The Effects Of Pollution On Human Health - 2210 Words

Around the world, 780 million people do not have access to clean water; an abundant percentage of this comes from pollution by humans (Facts and Figures). Water pollution is a significant problem for the environment, the wildlife, and human health. Furthermore, air pollution destroys the ozone layer which may continue to allow ultraviolet (UV) lights to touch the Earth’s surface destroying the world even more. Acid rain, being a harmful substance to not only humans but the environment as well, releases harmful chemicals that affect human health and forests. Forest pollution is a enormous issue in today s society; 31% percent of the Earth is covered by forests, yet humans continue to destroy forests everyday (Deforestation). Forests are a vital source of oxygen for the world and the percentage of forests continue to decrease. The actions of humans continuously put out pollutants that are harmful to humans, wildlife, and inclusively, the world and if the processes of pollution are not controlled, the whole world will come crumbling down. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), dirty water is one of the world’s biggest health issues; this is due to the runoff of rain into a clean water source. Drinking dirty water kills approximately 50 people worldwide every year (Water Pollution). There are two sources of pollution: Point Sources are natural causes, like runoff or acid rain. When it rains, the water is carried down onto roofs, sidewalks, and multipleShow MoreRelatedPollution And Its Effect On Human Health1776 Words   |  8 PagesPollution is a widespread issue, affecting every part of the world mercilessly. Pollution’s main target is human health. It can impact human health in many ways as the forms of pollution are nearly endless and ever-present. Pollution is versatile and has many categories and subcategories as well as impacting everything around us. The air we breathe, the soil where our food is grown, and the wate r we drink are all possible and current candidates of pollution. These types of pollution all fall underRead MoreEffects Of Air Pollution On Human Health1319 Words   |  6 PagesCareful What You Breathe In: Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health The idea that we, as a global community, are destroying the very earth we commonly share is something that takes time for people to fully understand. It takes research and a open mind to be knowledgeable about the environmental issues the human race is causing to planet earth, as well as the issues that it is causes to our personal health. Air pollution is a large problem that exists in the United States. However, the challengeRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Human Health850 Words   |  4 Pagesincreasing, so does pollution. The debate associated with this contamination on the environment has to do with how much should be done to stop pollution, and whether or not this is a serious enough issue to be concerned with. Well, this issue should disturb people. The most frightening point about it is that these poisonous impurities infect the Earth in multiple forms, including air pollution and water pollution. The value of Earth is incomparable, and the presence of pollution dev aluing it needsRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Human Health1874 Words   |  8 PagesAIR POLLUTION Do you know 3.3 million people die each year due to air pollution? According to Borenstein, â€Å"Air pollution kills more than HIV and malaria combined.† Both of these diseases have caused worry from many people. How come people do not seem as worried about air pollution? In a study conducted by Harvard University, they found that â€Å"the yearly death total will double to about 6.6 million a year by 2050† because of air pollution. Something needs to be done in order to control air pollutionRead MoreThe Effects Of Oil Pollution On Human Health Essay2230 Words   |  9 PagesEvery year, about one million tons of oil are lost at sea (Blumer 2). Oil pollution is a frequent occurrence, haunting the Earth, due to society’s high usage of oil-based technology (Blumer 3). It can occur after ship accidents or because of leaking pipes. The pollution can be determined by simply seeing it or by using satellites or radars to locate it (Brekke and Solberg 2). Research done on oil pollution is diverse as oil effects various things in multiple ways. While most of the research presentedRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Human Health Essay1381 Words   |  6 PagesObjectives 1. To establish the definition of air pollution and pollutants and determine their chemical nature. 2. To identify the causes of Air pollution 3. To define air pollution in India with respect to law as stated in the Indian Constitution. 4. To describe the Supreme Court interjection due to Delhi’s pollution and its results. 5. To assess the air pollution level in Delhi and compare the levels before and after Diwali 6. To find the level of pollution caused by different sources and the data supportingRead MoreEffects Of Outdoor Air Pollution And Its Effects On Human Health1405 Words   |  6 Pagesquality due to outdoor air pollution and its’ effects on human health. I have examined numerous documents, learning about the anthropogenic causes of the air pollution in addition to studying the hazards the contaminated air presents to the public, particularly in urban areas. I have created a policy that I believe directly addresses the current needs of the atmosphere in order to continue to reduce the amount of pollution in the air we breathe, in turn improving our overall health. Looking back on theRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Human Health And / Or The Environment Essay1780 Words   |  8 PagesAir pollution refers to a â€Å"broad range of contaminates† (Brimblecombe Atkins, 2013, p.20) found in the atmosphere that are harmful to human health and/or the environment. While air pollution can, at its most simplistic, be defined as â€Å"any input of chemical, aerosol, or particulate† (Blauvelt Gates, 2011, p. 17) found to be deleterious and airborne, the term can be subdivided in many ways by source, components, and mode of formation. (Blauvelt Gates, 2011, p. 17) Typically, an essential distinctionRead MoreThe Effect Of Pollution Of Waterways On Human Health1501 Words   |  7 Pagesphase†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦17 Figure 5:-Completed phase†¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.20 â€Æ' ABSTRACT Water sources are susceptible to bacterial contamination from animal and human pollution sources. Pollution of waterways has significant implications on human health, especially from a pathogen perspective. Strategies are used to minimize pollution and the impact on human health. However, these methods can be limited by sensitivity, quantification, geographical differences and issues of cost which can limit how many markersRead MoreThe Effects Of Light Pollution On Human And Wildlife Health Essay2085 Words   |  9 Pagesresearchers, and naturalists agree that light pollution is one of the most rapidly growing and widespread forms of environmental pollution. More scientific research are suggesting that light pollution can have lasting adverse effects on both human and wildlife health [2]. Light pollution is a problem when it comes to simply seeing stars in the sky. We would light to focus on street lights for our task because street lights are a large contributor to light pollution and it can be argued that they are needed

What Everybody Dislikes About Toefl Essay Topics 2018 and Why

What Everybody Dislikes About Toefl Essay Topics 2018 and Why The New Angle On Toefl Essay Topics 2018 Just Released Questions are a standard method of getting interest, together with evocative language or a strong statistic Don't assume your audience is already knowledgeable about your topic. Make sure you realize the subject, the procedure, or the difference for each eplanations. Giving an explanation may also be called Making an Argument in some instances. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion isn't necessary to come to the proper answer. You don't have to have much specific knowledge on any topic to be successful. You have to write just on the topic that's assigned to you. The topic is going to be a comprehensive surprise. In our website the topics are grouped in accordance with their type. Sentences 2-3 describe the very first cause. To state your principal point, your very last sentence in the very first paragraph is important. Folks take part in plenty of distinct actions to preserve their wellness. People dwelling in the 21st century are enjoying better quality of life in comparison to folks who lived in the past centuries. They should sometimes do things that they do not enjoy doing. It's important the top choice doesn't hamper the capability of the student to make an intriguing piece. Other men and women firmly think that being taught by a teacher is always the best thing. Therefore, among the lowest scores students may receive is for missing the topic. All parents ought to be asked to volunteer t ime to their sons' and daughters' schools. Ok, I Think I Understand Toefl Essay Topics 2018, Now Tell Me About Toefl Essay Topics 2018! Some individuals would like to have the government to spend more cash for looking life on other planets, however others think that it is waste of public money whenever there are a lot of problems on earth that the government ought to be solving. With the aid of technology, life is easier today than previously. Some individuals feel your community would be a very good place to track down the university. The best method to fix environmental problems due to consumer-generated waste is for towns and cities to impose strict limits on the total amount of trash they'll accept from every household. As you pay for homework, we provide those options at no cost. Just like the Reading section, the lectures will concentrate on something to do with academia, but the test-taker doesn't need a prior understanding of the material in order to obtain the ideal a nswer. It is possible to also practice brainstorming or planning reasons even if it's the case that you don't compose a comprehensive reaction. Other people think that such competition seriously limits the standard of authentic learning. You may be asked to compose an essay about technology, education, media, family members, or another subject. Honest, dedicated practice is considerably more useful and potent. GST regime that was planned to raise the pace of financial growth is at present roadblocks to different stakeholders. One of the most difficult sections to prep for on the TOEFL may be the essay. TOEFL is among both major English-language tests in the Earth, the other being the IELTS. Eventually, you will want to have a comprehensive TOEFL practice examit's the only means to be fully ready for the TOEFL. The TOEFL Test is currently predominately an iBT, although the paper-based may continue to be available in some places. You shouldn't utilize statistics since you won't be in a position to research during the exam. Fortunately, you don't will need to come in the TOEFL with a prior comprehension of the topic at hand as a way to find the most suitable answer. This list of questions appears right on the TOEFL practice website and might show up on your true TOEFL writing test. These topics may show up on your actual TOEFL. Then take a look at a list of argumentative essay advice to help you begin. As tempting as it might appear to skip past the extra info and go right to the list of persuasive essay topics, don't do it. Take a look at this list of SAT essay prompts that will help you kickstart your studying! This guide to writing a college essay is a huge method to begin on your essay organizing journey! The conventional five-paragraph essay is normal in writing argumentative essays, but it's only one approach to write one. PaperCoach will be able to help you with all your papers, so take a look at this time! Don't immediately begin writing.

Critical Evaluation Report on Effect of Skin Glue †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Critical Evaluation Report on Effect of Skin Glue. Answer: Structuring the Study Their mention about the study by Limm (2013) stating 80% of hospitalized patients requiring PIVC insertion among which 33% to 69% of them fails due to infections, phlebitis, occlusions and dislodgment is adequate (Marsh, 2015). Their mention about the effect of skin glue in securing central-venous, peripheral-arterial and epidural catheters as compared to the standard dressings; clearly support this study (Edwards, 2014). The authors have clearly shown their motive for this research study by quoting that there is no quality evidence in skin securement as well as there is uncertainty in practicing best methods to secure peripheral intravenous catheters and hence they have proposed this study. They have mentioned most current, relevant, comprehensive and recent citations (except few). There are no evidences to describe about the effect of skin glue as compared to other securing methods. Moreover, they have only mentioned about the effect of skin glue in minimizing infection (Simonova, 2012) but not about its effect in reducing occlusions, infections and dislodgment. The researchers have used one-site, two-arm and Randomized-Controlled trail to randomize 360 adult patients with 380 PIVC through randomizer clinical-trial software to allot them to both the groups in a ratio of 1:1 (without blocking or masking). In this study, the standard (control) group was given with standard catheter care (PIVC securement with poly-urethane material) whereas the skin glue (experimental) group was kept with one drop of (cyanoacrylate) skin glue both at the PIVC insertion site and catheters hub to adhere the catheter in patients skin along with PIVC tape and dressing as per standard-care guidelines of Queensland (2015) an was analyzed both primary and secondary outcomes. They have given a logical scientific hypothesis that follows the original problem of the study as the application of skin glue in the PIVC inserted site in ED would decrease its failure at 48 hours. They have demon strated their interest in examining the relationships between skin glue and PIVC failure rate. Sample Their description of sample is clear. Trained ED research nurses (1 of 3) have determined 360 samples having 380 PIVCs for 16 hours/day for one week through randomization by software and determined 195 samples in standard-care group and 185 in skin-glue group. They have included the samples with age (18) having patent PIVC in upper extremities- inserted by physicians/nurses (ED) in intact skin. They have selected patients who have signed written informed-consent (Richard, 2012). The research nurses have selected the participants with patent PIVC line by infusing 10 ml of 0.9% normal saline solution. They have excluded the patients with known allergies to securement materials, presence of infection, phlebitis (upper extremities), venous-thrombosis and patients prone for PIVCs removal (semi-conscious/agitated patients) and people who doesnt know English; without interpreters. Data collection They have collected data by using a questionnaire for primary and secondary outcomes by 1 of 3 research nurses. They have collected basic-demographic and possible-confounder data from the samples at enrollment with characteristics as age, sex, intake of medications (immuno-suppressant, antibiotics, and anticoagulants), no. of PIVC insertions, limb of insertion, physicians/nurse inserted PIVC, gauge-size of PIVC and time between PIVC insertion and interventional and follow-up time. They have selected few patients with multiple-devices yet has analysed their first inserted PIVC. They have assessed the primary-outcomes through directly visualizing (in-patients) or assessing through telephoning (discharged patients) at 48/more hours with characteristics as site-infection with cellulitis and/or pus, phlebitis with pain, tenderness, swelling/redness, occlusions, accidental removal/dislodgement of PIVC with extravasations (OGrady, 2011). They have assessed the secondary outcomes with indivi dual aspects of PIVC failure through direct-visualization, chart-reviewable with standardized-questionnaire. They have appropriately discussed about data collection. They have not given about the origin of study-instruments but mentioned about their reference in study by Rickard (2012). They have collected data through self-framed questionnaire. They have concisely discussed about the study-instruments but the method by which they graded the secondary outcomes was not given. There is no evidence for their validity and reliability assessment for the measurement instruments in the research text. They have not discussed about the ethical issues but only given about the financial issues. Data Analysis The follow-up was adequate to make the results credible as they have excluded the outcome data of patients those who have loosed during follow- up. There was minimal follow- up loss with only 5 lost in standard-care and 6 in skin-glue group with 2.8%/PIVC and 0.83%/ patient loss that is equal in both groups. In addition to that, their data analyses with differences in outcomes at 95%-CI with the statistical significance at a level of p0.05 was appropriate. Blinding is the process by which the study samples, researchers or interventional agents should be prevented from having information that may cause bias (Polit, 2016). They could not blind or mask the samples as well as research nurses after allocation due to the nature of this intervention with same glue colour and appearance both at the experimental and follow-up time (Richard, 2012). The data analysis of primary outcomes with failure rate of PIVC at 48 or more hours shows that the difference between the standard securement as we ll as the skin glue groups was found to be statistically significant at 95%-CI18 to 2%; p=0.02. The data analysis of secondary outcomes shows that the difference in catheter-dislodgement between standard and skin glue groups was statistically significant at 95% CI13 to 0%; p=0.04. The rate of phlebitis was noted to be reduced in skin glue as compared to standard group at 95%-CI 5% to 3% indicating that there is no statistical significance between these groups. The rate of occlusion was identified to be lowered in skin glue patients at 95% CI8 to 4% than standard securement group depicting lack of statistical significance whereas infection rate is nil both groups. In this study, inferential statistics was adopted which suggests the applicability of study results in larger population (Polit, 2016). They have employed both types of inferential statistics with p- as well as point estimation in this study. The primary data analysis shows that the PIVC failure rate was statistically lower ed in the skin glue group than standard securement group suggesting that the difference between both groups were statistically significant at p0.05 level and hence statistical hypothesis was accepted. The secondary data analysis shows that the PIVC failure rate due to dislodgement was low in skin glue as compared to standard group suggesting that the difference is statistically significant (p0.05) indicating that the hypothesis is accepted. Phlebitis and occlusion percentage was found to be lowered in skin glue group but not statistically significant while the infection rate was nil in both groups. Findings The study findings were expected with adequate informations in judging the results. They have clearly and completely stated their findings with percentages and dialogues in the text.The findings suggests that the failure rate of PIVC at 48 or more hours was statistically (10%) reduced in skin glue patients (17%) than that of standard securement patients (27%) at 95% CI 18% to 2%; p=.02. and the incidence of dislodgement was lowered (7%) in skin glue (7.0%) than standard securement group (14%) at 95% CI 13% to 0 (HospiMedica, 2016). Phlebitis and PIVC occlusions were found to be lowered in skin glue than standard group but not statistically significant and the infection rate was nil (0%) in both skin glue and standard securement group (Bausone-Gazda, 2010). The per-patient analysis of skin glue (n=170) and standard (n=179) groups indicates that the PIVC failure rate at 48 hours or more was noted to be 31 and 52 respectively. The PIVC failure rate of secondary outcomes by infection was 0 Vs 0, phlebitis was 9 Vs 5, occlusion was 20 Vs 14 and dislodgement was 25 Vs 12. These findings ensure that the application of skin glue with standard securement could minimize PIVC failure rate. The study findings could not be generalized to other settings as it was conducted only in ED and local-cultured patients. Its limitations include lack of description about the usage of 50% dextrose, potassium chloride, sclerotics, number of accesses of PIVC, lack of dwell time, etc which could be an important determinant in analyzing the failure rate. More than half of the patients in both the groups were discharged before 48 hours and hence they have collected informations about features of failure through telephone callings at home which may modify the results from that of in-patient through direct-visualization. They have mentioned that a cost-benefit analyses will done in the future to analyze the skin glue cost (Chico-Padron, 2011). They summarized that the skin glue could be appli ed to the insertion site of PIVC in ED so as to avoid its failure rate. They didnt mention about allowing others to conduct similar study. Conclusion They concluded that mostly, this is the first Randomized- controlled trial study that has been proposed to investigate the usage of skin glue with standard securement methods that helps to adhere PIVC in the skin of emergency patients. The failure rate of PIVC in the standard securement group with 28% was supported by the study conducted by Marsh in 2015. The researchers suggest that the skin glue securement could be used along with standard catheter care guidelines (2015) to reduce failure rate. Further the application of skin glue is simple and easy. This reduction in failure rare will minimize cost, money and effort of the patients and staffs and also avoids sepsis, which occurs in almost 0.1% of PIVC failure cases that costs their life (Stuart, 2013). Relevance to nursing practice Nurses have to constantly work to get solutions, choices as well as outcomes for clients care. They have to develop best evidence based knowledge in the worldwide to continuously promote and enhance nursing care. The Nurses with Midwives councils of most of the countries incorporates promoting nursing as well as research based on the contemporary practices with and educational developments in their objective. Moreover, as the nurses are the primary care takers of all the patients in the clinical and community settings of all age groups, they have to be well-versed in the contemporary practices of nursing care. The nurses have to analyze the best evidences available in the research studies so as to utilize in their clinical practice (ANA, 2010). As the science and technology advances, the nurses have to adopt the newer styles of nursing care to the patients so as to provide a quality of care to the patients. The nurses have to provide a quality care in accordance to ethical principles by inculcating some benefit to the patients rather than harm (Polit, 2016). The nurses should play a great role in preventing diseases and promoting health of the people which illustrates that the nursing practice should not inculcate harm to the people (ICN, 2010). The above study describes the clear and adequate finding about the application of skin glue along with a standard catheter care in the insertion site of PIVC to avoid failure of PIVC. As the nurses have prime responsibility in inserting PIVC (80%) in hospitalized patients and most of the insertions are made in the ED, they should also be efficient in securing PIVCs from failure (Limm, 2013, Marsh, 2015). The nurses have to develop the professional knowledge with competence by rendering nursing care based on the recent evidence and provide best practice that is applicable as well as available with validated research. As these study findings are also supported by other studies and is also published in Annals, the nurses can use skin glue to secure PIVCs with standard care by Queensland (2015). The nurses should be expertise in protecting clients from PIVC failure (phelibitis, infections, dislodgement and/or occlusions) (Rebelem, 2016). PIVC failure often disrupts the administration of therapies as hydration therapy, antibiotic and analgesia. It also increases health-care cost, anxiety, depressiveness and discomfort to the patient (reinsertion) affecting the patients value adversely (Stuart, 2013). Moreover, it increases the health-care system costs including increased staffing time, consumables, prolonged length of hospital stay with adverse- event management, PIVC complications, PIVC complication funding- penalties and clients complaint and satisfaction-based costs. Therefore, the nurses should secure PIVCs with skin glue based on this evidence to protect patents values and promote their comfort. References ACEP. (2016). Annals of Emergency Medicine: American college of Emergency- Physicians. Retrieved from https://www.acep.org/annals ANA. (2010). What is nursing?. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/Especially ForYou/StudentNurses/ What is nursingaspx Aveyard, H. (2010).Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide (second edition). Open University Press: Berkshire, England. Baker, K. (2014). How to make critiquing easy: The Royal College of Midwives. Retrieved from https://www.rcm.org.uk/news-views-and-analysis/analysis/how-to%E2%80%A6-make-critiquing-easy Bausone-Gazda, D et al. (2010). A randomized controlled trial to compare the complications of 2 peripheral intravenous catheter-stabilization systems: J Infus Nurs. 33: 37184. Chico-Padron, R.M et al. (2011). Comparative safety and costs of transparent versus gauze wound dressings in intravenous catheterization: J Nurs Care Qual. 26: 37176. Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). (2010).The CONSORT statement.Retrieved from www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/overview0/ Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). (2010). Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Retrieved fromwww.casp-uk.net/ Edwards, M et al. (2014). A pilot trial of bordered polyurethane dressings, tissue adhesive and sutureless devices compared with standard polyurethane dressings for securing short term arterial catheters: Critical Care Resusc. 16:175-183. Greenhalgh, T. (2010).How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell/BMJ Books: Oxford. HospiMedica. (2016). IV Drip Failure Reduced by Skin Glue Application. Retrieved from https://www.hospimedica.com/critical-care/articles/294767305/iv-drip-failure-reduced-by-skin-glue-application.html ICN (2010). The ICN definition of Nursing. Retrieved fromvhttps://www.ich.in/definition.htm Limm, E.I et al. (2013). Half of all peripheral intravenous lines in an Australian tertiary emergency department are unused: pain with no gain?: Ann Emerg Med. 62:521-525. Marsh, N. (2015). Devices and dressings to secure peripheral venous catheters to prevent complications [review]: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 6:CD011070. OGrady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al. Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clin Infect Dis 2011; 52: e16293. Polit, D.F Beck, C.T. (2016). Nursing Research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Lippincott Williams Wilkins: New Delhi. Queensland Government Department of Health. (2015). Centre for Healthcare Related Infection Surveillance and Prevention, Queensland Government Department of Health, Australia: Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) guideline. Retrieved from https://www.health.qld.gov.au/publications/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/governance/icare-pivc-guideline.pdf. Rebelem. (2016). Should We Use Skin Glue to Secure Peripheral IVs: R.E.B.E.L. E.M. Retrieved from https://rebelem.com/should-we-use-skin-glue-to-secure-peripheral-ivs/ Simonova, G et al. (2012). Cyanoacrylate tissue adhesiveseffective securement technique for intravascular catheters: in vitro testing of safety and feasibility: Anaesth Intensive Care. 40:460-466. Stuart, R.L et al. (2013). Peripheral intravenous catheterassociated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: more than 5 years of prospective data from two tertiary health services: Med J Aust. 198:551-553.

Book Report/Character Analysis on the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck Essay Example

Book Report/Character Analysis on the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck Paper - The Acts of King Arthur and His - Noble Knights - - By John Steinbeck - Part One: Plot The first section of the book is entitled Merlin. The story begins by telling how Arthur came to be born and then flows into the life of Arthur. When Arthur is in his earlier years, God brings about a sword driven into an anvil set in stone. The gold writing on the stone claims that only the person meant to be King of England by right of birth shall be able to pull it out of the stone’s death grip. Many knights try to pull the sword from the stone, but all end up with nothing but tired hands. One day Arthur rides over to the divine sword with the intention of delivering it to his brother. Arthur walks up, grasps the sword by the handle, and easily and fiercely draws it from the anvil and the stone. Shortly after that Arthur is declared the King of England. Many people are jealous and doubt his right to rule, but there are also many who are happy for the young fellow. We will write a custom essay sample on Book Report/Character Analysis on the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Book Report/Character Analysis on the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Book Report/Character Analysis on the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer With the help of Merlin, Arthur grows up to be a magnificent king, righting wrongs and restoring peace to his kingdom. Some form of war is always occurring, and through Merlin’s guidance and prophesy Arthur is able to win many battles and become a highly respected king throughout the land. It is also in this first section that the ideas and rules of chivalry and knighthood are established; honor is very important to every knight, along with showing mercy when it is asked for and fighting for the rights of all ladies. It is clear that there is no central form of law enforcement during the time of King Arthur. Each knight can kill another knight with no fear of punishment as long as the death is the result of an agreed joust or sword fight. Later in the story Arthur realizes that a central government will eventually be necessary, but he does not think twice upon the matter. Towards the earlier period of Arthur’s rule, Merlin takes Arthur to the Lady of the Lake. She gives Arthur a sword, Excalibur, along with a magical scabbard that protects the wearer from any loss of blood. In return, Arthur must agree to grant her a favor which she will ask of him at a future date. Arthur agrees and takes his new possessions back to Camelot. Shortly after, Merlin prophesizes that Arthur’s son, Mordred, will grow up to destroy Arthur. Upon hearing of this, Arthur ships baby Mordred out to sea, unaware that the boat would wash back to shore and that Mordred would be cared for and raised by a man and his wife. The second section is entitled The Knight With Two Swords. A damsel comes into King Arthur’s court bearing a noble sword, claiming only the most brave and honorable of a man can take it from her grasp. She also requires that the man be of noble blood and of good repute. Arthur, along with many other great and honorable knights, attempt but fail to take it from her hold. Sir Balin, who had been held prisoner for six months, asked for a try at the sword. He is poorly dressed, and she is reluctant to let him try. Sir Balin draws the sword effortlessly and all around him are astonished. The damsel asks for the sword back, but Balin refuses, saying he will not give it up until someone takes it from him by force. She says that if he keeps it, Balin will use it to kill his best friend and the man he loves most in the world. Balin asks permission of the King to leave, and although Arthur does not approve of Balin’s choice, he grants him his request, only asking that he not be gone for too long. The Lady of the Lake shows up to Arthur’s court just before Balin leaves. She reminds Arthur of the favor he promised her in the past. Arthur hasn’t forgotten and tells her to go ahead and ask her favor. The Lady of the Lake asks for the heads of Balin and the damsel who brought the sword. Arthur refuses the request, thinking it atrocious. At this point Balin remembers that the Lady of the Lake killed his mother three years prior. Balin then makes his way over to the Lady of the Lake and cuts her head off with his sword. Arthur is disgusted with Balin’s rash act and banishes him from the court. Determined to prove himself, Balin sets off to kill Arthur’s enemy at the time, Lord Royns. Along the journey, Balin meets up with his brother, Balan. Together they are able to capture Lord Royns and send him back to Camelot as a prisoner. Along their journey Balin unintentionally causes the death of many, just as the damsel had foretold. The brothers eventually end up going separate ways and later reunite in a most unfortunate fashion. The two are forced to fight one another, although until they have both fatally wounded one another, neither one knew that they were brothers. They are considered two of the best knights in history. The third section of the book is entitled The Wedding of King Arthur. At this point in the story, Arthur gets married to a fine lady by the name of Guinevere. Merlin predicts Guinevere will be unfaithful to him with his dearest and most trusted friend. Arthur brushes off Merlin’s predictions, thinking them to surely be a mistake. Around the time of the wedding, Arthur comes to possess the Round Table, around which 150 of the world’s greatest knights shall someday sit. One hundred superb knights are given as a gift along with the Round Table, and Arthur knows he must fill the remaining fifty spots with his own choice of knights. While the festivities are taking place, a white stag bounds in and causes a great disruption. One knight also comes and takes a dog away from the court, and another man comes and takes away an unwilling lady. Arthur sends Sir Gawain after the stag, Sir Torre to retrieve the dog, and Sir Pellinore to seek out the lady and bring her back. Sir Gawain sets out on the chase for the stag, fighting numerous knights along the way, and eventually kills the stag. During one of his battles with another knight, Gawain slays an innocent lady. Upon returning to Camelot and telling of his quest, Guinevere commands Gawain to serve and defend ladies for all his life as a punishment for his crime. Sir Torre sets out on his quest and is immediately confronted by a dwarf, who demands that Sir Torre to fight a certain two knights before proceeding. Sir Torre defeats them both and sends them back to be Arthur’s prisoners. After a bit of questioning, Sir Torre learns that the dwarf can lead him to the whereabouts of the missing dog. Stealing the dog from a sleeping lady, Sir Torre ventures back towards Camelot. Before he can make it home, however, a knight appears claiming to be of service of the lady whose dog was stolen in her sleep. Sir Torre kills him and returns to Camelot. Arthur is pleased with Sir Torre and rewards him with an earldom of lands and a place of honor in the court. Sir Pellinore sets out after the lady, and shortly after arrives at a damsel holding a wounded knight in her arms. He considers helping them, but then decides against it, for it is not on the mission agenda. Shortly after he passes them, the damsel slays herself in despair of the death of her knight. Within a short while Pellinore comes across two knights fighting for the lady. He kills one of them and leaves the other alive, for mercy was asked of Pellinore. Sir Pellinore picks up the lady and together they ride back towards Camelot. Eventually they come to the place where the damsel and the wounded knight once sat, only to discover that their bodies—save their heads—had been torn to pieces by wild beasts. Pellinore is deeply hurt by what he sees and immediately rides back to tell Arthur and Guinevere of the awful doings. Upon hearing Pellinore’s story, the King and Queen are not happy in the least. Merlin reveals that the girl left to die was Pellinore’s own daughter, and the knight was a good man. Merlin also prophesizes that Pellinore’s best friend will fail him in time of greatest need. And so ends the wedding of King Arthur. The fourth section of the book is entitled The Death of Merlin. Merlin foresees how his death will be and realizes it to be a foolish way to die— a death caused by the lady Sir Pellinore brought back from his quest, Nyneve. King Arthur does not understand why Merlin does not choose to evade this certain death. Merlin explains by saying that between wisdom and feeling, wisdom never wins. Day after day Merlin follows Nyneve around, trading her company for knowledge of his magic. The only thing Nyneve asked of Merlin was that he not use magic to make her love him; Merlin agrees, thus sealing his fate. Over time Merlin teaches Nyneve much of his magic and she becomes quite powerful. It comes to a point where Nyneve tires of Merlin panting after her, begging to lie with her. In a valiant last effort to win her affection, Merlin creates a room of unbelievable wonders under a great rock cliff. Upon its completion, Merlin beckons Nyneve to come inside and look around, but instead she casts an unbreakable spell, locking him in the room forevermore. The fifth section of the book is entitled Morgan le Fay. Morgan le Fay is King Arthur’s half-sister. She is gorgeous, cruel, loves no one, and takes pleasure in destroying others’ lives. Because she hates Arthur and is jealous of his crown, she intricately plans his murder. Her plan begins by her making a sword and scabbard exactly like Arthur’s own and then replacing his real sword and scabbard with the fake ones. She plans to use Accolon, one of Arthur’s knights enchanted by Morgan’s dark magic, to kill Arthur. One day Arthur and a few of his knights chase a stag for many miles, eventually losing sight of it. Only Arthur, Accolon, and Morgan’s husband, Uryens, have been able to stay close behind the stag. The three seek shelter for rest. Looking out upon the river, they see a ship and decide to board it. Upon doing so, a ring of torches ignite around them and twelve lovely damsels appear. Feasting for hours, the three eventually fall into a deep sleep. Uryens wakes up back in Camelot next to his wife, Morgan le Fay. Arthur wakes in a dungeon with twenty other captive knights. Accolon wakes up on the edge of a well, realizing he’s been under an enchantment of Arthur’s half-sister. Right then a dwarf loyal to Morgan appears and puts Accolon back under the enchantment. Accolon receives the real Excalibur and magic scabbard from the dwarf and is told that he must fight Arthur tomorrow and bring his head back to Morgan le Fay. Arthur is told that in order to escape prison he must on behalf of the lord holding him captive. The next day Accolon and Arthur fight. During the battle Arthur becomes aware that his sword is faulty and his scabbard not working. He also sees that the knight he is fighting possesses the real Excalibur and scabbard. Eventually getting the real Excalibur and scabbard back in his possession and defeats his opponent. He learns shortly after that his opponent is actually from his own court, and Sir Accolon begs Arthur’s forgiveness explaining that he was under the enchantment of Morgan le Fay. Arthur forgives Accolon, but is furious with his half-sister. Shortly after the battle, Accolon dies of a head wound and Arthur orders him shipped back to Morgan as a present for her kindness. Meanwhile, thinking Arthur to be dead, Morgan attempts to kill her husband in his sleep, but her son Elwain stops her before she can do so. When she is caught in the act, she pretends that she was under a spell and asks Ewain’s forgiveness. In the morning she leaves Camelot in search of Arthur; and when she finds him sleeping, she steals his magic scabbard and takes off on her horse. Arthur wakes, learns what has happened, and sets off in pursuit of her. When Arthur is about to catch her, she turns herself and her followers in stones so that Arthur cannot find them. Morgan later orders a message delivered to Arthur saying that he should live in fear of her, but truthfully Morgan le Fay feared Arthur. The sixth section of the book is entitled Gawain, Ewain, and Marhalt. Arthur is now very cautious of those associated with Morgan le Fay, and thus asks Uryens to prove his loyalty by banshing his son, Ewain, from Camelot. Until Ewain has proved himself on a quest, Arthur will not allow him back in his presence. Meanwhile, Morgan sends Arthur a cloak, though not like any typical cloak. This one was luxurious beyond measure, incorporating many fine jewels and vibrant colors. It is delivered to Arthur by a damsel, and upon hearing who the cloak is from, Arthur asks the damsel to put it on herself. When she does so, her skin turns black and she falls to the ground heaving in convulsions while the corrosive eats through her flesh and shrivels her. Gawain, Ewain’s friend and cousin, accompanies Ewain on his quest and the two soon after meet up with a knight named Marhalt. As a trio they continue on their questing. One day, he three come across three ladies waiting in the woods. The ladies explain that each knight shall have one of them as company on their quests to come, and in a year’s time the knights will return to this very point in the forest to tell of their adventures. Gawain selects the youngest damsel who is in her teenage years, Marhalt selects the middle age lady who is of thirty years, and Ewain selects the oldest lady who is of sixty years. While questing, the young damsel becomes rather sick of Gawain. Gawain constantly brags about himself, and the young damsel can think of nothing other than how much he annoys her. She eventually leaves him for a frog-faced dwarf and Gawain claims he is happy of her departure, for she was a chatterbox. Gawain soon after learns of knight named Sir Pelleas, who desires a lady he cannot have—much like the case of Merlin. Gawain offers to help him out by going and talking to Ettarde, the lady whom Pelleas most desires. Pelleas waits for two days while Gawain is away conversing with Ettarde, and then decides to go see what is taking so long. Pelleas ventures over to the castle in the middle of the night and discovers Gawain and Ettarde in bed together. He nearly kills them both in their sleep, but cannot bring himself to complete the act, for he has never done a horrid thing like that all his life. Nyneve, Merlin’s previous paramour, finds Pelleas emotionally distraught. She helps him by casting a spell on Ettarde so that she may feel the longing for Pelleas that he felt for her. The spell also ensures that Pelleas will despise Ettarde just has s he despised him. Nyneve agrees to stay with Pelleas until he finds his true love, and in doing so the two live happily together all their lives. Marhalt has a much different questing experience. His lady thinks him to be very charming, for Marhalt is very talented and aware of his fighting prowess, but does not boast about it. Along his quest Marhalt defeats many knights and wins a tournament. Towards the end of his quest, his lady takes him to the young Earl Fergus who is in need of help killing a giant. Marhalt reluctantly kills the giant, for he knows the giant is but an oversized man with a child’s mind. The treasure Marhalt receives as a prize prompts him to stay at Earl Fergus’ castle for a long while with his lady. Eventually Marhalt and his lady grow apart, each not liking the changes they see in one another. She leaves Marhalt for a young knight, and Marhalt returns to the place where the three knights were scheduled to meet at the end of the year. Ewain experiences the best quest of the three knights. He explain to his lady, by the name of Lyne, that he picked her because he was young and inexperienced and that her wisdom would do him good. Lyne reveals that she had hoped he would pick her, for she wanted to mold him into a true knight. Lyne also reveals that she knows more about the art of being a knight than any other person in the land. It was her life dream to be the greatest knight that ever lived, but her gender prohibited her from doing so. Instead, she fulfills her dream by training other knights to be the best knights in the land. For ten months she trains Ewain to become a true knight. Although he began very weak and unskilled, at the end of the ten months Ewain is strong, fit, and ready to fight the fiercest competitor. Lyne then takes him to a tournament where Ewain defeats all knights who challenge him. Soon after she informs him that a lady called the Lady of the Rock is fearing that her castle will be taken over by her two corrupt brothers. Ewain battles the two brothers, defeating them, and restoring peace to the castle and land of the Lady of the Rock. In return, the Lady of the Rock offers Ewain the chance to live with her and rule over the castle and her land for all time. Ewain knows it to be a great offer, but declines for he wishes to tell of his quest back at Camelot. At the end of the year, Gawain, Ewain, and Marhalt meet up and ride back to Camelot together to tell of their magnificent adventures. The seventh and final part of the story is entitled The Noble Tale of Sir Lancelot of the Lake. Lancelot is the best known knight in the world, for no one can defeat him. He loves his queen, Guinevere, more than anyone, although not in a way to disrespect his king. Lancelot’s only love is his queen, along with the art of fighting. In Lancelot’s eyes, no other damsel can compare to Guinevere. Lancelot claims that one cannot be a great knight along with being a husband and father without being half qualified at each. Peace has finally come to Camelot, all wars have come to an end, and no new war even peeks over the horizon. As much joy as Arthur thought peace would bring, he finds it actually destroys his kingdom more so than war itself does. His knights grow weary from lack of fighting, and the spirit of everyone seems to fall with every moment there is not a quest or battle to take part in. Arthur does not like this strange phenomenaa, so he sends Lancelot and Lancelot’s nephew, Lyonel, out on a quest to solve all the little problems of the land. Figuring that if he can eventually encourage more of his knights to uptake these seemingly unimportant tasks, Arthur hopes they might feel like they are contributing something larger than themselves, and then the spirit of knighthood and merry making could return to all of Camelot. Along their quest, Lyonel and Lancelot stop to rest under an apple tree. While they are sleeping, a knight by the name of Sir Tarquin rides towards them. Lyonel wakes up at the sound of Sir Tarqin’s approaching, but Lancelot remains fast asleep. Seizing this opportunity to prove his talent to Lancelot, Lyonel hurries off to prepare to fight Sir Tarquin while Lancelot remains sleeping. Sir Tarquin is a great and powerful knight and not one to be fooled with. Upon Lyonel’s request to joust he is amused that such a young boy should even attempt to dismount such a knight as himself. Sir Lyonel and Sir Tarquin ride hard and fast toward one another, and the blow Lyonel delivers upon Sir Tarquin spins him all the way around, nearly knocking him off his horse. Impressed by the boys skill and luck, Sir Tarquin offers to make peace with the boy to avoid truly hurting him. Lyonel refuses, demanding that Sir Tarquin yield or fight. At this the two men joust again, but this time Lyonel ends up badly wounded. Sir Tarquin takes Lyonel back to his home as prisoner along with many other knights. Learning that Sir Tarquin’s main goal is to kill Lancelot, Lyonel now wishes he had not left Lancelot sleeping and undefended under the apple tree. Lancelot slept and slept until Morgan le Fay and three other women of dark magic stumbled upon him lying under the apple. When Morgan arrived at his side, she put him under a deep sleeping enchantment, and when Arthur woke up he was in a dark, dank dungeon. The four witches soon after appeared and explained to him that they have everything in the world but the world’s greatest knight. Each takes her turn offering to fulfill Lancelot’s deepest desires in many different ways. Lancelot says he will have nothing to do with any one of them, and the four leave the dungeon in rage. Later that night, the damsel who brings him food helps him to escape the dungeon and together they find freedom from the witches’ lair. Upon hearing of Lyonel’s poor fortune, Lancelot rushes back to the house of Sir Tarquin to rescue his nephew. A great battle between Lancelot and Sir Tarquin then ensues, resulting in the death of Lancelot’s foe. Freeing all the knights previously held captive, Lancelot meets up with Sir Kay, King Arthur’s right hand man all his life. Sir Kay claims he is falling apart as a man and a knight due to the stressful job of being the accountant for all of Camelot’s goods and belongings. In an effort to bring back the reputation of Sir Kay, Lancelot takes Sir Kay’s armor and rides back to Camelot, jousting all who dare cross his path. Surely enough, Sir Kay’s reputation begins to build as a fierce knight. When the real Sir Kay rides to Camelot wearing Arthur’s armor, no one dares challenge him. Eventually the people of the land start to figure out what is going on. Finally, both men arrive at the castle and go their separate ways. King Arthur requests to meet with Lancelot up in his quarters, accompanied by Guinevere. Guinevere leaves the room upon Arthur’s request, and Lancelot wishes the king a good night. As Guinevere is walking out of the room, Lancelot feels a part of him leave with her. When Arthur finally dismisses Lancelot, Lancelot walks down the stairs, is beckoned by Guinevere into her room: â€Å"Their bodies locked together as though a trap had sprung. Their mouths met and each devoured the other. Each frantic heartbeat at the walls of ribs trying to get to the other until their breaths burst out and Lancelot, dizzied, found the door and blundered down the stairs. And he was weeping bitterly† (Steinbeck 293). And so concludes The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. Part Two: Character Analysis Lancelot is a great yet torn man. He lives and breathes to be the greatest knight in the world, yet he does not truly know of love. The love he has for Guinevere is all he knows, but he obviously cannot have her as his own for she is married to King Arthur: â€Å"’It is well known, and so secret,’ said Lancelot. ‘I love the queen. And I will serve her all my days, and I have permanently challenged any qualified knights who may say she is not the fairest and most virtuous lady in all the world. And may she have only honor and joy from my love, as I have sworn’† (Steinbeck 219). When Lancelot was a child, Merlin prophesized Lancelot’s future greatness. Although it has come true, Lancelot does not wish others to think he did not have to work for such a title as the greatest knight in the world. Lancelot wants others to be aware that greatness must be earned, and is not something merely stumbled upon. One thing Lancelot does not understand is treachery, for he has none within himself. Treachery was the thing that could cause Lancelot to be blindly cruel, for cruelty is caused—in Lancelot’s mind—by fear of the unknown. In one case Lancelot stumbles across a man ready to slay his wife. The lady asks for the help and protection of Lancelot, to hich he agrees. The husband claims he is sorry and will not hurt his wife, but as Lancelot is riding away the husband cuts his wife’s head from her body: â€Å"Then, because this was foreign and frightening to him, rage overcame Lancelot, who was ordinarily a cool, calm man. He drew his sword and his face was black with ferocity and his eyes vindictive as the eyes of a snake†¦Then Lancelot, sick with disgust and sickened by his own rage, broke free and leaned against a tree, trembling and feverish. The lady’s head, dirty and blood-splashed, grinned at him from the road where it had fallen† (Steinbeck 279). Part Three: Author Biography John Ernst Steinbeck was an American author who lived from 1902 to 1968 (Infotrac 1). He was born in Salinas, California and died of heart disease in New York, New York (Infotrac 1). Stanford University was where Steinbeck worked toward his degree, from 1919 to 1925 (Infotrac 1). John Steinbeck had a few more marriages than most, getting married three times throughout the course of his life (Infotrac 1). During his life Steinbeck had many different jobs, from a fruit-picker, an apprentice painter, laboratory assistant, reporter, and writer to name a few (Infotrac 1). While World War II was taking place Steinbeck served as a special writer for the U. S. Army Air Forces (Infotrac 1). He wrote a large number of plays, novels, short stories, and screen plays, many of which were later heralded as classics throughout the country (Infotrac 2-6). As a young child, a version of the Caxton Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory captivated Steinbeck (Steinbeck xi-xii). He loved the old spellings of words, and to see words written in the story that were no longer used in his time (Steinbeck xi-xii). This story was his place of escape from the outside world as well as a place of solace (Steinbeck xi-xii). Steinbeck found many resemblances between his own life and the life of the characters in the story, which was one of the many reasons he felt drawn to the book all his life (Steinbeck xii-xiii). It was a part of him, and his love for it spawned him to write his own version of the great story: â€Å"For a long time I have wanted to bring to present-day usage the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. These stories are alive even in those of us who have not read them. And, in our day, we are perhaps impatient with old words and the stately rhythms of Malory. My own first and continuing enchantment with these things is not generally shared. I wanted to set them down in plain present-day speech for my own young sons, and for other sons not so young—to set the stories down in meaning as they were written, leaving out nothing and adding nothing—perhaps to compete with the moving pictures, the comic-strip travesties which are the only available source for those children and others of today who are impatient with the difficulties of Malory’s spelling and use of archaic words. If I can do this and keep the wonder the magic, I shall be pleased and gratified† (Steinbeck xiii). Part Four: Critique Throughout The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, there are paragraphs taken from the writings of Malory. Like Steinbeck, I found the style of writing quite captivating. There were words that I had never heard of before, along with many strange spellings of words commonly used today. For example, â€Å"Now leve we thes knyghtes presoners, and speke we of sir Lancelot de Lake that lyeth undir the appil-tre slepynge† (Steinbeck 226). I find that as humans, we have an undeniable attraction to the things of times before us. This old form of the English language, when compared to the standards of today, has a unique refreshing and charming flow to it that we don’t typically associate with the language of today. I was not able to find any professional critique on this particular story, at least in the form of a book. Many of the critiques of his works I’ve seen are of his more famous stories like Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men. On the back cover of The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, John Gardner of The New York Times Book Review acclaims, â€Å"[Steinbeck] embellishes Malory’s spare legend with a richness of detail that transforms the vision, makes it no one but Steinbeck’s. † Although I have not read Malory’s writings, I can understand why Gardner notes the great detail Steinbeck incorporated into the story. Steinbeck’s words work together to help the reader form a vivid picture of the story: â€Å"The morning was kind to battle. The first blackbirds of spring responded to the sun and warmed their song in the bushes that edged the moat, and the meadow grass was golden green†¦Young Ewain was early awake, edging his sword, grinding the head of his black spear to an immaculate point, and last, he anointed his armor with clarified fat and rubbed it gently into every moving piece with his fingertips† (Steinbeck 198). Although the customs of knighthood are beaten into the reader throughout the entire book, I didn’t tire of it all that much. With every new section of the story came a new adventure. I very much enjoyed how the book was written such that one understands the inner thoughts of many different characters. Learning how the evil Morgan le Fay thought while scheming against King Arthur, or seeing into the noble yet troubled mind of Sir Lancelot proved a great way to bring the reader into the story. This story helps the reader get a glimpse into what life was like back in the times of knights, perhaps minus the dragons and magic. By the end of the book, I had learned a great deal about chivalry and the importance of it to knights. Also, I learned many of the customs that knights and common people partook in during the time, from feasting to tournaments, or striving hard to maintain one’s honor in the world. Steinbeck’s choice to rewrite Malory’s and others’ works into a more reader-friendly version was a smart and magnificent decision indeed. This book read just like any other book one might find on the list of most popular novels today. Also, the characters in this story experience near the same type of feelings of trouble, heartache, success, honor, and despise that every person experiences in the world of today. Overall, I would recommend the book to anyone interested in reading an intricate story, or just wanting to cast their imagination into the magical and adventure-filled times of King Arthur and his knights. Part Five: Bibliography John Ernst Steinbeck. 2004. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale. Infotrac. March 6, 2009. http://infotrac. galegroup. com/itw/infomark/726/80/59379379w16/purl=rcl_CA_0_H1000094705dyn=4! ar_fmtbkm_4_1? sw_aep=boon19847 Steinbeck, John. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. U. S. A: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1976: 364 pages. Boone High School Library, Boone, IA. Feb. 9, 2009.

Elena Ceausescu, Wife of Romanian Dictator

Elena Ceausescu, Wife of Romanian Dictator Known for: role of influence and power in her husbands dictatorship in Romania Occupation: politician, scientistDates: January 7, 1919 - December 25, 1989Also known as: Elena Petruscu; nickname Lenuta Elena Ceausescu Biography Elena Ceausescu came from a small village where her father was a farmer who also sold goods out of the home. Elena was failing in school and left after the fourth grade; according to some sources, she was expelled for cheating. She worked in a lab then in a textile factory. She became active in the Union Communist Youth and then in the Romanian Communist Party. Marriage Elena met Nicolai Ceausescu in 1939 and married him in 1946. He was a staff member with the army at the time. She worked as a secretary in a government office as her husband rose to power. Nicolai Ceausescu became first secretary of the party in March 1965 and president of the State Council (head of state) in 1967. Elena Ceausescu began to be held up as a model for women in Romania. She was officially given the title The Best Mother Romania Could Have.  From 1970 to 1989, her image was carefully created, and a cult of personality was encouraged around both Elena and Nicolai Ceausescu. Given Recognition Elena Ceausescu was given many honors for work in polymer chemistry, claiming education from the College of Industrial Chemistry and the Polytechnic Institute, Bucharest. She was made chairman of Romanias main chemistry research lab. Her name was put on academic papers actually written by Romanian scientists. She was chairman of the National Council of Science and Technology. In 1990, Elena Ceausescu was named deputy premier.  The power wielded by the Ceausescus led  the  University of Bucharest to grant her a Ph.D. in chemistry Elena Ceausescu's Policies Elena Ceausescu is usually assumed to be responsible for two policies which in the 1970s and 1980s, coupled with some of her husbands policies, were disastrous. Romania under the Ceausescu regime outlawed both abortion  and birth control, with Elena Ceausescus urging. Women under the age of 40 were required to have at least four children, later five Nikolai Ceausescus policies, including that of exporting much of the agricultural and industrial output of the country, caused extreme poverty and hardship for most citizens. Families could not support so many children. Women sought illegal abortions or gave children up to state-run orphanages. Eventually, parents were paid to give children to the orphanages; Nikolai Ceausescu planned to create a Romanian Workers Army from these orphans. However, the orphanages had few nurses and had food shortages, causing emotional and physical problems for the children. The Ceausescus endorsed a medical answer to the weakness of many children: blood transfusions. The poor conditions in orphanages meant that these transfusions were often done with shared needles, resulting, predictably and sadly, in AIDS being widespread among the orphans. Elena Ceausescu was head of the state health commission which concluded that AIDS could not exist in Romania. Collapse of the Regime Anti-government demonstrations in 1989 led to a sudden collapse of the Ceausescu regime, and Nikolai and Elena were tried on December 25 by a military tribunal and executed later that day by a firing squad.

HMS Warspite - Battleship of World Wars I II

HMS Warspite - Battleship of World Wars I II Launched in 1913, the battleship HMS Warspite saw extensive service during both world wars.  A Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, Warspite was completed in 1915 and fought at Jutland the following year. Retained after World War I, it moved between postings in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. After an extensive modernization in 1934, it fought in the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans during World War II and provided support during the Normandy landings. Construction Laid down on October 31, 1912, at the Devonport Royal Dockyard, HMS Warspite was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built by the Royal Navy. The brainchild of First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John Jackie Fisher and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, the Queen Elizabeth-class became the first battleship class to be designed around the new 15-inch gun. In laying out the ship, designers elected to mount the guns in four twin turrets. This was a change from previous battleships which had featured five twin turrets. The reduction in number of guns was justified as the new 15-inch guns were substantially more powerful than their 13.5-inch predecessors. Also, the removal of the fifth turret reduced weight and allowed for a larger power plant which dramatically increased the ships speed. Capable of 24 knots, the Queen Elizabeths were the first fast battleships. Launched on November 26, 1913, Warspite, and its sisters, were among the most powerful battleships to see action during World War I. With the outbreak of the conflict in August 1914, workers raced to finish the ship and it was commissioned on March 8, 1915. HMS Warspite (03) Nation: Great BritainType: BattleshipShipyard: Devonport Royal DockyardLaid Down: October 31, 1912Launched: November 26, 1913Commissioned: March 8, 1915Fate: Scrapped in 1950Specifications (As Built)Displacement: 33,410 tonsLength: 639 ft., 5 in.Beam: 90 ft. 6 in.Draft: 30 ft. 6 in.Propulsion: 24 Ãâ€" boilers at 285 psi maximum pressure, 4 propellersSpeed: 24 knotsRange: 8,600 miles at 12.5 knotsComplement: 925-1,120 menGuns8 x Mk I 15-inch/42 guns (4 turrets with 2 guns each)12 x single Mk XII 6-inch guns2 x single 3-inch high-angle guns4 x single 3-pdr guns4 x 21-inch submerged torpedo tubesAircraft (After 1920)1 aircraft using 1 catapult World War I Joining the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow, Warspite was initially assigned to the 2nd Battle Squadron with Captain Edward Montgomery Phillpotts in command. Later that year, the battleship was damaged after running aground in the Firth of Forth. After repairs, it was placed with the 5th Battle Squadron which consisted entirely of Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. On May 31-June 1, 1916, the 5th Battle Squadron saw action in the Battle of Jutland as part of Vice Admiral David Beattys Battlecruiser Fleet. In the fighting, Warspite was hit fifteen times by German heavy shells. HMS Warspite (left) and HMS Malaya (right) at the Battle of Jutland, 1916. Public Domain Badly damaged, the battleships steering jammed after it turned to avoid a collision with HMS Valiant. Steaming in circles, the crippled ship drew German fire away from the British cruisers in the area. After two complete circles, the Warspites steering was repaired, however, it found itself on course to intercept the German High Seas Fleet. With one turret still operational, Warspite opened fire before being ordered to drop out of line to make repairs. Following the battle, the commander of the 5th Battle Squadron, Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas, directed Warspite to make for Rosyth for repairs. Interwar Years Returning to service, Warspite spent the remainder of the war at Scapa Flow along with the majority of the Grand Fleet. In November 1918, it steamed out to aid in guiding the German High Seas Fleet into internment. After the war, Warspite alternated postings with the Atlantic Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1934, it returned home for a large modernization project. Over the next three years, Warspites superstructure was greatly modified, aircraft facilities were built, and improvements were made to the ships propulsion and weapons systems. World War II Begins Rejoining the fleet in 1937, Warspite was sent to the Mediterranean as the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. The battleships departure was delayed for several months as the steering problem that had begun at Jutland continued to be an issue. When World War II began, Warspite was cruising the Mediterranean as the flagship of Vice Admiral Andrew Cunningham. Ordered to join the Home Fleet, Warspite took part in the British campaigns in Norway and provided support during the Second Battle of Narvik. Mediterranean Ordered back to the Mediterranean, Warspite saw action against the Italians during the Battles of Calabria (July 9, 1940) and Cape Matapan (March 27-29, 1941). Following these actions, Warspite was sent to the United States for repairs and re-gunning. Entering the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the battleship was still there when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. HMS Warspite in the Mediterranean, 1941. Public Domain Departing later that month, Warspite joined the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. Flying the flag of Admiral Sir James Somerville, Warspite took part in the ineffective British efforts to block the Japanese Indian Ocean Raid. Returning to the Mediterranean in 1943, Warspite joined Force H and provided fire support for the Allied invasion of Sicily that June. Remaining in the area, it fulfilled a similar mission when Allied troops landed at Salerno, Italy in September. On September 16, shortly after covering the landings, Warspite was struck by three heavy German glide bombs. One of these tore through the ships funnel and blew a hole in the hull. Crippled, Warspite was towed to Malta for temporary repairs before moving on to Gibraltar and Rosyth. HMS Warspite in the Indian Ocean, 1942. Public Domain D-Day Working quickly, the shipyard completed the repairs in time for Warspite to join the Eastern Task Force off Normandy. On June 6, 1944, Warspite provided gunfire support for Allied troops landing on Gold Beach. Shortly thereafter, it returned to Rosyth to have its guns replaced. En route, Warspite incurred damage after setting off a magnetic mine. After receiving temporary repairs, Warspite took part in bombardment missions off Brest, Le Havre, and Walcheren. With the war moving inland, the Royal Navy placed the battle-worn ship in Category C Reserve on February 1, 1945. Warspite remained in this status for the remainder of the war. Fate After efforts to make Warspite a museum failed, it was sold for scrap in 1947. During the tow to the breakers, the battleship broke loose and ran aground in Prussia Cove, Cornwall. Though defiant until the end, Warspite was recovered and taken to St. Michaels Mount where it was dismantled.

Planning Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Planning Report - Essay Example This plan establishes strategies and policies which are aimed at achieving the county’s long term vision. Upon its approval, the General Plan will update the 2006 Vicinity and Bowie master plans policies and recommendations. The staff in the meeting wanted to brief the Council on the current re-planning efforts together with the scheduled proposed plan topics goals and the scheduled outreach strategy to the public (Levy, 2012). Elements of the report and those involved in the meeting The meeting took place in November1, 2012 and the main subject of the meeting was County General Plan Update Briefing. The meeting took place in the Council Hearing Room, County Administration Building, and Upper Marlboro in Maryland. The Prince Georgie’s County Planning Commissioners are the ones who participated in the meeting. Accord relative to the agenda Relative to the agenda, an accord was set forth. For example, all items which were listed under the Consent Agenda were distributed t o every member of the Planning Board for review. All items are also considered to be routines and will be acted upon by the Board by one motion. The main agenda for the meeting was to strategize on how the city can update or improve on the 2002 Prince George General Plan and this agenda was followed to the latter. ... This is because the meeting created a room for the participation of all members and also stimulated creativity among the members. This can be attributed to the central location of the meeting which did not make any member feel inconvenienced. The seats in the meeting room were arranged in circle in a way which all the members could see each other. This encourages participation in the meeting and makes every member to feel part of the meeting. The meeting was well coordinated with a leader and all members had their names written on their seats and this is to enhance participation and identification. Water provided to the members provides a nice touch to the meeting and the round table used in the meeting helps to prevent all barriers of communication. What was discussed in the meeting? All the strategies necessary for the improvement of the Prince George General Plan were discussed during the meeting in accordance to the agenda of the meeting (Beatley, 2005). A discussion of the count y wide planning including the James Rowley Training center in the United States Secret Service was discussed together with the Campus master plan update and the proposed development. Improvement of the Kreative Kids Child Care Center was also discussed in the same meeting. The proposed designation of the three Prince Georges County Historic Sites was also discussed in the report as part of its county wide planning division (Levy, 2012). The improvement on Beech Tree, South Village as part of the specific design plan of the meeting was also discussed during the meeting. A detailed site plan of all the projects proposed for improvements were also discussed. Generally, the meeting mainly discussed on all strategies which can help the county in the improvement of the 2002

Generic Strategies model in sucessful Management Essay

Generic Strategies model in sucessful Management - Essay Example For example, due to its information technology systems, the international logistics system always stays up-to-date as well as guides the entire procurement procedure from the brands as well as finding out information about the buying habits of its customers.Also, this helps the entire supply chain as well since the companies that supply Wal-Mart the merchandise always get the information at the right time due to the IT system of Wal-Mart. This translates into Wal-Mart acquiring the right products, at the right time which leads to it being able to offer the prices it does and thus, gets the powerful and attractive image it has acquired in the world. Sears, Roebuck and Co., popularly known as Sears, is an American chain of Department stores which offers a variety of items such as clothing, jewelry, home appliances, hardware, electronics etc. Today, the largest Sears Department Store is located at the Toronto Eaton Centre in Canada. Since its inception, the stores of Sears were known for carrying quality and reliable brands which attracted the consumer in the first place. Thus, Sears has been using this differentiation strategy, of stressing on quality products and carrying big names which has made the company popular and well recognized. The stores of Sears carry very popular names like Levi, Sony, Craftsman, Kenmore etc. which are big reliable names and thus the consumers can be sure they are getting their money’s worth since they are shopping at Sears. Sears ran into trouble w few years back when the company lost control and authority in the market due to losing sight of what made the company truly successful – t he power of the brands that it carried, and it started offering â€Å"everybody’s brands† or simply trying to phase out the fact that brands are important for consumers. This proved as a bad strategy for the firm since it was known for its reliability and its ability to

Tesco organization structure Essay Example for Free

Tesco organization structure Essay In 1961 Tesco Leicester entered the Guiness Book of Records as the largest store in Europe and in 1968 Tesco opened its first superstore in Crawley, West Sussex. Supermarkets revolutionised the way people shopped and by the 1970s Tesco was building a national store network to cover the whole of the UK, which it continues to expand to this day, while also diversifying into other products. In 1974 Tesco opened its first petrol stations, and would become the UKs largest independent petrol retailer. By 1979 total sales topped  £1bn, and by 1982 sales had doubled to more than  £2bn. In 1987 Tesco successfully completed a hostile takeover of supermarket rival Hillards for  £220m. The battle for top spot In the 1990s Tesco continued to tighten its grip on the UK with more store openings and an agressive marketing campaign in an attempt to overtake Sainsburys as the UKs leading grocer. In 1992, the company launched is slogan every little helps, followed by the Tesco Value range in 1993. This was followed by the launch of the Tesco Clubcard scheme in 1995, helping Tesco to overtake rival Sainsburys as the UKs largest food retailer. 1996 saw the retailer introduce its first 24-hour store while it also expanded overseas opening shops in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In 1997 Tesco appointed Sir Terry Leahy as chief executive. Tesco.com was launched in 2000 and the supermarket continued to expand its range of products, which now includes clothes, electricals and personal finance products. In 2004 Tesco entered the broadband market. Two years ago, in 2006, the retailer announced ambitious plans to open stores in the US under the name Fresh and Easy and funded by existing resources. Tesco now operates in 13 countries. Today it reported that group sales were  £51.8bn in the year to February 23 2008. Pre-tax profit rose to  £2.8bn. In 2008 the retail giant took its conquest of the UK one step further by buying up some rival Somerfield stores on remote islands in Scotland, giving Tesco a presence in every single postcode area in the country. As it stands there is only one postcode in the UK in Harrogate in North Yorkshire which does not have a Tesco. Every little hurts As the supermarket giant has grown, so too has the number of places in the UK dubbed Tesco town. In Inverness more than 50p in every pound spent on food  by the citys 66,000 residents is done so at a Tesco checkout and similar dominance in other towns has sparked controversy. Because of their size, supermarkets have been accused by some of abusing their position by forcing smaller local shops out of business. According to non-profit organisation Ethical Network, local communities could be losing inward investment of up to  £100bn every year because of supermarket centralisation. In 2001 a blackmailer failed in an attempt to extort  £5m from Tesco through a parcel bomb campaign and was jailed for 16 years. In 2008 Phillip McHugh, a former tax inspector, was jailed after threatening to bomb Tesco stores unless they gave him  £1m. Mr McHugh sent 76 letters to the company threatening to blow up shops and poison customers by contaminating food, promising that blood will flow unles s they gave into his demands.

Comparing Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale and Michael Radfords F

Margaret Atwood’s depiction of the future in The Handmaid's Tale is extremely bleak and forlorn; this oppressive atmosphere has been created by the development of an independent nation - Gilead - inside the U.S, which is governed by a totalitarian fundamentalist Christian sect. This dystopian text is the brainchild of a series of experimental social ideas which have given birth to a science-fiction novel, which satirises mainly the folly of human characteristics rather than the misuse of technology. Another related text is 1984 the film which was directed by Michael Radford who also envisioned the future as being extremely dark and oppressive; as it depicted in his film adaptation of 1984 the novel, by George Orwell. Several language and film techniques were employed by Margaret Atwood and Radford, such as metaphorical imagery, satire and irony, so that it was possible for the audience to delve deep into the protagonist's mind and understand the world they live in from their perspective. The atmosphere of oppression in The Handmaid's Tale effectively shapes the society of Gilead, as Offred metaphorically describes the life of each individual as being similar to "a rat in a maze †¦ free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze", the maze representing the laws and boundaries of Gilead. Language is used to convey individual opinions and express emotions and feelings; because of this the government of Gilead have attempted to eradicate it, so no revolutionary literature may arouse the mind and create any doubt concerning the integrity of the Gilead and its laws. "Words like free" are "considered too dangerous" because these words encourage thoughts of freedom and individuality which are prohibited since Gilead reli... ...aphorically represent the hope of freedom. We are shown through the metaphorical imagery of the shattering of the pink coral, that this hope is impossible. Ultimately both â€Å"1984† and â€Å"The Handmaids Tale† fulfil the purpose of ominious prophetic texts that have portrayed a dystopian future, a future filled with oppression, corruption and misogyny in the case of The Handmaid's Tale. The governments of Gilead and Oceania have succeeded in brainwashing their citizens by isolating them and attempting to abolish language which would make it impossible for any outcry to be heard or even expressed. Both Atwood and Radford created these texts during times of peril, with the intention of having them serve as ominous reminders of what would become of society if any doctrine was to be enforced by a totalitarian body which withheld all authority without being challenged.

Exam Study Guide Essay

The beneficial consequences that may result from the legalization of euthanasia as proposed by brock are the following: a. serve as an insurance policy- it comforts patients by allowing them to know that it is there if they need it b. respect the self determination of individuals c. provide a relief from prolonged suffering d. make a dignified death possible 2. In his article on VA euthanasia, Brock examines two broad lines of arguments against euthanasia: a. deontological b. utilitarian 3. People are generally opposed to killing because they have learned or been taught to think about it in negative terms. Killing is usually reported in the context of murder, not in the context of humanitarian service. 4. Allowing someone to die involves withholding intervention, when no cure is possible or withdrawing intervention because it is no longer able to cure a dying patient. 5. To the idea that active voluntary euthanasia is incompatible with a physician’s moral and professional commitment is to care for patients and protect life, Brock replies: the commitment to self determination and well being ought to be at the center of medical practice, not just preserving life. 6. To the objection that allowing euthanasia would undermine general confidence in health-care services providing optimal care for dying patients, Brock replies: There is no reason to fear that euthanasia is going to erode patients trust if only voluntary euthanasia is allowed. 7. Among the ethical considerations relating to genetic testing are the following: a. do parents have the right to be informed of all the results of a genetic test? b. does a person have a right to have children who are likely to be impaired? c. should public funds be used to pay for genetic esting when people are unable to pay? 8. Therapeutic sterilization is the termination of the ability to produce offspring if the mother’s life or mental health is in danger. 9. In the context of euthanasia, the slippery slope argument is the idea that it will eventually lead to a diminishing of our respect of life. 10. Abuses of laws permitting active euthanasia can be prevented by doing the following: a. make sure tha t it is the patient voluntarily making the decision to have it. b. make sure that there is no chance of recovery for the patient. c. he patient must feel that they are not being a burden to their family because of their illness. 11. Among the benefits of genetic testing are the following: a. improves the lives of the parents and at times, the child b. provides assistance for parents who wish to make rational decisions regarding their family planning 12. Ethical considerations with surrogate motherhood include the following: a. is it right to ask a surrogate mother to give up all rights to a baby she carried for nine months? b. potential court battles over custody of a child conceived outside of marriage. c. uture emotional distress when the child learns that they were deliberately taken away from their natural mother. 13. Extraordinary care means when caring for a comatose patient, one should include: B. CPR, mechanical breathing 14. The set of conditions that must be present to determine if a patient is an irreversible coma is known as the Harvard Criteria. 15. The care given to terminally ill patients that consist of comfort measures and symptom control is referred to as palliative care. 16. The Baby M case is an example of: C. problems encountered as a result of the use of a surrogate 7. An infertile couple who does not wish to adopt has the option of surrogate motherhood. 18. While the goal of therapeutic genetic interventions is to restore the patient to the best state of health as possible, the goal of nontherapeutic or enhancement genetic engineering is to improve on an otherwise healthy body. 19. A viable infant is one who is able to survive after birth. 20. Provide examples of ordinary versus extraordinary means used in the treatment of terminally ill: ordinary includes- treatment that is morally required, such as giving fluids and providing comfort measures. xtraordinary includes- procedures and treatments that are morally expendable, example: providing chemotherapy to a patient who has end stage cancer 21. The Karen Ann Quinlan case involved: C. removal of a respirator from a comatose patient 22. A type of settlement that allows people with terminal illnesses, such as AIDS, to obtain money from their insurance policies by selling them is called a viatical settlement. 23. The Karen Ann Quinlan case is an example of: C. withdrawing treatment 24. What are some of the measures to assess quality of life? a. general health b. physical function c. social function d. pain e. mental health 25. What measures does palliative care include? a. comfort measures b. symptom control for pain, shortness of breath, support therapy, etc. c. relief of pain and suffering d. make the end-of-life period a meaningful experience for the patient 26. Why did the surgeons attempt to separate conjoined twins Laden and Laleh Bijani when the chances of survival were apparently very slim? ecause he was persuaded to proceed with the operation based on medical evidence and the strong desire of the twins to be separated; he wanted to make sure they had their best chance. 27. What are the Kubler-ross’s five stages of dying? 1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance 28. People who are against euthanasia offer the following reasons: a. possibility of mistaken diagnosis b. doubt about how voluntary a patient’s choice is c. it dis torts the moral responsibility of doctors. The role of the doctor is to care for his patients, not to shorten their lives. 29. Genetic counseling involves investigation and counsel through interview and conferencing with prospective parents to determine: the risk of passing on a genetic disease to their offspring. 30. A surrogate mother is a woman who: a woman who is carrying the ovum of the wife or another woman who is unable to give birth, and the husband’s sperm to eventually birth a child- they are bound under contract to give up the child at birth to the couple they agreed to complete this with. Most are paid from $20-25,000 in medical expenses. 31. To the idea that active voluntary euthanasia is incompatible with the octor’s moral commitment to care for patients and protect life, Brock replies: the commitment to self determination and well being ought to be at the center of medical practice, not just preserving life. 32. For Rachels, the distinction between active and passive euthanasia often leads to decisions concerning life and death made on the conventional doctrine. 33. On the issue of euthanasia, Rachels argues that â€Å"letting die,† or â€Å"doing nothing,† is a form of passive euthanasia. 34. For James Rachels, the Standard View is wrong. If active euthanasia is sometimes permissible then passive euthanasia is also sometimes sometimes permissible.

Managing Operational Activities to Achieve Business Results

London School of Science & Technology ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET – RESIT Unit Number and Title Assessment Title Course Title Assessment Code Hand Out Date Unit 15: Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results Managing Operational Activities to Achieve Business Results HND Business HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 01st March 2013 Hand In Date 11th May 2013 Lecturer(s) Anup Bista Adrian Gauci Dhaneswar Chooramun Internal Verifier Jonathan Cartmell Course Notes / Slides / Activities / Handouts. 1.Recommended Learning Textbooks: BPP (2010) Management: Communication and Achieving Results – Business essentials – supporting HNC/HND and foundation degrees, BPP Learning Media: London Slack N. , (2007) Operations Management, 5th Edition, Financial Times: Prentice Hall Watson, G. and Gallagher, K (2005) Managing For Results, London: CIPD. 2. Recommended BMW Documentaries on Business Activities: CNBC Documentary – BMW Quality Processes http://www. youtube. com/wat ch? v=OPSCh3Ys_B8 National Geographic – Megafactories Doc BMW / Mini Quality http://www. outube. com/watch? v=kk98q1N4XXI 3. Recommended Learning Weblinks: www. bsieducation. org (British Standards Institution) http://www. bmwgroup. com (BMW Education) http://www. wincanton. co. uk (Supply Chain Management) www. times100. co. uk (Times Resources) http://www. quality-foundation. co. uk(UK Quality Foundation) http://www. efqm. org/ (EU Foundation Quality Management ) Sources of information To be filled by the student Student Name Student ID Lecturer Group(e. g. ) HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 1|Page London School of Science & TechnologyAssessment Requirements †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ An electronic copy of your assessment must be fully uploaded by the deadline date and time. You must submit one single PDF or MS Office Word document. Any relevant images or screenshots must be included within the same M S Office Word or PDF document. The last version you upload will be the one that is marked. The file size must not exceed 20MB. Answer the criteria in order, clearly indicating the CRITERIA number. Ensure that all work has been proof-read and checked prior to submission.Ensure that the layout of your documents are in a professional format with font style Arial, font size 12 for the text, font 14 for sub heading and font 16 for main heading, line spacing 1. 5 and justified. Use the Harvard referencing system and provide references [e. g. (Smith, 2011)] within the text and an entry in a references list. Otherwise it will be considered as plagiarised work. Ensure that you back-up your work regularly and apply version control to your documents. Ensure that any file you upload is virus-free, not corrupted and not protected by a password otherwise they will be treated as a non-submission.You must NOT submit a paper copy or email of this assessment to any member of staff at LSST. Your work must be original with the appropriate referencing HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 2|Page London School of Science & Technology WHAT TO DO: You are required to read the following scenario and attempt all tasks given in the table below by relating your response to the context of the given organisation in the scenario. CASE STUDY Imagine you are the Operations Manager at the BMW Headquarters in Munich.You have been asked by the Board of Directors to review the below business activities to improve the operations, quality and efficiency of a BMW manufacturing plant in the UK. Your review will be used by the Board of Directors to improve the operational activities such as BMW’s business functions, processes and quality standards to achieve better results in 2014. The review should be structured to cover areas of: TASK 1 – Business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives. TASK 2 – Plans for own areas of responsibility for managin g business activities.TASK 3 – Monitoring appropriate systems to improve organisational performance. TASK 4 – Managing health and safety in the workplace. Due to the continuous changing nature and complexity of managing business activities within an organisation, you are required to research, gather and present the appropriate information. This will include the use of management theories and practical examples applicable to BMW company. You are to present your responses in a detailed report format to fulfill each Pass Criteria with appropriate Harvard Referencing technique for the tasks below.Additional Information/Advice: A support textbook is also available for this Unit, which you may find helpful to explore theoretical knowledge and understanding. You may also access the following links to carry out your further research to support your responses with some practical examples in the context of BMW company. YouTube – Official International BMW Channel http://w ww. youtube. com/user/BMW CNBC Documentary – BMW Quality Processes http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=OPSCh3Ys_B8 National Geographic – BMW – Megafactories Series Documentary http://www. youtube. com/watch? =kk98q1N4XXI HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 3|Page London School of Science & Technology PART A – PASS CRITERIA ONLY Pass In order to achieve Pass, students must achieve all the pass criteria below. TASK 1: Business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives. PASS CRITERIA 1. 1 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 9th March Describe briefly the importance of two core organisational functions and evaluate the interrelationship between these functions in managing business activities to achieve results in a company like BMW.Guidelines: In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include a definition of what operations management is as a function. Identify the two most important function s for business operations at BMW. †¢ Establish the interrelationship between at least two chosen functions above and evaluate how each function operates, interacts and supports to each other in operation. †¢ Bear in mind, your response should relate to the given company BMW in the scenario. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: †¢ 1. Evaluate the interrelationship between the different processes and functions of the organisation. PASS CRITERIA 1. 2 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 15th March Explain the adopted economic system approach (i. e. input – output model) including transformation process within BMW and evaluate the effectiveness of the used forms of transformation process to achieve operational objectives. Guidelines: In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Provide evidence to demonstrate the adopted system approach such as input, output and method of transformatio n.Expand your thoughts into â€Å"the transformation process† of operations management including at least one example for each material, customer and information processing operations. †¢ Describe the effectiveness of the used forms of transformation processes to the context of the operation to map processes for achieving operational objectives. †¢ Bear in mind, your response should relate to the given company BMW in the scenario. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: 1. 2 Justify the methodology to be used to map processes to the organisation’s goals and objectives.PASS CRITERIA 1. 3 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 24th March Describe the role of quality gateways in mapping operational processes and evaluate how processes can be designed in order to achieve targeted output, using BMW as an example. Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include the meaning o f quality gateways and discuss its role in transformation process. †¢ Include the content of a ‘process map model’ in your response if required. HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 4|Page London School of Science & Technology †¢ Evaluate how quality gateways will help to map the operational processes in order to achieve targeted output. Relate to the given company BMW in the scenario. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: 1. 3 Evaluate the output of the process and the quality gateways. TASK 2: Plans for own areas of responsibility for managing business activities. PASS CRITERIA 2. 1-2 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 11th April Briefly explain what you understand by setting up ‘SMART Objectives'. Write two SMART objectives that BMW should embrace to improve quality.Create one operational plan with five stages for one of the above SMART objectives by applying MBO or Planning Hierarchy and Planning Process Models. Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include at least two SMART objectives for BMW and explain why they are SMART. †¢ Review the concept of MBO again in setting your smart objectives to align people and other resources in an efficient and effective way. †¢ Your plan should promote collective goals and objectives by applying MBO or Planning Hierarchy and Planning Process Models.In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: 2. 1 Design plans which promote goals and objectives for own area of responsibility. 2. 2 Write objectives, which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based to align people and other resources in an effective and efficient way. PASS CRITERIA 2. 3 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 20th April Identify two appropriate systems and explain how they can be implemented effectively in order to achieve the set SMART objectives by meeting organisational standard of quality.Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include systems such as ‘accounting/finance system’, ‘management information system’, EDI, ERP, SCM, CRM, the quality system’, ‘CPA (Critical Path Analysis) and PERT (Project Evaluation & Review Techniques) etc. †¢ Consider at least two appropriate systems given above and explain their effectiveness to achieve the set objectives in most efficient way. †¢ Relate to the given company BMW in the scenario. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: 2. Implement appropriate systems to achieve objectives in the most efficient way, on time, to budget and meeting organisational standards of quality. HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 5|Page London School of Science & Technology PASS CRITERIA 2. 4 (Approx. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 23rd April Identify the Project P lanning model/tools and discuss how you utilise one of these techniques either (i) Project Evaluation & Review Techniques (PERT) or (ii) Critical Path Analysis (CPA) to monitor and control the entire project operation.Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include the aim of the project planning for managers and discuss the tools involved in project planning process applicable to BMW. †¢ Expand the response with brief explanation on how the planning tools such as Project Evaluation & Review Techniques (PERT) and Critical Path Analysis (CPA) can be used to monitor and control the entire project operation. †¢ Use a diagram for planning tools if necessary.In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion : 2. 4 Carry out work activities meeting the operational plan through effective monitoring and control. TASK 3: Monitoring appropriate systems to improve organisational performance. PASS CRITERIA 3. 1 (Ap prox. 150 words) Recommended interim deadline 29th April Explain what you understand by the concept of quality and analyse the implemented quality system in managing and monitoring quality standards within BMW.Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Include a definition of quality and the role of quality concept to BMW. It is essential to recognise the various Quality Management System (QMS) such as Quality Circle, ISO 9000/EN29000 standards, Costs of Quality etc and assess the implication of these systems to the context of BMW. Pick two Quality Control systems at BMW as examples. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criterion: 3. Design systems to manage and monitor quality standards specified by the organisation. PASS CRITERIA 3. 2-4 (Approx. 350 words) Recommended interim deadline 1st May Define the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy and explain how this philosophy can be used to increase quality and efficiency, and to reduce costs by creating a quality culture of improvement within BMW. Identify at least three required changes or improvements that you would suggest on the BMW quality system with your justification in order to create a sustainable quality culture for continuous improvement.Guidelines In order to complete the above task, your answer should: †¢ Explain the theory of TQM on how it helps to create a quality culture to ensure continuous monitoring, evaluation and development of the process within BMW. †¢ Support your view with some examples from BMW. †¢ Include reference to Business Process Re-engineering for the three required changes. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criteria: HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 6|Page London School of Science & Technology 3. Demonstrate a quality culture to ensure continuous monitoring, evaluation and development of the process. 3. 3 Recommend improvements which align wit h the organisation’s objectives / goals resulting in improvements. 3. 4 Report on the wider implications of proposed changes within the organisation. TASK 4: Managing health and safety in the workplace PASS CRITERIA 4. 1-2 (Approx. 200 words) Recommended interim deadline 10th May Investigate how three different Health and Safety Acts and Regulations have been implemented within BMW and explain why BMW needs to carry out risk assessment as required by the legislation.Guidelines In order to complete this task, your answer should: †¢ Show awareness and impact of relevant legislative requirements for the BMW. †¢ Identify relevant three legislative regulations and explain the impact of these on health and safety procedures within BMW. †¢ Consider how a risk assessment could be carried out and its impact on the organisation. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criteria: 4. 1 Carry out risk assessments as required by legislation, regulation and organisational requirements ensuring appropriate action is taken. 4. Demonstrate that health and safety regulations and legislation applicable in specific work situations are correctly and effectively applied. PASS CRITERIA 4. 3-4 (Approx. 200 words) Recommended interim deadline 10th May Explain a procedure to identify hazards and risks in the organisation and discuss how this should be managed. Guidelines In order to complete this task, your answer should: †¢ Include a procedure to identify and assess hazards and risks in BMW, and show how this would be managed. †¢ Demonstrate that you can distinguish between a hazard [i. e. potential of harm] and a risk [i. . likelihood of harm caused by the hazard] within BMW. †¢ Support your response by producing two examples of hazards and risks at assembly line of BMW manufacturing plant in the UK. In answering this question, you will have covered the following assessment criteria: 4. 3 Carry out a systematic rev iew of organisational health and safety policies and procedures in order to ensure they are effective and compliant. 4. 4 Carry out practical application of health and safety policies and procedures in the workplace. – THE END – HND Bus-Unit 15/ MBAAR Feb 2013 RESIT 7|Page