Stem Cell Research Legislation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Stem Cell Legislation - Research Paper Example This paper shall discuss the history of stem cell research legislation in the United States. It shall discuss how such history compares with similar statutes around the world. The current legislative state of affairs shall also be considered, as well as the possible direction of the laws in the United States should be taken. Various studies and literature shall be considered to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Discussion What is the history of Stem Cell Research Legislation in the United States? According to Deem (2004), stem cell research on humans was first seen in the 1960s, with some success achieved in the treatment of a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder. Following this success, efforts to achieve a similar success was attempted in the treatment of immunodeficiency disorders and different types of leukemia and blood disorders (Deem, 2004). Based on the success achieved for the abovementioned diseases, many people have expressed their support for the necessity of stem cell research. ... He claimed that carrying out such type of research is a threat to the unborn human life, and the government must therefore not support such procedures. The 109th and 110th Congress implemented bills which were set to overturn Bush’s position, however Bush vetoed both bills (Science Progress, 2009). In the 109th Congress, both houses approved the bill (subsequently signed by Bush) which prevented the creation of human fetuses which had the sole purpose of destroying them, as well as harvesting their body parts (Cord Bankings, 2010). A bill was also passed in order to support research into the creation of stem cell lines without damaging embryos (CBS, 2009). In 2005, the US Congress set forth the passage of the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act of 2005. This was a national law which established new public banking and research facilities; this law was also set to encourage medical practitioners in increasing awareness of cord blood donations to pregnant women (Cord Blood Ban king, 2010). President Barack Obama in 2009, ended the ban on allowing federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells. Obama’s decision provides support for research on healthier and better ways to create treatment for diseases (CBS, 2009). How does it compare to comparable statutes in the rest of the world? The controversy regarding the passage of stem cell laws around the world are more or less similar various territories. Most of these laws and countries with stem cell research laws seem to agree on the significant difference that the research can bring to various sick individuals. In Africa, there are few laws which regulate embryonic stem cell research and the only country which actually has a significant research

Compare the Effects of the Use of Different Narrative Voice in Miramar and Devil on the Cross Essay Example for Free

Compare the Effects of the Use of Different Narrative Voice in Miramar and Devil on the Cross Essay In both Ngugi’s â€Å"Devil on the Cross† and Naguib’s â€Å"Miramar† we see a distinctive use of polyphony to convey both the political stances and social viewpoints of the authors. Although, the use of this literary technique differs between the two novels, the authors both have the same intention of persuading the reader to agree with their personal stand-point. Ngugi’s use of this literary narrative technique consists of describing the argument that he is attempting to put across to the reader, from the perspective of all of the characters to portray it in a light that leaves no room for reasonable doubt, where upon in â€Å"Miramar† Naguib manipulation of the narrative is more subtle at commenting upon the social class divides and barriers in the Egyptian society of the era in which it was written. To consider now, how this use of polyphony affects the readers of â€Å"Miramar† the aim of Naguib must first be questioned. Upon interpretation the character Zohra can be seen as a crucial part of the novel despite not having a section to narrate her side of the story. The reason for this could be that Naguib wanted to use Zohra as a symbol for his notion of an ideal, modern Egyptian. Being a religious Egyptian himself, there are evident influences of his native culture, in the representation of this ideal Egyptian, Zohra. However, this concept of Zohra being a semiotic for Egypt is not the only point to consider whilst interpreting the narrative structure’s impact; rather, it is the interaction between Zohra and the different narrators in the novel, that is crucial to analyse . This is especially important, as the different narrators are all from different backgrounds and can be clearly discerned as representations of the different Egyptian social classes. The intention of Naguib could most definitely be, to help the reader understand the varying lives of people from the different social classes in Egypt and the problems that arise because of these divides. An interpretation as to the reason why Zohra doesn’t have her own section to narrate could be because of the fact that, as stated previously, she is the symbol of Egypt, and quite simply she represents the struggle Egypt faces when fairly telling its own story. Instead of being given the chance to speak freely the novel is only told by people who have been influenced by the â€Å"Wafd† or â€Å"the revolution† or even the colonists, and therefore they are tainted, and no longer considered pure of mind. There is an unmistakable feeling of Naguib’s resentment towards the way â€Å"times have changed. This bitterness is especially impressed upon the reader regarding the new beliefs that people should be separated into social class groups and is present throughout the narrative of each character. Especially in Amer Wagdi’s narration, as the reader can almost imagine Naguib speaking in place of Amer when describing that they are foolish â€Å"obstacles† that separates Zohra from her love, Sarhan, because although â€Å"times have changed,† â€Å"young men haven’t changed†. In a similar style to Naguib, Ngugi also uses a female character to symbolise his country. In â€Å"Devil on the Cross† Wariinga is clearly intended to be interpreted by Ngugi as a symbol of Kenya and Ngugi has also, like Naguib, used the narrative to help enhance the symbolic interpretation of the interaction between Wariinga and the characters around her. However, Ngugi’s use of autobiographical narrative is highly differentiated from Naguib’s in the sense that Ngugi merges the narrative voice unnoticeably into the tone of the character in which he is focusing on. Ngugi does this especially in the â€Å"Matatu† chapter of the novel. This is a highly symbolic scene, used to portray the perspectives of each character, and these perspectives are particularly important as each character is an exemplary representation of the different social classes and backgrounds in Kenya. As this autobiographical narrative is used, it makes the reader empathise more and become more emotionally attached to the characters because they can relate personally, where as attempting to relate to the masses of people that these characters are representation would depersonalise the interaction Ngugi is trying to achieve between the reader and the story. Wangari, a character who is easily recognised as a symbol for the â€Å"Old Kenya† and the â€Å"Old Haraambe† is a clear example of this shift into an autobiographical narrative as her thoughts are written to the reader, revealing a greater insight into there character than is otherwise normal, this is particularly important as her saga tells the story of the Kenya before the colonists. It is through her history that the audience is able to discern the passionate feelings Ngugi holds of resentment towards the capitalist society that Kenya has become. Focusing more on this conviction of scorn held by Ngugi, the â€Å"Matatu† is also a vastly important chapter of â€Å"Devil on the Cross† because of its use of Socratic dialogue. Likewise to Naguib, Ngugi uses a character of his plot as a medium to express his feelings towards what his country has evolved to. Considering now Wangari, the poor, woman who, â€Å"wore no shoes† and â€Å"fought for [the] country’s independence† is definitely the mouthpiece for Ngugi as he himself has fought and is still fighting, even with this novel, for the independence of Kenya. Moreover, the juxtaposition of this Socratic dialogue is even more effective as it is placed in direct opposition to the materialistic, and greedy views of Mwaura, the foreign minded matatu driver who measures â€Å"Independence not [by the] tales about the past but the sound of money in one’s pocket†; a parallel with this character can clearly be drawn between him and one of the people in â€Å"Western suits,† who â€Å"took the devil off the cross. † Contrastingly, unlike Devil on the Cross, Miramar’s revolutionists, are not fighting the same cause, and are in fact met with the same praise as Wangari was by the rest of the Kenyan’s in the matatu. The revolutions of Miramar are, although quite central to the plot, often talked about but yet never given a voice of their own. These revolutionists goal in Miramar isn’t as simple as encouraging the revolution, however, they are in fact symbolic of the greater problems in Egypt, because the characters never verbally oppose the revolution (the problems in Egypt since the colonial occupation) as they are afraid of the outcome, however, in their hearts they know it will never work. Another crucial point in assessing the novel is the way in which Naguib manipulates the narrative is through the language used by each character helps to shift the tone of the narrative. It is crucial in understanding the feelings Naguib has towards this social class. For example, minor sentences showed in the free indirect discourse in the opening of Hosny Allam’s account helps to create a good impression to the reader of what this character’s temperament will be. The â€Å"progeny of whores† who â€Å"push you noses in the mud† described right in the opening paragraph is more than enough to nderstand that Hosny Allam is a bitter character. To interpret this further, the reader can also question accordingly, the social class in which Hosny Allam the â€Å"gentleman of property† represents and uses the portrayal of his character to interpret the feelings held by Naguib towards this social class. As Naguib has deliberately used mainly pejorative vocabulary in the syntax of Hosny’s it is clear that he wants the readers to dislike this character and therefore have negative feelings towards people of his class. In conclusion, after a close analysis of the literary techniques coinciding with the narrative structures and styles used by both Naguib and Ngugi, it is more than plausible to say that these two novels are both highly critical and greatly detailed in not only their poetic language used but the significant features of their intricately structured narrative and they more than achieve their aims of informing the world of their political stance against corruption.

The use of HRM in public sector

The use of HRM in public sector This assignment seeks to produce an analysis and critical evaluation of how Human Resource Management has been used as a lever of change in the public sector. It will consider change in its organizational context and the rational for and purpose of the change. It will also look at the involvement of the stakeholders and the approach been followed to bring about the change. The factors that influence the change and its triggers will also b e analyzed. The role of Human Resource Management and how it has been used to bring about change; and resistance to change will also be looked into in the course of this work. The first stage of the development of public management, according to McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002), was the minimal state. Here, government provision was seen as a necessary evil and the provision of almost if not all the public services were through private provision (Owen 1965). However, it was during that period that that the basic principles of public provision were laid out. The second stage of the development of public management started in the twentieth century and was characterized by an unequal partnership between the government and the private sector McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002). Here, there was an ideological shift from the traditional conservatism which obtained in the first stage towards social reformism and Fabianism as cited by (Prochaska, 1989). This shift according to them contained three elements which are A recasting of social and economic problems away from a focus on blaming individuals to a recognition of those problems as societal issues which concerned everybody The recognition that the state did indeed have a legitimate role to at least provide some public services And thirdly, in a situation where the state did not provide the public services, it needed to enter into a partnership with the private sector to provide such, even though the state would have more to do. This model according to (Kamerman and Kahn, 1976) is where the state provided the basic minimum and the charitable and private sectors took it up from there. The third stage is the welfare state which according to (Beveridge, 1948) cited in McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002), is based on the belief that charitable and private sectors had failed in there provision because of the duplication and fragmentation of the service provided, because their service was inefficient and ineffective. Consequent upon these, the provision of these services would now be managed by professional public servants. The final stage, which is what obtains today, is the plural state. This stage came about as a result of the criticisms against the welfare state. The focus of the welfare state was on the provision of a minimum standard of service to the citizens but late on in the twentieth century, the perceived needs of the citizens had moved on to a situation where they expected services to meet their individual needs and to be a part of the process of the service delivery (Mischra, 1982) cited in McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002). However, the debate became more focused in the 1990s because this fourth approach became characterized as the New Public Management. This is because as posited by (Dunleavy, 1991) this approach to public management was based on an incisive critic of bureaucracy as the organizing principle within public administration, a concern with the ability of public administration to secure the economic, efficient and effective provision of public services (Hughes, 1997), and a concern for the excesses of professional power within the public services and the consequent disempowerment of service users (Falconer and Ross, 1999). In spite of the fact that lingering debate as to the exact nature of New Public Management, its classic formation according to (Hood, 1991) in McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002) is made up of seven doctrines which are: a hands on and entrepreneurial management in preference to the traditional bureaucratic focus of the public administrator (Clark and Newman, (1993) explicit standards and measures of performance (Osborns et al, 1995) an emphasis on output controls (Boyne 1999) the importance of the aggregation and decentralization of public services (Pollit et al, 1998) promotion of competition in the promotion of public services (Walsh, 1995) emphasis on private sector styles of management (Wilcox and Harrow, 1992) and the promotion of discipline and parsimony in resource allocation (Metcalf and Richards, 1990). In addition to these seven doctrines is the one posited by (Stewart, 1966) cited in McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002) which is of the taking away of political decision making from the direct management of public services. However, the New Labour government has taken it a stage further from the plural stage. This is because it is argued that the view of both the public management and the New Public Management is myopic which according to (Clark and Stewart, 1998) in McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002) is from a narrow focus on the marketization of public services and towards an emphasis upon community governance. In this situation, the public sector is no longer seen only in relation to the government a planner or service provider, but as working together with the government, voluntary and community sectors and the private sector in the planning, management and provision of public services. Here, according to (Rhodes, 1996; Kickert et al, 1997), the main function of the government becomes the management of the intricate system of service provision. New Public Management according to (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994) is a way reorganizing public sector bodies to bring their management, reporting, and accounting approaches closer to business methods. This reorganization involves the two main ways that the public sector organization is structured by moving it down-grid and down-group as opined by (Douglas, 1982). Down-grid according to him is when there is a reduction of powers by procedural rules over issues like staff. Down- group on the other hand is a situation where the public sector is made less distinctive as a unit from the private sector in relation to personnel, reward structure and in methods of doing business. This shift resulted in budgets been reworked to become more attractive in accounting terms and organizations became a network of contracts linking incentives to performance (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994). Again, functions were separated by introducing distinctions between the purchaser and provider and opening competition between agencies, firms and not-for-profit bodies. Also, provider roles were deconcentrated to the minimum sized feasible sized agencies, allowing users to exit from one provider to another. These according to (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994), was for the purpose of better service delivery. According to (Polsby, 1984) in (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994), New Public Management can be influential in at least two modes based on past experience of organizational change. The first is the incubated mode when change ideas only come into effect in the long run and the acute innovation pattern, in which change programmes reach there peak early and break up soon after. However, New Public Management seems to be a mix of both modes. This may be as a result of New Public Management now been so omnipresent in public sector organizations that it hardly amounts to a distinctive change programme anymore (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994). As opined by (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994), New Public Management has proved a fairly durable and consistent agenda but according to McLaughlin, Osborne and Ferlie (2002), New Public Management may weaken the accountability of public services and the commitment of the community in the pursuit towards marketization. This has brought to the fore, the criticisms of New Public Management which fall into four groups. Though these four broad criticisms of New Public Management contradict themselves, some important lessons can be learnt from them. The fatalist critique of organizational change going by the position of (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994) is that the basic problems of public sector management which include system failure, human mistakes and corruption cannot be done away with, not even by New Public Management. Fatalists are of the opinion that there is really not much change going on in spite of new acronyms and control frameworks promoted by New Public Management and that the much talked about systems have failed. From the point of view of the individualist critique, New Public Management is somewhere between the traditional structure of public administration and a fully formed system which is based on enforceable contracts and the legal rights of individuals. Individualists see New Public Management as becoming a kind of replacement for fully individualized contract rights (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994). The hierarchist critique is that human beings have the ability to manage nature in a defined way but that care should be taken so that the process of change does not get out of hand thereby damaging the public sector. There worry is that as a result of the changes, the ethics of traditional public service will be removed together with the career concept and the redesign of public sector organizations (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994). The egalitarian critic is centered on the premise that problems could arise if concentration of organizational power and decision making are left with the elite because a large scale marketizing reform will increase the risks of corruption in the public service. This is because New Public Management emphasizes a management that is close to the customer, the decentralization of service delivery and giving clients a choice (Dunleavy and Hood, 1994). HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CHANGE IN THE NHS: According to Armstrong (2006), the nature of interaction between Human Resource Management and performance, and in particular the search for a definite and conclusive evidence of the positive impact of Human Resource Management on performance cannot be underestimated. The impact of the NHS Plan on the workforce has been expressed through the Human Resource in the NHS Plan which has formed the basis for the development of a variety of Human Resource Management policies focused on making the NHS a model employer and ensuring that the NHS provides a model career by offering a Skills Escalator, improving the morale of staff, and building people management skills led to the launching of a new workforce strategy by the middle of the decade. Human Resource Management systems and practices have a laid down framework which involves other organisational factors like structural arrangements. Based on this, Brown (2004) observed that while changes to the public sector over the last twenty have had a significant impact on employees of public sector organizations and the conditions under which employees work, limited thought has been given to the specific field of Human Resource Management research in relation to the public sector. In the UK which is the focus of this study, government has placed a high importance on the value of strategic Human Resource Management in improving the delivery of healthcare reforms. Towards the achievement of this, local trusts of the NHS are encouraged to adopt a best business practice approach by, according to (Bach, 1994), engaging all staff through people management processes. This idea of Human Resource Management in the public sector establishes that Human Resource Management is a major infl uence in public sector change but theoretically, there has to be a scope for the Human Resource function within trusts to adopt a more strategic role within the New Public Management (Stock et al, 1994). According to (Corby, 1996) it should no longer be consigned to a reactive and administrative role, interpreting and applying national rules, and can be proactive. As opined by Barnett et al (1996) the Human Resource function within the NHS is characterised traditionally by low credibility, a narrow operational contribution and a peripheral position. According to (Brown, 2004), the bureaucratic and the management models of public sector operation and activity are compared to discern the ways in which employment and organizational issues are conceptualized in each model. The manner in which the institutional, policy, and organizational changes impact public sector employment and conditions of service are explored. Higher managerial objectives as posited by (Kramar, 1986) are achieved through effective Human Resource practices offered by adopting HRM principles. It can be argued then that the adoption of New Public Management has thrown the possibility of managers acquiring or developing sophisticated Human Resource Management techniques open. This is because New Public Management principles allows a more flexible and responsive approach to quest ions of recruitment, selection, retention, training and development of NHS employees. This is because according to (Tyson and Fell, 1992; Tyson, 1995; Storey, 1992; Ulrich, 1997), for Human Resource functions to play a strategic as opposed to a tactical or administrative role, it has to be distinguished by a focus on the long term, linking business and Human Resource strategic objectives and forward planning. The application of HRM principles within the public sector displaced the traditional model of personnel administration and was argued to have been introduced when the sector experienced a shift from a rule-bound culture to a performance-based culture (Shim, 2001) and paralleled the extensive public sector managerial restructuring and reform programme with the new models of HRM in the public sector highlighting the notion of human resources having the capacity to achieve performance outcomes in line with the strategic direction of the public sector organization (Gardner and Palmer, 1997). With particular reference to the UK, a number of distinctive features of public sector management include more attention to issues of health, safety and welfare of staff. Another feature is the tendency of public employment practices to be standardized, with workers performing similar tasks and also having the same terms and conditions regardless of their geographical spread, high levels of union den sity across public sector organizations (Winchester and Bach, 1995) and also the emphasis on staff development and equal opportunities typifies the State as a model employer (Farnham and Horton, 1992). According to (Truss 2003), there are currently some policies and management initiatives that are transforming the structure and organization of the NHS. The current role of Human Resource Management in the NHS, its status within the service, and its success as an effective function have become especially important at this time as opined by (Bach 2001, Clarke 2006).  Ã‚  As a result of these, the growing importance of the Human Resource function is particularly clear in situations where individual NHS trusts are granted greater financial and operational independence within the increasingly competitive, consumer driven market that the government is creating. This is in spite of the argument by some commentators that changes in the role and status of HRM in the public sector merely follow orientations developed in the private sector (Buchan 2000; Thomason 1990).  Ã‚  However, Human Resource practitioners within the NHS see it from a different perspective. According to them, the intr oduction of more efficient people management is an important and necessary development, one that is very important in an environment where people  are not only the service providers, but also the product and customer of healthcare services. A change in Human Resource functions was one of the reforms that took place in the NHS and its purpose was to cut through bureaucracy and red-tapism and ensure cost-efficiency and effectiveness in the system through a process of decentralization. Decentralization within the NHS was based on the NHS and Community Care Act of 1990. This Act created both the internal market and self governing trusts, and introduced a division and marketization of relations between health care providers and purchasers Lloyd (1997). Decentralization is the transfer of authority or responsibility for decision making, planning, management or resource allocation from government to its field units, administrative units, regional or functional authorities, private entities and non-governmental private or charity organizations. According to (Rondinelli and Cheema, 1983; Rondinelli et al., 1989; Hope, 2000; Sarker, 2003; Elliot and Bender 1997), decentralization acknowledges that for service provision to be effe ctive, different approaches must be adopted in various area of public sector and the necessity to construct pay structures to reflect these needs. In turn, this has resulted in both more diverse and more flexible pay arrangements. Consequently, the main advantage of decentralization and of delegated responsibility for pay is that it encourages, management to develop a reward strategy that is consistent with an agencys wider strategic goals. Delegating responsibility for pay to agencies may be viewed as a mechanism for stimulating agencies to develop an explicit and consistent set of strategic goals in order to satisfy their customers. The main aim of the decentralization process was to encourage trusts to determine pay locally. The central theme of the modernization pay reform was that it should be based on performance. The main thrust of the Agenda for Change within the NHS is the payment of employees based on their performance and as per their skills and knowledge. However, this was not only a new way of paying employees, it was developed to support and enable improvement for patients, employees and the organization. This according to (Department of Health, 2009), allowed for equality of pay, pay re-structuring and transparency. The Human Resource function was used to bring about this change in terms of job evaluation, harmonizing terms and conditions of service and through the knowledge and skills framework. PLANNED CHANGE: As a concept, the process of change starts with the awareness of a need for change. An analysis for the need for change and the factors that lead to it will now be an indicator of the direction in which action needs to be taken (Armstrong, 2006). Proponents of change management have proposed two forms of the process which are: planned and emergent. Planned change has dominated the theory and practice of change management over the last 50 years and is significantly based on the work of Kurt Lewin. This approach sees organisational change as a process that moves from one fixed state to another through a series of pre-planned steps, and can therefore be analysed by a construct such as Lewins (1951) Action Research model. Another planned approach to organisational change is Lewins (2003)Three-step model which describes the three learning stages of freezing; when one clings to what one knows, unfreezing; when one explores ideas, issues and approaches, and refreezing; the stage of identify ing, utilising and integrating values, attitudes and skills with those previously held and currently desired. This approach recognises that, before any new behaviour can be adopted successfully, the old one has to be made away with. Only then can the new behaviour be fully accepted. The organisational change that was carried out in the NHS embodies some of the characteristics of the planned model, defined by (Iles and Sutherland, 2001) as implementation of some known new state through the management of some form of transitional phase over a controlled period of time. This came about when politicians and health care professionals recognized some degree of change was necessary in the UK health sector in order to facilitate better healthcare delivery services. In response to the intention, government embarked on series of health program reforms to effect positive changes in the healthcare. Governments health reforms have concentrated on hospitals, but increasingly shifting their attention to NHS community services. Governments plan is to improve long term healthcare outcomes for individual patients while reducing the cost pressures on the system as a whole. Proposals include more outreach clinics, a regular healthcare checkup, and joined-up care plans. This plan of action by the government is based on a model that will make healthcare services affordable and closer to the patients. The governments proposals on change are aimed at the following: Bringing some specialties out of the hospital nearer to people, including dermatology, ear, nose and throat, orthopedics and gynecology would be achieved either through outreach clinics run by hospital consultants or specialist services provided for by GPs Introducing a new generation of community hospitals that will provide diagnostics, minor surgery, outpatient facilities and access to social services in one location Pilot a new NHS life check or health MoT from 2007 to assess peoples lifestyle risks, the right steps to take and provide referrals to specialists if needed The life check will be run on a two-stage basis with patients first filling in a paper-based or online self-assessment. If the assessments indicate the person is at significant risk of poor health for conditions such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease, the individual would then be given access to a health trainer who could advise about diet and exercise. If problems are more complex, patient would be referred to a GP or nurse Give patients a guarantee of registration on to a GP practice list in their locality and simplifying the system for doing this Introducing incentives to GP practices to offer opening times that respond to the needs of patients in their area Consideration was given to dual registration allowing patients to register with more than one GP but was thrown out because it would undermine the underlying principles of the family doctor system New responsibilities placed on local councils and the NHS to work together to provide joined up care plans for those who need them Supporting people to improve self care by trebling the investment in the Expert Patient Programme, which teaches patients with long-term illnesses, such as asthma and diabetes, how to control their condition Developing an information prescription for people with long-term health and social care needs and for their carers More support for carers, including improved emergency respite arrangements and the establishment of a national helpline for carers Extension of direct payments and piloting of individual budgets for social care to allow people to decide what their allocations are spent on Increasing the quantity and quality of primary care in under-served, deprived areas through a national procurement programme which would open the GP market to the private and voluntary sectors Encourage nurses and other health professionals, such as physios, to take on more responsibility Set up pilots to allow patients to self-refer themselves to professionals other than GPs, who currently act as gatekeepers to the NHS (www.news.bbc.co.uk) REFERNCES: Armstrong, M. C. (2006) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 10th Ed, London, Kogan Page. Bach, S. (2001) HR and New Approaches to Public Sector Management: Improving HRM Capacity. Workshop on Global Health Workforce Strategy, World Health Organization, Annecy, France. Brown, K. (2004) Human Resource Management in the Public Sector. Public Management Review, 6(3), pp 303-309. Buchanan, J. (2000) Health Sector Reform and Human Resources: Lessons from the United Kingdom. Health Policy and Planning, 15(3), pp 70-89. Clark, N. (2006) Why HR Policies fail to support workplace learning: The Complexities of Policy Implementation in Healthcare. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(1), pp 190-206. Department of Health. (2009) Agenda for Change. Dunleavy, P. and Hood, C. (1994) From Old Public Administration to New Public Administration: Public Money and Management, 14(3), pp 9-16. Lloyd, C. (1997) Decentralization in the NHS: Prospects for Workplace Unionism, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 35(3), pp 427-446. McLaughlin, K., Osborne, S. P, and Ferlie, E. (2002) New Public Management- Current Trends and Future Prospects, (EDs) Abingdon, Routledge. Thomason, G. F. (1990) Human Resource Strategies in the Health Sector. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1(3), pp173-194. Truss, C. (2003) Strategic HRM: Enablers and Constraints in the NHS: International Journal of Public Sector Management, 16(1), pp 48-60. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganization/Humanresourceandtraining/Modernizingpay/Agendaforchange/DH_424 (Accessed 19 April 2010) http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2002/08/feature/uk/0208103f.htm (Accessed 19 April 2010) http://www.healthcaresupply.org.uk/pdfs/hrinthenhsplan.pdf (Accessed 21 April 2010) http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/events/owt/10301 (Accessed 3 May 2010) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4662024.stm (Accessed 3 May 2010) KENECHUKWU O. AKABUA 0823583 MA HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HR 4062 HRM AND CHANGE.

The Misidentification of The Day We Were Dogs Essay -- Day We Were Dog

The Misidentification of The Day We Were Dogs      Ã‚   "The Day We Were Dogs," published in 1993 by Elena Garro, illustrates the common error of misidentification of Magical Realism. The fact that Garro is a Mexican author and that fantasy is so closely related to Magical Realism often causes the reader to associate this particular work with Magical Realism. However, this work also contains fantastic elements as well as sublime characteristics, which make it difficult to classify as a strictly Magical Realist work. As "The Day We Were Dogs" can be interpreted in so many different ways, the explanation of the details of the story become much more difficult. Are the two girls, Eva and Leli, pretending to be dogs or did they actually become dogs for a day? Each reader may have a different view of this important question, and this view may alter how he or she classifies this work. The short story does contain several magical elements and even fulfills several of the characteristics of Magical Realism as described by Faris. Should one assume the girls are actually in the canine form, one should notice that the girls are understood by the people around, even though Toni is not. The servants understand when the girls tell them to prepare lunch for three dogs. The men at the murder scene, as well, understand the "dogs" when they question what the dogs saw. This interspecies communication holds a magical aspect due to its nonoccurance in reality (Faris 167). The communication that exists between the "dogs" and Toni, another dog, one could understand. Toni communicates by some speech, but mostly by his actions. He bares his teeth during lunch so he might take the meat and, therefore, prove himself to be the head of the pecking ord... ...the story goes against its classification of Magical Realism in that hesitation occurs by both the reader and the characters. Where does one classify such a work? That answer truly depends upon one's own interpretation and opinion. Works Cited Faris, Wendy B. "Scheherazade's Children: Magical Realism and Postmodern Fiction." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 163-190. Garro, Elena. "The Day We Were Dogs." Latin American Writers: Thirty Short Stories. Ed. Gabriella Ibieta. New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, 1993: 206-212. Simpkins, Scott. "Sources of Magical Realism/ Supplements to Realism in Contemporary Latin American Literature." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 145-159.   

Pride and Prejudice Essay

   When Elizabeth refuses to say whether or not she is engaged to Darcy, Lady Catherine says, ‘Obstinate, headstrong girl! †¦ Is this your gratitude for my intentions last spring? ‘ (p294) From this quote, we can see that Austen believes that people of the aristocracy do not expect to be disobeyed. Mr. Collins is a prime example of how Lady Catherine expects people who are below her social status to act around her. He is eager to please and show off, as discussed earlier; he is proud of his dealings with Lady Catherine. He may be eager to please many above his social status, but conveys hate upon those whom he is even related to. Mrs. Bennet is torn between revulsion for him (not because of his character, but because the house is entailed to him) and liking him as a potential husband for one of her daughters, so that the house will be entailed to them if Mr. Bennet dies. ‘My cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases. ‘ Mr. Collins also has the desire to do things ‘properly,’ the fortunate chance of him meeting Lady Catherine when life in Hunsford became vacant, resulted in a good house. He also obtained a sufficient income due to being a clergyman traditionally, as he is the second son of the family. With his good house and income he chooses to seek a wife from one of the Bennet daughters as it would prevent the family from being thrown out of the house once Mr. Bennet passes away. This displeases Austen as Mr. Collins is choosing to marry for business rather than love and soon concludes this business by proposing to Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s refusal of marriage is because she simply didn’t love him. ‘You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last women in the world who would make you so. ‘ (p90) Austen presents her thoughts of marriage through her main character Elizabeth. This forces Mr. Collins to look elsewhere and when Charlotte Lucas accepts his proposal of marriage, Elizabeth is shocked because of Charlotte’s reasons for accepting him. ‘I am not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. ‘ Austen disapproves of Charlottes actions as Charlotte is marrying for money rather than love, which Austen is against. The Bingley sisters are the most prominent of the characters. Caroline, although bright, is proud and prejudiced in her reactions to the Bennets, particularly Jane and Elizabeth. ‘†¦.. Her jealousy and dislike of one sister much exceeded her affection for the other. ‘ They are introduced in the novel when Mr. Bingley arrives in Netherfield. They are very proud and consider themselves to be people to aspire to, but are highly sarcastic and condescending towards Elizabeth. ‘I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild. ‘ (P. 28) From this quote, we can see that characters such as these do not expect to be at all associated with characters such as Elizabeth and because of this, Austen condemns them using sharp wit and satire. Miss Bingley soon observes and suspects enough tension between Elizabeth and Darcy to become jealous and feels that Elizabeth isn’t fit for Darcy because of her parents and the fact that she has no connections. On the other hand, Darcy thinks nothing of Miss Bingley’s comments and calls Elizabeth ‘the most handsome girl. ‘ An opinion that has changed since the first ball. This quote shows that there is no reason for Darcy to be fond of Elizabeth other than love. In the first few chapters Miss Bingley is assumed to be Jane’s friend but as Jane and Mr. Bingley become more infatuated and Miss Bingley realizes Mr. Bingley’s intentions, she becomes rude to Jane by keeping her away from Mr. Bingley and compelling him to go to London. Miss Bingley’s expectation that Darcy will find her flirting irresistible shows how shallow she is compared to Elizabeth, whose calm, demeanor amid the sniping at Pemberley sets her apart from the other women. ‘Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the-shire militia removed from Meryton? They must be great loss to your family. ‘ Mrs. Bennet is almost certainly the most earsplitting character of them all with the fact that she is honest enough to give her thoughts and opinions about anyone that displeases her. She is by no means a model for her daughters and throughout the novel, Mrs. Bennet herself is a social embarrassment, shallow and snobbish. She clutches at her lost youth through indulging Lydia and Kitty and is concerned more with marrying her daughters into money, than because they are in love. ‘Of having another daughter married to Mr. Collins, she thought with equal certainty, and with considerable, though not equal pleasure. ‘ This quote shows how Mrs. Bennet ranks Elizabeth as her least favorite child due to Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins marriage proposal. Mrs. Bennet married above her position in society to Mr. Bennet. She is in juxtaposition with him and their marriage is an illustration of what may well happen between Lydia and Wickham. When Lydia leaves with Wickham, Mrs. Bennet becomes extremely immature and stays in her room until the entire problem is resolved. ‘Why did the Forsters ever let her go out of their sight†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. I always thought they were very unfit to have the charge of her; but I was over-ruled, as I always am. ‘ (p. 235) This quote shows how Mrs. Bennet blames every person who had any part in this and feels that she is the victim in this. When Mrs. Bennet discovers that Lydia is to get married, her ill thoughts of everything and mainly Wickham become violent forms of delight. ‘This is delightful indeed! -She will be married! -I shall see her again! -She will be married at sixteen! ‘ This quote shows Mrs. Bennet to have inappropriate behaviour as everyone else is still in shock about what has happened but she proceeds from being the worst effected to the most excited. In conclusion the novel reveals rewarding depths of comedy and irony as well as leaving us fulfilled and contented, rather than miserable and frustrated at the end. In the end Elizabeth and Darcy change and lose their pride about their positions but the satirical characters don’t because they are either high up in social status or they have married financially rather than for love and so preserve their pride. I think Austen’s satire is effective when using characters such Mr. Collins and his proposal to Elizabeth which brings her ‘so near laughing that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him farther’ Sefket Birdane Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

American Economy essays

American Economy essays The American economy has been in a recession since March, which is troublesome. The recession was declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research, and there is pessimism as well as optimism regarding this national issue. The gloomy idea is that a recovery will not occur soon. The positive view is that revitalization in the economy will transpire promptly, yet this observation is disproven by a Federal Reserve study shows that in twelve Reserve districts the slowdowns outweigh recovery. A definite answer to predict the outcome does not exist, but there are factors of GDP, which can be observed to calculate what may happen in the American economy. These range from government spending, private investment expenditures, consumer expenditures, and net exports. Consumer spending is dropping rapidly over twenty percent yearly. During a economic boom in the 1990s, consumer expenditures reached over 1.4 trillion dollars, and is presently declining more rapidly in the National Association of Purchasing Managers price index. Technology sector purchases have deteriorated at forty percent, and low-technology acquisitions have dropped with equal misfortune. Factorial productivity has decreased for the longest phase since the 1930s. As a result, business profits have sunk up to 52 percent in the second quarter, and this is the largest drop in over two decades. Since businesses are suffering, workers are experiencing fewer benefits from Consumers work fewer hours, collect diminutive bonuses, and endure lower salaries as a result of corporate, financial weakness. The menacing fear of losing jobs prevents consumers is the largest factor which dictates end users financial activities. As companies continue to shutdown facilities and reduce the number of employees, the less the consumer is willing to spend. Unemployment rates are increasing, and will peak seven percent in the near future. Another factor ...