30 Religious Terms You Should Know

30 Religious Terms You Should Know 30 Religious Terms You Should Know 30 Religious Terms You Should Know By Maeve Maddox When I was growing up in small town America, stories about religion were generally confined to the Saturday church pages in the local newspaper. Catholics and Jews were the most exotic religious practitioners in town, and â€Å"atheist† was a strong term of disapprobation. These days religion is front page news. People are killed or driven into hiding because someone somewhere has labeled their work â€Å"blasphemy.† School children with attitude get away with refusing to do their homework because they know that school officials are easily spooked by anything relating to religion. Journalists and school officials shouldn’t have to tiptoe around religious topics. The topic of religion, like that of ecology, is one that concerns all human beings. Although the three Abrahamic religions get most of the news copy, the number of religions that matter to people number in the double digits. Whether we care about it or not, we ought to be able to read and write about religion with some understanding of the terminology. NOTE: The definitions given here are not intended to be exhaustive. For one thing, some of the terms are defined differently by different religious groups. For permutations of meaning, see the OED or some other authoritative dictionary. Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three faiths trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham who rejected the polytheism of ancient Sumer to embrace a belief in one, invisible, deity. Sometimes referred to as â€Å"the desert religions.† agnosticism: the philosophical position that the existence or non-existence of God or a First Cause is unknowable. Anglican: relating to the Church of England. An ancient name for the English people was â€Å"Angles.† The Church of England traces its beginning to 597, the year in which Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine to Canterbury. The Church of England remained under papal authority until 1534 when Henry VIII declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church because of conflicts with Pope Clement VII. animism: the belief that every material form of reality (plants, animals, stones, thunderstorms, earthquakes) have an indwelling spirit; often includes belief in the continued existence of individual disembodied human spirits capable of helping or harming the living. asceticism: a mode of life that excludes physical pleasures and self-indulgence. Many religions regard asceticism (fasting, abstaining from sexual activity, wearing inadequate clothing) as a means of reaching a higher spiritual state. atheism: disbelief in any deity or supernatural power. blasphemy: indignity offered to God, from Greek blasphemia, â€Å"a speaking ill, impious speech, slander.† Religions define blasphemy in terms of their own beliefs, often designating prophets and holy objects along with God as subjects not to be profaned. Many countries have anti-blasphemy laws. Buddhism: the teaching that suffering is inherent to life and that the way to escape suffering and repeated existence is to limit one’s desires and expectations. There are various sects with varying beliefs. Confucianism: a system of teachings characterized by central emphasis on the practice and cultivation of the cardinal virtues of filial piety, kindness, righteousness, propriety, intelligence, and faithfulness. ecclesiastic: relating to a church. Greek ekklesiastikos referred to the ancient Athenian political assembly. First century Christians writers adopted the word to mean â€Å"assembly of believers,† or â€Å"church.† episcopal: having to do with a bishop. Like â€Å"ecclesiastic,† the English word bishop derives from a Greek word, episkopos, â€Å"watcher, overseer. The Greeks used their word to refer to government officials. First century Christian writers used bishop or episkopos to refer to church elders. In time bishop came to mean the chief administrator of a diocese (administrative district governed by a bishop) with the power to ordain. Episcopal is the adjective for bishop. evangelical: having to do with the Christian gospel/New Testament writings. The word is also used to describe a type of Christian belief that emphasizes the inerrancy of scripture and salvation through personal conversion. Eucharist: the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, a rite in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed in symbolic union with Christ. The word comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"grateful.† ecumenical: worldwide. As applied to religion, the word’s current use to mean cooperation among religious groups began with a 20th century movement promoting the idea of an inter-confessional Christian unity. Now an â€Å"ecumenical† group cooperating on some matter of general social benefit might include representatives from non-Christian religions. eschatology: the study of matters relating to the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world. Gnosticism: the belief that salvation is to be obtained by means of secret knowledge and that the material world is evil. Gnostic mystery religions abounded in the Roman Empire. The early Christian church was fragmented into various sects, many of which taught a Gnostic version of the new religion. gospel: the story of Christ’s life and teachings as told in the first four books of the Christian New Testament. The literal meaning of the word is â€Å"good news.† heresy: a religious opinion, or adherence to such an opinion, that is contrary to an established religious teaching. The word comes from Greek hairesis, â€Å"action of taking, choice, sect.† Originally a heresy was simply a difference of opinion. It became a religious crime, often punished by death. Hinduism: a body of social, cultural, and religious beliefs and practices found chiefly in India. It includes a belief in reincarnation and transmigration of souls. indulgence: in Roman Catholicism, a remission of punishment, especially punishment in Purgatory (in Catholic belief, Purgatory is an intermediate place of purification for souls that departed stained with minor sins not deserving of eternal punishment in Hell). Immaculate Conception: the Roman Catholic doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without Original Sin (the sin of Adam and Eve conveyed to all human beings). This is not the same thing as the Virgin Birth, â€Å"the belief that Jesus was divinely begotten and miraculously born of a virgin mother.† jihad: a holy war on behalf of Islam. The Christian equivalent word is crusade, â€Å"a campaign or war sanctioned by the Church against unbelievers or heretics.† Literal crusades were common in the Middle Ages and were directed against Christian heretics as well as non-Christians. Now the term is used figuratively to mean â€Å"any remedial activity pursued with zeal and enthusiasm.† The same meaning is becoming attached to jihad. lay: not in holy orders. In a monastery there are monks who pray and do intellectual work, and those who do manual work and attend to secular affairs. The latter are called lay brothers. The term has spread to non-religious professions. Someone who lacks professional knowledge of a particular profession is called a layman. In a church setting one may speak of the clergy and the laity (non-clerical members of the church). monotheism: the doctrine or belief that there is only one God. nihilism: the viewpoint that all traditional beliefs are unfounded and that human life has no meaning. orthodox: in agreement with the official doctrine of a given religion. The word is from Greek orthodoxein, â€Å"to have the right opinion.† The noun is orthodoxy. Departure from orthodoxy is called heterodoxy. pagan This is a term difficult to define in even such a superficial treatment as this. For the early Christians, a pagan was a believer in polytheistic religion. The word originally meant â€Å"country dweller.† The rural population was slower to adopt Christianity than the city dwellers, probably because their religion was closely bound to agricultural cycles. Nowadays there are religious groups that identify themselves as Pagans. Modern paganism is earth-centered and can include polytheistic beliefs. The word heathen is used pejoratively to mean a person without religion. Like pagan, heathen also points to the fact that non-city dwellers tended to reject religious change. Heath comes from a word meaning â€Å"field.† Heathen was originally an adjective meaning â€Å"of the heath.† polytheism: belief in more than one god. profane: not holy. Anything not related to religion and spirituality is profane. The word can also be used as a verb meaning â€Å"to treat something sacred with irreverence.† secular: worldly, not sacred. Similar to profane, secular refers to anything that is not specifically religious. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SFor Sale vs. On SaleThe Difference Between e.g. and i.e.?

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational Essay

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational firm. Which best explains firm behaviour and why - Essay Example The primary drive operating behind their decision to outspread are the cost benefits and profit potentials which lie in different locations (Maheshwari, 1997, p. 246). However, there are certain aspects which influence the profit and cost factors in a certain region. Those are the very elements which instigate the businessmen to spread out. In fact, theories have been framed by eminent observers in the past, to comprehend the factors which actually guide the production decisions of trans-national companies. Three fundamental factors are ownership, location and internalisation aspects which taken together form the essence of OLI Theory of International Production. This however, is part of the neo-classical school of thought (Taylor & Thrift, 1986, p. 9). Likewise there is the Marxist economic theory or the Neo-Imperialist views which support the decisions taken by trans-national companies to spread out their businesses to different nations around the world. Capitalist economies tend t o accumulate a large volume of resources at home which they are restricted from making use of at home due to restrictions imposed over their employment. Hence, they have little option but to generate profit out of their surpluses through deploying them across national borders. Thirdly, the Neo-Fundamentalist Marxist principles say that the primary enticement behind spreading out their businesses is that the industries which gradually acquire a monopolistic position, start enjoying the advantage of huge surpluses. Due to a limited scope for employing them in the nation where they belong, the industrialists deploy them in foreign lands where they have greater prospects of reaping profits (Jenkins, 1987, p. 447-451). The present paper discusses the similarities and differences between each of the three types of economic theories stated above to assess the factors which induce foreign investors towards expanding their businesses across nations. Finally, an evaluation about the theory mo st applicable in context of business houses today will be made as a concluding note. Chapter 2 – Theoretical Framework 2.1 Marxist or the Neo-Imperialist economic theory According to the views of Marxist economists, the developed and developing economies are complementary to one another and make up the entire global system. However, they also emphasise that the latter are usually the ones who are exploited by the former so that there is a continued outflow of surplus resources from the reserves of developing nations to the already burgeoning stock of the developed nations. The essence of the theory is the monopolisation of industrial houses which leads to an accumulation of huge sums of profits in the capitalist nations. On the other hand, the prevalence of anti-trust laws restricts an expansion of their businesses within the domestic frontier through forming cartels. Thus, the surpluses which are reaped stay idle and hence, attain a stagnant rate of growth which is not desir ed by the private producer (Jenkins,

Finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finances - Essay Example These subsidiary companies are engaged in a wide range of business activities. The main ones are primary insurance and reinsurance business. Over the years it has acquired a myriad of subsidiaries engaged in diverse business operations like utilities and energy (MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company), manufacturing-service-retailing (Marmon group), wholesale distribution & logistics (McLane), jewelry (Ben Bridge Chain), carpets (Shaw Industries), bricks & boots (Justin Industries). The insurance (both primary and reinsurance) business is through more than sixty national and overseas enterprises. Berkshire being primarily in insurance business in effect means that the premium for undertaking risk generates cash which is available for investment when the opportunity knocks. The reputation of Mr. Buffet has been built over the years is due to the fact that he has been consistent in picking winning opportunities by and large. This translates into the fact that almost of the business acquisitions turn out to be profit making ones, which in turn swell the coffers of Berkshire to be ready to invest. Contrary to expectations and common belief, Berkshire does not invest by only trading in stock i.e., picking stock at low price and selling, but also by investing in the businesses and earning through their operations. â€Å"For some sellers Berkshire is a refuge, a place to land when, say, some members of a family that controls a private company want cash and others wish to keep running the business. To the latter Buffett promises independence and respect and then--barring some irreconcilable problem that just has to be dealt with--delivers on the commitment. "We dont have any MBAs running around telling these people what to do," Buffett says. "And God knows I wouldnt know what to tell them." To public companies that may also have a family reason for selling, or that just want to escape the cold world of regrettable stock prices, unrealistic quarterly demands, and

Marketing Plan Chevrolet Essay Example for Free

Marketing Plan Chevrolet Essay A performance appraisal is a review and discussion of an employees performance of assigned duties and responsibilities. The appraisal is based on results obtained by the employee in his/her job, not on the employees personality characteristics. The appraisal measures skills and accomplishments with reasonable accuracy and uniformity. It provides a way to help identify areas for performance enhancement and to help promote professional growth. It should not, however, be considered the supervisors only communication tool. Open lines of communication throughout the year help to make effective working relationships. In Chevrolet each employee is entitled to a thoughtful and careful appraisal. The success of the process depends on the supervisors willingness to complete a constructive and objective appraisal and on the employees willingness to respond to constructive suggestions and to work with the supervisor to reach future goals. In Chevrolet it is important for them to give the satisfaction of their customers as part of their business. As the company needed employees who will help them in obtaining their goals, they make sure to have excellent agents or dealers to gain more customers in market. The services which they offer to their buyers are based to the performances of their car dealers and agents who sell their products. As having an integrated performance appraisal, the Chevrolet handle their employees with a synchronization on their management that will help them to comprise more strategies, goals of the company and the right plan for them to be marketable in their business. Chevrolet has their records of their sales on their cars and the level of performances of their dealers and agents. As managing a business that needed to sell in a high cost of prices but giving customers a satisfaction and good value of their products, the company needs to check and monitor the employee who sells and market the products. Periodic reviews help the supervisors of Chevrolet gain a better understanding of each employees abil ities. The goal of the review process is to recognize achievement, to evaluate job progress, and then to design training for the further development of skills and strengths. A careful review will stimulate employee’s interest and improve job performance. The review provides the employee, the supervisor, the Vice President, and Human Resources a critical, formal feedback mechanism on an annual basis; however these discussions should not be restricted solely to a formal annual review. Annually, the appropriate supervisor evaluates each employee’s performance. In the case where an employee has changed jobs part-way through the appraisal period, both of the employee’s supervisors during the appraisal period should submit an appraisal of the employee’s performance. During the performance evaluation process, the most recent job description on file with Human Resources will be reviewed and updated if necessary, by both the employee and the supervisor. The Chevrolet employees are reviewed for a salary increase, annually. The amount of the salary increase pool of funds is recommended by the administration and approved by the Board of Trustees. The method for allocating funds is based on rewarding meritorious performance. Merit increases will be awarded on a pay-for-performance basis and are based on individual performance. When used as intended, a pay-for-performance structure achieves the goal of rewarding truly top performers with merit increases that match their achievements and contributions. These bases of performances of the employees are one way of recognizing the job that they worked hard for the company. The company wanted to increase the level of good quality services for their employees for them to have the loyalty of their customers. This reward to their dealers and agents are persuading them to enhance the ability and performances in marketing their products. The goal of Chevrolet is to give satisfaction and needs to their customers and to their future buyers. The company’s Performance Appraisal can help the company to obtain the following objectives: To maintain records in order to determine compensation packages, wage structure, salaries raises, etc and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of employees to place right men on right job, to maintain and assess the potential present in a person for further growth and development, to provide a feedback to employees regarding their performance and related status, to provide a feedback to employees regarding their performance and related status. It also serves as a basis for influencing working habits of the employees and to review and retain the promotional and other training programmes. It is said that performance appraisal is an investment for the company which can be justified by following advantages: Performance Appraisal helps the supervisors to chalk out the promotion programmes for efficient employees. In this regards, inefficient workers can be dismissed or demoted in case. It can help in chalking out compensation packages for employees. Merit rating is possible through performance appraisal. Performance Appraisal tries to give worth to a performance. Compensation packages which include bonus, high salary rates, extra benefits, allowances and pre-requisites are dependent on performance appraisal. The criteria should be merit rather than seniority. The systematic procedure of performance appraisal helps the supervisors to frame training policies and programmes. It helps to analyse strengths and weaknesses of employees so that new jobs can be designed for efficient employees. It also helps in framing future development programmes. Performance Appraisal helps the supervisors to understand the validity and importance of the selection procedure. The supervisors come to know the validity and thereby the strengths and weaknesses of selection procedure. Future changes in selection methods can be made in this regard. For an organization, effective communication between employees and employers is very important. Through performance appraisal, communication can be sought for in the following ways: the employers can understand and accept skills of subordinates; the subordinates can also understand and create a trust and confidence in superiors. It also helps in maintaining cordial and congenial labor management relationship. It develops the spirit of work and boosts the morale of employees. All the above factors ensure effective communication. The Performance appraisal of the company serves as a motivation tool. Through evaluating performance of employees, a person’s efficiency can be determined if the targets are achieved. This very well motivates a person for better job and helps him to improve his performance in the future. Life Cycle Costing The Life cycle costing is a method of calculating the total cost of a physical asset throughout its life. Life-cycle costing is concerned with all costs of ownership and takes account of the costs incurred by an asset from its acquisition to its disposal, including design, installation, operating, and maintenance costs. There are four major benefits of Life Cycle Cost analysis and it is evaluation of competing options in purchasing, improved awareness of total costs, more accurate forecasting of cost profiles and performance trade-off against cost. When the Chevrolet is planning the acquisition of a major asset, organizations spend considerable time and effort in making an economic evaluation of the initial (capital) cost. This evaluation typically considers the required size or capacity of the item, operating performance requirements, physical appearance or image projected, the capital cost, and alternative product options. The company future costs are less visible, as they are often â€Å"hidden† within general operating expenses, but they can have a significant impact on the future viability of the organization. The scale of these costs depends on the level and frequency of usage of the asset. There are also broader environmental implications that flow from the decision to acquire a major asset. Resources are used during the creation, operation and disposal phases, with the potential to affect environmental sustainability, and there may also be direct environmental impacts. The study of these broader issues is often termed life-cycle assessment. This guide does not specifically address these broader issues but they should be part of a complete assessment of the merit of a specific project. The determination of costs is an integral part of the asset management process and is a common element of many of the asset manager’s tools, particularly Economic Appraisal, Financial Appraisal, Value Management, Risk Management and Demand Management. Growing pressure to achieve better outcomes from assets means that ongoing operating and maintenance costs must be considered as they consume more resources over the asset’s service life. Both the capital and the ongoing operating and maintenance costs must be considered wherever asset management decisions involving costs are made. This is the Life Cycle Cost approach. Quality Costing Improving quality is considered by many to be the best way to enhance customer satisfaction, to reduce manufacturing costs and to increase productivity. Any serious attempt to improve quality must take into account the costs associated with achieving quality, since nowadays it does not suffice to meet customer requirements, it must be done at the lowest possible cost as well. This can only happen by reducing the costs needed to achieve quality, and the reduction of these costs is only possible if they are identified and measured. The identification itself is not straightforward because there is no general agreement on a single broad definition of quality costs. However, according to Dale and Plunkett (1995), it is now widely accepted that quality costs are the costs incurred in the design, implementation, operation and maintenance of a quality management system, the cost of resources committed to continuous improvement, the costs of system, product and service failures, and all other necessary costs and non-value added activities required to achieve a quality product or service. Measuring and reporting these costs should be considered a critical issue for any manager who aims to achieve competitiveness in today’s markets. These are costs that can be only estimated such as profits not earned because of lost customers and reduction in revenue owing to non-conformance. The importance of opportunity and intangible costs for quality costing has been recently emphasized in the literature. The practice of costing quality is the combination of two important elements: the first is to analyse the cost of each part of a process and identify areas where savings may be made; the second is the right first time approach. Of course people don’t just need to do things right, they need to be sure they are doing the right things. The aim of a quality costing process is to maximize quality while minimizing cost. A sound quality costing programme will measure the cost of quality; aim to control and reduce it; and, continually monitor it as a measure of progress. The process of quality costing is, on the whole, one of negative analysis instead of strengths, it looks for weaknesses. This may be a painful exercise, be prepared for that. But remember that by identifying costs you can take steps to reduce them. Ignoring ineffectiveness and poor quality is rather like the ostrich approach to management if I don’t see it, it won’t hurt me. It is useful to bear in mind that the best business with which to compare quality costs is your own. If you introduce quality cost measurement activities twice a year you will soon have data to compare. The Chevrolet cost categories in the quality planning is one of the most important and had prioritized by the company for them to achieved customer satisfaction. The company offer products with good materials to maintain the quality but with affordable prices. The company’s prevention costs support activities whose purpose is to reduce the number of defects. Chevrolet employs many techniques to prevent defects, for example statistical process control, quality engineering, training, and a variety of tools from total quality management (TQM). Prevention costs include activities relating to quality circles and statistical process control. Quality circles consist of small groups of employees that meet on a regular basis to discuss ways to improve quality. Both management and workers are included in these circles. An out of control process results in defective units and may be caused by a miscalibrated machine or some other factor. In statistical process control, workers use charts to monitor the quality of units that pass through their workstations. With these charts, workers can quickly spot processes that are out of control and that are creating defects. Problems can be immediately corrected and further defects prevented rather than waiting for an inspector to catch the defect later. Any defective parts and products should be caught as early as possible in the production process in the company. Appraisal costs, which are sometimes called inspection costs, are incurred to identify defective products before the products are shipped to customers. Unfortunately performing appraisal activates doesnt keep defects from happening again and most managers realize now that maintaining an army of inspectors is a costly and ineffective approach to quality control. Employees are increasingly being asked to be responsible for their own quality control. This approach along with designing products to be easy to manufacture properly, allows quality to be built into products rather than relying on inspections to get the defects out. Failure costs are incurred when a product fails to conform to its design specifications. Failure costs can be either internal or external. Internal failure costs result from identification of defects before they are shipped to customers. These costs include scrap, rejected products, reworking of defective units, and downtime caused by quality problem. This also experienced by the company and the more effective the companys appraisal activities the greater the chance of catching defects internally and the greater the level of internal failure costs. This is the price that is paid to avoid incurring external failure costs, which can be devastating for the company. When a defective product is delivered to customer, external failure cost is the result. External failure costs include warranty, repairs and replacements, product recalls, liability arising from legal actions against a company, and lost sales arising from a reputation for poor quality. Such costs can decimate profits. External failure costs usually give rise to another intangible cost. These intangible costs are hidden costs that involve the companys image. They can be three or four times greater than tangible costs. Missing a deadline or other quality problems can be intangible costs of quality. Internal failure costs, external failure costs and intangible costs that impair the goodwill of the company occur due to a poor quality so these costs are also known as costs of poor quality by some persons.

An Analysis of Key Enterprise Data Concepts Essay -- essays research p

An Analysis of Key Enterprise Data Concepts Business intelligence has several different meanings depending upon the organization and its goal. I general, it involves the collection of data and using it to predict future trends. This information is used to make decisions regarding the direction of said organization. Many businesses offer solutions that propose to pull together data from a variety of sources into a single repository and then analyze the data to gleam whatever information is needed. Regardless of the overall solution recommended, there are 4 basic concepts that they all employ: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data warehouse †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data mart †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data mining †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3-tier architecture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A datawarehouse is a repository of transactional data that has been specifically structured for querying and reporting on the data contained within in it. The format of the data is not as important as is the fact that the data is to be stored for as long as needed. Datawarehouses exist to: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  make it easier, on a regular basis, to query and report data from multiple transaction processing systems †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  provide a repository of transaction processing system data that contains data from a longer span of time †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  prevent persons who only need to query and report transaction processing system da...

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

â€Å"Humankind has used mind- or mood- altering drugs at least since the beginning of recorded history and maybe before† (Substance). As time as well as technology progressed, so did the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The invention of the automobile increased the dangers of the abuse and use of these drugs. Each year in the United States and Canada, alcohol abuse is the cause of 100,000 deaths. Alcohol is also the drug that children ages 12 to 17 most commonly abuse. Teenagers become eligible to obtain their drivers license during these years, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of teenage deaths.People who abuse alcohol are more likely to abuse other drugs as well. â€Å"Drug abuse includes the use of illegal drugs—such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, or other â€Å"street drugs†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the abuse of legal prescription and nonprescription drugs†(Alcohol). When an individual is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, there min d is in an altered state. Because of this, operation of an automobile can be very dangerous to anyone around. The abuser is also more likely to be involved in a violent dispute or have medical complications when under the influence.Because of these issues, it is very important that there be laws against alcohol and drug abuse. It is also very important to have consequences for breaking those laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed a method of determining if the operator of a motor vehicle is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The test they developed is known as the Standardized field Sobriety Test. â€Å"The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a battery of three tests administered and evaluated in a standardized manner to obtain validated indicators of impairment and establish probable cause for arrest† (Standardized).The test includes the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus which consists of the individual looking side to side while the officer observes the jerks of the eye. There is also a walk and turn exercise and a stand on one leg exercise. When this test is conducted properly, it can determine within 91% accuracy if the individual is under the influence. As we all know, drug and alcohol abuse has become a big problem among all social classes. When alcohol and drug abuse occurs among celebrities, it is publicized on the cover of every gossip magazine and talk station.These individuals are not doing anything different than your average everyday American, but their lives are made public so that everyone can criticize and talk about them. An example of a celebrity who has had their personal life publicized is Lindsay Lohan. I watched a television show yesterday about her legal troubles. Lindsay Lohan, who has been in various movies and commercials since she was a toddler, has had a long battle with alcohol and drug abuse. In 2005, she was charged with misdemeanor DUI and released from jail the same day.She has attempted a variety of rehab facilities including six weeks at Promises Rehab. Lohan was stopped and charged again in July of 2005 for DUI. This time she was arrested and searched. Law enforcement found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession; therefore she was also booked for narcotics charges and also driving with a suspended license. She was released from jail after posting a 25,000 bail. After this arrest, she attempted yet another rehab facility. When she returned for court, she pled guilty to 2 DUI charges. As a part of a plea deal, she was released from the other charges.She was sentenced to 1 day in jail, 10 days of community service, and 36 months probation. She was also ordered to complete a drug facility center. In November, she reported to serve her day in jail and was released after 84 minutes due to overcrowding. Lohans bail was revoked in 2010 because she failed to show for a probation hearing. A warrant was also issued for her arrest, but then revoked when she posed her bo nd. Two days later, she returned to court and it was determined that she violated her bond by missing several alcohol education classes.She was sentenced to 90 days in jail of which she served 14 days, and 90 days of lockdown rehab of which she served about three weeks. (The E! Hollywood Story). Although it was portrayed as if Lohan was given a reduced sentence time because she is a celebrity, but in my opinion, she was not. When everything someone does is publicized, as it is with celebrities, it is easy for us to say they were given a reduced sentence, but in actuality, many people convicted of crimes are given reduced sentences or none at all.I do believe that if you have more money to pay fines, then you are more likely to not serve time, but you do not have to be a celebrity to pay your way out of trouble. Many people charged with DUI never do any time because they are able to pay fines or hire a lawyer to prove them innocent when they are not. I have a friend who was pulled fo r suspected DUI. She was given a field sobriety test of which she failed. She was then given a breathalyzer and it was determined to be three times the legal limit. She was arrested for DUI, and then released the next day.She was able to hire a lawyer to review all the paperwork and videos the officer had turned in. It was clear she was guilty, but the officer did not do everything just right, so her case was dismissed. This shows that our justice system is flawed. When there are no consequences for your actions, you continue to do those things that could harm others. I believe that sentencing for substance abuse should be a federal law. There are too many innocent individuals who are killed because someone is a substance abuser. I also believe that community service should not be a part of sentencing and programs such as PTI should not be available.I believe that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol puts others at an increased risk of bodily harm and should be a crime th at carries a jail time sentence. If believe that if you choose to drink and drive, then you choose to do the time!REFERENCES Alcohol and Drug Problems. Jan Nisel. October 27, 2010http://www. peacehealth. org/KBASE/topic/symptom/alcpb/overview. htm Substance Abuse Counseling: Theory and Practice by Patricia Stevens and Robert L. Smith Page 4 Standardized Field Sobriety Testing http://www. nhtsa. gov/people/injury/alcohol/SFST/appendix_a. htm The E! Hollywood Story: aired October 2010 Drug and Alcohol Abuse â€Å"Humankind has used mind- or mood- altering drugs at least since the beginning of recorded history and maybe before† (Substance). As time as well as technology progressed, so did the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The invention of the automobile increased the dangers of the abuse and use of these drugs. Each year in the United States and Canada, alcohol abuse is the cause of 100,000 deaths. Alcohol is also the drug that children ages 12 to 17 most commonly abuse. Teenagers become eligible to obtain their drivers license during these years, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of teenage deaths.People who abuse alcohol are more likely to abuse other drugs as well. â€Å"Drug abuse includes the use of illegal drugs—such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, or other â€Å"street drugs†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the abuse of legal prescription and nonprescription drugs†(Alcohol). When an individual is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, there min d is in an altered state. Because of this, operation of an automobile can be very dangerous to anyone around. The abuser is also more likely to be involved in a violent dispute or have medical complications when under the influence.Because of these issues, it is very important that there be laws against alcohol and drug abuse. It is also very important to have consequences for breaking those laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed a method of determining if the operator of a motor vehicle is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The test they developed is known as the Standardized field Sobriety Test. â€Å"The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a battery of three tests administered and evaluated in a standardized manner to obtain validated indicators of impairment and establish probable cause for arrest† (Standardized).The test includes the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus which consists of the individual looking side to side while the officer observes the jerks of the eye. There is also a walk and turn exercise and a stand on one leg exercise. When this test is conducted properly, it can determine within 91% accuracy if the individual is under the influence. As we all know, drug and alcohol abuse has become a big problem among all social classes. When alcohol and drug abuse occurs among celebrities, it is publicized on the cover of every gossip magazine and talk station.These individuals are not doing anything different than your average everyday American, but their lives are made public so that everyone can criticize and talk about them. An example of a celebrity who has had their personal life publicized is Lindsay Lohan. I watched a television show yesterday about her legal troubles. Lindsay Lohan, who has been in various movies and commercials since she was a toddler, has had a long battle with alcohol and drug abuse. In 2005, she was charged with misdemeanor DUI and released from jail the same day.She has attempted a variety of rehab facilities including six weeks at Promises Rehab. Lohan was stopped and charged again in July of 2005 for DUI. This time she was arrested and searched. Law enforcement found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession; therefore she was also booked for narcotics charges and also driving with a suspended license. She was released from jail after posting a 25,000 bail. After this arrest, she attempted yet another rehab facility. When she returned for court, she pled guilty to 2 DUI charges. As a part of a plea deal, she was released from the other charges.She was sentenced to 1 day in jail, 10 days of community service, and 36 months probation. She was also ordered to complete a drug facility center. In November, she reported to serve her day in jail and was released after 84 minutes due to overcrowding. Lohans bail was revoked in 2010 because she failed to show for a probation hearing. A warrant was also issued for her arrest, but then revoked when she posed her bo nd. Two days later, she returned to court and it was determined that she violated her bond by missing several alcohol education classes.She was sentenced to 90 days in jail of which she served 14 days, and 90 days of lockdown rehab of which she served about three weeks. (The E! Hollywood Story). Although it was portrayed as if Lohan was given a reduced sentence time because she is a celebrity, but in my opinion, she was not. When everything someone does is publicized, as it is with celebrities, it is easy for us to say they were given a reduced sentence, but in actuality, many people convicted of crimes are given reduced sentences or none at all.I do believe that if you have more money to pay fines, then you are more likely to not serve time, but you do not have to be a celebrity to pay your way out of trouble. Many people charged with DUI never do any time because they are able to pay fines or hire a lawyer to prove them innocent when they are not. I have a friend who was pulled fo r suspected DUI. She was given a field sobriety test of which she failed. She was then given a breathalyzer and it was determined to be three times the legal limit. She was arrested for DUI, and then released the next day.She was able to hire a lawyer to review all the paperwork and videos the officer had turned in. It was clear she was guilty, but the officer did not do everything just right, so her case was dismissed. This shows that our justice system is flawed. When there are no consequences for your actions, you continue to do those things that could harm others. I believe that sentencing for substance abuse should be a federal law. There are too many innocent individuals who are killed because someone is a substance abuser. I also believe that community service should not be a part of sentencing and programs such as PTI should not be available.I believe that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol puts others at an increased risk of bodily harm and should be a crime th at carries a jail time sentence. If believe that if you choose to drink and drive, then you choose to do the time!REFERENCES Alcohol and Drug Problems. Jan Nisel. October 27, 2010http://www. peacehealth. org/KBASE/topic/symptom/alcpb/overview. htm Substance Abuse Counseling: Theory and Practice by Patricia Stevens and Robert L. Smith Page 4 Standardized Field Sobriety Testing http://www. nhtsa. gov/people/injury/alcohol/SFST/appendix_a. htm The E! Hollywood Story: aired October 2010

Effective Communication in Team Dynamics Essay - 1096 Words

Throughout personal and business lives everyone will eventually work in a team setting. A team usually consists of three or more people who have a common goal or purpose. When working in a team, members have to decide what roles they will fill, plan their schedules for projects, and deal with upcoming team conflicts. Stewart, Sims Manz (1999) stated, â€Å"For a team to succeed, team members need to effectively communicate with one another† (p. 79). While each element of teamwork is important, effective communication is the cornerstone to team dynamics. One of the main elements of effective communication is open discussions. Everyone on the team needs to be willing to share his or her point of view. De Janasz, Dowd Schneider (2002)†¦show more content†¦Once the team has achieved open communication the team members will be more willing to encourage each other, which will lead to more creativity and risk taking. This creativity will be achieved by trusting that the communication will be heard, discussed and tried if it will help the team reach its goals. Temme and Katzel (1995) wrote that â€Å"risk taking plays a major role in the creative process.† Trust and open communication will lead to brainstorming and sharing of ideas between the team members. Therefore, team members must try new things to see if the ideas presented will benefit the ultimate outcome and help achieve the final goal. Eventually every team will have a conflict. Since conflict is inevitable, effective communication is vital for the team success. The team needs to figure out what the conflict is, what needs to be done to get the team going again, what the options are and how they will solve the conflict in a way that is beneficial to the team (University of Phoenix, 2004). Without effective communication, this process of conflict resolution would fail. 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