Evolving Nursing Roles Essay Example for Free

Evolving Nursing Roles Essay The Institute of Medicine released a report in October 2010 that set out to answer the question, â€Å"what roles can nursing assume to address the increasing demand for safe, high-quality, and effective health care services?† . Three ways that the report suggests to do this are to utilize nurses to their full extent of education and training, a higher level of education for nurses and a stronger leadership role. . Nurses make up the largest segment of the health care workforce and have the capacity to positively impact healthcare in the future, especially with the changes coming from the Affordable Care Act. Nursing is one of the few professions that has several educational pathways to licensure. In order to qualify to take the NCLEX-RN exam, one can obtain an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), a bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) or can complete a diploma program. â€Å"The primary goals of nursing education remain the same: nurses must be prepared to meet diverse patients’ needs; function as leaders; and advance science that benefits patients and the capacity of health professionals to deliver safe, quality patient care†. . While these goals are ideal, the educational road to get there can be streamlined to be less confusing and â€Å"to prepare nursing graduates to work collaboratively and effectively with other health professionals in a complex and evolving health care system in a variety of settings†. . New RNs are not always prepared for the job and there is a high turnover rate for â€Å"new grads†. Hospitals can help the transition by offering â€Å"new grad† or residency programs and longer orientation periods. RNs not only have to become efficient at the tasks of the job, but also be able to critically think a situation, delegate tasks to CNAs and LVNs, effectively manage time and become comfortable with communicating with doctors and other healthcare team members. The key is to better educate nurses both before and after licensure. . The Institute of Medicine’s report states that nurses are being underutilized. The changing healthcare system in the United States requires that â€Å"the system undergo a fundamental shift to provide patient-centered care; deliver more primary as opposed to specialty care; deliver more care in the community rather than  the acute care setting; provide seamless care†.. Gone are the days of just treating a patient in a hospital once he or she has become ill. Patients are being educated about disease prevention and health promotion in their communities, there is improved access to care for the poor and those in rural areas and there is hospice care available. Nurses are at the core of this shift and help to provide a high quality of care more safely and with fewer errors. With the shortage of healthcare providers, advanced practice registered nurses should be given more responsibilities and a broader scope of practice. Some hospitals and healthcare facilities are already making changes and are seeing positive results. The impact of employing nurses in a substantial way will continue to improve patient care and promote health and wellness; however there are some issues that will need to be addressed. It is true that nurses are capable of doing more with their experience, skills and education, but nurse to patient ratios is a major factor in why nurses aren’t doing more. It would be ideal if the nurse could provide care to a patient in the hospital, provide thorough education about the disease process and prevention, address any spiritual and social services needs and coordinate any home health or therapy requirements. However, with a nurse to patient ratio of 1:4 or 1:5 and several discharges and new admits every day, this is unlikely in the acute care setting. I strive to provide seamless care for my patients and give as much of myself and my time as I can, but I also have no choice but to rely on other sources, such as social services and case management. Unfortunately, many patients who need these services and who could benefit from more education do not get it because of time constraints. It is my hope that as this shift occurs, there will be fewer patients who need to be admitted to the hospital and there will be more time to provide patients with the care and information that they need. â€Å"Strong leadership is critical if the vision of a transformed health care system is to be realized†. . Nurses may not have originally thought they would be leaders when they entered the profession. Most likely they just wanted to help people. However, now more than ever, nurses have to become partners with other healthcare team members and help lead the way to reformed healthcare in the country. According to the IOM report, â€Å"being a full partner involves taking responsibility for identifying problems and areas of waste, devising and implementing a plan for improvement, tracking  improvement over time, and making necessary adjustments to realize established goals.† Nurses must use their leadership skills to work with others and advocate for their patients to make these improvements. Obtaining a higher level of education will assist students or RNs to develop leadership competencies and help them gain the confidence needed to work on these projects. References Creasia, J. L., Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice (5th ed). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. The Institute of Medicine. (2010). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Defining Success in Project Management

Defining Success in Project Management EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report focuses upon the constituents of project success and provides key recommendations to enhance the company’s policy manual and understanding. The constituents are: Timescale Cost Quality Health and Safety Legacy Case studies examining projects which are established as being excessively flawed in one or more area feature: The Boston ‘big dig’, USA (timescale, cost, quality, safety) Qatar 2022 World Cup (safety, legacy, quality) Sydney Opera House (timescale, cost) In contrast, the London 2012 Olympic project is regarded as a major success. This expansive project was delivered safely on time, on budget and boasts a positive legacy. Failures common to the flawed projects are compared to the success of the Olympics. These company qualities constitute project management success: achieving ambitious performance targets developing partnerships Having a trained, integrated, experienced and motivated workforce placing value delivered over costs saved THE CONSTITUENTS OF SUCCESS Project management is a continuously evolving discipline. There is no golden formula to ensure perfect success (Smith, 2008). However, understanding gained through experience, investment in training and development of targets helps realise a project as successfully as possible. The constituents of success may be identified as: Timescale. A successful company adheres to defined objectives, plans effectively, anticipates problems and delivers a project to the client by an agreed deadline. Finance. This is not just about keeping costs low and within a defined budget, but about delivering the best value. Waste should be minimised and labour efficiency maximised. Margins are traditionally low in the industry (Egan, 1998): a successful company does not merely survive but makes a good enough profit to: Continue delivering the best value for clients and stakeholders Attract long term shareholders Invest in training, research and product development. Be honest and realistic about budgets Quality. There should be no building defects and through value management, client expectations should not only be met but exceeded. Through quality, a successful company retains and grows their client base and develops partnering arrangements. Partnerships with major clients reduce cost and timescales (Egan, 1998). Health and Safety. A successful project ensures a paucity of injuries and avoids fatalities. Legacy. A successful project leaves an appropriate, lasting imprint in the following ways: Political – promoting infrastructure and industry improvement. Economic – generating income for the area. Environmental – sustainability, adhering to low carbon construction. Cultural – benefitting all stakeholders. Technical – pushing the boundaries of achievement. Ideally succeeding on all levels, projects may instead succeed in one or more area but fail excessively in other areas. Three cases deemed overall failures are examined. FAILURE CASE STUDIES THE ‘BIG DIG’, BOSTON, USA Figure 1 The Big Dig or Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Geotimes, 2002) The ‘Big Dig’, launched in 1991, was the most expensive construction scheme in U.S. history designed to replace an outdated highway costing the economy $500 m/year (Silverman, 2015). The project was originally estimated at $2.6 billion due for completion in 1998 (National Academy of Engineering, 2003). However, delays pushed the project completion date to 2007 with cost overruns of $12.2 billion (Silverman, 2015). There were numerous reasons for the project delays: Tunnel leaks caused by lack of due diligence Program delays due to numerous revisions of the signature cable stayed bridge Change of management and communication issues Failure to manage client and stakeholder involvement Challenges of undertaking construction alongside daily public use Additionally, a tragedy occurred when ceiling panels in a tunnel collapsed, causing a fatality and resulting in extensive litigation for management. Federal investigation blamed inadequate materials and the projects escalating budget (LeBlanc, 2007). The excessive failures of the project led to extensive evaluation. Figure 2 shows the changing total project cost. Inflation contributed heavily approximately $6.5 billion. However, the true impact was difficult to assess due to the dynamic interplay of scope, schedule and construction costs. Mitigation costs were inadequately quantified (National Academy of Engineering, 2003). Figure 2 Cost History and Scope Evolution, in millions of dollars (Data from Edwards, 2002) 2022 WORLD CUP, QATAR Figure 3 Stadium construction site (Bhatia, 2014) The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is another prominent example of management failure. It remains to be seen whether the project will finish on time and on budget, although the figure reported by Deloitte is an excessive $200 billion USD (Figure 4) (Deloitte, 2013). However, regardless of final performance in these regards, the project will be remembered as an appalling failure in safe and responsible construction. Reports have emerged exposing unethical (and in some cases, illegal) practises on the part of contractors responsible for the various sites and developments. Despite the colossal spending involved in the project, the cost of construction work has been minimised through cheap migrant labour subjected to poor working conditions and minimal pay. Workers’ payslips reveal that some labourers were paid as little as  £4.90 a day, or 45p an hour. In other cases, pay has been withheld for up to one year (Booth and Pattison, 2014). Beyond financial exploitation, there has been disregard from contractors regarding safety on-site: controls are often lax and additionally, labourers are required to work in extreme temperatures for long hours. Both of these factors combined resulted in a reported death toll of over one per day for workers in 2014 (Gibson and Pattison, 2014). Figure 5 illustrates the death toll in comparison with equivalent sporting events. Figure 5 – Construction deaths in recent sporting events (London Loves Business, 2014) It should be noted that this performance can be attributed primarily to the contractors managing the projects – an international law firm’s report confirmed that â€Å"it appears clear to us that the legislation is in place to ensure migrant workers wages are paid and to preclude unauthorised deductions. It is, therefore, an issue of the proper monitoring and enforcement of such legislation.† The same conclusion was also expressed regarding worker safety considerations (DLA Piper, 2014). Regardless of deadlines or commercial performance, a key managerial role must be to ensure a safe, ethically run site. For this reason the construction of Qatar 2022 will always be considered a failure. 3.3 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE Known globally as the symbol for Australia, Sydney Opera House is arguably one of the world’s most breath-taking structures, floating effortlessly atop the Sydney Harbour. However, the task of realising the project was far from effortless. Figure 6 Sydney Opera House (SOH) (Enochlau, 2006) In 1957, architect Jà ¸rn Utzon won the competition initiated by the New South Wales government for the building. Construction started in 1959 with Utzon as project manager. The first failure stemmed from biased judgement tending to architectural form rather than feasibility. The judging panel also failed to evaluate how much experience the competition entrants had with large-scale design projects. The incomplete, untested structural strategy proposed to achieve the complex roof design was the second failure; the project started without a full set of completed drawings (MIT, 2011). This was one of the first major projects to be designed using CAD software, thus imposing challenges in itself. Furthermore, there was no clear program, resulting in major design changes being made on a daily basis during construction. These changes included the demolition and reconstruction of parts of the structure and consequently the budget soared to an unprecedented level. Stakeholders began to get involved and demanded alterations be made for financial reasons. For example, the Australian Broadcasting Commission wanted the proposed larger opera hall to be converted to a concert hall because to increase revenue through larger audiences (MIT, 2011). Figure 7 SOH under construction (Martin, 2012) In 1966 Utzon resigned as project manager, taking the majority of the designs with him. The new management subsequently struggled to replicate them which had significant cost and program implications. The project took 14 years to complete, which was originally planned for 4 years. The total cost amounted to $102 million AUSD; the initial estimate was $7 million (Martin, 2012). The scale and complexity of the project was unprecedented and the original cost estimate was highly unrealistic. A SUCCESS STORY: LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES 2012 The London 2012 Olympics was undoubtedly a management success. This can be attributed to two key factors ambitious targets and foresight in planning. Figure 8 Queen Elizabeth 11 Olympic Park, London (Inhabitat, 2010) The Olympic Design Authority (ODA) had clearly defined targets concerning environment and sustainability, health safety and design legacy. PICTURE The ODA began planning the Olympic bid and brief well in advance of construction. They utilised the knowledge and experience of specialist government departments (e.g. Health and Safety Executive) concerning: The commissioning of studies to identify contractors with relevant experience Setting targets for each phase Monitoring and developing partnerships with contractors On site health and safety management (HSE involvement) Despite a multitude of challenges arising from the enormous scale, the project succeeded on many levels: Delivered on time final works completed in September 2011. Exemplary health and safety record – the plan was to set a new standard in construction, to research educate the industry to develop a health and safety conscious and proactive culture. This was achieved emphatically; there were no work related fatalities on the whole of the construction programme. Injury frequency rate as reported by the HSE per 100,000 hours worked was 0.16, well below the industry average of 0.55 (Bolt et al, 2012). Legacy – The project provided: re-use of world class sporting facilities, affordable housing to a now prime area, implementation of modern infrastructure and a massive urban regeneration programme. Cost The original cost of the games in its entirety was advertised at around the  £2.4 billion mark. This was revised to  £9.3 billion in 2007 (DCMS 2012). Despite being initially over budget, there was openness and transparency concerning financing. This resulted in a revised, realistic budget which delivered a successful venue for the games. COMMON FAILURES AND COMPARISON WITH SUCCESS Considering the constituents of success in section 2, table 5.1 compares common themes found within the failures to the success of London 2012. Table 5.1: Comparing common failure themes with success. It is clear that a project may be deemed a success if the above criteria are achieved with the exception of sticking rigidly to an original budget. Ultimately, the British Government was correct in spending more to entirely achieve the other four criteria. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This report concludes that having control and command of the five areas outlined in sections 2 and 5 constitutes success. If a project is a technical success but fails on other levels, then it may be deemed an overall failure. Equally, saving money does not equate to success or delivering the best value for stakeholders and spending money does not guarantee safety. The policy manual should therefore state that the company: Establishes and adheres to a system of clear performance targets. Allowing evaluation of quality and performance. Pursues a culture of establishing partnering relationships with clients offering repeat business. Improving efficiency. Decreasing the need for tendering and contracts (Egan, 1998). Employs an integrated, trained, safe and motivated workforce. Sharing and pooling experience across disciplines. Working together on numerous projects. Avoiding fatalities and major injuries. Considers finance by value delivered rather than money saved. Exuding financial honesty and transparency. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bolt, H. Haslam, R. Gibb, A. Waterson, P., (2012). Pre-conditioning for success. Loughborough: HSE, (RR955). Booth, R., Pattison, P. 2014. Qatar World Cup stadium workers earn as little as 45p an hour [online]. Doha: The Guardian. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/29/qatar-world-cup-stadium-workers-earn-45p-hour [Accessed 21/02/15] Booth, R., Pattison, P. 2014. Qatar World Cup: migrants wait a year to be paid for building offices [online]. Doha: The Guardian. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/28/qatar-world-cup-migrants-not-paid-building-office [Accessed 21/02/15] Bust, P. (2011). Learning legacy. Loughborough: Loughborough University, (ODA 2011/269). Deloitte, 2013. Insight into the Qatar construction market and opportunities for real estate developers. Middle East: Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited. Department of Culture, Media and Sport. (2010). November London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic budget report published Anticipated final cost down  £29m. Gov Announcements Online. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/november-london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-budget-report-published-anticipated-final-cost-down-29m2 [Accessed 25/02/2015 Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (2012). London 2012 Olympic And Paralympic Games – Quarterly Report. London: DCMS DLA Piper, 2014. Migrant labour in the construction sector in the state of Qatar. Qatar: DLA Piper UK LLP Egan, J.,The Construction Task Force. Rethinking Construction. 1998. [online]. Available from: URLhttp://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/pdf/rethinking%20construction/rethinking_construction_report.pdf [Accessed 16 February 2015]. Egan, J.,The Strategic Forum for Construction. Accelerating Change. ISBN 1 898671 28 1. Rethinking Construction, Construction Industry Council. ENOCHLAU. (2006) Sydney Opera House Sails. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_Opera_House_Sails.jpg#filehistory . Wikipedia. [Accessed on: 26th February 2015]. Gibson, O., Pattison, P. 2014. Death toll among Qatar’s 2022 World Cup workers revealed [online]. Kathmandu: The Guardian. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/qatar-nepal-workers-world-cup-2022-death-toll-doha [Accessed 21/02/15] IRVINE, J. (2013) Why Sydneys Opera House was the worlds biggest planning disaster. [Online]. Available from: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/why-sydneys-opera-house-was-the-worlds-biggest-planning-disaster/story-e6freon6-1226744769556 . [Accessed on: 26th February 2015]. LeBlanc, Steve., 2007. On Dec. 31, It’s Official: Boston’s Big Dig Will Be Done [online]. Available from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/25/AR2007122500600_3.html [Accessed 13 February 2015]. MARTIN, C. G. O. (2012) The Sidney Opera House construction: A case of project management failure. [Online]. Available from: http://www.eoi.es/blogs/cristinagarcia-ochoa/2012/01/14/the-sidney-opera-house-construction-a-case-of-project-management-failure/ . [Accessed on: 26th February 2015]. MIT. (2011) Project Evaluation. [Online]. Available from: file:///C:/Users/staples/Documents/Bath%20University/3rd%20Year/Semester%202/Management%202/The%20Sydney%20Opera%20House.pdf . [Accessed on: 26th February 2015]. National Research Council Committee for Review of the Project Management Practices Employed on the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel (Big Dig) Project, National Research Council, National Academy of Engineering., 2003. Completing the â€Å"Big Dig: managing the final stages of Boston’s central artery/tunnel project. National Academies Press, 2003, pp, 1,3,7,8,10,12,14,17. Silverman, Jacob., 10 Construction Projects That Broke the Bank [online]. Available from: http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/10-construction-projects.htm#page=9 [Accessed 13 February 2015] Smith, N.J., 2008. Engineering Project Management. ISBN: 978-1-4051-6802-1. Blackwell Publishing, Third Edition. http://www.geotimes.org/oct02/bostonsandgravel.jpg (Source: W.Edwards, â€Å"Project History,† Presentation to the Committee on October 21, 2002) Qatar World Cup preparation expected to invite deals worth $150bn Bhatia, N. 2014. http://www.bigprojectme.com/news/qatar-world-cup-preparation-expected-to-invite-deals-worth-150bn/ http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/06/24/world-cup-price-tag-multiplies-with-time http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/business-news/london-2012-olympics/this-graph-shows-the-sickening-extent-of-the-qatar-world-cup-deaths/8120.article Vinter, R Image Available http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/10/ukolympic-ed01.jpg

Effect of Need Based Grand Eligibility on College Attainment

Effect of Need Based Grand Eligibility on College Attainment The education system in the United State is considered as the best in the world , but this status is started to fall. According to the OECD report(2012) it has been seen that the bachelors degree attainment rate rise substantially in other countries over the last couple of decades, but the trends in the US are move slightly. Educational researchers such as Turner(2004),Bound, Lovenheim Turner( 2007) showed that students who admitted in bachelor degree program take more time to complete it. The national educational statistics also indicate a considerable variation in graduation time at the state level. Statistics from the 2009 census indicate that roughly 17 percent of those born in the lowest-ranked state of Southeast of US (age 25 and older) had attained a bachelor’s degree which is below the national rate of 24 percent, and compared to the U.S. average from the late 1970s(Goal 2025,2014). According to Bailey and Dynarski ( 2011) only 18 percent of college entrant complete a bachelor degree within four years and 36 percent within six years. In the past, educators and researchers tried to find out the reasons why so many college entrants fail to complete a degree, or fail to complete on time. Previous researchers such as Clayton(2009) argued that students financial constraints and academic preparation and motivation are correlated with time to complete a degree. Baum, Ma, Payea (2010) showed that only 55 percent students of low income quintile background who graduated high school in 2008enrolled in college compared with 80 percent of students in the highest income quintile. Ellwood Kane(2000) proved that low-income students have a lower probability of enrollment than do more affluent students when controlling for academic achievement. The gaps in college degree attainment by socioeconomic status are even more concerned (Haveman Smeeding, 2006). These concerns may explain the increasing popularity of programs offering large financial incentives for co llege achievement. The United States government currently provides more than $132 billion per year need based financial assistantships to mitigate the effect of rising college costs on the postsecondary decisions of students from low-income families (Baum and Payea 2011).The largest of these grants is the federal Pell Grant, a need-based grant awarded to low- and moderate-income students pursuing a college education at an accredited institution. Researchers always wanted to know whether these grants lead to improvements in students’ college outcomes. A vast majority of research examined the causal effect of need-based grants on college access. However, a very little research has examined the effect of need-based grants on whether students persistent, accumulate more college credits, and ultimately complete a degree. The proposed study will investigate the effects of need-based grant eligibility on college attainment. Specifically, we will focus on the impact of eligibility fo r the need-based Mississippi Tuition Assistant Grant(MTAG) on whether students enter, remain enrolled in, and graduate from college. The Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board(MPEFAB) determined eligibility for the MTAG using the federal need based financial analysis calculation. According to that calculation freshman and sophomore students will get not more than $ 500 per academic year and in case of junior and senior students, the award shall not exceed $ 1000 per academic year. According to the MPEFAB, students who get less than the full Federal Pell Grant award shall receive an MTAG award in an amount equal to the difference between the maximum Federal Pell Grant award amount and the award amount of the Federal Pell Grant for which the student is eligible based upon the student’s EFC as determined by the FAFSA. A student may receive MTAG in addition to the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG), unless the institution determines that receipt of both awards will cause the student’s financial aid package to exceed the institution’s established cost of attendance for the student. Problem Statement Previous researches related to financial aid highlighted the effect of financial aid on college attendance and college persistence, even though this two likely represent very different sets of decisions for individuals. Researchers always wanted to know whether these grants lead to improvements in students’ college outcomes. A vast majority of research examined the causal effect of need-based grants on college access. For instance, Deming Dynarski (2009 ) showed that for each additional $1,000 need-based grant eligibility can have a strong and positive effect on students enrollment in college, with the estimated probability of enrollment increasing by between 3 to 4 percentage on average. Several researchers such as Bruce and Carruthers(2011),Dynarksi(2008), Scott-Clayton(2011) examined the long-term effect of merit-based scholarships on whether students earn a degree. Recently, Bettinger, et al. (2012) suggested that helping students to apply for federal aid like the Pell Gr ant increase college persistence. However, a very little research has examined the effect of need-based grants on whether students persistent, accumulate more college credits, and ultimately complete a degree. Research Question The proposed study will investigate the effects of need-based grant eligibility on college attainment. Specifically, we will focus on the impact of eligibility for the need-based Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA)on whether students enter, remain enrolled in, and graduate from college. As such, we will contribute to the literature by focusing on the longer-term effects of need-based financial aid. The proposed study will also contributes to the scant literature on the effects of financial aid, particularly need-based aid, on college persistence and degree completion. Additionally, the proposed study will examine the effects of increasing the size other need-based financial aid for example, the Pell Grant on college outcome as well as interaction between need based financial aid and merit based financial aid. A regression -discontinuity design will be used based on the information that determined whether students were eligible for more, or less, need-based grant aid to analyze the causal effect of TSAA eligibility on whether students entered, persisted in, and completed college level degree program. Literature Review Previous research shows that financial aid may influence the college-going decisions of low income students. According to Becker(1964), if the perceived present discounted value (PDV) of the benefits of higher education exceeds the PDV of the costs of going to college the students pursue a college education. Thus, government and other aid granting agencies provide financial aid to reduce the PDV of the cost of going to college. Previous research related to financial aid support this theory. Dynarski (2003) and Deming and Dynarski( 2009) showed that reduction in financial aid by $ 1000 led to roughly 4 % reduction in college enrollment. The research literature suggests that financial aid can impact initial college enrollment positively, while economic theory is reluctant about the effect of financial aid on success of college student. Is is well proved that financial aid have an indirect positive effect on academic success for students who have already admitted in college. In recent y ears, authors such as Dynarski (2008) analyzed the effect of government sponsored merit based scholarship programs on students long term success. Dynarski(2008) showed that the introduction of state merit scholarships in Arkansas and Georgia increase degree completion rate in each state. While,Scott-Clayton (2011) found that students who got West Virginia PROMISE scholarship were 6.7 percentage more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within four years than other students. Similarly, Bruce and Carruthers (2011) exploited a cut-off in the ACT score that determines eligibility for Tennessee’s HOPE merit scholarship to examine the effect of the grant on students’ longer-term college attainment. In contrast to Dynarski (2008) and Scott-Clayton (2011), the authors found little evidence that Tennessee HOPE had a positive impact on whether students earned a degree.

Essays --

Bearing in mind the aim of creating ranking criteria to support GPIC’s decision in choosing the most insurance company which it can rely on to pay its money back in case of a claim. Background research was initially performed to gain both knowledge and information regarding the Insurance industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain and worldwide. This knowledge in turn helped us to reach to our final deliverable. This criterion was based on a number of factors, to name them: †¢ Insurance company reputation both locally and worldwide †¢ Core business percentage & Insurance company area of specialty †¢ Nature of the insurance company, the question of is it a consolidated or non-consolidated company was the main concern. †¢ Insurance company performance based on specific ratios (detailed in the Financial analysis) †¢ Based communication networks so customers can reach them easily: available branches, online communications (website, e-mails), and clear communication lines including telephone numbers, faxes etc. Search Methodology and criteria formulation- Limitations and Difficulties: Before reaching t...

Creating a Strong and Unified America :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Creating a Strong and Unified America Motoring down the roadway, I take in blurs of red, white, and blue, whizzing past my scope of vision. I am referring to, of course, the vast number of American flags attached to the cars of local residents and residents throughout the nation. This sudden splurge of patriotism can be attributed to the war, but that is not to say that patriotism has not existed before this war—it has also existed during the course of every American war, along with the cries of anti-war protestors. But does patriotism stand as strong during times of peace? One of the many duties of citizens is to love the nation they are born into because a nation depends on individuals who understand what it means to be a citizen. To begin understanding citizenship, we must first have an idea of America’s past. In David McCullough’s essay â€Å"Why History?† he writes, â€Å"The Department of Education reported that more than half of all high school seniors hadn’t even the slightest basic understanding of American History†(88). We must know our history to know where we came from, and according to a speech by Alan Kors, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, it is important for us to understand mistakes made by our nation in the past so as to not â€Å"†¦lose sight of human moral weakness†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (9). The moral weaknesses Kors references are anti-Semitism, racial discrimination, corruption of power, and, of course, slavery. Kors explains that we should not look down at our nation for the existence of these flaws, but rather look at how they have been for the most part abolished. America welcomes Jews; racial injustices were addre ssed in the 14th and 15th Amendments. Slavery, which is â€Å"the most universal of all human institutions,†(Kors 9) was dubbed as an immoral practice by American â€Å"†¦values and agency†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Kors 9) and was abolished. A nation cannot exist without citizens who understand the morals and values by which it was established and also what responsibilities they must live up to. In an essay by Peter Gomes, he quotes the American judge at the Nuremberg Trials as saying, â€Å"†¦it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error†(Jackson qtd.

A Blind Man Leads the Way

A Blind Man Leads the Way â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver, describes a couple who is awaiting the arrival of the wife’s blind friend, Robert. The husband is not too fond of a blind man staying in their house and is judgmental about meeting him. It’s not until the family sits down to watch t. v. that the husband gains respect for Robert. A show about cathedrals comes on, and Robert asks him to describe them to him. When Robert and the husband draw the cathedral together with their eyes closed, the husband begins to see what he could not describe with his eyes open. Carver uses the cathedral in the story as a symbol of sight, insisting that the narrator was blinded by prejudice before he met Robert and also as a symbol of teaching, Robert acting as a preacher in a church. The husband is very judgmental and negative toward blind people. He states, â€Å"My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs† (526). The husband views all blind people as the same and gives them the same respect, which is none. He brings them down to make himself feel better. Carver’s figures close themselves off from their worlds, walling out the threatening forces in their lives even as they wall themselves in and retreat destructively into the claustrophobic inner enclosures of self† (Davis). When the narrator meets Robert and they all sit down for dinner, his opinion about Robert begins to change. He says, â€Å"The blind man had right away located his fo ods, he knew just where everything was on his plate† (531). The husband was in shock that Robert did not need someone to cut up his food and help him eat his meals. He begins to see and appreciate Robert as a person and not just as a blind man. His sight is in full affect when he begins describing the cathedral from the t. v. show. The narrator could see the cathedral, but he could not quite describe what he saw. He and the blind man began to draw the cathedral, and for once the narrator felt like he was the blind and that the blind man was the one who could see. The husband states, â€Å"It’s really something† (537). This is when he can fully see the picture not only of the cathedral, but also the understanding that even the blind can see and understand things with their eyes closed. The narrator comes to understand Robert and learns a lot from him. Robert helps him to open his eyes and become less judgmental of the blind. The husband learns from Robert that you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that sometimes it’s the important things in life that you can’t see that really matter. Cathedrals are holy structures that people go to and receive an understanding of a higher power. In this story Robert is represented by the cathedral being the teacher, and the seeker is the husband. Robert is the one who gives the understanding of what it is like to be blind. Robert teaches the husband along the way by his actions and shows him that being blind is not a disability, but sometimes even a gift. Robert insists they draw a cathedral together and as the husband draws, Robert guides him through the process. Robert states, â€Å"That’s right. That’s good,† he said. â€Å"Sure. You got it bub, I can tell. You didn’t think you could but you can, can’t you† (536)? Robert is guiding the narrator through the process, just as a preacher would guide his church through a service. Robert is guiding the husband step by step, making sure he is getting an understanding of the Cathedral. In the beginning, the narrator was less passionate about Cathedrals, but through Robert’s eyes, he grew found of them. The narrator states, â€Å"The truth is, cathedrals don’t mean anything special to me. Nothing. Cathedrals. They’re something to look at on late-night TV† (535). The narrator viewed cathedrals differently by the end, and they made him feel something he had never felt before. The narrator states, â€Å"My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything† (536). At this point the narrator feels outside of everything at the moment and spiritually feels like he is part of something greater. â€Å"As a symbol represents a kind of common humanity and benevolence, and of human patience and fortitude, in the process of â€Å"a-spiring. † Curiously enough it is within the walls of the cathedral that the narrator ultimately ends up† (Nesset). Robert showed the narrator that there is a higher power out there. He did not want to pester the husband by talking to him about religion so he showed him through drawing the cathedral. The narrator felt like he was outside of his own body and felt like he was part of something higher. Robert taught the husband along the way showing him that seeing isn’t believing, but believing is seeing. By this point, the narrator witnessed himself opening up and becoming less judgmental of the situation. â€Å"Only in Cathedral does the reader witness the rare moments of their coming out, and process of opening up in closed-down lives that comes across in both the subjects and events of the stories†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nesset). Robert was a Christian man, and believes that he showed the narrator that there is a higher power out there, and helped the husband understand that through the cathedral. â€Å"The narrator of â€Å"Cathedral† communicated verbally and non-verbally with Robert, resulting a renewed sense of empathy and a remarkable, almost religious experience† (Champion). The narrator did experience a religious experience through the cathedral, and it made him feel like he was not himself. Through the cathedral, the husband is a changed man. Robert shows and guides him along the way, teaching him that seeing is not everything and that even someone blind can help you to see and understand things you never thought you could describe. In the beginning the husband was very judgmental of Robert and did not want him in his home, and by the end he felt like his life had been missing something and that was the guidance of the cathedral. The sight he encountered as he sat there with Robert and drew the cathedral was like something he had never seen before, and could only be seen with his eyes closed.

One Ingredient To Make Bread

Have you ever just had a craving for some warm, amazing, homemade banana bread? Well, I have a simple but mouthwatering, taste bud tickling recipe to share. This banana bread recipe is great to bake for a tasty treat or a family get-together. All you have to do is purchase all the right ingredients, mix the correct amounts of ingredients together, bake in the oven and enjoy! The first thing you will need to do when making banana bread is to go to the store to purchase all the ingredients. You can find everything you will need to make this wonderful banana bread at your local grocery store. During your trip to the store you will need to buy sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, white vinegar, vegetable oil, milk, eggs, cooking spray such as Pam, nuts if you’d like, and of course bananas. When buying bananas the riper the better, I would actually recommend using bananas that are starting to turn brown because they are sweeter than when they first ripen. You will also need 2 large mixing bowls and a loaf pan, if you do not have these at home you will need to purchase them. After getting all these items you are ready to head home and make your yummy, homemade banana bread! Once you arrive home and take all your ingredients out you will need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenhigt. While the oven is preheating you will need to take out your first large mixing bowl and mix together 1 cup of sugar and ? of a cup of vegetable oil. In the second mixing bowl mash the bananas with a fork and mix in 2 eggs and 3 tablespoons of sour milk. To make sour milk you will need to mix together 1 part white vinegar with 1 part milk in a small dish, and then measure out the 3 tablespoons needed. Add the banana mixture to the sugar and oil and mix together thoroughly. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together you will then need to add in 2 cups of flour, ? teaspoon of salt, ? teaspoon of baking soda, and half a cup of chopped nuts and mix together. The best way to do the mixing is for you to use a hand mixer, but you can also use a large cooking spoon to get the job done. Finally when your batter is complete you can pour your finished creation into a loaf pan that has been thoroughly greased and floured to prevent the read from sticking, and place the loaf into the oven. Your banana bread will need to bake for about 50 to 60 minutes before it will be fully cooked and ready to eat. At about 50 minutes you can check to see if the bread is cooked all the way through, to do this you will need to stick a toothpick into the middle of the loaf and pull it out. If the toothpick comes out clean the bread is finished, if there are little pieces of batter stuck to the toothpick it will need to cook for a few more minutes. Don’t worry, just put it back in the oven and it will be perfect shortly. When the toothpick comes out of the banana bread clean you can take the bread out of the oven and let it cool. Banana bread is best served warm, cut into single slices about ? an inch wide, with a bit of butter spread on top. Making amazing banana bread has never been simpler. All you have to do to have amazing, homemade banana bread is buy the ingredients, mix the ingredients together, bake the banana bread, and enjoy. Will you dare to try this simple, yet amazing banana bread recipe?