What inferences can you draw from this passage What are the Assignment - 1

What inferences can you draw from this passage What are the implications - Assignment Example Job-fit refers to degree of which a particular applicant possesses knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job he/she has applied for. For example an organization has a vacant position of marketing manager and the organization wants the applicant to have an aggressive approach towards work and the organization expects the incumbent to control his emotions while making any decisions. While hiring the marketing manager, the organization can carry out the Big Five Personality Test. This will help in shortlisting candidates who score high on the trait of conscientiousness and are highly emotionally stable. The organization can select one of the candidates from the shortlisted ones in compliance with the required traits. This will help in ensuring that the marketing manager is ready to work all the time and is ready to accept new challenges and does not make decisions based on emotions and rather make rational

Teamwork, Collboration, and Conflict Resolution Essay

Teamwork, Collboration, and Conflict Resolution - Essay Example an help achieve collaboration through communication, stability, research and evaluation, as well as resources, leadership, group development and participation to help achieve collaboration in the work place. Collaboration is a process of participation through which people, groups and organizations work together to achieve desired results. It is important that communication is clear and established through a process. Resources are important to use because of their accessibility and credibility to provide results of tools that have been tried before and succeeded or failed or in process through research and evaluation. Management needs to be able to provide leadership and direction to promote and facilitate the workplace in order to develop a sense of collaboration. It is important for those that are in managerial roles to help support team building through this process. Group development helps address important issues along the way. It is important for mangers to identify personality types and the different groups of people that work best together to get the job done. This will help managers in developing a communication system to help achieve the goals and objectives that are put in place. Employees feel connected in formal and informal communication through network and group development, this is important for employees in their personal and professional development. Management is a very high position and takes a lot of understanding within the department or group they are leading. A manager has to be bias and also be able to resolve any conflicts that their employees may have. Looking over conflicts that can happen in the work will consist of using the five factors that come into play. The most effect to me would be to calibrate the ideas that are coming up in the conflict. Put in writing what each employee has to say and make an evaluation on what the next step will be. Each employee has a say so in any type of change or goal that each department is trying to

The General Crisis In The 17th Century History Essay

The General Crisis In The 17th Century History Essay The period of crisis that happened in Europe in the seventeenth century was one of the toughest in history. After the process of expansion and growth experienced during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Europe found itself in a deep crisis that lasted nearly a century. A crisis that was characterize by various features, foremost the demographic, because after the late Middle Ages the population had increased steadily; until it stops abruptly in the sixteenth century even to recede in many places. Other reasons that were attributed for causing this crisis included hunger, wars, revolts, politics, plagues and climate changes. Eric Hobsbawn argues that on the big picture, it was economic and social forces that created this mid 17th century crisis. On the other hand, Trevor Roper emphasized that the main causes for this crisis were the religious and political conflict. Although both arguments can be valid and were present in this disaster, I believe that the root causes of this cris is were religious and political differences, which ultimately led Europe to have economic and social conflicts as well. One important example of this crisis is the thirty years war. It was a war that took place in central Europe (especially in Germany) between 1618 and 1648, in which the majority of the great European powers intervened. This war would mark the future if the European continent in the centuries to follow  [1]  . The origin of this war goes back to the Peace of Augsburg, which basically stated that the religion of the ruler of the land will be the religion of the people. This resolved the conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants for a while, but due to the diverse religions practiced in the German states, it did not solve the underlying religious issues definitively. Just by analyzing the phrases above, we automatically get the sense that it was religious conflicts the root cause of this war. This is confirmed by the event that sparked the war, the revolt in Bohemia. In this revolt, member of the predominantly protestant bohemian legislature threw two catholic government o fficials pot the window, as a sign of protest against the religious policies of the newly elected king, the catholic Ferdinand II  [2]  . However, the Catholics defeated the protestants, and this leads us to another example of religion causing the 30 years war; the intervention of the Danish and then the Swedish. This happened because of the fear of these kingdoms that their sovereignty as protestant lands was threatened by the Catholic success in the war, and also because the declarations of the king Frederick V, where he said that all Europe should be back to Catholic. Nevertheless, at this point the Catholics are still winning the war, and this catches the awareness of Cardinal Richelieu, who was the chief minister of King Louis XII of France. From this point on, this religious war becomes political, because even though he was catholic, France decides to join the war and help the Protestants. The reason for this was simple, balance of power; the French felt that Habsburgs hav e gained too much power and they did not want just one great power to control Europe  [3]  . This war is a great example of how religious and political reasons shaped this European crisis, and how these events led to the economic and social problems that a war brings, in order to fund the war with money and men. After all, this war was ended with the Treaty of Westphalia; which ironically ended up being like the treaty of the peace Augsburg that stated that the religion of the prince is the religion of the people. The political effects of this war were very traumatic as well, first it weakened the power of the empire, and the individual territories of the Germany gained more autonomy even than before the war  [4]  . Another problem that rose during this crisis was the war of the three kingdoms. This is another great example to argue that Trevor Roper was correct in explaining the main cause of the crisis. This war happened after England, Ireland and Scotland became united under the power of only one ruler. This was possible because, since Queen Elizabeth of England had no direct heir to her throne, the next in line was James Stuart, the king of Scotland  [5]  . So what types of problems this created? First, James was a firm believer of the divine right monarchy, which basically means that he was placed there by god and does not have to report to anyone else. This belief did not bring many problems to other nations; however, the fact that England had a parliament created a lot of political tensions in this era. Expanding upon this, the wealth that the members of the parliament had acquired from the agricultural innovation, the expansion of their land and sheep count, increased this problems e ven more, because they now wanted to match their political power with their economic power. The fact of this happening brings us back to our thesis, and shows a religious problem becoming political, which ultimately becomes social. I argue this because the parliament starts to have power from the times of King Henry, when he needed their approval to separate from the Catholic Church (religion). Years after, this backfires to King James, because it gave more authority to the wealthy parliament, and clash with his ideals of divine right and absolutism (Politics). Subsequently, creating a lot tension and confusion among the people of the three kingdoms, whose laws and taxes kept changing as the power of the monarchy and the parliament would fluctuate (Social)  [6]  . To further support our point, we can cite the historian Paul Hazard, who coined the term crisis of the European consciousness to define an ideological crisis that could be found in the intellectual ambient of Europe after the wars of religion  [7]  . This is a valid argument since it is logical to believe that religious conflicts could rupture the emotional stability of a society that is very much influenced by god and religion. The raise and growth of new religions that differed in many matters with ancient Catholicism brought into the map many thinkers that challenged even more the traditional beliefs.   Intellectuals such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke and Newton share a common time, it can even be dated astronomically with the famous Halleys comet of 1680 which allowed Pierre Bayle drafting its Charter, and use this to make fun (in a way) at the Religious superstitions and affirm that knowledge must be constantly proven and updated  [8]  . However, this eventuall y created some social problems, since most of the universities and teaching centers were controlled and had the patronage of the church, being either catholic, like the Jesuits, or protestants. This is another example of how religious conflicts (Trevors argument) happened first and the led to social problems (Hobsbawn argument) Possibly the best example of the religious and political causes of this crisis was the glorious revolution. Going back to the origin of the problem, old King James II was a Catholic that had already irritated the parliament by relaxing the restrictions on the Catholics and allowing them to hold positions in public offices  [9]  . Nevertheless, James was old and next line for the throne was his daughter Mary, a protestant that was married to William of Orange; so the parliament does not really take any action. However, things turn ugly after James II has a son that would mean the continuity of Catholic rule in England, which the parliament would not allow. This caused the glorious revolution, and causes James to escape to France with his son, and William of Orange is invited to be king of England  [10]  . It is interesting to see how the biggest political problem that King James II had was the fact that he was catholic; once again religion. In addition, the fact that the parliament is the one that invites William to be king summarizes the amount of power that he would have, which as we can see, was very limited. He was given many restrictions, such as the obligation to be an Anglican, he was not allowed to have a standing army, he was not allowed to veto a parliament act and there was no arbitrary arrest  [11]  . Based on this, comes a liberal social movement that will support the ideas of the parliament in a way, and moves England even further away from absolutism. A leader of this movement is John Locke. We can see in his Two treatises to the government his idea of the natural right to live, which basically states that we all have a right to liberty and the possession of property. Moreover, if the government does not protect the natural right to live of the people, they can reve l and a demand a ruler who does not violate their rights  [12]  . Trevor and Hobsbawn use the Fronde in France as another example of the general crisis. It begun because of general discontent of the people. His beginnings were based on the economic crisis and increasing the tax burden generated to address the cost of participation of France in the Thirty Years War. Its most direct cause, however, can be found in the means used by the monarchy to raise taxes. With the arrival of the regent the people expected the monarchy to cut rates, but not so: Cardinal Mazarin thought that France could support the war and did not let up the pressure. In addition, the Parliament of Paris tried to limit the power of King Louis XIV and also the nobility felt threatened by the king and wanted more of a voice in the government. All of the causes of the Fronde have political implications to it. Even If it is argued that the raise of the taxes was a social problem, it was a political decision to raise the taxes for war and specially to actually enter the war, with the ideals of balance of power  [13]  . In conclusion, the general crisis was characterized by a series of wars, revolts, decline of population and political and social changes that in many cases could have been avoided if the right precautions would have been taken. However, the fact Europe was undergoing a time political absolutism (at least that is what the rulers intended) and the close relation between church and government, made it impossible to avoid the conflicts. The numerous wars that happened (all for political and religious reasons) aided by plagues and diseases, caused the first decline in the population after the middle ages, therefore creating social and economic problems in the region. This is the reason why I believe that Trevor Roper was right by saying that the root cause of the crisis was political and religious (decisions to go to war, monarchs selected for their religion, etc); which then led to economic and social problem(increase of taxation, price revolution, and decline in population), aggravating even more the situation.

Segregation in the College Student Center Essay -- University Student

Segregation in the College Student Center As I walked into the University Student Center after my Issues in Public Policy class one August day, a disturbing sight immediately struck me. For a moment I thought I needed to pinch myself because I felt as though I was having a horrible nightmare. Then, I thought that maybe I needed to check my calendar to make sure that I had not traveled back in time to the sixties when segregation was still an accepted practice in the United States. Much to my dismay, I was not dreaming, and it was still in the year 2000. As I continued to look around at my fellow students, my stomach churned, and it was not because I was hungry. The sight that lay before my eyes was not only very disturbing but also very common at the University. Although the Supreme Court in 1954 in Brown vs. The Topeka Board of Education declared segregation illegal, our student center today probably looks the way diners looked thirty years ago. Blacks are sitting in a secluded section of the Student Center; while whites ar e sitting in their own self-designated section. The segregation between blacks and whites in the Student Center is simply a natural occurrence between the two races. The University does not have guidelines on what section blacks and whites are supposed to sit in; nevertheless, blacks and whites naturally separate because of years of legal segregation. Segregation in our society has become a natural occurrence even though segregation is illegal today. The question that needs to be raised is "Why?" Why is de facto segregation still accepted in the United States? Why is a prominent city like Lexington still facing many of the problems it faced thirty years ago? The answers lie in our culture and our horrif... ...en the noblest of people cannot contain. It is a haunting ghost that no one can see, and it is the devil of our cities that many do not even know exist. Racial profiling, inequality, and segregation will remain in cities as long as our culture allows it. As long as we allow white supremacy and black inferiority to be prevalent in our culture, we are going to continue to have problems in our cities. Works Cited Adams, Jim. "Study: Police Stopped Blacks Twice As Often As Whites." The Courier-Journal 29 Oct. 2000: Al, All. Bell, Derrick. And We Are Not Saved. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1987. Mills, Charles W. The Racial Contract. London: Corneff University Press, 1997. Ogburn, William "Social Change and Race Rehitions." Race Relations. Eds. Jitsuichi Masuoka and Preston Valiem. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1961. 201.

Private Security after 9/11 Essay

The Transportation Security Administration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two months after the 9/11 attacks, the Congress ratified the Aviation and Transportation Security Act or what is known as the ATSA, creating what is known as the Transportation Security Administration (The Heritage†¦ 2006). According to the assumptions to the federalization of airport security, all passengers are uniformly suspicious and should have similar analysis, and the principal aim of the airport security is to observe and confiscate hazardous objects such as knives, bombs and guns, resulting to the creation of TSA which cause an extensive cost without making Americans perceptively safer (The Heritage†¦, 2006). Transportation Security Administration or the TSA which is a part of the Aviation and transportation Security Act ratified by the US Congress and signed by George W. Bush on November 19, 2001 is a United States government agency that was formed immediately after the tragedies at the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001 (TSA 2007). The TSA was originally structured in the U.S. Department of Transportation but on March 01, 2003 was reassigned to the US Department of Homeland Security with the responsibility for the safety of the country’s system of transportations. With the regional, local, and state partners, the Transportation Security Agency with approximately 50,000 employees, watches over and administer the security and safety of railroads, buses, ports, transit systems, highways, and 450 United States Airports (TSA 2007). Among the airports includes the Sioux Falls Regional Airport and the San Francisco International Airport, which uses private security under contract with the Transportation and Security Administration in inspecting passengers and bag gages. The TSA is responsible in the safety and protection of all types of transportation such as rail, pipelines & highways, and aviation in which the huge majority of its employees can be found. Before the creation of TSA the security screening is managed by the private companies who had contracts with either, a terminal, an airline or an airport operator. Private security agencies have been authorized by the Transportation and Security Administration in providing security but these agencies are under the permission or approval of the TSA. TSA was assigned in the development of policies in ensuring the security and safety of any forms of transportation especially the US air traffic. The Transportation and Security Administration supervise the Federal Air Marshall Service until it was shifted to the US Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December 1, 2003, and in the US Government’s fiscal year in 2006, the Federal Air Marshall Program was shifted back again to the TSA. The TSA is accountable for operation in screening passengers’ items and luggage in all US Commercial airports, and combating baggage theft in many airports. TSA has also receives many criticisms concerning airport operations and this includes, complaints mistreatment of invasion privacy, engaging I security theater, theft of airline passenger possessions, sales of items collected from passengers, skipping security checks, failure on the use of common sense and judgment, and failure to screen and detect fake bombs brought by an undercover TSA agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Intense implementation deadlines required by the US Congress, limited terminal space, high investment on baggage screening equipments, and limited number of screeners, combined to generate huge inefficiencies and because of this $2.5 billion dollars have been spent just for the baggage screening equipments as of September 2004 in spite of high error rate and low performance of the expensive explosive detection system or EDS. Transportation Security Today   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before September 11, 2001, transportation safety within the United States was restricted in purpose and in degree. Total federal spending for all transportation security was less than $200 million a year, with most of that devoted to passenger aviation. Subway surveillance cameras and transit police sought detect or stop criminal activity, and customs agents at ports look for smugglers. The only division that had received essential resources and security policy awareness from the US Federal Government, the importance was tremendously shifted overseas (William Johnstone, 2006, p. 1). Many have explained the success of the 9/11 attacks as mainly the result of imperfect intelligence, but the available evidence indicates the primary negligence was that of the aviation security system. The whole history of the system, as well as the testimony received by the 9/11 Commission indicates that its defenses could only respond effectively with the kind of actionable and specific intelligence that all agree is always in short supply (William Johnstone, 2006, p. 2). The federal government responded to the 9/11 with a flurry of Congressional and Executive Branch initiatives, including: the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 (ATSA), which created the Transportation Security Administration to be responsible for the security of all modes of transportation and established the deadlines for the implementation of the a number of specific aviation security measures, the Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) which set the security guidelines for ports and ships, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) which established new department of homeland Security (DHS) by combining twenty two separate federal agencies, including TSA, the Coast Guard, the Customs Ser vice, and the Federal Management Agency (FEMA) The 2002 legislation creating the 9/11 Commission which was to examine and report upon the facts and causes relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and investigate and report to the President and Congress on its findings, conclusions and recommendations for corrective measures that can be taken to prevent acts of terrorism, a series of Homeland Security Presidential directives (HSPDS), including the December 2003 HSPD-& which called for DHAS to produce a comprehensive integrated National Plan for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Protection, and lastly, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention act of 2004 which turned many of the 9/11 commission’s recommendation including those relating to transportation security into statutory mandates (William Johnstone, 2006). The increased federal policy attention was accompanied by a substantial rise in federal funding for the Transportation Security, which rose from less than $150 million in Fiscal years (FY) 2001 to more than $7.7 billion in FY2005, but four years after 9/11, after a several, a series of federal laws, reorganization, and executive directives, after more than $25 billion in few federal security investments, major questions remain about the effectiveness of all the elements of the new system. Aviation Security With the layers of aviation security the intelligence security sector of the TSA is more pertinent to decision and leadership of its agency doing procedure than its forerunner in the FAA, but even if it is two times as large as its forerunner, it stays considerably understaffed and its agents are now distributed much fewer with duties for the modes of transportation not just in aviation (William Johnstone, 2006). Development has been recounted in perimeter security of airports through a lowering in the access points of airports, an rise in vehicles entering airports and in, surveillance of individuals and some enhancements in background checks of airport employee, though, small has varied in the divided responsibilities of the old systems for â€Å"access control†, with US Federal Government, and to a lesser degree the airlines all having a function (p. 6).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General aviation security has not been substantially has not been substantially upgraded, with neighbor pilots, passengers, baggage, nor cargo subjected to security screening, and threat and vulnerability has assessment have yet to be undertaken for most general aviation airports. A December 2004 Congressional report, criticized TSA for failing to understand the risk from small private planes, provide useful threat information to general aviation airports, and enforce security compliance by charter airlines and flight schools (p. 6). Similar weaknesses persist to continue in air cargo security, and reportedly only 5% of all cargo is presently screened, and the GAO has stated that carrying cargo aircraft persist to be highly susceptible to sabotage of terrorist. TSA has stated sets of regulation for security of air cargo but usual for rule making, the procedure is progressing very slowly, and even if concluded, the new rules would give fewer features on how freight industry, which is anticipated to execute the security program, is to perform this groundless mandates (p. 6).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Four years of going through have educated us that the United States government can’t do the work better compared to the private sector and this should not come as unexpected because absolutely every nation that has utilized government screeners has reached similar conclusion (The Heritage†¦, 2006). When nations first attempt to prevent airline hijacking in the 1970’s, most countries originally used government staffs to enhance security at airports through justice agency or government transportation, and in the start of the 1980’s the European airports starts developing a â€Å"performance contracting model† with which the government impose and establish high performance standard with which airports did by employing security companies. Belgium was the 1st to do this mode in 1982, in 1983 this was emulated by the Netherlands, in 1987 by the United Kingdom, and a new wave of conversions to the â€Å"public private partnership model in 1990’s, in 1992 with Germany, 1993 in France, 1994 in Austria and Denmark, 1998 in Ireland and Poland, and 1999 in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland (The Heritage†¦, 2006). The GAO examined the security inspection methods of Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom reporting the excellent performance of airports in Europe using the performance contracting model. The GAO state the four parts of the important differences between European and US screening practices at the time, and these are, better overall security system design, higher training and qualifications prerequisite for screeners, better pay and benefits resulting in much lower turnover rates, and screening task given with the national government or the airport and not with airlines (The Heritage†¦, 2006). Reactive System   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 1990 the Presidential Commission on Aviation and terrorism, which itself had been established only after the Pan AM 103 disaster, reported to the nation that the FAA was a reactive agency preoccupied with responses to events to the exclusion of adequate contingency planning in anticipation of future threats (William Johnstone, 2006). The main features of the pre 9/11 security system can be summarized as anti-hijacking measures (including checkpoint screening, profiling, and air marshals, the anti-sabotage measures including X-ray screening and positive passenger bag match at high risk airports, and additional measure such as explosive detection equipment, canine teams, and CAPPS (William Johnstone, 2006). Unpromising Future The hope for any important improvement in baggage and passenger security are depressing because instead of tasking each airport with securing its operations under the National Regulatory Supervision† as is ordinary in most other countries, Congress tackle the 9/11 failure of security by instructing in the Transportation Security Administration not only the regulatory responsibility but also the â€Å"service provision duties of the airport screening (The Heritage†¦, 2006). The TSA served as both an operator and passenger screener while the perimeter patrols, access control and law enforcement duties were to be done by the airports themselves under the FSD administration, creating a serious conflict of interest. The Need for Legislation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primarily, the fault cannot be attributed alone with the TSA, but with the Congress which directed how the US government must tackle the problem, the Congress selected in concentrating on how the US government could make the pre 9/11 security check better rather than directing the vital issue of searching for the most effective and efficient method to stop terrorist off the plane. The Congress formed the problem and solving it will make Congress’ law to reshape the US government on the duties of stopping terrorist more willingly than focusing on the passengers’ luggage. The congress can begin by shifting the TSA into a much more different Aviation security Agency, and the Congress should push the US Government to get out of the screening business and transfer screening to airports, obliging only that they authorize contracts, set performance standards, and observe compliance (The Heritage†¦, 2006). The new ASA should enforce and set standards focusing on, certification of security companies with which an agency of the US Government evaluates the backgrounds of its directors and officers and financial stability of each firms, licensing of individual workers, initially as skilled security officers and then as specialized aviation agents, standards for benefits and salary to guarantee that people of highly skilled employees are hired and that they are motivated to stay with the company, and lastly, training of operating personnel and managers (The Heritage†¦, 2006). A New Model for Aviation Security The DHS should focus its attention to the development of the 21st century cargo system and international passenger security system that doesn’t waste resources by considering every package and person as an equal risk that needs screening and checks. A new â€Å"model system should distribute resources of security in comparison with the risk or danger, counting on what is called as â€Å"focused security† that place the most resources alongside with the highest risks. An enhanced â€Å"risk based approach† to recognize dangerous persons would make separation of passengers within the checkpoints of terminals into at least three distinct groups according to the quality and quantity of information known about each, such low risk passengers with which great deal is known, ordinary passengers or persons who are mostly infrequent flyers and leisure travelers, and high risk passengers or people whom nothing is known or having negative information about them. Also, different actions for bag and passenger screening should be done with each group to have an efficient system resources and passenger time allotment on methods that give little to the security of airport. The â€Å"risk based approach† would give noteworthy cost savings to both operating cost and capital while aiming funds of the airport security toward the passengers who are expected to pose threats to property and people, and those savings could be utilized to develop security in other areas and lower the passenger, airline, airport, and taxpayer’s cost (The Heritage†¦, 2006). The â€Å"risk based model would also lower the cost and size of   â€Å"checked baggage screening†, and the bags of RT members could be screened through X ray machines, lowering the EDS machines’ demand. Conclusion The US Congress can assist to tackle the country’s airport security requirement more effectively by insisting the 3 essential changes such as, reconstructing the TSA’s mission from giving airport security to being a policymaker of the aviation security, devolving screening responsibility to the airport level under the authorization of a director of the federal security, and lastly, requiring that the DHS labor to construct a new cargo and passenger security system that utilize a â€Å"risk based model† for the security of airports (The Heritage†¦, 2006). References Burns, V., Peterson, D. (2005).   Terrorism: A Documentary and Reference Guide.   New York: Greenwood Press. TSA – Transportation Security Administration. (2007). What Is TSA?. Retrieved December 23 2007, from http://www.tsa.gov/who_we_are/what_is_tsa.shtm The Heritage Foundation. (2006). Time to Rethink Airport Security. Retrieved December 23 2007, from http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandSecurity/bg1955.cfm Williams C. (2004).   Aircrew Security.   New York: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. William Johnstone, R. (2006).   9/11 and the Future of Transportation Security.   New York: Greenwood Press.            

Analysis of Health Education Pamphlet Essay

Analysis of Health Education Pamphlet: Helping Yourself Heal When Your Spouse Dies Mental health is an important component of overall healthcare, but it is often overlooked. Although society has become more aware of mental health issues, there is still a stigma perceived, and individuals are often reluctant to disclose their mental health issues for fear of rejection, prejudice or avoidance by others (Turner, 2013). Grief and the grieving process is a common aspect of mental health; this pamphlet’s target audience is individuals who have lost their partner (Wolfelt, 2011). The goal is to provide information and reassurance that their grieving is normal and necessary. The analysis of this pamphlet will include an examination of its layout appeal, content and quality of information, an assessment of the reading level and its appropriateness for the target audience, clarity, examples of health care promotion, usefulness, cultural sensitivity and competence, along with helpful tip s for self-care and health management. Layout Appeal A first glance at this pamphlet shows a soothing but attractive picture of a dandelion in full seed. The background is a muted brick red/brown, with the dandelions depicted in light blue that lighten further to bright white in the center. The title is in white with the word â€Å"Spouse† enlarged. This certainly catches one’s eye and clearly announces the target audience it intends. The interior of the pamphlet is all text but divided into titled sections of two paragraphs each. The section titles could read separately from the rest of the content and still lend insight to the reader. For example, the first four section titles are as follows: Acknowledge Your Loss, Allow Yourself to Mourn; Recognize Your Grief is Unique, and Talk Out Your Thoughts and Feelings. The background of the interior is white, the print in black, with the exception of the section titles, which are in blue ink. There are faint pictures of dandelions on the interior, carrying over the cover design. Overall it is very pleasing and attractive. Content and Quality of Information The content of this pamphlet was developed by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition and faculty at the University of Colorado Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Wolfelt has  written extensively on the subject of grief and loss, as well as conducting classes in the subject. Each of the titled sections is two paragraphs and covers just one aspect of grief and loss. It can be read in one sitting or one section at a time. The information of the pamphlet covers the entire grieving process and offers reassurance, comfort, and empathy without being rigid about the grieving process. It allows an individual to take in as much as they can, and then refer to the pamphlet as a reference. Reading Level/Appropriate Literacy Level Delgado and Weitzel conclude in their study on literacy of lower-income urban adults that most participants had â€Å"reading and comprehension levels at beginning high school level† (Delgado, 2013), and suggest that clients may have difficulty understanding the offered information. They recommend that printed information for the general public be written on a level to ensure comprehension by the target audience – at the 8th to 9th grade level (Delgado, 2013). The content of this pamphlet flows nicely and was analyzed using two different reading level assessment tools: ATOS (ATOS Assessment, 2014) and SMOG (SMOG Assessment Overview, 2012). The ATOS scoring placed the content of the pamphlet at the 8th grade reading and comprehension level, with the SMOG scoring slightly higher at the 9th grade reading and comprehension level. Overall, the pamphlet meets the recommendations of Delgado and Weitzel, and should be readily understandable by most adults. As this pamphlet is targeted for adults who have experienced the death of a spouse, the pamphlet is entirely appropriate in reading and comprehension levels. Clarity The target audience and intent of this pamphlet are clear from the first glance and onward. It contains concise and useful information and gentle guidance while stressing individuality. The content is written in plain language and is easily understood. Each section has a title and addresses only what the title states, creating manageable bits of information. It does not overwhelm the reader. Usefulness This pamphlet provides much useful information on the grieving process. It gives examples of the types of emotions one might experience during grief and reassures the reader that each person grieves in their own way. It gives valuable information and reassurance without becoming â€Å"preachy† and patronizing. Different aspects of grief are explored and explained, and the reader is encouraged to embrace their grief, experience it and know that to suppress the grief and emotions accompanying it can be detrimental. Cultural Sensitivity and Competence While the pamphlet does not address specific cultural differences, it does acknowledge that there are cultural differences exist. The author also encourages the reader to embrace their own cultural traditions pertaining the death, loss and grieving that will bring them and their families comfort. Helpful Tips for Self-Care and Health Management Many helpful tips are offered in this pamphlet; from acknowledging grief and mourning to finding support systems to dealing with the possessions of the deceased. The overall tone of the pamphlet is one of acceptance, reassurance, and comfort. It encourages the reader to be compassionate with oneself, to be open about the pain of loss and not to repress emotions. It also informs the reader that they will experience a range of emotions, sometimes within a short period of time, and that it is normal. This is a gentle and useful pamphlet that offers both comfort and a guideline to aid a person through the grief of the loss of their partner. Reference ATOS Assessment. (2014). Retrieved from Renaissance.com: http://www.renaissance.com/Products.Accelerated-Reader/ATOS Delgado, C. &. (2013). Reading comprehension levels in a sample of urban, low-income persons. Health Education Journal 72(3), 345-350. SMOG Assessment Overview. (2012). Retrieved from Havard.edu: http://www.cdnl.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/135/2012/09/pdfSMOGoverview Turner, R. N. (2013). Combating the mental health stigma with nostalgia. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 43(5), 413-422. Wolfelt, A. (2011). Helping yourself heal when your spouse dies. Fort Collins, CO: Companion Press.