The responsibilites of the assessor Essay Example for Free

The responsibilites of the assessor Essay The assessor is responsible for the implantation of the awarding body’s standards into the working process of the student. The assessor should have a strong understanding of the course content and the methods needed to deliver this content to their students while ensuring that they adhere the assessment criteria, course programme or job specification. At all times, the assessor must conduct themselves in a fair and professional manner and maintain an understanding of the assessment criteria of the students. Assessment takes place in a variety of scenarios; this enables the students to display knowledge, understanding and competency in a variety of areas to show a broad scope of evidence gathering. It is the responsibility of the assessor to plan assessments according to the best method of evidence gathering for the unit. Supporting and encouragement throughout the assessment, the assessor needs to use their judgement to judge the competency of the students’ work and ascertain whether or not they are ready for assessment. The assessor must keep accurate and up to date records to ensure there is a track record of students progress and achievement. It will include and not limited to assessment plans, feedback records, review of progress and overall tracking sheets. The records are also maintained to satisfy organisational and regulatory requirements such as Health Safety if assessing in the workplace they there will be a need to ensure the students have the right training for the job. The assessment practice and process is continuously scrutinised in the form of meetings, these meetings allow the assessor to voice any concerns, discuss assessment practice and to improve the assessment process as a whole. The assessor must ensure that they further their own development through CPD. This will ens ure that the assessor is keeping up to date with not only the assessment criteria of the subject but that they are maintaining their knowledge of the ever changing occupational standards within the workplace. In summary the responsibilities of the Assessor involves planning, managing and delivering assessment, maintaining the integrity of the qualification, and always keeping a learner-centred approach to the assessment. The occupational standards of the assessor demand integrity and maintenance of a level of quality that can be internally verified (IV) and externally verified (EV) moderated to show the same result. The responsibility of the  assessor to the students is to be organised, efficient, clear, and to provide a professional example to which they can aspire to. If assessing within the workplace employers are demanding high quality assessment feedback as this is the cornerstone of the students and, therefore, the organisations progress.

Mrs Mallard Character Analysis

Mrs Mallard Character Analysis Louise Mallard is the protagonist of The Story of an Hour. The entire story is about her preservation. Chopin portrays Mrs. Mallard as a woman who is in deep suffering. She is not only suffering from a marriage she is not happy with, but she is also suffering from her medical condition. As if she had not suffered enough, she also puts a threat to her own life. We see this when Josephine is knocking on her door while she refuses to open it (Chopin). What is unknown to Josephine however is that her sister is in fact not suffering but savoring the moment. Josephine, who is her sister, is concerned that she may be harming herself and is persistent in her quest to be admitted to the room. The entire story is centered on saving Mrs. Mallard right from the time the breaking of the sad news of her husbands demise had to be done in a way that would not be fatal to her up to the time when her husband returns home and Richard tries to shield her from seeing her husband from the fear that she will suffer an attack due to the huge surprise (Berkove 153). Suffering in Marriage Mrs. Mallard is a woman that is suffering in marriage. We realize that she was not very optimistic about her married life. The night prior to the death of her husband, she had quietly prayed for her life to be short. She had reached a point of disillusionment and would gladly welcome death as an option out of the marriage. When she learns that her husband had perished in the train accident, she first reacts by weeping due to her loss but after the moment of grief ebbs away, she suddenly realizes that she has been freed from her marriage. She makes a prayer that is opposite to what she had made only a few hours prior to this. She now prays for long life long (Chopin). Chopin reveals how Mrs. Mallard was not enjoying her marriage to the point that she was ready to die as a way of getting out of the marriage. This in effect reveals that Mrs. Mallard respected the institution of marriage a lot (Xuemei 168). She dint think that divorce was an option. The only possible way out of the marriage would be through her death. That is why she prays that her life be short. Chopin reveals a view of marriage through the perception of Mrs. Mallard. She thought that marriage was a place where two people thought that they have all the right to impose their rights on the other person. To her, this was a big misconception and as the story reveals, it was probably the main reason for her suffering in marriage. She most definitely did not like the way her husband treated her. Marriage was like a bondage to her and when she receives the news that her husband was dead, she is happy that she is at last free. Mrs. Mallard can be said to represent many marriages in society where many people are not enjoying the marriage but for varied reasons, they dont want to get out of the marriage (Xuemei 168). Louise Mallard is the character in the story that is subject to masculine discourse (Berkove 154). From the very onset of the story, she is introduced as Mrs. Mallard and Chopin simply uses she when referring to her for the rest of the story. In fact, the next time that Chopin uses a name to reference Mrs. Mallard is after she proclaims that she is now free! Body and soul free! This shows the change that happened in the perception o life in Mrs. Mallards mind. She now stretches her hands to welcome the new life of freedom as we see her saying that from now on, she will have no one to live for but herself. As Xuemei (168) observes, the freedom is short lived as we realize when Mr. Mallard comes back. The language used in the story makes it clear by reestablishing the fact that she was a wife. The realization that her freedom was in fact a mirage is too much for her that it proved to be fatal. This further reveals the disillusionment she had as far as her marriage was concerned. The previous day, she had been sad and praying that her life ends soon but when she was told of her husbands death, her mood changed immediately as she suddenly realized that she had a new lease of life. While she is still thinking about her apparent freedom, her husbands returns home something that makes her spirit sink again for reality hits her hard that she is still trapped in her marriage. A Frail Woman Mrs. Mallard is portrayed a frail woman. We see this right form the onset of the story when her medical condition is introduced. However, her frailty is not just of body but also of soul and this is what prompts Richard to try to the best of his ability to protect her. The author uses says that Mrs. Mallard sobs as a child who has cried itself to sleep. The phrase reveals that Mrs. Mallard was a woman of a weak will. She is also described as having very frail hands. It is her frailty that probably led to her eventual death. Mrs. Mallards relationship with her husband serves to explain the kind of shaky relationship that the women of the society had with their husbands. She is quick to reveal that in fact, her husband was a loving man who always looked upon her with love yet quite on the contrary, she seldom felt love for him. Her husband is portrayed as man that imposed on her and she is portrayed as a woman that had little choice but to obey her husbands will. The irony that plays out is that although Brently loved her wife, he gives little or no concern to her happiness Xuemei 167). A Failed Marriage Children are conspicuously absent in the narration which confirms two things: the marriage between Louise and Brently was unfruitful and it also confirms of just how free she would be after the death of her husband. Mrs. Mallard reveals the state of the wives of the 19th century America who had no freedom unless they husbands died first. The absence of children in the marriage is the legacy that she leaves when she dies. In a society that wives were there to attend to their husbands, it is now clear that Brently will have no one to care for him after her death (Xuemei 168). The main reason for the troublesome marriage is not given but the absence of children can be a huge clue. It could be possible that the husband who loved her wife was not at all pleased with the fact that they had not gotten any children. Traditionally, the husbands blame the women for the lack of children even if there was no biological evidence that they were the barren ones. The absence of children presents an interesting dynamic in the story following the death of Mrs. Mallards husband. She was now free to carry on with life as a free woman again. She had no husband to live for and she had no children too. That offered her many new options in life. May be she could now look for a another husband, this time one she loved, or may be she had had enough of marriage and she would leave alone for the rest of her life. A Modest Widow When her Husband supposedly died, Mrs. Mallard has a totally new perception to life. Although the trees outside her window had always been there, for the first time, she realizes just how beautiful the landscape is. She looks at the clouds and they seem to reflect her story so well for she sees patches of the blue sky showing itself here and there after the storm of grief had spent itself. Mrs. Mallard does not receive the news of her husbands death with the characteristic grief that any widow would have (Berkove 158). On the contrary, she cries only for a while and then seats back in the privacy of her room to savor the moment. When she mourns, she is not mourning due to the grief of loosing her husband but due to the overwhelming realization that she has abandoned by her husband. This portrays a selfish nature in her since even when her husband is dead; all she was thinking was how he had abandoned her (Xuemei 169). Mrs. Mallard tries her best to be a modest widow. When she receives the news of the demise of her husband, she responds by weeping profusely in her sisters arms. At the back of her mind however, she is in realization that there was another feeling that was anything but sorrow or grief. She realizes that she was happy that he had died since it guaranteed her victory. However, she pretends that she extremely sorrowful following the demise of her husband. She does not allow the other part to be revealed in the glare of the other people so she chooses to retreat to her bedroom. She is preparing to fulfill her social responsibility as a widow to mourn again when she sees her husbands remains. Mrs. Mallard is however to overjoyed to continue keeping her joy a secret. When she finally usherss her sister in the room, she gets hold of her waist and she walks with the characteristic joy and freedom of a goddess and as the author points out, There was a feverish triumph in her eyes. Even though Mrs. Mallard was well aware that she was required to at least show grief, the unexpected yet very welcome freedom that she gets following the death of her husband overwhelms her with joy to the extent that she can not hide it any more. The narrator shows the irony of life in that Mrs. Mallard was happy that she had eventually found her freedom in the death of her husband but her husband actually returns home safe and sound which terminates her quite celebration. Ironically, the one who was thought to die is back alive while, Mrs. Mallard who believed that she will live long enjoying her new found freedom dies. Mrs. Mallard as a Metaphor When the doctors examine her, they all concur that she had died as result of the joy that kills. It was not normal for a widow to rejoice over her husbands departure. It was expected that his resurrection would make her happy; happy to the point of getting a heart attack. Mrs. Mallard is used to reveal the role of a widow in the society who was expected to grieve after the death of her husband. The entire story is founded on how Mrs. Mallard suffered. She suffered due to a troubled marriage which gave her no joy and she suffered due to the sickness that she had. The kind of suffering that she goes through is used by the author to depict what the woman of that society had to endure in marriages. The narrator reveals her passion on the plight of women in the society when Mrs. Mallard realizes that she is nothing but happy in the marriage. The character of Mrs. Mallard is used to illustrate that men oppressed women in marriage.

Impact Of Climate Change And Possible Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay

Impact Of Climate Change And Possible Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay Moscow in Russia has just witnessed its hottest day in its history this January. Climate change is evident given a series of recent environmental disruptor events all over the world. Researchers across the world have begun to raise their concerns over much occurring climatic changes. Several instances of climate change have been recorded worldwide and have been mentioned in our study. We look at different causes of climate change and present a detailed study of climate change, issues connected with it, impact of climate change and possible solutions. Climate change effects energy, water, environment and ecosystem on the whole. Solutions to climate change include collective effort and individual effort in using renewable forms of energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy instead of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. INTRODUCTION Life is a definite flow of events. Mistimed events are not welcome in human lives. Mistimed events occurring in a very high frequency are immensely dangerous. Climate is the regular behavior of temperature, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure and other related environmental factors. Climate change is a stark reality. A study in [1] states that ice loss in arctic region between 1979 and 2003 is larger than the area of the states Texas, California and Maryland combined. For long, climate change was a prediction but a series of natural disasters like Tsunami, floods and wildfires point directly to climate change. Let us examine some damage caused by climate change. Climate change has been associated with historical collapses of heritage sites like Harappa, Ancient Egypt and Maya civilization. Sourcewatch reports that Bombay, an Indian city, received 37 inches rain due to global warming [8]. Global warming was attributed as the reason for the hurricane Katrina in 2005. Recent inconclusive reports have surfaced that global warming might be the culprit behind Leh cloudburst this August [9]. It is a well-known fact that the lack of mangrove forests in the coastline in south-Asia has increased the effect of Tsunami in December 2004. Sourcewatch also reports deaths caused by heat wave in Arizona in 2005, two-foot snowfall in Los Angeles in November 2004, 124 mph winds in Scandinavia leading to electricity loss and disruption, drought in Midwest in August 2005 and attributes global warming as the reason for these incidents. Significant awareness drive has begun following such events with political commentators and activists at the helm. A report by In tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change headed by RK Pachauri predicted a 7-23 inch increase in sea levels in 2010 due to climate change [10]. Another report at University of Washington by Climate Impacts Group reports 1.5Â ° F increase in temperature in Pacific Northwest in 20th century. CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE Nature has, in its own way, contributed to the cause of climate change by regular adaptations. A natural disaster like volcano releases toxic gases such as sulphur-dioxide apart from water vapor, dust and ash. The released sulphur-dioxide gets accumulated in the topmost layer of atmosphere. The released substances also obstruct sunlight from entering earths surface leading to earth cooling. The formed water combines with the toxic gas to result in sulphuric acid that hangs around the topmost layer of atmosphere. These have the capability to block sunlight and disrupt regular processes leading to eco-imbalance. Part of the climate change is attributed to continental drift as it changes the physical features of the land area, their location and location of water, eventually tidal currents. If nature changes the climate unintentionally, humans have multiplied the climate change effect by several notches. Industrial revolution, over-usage of resources, inefficient resource handling can be attributed to human -influential causes of climate change. This also includes greenhouse emission gases and burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, natural gas. Excessive emission from industries has polluted the atmosphere to great levels. It is not surprising to note that developed countries contribute the maximum to atmospheric pollution through carbon emissions. Ten of the top countries in the world contribute 67% of carbon emissions [3]. However, it is the poor of the world who bear the maximum brunt due to this. A report by mongabay reveals that more than one million square kilometers of forest land was lost between 2000 and 2005 [2]. It is a well-known fact that trees absorb carbon-dioxide emitted by vehicles and industries. Hence, we should introspect the findings of the report to estimate the amount of unabsorbed carbon-dioxide and other toxic gases. IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE Let us consider the case of highly developed and industrialized country, the United States to estimate the impact of climate change in near future. Water Availability Water cycle is affected to the extent of influencing the availability of water as a resource. As a result, floods and droughts become more frequent. Varying climate is bound to change surface water quality and groundwater quality. All this can be contributed to increasing water temperatures, decrease in ice per area, fluctuations in precipitation occurrence, transformations in soil moisture and high concentration of water vapor in atmosphere. Energy Energy availability and energy production is inextricable from available water resources. Increasing water temperatures and inadequate water resources restrict energy production. As the population shifts to southwest, increased use of air conditioning systems drain energy resources contributing to climate change. 87% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States origin from energy production. Transportation Increased irregular floods will impact the transportation sector given the disruption caused to infrastructure. Evacuation and rehabilitation of people, infrastructure damage are the evident results of disruption by floods. Agriculture Agriculture in the United States contributes 8.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Gases like carbon-dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide directly affect agriculture. Recent wildfires in Russia resulted in crop loss given a high increase in atmospheric temperature. Many have pointed this to observable global warming [4]. Another report reveals that South Africa is bound to lose 30% of its maize crop by 2030 [5]. Environment It cannot be ignored that many living species depend on climate for their survival. We are witnessing reports predicting extinction of polar bears if current ice melting continues in the Arctic region and extinction of variety of other species due to changing temperatures and climate as a whole. Heavy investment in drylands reveals the importance to turn these lands into fertile lands [6]. The effect of Tsunami that occurred in south-Asia in 2005 increased multifold due to deforestation of mangrove forests along the coastline. Mangrove trees have the capability to absorb tsunami waves but were uprooted to promote aquaculture. Health Figure 1- Projected heat-related deaths in Chicago [7] Increasing temperatures already cause many heat-related deaths in India. Each summer in India many die due to high temperatures and each year are getting hotter with time. Irregular temperature changes lead to health imbalance, across any age group. Infections caused due to air pollutants are bound to leave their mark on humans. SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE Every individual living on this planet is responsible for global warming in one way or another and must amend ways to stop this phenomenon in his/her own way. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a common framework in which Kyoto protocol is proposed to fight global warming. 187 countries signed the protocol till November 2009. Kyoto protocol was introduced in 1997 but was enforced from February 2005. The main objective of the protocol is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% by 2012 from 1990 levels. Another solution for climate aims to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2020. Solutions include Energy efficiency Efficient usage of energy includes proficient car usage, energy reduction power sources, innovated industrial strategies and developing technological solutions. Low noise refrigerators, energy efficient washing machines save significant amount of energy. Hand drying of clothes after machine washing saves considerable energy. Reducing temperatures of air conditioning system also saves huge amounts of energy over the year. Solar energy Renewable forms of energy sources must be worked up on instead of using non-renewable energy sources such as oil, gas, nuclear energy and coal. Coal is no longer being generated to be used extensively. The fate of oil is similar to that of coal. According to the latest status report of renewable energy, out of total energy consumed only 19% is renewable, a meager 2.8% is nuclear energy and the rest if fossil fuels [11]. Of the renewable energy sources, biomass forms 13%, hydropower forms 3.2%, solar energy forms about 1.4% and the rest sources are wind energy, geothermal and hydropower. Electricity can be generated from sunlight which can be substituted for non-renewable forms of energy. Photovoltaic cells can be used to convert light to electricity and can be used to charge devices such as calculators or power entire house. Solar thermal power plants are another source of energy where electricity is generated by highly pressurized steam from sunlight using power turbines. Wind energy Using wind energy reduces carbon emissions drastically, given our major objective is to reduce carbon emissions, and maintains eco-balance. Construction of infrastructure required for generating wind energy is not tedious as generally believed. Greenpeace states the prediction of wind energy usage at 12% of worlds energy by 2020 [12]. Individual contribution Reducing water usage in daily activities saves good amount of energy. Using public transportation such as trains and buses preserves energy. [11] suggest rural renewable energy strategies like using hydropower or biogas for lighting and energy purposes instead of candles or kerosene. Similarly, hydropower or biogas can be used for communications instead of batteries. Solar cookers can be developed and used instead of burning wood for cooking to achieve over 25% efficiency. Solar PV pumps or mechanical wind pumps can be used to pump water instead of diesel pumps and generators. Another recommendable solution is saving energy on computers by turning on the save screen mode which reduces power consumption and emissions. It might sound trivial but small amounts of saved energy add up to huge amounts at the end of the year. CONCLUSION A greater resolve is needed on behalf of all world countries to stand by the promises made to reduce carbon emissions to achieve our objectives by the target, 2020. Countries must work towards the common goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and must also abide by frameworks such as Kyoto protocol aimed at reducing global warming. Also, reducing global warming and addressing climate change is the responsibility of not only governments but also its citizens, of each and every individuals. We should collectively work to save energy by reducing unnecessary water usage, saving electricity, using public transport, recycling plastic, bottles, paper and waste.

How to Write an Essay :: Writing an Essay

Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style. -- Kurt Vonnegut Learning how to write an essay can be a maddening, exasperating process, but it doesn't have to be. If you know the steps and understand what to do, writing can be easy and even fun. Below are brief summaries of each of the ten steps to writing an essay. 1. Research: Begin the essay writing process by researching your topic, making yourself an expert. Utilize the internet, the academic databases, and the library. Take notes and immerse yourself in the words of great thinkers. 2. Analysis: Now that you have a good knowledge base, start analyzing the arguments of the essays you're reading. Clearly define the claims, write out the reasons, the evidence. Look for weaknesses of logic, and also strengths. Learning how to write an essay begins by learning how to analyze essays written by others. 3. Brainstorming: Your essay will require insight of your own, genuine essay-writing brilliance. Ask yourself a dozen questions and answer them. Meditate with a pen in your hand. Take walks and think and think until you come up with original insights to write about. 4. Thesis: Pick your best idea and pin it down in a clear assertion that you can write your entire essay around. Your thesis is your main point, summed up in a concise sentence that lets the reader know where you're going, and why. It's practically impossible to write a good essay without a clear thesis. 5. Outline: Sketch out your essay before straightway writing it out. Use one-line sentences to describe paragraphs, and bullet points to describe what each paragraph will contain. Play with the essay's order. Map out the structure of your argument, and make sure each paragraph is unified. 6. Introduction: Now sit down and write the essay. The introduction should grab the reader's attention, set up the issue, and lead in to your thesis. Your intro is merely a buildup of the issue, a stage of bringing your reader into the essay's argument. (Note: The title and first paragraph are probably the most important elements in your essay. This is an essay-writing point that doesn't always sink in within the context of the classroom. In the first paragraph you either hook the reader's interest or lose it.

Truth Disguised By Words :: essays research papers

Truth Disguised by Words Throughout history people have used disguises to deceive others to hide their true identity. Hiding ones true identity is a predominant theme throughout King Lear for characters dress up to deceive their friends and family. Another use of disguise in this play is using words to hide ones true emotions and personality. Words have a strong importance to the characters in this play which leads to easy manipulation. Three characters use words that do not reflect their true feelings to deceive and manipulate their friends and family to do things that they would otherwise not do if their true intentions were know. These three characters are Goneril and Regan, the two eldest daughters of King Lear, and Edmund, the illegitimate son of Gloucester. They lie, deceive, fabricate evidence, overpower and betray their father and the other people closest in their lives, including each other. All three of these characters have used their mastery of the English language to portray an intention differe nt from their true feelings and emotions and succeed in fooling the other characters in the play to obey them. Throughout King Lear cruelty and selfishness is an ongoing theme and sentiment which is mainly generated from Lear's two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. Though these two sisters are virtually one character during most of the play they do even turn on each other when need takes over their heart. Goneril and Regan begin the play by professing their deep undying love for their father. These speeches were necessary if they wish to aquire their deserved piece of land and power from their father. In these two speeches Goneril and Regan use such phrases as "A love that makes breath poor and speech unable"(I, i, 60) and "And find I am alone felicitate / In your dear highness' love." (I, i, 75-6) while the daughter with the truest love towards her father refuses to speak for she "cannot heave / My heart into my mouth."(I, i, 91-2). The love Cordelia could not express in words her sisters were able to so insincerely, for if their love was true love it wo uld not be able to be expressed in just words because emotion would take over any meaning words had. This is the first time we see them speak in the play and their first words are insincere which is definitely a sign of the lack of respect they give to the meaning of words throughout the continuation of the play.

Enron Scandal

Ethics are values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. If all people lived by this code the world would be a much better place. Having business ethics in the workplaces is very significant to having a truly successful business. Many companies have been forced to suffer losses or even forced to enter bankruptcy. Enron is one of the biggest examples of when making business ethical decisions go wrong.An American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas Enron was a big deal. Employing approximately 20,000 staff and was being one of the world’s leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies. Enron was a company on top on of the reason the fall was so drastic. Since Enron was the largest corporation contributor to the first presidential Bush campaign some people believed it to be a political conspiracy. The people in charge of Enron you can say lost their way, they became more worried about the money instead of the wellbeing of their company and employees.If Enron had stayed in the gray areas or at least the moral minimum then thing might have turned out different for them. Staying in these areas they would have made sure that all there business dealing was in compliance with the law. However just because a business deal is in compliance with the law does not mean it is ethical. Enron is the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history and also the biggest audit failure of that time. With the using of accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting, Enron was able to hide billions in debt from failed deals and projects.Many executives at Enron were indicted for a variety of charges and were later sentenced to prison. Employees and shareholders received limited returns in lawsuits, despite losing billions in pensions and stock prices. As a cons equence of the scandal, new regulations and legislation were enacted to expand the accuracy of financial reporting for public companies. Enron first started sliding down the unethical path when the market to market accounting style was introduced. Market to market accounting allowed Enron to book potential future profit on the day a deal was signed.This is a problem because even if the company did not receive any money that day Enron could make it look anyway they wanted. Due to the large discrepancies of attempting to match profits and cash, investors were typically given false or misleading reports. While using the method, income from projects could be recorded, although they might not have ever received the money, and in turn increasing financial earnings on the books. Enron also had something in place called PRC the performance review committee.It let employees review each other and people that did not meet the requirement you were let go and the better employees were rewarded. Employees constantly looked to start high-volume deals, often disregarding the quality of cash flow or profits, in order to get a higher rating for their performance review. Enron paid out multimillion dollars bonuses to top executive based on imaginary profit. Enron had to find real money to fund them so they merged with Portland General Electric Company. Enron became the largest marketer of natural gas and electricity.Enron and Blockbuster signed a 20 year agreement to introduce video on-demand. After several attempts to get the concept together Enron realized it was not going to work. Enron estimated profits of more than $110 million from the deal, even though analysts questioned the technical viability and market demand of the service. When the network failed to work, Blockbuster pulled out of the contract. Enron continued to recognize future profits, even though the deal resulted in a loss. Enron debt was beginning to catch up with them and raise questions so they found differe nt ways to hide it.One ways was hiding the debt in a lot of dummy corporations. Their purpose was to purpose to raise the company’s stock to make it look like profit was coming in. At this point Enron had thrown business ethics out of the window. Making people invest their money in a company stock that had false value. Enron started using the electricity needs to their advantages having forced black out for the cost of electricity to raise and to make a profit. They did not care what the lack of electricity was doing to the people. When Enron went bankrupt the people lost everything there whole savings where gone and they were now without a job.If people had stop to ask there self is this decision ethical or how it well affect others the Enron scandal could have been avoided. The executive put money over the wellbeing of the company as a whole and the employees. When making the important decisions about your business you should always look at the business, personal and legal side of the deal. Every deal has its outcome it is your job to predict the outcome and deal with the consequences of your actions. Hanshermannhesse3. â€Å"Enron – The Smartest Guys in the Room. † YouTube. YouTube, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. .

Knowledge and Power

Knowledge is power – or is it?   The assertion that knowledge is power has been variously attributed to Sir Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein, as well as many other notable and obscure figures.   But perhaps Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, and Richard Wright all know otherwise, as demonstrated in their respective stories:   â€Å"The Worn Path,† â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find,† and â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost A Man.† These stories each show that knowledge is not an absolute bestower of power; that power does not logically and necessarily follow once one possesses knowledge.   Neither are the terms knowledge and power mutually exclusive, but, as can be seen in the following analysis of the short stories mentioned above, the power resulting from knowledge only comes if the person possessing the knowledge knows how to use it, and if the person then also feels powerful.   The power gained from knowledge is not an absolute power, but is, to a certain extent, subjective. Let us first look at Phoenix Jackson, the central character in Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path† and perhaps the most powerful character in any of the three stories.     Phoenix has gained knowledge, and therefore power, from years of quietly studying human behavior, from paying close attention to her surroundings, and from her own self-awareness of how she affects others in the world.   Phoenix Jackson might appear at first glance to be lacking any power: she is an elderly, frail-looking woman whose eyesight is failing. Phoenix is also a very poor woman with few valuable possessions; poor people in her position are virtually always seen as lacking power.   However, upon closer observation the reader can see that Phoenix is a very powerful woman indeed.   Phoenix uses her knowledge of her physical surroundings to enable her to move about in a rather dangerous world, full of obstacles both animate and inanimate.   On her journey into town Phoenix encounters many potential dangers, but because she is knowledgeable about their existence, she avoids harm.   This capacity to keep herself safe is one trait which makes her a powerful woman. Phoenix even appears to use visualization to help her get across the creek; her ability to visualize the log and her safe passage is another form of knowledge which makes her powerful.   Phoenix has â€Å"body knowledge† – she has developed the capacity to remember where her body should go, even as her eyesight fails her.   The reason this body knowledge makes Phoenix powerful is that she is conscious of the knowledge and of how to use it; for example, when Phoenix reaches the city and â€Å"depended on her feet to know where to take her.† (Welty, p. 5).   Later in the story we see Phoenix walking up the steps of her destination, â€Å"until her feet knew to stop.† (Welty, p. 6) Phoenix Jackson has also gained power during her long life with her knowledge about human behavior.   Phoenix knows how to use both her own self as well as others’ reactions for her own purposes.   Phoenix is seen manipulating the white hunter so that she can put his fallen money into her own pocket.   Phoenix knows, after only a very brief encounter, that the hunter’s ego can be easily manipulated for her own purposes.   The hunter wishes to appear strong and in control, which Phoenix knows as she reminds the hunter that she needs to be â€Å"rescued† from the cur which ahs knocked her over.   Phoenix is able to pocket the money while the hunter is occupied with ridding her of the dog. One cannot manipulate others without possessing some sort of power, and powerful Phoenix is seen manipulating others at least twice more as the story proceeds.  Ã‚   Phoenix knows, almost instinctively it seems, who she can stop on the street to ask for assistance with her shoes.   But this small gesture is full of knowledge; Phoenix could have stopped any number of people on the busy street, but consciously chose to stop a certain woman.   Perhaps Phoenix knew that this particular woman would be more inclined to help her, as she appears to be a â€Å"nice lady† (Welty, p. 6) full of Christmas spirit, heavy as her arms are with presents. Phoenix again uses her knowledge about human behavior in order to manipulate the attendant at the clinic, who feels compelled to give a pitiful old woman some money.   It is not clear whether Phoenix is manipulating the nurse in order to get medication for herself or whether she does indeed have a grandson waiting at home, but the nurse is manipulated by Phoenix nevertheless, as she uses her age as an excuse for memory loss. The grandmother in Flannery O’ Connor’s short story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find,† is not so self-aware as Phoenix and it is her failure to use her knowledge powerfully which gets her killed in the end.   The grandmother does indeed have knowledge but somehow is unable to use it to her advantage. It is an interesting side-note that the grandmother, the mother, and Red Sam’s wife are the only characters in O’Connor’s story who are not given names; even the cat has a name.   Perhaps O’Connor used this as a subtle indicator of who did and did not have power.   Indeed, neither the grandmother nor the mother appear to be very powerful characters in this story; and Red Sam’s wife, though not a central character, is portrayed as simply chattel for her husband, who orders her around and treats her dismissively. John Wesley’s and June Star’s grandmother knows from her years on earth that a good man is indeed hard to find; she knows that truly trustworthy people are rare treasures among the human race.   The grandmother’s discussion with Red Sam shows us that she is aware of just how devious people can be.   The grandmother knows that people are inherently untrustworthy. However, the grandmother’s knowledge does not then result in her having power, for she does not use the knowledge correctly.   The grandmother gave up the potential power of her knowledge when she revealed what she knew during the encounter with the Misfit.  Ã‚   When the grandmother recognized the Misfit, she could have used this knowledge to protect her family. Perhaps Eudora Welty’s Phoenix Jackson would have used the grandmother’s knowledge in some cunning way to manipulate the Misfit.   But O’Connor’s grandmother is not as powerful as Welty’s character, simply because she fails to cultivate her knowledge into a powerful tool.   The grandmother was knowledgeable but still powerless to save her own and her family’s lives. The third character who shows us that knowledge is not necessarily power is Dave, in Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man.†Ã‚   Dave shows us that the power from knowledge is partially subjective and not an indisputable fact.   The reader sees very quickly that Dave feels â€Å"small,† not only in his physical stature but in his standing among his peers in the community.   This feeling of smallness is what makes Dave feel virtually powerless. Dave appears to have very limited knowledge of human behavior and of himself as a developing man.  Ã‚   Fear is a large factor in Dave’s twisted perception of what will give him power.   Dave is scared of other boys who are all bigger than him; he has also been raised to be scared of the adults in his life.   This fear has given Dave the â€Å"knowledge† that, if one is feared, one has power.   Of course this knowledge is flawed. But Dave’s knowledge is not a mature, conscious knowledge; it is a knowledge born of his own very limited backwoods experience in the world.   Dave sees that, if he can scare others as others have scared him, he will become a powerful man.   Once Dave has knowledge of how a gun makes him feel, he thinks he has discovered an important part of becoming a man.   Perhaps the most important discovery made by Dave is that his actions have consequences; once Dave kills the mule, he sees that something he has done has made a difference, albeit a negative difference, but a difference in the world all the same. Although Dave’s knowledge has the potential to give him power, it is not well developed and is based in fear.   Therefore his knowledge may make him an even less powerful person.   Dave does not know how to use his new-found knowledge.   Instead of making him a powerful person, his knowledge may be turning him into a dangerous person as the flawed knowledge becomes more entrenched into his personality. Knowledge is power†¦.the central characters in the stories analyzed above each show us, in their own way, that this statement is very over-simplified and not necessarily true.   Power can indeed come from having knowledge.   But that knowledge must be carefully cultivated and used appropriately in order to then provide power.   And there are occasions when we can have knowledge but lack the awareness to use that knowledge to our advantage, or power. Last, if we have knowledge but lack the conviction that we have power to use our knowledge in useful ways, we are still left as powerless as if we did not have the knowledge at all.   So power resulting from knowledge must also include self-awareness, awareness of others, and the ability to adapt our knowledge to particular situations.   Only then can we say that knowledge is power. Knowledge and Power â€Å"Scientia Potentia Est†, a famous aphorism that is otherwise translated as â€Å"For also Knowledge itself is Power†, was conceptualized during the late 16th century by the world-renowned Philosopher and Statesman of that time, Sir Francis Bacon. Indeed, Sir Bacon developed an understanding of the idea that by accumulating knowledge, one is able to exert, impose or influence power (as can be inferred) towards another.For instance, a person who has accumulated knowledge can withhold himself or herself from sharing this knowledge to others. Thus, a sort of personal advantage develops between those who have knowledge and those who want knowledge. The former, if desired, can ultimately influence the actions of the latter if the existing desire for knowledge is used against them. Otherwise, the same result could also be inferred from the opposite: once knowledge is shared by the person who has accumulated them, power is reflected in the sense that the person who has sha red it had the privilege of sharing it.Such an example only perpetuates the idea of ambiguity of the concept of power. Indeed, power, in all its forms and contexts, is a concept that has been contested my many scholars and philosophers alike for decades, even centuries. Some relate power in the form of having the ability of exercising coercion. Others relate the concept with the possession of material wealth. Still further, others profess that power is somehow related to social class. Unfortunately, these credible attempts at establishing links to the concept of power only express supplementary ambiguity to the term.For example, even though power can be somehow related to the ability of using force (coercion), the term can also be associated with the ability of persuasion – a rather mild version of quasi-coercion that does not involve the usage of force.   The same thing goes with the idea of power as equaled to the possession of material wealth and as represented by social class. Contrary to the latter statement, intangible or incorporeal wealth can also be associated with power as a substitute for material wealth. Also, behind social class lie the idea of power as related to personal or group charisma and expertise. In other words, a person belonging to the highest social class in society cannot be more powerful over those that are below his social class if those individuals under his class are more charismatic and more adequate and excellent in terms of abilities and skills.Having identified the cumbersome and volatile nature of power, is it still plausible to conclude that knowledge is indeed power? Is there a relevant connection between the two concepts? If none, can a relevant connection be established; no matter how arguable or refutable? Basically, does the possession of knowledge represent the possession of power?To answer this question, let us first understand how scholars and philosophers of the past have identified and/or defined power dur ing their time.The great 19th century philosopher, Sir Friedrich Nietzsche, often described the concept of power as something that expresses one’s domination over other human beings. If so, then knowledge could indeed be a source of power since the ignorance of knowledge denotes inferiority in logical thinking and skillful know-how; thus, disavowing the ability or opportunity of the individual to dominate others who do possess knowledge. However, another dilemma may arise from the latter statement. If knowledge is truly a source of power, how come individuals who do possess knowledge are not powerful?The answer, of course, is that knowledge in itself is not power. In order for knowledge to become a source of power, the individual must be able to aptly apply or exercise his or her knowledge in the form of actions for the purposes of achieving or producing results. As some scholars have put it, â€Å"knowledge is power only if one knows how to use it†.   Truly, if one individual possesses a myriad amount of knowledge but does not know how to translate it into action, then power is not represented. This concept, however, does not stray away from the concept of knowledge as a source of power nor does it emanate from the idea of action as a source of power rather than the mere possession of knowledge.It must be understood that actions are determined by the individual’s mind. If a certain amount of knowledge is absent within the individual’s cognitive processes then the action executed may not produce tremendous results that are reflective of the representation of power. However, if knowledge is indeed present, chances are that actions executed may produce excellent results that would be quite superior to actions that are conducted without knowledge. Simply said, actions augmented by knowledge reflect power on the part of the individual (superiority).In order to make the preceding points more plausible, let us try establishing the conce pt in a certain field or study. In this instance, let us put the concept of power as knowledge into the workplace – in this case a corporation.Most corporations possess similar theories of organization ranging from the classical theory of organization to the more systematic (systems) theory of organization. And with these models comes a set of different levels, styles or concepts of hierarchy and/or bureaucracy (formal and informal, orthodox or unorthodox). In other words, corporations always try to establish a â€Å"division of power† among its leaders and workers. Now, let us try to apply the concept of knowledge as power in a leader-worker relationship. Leaders of corporations, in all intents and purposes, are the decision-makers of the entire system.Workers, on the other hand, have more of a hands-on approach compared to their respective leaders. As far as the relationship goes, it is the leader who will decide how the workers will act. Now, the question is, is thi s a simple form of exercising power? Is the authority of the leader over the workers a concrete example of power in the form of knowledge? The answer, of course, is no; it is not a simple form of power illuminated by knowledge – at least not completely. One possible reason why this is so is because the relationship between the two actors reflect two issues as can be inferred from the general concept of power.First, the source of power as reflected from the leader can mostly likely be originating from his or her given authority. In other words, it is the granted authority of the corporation that is providing the leader his or her own personal power and not his or her own possession of knowledge. Second, the worker cannot be subject to inferiority since the worker is aware that his or her job is to simply follow orders. For power to be present, one must be able to persuade or force an individual to do what he or she wishes. Otherwise, if the worker decides not to follow the ord ers of the leader, then it can be inferred that the worker is expressing power over the leader (charisma or personal ability). But that is another issue.If so, how is knowledge as a source of power reflected in a leader-worker relationship? One possible explanation could be found from the personal histories of both actors.Respective or high positions in most corporations require excellent abilities or practical know-how. As such, no normal individual can just apply or be promoted to such a position if the individual does not possess the necessary skills or abilities that the position requires. Simply said, leaders are on their respective positions simply because they possess the required skills and as a result, are thoroughly capable of fulfilling its functions.Workers, on the other hand, may not possess these prerequisites or capabilities. However, this does not imply that workers are not knowledgeable. This merely implies that workers are yet on the verge of acquiring or developin g the necessary knowledge for fulfilling the functions that are required by the position. And where can a worker acquire this necessary knowledge? The answer, definitely, is quite reflective of the answer to the whole problem of where can the idea of knowledge as power be inferred from a leader-worker relationship – from the leader.Indeed, if a worker wishes to achieve the same position as that of his or her own leader, then that worker must first develop knowledge based from his or her work and eventually acquire knowledge from his or her own leader. If recognized (or desired), the leader who possesses the knowledge that is required by the worker can now express or exercise power over the worker in the sense that the leader now has the choice of whether or not to impart his or her own knowledge to the worker.Going back to the previous points, if an individual withholds his or her own knowledge from sharing it to others, then power is gained in the form of an advantage; thus, producing a sense of superiority. As one head of a corporation has put it, â€Å"Knowledge is power and you do not share power.† The worker, however, can try to acquire knowledge of the same context from others and that action might change the idea of power in a leader-worker relationship. However, it is very unlikely that this is to happen for if the worker decides to gather power outside of his or her own corporation that knowledge may well be different from what the corporation may require or need.As mentioned earlier, power is a concept that has been contested my many scholars and philosophers alike for centuries. To suddenly come up with a personal explanation of power in the form of the possession of knowledge is something not new in the world of power.  As demonstrated, power is a really ambiguous term, let alone be defined in terms of knowledge. However, one cannot deny the fact that knowledge is indeed a source of power; for if knowledge is absent, one will not be able to exercise the myriad forms of power over others.In conclusion, if knowledge (in any form) is present within an individual and that that individual’s counterpart possesses a certain amount of ignorance of over the same type of knowledge, then the former is most likely to be more powerful over the latter. Simply put, the possession of knowledge is superiority over those who do not possess knowledge.Works Cited:Caruso, Denise. â€Å"Knowledge is Power only if you know how to use it.† March 2007 The New York Times 21 November 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/business/yourmoney/11frame.html?_r=1&oref=sloginWimmer, Sandra. â€Å"For Illinois Agency, Knowledge is Power – and Promise.† August 2005 Government Procurement 21 November 2007,http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-procurement/1162860-1.htmlLloyd, Bruce. â€Å"The Paradox of Power.† May 1996 The Futurist 21 November 2007,http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee -development-leadership/553463-1.htmlGrant, Beau. â€Å"Knowledge is POWER.† October 2005 Government Procurement 21 November 2007, http://www.allbusiness.com/management/928236-1.html