Thursday, October 31, 2019

Reflection & Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection & Application - Essay Example For a given effective conflict there are two kinds of communication that enhance it. This includes unproductive communication and constructive conflict communications. Unproductive conflict communication is seen to be negative; this can hurt individuals, destroy relationship and also can undermine the possibility of resolution. Unproductive conflict communication is well understood in three stages. The early stage, here is the foundation of conflict and it is seen that there is disconfirm between the individuals who are in conflict. At this phase individuals tend to listen poorly as others will be selective as they will be keen on the points they want and ignore the rest. There is a negative climate and both parties assume that their partners are sorry. If Husband say, â€Å"I want us to move into a bigger house this is congested.† The wife reply, â€Å"that’s trash.† This shows that the wife disconfirms his husband view by giving a negative answer. Also we have the middle stage, it’s where the negative climate is already set and it has a lot of interruptions which disrupt the flow of the chat most frequently. The parties start to flashback the past events which they encounter. In this case the Husband may say that the wife is irresponsible she fears more duties and that’s why he found house dusty yet the wife was there not to clean .She also mean in that she fear to spent more in case they move in a bigger house. Lastly we have the later stage there is counterproposals as individuals are seeking to find solutions to the problems and due to limited time and energy each person pushes to have his or her view taken. None wants to accept the others proposal. The Husband proposes, â€Å"May we can get enough accommodation for any visitors who come by,† The wife proposes, â€Å"may the visitors could be accommodated in the servant’s quarters. The constructive conflict communications on the other hand creates supportive,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Sustainable Talent Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sustainable Talent Management - Essay Example A good work environment, proper relationships and effective compensation are among the preferred and effective motivational strategies which are commonly used by managers and organizational leaders to enhance performance (Seiden & Sowa, 2011). The contemporary work environment is characterized by diversity and influence by the forces of globalization, the two factors which are argued to be justification for effective performance management processes. This paper presents the concept of performance management with a critical review, analysis and discussion of the process of managing employee performance, the review of talent, the global aspects of talent management and recommendations for a sustainable process of talent management. Performance Management Process In the measurement of employee talent, the process of performance management is often employed. Performance management process is described as a specific methodology through which the design of an organizational management is e xecuted with a purpose of ensuring that all elements within the organization are working with a common focus of meeting organizational objectives and goals (Moczydlowska, 2012). Performance management process also plays an important role of ensuring optimization of the strategic goals of an organization (Agbola, Hemans & Abena, 2011). The elements or component of the organization which are involved in performance management process include the departments within the organization, talent or human resource, work processes and activities and groups and teams (Ahmadi, Ahmadi & Abbaspalangi, 2012). Therefore the most effective design of performance management process that is recommended for measurement of employee talent is that which is designed with a view of incorporating all organizational components with a sole purpose of optimizing the overall performance of the organization. Employee talent is normally measured in terms of current performance and potential for future performance ( Seiden & Sowa, 2011). This process involves several activities which are aimed at measuring the propensity of an employee or talent to become productive and beneficial for the organization (Glykas, 2011). Firstly, the goals of performance management and measurement of talent are set. The goals of talent measurement relates to the expected outcomes that are expected to emanate from the process of determining the performance of talent. Secondly, standards are set by the management which is used to measure the results and work outcomes or outputs of organizational talent. These standards act as a guideline or framework within which the work activities of the employees are measured (Moczydlowska, 2012). This means that failure to meet the standards reflects that the performance of talent is below the expectations of the organization. Thirdly, the progress of talent towards the achievement of the preset goals is done. This process represents the role of organizational leadership or manag ement team (Durovic, 2012). Fourthly, feedback is presented to the talent on their performance including the decisions that are reached by the management as motivated by the talent measurement outcomes. In the contemporary business environment, performance management software applications are used to enhance the process of talent measurement to ensure effectiveness and accuracy. Talent Pools and Review In the management of talent, the leadership and management team within an

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Entropy And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics

Entropy And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics The paper examines, explain clearly, rigorously the term entropy, then discuss and evaluate its meaning in the context of the second law of thermodynamics. Also It will give a historical overview of the term entropy and it will give some examples which are taken from the daily life and with these, I will try to explain clearly the term entropy and its intention not only in the context of the second law and also its results in our daily life. 2. Introduction (Appendices A.) The term entropy has some related definitions. The first definition used by the German physicist Rodolf Julius Clausius in the 1850s and 1860s, he did that to state the second law of thermodynamics. The word entropy has been taken from the Greek word Ï„Ï ÃŽ ¿Ãâ‚¬ÃŽ · which means transformation. Also just as the first law of thermodynamics leads to the definition of energy as a property of a system, so the second law, in the form of Clausius inequality, leads to the definition of a new property of fundamental importance. This property is entropy. In the 1870s the term entropy is given by J. Willard Gibbs. The meaning of what he says is that the entropy shows the uncertainly about the state of a system. The latter can be defining from the probability distribution of its micro-states which demostrates, all molecular details about the system such as the position and the velocity of every molecule. If Pi is the possibility of a micro-state i, then the entropy of the system can be ex pressed by S = -k ÃŽ £ Pi ln Pi Where k is the Boltzmann constant equal to 1.38062 x10^(−23) joule/kelvin. Another definition, is the statistical definition developed by Ludwig Boltzmann in 1870s. This definition, describes the entropy as a measure of the number of possible microscopic configurations of the individual atoms, and molecules of the system; which would give rise to the observed macroscopic state of the system. In statistical thermodynamics, Boltzmanns equation, is a possibility equation relating the Entropy S of an ideal gas to quantity W, which is the number of micro-states corresponding to a given macro-state: S = k log W Where k is Boltzmanns equal to 1.38062 x10^ (−23) joule/kelvin. Boltzmann has proved that the entropy of a given state of thermodynamic al system is connected by a simple relationship to the probability of the state. According to M. Kostic(2004): Entropy is an integral measure of (random) thermal energy redistribution (due to heat transfer or irreversible heat generation) within a system mass and/or space (during system expansion), per absolute temperature level. Entropy is increasing from perfectly-ordered (singular and unique) crystalline structure at zero absolute temperature (zero reference) during reversible heating (entropy transfer) and entropy generation during irreversible energy conversion (lost of work-potential to thermal energy), i.e. energy degradation or random equip-partition within system material structure and space per absolute temperature level. 3. Entropy measures the disorder in a system (Appendices B.) Therefore, metaphorically if a small bookshelf getting disorganized, it will be increasing the entropy of the bookshelf. Because, when the bookshelf is properly organized, finding a book is predictable and easy because all books are in a nice order. As the bookshelf is getting disorganized, the chance of not finding a book increasing, as a result is much higher. So that, when a bookshelf, a room a house are organized and they are moved from being organized to being disorganized, they generate Entropy. Also, liquids have higher entropy than crystals intuitively because their atomic positions are less orderly. Calculating the entropy of mixing illustrates this interpretation. An example is with scrambling eggs because when we mix the yolk and the white we cannot re-separate after. An example from this situation are given in figures 1.1 and 1,2. V V 2V Fig. 1.1 Unmixed atoms. The premixed Fig. 1.2 Mixed atoms. The mixed state: N/2 state: N/2 white atoms on one side, N/2 mixed atoms and N/2 black atoms scattered black atoms on the other. Through the volume, 2V. Fig. 1.1 There are N/2 undistinguished ideal gas white atoms on one side and N/2 undistinguished gas black atoms on the other side. As a result, the entropy of this system: Sunmixed = 2kB log[V N/2/(N/2)] Twice the configurational entropy of N/2 undistinguished atoms in a volume V. We assume that the black and white atoms have the same masses and the same total energy. Now the entropy change when the partition is removed, as a result from the scrambling and the two sets of atoms allowed mixing. Because, the temperatures and pressures from the both sides are equal and when the partition removing does not involve any heat transfer, and the entropy change to the mixing of the white and black atoms. In desegregated state, the entropy has increased to Smixed = 2kB log[(2V )N/2/(N/2)] and it is: ΔSmixing = Smixed − Sunmixed = =2kB log[[V^N/2/(N/2)] / [(2V)^N/2/(N/2)] = =kB log 2N = NkB log 2 So that, it gain kB log 2 in entropy every time we place an atom into one of the boxes. James P. Sethna (2006) Furthermore, we can give another example which shows us that entropy measures the disorder in a system: Which is more disorder? The glass of ice chips or the glass of water? For a glass of water, the number of molecules is astronomical. The ice chips probable look more disorder when we compare to the glass of water which looks uniform. However, according to thermodynamics the ice chips place limits on the number of ways the molecules can be arranged. The water molecules in the glass can be arranged in many more ways; as a result, they have grater multiplicity and therefore greater entropy. 4. Entropy measures our ignorance in a system The most general is to measure our ignorance about a system. The equilibrium state of a system, maximizes the entropy because, we have lost all information about the initial conditions, as a result, the entropy maximizing immediately maximises and our ignorance about the details of the system. 5. Entropy measures the multiplicity of a system The probability of finding a system in a given state depends upon the multiplicity of that state. As a result it is proportional to the number of ways someone can produce that state. Here, it is a pair of dices, and in throwing this pair, that measurable property is the sum of the number of dots which are facing on the top. The multiplicity for two dots showing is just one because there is only one case of the pair that will give that state. For example, the multiplicity for seven dots is six, because there is six cases of the pair that will show a total of seven dots. Probable one way to define the quantity entropy is to do it in terms of the multiplicity. Multiplicity = W Entropy = k lnW Where K is Boltzmanns constant. For a system, of a large number of particles. We can expect that the system at equilibrium will be found in the state of highest multiplicity since the fluctuations from that the state will usually be extremely small to measure. As a result, as a large system approaches equilibrium, its multiplicity therefore, entropy tends obviously to increase. This is one way of stating the Second Law of Thermodynamic. 6. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Appendices C.) The second law of thermodynamics states that heat flows always from the warmer to colder bodies and never opposite. This is a common experience which everyone has seen and probably every day we have a case of those. For example, whenever we leave a cup of warm coffee it will become cool in 10 minutes. The special point of this process is that by the end of years can never become backward. It has just one direction as time passes. Indeed, through our everyday experience know that when contacting a hot and a cold body will be transferred heat from the hot to the cold body, so the hot body will be a little cooler and the cold body the opposite will be a little bit hotter. However, it is never possible as the time passes and the two bodies are in contact the cold body to be colder and the hot body to be hotter, for example, if we put an ice-cube into our drink, the drink does not boil. Therefore, it is only one direction in the flow heat which if we displaced it with a line, then this li ne will show everything from the past to now and to future. The second law of thermodynamics states that heat cannot be transferred from a colder to a hotter body within a system net changes occurring in other bodies within that system, in any irreversible process, entropy always increases. In nowadays, it is customary to use the term entropy in conjunction with the second law of thermodynamic. Consequently the entropy indicates the unavailable energy of a system, according to the law the entropy of a closed system can never reduce. Another form of the second law thermodynamic says that the minimum amount of heat which exchange a system during a change, which takes place at constant temperature T, associated with a change which is called entropy, with the equation: dQ=

Friday, October 25, 2019

Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli :: essays research papers

Niccolo Machiavelli - Biography Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence , Italy. He is known for being a political philosopher, historian, writer, statesman, and diplomat. Machiavelli is best known for his famous, influential work, "The Prince" (1513). This brought him a reputation of: amoral cynicism, being associated with corrupt government, diabolical (Showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil). Machiavellian and Machiavellianism are two concepts coined from Machiavelli's views as stated in The Prince. Machiavelli is misunderstood because people judge him purely on the prince and because they do not read his Discourses as well. Many people criticize Machiavelli's drastic suggestions in The Prince. These people do not consider the state Italy was in when The Prince was written. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help save Italy from frequent foreign invasions. According to those that knew Machiavelli, he was a religious and moral man. The Prince The prince was written in a time of large-scale blackmail, violence and political conflicts. political instability, fear, invasion, intrigue, Italy was repeatedly won and controlled by foreigners. The prince was Machiavelli's practical guide to Lorenzo Di Medici to act in this environment. In the final chapter of the prince, Machiavelli calls for an end to this choas, by suggesting Italy stand together with an army of their own against foreign invaders. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help Lorenzo the Magnificent Di Medici to stay in power. He also wrote it to get back an advisory position in the Medici government. Unfortunately, Lorenzo did not agree with the suggestions in the book, so Machiavelli did not get a job. The Prince was different from the other documents of the time in that the prince had practical suggestions on how to deal with the current, existing problems of the period. The other documents were much more theoretical. There is a difference of opinion by readers of the prince, whether Machiavelli is essentiallly a good, religious person or someone that is bad and cruel. For example, Machiavelli praise Caesar Borgia , a cruel, vicious, dictator - hated and despised by many. Does this mean Machiavelli agrees that Ceasar's actions are justified? Machiavelli thought that Caesar's quick and deliberate qualities were just what is required to unite Italy. Machiavelli admired the qualities, not Caesar as a person. The Prince was written in 1513 but only published in 1532 after Machiavelli's death.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Summary: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a book authored by Sean Covey. It was in the year 2001 the Indonesian version of the book first published in Indonesia. Sean Covey’s father, Stephen Covey, is well-known for authoring his international bestseller book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The 8th Habit: from Effectiveness to Greatness, and many other popular self helping books. Sean Covey himself writes other several self helping books as well. If practiced, the 7 habits Stephen and Sean Covey referred in their books will make the readers able to control their lives, to do more in fewer time, improve relationships with other people, improve self confidence, rehab from addiction, be happy, find the balances between the time for school, work, hang out, and many other activities. Moreover, the readers will find out what do they value the most in their lives. What do habits have to do with effectiveness? Well, our habits will decide whether or not we will be successful, and whether or not we will be happy. An English poet once said that at first we will determine our habits, and the next our habits will determine who we are. Our habits, good or bad will shape our characters. Everyone has good as well as bad habits, so everyone should deal with their bad habits and create the good habits. Yes, we are able to create, change and eliminate our habits. It is not easy to do that, but when we are able to deal with our own habits, then we are ready to deal with other people’s habits. In creating good habits, we should have good paradigm in our lives. Paradigm means perception. It is like a pair of glasses that will determine whether we will see things clearly or not. We will never know how poor our current vision is, until we get a new and better pair of glasses. In the book, Sean Covey mentioned some statements of some experts in the past that sound silly now. One of them is a statement from Ferdinand Foch, a French Military Strategic Expert who became a World War I Commander. He once stated that airplanes are interesting toys, but have no value in the military. Ferdinand was sure about his perception, but it turned out that he was wrong. No one has the best and complete perception. As an analogy, let us say that there is a group of blind people who never encounter any elephants before. We bring them an elephant and we ask them to touch and describe the elephant. One will say that an elephant is like a giant snake. He actually is only touching the elephant’s trunk. Another will say that an elephant is like a rope, but he is actually only touching the elephant’s tail. They all will be very sure of their perception about the elephant, and they will argue. The point from this analogy is, we are like those blind people, trying to understand something big and we only see it from one side but we are so sure that it is just as what we see. Having the wrong paradigm is just not good because it will be an obstacle in our lives. In this live, what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG), so in order to get the good things we must make sure that we see the good things. My favorite from Covey’s stories about paradigm is the story of a Dauphine of France. After King Louis is imprisoned, the Dauphine is taken to a faraway community. They are trying to destroy the Dauphine’s morality so that he will not become the next King of France. They introduce him to the community where people use bad words, where prostitution is everywhere, and where people are not respecting or trusting other people. Six months in such a community, not even once he follows their lifestyle. The secret is that he knows that he is born to be a King, and that is why he should not act like that. In this story, we can see how powerful paradigm is. Positive paradigms will make us great but negative paradigms will obstacle us. 1st Habit: Be Proactive Being proactive means not being reactive. A reactive person is a person who feels that he is a victim of life, a victim of conditions, and a victim of other people’s mistake. When something unfortunate happens to him, he always thinks that he is a victim, and he can do nothing. He never thinks that it is his own fault. The blame is always on other people, or on conditions. He keeps complaining on things that he cannot control, like the weather, the traffic jam, etc. Reactive people tend to have bad tensions and they are easily irritated. In our lives, we should lead our own way. If the journey of our lives is like our journey in a car, being proactive means being the driver. The reactive people are the passengers in their own car, and they are letting other people or the condition to drive for them. While the reactive people wait for good things to happen to their lives, proactive people make them happen. They look for the things they want and if they cannot find one, they create one. They know what things they can control and what things they cannot control. Reactive people complain and worry about things they cannot control while proactive people deal with the things they an control. We cannot control the conditions, but we can control our respond towards the conditions. For example, when Amy has a problem, she becomes easily irritated, so when Beth told her that she looks miserable, Amy get irritated and said bad things to Beth. If Beth is a reactive person, she will be irritated as well; she will get mad and start a fight with Amy. This time, Beth is a proactive person, she does not like what Amy said about her, but she pull back and try to tolerate. Beth tries to understand that Amy is undergoing a problem and she did not mean to say that. She also introspects herself, and she tries to put herself on Amy’s position, and she understands that if she was Amy, she will get irritated as well. The next day, Beth apologizes to Amy and Amy tells her that she also felt sorry for saying bad things to her. Barrack Obama’s â€Å"Yes We Can† slogan is a proactive slogan. By being proactive, we should be sure of our own ability. If we cannot trust our selves, how can other people trust us? Instead of saying â€Å"Okay, I will try† we should say â€Å"I will do it†. It is more powerful yet ensuring. Which sentence do you think is the best when one of your friends gives you a birthday present? Is it â€Å"Wow, Beth they are fabulous stilettos. I will try to wear them†, or â€Å"Thank you Beth, I will wear them†? 2nd Habit: Begin with the End in Mind When driving our cars on the road, we will encounter several branches and we should choose the one that will bring us to our destination. How can we choose which way to go if we do not know our destination? When asking people about directions, we should always mention the destination so that they can tell us which the right route is. There are times when we should make big decisions about the choices in our lives, and the same principle will apply. We should know where to go; we should know what our goal in our lives is. Once we know, we will find out which route to take, which choice we should take. If we just randomly choose the route, then we will arrive at a random destination as well. That is why we should begin with the end. Writing down our own mission statements is the best way to implement the 2nd habit. These will be our guidelines and principles to help us to choose which route to go in our lives. Our mission statements could be anything, could be in our own or our favorite words, poems, pictures, photographs, quotations, etc. Some or most of us might think that this is not necessary. It is actually very helpful not because it is written, but it is helpful because when we want to write our mission down, we need to be specific to put the words together. Besides, it also gives a sort of psychological effect that it gives us spirit by having our mission statements written down. 3rd Habit: Put First Things First In the third habit, we learn about priorities and time management. In the second habit, we learn that we should decide what the most important aspects in our lives are, and then in the third habit, we learn that we should prioritize them. In doing our daily activities, we are not spending our time effectively if we do not set any priority. There is a famous analogy about priorities, which is also mentioned by Sean Covey in the book. Let us assume that there is an empty container, representing the time we have in a day. There are big stones representing the important things to do and there are also pebbles representing some other daily unimportant activities that will take some time. When we put the pebbles into the container, and the big stones after, the container will have no enough space for all of the stones and pebbles. There will be some big stones remain outside the container. Now try to do it reversely. If we put the big stones first, and the pebbles right after, there will be enough space for all of them because the pebbles can fit into small spaces between the large stones. The message from this analogy is that we should do the priorities first in order to get all of them done. There is a simple way to help us managing our time. It is by setting a weekly plan and we can it on our agenda. By having them written down, we will not forget about our plan, deadlines or maybe other schedule. In making the weekly plan, we should identify what are our ‘big stones’ and set a schedule for them. After that, we can schedule our ‘pebbles’ as well. Then we should do our best to have all the priorities of the week done. In the third habit, we also learn to face our fear and pressure. We need courage to hold on our ground principles, our standards, and our priorities. We need courage to step out from our comfort zone. Stepping out from our comfort zone is necessary to challenge and to improve ourselves. There would be risks, but without taking the risks, we cannot learn and grow. A person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. We shall not let our fear make decisions in our lives. We might fail many times, but we should never give up. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising every time we fall (Confucius). 4th Habit: Think Win/Win In the society, most of us do not think win/win. Some of us think Win/Lose, Lose/Win, or Lose/Lose. The Win/Lose people think of everything as competitions where there is only either win or lose, and that when competing with other people, they should be the winner, and when other people become the winner, they become the loser. They think that nothing is enough for everybody so they should compete. The Lose/Win people think that they should just let other people be the winner by making everyone happy and sacrifice their own need / feeling (become the loser). The Lose/Lose people think that if they fail, everyone should fail as well. This will happen when two or more Win/Lose people meet. The Win/Win people think that everyone could get all they want because everything is unlimited. Sean Covey illustrates the situation as people going out to eat at a buffet, so everyone can have all you can eat. Now that we know what the Win/Win attitude is, we might want to know how to think Win/Win. The first thing is to win our own victory, which means that we should have a good level of confidence. The second thing is to avoid being competitive and comparative. It will be an endless effort to be the best in everything and to be perfect in anyways. Nobody is perfect and we should embrace our strengths and weaknesses. When we feel secure about ourselves, then we can avoid being competitive and comparative. 5th Habit: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Many people are too busy talking that they have no time to listen. God created each of us with a pair of ears and only one mouth. It tells us that we should spend more of our time listening than talking. We should stop talking and try to listen to and understand other people, and then it will be our turn to be listened to and understood. People tend to be egoistic, so they want other people to listen to them because they just care about their own problem, but they fail to listen to other people. What happen when everybody is talking? No one is listening. We need other people to understand us. Let us look at a situation where Amy has a conflict with her parents. Amy talked to Beth about her problem, but before Amy done telling about her feelings, Beth keep interrupting with her story about a conflict she had with her parents and assuming that Amy is having the same problem Beth ever had. Amy will not be happy because she feels that Beth is not paying attention to her, and Beth does not understand her. Later, Amy will not be open to Beth anymore, because what Amy really need is Beth’s attention and sympathy. Not paying attention is just one of the bad listening styles. There are some others like pretending to be listening, selectively listening, verbal-only listening, self-focus listening and wandering minds. In order to understand other people, we should sincerely listen to them when they are talking. There are three steps in sincerely listening. First, we should listen to his/her verbal (words) as well as non-verbal language (intonation, body language). Secondly, we should try to see things from his/her perspective, and the last is to be a mirror. What it means by to be a mirror is to repeat what he/she told us with different words as our respond to show that we are paying attention. 6th Habit: Synergize People are all different; they have different needs, different interest, and different skills. There is no one like you and there is no one like me in this world. Differences can break a nation apart, but differences can also form a powerful nation. It depends on how they deal with their differences. There are many cases of differences that cause conflicts. However, in many parts of the world, the communities have people with different religion, culture, race and nationality. Differences are not always about those. People from the very same hometown, culture, race, nationality and religion have differences as well. They might be different in their social status, their talents, etc. Some people deal with the differences by avoiding, and some tolerating the differences. Nowadays people tend to campaign about toleration. Actually, there is the best way to deal with the differences. It is to embrace the differences and utilize them. It is not about how to let different people do different things. It is about how to let two different persons work together; synergize to get a better result which they could never achieve if they work alone. As an example, when Amy and Beth want to set a business to earn their own money, Amy wants to do a bakery business while Beth wants to do a creative art business. Amy is into baking cakes and cookies while Beth is into creating decorative stuffs. They might fight about which business to do which will result in nothing but a fight. They might also do it their own way. Amy alone could do her best and earn USD 800 from her bakery business. On the other hand, Beth could do her best and earn USD 700 from her creative art business. However, there is another solution to their different business interest. They can synergize where they accept orders for cakes or cookies as wedding or birthday party souvenirs. Amy will bake the cupcakes or the cookies while Beth will handle the packaging. Then together, they could earn up to USD 2000. When they do the business alone and we sum up their profit, USD 800 plus USD 700 is only USD 1500. 7th Habit: Sharpen the Saw There are four key dimensions in our lives, which are body, mind, heart and soul. These key dimensions should be sharpened regularly. No matter how much energy we use to cutting trees with a blunt saw, it will takes forever. If we spend our time to sharpen the saw before cutting the trees, we will not need that much of time. We should regularly sharpen the four key dimensions. If we only sharpen our body intensively, without sharpening our mind, we will be the brainless athletes. If we only sharpen our mind intensively without sharpening other dimensions, we will be the unsocial geeks. Neither one is good. We should balance between the four dimensions. First, we will discuss about how to sharpen our bodies. We can do it by eating healthy food because we are what we eat. We can also relax in the bathtub at the end of the day, exercise or do any kinds of sport we like, have enough sleep every day, and refusing to take any hazardous intake. Addiction to tobacco, alcohol and/or drugs is extremely dangerous. It will not only blunt one dimension, but also other dimensions. Secondly, to sharpen our mind, we should continuously learn about anything. We should never stop learning. Learning does not mean going to school, college or any academic institute. School and college are very important for our future, but the thing is, we should make sure that we are actually learning, not achieving scores only. There is no point of going to college with great GPA if we learn nothing. There are many ways to learn and the most frequently used is reading. We do not always have to read school textbooks to learn something. We can choose any topic of our interest. No matter how unimportant a topic sounds, we are actually learning something and broaden our knowledge when we read about it. Other ways to sharpen our mind are playing games (chess or logical games), traveling, attending seminars, watching television, reading newspaper, learning how to play a music instrument, etc. The third dimension is our heart, and we can sharpen it by building good relationships with other people as well as ourselves. A good relationship with ourselves means that we trust ourselves, that we are content and confidence in our own skin. In other words, we are treating ourselves nice. While a good relationship with other people means that we make sure that we are trustworthy, kind, loyal and understanding. Depression is a demon for this dimension, but we can fight depression with hope, faith and laughter. Never underestimate the power of hope, faith and laughter. The last but not the least dimension is our soul. How do we sharpen our soul? There are several ways to do it. We can meditate, write a journal, go on a trip, paint, pray, write a song, listen to the music, play an instrument, and many other activities. Going on a trip to see nice view where we can relax and enjoy the view. It will help us to get in touch with the nature. Nature has the healing power for our soul. Writing a journal also heals us by letting us to express our feelings, and from a journal we can also learn from our mistakes because we might forget about that lesson in the future. Moreover, reading, listening or watching an inspirational media will also help us to sharpen our soul. Reading is useful to sharpen our mind but depending on the content, some can sharpen our soul as well.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Homeostasis and Pain Management in Patient with Multisystem Failure Essay

A. Assessment of Patient The assessment of Mrs. Baker should include vital signs including pulse oximetry. Given her difficulty in breathing, lung sounds should be auscultated. Because she is on two different medications that could affect blood pressure, lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), hypotension could be one cause of her collapsing. In addition to vital signs, decreased peripheral pulses and capillary refill can also be indicators of hypotension. Also, because HCTZ is a diuretic, dehydration should be considered. Since she was in her backyard when she collapsed, it could be that she was doing yard work. Thus, it is important to know what she was doing before she collapsed. The outside temperature and whether Mrs. Baker became overheated or drank enough fluids could be useful factors in assessing her fluid-electrolyte balance. Serum electrolyte levels and vital signs should be taken, and color and skin turgor should be assessed. Dehydration could also contribute to hypotension. Mrs. Baker should be placed on a cardiac monitor and an EKG obtained to rule out any dysrhythmias. Given Mrs. Baker’s respiratory symptoms and her history of hypertension and diabetes (which are the two biggest risk factors for congestive heart failure), a chest x-ray should be done. Arterial blood gases could assist in further assessing her oxygenation, as well as acid-base balance. Also, since Mrs. Baker is a diabetic, a blood glucose level should be done, since hypoglycemia could be a cause of her mental status changes. When Mrs. Baker is alert, pain can be assessed through a verbal â€Å"numbers† scale, or a â€Å"faces† scale if she is mildly confused. When she becomes unresponsive, non-verbal indicators of discomfort should be observed, such as muscle tension, grimace, and grunting. B. Technological Tools A stethoscope is an essential assessment tool. It is needed to assess breath sounds, heart sounds, and perhaps assist in taking the blood pressure. A stethoscope works by amplifying internal sounds through a diaphragm and transmitting them through a hollow tube to the earpieces. (Schunk, p. 1) The sounds can be interpreted by a skilled assessor and used to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. In Mrs. Baker’s case, it would be extremely important to listen to her lung sounds to determine if there are changes associated with atelectasis, or more likely, to assess for fluid sounds in the lungs, which would be an indicator of congestive heart failure. If a manual blood pressure measurement is being taken, the stethoscope would also be essential to listening for restored peripheral blood flow as the pressure in the cuff is being released. The benefit of a stethoscope is that it is a simple tool that can be used to easily obtain an initial assessment of a patient’s breath sounds while waiting on more complicated assessments, such as blood gases and chest x-rays. If a manual blood pressure cuff is not available, blood pressure will probably be obtained using an electronic blood pressure device such as a Dinamap. A blood pressure measurement, as well as other vital signs, would be key in determining whether Mrs. Baker was suffering from hypotension related to her new medication, lisinopril. A manual blood pressure cuff has the benefit of being more accurate at extremely high or extremely low pressures, while an electronic device, such as a Dinamap, can be set to automatically check blood pressure at regular intervals. Many cardiac monitors also have blood pressure capabilities built in, so that may be an option for obtaining blood pressure. A cardiac monitor would be used for Mrs. Baker to watch for arrhythmias, which could be caused by lisinopril, or be another sign of congestive heart failure or an acute myocardial infarction. Mrs. Baker has a history of hypertension and diabetes, which are the two greatest risk factors for heart disease. An electrocardiogram (EKG) would be useful for diagnosing heart disease or damage as well. A cardiac monitor is essential in continuous monitoring of the patient, but a 12 lead EKG has the benefit of being able to better pinpoint the specific areas of the heart that are affected or damaged. Blood sugar can be obtained from a drop of blood with a glucometer such as One Touch, or it may be obtained along with the serum chemistry and electrolyte analyses from the lab. A glucometer is a quick and easy way of determining the blood glucose level. Mrs. Baker is a diabetic, and is on an antidiabetic drug, Metformin. Her change in mental status could be due to low blood sugar. This would be easily diagnosed with a glucometer, and easily treated with IV glucose, so it should be one of the first assessments made. A glucometer has the benefit of being a quicker and easier way to obtain a blood sugar level, while a serum glucose may be more accurate at extremely high or low levels. Pulse oximetry can be done with a dedicated pulse oximeter, or it may also be built in to the capabilities of the cardiac monitor. Since Mrs. Baker is suffering from respiratory difficulty, it is essential to find out her blood oxygen saturation level. An arterial blood gas would not only be helpful in giving a more precise measurement of arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide, it would also give useful information about the pH of her blood and the bicarbonate level. Pulse oximetry has the benefit of alerting caregivers to acute changes in blood oxygenation level, while arterial blood gases gives a more detailed picture of the of the state of gas exchange in the lungs Serum electrolytes would be measured by the laboratory. These would be helpful in diagnosing dehydration and/or kidney function. Electrolytes are also essential in cardiac function. In fact, serum electrolytes are a good overall way to assess homeostasis in a patient. A radiographer will use an X-ray machine to obtain the chest x-ray, either in the radiology department, or will use a portable model. A chest x-ray is another way to assess respiratory function. A chest x-ray could show fluid in the lungs, as well as atelectasis or infiltrate. It would also show cardiomegaly, which is another indicator of congestive heart failure. A portable chest x-ray would be beneficial, as it would not require Mrs. Baker to be taken from the emergency department. Finally, if Mrs. Baker has been a patient at this facility before, the Electronic Medical Record can make it easy to find information on her past medical history. This is an improvement over medical records of years past, which usually had to be located in extensive file cabinets or even on microfiche. Sometimes these records were lost or misfiled. Electronic Medical Records are usually easy to locate. C. Data Collection Prioritization Vital signs, pulse oximetry, and a visual assessment should always be the first assessments performed on a patient. The severity of the vital signs will determine whether emergency life-support interventions need to be initiated at once, and will give the caregivers clues to what needs to be looked at next. Since hypoglycemia is an emergency situation, a finger-stick blood sugar should be the next assessment formed. And since Mrs. Baker is having respiratory difficulty, breath sounds should be assessed as soon as possible to determine what measures need to be taken to insure adequate ventilation. Lab work, x-rays, and other tests should be done after the initial assessments, since the results will take longer to obtain. D. Pain Assessment Comparison In alert and oriented patients with no cognitive impairments, the best way to measure pain is to use the â€Å"numbers† scale. Using this scale, you have the patient rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain, and 10 being the worst pain they can imagine. Pain is subjective, meaning that it can only be judged by the person in pain, and not by an observing party. The numbers scale gives an easy way for a person to tell her nurse the level of her pain, and to judge how much it is relieved by interventions. A geriatric patient who is alert but has mild cognitive impairments may be confused by numbers, but can be given the Wong Baker faces pain scale to help to measure their pain in the same way as the numbers scale. A patient who is not alert or who is unconscious is obviously not going to be able to describe her pain to her caregiver. In this case, the caregiver will have to observe the patient for non-verbal signs of discomfort. These include grimace, muscle tension, increase heart rate, respirations, or blood pressure, and moaning or grunting. E. Pain Management If Mrs. Baker was not alert enough to respond to questions but was showing signs of pain, and given the standing orders of acetaminophen or morphine, I would elect to give the patient morphine. The patient is not alert enough to take any medication by mouth, and an oral medication will take longer to work. Intravenous Morphine works very quickly, and may decrease the work of breathing in patients with congestive heart failure. The caregiver should reassess the patient’s pain after giving any pain medications. In the case of a non-alert patient, the caregiver would look for signs such as stabilization of vital signs and muscle relaxation. I have learned that the geriatric patient has a decrease in physiologic reserve, and therefore there is a shorter time between changes in homeostasis and a state of shock. Because of this, when an elderly patient is showing signs of distress, assessment and interventions should be done quickly to improve outcome. I also learned that an elderly patient may live their everyday life with a certain level of chronic pain, so when they complain of acute pain, it should be taken seriously and treated promptly. F. Team Members Mrs. Elli Baker may have been assessed initially by an EMT or paramedic, if emergency medical services had been called to transport her to the emergency room. Upon arrival, she would have been assessed by a nurse, and at the same time or shortly thereafter, the emergency room physician. The nurse would have obtained vital signs, applied the cardiac monitor, and obtained the finger stick blood sugar, while the physician would have given an initial set of orders. A respiratory therapist would have probably been called, given her respiratory difficulties, and an EKG technician would have been called to do an electrocardiogram. Labs may have been drawn by a phlebotomist or a nurse, and the arterial blood gases would have been obtained by the respiratory therapist or a phlebotomist, depending on the facility’s policy. Finally, a radiology technician would have performed the chest x-ray. When the nurse noticed that Mrs. Baker became unresponsive and started having more difficulty breathing, she would have notified the physician of the changes and called any necessary support staff to assist with Mrs. Baker’s immediate care.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to write a legal secretary resume (with examples)

How to write a legal secretary resume (with examples) If you’re considering an administrative career, the legal world can be a great place to focus your job search. Or similarly, if you’re thinking about a legal career but aren’t quite sure if you want to make the commitment to law school, working as a legal secretary/assistant can be a way to learn and grow your skills while you decide if this is something you want to pursue further. It’s a job choice that can open a number of different avenues for you, from executive assistant to paralegal or even attorney, depending on what kind of educational programs you want to pursue.Let’s look at three different legal assistant resumes- one entry-level, one mid-career, and one legal assistant seeking to move up into being a paralegal. First up is Eric, who’s a recent grad trying to parlay some internship and volunteer admin experience into a full-time legal assistant job.Download this ResumeEric Berman17 Carr StreetBirmingham, AL 12121(999) 999-9999EQBer man@emaildomain.eduRecent graduate with an interest in legal studies and experience managing complex legal administrative tasks, seeking an entry-level position at The Innocents Project as a legal assistant.SKILLSManaging schedules and arranging meeting logisticsHandling sensitive information with discretion and according to best practicesCommunicating verbally and in writing with clients and team membersBilingual fluency (English and Spanish)Conducting research using academic databases, books, and periodicalsProofreading and copyeditingEXPERIENCE  Legal Intern  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   January 2017 – presentTurner University Law ClinicServe as the legal intern for the university’s law clinic, assisting paralegals and attorneys with case research and ad ministrative tasks.Coordinate meetings between clients and clinic staffProcess invoices and check requestsAssist with research online and using legal library materialsStudent Volunteer  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   September 2016 – January 2017Turner University Law ClinicAssisted law clinic staff with filing documents and maintaining accurate client files.Answered phones and greeted clientsFiled legal documents and client informationEDUCATIONTurner University  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Birmingham, ALBachelor’s degree: American HistoryGPA: 3.8In your resume, you always want to emphasize your best aspects first. Eric starts with an ob jective that gives a snapshot of his situation, his experience, and his goal (tailored specifically to a job opening at The Innocents Project). He has some experience as an intern and volunteer at his school’s legal clinic, but no full-time work experience as a legal assistant yet, so he chooses to emphasize the kinds of skills he’s developed. That’s followed by a brief explanation of his relevant work experience. It’s a very targeted resume that shows Eric’s most relevant information.Next we have Molly, who’s been a legal secretary for a number of years and is refreshing her resume for new job opportunities.Download this ResumeMolly Chu1313 Barnard Ave, #4C ★ Boston, MA 98989888-555-8888 ★ Molly.Chu4@emaildomain.eduLegal administrative professional with more than 20 years of experience, including top law firms. Superior organizational skills with special expertise in handling confidential and sensitive materials.EXPERIENCESenior Legal Secretary  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Winken, Blinken, NodBoston, MA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   June 2006 – presentServe as the head secretary for one of Boston’s top 10 family law firms, managing an administrative team of 4.Schedule client meetings and maintain three partners’ calendars.Prepare correspondence to opposing counsel and clients.Transcribe depositions and keep detailed logs.File pleadings, motions, and litigation materials for court.Coordinate and prepare exhibits and exhibit lists for trials and hearings.Organize discovery materials and attorneys files.Assist attorneys with organizing their caseloads an d meetings.Manage, train, and mentor a team of junior legal assistants.Legal Assistant                                                                             Maryann Banks, Attorney at LawBoston, MA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   February 2000 – June 2006Provided administrative support for an attorney in solo practice, plus a staff of six.Drafted and sent legal documents, including court-related and client correspondence on the attorney’s behalf.Scheduled court dates and meetings.Organized and maintained case files.Executive Assistant                                                                    Van Pelt IndustriesBoston, MA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 1997 – February 2000Supported a team of 6 sales managers at a Fortune 500 company.Managed calendars and travel arrangements for the executive Sales team.Maintained detailed records and processed reimbursement requests.Answered phones and greeted clients.Prepared correspondence for both internal and external partners.SKILLSWord processingDocument ManagementTime tracking and billingDocket and calendar managementTranscriptionVideoconferencingEDUCATIONWellesley Community CollegeAssociate’s degree, Legal AdministrationAssociate’s degree, General StudiesMolly’s best asset is her long experience, so that’s what she features most prominently. She uses a summary to offer a kind of highlights reel, but saves the most detail for her experience section. Her experience doesn’t include any way-back jobs that may not be relevant to her career and her current goals as a legal secretary, to keep the resume focused.And last but not least is Grace, who has experience as a legal admin but is looking to move up a step to paralegal.Download this ResumeGrace Ruiz777 Beagle StreetJacksonville, FL 63636GraceRuiz@emaildomain.edu(444) 333-9999Certified paralegal and experienced legal administrative professional, specializing in legal research and criminal defense procedure.KEY SKILLSDrafting clear, concise, and meticulously reviewed legal documentsConducting comprehensive legal research using databases including LexisNexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg, and HeinOnlineTaking depositions and providing information to clients and witnessesExpertise in criminal law and procedureLEGAL EXPERIENCEThe Marston Group, LLCLegal Secretary2014 – presentServe subpoenas and prepare pleadings, motions, discovery and trial bi nders.Obtain discovery information for attorneys and research case law.Support five attorneys in all aspects of criminal defense.Draft client and internal correspondence.Transcribe depositions and meeting notes.Prepare court filings, both paper and digital for the County Court System.Train and manage new secretaries and associates.Ferris WallLegal Assistant2011 – 2014Provided administrative support for two partners.Maintained schedules and client appointments.Conducted preliminary client interviews to prepare for attorney meetings.Developed and implemented a comprehensive digital filing system for legal files.CERTIFICATION AND EDUCATIONNALA Paralegal Certification (The Legal Institute, 2017)Associate’s degree, Criminology (Baxter College, 2008)ADDITIONAL SKILLSLegal citationMicrosoft Office suiteTranscriptionGrace’s resume is laser-focused on her legal career and what she wants to do next. Although a paralegal and a legal secretary can be similar roles, Grace w ants to make sure she’s emphasizing the key parts of a paralegal’s job (research, interacting more with clients, etc.) over the standard legal admin tasks of a legal secretary or assistant. At the same time, she wants to make sure her experience is clear. So she goes with a combined resume format, which takes the skills focus of a functional resume and the experience points of a traditional chronological resume and puts them together to create the narrative that she’s got experience, but is now certified as a paralegal and has the skills to move into that role.Remember that your resume isn’t just a laundry list of what you’ve done and where you’ve been, but a chance to frame your story as a professional. You want to maximize that story by highlighting the information that will best serve your goals for this new job.