Wednesday, July 31, 2019

How Do People Fall into Debt? Essay

Debt in society is an overwhelming stress factor for many individuals and families. I know that I am one of those individuals and have been for years now. I made a lot of stupid mistakes when I was younger and now that I have a family, it unfortunately is effecting me still today. So how do people fall into debt? There are several contributors like job loss, family, illnesses, poor judgment and management. I will go over effects and consequences, solutions, and prevention people go through and what steps to take to avoid and take control of your debt. Effects and consequences of being in debt can be a long term and severe issue for an individual or family. This can cause an individual to become very depressed and pick up on drinking or may possibly start using drugs because they feel they have no other way to cope with it. You find yourself living paycheck to paycheck because your weekly budget no longer exists and your credit is maxed where no other funds become available. As things get tighter, the ability to keep paying decreases and more debt increases. It could become so severe that it may affect your personal relationships with family, friends and significant other where your family no longer wants to associate with you. This could be because you are always begging for money or your problems are too much for your family to handle. Your significant other may not be able to handle the issue either because it is just as a heavy burden on him or her as it is on yourself. Effects and consequences of not being able to pay your debt is you start losing things. Your house can be foreclosed on, cars repossessed and extracurricular things like boats and recreational vehicles can be taken away. You can get your wages garnished if you have defaulted on certain loans, or even go into tax collection for not paying your property taxes. When and if you can start getting out of the red and into the black, your credit score could be highly effected and will prevent you from getting any new credit loans. Certain employers run credit checks and if you do not clear their standards, you can lose your job or it can affect any future  employment. Solutions can be created to help you get back on your feet and become debt free. It certainly is not an overnight fix and will take some time possibly. One suggestion is to attend a consumer credit counseling class. This is where a counselor can sit down with you and review all of your debt. They will help you set up a budget and work on decreasing your debt over time. They also suggest seminars and workshops that can better educate you on managing your money and debt. You can find a local counselor through the yellow pages or online. Another approach is bankruptcy which is more severe but necessary to clearing your plate and getting a new start. It takes a total of 7 to 10 years to fully have this removed off your credit but if you are willing to wait and can mentally handle what this entails, you should consider this option. Any local attorney with specialty in bankruptcy can review your debt and help finalize. If you have retirement accounts, savings accounts, bonds, life insurance you can close these out and apply the money to your debt. If you have family that is willing to help, you may be able to obtain a small loan from them and pay them back after the debt is gone if they can wait that long. Obtaining more loans through an actually financial institution is not a solution I find to be a smart one. This will cause more debt and more issues down the road. If you have to, sell off items that are paid off in full to help. It is something no one wants to do but sometimes you have to give a little to get a little. Once you have eliminate some of your debt by the suggestions above and preventing yourself from falling back into debt, is to start a savings account and put so much in it a week. Over time this will add up that you have a significant amount set aside in case there is a job loss, family, illnesses, poor judgment and management. Instead of buying the most expensive items, look for bargains or off brands. Biggest suggestion is set a monthly budget so you have a clear outlook of what will be spent and what is left over. I certainly can say when I was younger my greediness of getting things I wanted and not thinking of the outcome overtook my clear decision making. At an early age you don’t really think of what it will do to you in the future and to your family. I have done credit counseling and I can say it has been an effective and positive experience for me. In order to stay out of debt you really have to want to try and stick to it. It will require a lot of willpower and change in your spending habits. I am still today trying to get myself out of this hole I dug myself into and I take it one day at a time. It is a known fact that our society is in debt from all the news we hear every day on television, radio or read in the newspapers. There are some people that will try, won’t try and some that just can’t do it. Everyone needs to think about the future of your children and what you want to leave them when you are gone. Considering the consequences and ask yourself is it worth the long term repayment? Do I really need to take that much? Can I buy that somewhere else at a better price? Taking the time and researching things you are potentially buying will help you in the long run. If you or a family member are subject to a job loss, family issues, illnesses, poor judgment and management; contact your debtors and explain the situation. Find out your options instead of ignoring the issue. A lot of companies have deferment payments for 6 months or so. There is help out there it’s just a matter how people want to stay out of debt or fall into it.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Job Evaluation a Cornerstone to Hrm Practices

| | | | |edith cowan university faculty of business and law | | | | | | | |mba 5712- hr | | | | | | | | | |assignment 1 | |JOB ANALYSIS A ‘CORNERSTONE’ OF | |ALL HRM PRACTICES AND ACTIVITIES | | | | | | | |MUTEMA CHELLA 10157835 | | | | | LECUTRER: MR. D. PHIRI Submission Date: 13th April 2010 | | TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION3 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION3 SELECTION4 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT4 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT5 REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT6 PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH6 CONCLUSION7 REFERENCES8 INTRODUCTION To discuss why job analysis is sometimes said to be the ‘cornerstone’ of all the human resource management practices and activities, six Human Resource functions or practices are listed and then showing how job analysis data is utilised in each of these activities. Job analysis is aptly called so because success or failure of the human resource function in an organisation can directly be attributed to the consequences of job analysis (Siddharth, 2009 October). Siddharth (2009) further contends that Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Job analysis refers to procedures for systematically understanding the work that gets done in an organisation and the basic goal is to understand what people do, how they do it and what skills they need to do the work well (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). According to Jackson & Schuler, the results of the job analysis are used to write job descriptions. A job description spells out essential job functions, describes the conditions in which the job is performed and states special training or certification requirements for the job. For employees, job description produced through job analysis serves as a guide to work behaviour while for supervisors and managers; a job description serves as a guide to performance evaluation and feedback. This essay therefore focuses on trying to show that job analysis provides the foundation upon which to build virtually all components of HR system identified as follows;. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified applicants for the organization to consider when filling job openings (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). In the function of recruitment the job analysis would determine recruitment sources and methods. To find the most suitable employees for jobs and thus for the organisation as a whole, those involved in employee recruitment need to be fully aware of the relevant job description and person specification which can only be derived from comprehensive job analysis (Baired etal, 2008). Effective programs for recruitment should attract suitably qualified applicants and discourage those who are unsuitable. One would therefore say that knowing a defined set of competencies allows one to more efficiently target, within a candidates population those competencies for recruitment. SELECTION Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long or short-term position. Jackson & Schuler (2003) contend that it begins with an assessment of the requirements to be met by the new hire, including technical aspects of a job and the more difficult to quantify organizational need (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Applicants are then assessed to determine their competencies, preference, interests and personality. For productivity and retention, companies such as Southwest, Lincoln Electric, Honda GE, and Toyota hire on the basis of whether an individual matches the job requirements and the corporate culture (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To do a proper selection of the candidate to be employed it is vital to establish the essential features of the job descriptions and person specifications to allow for objective and easier assessment of applicants (Baired etal, 2008). Selection criteria must be demonstrably job relevant and equitably applied, to facilitate comparison between candidates and the matching of candidates with jobs. They are invaluable in the initial short listing of large numbers of applicants, employment testing, interviewing and subsequent referee checking (Baired etal, 2008) Done very well selection practice ensures that employees are capable of high productivity and motivated to stay with the organization for as long as the organization wants to employ them. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT In general, an organisation’s training and development practices are its intentional efforts to improve current and future performance by helping employees acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitude required of competitive work force (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Rapidly changing technology, foreign competition, and changes in organisational strategy and strategic business objectives are putting pressure on organizations to train and develop employees for competitive advantage. This requires careful attention to needs assessment, program development and implementation, and evaluation. Four types of types of needs analysis-organisational, job, person, and demographic-are designed to diagnose systematically the short and long term human resource needs of an organisation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Any discrepancies between the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities demonstrated by a job holder and the requirement contained in the job description and specification or list of competencies for that job provide clues to development needs (Baired etal, 2008). Training & development is merely the development and assessment of said competencies for both the employee and the employer. However, without job analysis the organisation would have no way to know what to teach; train and develop and when to do it. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT A performance management system is a formal, structured process used to measure, evaluate, and influence an employee’s job related attributes, behaviours, performance results (Arvey & Murphy, 1998). Two components of performance management system are (a) performance measurement and feedback for individuals and team, and (b) the rewards component of total compensation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). A well designed performance measurement and feedback process directs employees’ attention toward the most important tasks and behaviours. It informs employees about what’s valued and provides information about whether the employees’ behaviour and results meet the expectations of managers, colleagues, and customers (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To emphasise the importance of performance management, it is said that; ‘It is estimated that if companies could get 3. 7% more work out of each employee, the equivalent of 18 more minutes of work in each 8-hour shift, the gross domestic product in the United States would swell by $355 billion, twice the GDP of Greece (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). The job description and person specification, the result of the job analysis, provide the criteria for evaluating the performance of the holder of the job. Performance Management can therefore be said to be that by knowing the competencies required for each job or job family allows HR (or management) to track employee knowledge, skills and abilities and distribute them accordingly to wherever they may have the most impact within an organization. These competencies may also be tied to other organizational-level criteria for added impact and a validity check. As has been mentioned this is as a result of job analysis REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT Compensation or remuneration typically includes a mix of several elements, monetary and non monetary forms of rewards. Monetary compensation includes direct payments such as salary, wages, and bonuses, and indirect payments such payments to cover the cost of private and public insurance plans. Nonmonetary compensation include many forms of social and psychological rewards-recognition and respect from others, enjoyment from doing the job itself, opportunity for self-development (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Many workplace agreements emphasise the close relationship between job requirements, learning and development programs, career progression and appropriate salary and benefits systems. Baired etal, (2008) further contends that inappropriate remuneration packages may reflect a need for change of job requirements or adjusted pay scales, often in consultation with the relevant unions. It can be said that competencies help guide compensation models to a much more precise degree than more gross measures like â€Å"seniority. For example, a highly sought after software developer with very unique skills may be able to demand on the market a much higher salary than a typical MCSE who has been with the company for X number of years. A competency based compensation model would addres s that. Again, a job analysis done properly will help determine pay scale. PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH Another of the Human Resource function is the promotion of safety and health at the workplace. Job analysis procedures can be used to identify aspects of a job that may contribute to workplace injuries, and ergonomic principals can be applied to redesign the work environment (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Workplace safety and health refers to the physical and psychological conditions of a workforce that result from work environment provided by the organisation. Physical conditions include occupational diseases and accidents such as actual loss of life or limb; repetitive motion injuries, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, other forms of cancer and other conditions that are known to result from unhealthy work environment include white central nervous system damage. While psychological conditions result from organisational stress and a low quality of working life, these encompass, dissatisfaction, apathy, and withdrawal and so on (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). If an organisation takes effective safety and health measures, fewer employees will have short or long term ill effects as a result of being employed at the organization (Cooper & Neck, 2000). Both the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) of the UK require evidence-based approaches to setting physical and medical employment standards. Proven fitness related strategies include redesigning the most demanding tasks, selecting and training personnel who possess the necessary physical attributes, and assessing and redeploying personnel to jobs within their capability. An essential precursor to pursuing these strategies is to conduct a job analysis to quantify the physical demands of the job (Rayson, 2000) . ). CONCLUSION Job Analysis is quite aptly called the â€Å"corner stone† of all HR activities because the success or failure of the HR function in an organization can directly be attributed to the consequences of Job Analysis. If not carried out or not conducted accurately and comprehensively the other HR processes will be ineffective and the cost to the organisation high in terms of productivity and the ability to retain valuable staff Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Get the job analysis wrong and you'll get the wrong person while recruiting, inefficient and sometimes irrelevant performance management measures, increased training expenditure, improper pay with respect to the market and a whole lot of other issues. . REFERENCES Arvey, R. D, Murphy K. R (1998) Performance Evaluation in Work Settings, Annual Review Psychology 49, 141-168 Baird, M. , Compton, R & Nankervis, A. (2008) Human Resource Management: Strategies (6th ed. ). Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co. Cooper, K, Neck C. (May 2000) The Fit Executive; Exercise and Diet Guideline for Enhancing Performance, Academy of Management Executive 14(2), 72-83 Jackson E. S & Schuler, R (2003) Managing Human Resources Through Strategic Partnerships (8th ed. ). Thomson South-Western Publishing Co Rayson, M. P. (2000) Fitness for work: the need for conducting a job analysis, Occup. Med. Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 434-436, 2000. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://occmed. oxfordjournals. org

Monday, July 29, 2019

Cultural factors on managerial roles in female managers Research Paper

Cultural factors on managerial roles in female managers - Research Paper Example There has been a realization that barriers women face exist in medium to large organizations throughout the world (Davidson & Burke, 2004). The glass ceiling, that invisible but impenetrable barrier that keeps women out of the top levels of organizations, is a worldwide phenomenon. Organizations are also beginning to conclude that the full utilization and development of the talents of all employees has become a business imperative (Burke, 2005). If firms are to remain productive and competitive in an increasingly demanding global marketplace, they must recruit, retain, develop and promote their most talented people-regardless of their sex. This is increasingly seen not only as the ethical thing to do but also as the most progressive way of advancing organizations. In light of this reality, a number of leading organizations are making conscious efforts towards being more women-friendly (Burke, 2005). Thankfully, these efforts have helped increase the attention accorded to women in man agement. Organizations have a more structured approach aimed at promoting more women than has been traditionally the case. Currently, we can see that the proportions of women in the American labor force, in management overall, and in top management have increased in recent years. Also, the gap between proportions of women in the labor force and in management overall has virtually disappeared. ... and they occupied 50% of the overall managerial positions. A prior report, released in 2006, indicated that the women population had exceeded the men population in mid-level positions and occupations. Looking at these statistics, it is clear that women have made substantial progress in mid-level management; however, they still remain much maligned in top level management as statistics will reveal (Catalyst 2013). In 2010, only 2.4% of the Fortune 500 senior positions were occupied by women. In the FTSE 100, the situation was even worse with women occupying a mere 1.8% of the senior/top positions. These wanting statistics extend to boardroom seats, mainly in the major economies such as U.S. and U.K. Looking at the FTSE 100, women constitute only 12.5% of the overall directors, though this was a slight improvement from 11.7% in 2008 and 12.2% in 2009 (Toegel, 2011). However, the situation is not all gloom, as in certain countries the number of women holding senior positions in the corp orate world is competitive enough, an example of this is in Norway where women occupy 44.2% of the total board seats. All the same, this is an isolated case, and discrimination is more the norm in most corporations especially in U.S. and U.K. Research reveals that even in countries such as Norway, where women occupancy is quite competitive the number has not been achieved voluntarily (Toegel, 2011). The current situation was necessitated by a 2008 law which required that all publicly listed companies have a board constitution made up of at least 40 percent women (Catalyst 2013). Countries such as Norway provide hope for women, going forward much more effort will be directed to achieving competitive women numbers. There are some commendable steps, with France and Spain said to be

Sunday, July 28, 2019

ProjectIII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ProjectIII - Essay Example when you do have the money? At the current state of funds availability and family members (husband and children), one’s individual health insurance is the only one afforded at the moment. In this regard, one acknowledges that I and my family are not adequately insured for auto, homeowners and life insurance given that the amount of current income could not possible support and sustain purchasing all these at the same time. In this regard, after having accomplished the risk management plan, one was made increasingly aware of the sources of risks, the potential losses that one is exposed to, and how one could handle and address the risks through purchase of additional insurance that caters to different risks. As one has already earmarked some portions of combined income for the life insurances of the children, with the surplus of $750 per month, one could try to fit in other insurance coverage as deemed necessary. I could prioritize on purchasing additional health insurance coverage that would include my husband and my children and therefore fits within the family coverage, which is less costly. I have to review the inclusions (pharmacy, dental) depending on the availability of funds. Secondly, I think fitting car insurance needs to be planned next as the risks in driving and travelling are more eminent because we need to go out daily to our work settings and the children have to be taken to their schools. And third, I plan to buy a home insurance to increase protection from fire and theft at home. Other insurances such as life insurance could be planned last when one has substantial savings to accommodate this. Using the website Living to 100, after answering the questions indicated in the calculator to determine the life expectancy, the results revealed that my calculated life expectancy is 88 years which is well above the life expectancies of my parents (Living to 100, 2011). The questions delved in crucial aspects of one’s lifestyle,

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussions - Assignment Example The future is very unpredictable and I do not plan for the predictable but also prepare for the unpredictable which I do not know when or where it will happen. In the old aged institution that I work, my decisions are based on evidence and am also led by research. This ensures that the decisions that I make are real and viable. It also ensures that the firm I work in can compete favorably in the market. I also get things done. My propulsion for doing things this way is because I am always striving to make a difference. Also, by doing this, I am able to inspire my junior workers to do the same as some of them look up to me. Getting things done when you set to do them reduces the wasting of resources. Opening new horizons by setting out to get new ways of getting things done is another of my leadership qualities (Quong &Walker, 2010). This is mainly evident by the fact that I make decisions that are based on evidence and led by research. Sustainability goes beyond the triple bottom line. It includes what people think and this is mainly concerned with some myths that are common in business organizations. These myths have been carried on from one generation to another. Such myths could have been true when the business environment was still young and premature but as of the day-to-day business environment, such myths deserve to be done away with. One of the common myths in business organizations is that the manager is more important that the other employees. The importance of the manager is tied to the position that he/she occupies. It should instead be viewed that the managers are stewards or people who offer guidance to the other junior employees. Leadership should be viewed as a teamwork kind of thing, every employee contributes towards attaining it (Harrison, 2015). There are numerous changes that are taking place and the business organization that merely concentrate on social, environmental, health and safety rules are going

The Impact of Information Technology on the Role of Human Resources Term Paper

The Impact of Information Technology on the Role of Human Resources - Term Paper Example The paper discusses the crucial interaction between HR and information technology in an organization. In its initial years of adoption, IT was performed more routine functions, such as those of the personnel department, as opposed to the more sophisticated roles of the HR However, the current information technology (which includes ERP, employee databases and management systems, SAP as well as the more holistic HR information systems (HRIS) the role of IT has transformed from performing tactical, routine tasks to those involving more strategic contributions towards the organization. The fact that both HR and IT have undergone strategic transformations over the years has increased the researcher’s interests in exploring the linkage between the two. On the contrary, however, the little empirical examination has been done in this area. A model proposed by Leavitt indicated a linkage between people, structure, tasks, and technology. According to him, technological change is driven by organizational change. The concept is elaborated by Dewett and Jones who claim that IT contributes towards information efficiency as well as information synergies by achieving the former through enhanced output and quality of information and ensuring the latter by enhanced coordination amongst various groups within the organization. One increasingly interesting aspect of organizational change has been that of the changing nature and role of the HR. HR experts have assumed the prominent roles of partners and change agents. The role of HR as a business partner allows the HR professionals to contribute to the accomplishment of organizational goals, develop strategic outcomes for the business, as well as help the business accomplish the ‘strategy should follow structure’ rule. The role as a change agent involves HR professionals facilitating the process of change in organizations, ensuring that the HR setup facilitates change rather than hampering it, and enhancing and r ewarding competitive behaviors within the organization. At the same time, however, the change has been slow which is mainly due to HR involvement in mundane tasks such as paperwork and manual processing of CVs. It is believed that IT has facilitated the HR transition from performing administration and tactical tasks to more strategic ones by shifting the burden of tactical work from HR to IT. It has been observed that by delegating the bulk of administrative tasks to IT, small businesses are in a better position to deal with strategic planning and success models. Furthermore, research has suggested that the relationship between organizational performance and IT is vague. In fact, as claimed by some, it is a dual-edged sword. The relationship presents what is known as a â€Å"productivity paradox†. This term accurately depicts the situation of organizations that have made significant investments in IT but have not yet reaped its benefits. At the other end, however, are the pot ential benefits of IT on HR due to outsourcing, collaboration, and computerization of service delivery platforms. Eastman Chemical is an organization that is on the verge towards outsourcing the administrative aspect of its HR.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Globalization - Essay Example Globalization is at times controversial with the amount of criticisms being almost at par with its merits. However, supporters of each side of the argument have valid reasons to justify their stand (Held et al. 2005). The following discussion analyses the key aspects of the sceptics approach and the reformist approach to globalization. The sceptics approach The sceptics approach is in opposition to making general claims concerning the totalizing effect of globalization. Held and McGrew (2003) argue that current global market is more regionalized. Sceptics argue that the height of globalization took place in the nineteenth century and current developments confirm a considerable level of regionalization. It can be noted that the degree of trade as a fraction of national earnings was higher before the World War I than it is currently (Hirst and Thomson 1999). Sceptics claim that international trade and FDI operations are mostly practised in Europe, North America and Asia. Therefore, wha t is referred to as globalization is actually regionalization (Murray 2006). The emerging economies are becoming increasingly marginalized as they are not drawn in the world economy (Jones 2010). Other perspectives put emphasis on the growth of global capitalism. However, the sceptics view international capitalism as a falsehood. Multinationals are important components of globalization but their benefits are mainly reaped by their countries and hence do not profit the regions in which they operate. The idea of growth of global governance is questionable and sceptics argue that it is only a hidden neo-liberal ploy to benefit the West (Oxfam, 2002). Most of the assumptions by the reformist approach have been rejected by the sceptics who claim that globalization is a disguise of regionalization in the world. They state that the global economy is divided into three regional alliances in which national governments remain dominant (Held and McGrew 2002). Sceptics support their arguments b y conducting experimental testing of the strong globalization theory. This is achieved by applying two methodological models. The primary approach is founded on constructing conceptual models of the global economy and culture and identifying the extent to which trends in the contemporary world match the ideal standards. Hirst and Thomson (1999) used the same method of analysing the theory and formulated two ideal forms which are authentically global economy and international economy whereby there exists a thin line between them. Sceptics argue that globalization should represent the expansion of fresh economic organizations not just theoretical developments towards increased global trade and investments (Hirst and Thomson 1999). Sceptics continue to argue that globalization has lost its meaning. This is due to the fact that most countries are left out of global progression which applies to the Middle East, Africa, parts of Asia and Latin America. This further expounds on the claim t hat what exists today is simply regionalization. The other important approach compares the trends in the past with current trends. By comparing the modern trends and those in the past, sceptics have reached a conclusion that the point of the current internalization is not traditionally unmatched (Hirst and Thomson 1999). This can be attributed to migration in the nineteenth century. The ratios of trade liberalization have increases over time and though the total

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Islamic history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic history - Essay Example However, the study will be guided by such questions as where did Islam start and who were the first people to adhere to it? What are the main ideologies that define Islam and how has they evolved over time? When did Islam start and what historical significance has the ideology had over the course of its evolution to the modern day Islam? Islam started in the seventh century (C.E) as instituted by Prophet Mohammed and it took over the Arabic region, which was characteristically defined by polytheism. It is adherent to monotheism and as such the ideology stipulates that there is no other God to be worshiped but Allah. It therefore transformed greatly the religious systems of the traditional nomadic life that was characteristic of the Arabs from the extremes of worshiping many Gods as well as paganism to the faith in Allah. Prophet Mohammed was born in late sixth century and in the early seventh century; he is believed to have had an encounter with an angle of God where he became the pr ophet (apostle) of God (Nawwab, Speers and Hoye, para 1-5). Through divine revelations, Mohamed is said to have written the Quran as it is adhered to in Islam. Therefore, among other great ideologies that define Islam, Quran as it was written by the last prophet of Allah (Mohammed) is complete, infallible, perfect and eternal and thus holds eminently against any influence or modification. In religious matters, the tenets presented in Quran held and continuously holds to define Islam. Islam ascribes to various ideologies which include that God is transcendent and omnipotent, that there are angles, that Quran are words of God’s revelation through his prophets as well as there is the last day that awaits all and in which God’s judgment to mankind will be pronounced. Moreover, the Islam believes that God is all knowing and as such, he is omniscient (â€Å"The History of Islam† 1-3). Despite the great transformation that characterized the inception of Islam, as a rel igion in the Arabian countries in matters of polytheism believes, Islam held to the supremacy of Allah as god who was more impressive than the rest. Besides being the creator, Allah was and is believed to be the provider as well as the determiner to human destiny in eternity (â€Å"History of Islam† para 3). Besides, the Muslims have dispersed everywhere to occupy all the parts of the globe where Islam has been introduced. Little is seen to have changed in terms of believe systems and ideologies as they were instituted and depicted in Quran. The modern day Islam upholds five basic rules, which are prayer, fasting, faith, almsgiving as well as pilgrimage at Ka’bah (â€Å"History of Islam† 5). The evolution in Islam has been more in matters of spread and global acceptance as unlike in matters of systems of believes. Besides much of what is practiced in the modern day in Islamic circles is purely as it was practiced traditionally as instructed by Prophet Mohammed i n Quran (Nasr, vii-xix). In spite of the little evolutionally changes that has been shown in ideological aspects of Islam, misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the ideologies has led to wrong perception of the culture. It is increasingly being associated with acts of terror due to few of its teachings on Jihad and such political activism which has in the past led to political as well as religious conflicts in different parts of the globe

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Talent Management Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Talent Management Strategy - Research Paper Example The current employment size of the organisation in over 20,000 people worldwide and the company is continuing to expand into newer markets. The company has come a long way from its humble origins in the early forties when it was founded in a small state in Europe. Currently Hilti operates in over 120 countries worldwide and tends to operate in one of the most competitive markets in the world (Hilti, 2009). In order to gain competitive advantage over its competitors Hilti has a continuous need for innovation that it tends to meet using talent management methods. The added pressures to make the workplace safer have meant that health and safety regulations have been changing around the world in the past few decades (Fung et al., 2010). In order to keep up with the challenge, Hilti has been employing a number of different talent management strategies that are discussed in detail below. 2. Talent Management Strategy Talent management has grown to encompass human resource management throug h the active anticipation of human resource requirements. These requirements are tabulated and plans are devised in order to meet the identified human resources needs (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2010). Generally businesses engaged in talent management transfer the grooming of employees from the human resources department to the line managers directly in order to produce more efficient strategies. It also tends to make more sense given that the line managers have far greater expertise in determining the needs and requirements of individual employees. These can be used to align the development of individuals with the developmental needs of the organization far more flexibly. The largest reason for the enhanced flexibility is the simplification of the overall framework that does not remove the human resources department but instead tends to simplify the process flow. Typically talent management programs can pursue either of two preferred paths in order to enhance the overall human re source potential. The simpler strategy is to hire talented individuals from the labor market and to manage them accordingly. Another alternative strategy is based on the assumption that all individuals carry some form of talent. This strategy relies on grooming the individual talents of all employees in order to garner human resources. Therefore, talent management in an organization could be diverted at a select few individuals or to the entire labor set in order to develop human resources to empower the organizational objectives and goals (Rammer et al., 2010) (Perdomo-Ortiz et al., 2009). While some organizations have chosen to pursue the former path over the latter but Hilti has chosen to use the latter path. The development of a few select individuals tends to lower the costs for talent management but exposes the business to greater risks. These risks arise when the talented and groomed individuals choose to leave the organization for any number of reasons. Above anything else, this could occur due to the â€Å"war for talent† (Michaels, Handfield-Jones, & Axelrod, 2001) where an organization decides to capture the available talent pool from the market by providing better pays and perks. The human resources that leave an organization in this scenario represent a large

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Storm Chasers in Tornado Alley Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Storm Chasers in Tornado Alley - Research Paper Example Storm chasing in Tornado Alley is a dangerous, thrilling and awe inspiring activity assisted by modern technology but the risks taken is well rewarded by the information gained, which is a significant contribution to the field of studying storms. 1. The storm chaser’s experience of studying storms in Tornado Alley The experience of chasing Tornado in the Tornado Alley is a unique experience, the taste of which cannot be found anywhere else. On June 24, 2003 Hamlet of Manchester, South Dakota was hit by a Tornado . As the tornado was moving in its course, Tim Samaras and his storm chasing partner Pat Potter were in a van chasing that storm. It had all the equipments like probes which can measure the wind speed and its direction. Storm chasers Carsten Peter and Gene Rhodene were following the storm in another car. They had a pyramid-shaped probe, which they called Tinman, loaded with still cameras, solely made for the purpose of filming inside the tornado. The sound of the tornado was becoming more intense, as the tornado was only a hundred yards away from them. As the storm was approaching, Tim managed to deposit a probe, scurried to his car and could see the debris roaring above them while they were speeding away (Vesilind 1). After sometime they stopped their cars again. Carsten and Gene hauled their Tinman and activated the cameras, while Tim was dropping another turtle. It was appearing now that the storm was chasing the team rather than the team chasing the storm. The storm chasers could see two or three probes taking direct hits, but all of a sudden the previous ferocity and power of the tornado was lost as it changed and finally evaporated (Vesilind 2). Michael fish, an expert storm chaser has his own views about storm chasing in Tornado Alley2. Fish states, â€Å"Storm chasing is an exhilarating but testing way to travel. You have to be prepared for long days, driving sometimes up to 600 miles, and endure hours of frustration† (Fish). He and his team travelled for about 3,600 miles through Texas, Oklohoma and Kansas but could only locate a single funnel cloud, which cannot be called a tornado strictly. As described by him, a supercell start from a fluffy cumulus and transforms itself into a v ast thunder cloud known a cumulo-nimbus. Consequently, the cloud formation is accompanied by sheets of rain, a green tinge when the hail starts, increase in wind speed, drops in temperature, and the clouds starts to rotate above dipping towards the ground. This is the time to look for tornadoes (Fish). Despite Tornado Alley’s reputation, the number of tornadoes in some years drops very low. Whereas, 1,304 tornadoes took place in 2009, killing 121 people by the end of June in that year, only one twister was seen in 2009 till June. This was bad news for researchers like Burgess who were working on Vortex2, a funded project to study tornadoes in May and June that year (Welte). 2. Methodology and equipments used for storm chasing in Tornado Alley Storm chasing requires usage of some sort of equipment,3 irrespective of the place where the chase is being carried on. Doppler radar is a system which has been devised long time ago and it has been used for studying storms. Doppler rada r in comparison to other radars can also detect whether a storm is rotating and also the speed of the storm (Pine). Equipments vary with storm chasers but the common storm chasing equipments are usually

Monday, July 22, 2019

Geggus, David Patrick. Haitian revolutionary studies. Essay Example for Free

Geggus, David Patrick. Haitian revolutionary studies. Essay After the 1695 Ryswick Treaty between France and Spain, France took control of St. Domingue (Willie 2001, p 36). The legal rights bestowed upon the French gave them the jurisdictional capacity to reign over the western region of Hispaniola. Government officials from France took care of the administrative and governing bodies of St. Domingue. The Ryswick Treaty paved way for the French to colonize St. Domingue and take preeminence in virtually every fundamental aspect of the region. The social, economic and political realms of the people of St. Domingue were largely defined by the French colonial systems in place (Willie 2001, p 36). The weighty colonial systems of the French in St. Domingue led to a stratified social system, dividing the people into social classes. The Les Grand Blancs were the superior whites who consisted of the planters and royal officials of the colony. The Les Petit Blanc, considered as the lowest group of whites consisted of the artisans, shopkeepers and bookkeepers in St. Domingue. By 1789, the total umber of whites in St. Domingue was 30, 000. The Mulattoes or free coloreds, numbering 28,000 by 1789, consisted of children fathered by white French men with black women (Willie, 2012, p 38). Emancipation of the free coloreds gave them an opportunity to own slaves as their white counterparts. They possessed one third of the real estate in St. Domingue. The slaves, who numbered 450, 000 by 1789 were the least in the social ladder (Ghachem 2003, p 4; Willie 2001, p 38). They literally owned nothing and were devoid of any degree of liberty compared to the other social classes. The social stratification structure in St. Domingue resulted into social, economic and political disparities that constantly caused friction among the social classes in the social ladder. Every social class sought to defend its rights and freedoms; the quest for justice and liberty was deeply engraved in each of the social classes (Geggus 2002, p 14). A critical analysis of the perceived economic and social injustices experienced by the groups is ultimately significant in understanding the causes and aims of the St. Domingue Revolution. Indeed, a critical evaluation of the social ladder in the French colony is imperative in comprehending the causes and aims of the St. Domingue Revolution from 1791-1804. The economic demography of St. Domingue in the late 18th century               Ã‚  One cannot talk about the St. Domingue Revolution (1791-1804) without expounding on the economic demography of the then, largest French colony. Dominated by agriculture and trading relations, the French colony was indeed export motivated. The colonial economy maximized on sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo plantations. The colony had 3000 coffee plantations, 800 sugar plantations, 800 cotton plantations and 2950 indigo plantations (Willie 2001, p 36). The expansive plantations placed St. Domingue strategically among the French colonies; in fact, it was the richest plantation colony of the French. The second half of the 18th century saw St. Domingue expand to become the largest exporter of coffee and sugar in the world; this placed France at a strategic place in the world economy (Willie 2001, p 36). The increased growth and demand in the colonial economy in St. Domingue triggered the colonialists to continually restructure the plantation systems. A constant increase in the number of slaves in the colony by the colonialists fueled the destabilization of the social balance in St. Domingue. In a bid to maintain a robust and thriving colonial agricultural economy, the colonialists subjected the slaves into hard labor, which consequently eroded their state of freedom and liberties. The lowest social class in the French colony experienced social and economic deficiencies that exacerbated their poor living standards. The poor living standards meant that the mortality rate of the slaves, sky- rocketed and necessitated the capture of more slaves for the further expansion of the colonial economy. The complicated economy in late century St. Domingue saw an increase in the number of slaves, which led to slave insurrections prior to 1791(Marsh and Nicola 2011, p 21). The desire of the slaves to attain freedom and liberty precipitated the St. Domingue revolution that historians claim changed the landscape of world affairs, and contributed to the demise of slavery. Hence, the social imbalance created by the economic demography of St. Domingue led to the inception of the revolution. The economic and social disparities of the social groups               Ã‚  Economic and social disparities were at the height of the causes and aims of the St. Domingue revolution (Geggus 2002 p 14). The social classes often clashed with one another in a bid to secure their social, economic and political justices. However, this was not an easy endeavor; hence, precipitating repeated crises that brought social and economic imbalances in the colony. The colonial masters sought to maintain the colony’s economic valor, and for this to happen, the relentless friction among the social clashes continued inevitably. Certainly, the social ladder triggered disparities that heightened the imbalances in the colony. The Les Grant Blancs who were born in the colony expressed feelings of discontent against the whites born from France, their motherland. The whites from France took charge of the most important government offices in the colony. The whites born in the colony (creoles) expressed dissatisfaction because they wanted to participate effectively in the government (Geggus 2002, p 6). The inability of the Les Grant Blancs to have a greater autonomy in the running of the colonial administration affected their social status in the colony. The group perceived that being on top of the social ladder deemed it right to have autonomy over the affairs of the colony. The planters and wealthy members of the group perceived that the ceremonial positions they were given in the assembly was not tantamount to their social status. The reduction of their status to minor aristocrats precipitated their desire to command more grounding against the European-born colonialists. As a result, there was a social stru ggle and imbalance as the group sought to gain the legal rights of controlling the colony. The Les Grant Blancs also wanted to have the freedom of trade. As the plantation owners, they wanted to have more economic autonomy from the proceeds of their produce. Apparently, the colonialists controlled the produce from the island, which was its major asset because of the strategic economic benefits associated with it. The French government introduced the Exclusive trade system, which ensured that the control of goods had to come exclusively from France. Moreover, the high taxation levied on the colony did not auger well with the group. The white plantation owners continually sought to have economic independence from the French government and the colonial administrators. The economic struggles between the Les Grant Blancs and the royal French colonial administrators brought economic imbalances that often threatened the integration of the groups. The white planters saw that the economic advances were creating injustices that needed to be addressed. According to Willie (2001, p 39 ), the Les Grant Blancs believed that the colony officials wasted St. Domingue’s resources. Therefore, the plantation owners and members of the assembly constantly attacked the executive officials from France. It was widely acknowledged that the wealth of the French colonies was primarily meant to benefit France, but not the colonies. This brought mixed reactions in the colony, with the superior whites advocating for the abolishment of heavy taxes and a greater control of the colony’s trade relations. The Les Petit Blanc consisting of poor white men did not have good relations with their rich counterparts. The social disparities between the two groups caused sharp conflicts that often resulted into physical violence. The Les Petit Blanc did not like the fact that their rich counterparts had immense wealth, which they could only imagine. The privileges that the Les Grant Blancs enjoyed created a stratified social structure that made the Les Petit Blanc inferior. The Mulattoes or free coloreds were also inferior to the wealthy planters and civil officers. The interaction between the poor whites and the Mulattoes as well as the slaves made the rich whites to perceive them as less important in the economic status of the colony. The economic and social superiority of the rich whites resulted into strained relationships between them and the â€Å"Les Petit Blancs†. Undoubtedly, the strained relationships stemmed from the economic and social disparities of the colony’s stru cture. Of importance still, is the relationship between the whites and the Mulattoes/ free coloureds. The disparities between the social classes came because of the economic and social characteristics of the Mulattoes. The free coloureds were seen as extremely ambitious and a threat to the social and economic dominance of the whites. They were strong and showed great prospects of social mobility and capacity to compete with the whites. Additionally, most of the Mulattoes were highly educated; hence, posing challenges to the dominant whites. The whites did not like the fast-rising nature of the free coloureds; they wanted them to remain inferior to them and settle at the bottom of the social class ladder. The social and economic disparities between the groups caused numerous conflicts that destabilized the power of the colonial administration. Due to the massive influence of the Mulattoes/free coloureds, the colonial legislature introduced strict laws to limit their influence (James 1963, p 97). The enacted laws forbade them from holding public office, joining the colonial army, wearing European clothes, organizing social functions, marrying whites and residing in France. They were also forced to work for free for a certain number of days per year, according to the French law. The free coloureds were economically and socially deprived of their rights because of their race and their prospects of social mobility. The Mulattoes did not agree with the social and economic injustices committed against them; hence, they sought to find for their rights (Ott 1987, p 67). These factors caused tensions between the whites and the Mulattoes and consequently led to the intense fighting between the groups in 1791. The slaves, majorly from African origin were subjected to hard labor and deprivation of their rights as humans. They were the lowest in the social ladder, and yielded nothing in respect to their social and economic statuses. They experienced harsh conditions subjected to them by the superiors. The economic and social disparities between them and the other groups denied them the opportunity to enjoy their rights and dignity. In 1791, as the Les Blancs, Les Petit Blanc and free coloureds were fighting one another because of the prevalent social and economic disparities, the slaves maximized on the opportunity to start revolts in St. Domingue (James 1963, p 110). The slaves, favored by their numbers, fought against the whites and free coloureds because of the torments they faced as inferiors in St. Domingue. Undeniably, the social and economic disparities among the social classes in the colony contributed greatly in the St. Domingue Revolution. The Declaration of Rights of Men               Ã‚  The Declaration of Rights of Men of 1789 was an instrumental document of the French Revolution in the expression of human rights. The document played a vital role in the establishment of the fundamental human rights that have continued to influence the modern world. In the wake of the French Revolution, there was need for setting up of laws that recognized the basic human rights and the equality of all people before the law. The declaration came at a time when rights and liberties were highly violated at the merit of a few. The French Revolution sought to fight for liberty, equality and fraternity rights (Manigat 1977, p 420). Certainly, the Declaration of the Rights of Men played a dominant role in the start of St. Domingue Revolution. After the document brought the realization of human rights and universal laws in France, the social classes in St. Domingue sought to fight for their rights and privileges in a highly stratified colony. The Les Blancs wanted the right to makes laws, the abolishment of trading restrictions from France and wanted to have social equality with the French whites. They also wanted the scrubbing off, of royal bureaucracies in St. Domingue. The Declaration of the Rights of Men inspired the free coloureds to fight for social and political rights and the abolishment of discrimination. On the other hand, the slaves fought for their personal freedom from the oppression by the other social classes. Based on the discussion above, it is worth noting that the Declaration of the Rights of Men inspired the St. Domingue Revolution. Conclusion               Ã‚  In conclusion, it is notable to assert that the St. Domingue Revolution (1791-1804) was because of various factors. Social and economic disparities in the colony were a major factor in the start of the revolt that certainly ended slavery in the island. The social classes that lived in St. Domingue often clashed in respect to the economic and social factors defining them. The deprivation of rights and liberties among the social groups led to conflicts that often turned physical. The need for economic and social rights and the quest for justice in the late 18th century St. Domingue led to a successful slave revolt that resulted into the birth of the nation of Haiti. As historians put it, the St. Domingue Revolution was significant in defining the history of European colonialism. Indeed, the upheaval is significant in understanding the history of French imperialism. References Geggus, David Patrick. Haitian revolutionary studies. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2002.Ghachem, Malick W. Slavery and citizenship in the age of the Atlantic revolutions. Alfred, N.Y.: Alfred University, 2003. Print. Ghachem, Malick W. The Old Regime and the Haitian Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. James, C. L. R. Parliament and Property. In The Black Jacobins; Toussaint LOuverture and the San Domingo Revolution. Second Ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1963 Willie, Doris. Renaissance and Revolt. In Lest you forget: a study and revision guide for CXC Caribbean History. Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaica Pub. House, 2001. 38-65 Manigat, Leslie F. The Relationship between Marronage and Slave Revolts and Revolution In St. Domingue-Haiti. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 292, no. 1 Comparative P (1977): 420-438.Marsh, Kate, and Nicola Frith. Frances lost empires: fragmentation, nostalgia, and la fracture coloniale. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2011.Ott, Thomas O. The Haitian revolution, 1789-1804. 1st ed. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1987. Source document

Types of damages Essay Example for Free

Types of damages Essay According to the S. 74 damages which is the cash compensation by a court or another’s fault or negligence in suffering, the rules for damages can and frequently do vary based on the type of claim which is presented. There are many types of damages. Special damages are those which actually were caused by the injury and include medical and hospital bills, ambulance charges, loss of wages, property repair or replacement costs, or loss of money due on a contract. There are presumed to be a result of the other partys actions is general damages, but are subjective both in nature and determination of value of damages. These damages include distress, future problems of our life and crippling effect of an injury, loss of ability to perform various acts, shortening of life span, mental anguish, loss of companionship, loss of reputation, humiliation from scars, loss of anticipated business and other harm. The third damage is exemplary damages which combines punishment and the setting of public example. Punitive damages may be awarded when the defendant acted in a malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent, wanton, or grossly reckless way in causing the special and general damages to the plaintiff. On occasion punitive damages can be greater than the actual damages. Although the innocent asked for compensation, they are seldom awarded. Nominal damages are those given when the actual harm is minor and an award is warranted under the circumstances. For example, the most famous case was when Winston Churchill was awarded a shilling against author Louis Adamic who had written that the British Prime Minister had been drunk at a dinner at the White House. Liquidated damages are those pre-set by the parties in a contract to be awarded in case one party defaults as in breach of contract. This is similar to the measure of damages payable under common law as established in the case of Hadley v Baxendale (1854). In Tham Cheow Toh1, the appellant sold a metal melting furnace to the respondent. The appellants undertaking to the respondent that the melting furnace would have a temperature of no lower than 2,600 degrees F was not satisfied. The respondent alleged that the appellant had breached the contract and claimed damages of RM29,301. 38. The trial judge held that the melting furnace did not meet with the specifications thereby constituting a breach of the condition of the contract. A sum of RM7,501. 8 was awarded as damages for loss of profits. Abdul Hamid J: In the circumstances, I am of the view that the failure on the part of the defendants to supply a furnace which would meet the required temperature, constituted a breach of the condition of the contract entitling the plaintiffs to treat such breach as a breach of warranty. For the reasons which I have stated above, it is my judgment that the defendants are liable for the breach of the condition of the agreement and the plaintiffs clai m should therefore succeed. The Federal Court said that it is true that the amount awarded in this case was merely conjectural but there was at least some evidence before the court which might support the award. It is because that the case fell within the provisions of s 74(1) of the Contracts (Malay States) Ordinance, that is, when damages arising were such as might reasonably be supposed to have been in the contemplation of both parties at the time they made the contract, as the probable result of the breach of it. This is indeed the principle in Hadley v Baxendale (1854) . Case: Aruna Mills Ltd v Dhanrajmal Gobindram [1968] In Aruna Mills Ltd v Dhanrajmal Gobindram2, goods were to be shipped from India and the contract expressly stated that the buyers would take the risk of any devaluation of the rupee. The rupee was devalued and the price payable by the buyers was increased accordingly. However, a portion of that increase arose as a result of late shipment by the sellers, and it was held that the resultant loss could be recovered by the buyers. The ‘devaluation’ clause demonstrated that the parties had turned their minds to the impact of exchange losses. Lord Reid observed: â€Å"I am satisfied that the court [in Hadley v Baxendale] did not intend that every type of damage which was reasonably foreseeable by the parties when the contract was made should either be considered as arising naturally, in the usual course of things, or be supposed to have been in the contemplation of the parties. Indeed the decision makes it clear that a type of damage which was plainly foreseeable as a real possibility but which would only occur in a small minority of cases cannot be regarded as arising in the usual course of things or be supposed to have been in the contemplation of the parties: the parties are not supposed to contemplate as grounds for the recovery of damage any type of loss or damage which on the knowledge available to the defendant would appear to him as only likely to occur in a small minority of cases. In cases like Hadley v Baxendale or the present case it is not enough that in fact the plaintiff’s loss was directly caused by the defendant’s breach of contract. It clearly was so caused in both. The crucial question is whether, on the information available to the defendant when the contract was made, he should, or the reasonable man in his position would, have realized that such loss was sufficiently likely to result from the breach of contract to make it proper to hold that the loss flowed naturally from the breach or that loss of that kind should have been within his contemplation. Here, Lord Reid saw the law as applying an objective test, and one which reflects the realities of the business transaction entered into by the contracting parties. In the light of the decision of our court the law on remoteness of damage in contract is therefore as laid down in Hadley v Baxendale (1854) and restated in Victoria Laundry [1949] s 74 which provides that compensation is not to be given for any remote or indirect loss sustained is superfluous in view of the limits. Case: Tan Chin Kim Sawmill Factory Sdn Bhd v Lindeteves-Jacoberg (M) Sdn Bhd3 [1982] In Tan Chin Kim Sawmill, it is clear from these three clauses and from the terms contained in MIMB’s letter dated 2 June 1975, which terms were accepted by both the appellant and the respondent that the intention of the parties was that MIMB was to be compensated not only for all sums of money which would become due and payable by the appellant but also for â€Å"all losses, damages costs and expenses† suffered by MIMB. The letter and these three clauses by stipulating that sums other than rentals due are recoverable therefore make the financing case inapplicable to the case under the present appeal, and as such the amount of $527,039. 37 which the respondent paid as a cash price settlement for the equipment on 11 February 1977 was in fact the amount which the appellant itself was bound to pay under the lease agreement. In fact the appellant was informed of this fact by MIMB in its letter to the appellant dated 22 March 1976 and the respondent was offered back the equipment on the stated cash price settlement only in the event that the appellant was unable to pay MIMB the said cash price settlement by 1 April 1976. Abdoolcader J:  In the circumstances on a consideration of the evidence adduced both oral and documentary and for the reasons I have stated, I find no substance whatsoever in the contention of the plaintiffs that the first plaintiff was at any time the owner of the machinery in question or that the arrangement entered into to provide finance to the first plaintiff was otherwise than what the documents produced tales quales show it to be, namely, the provision of lease financing to the first plaintiff by the second defendant by way of a lease of the machinery to the former by the latter which had purchased it from the first defendant. The crux of the plaintiffs claim to the effect that the documents are a sham because they were a device to cover a transaction whereby goods were given as security for a loan must accordingly fail. Cadit quaestio, and it follows that the plaintiffs ancillary claims for damages and other relief must necessarily succumb, and it is perhaps only necessary for me to observe that in the matter of the plaintiffs claim for damages Mr. Rajah himself had to admit that the y have not satisfactorily proved every item of the damages sought. The Federal Court said that, in order to make a particular loss recoverable it is not necessary for the plaintiff to prove that the defendant could, as a reasonable man, foresee that a breach must necessarily result in that particular loss. Rescind S. 76 means that it is exercising the right to terminate the contract that communicated clearly by a party revocable contract. If the contract never existed, it is an irrevocable step that frees the other party as well from its contractual obligations. Rescission may be on mutual consent, by either party for reasonable cause such as a material misrepresentation. The second definition is unmaking of a contract by a court in the interests of justice. However, both parties are not possible to reinstate their original positions. Furthermore, rescind a contract defined as to affirm a contract void in its inception and to put an end so further defined as to terminate it and release parties from further obligations to each other and restore parties to relative positions which they would have occupied had no contract ever been made. Case: Lam Gow Anor V. Maju-Tekno Sdn Bhd Anor 4 [ 1994] In the present case, the plaintiffs had, on 27 June 1990 contracted to purchase land with a building thereon measuring 258 square meters. They did not discover that the said land only measured 193 square meters until July 1992. Immediately upon such discovery, they wrote to the defendant, complaining of the matter. The circumstances and the plaintiffs conduct indicate that there was no acceptance of the reduction in the size of the land by the plaintiffs. Ranita Hussein JC: â€Å"In my view, the reduction by 25. 19% in the size of the land alone can be regarded as having transformed the subject matter of the sale into one which the purchasers would not have purchased had they known of the true position at the time of the signing of the agreement. In other words, the difference aforesaid would not give the purchasers substantially what they bargained for. † For the reason above, I find that the plaintiffs have the right to rescission. Judgment is given to the plaintiffs for rescission and it is ordered that the sum of RM14,659 paid by the plaintiffs to the defendants be refunded with interest at the rate of 8% and costs. The interest is, as agreed by the parties, to take effect from 3 January 1991 to date of realization. It is also ordered that the plaintiffs be entitled to damages on account of the non fulfillment of the agreement, the amount of such damages to be assessed by the senior assistant registrar. The Federal Court said that the plaintiffs for rescission and it is ordered that the sum of RM14,659 amount paid by the plaintiffs to the defendants be refunded with interest at the rate of 8% and costs. The interest is, as agreed by the parties, to take effect from 3 January 1991 to date of realization. It is because that the plaintiffs be entitled to damages on account of the non fulfillment of the agreement, the amount of such damages to be assessed by the senior assistant registrar.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Healthcare Training in Simulated Environments

Healthcare Training in Simulated Environments Simulation Introduction â€Å"Clinical simulation is pretending for the purpose of improving behaviors for someone elses benefit (Kyle Murray, 2008, p.xxiv).† All respiratory therapists are trained to manage the airway of an unconscious patient. Endotracheal intubation is the most effective method of securing the airway but is a complex psychomotor skill requiring much practice. Historically, endotracheal intubation had been taught on patients, cadavers or animals, but this was not ideal. Mannequin training is one of the best options for instructing large numbers of students in a variety of skills (Gaiser, 2000) therefore the Respiratory Therapy program at TRU has adopted training on mannequins as a core component of their courses. Intubation trainers have been used for over 30 years (Good, 2003) but there is little published information on the relative merits of the available airway and intubation trainers. A variety of airway trainers with differing features are now commercially available from the low fidelity, part task trainer, that TRU respiratory therapy program utilizes, to the high fidelity, whole patient simulator that is becoming increasingly popular today. Training health care practitioners in a simulated environment without actual patients is a potential method of teaching new skills and improving patient safety (Issenberg et al, 1999; Devitt et al, 2001; Lee et al, 2003). pt safety Simulations are defined as activities that mimic the reality of a clinical environment and are designed to demonstrate procedures, decision-making, and critical thinking through techniques such as role-playing and the use of devices such as interactive videos or mannequins. A simulation may be very detailed and closely simulate reality, or it can be a grouping of components that are combined to provide some resemblance of reality. (Jeffries, 2005) definition of simulation Computer based simulations and part-task training devices can provide a certain degree of real-world application. These focus on specific skills or selected areas of human anatomy. High-fidelity patient simulators can provide real physical inputs and real environmental interactivity. To recreate all elements of a clinical situation, a full-scale or high fidelity simulation would be used. Costs of simulators will vary widely depending on purchasing costs, salaries, how faculty time is accounted for, and other factors. (Jeffries, 2005) simulators, high fidelity, costs Modern technology, such as high fidelity simulation offers unique opportunities to provide the â€Å"hands-on† learning. High fidelity simulation offers the ideal venue to allow practice without risk and there are an infinite number of realistic scenarios that can be presented using this technology. As an example, life threatening cardiac arrhythmias can be simulated on a life like fully computerized mannequin. Mo nitors, identical to those used in the clinical situation can replicate the arrhythmia and corresponding changes in vital signs. The ‘patient can be fully and realistically resuscitated with technical and pharmacological interventions. Viewing of videotaped performances allows personal reflection on the effectiveness of the case management. Morgan et al, 2006 example of use of high fidelity sim. High fidelity simulation provides a venue to teach and learn in a realistic yet risk free environment. The ‘patient is represented by a computer-controlled mannequin who incorporates a variety of physiological functions (e.g. heart and breath sounds, pulse, end-tidal carbon dioxide). An instrumentation computer network can replicate situations likely to be encountered in an emergency room, critical care environment or operating room. A second person controls the mannequin and the monitors. The simulator mannequin will respond on an accurate way to induced physiologic or pharmacologic interventions. The ‘patient will respond according to pre-set physiological characteristics (e.g. a young healthy adult or a geriatric patient with severe emphysema). In addition, the ‘patient has the ability to speak, move his arm, and open and close his eyes and has pupils that can dilate and constrict. The simulation room can be set up to appropriately reflect the environment, either an emergency room, a recovery room, or a fully equipped operating room. Attached monitors respond to a medical intervention. Feedback from participants in the simulated environment has attested to the ‘realism of the environment (Morgan Cleave-Hogg, 2000). Morgan et al, 2006 set up of HPS A simulator replicates a task environment with enough realism to serve a desired purpose and the simulation of critical events has been used instructionally by pilots, astronauts, the military and nuclear power plant personnel (Gaba, 2004). The fidelity, or the â€Å"realness†, of simulations can vary in many ways, such as the use of simple case studies, utilization of human actors to present clinical scenarios, computer-based simulations, and the use of high-fidelity patient simulators that respond to real-world inputs realistically (Jeffries, 2005; Laerdal, 2008; Seropian, 2003). Recently, literature has described that using full-sized, patient simulators are a way of creating â€Å"life-like† clinical situations (Fallacaro Crosby, 2000; Hotchkiss Mendoza, 2001; Long, 2005; Parr Sweeney, 2006). While simulation has been used by the aviation industry with flight training for years (Gaba, 2004), the use of a rudimentary human patient simulator in the health care fiel d was first introduced in 1969 to assist anesthesia residents in learning the skill of endotracheal intubation (Abrahamson, Denson, Wolf, 1969; Gaba DeAnda, 1988). The more realistic human patient simulators were not created until 1988 and were used primarily to train anesthesiologists (Gaba, 2004). Defining simulation in health care education The literature on human patient simulation has tried to define several of the terms used in this study. However, there is no general consensus on many of these terms, including a debate on whether the simulator is a mannequin or a manikin (Gaba, 2006). One key term that requires specific definition for this study is high-fidelity mannequin-based patient simulator. The term â€Å"fidelity† is used to designate how true to life the teaching experience must be to accomplish its objectives (Maran Glavin, 2003). Using this definition, fidelity becomes a scale where if given the objectives, a single piece of medical simulation equipment may be able to provide a â€Å"high-fidelity† experience for one objective but be â€Å"low-fidelity† for another objective. An example would be the insertion of a radial arterial catheter. If the objective were to only teach the psychomotor skills required for inserting the catheter, a relatively simple arterial blood gas access arm, part-task simulator would be adequate and provide a high-fidelity experience. But if the objective were expanded to include communication with the patient and members of the health care team, then the same device would suddenly become low-fidelity, as there is no feedback being delivered with catheter insertion and communication with the patient is not possible. Beaubien Baker (2004) noted that the term ‘fidelity is frequently documented as a one-dimensional term that forces a static classification of simulation devices. Individuals with this view would have difficulty agreeing with the use of the terms as explained in the previous paragraph. Maran and Glavin (2003) offered this definition: â€Å"Fidelity is the extent to which the appearance and behaviors of the simulator/simulation match the appearance and behaviors of the simulated system (p.23).† Yaeger et al (2004) broke fidelity down into three general classifications: low-medium-and high-fidelity and explained that low-fidelity simulators are focused on single skills and permit learners to practice in isolation while medium fidelity simulators provide more realism but lack sufficient cues for the learner to be fully immersed in the situation. High-fidelity simulators, on the other hand, provide adequate cues to allow for full immersion and respond to treatment interventions. For the purposes of this study, the following definitions will be used: 1. High-fidelity patient simulator A full-bodied mannequin that replicates human body anatomy and physiology, is able to respond to treatment interventions, and is able to supply objective data regarding student actions through debriefing software. 2. Low-fidelity simulator A part task trainer or a full-bodied mannequin that replicates human anatomy, but does not have physiologic functions (including spontaneous breathing, palpable pulses, heart and lung sounds, and voice capabilities), does not have a physiologic response to treatment interventions, and does not have a debriefing software system. Use the next two statements at the beginning of other sections on simulation: * â€Å"Simulation is a training and feedback method in which learners practice tasks and processes in lifelike circumstances using models or virtual reality, with feedback from observers, peers, actor-patients, and video cameras to assist improvement in skills (Eder-Van Hook, 2004, p.4).† * â€Å"Simulation is a technique†¦.to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner (Gaba, 2004, p.i2).† When we are looking at the use of high-fidelity patient simulators in health professions education, we have to be aware of and not confuse the simulator with the simulation. As Gaba (2004) described, â€Å"Simulation is a technique not a technology (i2).† The mannequins or other devices are only part of the simulation. Dutta, Gaba and Krummel (2006) noted a gap in the research literature, stating, â€Å"A fundamental problem in determining the effectiveness of surgical simulation has been an inability to frame the correct research question. Are the authors assessing simulation or simulators (p.301)?† Simulation has many applications. The teaching of psychomotor skills seems an obvious use for simulation but there are other areas that simulation can be utilized effectively. Rauen (2004) listed several areas in addition to psychomotor skill training where simulation has been used. Her list included teaching theory, use of technology, patient assessment and pharmacology. Rauen (2004) notes that the â€Å"emphasis in simulation is often on the application and integration of knowledge, skills, and critical thinking (para 3).† History and Development of Simulation in Healthcare education The history of simulation in healthcare has been well documented by several authors including Bradley (2006), Cooper and Taquito (2004), Gaba (2004) and Rosen (2004) and began with the use of models to help students learn about anatomical structures. Although the use of mannequins as the simulation model is relatively new (Bradley, 2006), simulation using animals as models dates back over 2000 years. Mannequins were utilized as models in obstetrical care as early as the 16th century (Ziv, Wolpe, Small, Glick, 2003). The more modern medical simulators originated in the 1950s with the development of a part-task trainer called ‘Resusci-Anne that revolutionized resuscitation training (Bradley, 2006; Gaba, 2004). Part-task trainers are meant to represent only a part of the human anatomy and will often consist of a limb or body part or structure. These low fidelity modesl were developed to aid in the technical, procedural, or psychomotor skills, such as venipuncture, catheterization and intubation (Kim, 2005), allowing the learner to focus on an isolated task. Some models provide feedback (visual, auditory or printed) to the learner on the quality of their performance (Bradley, 2006; Good, 2003). Another general classification of patient simulators that combines some of the elements of both three-dimensional models and task-specific simulators is partial or part task simulators (Kyle Murray, 2008). Issenberg, Gordon, Gordon Safford, and Hart (2001) used the term procedure skills simulator for this type of device. Maran and Glavin (2003) stated, â€Å"part-task trainers are designed to replicate only part of the environment (p.24).† and replicate anatomy and physiology of a single portion of the human body. As described by Beubien and Baker (2004), the skills taught with part task simulators â€Å"segment a complex task into its main components (p. i53).† Rather than creating complex scenarios commonly done with high fidelity patient simulation, part task trainers permit students to focus on individual skills instead of more comprehensive situations. Examples would be an arm with vascular structure to teach arterial blood gas procedures or a head with upper airw ay anatomy to practice advanced difficult airway procedures. The second wave of modern simulation, with the development of full-scale, computer controlled, mannequin based patient simulators started in the 1960s with the development of Sim One (Bradley, 2006; Gaba, 2004; Good, 2003). SimOne had many of the features found on the high-fidelity mannequin-based patient simulators used today. SimOne was quite lifelike, and fitted with a blood pressure cuff and intravenous port. SimOne was able to breath, it had a heartbeat, temporal and carotid pulse and a blood pressure (Abrahamson, 1997). Patient simulators have become very sophisticated over the years and now allow a wide range of invasive and non-invasive procedures to be performed on them, as well as enabling teamwork training (Davis, Buono, Ford, Paulson, Koenig and Carrison, 2006). When they are set up in a simulated and realistic environment, they are often referred to as high-fidelity simulation platforms (HFSP) or human patient simulators (HPS) (Kim, 2005). Components of the human patient simulator (HPS) include a mannequin and computer hardware and software. The HPS has characteristics expected in patients such as a pulse, heart and lung sounds, and blinking eyes with reactive pupils. The mannequin also supports invasive procedures, such as airway management, thoracentesis, pericardiocentesis and catheterization of the bladder (Laerdal, n.d.). Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI) introduced the Human Patient Simulator (HPS) in 1996. It has subsequently followed with PediaSim in 1999, a simulator utilizing the HPS software but scaled down to mimic a child. In 2005, BabySim was introduced. While being the first to enter the market with a full-bodied mannequin for patient simulation purposes in resuscitation with the Resusci Anne in 1960, Laerdal Medical did not introduce a high-fidelity patient simulator until 2000 with the introduction of SimMan. This device does not possess all the high-level functionality of METI HPS, but does provide adequate fidelity for many medical emergency situations. The Laerdal Medical SimMan also differs from the others in that it does not operate on mathematical models for simulator responses. Instead, it operates on instructor controls combined with script-based control logics. The Laerdal Medical SimMan patient simulator is the device to be used in this study. Details of the simulators functions are found in appendix ____. Aside from high-fidelity mannequin based patient simulators, there are many other types of simulation used in healthcare provider education and training. Collins and Harden (1998), Issenberg, Gordon, Gordon, Safford, and Hart (2001), and Ziv, Small and Wolpe (2000) discussed several other forms of simulation. The list includes animal models, human cadavers, written simulations, audio simulations, video-based simulations, three dimensional or static models, task specific simulators and virtual reality simulation. (Add VR reference?) Perhaps the next step in the evolution of health care teaching modalities is virtual reality (VR) simulation. Commercial VR simulators now exist to teach various trauma skills (Kaufman Liu, 2001). In a study of the effectiveness of using a VR bronchoscopy simulator, students quickly learned the skills needed to perform a diagnostic bronchoscopy at a level that was equal to those who had several years of experience (Colt et al, 2001). Simulation has been used for many years in the aviation and nuclear power industries and other highly complex working environments in which the consequences of error are costly (Bradley, 2006). A simulator designed to mimic the anesthesia patient was first developed in 1988, and since then, the number of hospitals and universities buying simulators for educational purposes is increasing (Henrichs, Rule, Grady and Ellis, 2002). The human patient simulator is used in health care education because it is a high-fidelity instrument that provides both educators and students with a realistic clinical environment and an interactive â€Å"patient† (Feingold, Calaluce and Kallen, 2004). The cost of simulation is related to the level of fidelity and the technology being used. For high fidelity patient simulators, purchase costs can range from $30,000 for the Laerdal Medical SimMan or the METI ECS to over $200,000 for the METI HPS. Optional equipment available for these simulators can make the purchase costs even higher. In addition to the simulator, it is important to create a learning environment that replicates real-world settings, complete with appropriate medical equipment. Halamek et al. (2000) stated, â€Å"The key to effective simulation-based training is achieving suspension of disbelief on the part of the subjects undergoing training, ie, subjects must be made to think and feel as though they are functioning within a real environment (para 15).† Creating this environment adds additional costs to setting up a simulation-based medical education program. Advantages of using simulation in health care education Patient simulation of all types, including high-fidelity patient simulation, is becoming more common in many aspects and levels of healthcare provider education (Good, 2003; Issenberg, McGaghie et al., 1999; leblond, Russell, McDonald et al, 2005). The reasons behind the increased use of patient simulation include the advancement of medical knowledge, changes in medical education, patient safety and ethics. For new healthcare providers it is also important to consider the changing student demographic, as todays students are more comfortable with technology. Issenberg, McGaghie et al. (1999) pointed out several advantages to the use of patient simulators, stating â€Å"Unlike patients, simulators do not become embarrassed or stressed; have predictable behavior; are available at any time to fit the curriculum needs; can be programmed to simulate selected findings, conditions, situations, and complications; allow standardized experience for all trainees; can be used repeatedly with fid elity and reproducibility; and can be used to train both for procedures and difficult management situations. (p. 862)†. Advancement of medical knowledge Medical knowledge is continually growing with new tests, medications, and technologies that all bring about innovative understandings and expertise. The problem with educating health care providers with this new knowledge is that their curriculum is of a finite length therefore innovation in the curriculum is needed in order to prepare future health care providers. Issenberg, Gordon, Gordon, Stafford, and Hart (2001) made the following comments: â€Å"Over the past few decades, medical educators have been quick to embrace new technologies and pedagogical approaches†¦ in an effort to help students deal with the problem of the growing information overload. Medical knowledge, however, has advanced more rapidly than medical education†¦Simulation technologies are available today that have a positive impact on the acquisition and retention of clinical skills. (p.16) Changes in medical education Healthcare provider education has typically been taught using a lecture/apprenticeship model (McMahon, Monaghan, Falchuk, Gordon, Alexander, 2005) that relies on observation and repetition (Eder-Van Hook, 2004). Halamek et al. (2000) noted the traditional model of medical education has three components: the learner performs a reading of the literature, the learner observes others with greater experience, and then the learner develops hands-on experience. This is the traditional medical model of education that has been in use for over 2,000 years (Current state report on patient simulation in Canada, 2005). In relation to the traditional model, Issenberg, Gordon, Gordon, Stafford and Hart (2001) observed, â€Å"This process is inefficient and inevitably leads to considerable anxiety on the part of the learner, the mentor, and at times the patient (p. 19).† McMahon, Monaghan, Flachuk, Gordon, and Alexander (2005) stated this model â€Å"is inefficient in promoting the highest level of learned knowledge, as reflection and metacognition analysis occur independently, often without guidance and only after extended periods of time when students are able to piece together isolated experiences (p. 84-85).† Customarily, this format is often referred to as the â€Å"See one, do one, teach one† model of medical learning (Brindley, Suen Drummond, 2007; Eder-Van Hook, 2004; Gorman, Meier, Krummel, 2000; Yaeger et al., 2004). Halamek et al. (2000) identified several problems with the current medical education model which includes; 1. Reading of the literature does not produce competency. More active rather than passive participation in the learning experience is needed; 2. Learners may have difficulty determining if their model for observation is a good or poor model. Just because the model may be senior does not mean they are competent. 3. The variability of experiences in the apprenticeship model is high, therefore learners experiences will not be equal, and 4. Many training settings do not fully represent the complexity of the real world resulting in an inability of the learners to adequately practice their decision-making skills in a â€Å"real† environment. Yaeger et al (2004) reinforced these points stating that healthcare education rely on two fatally flawed assumptions. The first assumption is that all clinical role models are effective and skilled, and all behaviors demonstrated by these role models are worthy of replication. The second assumption is that the end of the training period implies that a trainee is competent in all the skills necessary for successful clinical practice (Yaeger et al, 2004). Yaeger (2004) also noted that in the apprenticeship model, there is a need for a preceptor but this preceptor may not have the necessary skills to be an effective educator. Patient safety A predominant theme in many discussions of high-fidelity simulation is the concept of patient safety. In the education of healthcare providers, there are sometimes conflicting goals. As Friedrich (2002) commented in quoting Atul Gawande, â€Å"medicine has long faced a conflict between ‘the imperative to give patients the best possible care and the needs to provide novices with experiences (p. 2808).† When looking at the broader topic of medical simulation, the concept of patient safety is a frequently mentioned subject (Bradley, 2006; Cleave-Hogg Morgan, 2002; Ziv, Ben-David, Ziv, 2005). Much of the incentive behind the focus on patient safety relates back to the Institute of Medicine 2000 report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health system (Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson, 2000). This study reported over 44,000 people and possibly up to 98,000 people die each year in United States hospitals from medical errors. The total annual cost of these errors is between $17 billion and $29 billion. Even more alarming is the fact that these findings represent only the hospital sector of the healthcare system. The number of lives affected would be even higher if other parts of the healthcare system were included such as long term care facilities and Emergency Medical Services. In its summary of recommendations, the report specifically mentions simulation as a possible remedy, stating â€Å"†¦establish interdisciplinary team training programs for providers that incorporate proven methods of team training, such as simulation (p.14).† In Canada, it was estimated there were 70,000 preventable adverse events in Canadian hospitals with an estimate of deaths associated with those errors ranging from 9,000 to 24,000 (Current state report on patient simulation in Canada, 2005). The Canadian Patient Safety Institute supports the use of simulation as a means of improving patient safety in Canadian hospitals. In the conclusion of its report on patient simulation, the institute stated: Growing awareness of adverse events in Canadian hospitals, combined with increasing emphasis on patient safety, has changed the traditional â€Å"learning by doing† approach to healthcare education. Anecdotal evidence reveals the promising potential of simulation to fundamentally change the way healthcare professionals practice and further hone their skills, interact across disciplines, and manage crisis situations. (Current state report on patient simulation in Canada, 2005, p.23) Ethical perspective One of the strongest statements made regarding the ethical perspective of simulations was presented by Ziv, Wolpe, Small and Click (2003). Under the title â€Å"Simulation-Based Medical Education: An Ethical Imperative†, the authors presented an argument that not using simulation was more than just an education issue, it was an ethical issue. As they report, there is often an over reliance on vulnerable patient populations to serve as teaching models when other resources exist that would provide adequate and possibly, more superior replacements. The education of healthcare providers requires a balancing act between providing the best in patient care while also providing learning opportunities for the healthcare professions student (Friedrich, 2002). To protect patient safety, actual patient contact is often withheld in the healthcare provider learning process to a later period in their education. One of the principle reasons patient simulation is being indicated as a partial remedy for the medical errors crisis is its ability to impact on a particularly vulnerable time in the learning process. As Patow (2005) cited, the â€Å"learning curve† faced by many healthcare professions students is a source of medical errors. He continued, stating that the realism of many of the currently available simulators is quite high and allows for procedures to be practiced to mastery prior to being tested on real patients. But simulations offer much more than just practice. Since medical errors often result from ineffective processes and communication, simulation allows teams â€Å"to reflect on their own performance in detailed debriefing sessions† (Patow, 2005, p.39). This opportunity to review, discuss, and learn from the simulation is an important step in the learning process. The use of patient simulation in the training of healthcare providers is not limited to new students. There is also a need to maintain education in the health professions and simulation can be utilized effectively in this area as well (Ziv, Small Wolpe, 2000). As in other reports, Ziv, Small and Wolpe (2000) restated the shortcomings of the traditional model and explained that simulation was not just for the beginner but also for the expert who is expected to â€Å"continuously acquire new knowledge and skills while treating live patients (p.489).† These authors feel simulation, when used across the range of health professions education, can make an impact on patient safety by removing patients from the risk of being practiced upon for learning purposes. Gaba (2004) pointed out there are also many indirect impacts of patient simulation on patient safety. These areas of impact include improvements in recruitment and retention of highly qualified healthcare providers, facilitating cultural change in an organization to one that is more patient safety focused, and enhancing quality and risk management activities. A final point on patient safety is the ability to let healthcare providers make mistakes in a safe environment. In real patients, preceptors step in prior to the mistake being beyond the point of recoverability or if the mistake occurs (particularly for those healthcare providers who are not longer students), there is a very limited instructive value to the case. Ziv, Ben-David, and Ziv (2005) stated, â€Å"Total prevention of mistakes, however, is not feasible because medicine is conducted by human beings who err†¦[Simulation Based Medical Education] may offer unique ways to cope with this challenge and can be regarded as a mistake-driven educational method (p.194).† They continued stating that Simulation Based Medical Education is a powerful learning experience for students and professionals where â€Å"students are permitted to make mistakes and are provided with the opportunity to practice and receive constructive feedback which, it is hoped, will prevent repetition of such mistakes in real-life patients. (p.194)†. Ethical Use of Simulation (incorporate these paragraphs into previous on pt safety) Health care educators, whether from nursing, respiratory therapy, or medicine, find themselves in similar situations in deciding how to teach patient management to their students. Bioethicists have long condemned the use of real patients as training tools for physicians (Lynoe, Sandlung, Westberg, Duchek, 1998). Unfortunately there have been times in which the student learning has occurred to the detriment of patients (Lynoe et al, 1998). However, with the advent of high-fidelity human patient simulation approaches to learning, it may be time to adopt this method of instruction in the development of interprofessional education. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently issued a report on medical errors and recommended the use of interactive simulation for the enhancement of technical, behavioural and social skills of physicians (Kohn, Corrigan Donaldson, 1999). Numerous accounts are found in the medical literature touting the use of human patient simulation in the education of health care personnel at all levels, from student to attending physicians. Patient simulation is used for training personnel in several areas of medical care such as trauma, critical care, surgery and anaesthesiology, mainly due to the extensive skill required to perform adequately the procedures and techniques relevant to these areas. Several researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in the skill development of medical personnel (Morgan et al, 2003; Lee, Pardo, Gaba, Sowb, Dicker, Straus, et al., 2003; Hammond, Bermann, Chen Kushins, 2002). In areas with low technology, such as internal medicine and in acute care areas providing less procedural skills but greater decision making requirements, the use of simulation in the education of its clinicians has progressed (Ziv, Wolpe, Small Glick, 2003). Despite the growing support for the use of simulation in health care education, there is not yet enough evidence to support its use. Simulation Research in Medical Education In 1998, Ali, Cohen, Gana Al-Bedah studied the differences in performance of senior medical students in an Adult Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course. This course uses simulated scenarios to both teach and evaluate students performance in trauma situations. The students were divided into three groups; 32 medical students completed a standard ATLS course, 12 students audited the course (without participating in the sessions or taking the written exam) and a control group of 44 matched students who had no exposure to ATLS. Of note is that some participants from all three groups were doing clinical hours in trauma hospitals during this study while others were not. The participants were observed while managing the standardized (live) patient in simulated trauma and non-trauma scenarios. The participants management of the sessions was scored on