others. Sandberg (2000) interviewed assembly line workers and concluded that finding purpose at work led to appropriate competencies arising naturally. He proposes that by engaging in dialogue to clarify a workers purpose leads to better outcomes compared to presenting them with a list of competencies to achieve. Within the outpatient department example it is likely that the unified sense of purpose will bind the individual players, creating an environment that facilitates the emergence of positive behaviours when required. In light of the increasing economic constraints that health organisations have to operate within, it would be wise to promote leadership as potentially accessible to all by placing more emphasis on personal autonomy. Perhaps then this re-conceptualisation would encourage a shift not only in how leadership is researched, but also in how it is recognised, rewarded and developed within the NHS. Practically speaking the NHS needs to cast its net a bit wider when trying to define good leadership. It means opening up leadership from multiple angles, searching its small details, minor shifts and subtle contours (Dreyfuss Rabinow, 1982) to see it in the context of its environment. Bringing about organisational change In light of our proposal that it would be wise to promote leadership as potentially accessible to all by placing more emphasis on personal autonomy, there needs to be a way that leaders can disseminate this culture within their organisations. As many health organisations are built on strict hierarchical chains of command it is inevitable then that many organisation will have to go through some form of culture change to embrace new ideas and practices. Many people working in health organisations will be familiar with organisational change of some sort. But most would associate organisational change with shifts in management structures or indeed the creation/removal of whole new organisations. When structural change is implemented it is usually with the intention of bringing about change to meet wider goals such as introducing stronger leadership, achieving financial balance or addressing a previously unmet service need. There is however an alternative, the option of attempting to chan ge the culture within the organisation to meet these same goals. There are a vast range of models for understanding organisational culture change which were reviewed by Brown in 1995. His extensive review of the literature identified five main models detailed in Box 1. Lundbergs model, based on earlier learning-cycle models of organisational change; emphasises external environmental factors as well as internal characteristics of organisations. Dyers model, posits that the perception of crisis in conjunction with a leadership change are required for culture change to occur. Scheins model, based on a simple life-cycle framework; posits that different culture change mechanisms are associated with different stages in an organisations development. Gagliardis model, suggests that only incremental culture change can properly be described as a form of organisational change. A composite model, based on the ideas of Lewin, Beyer and Trice, and Isabella; provides some insights into the microprocesses of culture. Box 1: Five Models of Organisational Culture Change (Scott et al., 2003, adapted and derived from Brown 1995). No model is comprehensive enough to be said to be the definitive blueprint for change processes, but the merits and weaknesses of each are briefly listed in turn: Lundbergs model Figure 1 Lundbergs organisational learning cycle of culture change (Lundberg, 1985) and reproduced in Brown (1995). Lundbergs model (1985) recognises the presence of multiple subcultures that operate within organisations, and at each stage there are various internal and external conditions that need to be met in order to move round the cycle and for change to occur. It is not possible to go into all the detail that surrounds this model, but Lundberg describes the numerous precipitating events that can spark change (otherwise known as the trigger events) before describing the types of strategies employed by leaders and the different forms of action planning required to bring about change. Critics (Scott, 2003) suggest that the model is rather mechanistic, failing to fully acknowledge the dynamism and uncertainty between cause and effect in organisational life. It also fails to address the political forces (doctor-managerial tensions) within organisations, or recognise the influence of key individuals and groups in facilitating and resisting culture change (Mannion, 2010). Dyers cycle of cultural evolution Figure 2 The cycle of cultural evolution in organisations (Dyer 1985) and reproduced in Brown, (1995). Dyers model (1985) suggests that a crisis paves the way for a culture breakdown within an organisation, which in turn leads to the emergence of new leadership. A power struggle ensues whereby the new leadership has to assert their dominance over the old leadership by being seen to resolve the conflict between to two parties. To aid with this transition the new leadership introduce new values, symbols and artefacts into the organisation to banish the old organisational history. New people are recruited who support the new values and so the new culture is sustained. One advantage of Dyers model over many other theoretical models is that its two essential conditions for cultural transformation crisis and new leadership are relatively easy to identify and test in organisational settings. There is also a particular focus on leadership in organisational culture and change. However Scott (2003) again criticises the model for oversimplifying the change process, pointing out that the roles of the majority of individuals in an organisational culture are de-emphasised in favour of a focus on innovative leadership. Mannion (2010) mentions that Dyers model also fails to ask a crucial and rather obvious question about the causes of crises in organisations. Scheins Life Cycle Model Figure 3 Growth stages, functions of culture, and mechanisms of change. Reproduced from Schein (1985) and reproduced in Brown, (1995) Scheins life-cycle model of organisational culture change (1985) suggests that organisations undergo the three distinct stages of birth and early growth, organisational midlife, and organisational maturity. In the early birth and growth stages the organisation battles with its identity, characterised by revolutionary change and possible challenges to the leadership from individuals from the old culture. The midlife phase is characterised by deeply embedded values that need be brought to the surface through organisational development to bring about change. Other factors that can precipitate change during this stage however are new technology, scandals (such as the Bristol heart surgery tragedy/Harold Shipman) and the gradual drip feeding of new ideas by the leadership described by Quinn as Incrementalism (1978). The final mature stage implies that change would come easily to this type of organisation. In fact the opposite is true, and companies may have to go through large turnaround projects to detour from their well established courses. Leaders are also more likely to need to use coercive strategies for change when more subtle approaches have failed to produce results. Gagliardis model Figure 4 Gagliardis model: Cultural change as an incremental process (Brown 1995) Gagliardi (1986) agues that rather than seeing old cultures as totally replaced by new ones, the old ones are merely built upon to incorporate the new values. Leaders will ascribe success to the new ways of doing things despite the fact that the new process might have no connection to that particular outcome. This model of cultural change is interesting because it embraces the fact that gradual change can happen over time, and that the way that this happens can often be as a result of the way that successful leaders attribute the reasons behind the organisations success to previous decision making, even though those decisions would have made little or no effect on the result. The Composite model of Lewin, Beyer and Trice, and Isabella Figure 5 Understanding organisation culture change: three related domains (reproduced from Roberts and Brown (1992) The final model of organisational change discussed by Brown (1995) is a compilation model based on the ideas of Lewin (1951) as modified by Schein (1964), Beyer and Trice (1988) and Isabella (1990). Essentially the model describes the three stages of learning as freezing- clinging to what one knows, unfreezing exploring ideas, issues and approaches and refreezing identifying, utilising and integrating values, attitudes and skills with those previously held and currently desired. The framework is very general and applicable to any type of organisation and to any level within an organisation. However the model (much like Lundbergs in model 1) paints a very mechanistic picture of change, and it does not recognise the often painful transitions that can to take place moving between the three stages. This type of planned change model is not without its critics, and Garvin (1994) argues that change cannot occur from one stable state to another in the turbulent business environment that exists today. Bamford and Forrester (2003) suggest that the planned approach assumes that all parties are in agreement on their goals and direction and this is rarely the case. Hayes (2002) highlights that some organisations may have to change initially for environmental reasons but have no desire to define the end state. It serves then as a fairly limited descriptive tool, and does not attempt to inform as to whether any change programme has been successful or not. In contrast to planned change, emergent approaches see change as less reliant on the manager (Wilson 1992) and less prescriptive and more analytical in nature (Dawson 1994). Dawson claims that change must be linked to developments in markets, work organisation, systems of management control and the shifting nature of the organisational boundaries and relationships. There is therefore more emphasis on bottom-up action rather than top-down control in commencing and implementing organisational change. Given the need for NHS managers to harness the cooperation of professional staff and work across complex organisational boundaries, emergent approaches are often well suited to achieving change because the role of senior management shifts from a controller to a facilitator. Personal responses to leadership In having to reflect on my own leadership style I am immediately presented with a dilemma. The objective of this paper was to deconstruct the established models of leadership (including the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework) and adopt a new approach to leadership that incorporates the situational context and other social factors. I refer back to Dreyfuss Rabinow, (1982) who encourage us to open up leadership from multiple angles, searching its small details, minor shifts and subtle contours to see it in the context of its environment. There are at least five major weaknesses to this individualistic approach which have been discussed at length already, so I will not repeat myself here. But essentially by subjecting myself to these established competency frameworks I would undoubtedly be shoehorning myself into a set of constructs that would probably do little to help me establish how best to operate in my individual working environment. To take this thought one step further I would say that the best leaders are therefore the individuals most able to analyse their environment, adapt their interactions and self actualize within that environment appropriately. In light of the fact that NHS organisations are moving from large highly structured institutions to smaller stakeholder organisations with multiple players, the skills most required to lead will most probably be relational and persuasive. Perhaps then ones ability to interact with others according to model of relational proximity best describes the leaders of the future. This model lists the values needed for effective relationships such as focusing on the quality of the communication process, maintaining relationships, breadth of knowledge, use and abuse of power and valuing similarity and difference. I am again however again inclined to see this model as too prescriptive, and as Bolden mentions earlier lists the characteristics as (a) a somewhat persecutory list of oughts, and (b) suggest that the characteristics still do little to get effective leadership done. As a manager working in a Primary Care Trust I am able to see first hand how the general move towards decentralisation with greater autonomy does seem to be creating a paradox within the organisation. The combined effects of commissioning organisations splitting away from their provider arms and an increasing move towards an open market has created a more mechanistic approach towards commissioning and providing services. This seems to pull against the other central directive of remaining flexible to meet local need. Effective leadership for me then and I suspect all working a healthcare environment is to somehow thread the needle by employing on the one hand a mechanistic approach that satisfies the performance management demands from monitoring bodies, while at the same time remaining flexible enough to respond to the changing healthcare marketplace. Concluding remarks This paper has set out to demonstrate that the existing emphasis on developing leadership through competency based models such as the Leadership Qualities Framework is a flawed. Less emphasis needs to be placed on individual leaders and more attention paid to the environmental and situational factors that encourage leadership to thrive. The NHS is an organisation dependent on responsible shared leadership. It would not be accurate to attribute its successes and failures to the few as that viewpoint is likely to be an over-simplification of a vast pool of environmental data compressed into a few key people. Organisational culture change was discussed as a vehicle for introducing new approaches to leadership and the five main models of organisational change as reviewed by Brown in 1995 were summarised and discussed. None of these models were found to comprehensively describe the change process and most could be accused of being rather mechanistic, failing to fully acknowledge the dynamism and uncertainty between cause and effect in organisational life (Scott, 2003). The mixed messages distributed by policy makers centrally add to the confusion within healthcare, requesting that workers are both centrally accountable and at the same time expected to work flexibly and autonomously. The argument being then, that it is not possible (or even preferable) to maintain one leadership style in this context. Further research it seems is required to deepen our understanding of ideal environmental factors that allow leadership to blossom through bottom-up emergent processes as opposed to imposed top-down structural changes and rigid concepts of what constitutes good leadership.

Black Panther Party Essay -- American History

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were two African-American men growing up in the ghetto of California where they saw and experienced racism and police brutality. There voices were not heard when it came to their communities. It took three young children to die by car crashes, and a peaceful candlelight vigil that turned into a fight between a neighborhood and the police (in which the police covered up their badges so that no one could report them to the police department) for them to want to make a change to free themselves from control and oppression. It was because of this that 25 year old Huey Newton and 30 year old Bobby Seale founded The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in October 1966, in Oakland, California. The party was inspired by revolutionaries such as Mao Tse-tung and Malcolm X. Malcolm had represented a militant revolutionary, with the dignity and self-respect to stand up and fight to win equality for all oppressed minorities. Influenced by the teachings of Mao's Red Book the organization became more of a Marxist-Communist group that favored violent revolution, if necessary, to bring about changes in society. Equipped with rifles and the knowledge from many law books the Black Panther Party fed the hungry, protected the weak from racist police, and presented a Ten Point Platform and Program of Black political and social activism. The platform is stated as follows: 1.) We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community. 2.) We want full employment of our people. 3.) We want an end to the robbery by the CAPITALIST of our Black community. 4.) We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings. 5.) We want education for our people that exposes the tr ue nature of this decadent Ameri... ...hoice c.) Huey Newton's arrest unites the two feuding races of revolutionaries V.) Panthers and the police a.) hostility b.) quote from Panther Paper causes alarm within the government c.) government campaign against the Panthers VI.) The end a.) More FBI infiltration b.) Illegal and unethical methods of infiltration c.) Death of Panthers d.) Struggle to keep party afloat e.) End of party Bibliography Andrews, Lori Black Power, White Blood. New York: Pantheon Books. 1996. Carmichael, Stokely, Hamilton Charles V. Black Power the Politics of Liberation in America. New York: Random House. 1967 Freed, Donald. Agony in New Haven. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1973 Meier, August, Rudwick, Elliott. Black Protest In the Sixties. Chicago: Quadrangle Books. 1970 Shakur, Assata, Assata An Autobiography. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books. 1987